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Quit Smoking by Vaping more

Have you been trying to quit smoking? There have been many techniques and products available to assist smokers in their determibned effort to kick the habit, some more effective than others. Now, the new trend of vaping has been shown by studies to be an effective method in helping smokers quit or cut down on their daily tobacco comsumption.

Recent studies have shown that vapers using tank type e-cigarettes are more likely to quit smoking cigarettes.
Tank e-cigarettes can be refilled with e-liquids as opposed to the original e-cigarettes (imitation type cigarettes) that also use cartridges.
The study showed that daily use with Tanks are more likely to help smokers quit. The more you vaped with tanks the more likely you will quit smoking rather than trying to quit with infrequent vaping.

The study conducted by Ann McNeill, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London concluded that for those wanting to quit smoking use e-cigarettes more frequently and actively try to stop smoking.

There were two studies done on around 1500 smokers in Britain in December 2012 and the subjects of the study were followed up one year later in 2013.

The first study found that of those who vaped daily with e-cigarettes 65% tried to quit smoking the following year whereas only 44% tried to quit that did not vape. Further, of the daily vapers 14% had cut down on their consumption of tobacco by at least 50% and of the non vapers it was a mere 6%.

The second study of 587 people using e-cigarettes, after a year, 24% of them used the tank models. Of The tank model vapers almost 1/3 had quit smoking. Of the e-cigarette vapers only 1/8 had managed to quit.

It is hard to draw a hard conclusion why Tanks perform better than e-cigarettes.  It could be that they are more economical than e-cigarettes and/or that the refillable nature means more control on choice and nicotine strength.

Linda Bauld, a professor of health policy at the University of Stirling added that the studies contributed to the growing literature on e-cigarettes. She concluded that what we do know is: the type of device, the frequency of use and how much nicotine it contains all contribute to quitting smoking.

Martin McKee, a professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, added that it appears vaping can seriously change the tobacco industry, however a precautionary approach by all health authorities is still justifed.

quit smoking – infographic

Checkout the infographic below which shows the findings of the study, illustrating the effectiveness of vaping to quit smoking and how e-cigs compare to tanks:

infographic showing effectiveness of ecigs vs tanks when quitting smoking

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By steffanr

Studies on E-liquids and Cartridges

Further studies into flavouring is required.

Studies on popular flavours such as bubble gum, cotton candy, chocolate and so on in the US by Portland State University in Oregon: found that the flavouring chemicals comprised anywhere from 1 to 4 percent of the e-cigarette liquids, equivalent to about 10 to 40 mg/mL. Of the 24 compounds used, 6 are aldehydes known to have respiratory irritants. If you vape all day on one of these flavours using e-cigarette cartridges or e-liquid, the exposure is above the safety guideline limit.
The flavours are originally based on consumption and your stomach is a different organs than your lungs. Further studies are required to investigate the effects of flavours with e-cigarettes.

The threat of formaldehydes

A study published into a study into the formaldehyde with e-cigarettes that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in January 2015: identified that the risk was significantly more with high voltage setting hardware.
So clearly it makes no sense to have high voltage hardware set to the highest setting.
Regulations are needed, know the ingredients
It is clear that tighter regulations are needed on the flavourings used in e-cigarette cartridges and e-liquids. Further studies are needed on inhaling as compared to edible flavourings. Clear labelling of ingredients and maybe limiting the amount of added flavouring, possibly reducing the flavourings such as Bubble Gum that appeals to the younger generation. E-liquids and e-cigarette cartridges should be made in EU with full traceability on all ingredients used.

What do we know so far

“We really have no idea about the potential health consequences yet,” said Dr. Avrum Spira, professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. He added “The prevailing wisdom is that they’re less harmful than cigarettes.

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By steffanr

The Tobacco Products Directive

The EU Tobacco Products Directive is almost here and will change the way you vape

Until recently vapers and ecig smokers have been able to vape without worrying about irrational and unchallenged regulations foisted upon them.
This has allowed countless cigarette and tobacco smokers to substitute quite a harmful method of acquiring nicotine with a more healthier nicotine delivery method – namely electronic cigarettes. A revolution which has been welcomed by medical professionals and government officials.

However, this is all set to change with upcoming regulation across Europe, including UK which will enforce the revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). The TPD will class e-cigs and flavours as tobacco products.

The Tobacco Products Directive (TPD)

The EU Tobacco Products Directive was first put together in 2001 with the aim to reduce tobacco usage across Europe and in particular in younger generations. Since then the directive has introduced legislation for plain packaging, large and graphic health warnings along with tighter age restrictions.

