Read articles from North America

February 08, 2024 by ctvnews.ca

Nicotine pouches, specifically the brand Zonnic, will no longer be available for purchase in convenience stores in British Columbia. Premier David Eby and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced that the pouches will now be sold behind the pharmacy counter to prevent minors from easily accessing the addictive product. The move is in response to concerns about youth using smoking cessation products recreationally and the attractive packaging of Zonnic.

February 08, 2024 by medicalxpress.com

A new study led by researchers from Boston University School of Public Health found that hookah companies in the US have low compliance with federal regulations for including nicotine warnings on their packaging. Only 3 out of 33 assessed brands were 100% compliant with all warning label requirements. Hookah smoking is not safer than cigarette smoking, as it contains harmful components such as nicotine, tar, heavy metals, and carbon monoxide.

February 08, 2024 by globalnews.ca

British Columbia is introducing new regulations to prevent the sale of “nicotine pouches” to children and youth across the province. The rules taking effect Wednesday will restrict all buccal nicotine pouch products to behind the counter at pharmacies. No prescription is required, but purchasers will need to speak to a pharmacist to get it.

February 08, 2024 by cbc.ca

The B.C. government announced a provincial sales restriction for buccal nicotine pouch products, including those under the brand Zonnic. The new rules require these products to be kept behind pharmacy counters, in an effort to limit youth access. Purchasers will now have to consult with a pharmacist in order to buy these products. The provincial government hopes that these measures will help reduce the number of young people using such products.

February 05, 2024 by ohiocapitaljournal.com

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20,200 Ohioans die from smoking-related illnesses each year. Ohio is going through the worst overdose crisis in its history, with 5,300 Ohioans dying of drug overdose in 2021. That means tobacco is killing more than three times as many Ohioans as drug overdoses. Ohio’s smoking rate is one of the highest in the country, coming only behind West Virginia, Kentucky, and Louisiana in the percentage of residents who smoke. So people are dying of tobacco use, and they are continuing to smoke.

February 02, 2024 by tobaccoreporter.com

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has again issued warning letters to several small business owners for selling flavored disposable vaping products. The regulatory agency issued letters to 14 online businesses for selling unauthorized e-cigarette products. The warning letters cite the sale of disposable e-cigarette products marketed under brand names, including Elf Bar/EB Design, Lava Plus, Funky Republic/Funky Lands, Lost Mary, Cali Bars, Cali Plus, and Kangvape. “These warning letters were informed by FDA’s ongoing monitoring of multiple surveillance systems to identify products that are popular among youth or have youth appeal, an agency press release states. [...]

February 02, 2024 by upi.com

Coupons for e-cigarettes appear to be a powerful way to get people hooked on vaping, a new study shows. People who receive coupons for e-cigarettes are 50% more likely to begin vaping, and less likely to quit once they've started, according to findings published recently in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. "Our study found that when people were exposed to more waves of e-cigarette coupon advertising, they were more likely to initiate e-cigarette use and it was more challenging for them to quit," said researcher Zongshuan Duan, an assistant professor of population health sciences at Georgia State University.

February 01, 2024 by newsweek.com

Vaping is often considered to be a safer alternative to smoking. But that does not mean it is without risks. In a new study, published in the Journal of Public Health, nearly 4 in 5 e-cigarette users reported experiencing adverse health outcomes within six hours of vaping. The results raise serious concerns about the health impacts associated with these devices. [...] However, because of the nature of the study, we do not know for sure that the e-cigarettes themselves were causing these effects. The authors said more work is needed in this area to determine the mechanisms underpinning this association. Even so, the study is an important look at the potential side implications of vaping.

February 01, 2024 by futurity.org

“Our study found that when people were exposed to more waves of e-cigarette coupon advertising, they were more likely to initiate e-cigarette use and it was more challenging for them to quit,” says Zongshuan Duan, assistant professor in the population health sciences department at Georgia State University. “The effect sizes were actually quite large and meaningful given the number of people who might be exposed to this marketing strategy.” For the study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Duan and colleagues analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of nearly 20,000 American adults that spanned a four-year period.

January 30, 2024 by businessinsider.com

Nicotine has suddenly found its way into the churn of America's never-ending culture wars. After Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for a federal probe into "Zyn" nicotine pouches last week, the GOP backlash was swift. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called for a "Zynsurrection." Other GOP lawmakers, outing themselves as Zyn users, urged Schumer to "come and take it." Among them was Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who told Business Insider that he took up the product "four or five years ago" as a safer alternative to the cancer-causing spitless tobacco he once used.