Month: June 2021

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United Nations report: 200 million people worldwide use cannabis, and the use of cannabis in 32 countries is increasing year by year

On June 24, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released the “2021 World Drug Report”. The report is divided into 5 volumes. The drug market trend of “marijuana” clearly shows that medical cannabis is more effective, and more and more young people believe that hemp is a non-hazardous substance; at the same time, it is pointed out that during the epidemic of the COVID 19, there are about 32 countries in the world whose cannabis use has increased. However, UNODC still calls for a complete ban on the broadcasting of cannabis advertisements, and requires scientific publicity and management.

Fewer people think hemp is harmful

The World Drug Report 2021 found that between 1995 and 2019, the proportion of δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in cannabis in the United States rose from about 4% to 16%. Between 2002 and 2019, in Europe, the proportion rose from about 6% to 11%. The Executive Director of UNODC Office said that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is the cause of mental health disorders in people who have used large amounts of cannabis for a long time. However, from 1995 to 2019, the proportion of teenagers who think that cannabis is harmful has declined. 40%.

Researchers wrote an article in the famous British medical journal The Lancet on July 28, 2007, stating that the use of marijuana will increase the risk of mental illness in the future by 40% or more, but a senior policy analyst at NORML, a national marijuana law reform organization Paul Armentano of Paul Armentano said that the use of marijuana and induced mental illness does not necessarily reflect a causal relationship. Among people with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, the number of people who tend to use alcohol is higher than the general population.

More and more people use cannabis globally

In 2019, approximately 200 million people use marijuana, accounting for 4% of the global population. Among them, North America has the highest number, accounting for 14.5%, followed by Australia and New Zealand, accounting for 12.1%, West Africa and Central Africa accounting for 9.4%, and Asia has the lowest number, accounting for 2%. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of cannabis users increased by nearly 18%, and the number of cannabis seized fell by 35%. He also emphasized that during the COVID-19 pandemic, marijuana use has increased in approximately 32 countries around the world.

The report pointed out that in some high-income countries, the spread of the COIVID 19 epidemic has accelerated the legalization of cannabis and the trend of increased supply, especially for some cannabis users to relieve stress. In some European countries, the number of cannabis use is relatively stable, but Some signs also indicate that the number of frequent marijuana users is gradually increasing. In Canada, more than one-third of Canadians said their cannabis consumption has increased during the pandemic, while 12% said their consumption has declined.

Establish a comprehensive ban on cannabis advertising

The findings and conclusions of the report also pointed out that the active marketing of cannabis products containing high THC by private cannabis companies and the promotion of cannabis products through social media channels will worsen the perception and reality of cannabis among young people. Therefore, Angele Me, head of research and trend analysis at the Office of Drugs and Crime, called for a total ban on cannabis advertising, promotion and sponsorship to ensure that public health interests prevail over commercial interests. It also stated that this ban needs to be applied to all jurisdictions, and the implementation of this measure may be similar to the provisions of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

United Nations report: 200 million people worldwide use cannabis, and the use of cannabis in 32 countries is increasing year by year

In 2003, the WHO treaty collected 168 signatures, including the United States, but the United States is one of the six signatories that have not yet ratified the treaty. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2019, the largest cigarette and smokeless tobacco companies in the United States spent $8.2 billion on advertising and promotional expenditures. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the U.S. does have certain restrictions and regulations on tobacco advertising and promotion.

On the same day, the founder and CEO of Mattio Communications, a New York public relations company, said on Twitter that banning advertising in the cannabis industry would run counter to public health interests. It was a very wrong suggestion. Regulatory education is one of the most effective ways of educating consumers and medical cannabis patients. Once banned, it will likely hinder the cannabis industry from providing safe and accessible products for cannabis users around the world.

United Nations report: 200 million people worldwide use cannabis, and the use of cannabis in 32 countries is increasing year by year

Recently, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said that the validity period of the U.S. marijuana ban has long passed and called for the repeal of the marijuana ban. Clarence cited the 2005 Supreme Court’s Gonzales v. Raich case, which consolidated the federal government’s ban on cannabis. He said that given the growing number of states and cities that support cannabis Legalization, whether for medical or recreational purposes, this law may have lost its effect.

In April this year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats are eager to promote the legalization of marijuana. We will continue to advance this matter. President Biden said that he is studying this issue, so obviously we need to give him some time to study it. Eric Altiri, executive director of the national marijuana law reform organization NORML, said at a press conference that Clarence Thomas’s views reflect the views of the American public and once again show that it is time for Congress to end the marijuana ban.

At the same time, nearly 40 states in the United States have legalized medical marijuana, and 18 states have legalized adult recreational marijuana. As opinion polls show that the vast majority of people support the legalization of marijuana, more and more signs indicate that Congress has also is getting prepared to take this issue of marijuana legalization seriously.

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No link between e-cigarettes and COVID-19

Did you hear about the big new study on vaping and COVID-19? If you didn’t, that’s not surprising. The study didn’t find any association between the two—that is, it found no evidence suggesting that people who vape are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease. Research that leads to null results rarely gets much coverage in the media. In this instance, however, it upends the flood of stories throughout the pandemic that reported that vapers are at greater risk. The New York Times, for example, reported in September that “Vaping Links to COVID Risks Are Becoming Clear.” CNN, Wired, Scientific American, USA Today, and just about every other major news source you can name ran similar stories.

