Category: Featured

‘Carcinogens Among Permitted Additives’

Photo: New Africa
Canada’s proposed list of permitted vapor product additives includes dangerous ingredients, according to Imperial Tobacco Canada (ITCAN).
“To put it bluntly, the list contains at least one known substance that could cause cancer,” said ITCAN Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Eric Gagnon in a statement.
According to ITCAN, several ingredients on the flavor ban proposal list of permitted ingredients are substances that its parent company, British American Tobacco, categorically avoids in its vaping products.
The company says BAT’s toxicological risk assessment prevents the use of substances classified as having carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic (CMR) properties, as per the Globally Harmonized System for classification and labelling of substances.
“It is shocking that the government would include a proven and classified CMR substance in its lists of permitted additives for vaping products,” ITCAN wrote on its website. “The effect of a regulation that formally permits such ingredients is simply an encouragement to manufacturers—particularly smaller producers with limited access to scientific literature—to use an inherently unsafe substance in a product that is designed to be inhaled into the lungs.”
Gagnon cited isophorone as an example. “This substance is classified by the European Union as cancer-causing and acutely toxic. It is also banned by Canadian food and drug regulations from use in human cosmetics,” he said.
“We encourage Health Canada to reconsider the list and consult with experts to determine the best way forward.”
June 14, 2024
Health Canada Recalls Zyn Pouches

Image: Swedish Match/ HstrongART
Health Canada recalled eight types of Zyn nicotine pouches on June 12, saying they were sold without market authorization, reports Global News.
They affected variants are flavored apple mint, bellini, black cherry, citrus, cool mint, espresso, original and spearmint. The pouches had 1.5 or three milligrams of nicotine in them.
Philip Morris International, which manufactures Zyn products, said it does not sell in Canada and applauds Health Canada for taking action.
“The products at issue are being sold by unauthorized parties,” a spokesperson for PMI’s Rothmans Benson & Hedges affiliate was quoted as saying by the Global News.
“RBH works with law enforcement to stop illicit trade and we are supportive of government efforts on this front.”
Health Canada has approved only one nicotine pouch for sale—Imperial Tobacco Canada’s Zonnic brand.
The introduction of nicotine pouches in Canada has run into opposition from health activists.
Experts say these products are appealing to children, who face the risk of becoming addicted to nicotine.
In March, Health Minister Mark Holland said that he was “seeking authority” to restrict such products “so they are solely for the purposes of cessation.”

June 14, 2024
Labour Committed to Generational Ban

Photo: sezerozger
Britain’s opposition Labour Party, which is favored to win the July 4 national elections, has reiterated its commitment to the generational tobacco ban proposed by Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, reports Reuters.
The plan would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, after they turn 18. It would also provide powers to address vaping among young people.
The generational tobacco ban passed its first parliamentary hurdle in April but was put on hold after Sunak called a national election.
Labour leader Keir Starmer, whose party is far ahead in opinion polls ahead of the vote, published its planned policies on June 13, vowing to provide political and economic stability, and to improve health outcomes.
“We must take preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers and support people to live longer, healthier lives. That starts with smoking,” the manifesto document said.
“Labour will ensure the next generation can never legally buy cigarettes … Labour will ban vapes from being branded and advertised to appeal to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.”
June 14, 2024
Cigarette Sales Down in Denmark

Photo: Nikolay N. Antonov
Danish smokers bought 3.85 billion cigarettes in 2023, down 5.1 percent from 2022, according to the country’s statistics agency. This corresponds to 804 cigarettes per adult Dane, compared with 854 in the previous year.
Cigarette sales in Denmark started falling in 2018 and have declined by 32 percent since that year.
The sale of smoking tobacco, which includes loose tobacco for pipes and roll-your-own cigarettes, dropped from 378 tons in 2022 to 320 tons in 2023.
Sales of cigars and cigarillos remained unchanged at 22 million pieces in 2023
June 14, 2024
Switzerland Poised to Ban Disposables

