TobaccoReporter logo

Tag: vape

  • Company Launches Sensors that Detect Vaping

    Company Launches Sensors that Detect Vaping

    Today (March 25), Eagle Eye Networks launched Eagle Eye Sensors that detect and alert when someone is vaping. The sensor detects environmental shifts such as air quality and temperature changes, and water presence. The sensors combine with video surveillance to monitor a variety of environmental conditions and give customers real-time data and a comprehensive view of what’s happening in their buildings.

    The sensors themselves can monitor sensitive areas where security cameras are not allowed such as restrooms, locker rooms, health care facilities, etc.

    “With intelligent automation, real-time alerts and actions, Eagle Eye Sensors can prevent costly damage, save money, and help organizations run more efficiently,” said Dean Drako, CEO of Eagle Eye Networks. “Eagle Eye Sensors also help create healthy environments with clean air and well-functioning systems, which is essential to the well-being, productivity and success of students and workers.”

  • New Zealand Study Says Vape Not Helping End Smoking

    New Zealand Study Says Vape Not Helping End Smoking

    Health researchers in New Zealand examining the long-running Year 10s smoking study say the e-cigarette companies are wrong: vaping is not displacing smoking among young people. Researchers from the University of Auckland, Australia’s Cancer Council New South Wales and the University of Sydney’s Daffodil Center, looked at vaping and smoking trends among New Zealand adolescents.

    Published last Friday (March 21), the study analyzed 25 years of data, from 1999 to 2023, examining the potential impact of vaping on smoking trends among nearly 700,000 students aged 14 to 15 years old.

    Researchers expected to see a decline in smoking after vapes were introduced, but University of Auckland research fellow Dr. Lucy Hardie said that while youth smoking rates in New Zealand were declining steeply before vapes came on the scene in 2010, that progress has slowed.

     “What we found instead was that actually the rates of decline slowed, rather than speed up,” Hardie said. “For us, this means that potentially, young people are experimenting more, rather than less, with the advent of vaping.

     “That might be down to things like vaping being more socially acceptable, in this younger age group, and so it may not be such a leap to then start experimenting with cigarettes as well.”

    In 2023, approximately 12.6 percent of 14 to 15-year-old students in New Zealand had ever smoked, nearly double the 6.6 percent predicted in the pre-vaping era. Similarly, in 2023, around 3 percent of Year 10 students were smoking regularly, but this rate would have been just 1.8 percent had it followed its pre-vaping trend.

    The research contradicts an earlier and oft-quoted study from 2020 that suggested vaping might be displacing smoking among New Zealand youth. The new study uses the same data but drew on a much wider time period, Hardie said.

    The researchers found that vaping may have actually slowed New Zealand’s progress in preventing adolescent smoking. Meanwhile, the new research also shows the prevalence of daily vaping in New Zealand increased from 1.1 percent in 2015 to 10 percent in 2023.

  • $3.9M of Illegal Vapes Seized in Thailand 

    $3.9M of Illegal Vapes Seized in Thailand 

    The Metropolitan Police Bureau’s investigation team raided warehouses in Thailand’s Nonthaburi province yesterday (March 18) and seized more than 260,000 e-cigarettes with a street value of over 130 million baht. ($3.9 million). Investigators believe the vaping products had been smuggled in from China through the Laem Chabang port in Chonburi and distributed to more than 100 retail outlets nationwide.

    Dubbed “Operation Smoke Out,” police said they targeted six warehouses in the province that were linked to five individuals who were responsible for shipping and distributing the products. Two men were arrested, the police said, adding that the suspects were allegedly paid 20,000 baht ($600) each to look after one of the warehouses.

    “This is considered a major raid with high value,” Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said while visiting the scene. “The officers will expand the investigation to the masterminds and bring them to justice.”

  • Report: Dutch Flavor Ban is Working

    Report: Dutch Flavor Ban is Working

    According to its first evaluation, the Dutch health institute RIVM says The Netherlands’ ban on flavored e-cigarettes and vapes has been successful with one out of five vapers quitting.

    The RIVM surveyed more than 500 adolescents and young adults and more than 450 adults about their vaping. About 40% said that they have reduced their use of e-cigarettes due to the ban that took effect last year. About 22% said they stopped vaping altogether. According to the report, daily use of vapes decreased from 29 to 18%, weekly use dropped from 30 to 14%, and monthly use from 42 to 16%.

    Most consumers, according to the RIVM, who stopped vaping did not look for substitutes, such as buying flavors via the illegal market or switching to more harmful products. Those who did opt for illegal flavors mainly sourced them from physical stores in Germany.

