Here’s the latest from Brent Stafford at Regulator Watch:

If your house is on fire, is it worth it to worry, about the fire-resistance rating of your living room sofa set?
It might be, depending on which room the fire is burning and whether your escape route runs past the living room couch. This type of calculation now besets both the U.S. and Canadian vaping industries.

In this episode of RegWatch hear how an alliance of vaping associations from north and south of the border are working to establish a unified set of standards for Good Manufacturing Practices, ready-made, for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada to embrace.

Could manufacturing standards that are fit for purpose, help douse the cross-border fire which currently engulfs vaping?

Find out! Only on RegWatch, by RegulatorWatch.com.

Produced by: Brent Stafford
Released: August 16, 2019

If you’ve tapped open a newspaper app or tuned into the evening news in the past three weeks then you’ve probably heard reports of teens and young adults being hospitalized due to a mysterious and severe lung disease. Hospitalizations are being reported in seven states, including WI, MN, OH, IL, IN, NY, and CA.

Warnings posted by state departments of health are making the very general claim that these illnesses are a result of “vaping.” But we know that different people vape different substances (other than nicotine) and that nearly all of these cases are attributable to consuming adulterated or poorly manufactured THC products or synthetic cannabinoids like K2 and Spice.

While this issue deserves a much larger discussion about how federal and state drug laws are creating this situation (even in states where recreational cannabis is legal–but expensive), the most practical advice to consumers is to purchase products from legal and reputable retailers. While fear of prosecution might lead some people to hide their k2 or cannabis use, anyone experiencing respiratory issues after vaping anything needs to clearly notify doctors of what they were consuming. This is crucial both for treatment and accurately alerting the public. In almost all of the recently reported cases, cartridges were purchased on the underground market.

We are likely to see many more reports of hospitalizations due to “fake pot” vaping before this is through.
Please be safe.
 

• Leafly – “Illicit Cannabis Vape Carts Hospitalized 7 in California, Doctors Say (Aug. 15)

Active Calls to Action:

• CO – Glenwood Springs – “Stop a Flavor Ban!”
• WY – Cheyenne – “Stop an indoor vaping ban!”
• CO – Boulder – “Stop a flavor ban, Taxes, and Tobacco 21”
• CA – Richmond – “Richmond, CA Is Moving Toward the New Vaping Prohibition.”
• CA – Sacramento County – “Stop a Flavor Ban!” (Testimonials Needed)
• MA – “Stop a Flavor Ban!” (S 1279)
• NY – Albany County – “Stop a Flavor Ban!” (Local Law “E”)

The More You Know:

• Progressive Policy Institute – “The Impact of Electronic Cigarettes on Cigarette Smoking By Americans and Its Health and Economic Implications.”(Aug. 1)
  • Don’t let the long title fool you. This is a well balanced report based on data from CDC and other sources covering the last ten years.
• Chadi, N.; et al – “Association Between Electronic Cigarette Use and Marijuana Use Among Adolescents and Young Adults.” (Aug. 12)
  • What Advocates should know (about this and other “gateway” studies)
    • Association doesn’t prove causation. There’s no way to know that person wouldn’t have used a drug in the absence of vaping products. Indeed, many youth used drugs before vaping ever existed. Additionally, those already at risk of substance abuse are likely to start with legal substances before crossing the line to criminal behavior.
    • Cross-sectional studies included drug use PRIOR to vaping and those clearly aren’t a case of vaping as the gateway to drug use.
    • Just one puff of drug counted subject as “user,” even if never used again.This clearly could have inflated the statistics of “users.”
    • Gateway theories have never been proven and claims are highly controversial.
• PR Newswire – Vapor Technology Association and Vapor Stockroom File Lawsuit Against FDA.” (Aug. 14)
• Clive Bates – “Vaping risk compared to smoking: Challenging a false and dangerous claim by Professor Stanton Glantz.” (Aug. 14)
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) – Supplemental Information on Liquid Nicotine Packaging for Rigid Containers (Aug. 15)

• If you’re on Facebook, please be sure to join your CASAA state group to help prevent anti-harm reduction laws like these from spreading through your state! Click here to find your state group: CASAA State Facebook Group List
• Find your state information here: Find My State Info – CASAA
• And remember to officially join CASAA. Membership is FREE.

