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[[File:Letter Steve Barclay 19th oct.pdf|thumb|alt=Subject: ‘Ton of bricks’ regulation of vaping and flavours Dear Steve Barclay, I am a consumer advocate, with no ties to industry at present (for full details see my previous letter). I await your reply to my last letter on 6th July, with the requested information, including reasoning for not including representatives of consumers in the enquiry. I would also like to know if the MPs where briefed on vaping or the vaping industry, if so by whom? The point itself is brief, two short paragraphs. After your comments on regulations, I would like to draw your attention to the following peer reviewed paper https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/20/6936 this strongly suggests that young people are being diverted from smoking, vaping is at least 95% safer than them smoking, thus while not ideal vaping reduces harm. Dependence to nicotine is also not ideal, but only 0.5% youth regularly use vapes who did not first smoke. Meanwhile you risk stopping millions of adult smokers switching to vapes by eliminating flavours, these are an important thing for adults. Please read this from Clive Bates (ex ASH Director) https://clivebates.com/documents/FlavoursBriefingV1July2022.pdf. You should of course ban candyfloss and sweet flavoured alcohol, as such flavours are aimed only at children? One last point Vaping is already illegal for children, if the existing rules cannot be enforced, then further legislation will presumably not be enforced either, how would that help? Yours sincerely, Richard Pruen|Letter Steve Barclay 19th oct]] | [[File:Letter Steve Barclay 19th oct.pdf|thumb|alt=Subject: ‘Ton of bricks’ regulation of vaping and flavours Dear Steve Barclay, I am a consumer advocate, with no ties to industry at present (for full details see my previous letter). I await your reply to my last letter on 6th July, with the requested information, including reasoning for not including representatives of consumers in the enquiry. I would also like to know if the MPs where briefed on vaping or the vaping industry, if so by whom? The point itself is brief, two short paragraphs. After your comments on regulations, I would like to draw your attention to the following peer reviewed paper https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/20/6936 this strongly suggests that young people are being diverted from smoking, vaping is at least 95% safer than them smoking, thus while not ideal vaping reduces harm. Dependence to nicotine is also not ideal, but only 0.5% youth regularly use vapes who did not first smoke. Meanwhile you risk stopping millions of adult smokers switching to vapes by eliminating flavours, these are an important thing for adults. Please read this from Clive Bates (ex ASH Director) https://clivebates.com/documents/FlavoursBriefingV1July2022.pdf. You should of course ban candyfloss and sweet flavoured alcohol, as such flavours are aimed only at children? One last point Vaping is already illegal for children, if the existing rules cannot be enforced, then further legislation will presumably not be enforced either, how would that help? Yours sincerely, Richard Pruen|Letter Steve Barclay 19th oct]] | ||
[[File:Letter to cop 10 repersentitives.pdf|thumb|alt=Subject: COP 10 WHO FCTC Dear Rosanna O’Connor, I am a consumer advocate for vaping, 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 compliance with the standards for vaping products, and owned a now closed company BTC Battery Testing LTD (closed 2016). Currently I care for my mother who suffers vascular dementia, and as such volunteer my spare time to the cause of Tobacco Harm Reduction. I believe that consumers should be present at the COP 10 meeting, it is consumers who have the most to gain from stopping the use of combustible tobacco, and the lived experience of trying to do so. Many millions have found a way to eliminate almost all the risk via THR products. The phrase ‘Nothing about us without us’ springs to mind. Why then are the public and press excluded. I would like to see the proceedings live streamed, so those effected can see what is being done. In no way could this effect the discussions, thus is reasonable transparency. I would like an answer regarding the possibility, please. Many countries already found harm reduction useful, critical even. Be that low risk Snus (Sweden has the lowest cancer rate in Europe, and will be smoking free this year (>5%)). Vaping that the UK NHS finds almost 66% effective with support, as stated on their website. New Zealand has seen similar results, especially in native populations, reducing disparities. Japan has seen huge drops in cigarette sales due to reduced harm heated tobacco products. Please see the letter from the Lancet from Robert Beaglehole and Ruth Bonita. They were both senior officials at WHO and are now at the University of Auckland. Robert was formerly Director of the Department of Chronic Disease and Health Promotion at WHO. Ruth was formerly the Director of Surveillance in the Noncommunicable Disease Cluster at WHO. I wish to add my support for their recommendations, the article is attached (also link here https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00140-5) please make sure these points are discussed at the COP 10 meeting. Yours sincerely, Richard Pruen P.S Please ensure the representatives listed on the next page can discuss before the metting and forward more widely if you agree with the sentiment. Katherine Sands Tobacco Control Team Leader Department for Health and Social Care Martin Dockrell Tobacco Control Programme Lead Department for Health and Social Care Alison Walker Senior Tobacco Control Policy Lead Department of Health and Social Care Esther Lawrence Deputy Head of Global Health UK Mission to the UN, Geneva Please find attached a letter from [THELANCET-D-24-00371] S0140-6736(24)00140-5|Letter to cop 10 repersentitives]] | |||
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