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Tag: vape

  • Philippines Requires Licenses for Vape Products With Health Claims

    Philippines Requires Licenses for Vape Products With Health Claims

    The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated that all establishments selling vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products (VNNPs) and novel tobacco products (NTPs) with medicinal or therapeutic claims must secure a License to Operate. Under Advisory 2025-1487, manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers are required to apply for licenses as pharmaceutical establishments.

    The FDA also said such products must be registered as pharmaceutical products through the Center for Drug Regulation and Research. The agency urged stakeholders to comply, citing the need to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of vape and novel tobacco products making health-related claims.

  • Vape Reps Appeal Mississippi Law to 5th Circ.

    Vape Reps Appeal Mississippi Law to 5th Circ.

    A coalition of businesses that sell vape products containing synthetic nicotine appealed a U.S. federal court’s refusal to block a Mississippi law restricting the sale of those products. The groups are taking the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi denied their request for a temporary injunction.

    The contested state law, House Bill 916, which took effect in July 2025, bans the sale of e-cigarette products containing synthetic nicotine in Mississippi. Enforcement, including penalties and product confiscations, began later in the year.

    The plaintiffs, including industry groups such as the Vapor Technology Association and several retailers, argue the law is preempted by federal authority under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, asserting that it effectively conditions sales on FDA marketing authorization—a domain they say belongs exclusively to the federal government.

    Mississippi’s Department of Revenue Commissioner Chris Graham is named as the defendant in the appeal.

  • Malaysia Banning Vapes in 2026

    Malaysia Banning Vapes in 2026

    Malaysia is moving toward a nationwide ban on vaping, with the Health Ministry aiming to finalize and implement the policy by the end of 2026, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad said. He said the Cabinet has already agreed in principle to ban vape products, stressing that the issue is no longer whether vaping will be banned, but when. The ministry is expected to bring the matter back to the Cabinet early next year to complete regulatory and legislative processes.

    Dzulkefly cited growing public health concerns, particularly cases of drug-induced psychosis linked to adulterated vape liquids and synthetic substances. He said such cases are being monitored by a special Health Ministry task group in collaboration with medical experts.

  • Tobacco Retailer Fined $13M Under Wisconsin’s New Vape Law

    Tobacco Retailer Fined $13M Under Wisconsin’s New Vape Law

    Wisconsin regulators imposed some of the largest penalties yet under the state’s new vape-sales restriction law, fining Exclusive Tobacco nearly $13 million and issuing a separate $450,000 penalty to Green Bay–based Dave’z Smoke N Vape. The Department of Revenue said Exclusive Tobacco’s Oshkosh location was found selling vape products not included on the state’s approved directory and operating with an expired municipal license. Inspectors seized 1,244 illegal vapes, and because the law carries a $1,000-per-device-per-day penalty, the fine totaled more than $12.4 million. A follow-up inspection triggered an additional $431,000 fine. Both cases are under appeal.

    The state has stepped up enforcement since the law took effect September 1, issuing 42 removal orders and conducting 27 product seizures, including actions against shops operating without valid licenses. Regulators say the directory system—allowing only 303 approved products—is intended to standardize the market and reduce youth access. Store owners counter that the rule has wiped out much of their inventory, with some retailers reporting severe losses, employee layoffs, and even store closures.

    A legal challenge is underway, with the industry group Wisconsinites for Alternatives to Smoking and Tobacco appealing a federal judge’s refusal to block the law. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals began hearing arguments this week, and a ruling is expected early next year. Shop owners argue the law unfairly benefits large tobacco companies, while state officials maintain it is a measured approach to regulating a rapidly expanding market.

  • Korean Smoking Rate Drops 1 Percentage Point

    Korean Smoking Rate Drops 1 Percentage Point

    The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results from its 2025 Community Health Survey, and found the smoking rate dropped one percentage point from last year to 17.9%, while the use of e-cigarettes rose 0.6% to 9.3%. The overall use of tobacco products dropped 0.5% from last year to 22.1%.

    In other health topics, overall drinking and high-risk drinking dropped 1.2% and 0.6% respectively, but the obesity rate went up 1% to 35.4%. Physical activity went down, while hypertension and diabetes increased.  

  • Dutch Researchers Alarmed that Teens Wake to Vape

    Dutch Researchers Alarmed that Teens Wake to Vape

    A new Dutch study reports unusually high levels of nicotine dependence among secondary school pupils, with more than one-third of teenage smokers saying they wake up at night because they need nicotine. The research, published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, surveyed 978 students across five schools and found that 396 had smoked or vaped in the past year and 183 used nicotine daily. Most began around age 13 and often progressed to cigarettes, which researchers said highlights the need for stronger limits on youth access.

    Doctors involved in the study said night-time vaping is a clear marker of addiction and warned that many parents remain unaware their children smoke. Addiction expert Reinout Wiers of the University of Amsterdam told de Volkskrant he was surprised by the extent of night-time use, calling it “alarming.”

    The findings coincide with a new government anti-vaping campaign, amid repeated warnings from lung specialists as severe vaping-related medical cases emerge in the Netherlands. Other research has found that some youth-favored vapes contain toxic metals, carcinogenic chemicals, and nicotine levels above legal limits.

  • Restricting Vapes Drives Smokers Back to Cigarettes: Opinion

    Restricting Vapes Drives Smokers Back to Cigarettes: Opinion

    A new commentary by Markus Lindblad, Head of External Affairs at Haypp Group, warns that parts of the UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill could backfire by driving some adults back to smoking. The bill, one of the world’s toughest anti-tobacco measures, includes a generational smoking ban for anyone born after 1 January 2009, new licensing rules, and tighter advertising limits. But Lindblad argues that proposed powers to restrict vape and nicotine-product flavors risk undermining the country’s smoke-free ambitions.

