E-Cig Vaping News

A man from Ballymena in Northern Ireland has received a three-year ban from driving and a fine of £300 after being found guilty of drink-driving following an accident. Not much of a news story there, you might think, but according to the man involved – Aaron Galbraith – he hadn’t touched any alcohol before being breathalysed at the roadside. Instead, he believes the breathalyser returned a positive reading because he had been vaping before being involved in the accident and immediately before being breathalysed.

Police arrived at the scene of the accident and found Mr Galbraith to be unsteady on his feet. He was also said to have exhibited slurred speech. He failed an initial breath test that was performed at the scene, as well as a subsequent one taken at the police station a little later on that night.

Mr Galbraith insists he was not drinking and says the vaping he had done was responsible for putting him over the legal limit for alcohol. According to research, two-thirds of e-cigs available on the market today contain ethanol. It is also known as ethyl alcohol. So could Mr Galbraith have been stone-cold sober and have failed the breathalyser tests that led to him ending up in court?

Apparently, Mr Galbraith is thinking about the possibility of appealing against the decision made against him in court. The team who defended him in court had consulted a scientist who said there was a possibility the e-cig had resulted in the reading given at the time. The judge considered the evidence but found the likelihood of e-cigarettes causing this situation was very remote, and therefore found Mr Galbraith guilty of the charge of driving with excess alcohol in his system.

Could e-cigarettes really cause someone to fail a breath test?

We did a spot of research on this and came across a Reddit thread where someone was basically asking the same question. Now it doesn’t look as though any official research has been done (something that perhaps should be?) but there is a chance a false positive might possibly be triggered in isolated cases.

Note the term ‘false positive’. Be aware we are not researchers, nor do we have any official expertise in this area. An expert on breathalysers would be the best person to consult if you have any concerns at all about this topic. Since some e-liquids do contain ethanol, it’s possible that if you were vaping heavily just before taking a breathalyser test, you could give a positive reading.

But there is really no firm knowledge in this area. Different people may have different thresholds in this way, and heavy vapers may potentially be the only people who might end up getting such a reading.

In the case of the man mentioned above, only he really knows whether he hadn’t been near alcohol in the hours leading up to the accident. Only he knows whether the vaping could possibly have caused the reading to show as it did. If he hadn’t been drinking, you have to wonder how many other heavy vapers could be at risk of triggering a false reading in much the same situation. If you’re ever stopped and you’ve been vaping very recently, it’s definitely worth mentioning it. We’d say this was one of those situations where it is better to disclose everything than not to disclose it at all. You wouldn’t want to get caught up in a situation similar to the one mentioned above.

What do you think? Do you think it might be possible for breathalysers to give a false positive for vapers?

Bradford Council is being encouraged to be friendlier towards vapers and to relax its current strict rules around the habit. Simon Cooke, who leads the Conservative Group on the council, has asked those in charge to consider reverting the current ban it has in place on vaping.

Research has recently been published by the Royal College of Physicians and Public Health England. The research has reached the conclusion that vaping is some 95% safer than smoking, if not more so. Furthermore, those who do not smoke or vape are not put at risk by being near someone who is vaping. This is not the case with regard to being near smokers.

Mr Cooke pointed out that thousands of people in Bradford have turned to vaping as a way to help them quit smoking. By banning vaping, the council is making it more difficult for those who wish to stop smoking to switch to vaping, since that has bans associated with it as well.

The good news is a spokesman said the council is reviewing its HR policy with regard to the ban on e-cigarette use among staff while at work. So perhaps they are listening, and we may soon report on the council getting rid of the current ban on vaping on council premises of all kinds.

Ironically, the council does have a stop smoking service that does support the use of vaping as an alternative to cigarettes. It is strange then that the council should ban vaping on their premises as well. Perhaps the publication of this new research from two high-profile organisations could be the tipping point that leads to abolition of the ban. Vapers throughout Bradford will no doubt be watching and waiting with interest to see what happens – as will we.

Vaping has garnered its share of controversy in recent years. Those who are vehemently against it claim that it is luring teenagers to become hooked on nicotine and potentially on smoking as well.

