Author: Bill Tarling

““Vaping advertising ban will see less Kiwis quit cigarettes,” says a leading business. “Workplace vaping stops, but don’t shun vapers,” cries a consumer organisation. Meanwhile, the New Zealand government presses ahead with measures “to discourage young people from vaping” even though it will hit smokers and ex-smokers the hardest. Jonathan Devery, co-owner of Alt New Zealand and VAPO, commented: “Vaping is the most effective smoking cessation tool the world has ever had. Yet its advertising is now banned in New Zealand, which will simply and sadly lead to less Kiwis giving up cigarettes. The vape industry would’ve happily adhered to heavily regulated advertising and message restrictions – like the alcohol industry does. Restricted advertising works well in the UK, but unfortunately New Zealand vape businesses have now lost all opportunity to reach out to smokers. Instead, it will be the taxpayer alone funding smoking cessation by vaping.””

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New Laws for NZ

“British American Tobacco (M) Bhd (BAT) has confirmed that it will introduce its vapes under the Vuse brand in the Malaysia market once the regulatory framework for the product category is finalised. CGS-CIMB’s analyst Kamarul Anwar said in a note yesterday that the tobacco group announced its planned foray into this growing market at a recent analyst briefing, which took place after the Budget 2021 tabling where it was announced that the government will impose an excise duty of 10% on electronic and non-electronic cigarettes, as well as 40 sen/ml on all e-cigarette and vape liquids from Jan 1 next year.”

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BAT confirms it will enter Malaysian vape market once regulatory framework firms up

“Advocates mobilised on social media to address the problems with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) approach to vaping. The action took place during a meeting of signatories to the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2018. Rather than accept the well-argued and referenced points being made, Department for Health at the University of Bath (a front group for unelected billionaire Michael Bloomberg) chose to accuse advocates of being in the pay of Big Tobacco. Not only is Evans-Reeves happy to have members of the public barred from seeing what they are paying for, she would also like Twitter to be censored so that they can’t comment on the proceedings either.”

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More Bluster From Bath

“The Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) launched its first ever comprehensive guide to battery stewardship last week. It says it utilises the sector-leading expertise of the IBVTA’s steering committee, with significant engagement from external stakeholders, the IBVTA have produced the first comprehensive guide to battery stewardship for the UK vaping sector. IBVTA says the guide will assist any size vape business, producer, or vendor with compliance for supply to the UK market of vaping devices containing integrated batteries and portable batteries for use in vaping devices.”

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IBVTA Launches Battery Stewardship Guide

“Cigarette company Imperial Brands’ full-year results have revealed a change of the habits of smokers, with a shift from e-cigarettes to tobacco. Imperial said: “It would appear smokers have chosen to allocate more of their discretionary spend towards tobacco. Lockdowns, restrictions on travel and a boost from fiscal stimulus measures in “several markets” resulted in changes in consumer behaviour, the company said, meaning a “slightly better market size trends for the group overall.””

BILL TARLING — Vape Retailers were blocked and forced to stay closed, while cigarettes were widely and readily available, pushing people to smoke during the stressful times when they couldn’t buy their vape supplies to remain smoke free

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Coronavirus saw people swapping e-cigarettes for tobacco, helping boost sales

“Vape companies have experienced issues with PayPal in the past, not least a problem that funds in accounts would be frozen for a considerable length of time – causing serious concerns for businesses impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. Now an increasing number of reports are cropping up of companies across Europe and beyond being blocked from using PayPal. It’s being reported in France, “PayPal has decided that the sale of products related to electronic cigarettes was no longer ethical for the company”, and that it is now closing accounts “without notice and definitely”.”

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PayPal Problems Proliferate

“On Thursday, a committee of the city’s Board of Supervisors voted to advance a bill that would ban smoking inside private dwellings located in apartments with three or more units. The San Francisco Examiner reports that the restrictions would apply not just to tobacco products, but also to smoking marijuana and even to vaping. San Francisco currently bans smoking in the enclosed common areas of multi-unit buildings. Yee’s proposal extends this to the interiors of those buildings’ private homes, as well as to balconies and patios. The bill would allow the city’s Department of Public Health to fine offenders up to $1,000″

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San Francisco Considers $1,000 Fines for People Smoking Tobacco or Cannabis in Their Apartments

“Expert Clive Bates has submitted a document to the Australian Senate Select Committee on Tobacco Harm Reduction. In it he details the evidence on vaping and calls for the government to conduct a complete overhaul of the approach to tobacco harm reduction in Australia. Clive takes a swing at Australia’s ridiculous attempts to ban the import of nicotine while allowing tobacco products to remain on sale: ‘Poisons legislation means a highly convoluted process is required to access much safer smokefree nicotine products than cigarettes or it is made impossible. An exemption for nicotine “prepared and packed for smoking’ means cigarettes are available everywhere but a complicated prescription and international import procedure is required for vaping products. Lawful access to smokeless or heated tobacco products is not possible at all. It is impossible to defend this.””

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Australian Committee Submission

“The recent call for a ban on vaping appears misguided and a failure to appreciate the role of harm reduction in the fight against cigarette smoking. In Bangladesh, the anti-tobacco lobbyists are not really looking into the relevant data before declaring a war on vaping and demanding a ban. The first thing any policymaker should note about vaping is that, it is not meant for non-smokers. It is strictly for cigarette smokers who want to quit smoking and choose a healthier lifestyle. Is there any evidence that supports vaping to be less harmful than regular cigarettes? Even a cursory look at the data available on vaping show that vaping has emerged as one of the most effective quit-smoking tools in the world.”

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Why banning Vaping will be unwise

“California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today filed a brief in defense of Senate Bill 793 (SB 793), which prohibits retail sales of most flavored tobacco products in California. Attorney General Becerra argues that SB 793 is critical to protect the health and safety of California residents and a valid exercise of state authority under the federal Tobacco Control Act.”

BILL TARLING — In 2019, California brought in $3.1B in tobacco tax revenue and relies on the revenue stream by ensuring people keep smoking, and don’t switch to harm reduction e-liquid vapor products

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Attorney General Becerra Files Brief in Defense of Ban on Retail Sales of Flavored Tobacco