Author: Timothy Donahue

County in Oregon Pushing State to Ban Vape Flavors

Credit: Manuel Mata
Leaders of Deschutes County, Oregon, are asking the state Legislature to ban flavored tobacco products to protect kids from smoking or vaping. “Nine out of ten adults who smoke reported that they started smoking before the age of 18,” Deschutes County Tobacco Prevention Specialist Jasmine Gerraty told Commissioners Monday.
Commissioner Tony DeBone was the lone ‘No’ vote, saying he doesn’t believe the county has much authority on the matter: “There’s a lot of good information here. There’s a legislative choice at the Legislature.” In 2020 and ’23, with the commissioners’ approval, Deschutes County public health officials testified in Salem in support of statewide bans that later failed.
Commissioner Phil Chang read part of a proclamation he approved Monday, saying, “Whereas ‘Big tobacco’s’ use of candy flavors like bubblegum, blue raspberry, root beer and minty menthol have an increased likelihood of attracting new and existing consumers – especially students and other targeted groups – on the massive hits of nicotine their tobacco products can deliver.”
Commission Chair Patti Adair also approved of the proclamation, reading in part, “Be it resolved that Deschutes County strongly encourages the Oregon Legislature to pass legislation ending the sale of flavored tobacco products. This action is necessary to protect our children, students and other targeted groups from starting or continuing the use of candy-flavored and minty-menthol tobacco products.”
July 23, 2024
Vapes, Modern Oral Product Sales Boost PMI Income

Photo: PMI
Philip Morris International’s operating income jumped 34.2 percent to $3.44 billion for the quarter that ended June 30. On an adjusted basis, operating income rose 3.5 percent to $3.66 billion. Net revenues were $9.47 billion, compared with $8.97 billion in the comparable 2023 quarter.
During the quarter, PMI shipped 157.6 billion cigarettes, 35.5 billion heated tobacco units and 4.2 billion oral smoke-free products, a category that excludes snuff, snuff leaf and U.S. chewing tobacco.
The smoke-free business accounted for 38.1 percent of PMI’s total quarterly revenues, up 2.7 percentage points from the comparable 2023 period. Oral smoke free products experienced the largest volume gains, growing by 20 percent from second quarter last year.
This growth was driven by primarily the popularity of Zyn nicotine pouches in the U.S., where shipments reached 135.1 million cans, representing growth of 50.3 percent versus the prior-year quarter. The company expect Zyn sales to reach 580 million cans in 2024.
Scrambling to fulfill ferocious U.S. demand for Zyn, PMI recently announced a $600 million investment in a new nicotine pouch factory in Aurora, Colorado.
Quarterly heated tobacco product sales were strong in Japan, following an expansion of the IQOS product range, as well as Greece, Hungary and Spain. In Japan, Philip Morris grew its market share for heated tobacco by more than 3 percentage points to more than 29 percent.
The company will begin a trial of IQOS in Austin, Texas, USA, in the fourth quarter of this year, according to Chief Financial Officer Emmanuel Babeau.
“The excellent momentum of our smoke-free business continued with an outstanding second-quarter and first-half performance,” said PMI CEO Jacek Olczak in a statement.
“The powerful combination of excellent underlying performance and proactive measures across all categories enabled our business to outperform once again, and we are on track for a strong 2024. As a result, we are raising our full-year guidance, despite currency headwinds.”
July 23, 2024
CAPHRA Applauds Philippine’s Vaping Measures

