Four people have been arrested and 10 million baht worth of e-cigarettes and related items seized in Bangkok following an investigation into illegal online sales of the banned products.
Credit Jim Moylan
The arrests followed a raid by police from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of a warehouse in Kheha Rom Klao Soi 27 in the Rat Phattana area of Saphan Sung district on Friday, according to the Bangkok Post.
The officers seized 50,000 bottles of refill liquid for e-cigarettes, 10,000 refill pods, 1,500 e-cigarettes and 80 boxes of related products worth a total of at least 10 million baht ($335,814), CIB commissioner Police Lt. Gen. Torsak Sukwimol said during a briefing on Saturday.
One woman and three men were arrested. All were charged with colluding in the sale of banned products in violation of the Consumer Protection Act.
Torsak said the CIB had received complaints that e-cigarettes and refill products of various brands were being sold via Facebook. Administrators of the page claimed that their products were made from dried fruits and posed no harm to users.
CIB investigators found that the Facebook page had been active for three years. Female presenters or “pretties” were hired to promote the products, which drew many purchase orders, said Torsak.
The investigators then sought a warrant from the Criminal Court to search the warehouse that led to the seizure of the products, which were imported from China.
Authorities said they would also call the product presenters in for questioning.
The government passed a law banning the sale of e-cigarettes in 2014. Authorities have said import and use is banned for health reasons and because electronic cigarettes lure young people into becoming smokers.
Health Canada wants to lower the nicotine limits for e-cigarettes to 20 mg/ml. The current limit is 66 mg/ml.
Minister of Health Patty Hajdu announced a public consultation on Dec. 18, inviting Canadians to share their thoughts on the proposal by March. 4
According to the government, the proposed changes build on existing measures to address the rise in youth vaping, including extensive public education campaigns and banning the advertising of vaping products in public spaces if the ads can be seen or heard by youth.
Health Canada is also considering to further restrict flavors in vaping products. It wants to require the vapor industry to provide more information about its products, including on sales, ingredients and research and development activities.
“Our work to protect Canadians from the harms of vaping products continues. These changes will help reduce the appeal of vaping products to youth,” said Hajdu in a statement.
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) welcomed the plans. “The proposed regulations requiring a maximum nicotine concentration for vaping products of 20 mg/mL are essential to reduce youth vaping and deserve strong support,” said CCS Senior Policy Analyst Rob Cunningham.
The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) urged the government to balance youth protection with adult harm reduction. “It is without question that Canada must act to restrict nicotine concentrations to protect youth, but it should not be an all-or-nothing approach,” the association wrote in a press note.
“Ontario has restricted high nicotine products to age-restricted environments, effectively eliminating all retail access points for youth. This policy has proven effective in mitigating youth use while balancing the needs of adult smokers. The CVA encourages the government of Canada to adopt this policy federally,” said Darryl Tempest, executive director of the CVA.
Three recent studies demonstrate the potential for improved health effects that can come from the use of e-cigarettes, when such vaping products are used on a permanent basis and the use of all tobacco products is halted.
Credit: TTI
The arguments used to promote the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and other vaping products is with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer, and as a strategy to decrease the addiction to conventional cigarettes.
Other smoking related diseases include risk of lung disease, including lung cancer and emphysema. The research areas that support this have been provided by trade site Vapor Solo. In relation to the research, a review commissioned by Public Health England concluded that e-cigarettes were 95 percent less harmful than tobacco.
The first set of research is from the University of Dundee, U.K., drawing on an extensive clinical trial into the cardiovascular effect
CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH The second area of research relates to a trial that found that patients (114 in total) who switched from smoking to vaping experience a 1.5 percentage point improvement with their blood vessel function, as demonstrated across a four week period. This improvement was as measured against conventional cigarette users. Heart health was assessed using a Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD) test, to assess how far a blood vessel opens.
Further studies from the research team are underway to measure the effects over a longer time period across which the broader effects of cardiovascular health can be assessed, including the risk of heart attacks. The results are supported by a second study from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, U.S.
This research strand showed that heavy cigarette smokers with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by 39 percent within five years if they switch to e-cigarettes or quit altogether. In a follow-up letter to The Lancet, the researchers “estimate that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful to users than smoking. Or, as we prefer, smoking is estimated to be twenty times more harmful to users than vaping e-cigarettes.”
CANCER DEVELOPMENT A similar investigation, this time into the risk of developing cancers, was conducted between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, U.S., and the University College London., U.K. This study was slightly larger, taking in 181 smokers in order to assess the long-term effects of vaping.
