Vaping Digest September 18th
Wednesday’s News at a glance:
Public Health England Shares Vaping Advice Following Spate Of US Deaths ~ The Absurd Campaign against Vaping ~ RANTZ: Progressives Ditch ‘Harm Reduction’ Support So They Can Ban Vaping Products ~ Despite Increasing Clarity in Role of Illicit THC Vape Carts in Lung Injury Outbreak, CDC Violating Its Own Principles to Blame E-Cigarettes ~ A Bad Case of the Vapors ~ Uncool Mint Research ~ Expert reaction to study looking at pulegone levels in mint- and menthol-flavored e-Cigarettes ~ NNA: Nothing To See Here ~ Government officials misleading the Australian public on vaping needs to end ~ Flavored E-Cigarette Bans Propagate America’s War On Drugs ~ Mad In Manhattan ~ IVVA Backs EU Vaping is NOT Tobacco Campaign ~ India bans e-cigarettes, tobacco stocks rally ~ Vapers slams govt over e-cigarette ban ~ India e-cigarettes: Ban announced to prevent youth ‘epidemic’ ~ Cannabis/THC vaping among young people in the UK, BBC Radio 5live
Public Health England Shares Vaping Advice Following Spate Of US Deaths
Dominic Smithers, LAD Bilble
One of the country’s leading health bodies has addressed claims that vaping should be banned.
Public Health England (PHE) has shared its advice for people trying to give up smoking – and tried to dispel some myths surrounding e-cigarettes.
This comes after reports of six vaping-related deaths in the United States made headlines this month, leading some critics to call for the habit to be outlawed.
The Absurd Campaign against Vaping
Editors, National Review
There has been a burst of panicked news, competing claims, and unfounded fear related to “vaping,” the use of electronic devices to produce an inhaled vapor, usually containing nicotine, which has emerged as a common alternative to smoking.
As is commonly the case, the controversy surrounding vaping consists of a rat’s nest of discrete issues that need not necessarily be tangled up together.
RANTZ: Progressives Ditch ‘Harm Reduction’ Support So They Can Ban Vaping Products
Jason Rantz, Daily Wire
Health professionals are investigating why, suddenly, there’s a rash of lung illnesses related to the use of e-cigs and vaping devices. It’s almost assuredly linked to black market devices and juice pods tampered with by the users.
Despite Increasing Clarity in Role of Illicit THC Vape Carts in Lung Injury Outbreak, CDC Violating Its Own Principles to Blame E-Cigarettes
Michael Siegel, The Rest of the Story
The role of illicit THC vape carts in the lung injury outbreak –which has now caused 7 deaths–continues to become clear. Yesterday, Dallas County reported 14 new cases ranging in age from 16 to 44 with a median age of 19, all of whom were hospitalized with severe respiratory distress. Although the news headline mentions only that these cases were associated with “vaping,” if you read down to the 11th paragraph, you find out that “Ninety percent of the Dallas County cases reported vaping THC products.”
A Bad Case of the Vapors
John Tierney, City Journal
The war on nicotine vaping has reached a new level of absurdity. It was bad enough when public health officials, politicians, and the press reacted to the recent outbreak of respiratory illness among vapers of marijuana by failing to warn the public in a clear manner. Instead of explaining the specific danger from vaping a certain kind of THC-infused oil, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and politicians like New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told the public to stop using any kind of electronic cigarette—which is like responding to an outbreak of food poisoning by telling people to stop eating.
Uncool Mint Research
Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes
Duke University School of Medicine researchers looked at daily pulegone exposure from mint and menthol eLiquids. Leaping to some bizarre conclusions, Jabba and Jordt’s work was then repacked by a PR department for media rooms desperate for another sensationalist piece of copy-paste. Fortunately, experts are on hand to dismiss the findings.
Expert reaction to study looking at pulegone levels in mint- and menthol-flavored e-Cigarettes
Science Media Centre
Prof Paul Aveyard, Professor of Behavioural Medicine, University of Oxford, said:
“This study is purporting to show that vapers are consuming worrying levels of pulegone by examining the concentration of pulegone in e-liquids and cigarettes, but it is not possible from this to assess whether people who vape menthol flavours have excess exposure to pulegone…..
