Issue 34

FURY AS THE WHO GIVE OUT AN AWARD FOR BANNING VAPING

EDITORIAL

Editor - Patrick Griffin

Assistant Editor - Gordon Stribling

Senior Journalist - Caroline Barry

Journalist - Jordan Millar

Junior Journalist - Jamie Morris

DESIGN

Creative Director - James Parnell

Head of Design - Hayley Parker

Lead Designer - Aaron Rana

Graphic Designer - Ayaz Arshad

Design Support - Lucy Booth

MARKETING

Marketing Manager - Marcus Langmaid

Web Developer - Kain Alden

Marketing Executives

Alicia Snow-Simpson

Rheanna Cadey

Videography and Photography Rob Rutley

SALES

Head of Sales - Tom Slack +44 7969 170 828

Client Partnerships Manager Steve Culf +44 7795 200 167

Sales Executive - Kirk Martin +44 7917 582 001

Sales Executive - Peter Masters +44 7305 960 345

Sales Executive - Baz Bassra +44 7823 887 753

China Sales Executive - Arlen Luo +86 137 012 666 84

ACCOUNTS

Finance Director - Kris Worton

Finance Executive - Rochelle Warsop

MANAGING DIRECTORSW

David Turner

Pom Kaila

CEO Paul Caplin

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

How sad it is that the World Health Organization seems to have such a negative attitude to vaping.

It wouldn’t be so bad if not for the fact that countries across the globe follow its lead on so many health-related matters…but they do.

Even worse, the UK – which is seen as a world leader when it comes to promoting vaping as a vital tool in helping smokers quit – plans to give the WHO an eye-watering £340M over the next four years. Why should the UK government fund this organisation so generously when its stance on e-cigarettes is directly opposed its own?

This is especially important now, because it is believed that the WHO will use an international gathering of health experts later this year (the COP9 summit in November) to declare e-cigarettes as dangerous as smoking tobacco.

Let us be perfectly clear.

Should the World Health Organization make this call then two things will happen:

· Countries around the world will use this to introduce new anti-vaping laws or strengthen existing regulations and · More smokers will die.

It is little wonder that MPs now

questioning why we should give so much money to the WHO.

The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vaping says the government should consider “dramatically scaling back” the WHO’s funding if they continued their anti-vaping agenda.

I agree.

The World Health Organization needs to wake up to the potential gamechanging opportunity that vaping offers to help smokers quit. Then it could truly be a world leader when it comes to saving smokers’ lives.

Patrick Griffin | Editor

BEST VAPE MAG FOUR YEARS RUNNING

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CONTENTS

Short Fills

Shame on you!

You’re nether’ going to believe this You couldn’t be more wrong I’m off the A&E-cig Reaching the seven million “Vape Army” cut out for protest Ditch the tax hike.....but keep the flavour plan Why fund WHO’s hostile anti-vape agenda? A slap in the face for common sense

The height of confusion? What were they thinking?

Diary of a Vaper

The Coca Cola of vaping?

Column: UKVIA All aboard for the Vapouround Awards

Column: JPL Flavour Technologies Vape Live Round-up

“Child soldiers” in the war on vaping Don will take on the UK...and then the world

This is insanity We’re here and we’re here to stay Fighting the Europen Union’s war on vaping

Vaping: The public health prize waiting to be won

90 92 96 100 102 105 108 112 116 118

Time for change

Nicotine and the new drug war Taking pictures of you World Vape Day 2021...how vaping has changed our lives “Oh my god”...vaping is going to kill everyone

Time for optimism - how vaping is changing the world Why is it worth going the extra mile for vaping A war on tobacco is a war on consumers

Smoking kills as many Brits as COVID

Teen blasted with 50,000 volts for vaping

SHORTFILLS

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

DYING FOR PROFIT?

England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty condemned ‘kill for profit’ tobacco companies after revealing that smoking may have killed more Brits than COVID. He said smoking claimed 90,000 lives last year compared to around 80,000 coronavirus deaths. Chris said: “It is likely that, by the end of this year, at least as many and probably more people will have died from smoking than COVID.” He highlighted that the vast majority of lung cancer deaths come from smokers who die ‘so that a small number of companies can make profits.’

LET’S GET TOUGHER ON TOBACCO

The UK will miss its Smokefree 2030 target unless it adopts stricter tobacco regulations, say experts. A new report from the Royal College of Physicians urged policymakers to ‘radically’ increase cigarette taxation and fund campaigns encouraging smokers to switch to reduced risk alternatives such as vaping. Professor John Britton, tobacco adviser for the RCP, said: “Smoking is entirely preventable, but ending it requires us to go even further...This will prevent countless deaths and dramatically reduce the burden placed by tobacco on health services.”

101 REASONS TO QUIT

Disney villain Cruella de Vil ditched the cigarettes in the studio’s latest release to comply with its ‘no-smoking policy.’ Best known for dognapping and chain smoking, the ‘queen of mean’ was forced to kick the habit, making this the first-time fans have seen her without her iconic opera length cigarette holder. Actress Emma Stone said: ‘We are not allowed to smoke onscreen in a Disney film…I was so excited to have that green plume of smoke, but it was not possible.”

UN-CONE-VENTIONAL FLAVOUR BAN PROTEST

European vapers handed out bland and tasteless ice cream on the streets of The Hague in a guerrilla protest against the proposed Dutch flavour ban. The demonstration, organised by the World Vapers’ Alliance, raised awareness about the importance of flavours in helping smokers quit and the crucial role they play in the nation’s ‘vape success story.’ The WVA stressed that the ban is ‘completely unethical’ and ‘a huge blow’ for tobacco harm reduction, likely tarnishing the ‘reputation of the Netherlands for a long time.’

Shortfill section editor: Jordan Millar

MENTHOL MADNESS

The demand for menthol e-liquids has skyrocketed in the UK following a ban on flavoured cigarettes last year, a study reveals. Over two-thirds of vape retailers have seen a surge in the sale of menthol products, making them the most popular flavour behind fruits. John Dunne, UKVIA Director General, urged the government to recognise the ‘crucial role’ vaping plays in helping smokers transition from cigarettes and in supporting the UK’s ambitious smoke-free 2030 target.

OVERCOMING INEQUALITIES

Smoking inequalities in England must be addressed before we can reach our smoke-free 2030 target, say experts. Evidence confirms that poorer communities, where smoking rates are up to four times higher, suffer the most from tobacco-related death and disease. Dr Sharon Cox of University College London says screening for smoking and making e-cigarettes more widely available would help overcome the inequalities. She said: “These populations are not insignificant small groups who don’t deserve our attention, and they don’t just deserve our attention once all other smokers have quit.”

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD…VAPE DAY

Thousands of vapers from across the globe tuned in to this year’s World Vape Day celebrations. With consumers, business owners and advocates all getting involved, it was a true testament to the strength of the international vaping community. To celebrate the event, the World Vapers’ Alliance put together a jam-packed schedule, featuring a vape trick show and talks from some of the most prominent harm reduction advocates in the world. For more on World Vape Day, read our full coverage in this issue.

BACK IN FULL FORCE

After a hugely successful European show, Vape Live is gearing up for its fourth virtual online exhibition. Between July 28-30 the platform will be up in full force, boasting all the features you know and love, plus a host of new content for you to enjoy. To hear from our roster of expert speakers, hang out in our online arcade and network with some of the biggest brands in the industry, register for the platform today. Check out our Vape Live coverage in this issue to hear about what happened during our last event.

ALL AWARD!

We’re bringing the Vapouround Awards to the waters of Dubai in this year’s celebration of the global vaping industry. We will wine and dine our guests on a luxurious yacht, all while recognising the best brands the industry has to offer and cruising along one of the world’s most famous shorelines. To hear more about what we’ve got planned for this year’s show, check out our story ‘All aboard for the Vapouround Awards!’ in this issue.

WE WERE A-FREIGHT THIS MIGHT HAPPEN

The UKVIA has launched an online survey to investigate a series of leading distributors refusing to ship vaping products. It comes after providers including DHL, UPS and FedEx halted deliveries from vaping companies. John Dunne, UKVIA Director General, said: “I would encourage everyone eligible to take part in the survey, or get in contact with us directly, to flag up individual issues. We will be closely looking into the response to this survey, to gauge the severity of the problems faced by businesses.”

BIG TROUBLE FOR BIG TOBACCO?

Big tobacco stocks plunged after reports the Biden administration could slash nicotine limits for cigarettes. Experts predicted Altria Group – which controls 53 percent of the US sector - would be the worst affected, having lost $11 billion in market value when news first broke. If approved, the new nicotine limit could help encourage smokers to make the switch to reduced risk products or outright quit, with cigarettes potentially being less addictive.

YOU LOOKING AT ME PUNK?

Punk rocker turned politician Tarmo Kruusimäe fell victim to the ‘charm and pain of remote work’ during a recent parliamentary debate. When it was the Estonian MP’s turn to ask a question via video call, he was seen lounging in bed, vape in hand and music blaring in the background. The blunder was quickly picked up by fans on Twitter, with one user saying: “I wish everyone had the confidence of Tarmo Kruusimäe attending a session of parliament.”

HELPING OHM-LESS SMOKERS

More homeless smokers quit with e-cigarettes then through smoking cessation clinics, suggests new research. The study found that, while almost 10 percent of those given starter kits quit successfully, none of those referred to traditional clinics managed to stop smoking. It monitored 80 people from four homeless centres, with the team saying it was “useful and worthwhile” and that further research would be valuable.

VAPE TO VICTORY

Footage of an Australian footballer vaping during a break in play in a tense cup match has gone viral on social media. The unnamed Banksia Tigers player exhaled a huge vapour cloud after running to the touchline in the fifth-round cup tie against rivals Mounties Wanderers. The game ended 1-1 but the Tigers went on to win after a penalty shootout.

FILLING THE VOID

Leading vape retailer VPZ has launched the first ever in-store vape clinics set to ‘fill the void’ left by the loss of NHS stop smoking services. This comes after lockdown left thousands of Brits without the services to help them successfully quit cigarettes. It aims to provide expert, personalised support to smokers making the switch to less harmful alternatives. Doug Mutter, Director of VPZ, said: “We are excited to be launching the Vape Clinic concept…we are spearheading the fight against the nation’s number one killer – smoking.”

“ABSURD AND UNJUSTIFIED”

Vaping advocates hit back at the Ukraine after it followed in the WHO’s footsteps and launched an ‘absurd and scientifically unjustified’ war on e-cigarettes. This comes after it proposed a series of anti-vaping regulations including a ban on flavoured e-liquids and strict advertising and packaging limitations on vaping products.

Michael Landl, World Vapers’ Alliance Director, stressed that it’s not too late for the Ukraine to ‘deviate from the path of blindly following the WHO’, urging it to take a step back and ‘reassess the facts.’

STUB OUT(DOOR) SMOKING

Almost 60 percent of Brits think smoking should be banned outdoors, revealed a new survey. This comes after Oxfordshire proposed a ban on smoking outside pubs and other social spaces to help stub out cigarette use by 2025. Of the 11,500 people who voted in the LADbible poll, more than 59 percent thought the rest of the UK should follow in Oxfordshire’s footsteps. To learn more about proposed smoking bans in the UK, read our story ‘As more and more councils ban smoking outdoors...’ later in this issue.

SAVE THE TWO MILLION

Nicotine vaping could help prevent almost two million premature deaths in the US, suggests new research. The study – part funded by the FDA –revealed that over 38 million years of life could be gained over the next 47 years, if smokers continue to switch from cigarettes to nicotine vape devices. It also highlighted that ‘stronger policies’ aimed at reducing smoking uptake and increasing cessation can amplify public health benefits.

$1.6M IS A GOOD START

The Kiwi government is funding a major $1.6 million campaign to promote the harm reduction benefits of e-cigarettes. “Vape to QuitStrong” will also address smoking inequalities in the Māori community, but advocates say the government can do more. Nancy Loucas of Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA) wants health chiefs to embrace vaping when creating New Zealand’s smokefree 2025 regulations.

VAPING VIRTUALLY BANNED

Oregon policymakers have approved a controversial bill banning the online sale of vaping products…while leaving marijuana devices untouched. Supporters claimed the measure will ‘close loopholes’ that allowed young people to buy e-cigarettes, stressing that despite the efforts of retailers, there’s still ‘significant access’ to vape products online. The state previously banned online cigarette sales in 2017.

LOO-SING THE PLOT

Aussies are furious after high schools lock down toilets in a bid to curb youth vaping. While they won’t be refused access, teens now have to ask permission and checkin before using the facilities. Supporters have called it a ‘small sacrifice’ to protect kids’ health, but critics say it breaches ‘basic human rights.’ Sky News Australia’s Matt Cunningham said: “Surely the answer is to stop the vaping, not lock the toilets…I’d be surprised if what’s happening here is even legal.”

MAKE SMOKING OBSOLETE

Health experts say UK policymakers should do more to prevent youth exposure to tobacco through film and television. The Royal College of Physicians has called for a 9pm watershed and 18 certificates to be applied to any media that features smoking. Andrew Goddard, RCP President, said: “Too many UK generations have been blighted by addiction to tobacco. To ensure that those born today live their lives tobacco-free, we must take the necessary steps to make smoking obsolete.”

WHERE’S THE CRISIS?

A new study has blown apart the theory that e-cigarettes are a gateway to youth smoking. Experts, who used complex models to predict teen cigarette use, found that the decline in youth smoking “accelerated” after the introduction of vaping. Clive Bates of The counterfactual commented: “Young smokers will be diverted into vaping and probably spared a life of smoking.” He highlighted that, after a period of experimentation, most young people would naturally stop vaping.

PERMISSION TO VAPE FREELY SIR?

Florida policymakers have approved controversial new measures banning under 21s from buying vaping products... but still allows 17-year-olds to join the military. The bill comes amid fears of a ‘youth vaping epidemic’, with supporters praising it for protecting teens from the reduced risk alternative. However, critics are questioning why policymakers haven’t raised the enlisting age as well. One twitter user said: “So dumb. We should be lowering other age limits, not creating more arbitrary checkpoints to criminalize youth. If you’re old enough to be drafted, you’re old enough to choose…”

“SENTENCED TO DEATH”

The Canadian Vaping Association has accused lawmakers in New Brunswick of “failing adult smokers” by rushing through a flavour ban. It said the ban would be ineffective for youth protection while causing a spike in smoking and black-market sales. CVA Executive Director Darryl Tempest said: “This decision was made using flawed and, in some cases, completely inaccurate information about vaping.” Vape advocate Don Vosburgh tweeted: “The New Brunswick government has sentenced all vapers to death. They do not care about adults who have quit smoking using flavoured vapes. Shame.”

BAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco’s controversial flavour ban may have doubled youth smoking rates, suggests new research. The study revealed that, while smoking rates amongst high school students dropped in other major cities, uptake in San Francisco continued to rise. Study author Abigail Friedman said: “In promoting regulations to reduce youth vaping, policymakers need to be careful not to create incentives that increase conventional cigarette use.” Friedman highlighted that, while this evidence ‘suggests a need for caution’ from politicians, more studies were required to determine the link between flavour bans and teen smoking.

TREAT TOBACCO DEPENDENCY AS ILLNESS

Tobacco dependency should be treated as an illness after it was revealed that many of the UK’s 6.9 million smokers failed to get the help they need to quit. The Taskforce for Lung Health blames years of funding cuts to smoking cessation services for the problem. It says only 15 percent of UK hospitals offered outpatients reliable access to stop smoking services. UKVIA Director General John Dunne said: “Greater understanding of the harm reduction tools available to adult smokers and the consistency of the delivery of this guidance is nothing short of critical.”

NEVER TOO LATE

French actress Catherine Deneuve has kicked her lifetime smoking habit and switched to vaping instead. Regarded by many as one of the greatest European actresses, Deneuve, 77, has now swapped the fags for a bright red vape after suffering a heart attack while filming in 2019. Vaping advocacy group Rights4Vapers praised her decision saying: “It’s never too late to make the switch.”

A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

Top doctors want the NHS to enrol all smokers in opt-out quitting programmes. They highlighted that reaching tobacco-users through GPs and hospitals is a ‘golden opportunity’ to potentially double the uptake of stop-smoking services in the UK. Dr Nick Hopkinson of Imperial College London said: “Support to quit smoking is one of the most effective and highest value treatments that the healthcare system can deliver…but many smokers are missing out. Developing a universal offer through the NHS so that every smoker receives this support has to be a priority.”

A GOOD FEELM ABOUT THIS

FEELM has launched the world’s first disposable vape device with a ceramic coil, claiming that it could be a game-changer for vapers around the globe. As one of the leading manufacturers for vape hardware, FEELM continues to improve and enhance its products. It highlighted that adding a ceramic coil to disposable devices will not only heighten taste but could also deliver a more satisfying experience to users.

Words: Patrick Griffin and Jordan Millar

The World Health Organization has been branded “intellectually and morally bankrupt” after honouring India’s health minister for his role in the country’s ban on e-cigarettes.

The international health body used World No Tobacco Day to give the controversial award which has sparked outrage around the world.

WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted: “Pleased to award

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Health Minister, with the special recognition for tobacco control. His leadership was instrumental in the 2019 national legislation to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Thank you, Minister!”

Ethan Nadelmann, a widely recognised drug reform advocate, was swift to condemn the health body, saying the award brought shame on the WHO and its director general.

He replied: “This is intellectually and morally bankrupt!

“Why give an award for banning lifesaving and disease preventing harm reduction devices, not least to an official whose government owns a major stake in the local Big Tobacco company?

“This is madness. Shame on you and the WHO.”

Writer and commentator Christopher Snowdon said: “If the World Health Organization wanted to prove beyond doubt that it is no longer fit for purpose, it couldn’t have done a better job.”

Snowdon said that by banning e-cigarettes, the Indian government had denied the country’s 120 million smokers the option of switching to a ‘vastly safer’ substitute.

Writing for the online news site CapX, he added: “The main beneficiary of the ban on e-cigarettes has been the India Tobacco Company, which is part owned by the Indian government.

“This should merit international

condemnation. Instead, the WHO has slapped the Indian government on the back.

“What is the point of an international health agency if it won’t stand up to governments that effectively encourage smoking?”

UnHerd Science Editor Tom Chilvers said the WHO’s opposition to vaping could cost millions of lives.

He wrote: “I don’t know what happened to make the WHO so implacably opposed to vaping. No one sensible thinks that vaping is without risk, but it pretty obviously is many, many times safer than smoking, and clearly effective at helping people quit.

“The WHO does important work, but it is weirdly, awfully, terribly bad on vaping, and it is not hyperbole to say that this weird, awful, terrible badness could kill thousands or even millions of people.

“Giving people tobacco-control awards for banning vaping is like giving people a Nobel Peace Prize for banning

diplomacy.” In a tweet accepting the award, Vardhan claimed that eliminating tobacco was one of his top priorities.

He said: “Tobacco-free homes and a tobacco-free society continue to remain important personal missions in my life.

“Both of which I have been working towards since the last three decades.”

