Author: Bill Tarling

“Anti-smoking campaigners are calling for the Government to stop plans to ban oral nicotine products in the Vaping Amendment Bill.  The addition to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill states oral nicotine products cannot be sold or distributed, unless the products has been approved by the Health Minister. Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa said she’s hoping the Bill will be passed through Parliament in the next three weeks.Campaigners are also hoping the restriction of vaping liquid flavours to only menthol, tobacco and menthol being sold at stores outside vape shops will be extended to include a couple of fruity flavours. “That’s not going to help us give up because you’ve still got that taste of tobacco or menthol in it… I have vanilla right now,” said Connie Stevens, a woman who switched from smoking to vaping. Ms Ruwhiu-Collins said rural communities are being penalised because they don’t have access to vape shops, and even with the option of online shopping if users do have internet access, that creates a lag in accessing products.”

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Anti-smoking campaigners calling on Government to stop plans to ban oral nicotine products

“The B.C. government says sweeping new regulations on sales and marketing of vaping products will be in full effect by the end of the summer. The new E-Substances Regulation was announced last November and caps the nicotine content in vapour pods and liquids at 20 milligrams of nicotine per millilitre, while requiring plain packaging with health warnings. It also prohibits non-nicotine or nicotine-cannabis blended vape products. Meanwhile, changes to the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Regulation mean that flavoured products can only be sold in adult-only stores, and no advertising is permitted in public spaces like bus shelters or parks where young people gather. New retailers will be required to comply immediately with the new rules, while existing retailers will have until Sept. 15 to comply. Other parts of the province’s plan are already in effect. Beginning on Jan. 1, the provincial sales tax on vaping devices and substances jumped from seven to 20 per cent.”

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B.C. government’s strict new rules on vape products coming into force this summer

“The New Nicotine Alliance (NNA), Britain’s consumer charity for nicotine users, has been hosting a series of hugely successful webcasts. We have seen the likes of Clive Bates and Dr Farsalinos discussing vape related matters. The latest one will feature experts discussing why smokers don’t appear to get on with alternative nicotine products and what can be done to address this. The online webinar discussion will feature Louise Ross, Hazel Chinnery and Liz Barber discussing the subject “Tried it, didn’t like it: Why do many smokers not get on with alternatives?”. It will take place from 6pm – 7pm (BST) on Thursday 23rd July.”

TIMEZONES
| 6PM BST | 1PM EST | Noon Central | 11AM Mountain | 10AM Pacific | AUSTRALIA Wed July 24th 3AM |

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Tried It, Didn’t Like It

“Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters notifying ten companies, including Cool Clouds Distribution Inc. (doing business as Puff Bar), to remove their flavored disposable e-cigarettes and youth-appealing e-liquid products from the market because they do not have the required premarket authorization.The FDA’s review of the companies’ websites revealed that each firm is selling or distributing unauthorized tobacco products that were first introduced or modified after Aug. 8, 2016—the effective date of the deeming rule that extended the FDA’s authority to all tobacco products. Any new tobacco product not in compliance with the premarket requirements of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) is adulterated and misbranded and may not be marketed without FDA authorization. The agency is particularly concerned about the appeal of flavored, disposable e-cigarettes to youth and continues to monitor all available data.”

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FDA Notifies Companies, Including Puff Bar, to Remove Flavored Disposable E-Cigarettes and Youth-Appealing E-Liquids from Market for Not Having Required Authorization

“Whanganui has banned vaping in public places, despite the Government recently moving to legalise the alternative to smoking cigarettes. All council-run events and facilities are now both smokefree and vape-free. Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner announced in March that vape liquid containing nicotine would be legalised for sale likely by the end of next year. “Scientific evidence on the safety of e-cigarettes is still developing but there’s a general consensus that vaping is much less harmful than smoking,” she said at the time.”

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Whanganui bans vaping in public places

“A surprise move by the Italian government is protecting heated tobacco’s privileged tax status. At issue is a proposal that would have hiked taxes on heated tobacco — over which Philip Morris International (PMI) has a near monopoly — so that it would be close to par with conventional cigarettes. In Italy, taxes on heated tobacco are only a quarter of the standard rate on conventional cigarettes. But the government declined last week to give its backing, prompting lawmakers to withdraw the amendment. With a 98 percent market share, IQOS enjoys de facto monopoly status and has seen sales doubling year-on-year. This year, it’s expected to account for 9 percent of all tobacco product sales.”

BILL TARLING — PMI has admitted [during a Canadian hearing] that they are pricing their HNB refills to be about the same price as a pack of cigarettes (under the pretext that it was so smokers would feel like they’re getting an equal quality product and not an inferior much lower cost replacement). In fact, that’s a ploy to pocket the HNB portion that would have been the tobacco tax amount — in Italy for example, since HNB only pays about 1/4 the tax rate compared to cigarettes, but since they charge about the same amount as a pack of cigarettes for their refills; they get to pocket approximately 75% of the monies that would have been due as tobacco tax. So in reality, they’re having the consumer pay them an extra 75% of the tobacco tax rate that the consumer should not have had to pay.

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Italian tax spat reveals Big Tobacco’s clout

“What message does it send when a former federal health minister joins the board of an e-cigarette company, the way Rona Ambrose did? The practise of public officeholders who make big salaries in government moving on to even bigger salaries as lobbyists, consultants, or corporate board members, based largely on their insider knowledge is growing. Six years ago, then-health minister Rona Ambrose urged Canadians against the use of e-cigarettes until a study of their risks and benefits could be done. Ambrose became a JUUL director in May.”

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Where There’s Vape Smoke, There’s Rona Ambrose

“Las Vegas Sands properties the Venetian and Palazzo have banned smoking and vaping inside, while two Wynn Resorts properties, Wynn and Encore, have prohibited smoking at any table game without plexiglass dividers. The restrictions are expected to be lifted once the Covid-19 outbreak is contained.”

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Las Vegas Casinos ban smoking

“Effective August 1, smoking, vaping, or using any tobacco or plant product will be prohibited on all Boston College campuses, including buildings, facilities, grounds, and any other property. The ban encompasses indoor and outdoor spaces, private offices, academic and administrative buildings, all areas of residence halls, athletic venues, dining facilities, and vehicles owned or used by the University. Undergraduate and graduate students who disobey the no-smoking policy will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct; faculty and staff violations will be dealt with in accordance with procedures outlined in the faculty and employee handbooks.”

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https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/bcnews/campus-community/announcements/smoke-free-campus.html

“Youth experimentation with vaping increased not in spite of anti-vaping messaging but because of it. Many well-meaning public-messaging strategies have failed because they did not account for the rebellion factor. One reason these campaigns failed is that young people tend to reject statements from authority figures, particularly when the messaging features obviously exaggerated harms intended to scare. Furthermore, the programs made the mistake of acting as advertisements for the very substances and behaviors they tried to discourage. If we want to reduce teen interest in vaping, we shouldn’t give anti-vaping campaigns more money; we should end them.”

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Stop the Youth Vaping ‘Epidemic’ by Ending Youth Anti-Vaping Campaigns