Vaping Digest 23rd March
Monday’s News at a glance:
During the Coronavirus outbreak, vape shops must stay open – COVID-19 and Tobacco Harm Reduction: The European Response – Coronavirus will NOT spread in vape clouds – Smoking, vaping and hospitalization for COVID-19 – Vaping In The News – March 22nd – Instagram: Pro-Vaping Hashtags Still Outnumbering FDA Anti-Vaping Ones – COVID-19: The Vape Industry Responds – American Activity – The CVA’s Response to Professor Glantz – States must scrap online e-cigarette bans – The Costs and Benefits of E-Cigarette Policy – Youth Vaping No Gateway To Smoking – Panic Feeds Off Vaping Hysteria – Nicotine Science and Policy Daily Digest
Vape shops must stay open
New Nicotine Alliance
There is much talk of further measures to control the outbreak of Coronavirus, but closure of vape shops should on no account be considered.
We are living through extraordinary times, with restrictions on personal freedoms – understandably – not seen since the second world war. It is essential that all of us observe the advice of the government, but the NNA hopes that if a rumoured ‘lockdown’ were to happen, vape shops would be excluded on public health grounds.
We have seen other countries such as France and Italy recognise this by exempting premises supplying vaping equipment and liquids from their general order for businesses to close. They have acted wisely, and we would urge the UK government to follow their lead.
Vaping chain to keep stores open amid fears over Covid-19 risks
COVID-19 and Tobacco Harm Reduction:
The European Response – ETHRA
One social media platform appears to be doing its utmost to restrict the free flow of information.
Philippe Poirson found himself locked out of Facebook after he shared an article from the newspaper 24 Heures, regarding chloroquine tests on COVID-19 at the Lausanne hospital, on the grounds that he’d breached the policy on “organized violence and apology for crime”.
The crackdown on Vapolitique’s Poirson follows a ban being issued to Dr. Philippe Arvers, an addiction and tobacco specialist at the Armed Forces Medical Center, for sharing a VICE article denigrating studies by Stanton Glantz.
Coronavirus NOT spread in vape clouds
Coronavirus will not spread in vape clouds unless the user coughs when they exhale, a scientist claims after reports the killer virus lurked in e-ciagrette vapour.
A microbiologist sparked fears last week after warning that inhaling someone else’s vapour was the same as ‘being spat in the face’.
But there is not enough evidence to prove that vape clouds carried enough germs to infect others, Dr Neal Benowitz, an emeritus professor of medicine, told MailOnline.
Dr Benowitz, of the University of California San Francisco, claims the level of mucus and saliva in vapour is so minimal that it is unlikely to cause infection.
Smoking, vaping and hospitalization
For COVID-19 – Konstantinos Farsalinos, Anastasia Barbouni, Raymond Niaura
There is a lot of speculation about the effects of smoking on Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Smoking increases susceptibility to respiratory infections and media reports suggest that it may increase the risk of being infected with acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is known to use the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a receptor for cell entry, and there is evidence that smoking downregulates ACE2 expression in the lung and other tissues.1 China has a high prevalence of smoking (27.7%), much higher among males (52.1%) than females (2.7%).2
Vaping In The News – March 22nd
Kevin Crowley, Vaping Links
Vaping In The News covers nicotine, smoking, vaping, snus, heat not burn, e-cigarettes, harm reduction, tobacco control, public health, government, regulations, policies & more worldwide.
I’m not sure what this ‘is’ ~ Vape Rally Postponed ~ Vaping, the USVA lawsuit, and the separation of powers ~ Domestic Inspections ~ The CDC’s Shift From Vaping to COVID-19 ~ The Surgeon General ~ It’s a public health miracle ~ In other news (and tweets) ~ Meet Sherrie
The IBVTA wrote to the Public Health & BEIS Ministers on March 17th to urge UK vape shops be similarly exempted : https://t.co/aZVUBmv0nm
With smokers being urged to #QuitforCovid, it is important that, with the right protections in place, smokers can access #vaping products. https://t.co/J7mWcz4GN1— IBVTA (@TheIBVTA) March 23, 2020
COVID-19: The Vape Industry Responds
Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes
The Vape Jam event was cancelled just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, but the virus has had a direct impact on how the vape industry goes about its day to day business. Without a nationwide ban on shops opening up, the response has been mixed to date. By and large, the news for vapers is good and everybody can currently obtain the juice and devices they want or need.
Rejuiced, for example, has closed down its brick and mortar operations. This isn’t a move due to fear about staff contracting the disease, “we have moved all staff members over to our warehouse to help with the tremendous demand.”
American Activity
Dave Cross, Planet of the Vapes
The American Vapor Technology Association has been an exceptionally busy organisation as state after state seeks to implement evidence-free proposals to crack down on vaping and tobacco-harm reduction. From flavour bans to taxes, it has its hands full – but has scored some notable recent successes.
