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April 03, 2024 by euractiv.com

The vaping sector faced challenges in March due to political decisions and health concerns. Studies suggest vaping may cause DNA changes linked to cancer, prompting calls for regulations. European countries like France, Poland, and Belgium are moving to restrict vaping products, targeting underage use. Discussions about the Tobacco Products Directive evaluation highlight the need for evidence-based decisions. Stakeholders advocate for excise taxes on e-cigarettes and stricter enforcement of age restrictions. The debate focuses on balancing harm reduction for adult smokers and curbing youth access.

March 29, 2024 by theguardian.com

Germany's cannabis reforms were approved this week, decriminalizing possession up to 25g, legalizing home growing, and setting a framework for non-profit associations to supply cannabis. The country's move echoes a global trend towards legalizing recreational cannabis, impacting over half a billion people. Germany initially planned a commercial market like Canada's but revised it to comply with international and EU laws. This shift towards "legalization-lite" mirrors reforms in Czech Republic and Luxembourg, influenced by Malta's non-commercial model.

March 28, 2024 by planetofthevapes.co.uk

The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) says it welcomes the research looking the health impact of vaping so that the relative risks of vaping and smoking can be better understood. The trade body says that although one leading academic described the study data as ‘crude’, implying a link to changes in cheek cells which could potentially cause cancer, the study authors said their findings did not prove that e-cigarettes caused cancer.

March 28, 2024 by euronews.com

Belgian Health Minister Vandenbroucke emphasized the EU's need for more initiatives to combat tobacco use and promote prevention. He highlighted the importance of reducing tobacco and alcohol consumption, as outlined in Europe's Beating Cancer Plan. Vandenbroucke stressed the significance of prevention in reducing non-communicable diseases and urged for more attention to health promotion. He called for creating an environment that empowers healthy lifestyles, addressing inequalities, and criticized the tobacco and alcohol industry. Vandenbroucke highlighted the EU's role in promoting a healthy market and called for more initiatives on tobacco and alcohol regulation.

March 27, 2024 by uea.ac.uk

Giving out free e-cigarette starter packs in hospital emergency departments to people who smoke helps more people quit – according to research from the University of East Anglia. The trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), offered advice, an e-cigarette starter pack and referral to stop smoking services to people attending A&E for any reason, to help them to stop smoking. Six months later, almost one in four people given the starter packs said they had quit smoking. And those who received the packs but didn’t quit altogether, were more likely to have reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked.

March 27, 2024 by bbc.com

Handing out free vapes to smokers in A&E departments could "save thousands of lives", a new study has found. Academics from the University of East Anglia (UEA), based in Norwich, conducted a trial in six UK emergency departments, between January and August 2022. The trial saw hundreds of daily smokers given e-cigarette starter kits and offered advice, with smoking habits assessed six months later. The university said the approach "could result in more than 22,000 extra people quitting smoking each year".

March 27, 2024 by vapingpost.com

A survey in Ireland found that 75% of ex-smokers believe banning flavoured vapes would increase youth smoking. 90% of vapers fear a black market would emerge if flavours were banned. Experts argue that vape flavours aid smoking cessation, with 98% of ex-smokers crediting vaping for quitting. Restrictions could push vapers back to smoking and discourage smokers from switching. Vetoed bans, like in Florida, risk blocking safer alternatives for smokers. Studies show flavoured vapes help adults quit smoking better than tobacco flavours. Experts urge careful consideration of the impact of flavour bans on smoking rates and public health.

March 26, 2024 by bbc.com

Banning disposable vapes will not be "effective", the boss of the UK's largest tobacco firm has told the BBC. Tadeu Marroco, chief executive of British American Tobacco (BAT), also said raising the smoking age would have "non-intended consequences". The government plans to outlaw disposable vapes next April as part of the "biggest public health measure in decades". BAT is the UK's third-largest vape seller. Sales of disposable vapes - which give a few hundred puffs of nicotine-containing liquid before being thrown away - have skyrocketed in recent years in Britain. It is estimated hundreds of millions are now sold every year, many of them illegal.

March 26, 2024 by tobaccoreporter.com

Belgium will ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes effective Jan. 1, 2025, making it the first EU country to do so, reports The Brussels Times, citing Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke. The country has received approval from the European Commission for the ban. “The disposable e-cigarette causes a lot of damage to society and the environment,” said Vandenbroucke. “This harmful product mainly targets our young people. I am therefore pleased that we can remove this from the market.”

March 25, 2024 by planetofthevapes.co.uk

The Parliamentary Committee on Health in Slovenia has approved proposed amendments concerning tobacco-related products. The amendments, endorsed by the members of parliament, primarily focus on vaping, leading to the prohibition of all flavours except tobacco, including menthol flavour. [...] The consumer organisation in Slovenia also expressed criticism towards the amendments: “The new legislation is deemed harmful, unethical, immoral, and discriminatory. Its sole consequence is the limitation of access to vaping for those who need it the most - former smokers and individuals attempting to quit. Meanwhile, smoking rates in Slovenia persist at a staggering 20%.”