600 puffs vape for EU market Manufacturers

On June 30, almost a year after Panama’s National Assembly passed legislation banning vape product sales, Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo gave his assent to the bill. The new law prohibits sales and importation of all vaping and heated tobacco products, with or without nicotine. The law does not criminalize use, but bans vaping in any place where smoking is not allowed. The new law also prohibits internet purchases, and gives customs officials authority to inspect, detain and seize shipments. Resellers are allowed to import banned products meant for export to third countries, according to La Prensa.

The vaping products and more recently the heated tobacco products (HTP) provide alternatives for smokers since they are generally perceived to be less harmful than conventional cigarettes. However, it is crucial to compare the health risks of these different emergent devices, in order to determine which product should be preferred to substitute cigarette.

Belgium has become the EU first country to ban the sale of disposable vapes in an effort to stop young people from becoming addicted to nicotine and to protect the environment. The sale of disposable electronic cigarettes is banned in Belgium on health and environmental grounds from 1 January. A ban on outdoor smoking in Milan came into force on the same day, as EU countries discuss tighter controls on tobacco. Announcing the ban last year, Belgium’s health minister, Frank Vandenbroucke, described electronic cigarettes as an “extremely harmful” product that damages society and the environment. “Disposable e-cigarettes is a new product simply designed to attract new consumers,” he told the Associated Press. “E-cigarettes often contain nicotine. Nicotine makes you addicted to nicotine. Nicotine is bad for your health.”

The Philippines Senate today passed a bill that would legalize and regulate vaping and heated tobacco products, and eliminate the Philippines FDA’s authority over the products. The Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act (SB 2239) was approved by a vote of 19-2, with two senators abstaining.The Philippines House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a similar bill in May. The two bills will now go to a conference committee where they will be reconciled, and both houses will vote on the final version. Then the unified bill will go to President Rodrigo Duterte to sign into law or veto (if he takes no action, the bill automatically becomes law after 30 days).

This article describes the harms of reducing smoking

While public health advocates are frustrated as most PMTAs remain pending despite a September deadline set by the US District Court in Maryland, several anti-tobacco groups keep pressuring the agency to flat out deny applications for flavoured vaping products. With regards to the newly approved Logic Technology products, the FDA said that given that they are just tobacco flavoured, they may be less appealing to teens and could probably be of benefit to adult smokers seeking an alternative to traditional cigarettes. The agency added that their smoking cessation benefits to adults likely outweigh the risks to young people. Similarly, fifteen past Presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) have recently published an article highlighting the importance of weighing the benefits of e-cigarettes against their risks, when debating and considering vape regulations.