Issue 28

LETTER FROM THE

We are living in unprecedented times where uncertainty is the new normal. With the COVID-19 pandemic throwing the world into chaos, our lives have changed beyond recognition.

The whole of the UK is now self-isolating with almost everyone told to stay at home to slow down the spread of the disease.

Other countries have introduced more stringent measures and the worldwide death toll is truly shocking.

Conspiracy theories are all over the internet and vaping has even been linked with COVID-19. Officials in China have claimed that coronavirus was brought to country from the US and there have been claims that last year’s EVALI outbreak in America was part of a coronavirus cover-up. One thing is certain though, at times like these people panic and act irrationally and some find comfort from ‘explanations’ no matter how wild or implausible they may be. Some people are convinced that vaping helps protect against the disease while others believe that it makes it easier to catch.

Non-vapers are concerned that they may contract COVID-19 from breathing in someone else’s e-cigarette vapour even though vaping does not pose a risk to those around us. However we should be extra sensitive to the fears of others at this time and not blow huge vapour clouds if we vape during those rare times when we are allowed to be out.

Our industry has taken a huge hit with expos and other live events being cancelled or postponed right across the world but we are resilient and we will bounce back. It is troubling that UK vape shops have been forced to close which will only see vapers - unable to buy e-liquids - potentially switching back to smoking. If off-licenses are ‘essential’ businesses during this crisis then surely vape shops should remain open too?

Here at Vapouround we are doing all we can to keep the industry informed about all the changes happening right now, via our magazines, our blog and on our social media platforms.

We have switched from working from the office to working at home wherever possible and have redoubled our efforts to get the message across that vaping saves lives. Now, more than ever, smokers need to hear and understand this message.

Look after yourself and look after each other. These are worrying times but this crisis will not last for ever.

individuals under

CONTENTS

OUT of smoking for teens

Adults like flavours too Has the US federal flavour ban run out of steam?

American consumer institute study Vaping does not spread COVID-19 Italian vape stores to stay open COVID-19 lockdown Coronavirus vaccine breakthrough

FEATURES

Diary of a Vaper

Cover Story - Flavour Art

Victor Mullin Column

Working through the crisis

58 62 66 70 74 78 82 86 90 96 100 106 110 114 118 122 124

Leave the drippers at home EU menthol ban preview PHE report - overview PHE report - mental health advice PHE report - youth vaping update PHE report - reaction Vaping for two - pregnancy feature Guide to vaping and the coronavirus USA: Why are Democrats anti-vaping? Making America panic again Think of the children Never stop innovating UKVIA - VApril goes digital Time to rebuild?

Coronavirus outbreak: International Expo latest.

WHO’s vape stance criticised Jail Breaking - focus on vaping in prisons

128 130 134 136 140 144 148

Air Factory feature Facebook vaping clampdown New Jersey flavour ban Introducing VOXPO the virtual expo Coronavirus conspiracy theories COVID-19: What’s happening in Europe Vapouround Quiz

Short Fills

Three pages filled with short vape-related stories and research making news from around the world.

SALEM SWITCH TRIALS

Students in Salem, Massachusetts, are being offered $50 gift cards if they hand over their vaping products to school medical staff. The ‘e-cigarette buyback scheme’ will also require the students to take part in four 45-minute vaping cessation support sessions at Salem High School’s Teen Health Center. The initiative was launched in partnership with North Shore Community Health and North Shore Medical Center, to discourage high school-aged children from vaping.

FEELM WIN TOP DESIGN AWARD

FEELM has picked up a prestigious iF Design Award 2020 for an eco-friendly new e-cigarette made from paper instead of plastic. The Disposable Paper E-cigarette is made with environmentallyfriendly paper which improves its degradability by 76 percent compared with regular plastic products. It also comes with a replaceable paper mouthpiece where the outermost layers can be torn off - ideal when sharing it with friends or using as a demo instore. A FEELM spokesperson said: “Environmental concerns are getting more attention so we are delighted that our Disposable Paper E-cigarette has won this world-renowned design award.

COUNSELLING + VAPING = BETTER QUIT RATES

Smokers who use e-cigarettes in addition to counselling are twice as likely to quit than those who undergo counselling alone, according to a new study. The Canadian study found that after 12 weeks of counselling alone one in ten smokers were able to quit. This increased to 17 percent for those

given nicotine-free e-cigarettes and to 22 percent for those who vaped nicotine e-liquids. Nine out of ten of the study group had previously tried to quit smoking but had failed.

GONE FOREVER

A temporary ‘emergency ban’ on the sale of vape flavours in Rhode Island,

BAD PRESS ‘PUTS PEOPLE OFF VAPING’

A survey for vaping retailer Electric Tobacconist has highlighted very worrying perceptions about vaping in the UK…and negative media coverage is to blame. Six-out-of-ten respondents thought vaping had no public health benefit or were unsure if it did while only 15 percent considered it beneficial and half of those questioned said they would not encourage a smoker to switch. Electric Tobacconist Managing Director Pascal Culverhouse said: “Most people are put off vaping by the negative media coverage - especially from the sensationalist tabloids. There is still a lot of misinformation and lack of understanding.”

LOOK WHAT’S ZYN WAITROSE

Upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose is now stocking ZYN nicotine pouches following their huge success in the US. Made by Swedish Match, ZYN is placed under the lip like Scandinavian snus but, unlike snus, it does not contain tobacco and is legal in the UK. Mattias Josander of Swedish Match said: “Because there is nothing inhaled and nothing exhaled, ZYN can be used discreetly at work, play and home make it the perfect complement to vaping.” In the UK, in addition to the Waitrose stores, Zyn is already available in 300 other outlets.

MENTHOL

BANS

“DON’T WORK”

With the EU menthol cigarette ban due to come into force from May 20, a new Canadian study says such measures fail to reduce youth smoking rates. The study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) concluded: “Survey data confirms that provincial menthol bans significantly increased non-menthol cigarette smoking among youths, resulting in no overall net change in youth smoking rates.” The research is the first of its kind to comprehensively evaluate the real-world effects of menthol prohibition. It also failed to find any significant impact on smoking rates or quitting behaviours for either youths or adults.

VAPING BANS “A BAD IDEA”

E-cigarette bans have been described as “harmful and ineffective” by researchers at the Baker Institute, a think tank at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The researchers say vaping regulations “should focus on restricting advertising and sales to minors while maintaining the appeal of vaping as a less harmful alternative for people who smoke.” The report - Vaping: Clearing the Air - concludes that full or partial prohibition of vaping products, are unlikely to significantly reduce use but are “quite likely to have unintended and undesirable consequences.”

RELX OFFER TONS OF HELP

E-cigarette company RELX Technology is sending essential medical supplies to the world’s coronavirus hotspots to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. RELX will initially send 78,200 masks and about four tons of hand sanitiser to its global distributors, partners and store owners to help protect them. The supplies will be sent to countries in Asia, Europe, Canada and South America. Founder and CEO Kate Wang said: “As a global startup, we are doing what we can to help our global community. We hope our modest donation will help them during these trying times.”

SAUDIS BAN SHISHA

Saudi Arabia has banned cafes and restaurants from serving shisha and tobacco as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus. The ban has been implemented in several Saudi cities, including the capital Riyadh and is backed up by inspections to ensure that the restrictions are being followed. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs said: “Shisha and tobacco were banned as a precautionary measure to preserve the health of citizens and residents from coronavirus.” Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said, “Tobacco and the shisha can cause infection transmission as they are shared.”

VAPE SHOP CLOSED FOR LOCKDOWN BREACH

SMOKERS AT “GREATER CORONAVIRUS RISK”

England’s Chief Medical Officer has warned that smokers are at a greater risk from coronavirus than non-smokers. Professor Chris Whitty was speaking at a Commons Health and Social Care Committee after the UK government launched its ‘battle plan’ to combat the spread of COVID-19. He said: “For most respiratory infections, you worry a bit more about people who smoke. They’re more likely to get it and their immune system is less good. Smoking is an additional vulnerability in people who are otherwise healthy.”

QUIT FOR COVID

A Somerset vape shop has been closed by the local council for staying open during the coronavirus UK lockdown.

The owners protested that they were carrying out ‘an essential service for our customers’ but were ordered to close as they were not on the list of exempted retailers.

They said they had implemented strict social distancing measures and added: “We believe that it is much safer for people to visit a vape shop than a hardware store or supermarket.”

A #QuitforCovid campaign has been launched in the UK to encourage smokers to quit during the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the need for people to take care of their respiratory health and could be the push needed to help smokers quit. The campaign website - todayistheday.co.uk - says smokers can get help to quit from stop smoking services and from nicotine alternatives such as vaping. It has also been offering daily Twitter quit clinics which can be found on the Twitter page @QuitforCovid.

VapingA GATEWAY OUT OF SMOKING FOR TEENS

Less than one percent of vapers go on to smoke, study finds.

Words: Gordon Stribling

Vaping is more likely to be a gateway out of smoking for young people than into it, a recent study concluded.

The research, published in British Medical Journal (BMJ) publication Tobacco Control, also found that teen vapers were less likely to go on to smoke cigarettes than their peers who tried other tobacco products first.

The researchers used data from the US National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) 2014-2017 to compare experimentation with different types of tobacco product.

Unlike many similar studies, the researchers looked at continued use of e-cigarettes and not just initial uptake of the devices.

The researchers wrote:

"The association of subsequent use of e-cigarettes was stronger for adolescents initiating with cigarettes than the association of subsequent cigarette smoking for e-cigarette initiators.

"This underlines the fact that cigarettes act as a much more important gateway for any product use."

The teen smokers were split into three groups - ever-smokers, past 30 day smokers and established smokers.

The teens in each of these groups who had tried e-cigarettes first were then matched with teens from similar demographics with similar behavioural characteristics who had started with other combustible and non-combustible tobacco products, like cigars and snuff. This technique is known as propensity score matching (PSM); which is designed to mimic some of the elements of a clinical trial.

The researchers found that cigarettes were the most common ‘starter’ tobacco product, followed by other combustible products, non-combustibles and e-cigarettes.

Less than one percent of teens who tried e-cigarettes went on to become established smokers. This figure is smaller than any of the other groups.

The researchers wrote:

“This suggests that, over the time period considered, e-cigarettes were unlikely to have acted as an important gateway towards cigarette smoking, and may, in fact, have acted as a gateway away from smoking for vulnerable adolescents.”

Boys were more likely than girls to have tried any tobacco product and both were more likely to experiment as they got older.

The supposed vaping-to-smoking gateway effect has frequently been used to justify strict vaping regulations, particularly in the US, where an ongoing war on flavours continues to play out.

However, a 2019 study of more than 12,000 middle and high school students in the US found that vapers were more likely to try cigarettes but not more likely to become established smokers.

When "shared risk-factors" such as alcohol-use and smokers in the household were taken into account, the researchers found that the

association between trying an e-cigarette and becoming a smoker almost disappeared entirely.

Lead author and assistant scientist at Sanford Health in South Dakota, Arielle Selya, said that the findings undermined the vapingto-smoking gateway theory.

She said: "It's really important to hold off on making policies on e-cigarettes until we have a more solid understanding of its effects."

Public health and anti-tobacco groups in the UK largely agree that young people are more likely to smoke before trying e-cigarettes than the other way around.

A 2019 ASH survey revealed that less than one percent of 11-18-yearolds who never smoked were current vapers, 0.1 percent vaped more than once a week and none of the never-smokers reported vaping every day.

"E-cigarettes may have acted as a gateway away from smoking for vulnerable adolescents”

FLAVOUR BAN COULD LEAD TO SMOKING RELAPSE

Study reveals adult preferences for sweet flavours

Words: Gordon Stribling

AUS federal flavour ban could have a huge impact on adult vapers as well as the youth population, a new study has shown. Researchers at Penn State University examined the flavour preferences of long-term adult vapers and found that preference for tobacco, menthol and mint decreased over time and preference for chocolate, candy and other sweet flavours increased.

The findings demonstrate how important flavours are in the longterm success of quit attempts. Dr Ping Du, associate professor of medicine and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, said: “Our data shows that flavours aren’t just popular with the youth, but with adults as well.

“Many of the participants in our study indicated that they used e-cigarettes as a means to quit smoking or avoid relapse, and these flavours may be part of the reason why they end up using e-cigarettes in the long-term.” In the study, 383 adults aged between 22 and 75 completed an online survey between 2012 and 2014 and follow-up between 2017 and 2019.

They were asked to name their preferred flavour at each stage. The researchers found that preference for fruit remained stable, but tobacco, menthol and mint decreased over time, from 40 percent to 22 percent. Preference for sweet flavours was most noticeable in younger adults aged 18 to 45, increasing from 16 percent to 29

percent. When asked at follow-up how they would act if the FDA was to enforce a flavour ban, half of respondents said they would find a way to obtain flavoured e-liquids or add flavour themselves.

One in ten respondents said they would consider going back to smoking if their preferred flavour was banned. The Democraticlead House of Representatives approved a bill banning all flavoured tobacco products on February 28.

The White House opposes the ban and cited the harm-reduction of e-cigarettes and the lack of evidence supporting a menthol e-liquid ban among its concerns. A ban on flavoured pods has been in force since February 6.

Jonathan Foulds, professor of public health sciences at the College of Medicine, noted that most of the respondents used open-tank systems which have not been affected by the February 6 ban.

However, many of these liquids will likely be pulled from the shelves ahead of the Premarket Tobacco product Application (PMTA) deadline.

The Penn State Cancer Institute believes that a flavour ban will prevent non-smokers, especially youth, from initiating e-cigarette

use. But there is a wealth of information online explaining how to add flavours or make your own e-liquid.

Professor Du believes that the results from the study demonstrate that there could be unforeseen negative consequences from enforcing a flavour ban.

She said: “We don’t know what the long-term effects of this new policy will be, but the evidence we’ve collected says that adult, longterm e-cigarette users with a preference for sweeter flavours may face health risks trying to obtain or make their preferred flavours.”

The flavoured pod ban has led to a growth in sales for disposable, single-use vapes, with the Puff Bar in particular taking heat from US state officials and media.

On February 10, Maryland state comptroller Peter Franchot announced that the state would be the first to ban all flavoured disposable e-cigarettes, other than tobacco and menthol.

Mr Franchot said: “I will not stand idly by letting kids get addicted to nicotine and hurt by these unregulated products that are marketed directly towards them.” Franchot’s office wrote to the state’s tobacco retailers and wholesalers informing them that the state would discipline any stores caught selling flavoured disposables.

“Flavours aren’t just popular with the youth, but with adults as well”

flavour ban

HAS THE US FEDERAL RUN OUT OF STEAM?

Nine out of ten lung cancers could be avoided by eliminating tobacco use, according to new research from the World Health Organization

Words: Caroline Barry

With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the US particularly hard, there are calls for plans to impose a nationwide vape flavour ban to be abandoned.

The flavour ban bill - introduced to combat youth vaping and tobacco use - was passed by The House of Representatives by 213 votes to 195 with huge support from the Democrats.

All but five Republicans voted against the bill as did some Democrats from tobacco-producing states.

However opponents have argued that it is unnecessary and say it will lead to the collapse of the US e-cigarette industry and put countless smokers’ lives at risk.

North Carolina Republican Richard Hudson said it was an unnecessary overreach by “big government, liberal elites, telling adults what they cannot do.”

As well as banning vape flavours it bans menthol cigarettes which are particularly popular among African-Americans, prompting fears that black communities could become targets of over-policing.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said while these were legitimate concerns she said the ban was needed due to huge concerns regarding “the well-being of the children and stopping the path to addiction.”

The American Civil Liberties Union and some black lawmakers also warned that the ban would lead to an illegal market in

flavoured vaping products which would put people of colour in particular at risk of prosecution and arrest.

Alex Clark from the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association (CASAA) said the ban was wrong and particularly so in the current climate.

He said: “Flavour bans would quickly shut down small businesses. While policy makers claim that these measures are necessary to curb vaping among young people, we now know that riskseeking teens will just find another nicotine product with which to experiment.

“During a pandemic involving acute respiratory symptoms that can lead to hospitalisation, it is not the time to take away safer alternatives to smoking.”

He said vapers need to continue to use a product which keeps them from using cigarettes while smokers needed access to less harmful alternatives and added: “It’s not just about harm reduction. This is all about doing everything we can to prevent America’s healthcare system from collapsing under the weight of preventable disease and death.”

The bill - ‘Protecting American Lungs and Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2020’ would introduce new restrictions on marketing of e-cigarettes and ban flavours in tobacco products.

It also would place a new excise tax on nicotine. However it is far from clear that it will ever become law. The New

York Times reported that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell - who represents the tobacco-producing state of Kentucky - has not even indicated whether he will bring it up for a vote.

Even if it were to pass a Senate vote it needs to be signed off by President Trump and the White House opposes the bill.

The Trump administration says there should be more of a focus on setting up the new department for tobacco regulation which the President announced in his budget plans earlier this year.

The White House said in a statement: “The Administration cannot support H.R. 2339’s counterproductive efforts to restrict access to products that may provide a less harmful alternative to millions of adults who smoke combustible cigarettes.

“This includes the bill’s prohibition of menthol e-liquids, which available evidence indicates are used relatively rarely by youth.

It also includes the bill’s approach to remote retail sales. At this time, problems surrounding such sales should be addressed through the application of age verification technologies rather than, as this bill would do, prohibiting such sales entirely.

“The bill takes the wrong approach to tobacco regulation. Congress should implement President Trump’s Budget proposal to create a new, more directly accountable agency within the Department of Health and Human Services to focus on tobacco regulation.

“If presented to the President in its current form, the President’s senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”

“During a pandemic involving acute respiratory symptoms that can lead to hospitalisation, it is not the time to take away safer alternatives to smoking from people who vape.”

Known worldwide for it’s unique one of a kind flavor. The Berg is consistantly the topseller in almost every vape store. Also available in Menthol version. A

US POLICY HINDERINGVaping Potential

Words: Gordon Stribling

Overzealous vaping restrictions, combined with misleading information about e-cigarettes’ true health risks, are deterring smokers from potentially life-saving alternatives, according to a new report.

The report, published by the American Consumer Institute (ACI), argued that measures taken to curb youth use have cultivated a hostile environment where vaping has been vilified to the detriment of wider public health.

Policymakers fearing that vaping is a gateway to tobacco for young people have introduced punitive taxes, flavour regulations and outright bans in a bid to fight the perceived public health risk.

The authors concluded:

“Too often, policymakers have acted without carefully weighing the costs and benefits of their actions.

“Knee-jerk opposition to e-cigarettes, often fuelled by misleading information, curbs their use as a smoking cessation aid by millions of adults.”

The report argues that many policymakers have failed to distinguish between a supposed gateway from

vaping to smoking among youth and the potential for smoke-free products to replace combustible tobacco in this group.

By attempting to prevent the former, they write, they may be impeding the latter.

“The vast majority of habitual teen vapers are current or former smokers for whom e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to the products they currently or previously used.

“The substantial increase in e-cigarette use among middle and high-schoolers over the last decade has coincided with a steep decline in cigarette smoking among students.”

Smoking rates in the US continue to decline at a steady pace. However, millions continue to use combustible tobacco despite decades of public health campaigns. There are now more than 7 million vapers in the US and that number is increasing, suggesting that smokers are making the switch to a less harmful alternative. Even sceptical government bodies like the CDC have acknowledged the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.

“E-cigarettes have the potential to benefit adult

The harm-reduction potential of e-cigarettes is being undermined, report reveals

DON’T SPREAD CORONAVIRUS Vape clouds

…unless vapers cough when they exhale

Words: Gordon Stribling

There is no evidence that vape clouds spread the COVID-19 infection, according to a University of California San Francisco professor.

Emeritus professor of medicine Dr Neal Benowitz said vape clouds contained small water particles, PG, VG and flavour chemicals but not saliva or mucus that could infect others. The expert made the statement after Scottish microbiologist Tom McLean claimed that inhaling someone else's vapour was akin to 'being spat in the face.'

Dr Benowitz said: "The vaping aerosol evaporates very quickly, while particles that are emitted when coughing or sneezing are large particles that persist in the air for a relatively long period of time.

"Thus, I would not think that vapers present any risk of spreading COVID-19, unless they are coughing when they exhale the vapour."

Dr Benowitz's comments back a previous statement from Public Health England, which sought to reassure the public that e-cigarettes presented no identifiable risk to anyone in close proximity to exhaled vapour.

Rosanna O'Connor, director of tobacco, alcohol and drugs at PHE, said: “Public Health England’s 2018 independent evidence review found that to date, there have been no identified health risks of passive vaping to bystanders.

“There is currently no evidence that coronavirus can be caught from exposure to e-cigarette vapour.”

Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that people aged between 20 and 44 accounted for up to 20 percent of COVID-19 hospitalisations. One member of the tobacco control community believes that vaping may be playing a role.

Established vaping critic Professor Stanton Glantz, also of the

University of California San Francisco, said that, like smoking, vaping damages lungs and causes inflammation that can lead to more serious infection.

Asked whether vaping could be blamed for the risk of more severe infection in young people, Glantz said: "The answer is that it could be - but I don't think that we can say that it is yet."

Glantz recently took aim at PHE and its 'crazy promotion of e-cigs' in a blog titled: 'Web of cash and contacts ties Public Health England to Big Tobacco.'

However, a 2019 report by industry watchdog Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP) found that the UK government was the world-leader at 'resisting industry interference.'

“There is no evidence that coronavirus can be caught from exposure to e-cigarette vapour.”

ITALIAN VAPE STORES TO REMAIN OPEN

As Italy struggles to contain the COVID-19 crisis, vapers can look forward to some good news.

Italy has been hit exceptionally hard by the coronavirus pandemic with amongst the highest death toll anywhere in the world.

The Italian outbreak has increased steadily since it began in the Lombardy region in February and reports of the dire situation in the country have been seen across the globe. Governments across Europe, including Italy, have adopted severe measures to help slow the spread of the disease by banning all public gatherings, closing schools and restricting the movement of people.

Prime minister Giuseppe Conte labelled the crisis ‘Italy’s darkest hour’ while announcing that all commercial businesses would close with the exception of pharmacies, supermarkets, newsagents and tobacconists. But in a u-turn, the government announced, less than a week later, that vape stores would be added to the exemption list.

The change in policy has been credited to the efforts of Dr. Riccardo Polosa who took action after becoming alarmed that tobacco stores were allowed to remain open but vape stores had to close.

Polosa, a respected scientist and researcher on vaping and tobacco harm reduction, successfully argued that vape shops should be allowed to stay open.

He said they were vital to help smokers who are attempting or have quit, to deal with the stress and anxiety of the pandemic. Exempting vape shops would also ensure that vapers could continue to get e-liquids, making it less likely that they would switch back to smoking.

Dr Polosa said: “It was the right time to close tobacconists

and force thousands of smokers to say goodbye to cigarettes, promoting the possibility to switch to less harmful products. Instead, we will have more smokers who smoke to overcome the anxiety and the fear generated by the spread of the coronavirus and thousands of users of e-cigarettes who can slip back into their old bad habits.”

He added that children staying away from school due to the coronavirus shutdown would also be exposed to more second-hand smoke if vapers were forced to return to cigarettes due to vape store closures.

“I don’t agree with the government solution: millions of smokers are forced to stay at home with their loved ones, exposing them to secondhand smoke.”

Dr Polosa also noted that smokers are at a higher risk for respiratory problems that are caused by COVID-19. “There are people with respiratory diseases who had a significant improvement in their health conditions, switching from smoking to vaping. Getting them back to smoking could cause a fast deterioration of their respiratory symptoms with the consequence of overloading the national health system- which is already on the edge.”

"It helps vapers to access their e-liquids meaning they may not relapse back into smoking.”

BLASTED FOR VAPE SHOP LOCKDOWN

introduced on March 23 but ‘essential’ retailers, including bike shops and off-licences, were allowed to continue trading.

Vape products remain available to buy at supermarkets and convenience stores. However, this has left vapers with limited options and increased the burden on already overwhelmed shops packed with customers.

The New Nicotine Alliance which represents consumers of safer nicotine products including e-cigarettes wrote in a statement:

Words: Gordon Stribling

“Vape shops are typically low key and do not attract crowds, so there are sensible social distancing measures which can easily be taken to ensure that vapers can continue to access the products they have found so useful in reducing risks to their health.

