Author: Bill Tarling

“Tampa Rep. Jackie Toledo has refiled a bill that would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco and nicotine products to 21. The bill, HB 987, would alter current state law, which requires an individual purchasing a smoking product to be at least 18 years old. Raising the age to 21 would help the state comply with new federal regulations. “What we want to make sure is that vape products are not in the hands of our youth,” Toledo said. Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a similar bill back in September that had passed through the 2020 Legislative Session (SB 810). That bill, which Toledo sponsored in the House, would have not only raised the legal age to buy tobacco products to 21, but it would also have banned flavored nicotine products commonly used in vape cartridges. However, the recent bill filed by Toledo differs from last year in that it does not mention prohibiting the sale of flavored liquid nicotine products.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Jackie Toledo refiles bill to raise smoking age to 21

“Vape Nation is a free webinar being hosted by The Adam Smith Institute on 16 February. Three tobacco harm reduction experts will be discussing how the UK can lead the world in embracing safer alternative nicotine products. The other event comes from the other end of the spectrum. The ELMO-ENSP event will be discussing using lifestyle interventions to end e-cigarette use.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Webinar Diary Dates

“The city of Roseville is restricting the sale of flavored tobacco products. The City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that prohibits most retailers from selling flavored tobacco products but allows the four tobacco-only shops in the city to sell flavored tobacco to customers age 21 and older.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Metro briefs: Roseville limits flavored tobacco sales

“Since coming to Congress in 2017, Rep. Josh Gottheimer has sponsored legislation to more tightly regulate tobacco products and aligned himself with a coalition of colleagues who advocate curbs on youth vaping — all while investing in a Fortune 200 tobacco conglomerate and receiving money from that firm’s political action committee. The three-term congressman’s 2019 annual financial disclosure report — the most recent, comprehensive look available into his holdings that Gottheimer filed in August 2020 — shows stock in Altria Group, Inc. and Philip Morris International Inc. Gottheimer in 2019 earned between $400 and $2,000 in dividends from companies that sell tobacco products, according to a CQ Roll Call review of his financial disclosures. Members of Congress are only required to report such purchases in pre-set ranges. Gottheimer has also received $10,500 in campaign contributions from Altria Group, Inc. Political Action Committee (AltriaPAC) since 2017, according to Federal Election Commission records. Gottheimer continued to buy Altria stock into 2021. On Jan. 11, he bought between $1,000 and $15,000 worth of Altria securities, according to his most recent periodic transaction report. He also bought securities in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Salesforce[.]com, among other companies, in the same dollar range, as reflected in the most recent transaction report. All of these are joint holdings the congressman owns with his spouse. Gottheimer is not alone in investing in tobacco stocks among members of Congress, nor is he alone in taking a position against youth vaping while having financial interests in tobacco.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Gottheimer, anti-vaping advocate, gets tobacco campaign cash and dividends

“Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to 10 firms who manufacture and operate websites selling electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products, specifically e-liquids, advising them that selling these products, which lack premarket authorization, is illegal, and therefore they cannot be sold or distributed in the U.S. The firms did not submit a premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) by the Sept. 9, 2020 deadline. The 10 firms receiving warning letters are Little House Vapes LLC; Castle Rock Vapor LLC; Dropsmoke Inc.; Perfection Vapes Inc.; CLS Trading LLC d/b/a Vape Dudes HQ; Session Supply Co.; Coastal E-Liquid Laboratory/GC Vapors LLC; Dr. Crimmy LLC d/b/a Dr. Crimmy’s V-Liquid; CMM Capital LLC d/b/a ETX Vape; and E-Cig Barn LLC.”

ARTICLE LINK:
FDA Warns Firms to Remove Unauthorized E-liquid Products from Market in First Letters Issued to Manufacturers that Did Not Submit Premarket Applications by Deadline

“Some vapers have spoken about feeling healthier than when they smoked, some advocates have mentioned that nicotine has some benefits – but what if the public health experts are correct? What if we really should be working towards a zero-risk world? You will be amazed, horrified, and possibly a little bit shocked to discover that other things in life pose a huge risk to your health and wellbeing. It’s clearly time to get tough on risk.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Fruity Little Dangers

“The study actually found that, for the vast majority of UK vapers, the increased risk of transmission is around 1% compared to someone who is just resting and breathing. This is considerably lower than the increased risk of transmission from talking or coughing. For the minority who are classed as high intensity vapers, which is usually associated with using a rarer advanced tank system e-cigarette and can create large vapour clouds, the paper estimated the added risk rose to between 5% and 17%. The paper also found that vaping carried lower risks than other activities. It said that, compared to breathing, the increased risk of being around someone speaking without vaping is between 40 and 90%, while the increased risk of being near someone speaking and coughing is 200%.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Study doesn’t say most vapers are 17% more likely to transmit Covid

“An e-cigarette ad appeared on an app used for remote learning last week, prompting at least one Colorado lawmaker to weigh potential legislation to prevent it from happening again. Rob Witwer, a former Republican state representative, posted a screengrab Friday from the Quizlet app that his son, who attends a school in the Jefferson County School District, was using, which showed an ad for IQOS — an e-cigarette from Philip Morris whose parent company is tobacco giant, Altria. Witwer wrote, “Why are advertisements for Marlboro e-cigarettes appearing on @quizlet, an app used by kids for remote learning? Quizlet asked Witwer to file an official complaint and blocked the advertiser. Altria said it pulled its ads and was working with its third-party placement firm to figure out how that happened.”

ARTICLE LINK:
Vaping ad on remote learning app prompts Colorado lawmaker to consider stricter marketing laws

“Swissx issued a stern warning for retailers carrying vape products today. The cease and desist letter demands that stores and chains remove vape products made by Juul and others from their shelves or risk being included in the massive lawsuit already underway for patent infringement. Swissx is concerned about the integrity of its inventor’s patent, as well as the safety of the public who may be being put in danger by infringing products. At the heart of the suit is evidence that Juul copied the technology invented by Swissx’s Robert Safari in 2012 and acknowledged it was doing so in filings in 2018. The detailed complaint, filed in Delaware where Juul is registered, explains how Juul’s vape cartridges mirror Safari’s cartomizer innovation in every detail.”

ARTICLE LINK:Vape Retailers Put on Notice: Don’t Get Caught Up in Massive Juul Patent Suit

“On Feb. 8, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong submitted testimony in support of state Senate Bill 326, An Act Prohibiting the Sale of Flavored Cigarettes, Tobacco Products, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and Vapor Products. In Maryland, state legislators are also reviewing a statewide ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products. Both proposals include menthol cigarettes.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Connecticut & Maryland Eye Statewide Bans on Flavored Tobacco