Tag: news

Ector County, Texas Approves Vapor Sales in Jails

Credit: Lucitanija
The Ector County Commissioners Court approved selling e-cigarettes to inmates at the Ector Law Enforcement Center..
“Their correction grade, the inmate they’ve gotta barcode on it they will scan it the inmate has to give this particular unit back to get another one if it’s altered in any way they won’t get another one,” said Sheriff Mike Griffis, according to CBS7.
All of the revenue will go towards the jail, at no expense to taxpayers, Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett says it will offset costs to keep the inmates locked up.
“The supplies it takes to pay for the inmates, their beds, their pillows, all those types of things taxpayers are on foot for so we are certainly going to look to relieve all taxpayer items to the best of our ability,” said Fawcett.
Griffis says their buying the e-cigarettes at $3.85 a piece selling them for around $14. They’ll start with 1,000 and see how it goes…
“I hope we sell a bunch of them and make a lot of money. The vendor said y’all may make $1 million a year selling these,” said Griffis.
One e-cigarette is equivalent to one pack of cigarettes.
Fawcett says other counties have used this before, as the e-cigarettes act as a behavioral tool.
“Whenever you have inmates who cooperate who are on good terms it helps with our jailing numbers, our staff when you have good inmates you don’t see as much turnover with staff,” said Fawcett.
Griffis says the e-cigarettes are fairly indestructible, basic enough to hopefully not pose a safety threat.
April 14, 2023
Cannabis Business Expo to be Held With InterTabac

The Cannabis Business Expo 2023 (CB Expo) will be held alongside the 2023 InterTabac trade fair in Dortmund, Germany.
CB Expo 2023 will use the Kongresszentrum, part of the Westfalenhallen expo center complex, on Saturday, Sept. 16, the final day of InterTabac. A reception is scheduled for Friday, reports Charlie Minato of Halfwheel.
“The main focus of this year’s CB Expo will be on the proposed legalizations of cannabis for recreational use in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Malta and Luxembourg,” said an announcement from Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe GmbH, which owns both InterTabac and the exhibition space. “The event offers an excellent opportunity to learn about and discuss the latest developments and trends in the European cannabis industry.”
InterTabac is an international trade show for the vaping and tobacco industries. Organizers expect 13,000 attendees for InterTabac and InterSupply—which covers the machinery and equipment side—while 1,000 tickets are available for CB Expo.
The 2021 and 2022 versions of CB Expo were held in Zurich, Switzerland.
InterTabac 2023 takes place Sept 14-16 in Dortmund.
April 14, 2023
Panama Rejects Proposal to Regulate Vape Products

Credit: Hanohiki
Authorities in Panama have rejected a proposal to regulate vaping products. In March, the Panamanian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association together with citizens who use vaping products presented a proposal for the regulation of electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS) in order to modify Law 315 of June 30, 2022, which prevents the more than 170,000 Panamanian smokers from using ENDS products.
The proposal was rejected by the Technical Secretariat of Economic Affairs, which issued an unfavorable report. According to the report, the government believes that Panama should continue with the strategy set by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and reject the use of reduced-risk products to help smokers quit.
The report also justified its decision to reject the proposal on the grounds that they follow the legislation of countries such as Mexico and Argentina.
Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, said the government of Panama continues to ignore users and science. Tobacco harm reduction should be an indispensable element in the fight against smoking.
“Science has already proven that vaping is far less harmful than smoking and is the most effective therapy for quitting tobacco,” Landl said in an email. “The thousands of Panamanian vapers are proof of this. Panama should follow the example of countries that are succeeding in defeating smoking, such as the United Kingdom or Sweden, which is about to become the first tobacco-free country in the world, instead of copying the failure of Argentina and Mexico.”
The rejected proposal also looked to guarantee users’ access to a legal market free of contraband. Currently, the black market is gaining prominence and it is estimated that smuggling reaches 80 percent of the trade of combustion cigarettes and 100 percent of the trade of smoke-free devices, according to the president of the Panama Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, Tomás Sánchez.
“Since last year’s ban, thousands of users of reduced-risk products have been forced to return to tobacco smoking or purchase their products illegally on the black market, where there are no guarantees of quality and safety,” Sánchez wrote in an email. “The ban has been a failure for public health and the Panamanian government needs to correct its position as soon as possible to allow smokers access to an alternative. Their response shows that they do not understand tobacco harm reduction and are unwilling to listen to users, who are the main victims of the ban.”
April 13, 2023
New Resources to Help Submit PMTA Amendments

