Malaysia will now jointly regulate its e-cigarette industry through three separate ministries. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba told Parliament the Health Ministry; the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry; and the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) will now regulate the products. This reverses a policy proposal from the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
“The Cabinet meeting on October 28, 2016 decided that three ministries — the Health Ministry, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry — would regulate the use of e-cigarettes or vape (devices) encompassing control over the use of and sales of e-cigarette and vape (device) liquid as well as setting safe standards on devices used,” Dr Adham said in a written parliamentary statement yesterday, according to a story on malaymail.com.
Adham was responding to Gopeng MP Dr. Lee Boon Chye from PKR who asked the government to state its policies on vape devices and e-cigarettes. Lee had been deputy health minister under the PH administration when a new law, the Tobacco Control Act, was mooted putting the Health Ministry in charge of all tobacco-related products and no-smoking zones.
The sale of e-cigarette and vape device liquids containing nicotine as a consumer product is not allowed in Malaysia. However, the country recently imposed a 10 percent tax on the products.
Juul Labs has shuttered its assembly plant in Lexington County, South Carolina, USA, amid a deteriorating business environment and pushback from local politicians.
“There has been rapid change in the landscape of the vapor category, and these operations are no longer viable,” the company said in a statement to The Post and Courier on Wednesday. “Earlier this summer, we unfortunately had to begin reductions to our manufacturing team.”
In May 2019, Juul announced the new assembly and packaging plant in Lexington County, boosting South Carolina’s economy by about $125 million and creating 500 jobs.
Juul has since suffered a backlash over its marketing practices and heightened restrictions on the vapor business, including flavor bans in many jurisdictions. It has laid off a substantial share of its workforce, discontinued certain products and exited several international markets.
Bantam is seeking marketing orders from FDA for its suite of e-liquid products. Credit: Bantam Vape
Bantam Vape has received a filing letter for its premarket tobacco product application (PMTA). The filing letter signifies completion of FDA’s preliminary review of Bantam’s PMTA and the progression of its application into the formal substantive review phase. Bantam is seeking marketing orders from FDA for its suite of e-liquid products.
During this phase, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will conduct an in-depth evaluation of the scientific studies and other materials submitted in conjunction with Bantam’s application. Bantam, a provider of high-quality, science-based e-liquid products submitted its PMTA to FDA on Sept. 2 and received its initial acceptance notification from the agency the following month.
“Bantam is pleased its PMTA has been formally filed and will be entering the scientific review phase of this process. Bantam looks forward to engaging with FDA as it reviews the submission and scientific research provided in support of the filing,” said Bantam spokesperson Anthony Dillon. “Bantam’s goal has always been to provide consumers with high-quality, science-based e-liquid products that can be enjoyed for years to come. News of the filing brings Bantam one step closer to reaching that goal.”
Bantam has invested significant resources into the PMTA process and remains confident that the content and quality of materials in its submission will result in the receipt of the necessary marketing orders from FDA, according to a press release.
On Dec. 1, San Francisco may soon ban residents from vaping in their own apartments if attached to two or more additional units. The law would also ban smoking tobacco or cannabis in apartments.
Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee said the board is “discussing the right of our residents to breathe clean air,” citing the impacts of secondhand smoke.
Credit: 123rf.com
According to an article in the SFexaminer, The board’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee voted Nov. 12 to send the legislation to the full board for a vote, but did so without a recommendation for approval. The full board is expected to vote on the proposal on Dec. 1.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman raised concerns about applying the ban to smoking cannabis. One amendment made by Yee would exempt cannabis smoking for those who obtain a recommendation from their doctor to smoke medicinal cannabis for medical purposes.
But Mandelman said many people no longer get medical proof, such as medical cannabis cards, because cannabis is now legal for adult use. He suggested a blanket exemption for cannabis smoke.
“For folks who do not have a medical cannabis card, there are very few places outside their own home where you can consume cannabis,” Mandelman said. “It is not parallel to cigarettes in that way. Cigarettes, there are still places where smokers can go and smoke. That is not so much the case for cannabis smokers.”
