Shortfills

Four pages filled with short vape-related stories and research making news from around the world.

Shortfill section editor: Jordan Millar

THERE GOES THE ‘GATEWAY’ THEORY THEN

Vaping can help smokers quit…even if they have no intention of doing so. Researchers from America’s Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center focused on adults who were content with smoking. They discovered that, by switching to daily vaping, people were eight times more likely to quit than those who carried on smoking. Dr Andrew Hyland from the Roswell Park Center said: “These findings are paradigmshifting, because the data suggest that vaping may actually help people who are not actively trying to quit smoking.”

FISH & QUITS

As quit smoking methods go…this has to be the most unusual of them all. Scientists who exposed sleeping smokers to rotten fish and cigarette smells found that it helped them cut down. Test subjects who inhaled the foul odours for just one night, smoked 34 percent fewer cigarettes in the week that followed. However, unlucky volunteers who endured the smells while awake did not cut down at all, according to the study reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.

IT’S OFFICIAL

A UKVIA guide to retailers on how to keep within the law when selling disposable vape products has been certified by Trading Standards. The endorsement means the advice - developed in partnership with Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards Service – can be considered official guidance. A spate of counterfeit and illegal disposables have entered the market in recent months and many non-specialist retailers are confused about what is and isn’t allowed. The three-page guide explains the UK regulations in everyday language.

THE VAPOUROUND AWARDS ARE BACK!

The seventh annual Vapouround Awards are coming…and we’re returning to Birmingham - the birthplace of our prestigious show - for a night of celebration. Running alongside The Vaper Expo UK – one of the biggest exhibitions in Europe – our must-attend event is sure to be packed with networking opportunities and plenty of laughs. Patrick Griffin, Vapouround Magazine Editor, said: “Last year is going to be tough to beat but we’re up to the challenge. “I can’t wait to see all those familiar faces – and some new ones too – both at Vaper Expo UK and at this year’s Vapouround Awards.”

PLAYING CATCH-UP

Northern Ireland has banned the sale of vape products for under 18s for the first time since they became available in 2007. Alliance Party health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw said the belated move demonstrated how Northern Ireland was ‘playing catch-up’ with the rest of the UK. She said: “Many parents will be surprised that under 18s have been able to purchase e-cigarettes legally for so long.” From February 1, shopkeepers can also be fined up to £5,000 if convicted of making underage vape sales.

UNITED VOICES

One of vaping’s biggest myths is that Public Health England are the only people saying that e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than smoking. However, Irish advocacy group Respect Vapers has set the record straight on social media. It tweeted: “When you hear people dismiss the PHE findings that vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking, just remember that they are not alone.” Other major bodies endorsing the findings include The Royal College of Physicians, the British Medical Association, ASH UK and Cancer Research UK.

KEEPING IT GREEN

The Vapouround team is adding a new category to its roster of prestigious awards ahead of this year’s show – Best Sustainable Initiative. By recognising the most eco-conscious and greenthinking brands in our industry, this award celebrates a dedication to harm reduction for smokers…and for the planet. To hear more on our new award, as well as this year’s not-to-be-missed event, check out our story ‘Seven years of celebration’ later in this issue.

DON’T FORGET THE SMOKERS

The vape industry has ‘forgotten’ that its main goal is to help smokers switch to a less harmful alternative, World Vape Show London was told. Public health expert Konstantinos Farsalinos said: “The industry seems to be adjusting itself to satisfying the needs of established vapers. It has forgotten that we need to expand to the millions of people who are still smoking combustible products.” He said there was evidence of a shift back on track, but warned that more needed to be done to encourage smokers to switch.

STOP THESE AT-TAX ON VAPING

Plans for punitive new e-cigarette taxes in South Africa could ‘increase vape prices by up to 200 percent’ the World Vapers’ Alliance has warned. The consumer advocacy group also believes the proposals could push around 23 percent of the country’s 350,000 vapers back to smoking. Vape products are currently unregulated in South Africa, but the government wants to bring them into its existing tobacco control laws.

LET US SWITCH

Nine-out-of-ten Filipino smokers want new government policies to encourage smokers to switch to vaping and other less harmful alternatives, says a consumer study. New laws to regulate reduced-risk smoking alternatives are currently awaiting Presidential approval. The legislation would ban sales, promotion or advertising close to schools and playgrounds to ensure that minors don’t have access to vape products. Tobacco harm reduction groups said the new law could help save 16 million lives in the Philippines.

B-ARMY ANTI-VAPE MESSAGE

A tweet from the US Army’s Public Health Center sparked fury online after it spread the ‘irresponsible’ message that adult smokers should avoid smokefree products. It featured a cartoon of a vape and cigarette, warning that nicotine is ‘addictive’ and ‘harmful’ no matter how it’s delivered. Greg Conley of the American Vaping Association said: “Thrilled to see the US Army has joined the vaping wars and doesn’t feel a responsibility to give complete and accurate information to people who are willing to die for their country.”

