Tag: e-cigarettes

Taiwan Tightens Rules, Boosts Fines for Vaping

The National Police Agency confirmed to Taiwan News on Thursday that police can now issue on-the-spot fines of up to NT$10,000 ($330) to those caught vaping after Taiwan’s legislature passed amendments to Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act on Wednesday.
E-cigarette users can either be fined on the spot, or photo and video evidence can be used by the government to send the fines to violators’ registered addresses, similar to fines currently issued for smoking in non-smoking areas, jaywalking, and other minor offenses.
The fine for vaping is now the same as for smoking in areas designated as non-smoking, between NT$2000 and NT$10,000.
The amendments passed on Wednesday also increase the legal age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 20, and prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Importers, manufacturers, and sellers can now be fined up to NT$50 million.
March 23, 2023
Hong Kong to Lift Ban on Vaping Product Shipments

Credit: Skórzewiak
Air exports from Hong Kong will see a boost following a decision by the government to reverse a ban on the transshipment of e-cigarettes and other vaping products.
Media reports claim the banned cargo amounts to about 330,000 tons a year – the equivalent of some 10 percent of Hong Kong’s annual export volumes by air, according to the Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics (HAFFA), according to Loadstar.
The value of the re-export cargo affected by the ban was estimated to exceed CNY120 billion ($17.33 billion).
While some transshipment by air had continued to be permitted, beginning in April of last year, vapes entering Hong Kong by land or sea for onward transport by air were banned. However, with the bulk of these products made in neighboring Dongguan, exporters were keen to ship them via land to Hong Kong International Airport.
Once the proposal is passed, the goods will be able to enter Hong Kong through a secure channel on dedicated barges and be delivered straight to the airport.
“The scheme is only to facilitate direct transshipment through Hong Kong and the goods will not be available for domestic consumption. The proposal is in response to the demand of the Hong Kong air freight industry”, said Willy Lin, chairman of the Hong Kong Shippers Council.
“We hope we could get back some flights lost to competitor airports due to [the] stoppage of shipments of e-cigarettes and related substances through Hong Kong”.
March 23, 2023
Georgia Public Vaping Ban Goes to Governor’s Desk

Credit: Sharafmaksumov
Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Georgia gave final passage Tuesday to a bill that would restrict vaping in public spaces.
The state House voted 152-14 to pass Senate Bill 47, which would regulate vaping in the same way the state already regulates smoking. The bill goes to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto, according to Fox News.
Georgia’s 2005 Smoke-Free Air Act says that people can’t smoke indoors in many public places, although it excludes some places including tobacco stores, bars that only admit patrons older than 18, and privately owned convention rooms.
A person who violates the law commits a misdemeanor and can be fined $100 to $500.
March 22, 2023
Vuse Menthol Pods Granted Stay by Appeals Court

