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Alan

@algore09algor.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 21h
@caphra.bsky.social asks why WHO overlooks tobacco-control success? New Zealand ⬇️smoking faster any other Western Pacific country according to WHO's own figures. Tobacco Control discussion at next WPRO meeting in Manila doesn't acknowledge or examine how been achieved Press release: bit.ly/4zfuWAo
bit.ly
CAPHRA_questions_why_WHO_overlooks_its_tobacco-control_success_stories.docx
APTHR Media || for immediate release || word count 630 approximately [starts] CAPHRA questions why WHO overlooks its tobacco-control success stories Whilst New Zealand is on track to cut tobacco u...
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
“While legal tobacco packets start about $40, illegal tobacco can be as little as $10. It is estimated the trade, worth more than $8.5 billion nationwide, has put a $42 billion black hole in the federal budget” @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social #auspol www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
smh.com.au
Government pushes Queensland blueprint in tobacco war
Federal cabinet holds up the state’s 55 per cent surge in legal cigarette sales as proof that action can hit the black market.
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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Gates Foundation adds new science based ways to shrink global malaria but also supports voodoo based opposition to safer nicotine products which accelerate decline in smoking @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jgitchell.bsky.social @skipscorner.bsky.social @chancethegardener.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Tobacco control zealots still normalising opposition to tobacco harm reduction & getting away with it! @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social #auspol @publichealthaus.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @chancethegardener.bsky.social www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10...
abc.net.au
Social media giants allowing illegal tobacco ads, Quit says
Public health organisation Quit says the war against illegal tobacco ads on social media is only scratching the surface.
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Traded tobacco companies know cigarettes soon obsolete so transforming to safer nicotine products including heated tobacco units, nicotine pouches & vapes. SNPs accounted for 42% Philip Morris International revenue 2025! @algore09algor.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
New drug harm reduction interventions often face ferocious resistance but generally get accepted & then appreciated because very effective, safe & very cost effective. Safer nicotine products now globally rapidly replacing smoking. @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Tobacco control anti-vape activists ignore power of demand & supply. Most smokers want to reduce their risk but also want to continue ingesting nicotine though at much lower risk. Hence strong demand for safer nicotine products @algore09algor.bsky.social @skipscorner.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Fancy blowing up Australian legal cigarette sales by zealous sky high excise then replaced by illegal supply & not being able to admit error! @algore09algor.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @publichealthaus.bsky.social @racgppresident.bsky.social @crikey.com.au
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Al Capone taught us if strong demand for drug continued after legal supply stopped, other sources would emerge. Happened globally with illegal drugs then with cigarettes & vapes in Australia @greencate.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social @algore09algor.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Opponents of tobacco harm reduction exaggerate risks of both vapes & nicotine. It all boils down to protecting combustible cigarettes #auspol @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social @theracp.bsky.social reason.com/2026/10/01/s...
reason.com
Smoking is bad for you. Nicotine isn't—but politicians keep trying to ban it.
Nicotine is not responsible for the cancers or lung disease caused by combustible tobacco.
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Reposted by Alan
Skip Murray 🌻 @skipscorner.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
"But I also feel strongly that prevention efforts aren’t enough when the message to kids stops at “just say no,” while no one wants to address the underlying reasons some young people engage in risky behaviors." skipscorner.substack.com/p/fine-ill-b...
skipscorner.substack.com
Fine! I’ll Be A Billboard
Wearing my heart—and my values—on my sleeve
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Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
09algor.substack.com/p/when-onlin... Before the government asks platforms to remove harmful information, it must make sure they can recognise information that helps people escape harm. @alexwodak.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @squigglyrick.bsky.social
09algor.substack.com
When “Online Safety” Makes Health Information Harder to Find
SHARC’s warning about Australia’s proposed digital duty of care raises a question tobacco harm reduction advocates cannot afford to ignore.
