A recent story highlighted the advice given by the Birmingham Airport Police about not vaping on aeroplanes. A recent incident led to some passengers being removed from their flight before their holiday had even started because they ignored the strict rules about no vaping.
Vaping on planes from the UK, or any other country, is strictly prohibited due to several reasons:
Safety Concerns: Vaping devices, especially those powered by lithium-ion batteries, pose a potential fire hazard. In the confined space of an aircraft, any malfunction or mishandling of these devices could lead to a fire, risking the safety of passengers and crew.
Disruption to Air Quality: Vaping produces aerosols that can affect air quality within the cabin. While the long-term health effects of inhaling secondhand vapour are still unknown, airlines prioritise maintaining clean and healthy air for all passengers, which includes minimising exposure to potentially harmful substances.
Regulatory Restrictions: Vaping regulations vary from country to country, but most airlines and aviation authorities have implemented strict policies prohibiting vaping on board aircraft. These regulations are in place to ensure compliance with international aviation safety standards and to uphold the well-being of all passengers.
Respect for Others: Vaping on a plane can cause discomfort or irritation to other passengers who may be sensitive to the smell or adverse effects of secondhand vapour. Respecting the rights and preferences of fellow travellers is essential for ensuring a pleasant and comfortable journey for everyone on board.
In summary, vaping on planes from the UK is not permitted primarily due to safety concerns, potential air quality issues, regulatory restrictions, and the need to maintain a respectful and comfortable environment for all passengers. Travellers must adhere to these regulations and refrain from vaping while onboard aircraft to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone on the flight.
More information
Everything you need to know about travelling with e-cigarettes.
So, why does vaping make you dizzy? That’s where we’re going to begin in this guide. After we’ve answered that question, we’ll continue by explaining what you can do to stop this situation from happening in the future. As you’re about to learn, dizziness from vaping is actually quite easy to avoid. To do that, though, you need to understand why you’re getting dizzy in the first place.
Why Does Nicotine Make You Dizzy?
Nicotine makes you dizzy because it stimulates your body’s production of epinephrine – a hormone that’s more commonly called adrenaline. Increased epinephrine in your bloodstream elevates your blood pressure and causes your blood vessels to constrict, thus reducing the supply of oxygen to your brain. As a result, you feel dizzy.
If you want to know how to stop feeling dizzy after vaping or smoking, the solution is quite simple: You need to stop using nicotine until the lightheadedness dissipates. You may also find it helpful to sit down and drink a glass of water. You should feel better within a minute or two. Dizziness from vaping is virtually always a side effect of the nicotine, so the situation will resolve itself fastest if you stop using nicotine immediately.
With that basic information out of the way, the main reason why you’re here is because you want to know how to prevent dizziness from vaping in the future. We’ll spend the remainder of this article discussing why vaping makes you feel dizzy and what you can do to prevent it from happening.
Your Nicotine Strength May Be Too High
In regions that don’t have legal restrictions limiting the strengths of vaping products, it’s common for products such as disposable vapes, vape pods and bottled e-liquids to have nicotine strengths as high as 50 mg/ml and occasionally even higher. A high nicotine strength allows a small vaping product to deliver about as much nicotine per puff as a full-strength tobacco cigarette. If that’s not the type of cigarette you’re accustomed to, though, nicotine salt vape juice could deliver more nicotine than you actually need. If you experience more of a nicotine rush from vaping than you feel when smoking, the nicotine strength that you’re using probably isn’t right for you. Try a product with a lower strength.
Your Vaping Device Is Too Powerful for the Nicotine Strength You’re Using
If you’re using a refillable vaping device, it means that you’re buying your e-liquid in bottled form. It’s important in this case to use the right nicotine strength for your vaping hardware and for your personal needs. Many of the best vapes on the market are powerful devices that are capable of producing extremely large clouds. The larger your device’s cloud production is, though, the lower the nicotine strength of your vape juice should be.
The most popular nicotine strength for vape mods with large glass tanks is 3 mg/ml. There’s an enormous difference between that strength and the nicotine strengths that you’ll see when you buy salt nicotine e-liquid. If the nicotine strength that you’re using is too high for your vaping hardware, it’s likely that dizziness isn’t the only side effect you’ll experience. You may also experience coughing or headaches.
If you’re already using a low-strength e-liquid and have a vape mod with adjustable power, you should try lowering your device’s wattage. If the wattage is too high, you may experience a burnt taste along with the dizziness.
You’re Vaping More Often than You Should
Another reason why you might feel dizzy from vaping is because you’re vaping constantly and aren’t taking breaks between sessions. The rhythm of vaping is very different from that of smoking. A cigarette eventually burns out. At that point, you need to decide whether to light another one. You’re actively thinking about whether you actually need the nicotine.
With vaping, there’s no need to make that decision because your device may provide hundreds of puffs before you need to recharge the battery or add e-liquid to the tank. As a result, some people end up vaping almost constantly to keep themselves occupied or simply because they enjoy the flavor. If that’s the case for you, it’s possible that you’re consuming much more nicotine as a vaper than you did as a smoker – and that can lead to occasional dizziness. Try to ensure that you’re always putting your device down between sessions and that you’re only vaping when you actually need the nicotine. If you maintain the same rhythm that you would have used as a smoker, it’ll help you consume only the nicotine that you truly need.
You Haven’t Used Nicotine in a Long Time
Nicotine stays in the system for several hours after you’ve consumed it. Eventually, though, the level of nicotine in your blood will be so low that when you resume vaping, you’re more likely to feel a nicotine rush. For the sake of reference, the half-life of nicotine in the bloodstream is about two hours. Suppose that you vape immediately before going to bed, and you sleep for eight hours without using any nicotine during the night. If that’s the case, only about 1/16 of the nicotine that you consumed before going to bed will still be in your bloodstream when you wake up. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be unusual to feel a bit of a rush when you have your first vape in the morning. If you don’t like that sensation, it could be a sign that you’re consuming more nicotine than you need and might want to consider using a product with a lower nicotine strength.
You Haven’t Had Enough Water
Have you considered the possibility that the dizziness you experience when vaping isn’t actually a direct effect of the nicotine? Dizziness can also be a sign of dehydration, which is another common side effect of vaping. The reason why vaping has the potential to exacerbate dehydration is because the primary ingredients of e-liquid are vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol – two substances that are very effective at absorbing and trapping moisture. They’re so effective at trapping moisture, in fact, that they’re commonly used as ingredients in moisturizing products like lotions, hair conditioners and eyedrops.
Despite their moisturizing properties, however, glycerin and propylene glycol in e-liquid have the potential to cause dehydration because any moisture that those substances absorb when you inhale the vapor is then lost when you exhale. For that reason, it’s important to drink plenty of extra water when you vape in order to replenish the lost moisture.
If you frequently experience symptoms of dehydration when you vape, our INNOBAR disposable vapes and pod systems may help to alleviate that issue. These devices use a new form of water-based e-liquid created by Aquios Labs. Consisting of 30 percent water, this e-liquid is incredibly smooth and can provide a drastically improved experience compared to traditional e-liquids.
Final Thoughts
Dizziness from vaping is almost always caused by the effects that nicotine has on the body. So, if you find yourself getting dizzy when you vape, it’s either because the nicotine strength you’re using is too high or because you’re consuming too much nicotine in too short of a time span. With that in mind, it shouldn’t be too difficult to prevent the dizziness from occurring by making a few small changes.
·Try reducing the nicotine strength of the product you’re using. Most disposable vapes, bottled e-liquids and pre-filled vape pods are available in multiple strengths, so you should be able to choose a lower strength without losing your favorite flavors.
·Try using a low-nicotine vape or a nicotine-free vape part of the time if you have trouble putting your device down because vaping has become habitual for you. Alternatively, try to space your vaping sessions out a bit more and take breaks between sessions. If you manage your sessions more carefully, it’ll help to ensure that you’ll only use nicotine when you actually need it.
·Always keep some water nearby when you vape to ensure that you’ll stay hydrated. Because vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol are both potentially dehydrating, it’s important to drink extra water when you vape.
·If you do experience dizziness during a vaping session, stop vaping immediately because this is a sign that you’ve had enough nicotine and should take a break.
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However, what about women who are pregnant or nursing? We recognize that many things that are ordinarily safe to consume are basically off limits during this time in a woman’s life. Well, let’s look at what we know about the relationship between CBD intake and pregnant and nursing women.
How Does CBD Affect Women in General?
Cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis plants, and so, its effects can vary depending on the individual, and may even have some unique implications for women due to biological and hormonal differences, such as:
Menstrual Pain and PMS Symptoms: Some women use CBD products to manage symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menstrual cramps. CBD's anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties might help alleviate cramps, bloating, and other discomforts.
Menopause Symptoms: CBD might help manage various symptoms associated with menopause, such as mood swings, sleep disturbances, and joint pain. Its potential to influence the endocannabinoid system might play a role in managing hormonal and neurochemical fluctuations during menopause.
Mood Regulation: CBD has been studied for its potential to influence mood disorders. It might interact with serotonin receptors, potentially acting as a mood stabilizer, which could be beneficial for women experiencing mood swings due to hormonal changes.
Skin Care: Due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, CBD is increasingly popular in skincare products. It might help manage acne, reduce redness, and promote overall skin health.
Bone Density: Post-menopausal women are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis. Some research suggests that CBD might promote bone growth and help in maintaining bone density, although more research is needed in this area.
Why Might a Pregnant or Nursing Woman Take CBD?
Pregnant or nursing women might consider taking cannabidiol for various reasons, typically revolving around its purported therapeutic benefits. However, it's crucial to take notice that the safety and efficacy of CBD use during pregnancy and lactation are not well-established, and health authorities like the FDA strongly advise against it due to potential risks. Still, there are some reasons why women might consider CBD use despite the cautions.
Reason #1: Stress/Anxiety/Depression
Pregnancy, as well as the period shortly after giving birth, can be very stressful for any woman. While this is considered the happiest time in a woman’s life by many, the reality is that between the unstable hormone levels, the natural fear that comes with taking on such a tremendous responsibility, and the difficulty getting around caused by a rapidly growing body, it’s natural for a woman to experience unusual levels of stress and anxiety.
Reason #2: Inflammation
Inflammation during and after pregnancy is a complex and dynamic process that plays a crucial role in both maternal and fetal health. Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury, infection, or any form of stress, and it is also a normal part of the pregnancy process. Here's an overview of inflammation during and after pregnancy:
INFLAMMATION DURING PREGNANCY
During pregnancy, the body undergoes significant changes to support the growing fetus. These changes can trigger various inflammatory responses:
·-Implantation: The initial stage of pregnancy involves the implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine lining, which can cause some local inflammation as the body adjusts to the presence of the embryo.
·-Placental Development: The formation and growth of the placenta are associated with an inflammatory response. The placenta serves as a critical interface between the maternal and fetal circulations.
·-Immune Adaptation: To prevent the mother's immune system from attacking the developing fetus (which carries half of the father's genetic material and is, therefore, partially foreign to the mother), there are various immune adaptations. These adaptations involve a controlled immune response that includes some degree of inflammation.
·-Hormonal Changes: Hormonal changes during pregnancy can also influence the body's inflammatory response. For example, progesterone and estrogen levels rise, which can affect immune function and inflammation.
INFLAMMATION AFTER PREGNANCY
Inflammation doesn't end with childbirth; it continues in the postpartum period and can be categorized into two phases:
·oPhase #1: Acute Inflammation - After childbirth, the body experiences acute inflammation as a natural response to the trauma of labor and delivery. The uterus contracts to expel the placenta and reduce bleeding, which involves inflammation at the site.
·oPhase #2: Resolution Phase - After the acute phase, the body enters a resolution phase to heal and repair tissue. This phase involves the regulation of inflammation and tissue remodeling to return to a non-pregnant state.
Note: While some inflammation is a normal part of pregnancy and postpartum recovery, excessive or chronic inflammation can be harmful. Conditions like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and infections can lead to abnormal inflammation during pregnancy, which can have adverse effects on both the mother and the fetus. Additionally, postpartum complications and infections can also lead to inflammation in the postpartum period.
CBD has been recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties, and some women might use it hoping to reduce inflammation-related issues during pregnancy.
Reason #2: Sleep Disorders
Ask any woman who is pregnant or has just given birth how much sleep she gets each night, and you’re likely to feel pretty sympathetic toward her. We know that one of the first things to be affected during this time is sleep. During pregnancy, a woman can struggle with feeling comfortable enough to fall asleep. Once the baby is born, they may cry at all hours of the night.
