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Smoking is highly likely to worsen the severity of COVID-19 and the risk of dying from the infection, finds a large UK Biobank study published online in the respiratory journal Thorax.

It is the first study of its kind to pool observational and genetic data on smoking and COVID-19 to strengthen the evidence base.

The evidence on whether smoking is associated with a greater likelihood of more severe COVID-19 infection has been inconsistent, note the researchers.

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Asia-Pacific countries should challenge the World Health Organization’s stance against vaping, an innovative product that has helped reduce smoking rate in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France and Canada, according to consumer groups.

The Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines (NCUP) and Vaper Ako particularly asked the Philippine government to join the four vaping-friendly countries in rebuking the extremist stance of the WHO on vaping that deprives millions of smokersbetter alternatives to combustible cigarettes.

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Huge step backwards for recovery, it sucks!” was how one participant in a new study described the smoking ban in drug treatment programs in Philadelphia.

The exploratory study* was conducted by Dr. Casey Bohrman, a researcher at West Chester University, in partnership with Angels in Motion. It used both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine how the policy was impacting people with a substance use disorder (SUD) who also smoke. Over half, 56 percent, of people with SUD smoke cigarettes.

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Every year, 21,000 Australians die prematurely from smoking cigarettes. That is more deaths than from alcohol, plus prescription drugs, plus illicit drugs, plus road crash deaths, plus HIV, plus suicide. Governments have moral and health obligations to reduce smoking-related deaths by adopting policies that minimise the harm caused by the inhalation of tobacco smoke. Vaping provides nicotine without the toxic products of combustion and is far less harmful than smoking. Policies that support vaping could help to reduce the huge toll from smoking-related disease. [...]

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Misinformation threatens progress toward a smoke-free future, reveals a new international survey released [...] by Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM). Well-funded groups continue to promote false narratives and spread confusion even as societal support increases for smoke-free alternatives that are scientifically substantiated to be a better choice for adults than continued smoking.

The survey—fielded among nearly 30,000 adults in 26 countries by independent research firm Povaddo and commissioned by PMI—reveals that too many adult smokers remain unaware that better alternatives to cigarettes exist, [...]

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This segment of What’s Ahead sharply admonishes the Food and Drug Administration’s cruel and wrongheaded crusade against e-cigarettes. The agency refuses to green-light even a single application, putting the vaping industry in legal limbo. It should follow the science, as other countries are doing.

Real world experience and studies have demonstrated that nicotine vaping is 95% safer than traditional cigarettes. It’s by far the most effective way to stop smoking—better than nicotine patches, gums and other antismoking aids. [...]

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South Africa’s Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill, was first announced last year by Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla, and is currently being reviewed. The Bill proposes stricter e-cig regulations, and restrictions on the use, marketing, and sales of certain tobacco products in South Africa. Moreover, it would set in place a provision allowing the government to implement a “100% public cigarette ban”.

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Clive Bates, the former director of the anti-smoking campaign group ASH, told journalists at a briefing last week that Britain needs to push internationally for a change of policy to save millions of lives. It came as Parliamentarians have called for the UK Government to use its Brexit freedoms to have a “big independent voice” at the United Nations (UN) COP9 summit on tobacco harm to push for greater use of e-cigarettes as an alternative. 

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On October 1, domestic and international purchases of liquid nicotine, including products containing liquid nicotine, will require a prescription. This is a result of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) amending the Poisons Standard for nicotine.

But, in reality, not much has changed. Nevertheless, there are several public health implications, both positive and negative, to the TGA’s decision. First, these changes to nicotine scheduling will make it legal for consumers with a valid prescription to obtain Nicotine Vaping Products (NVPs) – like e-cigarettes ­– domestically from local and online Australian-based pharmacies.

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The e-cigarette or vaping product-use-associated lung injury outbreak in the United States has raised concerns about the potential health effects of cannabis vaping, a method of cannabis use that is becoming increasingly popular. We used 2017-2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to estimate yearly prevalence and trends of past-30-day cannabis use and vaping among US adults. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate the associations of cannabis vaping with high-risk behaviors, asthma, and other respiratory symptoms. [...]