However, critics were quick to point out the flaws in the health minister’s statement, highlighting that banning e-cigarettes, which don’t contain tobacco, is a clear step in the wrong direction.

Writer Jacob Grier said: “This is the director general of the WHO awarding

the country’s health minister for banning far safer nicotine products, while leaving cigarettes widely available.

“Completely disreputable garbage.”

Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation, added: “Why give someone a medal for banning a vital harm reduction innovation that can save millions of lives in India alone?

“Reckless stupidity that costs lives by preferencing high risk smoked tobacco markets should be condemned, not rewarded.

“What on earth were you thinking?”

Giving people tobacco-control awards for banning vaping is like giving people a Nobel Peace Prize for banning diplomacy.

“ “

YOU’RE NETHER GOING TO BELIEVE THIS

Words: Jordan Millar

IIn a shocking move, the Netherlands is gearing up to ban flavoured e-liquids, despite overwhelming opposition from consumers.

While a recent public consultation saw a record-breaking 98 percent of responses against the controversial ban, the Dutch government has ignored the pleas of its citizens and health experts.

It now plans to move forward with the ‘unethical’ measure, spelling doom for businesses, as well as consumers, who would be forced to turn to the black market for their reduced risk products.

Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, stressed that this should be of ‘great concern’ to vapers the world over, with the ban having an ‘almost certain’ knock-on effect for other EU countries.

Writing for Filter, he said: “The Netherlands has previously been regarded as a liberal society that has approached lifestyle regulation with a healthy pragmatism.

“Yet, on this occasion, we ended up with an illogical proposal, working against the core objective of key government health campaigns.”

Landl pointed to a ‘paradox in the making’, with the Dutch government encouraging smokers to kick the habit while simultaneously banning one of the

“ “

most effective quitting tools available.

He said: “Proponents of the ban want a “quit or die” approach…but while cold turkey works for some, more than nine in ten will go back to smoking.

“The science on vaping is clear; e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than smoking and flavours play a vital role for those who want to quit.”

Landl highlighted that banning flavours could drive a quarter of a million people

back to cigarettes, ‘slamming the brakes’ on the country’s harm reduction progress.

He said: “Even though consumers expressed their outrage…the Dutch government is now pushing on with its plan.

“This is a huge blow for tobacco harm reduction, as well as the vapers who raised their voices and is likely to tarnish the reputation of the Netherlands.”

This is a huge blow for tobacco harm reduction, as well as all the vapers who raised their voices and is likely to tarnish the reputation of the Netherlands.

WVA Director Michael Landl hits back at the Netherlands

for ignoring consumers and pushing forward its ‘illogical’ flavour ban.

YOU COULDN’T BE MORE WRONG

The WHO has come under fire after reaffirming its anti-vaping stance for World No Tobacco Day. It claimed that ‘the scientific evidence on e-cigarettes as cessation aids was inconclusive’, stressing that switching from smoking to vaping ‘is not quitting.’

The health body also said that the tobacco industry employs ‘strategic marketing tactics to hook children’ on vaping.

Clive Bates of The counterfactual has since dismissed the stance as a blend of ‘conspiracy theories, bad science and wholly inadequate alternative measures’, saying that the WHO has once again shown ‘it is not fit for purpose.’

He said: “Many credible experts agree that a systematic approach to harm reduction could save the lives of hundreds of millions of smokers. “Instead, the health bureaucrats at the WHO just dismiss this huge opportunity.”

While the WHO maintains its antagonistic approach to vaping, new evidence highlighted that it could be vital in reducing the ‘enormous health burden’ caused by smoking.

A recent report from Public Health England revealed that e-cigarettes play a ‘crucial role’ in helping people quit, saying they are the most popular and successful cessation tools amongst Brits.

Cliff Douglas, University of Michigan

Tobacco Research Network Director, urged the agency to follow the science and ‘just tell the truth.’

He said: “The WHO blithely, and quite wrongly, claims that switching from smoking to far less harmful e-cigarettes is not quitting.

“What they really mean is that it isn’t

quitting nicotine, which they know does not cause the deadly diseases caused by smoking”

He continued: “Demonising nicotine in this manner seems to be an attempt to characterise all tobacco products as more-or-less equally harmful…which couldn’t be more wrong.”

The WHO blithely, and quite wrongly, claims that switching from smoking to far less harmful e-cigarettes is not quitting.

Harm reduction advocates strike back at the WHO after it reasserts its anti-vaping stance in World No Tobacco Day statement.

Words: Jordan Millar “

“

I’M OFF TO A&E-CIG

Ground-breaking NHS vape study could significantly change the global approach to tobacco harm reduction for the better.

Words: Patrick Griffin

UKhospital patients who smoke could be given free e-cigarettes to help them quit if a landmark hospital trial proves to be successful.

For the first time ever, the NHS is giving vape starter kits to smokers attending the emergency departments of five major hospitals across the UK.

The 30-month trial will study around 1,000 smokers who have attended emergency departments for any medical reason and agree to take part in the study.

It has been estimated that more than 24 million people are seen by A&E departments in the UK each year, around one quarter of which are current smokers. The new study comes as vaping has proved to be the most successful quit smoking aid and the NHS is keen to capitalise on its potential.

Researchers from the University of East Anglia are leading the study and their findings could have far-reaching implications for helping smokers kick the habit.

The clinical trial could not have come at a better time, as ‘fake news’ about vaping leaves smokers wary of switching and a year of lockdown has only seen smoking rates rise.

New data released by market research company Mintel showed that four-in-ten smokers aged from 18 to 34 said they were now smoking more often because of stress caused by COVID-19. More worryingly, ten percent of those who had managed to quit the habit had relapsed during the pandemic.

The UK Vaping Industry Association Director General John Dunne said: “This is a hugely significant moment in the history of vaping and harm reduction.

“For the first time, following years of research and campaigning, we are finally at the point where the NHS looks to be fully embracing vaping and acknowledging its important role as the number one quit

hospital staff have the knowledge to advise smokers about vaping in order to support a successful quit.”

Former Health Minister Sir Norman Lamb welcomed the trial, saying: “It is very positive to have such a prominent trial funded by the National Institute for Health Research…I await the results with interest.”

The trial will see smokers receiving either e-cigarettes and a referral to local stop smoking services, or written information about locally available stop smoking services.

Both groups will be asked if they are still smoking one, three and six months after they attended hospital.

Professor Caitlin Notley, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Many people who smoke want to quit, but find it difficult to succeed in the long term.

“E-cigarettes can be an attractive option for helping people switch from smoking, even if they have tried and failed in the past.

“We’ll be looking at the number of people who successfully quit smoking across both groups, to see which intervention works best. We will also work out how much it would cost to roll the scheme out nationally.”

method.”

Dunne also called for “governmentapproved, expert health claims on vaping products” to encourage the UK’s remaining seven million smokers to switch, as well as allowing the vape industry to “engage with smokers through marketing and advertising means.”

He added: “It is extremely important that

Study co-lead Dr Ian Pope said: “Attending the Emergency Department offers a valuable opportunity for people to be supported to quit smoking, which will improve their chances of recovery from whatever has brought them to hospital, and also prevent future illness.”

For the first time, the NHS looks to be fully embracing vaping and acknowledging its important role as the number one quit method.

REACHING THE SEVEN MILLION

Words:

The UK will miss its ‘smokefree by 2030’ target unless the government is willing to “seize the opportunity to make its own vape-friendly regulations,” according to experts.

The Adam Smith Institute, one of the world’s leading think tanks, says we must take advantage of newly independent nation status to make our own laws to “exert our influence on the world stage.” Its findings are revealed in its report “The Golden Opportunity – How Global Britain can lead on tobacco harm reduction and save millions of lives.”

The report says vaping regulations must be relaxed if government health goals including the ‘smoke-free’ target are to be met as there were still seven million smokers in the UK.

Report author Daniel Pryor said that to achieve a smoke-free society by 2030 the government must:

· Replace ineffectual warnings with Government-specified risk communication messaging for approved low-risk products

· Review Tobacco Products Directive rules on e-liquid nicotine concentration with the aim of establishing a new, higher nicotine limit that reflects safe pre-TPD use patterns

· Review TPD rules on tank and refill container limits while maintaining appropriate safety features, such as child-resistant packaging and warning labels and

· Apply all product and communication regulations of nicotine-containing e-liquids to non-nicotine e-liquids. Pryor, Head of Programmes at the Adam Smith Institute, said: “The United Kingdom has made great strides towards saving lives and encouraging smoking cessation over the past decade.

“Until this year however, the UK was restricted by the European Union in going down this successful path.

“Now, as a newly-independent nation — free to make our own laws and exert

“For millions of smokers in the UK it could literally mean the difference between life and death.”

Pryor also called on the UK government to “robustly defend its approach to tobacco harm reduction” at the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s COP9 and related WHO meetings later this year.

The report also says the UK should “actively oppose attempts” to introduce recommendations for counterproductive regulations which could prevent smokers from switching to reduced risk alternatives.

The UK Vaping Industry Association – which has constantly urged the government to implement post-Brexit vaping reform – welcomed the report.

UKVIA Director General John Dunne said: “It shows the opportunities which are now available for the UK vaping sector in terms of increasing smoking cessation and promoting harm reduction.

our influence on the world stage — the UK has the chance to lead the world in improving health and wellbeing in a way that preserves freedom of choice.

“There is substantial reward for seizing the opportunity to reform, and great peril in ignoring it…if we choose not to act, what was the point in Brexit?

“We support the report’s proposals on opposing ‘counterproductive regulations’ which can harm efforts to get smokers to switch to safer alternatives.

“We will continue to encourage the Government to allow Global Britain to use its newly independent position to encourage the World Health Organization to adopt a more reasonable approach with regards to reduced-risk products.”

The UK is being urged to take a global lead on tobacco harm reduction and exert its influence on the world stage.

Patrick Griffin

There is substantial reward for seizing the opportunity to reform, and great peril in ignoring it.

“ “

“VAPE ARMY” IS CUT OUT TO PROTEST

World Vapers’ Alliance launches COVID-safe cardboard cut-out campaign to protect 140 million European smokers from poor policy.

Words: Jordan Millar

Europe’s ‘Vape Army’ has taken to the streets of Berlin to stand against alarming new measures.

With large gatherings and crowded demonstrations banned during the pandemic, protesters instead set up a series of cardboard cut-outs in front of the Brandenburg Gate. It was the latest in a series of unique and COVID-safe protests set to combat Germany’s proposed e-liquid tax hike, as well as damaging EU legislation. Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, said these regulations posed a serious threat to millions of smokers who have already made the switch. He said: “Vaping has saved millions of lives, yet policymakers and tobacco control advocates continue to refuse to see reality and put ideology ahead of saving lives.

“These proposed new laws would be a major set-back for vapers and smokers who want to quit.

“That’s why our members felt obliged to act, and to bring the Vape Army to the streets of Berlin in this COVID-friendly demo.” Landl urged the German Government and MEPs to ‘change course’ and back vaping as a reduced risk alternative, stressing that a more progressive approach to harm reduction is ‘essential for the health of citizens.’ In a similar protest against the EU’s controversial ‘Beating Cancer Plan’, the WVA staged another COVID-friendly, cardboard demonstration outside the European Parliament in Brussels.

This coincided with a Special Committee discussion on beating cancer strategies, wherein a number of MEPs acknowledged the efficacy of vaping as a harm reduction tool.

Michael Landl said: “While we can’t be there in person, we wanted to make sure that MEPs hear and see us.

“I’m encouraged by the increasing open-mindedness of MEPs to how vaping can help reduce smoking.

“Stop smoking is easy to say, but for those who are addicted, it is very difficult.

“That’s why Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan must endorse vaping as an effective method to help smokers move to a safer alternative.”

The demonstrations were part of the WVA’s extensive ‘BACK VAPING. BEAT CANCER’ campaign, which calls on politicians to educate themselves and vapers to speak up on behalf of the industry.

Michael highlighted that there are currently 140 million smokers in the EU, which reaffirms the need for ‘better alternatives to help people quit’.

He said: “Europe’s Beating Cancer plan is a great opportunity and one we cannot miss…I’m asking every vaper across the EU to join our movement calling on the EU to Back Vaping to Beat Cancer.”

For more on Germany’s proposed tax hike, see our story ‘What were they thinking?’ later in this issue.

While we can’t be there in person, we wanted to make sure that MEPs hear and see us. “

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DITCH THE TAX HIKE…BUT KEEP THE FLAVOUR PLAN

Words: Jordan Millar

Saskatchewan policymakers have announced a series of controversial new measures against the backdrop of curbing youth vaping.

The regulations have drawn a mixed reaction from vapers, with some praising the government’s efforts to protect young people, and others questioning if they’ve taken it too far.

One measure that has been widely celebrated, is the decision to restrict the sale of flavoured products – excluding tobacco and menthol - to specialist, agerestricted vape stores.

This will allow adult smokers and vapers to access crucial reduced risk alternatives, while limiting their availability to minors.

The Canadian Vape Association (CVA) said: “We commend the actions taken to protect youth, as vapour products are harm reduction tools intended for adult smokers.

“Vaping presents an unparalleled opportunity for smokers to significantly reduce their harm and flavours are a key component in its efficacy as a quit aid. “Saskatchewan has reviewed the evidence and has chosen to be a leader in the fight to end tobacco use.”

However, plans to impose a 20 percent tax on vaping products have spurred outrage.

While supporters of the move say it will deter youth use, experts warn it could lead to increased smoking rates, driving vapers away from less harmful alternatives and back to cigarettes.

Darryl Tempest, CVA Executive Director, said: “We have shared the research with the government of Saskatchewan, showing the harmful effects taxes have on smoking rates and public health.

“Vapour product taxes harm adult smokers and strengthen dangerous black-market channels.”

The CVA has since urged policymakers to abandon the tax and instead work alongside the industry to build a substantiated and effective framework for youth protection.

Both measures are due to take effect from September 1.

New regulations from Saskatchewan policymakers have left vapers’ heads spinning.

Vapour product taxes harm adult smokers and strengthen dangerous black-market channels.

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WHY FUND WHO’S HOSTILE ANTI-VAPE AGENDA?

The UKVIA has joined the ‘chorus of voices’ campaigning to defund the World Health Organization unless it changes its anti-vaping ways.

Words: Jordan Millar

The UKVIA is backing calls for the government to reduce its £340M funding to the World Health Organization, in protest over the body’s anti-vaping stance.

An influential group of MPs wants the UK to consider ‘dramatically scaling back the WHO’s funding’ because the international body is out of step with government e-cigarette policy.

Mark Pawsey MP, Chair of the AllParty Parliamentary Group on Vaping, questioned why the UK should give such a high sum to an organisation which fundamentally disagreed with our ‘progressive approach’ to harm reduction.

The UK Vaping Industry Association joined condemnation of the WHO’s “aggressive anti-vaping stance” ahead of a crucial health summit later this year. According to leaked documents reported in the Daily Express, the WHO will tell a meeting of international health figures in November that e-cigarettes “are as dangerous as smoking tobacco.”

The UK government has earmarked £340 million in funding for the WHO over the next four years.

John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, called the World Health Organization’s stance on vaping ‘extremely concerning.’

He said: “Vaping is a great British success story, enabling millions of people to switch from smoking.

“The APPG is right to call for the UK Government to reconsider the level of its funding to the World Health Organization in light of these reports.

“Thankfully, now that the UK has left the EU, it is no longer bound by the ridiculous and quite frankly dangerous WHO messaging, urging the bloc to treat vaping in the same way as smoking.”

The UKVIA said the WHO’s stance “flies in the face of the scientific reality of vaping

“ “

in the UK,” which has seen millions of people quit smoking in recent years.

It also highlighted that 3.2 million UK smokers have already made the switch to vaping, and that the industry needs to be supported if it can help the remaining 6.9 million Brits kick the habit.

Research by British scientists has consistently shown vaping to be the most popular and successful aid to quitting smoking.

Vaping is a great British success story, enabling millions of people to switch from smoking.

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THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE

A SLAP IN THE FACE FOR COMMON SENSE

SCHEER Report on vaping is “bitterly disappointing” and “a tragedy” for public health in Europe.

Words: Patrick Griffin

A

major EU study on the health effects of e-cigarettes has been blasted as a “backward step for Europe” amid accusations that it ignores crucial scientific evidence.

The EU Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) final report on e-cigarettes was dismissed as “bitterly disappointing” by the UKVIA.

The World Vapers’ Alliance said it was based on weak data and had ignored scientists, experience from consumers and the opinions of vape experts.

WVA Director Michael Landl said: “This report is a tragedy for public health and will have dire consequences for smokers and vapers alike…this is a slap in the face of vapers and common sense.”

“Countries like the UK and France are actively encouraging smokers to use vaping and switch to this less harmful alternative.

“If the EU really wants to tackle smokingrelated illnesses, it needs to look very carefully at all of the evidence.

“Unfortunately, the SCHEER report is biased against vaping, and its recommendations, if transposed into legislation, will damage public health.”

Landl said the report failed to echo reality and challenged policymakers to draft regulations in a way that encouraged current smokers to switch.

He said: “The EU needs to focus on practical solutions to reduce harm and this major point is missing from the SCHEER analysis.

“Vaping can help smokers quit but this report ignores that and compares vaping to

The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) described the report as “out of touch and completely at odds with the latest research and evidence.”

Its Director General John Dunne said: “Once again SCHEER fails to properly take into account the evidence, research and testimony given to the Committee during the consultation process.

“If the EU continues to take such a negative approach to the harm reduction potential of vaping, the implications for public health will be significant.

“We have always believed that the

approach to vaping should be evidence based and science led, as growing evidence supports the use of vaping in smoking cessation.”

The EU needs to focus on practical solutions to reduce harm and this major point is missing from the SCHEER analysis.

smoking.”

“ “

THE HEIGHT OF CONFUSION?

Outrage as Toronto’s 553-metre CN Tower is used for anti-vaping publicity stunt.

Words: Caroline Barry

Canadian vapers reacted angrily after Toronto’s CN Tower was used as the focus of a huge antivaping stunt.

The world-famous tourist attraction was lit up in yellow and black to mark the country’s first-ever Anti-Vaping Awareness Day.

Critics took to social media to brand the stunt ‘moronic,’ ‘disgusting’ and ‘confusing’, saying it would do nothing to help smokers quit.

The tower is often lit up in different colours to highlight a wide range of causes, but this particular one has attracted a backlash from vapers who were furious at the negative messaging. Most vocal was the International Network of Nicotine, which tweeted: “We commend your choice of colours but consider the vilification of safer nicotine products, which have helped millions of adults to quit smoking, to be grossly irresponsible.”

The Canadian Vaping Association was also angry that the campaign ignored the harm-reduction potential of e-cigarettes. It tweeted: “45,000 Canadians die each year from smoking. Vaping is widely recognized as less harmful than smoking. Campaigns like this confuse smokers and discourage harm reduction."