CASAA is made stronger with every voice we can count!

In case you missed it, CASAA started a new feature this year by posting semi-daily “Heads Up” alerts with news and opinion regarding issues facing consumer access to safer nicotine and tobacco products. These alerts contain everything from articles about city councils considering a new law, to new research on vaping, to active Calls to Action.

But headlines are fleeting, so we’re circling back at the end of the week and picking out some of the highlights, catching things that might fall through the cracks. This week’s review has twice as much stuff because there are some significant posts from the end of July that warrant some extra attention. You can parse through the highlights below, or go straight to all of our recent updates here.

Enjoy 🙂

Active Calls to Action:

• CO – Boulder – “Stop a flavor ban, Taxes, and Tobacco 21”
• CA – Richmond – “Richmond, CA Is Moving Toward the New Vaping Prohibition.”
• CA – Sacramento County – “Stop a Flavor Ban!” (Testimonials Needed)
• MA – “Stop a Flavor Ban!” (S 1279)
• NY – Albany County – “Stop a Flavor Ban!” (Local Law “E”)

The More You Know:

• What to Know: Seizure reports – CASAA Heads Up – 08.08.19
• Hawaii – “US Surgeon General raises alarm about high rates of vaping among Hawaii kids” (despite being a chain of islands and the first state to adopt Tobacco 21) (July 21)
• Brad Rodu – “Panel Examines Youth Vaping ‘Epidemic,’ Overlooks Real Threats.” (July 29)
• *Must Read* Iowa AG, Tom Miller – “Regulation of Vaping Products–a crisis in 2020” (letter to Sec. Azar, HHS)(July 24)
• Minnesota – “It’s soon to be the law in Minnesota–no vaping in most public places” (July 27)
• Kentucky – “Youth Advocate Encouraged by E-Cig Tax Bill” (July 26)
• “House panel accuses e-cigarette maker JUUL of targeting children” (July 25)
• (Video) – “Examining JUUL’s Role in the Youth Nicotine Epidemic: Part 1, Part 2 (July 24-25)
• (Research) – The Harvard Gazette – “Want to quit smoking? There’s the e-cigarette” (July 23)
• “FDA Uses Magic Tricks in First TV Ads to Prevent Teens From Vaping” (July 22)
• K. Noll-Marsh (CASAA) – “It’s My 10-Year Smoke-free Anniversary and I’m Terrified” (July 22)
• “Bill would make Massachusetts First in US to Ban Flavored Tobacco Products” (July 20)

Opinion:

• Liam Sigaud – “Misleading information on e-cigarettes risks lives” (Aug. 5)
• Amanda Wheeler – “Boulder misses the mark on e-cigarettes” (Aug. 4)
• E-Cigarettes Could Save the Lives of Millions of Smokers. Why Aren’t We Talking About It? (July 22)
• M. Siegel – “Claim that Vaping Causes Heart Attacks is Completely Debunked” (July 21)
• B. Rodu – “As Young Adult Smoking Evaporates, ‘Teen Vaping Epidemic’ Appears Overblown” (July 18)

CASAA In the News:

• Valley News – “The battery behind dangerous and deadly e-cigarette explosions” (July 24)
  • Or you can skip the horrifying details and just visit our post on battery safety.
• The Kojo Nnamdi Show – “How Are New Laws Affecting Smokers in the Region?” (July 18)
• Inside Sources – “Why Your Local Vape Shop is Going out of Business” (July 17)

• If you’re on Facebook, please be sure to join your CASAA state group to help prevent anti-harm reduction laws like these from spreading through your state! Click here to find your state group: CASAA State Facebook Group List
• Find your state information here: Find My State Info – CASAA
• And remember to officially join CASAA. Membership is FREE.

