Hungary: The Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Affairs has told ECigIntelligence that a total of 10,855,642 ml of e-liquid was sold in Hungary in 2022. This information is retrieved from the system to which every national tobacco shop must submit information on daily stock levels and turnover of all vaping products.
As of February 2022, subscribers can view and filter individual regulatory alerts per region. If you want to get our monthly compilations, visit our alerts round-up section.
US - general: Following the Reagan-Udall Foundation’s scathing report to FDA commissioner Robert Califf on the agency’s tobacco program, the American Vapor Manufacturers Association (AVA) said “FDA officials met with four organizations that are hostile to e-cigarettes as a tobacco harm reduction tool to discuss Reagan-Udall’s findings in the hours and days following its publication,” media reports. Those organisations were reportedly the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and the American Thoracic Society.
UK: Derby City Council has raised concerns over disposable e-cigarettes, naming a recycling centre where they can be taken, but saying “an even better choice is to invest in a reusable vape kit”. The council also committed to removing counterfeit and non-compliant products off the market and issued a warning about Trading Standards testing which found arsenic, lead and formaldehyde in counterfeit e-liquids.
Germany: The state parliament of Schleswig-Holstein has called on the state government to support the Bavarian government’s plea for a campaign to ban disposable cigarettes at federal and EU level. “Disposable e-cigarettes produce a lot of e-waste and are literally a fire hazard,” said the motion’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) sponsor, Sandra Redmann.
Philippines: In a speech to the Senate yesterday, senator Pia Cayetano of the conservative Nacionalista Party expressed alarm about “vape flavours and designs, which are...very attractive to our youth”. Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Senate would pass a resolution calling on the Department of Trade and Industry to enforce the law.
US - Virginia: House Bill 2296 and Senate Bill 1350, which would have imposed tax at $0.066 per ml on nicotine e-liquids in closed systems, and 20% of the wholesale price in open systems, have been substituted, with all reference to tax removed.
Russia: Alexei Kurinny, deputy chair of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection, has said he does not support a complete ban on e-cigarettes, arguing that it would send vapers back to smoking, media reports. Health minister Mikhail Murashko said last week that the ministry backed the initiative of State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin to ban e-сigs.
Thailand: Education minister Treenuch Thienthong has called on all educational establishments to get tougher on vaping. “It is time for us to be strict, strict, and prevent the spread of e-cigarettes among children and young people,” she said.
Serbia: Speaking at a conference on cancer, health minister Danica Grujičić called for public support for a ban on smoking in enclosed public places. “The Ministry of Finance, which claims that the state makes money from cigarettes, must be pressured. The priority must be people’s health,” she said. Though she belongs to the same governing party as the finance minister, Sinisa Mali, Grujičić is the first health minister in several governments to speak about the need for a public smoking ban. She told the press today that a proposal had already been drawn up to ban smoking in hospitality premises, but that it has yet to be adopted by the government before it goes before the National Assembly. It is not yet clear whether or not the proposal – which has yet to be made public – will tackle vaping.
Egypt: The Tobacco Division of the Federation of Egyptian Industries is to hold a workshop with e-liquid importers in Cairo tomorrow to discuss strategies to combat illicit products, press reports.
US - New York: Governor Kathy Hochul has been criticised by state Democrats over the proposed statewide ban on tobacco and e-cigarette flavours, media reports. Critics say the proposed ban would be impractical to enforce and costly to state taxpayers. One said: “Small businesses in New York are at risk of being squeezed out by the proposed illegal tobacco regulations, which would only stimulate a larger underground market and encourage people to buy unregulated products.”
US - Texas: House Bill 1872 has been introduced, which would ban the sale or donation of e-cigarettes with any distinguishable taste or aroma other than that of tobacco or menthol.
Suriname: The Ministry of Health has emphasised that e-cigarettes should not be used by adolescents, young adults or pregnant women, media reports. The Dutch-speaking republic of Suriname is the smallest sovereign state in South America, with a population of just over 600,000.
Hungary: The Ministry of Finance has told ECigIntelligence that approximately HUF0.5bn (€1.27m) was collected in tax on e-liquids in 2022, compared to HUF0.2bn (€500,000) in 2021 and HUF0.4bn (€1m) in 2020. E-liquids, regardless of their nicotine content, are currently taxed at HUF33 (€0.084) per ml.
New Zealand: As highlighted in the ECigIntelligence compliance calendar, today (31st January) is the last day for manufacturers and importers of e-cigarettes, including specialist vape retailers, to submit their market data for 2022.
US - general: A North Carolina federal judge has ruled that RJ Reynolds Vapor must pay ongoing royalties to Altria for a pod-style vape, after a $95m verdict last year found it was guilty of a patent infringement. The opinion reduces Altria’s demand from 10.5% to 5.25%, which Reynolds will have to pay quarterly until the last of Altria’s patents expires in April 2035. “Altria has not shown that the pod patents’ contribution to the Alto’s performance since May 2019 justifies increasing the jury’s royalty rate of 5.25%,” the judge wrote.
Latvia: The State Revenue Service has told ECigIntelligence that the excise duty on e-liquids, with or without nicotine, brought in €636,000 in 2020, €2,925,000 in 2021, and €7,435,000 in 2022.
Germany: In response to a parliamentary question put by The Left party (Die Linke) on the taxation of e-liquids, the government said that as the regulations have only been in force for a short time, it did not see any need for change. It added: “A need for change could possibly arise in the future due to regulations to be implemented from the upcoming revision of the EU Tobacco Tax Directive.”
Germany: The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has updated the list of notified e-cigarette products, which now contains 303,179 vapour products. Only products notified at least six months ago are listed.
Belgium: The Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety, and Environment will hold an information session at 10am tomorrow on the Royal Decree on e-cigarettes that was enacted at the beginning of January. Thought the session will take place in French and Dutch, an English translation will be made available. Links to the session are available from apf.food@health.fgov.be.
Australia: Public Health Associations in New South Wales (NSW) are urging the next government of the state to protect young people from vaping, press reports. The NSW branch of the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) yesterday highlighted what it considered the five public health issues that need attention, among which was the use of vaping products by young people. Branch president Kate McBride said the consumption of vaping products by young people had doubled in the last two years. While nicotine-containing e-cigarettes can only be acquired through prescription, there is no sales restriction on nicotine-free ones. State elections are due in March.