Regulatory briefing
The regulatory briefing section offers regulatory news and updates from the e-cigarette industry worldwide. Briefings cover topics such as: introduction and passing of relevant bills and bans; changes to regulations in individual countries or regions; and how current affairs and government policies are affecting the industry. It also provides ECigIntelligence’s expert summary of events and analysis.
California proposes bill to ban all flavoured e-cigs, including menthol
Written by ECigIntelligence || 10th January 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Californian lawmakers have introduced a bill in the state legislature that would ban the sale of all flavoured tobacco products, including those containing menthol ...
UK advertising watchdog orders Vype to tone down its online promotion
Written by ECigIntelligence || 9th January 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The UK’s advertising watchdog has found that BAT failed to follow national regulations on its website and through YouTube commercials for its Vype e-cigarette brand ...
Back to Plan A: French budget drops notification fee for vaping products
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th January 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
In a late change, the French budget law for 2020 (Loi de finances) removes the existing notification fee for new vaping products marketed in the country ...
Should doctors be asking more questions about vaping habits?
Written by Lorraine Mullaney || 8th January 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
With vaping becoming part of the lifestyle of more people, is it time healthcare professionals routinely asked questions about it, as they might about smoking, alcohol or diet? ...
FDA’s new clampdown on flavoured cartridges fails to satisfy either side
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th January 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The US FDA’s new policy of removing most e-cigarette cartridge flavours from the market has been greeted by scepticism and criticism from both the vaping industry and anti-tobacco groups ...
FDA will remove most cartridge flavours from US market
Written by Barnaby Page || 2nd January 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
E-liquid cartridges with flavours other than tobacco or menthol are to be excluded from the US market at the end of this month, the FDA says, while advertising and marketing will come under scrutiny...
New twist in Finnish debate over legality of ‘baking’ flavours
Written by ECigIntelligence || 27th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A leading Finnish retailer of vaping products is asking customers who buy flavouring liquids to sign a form stating that they are not buying them for use with e-cigarettes ...
New York State renews emergency flavour ban it can’t legally enforce
Written by ECigIntelligence || 24th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
New York State health officials have voted to renew governor Andrew Cuomo’s temporary ban on flavoured e-cigarette products for another 90 days – but the law won’t allow them to enforce it ...
FDA and DEA shut down 44 websites selling illicit THC vaping products
Written by ECigIntelligence || 23rd December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have seized 44 websites they said were selling illicit vapour cartridges containing THC ...
Canada puts forward new advertising and packaging restrictions
Written by ECigIntelligence || 21st December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The Canadian government has announced plans to tighten the rules governing e-cigarettes and vaping products in a bid to curb the growth of youth vaping ...
US Senate raises legal tobacco and vaping purchase age from 18 to 21
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Senate has passed an act which raises the minimum sale or purchase age for tobacco products from 18 to 21...
French MP proposes bill to further regulate nicotine-free e-liquids
Written by ECigIntelligence || 20th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A French MP has presented a new bill to establish the same rules for nicotine and nicotine-free e-liquids, aiming to create tools to promote vaping as a cessation tool for smokers ...
Calls for new regulation after ‘vape-related’ death of Belgian teenager
Written by ECigIntelligence || 19th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Regulation in Belgium and possibly across Europe may change as a result of the link being made between vaping and a teenager’s death – though that link has not been verified ...
Denmark plans flavour ban and plain packaging scheme for e-cigarettes
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 18th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The Danish Ministry of Health has put forward a plan for a flavour ban as well as sale, advertising and packaging restrictions to tackle the use of tobacco and e-cigarettes by minors ...
Heated exchanges as Texas senators call for more restrictions on vaping
Written by ECigIntelligence || 17th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Lawmakers in Texas are proposing further restrictions on e-cigarettes despite a recently implemented a statewide policy restricting vaping to those aged 21 and above ...
Senate confirms Stephen Hahn as new FDA commissioner
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 13th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Senate has confirmed cancer specialist Stephen Hahn as the new US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner ...
EU Commission delays e-cig and HnB tax scheme decision to 2020
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 13th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Commission is delaying evaluating tobacco tax rates and the possible introduction of a new harmonised tax scheme for e-cigs and heated tobacco ...
German coalition conservatives agree outdoor ad ban
Written by ECigIntelligence || 13th December 2019 || Marketing & retailing , Regulatory briefing |
The German conservative parties have come out in support of a comprehensive ban on outdoor advertising for tobacco products – including vaping and heated tobacco products ...
Toronto city health board calls for flavour ban and sales restrictions
Written by ECigIntelligence || 12th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Tough new rules on vaping could be coming to Canada’s largest city after the Toronto Board of Health voted to recommend new sales and advertising restrictions and taxes on e-cig products ...
Palo Alto, California considers ‘urgent’ law banning e-cigarettes
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 9th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Palo Alto, in the San Francisco Bay Area, could be the next Californian city to adopt a ban on vaping products ...
LA city approves next steps toward vaping sale restrictions
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The city of Los Angeles will now start the process of drafting new regulations to restrict the sale of flavoured tobacco products – including e-cigarettes ...
ECigIntelligence international regulatory live alerts service
Written by ECigIntelligence || 5th December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
ECigIntelligence is launching a new International Alerts round-up for Platinum + and Platinum Pro subscribers to enable them to stay on track with regulatory developments in international markets ...
New York State pushes for e-cigarette cessation support services
Written by ECigIntelligence || 3rd December 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The New York State health commissioner continues to change policy on vaping, with the state Department of Health planning to offer e-cigarette users specialised cessation support programmes ...
Philippines police arrest vapers after President Duterte orders crackdown
Written by ECigIntelligence || 28th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Police in the Philippines have arrested more than 200 vapers after president Rodrigo Duterte issued a verbal order to enforce bans on the importation of e-cigarettes and their use in public ...
