Author: Staff Writer

  • CBD Could Potentially Help Smokers Quit Smoking

    CBD Could Potentially Help Smokers Quit Smoking

    Cannabidiol (CBD) could help tobacco users quit, according to a new study published in Chemical Research in Toxicology.

    Washington State University researchers tested the effects of CBD and its major metabolite on human liver tissue and cell samples and found that it inhibited a key enzyme for nicotine metabolism. Slowing nicotine metabolism could allow users to wait longer before feeling the need for more. More research is needed, but according to Philip Lazarus, Washington State University professor of pharmaceutical sciences, the findings are promising.

    “The whole mission is to decrease harm from smoking, which is not from the nicotine per se but all the carcinogens and other chemicals that are in tobacco smoke,” said Lazarus, senior author of the study. “If we can minimize that harm, it would be a great thing for human health.”

    “It appears that you don’t need much CBD to see the effect,” said Lazarus.

    Lazarus’ team is developing a clinical study to examine the effects of CBD on nicotine levels in smokers, measuring nicotine levels in their blood versus smokers taking a placebo over the course of six hours to eight hours. They hope to then do a much larger study looking at CBD and nicotine addiction.

  • CTP Announces new Director of Office of Science

    CTP Announces new Director of Office of Science

    Matthew Farrelly (Credit: RTI International)

    The new director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s tobacco science division is Matthew Farrelly, former chief scientist and director of the Center for Health Analytics, Media, and Policy for RTI International.

    In an announcement, The FDA’s Center of Tobacco Products (CTP) stated that Farrelly’s extensive work in the field of tobacco and nicotine science for more than 25 years, and being recognized internationally as an expert with proven leadership and organizational management skills will help him succeed as the director of the CTP’s Office of Science.

    “He has led or been involved with numerous scientific endeavors related to tobacco control policies and regulatory approaches, including those related to graphic health warning labels, excise taxes, smoke-free policies, quitlines, state tobacco control programs, retail advertising, and flavored tobacco products,” the release states. “He has also extensively researched the influence of mass reach health campaigns, including FDA’s The Real Cost.”

    Farrelly also has authored or co-authored over 120 articles in peer-reviewed scientific literature, which have been cited over 10,000 times. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland at College Park.

    Farrelly will replace Matt Holman, who left the position last year to Philip Morris International. Holman was hired in 2017 and took over for David Ashley.

  • Report: 2 Million Italian Smokers Switched to IQOS

    Report: 2 Million Italian Smokers Switched to IQOS

    Photo: PMI

    About 2 million smokers in Italy have switched to IQOS, reports Breaking Latest News, citing a Philip Morris International representative.

    “We are moving forward at increasing speed toward our goal of building a cigarette-free future by making available to adult smokers who continue to quit the best technologies made possible by years of research and development,” said Marco Hannappel, president of Southwestern Europe at PMI.

    “Today, on the one hand, we are celebrating an important result: Around 2 million smokers in Italy have switched to a valid alternative without combustion and have completely abandoned cigarettes; on the other, we relaunch our commitment thanks to a new technology, designed to further simplify the transition of smokers who are more resistant to change.”

    PMI recently introduced IQOS Iluma One on the Italian market.

    “At the end of December, thanks to the introduction of IQOS Iluma, we saw an increase in smokers switching to IQOS for exclusive use, i.e., completely abandoning traditional smoking,” said Gianluca Iannelli, head of marketing and digital at Philip Morris Italy. “With IQOS Iluma One, we aim to convince even the most resistant smokers to change their lifestyle, thanks to an even simpler and more intuitive device.”

  • Georgia Moves to Ban Vaping in Public Spaces

    Georgia Moves to Ban Vaping in Public Spaces

    Credit: Sharafmaksumov

    Senators in the U.S. state of Georgia are moving to restrict vaping in public spaces.

    The state Senate voted 51-3 on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 47, which would regulate vaping in the same way the state already regulates smoking. The measure moves to the House for further debate, reports Fox News.

