New legislation is due to come before the Cabinet in Ireland, raising the legal age to buy tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21.
The Minister of Health, Stephen Donnelly, is due to seek Cabinet approval this week for the legislation to increase the legal age by three years, according to media.
While less young people in Ireland are smoking cigarettes, the numbers seem to have plateaued in recent years. The hope iraising rising the age from 18 to 21 will deter younger from smokingo smoke cigarettvapingd vapes, lowering numbers once again.
Minister Donnelly announced his intention to introduce this legislation back in March.
“Really, it’s a measure aimed at people who are 15, 16, 17 years of age that with a smoking age at 18, they find it relatively easy to buy cigarettes…but that if you move to 21 it makes it much more difficult,” he said.
A ban on the sale of tobacco and vape products from vending machines is also set to be introduced.
Further legislation is planned to ban disposable vapes and address issues related to the flavors and bright colors of vape packaging.
The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World has relaunched as Global Action to End Smoking (GAES).
The charitable organization says its rebrand reflects a new approach to achieving its mission to end the smoking epidemic. While GAES’ grantmaking will continue to focus on advancing health and science research for robust smoking cessation and reduced-risk solutions, it will also disseminate research findings and information to support people who smoke through its new cessation education program.
Additionally, GEAS’ agricultural transformation Initiative will continue to assist smallholder farmers in moving away from dependence on tobacco growing to achieving more healthful and sustainable livelihoods in Malawi. (Also see Tobacco Reporter‘s special report on diversification in Malawi.)
Through September 2023, the organization received charitable gifts from PMI Global Services while operating as an entirely independent entity. In October 2023, the organization ended its funding agreement with PMI. GAES has since adopted a formal policy that it will not seek or accept funding from any industry that manufactures tobacco products or non-medicinal nicotine products.
In one of its first initiatives under its new name, GEAS announced that it will fund research by the Urban Institute to study tobacco-use disorder and nicotine dependence among low-income individuals in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
“We’re thrilled to work with the experts at the Urban Institute, who will carry out the important work of quantifying the magnitude of the problem of the smoking epidemic among low-income individuals in the U.S.,” said GAES President Cliff Douglas in a statement. “Understanding the barriers to cessation is the first step to overcoming them. This work reflects our commitment to end the smoking epidemic worldwide by helping us better understand how best to empower those at the greatest risk of suffering illness and premature death from smoking.”
Marlboro Amber HeatSticks (formerly named Marlboro HeatSticks)
Marlboro Green Menthol HeatSticks (formerly named Marlboro Smooth Menthol HeatSticks)
Marlboro Blue Menthol HeatSticks (formerly named Marlboro Fresh Menthol HeatSticks)
In 2020 and 2022, the FDA issued modified risk granted orders for products. These orders are valid for a fixed time period. To continue marketing the MRTPs after the authorized term, the company submitted MRTP renewal applications to FDA.
Starting May 10, 2024, people may submit public comments on these applications on regulations.gov to docket FDA-2021-N-0408 for the IQOS 3.0 device and docket FDA-2017-D-3001 for the IQOS 2.4 device and the Marlboro HeatSticks products.
The FDA will post application documents, including amendments; given that the documents will need to be redacted for any confidential information, they will be posted on the Center for Tobacco Products’ website on a rolling basis.
Once all materials for these MRTP applications, including amendments, have been made publicly available, FDA will announce a closing date for the comment period. The closing date will be no earlier than 180 days from the date of the Federal Register notice and at least 30 days from the date FDA posts the last application materials.
Marina Murphy is a scientific communications and engagement expert with more than 20 years of experience.
Scientists should be aware of the “illusions of understanding” when relying on artificial intelligence for their research, warned Marina Murphy, industry veteran and scientific adviser to the U.K. Vaping Industry Association.
A recent study, published in Scientific Reports, claims to have uncovered potentially harmful substances that are produced when e-liquids in vaping devices are heated for inhalation.
The research team at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, used artificial intelligence to simulate the effects of heating e-liquid flavor chemicals found in nicotine vapes.
The analysis revealed the formation of many hazardous chemicals, including 127 that are classified as “acute toxic,” 153 as “health hazards” and 225 as “irritants.” Notably, these included a group of chemicals called volatile carbonyls (VCs), which are known to pose health risks. Sources for VCs were predicted to be the most popular fruit-flavored, candy-flavored and dessert-flavored products.