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) has created two new resources to help applicants prepare and submit amendments to their premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs): Fact Sheet—Amendment Tips: Completing Form FDA 4057a and Video—Using the CTP Portal.
The fact sheet provides quick tips for completing Form FDA 4057a—Premarket Tobacco Product Application Amendment and General Correspondence Submission. In most circumstances, the CTP can only accept PMTA amendments for review that include Form FDA 4057a. In general, when submitting amendments for a PMTA, the FDA will review the required Form FDA 4057a first. If required content is missing from the form, the FDA may not continue reviewing the amendment.
The video provides an overview of the CTP Portal and how to use it, including how to find application submission tracking numbers online.
Recently, CTP Director Brian King outlined several new actions to enhance the center’s efficiency, effectiveness and transparency. These activities include enhanced communication on scientific issues and practices. By providing these new resources, the CTP is aiming to better support applicants navigating the PMTA process.
April 13, 2023
Broughton Joins UKVIA, Launches Compliance Package

Broughton has joined the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) as the 2023 vaping awareness month, VApril, kicks off. Nveed Chaudhary, chief scientific and regulatory officer at Broughton, attended a meeting of industry experts at the Houses of Parliament to encourage more regulatory rigor in applying U.K. vape regulation to protect consumers, according to a press release. The event provided a platform for key stakeholders to discuss the current state of the vaping industry and explore ways to improve public health outcomes.
“Recent compliance issues with some manufacturers could impact consumer trust in vapes in the U.K.,” said John Dunne, UKVIA director. “Quality control and analytical testing experts Broughton joining UKVIA at this time illustrates the importance of product quality and safety to ensuring the continued transition of smokers away from cigarettes.
“At UKVIA, we believe vapes have a key role to play in helping reduce death and disease caused by smoking. Ensuring vape safety is of the utmost importance to us and our members, and as a group, we’re advocating for stronger action against noncompliant vapes. This should include faster removal of noncompliant products, complete testing of products and greater penalties for manufacturers and retailers who break the rules.”
Broughton has also introduced a new U.K. and European Union Vape Compliance Package to help address concerns about vape regulatory compliance. The service will focus on labeling, packaging, nicotine strength, fill volume and banned ingredients.
Manufacturers, distributors and retailers who use the compliance package will receive a Certificate of Analysis that verifies their products’ compliance with current U.K. or EU regulations.
April 12, 2023
CTP Ends Public Hearing on Manufacturing Rules
Courtesy: US FDA
On April 12, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) held an online public hearing regarding its recently released proposed rule on “Requirements for Tobacco Product Manufacturing Practice.”
This public hearing was scheduled when the CTP issued the proposed rule on March 10.
The hearing began with introductory comments by CTP Director Brian King. In addition to welcoming the participants and audience to the hearing, King noted that the CTP has been designing this proposed rule since 2011. Following King was Matthew Brenner, CTP senior regulatory counsel.
Brenner summarized the proposed rule and highlighted the definitions of a “finished tobacco product” and a “bulk tobacco product” with regard to the rule. Emil Wang, senior advisor for manufacturing and regulatory policy at the CTP’s Office of Compliance, concluded the introductory session by detailing the timeline of the proposed rule.
The proposed rule’s 180-day public comment period is between March 10 and Sept. 6, 2023. The effective date for the regulation would be two years after the final rule is published in the Federal Register. For small manufacturers (those manufacturers with fewer than 350 employees), the effective date for the regulation would be six years after the final rule is published in the Federal Register.
The public comment session featured the following scheduled participants (in order):
James O’Reilly—professor of public health policy at the University of Cincinnati. O’Reilly called the proposed rule “comprehensive” and noted that the CTP needs to add another $100 million in additional staff to properly enforce this rule. O’Reilly also called on the CTP to coordinate with other federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, to handle foreign chemical imports that relate to this rule.
Drew Newman—JC Newman. The premium cigar maker representative highlighted four items: flexibility is required as each tobacco product differs from one another; recordkeeping is lengthy and costly; qualifying suppliers such as tobacco leaf growers will be difficult; and batch coding for final products will prove very difficult for the premium cigar industry.
Hiuyu Shi—e-cigarette manufacturer from Shenzhen, China. Shi noted that foreign components will be very difficult to regulate and monitor. One example was the difference in water quality between nations.
Laura Searcy—National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Searcy supports the proposed rule.
Gabby Kaife—Boutique Cigar Association. Kaife is against the proposed rule.
Jason Hodge—former smoker and current vaper. Hodge is against the proposed rule.
Joshua Habursky—deputy executive director of the Cigar Association. Habursky is against the proposed rule.
Meredith Berkman—Parents Against Vaping. Berkman supports the proposed rule.
Maham Akbar—The Truth Initiative. Akbar supports the proposed rule.
Connor Fuchs—Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Fuchs supports the proposed rule and notes that the timeline is too long and should be shortened.
Mark Anton—e-cigarette/vapor product manufacturer. Anton believes that sections of the proposed rule conflict with previous statements by the CTP. Also, he believes that the burden has been shifted from the regulator to the manufacturer.
Patrick Murphy—vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at Reynolds American Inc. (RAI). Murphy calls for further refinement and guidance to the proposed rule. He calls for more clarity in several sections and better processes that are product dependent. RAI will forward its notes in a written comment.
Michelle Paige—tobacco chemist. Paige discussed storage conditions and stability issues regarding electronic nicotine-delivery system liquids. Further product standards are needed in this area.
Sammy Hamdouche—Lucy, manufacturer of oral nicotine products. Hamdouche called the regulation onerous for small manufacturers such as his company. Further labor for his company and their suppliers could eliminate parts or potentially all of their business. Costs could be 10-fold for these processes for his company. Predetermined acceptance criteria could be one solution. The CTP has wide latitude to make this rule more flexible, but Hamdouche is not optimistic.
Ron Tully—tobacco industry consultant. Tully believes that the proposed rule should recognize manufacturers of different products and sizes. Small manufacturers could face financial disaster with this rule.
Pamela Ling—professor at the University of California at San Francisco. Ling supports the proposed rule. She also calls to strengthen the section of the rule regarding storage procedures and shelf life.
Pamela Granger—anti-tobacco activist. Granger supports the proposed rule.
The public comment session featured the following additional participants who missed their original slotted time (in order):
Jason Hodge concluded his earlier diatribe
Delores Orlando—Florida Smoke-Free Association and vape shop owner. Orlando is against portions of the proposed rule.
On May 18, 2023, the CTP’s Tobacco Product Scientific Advisory Committee will meet the discuss the proposed rule on “Requirements for Tobacco Product Manufacturing Practice.”
April 12, 2023
Juul Labs to Pay $462 Million to Six US States

