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** 18 October 2019
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** UK
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** UK vape sales continue to soar (#1)
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** Man sends thousands of littered cigarettes back to tobacco companies (#2)
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** International
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** USA ramps up testing in search of vaping illness cause (#3)
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** USA: Juul suspends sales of some flavoured e-cigarettes (#4)
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** USA: Juul agrees to restrict advertising (#5)
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** Links of the week
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** Smoking and Poverty (#6)
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** Smokefree Skills: Community Mental Health (#7)
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** UK
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While the US vaping industry has been dealt a kick in the teeth in recent months, on UK shores – where products are much more tightly regulated – vape sales are on an upward trajectory, growing at 37% in value year-on-year, according to Juul Labs UK.

While many UK convenience retailers say that existing vapers are broadly unconcerned about the US headlines, ASH is concerned that negative coverage could be deterring some smokers who would like to quit by trying vaping.

“Those considering vaping should be reassured that e-cigs are regulated in the UK in line with a set of European-wide rules by our medicines regulator, the MHRA,” said Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH. “Vapers should not be scared back to smoking by the news of vaping illness in the US. Nor should smokers stick to smoking rather than switch to vaping.”

Source: The Convenience Store (print edn), 18 October 2019
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A man determined to rid Ipswich’s streets of cigarette butts has shipped thousands of littered leftovers to British American Tobacco. Jason Alexander, self-proclaimed 'Wildlife Gadget Man' and founder of Rubbish Walks CIC has collected more than 500,000 cigarette butts from Ipswich’s roads and paths this year. He then sent boxes containing around 1,000 butts to companies, whether the boxes contain cigarettes they produced or not.

Mr Alexander said he was inspired by a surge of people sending plastic shopping waste back to supermarkets following a national TV programme. He added: "There is no longer a free option for people in the UK to recycle cigarette butts, and that isn't on.

"It would cost me more than £12,000 to recycle the butts I've collected this year and that is ridiculous - so by sending the boxes to the companies I want them to help fund recycling schemes in the UK, or failing that we could try lobbying the government to make it into law.”

Source: East Anglian Daily Times, 18 October 2019
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** International
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On Thursday 17 October, US health officials reported another 180 cases of vaping-related lung illnesses and announced plans to start testing aerosols produced by e-cigarettes and vaping products as they search for the source of the vaping-related health problems linked to the deaths of 33 people. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that it intends to test lung tissue and fluids collected from people who became sick in the outbreak. The CDC said the new testing may lend insight into chemical exposures contributing to the outbreak.

Investigators have been testing the liquids in vape products. Testing the aerosol produced after the liquids are heated might show whether that causes a chemical reaction that produces a toxic substance. “They might be able to see components that we don’t see in the raw materials,” said an official in the New York Health Department’s Wadsworth laboratory, which has been testing product samples for the state.

A preliminary report seen by Reuters of vaping product samples collected from Wisconsin patients and tested by the FDA showed that more than half contained THC. Of the THC-containing products, two-thirds also tested positive for Vitamin E acetate, a cutting agent believed to be used to stretch the amount of THC oil, and an early suspect in efforts to determine the cause of the injuries.

In Utah, state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn said the outbreak of injuries hit a peak in July and has not slowed down. More than 90% of patients reported having vaped THC, and only a handful of cases denied using THC, Dunn said. The state has tested 20 nicotine vape products and found nothing unexpected. Of 19 THC-containing products, 89% showed evidence of Vitamin E acetate. None of the state officials said conclusively that the cutting agent was the cause of the injuries, but it remains a suspect. Dunn said THC is the common denominator in most of Utah’s cases, and until an exact cause is found, the state is focusing on getting people to stop vaping THC.

Editorial note: THC and Vitamin E acetate are both illegal in the UK.

Source: Reuters, 17 October 2019
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The leading American manufacturer of electronic cigarettes, Juul Labs, announced yesterday (Thursday 17 October) that it is suspending sales of some flavoured vaping products in the United States, as the US government prepares a nationwide ban.

Juul will stop selling mango, cream, fruit and cucumber flavoured pods, while federal health authorities finalise new regulations on vaping, Juul said in a statement. Its tobacco, menthol and mint-flavored products will still be available.

"We must reset the vapor category by earning the trust of society and working cooperatively with regulators, policymakers and stakeholders to combat underage use while providing an alternative to adult smokers," Juul CEO CK Crosthwaite said.

US Health Secretary Alex Azar announced plans for a ban on vape flavours in September. The text has not been made public yet but will soon be, according to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for regulating tobacco and e-cigarettes. Juul assured that it would not challenge the FDA's coming regulations, but its action on Thursday indicates it believes its mint and menthol flavoured products should be authorised.

Source: Mail on Sunday, 17 October 2019
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Juul has agreed to a settlement restricting its advertising practices to reduce engagement with young people; the first legally binding commitment related to marketing to children for the embattled e-cigarette company. The settlement, announced on Thursday (17 October) by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), an environmental health watchdog, will enforce nine new regulations around the promotion of Juul products.

Under the new guidelines, Juul is prohibited from advertising on social media or media outlets with younger readers – specifically, if at least 15% of a publication’s audience is under 21. It cannot advertise within 1,000ft of schools or playgrounds and will be prohibited from using models under the age of 28 in its advertisements. It cannot sponsor or advertise at sporting events or concerts that allow people under the age of 21.

If Juul violates any component of the agreement, it risks being sued by the CEH.

“We agree with CEH that no youth should use Juul products and we are committed to combatting underage use,” said the spokesman. “This settlement affirms voluntarily responsible marketing practices that Juul Labs has had in place – we have never marketed to youth and do not want any non-nicotine users to try our products.”

Source: The Guardian, 17 October 2019
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** Links of the week
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**

A new report by ASH has found that the deadly addiction of tobacco, and the enormous profits of the tobacco industry, is driving over a million people into poverty in the UK.

The analysis shows that as a direct result of the cost of tobacco addiction:
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** 447,000 additional households in the UK are living in poverty.
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** 1,011,000 people, including over a quarter of a million children, have been driven into poverty.
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** 143,000 pensioners are living in poverty, increasing the proportion of pensioners (with at least one smoker in the household) in poverty from 14.88% to 26.47%.
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** Without the costs of smoking, poverty rates would reduce from almost a third of households which include at least one smoker to around one in five.
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Read Report ([link removed])


**

A report has been published by the Mental Health and Smoking Partnership on stop smoking support provided by mental health professionals working in community settings.

ASH analysis, based on a survey of mental health professionals (nurses and psychiatrists) working in the community, found that there is low awareness of very brief advice (VBA) among mental health nurses and psychiatrists; that prescribing medications for smoking cessation is not common practice amongst community mental health professional; and that a substantial proportion of nurses and psychiatrists reported they had not had any training in smoking cessation.

However, 88% of mental health nurses and 85% of psychiatrists who responded said that they both asked and recorded clients’ smoking status in line with the first step of the VBA model.

Although these results are only indicative, they reveal a shortage of support to quit smoking for people with mental health conditions. Our report includes recommendations for both NHS trusts and local authorities to improve their performance in this area.

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Read Report ([link removed])
For more information call 020 7404 0242, email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or visit www.ash.org.uk

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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