But a recent study derived from a national US survey of adolescents in America has proven otherwise. The British Medical Journal published the research paper online in Tobacco Control, and it has already garnered a lot of attention.

The main argument posited by those who are against vaping is that teens are getting hooked on the nicotine included in many e-liquids used with electronic cigarettes. However, this particular study has proven otherwise. A selection of 12th grade, 10th grade and 8th grade students took part in the survey – a selection that was intended to represent the nation as a whole. Two-thirds of those who took part said they only ever used flavouring when vaping, and didn’t opt to use e-liquids containing any nicotine at all. The 65-66% figure was calculated to be higher than the figures for all other potential answers combined.

In case you were wondering, only 20% of those polled said they regularly vaped for nicotine. Adolescents have taken up vaping in a big way in recent years. Part of this is likely to be due to peer pressure, but it is good to see that only a small percentage ever vape for the nicotine hit. This flies in the face of the anti-vaping lobby, which seems to think every teenager who has ever used an electronic cigarette is getting addicted to nicotine.

There has also been speculation that teenagers prefer to vape without nicotine because they like the flavours they can get and enjoy. Nicotine may do damage to your taste buds as it makes the taste buds themselves far less sensitive than they would otherwise be. This applies to those who vape with nicotine, just as it does to smokers. Vaping without nicotine therefore means teenagers can enjoy the flavour of whatever vaping liquid they choose, and they don’t have to worry about getting addicted to nicotine. Some may well use e-cigs to help them quit smoking early if they’ve already picked up the habit. But some are likely using e-cigs as a status symbol or to fit in with the crowd – even though they don’t have nicotine in them.

It does make you wonder what would happen if e-cigs were taken off the market, or whether they were made more difficult to get hold of. There has to be a proportion of teens who are vaping to look good among their peers. There might even be a few who say they vape with nicotine when actually they just use a flavoured e-liquid without nicotine present.

It will be interesting to look ahead a few years to see if the number of young smokers taking up that particular habit has dropped. Vaping has been promoted as being a lot safer than smoking for many reasons, even when nicotine is involved. Without it, it could just be offering a smarter alternative for impressionable young teens in America who might otherwise be more tempted to smoke.

We’ve certainly heard before that there’s precious little evidence to suggest vapers later go on to smoke cigarettes. The results of this survey would also suggest there’s little to worry about in terms of teens getting hooked on nicotine by starting to vape. There’s a chance some might, but is this better than getting hooked on cigarettes in the first place?

What’s your opinion on the results of this survey? Do you agree that vaping would be safer than smoking where teens are concerned?

If you’re a vaper and you live in the state of Karnataka in India, you’re now unable to vape. It’s that simple – and it follows a government study that apparently took place that recommended a comprehensive ban on vaping and everything to do with it.

According to reports, it is now impossible to sell or distribute any vaping product within the state. People can no longer get hold of electronic cigarettes, nor can they be advertised by anyone wanting to sell them. And it is all based on this mythical report… because apparently reports suggest the study that led to the ban never actually took place to begin with.

Someone made a Right to Information query (similar to a Freedom of Information request in the UK, we would suppose) regarding the ‘study’. The response revealed that no reports, no detailed study and no information was available regarding the matter.

Little surprise then that the matter is now being referred to as Vapegate by some, and other variations on that same theme. It has been pointed out that there isn’t a ban in place on cigarettes, which are arguably far more harmful to health in lots of ways. And yet e-cigs have allegedly been banned quickly and easily and without any sort of research being done.

Needless to say, the controversy regarding the decision continues to rage. People want to know why the government said it had conducted a study into vaping that indicated young people were becoming addicted to the habit. And yet the Right to Information query revealed this wasn’t actually the case.

The waters here are pretty murky, and there doesn’t seem to be any chance of the government changing their minds anytime soon, either. What do you think of the latest decision against vaping?

You’d be forgiven for thinking the powers that be in all kinds of countries are against vaping in every way at the moment. We’ve read and reported on the federal laws now in force in the US that look set to decimate the industry within the next couple of years. We’ve also heard about the ban in India.