Lead author Donal O’Shea, professor of chemistry and head of the department, said the findings are concerning. “Our findings indicate a significantly different profile of chemical hazards compared to what we are familiar with from traditional tobacco smoking. It is plausible that we are on the cusp of a new wave of chronic diseases that will emerge 15 [years] to 20 years from now due to these exposures.”
Murphy countered that the effects of overheating e-liquids have been studied extensively. “This can lead to the production of carbonyls, for example, but these compounds make the vapor so caustic as to be un-inhalable,” she wrote in response to the RCSI study. “Newer e-cigarette devices are designed with built-in temperature control systems.”
She warned that “scary headlines” could prompt smokers thinking of switching to less harmful e-cigarettes to stick with conventional cigarettes instead.
“Vaping has proven to be the most popular quit aid, and we need to focus less on problems and more on solutions to ensure that vapers continue to get the flavors they need to successfully quit cigarettes in the safest way possible,” said Murphy.
Illinois is one step closer to cracking down on e-cigarettes disguised as school supplies.
Lawmakers in the state propose banning e-cig ads that could confuse adults into thinking they are everyday items, like highlighters and erasers.
The Illinois Department of Revenue, Attorney General, and local law enforcement would enforce the legislation, media oulets are reporting.
On Wednesday, Senate Bill 2662 was unanimously approved by the House Executive Committee. The bill is now headed to the House floor for further consideration.
After months of pressure from lawmakers to prevent the unauthorized sale of vaping devices, federal regulators may soon have to explain themselves before Congress.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has long urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to follow through on a court-ordered review of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) from e-cigarette manufacturers.
The U.S. Court for the District of Maryland mandated the survey, ruling in 2019 that the FDA had run afoul of federal law by allowing unauthorized vape sales. The review was supposed to have been completed in 2021, according to Court House News.
Durbin, in a January letter, accused the agency of “granting a free pass to scores of vaping products that are harming the health of children in our country.”
Now, Durbin is angling to haul FDA officials before Congress. He demanded in a letter Tuesday that Brian King, director of the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products, testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Durbin extended a similar invite to Brian Boynton, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil division. Federal law enforcement is tasked with assisting the FDA in bringing enforcement for violations of the Tobacco Control Act, which includes marketing authorizations for vape manufacturers.
Durbin met with Boynton and King in April during a private meeting to discuss the enforcement of unauthorized e-cigarettes. If the officials agree to testify publicly, the Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing in June.
A spokesperson for the FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it would comply with the request.
Vaping has surpassed smoking among adolescents in Europe, according to a new report by the World Health Organization.
The global health body found that among 15-year-olds, 32 percent had used an e-cigarette and 20 percent consumed vaping products in the past 30 days.
“The widespread use of harmful substances among children in many countries across the European region—and beyond—is a serious public health threat,” said Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe. “Considering that the brain continues to develop well into a person’s mid-20s, adolescents need to be protected from the effects of toxic and dangerous products. Unfortunately, children today are constantly exposed to targeted online marketing of harmful products.”
Historically, there has been a difference between boys and girls, with more boys smoking than girls. With e-cigarettes, girls reach the same level of use by 15 as boys and even outpace them after 15.
While acknowledging that some health authorities view e-cigarettes as a positive alternative to smoking for adults, the WHO expressed concern about aggressive targeting by manufacturers of a younger market, which has contributed to a particularly sharp rise in consumption between the ages of 13 and 15, according to the organization.
The WHO report calls for e-cigarettes to be incorporated into smoke-free policies, with similar measures to restrict marketing, reduce toxicity, remove flavors and increase taxation.
The health body has already called for e-cigarettes to be made available only to those who are trying to quit smoking, where other proven cessation strategies have been exhausted. It has also called for e-cigarettes to be regulated like medicines rather than being sold as consumer products.
A study released on May 7 adds further evidence that the harm from nicotine use is determined primarily by the consumption method.
Titled No Smoke, Less Harm, the report details rates of nicotine usage in Sweden and a number of comparable countries, finding that nicotine use was not a factor in tobacco-related disease.
