Vapers Digest 23rd January

CTFK’s Idea To Slug Consumers With a Regressive Cigarette Tax Is Not Public Health – and is Downright Harmful

Americans For Tax Reform

The Bloomberg-funded Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) today released a statement calling on lawmakers to slug American consumers with a $1.50-per-pack cigarette tax hike.

Tax hikes are a bad idea at any time. This one would be especially bad now.

American families are still dealing with the fallout from Bidenflation. Food, rent, gas, and utilities all cost more, while paychecks have not kept pace

From Regulation to Ruin: How Australia’s War On Nicotine is Feeding an Extensive Tobacco Network

Diane Caruana

Australia’s growing illicit tobacco crisis is no longer a fringe issue—it is a stark illustration of what happens when tobacco control relies on prohibition rather than pragmatic harm reduction. Despite decades of public health leadership, the country now faces a multibillion-dollar illegal nicotine market, escalating violence, and worsening youth access to unregulated products. Tobacco harm reduction experts, have consistently highlighted that these outcomes are the predicted consequences of policy choices that removed regulated alternatives while leaving demand intact.

The Unintended Consequences of Banning Flavored Vapes

Jeffrey A. Singer, Cato Institute

When governments ban products, they don’t eliminate demand—they redirect it. That basic economic fact is especially important in nicotine policy, where people don’t simply stop using nicotine because a preferred product disappears. Flavored vaping bans is a case in point.

Vaping after stopping smoking linked to lower risk of relapse back to smoking

Queen Mary, University of London, Medical XPress

Smokers who quit with the help of e-cigarettes often continue vaping, but it is not known whether this promotes or prevents relapse back to smoking.

Led by Queen Mary University of London’s Professor Peter Hajek, this study in the journal Addiction, “Continuing use of e-cigarettes after stopping smoking and relapse: Secondary analysis of a large randomized control trial” provides the first evidence that smokers who successfully stop smoking with the help of vapes and continue to use them may be reducing their risk of relapse.

Special Report｜Russia scales back anti-vaping drive, limits ban to single-region trial

2Firsts

After months of debate, Russian lawmakers have retreated from plans for a nationwide vaping ban, opting instead for a single-region pilot. The shift reflects pressure from business groups and fiscal authorities, amid warnings that sweeping prohibitions could fuel illegal trade while undermining efforts to regulate the market.