Vape News Headlines:
Fake Vape News Puts Lives At Risk – Pro Vape Professor Quits In Disgust – MPs Debate the Vape – New Jersey Bans Vaping – Ecig Biz Booming In NZ – Vapers Needed For Research – and the Angel of the North Vapes!
Fake News About ‘Dangers Of Vaping’ Still Putting Lives At Risk
You can thank the mainstream media for the worrying dip in the number of the UK public wrongly believing vaping is as harmful than smoking.
Despite mountains of studies and research proving beyond doubt vaping is considerably safer than smoking, the constant barrage of fake news particularly in the tabloids, is without doubt having an effect placing the country’s 8million plus smokers lives in danger.
A new study from boffins at King’s College London shows a dip from around 66% of people understanding vaping is safer to a little over 57% today…gloomy news to say the least.
Dr Leonie Brose from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience who led the study said:
Tobacco cigarettes kill over half of those who smoke long-term, yet very few people know that nicotine is not the direct cause of smoking-related death and disease. We found those people who think nicotine is to blame for harms from smoking are more likely to think e-cigarettes and NRT are just as bad as smoking.
It’s shocking to see that 9 out of 10 of those intervened in the research believe it’s the nicotine that is the most risk from smoking – hence the belief nic based e-liquids are just as harmful. As we’ve shown here many times this is not the case – nicotine does not cause cancer.
The research was funded by Cancer Research UK – champions of vaping as a safer alternative to smoking – and the charity’s ‘prevention expert’ Linda Bauld said:
While nicotine is addictive, it’s the cocktail of 5000 different chemicals released during smoking that damages our DNA and can cause cancer. Nicotine products have been proven to help smokers quit and they’re most effective when combined with behavioural support from Stop Smoking Services. It’s vital that smokers aiming to quit have accurate information to help them find the best way to stop.
Martin Dockrell, Tobacco Control Lead at Public Health England said:
There is still work to do to reassure smokers that vaping, while not risk free, is much less harmful than smoking. If you smoke, switching to an e-cigarette could save your life.
Prominent Vaping Advocate Quits Medical Association In Disgust
One of the world’s leading vape advocates has quit from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) as he says the organization is ‘breaching its own code of ethics’ in its stance on vaping.
Australian doctor and professor Colin Mendelsohn was a member for over 30 years but says he had to quit due to the hypocrisy shown by the association in accepting people will continue to take illegal drugs and supporting ‘pill testing’ whilst refusing to support vaping as a way to quit smoking.
In a tough talking letter published on the Australia Tobacco Harm Reduction Association website Professor Mendelsohn wrote:
Smoking is a powerful addiction and quit rates are low. Most smokers want to quit, but try and fail repeatedly to do so, even with the best available treatments. The average 40 year-old smoker has tried and failed more than 20 times. The AMA advice is just to keep trying.
This advice is especially troubling as the stakes are so much higher for smoking than for illicit drug use. Each year in Australia, 19,000 smokers die prematurely from their smoking. Smoking rates in Australia have not declined since 2013.
Are the lives of smokers less important than those of drug takers at music festivals?
Vaping is a way out for addicted smokers and millions of smokers have quit overseas by vaping. However the AMA has shut the door on vaping. In its Position Statement it tells members there is no place for e-cigarettes. As a result, many smokers will continue to smoke and many will die unnecessarily.
AMA policy is in stark contrast to its sister organisations, the British Medical Association and New Zealand Medical Association, both of which endorse vaping for smokers who cannot quit.
A man with true principals.
UK MPs Discuss Post Brexit Vape Laws
All things vape post any Brexit deal was discussed by UK MPs last week but was the whole exercise merely hot air?
I wrote a larger piece on this debate: Deal Or No Deal Brexit – UK Vapers Will Need To Be Patient Over Vape Legislation – which goes into the discussion in greater detail.
Like I said there’s a more detailed piece on the main page.
New Jersey Bans Vaping In State Owned Public Spaces
Vaping and smoking in many public spaces is to become ‘criminalized’ next week as New Jersey brings in tough new laws.
Those caught smoking or vaping on the beach – boardwalks – parks and forests owned by the state will be fined up to $1,000.
