Vape News Headlines:
Vaping is bioterrorism – Vapers speak to UK MPs – Big Tobacco selling to invest in e-cigs – New vape laws in South Africa – JAC Vapour and the USA – Rabbi says vaping is illegal – JUULing is killing the planet! And a ton of Vaper Expo photos…
Vaping Is NOT Bioterrorism – Top Doctor Slams Fake News
Last week saw vaping described as akin to ‘bioterrorism’ and a ‘massive public-health disaster’ but one tobacco control expert says such ridiculous claims are both unacceptable and ‘unethical’.
Dr Michael Siegel is a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health with over thirty years in field of tobacco control and is a firm supporter of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool.
He was scathing over the claims made by Harvard professor Jia Tolentino who also churned out the old lie – ooops sorry I meant line – that vaping causes popcorn lung – a claim proven to be false so many times now its getting silly.
On so called popcorn lung Dr Siegel said:
Claiming that vaping causes popcorn lung is irresponsible, as there is no evidence to back up the claim. If you’re going to tell the public that vaping causes a serious and often deadly progressive respiratory disease, you ought to have at least one — just one — case to back it up.
The truth is that there is no evidence that vaping causes bronchiolitis obliterans and despite having levels of diacetyl that are hundreds of times higher, smoking itself has not been linked to bronchiolitis obliterans.
As to the use of the word ‘bioterrorism’ to describe vape manufacturers he said:
The comparison to “bioterrorism” is also irresponsible and inappropriate.
Vaping companies are doing a tremendous service to millions of smokers throughout the U.S. who have been unable to quit using pharmaceuticals, but have succeeded in quitting thanks to electronic cigarettes.
To call these companies bioterrorists is despicable.
Dr Siegel was furious the article that appeared in the hugely popular New Yorker magazine had now mislead the nation adding:
Let’s be clear.
There are at least 2 million ex-smokers in the U.S. who have quit smoking because of electronic cigarettes.
To call this a public health disaster is to throw these 2 million former smokers under the bus and to essentially conclude that their lives don’t matter.
The rest of the story is that this Harvard professor has now misled the entire nation into thinking that vaping causes a serious, often fatal, progressive respiratory disease, without a shred of evidence that this is the case and with overwhelming evidence that it simply is not true.
Whatever you think about vaping and Juuling, lying to the public is not what we do in public health.
Excellent.
You can read the full rebuttal blog post on Dr Siegel’s superb blog: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary.
UK MPs Meet With Vape Industry and Vaping Advocates
Just a heads up that a full article on the definite final sitting of the UK Parliamnet’s Science and Technology Committee inquiry into e-cigarettes took place last week.
It was an extremely interesting session which saw the case for the vaping industry and we the vapers being given by a trio of competent and supportive experts.
The committee was left in no doubt as to what we’d like to see in any new legislation around vaping and those giving evidence were:
- John Dunne, Director, UK Vaping Industry Association
- Fraser Cropper, Chair, Independent British Vape Trade Association
- Sarah Jakes, Chair, New Nicotine Alliance
My article: The Vaping Industry And The Voices Of Vapers Finally Heard By UK MPs includes the video of the session.
Big Tobacco Giant Looks To Sell To Invest In E-Cigarettes
Imperial Brands – the company behind lit tobacco names such as Gauloises and Winston are planning to sell off parts of their multin billion dollar business to invest heavily into the e-cigarette market.
The company already owns the hugely popular Blu e-cig brand but want more of the market particularly as smokers around the world are making the switch to vaping.
Chief executive Alison Cooper told This Is Money a decision on what to sell off hadn’t been made but IB was looking to raise around $2billion adding:
When you have got a dynamic like this happening – the opportunity for consumers to switch to new products – I think we are in a very strong position to capitalise on that growth.
Despite Blu bringing in profits of £569million in the first 6months of the year the company’s overall share price has fallen by as much as 30% in the last year.
As I reported last November IB has already bought Nerudia a UK based nicotine manufacturer.
Major Shake Up Of Smoking And Vaping Laws in South Africa Proposed
The South African Government is planning an all out ‘war’ on tobacco and vaping as it looks to introduce draconian legislation including prison sentences for smoking in public.
Opponents are furious and suggest the President and family should ‘get their own house in order’ given many of them having ties to many tobacco lobbyists.
