Tag: news

U.K. Vape Industry Proposes New Licensing Scheme

Photo: VPZ
The vaping industry was poised to present a proposal for a retailer and distributor licensing scheme to U.K. lawmakers today.
In addition to a self-sustaining fee structure, the proposed scheme includes governance and oversight mechanisms along with criteria that businesses would need to meet before qualifying for a license. It also outlines a fine and penalty system for those who breach the terms of the license and the conditions under which a license can and should be revoked.
To qualify for a license, retailers will need to show they have put measures in place to prevent the sale of vapes to minors; do not sell nicotine-free vapes to minors; only stock and sell compliant products; operate legally across all areas of the business; promote products within the advertising regulations; and meet their environmental obligations.
Vape retailers and distributors may be blocked from obtaining a license under a number of circumstances, including if they’ve previously been caught selling vapes without the appropriate certifications or if they are attempting to reapply within two years of having their license revoked.
Under the plans, retail licensees would also have to undergo test purchasing exercises at least every six months to ensure they are following youth access prevention procedures as well as having their stock inspected to ensure the products they sell are registered on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency-notified products list.
They would also be checked on a regular basis to ensure they are complying with advertising and environmental regulations. Licensed distributors would be subject to regular inspections to ensure they are meeting compliance requirements across the board.
“It doesn’t matter what legislation the government introduces, whether the newly announced ban on disposables or any future restrictions, a robust and balanced licensing system is critical to ensuring the law can actually be enforced and for ushering in a new era of responsibility, accountability and best practice,” said Dan Marchant, co-founder of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association and managing director of Vape Club, which led the development of the proposed scheme, in a statement.
The presentation of the plan comes just days after a new investigation revealed a near twentyfold increase in the number of illicit vapes seized by councils across the U.K. since 2020.
February 21, 2024
Georgia Lawmaker Introduces Vaping Registry Bill

Credit: VFHNB12
A Georgia lawmaker is seeking for the state to create a registry of vape products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The goal is to let retailers and consumers know what’s legal and what’s not. The bill was introduced in committee.
Lawmaker Houston Gaines showed several examples of vape products that are illegal. Media reports also state that if you check on the back, they say, “Made in China.” Nearly all vaping hardware products, legal or otherwise, are produced in China.
The FDA does not approve them, so Gaines said Georgia shouldn’t either. The FDA does not approve vaping products for sale; it only authorizes them.
The state agriculture department would maintain and publish the list. Any product not on that list could not be sold legally in the state of Georgia.
At a Monday afternoon committee hearing, there were so many people that the committee chairman agreed to hold a second one so everyone could have their say, and some pushed back hard.
One of those who got their say Monday was vape store owner Dillon Gilbert, who insists this bill will destroy their industry.
“I own vape stores in Savannah and Columbus,” Gilbert said. “We want common sense regulation, but unfortunately, this bill is a death blow to our industry.”
But Gaines insists the bill will help keep vape products laced with fentanyl or THC off the shelves. No nicotine vaping product has ever been found to be laced with fentanyl. The GFDA does not regulate THC products.
Under the bill, any store caught selling these unapproved vape products could face serious fines and possible suspension of their licenses.
Louisiana’s passed a law that bans retailers from selling vape products not listed on a state-approved registry, known as the V.A.P.E. Directory. Alabama and Florida use the same list. Nebraska is also seeking to pass a bill to create a vape registry in the state.
February 20, 2024
Giovanni Li Volti Reconfirmed Director of CoEHAR

