Gone in a puff: Hamilton City Council prohibits vaping in public areas

Vaping will now join smoking as a prohibited activity in public spaces in Hamilton. The council’s community committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to add vaping to smoking as a non-permitted activity in council-owned and operated parks, playgrounds and buildings including the Hamilton Transport Centre, bus stops and at all council-operated events. The move has already been met with disapproval from pro-vape lobbyists – principally Jonathan Devery, the owner of Vapo and Alt New Zealand, the largest Kiwi-owned vape company in the country, who has decried it as a backwards step to making the country “smoke-free”.

2020-09-29
stuff.co.nz

Vaping Isn’t the Gateway to Smoking That Many Believe

Vaping obtained a terrible reputation last year when quite a few young adults became ill after vaping. While it was later found that 98 percent of those who became ill did so after using illegal products, the media failed to share this information widely as they did with the illnesses and hospitalizations. Today, experts speak of the dangers of vaping and the gateway effect. This refers to the likelihood that young adults who vape are more likely to begin smoking. However, two recent studies suggest that young adults who vape aren’t more likely to smoke. [...]

2020-09-29
techstory.in

Marijuana: The Risks and Benefits

The benefits and risks of Marijuana use are becoming more researched as marijuana moves from an illicit schedule 1 substance (alongside cocaine and heroin) to a recreational powerhouse with a medically beneficial profile and lack of physical addictiveness or toxicity. [...] The "cannabis" or "hemp" plant, known more commonly by the stigmatized nickname of marijuana has been used by diverse cultures for centuries. [...]

2020-09-29
psychologytoday.com

Michael Wooldridge a rare winner in Greg Hunt's vaping mess

At the National Press Club’s health policy debate during last year’s federal election, Greg Hunt was asked by Tim Shaw – yes, the Demtel guy – “when will you authorise the vaping product alternative [to cigarettes]?” Hunt responded unequivocally: “That is not something that on my watch I’m willing to countenance”, “It’s not something I support”, [...] Given that authorising vaping was not something Hunt was willing to countenance so long as he was the Health Minister, it was a rude shock when in March 2020, his department and the Therapeutic Goods Administration sought to do so – by allowing nicotine vapes to be sold from a pharmacy [...]

2020-09-29
afr.com

New campaign by American Lung Association targets youth vaping

With e-cigarette use in Iowa high schools considered at epidemic levels, the American Lung Association is launching a new effort designed to reduce vaping by teens — and even younger. Alyssa DePhillips, health promotions manager for the Lung Association in Iowa, says protecting lung health is vital. “We’re excited about this public awareness campaign called ‘Get Your Head Out of the Cloud!'” DePhillips says. “It’s really designed to give parents the facts about e-cigarettes and support conversations before the kids are starting to vape, or before they’re offered vapes from their friends.”

2020-09-29
radioiowa.com

Commentary: COVID-19 offers fresh impetus to quit smoking

PERTH: Smokers are worried. A respiratory disease is running rampant across the globe and people with unhealthy lifestyle habits appear to be especially vulnerable. We know smokers hospitalised with COVID-19 are more likely to become severely unwell and die than non-smokers with the disease. At any point in time, most smokers want to quit. But COVID-19 provides the impetus to do it sooner rather than later.

2020-09-29
channelnewsasia.com