Vapers Digest 25th November
Friday’s News at a glance:
Banning disposable vapes? – 7 things to know about e-cigarettes and quitting smoking – Bloomberg tentacles tighten around WHO FCTC – England Recommits to Goal of Making Smoking Obsolete by 2030 – ADPHNE Comes Out For Vaping – Harm Reduction Is Working – AVCA Attacks Lung Damage Claims – Politics – November 2022 Podcast – Columbus Flavor Ban Is The Wrong Policy – CDC to Spend $55M on More Tobacco Research – Respect citizen rights, rethink nicotine – Nicotine Science and Policy Daily Digest
Banning disposable vapes?
Christopher Snowdon, Velvet Glove Iron Fist
A motley collection of environmental and ‘public health’ groups have joined forces to get disposable vapes banned.
Environmental groups have called for the sale of single-use e-cigarettes to be banned due their “rapidly escalating threat”.
In an open letter to environment secretary Thérèse Coffey and health secretary Steve Barclay, 18 environment and health groups, including Green Alliance and RSPCA, argue that disposable vapes are “unnecessary electrical items” that contain single use plastic, nicotine and batteries, all of which are “hazardous to the environment and wildlife when littered”.
They describe disposable vapes as single use plastics, which is a stretch given that they provide 300 puffs each. They also claim that the amount of lithium in their batteries equates to 1,200 electric cars per year. Maybe so, but there were seven million electric cars produced last year and that number is rising exponentially. Lithium usage in e-cigarettes is negligible by comparison.
7 things to know about e-cigarettes…
And quitting smoking – Jamie Hartmann-Boyce
Associate Professor, Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Martin Dockrell from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
One of the most common things we hear about e-cigarettes and health is “we just don’t know yet” but the evidence, especially on their contribution to quitting smoking, is continuing to build.
The Cochrane living review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation brings together the best available research evidence to examine the effectiveness, tolerability, and safety of using electronic cigarettes (ECs) to help people who smoke tobacco achieve long‐term smoking abstinence (1). The evidence is gathered monthly and systematically reviewed with emphasis on quality control to improve knowledge and to feed into healthcare decisions.
Bloomberg tentacles tighten
Around WHO FCTC – COPWatch
Announced recently is the new Global Tobacco Control Progress Hub. Bloomberg Philanthropies is the sole funder and the steering committee is populated by Bloomberg grantees. The Hub is described as an “ambitious new interactive data platform for the tobacco control community”. It will use 12 years worth of data collected by WHO and FCTC.
These unaccountable NGO’s will be measuring the progress of the sovereign nations that are the Parties.
By the tobacco control echo chamber, for the tobacco control echo chamber.
— Martin Dockrell (@SwitchFinder) November 25, 2022
We are really grateful for all the attention our new @CochraneTAG #ecigarettes review is getting. @DrNLindson and I wanted to respond in particular to a blog from Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. We stand by our methods and findings. https://t.co/MSOE8LzuRL
— Jamie Hartmann-Boyce (@jhb19) November 25, 2022
England Recommits to Goal of …
Making Smoking Obsolete by 2030 – Kiran Sidhu
Following much uncertainty amid unprecedented political turmoil in the United Kingdom, the country has recommitted to making smoking in England obsolete by 2030, a promise it had made earlier this year.
In February, the government announced that Dr. Javed Khan, the former chief executive of Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity, would spearhead an independent review to study smoking-related health disparities. That report, published in June, recommended 15 actions that England could take in order to go “smoke-free” by the end of the decade.
Four from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:
ADPHNE Comes Out For Vaping
The Association of Directors of Public Health North East (ADPHNE) has published a position statement and joins the vast number of UK public health bodies supporting vaping. ADPHNE came to its position due to the briefings released by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH UK) and the publication of the Nicotine vaping in England 2022 evidence update.
“The most robust evidence on nicotine vaping is contained within the Nicotine Vaping in England: 2022 evidence update. The report is the most comprehensive to date, its main focus being a systematic review of the evidence on the health risks of nicotine vaping.”
Harm Reduction Is Working
New Zealand’s Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) strategy is working exceptionally well with the country increasingly on target to achieve Smokefree Aotearoa 2025, says Nancy Loucas, co-founder of Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA). Her comments follow the Government releasing statistics which show New Zealand’s smoking rate has fallen to an historic low of 8% of adults smoking daily, down from 9.4% a year ago.
AVCA was formed in 2016 by vapers across New Zealand wanting their voices heard in local and central government. All members are former smokers who promote vaping to help smokers quit – a much less harmful alternative to combustible tobacco products. AVCA does not have any affiliation or vested interest in industry – tobacco, pharmaceutical and/or the local vaping manufacturing or retail sectors.
AVCA Attacks Lung Damage Claims
Claims of vaping causing lung damage by New Zealand’s Asthma and Respiratory Foundation (ARFNZ) doesn’t stack up, according to Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA). ARFNZ are saying that Kiwis should go vape-free to protect their lung health and avoid Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as part of World COPD Day on 16 November.
“New Zealand’s Asthma and Respiratory Foundation is once again making health claims without providing any evidence. If they want their warnings to be taking seriously, they need to provide some proof,” says Nancy Loucas, co-founder of AVCA.
Politics
London councillors are demanding that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care publishes the long-overdue Tobacco Control Plan (TCP). The call has been echoed again by The Conservative Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Meanwhile, Neil O’Brien, the new Minister for Primary Care and Public Health, has been cutting his teeth answering questions in the House of Commons.
London councillors have demanded by letter that the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steven Barclay, publishes the long-overdue Tobacco Control Plan. They say it is urgently needed if the government is to achieve its 2030 smoke free target and London is to get a grip on tobacco.
November 2022 Podcast
Let’s talk e-cigarettes
In this episode Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and summarise the findings of the newly published update to the Cochrane review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.
This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches.
In the November 2022 episode Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson bring us up to date with the latest findings from our Cochrane review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. The latest Cochrane Review finds high certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes are more effective than traditional nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) in helping people quit smoking.
Columbus Flavor Ban Is The Wrong Policy
To Address Tobacco and Vapor Product Use – Lindsey Stroud
The city of Columbus is currently debating on banning the retail sale of flavored tobacco and vapor products and has hosted a series of public meetings and virtual hearings to allow all sides an opportunity to present the ramifications of such bans.
While the legislation is laudable in that it attempts to address youth use of age-restricted products, it fails to recognize the significant declines in youth cigarette and e-cigarette use, nor the reasons why kids are using e-cigarettes to begin with.
CDC to Spend $55M on More Research
Adam Andrzejewski
For more than half a century, the American public has known that smoking tobacco can cause cancer and lead to an early death. It seems that isn’t enough for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is awarding at least $55 million next year for more research in that area.
The Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and the Office of Smoking and Health will give $40 million to “a consortium of population-specific, public health-oriented, national networks to impact tobacco-related and cancer health disparities among specific populations.”
Respect citizen rights, rethink nicotine
David T. Sweanor
Living is risky behaviour. Nothing we do (or don’t do) is free of any risk, so the goal is to manage our risks; to avoid being subjected to unwanted, unknown, and unnecessary risks.
When government regulations and empowered individuals work in tandem great things are accomplished. As witnessed by the huge decrease in the everyday risks people face today compared to the situation a century ago.
It should go without saying that consumers have a huge role to play in efforts to lower risks. After all, it is the decisions made by individuals that will do so much to determine overall societal risks. We seek to control our risks, and regulations and information efforts can effectively empower us all to make better decisions.
On this Day…2021
A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise….
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