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Tag: vape

  • UK Awards Contract for Vaping Duty Stamps Program

    UK Awards Contract for Vaping Duty Stamps Program

    SICPA, a Swiss private technology company that specializes in digital sovereignty and secure public services, announced that it, along with partner Cartor Security Printers, received the contract from His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs to deliver a secure tax stamp and track-and-trace system for vape products in the UK.

    Selected following a multistage procurement process launched in July 2025, the consortium secured a five-year contract, with an option for a one-year extension, after a detailed technical and financial evaluation. The system will be introduced in phases, beginning with a transitional duty stamp in April, followed by an enhanced stamp integrated with a full track-and-trace solution from October.

    Cartor will produce the tax stamps with core physical security features, while SICPA will add advanced material and digital protections, manage coding and the T&T platform, and oversee stakeholder registration, stamp ordering and payments, and compliance monitoring across the vape supply chain. Digital market intelligence tools, enforcement audit devices, and consumer verification applications will further support the detection of fraud and counterfeit activity.

  • Imperial Introduces Creamy Tobacco Flavor for Blu

    Imperial Introduces Creamy Tobacco Flavor for Blu

    Imperial Brands officially launched its new Creamy Tobacco flavor, bringing the total number of options in the blu portfolio to 16. Priced at £5.99, the new variant will be available across the blu bar kit and pod pack ranges and is designed to offer a rich tobacco taste with a smooth, creamy finish. First announced in December, the company said the addition responds to continued demand for tobacco-flavored vape products and is intended to create further sales opportunities for UK retailers.

  • Study Warns Gen Z Getting Misinformation on Smoking, Vaping

    Study Warns Gen Z Getting Misinformation on Smoking, Vaping

    Declining smoking rates in the UK have been partly attributed to smokers switching to vaping, with daily smoking falling from 20.2% in 2011 to 9.1% in 2024, according to NHS data. However, growing misperceptions about the relative risks of vaping may be undermining that progress, particularly among younger adults. A long-term study by University College London found that the proportion of smokers who believed e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes dropped from 44% in 2014 to 27% in 2023, while a majority came to believe vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking. Separate research from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) reported that 56% of adults and 63% of young people now hold that view.

    Markus Lindblad, head of external affairs at Haypp, argues that sustained negative media coverage and online misinformation are contributing to confusion about relative risk, potentially discouraging smokers from switching to alternatives. He contends that for Gen Z—who may have had less exposure to traditional anti-smoking campaigns—frequent warnings about vaping, combined with less visible messaging about the harms of combustible tobacco, may distort perceptions. Public health bodies including the Royal College of Physicians have previously called for clearer communication to address false beliefs about nicotine alternatives, while continuing to support enforcement measures to curb youth uptake.

    “For Gen Z, who may not have had the same exposure to anti-smoking information as previous generations, they are encountering negative information about vapes far more frequently than negative information about cigarettes,” Lindblad said. “It is unsurprising, then, that their understanding of the relative risk between vapes and cigarettes is inaccurate.”

  • Riot Labs Launches Strawberry Orange Crush

    Riot Labs Launches Strawberry Orange Crush

    UK e-liquid manufacturer Riot Labs launched Strawberry Orange Crush, which it describes as the “best e-liquid flavor ever made.” The new blend is billed as a rich, candied strawberry and orange fusion with a fresh citrus snap and icy finish. Known for its bold flavors, Riot Labs says the release supports its broader mission to challenge the status quo in smoke cessation by offering adult smokers compelling alternatives.

    Sales Director Matt Crann said the flavor is designed to be “loud and unapologetic,” adding that innovation and standout taste are central to the brand’s identity. Strawberry Orange Crush is available online and in vape stores nationwide in 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg nicotine strengths, with prices starting at £3.99.

  • Vape Co. Seeks Stay in $1.6M Battery Blast Verdict

    Vape Co. Seeks Stay in $1.6M Battery Blast Verdict

    Midwest Goods Inc. is asking the North Carolina Supreme Court to pause payment of a $1.6 million judgment awarded to the estate of Weldon Moore, who suffered severe burns when a lithium-ion battery exploded in his pocket in 2019. In court filings, the wholesaler argued that lower courts wrongly denied its requests for a new trial or judgment notwithstanding the verdict, claiming Moore failed to prove the company directly sold the defective battery. The company also contends liability and damages should have been tried separately and that its “sealed-container defense” should apply because the batteries were sold in prepackaged boxes.

    According to court records, Moore purchased the battery from Darth Vapor, operated by Richmen Enterprises LLC, which Moore’s estate argued obtained the product from Midwest. A jury sided with the estate, awarding $1.6 million, which has risen to more than $1.7 million with interest. The estate has asked the court to deny the stay request, arguing Midwest’s appeal bond leaves a shortfall of more than $221,000 and requests the company post additional security to cover the gap and anticipated interest while the appeal proceeds.

