Shock and Awe Vape War – Smokers Lives At Stake – Paediatricians Call For Vape Ban – PROTECT the Kids Legislation – Is That A Spider In My Juice? and Aussie Vape Day Needs You!
US School’s Anti-Vaping “Shock and Awe” Tactics
The war on vaping has been cranked up a gear at one school in America with a variety of strict stop and searches and urine tests.
Staff at all schools in Hamilton Ohio are now using hand held metal detectors to check random students for vape gear and that includes their cars and lockers.
Not only that any kids found with any type of vape gear will be forced to take a urine test within 48 hours putting vapers in the same category as drug users…
West Chester Police Officer Keith Beall, is one of the country’s leading youth ‘anti-vape experts’ and works as a ‘school resource officer’ seems especially proud of this invasive hard line approach:
This is by far the most aggressive posture I have heard any district take.
This might be the shock and awe approach necessary for some districts.
Hamilton schools Superintendent Mike Holbrook said:
Trained school personnel will be conducting random searches of students. These random searches will be ongoing for the foreseeable future.Random, daily searches may be conducted on any student with the use of a metal detector device. These searches could be administered at any point during the school day.
The searches may include student property, lockers, vehicles and an additional items deemed necessary.
The article goes on to mention the so called ‘teen vaping epidemic’ in America and suggests vaping on nicotine can ‘alter teens personalities’ – offering no evidence to back that claim up.
“Shock and Awe” was the term used at the start of the Iraq war when US forces bombed the shit out of the country live on TV.
Using the phrase to describe anti-vape methods is quite simply ridiculous…those kids smoking a pack of cigarettes a day will obviously not be targeted unless of course they keep them in an old school metal tin…
Crazy times over there…and getting crazier…
Funding Cuts To Stop Smoking Services Risking Lives
Following on from the release of the report A Changing Landscape showing NHS Stop Smoking Services have had their funding slashed experts say this is putting smokers lives at risk.
I covered the study from cancer research UK and ASH in the piece UK Stop Smoking Services Funding Slashed As E-cigarettes Take Over. It showed the UK Government has slashed over £40million in funding to the clinics as the number of smokers looking to quit using the NHS services continues to fall.
This says CRUK – ASH and Bob Blackman MP, Chairman of the APPG on Smoking and Health is not only putting smokers lives at risk but also likely to mean the Government missing its plan to reduce smoking rates to 12% within the next 3 years.
Kruti Shrotri from CRUK said:
The UK Government needs to reverse its cuts to public health budgets in England.
Too many people still die from smoking, and we know that most smokers want to quit. Smokers in disadvantaged circumstances generally find quitting harder but are around three-times more likely to quit successfully with the help of stop-smoking services.
We can’t deny those most in need of vital help that could save their life.
Bob Blackman MP called for Big Tobacco to help with funding:
Tobacco companies continue to make millions in profit in this country as public health budgets are under pressure.
The Government should compel tobacco companies to pay up so we can invest in what is needed to help more smokers quit.
Pretty sure there’s some law or other that prevents Big Tobacco from making ‘donations’ to health budgets.
However one way might be to offer NHS stop smoking clinics good deals on their vape devices…if of course they produce one that’s up to the task…
America’s Pediatricians Call For the Vaping Ban Hammer
The AAP says the FDA isn’t doing enough to prevent America’s kids from vaping and is demanding action.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has just released a study entitled: E-Cigarettes and Similar Devices, and are calling for not only a tightening of current rules and regulations but fresh ones.
These include: raising the age of buying all things vape to 21-years-old across the country – banning online sales – banning all adverts that young people may see and removing certain e-liquid flavours including menthol.
Brian P. Jenssen, MD, MSHP, FAAP [and numerous other titles] is the co author and said:
E-cigarettes are addicting a new generation of young persons to nicotine and threaten to unravel 5 decades of public health gains regarding tobacco use.
Strong federal regulation is necessary to protect youth from e-cigarettes.
In 2018, the FDA announced plans to limit the in-person sale of some flavored e-cigarettes to age-restricted locations, heighten age-verification for online sales, and target e-cigarette marketing directed at children.
To date, these actions have not been implemented.
…yes, multiple public policy efforts are needed to reduce youth access to e-cigarettes, including raising the sales age for e-cigarettes and e-liquid to 21 years, and banning Internet sales of e-cigarettes and e-liquid.
The study also calls for vape products to be taxed at the same rate as lit tobacco and a total ban on vaping anywhere children may visit…which i guess is pretty much anywhere.
Read the full study HERE.
PROTECT Act Aims To Tackle ‘Teen Vaping Epidemic’
If you’re as sick and tired as I am of reading the line ‘teen vaping epidemic’ then I apologize but here’s another!
