Category: Harm Reduction

  • Harm Reduction Groups to ‘Expose Anti-Vape Agenda’

    Harm Reduction Groups to ‘Expose Anti-Vape Agenda’

    The return of sCOPe, a global livestream featuring leading tobacco harm reduction (THR) advocates, this year will broadcast again on both World Vape Day and World No Tobacco Day.

    During the event, European, African, Indian, North and South American, and Asia-Pacific THR consumer organizations will discuss advocacy and issues in their countries and take questions from viewers. 

    The two-day sCOPe22 livestream will broadcast for World Vape Day 2022 on May 30 and broadcast for World No Tobacco Day 2022 on May 31. It will run for eight hours each day from 07:00 CDT/13:00 BST.

    “This sCOPe livestream is so important. Too many smokers continue to die from the narrow-mindedness of an anti-vape agenda that has been funded by the likes of American billionaires,” says Nancy Loucas of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).

    “The global evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of vaping, yet hundreds of millions of smokers are blocked from accessing harm reduced alternatives. People’s health and human rights are denied in favor of greed and ego. sCOPe 2022 will discuss where the money is coming from and expose the motivation,” says Loucas.

    The organizations set to feature include European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates, the Campaign for Safer Alternatives in Africa, Vaping Saved My Life South Africa, the Association of Vapers India, and the CAPHRA.

    The Americas are represented by Latin American-based ARDT Iberoamerica, Rights for Vapers Canada, the Tobacco Harm Reduction Association of Canada, and United States-based Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association.

    Last year, sCOPe livestreamed around the clock from Nov. 8 to Nov. 12 during COP9—the Ninth Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The unprecedented broadcast gave a global voice to leading consumer advocates who were shut out of COP9.

  • CAPHRA Urging Australia Politicians to Debate Vaping

    CAPHRA Urging Australia Politicians to Debate Vaping

    Photo: alexlmx

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is urging Australian politicians to debate vaping in the runup the country’s federal election on May 21.

    According to the advocacy group, Australian politicians who recognize the public health potential of vaping will be rewarded with votes, “yet most remain too scared to promote the world’s most effective smoking cessation tool.”

    Nancy Loucas

    “Australia’s political leaders need to pull their heads out of the sand,” said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA. “Annually, over 20,000 Australian smokers die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses, and 2.3 million still smoke. Alarmingly, however, nobody wants to seriously fix successive governments’ failure to reduce tobacco harm.”

    Australia is the only Western democracy that requires a nicotine prescription to vape. Further, its Department of Health’s Draft National Smoking Strategy 2022–2030 proposes additional measures to prevent smokers from switching to safer nicotine products.

    Loucas suspects that tobacco tax revenues are one of the reasons that vaping has been buried in the election debate. Ongoing increases to tobacco excise have made it the fourth-largest individual tax collected by Australia’s federal government at an estimated $15 billion per financial year, according to CAPHRA.

    The group notes that nearly 70 countries have adopted regulatory frameworks on safer nicotine products. All of them have reported a dramatic decline in smoking prevalence since.

    “Australia is light-years behind the U.S., U.K. and New Zealand, with some key Asian countries now looking to lift their failed vaping bans. If campaigning Australian politicians really want to save lives this election, well here is their best opportunity by simply a stroke of the pen,” said Loucas. 

  • U.K.-Based Vape Group to Raise Awareness With ‘VApril’

    U.K.-Based Vape Group to Raise Awareness With ‘VApril’

    John Dunne (Photo: UKVIA)

    VApril 2022, the annual awareness campaign from the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) that educates smokers on vaping, opened with a vaping masterclass session with experts from the vaping industry, stop-smoking services and healthcare.

    For the first time, this year, the UKVIA is running a promotional campaign on social media, including an animated five-step guide to transitioning successfully from smoking to vaping; a video featuring the life-changing experience of a former smoker turned vaper; and a video of Anita Sharma addressing common concerns of smokers who are considering switching to vaping to help them quit their smoking habits.

    The month will also see publication of research on the level and quality of advice that is being provided to adult smokers when considering a switch to vaping.

    “We know from Public Health England that vaping is at least 95 percent less harmful than smoking, and the last 18 months has seen a massive groundswell of support from the medical and political worlds underlining how vital vaping is toward helping people to quit smoking and the overall health of the nation,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, in a statement.

    “We are steadfast and determined in our mission and resolve to give smokers a real choice, underpinned by VApril 2022 and the huge support we receive from vape retail stores and other businesses across the U.K. as well as vape associations across the world.”

  • Imperial Launches Vaping Education Campaign in Canada

    Imperial Launches Vaping Education Campaign in Canada

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Imperial Tobacco Canada has launched a campaign called Let’s Clear the Smoke with the goal of educating Canadian adults on the facts about vapor products and the role these products can play in reducing risks compared to cigarettes, according to BAT.

    Let’s Clear the Smoke provides information about the latest in vapor product science and aims to allow Canadian adults to take a more informed view when considering their stance on vaping products and other less risky alternatives to smoking.

