Vape News Headlines:
NHS Promotes Vaping – USA Challenge 27 Fail – Florida Vape Ban – San Fran Vapers Back To Smoking? – Turkey Vape Meet Slammed – Low Nicotine Plants – Drug Cops Want E-Cig Ban – Vape Ads Ban! – E-Cigs Save Lives and Cash – Shenzhen Vape Ban! And the REAL Nicotine Warning Sign
North East NHS To Promote Vaping
Smokers in the North East of England will be advised to take up vaping as a way of quitting smoking.
The NHS backed Northern Cancer Alliance has called for other hospital trusts to follow its lead and has produced recommendations for them to follow.
Clinical lead for the NCA – Dr Tony Branson – said:
With e-cigarettes, there is no smoke, no tar and no carbon monoxide.
E-cigarettes are now proving more popular and it important that we get across to patients the short-term and longer-term health benefits from quitting smoking tobacco.
Recommendations include:
- Health Care Professionals should routinely discuss smoking with patients
- Patients should be advised that e-cigarettes are deemed to be substantially less harmful than smoking
- E-cigarette use does not meet the definition of smoking and there is no evidence of harm from exposure to second-hand Vape
Great to see another NHS Trust embracing vaping and all the health benefits it brings.
Retailers Failing To Challenge Vapers Looking Under 27 in the USA
Vape and tobacco shops in America appear to be falling foul of the law when it comes to asking for ID from shoppers.
A recent study shows almost half of them don’t bother asking for ID leaving the industry open to even more criticism from politicians and pressure groups trying for a total US ban of all things vape.
It’s a hot topic here in the UK too as you’ll see from my article: Challenge 25 – Is It Challenging To the Vape Industry?.
If you think that ‘voluntary‘ scheme is bad – over in America it’s the law to challenge anyone looking under 27 when buying lit tobacco or vape products!
A study of retailers in California showed 45% of shops targeted sold to the under 27’s without checking for photo ID with vape shops the most persistent – yet more grist for the mill of the anti-vape brigade over there.
The research was carried out by the California Tobacco Control Program at the California Department of Public Health in Sacramento, and spokeswoman April Roeseler said:
We don’t know why underage sales were more common for vape products than cigarettes, however, young people are more likely to use vape products rather than cigarettes.
Not sure how she validates that claim, but it’s obvious there’s enough trouble without some vape shops adding fuel to the anti-vaping wildfires sweeping across the country.
California raised the legal age of buying tobacco or vape products from 18 to 21 three years ago.
The US Challenge 27 law might seem stupid – but sadly it is the law and vape shops really need to step up in the fight to win back the confidence of the politicians over all things vape – they are after all the ‘grass-roots’.
Florida’s Vape Ban Kicks In
July 1st sees new laws banning vaping in Florida’s workplaces come into force – legislation welcomed by the anti-vape brigade.
The law – voted for by 70% of the electorate – was brought in as part of the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act – despite there being no evidence passive vaping is harmful.
Bureau Chief of Tobacco Free Florida, Laura Corbin said:
The use of e-cigarettes in public places and indoors could renormalize tobacco smoking and reverse the steady declines we’ve made in youth cigarette smoking.
*Sighs* no it doesn’t!
Vapers will still be able to vape in their own homes – for now lol – and also in some bars – hotel rooms and thankfully vape shops.
San Fran Vape Ban Could Cost Lives
Health experts say the decision for an outright ban of all vape products in San Francisco will mean vapers returning to smoking.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out this will cost lives.
Experts in nicotine ‘addiction’ in particular say they’re more than a little confused by the ban – remember nicotine has the same effects generally as caffeine.
Neal Benowitz from California University told the Times he was “disappointed and frustrated” by the ban adding:
We know that if a smoker decides to quit smoking using e-cigarettes, and uses e-cigarettes daily, e-cigarettes can be very helpful in aiding that quitting.