The new legislation was passed into law last summer and comes into effect of January 16th. The state has seen the number of smokers drop significantly also showing a rise in those taking up vaping. However the ban is not just about the threat to public health as Cristine Delnevo from the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey explains:
Not only do these littered butts present obvious risks to young children who may ingest them, but more significantly, littered cigarette butts leach toxins and contaminate our oceans and bays.The New Jersey public beach smoking ban can help mitigate this threat to our ecosystem and our human health.</span
Looks to me like another case of ‘mission creep’ as the legislators continue to lump vaping in with smoking. For the record there is no danger from passive vaping and as to littering by vapers…we tend to take that home with us rather than stub our devices out on the ground!
Innokin Announce First VW Device To Be Certified by UL Labs
Innokin is very proud to announce that the Innokin Kroma-A and Zenith kit is the world’s first variable wattage electronic cigarette that has been certified by UL Labs with the UL8139 standard for top quality manufacturing and safety excellence.
UL is the world leader in setting manufacturing and safety standards and the UL8139 certification is the first international standard for electronic cigarettes and vaporizers. UL helps companies demonstrate safety, confirm compliance, enhance sustainability, manage transparency, deliver quality and performance, strengthen security, protect brand reputation, build workplace excellence, and advance societal wellbeing.
As a pioneer and international leader of vaporizer design and manufacturing, Innokin has worked closely with UL to develop the high standards of the UL 8139 certification. Innokin engineering and marketing teams provided UL with key information about vaporizer design, manufacturing, quality control, usage and safety testing for the UL8139 standard.
Vape Business ‘Booming’ In New Zealand
Smokers in New Zealand are turning to e-cigarettes to quit and the vape business in the country is now on the rise.
The country relaxed laws on vaping last year and and despite new regulations being drawn up to ban vaping in public spaces such as bars and restaurants more and more ex smokers have made the switch.
There’s been a 30% increase in the use of the QuitLine stop smoking service with 10% of them using e-cigs to quit and by the last count there was 200,000 vapers in the country a number that continues to rise.
QJ Satchell who manufacturers e-cigs from his company NZVAPOR said business was on the up to say the least:
We don’t want non-smokers to start vaping, we don’t want children to start vaping, we want to make sure that we are approaching the right people and those are current smokers, adult smokers who need to stop.
Wise words and once again what a difference an ocean makes…are you watching Australia?
Help Shape The Future Of Research Into Vaping
The University of Nottingham is asking for smokers and vapers to help set the agenda for research into e-cigarettes.
The researchers are asking what are the most important questions that need to be answered about vaping. All you’ll need to do is answer a simple questionnaire and you have until March 7th to take part.
The results will then be put into ‘themes’ from which another survey will be sent out to participants asking them to rank the priority questions they feel need answering. A third part of the study will involve a workshop with members of the public and health experts thrashing out the final 10 answers and so showing the researchers which way their studies into vaping should go.
Lead researcher Dr Abby Hunter said:
Vaping has revolutionised the ‘quit smoking’ industry and has certainly helped millions of smokers give up cigarettes. However, because e-cigarettes are a fairly recent product, very little is known about the long-term health effects of using them. To guide our future research into this we need to identify the most important questions associated with vaping and would like the opinions of the general public as well as clinicians.
The survey is available online and anyone can take part. You’ll be asked to indicate your smoking status (i.e. whether you have ever smoked or vaped, or have never smoked), and whether you are a healthcare professional. You will have the chance to submit as many questions as you like about electronic cigarettes.
Source and details on how to take part
and finally…The Angel Of The North Takes Up Vaping
The wings of the iconic Angel of the North statue were turned into a vape pen this week as were other famous landmarks in a new campaign promoting a company’s rebrand and vaping as a healthier option to smoking.
The publicity stunt was organized by Scottish based Vaporized to not only mark the company’s rebrand to VPZ but also to promote the National Cigarette Amnesty Day.
This will be held in all the VPZ stores tomorrow – Monday January 14th – and means smokers can swap their cigarettes for a vaping starter kit valued at £49.99…nice…
Doug Mutter, director at VPZ, said:
We were born in Leith and Edinburgh is very much where our roots lie, however we are now significantly expanding across the UK.
The rebrand gives us a stand-out presence on the High Street as we continue to help smokers understand the evidence based public health opportunity of vaping products through more available locations.
The images were beamed onto the Angel of the North – which has upset the local council due to a deal with the artist meaning it should never be lit up – and also the Scottish Parliament , Chancelot Mill in Leith, and Newhaven lighthouse, the Baltic art gallery, Newcastle Castle, St James’ Park, Newcastle University, the Civic Centre and the Millennium Bridge.
No doubt hasty new legislation will be drawn up to stop this kind of advertising…personally I think its not only a very clever idea it looks cool too…
*Shuffles Papers*
