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Vape News | HNB Mistaken For E-cigs in Cancer Study | Iceland Vape Clampdown? + More

June 10, 2018

Vape News Headlines:

Flavour Ban Fight Back – FDA Grants Flavour Evidence Extension – HNB Mistaken For E-cigs in Cancer Study – Iceland Vape Clampdown? – Tax Hike For Indonesian Vapers – iQOS To Launch In India and a Look at the ‘Vape Culture’…

Call To Action As San Francisco Bans Flavoured E-liquid

Voters in San Fransisco have decided flavoured e-liquid is as bad for your health as flavoured tobacco and voted to ban both outright.

The result has sent shock waves through vaping and vapers are concerned the same thing will happen in both Chicago and New York.

You can read the full story with reactions in my article: San Francisco BANS Flavoured E-liquid and More US Cities Could Follow.

Sarah Jakes from the New Nicotine Alliance warned this could mean vapers returning to smoking and added:

Let’s hope for vapers’ sake a vibrant black market in safe flavourings flourishes.

It is almost a certainty that other cities in the US will try to follow the path that San Francisco has taken, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the FDA were eyeing it up as a good idea.

Whilst it’s unlikely that the UK would consider banning flavours you certainly couldn’t say the same for the EU, and no doubt the World Health Organisation are already salivating at the prospect.

US based advocacy groups are urging vapers to help them fight similar bans in New York and Chicago with CAASA urging vapers to contact their council officials:

Although San Francisco is a continent away from New York, the Bay Area is historically one of the first dominos to fall in a wave of coercive anti-tobacco laws that travels across the country. Harm reduction advocates and consumers should be very concerned about the likelihood of a flavor ban being approved by any state or local government–no matter where you are.

Take Action!

CAASA has included a quick and easy form to fill in that will go direct to your local official and you can find that HERE

FDA Allows 30 Day Extension For More Evidence On Government Flavour Regulations

As we’ve been telling you for months the US Government is looking for evidence – even anecdotal- on how new legislation on e-liquid flavours and vape gear should be written.

The deadline has been extended to July 19th 2018 – advocacy groups had called for a 90 day extension.

This at least gives US vapers a bit of breathing space before the US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] looks at setting a countrywide stand on all things vape.

As you can see from the result in San Francisco it’s imperative that as many vapers in America make their voices heard.

CAASA says:

CASAA and many other groups submitted requests for a 90-day extension (see below).

While 30-days is obviously short of what we would like, it is an acceptable compromise for this phase of the rule making process. Please see our earlier post from our May newsletter about the ways consumers can participate and make comments on the flavor standards ANPRM.</s[an>

You can respond to the FDA’s call for evidence HERE and I URGE you to do it now

Footnote: despite the scaremongering in America that vaping was an epidemic hooking youngsters into nicotine addiction the latest study backed by the FDA shows a decrease – more on that next week.

NO 5 Carcinogens Were NOT Found In E-Cigs!

A new study by scientists from South Korea has been wrongly reported in the media as proving e-cigarettes contain know cancer giving chemicals.

This spread like wildfire around social media playing right into the hands of anti vaping crusaders.

However Grimm Green was quick to respond with this tweet:

A closer look reveals the study was actually carried out on a Heat Not Burn product which as we know allegedly ‘toasts’ tobacco rather than burn it.

As we now know it is the burning of tobacco that releases up to 7000 cancer giving chemicals and this study combats the claim from HNB manufacturers they are 95% safer than regular lit cigarettes given they are heated and not burned.

It might be a simple oversight by the media but we’ve been warning for an absolute age that HNB is muddying the waters between the proven 95% safer actual e-cigarettes and the HNB products.

Calling both e-cigs is misleading and plain wrong.

And this confusion is most definitely not helped by a spokesman for Phillip Morris Inc Korea – that makes HNB products – saying in a press release:

It is not new that carcinogens exist in e-cigarettes, but the important fact is that the amount of carcinogens is dramatically lower.

WTF!!!

Excuse me I know it’s a Sunday and one shouldn’t swear – but where the hell do PMI get that one from?

If they could point me in the direction of any study that proves actual e-cigs contain carcinogens I’d be grateful.

However if they are admitting their HNB products contain carcinogens then wow – that’s an incredible admission and one that would be interesting to put directly to the scientists behind brands such as iQOS…

Watch this space 😉

Source

Iceland Calls For Vaping Clampdown

Despite Iceland seeing a staggering 50% reduction in smokers since the arrival of vaping politicians want to impose stringent vaping laws.

The Bright Future party tried to bring in a tougher stance on all things vape last year however this bill was defeated.

That hasn’t stopped them trying again a move that has angered the wonderfully named Pirate party.

The new law would see vaping banned in all public areas and see an increase in tax as well as a total ban on internet advertising.

Halldóra Mogensen MP from the Pirate party – that strongly opposes the proposed new law said:

The majority of the committee is going much farther than the bill itself, which goes farther than the directive.

Meanwhile vape shop owners in the country have warned should the law get passed it would create a balck market in both e-liquid and vape devices and this could have worrying consequences.

Source

Crippling Vape Tax Announced In Indonesia

The Government of Indonesia plans to add 57% tax to e-liquid despite it having one of the world’s largest number of smokers.

The punitive tax comes into force on July 1st and a Government spokesman said this would be an addition to already heavily taxed tobacco products.

A government spokesman said the e-liquid tax would only apply to:

…juices that contain traces of tobacco plants so that consumers can be more protected.

Pretty sure from that he means e-liquids that contain nicotine.

News agency Reuters pointed out that Indonesia relies on tax from tobacco products and other duties and now vaping will swell the country’s coffers from $11.20 billion to an even greater amount.

So it’s no conspiracy theory when some of say it’s all about the tax revenues and sod the smokers who’ll die.

Source

India Wants To Ban Vaping But NOT Heat Not Burn!

Back to the burning issue of Heat Not Burn products and despite India rolling out countrywide vape bans it seems they’re more than happy to allow iQOS to be sold in the country.

Whilst no official announcement has been made source say the Indian Government has an ‘open mind’ about the product despite tobacco killing over a million smokers a year in the worlds second largest home to smokers.

PMI has been preparing for the arrival of iQOS in India culminating in the company’s highest executive in the country calling for ‘effective regulations’ for smoking alternatives:

With alternatives to cigarettes available and countries already delivering on their smoke-free ambitions, the incentive is there for lawmakers to support Indian smokers – who deserve a better option.