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Graphic photos showing the severe consequences of smoking, which will be printed on all cigarette packages beginning in Oct. 2022, will save an estimated 539,000 lives over the remainder of this century, new research by the Yale School of Public Health and its partners finds. “There was a lost opportunity here and people suffered as a result,” said Jamie Tam, [...] the study’s lead author. “When tobacco industry litigation and delays with the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] keep evidence-based policies from being implemented, public health pays a heavy price.

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In the past two decades, our accession to the European Union has also brought changes: in a duty-free world, there was no longer a need for so many local manufacturers, and in 2004 several large Hungarian factories closed down immediately. Then Hungary had to adjust to EU tax minima, which meant a 100% increase in consumer prices over eight years, even in a decade of low inflation. The regulation of tobacco shops has also completely rewritten the sector. [...]

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The governor of New York says marijuana legalization will generate “thousands and thousands of jobs” in the state, and she’s touting her recent actions to make regulatory appointments for the industry to get implementation underway.

[...] Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) talked about the state’s business ethic and the importance of supporting markets of all sizes, including cannabis companies.

“We do want to go big or go home, and I want to help you get there,” she said. “I need you to survive because you’re the identity of New York that people create jobs and opportunities. You are who we are as New Yorkers. Your success means the success of this entire state.”

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New data collected by University of Minnesota Medical School researchers demonstrate a clear connection between nicotine withdrawal and poor eating habits. Their findings point to the opioid system, the brain functions responsible for addiction and appetite regulation, as a possible cause for smoker preference of energy-dense, high-calorie food during nicotine withdrawal. This can lead to weight gain, for those who quit smoking, which, in turn, may increase the risk of relapse.

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Despite the recent setback for its flavored Bidi Sticks, which were caught up in the wave of Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) marketing denials issued by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) against all non-tobacco and non-menthol flavored electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), Bidi Vapor remains committed to compliance with FDA standards, stringent youth-access prevention measures and developing product-specific scientific evidence to support that its ENDS are appropriate for the protection of the public health (APPH), and should remain on the market as an alternative for adult 21 and older) combusted cigarette smokers.

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The attempts by different countries to ban flavors used in vapes or e-cigarettes will force vapers to return to smoking, create a huge black market for e-cigarettes under the radar of authorities and incentivize the combustible cigarette industry, according to international consumer groups and health advocates. Charles Gardner said a new study in Nicotine & Tobacco Research which polled 2,159 US respondents in the age group 18 to 34 found that, if ‘flavors’ are banned, so only tobacco flavor remains, 33 percent of them would switch back to smoking.

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A new Cochrane report has been released that looks at using electronic cigarettes to help people achieve long‐term smoking abstinence. They find that vaping works to help get people off smoking – and works better than traditional nicotine replacement products like patches or gum.

Cochrane says: “Since coming on the market over a decade ago, electronic cigarettes have caused a considerable stir in the public health community. It is of prime importance that the debate around this issue is based on high quality, relevant and up to date scientific data.

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The long-running debate was heated until the end, with the political left trying in vain to push through a more restrictive approach to tobacco products.

Poster advertising of tobacco products and e-cigarettes that can be seen from public places, as well as advertising in cinemas, on public transport, in buildings and on sports fields, will be banned. [...] However, the House of Representatives on Wednesday agreed with the Senate and rejected a ban on menthol cigarettes. [...]

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The FDA recently blew past a court-set deadline for reviewing nicotine vaping products, a move that has left the entire vaping industry in legal limbo. Steve Forbes on vaping versus smoking tobacco, on what the FDA is getting wrong and on how it is prohibiting smokers from employing a relatively safe, highly effective tool to give up a habit that is the leading cause of lung cancer.

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The market-share gap continues to shrink between top-selling electronic cigarette Juul and No. 2 Vuse, according to the latest Nielsen analysis of convenience-store data.

The report covers the four-week period ending Sept. 11.

Nielsen determined Vuse had a 33% market share, up from 32.3% in the previous report.

Meanwhile, Juul was at 40.8%, down from 40.9% in the previous report.

NJoy was at 3.3%, down from 3.5%, while Fontem Ventures’ blu eCigs was at 2.4%, down from 2.5%.