Harm-Reduction

Pentingnya Regulasi Berbeda antara Rokok dan Produk Tembakau Alternatif

Konsumsi rokok elektrik saat ini merupakan salah satu fenomena yang sangat umum dan semakin meningkat seiring berjalannya waktu. Bagi kita yang tinggal di wilayah urban, dengan mudah bisa menemukan tidak sedikit orang yang mengkonsumsi rokok elektrik, dan juga berbagai produk vape dan rokok elektrik yang dijual di berbagai toko dan pusat perbelanjaan.

Fenomena semakin meningkatnya konsumsi vape ini juga menarik perhatian banyak pihak. Bagi sebagian pihak, fenomena ini merupakan sesuatu yang negatif, karena vape atau produk tembakau alternatif lainnya dianggap sebagai produk yang sama berbahayanya, atau bahkan lebih berbahaya bila dibandingkan dengan rokok konvensional yang dibakar.

Oleh karena itu, bagi sebagian kalangan, kebijakan pelarangan atau setidaknya pembatasan ketat bagi produk-produk alternatif tembakau seperti rokok elektrik merupakan sesuatu yang tepat untuk dilakukan. Hal in idikarenakan, produk-produk tembakau alternatif seperti rokok elektrik dianggap sebagai salah satu ancaman besar bagi kesehatan publik.

Sementara itu, pihak lainnya memiliki pandangan yang cukup positif, atau setidaknya optimis, melihat fenomena tersebut. Hal ini dikarenakan bahwa, berdasarkan berbagai laporan penelitian, diketahui bahwa rokok elektrik atau vape merupakan produk yang jauh lebih tidak berbahaya bila dibandingkan dengan rokok konvensional yang dibakar.

Dengan semakin meningkatnya pengguna vape atau rokok elektrik, maka diharapkan pengguna rokok konvensional yang dibakar juga akan semakin berkurang. Dengan demikian, berbagai penyakit kronis berbahaya yang disebabkan karena penggunaan rokok konvensional yang dibakar dapat dimitigasi. Dengan demikian, langkah untuk melarang atau membatasi rokok elektrik merupakan kebijakan yang kontraproduktif, karena hal tersebut akan semakin mempersulit para konsumen untuk mendapatkan akses terhadap produk alternatif dari rokok konvensional yang lebih tidak berbahaya.

Informasi mengenai bahwa produk tembakau alternatif jauh lebih tidak berbahaya bila dibandingkan dengan rokok konvensional yang dibakar merupakan hal yang sudah diketahui sejak beberapa tahun lalu. Salah satu lembaga kesehatan yang mengeluarkan laporan mengenai hal tersebut adalah lembaga kesehatan publik Inggris, Public Health England (PHE), pada tahun 2015 lalu (theguardian.com, 28/12/2018).

Laporan tersebut tentu merupakan laporan yang sangat penting untuk diperhatikan, terutama bila kita ingin menyusun regulasi yang tepat terkait dengan produk-produk tembakau alternatif seperti rokok elektrik. Salah satunya adalah, bagaimana kita dapat memanfaatkan produk-produk tembakau alternatif seperti rokok elektrik, untuk membantu para perokok untuk mengurangi hingga berhenti secara total menggunakan rokok konvensional yang dibakar, yang sangat berbahaya bagi kesehatan.

Salah satu langkah awal untuk menyusun regulasi yang tepat tersebut adalah dengan tidak menyetarakan antara produk-produk rokok konvensional yang dibakar dengan produk-produk tembakau alternatif seperti rokok elektrik. Hal ini tentu merupakan sesuatu yang penting mengingat dampak negatif dari produk tembakau alternatif jauh lebih kecil bila dibandingkan dengan rokok konvensional yang dibakar.