The new study is from a reputable source (the Mayo Clinic) and boasts a large sample of patients (nearly 70,000). Unlike much previous research on tobacco use and COVID, it also sorted patients by their current or former use of tobacco products, as well as the specific products they used (smoking, vaping, or both). In other words, the study had a near-ideal design for detecting whether and what kinds of nicotine consumption may lead to elevated risk of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Did you hear about the big new study on vaping and COVID-19? If you didn’t, that’s not surprising. The study didn’t find any association between the two—that is, it found no evidence suggesting that people who vape are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease. Research that leads to null results rarely gets much coverage in the media. In this instance, however, it upends the flood of stories throughout the pandemic that reported that vapers are at greater risk. The New York Times, for example, reported in September that “Vaping Links to COVID Risks Are Becoming Clear.” CNN, Wired, Scientific American, USA Today, and just about every other major news source you can name ran similar stories.

The new study is from a reputable source (the Mayo Clinic) and boasts a large sample of patients (nearly 70,000). Unlike much previous research on tobacco use and COVID, it also sorted patients by their current or former use of tobacco products, as well as the specific products they used (smoking, vaping, or both). In other words, the study had a near-ideal design for detecting whether and what kinds of nicotine consumption may lead to elevated risk of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In addition to finding no association between use of e-cigarettes and COVID diagnosis, the study reports that current smokers were found to be at lower risk of infection of COVID than nonsmokers. (Smoking still has plenty of downsides, including elevated risk of death from numerous causes.). Users of both cigarettes and e-cigarettes fell in between the two groups.

Those results are a complete departure from both the typical tone of reporting on the topic and, well, what anyone might have reasonably expected from a respiratory virus. And although the methodology is sound, it’s worth the caveat that one shouldn’t read too much into just one study. But it’s just the latest piece of evidence that vapers have been subjected to excessive fearmongering about COVID. Anomalous findings related to tobacco use and COVID have been apparent since early 2020—and the popular indictment of vaping in particular has been mostly speculative from the beginning.

Much of the anti-vaping coverage was itself driven by a single study from Stanford, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, that found elevated likelihood of COVID diagnosis among adolescents and young adults who vape. The authors surveyed 4,351 people ages 13–24 and concluded that a “COVID-19 diagnosis was five times more likely among ever-users of e-cigarettes.” In a response published in the same journal, scientists criticized its relatively small, potentially unrepresentative sample and confusing results. (Having ever used an e-cigarette, for example, was significantly associated with higher risk—but having used e-cigarettes recently was not. That’s weird!) The Stanford study was fair game for reporting, especially during a pandemic when everyone was trying to learn as much about how to protect themselves as possible. But the accompanying alarm and calls for prohibition—such as by Democratic congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who claimed that “the youth vaping epidemic has combined forces with the Coronavirus pandemic, creating a much deadlier foe”—failed to reflect the tenuousness of its conclusion.

Importantly, urgent health advice based on a single study merits follow-up when more data comes in. A major new study finding no association between vaping and COVID infection certainly qualifies. If the Stanford study earned widespread headlines about the dangers of vaping, why has the Mayo Clinic study with its larger sample and better methodology received virtually no mention whatsoever?

Such one-sided reporting on vaping research is problematic for several reasons, not the least of which is the possibility of getting important stories wrong. It can also do harm by contributing to popular misperceptions that vaping is just as dangerous as smoking, as occurred with the misnamed “e-cigarette or vaping associated lung injuries” (“EVALI” or “vape lung”) outbreaks in 2019, undermining the goal of convincing smokers to switch to safer sources of nicotine. (The long decline in cigarette sales appeared to pause last year, likely due in part to bans on flavored e-cigarettes and negative press coverage of vaping.)

Raising alarm without appropriately solid justification also contributes to attitudes of mistrust toward media and health authorities. The internet has democratized access to scientific papers, so when news stories go beyond the evidence or ignore contradictory research, online communities will figure it out. In recent years, vaping enthusiasts have watched as anti-tobacco activists have warned of danger after danger, from “popcorn lung” to EVALI, demonizing e-cigarettes for causing massive harms that turned out to be highly exaggerated or actually attributable to other products. As a result, many now suspect that activists and legislators are using the pandemic as an opportunity to advocate for restrictive policies and lifestyle commandments that they favored as part of a preexisting agenda.

Accurate reporting on tobacco, nicotine, and COVID would tell a story that’s both more complicated and more interesting than the scary one that has dominated headlines. An ongoing evidence review of smoking and COVID now in its 11th iteration, and including more than 400 studies, is frustratingly ambiguous. Like the Mayo Clinic study, the review finds that for reasons that are still unclear (although there are theories), current smokers appear less likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. It’s unknown whether this is due to an actual causal effect or some other factor. At the very least it’s an intriguing result that curious science journalists might want to investigate—but it’s rarely mentioned in stories about tobacco use and the pandemic.

The review also examines whether smokers who do contract COVID suffer worse outcomes than nonsmokers. Interestingly, it’s true that former smokers consistently appear at higher risk of disease severity, hospitalization, and death, affirming fears that the accumulated damage smoking does to one’s body can affect its ability to fight a respiratory virus. Confusingly, however, outcomes for current smokers are “inconclusive,” with “no important associations with hospitalisation and mortality” but “a small but important association with disease severity.” It’s difficult to pull a coherent story about smoking from these results, and one should be more wary still of extrapolating from them to make declarations about vaping.

