The Month in Vaping News Thread

[freddo]

Hi guys,

Every month in this thread I'll publish a concise summary of the most important news from the vaping world. I hope some of you find it useful, it's easier than clicking through thread after thread. We'll start off with a news round-up from last month.

The Month in Vaping News - April 2015

We start off in America where California's Public Health department played dirty and embarked on a massive 5 year $75 million marketing campaign to discourage smokers from using e-cigs. The vaping community in California responded with their own self funded campaign that had industry and vapers alike, enthralled. To rub salt into California's Public Health claims, further positive evidence regarding e-cig use emerged demonstrating that refillable tanks are more successful for quitting tobacco, US teen use of harmful smoking declined because of e-cigs, and toxicity levels in e-cigs were once again confirmed to be 100 times lower than smoking. The integrity and honesty of so called “public health” organisations and “charities” was questioned in a number of media reports, plus last but not least the Vaping Truth Survey was published, providing the real answers that politicians and legislators simply don't want to acknowledge.

Still blowing smoke VS Not blowing smoke

They say that money is the root of all evil and in California and other states in America their reliance on tobacco blood money negotiated under the Master Settlement Agreement means that US States rely on tobacco funding. Subsequently the popularity of the less harmful e-cigarette, poses a real and uncomfortable problem. In short, if tobacco consumption falls, their income from the Master Settlement Agreement falls, so not exactly a good motivation to see tobacco smoking eliminated? Hence California's decision to embark on a 5 year $75 million marketing campaign, not to persuade tobacco smokers to actually quit smoking, but to scare smokers to not try or even use, what to date is the single most popular and effective means to quit smoking – namely the e-cigarette.

Their campaign titled “Stillblowingsmoke” included this information website. A brief description of the “publicity” campaign and cost can be found here. Leading experts around the world were quick to denounce the accuracy and blatant scare mongering of the media campaign. Dr Farsalinos probably the world's leading scientist researching e-cigarette safety/harm had this to say. The UK's own e-cigarette trade body attacked the claims and science found here. Even other UK newspaper columnists saw through the publicity mist and understood the real motives as described here. However the coup de grace was the Californian vapers fighting fire with fire by releasing their own self funded media campaign found here: notblowingsmoke.org/

Of particular note were these two superb video's which may explain and describe more accurately just what the Californian's Public Health departments real motivation is:





Refillable Tanks proving More Successful

The regulatory battle in the US is similar to the one being faced in the EU where legislators are attempting to curb the more popular and effective 2nd/3rd generation open systems (separate battery/tank/e-liquid options) but promote the Big Tobacco controlled, less effective ciggielikes. This study reported that open systems provide consumer options and give people the choice that makes giving up tobacco smoking more likely. Read more here and here

US youth e-cig use triples, but teen smokers at record low

If the proposed regulation for e-cigs are based on protecting our youth from a lifetime of tobacco cigarette addiction, then surely the fact that teen smokers are now at a record low would be a cause for celebration for Public Health and anti smoking organisations? Not quite it would appear as illustrated here. Read more on ACSH here.

Toxicity levels in e-cigs 100 times lower

With less young choosing to smoke harmful tobacco because of the emergence of e-cigs, the question for all parents may well be “If my children are going to experiment with smoking what ultimately is the lesser evil – smoking tobacco or vaping? Factually, total youth abstinence from smoking has proven to be nigh impossible, despite all the tobacco control and public health campaigns which to date have still not prevented our youth from experimenting with tobacco. There are around 1,570 new UK teens becoming tobacco smokers every day. This new study provides more evidence that vaping is indeed at least 95% less harmful than tobacco smoking: www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/269710/toxicity-levels-in-e-cigarettes-100-times-lower

“E-Cigarettes are making tobacco obsolete. So why ban them?”

With the general election looming it's not often that a House of Lords peer actually writes some sense. In this informative and sensible Spectator article Matt Ridley aka Viscount Ridley explains logically why e-cigs should be widely promoted and not curbed by excessive regulations or bans. The article can be found here

Vaping Truth Survey

Finally, you may well be interested in reading the conclusions of the largest vapers survey so far conducted. In excess of 7000 vapers from around the world answered a series of questions regarding their vaping habits and reasons for vaping. Highly informative and interesting insight which can be found here