Tag: news

Vaping Boosts Quit Rate in Smokers Not Aiming to Quit

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Adult smokers with no plans to quit are more likely to stop smoking if they switch to daily vaping, according to new research led by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Published in JAMA Network Open, the Roswell Park study used data collected from 2014 to 2019 as part of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (PATH). When the researchers focused their analysis on a select group of 1,600 smokers who initially had no plans to quit and were not using e-cigarettes when the study began, they found that those who subsequently vaped daily experienced eightfold higher odds of quitting traditional cigarettes compared to those who didn’t use e-cigarettes at all.
“These findings are paradigm-shifting, because the data suggest that vaping may actually help people who are not actively trying to quit smoking,” says Andrew Hyland, chair of health behavior at Roswell Park and scientific lead on the PATH study, in a statement. “Most other studies focus exclusively on people who are actively trying to quit smoking, but this study suggests that we may be missing effects of e-cigarettes by not considering this group of smokers with limited intention to stop smoking—a group that is often at the highest risk for poor health outcomes from cigarette smoking.”
Overall, only about 6 percent of all smokers included in the Roswell Park study quit smoking combustible cigarettes completely, but the rates of quitting were significantly higher among those who took up daily e-cigarette use—28 percent of smokers quit when they started vaping daily. The association between vaping and cigarette quitting held up even after adjusting for underlying characteristics such as educational background, income, gender, ethnicity and the number of cigarettes smoked per day at the beginning of the study.
December 29, 2021
Juice Man Banned From Marketing E-Liquids in Illinois
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a consent decree with Juice Man LLC that effectively prohibits the company from doing business in the state. The consent decree resolves allegations the company allegedly developed and marketed its products to attract minors.
Credit: Sharafmaksumov
Raoul filed a lawsuit in 2020 against California-based Juice Man alleging the company intentionally developed nicotine products that appeal to minors and has marketed its harmful nicotine products to minors, according to a press release. The consent decree prohibits Juice Man from distributing its products in Illinois and requires the company to take action if it learns Juice Man products are sold in the state.
“E-cigarette manufacturers know that addicting young users is essential to their long-term viability. With candy- and dessert-flavored products marketed by cartoon characters, it is no wonder they are succeeding,” Raoul said. “I filed a lawsuit last year against Juice Man over its blatant efforts to direct advertising toward minors, and this consent decree essentially ends the company’s ability to sell or distribute any Juice Man products in Illinois. I am pleased with this progress in my office’s ongoing work to hold e-cigarette manufacturers accountable for their role in the epidemic levels of e-cigarette usage by minors. The work does not end here, I am committed to continuing to investigate the e-cigarette industry and protecting minors from the long-term dangers of using tobacco products.”
Raoul’s lawsuit alleged that Juice Man offered its products in a variety of flavors – such as pink lemonade, cotton candy, unicorn frappe and cherry blue cola – that are clearly developed and marketed to youth smokers. For example, unicorn frappe is described as an “explosion of tarts, fruits, and creams.”
Additionally, Raoul’s lawsuit alleged that Juice Man unfairly and deceptively marketed its products to minors. The company relies heavily on social media to advertise its products, using hashtags such as “#vapebabes,” “#vapeporn” and “#vapelyfe.” Raoul pointed out that prior to 2016, social media advertising featured images of Juice Man’s products in front of a neutral background.
In his lawsuit, Raoul said Juice Man’s advertisements used bright colors, cartoon characters and children’s cereal. A number of flavored products distributed under Juice Man’s “Zonk!” line relied on packaging that featured graphics similar to those in comic books. Juice Man also marketed variety packs of flavors including watermelon-strawberry and mixed berry as “Lunch Box” assortments. Furthermore, Raoul argued that Juice Man’s age-verification system allows the company to easily interact with and promote products to minors.
The consent decree entered prohibits Juice Man from selling or distributing e-cigarette products to retailers and consumers located in Illinois. The manufacturer is also prohibited from selling e-cigarette products to distributors or wholesalers that intend to sell or distribute those products to retailers or consumers in Illinois. The consent decree requires Juice Man to take actions – including permanently ceasing business with offending entities – if the manufacturer learns that a retailer, distributor or wholesaler provided its e-cigarette products to an Illinois retailer or consumer.