Advocates fear lockdown may lead vapers back to tobacco

Director John Dunne said: “The UK vaping industry, including retail outlets, online stores, manufacturers and compliance specialists, has a vital role to play in communities across the country, both from an economic and public health perspective and we want the Government to recognise this in their response to the unprecedented challenge we face.

“In particular, if vape shops were to close it would mean that smokers and vapers would not have access to specialist advice. Keeping the vaping sector open for business is also crucial to meeting the Government’s target for England to be smoke free by 2030.”

Many critics of the government’s policy have noted that cigarettes remain widely available despite the fact that they likely make coronavirus symptoms worse or individuals

more susceptible to the disease. Meanwhile, Royal College of Physicians honorary fellow and former Labour MP Kevin Barron, noted that the public still had ready access to alcohol through exempted off licences.

Barron said: “The government allows off licences to reopen to enable people to drink alcohol, but keeps vape shops closed, risking vapers to return to tobacco.

“This cannot be right, we didn’t get to the lowest recorded number of smokers in this country without vaping, it played a major part.”

This view has been echoed by a number of figures in a public health community that remains a world-leader in peerreviewed research backing vaping for smoking-cessation.

Some, such as Lion Shabab, associate professor of health psychology at UCL, noted that the closure of vape shops would likely to have a knock on effect on the health service at a time of national crisis. Assoc. Prof. Shabab said: “In these uncertain times I would urge the government to extend essential status to vape shops to allow people who have successfully stopped smoking continued access to vape products in order to prevent them from returning to smoking and thereby putting an additional strain on the NHS during this pandemic.”

Meanwhile, experts from across the UK have reiterated the message that vaping is far less harmful than smoking and the healthier option amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

The Science Media Centre issued a press release after receiving questions from journalists and following a number of stories linking smoking and vaping to the disease.

Dr Caitlin Notley, chief investigator for the Neonatal unit Smoking cessation intervention development (NeSci) study at the University of East Anglia said:

“E-cigarettes are the most popular consumer option for stop smoking support, and they are effective. People should be encouraged to switch to vaping rather than continuing to smoke tobacco.

“Since completely switching from smoking to vaping improves cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, smokers who switch to vaping might be expected to have a better prognosis if infected by COVID-19.”

“In these uncertain times I would urge the Government to extend essential status to vape shops.”

IS STILL ‘OPEN FOR BUSINESS’ SAYS UKVIA UK Vape Industry

Words:

Despite the closure of vape shops due to the Government’s coronavirus lockdown, the UKVIA says the UK’s vape industry is still “very much open for business.”

The UK Vaping Industry Association, the largest trade body representing the vaping sector, said it wanted to reassure vapers and smokers that while physical stores had closed, the industry had not.

It said that both online retailers and manufacturers were operating normally while many store owners were taking the opportunity to set up home delivery services and ramp up their e-commerce operations.

UKVIA director John Dunne said the vaping industry was helped in such critical times due to its “entrepreneurial and agile” nature.

He said many UK vape businesses were repurposing their business models to continue to serve their customers as best they could during this global pandemic and said that many specialist online retailers were reporting “significant increases in demand” during the lockdown.

Mr Dunne added: “It is critical during these highly stressful times that vapers have access to vape products to prevent them from taking the backward step of reverting to smoking. Likewise, it enables smokers looking to quit to switch to vaping.

“The UKVIA has published a list of its retail members who provide online and home delivery services so that vapers and smokers can simply access vape devices and e-liquids during the lockdown period.”

The UKVIA said its members were reporting that customers were “extremely concerned” about vape shops being included in the lockdown because supermarkets and newsagents only carried limited product ranges.

Meanwhile Sir Kevin Barron, Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, said the coronavirus crisis would have a “huge negative mental health impact” on our population with “added stress and anxiety arising from being quarantined or isolated.”

He added: “In such situations there can be a heightened temptation to smoke and it is crucial that continued access to vaping during the crisis ensures vapers do not return to conventional cigarettes and that existing smokers can be encouraged to switch to vaping.

“The concern is that if the number of smokers increase in the UK this could place further pressure on an already under pressure domestic health system struggling to deal with the coronavirus.”

Physical stores are closed but the online retail sector is thriving

“It is critical during these highly stressful times that vapers have access to vape products to prevent them from reverting to smoking.”

Patrick Griffin

BAT IN CORONAVIRUS VACCINE

‘

Breakthrough

’

British American Tobacco is developing a potential COVID-19 vaccine using new fast-growing tobacco plant technology.

Words: Patrick Griffin

VYPE manufacturer British American Tobacco is working on a potential coronavirus vaccine and says it has the capacity to produce 1-3 million doses each week.

BAT is using fast-growing tobacco plants for the vaccine and says that pre-clinical testing is already underway. It says that tobacco plants offer the potential for faster and safer vaccine development compared to conventional methods and is using the huge resources of its US bio-tech subsidiary, Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP) for the project.

The company said: “If testing goes well, BAT is hopeful that, with the right partners and support from government agencies, between 1 and 3 million doses of the vaccine could be manufactured per week, beginning in June.

“While KBP remains a commercial operation, the intention is that its work around the COVID-19 vaccine project will be carried out on a not-for-profit basis.”

BAT says that using tobacco plant technology means vaccine production is both safer and faster and says the vaccine could work with a single dose.

Dr David O’Reilly, Director of Scientific Research, BAT said: “Vaccine development is challenging and complex work, but we believe we have made a significant breakthrough with our tobacco plant technology platform and stand ready to work with governments and all stakeholders to help win the war against COVID-19. We fully align with the United Nations plea, for a whole-of-society approach to combat global problems.

“KBP has been exploring alternative uses of the tobacco plant for some time. One such alternative use is the development of plantbased vaccines. We are committed to contributing to the global

effort to halt the spread of COVID-19 using this technology.”

He said the company was engaged with bodies including the US Food and Drug Administration and the UK’s Department for Health and Social Care, “to offer our support and access to our research with the aim of trying to expedite the development of a vaccine for COVID-19.”

The coronavirus vaccine development involved cloning part of COVID-19’s genetic sequence to produce a potential antigen - a substance which induces an immune response in the body and allows the production of antibodies. This antigen was then inserted into tobacco plants for reproduction and, once the plants were harvested, the antigen was then purified, and is now undergoing pre-clinical testing.

“Vaccine development is challenging and complex work, but we believe we have made a significant breakthrough with our tobacco plant technology platform.”

Diary OF A VAPER

Coming clean

We spoke to Elliot Murawski about vaping on the inside, life on the outside and creating a social media sober survival network.

Most vapers switch to e-cigarettes because they decide they no longer want to smoke traditional cigarettes, but for Elliot Murawski things were different.

He was serving a two-and-a-half-year jail term when smoking was banned at his prison.

Suddenly he was not allowed to use tobacco any more but the prison offered e-cigarettes for sale instead.

The final two prisons in the UK went smoke free on April 30, 2018. In England around 15 percent of adults smoke tobacco but that rises to 80 percent for people in prison.

Elliot, 29, said: “The tobacco ban came in about halfway through my sentence, so it was a shock to the system to say the least. Suddenly, people were having to smoke secretly with whatever tobacco was left. Tobacco became contraband just like drugs.

“Tobacco used to be used as currency in prison. Suddenly

people were using vapes to buy drugs, haircuts and other items.”

Elliot’s story is a very public one. His partner, artist and lecturer Lisa Selby, has documented his journey through addiction, prison and going sober on their Instagram account, Blue Bag Life. The name came from the little bags of heroin which were wrapped in blue bags. The account grew and began to offer the perspectives of people in prison, released from prison, as well as loved ones supporting, and all who experienced addiction and poor mental health in their lives. It’s an online support network providing a fascinating, but at times harrowing, read.

Elliot had his first cigarette aged 11 before becoming a committed smoker at 15. He said: “My friends stole tobacco from their parents and we used to smoke it in alleyways thinking we were cool. Growing up, all the coolest characters in action films had a cigarette or cigar on the go, so of course, I emulated them.”

While inside, Elliot said e-cigarettes were easily accessible but not free. Grampian prison estimates that around £340,000 was spent on vape products from 2017 to 2018 alone.

“The switch from cigarettes to vaping was difficult. I managed to get bits of tobacco from other prisoners at first and when cigarette papers began to disappear people began to use Bible paper instead but then tobacco

became more expensive. I was trying to behave so I could move to a lower security prison, I didn’t want to risk messing everything up over tobacco so I was determined to get used to vaping.”

Elliot remembers the cost of the devices. “I think the vape pens plus chargers were about £12. Packs of three vape cartridges were £3.99, and they were from Prologic. I had to buy the vape set with my weekly prison wage of £15.

“The flavours available were tobacco, cherry, vanilla, menthol and berry mint, all in varying strengths. My favourite was the 18mg/ml tobacco, because it gave the strongest nicotine hit.

“A nurse would visit from time-to-time to bring patches or nicotine lozenges around to the wings and test how our lungs were improving with a breathalyser-type machine. There were patches and lozenges for sale but they were very expensive.”

It wasn’t just the cost of the e-cigarettes that caused an issue for inmates. Reports of devices being used to smoke

drugs such as spice appeared in the media around the time of the ban with claims that officers had been passing out due to exposure from fumes. It created a black market for vape products in much the same way that cigarettes had been before.

“The biggest problem was that it created a black market for tobacco. When I left prison, people were selling smuggled-in 30g pouches of tobacco for £300 but I think that’s even higher now. That’s a bit of profit considering that they are £15 in the shop.

Prisoners would also use e-liquids as a bargaining tool.

“There were prisoners who would loan a pack of vapes until the following week for a repayment of two packs, a common jail practise known as double bubble.”

Lisa and Elliot have found that Instagram has served as a positive experience for them.

Elliot said: “It’s been a motivator to help stay clean and to support those who also want to show life after addiction. It’s the best thing I have ever done.

“The honesty and transparency in what we’re doing is the main reason why I’ve been able to turn my life around. Living in shame and guilt for being addicted to drugs, suffering from mental illness or being sent to prison only perpetuates the cycle. Owning my stuff on our social media account and accepting it as my story not only helped me to move forward but provided opportunities to grow too.”

Lisa and Elliot are working in prisons and in education, helping people to speak out and they are delivering talks all around the country, including a TEDx talk called ‘Addiction and Prison: the undoing of shame.

Follow Lisa and Elliot on Instagram @bluebaglife

“Tobacco used to be used as currency in prison. Suddenly people were using vapes to buy drugs, haircuts and other items.”

FLAVOURART UKHOW THE BUSINESS HAS EVOLVED AND GROWN

The DIY flavour route allows vapers total control of what they vape

We spoke to John Chamley, Director at That’s Nice Limited T/A FlavourArt UK, about what drives his business and why the DIY route is so important to the overall vaping industry.

How did you get involved in the flavour/vape industry and how have things changed over the years?

I entered the world of vaping quite early in its development, October 2008 to be precise, and was extremely fortunate to find myself working for a company (Intellicig—C.N. Creative) that, even then, had a clearly-defined vision of the potential and future of those early, first generation devices. Working on the development of the first UK manufactured e-liquid was an exciting part of my pioneering journey, and seeing it launched in April 2009 was the first of many red-letter days.

Vaping is no longer a nascent industry or phenomenon; it has developed over the past twelve years into a mainstream global market. What we have witnessed is the rapid growth of the most significant disruptive technology in the field of smoking harm reduction.

Forming a business relationship with FlavourArt Italy in 2009/10 was a key factor in determining the direction of my own career in the industry. As with all our partnerships, it was built on the strongest foundation of trust, transparency, and integrity, which is the same today.

Why DIY when there are so many finished flavours out there?

We encourage DIY so that vapers can have total control over what

they vape. Our method of achieving that differs from the norm because we believe it is the best way to achieve the best results. The guides on our website explain it in more detail, when you read them, they will make sense. We do stock 160 ‘standard flavours’ created by FA Italy, plus 60 ‘blended’ flavours that I have created over the past eight years, a passion whose main ingredient is patience!

What are some common mistakes people make when they get into the DIY business?

As a business, it is so fiercely competitive and difficult to break into an already saturated market. Creating your own unique brand takes time, and it’s a huge step up in terms of resources and finance from mixing at home to establishing a credible business that is

compliant with regulations. Doing it right is not as cheap as some might think.

What advice would you give to people who are concerned about the safety of certain flavours or compounds?

Do the research and seek out peer-reviewed studies on vaping safety. Ask your supplier if you have concerns, they should answer them. It is the customers’ choice as to what they buy and from whom, so being able to offer information and assurance is important to us.

If Diacetyl, and vaping in general, were serious dangers, why have we not seen hospital wards full of patients with vaping-related diseases? 80,000 smoking-related deaths per year in the UK puts the situation into perspective.

2013/14 saw many vapers expressing concern over ingredients such as Diacetyl and Acetyl Propionyl; FlavourArt had recognised this issue back in 2010 and had addressed it by initiating a program to remove it from their recipes.

Merely testing a sample of liquid to produce an analysis of its ingredients is not enough, the vapour must be tested for cytotoxicity to ensure that what we inhale is the safest it can possibly be, that remains our aim. Several chemicals have been flagged as ‘potentially harmful’ and are excluded in line with current regulation. Making liquids as safe as possible is always paramount and I believe that FlavourArt are still at the forefront in terms of safety for consumers.

Working with a top bio-tech research and testing company, TRUSTiCERT born out of Milan University, has enabled advanced cytotoxicity testing by highly skilled professionals.

FlavourArt UK is the official supplier in the UK, most of our business being with manufacturers and retailers. We have a responsibility to supply them with compliant products, and to back that up by providing the technical information they need, both for registering their own products and in developing new flavours.

The menthol cigarette ban will take effect in May. Do you have concentrates or finished flavours that would appeal to these smokers making the transition to vaping?

Yes, we have menthol flavours, but we favour using a coolant, Polar Blast, in conjunction with flavourings. That gives an almost infinite choice of individual flavours or combinations of the customers’ choice.

How do you feel about the government’s current approach to vaping regulations? Would you like to see any changes in the next TRPR?

Raising the allowed nicotine content would make it much easier for smokers to make the transition, after which, they can choose to reduce the nicotine level if they wish. Smokers/vapers are viewed by many as ‘poor addicts’, which is far from the truth. They might know what smoking/vaping is, but they don’t know what it’s like. Vaping is my pleasure.

“Making liquids as safe as possible is always paramount and I believe that FlavourArt are still at the forefront in terms of safety for consumers.”

THE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE VAPING IS CLOSING FAST

Words: Victor Mullin

If, like me, you have studied a little in politics, you will know of the term “The Overton Window,” which refers to the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. The Overton Window for vaping has been steadily closing on us for a while now.

It was wide open when the general public didn’t really seem to be bothered at all by vaping and started closing when they began to become dubious about vaping and then thought it may be a little bad.

The window - which is moved by public perception - has now closed further as latest research shows that about half of UK smokers now believe that vaping is as bad as smoking. The 2019 THC crisis in the US drove that window so far down in the United States, that individual states started to look through that window to the public mindset and begin banning flavours and sales.

This window is also affecting social media. At the beginning of March, YouTube shut down my review channel, which is the heart of the business of “Vaping With Vic” on the grounds that I was “selling regulated goods.”

I am not a distributor, wholesaler and I don’t own a vape shop. In fact I have never sold an e-cigarette or bottle of e-liquid. However

according to YouTube I do and so they shut me down. For the folks who follow me, the reviews will keep going ahead on facebook. com/vapingwithvic.

Jared the Vaping Goat has had 52 review videos removed from the platform and had his channel struck for “selling restricted goods” even though he doesn’t own a shop and has not sold any of his review products.

Myself, Jared, Vapn Fagan and countless others have faced strikes, as YouTube/Google are tightening the thumbscrews by listing nicotine as a “dangerous and controlled substance” in its own community standards. The Overton Window effect is now being seen across the planet. Countries that we all thought was “safe” like New Zealand are now seeing the anti e-cigarette establishment rising and forcing in new punitive rules that will make it harder for smokers to quit.

Even here in the UK, the bastion of the vape scene, Public Health England and even the government itself has had to release public notice after public notice to calm down the worry of the news coming from the United States.

The big problem we are all facing in the vape community is not the ideologies of the right or left but the media itself which is largely ignorant about vaping. The media itself has to be educated

Why a scare-mongering media is turning smokers away from vaping by making them too worried to switch.

because it was media news reports which started the scare stories and the media continues to fan the flames.

Whether it be social media, TV or the print media, they all falsely reported the THC crisis in America and bundled it into a general scare about vaping.

Can the media be shown the true nature of vaping? Will they even report it? Who knows? The fact is that if the Overton Window closes even more it will lead to calls for flavour bans and sales restrictions gaining traction over here and becoming the ‘popular’ option among the public.

Once that happens there is no turning back for any of us. It will take a concerted effort, mainly in the United States, to turn back the tide of anti-vape rhetoric that the media is printing day after day.

This same rhetoric has adults here in the UK now thinking that vaping is just as bad as smoking and we need to reverse this trend.

If we don’t then smokers - who would have happily switched to vaping - may well be scared off e-cigarettes as a less harmful alternative and we must not stand by and let that happen.

Whichever group or organisation takes up the mantle of informing the media and representing the vaping world in its true light, it will have to work fast because if we let the window slam shut it may prove impossible to open again.

WE'RE IN THIS together

Vape businesses are doing their bit in the COVID-19 effort

Words: Gordon Stribling

When reflecting on the coronavirus lockdown in years to come, we will remember a shifting narrative.

First, there were the selfish panic-buyers, filling trollies with pasta, toilet roll and perishable food that would expire and be dumped in council bins less than a week later.

But then came the uplifting accounts of communities coming together. Young people picking up prescriptions for their elderly neighbours and businesses delivering food for free and donating to homeless shelters. With the entire industry infrastructure ground to a halt, vape businesses, such as e-liquid brand and Poynton vape shop, Supergood, have begun to step up and do their bit for their local communities.

Supergood's Jamie Dodd said: "There are a lot of people who are going to struggle and we're in a position where we can help out. We're not a big brand, we know that. There are a lot of bigger boys than us but at the heart of what we do are the people, we care."

The Poynton store has, of course, been forced to close, but they're still taking online orders and delivering the same day for free in the local area.

Supergood is also donating 19 percent of all sales to local

shelters and food banks while offering £20 of free e-liquid to NHS staff with valid ID. The company is also helping keep spirits up on social media. "When we announced the donation scheme on social media, the response from the community was immense," Jamie said.

"The initial Instagram post had 285 shares to Stories and loads of reposts and thank yous.

"It was lovely to get that feedback but I feel that, as a community, we have a duty to help out where we can."

We use the term 'vape community' a lot in these pages, but the closure of vape shops has really put into focus just how important they can be for people.

Customers who might pop into their local shop to see some friendly faces a few times a week are now stuck at home, missing the social interaction that can be a lifeline in difficult times.

The Supergood team has opened up their social media as an outlet for customers to connect with the staff and one another and they ride out the lockdown storm.

"We're just trying to bring that normality of just chatting with people, on our Instagram especially.

"We've started little games on there where we can create a meme about Supergood and there have been some absolute corkers so we're sharing those with everyone which is a bit of a laugh."

And while Jamie shares the view that vape shops should be allowed to stay open during the lockdown period, he acknowledges that they would have to operate under strict conditions to limit the infection risk.

"I don't think they should be open normal hours like they used to. Everyone should be allocated three to four hours a day Monday to Friday where people can come and get supplies. "Italy and Spain have already done it. Why are we not listening?"

Reported coronavirus cases are on the decline in both these countries, offering the first glimmers of hope that the deadly tide may finally be turning.

But the numbers alone offer no guarantees or comfort to the individuals and businesses forever changed by this devastating event. And while many have turned inward in the spirit of selfpreservation as the crisis drags on, others are tapping into a spirit of togetherness than defined the war generation.

"As a community, we have a duty to help out where we can."

we did it agai n

Words:

LEAVE THE DRIPPERS at home

COVID-19 has changed much of life as we know it. At the time of writing, the UK government has directed that citizens should stay at home with few exceptions.

We must work from home if at all possible and are only allowed to leave the house once a day for exercise, shopping or to walk the dog. With so many deaths around the world from this highly infectious new disease is at any wonder that we now look at our neighbours with fear?

When out walking, we give others a wide berth. We are alarmed each time we see someone cough or sneeze and now, there are reports that people are becoming wary of vapers.

You might think nothing of having a vape while on your daily excursion beyond the confines of your home. There’s nothing quite like some fresh air to accompany your favourite butterscotch custard blend.

However when some people see clouds of vapour they worry that these clouds could spread SARSCoV-2, the official name of the virus that leads to COVID-19.

They are taking to social media to ask whether

vaping can spread the virus but the good news is that it cannot.

The fear was intensified when a microbiologist claimed that inhaling second-hand e-cigarette vapour was like ‘being spat in the face’.

There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that SARS-COV-2 can be more readily transmitted through your exhaled vapour but while people are anxious about seeing clouds in public, let’s not give them any reason to be fearful of vaping.

So if you are vaping while on your daily walk be considerate and don’t blow big clouds in public.

In this new world where we panic if a dog walker gets too close to us in the street we really don’t want to be frightening the non-vaping public.

Now more than ever, vaping is under scrutiny, as people are taking extra notice of their respiratory health and the environments in which they breathe.

The actions of each vaper reflect on our community as a whole. This may not be fair, but it is the reality of our situation. We should show our solidarity and sympathy by stealth-vaping when in public during this strange time. Leave the drippers at home, you can always enjoy them in private!

Why you should be a considerate vaper as the coronavirus pandemic grips the world

Benedict Jones

ALL T HE B E NE F I T S

THINKING OUTSIDE THE menthol CIGARETTE BOX

Words: Caroline Barry

Strict new legislation comes into force next month to ban the sale and production of all menthol cigarettes. Under the Revised Tobacco Products Directive it will be an offence to manufacture or sell menthol cigarettes after May 20 but e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products will not be affected. (The menthol ban will also apply to the UK during the Brexit transition stage.)

The European Union believes that a ban on flavoured tobacco will improve public health by deterring people from smoking - especially teenage and younger smokers. Research by the University of Waterloo and Concordia University in 2014 showed that teenagers who smoked menthol cigarettes smoked 60 percent more than those who smoked regular cigarettes with 89 percent planning to continue.

This presents an opportunity for vape companies to provide menthol alternatives to those who are looking to quit traditional tobacco and menthol products.

Retailers will also be banned from selling any products that are packaged with flavoured filters or papers as part of the overall menthol ban. Anyone convicted of selling menthol tobacco after May 20 faces unlimited fines and/ or up to two years imprisonment.

Chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH),

Deborah Arnott, said the new rules will mean that “no person may produce or supply cigarettes or hand rolling tobacco with:

(a) a filter, paper, package, capsule or other component containing flavourings; (b) a filter, paper or capsule containing tobacco or nicotine; or (c) a technical feature allowing the consumer to modify the smell, taste, or smoke intensity of the product.”

She said it is likely that the menthol ban would continue in the UK after the Brexit transition phase adding: “Given that the UK goes further than the EU requires on tobacco regulations, it is unlikely that leaving the EU will lead to a weakening of our tobacco regulations."

Jac Vapour managing director Emma Logan says that menthol products are already a massive seller for their business.

She said: “Menthol e-liquid accounts for 33 percent of all our e-liquid sales. It is a very popular choice for our customers with our Premium Pure Menthol 10ml alone accounting for 51 percent of this total.

“We know that around 80 percent of our customers who started using one of our menthol liquids have never tried a different flavour from our other ranges, because the

As the menthol ban comes into effect in May, this presents an opportunity for vaping companies to gain the customers that Big Tobacco are about to lose.

menthol liquids replicate their previous flavour so well that they don’t want to change.”

Jayde Whittaker from Vampire Vape agrees that vape businesses should see the ban as a positive but be ready to educate those who are new to vaping.

She said: “We expect to see an increase in the number of vapers in the UK as a result of the ban, or certainly an increase in consumers considering vaping as an alternative to smoking.

“It is our responsibility as an industry to educate and support ex-smokers in finding the right products, especially menthol flavours and suitable devices to ensure an easy transition from smoking to vaping.

“Along with our regular TPD 10ml products, we have recently launched the Dot Pro closed pod device which has menthol options. It comes with a ‘quitter’s diary’ which supports and motivates new vapers on their smoking cessation journey.”

While flavour bans are rapidly being introduced in the US Emma does not think the EU menthol tobacco ban will be expanded to include vaping products.

