Vapers Digest 28th April
Friday’s News at a glance:
Dutch move ahead with nicotine pouch ban – The FDA Ringfences Smoking While the UK Supercharges Quitting – Vapes are a healthier option – Taskforce Position Statement on Nicotine Vaping – GFN23 Looks Forward – Take Note of the Numbers – FOLLOW THE UK, NZ – Vaping Increases Globally – Industry Publishes ‘Greenprint’ for Sustainable Vaping – Whatever Happened to ‘Follow the Science?’ – Bloomberg’s Funding is Damaging Global Public Health – How Tobacco Control Lost Its Way – Setting the Record Straight on Vaping – Health and Product Diversity Key – Vaping Without Cigarette Smoking – Nicotine Science and Policy Daily Digest
Dutch move ahead nicotine pouch ban
Snusforumet
The Dutch government announced a ban on the sale of nicotine pouches, depriving smokers in the Netherlands of the opportunity to choose a reduced-risk product that could help them quit the deadly habit.
In addition to formally banning the sale of tobacco-free nicotine pouches in the Netherlands, the new rules also prohibit the use of nicotine pouches in places where smoking is currently banned.
The marketing of nicotine pouches with more than 0.035 grams of nicotine has been prohibited in the Netherlands since November 2021.
The FDA Ringfences Smoking …
While the UK Supercharges Quitting – Martin Cullip
On April 14, Tony Dokoupil (co-host of CBS Mornings TV show), highlighted the stark differences between the UK and U.S. regarding tobacco control policy and observed that “[o]ne of us is right and one of us is wrong.”
His commentary was a reaction to the UK government announcing earlier in the week that it planned to supercharge attempts to quit smoking by giving up to one million free vapor products to the five million adults who currently smoke in an initiative dubbed “swap to stop.” Dokoupil rightly identified that “stakes could not be higher because hundreds of thousands of people die every year … because they are smoking.”
Vapes are a healthier option
Mary Glindon MP
It’s a big issue for the individual and for society as a whole, not least the NHS. I am not a smoker, but know why people take it up and how many want to quit but cannot.
I have been working with MPs across the political spectrum to highlight the benefits that vapes offer smokers.
Public Health England concluded that vapes are 95% less harmful than combustible tobacco and can help smokers quit smoking. There are now around 2.5 million ex-smokers in the UK thanks to vapes.
“the goals of the Czech Republic’s policy at the international level in the field of tobacco and alcohol will be based on the principle of harm reduction, and harm reduction tools will be promoted within the EU”https://t.co/iZDM0ZG9ik
— European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (@europethra) April 28, 2023
The results are in. Thank you to all who participated.https://t.co/sPmOjFOtN7 pic.twitter.com/tnbHSf6eTk
— Phil (@phil_w888) April 28, 2023
North East North Cumbria ICB
Smokefree NHS/Treating Tobacco Dependency Taskforce Position Statement on Nicotine Vaping
This is the position statement on nicotine vaping from the North East North Cumbria ICB Smokefree NHS/Treating Tobacco Dependency Taskforce. It outlines the evidence on vaping in relation to tobacco smoking and seeks to provide to staff working in NHS, including in Trusts, guidance on promoting vaping to support smoking cessation. It can be read in conjunction with the Association of Directors of Public Health North East position statement on nicotine vaping. It has been developed following publication of the 8th Nicotine vaping in England 2022 evidence update. Please note that for the purposes of this document, any references to vapes, vaping or e-cigarettes relate to nicotine-containing vapes, nicotine vaping and nicotine-containing e-cigarettes that comply with UK regulations.
Four from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:
GFN23 Looks Forward
In Warsaw this June, The Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN) will celebrate its 10th edition, with a packed programme reflecting on the last decade in safer nicotine use and looking forward to the next. This annual event remains the only international conference to focus on the role of safer nicotine products in helping people quit smoking and risky tobacco use.
In Warsaw this June, The Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN) will celebrate its 10th edition, with a packed programme reflecting on the last decade in safer nicotine use and looking forward to the next. This annual event remains the only international conference to focus on the role of safer nicotine products in helping people quit smoking and risky tobacco use.
Take Note of the Numbers
Yesterday’s Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction research paper highlighted a global 20% increase in the number of vapers to 82 million people. This demonstrates a growing public interest in less harmful alternatives to traditional tobacco products, says The Coalition of Asia Pacific Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates (CAPHRA) is a regional alliance of consumer tobacco harm reduction advocacy organisations. Its mission is to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use.