However as this is the vaping news I really can’t not report what those bat shit crazy anti-vaping politicians across the pond are up to in their continued ‘war on vaping’.
This new bill is called the Preventing Opportunities for Teen E-Cigarette and Tobacco Addiction (PROTECT) Act and would release $100 million of funding to ‘fight’ the alleged teen vape epidemic.
The cash would be given annually over a period of five years to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The legislation is co-authored by U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Sen. Richard Blumenthal who claim e-cig companies are specifically and aggressively targeting the young. With the key points being:
- Enhancing research on youth use of e-cigarettes and emerging tobacco products.
- Identifying effective messages to youth and others who work with youth for reducing e-cigarette and tobacco product use.
- Educating youth about the rapidly evolving tobacco product landscape and the harmful effects of tobacco products.
- Providing funds via grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to state, local, tribal, and national organizations for preventing and reducing youth e-cigarette use.
- Informing the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based policies to prevent initiation and use of e-cigarettes among youth.
Wasserman Schultz said:
As the mother of three teenagers, I know that we cannot wait to address this epidemic.
While the FDA has moved to combat the sale of e-cigarettes to youth, more work needs to be done to protect young people from the predatory practices of the tobacco industry.
Blumenthal was equally aggressive saying:
JUUL and e-cigarette manufacturers are aggressively targeting our nation’s youth, hooking yet another generation on deadly products.
Everywhere I go in Connecticut, I hear about the need for more resources to combat and stop this growing epidemic—and for the Administration to get serious.
This bill would create a CDC program dedicated to informing students, parents, educators, community organizations and local leaders about the harms of e-cigarettes.
The proposed legislation has the backing of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids – the American Lung Association – National Medical Association and other anti-vape groups.
Warning To Beware Of ‘Dangerous’ Short Fill E-Liquids
The manager of an online vape shop is warning vapers to check the labels of any short fills they might be tempted into buying….especially those with a fear of spiders…
As we know the TPD/TRPR only covers e-liquids that contain nicotine meaning unscrupulous manufacturers could be putting any old crap into their juices.
Mark Fawcett, the manager of GoSmokeFree, that sells registered short-fills, says it’s a worry particularly with cheap bottles coming in from Malaysia and China:
Professional e-liquid manufacturers spend thousands of pounds on e-liquid testing to ensure their products are safe for consumer use and don’t contain any nasties, like 2,3-pentanedione, diacetyl and acetoin.
Because short fills only consist of vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol and flavourings, some unscrupulous members of the public think they can throw anything together and try to make a few pennies from it.
As they don’t have any overheads and aren’t bothered about possible health issues or the end user, there’s no accountability if something goes wrong.
They’re in it for a quick score.
People can get cheap flavourings from anywhere, including from outside the UK in countries such as China. We have heard of and seen e-liquid from Malaysia that contained a spider, so god knows what the environment was like that actually bottled the product itself.
Spiders!!! *Shudders!*
Mark says if you’re at all worried about where your short-fill was manufactured it’s best to check the UK Government’s e-cigarette website to see if the manufacturer is registered.
You can find out more about short-fills with our helpful guide.
Aussie Vape Day Needs YOU!
Australia’s first ever national Vape Day needs your support!
The aim of the day of action is to educate the country’s smokers and I guess anti-vaping politicians on all things vape with the message ‘give it a go‘ – as in using e-cigarettes as a quit method.
The first ever AUSSIE VAPE DAY is to be held on Thursday 30 May 2019.
▪️Co-hosted by @ATHRA_AU @LegaliseVaping @NNAllianceAU
▪️Please visit our GoFundMe page to find out more and to help fund the campaign.
If you can’t quit, give #vaping a go!https://t.co/FZOmS2dsso— ATHRA (@ATHRA_AU) April 8, 2019
The Aussie Vape day is backed by ATHRA, Legalise Vaping Australia and the New Nicotine Alliance Australia.
It’s set for Thursday May 30th and campaigners need donations to help create the website – the launch – social media projects and professionally produced videos to help get the message across.
The Aussie Vape day has the backing of prominent vaping advocate Dr Colin Mendelsohn who posted on the ATHRA website:
We have set up a GoFundMe page specifically to fund the campaign and we need your help! Donations of any size are appreciated and all donations over $2 are tax-deductible. Please give generously as this campaign will save lives.
We do not accept donations directly from vape businesses or tobacco companies but all personal and other business donations are welcome.
Please also share the GoFundMe page on your Facebook page.
You can find the Aussie Vape Day GoFundMe Page Here.
*Shuffles Papers*
More vaping news on Sunday!
