Vapers Digest 9th December

Monday’s News at a glance:

Labour’s Bill Briefing Notes – Harry’s blog 125: Deal with what’s in front of you – ETHRA November news roundup – We Vape Urge UK Vapers & Retailers To Give Evidence Over Tobacco & Vapes Bill – E-Cigarette Summit 2024 Round Up – Teenagers Are Vaping. So What? – Mexico’s constitutional vape ban – Kazakhstan Must Consider Different Approaches – Harry’s blog 125: Deal with what’s in front of you – A Deeper Dive into High School Vaping – Fruit flavoured Pouches more effective than mint – New FOI data reveals shocking lack of investment – Knock, knock! Anybody home? – Cigarette Taxes and Regulations – CAPHRA Calls For Immediate Oversight Of WHO FCTC – EU countries seek to include vaping in tobacco tax law – It’s Time to Talk About Adults Who Vape – Spanish Flavor Ban Consultation Ends Dec. 13th

Labour’s Bill Briefing Notes

Dave Cross

The Parliamentary Labour Party briefing notes sent to Labour MPs prior to the vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been leaked. Planet of the Vapes presents it here in full. Of note, the pre-planned questions to be put to the Minister of State for Health and Social Care, leading some to accuse the government of lying about the actual risk posed by vaping and making up interactions between MPs and local Primary school head teachers.

The Briefing notes for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill goes as follows:

Deal with what’s in front of you

Harry’s blog 125:

The introduction to the government’s 294-page risk assessment of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which has yet to become law as it passes through the various stages of parliamentary procedure states:

In the UK, 11.9% of the population smoke which equates to 6.0 million people, and in some parts of the country prevalence is over 20%. Smoking causes harm throughout people’s lives, not only for the smoker but for those around them – there is no safe level of exposure. It is a major risk factor for poor maternal and infant outcomes, significantly increasing the chance of stillbirth, and can trigger asthma in children. Smoking causes around 1 in 4 of all UK cancer deaths and is responsible for the great majority of lung cancer cases.

ETHRA November news roundup

European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates

ETHRA’s monthly roundup of news: Council Recommendation on Smoke Free Environments – Tobacco Tax Directive – Spanish Public Consultation – UK Tobacco & Vapes Bill – E-Cigarette Summit 2024 Round Up – Health Impacts of Vapes on Non-Smokers – SCOHRE Nicotine Pouch Webinar. Read on for more.

We Vape Urge UK Vapers & Retailers …

To Give Evidence Over Tobacco & Vapes Bill – Michelle Jones

VAPERS and retailers are being urged to ‘protect the future of harm reduction’ by giving evidence to government as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Campaign group We Vape wants vendors to answer a parliamentary call, explaining the importance of e-cigs and how the new bill might impact the numbers of people who choose to vape instead of smoke.

They have also encouraged businesses to ‘spread the word’ among consumers about how to respond to government’s request for more data, as it advances the bill.

E-Cigarette Summit 2024 Round Up

James Dunworth

Just a few years ago, vaping was widely accepted in the UK as a key tool for tackling tobacco addiction – a solution that, while not perfect, was vastly better than smoking.

Then, youth vaping shifted the narrative.

Now the message, at least amongst policymakers, has changed from vaping being 95% less harmful than smoking, to a habit that might be a little better than smoking – and one which is seducing a generation of young people into a lifetime of nicotine addiction.

Teenagers Are Vaping. So What?

The Latest in Bad Law

Perhaps the greatest public health success of the last decade and, inexplicably, successive governments are determined to get in its way.

The most effective smoking cessation tool in existence, a product that replicates the experience of an activity that millions of people enjoy, at least 95% less harmful than cigarettes according to the evidence, with none of the harmful cancer-causing chemicals found in combustible tobacco, no potential passive harm to others whatsoever, no lingering smell – you’d think the emergence of vaping would be something to celebrate. But some people just can’t abide by other people enjoying things that they don’t, so here we are.

Hypocrisy in a nutshell, exhibit #17865.

Courtesy of Gillian Mackay, Scottish Green MSP for Central Scotland. pic.twitter.com/ltRgRxQR8s

— Jukka Kelovuori (@jkelovuori) December 8, 2024

Mexico’s constitutional vape ban

Letter to Senators – Clive Bates

Mexico’s President has determined that a ban on vapes and heated tobacco products should not only be an absurd law but become an absurd part of the constitution. Obviously, this is a terrible mistake on multiple levels.

