Remembering the Good Old days of Smoking Helps You Quit

Forget all those shocking images of blackened lungs researchers reckon the best way to encourage folks to quit the cigs is to show them the ‘good old days’.

Nostalgia it seems is making a comeback – certainly where stop Smoking programs are concerned.

A study carried out at Michigan State University shows that ‘shock horror’ images – such as the ones now on all tobacco products here in the UK – shows that inducing fear and loathing of smoking does not work.

Instead they suggest a gentler and nostalgic nudge does the trick.

Co author Ali Hussain said:

Smokers often don’t buy the messages and instead feel badly about themselves and the person who is trying to scare them.

The research looked at a group of smokers aged 18 to 39. One group was shown a video where the narrator talks about his childhood and remembers his first cigarette.

The second group was shown a rather more in your face shock horror cigarettes are going to kill you to pieces type video.

It was found those shown the gentler video came away with more negative attitude to smoking with many claiming they now intended to quit.

Co author Maria Lapinski said:

Our study, which to our knowledge is first of its kind, shows promise for using nostalgic messages to promote pro-social behaviours.

We know that policy and environmental changes have an influence on smoking and this study indicates persuasive messages can influence smoking attitudes.

You can watch the nostalgic video below – all that’s missing is the Hovis advert music

Icelandic Vapers Give Cold Shoulder to New Legislation

Vapers in Iceland could soon be feeling the cold winds of legislation.

As it stands currently there is NO regulation on Vaping in the country and indeed vaping is allowed pretty much everywhere.

However those politicians it seems no matter where they are in the world can’t keep out of vaping and are now considering the need to regulate both vaping and e-liquid.

A new bill from the health ministry threatens to change the Icelandic freedom to vape and opponents are not happy warning of a possible ‘black market’ in home brewed e-liquids.

At the moment e-liquid can be bought in Iceland with a nicotine content of 32mg – they breed ‘em tough up there lol – however it appears the Government is planning on limiting that to 20mg and 10ml bottles.

Sounds familiar *sighs*.

Vape shop owner Erna Margrét Oddsdóttir joined a chorus of other vapers across the globe saying the law meant to ‘protect children’ was doing nothing of the sort adding:

You can buy five litres of bleach from the store, and drain cleaner in bulk. But there is a childproof cap [on vape liquid] as there is a childproof cap on all these things.

Pointing out the health benefits of vaping she added:

If Óttarr Proppé [Minister of Health] and his people would hear the stories that I hear every single day, they would work hard to make this easier and more accessible for people.

It’s unclear when the bill will be debated so vape on [for now] Iceland!

Cancer Survivor Slams Council

After surviving throat cancer Graham Edkins opened a vape shop to help others quit smoking.

Joining forces with former cancer researcher Dr Robert Lees to open the Vape Emporium in Burton Staffs – the pair did their bit to encourage and support smokers to take up e-cigarettes.

As part of the face to face support they offered they suggested NRT [nicotine replacement therapy] as well as e-cigs as they believed this was a sure fire way to quit the cigs.

Mr Edkins explains:

Anybody that came in and wanted support beyond just buying an e-cigarette, we could refer them to Together for Health services, and they could then, in conjunction with e-cigarettes, access nicotine replacement therapy, things like nicotine patches, and they could also get carbon monoxide tests when they got support.

However the council has contacted him revealing the Together for Health programme is to be scrapped leaving smokers wishing to quit with no ‘face to face’ help other than their GP.

Mr Edkins said:

Getting people to stop smoking saves the council so much money in the long run. Fewer people are accessing the stop smoking services because more people are using e-cigarettes, and self-medicating, but it’s really important that the option is there.

Staffs County Council health cabinet member Alan White was undeterred saying:

People in Staffordshire are living longer, but not necessarily healthier lives in our county.

With less money available, we need people to take greater responsibility for their own health and well being so that the council can focus our resources on those that need help the most.

Sadly Mr Edkins thinks the very fact more people are turning to e-cigarettes could be the reason behind the council’s decision:

Getting people to stop smoking saves the council so much money in the long run. Fewer people are accessing the stop smoking services because more people are using e-cigarettes, and self-medicating, but it’s really important that the option is there.

Source

Call for Local Councils Vaping Policy Re-Think

Following on from last week’s piece on Hertfordshire Council pro[ish] vaping policy our friends over at Vapers in Power need your help.

They are urging vapers to spend 10 minutes of their time to back a new campaign calling for councils in the UK to ‘re-visit’ archaic vaping policies.

It’s a simple cut and paste job and could go a long way into stopping local governments treating vapers in the same way they do smokers.

Check the info out HERE

FDA Deeming Regulations Could be Slowed Down

With hope springing eternal that President Trump will remove the anti-vaping Deeming regulations a new move could see the legislation held back.

Politicians from both the Democrats and Republicans have produced the so called FDA Deeming Authority Clarification Act of 2017.

Senators Sanford Bishop and Tom Cole are strong supporters of vaping and argue it is pretty much proven beyond doubt to be a ‘significant reduced-risk usage’.

At the moment the new laws come into being on August 8th and include vape products [devices and e-liquids] produced or sold from 2007 – this is known as the ‘grandfather date.’

The new bill argues the cost to comply with the law means and has meant vaping businesses that haven’t already gone bust may soon have to shut up shop.

Senator Cole said:

While there is disagreement about whether certain tobacco products should be regulated or not, there should be agreement that new regulations should apply to products moving forward, and not retroactively.

Drowning in a Sea of E-Liquid

It seems not a second goes by without yet another e-liquid flavour or company launching and little wonder.

According to a new report grandly titled “European E-Liquid Market: Focus on Type, Origin, Geography and Distribution Channel: – Analysis & Forecast 2016-2025” – the industry will be worth $1.15 Billion over the next 7 years.

And that’s in Europe alone – wow that’s a lot of 10ml bottles lol.

Globally you’re looking at the mind boggling figure of $32.8billion little wonder Big Tobacco is muscling in wherever and whenever it can – that’s a lot of ex-smokers buying juice!

Sadly to read the full report would cost me over $4k – yeah I know sounds crazy but I’m pretty sure that’s what the read more and the figure $4200 next to it means – and it’s only 142 pages AND at that price only I could read it!!! WTF!!!

Though for the knock down price of $1500 I could have read the “Churn in the E-Cigarette Market” – whatever ‘churn’ means and I ain’t paying that much to find out!

However you can get an idea of the e-liquid report HERE

Or if you’re a billionaire vaper buy the whole report HERE

And Finally…the Vaping Football Manager

Twitter timelines lit up after football manager Paul Doswell was shown on TV vaping on the touchline during an FA Cup tie recently.

His son had hoped he’d see his dad vaping against Arsenal earlier this week tweeting:

[a yellow card for the atrocious spelling btw lol]

Sadly Sutton lost and as a vaper and Spurs fan I’m suitably ‘gutted’ and ‘sick as the proverbial parrot’

However the football vs vape tweets were it’s fair to say a well fought out draw between those who gave vaping in sport the red card – whilst others called it a great result.

Interestingly enough Mr Doswell not only manages the club without pay but also sponsors them!

I think that’s an Innokin Endura T18 he’s vaping?

Pity it wasn’t a SMOK Stick as we could see a new sponsor next year – Sutton Smok anyone

*Shuffles Papers*