ECigs and the Tobacco Products Directive

In a controversial move in 2014 – behind closed doors the decision was made to add electronic cigarettes to the list of Tobacco products to be regulated by the TPD. The move at the time repeatedly failed to attract enough support to revise the directive. Eventually however, the regulation of electronic cigarettes was bundled together with other regulations related to tobacco products (such as plain packaging) in a bid to get it enough votes to include ecigs in the directive.

The revised Tobacco Products Directive, in particular Article 20 proposes the regulation of ecigs as a Tobacco product and therefore introduce measures to regulate how ecig products are sold, advertised and presented.

Some of the new rules to be introduced are as follows

  • A maximum nicotine strength

    Until now ecig smokers and vapers have had the freedom to choose the strength of Nicotine in their e-liquids. If regulation passes,
    this freedom will soon become a historical privilege as new rules will prevent nicotine strengths greater than 20mg to be sold – as outlined in the Tobacco Products Directive .

  • ECigs must deliver a consistent dose of nicotine

    In practice this is almost impossible to implement, no current ecig device can deliver a consistent dose with each draw. The strength and duration of each draw varies and so will the nicotine concentration. Even tobacco cigarettes are not required to comply with this impractical and unworkable requirement!

  • Limits on maximum refill sizes

    Again, another requirement in the Tobacco Products Directive which defies sensibilities. For those who have exercised their freedoms to save a little money in the past by purchasing larger container or sizes of e-liquids, this new regulation will limit refill sizes to 10ml.

  • Maximum size of cartridges and tanks

    We’ve struggled to find a reason to support this, but this regulation will require all tanks and cartridges to be limited to 2ml. This spells a less than welcomed end to the use of larger tanks currently in use.

  • ECigs and refill containers must prevent leakage

    This one is open to interpretation. This legislation requires all ecigs and refill containers to implement technology which prevents leaking during refill. This is mostly controlled by the user and why a little leakage is such an issue remains unknown. In our view most ecig users are competent enough to be able to handle such minor incidences.

  • ECigs products may be prohibited based on the decision of a few

    It will only take the decision of 3 members states of the EU to decide if a product is a health risk and if it should be prohibited in all EU member states.

The Tobacco Products Directive rules above, along with more red tape regulations found in the directive will come to force in 2016.

Unless ECigs become a licensed medical product both the Ecig industry and ecig users will be hugely and negatively impacted by many of the unjustified regulations proposed in the Tobacco Products Directive.

How it will affect you

  • Larger refill containers over 10ml will be banned
  • variable voltage and watt devices may be banned as the TPD requires a consistent dose of nicotine to be delivered under normal use
  • Your choice to vape eliquids in higher strengths above 20mg will be banned
  • All refillable products may be banned as they cannot ensure leakage free refilling
  • Due to the additional red tape regulations requiring companies to provide detailed information about their eliquids along with some physically un-measurable components such as “addictiveness” will mean a far smaller choice of eliquids and flavours may be available to the consumer.

Final thoughts

Vapers making their voices heardAs tobacco users, we have reluctantly and self loathing fed our addiction to Nicotine with products that have damaging, well understood negative health effects. However, finally a substitute is now available for that smoker, with far fewer of the harmful and toxic chemicals of the traditional tobacco products. Smokers now have a way to continue to indulge in their nicotine addiction with a product that has been welcomed by most as a breath of fresh air.

New regulations are seeking to suppress the availability of these “superior to tobacco devices”, forcing many back into the dark and dangerous days of smoking traditional cigarettes. This will no doubt be a victory for cigarette and pharmaceutical companies. It will protect their income and revenue which they make from the smoking industry. Governments will continue to receive tax from tobacco sales, something which ecigs threaten in the short term and even greater in the future.

It’s not so difficult to see these regulations are not designed to protect the consumer nor does it have the health of the consumer as it’s central concern; but a means to implement regulations to ensure the continued revenue from cigarette products for the larger companies and governments which are seeking to protect their self interests and income.

Maybe some hope

One ecig company in the UK has recently won the right to challenge the directive in court, the outcome of which will be known soon. It’s a small hope when facing up against such large corporations so as a vaper you too can make your voice heard. The most effective way of making your voice heard is to write to your local MP letting them know your concerns over these new regulations.

References

Full details of article 20 in the Tobacco Products Directive can be read here.

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By steffanr

Country by Country Status on Vaping

A Global Legal Status

Please check if this article written in March 2015 is still current and valid before quoting us.

We have written a consensus country by country on vaping. We simplified it into three categories banned, permitted and unclear (which includes partial).

Electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, e-cigs and vaping are products sold as a smoking substitute. They don’t fall into the category of tobacco products or pharmaceutical products or even as a cessation product. Currently uncategorised they can be described as a product intended to deliver nicotine and or with flavour which can also be used as an alternative to smoking tobacco.
Pharmaceutical licenses are MA (Market Authorisation) to sell a product as a licensed medicinal product and to date no e-cigarette has such a license.

