Stories

The first punitive tariffs on Chinese products imposed by the second Trump administration took effect Feb. 4. The new tariffs impose an across-the-board 10 percent levy on products from China, including the vast majority of vapes used by American consumers. China reacted immediately, imposing a retaliatory 15 percent tariff on (...)

The newly inaugurated administration brings a crucial opportunity to combat chronic diseases, which claim hundreds of thousands of American lives annually, and one leading preventable cause of death – smoking – could be eradicated under the new administration. This could easily be achieved simply by following through with plans to reform the beleaguered U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make it easier for smokers to quit by making the switch to less harmful products.

For years, public health officials and policymakers have debated the role of vaping in smoking cessation. Now, the evidence is undeniable: a newly updated Cochrane Review confirms that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are the most effective tool for helping smokers quit.

After a five-year wait, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally greenlit marketing for a tobacco-free alternative that’s 95% safer than conventional smoking: Zyn nicotine pouches. Unfortunately, thousands more products to help smokers quit are stuck in regulatory limbo—meaning the FDA is still limiting access to safer alternatives for the estimated 1 in 5 U.S. adults who currently use tobacco.

Dr. Yach examines the history of harm reduction, vaping’s role in public health, and South Africa’s flawed regulations. He discusses government misinformation, the illicit market, medical stigma, and the future of vaping as a safer alternative.

A Yale University study found that flavor bans lead to increased cigarette smoking among adults and youth, undermining public health efforts to reduce smoking rates. Researchers concluded that “adults who used flavored e-cigarettes were more likely to quit smoking than those who used tobacco-flavored products,” highlighting the crucial role of flavors in harm reduction.

The flavor ban applies to both in-person and online sales, including sales from vendors outside the country. The law also limits the number of legal flavorings in tobacco-flavored e-liquids to 16 specific flavoring components, similar to the rule adopted in The Netherlands.

Vaping companies face ethical and legal challenges as they navigate an increasingly complex market and attempt to grow market share without attracting accusations that they are exacerbating the youth vaping epidemic. This is particularly true in developing markets, where tobacco and vaping products can be more equivalent in price. One example is South Africa, where a recent study from (...)

Spain has relatively high smoking rates and low vaping rates. Yet despite the real-world data indicating that endorsing the use of safer alternatives would reduce smoking rates, Spain sets further restrictions on the products, regulating them in the same way as cigarettes.

Malaysia Retail Electronic Cigarette Association president Datuk Adzwan Manas said the industry believes that vape products should not be used by any individual below the age of 18. He said vape products should only be used by adults, especially cigarette smokers who are seeking to quit smoking. Vape products have been proven in many countries to be less harmful compared to cigarettes and effective to help cigarette smokers quit smoking.