Yee said a blanket exemption for cannabis smoke would not achieve his aim. San Francisco recently banned the sale of most vaping products.
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to implement an ordinance prohibiting the use of combustible tobacco and e-cigarettes in New Hanover County.
no vaping
The ordinance will go into effect February 1, 2021.
The ordinance approves and ordains the Smoke and Vaping Rule adopted by the New Hanover County Health and Human Services (HHS) Board on October 16, 2020 and includes the prohibition of tobacco and e-cigarettes in county, town and city buildings, vehicles and grounds, as well as in public places in the county like restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, according to an article on wwaytv3.com
“This ordinance aligns the expectations of vaping with traditional cigarette smoking in most public places, and protects residents from unwanted inhalation of second hand smoke and e-cigarette vapors,” Public Health Director Phillip Tarte said. “With no regulation in place for vaping and e-cigarette use, residents are unintentionally exposed to harmful substances in what seems like unlikely places, like a theater or retail store. As we learn more about vaping and associated health risks, it’s important as a community to take action.”
Charlie’s Holdings, parent to Charlie’s Chalk Dust (CCD), announced yesterday its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020. Charlie’s Holdings, a premium, nicotine-only, e-cigarette and the hemp-derived, CBD wellness manufacturer, states that revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2020 was $3,894,000, a decrease of $1,696,000, or 30 percent, compared to $5,590,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2019.
The decrease was due to a $1,181,000 decrease in Charlie’s nicotine-based product sales and a $515,000 decrease in sales of its CBD wellness products, according to a press release.
“Gross profit for the three months ended September 30, 2020 was $2,228,000, a decrease of $837,000, or 27 percent, compared to $3,065,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2019. The resulting gross margin was 57 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2020, compared to 55 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2019,” the release states. “For the three months ended September 30, 2020, cost of goods sold, as a percent of revenue, decreased 200 basis points due to a favorable mix of higher margin sales for both Charlie’s and Don Polly, but was slightly offset by the effects of distributors and retailers participating in volume incentive rebate programs, as well as lower fixed cost absorption.”
On August 31, 2020, CCD announced the filing of its initial premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) submission with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The submission marks the first of these applications that CCD intends to take through FDA’s approval process as it seeks to create a long-term, robust product portfolio, according to the release.
The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products informed CCD that its PMTA had received a valid submission tracking number, passed the filing review phase, and recently entered the substantive review phase. To date, Charlie’s has invested over $5 million for its initial PMTA submission.
“We have engaged a team of more than 200 professionals, including doctors, scientists, biostatisticians, data analysts, and numerous contract research organizations to create our comprehensive PMTA submission,” the release states. “This news highlights our progress toward achieving full regulatory compliance and our goal of providing customers with a trusted product portfolio. We are confident that during the substantive review phase of the PMTA process, the FDA will recognize that our submission is both distinguished and suitable for approval.”
Brandon Stump, CEO of Charlie’s Holdings, said the company has always been at the forefront of change creating innovative products, helping to shape regulation, and acting as industry stewards.
“Charlie’s has been able to find creative ways to work with our customers and help them to find continued success during these trying times,” he said. “We believe it is incumbent upon us as an industry leader to work with our customers to help shoulder the burden of economic uncertainty. The team at Charlie’s has been diligently working to ensure its customers will have access to high quality, safe products for decades to come. We took the premium, rather than the discounted approach, having already invested $5 million on the highest quality application available to us.”
Operating loss for the three months ended September 30, 2020 was $921,000, a decrease of $269,000, or 23 percent, compared to $1,190,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2019, the release states. Net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2020 was $6,824,000, compared to net income of $1,557,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2019.
A forum aimed at spreading awareness on the hazards of electronic cigarettes will be held later this month. The online conference scheduled for November 30.
Organized by the Northern Municipal Council, the goal is help authorities searching for government measures to “help people quit their nasty nicotine habits,” according to an article on GDNonline. .
“The conference aims to shed light on the harms of smoking and will also focus on electronic sheesha,” Northern Municipal Council chairman Ahmed Al Kooheji told the GDN. “The topic will be addressed from the health, environmental and municipal points of view.”
