vaping - Tobacco Reporter

Portugal Mulls New Rules for Tobacco

New legislation aims to restrict the use and sale of all tobacco products in Portugal, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.

A new bill would ban smoking in outdoor spaces next to public buildings such as schools, colleges and hospitals. It will also tighten control over the sale and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the country.

The aim is that by 2025 tobacco products will only be available for purchase in tobacconists, petrol stations and airports, reports EuroNews.

If enacted, it will no longer be possible to sell tobacco directly or through vending machines in places such as restaurants, bars, concert halls and venues, casinos, fairs and exhibitions. The products will also be prohibited at music festivals.

Portugal is also complying with the European directive of June 29, 2022, which puts heated tobacco products on an equal footing with other tobacco products.

May 15, 2023

Zinwi to Hold Flavoring Event at UK Vapor Expo

Zinwi Biotech, a major Chinese e-liquid manufacturer, has announced it will bring its Good Flavor products to the UK Vaper Expo from May 12 – 14 in Birmingham. Attendees of the occasion will have the opportunity to witness firsthand Zinwi’s Good Flavor and will be able to customize their own flavors during the event.

“Zinwi’s products are known to be equivalent to three keywords in the industry: high return to flavor, high smoothness and high stability,” stated to a Zinwi spokesperson. “The primary reason behind the ‘high return to flavor’ characteristic is the stringent fragrance selection process.”

The “high return to flavor” concept is the requirement that each component of Zinwi’s e-liquids to have the highest levels of quality and purity. One of the most important components of an e-liquid is fragrance and the fragrance selection process begins in Quality Control where Zinwi analyzes a fragrance’s physical and chemical indicators and the legality of the components used, according to the spokesperson.

“It is then followed by our sensory evaluation team to evaluate the richness and purity level of the fragrances,” the spokesperson said. “The samples and the finished products will then be evaluated by Quality Control to ensure the highest level of quality of the e-liquid after the fragrances have been added to the products in the testing and manufacturing stage.”

Another reason Zinwi’s e-liquid has an enhanced flavor profile is the company’s Atomization Technology Research Center, which has self-developed nicotine salts and the sweeteners used in the e-liquids to ensure the highest quality of those components of the e-liquid formula, according to the spokesperson.

“Nicotine salt has been delicately developed taking into close consideration the stirring time, the temperature, and the amount of nicotine added in combination with other components such as benzoic acid. The diverse range of sweeteners are also developed to match different vaping devices, for example, different puff-range disposable devices and ceramic core vaping devices,” the spokesperson explained.

“Sweeteners can easily affect the flavor either to be ‘too sweet’ or ‘not enough sweet.’ Having a diverse range of sweeteners can avoid the “too sweet” or “not enough sweet” challenge and help the finished products to maintain the ‘high return to flavor’ characteristic.”

Additionally, Zinwi’s flavoring team are some of the most experienced in the industry. Apart from flavorist’s own flavoring experiences, Zinwi’s flavoring team together has created over 50, 000 formulas, and hundreds more are added every day on average.

“Zinwi’s good flavor products are not attributed by one single factor,” said the spokesperson. “It is the combined factors including the raw materials selection, the self-developed e-liquid components such as nicotine salts and sweeteners, the quality control procedures and the well-trained flavoring team that guarantee the good flavor.”

Established in 2016 and headquartered in the Guangming District of Shenzhen, China, Zinwi Biotech is a high-tech company that specializes in providing integrated e-liquid solutions including R&D, production and sales services to global e-cigarette manufacturers and brands. Due to its strong R&D capabilities, stringent quality control procedures and premium client network, Zinwi has become the world’s leading integrated e-liquid solutions provider.

May 8, 2023

As Smoking Declines, More Adults Switching

U.S. cigarette smoking dropped to another all-time low last year, with one in 9 adults saying they were current smokers, according to government survey data released April 27. Meanwhile, electronic cigarette use rose, to about one in 17 adults.

The preliminary findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are based on survey responses from more than 27,000 adults.

Last year, the percentage of adult smokers dropped to about 11 percent, down from about 12.5 percent in 2020 and 2021. The survey findings are sometimes revised after further analysis, and the CDC is expected to release final 2021 data soon.

E-cigarette use rose to nearly 6 percent last year, from about 4.5 percent the year before, according to survey data.

May 1, 2023

UKVIA Publishes ‘Greenprint’

The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has published a comprehensive “Greenprint for Sustainable Vaping” following an industry-wide consultation.

The development of a green action plan was developed with input from leading players in the waste industry, regulators, the retail sector, vape manufacturers and experts in consumer behavior. It comes as the industry has faced increased scrutiny regarding the environmental impact of vapes, particularly single-use products known as disposables.