Photo: CoEHAR
The Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) has reappointed Giovanni Li Volti as its director for the next four years.
“Following the path already undertaken by Riccardo Polosa, founder of CoEHAR, our center is today considered the most influential and productive in the world in the field of research applied to the harm reduction,” Li Volti said in a statement acknowledging the reappointment.
“A recognition that has led our university to be celebrated and rewarded several times for the productivity of its members, for innovation in the scientific field and for the large and important internationalization actions that have brought to Catania, in just five years, more of 150 researchers and stakeholders from all over the globe, interested in our activity.
“The trust expressed by all of you honors me and motivates me even more to dedicate my energies, and what I have learned so far, to guarantee the success of scientific research in the sector of reducing smoking harm, and to follow the immense work carried out from the entire CoEHAR team and its founder and mentor.
“The international successes of CoEHAR are the victories of a team and of the great excellence of Catania research. I look to the future with optimism and hope to work in close collaboration with everyone to achieve new shared and far-sighted goals.”
Tobacco Reporter profiled CoEHAR in its January 2024 print edition and online (see, “Reviewing their Peers”).
February 19, 2024
Wisconsin: Juul Labs Award to Fund Anti-Vaping Grants
Credit: Fellow Neko
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will award grants to address youth and adult vaping.
They will award 13 grants worth more than $830,000 to community organizations over the next two years.
The funding comes from a settlement from the vape company Juul Labs, according to media reports.
Organizations getting this grant can use the money for anti-vaping initiatives.
February 18, 2024
Singapore to Strengthen Vaping Enforcement

Photo: 2p2play
Singapore plans to intensify its crackdown on vaping, reports The Straits Times.
In a joint statement in December 2023, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Ministry of Health said enforcement and education efforts would be stepped up to prevent vaping from gaining a foothold in Singapore.
The city state banned vaping in 2018. Buying, owning or using a vaporizer in Singapore can result in fines of up to SGS2,000 ($1,484.69). First-time offenders who import, distribute, sell or offer for sale vaporizers and their components can be fined up to SGD10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.
Authorities encourage citizens with information on the illegal possession, use, purchase, import, distribution, sale or offer for sale of vaporizers to the Tobacco Regulation Branch.
Despite the risks, vaping has been steadily gaining ground in Singapore, with consumers buying vapes online and from overseas suppliers. In 2022, 4,916 people were violating Singapore’s vaping ban, compared with 1,266 in 2020 and 4,697 in 2021. In December 2023 alone, authorities reported 1,656 vaping -related cases.
February 18, 2024
Alternative Products Expo Event Coming to Miami

The Alternative Products Expo, a trade show for the alternative products industry and presented by Lightfire Distribution, is readying to impress in Miami’s Wynwood District from March 14-16, 2024.
With over 250 exhibitors, including key sponsors like Trinity Hemp, Happy Distro, Fume, ZETA, and many more, the expo promises an unparalleled opportunity for smoke shop owners to discover 2024’s trending products, according to a press release.
The “Alt Pro Expo” also offers unique buyer programs that are designed to maximize engagement and opportunity. The expo’s $100K inventory giveaway and exclusive buyer flight voucher program underscore its commitment to supporting the growth of businesses within the industry.
The event will kick off with an invite-only yacht afterparty sponsored by Mellow Fellow.
“Alt Pro Expo Miami is more than a trade show; it’s a celebration of the vibrant culture and innovation driving the alternative products industry,” said Craig Corban, marketing director at Alternative Products Expo. “Set against the backdrop of Miami’s artistic Wynwood District, we’re creating a dynamic environment for industry leaders to connect, learn, and grow.”
The expo not only serves as a platform for showcasing new products but also as a catalyst for discussions on industry trends and growth strategies. For additional information on Alt Pro Expo Miami 2024 and to register for the event, visit altproexpo.com/tickets/.
For a limited time, readers of Vapor Voice are being offered complimentary tickets by using the code VIPBUYER to register. Click here to register.
February 16, 2024
SWT Global Asks 8th Circuit to Stay PMTA Denials

