Tag: news

Demand for Menthol Liquid up After Menthol Cigarette Ban

Photo: Max
A year to the day since menthol cigarettes were banned in the U.K. more than two thirds of vapor retailers are reporting a rise in sales of menthol flavored e-liquids according to a study by the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).
The ban last year, which also prevented menthol filters, papers and skinny cigarettes from being produced or sold in the U.K., followed a four-year phasing-out period which saw smaller packs of rolling tobacco and 10 packs of cigarette banned in 2017.
The study revealed that more than 70 percent of owners of bricks and mortar stores and online retail operations said they had seen an uptake in demand for menthol vape products.
And, while fruit e-liquids remained the customer favorite, menthol was the second most popular flavor according to the survey.
“What we have witnessed in the U.K. is that menthol as an ingredient in vape e-liquids has continued to increase following the combustible menthol ban and is now one of the most important components of all e-liquids,” said Tim Phillips, independent analyst at ECigIntelligence.

Menthol as an ingredient in vape e-liquids has continued to increase following the combustible menthol ban and is now one of the most important components of all e-liquids.
Tim Phillips, analyst, ECigIntelligence
UKVIA Director-General John Dunne said the survey results were a clear indication of the importance e-cigarettes have in helping smokers to quit their habits in favor of vaping which Public Health England acknowledges is far less harmful than combustible tobacco.
“Our survey of retailers clearly shows that, as menthol cigarettes were removed from sale, vape stores witnessed an increase in sales of the same flavor in e-liquid form,” he said.
“It is not unreasonable to surmise that the majority of menthol e-liquid sales above retailers’ baseline pre-ban were to those who would have previously smoked cigarettes.”
May 25, 2021
Revised Philippines Vaping Rules Heads to Senate
The House of Representatives in Philippines today approved on final reading a proposal that would regulate the manufacture, use, sale, distribution, and promotion of electronic nicotine- and non-nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS), as well as heated tobacco products (HTPs), according to a government release.
Credit: Craitza
With 192 affirmative votes, 34 negative votes, and four abstentions, the chamber passed on third reading House Bill 9007, otherwise known as the “Non-Combustible Nicotine Delivery Systems Regulation Act.” Rep. Sharon Garin, principal sponsor of the measure, said the bill seeks to address the unintended or potential adverse consequences on the use of HTPs and vaping products among Filipino consumers.
“We have included in this bill mechanisms on controlling safety risks and preventing youth uptake of all tobacco and nicotine products,” she said during the virtual session.

The bill provides protection to minors from accessing ENDS/ENNDS or HTPs by setting the minimum allowable age for the purchase, sale, and use of such products to 18 years old.

Retailers shall ensure that no individual purchasing these products are below 18 years old by verifying the age through presentation of any valid government-issued identification card exhibiting the buyer’s photograph and age or date of birth.

The sale and distribution of the products shall be prohibited within 100 meters from any point of the perimeter of a school, playground or other facility frequented by minors shall be prohibited.

Online trade through Internet websites or via e-commerce and other similar media shall be allowed provided that sellers ensure that access is restricted to persons 18 years old or older and that the internet website bears the signage required by the bill.