Reason #3: Nausea and Vomiting
It’s quite common for a pregnant woman to experience nausea throughout her pregnancy, and even shortly after giving birth. So, some pregnant women might consider using CBD to alleviate morning sickness, as anecdotal evidence suggests it might help in reducing nausea and vomiting.
Reason #4: Deficiencies
CBD is rich in nutrients, and many women find that during pregnancy and the nursing stage, they need to increase their nutrient intake to meet the demands of their body and their baby. On the flip side of that coin, however, compounds from CBD can pass through breast milk, potentially affecting the nursing infant, whose long-term effects are unknown.
CBD and Infants: What we Know So Far
Now, let’s discuss the safety of giving infants cannabidiol. Unfortunately, we don’t have any studies showing that cannabidiol is either safe or unsafe for infants. One thing we know is that the FDA has recently issued a statement saying that pregnant and nursing women should avoid CBD. However, this statement came from the fact that the research is lacking, which we knew already.
The United States Surgeon General has said that pregnant and nursing women should avoid THC, because it may have negative impacts on the baby’s health. However, what they’re referring to is the high amount of THC that’s present in marijuana. We know that in hemp, only 0.3 percent or so THC exists, which’s not nearly as much as exists in marijuana. Hence, why one plant is legal and one is not.
We’ve also heard of medical professionals suggesting CBD to pregnant women, and while we can’t verify that they are up to date on the growing research, it’s worth remembering.
Also, keep in mind something else about the FDA: they still haven’t approved CBD in general, despite the fact that many United States legislators have been urging them to for some time. They will not tell us whether or not CBD is safe, despite the growing evidence that it’s nontoxic to the human body. So, before following all of their guidelines, remember that as of now, they consider all CBD safe, not just CBD that’s given to women who are pregnant and breastfeeding.
If you’re a pregnant woman or a woman who is breastfeeding, we suggest that you have a discussion with your OBGYN about CBD prior to taking it. Your doctor will not only help you come up with an answer as to whether or not you should take it, but they will also consider your medical history as well as any potential interactions with something that you’re taking already.
Remember that as a woman who is pregnant or nursing, you have a huge responsibility in terms of protecting your baby. This means that during this time, you should consider their needs as much as yours. If you really want to take something in order to find relief, but you are worried that it may not be good for your baby, it’s best to avoid it altogether.
Final Thoughts
Presently, there are not enough studies on pregnant and nursing women taking CBD in order to say with certainty that it’s safe or unsafe. We do know that many women who are pregnant or nursing take CBD regularly, and that there are doctors who say that it’s fine. Still, if you wish to follow the FDA guidelines, you should avoid it. And, ultimately, if you’re a pregnant or nursing woman who wants to take CBD, speak to your doctor who can likely help you figure out whether or not it’s a good idea.
We do hope that in the coming years, we find out more and more about the relationship between CBD and pregnancy/breastfeeding. We know that a lot of woman find relief from common symptoms using CBD, and so it may be perceived as useful to women under these circumstances in the near future. Who knows – maybe one day there will be CBD products specifically developed for women who are pregnant and nursing. Until then, it’s important that you take the advice of your medical providers, and always consider possible complications, not just for yourself but your baby as well.
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TFN E-Liquid Creating 101
Before you start, it's crucial to understand the risks and to ensure that you're working in a safe, controlled environment. It's also important to have accurate measuring equipment and to understand how to handle nicotine safely, as it can be hazardous.
Supplies You Will Need:
1.Tobacco-Free Nicotine (TFN): Available in liquid form in various strengths.
2.Propylene Glycol (PG): Used as a base and to carry flavor.
3.Vegetable Glycerin (VG): Used as a base and to produce vapor.
4.Flavorings: Concentrated food-grade flavorings meant for vaping.
5.Syringes or Pipettes: For accurate measurement of liquids.
6.Gloves and Safety Glasses: For personal protection.
7.Empty Bottles: For mixing and storing your e-liquid.
8.Labels and Marker: To label your mixes with content and creation date.
Steps to Make TFN E-Liquid:
1.PREPARATION:
·Work in a clean, well-lit, and ventilated area.
·Wear gloves and safety glasses to protect yourself from nicotine exposure.
·Make sure all your utensils and containers are clean.
2.FORMULATING YOUR RECIPE:
·Decide on the strength of nicotine you want in your e-liquid.
·Determine the PG/VG ratio. A common starting point is 50/50, but you can adjust this depending on whether you want more flavor and throat hit (PG) or more vapor (VG).
·Choose your flavorings. Start with a small percentage (5%-10%) of your total mixture and adjust based on taste.
3.MIXING:
·Measure out the nicotine, PG, VG, and flavorings based on your recipe. It's best to use syringes or pipettes for accurate measurement, especially for nicotine and flavorings.
·Add the ingredients to your bottle in the following order: nicotine, flavorings, PG, VG. This order helps to ensure that the nicotine and flavorings are well-distributed.
·Secure the cap on your bottle and shake it vigorously for a few minutes to ensure all components are thoroughly mixed.
4.STEEPING:
·Some flavors may taste better after they've had time to blend and mature, a process known as steeping.
·Store your e-liquid in a cool, dark place for a period of time. Depending on the flavor, this could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
5.TESTING AND ADJUSTING:
·After steeping, test your e-liquid. If it doesn't meet your expectations, adjust the flavorings as needed.
·Remember that adjusting the flavor can also change the overall strength of your nicotine, so recalculate to ensure you are vaping at your desired nicotine level.
6.LABELING:
·Clearly label your e-liquid with the flavor, nicotine strength, PG/VG ratio, and the date it was mixed.
7.SAFETY AND STORAGE:
·Store your e-liquid in a cool, dark place away from children and pets.
·Nicotine needs to be handled with extreme care.
·Always clean up any spills immediately and thoroughly.
Important Considerations:
·Nicotine Safety: Nicotine is a toxic substance and can be absorbed through the skin. Handle it with care, use protective gear, and keep it away from children and pets.
·Quality of Ingredients: Use high-quality, food-grade ingredients to ensure the safety and quality of your e-liquid.
·Local Regulations: Be aware of and comply with local regulations regarding the handling and use of nicotine and e-liquid production.
With Enough Time and Experience, You Could Someday Become a DIY TFN E-Liquid Pro!
Creating your own e-liquid can be a rewarding experience, allowing for customization of flavors and nicotine strengths. However, it requires precision, care, and an understanding of the materials you're working with. Always prioritize safety and follow best practices. If you're new to DIY e-liquid, consider starting with nicotine-free versions to practice mixing and flavor creation before working with nicotine.
You can read the full statement here – but I will just focus on the area related to vaping.
In the summary the reasoning for this decision is…
“Health advice is clear that vaping is not risk free and those who do not smoke should not vape. A new duty on vaping, introduced from October 2026, will discourage non-smokers from taking up vaping and raise revenue to help fund public services like the NHS. This new duty will raise £445 million in 2028-29.
Last year, the government announced ambitious plans to protect future generations from the harms of smoking and create the first smokefree generation. To ensure vapes continue to play a role in helping smokers give up cigarettes, tobacco duty will also be increased from October 2026 to maintain the current financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking. This will raise a further £170 million in 2028-29.”
“The government is committed to creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping. To support this the government is introducing a new duty on vaping and increasing tobacco duty from October 2026, raising revenue to support public services like the NHS.”
The statement says…
5.31 Vaping Products Duty
The government will introduce a new duty on vaping products from 1 October 2026, with registrations for the duty opening from 1 April 2026.
The rates will be £1.00 per 10ml for nicotine free liquids, £2.00 per 10ml on liquids that contain 0.1-10.9 mg nicotine per ml, and £3.00 per 10ml on liquids that contain 11mg or more per ml.
A 12-week consultation will be published on the policy design and technical details alongside the Spring Budget. You can view this here. I will discuss this further in another article.
The government will also introduce a one-off tobacco duty increase of £2.00 per 100 cigarettes or 50 grams of tobacco from 1 October 2026.
What Does That Mean For Vapers?
So basically there will be a tax on e-liquid to be introduced in 2026.
·0 Nicotine / Nicotine Free e-liquid – will be taxed at £1 per 10ml.
·0.1-10.9mg Nicotine e-liquid – will be taxed at £2 per 10ml.
·11mg or higher Nicotine e-liquid – will be taxed at £3 per 10ml.
A 12 week consultation will be apparently published – to refine the policy design and technical details.
The price of tobacco will increase in order to keep vaping as the cheaper option to incentivise swapping.
Industry & Advocacy Responses
As the industry responds to the announcement, I will add their responses below.
I have covered various responses to the taxation idea before the announcement here.
NNA (New Nicotine Alliance) Response
Media release
A tax on vaping liquids is irresponsible, will cost lives, and further erodes the UK’s former world-leading tobacco control strategy
For immediate release
·The tax on vaping liquids is damaging in principle and in practice.
·The UK government will undo its former position as a world-leader in reducing the prevalence of smoking.
·Government is now fighting itself by taxing the very products it is urging smokers to try.
·The government is clearly regulating from a position of ignorance and must urgently consult with consumer and public health experts.
LONDON, March 6, 2024: The Chancellor has today approved a tax on vaping liquids which is ill-thought-out and will cost thousands of lives.
The New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) is exasperated that the government is systematically dismantling world-leading policy which was an example to the rest of the world on how to utilise innovative harm reduction approaches to rapidly reduce the toll of smoking-related disease.
Following the ill-judged decision to ignore public health experts who warned of a ban on single use vapes deterring people who smoke from switching to products which could save their lives, it has now undermined its own admirable Swap to Stop campaign by vowing to increase the tax on the very products it is urging smokers to try. Furthermore, the design of the tax shows that government ministers have no understanding of how the devices help to reduce smoking prevalence.
Government is now fighting itself. It has been recently reported that 400,000 vaping products – the first of one million promised by the government last year – will be handed out free of charge under the Swap to Stop campaign, while the Chancellor is taxing them on the pretext that they are harmful.
The government’s own consultation document in October stated that “swapping to vaping is already helping 50,000 to 70,000 smokers in England quit each year – saving thousands of lives.” This extra tax will be a significant obstruction to that progress.
Just last week, a long-running Cancer Research UK funded study found that there were “substantial misperceptions about the harms of vaping compared with smoking” and emphasised “the need to clearly communicate the risks so that adults who smoke can make informed choices about the nicotine products they use.” The proposed tax on vaping liquids will further erode the public’s understanding of the difference between vaping and smoking and will harm public health.
It is undeniable that taxing vapes further (liquids are already liable for VAT at 20%) will lead to more smoking than without a new tax. This will undoubtedly slow progress towards and imperil the government’s Smokefree 2030 goal. It will also boost illicit trade in vapes on top of the high level we already have, and place excessive burdens on small businesses of tax bureaucracy compliance, effectively penalising independent vape businesses and benefitting cigarette sales.
NNA Chair, Louise Ross, an expert on smoking cessation for nearly two decades comments:
“putting a higher tax on stronger e-liquids completely misses the point that the more heavily dependent smokers will need stronger liquid to stay smoke-free. This will include people with poor mental health, people on benefits, people living in disadvantaged communities and those with challenging lives. Higher taxes will keep them smoking.
“The Swap to Stop scheme relies on heavily dependent smokers being convinced of the value of switching to a rechargeable, refillable vaping product. Adding taxation to e-liquids risks all that. People in poverty who would have been easily persuaded to switch will simply go back to smoking, and the opportunity to get them off cigarettes will be lost.”
Clive Bates, former Director of Action on Smoking and Health and a voluntary public health adviser to the NNA, said:
“A tax on vapes is basically a tax on health. If they are serious about getting smoking down to five per cent by 2030, the last thing the government would be doing is making it more expensive and less appealing to switch from smoking to vaping, which the government knows poses only a small fraction of the risk.
“The irony is that these measures won’t stop vaping, but they will mean more vapes are supplied through criminal networks, unscrupulous middlemen and dodgy retailers. If you want to do something about youth vaping, focus on licensing retailers and irresponsible marketing and packaging.”
Instead of issuing kneejerk policies driven by moral panic about reduced risk alternatives to smoking, it is imperative that the government urgently consults with consumer and public health experts. It cannot claim to care for the UK’s public health if it continues to promote policies which can only lead to more smoking-related disease and death.
Issued on behalf of the New Nicotine Alliance
ENDS
ASH UK (Action on Smoking & Health) Response
Press Release
ASH comment on Budget decisions on tobacco and vaping
06 Mar 2024
Immediate release: Wednesday 6th March
In today’s Budget the Chancellor announced that “the government is introducing a new duty on vaping and increasing tobacco duty from October 2026, raising revenue to support public services like the NHS.” This will maintain the current financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking.