This is all fascinating, in the sense that it reveals that even seemingly obvious questions can prove difficult to answer in the midst of a pandemic wrought by a novel virus. Here goes a constant refrain of science: More research is needed. For all the ink spilled linking vaping to COVID, the topic just hasn’t been studied much, and even given the Mayo Clinic study, new research could change our understanding at any time. This tangle of evidence is a reminder that science is provisional and that in lieu of simple narratives, sometimes all we can confidently say is that “it’s complicated.”

As with many issues during the pandemic, coverage of its alleged link to vaping would have benefited from greater acknowledgment of uncertainty. Experts and journalists could have simply outlined the reasons to worry about heightened risks and emphasized sensible precautions, such as not sharing vaping devices, and then continued to follow the research. They should have also considered the possibility that anti-vaping alarmism may subvert the effort to transition smokers to safer sources of nicotine. We shouldn’t lose sight of that goal’s importance: While the threat of COVID in the United States is hopefully receding, smoking still causes more than 480,000 premature deaths each year, more than current CDC estimates of American pandemic deaths in 2020.

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TIPSA Complete Guide to Vape CBD Vape Juice in 2021

In today’s world, the Vaping market has come a long way from simple, single-use pens to a variety of Vapes. A dozen new Vaping products are available, which is further affordable for everyone. With the due course of time, CBD is becoming the household term that is known to almost everyone. Well, this is a Cannabidiol extracted from the Hemp plants or Cannabis Sativa. This is used in oils, edibles that are used for consumption or inhalation. The inhalation process is further known as Vaping.

Most CBD Vape Juice is edibles and can be consumed but this does not go for every kind of Oil. Some Vapes are made for oral consumption only. People prefer using this as this can provide instant relief from stress and other activities. So, in this article, you will know everything about CBD Vape Juice.

HOW VAPING CBD WORKS?

Source: firstpost.com

The CBD mainly performs everything with the help of the Vaporizers that has four parts, which include, Battery Tank, Heating Element, and Cannabidiol Oil. The battery of the vaporizer heats an element that is inside the tank and this heating purpose further warms the oils present in the vaporizers. In this process, all you need to do is just inhale. The oil present in the Vaporizer is quite matching to the Nicotine-e-liquid just without the presence of the Nicotine. From Strawberry Custard to Candy watermelon every kind of flavor is available in the present scenario.
Do remember to choose the best brand that delivers you the best quality product. To get your hands on the best quality CBD vape juice online at your fingertips you can visit this page https://cbdfx.com/collections/cbd-vape-juice/.

WHAT ARE THE COMMON TYPES OF VAPES CBD JUICE?

TIPSA Complete Guide to Vape CBD Vape Juice in 2021

There are varieties of devices that are used to Vape CBD Oil. There are both simple and complicated forms of Devices but will try to also understand the hectic Devices uses. Some of the common Vaping devices are:

1. USE AND THROW VAPE PENS

These are worthy one-time usable products. They are quite similar to the cigarette-style pens that are filled with Cannabidiol despite Nicotine. It works with the help of a battery and built-in coir. You can further dispose of this device anytime.

2. CBD OIL CARTRIDGES

These are the oil tanks that are pre-filled with CBD Vape Juice. This cylinder further requires a vaping pen or a 510 thread battery to perform its work. It holds about 0.5ml to 1 ml of juice and is also considered as the second easiest way of vaping.

3. VAPE PODS

These are refillable products that go for a long period of time allowing people to understand the amount of consumption. These products can handle thicker oils that contain up to 70% of VG. These devices are available in several forms and sizes.

4. REFILLED PENS

This device can be used again and again by filling up the pens with Vape Juice. These are made with a simple tube and a battery attached to the tank with an internal coil. These are cost-effective and can be used for a longer period of time. This contains more flavor than other Vape pens.

5. PODS

These are similar to Oil Cartridges but have a modern touch to them. This device works easily with a JUUL battery. These are also a very common type of Vaping pens available easily in the market.

WHAT IS CBD VAPE JUICE?

TIPSA Complete Guide to Vape CBD Vape Juice in 2021

CBD Vape Juice, also commonly known as Vaping oil or E-liquid, is made with three main ingredients. The ingredients are as follows:

1. VEGETABLE GLYCERIN (VG)

This is a clear, thicker, and more natural substance that can be consumed. It consists of a sweet flavor and is also responsible for the primary production of the “Clouds”. This is a bundle of smoke that occurs after the exhale of the Vapes used by the users.

2. PROPYLENE GLYCOL (PG)

This is also a clear substance but is not thicker like VG and has the power to directly hit the throat. These are synthetically built products but are not toxic at all. These are safe to consume or inhale. Furthermore, this liquid Glycol has no flavor and goes very well with the highlighting flavors or terpenes.

3. CANNABIDIOL (CBD)

This is the main ingredient that is commonly extracted from Marijuana Plants. The cousin of this is Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). And unlike its cousin, it is not psychoactive and can be consumed without the tension of being “High”. It does not provide any sedative effects.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF VAPING CBD?

TIPSA Complete Guide to Vape CBD Vape Juice in 2021

Cannabidiol has more than one benefit to discuss and Vaping is the best considerate way to feel appealing. Some of the benefits of Vaping CBD are discussed below:

  • TASTE BETTER

Vaping Juice contains some flavors that taste really good and gives a different refreshing flavor to the mouth. Each liquid is of a different flavor and you can also consider a Cannabidiol bud that has a whole world of flavors and exciting aromas to enjoy. This is available due to the complex blend of terpenes.