She said: “It won’t affect vaping any time soon, the ban on menthol tobacco is the latest step in a wider strategy following on from previous action to ban smaller packs

of rolling tobacco and packs of 10 cigarettes.

“Other smoke-free initiatives have looked to e-cigarettes to aid smokers in the transition, and our hope is that switching to menthol flavoured vaping products will be promoted widely closer to when the ban comes into effect.”

The menthol ban will come into effect on May 20 across Europe including the UK while it is still in the Brexit adjustment period. The only country exempt from this is Switzerland.

“We expect to see an increase in the number of vapers in the UK as a result of the ban, or certainly an increase in consumers considering vaping as an alternative to smoking.”

PHE REPORT OFFERS BLUEPRINT FOR Health Policy

Words: Gordon Stribling

Public Health England’s (PHE) latest e-cigarette report offered a measured look at the state of vaping in the UK amidst the continued onslaught of hysteria from the US.

The sixth independent e-cigarette report provided an update on vaping among adults and children and the public perceptions of harm. It summarised the current evidence available to inform regulations and policies.

Current vaping prevalence among adult smokers reached 13 percent in 2019 as the smoking rate continued to decline. Just one percent of never-smokers are currently using e-cigarettes, however 37 percent of smokers have never tried vaping. But the major takeaway was that half of UK smokers believe that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking. The researchers found that increased during the US lung injury outbreak in Autumn last year.

PHE has called for continued monitoring of public perceptions, fearing that misplaced fears about safety will cost lives. It is also concerned by the implications of a US-style flavour ban.

Professor John Newton, Director of Health Improvement at PHE, said:

“It is concerning to see how much the US lung disease outbreak has affected smokers’ views on e-cigarettes here in the UK. “Safety fears may well be deterring many smokers from switching, leaving them on a path to years of ill health and an

early death due to their smoking.

“The US authorities have now confirmed that vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent added to cannabis vaping liquid, was a primary cause of the US outbreak.

“This substance is banned in UK-regulated nicotine vaping products.”

PHE maintains that smokers should be encouraged to try regulated nicotine vaping products, along with nicotinereplacement therapy (NRT) and behavioural support.

Three 2019 studies showed that e-cigarettes are considerably

Half of UK smokers believe that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking

when used in conjunction with behavioural support.

A University College London cross-sectional survey of almost 20,000 quit attempts revealed that vapers were 95 percent more likely to successfully quit smoking than those who went cold turkey. Traditional NRT such as patches and gums had a quit rate of just 34 percent.

PHE is also calling for more research into vaping among smokers with mental health conditions and pregnant women.

The available research revealed that pregnant women who vape are likely to do so to help them stop smoking. However, health workers and pregnant women are uncertain about the relative risks and clinical practices vary.

Meanwhile, the government body believes that proof of age needs to be better enforced and more research into flavour preferences among young people is needed.

A 2019 ASH youth vaping survey revealed that there was no evidence of a US-style youth vaping epidemic in the UK.

The vast majority of 11 to 18-year old respondents had never vaped before, and only 0.1 percent reported vaping more than once a week.

The report received the backing of ASH chief executive, Deborah Arnott, as well as Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

CRUK continues to champion e-cigarettes as a less harmful

alternative to smoking.

CRUK senior policy manager, George Butterworth, said: “E-cigarettes are a relatively new product, they aren’t risk free and we don’t yet know their long-term impact. So we strongly discourage non-smokers from using them.

“But research so far shows that vaping is less harmful than smoking tobacco and can help people to stop smoking.

“This report gives further reassurance to smokers about the relative harms of e-cigarettes compared to smoking tobacco, and also shows the UK is not seeing a rapid uptake in vaping among non-smokers and children, which is good news.”

Lead author Professor Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction at King’s College London, said:

“It is currently very hard for smokers to make sense of the many contradictory reports on the impacts of vaping and smoking.

“In our review we present evidence that suggests in England, vaping has not undermined declines in adult smoking, and for youth, vaping is mainly concentrated in those who were already dabbling in cigarette smoking.

“However, we need to remain vigilant and ensure that vaping products, alongside regular cigarettes, are not easily accessible to young people.”

PHE will publish a full report on the evidence and safety of e-cigarettes in 2022.

PHE ISSUES Guidance FOR NHS MENTAL HEALTH TRUSTS

Over 40 percent of people with serious mental illness smoke

Words: Gordon Stribling

Smoking prevalence in England is at an all-time low of 14.4 percent thanks to the continued efforts of public health and, arguably, the increasing prevalence of vaping

But while the smoking rate among the general population continues to decline, the rate among people with serious mental illnesses remains above 40 percent and in mental health units, as high as 70 percent.

In its sixth e-cigarette report, Public Health England (PHE) gives an overview of the current evidence supporting vaping for tobacco harm-reduction and how this can be applied in NHS mental health settings. PHE noted that premature mortality rates are three times higher in those with mental illness than in the rest of the population and the gap is widening, thanks largely to tobacco-smoking.

Professor John Newton, Director of Health Improvement at PHE, said: “Our new advice on vaping in mental health trusts is an important step forward in empowering healthcare professionals to talk more confidently with their patients about the benefits of using e-cigarettes to stop smoking.

“This advice is another step towards the overall goal of a smokefree generation.”

Research shows that people with mental illnesses use tobacco as a form of self-medication. Smoking relieves the craving for nicotine, which creates a relaxing effect. This effect is amplified for smokers with mental health conditions, so it can feel like smoking is helping to ease the symptoms. However, the relief is only temporary and, over time, smoking can exacerbate mental health problems.

Meanwhile, research by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) found that ‘experimental evidence suggests that nicotine can relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and ADHD. Further research showed that an increase in the

severity of symptoms lead to an increase in the rate of smoking.

PHE cited Mental Health and Smoking Partnership advice, which calls for ‘a more enabling approach to vaping’ to make it easier to vape than to smoke. If vapers are forced to use the same space as smokers, it will make it harder for them to remain smoke-free.

According to an ASH survey, 91 percent of mental health trusts allow some or all inpatients to use e-cigarettes and 44 percent allow patients to use them indoors. Many trusts provide e-cigarettes free of charge.

As e-cigarettes are not covered by smoke-free legislation, vaping presents a huge opportunity for tobacco harm-reduction in NHS mental health settings.

The guidance also called on NHS mental health trusts to provide staff with practical advice and training on how to make the switch from smoking to vaping. This includes understanding the different types of device available, nicotine strengths, device maintenance and safety.

It also cited RCP guidance, which recommends that psychiatrists tell patient smokers that e-cigarettes may help them quit but also should discourage longterm use of e-cigarettes, unless quitting leads them back to combustible tobacco.

PHE continues to offer the balanced approach of acknowledging that vaping is far less harmful than smoking but not completely safe. It calls on mental health trusts to be clear about the distinction between smoking and vaping but also about the potential risks.

PHE has urged mental health facilities not to push smokers to try vaping if nicotine-replacement therapy might be more suitable.

Former ASH director, Clive Bates, said the report was ‘strong on empathy but grounded in rigour.’

He said: “If we could get this sort of evidence-based good sense from the World Health Organization or the US agencies and policymakers, it would be a game changer.

"The evidence update is very strong — a proper look at what the evidence actually says and not what antivaping activists wish it would say."

“This advice is another step towards the overall goal of a smokefree generation”

PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND RELEASE UPDATE ABOUT YOUTH VAPING RATES

Smoking rates decline while vaping remains steady amongst 11 to 18-year-olds. What the PHE reveals about teen vaping habits.

Words: Caroline Barry

Public Health England (PHE) has released its sixth report commissioned from research by Kings College into vaping and e-cigarette usage into the UK. While the full report is due to be released in 2022, this update includes new information on the vaping habits of those in the mental health sector, pregnant women, teenagers and pre-teens.

The report revealed that vaping rates have remained reasonably steady in the last year with five percent of 11 to 15-year olds in 2019 compared to six percent of the same age group in 2018. The report also acknowledged that older children are more likely to vape with less than one percent of 11-year olds vaping compared to 11 percent of 15-year olds in 2018.

It showed that 68 percent of 11 to 18-year-olds thought that vapes were ‘less harmful than cigarettes’ compared to 52 percent in 2019 with just over a third who thought it was okay to try vaping. Smoking amongst teenagers has halved since 2009 where they were at 11 percent

compared to 2018 where this had dropped to just five percent. However, there are signs that rates have been decreasing at a slower pace since 2014.

John Dunne, Director of the UKVIA, said: “This provides further and concrete evidence that vaping has a crucial role to play in changing the lives of smokers around the country and it dispels the myths that youth vaping is currently a major issue. However, it also tells us that the gross misinformation that has been spread about the safety of vaping has had an effect on consumers’ perceptions of e-cigarettes which could greatly influence their decision to switch from smoking which carries significantly more health risk.”

PHE added in a press release that ‘false fears prevent smokers from using e-cigarettes to quit’ which may be why quit rates are slowing down amongst teenage vapers. “Of concern is the increasing number of smokers that now believe vaping is more harmful than smoking. This is out of line with expert reviews from

the UK and US concluding that using regulated nicotine vaping products is far less harmful than smoking.”

John Dunne adds that it is essential that we put a stop to the misinformation. “It is crucial that we put a stop to all the misinformation on vaping out there. As the PHE review concluded, increasingly incorrect perceptions among the public about the harms of vaping could prevent some smokers using vaping products to quit smoking.”

The report calls for further research and investigation into flavours which is a really hot topic given the sustained attacks on e-cigarette flavours coming from the USA.

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said smokers should feel relieved despite the ‘alarmist’ headlines from America. “I urge smokers to have confidence in our regulatory system and not be put off by alarmist headlines about the risk of vaping which are not backed up by the evidence.”

Fears that a similar vaping ‘epidemic’ could take place in the UK amongst non-smoking teenagers prove unfounded with most of the vaping confined to youth who already have experience with smoking and less than one percent who have never smoked. However PHE recommends that vape shops should be more vigilant about identifying underage vapers saying that ‘enforcement of age of sale regulations needs to be improved.” The report also revealed that 60 percent of teens get their vapes from friends preferring tank models which are reusable and rechargeable kits which they can refill.

“Vaping has a crucial role to play in changing the lives of smokers around the country and it is a myth that youth vaping is currently a major issue.”

‘ ‘

A WELCOME REPORT

UK vape industry and health charities embrace latest PHE evidence review report

Words: Gordon Stribling

Public Health England’s latest e-cigarette report was roundly welcomed by public health experts in the UK, as well as the industry under siege from misinformation and hysteria largely driven by the US media and anti-tobacco groups. Here is what some leading voices had to say.

UKVIA DIRECTOR, JOHN DUNNE:

“This provides further and concrete evidence that vaping has a crucial role to play in changing the lives of smokers around the country and it dispels the myths that youth vaping is currently a major issue.

“However, it also tells us that the gross misinformation that has been spread about the safety of vaping has had an effect on consumers’ perceptions of e-cigarettes which could greatly influence their decision to switch from smoking which carries significantly more health risk.”

NEW NICOTINE ALLIANCE:

“We welcome PHE’s report as a timely reinforcement of the benefits of vaping to public health, plus an encouragement to the UK government to ignore siren voices and continue along the path laid out in the Tobacco Control Plan for England and the recommendations of the Science and Health Committee in August 2018.”

SHIRLEY CRAMER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ROYAL SOCIETY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: “The key message for smokers remains clear: vaping carries a substantially lower health risk than smoking and for anyone who has struggled to quit we strongly recommend switching to an e-cigarette as it could considerably improve your chances of success, especially when combined with behavioural support.”

RACHAEL HODGES, SENIOR POLICY OFFICER AT THE BRITISH LUNG FOUNDATION:

“We welcome this review from Public Health England and the ongoing research into the use of e-cigarettes.

“E-cigarettes can be an effective way for people to quit smoking when used alongside behavioural support and have a key role to play in achieving the government target of ending smoking in England by 2030.

“What’s clear from this review is that there is no evidence that anyone would be better off smoking than vaping.”

DOUG MUTTER, VPZ DIRECTOR OF COMPLIANCE

AND MANUFACTURING:

“This is a welcome report at a time when research into vaping is continuing to demonstrate its value in helping stamp out cigarette smoking for good.”

IBVTA:

“It must never be forgotten that smoking is still responsible for 73,000 deaths and 480,000 hospital admissions in the UK every year, and PHE’s new report should give smokers and the public every confidence that vaping is firmly recognised as an alternative that

toll.”

PROFESSOR JAMIE BROWN, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON:

“E-cigarettes have helped many thousands of smokers to quit in the UK and have an important role to play in reducing the enormous burden of smoking.

“This report should reassure smokers whose views on the relative harm of e-cigarettes have clearly deteriorated over the last year.”

can only reduce this death

“What’s clear from this review is that there is no evidence that anyone would be better off smoking than vaping.”

VAPING FOR TWO

Irish study reveals the effects of vaping during pregnancy.

Words: Caroline Barry

An Irish study published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology showed a difference in the weight of infants born to smokers, non-smokers and those used e-cigarettes.

The research, the first of its kind internationally, took place at The Coombe maternity hospital in Dublin, where more than 400 pregnant women were monitored during their antenatal care. This consisted of 218 women who used e-cigarettes exclusively and 195 women who smoked cigarettes.

They found the average birth weights were about the same for babies born to non-smokers and vapers while mums who smoked generally had lower birth-weight infants. While the study confirms the effect of cigarettes on the foetus, it demonstrates how e-cigarettes could be a safe tool to help expectant mothers reduce their nicotine intake.

Lead study author Dr Brendan McDonnell said: “We found that in contrast to smokers who have a tendency towards having a low birth weight baby, which causes problems for the baby during pregnancy and delivery and after into childhood, we found that vaping women

tend to have normal-sized babies.“ An average term baby in Ireland is about 3.4 kilos which is about seven and a half pounds but if you’re a smoker at term, your average size is about 3.1 kilos which is just under seven pounds.

“So the difference between being six pounds and seven pounds is a difference between having problems in the pregnancy, having problems during the labour and delivery or having problems that go on into childhood.”

The report calls for more research into the subject of vaping while pregnant adding: “Smoking cessation and avoidance of nicotine in its entirety is still the preferable option for pregnant women.

“However some women who struggle to stop smoking turn to vaping as a method of harm reduction and continue to vape in pregnancy.

“Our study highlights that further research is needed to explore other obstetric and neonatal outcomes of vaping. We recommend that all maternity units should record e-cigarette use in pregnant women to deepen our understanding of potential health impacts.”

The study began in 2017 but the team are now beginning to follow the babies into childhood to look for any behavioural or neurodevelopmental issues.

Another study conducted at the Coombe in 2018 revealed that a significant number of women were recorded as ‘secret smokers’ who were ashamed to admit they used cigarettes. The results revealed that of 234 women presenting for antenatal care, 15 percent were smokers and another 10 percent admitted to smoking after a carbon monoxide breath test.

Women who continue to smoke during their pregnancy risk an increased chance of miscarriage, low birth weight, increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and birth defects such as cleft lip.

In the UK, the smoking in pregnancy challenge group recommends that vaping is a safer alternative to smoking in a series of pamphlets for midwives and pregnant women. The group wants more investment to help support women looking to stop smoking and to help their family members quit and says there is a “worrying lack of progress” in supporting women to have smoke-free pregnancies.

The Challenge Group wants increased support for women from disadvantaged backgrounds where smoking in pregnancy rates are highest. This should include greater use of financial incentive schemes, supporting women between pregnancies and providing support to fathers and other household members.

“We found that in contrast to smokers who have a tendency towards having a low birth weight baby, vaping women tend to have normal-sized babies.”

VAPING IS ‘NO MORE RISKY THAN REGULAR Breathing ’

Two harm-reduction experts produce ‘myth busting’ report on vaping and COVID-19 spread

Words: Patrick Griffin

Two leading harm-reduction experts have compiled an extensive guide for vapers relating to COVID-19, to combat the growing spread of misinformation on the subject.

Pro-Vapeo México director Roberto Sussman and Spanish virology specialist Carmen Escrig have written the nine-page briefing paper called “Vaping and SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 - technical information for vapers.”

Sussman works for the Institute for Nuclear Sciences at National University of México while Escrig is a coordinator of the Medical Platform for Tobacco Harm Reduction in Spain.

They produced the report “so that vapers could be equipped with solid information and data in order to counter the spread of misinformation on vaping.”

The report says: “There is no evidence that vaping (intrinsically) increases the risk of infection or progression to severe condition of COVID-19. Vapers with a long previous smoking history could exhibit conditions seen in vulnerable patients, however, this would not be an effect of vaping but of previous smoking.”

Here are some of the other main findings from the report:

Propylene glycol (PG) as disinfectant

PG vapor (not droplets) can act as environmental disinfectant wiping out pathogens under specific physical conditions. However, there is no evidence whether this effect will work on SARS-CoV-2 and in the context of vaping.

The effect of COVID-19 on vapers

Contrary to statements by misinformation sources, there is simply no evidence suggesting that vaping has the capacity to affect negatively the immune body response in order to produce the development and progression of the diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 on e-cigarette users.

To better understand the possibility of a progression of infection leading to COVID-19 in vapers it is necessary to bear in mind that the overwhelming majority are smokers or ex-smokers, some of them with long histories of previous smoking. This smoking history is very likely an important factor that could easily render as vulnerable a

WHY ARE DEMOCRATS IN THE US SO AGAINST

Vaping?

VAPOUROUND’S BENEDICT JONES EXPLORES THE ISSUE AND GIVES HIS VIEWS IN THIS ARTICLE.

American politics is as convoluted as it is divided. Often, it’s a counterintuitive system. Generally, though, we can draw parallels between Republicans and Conservatives, Democrats and Labour respectively. Democrats in the US have championed countless progressive causes over the years, including a fairer healthcare system, recreational cannabis and legalising abortion, to name just a few. They are usually that party that voters look to enact social change for the better and jettison the folly of tradition. For some reason, this is not the case with vaping. Since the Democrats gained control of Congress in 2018, restricting vapour products has been a strangely high priority target for the party. Individual members of congress, along with governors and senators, have called for total flavour bans, and encouraged the PMTA deadline to be moved forward, rather than backwards, as some Republicans have advocated for. Why is this? As with anything in US politics, the

answer is complex. The first possible reason is lobbying from special interest groups including pharmaceutical companies, who make large sums of money selling nicotine replacement therapy products, such as lozenges, gum and patches. These companies spend big across both parties though, so there must be more to it than that. Another potential answer is the Master Settlement Agreement. Enacted in 1998, this legislation was an agreement between the biggest tobacco companies and 46 states. Essentially, it boils down to extra tax on cigarettes being exercised and then, in theory, being used to subsidise state healthcare systems. In practice, many states agreed to receive lump sums from these companies, in lieu of a yearly drip feed. These funds were spent and now that cigarette sales are declining more severely than predicted, it leaves some states with a significant deficit. Many of these states are Democrat controlled and you can plot an interesting correlation

between the financial implications of the MSA and any given state’s view on e-cigarettes. In my view however, the real answer lies in ignorance and ideology. As of January 30, there were eight hopefuls campaigning to be the Democratic candidate for president. This has been whittled down now, but their views on vaping paint a picture. Here are some examples:

Joe Biden: “I choose science over fiction. And so if the science has demonstrated [vaping] is doing great damage then I don’t care what it does to a small business person who’s selling this stuff.”

Bernie Sanders: “I think we shut down the industry. If they are causing addiction, and if, and the evidence is that people are getting sick as a result. They’re inhaling a lot of bad stuff, right?”

Pete Buttigieg: “This means taking action on these flavored e-cigarette products that are clearly targeted towards children and making sure that we have a much higher bar for them demonstrating that they’re not causing harm because we’re seeing all these horrifying cases of people coming to harm because they use this product.”

Elizabeth Warren: “The President has resisted moving forward with any action on vaping. This failure to act is unacceptable.”

Amy Klobuchar: “The president’s decision not to move forward on action to ban flavored e-cigarettes is yet another example of how his Administration prioritises corporate interests over people.”

Mike Bloomberg – Invested $160M in a national campaign to ban all flavoured nicotine products.

Ideologically, many Democrats are opposed to vaping. They see it purely as big tobacco with a new look. They run on a platform of harm reduction and stopping big business from exploiting American people, but the simple fact is, they haven’t been paying enough attention.

In cases such as Bernie Sanders, this is likely a genuine oversight. His campaign has bigger fish to fry, such as total reform of healthcare and income inequality. This is not an excuse for ignorance, though.

Regardless of who eventually becomes the Democratic presidential candidate, it doesn’t look like vaping with be in favour. For now, our best bet is to advocate as much as we can, from grass roots consumer campaigns, all the way up to corporate lobbying efforts.

“Ideologically, many Democrats are opposed to vaping. They see it purely as Big Tobacco with a new look.”

MAKING AMERICAPanic AGAIN

Words: Caroline

It is very easy to get confused over the conflicting vaping advice coming from the US and the UK. Over here the message is that adult smokers should switch because e-cigarettes are 95 per cent less harmful than regular cigarettes. If you don’t smoke then the message is don’t start vaping either.

In America vaping has become demonised in large parts of the country where there is a clear moral panic and a real fear about the evils of vaping.

A moral panic is defined as ‘public alarm or anxiety over a threat either real or perceived. Earlier moral panics have included violent

video games inspiring real life violence, a rise in satanism in the 1990s and dangerous killer dogs attacking children in the 1990s. The UK government rushed through the Dangerous Dogs Act in 1991 but it was widely criticised for being ill-thought out and not fit for purpose.

When people are alarmed or panicked by a real or perceived threat there is often a call for politicians “to do something about it” and they are usually more than happy to pass ‘knee-jerk’ legislation in order to ‘keep us safe.’

A moral panic about vaping has the potential to do a lot of damage and this can spread around the world.

Is the US war on vaping just an excuse for a good old-fashioned moral panic?

Barry

Take the US ‘vape-related’ lung injuries and deaths which dominated the headlines last year. We saw headlines such as ‘Teen hospitalised with vape-related health scare’ or ‘Texas teen who started vaping to quit smoking now on life support’ and countless variations of the same theme which caused a mass panic in the USA and then further afield.

Even when it became clear that the lung injury crisis was not really a vaping problem at all, the media continued with the damaging scare stories and was content to ride the wave for as long as possible.

When some (but far from all) news outlets eventually reported that the ‘EVALI’ health scare was almost entirely down to illegal THC vape cartridges and not by regular e-cigarettes the damage had already been done.

Politicians, the public and special interest groups called for vape bans to deal with this ‘crisis’ and legislators were only too happy to oblige.

The result? Vape stores went out of business, smokers were discouraged from switching and many vapers went back to smoking.

Once a moral panic takes hold, it soon becomes the new reality and the actual facts are just ignored or disbelieved.

It is far better from a commercial point of view for the media to go after those stories which cause fear and anxiety because more

people read these stories and advertising revenues increase. “Never let the facts get in the way of a good story,” is a longestablished saying in the news industry and anyone who has seen how vaping is portrayed in the mainstream media will know this adage still holds true today.

Here in the UK the recent screening of the ITV documentary ‘How Safe is Your Vape?’ confirmed the view that a lot of smokers remain ignorant of the relative risks of smoking and vaping.

That documentary was widely condemned by the vaping community - and quite rightly so - but it also led to viewers taking to social media to report they were now too frightened to vape.

Disinformation like this can have deadly consequences because anything that encourages smokers to keep smoking or discourages them from trying less harmful alternatives such as vaping, will lead to more smoking deaths.

So what happens next when vaping is demonised? Many more smokers will continue smoking rather than switching, current vapers will be tempted to return to the much more harmful smoking and a black-market in illegal e-cigarettes will step in to fill the void. Sadly none of these outcomes are good ones. Put quite simply if a moral panic around vaping is allowed to take hold and flourish the major consequence is quite clear - more people will end up smoking or using potentially deadly black-market products and both of these routes will lead to more deaths.

Politicians ONE CHILD’S MESSAGE TO

Words: Benedict Jones

America is the single biggest market for vapour products in the world and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that this could all change, if proposed state and federal regulations go ahead as planned. Last year, EVALI shook the industry.

Deaths and injuries related to vaping have now been overwhelmingly linked with black market THC products containing vitamin E acetate but unfortunately, and perhaps inevitably, these cases were conflated with the legitimate nicotine vapour products that millions of Americans use as a means to abstain from smoking. As someone who has passionately been a part of the vaping industry for four years, and a vaper for seven, I know that we do think of the children. We know that children need healthy parents.

