Author: Marissa Dean

Vietnam Harm Prevention Approved

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Vietnam has approved the National Strategy on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control to 2030, reports Vietnam+.
The strategy aims to reduce the rate of male tobacco use to less than 39 percent between 2023 and 2025 and to reduce the rate of female tobacco use to below 1.4 percent.
It also aims to reduce passive smoking to less than 30 percent at work, less than 75 percent at restaurants, less than 80 percent at bars and cafes and less than 60 percent at hotels.
A road map will be created to increase taxes on tobacco products, regulate the minimum selling price of tobacco products and research and evaluate the effectiveness of the plan for calculating taxes on tobacco products on the retail price in order to achieve a reduced rate of tobacco use.
The strategy also proposes promulgate regulations on the prevention of e-cigarette products, heated-tobacco, shisha and other new tobacco products and the sale of tobacco for juveniles or juveniles selling tobacco under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Vietnam remains one of the 15 countries with the highest smoking rate among male adults.
May 30, 2023
Cyprus Minors Have Access to Nicotine-Free Cigs

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Minors in Cyprus have access to nicotine-free cigarettes due to ambiguity in the 2017 tobacco control legislation, reports In-Cyprus.
Nicotine-free products are easily accessible, on kiosk stalls next to cash registers and separate from other tobacco products as well as in cafes. The products have attractive packaging and are available in a variety of fruit flavors.
Over a year ago, the Cyprus Addiction Prevention Authority wrote to the Legal Service requesting an opinion on the nicotine-free tobacco products but did not receive a reply.
According to the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, 16-year-old students in Cyprus reduced conventional cigarette use and switched to new tobacco products like hookah and e-cigarettes in 2019. Daily use of e-cigarettes by students in Cyprus is 4.6 percent compared to the average of 3.1 percent.
May 30, 2023
Clinical Data on Vuse Illustrates Beneficial Public Health Impact

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New results from one of the largest ever vapor product studies, which analyzed BAT’s flagship vapor brand Vuse, have been published in the journal of Internal and Emergency Medicine, reports BAT.
The study compared clinical measurements from exclusive Vuse consumers with smokers. The results of the study show that participating Vuse consumers had favorable differences in biomarkers of exposure and biomarkers of potential harm relevant to smoking-related diseases when compared to smokers.
Vuse users have shown significantly lower biomarkers of exposure for priority cigarette smoke toxicants as defined by the World Health Organization. The data also showed favorable differences between Vuse consumers and smokers across all biomarkers of potential harm measured, with three being statistically significant.
James Murphy, director of research and science at BAT, said, “Vaping continues to grow in importance as adult smokers seek reduced-risk alternative nicotine products. That is why these results are so important for Vuse, BAT and consumers, as they allow us to better understand the positive real-world impact of vaping compared to smoking. The research shows a clear difference between those using Vuse compared to smokers and reinforces the reduced-risk potential and role of vapor in tobacco harm reduction.”
In an opinion piece published by Tobacco Reporter, Murphy elaborated on the significance of the study to tobacco harm reduction.
May 30, 2023
New Zealanders Want to Ban Vaping

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More than two-thirds of New Zealanders want to ban vaping following Australia’s new legislation making vapes prescription only, according to the NZ Herald.
A poll asking, “Should we ban recreational vaping?” showed 68 percent of respondents agreeing while 27 percent disagreed.
Pediatrician Colette Muir stated that the Pediatric Society of New Zealand was “extremely worried” by the level of youth vaping in the country. “While the health policy intention regarding vaping was to reduce smoking, it is now clear that vaping is causing significant harm to Aotearoa’s tamariki and rangitahi,” said Muir, referring to children and their families. “More needs to be done to prevent youth who do not smoke taking up vaping in the first place.”
“We are concerned that an alarming number of high school students are trying or taking up vaping because their friends do it and they’ve heard it’s safe and are curious,” said Muir. “While the Vaping Amendment Act, which came into force in November 2022, aims to make e-cigarettes less appealing and available to teens, we feel more needs to be done to prevent youth taking up e-cigarettes, particularly e-cigarettes that contain nicotine.”
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said vaping is important to help smokers quit, but the balance needs to be right to make sure youth don’t take up the habit. “We haven’t got that balance right at the moment,” Verrall said.
National’s Christopher Luxon stated he was open to “all things,” including a ban. “I really think we’ve got our vape settings wrong here in New Zealand. I would really like us to take a step back and really look at them closely.
“It’s impacting our young people. Originally, they were introduced so that it actually could help people come off smoking, but it’s actually created a whole class and a new sector of addiction for people,” he said.
May 30, 2023
Vaping to be Banned for Those Under 18

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Ireland will ban vaping for those under the age of 18, effective July, reports the Irish Times.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly will bring a memo to the Cabinet this week outlining the full legislation. The new law is expected to be enacted before the lower house of Parliament’s summer recess in mid-July.
The legislation includes restrictions on the types of retailers allowed to sell vapes or nicotine-inhaling products as well as measures to curb advertising of nicotine-inhaling products near schools and other locations frequented by kids and young adults.
Donnelly is expected to tell the Cabinet that there is “clear evidence” that nicotine exposure in young people has long-term effects on brain development, referencing recently published surveys of Irish school-aged kids. The surveys, including the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children survey from 2018 and the European Schools Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs survey from 2019, showed that 9 percent of 12-year-olds to 17-year-olds and 15.5 percent of 15-year-olds and 16-year-olds used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days. Donnelly is also expected to reference a Health Research Board review that found that kids who vaped were five times more likely to begin smoking.
The government is expected to prioritize passage of the bill through the Oireachtas to allow for full debate and discussion before sending the legislation to President Michael D. Higgins for his signature.
May 30, 2023
Cavendish Plans More Shisha Auctions

