Daily Archives: December 17, 2021

PRINCETON A Mercer County lawsuit that seeks to stop the vaping industry from marketing its products to teenagers is now in the courts.

The lawsuit has officially been filed as of Monday, county commissioner Greg Puckett said Wednesday. Mercer County was the first in the state.

The county commission voted earlier this year to join the JUUL Lawsuit and is being represented in the case by Attorney Rusty Webb of the Webb Law Center.

In the lawsuit, it is argued that manufacturers of e-cigarettes JUUL being the leading manufacturer have been marketing vaping to teenagers as safer and less addictive than cigarettes, Webb said in an earlier report.

In addition to Mercer County, Puckett said Greenbrier, Raleigh, Gilmer and Mineral counties have all signed on to the lawsuit.

Within the coming weeks, it is expected that Pocahontas, Braxton, Calhoun and Putnam will sign on as well, Puckett said.

Between 2017 and 2019, there was a 150 percent increase in the number of high school students using e-cigarettes, Webb said in the earlier report. Furthermore, as of 2019, 35.7 percent of the countrys high school students were using e-cigarettes.

Puckett said vaping is becoming an epidemic among the regions youth.

What this (lawsuit) does is it holds the firms accountable and shows the kids that it (vaping) is not a less harmful tool, Puckett said.

Part of the problem right now is that there are no regulations regarding vaping shops and vaping businesses, Puckett said.

It goes back to accountability and regulatory issues on building permits, Puckett said. They could (right now) put a business in the middle of the mountain.

The commission voted 2-1 in October to join the lawsuit. Puckett and commissioner Bill Archer backed the motion with Commission President Gene Buckner voting no.

Theres a part of the contract that says (Webb Law Center) gets 33 percent of the gross collection and if they spend any money as far as detectives or anybody else who does outside work, they get paid $35 an hour, Buckner said during the earlier meeting. Its coming out of the gross income, which is what the county would get out of it.

Instead, the law firm should get 33 percent off the top and leave the rest of it alone, Buckner argued during that earlier meeting.

Email:cowens@bdtonline.com

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Lawsuit filed against vaping industry | State & Region | register-herald.com - Beckley Register-Herald

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The 2021 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey data released today show progress in the fight to curb youth nicotine vaping, signaling efforts to provide education to prevent e-cigarette use and quitting resources are starting to work. However, more is needed to accelerate progress to end the ongoing youth e-cigarette epidemic amid growing concerns over continued, easy access to flavored products, risk of nicotine addiction, and the impact on youth mental health. While there have been declines across the board among surveyed students in all three grades, according to the 2021 MTF data 19.6% of 12th graders, 13.1% of 10th graders and 7.6% of 8th graders used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days (considered current use).

When it comes to youth use, today's Monitoring the Future results follow those of the September 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), which showed that more than 2 in 5 high school students who vape, do so frequently. Together, these findings suggest that far too many young people are highly dependent and continue to be at risk for a lifetime of nicotine addiction. This is especially troubling given the U.S. Surgeon General's recent advisory about our nation's youth mental health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic and the fact that nicotine can worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression. Today's MTF findings also show significant increases in mental health issues among teens across all measures. Furthermore, a recent Truth Initiative survey shows 81% of respondents who had ever vaped reported they started vaping nicotine to decrease anxiety, depression, or stress. Yet, the very thing that young people are turning to relieve stress can actually make it worse.

These MTF numbers underscore the urgent need for stronger regulatory action on high nicotine, youth-appealing flavored tobacco products, including menthol. As the pandemic has shown, less access equals less use among teens, yet the FDA has failed to complete premarket review of the top e-cigarette brands - JUUL, Puff Bar and Vuse Alto - that make up 75% of the market and are most popular among youth, despite the September 2021 deadline to do so. Stronger federal policies must be put in place immediately to restrict youth access and remove flavored tobacco products. The policies must be clear, comprehensive, and consistently enforced with no loopholes. Delayed rulings and ad hoc policy responses to date, like warning letters to vaping companies or partial flavor bans, have resulted in product substitution, failures to comply, and new illegal products continuing to enter the market. The number one brand used by youth, Puff Bar, not only comes in a wide variety of flavors, but has also recently indicated that it will now be manufactured with synthetic nicotine in a brazen attempt to thwart FDA oversight. Without effective federal regulation, local and state policies must continue to play a crucial role in curbing flavored tobacco sales and use among youth given inconsistent national regulations.

