In January the charity wrote to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, Jo Churchill, calling for sensible regulations for modern oral nicotine pouches. This would equate to a balance between restrictions that prevent use by minors, whilst allowing access to adult smokers seeking to quit or reduce smoking. Similarly in 2020, the NNA had called on policymakers to lift the counterproductive EU-wide ban on snus.
Later in the year, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vaping (APPG) had conducted an inquiry into the WHO’s Conference of the Parties meeting (COP9) which has been held in The Hague last November. This event is known to push a harsh and unscientific anti-vaping agenda onto the attending parties. To this effect, the NNA made a submission to the consultation for this report, and the group’s Chair Martin Cullip, spoke at one of two virtual sessions held in February, in preparation for the main event.
The APPG has opened yet another inquiry, entitled UK Tobacco Harm Reduction Opportunities Post-Brexit: Achieving a Smoke-Free 2030. A public consultation related to this inquiry has been to consumers. The NNA encouraged public participation and urged interested parties to share stories and experiences in relation to tobacco harm reduction products.
Participate in a study
In other news, a researcher from York University, Dr Frances Thirlway has been looking for vapers in York and Hull to join an experts-by-experience group for a study she is conducting. Anyone interested in being part of her research has been urged to get in touch by contacting the NNA’s Vice Chair, Louise Ross, via info@nnalliance.org
Read Further: NNA
NNA’s Follow Up Letter on Required Post-Brexit Tobacco Reforms