·The excise tax on vaping will raise £120 million in 2026-7 rising to £445 million by 2028-9
·The additional tobacco duty will raise a further £110 million in 2026-7 and £170 million in 2027-8 and in 2028-9
Vaping excise duty
A 12-week consultation on the policy design and technical details was launched today.
Registrations for the vaping duty will open on 1 April 2026. The rates will be:
·£1.00 per 10ml for nicotine free liquids,
·£2.00 per 10ml on liquids that contain 0.1-10.9 mg nicotine per ml, and
·£3.00 per 10ml on liquids that contain 11mg or more per ml.
Tobacco tax changes
The government will also introduce a one-off tobacco duty increase of £2.00 per 100 cigarettes or 50 grams of tobacco from 1 October 2026.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said:
“Putting excise duty on vapes gives much needed additional powers to Border Force and HMRC to stop the import of illegal vapes which are flooding the market and need to be brought under control. These are powers they already have for tobacco which helped reduce the consumption of illegal cigarettes by 80% between 2000 and 2021.”
“The additional increase in tobacco taxes is welcome, as keeping vaping cheaper than smoking is vital to encourage smokers trying to quit to switch to vapes which are the most effective stop smoking aid available over the counter.”
“However, it’s smokers and those trying to quit and stay quit who will be paying these extra taxes. It takes the average smoker thirty attempts before they successfully quit, and specialist support and anti-smoking campaigns can increase the likelihood of success many times over. These new taxes should be used to plug the cuts in prevention measures and help the government achieve its smokefree 2030 ambition.”
The additional tax take of £230 million in 2026-7 rising to £615 million in 2028-9 will come from the pockets of consumers not the industry. Smokers and smokers trying to quit and stay quit will pay the price. The Chancellor has missed the opportunity to raise up to £700 million more to help plug the public finance gap, by capping the excessive and extreme profits of the tobacco manufacturers.
Dr Rob Branston, senior lecturer in business economics at the University of Bath said:
“Tobacco manufacturers are an untapped source of tax revenue, with net operating profits far in excess of other businesses. For example Imperial Tobacco made 71% profits in 2021, that’s £71 for every £100 turnover, more than ten times as great as the profit margin of BP.
“By capping profits to 10% while keeping retail prices the same, the government could raise up to £700 million a year from tobacco manufacturers without putting an additional burden on consumers. This is far more than the £500 million its estimated that the additional tobacco and vape tax will raise, all of which will come from the pockets of consumers rather than industry profits.”
ENDS
ASH (Action on Smoking & Health) Wales Response
Press Release
New vape tax would be a welcome next step – but more action is urgently needed to achieve a Smokefree Generation and tackle youth vaping
Two of Wales’ leading health charities have welcomed plans for the additional regulation of vape products, following the announcement of a consultation on the design of a new levy by Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt.
ASH Wales and Asthma + Lung UK Cymru agree a new tax is a good idea and have now urged the UK Government to go further.
Suzanne Cass, chief executive of Ash Wales, said:
“A new tax will be a useful lever to support enforcement to tackle the supply and demand of illegal products, especially among children who should never vape. But on its own, it’s not enough.
“The longer we wait – the bigger the problem becomes and more children become dependent on nicotine. We urgently need to see the bill to create a smokefree generation and tackle youth vaping tabled in Westminster, progressed through the legislative process and then passed into law here in Wales.”
Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK Cymru said:
“Introducing a new tax on vapes is a good idea. We need urgent action to stop children from vaping, with disposable vapes in particular remaining far too attractive and easy for children to buy – a price increase would quickly make vapes less accessible.
“However, the revenue from a vaping levy must be used to fund a vape recycling scheme and enforcement around sales. Alongside a levy, we want to see restrictions on the marketing of vapes so that they do not appeal to children.”
A vape tax would also have the added benefit of giving greater powers to Border Force and HMRC to stop the import of illegal vapes.
ASH Wales also welcomed plans for an increase in tobacco duty and highlighted the importance of keeping a price differential between vapes and tobacco, to avoid sending a message that they are equally harmful.
Worryingly, according to ASH Wales data, there is a sizeable proportion of adults in Wales who believe that vapes are just as harmful, or more harmful than tobacco cigarettes.
The ASH Wales YouGov Annual Survey 2023 shows the percentage who feel this way has grown from 25% in 2017 to 46% in 2023. This is consistent among smokers in Wales, with 47% who felt this way – again a significant increase from 14% of smokers in 2017.
Suzanne Cass added:
“It’s important that smokers always have that option to switch from smoking to vaping, which is not only significantly less harmful to their health – but it should also be less expensive too.”
Joseph Carter added:
“It’s also important to remember that vaping can be a useful way for adults to quit smoking, so the levy should fund an expansion of the Swap to Stop scheme and enable people on the lowest incomes to access vaping devices to help them.
“If you’re a smoker and you want to quit tobacco, vaping can be a helpful way to give up smoking. But for children and those who don’t smoke, starting to vape is never good idea, especially if you have a lung condition.”
WVA (World Vapers’ Alliance) Response
Press Release
For Immediate Release
6 March 2024
The UK’s announced increased vaping tax jeopardises the country’s success in beating smoking
London, UK – Today the UK government announced a new tax on vaping products. This move raises significant concerns for the country’s harm reduction policy trends, which has previously boasted its leadership in smoking cessation efforts.
The recent policy changes, including the proposed generational ban for less harmful heat-not-burn products and disposable vapes, are a step in the wrong direction, says the head of the global vaping consumer movement, World Vapers’ Alliance, Michael Landl.
“Higher prices for less harmful vapes are placing the lives of millions of former smokers and current vapers in jeopardy. The cost is a high determinant for switching to less harmful options and this will only make alternative products less affordable. It’s illogical to discuss reducing taxes for individuals while simultaneously raising taxes on smoking cessation aids,” said Landl.
According to the reports, the UK Treasury expects to raise more than £500m a year by 2028-29 between the vaping tax and the increase in tobacco duty.
“Just last year, the UK government took a pioneering step in harm reduction policy by introducing the innovative ‘swap to stop’ program. The new tax increase is a huge step backwards and risks leading to the growth of the black market and illicit trade in e-cigarettes and other nicotine-containing products,” added Landl.
“The UK should follow the example of Sweden which last year lowered the tax on snus, its leading harm reduction product. Now, Sweden is about to become the first smoke-free country in the world. The UK could be the leader of smoking cessation thanks to vaping.” concluded Landl.
For more information and to support our cause, visit our website and join the movement towards a better, smoke-free future.
– END
IBVTA (Independent British Vape Trade Association) Response
Mar 6, 2024
IBVTA statement on today’s budget announcement of a duty on liquids
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has today announced that to discourage non-smokers from taking up vaping, the Government is confirming the introduction of an excise duty on liquids used in vaping products from October 2026, and has published a consultation on its design.
The consultation will run for 12 weeks, and closes on the 29th of May.
The rates being proposed will be £1.00 per 10ml for nicotine free liquids, £2.00 per 10ml on liquids that contain 0.1-10.9 mg of nicotine per ml, and £3.00 per 10ml on liquids that contain 11mg of nicotine or more per ml. It is proposed that the duty will be chargeable at the point of their manufacture in, or importation into, the UK.
IBVTA Chair, Marcus Saxton, said:
“The government has already proposed regulation that will ban single use products, which despite helping many adult smokers access vaping, have via irresponsible retailers been disproportionately accessible to children.
It would seem a little questionable then to increase the cost of vaping, especially for the higher strength liquids which many smokers need to make the switch, when you’ve still got around six million adult smokers for who you’re trying to give every opportunity to make the transition to less harmful products.
There’s also the potential negative effect of an excise on public services utilising vapes within their smoking cessation services. The IBVTA do not believe that any excise tax should be applied to products supplied via these services.
The IBVTA will be carefully considering the consultation announced today and we look forward to working constructively with HMRC to make sure these proposals are meaningfully enforceable and don’t have unintended consequences.”
WeVape Response
The group posted a series of social media posts expressing their reaction to the news.
UKVIA (UK Vaping Industry Association) Response
The UKVIA have written to the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt expressing their “Disappointment and Concern” over the new vape tax.
Science Media Centre Expert Reactions
Taken from the article found here – “Expert reaction to the Spring Budget“.
This page has many reactions to different areas of the budget. I have quoted the comments regarding the vape tax.
Professor Maggie Rae, President and Dr Nicola Stingelin-Giles, council member, of the Epidemiology & Public Health Section, Royal Society of Medicine, said:
“Smoking tobacco is the biggest cause of entirely preventable illness and death in the UK. Helping people stop smoking is one of the best things we can do for people’s health and, therefore, is a public health priority.
“Vapes, or e-cigarettes, that contain nicotine can be effective tools to aid this. While vaping is not risk-free, and more research is needed to fully understand the health effects, the harms are known to be substantially less than those of smoking tobacco.
“The rise in uptake of vaping amongst non-smokers – and particularly children and young people – is an area of huge concern and we welcome efforts to address this. These include the proposed ban on disposable vapes, and restrictions on flavours and packaging, aimed directly at making vaping less attractive for younger people.
“But it’s imperative we ensure medicinal use of vapes to aid people to stop smoking continues to be encouraged, as smoking cessation remains the matter of greater importance.
“Introducing a tax which makes vaping more expensive must be carefully considered to ensure the positives are not outweighed by any resulting harmful effects on health, especially where there is a risk of widening inequity in our society. It’s important we focus smoking cessation efforts on helping those people in the most at-risk groups who stand to lose the most.
“This is a complex area with no easy decisions, but the primary goal has to be delivering the greatest health benefits for the public. We welcome the debate on the best means of doing this.”
My Thoughts
Hands up those who think this measure will fuel the existing Black Market? We already have issues with illicit and illegal vapes – so increasing the price will mean many will have to find alternative cheaper suppliers.
Also the sad fact is that vaping is substantially cheaper than smoking – once you have bought the equipment, you are only buying e-liquid and replacement pods / coils. Increasing the price of e-liquid will diminish the financial benefit of swapping to vaping.
Another big issue is that the higher nicotine e-liquid’s will be taxed heavier. These are the products that are most useful for those who are transitioning from smoking. For instance a bottle of 20mg nicotine e-liquid which currently retails at £3.99 will increase to £6.99 with the tax applied. That is for 10ml of e-liquid – which is shocking.
Not to mention those who buy shortfill nicotine free e-liquids. For instance a typical 100ml bottle of e-liquid priced at £9.99 would increase to £19.99 with the £10 (£1 per 10ml) tax applied. This would be double the price!
This is a really bad move. I sort of agree with a tax as it does fund more enforcement and allow other agencies to join in. But the level of tax is extortionate. Perhaps £1 per bottle – regardless of nicotine strength or volume would be more sensible.
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Authored by Harvard Medical School Professor Nancy Rigotti, the editorial referred to the study, while emphasizing that the evidence had brought e-cigarettes to a tipping point in addressing the significant burden of tobacco-related diseases.
Smokers in England are increasingly overestimating the risks associated with vaping compared to smoking, according to data from a Cancer Research UK-funded weekly survey. Conducted between 2014 to 2023, the study surveyed over 28,000 current smokers and revealed that in 2014, when vapes were still relatively new on the market, 44% of smokers believed vaping was less harmful than smoking, while 11% believed it was more harmful, 30% considered them equally harmful, and 15% did not know.
Sadly, by June 2023, the percentage of smokers who correctly believed that vaping was less harmful than smoking had dropped to 27%. While the percentage of people who believed they were more harmful, or equally harmful rose to 23% and 34% respectively, with those who did not know at 16%.
The misinformation epidemic is getting worse not better
The study revealed a notable shift in perceptions, with 57% of smokers now thinking that vaping is as harmful as or more harmful than smoking. The reasons behind this trend were not investigated in the study, but the the mixed messages the public is getting from local lawmakers and the media, is certainly a major contributing factor.
Last April, the UK announced that one million smokers will be given free vape kits to help them give up cigarettes. While a year earlier, the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), has released a review on vaping in which it commends its benefits for public health.
The group reiterated that vaping is “at least 95 percent less harmful” than combustible tobacco and “poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking.” The document also discussed the importance of flavours pointing to “evidence to suggest that non-tobacco flavours, particularly sweet flavours, may play a positive role in helping people switch from smoking to vaping.”
