Tag: regulation

Matt Meyers Steps Down From Tobacco-Free Kids

Yolonda C. Richardson | Photo: CTFK
Matthew L. Myers is stepping down as the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) effective July 1. The board of directors has appointed Yolonda C. Richardson, currently the organization’s executive vice president for global programs, as the new president and CEO.
“I want to thank Matt for the extraordinary leadership he has provided to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and throughout his long career fighting the tobacco industry,” said Bill Novelli, chair of Tobacco-Free Kids’ board of directors and president of the organization from 1996 to 1999, in a statement. “Matt and his team at Tobacco-Free Kids have contributed enormously to driving down smoking rates to record lows among both youth and adults in the U.S. and to reversing the tide of the global tobacco epidemic.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and I am incredibly proud of what our team and our many partners have accomplished,” said Myers. “Through smart, tenacious advocacy and a commitment to health and social justice, we have helped bring about transformative change in the U.S. and around the world. No one is more qualified than Yolonda Richardson to take this organization to new heights and achieve even greater progress in saving lives not only from tobacco, but also from other critical public health issues.”

No one is more qualified than Yolonda Richardson to take this organization to new heights and achieve even greater progress in saving lives.”
Matthew L. Myers, president, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
“I am deeply honored to be named president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and to continue the work started by Matt Myers and Bill Novelli 27 years ago. There is much to do, but there is also immense opportunity to make large-scale impact,” Richardson said.
The CTFK was created in 1996 with primary funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Since 2006, it has been a partner in the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.
May 16, 2023
Alabama Bill Would Make Youth Possession Illegal
A state senator in Alabama introduced a bill last week that would make it illegal for minors to be in possession of vapes, according to a release from the Drug Education Council.
The bill, introduced by Senator Vivian Figures, received bipartisan support and was “co-sponsored by 100 percent of the state senators present,” according to the release.
The bill is an amendment to Section 28-11-14 of the Code of Alabama 1975, reports WRBL. It makes in unlawful for any individual under the age of 21 to purchase, use or transport any “electronic battery-powered device capable of being used to deliver the following:

e-liquid
e-liquid substitute
tobacco
CBD oil
THC oil
herbal extract
nicotine salt
The bill also says that “a violation is committed upon mere possession” of any vaping device, regardless of what is in it, according to the release.
No potential penalties were announced as of this writing.
May 16, 2023
Portugal Cracking Down on Vape, Tobacco Marketing

Credit: Butenkov
New legislation aims to restrict the use and sale of vaping and other tobacco products in Portugal.
A new bill will ban smoking in outdoor spaces next to public buildings such as schools, colleges and hospitals. It will also tighten control over the sale and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the country.
The aim is that by 2025 they will only be available for purchase in tobacconists, petrol stations and airports, reports EuroNews.
If enacted, it will no longer be possible to sell tobacco directly or through vending machines in places such as restaurants, bars, concert halls and venues, casinos, fairs and exhibitions. The products will also be prohibited at music festivals.
Portugal is also complying with the European directive of June 29, 2022, which puts heated tobacco products on an equal footing with other tobacco products.
May 15, 2023
Illinois Indoor Vape Ban Heads to Governor’s Desk

Credit: Karen Roach
In the U.S. state of Illinois, a statewide ban on vaping inside public buildings is just a signature away from becoming law.
Both the Illinois House and Senate passed a bill that would make Illinois the 18th state in the country to outlaw indoor vaping, according to CBS News.
The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Julie Morrison. It expands the Smoke-Free Illinois Act, which forbade smoking in public buildings and within 15 feet of entrances.
The bill now heads to Governor JB Pritzker’s office to be signed into law.
Illinois also passed a law to raise the age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 in 2019, and limited the advertising of e-cigarette products in 2022.
May 11, 2023
Malaysia Urged to Restrict E-Juice to Sealed Bottles

Photo: José Rubén
The Malaysian Substance Abuse Council (Masac) has recommended that only locally made vape liquids in sealed glass bottles be allowed for sale in the country, reports The Star. Using glass bottles will minimize the risk of undesirable substances being added, according to Masac’s secretary-general Raja Azizan Suhaimi.
A joint study by Masac, the Asian Center for Research on Drug Abuse and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia found that teenage girls are increasingly using vape liquids laced with psilocybin, a psychoactive compound found in fungi such as “magic mushrooms.”
Raja Azizan suggested that the age limit for vaping should be raised from 18 to 21 to minimize the abuse of vape liquids, which may contain drugs. So far, only 10 manufacturers producing liquid nicotine are registered with the Customs Department, despite the registration deadline ending on April 30, 2023.
Masac also suspects that the three 13-year-old girls who were allegedly gang-raped by four teenagers in Kota Kinabalu on April 26, 2023, may have been given a vape liquid laced with psilocybin. The Malaysian government attempted to regulate the use of vapes among youth in October 2022 through the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill, but it was referred to a Special Parliamentary Select Committee for refinement.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed during the revised Budget 2023 in February that vape liquids containing nicotine are still illegally sold in the country with estimated sales of MYR2 billion.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa has stated that the Generational Endgame Bill—a piece of legislation that aims to gradually raise the smoking age until it covers the entire population—will be expedited and retabled.
May 8, 2023
Isreal Considers Ban on All E-Cigarette Marketing

