Alastair Cohen - Clearing the Air

News

100,000 + sign French petition against crushing vape tax

Over 100.000 people have signed a French petition calling for the government to rethink its proposed vape tax in just three days. The petition has over 127.000 signatures at the time of writing. The proposed budget legislation would redefine vaping products as…

News

SCOOP: Italian Government scathing opposition to EU nicotine tax

The Italian Government fears a significant shift to the black market if the EU tax is approved, according to a “Reasoned Opinion” published by the Italian Government and reproduced here by Clearing the Air. Rome is concerned with the significant potential for…

News

EXCLUSIVE: Belgian Deputy Prime Minister to host public anti-nicotine seminar during COP 11

Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and former Health Minister Franck Vandenbroucke will host a livestreamed seminar on novel nicotine products, with a focus on vaping, during the WHO’s biannual conference on tobacco control in November. According to documents seen by Clearing the Air…

News

“A cruel joke on Europe’s smokers”: French pouch ban to go ahead in April

With France pushing ahead with its criminalisation of nicotine pouches despite objections from seven other EU Member States, consumers and health policy advocates have slammed the measure, warning that it will criminalise ordinary Europeans crossing borders with safer nicotine products and push…

News Science

STUDY: Flavour bans make things worse

Flavor bans for vaping are associated with increased cigarette use and black-market activity, including the risk of youth access and reduced consumer safety, according to a new policy paper from the Tholos Foundation. The report draws on a combination of academic literature,…

News

WHO fails to read its own treaty

The World Health Organisation is urging its members to classify “harm reduction” as a tobacco industry narrative, despite the concept being classified as a tobacco control strategy in its own treaty. A draft agenda for the Conference of the Parties to the…

News Science

‘Ethics Abandoned’: Pregnant women given free cigarettes and told to keep smoking in low-nicotine cigarette trial

In a revelation that has stunned public health observers, pregnant women in a government-funded U.S. clinical trial are being given free cigarettes and explicitly instructed to continue smoking as part of research intended to support a federal nicotine reduction mandate. The trial,…

Legislation

The true cost of the EU tax grab

The European Commission wants to hike taxes of safer nicotine products, a move which will cause enormous pain for consumers, most of whom just want to stop smoking. In an announcement on 16th July, the EU’s executive proposed hikes of at least…

News

Swedish finance minister hits back at EU tax on nicotine pouches

Elisabeth Svantesson, the Swedish Minister of Finance, has hit back at plans - first revealed on Clearing the Air - to make levies on tobacco and nicotine products part of the EU budget. “Leaks suggest that the EU Commission will next week…

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