Category: Flavors

  • Oregon’s Largest County to Ban Flavored Nicotine

    Oregon’s Largest County to Ban Flavored Nicotine

    Credit: Robert Appleby

    The largest county in Oregon, the 27th largest U.S. state, will ban all flavored nicotine products other than tobacco beginning January 1. Multnomah County will go into effect after surviving a court challenge.

    Last week, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Souede denied a request by the tobacco industry to halt enforcement of the county ordinance.

    The decision paves the way for Oregon’s largest county to become the first in the state to ban flavored tobacco, according to media reports.

    Earlier this year in Salem, state lawmakers considered House Bill 3090, which would have enacted a similar ban statewide. It had the support of one Republican lawmaker, Sen. Bill Hansell of Athena, and two Portland physicians, Rep. Lisa Reynolds and Sen. Elizabeth Steiner.

    It passed out of the House health care committee on a party-line vote, with Democrats in favor and Republicans against, but died in the Joint Ways and Means Committee.

  • Flavored Vapes Still Available After California Ban

    Flavored Vapes Still Available After California Ban

    Image: Olga

    Californians, including minors, are still able to buy flavored vapes online a year after the state enacted a ban on such products, reports The Conversation, citing a study published in Jama Network Open.

    In effect since Dec. 21, 2022, California Senate Bill 793 prohibits the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to people of all ages. Hookahs, premium cigars and loose-leaf tobacco are exempted from the legislation.

    Posing online as minors under the age of 21, researchers tried to buy flavored e-cigarette products from 26 websites that sold them in California. Before SB 793, they succeeded in 52 percent of attempts. After SB 793, the team’s success rate rose to almost 61 percent.

    The study did not explain why flavored e-cigarettes are still available from online retailers in California. “It may be that vendors are flouting the new law, are ignorant of it, or do not believe the new law applies to online sales,” speculated corresponding author John-Patrick Allem, associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at Rutgers University.

    Allem urged authorities to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of SB 793 compliance among brands and vendors that sell their products online in California to help determine the extent to which flavored e-cigarettes are still available.

    Another research team collected weekly Google search rates related to online shopping for cigarettes and vaping products in California from January 2018 to May 2023. They found that shopping queries were 194 percent higher than expected for cigarettes and 162 percent higher than expected for e-cigarettes—which according to the authors suggests consumers are searching on Google for vendors promoting banned products.

  • Ohio House Overrides Veto of Local Flavor Ban Bill

    Ohio House Overrides Veto of Local Flavor Ban Bill

    Credit: Andy Dean

    Localities in Ohio will not be allowed to enact flavor bans for nicotine products.

    The Ohio House voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of legislation prohibiting cities from imposing flavored tobacco bans.

    The move marked the latest effort by lawmakers to block local regulation of flavored tobacco products, including menthol.

    Columbus is preparing to ban the sale of flavored tobacco starting next month, and Cincinnati, Dayton and Cleveland are considering similar proposals, according to Cincinnati.com.

    The vote also highlighted divisions between DeWine and legislative leaders on the issue that have persisted for months. Veto overrides are rare because they require more votes in the House and Senate.

    Anti-tobacco groups say these bans are necessary to reduce teen vaping. Officials in the House and Senate contend the state should have uniform guidelines and say the legislation will protect small businesses.

  • Bulgaria Readies to Ban Flavored Nicotine Products

    Bulgaria Readies to Ban Flavored Nicotine Products

    Image: Delyan

    Bulgaria will ban products with flavors other than tobacco effective Jan. 1, 2024, reports Novinite.com

    The ban is in response to the European Commission’s directive.

    The amendment will also require that all packaging for heated-tobacco products display a warning highlighting associated risks of use. The Ministry of Economy and Industry will now be tasked with prohibiting tobacco products containing additives that significantly increase toxicity, with addictive properties or that pose risks of cancer, mutations or reproductive toxicity.

    Enactment of the changes is pending official publication in the State Gazette.

  • Another City in Maine Bans Flavored Nicotine Sales

    Another City in Maine Bans Flavored Nicotine Sales

    Credit: Gary L Hider

    The state of Maine is a hotbed of nicotine regulation. The town of Falmouth became the sixth municipality in the state to outlaw flavored tobacco products.

    The town council voted 5-2 in support of an ordinance that will make it illegal to sell any vaping or other tobacco product that imparts or is advertised to impart a taste or smell “other than that of tobacco” when the ban goes into effect on March 12, 2024.

    Falmouth has a population of just over 12,000 residents. The town joins Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, Bangor and Bar Harbor in passing similar bans on selling flavored tobacco products.

    Retailers found violating the law will be subject to a written warning for a first offense, followed by a fine of $500 for a second offense and $1,000 fine for each subsequent violation.

    The ordinance does not prohibit the use of flavored tobacco products; however, it does aim to make it harder for individuals, youth and adults, to acquire the products.

