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Category: Science & Innovation

  • Social Media Leads Nicotine Pouch Discovery in UK, Haypp Finds

    Social Media Leads Nicotine Pouch Discovery in UK, Haypp Finds

    Social media is the leading source of new brand and product information for U.K. nicotine pouch consumers, with 66% of users discovering brands, products, and retailers through social platforms, according to research by online retailer Haypp. Search engines ranked second at 59%, followed by recommendations from friends and family at 44%. One-quarter of respondents said they discover new nicotine pouch brands through influencers.

    Haypp Head of External Affairs Marina Murphy said social media has become an important channel for product recommendations and discovery among pouch consumers. She noted that provisions of the U.K. Tobacco and Vapes Act addressing advertising are scheduled to take effect June 1, 2027, banning advertising of nicotine products, including paid online advertisements and sponsored social media posts. The research highlights the role of social media in nicotine pouch marketing and consumer information as the new restrictions approach.

  • Geek Bar Leads with Youth Vapers

    Geek Bar Leads with Youth Vapers

    About 1.44 million U.S. middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in early 2025, with 64.1% of youth vapers reporting use of Geek Bar, according to an Oct. 5 Public Health Alert published by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and NEJM Evidence. The analysis of the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that 5.2% of students currently vaped, while approximately 460,000 used nicotine pouches, 69.2% of whom reported using Zyn.

    Fruit was the most popular vape flavor, while mint led among pouch users. The report noted that Geek Bar’s share had increased sharply from 2024, when Elf Bar was the leading brand. The FDA has said Geek Bar products are not authorized for sale in the United States.

  • NCR Voyix Integrates TruAge Digital Age Verification

    NCR Voyix Integrates TruAge Digital Age Verification

    NCR Voyix and the National Association for Convenience Stores (NACS) announced an integration of TruAge’s digital age-verification solution with NCR Voyix point-of-sale technology for U.S. convenience and fuel retailers. The integration allows retailers to verify customers’ ages, identify fraudulent or expired IDs, and check purchase limits using physical or digital driver’s licenses. NCR Voyix said the solution is designed to strengthen compliance for age-restricted purchases without adding steps for store employees.

    The integration is available to NCR Voyix RPOS customers through Cullinan Group, while the company’s new Voyix POS for CFR solution includes native TruAge support. NACS said the addition of NCR Voyix brings TruAge access to technology platforms serving approximately 75% of the convenience retail market, while Cullinan said the certified integration is currently available to more than 20,000 NCR Voyix RPOS stores.

  • BAT Survey Highlights Potential Impact of UK Vape Rules on Retailers

    BAT Survey Highlights Potential Impact of UK Vape Rules on Retailers

    A survey commissioned by British American Tobacco suggests proposed UK rules on the packaging and display of vapes and nicotine pouches could affect small retailers by limiting product choice and visibility. The Censuswide survey of 2,000 former smokers found that 31% buy nicotine products from corner shops or local newsagents, while 79% said flavor choice is important when selecting products and 31% said seeing multiple options on display influenced their purchase.

    BAT said restrictions on flavors, standardized packaging, and product displays could make it harder for retailers to manage stock and could contribute to missed sales. The government consultation on the proposed rules closes Oct. 2.

  • Menthol Prolongs Nicotine Effects in Rats: Study

    Menthol Prolongs Nicotine Effects in Rats: Study

    New research published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience found that male rats exposed to menthol-containing e-cigarette aerosols experienced nicotine effects that were stronger and lasted longer than those observed in rats exposed to nicotine alone. Researchers from Daegu Haany University used 81 male rats to examine the effects of nicotine and menthol aerosols, measuring changes in body temperature, nicotine levels, and nicotine metabolism by-products after exposure.

    The study found that combining menthol and nicotine prolonged nicotine-induced reductions in body temperature, with differences remaining significant 120 minutes after exposure, and increased levels of certain nicotine by-products in the blood. The researchers said the findings indicate menthol may alter the intensity and duration of nicotine’s physiological and drug-cue effects rather than functioning solely as a flavor additive. The researchers plan to examine the underlying brain signaling mechanisms and whether the effects differ between male and female rats.

  • E-Cigarette Directories Did Not Reduce Flavored Sales: Study

    E-Cigarette Directories Did Not Reduce Flavored Sales: Study

    A CDC Foundation study published in JAMA Network Open found that e-cigarette directory laws in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisiana did not produce sustained reductions in flavored e-cigarette sales. Researchers analyzing retail scanner data from January 2021 through April 2025 found no significant changes in nicotine sales or product availability in Alabama or Oklahoma, while Louisiana saw an initial decline in both after its directory was published. Louisiana sales rebounded within eight months and eventually exceeded pre-directory levels, driven in part by menthol prefilled cartridges and flavored disposable products not listed in the state directory.

