UK Gov To Ban Disposables?

[vapervince]

With some of the decisions taken lately I think any of todays` politicians would fit seamlessly into the MRLP

 

[Mitz]

Only in Brighton, your best bet for a protest vote is the MRLP but then again they're all looneys now.

Ahh, Brighton. That lovely British seaside town, chock-full of drugs and debauchery.

I'll probably just write on my ballot that I'm voting for Rishi: Voting for him to fuck right off.

 

[Toby iVapour]

When contacting the MP, I decided to keep it fairly brief, and only cover some of the points (the points I feel most important; or concerning disposables, I guess it's more of a political point, because personally I don't care that much if they ban disposables, but I'm trying to think of those who it might affect, and in what way).
I didn't want to cover everything, as too long an essay would need to be wrote, and less attention maybe given...
.. I'll report back if I get a reply...

Here's what I wrote -

I am writing to you with great concern about what legislation the government is intending on carrying out via the tobacco and vapes Bill in terms of tobacco harm reduction. I will keep this fairly brief and just cover some of the points.

I have been vaping since 2008, and have not smoked since then. I found no other method as a way of giving up smoking; I assumed I would be a smoker for life. I liked smoking, but I hated what smoking was doing to my body. Within a week or so, I could feel how much better my lung capacity was, and was playing sport again (something I hadn’t done for years).
I enjoy vaping. In fact, I was so impressed by vaping that I set up a retail vape business iVapour in 2009. We have just one shop in Haxby Shopping Centre.

I will start with the crux of my argument (which can not be denied) -
The more restrictions that are put on vaping, the more people will smoke.

Disposable Vapes

There are approximately 2.6 million adults who use disposables in Britain (1 in 20 adults).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38267284/
According to ASH, there are around 280,000 11-17-year-olds using disposables.
https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/use-of-e-cigarettes-among-young-people-in-great-britain
So, nine in every ten users of disposables are adults.
If disposables are banned, there will be some who change over to reusables, but a large proportion will source them on the black market, or go back to smoking...
Disposables have also been an important low cost entry level for smokers to try vaping.
Any ban on disposables will be perceived as a negative risk communication about vaping or harm reduction in general, when 4 in 10 smokers wrongly believe that vaping is as or more harmful than smoking.
https://ash.org.uk/media-centre/new...-that-vaping-is-as-or-more-harmful-as-smoking

Flavour Restrictions

It is with great dismay that the government have announced they will be restricting flavours in some way, when the wide array of flavours currently available are vital for the success of vaping products to tempt people who smoke to switch to vaping, to not smoke, and stay not smoking.
There has been some mention that candy flavours are there “to market to children”. This is complete nonsense, as many adults like sweet flavours. In fact fruit, dessert and candy flavours are the most popular category among adult vapers, with more than half of all vapers choosing them. If the flavours were say limited tobacco and mint, there would be many vapers who would not want to vape those flavours, and liable to go back to smoking.

Tax

It has been reported that there is likely to be an extra tax on vapes (on top of VAT) of at least 25%.
Research shows that taxes on vaping products increase cigarette sales and use.
https://f1000research.com/articles/12-121
Vapes and cigarettes are economic substitutes—meaning that taxes, flavor restrictions, or other government actions that reduce e-cigarettes’ competitive advantages versus tobacco will increase cigarette sales and smoking, including among teenagers.
There will be a number of unintended consequences if an extra tax is put on vapes, including suppressing sales of legal and taxed vapes, an increase in demand for cigarettes, and incentives to buy and sell illicit products or otherwise avoid tax.

Summary

The focus of the proposed regulation concerning young people is inappropriate – almost as if the effect on older adult smokers, often living in poverty, is of little concern to the government. Yet that is the sub-population at greatest risk and by far the greatest in number.
However, given that vaping is widely accepted to pose a “small fraction of the risk of smoking”, it is clear that any uptick in smoking (in both adolescents and adults) would be likely to overwhelm any benefits from reductions in youth vaping.

The UK has been leading the world globally in tobacco harm reduction, and it will be a real shame if that reputation is reversed. These proposals not only risk trashing our reputation amongst credible global public health academics, but will also lead to promotion of ignorance and poor policy in other countries which will cost lives worldwide.

I hope you consider my points and will protect & encourage tobacco harm reduction in all forms.

If you want to meet in person, I would be more than happy to discuss any of these points (or others).

I did get a reply from the MP, but it's a copy & paste answer (extremely evident from the fact that she reckons I was contacting her about the WHO's position on e-cigarettes, which I did not even mention!)...

Anyway, here it is -

Thank you for contacting me about the World Health Organization’s (WHO) position on e-cigarettes.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is an international treaty developed to combat the global tobacco epidemic. The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the FCTC is the governing body of the treaty. It meets every two years and COP10, the tenth meeting, is scheduled to take place in Panama in February 2024, delayed from November 2023.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and death. E-cigarettes can be valuable as an aid to help smokers quit. They are part of the drive towards a smoke-free society and evidence shows a positive association with quit success.

