Category: Regulation

  • SHEER Opinion on Novel Products Due Friday

    SHEER Opinion on Novel Products Due Friday

    Photo: andriano_cz

    The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) is due to present its opinion on novel tobacco products Friday.

    The opinion is part of an assessment of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), which will determine whether e-cigarettes will be treated the same way as traditional cigarettes.

    SHEER’s preliminary opinion published in September 2020 drew strong criticism of several stakeholders who accused the EU of being selective in its findings when it comes to their health implications.

    “Research in recent years, after the adoption of TPD in 2014, has become increasingly positive about e-cigarettes, always as a substitute for smoking,” Konstantinos Farsalinos of the University of Patras told Eurarchiv. “Compared to 2014, one would expect a more positive attitude. On the contrary, EU policymakers remain scientifically unsubstantiated with the risk of sabotaging the efforts to replace smoking with e-cigarettes,” he said.

    Pietro Fiocchi, a member of the European Parliament from the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, expressed concern about increased smoking if the EU Commission decides to equate novel tobacco products with traditional ones.

    “My impression is that the Commission is against a differentiation between traditional tobacco and reduced-risk products, and it will plan to apply the same limitations through heavy regulations and fiscal impositions,” he said.

    “We all agree that not smoking at all is the best solution, but it would be detrimental if SCHEER will ignore plenty of scientific studies that show much smaller health impact of reduced-risk products versus traditional tobacco,” said Fiocchi.

  • 22nd Century Excited About Nicotine Cuts

    22nd Century Excited About Nicotine Cuts

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    22nd Century Group said that it is fully prepared to partner with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch its VLN reduced nicotine content cigarette brand and license its reduced nicotine content tobacco technology to every cigarette manufacturer.

    Recent media reports suggest that the Biden administration is actively considering moving forward the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that will require tobacco manufacturers to reduce the amount of nicotine in all combustible cigarettes sold in the United States to be “minimally or nonaddictive.”

    “A nicotine cap by the FDA has been in the works since the Obama administration,” said James A. Mish, CEO of 22nd Century Group, in a statement. “During that time, 22nd Century has consistently proven beyond any doubt with our VLN cigarettes that a cigarette that contains nicotine levels that the FDA has identified as ‘minimally or nonaddictive’ is technically feasible. Moreover, given the millions of Americans who smoke and will suffer and die from cigarette addiction, this mandate is necessary and appropriate.”

    “As the only company with the ability to offer a combustible tobacco product that can meet the FDA’s mandate today, we look forward to helping with this critical public health initiative.

    “Numerous independent research studies—largely funded by U.S. government agencies—have consistently confirmed the benefits of implementing a mandate on reduced nicotine content cigarettes for adult smokers.

    “Once this rule is in place, we are fully prepared to provide the solution by making our VLN cigarettes available to adult smokers, and we remain willing to license our technology to every cigarette manufacturer in the industry to give them the opportunity to join us in our efforts to reduce the harm caused by smoking and to protect future generations from ever becoming addicted to cigarettes.”

    We are fully prepared to provide the solution by making our VLN cigarettes available to adult smokers, and we remain willing to license our technology to every cigarette manufacturer.

    James A. Mish, CEO, 22nd Century Group

    The ANPRM that President Biden’s administration is considering moving forward was issued in March of 2018, and the comment period closed in June of 2018. The FDA will likely issue a notice of proposed rulemaking as the next step in the rulemaking process before a final rule is published.

    Made from proprietary tobacco engineered to contain 95 percent less nicotine than conventional cigarette tobacco, 22nd Century’s RNC cigarettes are the only combustible tobacco products able to meet the nicotine levels proposed in the FDA’s ANPRM for a tobacco product standard to reduce the nicotine content of all combustible cigarettes, according to 22nd Century.

    The company believes that it is in the final stages of the FDA’s application process to obtain a modified-risk tobacco product designation for its reduced nicotine content cigarettes, VLN King and VLN Menthol King. The designation will allow 22nd Century to communicate key features of the products, including the claim “95 percent less nicotine.”

