E-Cigarette and Vaping News

US State Starts Charging Tax on E-Cig Products

February 19, 2016

You may already know that laws in America are strange old things. While some rules and regulations are laid down country-wide by the government, some states can – and have – brought in their own laws too.

A great example of this is the new law that came into effect on New Year’s Day in Chicago, in Illinois. The New Year came in with a bang for the stores that sell e-cigarettes and vapour products, as Chicago implemented a tax on vapour products.

The tax means every millilitre of e-liquid containing nicotine will add 55 cents to the usual price. An example given recently stated a 30-millilitre bottle of e-liquid, normally retailing for between $15 and $20, would now have an additional $16.50 added in tax.

The American Vaping Association has reacted just as you’d expect to this. They reckon the tax could put some people in the industry out of business. In addition, people who started the New Year wanting to quit smoking may now find other ways to do it – or not quit at all – thanks to the additional cost involved.

Apparently the tax is called a “floor tax”. This basically means it doesn’t just apply to new e-liquids brought into stock from New Year’s Day. If a store has, say, $10,000 worth of e-liquids, it must apply the tax to the whole lot. As the American Vaping Association has pointed out, the tax could shut down some businesses altogether. As midnight struck and 2016 came in, owners suddenly found themselves owing a significant amount to the Chicago Department of Revenue, where before midnight this wasn’t the case.

Some also believe the drive against vaping is based on misinformation. Just before the festive season got underway, the Mayor of Chicago and his public health department launched a drive to demonise vaping in the city. Clearly the tax has been brought in to discourage people from switching to vaping.

However, vapers have been fighting back. While the tax has not been abolished (too much to hope for, you’d think) vapers have argued against the #VapingTruth campaign set up on Twitter. By hijacking the hashtag, they have been trying to get the truth out there, instead of watching potential vapers being scared off from trying it by reading information that simply isn’t true.

Have you heard about this campaign and new tax? Are you directly affected by it? What’s your opinion?

Eurostar Train Brought to a Halt by an E-Cig

February 9, 2016

Did you catch the news story the other day concerning a Eurostar train that came to a stop after a vaper set off a smoke alarm?

According to news reports, the train had left London at half-three on Monday afternoon. As it came out of the tunnel and into France, the smoke alarm in one of the toilets was set off, due to a vaper sneaking in there to have a crafty puff. As you may know, Eurostar originally welcomed vapers to use their devices on-board. However, this stance was altered last year when a ban came in.

This event obviously shows why the ban was necessary. The vapours from the e-cig in the confined space were enough to set off the sensitive smoke alarms. As a result, the train was taken into a siding and all power to it was cut off.

However, while some passengers – delayed for five hours due to the incident – have confirmed a vaper was to blame, those in charge of Eurostar have not confirmed this. They refuse to acknowledge the reason for what happened to cause the delay. According to reports, it took a full seven-and-a-half hours to get from London to Paris that day, on that particular train.

If a vaper was indeed to blame – and we’re sure they’re probably feeling very sheepish now – this does indicate that vaping can cause problems indoors. However, we do wonder whether vaping in the carriage itself would have been better, as the larger space available may not have set off the smoke alarms. Vaping in a small train toilet obviously caused problems, assuming the stories are true.

Either way, there are some interesting queries concerning the story. Did a vaper really set off the alarm, or could it have been a smoker who did the deed or as some suspect, a faulty sensor?

US to Introduce E-Liquid Childproof Packaging Law

February 4, 2016

America is on the verge of introducing a law that states all e-liquid packaging must be childproof. Congress has already agreed on and passed the bill. Once President Obama inks his signature on it, it will become law.

While some manufacturers have provided childproof packaging for their e-liquids for some time, the new law will ensure everyone else falls in line. There have been reports of children getting hold of e-liquids and ingesting them, and while such instances are uncommon, this law should make them even more unlikely.

According to information from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), there were just shy of 4,000 so-called ‘adverse incidents’ resulting from exposure to e-liquids and e-cigarettes in 2014. This represented a massive increase on the year before.

The UK is already streets ahead

The UK already has stricter laws in place regarding e-liquid packaging, so it’s good to see America finally heading in the same direction. Secure packaging should ensure no child is able to get hold of e-liquid and swallow it in the future.

Of course, it’s still important to ensure e-liquids and e-cigarettes are kept well out of the way of children. Just as smokers would (hopefully) keep cigarettes, lighters and matches out of reach of children, the same should apply to vapers. Young children have yet to develop the realisation that certain things can be potentially dangerous. Keeping vaping equipment up out of reach or in a secure drawer is vital if you want to make sure your children don’t get hold of it.

The Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act, as the new law is now referred to in the US, is much-needed and has been supported by vaping groups. Vaping is not aimed at children of any age; it provides an alternative for smokers who are keen to give up. As such, this law cannot come into force too soon.

E-Cig Ads Do Not Encourage Teens to Vape

January 29, 2016

According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (commonly known as the CDC in America), seven in 10 teens had seen ads promoting e-cigarettes. The CDC was concerned this meant many teens would be encouraged to vape, even if they had never smoked before.

However, a new study now appears to have blown that little theory out of the water. Put together in the Netherlands, the study reveals that while more young people are noticing e-cig adverts, there appears to be no relation to the rise in use of e-cigarettes.

Switching rather than taking it up

According to the authors of the study, there was no link between the children seeing the ads and wanting to take up vaping. Neither did it seem to encourage them to take up smoking.

The rise in vaping seems to be purely associated with smokers who want to quit the habit. They are looking for a way to help them do that, and vaping fits the bill.

Another study from the University of Cambridge agrees

This particular study asked 471 children to look at a selection of adverts for electronic cigarettes. The children were aged between 11 and 16, and there was no indication that any of them felt more tempted to smoke or use e-cigarettes as a result of seeing the adverts.

There still appears to be concern, in the US at least, that children and teenagers will be attracted to smoking through seeing electronic cigarette adverts. However, all the evidence seems to point to the contrary. Furthermore, the National Institute of Drug Abuse in America has confirmed that more than half of teenagers who do vape do not use an e-liquid that contains nicotine.

As time goes on, more studies will be conducted that look into this area. However, for the time being there seems to be no evidence at all pointing to children being enticed into vaping by viewing ads promoting the devices. While no one can be certain why this is, it’s good news for those in the industry, and for parents who might be concerned.

It would appear that vaping is the sole refuge of those who no longer want to smoke, but who need some support in weaning themselves off cigarettes for good. What’s your opinion on e-cig adverts and how people – especially young people – react to them?

Vaping and Blood Pressure

January 26, 2016

Some smokers may be aware that smoking raises blood pressure, among other things. So where do we stand if we switch from cigarettes to e-cigs?

The first thing to be aware of is that smoking doesn’t necessarily cause high blood pressure. However, the exposure to nicotine in a cigarette does raise the blood pressure. It’s just that it happens for a short period of time. So you smoke a cigarette, your BP rises, and after a while it falls back to its normal level.

Does the same apply with e-cigarettes?

Cutting down or switching to e-cigs seems to be better for your blood pressure than stopping smoking altogether without switching to e-cigs. It sounds crazy, but the research appears to back it up. Dr Farsalinos has written extensively about the effects of e-cigs on blood pressure. He has explored the results taken from the ECLAT study – a study looking into how effective e-cigs are as a method for quitting smoking.

According to the results of this study, people who had normal BP readings at the start continued to get similar results throughout the 52 weeks the study lasted for. The real interest started when looking at those whose BP was already raised. This group experienced a drop in systolic BP when either switching to e-cigs or cutting their cigarette smoking habit in half.

Could nicotine have beneficial properties?

Other studies have also highlighted the power nicotine seems to have to reduce blood pressure. One doctor has researched whether nicotine could help those with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. He discovered nicotine had the effect of reducing blood pressure in test subjects.

So what’s the truth?

Many people have been able to quit smoking completely with the aid of electronic cigarettes. We know smoking is bad for our health, so it might come as a surprise to realise that nicotine may not have quite the effect we first thought.

Of course, plenty more research must be done before we know for certain how BP can change (for the better or worse) as a result of smoking or using e-cigs. But this particular research does give food for thought. In fact, if you’re considering switching from smoking to vaping, it could give you the final push you need to make the change.

Finally, staying healthy in other ways will no doubt help too, although weight and age were factored into the results with this particular study.

Vaping is Still Better Than Smoking

January 19, 2016

Last week there was a flurry of articles in the press claiming that vaping kills human cells. The revelations came as the result of a study carried out to see whether cells would be damaged or killed if they were exposed to e-cigarette vapour.

The results of the study were revealed in the Journal of Oral Oncology. According to reports, nicotine vapours had the potential to damage cells exposed to them. Some cells died as a result. Nicotine-free vapours from e-cigarettes also exhibited a greater possibility of dying, according to the research.