Canadian vape shop Wicks and Wires wrote: “The CN Tower should stick to what they do best...running a tourist attraction. No place for moronic things like this especially when the message will confuse smokers who could have

a much less harmful alternative. Disgusting.” The CN Tower Twitter account responded to some of the over 200 comments with links to an official government anti-vaping campaign webpage.

However, this did nothing to placate critics who would have been happy if the campaign had been aimed at nonsmokers and young people only.

Resident Thomas Kirsop wrote: “You understand you are telling about a million Canadian adults to return to smoking. Right?

"Don't bother sending me the campaign link. It doesn't matter who your target audience is. You didn't differentiate." @Stra82vape tweeted: “This is not ok! Your slandering of this life-saving technology is actually very disturbing. I will not be visiting the tower ever again.”

“

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More than 45,000 Canadians die each year from smoking. Campaigns like this confuse smokers and discourage harm reduction.

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Words: Patrick Griffin

The international vaping community has reacted with horror at Germany’s plans to triple the price of e-liquids. It wants to hike taxes for nicotinecontaining vapour products from July 2022 to bring in an additional tax revenue of €135M. The plans would see the tax increase double by the end of 2026 to give the treasury an extra €2.9BN.

However the German Alliance for Tobacco-free Pleasure (BfTG) said the plan “made no sense” and the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) said it would have a ‘catastrophic effect’ on public health.

BfTG chairman Dustin Dahlman said: “The tax would make smoking cheaper than vaping and make e-liquids many times more expensive.”

He said the tax should remain at the EU level and warned that the plans would lead to a collapse of the country’s legal vape market and open the door for “a flourishing black market” in illegal vaping products.

WVA director Michael Landl said the

Basic

plans would triple the price on nicotine e-liquids, while only moderately increasing taxes on traditional cigarettes.

He said: “The government says that these taxes will improve public health, but the reality is the exact opposite.

“If Governments want to reduce the burden of smoking on public health, they must make vaping more affordable and more accessible, not less.”

The German Police Union described the plans as a welcome “start-up for smugglers and counterfeiters,” while the German customs union BDZ predicted that “a black market for tax avoidance will inevitably develop.”

Landl said the move would hit lowerincome groups the hardest, as they made up the largest population of current smokers in Germany.

He added: “This bill must be stopped.

“Basic economics teaches us that increased prices on vaping products will lead to higher smoking rates.

“Either the government is neglecting the rules of economics, or they think they can fill a gap in the state coffers in the short term at the expense of people who want to quit smoking.”

A final decision on the new tax is expected before the end of the year.

Germany’s plans to tax e-liquids vastly higher than cigarettes will have a ‘catastrophic effect’ on public health

economics teaches us that increased prices on vaping products will lead to higher smoking rates.

DIARY OF A VAPER

Featuring Karen Morris, 49, from Derby.

In my early 20s, when I was going out drinking, smoking was a sociable thing to do. I decided to quit because I wanted to become a foster carer and you can’t look after children under five if you’re a smoker. At first, I used a vape that looked very similar to a cigarette. Vaping wasn’t that popular at the time and I felt that if I chose one that just looked like a cigarette, I’d blend in more. I have now been vaping for about ten years and it’s a lot more convenient. I no longer need to go outside to smoke or to check what the weather was like before deciding to nip out for a quick cigarette. Instead, I’m able to vape when I’m just sitting down and watching TV. I tried a variety of devices in the past until I’ve found something I am happy with. I now use one that you fill up with liquid and this works well for me. In the early days, it seemed like I was constantly changing the cartridge or charging the battery, but everything is a lot more user-friendly now and that has really made the difference. When you’re young, you don’t really think about the long-term effects of smoking because the consequences feel such a long way off. But I eventually realised just how risky cigarettes were when my mum was diagnosed with cancer, as a direct result of smoking, and needed surgery to save her life. As crazy as it sounds, I don’t think the health implications alone were enough to make me quit. It was my drive to become a foster carer that inspired me to kick the habit and once I’d made up my mind, I never looked back.

I eventually realised just how risky cigarettes were when my mum was diagnosed with cancer, as a direct result of smoking, and needed surgery to save her life.

THE COCA-COLA OF VAPING?

Innevape’s Jeff Connell gives his predictions for the future of the US vaping market and his plans to push the brand further than ever before.

Words: Jordan Millar

The US has been hit with a seemingly endless stream of regulatory changes and controversial bans, but could a post-PMTA marketplace change the vaping mindset in the states?

Jeff Connell of Innevape highlighted that America is currently ‘taking a big step’ and though it may seem like it could wipe out vaping, he is confident that the industry will come out on top.

He said: “America can’t fight the fight against vaping…it’s too big.

“The cat is out of bag; the anthill has already been shaken and they won’t be able to put us back in the box. I can’t predict if the government or another COVID-style crisis will throw everything off kilter, but right now, it looks like the US is going to come out strong.” Jeff highlighted that PMTA applications are moving ahead, and while some brands would sadly be knocked off the market, the companies that are left will be able to thrive.

He said: “I think the dynamic of the vaping industry is going to change and I see a positive future ahead. Now that the US is headed to post-PMTA, we can start talking about what the market is truly capable of on a full level.” Jeff revealed that, even in the beginning, he knew vaping would change the world for the better. He said that he ‘saw all the research coming out’ and realised that the creation

of vaping was another one of those ‘huge moments that changes humankind.’

Innevape continues to dominate the US market, with products flying off shelves across the states…but Jeff doesn’t plan on stopping there. He said: “I’m a big picture, reach for the stars, kind of guy.

“We set out to become the Coca Cola of e-liquids…that’s my ultimate goal. It’s got a simple, cool brand and a logo that’s recognised all over the world and to me, Innevape has that same kind of name…people see it and know what it is.

“That’s just my silly way of going about things, but it’s worked out pretty good so far and hopefully it’ll continue.” Jeff stressed that the hard work of climbing to the top of the industry is starting to pay off, saying that it feels great to be able to call his brand one of the biggest in the world. “It’s a great feeling...we’re ahead of the pack and its actually starting to show rewards.

“When I first started out and someone told me I could make a million dollars doing this, in my head I was thinking this could be the biggest thing ever.

“To me, the sky’s the limit.”

I think the dynamic of the vaping industry is going to change and I see a positive future ahead.

“ “

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE A “WATERSHED MOMENT” BUT MUCH MORE IS STILL TO BE DONE!

John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, gives his thoughts on some key recent political developments where MPs show support for vaping.

It was a watershed moment for the UK vaping industry when a cross party group of MPs reached an overwhelming consensus about the vital part vaping has played in helping millions of UK smokers to quit – and its pivotal place in helping the remaining 7M smokers to give up their habits.

It was a proud day too for the UKVIA when our “Blueprint for Better Regulation” document was cited during the same debate of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Smoking and Health ahead of the new Tobacco Control Plan (TCP).

Many of our recommendations to the TRPR (Tobacco and Related Products Regulations) review were read out in full which, after years of campaigning on behalf of the vaping industry, felt like a vindication for everyone – not just the UKVIA – who has kept the faith and fought hard to get vaping’s ability to help smokers quit the respect it deserves.

Let’s not forget, it wasn’t so long ago that we were battling some frankly ludicrous headlines, including the gem “Vaping ‘no better’ than smoking regular cigarettes” which appeared in a national newspaper. There are hundreds more examples, they’re not hard to find. But here we are in 2021 with MPs in unison about the powerful impact vaping can have in helping millions to transition from combustible tobacco, while undoubtedly saving lives and underpinning the Government’s pledge to make Britain a “smoke free” nation by 2030.

The Westminster debate also showed how closely aligned the APPG on Smoking is with its counterpart group for vaping.

Indeed, Labour MP Mary Glindon, vice chair of the APPG on Vaping, was called on to talk during the smoking debate. She said the Government “must champion less harmful alternatives to smoking combustible tobacco, in particular the growing body of evidence showing vaping to be the most effective alternative for

adult smokers looking to quit smoking.”

Another strong voice came from Conservative MP David Jones, an Honorary Life Governor at Cancer Research UK, who described vaping as “hugely important in the fight against smoking…based on evidence and has a proven positive effect on the health of the nation.” The full debate is available on parliamentlive.tv. But this is no time for complacency. While we are gradually gaining mainstream acceptance at the highest levels, we still have huge hurdles to overcome as an industry, not least the ridiculous and dangerous misperceptions that persist about vaping.

For instance, we now know that around 42 percent of British smokers who have never tried vaping believe the old and now disproved lie that e-cigarettes are “equally or even more harmful than regular smoking.”

Within our ‘Blueprint for Better Regulation’ we have included recommendations on how to try and eradicate these misperceptions through a sustained communications campaign using Governmentapproved expert health claims on products, addressing the misinformation and, therefore, encouraging smokers to switch. Another issue which we need to urgently address is the misleading information coming from the World Health Organization and its rampantly anti-vaping stance. Regarding the TRPR review, it was due to be looked at by the Department for Health in May, but has now been put back until the end of the year. While frustrating, that may actually go in our favour as the APPG on Smoking debate and the airing of the UKVIA’s recommendations for better regulation and harm reduction, can only strengthen our proposition and influence. If you haven’t done so already, please take a look at our “Blueprint for Better Regulation” at www.ukvia.co.uk

Here we are in 2021 with MPs in unison about the powerful impact vaping can have in helping millions to transition from combustible tobacco.

““

Words: Gordon Stribling

After the pandemic forced us to take last year’s event online, we are gearing up for our biggest, boldest and most buoyant show yet –the Vapouround Awards are heading to Dubai.

Yes, you read that right. The most glamourous, prestigious event in the vaping calendar is heading to one of the world’s most opulent cities and we want you to join us.

The annual awards give us a platform to recognise and applaud the amazing companies that continue to innovate and make waves in the industry, helping millions of people kick the habit.

From e-liquid manufacturers to brick-and-mortar retailers, we’re preparing to honour brands from all corners of the vaping world.

To celebrate the greatest names in the industry, we will hop aboard the luxurious Lotus Mega Yacht for a truly unforgettable night of entertainment, networking and fine dining.

The 220ft lavish vessel boasts five decks, a 200-capacity club, a 60seat cinema, a 42,000-litre pool and so much more. Guests will be able to kick back, catch up with old friends and make

new connections as we cruise through some of the most stunning waters that Dubai has to offer.

While we’re keeping details of the on-board entertainment under lock and key for now, our past shows have proven that we don’t hold back when it comes to celebrating the industry’s best.

Previous performances have included laser shows, world-renowned magicians and incredible musical talent.

In true awards tradition, the event will take place on the evening of the first day of a massive expo event.

This time it’s World Vape Show Dubai, the first international vape expo to be held in the UAE.

Join us on September 19 as we finally come together again for what promises to be an event like no other.

For more information, sponsorship opportunities and to buy tickets, visit vapouroundawards.co.uk, call 01332 650239 or email awards@vapouround.co.uk

Join us as we set sail for this year’s highly anticipated Vapouround Awards show in Dubai

The awards are broken into the following

Product Awards

These are decided by the public via an online vote

Readers’ Awards

These are decided by the public via an online vote

Vapouround Awards

These are decided by Vapouround

E-LIQUID AWARDS

ARE YOUR FLAVOUR PROFILES THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS?

In a new, exclusive Vapouround column, Jake Lavelle of JPL Flavour Technologies gives his insight into the complex and ever-changing world of e-liquid flavours.

Words: Jake Lavelle

There are millions of vapers across the globe, each one with a favourite e-liquid. Whether it’s tropical, cheesecake or classic menthol, the ever-growing collection of flavours means there is something for everyone.

But how do e-liquids change around the world…does strawberry taste the same in the UK as it would in the states?

It’s a little-known fact that flavour profiles change in different global markets, however, customising blends is crucial for brands that are looking to take their products international.

One flavour that differs hugely between countries is strawberry, with UK, US and European vapers all having unique and distinct palates.

In the UK, we associate the taste of strawberry with fresh and natural notes, much like a green leaf pulled off the fruit before eating.

This taste can be broken down into two chemical compounds - Cis 3 Hexenol & Cis 3 Hexenyl acetate.

However, American vapers prefer a less organic blend, often choosing a more syrupy, jam-like profile that the average Brit would find far too unappealing.

Europeans typically favour a ‘wild strawberry’ profile, infusing notes of jasmine to create a far more floral taste.

Another flavour that changes market to market is blackcurrant, with UK and US manufacturers taking vastly different approaches to the classic blend.

Blackcurrants were banned in the states until very recently, so American vapers haven’t entirely grasped the full extent of the berry’s profile.

In the UK we like ‘catty’ blackcurrants, similar to Ribena, which contain large amounts of p-mentha-8-thiol-3-one and Buchu Oil

Betulina. However, Americans prefer vague berry notes, likening the UK profile to cat urine. Grape e-liquids are some of the most widely loved by vapers the world over, which also makes them some of the most varied depending on the location of the supplier.

This is no mistake, as manufacturers develop targeted flavours for each region and consumers are starting to pick up on this.

In the USA, purple grape is the most popular flavour by far, heavily relying on methyl anthranilate and dimethyl anthranilate to achieve that beloved ‘Fanta Grape’ profile.

Asian vapers have a very similar palate; however, they often blend compounds such as linalool, benzyl acetate and patchouli in with the grape to give it a floral finish.

Europeans also prefer the floral, sweet grape flavours, often choosing e-liquids with higher levels of linalool, phenyl ethyl alcohol and phenyl ethyl acetate.

The UK market is an outlier when it comes to grape, with palates changing dramatically person by person instead of a national consensus.

After the introduction of Fanta Grape, Brits moved away from European blends, opting for US-style e-liquids instead.

Taste is hugely subjective and there will never be a “one size fits all” blend. I recommend brands conduct consumer research trials to get a better idea of which flavours work for which regions.

Small tweaks like this mean all the difference when you’re producing e-liquids for a global consumer base.

If you refuse to adjust your recipe for each individual market, you’ll struggle to gain that international following that turns a good, local brand into a world leader.

E-L I QU I D A W A R D S

H A R D W A RE A W AR D S

READERS’ A W A R D S

VAPOUROUND A W AR D S

TALKING POINTS

Here is a bite-sized round up of some of the great presentations from our expert speakers at our most recent Vape Live event.

Words: Patrick Griffin and Jordan Millar

The third Vape Live event was the biggest and best yet, attracting thousands of attendees from across the globe.

In our online auditorium, speakers from all sectors of the industry shared their knowledge, so that our visitors could learn about the e-cigarette industry and get their questions answered.

Our roster of expert speakers was made up of consumers, manufacturers, advocacy groups, scientists, hobbyists and analysts who provided a wealth of factual content.

We want to thank everyone who contributed such fantastic presentations over the three days, and for helping spread the word about the tremendous potential for the vape industry to transform the lives of adult smokers.

Here are just some of the topics that we covered:

DR DEREK BEAUCHAMP, AVOMEEN

Dr Beauchamp, an expert in e-liquid regulations and analysis, explained why robust safety and product testing procedures were so important for consumer confidence in the industry.

The senior director for client solutions/consulting at independent research and pharma testing group Avomeen said that scientific testing of hardware and liquids could help reassure smokers when it came to making the switch.

He stressed that vape regulations ensured compliance with safety standards, requiring brands to “manufacture the same product on day one as they are on day one thousand.”

He also highlighted that a full PMTA application in the US could cost up to $1M, outlining that brands could be more cost effective and boost their chances of passing by utilising pre-screen testing.

MARK OATES, WE VAPE

The UK’s approach to harm reduction is seen as the gold standard the world over, but that doesn’t mean vapers can rest easy.

We Vape director Mark Oates explained that, with the TRPR review underway and the COP-9 conference fast approaching, it is crucial that the industry continues to fight for fair policy.

Mark called on the UK community to engage with the political side of the industry, warning that the nation’s position as a vaping world leader could otherwise be lost.

He said the EU was a good example of what could lie ahead for the UK market if vapers neglected to support advocacy groups and regulatory improvements.

He said: “The UK is probably the most progressive country in the world in regard to harm reduction…but things can change.

“We shouldn’t be complacent, let’s keep our finger on the pulse, remind our politicians that we exist and let them know how important vaping is to us.”

JORDAN MILLAR AND PATRICK GRIFFIN, VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE

We highlighted the fact that many smokers are too scared to switch because of a constant barrage of ill-informed horror stories about vaping in the mainstream media.

As journalists writing for the vape industry it is so frustrating to see so much negative press that only serves to keep smokers addicted to deadly combustible tobacco.

We outlined one particularly egregious example, where a recent front-page headline in The Sun on Sunday screamed: “Vaping to be BANNED in UK.”

Not only was the headline totally untrue, but stories like this present an all-too-real barrier to vaping for smokers, even when they are actively looking to quit.

We pointed out that the ongoing review of the UK’s vaping regulations gives the government a golden opportunity to come up with a better regulatory framework which will help more smokers quit.

It is now up to the government to grasp this opportunity and ensure that the UK remains the most vape-friendly country in the world.

JULIE SEDBON, ECIGINTELLIGENCE

The vaping sector is constantly shifting, with new evidence and data for the reduced risk alternative keeping the community on its feet. While bouncing between bans, restrictions and changing policies can leave the average vaper’s head spinning, eCigIntelligence has kept a close eye on industry trends.

During her presentation, Julie Sedbon, a market analyst for eCigIntelligence, gave us an in-depth view of global trends and the regulatory landscape.

She said: “We are noticing changes in regulation at a country level. “Latvia, Denmark and the Netherlands have already made the decision to ban flavours other than tobacco…while other EU members are still thinking about it.”

Julie also touched on some of the influences on the EU market and discussed how flavours affect consumer habits.

CAROLINE ECCLES, UK VAPOUR BRANDS

A year of lockdowns and stop-start opening of vape stores in the UK have had an unprecedented impact on the industry. During that time the independent specialist vape market has lost ground to the grocery and convenience sectors, which remained open throughout the coronavirus crisis and saw a 29 percent increase in vape sales.

Caroline, the company’s head of sales and operations, said that now the vape stores had re-opened, it was vital that they worked hard to win their customers back.

She said they could do so by making full use of the advantages they had over the convenience sector, such as knowledgeable staff, better product ranges, personalised service and a welcoming experience for customers.

Caroline said: “We will win customers back by ensuring we have the right product range, the knowledge we can share with customers, an enjoyable in-store experience and with new products, exciting promotions and competitions.”

JULIE CASIMIRO, DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEMBER OF THE RHODE ISLAND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

We also reported on the very positive story of US politician Julie Casimiro, a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Hose of Representatives.

Julie initially voted for flavour bans after believing the overwhelmingly negative media coverage about vaping in the US. However after doing some research for herself and speaking to local vapers and store owners she changed her mind and is now a leading pro-vaping campaigner.

We were very pleased to have Julie as a special guest on Vape Live where she explained her decision to support vaping.