  • U.S. Mulls Low-Nicotine Mandate/Menthol Ban

    U.S. Mulls Low-Nicotine Mandate/Menthol Ban

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The Biden administration is considering requiring tobacco companies to reduce nicotine levels in all cigarettes sold in the United States, reports The Wall Street Journal. The nicotine-reduction policy would lower the chemical in cigarettes to nonaddictive or minimally addictive levels and aim to push smokers to quit or switch to less harmful alternatives, the newspaper said.

    Meanwhile, a deadline is nearing for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide on whether to ban menthol cigarettes. The menthol ban would aim to curb smoking initiation among young people, many of whom start with menthol cigarettes.

    According to the FDA, menthol cigarettes may be harder to quit than nonmenthol cigarettes, particularly among African American smokers. More than 19.5 million people reportedly smoke menthol cigarettes.

    The tobacco industry has rejected the FDA’s findings on menthol, and both policies would take years to implement and would likely face legal challenges.

    On April 12, 2013, health groups filed a petition calling on the FDA to ban menthol in cigarettes. Nearly seven years later, one of the co-signers, the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, filed a lawsuit alleging, among other things, the FDA unreasonably delayed issuing a final response to the citizen petition.

    The FDA agreed to issue a final response to the petition by Jan. 29.

    Then, a supplemental petition with additional research on the alleged harms of menthol cigarettes was submitted in January.

    After the additional information was submitted, the parties agreed to extend the FDA’s deadline to issue a final response to April 29.

    Recent news reports suggest the likelihood of a menthol ban in the U.S. is increasing.

    Shares of tobacco giant Altria Group plunged on Monday following The Wall Street Journal report, according to CNN.

    “A ban on menthol cigarettes or reduction in nicotine levels would fundamentally disrupt the U.S. cigarette market and would be credit negative for Altria as it would significantly accelerate cigarette volume decline,” said Maria Iarriccio, vice president and lead analyst for Altria at Moody’s Investor Service.

    “Approximately 20 percent of Altria’s cigarette sales are menthol flavored. Also, a reduction of nicotine levels in cigarettes would be challenged by tobacco companies in courts and would take years to resolve.”

    “Altria is focused on growing alternative products in the U.S., such as oral tobacco, e-vapor through its Juul investment and IQOS heated-tobacco,” Iarriccio added. “However, these alternative products contribute a small part to Altria’s existing business and will not offset the material decline in revenue should a ban be implemented.

  • Radical Plan to Achieve Smoke-Free Society

    Radical Plan to Achieve Smoke-Free Society

    Photo: Muhammadsainudin Sa-i | Dreamstime.com

    The government of New Zealand wants to ban cigarette filters, reduce product nicotine levels, minimize the number of tobacco outlets and outlaw tobacco sales to new smokers, reports Stuff.

    Released to the public in a discussion document on April 16, the proposals are intended to help New Zealand achieve its ambition of being smoke-free by 2025.

    “About 4,500 New Zealanders die every year from tobacco, and we need to make accelerated progress to be able to reach that goal,” said Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. “Business as usual without [a] tobacco control program won’t get us there,” she said.

    One of the proposed measures entails a ban on the sale of tobacco to people younger than 18 from 2022, meaning anyone born after 2004 would be unable to buy tobacco.

    Another proposal calls for limiting tobacco sales to pharmacies and designated stores. Currently, there are no restrictions on where tobacco can be sold in New Zealand. At least 80 percent of it is sold through convenience stores, service stations, on-licensed premises and supermarkets.

    I’m sick and tired of this government trying to socially engineer us into changing our behavior.

    Karen Chhour, ACT Party

    Other proposed measures include setting a minimum price for tobacco, licensing all tobacco and vaping retailers and reducing nicotine in tobacco products to “low levels.”

    The prospect of limiting the amount of nicotine in tobacco would require input from tobacco companies and “whether that’s a sort of product that they think could be offered commercially.”

    “Some tobacco companies have said that they support a smoke-free goal and are putting their efforts on vapes, and I hope that they will see this as a positive development,” said Verrall.

    Health advocates applauded the proposals. Boyd Swinburn, chairman of advocacy group Health Coalition Aotearoa, said the recommendations were likely “game-ending” for tobacco.

    “There is clear evidence that restricting retail availability is a central strategy for reducing the damage from all harmful products,” he said.

    “Several options to achieve this are outlined in the government’s proposals, and we need to ensure that there is a just transition for small business owners, like dairies, to exit tobacco retail.”

