E-cigarette sales in Switzerland have increased over the past few years, with 10 million products imported in 2022. Most vapes end up in the landfill rather than being recycled as required by the Ordinance on the Return, Taking Back and Disposal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
In conjunction with various partners, SENS eRecycling has developed an industry solution for the environmentally friendly disposal of e-cigarettes, according to the company’s website.
Upon request, SENS eRecycling will deliver vape recycling bags to any e-cigarette sales outlet; the bags can be used to collect returned e-cigarettes and send them back to SENS eRecycling by post. Sales outlets and consumers can also hand in used vapes to any SENS collection point throughout Switzerland.
The success of e-cigarettes as a switching tool in the U.K. offers valuable lessons for the United States.
By Kim Hesse
Electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS) have been discussed and disparaged for years in public health and policy circles in the United States, especially regarding their potential health risks. For many, the legacy of distrust from tobacco companies’ historic lack of transparency on the health impact of cigarettes has led to skepticism about the safety of ENDS products. And yet, we could learn from the accumulation of research studies and real-world evidence, which now makes it hard to deny that ENDS products are a better choice than combustible cigarettes.
The U.S. can look to the United Kingdom and Sweden for a pathway to positive public health impact. The U.K. government recommends the use of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool. For example, current advice from the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence supports the use of e-cigarettes as a stop-smoking intervention. Sweden further leads the way in transitioning smokers to less harmful pouched tobacco products such as snus.
Kim Hesse
The guidelines state that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes and that they should be recommended as a quit-smoking aid to smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit using other methods. The guidelines also recommend that e-cigarettes should be used in conjunction with other smoking cessation services, such as counseling and nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT). Many studies have shown an association between e-cigarette use and a significant reduction in the number of people smoking traditional cigarettes, particularly among the young.
One of the main reasons for the positive impact of e-cigarettes in the U.K. is the way they have been regulated. E-cigarettes are subject to safety and quality standards and are available only to adults. In addition, e-cigarettes are taxed at a lower rate than traditional cigarettes, which makes them more affordable for smokers who are looking to quit. This combination of regulation, taxation and availability has made e-cigarettes a popular choice for U.K. smokers eager to give up their habit.
By comparison, the U.S. has work to do in order to achieve the same level of impact being seen in the U.K. The first task before us is to debunk the myths that stand in the way.
Myth 1: The risks associated with the use of ENDS products are unknown—untrue! According to Sairah Salim-Sartoni of Salim-Sartoni Associates, there is at least 10 years’ worth of studies providing evidence that ENDS products are less damaging than combustible cigarettes. Salim-Sartoni points to the independent evidence review conducted by Kings College London in the U.K., which included approximately 400 studies.[1]
The authors reported: “Vaping poses only a small fraction of the risk of smoking and is at least 95 percent less harmful than smoking (that is, smoking is at least 20 times more harmful to users than vaping).” Of course, it is important to note that e-cigarettes are not without risks. They still contain nicotine, which is an addictive substance. However, compared to traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes are a safer alternative. As Robert M. Califf, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said in a Feb. 24, 2023, press release, “Certain e-cigarettes may help adult smokers transition completely away from, or significantly reduce their use of more harmful combusted cigarettes.”[2]
Myth 2: Big Tobacco started the vaping industry—false! The ENDS industry started with a few small companies creating products that slowly became popular with smokers who were trying to quit combustibles. The ENDS products helped smokers transition away from combustibles, and news spread until the industry became what it is today. In reality, the legacy cigarette companies have been in the alternative nicotine market for only a relatively short period of time. Initially, these multinational firms did not see e-cigarettes as a sustainable product and thought they would eventually disappear. It was only in more recent years that Big Tobacco began investing heavily in this market.
Myth 3: Nicotine causes cancer—not true! Tar from combustible cigarettes is the cancer-causing agent. Additionally, combustible cigarettes produce far greater harmful and potentially harmful constituents than those produced by ENDS products. The evidence is inadequate to infer the presence or absence of a causal relationship between exposure to nicotine and risk for cancer.3
If we can move beyond the myths and misconceptions to accept these truths, then stakeholders in the U.S. should be thinking about social media and other campaigns that spread the facts about the positive impact that e-cigarettes can have on public health. John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association, attributes the prevalence of the above myths in the U.S. in part to sensationalized headlines generating more clicks and attention than factual reporting. “‘Vaping causes you to grow a third ear’ will get more clicks than a headline reading ‘Vaping is the best thing in the world,’” he said.
“It seems the only ones wanting to speak positively about the vaping industry is the industry itself,” Dunne continued. “However, it is crucial to change this narrative and focus on education and good research to inform smokers, the public and physicians alike about the health benefits of switching to ENDS products.”
