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Marking a change of heart, the New Zealand ministry of health will soon start promoting the use of e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking.

A campaign encouraging smokers to make the switch will be launched in August. A website offering vaping information and tips is expected to go live this month.

While the campaign pushes vaping as a way to quit, it will also aim to stop nonsmokers, particularly those under the age of 18, from picking up the electronic devices.

The drive represents a change in position for the health ministry, which has been cautious in its stance on vaping as a tool for would-be quitters.

Currently the ministry’s website states that it doesn’t have enough evidence to recommend vaping products as a smoking-cessation tool, and that people who choose to vape should eventually stop that as well.

Despite that, a spokesman described vaping as a safe gateway for smokers wanting to transition from cigarettes.

“There is scientific consensus that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking,” he was quoted as saying. “It is likely vaping can also be used to stop smoking, but the evidence is still emerging. A number of large studies are underway, and more information will be available over the next year.”

According to Smokefree NZ, 13 percent of New Zealand adults smoke daily, down from 25 percent in 1996-1997. Maori women have the highest smoking rate at 37 percent, followed by Maori men at 30 percent.

A U.S. federal judge will allow e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs to transfer a class action lawsuit from Florida court to California, reports The Florida Record.

Sabrina Zampa had filed a class action complaint April 23 in Miami federal court against Juul Labs, alleging false advertising and deceptive trade practices among other transgressions.

The judge agreed with the defendant that the Northern District of California is a more convenient forum than Florida.

EU limits on nicotine levels are making Juul and similar products less effective as alternatives to cigarettes for smokers, a senior executive at Juul told Reuters in an interview coinciding with Juul’s launch in Ireland.

The EU limits nicotine to 20 milligrams per milliliter of liquid compared with a limit of 59 mg in the U.S.

Juul’s U.S. market share increased from 13.6 percent in early 2017 to more than 75 percent by the end of last year, according to a Wells Fargo analysis of Nielsen retail data.

The company is trying to replicate that success internationally, with a target of global sales eclipsing U.S. sales within five years.

Legal nicotine limits may reduce the appeal of Juul in some countries, however.

Juul plans to launch in multiple Asian locations in 2019 and the Middle East and Africa in 2020 and 2021.

“There is no one who is not on our radar if you look forward next four-five years,” said Grant Winterton, president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Juul.

U.K. Television doctor Christian Jessen will give a keynote speech at the U.K. Vaping Industry Association’s (UKVIA) Vaping Industry Forum on May 9.

Jessen will share his views on how vaping can benefit public health by helping smokers quit. During April, Jessen is also fronting the UKVIA’s VApril campaign, the largest vaping consumer awareness campaign in the U.K.

“I am convinced that vaping offers a route to a smoke free society in the future,” said Jessen. “There are 3.2 million vapers in the country, the majority of whom have quit smoking. But there is a long way to go and we need the support of the healthcare community, pubs, employers and local councils to allow people the freedom to vape so it’s easier for [consumers] to break their smoking habits.

“My own profession needs to do much more. Only recently, new research showed that the majority of hospitals are not allowing vaping within their grounds despite guidance from Public Health England to do so. This seems surprising considering the bill to the NHS [National Health Service] will be considerably cut if more people switch from conventional cigarettes to vaping.”

More than 200 delegates are expected to converge on 4 Hamilton Place in Mayfair, London, on May 9.

The conference will cover the role of public health, marketing and regulations, among other topics. Speakers and panelists include Mark Pawsey MP, Jon Ungoed-Thomas of The Sunday Times, Sir Kevin Barron MP, Andy Tighe of the Beer and Pub Association, Chris Snowdon of the Institute for Economic Affairs, Caitlyn Notley of the University of East Anglia, John Lee of the Scottish Grocers Federation, Peter Vorster of Credit Suisse, Sairah Salim-Sartoni, head of switching at Juul, and Elise Rasmussen, publisher of Vapor Voice and executive director of the GTNF conference.

In celebration of VApril, discounted tickets are currently available. To book a place at the conference, please visit www.ukviaforum.co.uk.

 Vapor Voice is a media partner of the event.

The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) will hold a one-day business-to-business conference on May 9, 2019, titled “Seizing the vaping public health prize.”