Fast forward to 2023, and local authorities starting raising the alarm about local teen vaping rates and started the process to ban disposable vapes. A study conducted by student news site The Tab reported that the prevalence of vaping among university students in the UK has more than doubled in the past year. Surveying over 6,000 undergraduates, the study revealed that 57% of students said they used disposable vapes regularly, a substantial rise from the previous figure of 27%.
Vaping rates need to be measures in relation to smoking rates
What this study, and the resulting media reports failed to mention is the well known fact that this rise in vaping has led to a parallel drop in smoking. In fact, the 2022 “Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England 2021 report,” revealed that while one in five 15-year-old girls currently vaped, at 21%, as opposed to 10% in 2018, the proportion of pupils who reported being smokers has declined from 5% in 2018 to a record low of 3% in 2021.
In addition, less than one in eight secondary schoolchildren (12%) had ever smoked a cigarette in 2021, this is the lowest number recorded since 1982. Morever, data gathered from Smoking in England, a portal through which major findings from the Smoking Toolkit Study and other national data are made available to policy makers, clinicians, researchers, journalists and the general public, has found that e-cigarette use has remained relatively stable. “Use of e-cigarettes in adult population has remained relatively stable since late 2013.”
More importantly, in 2022, the UK’s Annual Population Survey (APS), reported that 12.9% of people aged 18 years and above, equating to approximately 6.4 million people, smoked cigarettes. A total of 14.6% of men smoked compared with 11.2% of women. The 12.9% rate is the lowest smoking rate ever recorded in the United Kingdom since rates started being recorded in 2011, and is being attributed to the arrival of vapes on the market during the same period.
ASH UK’s Facts Sheet
To this effect, the growing misinformation about vaping is nothing short of a tragedy for public health, as it must be stopping millions of smokers from swapping to a safer nicotine product which could actually save their life. In a bid to right these wrongs, ASH UK (Action on Smoking and Health) has recently released a peer reviewed facts sheet about vaping.
“This short brief is to aid responsible reporting of the evidence about vaping and
reduce:
• Repetition of misconceptions as conventional wisdom;
• Overstating the evidence, with caveats downplayed or missed out;
• Presenting opinions as facts,” reads the opening paragraph of the facts sheet.
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The action could affect distribution of disposables in several European countries. Cargolux said in a press release the decision was made “in response to growing concern about the adverse effects of these products on both public health and the environment.”
Cargolux Airlines International is the seventh-largest cargo-only airline in the world, and the largest based in Europe. The company has offices in over 50 countries, and delivers freight to more than 75 destinations, including 10 cities in the United States. It also operates and is part-owner of Italian carrier Cargolux Italia.
Echoing claims made by anti-vaping groups and politicians, Cargolux says disposable vapes “pose a significant risk to human health, particularly for younger generations, given their targeted marketing with attractive flavors.” The company also said the lithium ion batteries in disposables are not recyclable, which is not true.
France has begun the process of banning disposable vapes, and the British government says it intends to ban them too.
“With this action, we hope to contribute to reducing the availability of these products on the market,” said Cargolux president and CEO Richard Forson. “As a responsible corporate citizen, Cargolux aims for this initiative to encourage other logistics operators to adopt similar measures.”
The two largest air carriers in the world, U.S.-based Fedex and UPS, both announced in early 2021 they would stop carrying vaping products (by air or ground) in the United States. The decision followed passage of a law that added vaping products to the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT Act), banning U.S. Mail delivery of vaping products.
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The Argus pod kit range includes some beauties such as the Argus Pro 2, Argus P1S, Argus Pod SE and Argus Z – just to name a few!
What To Expect From The Voopoo Argus P2…
This has been released at the same time as the Argus G2 and for both sadly there is not much info on the Voopoo website – which is unusual.
Anyway I will tell you what I do know!
Inside the mod is a 1100mAh battery which is charged using the included USB Type C cable.
Output wise it is stated as 5-30W. I assume this is variable wattage but there is a mention of a “Shift Mode”. I have no idea what that could be?
An OLED screen is provided and there looks to be coloured LED’s beneath this – but again I cannot confirm their function?
Looking at the pictures I can see an airflow adjustment slider.
Due to there being a lot of information missing, I am not sure if it is auto draw or button fire, plus there is no mention of it being compatible with previous Argus pods?
This kit includes the new and upgraded “Top Fill” Argus pods, which means you do not have to remove the pod to fill.
In standard format the capacity is 3ml, but in TPD regulated areas this is reduced to 2ml.
There are 2 fixed coil top fill pods available – 0.4ohm and 0.7ohm – you get both in the kit.
You can choose from 8 colours: Neon Blue, Emerald Green, Matte Black, Crystal Pink, Ruby Red, Titanium Grey, Violet Purple and Pearl White. The Voopoo website does not even display the colour options?
Kit Includes
·Voopoo Argus P2 device
·0.4ohm Argus pod
·0.7ohm Argus pod
·Lanyard
·USB Type C cable
·User manual
Voopoo Argus P2 Specs
·Size: 78×48.5×17.5mm
·Battery: 1100mAh (internal)
·Display: OLED colour screen
·Output: 5-30W
·Modes: Variable wattage
·Type C USB charging
·Resistance range: 0.4-3ohm
·Capacity: 2ml
·Compatibility: Not specified
·Adjustable airflow
·Top fill
It is really unusual how little detail there is on the Voopoo website about this kit. I would like to know for instance if it is compatible with previous Argus pods?
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Unlike any other kind of tobacco or vape ban, a generational ban like Brookline’s allows some adults to legally buy tobacco or vapes while others are prohibited from doing so. A current 24-year-old born on Dec. 31, 1999, can legally buy a vaping product in the Boston suburb, but a 24-year-old born a day later, on Jan. 1, 2000, is prohibited from buying that same product—and always will be.
While these bans are usually called “tobacco-free generation” or “smokefree generation” laws—because they invariably ban sales of cigarettes and combustible tobacco products—the Brookline ban has been referred to as a “nicotine-free generation” law, because it bans sales of all consumer nicotine products, including vapes.
Court: cities may completely prohibit vapes and tobacco
Brookline passed the generational ban in November 2020, and the law took effect in July 2021, after undergoing legal review by the attorney general. The law was challenged by a gas station and convenience store owner who said the ban hurt his business, which is located just a block from Brookline’s border with Boston, where tobacco sales are legal to anyone 21 or older. Eventually, other c-store owners joined the suit.
A superior court dismissed the lawsuit in 2022, and the businesses appealed to the state Supreme Court. The court heard oral arguments last November. Throughout the legal challenge, the city was represented pro bono by lawyers from the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) at the Northeastern University School of Law. PHAI’s Public Health and Tobacco Policy Center works as a partner to the state Department of Public Health’s tobacco control program.
In its decision, handed down March 8, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court decision, and rejected the argument that the generational ban conflicts with existing state laws that set the legal age to buy tobacco and vaping products at 21. State law, said the court, allows local municipalities to completely ban tobacco sales if they so choose.
The decision was cheered by tobacco control groups hoping the generational ban concept catches on elsewhere. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) issued a press release calling the ruling “a watershed moment in the history of the tobacco wars.”
The generational ban concept could spread
While Brookline is believed to be the first government to have imposed a generational tobacco ban, the idea isn’t new. It was developed and named Tobacco-Free Generation in Singapore. And though Singapore has not yet passed its own tobacco-free generation law, a tobacco control group named Tobacco Free Generation International is headquartered there.
New Zealand became the first country to pass a generational ban in 2022—although the law was abandoned before it took effect after a new government was elected last year. The New Zealand law did not restrict the sale of vapes. A proposed revision of Malaysia’s tobacco control laws introduced last year originally included a generational ban (which would have banned vaping products), but the age-based prohibition was dropped after the country’s attorney general determined it was unconstitutional.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced last October that he would pursue a smokefree generation law in England patterned on the New Zealand law (no vape ban). The UK Parliament has yet to vote on the proposal. Scotland is considering its own generational ban.
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A recent study by the infamous anti-safer nicotine alternatives crusader Professor Stanton Glantz, claims that vaping poses a similar risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and metabolic dysfunction, as smoking. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine Evidence, the study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of publications comparing odds’ ratios of diseases between vapers and smokers.
Renowned cardiologist and reseacher in the fields of echocardiography, smoking and tobacco harm reduction (THR) research, Konstantinos Farsalinos, MD, MPH, responded to the “findings.” He highlighted that to effectively address the question of disease risk from e-cigarette use, one would require studies involving vapers who had never smoked, and study their disease risk compared to that of smokers. This would rule out the effects of current or former smoking: a fact that any experienced researcher would take into consideration.
Ideally, such studies should span many years to observe the development of cardiovascular diseases, examining individuals using e-cigarettes for an extended period. Moreover, they should analyze longitudinal or cross-sectional studies with data on the duration and frequency of e-cigarette use, past and current smoking status, and the temporal association between e-cigarette use initiation and disease development.
In contrast, Glantz’s meta-analysis included 107 studies reporting 124 odds ratios, with a majority (97 out of 124) derived from cross-sectional studies, which lack information on the temporality of events. The study design fails to provide insights into the duration and frequency of vaping, the timing of disease occurrence relative to e-cigarette initiation, or whether dual users engaged in both smoking and vaping were examined thoroughly.
Farsalinos highlighted that the current study’s methodology is reminiscent of another metanalysis by Glantz, which concluded that vaping prevents smoking cessation, by including participants who were failures at baseline and people who were not regular vapers but only experimenting with the products. “Today we know not only that e-cigarettes are effective in smoking cessation but that it is currently THE BEST smoking cessation aid available, equally effective to varenicline which, however, has been withdrawn to the market,” explained Farsalinos.
In an email communication with Dr. Farsalinos, a seasoned and meticulous researcher himself, Vaping Post brought up another baffling factor staring us all in the face: How do supposedly reliable scientific journals keep publishing these inaccurate studies? How do their peer reviews miss these “errors” and biases? He replied that he is as astonished as the rest of us. “I literally have no idea how they do it,” he added.
The difference in the effects of cigarettes and non-combustible nicotine products on heart health is scientifically undeniable
Meanwhile countless studies have indicated the stark contrast on the effects of heart health between smoking and non-combustibe tobacco/nicotine products. A 2022 study by a research team from Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Copenhagen found that smoking has a negative impact on the structure and function of the heart and that quitting can help reverse this damage. The research team emphasized that the damage observed by smoking was worse than previously thought.
Holt and her team evaluated data from over 3,800 participants, aged between 20 and 93 who did not have a history of heart disease. They collected information about the participants’ tobacco use behaviour via questionnaire, after which they conducted an echocardiogram or ultrasound of the heart.
While, another study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, indicated the relative safety of smokeless tobacco products, and how switching to the products from combustible cigarettes was associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk in smokers.
The study, “Associations of Smokeless Tobacco Use With Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Insights From the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study” analyzed data from a nationally representative group of 4,347 adults who provided urine and blood samples in 2013–14 as part of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Among this group, 3,034 participants used cigarettes exclusively, 338 used only smokeless tobacco, and 975 had never used any tobacco product.
Similar nicotine levels but lower disease biomarkers
The research team analysed the participants’ samples for biomarkers of tobacco exposure, inflammation and oxidative stress, which are predictors of cardiovascular disease risk, in each of the three subgroups. The compiled data indicated that despite similar nicotine levels, smokeless tobacco users displayed significantly lower biomarkers of disease.
“Our findings show that despite having higher levels of nicotine, exclusive smokeless tobacco users had significantly lower concentrations of inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers than cigarette smokers. Levels of these biomarkers among smokeless tobacco users were similar to those of ‘never’ smokers,” said lead study author Mary Rezk-Hanna, who is an assistant professor at UCLA School of Nursing.
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We’re taking a look at some of the best prefilled pod kits for 2024, to help you find the right kit for you.
What are prefilled vape pod kits?
A prefilled pod kit, sometimes referred to as a closed pod system, is a type of starter vape kit which does not require the user to refill the vape with e-liquid. Instead, the kit can be paired with a range of compatible pods which are already filled with vape juice and are ready to use straight away. Once the pod is empty it can be removed, disposed of, and replaced.
Because of this there is little maintenance involved in using a pre-filled pod kit, all you really need to do is change the pod whenever it is empty and charge the device whenever the battery is low.
This makes these devices a great option for new vapers, especially those who find the prospect of learning to use a new electronic device a little daunting. They are easy to set up and use, with no additional settings to worry about, and often don’t even have any buttons.
They also make it easier to choose which flavour to use, as you only have to choose between the flavours available in the compatible pod range. However, it is important to remember that many prefilled pods only come in a high nicotine strength, which is something to bear in mind when choosing which one will best suit you.
