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[[File:Letter sec state health and social care 14 March 2024.pdf|thumb|alt=Subject: Youth vaping Please see the above graph, so far regular use (greater than once a week) is not high and may be displacing cigarettes, cigarettes are the worlds most deadly consumer product. Infrequent and trial use (once in 30 days, or ever use) while undesirable does not lead to dependence, only those in the graph above can possibly be ‘hooked’, but not all will be. I do not think young people should be encouraged to vape, but I would like to know your answer to one question, please. If a young person is determined to use nicotine, would you advise them to smoke cigarettes instead of safer alternatives, and a what age should harm reduction products like vaping be made available. I look forward to receiving your answer. Please feel free to ask others what they think should be done. Personally I feel the situation in Sweden is close to the best balance, accepting some use of low risk Snus, in order to reduce the uptake of deadly smoking. This will take effect far faster than the generational tobacco ban, Sweden will be a non smoking nation this year, although nicotine use remains, they have the lowest cancer rate in Europe. The UK can easily and quickly achieve the same with vaping. I note also Sweden reduced the tax on Snus to accelerate uptake. Yours sincerely, Richard Pruen|Letter sec state health and social care 14 March 2024]] | [[File:Letter sec state health and social care 14 March 2024.pdf|thumb|alt=Subject: Youth vaping Please see the above graph, so far regular use (greater than once a week) is not high and may be displacing cigarettes, cigarettes are the worlds most deadly consumer product. Infrequent and trial use (once in 30 days, or ever use) while undesirable does not lead to dependence, only those in the graph above can possibly be ‘hooked’, but not all will be. I do not think young people should be encouraged to vape, but I would like to know your answer to one question, please. If a young person is determined to use nicotine, would you advise them to smoke cigarettes instead of safer alternatives, and a what age should harm reduction products like vaping be made available. I look forward to receiving your answer. Please feel free to ask others what they think should be done. Personally I feel the situation in Sweden is close to the best balance, accepting some use of low risk Snus, in order to reduce the uptake of deadly smoking. This will take effect far faster than the generational tobacco ban, Sweden will be a non smoking nation this year, although nicotine use remains, they have the lowest cancer rate in Europe. The UK can easily and quickly achieve the same with vaping. I note also Sweden reduced the tax on Snus to accelerate uptake. Yours sincerely, Richard Pruen|Letter sec state health and social care 14 March 2024]] | ||
[[File:Letter sec state health and social care 11 May 2024.pdf|thumb|alt=Subject: Tobacco and vapes bill Dear Victoria Atkins, I am contacting you as a vaping consumer, and advocate for saving lives, vaping saved my life (happy to share medical records to prove that) and I aim to pass that on to as many as possible, I am not paid in any way by anyone to do so. I was disturbed to hear some of the testimony given in parliament, much of the information was incorrect, or deliberately misleading. This is not good enough when debating a serious matter of health, accurate and science backed information is critical to saving lives. I would like an answer to the following question: What was the reason to justify excluding stakeholders, the users of vaping products, other safer tobacco products, and even people who smoke? User funded charities such as New Nicotine Alliance, who take no money from the tobacco or vaping industry should have been consulted. Users themselves or NNA would have been able to counter some of the poor information given and also to provide a view from those directly affected by the legislation being discussed. Much of the information could have been corrected, quickly and easily. The main issues with the unopposed debate (no stakeholder representative, or consideration given to stakeholders, it seems); the conflation of illegal/criminal imports of untested and illegal drug products, and legal UK nicotine vaping; the lack of separation between the independent vaping industry and tobacco multinationals (they are not the same thing); the potential to harm the UK government stop to swap scheme (saving lives of people who smoke now, not a future population, years from now)… I could go on, but others like UK Vaping Industry Association have pointed out the issues, no need for a repeat. My most important question; What is being done to ensure that stakeholders are heard, and the users of these products are not swept aside? Particularly what is being done to ensure false/misleading statements are not made to parliament by the experts, or that at least someone is included on behalf of users to set the record straight? I look forward to your responses. Yours sincerely, Richard Pruen|Letter sec state health and social care 11 May 2024]] | [[File:Letter sec state health and social care 11 May 2024.pdf|thumb|alt=Subject: Tobacco and vapes bill Dear Victoria Atkins, I am contacting you as a vaping consumer, and advocate for saving lives, vaping saved my life (happy to share medical records to prove that) and I aim to pass that on to as many as possible, I am not paid in any way by anyone to do so. I was disturbed to hear some of the testimony given in parliament, much of the information was incorrect, or deliberately misleading. This is not good enough when debating a serious matter of health, accurate and science backed information is critical to saving lives. I would like an answer to the following question: What was the reason to justify excluding stakeholders, the users of vaping products, other safer tobacco products, and even people who smoke? User funded charities such as New Nicotine Alliance, who take no money from the tobacco or vaping industry should have been consulted. Users themselves or NNA would have been able to counter some of the poor information given and also to provide a view from those directly affected by the legislation being discussed. Much of the information could have been corrected, quickly and easily. The main issues with the unopposed debate (no stakeholder representative, or consideration given to stakeholders, it seems); the conflation of illegal/criminal imports of untested and illegal drug products, and legal UK nicotine vaping; the lack of separation between the independent vaping industry and tobacco multinationals (they are not the same thing); the potential to harm the UK government stop to swap scheme (saving lives of people who smoke now, not a future population, years from now)… I could go on, but others like UK Vaping Industry Association have pointed out the issues, no need for a repeat. My most important question; What is being done to ensure that stakeholders are heard, and the users of these products are not swept aside? Particularly what is being done to ensure false/misleading statements are not made to parliament by the experts, or that at least someone is included on behalf of users to set the record straight? I look forward to your responses. Yours sincerely, Richard Pruen|Letter sec state health and social care 11 May 2024]] | ||