Vaping is increasingly recognized as the most effective way to stop smoking. A recent review of the evidence by Public Health England confirmed that view. The House of Common’s Science & Technology Committee has called for a review of advertising and product restrictions to encourage smokers to switch.

Despite such evidence, doubts about vaping persist. Conflicting and often sensationalist media reports have created confusion among the public. The proportion of the population mistakenly thinking that vapor products are as harmful or more harmful than smoking increased from 7 percent in 2013 to 26 percent in 2017, according to Action on Smoking & Health.

Held 8 am-5 pm at 4 Hamilton Place in London, the UKVIA conference will among other topics explore the roles of the public health sector, the media and employers in promoting vaping over smoking.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Mark Pawsey MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group For Vaping
• Sir Kevin Barron MP, vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group For Vaping and vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health
• Sarah Jakes, chair of the New Nicotine Alliance
• Sairah Salim-Sartoni, smoking cessation and harm reduction consultant
• Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Sunday Times
• Daniel Pryor, Adam Smith Institute

The conference will be followed by “A celebration of vaping,” on a heated terrace overlooking Hyde Park. Guest will be treated to a luxury drinks reception and an extensive BBQ menu.

The conference and evening dinner are sponsored by Diamond Mist; the drinks reception is sponsored by Logic Vapes; lunch is sponsored by British American Tobacco; the delegate bags are sponsored by Myblue; the badges are sponsored by Flavoriq and the lanyards are sponsored by Innokin.

Vapor Voice has been confirmed as the official media partner for the forum.

Click here to order tickets. For more information, please contact Alexandra Taylor at alexandra.taylor@jbp.co.uk.  

For exhibition spaces opportunities, please contact Clare Ambrosino at clare.ambrosino@jbp.co.uk.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a revised draft guidance titled Use of Investigational Tobacco Products. This draft guidance supersedes the draft guidance of the same title published in September 2015

Based on review of comments received on the original draft guidance, FDA determined that the guidance contained information that could be potentially confusing or misinterpreted. Therefore, this revised draft guidance aims to clarify FDA’s thinking on investigational tobacco products and replaces the previously published draft guidance.

When final, the guidance will describe the current thinking of FDA regarding the definition of “investigational tobacco product” and discuss the kind of information FDA intends to consider in making enforcement decisions regarding the use of investigational tobacco products until regulations are issued and become effective or FDA provides written notice of its intent to change its enforcement policy.

Stakeholders can comment on any guidance at any time. However, to consider input before finalizing the current guidance, the FDA needs to receive comments by April 22.

Increasing numbers of Saudis are ditching their cigarettes and switching to vaping devices, according to a story in Arab News.

And they are free to do so because there are no laws banning vaping in Saudi Arabia. Indeed, vapers are free to indulge their habit in public.

But there is a catch. There are apparently no legal ways to obtain a vaping device or e-liquid.

The Ministry of Commerce and Investment banned the sale of vaping products in September 2015.

And Saudi law forbids the sale of such items and considers anyone bringing them in from abroad to be smuggling and, therefore, liable to be fined and have the items confiscated.

These bans, the News said, were forcing vapers in the Kingdom to seek ‘alternative’ methods of buying supplies – alternative methods whose legality was doubtful, which was leaving vapers unsure if they were breaking the law.

One problem for the authorities is that while neighboring countries such as the UAE have adopted similar stances towards vaping – selling the equipment is illegal but using it is fine – others, such as Bahrain, are more relaxed about vaping. So Bahrain is a prime location for smugglers sourcing vaping products.

Many people seem to take a pragmatic view of the situation. Those who spoke to the News called for vaping products to be regulated. “They [vapers] will probably do it anyway,” said a local vaper. “And with Saudi Arabia’s smoking rate being as high as it is, this could be a lucrative area of investment.

“Tax it. Double the price. Do whatever you have to do. Make it safer for everyone.”

Saudi Arabia is said to have a high smoking rate, even though the practice is considered taboo. The Saudi Diabetes and Endocrine Association estimates the number of smokers is almost six million. And this figure is expected to rise to 10 million by 2020, or roughly 30 percent of the population.