Menjadikan vape atau rokok elektrik sebagai alat untuk membantu perokok menghentikan kebiasaan merokoknya merupakan hal yang sudah dilakukan oleh jutaan orang di seluruh dunia, teramsuk juga tentunya di Indonesia. Berdasarkan riset yang dilakukan oleh Universitas Trisakti misalnya, menunjukkan bahwa setidaknya ada 30% responden yang menyatakan bahwa mereka menggunakan produk-produk vape alternatif sebagai sarana untuk berhenti merekok (vapemagz.co.id, 20/05/2022).

Sementara itu, 11% responden lainnya menyatakan bahwa mereka menggunakan vape untuk alasan kesehatan, dan 9% lainnya menggunakan produk-produk tembakau alternatif atas anjuran dari ahli kesehatan. Oleh karena itu, setidaknya 80% dari seluruh responden menyatakan bahwa promosi tembakau alternatif harus lebih dimasifkan sebagai salah satu upaya untuk berhenti merokok (vapemagz.co.id, 20/05/2022).

Dengan adanya regulasi yang berbeda, diharapkan hal tersebut uga akan semakin merangsang para pelaku industri, khususnya industri dengan skala kecil dan menengah, untuk masuk ke dalam sektor produk-produk tembakau alternatif. Hal ini juga berarti tidak hanya semakin membantu konsumen untuk menyediakan sarana untuk mereka agar berhenti merokok, namun juga akan berpotensi membuka dan menyerap semakin banyak tenaga kerja.

Selain itu, tidak hanya regulasi yang berbeda, dibutuhkan juga upaya untuk meningkatkan berbagai riset dan penelitian terkait dengan rokok elektrik dan juga produk-produk tembakau alternatif lainnya. Penelitian dan riset ini merupakan sesuatu yang sangat penting, sebagai landasan untuk menyusun kebijakan dan regulasi yang tepat. Saat ini, berbagai riset dan penelitian terkait dengan produk-produk vape alternatif dilakukan oleh lembaga-lembaga dari luar negeri (financial.detik.com, 22/05/2022).

Sebagai penutup, penyusunan kebijakan vape dan juga produk-produk tembakau alternatif lainnya yang tepat, dan juga peningkatan riset dan penelitian terkait denga produk-produk tersebut, merupakan hal yang sangat penting. Hal ini sangat penting mengingat Indonesia merupakan salah satu negara dengan populasi perokok tertinggi di dunia, dan produk-produk tembakau alternatif dapat digunakan sebagai salah satu alat untuk membantu para perokok menghentikan kebiasaannya yang sangat berbahaya.

Originally published here

Malaysia Towards A Vape Regulated Nation

Big Industry players are acknowledging that vaping is not risk-free, but there is growing scientific evidence that it is certainly less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Risk-proportionate regulations and taxation for vaping are being called to encourage smokers to switch to a low-risk alternative. With the Malaysian Government introducing a taxation on nicotine vapes, many in the vaping industry are exhaling a sigh of relief as the grey line lingering over nicotine taxation has loomed for the longest time.

In relation to that, the public are commending the Malaysian government for moving in the right direction of regulating it instead of an outright ban, as vaping products play a crucial role in reducing the enormous health burden caused by cigarette smoking.

Malaysia towards regulating vape products

The aftermath of banning vaping will only open doors for the prevalence of the black market, which poses the danger of owning and inhaling substandard products. With nicotine vapes being legal for sale and consumption, the lack of regulation needs to be addressed to prevent consumers from falling prey to black market products, perceiving netizens who are forthrightly switching to vaping as a choice.

It is in the best interest of the nation to quickly roll out proper regulations to benefit the Malaysian economy as it could lose an estimated RM1 billion tax revenue from vape products alone, being too substantial to remain unregulated.

Read the full article here

Harm reduction strategy stressed to achieve Tobacco-free nation by 2040

Speakers in a discussion have urged policymakers to incorporate Tobacco harm reduction strategy in their tobacco control plans and establish safer alternatives such as vaping products as smoking cessation medium like progressive nations around the world.

