Thread by @vaper_the

Many countries regulate #eCigarettes. #SouthAfrica should too. By .@LauraRossouw
theconversation.com/many-countries…

Following a long line of articles from #TobaccoControl types who completely fail to 'get' #TobaccoHarmReduction, @LauraRossouw chimes in to prove she can misunderstand it up with the 'best'.
So let's look at a brief overview of the article..

Firstly, the title itself. Not only do #THR advocates support (sensible) regulation on #eCigarettes / #vaping, but there are, in most countries, a variety of legacy consumer protections that apply to them (e.g. standards for electrical goods or standards for labeling poisons).

"#Ecigarettes don’t contain tobacco, which has harmful health effects."
The linked paper is about /#smoking/, not #tobacco. #Snus has decades of epidemiology which shows that the health of consumers is indistinguishable from that of non consumers. Tobacco per se is not a problem

"But they often contain highly addictive #nicotine .."
Are you suggesting that governments approved #NRT when they consider it to be 'highly addictive'? In fact, nicotine, sans MAO inhibitors, has been shown to be minimally habituating. Sans harm, it is certainly not addictive.

"Some people use #eCigarettes when they are trying to stop smoking combustible cigarettes."
True, but others successfully #Switch2Vaping when they had NO INTENTION to #QuitSmoking.
thethr.blog/accidental-qui…

"In the US studies have shown that young non-smokers are taking up e-cigarettes in growing numbers."
This is not only predictably obvious (new forbidden fruit), but overblown. The rates of never smoking #youth regularly using #eCigs is still below 1%. ..

Further, #US based "don't vape" campaigns are of the same level of #ReeferMadness insanity that successfully got generations of people consuming #cannabis.
Way to go, US! 🤦‍♂️

"About 1.3 million adolescents started smoking e-cigarettes.."
If you 'smoke' an #eCigarette, you're doing it wrong. They produce an aerosol, commonly referred to as vapor. #Vaping is diverting many youth from #smoking. That's a good thing, in case you're wondering.

"The country can learn from its experience of implementing tobacco controls."
#TobaccoControl tells us almost nothing that is useful about #TobaccoHarmReduction products. This article is evidence enough of that.

"Between 1990 and 2012, real excise taxes rose by 522%. Over this period, adult smoking rates dropped from 33% to 20%."
How much did #BlackMarket #tobacco rise in the same time? Were the official figures tallying those who #smoked illicit tobacco? (In #Australia, answer is 'no')

As an aside, the article linked from 'dropped' is about advertising, not taxes.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, eh?
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18440661

"A similar approach should be adopted to deter non-smokers from starting to use #eCigarettes."
Wow. That's a leap from anything presented so far in the article, but here's an excellent (IMO) idea to ensure it is #smokers who get the data they /need/..
thethr.blog/thr2smokers/

"In practice [#eCigs] are not being marketed as a way to stop #smoking, but rather as a consumer product."
That's the way it should be. They work best as a consumer product. Also, vendors are /prohibited/ from making #SmokingCessation claims in most countries.

"[#eCigarettes] are sold in kiosks and regular shops."
Unlike #cigarettes .. oh wait.

"There are three possible ways to deal with e-cigarettes: banning them, regulating them and taxing them."
1) Banning them negates any possibility of the other two. #BlackMarket suppliers do not typically enforce age limits.
2) Yes, sensible regulation would be welcome by all.

3) Any tax applied should be calculated according to the relative harm. So at most, 5% of the tax on #cigarettes. #Vaping is not a new threat, it is a new opportunity to encourage ppl who #smoke to #Switch2Vaping, a vastly safer alternative for #nicotine consumers.

"The ban is sometimes based on the concern that reintroducing a nicotine product into the market might contribute to normalising combustible cigarette use."
Denormalisation is actually demonisation. As a smoker of 29 years, I can tell you that with certainty. ..

But #eCigs do not normalise #smoking, they normalise #vaping. Unless you have some ideological bent towards banning #nicotine consumption, that is a good thing.

"There are also concerns about the role that the #TobaccoIndustry is playing in the market."
While I wouldn't want to see the TI dominate #vaping, the moves in (particular) the US seem set to hand the entire industry to them. It's fortunate that the TI is more interested in #HnB

"Banning #eCigarettes may be difficult once demand is established."
Too late. As usual, #TobaccoControl is way behind the race on this one. Ex-#smokers & #vape manufacturers have been developing & improving on #eCigs for at least a decade.

"Our work at a research unit that looks at using taxes to reduce the use of products has shown that taxation is a very cost efficient strategy to discourage consumption of combustible #cigarettes."
An even more cost effective (& effective) strategy would be to /promote/ #THR.

"It also creates a stream of revenue for the government."
The fact that #smoking is a revenue stream to governments is the single largest threat to reducing (smoking rates &) illness from smoking. Inordinate taxes on #eCigs will be a way of propping up the numbers who R smoking.

"The size of the additional revenue stream would depend on consumption numbers, the tax rate and the level of tax evasion."
Congrats! You acknowledge that tax evasion exists.👏
I didn't pay #TobaccoTax for the last few years of #smoking #cigarettes. I'm not paying tax on #eCigs.

"The most practical option for the South African context may be to base the tax on the volume of #eLiquid."
This will:
- Hurt local vendors, as consumers make their own.
- Increase the motivation of users to have 10%+ nicotine in their homes.
..

- Limit the ability of gov. to regulate content and making of #eLiquid.
(None of that is good, in case that's not clear.)

"After establishing an efficient tax structure, the next step would be to decide the tax level - one that encourages the desired behaviour."
Which is what, exactly? Given you're from #TobaccoControl, I think I can guess, but would prefer to hear it from you.

"Before e-cigarettes can be regulated they need to be included under the Tobacco Control Act."
Absolute rubbish. Governments can, and should, have an entirely separate regulation for #TobaccoHarmReduction products.
In fact, it is implied by @FCTCOfficial's article 1d.

"[Adopting EU's TPD] would prevent high-nicotine products from entering the market."
Which is a bad thing. The US 50 mg JUUL is far more effective for transitioning from #smoking, than the 18(?) mg 'TPD compliant' version. ..

.. You're really not thinking this through (unless your only aim is to ruin people's health).

"South Africa’s National Department of Health is considering the draft bill on tobacco products and electronic delivery systems."
Where do we submit suggestions? Or are they doing it though an entirely opaque process that ignores consumers?

"This should become law as soon as possible to prevent a rise in demand."
Trust #TobaccoControl types to promote the worst possible outcome!

"Delaying adoption of these policies is a missed opportunity to tackle the problem while it is still manageable."
What problem? The only 'problem' I see is #TobaccoControl losing sight of their purpose and losing relevance.
They've already achieved that!

@threadreaderapp unroll