The Vapers Ph

THAILAND and other Southeast Asian countries should study the Philippines’ to***co harm reduction (THR) approach designed to help smokers by regulating their access to less harmful alternatives to ci******es like v**es and heated to***co products, a consumer advocacy group said.

📰: https://malaya.com.ph/news_news/thailand-asked-to-take-cue-from-phs-to***co-harm-reduction-approach/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

“Rather than viewing them as a threat to public health, the WHO FCTC should look at them as tools that can help more than a billion smokers around the world quit smoking. It has been well documented that it is the smoke, and not ni****ne, that causes serious diseases among smokers.”

- Dr. Lorenzo Mata, president of the advocacy group Quit for Good

📸: Philippine Daily Inquirer
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../doctor-says-harm...

📰: https://smebulletin.com/good-to***co-harm-reduction-is-supported-globally-by-quit-for-good/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

Better alternatives to ci******es exist, and scientific data support their potential to be less harmful. The missing piece of the puzzle is the collective effort of governments, the public health community, our industry, and civil society to make these alternatives accessible to adult smokers who do not quit.

📰: https://allafrica.com/stories/202311080299.html

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

"Calculating the potential lives of adult smokers that can be saved by improving to***co control and complementing it with harm reduction strategies is a critical exercise in public health.""

- Riccardo Polosa, founder of the Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR)

📸: To***co Reporter
https://to***coreporter.com/2023/10/27/new-report-touts-benefits-of-harm-reduction/

📰: hhttps://to***coreporter.com/2023/10/27/new-report-touts-benefits-of-harm-reduction/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

The study’s key findings indicate that significant numbers of lives can be saved in these countries through the widespread adoption of THR and related measures. For instance, Kazakhstan could prevent 165,000 premature deaths in the next four decades, while South Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan could save 320,000, 920,000, and 1.2 million lives, respectively.

📰: https://to***coreporter.com/2023/10/27/new-report-touts-benefits-of-harm-reduction/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

To***co harm reduction (THR) is a pragmatic public health approach that aims to reduce the negative health impacts of to***co use, by moving smokers from the most dangerous way to consume ni****ne (combustible ci******es) to alternative, less harmful (non-combustible) ni****ne delivery products with vastly lower levels of toxicants.

📰: https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.3587

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Quit For Good, a non-profit organization promoting harm reduction in the Philippines, said strategies that provide smokers with less harmful alternatives to ci******es are far more likely to reduce smoking than the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on To***co Control (FCTC) recommendations to prohibit them while ci******es remain widely available.

📰: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/quit-good-recommends-modernize-to***co-123300071.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANqIA6UoAF2umWDEseFP1UmgYSNbHaWVKQ0F2xtxOysDUh2hnB_EsvCSPQi8zH1RpTKJY27ROADCG7nmC72k1wAanC-de-eyaS4nDEdbuR927uPGrIuPg70NYT4GGHxwoS-1Me6QgOaZz2iG1Xe2IWLgot2gaSKdcaH1fGhoUNrW

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

“If organizations like the World Health Organization would insist that smoke-free products and combustible ci******es have the same risks, then smokers would be discouraged from switching to v**es and heated to***co products. Fortunately, many Filipino v**ers, based on their years of experience, are now aware that what they are using is 95 percent less harmful than ci******es, as proven by scientific studies in the UK and other progressive countries around the world.”

- Dr. Lorenzo Mata, president of the advocacy group Quit for Good

📸: Philippine Daily Inquirer
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../doctor-says-harm...

📰: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1838648/intl-study-finds-no-sign-va**ng-leads-to-smoking

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

An international study has found no sign that using e-ci******es and other alternative ni****ne delivery products can lead a person to smoke ci******es.

📰: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1838648/intl-study-finds-no-sign-va**ng-leads-to-smoking

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

“The new shifts today aim at saving through safer alternatives. Devices that heat, instead of burning to***co, lead to significantly less damage. Ni****ne, though addictive, hasn’t shown direct harm in conventional usage. The shift towards harm reduction is positive, provided it’s backed by long-term research and evaluation.”