Voice of Vapers Bangladesh organised the discussion titled “The Need for a Tobacco Harm Reduction Strategy: Achieving the Government’s Health Agenda & Revenue Ambitions” at a Dhaka hotel on Saturday to mark the World Vape Day 2022.

Health Diplomats’ president Dr Delon Human said that Bangladesh was widely recognized as a resilient nation, known for her prowess to prove her critics wrong.

Read the full article here

Speakers stress need for tobacco harm reduction strategy

They call for sensible regulations for vaping products to achieve government’s health agenda and revenue ambitions

Speakers at an event urged policymakers to incorporate Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) strategy in their tobacco control plans and establish safer alternatives such as vaping products as smoking cessation medium like progressive nations around the world.

To commemorate World Vape Day 2022, Voice of Vapers Bangladesh organised a panel discussion titled “The Need for a Tobacco Harm Reduction Strategy: Achieving the Government’s Health Agenda & Revenue Ambitions” held at a Dhaka hotel on 28 May, reads a press release.

Dr Delon Human, president of Health Diplomats and an expert on harm reduction said, “Bangladesh is widely recognised as a resilient nation, known for her prowess to prove her critics wrong. Historically, the indomitable spirit of Bangladeshis has made them question the status quo and establish the rights of its people. The stupendous development across all sectors is a true testament of that.”

Read the full article here

自由開講》理性態度看待緩減菸害

《菸害防制法》修法一直受大眾的矚目。目前台灣有近三百多萬吸菸者，但非吸菸者卻有近二千萬。對於非吸菸者而言，縱然他們可能真心希望台灣是民主和開放社會的範例；假如決議就只有簡單的少數服從多數，吸菸者幾乎可以說是沒有勝算，結果不是真正的民主，而是多數人暴政。

民主是和衷共濟，透過協商找出最接近兩全其美的方案。本次修法，屢受關注及討論原因之一，是衛生福利部提出的版本中，包括全面禁止電子煙在內之各式類菸品。

「為甚麼不乾脆戒菸？」對那些非吸菸者，可能會覺得戒菸事在人為，只要有決心的話，誰都可以立地成佛。然而事實證明，過去幾年容許吸菸者有替代品可供選擇的國家，吸菸率的降幅尤其明顯。以英國為例，自從 2013 年英國公共衛生署積極建議吸菸者改用電子煙，英國整體吸菸率下降了 25%。相比之下，世界上電子煙法規最嚴格的澳大利亞，同期的吸菸率僅下降了 8%。

Read the full article here

The Devastating Impact of the FDA’s Proposed Menthol & Flavored Cigarette Ban

The FDA’s announcement to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars has been roundly condemned from all sides of the political spectrum, and is opposed by groups as diverse as American Council on Civil Liberties (ACLU), Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, the National Black Justice Coalition, Americans for Tax Reform, Americans for Prosperity, and Heritage Action for America.

Americans for Tax Reform convened a virtual seminar on the impact of this proposed ban with policy & law enforcement experts, covering the science and evidence (or lack thereof) underpinning the ban, the disastrous implications for law enforcement and vulnerable minority populations, the consequences of a thriving black market, and alternative, proven methods of tobacco harm reduction the FDA should be enacting instead of prohibition.

Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn is right: Thailand can save lives and promote innovation by legalizing nicotine alternatives

May 5, 2022
By Yaël Ossowski
In Harm Reduction Campaign, Harm-Reduction, Statements, Vaping
1 comment

Bangkok, TH – As Thailand considers revising its ban on harm reducing nicotine delivery products, a global consumer advocacy group is praising the actions of Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, who has recognized the importance of harm reduction in saving the lives of smokers who want to quit.

“The growing body of evidence from countries around the world points to a steep decrease in smoking rates once we allow harm reducing nicotine alternatives such as vaping products, snus, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products,” said Yaël Ossowski, deputy director of the Consumer Choice Center. “The smoking rate in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are already at historical lows.