Credit: Steheap
Juul Labs Inc has agreed to pay $462 million to settle claims by six U.S. states including New York and California that it unlawfully marketed its products to minors, the states announced on Wednesday.
With the deal, Juul has now settled with 45 states for more than $1 billion. The company did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, which also included Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts and New Mexico as well as the District of Columbia.
Juul announced on Dec. 6 it has secured an investment to cover the cost of the settlement. The company has been in talks with two early investors to fund a bailout that would cover legal liabilities.
The states had accused Juul of falsely marketing its e-cigarettes as less addictive than cigarettes and targeted minors with glamorous advertising campaigns, according to Reuters.
“Juul’s lies led to a nationwide public health crisis and put addictive products in the hands of minors who thought they were doing something harmless,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said at a news conference.
The company said that use of its products by people under age 18 had fallen by 95 percent since the fall of 2019, when it changed its marketing practices as part of a “company-wide reset.”
In September, Juul Labs agreed to pay nearly $440 million to settle a two-year investigation by 33 U.S. states into the marketing of its vaping products.
Juul’s e-cigarettes were briefly banned in the U.S. in late June after the FDA concluded that the company had failed to show that the sale of its products would be appropriate for public health. But following an appeal, the health regulator put the ban on hold and agreed to an additional review of Juul’s marketing application.
In October, Juul published the details of its MDO appeal. In late September, Juul shareholder Altria Group exercised the option to be released from its noncompete deal with the e-cigarette maker.
Last month, Altria Group exchanged its entire investment in Juul Labs for a non-exclusive, irrevocable global license to certain of Juul’s heated tobacco intellectual property.
April 12, 2023
Serbia to Fine Retailers Selling Vapes to Youth

