Vapers Digest 5th June

Wednesday’s News at a glance:

ETHRA May news roundup – Relative harm beats absolute harm – The European Elections are this week; what can vapers expect? – Europe’s cancer league wants a tobacco free Europe – GFN 24: Next Week – Football Sponsorship Under Attack Again – Vape Tax Warning – Misperception Epidemic on World No Tobacco Day – Inside Look at Flawed Nicotine & Tobacco Research – This Fighting Has To Stop – The promise of vaping goes up in smoke – New research exposes major problem – Smokeless Continues to Succeed – Quitting Cigarettes Is Primary Motive Of Vape And Pouch Users – Nation to set up vape factory – Gov’t called on to focus on affordable nicotine alternatives – Advocates want Tobacco Control Laws

ETHRA May news roundup

European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates

ETHRA’s monthly roundup of news: EU Health Ministers meeting – EU Parliament must listen to consumers – Merci la Vape white paper – ACPAN open letter – UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill – Realists and Idealists – Youth vaping: the facts – World Vape Day live streams. Read on for more….

Relative harm beats absolute harm

When it comes to aids for smoking cessation – Tobacco Intelligence

Relative harm is a far more important consideration than absolute harm when it comes to deciding whether to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking, according to addiction specialist Garrett McGovern (pictured), who is the medical director of a private addiction treatment programme in Dublin, Ireland.

McGovern expressed concern that policy-makers and health authorities lack the common sense and knowledge to make important decisions on public health issues where harm reduction could play a role – for example, whether to ban flavours in e-liquids, which McGovern believes could have massive consequences on the health of smokers trying to quit.

The European Elections are this week;

What can vapers expect from the results? – Alastair Cohen

Europeans will go to the polls this week to elect members of the European Parliament. From 6 to 9 June, eligible voters in 27 EU Member States will cast their ballots, determining who represents them in the world’s only transnational Parliament.

It’s fair to say that European elections have historically received far less public attention than their national counterparts. But that doesn’t mean the Parliament is toothless: in fact, its members often wield more extensive policy-making power.

A truly dire response. Whoever has advised that Committee isn’t giving a balanced picture whatsoever. https://t.co/gcaiFGp8IV

— Alan Beard (@Alan_Beard1) June 5, 2024

Europe’s cancer league wants …

A tobacco free Europe – Alastair Cohen

That headline isn’t a rhetorical question: it was what we were genuinely thinking after we watched a YouTube replay of a conference call organised by the European Cancer League.

“How will Europe achieve it’s first tobacco free generation?”, questions the title of the webinar. Fair enough, we thought, so presumably they’ll talk about how to reduce the prevalence of smoking. After all, cigarettes are over 90% of the European nicotine market, and they kill half of their users. Right?

Wrong. There was only a single mention of smoking during the whole hour and 40 minute conference call; and that almost served to underline just how far from the mission of reducing smoking related disease many in public health have come.

Four from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:

GFN 24: Next Week

The Global Forum on Nicotine, the only global tobacco harm reduction event that covers vaping and includes consumers in its vision, begins online for free and live in Warsaw next week. Make sure that you register (for free) if you would like to stream some of the high-quality content.

With just a week to go until the Global Forum on Nicotine welcomes conference participants and online viewers to #GFN24 in Warsaw, the organisers are delighted to be sharing some of the fascinating #GFNFive creations the Global Forum on Nicotine community has produced for #GFN24.

Football Sponsorship Under Attack Again

Vape company Totally Wicked has been sponsoring Blackburn Rovers Football Club since 2018 but some politicians do not like it. While one of the main attackers has announced that she won’t be running to be an MP in the next Parliament, the other is almost guaranteed on returning and picking up her attack again.

In 2018, independent vape company Totally Wicked became the sponsor for Blackburn Rovers’ training kit. Shortly, the football club ended its association with Recoverite Compression and Totally Wicked stepped into the breach.

Vape Tax Warning

The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is warning that taxing vapes by nicotine strength will lead to more smokers and discriminate against the less well-off. The leading vape trade association predicts around 300% increases in some vape prices and believes that this could have fatal consequences for smokers.

The UK Vaping Industry Association has warned that the Conservative Party’s proposal to tax vapes based on nicotine strength, predicted to increase the cost of some products upwards by 300% threatens to undo the work the category has already done in saving millions of smokers’ lives.

Misperception Epidemic No Tobacco Day

On World No Tobacco Day, the World Vapers Alliance (WVA) shone a light on the rampant misperception epidemic around tobacco harm reduction. As revealed by Ipsos research for the think tank, We are Innovation, a staggering 74% of smokers worldwide now mistakenly believe that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking. This widespread misunderstanding is the result of misinformation and costs lives, as millions of smokers waver on making the switch to a scientifically proven, 95% less harmful alternative product.

Confounding Science

Inside Look at Flawed Nicotine & Tobacco Research | RegWatch

Often, much of the research on e-cigarettes, nicotine, and youth use appears flawed or even outrageous. According to mainstream media, vaping could be responsible for everything from shrinking testicles and plummeting sperm counts to tooth decay and gum disease.

However, some research could be downright dangerous, making claims that nicotine vapes cause cancer, heart disease, and stroke, and that they are riskier than combustible tobacco.