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Two menthol Vuse flavors that received a marketing denial order (MDO) can continue to be marketed by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. after the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay Monday.
On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration denied Reynolds Vapor’s premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for the Vuse replacement cartridge Menthol 4.8% (nicotine level) G1 and the Vuse replacement cartridge Menthol 4.8% G2.
As a result, Reynolds would be prohibited from marketing or distributing the products domestically, or risk FDA enforcement action. However, the appeals court’s decision allows the products to stay in the marketplace.
In October last year, the FDA issued MDOs for several menthol-flavored vaping products marketed by Logic Technology Development. It was the first time the FDA has issued MDOs for menthol products after receiving a scientific review.
A few days after the order was issued, Logic obtained a court order from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that temporarily stayed the order.
March 22, 2023
Vape Tax Revenues for States a Fraction of Tabacco
Credit: Andrii Yalanskyi
The total tax revenue collected by U.S. states and local governments from the vaping sector remains only a fraction of that extracted from traditional tobacco products, according to a new report published by KBRA.
Vaping devices have gained popularity in recent years, largely due to health concerns around traditional cigarettes, smoking cessation initiatives and rising youth consumption.
U.S. product sales for e-cigarettes are estimated at $7.4 billion annually. Capitalizing on this trend, many states and local governments have implemented taxes on these tobacco alternatives. Cigarettes have an estimated market volume of $82.67 billion in 2023, according to Statista.
Despite high expectations, the total tax revenue from these products remains small relative to tobacco taxes—and even smaller as a percentage of the budget.
The KBRA report provides an overview of the e-cigarette/vape market, examines different forms of taxation by state, and assesses the limitations of these taxes in bolstering state budgets, as well as the possibility for future federal regulation.
Key findings of the report include:
While the number of states that have implemented e-cigarette and vape device taxes has grown, these tax revenues represent only a small fraction of the traditional cigarette market size. Vaping tax collections still contribute a negligible percentage of current governmental revenues for U.S. states.
Taxation methods vary among states and localities due to the uniqueness of vaping and tobacco alternative products.
While a vapor excise tax regime could provide additional sources of revenue for states and localities, there are concerns surrounding states relying on these revenues as long-term solutions to close their budget gaps.
Increased federal regulations on vapor products, as well as the implementation of a federal excise tax, are probable in the years to come, which could potentially curb usage and associated tax revenue collections at the state level.
The KBRA report provides an overview of the e-cigarette/vape market, examines different forms of taxation by state, and assesses the limitations of these taxes in bolstering state budgets, as well as the possibility for future federal regulation.
March 21, 2023
U.S. Senator Accuses Elf Bar of Advertising to Youth

Sen. Charles Schumer
A prominent U.S. senator is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to investigate an e-cigarette company because he believes it’s skirting American advertising laws.
Sen. Chuck Schumer says Elf Bar products are is wrapped in colorful packaging to attract youth and it hooks them with kid-friendly flavors like peach mango, cotton candy and vanilla ice cream, according to a Sunday statement.
“While the FDA has done much to snuff out the worst kinds of e-cigs that can hook kids, like Juul, there are clear workarounds and illegal methods being used by sneaky actors like Elf Bar,” Schumer said in the statement.
“Elf Bar is littering TikTok and Instagram, using influencers they pay directly, to push the e-cig to kids and teens,” he continued. “This kind of ploy might totally evade FDA advertising rules, and we have to get ahead of it.”
Schumer said Elf Bar may be even worse than Juul given its “shoddy manufacturing, the risk of counterfeit products and its risk for mislabeled nicotine levels.”
In the UK, Elf Bar was found to be selling e-cigarettes with volumes more than 50 percent over the UK’s legal limit after an investigation. The Chinese vaping giant admitted “inadvertently” breaking the law and ‘wholeheartedly apologized’ following lab tests of its 600 brand of disposable vape pens.
Recently, another Elfbar brand is being pulled from U.K. store shelves after finding the products surpass the legal limit for e-liquid volumes.
March 20, 2023
Lawmakers in U.S. Congress File Bills to Regulate CBD

Credit: Dogora Sun
Congressional lawmakers in the U.S. have refiled a pair of bills meant to provide a pathway for the regulation of hemp derivatives like CBD as dietary supplements and food and beverage additives.
The two measures that were filed on Friday—the Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act and the CBD Product Safety and Standardization Act—are being sponsored by Reps. Morgan Griffith and Angie Craig, according to Marijuana Moment.
Earlier versions of the bills were filed last Congress and ultimately did not advance, but advocates and industry stakeholders feel that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent announcement that it wouldn’t be taking steps to regulate CBD will put pressure on lawmakers to act this time around.
The Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act would mandate that hemp, hemp-derived CBD and other derivatives from the federally legal cannabis plant would be made lawful as dietary supplements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).
The CBD Product Safety and Standardization Act, meanwhile, would require FDA to develop rules and hold a public comment period on the maximum amount of hemp-derived CBD that could be added to a food item or beverage per serving, labeling and packaging requirements and the “conditions of intended use,” the text of the legislation states.
March 20, 2023
COP Delegations Urged to Include Consumer Input

