Cigarette Buying Age Increase
Some welcome good publicity for vaping this week!
This has been covered in quite a few places but I noticed the articles in the Sun and The Guardian online newspapers.
It comes from the news that the Tobacco Independent Review – headed by Javed Khan should be publishing its findings soon. It was supposed to be 25th May but I have heard rumours this has been postponed?
The early indications appear to be that the legal age for buying tobacco could increase to 21 and also a new tax on tobacco companies.
Another part of the plan is to promote vaping as a method of quitting smoking and making sure adults can access vape devices without them falling into underage hands.
I have covered how Javed is positive towards vaping whilst being cautious of how to age restrict in previous news articles – so fingers crossed he really has been the right man for the job with the tobacco control review.
What is your view on e-cigarettes? We know they are effective at helping people to quit smoking. How can we stop children and non-smokers from using them? 5/6
— Javed Khan OBE (@JavedKhanCEO) February 18, 2022
Training For Homeless Centre Staff
The NCSCT (National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training) have responded to the study I mentioned in Last Week’s vape news – titled “A cross-sectional survey of smoking and cessation support policies in a sample of homeless services in the United Kingdom“.
Our soon-to-be launched training for staff in homelessness settings should help fill some knowledge gaps identified here
A cross-sectional survey of smoking and cessation support policies in a sample of homeless services in the United Kingdom – PubMed https://t.co/VldCxIrHZ6
— NCSCT (@NCSCT) May 22, 2022
The survey results showed that there was a huge variation in the support offered by homeless centres to help clients quit smoking.
Also identified was the need for staff to be trained in order to help those wanting to quit and support them during this journey.
The good news is that there will soon be training set up to help tackle this by the excellent NCSCT who are very positive about vaping and harm reduction.
Ditch Smoking – Grab A Vape!
The Express online newspaper published a great article about a poll which apparently shows that Britons are in favour of smoking bans and promotion of vaping instead.
Woooohooo!
The poll was conducted by Techne UK for the Express and the results were very positive!
54% of adults believe combustible cigarettes should be banned and smokers moved on to vaping and e-cigarette alternatives!
A quote from the article – from scientist Dr Nveed Chaudhary who previously worked for the tobacco industry says…
“Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in the world that kills thousands of people a year.
“Banning cigarettes tomorrow would force smokers to use e-cigarettes which will end up saving many, many lives.”
Why Do People Think Vaping Is Risky?
An article on the Nicotine Research Group (NRC) website by Dr Katie East discusses the findings of a study to find out people’s views on vaping and the risks.
The NRG is based at Kings College London who are researchers experienced in Science, healthcare and policy.
3 groups took part and the consensus was that vaping was thought to be less harmful than smoking but not risk free.
The article then continues to investigate why there is negativity towards vaping as the number of people who perceive vaping to be harmful has massively increased since 2013.
A list of possible reasons include media scare stories and obvious concerns about Youth Vaping.
This excellent article then covers ideas of how to change the perception including showing statements from different public health organisations and seeing what the reaction is.
F1 & Vaping?
I have to admit to being a massive Formula 1 (F1) fan – I watch every qualifying and race and love it.
As tobacco companies are no longer allowed advertising space as sponsors for sport – BAT (British American Tobacco) have been plugging their other brands such as Vuse and Velo.
How do you personally feel about e-cigarette advertising in Formula 1?
My knowledge of the differences between it and conventional smoking is pretty limited ngl. Also compared to gambling, alcohol (including 0.0%), energy drinks, etc. How do e-cigs sit relatively with you?
— Tommo (@TwommoF1) May 19, 2022
The McLaren cars driven by Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo (I am a Danny Ric fangirl btw) have been sporting Vuse (was Vype) logos.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (December 2021) for instance featured a special livery with the Vuse logo prominent which had been designed by an artist specifically.
However at other races the car has been sporting the “Velo” brand graphics which are the oral nicotine pouch brand of BAT.
The partnership between BAT and McLaren also includes …
“Significantly increased branding positions on the McLaren Formula 1 car – including highly visible new sidepod branding, inside halo and front wing branding positions”
The Tweet below also highlighted the alternative logos for Grand Prix in countries where the Vuse or Velo brands are not sold. BAT use the logos of other partners including Oxxo, Rappi, 7-eleven etc which are convenience store brands.
In countries where BAT do not sell VUSE or VELO, they either sell the space (e.g. Rappi Brazil), or provide the space for BAT Affiliated partners (e.g. Oxxo, NIGHT&DAY, 7-Eleven, etc.)
For the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Tomorrowland was added as the festival is sponsored by BAT. pic.twitter.com/UwW922ZqTh
— Decalspotters (@decalspotters) February 22, 2022
So it appears sponsorship by tobacco companies not promoting tobacco might be ok? McLaren chief Zak Brown said that the partnership with BAT was
“technology based with their newer generation products. We don’t have any relationship with the tobacco side of the business”
Above quote taken from the Tobacco Tactics website article on Motorsport Sponsorship. This article also covers the “Mission Winnow” grey area of sponsorship which was linked to PMI (Philip Morris International) on the Ferrari cars. Far too long a story for me to go into here!
Anyway what are your thoughts on sponsorship? Admittedly BAT is still a tobacco brand but it is branching out into newer alternatives to smoking – so should we embrace that as harm reduction advocates?
I think we should to be honest, I would rather see vape logos in sport than tobacco logos and the Mission Winnow (Marlboro style?!?!) logo farce sailed very close to the wind for the Ferrari team.
Ferrari have now dropped Mission Winnow as sponsors but are apparently in talks with how they can work with PMI again so I expect they will be promoting Iqos at some point!