Credit: Fedorovacz
If the U.S. were to turn away from outdated myths and follow the U.K.’s guidelines on e-cigarettes, it could have a similarly positive impact on public health. Currently, e-cigarette regulations differ from state to state. However, if e-cigarettes were approved as a switching tool on a federal level, it could help to reduce the number of people smoking traditional cigarettes and improve public health.
In order to gain the benefits that the U.K. has seen, though, the U.S. must acknowledge and address concerns around the impact on youth. According to the study “Changes in Youth Smoking 1976–2002: A Time Series Analysis” by Fred C. Pampel and Jade Aguilar, youth cigarette smoking dropped in the late 1970s and leveled off to new lows in 1980. However, we saw an increase in smoking in the 1990s, and by 1997, a quarter of the youth population was reported to be smoking daily. While this news may seem alarming, let’s compare it to ENDS product use among youth today. “The youth vaping epidemic: addressing the risk of e-cigarettes in schools” reported that 27.5 percent of the youth population regularly use e-cigarettes. It further states that this number is approximately 22 percent higher than high schoolers who smoke normal cigarettes.”4 While the Brookings article does state that 27.5 percent of youth regularly use e-cigarettes, this does not match what is in the paper behind the data.
The 27.5 percent number applies only to high school students; middle school students were also surveyed and e-cigarette use within this group was much lower. From the data, 3,611 high school and middle school kids had past 30-day (i.e., “current”) e-cigarette use; this is approximately 19 percent of the kids’ population. The data also show that approximately 4 percent of kids smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days. But only a proportion of kids used e-cigarettes regularly (on 20 or more of the past 30 days). Given these data, rough calculations show that less than 6 percent of all kids were using e-cigarettes regularly, which is a lot lower than the reported 27.5 percent. Daily use of e-cigarettes is even lower, at approximately 3 percent.
Although individuals younger than 21 should not use tobacco products, youth who are experimenting are choosing a less harmful product than combustible cigarettes. If we remove these products from the U.S. market, this group of experimenters could go back to smoking cigarettes. With or without vape products, experimentation of some sort by youth will occur. This leads us back to the task at hand—to properly educate the public about the risks and benefits of ENDS products.
If we take the lead from our U.K. counterparts, we can learn from their experience in supporting e-cigarettes as a switching tool. There, they learned that the secret to getting people permanently off combustible products, such as traditional cigarettes, is to provide an enjoyable experience. Some of the side effects of NRTs can cause people to stop using them and go back to smoking. However, for some, e-cigarettes can provide an enjoyable experience without negative side effects.
The reason why ENDS products help many combustible smokers switch from traditional cigarettes is complex, according to both Dunne and Salim-Sartoni, who believe it is a combination of effective nicotine delivery and “the hand-to-mouth action.” For many smokers, this action is very important to keep when trying to limit or eliminate the smoking habit.
Others may want to eliminate the action and try to use only nicotine gum, patches, lozenges or pharmaceuticals. However, Salim-Sartoni said the chance of success increases if these cessation options are used in combination with ENDS or a spray.
A recent U.K. smoking cessation campaign supports this approach. Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Social Care announced it would provide nearly one in 5 of all smokers in England with a vape starter kit alongside behavioral support to help them kick the habit. Additionally, pregnant women are being offered financial incentives to quit smoking. The overarching goal is to reduce smoking rates in the U.K. to 5 percent or less by 2030.5
Despite support for ENDS as a cessation device, the U.K. medical community still has concerns, according to Salim-Sartoni. Physicians believe that ENDS have great potential, but they are unsure which product to recommend. They would like to see some standards and have assurances that the products they are recommending are truly safer alternatives.
The experience of the pharmaceutical industry may offer some guidance in this respect. When administering a drug, the pharmacist and physician know the potential side effects, and these are weighed against the benefit of the drug being prescribed. Pharmacists and physicians in the U.K. would like to see similar information on ENDS products and would like some reassurance that they are providing the best possible information to their patients and are guiding them to a safer alternative.
As an industry, we need to assess how people are using ENDS products on a wider scale. Creating acceptable levels of use or proper dosing formulas based on the specific products available on the market would be a good first step in educating the public on the impact of ENDS products. Sharing information regarding ingredients and compounds being produced by the products will allow consumers to compare and choose according to quality information.
Ultimately, the key is to work together to reduce the overall harm caused by tobacco use. This means educating the public, promoting switching from combustible cigarettes and investing in research to find new ways to ensure the safety of ENDS products. If we do not work together, more lives will be lost to combustible tobacco products.
Last month, the Romanian Government enacted Governmental Ordinance No. 23/20.07.2023 amending and supplementing the Romanian Tobacco Law (GO 23). The move bans all flavored heated tobacco products.
The law takes effect on Oct. 23, 2023.
Prior to enacting GO 23 under the framework of Romanian Tobacco Law, only cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco were subject to the prohibition of having a characterizing flavors and containing flavorings in any of their components such as filters, papers, packages, capsules or any technical features.
