Vapor Voice Archives The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, which could have far-reaching implications for American drug policy. The proposed measure, which is yet to be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, aims to acknowledge the medical benefits of using cannabis and recognize the fact that it is less prone to abuse in comparison to some of the most dangerous drugs in the country and reclassify cannabis as a Schedule III drug. However, it does not seek to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. Five peo ..read more

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on May 1 that it had sent warning letters to 14 online retailers. The reason for the warning letters was that these retailers were selling unauthorized e-cigarette products. The warning letters specifically mentioned the sale of disposable e-cigarette products marketed under various brand names such as Elf Bar/EB Design, Esco Bars, Funky Republic, Hyde, Kang, Cali Bars, and Lost Mary, according to press release. The retailers receiving these warning letters sold or distributed e-cigarette products in the United States that lack authorization f ..read more

Photo: APchanel The U.S. Marshals Service seized more than 45,000 unauthorized e-cigarette products valued at more than $700,000 in California. The seized products were mostly flavored, disposable e-cigarette products, including brands such as Puff Bar/Puff, Elf Bar/EB Design, Esco Bar, Kuz, Smok and Pixi. “FDA has been unequivocally clear that we are committed to using the full scope of our enforcement tools—including seizures—to hold those who peddle unauthorized e-cigarettes accountable,” said Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, in a statement. “The writing is o ..read more

Credit: Ball Studios Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has signed legislation intended to crack down on the sale of unauthorized vapes that the state deems attractive to children. The new law (HB 1007), however, only targets disposable vaping products not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The rules will be enforced beginning Oct. 1. Unlike other state registry lists, Florida is the first state in the nation to include a carve-out for refillable pod systems and open-system vaping products, as well as bottled e-liquids. Florida Smoke Free Association president and vape shop ..read more

Image: natatravel The Philippines’s Department of Health (DOH) is urging businesses, distributors and importers to start printing graphic health warnings (GHW) on vaporized products, reports Tribune. The first set of GHW templates for vape products is set to take effect on May 12. Under Republic Act No. 11900, also known as the Vape Law, Operators who fail to comply with the new rules risk fines of between PHP2 million and PHP5 million and imprisonment of up to six years. Manufacturers, importers, distributors and sellers may also face revocation or cancellation of permits and licenses as we ..read more

Vapor Voice archives Altria Group Inc. is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to do more to crack down on unauthorized vaping products that compete with its own authorized products produced by Njoy. “We believe the FDA’s enforcement approach is not of the scale or scope needed to bring about fundamental change in the marketplace,” Altria CEO Billy Gifford said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call. He described the proliferation of e-cigarettes that the agency hasn’t authorized as a “threat to public health.” Altria’s reported revenue fell 2.5 percent year-over-year to $5 ..read more

John Dunne (Photo: UKVIA) John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), traveled to China to educate vape companies on Britain’s changing regulatory landscape. The U.K. will ban disposable e-cigarettes from April next year, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently working its way through Parliament, seeks to give ministers unprecedented powers to ban flavors and decide how vapes are packaged and sold. Speaking at the headquarters of the Electronic Cigarette Industry Committee of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (ECCC), Dunne shared his exper ..read more

Mora Gilchrist (Photo: PMI) Philip Morris International has accused the U.K. Department of Health of spreading misinformation about heated-tobacco products after a social media post warning that “all forms of tobacco are harmful,” reports The Grocer. A tweet posted by the department in a thread of “myths” about vaping and tobacco contained false and misleading statements and risks driving consumers back to cigarettes or dissuading current smokers from making the switch to alternatives, according to the multinational. “What hope do adult smokers have when seeking out accurate information on s ..read more

Photo: Ian O'Hanlon A former KT&G Corp researcher has filed a lawsuit against his former employer claiming that he was insufficiently compensated for inventing “the world’s first e-cigarette” while working at the firm, reports the Yonhap News Agency. Kwak Dae-geun demands KRW2.8 trillion ($2 billion), reportedly the highest amount ever claimed by an individual in a South Korean legal action According to the suit, Kwak joined the Korea Ginseng and Tobacco Research Institute in 1991 and began developing a tobacco-heating product in 2005.  In July that year, he registered his first pat ..read more

Credit: Jeff McCollough The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the issuance of complaints for civil money penalties (CMPs) against 20 brick-and-mortar retailers and two online retailers for selling unauthorized e-cigarettes, including Elf Bar, a popular youth-appealing brand. The regulatory agency previously issued warning letters to these retailers for selling unauthorized tobacco products. However, according to an FDA release, follow-up inspections revealed that the retailers had failed to correct the violations. Accordingly, the agency is now seeking a CMP of approximately $2 ..read more