FOLLOW THE UK, NZ
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is supporting calls for the New Zealand Government to follow the United Kingdom’s lead in implementing a free vape policy to help reduce smoking rates and save lives in the country. In a recent announcement, the UK Government revealed its plan to provide free vaping devices to smokers as part of its efforts to eliminate smoking by 2030.
The UK, a world leader in tobacco harm reduction, has recognized the effectiveness of vaping as a smoking cessation tool. Public Health England estimates that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking, and millions of former smokers have successfully quit the habit by switching to vaping.
Vaping Increases Globally
A week after the UK Government announced its Swap to Stop scheme, which will see one million smokers given a free vaping starter kit to help them quit smoking, the latest research from the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) shows a significant rise in the global number of people who vape.
The new peer-reviewed paper published this week in Drugs, Habits and Social Policy estimates there are now 82 million vapers worldwide. The GSTHR project, from Knowledge•Action•Change (K•A•C), a UK public health agency, found that the total for 2021 represents a 20% increase on the figure for 2020 (68 million)
Vaping Industry Publishes ‘Greenprint’
For Sustainable Vaping
The development of a green action plan was developed with input from leading players in the waste industry, regulators, the retail sector, vape manufacturers and experts in consumer behaviour. It comes as the industry has faced increased scrutiny regarding the environmental impact of vapes, particularly single use products, known as disposables.
John Dunne, Director General, UKVIA: “Whilst entry-level single use devices are responsible for record numbers of adult smokers switching to vaping due their ease of use and convenience, the industry realises that much more must be done to safeguard against their impact on the environment.
How Tobacco Control Lost Its Way
Dr. Michael Siegel
On this episode of Shaping Vaping, AVM Vice President Alli Boughner sits down with Dr. Michael Siegel to discuss the tobacco-control movement’s rejection of harm reduction. There’s an abundance of evidence that tobacco harm reduction helps smokers give up cigarettes; yet many US public health authorities deny that vapes and other low-risk alternatives to smoking should be used for cessation. Why? Dr. Siegel’s answer may surprise you.
What Happened to ‘Follow the Science?’
PPT Documents Another Instance of Scientific Integrity Breach
Today, government watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust announced yet another complaint to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over alleged scientific integrity violations, the latest in a series of apparent violations by HHS and its component agencies that PPT has documented as part of its Science Undermined project. Just last week, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) asked the HHS Inspector General at a hearing about the status of their review as he submitted PPT’s complaints into the record.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a mandate to use the best science available and to provide the public with scientific resources and policy decisions based upon honest and forthright analysis of the best available data.
Bloomberg’s Funding ….
Is Damaging Global Public Health – Martin Cullip
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced $420 million to reduce “tobacco use globally.” This new eye-watering amount should be good news. But because of Bloomberg’s self-interested understanding of nicotine use, it can only follow from his previous financial contributions that this money will do far more harm than good.
Describing the commitment of $420 million over four years, the Bloomberg press release explains that “$280 million will be aimed at reducing tobacco use in low- and middle-income countries,” and the other $140 million will go toward “reducing e-cigarette use among teenagers in the United States.”
Setting the Record Straight on Vaping
WVA – Allison Boughner
Current adults who smoke all have one unfortunate common issue. They are not correctly informed about vaping. This isn’t really a surprise since they are all turning to the same news stories about vaping that scare them away from the potential this technology truly holds. This is truly a disservice to these adults since they could benefit the most from learning the truth.
In this blog post I will cover the most common misperceptions about e-cigarettes and provide facts that every adult who smokes should know.
Health and Product Diversity Key
For Ex-Smokers Switching to Alternative Nicotine Options in Sweden
A recent opinion poll conducted by Ipsos and commissioned by We Are Innovation has found that Swedes who switch to Alternative Nicotine Products (ANPs), such as snus, nicotine pouches, vaping and heated tobacco, are primarily motivated by health concerns. The study titled “Swedes’ views on the alternatives to cigarettes. Usage of alternative nicotine products among former cigarette smokers” sheds light on what enabled ex-smokers in Sweden to turn to ANPs and what factors influence their decision-making.
Vaping Without Cigarette Smoking
Is Not Associated With Wheezing – Colby Stong
Researchers performed a longitudinal analysis of the association between vaping and cigarette use and self-reported wheezing symptoms among US adults with data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) for waves 1 (September 2013 to December 2014) through 5 (December 2018 to November 2019).
The cohort included 17,075 adults (mean (SD) age, 45.4 (17.0) years; 51.5% female)
in PATH waves 1 through 5 who had completed sociodemographic and health history data at wave 1. Wheezing was assessed with use of follow-up data from waves 2 (October 2014 to October 2015) to 5.