  • COMBUSTION FREE

Combustion is the process of burning. When a material is burnt then it involves more risk. Carcinogens, ash, and other substances can give you the worst experience and will end up mitigating some good benefits of CBD. These Juices produce active components with the help of the Vaping procedure and avoid burning one. Thus this is a lot safer and healthier too.

  • FAST ACTION WITH LONG-LASTING EFFECTS

Vaping is a fast method and can be finished within no time. But the effects that this provides are quite shocking as it provides the effects for about 30-60 minutes which is quite a long period of time.

  • HEALTH BENEFITS

This can also help you in dealing with several problems related to your health. If you are feeling anxious then this can help you to control it. If you want to consume a juice that does not have any dangerous chemicals, then Vape Juice is great and helps to feel relaxed and stress-free as well.

CONCLUSION

So with the above points, you know everything about the Vaping CBD. If you have an interest in this then you can definitely try this out to get further relief from anxiety, stress, and other things.

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Fuckciones K5K RDTA MTL atomizer review – DirtyCheck No.134

Regarding the K5K atomizer, I think everyone thinks of the net heating structure at first.
Yes, today Captain brings you the popular K5K style RDTA mtl atomizer by Fuckciones team.
Due to time and cost issues, the K5K atomizers that amounted to over 1k USD years ago are now becoming popular.
Still the old rules, let’s take a look at the experience。

Fuckciones K5K atomizer brief view

K5K is a 22mm atomizer.
Its own RDTA interface is in compliance with the MTL experience.
At that time, the demand in high-end vaping circles was in short supply due to the extraordinary taste it provides.
Vapers can’t love its unique mesh heating coil structure more.

K5K RDTA MTL atomizer review

K5K RDTA MTL atomizer review

K5K RDTA MTL atomizer review

Pros and cons

Pros

1. The unique structure improves the taste of e-juice.
2. Excellent workmanship, dual embodiment of craftsmanship and beauty
3. Double adaptation of cotton structure and heating coil.

K5K RDTA MTL atomizer review

K5K RDTA MTL atomizer review

Verdict

Generally speaking, whether it is genuine or duplicated,
There is no big difference in taste on K5K style atomizers.
In contrast, duplicate’s craftsmanship is better than the experience on genuine products
But the tolerances of the genuine products are very tight.
The duplicate one is overall more cost-effective.
The threshold for purchasing is relatively low.
If you care more vanity things, Captain will not talk too much about that.
But in terms of taste, this K5K is really great.
Welcome to discuss some atomizer setting issues with Captain.
Ok, continue our slogan,
VAPE HOW WE ROLL
ALL IN TRUETOY
I’m Captain Dirty, see you next time

Where to buy Fuckciones K5K atomizer: add the author’s Wechat below to get a qualified number to purchase.

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Health Canada Keeps Admitting That Its Vape Policies Could Increase Smoking

On June 19, Health Canada, the agency responsible for the country’s health policy, released a proposed regulation that would ban flavored vaping products, with the exception of tobacco, menthol and mint.

It’s yet another blow for tobacco harm reduction (THR) advocates, who now see Canada—once considered a promising model on nicotine policy—to be a disappointment. The country has been open to other harm reduction measures like safe consumption sites and safe supply programs, and has considered decriminalizing drugs in an effort to curb overdose deaths. For a short time at least, advocates had believed the nation would adopt a THR-oriented approach similar to the United Kingdom.

At the moment, however, that could not be further from the case. Because tucked into the analysis statement by the government on the intended flavor ban, Health Canada acknowledges that its legislation could lead to an increase in smoking.

“A startling admission.”

“It is anticipated that some dual users who currently use flavored vaping products would not substitute their purchases with tobacco- and mint/menthol-flavored vaping products,” the statement reads. Instead, “they would choose to purchase more cigarettes.”

“The statement is very direct,” David Sweanor, an industry expert and chair of the Advisory board for the Centre for Health, Law, Policy, and Ethic at the University of Ottawa, told Filter. “It’s basically saying, ‘We’re Health Canada, and we’re going to do something that kills Canadians.’”

No other national government, as far as the THR advocates and tobacco control experts Filter spoke with could remember, has issued such a caveat. And it’s also not the first time in recent months that Health Canada has made what Amelia Howard, a consumer advocate and sociology PhD student at the University of Waterloo, called “a startling admission.”

In December, Health Canada released proposed regulations on a nicotine cap, which would set a limit of 20 milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL) for all vaping products. The agency likewise stated that, with a nicotine cap in place, “it is anticipated that some dual users who currently use vaping products above 20 mg/mL nicotine would not substitute their vaping product purchases with lower concentrations of nicotine.” Rather, “they would choose to purchase more cigarettes.” (It’s expected that the nicotine cap could be enacted any day, too, and the industry will only have 15 days to comply.)

“The fact that a government can brazenly admit their policy will lead to more smoking and death is wild,” Matt Culley, a board member of the US-based CASAA, a consumer advocacy nonprofit that promotes smoke-free alternatives to combustible tobacco, told Filter. “It really goes to show how demonized vaping remains.”

