Alastair Cohen - Clearing the Air

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Germany Moves to Ban Menthol Vapes in Sweeping Crackdown on “Cooling” Additives

Germany is preparing to outlaw menthol and a long list of “cooling” additives used in e-cigarettes, in what could become one of the toughest vape flavour crackdowns in Europe. A draft regulation from the Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Homeland would…

News Science

“Factually wrong”: experts destroy study used by EU Commission to justify nicotine clampdown

An academic article used by EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi to justify his assertion that safer nicotine products are as dangerous as smoking has been taken apart by a leading tobacco and nicotine expert. “In my view this is not a scientific review,…

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EU to fast track new nicotine laws: proposal expected next year

The European Commission has announced that revisions to its tobacco control laws will be fast tracked, with a proposal now expected next year. A leaked draft of its Cardiovascular plan - now renamed the Safe Hearts Plan - obtained by EurActiv and…

News Legislation

DOCUMENT: EU Health Ministers to discuss new curbs on safer nicotine products

EU Health Ministers will tomorrow discuss new restrictions on “novel tobacco and nicotine products” at a closed door lunch, according to a briefing document seen by Clearing the Air and published here (email signup required). The working lunch “will allow Member States…

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Europe agreed not to ban safer nicotine products. Now Denmark wants to ban them anyway.

Denmark and the European Commission want to bind the whole of the EU to banning vapes and nicotine pouches, according to negotiating documents circulated this evening and seen by Clearing the Air. The full document is available here. The ban - which…

News

Echo chamber? More than half of WHO’s accredited tobacco control NGOs underwritten by Mike Bloomberg

At least 15 of the 29 NGOs were either created by Michael Bloomberg’s foundations, Bloomberg Philanthropies or the Bloomberg Family Foundation; or receive significant funding from his foundations, according to an investigation by The Firebreak, calling into question the extent to which…

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COP 11: The “dirty ashtray” award goes to…New Zealand?

New Zealand - which has some of the world’s lowest smoking rates and highest cigarette taxes - has been given the “dirty ashtray” award by the Global Alliance on Tobacco Control (GATC) in a move that brings into stark focus just how…

News

FULL DOCUMENT: EU won’t push for bans at WHO Tobacco Control summit in blow for Commission

The full document can be viewed here. EU Member States have today agreed not to push for bans on safer nicotine products at the WHO’s bi-annual tobacco control summit, COP 11, after a large group of countries refused to accept the Commission’s…

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Nicorette maker wants more tax on vapes

Nicorette maker Kenvue’s Vice President Hannah French has called for a “tobacco and nicotine free generation” in a speech to EU policy makers at the Parliament Magazine’s Healthcare summit. In a soft “sponsored interview” riddled with misleading statements, French told attendees that…

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