CASAA is made stronger with every voice we can count!

Here’s the latest from Brent Stafford at Regulator Watch:

It’s mostly a cliché to say time is a precious commodity: of course, it is.
We all live under the specter of imminent demise. But cruel is life when someone or something intervenes and pronounces an abrupt end, thus stealing away time so vital to life and business.

In this episode of RegWatch we present a practical guide to the FDA’s onerous Premarket Tobacco Application process which—thanks to a recent court ruling—is now due in less than 10-months. It seems that time, for the U.S. vaping industry, could be coming to an end.

Is it possible to survive the PMTA process?

Find out! Only on RegWatch, by RegulatorWatch.com.

Produced by: Brent Stafford
Released: August 6, 2019

Hello my name is Phil from the UK and this message I didn’t think I would be writing a few years ago.
I started vaping 6 years ago and have religiously kept vaping although tempted by cigarettes I didn’t give in.
Initially I vaped 24mg and over the years have reduced it significantly to what it is now at less than 1mg as I’m a big fan of home brew e-liquid.
As it stands now I can go a few days without thinking about vaping and have taken the decision to stop completely which I have to say is a big success for vaping as it was the best viable alternative and was ultimately the main reason to start.
I do have to say that my journey in vaping from pen style kits to sub ohm tanks and RDA also RTA including coil building to tips and tricks has been helped tremendously by people like yourself and I’m writing this to say thank you so much for your help because I will not need to subscribe to vaping channels in the near future however I will be watching them for a few more weeks and don’t want you to think you have done anything wrong for me to unsubscribe.
Vaping has been a success story for me and hope other people stop smoking as a direct result.

Many Thanks

Phil

The Smoker’s Show S02E01 – Special Guest: Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos!

On Tonight’s show we were joined by Doctor Konstantinos Farsalinos. Dr. F debunks e-cig myths and answers your questions!
We also take a look at some events Dimitris attended while in Greece.

The Smoker’s Show is a vape show not for vapers, but for smokers.

A show to get information about vaping, to debunk vaping myths, to discuss vaping terminology & technology, and to look, review, & provide starter kits for the transitioning smoker.

We urge all vapers to invite those they know who still smoke to watch the show!

#SMOKERSWANTED

Thank you all for your support and let’s convert more smokers together!

THANK YOU TO AND PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!

COUPON CODES FOR YOU…

• For 10% off Innokin/Platform Products at MyVaporStore use coupon code: MTL10
• For 15% off your Lunar Rover order use coupon code: smokersshow

THE VIDEO:

*NOTE: Any use of these videos in part or in their entirety without Phil Busardo’s and Dimitris Agrafiotis’s expressed written consent is strictly prohibited.

See everything Smoker’s Show Related HERE!

Let’s talk about the science of vaping and debunk the misleading information on tobacco harm reduction as the Smoker’s Show returns tonight with special guest, Dr. Farsalinos!

Ask the Doctor your questions live via chat or the call in lines.

Click the banner below at 9PM EST to be taken directly to the show!

#smokerswanted

Hey Phil, I’m not one of those people who make public posts and tag you, but I still just wanted to send a quick THANK YOU! Today is exactly 7 years without a cigarette and while I’ve been vaping for about 10 years it never stuck for the first 3 years due to those crappy cig-a-like things, and it was discovering your videos that introduced me to Boge cartos, carto tanks and real devices that finally allowed me to completely kick smoking.

Here’s the latest from Brent Stafford at Regulator Watch:

Mountains of paperwork, clinical trials, endless frustration and most of all, heartbreak.
This describes the onerous Premarket Tobacco Application process (or PMTA) now thrust upon the vaping industry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: it could destroy vaping as we know it.

In this RegWatch preview regulatory lawyer and FDA compliance expert Deanna Clark-Esposito shares insight into the PMTA process and talk through some of the challenges to surviving the PMTA deadline.

**Full-length interview out next episode**

Only on RegWatch, by RegulatorWatch.com.

Produced by: Brent Stafford
Released: August 1, 2019