Global - Clearing the Air

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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…

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NZ health minister commended for science-based vaping stance

New Zealand’s Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has been praised internationally for rejecting what she called a “ridiculous” ranking that penalises the country despite its world-leading decline in smoking rates. Minister rebukes global index Minister Costello criticised the Global Tobacco Industry Interference…

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COP Day 3 bulletin: GATC lies about harm reduction and quitting

The Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) - which coordinates anti-nicotine NGOs at the WHO’s Conference of the Parties on tobacco control - has written to all COP delegates falsely claiming that “the evidence on the use of e-cigarettes as cessation aid…

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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…

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Ireland weighing nicotine pouch ban, says chief medical officer

Ireland’s Department of Health is considering new restrictions on nicotine pouches as part of its efforts to curb nicotine use among young people. The proposal, which could extend existing tobacco control laws, comes as health officials debate how to balance youth protection…

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COP11 agenda dismisses harm reduction as ‘tobacco industry narrative’

The World Health Organisation’s upcoming tobacco control summit, COP11, is under fire for framing harm reduction as a “tobacco industry narrative” - a move that critics say sidelines evidence and consumer voices. WHO sets tone for closed debate Set to take place…

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FDA shift opens door to flavoured vapes

In a major turnaround, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has signalled support for tobacco harm reduction - and suggested that more flavoured vapes could soon be authorised for sale. Speaking at the annual Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) Tobacco…

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WHO’s harm reduction stance ‘contradicts science,’ says former agency director

A former World Health Organisation (WHO) director has accused the agency of ignoring science and blocking progress on tobacco harm reduction. Professor Tikki Pang warns that the WHO’s current position risks stalling efforts to cut smoking in the Asia-Pacific - the region…

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Secret celeb vapers revealed: from Selena Gomez to Leonardo DiCaprio

While smoking has fallen out of fashion among celebrities, vaping has quietly taken its place. According to the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction, an estimated 114 million people vape worldwide - and more than half of them are former smokers. Though…

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