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Health and science
The science and non-science of vaping – and a heart-stopper just for the boys
2nd March 2022 - Blogs |
We hear a lot these days, especially from politicians, about “following the science” – which must be a lot better, surely, than merely following the politicians. But it’s not unproblematic
Regulatory report: Argentina, March 2022
1st March 2022 - Country regulatory reports , Regulatory reports |
The sale of e-cigarettes has been banned in Argentina since 2011. Vaping is forbidden in the same public places as smoking. Several bills concerning e-cigs are unlikely to pass
Australian authorised vaping prescribers skyrocket, but so do black markets
24th February 2022 - News analysis |
The number of authorised prescribers for nicotine vaping products in Australia has skyrocketed since regulations changed. However, critics say this has also led to a booming black market
Regulatory report: Austria, February 2022
16th February 2022 - Country regulatory reports , Regulatory reports |
Austrian legislation regulates both nicotine-free and nicotine-containing e-cigarette products. This report includes the latest updates and proposals for regulation and the result of some court appeals
European Parliament prepares for first vote on anti-cancer recommendations
8th February 2022 - News analysis |
The European Parliament’s first debate on the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA)’s report into how to strengthen Europe’s fight against cancer will take place on 15th February
Survey finds growing number of English authorities offer e-cigarettes to smokers
7th February 2022 - News analysis |
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of local authorities in England offering e-cigarettes to smokers in a bid to help them quit smoking, according to a new survey
French public health council reverses its endorsement of vaping to quit smoking
2nd February 2022 - News analysis |
France’s High Council for Public Health has revised its 2016 opinion on e-cigarettes, now saying there is not sufficient evidence to recommend vaping for smoking cessation
INNCO calls for health assessments and user input before flavour bans
20th January 2022 - News analysis |
INNCO urged policymakers to conduct health impact studies involving consumers and producers if flavour bans are being debated
Robert Califf’s FDA nomination is approved at committee stage
19th January 2022 - News analysis |
Califf’s bid to be the first permanent FDA leader under president Joe Biden comes amid ongoing calls by politicians for more regulation of tobacco and the cigarette industry
Independent study confirms previous findings over smoke and vapour toxicity
14th January 2022 - News analysis |
A new paper successfully replicates three key studies comparing the toxicity of cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapour on lung tissues
Officials on both sides of the Atlantic caught in an old nicotine delusion
13th January 2022 - Blogs |
Is nicotine really the big baddie when it comes to tobacco products and their alternatives? Some people in positions of authority – people you might think ought to know better – still seem to think so
Wales remains vague on vaping as it plans a route to a smoke-free future
10th January 2022 - News analysis |
The Welsh government has launched a public consultation over its long-term tobacco control strategy
2021 reviewed: false dawn for vaping, or some light showing at the tunnel’s end?
10th January 2022 - News analysis |
Could 2021 be remembered as the year we first started to see some light at the end of the tunnel? Only time will tell for sure, but there were clues
How smokers with no plans to quit may hold the key to e-cigs’ future regulation
5th January 2022 - Blogs |
An original and potentially highly significant piece of peer-reviewed research published last week could – and should – have an impact on the way e-cigarettes are regarded and regulated in the US
Study finds flavours draw young people to e-cigs, but no onward link to smoking
5th January 2022 - News analysis |
A new study has concluded that although flavours are an “important motivator” for e-cigarette uptake among young people, there is no evidence to associate them with a move to smoking tobacco
End of the ban? Brazil nearing a decision at last on regulation of e-cigarettes
3rd January 2022 - News analysis |
Brazil seems close to clarifying a future legal path for tobacco alternatives in a regulatory process expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022
A dying habit? New Zealand backs vaping in bold plan to kill off smoking for good
22nd December 2021 - Blogs |
New Zealand has designated a cohort of young people – those who will be 14 or younger when the government’s proposed law comes into effect – who will never be old enough to smoke
UK’s public health establishment mostly welcomes NICE guidance on e-cigs
9th December 2021 - News analysis |
The British public health sector has broadly welcomed the updated guidance from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Could cocaine vapes be a smart new way to crack an old addiction problem?
8th December 2021 - Blogs |
It may have originated as an alternative means of administering nicotine, avoiding the dangers of smoking, but vaping technology has many other potential uses – most notably for the delivery of other kinds of drug
NICE advice says smokers should ‘stop completely’ – and then quit e-cigs too
30th November 2021 - News analysis |
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published new recommendations on how to help promote quitting smoking, and how to introduce tools such as e-cigarettes into conversations with smokers
What lies behind Filipino health officials’ spat with the country’s COP9 delegation?
24th November 2021 - Blogs |
Conflict between public health concerns and political-economic interests seems to be the main reason behind an internal dispute between the Philippine delegation to COP9 and officials at the country’s Department of Health
Will Califf and the Biden administration really heed the science on e-cigarettes?