[[File:Draft redact address letter PM 8th Jul 2024.pdf|thumb|alt=Subject: The ban on disposable cigarettes / vaping in general Dear Prime Minister, I am a consumer advocate for vaping (15 years and vaper for 16), and do not use disposables beyond experimenting to see what they are like. I am also an engineer. I have worked in the vaping industry previously testing against the standards for vaping products, and owned a now closed company BTC Battery Testing LTD (closed 2016). I am simply a consumer now, I take no money from any industry, charity or government scheme. Currently I care for my mother who suffers vascular dementia, and as such volunteer my spare time to the cause of THR. I also advocate for smoking cessation in sufferers of serious mental health conditions, the group is funded by ASH UK, but I do not take any payment for my time. Regarding the subject. Might I remind you that Australia has already taken this path, an effective ban, over 80 fire bombings, at least 3 gang style murders, and a rampant illegal trade has resulted. It simply won’t work. The prohibitionist faction have played on children starting using these products, and may have convinced you that a ban is enforceable, sadly if Australia cannot do it, the proximity of Europe means less chance here. This is simply being realistic. The best, perhaps only, way to control the illicit trade to to make sure there is a legal trade that makes it less profitable,the US abandoned alcohol prohibition in favour of this. Please however remain focused on preventing harm, having the only source of disposable vapes (sorry to say this but it is true) that children could possibly buy, being from a ‘dealer’ who might supply other illicit substances, that is not safer! At least if they are from a shop selling tested, safe devices, then that is a huge reduction in harm already, avoiding interaction with drug dealers. I would prefer the shop followed the law, but as we know not everyone will. Children might also sample smoking, especially if they sensibly avoid illicit substance dealers, this too is not exactly a win, smoking being deadly and carcinogenic. Those diverted from cigarettes face a much lower risk of cancer, and other smoking related diseases. It is a fact that zero deaths have been caused by vaping a regulated nicotine product, among around 82 million users worldwide, the EVALI deaths all resulted from an illegal trade in THC vaping in the US (different chemistry and devices, incompatible with nicotine vapes). I would favour regulations to encourage the use of rechargeable vapes, however even disposables can be recycled, these are far superior to cigarette filters, filter tips are near impossible to recycle and are in the environment for years. I use fully refillable and rechargeable devices, and all used batteries and wire have been recycled, devices once empty at WEEE recycling points. It would be better for the environment to incentivise use of these Please see the graph, so far regular use is not high and may be displacing cigarettes, sensible regulations to keep it that way, those would be welcome. A few truths to bear in mind: Infrequent trial use isn’t the best indicator of dependence, vaping (in regulated legal form) doesn’t kill children nor is it likely ever to do so, smoking cigarettes does kill adults, reasonable regulation results in overall lowest harm. Children will try adult things, it is a part of growing up, better if they try a safer option: beer vs vodka, vaping vs smoking, harm is much lower in both cases. Millions of lives are at stake, billions of pounds the NHS spend on cancer and other smoking related treatments that could be eliminated, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, vaping regulated nicotine products, zero deaths in 20 years. The less popular you make vaping, the more popular smoking will become, they are substitutes. When you ban things; illicit markets form, they have no reason to follow age of sale or other rules, this risks making things worse not better (Australia demonstrates this). The generational ban while it sounds good, kicks the can into the future, vaping is reducing smoking right now, and more effort is required to target older adults, they are the ones facing smoking related diseases right now, switching them to vapes is a huge immediate benefit the generational ban could never deliver. I would like to hear your thoughts, I will be happy to provide evidence to support what I have said, if required for any point please let me know. You promised your government would work for us, and would look after our health and well-being, here is a way to prove you will listen, many lives can be saved. Thank you for your time, Yours sincerely, Richard Pruen P.S. My story: Why I do this? I started vaping in 2008 when it was relatively new, I had at this point given up trying to stop smoking, having tried everything. I intended to vape where I was unable to smoke. To my surprise in March of 2009 I discovered I had money budgeted for cigarettes that was unspent, this was how I discovered I had accidentally given up smoking. In 2010 I watched my father die from cancer, smoking 20/day didn’t help, although as a firefighter there is occupational risk also. My health improved substantially over the first 5 years, and at 15 years vaping I had an MRI due to aortic aneurysms running in the family (my father had one repaired), my lungs where those of a non smoker, doctors where unable to find any sign I vape. Put simply vaping saved my life and I would like pass that forward, partly in memory of my father, he choose firefighting to save lives. |draft letter to new PM for 8th jul]] |
Revision as of 10:26, 6 July 2024
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The Site admin
Richard Pruen
Electrical and electronic engineer
Favorite band: Rush
Why spend so much time on this? It’s a fact that nicotine harm reduction (vaping and Snus) saved my life, this is my way to pay that forward, and pass along information on safer nicotine.
Running a site from the ground up, has proved interesting and worthwhile. Some of the things I have learned about Linux, and configuration of software for servers is only stuff you learn by doing.
I suspect the site will stick around, at least as long as it is required to provide links and info.
I might well put more info of my vaping / thr story here soon, this is just a test edit.
More test edit, and added some features, like babel to indicate users languages.
Site admin at Safer nicotine wiki.
ABOUT
Ecig user since 2008, consumer advocate for vaping and THR #VapingSavedMyLife #VapingSavesLives
Twitter @pruenrichard
Below are letters and documents sent in advocacy efforts, as a record and should anyone wish to use them for ideas.