Credit: Bits and Splits
Sellers of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products will be fined around €430 ($469) for selling to minors, according to a recent amendment to the Law on Consumer Protection.
In Serbia, minors can purchase e-cigarettes and other products such as vapes in local markets, kiosks, and even in coffee shops, though sellers will now be fined for selling them, according to EurActive.
“In the legislative system of the Republic of Serbia, this issue is not regulated. There is no definition of electronic cigarettes and other products with or without nicotine, as well as a ban on selling them to minors. This is precisely why the urgent need for regulatory action, which is being implemented now, is emphasized,” Serbia’s Internal and Foreign Trade Ministry stated.
The relevant ministry announced that it is starting to work on amendments to the Law on Consumer Protection in this part because it believes that this is the solution to a major national problem.
“The main goal is to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes and other products to minors, as a particularly sensitive category. In this way, sanctions will also be enabled in the case of the sale, service and gifting of these products,” the Ministry stated.
With the new decision, a merchant will be fined 50,000 dinars (around €430) if they sell to a minor, the Ministry said.
The popularity of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems among non-smoking youth and adults represents a significant public health problem, as they encourage nicotine addiction and expose users to carcinogenic substances.
They also increase the likelihood that individuals will start using other tobacco products, such as cigarettes, according to the Ministry.
“The conclusion of all conducted research is that by consuming an electronic cigarette, with or without nicotine filling, not only water vapor is sent into the air, but also a number of chemicals. The harmful effects of these products reflect on the health of individuals and intensively spread to all components of the environment,” it added.
The change in the law will prohibit the sale, service and gifting of electronic cigarettes with or without nicotine as well as other products intended for smoking, snorting, sucking, chewing, or inhaling vapor to persons under 18. It is also prohibited for persons under 18 to sell them.
April 12, 2023
Texas House Bill Would Ban Vaping at Colleges

Credit: C5Media
A bill introduced in the Texas House of Representatives would ban the use of all tobacco and vaping products at colleges and universities in the state of Texas by Aug. 1, 2024.
Rep. Suleman Lalani has introduced H.B. 3124, requiring “each institution of higher education shall adopt a policy prohibiting the use” of tobacco products and e-cigarettes by Aug. 1, 2024, according to Charlie Minato of Halfwheel.
The bill received a public hearing Monday in the Texas House’s Higher Education Committee. It currently does not appear to have any additional sponsors.
The five largest universities in the state all have some sort of tobacco-free policy on campus though some—Texas A&M and UT Arlington—are stricter than others like the University of Houston.
April 12, 2023
Numerous Vape Shops Close After Taiwan Vape Ban

Credit: Yao Photograph
Since the vaping ban was enacted in Taiwan on March 22, 15 out of 44 vape shops in Kaohsiung City have closed, according to the city’s Department of Health.
Among the city’s 44 stores, 10 have completely shut down their businesses while 15 have closed their doors, according to media reports. The rest of the stores have switched to selling other products, as the store owners said that the fines are too high to risk, according to Taiwan News.
In addition to intensive inspections of physical stores, the health department is monitoring online sales and social media advertisements. So far, one violator who made e-cigarette advertisements will be interviewed and fined.
The amended regulations to Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act ban e-cigarettes entirely, raise the smoking age to 20 and increase penalties for violators.
According to the new regulations, manufacturing or importing e-cigarettes is punishable by a fine of up to NT$50 million ($1.65 million). Advertising agencies, media, and advertisers are subject to a maximum fine of NT$2 million if they are caught advertising unsanctioned tobacco products.
Selling or displaying unsanctioned tobacco products is punishable by a maximum fine of NT$1 million. The fine for supplying novel tobacco products and their paraphernalia is NT$10,000 to NT$250,000, and vaping is punishable by a fine between NT$2,000 and NT$10,000.
April 12, 2023