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Have enough knowledge today to accelerate decline of lung cancer & other smoking related cancers but lack vision to back encouraging smokers to switch to safer nicotine products like vapes @chancethegardener.bsky.social @jgitchell.bsky.social @algore09algor.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Flavoured coloured NRT available unsupervised Australian supermarkets for decades without problems. Yet vaping deniers claim nicotine addiction huge threat! Cmon! They’re pulling your leg! @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social @publichealthaus.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
3 cheers for Minister Andrew Leigh who established Australian Centre for Evaluation which does randomised evaluations to make government better. #auspol Why then does Labor government ignore Cochrane review showing vaping 60% more effective quit smoking aid than NRT? @algore09algor.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
‘Smoking rates run at 23% in inner regional areas & 26% in outer regional areas, against 18% in cities’ Kos Samaras @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Clearing the Air @clearingtheair.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Vapes are nearly worse than cigarettes,” says Ireland’s PM, unshackled by the constraints of science. Researchers studying tobacco addiction and quitting have a different verdict, and a warning about what his message could mean for smokers. clearingtheair.eu/en/post/rese...
clearingtheair.eu
Researchers challenge Irish PM’s vaping claim
Researchers say vaping is considerably less harmful than smoking after Micheál Martin described vapes as “nearly worse” than cigarettes.
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Australian tobacco control cult says ‘If higher cigarette excise is good, then sky high cigarette excise must be even better!’ @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @edjegasothy.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social @johnquiggin.bsky.social
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Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The immediate hit appears in the pack price, CPI and household spending. Any health-cost saving appears years later in population models. They are not equivalent: the first is paid now by struggling households the second is an uncertain future benefit claimed by the system.
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Congratulations tobacco control! Smoking Induced Deprivation among adults who smoke ⬆️from 9.5% in 2016 to 14.6% in 2022 .. Prevalence .. greatest in Australia (12% to 22.7%)! @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Smoking‐induced deprivation and subsequent smoking cessation among adults who smoke in four high‐income countries: Trends, correlates and longitudinal associations, 2016–2024
Background and aims Tobacco smoking substantially contributes to poverty. Smoking-induced deprivation (SID) occurs when people continue smoking despite financial stress. This study examined (i) tren...
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Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
@alexwodak.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @squigglyrick.bsky.social When Tobacco Tax Meets the Cost-of-Living Crisis 09algor.substack.com/p/when-tobac...
09algor.substack.com
When Tobacco Tax Meets the Cost-of-Living Crisis
Australia’s tobacco tax policy is built around a simple idea: make cigarettes expensive enough and more people will stop smoking.
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Clive Bates interviewed from Brazil always worth listening to re smoking & safer nicotine products clivebates.substack.com/p/vape-prohi...
clivebates.substack.com
Vape prohibitions: an interview
What are the arguments for prohibition and what is wrong with them. An interview with a Brazilian activist.
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
After 80 Randomised Controlled Trials with ~30,000 subjects latest Cochrane review says high certainty evidence vaping more effective quit smoking intervention than NRT. What say you tobacco harm reduction denialists? @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social drive.google.com/file/d/10kEU...
drive.google.com
20260826 Cochrane Review on e-cigs for smoking cessation.pdf
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Derek Yach notes Swiss Re Insurance new report ‘Next-Gen Smoking: Rethinking Smoker Risk in the Age of E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Pouches & Cannabis’. Challenges crazy practice put everyone using nicotine into same category @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Genius of Australia’s tobacco control was handing over national nicotine market to Tony Soprano & Walter White! Congratulations! @jamomartin.bsky.social @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @mikedaube.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @crikey.com.au @publichealthaus.bsky.social
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Clive Bates on fire. Stakeholders without a stake The most legitimate stakeholders are those directly affected; consumers and businesses. Tobacco control activists have no inherent claim to legitimacy and must show credible, ethical reasoning. clivebates.substack.com/p/stakeholde...
clivebates.substack.com
Stakeholders without a stake
The most legitimate stakeholders are those directly and personally affected by policy, practice and communications - smokers and vapers. Activists should show some humility.
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Only 31 countries have best practice tobacco control so world need to also encourage smokers ➡️ to readily available, affordable, attractive safer nicotine products @jmenezes.bsky.social @chancethegardener.bsky.social @jgitchell.bsky.social @algore09algor.bsky.social www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
nejm.org
Evidence-Based Tobacco-Cessation Strategies for Low- and Middle-Income Countries | NEJM
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death globally, claiming more than 7 million lives each year. The burden of disease is highest in low- and middle-income countries, where more than 8...
