House To Vote On Total Flavour Ban In the USA
The House of Representatives will be be voting next week, on a bill calling for the complete ban of flavoured e-cigarettes and tobacco.
The ban will apply to all shops and include online sales!
Sources say it will probably pass through the House, however as to if it will be even voted on in the Senate is uncertain.
Bill HR 2339 was jointly introduced by Democrat Frank Pallone from anti-vaping state New Jersey.
That Bill only narrowly passed the committee stage and the House is the next step.
The Bill was brought in as a response to Trump’s flavoured sealed pod ban, a move the Democrats felt didn’t go far enough to tackle the supposed ‘teen vape epidemic‘.
Palone said:
We must advance this legislation in order to prevent losing another generation to tobacco-related illnesses and premature death.
*sighs*
We shall of course keep you updated on this developing story.
UK Government MUST Warn Vapers Traveling To India
The New Nicotine Alliance has written to the UK Government urging them to advise travelers to India their vape gear could be confiscated at the airport.
I first wrote about this back in January, and now the NNA has got involved after it’s been reported 5 British visitors to the country have had their devices and juice taken from them.
India has banned the sale and import of all things vape – however possession for personal use is NOT illegal – so taking them from travelers is!
Fiona Hodge is a regular traveler to the country and told the NNA:
I had to leave £60 worth of my property behind despite possession of e-cigarettes not being an offense under the law.
UK tourists are being harassed at airports, which will surely be a threat to India’s tourism industry.
I certainly won’t be going back if the attitude towards vapers carries the hallmark of being designed specifically to maintain, and even increase, the number of smokers in India.
Chair of the NNA, Martin Cullip, agrees and says the advocacy group has written to the UK Foreign Office:
India welcomes 850,000 visitors from the UK each year and current statistics dictate that around 6 per cent of those will be vapers.
That is around 50,000 who could be affected simply for following advice to switch to e-cigarettes on the advice of public health authorities in this country.
It is not up to the UK to dictate how India chooses to treat e-cigarettes.
However, it is important that UK travelers are aware of the reception they might receive if they fly to India.
We have written to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office saying that it is imperative UK citizens are aware of situations such as this in order that they can make informed decisions about whether to travel to India.
Our letter asks the FCO to clarify the law with the Government of India and to update their advice to travelers accordingly.
As I said in my previous piece on this issue, India is one of my favourite places in the world – especially the ‘quieter’ parts of Goa – sadly it’s off my travel list for sure.
Martin says regular visitors to India should help boost the weight of this letter, by contacting the Foreign Office or if they live in India one of the High Commission Offices.
As an aside, I’ve had some good and bloody awful experiences with India’s airport staff, some of whom can be a right nightmare!
The old trick of trying to charge for excess baggage is a classic and the ‘fee’ can only be paid in cash lol.
Suffice it to say I was able to stand firm even when he followed me into the airport lounge – the universally understood phrase F..Off whilst sipping on a Kingfisher eventually worked in my case lol.
So…if you are challenged at the airport and your vape gear is about to be confiscated – carry the image above on your phone – er not the one of me – the one above that lol – it might just help.
Puff Bar Pulls Products In the USA
The rabid anti-vape crowd of America has caused the removal from sale of one of the country’s most popular disposable e-cigs.
I wrote a couple of weeks ago the crazies had turned their attention [venom] towards popular brand Puff Bar and was screaming from the mountain tops the tired war-cry “what about the children!”
Now, and after an intense media onslaught, brand owners Cool Clouds Distribution Inc has decided to pull all products and distribution.
They say they are not gone for good, but will wait until they have submitted a PMTA to the FDA.
Chief Operation Officer, Shahid Shaikh, said he was perplexed by the outrage aimed at the product:
What’s sketchy about this?
Cool Clouds is vehemently opposed to illegal use of the Puff Bar by minors, has not engaged in any marketing, and does not operate any e-commerce websites or social media.
Cool Clouds looks forward to reintroducing the Puffbar in the United States after taking necessary measures.
Surprise surprise Bloomberg Intelligence [lol] reckons the company’s PMTA won’t pass”muster”.
