Author: Bill Tarling

“If the governor signs the legislation, Mississippi will increased the age to 21 to buy tobacco and vaping products and penalties will increase for selling to minors. In addition to penalties for sellers, minors will face penalties for possessing and use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products. Senate Bill 2596 conforms Mississippi law to new federal law to purchase tobacco and vaping products. Mississippi law currently prohibits use and sales of e-cigarettes and other alternative nicotine products to anyone under 18. If Gov. Tate Reeves signs SB 2596, the measure will increase the age to 21 to possess and purchase the vaping products. The bill is due from Reeves on Wednesday. He hasn’t indicated whether he will sign it.”

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Vaping age and penalties increase under bill awaiting governor’s signature

“The U.S. Senate on July 1 approved a bill to stop internet sales of vapor products to minors, reports NASC. Passed unanimously, the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act seeks to close the online loophole of e-cigarette sales to minors by applying the same measures that are required when traditional cigarettes are purchased online. The House passed its version of the bill last year. The legislation would require online sellers of e-cigarettes to ensure the carrier verifies the age of the recipient upon delivery. It would also require online sellers to collect and remit the appropriate state and local taxes. These measures are already in place for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products purchased over the internet because of the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, which Congress enacted in 2010. Given that the Senate bill is slightly different than the House version, the House will need to pass the Senate’s version before it can become law.”

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U.S. Senate Passes Bill Banning Online E-Cig Sales to Minors

“In an exercise of transparency, EUobserver filed a freedom of information request to get insights into an internal debate on e-cigarettes at the European Parliament. The issue revolves around the possibility of setting up specialised booths at parliament premises for MEPs who vape. Vaping is banned at the parliament, outside designated areas for cigarettes. Some MEPs are now demanding four new specialised booths for e-cigarette smokers in Brussels and in Strasbourg, an issue being debated among all the quaestors in charge of running day to day affairs. Although minutes of the debate are published online, Welle says any public exposure of the requested documents would “seriously undermine the institution’s decision-making process”. But one of the requested documents is a note, which the European Parliament appears to have already released. The draft notice released in January was written up by the parliament’s medical division. It states electronic cigarettes and vaping devices “cannot be considered safe”. And it highlights the newly-identified lung disease linked to vaping, known as Evali, as an emerging risk. It is unclear how the disclosure of this document in January is valid – yet then poses a “serious risk” a few months later.”

BILL TARLING — EVALI cases were associated with illegal THC products, they were caused by not E-liquid Vapor Products (EVP) with or without nicotine.

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Parliament vaping booths ‘too confidential’ to discuss

“A proposal by one of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s closest City Council allies to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in Chicago stalled in a City Council committee after running into an avalanche of opposition. Owners of gas stations, convenience stores and tobacco stores — and the trade groups that represent them — showed up in force at the virtual meeting to accuse the City Council’s Committee on Health and Human Relations of “kicking them when they’re down.””

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Chicago ban on flavored tobacco products stalls in City Council committee

“New rules restricting the sale of most flavoured vape products have come into effect in Ontario. The rules mean most of the products can now only be sold at specialty vape and cannabis retail stores, which serve customers 19 and older. Products with menthol, mint and tobacco flavours are exempt from the new regulations, which came into effect Wednesday. The regulations also mean vapour products with nicotine levels higher than 20 milligrams will be limited to specialty stores. Those shops will also no longer be allowed to have indoor displays that are visible from outside.”

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New Ontario vaping rules regulating sale of flavours in effect

“Beginning Wednesday, all vaping products sold in Boulder will be subject to an additional city sales and use tax of 40 percent. Nearly 80% of voters approved the additional tax last November. It applies to any refill, cartridge and component of an electronic smoking device.”

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Boulder’s 40% Tax On Vaping Products Starts Wednesday

“The Senate Ways and Means and Judiciary committees gave preliminary approval for a ban on flavored electronic cigarette liquids. House Bill 2457 would in effect ban vaping in the islands. If passed, the law would go into effect Sept. 1. Businesses that sell vaping products have also opposed the ban. Some worry this would force them to close their business. But advocates for vaping bans have also relied on media campaigns. The Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund has television ads running through Sunday on cable television, according to contracts filed with the Federal Communications Commission. Even if the bill clears the Senate next week, it must still clear a final vote in the House, where previous vaping measures have died.”

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Hawaii Legislature Advances Vaping Ban

“The Jordanian government has banned smoking and vaping in all indoor public spaces. The country’s health ministry said on Wednesday all enclosed public areas would now be “100% smoke-free environments”, building on an existing but widely flouted ban on smoking inside government buildings, and ending an exemption for hotels, cafes and restaurants provided they separated smokers from non-smokers. Smoking will still be permitted in outdoor areas of hotels, cafes and restaurants under the new regulations.”

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Jordan bans smoking and vaping in indoor public spaces

“Gas tax revenue plummeted this spring, income taxes won’t rebound anytime soon and some states are offering a property tax holiday because people can’t pay during the pandemic. But so-called sin taxes are rolling in as liquor stores boom, marijuana sales continue, vapers vape and smokers smoke. While not a huge portion of state tax revenue, sin taxes are a relative bright spot in a dark revenue picture. And some states are considering increasing those levies to make up some of the lost pandemic revenue. “It’s just easier politically to increase taxes on 12% of the population than on 80% of the population,” said Ulrik Boesen, senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes lower, broader-based taxes.”

BILL TARLING — It’s disgusting that States not only want to demonize and restrict or ban vapers for using a product which helped move them away from smoking, but also want to have them make up for the Budget Revenue Shortage that the States mismanaged.

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‘Sin taxes’ could help states in pandemic budget slump — at least a little bit

“The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is calling on the government to consider a similar VAT rate for vaping to that currently applied to nicotine replacement therapies (NRT). The letter points to the recent Public Health England (PHE) Vaping in England Report which found that when vaping products were used in an attempt to quit, either alone or with licensed medication, success rates were comparable to, if not higher than, licensed medication alone. It highlights the current VAT gap between NRT products (5%) and vaping (the full 20% VAT and the same as conventional cigarettes) despite the fact that e-cigarettes, while not a cessation product, have significant potential to have a positive impact on public health. This is backed up by research commissioned by the NHS last year which revealed that e-cigs are twice as effective as nicotine patches, gum or sprays for quitting smoking.”

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UKVIA urges chancellor to level playing field between vaping and nicotine replacement products