    Georgia’s 2005 Smoke-Free Air Act says that people can’t smoke indoors in many public places, although it excludes some places including tobacco stores, bars that only admit patrons older than 18, and privately owned convention rooms.

    A person who violates the law commits a misdemeanor and can be fined $100 to $500.

    Last week, a bill was introduced in Georgia’s General Assembly that would raise the state tax on vaping and other tobacco products and use the proceeds to improve health care.

  • California Lawmaker Brings Tobacco ‘Endgame’ Bill

    California Lawmaker Brings Tobacco ‘Endgame’ Bill

    Credit: Niro World

    A California legislator has introduced a bill to ban vaping and other tobacco products from being purchased by anyone born after January 1, 2007. If enacted, it would mean that eventually no one in California would be legally allowed to buy any form of tobacco product, including cigars, snus and vapes.

    Assembly Bill 935, a phased ban introduced on February 14 by assembly member Damon Connolly, would mean that anyone in California who is presently 16 years old or younger could never legally buy a tobacco product in that state. Penalties would be up to $6,000 for repeat offenders and include a tobacco license loss, reports Davis Savona of Cigar Aficionado.

    Connolly, an attorney, has also served as Vice-Mayor of San Rafael, among other positions.

    There is precedent for such legislation, but not in the United States. This move would mimic a New Zealand law that has banned tobacco sales to anyone born in or after 2009.

  • BAT Launches Glo Hyper X2 in South Korea Market

    BAT Launches Glo Hyper X2 in South Korea Market

    BAT Rothmans has released the Glo Hyper X2 heat-not-burn device to the South Korean market, reports The Korea Times.

    “Glo Hyper X2 is a next-generation e-cigarette device that will lead the BAT Group’s smoke-free product business,” said Kim Eun-ji, BAT Rothmans’ country manager for South Korea. “We have not only increased the users’ convenience of the platform but also improved its design and portability.”

    Glo Hyper X2 device adopts more slim design than its previous Glo series models, while allowing to smoke tobacco sticks that contain 30 percent more tobacco content.

    It is the first platform to offer two separate “boost mode” and “standard mode” buttons. Users can choose the former to smoke quickly after 15 seconds of preheating or the latter to preheat 20 seconds and smoke non-stop for four minutes.

    The new device also adopts a shutter system to protect from dust and foreign substances. There are LED indicators to show the remaining battery power and preheating status.

  • Alex Norcia Resigns From Filter, Moving to Altria

    Alex Norcia Resigns From Filter, Moving to Altria

    Tobacco harm reduction (THR) reporter Alex Norcia is leaving Filter magazine “and [departing] from journalism,” he wrote.

    Norcia has written for Filter for the past two years, and he wrote for Vice before that. He is taking a role at Altria as a senior manager for regulatory advocacy, according to his Twitter post.

    “I will remain involved in THR,” Norcia wrote. He broke the story about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “Fatal Flaw” standard as well as dug into synthetic nicotine before the topic caught fire.

    “Reflecting on the events I’ve reported for the better part of four years leaves me with a sense of just how fast the news moves. But it can get, unfortunately, repetitive,” he wrote about his experiences. He cited cyclical news like flavor bans that have spread across states and the impacts of such laws.

    He noted his favorite moments as well, detailing a well-rounded career in THR reporting.

    “Now, like everybody else, I’ll be waiting to see if the FDA bans menthol combustibles or lowers the nicotine levels in cigarettes or ever authorizes a flavored nicotine vaping product (even menthol),” he wrote. “Or whether, on the world stage, more countries will follow pathways like the United Kingdom, Sweden or Japan—or, conversely, prohibition-oriented responses like India, Taiwan and Mexico.

    “I don’t know the answers to these questions. Like other observers in this rapidly evolving field, I’ve never been able to predict the future. But I’ll still be doing what I can to address the present.”