    Others were less enthusiastic, saying the measure would boost illicit trade. ACT Party social development spokeswoman Karen Chhour said the proposed measures would mean smokers who are less able to afford their habits would end up spending more.

    “As a former smoker, I have to say I’m sick and tired of this government trying to socially engineer us into changing our behavior,” she said.

    “There’s a strong argument, too, that this will drive up the trade of black market tobacco with high nicotine, driving those addicted to cigarettes to turn to crime to feed their habit.”

    22nd Century Group, a U.S. company specializing in very low nicotine content tobacco, welcomed New Zealand’s proposals, saying it is fully prepared to support the country in its efforts to become a smoke-free nation by 2025.

    “New Zealand has made great progress since announcing their goal of becoming smoke-free by 2025, but in order for the country to finally achieve success, it is imperative that the amount of nicotine in cigarettes is reduced 95 percent to ‘minimal levels,’” said James A. Mish, chief executive officer of 22nd Century Group, in a statement.

    22nd Century said it initially engaged with public health researchers in New Zealand in 2016 when the country announced its goal of becoming smoke-free, leading the New Zealand Medical Journal to publish a letter recommending 22nd Century’s reduced nicotine content cigarettes as an “important smoking reduction tool.”

    New Zealand has played a key role in past smoking reduction initiatives that have eventually been adopted globally. Other countries, including Australia and Canada, as well as the World Health Organization are expected to call for lower nicotine levels too.

  • Taiwan Targets Nicotine Devices

    Taiwan Targets Nicotine Devices

    Photo: Timo Volz from Pixabay

    Taiwan could ban electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS) in the second half of 2021, according to a report in The China Post.

    The Taipei City Government Department of Health has reportedly drawn up draft amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, which have been sent to Parliament for approval.

    The proposed amendments prohibit the manufacture, import, sale, supply, display, and advertisement of vaping devices and novel tobacco products.

    Violators faces fines of between TWD$10,000 (US$351) and TWD$50,000.

    E-cigarettes represent a new health hazard issue, according to Taiwan’s Health Bureau, which also points to cases of e-cigarettes containing amphetamines, marijuana and other drugs abroad.

    The health authorities also expressed concern about the risk of ENDS exploding.

  • Focusing Minds

    Focusing Minds

    Photo: Pexels from Pixabay

    The post-Brexit review of tobacco regulations provides an opportunity to hasten smokers’ transition to less-harmful nicotine products.

    Writing in The Guardian on Jan. 13, associate editor and columnist Martin Kettle wrote that “in almost every material respect the U.K. is currently worse off than before 1 January.” He was, of course, commenting on Brexit, about which the government, in the words of the late music hall comedian, Billy Russell, can be said to have “promised us everything, given us nothing and, before we got it, taken it off us.” There is no Brexit dividend, only a growing Brexit deficit, which can be clearly seen even though the government is trying to brush it under the carpet laid down by the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Having said that, perhaps there is at least the potential for a dividend in one specific area. There seems to be a chance that the U.K. government, which has for many years been supportive of the idea of tobacco harm reduction, might, after emerging from under the stultifying EU Tobacco Products Directive, develop tobacco and nicotine regulations fit for an age that has left behind the failed idea of quit-or-die and embraced the development of a range of new generation products that are less risky to consume than are combustible cigarettes.

    Certainly, the U.K. Vaping Industry Association [UKVIA] believes there is such an opportunity. On March 15, it launched its Blueprint for Better Regulation in response to the U.K. government’s consultation on the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (and the Standardized Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations), in which it was seeking until March 19 feedback on the effectiveness of the legislation in achieving its objectives, and on any unintended consequences that may have occurred.

    In a foreword to the Blueprint, the UKVIA’s director general, John Dunne, said the review of the regulations represented a defining moment in the history of the vaping industry, one of the leading market disruptors of the 21st century responsible for a significant decline in smoking across the U.K. It also presented the biggest opportunity yet for the government to create fair and proportionate vaping regulation that supported its 2030 smoke-free target and ensured the sector could make a bigger contribution to the nation’s public health and economy in the future.

