UK vs. US E-Cigarette Regulatory Approaches

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E-cigarette regulations

E-cigarette regulations

From its humble beginnings as a prototype in 1963 to the first commercially successful device created by pharmacist and inventor, Hon Lik, in 2004, the electronic cigarette has since engendered major disruptions in the tobacco industry, with small start-ups as well as large corporations vying for a slice of this highly lucrative emerging market.

While in its infancy, the nascent e-cigarette industry enjoyed a rather laissez-faire approach, which enabled it to enjoy significant growth. However, governments are now attempting to regulate the industry, and we are witnessing vastly different approaches in the UK and the US.

Why Regulate the E-Cigarette Industry?

The need for regulation stems from the idea that although free-market forces provide a competitive marketplace where customers can exert influence on businesses, consumers still require government protection since a business’ primary concern is its profitability, as opposed to the safety of its clients.

The UK Approach

In the UK, the focus has been on the well-being of current or ex-smokers and on combating preventable diseases such as lung cancer and heart disease caused by smoking.

Following research conducted by Public Health England (PHE), the National Health Service (NHS) has taken the stance that e-cigarettes are a less harmful alternative to combustible tobacco and has endorsed their use as an effective smoking cessation method. With the customer’s best interest at heart, it has even gone so far as to encourage health officials to collaborate with vapers and vapor businesses to aid smokers to make the switch.

The US Approach

In the US, the war on nicotine has tobacco control lobbyists conflating the dangers of smoking tobacco and the use of e-cigarettes, giving rise to the vilification of vaping, despite the fact that evidence shows that e-cigs are 95 percent less damaging than conventional cigarettes. In addition, US legislators tend to view vaping as a gateway to smoking even though studies like the one quoted earlier found that the majority of the adults using e-cigs in the UK are current or ex-smokers.

With blatant fear and misinformation driving policy, it comes as no surprise that the Tobacco Control Act, passed in 2009 and supported by Philip Morris International (PMI), requires US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for vaping products, regardless of the fact that vapor juice contains no tobacco. This has added significant costs and longer approval delays for the e-cigarette industry while big tobacco companies such as PMI, offering an alternative device that uses heated tobacco leaf, benefits from a smoother and faster approval process. This raises the question of whether customer well-being is truly what’s driving e-cigarette regulation in the US.

What are your thoughts about the regulation of the e-cigarette industry? Tell us by commenting below, or tweet us @ILoveECigs.

House Panel Wants To Exempt E-Cigs From FDA Rules

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Young pretty woman in red cap smoke an electronic cigarette at the vape shop

 

 

A House panel is trying yet again to exempt e-cigs from the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules.

The Trump Administration has delayed enforcement of the rules, which many hope will work in favor of e-cig companies.

Under the new FDA rules, small companies that produce e-cigs would likely go out of business as a way to avoid expensive regulatory reviews.

But the legislation approved Wednesday by the Republican-controlled Appropriations Committee would prevent the FDA from requiring retroactive safety reviews of e-cigs already on the market. Instead, it would be only e-cig products introduced in the future that would face the safety reviews.

However, there are several public health groups who say that the regulations may allow many newer tobacco products to also escape scrutiny. This is a cause for concern, particularly when young people are using traditional cigarettes.

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Here are some of the celebrities you never knew vaped

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leonardo dicaprio smoking combustible cigarette

As we know, many people choose to use e-cigarettes in place of the actual thing because they serve as a nicer and healthier alternative to smoking. Vaping has become so popular that various celebrities are now paving the way for smokers who haven’t yet made the transition. Here are just five of the celebrities you never knew vaped.

Johnny Depp

Johnny-Depp

If there’s one person that’s going to persuade you to pack in smoking and switch to e-cigs, it’s Johnny Depp. The king of cool doesn’t just vape when he’s out and about, but on film sets too. And yep, he definitely looks cool while doing it.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo-DiCaprio

Everyone’s favorite Titanic superstar is also a fellow vaper, having been spotted various times with an e-cig in hand.

John Cusack

John Cusack

Actor, producer, screenwriter and, yep, celebrity vapor. Cusack can often be seen puffing away while on sets. He has even featured e-cigs in his movies!

Sienna Miller

Sienna Miller

This gorgeous actress doesn’t get her good looks from puffing on cigarettes all day. She too has thrown in the real thing for e-cigs and has also been spotted on the sets of some of the films she shoots with an e-cig in hand.

Katy Perry

Katy Perry

With a fan base as big as her wacky wardrobe, chances are Katy Perry has influenced a few of her fans to make the switch to e-cigarettes.

We want to hear about your favorite celebrities who vape! Share them with us in the comments below or tweet us @ILoveEcigs.

Why California Should Reconsider Its Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes

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The California e-cigarette ban needs to be reconsidered

The California e-cigarette ban needs to be reconsidered

California, especially the Bay Area, has historically been at the forefront of promoting harm-reduction strategies among residents who use drugs. However, when it comes to smokers, instead of making it easier for them to switch to safer alternatives to smoking cigarettes, California is doing just the opposite with a newly imposed ban on flavored e-cigarettes. The ban is detrimental to public health interests, and it is imperative that cities in California reconsider the ban on flavored e-cigarettes.

As recently as June 20th, San Francisco city supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance to amend the health code prohibiting tobacco retailers from selling flavored tobacco products, and despite the fact that e-cigarettes contain no tobacco, flavored nicotine e-cigs are included in the ban. Unlike combustible cigarettes, which produce tar and smoke, e-cigarettes release a vapor containing the nicotine in the liquid, which makes it a much safer nicotine-delivery alternative to regular cigarettes. Unfortunately, that hasn’t prevented legislators from classifying them as tobacco products and banning the sale of flavored vaping liquids containing nicotine.

Banning flavored e-cigarettes also implies removing an incentive for smokers to switch to e-cigarettes, which have been found to be 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Not only does the California e-cigarette ban on flavored products reduce the motivation to switch, but according to Gregory Conley, the President of America’s Vaping Association, it also blatantly disregards the evidence that flavors help smokers quit by disconnecting them from the taste of tobacco.

Another reason for the ban is the misconception that flavored vaping liquids could entice teens to smoke. This fear is unfounded as there is no evidence to suggest that there is any correlation between the two. According to Carrie Wade, the Harm Reduction Policy Director of nonprofit R Street Institute, “rates of teen smoking are at an all-time low and have steadily declined from 15.8 percent in 2011 to 9.3 percent in 2015.”It is also important to note that it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes and other vaping products to minors and that vape shops, which are often independently owned, have a lot to lose if they don’t comply.

Taking into consideration that e-cigarettes are a much safer nicotine-delivery alternative to smoking and that flavored vaping liquids provide an additional incentive to smokers to switch, the Golden State needs to reconsider the California e-cigarette ban on flavored liquids, especially when there is no evidence of a gateway effect on teens and other non-smokers. Instead, it should differentiate e-cigarettes from other tobacco products and promote them as a harm-reduction method to encourage smokers to make the switch and quit smoking cigarettes.

What do you think about the California e-cigarette ban? Join the conversation by commenting below or tweet us @ILoveEcigs.