“Considering that over 50,000 Thai die each year due to smoking, amending the current bans and restrictions on these alternative nicotine products would mean lives would be saved almost immediately.

“In that, we praise the comments and recent actions of Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, who has been willing to hear the evidence on the scientific and health evidence in favor of vaping and nicotine alternatives and has made the case for how innovation in harm reduction can help save lives,” said Ossowski.

“In addition, the National Tobacco Products Control Committee’s ban on vaping imports has paved the way for a dangerous illicit market, meaning that ordinary Thai citizens who gain access to these life-saving products are not only at risk of significant fines by authorities, but also face more health risks related to illicit products that are not inspected and regulated by state agencies. Added to that, the government is losing out on potentially millions in tax revenue that could be used to fund healthcare, education, and vital social projects.

“If Thailand were to embrace innovation and endorse a strategy of harm reduction, they would not only be saving potentially millions of lives, but the country would also create a new wave of entrepreneurial investment and drive that would surely lead to an economic boom,” concluded Ossowski.

Vaping not a gateway to smoking, states CCC policy paper

The Consumer Choice Center (CCC), a consumer advocacy group based in the United States, recently published a policy paper that examined key facts demonstrating that vape is not the gateway to smoking.

“Vaping is often blamed for encouraging smoking among adults and teens,” said Maria Chaplia, a research manager at CCC and author of the CCC paper titled “Vaping And The Gateway Myth”.

“Such unjustified criticism of vaping prevents millions of smokers around the world from switching to a safer alternative. The gateway rhetoric does not do anyone any good, has no merit and should be abandoned,” she continued.

NOT THE SAME

According to the research report by the CCC, the objective of vaping is to provide a less dangerous alternative to cigarettes that minimises the risk of health complications.

Public Health England has validated this statement, stating that vaping is 95 per cent less harmful compared to smoking.

Furthermore, vaping has a cancer risk of less than 0.5 per cent when compared to smoking, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.

Read the full article here

Pentingnya Kampanye Harm Reduction pada Perhelatan Besar di Indonesia

Beberapa waktu lalu, Indonesia menggelar salah satu perhelatan olahraga terbesar di dunia, MotoGP. Perhelatan ini diseleggarakan di Sirkuit Mandalika yang terletak di pulau Lombok, di provinsi Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB).

Tidak bisa dibantah, kesempatan untuk menyelenggarakan perhelatan yang sangat bergengsi ini tentu merupakan sesuatu yang cukup langka, dan hal yang dapat terjadi begitu saja. Untuk dapat menjadi tuan rumah dalam perhelatan yang sangat bergengsi ini, dibutuhkan berbagai persiapan yang sangat matang dan biaya yang tidak sedikit.

Indonesia misalnya, harus mengeluarkan biaya setidaknya sejumlah 9 juta euro untuk menjadi tuan rumah perhelatan olahraga internasional tersebut. Dana tersebut dibayarkan kepada perusahaan Dorna Sport, yang merupakan perusahaan induk dari perhelatan MotoGP (suara.com 3/12/2021).

Biaya ini tentunya belum juga termasuk dana yang harus dikeluarkan untuk membangun Sirkuit Mandalika tersebut, yang menjadi tempat perhelatan MotoGP. Diestimasi, pembangunan sirkuit internasional tersebut memakan biaya sebesar 1,2 triliun rupiah (sports.okezone.com, 1/2/2022).

Namun, biaya yang sangat besar ini tentu bisa sangat dimengerti, mengingat MotoGP merupakan salah satu perhelatan olahraga terbesar di dunia. Tidak bisa dipungkiri bahwa melalui perhelatan internasional ini, kita memiliki kesempatan yang sangatbesar untuk mempromosikan Indonesia di mata dunia internasional.

Dengan suksesnya penyelenggaraan ajang olahraga internasional sebesar MotoGP, diharapkan akan semakin banyak turis yang datang ke Indonesia, dan akan semakin banyak investor yang menanamkan dananya di negara kita.

