JUUL fights back against teen vaping critics
In an effort to reduce the controversy being whipped up around their products, JUUL Labs has announced a $30 million support package for state and federal plans to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products. As part of this, they have now recruited Iowa’s Attorney General to lead the company’s efforts.
JUUL’s activities have caused come debate among vaping advocates, as many people see 18 as a more appropriate age for both tobacco and vapour products to be legally available, but the company has been forced to take action because of the way its products have been demonised in the media. A largely non-existent “epidemic” of teenage JUUL use has been receiving widespread coverage for several weeks now. The latest development is that several vape shop owners are reporting encounters with teens who want to be the first person in their school to own the new trend – a trend entirely manufactured by irresponsible reporting and anti-vaping activism.
New Jersey town bans beach smoking – but exempts e-cigs
Asbury Park, a coastal community in New Jersey, joined the growing movement towards smoke-free beaches this week. However, in a welcome change from recent trends, they have embraced tobacco harm reduction by exempting vapour products from the ban.
The town is a popular destination for tourists, and apparently there have been some complaints about cigarette butts on the beaches. The smoking ban, which was narrowly passed by the town council on Thursday and came into force immediately, is aimed at cleaning up the beach as well as the usual public health arguments. Smoking will still be allowed on the boardwalk, and the town plans to install new ashtrays there to reduce littering, but on the beach itself only vaping will be permitted.
Longer puffs help smokers switch
A new study from Florida has found that taking longer puffs on an e-cigarette is associated with more success at switching from smoking to vaping. A group of 25 adult smokers were given e-cigarettes capable of recording the number and length of puff they took through the day, along with a variety of other information including the power output of the device.
The experiment was split into a four-week replacement period and a twelve-week maintenance period. 64% of participants had fully switched to vaping after four weeks; 32% were still vaping exclusively after another twelve weeks. The 32% were classed as the “success” group, and the others the “failure” group.
Analysis of data from the devices showed that the number of puffs taken daily had no noticeable effect on success or failure, but the length of each puff did make a difference. The success group took significantly puffs, and they also increased the number of daily puffs and the device power output as they moved from the replacement to the maintenance period.
BAT recalls Vibe cigalikes
RJ Reynolds Vapor, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco, has issued a recall notice for its Vibe product after several batteries overheated. The Vibe is part of RJR’s Vuse range, and is frequently sold in convenience stores in the USA. Previously one of the leading cigalike brands, it’s been losing market share recently thanks to the rise of JUUL, but it’s still one of RJR’s flagship vapour products.
Now RJR has issued a recall for all Vibe devices, following ten incidents where batteries overheated. None of these incidents caused any injuries, but RJR say that they could potentially start a fire. Although the recall applies to all Vibes, RJR believe the problem only affects one small batch which uses batteries manufactured two years ago.
Common sense breaks out in Texas
The city of Ennis, Texas has amended its anti-smoking laws to make life easier for vape shops. Up to now, vaping in business premises in Ennis has been regulated the same way as smoking – basically a total ban. However, the city commission recently looked at the issue again after a vape shop owner explained how the restriction would affect his newly opened business. The commission has now amended the law to allow vaping in business premises that are solely devoted to tobacco products.