This is despite the fact that Canada has stated it intends to reduce its smoking rate to 5 percent by 2030. If the ultimate aim is to end combustible cigarette use, this is obviously not the way to do it.

“Our policies have not aligned with the country’s goals,” Darryl Tempest, the executive director and chief advocate of the Canadian Vaping Association (CVA), told Filter. “It is not a public policy that relates to adults or harm reduction or small businesses.”

Canada amended its tobacco laws to include vaping products in 2018, and like certain states in the US, some Canadian provinces have already enacted their own flavor bans . And just as major public health organizations in the US, like the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, tend to harp on the perceived risks of vaping nicotine rather than the enormous benefits of replacing smoking with vaping, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Lung Association, and the Canadian Cancer Society have followed suit. Consequently, Health Canada’s position remains seemingly caught up in the moral panic around youth vaping that consumed the US in late 2019.

This is the situation even as thousands of vapers, vape shop owners, lawyers, scientists, public health experts and consumer advocates have written comments to the government expressing their concerns. Some of them, like Tempest, have emphasized increasing evidence that neither bans nor nicotine caps will benefit public health: One study, published in The Lancet, perhaps the world’s best regarded peer-reviewed medical journal, suggests that smokers given higher-nicotine vaping products consume fewer dangerous carcinogens; another, in JAMA Pediatrics, found that after San Francisco’s ban on flavored vapes and tobacco products, teens in the city’s high schools were more likely to take up smoking than teens in other US school districts.

THR activists have seen their hopes on Canada largely diminished since 2019, when BMJ, a medical journal published by the trade union of the British Medical Association, put out a controversial paper about youth vaping and smoking rates in the country. The paper concluded that, in Canada as in the US, there was an uptick in youth vaping between 2017 and 2018. Unlike in the US, however, the authors claimed that there had been a noted increase in youth smoking as well—validating the often-debunked and contested idea that there was a “gateway” effect from vapes to combustible cigarettes.

THR proponents like Clive Bates, a public health consultant and the former director of Action on Smoking and Health in the UK, wrote about how those figures were wrong. And almost a year later, the journal published a correction without much publicity. The damage, it appeared, had already been done.

“We have a good history of our courts throwing out bad drug policies on constitutional challenges.”

Tempest isn’t giving up. He said that his organization is currently in conversation “with a little more than 80 members” of the Canadian Parliament, nearing a third of the federal legislature’s 338 members. Data in hand, he remains worried yet hopeful that he can persuade enough lawmakers to look at alternative policies.

“There is absolutely no question that this can be a charter challenge,” Tempest said. Under Section Seven of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, he explained, “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.”

“We have a good history of our courts throwing out bad drug policies on constitutional challenges,” Sweanor echoed. “That’s how we ended up with safe injection sites. That’s how we ended up with medical marijuana. It’s certainly possible.”

 

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Attacks on vaping, politically timed

/New Zealand/ Alarmist media stories on vaping are politically timed to inflict the most damage on a practice that’s saving thousands of New Zealanders’ lives, claims a leading Tobacco Harm Reduction advocate.

Her comments follow a frontpage nationwide newspaper story, headlined ‘Vaping – at 10’.

“Why don’t we see ‘Smoking – at 10’, ‘Drinking – at 10’, ‘Drugs – at 10’ media stories? It’s all about vaping, which is ironic given it’s the least harmful,” says Nancy Loucas, co-director of Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA).

AVCA believes the publication of increasingly negative vaping stories is no accident.

“Just when Cabinet is about to approve the Ministry of Health’s latest vaping regulations and finalise Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall’s smokefree action plan, out come the attacks on vaping. Given vaping is New Zealand’s most effective smoking cessation tool, some balance in the debate is well and truly overdue,” says Ms Loucas.

She says while reported youth vaping anecdotes are deeply concerning and unacceptable, they’re not supported by any significant empirical evidence to date.

What’s more, last year’s Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act axed all vaping advertising and made youth access much harder, as well as ensures tougher regulations around packaging, promotions, and displays.

Flavour restrictions for general retailers will also come into effect in August – a move which AVCA strongly disagrees with, believing it will only make it harder for adult smokers to successful quit deadly combustible cigarettes.

“After examining a survey of over 27,000 secondary school students, University of Auckland researchers last year found that only 0.8% of 14 and 15-year-olds, who had never smoked, were regular vapers. Researchers subsequently confirmed there was no youth vaping epidemic in New Zealand,” she says.

Given that vaping over the past decade has been key to reducing New Zealand’s overall smoking rate to a record low, AVCA was disappointed the Government’s recent Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan discussion document largely overlooked vaping as a key component to achieving smokefree.

“Vaping has saved thousands of ex-smoking Kiwis’ lives. It’s time for greater perspective. It’s also time for the Government to fully roll out its agreed Vape to QuitStrong campaign and perhaps a specialised, balanced education programme for schools – both would help dispel the lies some continue to espouse.

“The Government also needs to get really tough at point of sale. If any retailer breaks the law and sells vaping products to minors under 18, the book must be seriously thrown at them,” says Nancy Loucas.

AVCA says balanced stories about vaping would see the media approach the likes of ASH, Hapai te Hauora, and the NZ College of Physicians on their experiences and views on vaping’s critical role in achieving smokefree.

“It’s easy to get emotional, but let’s stay focused on the evidence,” she says.

For example, Public Health England, in its 2018 independent evidence review, concluded that ‘e-cigarettes are around 95% safer than combustible cigarettes.’