Tidak hanya itu, perhelatan olahraga internasional sebesar MotoGP juga pasti akan mendatangkan banyak pemasukan melalui iklan dan juga penjualan tiket. Tidak sedikit perusahaan multinasional dari brand ternama yang pastinya akan membayar mahal untuk menaruh nama dan juga mempromosikan produk-produk yang mereka jual kepada publik.

Tidak hanya produk-produk yang dibuat dan dijual oleh perusahaan-perusahaan multinasional dari luar negeri, perhelatan ajang kompetisi olahraga internasional sebesar MotoGP juga memberikan kesempatan yang besar untuk mempromosikan berbagai produk-produk lokal yang dibuat oleh para produsen dari Indonesia.

Upaya untuk memperkenalkan berbagai produk dalam negeri, apalagi kepada masyarakat internasional, tentu saja merupakan hal yang sangat penting untuk meningkatkan industri dalam negeri di negara kita.

Selain itu, bukan hanya kampanye dan iklan dari produk-produk dalam negeri, perhelatan olahraga internasional seperti MotoGP juga memberi ruang kesempatan yang besar untuk melakukan kampanye sosial, seperti mengenai kesehatan, dan lain sebagainya.

Salah satu kampanye yang bisa dilakukan diantaranya adalah mengenai pentingnya langkah dan kebijakan yang mendukung harm reduction untuk para perokok, khususnya di negara kita.

Sudah menjadi rahasia umum bahwa Indonesia merupakan negara dengan jumlah populasi perokok terbesar di dunia. Pada tahun 2020 saja misalnya, hampir 40% penduduk dewasa di Indonesia merupakan perokok aktif, yang merupakan salah satu negara dengan tingkat prevelensi populasi perokok yang terbesar di dunia. Hal ini tentu menimbulkan permasalahan kesehatan publik yang besar, yang harus segera diselesaikan (economy.okezone.com, 13/12/2020).

Untuk itu, berbagai kebijakan yang ditujukan untuk mengurangi jumlah perokok di Indonesia merupakan hal yang sangat penting. Salah satunya adalah, melalui kebijakan yang bertujuan untuk harm reduction.

Kebijakan ini berfokus bukan pada pelarangan tetapi bagaimana kita bisa membantu para perokok untuk mendapatkan produk yang lebih aman. Dengan demikian, mereka dapat perlahan-lahan meninggalkan kebiasaan merokoknya yang sangat berbahaya.

Penyelenggaraan MotoGP di Mandalika sendiri juga dimeriahkan oleh kampanye program untuk mengurangi rokok (smoking reduction program) yang diselenggarakan oleh perusahaan produsen vape asal Indonesia, Movi.

Dalam program tersebut, dikampanyekan mengenai metode harm reduction melalui inhalasi uap herbal dengan menggunakan berbagai bahan tradisional yang berasal dari Indonesia (tribunnews.com, 24/3/2022).

Hal ini tentu merupakan sesuatu yang positif dan bisa dicontoh di berbagai acara atau perhelatan lainnya, terlebih di perhelatan internasional, yang tentunya menarik banyak perhatian para penonton dan pengunjung.

Perhelatan internasional yang menarik banyak perhatian publik tentu merupakan salah satu tempat yang paling cocok dan tepat untuk mengkampanyekan pentingnya kebijakan dan program yang berfokus pada harm reduction untuk mengurangi jumlah perokok aktif di Indonesia.

Terlebih lagi, kebijakan atau program yang berfokus pada harm reduction merupakan sesuatu yang belum populer dan belum banyak diketahui secara luas oleh masyarakat Indonesia, termasuk juga para pengambil kebijakan.

Tidak sedikit masyarakat Indonesia dan para pengambil kebijakan yang masih berpandangan bahwa satu-satunya cara untuk mengurangi prevelansi perokok di Indonesia adalah melalui kebijakan pembatasan dan pelarangan ketat.