In some cases countries ban the commercial import but not the personal import of e-cigarettes and hence deliveries through the mail system are not affected.

Where is vaping banned? A Country by Country Status on Vaping

ARGENTINA – Banned.
AUSTRIA – Banned.
BRAZIL – Banned.
BRUNEI – Banned.
COLOMBIA – Banned.
INDONESIA – Banned.
JORDAN – Banned.
MALAYSIA – Banned.
MEXICO – Banned.
OMAN – Banned.
PANAMA – Banned.
SINGAPORE – Banned.
THAILAND – Banned.
TURKEY – Banned.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, UAE, including Dubai – Banned.
URUGUAY – Banned.
VENEZUELA – Banned.

Country by Country Status on Vaping : where it is permitted?

CHINA – Permitted; but may vary by region.
CZECH REPUBLIC – Permitted.
ESTONIA: Permitted
GERMANY – Permitted.
ISRAEL – Permitted.
ITALY – Permitted.
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF – Permitted.
LATVIA – Permitted.
MALTA – Permitted.
NETHERLANDS – Permitted.
POLAND – Permitted.
RUSSIA – Permitted.
TAJIKISTAN – Permitted.
UKRAINE – Permitted.
UNITED KINGDOM – Permitted.
UNITED STATES, USA – Permitted; but may vary by region.

Country by Country Status on Vaping : where it’s partial or unclear

AUSTRALIA – Partial permission. Permitted, if without nicotine.
BELGIUM – Partial permission. Permitted, if without nicotine.
CANADA Partial permission. Permitted, if without nicotine.
DENMARK – Partial permission. Permitted, if without nicotine.
FRANCE – Partial permission.

E-Cigarettes and nicotine liquid are considered to be consumer goods regulated by general product safety regulations, unless they meet the criteria for medical licensing: if they claim to be for smoking cessation; or if the amount of nicotine in the cartridge is greater than or equal to 10 mg; or if the nicotine strength in a refill is more than or equal to 20mg/ml.
http://www.afssaps.fr/Infos-de-securite/Communiques-Points-presse/L-Afss…
 

FINLAND – Partial permission. Nicotine-free liquids and e-cigarette devices can both be sold in Finland.
GREECE – Unclear.
HONG KONG – Partial permission. E-cigarettes containing nicotine are classified as licensable poison products and prohibited.
IRAN – Unclear.
JAPAN – Partial permission. E-cigarettes with nicotine are banned because they are classed as unlicensed medical products.
MAURITIUS – Unclear.
NEW ZEALAND – Partial permission. Zero-nicotine products are permitted.
NORWAY – Partial Ban. The Norwegian Tobacco Act forbids the sale of new tobacco products and/or nicotine products, a classification that they claim encompasses ecig products. Imports from EU countries are generally accepted.
SOUTH AFRICA – Unclear.
SWEDEN – Partial permission. E-cigarettes and nicotine-free cartridges may be sold, but nicotine-containing refills are prohibited.
SWITZERLAND – Partial permission. Zero-nicotine products are permitted.

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By steffanr

Taxes and categories of Nicotine

There are two ways to tax e-cigarettes (e-cigs) : direct and indirect taxes. Taxes and categories of nicotine makes sense in that you first establish how to segment this new industry, then raise taxes fairly. Currently there are five jurisdictions that tax nicotine containing liquids or e-cigarettes. In the US there are Minnesota and North Carolina, in Europe theres Italy and Portugal, in Asia there is South Korea. In the main most other countries raise taxes on e-cigarettes through indirect taxes such as sales tax.

How are each dealt with?

Take South Korea, the government made a new category and added an excise tax of $1.09 per one milliliter of e-liquid and started collecting as of January 2015. Portugal also levied a tax in January along with a new category, of 0.60€ per ml. North Carolina established a “Vapor Tax” of USD 0.05 per 1 milliliter of nicotine-containing liquid. In the same vain Italy started in January with a new category and yield of 0.37 € per ml. However something rotten brews in Italy. While the new levy doubles the prices of e-liquids it helps giants such as Philip Morris International. Why? Simply because it puts the same levy on tobacco products such as Marlboro HeatSticks. This coincides with Philip Morris launching a 500 Million Euro factory in Italy.

HeatSticks vs E-cigarettes

Many scientists agree that e-cigarettes are probably safer than conventional cigarettes. However other new devices such as Marlboro HeatSticks do use tobacco and have not yet been tested to the same degree. Unless studies prove they are as safe as e-cigs, e-cig firms say, they should not be taxed at the lower rate in Italy.
Valerio Forconi, Corporate Affairs and Legal Director in the Italian branch of tobacco giant Imperial Tobacco, says the principle of the tax is wrong.
Fontem Ventures, a subsidiary of Imperial, plans to launch a new e-cig in Rome in March. While they do not object to the new tax they strongly disagree that HeatSticks are treated the same way.