Raoul has taken various actions to hold e-cigarette manufacturers accountable for epidemic usage levels among youth and teens. In 2019, Raoul’s office filed a lawsuit against the nation’s largest e-cigarette manufacturer, Juul Labs Inc., and the litigation is ongoing. The Attorney General’s office is continuing to investigate other e-cigarette manufacturers as part of an ongoing investigation into the e-cigarette industry. Additionally, Raoul has urged the FDA to ban flavored tobacco products and to strengthen e-cigarette guidance by prioritizing enforcement actions against flavored e-cigarettes.
December 27, 2021
UK Retailers Being Warned About Illegal E-Cigarettes
The UK government officials are warning e-cigarette and vaping retailers after trading officers discover a large number of illegal products. Vaping devices are highly regulated by the government to control the amount of nicotine available and have to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
“They should contain no more than 2 per cent nicotine or hold more than two mL of liquid, equivalent to 600 puffs or a packet of cigarettes, according to a news report. “However, in a recent test purchasing exercise across the city to check on compliance, officers were able to buy illegal products at 74 retailers – some containing up to 3,500 puffs, almost six times above the legal limit.”
Officials are now offering retailers the opportunity to contact Trading Standards for advice on their products with the proviso that compliance visits will be carried out in the New Year and any illegal products still on sale will be seized. The council have also been receiving a large number of complaints over the sale of these products to children and is asking parents with information and evidence to contact them.
More information and an online form is available at https://liverpool.gov.uk/business/trading-standards/alcohol-and-tobacco-illegal-trading/ or you can email trading.standards@liverpool.gov.uk
December 27, 2021
Switzerland to Debate Proposed Vapor Tax Plan

Photo: Stockfotos-MG
Switzerland’s Federal Council has put forward a plan to tax e-liquids, reports Le News, citing Radio Television Suisse.
The proposal calls for taxing e-liquids at a rate that is 77 percent lower than that levied on combustible cigarettes.
The government wants to discourage young people from taking up vaping without discouraging smokers from transitioning to less unhealthy products.
One idea is to tax the nicotine content in e-cigarette liquids for open systems. This would mean taxes rising with rising nicotine content. For single use e-cigarettes or devices using cartridges, the tax would be levied based on the quantity of liquid contained in them regardless of the nicotine contained in them.
According to the government, such a tax would be easy to put in place and would generate around CHF 15.5 million a year, money which would be used to help fund old age pensions and disability benefits.
The Federal Council’s proposal, which will be discussed until March 31, 2022, responds to a motion approved by the parliament and the Council of States in March 2021.
December 24, 2021
US FDA Gives MRTP to Low Nicotine Combustible Cigarette
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the marketing of 22nd Century Group Inc.’s “VLN King” and “VLN Menthol King” combusted, filtered cigarettes as modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs). The FDA has not yet granted a MRTP to a vaping product, even though the agency has said e-cigarettes are less harmful than combustible cigarettes. Many experts have said the low-nicotine cigarettes from 22nd Century will actually cause people to smoke more cigarettes.
These are the first combusted cigarettes to be authorized as MRTPs by the agency and the second tobacco products overall to receive “exposure modification” orders, which allows them to be marketed as having a “reduced level of, or presenting a reduced exposure to,” a substance, according to a press release.
“Our mission is to find ways to stop tobacco-related disease and death. We know that three out of four adult smokers want to quit and the data on these products show they can help addicted adult smokers transition away from highly addictive combusted cigarettes,” said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “Having options like these products authorized today, which contain less nicotine and are reasonably likely to reduce nicotine dependence, may help adult smokers. If adult smokers were less addicted to combusted cigarettes, they would likely smoke less and may be exposed to fewer harmful chemicals that cause tobacco-related disease and death.”
The exposure modification orders specifically authorize the manufacturer to market “VLN King” and “VLN Menthol King” with certain reduced exposure claims regarding nicotine, including:
“95% less nicotine.”
“Helps reduce your nicotine consumption.”
“…Greatly reduces your nicotine consumption.”
When using any of the reduced exposure claims in the product label, labeling or advertising, the company must include, “Helps you smoke less.” The FDA also recommends that the labeling and advertising include the statement, “Nicotine is addictive. Less nicotine does NOT mean safer. All cigarettes can cause disease and death.”
