Tag: news

  • Canada Drops Findings From First Vape Legislation Review

    Canada Drops Findings From First Vape Legislation Review

    The results of Canada’s first legislative review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) has been submitted to its Parliament. The review focuses primarily on the vaping-related provisions of the TVPA, which includes an obligation for a legislative review three years after coming into force, followed by subsequent reviews every two years, according to a government press release.   

    Brought forth by the Honorable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, the review is informed by public consultations and available evidence, which included peer-reviewed scientific journal publications, population-level surveys, and public opinion research.

    “Vaping products offer the 3.8 million Canadians who smoke a less harmful source of nicotine than tobacco products, and do help people to stop smoking. These products, however, are not without risk — particularly to youth and people who do not smoke cigarettes,” Bennett said. “This first legislative review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act is a valuable opportunity to take stock of the progress we’ve made to address youth vaping – but there is more to do. Our government will continue to work to put the right safeguards in place to protect young people from the harms of vaping and nicotine addiction.”  

    The review’s findings suggest that the TVPA is making progress towards meeting the objectives it set out in relation to vaping. Notably, youth vaping rates, which were rising at a rapid pace, have leveled off over the past two years yet remain relatively high with more work to be done to protect youth.

    • The TVPA was implemented in 2018 to respond to the increasing availability of vaping products in Canada and to help ensure that Canadians would be informed about and protected from the health hazards associated with vaping. It regulates the manufacture, sale, labelling and promotion of vaping products sold in Canada.
    • The TVPA includes a requirement for a legislative review three years after coming-into-force, and every two years thereafter. Periodic reviews provide a means to examine and respond to tobacco and/or vaping related issues that may emerge over time.
    • The review was informed by a public consultation that ran from March 16, 2022 to April 27, 2022. Canadians were encouraged to provide feedback on a TVPA Legislative Review Discussion Paper. Health Canada received 3,092 submissions as part of the public consultation.
    • Information to help Canadians to quit smoking is available at Canada.ca/quitsmoking.
    • Health Canada provided financial support to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to develop Lower-Risk Nicotine Use Guidelines. The Guidelines recommend that people who smoke cigarettes should try to quit using approved smoking cessation treatments first. If they are unable or unwilling to quit, vaping or e-cigarettes can be considered.

    The review also identified areas for potential action, including examining access to vaping products by youth, communicating the potential benefits of vaping as a less harmful source of nicotine for people who smoke.

    The report suggest smokers completely switch to vaping and addresses the health hazards, strengthening compliance and enforcement, and the scientific and product uncertainty in order to better understand the vaping product market and the health impacts of vaping.

  • Global Hemp Market May Reach $18.6 Billion by 2027

    Global Hemp Market May Reach $18.6 Billion by 2027

    Photo: Kaylen Settles

    The global hemp market could reach $18.6 billion by 2027 if nations around the world take action to clarify the crop’s legal status and address other key issues, according to an extensive report on the industry from the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD).

    Citing figures from researcher Krungsri Research Intelligence, a part of Bangkok-based Bank of Ayudhya, the report suggests the next five years could see the market value of hemp quadruple from the estimated $4.7 billion recorded in 2020, as reported by Hemp Today.

    The UNCTAD report addresses:

    • Information: More transparency is needed for the hemp industry, including public data about production of hemp across all outputs, country-specific data, and pricing, the report’s authors advise.

    “At the international level, there is a clear need to improve availability and accessibility of information. Efforts should be devoted to improving the current state of information about all aspects of this commodity.

    “Additional categories need to be included to cover, for instance, hemp seeds, hemp seed oil, hemp seed products, hemp oleoresins and essential oils,” according to the report.

    • Sustainability: The report also suggests that environmental and social considerations are “core to the success of any hemp-related policy” and therefore should be taken into account in broader legal and regulatory frameworks.

    “In order to ensure a sustainable hemp sector globally hemp farming can offer environmental benefits that can be considered in policies aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change and restoring healthy ecosystems,” the report observes.

    As hemp cultivation can help to maximize the use of land, it may also contribute to increasing the incomes of farmers and rural communities, especially in developing countries, the report notes.

    • Industrial strategy: A whole-plant strategy for hemp should be considered in most parts of the world, UNCTAD recommends, noting “this is all the more desirable because of the still relatively small size of hemp markets and the economic constraints inherent in such markets.”

    A whole-plant approach can mean business in both primary and secondary markets, and hemp farming could be further monetized by integrating carbon credit schemes on a voluntary basis, the paper also observes.

    The 84-page report defines the steps that governments can take to capitalize on hemp for its economic and social potential, gives an overview of industrial hemp by output categories, and shows how those hemp subsector derivatives are reflected in trade statistics.

