ETHRA’s monthly roundup of news: COP10 Calls to Action -Smoke-free environments stakeholder survey: ETHRA responds - Belgium bans pouches - Electronic Cigarettes: an Overlooked Tool - How bad is vaping and should it be banned? - Flawed research - Country updates. Read on for more.
Contents:
Smoke-free environments stakeholder survey
ETHRA participated in a targeted stakeholder questionnaire on the EU’s Smoke-free environments – updated recommendation. The purpose of updating the Recommendation is to bring non-combustible safer nicotine products under its remit. We found that the questionnaire was constructed with inherent bias against harm reduction, and so uploaded a document as our main contribution.
See our submission here
MEPs nominated to new public health subcommittee
MEPs have been nominated to a new public health subcommittee which will deal with programmes and specific actions in the field of public health, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, among other things. It is highly likely that the committee will play a role in the upcoming revision of the TPD.
See the press release:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230314IPR77409/meps-nominated-to-new-public-health-subcommittee
The list of MEPs can be found here:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sedcms/documents/PRIORITY_INFO/957/Composition_SANT%20Subcommittee%2015032023%20(full%20members)_EN.pdf
ECigIntellegence MEP survey
ECigIntelligence has published its third annual survey of MEPs, which aims to gauge their knowledge and attitude to safer nicotine products. The survey finds “Members of the European Parliament are less aware of key issues surrounding new nicotine products than in previous years, despite being asked to vote on important new legislation concerning the topic in the coming months, according to a new survey”
Read more here:
https://tobaccointelligence.com/opinions-on-new-nicotine-products-among-members-of-the-european-parliament-a-survey/
WHO COP10 call to action
The New Nicotine Alliance are calling on supporters, consumers of reduced risk nicotine products, and others who understand the benefits of harm reduction to act on significant threats planned by the World Health Organization later this year.
See the guide here:
CALL TO ACTION: The World Health Organization is planning a global assault on vaping
WHO’s Latest Assault Could Destroy Vaping As We Know It
See Sigmagazine’s article (Italian):
Sigarette elettroniche, appello ai consumatori contro l’attacco dell’Oms
The Advocates Voice
The Advocates Voice provides an update on what is going on with regulations in Malaysia and takes an in-depth look at how consumers can get involved in the COP10 process.
Belgium
On 24 March, Belgium published a Royal Decree on the prohibition of the placing on the market of certain similar products effectively banning nicotine pouches and cannabinoid pouches
Finland
A working group at the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is proposing that the import of snus for private use should be banned.
Read more here:
https://www.gd.se/2023-03-18/gor-som-sverige-och-snusa-istallet
Germany
Commissioner for Narcotic Drugs, Burkhard Blienert, calls for stricter regulations of the appearance of vaping products and their packaging.
Read more here:
https://www.politico.eu/article/color-and-design-of-e-cigarettes-should-be-regulated-says-germanys-drugs-czar/
Italy
Nicotine pouches have received authorisation to be sold in Italy. However, Minister for Health Orazio Schillaci has intervened to try to have the sale blocked.
Norway
The majority of Norwegian vapers see vaping products as a harm reduction tool, which allows them to cut down or completely quit smoking. This highlights the importance of conveying accurate information on the relative risks of vaping compared to smoking.
Read more here:
Vaping among Norwegians who smoke or formerly smoked: reasons, patterns of use, and smoking cessation activity
More from Norway
A proposed ban on flavoured snus will not be among the measures included in the Norwegian government’s new tobacco strategy, according to media reports.
Read more here:
Norway spared from controversial ban on flavoured snus: report / Dagbladet erfarer: Dropper forbud
Slovenia
Slovenia is set to further restrict access to tobacco harm reduction products. A new draft bill, published by the Health Ministry, will see flavours banned for vaping products and heated tobacco products.
Read more here:
Stricter tobacco legislation coming / Prichádza prísnejšia tabaková legislatíva
Sweden
Sweden is on the verge of becoming the only country in the world to reach smoke free status, which is defined as having a smoking prevalence of less than 5%.
Read more here:
https://tobaccoreporter.com/2023/03/14/sweden-approaching-smoke-free-status/
Electronic Cigarettes: an Overlooked Tool
Vaping products may not be a cure-all solution to end smoking, but they can be a useful tool for reducing harm among groups of people who have been overlooked by traditional smoking cessation efforts.
Read the paper here:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-023-08137-z
How bad is vaping and should it be banned?
Will common sense prevail in Australia? Professor Nicole Lee argues that Australia should abandon its prescription only model for vaping products and instead regulate the market so the products are more accessible and available for adults who smoke.
Read more here:
https://theconversation.com/how-bad-is-vaping-and-should-it-be-banned-197913
Flawed Research
Renowned researchers, Konstantinos Farsalinos and Riccardo Polosa, have written a commentary paper discussing flawed research on vaping products that is published due to a defective peer review process.
Read more here:
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/news/vaping-news/2023-03-24_flawed-research.html
Something to watch:
Martin Cullip, a prolific writer on tobacco harm reduction, walks through the threats COP10 poses to the future of vaping.
