Author: Staff Writer

Institute Warns Against Overregulation of Vapor

Photo: iQoncept
A new study by the American Consumer Institute highlights the dangers of overregulating e-cigarettes and vaping products. Co-authored by Steve Pociask and Liam Sigaud, the report investigates the empirical evidence surrounding the consumer risks and benefits of using e-cigarettes and vaping products compared to using combustible tobacco products.
The reports assets that vapor products are significantly safer than smoking and more effective than other nicotine-based smoking cessation treatments in getting smokers to quit cigarettes.
The authors contend that excessive regulation of e-cigarettes not only ignores the prevailing scientific consensus on health risks, but also deters smokers from switching to safer alternatives while pushing vapers back to smoking.
Therefore, the authors argue, overregulating vapor products will have serious health consequences for consumers who smoke.
“This report provides much-needed clarity on an issue of profound importance for public health,” the publishers wrote in a press release accompanying the report. “As the authors note, ‘informed by rigorous research, the U.S. can better chart a responsible course that encourages smokers to seek safer substitutes and quit, while protecting our youth from the dangers of tobacco products.’”
January 18, 2022
Broughton: China Vapor Laws is Opportunity

Photo: Smoore
Recent amendments to China’s Tobacco Monopoly Law present an opportunity for responsible companies to demonstrate how alternative high-quality products are an important and appropriate element of tobacco harm reduction, according to Broughton.
Writing on the website of the contract research organization, Broughton’s head of regulatory affairs, Lloyd Smart, and regulatory consultant Xiangyin Wei summarize China’s tobacco monopoly law changes and explain what they means for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).
On Nov. 26, 2021, China’s State Council amended the country’s tobacco law, giving the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration jurisdiction over e-cigarettes. Next-generation products will now be managed in the same way as combustible cigarettes.
Among other things, this means that ENDS companies, including exporters, will need to apply for a license. A single transaction platform will be implemented for product distribution and all products must comply with a new national standard. Regulation of products likely to be introduced following an initial transition period of between three and five months, during which no new products may be brought to market. Products with synthetic nicotine will be banned in China.
According to Broughton, the recently announced changes to e-cigarette regulation in China offer an excellent business opportunity for companies that want to build consumer trust by showcasing their product’s high quality and safety standards.
“As with all regulatory requirements, the most important initial step is to understand fully what’s needed—to provide reassurance or identify gaps that need to be addressed. And to act quickly; seizing the opportunity while making sure you don’t get left behind as the market changes,” write Smart and Xiangyin.
January 18, 2022
Surge Pioneers Ultrasonic Technology

Photo: Surge Vapor
Surge Vapor has introduced new ultrasonic technology to improve the vaping experience.
Typical vaping devices use a coil made of resistance wire. The wire is heated with an electrical current, turning e-liquid into vapor. Due to the heating process, traditional coils need to be replaced frequently and can produce unpleasant “dry hits” or burnt flavors.
To address this problem, the Surge engineering team developed an ultrasonic vaping chip. Vibrates 3 million times per second, the chip splits e-liquid into a cloud of vapor without using a traditional heating wire.
Ultrasonic heating creates smaller vapor particles, delivering nicotine content more efficiently for increased satisfaction, according to Surge vapor. Since no wires are heated to produce vapor, “dry hits” and burnt flavors are eliminated from the vaping experience. Additionally, the lower working temperature of the ultrasonic process reduces potential toxin emission and maintains the chemical stability of the e-liquid.
Surge Vapor’s first device was created for new vapers, with a lightweight design, automatic draw activation and pre-filled ultrasonic pods. The device features six flavors, which have been specifically developed to pair with ultrasonic technology.
“Our mission was to create new vaping technology, which advances tobacco harm reduction and maximizes satisfaction,” the company wrote in a statement. “After years of research and development, this is now a reality. We are excited for vapers around the world to experience the next generation of vaping with Surge.”
January 18, 2022
Thai Minister Commits to Legalize Vaping