The aim of GO 23 is to extend this prohibition to heated tobacco products and to impose more restrictive requirements on packaging and labelling of such heated tobacco products, according to media reports.
For the first time, GO 23 enacts a legal definition of “heated tobacco products” which refers to “a novel tobacco product that is heated to produce an emission containing nicotine and other chemicals, which is then inhaled by user(s), and that, depending on its characteristics, is a smokeless tobacco product or a tobacco product for smoking.”
This definition will include any type of vaping devices that entail heating of tobacco in view of obtaining an inhalable emission containing nicotine and other chemicals.
Heated tobacco products with any type “characterizing flavor”, such as menthol, fruits, etc., will no longer be allowed in the Romanian market.
Additionally, each unit of and any outside packaging of heated tobacco products must carry the mandatory information message: “Tobacco smoke contains over 70 substances known to cause cancer.”
GO 23 also states that each unit packet and any outside packaging of heated tobacco products for smoking must carry combined health warnings that observe all the requirement set out in Art.
All producers and importers of heated tobacco products in Romania must notify the Romanian Health Ministry within 90 days after the enactment of GO 23.
Juul Labs has announced a company restructuring aimed at reducing operating costs and positioning the company to continue to advance its mission during a period of regulatory and marketplace uncertainty.
According to a press release, the principal aim of this restructuring is to enable the company to maximize profitability and cash-flow generation while continuing to invest in its core priorities, which include delivery of high-quality products to its commercial partners, ongoing development of next-generation products, engagement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding Juul’s pending and possible future market authorization applications, and commercial growth consistent with compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
With these operating cost reductions, Juul Labs says it is positioned to increase its adjusted EBITDA margins and generate meaningful free cash flow before litigation settlements. In doing so, the company will reduce its need to access capital pre-premarket tobacco product application, extend its time horizon to continue its pursuit of market orders from the FDA and generate positive equity value as the company pays down liabilities over time.
Juul says it remains fundamentally optimistic about the prospects for Juul Labs Inc.—“a view rooted in our belief that our technology and our pipeline of new innovations represent the most valuable ever brought forward to transition adult smokers away from cigarettes while combating underage use,” the company wrote on its website.
The enactment of a new vape law in the Philippines last year has paved the way for products that provide smokers with better alternatives to cigarettes, according to Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Co. (PMFTC) President Denis Gorkun.
In addition to moving regulation of vapes from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration to the Department of Trade and Industry, Republic Act 11900 lowered the purchase age for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products from 21 to 18, removed a two-flavor limit on product flavors and allows companies to conduct corporate social responsibility-related activities.
In an interview with the Manila Bulletin, Gorkin said PMFCT would soon launch IQOS Luma, which uses induction technology to heat tobacco, and ZYN nicotine pouches in the Philippines. Made by Swedish Match, which was acquired by PMFTC’s parent company, Philip Morris International in 2022, ZYN is the best-selling nicotine pouch in the United States today.
Since PMFTC launched IQOS in the Philippines, around 75,000 local smokers had switched away from cigarettes, according to Gorkun.
Gorkun said PMI aims to eliminate cigarette consumption in line with its vision to deliver a smoke-free future. “We will continue to work towards our smoke-free future vision with products that are found by numerous international health authorities to be far better compared to continuing to smoke cigarettes.”
He said the passage of the landmark Vape Law a year ago is a “win” for public health. While providing smokers with less harmful options, the law also contains provisions to deter underage consumption, according to its proponents.
One of the authors of the vape law, former Representative Sharon Garin, said Republic Act 11900 provides that vaping isn’t made appealing to minors. “We don’t want non-smokers to pick up the habit of vaporized or electronic cigarettes,” she was quoted as saying. “What we want is a less harmful alternative for current smokers.”
Regulators in the United States are cracking down on online retailers selling vaping products that are attractive to youth. The Food and Drug Administration today issued warning letters to 16 (the agency reported 15, but lists 16) online retailers for selling and/or distributing unauthorized e-cigarette products packaged to look like cartoon characters, school supplies, toys, and drinks.
“The design of these products is a shamelessly egregious attempt to target kids,” said Brian King, director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). “It’s a tough sell that adults using e-cigarettes to transition away from cigarettes need them to look like SpongeBob in order to do so successfully.”
The unauthorized products described in the warning letters include e-cigarettes that feature youth-appealing characters from TV shows, movies, and video games, including “SpongeBob,” “Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear,” and “Mario.” The also imitate drinks from companies such as Starbucks and Dunkin coffee cups, soda and water bottles, according to press release.