    This campaign is driven by a combination of mass out of home media placements and digital ads to drive awareness and website traffic. The campaign lasts for 10 weeks and will be the first of a range of initiatives to drive the acceptance of tobacco harm reduction in Canada.

    “There is a lack of understanding out there about vapor products, especially when it comes to the positive role they can play in tobacco harm reduction,” said Ralf Wittenberg, president and CEO of Imperial Tobacco Canada. “I think this misunderstanding is due to the fact that the vast majority of people don’t have access to accurate, credible and independent information.

    “The purpose of this campaign is to educate Canadian adults on the facts about vapor products by providing access to credible, factual and independent information.”

  • Born After 2010? Denmark Plans to Ban All Nicotine Sales

    Born After 2010? Denmark Plans to Ban All Nicotine Sales

    Credit: Maxim Grebeshkov

    Denmark plans to ban the sale of cigarettes and nicotine products to anyone born after 2010, the country’s Denmark’s Ministry of Health has announced.

    Health minister Magnus Heunicke said the policy change would prevent the next generation from smoking any form of tobacco, according to The Independent.

    “Our hope is that all people born in 2010 and later will never start smoking or using nicotine-based products,” Heunicke said. “If necessary, we are ready to ban sales to this generation [born in 2010] by gradually raising the purchase age limit.”

    Under current laws in Demark, people under the age of 18 are banned from buying tobacco and electronic cigarettes. But around 31 percent of those aged between 15 and 29 are smokers, Heunicke said.

    New Zealand announced plans to outlaw buying cigarettes for anyone born after 2008. The ban is expected to come into force this year.

    Additionally, the government plans to introduce major tobacco controls such as reducing the amount of nicotine in products and restricting where cigarettes can be sold.

  • Australia Urged to Add Vaping to Anti-Smoking Strategy

    Australia Urged to Add Vaping to Anti-Smoking Strategy

    Photo: Zerophoto | Adobe Stock

    Australia is lagging well behind many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region when it comes to successfully tackling smoking through vaping, says the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).  

    The CAPHRA’s observation comes as Australia’s Department of Health seeks feedback on its Draft National Smoking Strategy 2022–2030, with public submissions closing on March 24.

    “We encourage vapers and supporters of a progressive tobacco harm reduction (THR) approach to have their say. Australians desperate to quit smoking and those keen to stay off deadly cigarettes need all the help they can get,” says Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the CAPHRA.

    On Oct. 1, 2021, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration expanded its prescription-only model with customs clamping down at the border on personal imports of nicotine vaping liquids from overseas websites.

    Not only does Australia’s draft strategy ignore the potential of safer nicotine products, it also lacks ambition, according to Loucas. The strategy aims for a smoking rate of 10 percent or less by 2025 while New Zealand is pursuing a 5 percent smoke-free goal and looks on target to achieve it. “Instead of banning vaping, New Zealand has regulated it, making it tough for minors to access but available to all adults keen to keep off the cancer sticks. New Zealand is seeing its overall smoking rate tumble, yet the Australian government fails to accept that the most effective smoking cessation tool available is staring it in the face,” says Loucas.

    “Australia is well down the world rankings when it comes to adopting effective THR policies and is light-years behind the U.S. and U.K. Subsequently, Australia’s overall smoking rate has fallen very little over the past decade, and without reasonable access to vaping, Australia will struggle to even achieve its 10 percent smoking goal,” says Loucas. 

  • Taiwan: Stakeholders Debate E-Cigarette Policy Proposals

    Taiwan: Stakeholders Debate E-Cigarette Policy Proposals

    Credit: Andriano_cz

    A demonstrative policy debate event on whether e-cigarettes should be regulated was held on March 8, 2022, in Taipei, showing how different public policy viewpoints can be rationally discussed, according to The Taipei Times. The debate was held by the Chinese Debate Promotion Association (CDPA) at the Taipei NGO House.

    CDPA Chairman and Founder Chia Pei-te said that the Executive Yuan in January approved a draft amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act proposed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for legislative review. The proposed regulations on emerging tobacco products have sparked discussions, he said.

    The amendment would classify emerging tobacco products as “tobacco-like products” and “designated tobacco products.” E-cigarettes would be classified as “tobacco-like products” and be fully banned while heated-tobacco products would be classified as “designated tobacco products” and be subject to regulation.

    The reasoning behind banning e-cigarettes includes keeping curious teenagers away from the products, preventing consumers from adding nicotine to e-cigarette e-liquids and lowering the risk of teenage users turning to smoking.

    The debate participants went back and forth discussing the pros and cons of regulating e-cigarettes versus banning them, bringing up subjects such as public health, tax revenue options and teenage use.

    National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) College of Pharmaceutical Sciences Dean Kang Jaw-jou said that he was moved by opinions for and against e-cigarettes. He said the affirmative side proposed to directly manage e-cigarette use through regulations and an approval system while the opposing side stressed their attitude to life—banning a substance if the public consensus deems it harmful to society.