Best vape for flavour
If you’re looking for a prefilled vape that offers top-notch flavour, the Elf Bar ELFA PRO is certainly going to suit you well. The device itself is small and compact, with a simple design that looks very similar to the Elf Bar disposable vapes.
There are over 50 different prefilled pods to choose from for the ELFA PRO, as it is not only compatible with the ELFA PRO pods, but also with the original ELFA pods and the Lost Mary Tappo pods.
The ELFA PRO pods utilise state-of-the-art QUAQ mesh coils, which help to offer unrivalled flavour payoff and a more consistent vapour, so that you get the same great experience from the first puff to the last.
Thanks to the huge range of compatible pods there are flavours from all different flavour categories, so you are bound to find something you love.
Best vape for portability
The Lost Mary Tappo is our pick when it comes to pocket-friendly prefilled pod kits, with a small, palm-sized body and lightweight design. This kit is perfect for popping in your pocket or bag as you are heading out the door, to help you manage your nicotine cravings on-the-go.
But, just because the Tappo is small does not mean it doesn't pack a punch, with a 750 mAh built-in battery which can be fast-charged via USB-C cable. This offers plenty of power to get the average vaper through the day, and can reach a full charge in less than an hour.
The Tappo pods are available in a wide range of different flavour options, including some of their most popular disposable vape flavours like mixed berries, kiwi passion fruit guava, and watermelon.
Each pod contains 2ml of 20 mg/ml e-liquid, and each pod has an approximate puff count of 600.
Best vape for transitioning from disposable vapes
If you have been using disposable vape pens and are now looking to transition to a reusable device, closed pod systems like the SKE Crystal Plus are a great place to start.
The Crystal Plus looks extremely similar to their Crystal Bar disposable vapes, and work in much the same way. There is no firing button, but the device instead uses inhale activation, so you just need to draw through the mouthpiece and the vape will fire.
However, unlike their disposable vapes, the SKE Crystal Plus can be recharged whenever needed and has replaceable pods, making them a more environmentally friendly and cheaper alternative to disposables.
To help make the transition that much easier, the Crystal Plus pods are available in all of the most popular disposable vape flavours, so you can keep using all of your favourites. The pods actually contain the exact same vape juice as the Crystal Bar disposables, with the same 20 mg/ml nicotine salt formula.
Best vape for beginners
The Vuse Pro prefilled pod kit is unique because, unlike most other similar pod vapes, the pods are available in a choice of different nicotine strengths. This makes the Vuse Pro a great option for new vapers who are looking for a simple device, but do not need the 20 mg/ml nicotine strength typically found in prefilled pod kits.
The nicotine strength that is best suited to each new vaper depends on their previous smoking habits, as it needs to match the nicotine intake they are already used to in order to manage their cravings and stave off withdrawal symptoms. For lighter smokers, a 20 mg/ml strength would likely be too strong, but Vuse pods are available in lower strengths like 3 mg, 6 mg, or 12 mg/ml, which may be more suitable.
The pods are also available in a range of different flavours including options like creamy tobacco and chilled mint which are a good place to start if you feel the prospect of fruity flavours a little daunting.
Best vape for versatility
The Elf Bar Mate 500 is a slightly different take on a prefilled pod kit, as it is more of a hybrid device which bridges the gap between prefilled and refillable pod kits.
The Elf Bar Mate P1 pods are available in 28 different flavour options, prefilled with 2ml of 20 mg/ml nic salt e-liquid and ready to use straight out of the packaging. These pods are the same as standard prefilled pods, as they cannot be refilled and will need to be disposed of and replaced when empty.
However, they also offer a refillable pod option which can be filled with any 50/50 or high PG e-liquid multiple times before the coil will start to burn out. To keep things simple these pods do not have replaceable coils, but can be swapped out for a new one once the coil is done, allowing you to experiment with a different type of pod kit without needing to purchase and learn to use a whole new kit.
Can prefilled pods be refilled when empty?
No, prefilled pods have a closed design which does not allow for them to be refilled, and instead they will need to be disposed of when empty and replaced with a fresh pod. The pod is designed in a way that does not allow access to the coil, so there is no refill point and the coil cannot be changed.
Attempting to refill these pods is not recommended, as it will likely cause damage to the pod and could prevent it from working as expected. It could also compromise the pod and cause the e-liquid to leak out, which could also damage the device.
If you would prefer a device that can be refilled with e-liquid, you might want to consider the Elf Bar Mate 500 paired with the compatible refillable pods, or you can take a look at our blog post ‘What are the best Refillable vape kits of 2024?’ for some other refillable vape recommendations.
Is 20 mg/ml a high nicotine strength?
Many prefilled pods are only available in a 20 mg/ml, although there are some exceptions like the Vuse Pro range. 20 mg/ml, also referred to as 2%, is the highest nicotine strength available in the UK and one 2ml pod is estimated to be equivalent to around 30 cigarettes.
This nicotine strength will not necessarily be suitable for all vapers, and we recommend that those who were lighter smokers should start out using a lower nicotine strength that will help manage their nicotine cravings without being too strong.
Are prefilled pod kits the same as disposable vapes?
Many prefilled pod vape kits look very similar in size and design to disposable vapes, but they are not the same as disposables. This is because they utilise a rechargeable battery which you can continue to use for as long as a year or so before it will need to be replaced.
The only part of prefilled pod kits that will need to be regularly disposed of is the pod, which can be thrown away when empty and replaced with a new one. Whereas, with disposable vapes the entire device will need to be disposed of when empty.
]]>GEEKVP, a technology company headquartered in Shenzhen, operates an intelligent manufacturing facility that combines informationization, intelligence, and leanness in its manufacturing processes. The company is dedicated to delivering exceptional product solutions to its global clientele.
Indonesia’s Anderson Tanoto, Sri Lanka’s Eshan Pieris, and Dorian Boccolacci will drive the GEEKVP-liveried car in the most prestigious Asian endurance race that starts in the morning of Saturday 16th March.
The trio of Absolute Racing drivers, while new to this particular race, bring with them a wealth of racing experience. Anderson Tanoto, a Bronze driver from Indonesia and former GT4 Cup champion in the Audi R8 one-make cup series in Asia with Absolute Racing, participated in last year’s Singapore Grand Prix and Macau Grand Prix GT races. He has also been a regular in GT racing, both in the USA and Asia.
Eshan Pieris is a familiar figure in the Absolute Racing family. The Sri Lankan racer secured his country’s first F3 win while driving for Absolute Racing in 2019, and since then, he has transitioned to GT cars where he has established himself as one of the most promising drivers. Last season, Eshan Pieris achieved podium finishes in the TSS The Super Series Super Car GT3 Pro class. The son of Sri Lankan racing legend David Pieris, Eshan Pieris will be making his debut in the 12 Hours of Sepang.
Completing the lineup will be reigning Porsche Carrera Cup France Champion Dorian Boccolacci. The twenty-five-year-old Frenchman from Cannes will be competing in his first race in Asia, bringing with him significant experience in the upper echelons of the sport. Boccolacci began his career in single-seater racing in the French Formula 4 Championship back in 2014, finishing in second place. He later became Vice Champion in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 before racing in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and then in the GP3 Series and FIA Formula 2 Championship. He moved up to GT cars in 2020, achieving strong results in his home country’s Porsche Carrera Cup series. Boccolacci is also a class winner in the ice racing series Andros Trophy.
Commenting on the third Absolute Racing-run entry in the race, Ingo Matter, Team Principal of Absolute Racing, stated, “I am really delighted that we are joining the 12 Hours of Sepang for the first time with the Porsche 911 GT3 R and in partnership with Geek. We have put together a proven driver lineup. Anderson and Eshan have been part of the Absolute Racing family for a long time, and we are pleased to give them their first shot in the race. Dorian tested with us before, and he brings tons of experience of racing with Porsche cars in Europe; we believe he will have no problems adapting quickly to the team and his teammates.”
Eshan Pieris commented, “It feels great to kick off the 2024 racing season with an event like the 12 Hours of Sepang. I’m also very excited to be with Porsche for this race alongside Absolute Racing. It is going to be an epic weekend, and I am really looking forward to it.”
Dorian Boccolacci added, “I am very happy to join Absolute Racing for the 12 Hours of Sepang. We had a test together on the same track, and I am excited and fully motivated to work with them for the race.”
The 12 Hours of Sepang race starts at 10.00am Malaysia time on Saturday 16th March 2024.
TIMETABLE (GMT+8)
Thursday, 14th March
19:30 – 21:00 – NIGHT PRACTICE
Friday, 15th March
08:00 – 09:30 – FREE PRACTICE 1
10:30 – 12:00 – FREE PRACTICE 2
16:05 – 18:00 – QUALIFYING
Saturday, 16th March
10:00 – 22:00 – RACE
]]>
Clive Bates used to lead Action on Smoking and Health and is now a recognised around the world as an expert on vaping and tobacco harm reduction. He says the Department of Health and Social Care and the Chief Medical Officer for England “have lost sight of the prize: to reduce smoking to below 5% by 2030. Instead, they have been derailed by a moral panic when they should be a voice of calm and reason.”
Bates says the Prime Minister’s proposals “will have negligible impact other than blocking better ideas”, adding that the 3% smoking figure was in 2021 and will be even lower today.
Clive Bates believes that bans on safer products have three main effects: Adverse behaviour change (for example, people switching back to smoking, smokers smoking more, and fewer quitters), feeding demand into black markets serviced by criminals, and users seeking out risky workarounds.
“They don’t solve real or perceived problems, they make them worse,” Clive adds.
Are vapes important to retailers?
According to the independent retail trade, vape products are now hugely important to the independent sector. The profits that vaping drives are described as “huge”. Typically, a store such as One Stop can earn 10% profit from a packet of cigarettes, but this soars for them to 50 or 60% on an electronic cigarette product.
Chris Noice, Director of communications for the Association of Convenience Stores, says that “customers are buying a lot and they are saying they want to give up smoking.”
Sue Nithyanandan, an independent retailer who runs a Costcutter in Epson with her husband, agrees that vapes are contributing a lot to the bottom line for independent stores. More than that, she doesn’t believe a lot of stores would continue to exist were it not for vapes thanks to the pressures they are facing from the constantly rising costs incurred in running a business during the cost-of-living crisis.
The Intelligent View
ECigIntelligence is a company that has been analysing data and delivering insight about the electronic cigarette market to the industry and investors since 2014. Its commentators believe the disposable/single-use vape ban could offer up an opportunity to the industry rather than being a set-back and jeopardising growth.
ECigIntelligence believes that the ban will see the removal of many subpar products from retail outlets as well as reducing teen use and waste. It feels that these impacts will boost consumer confidence in vaping and the vape industry through the development of new devices and lead to further increases in sales.
Agreement on the likely way forward
Legislation invariably sparks innovation as entrepreneurs seek to find alternative or more attractive routes to market. When the Tobacco Products Directive limited e-liquid bottles to a maximum capacity of 10ml, the shortfill market was created almost overnight.
Speaking about the inevitability of the ban on disposable ecigs and how Labour and the Conservatives are of a single mind on the issue, David Shrimpton, Talking Retail’s Editor, recently commented: “The move, however, may not amount to the financial cliff-edge that some retailers fear. A recent survey by vape shop operator Vape Superstore found 70% of users said they would switch to a refillable pod device if disposables were banned.”
Considering pod systems reuse the electronic componentry and the lithium-ion power supply, costs are drastically slashed and therefore more profitable to retail than sealed single-use devices while maintaining the ease of use favoured by single-use device vapers.
Disposable companies already making changes to their product lines
Milton Keynes-based Riot Labs was already making strides forward by improving the environmental sustainability of its disposables range with the world’s first carbon negative vape. The company rapidly sprang into action with the launch of its new Riot Connex pod system, which also lays claim to being a carbon negative product.
Ben Johnson, Riot Labs founder in 2016, heralded the revolutionary approach to sustainable vaping by saying: “As purse strings continue to be tightened, thanks to its rechargeability, Connex also delivers excellent value for money. The 1,200 puff kit is double the industry average. Vaping is such an important tool in the arsenal for someone who wants to quit smoking – that was a unifying thought throughout development.”
Utilising recycled plastics and a reusable power unit that can go through around 500 charging cycles, Riot’s innovative system delivers “serious flavour” via its mesh coil.
Even disposable vape giant Lost Mary is getting in on the shift to pod systems with the launch of its Tappo rechargeable pod. Retaining the shape and style of their popular single-use vapes, the Lost Mary Tappo utilises prefilled 2ml pods that can be swapped out for new ones when empty – drastically reducing its environmental footprint while still delivering full flavour with its QUAQ mesh coils.