New York City council votes to ban the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes
Written by ECigIntelligence || 27th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The largest city in the US is set to join the hundreds of smaller municipalities across the nation that have passed restrictions on the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes ...
EU Commission and Parliament kick off TPD revision assessment procedure
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Brussels has officially started the formal process to review the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) by 2021, with a focus on e-cigarettes and new tobacco products ...
Massachusetts flavour ban to become a permanent fixture in state law
Written by ECigIntelligence || 26th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Massachusetts is set to become very soon the first state in the US to ban flavoured e-cigarettes by law after both chambers adopted a new bill that also sets an excise tax on e-cigs ...
Indonesia embarks on the legislative road to banning e-cigs from 2020
Written by ECigIntelligence || 25th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A revision of Indonesia’s main tobacco control regulation is under way, with the aim of banning all e-cigarette products, flavours and additives in the near future ...
Trump warns of black market if flavour ban is adopted; backs minimum age of 21
Written by Jim Myers || 23rd November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
President Trump has softened his position on a possible US flavour ban, and also endorsed a national minimum vaping age of 21 ...
German court orders e-cig company to drop ‘no regrets’ slogan
Written by ECigIntelligence || 21st November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
In a case that may help set a legal precedent in Germany, a court has ruled that an e-cig manufacturer can no longer advertise its products under the slogan “pleasure without regret” ...
FDA inspects 800 vape stores in two years, seeks tobacco experts for panel
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) carried out 800 inspections in vape stores between 2016 and 2018, with thousands of warning letters have been issued to retailers for violations ...
Poland proposes a 10% tax rate increase on heated tobacco from 2020
Written by ECigIntelligence || 18th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A draft bill has been submitted to the national Parliament (Sejm) by the current prime minister, with the aim of raising the excise tax rate on novelty tobacco products by 10% next year ...
British Columbia to implement 20% vaping tax; considering flavour ban
Written by ECigIntelligence || 15th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Canadian province British Columbia has announced a ten-point plan that introduces some of the toughest regulations in the country on e-cigarettes, including a tax increase and ad restrictions ...
Philippines Congress puts a block on ‘unnecessary’ plan to ban e-cigarettes
Written by ECigIntelligence || 14th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A proposal by the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) to ban e-cigarettes in the country has been turned down by lawmakers because it contradicted a previously approved bill on their taxation ...
Industry is kept waiting for Trump’s ‘very important decision’ on flavours
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US vaping industry is biting its nails awaiting the Trump administration’s next steps after a delay in publication of the new guidance on flavoured e-cigarettes ...
States act on vitamin E acetate after CDC names it as culprit in lung disease
Written by ECigIntelligence || 12th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Some US states are preparing action after vitamin E acetate was named by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the chief culprit behind the outbreak of vape-related lung illness ...
Among bills in US Congress, House backs ban on online sales to minors
Written by Jim Myers || 11th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A total of 16 vaping-related bills have been introduced in the current US Congress, which convened in January – and some of them are moving through the legislative process quite fast ...
Slovakia proposes increased HnB excise duty amid coalition opposition
Written by Lenka Hajnovicova || 8th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The Slovak Republic is currently debating a proposal from the Ministry of Finance that would increase excise duties for tobacco products, including heated tobacco, from February 2020 ...
Trump chooses lung cancer specialist to be the new FDA commissioner
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
US president Donald Trump has nominated lung cancer specialist Stephen Hahn to be the new full-time US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner ...
San Francisco votes 4/1 in favour of citywide e-cigarette ban
Written by ECigIntelligence || 6th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Voters in San Francisco have opted overwhelmingly to confirm the ban on the sale, distribution or manufacture of e-cigarette products in the city, which will now come into effect on 1st January ...
China demands an end to e-cigarette sales online and to young people
Written by Marija Obradovic || 4th November 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
China’s tobacco and market regulators have announced a major crackdown on e-cigarette sales and advertising, reiterating the ban on sales to minors and demanding the closing-down of e-cig websites ...
Chinese tobacco monopoly says it is working to ‘step up’ e-cig regulation
Written by ECigIntelligence || 31st October 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
China's state tobacco monopoly is studying plans to tighten regulations on the sale and use of e-cigarettes, after a government adviser publicly declared support for an outright ban on vaping products ...
Court halts Utah flavour ban, while Michigan governor files appeal
Written by ECigIntelligence || 30th October 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The wave of executive actions against vaping across US states continues to be followed by a wave of judicial actions to stop it, with Michigan, Rhode Island and Utah the latest states embroiled in litigation ...
White House reviewing new FDA guidance on flavoured e-cigs
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 29th October 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The White House has received the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s final version of its guideline on flavoured e-cigarettes currently on sale without premarket authorisation ...
Ontario bans e-cig promotion in c-stores, Alberta plans tax
Written by ECigIntelligence || 29th October 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Promotion of vaping products in convenience stores and gas stations is to be banned in Ontario from 1st January, while Alberta could become the first province in Canada to tax e-cigarettes ...
Turkey preparing to get even tougher on e-cig imports and public vaping
Written by ECigIntelligence || 28th October 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The Turkish Ministry of Health is drafting a new proposal to clamp down on public vaping and the importing of vapour devices, officials have confirmed to ECigIntelligence ...
Ireland takes another step towards banning e-cigarette sales to under-18s
Written by ECigIntelligence || 28th October 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The Irish government has approved a proposal put forward by health minister Simon Harris to ban sales of vaping products to under-18s ...
India puts e-cigarette and heated tobacco ban out to public consultation
Written by Marija Obradovic || 26th October 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Following the ordinance banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, the Indian government is moving forward by drafting a bill which must be approved by parliament reaffirming its effects ...