I write to Members of the Chamber of Senators of the Honourable Congress of the Union, Mexico, with five points for legislators to consider.

Formal letter in English & Spanish here Carta formal en inglés y español aquí

Mexico’s e-cigarette ban will put lives of smokers at risk – Smoke Free Sweden

Kazakhstan Must Consider …

Different Approaches – Dave Cross

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has called on the Kazakh government to reassess its stance on tobacco harm reduction (THR) products, citing compelling evidence from Japan that demonstrates the significant health and economic benefits of embracing safer alternatives to smoking.

A recent study published in the journal Healthcare reveals that if 50% of smokers in Japan switched from combustible cigarettes to heated tobacco products (HTPs), it could prevent 12 million patient cases and save JPY 454 billion in healthcare costs. This data underscores the immense potential of THR strategies in countries with high smoking rates.

A Deeper Dive into High School Vaping

From the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey

Brad Rodu, Tobacco Truth,

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 1.56 million U.S. high school students were current users (i.e., past 30 days) of e-cigarettes or other vaping products in 2023. Although this number is substantially lower than at vaping’s peak in 2019 (here), it is still represented as a public health crisis by anti-tobacco crusaders. This post takes a closer look at this number by examining other factors that were ignored by the CDC.

The chart on the left breaks down the report’s 1.56 million vapers to calculate the actual number of exclusive, or “virgin” vapers.

Fruit flavoured Pouches more effective

Than mint at helping smokers quit – Ali Anderson

The research, published in the journal BMC Health, shows that a higher proportion of smokers who used fruit or other flavoured pouches had quit cigarettes after six months (15.4 per cent) compared to those who used mint flavoured pouches (11.6 per cent).

Mint as effective at reducing smoking – but not quitting

Mint, it said, was as effective as other flavours at helping people to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke – but not when it came to successfully quitting.

New FOI data reveals shocking lack

Of investment in stop smoking campaigns under Tory rule

The Government has been called upon to prioritise public education on smoking and vaping, as stark new research shines light on years of underfunding by the Conservatives.

Freedom of Information data from the Department of Health and Social Care reveals just £4.88 million was spent on stop smoking campaigns over the past two financial years – amounting to an average annual spend less than 50p per smoker.

Knock, knock! Anybody home?

Kim “Skip” Murray

While reading “Youth Tobacco Product Use Continues to Decline as FDA Actions Build Momentum” by Dr. Brian King, I saw that he knows how hard it is to stop smoking and how important it is to some people to achieve that goal.

“As Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), I often reflect on conversations with the public, including the people behind tobacco product use statistics,” said Dr. King. He goes on to say, “This type of reflection started in the early days of my career when I answered calls for a tobacco quit line. On a daily basis, I spoke with people who had a desire to quit smoking.

Cigarette Taxes and Regulations

Continue To Fuel a Thriving Black Market

If you want to create a black market in a perfectly legal product, just make regulations and taxes so onerous that many people prefer to buy from illegal vendors to escape being hassled and mugged by the powers that be. As a new study reveals, that’s certainly the case with cigarettes, which remain available for sale across the United States but with much of the trade continuing to involve smokes smuggled from one jurisdiction to another. Since busybody politicians refuse to learn from the ongoing trade, this is a tempting business opportunity for risk-tolerant entrepreneurs as well as low-tax jurisdictions.

CAPHRA Calls For Immediate Oversight

Of WHO FCTC By UNCHR

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is calling on the immediate oversight by the United Nations Council on Human Rights (UNCHR) of the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), citing a continued failure to fulfil its mandate on Human Rights to recognise and implement tobacco harm reduction strategies that could save millions of lives.

Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA, stated, “The current leadership of the WHO FCTC has lost the confidence of tobacco harm reduction experts worldwide. Their stubborn refusal to acknowledge the overwhelming scientific evidence supporting harm reduction is costing lives every day.”

EU countries seek to include vaping

In tobacco tax law

Sixteen EU countries have asked the European Commission to propose a new law in the coming months on taxing tobacco in the bloc to include new products such as electronic cigarettes which are not covered under the existing legislation.

The initiative, led by the Netherlands, has the support of Ireland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Portugal.

It’s Time to Talk About Adults Who Vape:

Why Flavor Bans Are Irrational – WVA

When policymakers and public health professionals discuss vaping, the conversation almost always revolves around youth use. It’s as if the millions of adults who rely on vaping to reduce or quit smoking don’t exist—or worse, don’t matter. While protecting youth is undeniably important, the obsessive focus on this issue ignores a critical truth: adults vape too, and their needs and choices deserve to be part of the discussion.

