Author: Bill Tarling

“The province is introducing a 20 per cent tax on the retail price of all vaping liquids, devices and products starting Sept. 1. It hopes to dissuade young people and non-smokers from taking up the habit. It says the tax brings such products in line with existing levies on tobacco products.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Saskatchewan budget: Drivers and power customers win; vapers lose

“The South Carolina House Judiciary Committee passed a bill Tuesday that would block city or county governments from regulating the sale of tobacco products, including vapes or electronic cigarettes. The bill would ban local governments from regulating cigarette, vape or e-cigarette flavors and ingredients. It would also block them from requiring local licenses to sell tobacco products. The bill, which has been criticized by public health groups for preempting local rule, will now head to the House floor.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Despite criticism, SC could block local bans on vape, e-cigarette flavors

“America’s tobacco controllers have long demonstrated their separation from the things they say they care about and the things they actually do. Nothing highlights this more than claims they care about the health of teens – but they continually market a risky lifestyle directly at them. The Food and Drug Administration’s “The Real Cost” initiative has teamed up with Marvel to produce a comic.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Marvel At The FDA’s Idiocy

“FCB New York and FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products are taking a unique approach to get teenagers’ attention around the perils of vaping. They’ve collaborated with Marvel Comics to create ‘The Mind Control Menace,’ a 16-page comic book in which the supervillain is addiction, to connect with teens through a popular passion point.”

ARTICLE LINK: Addiction is the Supervillain in Marvel’s Vaping Prevention Comic from FCB

“VApril 2021, the largest campaign worldwide aimed at helping smokers quit through switching to vaping, has launched in the UK for its fourth year. The annual awareness campaign was launched four years ago by the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) to help educate smokers on how to successfully quit conventional cigarettes by transitioning to vaping. VApril 2021 launched on 1st April and heralds the start of a month-long education and support campaign. Due to the Covid pandemic, this year will be largely digitally based for the second year. VApril kicked off with a special online Zoom debate featuring John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, Mark Pawsey MP and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping, Patricia Kovacevic, Global Legal and Regulatory Strategist at Andina Gold Corp and Clive Bates Director of Counterfactual Consulting and former Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).”

ARTICLE LINK:   VApril Is Here!

“The Ministry of Health is currently reviewing 2,518 submissions on its draft vaping regulations. However, with some vape shops recently experiencing violent smash and grabs, there’s concern further heavy-handed industry regulation will make matters worse. “Vaping consumers support regulation and high product safety standards. However, under the proposed regulations, vape manufacturers and retailers will be hit hard with many compliance costs. That will only make vape products more expensive and increasingly sought-after by criminals,” says Nancy Loucas, co-director of Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA).”

ARTICLE LINK:   Vape Shop Security Will Worsen If Draft Regulations Pass

“A witness to an aggravated robbery at a vape shop hid in a toilet with her teenage daughter and another woman after being confronted by the man, who was armed with a knife and scissors. The woman, who didn’t want to be identified for safety reasons, said she heard a “crash” while browsing at the Shosha store in Porirua, north of Wellington, about 1.30pm on Saturday. As she turned to see where the noise had come from, all she could see was two hands – one of which was wielding scissors with the blades open. The other held a knife that was pointed at the till. The pair walked quietly to the back of the shop and, along with another woman, locked themselves in the toilet. She praised the bravery of the three staff members who were on the shop floor, describing their behaviour during the incident as calm.”

ARTICLE LINK: Women hide in toilet as man armed with knife and scissors robs Porirua vape shop

“The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has prosecuted eight people for selling electronic vaporisers (e-vaporisers) and related components online in Singapore between November 2020 and February 2021. The eight people, aged between 26 and 41 years, were fined a total of S$172,500. They had purchased the e-vaporisers and related components from overseas suppliers and sold them illegally on various local social media and e-commerce platforms. More than S$50,000 worth of e-vaporisers and related components were seized, said HSA.”

ARTICLE LINK:   8 people in S’pore found guilty of selling vapes online, fined S$172,500 in total

“A store selling vape products is blaming heavy-handed regulation for an increase in violent robberies. The violent smash and grab saw robbers flee with thousands of dollars worth of products two weeks ago. The violent smash and grab saw robbers flee with thousands of dollars worth of products two weeks ago. While they’re not against regulation, they say the ones that are coming in are heavy-handed. The company is now having to invest in new sales reporting systems, increased testing, new machinery and labels. They say some of that cost is being passed onto the customer. “Places can’t afford to keep up with those costs and prices have to go up, making it a much higher demand item. There is going to be a lot more – like what we saw with the cigarette industry – a lot more break-ins, a lot more thefts,” Nixon says.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Victim of vape store robbery blames heavy-handed regulation for uptick in thefts

“The wealth of current activity surrounding vaping and tobacco harm reduction is evidence that parliament has truly returned to normal. Nobody has been more active in this sphere than Labour’s Mary Glindon who has posed a number of questions. Vapers and harm reduction advocates will be delighted with the themes running through her questions, all of which were very positive and urged the kind of changes we wish to see from the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations review.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Questions About Vaping In Parliament

“Cadena de Ondas Populares Españolas, otherwise known as COPE, associated with the number one newspaper in Madrid, is carrying a story about vaping. In it, a professor of chemistry says that driving down any street in Madrid exposes a person to more toxins than vaping an e-cigarette. “We have conducted some experiments here in Madrid, analysing the gases on a normal street, because of traffic, and compared to e-cigarettes and I can tell them that for many chemists if you walk down any street you are exposed to more toxic than if you inhale an e-cigarette. That’s for sure,” he told COPE.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Ecigs Have Fewer Toxins Than A Spanish Street

“Senate Republicans won’t include an increase in the state’s cigarette tax in their budget proposal. The House Republican budget included a 50 cent hike. But Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) said his caucus isn’t prepared to do even that. “Obviously it’s a very regressive tax and so we want to be cognizant of that,” Bray said. Bray said the Senate GOP budget (which will be unveiled next week) will likely impose a new tax on e-cigarettes, which he said brings them into parity with traditional cigarettes.”

ARTICLE LINK:   Senate Republicans Won’t Include Cigarette Tax Hike In Budget