    To achieve such a goal, the UKVIA is recommending that the government takes an evidence-based approach to revising regulations that would, in part, help counter the misinformation being widely disseminated about vaping: misinformation that is providing an increasingly powerful drag on efforts to encourage people to switch from smoking to vaping, even though vaping is hugely less risky and less costly than is smoking. It wants the government and health authorities to mount campaigns aimed at encouraging such switching, and it wants the industry to be able to mount its own officially sanctioned but effective, multichannel, consumer-communication campaigns, including with those buying online. And it wants a regulated but workable environment in which its members can develop vaping products capable of competing with conventional cigarettes, especially on a nicotine-satisfaction basis.

    In what might be seen as an unexpected move, but which is a smart one for an industry necessarily looking to be seen as responsible, the UKVIA is recommending that the regulations reach out to include “additional products and components,” especially nicotine-free e-liquids.

    There is, of course, much more in the UKVIA’s Blueprint. No such presentation would be complete without a discussion about the important role flavors play in encouraging people to switch from smoking to vaping and the need to address e-liquid bottle sizes so as to reduce plastic waste and improve customer convenience, while not increasing the risk-profile of the e-liquids. The Blueprint looks at packaging and labeling, descriptors, and product quality and safety. It supports age restrictions on the purchase of vaping products and the need to work with trading standards officers in ensuring such restrictions are enforced. And it recommends that the government acts in relation to vaping in public places so that vaping is not conflated with smoking.

    A firm deadline

    What are the chances? Well, Dunne appears to be confident, and, with some justification, since, to a large extent, the UKVIA is pushing at an open door. The government could be willing to work with at least some of the UKVIA’s ideas, perhaps all of them, partly because smoking is most prevalent among disadvantaged groups and the government has been saying it wants to level-up the U.K. But caution has to be advised. Two skills the U.K. government is known for are its shape-shifting and U-turns. And one concern must be the government’s likely reaction if it found that conversions to vaping picked up so fast that tax revenues from tobacco fell dramatically.

    And in this regard, I feel the UKVIA might have missed a trick, though I’m sure it must have crossed its members’ minds and, for some reason, been rejected. To cement things in place, might it not have been a good idea to ask the government to declare a date, some years ahead, on which combustible cigarettes could no longer be sold legally within the U.K.? I know that some would complain that this would be prohibition, while tagging on the rusty old argument that alcohol prohibition didn’t work in the U.S. and therefore it wouldn’t work with cigarettes anywhere. But the conflation of alcohol prohibition in the U.S. and a potential tobacco prohibition elsewhere never comprised a rational argument. And, in any case, what is being suggested is not prohibition but substitution and transition. Smokers would not be being abandoned, because they could still get a nicotine fix after cigarette sales were banned.

    One of the arguments for putting such an end date in place would be that it would focus minds. It is clear that where the automobile industry has been presented with end dates for the sale of vehicles powered by fossil fuels, manufacturers have steamed ahead and some have been encouraged to aim at beating the deadline. From combustion to batteries; there has to be a connection.

    Of course, the implementation of such a deadline in respect of combustible cigarettes would have to be dependent on regulations being changed so that those involved in the development of new-generation, tobacco-harm-reduction products could operate in a regulated but not restrictive environment. In fairness to smokers, it would need to be the case that they were presented with products that reproduced where possible at least the characteristics of smoking that most attracts them to the habit.

    There is something else, too. Switching messages listed in the Blueprint seem to be way too long: 12-21 words apiece. If there is one thing the U.K.’s Conservative Party, the party of government, is good at, it is effective messaging, which it likes to keep to three or four words. I mean, if you can get people to vote for the Conservatives with the message, “Get Brexit done,” imagine what you could do with: “Don’t smoke, vape.” And while it’s at it, why shouldn’t the government require messages on combustible-cigarette packaging that say: “Switch to vaping”; or “Get switching done.”

    Formidable opponents

    One problem in all of this is that there are some powerful forces acting against tobacco harm reduction. In March, the UKVIA issued a press note, titled, “The U.K. Vaping Industry Association [UKVIA] blasts World Health Organization and says it risks becoming an ‘enemy of harm-reduction.’” What the UKVIA objected to in the first instance was what it described as “[r]ecent recommendations made by the WHO study group on Tobacco Product Regulations that would prohibit electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems where the user can control device features and liquid ingredients.” But it said also that the WHO had called for a ban on vaping systems that have a higher “abuse liability” than conventional cigarettes have; systems that, for example, allow the user to control the emission rate of nicotine.

