Vapers Digest 26th June
Wednesday’s News at a glance:
Vaping ‘as good’ as gold standard drug at helping people quit smoking, new study finds
Ali Anderson, Clearing The Air
Vaping is as effective at helping people quit smoking as a gold-standard pharmaceutical drug, according to a new clinical trial.
The study, published in the science journal JAMA Internal Medicine, compared vapes to the drug Varenicline, also known as Chantix, as an aid for stopping smoking.
After 12 weeks, it found that roughly equal percentages of the 458 smokers who were given the drug and vapes – 43.8 percent and 40.4 percent, respectively – had stopped. The difference in quit rates between the two groups after 52 weeks was also found to be “not statistically significant”.
Europe 70 Years Behind Smoke-Free Target: Survey Sparks Vaping Controversy
Alastair Cohen, Clearing The Air
Europe is on course to miss its target of being smoke free by 70 years, according to the latest survey on tobacco use in Europe by the European Commission.
The findings show that at the current rate of decline, the EU will only reach its target of a smoking rate of 5% by 2100. The current goal is 5% prevalence by 2030.
The survey did however find that vaping products and heated tobacco products were significantly more effective for people wanting to stop smoking that nicotine replacement therapies: over half of smokers and former smokers who vaped had either quit or cut down their tobacco intake.
World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA)
The latest Eurobarometer 2024 reveals a startling failure in the EU’s approach to achieving its smoke-free target of a 5% smoking rate. At the current trend, the smoking rate will only fall below 5% by the year 2100—70 years past the goal of 2030.
“By stubbornly targeting harm reduction products instead of focusing on the real issue, the EU is not just failing but actively sabotaging public health efforts,” said Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers Alliance. “This disastrous approach must end now. Instead of fighting products such as vaping or nicotine pouches, they must become a cornerstone of future public health strategies. Otherwise, the fight against smoking will be lost.”
Three From Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes
Licence to Kill (the Black Market)
The UK Vaping Industry Association calls for “a licence to kill the black market” and plug the multi-million-pound hole in Trading Standards budgets. An analysis commissioned by the Association of Convenience Stores recently found Trading Standards needs a significant funding injection of £168,340,000 over five years if it is to fully enforce vape legislation across the UK.
ASH Poll Backs Bans
A new poll by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) claims that every parliamentary constituency in Great Britain backs the phasing out of the sale of tobacco. The MRP (multi-level modelling and post-stratification) analysis by YouGov is claimed to demonstrate a majority support for phasing out the sale of tobacco among adults in every constituency in England, Scotland and Wales – but Northern Ireland was not included in this poll.
EU Flavour Ban Reaction
At EPSCO (The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council), some EU Health Ministers made alarming statements in support of a flavour ban on safer nicotine products such as vaping and nicotine pouches, according to the World Vapers’ Alliance. The potential policy would undermine public health and disregard the voices of over 54,000 citizens who have signed a petition against it, the organisation adds.
Vaping Bill Passes: A Pyrrhic Victory for Mark Butler [Media release]
Dr. Colin Mendelsohn, Tobacco Treatment
Today, the Labor government’s amended *Vaping Reform Bill was successfully passed in the federal Senate. Starting from 1 October 2024, vapes will be available only through pharmacies as a pharmacist-only (Schedule 3) medicine, removing the need for a doctor’s prescription.
While seen as a victory for Health Minister Mark Butler, this legislation will face substantial challenges within a year. This approach benefits organised crime and the black market while undermining public health, adult smokers and vapers, youth, and the vaping industry.
Australian Compromise Vape Bill: A Kinder, Gentler Prohibition
Jim Mcdonald, Vaping 360
Australian health minister Mark Butler has backed down from his proposed prescription-only vape plan, and agreed to a compromise that would allow sales without a doctor’s order, but still only in pharmacies. The amended Vaping Reforms Bill will be voted on by the Senate sometime this week.
The decision to abandon the prescription-only scheme was made after Butler’s Labor Party was unable to muster enough votes to pass the bill in the Senate. It had already passed the House, where Labor has a majority.
Banning Flavored Tobacco Products Doesn’t Work—We Have the Trash To Prove It
Sofia Hamilton, Reason
In recent years, Massachusetts, New York, California, and Washington, D.C., have all implemented bans on flavored tobacco products in an attempt to reduce smoking rates among younger populations. Despite these bans, flavored tobacco products are still easily accessible—and it’s never been more apparent.
Misinterpretation of the precautionary principle in relation to safer nicotine – Keynote #2 | #GFN24
Global Forum on Nicotine
GFN 2024 Keynote #2 – delivered by Garrett McGovern, response by Alex Wodak – titled “Over/misinterpretation of the precautionary principle in relation to safer nicotine”. Whilst no activity has a total absence of risk, science has to embrace risks and challenges to evolve. The over/misinterpretation of the precautionary principle is often an impediment to progress. Drawing on his experience of working with dependence in other fields, Dr McGovern will examine, in relation to nicotine use:
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