Karl Fagerstrom
While nicotine consumption in Sweden mirrors the European average, the country reports a 41 percent lower incidence of lung cancer and fewer than half the tobacco-related deaths of its European peers. This stark contrast is attributed to the widespread adoption of smoke-free nicotine products such as snus, nicotine pouches and electronic cigarettes.
“This distinction between smoking and the use of smokeless products is crucial,” says Karl Fagerstrom, a public health expert and contributor to the report.
“While nicotine is addictive, it does not cause the serious diseases associated with smoking. Our findings support a shift in focus from cessation to substitution with less harmful alternatives for those unable to stop completely.”
According to the authors, Sweden’s proactive measures in public health education and regulatory frameworks have encouraged a transition to these alternatives, significantly impacting public health outcomes. The report points out that embracing similar harm reduction strategies could be pivotal for other nations striving to reduce the health impacts of tobacco.
“The Swedish experience demonstrates that understanding and addressing public misperceptions about nicotine can lead to health policies that better protect and inform consumers,” said Fagerstrom.
Many smokers fail to understand the comparative risks presented by vapes and traditional cigarettes, according to a new Ipsos survey among 27,000 smokers in 28 countries carried out on behalf of We Are Innovation.
Currently, 74 percent of smokers worldwide mistakenly believe that vaping is either as harmful or more harmful than smoking combustible cigarettes. This misinformation challenges public health messaging about vaping as a safer alternative to traditional smoking methods.
The survey identified countries including Brazil, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Kazakhstan as having the highest proportion of smokers (over 80 percent) incorrectly perceiving vaping as equally or more harmful than smoking tobacco. On the other hand, countries such as Italy, the Czech Republic, France and the United Kingdom exhibited a more accurate understanding, although even in these nations, over half of smokers still hold false beliefs regarding the risks of vaping versus smoking.
“The consequences are grave,” said We Are Innovation CEO Federico N. Fernandez in a statement. “If smokers are under the incorrect assumption that vaping is no better than smoking, they are far less likely to explore potentially lifesaving products as a means to quit harmful combustibles. Misinformation is stifling innovation and obstructing smokers’ ability to escape the clutches of cigarettes.”
Flonq, a leading vaping system manufacturer, has released its latest innovations, the Flonq Ultra and Flonq Max Pro. The two devices, with their advanced features and stylish design, “promise to upgrade the vaping experience,” according to a press release.
Ultra and Max Pro feature an LED display for real-time monitoring of battery and liquid consumption. The devices also have a “boost” mode for enhanced performance that delivers “impressive vapor production and flavor intensity.”
Despite the large 18ml e-liquid capacity, which provides up to 20,000 puffs, both devices maintain a compact and ergonomic design.
“Unlike many vaping brands that simply enlarge their devices when increasing e-liquid tank capacity, we prioritize convenience and comfort for users,” states Marlen Nazarov, Flonq’s founder and CEO. “Our goal is to provide vapers with a combination of performance and style, offering a truly premium vaping experience.”
Flonq offers refined flavors and memorable designs across its product range, according to the release. “We craft our devices, featuring minimalistic and sophisticated design”, explains Vladimir Parygin, the company’s head of Design. “At the same time, we ensure that each device possesses its own personality.”
While both devices feature powerful dual mesh coils, each utilizes a different coil type. In Max Pro, the coils are positioned one above the other, while in Ultra, both mesh coils form a single cylinder, created by right and left sections. This coil difference impacts the flavor experience. Max Pro offers intense and bold flavors, while Ultra delivers refined and firm flavors.
“Another significant aspect that sets us apart from our competitors is the time and effort we dedicate to creating unique designs. We don’t rely on established configurations in the vaping market, and provide compelling storytelling and inspiration behind each device,” stated Nazarov.
The Flonq Max Pro is inspired by the urban environment: big city life, cars, and modern architecture. The device has a glossy texture across its entire body and is offered in a variety of vibrant colors. Max Pro appeals to those who appreciate unconventional aesthetics, according to the release.
For Flonq Ultra, the design team drew inspiration from a maritime theme, luxury boats and yachts. “The device embodies elegance and is crafted from soft-touch matte material,” the release states.
“While often overlooked, we consider every detail in our vapes: from the texture of the materials and portability to the shape of the mouthpieces, ensuring both visual appeal and functionality, of course,” stated Parygin.
