Vapers Digest 26th March
Wednesday’s News at a glance:
Help Save Flavours! ~ UKVIA Signs Chinese Agreement ~ Parliament Matters ~ More Officers On The Streets ~ Why the FDA is right about Zyn ~ Pragmatism vs. Ideology: The Institute of Economic Affairs on the Future of Nicotine Pouches ~ Vapes linked to lower cardiac risks in people with HIV, new study finds ~ Australia’s vape ban is “causing more harm than it mitigates,” experts say ~ After 20 Years of Its Tobacco Treaty, the WHO Has Little to Celebrate ~ Pressure mounts on the European Commission to tackle overdue tobacco regulations ~ Labour’s war on tobacco-free products and vapes will derail Britain’s smoke-free goals ~ Lung specialist speaks out against Manchester vape study findings ~ Banned yet booming: Online vape sales thrive unabated ~ The failure of Massachusetts’ tobacco flavor ban ~ Mississippi Governor Signs PMTA Registry Bill Into Law ~ Understanding Research Gaps and Priorities for Tobacco Harm Reduction In LMIC’s ~ CHILE’S REGULATORY MAKEOVER
Four from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes
Help Save Flavours!
Major companies in the vape industry have launched a petition in bid to stop MPs in Parliament voting to restrict flavoured e-liquids – and they need your help! This Wednesday 26th March, the UK Government will meet for the final House of Commons reading of its Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Part of the Bill grants the ability for ministers to restrict flavoured juices, and Ashley Dalton, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, has said this is something they plan to do.
UKVIA Signs Chinese Agreement
The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has signed an agreement with the Shenzhen Bao’an District Enterprise Centre in China to promote best practice across the UK-Chinese vaping supply chain in order to ‘uphold the highest levels of compliance’ in line with regulations in the UK and China.
Parliament Matters
In Parliament, Lib Dem Alex Brewer asked about the assessment of nicotine pouches. Conservative Jack Rankin was interested in the impact of a ban on the marketing of vapes and the findings from the government’s ‘10-year study to shed light on youth vaping’.
More Officers On The Streets
“Tighter and tougher protections to protect children and communities from illicit tobacco and vapes have been unveiled as the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill moves closer to creating a smokefree UK”, the government says. In reality, and new funding has long since been announced and the increase in staffing will be insufficient to make a difference.
Related: More officers on streets to smoke out illicit tobacco and vapes
Why the FDA is right about Zyn
Jonathan Foulds, MSNBC
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently authorized the marketing of 20 nicotine pouch products under the Zyn brand, including flavors like Wintergreen and the “unflavored” Chill. That authorization sparked a new round of proposed legislation, trend pieces and frustration. Meanwhile, the stock price for Philip Morris International Inc., which manufactures the smokeless product, has caught fire.
Pragmatism vs. Ideology: The Institute of Economic Affairs on the Future of Nicotine Pouches
Richard Crosby, The Daily Pouch
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) published an interesting discussion paper recently that caught my eye. “Not Invented Here: Institutional Resistance to Practical Solutions” takes a look at how novel solutions often face ideological resistance. From weight loss drugs to nuclear energy, the paper looks at various examples of proven and pragmatic solutions that struggle against policymakers and pressure groups with entrenched political beliefs. Particularly interest to me of course was the reports section on smoking and the difficulties modern harm reduction products like nicotine pouches face.
Two From Clearing The Air
Vapes linked to lower cardiac risks in people with HIV, new study finds
Ali Anderson
Vapes may pose lower cardiovascular risks in people with HIV compared to cigarettes, a new study has found.
The UCLA-led study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, examined how smoking and vaping affect the early stages of atherogenesis – the build-up of fats and cholesterol in the arteries that can lead to a heart attack.
It found that vapes are less likely to cause changes associated with atherogenesis, compared to cigarettes, among people who had been diagnosed with HIV.
The World Health Organization marked an anniversary in late February: “Celebrating 20 years” of its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty.
As the first-ever global health treaty, the FCTC, to which 183 countries are parties, promised a revolution in tackling the harms of smoking. Yet, two decades on, the WHO, which guides implementation of the FCTC, bears substantial responsibility for vast numbers of people continuing to smoke. Despite grand ambitions, the treaty has failed to achieve its stated goals and, in many respects, has done more harm than good.
Pressure mounts on the European Commission to tackle overdue tobacco regulations
The Bulletin
In the absence of a firm plan to overhaul tobacco regulations this year, the European Commission is coming under pressure to revise its outdated Tobacco Excise Directive (TED).
Individual member states and lobby groups are calling for the EU to update legislation on minimum tobacco tax levels and new and alternative products.
Following the Dutch government’s spearheading of a proposal for stricter regulations, the World Vapers’ Alliance has sent an open letter to the Commission and EU countries.
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