Author: James Anderson

A new study published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research has found that smokers who switched from cigarettes to e-cigarettes experienced significant improvements in respiratory health. Researchers analyzed data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, a large-scale, national survey of tobacco use conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to determine how different nicotine use behaviors impact respiratory symptoms over time. The study included adult participants who exclusively smoked cigarettes at the onset of the research and reported common respiratory symptoms such as coughing and wheezing. Researchers divided the subjects into four groups: those who quit…

A new study from the University of Michigan has shed light on the primary reasons teenagers engage in vaping, with relaxation, boredom, and experimentation emerging as key factors. The research, titled “Reasons for Vaping Among U.S. Adolescents” and published in Pediatrics, analyzed data from in-school surveys of U.S. students in eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades. Megan Patrick, a researcher at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, emphasized the importance of understanding why adolescents vape to develop effective strategies for reducing and preventing nicotine use among teenagers. The study found that vaping has become the primary method of nicotine…

New York City filed a federal lawsuit against Price Point Distributors Inc., a major distributor of disposable flavored e-cigarettes, on Thursday. The Farmingdale, Long Island-based company stands accused of distributing e-cigarettes with flavors such as snow cone, strawberry shortcake, and Hawaii Punch to retail stores and directly to consumers in New York City and across the country through online sales, violating nearly every applicable federal, New York state, and New York City law governing the sale of such products. New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Acting Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant announced the lawsuit, emphasizing that flavored…

The Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024 has passed through Ireland’s Seanad on November 7, completing its passage through both houses of the Oireachtas. The Bill, which aims to increase the minimum legal age for the sale of tobacco products to 21 years, now heads to President Higgins for his signature. Once signed, the Act will take effect on February 1, 2028, allowing for a transition period to ensure that individuals currently eligible to purchase tobacco products, specifically those aged between 18 and 21, are not impacted. The Bill extends current penalties for anyone convicted of selling tobacco products to…

The UK government has unveiled plans to make smoking illegal in children’s playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals in England, with certain areas also becoming vape-free. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have already made it an offense to smoke on NHS hospital grounds. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will also prohibit anyone currently aged 15 or under from buying cigarettes and grant more powers to restrict vape flavors, displays, and packaging. The government previously announced a ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes from next June in England and Wales. Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasized the government’s commitment to…

A Defra report has cautioned ministers that the proposed ban on the sale of disposable vapes by next summer could lead to some users “reverting or relapsing” back to cigarette smoking. The report reveals that 29% of current vapers may either return to smoking tobacco or quit vaping and smoking altogether as a result of the ban, potentially leading to “health disbenefits.” The legislation, set to be introduced to Parliament this year, aims to ban the sale of single-use vapes in England, partially to limit the environmental damage they cause. However, the impact assessment by Defra assumes that while most…

The Labour government has announced plans to ban the sale of disposable vapes in England and Wales starting from June 1, 2025. The legislation, recently introduced in Parliament, will make it illegal for retailers to sell these devices after the specified date. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has stated that businesses will have until the deadline to sell any remaining stock and prepare for the ban’s implementation. Vape Usage Skyrockets, Prompting Concerns About Youth Addiction Defra reported that vape usage in England has surged by more than 400% between 2012 and 2023, with 9.1% of the…

The government has confirmed that England and Wales will ban the sale of single-use disposable vapes starting from June 2025. The move, initially announced in January by the previous government but not enacted before the general election, aims to safeguard children’s health and mitigate environmental harm. The government collaborated closely with the devolved nations to align the implementation dates of the ban, with Wales already confirming its intention to follow suit.

As the number of adults estimated to vape in Great Britain continues to rise, from four-and-a-half million in 2022 to more than five million in 2023, concerns have emerged about the negative impact of improperly disposing of single-use or disposable vapes. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) reported responding to more than 200 fires caused by lithium batteries, as found in disposable vapes, in the past two years. Recycling Challenges with Disposable Vapes Campaigners attribute the difficulty in safely disposing of vapes to the materials and chemicals used in their production, including lithium batteries. While refillable vapes and e-cigarettes allow for…

Former president Donald Trump expressed enthusiastic support for vaping on Friday, vowing to protect the industry following a private meeting earlier in the day with a leading vaping lobbyist. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump claimed he “saved Flavored Vaping in 2019” and would “save Vaping again!” Trump’s comments present a revisionist account of his administration’s approach to vaping, which involves heating nicotine to create an inhaled aerosol. His statement overlooks the significant crackdown he pursued as president, which antismoking advocates regard as one of the surprising accomplishments of his tenure and a contributing factor…