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Heroin ban Australia >70 years.2026 survey people who use drugs 65% said availability vy easy, 35% easy, 4% difficult, 5% vy difficult. Why will law enforcement more successful cigarettes or vapes? @jamomartin.bsky.social @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social www.unsw.edu.au/research/nda...
unsw.edu.au
Australian Drug Trends 2026: Key findings from the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) interviews
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Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
09algor.substack.com/p/the-people...
09algor.substack.com
The People Missing From Australia’s Tobacco-Control Victory
Australia embraces harm reduction for people who inject drugs. Why does that principle disappear when the drug is nicotine?
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
At NDARC Annual Symposium on alcohol & drug research. 80% of world research on illicit drugs funded by US NIDA & prohibitionist framework. Any medication been introduced for Rx of alcohol & drugs by pharmaceutical industry? Every agonist Rx & harm reduction intervention ferociously resisted
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Booklet at NDARC Annual alcohol & drug research symposium notes daily use of vapes in Australia tripled between 2019 & 2022 - as if that’s a problem! Vapes replaced combustible cigarettes in Australia & have declined since 2022 @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social
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Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The most important number may be the one that never appears beneath the photograph: how many people were smoking a month later? @alexwodak.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @squigglyrick.bsky.social 09algor.substack.com/p/the-questi...
09algor.substack.com
The Question Nobody Asks After a Seizure
When authorities seize cigarettes or vapes, what happens to the people who were going to buy them?
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Evidence for safer nicotine products keeps getting stronger & stronger but anti harm reduction cult still in deep denial
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Cracker of a commentary by Ed Jegasothy & James Martin re Australia’s failed sky high #cigarette #excise & #vape quasi prohibition which is manna from heaven for organised crime @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social michaelwest.com.au/a-levy-on-th...
michaelwest.com.au
A levy on the poor. Tobacco tax needs rethink to stop the war - Michael West
The Coalition has reignited the debate about punitive smoker's taxes, their consequences, and how to stop the tobacco wars.
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Australia’s 5.8% figure raises questions about what is being counted, what may be missed and how illicit tobacco use affects the picture. .. Before Australia is held up as a success story, its smoking data needs to match the reality of the market. 09algor.substack.com/p/australias...
09algor.substack.com
Australia’s 5.8% Smoking Rate: Accurate, Misleading, or Both?
A quick apology for the length of this piece, but there is simply a great deal of information to work through if we are going to understand properly what Australia’s 5.8% smoking figure does, and does...
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Safer nicotine option should be easier option. Many still do opposite keeping cigarettes accessible while making lower-risk alternatives hard to find. Adult smokers need paths away from combustion .. Harm reduction makes less harmful choice easier snusforumet.se/en/alex-woda...
snusforumet.se
Alex Wodak: ‘The safer nicotine option should be the easier option’ - Snusforumet
Meet Australian physician Dr. Alex Wodak, Snusforumet's latest Harm Reduction Hero, and why he preaches a pragmatic approach to nicotine.
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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Compared to supply reduction & demand reduction, harm reduction is amazingly effective, cheap and safe. But still politicians prefer to invest in SR despite lousy outcomes. True for alcohol & drugs & also nicotine @chancethegardener.bsky.social @jgitchell.bsky.social snusforumet.se/en/alex-woda...
snusforumet.se
Alex Wodak: ‘The safer nicotine option should be the easier option’ - Snusforumet
Meet Australian physician Dr. Alex Wodak, Snusforumet's latest Harm Reduction Hero, and why he preaches a pragmatic approach to nicotine.