THE UK VAPE SHOW, VOXPO SPECIAL

Wielding their unique style of big laughs, big clouds and big personalities, the hosts of The UK Vape Show made a fun-filled, yet serious appearance at the Vape Live event. Aden Crew (Little Bro Vapes), Victor Mullin (Vaping with Vic) and Adam Hutton (Retro Vape TV) were joined by our very own Patrick Griffin to discuss regulation, the ‘non-essential’ status of vape shops and some of their own experiences within the community. With their trademark blend of humour and industry knowledge, The UK Vape Show has grown into the most-watched and longest-running vape show in the country. It is no wonder that it has become the go-to source for thousands of vapers looking for reviews, news and down-to-earth views on all the industry happenings.

DR SHARON COX, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Dr Sharon Cox is a leading researcher in harm reduction, having spent the past five years investigating tobacco and e-cigarette use amongst disadvantaged groups. Her work has a particular emphasis on smoking cessation and how vaping can be used to combat tobacco-related health inequalities. She highlighted that we should be encouraging those in disadvantaged groups to switch to reduced-risk alternatives rather than adopt an abstinence only approach.

We shouldn’t be complacent, let’s keep our finger on the pulse, remind our politicians that we exist and let them know how important vaping is to us.

“ “

She said: “We can’t be too evangelical about it… to lower smoking prevalence we’re going to be meeting people where smoking has been a big part of their lives and they’re heavily nicotine dependant.

“So we’ve got to think creatively, and vaping has such an important role in that.”

She also underlined how crucial it is for health professionals to ‘make every contact count’ and added: “They need clear advice on how to speak to patients about vaping, reduced risk and what harm reduction is.

“We have a wealth of data, the Public Health England reports being a shining example, but I’m not so sure everyone’s well aware…we have to get much better at communicating.”

Dr Cox said her evidence-based approach to vaping had convinced her that e-cigarettes were a viable option to help smokers quit.

“When I first came into it, I was interested in the potential, but I was cautiously optimistic. “But as more evidence is produced, I just become more convinced.

“E-cigarettes are not a panacea, and while I would recommend them to smokers, I would also recommend other things alongside them.

“If we want to achieve this low smoking prevalence rate in the future, we need to adopt a more is more approach.”

“CHILD SOLDIERS” IN THE WAR ON VAPING

Unfounded regulations, ‘child soldiers’ and a ‘hive of lobbyists’ campaigning for poor policy…what does all this mean for vapers?

Words: Jordan Millar and Patrick Griffin

The vape industry has always been at odds with policymakers, where sceptical and often ideology-driven politicians campaign for strict e-cigarette taxes and bans.

Clive Bates of The counterfactual explored the fallout of these policies, highlighting the ‘perverse consequences’ of poor and unfounded regulations.

He revealed that there are certain ‘fixed views’ in the EU and a ‘hive of lobbyists’ who continue to push vaping measures in a more restrictive direction.

Clive said: “One of my big concerns is that people will say they are in this for public health reasons… but they’re not.

“They’re just repulsed by vaping and nicotine use and think it should all go away.”

He was particularly critical of groups who were content to fight for harmful vaping regulations, such as flavour bans, under the guise of protecting young people.

“The youth are used almost as child soldiers; they are being used to force much more restrictive measures onto adults,” he said.

He said flavour bans would not stop children being curious but would prevent adults from stopping smoking.

“The people proposing these bans are expecting that there will be an abstinence from nicotine without adopting any other risk behaviour. “They think young people will stop vaping and do more homework, go to choir practice, take up the piano and won’t indulge in any other risk behaviour…but what are the actual outcomes?

“Most teen vapers are frivolous users, they’re messing around at parties, blowing clouds and being kids.”

He also pointed out that, for the most part, teen vapers already have a history of tobacco use, ‘they’re already in the game’, and just 1.4 percent of them are frequent users with no prior experience with tobacco.

He highlighted that if you eliminate flavoured e-liquids, people could turn to the black market, they could DIY their own liquids or they could simply return to cigarettes and added: “We need to have a more mature debate on youth risk behaviours; there’s lots of them using alcohol, drink driving and carrying weapons.

“These are serious risk behaviours, and we need to try and get a grip on the real kids who are at risk and do much more to understand them.”

Clive also described traditional quit smoking tools such as nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) as focusing on giving something up whereas vaping had an ‘aspirational’ and optimistic message, calling on smokers to ‘take back control’ of their health.

He said: “Vaping wins in public health terms on this idea that it’s appealing…that people choose to use it.

“It’s something that you want to do as an alternative to smoking, not something you have to do as a way of coping.

“We have powerful user testimony…you hear stories over and over again, thousands of times, that say vaping is the only thing that’s worked.

“We know that vaping is working for a number of reasons…we have randomised control trials, observational studies and population trends that show as vaping rates rise, smoking rates fall.”

“Most teen vapers are frivolous users, they’re messing around at parties, blowing clouds and being kids.”

DON WILL TAKE ON THE UK… AND THEN THE WORLD

With international travel on the cards once again and vape shows opening their doors, Don Thompson is preparing to embark on the journey of a lifetime.

Words: Jordan Millar and Patrick Griffin

Despite the past year of grounded flights and closed borders, the vaping community still remains truly international…and Don Thompson is gearing up to see it all.

With the end of the pandemic just over the horizon, he has either sold or stored his worldly possessions and prepared for a year of sun, sea and sales.

Now brandishing his can-do attitude, love for travel and world-class vaping products, Don ‘The Zen Vaper’ will become Don ‘The Digital Nomad.’

He said: We’re buying a one-way ticket to the UK, which will lead to a one-way ticket to a friend in Europe, then another to Dubai.

“Between the pandemic and the government, people have been starting to get battle weary.

“We want to stay off smoking, but the community has been fractured and kept at home.

“The interaction is what everyone misses…and we’re all looking forward to those larger events as we move towards the end of this year and into 2022.”

With a scourge of flavour bans and tax hikes, as well as the infamous PACT act, the once thriving US vape industry has been brought to its knees.

Longstanding businesses have been forced to close up shop and American vapers have been left without lifesaving reduced risk products.

However, Don isn’t so easily defeated, and while regulatory battles rage on at home, he is concentrating on expanding his business to the global market.

He said: “What the FDA has done, and what the government has done, with regulations like the PACT act, is try to suffocate the community.

“The bigger picture, and my personal why, is that I want to help people all over the world.

“So, if I can’t sell in the US…then I’ll be selling everywhere else.”

Alongside standing against bad policy and educating politicians in the US, Don has utilised his time in lockdown to plan out his vaping world tour…and his travel itinerary is certainly impressive.

Over the next 12 months he will hit the UK and ‘march’ his way from Western to Eastern Europe, before ‘breaking into the Middle East in a big way.’

Don is already well-known throughout the states, and the rest of the world is about to discover his passion for the industry and his renowned e-liquids.

He said: “When I got into this in 2015, I had no idea how big the vaping community is…and how embracive it is.

“It’s a cross-cultural, diverse group of people who have one commonality, they’re all trying not to smoke that day.

“You have this incredible sense of belonging to something bigger… that’s what’s kept us resilient.”

“So, if I can’t sell in the US…then I’ll be selling everywhere else.”

Words: Patrick

Germany’s far-reaching vape regulations were put under the spotlight by the chairman of the country’s influential Professional Vaping Industry Association VdeH.

Michael Dobrajc, who also owns distributor Vapor Ex Machina, told Vape Live that current plans for reform could lead to catastrophic consequences for public health.

Here are some of the key points he covered:

TOBACCO PRODUCTS DIRECTIVE

While this was intended to harmonise regulation within Europe, it did not work out that way in practice. Germany limited the 2ml tank size requirement to nicotine-containing disposable cartridges, allowing refillable tanks to be larger.

An extensive list of forbidden e-liquid ingredients applies in

Germany, backed by a strict notification process. Companies must also wait for six months to sell their products, even if the same products are already being sold by competitors.

Michael said: “We have an insane amount of notified products. As of April this year we have almost 200,000 entries with a lot of doubles, triples, quadruples or more because different companies are required to notify the same products.

“Nobody in Germany looks at the paperwork, it just catches dust for six months and is just there for the archives.”

PRODUCT SAFETY

The German authorities are particularly strict on enforcing product safety requirements. Spot checks on vape stores are regularly conducted where e-liquids are randomly tested to ensure they fully comply with all the rules and regulations. Michael said: “My advice

Michael Dobrajc explains why overzealous regulation threatens Germany’s vape market and the health of its citizens.

Griffin

is if you are a manufacturer or distributor from outside Germany, find someone who knows the regulations by heart before entering the German market.

“It is really important to follow the regulations from the beginning because it will be much more expensive to recall a whole batch of products which cannot be sold because they have broken the rules.”

TPD GOLD PLATING

Germany has extended its TPD regulations to both nicotine-free e-liquids and their components, including flavours, concentrates and base liquids.

If the product can potentially be used in an e-cigarette, it falls under German TPD2 regulations.

Michael said: “The most insane regulation that also now applies to nicotine-free liquids is the notification requirement.

“If I want to import a concentrate to be used in e-cigarettes or a shortfill, I need to notify it now and wait six months before I can market it.”

MARKETING BANS

Online marketing of any kind on social media, such as banner ads, WhatsApp, e-mails, newsletters, Facebook and Instagram, is strictly forbidden.

This applies to hardware, nicotine-containing liquids and concentrates, bases and nicotinefree liquids.

In-store sweepstakes and commercial draws of vape gear or liquids are banned, and this will be extended to outside marketing on billboards and posters from 2023.

EXCISE DUTIES

Germany plans new tax rates which would triple the price of e-liquids and bring in taxation at five times the EU average.

Michael said: “This would lead to a complete implosion of the market. People would stop vaping and return to smoking, so we need to avoid it at all cost.

“We must convince members of parliament to lower the proposed taxes from the insane level they are planning. These plans are a real threat to public health and to the economy.”

We must convince members of parliament to lower the proposed taxes from the insane level they are planning.

“ “

WE’RE HERE AND WE’RE HERE TO STAY

The US vape industry is a regulatory minefield for brands, but industry leader Innevape continues to march forward and prosper.

Words: Jordan Millar

Innevape founders Jeff Connell and Tom Klingensmith struck a chord with consumers and business owners during the Vape Live Europe finale.

The pair revealed how they’ve managed to thrive in the increasingly hostile US market. Between flavour bans, disproportionate regulations and misinformation, brands are finding it tougher than ever to survive in the states.

And with the PMTA review process still underway and enforcement action set to be stepped up from September, conditions are set to become ever bleaker for the US vape market.

Jeff said: “The administration that we have right now is less favourable and reasonable than previous administrations.

“They’ve shown that they’re definitely not fans of vaping, but I think that the industry has come too far out of the bag for them to put it back.

“Vaping is here and it’s not going anywhere.”

While the PMTA process has forced brands across the states to close up shop, Jeff and Tom have praised it for eliminating companies that didn’t take the . Jeff said: “The ironic thing for me is that when the deadlines started coming up, we saw all these brands saying, ‘with a heavy heart we’re closing our doors…we tried so hard,’ but they didn’t.

“The great part about this for someone like us, is that ten by ten we’re watching all of

these other cookie-cutter companies just fall away.

“We are the oldest brand out there; we are the founders of this…and we fully intend to be the first man on and the last man standing…no matter what.”

The pair were criticised early on for their consumer-first approach, with other brands accusing them of ‘screwing up the industry’ by rigorously testing their e-liquids.

However, it’s those brands that didn’t

products…the ones that were made right.”

As the ‘founding fathers of modern e-liquid’ Jeff and Tom are renowned for their ride or die approach to business, funnelling almost every penny and profit back into Innevape from the very beginning.

Jeff said: “Way back in the day, Tom and I were paying tens of thousands of dollars for people to come down and simply tell us how to do stuff…that’s money we could have put in our pockets.

“Then you go to the next stage and we’re building ISO facilities and sending our liquids off to make sure they’re good, nobody else was doing that, nobody was requiring that.

“That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars that we could have just taken as the owners of the company.”

They highlighted that, for the vape industry to survive, brands need to make sure their products meet the right standards and comply with FDA requirements.

take the right steps, ‘build the necessary foundations’ and ‘plan for a taller future’ that are now facing closures.

Jeff said: “There are not many companies out there that were pure and did it right from the start, but those companies are going to get rewarded for their efforts.

“The public will too, because they will end up with only the best products, the proper

“You can’t take this industry to the next level without us getting through this and I think that’s the main thing that everybody on our side of the fence needs to realise.

“We’re probably going to hone down to a few manufacturers and only the big boys will be left, and then we can start building back up from there.

“We need to break that glass ceiling if we want to be a real industry and help people quit combustible cigarettes.”

“We fully intend to be the first man on and the last man standing…no matter what.”

FIGHTING THE EUROPEAN UNION’S WAR ON VAPING

How decisions taken within the EU can affect vaping policy around the world…and why we must fight against bad regulations.

Words: Patrick Griffin and Jordan Millar

Vaping is under attack within the European Union…but how can we fight back and protect the industry?

Michael Landl, World Vapers’ Alliance Director, says that the EU is pursuing a potentially deadly, agenda-driven approach to e-cigarettes.

He told Vape Live it was vital that consumers, advocacy groups and scientists come together to encourage politicians to follow the evidence and oppose unfair and disproportionate policies.

Landl highlighted that decisions from EU policymakers had both national and international consequences, adding that ‘the EU is a very influential player worldwide when it comes to tobacco and vaping.’

He said it’s measures can become the ‘gold standard’ for regulatory bodies such as the World Health Organization, often leading to a ‘vicious circle’ of bad policies.

Fighting harmful vape laws is more important than ever, with a crucial international health summit in November having a major impact on the future of e-cigarettes and harm reduction.

Landl said lobbying politicians worked well to educate them about e-cigarettes, so that they could make substantiated policy decisions.

“Before I joined the World Vapers’ Alliance I

worked in the German parliament and I saw that if a politician receives 10 or 20 genuine emails from vapers…then they will at least start thinking about this.

“Many politicians automatically equate vaping with smoking, so they believe both require the same regulations.”

He added that it’s important we all ‘raise our voices and be heard’, underlining that we must not allow ‘our opponents to try to shame and silence us.’

“I encourage all consumers to join national and international consumer organisations so they can keep up to date on all the important developments around the world. “Another good way to engage as a citizen is to participate in consultations. That is the one opportunity where at least somebody will listen to you and read what we bring into the discussion room.”

He highlighted a very successful WVA campaign against a proposed flavour ban in the Netherlands, which attracted the country’s largest ever public response to a health issue.

The near hundred percent opposition to the ban caused the public consultation to be extended and gave vapers more time to fight the measures.

Landl pointed to shining examples like this as proof that, with the right strategies, we can still influence the EU’s position

on vaping and steer it away from harmful policy.

He stressed that a lot of people ‘just don’t know what vaping is’ and, by communicating with MEPs and getting involved in petitions and protests, we can at least ‘draw eyeballs’ to the issue.

“One of the problems is that we are in our own bubble, we talk to each other and we already agree, but it’s hard to get other people to listen.”

Fearmongering and scare stories in the mainstream media also make it difficult for MEPs to form an educated opinion on vaping, which is why it’s so ‘crucial’ that consumers and the industry speak up.

“If a politician reads five headlines about a youth epidemic, then they will believe it because they are not always an expert or they don’t care and think it’s the truth.

“Fortunately, we are seeing more and more MEPs come out in favour of vaping…or at least acknowledging that it is less harmful than smoking.

“Unfortunately, the regulations are coming fast, and we need to be patient…but I think we can make a difference.

“I’m highly convinced that we can open minds…not just for the sake of the European Union, but for the rest of the world as well.”

“I’m highly convinced that we can open minds…not just for the sake of the European Union, but for the rest of the world as well.”

VAPING: THE PUBLIC HEALTH PRIZE WAITING TO BE WON

RELX uses Vape Live platform to launch its roadmap for new and improved global regulations

Words: Jordan Millar

Global vape brand RELX used the Vape Live platform to announce its six-part roadmap for improving vaping policy around the world. It wants a unified international approach to tobacco harm reduction and urged policymakers to acknowledge science-backed evidence supporting e-cigarettes.

The ambitious plan includes allowing switching messages to be placed on vape packaging and inserts and explaining the harm reduction potential of vape products to smokers.

regulatory system, as it could give millions of people the tools to reduce tobacco-related death and disease.

He said: “From a regulatory perspective, e-cigarettes are arguably the first breakthrough innovation in the industry for many decades and they present a possible better way forward.

“The evidence has been clear for some time that, while not risk free, vaping is far less harmful than smoking.”

He said that while the concept of ‘harm reduction’ was a longestablished and widely accepted strategy for improving public health, tobacco harm reduction still remained largely controversial. The RELX roadmap wants to help regulators understand that, by applying these same harm reduction norms to e-cigarettes, many millions of lives could be saved.

John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, said e-cigarettes needed the support of governments and regulatory bodies if they were to achieve their full potential.

It also wants regulations to differentiate between vaping and smoking in public spaces and to recognise e-liquid flavours as a key factor in enabling adult smokers to switch.

Robert Naouss, External Affairs Director for RELX, said it was crucial to consider the ‘potential public health benefits’ of a global

He said: “It is important to challenge misconceptions and misinformation while opening minds to the science, technology and designs which have been made available to adult smokers looking for better alternatives.

“We can’t allow moral or ideological divisiveness and misinformation to prevent what is undoubtably one of the greatest public health opportunities of the century…it’s a public health prize just waiting to be won.”

“We can’t allow moral or ideological divisiveness and misinformation to prevent one of the greatest public health opportunities of the century.”

Everything is cooked with the soul and coming straight from the heart. Always with that smokey taste, vegan and Gluten-free. No typical arrangements. Mellow breaks for your mind. Happy and sad feelings mixed in a smooth cocktail of everyday struggle.

New range / flavour concentrates

DOGGY STYLE

All named after famous dogs around the world. Dogs illustrations are created by Nika - a young tattoo artist from Riga. Flavours mixed with the soul by our in-house mixologist.

What you get is:

10 ml of concentrate flavouring for DIY mixing inside a 100 ml mixing bottle. Recommended ratio - 10 ml flavour to 100 ml base.

TIME FOR CHANGE

The vape industry must stop communicating only with itself and urgently start talking to smokers instead.

Words: Patrick Griffin and Jordan Millar

The UK’s e-cigarette industry must evolve in order to communicate effectively with the country’s 6.9 million smokers, Vape Live was told.

Our global online expo heard that there was a growing disconnect amongst smokers about the relative risks of combustible tobacco and vaping.

Evapo CEO Andrej Kuttruf said the vape industry must do more to end the confusion so that smokers would be more likely to switch.

Andrej said: “The perception of the harm of e-cigarettes versus cigarettes has gone up so more people are confused about the risks.

“We know that when people are unclear about the relative harm of e-cigarettes compared with smoking that they are less likely to take up vaping.”

He highlighted that traditional pre-COVID expos were a great platform to communicate with other people in the community… but failed to appeal to smokers.

Andrej added: “We now need to adjust as a business. We need to try to embrace smokers much more and make a greater effort to reach out to them and educate them about vaping. “We still have work to do as an industry and a bit of growing up if we’re to reach out to smokers more.

