ETHRA’s monthly roundup of news: TPD Stakeholder interview - Bias in tobacco control policy - COP10: what you need to know - Merci la vape petition - Disposable ban plans - Stop Smoking Start Vaping - Country updates. Read on for more.
Contents:
TPD Consultation
ETHRA recently participated in a targeted stakeholder interview which was the final part of the European Commission's consultation on the evaluation of the legislative framework for tobacco control. The evaluation is being led by Open Evidence, and supported by a consortium which includes vocal anti-THR organisations ENSP and Vital Strategies.
Read our summary of the interview:
https://ethra.co/submissions/136-study-supporting-the-evaluation-of-the-tobacco-control-acquis-stakeholder-interview
Complaint against the European Commission's tobacco policy consultation
Consumer advocate and Vice-president of SOVAPE, Philippe Poirson, sent a complaint to the European Commission and the European Ombudsman regarding the Commission’s “biassed consultation on the European anti-tobacco policy”.
Subcommittee on Public Health
The draft report by the EU's subcommittee on Public Health on non-communicable diseases has been published. Astonishingly, smoking doesn't get mentioned once but instead it refers to 'tobacco use’. The only positive, as far as tobacco harm reduction is concerned, is the recommendation that risk assessments of safer nicotine products should be compared to other to tobacco products.
Read more here:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/ENVI-PR-751761_EN.pdf
Tobacco Excise Directive
E-cig mag reports that according to the German table media website, the European Commission plans to present a draft revision of the Directive on tobacco taxes by December, with potential implications for the vaping industry and consumers.
Read more here:
Europe : une taxe pour Noël ?/ Europe: a tax for Christmas?
WHO FCTC COP10
COP10 is just around the corner and decisions made at the meeting could threaten the future of vaping and tobacco harm reduction. Consumers and consumer associations are being urged to petition their elected representatives and government officials in order to safeguard safer nicotine products.
Read more here:
https://filtermag.org/who-tobacco-harm-reduction-cop10/
President of ARDT Iberoamérica, Jeffrey Zamora, urges vapers to take the initiative to counter the threats posed by the WHO:
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/news/vaping-news/2023-07-14_new-president-of-ardt-iberoam-rica-speaks.html
Confused about what COP is? Read the GSTHR Briefing Paper on FCTC COP10. It's available in multiple languages from here:
https://gsthr.org/resources/briefing-papers/the-framework-convention-on-tobacco-control-fctc-and-the-conference-of-the-parties-cop-an-explainer-updated-april-2023/
Croatia
Tobacco harm reduction was one of the topics discussed at a recent meeting of Croatia’s Committee for Health and Social Policy. President of the Croatian Association for the Reduction of Harm to Health (HARPH), Ranko Stevanović, noted that safer nicotine products are significantly less harmful than smoking, yet they are treated the same as smoked products.
France
The Merci la vape petition, which aims to mobilise consumers against the threats to vaping, has already attracted over 30,000 signatures. The associations which launched the petition in May (Aiduce, Sovape, La Vape du Coeur and FIVAPE) announced that they have more actions planned.
Read more here:
MERCI LA VAPE : déjà plus de 30 000 signatures / THANK YOU LA VAPE: already more than 30,000 signatures
Sign the petition here:
https://petition.vape.fr/
More from France
A Bill to regulate the activities of influencers on social media and other online platforms, including a ban on any direct or indirect promotion of nicotine-containing products, has been approved by a joint committee.
Ireland
The Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, Ossian Smyth TD, has opened a consultation on disposable vapes. One option being considered is a complete ban. The consultation will run until 12 August.
See more here:
https://consult.decc.gov.ie/en/content/public-consultation-disposable-vaping-devices
Sweden
The Public Health Agency is calling for extending regulations for vaping products and snus to bring them into line with regulations on combustible tobacco, which would include flavour and marketing bans.
More from Sweden
Johan Nissinen MEP discusses the importance of safer nicotine products in reducing the harms from smoking.
Read more here:
Vi gör en insats för folkhälsan med vitt snus / We are making an effort for public health with white snus
UK
Worrying developments in the UK as calls to ban disposable vapes grow. The Parliamentary Health and Social Care Committee calls on the government to bring in restrictions on packaging and marketing of vapes in line with those that apply to tobacco products.
Read more here:
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/news/politics-campaigns/2023-07-26_hs-committee-pushes-heavier-restrictions.html
Experts respond to the Committee letter:
https://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/news/vaping-news/2023-07-26_experts-respond-to-committee-letter.html
NNA UK expressed its concerns about statements made during the Health and Social Care Committee oral evidence session:
https://nnalliance.org/nnanews/news/390-nna-writes-to-the-health-and-social-care-committee
Ukraine
A new law has come into force which will see a ban on flavoured vaping products and a ban on advertising.
Read more here:
https://ukranews.com/en/news/943850-ban-on-advertising-tobacco-products-and-selling-flavored-cigarettes-comes-into-force
Smoking Cessation Consultation
Clive Bates and Professor David Sweanor outline the role of tobacco harm reduction in a national smoking cessation strategy, in their submission to the US DHHS consultation on a new smoking cessation framework.
Read more here:
https://clivebates.com/documents/HHSSmokingCessationJuly2023.pdf
Stop Smoking Start Vaping
Dr Colin Mendelsohn's excellent book is now available for free download. The book dispels myths about vaping and outlines the evidence in an easy-to-read and authoritative manner with over 400 scientific references.
Download the book here:
https://colinmendelsohn.com.au/free-book/
Leading health experts urge lawmakers to reform vaping laws
45 experts in tobacco treatment, public health and addiction write to policymakers urging them to rethink Australia's disastrous vaping policy.
Read more here:
https://colinmendelsohn.com.au/anacad2/
Something to watch:
The Road to COP
Consumer advocates discuss COP10 and what consumers can do and what they should demand from their delegations who are going to Panama in November.
Global Forum on Nicotine 2023
Not to be missed! Sessions from this year’s GFN which took place in Warsaw.