A brighter future for vaping?
Given the confusion about the planned flavour restriction to four types – mint, menthol, tobacco and “fruit” – it’s too early to assess this aspect’s impact. The impact of this week’s Budget statement announcement that a £3 tax will be added to e-liquids in October 2026 is also difficult to predict.
But the death of the disposable ecig is setting up to be far from the death of vaping and other negative repercussions that some such as Clive Bates feared. We are seeing new, innovative pod systems already hitting the shelves with far more to come. Ease of use looks has been maintained, long term use cost is lower than their single-use counterparts and the same great flavour remains. The future looks pod.
The action was announced in a March 7 press release from Durbin—a longtime foe of vaping. The other signatories are Sens. Richard Blumenthal (CT), Sherrod Brown (OH), Bernie Sanders (VT), and Ron Wyden (OR).
Recipients of the letters include retailers like 7-Eleven, Circle K, Wawa and Pilot. The senators’ goal is to pressure retailers to clear their shelves of popular disposable vapes, and sell only the six available vaping devices authorized by the FDA, and their tobacco-flavored refills.
Selling only authorized vapes would be commercial suicide for the retailers. Those six devices and their refills—all produced by subsidiaries of big tobacco companies—together account for less than five percent of the convenience store vaping market.
The senators join a weird alliance of interests at war against disposable vapes that includes the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Marlboro manufacturer Altria Group.
“We write to draw your attention to distributor and retailer responsibilities under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act,” the letters say, “and to specifically highlight apparent widespread violations of federal law prohibiting the sale and distribution of unauthorized tobacco products at convenience stores, gas stations, and other retail outlets across the nation.
“Under the law, no tobacco product—including electronic nicotine delivery systems such as e-cigarettes or vaping devices, including those containing nicotine not made or derived from tobacco—may legally enter the market for sale without having first received authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the product is ‘appropriate for the protection of public health.’”
The senators don’t explain that thousands of products not on the FDA-authorized list are still under review by the agency, and others have received stays in federal courts protecting them from FDA enforcement. Dozens of vape manufacturers have challenged FDA marketing denial orders (MDOs) in court, with many cases still pending.
The senators join a weird alliance of interests at war against disposable vapes that includes the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Marlboro manufacturer Altria Group. Along with publicity-hungry politicians, disposables are under attack in the U.S. by the FDA, tobacco control organizations, major tobacco companies, and state legislators acting on behalf of tobacco companies.
Disposable vapes began to gain popularity in 2020, after the FDA made flavored pod vapes an enforcement priority. Since then, the flavored disposable vape market has grown rapidly, threatening sales of big tobacco-owned vape brands like Vuse and NJOY—and now even threatening cigarette sales, the tobacco industry’s bread and butter.
]]>The Argus pod kit range includes some beauties such as the Argus Pro 2, Argus P1S, Argus Pod SE and Argus Z – just to name a few!
What To Expect From The Voopoo Argus G2…
Sadly there is not a lot of info on the Voopoo website about this kit – which is unusual.
Anyway I will tell you what I do know!
Inside the device is a 1000mAh battery which is charged via the USB Type C port. The charging rate is not specified but you do get a charging cable in the kit.
It appears to have Variable Wattage, meaning you can adjust the output from 5-30W to suit the pod installed.
There is an airflow adjustment slider located on the side of the mod and the 0.96 inch colour screen will display all of your vaping data.
Due to there being a lot of information missing, I am not sure if it is auto draw or button fire, plus there is no mention of it being compatible with previous Argus pods?
This kit includes the new “Top Fill” Argus pods, which means you do not have to remove the pod to fill.
In standard format the capacity is 3ml, but in TPD regulated areas this is reduced to 2ml.
There are 2 fixed coil top fill pods available – 0.4ohm and 0.7ohm – you get both in the kit.
You can choose from 8 colours: Pearl White, Glow Pink, Spray Black, Astral Silver, Space Grey, Aurora Purple, Iris Blue and Peachy Beige.
Kit Includes
·Voopoo Argus G2 device
·0.4ohm Argus pod
·0.7ohm Argus pod
·Lanyard
·USB Type C cable
·User manual
Voopoo Argus G2 Specs
·Size: 121×26.4×15.2mm (Standard) / 116×26.4×15.2mm (TPD)
·Battery: 1000mAh (internal)
·Display: 0.96in colour screen
·Output: 5-30W
·Modes: Variable wattage
·Type C USB charging
·Resistance range: 0.4-3ohm
·Capacity: 3ml (Standard) / 2ml (TPD)
·Compatibility: Not specified
·Adjustable airflow
·Top fill
It is a shame there is not much detail on this kit. I would like to know for instance if it is compatible with previous Argus pods?
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The UK Chancellor will release his Spring Budget on Wednesday 6th March 2024 – will vaping be subject to a tax?
According to many publications this will likely be the case.
The budget is where the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Jeremy Hunt) reveals the financial planning for the UK. Usual areas discussed include taxation, spending commitments and benefits.
As the UK officially went into a recession at the end of 2023 there are expected to be many measures to try and grow the UK financial situation.
There have been rumours of income tax and national insurance cuts plus additional taxes on tobacco and vaping products. As it stands vaping products are subject to the usual rate of VAT – however it is proposed that an additional tax will be added.
In the Autumn budget of 2023, the price of rolling tobacco was increased by 12% and other tobacco products rose by 2%.
As the Government have been hard on vaping with the recent Disposable Vape Ban announcement, it is expected that e-liquid will be taxed (Vaping Products Levy). This is to raise the price so that underage vapers would struggle to afford it.
The taxation is reported to be based on the nicotine strength of the e-liquid. Higher nicotine strengths = higher taxation.
This seems such a shame. The people who mainly use the higher nicotine strengths are those transitioning from tobacco to vaping. The lower cost of vaping can be a huge incentive for those who smoke to quit.
Apparently there will also be an increase to the taxation on tobacco – which could still help vaping look like the less expensive option.
Obviously this is all conjecture at this point – this will not be confirmed until the Chancellor publishes his Budget Statement.
Below are some of the responses from industry and advocacy groups to the proposals.
NNA Response
Rumours of a vape tax in the budget are more evidence the government is unravelling its world- leading harm reduction strategy which will cost lives.
Created: 04 March 2024
It has been widely trailed in the media that the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is planning to implement an extra tax on vaping liquids in the budget on Wednesday. This would be a monumental mistake which just adds to a systematic dismantling of the government’s previous world-leading approach to harm reduction and will cost lives.
The New Nicotine Alliance is disappointed that the government is abandoning opportunity after opportunity to increase the chances of achieving its own Smoke-free 2030 goal. In just a few short weeks, the UK government has undone its former position as a world-leader in reducing the prevalence of smoking.
Ignoring expert public health organisations such as Action on Smoking and Health, the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training, Fresh-Balance and many others who were acutely aware of the unintended consequences of a ban on single use vapes, the government has committed to removing them which can only deter people who smoke from switching to products which could save their lives.
It is also intending to restrict many flavours which can help people quit smoking, enforce plain packaging, and severely reduce the visibility of life-saving products.
In the terms of the proposed generational ban on tobacco products, it has included heat-not-burn products which are far less harmful than combustible tobacco – according to the government commissioned Committee on Toxicology report – and have led to dramatic declines in smoking prevalence in countries where they are widely available and promoted to people who smoke as an alternative.
It is also regrettable that the government has not taken the opportunity of Brexit to legalise snus which has led to Sweden being close to achieving the EU’s target of less than 5% smoking prevalence by 2040 nearly two decades early. Worse still, there are signs that the UK is now set to apply damaging restrictions to nicotine pouches which threaten to neuter their potential to attract people who use lethal combustible tobacco to a far safer alternative with comparably negligible harm.
These mistakes are serious enough, but the suggested vape tax would be the most pernicious of all.
Vaping products compete with combustible tobacco, so it is an economic certainty that any action which deters adult smokers from switching to a reduced risk alternative will be an increase in smoking. It will also increase the already high level of illicit trade in vapes which has been assessed currently to be around half of all sales in the UK.
Complying with government duties is not a simple matter, either. It will be a new and excessive burden on small independent companies to learn tax bureaucracy compliance, one which could put many out of business altogether, whereas the tobacco industry is well-versed on handling taxes over many decades.
Michael Pesko, probably the world’s most accomplished economist when it comes to applying quasi-experimental techniques to e-cigarette policies, strongly recommended against taxes on vaping products in his submission to the Department of Health and Social Care consultation. The government would be wise to take his advice seriously.
The government – and media reporting on the vape tax proposal – should ask questions on the inevitable unintended consequences of such a policy.
How much extra smoking do you expect to arise from taxing vapes? To what extent will this slow progress towards and imperil the Smokefree 2030 goal?
How much extra illicit trade in vapes do you expect to arise on top of the high level we already have?
How much extra tax bureaucracy cost do you expect to create compared to the tax revenue raised?
Big tobacco companies are set up for tax bureaucracy, what extent do these taxes penalise small vape businesses and support Big Tobacco?
If the rumours of a vape liquid tax are true, the government would be fighting itself. It has been recently reported that 400,000 vaping products – the first of one million promised by the government last year – will be handed out free of charge under the Swap to Stop campaign. The Chancellor taxing them on the pretext that they are harmful will surely cancel out much of that investment by sending mixed messages.
The government’s own consultation document in October stated that “swapping to vaping is already helping 50,000 to 70,000 smokers in England quit each year – saving thousands of lives.” This tax will be a significant obstruction to that progress.
Just last week, a long-running Cancer Research UK funded study found that there were “substantial misperceptions about the harms of vaping compared with smoking” and emphasised “the need to clearly communicate the risks so that adults who smoke can make informed choices about the nicotine products they use.” The rumoured tax on vaping liquids will only add to these damaging misperceptions.
The NNA hopes that wise voices are advising the Chancellor of the extremely damaging consequences that a tax on vaping liquid will have for public health, and that he draws back from announcing the proposal on Wednesday. Thousands of lives depend on it.
Mark Oates (Director of consumer group We Vape)
“These results come as no surprise following the relentless attacks on vaping by government, despite the fact the NHS hands out starter kits to smokers. We have lost sight of the fact Smoking kills around 70,000 Brits a year while vaping has proven to be vastly safer, contains no tar and is smoke free. The disposables ban and relentless verbal assaults on a product that is saving millions of lives around the world has led to a thoroughly misinformed public and millions of smokers facing a premature death because they believe there is no benefit from switching from cigarettes to vapes. Government must educate doctors and health care professionals on the benefits of making the switch if it stands any chance of achieving a smoke free England within a decade of its 2030 target.”
UKVIA Response
Taxing Vaping Is An Attack On Those Trying To Quit Smoking
February 27, 2024
John Dunne, Director General of UKVIA, said:
“Vaping is proven to be the most effective way for smokers to quit and in doing so helps drastically reduce the cost of care the NHS provides to smokers.
“It makes absolutely no sense to make it more difficult for adults to stop smoking by penalising those who choose a safer and healthier option in vaping. Smoking kills 250 people every day in the UK and according to Action on Smoking and Health costs the UK £17bn a year. A Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) report in 2022 found that smokers switching to vaping saved the NHS £322m, a figure that was estimated to more than double if 50% of UK smokers made the switch to vapes.
“Surely we should be doing everything we can to help smokers escape a habit that kills so many. Increasing taxes on vaping will make vapes less accessible for the most disadvantaged in society who have the highest smoking rates and are most in need of an effective tool to quit.
“The Government continue to hide their heads in the sand, while taking actions that will fuel a black market which is already in danger of being out of control. Restricting access to vapes will not only mean more smokers, it will also mean more illegal and unregulated vapes. We need the Government to license vape retailers and properly enforce the law against youth access before it is too late.”
WVA Response
The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) have published the following press release – which I have copied and pasted below.
Press Release
For Immediate Release
The UK Risks Becoming a Harm Reduction Country Only for the Wealthy
London, 27.02.2024 – In a recent controversial move, the UK government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is reportedly planning to impose increased taxation on vaping products alongside traditional cigarettes. This leaked plan has sparked significant concern among UK consumers, as it threatens to undermine the nation’s progress in harm reduction and smoking cessation efforts.
Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, expressed grave concerns regarding the government’s direction:
“It appears that in a bid to generate additional tax revenue, the UK government is willing to compromise the health of thousands of smokers. This is yet another step in the wrong direction. By making less harmful alternatives to smoking more expensive, the government is effectively deterring smokers from making the switch. This measure will disproportionately affect the less affluent and exacerbate health inequalities, especially during a cost of living crisis.”