Dr Lion Shahab, Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology & Public Health, University College London (UCL), said:
“This paper uses previously published data to evaluate the likely exposure of users of menthol-flavoured e-liquids to pulegone, a constituent extract from mint plants used as a food and flavouring additive that is classified as possibly cancer-causing to humans……
NNA: Nothing To See Here
Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes
The New Nicotine Alliance UK (NNA) has released a statement aimed at wavering vapers, smokers, and their loved ones regarding the panic coming from across the Atlantic. Many of our news outlets are spreading false propaganda – but the NNA says it’s OK to carry on vaping as there’s “nothing to see here”.
Government officials misleading the Australian public on vaping needs to end
Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association
A recent statement by the Chief Medical Officer and State and Territory Chief Health Officers, ‘E-cigarettes linked to severe lung illness’ is alarmist, potentially misleading and does not accurately reflect the current scientific evidence on vaping, a group of 30 leading health professionals has announced today.
The announcement led by the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA) said that the statement implies ‘vaping for smoking cessation’ has contributed to the outbreak of severe respiratory illness in the US.
This is awesome. Democrat Rep Cynthia Johnson tries to purchase eliquid from a shop in Michigan with a fake account, and was REJECTED. She then went on to praise Mr. Eliquid “…you are NOT marketing to children”. There’s only one company to blame for the youth issue, & ITS JUUL. pic.twitter.com/GubnHwKtyB
— Wayne (@diyordievaping) September 17, 2019
Flavored E-Cigarette Bans Propagate America’s War On Drugs
Michael McGrady, Vaping Post
What a year for bipartisanship. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced that he and his administration are taking emergency action to ban flavored e-cigarette products.
In a similar move that emulates Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, and her use of executive action to ban flavor, Cuomo’s latest move against vaping is apart of a demonstrable trend that hundreds of local governments have endorsed.
New York and Michigan are the first two states in the union to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarette products. Other states are taking notice.
Related: E-Cigarette Restrictions Raise a Question: Can Governors Unilaterally Ban Products They Don’t Like?
Related: State lawmaker to challenge Gov. Whitmer’s flavored vaping ban
Mad In Manhattan
Dave Cross, Planet Of The Vapes
The situation is bonkers in Brooklyn, barmy in the Bronx and ridiculous on Rikers Island as, on Sunday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo said he was going to implement an executive order to ban flavoured eliquid products from sale in the city. He stated that it was a measure resulting from teen vaping rates – but it remains clear this is linked to falling tobacco revenue and the influence of billionaire Michael Bloomberg.
IVVA Backs EU Vaping is NOT Tobacco Campaign
Irish Vape Vendors Association
Vaping is under threat. We need vapers in Ireland to tell the European Commission that vaping products are not the same as tobacco products and should be taken out of the EU Tobacco Products Directive.
IVVA member shops will have petitions for signing, available in their shops over the coming days / weeks. Additionally, you may also sign the online petition here – https://vapingisnottobacco.eu
India bans e-cigarettes, tobacco stocks rally
Christopher Snowdon, Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
The vape scare continues in the USA. As the Centers for Disease Control launches an ‘investigation’ into a problem that has obviously been the result of illegal THC cartridges from the start, major news networks put out garbage like this…
Vapers slams govt over e-cigarette ban
Priyranka Sham, ANI
Slamming the central government on passing the ordinance prohibiting manufacture and sales of e-cigarettes, Director of Association of Vapers India (AVI), Samrat Choudhary said it is a black day for 11 crore smokers in India who have been deprived of safer options.
India e-cigarettes: Ban announced to prevent youth ‘epidemic’
BBC News
India’s cabinet has announced a ban on the production, import and sale of electronic cigarettes, saying they pose a risk to health.
An executive order had been approved banning vaping products because of their impact on young people, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.
It is not clear if the order will also prohibit the use of vaping equipment.
India has more than 100 million adult smokers, making it a huge potential market for e-cigarette companies.
Related: The puzzling ban of e-cigarettes in India: Restrictions will do more harm than good