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** 28 August 2024
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** UK
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** Vapes should be sold behind the counter like cigarettes, says BMA (#1)
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** BBC Breakfast: Dr Matt Evison discusses vaping (#4)
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** International
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** Smoking while pregnant risks academic achievement of unborn babies, says study (#5)
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** US: Philip Morris to invest $232 million to expand ZYN production at Kentucky plant (#6)
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** UK
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** Vapes should be sold behind the counter like cigarettes, says BMA

Vapes should only be sold from “behind the counter”, like cigarettes, and not be on display in shops, according to the British Medical Association.

In a report published on Wednesday, the doctors’ union called on ministers to introduce legislation to tackle the “growing epidemic” of vaping in the UK.

According to recent analysis by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) 5.6 million adults in Britain vape, about 11% of the adult population. Vape use among children and young people has increased almost six-fold in the last decade, with 7.6% of 11-17 year olds now vaping, either regularly or occasionally, compared with 1.3% in 2014.

Labour announced in July’s king’s speech that it would revive the previous government’s tobacco and vapes bill. The Conservative’s proposed legislation included measures to ban disposable vapes and restrict flavours and packaging, but was shelved after the general election was called. Details of the exact regulations Labour wants to introduce have yet to be published.

The BMA said given the rising number of children and young people trying and smoking vapes, the government “must not shy away from taking brave action”.

Prof David Strain, chair of the BMA’s board of science, said: “As a doctor, I understand the role vapes can play in helping people to stop smoking, but they have no rightful place in our children and young people’s lives and when it comes to protecting their health, we cannot afford to gamble.

“An industry so obviously targeting children with colours, flavours and branding, to push a product that can lead to nicotine addiction and potential further harms cannot be allowed to happen any longer.”

Responding to the report, Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Ash, said: “In order for tougher regulations to curb youth vaping to be put in place, the tobacco and vapes bill must be fast tracked on to the statute book.

“We support strict regulation of the display and promotion of vapes and prohibiting use of sweet names, bright colours and cartoon imagery. However, vapes are a highly effective quitting aid for smokers, and it is important that they continue to be so.”

Ash supports banning flavour descriptors rather than the flavours themselves, Arnott added, as “some flavours are associated with greater success in quitting than tobacco flavour”.

Prof Lion Shahab, professor of health psychology and co-director of University College London’s tobacco and alcohol research group, said: “We have to make vaping boring again, but we must be mindful that we do not throw the baby out with the bath water.

“Proposed recommendations to curb youth use of vapes should focus on those evidence-based measures that do not also discourage harm reduction by smokers who struggle to quit that most dangerous of products: combustible cigarettes.”

See also: Taking our breath away: why we need stronger regulation of vapes ([link removed])

Source: The Guardian, 28 August 2024
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** BBC Breakfast: Dr Matt Evison discusses vaping

Respiratory consultant Mathew Evison is interviewed on BBC Breakfast to discuss vaping regulation in light of the BMA report published today calling for tighter restrictions on flavours and shop displays.

Evison calls for urgent regulation to protect children from vape marketing which attracts young people with bright colours and child friendly names and packaging. However, he calls for a more nuanced discussion of the use of flavours themselves as vaping is an important and effective tool to support people to stop smoking.

He cites studies from the U.S. where banning flavours has led to an increase in tobacco consumption, arguing that we must not undermine the value of nicotine vapes and the deadly harm of tobacco smoking.

Find the interview at 7:30am (iplayer timestamp 1:30::20)

See also: Cadham CJ, Liber AC, Sánchez-Romero LM, Issabakhsh M, Warner KE, Meza R, Levy DT. The actual and anticipated effects of restrictions on flavoured electronic nicotine delivery systems: a scoping review. BMC Public Health. 2022 Dec;22:1-3. ([link removed])

Source: BBC Breakfast 28 August 2024
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** International
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** Smoking while pregnant risks academic achievement of unborn babies, says study

Smoking harms almost every part of your body. But if you smoke when pregnant, the toxic chemicals in tobacco will also harm your unborn baby, with new research showing that it could lead to reduced academic outcomes at school.

In a systematic review of 19 studies and 1.25 million participants, researchers at the University of South Australia along with a team at Curtin University, SAHMRI, Harvard University and others, found that 79% of studies reported reduced academic achievement in children exposed to maternal prenatal smoking.

Lead researcher, UniSA's Dr. Bereket Duko, says that despite what is already known about smoking, research is still uncovering additional negative effects.

"For decades, agencies across the globe have pushed anti-smoking campaigns about the dangers of smoking. But despite these efforts, tobacco smoking remains a pervasive global public health issue," Dr. Bereket says.
"Prenatal smoking is known to cause multiple pregnancy complications, including a higher risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, restricted growth and development, and serious birth defects. It is also linked with adverse mental health outcomes and behavioral issues.”

"Remember, the fight against smoking is not one we have already won. Yes, we have made big steps to reduce the number of people smoking, and we have made many aware of the health risks. But this is an ongoing battle, and we must continue to educate people about the dangers of tobacco so that the next generations do not unnecessarily suffer."

Source: Medical Xpress, 27 August 2024

See also: Bereket Duko et al, The effect of maternal prenatal tobacco smoking on offspring academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Addictive Behaviors (2024). ([link removed])

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** US: Philip Morris to invest $232 million to expand ZYN production at Kentucky plant

Philip Morris International said on Tuesday it would invest $232 million to expand production capacity for ZYN nicotine pouches at its Ownesboro, Kentucky plant, to meet the strong demand.

The investment will be made through one of PMI's Swedish Match affiliates, and comes about a month after the tobacco giant announced an investment of $600 million to open a ZYN manufacturing facility in Colorado.

Shipments of ZYN slowed to a growth of 54% in the second quarter, reported in July, as demand for the product created short-term supply chain constraints and impacted volume growth.

ZYN, an alternative to traditional chewing tobacco products, is a nicotine pouch, which, according to Philip Morris, does not contain tobacco.

Philip Morris bought Zyn-parent Swedish Match in a $16 billion deal in 2022, as tobacco companies vied for alternatives to traditional tobacco products in their portfolio amid greater health awareness and stricter regulations.

Construction for expansion of the Kentucky facility was underway, and PMI expects to complete it by the second quarter of 2025.

In order to boost production, then facility will operate at a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week basis starting from the fourth quarter this year, PMI said.

The company had said in July the expansion was expected to provide around 900 million cans of capacity for ZYN for 2025.

Source: Daily Mail, 27 August 2024

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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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