Photo: Oleg
Country delegations to the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) should include at least one consumer of safer nicotine products, according to the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).
In a letter to their respective countries’ FCTC delegations, CAPHRA member organizations stressed the importance of listening to consumers. “Consumers are an untapped experience and knowledgebase who are not represented inclusively in the FCTC process,” the letter states. “Delegates to COP10 should be representing the rights and aspirations of the citizens.”
CAPHRA insists that adults have the right to make choices that help them avoid adverse health outcomes and people who smoke have the right to access less harmful nicotine products as alternatives to combustible and unsafe tobacco. What’s more, they have the right to participate in the policy making process that directly impacts their right to health and wellbeing, the letter notes.
CAPHRA Executive Director Nancy Loucas said that exclusion of consumer voices has contributed to misinformation, disinformation and failures of tobacco control policy.
“Millions have successfully used vaping to move away from combustibles and unsafe oral nicotine products, yet the FCTC looks set to bury its head in the sand again at COP10. CAPHRA believes visiting delegations must include a consumer voice to give at least some balance to all the misinformation,” says Loucas.
COP10 will be held in Panama in November.
March 20, 2023
Flavored Vaping Ban Bill in Maine Gaining Support

Maine State House (Credit: Jovannig)
A proposal to ban all flavored vaping and other tobacco products in Maine is gaining momentum, with key lawmakers from both sides of the aisle lining up behind the bill.
The legislation sponsored by State Sen. Jill Duson is supported by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross and Senate President Troy Jackson, according to Union Leader.
It was printed on Friday, revealing details of the proposal for the first time. Committee meetings and public hearings will be scheduled in the coming weeks.
The measure would ban the use of all flavors in all vaping and other tobacco products sold in Maine, other than tobacco flavor. The ban would also include menthol.
Bill supporters say that the flavors are added to the products to attract teens and get them hooked on nicotine, even though vaping products are illegal for those under 21 to purchase.
Opponents say it would simply drive people out of state to buy flavored tobacco, which they argue should be available to adults who turn to vaping as a way to quit smoking.
Several cities in Maine have already banned flavored tobacco products.
Bar Harbor become the fifth town in the U.S. state to ban flavored tobacco products earlier this month.
Portland, South Portland, Brunswick, and Bangor have also voted for similar bans.
March 19, 2023
SKE Crystal Pulled From UK Shelves for E-Liquid Volumes

The disposable vape brand SKE Crystal has been pulled from sale at One Stop and Booker stores in tyhe UK. The products reportedly contain more than the regulatory maximum amount of nicotine e-liquid.
The Grocer reported that multiple independent lab tests had found SKE Crystal devices to contain significantly more than the permitted 2ml of liquid.
Testing commissioned by tobacco company BAT of 15 SKE Crystal Blue Razz Lemonade flavoured devices bought at two One Stop stores in Hereford and Worksop, and a Sainsbury’s store in Leeds, found all contained more than 2ml of liquid.
In one case, a device had a total fill volume of 3.26ml, more than 60 percent over the permitted maximum.
Separate testing supplied by a senior industry source 14 SKE Crystal disposable variants – including Watermelon Strawberry Bubblegum, Fresh Menthol Mojito and Bull Ice – found all contained more than 3ml of nicotine juice.
Lab tests of all SKE Crystal SKUs by Adact Medical, commissioned by vape wholesaler Phoenix 2 Retail and shared with The Grocer, found only one flavour variant – Sour Apple – was found to have a non-compliant tank capacity.
One Stop and Booker – which are both owned by Tesco – have temporarily removed three SKE Crystal variants from sale as a precautionary measure while further tests are carried out by its supplier. The flavours pulled from shelves are: Sour Apple, Pink Lemonade and Bull Ice.
Previously, Elfbar and its subsidiary Lost Mary had its products pulled from UK shelves after testing confirmed that they had more then the maximum allowed for e-liquids.
March 19, 2023