Category Archives: Vaping

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. Hillsborough County leaders are thinking about adopting an ordinance to temporarily stop vape shops from operating near schools.

The ordinance would provide a moratorium on vaping retail shops that are within 500 feet of any elementary, middle, or high school. The moratorium would last for 180 days.

County leaders say that will give them time to schedule public hearings on an amendment to a land development code to regulate the vape shops.

In March, commissioners adopted the ordinance and created the temporary moratorium, but it was later voided by Senate Bill 250. SB 250 affected local government regulations within 100 miles of Hurricane Ian.

At the beginning of December, the Legislature made a change to remove Hillsborough County from the effective area. Now commissioners can consider moving forward with the ordinance.

The goal is to address tobacco use among teenagers. You need to be 21 to legally burgs tobacco products in Florida.

According to the CDC, in 2023, 10% of middle and high schoolers reported current tobacco use. E-cigarettes were the most commonly used product.

Click here for resources on how to talk to your child about vaping.

The meeting starts at 9 a.m. You can watch it live here.

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Hillsborough leaders consider ordinance to stop vaping in schools - ABC Action News Tampa Bay

Irelands finance minister, Michael McGrath,postponed a vaping taxover concerns that it would discourage smokers from quitting with e-cigarettes.

Officials from the Department of Finance cited the need to strike a balance between discouraging young people from vaping and supporting existing smokers who switch to e-cigarettes to quit. Health officials recommended e-cigarettes be taxed differently based on their comparative harm versus traditional cigarettes, according tomediareports.

McGrath has said a new tax on vapes will be challenging to implement. A domestic tax will require significant IT, administrative, control and compliance costs, he said.

Tobacco harm reduction activists applauded the decision. We welcome the decision of the minister of finance and ask the Irish government to keep a tax differential between electronic and traditional cigarettes in the future large enough to incentivize smokers to switch, said Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers Alliance, in a statement.

The risk profile of vaping products is much lower than that of combustion cigarettes, and they should be taxed as such. If the tax had been approved, it would have pushed tens of thousands of vapers back to smoking.

The government has not specified a new date for the vape tax. Some suspect it may await the updated EU Tobacco Tax Directive, which is expected to include an EU-wide excise tax on vaping products.

Read more here:

Ireland Halts Vape Tax Over Cessation Concerns - Tobacco Reporter

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced the banning of the sale of nicotine inhaling products such as e-cigarettes to children.

Mr Donnelly had secured cabinet approval earlier this year and the law will prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes (commonly referred to as vapes) to persons under 18.

The Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill comes into effect from Friday 22 December 2023.

Under the new law, it is an offence to sell a nicotine inhaling product to a child.

The offence carries a penalty of a fine of up to 4,000 and a prison sentence of up to six months.

The legislation also contains other wide-ranging measures to tackle smoking and vaping among children and adults.

These measures include, in addition to the ban, the prohibition of selling tobacco and nicotine inhaling products at events to children.

Advertising of nicotine inhaling products around schools and on public transport will also be banned and there will be a stricter licensing system put in place for the retail sale of these products.

Mr Donnelly reacting to the announcement said: "I committed to bringing this ban on the sale of vaping products to under 18s into law before Christmas and I am pleased that I have been able to do that by signing the commencement order".

"I thank colleagues in both Houses of the Oireachtas who understood the urgency for our children and who supported me to get this law enacted quickly," he added.

In November, Mr Donnelly and Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Hildegarde Naughton launched a public consultation into future regulation of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products such as vapes.

Ms Naughton said the ban on e-cigarettes was a good beginning.

"I look forward to the results of our public consultation on the options for the further regulation of nicotine inhaling products, particularly around flavourings and packaging".

"We know that young people who vape are more likely to go on to smoke, so it is important that they are not drawn to these products," Ms Naughton added.

More:

Government bans sale of vaping products to under 18s - RTE.ie

KEITH MILLER, TRAVIS JOHNSON and 40 other Montana principals

As principals we strive to ensure our schools are engaging, safe and healthy environments that promote learning. However, youth vaping in Montana is threatening our kids health and safety and creating unnecessary barriers to academic success.