This makes Italy perhaps “the only country in the world” that effectively gives Philip Morris a tax discount on smoking.

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By steffanr

The Guardian on vaping

Vaping is not proven  to be healthy however they’re not as harmful or dangerous as tobacco reports The Guardian on 23rd February 2015.

A report by Linda Bauld , Professor of Health Policy at the University of Stirling and Deputy Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, was published by The Guardian on vaping. 
“There is no proof to date that vaping is as dangerous as tobacco. This is one of the underlying facts.”
Smoking tobacco will shorten lives by on average 10 years, further, secondary smoke particles exhaled contain tar particles and some toxic gases that can affect those in the near vacinity.
It has been acknowledged by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the Medicines Healthcare Regulatory Association that e-cigarettes are safer than continued tobacco smoking. This is a fact and one that is supported by tobacco control organisations in the UK. To state otherwise is false.
The Guardian on vaping continued with :
“This does not mean e-cigarettes are risk free, but few things are. What it does mean is that their use is safer than continued smoking.”

Is Liquid Nicotine safe?

Liquid nicotine comes from the same tobacco leaf and the main danger today is if the packaging is not child safe. However let us not forget that there are many poisons in our everyday household products.

The Guardian on vaping continued with some interesting fact from US:  there were 2.6 million calls to poison control centres in 2013 and 0.06% of these related to nicotine products including e-liquids.  We do agree that these e-liquids need to be safely packaged and clearly labelled, and users need to keep these products away from children.

Should it be banned in public places?

One fact to consider here is that vaping vapour is not the same as second hand smoke. It is not smoke, it is vapour and there is no good evidence that exposure is harmful to bystanders (particularly outside, as in NHS grounds). Let us not state otherwise.
We believe it is not long before an electronic cigarette (or equivalent)  will be licensed as a cessation device- then such public bans will be unworkable.
What we don’t want now is to discourage smokers from trying a device that could stop them from smoking….reports The Guardian on vaping in their February 23rd article.
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By steffanr

The Spectator on vaping

Very interesting and well written piece of news for our industry from the Spectator on vaping. The Spectator debates the challenges faced by e-cigs, vaping and other innovative ways of delivering nicotine without the dangers of burning tobacco. Some interesting statistics also reveal how the popular Swedish ‘snus’ which provides an alternative to burning tobacco has lowered the death rate of men in Sweden to the lowest in Europe. Despite the health benefits of snus compared to Tobacco most of Europe has made the use of snus illegal. The Spectator takes a look at the Swedish phenomena in relation to the current debate on e-cigs and vaping.

E-Cig users and vapers will find the article well worth reading and the facts presented in the article would be useful in educating general opinion on e-cigs and vaping:

Read: E-Cigarettes Saves Live

And check out the video they posted in their article: youtube clip

The Spectator on Vaping – The bottom line

The bottom line for the Spectator on vaping is that Tobacco kills and Nicotine does not. The article has done well to strengthen their position on the health benefits of e-cigs with numerous facts and figures.

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By steffanr

Politics of e-cigarettes

In the last week we have seen further discussions on e-cigarettes, in this blog we refer to the politics of e-cigarettes for many reasons.  It first started with the study of mice that was published in various newspapers and online forums.

Interesting to read the BBC news feed which stated that “In experiments on mice, scientists found that e-cigarette vapour could harm the lungs and make them more susceptible to respiratory infections.”

The word that must be stressed here is could, similar to ‘maybe’, which means that it is not a fact. On the daily feed from vaping news the story evolved into facts.The screen shot

Politics of e-cigarettes the recent headlines shows how it transformed into a fact. See how BBC news “could” becomes Sky News “Are”…

THE POLITICS OF E-CIGARETTES

The ongoing debate of e-cigarettes spilled over into the Parliament and naturally lead to further Politics of e-cigarettes. In light of all the negative publicity last week, e-cigarettes can be used in Parliament. MPs and staff will be allowed to vape in three areas- these are the Portcullis House building, MP’s offices and their main pub Stranger’s.

ON GOING DEBATE

Circulating on facebook and newspapers are surveys and perceptions of addictions and bad habits. Last week we came across the public vs scientists’ views

chart showing public and science opinions on drug harm

Further, the Mirror has continued to ask the public opinion, should e-cigarettes be banned. Image posted for the update as of 10th April 2015.

should e-cigs be banned? survey on mirror.co.uk

The Politics of E-cigarettes continues…

 

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By steffanr
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