Vapers Digest 3rd July

Switching from a failed vape and tobacco policy to a successful one

Ross Fitzgerald, Pearls And Irritations

Vaping nicotine was developed in 2003 by a Chinese chemist Hon Lik – a heavy smoker who was desperate to find an effective way to quit smoking after his father died from lung cancer.

Vaping was marketed in 2007 and within a few years it became increasingly popular, especially in America and the United Kingdom.

In Australia, the availability of vapes has been severely restricted, first in 2013 by requiring a doctor’s prescription, and then from October 2024, requiring legal vapes to be purchased from pharmacies.

After US FDA says ZYN pouches are less harmful, will Europe follow?

SnusForumet

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised ZYN brand nicotine pouches to be marketed as less harmful compared to cigarettes. Meanwhile, EU regulators continue to debate whether pouches should be banned altogether.

The FDA has approved 20 varieties of ZYN brand nicotine pouches to be marketed with a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) claim.

The ruling allows the manufacturer, PMI, to inform adult consumers that completely switching from cigarettes to ZYN entails a lower risk of several serious diseases.

On Nicotine, FDA Embraces Science and Delivers a Public Health Victory

Martin Cullip, Real Clear Science

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) latest decision on nicotine pouches marks one of the most important advances in American tobacco policy in years. By authorizing ZYN nicotine pouches to be marketed with a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) claim, the FDA has done something that should have been at the heart of public health all along. It has allowed science, rather than ideology, to guide policy.

Following what the agency described as an “extensive scientific review,” the FDA authorized 20 ZYN products, concluding that they can be marketed with the claim: “Using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.”

Australia’s $7 Billion Illicit and Contaminated Nicotine Market That Experts had Tirelessly Warned About

Diane Caruana, Vaping Post

For years, tobacco harm reduction advocates, economists, criminologists and some public health experts warned that Australia’s increasingly restrictive approach to vaping would produce predictable consequences. Policymakers were told that banning or severely restricting access to regulated nicotine products would not eliminate demand. Instead, it would push consumers toward unregulated markets, empower criminal networks and expose users to products with unknown ingredients. Today, those warnings are no longer theoretical.

Three From Clearing The Air

Nearly half of online pouch customers tried them to quit smoking or vaping, survey finds

Tim Hong

Nearly half of US online nicotine pouch customers first tried the products to quit smoking, vaping or both, according to a new survey that adds to the debate over how smoke-free nicotine alternatives should be regulated.

The report, released by Nicokick.com and Northerner.com, found that 46 per cent of surveyed customers cited quitting smoking, vaping or both as one reason they first used nicotine pouches.

It comes as UK campaigners warn that weak enforcement could leave the pouch market exposed to the same kind of illicit trade already seen in vapes.

Ireland moves closer to banning fruit and sweet vape flavours

Tim Hong

Ireland has moved closer to banning most flavoured vapes after new nicotine laws cleared the Dáil.

The Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2026 passed its final stage in the Dáil on Wednesday and will now go to the Seanad, where it is expected to be debated in July.

If enacted, the bill would sharply restrict the Irish vape market by limiting legal vape flavours to tobacco and unflavoured products. It would also clamp down on colourful packaging, point-of-sale displays and retail advertising.

Vaping linked to faster smoking decline in New Zealand, says Lancet paper

Ali Anderson

New Zealand’s adult smoking rate began falling much faster after 2018/19, as vaping became more widely available and was recognised as a quit aid.

The annual rate of decline in daily smoking became around five times faster among both all adults and Māori adults.

Daily adult smoking has now plateaued below seven per cent, with remaining smoking increasingly concentrated among Māori, older adults and more deprived communities.

Youth smoking remains very low, while youth vaping has fallen since tighter regulation was introduced.