“Events like Vape Live can allow us to help smokers quit by showing them the potential of vaping, as well as all the other alternative nicotine products that can get people off cigarettes.”

Damien Bovė from Adact Medical said the message that vaping is an alternative to smoking must not get lost.

He said: “People don’t just vape for the sake of vaping…there will always be a percentage of the population who wants to consume nicotine and that should be the discussion.

“We must get the message across that, in comparison to smoking, vaping is streets ahead.”

Andrej said the year of lockdowns has highlighted the resilience of an industry which is now finally re-engaging with customers.

“I think lots of smokers were evaluating their health during the pandemic and it would have been vital to have vape shops there to support that journey,” he said.

“The resilience we have shown and how businesses have adapted is amazing.

“Customers are coming back and this is a testimony to the help and value we provide to smokers.”

Vape Club founder Dan Marchant said he is delighted that the NHS is now actively encouraging smokers to vape and praised the ongoing clinical study into the health effects of switching. He said: “It’s very common that the good news and positive messages about vaping come from within the industry…so you can understand that smokers may take that with a pinch of salt.

“But when the message is from your doctor, your nurse or your GP, it comes with a lot more trust.

“I think that can really help a lot of smokers, who have been bombarded with all the misinformation about vaping, to start to shift their perception.”

Andrej said the UK led the world when it came to embracing vaping as an alternative to smoking.

He said: “We have the highest penetration of vaping amongst smokers, as well as the fastest decline of smoking rates in Europe and that’s down to seeing vaping as a part of the solution.”

Damien also praised the UK’s ‘rational approach’ to vaping policy adding: “We’re fortunate that we have a sensible narrative from regulators and that makes me proud.”

“We must get the message across that in comparison to smoking, vaping is streets ahead.”

NICOTINE AND THE NEW DRUG WAR

Harry Shapiro took aim at the WHO and US NGOs at Vape Live

Words: Gordon Stribling

Author of the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction report, Harry Shapiro took aim at the World Health Organization in his Vape Live keynote speech.

He said the UN agency had been slow to get on board with drug and HIV harm reduction and he doesn’t hold out much hope when it comes to vaping either.

Shapiro said if the WHO saw any validly in vaping it all, it was as a cessation product but said those who had transitioned from smoking often saw it as a reduced risk alternative to enjoying nicotine.

He said the narrative should focus on “harm reduction and not nicotine elimination” adding that the WHO was taking a moralist standpoint in a doomed bid to “eliminate nicotine from the social and cultural landscape.”

Meanwhile he said Bloomberg-funded NGOs were influencing tobacco control policies well beyond America’s borders in the hope that recipient countries would take the easy route of just banning everything.

“In some of these countries, particularly in Asia, it is not in the interests of very large, state tobacco companies to have a wide-open market in disruptive and innovative products that they don’t produce themselves.

“There are a lot of moral arguments, bad science and geopolitics involved in all of this.”

Around eight million people die every year from tobaccorelated diseases. However, despite increasing restrictions,

tobacco control is doing very little to stem the tide. The UK, US and others reported a spike in new tobacco users during COVID lockdown last year. Harry believes that the WHO’s unwillingness to endorse vaping comes from a feeling that it has been left behind.

He said: “It upsets its sense of purpose to have a substantial slice of non-communicable disease health policy taken out of its hands.

“It will do everything to keep hold of it and making sure countries ban these disruptive products is the method of doing so.”

With the WHO and powerful NGOs intent on taking a prohibitionist approach to vaping, Harry believes that consumers must stand up for vaping.

Harry believes that rather than taking an individualist, rights stance, vapers should push the public health message and also drive home that vaping can be an alternative to smoking and not purely a cessation product.

“The thing people need to realise is that as people can consume caffeine without any desperate ill long-term effects, the same applies to nicotine. It is a relatively benign substance compared to all the crap that you get when you set fire to cigarettes.

keep pushing that message, either through your vaping association or just on an individual basis...keep putting the pressure on.”

“So

“Nicotine is a relatively benign substance compared to all the crap that you get when you set fire to cigarettes.”

Join the UKVIA

Become a member of the UK’s largest and fastest growing trade body representing the vaping industry.

We are a fully inclusive, non-profit organisation owned and run by its members, with a wide range of membership levels to suit your business and your budget.

So why should you join?

• Support from an ever-growing network of industry leaders & regulatory specialists.

• Strengthened by our global alliances with the leading international trade bodies.

• Engagement with political, regulatory and public health stakeholders.

• Added credibility for your business as a recognised member and feature prominently on our members area and store finder.

• Exclusive access to a members resource hub and chat group.

• Free age verification resources and member discounts.

...and much more

Being a member of the UKVIA enables VPZ to be part of the wider engagement and education around the vaping industry with public health bodies and beyond by working together with other likeminded and professional companies that are part of the sector. UKVIA provides a great platform to help realise the the evidence-based life changing public health benefits of vaping products.

Doug

Mutter, UKVIA Board Member and Manufacturing and Compliance Director at VPZ

For more information contact info@ukvia.co.uk or visit www.ukvia.co.uk

TAKING PICTURES OF YOU

Are you pictured here on our Vape Live gallery… or is there anyone you recognise?

Everyone wants to be a cover star…and we let you feature on a virtual cover of Vapouround Magazine at our most recent Vape Live event.

The virtual photo booth was a huge hit with people all over the world and we thank everyone who took part.

We had great fun looking at the creative ways people from all over the world chose to personalise their very own Vapouround front page.

During the three-day event we highlighted some of our favourite shots on our social media platforms, but in case you missed it, here is another selection of pictures.

If you missed out last time, then the good news is that we are bringing back the virtual photo booth for our next Vape Live event which will take place between July 28-30.

We look forward to seeing you there.

At Vapouround, we’ve got you covered.

HOW VAPING CHANGED OUR LIVES

Former smokers from around the world celebrated the one thing that helped them quit…many after a lifetime of failed attempts.

People from around the globe came together on Sunday, May 30 to celebrate World Vape Day 2021. The international event brought some of the industry’s biggest names together to highlight the power for good that vaping has become.

It called on organisations, advocates and consumers to #GotheExtraMile for the reduced risk alternative.

The World Vapers’ Alliance were livestreaming on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, and opened their coverage with a vape trick show which showcased how, behind all the politics, vaping can also be turned into an art form.

However, the focus of the event was the huge role that vaping plays in tobacco harm reduction, with the life-saving technology already helping millions of people move away from cigarettes.

WVA Director Michael Landl recounted his own experience with vaping, highlighting how making the switch was

one of the best decisions he ever made. He said: “I thought I would be a lifelong smoker until I visited a vape shop in Vienna.

“Within one week I was a non-smoker…it was a miracle.

regulations were being made by people who didn’t understand the benefits of the reduced risk alternative.

He quit his job to join the World Vapers’ Alliance and dedicated his life to helping other smokers take back control of their health and move away from the deadly habit.

Advocacy groups the world over are constantly standing against poor policy and Landl called on consumers to join the fight.

He said: “We have held many campaigns and see that we can make a difference… although it’s very hard work.

“And from that moment onwards I became a vaper and wanted to do everything I could to promote it to others.”

Landl explained that he was working in the German Parliament when he realised

“But it is clear that the more of us there are and the louder we speak…the harder it is for politicians to ignore the voices of vapers.”

Former smokers, advocates and supporters have now taken to social media to tell their switching stories and share how vaping helped reshape their lives for the better.

The more of us there are and the louder we speak…the harder it is for politicians to ignore the voices of vapers.

Words: Patrick Griffin and Jordan Millar

“ “

‘OH MY GOD… VAPING IS GOING TO KILL EVERYONE!’

How Canada lost the plot and let fear take over when it comes to regulating a life-saving industry

Words: Patrick Griffin

Canadian regulators have switched from embracing vaping to demonising it, an international World Vape Day audience was told. Vape advocate Maria Papaioannoy said there were so many provincial, municipal and federal regulations in Canada that it was difficult to keep up with them all.

Maria, from Rights4Vapers, Canada, said: “There are so many different regulations now, it seems like every time you wake up there is a new one.

“There has been such a shift into the fear and moral panic around vaping over the last two years.

“It is heart-breaking to see because this is not the Canada that embraces harm-reduction.”

She told a livestream event, hosted by the World Vapers’ Alliance, that Canadian regulators once hailed vaping as a great product that would help the government meet its goal to become smoke-free by 2035.

Maria said: “Now we have shifted to an attitude of ‘Oh my God. This is the worst thing ever and it is going to kill everybody…it’s worse than smoking’.”

She said the government only listened to those that say vaping is harmful and is ‘systematically excluding’ those that say otherwise from the conversation.

Maria added: “They are not listening to us and are creating laws and regulations based on make believe.

“However, we will continue to speak up. Group activism where we respond in a thoughtful, smart and aggressive manner does lead to change.”

She praised vaping as “the best invention of this Century”, adding: “When you have a disruptive product entering the marketplace then, no matter how good it is, you are going to have to fight.

“I believe we will prevail around the world because every single person who is fighting for access to vaping products has spent a lifetime marginalised for their addiction.

“But we will be shamed no longer…we quit smoking our way and we are proud to have done so.”

“They are not listening to us and are creating laws and regulations based on make believe.”

TIME FOR OPTIMISM

HOW VAPING IS CHANGING THE WORLD

Advocacy leaders from all corners of the globe came together on World Vape Day 2021 to discuss the global state of tobacco harm reduction.

Words: Jordan Millar and Patrick Griffin

The vaping community stretches across the globe, with millions of people from diverse backgrounds and cultures using the life-saving technology to quit smoking.

Liza Katsiashvili, Community Manager for the World Vapers’ Alliance, spoke to advocacy leaders from around the world about the state of tobacco harm reduction in their countries, as well as their vaping success stories.

Kurt Yeo – Vaping Saved My Life, South Africa

Kurt stressed that unfounded regulations in South Africa could devastate harm reduction efforts, leaving smokers without the necessary tools to move away from cigarettes.

He said: “There are plans that would take away the rights of vapers and we have to raise our voices to oppose this.

“We are not anti-regulation, we welcome them… as long as they are backed by robust science and evidence.

“However, we have not seen that this has been part of the current process.”

His organisation continues to stand against proposed regulatory changes in South Africa, including marketing bans, packaging limitations and vape-free zones.

Kurt praised World Vape Day for giving advocates a platform to promote the massive public health potential of vaping.

He said: “This is incredibly important to us as it gives us a chance to talk about this life-saving technology that can benefit many millions of people around the world.

“We have literally gained our lives back by moving away from harmful tobacco and we should be proud of that.”

Joseph Magero – Campaign for a Safe Alternative, Africa

Joseph highlighted that the main challenge has been getting policymakers to understand what vaping is and to realise that it’s not nicotine that harms smokers.

He said: “If we can explain this then we may get fairer regulations, but it is not easy to sit down with members of parliament to explain what vaping is.

“It is a slow process, but we will take it one country at a time.”

Joseph stressed that while promoting vaping in Africa is ‘getting tougher’, he is still confident about the future of tobacco harm reduction.

He said: “More and more people are picking up vaping and we’re seeing steady growth.

“What makes me hopeful is that a few policymakers have begun to understand what vaping is and we’re now seeing countries develop regulations that are optimistic.”

Danny Wang – Vape Taiwan

E-cigarettes are banned in Taiwan, with strict draft regulations leaving millions of smokers without proven reduced risk products. Danny Wang of Vape Taiwan said it’s vital for vapers to stand up for their rights and support the industry to protect public health.

The science and real-world examples have shown that stringent and unsubstantiated regulations can force consumers to buy their vape products from the black market.

He said: “Our government is trying to ban the production, importation, sale and use of vaping.

“But as more people support the idea of tobacco harm reduction, the government will have to consider this issue very carefully so as not to upset a large section of the population.”

Cristiano Batista – APORVAP, Portugal

Cristiano stressed how dangerous Portugal’s high vape taxes can be for smokers, saying that they will be forced to look for alternatives that ‘aren’t always safe.’

He said: “If you think about Portugal, it’s this small country in the corner of Europe, it was never supposed to be the leader in anything. “But when it comes to vaping, Portugal is certainly the leader for excise tax.”

We are not anti regulation, we welcome them… as long as they are backed by robust science and evidence.

“ “

Cristiano explained that he will not stop campaigning for vaping and will continue to stand against bad policy.

He said: “We need to reduce the excessive rates of taxation in Portugal, and this is the biggest battle that we have to win.

“We have been in parliament, trying to make them understand how unfair and unreasonable the situation is.”

Ordonez & Ignacio Leiva Benitez – Asovape, Colombia & Asovape, Chile

Ignacio said it has been a tough year for vaping, with policymakers trying to regulate e-cigarettes in the same way as tobacco products. Politicians can often be guided by misinformation and fake news, so Ignacio called on vapers to support the industry and change the tide of global tobacco harm reduction.

He said: “Fortunately, our association has been able to meet and talk with many senators, to give them hard information and hopefully stop these very bad laws.”

Ignacio also commended those who are already standing against poor policy, saying that the vape war is being fought in every country around the world.

Francisco said it’s important for ‘associations to integrate’ if we are to successfully promote e-cigarettes as a reduced risk alternative.

He said: “The different politicians don’t believe in the harm reduction benefits of vaping…so the union between organisations needs to be strong.

“Tobacco harm reduction is important for the quality of life for smokers, which is a human right.”

Francisco

WHY IS IT WORTH GOING THE EXTRA MILE FOR VAPING?

Harm reduction advocates from across the globe came together at World Vape Day 2021 for a landmark vaping roundtable.

Words: Gordon Stribling

With an endless stream of scare-stories, fearmongering and bad science, vape advocacy can often feel like a full-time job.

Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, hosted a roundtable with some of the most passionate and prominent harm reduction advocates in the world. Here’s what they had to say:

Bernd Mayer, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Graz

Bernd has faced resistance from the public health community for speaking out in support of vaping.

He believes that many who stand against him are ignoring the scientific research from the UK. Bernd highlighted that much of the ‘evidence’ used against vaping is either cherry-picked or gleaned from questionable sources. He said: “It is crazy and

precipitous…you can count the pro-vaping people in science and medicine on one hand…but all the rest are against.”

Yaël Ossowski, Deputy Director of the Consumer Choice Center

Yaël, alongside the CCC, aims to empower consumers to raise their voices, saying that the overregulated vaping industry is wrongly limiting consumer freedoms.

Despite a major backlash from harm reduction advocates, the World Health Organization has adopted a broad stroke approach to everything it deems to be tobacco.

Yaël stressed that it’s smokers who pay the price for the health body’s lack of nuance. He said: “Their agenda has nothing to do with public health and has everything to do with the eradication of private enterprises that are solving many of these problems.”

Minton, Senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute

Being featured in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, Michelle is often looked to for her regulatory expertise.

She highlighted the current state of the US vaping industry, saying that she doesn’t have high hopes for the future under President Joe Biden and the ‘old school drug warrior’ Vice President Kamala Harris.

Michelle said: “There’s usually a small number of people with strong opinions who everyone else just follows. “Either because they don’t have the time to look into the issue on their own, or they don’t want to make waves.”

Chris is one of the most active vape advocates on social media, regularly speaking out against government overreach and unfounded ‘science’.

He criticised regulators who are willing to ‘compromise’ and exclude tobacco flavours from bans, despite the fact that they are just like any other e-liquid.

He said: “If you get rid of flavours, you fundamentally change the appeal of the product…I’m not sure if everyone involved in these policies gets that.”

Nick ‘Grimm’ Green is one of the most famous and wellrespected names in the world of vaping, with almost 400 thousand subscribers regularly flocking to his YouTube channel.

He explained that, following the PMTA process, the future US vape market could look very different.

He highlighted that, with millions of applications at the FDA’s doors, at least some flavoured products should be approved.

Nick also opened up about what it means to hear from former smokers who he helped make the switch.

He said: “When I get to talk to people who say, ‘I bought this device on your recommendation and haven’t had a cigarette in two weeks,’ that’s gold for me…it’s why I do what I do.”

Michelle

GrimmGreen

Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics for the Institute of Economic Affairs

It is crazy and precipitous…you can count the pro-vaping people in science and medicine on one hand…but all the rest are against.

“ “

A WAR ON TOBACCO IS A WAR ON CONSUMERS

Are we heading to a world where tobacco users will be treated the same way as cocaine and heroin addicts are now?

Words: Patrick Griffin

The war on drugs is being replaced by a war on tobacco and it is consumers who are being targeted, World Vape Day was told. Drug policy reform advocate Ethan Nadelmann warned that if the trend continues at its current pace, nicotine could soon be demonised in the same way as cocaine or heroin.

He said: “My fear is that 20 years from now when people talk about the war on drugs, they will be talking about a war on tobacco and on nicotine.

“It will be a war where we are replacing drug testing for marijuana and cocaine with drug testing for nicotine-based products.

“We will be replacing the stigmatisation of cannabis users and other illicit drug users with the stigmatisation and demonisation

of all nicotine consumers, not just combustible cigarette smokers.

“When you look at the proliferation of bans on flavours or on all nicotine devices, alongside what is beginning to happen with combustible cigarette products, you see a real creeping criminalisation going on here.”

He said it was widely accepted that harm reduction made sense arguing that, with something as deadly as smoking, it made even more sense to replace cigarettes with modern reducedrisk alternatives.

Nadelmann added: “I have spent decades of my life working increasingly successfully for the legalisation of marijuana where we now see the rolling back of the wider war on drugs.

“So I’ll be damned if this is going to be replaced by a war on tobacco products, which really means a war on tobacco consumers and anybody involved in this area.”

He said that plans from the US to ban menthol cigarettes may sound good from a public health standpoint, but are destined to fail because banning something was not the same as making it go away.

Nadelmann added: “The market persists so it will mean pushing millions of people into a black market that may have disastrous consequences.

He was critical of members of the liberal left, who supported his efforts to legalise medical marijuana but held the opposite view when it came to reduced risk nicotine products.

The Drug Policy Alliance founder said: “I am upset that many people on the left, liberal side of the political spectrum have been caught up in this hysteria where nicotine products, which obviously represent a significant advance in public health, are being banned.

“I can guarantee that if and when these tobacco nicotine products become criminalised, it will be poor people and poor people of colour in the US and most other countries around the world who will be disproportionately targeted.”

He said before we know it, we will be replacing a health problem with a “massive justice and criminalisation problem” unless urgent action is taken to stop this happening.

“When you look at the proliferation of bans on all nicotine devices…you see a real creeping criminalisation going on here.”

SMOKING KILLS AS MANY BRITS AS COVID

The UK must move ‘further and faster’ in the fight against tobacco in order to prevent an ongoing death toll of coronavirus proportions, MPs have warned.

The influential All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health also wants the government to launch a consultation over raising the age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21. It says urgent action is needed now if we are to stop smokers dying at coronavirus proportions for years to come.

The MP’s said: “In 2020 COVID-19 killed

around 80,000 people prematurely in the UK.

“Smoking kills on the same scale every year and will continue to do so for many years to come unless we make it obsolete.

“We are taking the necessary steps to end the coronavirus pandemic and we must do the same for smoking.”