  • IKE Tech Invited to FDA Roundtable on PMTA Submissions

    IKE Tech Invited to FDA Roundtable on PMTA Submissions

    IKE Tech LLC has been invited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to participate in an invitation-only roundtable discussion with small electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) manufacturers focused on Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) submissions. The news was announced by Ispire Technology, a founding partner of IKE Tech.

    The February 10 forum, limited to 30 companies nationwide, is designed to gather direct industry feedback on the PMTA process, with IKE Tech selected to participate in the Manufacturing Controls panel examining operational challenges and compliance practices. The company is developing a blockchain-enabled, Bluetooth-based age-gating system intended to verify legal-age access at the point of use, which has been submitted as a component PMTA for an interoperable age-verification technology. The FDA session is expected to inform future regulatory guidance and potential refinements to the PMTA review framework.

  • Secondhand Vape Plumes May Form Lung-Damaging Free Radicals: Study

    Secondhand Vape Plumes May Form Lung-Damaging Free Radicals: Study

    A laboratory study published in Environmental Science & Technology raised new questions about the potential risks of secondhand exposure to e-cigarette aerosols, finding that aged vape emissions may contain ultrafine particles, metals, and highly reactive compounds capable of generating free radicals linked to lung tissue damage. Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, led by Ying-Hsuan Lin, simulated indoor vaping conditions and found that aerosol particles contained metals including iron, aluminum, zinc, and trace levels of lead, arsenic, and tin. The study also reported that ultrafine particles, which can penetrate deep into the lungs, showed significantly higher concentrations of reactive peroxide compounds and produced substantially greater levels of free radicals when exposed to simulated lung fluid.

    The findings add to the growing body of research examining indoor air chemistry associated with vaping, particularly interactions between aerosol emissions and environmental ozone. While conducted under controlled laboratory conditions using simplified e-liquid formulations without nicotine, the researchers said the results highlight the need for further real-world and epidemiological studies to better understand potential health impacts of secondhand vape exposure.

  • VPZ Announces UK Expansion Plans

    VPZ Announces UK Expansion Plans

    UK vape specialist retailer VPZ announced a multi-million-pound investment program to expand domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply-chain controls, and create hundreds of jobs across its retail and logistics network, according to Convenience Store. The plan includes adding a fifth production line at its UK facility, opening 40 new stores in 2026, and establishing a bonded warehouse at its Edinburgh headquarters to support compliance, enforcement, and preparation for the planned vape tax in October. VPZ said the investment is aimed at improving resilience, supporting regulatory requirements, and distinguishing compliant retailers from illegal operators amid record seizures of illicit vapes by authorities.

  • Vietnam Tightens School Accountability in Vape Crackdown

    Vietnam Tightens School Accountability in Vape Crackdown

    Vietnam introduced fines of up to VND10 million ($380) for school principals if students are caught using e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products on campus, under Decree 371 issued by the Ministry of Health. The measure, the first to assign direct legal responsibility to school leaders, comes as youth vaping among ages 13–17 rose sharply from 2.6% in 2019 to 8.1% in 2023. Students face fines of VND3–5 million ($114 to $190), with all products confiscated and destroyed, while large-scale illegal production or trade may trigger criminal penalties of up to VND1 billion ($38,000) or five years in prison.

    The enforcement framework supports Vietnam’s nationwide ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products starting in 2025, with early data showing declines in vaping-related cases and hospitalizations, signaling increased regulatory pressure on alternative nicotine products.

  • German Tobacco Use Drops, as ‘Substitutes’ Rise 18%

    German Tobacco Use Drops, as ‘Substitutes’ Rise 18%

    Germany’s taxed cigarette volumes edged higher in 2025, even as long-term tobacco consumption continued to decline, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). A total of 66.4 billion cigarettes were taxed during the year, up 0.2% (0.1 billion cigarettes) from 2024, but less than half the 146.5 billion recorded in 1991. Per capita cigarette consumption stood at 795 cigarettes in 2025, compared with 1,831 in 1991. Sales of fine-cut tobacco fell 1.2% year on year to 24,864 tons, while cigars and cigarillos declined 6.6% to 2.1 billion units. Hookah tobacco sales dropped 8.8% to 1,162 tons, despite regulatory changes allowing larger pack sizes again, while pipe tobacco rose 2.9% to 323 tons. In contrast, taxed volumes of tobacco substitute products such as e-cigarette liquids increased sharply, rising 18.2% year on year to 1.5 million liters, reflecting continued growth in non-combustible alternatives under Germany’s evolving tobacco tax regime.