The smoker group included users of electronic cigarettes and conventional tobacco products. To determine the health variance, those involved in the study volunteered to provide saliva, breath, and urine samples. Qualitative questionnaires were also completed.
The data indicated that levels of carcinogens (including tobacco specific nitrosamines, which are one of the most important carcinogens in tobacco formed from nicotine) taken from former smokers who had switched to e-cigarettes were significantly lower compared with regular users of smoking tobacco products.
People who used both types of products, so-termed ‘combination smokers’ did not experience any significant health improvements. The third study was published in the peer-reviewed journal: Annals of Internal Medicine, titled “Nicotine, Carcinogen, and Toxin Exposure in Long-Term E-Cigarette and Nicotine Replacement Therapy Users: A Cross-sectional Study.”
On Wednesday, the Riigikogu, the unicameral parliament of Estonia, passed an amendment that exempts e-liquids from its excise duty until the end of 2022. By suspending the collection of excise duty, entrepreneurs will be given the opportunity to reduce the price of e-liquid and thus create an incentive for users to purchase products from Estonian sales outlets, not from border trade or the black market, according to Estonian officials.
Credit: Crew2139
The amendments will take effect on April 1, 2021. According to the amendments, excise duty on e-cigarette liquids will be suspended until the end of 2022. Also, the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act will not apply to e-cigarette liquids during that time. During the period when e-liquids are not subject to excise duty, e-cigarette tax stamps do not give rise to an obligation to pay excise duty.
Tarmo Kruusimäe, chairman of the Riigikogu’s smoke-free Estonia support group, said the amendment will help better the health of the Estonian people.
“From June 1, 2018, an extremely high excise duty on e-cigarette liquids came into force in Estonia, as a result of which the black market and cross-border trade flourished. By suspending the collection of excise duties for two years, we are giving traders the opportunity to lower the prices of e-liquid products,” Kruusimäe said, according to an article in the err.ee.
The break in excise duty payment provides an opportunity to change the habits of consumers by redirecting them back to legal, laboratory-tested products, according to Kruusimäe. He also said that Estonia’s tobacco policy so far has been only based on scolding, without the realization that it is not easy for people to overcome an addiction.
“Estonia ranks third in Europe in tobacco deaths. Proven and less harmful alternative tobacco products are helping people quit cigarettes. By offering alternatives, we help maintain the health of the Estonian people,” he said.
Altogether 53 MPs on Wednesday voted in favor of the bill of amendment to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act initiated by Isamaa, the Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) and the Center Party.
The Chinese government may tighten its grip on e-cigarettes, according to a new report from eCigIntelligence.
Legally, the China National Tobacco Co. (CTNC) has a monopoly over both combustible and vapor products, but the organization has not exercised its authority to date. According to the report, that could change in the future.
There are three possible scenarios, according to the market intelligence provider: “One possible scenario is that the government may allow private companies to continue operations but under close observation to ensure their products do not target non-smokers or minors.
“The government could also decide to crack down on the e-cig market, which as the report explains would have a significant negative impact on the growth in sales of tobacco-alternative products in the country. A third scenario would involve the China National Tobacco Company extending its existing control over traditional cigarettes to vaping products.”
Internet vape shop sales are facing fines as the U.S. state of Washington investigates online e-cigarette retailers. Washington’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the results of a dragnet that caught five companies caught violating Washington’s age verification law, yesterday. Those fines amount to a total of $132,000 to the Attorney General’s Office, which will go toward continued enforcement of the law, according to a press release.
The five companies also entered into legally binding agreements with the agency to change their advertising and online sales practices to comply with Washington’s youth access law. The Attorney General’s Office says it “has or will” file lawsuits against two more companies for the same issues.
Credit: Free-Photos
For the investigation, the agency assembled a list of 148 online vapor product retailers. Investigators then posed as minors or used false identifying information and attempted to make purchases of nicotine-containing vapor products. “Washington’s law requires stringent age verification for online sales of vapor products. For example, vapor product sellers must verify the buyer’s age using a third-party service to crosscheck and confirm the buyer’s identity,” the release states. “Seven of the 148 targets illegally sold products to the investigators without verifying the ages of the purchasers, including one that completed the sale even when the investigator indicated they were 17 years old.”
The sting caught two additional companies that failed to cooperate with the investigation, according to the release.