    Many aspects of the topic can be argued, but e-cigarettes can cause negative health effects, and supporters and opponents must clearly present this fact to the public in further discussions, stated Wang Hsiang-tsui, NYCU Faculty of Pharmacy associate professor.

  • Experts: Embracing THR Goals Reduces Smoking Rates

    Experts: Embracing THR Goals Reduces Smoking Rates

    The Asia Harm Reduction Forum 2021 attended by the leading experts in technology, public health policy and science met to discuss the tobacco harm reduction (THR) strategies deployed in various countries, according to a press release from the Canadian Vaping Association.

    “We have known the risks from smoking for many decades. We have known that it is the smoke, not the nicotine, that is responsible. We also know that we can deliver nicotine in ways that have minimal risk,” said David Sweanor, chair of the Center for Health Law, Policy and Ethics and an adjunct professor of law at the University of Ottawa. “As a result, Sweden’s rates of tobacco-related illness and death are by far the lowest that you can see in the European Union. Their smoking rates are now low enough that many people would call it a smoke-free society. When Norway allowed snus products to be more widely available, cigarette smoking fell by half in just 10 years. When Iceland allowed both vaping products and snus into the market, smoking fell by about 40 percent in just three years.”

    For decades, Canada has tried to curb smoking through education and taxation with limited success. Reductions in smoking prevalence had generally slowed, with modest annual declines prior to more mainstream adoption of vaping by smokers. Vaping experienced peak adoption in 2019, which lead to a 7.5 percent decline in cigarette sales.

    “Harm reduction is one of the four pillars of Canada’s drug and substances policy. Policy that makes vaping less appealing to smokers, like flavor restrictions and taxation, is out of step with this policy. In effect, Canada has embraced harm reduction in name but not substance,” said Darryl Tempest, Government Relations Council to the Canadian Vaping Association.

  • Kenyan Smokers Want Vaping Products as Quit Aids

    Kenyan Smokers Want Vaping Products as Quit Aids

    Kenya has struggled in regards to helping combustible cigarette smokers quit. According to recent research by Dr. Michael Kariuki, an epidemiologist, two-thirds of the country’s smokers want to quit but lack alternatives to replace traditional cigarettes.

    Credit: Zero Photo

    In an interview with TUKO.co.ke, Kariuki stated that as much as smoking is an addictive habit, most smokers expressed a desire to quit but admitted that they find it difficult. “The addictive product in cigarettes is nicotine, however, what kills people are the other carcinogenic products that are medically referred to as Group 1 human carcinogens,” he told Hillary Lisimba.

    Kariuki added that his research was aimed at offering solutions that would make it easy for smokers to quit. He said offering them alternative products that have nicotine but are not combustible. “You see, smoking [cigarettes] gives a calming effect due to the nicotine, yet the majority of smokers who want to quit find it difficult because of the addiction,” he said.

    Vaping products are not regulated in Kenya. There is no law addressing the use of e-cigarettes in indoor public places, workplaces, and public transport. The desire of cigarette smokers to stop smoking are complicated because nicotine replacement therapies, such as e-cigarettes, are too expensive for most smokers, according to Kariuki.

    He also stated that, as a country, Kenya is not doing enough to help smokers quit. The country needs to offer products that can gradually assist struggling smokers.

  • EU Parliament Endorses Vapor as Cessation Tool

    EU Parliament Endorses Vapor as Cessation Tool

    Credit: Savvapanf Photo

    The EU Parliament has adopted, by a margin of 652 votes to 15, a report on Cancer prevention and Treatment that recognizes the potential contribution of vapor products to smoking cessation. The report notes that “electronic cigarettes could allow some smokers to progressively quit smoking.”

    In adopting the report, the EU Parliament has become the world’s first elected chamber to endorse tobacco harm reduction, according to the Independent European Vape Association (IEVA).

    “This is a landmark declaration by the European Parliament, which should go a long way to reassuring smokers of the health benefits that a switch to vaping can bring,” said IEVA President Dustin Dahlmann in a statement. “We now encourage the other EU institutions—and in particular, the European Commission—to take this on board and ensure that policy follows science, not the other way around.”

    In addition to measures to reduce cancer incidence, the committee’s report places a special focus on the serious health effects of smoking.

    The report also stresses the need for further research on vaping to be viewed in relative terms, given that tobacco smoking kills and vaping does not.

    The final text of the report also includes a mention of further assessment of flavors “particularly attractive to minors and non-smokers” and a possible ban on them in the context of the review of the Tobacco Products Directive.

    The IEVA says its crucial to avoid a flavor ban because the variety of flavors is one of the top reasons for adult smokers to switch to e-cigarettes and for vapers not to return to smoking.

    “Research into the impact of flavor bans shows that many vapers return to smoking as a result [of a ban],” said  Dahlmann. “This must be prevented. We agree that steps must be taken to curtail inappropriate marketing, while recognizing the crucial role flavors play in helping smokers quit.”