“Whilst entry-level single-use devices are responsible for record numbers of adult smokers switching to vaping due [to] their ease of use and convenience, the industry realizes that much more must be done to safeguard against their impact on the environment,” said UKVIA CEO John Dunne. “The fact is that disposables have been around for a while but have become hugely popular in the last couple of years, particularly with those on low incomes who are amongst the most prevalent smokers.

“The Greenprint aims to mobilize environmental action to support a sustainable vaping sector in the future. It covers the development of recycling infrastructure, which is fit for the vaping industry, new vape innovations that make products more recyclable and reusable as well as the support that needs to be put in place to encourage greater retailer and consumer participation in the environmentally conscious disposal of vape products.”

April 27, 2023

WITCO Eyeing Vaping Market

The West Indian Tobacco Company (WITCO) is planning to introduce vaping products and is researching cannabis use, reports Trinidad Express.

“The research is clear, [vaping is] 95 percent safer than cigarettes, so the same risk profile does not exist,” said Raoul Glynn, WITCO’s managing director. “That is why you have Public Health in the United Kingdom giving vaping products to 1 million consumers in the U.K. We saw it in T&T for Carnival, where people felt more comfortable vaping than smoking cigarettes.”

“It’s not one or the other because we will continue to have cigarettes for consumers who want to smoke, but we also want to have the vaping products for those consumers as well,” Glynn said.

Glynn said WITCO is actively researching the effects cannabis can have on users. “It has very relaxing elements and then you have some elements that do not have a positive effect on people. So we have to be careful, and WITCO would not bring something to market that would put people at risk. The group has done extensive research and concluded one in the U.K. with consumers. We will take those learnings and see if it is ready to go to market, but at this stage, I think it is a bit far off,” he said.

April 27, 2023

Vietnam: Worry About Student Vaping

Vietnam’s health ministry is concerned about rising incidents relating to student vaping, according to VietnamPlus.

According to the ministry’s Department of Medical Service Administration, there have been many incidents of students requiring emergency medical attention due to nicotine poisoning and other chemicals present in e-cigarettes and heated cigarette products.

The department believes that e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes pose risks and contribute to drug abuse and other addictive behaviors, which adversely affect the health and lifestyle of adolescents.

The department urges more communication and awareness-raising efforts about the dangers of these products, suggesting that health departments advise the People’s Committees of provinces and cities to issue directives to regularly propagate the harmful effects of ordinary cigarettes, e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes and that regulations should be promptly enforced and inspection activities enhanced.

April 27, 2023

Chinese Helping Boost Russia’s Vape Market

The withdrawal of European and American tobacco manufacturers and the gradual reduction of foreign e-cigarette brands doing business in Russia due to its war with Ukraine has allowed for the growth of Chinese e-cigarettes in Russia.

As Russia’s tobacco industry relies heavily on the support and investment of foreign brands, the withdrawal of international tobacco companies will cause a large shortage in the Russian tobacco market, which will lead to a sharp increase in the price of tobacco products sold in Russia, according to iGeekPhone.

By the end of 2021, there were more than 5,000 stores selling e-cigarettes in Russia, including more than 1,100 in the Moscow region.

According to real estate platform DNA REALTY, the number of tobacco shops in Russia grew by at least 20 percent in 2022, with the bulk of their profits coming from e-cigarette sales.

BAT announced it will withdraw from the Russian and Belarusian tobacco markets in 2023. Philip Morris International (PMI) and its subsidiary Fimo International, are also considering retaining their business in Russia because Russia is the seventh-largest tobacco market for PMI.

Japan Tobacco suspended investments in Russia and Imperial Brands transferred its Russian operations to a successor in Russia.

“E-cigarettes have great potential as alternatives to the tobacco market in Russia, where e-cigarette consumers account for 6.8 percent of the total number of smokers,” the article states. “After the United States and Europe, Russia is the world’s third-largest importer of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).

“China accounts for 90 percent of the global market. In 2021, China’s exports to Russia reached 82.5 billion rubles. This year it could increase by 35 percent to 111 billion rubles.”

April 10, 2023

Georgia Bill Would Criminalize Vaping

A Georgia, USA, bill, Senate Bill 47, would criminalize the use of vapor products in public spaces, reports Filter.

If the bill is passed, it would ban vaping in all public spaces in which combustible cigarettes are banned under the Georgia 2005 Smoke Free Air Act. Those caught breaking the law would be fined between $100 and $500. The bill would also prosecute public vaping violations as misdemeanors—in Georgia, this means incarceration of up to a year and the inability to obtain certain jobs.

Under the legislation, the definition of smoking would be revised to “such term includes the use of an electronic smoking device which creates an aerosol or vapor or the use of any oral smoking device for the purpose of circumventing the prohibition of smoking.”