In order to sell vapor products to Washington residents, retailers must do the following:
Clearly state Washington’s minimum legal age of purchase on their website;
Use a third-party verification service to confirm the purchaser’s name, age, and residential address;
The retailer then needs to verify the credit card information, and it has to match the information the purchaser provides;
Then they have to get a signed certification from the purchaser, saying they are who they say they are, and they are of legal age to purchase vapor products;
When the package ships, the shipping documents need to clearly state the package contains vapor products;
And the package needs to contain information about Washington law regarding the purchase of vapor products by minors.
Many sites used an “age gate,” requiring visitors to either confirm they were of “legal smoking age,” or enter their birth date to confirm their age, according to the release. Investigators tried to enter a birth date for a 17-year-old into the age gate on each site. All but one rejected that attempted purchase.
If the investigators got rejected by the age gate, they entered a fake birth date indicating they were of legal age, and used fake identifying information to make their purchase. If a company was following Washington State law, this information “was impossible to verify, and they were not allowed to make a purchase,” according to the release.
The Malaysian government wants to reduce the number of smokers in the country by 15 percent by 2025. They are hoping to accomplish the goal through regulation and taxation, however, not by exploring less-risky nicotine products.
According to an article in The Sun Daily, previous measures such as raising taxes and the price of tobacco in a bid to reduce consumption had not only been ineffective, but also catapulted the growth of the illegal cigarette market.
During the third virtual Scientific Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction 2020 in September, public health expert professor Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, was quoted saying that the tobacco harm reduction strategy could be used as an alternative solution. However, it would face many hurdles as it was still not well-received by Malaysians in general.
She said there were still concerns over the efficacy of non-tobacco nicotine products on top of the notion that e-cigarettes could increase smoking gateways among youths, adding that there was also the issue of no proper monitoring of tobacco alternative products, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and heat-not-burn (HnB) products, such as IQOS.
At the moment, rules and regulations only cover the selling of nicotine products and are categorised under the Poison Act 1952. This clearly states that the supply and sale of any preparation containing nicotine is only allowed by licensed pharmacists and registered doctors for the purpose of treatment.
Sharifa was speaking as a panellist during the summit’s discussion titled “Tobacco Harm Reduction in low- and middle-income countries”, where she told the panel the government was taking a harder stand with its plan to introduce the standalone Tobacco Control Act to replace the Control of Tobacco Products Regulations 2004, which seeks to tighten control on all types of tobacco products.
Speaking on the sidelines, she told the newspaper the new act will deem nicotine products, including vapes and HNB devices, as tobacco products and will be enforced as such and likely to be totally banned. “This means only vape with non-nicotine e-juices will be allowed in the market,” she said. “This would only lead to less ‘safer choices’ for hard core smokers to transition to safer practices and options.”
She added that combustible cigarettes have been known to be more hazardous not only to the smoker themselves but also to those around them as opposed to the alternatives like vapes and HnB due to the lack of tobacco combustion. This, she said, was compounded with the large availability of contraband and illicit cigarettes that are abundant in the market at a low cost.
Sharifa also acknowledged there has been a visible dip in smoking prevalence in the country following its rigorous anti-smoking strategy nationwide. However, she said it could not be taken wholeheartedly since the authorities were unable to determine whether former users had switched to contraband cigarettes, vapes, HnB or that they had truly quit smoking.
“No proper study has been concisely implemented to look at the nature, but nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is very common in Malaysia. However, implementation wise, it does have its concerns of access, lack of availability, and standardisation across urban and rural areas, and lack of trained health personnel in rural settings,” she said. “Many studies have shown that all types of nicotine products such as vapes, ENDS and NRT rate is curtailing persistent smokers are almost similar.”
South Africa’s ban on vaping and tobacco sales during the country’s hard lockdown earlier this year was unconstitutional, the country’s High Court ruled Dec. 11.
From March to August, the government prohibited sales of tobacco products and alcohol to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. Market leader British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) and smaller companies united in the Fair-trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) challenged the ban, arguing that a short-term ban on a product whose health risks become evident only in the long run makes no sense.
They also questioned the rationale of the argument around cigarette sharing. Tobacco shortages and high prices of black-market cigarettes would only increase the likelihood of smokers sharing their “stompies,” the tobacco companies said.
The government lifted the ban before the matter had been heard in court, but BATSA decided to proceed with the court action to prevent the ban from being reintroduced at a later stage of the pandemic.