Vapor Voice Archives
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) stated that it extends its full support to the Government of the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in their efforts to protect consumers and prevent youth access to vaping products.
However, instead of ending online sales CAPHRA advocates for greater enforcement of existing laws to prevent youth access to vaping products and ensure the appropriate collection of taxes. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently suspended the online sale of vape products, citing concerns about youth access and tax evasion.
“While the intention behind the suspension is commendable, CAPHRA believes that a more effective approach would be to enhance enforcement measures rather than imposing outright bans that could inadvertently drive consumers back to more harmful combustible tobacco products,” stated Clarisse Virgino, a leading tobacco harm reduction expert from the Philippines and member of CAPHRA.
“CAPHRA supports the government’s efforts to crack down on illegal sales to minors and urges for increased penalties and surveillance to ensure compliance, under the existing Vape Law, or Republic Act No. 11900.”
CAPHRA is aware that too many importers and retailers are failing to register for and pay the appropriate taxes, leading to significant revenue losses for the government.
“With appropriate enforcement of internal revenue stamps for vape products by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, these concerns can be overcome,” Virgino stated in an emailed release. “We need to ensure that all vape products in the market are properly taxed and that violators face strict penalties.”
July 22, 2024
Vape Bar’s Angel 2400 Device Ready for Market
Credit: Vape Bar
Vapes Bars has announced the nationwide launch of its environmentally friendly Angel 2400 device. The UK-based company said the device will soon be available in 50,000 major supermarket stores and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) outlets across the UK, including Tesco, Asda, and Morrisons.
The extensive rollout, expected to be completed within the next couple of months, aims to meet the growing demand for sustainable vaping solutions and will fill an impressive 150,000 shelves, according to an emailed press release.
The Angel 2400 (4-in-1) device stands out by combining four 2ml tanks into one rechargeable device. The design offers the flexibility of four flavors, significant cost savings for consumers, and reduces waste, making it an eco-friendly alternative to traditional disposable vapes, according to the company.
“The move is driven by tougher regulations for disposable vapes, but it only makes sense to make it available everywhere,” said Adam Matliwala, CEO of Vapes Bars. “The Angel 2400 is designed to set a new standard in the vaping industry.
“Our focus on environmental sustainability and consumer savings makes this product truly unique. By making the Angel device and pods available in over 50,000 stores, we aim to provide an eco-friendly and cost-effective vaping solution that meets the needs of a broad audience.”
In addition to the rollout, Vapes Bars stated that it intends to expand to an additional 40,000 independent retailers within the next 12 months.
July 22, 2024
New Vaping Regulations Begin Across Nebraska

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Nebraska is taking on new statewide vape regulations with a registry law that went into effect on July 19.
It’s a double-edged law: one side, trying to keep electronic nicotine devices out of the hands of children, another aiming at broader consumer protections. The law prohibits vapes with advertisements targeting kids, like those with cartoon characters or ones that look like school supplies.
“When I went around the state and met with law enforcement, I would always ask, ‘What is the top issues you’re seeing?’” Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said. “And one of the top five issues I saw around the state and heard from them were vapes in the hands of children, hands of kids,” according to media reports.
The other side of the law aims to protect consumers from potentially harmful chemicals. It will set up a registry through the Department of Revenue. Companies will have to pay $75 for each type or model of vape device to get on the registry. By October 2025, it will be against the law to sell any product not on that list.
“I think that what it will do is weed out the good actors from the bad actors,” said Sarah Linden, owner of Generation V. Linden helped work on the regulations, aiming to destigmatize an industry she said is designed to help people stop smoking.
July 22, 2024
New Zealand Drops Excise Tax by 50% on Heated Tobacco

Vapor Voice Archives
New Zealand’s Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has cut the excise tax on Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) as she aims to make them more attractive as an alternative to smoking.
Costello, also the Customs Minister, has cut the excise rate on HTPs by 50 percent effective 1 July—a move silently dropped on the Customs website, media reports claim.
Costello refused to be interviewed, but a spokesman said she had reduced the cost of the products to encourage smokers to switch to safer alternatives.
But Janet Hoek, a Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago, said the move seemed weighted in favor of the tobacco industry.
“Certainly that is something that tobacco companies would have been keen to see happen,” Hoek said. “This is not advice that is coming from the Ministry (of Health). It certainly seems to be advice that is suiting tobacco industry interests.”
Tobacco giant Philip Morris owns a leading brand in the HTP market, the IQOS, where sticks of tobacco are inserted into a device and heated, rather than burned.
Philip Morris has lobbied for a cut to the excise tax on HTPs, telling the Tax Working Group in 2018 that the government should “establish a tax rate for heated tobacco products significantly below the tax rate” for tobacco.
In a statement to media, Costello said that vaping had been a successful quit-smoking tool, and she wanted to see whether HTPs would also be a useful cessation device.
“Vaping does not work for everyone and some attempting to quit have tried several times. HTPs have a similar risk profile to vapes and they are currently legally available, so we are testing what impact halving excise on those products makes.”
July 21, 2024
Missouri Boosts Legal Levels of Vitamin E Acetate

