Stories

Half of people who stopped smoking across Great Britain did so by using vapes instead, according to new data. That equates to almost 3m people nationwide - while in the North East there have been around 125,000 people in that position. This comes as leading health figures including a top respiratory doctor highlight how vapes can be "invaluable" in reducing smoking and the impact of lung disease. Research from campaign groups Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and Fresh has reinforced how vaping can be a useful tool for stopping smoking. Nationally, more than 5.6m adults vape, 53% of them have stopped smoking.

Following the recent UK general election, many will be unsure of what happens next with regulation of vaping and other reduced risk nicotine products. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, introduced by Rishi Sunak’s government but ditched in the “wash up” at the end of the last parliament, was included in the King’s Speech so will be reintroduced in the new government’s first year.

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates has already expressed its significant concerns regarding the recently proposed Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill 2024. The bill, aimed at addressing youth vaping, introduces stringent measures that the harm reduction organisation believes will inadvertently harm adult vapers and smokers seeking to quit smoking.

The principal object of the Bill is to amend the Tobacco Control Act, to make further provisions for the regulation of electronic nicotine delivery systems. According to the Health Ministry, the current Tobacco Control Act passed in 2007, did not anticipate non-tobacco products such as nicotine pouches. The bill also seeks to ensure that no nicotine or electronic nicotine systems are manufactured, distributed, imported, or sold in Kenya without the prior authorization of the Cabinet Secretary responsible for health.

Indonesian law prohibits the use of supplementary materials in producing tobacco products and e-cigarettes unless it has been scientifically proven that the supplementary materials pose no health risk. Under the previous regime, tobacco product producers could comply with this prohibition by referring to a list of allowed supplementary materials provided by the Ministry of Health. Under GR 28/2024, instead of a list of allowed supplementary materials, it is stipulated that the Ministry of Health will set out a list of (...)

As the world continues to grapple with the devastating health impacts of smoking, countries like Nigeria must consider Sweden’s groundbreaking approach to tobacco harm reduction. Sweden’s model has revolutionised the fight against smoking, and there are invaluable lessons to be learned. Recent research highlights the effectiveness of various alternative products. Among respondents, 60 percent perceive Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) as the most effective alternative product, while (...)

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration is proving that the country’s approach to vaping is working as it announces seizures of alleged illicit vaping goods and nicotine pouches in a joint enforcement operation. It is proving that the prohibition is going very badly as it has boosted the black market and criminal violence.

Adults who want to quit smoking are being offered the chance to receive a free vape kit in exchange for cigarettes. It comes as new data from Action on Smoking and Health showed that more than half of those who have quit smoking in the last five years used a vape during their successful attempt to stop.

The potential harms and benefits of e-cigarettes, or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), have received significant attention from public health and regulatory communities. This body of literature is reviewed here, with the risks of ENDS aerosol exposure among users evaluated with a margin of exposure (MoE) approach for (...)

Australia was once considered a world leader in tobacco control, successfully decreasing the local smoking rate from 28% in 1989–90, to 11% in 2020–21. In 2003, the island nation signed up to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to help reduce tobacco use, and has sadly fully endorsed the health agency’s prohibitionist approach. As a result, the nation’s decline in smoking cessation rates has stalled.