Commentary
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Clive Bates | 31 August 2013
We are approaching make or break time of the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive – the ‘first reading’ of the proposal is coming up. Here’s my take on the process.
What is the overall process? The TPD is following the ‘ Ordinary Legislative Procedure‘.
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Clive Bates | 26 August 2013
Not content with one humiliating climbdown this year (see its apology) , the Mail seems determined to press on for another with the ludicrous article above on 26 August. I complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the one in January (see full details here) and have just complained about this one.
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Clive Bates | 12 August 2013
I have written to the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee to follow up on the appearance of the Minister for Public Health (see: Write to Anna Soubry about e-cigarettes for my take on this). The aim of this is not to press the procedural points (they’re onto that!), but to argue that in this case scrutiny must be more than a formality. The directive is so poor (see ‘gargantuan dog’s breakfast‘ and ‘ negligent tobacco policy‘) that it is essential that the government’s uncritical support for it is properly challenged in Westminster, with a view to significantly improving it or starting again in 2014.
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Clive Bates | 5 August 2013
The UK government has a process called the Red Tape Challenge, which has the aim of lifting unnecessary regulatory burdens on business. Within its broad remit it has a specific theme on disruptive or ‘challenger’ businesses . Its problem definition for this theme is as follows:
We understand that new business models – particularly those that involve doing things differently – may fall foul of regulations that were intended for another age, or for another purpose entirely. We want to ensure that our regulatory system is fit for purpose, and is not holding back disruptive new companies
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Clive Bates | 1 August 2013
We now have health and consumer organisations, notably the disgraceful World Health Organisation, spreading harm around the world byadvocating banning e-cigarettes, a policy described as ‘nuts’ by one of the world’s foremost addiction scientists, Professor Robert West. We’ve seen it recently in the Philippines, where the medical association pressed for a ban ( Doctors beg Aquino: order e-cigs ban). There’s also been a serious outbreak in Malaysia. Although 40% of men smoke, the consumer movement thinks they should be denied by law the option to switch to e-cigarettes ( ‘Ban e-cigarettes’).
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Clive Bates | 28 July 2013
I have been pretty scathing in a number of posts about how wrong it would be to regulate e-cigarettes as medicines (see, for example: The case for regulating e-cigarettes as medicines; 10 reasons not to regulate e-cigarettes as medicines ; Medicines regulation for e-cigarettes – when caution can kill - and pointed out it is probably illegal, not least because they are not medicines. I’ve also stressed the significant body of legislation that already applies to e-cigarettes , and suggested how the tobacco products directive can be amended to take better advantage of this.
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Clive Bates | 26 July 2013
Marco Van Basten (@MarcoVanB_UK), a constituent, vaper and film maker, interviews Linda McAvan MEP, the European Parliament rapporteur for the Tobacco Products Directive.
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Clive Bates | 25 July 2013
Smokeless tobacco products, e-cigarettes and novel nicotine products have astonishing potential to reduce the expected one billion premature deaths from tobacco in the 21st Century. Yet some health organisations are spreading misinformation, stoking up unwarranted fears and pretending there is much more risk and uncertainty than there really is. So to provide some balance here is a collection of on-the-record quotes from researchers, experts and others who have grasped the important and disruptive significance of these developments. Enjoy!
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Clive Bates | 23 July 2013
I was trying to pen some wonkish words about the state of play on the tobacco products directive now the European Parliament scrutiny debate,Council General Approach and Commission proposals are all done. But then I thought:no, why dignify all this? In a crowded field, it’s possibly the worst legislative mess I have ever seen – a gargantuan dog’s breakfast, a gluttonous feast of uncooked ideas unfit for human consumption.
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Clive Bates | 10 July 2013
What do the supporters of medicines regulation for e-cigs say, and why are they wrong?