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For the first time, the vaping industry will take center stage in Dubai for the international World Vape Show in 2020. Just five months ago, the sale of vapor products was outlawed in the UAE.

New regulation on the sale of registered products launched in April, opening the door for Dubai to host the region’s largest vaping trade event next June at the World Trade Centre, according to an article in thenational.ae.

An estimated 64 million people are expected to switch from traditional cigarettes to alternative nicotine delivery devices over the next three years, boosting the global industry by an estimated $53.4 billion by 2024.

Many businesses will be hoping to tap into that market at the three-day vaping expo from June 3, the article states.

“Before April, it was against the law for retailers in the UAE to sell e-cigarette products but now there are huge opportunities for both manufacturers and retailers to take advantage of,” said Steve Diprose, managing director at Quartz Business Media, organisers of the World Vape Show.

“We have created this event to bring the industry together in a new market and to understand how suppliers can reach consumers.

“The show will help traders understand how the vaping category in-store can drive footfall, sales, and profits, and what we can learn from both specialist outlets and the big retailers,” according to the article

First it was Juul. Then, on Tuesday, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein filed eight lawsuits against eight separate vapor companies alleging the companies are “unlawfully targeting children” and not requiring appropriate age verification.

The companies included in the complaints are Beard Vape, Direct eLiquid, Electric Lotus, Electric Tobacconist, Eonsmoke, Juice Man, Tinted Brew and VapeCo, Stein said during a media conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

“There is a vaping epidemic among high schoolers and middle schoolers in North Carolina and the United States,” he said. “I, as attorney general of North Carolina, refuse to stand by as e-cigarette companies entice thousands of children to use their products.”

Anti-tobacco advocacy groups are applauding these lawsuits.
The nonprofit Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids tweeted “thank you” to Stein for his “leadership in addressing the youth e-cigarette epidemic,” according to an article on CNN.com

Pro-vaping groups said the lawsuits were unnecessarily punitive.
“If these companies illegally sold vaping products to a minor, they should be prosecuted, but that is not alleged in the Attorney General’s press release.

Instead, Attorney General Stein’s strategy seems to be using the power of the state and the prospect of six or seven-figure legal bills to force small businesses to sign lopsided settlement agreements,” Gregory Conley, president of the nonprofit advocacy group American Vaping Association, said in an email on Tuesday, according to the article.

“While we strongly support efforts to decrease the use of these products by minors, including common sense marketing restrictions on flavor names and descriptors, we do not believe in denying adult smokers the right to access flavored harm reduction products,” he said.

In May, Stein filed a similar lawsuit against leading e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs, claiming that it marketed its products to children. Discussions as part of that lawsuit are still “ongoing,” he said, according to the article.

That lawsuit was the first by a state over the Juul Labs’ alleged marketing to teens.

Mysterious lung illnesses in the United States are being linked to vaping, but health officials in New Zealand have not received any such reports here, according to an article in the NZherald.

No reports any lung conditions could be linked to vaping had been lodged with the Ministry of Health as of Friday but concerns had been raised.

The main issue appeared to be what was being vaped, a ministry spokesperson told the Herald.

“THC [tetrahydrocannabinol] from unlicensed sources purchased on the street has been identified in at least some of the cases.

“Inappropriately administered substances, adulterated or contaminated products appears highly likely. At this stage it is difficult to know what exactly is causing the problem,” according to the article.

Director of Alt New Zealand and local vape retailer Vapo, Ben Pryor, said reports from the United States were misleading and deceiving.

“There is not one confirmed report that connects quality-controlled nicotine vaping products with any of these lung problems,” he said.

“The real news out of the United States is that some consumers have been vaping poison they purchased off the street

“These reports not only highlight the reason you should always purchase from a reputable retailer, but also the need for regulation in our industry.”

On Saturday, it was alleged the first person who had one of the lung illnesses in the United States had died.