The APPG says the government must commit now to taking the tough actions needed to secure its targets for a Smokefree 2030. It also recommends that vaping should play a key part in

helping smokers quit such as: Standardising access to stop smoking services including vaping.

Providing e-cigarette vouchers to smokers, especially in social groups known to have a high smoking prevalence.

Ensuring young people and “never smokers” do not start vaping and Addressing common misperceptions about vape products, such as the mistaken belief they are “as harmful as cigarettes”.

UK Vaping Industry Association Director

Words : Patrick Griffin and Jordan Millar

General John Dunne applauded the recommendations.

He said: “We are pleased to see among the recommendations, proposals for the expanded use of e-cigarettes, which have been proven to be the most effective quit method.

“The government’s smoke free targets can be put firmly back on track by encouraging more of the UK’s seven million smokers to consider vaping as a method of quitting conventional cigarettes.

“We watch with interest to see how the APPG on Smoking and Health’s recommendations are received by Government.”

The APPG wants its recommendations included in the government’s forthcoming Tobacco Control Plan, citing overwhelming public support to end smoking. It said: “Action to end

smoking is both needed and wanted, with three quarters of the public supporting both the ambition and Government action to deliver it.

“As a world leader in tobacco control, our nation quite rightly seeks to be among the first in the world to end the tobacco epidemic.”

The MPs have set out a dozen recommendations to end the smoking epidemic, including new legislation to force tobacco manufacturers pay into a fund to end smoking in the UK.

The recommendations are set out in the APPG’s ‘Delivering a Smokefree 2030’ report which also calls for extra funding in areas and communities where smoking rates are highest.

Regions with large numbers of manual jobs, high unemployment rates and areas with a lot of social housing are among those where extra funding

should be targeted.

All-party committee chairman, Bob Blackman, said: “Tobacco manufacturers make extreme profits selling highly addictive, lethal products, while government coffers are bare because of COVID-19.

“The manufacturers have the money, they should be made to pay to end the epidemic.”

Action on Smoking and Health chief executive Deborah Arnott said the time had now come to deliver on the government’s smokefree targets and urgent action was needed to do so.

Alison Cook, director of external affairs at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said: “Without action now, we will continue to see thousands of people die every year as a result of preventable lung diseases linked to smoking.”

We are taking the necessary steps to end the coronavirus pandemic and we must do the same for smoking.

“

“

TEEN BLASTED WITH 50,000 VOLTS FOR VAPING

Words: Jordan Millar

Alarming footage of police tasing a teenage boy for allegedly vaping in public has sparked outrage around the world.

A group of Maryland officers was filmed ‘violently’ arresting the 18-year-old after claims he was asked to stop vaping on the Ocean City boardwalk.

Witnesses say the police instructed the teen, Taizier Griffin, to remove his backpack and lie on the ground, but tased and hog-tied him when he reached for his bag.

Officials say Griffin was resisting arrest, however, video shows that he appears to be fully complying with the officers at the time.

Griffin’s mother said her son was ‘extremely scared’ after the incident, highlighting that she’s ‘never seen police do that.’

However, just six days later, a group of four teens was arrested on the same boardwalk for allegedly ignoring the ban on vaping.

One of the boys involved claims he was tased, while another, Brian Anderson, was pinned down and repeatedly kneed in the side by an officer.

Ocean City officials said that ‘officers are

permitted to use force, per their training, to overcome exhibited resistance,’ but many are questioning why the police took such aggressive steps to enforce the boardwalk’s vaping regulations.

One angry Twitter user said: “The police brutality videos emerging out of Ocean

answers.”

Both of the arrests are now under review, with officials saying they are aware of public concerns surrounding the incidents and that the police department’s ‘first priority is to protect and serve.’

Vaping advocates have raised concerns that widespread bans and overly stringent restrictions can lead to arrests like this, urging policymakers to review how they regulate reduced risk products.

Yaël Ossowski of the Consumer Choice Center said: “The MORE you ban and demonize ordinary consumer products, the MORE police interactions you condone.

“We don’t need more situations like this…Let People Live.”

The consumer group Rights4Vapers also commented on the events, tweeting: “We cannot let vapers be criminalized. “Vaping is not a crime.”

City are unreal.

“Tasing, knees to the ribs, aggressive takedowns and hold tactics for VAPING?!

“Nothing more than a ticket should be enforced here…as a Marylander I need

Footage of the ‘disturbing’ events has been viewed millions of times online, with critics calling out the Ocean City Police Department for the ‘violent’ arrests. Here’s what some had to say:

Fury online after Maryland police tase a teen for allegedly vaping.

Getting arrested over vaping is probably way riskier than a lifetime of vaping in itself.

“

“

Words: Jamie Morris

Five local authorities in England have banned smoking in outdoor eating areas, with more councils likely to follow suit.

While none of the measures extend to e-cigarettes, there are fears that many pubs, restaurants and cafés may decide to ban vaping too.

Mark Oates, director of We Vape, said it may be easier for establishments to simply ban vaping and smoking as many already do.

He said: “The Government should be mandating councils to use safer alternatives to smoking, such as e-cigarettes, in all smoking cessation centres.

“Instead, it has failed to act in this regard and passed on draconian powers to local authorities to ban people smoking outdoors.”

Manchester, Durham, Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland county have all banned smoking in hospitality areas and on pavements, as well as outside pubs, restaurants and bars.

Meanwhile, in Gateshead, all new pavement licences insist that outside hospitality areas must be smoke free.

Oxfordshire is also planning an outdoor smoking ban as part of its aim to become the UK’s first ever smoke-free county.

It has set an ambitious smoke-free target of 2025 - five years ahead of the government’s own goals for the country.

In Sheffield, where an outdoor smoking ban is being considered, councillor Joe Otten said this must not extend to e-cigarettes.

He said: “Vaping should be allowed, because it is the switch from smoking to vaping that has delivered the bulk of the public health gain of recent years.”

England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty predicts that deaths from smoking this year are likely to be higher than COVID deaths.

Action on Smoking and Health Chief Executive Deborah Arnott said: “Our surveys show that two-thirds of the public want areas outside pubs and cafes to be smoke-free.

“People complain a lot that if they go outside, they have to sit among smokers.”

The Government should be mandating councils to use safer alternatives to smoking such as e-cigarettes.

“

“

SHORTFILLS

ENDS Europe Online 2021 took place between April 20 and 21 and brought together an unrivalled group of experts from all sectors of the industry.

With 120 delegates, it was the most well attended event to date and the pages that follow will focus on some of the highlights from the two days.

CHALLENGING TIMES

UKVIA Director General John Dunne said ENDS Europe was testament to how the industry has “adapted and modified” over the past year.

He said the conference topics had been chosen to be as relevant as possible in what had been an ‘extremely challenging’ time for the industry. John said the enforced vape shop closures in the UK had led to ‘a good number of people returning to smoking’ and temporarily taken away the vital educational role that specialist stores play.

FOCUS ON THE PLEASURE

Politicians and regulators should view vaping as a consumer alternative to smoking rather than a quitting aid, the ENDS conference heard.

Clive Bates from The counterfactual said: “Vaping is a consumer alternative to smoking - a pleasurable and appealing alternative.

“Consumers value e-cigarettes, not as a medicine, but as a rival marketing proposition to cigarettes.

“In regulatory terms, we must degrade the value proposition for smoking and improve the value proposition for vaping to get people to move from one to the other.”

WHY FLAVOURS MATTER

Flavoured e-liquids are absolutely critical in enabling adult smokers to switch away from cigarettes, the ENDS conference was told.

Jonathan Ng, the Global Head of External Affairs at RELX International, said: “Flavours are critical in enabling adult smokers to switch away from cigarettes.

“They provide adult smokers with more options and increase the chances that they will find it easier to transition away from smoking.

“Numerous independent studies have found that flavours are central for smokers to switch away from combustible cigarettes and in preventing relapse back to smoking.”

REMOTE POD LOCKING

Chinese vape giants RELX have developed a ‘remote locking’ system so you can disable your vape pod if you leave it at home. The feature means that children would not be able to use the device if they found it.

The app-based technology also means buyers must use an online age-verification process to unlock their new pods.

Jonathan Ng, from RELX International, said: “We are constantly working on enhancing this technology and we hope to be able to introduce a better version in future devices.”

SMALL IS THE NEW BIG

More vapers than ever before are switching to smaller pod devices, with open systems proving highly popular.

ECigIntelligence managing director Tim Phillips said the trend was being seen around the globe, as consumers opt for the convenience of more compact hardware.

He said: “The increasing capacity and strength of smaller sized batteries has enabled pods to produce the kinds of vapour that only the bigger open systems could once do.”

NIC SALTS ‘INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT’

Nicotine salts are becoming an increasingly important part of the vape market, according to ECigIntelligence MD Tim Phillips. He said US data has revealed a greater demand for lower strength nic salts from consumers, as the performance of vape hardware continues to improve.

Tim said: “We are seeing a decline in nicotine concentration, which is very counter intuitive to some of the media discussion about nicotine that’s going on in the US at the moment.”

GLOBAL HEATING INCREASE

Heated tobacco products are slowly moving from Asian markets, into Europe and the rest of the world.

Tim Phillips, from ECigIntelligence, said he believed that the heated tobacco and vape markets had the potential to work well together. He told the ENDS conference: “Heated tobacco is not cannibalising vape sales, but they actually appear to be boosting them to the detriment of combustible tobacco.

“We see some anecdotal evidence of this from Greece and are starting to see it in some other markets too.”

ENDS WITH BENEFITS

Behavioural research expert Dr Christopher Russell told the ENDS conference that companies needed to produce hard data to get their products approved for sale in the US.

Dr Russell explained the level of detail needed to show regulators that their products would be appropriate for the protection of public health. The director of Russell Barnett Research and Consultancy

said new ENDS devices must “significantly reduce” harm to individual tobacco users and also demonstrate a “net benefit to the health of the whole population.”

EXPERT HELP NEEDED

The proposed European Cancer Plan was criticised at the ENDS conference for equating smoking with vaping.

Dustin Dahlmann, President of German e-cigarette industry association IEVA, said EU regulators needed to understand that tobacco harm reduction was a key part of achieving their goals.

He said: “I encourage experts in the field of vaping to reach out to European parliament members of their member state to inform them about the harm reduction potential of vaping.”

WE’LL BOUNCE BACK

The EU vape industry will bounce back from the COVID crisis and could grow by up to 20 percent next year, the ENDS conference was told.

Dustin Dahlmann, from the German e-cigarette industry association IEVA, said the European industry was well-positioned to recover from the sales restrictions and lockdowns.

He said: “We expect vaping as a tobacco harm reduction tool for adult smokers to bounce back to solid growth, comparable to those seen in 2019 by summer, and about 15 to 20 percent growth in 2022.”

Free e-cigarettes for UK smokers

Smokers

attending the emergency departments of five UK hospitals will be given free e-cigs in a trial designed to help them quit, reports ECigIntelligence.

It seems hard to imagine now, but it’s not so many years ago (in the UK, at least) that one might slip out of a ward into the hospital corridor to smoke. More recently, you would have found the smokers congregating outside the hospital entrance. Now, almost anywhere in the grounds might be a smoke-free zone.

The link – or rather the opposition – between smoking and health is pretty clear and hard to avoid. You won’t see anyone lighting up in the A&E waiting area. Or if you do, they’re apt to be dealt with quickly and firmly.

And one of the ways they might be dealt with is by being offered free e-cigarettes.

This may seem strange, eccentric – even downright reckless – to people like Reina Roa, praised by the World Heart Foundation as “a trailblazer in tobacco control” and a leading negotiator behind the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Roa, a professor of epidemiology and expert adviser to the Panamanian Ministry of Health, was the driving force behind last week’s decision by Panama’s National Assembly Health Committee not to approve a bill to legalise e-cigarettes.

This refusal leaves open ground for familiar arguments about the relative perils of a black

market rather than a regulated one, and whether denying them access to alternatives will keep smokers smoking.

And there is certainly a wide middle ground between Roa’s absolutism and the vape-friendly approach of the British health establishment –equally extreme in world terms – that hands out free e-cigs at hospitals.

Five UK hospitals, in London, Edinburgh, Leicester and Norwich, are engaging in a 30-month trial in which smokers will be randomly assigned to groups given either stop-smoking advice or free e-cig starter packs.

One of the trial leaders, Ian Pope of the Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia (UEA), said around a quarter of the 24m people who visit Accident & Emergency departments in the UK each year are current smokers.

His colleague Professor Caitlin Notley explained further: “Many people who smoke want to quit, but find it difficult to succeed in the long term. Electronic cigarettes mimic the experience of cigarette smoking because they are hand-held and generate a smoke-like vapour when used.

“They can be an attractive option for helping people switch from smoking, even if they have tried and failed in the past. We know that they are much less harmful than smoking tobacco, and that they have been shown to help smokers quit.”

Dr Roa and many others on the sceptical, antagonistic or merely more cautious side –including, for now at least, the WHO – might beg to differ.

ECigIntelligence is the leading provider of detailed global market and regulatory analysis, legal tracking, and quantitative data for the e-cigarette, heated tobacco and combustible-alternatives sector worldwide.

We offer the necessary tools to navigate the complex market and regulatory landscape of this sector through independent, analytical and actionable data insights, in-depth country reports, regulatory trackers and legal analysis. In addition, we offer customised research and consultancy support.

A one-of-a-kind exhibition in its first edition, planned on the 8th and 9th of December 2021, Beverage and Tobacco Middle East combines the best of both worlds, liquor and tobacco all under the sun by the beach! Our show is unique in terms of being held open air, that avoids any kind of pressure the public shall feel exhibiting in a closed environment of an exhibition hall, due to Covid 19.

Dubai, the gateway to the Middle East and North Africa has been chosen as the central point to focus this show and invite traders, distributors and manufacturers to collect and take advantage of the opportunities in the growing economies.

THE REGULATORY BATTLEGROUND OF TOMORROW

Words: Patrick Griffin

The tobacco harm reduction industry is being warned to focus on environmental concerns to secure its long-term future.

Scientist Nveed Chaudhary predicts that environmental issues will become the ‘regulatory battleground of tomorrow’ for reduced risk products.

The Chief Regulatory Officer at Broughton Nicotine Services said it was no longer sufficient for the ENDS sector to simply concentrate on saving smokers’ lives.

He said: “We cannot fix the health issues associated with smoking cigarettes and replace that with issues affecting the health of our planet.

“While we are working on saving the lives of smokers, we are ignoring the potential issues around suffocating and choking our planet.

“I think the future regulatory battleground for ENDS will not be about tobacco harm reduction, but what I would term total harm reduction.”

He said regulators would increasingly look to balance the health benefits for smokers against the environmental impact that vaping and other reduced-risk products may have.

Chaudhary said it was vital to create products which appealed to adult smokers, but which were also more eco-friendly.

“If the ENDS category is to survive and is to

be a long-term solution for smokers, we must ensure that our future products don't end up polluting our environment in a way that cigarette butts do today,” he said.

“From a very early stage in product development, manufacturers must consider the environmental impact of the materials disposed of at the end of product life cycles.

“We must consider the total harm reduction equation, basically providing solutions for smokers, but at the same time ensuring that our planet doesn't suffer as a result.

“I think regulation-endorsed total harm reduction is probably where we have to be in the future with regards to ENDS products.”

While we are working on saving the lives of smokers, we are ignoring the potential issues around suffocating and choking our planet.

ENDS industry told it must focus on total harm reduction and become increasingly more eco-friendly to survive long term.

FIGHTING FOR FLAVOUR FREEDOM

Vapers have a crucial role to play in standing against flavour bans and securing the future of the industry, Mark Oates told this year’s ENDS conference.

Words: Jordan Millar

What does the future look like for the global vaping industry and what can consumers do to fight against poor policy?

At this year’s ENDS conference, Mark Oates of We Vape explained why flavour bans leave a bad taste in consumers’ mouths.

He said that, while evidence supports vaping as a successful quitting aid, governments across the globe continue to implement ‘deeply worrying’ policies.

Despite playing a crucial role in helping smokers kick the habit, the endless scare stories and misinformation have left policymakers sceptical of flavoured e-liquids.

Mark highlighted Nova Scotia, which saw a huge surge in cigarette sales after it introduced a flavour ban.

He said limiting access to less harmful products would drive smokers onto the black market or back to cigarettes.

“It’s madness…we don’t want to encourage our citizens to be in a situation where they are pushed towards the black market,” said Mark.

“It’s bad policy in a number of areas from the government.”

Mark explained that governments need to allow smokers the freedom to make the switch and take back control of their health through reduced risk alternatives.

He said: “In all of this there’s just one basic premise…consumers

should have the right to access these products.

“People should be free to do as they please and ironically, these flavours are going to prolong people’s lives.”

Mark called on vapers to ‘stand up and be heard’, saying that “nothing scares politicians more than experts and people power… so those two combined can have a real effect.”

He said: “Consumers have a vital role to play…so every time the government asks for a consultation or puts forward a proposal, please send in your views.

“Let’s keep fighting for flavours across the world.”

In all of this there’s just one basic premise…consumers should have the right to access these products.

““

THE BIG PICTURE

Words: Patrick Griffin

The UK is to host its biggest and most extensive research program into the effectiveness of e-cigarettes to help smokers quit.

The ‘Big Vape Study’ will look at how successful different types of vaping products are in helping smokers initially switch and stay off cigarettes.

It is being spearheaded by Gabe Barnard who heads the business development team at the Centre for Substance Use Research in Glasgow.

A similar project is also being planned for the USA and researchers believe the results will provide valuable data to help companies seeking approval for their products.

The UK study will collect data on the rates of smoking cessation, smoking reduction and changes in intentions to quit by smokers who chose vaping as a means of switching.

Barnard said: “The e-cigarette marketplace is one of large and increasing variety of shapes, sizes,

designs, textures, flavours and nicotine strengths.

“It's likely that e-cigarettes differ in their effectiveness in addressing smoking cessation and in reducing cigarette consumption.

“It is also likely that different e-cigarette products appeal to different groups of smokers, so we want to determine to what extent do different e-cigarettes meet the needs of different smoker groups.”

The study will recruit 20,000 adult smokers who will buy their first vape products either online, from vape stores or via kiosks and non-specialist retail establishments.

The UKVIA played a key role in liaising with the industry to help the team do the vital groundwork and get the study up and running.

The survey will take place over a year, with participants reporting on their progress every two months.

Barnard added: “The Big Vape Study

will be the largest study of established current smokers for new users of an e-cigarette ever undertaken in the UK, far eclipsing the size of data collected in any of the national publicly-funded surveys.

“We are also now in the process of planning the development of the Big Vape Survey US - a study of the effectiveness of individual e-cigarettes sold on the American market.”

The Big Vape Study will be the largest study of established current smokers for new users of an e-cigarette ever undertaken in the UK.

An army of 20,000 new vapers will be quizzed for a year about their switch from smoking to determine just how effective e-cigarettes really are.

