Some health experts have credited e-cigarettes with helping to reduce smoking rates in the UK, although advocacy groups claim credit for the decline. Meanwhile, e-cigarette advocates in Pennsylvania are fighting the state’s draconian vaping tax.
There are also encouraging signs from the medical side. Italian researchers say their latest study has confirmed that the harm is reversed in smokers who switch to e-cigarettes, with lung disease symptoms significantly reduced after a year of vaping.
Smoking rates 'lowest in history', PHE confirms
Public Health England figures released on Tuesday showed that smoking rates in England have fallen to their lowest level on record. In 2012, smoking rates in England were 19.3%, and by 2015, they had fallen to 16.9%. While health experts are pleased with the results, there is some debate about the cause. Professor Robert West of University College London believes that e-cigarettes have contributed to the decline, which seems plausible, but there are many who disagree. A representative for PHE denied that there was a single cause for the decline, while Deborah Arnott of ASH claimed that flavourless packs, a policy that had not even been adopted in 2015, were the real cause.
Professor Robert West has claimed that the major reason for the decline in smoking rates is e-cigarettes.
If you look at the hard evidence, Professor West is right. Smoking rates have fallen dramatically despite falling prices for nicotine patches, gum and other NRT products, and there have been huge drops in the number of people using NHS services to quit smoking. Meanwhile, the number of people seen using e-cigarettes to quit has risen dramatically. As West said last week when the figures were released, the same number of people are trying to quit and the success rate has increased. So it could be argued that the real reason for the drop in smoking rates is the effectiveness of e-cigarettes, not the outdated tasteless packs.
The fight against Pennsylvania's vape tax continues
Pennsylvania vape shops are facing the most expensive tax in the West, but a new proposal is aimed at reducing or even eliminating the controversial law. Facing a chronic budget shortfall, the state recently passed a 40 percent tax on the wholesale price of all e-cigarette products, plus a 40 percent “floor tax” on existing products. The floor tax has drawn criticism because it applies to all products the shop buys, and many say they can’t afford it. Chris Hughes, owner of Fat Cat Vapor, says they’d make more money if they dumped all the products instead of paying the tax, and unless the tax is repealed, he’s decided to close his shop before the law goes into effect next week.
Chris Hughes has said that if the bill isn't changed, he will close Fat Cat Vapor before the tax law takes effect.
There are some hopes, however, for a delay. Some people are working through legislation to lessen the impact of the tax or eliminate it altogether. One is for the executive branch and the Senate to replace the 40 percent tax with a 5 cent per ml tax. Two is to delay the tax for about 90 days, which doesn’t help at all. And three is to eliminate the law altogether.
It’s also unclear whether these amendments will pass the legislature. The tax bill is supported by politicians who have no intention of cutting Pennsylvania spending, and some worry that it won’t raise enough money. A 40 percent tax won’t work either, according to Chris Hughes, because most of the businesses that can pay it will close.
Switching to vaping could “improve lung function”
An Italian study has found that smokers who switched to vaping experienced significant improvements in lung function. The study, published in Clinical Science, involved smokers who used e-cigarettes with varying nicotine concentrations for a year. At the end of the study, they were divided into three groups: “quitters,” “reducers,” and “failures,” and were tested for lung function and other symptoms.
Researchers, including Dr. Riccardo Polosa, found that the respiratory system was not affected as much in the “quit” group, and there were significant improvements in the function of the microscopic peripheral airways. Interestingly, symptoms such as cough and phlegm also improved in the “reduce” and “quit” groups. This study confirms that switching to vaping can reverse the harmful effects of smoking.
Obstacles for Kiwi vapers
After the optimistic comments from New Zealand’s Ministry of Health, the country’s vapers were left a little baffled by the latest speech by the health minister last week. It appeared the minister was listening to theories about long-term health effects, when no such effects have been found after 13 years of use. Some parts of the speech suggested that anti-nicotine groups may have lobbied the government – for example, there were “concerns” that e-cigarettes could “impede tobacco control proposals”.
This isn’t all bad news, as it seems the minister is still considering legalising nicotine e-cigarettes, but there’s also a suggestion to ban vaping in areas where smoking is prohibited. While there may be improvements to this ridiculous ban, it’s still a long way off and for now we can only wait and see what New Zealand vapers think.
This article was published on Vapingpost by Fergus Mason and translated by The Vape Club