Advertisements of the products shall be allowed in retailer establishments, through direct marketing, and on the internet.
“These shall not be aimed at or particularly appeal to persons under 18 years of age. These should not undermine quit-smoking messages and should not encourage non-tobacco and non-nicotine users to use ENDS/ENNDS and HTPs. These should not contain any information that is untrue in particular with regard to product characteristics, health effects, risks, or emissions,” the bill states.
The use of ENDS/ENNDS or HTPs shall be prohibited in all enclosed public places, as well as in schools, hospitals, government offices, and facilities intended particularly for minors. However, there shall be designated vaping areas that should comply with standards specified in the proposed law.
The Department of Trade and Industry, in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration, the National Tobacco Administration, and other concerned agencies shall promulgate rules, regulations, and standards on packaging, ingredients, graphic health warnings, detailed information on the allowable nicotine-containing e-liquid, the strength of e-liquids, compliance with applicable electrical standards as well as with applicable industry standards for batteries, according to the release.
Existing industries and businesses affected by the implementation of the Act shall be given an 18-month transitory period from the effectivity of the implementing rules and regulations to comply with the requirements.
May 25, 2021
CAPHRA: Philippine’s 21 Age to Vape Rule ‘Nonsensical’
A new bill to regulate vaping products in the Philippines is supported by the region’s vapor advocacy groups. House Bill 9007, the proposed “Non-Combustible Nicotine Delivery Systems Regulation Act” is a “massive legislative achievement for tobacco harm reduction advocates” in the Philippines, says Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).
Clarisse Virgino and Peter Paul Dator of CAPHRA
“Nearly 90,000 Filipinos die from smoking-related diseases every year. This legislation will not only save thousands of lives, but the Philippines is now leading the way in the Asia-Pacific region with reasonable, risk proportionate regulation which will be very effective in curbing smoking rates,” said Loucas.
Consumer advocates in the Philippines promoted the regulation of e-cigarettes as a consumer product. They argued that the “age of majority” in the Philippines is 18 – they age to purchase combustible tobacco products, alcohol and get married – so the current age to purchase vaping products set at 21 was “nonsensical.” Supporting the minimum age for the purchase, sale and use of such products to 18 would bring vapor products in line with other “adult” activities and privileges.
At the same time, the advocates argued adult smokers keen to quit tobacco need reasonable access to safer alternatives and restricted advertising should be permitted. Product safety standards were also critically important to the consumer advocates.
Clarisse Virgino, the Philippine representative of CAPHRA, said she is “delighted that the country’s legislators have listened,” adding that the prospect of more Filipinos successfully quitting smoking is of historic significance given the country’s “stubbornly high” smoking rates for decades.
“The proposed Act will legitimize the market of vaporized nicotine products which means that consumers will have better protection. We hope that the Senate will also support this bill to provide millions of Filipino smokers with less harmful alternatives to combustible cigarettes,” said Virgino.
Consumer groups in the Asia-Pacific region have launched a petition that urges the World Health Organization (WHO) to respect consumer rights ahead of its next biennial meeting of the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in November. They are asking for supporters to sign and share the petition at change.org/v4v-petition.
May 25, 2021
Humble Specialty Products Launches CBD Line
Humble Specialty Products announced its latest hemp-derived product line during the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) trade show held in mid-May. According to a press release, the full lineup features five product formats that allow for consumers to easily identify their best method of consumption. The CBD line joins Humble’s recently launched line of hemp wraps.
Humble CBD is available in five product formats: a balm, a chewable, a dropper, a softgel and a twist.
“We are excited to introduce our products to surfers, skaters, snowboard enthusiasts and beyond as an option to incorporate into their wellness regimens,” said Daniel Clark, CEO of Humble. “Now more than ever, people are embracing energetic routines that drive them to push further each day. We know sustaining a dynamic life requires dynamic solutions, which is why Humble CBD products are designed to boost focus and help relaxation and recovery.”
Humble’s CBD products include:

Balm
1,000 mg of CBD in a 1.67 oz bottle roll-on featured in a refreshing eucalyptus mint scent;

Chewable
750 mg of CBD in a 30-count container or 100 mg of CBD in a 10-count container in assorted flavors;

Dropper (tincture)
60 ML droppers in three CBD strengths (1,000 mg, 1,500 mg and 2,000 mg) and eight flavor options;

Softgel
900 mg of CBD in a 30-count bottle or 100 mg of CBD in a 10-count pack;

Twist
Six single-serve oil drops featuring 33 mg of CBD per serving; available in four flavor options.
Humble’s CBD products are lab tested, gluten free and made from industrial hemp grown in the U.S., according to the release. Humble CBD is available for purchase in select retailers and online at www.humblecbd.com. “Whether you prefer a topical, a chewable or a single serving dropper, Humble CBD is dedicated to helping you find the perfect product to fit your needs,” said Clark.
May 25, 2021
Researchers Study Nicotine’s Protection Against Covid-19