Photo: twinsterphoto
Swiss lawmakers voted on June 12 to ban sales of disposable vapes, reports the Swiss Broadcasting Corp.
The motion calls on the government to amend the Federal Act on Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes so that single-use vapes may no longer be offered for sale in Switzerland.
“’Puff bars’ are attractive to young people due to their many flavors and bright colors and are therefore becoming increasingly popular, said Green Party parliamentarian Christophe Clivaz, using the brand name of a popular vape brand to refer to all cigarettes.
Switzerland imported 10 million units in 2022, he added.
Clivaz lamented the environmental impact of improperly disposed vapes and the addictive nature of nicotine products. Clean-up efforts cost millions and the health effects of disposable cigarettes have been insufficiently researched, he noted.
Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider voted against the House of Representatives’ motion, which the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body, considers premature.
The proposal will now move the Senate.
June 13, 2024
China Tobacco and BAT Meet in Beijing

Photo: Stephen Finn
Zhang Jianmin, director of China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and general manager of China National Tobacco Corporation, met with a high-level BAT delegation in Beijing, according to Weixin
The companies reportedly held “friendly talks.”
Others in attendance included Wang Gongcheng, member of the Party Leadership Group of the National Bureau and deputy director, heads of the State Administration Office (foreign affairs department), the development planning department, China Tobacco Sales Corp. and China Tobacco International.
June 13, 2024
U.S. Regulators Grilled Over Illegal Vapes

Photo: Katherine Welles
U.S. Senators criticized top health and law enforcement officials for their failure to tame the rapidly growing illicit e-cigarette market, reports the Associated Press.
During a hearing on June 12, lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned officials from the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Justice (DOJ) about attempts to manage the vaping market, which has grown to include thousands of flavored, unauthorized e-cigarettes imported from China.
“I simply do not understand how FDA and DOJ have permitted thousands of products to remain on store shelves when their manufacturers have not received authorization or, in some cases, even filed an application,” said the committee’s chairman, Dick Durbin.
Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said the agency has been slowed by a backlog of applications submitted by vape companies seeking approval to sell their products in the U.S. The FDA received millions of premarket tobacco product applications, each of which must be scientifically reviewed.
An industry lobbyist told the committee that the FDA has created an untenable marketplace by rejecting more than 99 percent of applications submitted by companies.

I simply do not understand how FDA and DOJ have permitted thousands of products to remain on store shelves when their manufacturers have not received authorization, or, in some cases, even filed an application.
Dick Durbin, chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
Ahead of the congressional hearing, several government agencies, including the FDA and the DOJ, established a task force to better coordinate the fight against illegal e-cigarettes. Republican Senator Thom Tillis called the timing of the announcement “a political stunt” and criticized the absence of other federal agencies from the initiative, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“If the timing of the task force formation wasn’t evidence of how unserious the FDA is about tackling the flood of illicit e-cigarettes, FDA’s exclusion of CBP from the task force makes it crystal clear,” said Tillis, who represents North Carolina, a major tobacco-producing state. He urged officials to concentrate enforcement on Chinese brands rather than large domestic manufacturers like Reynolds American, which is based in North Carolina.
The FDA can conduct investigations and recommend cases, but only the Justice Department can bring lawsuits. The FDA has sent hundreds of warning letters to vape shops and e-cigarette manufacturers in recent years. But the letters have done little to dissuade companies from flouting FDA rules and introducing new vapes.
Disposable vapes account for an estimated 30 percent to 40 percent of the roughly $7 billion-dollar U.S. vaping market. The two bestselling disposables—Breeze and Elf Bar—generated more than $500 million in sales last year, according to Nielsen retail sales data analyzed by Goldman Sachs.
Both brands have been sanctioned by FDA regulators but remain widely available, in some cases with new names, logos and flavors.
King noted that products like Elf Bar cannot legally be sold in China because the government there has banned nontobacco-flavored e-cigarettes. Outraged that brands banned in China are sold in the U.S., Texas Senator John Cornyn vowed to introduce legislation to rectify that situation.
Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett said the congressional testimony could spur the FDA to approve more products from BAT and Juul. “This hearing is another example of increasing political pressure for the FDA to act” against unauthorized products, he said in a research note quoted by Bloomberg.
June 13, 2024
New Zealand Warnings Losing Bite: Study