The country has had issues with illicit products do its policies. Many people turn to electronic cigarettes as a way to ease the transition from traditional cigarettes to not smoking at all.
In North Carolina, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners will consider adopting a new rule for vaping products today, Monday, Nov. 16, at their regular meeting which begins at 4 p.m.
After over a year of consideration, the county is prepared to take action on a proposed e-cigarette and smoking ban in “public places.” Scaling back initially proposed requirements, the new rule — should commissioners vote in favor of it — will ban smoking and vaping in all bars, restaurants, and other private and public areas accessible to the general public, according to an article in The Port City Daily.
Violators could be charged a $50 civil penalty, with the option that law enforcement officers first issue a verbal warning. Three-time repeat offenders in charge of managing banned spaces could be fined $200. If it’s an e-cigarette offense, the penalty could be charged as a misdemeanor (the same criminal penalty would not apply to smoking).
An earlier version of the rule was more expansive, and proposed a ban on vaping and smoking on public and private sidewalks accessible to the public. It has since been dropped.
Several North Carolina communities have implemented vaping laws. If approved, it will take effect Jan. 31, 2021, following an implementation period.
The Anchorage Assembly last week passed an ordinance to include vaping and electronic cigarette products under the city’s existing tobacco tax. This means tobacco vaping devices and e-cigarettes, as well as the liquids and cartridges that are used with the devices will be taxed at 55 percent of the wholesale price.
According to an article on alaskapublic.org, Assemblywoman Suzanne LaFrance and Assemblyman Christopher Constant proposed the ordinance to combat vaping among minors, which has seen a sharp rise in recent years.
Some vape shop owners opposed the ordinance, arguing that vaping products are helpful for adult smokers trying to kick their habit.
“Imposing this tax on something that is actually helping people get away from combustible cigarettes and actually costing the state and local resources less money seems a little problematic,” said Shaun D’Sylva, a co-owner of Fatboy Vapors in Midtown.
Traditional cigarette smoking has been declining for decades, in part because of public information campaigns, smoke-free laws and increasing tobacco taxes, said Marge Stoneking, executive director of the American Lung Association in Alaska. Alaskan public officials also have often been accused of spreading misinformation about vaping products, according to industry experts.
“Now e-cigarettes are addicting a new generation of youth, threatening all of that progress,” Stoneking said. “Significantly increasing taxes on tobacco products results in fewer kids starting to smoke and more adults quitting while at the same time providing revenue to the municipality.”
Ampol, a major Australian convenience store retailer, says it wants to train employees to suggest e-cigarettes as an alternative to combustible cigarettes in a bid to help reduce the smoking rate.
Ampol, the parent Caltex and Foodary outlets across the country, urged the government to allow nicotine-based vaping products to be sold in the same way as cigarettes in its submission to a Senate inquiry, according to an article in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Ampol’s head of government affairs, Todd Loydell, wrote that the company was well positioned to help cigarette smokers transition to “less harmful products” and was willing to trial selling e-cigarette products through its large network of convenience stores. “For example, our retail staff could provide a verbal cue to customers who ask to purchase cigarettes, encouraging them to consider the alternative options available to them in store,” he wrote.
Australia’s Senate select committee on tobacco harm reduction will hold its first public hearing today into nicotine vaping products, which currently can be legally purchased only with a doctor’s prescription.
Committee chair Hollie Hughes said the more than 8000 submissions had been overwhelmingly supportive of vaping and “overwhelmingly not in favor of a script model”.
“I would like to see recommendations around very serious regulation,” she said. “I don’t think anyone is going to be a non-smoker and take it up. I think it’s an incredibly powerful cessation tool and part of [the] discussion of further reducing smoking rates in Australia.”
The National Retailers Association, which represents 28,000 retailers across the country, also advocated for a consumer model for vaping regulation.
This is the second recent inquiry into tobacco harm reduction and nicotine vaping. After a year-long inquiry, the standing committee on health, aged care and sport recommended in 2018 that the TGA should continue to have oversight of nicotine products.