Montana has a serious problem with youth e-cigarette use. Our most current Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey data tell us 26% of our high school students currently vape and nearly half (48%) of them have tried vaping. We are encouraged that most Montana youth report they do not vape, but we are very concerned about the health and well-being of the one-in-four students who do.

While youth vaping is a discipline problem that can disrupt learning in our schools, its become an addiction problem too. Like all other tobacco products, electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive drug that can harm the developing brain. Nicotine impacts the portions of the brain that control attention and learning; its use can increase symptoms of anxiety and amplify depression. Nicotine use in adolescence may also increase the risk for future addiction to other drugs. Its also important to be aware that some principals report kids are vaping marijuana and other drugs, in addition to tobacco products.

Devices that show up in our schools come in a myriad of shapes and sizes, many that resemble school supplies like highlighters, markers and USB drives. It can be very difficult to identify what has been referred to as stealth vaping in our buildings.

We are concerned that these highly addictive products come in flavors especially attractive to kids. Flavors like cotton candy, mango pineapple ice, skittles and blue raspberry are hooking our kids and impacting their lives physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and financially.

Principals, teachers and counselors are connecting kids to resources to help address an addiction to electronic cigarettes. Quitting resources like the state of Montanas My Life My Quit website (mt.mylifemyquit.org) are free, confidential and specifically designed for youth. We know that prevention is key. We urge parents to talk to their kids about the harmful risks of vaping; you have a great influence on the healthy choices your kids are making.

In short, the notion that vaping is somehow safe and harmless to youth is false, and Montanas standing as the state with the second-highest incidence of youth e-cigarette use calls for corrective action. We urge Montana decision-makers at the state and local levels to help us address this problem and put the best practices for youth tobacco use prevention into action.

Paul Condon, Hays/Lodgepole Schools, Hays and Lodgepole

Len Dorscher, Thompson Falls Middle School, Thompson Falls

Carl Dynneson, Sidney High School, Sidney

Geoff Habel, Great Falls High, Great Falls

Kim Hanks, Wolf Point High School, Wolf Point

Ashley Henigman, Sacajawea Middle School, Bozeman

Brad Holloway, Glacier High School, Kalispell

Tryg Johnson, Kalispell Middle School, Kalispell

Kevin Kenelty, Ronan High School, Ronan

Katy Kennedy, Glendive Middle School, Glendive

Brian Kessler, East Helena High School, East Helena

Jon Konen, Columbia Falls High School, Columbia Falls

Jennifer LaFromboise-Wagner, Browning High School, Browning

Eric A. Larson, Stevensville High School, Stevensville

Patrick McClellan, Chief Joseph Middle School, Bozeman

Jamie McGraw, C.M. Russell High School, Great Falls

Brian Miller, North Middle School, Great Falls

Judson Miller, Hellgate High School, Missoula

Ted Miller, Columbia Falls Middle School, Columbia Falls

Dan Mills, Bozeman High School, Bozeman

Matt Molyneaux, Chinook Jr./Sr. High School, Chinook

Lynsi Morris, East Valley Middle School, East Helena

Ryon Noland, Plains High School and Junior High School, Plains

Mike Olson, Culbertson High School, Culbertson

Michele Paine, Flathead High School, Kalispell

Kyle Paulson, Belt Public Schools, Belt

Amy Ree, Dawson County High School, Glendive

Erica Schnee, Gallatin High School, Bozeman

Steve Thennis, Helena High School, Helena

Stephanie Thennis, Sentinel High School, Missoula

Brett Zanto, Capital High School, Helena

Jay Wahl, Skyview High School, Billings

Shelli Strouf, Billings Senior High School, Billings

Jody Sulser, Lewis and Clark Middle School, Billings

Annie Begger, Wibaux Public Schools, Wibaux

Becky Carlson, Will James Middle School, Billings

Jeremy Carlson, Billings West High School, Billings

Michael Thomas, Medicine Crow Middle School, Billings

Matt Clouser, Billings Career Center, Billings

Ashley Copple, Sidney Middle School, Sidney

Keith Miller, East Middle School, Butte

Travis Johnson, Butte High Career Center, Butte

For full list of signers, go to mtstandard.com.

Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!

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Guest view: Montana Principals: Vaping impacting our kids and schools - The Montana Standard

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E-cigarette makers dodged U.S. customs and taxes after China's ban on vaping flavors - Lewiston Morning Tribune

A ban on the sale of vaping products and e-cigarettes to people under 18 years of age is to come into effect on Friday.

Earlier this month new laws governing vapes were passed by the Oireachtas and signed into law by the President, Michael D Higgins. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has commenced sections of the law into force to prohibit the sale of vapes to under-18s.

The new law means it is an offence to sell vaping products to children, with penalties ranging from fines of up to 4,000 to up to six months in prison. It is currently an offence to sell cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18.

Other measures in the new law due to be enacted next year include a prohibition of the sale of tobacco and vaping products in vending machines, as well as a ban on advertising the products near schools or on public transport. The law will also ban the sale of cigarettes or vapes at events that are aimed at children.

[Crazy, absolute madness: Vaping companies in Ireland cash in as legislation struggles to keep up]

In a statement, Mr Donnelly said he was pleased to be able to bring the ban on the sale of vapes to under-18s into effect before Christmas, as he had previously committed to do so.

In 2024 I will commence the remaining measures in the Act (such as around advertising, a licensing system and vending machines), he said.

The Department of Health is currently running a public consultation on plans to further regulate vapes, aimed at reducing the numbers of young people using the products.

[Lung cancer specialist raises concerns over impact of vaping]

The consultation, which is open until January 5th, is seeking the publics view on banning smoking in outdoor dining areas, as well as regulating the packaging of vaping products and their display in shops.

The department has also proposed extending current smoke-free restrictions to vaping, as well as increasing the age when young people can buy tobacco products.

Excerpt from:

Ban on sale of vapes to under-18s in force from Friday - The Irish Times

VAPING is becoming increasingly popular with people looking for a healthier alternative to smoking, but the rules around doing it on holiday aren't exactly clear.

There's a lot of places with vaping laws and restrictions that could land you in trouble with local police.

2

However, to help you stay on the right side of the law, Naomi Hanson, from vape companyblu,has answered the most common questions around vaping while travelling.

The regulations around travelling with vapes vary by the country youre travelling to, and also, the airline itself.

Most airlines will allow vapes in hand luggage, but they wont be allowed in the hold.

As vapes have batteries, theyre required to be put onto a tray, similar to portable chargers, tablets and laptops.

However, its worth checking with the airline that youre travelling with on how many batteries youre allowed to take on board. Most have a limit of 20, but its still worth checking.

Also, if youre travelling with vape juice, remember that your liquids need to go in 100ml bottles, so make sure theyre in bottles no bigger than that, and in a clear bag so that you get through security easier.

Generally, you cant vape in the airport. However, some airports have designated smoking areas outdoors that you can go to for a smoke or a vape.

According to Airport Parking and Hotels (APH), Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Doncaster, East Midlands, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester T1 and T2 and Newcastle Airports are the only airports with a smoking area after security.

While vaping in some countries is legal, its worth checking beforehand whether its legal to actually bring vapes from another country, as you could get a fine when you reach your destination.

However, some of the popular destinations from the UK that have banned vaping, or the importing of vapes for personal use, include Australia, Turkey, Mexico and Thailand.

However, we have a full list on the blu website of all of the places that vaping is illegal, and also a full list of places that allow vaping.

Some hotels in Europe have smoking rooms, meaning you can smoke in your hotel room.

However, if the hotel has a no smoking policy, then there are likely to be smoke alarms in the room, which you could set off if you were to vape in the hotel.

Contact the hotel beforehand if you want a smoking room, so that youre more likely to get one and be able to vape in your room.

As for balconies, most balconies will allow smoking and vaping, but again, its definitely worth checking with your hotel beforehand in case you get hit with any unwanted fines and penalties.

As well as restrictions on vaping, some countries haveother unusual lawsthat could catch Brits out abroad including wearing high heels inGreeceand feeding the pigeons in Venice.