    One supporter of the ban, councilmember Janice de Lima, said she considered the ordinance a win even if only five kids were prevented from using flavored nicotine products, regardless of the impact on other residents or businesses.

    Council vice-chair Jay Trickett spent several minutes critiquing the ban, citing studies that show bans on flavored tobacco products result in increased levels of cigarette use, adding that the council had public health policy backward with the ordinance, according to Halfwheel.

    Trickett said the ordinance’s passage will result in increased health risks for certain residents of the town, possibly forcing some current vapers to return to smoking more deadly combustible cigarettes. It could also potentially drive some youth who use vaping products to switch to combustible tobacco products. The ban would also negatively impact local businesses.

    “We are blundering about with a sweeping regulation that only indirectly addresses the problem and absolutely harms other residents because we feel the need to do something,” he said during Monday’s meeting.

    Additionally, the council passed a resolution to codify its support of the ban:

    “The Falmouth Town Council believes that reduced access to flavored tobacco products could potentially reduce youth resident initiation to tobacco products and thereby decrease youth tobacco and nicotine addiction and associated health risks. The Council believes that this outweighs the potential impacts on adult tobacco product users and retailers. The Council supports the enactment of an ordinance to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products by tobacco retailers in Falmouth.”

    The Hallowell City Council has also held a first reading of a similar ordinance.

  • Michigan Bill Seeks to Ban Flavored Vaping Products

    Michigan Bill Seeks to Ban Flavored Vaping Products

    Credit: Spirit of America

    The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has not yet officially banned flavors in vaping and other tobacco products. Now, states are working towards banning the controversial products themselves. Michigan is next on the list.

    Last month, S.B. 649 was introduced in the Michigan Senate. The bill calls for the ban of the sales of flavored vaping and other tobacco products, defined as any product that has or is marketed as having a characterizing flavor other than tobacco.

    The bill would ban the sale of products packaged in ways that “indicate, explicitly or implicitly, that the nicotine or tobacco product has characterizing flavor.”

    That bill would not exempt flavored cigars, though it does carve out an exemption for flavored hookah tobacco intended for on-site consumption.

    If passed, retailers caught violating the rule would be subject to the following fines:

    • First violation within 36 months: a fine of up to $1,500
    • Second violation within 36 months: a fine of $2,000 and a 30-day suspension of a license
    • Third violation within 36 months: a fine of $2,500 and a one-year suspension of a license
    • Fourth violation within 36 months: a fine of $3,000 and a revocation of a license

    If the bill passes, a new fund would be created for compliance checks.

    California and Massachusetts are the only two states with flavored tobacco bans.

    According to a study by the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association, excise tax lost income in Massachusetts from selling fewer menthol cigarettes alone amounted to $62 million in the first six months of the ban. No specific figures were given for electronic nicotine delivery systems in the release.

  • Study: Adult Vapers Rely on Flavors and Disposables

    Study: Adult Vapers Rely on Flavors and Disposables

    Photo: Atlas

    New industry figures, collected by online vape retailers representing around 43 percent of the U.K. market, have revealed that significant numbers of older adults are users of disposable and flavored vapes, which are the focus of a government consultation to address the issue of youth vaping that will close on Dec. 6.

    The industry warns that any moves to ban single use vapes and flavors, which have been key drivers in the decline of smoking to record low levels in the U.K. over the last two years, will have catastrophic consequences for the nation’s public health and will effectively end any chance of creating a smokefree generation in the near future.

    The data collected from the last quarter sales by four of the country’s leading online retailers, representing nearly a quarter of the U.K. market, revealed that:

    • The most popular flavor category amongst middle-aged adults (35-44 and year olds) was “fruit” flavors, followed “treats and desserts”
    • Highest proportion of tobacco flavor use is in the over-55 age category
    • Menthol flavors and tobacco flavors are significantly less popular amongst middle-aged adults
    • The average age of adult disposable users is 39

    The latest adult vaping statistics follow a survey conducted by One Poll earlier this year, which revealed that 83 percent of vapers said that flavors helped them quit smoking, with one in three saying that a ban on them would lead them back to conventional cigarettes, which would represent around 1.5 million former smokers.

    Why should 4.5 million adults who have spent years trying to kick a habit that kills some 250 people a day, and have managed to do so through vaping, be at risk of having their lifeline taken away?”

    John Dunne, director, UKVIA

    “These statistics show what we in the industry already know—that the very flavors and single use vapes that are now under scrutiny by the government as it looks to tackle youth vaping are a lifeline for former adult smokers,” said Dan Marchant, co-owner of online retailer Vape Club, which contributed to the demographic sales data.

