Another month, another round-up of the top vaping-related articles. Read all of the latest news and dive into the issues.
Content Analysis of U.S. Newspaper Coverage of Causes and Solutions to Vaping-Associated Lung Injury, Olivia Algiers, Yang Wang & Linnea Laestadius, Taylor & Francis Online
Conclusion: The 2019 outbreak of EVALI cases occurred amidst a spike in youth nicotine vaping and an active national discussion on the harms and benefits of vaping and e-cigarettes. The discussion of these distinct vaping-related issues was often intertwined within individual news articles. Further, by the time the CDC issued guidance explicitly focusing on THC products as the primary cause of EVALI, news coverage had already declined notably. Public confusion about EVALI, nicotine e-cigarettes, and THC vaping is understandable in the context of these findings. Further, few articles provided symptoms of EVALI for readers to watch for, and even fewer provided information about nicotine vaping cessation resources available to readers. This is a particular concern given the large number of articles mentioning ceasing all vaping. Public health professionals and journalists must strive to ensure that the public receives clear messages on how they can protect themselves and their communities from harm.
Vaping best for quitting smoking, report reveals, Liz Wells, Talking Retail
“Thousands more could have quit except for unfounded safety fears about e-cigarettes. The evidence has been clear for some time that, while not risk-free vaping is far less harmful than smoking.” (John Newton) Professor Ann McNeill, professor of tobacco addiction at King’s College London and lead author of the report, added: “What is concerning is that smokers, particularly those from disadvantaged groups, incorrectly and increasingly believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking. This is not true and means fewer smokers try vaping.”
Biden Should Choose Science over Politics and Embrace Tobacco Harm Reduction, Michelle Minton, CEI
When modern electronic cigarettes first emerged on the global market, they were greeted with cautious optimism from both consumers and many in the research field. Even before long-term studies confirmed the relative safety of e-cigarettes, the underlying principle—nicotine without combustion—was sound. And, unlike other therapies, smokers weren’t begrudgingly trying e-cigarettes; they were enthusiastic about “vaping.” But, as that enthusiasm increased, so too did hostility toward the products, their purveyors, and their users.
Jeffrey A. Singer participates in the event, “Vaping – Escaping Paternalistic Doctrine,” hosted by the European Students for Liberty, CATO Institute
John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, applauded the industry for what it has achieved following the publication of the review: “This a defining moment for the vaping sector and truly shows the considerable progress it has made against a backdrop of significant misinformation around the industry, with Public Health England once again stating that perceptions of the harm caused by vaping compared with smoking are increasingly out of line with the evidence.
Vaping in England: evidence update February 2021
Annual update of Public Health England’s e-cigarette evidence review by leading independent tobacco experts. This report covers vaping for smoking cessation.
Vaping better than nicotine replacement therapy for stopping smoking, evidence suggests, Public Health England
As the number of vapers in England plateaus, incorrect perceptions of its relative risks compared to smoking may be discouraging smokers from using vaping to quit.
Secrecy and exclusion threaten the future of vaping, Gianluca Capellani, Vaping Today
And while the aim of the Convention is to "protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke", there are strong indications that they will be able to establish stringent vaping-oriented restrictions and prohibitions. It is ironic when this is a recognized alternative to "tobacco" and "smoke" that the FCTC seeks to reduce and is used by more than 68 million ex-smokers worldwide. (Translated from original Spanish.)
Maryland: Vape Tax Passes, Flavor Fight Continues, Jim McDonald, Vaping 360
The Maryland state legislature has overridden Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of a bill passed last year, which will impose a tax on vaping product sales. The resurrection of the vape tax got little attention because the bill, HB 732, also includes a controversial digital advertising tax intended to fund major changes to the state’s education system.
Big wins for Big Tobacco: vaping category report 2021, George Nott, The Grocer (UK)
Essentially, the tobacco giants have been in the right place at the right time. During lockdowns, there has been a major channel shift away from specialist stores, which have been forced to close. These outlets now account for just 20% to in-store spend, says Kantar, down from 41% the previous year.
Remember the PMTA List FDA Promised? It's Still Not Done, Jim McDonald, Vaping 360
The fact that the FDA has completed processing for almost five million applications—and still isn’t done—says a lot. Presumably if the agency was almost finished checking for basic issues, Zeller would have waited and issued the list, instead of an explanation for why he couldn’t. That suggests that the poor regulators still have a long way to go.
Flavor bans won't fight tobacco or improve health, Satya Marar, CT Post
By presenting flavor bans as a “tobacco control” or “public health” measure, legislators ignore extensive research confirming that pleasant flavors are a crucial component of what makes reduced-harm vaping products a more attractive alternative to more harmful tobacco products. And localities that have already experimented with flavor bans have seen vapers return to conventional products, like cigarettes, to get their nicotine fix — thereby causing significant damage to their health.
