Australia’s Nicotine ‘Monopoly’ Bad For Business
The country’s largest retail organization has called into question Australia’s nicotine monopoly with the plan to limit sales of nic based e-liquids to just chemists.
It says this type of monopoly will simply lead to more smokers especially during chemist closing hours.
The National Retail Association also says vape and other retail shops will suffer from a drop in sales of all vape products.
Dominique Lamb, the NRA CEO said:
The NRA understands the Federal Government has asked the Therapeutic Goods Administration to consider whether smoke-free nicotine products should be made available for sale in pharmacies – either by prescription or with the authorisation of a pharmacist,” Ms Lamb said.
This makes no sense, that cigarettes would be freely available over the counter in corner stores and service stations, but the product that can help people transition away from smoking would be restricted.
So outside doctors’ or pharmacists’ work hours, the only available option would be cigarettes.
This flies in the face of common sense.
Absolutely and let’s hope the Australian Government sees sense…though one highly doubts it.
India’s Vape Ban Protest
Vapers from across India held both an online and outdoor pro vaping protest last Sunday to mark the 12 month anniversary of the country’s total vape ban.
Thousands of vapers angry at the Indian Government joined tobacco harm reduction experts to voice their frustrations.
The country is home to a staggering 12million smokers with the illness and death rate that brings.
Indeed I wrote an article: The India Vape Ban Is Nothing Short Of An Act Of Democide – which in effect means the vape ban is sentencing the country’s smokers to death.
Association of Vapers India led the protest and Jagannath Saranagapani, the director of the AVI in Hyderabad said:
With the intellectual and scientific bent of mind India possesses, it was disheartening when the ban on e-cigarettes was announced.
By removing access to a universally successful tobacco harm reduction alternative, the government has done nothing to develop affordable nicotine gums or patches which could help smokers quit.
Even more hypocritical is the ban on e-cigarette research.
This shows that the hurried and drastic move was to shield the tobacco industry.
The government should remember that in a democracy, the people come first.
Samrat Chowdhery, AVI’s director, agreed adding:
The goal of protecting youth is not met as e-cigarettes are still available in the black market, putting them at greater risk.
There are no checks and balances to prevent teen access, which sensible regulation could have achieved.
Indeed and I covered this in the piece: India’s Vaping Black Market Thriving.
It’s a crazy criminal world we’re living in right now when governments decide to keep its populace smoking with hardly any safer alternative.
New Zealand Vape Webinar
Vapers from New Zealand are urged to attend a webinar to discuss the future of vaping in the country.
The event is being organized by the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates [CAPHRA] and the Voices 4 Vape group.
Speakers at the webinar reads like a Who’s Who of the tobacco harm reduction movement and includes: Clive Bates – David Sweanor – Samrat Chowdhery and Nancy Loucas.
Ms Loucas – the co founder of the Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy [ACVA] said:
Over 10 years of scientific research shows that smoke-free nicotine products are at least 95% less harmful than combustible tobacco and have helped millions quit deadly smoking.
As consumer groups, we now want to do all we can to influence public policy and reduce the enormous health risks and costs caused by cigarettes.
Let your voice be heard and help create a smoke-free world.
Your personal story and your support will be part of a collective voice in the Asia Pacific and around the world in demanding access to tobacco harm reduction options.
The organizers are hoping as many vapers as possible will tune in and there will be a chat box where questions can be put to the panel.
The webinar will be held on Saturday September 26th 2020 from 4pm to 8pm [+8 hours GMT].
Check out the registration page for more info and to sign up.
E-cigarettes Lung Health and Exercise
A new study into the effects of vaping on lung health is planned and volunteers are urgently needed to take part.
In what is believed to be the world’s first such study, researchers from the University of Southern Queensland are looking at the impact vaping has on both respiratory function and exercise.
Lead researcher Dr Dean Mills said:
While the harmful effects of tobacco cigarettes are well-known, there is little evidence and knowledge about the health risks of e-cigarettes because they’re relatively new.
The lungs are like a sponge. They soak up any smoke or substance that’s inhaled, which can cause severe long-term damage and affect people for the rest of their lives.
This study will help us learn more about how the chemicals inside e-cigarettes interact with the body and lungs, and determine if and how they impact our ability to undertake exercise.
Should be some interesting results from this one.
Anecdotally I know plenty of people that now have much better lung health after quitting smoking and taking up vaping.
Volunteers will be expected to attend the Ipswich University for a one hour session.
Those interested – including none vapers – should contact: [email protected].
UK Heat Not Burn Research On Hold
Sir Charles Walker Conservative MP for Broxbourne seems interested in Heat Not Burn products.
His question in Parliament was:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 30 January 2020 to Question 8193 on Tobacco: Research and Question 8194 on Smoking, when the Government plans to announce the call for evidence to assess further the effectiveness of heated tobacco products in helping people to quit smoking and reducing associated health harms.
The reply shows that any studies are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 virus, with Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care replying:
In the prevention Green Paper consultation ‘Advancing our health: Prevention in the 2020s’ the Government indicated that we will consider running a call for independent evidence to assess further how effective heated tobacco products are, or are not, in helping people quit smoking and reducing health harms from smoking.
This forms part of our commitment to evaluate the evidence on new products.
This work is currently paused due to the need to prioritise work on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will consider looking at this at a later date to form part of our smokefree 2030 plans.
Public Health England’s current stance on HNB products is they are almost as ‘safe’ as e-cigarettes.