While the FDA continues to delay progress, Truth Initiative and our public health partners continue to increase efforts to end youth nicotine vaping with encouraging results. Truth Initiative's proven-effective nationaltruthcampaign is focused on giving young people the facts on the risks of e-cigarette use and the connection between vaping nicotine and its impact on mental health. Our research shows that strong truth brand awareness is significantly associated with a lower likelihood of current vaping. This is Quitting from truth, afirst-of-its-kind, free text message quit vaping program designed specifically for teens and young adults already has nearly 400,000 young people enrolled to date. A recent randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows This Is Quitting increased e-cigarette quit vaping rates among young adults by nearly 40% compared to a control group.truthalso offers a free, comprehensive digital high school curriculum,Vaping: Know the truth, that gives students the facts about the health dangers of e-cigarettes and helps those already vaping to quit with a direct link to This is Quitting built into the course.

About Truth Initiative Truth Initiative is a national public health organization that is inspiring lives free from smoking, vaping and nicotine and building a culture where all young people reject tobacco. In 2020, we celebrated 20 years of saving lives and preventing millions of youth from smoking. Our impact has helped drive the teen smoking rate down from 23% in 2000 to 4.2% in 2020. The truth about tobacco and the tobacco industry are at the heart of our proven-effective and nationally recognized truth public education campaign. truth has also recently taken on the youth epidemics of vaping and opioids. Our rigorous scientific research and policy studies, community and youth engagement programs supporting populations at high risk of using tobacco and innovation in tobacco dependence treatment, are also helping to end one of the most critical public health battles of our time. Based in Washington D.C., our organization, formerly known as the American Legacy Foundation, was established and funded through the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. To learn more, visit truthinitiative.org.

The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future study tracks trends in substance use among students in 12th, 10th, and 8th grades.

SOURCE Truth Initiative

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NEW SURVEY SHOWS PROGRESS ON CURBING TEEN VAPING, BUT E-CIGARETTE USE REMAINS HIGH AS ACCESS TO FLAVORS, RISK OF NICOTINE ADDICTION, AND IMPACT ON...

With the number of people vaping reaching an all-time high in the UK and a glut of new products coming onto the market, there has been confusion amongst retailers surrounding what they can and cant sell in the category.

In an effort to clear up the confusion, trade body United Kingdom Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has published a guide to compliant retailing of disposable vape products in the UK.

Here we provide you with a summary of that guide focusing on the biggest threat to the vape industry: high nicotine, high-capacity devices.

According to Eco Vape Ltd managing director Robert Sidebottom: As a rule of thumb if you are offered a disposable device that has a puff capacity that is greater than 600 and or has more than 20mg/ml of nicotine it is without any doubt illegal to sell in the UK.

One example of this is the Geek Bar Pro, a 1600 puff device that contains 50mg of nicotine.

Any nicotine containing device used for the purpose of vaping must conform to the regulations. As a retailer look out for the following.

No, just because a vape product has an ECID number does not make it legal. The ECID is a reference number that is attributed by the manufacturer, the number has no significance until the product is listed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Companies caught selling products that are non-compliant can face prosecution, risk having their stock seized and receive fines of up to 5,000 per instance.

The MHRA is the competent authority for a notification scheme for e-cigarettes and refill containers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The MHRA maintain the lists of products that have been notified and publishes these after assessing the submission from the manufacturer.

Anyone can check the MHRA list as it is public https://cms.mhra.gov.uk/ecig checking recent submissions is relatively simple just type in the brand name or if known the ECID. There are however two legacy lists that you will also need to check https://cms.mhra.gov.uk/ecig-old-submission.

If the product is not listed it is not legal for sale, regardless if it has an ECID or complies with puff and nicotine rules above.

No, the MHRA issued guidance in July to clarify this.

