Vaping Digest May 1st

Wednesday’s News at a glance:

WHY I LEFT TOBACCO CONTROL ~ The Disadvantaged ~ No Love For BAT ~ “Reason(s) you vape” questions on surveys are generally stupid ~ FDA Approves PMI’s IQOS Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco For U.S. Sales ~ FDA Finally Approves PMI’s Heated Tobacco Product IQOS ~ FDA Authorizes Sale of IQOS Tobacco Heating System in the U.S. ~Education, education, education, NNA April Newsletter ~ Cherry-Pick | Expert Analysis of Leaked Vaping Study ~ Teens prefer harm reduction messaging on substance use ~ The Nanny State of the Nation ~ To vape or not to vape? Preliminary results from a qualitative survey of smokers ~ Odd thing – Rite Aid ceases sale of vaping products, but continues to sell cigs ~ Why Hong Kong is wrong to ban vaping and heated tobacco ~ India’s huge tobacco burden and the need for harm reduction alternatives such as ENDS

WHY I LEFT TOBACCO CONTROL

Joseph Magero, Medium

Having been a smoker since high school, my first encounter with tobacco control was in pre-college where I was required to do a presentation outlining the dangers of smoking and the number of people killed by smoking related diseases. It was then that I realized just how bad the situation was, and how little was being done to curb the epidemic. I began to do some advocacy work independently, using my voice, and the collective voice of others, to bring about change.

The Disadvantaged

Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes

A new report in JAMA Internal Medicine says that the more disadvantages people face the more they are likely to smoke. It highlights the need for a sound tobacco harm reduction (THR) approach, yet some of the authors are associated with exceptionally poor quality anti-vaping science.

No Love For BAT

Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and Stopping Tobacco Organizations & Products (STOP) have reported British American Tobacco (BAT) to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The complaint stems from alleged breaches of regulations due to BAT’s promotion of its Vype e-cigarettes.

FDA Approves PMI’s IQOS Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco For U.S. Sales

Brad Rodu, Tobacco Truth

“Following a rigorous science-based review through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway, the agency determined that authorizing these products for the U.S. market is appropriate for the protection of the public health because, among several key considerations, the products produce fewer or lower levels of some toxins than combustible cigarettes.

FDA Finally Approves PMI’s Heated Tobacco Product IQOS

Gregory Conley, American Vaping Association

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This afternoon, after two-plus years of waiting and delays, the Food & Drug Administration announced that it had approved premarket tobacco applications for Philip Morris’ IQOS device, Marlboro Heatsticks, Marlboro Smooth Menthol Heatsticks and Marlboro Fresh Menthol Heatsticks. This clears the way for Altria to distribute the product in the United States.

FDA Authorizes Sale of IQOS Tobacco Heating System in the U.S.

Press Release, Altria

Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) (NYSE:MO) announces today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized sale of the IQOS heated tobacco system in the U.S. market. FDA authorization follows review of the Premarket Tobacco Product Applications (PMTA) submitted by Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI). Philip Morris USA (PM USA), under an exclusive licensing agreement with PMI, will commercialize IQOS in the U.S. with three HeatStick variants.

Five motivations behind anti-vaping sentiment. Excellent from @mattwridley. @Freer_UK https://t.co/VQdZaoo0lG pic.twitter.com/FTThXWHGCe

— Christopher Snowdon (@cjsnowdon) April 30, 2019

Cherry-Pick | Expert Analysis of Leaked Vaping Study

Brent Stafford, Regulator Watch

Since November 2018, when University of Waterloo Professor David Hammond first shared results of his new youth vaping study with Health Canada and the mainstream media, only one interpretation of the data has been made available to the public. And that interpretation is one of high alarm.

Teens prefer harm reduction messaging on substance use

Lou Corpuz-Bosshart, The University of British Columbia

For many parents, talking to their children about substance use is like navigating a field of landmines. It’s difficult to know exactly what to say and how to say it.

But a new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia and University of Calgary is showing the way forward. Emily Jenkins, a UBC professor of nursing who studies youth substance use, and her colleagues interviewed 83 teenagers across B.C. Interestingly, they found that a harm reduction message resonated the most with teens, instead of the typical “don’t do drugs” talk.

The Nanny State of the Nation

Christopher Snowden, Velvet Glove, Iron Fist

The 2019 edition of the Nanny State Index was published today. You can visit the website and download the full 84 page publication.

The Index, which I compile, is the most detailed record of over-regulation in the fields of alcohol, e-cigarettes, food, soft drinks and tobacco in the EU. It uses nearly a thousand pieces of data from 35 categories to produce a score out of 100 for each member state.

Regular readers won’t be surprised to hear that Britain is one of the worst nanny states in Europe and the Index proves it.

To vape or not to vape? Preliminary results from a qualitative survey of smokers

Aparna Mathur, Roger Bate, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)

We surveyed 487 smokers in the UK and U.S. on attitudes towards, and uses of, non-combustible tobacco products. We found that a higher percentage of sampled smokers had tried them in the UK, relative to the U.S., especially among those who claimed they had tried to quit smoking previously. This difference in attitude and uptake is consistent with messaging differences in the U.S. versus the UK.

Odd thing – Rite Aid ceases sale of vaping products, but continues to sell cigarettes

Letter to the Editor, Penn Live

Rite Aid’s ceasing sale of vaping products on the surface looks to be a commendable corporate act to stop promoting unhealthy behaviors. Odd thing though: They will continue to sell cigarettes, an unequivocally far more dangerous and heavily used inhalant, regardless of the “not so sure” concerns about vaping.

Why Hong Kong is wrong to ban vaping and heated tobacco

Daniel Pryor, Adam Smith Institute

Hong Kong health authorities are planning to ban alternative smoking products, with the threat of harsh penalties (up to six months in jail) for those who violate the proposed law. International trends in tobacco control play a role in shaping our approach to smoking at home. As part of our global efforts to champion a liberal, harm reduction approach to smoking cessation we submitted evidence to the consultation, drawing on the UK’s world-leading approach in this area.

India’s huge tobacco burden and the need for harm reduction alternatives such as ENDS

David T Sweanor, J.D., Healthworld

Tobacco smoking is one of the world’s and India’s biggest and most preventable cause of early death and a blight on culture and society. With 120 million tobacco smokers, India is the second largest consumer of combustion-based tobacco products globally and witnesses over one million deaths per year due to tobacco related illness. Despite efforts to reduce tobacco burden by means of taxation, stringent labelling requirements, etc., cigarette volumes have not witnessed significant decline in India.

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