Vaping is not completely risk-free, however, particularly for people who have never smoked, and evidence is mostly limited to short- and medium-term effects. I am particularly concerned about the rising prevalence of e-cigarette use among children and adults who have not smoked or had given up smoking.

It is important that we strike a delicate balance between supporting smokers in their journey towards a smoke-free future while safeguarding the health and wellbeing of our youth and others.

E-cigarettes are one measure that should sit within a broader public health strategy to help people live well for longer. But I fully support a ban on vapes being branded and advertised in a way that appeals to children. The vaping industry are deliberately marketing products in the same way that the tobacco industry exploited individuals and led to smoking. I therefore I believe we should work collaboratively with local councils and the NHS to ensure e-cigarettes are being used as a stop smoking aide, rather than a new form of smoking, not least as many products still contain the very addictive drug of nicotine.

I hope that ministers, via their role in the WHO, will push harder for stronger and clearer messages, based on the latest data and evidence, and seek to regulate this market in a way that promotes quality and safety, while protecting young people and other non-smokers.

If we want to build a healthier and fairer future, we need bold measures to tackle smoking and improve public health. I am committed to a long-term plan for reform of our health service, shifting the focus of care into the community, and putting prevention and early intervention at its heart. Under the plan, public health services would be supported with the resources they need to improve population health and tackle inequalities.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Rachael Maskell
Labour and Co-operative MP for York Central

 

[Rickster]

I did get a reply from the MP, but it's a copy & paste answer (extremely evident from the fact that she reckons I was contacting her about the WHO's position on e-cigarettes, which I did not even mention!)...

Anyway, here it is -

Thank you for contacting me about the World Health Organization’s (WHO) position on e-cigarettes.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is an international treaty developed to combat the global tobacco epidemic. The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the FCTC is the governing body of the treaty. It meets every two years and COP10, the tenth meeting, is scheduled to take place in Panama in February 2024, delayed from November 2023.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and death. E-cigarettes can be valuable as an aid to help smokers quit. They are part of the drive towards a smoke-free society and evidence shows a positive association with quit success.

Vaping is not completely risk-free, however, particularly for people who have never smoked, and evidence is mostly limited to short- and medium-term effects. I am particularly concerned about the rising prevalence of e-cigarette use among children and adults who have not smoked or had given up smoking.

It is important that we strike a delicate balance between supporting smokers in their journey towards a smoke-free future while safeguarding the health and wellbeing of our youth and others.

E-cigarettes are one measure that should sit within a broader public health strategy to help people live well for longer. But I fully support a ban on vapes being branded and advertised in a way that appeals to children. The vaping industry are deliberately marketing products in the same way that the tobacco industry exploited individuals and led to smoking. I therefore I believe we should work collaboratively with local councils and the NHS to ensure e-cigarettes are being used as a stop smoking aide, rather than a new form of smoking, not least as many products still contain the very addictive drug of nicotine.

I hope that ministers, via their role in the WHO, will push harder for stronger and clearer messages, based on the latest data and evidence, and seek to regulate this market in a way that promotes quality and safety, while protecting young people and other non-smokers.

If we want to build a healthier and fairer future, we need bold measures to tackle smoking and improve public health. I am committed to a long-term plan for reform of our health service, shifting the focus of care into the community, and putting prevention and early intervention at its heart. Under the plan, public health services would be supported with the resources they need to improve population health and tackle inequalities.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Rachael Maskell
Labour and Co-operative MP for York Central

Remember these people don't vape it's not their passion or livelihood, they couldn't give a flying fk about a minority of vapers....what we need are the trans/vegan vapers to get offended and cancel the fkers.

 

[Netvaper]

I suppose at least you got a reply @Toby iVapour , nowt from mine.

Speaking of COP10, it's finished but I've not come across anything as to what was decided there.

 

[DMAN]

I've voted for over 40 years, and this is the first time in my life i have no idea what i will do at my next vote.
I've always laughed when folk say they will draw a cock and balls, but i'm actually thinking of doing that myself next time.

 

[zouzounaki]

I've voted for over 40 years, and this is the first time in my life i have no idea what i will do at my next vote.
I've always laughed when folk say they will draw a cock and balls, but i'm actually thinking of doing that myself next time.

it’s a meaningful engagement with the representative democratic process.

 

[DMAN]

it’s a meaningful engagement with the representative democratic process.

It's fucking sad though, that i'm struggling to see someone that i want to vote for.

 

[Rickster]

It's fucking sad though, that i'm struggling to see someone that i want to vote for.

I just vote to try and stop a party from winning....rather than any real conviction for the party Im voting for, suppose that makes me a swinger, drawing a cock would just make me feel like....well a cock.
We never defeated the Nazi's to draw matchstick men with cocks n tits

 

[Toby iVapour]

It's fucking sad though, that i'm struggling to see someone that i want to vote for.

That's what I've felt my whole life...