Vaping News Headlines:
Feds Bust THC Sites – Fake JUUL Pods In the UK – Congress Raises Vape Age – Vape Ads Banned In Canada – WHO Ignores E-cigarettes AGAIN! – Champix Lawsuit and What’s Up With Those Moths That Vape!?!
Websites Selling Dangerous THC Cartridges Shut Down By the Feds
Operation Vapor Lock has closed down 44 websites all of which were selling potentially deadly THC cartridges.
A joint task force, including the Drug Enforcement Agency [DEA] and the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] took part in the action.
Acting DEA Administrator, Uttam Dhillon, said:
DEA will continue to work in lockstep with FDA and other federal, state, and local partners to use all our authorities to pursue anyone that violates our laws and puts Americans in harm’s way.
Meanwhile new FDA boss, Stephen M. Hahn, M.D, said:
We need to fully understand the causes of vaping related lung injuries.
Moreover, it is a federal crime to advertise the sale of illicit THC vaping cartridges online, and by seizing these websites today, we are able to focus on other online and in-person sources of illegal and potentially dangerous vaping products.
As more information comes to light in this complex and evolving investigation, we remain committed to taking further appropriate actions with our federal, state and local partners.
Good to see.
UK Court Clamps Down On Fake JUUL Pods
Following visits by ‘undercover’ JUUL operatives, a court order has banned 10 London shops from selling fake JUUL pods.
The stores, all on Oxford Street, were found to contain up to three times the legal limit of nicotine, and it’s still unclear just what else was in them.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see not only how irresponsible this is – but also how potentially dangerous it could be – the USA THC scare for instance.
The stock from the 10 businesses – most of which were souvenir stores and not vape shops, has now been seized.
JUUL has not commented on the matter but in the original court case had said as well as the fakes – not one of the stores had asked for any kind of age ID.
Age To Buy E-Cigarettes Raised By Congress
You’ll now need to be 21 and above to buy e-cigarettes and tobacco across the whole of the USA.
Congress voted in the new legislation late last week and it’s a law that President Trump had hinted at during the recent White House vape meet.
The new law has been on the cards since April this year when vehement anti-vaping politician, and Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell first brought the bill in.
At the time he’d linked to the apparent youth teen vape epidemic in America.
Whether this will go any way to placate the anti-vape brigade over the pond is anyone’s guess.
Canada Bans Vape Ads
Vaping ads in Canada will now only be seen inside vape shops and on specialist adult only websites.
The announcement came from the country’s Health Minister Patty Hajdu on Thursday last, and is in a bid to stem what she believes is a ‘vaping epidemic’ among the youth.
*Sighs* where have we heard that before!
Hajdu said:
The latest statistics—which show that vaping has doubled among high school students—are alarming.
The new measures announced today will help, but there is more to do.
The draft plans are currently being tightened and will come into force sometime early next year.
The minister also revealed all vape products will carry health warnings and there will be a nicotine cap – the exact strength is not yet known.
World Health Organization Ignores E-Cig Success…Again!
A new report from the World Health Organization says less men than ever before are using lit tobacco.
Completely ignoring the phenomenal rise in the number of smokers making the switch to e-cigarettes, the WHO says it’s more down to tough stances on tobacco adopted by Governments around the world.
As I’ve reported very many times, the WHO is vehemently opposed to all things vape – crazy with what we all know!
According to the study, the number of smokers across the globe has fallen from 1.397 billion in 2000 to 1.337 billion in 2018 – that’s 60 million less smokers on the planet.
If you take into consideration vaping has been around for a decade, it’s pretty obvious why the numbers are at an historic low.
But like I said, the WHO ignores that…
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said:
Declines in tobacco use amongst males mark a turning point in the fight against tobacco.
For many years now we had witnessed a steady rise in the number of males using deadly tobacco products.
But now, for the first time, we are seeing a decline in male use, driven by governments being tougher on the tobacco industry.