Supply of New Products from 1 January 2021:To supply new E-cigarette products in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland you must notify your products via the appropriate notification system for each region. To supply a product to Great Britain you are required to notify using the MHRA submission portal. To supply a product to Northern Ireland you will continue to use EU-CEG.

Once you have successfully submitted your notifications, they will be reviewed for compliance by the MHRA. Once your product notification has been published you will be able to legally supply the goods in the region for which they have been notified.

Sidebottom warned that the time spent checking products is worth the effort. I am aware that this seems like a laborious process to check if your products are legal. This is simplified by asking your supplier for evidence that the products they are selling you are listed. Ask for the ECID, the MHRA invoice and proof of payment, then look them up.

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How to sell vape products legally in the UK - Convenience Store

When you read about vaping online, throat hit is a term that youre going to see regularly. Thats because throat hit is something thats core to the vaping experience and has a strong influence over how satisfying you perceive an e-cigarette to be especially when youre new to vaping and are still in the process of transitioning to a completely tobacco-free lifestyle.

Because throat hit is so important to the quality of your vaping experience, its something that youll want to fully understand before you go to a vape shop like V2 Cigs UK and start stocking up on vaping hardware and e-liquid. You might be the type of vaper who wants a more assertive throat hit or perhaps you prefer things a bit on the smoother side. Your preferences will influence the type of vape gear that you should buy, and in this article, were going to explain the details. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about throat hit.

Throat hit is the sensation that you feel in your throat and in the back of your mouth when you inhale nicotine. Its actually a form of irritation caused by the nicotine and the smoke, and its one of the reasons why you probably coughed when you smoked a cigarette for the first time. Its also one of the reasons why some of the worlds governments are trying to ban or have already banned menthol cigarettes. Menthol numbs the throat, thus making it easier for new smokers to initiate nicotine use. Without menthol, some people might try cigarettes for the first time, cough violently and never smoke again.

The fact that youre reading this article, though, means you made it through the initial coughing and continued to smoke. Along the way, throat hit changed from an irritation to something that you actually enjoyed and anticipated. Youve probably especially grown to love that sensation in your throat when you light up after going without a cigarette for several hours.

When people talk about throat hit in vaping, theyre talking about replicating the sensation that they feel when smoking. Some people find it difficult to derive any real sense of satisfaction from vaping if they dont feel an assertive throat hit, and thats why choosing the right e-liquid and vaping equipment for your needs is so important. While two different e-liquids may deliver the same amount of nicotine to your body, using those e-liquids could feel entirely different from the standpoint of throat hit.

So, why is it that two e-liquids with the same nicotine strength can be so different in terms of throat hit? Mostly, it depends on the flavouring compounds and additives used in those e-liquids. As you choose the e-liquid flavours that you want to try, these are the things you should keep in mind if throat hit is a priority for you.

When youre comparing two e-liquids that have the same nicotine strength, the flavour profiles of those e-liquids will be the biggest influence on throat hit. Flavour, however, isnt the only factor contributing to a strong or weak throat hit. Here are some of the other things you should consider as you determine your ideal vaping setup.

If youre a newer vaper, you may have read this article and wondered why anyone would ever use the direct-to-lung inhaling style and e-liquids with nicotine strengths as low as 3 mg/ml if doing so would mean eliminating almost all throat hit from the equation. The answer is that, as you gain vaping experience, you may eventually decide that throat hit simply isnt very important to you anymore.

Once you reach the point at which youre vaping simply for the pleasure of it rather than to keep your cigarette cravings at bay, you may want to begin vaping in a way that emphasizes flavour rather than throat hit. Thats exactly what you get when you switch to a lower-nicotine e-liquid and begin using a vaping device designed for direct-to-lung inhaling.

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What Is Throat Hit in Vaping, and Why Is It Important? - Salon Priv Magazine

GOSHEN Faced with a rise in vaping/e-cigarette usage by students at the junior high and high school levels, Goshen Community Schools officials Monday announced theyll be implementing some tough new discipline policies to try and combat the trend.

Helping to present the new policies during the Goshen school board meeting were Barry Younghans, principal of Goshen High School, and Jan Baker, principal of Goshen Junior High School.