Despite today’s action, these products are not considered safe or “FDA approved.” There are no safe tobacco products, so people, especially young people, who do not currently use tobacco products should not start using them or any other tobacco product, according to a press release. The exposure modification orders do not permit the company to make any other modified risk claims or any express or implied statements that convey or could mislead consumers into believing that the products are endorsed or approved by the FDA, or that the FDA deems the products to be safe for use by consumers. These orders do not allow the company to market these products with therapeutic or cessation claims.
December 23, 2021
Industry up in Arms Over Anti-Vaping Report

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The U.K. Vaping Industry Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has labeled an anti-vaping report in The Lancet “incredulous, laughable, untrue and extremely worrying.”
The authors of The Lancet article contest the suggestion that e-cigarettes are safer than conventional cigarettes. The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recently announced plans to allow healthcare providers to prescribe medicinally licensed e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, they write, could prove as harmful as the endorsement of tobacco by physicians between 1920 and 1950.
“We have the greatest respect for the medical profession but for one of its leading journals to carry an article which states that there is no robust evidence to show that vaping has accelerated smoking cessation is quite unbelievable and completely untrue,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, in a statement.
“Worryingly this isn’t just an article questioning the clinical evidence basis for vaping as a harm reduction tool. Everything about it smacks of anti-vaping propaganda starting with the suggestion that the market is all the making of tobacco companies to line their pockets. This is an insult to all the independent companies across the U.K. and globally who make up the vast majority of the players in the sector and who have not just contributed positively to public health by helping 2.4 million former smokers in the U.K. completely quit their habits but have created huge numbers of jobs at the same time and one of the fastest growing industry’s this century, thereby making a massive contribution to our economy. Our membership is testament to this—out of our nearly 100 members, some 95 percent have no affiliation to tobacco companies.
“Such a highly respected journal as The Lancet should know better when running articles and look at all the evidence that is available and opinions across the healthcare spectrum. Instead, the report which is carried completely ignores research which has clearly shown on more than one occasion vaping to have a hugely positive impact on smoking cessation, and significantly more so than NRTs.

For one of its leading journals to carry an article which states that there is no robust evidence to show that vaping has accelerated smoking cessation is quite unbelievable and completely untrue.
John Dunne, director general, UKVIA
“The article’s assertion that the pro-vaping stance of Public Health England contradicts the rest of the world is nothing short of laughable, choosing to ignore the positions of the likes of Cancer Research UK—which says on its website that there is no good evidence that vaping causes cancer—and the Royal College of Physicians who have both publicly recognized the harm reduction opportunity that vaping offers over smoking. The report also ignores large scale research which backs up the public health potential of e-cigarettes, such as the study produced by the British Heart Foundation and the University of Dundee which suggested that vaping may be less harmful to blood vessels than smoking cigarettes.
“It’s these types of one-sided and misleading articles that leave smokers and vapers confused and questioning the health benefits of vaping versus smoking, leading to them either continuing with or returning to smoking. But, whilst we’re not getting data from hospitals and doctors suggesting that we should be worried about the effects of vaping—and, let’s face it, we would have heard by now given vape products have been available in this country for more than a decade, what is undeniable is that smoking kills—some 78,000 people a year to be exact—and the very death toll that vaping is helping to address. Instead, the report in The Lancet blames the U.K. government for its pro-vaping stance and highlights that they are in danger of presiding over what will be the biggest public health disaster in U.K. history.
“As a responsible industry, we’re more than up for continued independent clinical research into the long term impact of vaping, to prove once and for all that vaping is the biggest public health prize seen this century.”
December 23, 2021
Party of 11: French Vaping Association Joins IEVA

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The French Vaping Association FIVAPE has joined the Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA). IEVA now brings together eleven national associations from Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain as well as 13 international corporations in the e-cigarette industry.
“FIVAPE has been at the forefront of responsibility and regulation in the vaping sector, and we believe we can amplify the voice of French vape businesses within IEVA,” said Jean Moiroud, president of FIVAPE, in a statement. “We hope to tackle our industry’s future challenges together.”
“We are delighted that FIVAPE has decided to support the work of IEVA,” said Dustin Dahlmann, president of IEVA. “The French vaping industry is one of the largest and most successful in Europe. We very much look forward to working closely with FIVAPE on ensuring robust yet proportionate regulation for our sector.”