“Inconclusive”

If we take this news as is, we could suppose that vaping is just as bad for you as smoking. But let’s hold on just a moment. Firstly, even the authors of the study have said it is inconclusive, i.e. we can’t really rely on the results. Secondly, words and phrases such as ‘could be’ and ‘may be’ were used in describing the results. In other words, the vapours may be harmful, but we’re really not sure. Lots more research needs to be done to make sure we know exactly where vaping stands in the scheme of things.

Many people have also pointed out that the research did not compare cell death from regular cigarette smoke to the results gleaned from e-cigarette smoke. The conclusions drawn from the study seem to indicate there is a greater chance of cell death if you vape than if you don’t. But what about comparing those results with cell death caused by real smoking?

After all, how many people do you know who have never smoked in their life and suddenly decide they’ll take up vaping? I don’t know of anyone, and nor does anyone else I know. Vaping is pretty much exclusively chosen by those who smoked in the past, and want to give up. They use vaping as a method to help them do this.

How safe is vaping?

Let’s be clear here. The ideal thing is never to smoke in the first place. We all know it’s not good for our health. But if you do smoke and you’ve tried and failed to go cold turkey, surely switching to e-cigarettes would be a good option to try?

Think about nicotine patches for a moment. People have used these for ages, recommended by their GPs and other quit smoking services, to help wean them off the nicotine in their cigarettes. If you have the willpower to quit without any help at all, more power to you. Yet most people want and need some help.

Most people are sensible enough to realise that some vaping liquids have nicotine in them. Some don’t. However, if you’re taking in far less nicotine than you were when you were smoking, surely that’s a step in the right direction at the end of the day?

Even if e-cigarettes are eventually found to have a degree of risk associated with them, this risk could be far less than that associated with cigarettes. The ideal situation will probably be to quit smoking and start vaping, and eventually to quit that too. But until we know more, it is impossible to speculate on the results of this one narrow study alone. It provides food for thought, certainly, but that’s about it. More controlled, in-depth studies are needed before we can announce that vaping is bad for your health. When compared to cigarettes and the damage they can do, this kind of kneejerk statement could end up doing more harm than good in itself.

What are your thoughts on the safety of vaping – and its relative safety when compared to smoking?

People Switching to E-Cigs Instead of Quitting in the New Year

January 15, 2016

Christmas is done and dusted and now we’re into January – the month of resolutions. For some, that means losing weight. For others, it means quitting smoking. And for many, it means a switch to e-cigs instead of continuing with their usual cigarettes, in an attempt to make quitting much easier than it would otherwise be.

According to BuzzFeed, which quoted data that came from IRI, a market research firm, more people are switching to electronic cigarettes this year to help them leave smoking behind completely. They’re opting for e-cigs instead of patches and other stop smoking options that were more popular in the past.

Is vaping the solution?

The vaping landscape has changed considerably in recent times. While there are small companies producing and selling vaping equipment and refills, many big tobacco manufacturers are now getting involved. Indeed, according to the latest information, the top five best-selling electronic cigarettes are all owned by major tobacco companies.

So is this a case of tobacco companies cashing in on a trend that could see their profits from cigarette sales dropping? Some people – including those at Public Health England – have voiced their concerns that the tobacco industry is getting in on the act. There is still precious little research into how safe vaping is. However, when compared to smoking, many people still think vaping is the better option.

New Year, new resolution

Any New Year brings with it lots of people who try – maybe for the first time, maybe for the umpteenth – to try and quit smoking. In the past, cold turkey was the only route they could choose. Now they have a real alternative in vaping. This could help them quit more easily than they would otherwise be able to. It makes sense that the tobacco companies would want a slice of that pie.

Giving up smoking with some kind of support is always going to be easier than trying to go it alone. News that the NHS could be about to start providing e-cigs on prescription may lead to many more people giving up this year and beyond. The savings in health costs in doing so could be significant.

What’s your opinion on giving up smoking with the aid of electronic cigarettes? Will you be doing this in 2016, or have you managed to quit already with their help? If so, do you still use e-cigs to help with cravings?

Oman Bans the Sale of Electronic Cigarettes

January 11, 2016

concerned. But it is rare to come across news that one country has banned e-cigs altogether.

While the news may be surprising on the surface, you may not be too shocked to hear that Oman is the country to have done this. The country is ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. Basically speaking, if he doesn’t want something to happen, it doesn’t happen.