“

“

IECIE SHANGHAI

Shanghai New International Expo Center May 18-20, 2021

As one of the biggest vaping expos the world over, IECIE Shanghai has become an iconic and highly-anticipated event on the vape calendar.

With tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of exhibitors in attendance, this played a key part of the 2021 IECIE Shanghai Vape Culture Week.

A spokesperson for the show said: “IECIE Shanghai has been dedicated to expanding the development of the e-cigarette market in mainland China since 2018.”

Look out for our full report of the three-day event in our next edition.

Words: Caroline Barry

Winning an Oscar is the dream for most actors, with celebrities from across the globe coming together to celebrate your onscreen talent…but what happens to those who don’t quite make the cut?

The 25 contenders for this year’s best actor, actress, director, supporting actor and supporting actress each walked away with a swag bag worth upwards of $200,000.

Boasting everything from a four-night stay at a world-class spa, to three nights in a renovated Swedish lighthouse, the ‘Everyone Wins’ gift bags were the height of luxury and glamour.

In and amongst the enviable goodies, was a 24-karat gold vape pen courtesy of

American brand Hollowtips.

Klaudia Leal, sales director for Hollowtips, explained that being included alongside other big-name brands was a ‘dream come true’, highlighting that a number of celebrities have since visited the store and are ‘fans of the products.’

She said: “We are focused on promoting and marketing our product as high luxury.

“This was actually our second time and last year was an amazing experience…we were thrilled to be asked to be a part of it again.”

The bags themselves were produced by marketing company Distinctive Assets which, although not officially affiliated with the Oscars, has been giving high-end gifts

Luxury holidays, personal training and a 24-karat gold-plated vape pen…what more could these Oscar nominees want?

“The companies we are featuring embrace diversity, inclusion, health and philanthropy and are giving back to…the world at large in significant ways.”

to nominees for the past 19 years.

Lash Fary, affectionately known as the “Sultan of Swag”, is the Director of Distinctive Assets and the mind behind the gift bags.

He maintains that companies can gain a lot of press exposure from stunts like this, stressing that the ‘icing on the cake’ is if a celebrity is photographed using the products much like Leonardo DiCaprio has been in the past.

He said: “While the end result may look at first glance like the same cornucopia of fabulous gifts we always assemble, this year’s contents are particularly special.

“The companies we are featuring embrace diversity, inclusion, health and philanthropy and are giving back to their communities and the world at large in significant ways.”

“YOU HAVE NO IDEA CONGRESSMAN!”

Plans to limit US e-cig nicotine strengths ignore benefits of vaping and would add to the toll “of death and disease.”

Words: Caroline Barry

A US politician has angered pro-vape groups over plans to introduce a nicotine cap throughout the states.

Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi wants a European-style 20mg/mL cap on e-liquids to help fight the “youth vaping epidemic.” However, his ‘Ending Nicotine Dependence from Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems’ (END ENDS) bill has been widely criticised. It is the second time that the congressman – a committed e-cigarette opponent – has tried to get his proposals onto the statute books. He dismisses the idea of reduced-harm products and claims vaping can be even more harmful than smoking.

Democrat Krishnamoorthi says he remains committed to “fighting the youth vaping epidemic” and says limiting e-cigarette nicotine concentrations is necessary to make them less addictive.

Critics say anti-vaping politicians exaggerate the levels of youth vaping while failing to address the fact that half a million adult smokers die each year in the US.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says youth vaping rates are in decline. Data for high school students shows that numbers are down from 27.5 percent in 2019 to 19.6 percent in 2020.

Dr. Charles A. Gardner, executive director of INNCO, which supports the rights of adults who use safer nicotine, said: “Teen smoking has plummeted over the past eight years. Teen nicotine vaping has plummeted over the past two years. So what’s the problem we’re trying to fix?

“This bill would harm 11 million adult nicotine vapers and 34 million adult smokers.”

World Vapers’ Alliance Director Michael Landl said: “Congressman

Krishnamoorthi’s END ENDS bill shows that either he has no idea about vaping and its benefits or that he is driven solely by an antivaping agenda.

“Vaping has helped millions of people quit smoking. A nicotine cap limits choice, creates an unnecessary barrier to stopping smoking and limits future innovation.”

Landl urged consumers to speak up, saying: “Every vaper should contact his representative to tell them what catastrophic consequences such a cap would have.”

The counterfactual Director Clive Bates said: “Anyone recommending a nicotine cap for e-liquids just doesn’t understand how this works and will end up doing more harm than good.

“When people first switch to vaping, they often need quite strong nicotine while they get used to the new products.

“When people use stronger liquids, they also use less liquid and that makes for smaller, more convenient products, which makes switching easier.

“Lawmakers should figure this out before they blunder in with bad regulation and just add to the toll of death and disease without understanding what they are doing.”

Alex Clark from The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) said the END ENDS bill showed “a wilful ignorance” of the data and doubted it would become law. He said: “Considering all the pandemic-related issues facing the Biden administration, imposing harmful regulations on safer alternatives to smoking should be low-priority for lawmakers.

“This bill gives all of us an opportunity to educate lawmakers about how we use vapour products.”

“Anyone recommending a nicotine cap for e-liquids just doesn’t understand how this works and will end up doing more harm than good.”

IF YOU BELIEVE SMOKING REDUCES STRESS… THINK AGAIN

New research reveals that quitting smoking may decrease depression and anxiety without impacting your social life.

Words: Caroline Barry

The idea that smoking helps relieve stress may turn out to be one of the greatest tobacco-related misconceptions of all time.

A new, major study has concluded that lighting up can actually cause extra stress in smokers’ lives.

A team of researchers from the universities of Bath, Birmingham, Oxford and New York collaborated on the review which has been published in the Cochrane Library.

It was undertaken because many smokers believe that cigarettes help them reduce stress and also fear that giving up will impact on their social lives and friendships.

Lead author Dr Gemma Taylor said: “If stopping smoking improves mental health symptoms, rather than worsening them, then this may encourage more people to try to quit.

“It may also encourage more health professionals to help their patients quit and discourage people from smoking tobacco in the first place.”

Dr Taylor said that reductions in anxiety and depression among those who quit is at least as great as for those taking antidepressants.

The research also found that people’s social relationships were unlikely to suffer if they stop.

The review authors examined 102 studies, involving nearly 170,000 people, finding that those who stopped smoking for at least six weeks experienced less depression, anxiety, and stress than those who continued to smoke.

In fact, those who quit experienced more positive feelings and better psychological wellbeing.

Dr Taylor, from the University of Bath’s Addiction and Mental Health Group, said: “Smokers often believe that cigarettes are the crutch they need when they feel low, but there is good reason to think that smoking is actually making them feel worse.

“The daily cycle of waking up with cravings, satisfying the cravings through smoking only to be back wanting another cigarette within hours has an understandable impact on how people feel.

“But get past the withdrawal that many smokers feel when they stop, and better mental health is on the other side.”

She added: “There is no evidence that people with mental health conditions will experience a worsening of their health if they stop smoking.”

The authors concluded that:

· smokers can be reassured that stopping will not worsen and may improve their mood, by reducing anxiety, depression, and stress. It is also unlikely to worsen their social relationships and

· clinicians should be reassured that encouraging and supporting smoking cessation in their patients will not worsen and may improve mood. In particular, there is no reason to fear that people with psychological disorders will have their condition worsened by smoking cessation.

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “After the year we’ve all had, some smokers might feel now is not the time to stop…but the opposite is true.

“Be confident that once you’ve put smoking behind you, not only will you be healthier and wealthier, but you will feel happier too.”

Be confident that once you’ve put smoking behind you, not only will you be healthier and wealthier, but you’ll feel happier too.

“ “

FOOM Lab's mission to aid adult smokers move away from combustible smoking and encourage people to shift to a safer way of consuming nicotine.

BUTTING HEADS

Can tobacco industry-funded research be trusted?

Words: Gordon Stribling

When it comes to vaping detractors the world over, there is surely no greater villain than US behemoth JUUL.

The high-nicotine pod system used by millions around the world has become the emblem of youth use and gateway to tobacco addiction.

It’s little wonder then that the American Journal of Health Behavior drew the ire of vaping’s growing body of critics when it published a series of scientific papers from JUUL Labs’ research programme.

In the eyes of anti-vaping advocates such as Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) president Matt Myers, this peerreviewed ‘Big Tobacco-funded’ research lacks credibility and should not have been published – even if the findings within would encourage smokers to switch to a less harmful technology.

Marlboro-maker Altria owns a 35 percent stake in JUUL.

Former ASH director Clive Bates wrote in response to the criticism:

“The real question here is why these tobacco control activists show so little curiosity about the changes that are reshaping the US tobacco and nicotine market.

“As JUUL rose in popularity, we saw unusually rapid declines in cigarette sales and smoking prevalence in both adults and adolescents.

“The right response to that is to want to know more. The wrong response is to try to suppress or discredit informative data

and analysis just because it tells a story that is at variance with a narrative about the evils of both e-cigarettes and the companies that make them.”

This view was shared by consultant Saul Shiffman and Erik Augustson of JUUL in their response to the criticism.

They argued that the focus should be on the scientific content of the research rather than the funding, quoting the FDA’s intention to ‘assess all scientific evidence with the same rigor to determine whether it is valid, regardless of the source.’

“This is a rigorous, scientific-based evaluation. Indeed, the FDA has received not only the findings and reports reflected in the published papers, but also the subject-level data itself, as well as the underlying protocols, analysis plans, and statistical programming code,” Shiffman and Augustson wrote.

This debate about tobacco industry funding and tobacco research is not a new one. And in recent years, the focus has shifted to harm reduction, with Philip Morris International’s Foundation for a Smokefree World repeatedly butting heads with the tobacco control community.

Bates argues that industry-funded research is actually more credible as they have to convince the likes of the sceptical FDA that tobacco products like JUUL and PMI’s IQOS are “appropriate for the protection of public health.”

The FDA is currently assessing JUUL’s PMTA applications.

The reaction to the research also serves to further highlight divisions between British and American perspectives on e-cigarettes for harm reduction.

“The question is why tobacco control activists show so little curiosity about changes that are reshaping the US tobacco and nicotine market.”

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT?

Alarming new evidence revealed that misinformed and unfounded regulations in response to the EVALI crisis bolstered US smoking rates.

Words: Caroline Barry

The so-called EVALI crisis has had a devastating impact on vapers, with reactionary bans and regulations bringing the industry to its knees.

Spurred on by frightening headlines and fearmongering in the mainstream media, policymakers wrongly blamed e-cigarettes for the mystery lung disease.

Soon enough it was discovered that black-market THC cartridges were responsible…but not before the damage was done.

Although the scare stories about vaping were fake, the panicked response from policymakers led to a very real public health crisis. New data has revealed that smoking rates across the US have skyrocketed following misinformed vape regulations.

The first-of-its-kind study looked at smoking and vaping trends in the aftermath of EVALI.

It discovered that sales of e-cigarettes decreased after widespread bans, while cigarette sales quickly rose.

Dr Michael Siegel, a professor of community health science at Boston University and co-author of the study, said: “We found an increase in the year-on-year cigarette sales that coincided with the bans on e-cigarettes and the closely ensuing EVALI scare.

“It appears that the scare about the role of e-cigarettes in EVALI may have resulted in many vapers returning to regular smoking.

He continued: “If true, this would represent a devastating amount of public health damage caused by misinformation.”

Michael stressed that it’s too early to tell what the long-term effects will be on public health and also on the wider vaping industry.

However, he criticised the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state agencies, for not speaking up faster and revealing what was actually causing the deaths.

He said: “Many vapers were scared by the misinformation and as a result, switched back to cigarette smoking.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think that the effects of misinformation like this are going to go away quickly, especially when the groups which put it out are not correcting it.

“So far, I haven’t seen any state health department, or the CDC itself, issue an apology for misleading the public, nor have I even seen a simple re-statement of the facts, clarifying that e-cigarettes played no role in EVALI.”

“I don’t think that the effects of misinformation like this are going to go away quickly, especially when the groups which put it out are not correcting it.”

OHM AWAY FROM HOME

Our guide to vaping over festival season

Words: Gordon Stribling

Amazing bands and DJs, dancing in the sunshine/mud, delicious but far-from-nutritious food…there’s nothing quite like British festival season. It’s been two years since we got to enjoy festivals in all their glory and now, finally, we’re on the cusp of another season of festival fun. For the vapers among us, festival season brings both challenge and opportunity. So how should you prepare for a weekend away? We’ve got you covered.

STOCK UP

Just because your festival of choice has all the windchimes and dreamcatchers you could ever want, that doesn’t mean it’ll also be flush with actual essentials like e-liquid, cotton and coils. Be sure to

bring plenty of these along with you, ideally packed in a waterproof container so they don’t get damaged by the inevitable downpour. Remember too that overheating batteries can cause serious problems, so always wrap them properly. Speaking of batteries, you’ll need to keep and maintain a power source. Battery packs, chargers, 18650s…

SAFE AND SECURE

Before you get to enjoy festivities, you’ll need to make it past security. Depending on the kind of crowd the organisers are expecting, there could be anything from a casual glance inside your bag to an airport-level frisk.

Security will often be looking for alcohol and drugs, and you’d be surprised just how creative people trying to smuggle these in can be. Security just won’t have the time, let alone the facilities, to test the contents of e-liquid bottles so they might decide to just confiscate them. So, your best bet is to only bring unopened bottles with you and leave your DIY liquids at home. Yes, that includes your signature Sour Apple and Irn Bru Special.

VAPE ETIQUETTE

With the biggest health crisis of our lifetimes with us for the long term, it’s never been more important to demonstrate vaping etiquette. People do not want to breathe in particles exhaled by other people, regardless of their vax status. Be considerate when vaping around others. This means pod systems and other lowpowered devices over sub-ohming and cloud-chasing. This is especially important in covered and enclosed areas.

THINK GREEN

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of cleaning up after a festival, you

will understand all too well just how much waste they can generate. Abandoned tents, piles of squashed lager cans and discarded carrier bags all help paint a horrific scene that could not be further from the environmentalist ideal many festival goers claim to aspire to. To do our bit to fight this, we should always aim to leave no trace behind and take what we can home with us. Again, stock up well but not over-excessively. You don’t want to have to carry 20 unused shortfills home with you along with another 20 used ones. If you’d rather not be lumbered with plastic and metal, consider the best way to dispose of waste on-site. Most festival sites have recycling facilities, but that doesn’t mean you can chuck any old plastic waste into the nearest recycling bin without a care.

CONVERT A SMOKER!

Bonding with your new best mate is an integral part of the festival experience. What better way to really say ‘I love you, man!’ than by encouraging your new smoker friend to switch to vaping? Okay, so it might not be the best time to start quoting studies at them, but ‘vaping is at least 95 percent less harmful than smoking’ is easy for even the most inebriated to digest.

It’s never been more important to demonstrate vaping etiquette

BANS DON’T WORK

Uganda’s anti-vape approach has spawned a dangerous black market and could put the health of thousands of smokers at risk.

Words: Caroline Barry Harm reduction advocates have urged the Ugandan government to lift its strict vaping regulations and put an end to the country’s spiralling black market. While it’s illegal to sell, manufacture or import e-cigarettes in Uganda, there are no laws against their advertisement or use. This has spawned a network of illicit sellers, who risk consumers’ health by providing dangerous and untested products. Joel Sawa of Tobacco Harm Reduction Uganda (THRU) stressed that smokers looking to make the switch have been forced to turn to the black market. He said: “The most popular alternative to cigarettes would be pharmaceutical products because they’re readily available. But we know they’re not as effective…we’ve seen that globally.” Over 10,000 people are killed by tobacco-related diseases in Uganda every year, with a scourge of misinformation leaving smokers

cautious about moving across to vaping. Joel highlighted that the Centre for Tobacco Control Africa is based in Uganda and the government will typically fall in line with its opinions on harm reduction. The start-up costs of vaping can also deter Ugandan smokers from switching to the reduced risk alternative. Although vaping is cheaper in the long-term, the one-off cost of buying a device can be more than most people can afford. Joel said: “Uganda is a low-middle income country where a good percentage of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. The biggest percentage of the population that smoke is within or below the poverty line. The same people cannot afford an e-cigarette unless it was made cheaply using local materials. Bans have never helped anyone, and people are suffering because of the deaths due to cigarettes.”

Bans have never helped anyone, and people are suffering because of the deaths due to cigarettes.

“ “

VAPOUROUND REVIEWS E-L I Q UI D

ISSUE34

H ARD W AR E

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

Words: Peach Atkinson

SPECIFICATIONS:

Tank capacity - 2ml (TPD Version)

Battery capacity - Integrated 5,000mAh Output modes - VW / VV / Smart mode

Max charging current - 2.0 Amps

Wattage range - 1-80W

Dimensions - 129.5mm x 52.5mm x 25mm

Approximate Weight - 230g

As a big fan of the original iStick Power, I was thrilled to review this incredible piece of kit. And guess what? Eleaf has only gone and made it even better.

The iStick Power 2 incorporates both a stylish and rugged feel. Dual coloured leather panelling adorns the outer grip and adds an air of charming sophistication to the boxy, matte gunmetal exterior. This kit is definitely on the bulkier side, so fitting it into small pockets is not the easiest of jobs, so I prefer to store it in a bag.

Wattage is easily controlled, firing time is instantaneous, charging is effortless and it uses a standard 510 connection, allowing you to use your favourite tank or RBA on the go.

This mod boasts several vaping modes including Power Mode (adjustable wattage), Voltage Mode (adjustable voltage) and Smart Mode (where the device will automatically recommend the best wattage for the coil you are using).

A 0.96” colour screen displays information such as wattage/voltage, a puff counter and a battery indicator. It is very straightforward to navigate and I love that you can choose colour themes via the onscreen menu.

The iStick Power 2 goes from just 1W all the way up to a comfortable 80W, adjusted by + and - buttons, in 0.5W increments. I found this to be more than enough when using the included GTL Pod Tank and 0.8 Ohm/1.2 Ohm coils.

One of the main selling points has to be the hefty 5,000mAh integrated battery. It can easily last days of moderate use and charges incredibly quickly via 2A USB-C. I felt that this is a definite game changer for anyone that has limited access to power outlets, such as when on long journeys.

This kit arrived with the GTL Pod Tank, which is extremely versatile and affordable. It is compatible with 1.2 Ohm, 0.8 Ohm and 0.4 Ohm GTL coils, making it a great choice for any vaper. The range of coils and airflow control means it can be used by DTL vapers at higher wattages as well as MTL vapers at low wattages, depending on what

coil you are using and how you modify the airflow ring. The unique design of this tank involves two main parts. First the tank itself - this holds the coil and e-liquid and has powerful magnets that affix it to the second part - the 510 connection adapter. This makes it compatible with a huge number of other devices that also use a 510 pin. The adapter just increases the already impressive and versatile nature of this kit as a whole.