Menthol Cigarette Bans Will Fail Like Every Other Prohibition Scheme, J.D. Tuccille, Reason
Marianos cites research by the Michigan-based Mackinac Institute to point out that "one in four packs of cigarettes in Connecticut are smuggled into the state" as it is. Underground dealers won't have to do anything but shake up their inventory to respond to a menthol ban.
Drug Science submission to the WHO enquiry on vaping, David Nutt
The ultimate absurdity of the anti-vaping position is the US decision to classify all vaping products as tobacco even when they contain zero tobacco or nicotine. This serves to distort the data on youth smoking in the USA so that the major vaping-induced declines in youth cigarette use are hidden.
EU Cancer Plan Ignores The Science in Favour of E-Cigs For Smoking Cessation, Diane Caruana, The Vaping Post
“Today’s plan shows that the European Commission is allowing ideology to get in the way of science. The aim of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is to reduce the cancer burden for patients, their families and health systems, yet it ignores the wealth of evidence showing that vaping represents only less than half of one percent of the cancer risk that smoking does,” said Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA).
States Step In When 'Local Control' Threatens Liberty, Satya Marar, Real Clear Policy
In a move that’ll greatly benefit small businesses and their workers, Montana’s House of Representatives recently passed a bill to prevent local governments in the Treasure State from passing anti-vaping regulations.
12 Tyler ISD students face vaping penalties, KLTV Digital Media
Tyler ISD reports 12 students face vaping penalties, and depending on THC testing results, 12 students’ lives could be impacted long after graduation.
The Battle Against Deadly EU Vape Laws, James Dunsworth, Ashtray Blog
Vaping is a popular and effective way to quit smoking. Vaping is twice as successful as Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and countries – such as the UK – which have a tolerant attitude to vaping have seen their smoking prevalence fall. The plan’s proposals will make vaping less accessible and less attractive and it is inevitable that smoking rates will go up. More people smoking means more smoking-related diseases, it’s really that simple.
Tobacco Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco Use among Domestic and International Medical Students in Hungary, Erika Balogh, Zoltan Wagner, et al.
Considering the impending role of medical students in tobacco control, faculties of medicine should sensitize their students on the topic of possible health risks associated with combustible and smokeless tobacco products. Culturally tailored tobacco cessation programs need to be offered to medical students coming from different cultural backgrounds.
Czech drug expert criticises Commission’s tobacco-free Europe plan, Aneta Zachova, Euractiv
According to the former Czech national anti-drug coordinator, who is advocating for a harm reduction approach aimed at reducing the negative consequences of drug use instead of drug elimination, the European Commission “goes against scientific evidence and experience from practice”.
How a Sample of English Stop Smoking Services and Vape Shops Adapted During the Early Covid-19 Pandemic: a Mixed-methods Cross Sectional Survey, Sharon Cox, Emma Ward, et al., Research Square
The closure of vape shops appears to have most impacted smaller bricks and mortar shops affecting businesses by decline in customers and impacting staff (furlough). For those services that could stay open there may be lessons learned in how to support vulnerable and disadvantaged smokers by considering new pathways to support.
Social norms as a predictor of smoking uptake among youth: a systematic review, meta‐analysis and meta‐regression of prospective cohort studies, Katherine East, Ann McNeil, et al., Wiley Online Library
In this systematic review (narrative and meta‐analysis), descriptive norms of parents’ and close friends’ smoking behaviour appeared to be consistent predictors of youth smoking initiation, more so than the descriptive norms of more distal social networks and injunctive norms.
Bloomberg’s War on Vaping Expands to Latin America and Beyond, Dr. Roberto Sussman, Vaping 360
It is very unethical to regard the probable adverse (unintended) consequences as mere collateral damage worth accepting as part of the glorious quest to create a nicotine-free world.
Tobacco Patent War May Lead to a U.S. Ban of IQOS, Jim McDonald, Vaping 360
“BAT’s attempt to secure an importation ban against IQOS in the U.S. is part of a broader global strategy meant to undermine the heated-tobacco segment, where they lag far behind, and protect their core cigarette business,” PMI said in a statement.
The role of vaping nicotine in psychiatry practice, Colin P. Mendelsohn, Sage Journals
Vaping nicotine is a legitimate, evidence-based option for reducing harm in smokers who are otherwise unable to quit. Psychiatrists need to be informed about vaping to answer patient questions, provide appropriate advice and counselling, write nicotine prescriptions and support smokers in switching to the safer alternative.
Verdict: The advertising slogan “E-cigarettes save lives” is not misleading, Welt (translated from German)
The advertising slogan "E-cigarettes save lives now switch" is not misleading according to a new court ruling. The Higher Regional Court (OLG) Koblenz overturned a different ruling by the Trier Regional Court on Wednesday.
Vapers exhibit similar subjective nicotine dependence but lower nicotine reinforcing value compared to smokers, N. Rycroft, L. Hogarth, et al., Science Direct
Conclusion: These findings suggest that, on behavioural economic tasks, tobacco cigarettes have a higher relative value than e-cigarettes. Vapers appear to place a lower limit on what they will spend to access e-cigarettes and more readily choose money over e-cigarette puffs when primed by money cues.