Credit: Hamara
Israel’s health ministry discussed the possibility of banning the marketing of electronic cigarettes, according to i24 News.
The ministry said, “options are being examined due to two difficult cases and the widespread phenomenon,” referring to the increase of youth using e-cigarettes.
The ministry is considering the possibilities of banning the marketing of electronic cigarettes altogether, banning only those flavored or requiring dissuasive images on packaging.
May 5, 2023
Oklahoma Reinstates Fines for Youth Buying Vapes

Credit: Ball Studios
The governor of Oklahoma signed a bill last year that removed fines for those under the age of 21 years old caught illegally purchasing or possessing vaping and other products. Earlier this week, Stitt signed a new law reinstating those fines.
On Monday, Stitt signed H.B. 2165 into law, which reintroduces fines for those under 21 years old caught possessing, purchasing, trying to purchase or using fraudulent identification to try to buy vaping and other tobacco products, reports Charlie Minato of Halfwheel.
Anyone caught violating the law must attend a tobacco cessation program and could be required to complete community service. If they do not, they could be fined up to $50 for the first offense and $100 for any subsequent offense.
In addition to restoring fines as a form of punishment, H.B. 2165 would also restore the ability of local cities and municipalities to issue their own penalties, something that was removed last year.
In 2020, Stitt signed a bill to raise the minimum age to purchase vapor, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products to 21 years old.
The new law goes into effect on Nov. 1, 2023.
May 4, 2023
U.S. FDA on Track to Complete PMTAs by End of Year

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it is on track to finish reviewing premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for the most prevalent e-cigarettes by the end of the year, reports CSP.
The FDA has reviewed 52 percent of covered applications as of March 31. Covered applications are for new tobacco products on the market as of Aug. 8, 2016, with a PMTA filed by Sept. 9, 2020, and sold under the brands Juul, Vuse, Njoy, Logic, Blu, Smok, Suorin or Puff Bar and reach 2 percent or more of total retail sales volume per NielsenIQ reports, according to CSP.
Based on the latest status report, the FDA plans to have 53 percent of covered applications acted on by June 30, 55 percent of covered applications acted on by Sept. 30 and 100 percent of covered applications acted on by Dec. 31.
The court-ordered deadline for FDA review of PMTAs was Sept. 9, 2021, but the agency did not meet that deadline and now has to file regular status reports on progress. The next status report is due by July 24.
May 4, 2023
France Considers Ban on Disposable Vape Products

Credit: Adobe Stock
The ban may form part of a new anti-smoking plan the health ministry is working on for the coming five years.
The French government may ban disposable electronic cigarettes by the end of this year, Health Minister Francois Braun said Wednesday.
“I’m in favor of a ban,” Braun told broadcaster France Inter, adding that the devices “lead some of our young people towards using tobacco,” as reported by Agence France Presse, according to Barron’s.
“Smoking is a scourge, it kills 75,000 people per year” in France, he said.
Although President Emmanuel Macron’s government has no majority in parliament, ministers would “work with lawmakers” to reach a deal on a ban, Braun said.
It could be enacted “before the end of this year,” he added.
The ban may form part of a new anti-smoking plan the health ministry is working on for the coming five years.
Sweet and fruit-flavored one-use electronic cigarettes – known as “puffs” in France – are sold in brightly colored packaging costing an estimated €8 ($8.83) to €12 for 500 puffs (inhalations).
May 3, 2023
Reynolds Warns Vape Shops to Stop Selling Flavored Vapes

Credit: Lovely Day 12
A STAT news report claims R.J. Reynolds has sent letters to several small vape shops threatening to sue if the shops do not stop selling flavored vaping products.
The STAT news story claims to have obtained two letters, both of which were sent in March, giving the vape shops just a few days to confirm they will no longer sell flavored tobacco products.
Failure to comply could result in “legal action, and the costs, attorneys’ fees, and adverse publicity to which a lawsuit would subject [the vape shop],” the letters warn, according to STAT.
The letters, which were sent to stores in New Jersey and Alabama, also warn that the shops are violating local laws regulating the sale of flavored tobacco.
The New Jersey letter also copies the county prosecutor where the vape shop is located, in an apparent attempt to notify the local authorities of the violation.
he letters are the latest example — and a marked escalation — of Reynolds’ campaign to force a crackdown on illegal vaping products.
In the article, Clive Bates, a tobacco harm reduction advocate, criticized Reynolds.
“I do not think Reynolds should be hounding vape shops for selling life-saving products to their regular customers,” Bates wrote in an email to STAT. “It should not be picking on little guys, but pressing federal bureaucracies to do their job, and do it better.”
In February, RAI Services Company, a Reynolds company, submitted a citizen petition asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to adopt a new enforcement policy directed at flavored “illegally marketed disposable electronic nicotine delivery system” (ENDS) products.
The petition was filed on Feb. 6 and posted by the FDA to Regulations.gov for public comment on Feb. 8.
May 3, 2023