Teenagers in England are less likely to smoke cigarettes than previous generations, with the number falling to its lowest rate on record, reports The Independent, citing a new survey.

National Health Service Digital questioned more than 13,000 pupils aged 11 to 15 across nearly 200 schools in England about their smoking, drinking and drug habits for a biennial poll. The figures showed that just 16 percent of participants said they had smoked a cigarette in their lifetime, down from 19 percent in 2016 and 49 percent in 1996.

However, 25 percent of students admitted to having used an e-cigarette at least once, the same as in 2016. Researchers stated that students who had smoked cigarettes were more likely to also have vaped than those who had not smoked.

Juul Labs is leaving the Vapor Technology Association (VTA), an advocacy group for the vapor and e-cigarette industry, because of the association’s lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Yesterday, Juul [Labs] announced that it would not be renewing its membership with the Vapor Technology Association, citing the lawsuit that [the] VTA recently filed against [the] FDA and policy differences,” the group said in an email to its membership on Wednesday.

The lawsuit seeks to prevent the FDA from enforcing its new May 2020 deadline for manufacturers to submit a premarket tobacco product application for vapor products with nicotine. The group sued to delay the deadline, arguing that it could hurt smaller vapor companies.

The VTA said it was “surprised” by Juul Labs’ opposition to the filing, noting that the company’s designated VTA board member “participated in the VTA board meeting held to consider the lawsuit against [the] FDA but never objected.”

Beginning in November, digital tax stamps will be required on all e-cigarette and vapor products sold in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Federal Tax Authority said in a statement that the decision supports its efforts to collect taxes, combat tax evasion and implement uniform procedures to ensure transparency, guarantee rights and highlight the responsibilities of all taxable persons.

The decision also stipulated that as of March 1, 2020, it will be prohibited to import designated excise goods not bearing the stamps into the UAE. Then, as of June 1, 2020, it will no longer be permissible to supply, transfer, store or possess unmarked designated excise goods in the UAE.

The Philippines will mandate licensing for all makers, sellers and distributors of e-cigarettes and vaporizers under the new guidelines covering the sector, reports The Business World.

On June 9, the Department of Health issued an administrative order requiring all participants in the vapor business to obtain a license from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The obligation pertains also to products without nicotine.

The FDA said it hopes to ban refills formulated to appeal to young users and will require tamper-resistant packaging and health warnings for refills and devices.

Users are also prohibited from vaping in public, which is allowed only in designated vaping areas.

Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez meanwhile called for more consultation with the industry, which he said has the potential to generate jobs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a consumer updateaddressing health-related claims about cannabidiol (CBD) and issued a warning to consumers.

“Other than one prescription drug product to treat rare, severe forms of epilepsy, the FDA has not approved any other CBD products, and there is very limited available information about CBD, including about its effects on the body,” the statement said.

The statement suggests that the effects of CBD could be toxic to the liver and dispels misleading health claims that CBD could cure cancer or other diseases.

“The FDA continues to believe the drug approval process represents the best way to help ensure that safe and effective new medicines, including any drugs derived from cannabis, are available to patients in need of appropriate medical therapy,” the statement says. “The agency is committed to supporting the development of new drugs, including cannabis and cannabis-derived drugs, through the investigational new drug and drug approval process.”

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Ned Sharpless has released a statement on how he plans to regulate e-cigarettes, saying that the FDA oversight of these products is a top priority for the agency.

Some of the FDA’s plans include:

• Restricting youth access to electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS)
• Conducting retailer and manufacturer checks
• Increasing requirements for ENDS manufacturers
• Utilizing premarket review requirements
• Providing data to inform premarket applications
• Preventing youth tobacco use through enforcement actions, policy and education
• Continuing to invest in more science and research

“While ENDS products appear to hold some promise in helping addicted adult smokers transition away from combustible tobacco to a potentially less harmful form of nicotine delivery, these products are not safe, and we cannot allow the next generation of young people to become addicted to nicotine,” Sharpless said.