This is not a fun topic to talk about this evening, but we wanted to educate all of you on where Goshen Community Schools is at in terms of vaping, and what were doing about this crisis thats not only happening here at Goshen Community Schools, but in Elkhart County, the state and nationwide, Baker said.

According to Baker, a total of 69 incidents of drug possession and/or vaping usage have been recorded corporationwide through December of the current school year, with a majority of those incidents 42 involving vaping/e-cigarette violations.

That number is particularly distressing when compared to the past three school years, where the 2020-21 school year recorded a total of 60 violations of drug possession and/or vaping for the entire year, while the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years each recorded an average of about 30 violations total, Baker explained.

So, this is the trend across the nation, but its also right here in Goshen, she said.

Speaking to what the school corporation is doing to try and curb the growing vaping/e-cigarette trend, Younghans noted that several new policies and practices will soon be implemented at both the junior high and high school levels.

Its a huge problem, and we need to get a handle on it, Younghans said. So, some things that were doing, were taking some steps.

One such step involves putting two staff members in every restroom during all passing periods and before and after school at both the high school and junior high buildings.

We want kids to feel safe when they go to the restrooms, when theyre using the restrooms, Younghans said. We want to make sure theyre safe, and thats one way we can do that.

Another planned step involves hosting class grade-level meetings once students return from their holiday break to educate them about the dangers of vaping.

When we educate, were going to have GPD involved, Elkhart County Health involved, our Goshen Fire Department involved, our school nurses involved, Younghans said. Weve tried to educate all along, but this will be an additional opportunity to try to get that taken care of.

Rounding out the planned steps will be implementation of a number of new, harsher penalties for students caught possessing or using vaping/e-cigarette products while on school grounds.

We have to send a stronger message, Younghans told the board. So, were going to do some additional steps when kids are caught with these products.

According to the plan, students caught with a nicotine-containing product for the first time will face a three-day suspension and be required to take an online education class. Younghans noted that the three-day suspension can be reduced if the students complete the class in a timely manner.

For a second offense, students will be issued a $145 police-issued ticket, as well as a five-day suspension.

Were hoping we wont have to do a lot of those, but we probably will, Younghans said. A third nicotine offense is a second ticket, and then a recommendation for expulsion.

And again, we dont want to be expelling kids for this, he added. Some of these kids are addicted. Weve got to help them. But weve got to figure out how to do that, and one of the things weve got to do is get it out of the schools as much as we can.

As for any student found to be in possession of a THC/marijuana product, Younghans said that will now be grounds for automatic expulsion, while students found to be selling any related paraphernalia will face automatic expulsion and arrest.

We have some of that going on, Younghans said. We know that.

According to Baker, vaping/e-cigarette companies are known to market directly to kids by offering many brightly colored, appealing products that are easy to transport/conceal, are relatively inexpensive, and that come in a variety of attractive flavors, such as berry and bubblegum.

We talk to our 12- and 13-year-olds, and they say, Well, its just vape. Its just a vape, vapors, Baker said of her students. They dont understand that one of those vapes is equivalent to a pack of cigarettes, 20 cigarettes.

The level of nicotine that theyre ingesting is much, much stronger than they would get through traditional cigarettes, added GCS Superintendent Steven Hope, noting that the younger a student is exposed to nicotine, the greater the chance that theyll eventually become addicted.

Whats more, Baker noted that many of the vaping/e-cigarette products confiscated from students actually belonged to their parents, making it all the more important for parents to be vigilant when it comes to the potential vaping habits of their children.

Where we need help is from our parents, to look in those backpacks, to look into things that kids are bringing to school, and recognize what theyre looking at, Baker said, noting that recognizing vaping/e-cigarette products can be tough, especially given the large variety of products offered and the fact that they change frequently.

So, we need help from our parents as well, she said.

As part of that effort, the school corporation will be hosting a special presentation on vaping/e-cigarettes for parents of school-age children from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Goshen Junior High School Media Center.

All of our parents in our community are invited to attend this, Baker said. It is just a Q&A, and what to look for, and how to help our kids, and just to educate our parents on what to look for.

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Goshen Schools to implement harsher penalties amid growing vaping concerns - Goshen News

Violators are subject to a Class A civil infraction which could equate to a fine of up to $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for corporations.