This is why people living in Oman are now in the strange position of being able to buy cigarettes legally, while adhering to a complete ban on electronic cigarettes. According to news reports, the ban was brought in by the Public Authority for Consumer Protection. This is somewhat ironic, since cigarettes and cigars are easily available and perfectly legal to buy in Oman. Their reason for banning electronic cigarettes amounts to this: “… there is no scientific proof that e-cigarettes help cure addiction or are a better alternative…”

Hmm. And yet they freely allow the sale of cigarettes, which we all know are particularly harmful to health. So this cannot simply be a question of enacting a rule with the best interests of the people of Oman at heart.

Sadly, those wishing to give up smoking must go it alone in trying to do so in this part of the world. The banning of e-cigarettes is about as likely to be overturned as the availability of real cigarettes.

To those of us living in Western countries, a law like this seems bizarre. Of course, life is very different in Oman. Power is ultimately held by the Sultan, and this means his wishes shall be followed.

So if you have started the New Year with a switch to e-cigs to help you quit smoking, be thankful you live in the West, where you can do this. It’s fair to assume that quitting in Oman is far more difficult than it really needs to be. While the laws in the UK and beyond regarding e-cigs are being debated all the time, we should at least be thankful they haven’t been banned altogether, as they have here. Freedom of choice is something we tend to take for granted, purely because we have it all the time.

If you lived in Oman, you wouldn’t even be able to consider making the switch.

Vaping Tips for the Winter

December 22, 2015

So here we are again, approaching the thick of winter and wondering if there’s any possibility of snow this year. Whether the answer is yes or no, you can bet it will be colder and nastier than the weather is during the summer. At least, we assume that’s a possibility.

Either way, we’ve put together a few handy tips to be aware of to help you enjoy vaping during the winter. You may think you can carry on just as you have so far this year, but there are a few things you should be aware of that will help make the experience more pleasant.

E-cigs aren’t keen on the cold

Just as older cars can sometimes be difficult to start in the winter months, the battery in your e-cig can also cause you some problems. You may already know this if you’ve been out and about in extremely cold weather and ready to use your e-cig, only to find nothing happens.

The best way to ensure your e-cigarette is always ready when you need it is to ensure your batteries never get too cold. The colder it gets, the weaker your battery will be – and that will affect the performance you enjoy from your e-cigarette. So if you’re sitting outside at a café and you have your e-cig sitting on the table, it could get a tad difficult to use it after a while.

Take your e-cigs indoors each day – don’t leave them in the car

There are two reasons for this. The first one we’ve covered above. The second one is to do with the liquid you use to vape with. This has a tendency to get thicker as the temperatures drop. This means it won’t flow as easily as it should do. It will also be very likely to affect the flavour, as it can end up tasting burnt.

Watch out for inclement weather

The winter months tend to be wetter than the summer months (at least, that’s the theory). Since your e-cigarette is electronic, it won’t enjoy being out in the rain, hail, sleet or snow. Even on a foggy morning you may experience some problems with your e-cig, as fog is essentially just moisture hanging in the air.

So the solution here is clear – if you’re going to vape outdoors when the air has some kind of moisture in it, be sure to do so under cover or under an umbrella.

How cold is it?

While UK residents don’t tend to experience very cold temperatures, there are parts of the country that can drop well below freezing during the winter. If you happen to live in those parts, you need to be sure your metal e-cig isn’t extremely cold just as you go to use it. It is more than possible for your lips to stick to it if it is, and believe me that isn’t going to be an enjoyable experience. Check it and warm it up first if need be.

Even Politicians Are Vaping

December 18, 2015

Think of vaping, think of politicians and you probably think of policies, controversy and laws surrounding whether or not we are allowed to vape in certain locations. You probably wouldn’t think of politicians actually joining in.

And yet they do. Many politicians have spoken out at one point or another about their fight to quit smoking. Indeed, only very recently the Prime Minister, David Cameron, has said he has been “relatively successful” in quitting smoking. He was asked about it at Prime Minister’s Questions, and although he didn’t say he had used electronic cigarettes to help him quit, he did point out that other people had. He also confirmed that around a million people had taken to vaping to help them give up smoking.

This follows the leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage, saying he was trying vaping earlier this year. It has also been reported that the former leader of the Lib Dems, Nick Clegg, has switched from smoking to vaping to help him give up.

Uncertainty over the safety of e-cigs?

Some people have questioned how safe electronic cigarettes actually are. There hasn’t been much in the way of research on this yet, and what there has been has seemed to indicate e-cigs are safer than tobacco.