We know that children shouldn’t have to watch their relatives die of smoking-related diseases. On February 6, the tables were turned on groups like PAVE. A group of parents made up of current vapers and ex-

Schoolkid pleads with US lawmakers to ban cigarettes and not flavoured vape products

vapers who successfully quit smoking brought their children to the Economic Matters Committee, who were proposing an outright ban on all flavoured vapour products.When the first child starts to speak, it’s clear that there is real emotion behind his words: “I think my life is just as important as every other kid here today and that includes having a healthy dad, who can play sports with me and even help coach my football team.

“All the posters hung around my school have made my friends curious. I’m here to tell them the truth. Vaping is only for adults who need to quit smoking.

“Since my dad told me about vapes, I know that’s something I’ll never choose to do. I’m really glad to have a dad who talks to me about these things...my dad is very scared that he will go back to smoking if vape juice is banned, so please don’t pass a bill that sends my dad back to smoking. My life matters and so does his.

“I have one final question, why haven’t you banned cigarettes yet?”

This speech alone contains more substance on the vape debate than any number of t-shirt wearing, moralistic

prohibitionists will ever be able to muster. The parents who encouraged their kids to stand up for themselves and speak at this hearing should be congratulated. It takes a lot of courage to open yourself up to the rabid shaming that the anti-vape lobby enjoys piling upon those who disagree with them.

Since this hearing, we’ve seen a federal ban on flavoured pre-filled pod devices. Maryland has gone one step further than this and banned flavoured disposable devices, which were seen as a loophole to this rule.

We hope that the parents of Maryland and their children are ready to continue standing up, to prevent the public health crisis that a total flavour ban would unleash.

“Please don’t send my dad back to smoking.”

NEVER STOP INNOVATING

Why the vape industry must never stand still and why flavours are vital for adult vapers

Words: Patrick Griffin

In the final part of our ‘vape science’ feature with Dr Chris Proctor, Group Head of Potentially Reduced Risk Product Science at British American Tobacco, we look at the importance of innovation and flavours to the UK vape industry.

Technological changes in the e-cigarette industry occur very quickly and manufacturers know that they must keep evolving to maintain their competitive advantage.

For example coil-and-wick heating technology was once ubiquitous in the industry but we now increasingly see more cutting-edge systems being introduced instead.

Vype’s iSwitch uses a ‘distiller plate’ to heat the e-liquid with a micro-engineered stainless-steel blade rather than the traditional coil and wick and Dr Proctor believes this is a trend which will continue within the industry.

He said it was “vitally important” that changes in technology were accompanied by rigorous testing both from a regulatory

compliance point of view and also to ensure consumer confidence.

Dr Proctor said: “I’m really excited about the innovation cycle which means we can improve the satisfaction of the product and reduce toxicants. From a scientific point of view this is very exciting.

“Scientific research is crucial in the vaping industry. We can’t just be content to say that vaping is a lot better for you than smoking and leave it at that because identifying any remaining risks is critical.

“We don’t do any science in vaping that we wouldn’t publish and we always buy open access rights so that no one has to pay to read it.

“For us, we’re going well beyond the legal requirements because we want to show where these products sit on the risk continuum.

“If we can prove it for Vype then it counts across the board as long as people have similar approaches to their stewardship.

“We undertake long-term clinical studies which are expensive both in terms of resources and money but we feel that this is important science which we share because keeping this research locked up in your drawers is no use to anyone.”

He said agreed industry-wide standards, such as for emissions testing, would benefit the entire sector adding: “From my perspective as a scientist I would say we should accelerate the work on product standards to maintain trust in the category.

“The sooner the product standards can be agreed as a consensus the better. It is also important that small manufacturers get involved because they have a vital role in an innovative space such as this.

“If everyone can get on board with that quickly and if we get the regulators on side too, then this will give the category a lot more trust.”

He said while large companies such as BAT had a part to play in scientific research, it was independent science, which was ‘really critical’ especially when it came to health-based research.

“Some of the health science is better done in universities but sometimes no one’s going to spend that money on effectively what is a randomised clinical trial so we have to go and pick that up as we’ve done,” he said.

Finally he said it was very important to correct the growing myth that “flavours are bad” and that they serve to attract young people.

He described flavours as “a really critical part of the journey of a smoker moving into vaping” saying that smokers may typically begin vaping a tobacco flavour, moving to menthol and then onto flavours which are not associated with smoking at all.

He said one reason former smokers said a variety of flavours were important in e-cigarettes was because they wanted to totally move away from the former associations they had with traditional cigarettes.

Carry on vaping: PHE confident despite US fears

Public Health England (PHE) continues to support vaping as a less harmful alternative to smoking, saying products sold in England are still considere d safe for consumers despite the spate of lung illnesses in the US.

PHE’s annual evidence update on vaping in Eng land, published in March, recommends that smok ers should be encouraged to try regulated nicotine vaping products, along with smoking cessation medications and behavioural support, to increase their chances of successfully giving up smoking.

At the same time, public health officials again stressed that people who have never smoked should be encouraged not to take up either smok ing or vaping

The report also identifies a need for continued monitoring of public perceptions, as “fals e fears” prevent smokers from using e cigs to quit, while it warns that any ban on flavoured e liquids could also deter smokers from switching and “ultimately cost lives”.

PHE said that England has so far not registered any case of lung illness associated with the use of THC or vitamin E acetate in vaping devices.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regula tory Agency (MHRA) has received reports of four deaths possibly linked to vaping, but PHE stressed that any connection with nicotine containing vap

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ing products has not yet been established. The agency said vaping regulated nicotine products comes with a small fraction of the risks of smoking, although this does not mean it is totally safe.

Between the implementation of the EU Tobacco and Products Directive (TPD) in 2016 and January 2020 the MHRA rece ived 84 reports through its Yellow Card Scheme of 245 adverse reactions believed to be associated with nicotine containing vaping products. The scheme is the UK system for collect ing and monitoring information on suspected safety concerns or incidents involving medicines and medical devices.

The report found that vaping prevalence among former smokers continued to rise in 2019, reaching 12 13%. Current vaping prevalence among adults in England has remained stable since 2014, ranging between 5% and 7% in 2019

Vaping rates ranged between 3% and 20% among people with mental health conditions, although there is still no conclusive research or data on the subject, PHE said.

The agency recommended further studies on smok ing prevalence among pregnant women, saying the common reasons for vaping in pregnancy appear to be to stop smoking, to prevent a return to smoking, and to reduce harms

It also highlighted “inconsistent attitudes of health professionals to vaping in pregnancy”, adding that this shows that “guidance is urgently needed”.

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VAPRIL GOES DIGITAL

Words: Gordon Stribling

The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has launched its third annual VApril campaign, which this year targets smokers stuck at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

Billed as ‘the world’s largest vaping consumer education campaign,’ VApril provides specialist advice and information for the 7.2 million people in the UK who continue to smoke despite the widely-known risks posed by tobacco.

The campaign traditionally sees member shops hosting education sessions for smokers. This year, the UKVIA, its members and partners are instead offering guidance and support via social media and a dedicated digital hub as smokers hunker down at home.

Visitors to the vapril.org website have access to information and expert advice on flavours, nicotine levels and the types of devices available on the market.

They also have the opportunity to pose questions to a panel of

experts and share their experiences of successfully making the switch.

UKVIA director John Dunne said: “Due to the fact that most of the population is working from home and in front of their laptops or using their mobile devices, we expect VApril 2020 to be very successful in helping to give smokers expert advice on vaping during these unprecedented circumstances.”

The campaign arrives hot on the heels of PHE’s latest e-cigarette evidence review, which found that false fears about e-cigarettes were deterring smokers from switching.

The UKVIA has been quick to respond to the recent EVALI and coronavirus media scares that have stoked insecurity about the safety of e-cigarettes among the smoking community.

Dunne himself has made a number of appearances in the media and on Twitter to comment on the issues.

UKVIA campaign targets homebound smokers riding out COVID-19 storm

Dunne cited Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation as examples of health charities to have acknowledged the benefits of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, and said: “Even though PHE continues to highlight that regulated nicotine vaping is at least 95 percent less harmful than conventional smoking, the message is not getting through.

“Our VApril campaign aims to address the misinformation out there and give smokers all the evidence-backed advice and information that they need to make informed decisions about vaping and to give them peace of mind.”

The UKVIA has also published a guide to coronavirus for those working in the vape industry.

The organisation wrote to the government after lockdown was announced calling for vape shops to be exempted on public health grounds.

And in a statement issued on March 24, the organisation wrote:

“We are [...] actively continuing to urge Ministers to allow UK vape stores to stay open, as they have in France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany, but only along tightly controlled lines that would abide by the strictest hygiene and social distancing guidance.”

The coronavirus guidance document advises stores how to operate once the lockdown is lifted, with tips on cleaning and advice on how to protect staff and customers and prevent the disease from spreading.

A survey commissioned last year by UKVIA revealed that one in five smokers had heard of the VApril campaign. Of those who were aware of it, 72 percent said that the campaign had influenced their decision to switch.

The UKVIA counts some of the biggest names in the vape and tobacco industries among its members, including BAT, Vaporized and Ecigwizard.

We expect VApril 2020 to be very successful in helping to give smokers expert advice on vaping during these unprecedented circumstances

“

TIME TO REBUILD?

The stock coil and pod shortage show just how important rebuildable atomisers really are

Words: Benedict Jones

Stock coil devices have always been the most popular choice in vaping hardware. It makes total sense. Simply unscrew a coil or remove a pod and replace it with a new one as needed. The majority of vapers don’t want to fiddle around with tools, wrap their own coils or learn how to wick effectively.

Rebuildable atomisers have been the go-to for enthusiasts for almost a decade, since they allow for further fine-tuning of the vape experience, whilst providing superior performance and cutting down on costs.

RBAs had their heyday in the 2011-2017 period, when there was a more substantial difference in vape quality between stock coils and rebuildables. Since then, we’ve seen stock coils improve hugely, with innovations in mesh and wicking materials such as

seagrass. Combine this with the huge demand for tiny devices such as pods and it’s not hard to see why advanced atomisers have become more of a niche prospect year-on-year.

At the time of writing, we are starting to see a problem with overreliance on specific stock coils, however. Baseless conjecture on the outcomes of COVID-19 aside, it’s evident that manufacturing output in China has been disrupted. In the supply chain, this causes a ripple effect. Distributors and wholesalers in the west always take in extra stock before the Chinese New Year, to account for the holiday period when output is low, but this is likely not enough to make up for the longer break from normal production which has occurred at the start of 2020.

To be clear, I am not saying that the market is about to experience

a total drought of stock coils. Long standing products, such as Aspire Nautilus and SMOK Baby Beast coils will be largely unaffected by the slowdown in production – there is a large surplus of these items readily stocked throughout the world and many third parties offer compatible alternatives.

Where businesses and users might run into difficulty are coils and pods produced in lower quantities, by single manufacturers, in a “just In time” supply chain. Newer devices, with small-tomoderate installed user bases will be most affected, since third party alternatives will not yet be widespread and surplus stocks may be limited.

Small businesses and end users may be left holding the bag with such products, at least for a little while. Having the latest device on hand isn’t much use when the coil or pod that goes with it is unavailable.

I believe the outcomes of this temporary shortage will be twofold. Firstly, it highlights the stability and value prospect of a rebuildable atomiser. Rebuilding may not be the simplest way to vape but it’s something most users can learn to do easily, or at the very least have their local vape shop do for them.

Many rebuildable atomisers can withstand years of daily use before components break down due to wear and tear. Both resistance wire and pre-made rebuildable coils are produced in great numbers domestically, so the supply chain is much less susceptible to disruption.

The second outcome we may see is increased demand for older hardware. “Older” is a relative term in the vaping industry and we may be talking about atomisers and mods released as recently as 2018, which can quickly be perceived as “obsolete” or “dead stock” in an industry as fast-moving as ours. In some ways, this may give devices that were initially overlooked a second go around, providing satisfaction to vapers new and old alike.

Ohmz Distro managing director Andrew Wilson said he has experienced exactly that. He said: “Since the supply problems from China a lot of old stock has started selling again. Goon LPs haven’t sold in a couple of years but now people are now buying them.

“There is a shortage with some coils though and we have definitely seen an uptick in sales of rebuildable atomisers.”

In summary, the supply chain disruption may prove a challenging period for some businesses and end users but it could also have a silver lining, giving vape shops the chance to educate consumers about rebuildable atomisers, along with other devices which were overlooked upon initial release.

“There is a shortage with some coils though and we have definitely seen an uptick in sales of rebuildable atomisers.”

COVID-19: EVENTS LATEST

The vape events calendar is changing all the time

The vape industry has been rocked by the coronavirus. Nowhere is this more evident than the international events circuit, which underpins much of the industry’s trade and networking. The aftershocks of the cancellations and postponements are likely to last months, if not longer. Here’s how the calendar is looking for the months ahead. Please note that these details are liable to change.

USA CBD Expo Connecticut

Postponed - due to take place August 20-22

USA CBD Expo (Atlanta, US)

Postponed to 25-27 June

Vapevent New York - Postponed

Hall of Vape (Stuttgart, Germany)

Postponed to 7-8 November 2020

White Label World Expo (Frankfurt, Germany) May 6-7 - Postponed to October 21-22

Vapexpo Madrid

June 13-14 - Postponed to September 19-20

Vaper Expo UK (Birmingham, UK)

May 1-3 - Postponed to October 23-25

UKVIA Forum (London, UK)

May 20 - Postponed – Date TBC

CBD & Vape Expo Scotland

Feb 28-29. - Event cancelled

Vapexpro Poland

Cancelled

ENDS Conference (Brussels, Belgium)

May 13-14 - Postponed until later in the year – date TBC

Vapexpro Romania

April 4-5 - Cancelled

Vapitaly Milan

May 23-25 - Postponed to October

World Vape Show (Dubai)

Postponed to 13-15 January 2021

MIVAS - Postponed – Date TBC

IECIE Shenzhen (China)

April 24-26 — Postponed to August 20-22

WHY IS THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

SO ANTI VAPING?

The World Health Organization has been criticised by public health officials and researchers for its misleading statement on the harmful effects of vaping and e-cigarettes.

The statement, in a question and answer format, was released in January which caused speculation that the warning read more like a press release than a medical report. It stated that e-cigarettes can damage the developing brains of teenagers and unborn babies but offered no real supporting evidence.

The WHO said: “Electronic Nicotine Delivery Devices (ENDS) increase the risk of heart disease and lung disorders. For pregnant women, ENDS pose significant risks as they can damage the growing foetus.

“ENDS also expose non-smokers and bystanders to nicotine and other harmful chemicals. The liquid in ENDS can burn skin and rapidly cause nicotine poisoning if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. There is a risk of the devices leaking, or of children swallowing the liquid, and ENDS have been known to cause serious injuries through fires and explosions.” Public health officials and researchers reacted angrily to the claims and said it would only lead to a lack of trust for the World Health Organization.

Words: Caroline Barry

Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London, Peter Hajek criticised the WHO for its history of anti-vaping. He said: “The WHO has a history of antivaping activism that is damaging its reputation. This document

is particularly malign. There is no evidence that vaping is ‘highly addictive.’ Less than one percent of non-smokers become regular vapers. Vaping does not lead young people to smoking –smoking among young people is at an all-time low. There is clear evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit.”

Public Health England defended its ’95 percent less harmful’ stance and labelled the report as ‘blatant misinformation.’

Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies (UCTAS), John Britton also accused the WHO of “misrepresenting the scientific evidence.”

Marewa Glover from the Centre of Research ExcellenceIndigenous Sovereignty and Smoking (COREIS) pointed out that health care officials and family members who have witnessed their loved ones quit smoking are starting to lose faith in statements like this.

She said: “Millions of people around the world have stopped smoking thanks to the mass exodus from combustible cigarettes to vaping, snus and tobacco heating devices.

“They, and the many thousands of health professionals and family members who are observing and supporting this lifesaving transition know how very wrong the WHO is in its anti-tobacco harm reduction stance. So many of us have lost faith in the World Health Organization—it cannot be trusted to follow the science, or to do what is right.”

The vaping community is understandably irritated and frustrated by yet another report that mislabels the facts. Vapers have also pointed out parallels between the WHO’s connection to Michael Bloomberg as a potential reason for the negative report on vaping.

Bloomberg sits as the Global Ambassador for NonCommunicable Diseases for the WHO. A notoriously strict antivaping politician, Bloomberg has pledged $160 million to fighting what he views as a ‘youth e-cigarette epidemic.’

In February The Irish Times asked: “Is vaping dangerous or not? And is the World Health Organisation misrepresenting evidence?”

The article, written by Irish Times columnist Dr Muiris Houston, described the WHO vaping press release as “unusually forthright” and pointed out that it was “not backed by any new research or high-powered commission report.”

Dr Houston wrote: “For those of us who follow and interact with the WHO on a weekly basis, it is an unusual move for the UN agency. More PR than medical science. But there can be no doubt about the damning message: it said the electronic nicotine delivery devices (ENDS) are harmful to health and not safe – adding that it’s not clear whether they even help people quit smoking.”

He concluded: “I have to say I am surprised at the WHO’s onesided intervention against a background of genuinely different views held by respected medics on both sides of the Atlantic. Watch this space – the vaping wars have just begun.”

“Health professionals and family members who are observing this lifesaving transition know how wrong the WHO is in its anti-tobacco harm reduction stance.”

JAIL BREAKING THE HABIT

Scotland’s prisons report positive changes after introducing e-cigarettes for inmates

Words: Caroline Barry

Inmates at a Scottish prison have spent £100,000 on e-cigarettes and e-liquids since the introduction of the smoking ban in 2018. Smoking in enclosed spaces was banned in Scotland in 2006, but this didn’t include prisons as they were viewed as personal living quarters.

While inmates in Scotland are no longer allowed to smoke, vaping is allowed in prisons and a direct result of the move is dramatically improved air quality. Associate Professor at The University of Sterling, Dr Sean Semple, led a study into the effects of smoking within the Scottish prisons services and reported an 80 percent improvement in air quality for staff.

The study detailed the second-hand smoke exposure in 15 Scottish prisons using wearable airborne particle and nicotine monitors. They discovered that the smoke levels were found to be close to levels in bars pre-smoking ban. Dr Semple said: “We collected second-hand smoke measurements from across the prison estate in the week the smoking ban was introduced and compared the readings with measurements taken in 2016. Our study shows improvements in the levels of second-hand smoke in every prison in Scotland.”

He added: “This is similar to the scale of change observed when pubs became smoke free in 2006 and the contractions of fine particles

in prison air has now reduced to those measured in outdoor air in Scotland.”

Katheryn Street, a spokesperson for the Scottish Prison System (SPS) said: “Our establishments were found to hold the highest concentration of smokers in society with almost 80 percent of those in our care identifying as smokers compared to just under 20 percent of the national average.” Research revealed that staff were exposed to the same level of second-hand smoke at work as they would be by living in a smoking household. Some activities such as inspecting a smoky cell would drastically increase levels.

Katheryn added: “The introduction of vaping devices was an interim process to help those with deep-seated habits to break this and save money for the public in the long term. While stopping smoking and nicotine consumption completely will always be the best option, vape devices help those in our care to cope without access to tobacco.”

Two companies, JAC Vapour and Logic, supply the prisons with e-cigarettes. JAC Vapour created a smaller version of its original VIM device which was designed to be simple and easy to use. The ergonomic design was modified to fit the needs of the prison service.

Emma Logan, Managing Director for JAC Vapour, said: “We are one

of the only independent companies globally that design and engineer our own hardware.

As a Scottish company based in Edinburgh, it enabled us to work very closely with the SPS and their Smoke Free team, to ensure the products we provided met the requirements of the prisoners.” Emma adds that feedback has been positive. “Prisoners have really adapted well since they went smoke free in Scotland. No problems noted! Only positive feedback. VIM Nicotine Salt PODs were launched in two flavours to begin with, Blackcurrant Squash and Strawberry Chew.

Blackcurrant Squash has been the most popular. But

introduced menthol and tobacco at the end of 2019 and if the trend follows our own customer sales, we think they may exceed Blackcurrant Squash in popularity.” Similar prison smoking bans in England have had issues with violence. When riots broke out in Liverpool and Leicester in November, they were attributed in part to the smoking ban.

“Currently,

we

“Our study shows improvements in the levels of second-hand smoke in every prison in Scotland.”

IF YOU CAN’T BEAT THEM...

Air Factory hopes to be one of the fi rst to gain FDA approval

Words: Gordon Stribling

Devin Ruzbasan - Air Factory

You would be forgiven for thinking that flavour bans were the biggest threat to vaping in the US. However, a much greater threat looms large and it’s no exaggeration to say that America’s industry will change forever in the autumn.

From September 9, all ‘tobacco products’ will require a Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) in order to be sold in the US. Each manufacturer will have to submit a PMTA for every single e-liquid and piece of hardware that they intend to sell from this date.

The process is a time-consuming and expensive one, requiring third-party lab testing and proof that products are beneficial to public health and will not fall into the wrong hands. A single PMTA could cost as much as half a million dollars, putting Big Tobacco at a

significant advantage. In October, British American Tobacco became the first company to submit a completed PMTA to the FDA.

E-liquid firm Air Factory began its journey back in 2013 and has now become a globally-recognised brand. Over the past six months, the company, now based in its own facility in Irvine, outside of Los Angeles, has also expanded into the CBD e-liquid and tincture market.

Air Factory’s Devin Ruzbasan recently moved to London so we thought we’d catch up and get his take on the PMTA. “Everything has to go through a series of lab tests, similar to the TPD, but the FDA is a pain in the ass,” he said.

“They’re very rigorous on what has to happen and what can’t happen.”

Air Factory has been working on the

PMTA authorisation process for almost two years. The company has partnered with one of the leading manufacturers of actual liquids, not just the vape kind, and Devin is confident that they’ll be able to see it through.

“I don’t want to brag but I’m confident that we’re going to get through the PMTAs because we’ve already secured out lab time.

“We’ve cleared all of our liquids as far as our ingredients so our e-liquids that we’re putting through the PMTA are clean and those have already been passed through PMTA.

“It’s just a matter of taking the liquids that have passed through the PMTA and moving them into our Air Factory products.”

Vape-wise, Air Factory deals exclusively

with e-liquids for open systems, which may give the company a head start on manufacturers of closed pods. A ban on flavoured pods has been in effect since February, as the FDA has cracked down on what it considers to be products that appeal to youth following former commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s muchpublicised battle with JUUL.

One of the criteria of the PMTAs is that products can not been seen to be targeted or accessible to this group.

“Closed pod systems will be very scrutinised under the FDA because of the availability of that to minors,” Devin said.

“We’re strictly a juice company, we don’t do closed or open pods. Currently, in the states it’s a very grey area so we’re gonna focus on just e-liquids and with the four families we currently offer.”

It’s sadly inevitable that many wellestablished hardware and juice companies will go out of business altogether as regulators put up yet another roadblock for the industry. Those in for the long haul have no choice but to comply with the laborious and expensive PMTA process.

Devin has no doubt that Air Factory will see the journey through to the end. “We’re very confident that we’ll be one of the first to be approved.”

“The FDA is a pain in the ass.”

WE MUST NOT LOSE OUR COLLECTIVE

Social media clampdowns on vaping cut smokers out of the conversation

Words: Benedict Jones

Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things you can do and vaping isn’t always intuitive for new users making the switch. This shared struggle is why forums, Facebook groups and YouTube channels have become such an important part of vaping and the cessation process it entails for millions of users.

Our online community faces a mounting threat from social media platforms though and there’s a danger that it could cut smokers out of the conversation entirely if things worsen.

Towards the end of 2019, Facebook and its sister company Instagram announced a change of policy regarding sponsored content. The idea was to prevent influencers from being part of paid campaigns to promote tobacco products, including vapes. Since it was already impossible to directly pay Facebook for ad space when posting about vapour products, this seemed to be a reiteration of the rules, rather than an actual change.

Then, many users reported groups disappearing without warning. Partial clarification was provided in the end, disallowing links to vaping products of any kind to be shared in community pages. Group admins reacted by purging links and changing group names, removing words like “vape” and “mod.” Some larger groups were eventually reinstated, but the damage was done – it was made clear that the discussion of vaping was not particularly welcome, and many communities, with

years of knowledge, were pushed underground. At the same time, we’ve seen similar events take place on YouTube. First, new terms of service disallowing links, followed by the abrupt and seemingly arbitrary strikes and bans of content creators. At the time of writing, Vaping With Vic (one of the UK’s longest-running channels) has been terminated by YouTube, meaning almost six years’ worth of videos have been deleted from the platform.

