Author: Bill Tarling

“Indiana lawmakers voted Wednesday to triple the fines for selling tobacco and vaping products to underage Hoosiers. Senate Bill 1 also would mirror new federal law limiting purchases to those 21 and older; Current state law says 18. The legislation passed the Senate Health Committee unanimously and now moves to the full Senate for consideration.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Indiana lawmakers approve increased fines for underage tobacco sales

“Another metro Phoenix city is considering a ban on where residents can vape. The Buckeye City Council decided at a January work session to vote on regulating vaping at a future meeting, which would make it the third Valley city to do so. A vaping ordinance for 𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝘁, though Mayor Jackie Meck said it 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵. Meck said he’d like to 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 places and update the city’s smoking and vaping age to 21, bringing the city up to speed with the feds. Meck said he’s not going to wait for the state Legislature to act. “I’m not planning on waiting on anybody,” he said. “In my opinion, the sooner the better.””

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Another metro Phoenix city may tighten rules on vaping

“State Rep. Yadira Caraveo plans to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to ban flavored vaping products. A flavored vaping ban isn’t the only way the legislature and others are trying to tackle teen vaping. State lawmakers are working to shore up Colorado’s enforcement and implementation of the federal decision to raise the tobacco-purchase age nationwide to 21.”

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Colorado lawmakers will weigh in 2020 whether to ban flavored vaping products

“A new study of the e-cigarette tax in Minnesota has verified the first rule of economics: the more something costs, the less people buy. The study’s authors, mostly National Bureau of Economic Research economists, found Minnesota’s tax levied on e-cigarettes “𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘁𝗮.” Although the findings agree with previous studies, showing that higher taxes successfully reduce vaping, they also find that e-cigarette taxes have re-incentivized the use of conventional cigarettes.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Vaping Tax Economics

STUDY:

The Impact of E-Cig Taxes on Smoking Rates: Evidence From Minnesota

“NACS worked with other retail associations to send a second letter to the FDA seeking clarity to retailers transitioning to the new federal Tobacco 21 law. The FDA posted a notice on its website that age 21 was effectively immediately. However, the agency has not provided any other updates. The law gives the FDA 180 days to write regulations implementing the new age and then no more than 90 days for it to take effect. The law does not require a delay of the age 21 requirement, according to NACS. However, it does consider a regulation to provide retailers with clear direction of the new rules, including a requirement to verify the age of any purchaser under the age of 30. For this reason, NACS believes it was Congress’ intent that the law wouldn’t be enforced until regulations were both finalized and implemented.”

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NACS & Fellow Retail Associations Press for Clarity on New Federal Tobacco 21 Law

“Juul Labs Canada says it will temporarily stop producing some of its flavoured e-cigarette pods as it faces the prospect of new federal rules that could restrict or ban flavoured vaping products. According to a spokesman, the company will continue producing mint and tobacco flavoured pods.”

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Juul Canada temporarily halts production of some flavours as it waits for new Health Canada regulations

“If the governor signs the e-cigarette flavor ban, owners of vape shops like Juicy Puff in Washington Township say they’re essentially out of business. For Kevin Shah, a ban on flavored e-cigarette products in New Jersey means unemployment, not only for him and his son, Chirag, that run the family business but for the other eight employees that work in their three stores. “And we are to suddenly close, so how are we going to do this? It is crazy. It is just overnight putting me like I’m a criminal and put me out of business,” Shah said. If Murphy signs the measure New Jersey lawmakers passed on Monday to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarette products, it will essentially put more than 250 vape shops in the Garden State out of business.If the governor signs the e-cigarette flavor ban, owners of vape shops like Juicy Puff in Washington Township say they’re essentially out of business.”

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New Jersey Vape Shop Owners Say They’ll Be Put Out Of Business If Gov. Phil Murphy Signs Flavored E-Cigarette Ban

“The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a vaping ban for unincorporated areas of San Diego County with a 3-2 vote on Tuesday. Seventy people spoke for and against the vaping ban in front of the County Board of Supervisors. The ordinance has three parts: to prohibit the sale of flavored smoking products, to establish a one-year moratorium on the sale of electronic smoking devices, and to prohibit smoking in outdoor dining areas. The ban also include smokeless tobacco products. The regulations were proposed by Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Dianne Jacob in response to an outbreak of vaping-related lung illnesses across the nation.”

ARTICLE LINK:

County Leaders Ban Vaping, Flavored Smoking Product Sales

“This divergence between reality and public opinion is largely due to attempts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to scare and misinform the public about e-cigarettes’ relative risks and benefits. Despite the harm reduction potential of e-cigarettes, the FDA, CDC, and anti-smoking advocacy groups have been relentless in their attempts to raise doubts about the safety of e-cigarettes and suppress their use. While they claim their campaign is targeted at preventing never-smokers and minors from initiating e-cigarette use, it has also deceived adult smokers. Every message from the CDC and the FDA that drums up fear and turns Americans away from e-cigarettes should be measured in the lives it could cost.”

ARTICLE LINK:
Federal Health Agencies’ Misleading Messaging on E-Cigarettes Threatens Public Health

NOTE: Special thanks to Phil Busardo and Taste Your Juice for inviting me to help bring everyone some of the latest International Vaping News and legislative issues happening within the industry. I hope you will find the section to be helpful in keeping aware of some of the latest media articles about the industry.

FDA [REGULATION CHANGES]

“The new policy doesn’t change the letter of the law surrounding vaping, since from the FDA’s perspective, all vapes, as newer tobacco products, need agency authorization to be on the market legally. But in practice, the policy prohibits the production, distribution and sale of all flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes, with the exception of menthol and tobacco flavors, after Feb. 1. After that date, unless a manufacturer can show that an unauthorized flavored cartridge is “appropriate for the protection of public health” and receive FDA authorization, the product will not be allowed on the market. The FDA also said it would take action against e-cigarette manufacturers if they do not take adequate measures to prevent teen access, or if they market to minors, regardless of whether their products are flavored or cartridge-based. The FDA does not consider its policy to be a ban. Nervertheless, University of Maryland Carey School of Law professor Kathleen Hoke told us she was skeptical that any non-menthol flavored pod product would receive premarket authorization.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Q&A on the FDA’s Flavored E-Cig Policy