Brazilian Consumer Protection Agency Cracks Down on Illegal Vape Ads Targeting Youth
Procon Goiás, the consumer protection agency in the Brazilian state of Goiás, has notified Facebook to provide information about advertisements on its platform promoting the sale of electronic smoking devices, including vapes, pods, and e-cigarettes. The agency took action after monitoring the app’s marketplace and discovering numerous ads from establishments selling these products.
Read moreThe Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency (Agenzia delle dogane e monopoli) has now blocked a total of 909 websites for the illegal sale of inhalable liquid products or fiscally monopolized goods. The agency’s latest action targets new websites, giving them until December 18 to regularize their position by removing elements or products that cannot be made accessible to private individuals, including ready-to-use liquids and disposable e-cigarettes.
Read moreInvestigation Aims to Combat Youth Vaping Epidemic and Hold Manufacturers Accountable
Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, who also serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus to End the Youth Vaping Epidemic, launched an inquiry on Monday into illegal vape imports from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the United States. The inquiry is part of the Ranking Member’s larger campaign to end all forms of youth vaping.
Read moreThe Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, has passed a vote introducing new regulations to prohibit the supply, including for free, of single-use disposable vapes in Wales. The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Wales) Regulations 2024 aims to tackle the litter and plastic pollution that harm the environment and wildlife.
Read moreThe UK government has launched decisive action to tackle the growing vape disposal crisis, announcing new regulations that will require online giants Amazon and eBay to contribute to recycling costs. This targeted approach addresses the mounting environmental concerns surrounding disposable e-cigarettes.
Read moreThe Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has taken a firm stance against misleading social media posts by vape companies FLARE and SHFT, highlighting serious regulatory compliance issues in the Philippine vaping industry.
Read moreAntitobacco Groups Urge Swift Action to Protect Public Health
Leading tobacco control organizations are calling on Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks to swiftly remove flavoured vaping products from the market, as promised earlier this fall. The groups cite recent Canadian studies as further evidence of the harm caused by the federal government’s three-and-a-half-year delay in finalizing these critical regulations.
Read moreSixteen European Union countries, led by the Netherlands, have called on the European Commission to propose a new law in the coming months that would include electronic cigarettes (vapes) in the bloc’s tobacco taxation legislation. The current EU tobacco taxation law, dating back to 2011, does not cover these new products, leading to fragmentation and an uneven playing field across the bloc.
The initiative, supported by Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Slovenia, and Portugal, highlights the shortcomings of the existing legislation in addressing the challenges faced by Member States’ administrations. In a letter to the Commission, finance ministers from these countries argue that the current directive’s provisions are insufficient or too narrow to effectively regulate vaping products.
Due to the lack of comprehensive EU legislation, Member States have taken appropriate actions at the national level, resulting in a patchwork of rules and regulations. This fragmentation has led to an uneven playing field and, ultimately, the distortion of the EU’s internal market.
The update to the EU tobacco taxation law, originally due at the end of 2022, has been delayed. The 16 governments now urge the new Commission, which took office on December 1 for the next five years, to address this issue as a matter of urgency.
While the European Commission has set some regulatory standards for e-cigarettes, including limits on nicotine content and labeling requirements, the rules still vary significantly from country to country. In France, for example, people under the age of 18 cannot buy vapes, and their use is banned in certain public places, including universities and on public transport. Italy, on the other hand, lifted a ban on using electronic cigarettes in public in 2013, although their use in or near schools remains forbidden.
Disposable vapes have attracted particular attention from lawmakers in some European Union countries amid growing environmental and health concerns. The German Federal Council, the upper house of parliament, has called on the government to push for a similar ban on disposable vapes across the EU.
As the debate over the regulation and taxation of vaping products continues, the 16 EU countries’ initiative underscores the need for a harmonized approach to address the challenges posed by these new products and ensure a level playing field within the bloc’s internal market.
Draft Royal Decree Aims to Regulate E-Cigarettes and Nicotine Pouches
Spain’s Ministry of Health has proposed a new royal decree that aims to ban flavored and aromatic vapes in an effort to steer the smoking devices away from the youngest sector of the population. The vaping craze has caught on among young people in Spain, causing issues with social interactions and becoming a gateway to smoking.
Read moreThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on December 5 that it has issued warning letters to 115 brick-and-mortar retailers for selling unauthorized e-cigarette products. The warning letters specifically cite the sale of disposable e-cigarette products owned by Chinese manufacturers and marketed under popular brand names, including Geek Bar Pulse, Geek Bar Skyview, Geek Bar Platinum, and Elf Bar.
Read more