Photo: meryll
Researchers at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris are investigating whether Covid-19 can be treated with nicotine, reports RFI.
The project is in response to an observation made by doctors in the first months of the pandemic that there were fewer smokers among their most serious Covid cases. The ‘smokers’ paradox’ was observed in China and in peer review studies around the world. A French study that found that out of 11,000 hospitalized patients, only 8.5 percent were smokers, compared to 25.4 percent of the general population.
Some suggest the nicotine in cigarettes could be slowing the virus. Many Covid-19 deaths are caused by an overreaction of the immune system. Scientists speculate that nicotine helps moderate such overreactions because it lowers the immune system’s activity.
Last year French researchers analyzed public health data of people who used nicotine substitutes, like patches or gum. They noticed that those people had less Covid than those who did not use them.
To test the hypotheses, Paris hospitals launched three clinical studies using nicotine patches. One of the studies, concluded in April, involved 220 patients in intensive care units for severe Covid. Half were given nicotine patches and the others given placebos. The data is being analyzed, and the first results should be out in June.
While the findings are interesting, Pitie-Salpetriere doctor Zahir Amoura warns people against taking up smoking to protect themselves from Covid. “Smoking is a scourge. It’s important to repeat that,” he told RFI.
May 25, 2021
Lawmaker Brings Back Bill for Vapor Usage Reporting
Utah Rep. Chris Stewart has joined two other members of U.S. Congress to reintroduce a bipartisan bill aimed at providing more accurate information regarding electronic cigarette use. Presently, electronic health records (EHRs) allow doctors to record whether a patient uses traditional cigarettes or cigars, however, there are no options for e-cigarette or other harm reduction products, according to a press release from Stewart’s office.
Credit: Lazy Llama
The bill, called the Accurate Reporting of Smoking Variants Act, would require the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to ensure that the electronic health records include options for vapor products and other reduced harm variants, such as heat tobacco products.
According to the press release, the change would allow for health care providers and researchers to better understand the prevalence of e-cigarette usage, understand the long-term health impacts of these products, and develop strategies to curb vaping among young people.
“Young people in Utah and across the country are using e-cigs at alarming rates,” said Stewart. “I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill in an effort to take concrete steps to reverse this trend. There’s no denying it: This is a public health crisis that demands action. Let’s give health providers and researches the tools they need to ensure a healthier America for future generations.”
Co-sponsoring the bill along with Stewart are Reps. David Trone of Maryland and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois.
May 24, 2021
Consumers to Celebrate ‘Safer Choice’ on World Vape Day

