The damage to vaping has already been done but the US Government is now saying the deaths caused by EVALI were due to Vitamin E inside illicit cannabis cartridges, and NOT nicotine based e-liquids.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is so convinced, it is now stopping its fortnightly updates concerning the outbreak.
EVALI stands for: e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury – and the question now is should that description be scrapped and replaced with the real cause?
A media statement from the CDC said:
Due to continued declines in new EVALI cases since September 2019, and the identification of vitamin E acetate as a primary cause of EVALI, today’s release is the final biweekly CDC update on the number of hospitalized EVALI cases and deaths nationally.
CDC will continue to provide assistance to states, as needed, related to EVALI and will provide future updates as needed…
They’ve certainly taken their time and as I reported in the article: Federal Failure in EVALI…the whole handling of the outbreak has led to more deaths and illnesses.
By the last count there’s has been 68 deaths and 2,807 serious respiratory illnesses across America.
In anyone’s language – that is a complete failure by a so called Government watchdog that has led to the current anti-vaping hysterics gripping America and much of the world.
Vote For Total USA Flavour Ban Passes
The bill to ban ALL flavoured vape products and menthol tobacco was passed by the House of Representatives.
It was a little closer than expected with the final vote: 213-195.
If put into law ALL flavoured e-liquids and lit tobacco would be banned and any remaining juices and all hardware would be taxed in excess of that imposed on lit cigarettes!
The new legislation still has to pass through Congress where it’s unlikely to go through. Even if it does the White House are saying Trump will more than likely veto it – meaning it will never get into law.
Let’s hope Trump does indeed do that.
Australia Cracking Down On E-liquid Imports
The Aussie Government is planning to get tough on imported nicotine based e-liquid including those bought on line by individuals.
As it stands now vape hardware and e-liquids are legal for sale down under – it’s the nicotine based juice that’s unlawful, though it can be prescribed in e-liquid by a doctor.
Greg Hunt
Vehement anti-vaper health minister Greg Hunt, has ordered the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Department of Home Affairs to team up and ‘police’ the imports and maybe bring in tough new legislation.
A spokesman for Hunt said the Government had:
…a strict commitment to opposing vaping or any liberalisation on laws – and the supply or sale of liquid nicotine is not legal in any state or territory.
Last week politiicnas voted in favour of law that would:
…ban the importation of e-cigarette liquids containing nicotine.
The news comes just after the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners came out in support of vaping – however very many Aussie medical organizations are still opposed and say there’s no proof they help smokers quit.
Responding to the move, the Australian Retail Vaping Industry Association said:
This will ultimately cost lives.
Every other OECD nation except Turkey allows adult consumers to purchase vaping products … Vaping products are reducing smoking rates in every country in which they have been legalised.
Yet another backward step by the Australian Government…
Mexico Bans Import Of E-cigs And E-liquid
A Presidential Decree means that the import of all vape products is now banned in Mexico.
Whilst it’s still not an ‘offense’ to vape – it is illegal to sell and import anything vape related and the sale of vape products would seem to be the obvious next step.
Despite this the country has over 1 million Mexicans are believed to use e-cigarettes!
The government used the stance by the World Health Organization – among other sources – to justify the move.
The Decree included the crazy line:
Its long-term use [vaping] is expected to increase the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
Absolute bollocks as we well know!
Given the current murderous drug wars going on in the country, you’d think the anti-drug president would have more pressing matters to consider than banning a life saving product.
Canadian Pro Vaping Ad Campaign Slammed
A Big Tobacco company that owns the Vype vape brand has been attacked for its current advertising campaign that promotes the benefits of switching to e-cigarettes.
Imperial Tobacco Canada has billboards with the messages: “hypocrisy kills,” “quit the lies” and “the dangers of misinformation.”
They have appeared across the country and are aimed at tackling the fake news centred around vaping.
Opponents are saying the ad campaign is taken directly from Big Tobacco’s play-book and want them removed.
Canadian cancer specialist, Timothy Caulfield, from the University of Alberta said:
They’re using the current conversation about misinformation, about fake news, in order to forward their agenda.
They are implying that a story about the harms of vaping is misinformation.
Er…I think you’ll find 99/99% of news stories around vaping are indeed fake or at the very least sensationalized!
Eric Gagnon – head of corporate affairs at Imperial Canada said:
We felt it was important to bring the other side of the story, so that both adult consumers and regulators can make informed decisions around vaping.
Health Canada continues to believe that vaping — if you’re a smoker, you’re better off vaping.
No decision has been made yet as to if the controversial ads can remain…
Let’s hope they are allowed to stay!
UK Gov Remains Positive Over Benefits Of Vaping
A question in the House Of Commons led to the UK Government reinforcing its stance that vaping is an important harm reduction tool.
Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman, asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care:
…what assessment he has made of the health risks of vaping and e-cigarettes.
The reply from Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care, was extremely positive:
It remains the goal of the Government to maximise the public health opportunities presented by e-cigarettes to reduce smoking while managing any risks. United Kingdom regulated e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking, but they are not risk free. Research shows e-cigarettes are effective in helping some smokers to quit.
While experimentation with e-cigarettes is not uncommon among young people, current and regular use remains low. E-cigarettes in the UK are tightly regulated by the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR) and the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015 (NIP).
These regulations aim to reduce the risk of harm to children; to protect against any risk of renormalisation of tobacco use; and to provide assurance on relative safety for users. The regulations include restrictions on mainstream TV and radio advertising; prevent sale to under 18s; and limit both tank sizes and nicotine content.
Jo Churchill MP
We continue to monitor evidence on e-cigarettes. As part of that, we are monitoring youth use closely and will take action, if necessary, to ensure that regular use among children and young people does not increase, and that e-cigarettes do not become a gateway to tobacco use.
The Government has a statutory obligation to conduct post implementation reviews of TRPR by May 2021 and NIP later this spring. We continue to keep the evidence base on e-cigarettes under review and the next Public Health England annual review on e-cigarettes will be published next month.
Good to see our government behind this life saving technology.