The Control of Tobacco and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill is now open for public debate and proposals include:
- Smokers must be at least 10 metres away from any public buildings
- Displays of all tobacco products will be removed
- A total ban on public indoor smoking
- An end to cigarette vending machines
- More detailed e-cigarette regulations
Dr Aaron Motsoaledi the Health Minister justified the proposed change in laws simply saying:
No one can mention a single advantage of smoking.
You can read the proposals and have your voice heard on the proposed new law HERE.
JAC Vapour Sets Its Sights On the US Vape Market
Scottish based vape company JAC Vapour will turnover around £6million this year after signing major distribution deals with France and Germany and could sign an American deal very soon.
Cracking the US market would send profits soaring and Chief executive Neil McCallum says the popular vape company is growing at a staggering 30% per year.
He told the Scotsman newspaper:
We decided very early on that we wanted to design something that was a bit different.We buy components from all around the world and are completely in control of what we do.
We travel all over to see what the best products are like. Over the past 18 months we have been building up the distribution model for the business.
We have just signed a large distribution deal for Germany and France and are in negotiations for America.
American vapers are in for a real treat if they can secure a deal as JAC Vapour’s vape products are without doubt some of the best I’ve reviewed and used over the years.
BTW JAC Vapour was founded by entrepreneur Andrew Logan and you can read our fascinating interview with him HERE.
If You’re Jewish And Vape – You’re Breaking the Law!
Smoking tobacco is forbidden by Jewish law and scholars of the Torah say this includes vaping as they believe it too is harmful to health.
An article in the Jewish Press says the:
…pernicious intrusion of e-cigarettes into the lives of our teenagers is a modern-day shame.
It’s also claimed the use of them to quit smoking is tantamount to ‘committing suicide’ – which is classed as a sin.
The author – Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz – describes smokers and therefore vapers as ‘sick’ adding:
Smokers today should be viewed as cholim (individuals with a sickness) who we must help heal. One cannot claim that “liberty” allows them to increase their burden on the health care system or bring harm to family members, coworkers, and strangers.
Urging the Jewish community to ‘scare people away from smoking’ and therefore one assumes the far healthier option of vaping – he says:
It is not only a social justice imperative; it is not only a health imperative; it is a Torah imperative.
Vaping and religion is not something I’d considered before – but given we know e-cigarettes are at least 95% safer than smoking one would think religious types might be a little more understanding…
…and Finally JUUL Hysteria Watch – Now It’s KILLING the Planet!
I do try to resist giving credence to the current hysterical media reporting on the JUUL phenomenon but sometimes I can’t resist taking a pop at the latest scare story!
This time it’s not about the crazy claims that so called JUULing is turning vast swathes of young Americans into nicotine addict zombies OR probably killing them by the truckload – though trust me I could have picked any of the zillions of such articles out there again this week lol.
Instead the JUUL pod mod is now killing the planet according to one bright young green thing.
Now I know I wore my eco warrior hat for the piece on 10Ml Plastic E-Liquid Bottles Are Choking The Planet – so I do care a bit about recycling and all that.
However according to this green bright young thing apparently the JUUL – unlike say an iPhone – isn’t worth much when it comes to recycling.
And the lithium-ion polymer battery it’s powered by is called as a dangerous good – dum dum daaaa…someone call the green police!
But wait…
Aren’t lithium-ion polymer batteries used in electric cars – the great hope of the green movement?
And despite having no knowledge of mechanics I’m pretty sure they’ll be awfully big…
AND according to Wikipedia they’re also commonly used in mobile phones, tablet computers, power banks, very thin laptop computers, portable media players, wireless controllers for video game consoles etc etc…
But hey let’s all jump on the JUUL and e-cig BS bandwagon and never mind the fact vaping is actively saving lives which if truth be told the green police seem to think they are…
I’ve actually thought when I read the headline of this article it was going to suggest our vapour was destroying the so called ozone layer and therefore adding to cow farts as the reason for global warming…
Ooops looks like I might have just given the green brigade another anti-vape angle…watch this space I’m sure one of them will take that idea and run with it 😉
…and finally part 2 the Vaper Expo 2018 Photo Gallery
As promised in my piece: Vaper Expo 2018 – Was It The Best Ever? – heres’ some more photos from the two amazing days I spent at the NEC…enjoy:
