Vapingeyes

Brazil Cracks Down on E-cigarette Sales
Brazil’s Ministry of Justice instructed 33 businesses to stop selling e-ci******es or risk a penalty of BRL5,000 ($966.65) per day, according to the The Brazilian Report.

E-ci******es have been banned in Brazil since 2009, but they remain readily available online, at to***conists and in supermarkets.

One of the companies targeted by the ministry is France-based Carrefour, one of the world’s largest retailers, which owns more than 1,000 stores in Brazil and accounts for 25 percent of the domestic retail market.

In July this year, Brazil’s national health surveillance agency, Anvisa, voted to uphold the ban on e-ci******es, citing studies showing that the use of electronic smoking devices increases the risk of smoking in young people, the potential for dependence and the likelihood of lung, cardiovascular and neurological health problems.

Around 20 percent of Brazilians aged 18-24 v**e, while smokers make up approximately 12 percent of the population, according to April 2022 polling data.

Activists: Differentiate Smoking and Va**ng

Malaysian lawmakers must distinguish between smoking and va**ng it they want to tackle Malaysia’s smoking epidemic, according to to***co harm reduction advocates.

Legislators are currently scrutinizing a bill that would ban smoking and va**ng for those born after 2007 in Malaysia. The bill is modelled on legislation in New Zealand, which in December 2021 revealed a plan to phase out smoking by gradually raising the smoking age until it covers the entire population.

Unlike Malaysia’s proposal, however, New Zealand’s generational ban would prohibit only the sale of to***co products to anyone born during or after 2009, with va**ng products remaining available to those 18 years and older to purchase in retail outlets as was regulated in 2020.

Samsul Ariffin
“You can’t ban ci******es for future Malaysian adults without providing a safer, viable alternative,” said Samsul Ariffin, president of the Malaysian Organization of V**e Entities. “It’s like banning sugary drinks and sugar-free drinks all at once and hoping it will get people off sugar. If our political leaders are serious about eradicating deadly smoking, Malaysia’s generational endgame bill must only ban the purchase of combustible to***co, not safer ni****ne products.”

According to the Coalition of Asia Pacific To***co Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), New Zealand’s encouragement of smoking cessation through va**ng has contributed to a rapid decline in the country’s smoking rate. New Zealand’s current adult daily smoking rate stands at 9.4 percent, down from 18 percent in 2006-2007.

“New Zealand’s smoking has halved in recent years not because they banned va**ng but because they embraced it,” said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA.

Geek Bar Launches Pod System for UK
V**e manufacturer Geek Bar has launched its J1 Pod range in the United Kingdom, featuring an innovative disposable pod refill system along with a rechargeable battery. The J1 Pod has been developed with the UK market in mind, allowing consumers to switch flavours at lower cost.

Available through specialist v**e retailers and convenience stores, Geek Bar has a recommended retail price of £8 for the J1 pod system while a twin-pack of 2ml pod refills will cost £5. The 500mHA battery can be recharged via a USB device.

Featuring the latest KA mesh coil technology, the J1 Pod is claimed to provide more vapour and a more consistent, mellower flavour.

Geek Bar says the “silky smooth experience” is very different from the rough sensation associated with to***co products, “and this may encourage more smokers to kick the habit and switch to v**es”.

The company says its J1 Pod offers an alternative va**ng experience for people looking to give up smoking to***co products, especially at a time when incomes are being squeezed and a typical pack of 20 ci******es can cost £10 or more.

The product comes in the company’s newly designed packaging, which features a more visible age restriction warning against sale to minors.

To combat counterfeiting, the redesign also carries a prominent security code which retailers and consumers can use to check the authenticity of the product and ensure they are not buying a fake product.

The J1 is one of a number of upgraded v**e devices now available from Geek Bar following approval from the Medicines Healthcare regulatory Agency (MHRA).

“They are lightweight and compact, suitable for on-the-go va**ng and prefilled with 20mg of ni****ne as well as up to 2ml of e-liquid. Offering 600 puffs per device, they are designed for mouth-to-lung v**ers in particular, who want to replicate the experience of smoking through a consistent throat hit,” Geek Bar adds.

The J1 Pod will offer 11 different flavours: ginger soda, tropical skittles blast, orange vanilla, tropical fruit, lime cherry, mango smoothie, watermelon ice, pink lemonade, kiwi passion fruit guava, cheesy blueberry jelly, lime cactus.

“Having different flavours for different moods and situations offers more choices for consumers,” concludes the v**e company.

SRNT Journal Plans To***co Transformation Issue

The Society for Research on Ni****ne & To***co (SRNT) is calling for papers to publish in a special issue of its official journal, Nicontine & To***co Research, about the to***co industry transformation.

This themed issue will inform whether and how the to***co control community should respond to and engage with the to***co industry transformation narrative and with to***co companies that claim to be transforming by moving away from producing and selling hazardous to***co products.

“Critically assessing the validity of the industry’s transformation narrative will be important as sections of the industry are likely to increasingly use this framing in order to position themselves as legitimate stakeholders in debates about how to end the smoking epidemic and the nature and direction of to***co control policies,” the SRNT writes on its website.

Ni****ne & To***co Research says it will not consider for publication papers submitted by to***co industry employees or affiliated organisations.

The organization anticipates that the themed issue will publish in mid/late 2023.