    Dunne made the point that vaping’s success as an industry, and its potential for public health improvements, were built on empowering personal choice. “Different systems, styles and flavors give consumers the options they need to leave combustible cigarettes behind,” he said. “I would urge the WHO to engage with vapers, to hear their stories and discover the life-changing decisions they’ve made… Prohibition is simply not the answer.”

    The U.K. has a genuine opportunity to promote harm-reduction as a valid, progressive strategy for public health on the world stage.

    John Dunne, director general, UKVIA

    Dunne believes the WHO poses a threat to smoking-cessation and harm-reduction in the U.K. because it is out of touch. He said, for instance, that the WHO claimed there was little evidence that vaping helped people to quit smoking. But Public Health England had found in its Vaping Evidence Review 2021 that smoking quit rates involving a vaping product were higher than with any other method in every English region. “For the WHO to hold such contrary views is either bad science or bad faith,” he added. “Both risk it becoming an enemy of harm-reduction.”

    The press note said also the U.K. was due to send a delegation to the COP9 meeting, the November 2021 Conference of the Parties to the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This would be the first time the U.K. had attended such a meeting since leaving the EU, and the UKVIA had been among expert guests invited by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping to advise on the COP9 delegation’s approach. “The U.K. has a genuine opportunity to promote harm-reduction as a valid, progressive strategy for public health on the world stage,” said Dunne. “We must not allow misinformation to undermine this potential, irrespective of the source.”

    But the UKVIA has a further problem. In another press note in March, it said it was deeply concerned by news that U.K. businesses were being impacted by the U.S.’ “Vape Mail” ban, part of a congressional spending bill passed under former President Trump. By April 5 [after this report was written], leading carriers such as UPS, FedEx, DHL and the U.S. Postal Service were due to be off-limits for vaping shipments.

    “The vaping supply chain is a global one, bringing together resources and expertise from around the world,” said Dunne. “It is bitterly disappointing to see these American restrictions having a negative impact in the U.K., but the nature of the supply chain makes it inevitable. In the EU too we are hearing of vaping businesses being turned away from major carriers.

    “The potential impact on public health is grave, as so many people are relying on shipped goods as a lifeline during the pandemic. Without proper access to harm-reduction products we know people can revert to smoking cigarettes, today in the U.S. but perhaps tomorrow in the U.K. With businesses already struggling through lockdown, and our health services under great strain, supply chain issues really are the last thing we need.”

    George Gay is Tobacco Reporter’s European editor, but his territory spans the globe. Based in London, George has covered the tobacco industry since 1982, initially for a U.K.-based publication and since 2004 for Tobacco Reporter. George’s understanding of industry issues, combined with his keen sense of observation and dry wit, have earned him a loyal following among Tobacco Reporter’s readers.
  • FDA Urged to Remove Flavors from Market

    FDA Urged to Remove Flavors from Market

    Photo: Bacho12345 | Dreamstime.com

    Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to remove all flavored vaping products from the market. The 43 House Democrats sent the letter to acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock as the agency continues to review thousands of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs).

    “Flavored e-cigarettes are putting a new generation of kids at risk of nicotine addiction and the serious health harms that result from tobacco use,” states the letter drafted by Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Diana DeGette, according to The Hill.

    The lawmakers want the FDA to ban all flavored e-cigarettes upon further review and eliminate the exemption the FDA has for menthol and disposable products.

    Along with a ban on flavored e-cigarettes, lawmakers want a ban on PMTAs and the marketing of e-cigarettes that target minors. “Today, e-cigarette use by youth remains at what FDA calls ‘epidemic proportions,’ and e-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco products among youth since 2014—and flavors are a key reason why,” the letter states.

    The FDA has already put a ban on fruity e-cigarettes. However, brands such as Puff Bar are sidestepping the ban by selling fruit-flavored disposable vaporizers that use synthetic (tobacco-free) nicotine. “We strongly recommend that FDA’s premarket review process require manufacturers to provide convincing evidence that their products do not increase youth use of nicotine and tobacco in ways that increase the risk of abuse and addiction among youth,” the lawmakers stated.

