Global survey of consumer organizations advocating for safernicotine products
The organizations are run by enthusiastic individuals, most of whom have successfully quit smoking with the help of SNP. Organizations depend on the input of a small number of core workers, all organizations are under-resourced and potentially fragile, and yet, they report significant activity and success. The challenge for these groups is to gain recognition at national and international level as legitimate stakeholders in the development of tobacco control policy with respect tosafer alternatives to smoking.
Labelling and composition of contraband electronic cigarettes: Analysis of products from Australia
It appears that manufacturers have removed any mention of nicotine from the original packaging of nicotine-containing disposable e-cigarettes to circumvent restrictions on nicotine-containing products and continue their sale. The packaging of e-cigarette products in Australia is generally not indicative of their contents, particularly nicotine, and most did not display required warnings. Ingredients with associated health risks, prohibited in legal vapes by the TGO110, were found in samples. Consequently, the risks of e-cigarette use cannot be appropriately identified from the information supplied on the packaging or device.
E-cigarette Retail Licensing Policy and E-cigarette Use Among Adolescents
An e-cigarette retail licensing requirement may be a useful policy tool in reducing e-cigarette use among adolescents.
Do e-cigarette retail licensure laws reduce youth tobacco use?
A prominent supply-side policy initiative to curb youth access to ENDS is an e-cigarette licensure law, which requires retailers to obtain a state license to legally sell ENDS products over the counter. ELLs expose retailers to greater scrutiny from state regulators in terms of compliance checks and also offer opportunities for retailers to meet with regulators to discuss issues related to correct enforcement of e-cigarette laws. This study explores the effects of ELLs on youth tobacco use,
Prevalence and correlates of e-cigarette source and use of e-cigarettes with nicotine: A case study of Mexico, where e-cigarettes are banned
Despite Mexico's e-cigarette ban, adults who smoke access e-cigarettes through multiple sources, including online and vape shop purchases. Most participants reported using e-cigarettes with nicotine, though many did not or did not know.
Do Australians use the prescription pathway when using nicotine vaping products to quit smoking?
In Australia, nicotine vaping products (NVPs) are only legally available to those with a prescription from a doctor. We investigated the proportion of people using NVPs to quit smoking who had a prescription, and whether this increased following regulatory changes in 2021 that strengthened the prescription requirement. There was a modest increase in obtaining a prescription among those who used NVPs for their last quit attempt after regulations were strengthened, however most NVP use for quitting was without a prescription.
How do underage youth access e-cigarettes in settings with minimum age sales restriction laws? A scoping review
Further research examining how social supply routes operate, including interaction and power dynamics, is crucial to reducing youth vaping. Given widespread access via schools and during social activities and events, exploring how supply routes operate and evolve in these settings should be prioritized. Inadequate compliance with existing sales regulations suggest greater national and local policy enforcement, including fines and licence confiscation for selling to minors, is required at the retailer level.
Perceptions of social media harms and potential management strategies: vaping case study
There was consensus among participants that e-cigarette related social media content can be harmful and government action is urgently needed. There was an identified need for the development of government led national-level regulatory frameworks, with government led appropriate legislation; identification of an organisation or organisations with suitable levels of regulatory power and resources to monitor, enforce and penalise noncompliant social media companies; accompanied by increased community awareness raising of harmful social media content and improved digital literacy.
Instagram helps Brazilians dodge a national sales ban on vapes
As Brazilian law clashes with Meta’s policies, illegal vapes flood social media and the streets. The Brazilian government banned the sale, import, and advertising of e-cigarettes. The use of e-cigarettes has risen sharply in the country in recent years, with sales partly driven by social media platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp. Between 2018 and 2023, the number of Brazilians who admitted they had vaped in the 30 days prior to being surveyed grew from just over 499,000 people to more than 2.87 million. A 2024 report from Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security about the illegal trade of e-cigarettes on the internet warned that there’s an “expressive amount” of accounts openly selling vapes on Instagram and “facilitating its access to a younger public.”
Regulating Vaping — Policies, Possibilities, and Perils
Soaring rates of vaping among young people and associated problems have resulted in great urgency and important challenges for policymakers. Despite the urgency, policies should be evidence-based and thoughtfully designed. They require effective, collaborative, and well-funded enforcement by federal and state governments. Policymakers should aim to reduce vaping among young people while maintaining avenues to help smokers quit.
