Middle Age Vape Benefits!
A paper on the Pub Med website examines the link between vaping and better health/function in smokers approaching middle age.
The study aimed to get evidence about whether switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes in middle age will improve health. Usually smoking impacts will start to become apparent at this time of life.
A group of 808 participants took part and a sub sample of 156 who were smokers at the age of 30 but either still smoked or vaped at the age of 39 were studied.
The results are as I quote below…
“Among smokers at age 30, 36% adopted vaping some or all of the time by age 39. Higher relative vaping frequency was related to 4 of 9 outcomes examined, including significantly more exercise, more constructive engagement, better physical health, and higher SES at age 39, accounting for prior behaviors at age 30.”
The document concludes with this statement…
“Findings suggest that, among smokers in their 30s, replacing combustible cigarettes with vaping may be associated with key markers of healthy and successful aging to age 39.”
You can read the summary here “Is e-cigarette use associated with better health and functioning among smokers approaching mid-life?”
Flawed “Science”?
In last week’s news article we discussed the fact that some “Studies” are very flawed and even inaccurate.
Further to that another study has appeared which finds errors in a lot of vaping versus smoking studies.
“We analyzed 24 included studies to identify the questions they claimed to address, stated methods, manner of implementation, discussions, and stated conclusions. After critical appraisal, we noted a multiplicity of flaws in these studies, and identified patterns as to the nature of such flaws. Many studies lacked a clear hypothesis statement: to the extent that a hypothesis could be inferred, the methods were not tailored to address the question of interest. Moreover, main outcome measures were poorly identified, and data analysis was further complicated by failure to control for confounding factors. The body of literature on “gateway” theory for the initiation of smoking was particularly unreliable. Overall, the results and discussion contained numerous unreliable assertions due to poor methods, including data collection that lacked relevance, and assertions that were unfounded.”
You can read the rest of the document on the Springer Website – Analysis of common methodological flaws in the highest cited e-cigarette epidemiology research.
It is great that these flaws and errors are being pointed out – but it does make you sceptical as to what to believe from studies and reports!
Targeting Underage Selling
A cigarette kiosk in Preston Lancashire has been fined after mystery shopper test purchases were made by underage buyers of e-cigarettes.
Apparently in 2 separate visits e-liquid and disposable cigarettes were sold to 15 and 16 year olds in August and November 2021.
The business owner was fined and so was the shop assistant who made the transactions.
The operation was conducted by Trading Standards and was triggered as a response to an increase of complaints of underage vape sales.
In order to prevent the “Anti-Vape” brigade using underage vaping as a weapon against us pro-vapers, all underage sales must be policed.
Have a read of the full article on the Lancashire County Council Website – Preston Shop fined for underage e-cigarette sales.
Reviewing Tobacco Legislation
The Department of Health and Social Care has published a review into the impact of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) implemented in 2016.
This is a large document (97 pages) and you can view it here – but to summarise here are a few points made in the Conclusions and Recommendations section…
“E-cigarettes: Some stakeholders raised concerns that the nicotine strength
limits were not high enough to help some smokers switch permanently to just
e-cigarettes and help the government achieve its Smokefree 2030 ambition. In
addition, many from industry, other organisations and vapers felt the tank size
limits, and bottle sizes should be increased as they were inconvenient.
In terms of the TRPR requirements for e-cigarette warning messages, a study
suggested that they may deter smokers from switching to e-cigarettes.
At the same time, some stakeholders thought the non-nicotine vaping industry
should be regulated in the same way as e-cigarettes. This would improve
standards and consumer safety, and ensure regulation was coherent. Some
responses also said the regulations did not go far enough on e-cigarettes in
terms of restricting the packaging and descriptor names to protect youth from
using these products”
Tasers For Vapers?
There is a video going viral on Twitter of a teenager getting Tasered for vaping in crazy-ass America?
The Tweets originated from “ATL Uncensored – Atlanta News” and here is the Tweet with the video…
Cop seen tasering a teenager at fourth ward skate park for allegedly vaping. Did she abuse her power and take it too far? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/5M2gycSaBx
— ATL Uncensored – Atlanta News (@ATLUncensored) March 25, 2022
And here is another…
Another video of cop seen tasering a teenager at fourth ward skate park. It looks like he had no idea what was going on 🤨 pic.twitter.com/wr7qiB2fFQ
— ATL Uncensored – Atlanta News (@ATLUncensored) March 25, 2022
This Tweet shows statements which apparently say the incident happened on March 24th 2022. Click on the Tweet to see the statements.
APD put out a statement on the skate park taser incident. We also have a witness account of the incident. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/y47ymACK9B
— ATL Uncensored – Atlanta News (@ATLUncensored) March 25, 2022
Here is the Atlanta Police Department statement taken from the above Tweet so you can read for yourself. I can’t say this is correct or true but it is shocking if this is the case!
It could be argued that the actual offender was not listening when ordered to cease something but again the response is pretty bloody heavy handed.
As with anything that goes viral it is worth using caution and assuming it may not be the full story but so far this looks really really bad. Same as the teenager tasered for vaping in Maryland last year.
When I searched for “skate park taser incident 220831357” I got a link to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department website which has the same statement so it does seem legit?
A few local news websites have picked up this story – one is CBS46 News – “Social media video shows tasing of teen, family alleges ‘excessive force’“.
Fast Growth Of The Vape Industry
A great article by Natalia Kolkowska on the Business First (Northern Ireland Business Address) website discusses how fast the vape industry has grown in the UK.
Apparently the vape market in the UK was estimated to be about $3.4 billion in 2021 and looks to rise to around $4.2 billion by 2025 – making it the biggest single market in Europe and the second largest in the world after the US.
