“Students caught vaping nicotine or possessing any tobacco product on school grounds could get fines and community service under an ordinance proposed in Flushing Township. Underage nicotine use is already illegal under state law, but the Flushing Township Police Department sought the local ordinance so that local authorities work more closely with students to deter vaping or tobacco use. For violations of the proposed local ordinance, students would be subject to a civil infraction with a fine of no more than $50 for a first offense and no more than $100 for a second offence. The court may also order the student to participate in a health promotion and risk-reduction program. The individual could also be given up to 16 hours of community service for a first offense and up to 32 hours for a second offense.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Ordinance proposes to help Flushing youth kick the vaping habit

“The Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco (PACT)  introduced a new program help Pennsylvania campuses become tobacco-free and improve policies when it comes to e-cigarettes.”

ARTICLE LINK:

PACT launches new program to help college campuses go tobacco-free

“The age to purchase tobacco and vaping products on P.E.I. increased to 21 on Sunday, and vaping products can now only be sold in specialty tobacco shops in the province. But the P.E.I. government still has not told those retailers when it will proceed with a planned prohibition on some vaping flavours, or specified which flavours will be included in the ban. A private member’s bill introduced by PC MLA Cory Deagle passed unanimously in the P.E.I. legislature in November 2019 and became law March 1. That law includes a provision to ban flavoured vaping products, much as P.E.I. banned the sale of flavoured tobacco products. But extending the ban to vape products will require cabinet make changes to provincial regulations, which hasn’t happened yet. Draft regulations which would achieve that were quietly posted on the province’s website in February, but without any official announcement as to when or whether the province intends to implement the regulations.”

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Age to purchase vapes goes up, but still no date set to limit flavours

“City council will vote Monday night on whether to ban smoking altogether in city parks, plazas and multi-use pathways, including at the popular Shipyards District near Lonsdale Quay and along the waterfront North Shore Spirit Trail. The city currently bans smoking within 7.5 metres of buildings and public buildings, walkways, playgrounds and beaches. The proposal also includes an amendment to more than triple fines for smoking violations, from $70 to $240. Council will also be considering a proposed ban on vaping advertisement on city-owned sites and property, including transit shelters, bike racks and benches.”

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City of North Vancouver considering widespread public smoking ban

“Tobacco legislation and regulation is constantly under review at the local, state and federal levels. In this monthly roundup, Convenience Store News highlights the latest proposals and approved changes happening across the United States.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Tackling Tobacco: February 2020 Legislative & Regulatory Roundup

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

Dr. Brad Rodu, professor of medicine and tobacco control expert from the University of Louisville made a career battling forces responsible for promulgating suspect science in the field of tobacco harm reduction: there’s been no shortage of need for his effort.
Regulators, public health agencies and colleagues in academia relentlessly use skewed science and cooked statistics in an effort to delegitimize safer alternatives to smoking.

In this episode of RegWatch Dr. Rodu discusses events behind the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) retraction of a major study by authors Stanton Glantz and Dharma Bhatta of the University of California San Francisco that purported to show nicotine vaping led to an increase in heart attacks. The study fueled national panic over vaping and Dr. Rodu led the effort questioning the work.

Also, Dr. Rodu addresses RegWatch’s recent questioning of the estimates for annual smoking-related deaths: Why is it that smoking rates continue to fall and the forecasts of smoking deaths stay the same?

We dive into Dr. Rodu’s ground-breaking 2008 report: Calculating the ‘Big Kill’

Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com

Live Streamed: February 26, 2020
Produced by: Brent Stafford

“Idaho lawmakers have rejected legislation raising the legal smoking age to 21. The Idaho Senate rejected the bill with a 22-10 vote on Thursday. President Donald Trump and the Food and Drug Administration approved raising the federal minimum age in December. That makes it illegal for retailers to sell tobacco products to anyone under 21. The Idaho legislation would have outlawed possessing tobacco by anyone 18 to 20. Opponents said they didn’t think it necessary for the state to match federal law.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Idaho Senate Rejects Bill to Raise Smoking Age to 21

“Michigan lawmakers are proposing a 24 percent wholesale tax on vaping products as part of an effort to set regulatory frameworks around the industry. A six-bill package from a bipartisan group of Michigan senators, Senate Bills 781-786, would set a tax on the products and raise the legal age for smoking tobacco and e-cigarette products to 21 to match up with the federal requirements signed into law in December. If passed, the bills would also require vape retailers to be licensed and prevent retailers from marketing vaping products in a manner that could appeal to youth or young adults. The package would increase fines issued as penalties for people who sell tobacco or nicotine products to a minor.”

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Michigan lawmakers mull 24 percent tax on vaping products

“The Tri-Valley area of Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore soon will become the only region in Alameda County to completely ban both flavored tobacco products and e-cigarettes or vape pens from being sold, no exceptions. Last week, the Pleasanton City Council listened to at least two hours of public comment on the issue — an hour alone from middle school students and teens who supported the ban.”

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Vaping a complete no-no in this East Bay region

“A major Canadian tobacco company has come under fire for a national advertising campaign that appears to downplay the risks of vaping and accuse the media and anti-tobacco groups of intentionally spreading false information. The Canadian Press reported earlier this month that the campaign was under investigation by Health Canada and health officials in Quebec to determine if it violated advertising rules. A spokesperson for Health Canada said this week that it deemed no further action was necessary, while Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services says it has not yet made a decision on the advertisements. The ads show headlines from news stories about vaping, with one of three slogans superimposed over them: “hypocrisy kills,” “quit the lies” and “the dangers of misinformation.””

BILL TARLING — It’s rather ironic that the groups that have been lying and creating deceptively misleading anti-vaping claims are accusing those that called them out about their deceptions.

ARTICLE LINK:

‘A desperate act’: Imperial Tobacco Canada under fire for ‘misinformation’ ad campaign