April 4, 2023

Nicotine E-Liquid Taken Off Poisons List

Malaysia’s government has removed e-liquid containing nicotine used in e-cigarettes and other vaping products from the country’s Poisons List of controlled substances. The move enables taxation on e-liquids.

Media reports claim the removal effectively legalizes e-cigarettes with nicotine without any regulations in place, as the current Control of Tobacco Products Regulations 2004 under the Food Act 1983 only cover conventional cigarettes and other tobacco products.

The Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 – which seeks to regulate both tobacco and vape products, besides a ban on these products for anyone born from 2007 – has yet to be tabled in the current 15th Parliament, reports Code Blue.

Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa gazetted an order Friday to exempt nicotine “preparation of a kind used for smoking through electronic cigarette and electric vaporizing device, in the form of liquid or gel” from the Poisons List under the Poisons Act 1952 – overriding the Poisons Board that unanimously rejected the proposal last Wednesday.

The Excise Duties (Amendment) Order 2023 – which subjects e-liquid or gel containing nicotine to excise duty of 40 sen ($0.004 cents) per milliliter – gazetted by Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the prime minister, was dated last March 29, the same day as the Poisons Board meeting.

The tax on e-liquids with nicotine went into effect on April 1.

CodeBlue reported that the Poisons Board, an independent body formed under the Poisons Act, wholly objected to the government’s proposal to exclude nicotine-containing e-liquid from the Poisons List on the basis that the harm of allowing e-cigarettes to be sold to anyone, including children, outweighed the benefit of tax revenue from such products containing nicotine, a highly addictive substance.

April 2, 2023

Qnovia Adds Zeller to Advisory Board

Mitch Zeller, the former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Product, has joined the advisory board of a company developing a first-of-its-kind smoking cessation inhalation product.

Zeller said Qnovia’s nicotine inhalation product, RespiRX, has the potential to be a “game changer” in lowering the use of combustible cigarettes.

The former director of the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) from March 2013 until his retirement in April 2022, Zeller is now providing policy and regulatory strategy consulting to Qnovia, Inc.

The company is currently preparing an application to the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) for a cessation therapy which, if approved, will be the first inhaled prescription therapy to help tobacco smokers quit.

Zeller’s addition to the company’s advisory board comes as the FDA aims to finalize proposed bans on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars by August. The FDA also plans to propose a rule limiting nicotine levels in cigarettes and some other tobacco products.

Zeller said access to Qnovia’s product can be one essential tool along with an administration-wide effort to provide support to those with nicotine addictions once those product standards take effect.

“Some people will be able to quit cold turkey, but a whole bunch won’t, and they will be seeking nicotine elsewhere,” Zeller said in an interview, told Bloomberg Law.

“The last thing that we want smokers to do if any of those policies go into effect is to simply switch to another tobacco product,” he added.

Qnovia’s goal is for RespiRx to be the first inhaled prescription smoking cessation therapy product, according to Qnovia CEO Brian Quigley. Instead of using heat to create vapor, the RespiRx device uses an orientation-agnostic vibrating mesh nebulizer. The aerosolizing engine is nothing like a traditional e-cigarette that heats a coil to atomize nicotine based in PG and/or VG.

RespiRx is activated when a user inhales on the device. To aerosolize the nicotine, it sends an electrical current that causes the perforated piezo mesh to vibrate more than 100,000 times a second. “It’s that vibrating action of the mesh that then forces the liquid to the holes, creating an aerosol that appears vapor-like, allowing it to be inhaled,” says Quigley. That, he says, is fundamentally different from a traditional e-cigarette product, where the heating process can create undesired thermal byproducts.

RespiRx uses proprietary software to deliver a precise dose of nicotine. Every time it’s activated, the device fires for three seconds and delivers a targeted dose of the drug. The base is reusable and serves as the housing for the battery and software. The RespiRx nebulizer sits within the pod that houses the nicotine drug product.

“The nebulizing unit (cartridge) gets replaced by the patient every one to two days. That interface means that the patient doesn’t have to clean the nebulizer,” explains Quigley. “The biggest challenge with other vibrating mesh products is that they require cleaning if used over an extended period. We’re mitigating that through the design of the interface. There is no cleaning required. We do believe that this will result in RespiRx having a very long use life.”

Late last year, Qnovia raised $17 million to continue the development of its RespiRx nicotine replacement product.

In June of 2020, the company appointed Quigley, a 16-year veteran of Altria Group, as its Chief Operating Officer. At Altria, Quigley served as CEO of its smokeless tobacco business from 2012 to 2018, a $2.3 billion business with over 800 employees,

March 31, 2023

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