“The retailers receiving these warning letters sell and/or distribute e-cigarettes in the United States that lack authorization from FDA, which is a requirement under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act to legally market a new tobacco product,” the FDA states. “In addition to the specified products mentioned in the warning letters, the retailers were warned to address any violations that are the same as or similar to those stated in the warning letter, and promptly take any necessary actions to bring the tobacco products that they offer for sale in the United States into compliance with the FD&C Act.”
The retailers were given 15 working days to respond with the steps they’ll take to correct the violation and to prevent future violations. Failure to promptly correct the violations can result in additional FDA actions such as an injunction, seizure, and/or civil money penalties.
“CTP will continue to closely monitor all those in the supply chain, including retailers, for compliance with federal law,” said attorney Ann Simoneau, director of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement within the CTP. “As always, we will hold anyone accountable that sells unauthorized tobacco products labeled, advertised, and/or designed to encourage use by our nation’s youth.”
The companies receiving warning letters include:
VR Products I LLC d/b/a eJuiceDB
Titan Star Resources d/b/a Vape Vandal Ltd
Vapesstores.com
Disposable Vapes Wholesale
Vapestore.to
Venture Concept Groups d/b/a High Light Vape Co.
Best Vapes Store
Apex Vape
The Juice Machine
StrikesUSA
Finest Ounce Vape Stor d/b/a Finest Ounce Vape Malaysia
Spongbob Vape
Mini Cup Vape
Vape123
Viper Vapor d/b/a Viper Vapor Kelso
Mochivap
These new warning letters mark another step in the FDA’s continued efforts to remove illegal e-cigarettes from the market, particularly those that appeal to youth, the agency states. As of August 2023, the FDA has issued approximately 600 warning letters to firms for manufacturing and/or distributing illegal tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, filed civil money penalty complaints against 26 e-cigarette manufacturers, and worked with the Department of Justice to seek injunctions against 6 e-cigarette manufacturers.
The report highlights the Need for consumer participation in tobacco harm reduction policy making.
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) released its Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies.
The report is now available to policy makers, regulators in member states, and World Health Organization (WHO) FCTC officials.
The Shadow Report emphasizes the importance of consumer participation in policy making and highlights the benefits of tobacco harm reduction alternatives, including vaping, according to an emailed press release.
Nancy Loucas
“Tobacco Harm Reduction products have been shown to serve as a method of smoking cessation and as an alternative for smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit smoking altogether,” said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA.
“The WHO FCTC is meant to be an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health. However, the current tobacco control measures have extensively promoted the abstinence-only approach, which has contributed to smokers’ inability to make informed choices about safer nicotine products,” said Loucas.
To access the full CAPHRA Shadow Report on the (NON)-Implementation of the FCTC Article 1 (d) on Harm Reduction Strategies click here.
Kangvape, a manufacture of vaping devices and accessories, officially announced a strategic collaboration with generalvape.com, an online vaping retailer. This alliance will make generalvape.com the official distributor of Kangvape products.
“Kangvape has continually demonstrated a commitment to delivering exceptional vaping experiences,” a press release states. “Their cutting-edge designs and quality manufacturing have cemented their position as a top brand in the vaping community. The partnership with generalvape.com aligns with Kangvape’s mission to enhance accessibility and provide unparalleled service to its growing customer base.”
As an official distributor of Kangvape, Generalvape.com will house a comprehensive line of Kangvape’s latest products. Kangvape also announced a partnership with RandM Vapes and is now the official distributor for RandM Vapes.
A city in the U.S. state of Florida has opened an investigation into the theft of a trailer that contained vaping materials valued at over $700,000.
On August 14, while conducting a routine patrol of the area near 750 North University Drive, an police officer from the city of Coral Springs, Florida was flagged down by a man that claimed his semi-truck had been stolen, according to media reports.
According to the incident report, the man said he had parked his semi-truck in front of Sam’s Club at 950 University Drive and then went home for the night. He returned the next day to find his trailer missing and his semi-truck parked in a different spot than he had left it.
During an investigation into the man’s claims, police reviewed tow logs that confirmed the truck had not been towed and, upon closer inspection, discovered damage to the driver’s side lock.
After reviewing video surveillance footage, investigators have identified a suspect wearing a backpack and a hat who moved the truck. Despite reviewing CCTV footage from all businesses in the plaza, officers have not yet found any leads.
New Zealand has set new regulations to limit youth vaping, effective Sept. 21, reports the Xinhua News Agency.
New specialist vape shops will be banned in locations within 300 meters of schools and Maori meeting places, according to Health Minister Ayesha Verrall.
“Vapes will need child safety mechanisms, and names like ‘cotton candy’ and ‘strawberry jelly donut’ will be prohibited,” Verrall said. Only generic names like “orange” or “berry” that accurately describe the flavors will be allowed.
The new regulations also set the maximum allowed nicotine level and require that all vaping devices have removable batteries.
“We’re creating a future where tobacco products are no longer addictive, appealing or as readily available, and the same needs to apply to vaping,” Verrall said.
