NEWS
SHORTFILLS
Six pages filled with short vape-related stories and research making news from around the world .
OUR LIVES … YOUR RESPONSIBLILITY
Over 15,000 Canadians hit back at draft federal regulations to ban flavoured vaping products . Consumers and experts responded to the Rights4Vapers petition , condemning Health Canada ’ s anti-vaping proposal and highlighting that flavours help smokers quit and stay off cigarettes . Rights4Vaper ’ s Maria Papaioannoy said : “ Health Canada and the government have a responsibility to protect the health of all Canadians … but these new regulations will only drive vapers back to smoking .” To learn more , check out our story ‘ Is Canada about to squander ‘ the greatest harm reduction opportunity of a lifetime ?’ later in this issue .
REVERSE THIS ‘ MISGUIDED ’ BAN
New Zealand ’ s ‘ misguided ’ flavour ban will cost lives and hinder the country ’ s ambitious smoke-free target , warn experts . While specialist shops can still sell flavoured products , supermarkets , convenience stores and other general retailers are now limited to mint , menthol and tobacco . Harm reduction advocate Nancy Loucas said access to reduced risk alternatives should be ‘ easier , not harder .’ She said : “ If this slows down our national goal to be smokefree … the Government needs to be prepared to do the right thing and reverse it .”
‘ SHOCKINGLY IGNORANT ’
American doctors remain ‘ shockingly ignorant ’ about nicotine , with 75 percent believing it causes heart disease and cancer . New research from the Rutgers School of Public Health revealed : “ The proportion of surveyed physicians who believe that nicotine directly contributes to these health outcomes is alarmingly high .” Lead author Dr Michelle Manderski said : “ It is very important for physicians to understand the relative harm between nicotine and the other 7,000 toxins in tobacco smoke .”
OUT OF FLAVOUR
All flavoured tobacco and vaping products have been banned in Washington DC , despite intense opposition . Harm reduction advocates , alongside drug reform activists , published an open letter highlighting the dangers of the ban . Queen Adesuyi of the Drugs Policy Alliance said : “ Banning flavoured tobacco products will not make these products , or the desire for them , disappear . Substance bans simply make using and acquiring them more dangerous and risky .”
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