    “Hemp value chains can boost growth in rural areas and contribute to both manufacturing and food-processing industries. However, to fully exploit such potentialities, countries may have to take specific actions,” according to the report, which marks the first time an international intergovernmental body has issued a paper promoting the use of industrial hemp.

    The report also addresses the legal issues surrounding hemp. Clarifying the legal status of hemp as a non-intoxicant is the first step governments need to take in order to minimize legal and financial risks for producers, the report observes.

    “Cultivation of non-intoxicant C. Sativa L. cultivars should be permitted in all countries even though it may require strict governmental control. Moreover, an approach favoring THC threshold in final products, rather than in the field, should be adopted to incentivize a whole-plant approach and uses,” the report says.

    Alternatively, increased THC thresholds for crops “on the field” up to levels scientifically recognized as non-intoxicant could be put in place by lawmakers. “This would allow increasing the pool of varieties useable in hemp production chains, thus de facto increasing the possibility to cultivate cultivars best adapted to specific environmental conditions and characteristics,” according to the report.

    Other production constraints imposed by regulatory frameworks also must be identified, and strategies should be developed for regional cooperation to establish viable and sustainable value chains, the report also suggests.

  • Juul Labs Settlement Reported to be $1.2-$1.7 Billion

    Juul Labs Settlement Reported to be $1.2-$1.7 Billion

    Credit: Zimmytws

    The media reports vary. What can be discerned is that Juul Labs has settled more than 5,000 lawsuits for the sum of between $1.2 billion and $1.7 billion.

    New York Times reports that Juul Labs Inc. has agreed to pay $1.7 billion to settle more than 5,000 lawsuits by school districts, local governments and individuals, which claimed that its e-cigarettes were more addictive than advertised, according to people with knowledge of the deal.

    Bloomberg reports Juul Labs has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to resolve about 10,000 lawsuits targeting the e-cigarette maker as a major cause of a U.S. youth-vaping epidemic, according to people with knowledge of the deal.

    The San Francisco Examiner reports that the e-cigarette maker faced more than 8,000 lawsuits suits brought by individuals and families of Juul users, school districts, city governments and Native American tribes. This week’s settlement resolves most of those cases, which had been consolidated in a California federal court pending several bellwether trials.

    The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story, reported that Juul Labs settled more than 5,000 lawsuits covering more than 10,000 individual plaintiffs on Dec. 6. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    Juul Labs announced in a press release that it has reached settlements with plaintiffs in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) and related “Juul Labs Product Cases” (JCCP) that have been consolidated in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Juul Labs did not disclose any amounts.

    “These settlements represent a major step toward strengthening Juul Labs’ operations and securing the company’s path forward to fulfill its mission to transition adult smokers away from combustible cigarettes while combating underage use,” the company wrote. 

    The global resolution covers more than 5,000 cases brought by approximately 10,000 plaintiffs against Juul Labs and its officers and directors, according to Juul Labs.

    Over the past year, Juul Labs also has settled with 37 states and territories and remains in ongoing discussions with other key stakeholders to resolve the remaining litigation, according to the release.

    The amount for the deal, which involves a consolidation of cases centered in Northern California, is more than three times the sum reported for other Juul Labs settlements in other state and local cases thus far, according to the New York Times.

    The deal resolves much of the legal uncertainty that had driven the company close to bankruptcy.

    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.

    According to Juul CEO K.C. Crosthwaite, the settlement addresses the vast majority of outstanding litigation facing the company, including two pending bellwether trials that were set to go to court early next year, and four broad groups: personal-injury plaintiffs, Juul consumers, government entities such as school districts, and Native American tribes. Lawsuits brought by several attorneys general are pending. 

    A pioneer in the vaping business, Juul Labs has gone from dominating the U.S. e-cigarette market to fighting for its survival in a relatively short time.

  • FastTech Falls as China’s Vape Rules Slow Sales

    FastTech Falls as China’s Vape Rules Slow Sales

    Credit: Nikolay N. Antonov

    Chinese online retailer FastTech is closing in the wake of strict new vaping regulations, reports Vaping360.

    In a Dec. 5 post on its customer forum, the discounter blames restrictions introduced after the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration took control of China’s vaping business. The new measures have increased uncertainty, preventing the company from remaining competitive, according to firm.

    China outlawed domestic online vape sales in 2019. The measure was followed by a licensing and sales regulations, along with the new tax scheme. Hong Kong’s ban on importing Chinese vape products for air shipping to export destinations—which is currently being reconsidered—may also have affected FastTech, which shipped many of its products through the city.

    FastTech sold Chinese-made vape products, including many semi-legal clones and copies of well-known products, to overseas customers at sometimes near-wholesale prices, and shipped them inexpensively

    According to Vaping360, there remain a number of FastTech competitors in China operating on a similar business model.