Padahal, kebijakan pembatasan dan pelarangan ketat, tanpa dukungan dari adanya produk alternatif yang lebih aman, merupakan kebijakan yang sangat berbahaya, dan justru dapat semakin menyuburkan berbagai praktik pasar gelap yang menjual produk-produk ilegal.

Sebagai penutup, kebijakan dan program yang berfokus pada harm reduction merupakan hal yang sangat penting untuk mengurangi tingkat perokok di Indonesia, dan sudha terbukti berhasil di negara lain, seperti Britania Raya. Dan perhelatan-perhelatan besar merupakan salah satu tempat yang tepat untuk mengkampanyekan pentingnya program tersebut.

Originally published here

Hawaii: Eliminating vape flavors would cause more problems than it would solve

April 4, 2022
By Yaël Ossowski
In Blog, Harm Reduction Campaign, Harm-Reduction, Vaping
1 comment

By Yaël Ossowski

When the state acts to protect our children, we trust it will do so with knowledge and responsibility. Considering the rise in availability of vaping products this last decade, it is understandable that the State Legislature has been called on to act.

But if Hawaii curbs the sale of flavored vaping products — intended for adult former smokers — this will not eradicate the problem of youth access. Rather, it may make it even worse.

Health committee chair Rep. Ryan Yamane admitted as much last week, stating “I don’t want our youth who are electronic savvy to get access to unknown supplies or, who knows, black-market cartridges laced with dangerous substances through the internet where we don’t know where it’s coming from.”

What Yamane alludes to is the 2019 EVALI epidemic, when illicit cannabis vaping devices made their way into the hands of thousands of people across the country, causing death and serious lung injuries that spread panic around vaping products. There were 4 cases in Hawaii.

The CDC has concluded that virtually every case was linked to a supply of bootleg THC vape cartridges laced with Vitamin E Acetate. While these products are far removed from the vaping devices found in convenience stores and vape shops, even though activists have attempted to connect them, the EVALI crisis demonstrates the ills associated with unregulated black market products.

Massachusetts enacted a ban on flavored vaping products in 2019 and the results should raise caution. Since the ban, a massive influx of smuggled tobacco and vape products has resulted in a thriving black market, siphoning tax revenue for the state, criminalizing adult consumers trying to make the healthier choice, and exposing kids to black market dealers who don’t ask for ID.

Making a product illegal will not necessarily make the demand for it go away, as the era of Prohibition taught us.

If Hawaii moves forward with a vaping flavor ban, they’ll not only endanger our kids, but they will also push adult consumers to switch back to smoking combustible tobacco, a disaster for public health. Over 1,400 Hawaiians lose their lives to smoking-related illnesses each year. As found in multiple studies and even Public Health England, vapers benefit from 95% less harm than cigarettes.

Fortunately, more than 7% of Hawaii’s adult population uses vaping products, accounting for over 100,000 Hawaiians who have switched to a better alternative, including our elderly. According to data from the Hawaii Journal of Medicine and Public Health, the largest demographic of Hawaiian vapers are actually over 65.

If those retirees have their smoking cession options taken away, it will not only nudge them back to smoking and put their health at risk, but it would cost Hawaii dearly. Smoking-related healthcare costs already cost Hawaiian taxpayers $141.7 million annually, not to mention the pain of long-term illnesses and deaths experienced by many families.

Our goal should be to expand people’s choices to quitting tobacco, not to limit them severely.

What’s more, similar bans to what is proposed here in Hawaii have actually been demonstrated to increase smoking rates among youth in jurisdictions like San Francisco. Data from the Journal of the American Medicine Association shows that the flavored vaping product ban caused increased smoking rates for youth aged 18 and younger.

If we are concerned about youth gaining access to vaping products, we need to ask why it is happening. Are retailers breaking the law and selling it to them? Are they asking older friends or family to acquire for them? Will adult users of these products still have less harmful alternatives to cigarettes if we outlaw them? These are important considerations.