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Research out of New Zealand has found that graphic health warnings on tobacco packages are no longer motivating smokers to quit, reports RNZ.
According to Lani Teddy, University of Otago research fellow, the warnings have not been refreshed since 2018 and have lost their impact.
“For example, many on-pack warnings feature diseased organs that participants found difficult to recognize. They felt messages that recognized them as whole people would create greater empathy and do more to encourage them to quit,” Teddy said in a statement.
The study found that consumers were avoiding looking at the health warnings and did not feel that they would be personally harmed by using the products. According to Teddy, smokers were more likely to care about cost, stress of addiction and how their smoking affected their loved ones.
“Other countries are moving ahead with additional product design policies,” said Janet Hoek, research co-leader. “Canada has introduced warnings on individual cigarettes, a move that Australia is also considering. Australia has brought in new regulations that allow for filter regulations and is banning the use of flavor capsules, which make smoking more appealing to young people.”
Hoek said the packaging should include details on how to quit smoking.
“The repeal of the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2023 has left a policy vacuum,” Hoek said. “The government should demonstrate its commitment to the Smoke-Free 2025 goal by adopting international best practice in both tobacco product and packaging measures.
“At the very least, the government should maximize the impact that existing measures, such as on-pack warnings, could have and complement these with advice that will help people quit.”
June 12, 2024
Illicit Cigarette Sales up in the Netherlands

Photo: mitarart
Illicit cigarette sales in the Netherlands are rising in the wake of tax hikes, according to Dutch News.
Researchers collect empty cigarette packs every two years to identify their origins, and in 2023, 25 percent contained cigarettes that had not been subject to Dutch tobacco duties, up from 15 percent in 2021.
The research showed that 19 percent of the cigarettes were bought in other countries, but 4 percent were either fake branded cigarettes or had been smuggled into the country, up from 1 percent in the previous study.
“The big profits criminals can make with duty fraud and illegal production and trade are building up criminal assets,” the ministries said in a briefing. “And that allows them to finance other criminal activities.”
RIVM, a public health institute, also released research showing that smokers buy about 10 percent of their tobacco abroad, either by importing it themselves or having others import it for them.
According to the RIVM research, price increases aid in quitting, with 28 percent of participants stating they tried to quit and 18 percent successfully quitting.
Earlier this year, the price of a pack of cigarettes increased by about €1 ($1.08) to €11.10 per pack of 20. The increase aims to curb smoking rates.
The price of rolling tobacco packs increased by €3.60 to €24, with further increases expected. Cigarette taxes are now around €7.81 per pack.
June 12, 2024
U.S. Top Court May Tame ‘Chevron Doctrine’

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The U.S. Supreme Court may overturn a legal doctrine that according to some vapor industry advocates has allowed the Food and Drug Administration to reach beyond its legal authority, reports Reuters, citing legal scholars.
Known as Chevron deference, the doctrine calls for judges to defer to federal agency interpretations of U.S. laws that are deemed to be ambiguous. This doctrine, among the most important principles in administrative law, arose from a 1984 Supreme Court ruling involving oil company Chevron.
It is opposed by conservatives and business interests but supported by liberals who favor robust corporate regulation. Vaping activists contend that the Chevron doctrine has, among other things, enabled the FDA to essentially ban all nontobacco-flavored e-cigarettes.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 300,000 businesses, has argued that Chevron deference has let Congress “outsource core policy decisions (particularly controversial ones) to agencies through broadly worded statutes.” That has given the agencies, it added, “free rein to enact their own new regulatory requirements through sweeping rulemakings or after-the-fact enforcement actions.”
Many legal scholars expect the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, to scale back or overturn the Chevron doctrine in a case in which fishing companies are seeking to avoid bearing costs associated with a government-run program to monitor for overfishing of herring off New England’s coast. The suit is part of a broader conservative project to strip away regulatory power from federal agencies.
The justices heard arguments in the case on Jan. 17 and are expected to rule on the case by the end of June.
June 12, 2024