And this mistake could see you get fined 52k in Italy.

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More:

The little-known strict rules for vaping while travelling and where its illegal... - The Sun

Teachers and health experts say the numbers of young people using vapes is concerning Photo: Unsplash

By Tom Housden, BBC News, Sydney

"The horse has bolted now, they are addicted," says Chris, a high school teacher in New South Wales.

He is talking about students in his class, teenagers, who can not stop vaping.

He sees the effect of the candy-flavoured, nicotine-packed e-cigarettes on young minds every day, with children even vaping in class.

"The ones who are deepest into it will just get up out of their seat, or they'll be fidgeting or nervous. The worst offenders will just walk out because they're literally in withdrawal."

Those who were most addicted needed nicotine patches or rehabilitation, he said, talking about 13 and 14-year-olds.

Earlier this month the Australian government decided enough was enough and introduced a range of new restrictions. Despite vapes already being illegal for many, under new legislation they would become available by prescription only.

The number of vaping teenagers in Australia soared in recent years and authorities said it was the "number one behavioural issue" in schools across the country.

And they blamed disposable vapes - which some experts said could be more addictive than heroin and cocaine - but, at least for now, were available in Australia in every convenience store, next to the chocolate bars at the counter.

For concerned teachers like Chris, their hands were tied.

"If we suspect they have a vape, all we can really do is tell them to go to the principal's office.

"At my old school, my head teacher told me he wanted to install vape detector alarms in the toilet, but apparently we weren't allowed to because that would be an invasion of privacy."

E-cigarettes had been sold as a safer alternative to tobacco, as they do not produce tar - the primary cause of lung cancer.

Some countries continued to promote them with public health initiatives to help cigarette smokers switch to a less deadly habit.

Last month, the UK government announced plans to hand out free vaping starter kits to one million smokers in England to get smoking rates below 5 percent by 2030.

But Australia's government said evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit was insufficient for now. Instead, research showed it could push young vapers into taking up smoking later in life.

Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are lithium battery-powered devices that have cartridges filled with liquids containing nicotine, artificial flavourings, and other chemicals.

The liquid is heated, turned into a vapour and inhaled into the user's lungs.

Vaping took off from the mid-2000s and there were some 81 million vapers worldwide in 2021, according to the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction group.

Fuelling the rise was the mushrooming popularity of flavoured vapes designed to appeal to the young.

These products could contain far higher volumes of nicotine than regular cigarettes, while some devices sold as 'nicotine-free' could actually hold large amounts.

The chemical cocktail also contained formaldehyde and acetaldehyde - which had been linked to lung disease, heart disease, and cancer.

There was also the suggestion of an increased risk of stroke, respiratory infection, and impaired lung function.

Experts have warned not enough is known about the long-term health effects. But some alarming data had already been drawn out.

Photo: AFP/ ANP MAG - Koen van Weel

In 2020, US health authorities identified more than 2800 cases of e-cigarette or vaping-related lung injury. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention found 68 deaths attributed to that injury.

In Australia, a major study by leading charity The Cancer Council found more than half of all children who had ever vaped had used an e-cigarette they knew contained nicotine and thought that vaping was a socially acceptable behaviour.

School-age children were being supplied with e-cigarettes through friends or "dealers" inside and outside school, or from convenience stores and tobacconists, the report said.

Teens also reported purchasing vapes through social media, websites and at pop-up vape stores, the Generation Vape project found.

"Whichever way teenagers obtain e-cigarettes, they are all illegal, yet it's happening under the noses of federal and state authorities", report author and Cancer Council chair Anita Dessaix said.

"All Australian governments say they're committed to ensuring e-cigarettes are only accessed by smokers with a prescription trying to quit - yet a crisis in youth e-cigarette use is unfolding in plain view."

In addition to the government's move to ban the import of all non-pharmaceutical vaping products - meaning they could now only be bought with a prescription - all single-use disposable vapes would be made illegal.

The volume and concentration of nicotine in e-cigarettes would also be restricted, and both flavours and packaging must be plain and carry warning labels.

But these new measures were not actually all that drastic, said public health physician Professor Emily Banks from the Australian National University.