    “Flavors aren’t just a marketing tool; they are a behavioral and psychological aid that help smokers make the transition away from cigarettes,” Lindblad said. “When a smoker switches to vaping, the experience of flavor, combined with the absence of smoke and tar, creates a sense of progress and separation from the old habit. Removing that variety reduces satisfaction, increases relapse risk, and ultimately undermines harm-reduction goals.”

    Citing recent U.S. research, he says multiple large-scale studies show that state-level flavor bans reduce vaping but also lead to measurable increases in cigarette use. One JAMA study found that flavor restrictions were followed by higher smoking rates, while a 2024 analysis of 376,963 young adults reported a 3.6-point drop in daily vaping alongside a 2.2-point rise in daily smoking. Yale researchers similarly linked flavor bans to declining vape sales and rising cigarette sales across 44 states.

    Haypp’s own UK survey found that nearly one-third of vapers cite taste as a key advantage of vaping, and 28% say flavor is their top purchasing factor. When asked how they would respond to a flavor ban, almost a quarter said they would return to smoking — a result Lindblad says should concern public-health officials. He concludes that rather than banning flavors, policymakers should strengthen age checks, tighten marketing rules, and improve labeling — measures aimed at youth access without limiting options for adults trying to quit smoking.

  • CEO Breaks Down PMI’s Smoke-free Future for Investors

    CEO Breaks Down PMI’s Smoke-free Future for Investors

    Philip Morris International used its appearance at the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference yesterday (December 2) to reinforce that its smoke-free transition is a structural, irreversible shift, not a cyclical phase. CEO Jacek Olczak framed the dynamic succinctly, noting that smokers who switch to alternatives “very rarely” return to combustible cigarettes and that “smoke-free is essentially a one-way street.”

    Immediately before the event, PMI issued a brief communication to stabilize expectations, reaffirming the company’s guidance from Q3.

    Olczak said that PMI’s three-platform system—IQOS, ZYN, and vapor—is the most effective way to replace combustibles across all usage occasions. “Our objective is to equip the smoker with all three platforms. This is the best way to keep them away from smoking,” he said.

    ZYN remains PMI’s central U.S. growth engine. Following a one-time $100 million activation after supply shortages, “brand equity parameters of ZYN shot up by double-digits,” with the product capturing more than half of category growth despite maintaining a premium price.

    Internationally, IQOS is in its 11th consecutive year of expansion. Japan is nearing a 50/50 split between combustibles and smoke-free products, and prior category pauses were, Olczak said, “just a blip on the graph.” Upcoming Japanese tax equalization and European flavor bans are viewed as temporary disruptions rather than structural threats.

    PMI is also restructuring around a U.S./International dual-engine model, retiring its traditional regional setup. “We don’t really run the business by regions anymore,” Olczak said, positioning the company for future IQOS ILUMA authorization in the United States.

    Capital demands remain modest, with Olczak stressing that “adding extra capacity is only a few hundred million dollars — not a disturbing factor.” Overall, his message to investors was clear: the smoke-free shift is a one-way trajectory, and PMI believes it now has the platforms, structure, and regulatory environment to accelerate it.

  • Korea Labels Synthetic Nicotine as ‘Tobacco’

    Korea Labels Synthetic Nicotine as ‘Tobacco’

    South Korea’s National Assembly passed a major amendment to the Tobacco Business Act yesterday (December 2), closing a long-criticized loophole by classifying liquid e-cigarettes that use synthetic nicotine as “tobacco.” The tobacco law change was part of a broader package of 79 livelihood-related bills and 16 budget measures passed during the session.

    Officials say the move addresses a regulatory blind spot that allowed widespread use of synthetic nicotine—which they said accounts for 95% of the market— without taxation or consistent public health controls. Lawmakers expect the change to generate roughly 930.1 billion won ($632 million) in new tax revenue once implemented. The measure had stalled repeatedly since 2016 “due to industry opposition,” but this time cleared the plenary session with bipartisan support.

  • Charlie’s Holdings’ New Factory to Serve Texas Market

    Charlie’s Holdings’ New Factory to Serve Texas Market

    Yesterday (December 1), Charlie’s Holdings, Inc. announced the opening of its first U.S.-based manufacturing facility in Huntington Beach, California, which will exclusively produce the company’s own brands, including the Pachamama 25K line. The move ensures full compliance with Texas’ new law banning certain vape products imported from China and other restricted countries.

    “We originally expected our US-filling facility to mitigate Far East shipping delays and to lessen tariff costs, but Texas’ new domestic manufacturing requirements have also created a massive sales opportunity for Charlie’s,” Charlie’s president Henry Sicignano III, said. “Demand is so great, we now plan to devote 100% of our current U.S. manufacturing capacity to the state of Texas; if all goes well, and if we expand our U.S. manufacturing initiative in the coming months, we believe Texas could double Charlie’s sales forecasts for 2026.”

    This week, 300 retail accounts across Texas will begin receiving shipments of Charlie’s U.S.-filled disposables.

    “To my knowledge, Pachamama is the only vapor products brand that has been on the market for more than a decade and is now fully compliant with Texas domestic manufacturing requirements,” said Ryan Stump, Charlie’s co-founder and Chief Operating Officer.