Author: Bill Tarling

“Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on July 8 signed into law comprehensive tobacco control measures. The Health Act treats all nicotine products, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco devices, as tobacco products. Smokeless tobacco products are banned altogether. It prohibits point-of-sale displays and expands the list of smoke-free places to outdoor playgrounds, underground walkways, transit areas and cars with children. The legislation also prohibits new products in smoke-free places and increases fines for violators.”

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Kazakhstan Tightens Tobacco Law

“On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously voted to eliminate the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping items, plus the paraphernalia that goes with them. Some business owners said making the city’s ordinance stricter will make it difficult for them to operate because they will have fewer products to offer. There are 119 places in the city where tobacco can be purchased, mostly at convenience stores and gas stations. The changes still must come back before the council for a second reading and confirmation vote.”

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Hayward bans flavored tobacco, vaping sales

“Canadian province Nova Scotia has published a ridiculous list of prohibitions on vaping products – criminalising most vapers in the process. It was celebrated in the media by calls for legislators to go even further. In Tax Information Bulletin 5111, notice is given of amendments to the Revenue Act and Revenue Act Regulations – Prohibitions on Vaping Products. As of 12:01 am, September 15, “there will be limitations on the possession, sale and transfer of Vaping Products.” With the new tax of Can$0.50 per millilitre being applied, Nova Scotians will now be paying an additional £30 [$50 CDN] for a 100ml bottle.”

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Nova Scotia Nonsense

“While South Korea’s tobacco market is expected to decline overall, the sales of heated tobacco products will edge up this year, a market research firm said Thursday. According to Euromonitor International, the Korean tobacco market reached 17.19 trillion won ($16 billion) in 2019. Of the total, 1.89 trillion won was spent on heat-not-burn cigarettes, which put the country as the second-largest market in the world after Japan. The industry tracker forecast Korea’s heating tobacco product market will edge up to reach 2 trillion won in 2020. As for the liquid e-cigarettes, which marked 87.5 billion won in 2019, Euromonitor anticipated the sales to drop by 80 percent to 16.8 billion won this year, after it was hit by government regulations in the second half of the year.”

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South Korea’s heating tobacco product market to grow in 2020

“Ottawa’s new rules restricting the promotion of vaping products in places young people can access are set to come into effect next month. Health Canada published regulations Wednesday prohibiting vaping advertisements in public spaces where youth may be exposed to them. The ban applies to all retail locations and online stores that sell e-cigarettes, except for adult-only establishments. The measures are set to take effect on Aug. 7, while some point-of-sale regulations will be implemented on Sept. 6.”

HEALTH CANADA – Vaping Products Promotion Regulations: SOR/2020-143

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Ban on vaping ads that can be seen by youth to take effect next month

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday it would allow tobacco company Philip Morris to advertise its tobacco consumption device IQOS to be advertised as reducing exposure to the chemicals contained in combustible cigarettes. In declaring its decision that wraps up a nearly four-year review period, the FDA said scientific studies concluded that switching from cigarettes to the new system that heats tobacco rather than burning it is far more safer than continuing to smoke traditional cigarettes.”

BILL TARLING — The IQOS still contains an abundance of the same chemicals and carcinogens that are in cigarettes. As well note that the FDA is satisfied with 4 years of review data from the Big Tobacco products, but rejects almost a decade of proven scientific Harm Reduction data with E-liquid Vapor Products (EVP).

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FDA: IQOS Tobacco Ads Can Say It Has Fewer Chemicals Than Cigarettes

“It’s not often that a government agency admits that its mission is doomed, but that’s what the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Illegal Tobacco Task Force is doing with regard to the state’s new ban on flavored tobacco products. As a consequence of severely restricting flavored vaping products, flavored smokeless tobacco, and menthol cigarettes, “the Task Force expects there will be an increase in smuggling activity and black market sales,” it admits in its latest report. And absolutely the best way to drive production and distribution of a sought-after good to the black market is to raise legal barriers to its purchase. That the new ban is counterproductive was obvious from day one, when it was passed amidst much huffing and puffing about protecting state residents—especially the young ones—from the alleged dangers of vaping.”

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Massachusetts Regulators Knowingly Drive Vapers to the Black Market

“First came the news that tobacco or non-nicotine vaping products were not responsible for a string of hospitalizations and deaths, as originally publicized — instead, the primary cause was tainted THC in illegal marijuana vaping products. Second, two recent studies show positive trends in relation to teen smoking — the rate of teenagers smoking cigarettes has fallen dramatically, and those who have tried tobacco vaping products do not progress to smoking cigarettes. Third, banning flavors or restricting the sale of e-cigarettes may have an overall negative effect, as many users may simply return to smoking traditional tobacco products. The vaping industry will continue to educate consumers and fight to ensure that these products, which have improved the lives of 13 million American vapers, remain on the market to help future generations of smokers stop smoking cigarettes.”

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Vapor products can save lives by helping smokers quit

“An article carried across ex-Fairfax Media titles provoked outrage when it contained a lazy falsehood about a leading advocate of vaping. Tobacco harm reduction expert Colin Mendelsohn was accused of receiving funds from the tobacco industry. Following a wave of protest, Fairfax Media’s partner company published apologies, but heavily edited vaper comments on its online articles.”

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Mendelsohn Maligned

“UK-style laws could convert more than 200 million smokers to vaping worldwide, according to research by the Consumer Choice Center. It says its findings reveal the potential for 76 million people to switch away from tobacco products in China alone. The Consumer Choice Center looked at 61 countries and highlighted that the United Kingdom’s approach to vape advertising, displays, and tax rate is an example the rest of the world should be following.”

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