Vapers Digest 28th January
Wednesday’s News at a glance:
Australian Vape Prohibition Has Failed ~ Parliament Matters 1 ~ Commissioner Varhelyi Denies Science (again) ~ MPs Coming For The Pubs ~ Study claims smokers who take up vaping to quit less likely to relapse ~ Harm Reduction Is Not Deregulation – It Is Smarter Regulation ~ Follow-Up to Moral Entrepreneurship – When Institutions, NGOs and “Academics” Can’t Stand Down ~ Is It Ethical to Withhold Safer Alternatives? ~ Recent Successes in Correcting THR Science ~ Why Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates Get Branded “Lobbyists” (Even Without Proof) ~ Canada’s Quiet Revolution: How Vaping Drove Smoking to Record Lows ~ Inept Limerick TD Gets the Basics Wrong on Vaping ~ Media Watch: Biz Times in Pakistan Sounds a Misleading Alarm on Pouches ~ Abandoning Proportionality: A Forensic Reading of the Commission’s Reply ~ Lawmakers, biz leaders push back on Hochul’s desired nicotine pouch tax ~ The Year We Banned the Wrong Thing ~ The Great Decoupling: Engineering Smoke-Free Nicotine ~ INVESTIGATION: How a mysterious NGO is smearing ordinary people. ~ Germany Moves to Ban Menthol Vapes in Sweeping Crackdown on “Cooling” Additives ~ EU commissioner claims smoke-free products do not reduce health risks ~ Vaping not linked to chronic kidney disease, rigorous replication study finds ~ Vape sales down 21% as sector ‘bears the brunt’ of disposable vape ban ~ Millions of illegal vapes seized in the South East ~ When Researchers Undermine Their Own Evidence: The Emergence of “Reverse Spin Bias” ~ Council-backed vaping scheme helps Richmond borough near smoke-free target ~ New Zealand Embraces Vapes to Cut Smoking—and Cuts Youth Vaping ~ Viral TikToks & nicotine pouch sales: Article Analysis
Four from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes
Australian Vape Prohibition Has Failed
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates has warned the Australian Senate that prohibition has failed, and sensible regulation is the only way forward. In its blunt message it says the country’s illegal tobacco crisis amounts to a policy failure, not an enforcement problem, and no number of additional resources will solve a problem created by prohibition.
Parliament Matters 1
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, the Labour MP for Suffolk Coastal, wanted to know more about retailers being prosecuted for illegal sales, what the evidence is of illegal sales, and how vaping impacts young people’s health. In the House of Lords, Lord Kamall was interested to find out more about imported eliquid testing and compliance.
Commissioner Varhelyi Denies Science (again)
EU Commissioner Varhelyi’s name is not pronounced Valerie, which rules out any Zuton’s lyrics, so we will focus on his science denial in his written response to an MEP’s question as part of his war on vapes. The World Vapers Alliance says he is “spreading dangerous misinformation that will keep people smoking”.
MPs Coming For The Pubs
Kevin Hollinrake, Party Chair of the Conservative Party and Shadow Minister without Portfolio, has fired a number of questions at the government relating to the banning of vaping in pubs and pub beer gardens. Prior to this, the government has been cagey on the subject, but the responses give clear indication yet that it intends to press for a blanket ban.
Alberto Hernandez, World Vapers’ Alliance
Tobacco harm reduction (THR) has delivered dramatic public health wins in multiple countries, proving that regulated nicotine alternatives can slash smoking rates without demanding cold-turkey abstinence. Sweden became the world’s first “smoke-free” nation (under 5% smoking prevalence) largely through widespread use of nicotine pouches. The UK endorses vaping as a scientifically backed cessation tool, even distributing free vape kits via the National Health Service to help smokers switch completely. New Zealand drove an equitable vaping revolution with its Vaping Facts website and pragmatic communication, while Japan halved cigarette sales in under a decade by permitting heat-not-burn products, which deliver nicotine without combustion.
Two From The Daily Pouch
Inept Limerick TD Gets the Basics Wrong on Vaping
Joseph Hart
Ireland has a seemingly never-ending supply of really thick politicians. The latest entry into the Pantheon of Clowns is Limerick’s Labour TD Conor Sheehan, who recently exposed his ignorance at the Dáil while yapping about vaping.
Media Watch: Biz Times in Pakistan Sounds a Misleading Alarm on Pouches
Pakistan is one of the more interesting markets for nicotine pouches. The country has an existing predisposition to oral nicotine; however, it is usually in the form of highly toxic and cancerous products like naswar, paan, and gutka.
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