"Australia is not an outlier. It is unique to have a prescription-only model, but other places actually ban them completely, and that includes almost all of Latin America, India, Thailand and Japan."

Australia's Minister for Health Mark Butler said the new vaping regulations would close the "biggest loophole in Australian healthcare history".

"Just like they did with smoking... 'Big Tobacco' has taken another addictive product, wrapped it in shiny packaging and added sweet flavours to create a new generation of nicotine addicts."

"We have been duped", he said.

Medical experts agree.

Prof Banks argued the promotion of e-cigarettes as a "healthier" alternative was a classic "sleight-of-hand" from the tobacco industry.

As such, vaping had become "normalised" in Australia, and in the UK too.

"There's over 17,000 flavours, and the majority of use is not for smoking cessation", she told the BBC.

"They're being heavily marketed towards children and adolescents. People who are smoking and using e-cigarettes - that's the most common pattern of use, dual use."

Professor Banks said authorities needed to "de-normalise" vaping among teenagers and to make vapes much harder to get hold of.

"Kids are interpreting the fact that they can very easily get hold of [vapes] as evidence [they're safe], and they're actually saying, 'well, if they were that unsafe, I wouldn't be able to buy one at the coffee shop'.

But could stricter controls make it harder for people who do turn to vapes hoping to quit or cut down on tobacco?

"It is important to bear in mind that for some people, e-cigarettes have really helped. But we shouldn't say 'this is great for smokers to quit', said Prof Banks.

"We know from Australia, from the US, from Europe, that two-thirds to three-quarters of people who quit smoking successfully, do so unaided."

"You're trying to bring these [vapes] in saying they're a great way to quit smoking, but actually we've got bubble gum flavoured vapes being used by 13-year-olds in the school toilets. That is not what the community signed up for."

-BBC

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Why Australia decided to quit its vaping habit - RNZ

Two and a half million middle and high school students vape, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Drug Administration. The latest state surveys in Massachusetts show 18% of high school students are vaping.

Creed Stilwell never thought his occasional vaping habit would do so much harm -- almost costing him his life. The now 19-year-old was a varsity athlete who inhaled his first vape when he was a sophomore in high school. Last December he suffered severe respiratory failure and was on life support for weeks after being med-flighted from Vermont to Brigham and Womens in Boston.

My mindset was always I dont do it that much so really if anybodys going to get affected by it its not going to be me. It was a scary experience to say the least, said Stilwell.

Tears welled in his mom Mary Beths eyes as she looked back on the horrific experience.

I asked them when I could breathe again and they said well if he makes it, which they werent sure he would, that I could start breathing when he was off that last machine, she recalled.

Trying to quit vaping can be challenging but not impossible. Here are five tips to better prepare you for success.

Another teen from Massachusetts spoke anonymously to the NBC10 Investigators, saying she began vaping to fit in at school.

I would say I began in eighth grade which is when it was first introduced to me. Definitely freshman year though I started buying them for myself and like use them more regularly, she said.

The teen also told us even though shes seen the impact vaping has had on her health and the health of others, its still tough to quit.

Quitting is definitely something I wish I had like thought about before I started because once you start, its very hard to stop, she said.

While shes hooked on vapes at the age of 17, many kids are taking hits even earlier.

The town of Stoughton launched a diversion program at the ODonnell Middle School for students caught vaping, with vape products or other drug paraphernalia.The goal is to offer support and to help them learn from their experience.

Prevention Coordinator Stephanie Patton told us they have seen kids as young as sixth grade vaping at school.

We wanted to think about an opportunity for kids to have kind of like psycho-educational way to learn from their experience and to grow because our goal really is to treat this as a public health issue and to help students figure out and think about their choices and their decisions and move on from a mistake, Patton said.

The diversion program is voluntary and lessens any discipline for students who enroll.

Students in the program meet with Patton, school administrators, a school nurse, other staff and a school resource officer.That diverse team gives them different perspectives about decision-making and the risks of vaping.

Stoughton Police Officer Lindsay Bonda, who is the school resource officer at the middle school, said, "Most of these kids have no idea what theyre putting inside their body so part of the diversion program is to teach them really about what they are using and how it could potentially be harmful for them now and in the future."