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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
youtu.be/UmQwEjxzn80?... Perth GP Dr Joe Kosterich quite right ridiculing response to numerous calls for substantial cut in Australian cigarette excise ‘People will die’. Vape quasi prohibition in Australia ensures many smokers won’t quit & sky high cigarette excise ensures many ➡️illegal nicotine
youtu.be
People Will Die
YouTube video by Dr Joe Kosterich
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Brilliant article by Ed Jegasothy and James Martin on Australia’s failed smoking vaping policy. Highly recommended. Must read @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @publichealthaus.bsky.social @mikedaube.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social
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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
How reliable are 2 surveys of smoking in Australia 3 years apart when supply largely shifted in that time from legal to illegal & several large state surveys & nicotine wastewater analysis reported very different results? @jamomartin.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @publichealthaus.bsky.social
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Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
A hero of mine!! 👇🏻👇🏻
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
My half century in harm reduction: initially for illegal drugs, now for tobacco. Harm reduction is much more effective, safer & cheaper than supply reduction or demand reduction @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social @sanho.bsky.social snusforumet.se/en/alex-woda...
snusforumet.se
Alex Wodak: ‘The safer nicotine option should be the easier option’ - Snusforumet
Meet Australian physician Dr. Alex Wodak, Snusforumet's latest Harm Reduction Hero, and why he preaches a pragmatic approach to nicotine.
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Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
@alexwodak.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @squigglyrick.bsky.social We do not need to claim that 5.8% is false. We need to stop pretending that 5.8% tells us everything. 09algor.substack.com/p/australias...
09algor.substack.com
Australia’s 5.8% Smoking Rate: Accurate, Misleading, or Both?
A quick apology for the length of this piece, but there is simply a great deal of information to work through if we are going to understand properly what Australia’s 5.8% smoking figure does, and does...
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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Australia’s unsustainable failed smoking/vaping policy including sky high cigarette excise now resulting in world leading sky high insurance for retailers near tobacconists @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
As tobacconist firebombings intensify in Melbourne, nearby stores are being denied insurance
Arson attacks related to illegal tobacco trade are also causing revenue and reputation problems for neighbouring businesses
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Skip Murray 🌻 @skipscorner.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Knowledge is Power: A resource guide for evidence, advocacy, and connection in tobacco, nicotine, and harm reduction. A how-to toolkit for people who want to learn how to understand science, face division, and use their voices. skipscorner.substack.com/p/knowledge-...
skipscorner.substack.com
Knowledge is Power
A resource guide for evidence, advocacy, and connection in tobacco, nicotine, and harm reduction
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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
High crime rates are predominantly a policy choice. By politicians & senior police claiming falsely that intensive law enforcement will reduce drug supply & then benefiting politically, organised crime is strengthened @jamomartin.bsky.social @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social
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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
@caphra.bsky.social announces Asia-Pacific Declaration call for safer nicotine access - formal call on health ministers & public health officials across South-East Asia & Western Pacific to legalise safer nicotine alternatives for adults who smoke Press release: bit.ly/4hbNEBo
bit.ly
CAPHRA_announces_the_Asia-Pacific_Declaration_call_for_Safer_Nicotine_Access.docx
APTHR Media || for immediate release || word count 350 approximately [starts] CAPHRA announces the Asia-Pacific Declaration call for safer nicotine access The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Ha...
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Reposted by Alan
Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
@caphra.bsky.social accuses HCA blatant political grandstanding. New Zealand daily smoking ⬇️from 16.4% in 2011/12 to 6.8% now, >1/2ing over period NZ legalised & promoted vapes as legal quitting tool-model for how pro-consumer, risk-proportionate policy drives smoking ⬇️.Presser: bit.ly/4iyOIls
bit.ly
CAPHRA_election-season_tobacco_push_ignores_New_Zealands_world-leading_smoking_decline.docx
APTHR Media || for immediate release || word count 440 approximately [starts] CAPHRA: election-season tobacco push ignores New Zealand's world-leading smoking decline The Coalition of Asia Pacific...
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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
“Europe’s nicotine debate is becoming a test of whether policy can recognise unintended harm. Banning or restricting smoke-free products may appear protective, but it can leave cigarettes as the most accessible option for millions of adults who still smoke” clivebates.substack.com/p/killing-eu...
clivebates.substack.com
Killing Europeans by banning nicotine pouches
The European activist coalition, Smoke Free Partnership, wants nicotine pouches banned in Germany. It’s hard to think anything more reckless or negligent.
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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Over ~30 years US price heroin ⬇️ & purity ⬆️.Ditto most illegal drugs, most countries.Why expect illegal cigarettes, vapes be any different? Law enforcement effectiveness poor. @jamomartin.bsky.social @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social
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