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Tag: vape

  • Retail Groups Urge Processors to Revise Vape Enforcement Policies

    Retail Groups Urge Processors to Revise Vape Enforcement Policies

    The National Association of Convenience Stores and several retail and tobacco trade associations urged Global Payments and Mastercard to revise policies that penalize retailers for selling certain electronic nicotine delivery system products, according to CSP. In letters to the companies, the groups argued the payment processors’ enforcement standards do not reflect the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s updated enforcement priorities, which allow enforcement discretion for certain products with pending premarket tobacco product applications.

    The letters, also signed by the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, Energy Marketers of America, and the Convenience Distribution Association, expressed support for removing illicit vaping products from the market but said responsible retailers should not face penalties that exceed current FDA policy. The request follows updated FDA guidance issued in May and comes after a coalition of state attorneys general urged major payment networks to take action against merchants selling unauthorized vaping products.

  • Health Advocates Renew Call to Ban Vapes in Malaysia

    Health Advocates Renew Call to Ban Vapes in Malaysia

    Public health and anti-smoking advocates in Malaysia are renewing calls for a nationwide ban on vaping products amid growing concerns over the use of drug-laced vapes. Consumer advocates and mental health experts argue that e-cigarettes are increasingly being used to consume synthetic drugs such as ketamine and etomidate, citing government data showing that 73% of drug abuse cases in the country involve synthetic drugs.

    The renewed push follows similar concerns across Southeast Asia, with Indonesia also considering stricter restrictions on e-cigarettes.

  • VB Distribution Expands Ahead of UK’s Vape Duty Change

    VB Distribution Expands Ahead of UK’s Vape Duty Change

    VB Distribution announced the opening of a new 100,000-square-foot business park in Lancashire, England, expanding its national warehousing network to 500,000 square feet and strengthening its customs bonded storage capacity ahead of the U.K.’s Vaping Products Duty, which takes effect on Oct. 1. The company said the HMRC-approved bonded warehouse will allow duty-suspended storage, helping retailers better manage inventory and cash flow as the new tax is implemented.

    Company CEO Natalia Gosciniak said the investment positions VB Distribution to provide compliant stock and supply continuity, alleviating cost pressures faced by smaller distributors without bonded infrastructure. VB Distribution, which supplies more than 50,000 retail shelf placements across the U.K. and reports an annual turnover of £500 million, said the facility is fully operational and could create up to 1,000 jobs as part of its broader expansion strategy.

  • FTC Warns Seven Vape Companies Making ‘Made in USA’ Claims

    FTC Warns Seven Vape Companies Making ‘Made in USA’ Claims

    The Federal Trade Commission issued warning letters to seven companies over potentially misleading U.S.-origin claims, including e-cigarette retailer My Vape Order Inc. The agency said the companies appear to have marketed certain products as “Made in the USA” or “Made in Texas” despite indications they were imported in whole or in significant part, warning that such claims must comply with the FTC’s Made in USA Labeling Rule.

    The FTC did not announce formal enforcement actions or penalties but cautioned that companies making unqualified U.S.-origin claims could face investigation if they fail to bring their marketing into compliance. Under FTC rules, products advertised as “Made in the USA” must be “all or virtually all” manufactured domestically. FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Christopher Mufarrige said the agency will hold companies accountable for misleading origin claims that undermine consumer trust and disadvantage manufacturers that legitimately produce goods in the United States.

    The other companies receiving warning letters were A&F Drum Company LLC, Helmel Engineering Products Inc., Lucky Bar Holdings LLC, NebTech Inc., Vtron Inc., and Z-Tech Advanced Technologies Inc.

  • UKVIA Forum Targets Vaping Policy Challenges

    UKVIA Forum Targets Vaping Policy Challenges

    The UK Vaping Industry Association will unveil new research on the expected impact of the UK’s Vaping Products Duty at its July 13 forum, including findings on consumer behavior, smoking cessation, illicit trade, and stop-smoking services. The association will also release results from a survey of more than 3,500 consumers highlighting the importance of flavors, along with Freedom of Information data on flavor use in local stop-smoking services. UKVIA said the findings are intended to inform debate on upcoming vaping regulations, retailer licensing, and enforcement against illicit sales as the UK prepares to implement the Vaping Products Duty in October.

