Vaping Digest 10th April

Friday’s News at a glance:

COVID-19 and Smoking Updates – BBC’s HealthCheck UK case study finds e-cigarettes really can help – Experts conclude there is no evidence to support a link between COVID-19 and vaping – UK Researchers Defend Vaping – Coronavirus: would nicotine protect against the virus? – BAT files patent suits against Philip Morris’ IQOS products – MP Demands Juice For All – ETHRA Announces Science Partners – Research Roundup – Parliament and Politics – Is Vostesyl the cure for Coronavirus? – Cannabis industry says the feds’ failed response to VAPI was a warning about coronavirus – Albany’s ban on flavored vapes will harm public health – Nicotine Science and Policy Daily Digest

COVID-19 and Smoking Updates

Charles Gardner, FSFW

Smokers are more likely to develop garden-variety colds and flus, so the above COVID-19 data are surprising. Smokers who become ill with COVID-19 are no more likely to be hospitalized than non-smokers. Notably, there is absolutely no evidence linking COVID-19 to nicotine vaping.

There is, however, no debate that people with ‘comorbidities’ like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are more likely to develop complications and die from COVID-19. Although the majority of smokers do not have COPD or CVD, most people with COPD are current or former smokers, as are many with CVD.

Words Count: Nicotine and Tobacco Research Priorities

BBC’s HealthCheck UK case study

Finds e-cigarettes really can help – Rachel Davies

A case study, featured within the HealthCheck UK programme aired on BBC One at 10.00 am on Thursday April 2nd, shone some well-deserved light on the benefits of e-cigarettes. An impartial documentary segment in the programme showed the remarkable success story of a heavy smoker who was given an e-cigarette to help him quit; provoking thought for smokers who are yet to give vaping a try.

The segment followed a 30-year old man named Ace Langley on his journey to becoming smoke-free. The 40-60 a day smoker had tried and failed to quit smoking on numerous occasions, using patches and gum. However, Ace had little knowledge of vaping and was yet to give an e-cigarette a go.

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Experts conclude there is no evidence

To support a link between COVID-19 and vaping

The Canadian Vaping Association is disturbed by the numerous misinformed reports that vaping is linked to COVID-19 susceptibility and complications. Vaping is no stranger to misinformation, sensationalist reporting, and personal bias. It is completely unacceptable for anyone to make such unfounded statements during these unprecedented times, as this only furthers fear and anxiety during an already difficult period in Canadian history. It is no surprise that, even during a pandemic, some individuals and media outlets have chosen to negate and ignore the facts in favour of personal bias and further vilifying vaping.

UK Researchers Defend Vaping

Matchless E-Cigs

The UK has long been known to be one of the most supportive countries regarding vaping. While other countries around the world have banned electronic cigarettes, the UK has continued to support them as a positive method to help smokers quit real cigarettes.

Now researchers in the UK have reacted angrily to a Q&A document about e-cigarettes that was released by the World Health Organization (WHO). The document covers nine questions, the first of which asks whether e-cigarettes and vaping products are dangerous. Part of the WHO’s answer to this question states:

“…these products are harmful to health and are not safe.”

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Would nicotine protect against the virus?

Zineb Ibnouzahir

Established at the request of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, the Scientific Council chaired by Jean-François Delfraissy, and composed of ten other experts, each intervening in complementary disciplinary fields, has the role of informing public decision in the management of the health situation linked to the coronavirus.

Interviewed by France Info radio about the duration of confinement in France but also about the wearing of masks, Jean-François Delfraissy then spoke on the questions that still hover around this virus.

BAT files patent suits against Philip Morris

Siddharth Cavale

British American Tobacco said on Thursday that it sued Philip Morris International Inc in the United States and Germany, alleging that the tobacco heating technology used in its bigger rival’s IQOS devices infringed its patents.

The Lucky Strike cigarette maker said it had filed two patent infringement claims in the United States against Philip Morris, one through the International Trade Commission (ITC) and one in the Virginia federal court, seeking remedies for damages caused and an injunction on importing the product.

Four from Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes

MP Demands Juice For All

Alex Cunningham, MP for Stockton North has been a staunch advocate for vaping and its potential to reduce risk for smokers, especially those in disenfranchised and vulnerable groups in society. He has recently spoken up in favour of allowing vape stores to operate during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In 2018, Alex Cunningham told then Public Health Minister Steve Brine that vaping could “utilised to achieve the targets set out.” He added that it was safer than tobacco and “should be used to support smokers with mental health conditions.”

The message hit home, and Brine promised that the government would make more of an effort to ensure smokers were informed about vaping’s relative safety.

