Political Vaping!
Nice to see the French President Emmanuel Macron using a vape!
I don’t always bring my vape to work… Actually, yes I do.#BackVapingBeatSmoking pic.twitter.com/MWaTeA9I8r
— World Vapers’ Alliance (@vapers_alliance) March 21, 2022
In the UK the only “politicians” that apparently vape I can find are Nigel Farage and Nick Clegg!
If you know of any others let me know in the comments below!
Calling Scottish Vapers!
As mentioned in my previous News article the Scottish Government has launched a public consultation to form their Tobacco Control regulations.
The NNA (New Nicotine Alliance) has created a guide to help you format a response and they encourage vapers to have their say in this.
We have until the 28th of April until the Scottish consultation closes. Follow our guide on how to respondhttps://t.co/WhwPXC6OqM pic.twitter.com/lhMQ9hZbKo
— NNAlliance (@NNAlliance) March 21, 2022
Make sure to get your comments in before 28th April 2022.
Visit the NNA website here for their guide and details of how to submit your response.
Flavours Work OK!
The Oxford Academic Group have published a paper researching e-liquid flavours, their impact on vapers and potential for abuse.
You can read it here but to summarise…
They found that higher nicotine strength and access to a variety of flavours are likely to be associated with higher abuse potential and increase the appeal of e-cigs for adult vapers.
However they have shone a positive light on this as it has the bonus of attracting more smokers to quit!
The group state that:
“Higher nicotine concentrations and the availability of a variety of flavors in e-cigarettes might facilitate complete substitution for cigarettes. Future e-cigarette regulations should take into account their impact on smokers, for whom e-cigarettes may be a cessation tool or reduced-harm alternative.”
Also this…
“Higher abuse potential and appeal products may help facilitate complete switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes. Regulation of nicotine concentration and flavors aimed at decreasing naïve uptake may inadvertently decrease uptake and complete switching among smokers, reducing the harm reduction potential of e-cigarettes. Evidence-based effects of regulating nicotine concentration and flavors must be considered for the population as a whole, including smokers.”
Great news – but I think we all knew this!
Synthetic Nicotine?
You many have heard a lot in the news about “Synthetic Nicotine” due to more madness in the US.
Basically a totally unrelated Spending Bill was created which snuck in a clause to give the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) authority over Synthetic Nicotine products. There are more details in this article from the Tobacco Reporter website.
Therefore going forward the Tobacco Control Act covers the following…
“any product made or derived from tobacco, or containing nicotine from any source, that is intended for human consumption”
The FDA see this action as closing a loophole regarding these products.
So this made me wonder what is Synthetic Nicotine all about?
I stumbled upon a very Science heavy paper from the BMJ (British Medical Journal) entitled “Synthetic Nicotine Has Arrived” and decided to get clued up on what impact this has on the vape industry. You can read the full paper here.
To be honest after reading it I am still none the wiser really.
After searching for a simpler explanation this type of nicotine I have found out the following…
- Synthetic nicotine is created by mimicking the nicotine alkaloid usually found in the tobacco plant without using any tobacco products.
- Tobacco nicotine and synthetic nicotine contain the same molecular formula and there is no difference in effect and chemical composition.
- The formula can vary according to manufacturer. The BMJ paper discusses the different ingredients found in nicotine from different manufacturers. Some of the manufacturers have patents for their own formula so there are not any lists of ingredients or how they are processed.
- The flavour should be purer than tobacco based nicotine as some tobacco based nicotines can still contain Nitrosamines which can create a harsh and unpleasant flavour. Obtaining pure nicotine from tobacco is virtually impossible without it still containing some trace amounts of tobacco. Manufacturers who use poor quality nicotine can disguise this with strong flavouring. Synthetic nicotine should be tasteless and odourless.
One of the main brands who use Synthetic Nicotine is “Puff Bar” who say this about their product…
Therefore the loophole is created as this type of nicotine does not fall under the category of being a “Tobacco Product”. As you can see below from the Puff Bar website…
The vape manufacturers who use Synthetic Nicotine in their products will have to apply for a PMTA (Pre Market Tobacco Product Application) to sell their goods legally in the US. And the fact that very few vaping products are accepted means the odds are quite high that they will also be illegal.