E-Cig Summit 2022
The E-cig Summit 2022 took place on 17th May at the Marriot in Georgetown USA.
Obviously with the world being as it is – they decided to make this a “Hybrid” summit – people could join in in person or online.
A collection of the videos of the summit are linked to in the Tweet below if you would like to watch yourself. Or you can click here.
@VapinSquirrel and whomever else is interested, at this link you will find a document with the direct links to all the #EcigSummitUS2022 videos: https://t.co/Rw2MFTw2yC. Hope this helps 🙂
— CAPHRA (@caphraorg) May 19, 2022
I haven’t had time to watch them yet but some great speakers have taken to the stand.
There is already some controversy…
According to Alex Norcia from Filter Magazine the summit was to bring together all of those interested in tobacco control – from advocates, vape vendors, regulators, academics, researchers and industry executives for a sensible discussion.
Attending was Matthew Holman (director of the Office of Science at the FDA’s Centre for Tobacco Products – CTP) and Kathleen Crosby (director of CTP’s Office of Health Communication and Education).
The question of why the FDA has not communicated vaping risks accurately was a big talking point.
However the discussion seemed to be one sided with little input from those representing the FDA.
They basically said that they had no control of the issues discussed and they were restricted on what they could say in public.
Read the full article here – Filter Magazine – FDA Accused of Spreading Misinformation at E-cigarette Summit.
More From The E-Cig Summit 2022
An article on the Inside Sources website discusses another point made at the E-cig summit – the fact that protecting teens from vaping using bans or restrictions could prevent adults from using e-cigarettes to quit.
Clive Bates the great vape advocate said…
“Someone who smokes and is in their 40s or 50s is at serious risk to their health,” – “So if you can get that older smoker to switch to vaping, you can get a big health win.
“On the other side of the equation is a relatively small risk of a 16-year-old at a party puffing on a vape and being silly. It’s what kids do. We can try to regulate e-cigarettes but we can’t ban teens from acting like teens.”
This seems to be one of the big questions in vaping – how do you promote vaping as safer than smoking without encouraging under age use?
Getting Strict?
The UKVIA (UK Vaping Industry Association) are suggesting that retailers pay for a permit in order to be able to sell e-cigarettes and vape products.
Also they are calling for strict enforcement to prevent underage sales or selling dodgy vapes and a minimum fine of £10,000 for those in breach.
Would this work? It is definitely an area which needs working on!
Myths & Misinformation!
Polly Mackenzie and Alice Dawson from the independent educational charity Demos have published a study titled “Myths and Misinformation. Mapping the barriers to smoking cessation and the uptake of nicotine alternatives“.
There is a mention of Juul Labs being a sponsor of this programme…
The survey had over 2000 adult participants and was conducted online.
There are various topics covered including public misinformation, how to bring change and recommended steps for the future.
Some of the recommendations include better communication of accurate information regarding vaping.
A really good read that!
CASAA Need You!
CASAA (Consumer Advocates for Smokefree Alternatives Association) is looking for people to take part in a new campaign.
As May is “Mental Health Awareness” month CASAA want to start discussions about smoking, substance use and mental health.
You can take part by sharing your story on video or a written submission – if you vape make sure to tell your quitting smoking journey story too!
For more information visit the CASAA website – Smoking, Addiction & Mental Health Conditions – We Need You!
Can Vaping Help Germans Quit Smoking?
A research article published on the Science Publishing Group website is looking at whether e-cigarettes are a useful tool in smoking cessation.
Written by Heino Stover from the Institute of Addictions Research Frankfurt (ISFF), it discusses whether the low tobacco quit rates in Germany could be aided by promoting vaping.
It is generally pro-vaping but does follow the standard tradition of saying that there needs to be more long terms studies of the safety.
Anyway get comfy and have a read here – Diversification of Smoking Cessation Programmes – The Role of E-cigarettes. (PDF file)
John Dunne On The News!
The Director General of the UKVIA (UK Vaping Industry Association) and all round great vape advocate appeared on ITV News discussing Trading Standards raids regarding dodgy vapes.
The video is in the Tweet below.
📣Last week our Director-General John Dunne, took part in an ITV News interview on illicit vaping devices, after taking part in raids with Trading Standards.
📽️Watch the full interview here: pic.twitter.com/Cf4PaXb0qM
— UKVIA (@Vaping_Industry) May 17, 2022
As discussed above the UKVIA are backing measures to try and clamp down on these illegal vapes. In the UK we are very pro-vaping and dodgy vapes could undo all the good work with lots of negative publicity.
Vaper Expo 2022
Another reminder that the Vaper Expo 2022 is taking place this weekend (27-20th May) at the NEC Birmingham.
We are one of the sponsors and I (Michelle) will be attending on the Saturday!
Lots of the main vape brands will be holding giveaways and new product introductions.
I have seen online somewhere a timetable of the main events on the show stage – but can I bloody find it now? Grrr!
If I find it I will put it here!
Anyway you can get your tickets here.
Want Help To Quit?
The UCL (University College London) TARG (Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group) are looking for smokers who want to quit smoking.
They want people to take part in a study to help smokers quit and design a smartphone tool to support them.
You can find out more here and if you are chosen to participate there are vouchers between £50-100 as a reward.
They are looking for people who are over 18, currently a regular smoker, able to attend UCL, own a smartphone, willing to attempt to give up smoking, will wear a Fitbit (which will be loaned to them for the study) and are willing to provide samples of the Carbon Monoxide they exhale.
Wow lots of news this week – I will be back next week!