    In October, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily claimed many businesses closed because of the implementation of China’s National Standard for Electronic Cigarettes have begun.

  • COP10 Delegates Urged to Consider Harm Reduction

    COP10 Delegates Urged to Consider Harm Reduction

    Photo: lovelyday12

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates’ (CAPHRA) nine member organizations have written to Framework Convention for Tobacco Control delegation heads from around the world, urging them to review the evidence that supports a tobacco harm reduction (THR) approach ahead of COP10.

    With governments sending delegates to COP10 in November 2023, CAPHRA was keen to send leaders comprehensive reference material for their COP10 planning, submission writing and deliberations.

    COP10 will held in Panama and is hosted by the World Health Organization’s FCTC.

    ‘We do this on behalf of the four million current users of safer nicotine products in the wider Asia Pacific region. As you are aware, our region bears the brunt of the harm and death from combustible and unsafe oral tobacco globally,’ said the letter.

    The CAPHRA representatives reminded the health leaders that the FCTC has a mandate to pursue harm reduction as a core tobacco control policy.

    “It has been known for decades that tar and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke, cause the death and disease associated with smoking, not nicotine. Research has proven that nicotine, while usually mildly addictive in the same way as caffeine, is not a health issue,” they wrote.  

    The letter also called on delegates to deplore FCTC’s policy to conduct COP10 sessions behind closed doors.

    “Delegates to COP10 should be representing the rights and aspirations of the citizens whose taxes are paying for their attendance, who expect them to speak on their behalf, acknowledge the science underpinning the harm reduction benefits of ENDS, and maintain democratic principles,” they wrote.

    The CAPHRA representatives asked countries to take into account, when making their COP10 submissions, that consumers have the right to make choices that help them avoid adverse health outcomes. What’s more, people who smoke have the right to access less harmful nicotine products as alternatives to smoking.

    The evidence-based documentation was wrapped up in a recently released white paper, titled “The Subversion of Public Health: Consumer Perspectives,” which was presented by CAPHRA executive co-ordinator Nancy Loucas at the Fifth Asia Harm Reduction Forum.

  • Happy Vibes’ Twist Offers Four Flavors in One Device

    Happy Vibes’ Twist Offers Four Flavors in One Device

    UK-based Happy Vibes has introduced a unique new vaping product called “Twist.” It’s the first vaping device to offer users four flavor choices within a single disposable device.

    Vapers just need to “twist” the top of the device to switch between the flavors. “It’s a novel concept – use a single flavor or multiple flavors in the same device,” a press release states. “No need for tools, no need to pour and make a mess – it’s twist and go! It’s easy and convenient to use, allowing vapers to enjoy their device without the pain of having to open the device and fill up a tank.”

    Happy Vibes also offers a unique recycling program for its disposable devices, the company states, adding that its recycling program uses the slogan “the end is just the beginning.” No other details were offered about the recycling program.

    Happy Vibes will follow up the launch of Twist with another device that is a “step in the right direction” with the launch of their “Reuse” product, a vaping device made from straw and biodegradable plastic, as well as an included Type C charging port, the release states.

  • Professor Receives Funding for Pilot Vaping Study 

    Professor Receives Funding for Pilot Vaping Study 

    Nathan Jackson

    A group of researchers from The University of New Mexico (UNM) in the U.S. are leading a project that would allow vapers to reap the benefits of electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS) products without the potential health risks.

    Nathan Jackson, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is one of the principal investigators on the project called “Droplet and Metal Particle Analysis of ENDS,” which has been selected for a pilot award through the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center.

    Jackson said that current vaping tools operate by heating liquid to high levels in order to vaporize it, which creates a chemical reaction that generates potentially toxic products such as formaldehyde and acrolein that have well-known long-term health risks for cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.

    “Every vaping tool functions by heating the liquid to greater than 200 degrees celsius, which creates toxic byproducts, which then enter the aerosol droplets that are inhaled,” he said. “Our technology uses a different mechanism to create the aerosol that does not require heating, so it could potentially eliminate the harmful byproducts.”

    Jackson is the inventor of an atomization technology based on silicon microfabrication called silicon-vibrating mesh atomizer (Si-VMA) that uses significantly lower heat, has the potential to eliminate ultrafine particles by producing low-span and high-efficiency uniform droplet distribution, and can potentially eliminate metal particles in the aerosol since it uses a silicon-based membrane instead of a metallic one, according to a press release.

    “Our technology uses a silicon substrate, where no metal is in contact with the liquid and it uses less heat, so potentially we can reduce the health risks associated with vaping,” Jackson said. “Also, our technology can generate micro-scale droplets instead of the nano-scale droplets found in current vaping tools, so that means that droplets are less likely to enter the blood stream and cluster together, which could also result in safer aerosols.”