Credit: Sean Pavone Photo
Missouri regulators have raised the allowable limit for vitamin E acetate in regulated marijuana products from 0.2 parts per million to 5 parts per million, sparking concern from stakeholders, including the state’s chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
Previous regulations required vitamin E acetate testing for cannabis concentrates and inhalables, but the updated rule applies to concentrates, infused plant material, pre-rolls and vapes, according to media reports.
Vaping industry operators might remember vitamin E acetate as having caused the EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury) crisis of 2019-20, when nearly 70 people died and more than 2,500 vape consumers were hospitalized for a mystery lung illness eventually tied to the chemical, which some product manufacturers used as a thickening agent for vape oil.
After medical professionals sounded the alarm in 2019 about patients becoming gravely ill from vaping, it took months before scientists were able to identify the culprit.
According to Kansas City TV station KCTV, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ rules for licensed marijuana operators took effect March 1 and allow 25 times more vitamin E acetate in finished marijuana products, including vapes.
Missouri NORML Coordinator Dan Viets told KCTV that “there appears to be no rational explanation for why the state of Missouri would dramatically increase the amount of a very toxic substance in legal cannabis products when none of it whatsoever should be present in them.”
The health agency wrote in a letter to state marijuana business license holders that the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation “determined the good cause for granting this variance is that it provides accurate standardization of the method reference material for testing licensees, reduces the risks for false failures, and to ensure Vitamin E Acetate is not added to marijuana product.”
July 21, 2024
Philippines Ends Online Sales of Vape Products

Photo: Ranta Images
The Philippine government has halted the sale, advertising and distribution of vape products online, reports the Inquirer.
“This is a temporary suspension until the e-marketplaces are able to convince us of their compliance with their obligations under Republic Act No. 11900, or the vape law, and other laws and related issuances,” said Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual on July 19.
According to Pascual, the order was prompted primarily by the need to prevent the sale of vape products to minors and ensure that those being sold online meet the safety standards set by law.
Vape companies and online sales platforms must submit a sworn certification of their compliance with the law to be allowed to resume sales.
A recent investigation by the Department of Trade (DTI) and Industry of 90,000 companies engaged in the vape business revealed that 284 had violated for various laws, by selling vapes within 100 meters of a school or using flavors designed to appeal to minors, for example.
The DTI has confiscated at least PHP32.76 million ($561,454.25 ) worth of vape products so far this year, mostly for being offered for sale without proper certifications, like the Philippine Standard mark and the Import Commodity Clearance sticker.
In June, the department ordered the mandatory certification of vape products in compliance with the Vape Act, which lapsed into law in July 2022.
July 21, 2024
Romania Restricts Advertising of Vaping Products

Photo: cristianbalate
Romania has tightened advertising restriction on electronic nicotine devices and modern oral products, reports Xinhua.
Under new legislation signed into law by President Klaus Iohannis on July 19, the rules cover e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn (HNB) products and nicotine pouches.
Explicit advertising for these products is now banned on radio and television broadcasts and on public transportation tickets.
Furthermore, the legislation prohibits advertising for these products within educational and healthcare institutions or within 200 meters of their entrances.
The law also restricts advertising in publications primarily targeting minors and in theaters before, during, and after performances intended for children.
July 20, 2024
Cooks Islands Officially Bans Vaping Sales

Photo: Stella Kou
The Cooks Islands have banned the manufacture, importation, sale, distribution and advertising of cigarette alternatives such as e-cigarettes, reports Cook Island News.
The new Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act 2024 also raises the legal age of sale for tobacco products from 18 to 21 years, and prohibits smoking in nearly all public places.
The Act requires those who want to sell and import tobacco to apply for permits. To date, the ministry of health has approved 37 of 43 applications. The authorized retailers can start selling tobacco from Aug. 1, 2024, under The remaining applications are pending approval for further information, according to Secretary for Health Bob Williams.
The new rules also prohibit internet sales of tobacco products except when used by importers and distributors for business to business transactions. Violators risk fines of up to $10,000 or prison terms of up to three months.
Tobacco product displays are banned, as well.
July 20, 2024