  • Cyclone Publishes Nicotine-Free Vape, Pouch Data

    Cyclone Publishes Nicotine-Free Vape, Pouch Data

    Cyclone Pods published complete third-party laboratory test results for its nicotine-free vape and botanical pouch product lines, including the testing laboratories, analytical methods, and individual sample findings rather than summary data. The company said its Gust Pro and Lightning vape products were tested by ISO 17025-accredited Legend Technical Services using LC-MS/MS, with nicotine, diacetyl, and vitamin E acetate reported as not detected in 15 of 16 samples at the stated detection threshold. The company also disclosed the one sample in which a trace amount of nicotine was detected.

    Its Focus Pouches were tested by A2LA-accredited Certified Laboratories using ICP-MS and HPLC methods, with all pesticides and residual solvents reported as not detected, heavy metals measured at trace levels, and caffeine testing at 113% of the labeled amount. Cyclone Pods said the publication of complete laboratory reports, including methodologies and sample-by-sample results, is intended to provide greater transparency for retailers and consumers regarding its nicotine-free product portfolio.

  • Scientific Review Concludes Vaping ‘Likely’ Causes Cancer

    Scientific Review Concludes Vaping ‘Likely’ Causes Cancer

    A peer-reviewed report published in Carcinogenesis this week concluded that nicotine-based e-cigarettes are “likely” to cause lung and oral cancers, based on a synthesis of more than 100 studies covering animal experiments, chemical analyses, and human biomarker research. It said it has “reached the most unambiguous conclusion to date about the cancer risk posed by e-cigarettes: nicotine-based vapes are likely to cause cancers of the lung and oral cavity.”

    The paper was led by Adjunct Professor Bernard Stewart AM of University of New South Wales, with co-authors from several Australian institutions including the University of Queensland and University of Sydney. Rather than presenting new experimental data, the authors reinterpret existing literature to argue that converging biological and mechanistic evidence is already strong enough to support a causal cancer risk conclusion, even in the absence of long-term population mortality studies.

    However, the findings come from a synthesis paper, meaning conclusions depend heavily on which studies are included and how evidence is weighted, rather than new primary research.

  • Taiwan Estimates More Than 40,000 Teenagers Vape

    Taiwan Estimates More Than 40,000 Teenagers Vape

    Taiwan health authorities estimate that more than 40,000 teenagers nationwide use vaping products, prompting calls for stronger enforcement measures and potential amendments to existing tobacco control laws. According to the Health Promotion Administration (HPA), 3.7% of Taiwanese adolescents use e-cigarettes or vapes, including 2.1% of junior high school students and 5.1% of senior high school and vocational school students.

    Officials expressed particular concern over the growing use of vaping devices to consume illicit substances such as etomidate, an anesthetic linked to an increase in drug-impaired driving incidents. HPA Deputy Director-General Wei Hsi-lun said current legislation provides limited authority to regulate vape users and confiscate devices, leading the agency to consider legal changes that could strengthen enforcement powers and increase penalties for users and distributors.

  • Malaysian Police Want Vape Ban as Devices Used for Drugs

    Malaysian Police Want Vape Ban as Devices Used for Drugs

    Malaysia’s police leadership called for a nationwide ban on e-cigarettes and vaping products after authorities detected a new synthetic drug known as “Piu Piu” in vape liquids. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said criminal syndicates are increasingly using vape devices to distribute new psychoactive substances, raising concerns about youth uptake and drug abuse. He urged the government and the Health Ministry to consider stronger action, arguing that vaping has become increasingly popular among teenagers and is being exploited as a delivery system for illicit drugs. Police said the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department will continue monitoring vape retailers and conducting inspections to curb the spread of drug-laced products, while maintaining strict enforcement against any officers found colluding with drug trafficking networks.

  • CVA Touts Vaping as Path to Canada’s Smoke-Free Future

    CVA Touts Vaping as Path to Canada’s Smoke-Free Future

    Ahead of World Vape Day 2026 on May 30 and World No Tobacco Day on May 31, the Canadian Vaping Association said that declining youth vaping rates in Canada show that current regulations are working, while warning against proposed federal flavor bans. Citing data from Canada’s Third Legislative Review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, the group noted past-30-day vaping among youth ages 12 to 17 fell from 13.2% in 2019 to 5.8% in 2024, a decline of nearly 60%.

    Association President Sam Tam said policymakers should rely on current evidence rather than “outdated statistics” when considering additional restrictions. The group also pointed to newly published studies supporting vaping as a smoking cessation tool for adults and argued that broad flavor prohibitions could undermine Canada’s goal of reducing smoking rates below 5% by 2035 while fueling illicit markets.