18th November 2021 - Blogs |
Robert Califf, US president Joe Biden’s choice to take up leadership of the FDA again, has unfinished business with the agency – and with e-cigarettes in particular
While WHO won’t even talk about them, UK prepares for e-cigs on prescription
4th November 2021 - Blogs |
The timing, one clear week before the opening of COP9, the latest (virtual) gathering of the parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), was interesting
UK health authorities pave the way for prescription-only stronger e-cigs
2nd November 2021 - News analysis |
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is backing the idea of e-cigarettes as a licensed therapy, available on prescription for smokers who want to quit
An ‘epidemic’ of double-think among the anti-vaping brigade – and not just in US
21st October 2021 - Blogs |
Public handwringing about the alleged “epidemic” of youth vaping has become tantamount to an epidemic itself – and and here’s a striking example from Bangladesh
Australian GPs expect surge in patients as prescription scheme comes into force
30th September 2021 - News analysis |
Australian doctors anticipate an increase in appointments with patients wanting prescriptions for nicotine e-cigarettes after new regulations come into force
Reporting disorder: don’t let the facts get in the way of a good bad-news story
22nd September 2021 - Blogs |
Politicians and all those who lay down the law have become very fond of talking about “following the science”. Which sounds like a good idea, right? Well, yes, as long as it’s good science and not a bad report of it
Canada’s approach to vaping regulation and flavours lies in the election balance
20th September 2021 - News analysis |
One of the first tasks facing Canada’s incoming health minister will be the implementation of a new set of federal regulations for vaping products – which may or may not include a planned ban on flavours
BAT urges Middle Eastern governments to adopt tobacco harm reduction
17th September 2021 - News analysis |
British American Tobacco (BAT) is engaging with national authorities in the Middle East to encourage adoption of tobacco harm reduction (THR) policies
NRT and e-cigarettes work best in combination, says UK agency
16th September 2021 - News analysis |
A UK smoking cessation body says a combination of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and vaping products can be more effective than either on their own in helping smokers quit – though e-cigarettes alone come very close
MEPs table amendments to include harm reduction in European cancer report
14th September 2021 - News analysis |
Three Italian members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are hoping to introduce the concept of harm reduction into a strategy report by the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA)
The FDA can’t win on PMTAs. But should it really be taking the fight to flavours?
2nd September 2021 - Blogs |
It’s hard to argue against the view that packaging and advertising e-cigarette products in a “kid-friendly” way is irresponsible. But are flavours in themselves innately kid-friendly?
Quit success double but smoking by young adults up in first UK lockdown
26th August 2021 - News analysis |
A study by Cancer Research UK has found that the success rate of attempts to quit smoking in England almost doubled during the first Covid-19 lockdown, while smoking by young adults increased by almost 25%
WHO puts its case against e-cigarettes: time to round up the usual suspects
5th August 2021 - Blogs |
In the heavyweight battle over e-cigarettes between the World Health Organization and the world’s vaping advocates, does anyone really have incontrovertible evidence on their side?
WHO urges governments to impose tough e-cigarette regulation and tax
29th July 2021 - News analysis |
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning about “addictive” e-cigarettes and said they should be strictly regulated and taxed by governments to protect public health
Smoking, vaping and driving – a question of risk perception vs relative true risk
29th July 2021 - Blogs |
When a driver dropped a lit cigarette into his lap it could have caused a tragic traffic accident: are such perils the real reason to quit smoking? And are facial injuries a key argument against e-cigs?
WHO anti-tobacco report takes new aim at e-cigarettes and ‘emerging products’
27th July 2021 - News analysis |
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its eighth report on “the global tobacco epidemic”, for the first time presenting facts, figures – and opinion – on new and emerging products such as e-cigarettes
MPs demand new plan for e-cigs to help achieve ‘smoke-free’ target for England
27th July 2021 - News analysis |
MPs have called on the UK government to present “ambitious plans” for vaping products if they want a chance of hitting the target of a smoke-free country by 2030 – a target public health experts consider unreachable
Cannabis vape entrepreneur aims to make his device ‘the medical Nespresso’
23rd July 2021 - News analysis |
London-listed Kanabo has launched the first medical cannabis vaping product in the UK in a move the company’s founder hopes will ultimately revolutionise the way medicines are administered
Vaping has yet to find its Bogart – and perhaps it’s really better that way
9th July 2021 - Blogs |
In the old movies, smoking was both normal and cool. Is it possible to imagine vaping having the same on-screen glamour?
China confirms its suspicious attitude towards ‘unsafe’ and ‘harmful’ e-cigs
25th June 2021 - News analysis |
Chinese authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) have concluded that e-cigarettes are both “unsafe” and “harmful” in a report that assesses the health risk of vaping products
In the great e-cig flavours battle, there’s evidence to support every point of view
25th June 2021 - Blogs |
On one side, the firmly-held belief that they entice youth into vaping. On the other, the equally strong view that they are vital in weaning smokers off their deadly habit. So what does the science say about flavours? It’s complicated
Think tank accuses WHO of ‘ideological’ opposition to vaping ahead of COP9
23rd June 2021 - News analysis |
The UK-based Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is to host a webinar arguing that the anti-vaping policies of the World Health Organization (WHO) are driven by ideology not science, and damaging to public health
E-cigs vs Covid: never mind the science, let’s all just follow our instincts instead
18th June 2021 - Blogs |
Is vaping or smoking a risk factor for Covid-19 – or could it even be protective? Your answer to that question may say more about you than it does about the science
Europe-wide survey finds great majority of vapers have managed to quit smoking
11th June 2021 - News analysis |
A new survey from the organisation European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (ETHRA) has revealed that more than eight out of ten among a sample of more than 35,000 vapers have successfully given up smoking
Study reveals the research flaws that make science on e-cigs hard to trust
10th June 2021 - News analysis |
Scientific research into vaping is frequently beset by fundamental flaws that make it difficult to trust, according to a new study of prominent articles in medical journals
To vape or not to vape – that’s not the only question for the globally-focused WHO
4th June 2021 - Blogs |
Advocates for e-cigarettes are often infuriated with the position taken by the World Health Organization towards vaping – but might there be some fair reason behind the WHO’s less-than-enthusiastic stance?
New UK health body is not expected to change direction set by PHE on vaping
3rd June 2021 - News analysis |
The recent shake-up of the UK’s health sector with the replacement of Public Health England (PHE) is not expected to substantially change the country’s support of vaping – and may even take it further