Koen Monkau (left) | Image: Cavendish Lloyd
Cavendish Lloyd Zimbabwe (CLZ) plans to hold two more shisha auction sales, according to NewsDay.
CLZ is the first company to hold an auction sale of shisha tobacco.
“This tobacco has extremely low nicotine,” said Koen Monkau, CEO and founder of Cavendish. “So our target with the farmers is to grow a maximum nicotine crop of 1 percent while the traditional crop that you see is traditionally anywhere between 2 percent and 3 percent with sugars ranging from, let’s say, 14 percent to 20 percent. This is less than 1 percent nicotine and up to 30 percent sugar.”
“We are going to do three or four (auction sales) in total, and this is number two,” he added.
Cavendish sold between 60 bales and 80 bales on the first day at auction, each bale weighing between 90 kg and 100 kg. Sales increased to 300 bales on the second auction day.
The company is working with about 13 farmers who supply the crop.
“The cost of growing is about half that of the traditional crop. If you look at a commercial farmer in Zimbabwe, the cost of growing per hectare of the traditional tobacco is anything between US$12,000 and $13,000, and this (shisha) is about $6,000 to $7,000, so it is about half the cost of growing. However, the yield per hectare is slightly less,” Monkau said.
“So, when you look at the return on investment for the farmer, it’s definitely much better than the traditional crop.”
Cavendish is targeting the European and Arab markets with the final product. “The original source of this style of tobacco is Europe, but from there, it’s sold worldwide. So we are basically competing with countries such as France, Poland and Germany. These are the major producers of this style of tobacco in Europe. And we see that there is stabilization or a slight decline in what they are growing for whatever reasons, so that means there is an opening for us to enter that market as well,” Monkau said.
“For the last two seasons, there has been a shortage of this style of tobacco. Traditionally, most of this tobacco is being used in the Middle East because that is where most shisha is coming from. But what we see now, even in Africa or Zimbabwe, recently, a small manufacturer started to make a small product that is going into the water pipe.”
May 5, 2023
Jordan Citizens Complain of High Tobacco Prices

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Citizens in Jordan have raised concerns about increasing tobacco product prices despite government assurance that taxes will not be raised and no new taxes will be imposed, reports Jordan News.
The price of tobacco products has reportedly increased significantly without prior warning to consumers. Many smokers have expressed frustration, stating they cannot afford to pay the new prices and criticizing the government for failing to control the price increase.
Dirar Al-Harasees, chairman of the financial committee in the lower house, expressed surprise by the hike as well, calling on the government to clarify the reason behind the increase and questioning who decided to raise the prices.
Manufacturing companies are not authorized to raise prices unilaterally without approval of the House of Representatives to impose new taxes, according to Harasees.
May 5, 2023
Israel’s Mulls Vaping Restrictions

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Israel’s health ministry discussed the possibility of banning marketing of electronic cigarettes, according to i24 News. The ministry said, “options are being examined due to two difficult cases and the widespread phenomenon,” referring to the increase of youth using e-cigarettes.
The ministry is considering the possibilities of banning the marketing of electronic cigarettes altogether, banning only those flavored or requiring dissuasive images on packaging.
May 5, 2023
Geneva to Ban Smoking in Some Outdoor Areas

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Smoking will be banned in some outdoor public locations in Geneva beginning June 1, reports SWI. Bus stops, playgrounds and outside of schools are included in the ban.
The government has modified the law to create “healthy outdoor environments that are smoke-free.”
Under the law, smoking will be banned within a 9 meter perimeter of playgrounds, schools and day care centers, and smoking zones will be created at least 9 meters from outdoor swimming pools. Smoking will be completely banned at local bus stops.
Geneva Parliament agreed to the change in January 2022. Those caught breaking the law will be subject to a fine.
Since May 1, 2010, smoking has been banned in Switzerland in enclosed spaces when they are open to the public or serve as a workplace for more than one person. Smoking is banned in restaurants, public buildings and offices as well as on public transport. Smoking is permitted in separate smoking rooms, outdoors and in private homes.
Home to the global headquarters of Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International, Switzerland has historically lagged behind its neighbors in anti-smoking legislation, but that is starting to change.
In 2022, Swiss voters approved a referendum limiting tobacco and e-cigarette advertising.
May 5, 2023
Filipino Smokers Have Quit Options

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Adult Filipino tobacco smokers who wish to quit should be given more alternatives to help them gradually decrease their nicotine consumption, a research group said, reports GMA News Online.
ASCRA Consulting’s project coordinator, Joze Songsong, discussed tobacco harm reduction (THR) in a media forum, explaining that Filipinos need to be protected from the dangers of smoking and some need smoking cessation support.
“Through tobacco harm reduction, what we want to do is to empathize with those adult smokers who can’t immediately quit because either they use nicotine as a way to alleviate the different social circumstances that force them into this particular lifestyle or habit,” Songsong said. “What we want to do is not to advocate for a specific type of cure for these Filipino smokers but to equip them with the right information and the tools to make those informed decisions because these Filipino smokers have the right to informed choices and have the right to make choices for their own health.”
Ehsan Latif, senior vice president of the Foundation for a Smoke-free World, said that the Philippines should learn from the THR progress of other countries like Japan and the United Kingdom.
“We can’t expect people to quit smoking in just a day. The challenge is how we interact with the private sector. It’s not dependent on one sect,” said Latif.
May 5, 2023