Photo: Aliaksandr Barouski
Consumer advocacy groups in the Asia-Pacific region under the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) are joining the celebration of World Vape Day on May 30, with a call on the World Health Organization (WHO) and governments around the world to provide smokers with a better choice and spare them from almost 50 percent mortality rate linked to smoking.
“The World Vape Day is a celebration of personal stories of smokers who have found a humane way out of smoking thanks to the advent of innovative smoke-free products such as e-cigarettes, heated-tobacco products and Swedish snus,” said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the CAPHRA, in a statement.
This year’s World Vape Day highlights smoke-free products as “the better choice” to combustible cigarettes, which are linked to more than 8 million premature deaths each year among 1.1 billion smokers globally.
“We celebrate World Vape Day because it symbolizes hope for millions of smokers in Asia-Pacific and around the world who now have access to innovative nicotine products such as e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products that were not available in the previous decades,” said Loucas.
“Vaping is the safer choice based on our experience and on the numerous independent studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Along with heated-tobacco products, e-cigarettes are considered a part of tobacco harm reduction—a public health strategy which aims to provide alternatives to reduce risks caused by smoking cigarettes,” she said.
Loucas said these smoke-free nicotine products provide countries an opportunity to end the global problem of smoking. “We have an opportunity to save millions of lives by making the switch to better alternatives. It is also a reminder to governments and health authorities that smokers should be given the freedom of choice for their health and for their future,” she said.
Asa Saligupta, representative of Ends Cigarette Smoke Thailand, said that while World Vape Day is being celebrated in many countries, some nations like Thailand still prohibit the use of e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products (HTPs).
“In several Asian countries, vapers continue to face imprisonment and fines for making the switch to e-cigarettes, which were found to be at least 95 percent less harmful than traditional cigarettes. It is a violation of consumer rights for safer alternative products and accurate information about e-cigarettes,” he said.
I believe that vaping can achieve what existing tobacco control policies failed to accomplish in many years—end smoking.
Peter Paul Dator, president, Vapers Philippines
“But we remain hopeful that authorities will listen to science and give tobacco harm reduction a chance to make a difference in the lives of smokers who represent a fifth of the population in Thailand,” he said.
Saligupta noted that Public Health England, in its 2018 independent evidence review, concluded that “e-cigarettes are around 95 percent safer than combustible cigarettes.”
Peter Paul Dator, president of Vapers Philippines, said more than 50 million smokers around the world have already switched to vaping, which means they have significantly reduced their exposure to toxins and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke.
“This is because unlike cigarettes, vapor products and HTPs do not burn organic matter at very high temperatures and therefore do not produce toxic fumes. I believe that vaping can achieve what existing tobacco control policies failed to accomplish in many years—end smoking,” Dator said.
Dator pointed to the dismal smoking cessation rate of 4 percent in the Philippines, which he said reflects the ineffectiveness of existing smoking cessation strategies such as the “quit-or-die” approach. “Smoke-free products can help 16 million Filipino smokers quit smoking or switch to these less harmful alternatives,” he said.
Mirza Abeer, the founder of the Association for Smoking Alternatives in Pakistan (ASAP), said he could attest to the effectiveness of vaping as a part of tobacco harm reduction.
We advocate the adoption of scientifically substantiated smoking alternatives among adult consumers and policymakers.
Mirza Abeer, founder, ASAP
“Quitting smoking is a tough challenge to surmount, but e-cigarettes helped me and other smokers quit. Switching to vaping after smoking for 13 years resulted in my improved health. This also saved me from asthma attacks, and now I feel much better. I hope to share this personal experience to more than 15 million smokers in Pakistan so that they, too, will have a choice,” he said.
“As head of ASAP, we advocate the adoption of scientifically substantiated smoking alternatives among adult consumers and policymakers to help significantly reduce smoking rates in Pakistan and positively impact public health as soon as possible,” said Abeer.
World Vape Day is celebrated a day before World No Tobacco Day on May 31. CAPHRA said that with more than 50 million vapers worldwide and growing, the campaign is expected to gain ground in more countries in the coming years.
May 24, 2021
Charlie’s Holdings Profits Increase to Start 2021
Charlie’s Holdings, parent to the Charlie’s Chalk Dust brand, announced the company’s financial results for the first quarter (Q1) ending March 31, 2021. Charlie’s reported that revenue, gross profit, gross margin, and cash balance all increased from Q4 2020 to Q1 2021, according to a release.
Revenue for the 1Q of 2021 was $4,361,000, an increase of $131,000 compared to Q4 2020, and a decrease of $44,000 or 1 percent, compared to $4,405,000 for the same time the previous year. Gross profit for Q1 2021 was $2,418,000, an increase of $305,000 compared to Q4 2020 and a decrease of $24,000, or 1 percent, compared to $2,442,000 for the same period 2020.
Other announcments include:

Operating loss decreased 95 percent year-over-year, and 70 percent from Q4 2020, to $229,000,

Cash balance of $3.5 million,

Total assets of $8.1 million,

Closed a $3 million capital raise in common stock (priced at $0.0085) with company founders,

Introduced Pachamama Disposables, Charlie’s first-ever entrant into the rapidly expanding U.S. disposable e-cigarette market,