Actress Laura Dern talks about her work with the American Lung Association to get vaping out of schools. Vaping is often marketed as less dangerous than nicotine but still has its risks, she says.

Massachusetts banned the retail sale of flavored tobacco products, including vaping products, limited sales to people 21 and older and added an excise tax in response to the vaping crisis years ago.Since then, the black market has flourished with state investigators seizing almost 107,000 vapes that were smuggled into Massachusetts illegally in 2021 alone.

The Massachusetts teen we spoke with said kids get the vapes from older siblings, friends, parents and some older looking teens walk into stores and buy them.

The impact of vaping can be seen every day inside Boston Childrens Hospital. The hospital has had more than 300 kids referred to its Pulmonary Complications of Vaping Program since it began in late 2019 at the height of the crisis.

Dr. Alicia Casey, the programs director, said the youngest patient to be seen at the clinic is 11 years old. Creed Stilwell is a patient in the program.

We do have patients who have been very seriously ill and as long as they stop vaping their lung function does get better after the injury. But were noticing some changes in lung function that makes us very worried about what we are going to see ten, twenty, thirty, forty years down the road, said Casey.

Creed went from running sprints on the field to fighting for his life in the ICU. Now his lungs are still recovering, hes unable to walk far or climb stairs without getting winded. Creed told us he realizes hes incredibly lucky and when asked what he would tell his sixteen-year-old self he answered, Dont vape.

Stoughton OASIS Coalition

Vaping | Boston Children's Hospital (childrenshospital.org)

Facts. No Filters. | Mass.gov

View original post here:

Once You Start, It's Very Hard to Stop': School Diversion Program Aimed at Curbing Vaping - NBC10 Boston

VAPING is becoming increasingly popular with people looking for a healthier alternative to smoking, but the rules around doing it on holiday aren't exactly clear.

There's a lot of places with vaping laws and restrictions that could land you in trouble with local police.

2

However, to help you stay on the right side of the law, Naomi Hanson, from vape companyblu,has answered the most common questions around vaping while travelling.

The regulations around travelling with vapes vary by the country youre travelling to, and also, the airline itself.

Most airlines will allow vapes in hand luggage, but they wont be allowed in the hold.

As vapes have batteries, theyre required to be put onto a tray, similar to portable chargers, tablets and laptops.

However, its worth checking with the airline that youre travelling with on how many batteries youre allowed to take on board. Most have a limit of 20, but its still worth checking.

Also, if youre travelling with vape juice, remember that your liquids need to go in 100ml bottles, so make sure theyre in bottles no bigger than that, and in a clear bag so that you get through security easier.

Generally, you cant vape in the airport. However, some airports have designated smoking areas outdoors that you can go to for a smoke or a vape.

According to Airport Parking and Hotels (APH), Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Doncaster, East Midlands, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester T1 and T2 and Newcastle Airports are the only airports with a smoking area after security.

While vaping in some countries is legal, its worth checking beforehand whether its legal to actually bring vapes from another country, as you could get a fine when you reach your destination.

However, some of the popular destinations from the UK that have banned vaping, or the importing of vapes for personal use, include Australia, Turkey, Mexico and Thailand.

However, we have a full list on the blu website of all of the places that vaping is illegal, and also a full list of places that allow vaping.

Some hotels in Europe have smoking rooms, meaning you can smoke in your hotel room.

However, if the hotel has a no smoking policy, then there are likely to be smoke alarms in the room, which you could set off if you were to vape in the hotel.

Contact the hotel beforehand if you want a smoking room, so that youre more likely to get one and be able to vape in your room.

As for balconies, most balconies will allow smoking and vaping, but again, its definitely worth checking with your hotel beforehand in case you get hit with any unwanted fines and penalties.

As well as restrictions on vaping, some countries haveother unusual lawsthat could catch Brits out abroad including wearing high heels inGreeceand feeding the pigeons in Venice.

And this mistake could see you get fined 52k in Italy.

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The little-known strict rules for vaping while travelling and where its illegal... - The Irish Sun