Statistical evidence supports the disproportionate impact of smoking on lower socio-economic groups. In 2021, the Office for National Statistics highlighted a stark disparity in smoking prevalence related to economic status in the UK. Unemployed individuals reported a significantly higher smoking rate (25.7%) compared to those in paid employment (13.3%). Furthermore, in England, a pronounced smoking prevalence was observed in the most deprived neighbourhoods (23.8%) in contrast to the least deprived (6.8%).
Landl further criticised the government’s proposed bans on disposable vapes and generational restrictions on Heat-Not-Burn products, stating,
“Along with the proposed tax increases, these bans will only serve to transform the UK from a leader in tobacco harm reduction into a haven for black market activities.”
The World Vapers’ Alliance urges the UK government to reconsider these measures, advocating for a balanced approach that prioritises public health and supports smokers in transitioning to less harmful alternatives.
]]>We’re taking a look at some of our top intermediate vape kits for 2024, to help you find out which options are available and which one might be best for you.
What is an intermediate vape kit?
Simply put, an intermediate vape bridges the gap between starter kits and advanced vape kits, so you can move to a device that is a bit more powerful without being completely different from the type of vape kit you are used to.
Intermediate vapes may offer more built-in features than most starter kits, like variable wattage, adjustable airflow, and sub-ohm coils. This allows you to personalise your vaping experience to find what settings are most comfortable and satisfying for you.
Many of these devices offer sub-ohm vaping, which means that the coils have a resistance below 1 ohm, and they will often offer more than one coil option that lets you experiment and find the one you prefer. They also have more powerful batteries than starter vape kits, which support a higher power output and may even mean that the battery lasts a bit longer between charges.
What is variable wattage?
A variable wattage vape kit is a device that lets you adjust the power settings, turning them up or down within the set range of the device. For example, a device may offer a wattage range of 5 – 30W, so you can set the wattage to whichever power setting within this range that best suits you and your chosen coil.
When adjusting the wattage setting of the device it is important to remember the recommended wattage settings for your chosen coil. Each coil will have a wattage range at which it will perform best, you can usually find this both on the box and printed on the side of the coil. Using the coil at a wattage setting below the recommended range may mean you don’t get the best flavour or vapour production, and may even cause some leaking. On the other hand, using a wattage setting that is too high for the coil may lead to dry hits and will burn your coil out much faster.
What is adjustable airflow?
When a device offers adjustable airflow, this means that you can manually change the amount of air that can flow through the coil, which will dictate how loose or tight the draw feels. For example, having the airflow quite closed off will offer a tighter draw that you will need to work a little harder for, whereas a more open airflow setting will feel much looser and easier to draw on. You can think of it like the difference between sucking air through a straw and simply breathing through your mouth.
For some intermediate devices, the airflow can also allow you to move from a mouth-to-lung (MTL) to a restricted-direct-to-lung (RDTL) or direct-to-lung (DTL) vaping style.
Best vape for MTL vaping
If you want to upgrade to a device with more power but want to maintain a MTL vaping style, the OXVA Zlim Pro is a great vape kit to consider.
This pod vape is very comparable to many starter vape kits in size and design, but with some extra features that just elevate the vaping experience a bit. It is a great next step if you have previously been using a small pod kit, or even a prefilled pod kit.
The Zlim Pro offers both inhale activation and button activation, so you can choose whichever method best suits your preferences, or even use a combination of both. There are also multiple pod options to choose from, letting you experiment with different coil resistances. These pods have a closed design, meaning the coil is built-in, so you don’t need to worry about changing the coil, but can simply replace the entire pos when it starts to taste burnt.
The Zlim Pro offers variable wattage with a maximum output of 30W, giving you that bit of extra power you are looking for, and easy to use adjustable side airflow. The pods are best paired with a 50/50 e-liquid, so you can continue to use the same vape juice you were using in your starter kit.
Best vape for RDTL vaping
If you’re looking for a device that will let you experiment with different vaping styles, we highly recommend the Geekvape Wenax Q. The adjustable airflow means that this device can be used with both a mouth-to-lung or restricted-direct-to-lung vaping style.
The built-in 1000 mAh battery within the Wenax Q offers plenty of power to support any power setting within the 5 – 25W range available on this device, offering a full day of vaping for the average vaper. This battery also allows the device to remain compact and pocket-friendly.
You can choose whether you prefer to use a sub-ohm pod or not, with the choice of a 1.2 ohm or 0.8 ohm resistance pod option coming with the device. To further personalise your vape, there is also an adjustable three-level airflow, making it easy to adjust how loose or tight your inhale feels.
Best vape for versatility
If you are looking for versatility, the SMOK Nord 4 is definitely one of our top picks. This device allows so much control over your vaping experience, not just in the form of adjustable wattage and airflow, but also with the fact it is compatible with two different pod options.
The Nord 4 offers a wattage output range 1 – 80W, and the LED screen makes it easy to keep track of your wattage settings, as well as the remaining battery life and which coil you are using.
The device comes with both the RPM and RPM 2 pods, giving you a choice of multiple different coil options to find the one most suited to you. These different coil options also mean that the Nord 4 can be used with both 50/50 or high VG e-liquids, depending on which coil you have inserted.
Best vape for battery power
If you are often out of the house for long stretches and need a vape kit with a battery life that can keep up with you, you should definitely take a look at the VOOPOO Drag S pod kit.
This device has a 2500 mAh built-in battery, which can provide plenty of power to keep you going for a whole day of vaping, and is easily recharged via USB-C cable.
With a wattage range of 5 – 60W, it can also offer you more power and is perfect for DTL vaping. Something we really like about this device is that the GENE.TT chipset allows for almost instantaneous ignition, ramping up in 0.001 seconds!
The device also has a pretty impressive external design, which not only looks sleek and luxurious with a mix of metal and leather, but also offer the advantage of being scratch resistant.
Best vape for portability
When it comes to portability in intermediate vapes, the Geekvape B60 Aegis Boost kit has to get our vote. This vape is conveniently compact but packs a good punch, and is also designed to be durable and robust.
Not only do the pods feature a leakproof design, so you can keep your vape in your pocket or bag and not need to worry about the vape juice leaking out, but it is also IP68 water and dust proof. This is ideal if you work in an area like construction or landscaping, where your vape may be likely to get a bit dirtier than most, and need that bit of extra protection to prevent the environment from hampering its performance.
This device may be small in size, but it still packs in all of the features you could be looking for in an intermediate vape kit, like variable wattage, adjustable airflow, and a 2000 mAh built-in battery.
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Although the tax will be subject to a public consultation, the government’s spring budget document lays out the current plan in detail, according to The Mirror. The budget says the tax will be £1 per 10 milliliters of zero-nicotine e-liquid, £2/10 mL for e-liquids containing from 0.1-10.9 mg/mL of nicotine, and £3/10 mL on products containing e-liquid in 11 mg/mL or greater strengths.
Currently, vapes are subject to a 20 percent value added tax (VAT—a sales tax), like most consumer products. The new tax will be in addition to the 20 percent VAT.
So a consumer who currently pays £5 for a 10 mL bottle (the maximum legal size) of e-liquid in 18 mg/mL nicotine strength would be charged an additional £3 tax plus the £1 VAT, for a total cost of £9 (about $11.45 U.S.)—a total tax rate of 44 percent.
NNA: UK is “systematically dismantling world-leading policy”
The plan was cheered by tobacco control groups, and by British American Tobacco, whose cigarettes and Vuse vapes are losing market share to disposable vapes. BAT CEO Tadeu Marroco told the Financial Times that his company “loves regulation.”
The New Nicotine Alliance (NNA)—which advocates for nicotine consumers—said in a statement that it is “exasperated that the government is systematically dismantling world-leading policy which was an example to the rest of the world on how to utilise innovative harm reduction approaches to rapidly reduce the toll of smoking-related disease.”
News that the government planned to tax vapes leaked in January. A tax had been among the potential actions included in a public consultation that launched after the government announced plans in October to propose a “smokefree generation” law.
Vape taxes and restrictions = cigarette sales protection
In late January, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government intends to ban disposable vapes, restrict available vape flavors, impose “plain packaging” rules, limit how vapes are displayed in stores, and move forward on its generational tobacco ban. Sunak also said that nicotine-free vapes would, for the first time, fall under the same regulations as vapes that contain nicotine.
Nearly fifty countries have some kind of vape tax. Most have a per-milliliter e-liquid tex—like the proposed UK tax—or base the tax on the wholesale cost of products. There is no federal tax in the United States, but 31 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, impose their own taxes.
Research shows that vaping product taxes increase cigarette sales and smoking. Vapes and cigarettes are economic substitutes, which means government actions that disadvantage one (like taxes and flavor bans) increase sales and use of the other—including among teenagers.
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Key Takeaways
·Childproof caps on E-Liquid bottles serve to protect children from ingesting harmful substances like nicotine and are also mandated by safety regulations.
·To open a vape juice bottle with a childproof cap, push down and twist counter-clockwise; tools like gloves or pliers can improve grip if necessary.
·If an E-Liquid bottle is damaged, you can attempt to fix the nozzle or transfer contents to a new container; for shortfill bottles, warm them up and add nicotine shots carefully.
Understanding Childproof E-Liquid Bottle Caps
Childproof caps on E-Liquid bottles are designed with a noble objective, rather than to complicate your life. Ensuring that the contents of E-Liquid bottles, often containing nicotine, stay inaccessible to children is their primary goal. Childproof caps are the most commonly used caps for E-Liquid bottles. They are designed to prevent children from opening the bottles easily..
One might question why E-Liquid manufacturers don’t choose simpler caps. The answer lies in the content inside these bottles. E-Liquids often contain nicotine, a substance that can have harmful effects if ingested by children or pets. Hence, using childproof caps is not just a safety measure, but a necessary regulation.
The Importance of Childproof Caps
Childproof caps fulfil two main functions. They keep children safe from accidentally accessing and potentially ingesting harmful substances while ensuring manufacturers comply with established regulations.
These regulations require nicotine products, including E-Liquids, to be sold with childproof caps. This is a precautionary measure to reduce the risks to children. By using these caps, manufacturers are not only contributing to child safety but also adhering to the law.
How Childproof Caps Function
Despite appearing complex, the functionality of childproof caps is quite straightforward. Opening these caps typically requires a specific technique involving pushing down on the lid and twisting it counter-clockwise.
This push-down and turn type of child-resistant cap consists of an outer cap and an inner cap. These two parts have toothed edges that engage like gears when downward pressure is applied, enabling the cap to unscrew. Some bottles might also require squeezing the cap sides while pushing and twisting.
These features make the caps challenging to open, especially for children, but sometimes even for adults.
Opening Your Vape Juice Bottle: Step-by-Step Guide
Having understood the logic behind these caps and their functionality, we can now explore techniques to open these stubborn E-Liquid bottles. Here’s a step-by-step guide that will turn you into a bottle-opening champ in no time.
Applying Pressure and Twist Technique
Mastering the right amount of pressure and twist is the secret to opening E-Liquid bottles. The first step is to apply downward pressure on the E-Liquid bottle cap, aligning any markers or arrows on the cap and the bottle. This action connects the outer and inner caps and disengages the childproof mechanism.
Remember, the amount of pressure required varies with the cap’s size and design. So, adjust the downward pressure accordingly. Once the pressure is set, twist the cap to your left, or counter-clockwise. This is the typical direction for opening caps.
Also, be aware that gases from the vape liquid or leaked E-Liquids can harden around the cap, making the opening process more challenging by creating a glue-like seal or compressing the cap.
Using Tools for Added Grip
At times, additional assistance can be beneficial. Tools and materials can improve your grip and provide leverage when opening vape juice bottles with one hand. For instance, textured kitchen gloves offer a better grip on slippery caps, particularly if the bottle is slippery from E-Liquid exposure.
If gloves aren’t handy, you can use a pair of pliers. Apply these to squeeze the base of the bottle cap, offering improved leverage when pulling down and twisting to open the bottle. Other materials like a towel, rubber jar opener, or non-slip shelf liner can wrap around the cap to increase grip and reduce the force needed to twist off stubborn caps.
Dealing with Broken or Damaged E-Liquid Bottles
Despite applying the correct techniques, mishaps can still occur. Perhaps you’ve got a broken or damaged E-Liquid bottle on your hands? Don’t worry. We have some tips that can help you salvage the situation.