One of its best features is the simple, no hassle push-fit coil installation process. It removes any inconvenience and saves time when swapping those coils out. I also noticed that the GTL coils seemed to wick far quicker in comparison to similar coils from other vape brands, especially as I was using 70 percent VG e-liquid. Filling is just as straightforward, there is a small hole on the base of the tank and it is secured by a rubber gasket, meaning it can be filled with the coil in place and no messy unfastening of tanks nor coils. Overall, I was blown away by this device. The versatility factor is off the scale, it really is a perfect choice for all levels of vapers. The massive battery capacity also is a key factor in the sure success that this kit will attain.

- An extremely well-rounded device for any vaper

- The battery life is out of this world

- I really liked the leather accents

- Coils are a doddle to change

- A little tricky to fit in smaller sized pockets

DISPOSABLE BECO BAR

Words: Peach Atkinson

When I first tried a disposable vape kit, I was instantly intrigued. Up until then I had been a diehard user of a more traditional dual battery mod, usually with a tank on top.

But the billowy clouds and full-on flavour came at a cost…there was so much to cart about on a daily basis.

It wasn’t just the mod and tank that took up space though, I had to bring spare coils, spare e-liquid and spare batteries everywhere I went. It soon became a bit of a mission every time I left the house.

As well as limited portability, most members of the public do not appreciate big clouds smelling of vanilla custard within their vicinity.

When I picked up the Vaptio Beco Bar disposable device, I found it fully satisfied my nicotine craving, paired with modest vapour production, delicious flavour and best of all, no extra vape gear to bring along. Just a tiny, lightweight stick that fits easily in my pocket.

The Vaptio Beco Bar is designed to last approximately 300 puffs and has an inbuilt 280mAh battery (non rechargeable) which lasts me about a day. So, on to the flavours.

Peach Ice

The soft, realistic and sweet nature of this one is simply to die for. The peach is well-rounded and has a juicy texture that is difficult to find within the world of e-liquids. The softer notes of peach are fused together with a sharp, biting and cool sensation that has a really complementary effect on the peach. Despite the cold inhale, this flavour didn’t taste like menthol - something I really appreciated.

Blueberries-Raspberries

Both blueberries and raspberries presented at the moment of inhaling and while the blueberry comes across as tart and slightly bitter, it is balanced off by sweet and delicate notes of ripe raspberry. The impressive combination of summer berries manages to produce an intense tongue-tingling sourness that is a difficult element to attain when creating flavours. This e-liquid has no menthol or icy edge to it, allowing the fruity flavours to take centre stage.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Battery: Integrated 280mAh

Prefilled e-liquid capacity: 1.3ml Size: 97.05*15.5*6.5mm

Maximum Puff Count: 300 puffs Nicotine Content (TPD): 10mg, 20mg salt nicotine

Lychee Ice

Having grown up eating fresh lychees, I tend to be a harsh critic towards e-liquids that don’t meet a decent level of authenticity. This flavour manages to encapsulate the juicy, tropical and sour sweetness found in the fruit itself. As with the Peach Ice I mentioned earlier, there was no noticeable taste of menthol but more of a cool sensation when exhaling. I found that both constituents worked fantastically well together to deliver a full-on fruity flavour that is sure to impress, especially in the warm summer months.

Spearmint

Unlike the other flavours in the line, this one is wholly made up with mint and menthol. To a certain degree, this flavour is similar to chewing gum and has a very subtle sweetness to it. I noticed a well-rounded and consistent menthol coinciding with the spearmint. Despite being a minty/menthol blend, I found that there was little to no icy sensation when vaping this flavour. Overall, I was taken aback by how much I enjoyed a mint-based flavour.

Strawberry Banana

The strawberry is subdued but gives the banana a platform to really shine. It is both rich and creamy, and tastes akin to a banana milkshake rather than the actual fruit itself.

As a more dessert-like flavour, I wasn’t expecting a slight cooling effect to it, but I felt that the cold edge made this flavour stand out when compared to other run-of-the-mill strawberry and banana flavours on the market. It was definitely an easy flavour for me to vape, day in and day out.

Pink Lemonade

When done correctly, pink lemonade flavours become a definite all day vape for me - and this one has done just that. It has sour notes of lemon, bitter, yet subtle, mixed citrus and sweet berries. This e-liquid has the tiniest amount of coolness to it, something that just adds to the refreshing feel that this flavour boasts. Without a doubt, this was my favourite flavour in this line.

T H E W O R L D

FREEMAX ONNIX

Words: Alexander Shenker

It can be challenging to create a pod system that stands out from the crowd so I am pleased to say that the FreeMax Onnix is a truly unique system. It has a slightly boxy, rectangular shape, complete with rounded edges and a solid metal body. This made me feel confident that the device was secure, well-built and far more resilient than some of the other pod systems on the market. It’s a relatively simple system, featuring only a fire button and an airflow slider on the body of the vape itself.

Five clicks will turn the device on and off – fairly standard across most systems – and three clicks will cycle you through a trio of power settings.

A small LED at the bottom of the vape will indicate the current strength of the device, green for the lowest strength, blue in the middle and red for maximum power. I mainly stuck to the medium power setting however, the low level came in handy when I was breaking in the coil.

The pod itself featured a lovely convex mouthpiece which was very satisfying to vape through. To fill the pod, you simply pull it away from the battery unit and squeeze in the juice of your choice. To replace coils, it’s a simple push and pull system that’s super easy and will definitely be helpful for new vapers.

My favourite feature of the FreeMax Onnix is the ability to choose between vaping using the fire button and draw activation. It’s a fantastic addition that I’d like to see on more devices and both methods work perfectly.

The pod comes pre-installed with a 0.5 Ohm coil, and you also receive a 1 Ohm coil in the box. I found both coils worked really well, and the tea fibre cotton wicks up really fast.

I personally preferred the 0.5 as I feel like you get a bit more of a punchy vape, especially with the airflow wide open so you can produce some respectable, full-flavoured clouds.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Battery Capacity: 1100mAh

Battery Type: Integrated Coil Resistance: 0.5Ohm, 1.0Ohm

Pod Coil Type: Cotton, Mesh

Pod Kit Type: Refillable Tank Capacity: 2ml Weight: 60g HWD: 11cmx2.6cmx2.6cm

I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the simplicity and ease of use, with the Onnix now being my go-to device for a quick vape with no fuss and a reliable hit. The solid build quality removes a lot of my worry about dropping vapes as I tend to be rather clumsy. The battery life is decent and exactly what you’d expect from a small pod device such as this and thanks to the USB-C charger included it goes from flat to full in around one hour. The LED underneath the fire button changes colour depending on the amount of battery life remaining so don’t forget to keep an eye on that.

I tested the Onnix with everything from nic salts, to 70/30 and even 80/20 liquids and it seemed to handle everything like a champ. To sum up, I definitely recommend the FreeMax Onnix to everybody, whether you’re an experienced vaper looking for a new pod system or a brand-new vaper taking their first steps into the world of cloud.

PROS CONS

- Option to vape via button or draw activation

- Solid build quality

- Easy to fill and change coils

- Battery could last longer, but this is in line with similar sized pod systems

BIDI STICK DISPOSABLES

Arctic (formally known as Mint Freeze)

Mint flavours are always a win for me, especially when I’m baking in that rare British summer heat and in need of a refreshing icy blast. Whenever I try a disposable, I’m always drawn to the mint flavours, so it’s fair to say that I had high hopes for this one.

On first draw I was hit by a wave of minty goodness, with the chilled inhale immediately refreshing my palate. The flavour lingered for quite some time and the cooling menthol aftertaste left me satisfied and certainly wanting more.

Zest (formally known as Jungle Juice)

A fantastic fruity blend with the ultimate tropical taste punch, this refreshing little number offers a flavour combination that I didn’t even know I needed. This banana, melon and pineapple delight provided a sweet and full-bodied inhale, with the different flavour profiles coming together to create a great all-day vape. The taste is strong and satisfying from the first draw to the last, with the pineapple lingering for a long time after the exhale. This threw me back to my twenties, taking me back to mixing myself a delicious batch of Jungle Juice at parties in the summer.

Winter (formally known as Lush Ice)

This is certainly a familiar flavour, with watermelon-ice being a common favourite amongst disposable users. However, I haven’t yet stumbled across a blend that matches up to the quality on offer here. It’s has that classic, bold watermelon that we all love so much on the inhale, with more subtle tones in the exhale. All in all, I’m really impressed with the big, sophisticated flavour profile on offer here.

Tropic (formally known as Blazing Vibe)

This flavour truly knocked it out of the park, with the mango, apple and orange coming together to create a well-rounded profile. The mango is especially delightful, steering clear of those typical artificial notes to provide a rich and full-bodied flavour. That combined with the light citrus of the orange and the succulent, crisp apple turned this into a perfectly crafted taste masterpiece. A new favourite of mine that I will definitely be coming back to time and time again.

Gold (formally known as Fruity Mango)

Mango, mango and more mango! A juicy, ripe and authentic blend that could easily be the best mango disposable I have tried to date. An explosion of flavour hits your tastebuds as soon as you take the first draw, which then maintains its full-bodied boldness right through to the exhale. While I’m not always a fan of mango liquids, this one really won me over and made me into a mango-lover.

Solar (formally known as Berry Blast)

This is another fantastic flavour, with the strong mix of blueberry and strawberry really hitting the spot.

Although it isn’t quite as bold as some of the other e-liquid in this collection, I couldn’t fault the great balance of taste notes.

This would definitely be a go-to for me during those warmer months, especially when I’m itching for a refreshingly sweet hit of berry.

Overall, I was really impressed with this and would certainly recommend it as one to try.

SPECIFICATIONS:

FEELM Ceramic Coil

Size: L 106 x W 19.9 x H 10.3mm

Pod Capacity: 1.6ml

Battery Capacity: 300mAh

FEELM DISPOSABLE POD SYSTEM

Words: Milly Brodecka

FEELM has launched the world’s first disposable vape device with a ceramic coil, which provides smooth flavour and purer vapour for the ultimate vaping experience.

The simple, yet effective, polycarbonate pod is incredibly strong and super light, making the device perfect for discreet vapers looking for a reliable and subtle disposable device.

It also has a lovely, refined design with metallic-like stickers on the front and the back displaying the FEELM Inside logo.

With no refilling and no charging, it offered a seamless user experience right out of the packaging.

Plus, the anti-condensation, leak-proof technology meant that there was no need for a silicone plug.

It is a draw activated system, with a single LED at the top of the device to indicate when it is firing.

The device is available in a range of nicotine strength options, which is great as this flexibility gives you the option to reduce your nicotine strength overtime which many will find very useful.

When I used it as my primary vape, it lasted for around three days, or 500 puffs, which I thought was quite impressive.

I sampled the raspberry, tropical breeze and menthol flavours in 10mg and 20mg, which had fantastic vapour production and a splendid throat hit.

The menthol was especially smooth, and I didn’t experience any dry hit or flavour deterioration between the first and last puff.

There was also some useful flavour and nicotine strength information featured on the side of the pod as well.

I can honestly say that this FEELM device is one of the best disposable pod systems I have ever tried.

While it isn’t my everyday go-to, I will certainly use it as a ‘top up’ for events and travelling.

PROS CONS

- Great flavour experience

- Great run time for a disposable

- Leak-free experience

- None

Words: Peach Atkinson

SHOCK SPEARMINT RAINBOW

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

This is a well-balanced spearmint and fruit candy combination. I was impressed by the delicate, minty notes, which had a surprisingly soft edge for such a typically sharp flavour. The 'Rainbow' element was an obvious nod to those colourful fruity sweets that we all know and love. The combination of spearmint and fruit candy achieved something spectacular and, for me, tasted somewhat similar to a bubble mint chewing gum. Despite the candy-based flavours, this e-liquid didn't present itself as sickly or overly sweet, making it a serious contender for an all-day vape.

RAINBOW MILKSHAKE

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

The bright, almost sour aspect of rainbow coloured candy is full and mouth-watering, rounded up nicely by the soft and creamy texture of the milkshake. I felt that the creamy notes in this e-liquid were more noticeable than those in the Blue Raspberry and Bubblegum Milkshakes. There was no nasty, artificial tanginess that can sometimes be found in candy-based e-liquids, which secured it as my favourite flavour in this line of e-liquids.

SHOCK TROPICAL RAINBOW

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

This offers a complex and mouth-watering combination of juicy, exotic fruits and rainbow candy. It not only boasts sweet and juicy fruit notes, but also incorporates a rich sugary candy element. I would consider this to certainly be on the more complex side of things, as it contains multiple tropical fruits as well as notes of rainbow candy, all combined to pull off an insanely well produced e-liquid.

BUBBLEGUM MILKSHAKE

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Bubble-gum flavours can be a bit hit or miss. Not only are there countless takes on such a classic and iconic flavour, but the combinations of bubble-gum and other elements can be an interesting road to navigate. I was welcomed by a familiar, juicy pink bubble-gum flavour that was bold and most prominent to begin with. As with the Blue Raspberry Milkshake e-liquid, the creamy notes were more subdued, offering a base on which the bubble-gum could thrive. Despite the combination of bubble-gum and milkshake, I didn't feel that this flavour was too sweet at any point, allowing me to enjoy it all day long.

BLUE RASPBERRY MILKSHAKE

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

I have never tried a blue raspberry milkshake e-liquid before. I've tried plenty of blue raspberries and I have tried milkshakes, so to say I was curious was a bit of an understatement. The initial taste offered a typical, blue bonbon flavour, something I was very much expecting. However, I was quickly hit by a delicate and subtle cream blended with the candy-like notes of raspberry. The milkshake side of things complemented the blue raspberry very nicely indeed and it's safe to say that I was very impressed.

CARAMEL MILKSHAKE

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

When it comes to dessert flavours, particularly milkshake ones, caramel usually plays a crucial role. Despite its popularity, many caramel flavours are poorly executed and can present as tasteless and sickly. With that in mind, I was hoping that this e-liquid would be one of the better ones – and thank goodness it was. Initially, an intense and velvety creaminess takes centre stage, quickly followed by a smooth and rich caramel. The softness of the milkshake is contrasted by the deep and complex notes of gooey caramel, thus producing the ultimate dessert flavoured e-liquid.

Words: Paul Johnson

JACKSDALE Jelly Wobble

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

On first draw I was hit with a massive wave of mixed berries, with the deep, rich flavour notes leaving me with a sweet aftertaste. The blackcurrant, raspberry and strawberry blend was strongest on the inhale, followed quickly by a distinctly jelly-tasting exhale.

The flavour lingered in my mouth for a good while afterward which, paired with the smooth throat hit and plenty of cloud, earned a big thumbs up from me.

SHIPLEY Strawberry Glazed Doughnut

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

This is a good representation of a strawberry glazed doughnut. First off you get the strawberry, nice and prominent, sweet and thick in taste. The strawberry is still lingering around the mouth when the familiar doughnut comes in with a good strength.

This is a good smooth vape without the chemical taste found with the lesser liquids and the cloud production is plentiful. Overall a good attempt at a tricky flavour profile.

EASTWOOD Eton Mess

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

So, Eton Mess - fresh strawberries, meringue and whipped cream. I could definitely taste strawberries, cream and meringue in this liquid – being hit with the strawberry right on the inhale and a hint of meringue on the exhale.

The flavours here were definitely more subdued than I was expecting and could definitely be stronger, but that could work for vapers who prefer a subtlety to their liquids. Overall a decent vape.

PURPLE BURST

VG/PG Ratio: 70/30

Another knock-out flavour sensation from the juice masters over at Riot Squad, this e-liquid is ideal for those long summer days in the garden.

Bursting with sweet and ripe dark fruits on the inhale and a flawlessly icy chill on the exhale, this cheeky little number perfectly recreates the refreshing taste of a slushie drink.

Notes of blackcurrant can be found in every draw, from the first to the very last, making it a definite winner in my book. This juice would make a great all-day flavour for any sweettoothed vaper.

WHOLENIC (FULL SPECTRUM E-LIQUIDS)

Words: Peach Atkinson

A revolutionary aspect within the world of vaping, WholeNic e-liquids contain the full spectrum of nicotinic alkaloids, in the same proportions found in cigarettes. All products from the WholeNic brand are free from diacetyl and other diketones, tobacco-specific nitrosamines and tar.

WholeNic uses a unique blend of 60 percent VG, 35 percent PG and five percent distilled water to provide better flavour and maintain the viscosity of a 50VG/50PG e-liquid.

Eisberg Herbal Menthol Blackcurrant

A large portion of e-liquids currently on the market seem to involve some aspect of menthol or cooling agent. A combination of different fruits and menthol can be a match made in heaven and with this flavour it’s clear to see why.

The blackcurrant is blatant and tart, creating a unique sour edge that almost masks the menthol – at least at first anyway. As you continue to vape, a sharp and biting menthol swoops in and takes centre stage. I noticed that the cool menthol really made the blackcurrant seem sweeter than its initial sour taste, and both elements worked well together to create an uncomplicated and well-designed flavour.

Rico Smoky Tobacco

When I pick up a tobacco flavoured e-liquid, I expect it to be just that. I’m not looking for any over complicated taste combinations, just smoky overtones and a rich body of flavour. With this e-liquid it was almost impossible to discern from a traditional cigarette – bar the harmful carcinogens and eyewatering clouds of smoke.

This is in no way a sweet juice, making it ideal for traditionalist tobacco lovers and new vapers who are still trying to kick those cigarette cravings. Not to mention, the lack of sweeteners means your coils will last just that little bit longer – always a win in my book.

Rico Menthol Tobacco

As a smoker, I would typically smoke plain cigarettes, but every now and then, I would fancy something different and pick myself up a pack of menthols. This e-liquid has expertly recreated that same minty wave that would hit me every time I took a puff.

The slightly subdued smokiness is most notable on the exhale, providing a flawlessly smooth and simple flavour. Finding a decent menthol tobacco e-liquid is not the easiest, as there are so many subpar options out there to sift through first.

Hand on heart, I would recommend this to anyone who is on the lookout for a realistic and satisfying menthol cigarette vaping experience.

Jüs Pineapple Passion Grapefruit

By far my favourite, this e-liquid delivers a hefty punch with a satisfying sour kick. The initial inhale brings out the very best combination of juicy fruits, ones that truly made my mouth water (not just an expression, they really did!)

The passion fruit presented itself at first and was bold, flavourful and realistic. The touch of grapefruit was noticeable enough to impart a sour edge, but did not give a bitterness that would’ve taken away from the overall flavour. Then, a strong and aromatic pineapple came into play and rounded up the other fruity notes. The incredible fusion of three juicy but sour flavours garnered a pleasant and satisfying reaction.

Jüs Forest Berries

As my time as a vaper has progressed, I’ve found that berry-based flavours are often my go to for when I’m using an MTL or pod system, and this e-liquid did not disappoint in any way, shape or form. There are obvious notes of sweet pink raspberries and tart blackberries with an added bonus of mixed fruits.

This e-liquid offers vapers a chance to enjoy a mild flavour and still attain a decent nicotine hit. One of the things I savoured the most about this specific e-liquid, was its lack of cooling agent. The fact that there was no menthol really gave the fruitier tones a chance to stand out on their own, a definite plus in my book.