Joining us today to discuss the ongoing issue of questionable science on safer nicotine products is Dr. Arielle Selya, a behavioral scientist at PinneyAssociates, a U.S.-based firm that provides consulting services on tobacco harm reduction to Juul Labs.

This Fighting Has To Stop

Rights4Vapers

Rights4Vapers, Canada largest vapers’ rights movement, invites Physicians for a Smoke Free Canada, Action on Smoking and Health Canada, and Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control to join the vaping community to discuss a path forward for vaping regulations in Canada.

“This has nothing to do with the tobacco or vaping industry. This is about adult consumers who have chosen vaping as a way to quit smoking,” said Maria Papaioannoy, spokesperson for Rights4Vapers. “We are on the same team. But if we don’t work together then we will continue to have regulations that penalize adults and will do nothing to keep kids vape-free.”

The promise of vaping goes up in smoke

On the surface, a flavour ban on vaping products seems simple and easy. It’s the low-hanging fruit in this never-ending battle over tobacco and nicotine. Ban flavours? Who cares about people who smoke(ed)? They should just quit.

But a flavour ban in Canada is not as simple as it seems. A flavour ban in this country will have immense consequences and no one is talking about it. How did we get here?

New research exposes major problem…

With the Albanese government’s ban on vapes:

Alarming new research shows that just three per cent of Australian vapers purchase their products legally, with the black market thriving despite the Albanese government’s ban on importing disposable vapes.

The research, released on Monday by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, also found that Aussie men who vape are 33 per cent more likely to later use illicit drugs.

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce said Australians were engaging with criminals when buying vapes and claimed that the mafia now controls the illegal vape trade.

Smokeless Continues to Succeed

Zhane Isom

Smokeless tobacco remains one of the best-performing segments in the overall tobacco category. With more consumers becoming interested in these products, the segment is likely to see even more growth for the remainder of 2024.

For the 52 weeks ending April 21, smokeless tobacco came in strong with $10.4 billion in dollar sales, a 14.1% increase, according to Circana. Unit sales also showed significant growth at $1.55 billion, which is a 10.1% increase for the same period.

Quitting Cigarettes Is Primary Motive

Of Vape And Pouch Users – Soko Directory

MOST Kenyans who use vapes or nicotine pouches do so for health-related reasons, primarily to quit smoking deadly cigarettes, according to a major new survey unveiled on World No Tobacco Day.

If these safer alternatives were banned, almost half of users say they would go back to cigarettes and some would even end up smoking more often, the poll reveals.

Almost nine out of 10 believe that the Ministry of Health’s proposed graphic health warnings for vapes and pouches are misleading and will deter smokers from switching to safer alternatives, it concludes.

Nation to set up vape factory

Zimbabwe is set to be a regional hub in the tobacco value chain by housing a multi-billion dollar vape production factory, which will extract nicotine from tobacco stalks, leaves and flowers for the non-smoking alternatives.

E-cigarettes or vaping is where nicotine is inhaled from an electronic device. The nicotine extract is sold dissolved in suitable liquids for vaping and the production of these liquids is set to add more value to the tobacco that is grown in the country, which is the fourth largest exporter in the world.

Government called on to focus…

On affordable nicotine alternatives over costly Anti-Tobacco Campaigns

Government has been urged to address the amount of money and time spent on campaigns addressing the control of tobacco, yet enough is not done to have relevant subsidized forms of decreasing nicotine.

As Ugandan joined the rest of the world to commemorate the World No-Tobacco Day celebrated every 31st May, experts spoke on how the government can ensure that low-risk nicotine alternatives are both accessible and affordable to the majority of smokers, especially in rural areas.

Advocates want Tobacco Control Laws

To Support Harm Reduction Approach

Addressing the media, Joel Sawa the Team Leader at Tobacco Harm Reduction Uganda (THR Uganda) said that this year’s theme “commit to quit” highlights the urgent need for innovative solutions to help smokers transition to safer alternatives.

Sawa said the current Tobacco Control Act 2016 has laid a strong foundation to their fight against tobacco. He however, said to truly make a difference they must enhance a legislative framework to support new scientifically backed nicotine alternatives such as electronic cigarette and hited tobacco products which he believes can play a significant role in reducing the health burden associated with smoking adding that they must be accessible, affordable and widely available.

On this Day…2023

A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise….

ETHRA May News roundup

ETHRA

ETHRA’s monthly roundup of news: MERCI LA VAPE : participez! – TPD consultation: ETHRA & partners respond – MEPs call out conflict of interest – Expert letter to the Australian Health Minister – Rethinking U.S. tobacco and nicotine regulation – Vapers Finland opinion on nicotine pouch consultation – Country updates. Read on for more.

Advocating For Vaping

Ecigclick Team

The threat facing the vape community today is as real and dangerous as it has ever been. Currently, the UK Government and the Scottish Government are considering implementing strict legislation banning disposable e-cigs.

Product flavours are undergoing repeated attacks and, along with the colour of product packaging, are being blamed for a rise in teen use.

Who presents the voice of the consumer when conversations are being held? Who argues for evidence and facts to be considered before emotive arguments?