ETHRA’s monthly roundup of news: Prohibition failing: shock discovery - Conflict of interest in tobacco control - GFN23 recap - Tobacco-free campuses: a pipe dream? - Public health experts amicus curiae brief - Uneducating Americans on Vaping - Country updates. Read on for more.
Contents:
TPD Consultation
A recently launched consultation (questionnaire) on the review of the legislative framework for tobacco control has been heavily criticised for its inherent bias against tobacco harm reduction, which we reported here. The Commission was made aware of the serious flaws in the questionnaire but no action has been taken to correct the problems.
Read more here:
https://tobaccointelligence.com/no-love-for-novel-products-ec-accused-of-bias-in-tobacco-law-revision-consultation/
Parliamentary Question - Sara Skyttedal
Swedish MEP, Sara Skyttedal, raises the important issue of conflicts of interest among organisations tasked with providing research services related to the implementation of the EU’s tobacco control policy.
Answer on behalf of the Commission
See the question and answer here:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-9-2023-001241_EN.html
Parliamentary Question - Johan Nissinen
Swedish MEP, Johan Nissinen, asked the Commission for the justification behind the EU’s ban on snus, when highly toxic forms of oral tobacco such as Indian chewing tobacco remain freely available.
Answer on behalf of the Commission
See the question and answer here:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2023-001408_EN.html
Global Forum on Nicotine 2023
The Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN) took place in Warsaw on 21 - 24 June. The conference brought together experts, academics, and consumers to discuss the impact of tobacco harm reduction in the last 10 years and what the next decade could hold.
GFN23: Tobacco harm reduction - the next decade
Vaping: Right For Choices Dominate GFN In Warsaw
Electronic devices are less harmful than smoking, but health doesn’t even want to discuss it
Dr Colin Mendelsohn: My take-home messages from the GFN 23 conference
GFN23: Day 1 - Consumers Congregate at Conference
WHO FCTC COP10
COPWatch have provided more updates on what is going on globally in the run-up to COP10.
Consumer groups challenging the WHO FCTC – Who will be next?
Belgium
The Institute for Healthy Living did a further analysis of the survey by the Flemish Expertise Center for Alcohol, Illegal Drugs, Psychoactive Medication, Gambling and Gaming (VAD) and found that the majority of young people who vape regularly had a history of smoking.
See the press release here:
https://www.gezondleven.be/nieuws/alle-jongeren-aan-de-e-sigaret
See the full report here (Dutch):
https://www.gezondleven.be/files/tabak/Rapport-e-sigaret-en-jongeren.pdf
Croatia
Public health and addiction experts call for a harm reduction approach to combatting the harms from smoking.
Read more here:
https://www.24sata.hr/lifestyle/podaci-su-jasni-izgaranje-duhana-ugrozava-zdravlje-i-zivot-pusaca-914735
Denmark
The number of young people using vaping products continues to grow, despite the country having a flavour ban and plain packaging in place. To combat the problem Minister of Health, Sophie Løhde, announced that she intends to increase taxation on vaping products.
Read more here:
https://ecigintelligence.com/tax-hike-is-denmarks-answer-to-rise-in-use-of-smoke-free-products-among-youth/
Finland
Some [relatively] positive news from Finland. The new government announced that the sale of nicotine pouches will be permitted, however, they will be included in the Tobacco Control Act. In practice this could mean a ban on flavours.
Read more here:
https://pouchpatrol.com/eu/finlands-new-government-want-to-regulate-and-allow-the-sale-of-nicotine-pouches/
Ireland
Ireland’s Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, published a new bill which will bring Ireland into line with the rest of the EU and introduce an age restriction to purchase vaping products.
Italy
Italy’s Lega Party has introduced an amendment to Bill 1083 which would ban cross border sales of vaping products.
Read more here:
https://www.2firsts.com/news/debate-over-e-cigarette-sales-in-italy
Latvia
The Social and Labour Affairs Commission of the Republic of Latvia (Saeima) supported amendments which would limit flavours in safer nicotine products to tobacco only. It also intends to ban sales to those under 20.
Lithuania
Lithuania’s Health Affairs Committee approved amendments to the Law on the Control of Tobacco & Related Products which would see all vape flavours banned apart from tobacco. The Committee also approved an amendment which would limit bottle size for non-nicotine containing e-liquids to 10ml.
Netherlands
The Dutch flavour ban, which was due to take effect on 1 October 2023, has been extended until 1 January 2024.
Read more here:
https://taketonews.com/cabinet-gives-tobacco-industry-longer-time-to-exclude-flavors-from-e-cigarettes/
Sweden
Sweden is on the verge of becoming the first country in the world to reach smoke free status, with snus playing a key role in this success. Swedish politicians have traditionally been reluctant to talk about the huge success of snus, but that is slowly changing as a new generation of politicians see the importance of tobacco harm reduction.
Read more here:
https://www.brusselsreport.eu/2023/06/19/sweden-the-accidental-harm-reduction-champion/
UK
Experts in tobacco harm reduction have responded to a call by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health for the government to ban disposable vapes.
Read more here:
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/news/vaping-news/2023-06-15_experts-on-ban-call.html
Brief of amici curiae public health experts in support of petitioners
Harm reduction experts and academics filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court with a focus on the science behind tobacco harm reduction.
Read more here:
https://clivebates.com/documents/AvailSCOTUSAmicusJune2023.pdf
Tobacco-free campuses – a pipe dream?
Current smoking cessation practices in mental health units in Ireland are failing, according to a new report. It suggests that smoking cessation policies should be updated to include the use of vaping products.
Uneducating Americans on Vaping
What explains the widespread and worsening understanding of the relative risks of vaping? And what can be done about it?
Read on for more:
https://www.cato.org/regulation/summer-2023/uneducating-americans-vaping
Something to watch:
Clive Bates discusses the possible future of vaping in the USA.