He was joined by Lynn Kozlowski from Buffalo University:
For cigarettes that are proven to kill three in five smokers prematurely to remain on the shelves, while a product that eliminates or dramatically reduces the toxins ingested is banned, is a bizarre public health act.
Bizarre ain’t the word – criminal more like.
Other US cities are now mulling over similar bans including New York.
Watch this space…
WHO Slams Turkey Vape Meet!
Turkey banned e-cigarettes a couple of years ago however a planned conference to discuss all things vape has been criticised by the World Health Organization.
The meeting, organized by Big Tobacco, is called: Smoke-Free Istanbul Dialogue, has been labelled as a ‘foray into the Turkish tobacco market by e-cig manufacturers’.
Professor Toker Ergüder, head of WHO Turkey’s Noncommunicable Diseases program was spitting feathers – literally lol.
The meeting aims to make opinions of experts on electronic and heated cigarettes heard and hear the demands for the transformation of the international tobacco market.
Smoking is in decline in developing countries and the tobacco industry has sought to introduce new products to replace cigarettes.
International companies acquired small Chinese companies manufacturing electronic cigarettes and through aggressive advertising campaigns, introduced highly addictive electronic and heated cigarettes while funding Foundation for A Smoke-Free World in 2017.
As always here are a few facts: More than one-third – over 17million of the Turkish population smokes – including over 250,000 children which results in over 80,000 deaths from lit tobacco-related diseases each year.
Vaping as we know is considerably safer.
Criminal times we live in.
Low Nicotine Plants Created
Scientists in Germany say they’ve created a plant that produces extremely low levels of nicotine.
Good news for the FDA I guess given they’re calling on all lit tobacco to contain less of the good stuff!
The tobacco plant has been genetically modified and the strain usually has 16mg of nic with the new version just 0.04mg.
Doesn’t really matter too much how strong the nicotine is in lit tobacco – it’s the combustion that creates the carcinogens and not the nicotine.
Drug Cops Call For Vaping Ban
Despite a huge tax on e-liquid vaping is still perfectly legal in Indonesia – but that could all change.
The National Narcotics Agency is calling on the government to ban all things vape as they say drug addicts are using e-cigs with controlled drugs.
The call came at a meeting of the National Agency of Drug and Food Control, titled: Review of Electronic Cigarette Policy in Indonesia.
Head of the country’s narcotics lab Chief Commissioner Mufti Djusnir said:
Some types of drugs commonly consumed by inhalation could also be taken with electronic cigarettes.
Therefore, BNN rejects the distribution of electronic cigarettes.
He was joined by ‘health economist’ Hasbullah Thabrany who said e-cigarettes were nothing more than a big tobacco tool looking to hook the next generation:
There are more and more smokers nowadays. They are a gold mine for the cigarette industry.
Children will become addicted for a long time.
Are you sure electronic cigarettes could be controlled?
If you are not sure, it is better to prohibit it totally, from the start.
For the record, there are currently around 57million smokers in Indonesia with over 225,000 deaths [almost 15% of all deaths] from lit tobacco-related diseases every single year [and rising].
Not just crazy times – criminal times.
Call To Ban All ‘Kid Friendly’ Vape Ads
The UK’s top paediatrician reckons all vape ads should be banned from social media – and he’s criticized what he calls child-friendly e-liquid flavours.
Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health seems to miss the fact that all vaping adverts are banned on social media…but hey don’t let the facts get in the way of yet another bit of virtue signalling.
But I digress.
He agrees vaping is a safer alternative to smoking – but it’s the kids he’s worried about:
Use of electronic cigarettes has risen dramatically over recent years as smokers take steps to reduce their exposure to the harmful toxins contained in cigarettes.
This is a welcome move as smoking remains the single biggest cause of avoidable deaths in the UK.
However, e-cigarettes are not ‘safe’ – they still contain nicotine – and this rise in use, alongside glamorous marketing campaigns from manufacturers, creates yet another habit that is attractive to young people.
They can and do make their packaging and flavours very child-friendly.
