Vapers Digest 7th November

Monday’s News at a glance:

Using models disconnected from reality to justify huge ‘endgame’ interventions – E-cigarettes may be better than nicotine patches – Philip Morris clinches Swedish Match – Effective Anti-smoking Policies Global Index – Seven Steps for Italy – Black Cat’s Vape Attack – How to make England smoke-free by 2030 – Trade Association USVA Sues FDA – Minister mulls banning single-use flavored e-cigs – Let’s move smokers toward less harmful alternatives

Using models disconnected from reality

To justify huge ‘endgame’ interventions – Clive Bates

New Zealand is planning to introduce so-called ‘endgame’ measures, including the removal of nicotine from legally available tobacco. We examine and review the modelling used to justify the measure and find multiple fatal flaws.

In this blog, we take a look at modelling used to justify ‘endgame’ legislation under discussion in New Zealand. Among other things, this would reduce nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco available through legal channels to minimal levels. We find the modelling and data assumptions bear no relation whatsoever to the underlying processes and the effects that such legislation would trigger.

Assumptions behind plans to remove nicotine from cigarettes “significantly flawed”

E-cigs may be better than nicotine patches

In helping pregnant women stop smoking – Peter Hajek

E-cigarettes may be more effective than nicotine patches for pregnant women trying to quit smoking, research found. The study did not raise any new safety concerns with e-cigarettes (vaping).

Pregnant women are advised to quit smoking because of the damage it can cause to developing babies. Many find this difficult. Current guidelines state that nicotine products (such as patches, gum and mouth spray) can help. This research suggests that pregnant women could also consider e-cigarettes.

In the study, similar numbers of pregnant women quit smoking, whether they were given e-cigarettes or nicotine patches. When the researchers looked at women who only used the treatment they were allocated (without using other products), almost twice as many women quit with e-cigarettes than with nicotine patches.

Electronic cigarettes versus nicotine patches for smoking cessation in pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial

Philip Morris clinches Swedish Match

Marie Mannes

Marlboro maker Philip Morris International (PMI) (PM.N) overcame some opposition to clinch 83% of Swedish Match (SWMA.ST), short of the 90% it wanted but enough to convince it to press on with a $16 billion deal that will cut its exposure to cigarettes.

PMI had previously said it could drop its bid if it did not reach the 90% threshold at which it can start a compulsory purchase of remaining shares.

The U.S. group said on Monday it believed that level could ultimately be achieved, and that Swedish Match’s 10 largest shareholders had accepted its bid.

EU Heated Tobacco Flavor Ban to Take Effect Nov. 23https://t.co/NViERDRXmB

— European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (@europethra) November 7, 2022

Anti-smoking Policies Global Index

We Are Innovation

Tallinn, Estonia (November 4, 2022) — The recently launched “Effective Anti-smoking Policies Global Index,” published by the We Are Innovation network, analyzes the public policies to eradicate smoking in 59 countries, evaluating them in 10 objective categories such as the regulatory framework of Non-Combusted Nicotine Products (NCNPs), their prohibition, display, packaging, and taxation, among others.

The evidence from studies, articles, reports and meta-analyses all agree that NCNPs are 95 to 98 percent safer than tobacco consumed in the traditional way by combustion. The most up-to-date scientific evidence also shows that NCNPs, especially those with nicotine, are the most effective method to abandon combusted tobacco and avoid almost all smoking-related health harms.

Two from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes:

Seven Steps for Italy

A global vaping advocacy group has delivered a 7-step strategy for the new Italian government to reduce smoking rates. In the wake of the new government’s appointment in Italy, World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) together with its Italian partner organisation, ANPVU, delivered the recommendations to reduce smoking and combat smoking-induced deaths to representatives of the parties forming the new government.

The “7-step strategy” was also announced during a press conference in Rome as the new government was receiving a confidence vote in the Parliament. The press conference was attended by the World Vapers’ Alliance’s director Michael Landl, MEP Gianna Gancia (Lega), Barbara Mennitti, editor-in-chief at SigMagazine, and Vice President of the National Association of United Vapers (ANPVU), Anna Corbosiero.

Black Cat’s Vape Attack

Sunderland AFC is swiftly becoming the leading light in a football crusade against tobacco harm reduction. Last year, then manager/head coach Lee Johnson launched a blinkered attack on snus pouches. Last week, the club announced that it plans on confiscating vapes and money from all visiting supporters.

Lee Johnson attacked tobacco harm reduction product snus during last year’s Stoptober for being like “smoking three or four cigarettes at one time”. His ill-judged outburst did little to encourage cigarette smokers to switch to a product that has helped Sweden achieve historically low smoking and cancer rates.

How to make England smoke-free by 2030

Christopher Snowdon

Joseph Magero featured on K24 TV LIVE

Safe Alternatives for Smokers Health and Wellness

Trade Association USVA Sues FDA

Allison Boughner, WVA

The USVA (United States Vaping Association), a trade association that represents the small vapor industry is suing the FDA.

The lawsuit is challenging the PMTA final rule because the FDA failed to properly consider the impact this seemingly impossible and expensive process would have on small businesses. In the deeming rule, the FDA spoke as if vapor applicants would be able to substantially rely on public data, or on 70 studies the FDA itself was conducting at that time. In the end, the FDA wrote an impossibly burdensome PMTA rule that is putting a lot of people in this industry out of business. Yet, in fact the FDA claimed that there would be no significant impact on small businesses.

Minister mulls banning single-use

Flavored e-cigarettes

Minister of Labor and Health Peep Peterson (SDE) has pledged quick measures to ensure that fewer novel tobacco products such as disposable, flavored e-cigarettes, fall into the hands of minors, following concerns raised by parents and educators.

Flavored e-cigarette “vaping” liquids and other have been banned for purchase from outside Estonia since 2019, though initially it had not been clear whether this ban applied to flavored additives sold separately for use in vaping (it does).

Let’s move smokers toward…

Less harmful alternatives, Andy Creager

This year, the Colorado state legislature chose not to act on a bill that would have banned the sale of flavored nicotine products.

This followed a trend in which a growing number of city governments in Colorado have also rejected nicotine flavor bans. In the past couple years, the city councils of Golden, Loveland and even Denver have voted down proposed nicotine flavor bans.

Elected officials in Colorado have rightly concluded that a nicotine flavor ban would be ineffective and would disproportionately harm small business owners and adult consumers. Now, it’s time for policymakers to incorporate tobacco harm reduction into their public health strategy.

On this Day…2021

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

Sinn Féin call for flavor ban

thatgotmethinkingblog

After the first session of Pre-Legislative scrutiny of the Public Health (Tobacco) Bill 2021 SF TD, Thomas Gould tweeted that Government must heed charities call for a ban on flavoured vaping products.

He linked to a page on the SF website which echoed this call and went further with justifications based on misinformation and propaganda from the U.S.

“Vaping has been seen to be a gateway to smoking in young people and the nicotine in vaping products can cause damage to a young person’s brain.”

What do we know about COP9?

COPWatch

FCTC’s Ninth Conference of Parties (COP 9) will be held from 8-13 November 2021, following a postponement from 2020 due to COVID-19.

This COP will be virtual, with the FCTC website noting that “Special Procedures need to be adopted so that the Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the WHO FCTC can pursue its work in a virtual format”. COP involves a lot of participants from all over the world, so this is likely to be difficult to manage.