Also it suggests that with the British public health authorities backing vaping as a way to achieve the Smoke Free 2030 goal that vaping popularity will keep increasing.
You can read the full article here – How Did the Vape Industry Develop so Fast in the United Kingdom.
House Of Commons Debate
A report on the Hansard Website transcribes the Smoke Free England debate held in the Westminster Hall of the House of Commons on 29th March 2022.
It is extremely positive towards Vaping and how it could help to achieve the Smoke Free England 2030 goal.
It is worth sitting down with a drink and reading through as so many good points made and the reception seemed to be positive too.
A few quotes that caught my eye…
Sir Charles Walker (Conservative MP for Broxbourne, Chair)…
“Despite the availability of effective medicines and treatments to support quit attempts, the majority of smokers choose to quit unassisted, by going ‘cold turkey’. This has proved to be the least effective method…The best thing a smoker can do for their health is to quit smoking. However, the evidence is increasingly clear that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than smoking tobacco. The Government will seek to support consumers in stopping smoking and adopting the use of less harmful nicotine products.”
“What I do not understand is why the Government are so squeamish when it comes to looking at harm reduction. The hon. Member for North Tyneside talks about vaping, but there are nicotine pouches, “heat not burn” products and something called snus, which I understand is used in parts of the world. Before we cast these alternatives aside, let us remember that they reduce the harm caused to the user. There is nothing more harmful than smoking burnt, lit, combustible tobacco—nothing”
Mary Glindon (Labour MP North Tyneside, Opposition Whip)…
“I congratulate the hon. Member on this Adjournment debate. He may know that I have never smoked, but I am a strong advocate of vaping. Does he agree that, if the Government are serious about reducing smoking prevalence, they must ensure that medical professionals have access to the latest evidence on e-cigarettes and are encouraged to signpost patients to appropriate guidance about harm reduction, as well as information about how to switch successfully, if they cannot quit?”
“This week is the beginning of VApril, which is a campaign run by the industry to support smokers who are looking to quit. Would the Minister support efforts to encourage adult smokers to quit by speaking with local authority stop smoking services, this month in particular, and highlight the role of e-cigarettes in reducing harm?”
Adam Afriyie (Conservative MP for Windsor)…
” As my hon. Friend has pointed out, that leads to 75,000 deaths a year, or 200 people every single day. The number of people who have died from vaping is zero. So when we look at the plain stats on this, we can ask, “Do we want 200 people per day to continue to die through smoking rates continuing as they are, or do we want to have zero people dying per day?” My answer to that is pretty clear.”
“In 2013, only one in 20 people thought that vaping was as harmful as smoking. That was really encouraging, but in 2016 we observed that about one in four people thought vaping was as harmful as, if not more harmful than, smoking. We have been going backward, and today about 53% of people think that vaping is as harmful as smoking. Something is very wrong when the information flow has reversed in such a short space of time for something that was only introduced to the UK about 15 years ago, so we really need to get a handle on that problem.”
Below is a tweet from the same Adam Afriyie as quoted above with a short video of him making the case for vaping.
‘Harm reduction is key here’ – my contribution to yesterday’s Westminster Hall debate on a smoke free future for England. The evidence is clear that #vaping and other non-combustible #tobacco is far less dangerous than smoking. @AppgVaping pic.twitter.com/3PMmQNoO02
— Adam Afriyie (@AdamAfriyie) March 30, 2022
Maggie Throup (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care…
“We are open to bold new ideas about how to reach our smoke-free ambitions. Hon. Members have talked about the role of reduced-risk products. The Government are supportive of smokers using less harmful nicotine delivery systems to quit or switch away from the most harmful form—combustible tobacco.”
“We know and acknowledge that reduced-risk products are not risk-free, but vaping is a way to help people stop smoking and it has been proven to be effective. We must continue to ensure that the products do not appeal to young people and non-smokers—that is really important. However, we need to get the message out that vaping is an effective way to stop smoking. Balanced and proportionate regulation is required as we shift to different products. We have an innovative and varied nicotine market in the UK, as has been mentioned; vapes are by far the most popular alternative source of nicotine, but there are also patches, gums and, more recently, nicotine pouches.”
Anyway I don’t intend to copy and paste the whole document so pop on over and have a read for yourself here on the Hansard Website – Smoke Free England 29/3/22.
It warms my heart to see that the UK Government are open to vaping and happy to have a welcoming debate about it. Fingers crossed they will stay Pro-Vaping!
White Label World Expo Frankfurt
And finally some news for the vape businesses out there.
White Label World Expo Frankfurt is Europe’s leading online retail sourcing show with
the most innovative and progressive products, services and technologies in the white label
marketplace.
Taking place on the 12th & 13th of October 2022, the Messe in Frankfurt,
Germany, will be transformed into the ultimate destination for any forward-thinking online
seller!
White Label World Expo Frankfurt will bring you an exclusive platform with the world’s top
suppliers in an exciting hub for the international white label industry! Discover 350
cutting-edge exhibitors who are shaping the future of the ecommerce industry and eager
to share their products and services to a cohort of thousands of like-minded
professionals!
This year at White Label World Expo Frankfurt you will gain in depth insights from our
incredible line-up of 200 inspirational speakers, who will share their tips, tricks, triumphs,
helping you to stand out from the competition and boost your revenue.
Not to mention unmissable masterclasses, live innovation awards and unlimited
networking opportunities!
Appealing to all online sellers, retailers and ecommerce business owners, we have everything you need to kickstart your career in the dynamic
industry!
Secure your FREE ticket via the website!
Well plenty of articles for you to read there and don’t forget #VApril starts on the 1st of April!
You can download posters for sharing on social media from the UKVIA website.
Get sharing on social media to get the message across that vaping is the way forward for smokers!
Have a great week!