A Missouri-based maker of menthol-flavored e-liquids urged a federal appeals court to revive its application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to continue selling its products, saying the agency had not given it fair notice of what approval would require.
The appeal by SWT Global Supply Inc. is one of a slew of similar cases by e-cigarette companies in the wake of the FDA’s rule deeming e-cigarette products to be subject to the same law as combustible cigarettes and the agency’s subsequent denial of millions of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) by manufacturers to sell their products, according to media reports. The question of whether the FDA acted fairly has already created a split among federal appeals courts.
Jerad Najvar, a lawyer for SWT, told a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the FDA had denied SWT’s applications because the company had not presented a controlled trial or study showing that the menthol liquids can help adult smokers quit smoking as compared to tobacco-flavored liquids. He said the agency’s guidance gave no hint that it would require such a study for approval.
The question of whether the FDA acted fairly has already created a split among federal appeals courts. Most other appeals courts that have considered similar appeals by manufacturers over denied applications – including the D.C., 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 9th Circuits – have sided with the FDA. However, the 5th Circuit last month ordered the agency to reconsider the denial of two companies’ applications in a case also involving menthol-flavored products.
Jerad Najvar, a lawyer for SWT, told a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the FDA had denied SWT’s applications because the company had not presented a controlled trial or study showing that the menthol liquids can help adult smokers quit smoking as compared to tobacco-flavored liquids. He said the agency’s guidance gave no hint that it would require such a study for approval.
Navjar said the lack of fair notice was particularly hard on small companies like SWT with limited resources. “A client like mine doesn’t have a lot of arrows in its quiver when it’s trying to fight a decision by a federal agency,” he said.
Catherine Padhi, a lawyer for the FDA, said that comparing products’ effectiveness to tobacco-flavored products was “a natural part of the risk-benefit analysis,” given that tobacco-flavored products have a “much-reduced risk of enticing children.” She also said that SWT could submit additional information to support its application.
February 16, 2024
Utah Moves Forward With Flavor Ban Legislation
Credit: Christopher Boswell
After this legislative session, the sale of flavored nicotine products may be banned in Utah.
SB61, the Electronic Cigarette Amendments, sponsored by Senate Minority Assistant Whip Jen Plumb, forbids the sale of flavored electronic cigarette products and “electronic cigarette products that have not received market authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration.”
The Senate voted 20-3 to pass the bill, which now goes to the House for consideration, according to media reports.
The ban would exclude the flavors of tobacco, mint, and menthol for e-cigarettes.
States like California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York have also approved flavor sales bans.
February 15, 2024
CoEHAR’s Replica 2.0 Team to Meet in Catania

Photo: CoEHAR
The Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) will hold the Annual International Meeting for its Replica 2.0 project in Catania, Italy, March 25–29.
The Replica project is one of CoEHAR’s most successful projects, according to the organization. In the last couple of years, the research team replicated and validated the results from well-known international studies in the field of tobacco harm reduction.
The project benefits from its collaboration with an international network of independent laboratories all around the world, which includes the Universitas Padjadjaran in Indonesia, the Institute of Research and Development Nosmoke in Greece, the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac in Serbia, the Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, the Temple University-SHRO in the United States and Kazan Federal University, Russia.
During the event, the Replica team will discuss lessons learned, harmonize standard operation procedures for the project and continue the laboratory training emphasizing critical steps for harmonization.
On March 29, CoEHAR will host the ceremony for its Talent Research Award.
Tobacco Reporter profiled CoEHAR in its January 2024 print edition and online (see, “Reviewing their Peers”).
February 14, 2024
Italy Fines BAT for ‘Misleading’ Heated-Tobacco Ads

Photo: BAT
BAT’s Italian division has been fined €6 million ($6.4 million) for “misleading advertising of a heated-tobacco product,” according to Barron’s. Amazon was fined €1 million for the same reason.
According to the AGCM watchdog, BAT and Amazon advertised the Glo Hyper X2 and Glo Hyper Air devices without making “information about the tobacco/nicotine consumption connected to the use of these devices and the prohibition of their sale to minors” clear.
The products were marketed “as simple electronic devices and mere design objects,” the watchdog said.
“This is seriously misleading conduct, which induces the customer to buy a product that poses health risks and is banned for minors,” the authority said.
An investigation into the marketing of the heated-tobacco products began in April 2023.
BAT plans to appeal the fine, according to Bloomberg.
“We are clear that our products are for adults only, and we adhere to the highest standards of conduct to prevent underage use of any nicotine product,” a BAT Italia spokesperson said. “We cooperated with Italian authorities and implemented all suggested changes to our marketing immediately. While we acknowledge the decision, we plan to appeal.”
February 14, 2024