- Professor Reuven Zimlichman, Member of the Board of Directors of the Israeli Society for the Prevention of Acute Myocardial Infarction

📸: Prof. Zimlichman's Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/reuven-zimlichman-75aa3219/overlay/photo/

📰: https://morungexpress.com/leading-cardiologist-calls-for-innovative-global-harm-reduction-strategies-to-combat-smoking-related-cardiovascular-disease-in-india

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

The experts also emphasized the pressing need to address smoking-related cardiovascular diseases through innovative harm-reduction strategies.

📰: https://morungexpress.com/leading-cardiologist-calls-for-innovative-global-harm-reduction-strategies-to-combat-smoking-related-cardiovascular-disease-in-india

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

"The study only shows that smoke-free alternatives such as v***r products, e-ci******es, and heated to***co products can help reduce harm from smoking and subsequently the cost of medical treatment for preventable diseases. This will also free up hospital resources for non-smoking patients.”

- Dr. Lorenzo Mata, president of the advocacy group Quit for Good

📸: Philippine Daily Inquirer
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../doctor-says-harm...

📰: https://www.bworldonline.com/economy/2023/09/13/545420/bir-updates-list-of-registered-to***co-companies-brands/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

MANILA, Philippines — An Asia-Pacific civil society group asked the member countries of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global treaty on to***co control to reject prohibitionist measures that will deprive a billion smokers of access to less harmful alternatives such as e-ci******es and heated to***co products.

📰: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1833683/countries-asked-to-reject-measures-that-will-deprive-billion-smokers-of-better-alternatives

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

“Hospitalization costs a fortune in the Philippines. The study results by Prof. Moscone confirm what we have been saying all along. By switching to less harmful and smoke-free alternatives, Filipino smokers will spare their families from going back and forth to hospitals for the treatment of serious smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD."

- Dr. Lorenzo Mata, president of the advocacy group Quit for Good

📸: Philippine Daily Inquirer
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../doctor-says-harm...

📰: https://www.essexmagazine.co.uk/2023/09/is-va**ng-eco-friendly/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

Encouraging smokers to switch to reduced-risk products (RRPs) such as heated to***co and v**es would lower healthcare costs and free up hospital resources for non-smoking patients, according to a British study.

📰: hhttps://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1830489/study-switching-to-v**e-heated-to***co-can-lower-smokers-healthcare-expenses

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

In a memorandum circular dated Sept. 4, the agency updated the list to also include their corresponding product brands or variants of ci******es, heated to***co products, v***r products, and novel to***co products.

The BIR said this will help “intensify its campaign against illicit to***co products.”

📰: https://www.bworldonline.com/economy/2023/09/13/545420/bir-updates-list-of-registered-to***co-companies-brands/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

It is estimated that there are no fewer than one billion cigarette smokers all over the world with the figure likely to increase. While that may sound worrisome, the fact that there is copious research and other scientific evidence that indicates that it is the smoke from combustible ci******es, and not ni****ne, that causes cancer provides a plausible explanation for a break from combustible ci******es to smoke-free products.

📰: https://leadership.ng/to***co-harm-reduction-examining-smoke-free-products/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

Va**rs can choose rechargeable va**ng devices, which sometimes come with refillable tanks. Though they usually cost higher, such v**e kits can be recharged over and over again making them a cost-effective and sustainable option. Instead of continually buying new devices, you can only replace the coil or refill the v**e juice.

📰: https://www.essexmagazine.co.uk/2023/09/is-va**ng-eco-friendly/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

Anti-va**ng zealots fixate on the ni****ne in e‑ci******es. Ni****ne is the addictive component of to***co smoke. However, it is one of the least harmful components of to***co smoke. It is a relatively safe stimulant.