    “The legitimate vaping industry completely recognizes the need to deal with youth vaping but it shouldn’t involve any wholesale bans, as this will affect the adults who depend on them. There is already a ban on vapes for under 18 year olds as it is illegal for retailers to sell devices to minors. That’s why the industry is calling for greater enforcement of the existing law, on-the-spot fines of up to £10,000 ($12,631) per offence and the introduction of a retail licensing scheme to weed out the rogue traders.”

    “Why should 4.5 million adults who have spent years trying to kick a habit that kills some 250 people a day, and have managed to do so through vaping, be at risk of having their lifeline taken away?” asked UKVIA’s Director General John Dunne.

    “If the government goes down the path of banning single use vapes and/or flavors a return to smoking amongst current vapers will be very much on the cards, bringing with it catastrophic consequences for the public health of the nation and wrecking any chances of the government’s smoke free ambition.  The only winners from any potential bans on the vaping industry are the tobacco industry and illicit markets, something that no one in their right mind wants to see.”

     

  • Elf Bar Removing Some Flavors From UK Market

    Elf Bar Removing Some Flavors From UK Market

    Vaping brands Elfbar and Lost Mary say they will drop dessert and soft drink flavors from the UK market.

    Elfbar called for a new licensing regime similar to the ones for cigarettes and alcohol.

    Elfbar and Lost Mary make up more than half of the UK’s disposable vape sales, according to data firm NielsenIQ.

    The government consultation on new rules for vapes closes on 6 December, reports the BBC.

    The dazzling range of flavors has helped to turn disposable vapes into a market worth billions of pounds in the UK in a few short years, with Elfbar and Lost Mary taking the lion’s share. They’re both owned by the Chinese firm Shenzhen iMiracle Technology.

    Elfbar has already dropped Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy, and Rainbow Candy flavors, with more expected to follow. Gummy Bear was renamed Gummy and is now called Gami.

    A spokesman said these will take some time to filter through the supply chain, so it may take a while for the changes to become apparent on the shelves.

    Some flavors may reappear under different names, and a decision hasn’t been taken about Cola flavor, which Elfbar says can appeal to adults and children.

    The company also called for tighter restrictions on vape sales, including a licensing regime for retailers and rules requiring them to display vapes behind the counter.

    “The introduction of such a regime would mitigate children’s access to vapes and make it easier for the authorities to regulate the sale of vaping devices better. Furthermore, we believe it would help combat the growing illicit vape market and drive increased rates of vape recycling,” an Elfbar spokesman said.

    Credit: Nawadoln
  • Maine Anti-Vape Group Petitioning for Flavor Ban

    Maine Anti-Vape Group Petitioning for Flavor Ban

    Credit: Fellow Neko

    Supporters of a nicotine product flavor ban gathering signatures as voters hit the polls Tuesday in Maine.

    The Flavors Hook Kids Maine Coalition has been at several polling places around the state claiming they want to continue putting names behind the statewide flavor ban effort as the House of Representatives considers the bill in the next legislative session.

    The bill passed in the Senate this year. However, the Maine Legislature tabled a bill to end the sale of flavored tobacco products statewide last year.

    They say the most recent polling shows 63 percent of Mainers strongly support a ban on flavored tobacco and vaping products.

    One of their biggest goals is to reduce teen vaping and tobacco use.

    ”To a young person whose brain is not yet fully formed at the age of 15, 16 years old, nicotine is even more addictive because of that,” said Dan Cashman, Flavors Hook Kids Maine spokesperson. “So, the reason for getting them hooked on nicotine is to get them hooked on tobacco. It’s a pretty easy line to draw from one to the next and none of it is okay.”

    It’s been a hot topic in Maine with some health advocacy groups claiming flavored vaping and other tobacco products are marketed toward children while many shop owners owners say banning it would be a big blow to business.

    The bill sought to make statewide prohibitions that are already in place in Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, Bangor and Bar Harbor.

  • Flavor Restrictions Cause Spike in Online Vape Sales

    Flavor Restrictions Cause Spike in Online Vape Sales

    Photo: Ngampol
    Eric Leas

    Online shopping for cigarettes and vaping products increased significantly in the weeks following the implementation of a 2022 California law prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products.

    Reporting in Tobacco Control, researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego assessed the impact of California’s statewide flavor restriction on online shopping behavior among consumers. Comparing observed rates of shopping queries with expected rates, researchers discovered that shopping queries were 194 percent higher than expected for cigarettes and 162 percent higher than expected for vape products.

    “Retailer licensing programs have proven to be effective in enforcing tobacco control laws. However, the exclusion of e-commerce retailers from these programs can undermine their impact,” said principal investigator Eric Leas in a statement.

    Despite the flavor restriction, analysis of the first 60 websites returned in the search queries presented at least two online retailers offered access to flavored vaping products or menthol cigarettes to consumers in California—with one query returning as many as 36 websites (60 percent of the search results).

    The study authors recommend strengthening regulations to include e-commerce retailers within the scope of retailer licensing programs.