“New Zealand’s 200,000 vapers just want a fair go. All that alarmist media stories do is ostracise the many ex-smokers who’ve successful quit cigarettes via vaping,” says Nancy Loucas.

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Vaping under fire nicely suits Big Tobacco

/New Zealand/ Media attacks on vaping suit those who’ve got most to gain – foreign-owned Big Tobacco companies,” says Jonathan Devery – co-owner of the largest Kiwi-owned vape companies, Alt New Zealand and VAPO.

Mr Devery’s comments follow an avalanche of negative media stories on vaping lately.

“Vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking yet it’s getting 95% of the negative coverage. For those of us dedicated to Smokefree Aotearoa, we’re just asking for some objectiveness. Let’s not lose sight that smoking kills 5,000 Kiwis a year, and nicotine vaping has reportedly killed no one worldwide. In fact, it has saved thousands of Kiwis from an early death,” he says.

Both ex-smokers, Mr Devery and fellow business partner Ben Pryor say demonising vaping only hinders the country’s smokefree ambition.

Instead, the Kiwi vape entrepreneurs say the media should be more focused on the Government delivering an achievable Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan.

“Rather than badmouthing vaping, we should be ensuring the world’s most effective smoking cessation tool is being used to society’s advantage. Vaping needs to be elevated, not supressed, in the action plan if we are to beat the scourge of tobacco hitting our most vulnerable communities,” says Mr Devery.

Alt New Zealand and VAPO were long supportive of the Government legislating vaping, sanctioning it as an R18 activity, and delivering product safety standards. However, as it stands, in New Zealand, vaping is now more regulated, licensed, and controlled than tobacco.

Alarmingly, cigarettes will soon be more readily available than popular vape flavours. From 11 August, general retailers such as supermarkets, service stations, and dairies can only stock menthol, mint, and tobacco vape flavours.

“Instead of making vaping less available for those desperate to quit smoking, the Government needs to urgently make tobacco less available. However, for that to work there needs be a safer and less expensive alternative on hand for adults – and that is vaping,” he says.

Jonathan Devery says to achieve Smokefree Aotearoa, New Zealand needs to keep its eyes firmly on the real enemy – tobacco. At the same time, the Government needs to get tough on any retailers caught selling vaping products to minors.

Ends

Contact: Jonathan Devery – Director of Alt New Zealand – (027) 886-0796

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10 Reasons Why Your Best Friend Is Using Delta 8 Vape Juice

Worldwide, the interest in products containing hemp extracts has grown exponentially in recent years. As more research uncovers additional medicinal and therapeutic properties, such fascinations will only keep growing. One of the newest entries into the cannabis market is the Delta-8 THC, a close relative of the tetrahydrocannabinol associated with intoxication. Products like Serene Tree D8 vape juice have gained a considerable following in recent years, thanks to the medical potential they hold. While there are several ways to consume Delta-8, vaping remains one of the most convenient ways. Hence, the demand for products like Serene Tree D8 vape juice is on the rise. Are you confused regarding the explosion in popularity of Delta-8 vape juice? If so, read on to learn more about Delta-8, the benefits it provides, and why everyone seems hooked to it.

What is Delta-8 THC?

One of the most integral cannabinoids found has been cannabidiol, thanks to its medicinal and therapeutic properties. Tetrahydrocannabinol is another chemical compound found in the cannabis plant responsible for the intoxication associated with consuming marijuana. These are psychoactive ingredients that induce mental effects, such as relaxation and intoxication, by interacting with neural receptors and neurotransmitters. The Delta-9 THC is the one people know to be tetrahydrocannabinol. However, several variants of this compound offer different benefits. Delta-8 THC exhibits similar properties but induces fewer psychoactive effects, making it a healthier and safer alternative.

These substances differ in the placement of a carbon-carbon double bond, which in D8 occurs on the eighth carbon atom. On the other hand, the Delta-9 variant features this bond on the ninth carbon atom, as its name suggests. Such a difference in the bond placement leads to different chemical changes and variations in how the substance interacts with our bodies. Unlike the Delta-9, the D8 has lower psychoactive properties but more medicinal value. It provides anxiolytic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic and neuroprotectant benefits. Hence, it has psychoactive properties mid-way between cannabidiol and THC but possesses several of the potent abilities of the former.

How Delta-8 THC Works?

Delta-8 interacts with the same endocannabinoid receptors as cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol. While the former interacts more with the CB2 receptors, the latter associates itself with the CB1 transmitters. CB2 and CB1 receptors handle different functions within our bodies, with the former managing our immune response, whereas the latter controls our appetite, cognitive functioning, and memory. Tetrahydrocannabinol interacts mainly with these, leading to higher psychoactive effects and lesser impact on the immune system. While Delta-8 extracts metabolize the same way, their induced impact varies significantly. Most users experience a clearer and calmer high while using such products, as compared to consuming marijuana.