  • Last-Second Petition Filed to Stop Flavor Ban in Denver

    Last-Second Petition Filed to Stop Flavor Ban in Denver

    One day before a flavored tobacco ban is set to go into effect in Denver, vape and tobacco store owners have filed a petition with more than 17,000 signatures asking to delay the ban so voters can decide on it in November’s election. Less than 9,500 signatures are required to get a question on the ballot.

    “It asks if the ban should be upheld and we are saying no, it should not be,” Phil Guerin, Owner of Myxed Up Creations and president of the Smoke-Free Alliance Colorado said about the potential ballot question. “Let’s let the voters decide. I feel like city council has made a lot of bad decisions when it comes to the economy and just the future of our city. We’re here to stand up for our city and stand up for what we believe in.”

    Vape store owners and manufacturers argued that city council members rushed the ban on flavored tobacco purchases as last year ended, and that the city will miss out on $13 million in annual revenue if the ban is upheld.

    According to KDVR’s Gabrielle Franklin, those against the ban would face major opposition, though, as “the City Council’s near-unanimous decision and signature into law by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to end the sale of flavored tobacco reflect the will of our community, with over 100 organizations endorsing the measure and nearly two-thirds of Denver voters indicating their support.”

  • Study: E-Cigs Have No Significant Impact on Lung Function

    Study: E-Cigs Have No Significant Impact on Lung Function

    A newly published critical umbrella review in Tobacco Use Insights found that there were no statistically significant changes in respiratory function for e-cigarette (EC) users. Conducted by researchers from the Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), the study highlights the absence of significant short- or medium-term respiratory changes associated with e-cigarette use, regardless of usage patterns.

    Led by Giusy Rita Maria La Rosa, Riccardo Polosa, and Renée O’Leary, the review analyzed 12 systematic reviews on e-cigarette effects, categorizing users into three groups: dual users (who smoke and vape), exclusive users (former smokers who switched to vaping), and naïve users (those who have never smoked but use e-cigarettes).

    “Studies on the latest products on the market have shown reductions in chemical emissions,” said O’Leary. “Across all user categories, there were no statistically significant changes in respiratory function. The five systematic reviews in our analysis concluded that there is no definitive evidence of harm or benefit regardless of the pattern of EC use”

    “Current data do not show significant respiratory variations associated with e-cigarette use in the short or medium term,” La Rosa added. “However, due to the lack of adequate longitudinal studies, no definitive conclusions can be drawn.”

    The researchers said their results, which vary from many others around the industry, can be explained by considering several important factors: acute studies provide data on short-term exposure to e-cigarettes and cannot be used to assess long-term effects; studies do not always account for participants’ smoking history; and individuals with low-frequency e-cigarette use are often grouped together with those who use e-cigarettes more frequently.

    Regarding the quality of the included studies, only five out of 12 reviews were rated as having high or moderate confidence in their findings. Reporting issues were common.

     “The study highlights the importance of distinguishing between different vaping behaviors in future research, as well as addressing methodological weaknesses and biases observed in many previous studies on the topic,” Polosa said. “But it allows us to state once again that vaping cannot be associated to significant changes in respiratory function.”

  • Study: Students Vaping in South Africa 

    Study: Students Vaping in South Africa 

    Researchers from the University of Cape Town found that 16.8% of high school students in South Africa used e-cigarettes. The study focused on schools in major cities and included 25,000 students from 52 schools in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces. 

    Students who vaped were asked further questions about the habit, with researchers estimating 61% of the teen vapers could be seriously addicted to nicotine. They also found that household income was not a factor in the use of vape products. When asked why they began vaping, more than half cited social influences and the desire to fit in.

    Published in The Conversation, the study also found that 5% on the students used cannabis and 2% smoked cigarettes.

  • Report: Massachusetts’ Restrictions Created Huge Illicit Market

    Report: Massachusetts’ Restrictions Created Huge Illicit Market

    A new report says that Massachusetts, one of the states at the forefront of fighting tobacco and nicotine with taxes and regulations, saw a 21,000% increase in illegal vape seizures last year. The Massachusetts Multi-Agency Illegal Tobacco Task Force (which is under the umbrella of the state’s Department of Revenue) said state police vape seizures jumped from 1,326 units to 279,432.

    The report also found there is a thriving market for untaxed menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars, and other banned products, all presumedly powered by state policies like high taxes and strict prohibition.

    “It just shows that, in the state’s own report, black market sales will rise or thrive because of this,” V.J. Mayor, the CEO of the Northeast Wholesalers Association told Inside Sources. “And it doesn’t achieve the public health outcome that the state is looking for when it increases state excise taxes on cigarettes.