📰: https://www.cato.org/blog/dc-department-health-embarks-disinformation-campaign-snuff-out-to***co-harm-reduction

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

So far, the FDA is responsible for a mess of regulatory inaction and confusion. Without drastic policy changes, mere lip service will do little for the millions of US adults who could benefit from safer alternatives to smoking.

📰: https://filtermag.org/fda-v**e-misinformation/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

Consumer groups asked Lazada and Shopee to purge sellers of unregistered v**es and heated to***co products (HTPs) on their platforms by the end of October 2023 as they committed to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

📰: https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/4/lazada-shopee-urged-to-heed-ultimatum-to-purge-illicit-v**e-sellers

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

“The WHO FCTC is meant to be an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health. However, the current to***co control measures have extensively promoted the abstinence-only approach, which has contributed to smokers' inability to make informed choices about safer ni****ne products.”
📸: Nancy Loucas' Facebook Account (https://www.facebook.com/nancy.e.loucas/photos)

📰: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2308/S00060/highlighting-the-need-for-consumer-participation-in-to***co-harm-reduction-policy-making.html

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

The pressure of the WHO to put all ni****ne products under the same category means lost potential for thousands of smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives.

📰: https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/standing-for-harm-reduction-the-eus-duty-to-smokers-worldwide

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

To***co claims the lives of over 8 million people each year, perpetuating a global health crisis that demands urgent action. In the fight against to***co-related diseases, the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on To***co Control (WHO FCTC) in 2003 marked a turning point. However, as the world grapples with reducing cigarette consumption, a new contender has emerged-smokeless to***co alternatives.

📰: https://dailytimes.com.pk/1127092/embracing-smokeless-alternatives-revolutionizing-to***co-control-saving-lives/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

The president of the country’s leading heated to***co company said that the passage of the landmark V**e Law a year ago was a “win” for public health and that the “young” legislation has opened the door to future science-based innovative products that are better alternatives to ci******es.

📰: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1820666/v**e-law-a-win-for-public-health-opens-door-to-science-based-innovation-pmftc-exec

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

"Recently, no less than the UK Prime Minister endorsed the distribution of free e-cigarette kits to adult smokers in England in an effort to make them quit. This only proves that v**es are much better alternatives to combustible ci******es whose smoke is what causes diseases among humans in the first place."

📸: Ms. Virgino's Twitter Account
https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FCYVirgino%2Fphoto

📰: https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/11/va**ng-far-less-harmful-than-smoking-uk-public-health-group

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

"There exists a large collection of scientific evidence that v**es are significantly less harmful than ci******es, yet some groups still spread lies that are risky. This will only exacerbate the problem of smoking which is the leading cause of premature deaths globally."

📰: https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/11/va**ng-far-less-harmful-than-smoking-uk-public-health-group

📸: Philippine Daily Inquirer
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1575629/doctor-says-harm-reduction-offers-best-approach-to-stop-smoking?fbclid=IwAR3wUoeUPz5WRXtnhnD2bB_7u1YMFbU4NQl_sUiOxmk6ybvM5MKvH9m00SY

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

A public health charity set up by the UK Royal College of Physicians denied that va**ng ni****ne is more harmful than smoking to***co, dismissing it as among the myths that continue to spread globally.

📰: https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/11/va**ng-far-less-harmful-than-smoking-uk-public-health-group

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

People are more likely to quit smoking through v**es if they receive help in choosing the right flavor for them, plus supportive messages, recent research found.

📰: https://filtermag.org/flavor-advice-v**e-switching/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

In its latest revenue memorandum circular, the BIR announced that it is now requiring importers or manufacturers of raw materials and equipment used to make heated to***co products and v***r products to apply for an authority to release imported goods.