As the goal posts move, it becomes less clear what is and is not allowed to be discussed or posted. Communities filled with information and advice are now at risk of disappearing, seemingly without reason. This is terrible for smokers making the switch, who often seek help online to improve their experience and in doing so, increase the chance of never smoking again. Fundamentally, many of these communities function as a support network, which is vital to those who are struggling with a life-long habit.

The motives behind these changes to enforcement aren’t a grand conspiracy. Social media companies don’t want to be blamed for underage users taking up vaping, nor do they want to be seen to condone vaping as a lifestyle choice. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.

Our online communities and content creators do have a positive impact on smokers though and should be allowed to exist. What is needed are better age gating tools, clear guidelines and consistent enforcement. Is that too much to ask?

NEW JERSEY VAPE SHOPS ROCKED BY STATE FLAVOUR BAN

Words: Gordon Stribling

In 2019, America’s so-called youth vaping epidemic and the EVALI outbreak coalesced into an outright war on vaping. Many of the reactionary measures taken at federal and local level are now coming to pass mere months and weeks before the FDA’s PMTA deadline.

On January 21, Governor Bill Murphy signed Senate Bill 3265 to ban all flavoured vape products other than those designed to taste like tobacco.

Murphy said at the signing of the bill: “Research shows that flavoured electronic smoking devices and products, such as mint, candy, fruit and chocolate, are extremely appealing, especially to children.”

Assembleyman and physician Herb Conway who sponsored the legislation agreed, saying: ”Getting flavoured vaping products off the market will protect our youth. If we don’t, we will have another generation of young people addicted to nicotine.”

The ban was strongly opposed by former smokers, who argued that they would likely go back to smoking if flavoured products were pulled from shelves.

But their pleas went ignored. On April 20, New Jersey will become the first state to enforce an outright ban on flavours.

The vaping-to-smoking gateway effect and actual prevalence of vaping among youth remains hotly disputed. But what isn’t up for debate is the devastating toll the upcoming flavour ban is already taking on New Jersey’s 300 vape shops.

Adam Mitrani is the owner of Darth Vapor in East Hanover. Before the ban was announced in January, the 48-year-old was hoping to retire within 10 years.

But now he’ll have to pull all the flavours that adult vapers actually buy if he wants to stay in business after April 20.

He said: “How does a whole store that pays employees and rent survive on five flavours of tobacco? The answer is it can’t.”

With the long-term future of vaping in doubt, retailers are looking to supplement their deteriorating income with new sources of revenue; ‘smoke shop’ products like bongs, pipes and grey-market legal highs like kratom, which is illegal in much of the world. Others, such as Ironbound Vapes owner Rui Alvez, have been forced to entirely refit their businesses.

Move will have ‘devastating toll’ on businesses

“We’re actually turning it into a convenience store. We’ve been here just over five years,” he said.

“It was probably a month of back and forth [...] where me and my girlfriend were deciding whether we were going to keep the shop at all or we should just let it go.”

Those unwilling to stay open in whatever capacity may nonetheless be forced to do so due to their lease commitments.

Danish Iqbal is a representative of the New Jersey Vapor Rights Coalition. He said: “A lot of leases aren’t written to have exceptions for new regulations coming out that ban most of what you sell, so a lot of people have three- to five-year leases that they have to honour and they don’t have the money to just get out of their lease just because the state of New Jersey decided to pass a new law.”

There are lessons to be learned from the EVALI outbreak which pushed the already-simmering bad faith about vaping to boiling point.

The CDC concluded that black-market THC oil products, not nicotine e-liquids, were the main culprit of the outbreak. A ban on flavours means the government has no control of the thousands of iterations of products on an unregulated market. Assemblyman John J.

Burzichelli opposed the New Jersey flavour ban, stating that it would hurt small businesses without actually dealing with the youth vaping issue.

He said: “Nothing we did prevents people from finding the producteither on the black market or the internet.

“We’ve lost the ability to tax it. We’ve lost the ability to regulate it. We’re going to send them elsewhere to obtain it.

“I hope [vape shops] can hold on in large part and be clever in what they can sell and stay in business because we didn’t offer any relief to them at this point.”

“How does a whole store that pays employees and rent survive on five flavours of tobacco?”

VAPOUROUND PRESENTS THE BEST EXHIBITION YOU’LL ATTEND THIS YEAR, WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR SEAT

The Virtual Online Expo is an event like no other.

From July 1, VOXPO will provide a unique platform for vape and CBD companies from around the world to promote their brands and products in a virtual environment, day or night, 365 days a year.

No time zone restrictions, no risk of authority interference and no risk of cancellation or postponement due to the coronavirus.

With VOXPO, your company will save thousands on the cost of floor space, booth materials, staff costs, samples plus travel and accommodation.

This unique virtual format enables customers to download your company’s information, request samples to be delivered to your door, meet new faces and old, and get business done.

VOXPO will also provide a vast amount of customer data, allowing you to target your marketing and easily contact potential clients and customers from the first live day.

With VOXPO, there will be four live three-day expos activated throughout the year and across international time zones.

Theories CORONAVIRUS CONSPIRACY

Words: Gordon Stribling

It was inevitable that the rapid spread of coronavirus would be the subject of wild conspiracy theories and speculation.

What was perhaps a little less likely is the extent to which vaping would become a key part of some of the many theories which have begun to spring up.

The consensus among researchers is that COVID-19 spread from a live animal market in Wuhan, China. While there is a possibility that the virus could have been brought to the market by an already-infected person, scientists say there is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 originated outside China.

Whether it is climate change or moon landings, official accounts of just about any major event can be challenged.

With the novel coronavirus there were soon a number of alternatives to the official account doing the rounds.

In March rumours began to circulate that the disease started in the USA and not in China. The website Global Research posted an article on March 14 titled: “Coronavirus COVID-19: “Made in China” or “Made in America”?

The article says that reports from both China and Japan speculated that COVID-19 may have originated in the USA and claims that US President Trump’s ‘Made in China’ coronavirus label “served as a pretext, the unspoken objective was to bring the Chinese economy to its knees.” However a USA Today

“Fact Check” article said there was no research to back up the claim that the virus originated outside China.

A Chinese government official, posting on Twitter, also said the virus was brought into China by the US Army.

Also in March Vapouround Magazine was sent an email from a trusted contact within the Chinese vape industry which repeated the same claims and added that the 2019 EVALI lung disease deaths in America were part of a cover up.

It said that “in October 2019, Wuhan Military Games, 172 people from the US delegation participated” and went on to say that the virus could have been transmitted from person to person as early as November last year.

The email added: “We have reason to suspect that the US flu and the 2019-nCoV have a certain relationship, and the EVALI incident may be to conceal the true facts.”

Also in March, New York mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking about coronavirus, said: “Smoking and vaping makes it easier for the disease to have more negative impact on a person’s body.

“If you are a smoker or a vaper this is a very good time to stop that habit and we will help you.”

A week later Public Health England said exactly the opposite. When asked whether passive vaping presented bystanders in developing coronavirus, PHE director of tobacco, alcohol and drugs Rosanna O’Connor said: “There is currently no evidence that coronavirus can be caught from exposure to e-cigarette vapour.”

Evidence supporting the claim that vaping could make people more

susceptible to illness is thin on the ground and mostly stems from a handful of rodent and individual cell studies.

Also, the vast majority of vapers are former smokers who may have pre-existing respiratory conditions, so no defined link could reasonably be confirmed.

And while smokers are more prone to viruses and bacterial infections, public health expert Konstantinos Farsalinos, said that in a study of coronavirus deaths in China revealed that only 13 percent were smokers. He said scientists would expect smoking rates to be much higher.

Dr Farsalinos also wrote a blog on coronavirus and vaping, concluding that there was a lack of evidence supporting the claim that vaping increases coronavirus susceptibility or progression.

However, he said: “We cannot exclude the possibility that the use of propylene glycol might have some beneficial effects.”

Vapers have for a long time suspected that PG in e-liquid could actually prevent illnesses.

While there is no evidence to suggest that vaping could increase the likelihood of developing coronavirus or increase its onset, speculation that PG could fight the virus is just that - speculation.

The full facts surrounding COVID-19 are not yet known and may not be known for some considerable time so the rumours and theories are bound to continue.

RUNNING OUT OF

Juice

How the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the vape industry across Europe.

Words: Caroline Barry

Right across the world there is only one topic of conversation right now and that is the novel coronavirus pandemic. In this article we look how the virus is impacting on e-cigarette businesses across Europe.

Ireland

Many non-essential businesses - including vape stores - have closed but the Irish Vape Vendors Association say this is wrong.

The IVVA wants vape stores to remain open to help older vapers who may struggle to access online supplies and stop people returning to cigarettes.

Director Declan Connelly said: “We do not wish to see vapers return to smoking during lockdown and it is difficult to know if many businesses will survive as it depends on how long the crisis lasts.”

There are also reports of some Irish vape stores defying government restrictions by continuing to remain open.

France

Originally vape stores were ordered to close throughout France while tobacco stores could stay open and apply for financial aid. However vaping association SOVAPE successfully lobbied the government to allow them to open and offer deliveries.

Damien Conte, from High Vaping in Paris has closed his shop to maintain social distancing but is taking telephone orders from clients for delivery. However he said his business may not survive the pandemic.

Damien said: “I’m not sure my business can survive this. The problem is because we have the right to open it’s possible that we won’t have any help from the government so we will see.”

Spain

Vape stores can remain open but many have closed to keep their staff safe. Daniel Formoso from Entrevapor in Madrid said: “Many vape stores have closed their business completely. We can still count on our website and delivery services but our physical store remains closed until further notice.The situation is worrying and the only ones who are going to survive here are those who offer e-commerce. After the vape crises we’ve had here, this pandemic may end many vape businesses.”

Belgium

Vape stores have closed but kiosks selling newspapers and tobacco can remain open. Some kiosks sell e-cigarettes but choice is very limited indeed. Online e-cigarette sales are already banned in Belgium so there is no virtually nowhere for vapers to obtain supplies.

Philippe Poirson from SOVAPE now fears anti-vaping politicians may use the COVID-19 crisis to impose further e-cigarette bans in the country. He said: “The public health administration authorised internet sales, and then the office of Health Minister, Maggie de Block intervened to cancel this which makes me feel pessimistic about the long term. She seems to have had a particular hatred for vapers for a long time.”

Amsterdam

Amsterdam remains on lock down with few businesses open. Hans Molenaar, from ACVODA is concerned that Dutch health minister Martin Van Rijn may now redouble efforts to close vape stores. He said: “I wouldn't be surprised if our health minister grabbed this opportunity to close the vape shops as he wants to get rid of e-cigarettes. After the EVALI disaster many vape shops are already struggling to survive and this could be game over for many of them.”

Switzerland

Stores in Switzerland can open but many have closed and offer internet or phone sales only. Vape stores that are open may operate on an ‘appointmentonly basis or strictly limit how many are allowed inside at once. Some e-liquid manufacturers are also switching production lines to make hand sanitisers which are urgently needed by the Swiss health service.

Norway

According to André Bendigtsen, from Nicotine Alliance Norway, there are no bans yet but vape shops are following government orders about social distancing. André said: “Vape shops can stay open but the government have prohibited gatherings of more than five people and we have to stay at least one meter apart.

“So the vape shops are pretty much open as usual as far as I know, although it seems most of them are taking these precautions into consideration.”

5. Columnist Victor Mullin used what analogy to signify that time was running out to save the vaping industry?

A window shutting

A door closing (c) A train departing

A tide going out 6. What did Vapouround reviewer Benedict Jones suggest that vapers leave at home when they are allowed out during the coronavirus social distancing rules?

Spare batteries

Nic salts (c) Drippers

Their partners 7. According to Public Health England’s latest e-cigarette report, what percentage of smokers thought vaping was just as dangerous or more dangerous than smoking?

None of them

A quarter of them (c) Half of them

All of them 8. What did harm reduction experts Roberto Sussman and Carmen Escrig advise vapers to do during the coronavirus lockdown? (a) Not to go back to smoking

Return to smoking only when vape supplies run out (c) Alternate vaping and smoking to conserve vape supplies (d) Return to smoking, but only until the lockdown ends.

9. In an interview with Vapouround Magazine, Dr Chris Proctor, Group Head of Potentially Reduced Risk Product Science at British American Tobacco, said it was important that the vape industry should never stop what? (a) advertising (b) finding new flavours (c) innovating (d) expanding 10. WHO was recently accused by health officials and researchers of anti-vaping activism. True or false? (a) True (b) False 11. Which of the following devices is featured in the current Hobbyist Corner section of the magazine? (a) Billet Box

Beat Box (c) Chocolate Box (d) Cardboard Box 12. In an interview in this issue, Grimm Green says that in a perfect world e-cigarette products would be regulated for what one factor only? (a) Nicotine strength (b) Product safety (c) Flavours (d) Potential harm to the public

13. The Vaper Expo UK event which took place in February was held where? (a) Olympia London (b) ExCeL London (c) NEC Birmingham (d) ICC Birmingham

14. The Vape South America expo which took place in February was held in which Colombian city? (a) Bogotá (b) Barranquilla (c) Medellín (d) Cartagena

15. The INVEX International 2020 expo in March was held in which Indonesian city?

(a) Surabaya (b) Bali (c) Jakarta (d) Yogyakarta

Answers: 1. a, 2. d, 3. c, 4. c, 5. a, 6. c, 7. c, 8. a, 9. c, 10. a, 11. a, 12. b, 13. a, 14. c, 15. d

VA PO URO UND O N TO U R

USA CBD Expo, Vaper Expo UK, Vape South America, White Label World Expo - Las Vegas, INVEX International

HERE WE GO AGAIN

If you’re a Vapouround regular, you’ll know by now that the team travels on a continuous basis. Following a successful jaunt to Las Vegas in November, we returned in February to launch our sister magazine The CANNAVIST USA at a three-day event geared towards the most influential professionals in this multi-billion-dollar industry.

Words by Róisín Delaney

The USA CBD Expo Las Vegas had a lot to live up to. After a successful debut into the ever-expanding realms of CBD last August in Miami, the New York-based expo team had a reputation to live up to.

The USA CBD Expo is known for its thorough check list of essentials, working only with the most upstanding members of this legal cannabis community, encouraging exhibitors to put their best foot forward and ultimately setting a goal to achieve a higher standard than many other events on the circuit.

A spokesperson told me: “We follow all rules and regulations set at the federal and state level in terms of sampling products.” But this exhibition did seem very put-

together when it came to brands having all their ducks in a row.

One noticeable difference this time around was the lack of vape companies exhibiting. Up until this year, vape has dominated at CBD trade shows. What’s changed? A USA CBD Expo spokesperson said it’s a sign of the market maturing amid many months of bad press for the unregulated US vape industry.

“At our show in Miami in August, we had more vape companies that [had] recently transitioned into CBD. The vape industry took a massive hit in the fourth quarter and a lot of those companies are still feeling the pressure financially. We did have quite a few vapeable CBD products and vendors at the show in Vegas. We think our show is a fair representation of the market.”

The USA CBD Expo Excellence Awards were presented at The CANNAVIST USA launch party as the Las Vegas strip prepared for Valentine’s Day and day one of the show drew to an end.

A total of nine awards were distributed by former US soccer player and winner of the CBS ‘The Survivor’ series, Ethan Zohn. Ethan was joined by co-host Anthony Sullivan, a British TV producer from Devon who has become a household name in the US thanks to OxiClean.

VAPER EXPO UK

OLYMPIA LONDON FEBRUARY 15-16, 2020

Words: Patrick Griffin

and moved out of the NEC and into Olympia London for the first time. As soon as you walked onto the floor it was clear that this was a Vaper Expo event. The look and feel of the show was classic Vaper Expo so visitors and exhibitors alike immediately felt at home. The organisers did not try to exactly replicate the Birmingham show in London because they wanted it to have its own identity while retaining its Vaper Expo heritage.

Vaper Expo UK London was a smaller event than its Birmingham counterpart but the original Vaper Expo took time to grow to what it has become today and the London hall was not as big as the cavernous halls at the NEC.

One obvious thing missing from this event was the lack of representation from Chinese companies.

At the time China was the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic

manufacturing on hold.

Companies ordered staff to stay at home and banned international travel. The lack of Chinese representation at this show clearly detracted from the event but there was nothing anyone could have done about this.

Back in February we did not know that the COVID-19 epidemic would become a pandemic with international expos being cancelled or postponed around the globe.

As it turned out, Vaper Expo UK London was among the last vape expos to go ahead before the rapidly-spreading disease led to cancellations around the world.

What was clear to me during the weekend is that there is certainly a market for a vape show in London and the Vaper Expo team are ideally-placed to fill that gap.

This had everything we have come to associate with Vaper Expo but the double-whammy of the corona virus and a major storm which brought downpours and high winds for the entire weekend clearly had an effect on visitor numbers.

Hosts Johnnie and Ashley remained lively and upbeat from start to finish and the giveaways and activity from the main stage were all classic Vaper Expo. There was also a first for the Expo and possibly a first for the entire vaping industry…poetry from the main stage.

ZYN Evangelist Anis Arridj read a self-penned poem about the dangers of smoking and the role reduced risk products can play in helping smokers switch. He is clearly passionate about helping smokers quit and has a knack of keeping an audience entertained.

Talking about firsts, I saw one attendee dressed as a pink bunny and another wearing white cat ears and sporting a purple tail. Perhaps they were at the wrong expo but they seemed to be enjoying the experience nonetheless.

VooPoo could not send a team from China but were represented by their UK distributors and it fair to say that UK and European vape companies were the mainstay of this event.

Now as the coronavirus grips the world, expos are more or less on hold and we hope it does not take too long for things to return to normal. When this happens there is certainly room in the UK for a show like this in London.

VAPE SOUTH AMERICA: MEDELLIN COLOMBIA FEBRUARY 22-23, 2020

Words: Steve Culf

This was my third visit to Vape South America in Medellin and with all sincerity, this was my favourite show of them all. Once again, upon arriving in Colombia, I was so impressed with the country’s unparalleled beauty. Seeing the stunning lush green mountain ranges that surround Medellin is something that you really must see with your own eyes. Words and even photos cannot do the landscape here the justice it truly deserves.

Once again, Vapouround were media partners for this event and we are very happy to be associated with this great show. We produced the official event show guide for Vape South America and our new look A5 showguide format was a huge hit with attendees and exhibitors alike.

As soon as I entered the building and walked up the ramp I felt

immediately at home. I was greeted by the, now familiar, sight of the hog roast, so I knew that whatever happened at the show, that I would be eating well.

The show this time around was a bit smaller than the last one, but the atmosphere and turn out was better than ever. There really is a great sense of community about this event and shows like this set such a positive image for our entire industry.

The visitor numbers were excellent, making for a very busy show with vape and CBD hungry consumers and business attendees. The enthusiasm from the exhibitors was plain to see, with maximum effort put into their booths and a number of them launching new products.

Attending an expo is something which takes a lot of planning, manpower and cost so companies are increasingly using them

for their official product launches to maximise exposure for their new lines.

It was great to see some familiar brands and friends of Vapouround there, from Innevape, to Just Juice and Vampire Vape to Dr Vapes, with Mo Hassan smashing it on stage with a live performance of his vape-themed track ‘In the Clouds’. This was a true show for both business and consumers, with many exhibitors completely selling out of product.

Well done Vape South America for another great show. The only question I was left with after the show was, when is the next one… as I can’t wait to come back!

WHITE LABEL WORLD EXPO LAS VEGAS

FEBRUARY 26-27, 2020

Words: Peter Masters

As I’m sure many of you are aware, we need no excuse to go to Las Vegas, but this was certainly a great reason to go to Sin City and enjoy another week in the desert

The White Label Expo was the last leg of our mini tour, which had seen us take just over three weeks to cover expos and launch parties from Vegas to Colombia and back to Vegas again.

Lucky for us we actually had two shows to attend at the same time; this event and the CHAMPS Trade Show next door which was billed as the largest counter-culture trade show running since 1999.

We had a booth at the White Label Expo and we decided to walk Champs. The White Label show was not the usual type of event that we would normally attend as we are used to only really attending vape or CBD expos. However with a lot of CBD brands exhibiting here, we thought it would

be a good event to attend and get the magazine’s name out to a new market of people.

This was a particularly interesting show for us, because it allowed us to see the main differences between the usual types of expos we attend and how they do things in different industries.

To be honest there were very few differences to be found - the check in process, the hours, the exhibitors and

varying stand sizes all followed the usual format adopted by the majority of shows we have previously attended.

The White Label Expo seemed particularly professional, well-organised and wellattended. Because it was more of a trade show than a consumer show, it wasn’t packed to the rafters with people all looking for freebies.

There seemed to be a nice mix of business people all looking to do deals and make the most of the opportunities presented to them. Everyting seemed to run smoothly, the event location was easily accessible and centrally located just off the main strip.

The hours were sensible, 10am - 5pm, meaning that people weren’t having to put in massive 12 hour days - giving more

time for people to enjoy the fun side of Vegas.

Day two, for some reason, seemed a bit quieter than day one, but this may have been due to people trying to attend both shows which were taking place.

Overall this expo was well-attended, professionally-run and the exhibitors we spoke to seemed to be happy with their return on investment.

I’m sure we will continue to attend these White Label shows and I know that they have locations throughout the world and we look forward to the next one. We ventured away from our normal market and it definitely paid off.

We would definitely recommend anyone in the vape or CBD industries to try this expo in Vegas, London or wherever they decide to hold their next one.

INVEX INTERNATIONAL 2020, INDONESIA MARCH 7-8, 2020

JOGJA EXPO CENTER

More than 42,000 visitors packed into the Jogja Expo Center for the two-day Indonesia Vape Expo (INVEX) 2020.

This show was big. The organisers reported that it produced a turnover in excess of Rp. 25 billion - about £1.2m - an increase on the last show in 2018.

The vape scene has been growing rapidly since mid-2019 and this was reflected by the record attendance numbers for this event which attracted visitors from all over Indonesia and beyond.

INVEX 2020 Event Coordinator Robertus Bryan Alvano said

the two days were more than about just buying and selling as it was a celebration of the vaping community and designed to be fun and exciting for the many thousands of visitors. There were cloud competitions, live entertainment and many prizes to be won including the grand prize of five types of Honda Monkey / mini motorbikes thanks to a collaboration between INVEX and Wbikekustom that are sought after by collectors.

The show featured 121 booths and around 200 brands and was judged to be a huge success. The event coordinator said: “This year, it was not just buying and selling, but being able to embrace more communities so it was not like what one might expect from a more traditional vape expo. “We were pleased to invite many popular musicians including Mahijadedi, Jahanam and Tuan Tiga Belas on the first day, then

The Panturas and Elephant Kind on the second day.”

The show took place before the World Health Organization declared the spread of COVID-19 a pandemic but organisers took precautions to ensure the safety of visitors and exhibitors. Everyone underwent body temperature checks before being admitted to the event while hand sanitisers were readily available at entrances and at booths during the two days.

In cooperation with Candyman, a well-known liquid vape brand, as the main sponsor, Invex 2020 provided double the excitement as a substitute for missing the show in 2019.

It not only targeted end users or vape fans, but INVEX 2020 was also able to launch B2B concepts. This time around the organisers invited around 500 vape shop owners throughout Indonesia as VVIP guests so that they could establish connections and

networks during the event.

In addition to the vape expo, INVEX 2020 also held competitionsboth vape-related and more general in nature - and these added to the excitement of the event. The cloud chasing and BCD cloud trick competition were very popular as were the Emkay Brewer coil art competition, Vape Queen contest, Battle Rap Competition, DJ Competition, and Vlog Competition.

Visitors also did not go hungry as there was a food festival in the outdoor expo area filled with more than 50 food and beverage tenants.

The organisers described INVEX as “a viable barometer of expo vape events in Indonesia” and said it would serve to represent the good name of the Indonesian vape industry to the international vape community.

Hardware

VAPOUROUND REVIEWS E-liquids

Please note: All hardware and e-liquids are reviewed by external reviewers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Vapouround Magazine. All e-liquids are reviewed at 3mg nicotine level. Hardware reviews are rated on specific criteria depending on the style of products received.