    “Massachusetts’ experience proves that overly restrictive policies do not eliminate the problem, they simply drive it underground. This fuels a thriving black market, undermines legitimate businesses, and ultimately shortchanges the state’s revenue.”

    The state’s restrictive policies date back to 2019’s “An Act Modernizing Tobacco Control” law, which banned the sale of flavored tobacco products, added new regulatory requirements, and placed a 75% excise tax on electronic nicotine systems. It also opened the door for local authorities to extend their own controls, with numerous towns adding more taxes, creating generational bans, and outlawing specific products.

    “These numbers are absolutely staggering and prove what [we] warned from the start—Massachusetts has created the perfect environment for illegal smuggling,” said Peter Brennan, executive director for the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association. “Our members are losing customers to the illicit market every day, and the state is bleeding tax revenue because criminals are filling the void created by excessive taxes and product bans.”

    Paul Craney, from the free-market Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance think tank, says Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of consumers who buy tobacco products without paying state taxes as people cross the border into New Hampshire to buy the products significantly cheaper, and then also end up doing more shopping for alcohol, groceries, and more. The Tax Foundation and Mackinac Center for Public Policy found that between 2007 and 2022, New Hampshire’s government received $955 million from Massachusetts smokers.

    “This report is also clear evidence of just how misguided additional prohibitions would be,” Brennan said. “Ideas like creating a so-called nicotine-free generation or limiting sales of nicotine products to adult-only stores will only make a bad situation worse—driving even more consumers to illegal sellers, costing even more tax revenue, and putting even more pressure on our small businesses.”

  • Study: Young Dutch Vapers Unaware of Nicotine

    Study: Young Dutch Vapers Unaware of Nicotine

    A study in the Netherlands found that nearly 40 percent of young people who vape monthly do not know if their e-cigarette contains nicotine, according to a report from the Trimbos Institute. The findings, which expand on 2023 data, highlight a significant gap in awareness about the potentially addictive substance.

    “Young people seem less aware of the nicotine in vapes. This is a serious issue because once addicted, it is very difficult to quit,” said Esther Croes, a tobacco expert at the Trimbos Institute. She added that nicotine use can disrupt brain development in the long term.

    The report surveyed Dutch youth between the ages of 12 and 25 who vape at least once a month. While many said they continue vaping because they enjoy it, nearly 40 percent admitted they did not know whether their device contained nicotine. Additionally, more than two-thirds of respondents said they do not feel addicted.

    According to NL Times, data shows that young people feel more addicted to traditional cigarettes than to vapes. Among those who vape monthly, only 28 percent reported feeling addicted, compared to 50 percent of cigarette smokers. Despite these figures, addiction experts warn that nicotine dependence may develop gradually, and that young people may underestimate the difficulty of quitting.

    According to the study, many respondents cited flavors as their main reason for starting. Social influence and curiosity were also key factors.

  • Vapers Bid to Block Iowa E-Cig Regulation

    Vapers Bid to Block Iowa E-Cig Regulation

    Yesterday (March 10), the state of Iowa urged a federal court to deny a motion from a group of vape interests seeking to block enforcement of a newly enacted law prohibiting the sale of e-cigarette products that lack federal authorization, according to Mike Curley for Law360.

    In December, a group called Alternatives to Smoking & Tobacco Inc. filed an injunction against the state of Iowa over HF 2677, which says products not authorized by the FDA are illegal and can’t be sold. The suit says the state violated the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause by usurping federal authority as only the FDA has the authority to govern what kinds of e-cigarettes are sold.

    The state argued that because the FDA has not authorized the plaintiffs’ products, those products are illegal and there is no judicial right to buy or sell an illegal product, “and while the FDA may be deferring enforcement, that does not create a binding effect or a legally cognizable right, the state argued, so the plaintiffs lack standing.”

    The state further argued that the plaintiffs haven’t shown they stand to suffer irreparable harm, as the sellers have not alleged they sell FDA-compliant vapes, and thus wouldn’t be able to sell them anyway, while the buyers have more options available than just these vape products if they wish to quit smoking, Curley wrote.

    In February, the parties filed a joint motion to drop the initial injunction as the plaintiffs later that week filed a new motion and supporting brief, arguing HF 2677 runs afoul of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and also violates the Equal Protection clause by treating some vape makers and sellers differently than others.

    In Monday’s brief, the state argued that no such preemption exists, as it has long been the state’s purview to police the sale of tobacco and tobacco-related powers, and the FDCA contains explicit carveouts allowing states to create stricter regulations for their sale and use.