Fixing a Broken Nib
A broken nib on your E-Liquid bottle can be a real bummer. But there’s no need to panic. If the bottle tip is only slightly damaged, you might be able to continue using it. If the damage is more severe, you can cut the broken part of the tip off with scissors. Just be cautious not to cut too close to the bottom.
Once a nib has been repaired or replaced, installing a working nib is crucial. This helps avoid spills and ensure precise dispensing of the liquid. If an E-Liquid bottle is received with a damaged nib, reaching out to the manufacturer for a replacement or for further guidance is a recommended action.
Transferring Contents to a New Bottle
Occasionally, the damage to the bottle might be irreparable. If that happens, you’ll need to transfer the E-Liquid to a new bottle. Before you start, ensure you’re in a clean environment to maintain the purity of the E-Liquid.
To prevent spillage and ensure a clean transfer, you can use a funnel or drip tip. A syringe is also recommended for a precise and clean transfer of E-Liquid, minimizing waste and spillage.
After the transfer, ensure that the new bottle’s cap is leakproof and airtight to avoid further issues with opening or potential leaks.
Opening Shortfill E-Liquid Bottles
Shortfill E-Liquid bottles present their own unique difficulties. They are designed with space at the top of the bottle to add nicotine shots, and their caps are often childproof to comply with regulations.
Let’s delve into how to tackle these bottles effectively.
Removing the Nib Safely
When handling E-Liquids, including the act of removing the nib from shortfill bottles, safety should always be the top priority. The inner cap of these bottles can be a bit tricky to remove due to its childproofing design.
However, with the right technique or tool, you can remove the nib without risking E-Liquid spillage or bottle damage. One method is to use a flat head screwdriver to carefully pry the nib off from the bottle. Just remember to proceed with caution when using the screwdriver to avoid slipping and potential injury.
Adding Nicotine Shots
With the nib removed, it’s now possible to add your nicotine shots to the shortfill bottle. Before you start, ensure both the nib and the cap of the shortfill bottle and the cap of the nicotine shot are removed.
To add nicotine to your shortfill bottle, follow these steps:
1.Pour the nicotine shots directly into the shortfill bottle, doing this slowly to avoid spilling.
2.After nicotine addition, replace the nib securely on the bottle.
3.Shake the bottle thoroughly for several minutes to ensure complete mixing.
4.For example, a 50ml shortfill typically requires a single 10ml nicotine shot at 18mg/ml or 20mg/ml to achieve a final 60ml E-Liquid with 3mg nicotine strength. A 100ml shortfill usually needs two 10ml shots for the same nicotine ratio.
Additional Hacks for Opening Vape Juice Bottles
While we have already gone through a lot, we have a few more tips to share. Here are some additional hacks that can make opening your vape juice bottle a breeze.
Warming the Bottle
Have you ever considered warming the bottle? Turns out, gently warming a vape juice bottle can make the plastic more pliable, easing the opening process. Holding the vape juice bottle in your hands for a few minutes is a simple warming method that can do wonders.
For caps that may be sealed by dried E-Liquid, placing the bottle in hot water can expand the plastic and dissolve the seal.
Storing E-Liquid Properly
Storing E-Liquids appropriately can circumvent numerous cap-related problems. It’s best to store E-Liquid bottles:
·upright
·in a dark place
·at room temperature, such as a cupboard
·to avoid exposure to heat and sunlight.
·E-Liquids should not be stored in the fridge as PG and VG can separate and flavouring molecules may crystallise, impairing the flavour.
Also, steer clear of storing E-Liquid near electronic devices or magnets, as this can affect the quality of the E-Liquid.
And, don’t forget to seal E-Liquid bottles tightly after use to prevent oxidation, which can alter the colour and ruin the flavour.
Summary
We’ve journeyed through the world of E-Liquid bottles, unravelled the mysteries of childproof caps, and learned techniques to open those stubborn bottles. With these tips and tricks up your sleeve, you’re now equipped to deal with any E-Liquid bottle that comes your way.
Remember, practice makes perfect, so don’t get disheartened if you struggle initially. Keep at it, and soon you’ll be a pro!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I open my vape juice bottle?
Sometimes vape juice bottle caps can be fitted snugly during manufacturing or become harder to open due to weather conditions during transport. Try pushing down hard on the cap as you twist it to open it.
How do you get a lid off a Shortfill?
To get the lid off a Shortfill, you’ll need to pry off the cap that holds the nib. You can usually do this with a butter knife, a key, or with a shortfill bottle opener.
How do you open a vape container?
To open a vape container, push down on the lid and twist it counter-clockwise. If it’s too tight, try using a pair of pliers to grip the base while twisting. Be careful with non-refillable carts as the parts might be press-fit and very tight. Go slow!
Why do e-liquid bottles have childproof caps?
E-liquid bottles have childproof caps to keep the nicotine-containing contents out of reach of children. It’s a safety measure to prevent accidental ingestion.
How do I deal with a broken e-liquid bottle?
If the e-liquid bottle tip is slightly damaged, you might still be able to use it, but if it’s more severely damaged, you can cut off the broken part with scissors. In some cases, transferring the e-liquid to a new bottle may be necessary.
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If Dr Sarah Jackson says that the findings of a research project are “really interesting” then it is a given that they are. Dr Jackson is the Principal Research Fellow at the University College London’s Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group and has specialised in evaluating the effectiveness of smoking cessation approaches, including the evaluation of the real-world effectiveness of all the major quitting aids. This has included analysis of effects of vaping, a subject she has frequently spoken to her peers about at conferences. In addition, she sits on Action on Smoking and Health’s advisory council, the board of the London Smoking Cessation Transformation Programme, and is an editor for the research journal Addiction.
The team from Bristol’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group published “Estimating the health impact of nicotine exposure by dissecting the effects of nicotine versus non-nicotine constituents of tobacco smoke: A multivariable Mendelian randomisation study” this month. The research project included work by Marcus Munafò, again a highly respected academic in the world of vaping and tobacco harm reduction investigative projects.
They say that the impact of smoking is well known but it is far less clear what the impact is of regularly using nicotine when it is not combined with the other products of burnt tobacco. As millions of people are now vaping on a daily basis, and using those devices across many years, they felt it has become “increasingly important to understand and separate the effects of nicotine use from the impact of tobacco smoke exposure”.
But they point out, “it is hard to disentangle the effects of regular nicotine use from the effects of tobacco smoke exposure”.
Professor Michael Russell is credited as being the father of the concept of tobacco harm reduction – a figure of such importance that he now has an award posthumously named after him. In 1976, he wrote: “People smoke for nicotine but they die from the tar”, and went on to advocate that the tar to nicotine relationship could play a fundamental role in making cigarettes safer – in particular, the development of low tar cigarettes.
With the advent of electronic cigarette devices in the early 2000s, he stated: “There is no good reason why a switch from tobacco products to less harmful nicotine delivery systems should not be encouraged.”
It is this thinking that lies behind the team from Bristol’s research: could it be shown that nicotine does not pose a health risk?
Dr Jasmine Khouja was the corresponding author for the research project, she explained their work: “There is a lot of research on how nicotine affects health. The effects are mostly short-lived, like increasing heart rate and blood pressure, and quickly return to normal.
Clinical trials using nicotine patches have also shown it’s safe when used for a short time, but we know less about what nicotine does to health when it’s used regularly for longer periods.
“Most of what we have learned has come from animal studies and from studies of people who smoke. This is problematic because we don’t know if humans will react the same as animals, and we can’t easily tease apart the effects of nicotine from the effects of everything else in cigarettes in the studies of people who smoke.”
People who use patches, sprays or gum only tend to use them during the period while they are attempting to quit smoking, and they quickly stop using them when they think they have escaped from tobacco’s clutches.
It’s a different kettle of fish for vapers.
Vaping works because it mimics many of the actions of smoking and allows adults to use their device until their brain registers that a suitable level of nicotine has been delivered to the blood (known as self-titration). People can adjust how frequently they use their device by changing the nicotine content of the eliquid or how much vapour is taken into the lungs, i.e. higher nic concentration juices or direct to lung style vaping leads to fewer hits being taken.
Because of the similarity of smoking to vaping, the ease of substitution means that ex-smokers continue to use their ecig equipment for long after they would have stopped using patches, sprays or gum.
Dr Khouja says: “We’ve used genetics to try and tease apart the health effects of nicotine from the effects of everything else in cigarette smoke. We found that nicotine is not driving the adverse health conditions seen in people who smoke: poor lung function, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and coronary heart disease. However, it does increase heart rate.”
To help people understand the Mendelian randomisation process the team used she points interested readers to a 2-minute primer on YouTube.
“Mendelian randomisation looks at how your genes are linked to both an exposure (e.g., nicotine use) and an outcome (e.g., cancer), to understand if there’s a causal connection and account for confounding. Confounding happens when factors other than the exposure (e.g., nicotine exposure) being studied influence the results. Confounding can make it difficult to identify the true cause and effect,” Dr Khouja continues.
“Our genes are inherited randomly from our parents and don’t change when we’re exposed to confounding factors. Using genetics as a substitute for exposure in MR, researchers assume that any differences in health outcomes are linked to the specific factor they are studying. Using an extension of MR, multivariable MR, we can look at two exposures that have shared genetic causes at the same time and account further for confounding. This allows us to see if they both have an effect, or if just one of them is really causing the outcome.”
Ultimately, what did they find?
The authors of the study concluded: “We found that nicotine does not appear to be an independent cause of poor lung function, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or coronary heart disease, but does increase heart rate. These results support previous evidence which suggests that nicotine on its own does not directly cause poor health outcomes.”
Excellent news for anyone who has a relation worrying about their use of safer nicotine products like vapes.
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The UK Government is considering changes to vape product packaging as part of its aim to tackle youth vaping. This could result in the standardisation of packaging, the removal of bright and colourful designs and changes to the ways that vapes are displayed.
What are the current laws around vape packaging
The packaging for vaping products is already subject to regulation. The current laws state that unit packaging for vapes and e-cigarettes must include a variety of important information, as stated by the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR). These include things like:
·Instructions for use and storage, as well as a reference to the fact the product is not recommended for use by young people and non-smokers
·Warnings for specific risk groups, as well as information about possible adverse effects, addictiveness and toxicity
·Information about the nicotine content of the product and the delivery per dose
These regulations also state that health warnings should be of a specific size, in a particular font and include the statement: “This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance” covering 30% of the front of the pack.
There are also regulations around the kind of claims that vape packaging or promotional advertising can make. For example, packaging shouldn’t have any images or text that encourages consumption by creating a false impression about its characteristics, health effects, risks or emissions or that suggests it is less harmful than other vapes or refill containers. Packaging also can’t claim that any particular vape or refill has vitalising, energising, healing, rejuvenating, natural or organic properties or has other lifestyle benefits.
As there is already precedence when it comes to the regulation of vape packaging there is an existing structure for the potential introduction of measures such as standardised packaging.
Does vape packaging affect youth vaping?
There is evidence to suggest that packaging does have a significant impact on younger consumers – and that vape packaging can affect the choices of vapers. In fact, data from the 2014 Special Eurobarometer for Tobacco survey shows that those aged 15-24 were most likely to cite external packaging and design features as influential when choosing an e-cigarette in comparison to other age groups.
A public health investigation published by JAMA Network Open found that youths aged between 11-18 had higher odds of reporting no interest in trying e-cigarettes when they were presented in standardised green packaging compared to those in branded packaging.
Adults over the age of 18 had lower odds of reporting no interest in trying e-cigarettes in standardised green packaging, suggesting that standardised packaging might act as a deterrent for younger consumers without putting off adults.
Dr Katherine East, Research Associate at King’s IoPPN and senior author for the paper, also said:
“Vapes, and nicotine products in general, should be available to adults who smoke to help them to stop smoking but should not be used by non-smokers under the age of 18. Some current e-cigarette packaging has eye catching and enticing designs. Our study found that removing brand imagery from packs reduced appeal of vapes to teenagers without reducing appeal to adults.
“This is a vital difference, as it means that vapes can still appeal to adults as a tool to stop smoking, particularly because our previous research has established vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking.”
How will standardised packaging help combat underage vaping?
The research presents a strong case for considering the standardisation of packaging as a way to reduce the appeal of vaping for young people, without alienating the adults who could benefit from vaping as a means to quit smoking. When packaging doesn’t have enticing images or bright colours, it seems that younger consumers are less interested in vapes or vaping.
Might standardised packaging deter adult smokers from vaping?
While standardised packaging may offer strong potential in helping to reduce the appeal to underage vapers, it’s also worth considering whether it might have the unwanted effect of reducing the appeal for adults too. