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Tag: vape

  • New Study Sounds Alarm on Amount of Nicotine in Vapes

    New Study Sounds Alarm on Amount of Nicotine in Vapes

    A new study conducted by the CDC Foundation and Truth Initiative shows that between February 2020 and June 2024, while the number of e-cigarette units sold each month rose by 34.7%, the total monthly nicotine content sold increased by 249.2%. 

    “Measurements that take into account both e-liquid volume and nicotine concentration paint a more realistic picture of the size and strength of e-cigarettes being sold in stores today,” said Fatma Romeh M. Ali, PhD, health economist and consultant with the CDC Foundation. “Measuring e-cigarette sales in milligrams of nicotine, rather than just counting products, is critical to understanding the public health impact.”

    Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study says the increase is largely driven by disposable devices. The authors reason that because nicotine can be purchased cheaper, it is now more likely to end up with young users, and because there is more nicotine present, those users are likely to become addicted.

    “A disposable e-cigarette today contains significantly more nicotine than it did just a few years ago, posing greater addiction risks—especially for young users,” said Megan Diaz, PhD, research director at Truth Initiative. “These findings raise serious concerns about youth access and affordability because disposables are not only the most popular e-cigarette product among youth, but they’re also the cheapest way to obtain large amounts of nicotine and they come in appealing flavors.”

  • Malaysia Wants Vape Ban at State Level, Not Federal 

    Malaysia Wants Vape Ban at State Level, Not Federal 

    The Health Minister for Malaysia said even though the government is not working toward banning vape products on the federal level, it hopes the trend to ban them will continue at the state level as local officials stop issuing licenses to retailers selling vapes and e-cigarettes. 

    “We hope more will take the position of not issuing licenses to vape premises,” Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said. “Otherwise, any licenses issued must strictly comply with the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024.”

    On April 24, Terengganu announced it would ban vape products beginning August 1, and then three days later Kedah said it was considering doing the same. Previously, both Johor and Kelantan banned vapor products in 2016.

    When asked if a national ban was being considered, Dzulkefly said the federal government adopted a regulatory enforcement model following the passage of the Act.

    “We took a firm position to regulate tobacco-related products. That is the stance and position of the federal government,” he said. “At the same time, we support state governments that have the authority not to issue vape sales licenses. So let us work together.”

  • Cambodia PM: E-Cigarette Investment Not Welcome  

    Cambodia PM: E-Cigarette Investment Not Welcome  

    Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said the country does not welcome investment in e-cigarettes, even if the products are being solely exported. He said that today (May 5), speaking at the official launch of the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) 2025–2030.

     “If investors come for other types of investments, I welcome them,” he said. “But for e-cigarettes, Cambodia can say, ‘No need — please go elsewhere.’”

    He also issued a strong appeal to the public, particularly young people, urging them not to use e-cigarettes.

    “Please don’t think it’s cool to smoke or vape,” he said. “Instead, focus on your studies and strive to become someone recognized for your achievements.”

    Cambodia has banned the import, trade, and use of e-cigarettes, shishas, and heated tobacco products (HTPs) since 2014.

  • No Saint Latest Vape Offered in UK

    No Saint Latest Vape Offered in UK

    No Saint is a new vaping brand and technology platform launching in the UK today (May 1), offering what the company says is “a sophisticated, safer alternative that prioritizes quality, innovation, and responsibility.” Mladen Barbaric created the product and said he raised $50 million in funding from companies like Coca-Cola, Vitamin Water, and Patron, as well as health and wellness activist investors, such as HumanCo and Jason Karp.

    “Built with cutting-edge technology and premium ingredients, No Saint’s vaporizer can last up to two years and eliminates hazardous flavors and harmful chemicals found in many existing brands,” the company said in a press release. “This offers adults a safer, more refined vaping experience, with zero heavy metals and relentlessly tested formulations and emissions. The brand is also committed to transparency, publishing all its chemical analysis and emissions data that ensures the safest way to vape.”

    “We saw a big gap in the market for a responsible and premium vaping experience, so we set out to create a product that prioritizes quality, refinement, and safety,” said Barbaric. “No Saint offers a grown-up approach to vaping, delivering superior taste, cleaner emissions, and an overall more responsible alternative to traditional smoking, bringing some much-needed taste to the game.”

    The No Saint will be available to purchase at nosaint.co, two company stores in London, and at 500 independent retailers across London and the South East.

  • Thailand to Pay Informants 

    Thailand to Pay Informants 

    The Thai government has introduced a controversial but potentially effective policy targeting e-cigarette users and sellers. Under this scheme, anyone reporting illegal vaping activities via the Thang Rath mobile app is eligible to receive 60% of the fines collected.

    Informants could earn as much as B3,000 ($90) from a single successful report, a compelling incentive to help enforce this law.

  • Taiwan Checks ID Checkers 

    Taiwan Checks ID Checkers 

    An undercover survey in Taiwan showed that 26.9% of tobacco retailers did not check ID cards for buyers in school uniforms, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said. From May to November last year, the Consumers’ Foundation conducted its annual inspection by sending 20-year-old volunteers in high-school uniforms to buy cigarettes at 854 retailers across the nation.

    Officials said that 38.6% of betel nut vendors, 26.9% of general stores, 23.4% of franchised supermarkets and hypermarkets, and 21.5% of franchised convenience stores failed to check buyer ID. From 2023, noncompliance decreased 4.6% for betel nut vendors, 5.7% for general stores, and 1.4% for franchised convenience stores, but increased 4.3% for supermarket and hypermarket franchises, they said.

    The nation’s retailers were insufficiently vigilant in ensuring that clerks know and follow the law, foundation secretary-general Chen Ya-ping said. Although the noncompliance figures were down, 15% of the clerks interviewed reported not knowing that the smoking age had been raised to 20 years. High turnover in venues and inadequate employee training appeared to be the main cause of the failure to check IDs, she added.

    Last year, retailers were fined a combined NT$1.15 million ($34,846) for 134 tobacco buyer ID citations, HPA Deputy Director-General Chia Shu-li said.

  • Still 10-20 Years From Knowing Vape’s Long-Term Health Effects

    Still 10-20 Years From Knowing Vape’s Long-Term Health Effects

    New Zealand researchers are working to find out the long-term health effects of vaping on the nation’s youth, who are nearly three times more likely to vape than teenagers in Australia, Canada, and the United States. And while preliminary research is causing concerns, they admit that concrete conclusions are still years away.

    Kelly Burrows, a researcher at Auckland University’s Bio Engineering Institute, began looking into the matter in 2019 when data suggested that cigarette use was declining but vape use was increasing drastically.

    “You know it took sort of 50 years to find out what the link between smoking and health effects really were,” she said. “I would say because vaping has not been around that long, comparatively, it’ll be at least another 10 years or 20 years before we see the long-term health effects.”

    During the past six years, the associate professor led multiple studies on the topic, focusing on the lungs and respiratory system.

    “Every time you vape, some of that will stay inside your lungs, so the e-liquids that are in vapes are sort of quite an oily substance,” Burrows said. “There’ll be a lining of this oil that will stay inside your lungs and actually one of the things that is designed to get rid of that is the process of inflammation. It’s when you have this inflammation occurring many times a day over many years, which is what leads to disease and tissue breakdown.”

    Burrows worked with engineering students to create a vaping robot, which collected vapor and froze it to be tested for chemicals and contaminants. That method found at least 30 different flavoring chemicals in each e-liquid, and Burrows said no one knows what the health and safety of those flavoring chemicals is. They also found some heavy metals in the aerosol—the substance that is inhaled and exhaled from a vaping device.

    “So normally the heating coil is made from a mixture of different metals and when that gets to really high temperatures, some of that comes off into the aerosol.”

    Another study from Burrows grew lung cells in a lab and exposed them to e-cigarette vapor, where some cells died and others broke apart or became more permeable, meaning chemicals could be more easily absorbed into the bloodstream.

  • Arizona Retailers Claim They Were Duped by Altria Rep

    Arizona Retailers Claim They Were Duped by Altria Rep

    Several Arizona e-cigarette retailers claim they were duped into signing a petition to ban flavored vapes in the state by a representative of Altria. Casey Chanda, the manager of a liquor store, told The Arizona Republic that a representative for the tobacco giant showed up at his shop offering a list of flavored vapes that would be banned under a bill being proposed in the state Legislature. Chanda said he was told he had to sign something to receive the list.