December 23, 2021
Researchers Question Claim That Vaping Alters DNA
Using e-cigarettes has been linked to DNA damage resembling that of smoking, reported a team of scientists. However, researchers Caitlin Notley and Konstantinos Farsalinos, who were not involved in the study, have recently discussed limitations of the study in an article published in The Conversation.
Credit: Creo2
‘The study recruited a relatively small number of people who were not representative of the population. And it did not consider other lifestyle habits that may affect the measurements, such as alcohol use’, wrote the scientists with a background in public health and addiction research.
The DNA research published in Nature Scientific Reports compared gene expression in white blood cells of vapers to that of smokers and people without a history of either vaping or smoking. The scientists from Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, California, found the expression of genes involved in cellular respiration and immunity to be dysregulated in both vapers and smokers. However, the number of affected genes was several times higher in smokers, compared to vapers.
‘Our study, for the first time, investigates the biological effects of vaping in adult e-cigarette users, while simultaneously accounting for their past smoking exposure,’ said study lead Professor Ahmad Besaratinia. ‘Our data indicate that vaping, much like smoking, is associated with dysregulation of mitochondrial genes and disruption of molecular pathways involved in immunity and the inflammatory response, which govern health versus disease state.’
Farsalinos and Notley pointed out that although the reported changes in DNA may represent risk factors for disease, the study did not measure any direct effect of vaping on the prevalence of illnesses. They caution this could be misinterpreted by the press and divert from the benefit of using e-cigarettes as a tool to overcome tobacco addiction. ‘It is irresponsible to report sensationalist headlines to the public based on complex studies that in reality do not show any real-world harm. Particularly compared to the immense harms to health of tobacco smoking.’
On the other hand, there is also evidence to suggest that vaping can be an entry to nicotine consumption, particularly among teenagers, according to Besaratinia. “Given the popularity of e-cigarettes among young never-smokers, our findings will be of importance to the regulatory agencies,” he said. “To protect public health, these agencies are in urgent need of scientific evidence to inform the regulation of the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of e-cigarettes.’
December 22, 2021
VOOPOO Lands Five Wins at Annual Ecigclick Awards
VOOPOO products won five awards including the Best Vape Brand 2021 at the annual Ecigclick Vape Awards. It’s the first time a company has won the Best Vape Brand award for two consecutive years.
The Ecigclick Vape Awards attracted more than 200 mainstream brands competing in various categories, according to press release. More than 100,000 global vapers of mainstream communities from North America, the United Kingdom, and the European Union participated in the email voting. Ecigclick is a vape review site based in the UK.
This year, VOOPOO’s four products (ARGUS, DRAG Nano 2, DRAG 3, TPP-X POD TANK) won the Best Vape Kit For Beginners, the Best POD, the Best MOD, and the Best Sub Ohm Tank respectively. Changes in the market environment and technological innovation have created a more demanding consumer, according to the release.
“Scenario-based, lightweight and diversified products are becoming more and more popular in the market,” the release states. “VOOPOO will continue to develop its product ecosystem, allowing its DRAG, VINCI, ARGUS, and V series to integrate with each other, so that consumers can enjoy a safe, reliable, and diverse product ecosystem that can meet diversified needs.”
December 22, 2021
VaporBeast Exempted from U.S. E-Cigarette Mail Ban
Turning Point Brands has received a United States Postal Service (USPS) exemption to ship vapor products to thousands of age-restricted vape shops across the United States through VaporBeast and other websites.
Credit:USPS
“We remain focused on providing a positive experience for our customers,” said Marc Waxman, president of NewGen at Turning Point Brands, in a statement.
“As one of the first to apply for and receive an exemption from the USPS, we are now able to increase the number of shipping options we offer our customers. This will allow for optimized order processing, more accurate tracking data and faster overall shipping times. Our network of delivery choices is expanding every week to cover shipments to more and more businesses and adult consumers.”
In late December, former U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief and government funding bill that contains a provision banning the USPS from delivering vapor products. The USPS was already prohibited from delivering cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to consumers under the PACT Act. The law passed in December extends the Act’s original definition of “cigarette” to include electronic nicotine delivery systems.
The USPS ban on mailing vapor products took effect Oct. 20.
December 21, 2021