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Vape News: US Pods Ban – UK E-liquid Industry Under Threat? Plus More

Vaping News Weekending Sunday January 5th 2020

January 5, 2020

Vape News Headlines:

Trump Bans Pre-filled Flavoured Pods – UK E-liquid Companies Urged To Stand Together – Red Box Vape Expansion and Shenzhen Outdoor Vape Ban Signs…

Flavoured Pods Banned In America

All sealed flavoured pods except menthol and tobacco are now temporarily banned from sale in the USA.

This adds to new and immediate legislation raising of the legal age to buy lit tobacco and all vape products from 18 to 21, yet still the anti-vape groups are unhappy.

President Donald Trump made the announcement late last week ending social media speculation of a total flavour ban.

In other words, rumours were rife that ALL flavours were about to be banned, but thankfully bottles of zero and nicotine flavoured e-liquids for use in open tanks and drippers have been given a reprieve.

The FDA released the new ‘guidelines’ on January 2nd 2020 with a deadline of just 30 days for current stock to be sold – returned to the supplier or most likely destroyed.

The announcement stated exactly what products will be affected:

Any flavored, cartridge-based ENDS product (other than a tobacco- or menthol-flavored ENDS product);
All other ENDS products for which the manufacturer has failed to take (or is failing to take) adequate measures to prevent minors’ access; and
Any ENDS product that is targeted to minors or likely to promote use of ENDS by minors.

ENDS stands for electronic nicotine delivery systems BTW.

The FDA says the decision comes as they felt sealed pods were more likely to be used by younger vapers/smokers adding:

By not prioritizing enforcement against other flavored ENDS products in the same way as flavored cartridge-based ENDS products, the FDA has attempted to balance the public health concerns related to youth use of ENDS products with considerations regarding addicted adult cigarette smokers who may try to use ENDS products to transition away from combustible tobacco products.

Trump said:

As you know we’ll be taking it off, the flavors, for a period of time, certain flavors.

We’re going to protect our families, we’re going to protect our children and we’re going to protect the industry.

Hopefully if everything is safe, they’re going to go very quickly back onto the market.

By that I assume he means IF any company that makes closed pods – such as JUUL – passes the expensive PMTA process that comes into being in May 2020 – those pods will go back on sale.

Anti-vaping politician Senator Dick Durbin says its not enough:

While today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, this policy still has a number of gaping holes.

For instance, we should be removing all e-cigarette flavors from the market – including menthol – as was promised four months ago.

And we should not be exempting flavored nicotine products that kids can access in vape shops.

There is simply no public health benefit to allowing cotton candy and gummy bear nicotine flavors to remain on vape shop shelves.

I believe that today’s announcement is a positive step, but it is far from a comprehensive one.

I can see the logic behind the Trump administration’s decision – after all much of the anti-vape venom has been towards JUUL and its extra strength nicotine pre-filled pods being attractive to youngsters.

However as I keep saying come the PMTA deadline ALL flavours and MOST vape gear will disappear from the States given the eye-watering cost of getting a PMTA approved by the stringent FDA testing procedures.

A reminder that each PMTA [Pre Market Tobacco Agreement] can cost close to half a million dollars.

UK E-liquid Companies Should Band Together

Whilst there’s no suggestion of any kind of flavour ban here in the UK, e-liquid companies are urged not to get complacent.

In spring this year a so called toxicity committee will be reporting its fndings on flavoured e-liquids to the UK Department of Health.

Whilst insiders suggest there will be no call for a US style flavour ban on these shores, smaller e-liquid companies are being urged to ‘band together’ to get their products licensed.

The news comes after the UK vape watchdog, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), suggested it might consider asking vape companies to self-fund independent research into the safety of e-liquids sold in the Britain.

Pro-vaping UK professor John Britton said if this was the case…

One suggestion is for vaping companies to club together to get flavours licensed.

This would give these companies a marketing advantage and perhaps set their shareholders’ concerns about future litigation at rest.

Most vaping companies are small, and can’t afford the time or investment in to get a flavour through the medicine licensing process.

The only way that could happen would really be if a number of companies grouped together and applied for a common licence for a particular flavour or set of flavours.

Then you would have something that would be safe to medicinal standards and at that point you can stop worrying about it.

However a spokeswoman for UKVIA told the Guardian newspaper:

All nicotine-containing flavours are submitted to the MHRA for testing to ensure that no toxic compounds are formed in the process of vaping and we work vigorously to make sure that non-regulated products do not enter the UK market.

We work collaboratively with UK regulators to ensure that the highest production standards are adhered to, not only over the manufacture of vaping equipment and liquids, but also to ensure full compliance by our members with the strict rules that forbid sales and marketing aimed at under-18s.

As I said in the 2020 Vaping Vision piece – and as Martin Cullip chair of the New Nicotine Alliance told me – the UK is just a single tiny step away from harsher vaping regulations.

Time to prepare ourselves guys and girls for any battles ahead.

Join the NNA – UKVIA or IBVTA NOW!

Red Box Vape Continues Expansion

If you’ve been to a UK Vaper Expo you’ll have seen Red Box Vape – especially the classy models in little red dresses.

The company has just bought the 5 vape shops owned by the Vapour Lounge.

This brings Red Box’s portfolio to 24 stores with plans to expand to 100 by the end of 2020.

Managing Director of Red Box Vape, Mark Shaw said:

I would first like to welcome the Vapour Lounge team led by Ross Anderson to support our mission of providing a welcoming retail outlet for smokers that wish to quit.

We exclusively support British made liquids to provide customers with the highest quality of product protection available.

Vapour Lounge is a successful business with a strong client base and operates in a number of locations where we don’t have any representation and so is a good fit.

Good to see UK vape companies growing despite the rest of the world’s bans and restrictions.

and finally…Outdoors VAPE Ban in Shenzhen China!

It’s a real face palm moment to see the spiritual home of all things vape ban vaping outdoors.

The law came in back in October 2019 with both smokers and vapers facing fines if ‘caught’.

Now the city has gone a step further and has updated the NO Smoking signs to include an e-cigarette.

*bangs head on desk*

And what really pisses me off is the response from the World Health Organization.

A spokesman said:

Shenzhen has taken the lead in banning the use of e-cigarettes in public places.

Adding e-cigarettes to tobacco control signs will help raise public awareness of the new regulation and raise law-abiding awareness.

How about raising awareness of the benefits of vaping over smoking?

How about putting up signs that says Vaping Is Considerably Safer Than Smoking..?