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A new study by online e-cigarette retailer E-Cigarette Direct has found that dozens of people say they have been fired, bullied, and discriminated against due to their vaping habit. The online retailer said that one in five respondents reported experiencing negative reactions from colleagues due to their vaping, with 44 reporting bullying and 13 saying that they were fired.
The study also found that 75% of vapers are not allowed to vape at work unless in dedicated smoking areas, contradicting Public Health England (now the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities) official guidance that "vapers should not be required to use the same space as smokers, as this could undermine their ability to quit smoking and stay smoke-free". Half of those surveyed by the firm said they preferred to work from home due to vaping restrictions at work and 40% said that they would be more likely to stay in a role if they were allowed to vape in the office.
Source: Sky News, 18 November 2021
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Northamptonshire Stop Smoking Service has reported a rapid increase since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the number of people referring themselves to the service It said that in 2020 a total of 1,242 people applied to the service, up 20% on 2019 numbers.
The Northamptonshire service operates a 12-week course which offers people fortnightly catchups with experts and free products such as vapes, nicotine gum and patches, or e-cigarettes, to help them stop smoking. Over the past three financial years it has helped 4,317 people stop smoking.
Source: BBC News, 18 November 2021
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The HSJ has learned from sources that parts of Government are very keen to push for pooled budgets and joint commissioning between the NHS and local councils. The push has come in discussions about the new integration white paper with talks including the idea of mandatory joint commissioning and pooled budgets with a single ‘accountable officer’ across both. The budgets could also include a very substantial share of the NHS budget for any given area.
The HSJ says that this is causing major anxiety for some, including those at the top of the NHS. However, nothing has been decided yet and there are major barriers to such a move. There is the danger that pooling budgets would undermine integrated care systems (ICSs) before they have begun by forcing them to unbundle and share their budgets. Further, some ICSs do not neatly match local authority geographies making shared budgets difficult.
Accountability could also be a barrier, with funding having already been committed and voted on to go to the NHS nationally, rather than to local councils. Some in the NHS are also concerned that the proposals could allow councils to simply spend less than they otherwise would have on social care, with funding being substituted rather than complemented.
Despite these concerns, parts of Government are said to remain keen on the idea because the Government has promised to deliver on social care and knows its funding reforms will not be enough. Tricky questions about how it will shift proceeds from its new levy from the NHS to care in coming years mean it suits some, perhaps the Treasury in particular, to blur the two funding pots.
Source: Health Service Journal, 18 November 2021
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The North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has sued e-cigarette maker Juul over concerns that the product is being marketed to children through child-friendly flavours and poor age verification. Stein also announced on Tuesday 16 November the launch of a statewide investigation into several other e-cigarette manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for targeting children.
Stein had already sued Juul previously for claimed unfair and deceptive practices targeting young people to use its vaping products. In June 2021, Juul agreed to pay $40 million to North Carolina and take more action to prevent underage use and sales under the terms of an agreement with the state, which prevented a trial scheduled for July from going ahead. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have now sued Juul, seeking money to pay for combating the rising number of US teens vaping. A criminal investigation by the Justice Department is still underway. There is also multi-district litigation in a federal court in California, with a combined nearly 2,000 cases filed by cities, counties, and school districts, similar to the treatment of opioid cases.
Stein said that he was also targeting another e-cigarette company that he said sells kid-friendly flavours like chocolate milk and strawberry doughnut. He also said that his investigation would look into retailers state-wide located near middle schools and high schools who are selling e-cigarettes, three distributors, and one online seller. He said that he would urge Robert Califf, nominated to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by President Biden, to create national, industry-wide regulations on flavoured e-cigarettes. The FDA is currently reviewing applications by Juul and other e-cigarette makers for the sale of their products, with a decision on Juul expected in September but delayed. The FDA says that many applications are 'in the final stages of review.'
Source: Daily Mail, 16 November 2021
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Italian newspaper La Gazetta dello Sport reports that Formula One team Ferrari is set to end its decades-long sponsorship partnership with tobacco firm Philip Morris. It is believed that Ferrari and Philip Morris may continue to cooperate but without the huge sponsorship deal that was worth €125 million (£105 million). The partnership has been troubled for several years as tobacco advertising laws have banned Ferrari from displaying any Philip Morris branding at most races.
Source: Sports Mole, 19 November 2021
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PQ1: WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: UK Delegations
Asked by Sir Charles Walker, Broxbourne
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2021 to Question 56847, on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, if he will provide the details of the people comprising the UK delegation at the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control COP9.
Answered by By Maggie Throup, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care
The Deputy Director for Addictions and Inclusion Policy for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will lead the delegation COP9, supported by members of the Tobacco Control team and support from the United Kingdom Mission in Geneva.
PQ2: Electronic Cigarettes: Health Hazards
Asked by Sir Greg Knight, East Yorkshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential future litigation risk to the NHS in the event that chemicals in NHS-prescribed e-cigarettes are found to be detrimental to public health.
Answered by By Maggie Throup, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care
No assessment has been made as there are currently no medicinal e-cigarettes available prescribed via the National Health Service. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published updated guidance on 29 October 2021 to encourage manufacturers to bring a medicinal e-cigarette to market.
For a manufacturer to achieve a medicinal licence, products would need to meet the standards of quality, safety, and efficacy expected of medicinal products. There would be a duty to continually monitor the performance of their product, submit vigilance reports to the MHRA when incidents occur and take appropriate safety action if required.
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On Monday 15 November ASH held a webinar to explore the implications of raising the age of sale for tobacco from 18 to 21. The purpose of this webinar is to inform key stakeholders in public health and tobacco control about the evidence and to address questions regarding enforcement. The speakers were Hazel Cheesman, Deputy Chief Executive at ASH, Dr Emma Beard, Principal Research Fellow at UCL, Kate Pike, Trading Standards North West, and John McClurey, Independent retailer from the North East and local councillor. You can watch the webinar below.
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Job Opportunities: Research Associate and Research Fellow at the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group
The world-renowned University of Bath Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) is advertising for two new research roles. The TCRG conducts vital research on the tobacco industry and more broadly on commercial determinants of health, including industry influence on policy and science.
The Research Associate role is a Grade 7 role. It involves quick turnaround, high-impact research pieces on related ‘hot topics’ as they arise, and developing, implementing, and evaluating knowledge translation materials to ensure research is communicated widely and impactfully. The salary starts from £34,304 rising to £40,927, with the closing date Sunday 5 December 2021.
The Research Fellow role is a Grade 8 role which involves developing, coordinating, and contributing to new and ongoing research projects including on tobacco industry influence on policy and science and tobacco industry interests in harm reduction and new nicotine products. The salary starts from £42,149 rising to £50,296, with the closing date on Sunday 05 December 2021.
You can view the job adverts below.
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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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