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent twenty-two warning letters to online and physical retailers of vape products. The FDA told them that the sale of ecigs, devices, juices, and potential illegality unless they were deemed products. Recipients included stores like 7-Eleven and petrol station chains.
States must scrap online e-cigarette bans
During coronavirus pandemic – Guy Bentley
Millions of U.S. citizens are held up in their homes, trying their utmost to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The impact is visible in every city and small town: empty bars, restaurants, and shopping malls. Aside from the occasional walk or trip to the grocery store, most who are fortunate enough to be able to work from home are doing so. Delivery drivers, truckers, and garbage workers find themselves in a position of critical importance in combating the most significant public health crisis in living memory.
NYSAFP calls for ban on the sale of all tobacco and vaping products
The CVA’s Response to Professor Glantz
The Canadian Vaping Association
While Canadians live through these unprecedented times surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, Stanton Glantz continues to spread false information regarding nicotine vape products. Glantz comments as quoted in the CTV article “How smoking, vaping and drug use might increase risks from COVID-19” not only show his bias against vaping but the complete lack of any facts to support his claims.
“The vaping industry stands with all Canadians to ensure that all appropriate measures are being taken to protect public health,” said Darryl Tempest, Executive Director, The Canadian Vaping Association. “Professor Glantz refuses to correct his ongoing biased statements regarding vaping, despite the fact that there is no evidence that regulated nicotine vaping products had anything to do with EVALI, and the fact that the CDC has been clear in their conclusion that pulmonary lung issues were a direct result of illicit black market THC products laced with vitamin E-acetate.
Instagram: Pro-Vaping Hashtags
Still Outnumbering FDA Anti-Vaping Ones – Diane Caruana
Costs and Benefits of E-Cigarette Policy
Michael Pesko
Currently, e-cigarette supporters and opponents are passionately debating what regulations to impose on the products, if any. These debates have been playing out in legislative chambers across the United States, ranging from city halls to Congress, and in federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Proponents who argue for no or little regulation maintain that e-cigarettes save lives by helping people quit smoking. Opponents, meanwhile, argue that e-cigarettes themselves are addicting teenagers to nicotine.
Both sides agree that smoking combustible cigarettes is dangerous: the Centers for Disease Control estimates that annually 480,000 individuals die from smoking, accounting for about one in every five deaths.
Youth Vaping No Gateway To Smoking
Vaping Trade Association of New Zealand
New international research shows youth vaping is leading adolescents away from smoking, not towards it. The ‘reverse gateway’ revelation is timely given the bill to regulate vaping is now open for submissions, says the Vaping Trade Association of New Zealand (VTANZ).
Published in the Tobacco Control journal, the study was conducted by leading UK researchers who analysed data from the 2014 – 2017 US National Youth Tobacco Survey which involved nearly 40,000 US teenagers.
CONVERGENCE | COVID19
Panic Feeds Off Vaping Hysteria | RegWatch (Live)
In just 6-months we have gone from dramatic daily announcements of new cases of vaping-related lung illness and death to dramatic daily announcements of new cases of COVID19 illness and death. One hysteria ran into the other. Or, are both hysterias one and the same?
Joining RegWatch for COVID19 Special Coverage is Dr. John Oyston, anesthesiologist and harm reduction advocate. He has decades of experience dealing with infectious disease, including frontline experience fighting the SARS outbreak in 2003. As a dedicated supporter of vaping as a tool for harm reduction, Dr. John is tracking the convergence between CDC’s hysteria over vaping and the hysteria over COVID19.
On this Day…2019
A look back at how things have moved on or otherwise…
Response to Press Release
Announcing Proposed Ban on Electronic Cigarettes in San Francisco
Michael Siegel, The Rest of the Story
Here is my point-by-point response to several of the statements made in the press release issued by City Attorney Herrera announcing the introduction of legislation to ban the sale of all electronic cigarettes in the city of San Francisco:
“City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Supervisor Shamann Walton today announced joint steps to curb the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use, which has erased more than a decade’s worth of progress in reducing youth tobacco consumption.”
The Problem With San Francisco’s Proposal to Ban Vaping
San Francisco vaping ban is purely political grandstanding
Complete Prohibition of All Vape Sales
Jim McDonald, Vaping 360
After banning the sale of flavored vapor and tobacco products last year, the city of San Francisco will now try to ban sales of all vapes, including online purchases. The city will not ban cigarettes.
“San Francisco has never been afraid to lead, and we’re certainly not afraid to do so when the health and lives of our children are at stake,” said City Attorney Dennis Herrera. “E-cigarettes have wiped out the hard-fought gains we have made in curbing youth tobacco use. Today we are taking action to protect our kids.”
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