📰: https://www.bworldonline.com/economy/2023/08/06/538026/bir-to-require-importers-of-raw-materials-for-va**ng-products-to-apply-for-release-approval/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

"To***co use is the leading cause of cancer - and it is avoidable. There is no safe way to use to***co, a major risk of cancer comes from the combustion of to***co or to***co smoke. Most toxic substances including carcinogenic agents are released due to combustion. If we can somehow remove combustion from the process, it would lead to reduced harm for legal-age smokers who find it difficult to quit."

📰: https://zeenews.india.com/blogs/if-to***co-can-t-be-removed-from-the-population-could-combustion-be-experts-deliberate-2639115.html

📸: Hosplan.com
https://hosplan.com/doctor/dr-bharat-gopal

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

A move to prohibit the use of safer ni****ne products may have devastating impact on public health.

📰: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/08/03/pragmatic-approach-to-to***co-control-may-save-countless-lives/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

Advocates of public health in the country applauded UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for promoting va**ng as a much safer alternative to smoking ci******es and establishing groundbreaking programs that “encourage adults to make informed choices rather than imposing bans that leave them with limited options."

📰: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1807583/uk-prime-minister-sunak-promotes-v**es-as-safer-alternative-to-ci******es

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

The overall results of the trials indicated that va**ng was effective in helping smokers to quit. It was also associated with a lower risk of adverse events than combustible ci******es.

📰: https://www.dovepress.com/use-of-va**ng-as-a-smoking-cessation-aid-a-review-of-clinical-trials-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JMDH

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

What concerns him most is that the Bill applies the same restrictions to smoking and va**ng, despite the latter being scientifically proven to be 95% less harmful and effective in helping smokers quit.

📰: https://businesstech.co.za/news/industry-news/705405/to***co-bill-submissions-now-open-citizens-must-have-their-say/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

The letter, which can be found at colinmendelsohn.com.au/anacad2, highlights the importance of evidence-based policies and the need to prioritize harm reduction strategies in to***co control.

📰: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2307/S00045/to***co-harm-reduction-consumer-group-supports-letter-from-leading-health-experts-to-australian-mps.htm

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

NEW YORK, July 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A significant majority of doctors across the globe mistakenly attributes the negative health consequences of smoking to ni****ne, directly jeopardizing advancements made in helping smokers quit, a survey funded by a Foundation for a Smoke-Free World grant has found.

📰: https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/nearly-80-of-doctors-worldwide-mistakenly-believe-ni****ne-causes-lung-cancer-thwarting-efforts-to-help-one-billion-smokers-quit-893679397.html

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

“We all know that bans and prohibitions and harsh restrictions don’t work. We have a huge black market and criminal gangs, and huge issues with enforcement and youth va**ng – how much more information do we need to be clear that this is the wrong approach? We’re all aware of it, but unfortunately, closed-off political leaders are unwilling to open the door to that information.”
- Dr. Colin Mendelsohn, a medical practitioner and researcher in smoking cessation and to***co harm reduction in Australia
📰: https://manilastandard.net/business/314348523/who-asked-to-stop-opposition-to-to***co-harm-reduction-to-help-over-a-billion-smokers.html

📸: Dr Colin Mendelsohn's website
https://colinmendelsohn.com.au/

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

While smoking remains a highly harmful and addictive habit, evidence suggests that va**ng poses significantly fewer risks.

📰: https://www.iol.co.za/sunday-tribune/lifestyle/va**ng-advocates-fight-for-recognition-bill-fails-to-differentiate-harm-reduction-from-smoking-b2866000-8b42-45f5-b300-193d784417d0

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly

“We need to focus on harm reduction strategies that work, rather than relying on outdated and inaccurate claims about va**ng being a gateway to smoking. The evidence is clear: va**ng can be an effective tool for smoking cessation and harm reduction."
- Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific To***co Harm Reduction Advocates
📰: https://to***coreporter.com/2023/07/06/harm-reduction-activists-dispute-gateway-findings/

📸: Nancy Loucas' Facebook Account (https://www.facebook.com/nancy.e.loucas/photos)

**rsUnite
**eResponsibly