How I hope they’re proven wrong.
Canada’s Vape Legislation Challenged
Current and new vape laws in Canada could be unconstitutional says a new report.
Whilst current legislation is reasonably relaxed, there is and has been rumblings from anti-vaping bodies to tighten them with possible flavour bans.
However this has sparked the concern from the Canadian Constitution Foundation that says any new law would be detrimental and in particular to smokers looking to make the healthier switch.
Dr. Leonid Sirota, professor of law at the Auckland University of Technology Law School said:
While current and proposed legislation (especially at the federal level) sometimes distinguishes between vaping and smoking, it often fails to do so.
Vaping is, according to the best available scientific data, much less dangerous than smoking, because it does not involve combustion or the generation of smoke.
These regulations are meant to protect non-smokers from vaping as potentially dangerous in itself and, worse, a possible gateway to smoking.
However, it risks inflicting serious harm on current smokers, for whom vaping can be an important, and often the most effective, harm-reduction technique.
Wise words indeed.
New Zealand Vape Laws Latest
The new legislation will mean a ban on the advertising of e-cigs, age restriction to 18-years-old and flavours limited to sale only in vape shops or what they’re calling ‘specialist stores’.
Under the new law the NZ Government will also be able to monitor all vape products and if necessary recall or remove items from sale.
It’s certainly a considered set of legislation, and is three years in the making.
Sadly vapers will now NOT be allowed to vape in smoke free zones, and only 3 flavours will be made available for sale in gas stations and convenience stores – I’m guessing tobacco – mint and menthol maybe?
The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill will be discussed in parliament on Monday [tomorrow] and will then be passed to the Health Select Committee when the public can have input.
The Fight To Legalize Vaping In Thailand Continues
The Government of Thailand recently reviewed the current ban on vaping in the country and after deciding to keep it in place, pro vapers are now stepping up their campaign.
The Ministry of Commerce is now under fire from advocacy group End Cigarette Smoke Thailand.
It is preparing to take on the ban and says the Thai Government is refusing to accept the healthier benefits of vaping adding:
The panel did not listen to public opinion or the research from other countries that we submitted to them so their decision lacks of transparency, righteousness and the engagement of the people affected by the ban.
…The ban also causes e-cigarette smuggling, which leads to the loss of tax revenue.
There are other issues such as illegal online purchases among young adults and arrests of e-cigarettes users and tourists.
We believe that the government should properly regulate the products to protect children from having access to these products rather than having an absolute ban.
The next step is for the advocacy group to contact the Government asking for all the evidence it has on why e-cigarettes should be banned.
A spokesman said:
We are preparing to submit a request to the House of Representatives to seriously investigate this matter in order to save the lives of over 10 million Thai smokers who need to have better alternatives than to continue smoking.
Let’s hope someone listens and of course we’ll keep you informed of any outcomes.
JUUL Now Being Investigated By the Finance Feds!
The investment into vape company JUUL by Big Tobacco corporation Altria is apparently under investigation by the Feds.
The Securities and Exchange Commission – America’s financial watchdog – is looking at whether Altria investors were told of the risks when the company ploughed $12.8 billion into JUUL which equated to a 35% share grab.
Altria recently downgraded the original valuation of JUUL at $38 billion by over $4 billion, and two weeks ago I reported JUUL needed to borrow up to $700 million to keep marketing and distribution afloat.
It appears the slash in the company’s value is because of the sheer number of impending law suits against JUUL from across the USA.
The SEC investigation is yet more bad news for the beleaguered and some might say notorious vape company, that has already cut 650 jobs and saw sales falling by a reported 25% in the past year.
The Wall Street Journal, that broke the news, says both JUUL and Altria has responded to subpoenas, however none has commented to the media.
and finally…Is Vaping Better Than A Blow Job?
WAIT…what?
A round of applause to Vape and Juice who blew their marketing budget on this hilarious billboard!
It certainly made me spit out rather than swallow my coffee 😉
I know – I know…I get worse lol…
So…the burning vape question this week is…in your opinion is vaping better than a blowjob?
Answers in the comments below 😛
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More vape news on Wednesday!