WHO will continue working closely with countries to maintain this downward trend.
Maybe working closely with the vaping industry and embracing e-cigarettes would see the numbers tumble even more rapidly – and with that of course many more lives could be saved…
Just a thought…
Pfizer Celebrates Champix Lawsuit Win
The patent on the controversial stop smoking drug Champix runs out in July next year and the Big Pharma company is celebrating after winning a legal battle.
I call Champix ‘controversial’ as among the very many side-effects is the little matter of reports of the drug inducing suicidal tendencies.
The court case surrounded 40 Korean pharmaceutical companies all of which had changed the base ingredient of the drug – claiming this in no way impacted on the patent.
However a sitting of the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board reversed its earlier decision in favour of Pfizer.
Pfizer’s Korea General Manager Oh Dong-wook was pleased:
The law should adequately protect the patent right of a drug.
We welcome the reasonable judgment of the patent court in line with the aim of extending the patent right period.
Read more: Big Pharma Funds Anti-Vape Groups
…and finally…Now It’s Vaping Moths!
If the men and women in white coats aren’t pumping vapour into and all over those poor little vaping mice wasn’t bad enough – now they’re doing it to moths!
Nope…I haven’t been on the Christmas sherry lol…
A new study with the catchy title: Electronic cigarette vapour increases virulence and inflammatory potential of respiratory pathogens and breathe – suggests that vaping damages the lungs and respiratory tract concluding:
…an urgent need for further robust clinical studies investigating and clarifying the long-term effect of e-cigarette use on both airway cells and respiratory pathogens to enable a better informed judgment to be made regarding their safety.
These anti-vape scientists really are like moths to the candle of the vape research gravy train to say the least…
And yes, and as you might guess, the findings have been shot down in flames…
Our old friend, Prof John Britton, Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies and Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, University of Nottingham, said:
This study suggests that people who vape may be at increased risk of respiratory infection, as we know is the case for tobacco smoking, but whether this translates into practically relevant effects in humans (the investigators have studied infection in moths, not people) remains to be seen.
Not sure how close our lungs are to that of a moth, but my instinct says what happens to a moth when it vapes, compared to a human is going to be more than a little different…
There’s no flies on him – or should that be moths? And Prof Peter Hajek, Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit, Queen Mary University of London, says vaping actually PREVENTS respiratory illnesses:
The study explores an interesting topic, but as with all such experiments using petri dishes, moths, and huge levels of exposure, the question arises as to how this translates to humans.
Some evidence from humans exists, and it points in the opposite direction.
Not only do smokers with respiratory illness who switch to vaping seem to experience at least the same improvements as unaided quitters, there are some signs that vaping may in fact protect vapers from respiratory infections.
Smokers who switch to vaping report a strong decrease in respiratory infections and a recent study found that ex-smokers who vape experience stronger improvements in signs of respiratory infections than those who do not vape.
More evidence is needed, but human studies should provide clearer answers.
I’m guessing what the true experts meant to say was:
Studies like this should be moth-balled…
Ouch – sorry!
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OK, there’s no Vape News on Wednesday as it’s Christmas Day!
So it goes without saying and from all of us here at EcigClick have a VERY Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Do look out for some very interesting interviews over the festive break from Aden over at Little Bro Vapes – Martin Cullip Chair of the New Nicotine Alliance [NNA] and not forgetting John Dunne the director of the UK Vaping Industry [UKVIA]!
And we should have a very special post from the EcigClick team looking at a Christmas Present and Future.
And do not miss the awesome Ashtray Blog’s Vape Predictions 2020: Expert Roundup From Scientists, Advocates, Analysts and more…
I’m actually featured again and feel a bit out of place among all those experts 😉
It’s a great read and some very interesting thoughts on what 2020 has in store for vaping.
Right, I’m off to do my last stint of the year as Santa!
Ho! Ho! Ho!