As usual though the FDA’s pursuit of this type of nicotine is to “Save The Kids” as apparently these products are popular with the youth. Instead what will happen is that more products which could get smokers to quit will be banned.
Plus you need to factor in that individual States also have the authority to create bills to ban vapour products.
It goes even deeper when you see some of the lawmakers in the states that are considering bans have received campaign funding from guess who? Yep Juul Labs who would be in competition with some of the Synthetic Nicotine manufacturers.
VApril Reminder!
Don’t forget next Friday (1st April) is the start of the VApril campaign which aims to promote vaping as a way to quit smoking.
According to the official website vapril.org the aims of the 2022 campaign are as follows…
“Providing specialist advice and support to help you make the right decisions about vaping and ensure a successful switchover from smoking.”
“Giving you the facts on vaping to help you make an informed decision. Public Health England say that misinformation on vaping prevents smokers from switching to the less harmful alternative. We’re here to help change that!”
The campaign is run by the UKVIA (UK Vaping Industry Association) and they have a handy page with lots of downloadable graphics and guides you can help to share on social media.
Oh and don’t forget the hashtag #Vapril !
Here at Ecigclick we will also be sharing on our social media so get sharing our posts too!
You can find us on…
Pat On The Back For The UK!
The WVA (World Vapers Alliance) and WeVape are praising the UK Government for following the science in their tobacco control policies.
It shows a huge contrast against the anti-vape measures of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The groups are calling on WHO to follow the stance of the UK to reduce smoking rates by promoting vaping.
Mark Oates (Director of WeVape) says the following…
“The UK is the world leader in harm reduction and provides an excellent example for the rest of the world on efficient smoking cessation through vaping. Our government has chosen a path that has proven to be fruitful, with science to back that up. In the lead up to WHO’s conference in November, the UK needs to reinforce its commitment to vaping, and encourage other countries to do the same”
Why No Celebration?
An article on the website “Medium” discusses the wonderful news that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reports that teen smoking has dropped by 90% in the last decade!
The article was written by Marc Gunther a well respected vape advocate.
Also adult smoking has dropped to its lowest levels since 1960s and teen use of e-cigarettes has fallen sharply by about 60% since the 2019 peak.
Surely time for celebration yes?
Erm nope.
Instead the FDA and CDC are pushing that youth vaping is still a serious concern.
Wonderful vape advocate Clive Bates said the following…
“The paradox of these health groups is that they need harm to justify the punitive and coercive policies that are at the heart of their model of public health. Harm generates the locus for public health intervention, organizations, grants, publications, conferences, treaties etc. Without harm, they lose their reason to exist.”
You can read the full article here on the Medium Website.
Dodgy Vape Studies?
Although I generally try to steer clear of the whole of the US Vaping debacle because quite frankly it is absolutely Batshit crazy – this did catch my eye…
An article on the Inside Sources website discusses the results of a recent study trying (and failing) to prove a link between vaping and Diabetes. I covered this vaping and Diabetes news last week.
The study was conducted by a team of scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.
Yep did you notice the mention of “Bloomberg”…
Michael Bloomberg is a staunch anti-vaper and Bloomberg Philanthropies launched the programme in 2019 to combat the non existent “Youth E-cigarette Epidemic“… Hmm… Fishier than Shark Breath?
The WHO (World Health Organisation) Tobacco Free initiative also boasts Bloomberg Philanthropies as a partner. Which goes some way to explain why WHO are so behind the times when it comes to Tobacco Control…
Our late and great Neil Humber covered in detail some of Bloomberg’s previous involvement here and it proves how smelly the whole situation is indeed.
Including his ties to a company who makes a device called “Hale” from Hava which is also backed by Bloomberg and even Bill Gates as part of the venture capital group Village Global!
Man it just gets sooo bloody political it makes my head hurt. But I suppose we all know we have to take some “Studies” with a pinch of salt.
That’s all folks for this week – have a great week – see you next Friday!
I thought our PM Bojo was a vaper as he was spotted with a device at the back of number 10 with one in his hand, he looks like he was trying to hide with it.