Vapers Digest 7th November
Friday’s News at a glance:
Hounding Bad Lads in Hounslow – WHO Failure Exposed – World’s First Smoke-Free Nation – ASH on the ONS Report – Wirral Targets Illegal Vapes – Smoke-Free Solutions Deserve a Place in COPD Awareness Month – Ukraine shows a way forward – while Germany hesitates – Tobacco and vapes bill – Who Funds the Room Where It Happens? Donor and Industry Influence in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Ecosystem – Australia’s imaginary moral victory – From cigarettes to snuff to nicotine pouches: the unusual Icelandic model for tobacco harm reduction – FDA shift opens door to flavoured vapes – Nicorette maker wants more tax on vapes – Banned disposable vapes still sold as UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill faces scrutiny – Denver Votes to Keep Its Flavor Ban – Denver Voters Support Flavored Vape and Tobacco Ban – Denver Voters Uphold Flavor Ban, in Blow to Tobacco Harm Reduction – Fierce EU battle on smoke-free nicotine ahead of WHO tobacco meeting – Sweden on the frontline – The saga of Articles 9 and 10 – Time to replace the tobacco control leadership at WHO and FCTC – Africa: FCTC’s 20 Years of Stagnation – Smoking Rates in LMICs Barely Shifted in Two Decades – Health Canada twists itself into pretzels to defy common sense – Nicotonophobia – POWER, AIRFLOW & TEMPERATURE EXPLAINED! | SCIENCE OF VAPING
Five From Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes
Hounding Bad Lads in Hounslow
A crackdown on illegal tobacco and vaping products has resulted in “thousands of harmful products” being taken off the market. Hounslow Council’s Trading Standards team, working in partnership with Met policing teams as part of ongoing work to tackle the sale of illegal and counterfeit products, carried out a series of test purchases across the borough, during which seven premises sold illegal tobacco to the Council’s undercover officer.
WHO Failure Exposed
The World Vapers’ Alliance says it has shone a light on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) tobacco control failure by projecting messages onto its Conference of Parties (COP11) venue. The World Vapers’ Alliance says it sent a clear message that consumers matter and that harm reduction through vaping and pouches must be recognised.
World’s First Smoke-Free Nation
Sweden has become the world’s first smoke-free nation, with adult smoking below 5%, according to new data forecasts by Swedish economist David Sundén. This milestone, reportedly achieved in October 2025 – 15 years ahead of the EU’s 2040 target – marks one of the greatest public health successes in modern history.
ASH on the ONS Report
New official government estimates of smoking and vaping released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that a further record drop in smoking means that there are now more people in Great Britain who vape than smoke. An estimated 5.4 million people aged 16+ vape daily or occasionally compared to 4.9 million current smokers. Anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has celebrated the news.
Wirral Targets Illegal Vapes
Wirral officers have seized more than 53,000 illegal cigarettes worth £40,000, 13.2kg of hand rolled tobacco worth £20,000, and in excess of 1,000 illegal vapes worth £10,000 after partnering with Trading Standards to target premises across the area during this summer’s ‘Safer Streets’ crackdown.
