Category: News This Week

Vaping ordinary water-based nicotine-containing liquids did not suddenly become extremely dangerous after having been used safely by millions of people for more than a decade, according to Christopher Snowdon, director of lifestyle economics at the U.K. Institute of Economic Affairs.

Writing in Spiked, Snowdon takes issue with what he describes as “the great American vaping panic” in which American public health activists are spreading unfounded fears about vaping.

While the recent vaping-associated hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. are regrettable, Snowdon points out that in nearly all the cases, the victims had been vaping unregulated street drugs instead of standard vape juices.

Snowdon attributes the panic to “a mendacious coalition of anti-smoking groups, quackademics and government institutions” spreading fear and disinformation.

Flavors motivate people to start using e-cigarettes and are also associated with a stronger perception of being addicted, according to new research from the Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science of the American Heart Association.

Researchers surveyed about 1,500 U.S. e-cigarette users aged 18 and older to determine whether flavors played a role in getting them to start vaping and to continue vaping. Current users were defined as those who had used e-cigarettes within the previous week and for six months or longer and had used e-cigarettes on at least 20 occasions in their lifetime, regardless of whether they had smoked combustible cigarettes.

Nearly a third of respondents said the presence of flavors in e-cigarettes was a major reason they started vaping. Young adults aged 18–24 were nearly twice as likely as people aged 35–44 to identify flavors as the major reason they took up e-cigarette use. Respondents who had never smoked traditional cigarettes were more likely than current or former cigarette smokers to list flavors as a primary reason they started using e-cigarettes.

Support for raising the minimum age for tobacco purchases is strongest among adults aged 65 and older—though majorities of other age groups support the policy change as well. Support is a bit lower among young adults aged 18 to 29—some of whom the policy would affect—but even among this group, two in three support it.

People traveling to the European Union may no longer have to pay U.K. excise duties on alcohol and tobacco in the near future.

The U.K. Treasury announced on Tuesday that duty-free shopping for those products will be reintroduced in U.K. airports, ports and international train stations if Britain leaves the trading bloc without an agreement. Such a move would cause the country to fall out of the single market and become a third country.

Holidaymakers will also be able to bring in limited amounts of alcohol and cigarettes bought at duty-free shops in the EU.

Until the 1990s, travelers within the EU were able to shop without paying certain local taxes and duties, or customs charges, on the condition that they took the goods out of the country. Duty-free sales were then abolished when the single market was introduced.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock criticized the Treasury for its announcement, saying he does not think it was “seen from within a public health context.”

The U.K. Parliament recently passed a law requiring Prime Minister Boris Johnson to request an extension to Brexit negotiations until the end of January unless he can secure a deal or parliamentary approval for no deal by Oct. 19.

The European cigarette market will reach $363.3 billion by 2026, up from $218.61 billion in 2018, according to a new report by Fortune Business Insights.

The report offers a detailed evaluation of the drivers enabling growth in the market. The report gives a detailed analysis of the market size of different segments. In addition to the segment information, the reader can gain information on drivers, opportunities, restraints and trends in the Europe cigarette market.

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney has urged federal health authorities to consider recalling e-cigarettes in the wake of recent hospitalizations and deaths associated with vaping, report The Hill.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Romney expressed concern that experts don’t know what’s been causing people to become ill, other than the fact that they had used e-cigarettes.

For the Food and Drug Administration to consider recall, a product must be dangerous and defective to the extent that it “predictably could cause serious health problems or death.”

In his letter, Romney said Azar should consider whether e-cigarettes meet this threshold.

Federal officials have not identified a single vape product or substance linking all the cases.

Most patients reported using e-cigarette products containing elements of marijuana, including THC, but some patients also reported using nicotine-based products as well.

Thailand’s generic packaging law took effect on Tuesday, requiring tobacco products to be sold in packs without branding, according to Japan Times. Retailers have until Dec. 8 to phase out stocks of branded packs before facing fines of up to THB40,000 ($1,300).

In 2012, Australia became the first country to require tobacco products to be sold without colorful brand logos. Since then, a host of countries have followed suit, including France, Hungary and the U.K.

The standardized packaging includes a graphic health warning along with the brand name written in plain font.

Prakit Vathesatogkit, vice chair of the nongovernmental organization Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, said he expects plain packaging to make tobacco products less attractive to buyers.

“For nonsmokers, for kids, they are less likely to start [using tobacco products],” he said.

Singapore is set to implement similar restrictions on packaging next year.

The 2019 Tax Stamp Forum starts today in Budapest.

Organized by Reconnaissance International, this year’s event will bring together partners from customs administrations, revenue agencies and ministries, regional economic communities, the private sector, international organizations and development partners.

The morning of Sept. 11 will be a closed meeting for revenue and customs authorities. Hosted by the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA), it will be an opportunity to share common issues and best practices in the use of tax stamp programs to deliver effective authentication and track-and-trace solutions with the aim of securing excise revenues and preventing illicit trade.

The conference program will take place from Sept. 12–13 and will explore a range of issues, including the importance of digital technology in print security designs and how to maximize the potential of tax stamps and secure marking programs.

“Combating illicit trade remains one of the most pressing challenges for countries across the globe, and this conference gives people the ideal chance to discuss ways of tackling this important issue,” said Nicola Sudan, regional director of Reconnaissance International.

“It’s a great opportunity for industry experts and policymakers to come together and unlock new ways of fighting fraudulent trade, protecting citizens and improving health outcomes.”

Russia’s has ordered a study on the effects of e-cigarettes following at least five deaths attributed to vaping in the United States, reports The Moscow Times.

Deputy Health Minister Oleg Salagai said the ministry has instructed its chief pathologist to analyze lung disease deaths in the working-age population for potential links to e-cigarette consumption and asked its chief physician to issue recommendations on the possible links between e-cigarettes and severe respiratory diseases.

The American Medical Association on Monday urged Americans to stop using e-cigarettes of any kind until scientists have a better understanding of the cause of the deaths. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday advised against using e-cigarette products while it investigates the cause of a spate of severe lung illness cases associated with vaping.