Author: Bill Tarling

“A federal court in Minnesota dismissed a group of tobacco companies’ suit against the city of Edina relating to a recently adopted ordinance banning the sale of flavored tobacco products.”

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Flavored Tobacco

“Vaping is “smashing” cigarette sales in New Zealand, according to The End Smoking NZ charity. The revelation has prompted more calls for proportionate regulation in the country following concerns that the Government’s move to restrict vaping flavours and potentially cap nicotine levels in vaping products will only slow such success.”

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Vaping Smashes Cigarette Sales

“The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has urged British health authorities to continue their pragmatic policies on vaping. Last month, U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that Public Health England (PHE) was being scrapped and merged into the new National Institute for Health Protection. PHE has supported vaping as a vital tobacco harm reduction tool. “Whenever responsibilities are transferred there is a risk that invaluable institutional knowledge and memory is lost. This would be to the detriment of the U.K.’s millions of smokers and vapers and cannot be allowed to happen in this case,” said John Dunne, director of the UKVIA.”

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U.K. Vaping Group Calls for Continued Pragmatism Post Public Health England

“90%: the percentage of e-cigarettes made in China. About nine in 10 e-cigarettes sold globally are produced in China, mostly in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen. In 2018, the e-cigarette industry in China employed more than 2 million people, generating annual sales of nearly $5 billion, state broadcaster CCTV reported. In January, the US Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on most flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes that were popular among young Americans, calling it a measure to combat “the troubling epidemic of youth e-cigarette use.” And in November, the Chinese government banned the sale of e-cigarettes on shopping websites. As a result, China’s e-cigarette industry has laid off around 50,000 people from October to December, roughly 10% of its workforce”

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Inkstone Index: the center of the world’s e-cigarette universe

“A final batch of bills approved this year by the Legislature, many scheduled to become law Oct. 1, continue to await a call from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Once the remaining bills are formally moved to the governor’s office, DeSantis will have 15 days to act on each proposal. The highest profile of the remaining measures, the e-cigarette legislation (SB 810), would go into effect Jan. 1. The proposal would identify e-cigarettes and vaping products as “tobacco products.” It would raise the age to purchase any tobacco products — including tobacco cigarettes, dip and chew, as well as e-cigarettes — from 18 to 21. The changes, promoted as addressing what health officials called a youth vaping “epidemic,” were a priority of Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton.”

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A final batch of bills approved this year by the Legislature continue to await a call from Gov. DeSantis

“California voters could be asked to overturn a new law banning the sale of flavored tobacco after opponents notified the state Monday of plans to seek a referendum on the measure. A notice was filed with the state by an attorney who has represented firms including R.J. Reynolds, which led the opposition campaign to Senate Bill 793. If opponents qualify the referendum by collecting the signatures of 623,212 registered voters, the tobacco ban would be placed on hold until voters are given a chance to weigh in, possibly in 2022.”

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Referendum filed to overturn California flavored tobacco ban

“Regulators plan to open up a process that’s normally secretive by listing which e-cigarette makers want permission to sell their products in the U.S., a move that could help consumers and retailers spot illegal products more easily. The Food and Drug Administration now plans to publish a list of all the products subject to the agency’s Sept. 9 deadline, and which have filed applications, Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a blog post Monday. The FDA has received applications for about 2,000 e-cigarettes and other newly regulated tobacco products already. There are more than 400 million eligible items that would need to apply to stay on the market, he said.”

BILL TARLING — It’s rather ironic that the FDA now says there are 400 Million eligible items, while when seeing the up PMTA for vape products, he said it was likely only expected to affect a couple of hundred products and companies.

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FDA Will List Which E-Cigarette Makers Applied to Stay on Market

“The most critical change – and it’s a sweeping one – would be a shift toward evidence-based decision making in the tobacco-control space. Too often, policy is driven by political or ideological factors, rather than science. As a result, global approaches to improving cessation effectiveness have stagnated and policymakers have banned tobacco harm-reduction products before seriously considering their benefits. Indeed, a dearth of evidence-based guidance has yielded ad hoc policies that run counter to the goals of the FCTC. Consider, for example, the fact that some governments permit the sale of deadly combustible cigarettes, while banning safer e-cigarettes.”

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Expert urges innovations in tobacco control

“Saudi Customs have banned the import of shishah, e-cigarettes and their accessories through shipping companies and individuals’ websites. In the event that they are imported, they would be confiscated, a fine imposed, and a record of seizure will be registered. Companies licensed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) are allowed to import such products in commercial quantities.”

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Customs ban individuals from importing electronic cigarettes

“California legislators have passed a bill banning the sale of flavored tobacco in retail stores, including flavored e-cigarettes. The state Senate voted unanimously Friday to give final approval to SB793 by state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, to outlaw the sale of fruit, menthol and mint-flavor cigarettes and vaping cartridges. The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said at a news conference Friday that he would sign it. He said it would be a point of “deep pride and personal privilege” to do so. Newsom has supported a new vaping tax and launched efforts to curb youth vaping. Hill’s bill does not apply to online sales of tobacco products, which often cross state lines, with sellers not headquartered in California. The measure also would not prohibit the personal possession of flavored tobacco. Retail stores that violate the ban would have to pay $250 per violation, though it is unclear if that would mean a $250 penalty per product sold or per transaction.”

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Ban on flavored tobacco retail-store sales approved by California legislators