Photo: kikujungboy
Thailand’s digital economy and society minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn on Jan. 14 he would continue efforts to legalize e-cigarettes, according to the Bangkok Post.
Thanakamanusorn believes vapor products are safer than combustible cigarettes. He said legalization of e-cigarettes would enable the country to tax sales and would provide people who found themselves unable to quit smoking with a safer option.
The minister intends to create a working group to study legalization and invite people to sign in support of a request next month that the Constitutional Court rule if the ban on imports of e-cigarettes violates people’s rights, especially the right to have access to less dangerous products.
The minister insisted he had no vested interest in legalizing vaping. Tobacco harm reduction advocates have been pushing for legalization in Thailand.
January 14, 2022
Campaigners Attack Cost-of-Smoking Claim

Simon Clark (Photo: Forest)
Smokers’ rights campaigners have rejected a claim that smokers cost society £17 billion ($23.3 billion) a year in the U.K.—£5 billion more than previously estimated.
On Jan. 14, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) published an economic analysis of U.K. data suggesting that the cost of smoking is significantly higher than previous estimates have shown.
The higher estimate is a result of a new assessment of the impact of smoking on productivity. According to ASH, smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to become ill while of working age, increasing the likelihood being out of work and reducing the average wages of smokers. Smokers are also more likely to die while they are still of working age, creating a further loss to the economy.
The report also cites smoking-related fires as a major cost to society, in the form of fire-related deaths, injuries and property damage.
“The suggestion that smokers are a significant economic burden on society is absurd,” countered Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest.
“More than 80 percent of the cost of tobacco in the UK is tax and the revenue from the sale of legal tobacco is almost £10 billion a year. That’s a fact.
“In contrast, the contrived claim that smoking costs society £17 billion is based on nothing more than estimates and calculations.
“As well as making a huge contribution to the public purse, smokers make a significant contribution to the local economy because without the money they spend on tobacco many village shops and convenience stores would lose a regular source of income.
“The health risks of smoking are well known. If adults choose to smoke that’s a matter for them not government. Ministers must remember that and not be swayed by exaggerated claims about the cost of smoking to society.”
January 14, 2022
Taiwan: Bill Approved to Raise Smoking Age

Photo: toa555 | Adobe Stock
The Taiwan Cabinet approved a draft amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, which would raise the legal smoking age to 20 from 18 as well as impose a ban on electronic cigarettes and flavored tobacco products, according to Focus Taiwan.
The draft amendment will now go to the legislature for deliberation.
If signed into law, those found in violation of the new age restrictions would face a fine ranging from TWD2,000 ($72) to TWD10,000.
Those found violating the ban on manufacture, import, sale, supply, display, advertising and use of all tobacco-like products, including e-cigarettes, could face a fine ranging from TWD10 million to TWD50 million.
The proposed bill would provide a legal basis for regulation of new tobacco products, such as heated-tobacco products, stating that suppliers of new tobacco products with unknown health risks should file an application for assessment of said products within a specific time period before suppliers are allowed to manufacture or import the products. Those caught violating this regulation could face a fine up to TWD50 million.
The bill goes further, expanding the smoking ban to colleges and universities, kindergartens, baby care centers and in-home childcare locations. Smoking in bars and nightclubs would only be allowed in designated areas. Graphic warnings and text would also be increased to 85 percent from 35 percent of the total package surface.
January 13, 2022
Poda Receives Patent for Closed Bottom Pod

Photo: Poda Holdings
Poda Holdings has received a U.S. patent for its closed bottom vaporizer pod. The patent was granted on Dec. 28, 2021.
“Receiving this Notice of Issuance is the culmination of a substantial amount of work by Poda and our intellectual property team,” said Ryan Selby, CEO of Poda, in a statement. “The application for this invention was initially filed on March 17, 2017. After almost five years of dedicated work and substantial financial investments, I am extremely proud to have this valuable patent granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
“With the granting of this U.S. patent, Poda will effectively be the only company that can market a closed-ended heat-not-burn cigarette in the United States. We have already received a granted Canadian patent for this invention, and we now look forward to receiving granted patents for this application in the over 60 additional countries where this application has been filed. We believe this patent has incredible applicability in the global heat-not-burn market, and we look forward to marketing our patented products on a global scale.”
January 13, 2022
Poda and Landewyck Explore Partnership