In its ruling Friday, the Western Cape High Court judges who presided over the case said Regulation 45, which Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma relied upon for the ban, “cannot and does not withstand constitutional scrutiny.”
In court, the government had argued that the ban was aimed at reducing the occupation of intensive care unit beds by smokers. If people didn’t vape or smoke, they would likely not get Covid-19 in a more severe form, it argued. But BATSA maintained the government had not justified the ban in law or science.
Tobacco companies expressed satisfaction with Friday’s ruling.
“British American Tobacco South Africa has been vindicated in its view that the disastrous ban on tobacco sales was unjustified and unconstitutional after the Western Cape High Court ruled in its favor,” the company wrote in a press release.
“The five-month ban on tobacco and vapor products sales was ill-considered, unlawful and has worsened the illicit trade in cigarettes and vapor products in the country.”
“We note and welcome the judgment of the full bench of the Western Cape High Court, wrote FITA in a statement.
“The court further found Regulation 45 to be neither necessary nor that it furthered the objectives set out in section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act. This, of course, was one of the arguments advanced by FITA in its challenging of the ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco-related products, which the full bench of the North Gauteng High Court erred in finding same to be necessary.”
In the wake of the court ruling, BATSA also renewed its call for South Africa to urgently ratify the World Health Organization Illicit Trade Protocol to eradicate the illegal sale of cigarettes. The company stated that ratifying the protocol is “the only way for the country to claw back tax losses resulting from the explosion in illicit trade that occurred during the ban on tobacco and vapor products.”
In July, BATSA estimated that the ban on legal cigarette sales had cost South Africa ZAR4 billion ($241.7 million) in lost excise tax revenues and 30,000 lost industry jobs.
The health warnings for e-cigarettes and other vapor products should be different from warnings on combustible cigarettes, according to a health expert. Indonesian professor and medical expert Tikki Pangestu sought a distinction on the health warnings during the second Philippine Harm Reduction Online Forum held by Harm Reduction Alliance of the Philippines recently.
Photo: Vchalup | Dreamstime.com
“Health warnings on combustible cigarette packs should not be the same as those on the packaging of e-cigarettes and HTPs (heated tobacco products). This is because e-cigarettes and HTPs have been shown to be 90- to 95-percent less harmful than combustible cigarettes,” said Pangestu, visiting professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore and former director for research policy and cooperation of the World Health Organization, according to an article in The Manila Times.
The implementing rules and regulations of Republic Acts 11346 and 11467 mandate the Department of Health to issue health warning templates for HTPs and vapor products. Pangestu said the health warnings should be “proportionate to the risk of smoke-free products.”
He suggested that health warnings could state that HTPs or vapes, while not free from harm, are “significantly less harmful” than combustible cigarettes.
“The health warnings could also indicate that smoke-free products are for adults only and should not be used by the youth,” Pangestu said. “There are many factors to be considered in developing regulations but in my view, such regulations must be based on the science and evidence around smoke-free products.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given an acceptance letter to the UK-based e-liquid manufacturer Riot Squad for its premarket tobacco product application (PMTA), the company confirmed today.
“We continue to move through the PMTA process and are very happy to get to this stage”, said Ben Johnson Riot Labs CEO. “We remain committed to working with the FDA throughout the process. With our award-winning products and flavors we continue to provide better alternatives to combustible tobacco products and look forward to working in this industry for many more years to come.”
The company confirmed that it had submitted PMTAs for seven flavors in three freebase nicotine strengths (0mg, 3mg and 6mg) and 2 nicotine salt strengths (20mg Hybrid and 48mg). The flavors submitted include:
Pink Grenade
Sub Lime
Tropical Fury
Blue Burst
Cherry Fizzle
Rich Black Grape
Ultra peach Tea
“Receipt of this acceptance letter is a significant milestone, which confirms that Riot Labs products have now met the statutory and regulatory requirements for a PMTA submission, based on Section 910 of the FD&C Act,” a press release states. “The application is now under preliminary scientific review, before going forward to substantive review by the FDA.”
The FDA requires applicants to show their products are appropriate for the protection of public health. Riot Labs began building its PMTA data in 2018. The process has taken over 2 years, with 7 applications and over 1.8 million pages of scientific data submitted, according to Johnson.
Riot Labs was established in 2016 by Johnson who has an extensive background in pharmaceuticals. He set out to build ‘Riot Squad’ into an innovative brand, with the aim of encouraging consumers to find the confidence to give up smoking and engage in a healthier alternative. Riot Squad products are now available in over 86 countries.