    Co-principal investigators on the project, which is funded through June 2023, involve two researchers from the UNM Health Sciences Center: Pavan Muttil from the School of Pharmacy and Katie Zychowski from the College of Nursing.

    Jackson said the market for this type of solution for a safer vaping tool is enormous, for both medical uses and recreational uses, and a safer technology could reduce potential health costs associated with vaping in the future.

    Jackson said the short-duration pilot study is designed to assess the feasibility of developing safer vaping technology in the future. After the results of this study are reported, he said the group plans to pursue larger funded projects that would enable them to develop improved technology with the option of later commercialization.

  • Juul Labs to Pay Indiana $15.7 Million to Settle Suit

    Juul Labs to Pay Indiana $15.7 Million to Settle Suit

    Credit: Niro World

    Juul Labs Inc. will pay Indiana more than $15.7 million to settle allegations that the company deliberately marketed its products to minors, Attorney General Todd Rokita announced today. Indiana is one of 32 states participating in a larger agreement under which Juul Labs will pay out nearly $435 million.

    “My team and I fight daily to protect Hoosiers from improper business practices that put families at risk,” Rokita said, as reported by am1050. “Wrongful actions that jeopardize children are especially repugnant and shameful. Fortunately, the money we have recovered in this settlement can go toward safeguarding the same young people targeted by the unethical marketing strategies employed by Juul.”

    Indiana’s funds are intended to be used in support of prevention, education, harm reduction and mitigation efforts related to youth using electronic nicotine-delivery systems.

    Juul Labs has an option to pay over 6-10 years — with the total payout increasing the longer it takes to pay. If Juul Labs chooses a 10-year option, Indiana’s amount would exceed $17.1 million. Juul’s first payment to Indiana will be $1,478,665 — due Dec. 31, 2022. All additional payments are due on Dec. 31 each year.

    Juul Labs announced today that it had settled more than 5,000 lawsuits covering more than 10,000 individual plaintiffs.

  • Juul Labs Settles With More Than 10,000 Plaintiffs

    Juul Labs Settles With More Than 10,000 Plaintiffs

    Credit: Juul Labs

    Juul Labs has settled more than 5,000 lawsuits covering more than 10,000 individual plaintiffs, reports The Wall Street Journal. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, several media outlets are reporting the amount to be between $1.2 billion and $1.7 billion.

    The deal resolves much of the legal uncertainty that had driven the company close to bankruptcy.

    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.

    According to Juul CEO K.C. Crosthwaite, the settlement addresses the vast majority of outstanding litigation facing the company, including two pending bellwether trials that were set to go to court early next year, and four broad groups: personal-injury plaintiffs, Juul consumers, government entities such as school districts, and Native American tribes. Lawsuits brought by several attorneys general are pending. 

    A pioneer in the vaping business, Juul Labs has gone from dominating the U.S. e-cigarette market to fighting for its survival in a relatively short time.

    Following its initial success, the company quickly came under regulatory scrutiny over its marketing practices. Critics blame Juul Labs for contributing to an “epidemic” of underage vaping.

    Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Juul over the past several years, alleging that the company marketed its e-cigarettes to children. Juul has said it never marketed to underage users.

    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.

  • Costa Rica Authorizes Country’s First Hemp Farm

    Costa Rica Authorizes Country’s First Hemp Farm

    Credit: Gian

    Costa Rica has for the first time has given an agricultural conglomerate authorization to grow and process hemp under a recently signed resolution from the country’s agriculture ministry.

    Ingenio Taboga SA, a farming and food company, said it plans to plant hemp and build a processing factory on a 150-acre site.

    Taboga, based in Bebedero de Cañas, Guanacaste, lists products in alcohol-based sanitizers, specialty sugars, natural sweeteners, protein powders and CBD on its website, according to Hemp Today.

    “For the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the development of responsible and efficient agricultural activities with significant agro-export potential is extremely important,” said Agriculture Minister Víctor Carvajal, adding that seven hemp more projects are being considered for authorization, with approval expected soon.

    Under rules approved by agriculture and health officials in September, hemp farming and production licenses are intended to be inexpensive and widely available in Costa Rica. Individuals and legal entities can be authorized to grow and process hemp, and rules are set for post-harvesting, storing, transporting, product manufacturing, marketing, importing and export of health, food and industrial products.

    Costa Rica’s rules set the limit for THC in hemp plants at 1.0 percent. Most countries follow a generally accepted limit of 0.3 percent THC as the dividing line between hemp and marijuana.

    Industry advocates in Costa Rica say establishing a robust hemp sector can spark development of agricultural value chains by bringing economic and social opportunities to the country’s rural areas, and contribute to the growth of the pharmaceutical industry.