Stories

What is a regulation for? Why do governments regulate? When a regulation is good, it often goes unnoticed (cleaner environment, economic expansion, better quality of life…). When it is a bad regulation, the consequences could be catastrophic (rise in organized crime, loss of respect in regulatory authorities, economic decline…). While the European Union embarks on a series of regulatory simplifications (deregulation), the important metric for each case is to ask what the regulation is for.

Two scientific papers reveal nicotine's complexity. Low-dose nicotine can enhance memory and mood but requires precise dosing due to an "inverted-U" relationship. Dr. Huberman suggests nicotine can boost focus through acetylcholine receptors and dopamine signaling. However, real-world usage faces challenges as most products lack dose control. Regulations must align with low-dose research findings to enable safe and flexible nicotine consumption. While nicotine has potential benefits, addiction, and risks remain. Regulatory frameworks should adapt to accommodate controlled, low-dose nicotine applications for harm reduction and potential therapeutic use, ensuring coherence between research and policy for responsible administration.

An observational study on vaping, smoking, and blood pressure found that smoking, but not vaping, is significantly associated with elevated blood pressure and hypertension. The study did not account for participants' past smoking history, potentially impacting the results. Experts note that vaping may be a less harmful alternative to smoking, but emphasize that not vaping or smoking is the safest choice. Combining results from smokers and vapers to draw conclusions was criticized as flawed. The study highlights the association between smoking and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, it falls short in determining the specific effects of vaping on health outcomes.

UK disposable vape ban: what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what’s next? In this episode of GFN News, Joanna Junak speaks with John Dunne (UK Vaping Industry Association) about how the market is responding to new regulation - rising black market activity, the shift from disposables to pod/open-tank systems, and why consumer behavior (including recycling) is still a challenge. They also address public confusion about relative harm compared to smoking, concerns around youth uptake, and why nicotine pouches may grow as an alternative in places where vaping isn’t practical.

According to the Irish Examiner, Ireland’s Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor announced that the Government has approved the publication of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2026. The proposed legislation aims to further regulate nicotine vaping products and address emerging nicotine products such as nicotine pouches. It would ban the sale of nicotine products, including pouches, to individuals under 18, prohibit advertising and point-of-sale displays of these products in mixed retail outlets, and introduce stricter packaging rules by limiting colours, imagery, and device design, including banning products that resemble toys or games. The bill would also restrict flavour descriptions for vapes to basic names only and limit available flavours in nicotine inhaling products to tobacco.

The American Lung Association urges Wisconsin to address high smoking rates by implementing policies proven to save lives, like raising the tobacco sale age to 21 and equalizing taxes on e-cigarettes and cigarettes. However, they fail to mention safer nicotine products like vapes and snus, which have shown higher quit rates than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of these alternatives, the ALA and Wisconsin health department focus on restricting access to them, citing concerns about addiction among youth. Critics argue that encouraging adult smokers to switch to safer options, like e-cigarettes, would be a more beneficial approach to reducing smoking-related harm.

A council is planning to spend up to £477,000 on e-cigarettes as part of efforts to help residents quit smoking. Since e-cigarettes were introduced in the North Yorkshire Council’s Living Well Smokefree service in July 2023, 487 people have used them to support their quit attempts, and one third of those remained smoke-free after one year. A report to be considered by councillors recommends starting a procurement process to secure a supplier of e-cigarettes. The proposed contract would run from July 2026 to July 2029, responding to demand, with no guarantee that the full allocated amount will be spent.

Legal cigarette sales in the UK dropped significantly from 40.6 billion sticks in 2021 to 19.8 billion in 2025, due to a rise in excise tax. Despite stable smoking rates, tobacco duty revenues decreased from £10.4 billion to £7.9 billion. Dr. Snowdon from IEA notes a surge in the illicit tobacco market, reflecting a mismatch between declining legal sales and modest smoker reductions.

Up to 770,000 UK vapers might go back to smoking if flavor choices were limited, states data by Elfbar. Fruit and sweet flavors are crucial for smoking cessation, with 63% of adult vapers using them. ASH's survey also shows 14% of vapers would relapse if flavors were confined. Vapes have helped over half of ex-smokers quit, surpassing gum and patches. Despite a ban on single-use vapes, some vapers have gone back to smoking, leading to concerns about an illicit market. Regulations should consider the impact on vaping patterns.

In this episode of Science Series with Roberto Sussman, we tackle a deceptively simple question: how do you determine optimal vaping settings in a laboratory? Roberto explains why machine “puffing” can produce unrealistic overheating conditions that real users would immediately avoid (too hot, bad taste), and how that can distort measurements and conclusions in some studies. We also cover the “dry puff”/dry heat phenomenon, why airflow and power settings matter, and how modern devices differ from early closed “cigalike” systems.