VINCI AIR

By Benedict Jones

Voopoo may have made its name with sturdy high-wattage box mods but for the past year, its efforts have been focused largely on the starter market, with an assortment of miniature mods, pods and now the Vinci line of AIOs. The Air is the fifth device in the Vinci range, so what place does it have in the market?

Construction, fit and finish of the Vinci Air are excellent. Voopoo has always done well with build quality and this device is no exception. Despite coming in at just 80g, it feels solid, with an all-metal chassis and well-executed matte finish. Tolerances are on point too, with a strong magnetised connection that holds the pod in place with no movement at all. The fire button, along with the rocker on the side to change power settings, both have a good level of tactile feedback and zero rattle.

The Air is slightly more basic in terms of functionality than its larger siblings, so the user experience is quite simple. Five clicks of the fire button power the device on/off, while three clicks toggles between auto draw and fire button draw. A rocker switch on the side of the device is used to scroll through power settings. Voopoo has improved the re-filling seal with this device, which is now easier to remove and replace, so no complaints there. This device does track puffs but not in as much depth as the larger Vinci devices. This is likely a concession that needed to be made in order to make the chip smaller.

As with previous Vinci releases, airflow is adjusted by switching the orientation of the pod. This time around, the most open setting is a restricted direct lung draw, while the smaller setting is a very loose MTL draw, that may not be tight enough for some MTL fans. Honestly, I would much rather see a true variable airflow system designed into these pods for future batches, as that would cater to more users.

specifications:

- Dimensions: 100.9mm*27mm*18mm

- Battery capacity: 900mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 4ml/2ml (TPD edition)

- Power output: 5W-30W

The device is supplied with two coils and the chipset automatically detects them, limiting the maximum wattage output, to stop the user from accidentally burning out a coil. The first coil is a 1Ohm build, rated for 10-15W. I found it to vape best set between 13W-15W, using the smaller airflow setting. It produces good flavour, with a nice level of warmth when set up in this way, however, the draw is quite open for such a low wattage coil. Longevity was good though and I was able to run 30mls of moderately sweet salt nicotine e-liquid through the coil before it needed to be replaced.

The second is a 0.6Ohm mesh build, rated for 20W-28W. I found this coil to perform nicely at 25W, with either airflow setting, so this will depend on personal preference. There is one issue, though, which is that this power output seems a little mismatched for the small 900mAh internal cell of the device. I was able to get just under an hour’s vaping at 25W, which I do not consider practical. Longevity was acceptable with this coil. I was able to run 40mls of moderately sweet e-liquid through it before it needed to be replaced.

In summary, the Vinci Air is a promising little AIO, that could do with some fine tuning. Build quality is great and the user experience is streamlined but I think the airflow settings should have been tailored exclusively to low wattage MTL vaping, due to the 900mAh cell. I’d like to see tighter airflow and low wattage coils only supplied in future batches.

By Benedict Jones

The original Nord is one of Smok’s best selling devices ever and that’s saying something. Now that AIOs are the go to device for new vapers, an updated version was inevitable. Is the Nord 2 a worthy successor?

Construction, fit and finish are excellent. The Nord 2 is essentially just a chunkier Nord in terms of form factor, retaining the same solid overall design. The combination of zinc alloy frame, with polycarbonate panels keeps weight down without sacrificing structural integrity. In lieu of a magnetised connection, Smok has opted for the pod to clip into place. It’s held very firmly, in fact a little too firmly out of the box, though this becomes less of an issue with use. The button has a nice tactile response and seams are kept to a minimum. This is a nicely put-together AIO.

User experience is simple, though this device does provide more functionality than its older sibling. Five clicks turns the device on/off. Instead of direct output, the Nord 2 is powered by the IQ-N chip. This is a basic 1W-40W board. Click three times to access the wattage control. Each successive click of the fire button will then increase wattage in increments of 1W, until you reach the maximum 40W, where it will reset to the lowest power output. This is easy enough to navigate, though perhaps not ideal for those who frequently change their wattage output throughout the day. The 4.5ml pod is easy to fill, with a large port covered by a rubber stopper. Due to the size and location of the port, I have had no issues filling with any bottles.

The Nord 2 is supplied with two cartridges and coils as standard. Unlike the original, this device is compatible with both Nord coils and RPM coils, so this leaves the user with a wider variety of options. The first coil provided with the kit is a 0.8Ohm Nord MTL build. There is no recommended wattage printed on the coil, or in the manual, however I found it to vape very nicely at 15W, with warm vapour and saturated flavour. Since there’s no adjustable airflow, the draw is based on the coil itself. In this case, it’s a loose MTL. I’d like to see airflow adjustment, in order to cater to more users. Longevity was fantastic for this coil. I was able to

specifications:

- Dimensions: 95mm*30.5mm*20mm

- Output Power: 1W-40W

- Battery Capacity: 1500mAh

- E-liquid capacity: 4.5ml/2ml (TPD edition)

- Charging: 1.2A Micro-USB

run 40mls of moderately sweet e-liquid through it before it needed replacement, which is great for a small MTL coil.

The second coil is a 0.4Ohm RPM mesh build. This coil is recommended for 25W output, though I found it to vape nicely anywhere between 22W-35W. I settled on 30W for a nice balance of vapour warmth, flavour and battery life. Longevity was also good with this coil, as I was able to run just shy of 60mls of moderately sweet e-liquid through it before a replacement was required.

The 1500mAh internal cell is a welcome upgrade from the original Nord. Battery life will depend on your choice of coil and power output but I found it to last 1.5 day’s vaping time on the 0.8Ohm coil at 15W, with 15mh/ml salt nicotine e-liquid. Run time is significantly reduced at 25W and above on the RPM coils, though this is to be expected. The Nord 2 charges from flat to full in just over an hour, which I feel is good considering the run time of the device.

In summary, the Nord 2 is essentially a comprehensive upgrade of the original device, boasting a larger battery, increased e-liquid capacity, more coil compatibility and, of course, variable wattage. The only real gripe I have is lack of airflow adjustment. If you don’t mind the small increase in size compared to the original version, it’s a no brainer.

SMOK NORD

PROS

- Solid build quality

- Good flavour

- Ease of use

CONS

- No adjustable airflow

- Removing pod is difficult at first

SMOK FETCH PRO

By Benedict Jones

It’s evident that Smok has switched its focus entirely to AIO devices in the last few months. The Fetch Pro is a new iteration of the Fetch Mini, which was released only recently. Is it worth picking up?

Construction, fit and finish of the Fetch Pro are excellent. This device is tiny for an 18650 AIO but it doesn’t cut corners with material choices or tolerances. The metallic body has very few seams, with tactile buttons and a satisfying firing bar that runs down one side of the device. The battery door, which uses a latch system, feels sturdy and has no play when open. The high gloss finish is nicely done, though I hope to see some matte finish variants in the future. My only slight gripe is that the magnetised pod connection could be stronger, though with that said, it has not caused me any problems in testing.

User experience has been kept simple. The device is controlled by a basic 5W-80W chip. Five clicks power the device on/off and three clicks locks the device. Pressing fire and + changes the display colour, while fire and – resets the puff counter. That’s all the functionality this chip provides and, quite frankly, it’s all you need in an AIO.

A rubber seal on the back of each cartridge covers a large fill port, which has caused me no issues in testing. I’m glad that Smok has made the fill ports larger in recent devices, since it makes life easier. Coils are press fit and I’ve had no issues replacing them or creating a proper seal.

What about vape quality, then? The Fetch Pro is supplied with two pods, which can utilise RPM and RGC coils respectively. The first pod, which is RPM compatible, is pre-installed with a 0.4Ohm mesh coil. Despite the fact that it’s rated for 25W, I found it to perform best in the 27W-30W range, with the airflow closed almost all the way. This did not seem to cause wicking issues but does produce a warmer, more saturated vape. Wide open, there is far too much airflow for this coil in particular, though airflow is still smooth when closed down, so no complaints there.

specifications:

- Dimensions: 93.5mm*46mm*22mm (height includes drip tip)

- Weight: 102g

- Battery capacity: external 18650 cell

- E-liquid capacity: 4.3ml (RPM pod), 4ml (RGC pod), 2ml (TPD edition)

- Power output: 5W-80W

- Charging: 2A USB-C

The second pod is compatible with Smok’s new fitting, RGC. These are slightly larger coils, more similar to the size of a standard sub-tank fitting. The 0.16Ohm coil provided is rated for 40W-80W, but it really shines at 45W-50W, with the airflow restricted, producing warm vapour and excellent flavour. Above 55W, though, I found that the wicking simply could not keep up and I feel that running the coil near its maximum recommendation would result in short life span. In short, a great coil for 45W-50W vaping.

Battery life will largely depend on your choice of 18650, power output and coil. I found battery management to be good and I was able to get a full day’s worth of vaping, with room to spare, when using a 3000mah cell, with the RPM coil at 30W. Using the same cell, at 45W with the RGC resulted in just under a full day’s use. The device has 2A USB-C charging, which is a nice feature if you’re caught short. I was able to charge my 3000mAh cell from flat to full in just under 1.5 hours.

In summary, the Fetch Pro is Smok’s best AIO to date. It’s incredibly small for an external cell device, barely any larger than the Fetch Mini. Build quality is excellent, there are countless compatible coils to choose from and that 4.3ml capacity when using RPM coils is very convenient. More accurate wattage recommendations for RGC coils and a slightly stronger magnetised connection are the only things I would change. There are also several rebuildable sections to choose from.

PROS

- Extremely compact - User friendly - Lots of compatible coils

CONS

- Inaccurate wattage recommendations

- Magnetised connection could be stronger

SMOK RPM80

By Benedict Jones

Of Smok’s many branches of AIO devices, the RPM has proven to be one of the most popular, having introduced the now widely-praised RPM coils. The RPM80 is its bigger, more powerful sibling. Does it live up to the original?

Construction, fit and finish of the RPM80 are excellent. Due to the internal cell design, this device has very few seams and therefore feels sturdy. Though not the shortest AIO on the market, the slim form factor and curved shape make it quite pocketable and comfortable in the hand. The magnetised pod connection is firm, with no play whatsoever and the gloss black with carbon fibre-style veneer finish of our sample unit is nicely done.

In terms of user experience, this device is very simple. The chipset is identical to the one that is being used in the Fetch Pro and RPM80 Pro. Five clicks to power the device on/off, three to lock, and the same combinations of the power and + or – to change display colour or reset puffs respectively. As with the other Smok devices using this chipset, power delivery is snappy. Unlike the Fetch Pro, the RPM80 pods have their rubber seal up top, which means you don’t have to remove the pod to re-fill.

Combined with a huge 5ml capacity, this makes for a rather convenient experience. The device is supplied with RPM and RGC compatible pods, with the same coils found in the Fetch Pro kit. Unlike the Fetch pro, however, the RPM pod for this device does not feature adjustable airflow. I find this slightly confusing, since the RGC pod does feature a control ring. As a result of this lack of airflow control, the RPM coils vape a little too cool for my liking with this device. The supplied 0.4Ohm mesh coil, which vapes nicely between 25W-30W, simply does not feel like it’s supposed to have so much air running through it.

specifications:

- Dimensions: 109mm*31.55mm*26mm

- Weight: 125g

- Battery: 3000mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 5ml, 2ml (TPD edition)

- Power output: 1W-80W

- Charging: 1.2A Micro-USB

The RGC pod is a different prospect. Unlike the RPM pod, it does feature adjustable airflow and the 0.17Ohm coil, rated for 40W-80W, vapes just as nicely here as it does in the Fetch Pro, with great flavour and warmth between 45W-50W, when the airflow is restricted. Again, I must note that the recommended wattage range feels inaccurate and above 55W, the coil struggles to keep up with wicking.

The 3000mAh internal cell feels like an appropriate choice for the coils that are compatible with this device. Using the 0.4Ohm RPM coil, at 30W, I was easily able to get a full day’s vaping on one charge, with some power to spare. When using the RGC coil at 45W, I was able to get just under a full day’s vaping time from the device, though the 1.2A charging mitigates any down time.

In summary, the RPM80 is a simple, well-rounded AIO, though not perfect. Build quality is excellent, the filling system and capacity are good and there’s a wide range of compatible coils for the device. The lack of adjustable airflow for the RPM pod is a bit of a head scratcher though and I would like to see this addressed in the future with an updated RPM pod for the device.

ORCA SOLO PLUS

By Benedict Jones

Construction, fit and finish are excellent for an entry-level device. Vaporesso does not state the material of the allmetal body and tank cage but from the weight and brushed finish, it’s likely zinc alloy or stainless steel. Tolerances are very precise, with no gaps. The singular button has a nice tactile click and doesn’t rattle at all while the tank cage threads on and off with a smooth action. This is one of the best stick-style kits ever made in terms of build quality.

If you’re familiar with any of Vaporesso’s recent starter kits or pods, the Orca Solo Plus works the same. Five clicks of the button powers the device on/off, while three clicks toggles between three power settings, which change depending on the resistance of your installed coil. I’m glad that Vaporesso has settled on this standard functionality for its entry level devices because it’s simple but still gives the user a good degree of control over their vape experience.

The tank is an integrated system, so you won’t be able to use other 18mm tanks with the device. This may be a con for some, though in the context of a starter kit, I don’t see it as an issue. Unthreading the metal cage reveals an open top tank, which is filled down the side. The large opening means I’ve had no issues when refilling, even when doing so quickly.

At the bottom of the tank sits an airflow ring. There are five small inlets here and you can leave as many or few open as you please. With just one open, it’s a tight MTL and with all five open, the device provides a restricted direct lung draw. They’ve nailed it here. Airflow is smooth across the board and caters to all new users. Other manufacturers should take note.

At the time of writing, there are two coil options for the device. They’re both identical to the coils found in the recent Podstick and Degree kits, though unfortunately not cross compatible. The first is a 0.6Ohm mesh coil. This fires between 16W-22W, depending on your selected power level. I enjoyed this most at 16W, with the airflow turned down, for a warm, flavourful MTL vape. It does provide a decent enough direct lung vape at 22W, with the airflow opened,

specifications:

- Dimensions: 123mm*18mm (height includes drip tip)

- Battery capacity: 1200mAh internal cell

- E-liquid capacity: 2ml

- Power output: three levels of variable power

- Charging: 1A Micro-USB

though. Longevity is acceptable for such a small coil; I was able to run 25ml of moderately sweet e-liquid through it before it burnt out.

The second coil is a 1.3Ohm CCELL. This coil fires at 7W-12W, depending on your selected power level. I enjoyed this most at 12W, with a single airflow inlet open. With these settings, it provides a cooler MTL vape, with slightly less flavour than the mesh option. I found longevity to be substantially improved though, as it was able to withstand 35mls of moderately sweet e-liquid. I should note that CCELL coils can be dry burned and re-used to increase longevity further, though this is not something I choose to do.

Battery life is excellent for such a slender device. At my chosen settings of 16W and 12W respectively, I was able to get a full day’s vaping time on a charge. I found the device to charge from flat to full in little over an hour, which is well within acceptable limits considering the run time.

In summary, the Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus is an exemplary stick-style starter kit, that I would gladly recommend to any new vaper. The fact that it uses coils, instead of pods, cuts down on costs for the end consumer, along with plastic waste. I’d like to see Vaporesso release removable coil pods for their Degree and Podstick kits, which accommodate these same coils.

By Benedict Jones

The vaping industry is young, and we talk about innovation frequently. Usually, this refers to advances in performance, new materials or more efficient designs. Enovap is a completely different prospect, with a proprietary chipset that allows the user to change nicotine concentration on the fly, track their usage thoroughly and even use Bluetooth connectivity, combined with an algorithm, to slowly taper off nicotine use entirely. This device promises a lot, but does it deliver?

Construction, fit and finish are excellent. This device commands a premium price tag and certainly has a premium feel about it. Tolerances are on point and the matte black finish on our review sample is flawless. The Enovap is large for a single 18650 device but it’s designed beautifully and the result is an elegant mod that wouldn’t look out of place in an Apple store.

For such a complex device, the user experience is relatively simple. There are three distinct modes on offer but navigating the device is intuitive. Pressing the menu button cycles through vapour volume (wattage represented as a percentage) and then to the main menu. Holding down the menu button at this stage allows you to select from “Hit Control”, “Flavour Mix” and “Auto” modes. Regular vapers are likely most interested in the Hit Control Mode which adjusts the nicotine level of your vape on demand because the device has two pods. Simply fill one pod with high nicotine strength e-liquid and the other with low, or zero nicotine e-liquid. After letting the device know the content of each pod, it will be able to automatically adjust your total nicotine level on the fly. I found this mode to work best with one pod filled with 3mg/ml e-liquid and the other filled with 20mg/ml nicotine salt e-liquid.

This mode is ideal for someone like myself, who consumes different nicotine levels throughout the day, normally by using multiple devices. I enjoy 3mg/ml in the mornings and evenings, with a higher concentration in the afternoon. Being able to adjust nicotine level on the fly is a really interesting experience. I recommend adjusting the vapour percentage setting against your nicotine level. For example, at 12mg/ml, I used 40 percent and at 3mg/ml, I used 90 percent. Flavour output is good, especially at higher percentage settings,

PROS

- Great build quality

- Innovative chipset

- Change your nicotine on the fly

specifications:

Dimensions: 120mm*47mm*23mm

E-liquid capacity: Two 2ml pods

Battery capacity: External 18650 cell

Power output: 55W maximum, represented as a percentage Charging: Micro-USB

though it doesn’t quite match a sub-ohm tank. Airflow can be adjusted from direct lung, down to a very loose MTL draw. I would like to see a further range of airflow in future models, to cater to those who prefer a tighter draw.

Flavour Mix is a more straightforward mode. Simply fill the pods with two different e-liquids of the same strength and you can tailor the balance of flavours. This is not a new concept but it has never been done in a way that allows for such precise control and I can see the appeal for those who enjoy experimenting with multiple flavours at once.

The final setting is Auto mode where you need to pair the Enovap with its app, using a smartphone. For this function you will need to use the Enovap as your exclusive vaping device for 28 days. The app then uses this data to create a bespoke nicotine reduction program just for you. This really is unlike anything that the industry has seen before and it highlights the true potential of vapour products as a smoking cessation tool. The only barrier to entry here is that the Auto mode does require some tech literacy to set up. Those who may be less confident with smart technology, could require assistance with getting started on this setting. In summary, the Enovap is a glimpse into the future of vaping as a cessation tool. The device is very nicely built, if a little larger than some would prefer. The Hit Control and Flavour Mix settings are simple enough for just about any user to set up. The Auto mode is revolutionary and I hope to see this technology in other vaping devices soon.

CONS

- Device is on the large side

- Auto mode may be too complex for some users

By Benedict Jones

Dr. Dabber Original Blend Starter Kit

Dr. Dabber has been offering premium cannabis and CBD vapour products for a number of years now and their CBD cartridges are now making their way to the UK. Today we’re looking at their cartridge and battery kit, which includes everything you need to start vaping CBD.

The Dr. Dabber is a sleek little kit. It’s quite unassuming in the looks department, save for a clear mouthpiece and vibrant paint job but the slender form factor makes it ideal for dayto-day use, easily fitting into a pocket or purse virtually unnoticed.

In terms of functionality, it’s quite basic but does offer more features than a generic kit. Five clicks power the battery on/ off and from there you can select from one of three power settings with three clicks, or initiate a pre-heat cycle with two clicks. User adjustment is always a positive thing and though I found the highest setting to work best for me, some people do prefer a cooler vape.

An airflow adjustment ring sits at the top of the cartridge. Fully open, this produces a restricted mouth to lung vape and when closed to one inlet, it’s even tighter, which accommodates the lower power settings nicely.

On to the CBD itself, then. The first thing I noticed about Dr. Dabber’s broad spectrum distillate is that it’s much more viscous than the kinds of products we usually see in the UK.

In colder environments, I found this to necessitate the preheat cycle but at room temperature I had no issues.

specifications:

- 250mg CBD

- Made using broad spectrum CBD

- Cartridge capacity: 0.5ml

- Battery capacity: 400mAh internal cell

Dr. Dabber’s Original Blend is intense and vibrant. I pick up an even mix of bright citrus fruit, deep earthiness and herbal notes from the distillate and it’s one of the most natural tasting I’ve ever tried. With each 0.5ml cartridge providing 250mg of CBD, this is a high dosage product and I certainly felt this in practice, only needing a few puffs to feel the benefits that I usually look for.

The only thing that I didn’t fully enjoy about this product is the harsher than average throat hit but it’s certainly not a deal breaking factor. The intensity of flavour and potency of Dr. Dabber’s blend make it easy to forgive a slightly scratchy finish and this is something that comes with the territory of highly concentrated broad spectrum distillate products. In summary, if you’re looking for a full flavoured, high dose CBD vape that’s delivered in a sleek package, the Dr. Dabber kit is a great option.

Dimensions: 23.8mm*24mm

Material: stainless steel

Drip tip: 510

Airflow: MTL and DTL settings

By Benedict Jones

Damnvape is a relative newcomer to the industry but with only a few releases, it’s clear that it is trying to bring innovative ideas to the enthusiasts. It started with the Dread RDA, which attempted to bring side-mounted stovetop coils back into mainstream vaping, with a novel tool that allowed for easy building. The Intense looks to be another interesting take on RDA design, this time aimed at mesh vapers.

Construction, fit and finish of the Intense are good. Coming in at 95g, this is quite heavy for such a low-profile RDA, owing to robust stainless-steel construction. The clamp system, which is comprised of peek insulator feels nicelymachined, with good tolerances, however this did need to be cleaned out of the box, since it had some residual machine oil on it. The top cap snaps on and off securely, with the ideal amount of restriction. It won’t come off when you don’t want it to, but it’s easy enough to remove when you do.

The landmark feature of the Intense is its build deck. Mesh RDAs were made hugely popular by the Wotofo Profile and until now, almost every mesh rebuildable followed that blueprint – horizontally mounted mesh, with a springloaded platform to press cotton up against the strip and prevent dry hits.

The Intense takes a different approach. Your mesh strip is mounted between two vertical posts and after getting it to glow evenly, cotton is placed behind the strip and clamped into place from the side by a peek insulator. Immediately, I found this concept to be a much easier build than other mesh RDAs. Significantly less cotton is needed, so there’s no faffing about with doubling or even tripling up cotton strips to ensure good contact. The peek insulator does all this work for you and allows for much more leeway with cotton density. From the very first build, I had zero issues with dry hits, which is not something I’ve experienced

before with any mesh RBA.

DAMNVAPE INTENSE RDA specifications:

So, what about vape quality? This is another area where the Intense distinguishes itself from other mesh RDAs. It’s supplied with 0.18Ohm mesh strips, rated for 15W-30W, with airflow settings ranging from moderate MTL, up to restricted DL.

In my experience, these mesh strips need about 20W of power to ramp up efficiently and at this setting, any of the MTL inlets result in a smooth draw and fantastic flavour production. At the maximum recommended 30W, with the airflow fully opened, it’s a flavourful, moderately-warm restricted direct lung. I’m happy to report that it performs nicely regardless of airflow preference, which is quite the accomplishment for an RDA with this kind of range.

The Intense can either be used as a regular dripper, or as a squonking atomiser by installing the provided BF pin.

I was sceptical of using it as a squonker, since the coil is mounted quite high, with a vertical sheet of cotton but it actually wicks very nicely when used in this way. In fact, I think squonking is the optimal way to enjoy the device.

At 20W, with restricted airflow on an 18650 squonker, the Intense RDA creates a unique MTL setup with all-day battery life, excellent flavour and enough e-liquid capacity to last more than a day.

In summary, the Intense RDA passes through the gauntlet of originality and comes out the other side triumphant. From construction, to ease of build, to vape quality, this is a winner if you enjoy a warm mesh vape.

PROS

CONS

-

By Benedict Jones

Sikary is a fairly new name in the world of vaping hardware, with a focus on beginner-friendly products and it has already seen significant success with the Preco tank, co-developed with VZone. The Spod is an unconventional, two-part device. The first part is a charging case, about the same size as a standard box mod, which houses a 2200mAh internal cell and charging bay. The second part is a tiny pod system with the form factor of a cigarette. Construction, fit and finish are all good but not best in class. Seams are minimal, with very slight rattle and the locking hinge system is functional but not as robust as it could be. Both the case and pod system have a matching metallic satin finish, which looks great and feels quite premium in the hand.