  • Swiss Mull Tighter Marketing Restrictions

    Swiss Mull Tighter Marketing Restrictions

    Photo: JTI

    The Swiss parliament is debating tighter restrictions on the marketing of tobacco products following a people’s initiative calling for a tobacco ad ban, reports SwissInfo.

    Switzerland’s tobacco laws are among the world’s most liberal. Despite recent implementation of stricter laws for the industry, such as compulsory smoking areas on train platforms, 27 percent of the country’s population over the age of 15 smokes, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.

    Switzerland is among the few countries that haven’t ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, despite signing on to the treaty 17 years ago. Until now, advertising targeting young people remains unregulated.

    In 2018, more than 100,000 people signed a people’s initiative to protect children and young people from tobacco advertising.

    The government, however, has recommended its rejection of the initiative, saying it would amount to a complete advertising ban, which, it argues, goes too far.

    In place of the initiative, the national government recommended a tightening of the current Tobacco Products Law. The Senate debated this bill in September 2019, and stricter rules on advertising were proposed, including regulating advertising for e-cigarettes. More than 45 percent of 16-year-olds consume this new form of tobacco on a weekly basis.

    In the current spring session, a majority of the House of Representatives followed the recommendation of its Health Committee and rejected the initiative in favor of the bill submitted by the senate.

    The parliamentary committee doesn’t, however, plan to mandate that the tobacco industry report figures for spending on advertising. It also won’t ban tobacco advertising in newspapers or on websites that aren’t exclusively aimed at minors.

    Several parliamentarians view the proposed tobacco rules as an attack on companies’ commercial freedom and on an individual’s right to choose.

    Switzerland is home to Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International.

  • FDA Sends its 69th PMTA Warning Letter

    FDA Sends its 69th PMTA Warning Letter

    Photo: Pixabay

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued three more warning letters to vapor companies on March 19. The latest announcement brings the count to 69 letters this year for companies selling vapor products without gaining regulatory approval through the agency’s premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) process.

    The latest letters were issued to Arizona-based Vapor Outlet, Vapor Tech Hawaii and the Vaporium in Illinois. In its letter to Vaporium, the FDA stated that the company continues to “manufacture, sell and/or distribute to customers in the United States The Vaporium 6 mg Red White and Blue 70/30 30 mL e-liquid product” without a marketing authorization order.

    “Your firm is a registered manufacturer with 19,860 products listed with FDA. It is your responsibility to ensure that your tobacco products comply with each applicable provision of the FD&C Act and FDA’s implementing regulations,” the letter states. “Failure to adequately address this matter may lead to regulatory action, including, but not limited to, civil money penalties, seizure and/or injunction.”

    Companies that receive warning letters from the FDA have to submit a written response to the letter within 15 working days from the date of receipt describing the company’s corrective actions, including the dates on which it discontinued the violative sale and/or distribution of the products. They also require the company’s plan for maintaining compliance with the FD&C Act in the future.

    Many of the FDA’s letters so far have gone to local vape shops that manufacture their own e-liquids in the store. For example, Vapor Tech Hawaii’s letter states that the FDA has determined that it “manufacture[s], sell[s] and/or distribute[s] to customers its Vapor Tech Hawaii Waikikiwi 100 mL 3 mg e-liquid product” without a marketing authorization order.

    On March 12, the U.S. FDA sent warning letters to 13 firms that manufacture and sell unauthorized e-liquids.

  • Cambodia Cracks Down on Heating Products

    Cambodia Cracks Down on Heating Products

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Cambodia’s National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) has instructed all relevant ministries and institutions to take immediate action to stop the use and commercialization of heated-tobacco products (HTPs), reports The Phnom Penh Post.

    “All forms of trafficking, trading and importation of HTPs must be stopped, and information on import restrictions must be disseminated to all vendors and the public,” the NACD stated in a directive.

    Citing the World Health Organization, the NACD said the use of cigars, electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS) and HTPs can lead to serious lung disease and even death. The announcement further said that using these products is also a motivating factor for people to use other illegal drugs.

    Cambodia has restricted ENDS since February 2014, but its guidelines did not cover newer HTPs.

    Deputy National Police Chief Mak Chito said that in the past, the authorities had confiscated many of these products. He said that although some other countries consider the use of these products legal, Cambodia does not allow it.

    “In Cambodia, there are also bad people who are cheating by using methamphetamines or marijuana [with these devices],” he said.