    By April 2025, products not listed on state directories accounted for more than half of per-capita e-cigarette nicotine sales in all three states, raising questions about whether directory laws, as currently implemented, can effectively restrict unauthorized products.

  • UK Survey Highlights Vape Waste and Recycling Confusion

    UK Survey Highlights Vape Waste and Recycling Confusion

    A survey of 1,001 UK adults commissioned by nicotine pouch company übbs found significant gaps in public understanding of vape waste and battery disposal. While 62% knew vapes contain batteries and 73% viewed vape waste as at least somewhat of a problem, 46% said they would dispose of a used vape in general waste or household recycling. Only 12% correctly estimated that more than 10 million vapes are discarded in the UK each week.

    The survey also found that 33% of respondents said a cash-back or deposit scheme would most encourage responsible disposal, followed by more recycling points in shops at 31%. The findings come as the UK continues to address vape waste following its June 2025 ban on single-use vapes.

  • VTA Poll Finds Support for Science-Based Vape Regulation Reform

    VTA Poll Finds Support for Science-Based Vape Regulation Reform

    A nationwide survey in the United States commissioned by the Vapor Technology Association (VTA) found broad bipartisan support for reforming the FDA’s regulatory framework for vaping products, with particularly strong backing among President Donald Trump’s voters. Conducted by pollster Kellyanne Conway among 1,204 registered voters, including an oversample of 200 Trump voters, the survey found 71% support replacing the current FDA PMTA framework with science-based standards and 77% favor allowing vapor products with pending FDA applications that do not target youth to remain on the market while a revised system is implemented.

    The poll also found 65% of respondents support FDA reforms that would allow flavored vaping products for adults while maintaining youth protections, and 67% said regulations should reflect adult consumer demand for flavored products. At the same time, respondents strongly supported youth access restrictions, with 86% supporting robust age verification for all vape purchases, 84% favoring tougher penalties for retailers who sell to minors, and 80% supporting bans on youth-oriented marketing and product designs.

    VTA said the findings demonstrate public support for a streamlined, science-based regulatory pathway that differentiates adult access from youth prevention and promotes U.S.-based manufacturing. The association argued the current FDA regulatory system should be replaced with clearer scientific benchmarks that allow adult smokers access to authorized alternatives while enabling smaller manufacturers to compete alongside larger tobacco companies.

  • Experts Recommend Physicians Use Vape to Help Smokers Quit

    Experts Recommend Physicians Use Vape to Help Smokers Quit

    Researchers from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Treatment Network published new recommendations in the JAMA encouraging healthcare providers to discuss nicotine e-cigarettes as a potential harm reduction option for adults who smoke and have been unable or unwilling to quit using FDA-approved cessation methods. The guidance, published July 30, emphasizes patient-centered, shared decision-making and is intended only for adults who smoke, not for youth or non-tobacco users. The authors stress that completely quitting combustible cigarettes remains the preferred outcome and that adults who switch to e-cigarettes should fully replace cigarette smoking rather than continue dual use.

    Among the authors is Patricia Cioe, professor and associate dean for research and scholarship at the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing, who was the only nurse scientist on the expert panel. Cioe said her perspective on tobacco harm reduction evolved through years of clinical practice and research, including interviews with adults who described repeated unsuccessful quit attempts despite strong motivation to stop smoking. She said those experiences underscored the need for clinicians to “meet patients where they are” by discussing all evidence-based options that may reduce the harms of continued cigarette smoking.

    The recommendations reflect growing discussion within the medical community around tobacco harm reduction while reaffirming that smoking cessation remains the optimal health goal. The authors say clinicians should individualize treatment conversations based on each patient’s circumstances, particularly for smokers who have not succeeded with conventional cessation therapies.

  • Marijuana Passes Cigarette Addiction in U.S.: Survey

    Marijuana Passes Cigarette Addiction in U.S.: Survey

    New data from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows marijuana use disorder is now the second-largest substance use disorder in the United States after alcohol use disorder. The survey found marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with 61.6 million people aged 12 and older reporting past-year use. According to the report, for the first time, daily marijuana use (21.4 million daily users) surpassed daily cigarette smoking (19.9 million).

    The survey also reported declines among adolescents and young adults in past-month tobacco, cigarette, nicotine vaping, and marijuana use, along with reductions in substance use disorders and suicide-related measures. Among 18- to 25-year-olds, past-month use of nicotine products, cigarettes, vaping products, alcohol, and marijuana all declined, while youth ages 12 to 17 also reported lower rates of tobacco use, nicotine vaping initiation, and marijuana use.