10 Reasons Why Your Best Friend Is Using Delta 8 Vape Juice

  1. As discussed above, Delta-8 THC produces a significantly smoother high that is easier on our brains and less foggy. As a result, beginners can use these products without worrying too much about intoxication and mind fog. Additionally, individuals who don’t like the heavy-headedness they experience while using tetrahydrocannabinol can opt for these to enjoy a milder effect.
  2. People sometimes experience negative impacts or side effects when they use Delta-9 for the first time as it has a more pronounced effect on their brains. Several individuals note feeling anxious, paranoid and struggle with clouded judgment when they use such products. Delta-8 vape juice offers a healthier, safer, and more sustainable solution as it does not produce such effects.
  3. Since Delta-8 binds with CB1 and CB2 receptors, it produces a more body-first effect that offers several medicinal benefits. As a result, consumers experience a milder, clear-headed, and cerebral buzz while using such products, helping uplift moods and enhance focus. Additionally, products like Serene Tree D8 vape juice allow users to experience swift and long-lasting impacts through quick and efficient absorption.
  4. Consumers can use these products for their neuroprotectant properties and abilities. Such extracts can prevent neurological degeneration and help combat disorders such as anxietyand depression.
  5. One of the primary reasons your best friends switch to D8 vape juices is their convenience. These carts are portable, easy to use, and offer several customizations. As a result, they work as an efficient and user-friendly consumption method. They are both convenient and effective while on the road. These products can extract all that such chemical compounds have to offer and place them conveniently in your pocket for use at any time.
  6. These carts are also very reasonably priced, making them a pocket-friendly addition to your cannabis product range. When people compare several products using various strains offered by different brands, they realize that D8 products are a cost-effective solution to their physical and mental ailments. These natural remedies don’t burn a hole through your pockets and enable people to enjoy such organic benefits without blowing much money.
  7. If you want to consume larger quantities of Delta-8, feel the faster impact, and get these extracts into your body within shorter intervals, then vape juices are your best option. They work by converting the e-liquid available into inhalable aerosols or vapors. Since these gaseous substances are very potent, even a few puffs can help your body absorb larger quantities of D8 safely. While you would need around twenty gummies carrying 25mg of D8 to get 500mg into your system, you can consume the same in 10 puffs of your vape pen. Hence, these work as an effective solution for ingestion when you consider the volume and time required.
  8. These products offer maximum reusability when compared to edibles and tinctures. While you will have to discard old bottles of D8 oils and packets of gummies, these serve as a long-term investment. The battery component of such devices has a long life, enabling users to maximize and optimize their usage efficiently.
  9. Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need to major in rocket science to use these devices. Unlike oils and tinctures, which require you to measure the appropriate amount, these offer better dosage control and use. Consumers also have the option of pacing their vaping sessions and setting the frequency of puffing, giving them more authority and restraint.
  10. Unlike other options, vape carts can provide consistent doses for extended periods. These products help users supply their bodies with as much D8 as required throughout the day. They can start a session as and when needed by merely pressing a button. Hence, these are easier to incorporate into your lives, unlike powders and edibles that you need to add to your daily routine.
10 Reasons Why Your Best Friend Is Using Delta 8 Vape Juice
https://pixabay.com/photos/cbd-cannabidio-cbd-oil-hemp-oil-4469987/

Conclusion

As you can see, your best friend is clever to switch to products like Serene Tree D8 vape juice, which offers massive benefits. Consumers can use these products to alleviate issues, such as pain, inflammation, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Over time, these devices can help individuals transition away from harmful cigarettes to more sustainable options. Are you convinced on why your best friend now prefers Delt-8 vape juice? Let us know below if you are willing to switch yourself and share your experiences if you have already done so!

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October’s vaping ban sees Australia lag even further behind

Asia Pacific’s leading Tobacco Harm Reduction consumer advocacy group has lashed out at the Australian Federal Government for making it increasingly harder for Australia’s 2.3 million daily smokers to quit cigarettes.

“Australia is miles behind many others in the Asia Pacific region, and the UK, when it comes to acknowledging vaping’s key role in beating tobacco. Australia is sadly kowtowing to the World Health Organisation, rather than accepting compelling international evidence,” says Nancy Loucas, Coordinator for the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).

It is illegal to sell liquid nicotine in Australia. Its states and territories possess harsh penalties including very steep fines, in some cases, possible imprisonment for the sale of nicotine vapes without a valid doctor’s prescription.

Many of Australia’s 500,000 vapers have instead been personally importing nicotine vaping liquids via overseas websites. However, that’s all about to change. From 1 October, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is expanding its prescription-only model with customs to clampdown at the border.

“It’s humiliating that all ex-smokers and those desperate to quit will need to seek a medical opinion and doctor’s prescription to access significantly less harmful nicotine vaping products in Australia. It makes no sense when the country’s smokers can buy a pack of cigarettes from any service station or supermarket on a whim,” says Ms Loucas.

What’s more, significant concerns remain over the number of doctors who will be prepared to prescribe, given there are currently no approved nicotine e-cigarettes on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).

Doctors will either need to first apply to the TGA for access to the unapproved product or provide a script for three months or less for patients intending to access nicotine vape products through the Personal Importation Scheme.

CAPHRA says Australia and New Zealand’s trans-Tasman rivalry is world-famous but when it comes to Tobacco Harm Reduction policies, Australia is losing.

“New Zealand has legalised and regulated vaping. In contrast Australia is set to strangle smokers’ access the world’s most effective smoking cessation tool. Australia’s total medicalisation approach will cost thousands of lives over the coming decades and urgently needs to be called out at a regional level,” says Ms Loucas.

International evidence also discredits Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt’s claims that the ban will seek ‘to avoid an onramp for non-smokers, especially youth’. CAPHRA says, in reality, it’s the complete opposite – vaping is no gateway to youth smoking, but a leading offramp for adult smokers.

