Vapers Digest 28th August
Wednesday’s News at a glance:
Tobacco Harm Reduction Opponents Should “Consider the Counterfactual” ~ Countdown to failure of pharmacy vape scheme ~ Disapproval as the default ~ Canada Forces Nicotine Pouches Behind the Counter ~ Canadian Health Minister Dictates New Nicotine Pouch Restrictions ~ Canadians Denounce the Trudeau Government’s Move To Make It Harder To Quit Smoking ~ Industry reacts as Health Canada bans convenience stores from selling nicotine pouches ~ Efficacy Study Success ~ The Case for Flavours ~ US Smoking Rates Hit All-Time Low, Thanks to Vaping ~ #BeLikeGus! ~ Keir Starmer urged to rethink vapes ban amid black market probes ~ Will the new FDA import rule for ENDS products really streamline the process? ~ Associate Minister Of Health: On What She Learned From Visiting ‘Quit Smoking’ Groups ~ Difficult to see method in the Government’s moves to tackle youth vaping
A paper published in the journal Harm Reduction in June by Arielle Selya, PhD argues against the “gateway” hypothesis that nicotine-vaping prohibitionists like to employ. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) opponents point to studies that suggest teens who use e‑cigarettes may be more likely to use illicit drugs and tobacco.
(To be logically consistent, they would also have to claim that tobacco is a gateway to using illicit drugs.) However, as is the case with similar, long-ago debunked arguments against cannabis use as a gateway to harder drugs, the hypothesis is based on observational studies that show correlation, not causation.
Countdown to failure of pharmacy vape scheme
Prof Ross Fitzgerald, City News
Australia’s failed prescription policy for vaping nicotine was finally scrapped by a federal Senate vote on June 25. It has been replaced by an utterly unworkable pharmacy supply scheme that begins operating on October 1.
The fact is, pharmacists and vapers both hate the new system. The three flavours permitted (mint, menthol and tobacco) are among the least popular.
Disapproval as the default
Christopher Snowdon, The Snowdon Substack
Imogen West-Knights has been writing for the Guardianabout her experience of using nicotine pouches. She is the newspaper’s unofficial nicotine correspondent. Her previous articles include ‘My vaping addiction came out of nowhere – and I’m finding it impossible to quit’ and ‘So Britain’s young people are taking up pipes and cigars? This was a trend I had to investigate’.
Canada Forces Nicotine Pouches Behind the Counter
Richard Crosby, The Daily Pouch
Back in July 2023 Health Canada approved ZONNIC nicotine pouches for sale. Now, just over a year later Health Minister Mark Holland has banned for sale from everywhere but pharmacies.
Imperial Tobacco’s ZONNIC pouches jumped through two years of regulatory hoops to get its nicotine pouches approved by Health Canada. However, as soon as the smoke-free product hit the market, the nanny state jumped into action.
Canadian Health Minister Dictates New Nicotine Pouch Restrictions
Jim McDonald, Vaping 360
Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland will use new powers granted him this year to unilaterally ban the sale of flavored nicotine pouches previously approved by Health Canada as quit-smoking products. The minister’s edict will be published and take effect next week.
Holland will force Imperial Tobacco Canada to remove non-mint and -menthol flavors of Zonnic nicotine pouches from most Canadian retail outlets, and will allow their sales only behind pharmacy counters.
Related: Canadians Denounce the Trudeau Government’s Move To Make It Harder To Quit Smoking
Two From Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes
Efficacy Study Success
A new study shows that daily e-cigarette use and use of e-cigarettes in 2019 to 2021 were consistently associated with greater cigarette discontinuation rates. “E-Cigarette Characteristics and Cigarette Cessation Among Adults Who Use E-Cigarettes” was published by JAMA Network Open, a monthly open access medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
The Case for Flavours
Eliquid flavours are under attack as never before. Countries that have banned or restricted them are held up as examples of excellence. Meanwhile the European Union looks set to align itself with the World Health Organization’s position and implement a complete ban. Here in the UK, although not explicit, the power to restrict flavours formed a part of the last Tobacco and Vapes Bill and could also feature in the new Bill. It is appropriate to consider Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos’ The Case For Flavours In Tobacco Harm Reduction To Save Lives report.
World Vapers’ Alliance
According to a new Gallup poll – a recent article from the New York Post highlights that cigarette smoking in the US has dropped to an all-time low of 11%. Among young Americans, smoking is even less common, with just 6% of people under 30 saying they light up. However, what’s missing from the conversation is the crucial role that vaping has played in achieving this public health milestone.
#BeLikeGus!
Skip Murray, Skip’s Corner
It’s no secret that I’m not too fond of politics. It’s weird to dislike politics so much and be involved in advocacy for just about anything. Like it or not, the two pretty much go hand in hand.
Early last Thursday, I was on X (Twitter). I saw a short clip of 17-year-old Gus Walz hearing his dad say, “Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my world. I love you,” as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was accepting the Democratic nomination to become the Vice President of the United States.
Keir Starmer urged to rethink vapes ban amid black market probes
Jonathan Walker, Express
Australian politicians who pioneered a similar crackdown have warned it was a flop that was then exploited by criminals.
A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise…
What do we know about the TPD report?
ETHRA
The Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) regulates the manufacture, sale and marketing of most safer nicotine products (as well as combustible tobacco products) across the EU.
Anti-Nicotine Zealots Only Care…
About Science When it Says What They Want – Michelle Minton
Opponents of nicotine vapor products like to claim the scientific high ground. For years, they have asserted there isn’t enough evidence on the long-term risks associated with e-cigarettes or their effectiveness for smoking cessation.
Visit Nicotine Science & Policy for more News from around the World