Teenagers seek out risky behavior, whether it is drugs, alcohol, or vaping devices. Education and parental responsibility, however, would be much more effective than a sweeping ban that would boost a new black market and deprive responsible adults of products they have sought to improve their lives. This is the choice Hawaii will have to make.

Yaël Ossowski is deputy director at the Consumer Choice Center.

Cookie	Duration	Description
__cf_bm	1 hour	This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	1 year	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent	1 year	CookieYes sets this cookie to record the default button state of the corresponding category and the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
elementor	never	The website's WordPress theme uses this cookie. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time.
JSESSIONID	past	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
wpEmojiSettingsSupports	session	WordPress sets this cookie when a user interacts with emojis on a WordPress site. It helps determine if the user's browser can display emojis properly.

Cookie	Duration	Description
__sharethis_cookie_test__	session	This cookie is set by ShareThis, to test whether the browser accepts cookies.
bcookie	2 years	This cookie is set by linkedIn. The purpose of the cookie is to enable LinkedIn functionalities on the page.
lang	session	This cookie is used to store the language preferences of a user to serve up content in that stored language the next time user visit the website.
lidc	1 day	This cookie is set by LinkedIn and used for routing.
pll_language	1 year	This cookie is set by Polylang plugin for WordPress powered websites. The cookie stores the language code of the last browsed page.

Cookie	Duration	Description
__gads	1 year 24 days	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
_ga	2 years	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_ga_*	1 year 1 month 4 days	Google Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views.
_gat_gtag_UA_111177680_1	1 minute	This cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users.
_gid	1 day	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.
CONSENT	16 years 4 months 8 days 16 hours	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos. They register anonymous statistical data on for example how many times the video is displayed and what settings are used for playback.No sensitive data is collected unless you log in to your google account, in that case your choices are linked with your account, for example if you click “like” on a video.

Cookie	Duration	Description
_fbp	3 months	This cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website.
_tt_enable_cookie	1 year 24 days	Tiktok set this cookie to collect data about behaviour and activities on the website and to measure the effectiveness of the advertising.
_ttp	1 year 24 days	TikTok set this cookie to track and improve the performance of advertising campaigns, as well as to personalise the user experience.
bscookie	2 years	This cookie is a browser ID cookie set by Linked share Buttons and ad tags.
fr	3 months	The cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE	1 year 24 days	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
li_sugr	3 months	LinkedIn sets this cookie to collect user behaviour data to optimise the website and make advertisements on the website more relevant.
muc_ads	1 year 1 month 4 days	Twitter sets this cookie to collect user behaviour and interaction data to optimize the website.
personalization_id	2 years	This cookie is set by twitter.com. It is used integrate the sharing features of this social media. It also stores information about how the user uses the website for tracking and targeting.
test_cookie	15 minutes	This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE	5 months 27 days	This cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.
VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA	6 months	YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's cookie consent state for the current domain.
YSC	session	This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.
yt-remote-connected-devices	never	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos.
yt-remote-device-id	never	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos.
yt.innertube::nextId	never	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos.
yt.innertube::requests	never	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos.

Cookie	Duration	Description
__gpi	1 year 24 days	No description
_gtm_session_start	1 hour	Description is currently not available.
_mailmunch_visitor_id	never	This cookie is set by MailMunch which is email collection and email marketing platform. We do not know the exact purpose of the cookie.
AnalyticsSyncHistory	1 month	No description
asp_transient_id	7 days	No description available.
GoogleAdServingTest	session	No description
li_gc	2 years	No description
mailmunch_second_pageview	never	This cookie is set by MailMunch which is email collection and email marketing platform. We do not know the exact purpose of the cookie.
raygun4js-userid	never	Description unavailable.
st_samesite	session	No description
UserMatchHistory	1 month	Linkedin - Used to track visitors on multiple websites, in order to present relevant advertisement based on the visitor's preferences.