The charging case displays battery life with a column of four LEDs, which is plenty of feedback for a 2200mAh cell. When not using the pod system, you simply slide it into its bay in the case and close the lid to keep it topped up. There are no settings to adjust and the pod itself is draw activated, so from this point of view the Spod is very beginner-friendly. There is an issue though and it’s the top-fill design. For starters, you’ll need a pair of tweezers to pull the rubber grommet out. Once you’ve done this, the fill ports are exposed, though they are set so far into the pod you will need a long needle-tipped bottle to fill the pod. Thankfully, Sikary supply such a bottle with the device, though I can’t help but feel this situation would have been avoided with a more modern top-fill design.

In terms of vape quality, I found the Spod to be quite impressive. The mouthpiece, which mimics a traditional cigarette, provides a restrictive MTL draw, along with moderately warm vapour and average flavour for a device

specifications:

Dimensions: 109.7mm*60mm*27.2mm

Battery capacity: 2200mAh internal cell

Weight: 89g

Charging: 1A Micro-USB Spod specifications: Dimensions: 95.1mm*16.2mm

E-liquid capacity: 0.8ml Battery capacity: 200mAh internal cell

of this size. It emulates a cigarette very accurately, a quality many pod systems sorely lack. Coil longevity is nothing to write home about but the 15mls of moderately sweet e-liquid I was able to run through each pod is within acceptable limits.

Battery life is outstanding, due to the charging case and pod design. The 2200mAh internal cell has enough capacity to fully charge the pod system 11 times before depletion. Using 20mg/ml nicotine salt e-liquids, this translates to almost three full days vaping on a single charge of the case, which is unheard of. The case takes approximately two hours to charge from flat to full, which is a non-issue considering the incredible run time and the pod system itself will always be fully-charged, provided you store it in the case when not in use.

In summary, I really like the concept that Sikary has brought to life with the Spod. The pod itself has a smooth restricted MTL draw, much like a cigarette. The case emulates traditional cigarettes by replacing the pack most smokers are used to carrying around with a convenient power bank that keeps the Spod going for days at a time. There’s so much going for this device, but Sikary must address the top fill annoyances with a better system. I expect to see a number of copycat devices in the near future.

SIKARY SPOD

PROS

DYADIC

By Benedict Jones

Chinese manufacturer Wotofo has always catered to hobbyist vapers with its rebuildable atomisers and reviewer collaborations but for whatever reason, mods have never been its bread and butter. Enter the Dyadic, a dual battery regulated squonker, designed in collaboration with US reviewer Tony B, AKA Vaportrail Channel.

Construction, fit and finish of the Dyadic are top notch. The chassis is made up of two removable zinc alloy panels, which feel sturdy and have what Wotofo is calling a “velvet rubber” coating, which gives the device a premium feel. The panels slide on and off with ease and secure via ball bearings, which keep them in place without any undesirable play. The internals here are compact but clean and I’ve had no issues installing or removing dual 18650 cells in my testing.

It’s difficult to make a dual 18650 squonk mod feel compact but Wotofo has nailed it here and the Dyadic is easily the most ergonomic of the mainstream devices in its class, whilst also being more pocketable than its competitors, due to a lower overall weight and slim footprint. Admittedly, it’s clearly tailored for right-handed use but that is a sacrifice many will be willing to make, since the side fire button and front squonk bottle allow you to access everything with one hand.

The landmark feature of the Dyadic is its 8.5ml side-fill squonk bottle and I’m happy with how this has turned out. A rubber grommet towards the top of the bottle can be removed to reveal a large fill port and though you need to exercise some caution when filling, it’s proven to be convenient and mess-free during my testing of the device. The large capacity is a nice bonus, too. There’s no getting away from the fact that the chipset on offer here is basic but for many, this is a good thing. The

Specifications:

Dimensions: 82.4mm*61mm*37.3mm

Materials: Zinc alloy, polycarbonate

Battery capacity: 2x external 18650 cells

E-liquid capacity: 8.5ml squonk bottle

Power output: 5W-200W

Dyadic allows for 5W-200W of power output, with standard, powerful and powerful+ preheat settings and that’s it. No TC settings or power curves, and, to be frank, that’s fine because most users vape wattage only anyway. The chip is lightning quick, delivering smooth power output at the standard setting and aggressive power output when set to the Powerful or Powerful+ modes. Those using high mass dual coil builds will likely enjoy Powerful+ the most.

Despite the 0.96” TFT colour display, battery life is excellent. I found two 3000mAh Samsung cells to easily last two full days while vaping at 45W on a single coil, or one full day while vaping at 75W on a dual coil atomiser. This is in line with other efficient dual cell devices and should be more than enough run time for most people.

In summary, the Wotofo x Tony B Dyadic doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it is a very well thought-out and executed device. Among the current mainstream options for dual battery regulated squonkers, this is my favourite, due to its balance of performance, ergonomics and aesthetics. The removable panels will certainly allow for plenty of customisation options down the line, which I look forward to.

PROS

Convenient side fill

Compact for a dual battery squonker

Responsive chipset

CONS

None

By Benedict Jones

Eleaf has been leading the charge of entry level devices for years at this point and its iJust line is home to a number of simplistic stick mods. The iJust AIO is its latest release, so how does it perform?

Construction, fit and finish of the iJust AIO are great. This is a very simple device, but it feels solid. Construction materials are not listed but from the weight it appears to be mostly polycarbonate. Despite this material choice, the chassis does not feel cheap, boasting great tolerances, with a tactile button and secure magnetised connection. There is no play in the pod section at all when assembled.

In terms of user experience, the iJust AIO is mostly what we’ve come to expect from this style of device. Five clicks of the button power the device on/off, while three clicks toggle between three power settings, indicated by red, blue and green for low, medium and high respectively.

Twisting a ring on the pod fully anti-clockwise reveals a selfsealing membrane fill port. Simply poke your e-liquid bottle into the membrane and fill away. I really like how Eleaf has implemented this feature and had no problems with any standard bottles when it comes to leaking or overflow. You don’t have to be cautious when filling either and I was able to very quickly top the pod up whenever needed because that membrane does its job properly.

Twisting the whole pod adjusts the airflow. I am so glad that airflow adjustment is present here. Wide open, it’s a restricted lung hit draw, perhaps a little more open than most will prefer for the small coils available but since it’s fully adjustable, that’s not an issue. When closed all the way down, the device provides a smooth, moderately tight MTL draw, that will please all but the most old-school tight MTL fans. This is a simple, but very effective, implementation of airflow, other AIO manufacturers should take note.

The iJust AIO performs like a champ, too. At the time of writing, there is only one coil available for the kit, though from the looks of things, other brands of coils should be compatible but I was unable to confirm this. The coil provided is a 0.6Ohm mesh build, rated for 10W-25W.

At the low and medium power settings, I found this coil to

specifications:

Dimensions: 102.5mm*22mm

Battery capacity: 1500mAh internal cell

E-liquid capacity: 2ml

Power output: 3 power levels, 23W max

PROS

- Very user-friendly

- Flavourful MTL vape

- Good coil longevity

CONS

- Provided with only one coil

produce a great MTL vape with the airflow closed, with nice flavour production. If you prefer a warm MTL, medium will be the best bet and for those who like a cool vape, low is likely the way to go.

Switching to the high setting is more suited to a restricted direct lung draw and the coil performs nicely here too, though I feel it shines at low and medium for MTL use. I was able to run 30mls of moderately sweet nicotine salt e-liquid through the coil before noticing a significant decline in performance, which is good in my books. If you run the coil at the high setting constantly, longevity may be diminished. The 1500mAh internal cell is managed appropriately. I found it to easily last a full day’s vaping, with power to spare, when using the low and medium settings. On the high setting, this drops to around four hours of use, which is still respectable considering the 23W output at this level. The device charges from flat to full in just over an hour, which is fine considering the run time.

In summary, the iJust AIO is a great little starter kit and I’m glad that it provides a true, flavourful MTL vape, with some direct lung capability for new users who want to give that a go. The simple user experience and build quality make it feel like a well thought out device. My only real gripe is that the iJust AIO is provided with a single coil. The minimum should always be two coils and I implore Eleaf to change this for future batches.

Weird Vibes – Berry & Thyme Lemonade

VG/PG ratio: Chosen by user

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A blend of berries, lemonade and thyme. The top note here is a medley of syrupy dark berries. They’re quite sweet but not full-on candied, more like the berry flavour you would expect from a fruit cider. This is contrasted by a sharper lemon, which is an accurate representation of homestyle lemonade. A thyme accent becomes apparent on the finish. It’s not overbearing at all and adds a very interesting dimension to the profile. The mix is rounded out with a moderate dose of coolant, which does not interfere with the balance of flavours. A well balanced, sophisticated beverage flavour.

Weird Vibes – Grape & Hops Lemonade

Mango & Basil Lemonade

VG/PG ratio: Chosen by user

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A blend of mango, lemonade and basil. This mix comes off a bit more conventional than the other Weird Vibes flavours. The top note is a light candy mango. It’s a little thin for my liking and I don’t think it has quite enough weight in the mix. This is contrasted by the lemonade note, which is more potent and adds a lot more saturation to the profile. The basil note really is an accent here and it’s light. Perhaps that’s for the best, since a stronger basil note in this profile would have been very divisive. The mix is finished with a moderate dose of coolant. An intriguing beverage blend indeed.

VG/PG ratio: Chosen by user | Additional sweetener: Moderate | Throat hit:

Mild, with cooling

A blend of grape, lemonade and hops. I didn’t know I needed a hops e-liquid in my life until I tried this. The top note is a bright green grape. It’s sharp and has a juicy texture, practically the opposite of the dark concord grape usually found in e-liquid. This is complemented by a more mellow lemonade note, the same found in the other Weird Vibes offerings, but seemingly turned down a notch or two. This is all tied together by a moderate hops note. This is spot on to the vibrant hoppy flavour of IPA and it works really nicely with the citrus and grape notes. The profile is finished with a moderate dose of coolant. A brilliant beverage profile, that may be an acquired taste.

Just Jam – Apricot Crumble

VG/PG ratio: 80/20

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Bakery flavours are among the most popular in vaping, but apricot isn’t usually in the equation. The top note here is a vivid, bright apricot. It’s slightly syrupy and spot on to the dried apricots which are popular in the UK. This is complemented by a mild citrus note, which adds a little tartness and a jam connotation. The profile is finished with a light, buttery bakery note, reminiscent of crumble. This is unusual as dessert mixes go but very nicely-balanced and an easy all day vape. Another winner for Just Jam.

Just Jam – Apricot Sorbet

Just Jam – Apricot Peach

VG/PG ratio: 80/20

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

A simple fruit medley from the Just Jam team. The top note here is the same authentic apricot flavour that’s found throughout the apricot line, however in this case, it has less of the jam connotation that is more prominent in Apricot Crumble. The top note is supported by a juicy, authentic peach, which adds further brightness and sweetness to the mix, without making it overbearingly sweet. There is a very mild cooling sensation on the finish but it does not interfere with the balance of flavours. A simple but full-flavoured fruit mix.

VG/PG ratio: 80/20 | Additional sweetener: Moderate | Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

The most stripped-back of Just Jam’s new apricot collection. The same true-to-life apricot note is front and centre this time, without the accompanying bakery or peach notes. Despite the decreased complexity, this flavour still stands on its own well and I predict that multiple flavourings have been balanced to create this apricot note. The profile is finished with a moderate level of coolant, which cuts through the sweetness and sticky mouthfeel of the apricot, keeping things light. This is a vibrant, refreshing vape that will be ideal for the warmer weather this summer.

DR WATTSON’S CREAM PIES – PEAR

DR WATTSON’S CREAM PIES – PECAN

DR. VAPES

Salts – Black

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate

Throat hit: Moderate (20mg/ml nicotine salt)

Black is described as a blend of tobacco, vanilla and ice cream. An authentic, dark vanilla is the top note here. Think vanilla pod, rather than the bright confectionary vanilla that is normally found in e-liquid. This is supported by a thick creamy base, which adds volume to the mouthfeel, without adding too much sweetness and muting the vanilla note. The profile is finished with a light tobacco accent, which pairs nicely with the vanilla but does not dominate the flavour. An excellent dessert tobacco.

Salts - Pink Colada

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Moderate (20mg/ml nicotine salt)

Described as a blend of blackcurrant, pineapple and coconut cream. Blackcurrant is the star of the show here, it’s sweet and has a juicy texture. It has elements of candy and the real fruit, but leans more toward a candy blackcurrant. This is supported by a creamy coconut base, which adds substantial volume and lingers after vaping. A mild pineapple note runs throughout, lending some tartness to the finish while helping the blackcurrant note pop.

Salts – Pink Candy

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Moderate (20mg/ml nicotine salt)

This is a new twist on the Dr. Vapes popular Pink profile. It features the same vibrant blackcurrant found in the other Pink offerings, though this time it’s been sweetened with additional candy elements. The first is cotton candy, which to me does not usually bring additional flavour to a mix but rather sweetness. In this case, there appears to be some raspberry thrown in, which is a pleasant surprise. The hard candy element of this mix is a texture rather than a flavour, resulting in a subtle change to the Pink formula that gives it a true candy connotation.

Salts – Pink Sour

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Moderate (20mg/ml nicotine salt)

The final variety of Pink (for now). Dr.Vapes has included a sour additive in this case, which has certainly had an impact on the finish.

The original version already had a pleasant level of tartness but this is turned up a notch or two here. Personally, I found that this sour note was more apparent on MTL tanks and RTAs, rather than lower power pod systems, so I recommend one of those if the sour note is what you’re looking for.

Greedy Bear – Marshmallow Madness

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Marshmallow Madness is described as a blend of rice cereal and marshmallow by Vape Distillery. This classic treat is a popular flavour profile in e-liquid and this offering is one of the most accurate I’ve tried. The predominant flavour here is a decadent marshmallow, providing plenty of volume and sweetness. There’s a pleasant confectionary vanilla running through it too, which increases those dessert connotations. The rice cereal element here is subtle but does add an extra dimension to the profile. A simple, but well executed, dessert.

Fresh Vape Co – Urban Avenue

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Urban Avenue is a simple blue raspberry and grape blend. Blue raspberry dominates the mix for me. It’s more reminiscent of the hard candy than the iced drink, with mild floral notes, moderate sweetness and a tart finish. A more reserved candy grape complements the top note, adding some depth with its dark sweetness, which complements the florals of the raspberry. I seem to get a very mild cooling sensation from this blend but it’s so subtle that I can’t be sure if this is from a cooling additive, or just the

Greedy Bear – Chubby Cheesecake

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Chubby Cheesecake is described as a strawberry and dragon fruit cheesecake, which is quite unusual. The top notes here are evenlybalanced between a sweet, jam-like strawberry and brighter candy dragon fruit. The strawberry has substantial sticky mouthfeel, whilst the dragon fruit provides mild tartness on the finish, akin to pineapple. The cheesecake base is relatively mild, mostly providing some dairy body, with very subtle bakery notes. A nicely-balanced dessert blend.

Fresh

Vape Co – Sunset Boulevard

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

A mix of passionfruit and peach. Gummy candy style peach is the more prominent of the flavours here. It has some resemblance to the real fruit but also has a distinct sweetness and texture that is more similar to the peach rings often found in sweet shops. This is complemented by a soda-style passionfruit, which adds a light tropical sweetness to the blend, along with a tart finish. This may be a simple profile but I found it to be very refreshing and light.

Bubble

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

At the time of writing, Bubble is not available to purchase, and little information is available on it. Immediately upon opening the bottle, though, it’s clear what the Vape Distillery team are aiming for. This profile is absolutely spot on to a certain fruity bubble-gum that is popular the world over. This is essentially a mish-mash of different candy fruit flavours, with no single dominant note. It’s a little sweet to be an all day vape for me, but I’m sure there are many who have been searching for a profile that so closely emulates fruit bubblegum.

Twisted Tiki – Tiki Spear

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Tiki Spear is described as a mix of strawberry and pear by Vape Distillery. Tart candy strawberry is the top note for me. It’s bright and rather sweet, with a distinct sour candy flavour that separates it from more conventional strawberry flavourings. Unfortunately, I found the pear to be very low in the mix, to the point that I could barely taste it. For some vapers, this subtlety may be welcome but for me it made the profile a little one dimensional.

The following products were tested as short-fill samples but are available for sale as concentrates.

Custard Tart

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: High Throat hit: Mild

Custard profiles are the cornerstone of dessert vaping, so how is UK Flavour’s version? The top note is a bright, confectionary vanilla. This is complemented with a milder strawberry note, which is not what I would usually expect in a custard tart but it works nonetheless. The custard base itself is quite mild, with hints of egg and dairy but nothing too heavy. The mix is finished with a mild bakery note, that adds some dark sweetness and texture. A pleasant dessert vape, though it is on the sweeter end of the spectrum.

Blue Slushy

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: High Throat hit: Mild

The ever-elusive blue slush profile changes drastically from one brand to another. This version leans heavily into candy connotations. Surprisingly, I found the most prominent flavour to be reminiscent of bubblegum and blueberry candy. It’s pleasant, though not what I normally look for in blue slush. This is complemented by a tarter raspberry candy note, which provides additional sweetness. A simple, but quite moreish, candy blend.

Berries & Cream

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: High Throat hit: Mild

Dessert profiles don’t get much more British than berries and cream. In this case, the berry element is reminiscent of a forest fruit medley, with a rich, dark sweetness. This note lingers after vaping and has a noticeably tart finish. The berries are complemented by a very light cream note, though I found there to be a strange smoky off note on the finish. I’m not sure if this is intentional or not, though in any case this prevents it from being an all day vape for me.

Pink & Blue

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: High Throat hit: Mild

Immediately upon opening this one, you’ll be greeted with a nostalgic sweet shop aroma. This blend is spot on to the pink and blue candy gummies found throughout the world. The candy medley flavours are backed up by a potent sour finish, which brings the whole experience together. If you enjoy pink & blue gummy candy, this is a must try because they’ve nailed it.

Strawberry & Lime Cider

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: High Throat hit: Mild

Fruit ciders are hugely popular throughout Europe and this offering from UK Flavour is an accurate rendition. Bright strawberry, with a tart finish is the top note here. This is contrasted with a milder candy lime note and this classic pairing works as well as it should. The profile is finished with a light boozy note, which sells the cider designations well. Just like the real drink, this e-liquid is rather sweet, so may not be an ADV for everyone.

Spiced Apple Pie & Custard

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: High Throat hit: Mild

The top note here is sweet baked apple. It’s distinct from the many candy apples available in vaping, with a sticky, almost jam-like connotation. This is accented with a very mild bakery cinnamon note, which adds just the right level of spice for an apple pie or strudel. A mild custard base finishes the blend, adding volume to the mouthfeel and bringing everything together. A solid bakery profile.

Ozark Sweetleaf

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 3% at 70/30

Ozark Sweetleaf is described as a blend of tobaccos, caramel and coconut. Predominantly, this is a tobacco flavouring, rather than a dessert tobacco. The tobacco notes are moderately potent, with a pleasant dark sweetness and slight smoky finish. A light coconut note runs through the mix but is not the dominant element. To my palate, there isn’t much caramel in this flavouring, though it is likely contributing to the dark sweetness of the tobacco top notes. A complex blend that should be suited to fans of darker tobacco.

Golden Rollie

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 3% at 70/30

Flavour Art describe Golden Rollie as a blend of three tobaccos, intended to mimic the profile of a Virginia tobacco cigarette. The result is a fairly mild tobacco flavouring, with a moderate level of sweetness throughout. There is also a light nut accent, and moderate smoky finish. I feel that this flavouring is a good starting point for any mixer who wishes to create a rolled cigarette connotation.

RY4 Nutzilla

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 5% at 70/30

Old school mixers should need no introduction to this flavouring but for those that aren’t aware, RY4 Nutzilla is one of Flavour Art’s most wellloved blended concentrates. It’s firmly placed in the dessert tobacco category. An even mix of bright vanilla and soft caramel occupy the top notes here. It’s a well-balanced level of sweetness and doesn’t become cloying. This is complemented by a moderate nut mix base, which adds some texture and depth to the flavour but doesn’t dry the mouthfeel. The flavouring is finished with a very mild tobacco accent. One of the best RY4 flavourings ever made.

BYO Nutzilla

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 3.5% at 70/30

BYO Nutzilla is billed as a nuttier version of RY4 Nutzilla, though in my view, it’s a different beast. There are still some bright vanilla and caramel top notes here but they’re much less forward than in the original. The nut elements, particularly hazelnut, are pushed much higher in the mix, resulting in a rich sweetness. There also seems to be some kind of cake element to the flavouring, though this could simply be the additional nut concentration. The tobacco accent is very mild and may go completely unnoticed by some, so I would consider this more a dessert flavouring than a dessert tobacco.

King Arthur’s Pipe

Percentage used and VG/PG ratio of mix: 2% at 70/30

One for the hardcore tobacco fans. This is a Turkish pipe tobacco mix, and there’s no mistaking it, right from the very first smell. The aroma is intense, providing a rich, layered dark tobacco, which lingers long after vaping. It has moderate wood notes and a noticeable smoky finish, too. As far as dark tobacco flavourings go, this has to be one of the most authentic but in the same breath, it’s not for the faint of heart, as it’s very potent. Even in low percentages, it is quite noticeable in mixes.

Chestnut Cake

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Vaponaire’s Japan-inspired range of e-liquids includes a few profiles that will be new to western audiences. Chestnut Cake is a great example. The top note is a balance of vanilla cream and chestnut. It’s unusual but very pleasant. This is supported by a rich cake base, which provides a good level of sweetness and texture, without becoming overbearing, or dry. This is a simple profile but one that’s been balanced very nicely. A unique all day vape for dessert fans.

Green Tea & Honey

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Green tea profiles are few and far between, this is certainly one of the better ones. The top note is a mild but authentic green tea, which has a light herbal flavour, with a smooth, sweet finish. This is complemented by a stronger natural honey flavour, which adds further sweetness and a syrupy texture, which lingers after vaping. I think this is a great representation of the described profile, though of course it will be an acquired taste.

Rich Milk & Azuki Ice Cream

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Another unusual profile. Azuki ice cream is a dessert made from Japanese red beans. I’ve never tasted the real food but in e-liquid form, it produces a bold, earthy and sweet top note. It’s similar to mung bean flavour e-liquids, which are popular in China. This is supported by a sweet, thick milk flavour, reminiscent of condensed milk. The mix is finished with a very mild coolant, which does not interfere with the flavours but does help give the profile an ice cream connotation.

Ginger Tea

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild

Another sophisticated beverage blend. Ginger is by far the most prominent flavour in this case. It’s mildly spicy but still sweet. This is more like ginger stem with a little added sugar, than a full-on bakery spice note. This is complemented by a mild herbal tea flavour, which adds some earthy depth to the profile and stops it from feeling too one dimensional. An enjoyable and calming vape.

Ice Mango

VG/PG ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild, with cooling

Perhaps the most conventional offering from the Vaponaire line. This is a simple flavour but it’s been executed very well. The mango here is bright, bold and rather sweet. It’s about as sweet as I like my fruit profiles to be, though this will be a personal preference. This is what I would consider an Asian-style mango, such as those which are popular in Malaysia, with a pulpy, mildly earthy flavour and lingering aroma. The profile is finished with a moderate helping of coolant, which cuts through the sweet mango and stops it from becoming too heavy.

Butter 01

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild (10mg/ml salt nicotine)

Butter 01 is described as a blend of mango, passionfruit, meringue and cream. Passionfruit is the most prominent note to me. It’s bright and sweet, with a good level of tartness to the finish. Somewhere between the real fruit and a beverage representation. This is accented with a lighter soda-style mango, which adds further brightness, along with slight earthiness. The cream and meringue layers merge into one, adding volume to the profile without over sweetening it. A pleasant tropical dessert vape.

Butter 04

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild (10mg/ml salt nicotine)

Chocolate cookie, cereal, ice cream and milk come together for Butter 04. Chocolate cookie is the star of the show here. Chocolate vapes are notoriously hard to get right but the Supergood team has done well to bring the flavour out, without creating a sickly sweet mix. This is supported by a moderate bakery note, which to me is a merging of the cookie and cereal elements. The blend is finished with a sweet dairy base, that stops those bakery elements from drying out the mix. An impressive chocolate vape.

Butter 02

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild (10mg/ml salt nicotine)

Billed as a blend of custard, biscuit, jam and meringue. Strawberry jam is the top note here. It’s sweet but not quite as potent as I would normally expect from a jam note. This isn’t a criticism though, since it’s supported by a wonderful custard base, which works wonderfully with the sweeter jam. The biscuit note is mild, adding some texture and dark sweetness on the finish. I do not taste a distinct meringue flavour in the mix but perhaps it is adding to the richness of the custard base. An all day vape for strawberry cream fans.