Photo: DragonImages
Poda Holdings and Landewyck Tobacco are exploring the potential of a partnership.
The companies intend to enter into a cooperation agreement based on both parties’ intellectual property, branding, manufacturing facilities and distribution channels to develop one or more products for commercialization.
Before further developing the cooperation project, the parties intend to assess the relevance of their cooperation by implementing a trial period for blend development, which could be used for the potential cooperation products.
By bringing together Landewyck’s tobacco manufacturing and distribution expertise and Poda’s patented heat-not-burn technology, the aim is to develop a consumer-centric product offering both convenience and optimal flavor in the reduced-risk sphere.
“We’re very excited to further strengthen our collaboration with Ryan and the Poda team,” said Georges Krombach, general manager of export and new-generation products for Landewyck, in a statement. “The technology and intellectual property behind Poda are disruptive and deliver a strong customer experience. By adding our tobacco and our European regulatory and distribution expertise, we expect to have great success in the European marketplace.
“We manufacture tobacco and cigarettes at our own facilities exclusively in Western Europe and attach great importance to maintaining the highest manufacturing, working and product standards that are socially acceptable to our consumers, partners and importers worldwide. Our master tobacco blenders travel to the farthest reaches of the globe to hand select the best leaves, hence ensuring the unique flavor of our tobacco products—and all so our customers can enjoy the ultimate in tobacco pleasure.
“From product and manufacturing standards to employees and retailers, we always ensure that our business decisions and the products we supply are in keeping with our family spirit and upholding our tradition of delivering 100 percent quality, flavor and customer satisfaction.”
“This marks another milestone in Poda’s commercialization efforts in Europe and abroad,” said Ryan Selby, Poda’s CEO. “Landewyck has been working in the tobacco space for over 170 years and brings a tremendous amount of manufacturing and distribution experience and expertise. We intend to get moving immediately on the blend development trial and hope to move quickly into large-scale commercialization of the cooperation products.”
January 12, 2022
Singapore Studying New Zealand’s Tobacco Plan

Photo: Stockbym
Singapore’s health authorities are debating whether to follow in the footsteps of New Zealand by gradually raising the smoking age until it covers the entire population, reports The Straits Times.
On Jan. 8, New Zealand unveiled a plan to phase out smoking through price hikes, nicotine limits and increasing age restrictions, among other measures.
On Jan. 11, Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon told Parliament he would look at how New Zealand’s experience could be applicable in Singapore.
Singapore is unlikely to copy New Zealand’s embrace of vaping as an alternative to smoking, however. “If vaping becomes entrenched among the younger generation, it undoes all the progress we made on curbing smoking, and will take an enormous effort over many years to curb its use,” said Koh.
While e-cigarettes are banned in the city state, they are readily available through e-commerce, according to Koh.
Smoking prevalence in Singapore fell from 11.8 percent in 2017 to 10.1 percent in 2020. The city state introduced standardized packaging and enhanced graphic health warnings in 2020 and raised the minimum legal age for smoking from 19 years to 21 years in January 2021.
As a result of such measures, smoking among adults aged 18 to 29 decreased from 9.8 percent in 2017 to 8.8 percent in 2020, according to Koh
Smoking and second-hand smoke exposure accounted for about $180 million of healthcare costs in Singapore in 2019, he noted.
January 12, 2022
Essentra Appoints Operations Director

Lay Moi Kow (Photo: Essentra Filters)
Essentra Filters has appointed Lay Moi Kow as global operations director—filters, based out of Essentra’s Singapore office. Lay Moi joins the global filters leadership team.
Lay Moi has been with Essentra Filters since 2020, joining the company as regional Asia and global operational excellence director. Lay Moi was involved in setting up systems for quality and continuous improvement, building the Asia and global operations team and as a project director for the China Joint Venture Co., ensuring that the project was delivered on time and on target.
“I look forward to focusing on Essentra Filters’ strategic initiatives for sustainability, heated tobacco, and expansion into new markets,” says Lay Moi. “With support and commitment from Robert Pye, managing director and the team, I am confident that we will continue to deliver excellence to our customers.”
Pye was appointed managing director of Essentra Filters on Jan 6.
January 12, 2022