Under the new ordinance, violations are subject to a Class A civil infraction issued by a county code enforcement officer. This could equate to a fine of up to $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for corporations. Even though the vote was not unanimous, we clearly heard each commissioner express agreement that the use of tobacco substances is harmful and marketing strategies that aggressively target anyone in our communityespecially young people and marginalized groupsare unacceptable, said Harrington.

Im confident that this step forward, along with the roll out of statewide tobacco retail licensing requirements, will serve to protect the health of all Washington County residents, added the chair.

Earlier this year, the Oregon Senate approved House Bill 2261, a measure banning online sales of vaping products. An earlier article on Vaping Post by Michael McGrady, had explained that naturally this move is significant for vapers and vape businesses alike. Meanwhile in 2020, a flavour ban proposed by Oregon Governor Kate Brown was killed, and a program to license all nicotine retailers was put forward instead.

Oregon Measure Proposing E-Cig Tax is Up For Voting

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US: First County in Oregon Bans The Sales of Flavoured Vaping Products US: First County in Oregon Bans The Sales of Flavoured Vaping Products - Vaping...

As the global supply chain encounters massive shortages, getting basic materials like ceramics, stainless steel and computer chips from China has gotten difficult and is nowabout to hit the U.S. cannabis industry, reported Bloomberg. The cannabis industry has so far been shielded from supply-chain woes because most of it is hyper-local. But state-specific supply chains can only protect the industry for so long.

I believe this issue will go on at least until the end of May, Arnaud Dumas de Rauly, CEO of Blinc Group, a cannabis vaping hardware firm, told Bloomberg. And its not just vape devices, added de Rauly. Raw materials, LED lights for grow housesand chipsall of it comes from China.

Were trying to order ahead were not paying more, but were paying upfront, also weve begun to source domestic pools of inventory, de Rauly said.

When the supply-chain impacts begin to be felt, theyll hit products like packaged pre-roll joints and vape cartridges more than raw flower, saidJosh Krane, vice president of operations at4Front Ventures, a large-scale cannabis cultivation and manufacturing company.

Vapes: A Large Segment In The U.S. Industry

Jessica LukasSVP in commercial development at BDSA, a leading cannabis market research company, told Benzinga that inhalables are the preferred mode of consumption. A broader offer of products enables consumers to find new stays throughout the week to consume cannabis. We are talking about people vaping more and more often.

Lukas highlighted that cannabis brands are expanding their reach in the US and are beginning to cross state borders, weve seen Colorado and California brands coming to the East Coast and MSOs bringing their product to more legacy markets.

Some of these products including vapes,oil, distillates and live resin are the most popular among consumers.

Lukas noted that as the vaping segment becomes more crowded, price differentiation will be key to succeeding in a largely unregulated market. Brands will have to innovate and address particular markets.

However, without federal regulations governingthe cannabis supply chain, marijuana production and cost structures remain uncompetitive and will continue to exclude smaller producers from accessing markets and achieving theconditions to produce cannabis more efficiently.

Image ByVape Chiara Summer On Unsplash.

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Supply Chain Crisis Being Felt In Cannabis Industry, Vapes And Pre Rolls Likely Affected Soon - Benzinga - Benzinga

HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. The Henderson County Sheriffs Department is investigating a Thursday night burglary.

According to a preliminary report, an unknown man broke into Gorskis Gas Station, located off Highway 412 West, and stole over $2,400 worth of vaping materials.

Authorities were dispatched around 10:33 p.m. after receiving an alarm call from the store. Upon arrival, they observed the glass on the front door was broken and found a piece of cement on the floor near the entrance.

The store owner was advised to come to the scene, where he allowed authorities to review footage from the security camera.

The report says the footage shows the man using the cement to break the glass and reaching inside to unlock the door. Once inside, he is seen grabbing two shelves of what appeared to be smoking vapes, and escaping westbound on foot. Authorities searched the area but were unable to make contact.

The store owner says around 80 vapes were missing, with a combined total of $2,475.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Henderson County Sheriffs Department at (731) 968-7777.

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Henderson Co. gas station burglar allegedly stole $2,475 worth of vapes - WBBJ TV - WBBJ-TV