So it is refreshing to hear that the government in New Zealand is considering heading in the opposite direction. We should make it clear that New Zealand originally banned vaping products with nicotine in them, so they have a history of being extremely strict on the matter. However, it looks as though that could change in the near future.

Research into vaping products and their effectiveness in helping smokers quit the habit

The good news is the government has been pretty open in terms of looking at research done into the effects of vaping and whether or not it is safe. The government actually part-funded a study done a couple of years back that revealed vaping was just as effective as nicotine patches when it came to quitting smoking.

We should make it clear that no reversal of the current ban on vaping products containing nicotine is currently in the works. However, everything is looking very promising. They’ve been looking at research for some time now, as evidenced by the above-mentioned study, and they are now considering whether or not to backtrack and be more lenient with their regulations.

Policy options consultation

Now the government has issued a consultation document that promises to look into various options concerning the regulation of electronic cigarettes. The 26-page document is available on the New Zealand government website and is definitely worth a look. This is especially true for anyone who lives in that country and has a vested interest in the outcome.

The document covers such areas as:

• The current situation regarding vaping and its products
• The potential issues surrounding the ban, including enforcement
• The objectives for the policy itself

The paper also includes a consultation submission form which can be filled in by individuals or those submitting on behalf of a group or organisation. Those wanting to have their say must return the form to the Ministry of Health of the New Zealand government by email before the deadline of 5pm on Monday 12th September this year.

What will the outcome be?

It is impossible to say, but it is also unlikely the situation will remain exactly the same as it is at the moment. They have gone to a lot of trouble to get this far, so it would be odd for nicotine-containing e-cigarettes to remain under a ban once the consultation process is complete. We may have to wait a while to hear some good news as the result of this survey, but at least it looks to be a giant step in the right direction.

What do you think of the current ban? Are you hoping it will be overturned?

Vapers have experienced a number of changes in recent times – and none more so than in America. Their new vaping guidelines – issued at the federal level – came into force on 8th August. Basically this means vapers who are under 18 will now find it very difficult to gain access to electronic cigarettes and other products associated with vaping.

FDA approval is now mandatory before any such product can be marketed and sold. It doesn’t just apply to brand new products either – anything that has been selling since February 2007 will also be subjected to the new ruling. However, there is a two-year grace period during which any existing product can be sold while an application is made for the relevant products to go through the review process.

Many think the new regulations have gone too far. Some smaller manufacturers won’t be able to afford the charges and investment levels needed to get their products through the review process. And there is no guarantee all products will be approved anyway. Suffice to say, some vapers are already beginning to realise some of the products they use may well disappear in two years from now.

Many people have switched from smoking cigarettes to using electronic cigarettes instead, primarily in order to help them quit. This may change if the majority of e-cig products are withdrawn from the market in two years from now because of the new regulations. Some say they are too strict and will do more harm than good.

What’s your opinion on this? Are you an American who will be directly affected by the regulations? Will this be the start of a decline in the number of vapers taking up e-cigarettes, and a rise in the number of smokers again?

Simon Cowell is famous for being the main man behind The X Factor, a show that has dominated UK and US television for some years now. But he is also famous for being a heavy smoker, and it looks as though he has now turned to vaping in an attempt to quit for good.

If you look online for photos of Simon Cowell, it takes a matter of seconds to find plenty of them. There he is getting out of a car with his phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other. The next shot has him in a suit jacket over a white shirt, cigarette in mouth. Seconds later we find a couple more of him in the back of a chauffeur-driven car, both times wearing glasses and smoking. He’s clearly seen puffing away an awful lot.

No one is quite sure how many he smokes a day. But he allegedly smokes in the studios during the ad breaks for The X Factor… and yes, he’s breaking the law by doing so and pays a £100 fine every time he lights up. He really is a serious smoker, by the sounds of it.

But just recently he’s been seen vaping rather than smoking. Rumours have it that he’s made the switch to try and quit the habit for good. And it could be that it’s happened since the birth of his son, Eric. Apparently, Simon has said he’s tried quitting before and he clearly hasn’t succeeded. According to Simon, his driver has successfully quit smoking, so maybe seeing someone else succeed and having his son around has provided the kick Simon needs to succeed as well.