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?

In his latest – and final – SPOTLIGHT on Canada, celebrated director Aaron Biebert gave a sombre look at the country’s anti-vaping landscape. Throughout the ‘Without Us’ mini-doc, Biebert reflected on his own time investigating harm reduction in Canada and heard from doctors, experts and activists who all passionately defended vaping. Biebert also highlighted that the vaping community is being ‘bullied, shamed and ignored’, all while the short film’s haunting soundtrack asked: ‘How did it come to this?’

A MAGIC BULLET?

If you could travel through 360 different realities, vaping could help you quit smoking in 357 of them, new research has found. University of Michigan scientists used complex computer modelling, based on real world data, to determine the effectiveness of vaping in hundreds of possible scenarios. The study - A Magic Bullet? The Potential Impact of E-Cigarettes on the Toll of Cigarette Smoking - concluded: “On average, vaping-induced quitters gain an extra 1.2 to two years of life compared to smokers who quit without vaping.”

EVERYONE DESERVES HARM REDUCTION

The UK’s leading vape advocacy group has teamed-up with Ipswich Night Shelter to help homeless people kick the habit. A number of UK Vaping Industry Association members – including Riot Labs, Oxford Vapours and V2 Cigs, have already donated hundreds of vape products under the partnership. The Ipswich Night Shelter has also set-up a designated vaping room to further help guests on their quitting journeys. Ben Johnson of Riot Squad said: “Harm reduction should touch all parts of society and we’re committed to helping people quit…no matter what their circumstances.”

THE REAL COST OF SMOKING

Smoking costs England’s society an eyewatering £17 billion every year - £5 billion more than previously estimated – warns shocking new data. The Action on Smoking and Health report stressed that cigarettes and tobacco addiction are a significant burden, draining the NHS of more than £2 billion in annual funding alone. It also revealed that loss of productivity from smoking-related illness and death clocks in at over £13 billion and ‘fire costs’ total almost £300 million. The report added that, if England could ‘stub out smoking for good’, it could generate around 500,000 jobs and millions in public finances.

TAXED TO DEATH?

The Canadian government is being accused of putting tobacco tax revenues ahead of saving smokers’ lives. Geoff Russ, writing in The National Post, said vaping was the ‘biggest threat’ to tobacco tax revenues. He wrote: “Switching from cigarettes to vapes got millions away from inhaling deadly carcinogens. So why are Canadian governments so keen on punishing vapers and the vaping industry with new taxes and regulations? “Federal and provincial governments love the revenue tobacco brings them and will fight to protect it — even if it means high rates of smoking and more deaths.”

BILLY’S NIGHTMARE CONTINUES

Brit Billy Hood, jailed in Dubai after police found CBD vape liquid in his car, has had his prison sentence cut from 25 years to 10. The 25-year-old Londoner, who said the e-liquid belonged to a friend, is a former semi-professional footballer who moved to Dubai to coach young soccer players. His anguished mother Breda Guckion said: “Billy has done nothing wrong. He’s been told the charges against him have been dropped yet he is still there for another ten years...it’s heart-breaking.”

WHEN VAPING GETS TOO POPULAR… BAN FLAVOURS

Lithuania will ban flavoured e-liquids from July… apparently because vaping is becoming too popular in the country. Its MPs voted to ban all flavours, except tobacco, to reduce the appeal of e-cigarettes. Critics say it makes no sense to discourage vaping, especially as around 28 percent of Lithuanians smoke – five percent higher than the EU average. It is also illegal to sell e-liquids containing additives, vitamins, caffeine or other stimulating compounds under current laws.

THIS SHOULD BE EASY

US regulators are being told that allowing smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives should be an ‘easy decision’ to make. A briefing paper from lobbyists, ‘Citizens Against Government Waste’, said current US government policy made no sense. It said: “The success of THR products in England, Sweden, and other countries should be followed to help reduce the harm caused by smoking cigarettes. Yet Congress and federal bureaucrats have instituted regressive taxes, strict regulations and outright bans on harm reduction products.”

QUIT-E THE STRUGGLE

Smoking doesn’t just impact physical health but can ‘wreak havoc on your self-esteem and mental wellbeing’ too, say vape advocates. Longtime smoker turned harm reduction activist Janine Timmons recently tweeted about the toll that failed quitting attempts can have on your self-worth. She said: “With every failed attempt I felt worse and resigned myself to an abbreviated life…but quitting in two weeks by switching to vaping restored my self-pride.” Hundreds flocked to the post, echoing the message that kicking the habit through vaping can liberate smokers and praising Janine for shedding light on the often-overlooked struggle.