Everyone knows tobacco is dangerous and harmful to health. Smoking is a habit that, once attained, is very hard to give up. It would be virtually impossible to estimate how many people have tried to give up smoking over the years, only to fall back into the habit again.

However, while electronic cigarettes are still something of a new entity, Public Health England seems to be backing them as a good way of helping people quit smoking. They released a report back in August this year that revealed their opinion that e-cigarettes were “95% less harmful than conventional tobacco”. Since smoking is thought to cost the NHS £2 billion every year, it’s no big surprise to see Public Health England supporting the use of electronic cigarettes. These could indeed be a good alternative to smoking, and a good way to help people quit.

Vaping in the public eye

There is no doubt that vaping has become more recognisable in recent times. Now we see celebrities, politicians and other famous people doing it. We also see people vaping as they walk by us on the street. Recently it was reported that electronic cigarettes may even be made available on the NHS for those who wish to quit smoking.

The original report released by Public Health England highlighted the significantly-lower risk associated with electronic cigarettes as opposed to tobacco. Some have pointed out there could still be a risk associated with using e-cigs. However, when compared to smoking a real cigarette, surely it is better to vape than to smoke?

When the Prime Minister seems to support the use of electronic cigarettes, it is time to sit up and take notice. And he isn’t speaking as a lifelong non-smoker either – he has clearly tried and failed to give up smoking a few times before being successful in doing so. He may not have tried vaping in order to quit smoking, but he clearly understands why many people do.

Perhaps most notably, Public Health England recognised that e-cigs are not completely without risk. But when you compare them to smoking, it’s clear there are major differences. Since some of our politicians have made the switch, along with celebrities, film stars and all manner of other famous people, doesn’t it make sense to consider the benefits of doing so in your own life?

Glasgow Allow Use of E-Cigarettes on Hospital Grounds

December 17, 2015

Back in April, smoking was banned in all hospital grounds across Scotland. However, the ban did not extend to the use of electronic cigarettes. Instead, each individual health board was allowed to make its own decision on whether or not vaping would be permitted.

Now, the biggest health board in Scotland has decided to grant permission for people to vape in certain areas of NHS hospital grounds. The health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, is now the second to make such concessions. NHS Lothian was the first, having decided at the time of the cigarette-smoking ban to allow people to use them.

Why has NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde changed its mind?

It would appear they have heeded advice released by Public Health England, as well as the results of their own research. Public Health England has indicated e-cigarettes can be very useful when it comes to finding an easier way to stop smoking.

Furthermore, the NHS GGC discovered nearly one-third of smokers in that area of Scotland are going to use e-cigs to help them try and stop smoking altogether. Therefore, by allowing people in that health board to use e-cigarettes on hospital grounds, the NHS GGC is helping support them in their attempts to quit. And who knows, they might also encourage other people to quit as well.

E-cigarettes can help people quit smoking

Plenty of people know this already. If you’re using e-cigs to help you quit smoking tobacco, you’ll know they can help make the process a lot easier than it would otherwise be.

According to the research done by NHS GGC, some 18% of people in the area who had already given up smoking had done so with the aid of electronic cigarettes.

Could this lead to more of the Scottish health boards taking the same action?

It remains to be seen whether this will be the case. Of the 13 health boards in Scotland, only one originally decided to allow e-cigarettes to be used in certain areas. Even with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde joining them, this still leaves 11 that do not currently allow them to be used.

Interestingly enough, Health Scotland has also recommended the use of electronic cigarettes when someone wants to try and quit smoking. The guidance they recently released said this quite clearly.

This is not the first piece of news concerning the approach to e-cigs in public places to hit the headlines in recent times. In Wales, the Government originally decided to ban vaping in all public places. However, this has now changed to places where children may be found. Even with this change, many are still unhappy at being banned from vaping in public.

So it now seems as if vaping is becoming more acceptable again, thanks to moves by certain health authorities in Scotland. Could we one day see vaping being allowed across all NHS properties in the country, albeit in selected areas? In the NHS GGC area at least, clear signage will be used to indicate areas where people are allowed to vape. There is a reasonable chance some people might end up switching from smoking to vaping, particularly if they see other people doing it.

In the end, a U-turn on vaping in hospital grounds across Scotland could turn out to be a positive thing. Making it more visible and supporting it as a way to stop smoking can surely only help the NHS in the end. We suspect over time there will indeed be more NHS areas that will accept vaping as a healthier alternative.