That’s why we want to see all forms of marketing of e-cigarettes for non-medicinal use banned.
Advertising rules as they currently stand prevent the industry from being able to talk about the considerable benefits to smokers of making the switch to vaping that the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health highlight.
Most smokers don’t know that Public Health England says that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking, and an outright ban would make it even harder to get this tobacco harm reduction message across.
We believe that policy should be made on evidence, and the facts simply don’t support the claims being made by RCPCH.
Figures published by Action on Smoking and Health earlier this month show that young people aren’t being attracted to vaping because they think it’s ‘cool’ and there has been no significant increase in the number of young people vaping.
Additionally, as a responsible industry the UK Vaping Industry Association’s code of conduct specifically prevents the marketing of vape devices to anyone under 18.
Ironically, advertising on social media is already banned by the platforms themselves.
This blanket approach means that rather than appealing to young people, it prevents the legitimate, responsible industry from being able to target their advertising only at adult smokers and so reducing the potential impact on young people.
In other words – “back off prof!”
Vaping saves Lives AND Money
I always chuckle at studies showing switching to vaping from smoking can save your hard earned cash – but for non-hobbyist vapers the facts are clear.
A new study from the brilliant and extremely pro-vaping Dr Sarah Jackson from the Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, shows just that.
Yesterday’s media focused on the relative harms of #ecigarettes vs #smoking.
As well as being #FarLessHarmful, switching to #vaping could have financial benefits.
In a new study in @AddictionJrnl we found vapers spent 2/3 less than smokers: ~£780/year.https://t.co/W7AqXqxk8J pic.twitter.com/eoTrbkWhzi
— Sarah Jackson (@DrSarahEJackson) June 27, 2019
The study shows vapers save around £800 per year once making the switch which equates to vapers spending on average £8 per week compared to smokers forking out £23.
Dr Jackson said:
A third of smokers list cost as a factor driving their desire to quit.
If people switch completely to alternative products such as e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy, a substantial saving could be made.
We estimate that ex-smokers who have switched to e-cigarettes or NRT spend about £13-15 less per week than the average smoker.
So vaping is healthier and it’ll save you money – unless you get the must buy that new shiny syndrome lol.
and finally…Shenzhen Vape Ban Irony!
It’s the spiritual home of the world’s vape manufacturers but Shenzhen has just banned vaping!
The ban means vapers will not be allowed to vape in any non-smoking areas and vape and smoke-free spaces have been extended.
The ban includes Heat Not Burn products and will mean you will not be allowed to vape outside school and hospital entrances – inside parks and other ‘scenic areas’.
Yuan Liping, the [and breathe] deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, phew, said:
In recent years, electronic cigarettes with slogans such as `substitute for traditional cigarettes’, `help quit smoking’, `healthier and more fashionable’have developed rapidly, and have been loved by more and more young smokers, and even attracted some non-smokers to try smoking.
But research has proved that electronic cigarettes are not as harmless as they are advertised, and some of them are even more harmful.
At present, our country lacks supervision and standards for electronic cigarettes, so it is necessary to improve the supervision and management of new tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes through legislation.
Hardly the best advert for what is a multi-billion dollar industry on its doorstep!
Vape Pic of the Week
Now this is how that annoying nicotine warning all things vape should be read:
Ha! Love it!
BTW: sorry if this week’s vape news has been top heavy with bans – sadly that’s the state of the vape across the world at the moment.
Now is no better time to get involved with your country’s vape advocacy groups – such as the UK’s NNA and UKVIA – before vaping is changed or gone forever!
If you want your local or country’s vaping advocacy group featured on EcigClick, please drop me an email neilh at ecicgclick.co.uk – use the contact form or comment below.
Cheers!
More Vaping News on Wednesday!
“I always chuckle at studies showing switching to vaping from smoking can save your hard earned cash”
Hah! You and me both… but I definitely get that if you’re not into building up a wide and varied collection of mods, tanks, drippers, juices, etc it definitely is cheaper!