Butter 05

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild (10mg/ml salt nicotine)

A mix of marshmallow, custard, vanilla cream and cinnamon. A distinct marshmallow note is most prominent here. It’s hard to describe, mostly providing a bright confectionary vanilla and bright texture. Both the custard and vanilla cream notes are quite mild, though they are likely contributing to the volume and saturation of the marshmallow note. The profile is finished with a very light bakery cinnamon accent, which adds a little spice to keep things interesting, without overpowering the lighter nature of this flavour.

Butter 03

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild (10mg/ml salt nicotine)

A mix of lemon, blueberry, cake and cream. An even mix of bakery lemon and blueberry occupy the top notes. Their contrasting flavours work nicely together, the blueberry providing a deeper sweetness and florals, whilst the lemon’s tartness makes it pop. This is supported by a moderate cake flavour, which increases the bakery connotations. The profile is finished with a light cream note, which stops the cake note from drying the mix and the lemon from being too harsh. Another winner from Supergood.

Butter 06

VG/PG ratio: 50/50

Additional sweetener: Moderate Throat hit: Mild (10mg/ml salt nicotine)

Described as a blend of blueberry, candyfloss, cookie and cream. Candy blueberry is the top note in this case. It’s a similar flavour to the one found in Butter 03, though in this case the candy connotation is bolstered by the addition of candyfloss, which gives it a sticky texture. This is supported by a light cream note, which adds some volume to the mouthfeel and smooths out any rough edges of the blueberry. The mix is finished with a light cookie accent, which ties things together.

Day Creaming

VG/PG Ratio: 58/42

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Wrong? describe Day Creaming as a blend of vanilla pudding, strawberry and apple pie. The top note is a mild strawberry, reminiscent of strawberry syrup. It’s sweet but does have a mild tartness, which comes across authentically. This is supported by a moderate vanilla cream base, which adds some volume and a little confectionary sweetness. The profile is finished with moderate pastry notes and a subtle baked apple accent. The pastry does provide some texture and bolsters the vanilla cream with buttery notes but I feel the apple is getting a little lost in the mix. A complex dessert vape.

#WDNW

VG/PG Ratio: 58/42

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

#WDNW is another esoteric blend from Wrong? and is a blend of cola, hemp and clove. Cola is, by far, the dominant flavour here. It leans towards gummy candy but isn’t as sweet as you might expect, due to the fact that Wrong? add no sweetener to their blends. It has a mildly sticky mouth-feel but much less so than other cola flavours I have tried. This is paired with a mild hemp flavour, which adds some ambiguous herbal sweetness to the blend, augmenting the cola top note into that of a traditional cola recipe. The profile is rounded-off with a subtle clove note. It’s certainly not a main feature in the mix but it’s subtle spice does add intrigue to the finish. A strange but well-put-together cola.

Open Sesame

VG/PG Ratio: 58/42

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Open Sesame is an unusual pairing of cocoa and sesame. The predominant flavour here is a full-bodied cocoa. It’s bold, rich and quite dark. It has moderate sweetness but also an authentic bitterness that I have not tasted before in e-liquid. This is paired with a much softer sesame note, quite similar to the flavour of sesame candy, which is popular in Asia. The mix is finished with a subtle cream note, which stops the profile from becoming too dry. This is a very interesting blend but may be an acquired taste.

Burning Berlin

VG/PG Ratio: 58/42

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Burning Berlin is described as a blend of several tobaccos. Rather than a traditional tobacco blend, I have found Burning Berlin to be more akin to a dessert tobacco. The top note for me is a moderately potent caramel, with intense dark sweetness and a sticky texture. This is complemented by a more mild mixed nut note, which adds further sweetness and dimension to the blend. If anything, the tobacco element of Burning Berlin is actually an accent, which adds mild leathery notes and an aroma not dissimilar to coffee. A relatively straightforward caramel and nut tobacco blend that should please veteran vapers.

Ki-ba Koks

VG/PG Ratio: 58/42

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

Ki-ba Koks is a blend of kiwi, banana and coconut. Combining three flavours which are traditionally difficult to get right is ambitious, so has it paid off? The top note is a delicate, authentic kiwi. It’s moderately sweet, with a good helping of tartness and slight earthiness. This is supported by a natural banana, which adds some sweetness and imparts a creamy mouth-feel. The blend is finished with a moderately potent coconut. While authentic, the coconut does have an astringent off note that lingers after vaping and unfortunately, I do not feel this was correctly balanced. An ambitious blend where some may enjoy its boldness.

Berrylyn Monroe

VG/PG Ratio: 58/42

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

A more conventional profile from Wrong? Liquids. Berrylyn Monroe is described as a blend of forest berries and apricot. Immediately upon vaping, it’s clear that this is a potent flavour. The top note appears to be blackberry, with mild, deep sweetness and moderate earthiness. This is paired with an authentic blueberry, which adds some tartness and intense floral notes to the mix. The apricot here is subtle but can be detected and is most present on the finish. This is a bold fruit mix and much less sweet than most, which make for an authentic and mature end product.

HOBBYIST CORNER

DIY E-liquid spotlight. Weird and wonderful devices: Billet Box renaissance. Meet the designer. Grimm Green Part 2. Worth the hype? - Nata e-liquids. DIY or DIE: From hobby to career

Words: Benedict Jones

DIY E-LIQUID Spotlight

With looming enforcement of PMTAs in the US and most of the world having limited access to physical vape shops, what better time to start experimenting with DIY e-liquid? Here are four recipes that we’ve been enjoying recently

Words: Benedict Jones

The Trinity Vanilla Ice Cream

Creator: Eyemakepizza (https://alltheflavors.com/users/eyemakepizza)

Difficulty: Beginner

Recipe:

Hangsen – French Vanilla Icecream 0.75%

Liquid Barn – Vanilla Ice Cream 5%

The Flavor Apprentice – Vanilla Swirl 1.5%

A great example of using several flavourings with a similar profile, to create a “base”. All three of these ingredients are fantastic in their own right but together, they result in a rich, fully-formed vanilla ice cream flavour. This trinity can be combined with any number of fruits or accent notes to create a more complex profile, or simply vaped on its own. A great starting point for new mixers, who want a solid building block to work from.

Mint Chip Cookies and Cream

Creator: Shyndo (https://alltheflavors.com/users/shyndo)

Difficulty: Intermediate Recipe:

Flavorah – Chocolate Deutsch 2%

Flavorah – Crème De Menthe 0.2%

Flavor West – Crème De Menthe 3.5%

Jungle Flavors – Biscuit 1.5%

Vape Train Australia – Devon Cream 2%

The Flavor Apprentice – Acetyl Pyrazine (5%) 0.25%

This is a masterclass in layering. Everyone knows that chocolate profiles are nigh on impossible to get right, so perhaps it’s for the best that we’re not expecting a “real” chocolate flavour from a mint choc cookie.

The buttery JF Biscuit, along with FLV Cocolate Deutsch and TFA AP make a fantastic chocolate cookie base here. It would perhaps be a little dry on its own though and that’s where VTA Devon Cream comes in, providing a superb cream note with real volume. The FLV and FW finish things off with a sweet, clear mint that’s well suited to desserts. Very moreish.

Yoda Soda

Creator: Staybert

(https://alltheflavors.com/users/staybert)

Difficulty: Intermediate Recipe:

Flavour Art – Pear 3.25%

Flavorah – Citrus Soda 1.25%

Flavorah – Elderflower 0.6% Capella – Lemon Lime 1.5%

The Flavor Apprentice – Honeysuckle 2% Additive – WS-23 (30%) 0.5%

If you’re into beverage profiles, this one is a must try. It was near the top of the pile in the nominations for best recipe of 2019 over on reddit.com/r/DIY_ejuice for good reason. FA Pear and FLV Elderflower come together to create a bright, summery top note. TFA Honeysuckle adds a syrupy sweetness at 2%, while the tried and tested combination of FLV Citrus Soda and CAP Lemon Lime create a brilliant citrus beverage base. Throw in 0.5% of WS-23, and you have all the cooling you need.

DAAPled Pears

Creator: Foment_life

(https://alltheflavors.com/users/Foment_life)

Difficulty: Intermediate Recipe

The Flavor Apprentice – Pear 2.5%

The Flavor Apprentice – Bavarian Cream 2%

Flavour Art – Pear 2% Flavour Art – Fuji 1% Inawera – Custard 1.5% Inawera – Shisha Vanilla 0.5%

Liquid Barn – Vanilla Ice Cream 2%

If you’re thinking that’s a lot of ingredients for a pear, cream and custard profile, don’t worry. These flavourings are all easy to obtain, which is why we’re categorising it as intermediate in difficulty. The intricate balance of pear flavourings, with FA Fuji, results in a bright, authentic pear note. The combination of creams, vanilla and custard, gives the profile a rich dairy base and very light spiced vanilla top note. A sophisticated, full-bodied dessert that needs no sweetener to shine.

WORTH

the hype?

Nata Liquids

Words: Benedict Jones

In the same way that craft beers can amass a cult following through word of mouth, some e-liquids find themselves a loyal customer base in certain circles. Nata e-liquid, produced by Canadian manufacturers Hazetown Vapes, is one such example. For the last couple of years, their blends have been lauded, particularly in the enthusiast community. Are they worth the hype?

Nata E-liquid – Original

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal Throat hit: Mild

The flavour that put Nata Liquids on the map. This blend is based on Pastéis de nata, a Portuguese bakery treat, which consists of a pastry shell, filled with custard and topped with cinnamon. What stands out to me most about this profile is just how authentic that pastry base is. It’s mildly sweet and adds a distinct, flaky texture to the mix. It might be the most accurate pastry flavour I’ve vaped. This is supported by a moderate vanilla custard note. A little more subtle than most custards on the market but it provides a lot of volume and creamy texture. The profile is finished with a very light cinnamon note. It’s just enough to add some spice, without overpowering the blend. A moreish, superauthentic bakery mix. Hype certified.

Nata E-liquid – Framboesa

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal

Throat hit: Mild

Take the already delightful Nata, add some raspberry to the mix and you have Framboesa. This profile uses the same authentic dark pastry base and moderate custard layer to great effect. The raspberry note comes out on top this time though. It’s a dark, sweet raspberry, most reminiscent of jam or raspberry coulis. Before I’d tried this, I was apprehensive about the combination of fruit and cinnamon but in practice it works well, creating a unique top note. Overall, Framboesa

is a little sweeter than Original but it’s not overly sweet and is still easily an all-day vape for anyone who enjoys bakery flavours. Going back and forth between Framboesa and Original, I can’t decide which one I like more, they’re both great options. Hype certified.

Nata E-liquid - Pistach

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Additional sweetener: Minimal

Throat hit: Mild

The latest release from the makers of Nata is a collaboration with Barrie Vape Co. The profile is described as a pistachio cannoli, with cream and tangerine zest. To me, the most prominent notes here are an even mix of pistachio and pastry. It’s a sweet pistachio, so think ice cream, rather than the raw nut. This is nicely balanced against a moderately sweet pastry, which is a little less dark than the pastry notes of other Nata blends. This is supported by a thick cream layer, which stops the profile from becoming dry and adds noticeable volume to the mouthfeel. The blend is finished with a mild tangerine zest accent, which adds a pleasant citric tang to the mix, without becoming the focus. Another brilliant bakery e-liquid. Hype certified.

BILLET BOX

Renaissance

HOW A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DEVICE IS MORE POPULAR THAN EVER BEFORE

Words: Benedict Jones

In the fast-paced world of vaping hardware it is not uncommon for a device to be more-or-less obsolete within months. Technology moves so fast that there is always a newer and better product just around the corner. However one device is proving to be a huge exception to that general rule - the ever-popular Billet Box.

US company Billet Box Vapor brought out the original Billet Box in 2013 in what was to become one of the industry’s first boutique devices. At a time when most vapers were content to use some variant of an eGo pen which could cost £40 or less, here was a product with a price tag of around £200. It didn’t take long for this device to get noticed by a group of particularly dedicated enthusiasts and they absolutely loved it. The 2013 edition, known as the Rev 1.1, had a variable voltage dial, a 6.5ml cartomiser tank and was powered by two 16340 batteries. If none of that terminology is familiar to you, it’s okay, since most of these things have gone the way of the dodo in the vaping industry. By 2016, the Billet Box Rev 4 had started production. The newer model featured a DNA chipset,

had a more open-ended “Boro tank” and was powered by a single 18650 cell. This was a total modernisation of the Billet, allowing finer power adjustment and superior battery life. The new Boro tank design also made it easier for third parties to design new devicecompatible atomisers. For about two years, the Rev 4 maintained its cult following, with countless custom panels, buttons and drip tips made, almost universally by individual craftsmen, rather than established modding companies. Occasionally, a new stock coil bridge or RBA would be released but generally speaking, they were niche products, for a niche audience. Then, something changed in 2019. Perhaps it was the rise of the pod system, or maybe the “high end” community simply had its fill of boutique squonk mods, but suddenly there was a huge demand for small, regulated devices. The Billet Box fi t the bill perfectly. Even though the Rev4 was several years old at this stage, the DNA60 chipset is still considered one of the best on the market and a single 18650 cell is ideal for the low to mid wattage atomisers that remain popular with enthusiasts.

In a matter of months, Odis Designs, Mission.XV, Haku Engineering, WICK’D and Ground Kloud Innovations all announced their new Billet Box compatible RBAs. Then we saw new Boro tank compatible mods announced from Sunbox, BMM and Friendly Flipper. Recently, we’ve even seen bridge compatible 510 tanks from the likes of Limelight Mechanics. When a significant number of small companies, with limited resources, are all designing products compatible with a single platform, it’s because that platform is hugely popular. The result of this design frenzy is that the Billet Box is now perhaps the most customisable vaping device ever made and can utilise some of the best atomisers on the market. From doors, to buttons, to tips, condensation plugs and even custom-coated screws that hold the device together, there’s virtually no limit to how much you can personalise a Billet Box. There’s also seemingly no limit to how much you can spend doing so. There are entire communities on Facebook, which link creators with consumers and allow them to show off their most recent modifications. The most prominent is Billet Box Bay and many were happy to share their stories with Vapouround. Jenn Schiavo said she had always wanted a Billet Box and it is now the only device she uses. She said: “This is an amazing device with a huge variety of customisation. If you can dream it, one of the amazing modders can and will make it happen.”

Billet Box fan Jordan Blake said: “I started about six months ago because I was tired of pod systems and wanted a compact form factor, with power and versatility. Now I have four Billets, one SunBox, and a different RBA in each one. I love all the variety. I never even coiled or wicked my own build before the BB. But the community helped made me take the plunge.”

Billet Box Bay member Dan Brown said: “I said no more switching between pod systems, I’m gonna go back to rebuildable. BB had an 18650 to last all day and I remembered the portability, so I snagged a 2018 Paua Rat Billet Box and an Atmizoo Vape Shell. It was such a great vape that I bought a second and haven’t looked back. I now have four Xetas, the same two Billets from 2018 and a third on the way.”

The huge uptick in Billet Box popularity hasn’t gone unnoticed by mainstream manufacturers, either. Devices such as the Aspire Mulus, Smok Fetch Pro, DotAIO and Mechlyfe Ratel XS all borrow design cues from the BB, to a lesser or greater extent. In my view, the Billet Box is here to stay as long as vaping is around and has written the blueprint for all AIO devices.

“THE BILLET BOX IS NOW PERHAPS THE MOST CUSTOMISABLE VAPING DEVICE EVER MADE AND CAN UTILISE SOME OF THE BEST ATOMISERS ON THE MARKET.”

MEET THE DESIGNER

bGrimm Green

In this second, and final part, of our interview with blogger, reviewer and vape advocate Grimm Green we find out more about his thoughts on a wide range of vape-related matters.

Picture credit: @vappix

Q: Last year new pod systems were released at an incredible rate. In the last few months, this seems to have shifted to AIOs. What do you think the defining trend of 2020 will be in terms of hardware?

I really believe that it’s just going to continue to meet in the middle, somewhere between hobby vapes and pods. I love a good mech, and I think mechs will always be around for those that enjoy them. But as the industry grows and more and more people start vaping, the needs of the industry are going to change as well. The market reflects consumer demand. Even long term hobby vapers I talk to regularly use things like the Nord out of confidence. Sure I’ll build up an RDA and chase some clouds, but a big part of me just wants something smaller and simple to use that can satisfy me.

I think that Nord style, smaller form factor, but can still hit like a subtank is going to dominate the market in 2020. Everybody wants the same thing, a reliable easy to use vape. Lots of people that get into vaping don’t necessarily want to have to learn ohms law in order to not smoke.

rather than spending a full day shooting and a full day editing. Now I get to enjoy the VLOG with my viewers. I love the sense of community and fellowship that a live show offers.

Q: It looks like U.S. vapers will have to accept some compromise in regulations going forward. What would be your ideal regulations for vapour products in the long term?

Realistically there has to be legislation and regulations in place. Our government in the US has the tendency to overreach and overregulate all sorts of products and businesses. They come in and make everything worse. In a perfect world, products would be regulated for the safety of the product only, not the effects of the product. Cigarettes are for sale and they literally kill you, how is vaping being held to a higher standard than the known killer that is combustible tobacco?

Q: Reviewers and manufacturers collaborating is now commonplace in our industry. Do you think this is a good thing for consumers?

It’s an interesting place we have come to since 2009 when people were calling me a “sell out”. Now we’re totally cool with a reviewer releasing a product with a company, then also turning around and reviewing other products from that same company. I think a reviewer must build up a level of trust with their viewers. To the point where we can compartmentalize certain aspects and say “Just because I release this product with (insert company here ) doesn’t mean I’m going to give their other products a positive review, or give them any sort of special treatment”. It’s a fine line to walk, but ultimately, I would rather buy an RDA design from someone that has used hundreds of RDAs, rather than an RDA designed by a dude that doesn’t have that same experience with products. Some of the best products on the market have been designed and released by reviewers IMO.

Q: If you could vape just one setup and e-liquid from today, what would you pick and why?

Of all the questions in the world, this is my least favorite hahaha. It’s always changing. Right now I would probably say my Aspen Mod Co Monarch, Original Recoil RDA on top with Smax Pony On Acid. Smax has more or less been my all day every day for close to a year now. Can I have two? Because a Calibirn with 6mg NIC would also be a top contender.

Q: You’ve shifted towards more and more live content in the last year or so, what inspired this?

It’s honestly just the way YouTube was trending. I had never done a live show in my 10 years on YouTube and figured it was time. I’ve had a weekly VLOG series on YouTube since 2013 and it just felt like a natural progression to take that show to a LIVE format. It’s honestly way way more fun to be live and in the moment with your viewers,

Ideally, age verification, advertising restrictions, and manufacturing standards are all we should need. It works for tobacco and alcohol just fine so it should work for vaping too. A nicotine cap is always something that gets tossed around and while I don’t necessarily agree with it, it’s probably something that should happen as well. The UK is a pretty great example (regardless of how you feel about the TPD) of how to regulate something reasonably while also allowing the free market to flourish.

Q: You’ve quite literally travelled the world to attend vaping events. Which one has been the most memorable?

For me it’s always the smaller shows that stand out the most. My favourite event by far was a small vape meet in Sweden in a small town east of Gothenburg called Ulricehamn. It was put on by Beyond Vape Sweden, they had a shopping hall, beer, food, live bands, games and tattoo artists. It was much more about the community and having fun together, rather than who has the most giant booth.

I’ve been back to Sweden twice for this vape meet, unfortunately it doesn’t happen anymore, but would love to do something like that for vaping in the US. Celebrate the culture, but also celebrate the people IN the culture, rather than just seeing them as customers to sell things to.

Q: Finally, are there any upcoming product designs or other projects you can tell us about?

Oh, I kind of always have something going on. We’re doing a re-release of our original Recoil RDA in a few limited-edition styles. I have been working for the last 10 months or so on an RTA, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. My liquid company has recently closed unfortunately due to Michigan state regulations, but liquid has always been my favourite part of vaping and I have some GREAT ideas for flavours.

’m going to be treating 2020 as my self-care year. I’ve been doing this basically nonstop since 2009 and I’m overdue for a little break. I love live streaming and producing content so I’m not going anywhere. Good or bad, rain or shine, I’ll be here to defend our rights and keep on vaping.

FROM REGULAR HOBBYIST… TO FULL-TIME Mixologist

Q&A with YouTuber DIY or DIE

Words: Benedict Jones

Wayne Walker, AKA DIY or DIE, has been posting videos to YouTube for almost five years now, centred around the art of making your own e-liquid. In that time, he’s gone from regular hobbyist to full-time mixologist, working as a consultant for many brands in the vaping industry. We wanted to find out how he got to where he is.

Q: How did you discover vaping and when did you first give it a try?

I got started through my father. He was a lifelong smoker, and I remember coming home one day, seeing him with this odd contraption in his hand. It was a Hades mech mod and (maybe) Patriot RDA. I’d always seen cigalikes and had dabbled into eGos before. But this was when I was became really interested.

Q: How did you get into DIY e-liquid initially?

I was sick of the prices. This was around the time in vaping that 15ml was around $25 for “premium” juice. As I got more into dripping, I was flying through the stuff and all the BS about “you’ll save money vaping rather than smoking” just wasn’t panning out. So, I told my dad he’d no longer need to spend the little money he had and I’ll just start making it.

Q: When you first started posting videos to YouTube, what was your goal?

I was so passionate about vaping and wanted to be a part of this “thing” that was happening. Making videos seemed obvious since there wasn’t anyone really in the lane doing it – apart from maybe two or three.

Q: At what point did you realise that mixology could become a career?

Probably after the first year of doing DIYorDIE. I took a very different route from everyone else and because of that, found different ways to monetise what I was doing. One of the things I’m most proud of is the fact I’ve been able to do this for so long, taking few sponsorships. Learning I was able to fund the operation fully from the content, products, and skill I was providing, was enough for me to “leave my day job.”

Q: The recipes which are most popular with the DIY community are often very different to the most successful commercial e-liquids, why do you think this is?

I’ve spent years trying to figure that out. I think a lot of it is that most DIYer’s are “advanced” vapers. They have more advanced and particular setups, that produce much better flavour than a subtank or pod system. Because of this, maybe this allows them to enjoy more intricate recipes that those beginner setups can’t reproduce. But then again, there have been some very simple recipes that “hit” in the DIY community, and some intricate recipes that do well in the commercial world. I guess you just never know when you strike gold.

Q: What are your favourite commercial e-liquids of all time?

Pistachio RY4 by Charlie Noble comes to mind. Just a masterful blend of flavours from Pretty Matthew. I loved the original Unicorn Milk from Cuttwood, when it was bright pink. The juice that really showed me what you could do with vaping was Cereal Killa by 9

South. The original was a perfect clone of fruit loops and spawned the entire cereal wave. More recently I have fallen in love with e-liquids like Heisenberg from Vampire or Red Astaire from T-Juice. I’ve been doing a lot more work with Euro profiles, and I completely understand the hype surrounding those recipes.

Q: Have you seen any changes to your business as PMTA enforcement and state flavour bans move ahead? Will DIY e-liquid become more of a mainstream part of vaping as products are restricted?

Yes, I’ve noticed far fewer companies want to develop new recipes but more are finding their way to DIY which helps balance things out. I’ve always said regulations were going to push more to DIY, but it’s been five years now and it’s never really panned out. It seems enthusiasts are moving to DIY, while many are just leaving vaping altogether. While I think DIY will play a bigger role, how big of a role remains to be seen. I know personally, I’ve been working on a few things to help make this transition a bit smoother for the less enthusiast vaper.

Q: Finally, are you currently working on any upcoming projects that you can talk about? We’d love to know what the next chapter for you is!

I’m currently working on a “Masterclass” which will be a paid site that features a complete guide – over 50 chapters – of everything you need to know about DIY mixing, all in one spot. Unfortunately, right now if you want to get into DIY, you need to search all over the internet, throughout websites, forums, videos, to find information on mixing. I’m hoping to change that. This will be coming out very shortly, so just stay tuned to the website and my videos to stay updated. I’m also working on my own e-liquid calculator to work on mobile. This is a bit further down the line, but something I think a lot of mixers would enjoy to have. Other than that, still doing what I do!

Website: www.diyordievaping.com Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook: @diyordievaping