He’s certainly not the first person to turn to vaping to try and help them quit the habit. And since he apparently smokes up to 80 a day, he would clearly benefit from making that switch. Some of his close friends and colleagues have apparently confirmed the switch, and the comments seem to indicate he’s doing well. We wish him every success in using e-cigs to help him turn his back on smoking altogether. It also helps raise awareness of vaping and its benefits as a method for ditching real cigarettes.

Have you been inspired by celebrity vapers? Has anyone in particular led you to make the move from cigarettes to vaping instead? Let us know about it in the comments.

We wear clothes made from synthetic fibres. We use frying pans coated in Teflon. We don’t think twice about using all kinds of things made from manmade synthetic polymers as opposed to ones that occur naturally in the world around us.

But how would you feel about inhaling synthetic nicotine?

For some, it may be a step – or an inhalation – too far. But this could be in our future, if the latest news stories are any indication. Vapers in America have been reacting to the new regulations being brought in by the FDA. When they do come into force on 8th August, they will totally change the landscape of vaping as we know it, at least as far as the US is concerned.

The new regulations mean no new products will be able to be made or sold unless they have prior approval from the FDA. The approval process brings a range of extreme requirements into play, and it is estimated to cost around $1 million for each and every new product that must be put through the system. Moreover, the creators won’t even know whether that investment will be worth it, as approval is not guaranteed.

Where does synthetic nicotine come in?

The belief is that synthetic nicotine – essentially manufactured in a lab instead of being taken from the tobacco plant as is normally the case – could duck under these new regulations. Since tobacco-based vaping products are covered by the new regulations, it could just be possible to use synthetic nicotine in e-liquids without having to go through the same approval process other e-liquids will.

This is still very new, and three patents are currently pending in this area, so no additional details are likely to become known for a while yet. But it could – it just could – change the vaping industry as we know it. Many smaller manufacturers look set to go out of business altogether thanks to the new regulations. Only the biggest companies will even consider being able to afford to pay upwards of a million dollars for every new product they want to release. And since they will pretty much have the market to themselves, it would likely be a realistic investment for them.

Will synthetic nicotine be regulated?

It’s uncertain. The FDA will use the Tobacco Control Act to regulate the vaping industry as indicated above. Nicotine exists naturally as part of the tobacco plant, so it is logical that any product containing naturally-derived nicotine would fall under the provisions of that Act.

However, since synthetic nicotine doesn’t fulfil this criteria, it technically would not be covered by the regulations. That’s all good for now, but you can bet the FDA will make more changes to the Tobacco Control Act, or bring in other regulations that will ensure synthetically-produced nicotine is eventually controlled in a similar way. And that would bring the industry back to square one again.

Will something similar happen in the UK?

Only time will tell, to be honest. The FDA regulations obviously only apply in America, but many other countries are bound to be watching to see how they are received over there.

But for the moment, the main thing to consider is that synthetic nicotine could prove itself to be an unlikely saviour in the vaping industry. Many companies are very likely to quit the industry thanks to these new regulations, primarily because they cannot afford to jump through the new and expensive hoops. If an alternative should present itself, who would blame them for heading straight for it?

Indeed, there are already a number of well-known companies who are using the lab-created nicotine in their products. It is perhaps no coincidence to learn these companies already do plenty to ensure they are responsible about sales and marketing in this industry.

This could definitely be a big step forward for vaping – at least in the US, and at least at the moment. But when further regulation comes in to cover the synthetic version of nicotine, what will happen next? Will more companies end up going out of business?

We don’t reject the idea of regulation in itself. However, if this path isn’t trodden carefully enough, many people will end up going back to smoking, purely because vaping has been driven out of business altogether. That wouldn’t be good for all those who have used vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking, not to mention as a successful way of quitting.

What is your opinion on synthetic nicotine? Would you use it if given the chance? Do you think this is the future of vaping, or are you expecting to see it heavily regulated and therefore pricier and less easily available in the future? Let us know your thoughts below, and don’t forget to share on social media too.