Major topics about e-cigarettes
Frequently used in the media and politics, here are the most important topics about e-cigarettes. The list of our articles covering these topics is regularly updated and may be subject to change depending on the news of the moment. To receive a weekly summary of the news do not hesitate to subscribe to the Newsletter of the Vaping Post.
BAT
Founded in 1902, British American Tobacco (BAT) is one of the largest tobacco producers in the world. It owns numerous cigarette brands, including Pall Mall, Lucky Strike, Winfield and Vogue.
Like Philip Morris International, BAT moved into vaping several years ago through the products in its Vype range.
In this section you can find all of our articles about the cigarette manufacturer British American Tobacco.
Marijuana Legalization
The use of cannabis continues to spark debate around the world. Although some countries such as Canada and a few states in the USA have opted to legalise it, other countries still prohibit its use, as is the case in France.
After many years of scientific research, some studies have stated that cannabis has some medicinal properties. For example, they claim it can relieve chronic pain in adults, and help with the nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. A number of multiple sclerosis patients have also reported improvements in the muscle spasms caused by the condition.
There is also reasonable evidence that using cannabis may help to improve quality of sleep for people with certain illnesses.
Gateway effect
The term “gateway” refers to an epidemiological phenomenon, where someone who use one product moves on to use another. If a non-smoker vapes, are they likely to take up smoking later on? At the moment there is no evidence to suggest this is the case.
When it comes to e-cigarettes, the gateway theory would suggest that young non-smokers who try vaping would move on to smoking tobacco. This fear is closely tied to people’s perception of nicotine and its addictive powers, which some scientists consider exaggerated.
This concern is justified primarily by the need to protect young people as part of anti-tobacco campaigns because we know that the earlier people start smoking, the harder it is to quit.
For now, there is no statistical data to show that using e-cigarettes leads to tobacco use.
Nicotine
The nicotine in e-liquids for e-cigarettes has encouraged many smokers to take up vaping, but still causes concern as reflected in numerous regulations and policies. Studied for decades, this alkaloid continues to drive political and scientific debate.
Take a look at the list of our latest articles on the subject.
WHO
As surprising as it may seem, the World Health Organization (WHO) is strongly opposed to e-cigarettes.
In its view, nicotine is an enemy that must be defeated. Vaping does allow nicotine consumption, and even though it removes most of the risks of smoking, the WHO is still strictly against nicotine consumption. That means it is equally opposed to vaping.
The WHO therefore takes every opportunity to tell us what a dangerous invention the e-cigarette is, and regularly advises countries to ban it.
PMI
The tobacco company with the best sense of humour
Founded in 1881, Philip Morris International is one of the largest tobacco companies in the world.
Every year, the company sells no less than 800 billion cigarettes, supplying a global tobacco market whose products contribute to the deaths of the roughly 7 million smokers who die each year as a result of smoking.
However, this has not stopped PMI from regularly encouraging people to quit smoking and switch to vaping. Although many consider this to be green washing, the reason behind it is actually to boost sales of the products it offers as an alternative to cigarettes, like its IQOS, a heated tobacco product the company has invested heavily in.
Taxes
Because they may contain nicotine and because they offer an alternative smoked tobacco, as a somewhat controversial consumer product, e-cigarettes are subject to tax in some countries around the world.
It is not unheard of for some governments to overtax vaping to dissuade consumers as much as possible.
Tax on vaping products
As they are a tool for quitting smoking, some countries have chosen to apply very low tax to e-cigarettes to encourage smokers to switch.
Conversely, other countries are making a choice that seems difficult to justify: to overtax vaping products to dissuade the population. Often, these are countries that rely on money generated by tobacco sales to keep their economies afloat.
COVID-19
On 16 November 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was observed for the first time in Wuhan, China. In the months since, it has spread throughout the world. Faced with a situation beyond its control, on 30 January 2020 the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern.
Two months later, on 11 March 2020, the status of the epidemic changed: it was now a pandemic.
In the face of this threat to public health, the world’s governments took measures to slow down the spread of the virus in their countries as much as possible. For the first time in the modern age, the majority of countries around the world applied measures such as curfews and lockdowns. These forced people to stay at home, sometimes to the point of stopping them going out to work.
If the economic impact of these measures has been severe, the psychological impact on people around the world has been just as bad. For example, many scientific studies have shown that being in lockdown drastically increased the number of cases of depression and even smoking.
There has been plenty of fake news too, including about electronic cigarettes. For a while, they were under attack for allegedly spreading the virus in their vapour. However, statements like these were quickly contradicted by scientific analysis.
FDA
The FDA is the food and drug control agency in the United States. The acronym FDA stands for Food and Drug Administration. This American regulatory body has been regulating vaping products as if they were tobacco products since August 2016, and subjects vaping to the same rules.
The future of vaping in the hands of the FDA
Since August 2016, the Food and Drug Administration has controlled vaping. It is the FDA that dictates the laws on vaping, its authorization, its prohibition, the nicotine limit that e-liquids can contain, and the type of products authorised on the American market, for example.
This series of articles will keep you informed about vaping legislation developments in the United States.
IQOS
iQOS is an e-device manufactured by Philip Morris International. It heats tobacco to create an aerosol that contains nicotine. Here is the list of articles we’ve written about this product.
Juul
Launched in 2015, the brand Juul has been a phenomenal success. It was quickly adopted by hundreds of thousands of Americans, but later found itself at the centre of numerous scandals. Several American health organisations have accused the pod giant of causing the increase in the number of young vapers in the United States.
A manufacturer that is the victim of its own success?
The Juul e-cigarette is hugely popular in the United States and has been the subject of many articles here at the Vaping Post. With comprehensive tests, FAQs, user guides and more, we’re here to help you get the most from your Juul and understand how it works.
Our reporters also give you all the latest news about the brand. Like every really successful product, Juul has its fans and its critics.
Whether it’s about Juul’s success or its ongoing problems, one thing is certain: we haven’t heard the last about this pod market leader.
PHE
Created in 2013, Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the UK’s Department of Health. Its objective was simple: to protect and improve the health and well-being of the nation, and to reduce inequalities in healthcare.
To achieve this, the agency was tasked with:
- Making the lives of the country’s inhabitants healthier, notably by advising the government and supporting its campaigns and measures.
- Protecting the nation from public health risks.
- Preparing for and responding to public health emergencies.
- Improving the health of the population by sharing its experience and expertise.
- Helping the authorities to plan and deliver healthcare and social services.
- Researching, collecting and analysing data to better understand public health challenges.
When it came to e-cigarettes, PHE distinguished itself specifically by commissioning a range of scientific reports on the risks involved in vaping. These reports had a direct impact on the British government’s stance on the subject, which remains that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking.
In August 2020, Public Health England was merged with the NHS Test and Trace scheme and the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) to form a new body under one banner, called the National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP).
PMTA
A barrier against reducing the risks of smoking
The acronym PMTA stands for Premarket Tobacco Applications. It is the sales licence all vape manufacturers must obtain before they can sell their products in the United States.
From 9 September 2020, any vaping product that was not on sale before 8 August 2016, and that has not been authorised by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) through a PMTA, can no longer be offered to American vapers.
The problem is that the cost of a PMTA can run into millions of dollars, which is a budget most small independent vape companies simply do not have.
TPD
TPD is short for the Tobacco Products Directive, and is the standard way of referring to the European Tobacco Products Directive. The full name of this Directive is “Directive 2014/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council”. It specifically regulates vaping products in the same way as tobacco-related products by imposing certain regulations on Member States.
Each Member State then transposes this regulatory framework into its own legislation, and specifically into its public health code.