Tag: European Union

  • TED Input: 84% of Submissions Warn of Higher Vape Tax

    TED Input: 84% of Submissions Warn of Higher Vape Tax

    On the heels of a recently ended consultation on the update of the Tobacco Excise Directive (TED), the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) strongly urges policymakers to stay away from equating smoking tobacco and vaping, especially when it comes to taxation.

    EU Euro lights
    Credit: Tabrez Syed

    The TED update lays out the European Commission’s intention to tax vaping products similarly to how cigarettes are taxed.

    “Making vaping less appealing to smokers by higher prices will discourage current smokers from switching to less harmful alternatives,” said WVA director Michael Landl. “This is certainly not going to be of any public health benefit. Additionally, high taxes on vaping products are particularly harmful to the lower income brackets of the population, which make up the largest proportion of current smokers.”

    The consultation ended on 5 January and out of 134 responses from citizens, associations and industry, 113 (84 percent) referenced the positive impacts of vaping and the serious negative impact that taxing it the same as cigarettes would have, according to EUreporter.com.

    “I am delighted by the overwhelming number of responses in favour of vaping to this consultation,” Landl said. “It shows that many people know the potential for harm reduction of vaping. What policymakers need now to understand is that tax hikes on vaping will lead to people switching back to smoking, an outcome absolutely nobody wishes for.

    “Therefore, for the WVA it is important that non-combustible products are not regulated and taxed the same way combustible tobacco is. Lawmakers need to follow the scientific evidence and abstain from tighter regulation and higher taxation of vaping products.

    “If we want to reduce smoking induced burdens on public health, access and affordability to vaping products need to be guaranteed,” Landl concluded.

  • EU Menthol Ban Could Help Smokers Switch

    EU Menthol Ban Could Help Smokers Switch

    Photo: VPZ

    U.K. vapor industry representatives are hoping that the EU ban on menthol cigarettes that comes into force today will encourage more smokers to transition to less-hazardous vapor products.

    The ban of menthol cigarettes comes from the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), banning all cigarettes and rolling tobacco with “characterizing flavor” other than traditional tobacco.

    The ban originates from a range of tobacco control measures approved by the European Parliament in 2013, with revisions including mandating the banning of menthol cigarettes by 2022.

    In the U.K. there are an estimated 1.3 million menthol cigarette smokers.

    Research by the U.K. Vaping Industry Association, the largest trade domestic body representing the sector, shows that menthol vapor products sold by its retail and wholesale members represent an average of 16.5 percent of all sales and nearly double this number, at 30.75 percent, for manufacturers producing such products.

    The data suggests that menthol cigarettes are used by up to 12.4 percent of smokers in England, while global sales in 2018 exceeded $80bn. Currently, some 14.4 percent of the adult population in England smoke and there are some 7m smokers across the UK.

    Doug Mutter

    “I think in normal circumstances this move could have had the potential to significantly reduce smoking rates in the U.K.,” said Doug Mutter, director of manufacturing and compliance at VPZ, a leading vapor company in the U.K.

    “However, with vaping stores closed and stop smoking services shut, it remains to be seen how we can engage menthol smokers and encourage them to make the switch.

    “This is the biggest change to tobacco law since plain packing was introduced.

    “For the vaping industry it presents an opportunity to help smokers finally make the switch, and whilst that will be harder with stores still closed, we believe that vaping presents the best opportunity to stamp out cigarettes for good.

    “VPZ has built a digital platform for advice and guidance on smokers switching to vaping for the first time as well as how to pick the best products to help them quit.

    “We are expecting a growth in the number of new vapers in the U.K, so it was important to us to use our expert staff to help create a guide for menthol smokers looking to quit through vaping.

    “From which device best suits your needs to what strength of nicotine is required, we have tried to cover as many questions as possible. We have even put together some starter kits covering all categories to help with any first-time decision as we appreciate the first step can be daunting, without the opportunity to visit one of our stores.

    “It will be difficult for many people just now because vape stores are closed and the temptation to go back to traditional cigarettes is everywhere.  We are talking about over one million people in the UK will now not have their menthol cigarettes available and we hope that they are beginning to research which stop smoking products can best help them quit.

    “Our message to smokers across the country is that the best time to quit cigarettes is now.”

  • Juul Labs to Exit South Korea, 5 EU Markets

    Juul Labs to Exit South Korea, 5 EU Markets

    Juul Labs said today it would end operations in South Korea, a year after it entered the market. The company states the cause was its inability to gain market share amid government health warnings.

    In a statement, Juul Labs stated that since the beginning of the year it was working through a restructuring process aimed a re-establishing a viable business in South Korea by significantly reducing costs and making changes to its products.

    “However, these innovations will not be available as anticipated,” the statement said. “As a result, we intend to cease our operations in South Korea.”

    In October last year, South Korea’s health ministry advised people to stop vaping because of growing health concerns, especially after a case of pneumonia was reported in a 30-year-old e-cigarette user that month, according to Reuters news article.

    The announcement prompted convenience store chains and duty free shops to suspend the sale of flavored liquid e-cigarettes, including those made by Juul Labs.

    In December, South Korean health authorities said they had found vitamin E acetate, which may be linked to lung illnesses, in some liquid e-cigarette products made by Juul Labs, but the company denied using the material, according to Reuters.

    Juul Labs launched a product portfolio that was specifically developed for the Korean market in May 2019, but “our performance has not met expectations in terms of meeting the needs of our Korean adult smokers to successfully transition from combustible cigarettes,” according to the statement. “We have learned through this process and are focused on innovating our product portfolio.”

    Juul Labs is also reportedly ready to withdraw from a handful of EU markets as well, claiming the regulatory environment has become overly hostile to the device.

    According to BuzzFeed News, Juul will soon remove its products from shelves in Austria, Belgium, Portugal, France, and Spain.

    The news outlet reports the European Union’s strict requirement that e-cigs contain no more than 20 milligrams of nicotine makes it difficult for Juul to do business there.

    Austria, Belgium, and Portugal are very small markets for Juul, but the leading e-cig manufacturer generates significant sales from France and Spain. It will exit France by the end of the year, but withdraw from the other countries in July, paring its presence in global markets to a narrow selection that includes Germany, Italy, Russia, and the U.K.