  • South Carolina Considers Banning Local Vape Laws

    South Carolina Considers Banning Local Vape Laws

    Credit: michaklootwijk

    South Carolina lawmakers are considering several proposals banning local governments from passing more regulations on vaping and other tobacco products.

    The measures grandfathers in any local ordinances enacted before Dec. 31, 2020. It would also ban cities from creating their own tobacco licensing rules. 

    Dozens of public health groups like the American Cancer Society oppose the bills, according to WLTX. 

    The State’s Tobacco Tax brought in Nearly $30 million in 2022, according to the Office of Revenue and Fiscal Affairs. Supporters like Moe Raed, manager of Day and Night vape shop, say regulations are bad for business and should be uniform across the state.

    Day and Night opened in Columbia two months ago. “Yeah we’ve been having good business lately,” said Raed, adding that more than half the store’s revenue comes from vape and e-cigarette sales. 

    “People lately have been giving up tobacco since it’s more expensive,” said Raed. He believes his adult customers shouldn’t be restricted on what products they can buy. “I don’t let anyone under 21 through these doors,” he said. “A lot of smoke shops will close. And it will hurt a lot of business and a lot of people too.”

    There are currently no cities in South Carolina looking to restrict tobacco sales. The bill does not affect local governments’ ability to regulate where tobacco businesses can locate.

    An identical bill has been introduced over the past six years and has failed to pass.

    South Carolina is one of 10 states that don’t license Tobacco sellers. A bill to do so last year got stuck in a subcommittee after facing opposition from convenience store owners.

  • DEA: Two Cannabinoids ‘Do not Occur Naturally’ in Hemp

    DEA: Two Cannabinoids ‘Do not Occur Naturally’ in Hemp

    Credit: piter2121

    In an expected move yesterday, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says that two cannabinoids with a growing market presence do not meet the federal definition of legal hemp and are therefore considered illegal controlled substances.

    Attorney Rod Kight inquired about the legal status of delta-8 THC-O and delta-9 THC-O with the federal agency last year and followed up earlier this month.

    DEA sent a response letter on Monday, saying the two cannabinoids “do not occur naturally in the cannabis plant and can only be obtained synthetically, and therefore do not fall under the definition of hemp,” according to Marijuana Moment.

    “Delta-9-THCO and delta-8-THCO are tetrahydrocannabinols having similar chemical structures and pharmacological activities to those contained in the cannabis plant,” the letter from Terrence L. Boos, chief of DEA’s Drug & Chemical Evaluation Section, continued.

    Kight responded to DEA’s letter in a blog post on Monday, writing that “although I do not always agree with the DEA’s view on cannabis matters, I agree with this opinion and, frankly, am not surprised. This is what I have been saying for a while.”

    “I have been concerned about the proliferation of THC acetate ester (THCO) for a while. It has always been my view that THCO is a controlled substance under federal law,” he said. “Although it can be made from cannabinoids from hemp, THCO is not naturally expressed by the hemp plant. It is a laboratory creation that does not occur in nature, at least not from the hemp plant.”

  • Montana Moving to Separate Vaping From Tobacco

    Montana Moving to Separate Vaping From Tobacco

    Ron Marshall / Credit: State of Montana

    A bill that aims to exclude vapes or e-cigarettes from tobacco regulations passed Friday in the Montana House.

    The bill’s sponsor Rep. Ron Marshall said marijuana and alcohol aren’t regulated the same way, and he doesn’t think cigarettes and vapes should be either. according to the Fairfield Sun Times.

    “Each one is in its own lane,” said Marshall, who is married to the owner of Freedom Vapes in Hamilton.

    On second reading, 57 representatives voted yes, and 42 voted no on House Bill 293. It needs to pass third reading next.

    Some legislators who voted against the bill said they worry it’s going to put more dangerous products in the hands of children.

    The Montana legislature in 2021 passed a bill that blocks local governments from banning the sale of flavored vaping products.