Vape shop owners say their business is more essential than Homebase

ETHRA Announces Science Partners

ETHRA is an umbrella body for European nicotine consumer groups. It has been exceptionally active during its brief time since its inception and hopes that the addition of the three new science partners will add yet more weight to its powerful arguments.

Partner number one is Frank Baeyens, a professor of experimental psychology at KU Leuven, Belgium. He is an author of over 120 scientific papers on human learning and on a variety of experimental psychopathology topics. Baeyens developed a research line focusing on nicotine use, preference, and dependence, smoking and smoking cessation, electronic cigarettes, and other low-risk nicotine products over the last eight years.

Research Roundup

The UK E-Cigarette Research Forum (UKECRF) is an initiative developed by Cancer Research UK in partnership with Public Health England (PHE) and the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies (UKCTAS). Among other things, it brings together genuine experts to look at research related to vaping. UKECRF has released its latest vape research briefing, thanks to funding by Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

The research briefing is part of a series of monthly updates aiming to provide an overview of new studies on electronic cigarettes. The briefings are intended for researchers, policy makers, health professionals and others who may not have time to keep up to date with new findings and would like to access a summary that goes beyond the study abstract.

Parliament and Politics

Luke Pollard wants something done about the littering of Big T products. Meanwhile, Paul Blomfield is concerned about vaping enticing non-smokers, especially underage teens. Once again, politicians having their strings pulled by Bloomberg-funded activists are choosing to ignore publicly available evidence.

Luke Pollard wanted to know what the Secretary of State had done to assess the adequacy of his Department’s powers to require the tobacco industry to take steps to limit littering from its products.

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Is Vostesyl the cure for Coronavirus?

Robbert Roos

Are we going to win the battle against the Corona virus with a vapor liquid? If it were up to Martijn and his Vossensteyn Biochemicals associates. The patent for the vapor liquid containing an extremely effective substance is currently pending and a lot of work is being done to double the production capacity. The product may also be tested live by the UMC. “We can’t wait to bring it to the market.”

Zoetermeer- When a friendly microbiologist told about the special substance that turned out to be extremely effective against viruses like Corona, Martijn van Vossensteyn Biochemicals continued to engage. “The story sounded so convincing that I couldn’t let it go.

Expenditure on COVID-19

Highlights the government’s disregard for smokers – ATHRA

AUSTRALIAN public health experts have highlighted the contradiction between the unprecedented expenditure to control COVID-19 with the minimal resources allocated to help smokers quit. Smoking is a far greater risk to public health than COVID-19 but is grossly neglected and receives little government funding.

The article by Marita Hefler and Coral Gartner, of Charles Darwin and Queensland Universities, respectively was published in the latest issue of the journal Tobacco Control.

The authors said tobacco smoking – which kills around 8 million people annually – was “a greater, sustained strain” than the coronavirus, which has killed around 70,000 globally.

Feds’ failed response to VAPI..

Was a warning about coronavirus – Larry Perel

It’s hard to believe, but  six months ago, no one was worried about coronavirus. People were worried about another epidemic: VAPI, or vaping associated pulmonary injury. The outbreak spawned more than 2,500 cases across the United States, resulting in 64 deaths. Some  in the cannabis industry say the federal government’s bungled response to VAPI was a precursor to the slow, clumsy reaction to COVID-19.

David Downs, the California Bureau Chief for Leafly, says that the federal government was “flabbergasted” at the initial reports of VAPI.

Innovative approaches

To support smoking cessation: Twitter chat with Charles A. Gardner PhD

Let me begin with the hope that all of you are safe and healthy during this time of crisis. Best wishes for you, your families and other loved ones. As for me, I currently serve as a Program Officer in the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. I worked previously as the Health Attaché, US Embassy New Delhi; Senior Advisor on Research Strategy to @WHO, and in 2 other foundations: Associate Director Health Equity, Rockefeller Foundation; and Director of Child Health at the UBS Optimus Foundation. My doctoral training was in the field of developmental neurobiology (I studied how the brain develops). My favorite color is red. I like long hairy dog stories and bad puns.

Albany’s ban on flavored vapes

Will harm public health – Tony Abboud

This is the wrong time for politicians to thrive off the old adage “never let a crisis go to waste.” But, that’s where we are. Last week, New York politicians used the coronavirus pandemic to achieve their long-held political goal of banning flavored vapor products without a single hearing or public debate. In a tremendously difficult time for New York, political leaders have spent their energy targeting less harmful vaping products while ignoring the combustible cigarette, which kills 70 New Yorkers every day.

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On this Day…2019

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

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Visit Nicotine Science & Policy for more News from around the World

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