“New Zealand’s 2020 vaping legislation is not perfect. Nonetheless, if you’re over 18, nicotine vaping products are readily available there, with their Ministry of Health strongly supportive of vaping as an effective way to achieving smoke-free,” she says.

World-leading harm reduction expert and advocate, Dr Alex Wodak AM – a Director of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA) – agrees that it makes no sense to restrict the availability of vaping much more than deadly combustible cigarettes when vaping is a considerably safer option for nicotine.

“The decline in smoking rates has recently begun accelerating in countries supportive of vaping such as New Zealand, the UK, and the US. In contrast, Australian smoking rates have almost flatlined since 2013, despite aggressive tobacco control policies,” says Dr Wodak.

“Try walking through a big Australian city at lunchtime and you can’t help but inhale clouds of second-hand smoke and see office and retail workers puffing on cancer sticks. Having no real alternative is a tragic blemish on an otherwise beautiful country,” says Ms Loucas.

Australia’s Senate Inquiry into Tobacco Harm Reduction last year heard from public health experts, tobacco treatment specialists, and frontline health workers. They told the inquiry that a prescription-only model would never work and only drive vapers back to smoking. Their evidence and experiences were ignored.

CAPHRA says October’s ban will expand the already huge black market for nicotine vape liquids at a time when Australia should be leading the Asia Pacific with progressive health policies to reduce tobacco harm. The Philippines, instead, could soon be the region’s frontrunner with its Senate set to approve landmark risk-proportionate vaping legislation.

“We support pro-vaping Australian MPs, keen to see fewer deaths from smoking, including new Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. These MPs are making sure the Government understands the dangerous consequences of its misguided policy. Effectively outlawing nicotine vaping will only drive ex-smokers back to cigarettes,” says Nancy Loucas.

Join the next Asia Harm Reduction Forum on 28 June: https://fb.watch/6gH6Yo51y9/

Consumer groups in the Asia-Pacific region have also launched a petition at change.org/v4v-petition that urges the World Health Organisation (WHO) to respect consumer rights and to stop demonizing Tobacco Harm Reduction options ahead of the next biennial meeting of the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in November.

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Canadian Vaping Association’s response to the 2020-2021 Youth and Young Adult Vaping Project

Beamsville, ON, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Smoke-Free Nova Scotia, with funding from Heart and Stroke, released the report “The 2020-2021 Youth and Young Adult Vaping Project.” The study claims that the results of the survey are evidence to support policy changes including a flavour ban, taxation, stronger enforcement of sales regulations, increasing the minimum legal age, and increasing awareness of the potential for vaping to translate into cigarette smoking.

The report aims to address youth uptake and claims that its survey data is evidence to support the need for Canada to adopt its policy recommendations. Throughout the analysis of the survey data and policy recommendations, there is an established pattern of withholding relevant information to substantiate the reports recommendations.

The report uses dated data to support the false claim that youth vaping rates continue to rise, while the current data finding a steep decline in youth vaping rates is completely omitted. Additionally, the survey did not ask youth in Nova Scotia questions pertaining to flavours. At the time of the survey, Nova Scotia had implemented a ban on flavoured products. If researchers believed that the ban on flavours had been effective in reducing youth use and the results may have skewed the national data, the findings should have been collected and reported as two figures – one inclusive of the findings in Nova Scotia and a second excluding Nova Scotia with an explanation as to why. It is curious that the report chose not to collect this data and that no study has been conducted on youth vaping or flavour use in Nova Scotia since the flavour ban.

Despite there being no data to suggest Nova Scotia’s flavour ban has been effective at curbing youth use, the report proposes a flavour ban as the only solution to address youth vaping. Adults were not the focus of the survey, but without any context as to how the youth data compares to the adult population, it misleads its audience to believe youth prefer flavours to a greater extent than adults. Market research and industry sales data indicate that flavour use is comparable among youth and adults. About 90% of adults use a flavoured product. If flavours were banned, a percentage of youth may stop vaping, but this is also true for adults. Most adult vapers are former smokers, and a flavour ban will push many vapers back to smoking. The policy recommendations within the report are solely focused on youth prevention with no consideration for the health and lives of adult smokers.

Moreover, the reports own findings do not support its recommendation of a flavour ban. The survey found that the strongest influence to start vaping for the whole sample were peers, followed by the desire to quit smoking and social media exposure. Interestingly, the second greatest influence to start vaping was to use the product as intended – to quit smoking. The survey finds that the majority of users surveyed were former tobacco users (64%). This indicates that, while measures to protect youth may be warranted, vaping has reduced harm and, in most cases, transitioned combustible tobacco use to a less harmful nicotine delivery system.

“There are many examples of carefully curated supporting research within the survey discussion. While misleading, none of these examples are as egregious as the reports claim that the United Kingdom has restricted flavours. The UK has taken no action to ban or restrict flavoured vape products. Certain additives have been restricted, but the UK has implemented no restrictions on flavours. Public Health England is so confident in vaping’s relative risk and efficacy that it has run many campaigns encouraging smokers to switch to vaping and have even opened vape stores within the country’s hospitals. Whether the researchers are misinformed or knowingly included false information to persuade legislators, this oversight should call the legitimacy of the survey’s findings into question,” said Darryl Tempest, Executive Director of the CVA.

A full review of the survey can be found here.