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Hackney councillor urges smokers to quit this No Smoking Day
As No Smoking Day (Weds 13th March 2024) celebrates its 40th anniversary, the message for the one million smokers across London is to ‘Make Today Your No Smoking Day’.
No Smoking Day is an annual campaign that raises awareness of the health harms caused by smoking and encourages smokers to make a quit attempt. This year is a celebration of the lives saved over the past 40 years, but a reminder that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death. The campaign is a call to action for those still smoking to get the help they need to quit.
Chris Kennedy from Hackney smoked for 17 years before he quit in time for his wedding day as he wanted to be the best version of himself for his wife. He is urging other smokers to think of their loved ones and quit for them.
Chris who is a Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care, Voluntary Sector and Culture at Hackney Council continues: “I was a habitual smoker. I couldn’t get out of bed until I had smoked my cigarette – no matter how early it was or how busy my day was looking. For me, mealtime had not finished until I smoked a cigarette after finishing eating.
“I remember an evening when I felt low, I had a terribly sore throat and I had run out of rolling tobacco. My then fiancé – now wife – had successfully given up smoking and it spurred me on to make a quit attempt. We were getting married and I didn’t want to be a smoker at my wedding – I just wanted to do my bit to be the best version of myself for our relationship.
“I noticed a big improvement in my health shortly after quitting for good. My physical fitness became better. I was able to exercise and I completely lost the breathlessness that I experienced when walking or running.
“Another important aspect is that my mental health improved when I stopped smoking. I spent all those years believing that cigarettes relaxed me when in fact, I soon realised that tobacco and my nicotine addiction were making my feelings of anxiety and irritability worse.”
Source: London Post, 7 March 2024
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How dangerous is vaping, what is the disposable vape ban and what is the vaping tax?
The government has said it will introduce a new tax on vaping products. It has already announced plans to ban disposable vapes, to help cut the number of children vaping.
Vaping is nowhere near as harmful as smoking cigarettes. But health experts agree that anyone who doesn't smoke should not start vaping. Children's doctors say vaping may cause long-term damage to young people's lungs, hearts and brains.
The vapour inhaled contains a small amount of chemicals, including the addictive substance nicotine. More research is needed to fully understand the health effects.
What is the new tax on vaping products?
The government will introduce a new tax on vaping products, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said in the Budget. At the moment, vaping products are subject to value added tax (VAT) - but unlike tobacco, do not also attract a separate levy. The vaping products duty will start in October 2026. The government has launched a consultation.
According to the proposals, the amount of duty will depend on how much nicotine is in the vaping liquid:
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£1 per 10ml for nicotine-free liquids
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£2 per 10ml for liquids that contain 0.1-10.9mg
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£3 per 10ml for liquids that contain 11mg or more (roughly more per ml than a cigarette)
Duty on tobacco will go up by £2 per 100 cigarettes at the same time to ensure that vaping remains cheaper.
When will disposable vapes be banned?
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told the BBC she was confident the ban would come into force in early 2025. Once the timing is confirmed, retailers will have six months to make the changes.
How many children vape?
Nearly 8% of 11-17 year olds vape, according to figures from an online survey of 2,000 children by health charity ASH (Action on Smoking and Health). That's up from 4% in 2020.
It said 20% have tried vaping, with cheap, brightly-coloured disposable vapes driving up the increase from 14% three years ago.
Why is vaping better than smoking?
Cigarettes contain tobacco, tar and a host of cancer-causing toxic chemicals and are the largest preventable cause of illness and death in the UK. About half of all life-long smokers will die early, losing on average about 10 years of life. That's why people who smoke are urged to stop, with nicotine vapes the most effective quit tool - better than nicotine patches or gum.
Recent research also suggests people having face-to-face support while using vapes can be up to twice as likely to stop smoking than those using other methods.
But vaping is not harmless, so it's only recommended for adult smokers. They are offered free vape kits on the NHS to help them quit as part of its "swap to stop" programme.
Source: BBC News, 6 March 2024
See also: ASH - Use of e-cigarettes (vapes) among young people in Great Britain | DHSC - Smokers urged to swap cigarettes for vapes in world first scheme
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US: Top Senators Urge Stores to Stop Selling Illicit Vapes
The chairmen of five key Senate committees on Thursday warned the chief executives of major convenience stores and wholesalers to stop sales of illicit flavoured vaping products that they called “widespread violations of federal law.”
The senators voiced their concerns in letters to the companies, amplifying the frustration among some lawmakers in Congress over the continued availability of e-cigarettes in vivid colours and candy flavours that attract young people who could become addicted to nicotine. The unchecked sales, they wrote, “pose a tremendous public health threat.”
“F.D.A. and the industry must do more to address the youth vaping epidemic and remove unauthorized vaping products from their shelves immediately,” Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip, said.
The letters were addressed to retailers including 7-Eleven, Circle K, bp America, Pilot, Kwik Trip and others. The Food and Drug Administration had earlier issued warnings about sales of unauthorized brands like Elf Bar, E.B. Design and Funky Republic.
The senators’ letters reminded the companies that Congress gave the F.D.A. authority over tobacco products in a landmark 2009 law. Selling unapproved items can result in fines or an order to stop selling any tobacco products, the letter notes.
To date, the F.D.A. has approved 23 vaping products and denied millions of applications. It has allowed sales of some vapes that remain under review, including some by Juul and Vuse.
Public health experts have issued repeated calls for the F.D.A. to complete its review of e-cigarette sales applications and clear the market of illicit vapes. The agency has said it will finish the review by June 30. So far, it has authorized only tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes and has recently rejected several menthol varieties.
A study released last summer suggested that limiting flavored vapes could have an effect: About 40 percent of adolescents said they would quit e-cigarettes if only tobacco and menthol were available, and 70 percent would quit if only tobacco-flavored vapes were marketed.
Recent studies show the value of e-cigarettes to smokers seeking to quit — alongside risks to those who continue to smoke and vape. One study released in January found that nearly 16 percent of smokers who switched to e-cigarettes remained smoke-free six months later. That rate was similar to those who took the smoking-cessation medication Chantix, and better than those who used nicotine gum.
Source: New York Times, 7 March 2024
See also: Natasha K. Sidhu, William V. Lechner, Sam N. Cwalina, Lauren Whitted, Sabrina L. Smiley, Jessica L. Barrington-Trimis, Junhan Cho, Theodore L. Wagener, Adam M. Leventhal, and Alayna P. Tackett, “Adolescent and Young Adult Response to Hypothetical E-Liquid Flavor Restrictions” Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs”, 2023
Lin H, Liu Z, Hajek P, et al. “Efficacy of Electronic Cigarettes vs Varenicline and Nicotine Chewing Gum as an Aid to Stop Smoking: A Randomized Clinical Trial”. JAMA Intern Med. 2024
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Podcast: Let’s talk e-cigarettes - Professor Reto Auer
Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Reto Auer, primary care physician and clinical researcher from the Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern. Reto Auer is Head of the Substance Use Unit, where he leads a variety of research projects, including a large randomized controlled trial designed to test the efficacy, safety and toxicology of nicotine e-cigarettes.
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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