    The next day, Chanda said he saw his store was officially registered on the Legislature’s website as being in support of a bill that would allow only the 34 vape devices currently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be sold. Those 34 products are all made by either Altria, R.J. Reynolds, or Japan Tobacco International, The Arizona Republic reported.

    Chanda said he “flipped out” and called his Marlboro rep.

    “I said, ‘Why the f— would I want to stop selling the vapes?’” he said. “‘Do you know how much money I make?’”

    The store is one of nearly 40 liquor and convenience stores that signed “for” Senate Bill 1603 on the Legislature’s “Request to Speak” system, which allows people to add their names and affiliations to support or oppose a bill. The system helps lawmakers decide how to vote on bills.

    Including Chanda, four of five store owners or managers of liquor and convenience stores contacted by The Arizona Republic said they did not intentionally sign up to support the bill.

    Mike Takrouri, owner of Party Stop Market said his Altria rep said the bill would stop the sale of menthol cigarettes. “Then I found it was not about the menthol cigarettes, it was about the vapes,” he said. “I feel like they were not honest from the beginning.” He said he asked the rep to take his name off the Legislature’s site because he’s not in support of the bill, but as of April 7, it was still there.

    Phil Butler, general manager of Chandler Oil One said that during a recent meeting with his Altria rep about the bill, “the way they presented it to me was not right.”

    “I don’t support it,” he said. “When I signed up for it, I wasn’t given all the information on it.

    “It’s Big Tobacco trying to use the legal system to go after these smaller companies, because they’re taking their profits,” he said, adding that his store profits about $2,500 per month on the flavored vape devices, which outsell “Big Tobacco’s” vape products and have a better margin.

    The Arizona Republic said Altria did not respond to requests for comment from the newspaper about these incidents.

  • REJO Expanding its HNB to Europe

    REJO Expanding its HNB to Europe

    REJO, a global provider in heat-not-burn solutions, presented a new product, logo, and slogan as it announced its expansion into the European market.

    The company introduced new varieties of its TOZE herbal sticks, inspired by East Asia’s rich tradition of tea-based cigarettes, that combine natural tea fibers, nicotine, and precisely balanced flavors. The sticks are meant to pair with the REJO HS40 heating device.

    “Early market feedback from France, particularly among traditional tobacco retailers, has underscored the growing demand for TOZE products,” the company said in a statement. “Praised for their consistent aroma and reduced smoke odor, TOZE herbal sticks are well-positioned to meet the rising market demand for flavored alternatives.

    “As REJO continues its global expansion, the company remains committed to its mission of redefining the smoking experience through innovation, reliability, and sustainability. With a strong foundation in place and ambitious plans for growth in Europe and beyond, REJO is committed to delivering reliable alternatives that empower consumers to make informed choices about their smoking experience.”

    Headquartered in China, the company says it currently has products available in nearly 10,000 retail outlets across Russia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The company said it will begin its European expansion initially focusing on the Czech Republic and Switzerland. REJO has already secured key EU regulatory approvals, including: Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) registration, Poison Centre Notification (PCN) compliance, and Track-and-Trace registration.

    The company’s new slogan is, “Take a Break. Take REJO.” Its brand redesign features an extended “O” with a petal-like shape and vibrant color palette that, according to the company, “center around a warm, inviting shade of green-symbolizing comfort, relaxation, and a natural connection to the essence of the product.”

  • Thailand Police Bust $58K Per Day Vape Ring

    Thailand Police Bust $58K Per Day Vape Ring

    Police in Thailand arrested three Chinese suspects, two men and a woman, in a sting operation in Pattaya and seized vape pens and zombie-vape liquid from the suspects, who allegedly admitted to sales worth 2 million baht ($58,000) a day. They were charged with the illegal sale of e-cigarettes and vaping liquid and with selling contraband goods.

    Police Major General Patanasak Bupphasawan said the suspects admitted daily sales of about 1,000 e-cigarettes to tourists and young people. The arresting team also seized about 100 grams of powdered etomidate anesthetic, e-cigarettes, and equipment for mixing the anesthetic and e-liquid to make zombie-vape fluid. The seized products were worth about 513,590 baht ($15,000).