Stingfree Completes SEK5 Million Issue

Stingfree, a snus startup based in Sweden, has completed a new share issue of SEK5 million ($3.72 million) in November, resulting in a company valuation of SEK40.6 million.

Demonstrating his confidence in the company’s future, billionaire entrepreneur Erik Selin increased his ownership stake from 15.8 percent to 21.9 percent.

Spanish Flavor Ban Consultation

Ends Dec. 13th – Jim McDonald

Spain has issued a Draft Royal Decree, which modifies an existing tobacco control decree. The draft proposes a ban on non-tobacco-flavored vaping products, and a de facto ban on nicotine pouches.

The government launched a public consultation on the decree in late November, and will accept responses until Dec. 13.

Spanish vape advocacy group ANESVAP (Spanish Association of Personal Vaporizer Users) has an excellent page providing advice for consumers responding to the consultation.

Trying and failing to make sense of

A flavored nicotine ban

Banning flavored nicotine products may briefly feel good for Denver’s City Council members who are admirably trying to keep the addictive vape products out of teens’ hands, but the victory will be hollow.

Shutting down the roughly 50 vape shops in Denver won’t be the silver bullet that keeps the next generation of Coloradans from getting addicted to nicotine. It will, however, cost local small business owners their livelihoods and a few hundred employees their jobs.

Counterproductive Regulations

Vaping Unplugged Podcast with David Clement Ep. 70

In this episode of Vaping Unplugged, we’re joined by David Clement, the North American Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. David brings a wealth of expertise in policy analysis and consumer advocacy. His insights have been featured on the CBC, Global News, The Toronto Star, and other major Canadian media outlets.

Provide Alabama adults

With better smoke-free options

Despite some progress in reducing the number of cigarette smokers, smoking remains the leading cause of disease and preventable death in Alabama. Fortunately, there are some commonsense steps we can take to reduce smoking rates even further. As we head into the next legislative session, it is essential that we embrace free-market approaches that would further improve the health and well-being of Alabamians.

Peru Makes Moves Against Tobacco and

Smoking Alternative Products

Archaeological digs from as far back as 3500 BC show the presence of tobacco seeds in the daily lives of Peruvian inhabitants.[1] Peru was one of the earliest cultivation sites of the plant, with historians suggesting locals used tobacco for ritual ceremonies and its medical properties. Other experts say that tobacco also played a role in alleviating hunger, thirst, and fatigue during arduous journeys in the region.

Vapes VS FDA : Supreme Court Takeaways

This video has timestamps! If you only watch one segment of this video, make it the Jim Mccarthy segment. His insight is really good. Mine is great too like.. don’t get me wrong, but Jim hit on all the good points. I always love going to DC and I forget how much I LOVE cold, windy east coast cities. Please let me know your thoughts and gut-check down below.

Reducing the Toll of Tobacco in Indonesia

Indonesia faces a critical public health challenge with smoking prevalence projected to rise to 37.5% by 2025, positioning it as one of the highest globally.

Currently, 64.7% of Indonesian men smoke, the highest male smoking rate worldwide, contributing to an alarming toll of 300,000 premature deaths annually. This report delves into the potential of integrating Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) strategies with existing cessation services and improved lung cancer treatments.

On this Day…2023

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

Two from EcigClick:

Nearly 1M UK Vapers Will Smoke

If Vape Flavours Are Banned! – Guest Post: Mark Oates

Nearly one million vapers will return to cigarettes if vaping flavours are banned, according to a nationwide poll (links at the bottom of this article).

A sample study showed 21% of the UK’s estimated 4.5million e-cig users were prepared to smoke again if government plans to apply restrictions come into force.

The results come just before the government’s public consultation into creating a smoke-free generation ended on Wednesday (December 6).

Be Vape Vigilant – Report Rogue Traders

The initiative is to call on consumers, vape professionals and the public to report illicit and illegal vape sellers.

Sadly vapes are still getting into the hands of those under 18. All reputable stores will check for ID, but somehow kids are still getting hold of them.

This puts the whole vape industry in a negative light – we have all heard people complaining about “all the kids’ vaping”.

Also in the spotlight are vapes which are either counterfeit or do not comply with TPD regulations – we have covered how to spot this in our guide.