Successfully assembled a solution “network” in order to meet the requirements of both the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act to ensure uninterrupted service to the company’s distributor partners.
The company announced in mid-2020 that its premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) had entered the substantive review phase of the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory process. “Having engaged a team of more than 200 professionals and invested nearly $5 million to compile and submit Charlie’s initial PMTA submission, the company is confident that the FDA will recognize that Charlie’s submission is both distinguished and suitable for approval,” the release states. “The company believes its comprehensive PMTA will ultimately prove a competitive advantage for Charlie’s. Most of the company’s competitors did not have the desire, the technical expertise, or the financial resources to complete the PMTA process. As a result, in fewer than 12 months’ time, when others are forced to withdraw their products from the market, Charlie’s may be one of a very select group still legally allowed to operate in the premium e-liquid product space.”
May 22, 2021
FDA Issues Warning 112, 113 in 2021 for Illegal E-Liquid
On the same day it released its much anticipated list of legal electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS) products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its 112 warning letter to a company for selling products without a marketing order. Companies must have submitted a Premarket tobacco product application to the FDA by Sept. 9, 2020 in order to legally sell vaping products. The following day the agency issued No. 113.
Credit: Postmodern Studio
Louisiana-based Big Chief Vapor received the letter for selling its Zulu Pride 6mg nicotine e-liquid product without a marketing authorization order, according to the FDA. The letter was posted to the regulatory agency’s website on May 20. Big Chief Vapor has over 4,400 products registered with the FDA.
On May 21, the FDA posted on its website that it had issued also a letter to Mississippi-based Vape Lizard Co. for selling Vape Lizard Strawmelon 3mg without a marketing order. The company has over 400 products registered with the FDA.
The FDA often only lists a few products that a company is selling as illegal in the letter. It then states that there may be more, but it is impossible to know if the warnings encompass all the company’s registered products. The agency states that it is the responsibility of the company to only sell products with a submitted PMTA. Companies have until Sept. 9, 2021 to sell product unless the agency makes a decision on the PMTA approval or grants an extension.
Companies that receive warning letters from the FDA have to submit a written response to the letter within 15 working days from the date of receipt describing the company’s corrective actions, including the dates on which it discontinued the violative sale, and/or distribution of the products. They also require the company’s plan for maintaining compliance with the FD&C Act in the future.
May 21, 2021
New York Latest State to Ban Delta-8 Products
New York state has joined a growing number of U.S. states that have expressly prohibited delta-8 THC and other THC isomers derived from hemp. However, lawmakers in the Empire State did make several small concessions to hemp producers, including a modification to limits on smokable hemp and removing a requirement that all cannabinoids over 0.05 percent THC be listed on product labels.
The delta-8 THC ban is part of the state’s revised regulations for hemp products. The new rules state that hemp cannabinoid products may “not contain synthetic cannabinoids, or cannabinoids created through isomerization, including [delta] 8-tetrahydrocannabinol and [delta] 10-tetrahydrocannabinol.”
New York has also placed a ban on hemp prerolls, cigarettes and any “flower product labeled or advertised for the purpose of smoking.” But the state health department says it will allow the sale of hemp flower, so long as the flower is not branded as an item for smoking, according to Hemp Industry Daily.
Hemp vapes are legal for customers over 21 and must carry “a warning stating that smoking or vaporizing is hazardous to your health.”
At least six states have considered or are currently updating their laws to specifically govern delta-8 THC, joining at least 11 that already have laws on the books addressing the minor cannabinoid, which can produce psychoactive effects in some people, although they are considered to be less potent than the delta 9-THC common in marijuana.
The labeling requirement remains in place for CBD and THC amounts in a product, just not for all cannabinoids in a product. The New York updates come six weeks after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law making a first-in-the-nation attempt to regulate hemp operators working with flower and cannabinoid products the same way the state oversees marijuana operators, designating a new category for “cannabinoid hemp” that will be governed by a new Office of Cannabis Management.
New York’s health department told hemp and marijuana operators that it won’t require track-and-trace systems for hemp products, as some marijuana operators have requested. “Unlike medical marijuana and adult–use cannabis markets, cannabinoid hemp products can enter interstate commerce and it would be impractical to impose a state level seed–to–sale requirement on an industry not limited to intrastate,” regulators wrote. The state legalized recreational marijuana earlier this year.
Michelle Bodian, a cannabis attorney with the Vicente Sederberg firm in New York City, said that the state has the “potential to set a model for the rest of the country in regulating consumable hemp products.” But she added that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration needs to implement a single set of health-and-safety regulations. “Until there are national standards from FDA concerning cannabinoid hemp products, it continues to be very difficult and impractical for businesses to comply with these very specific state testing and labeling requirements, let alone all the other unique requirements.”
May 21, 2021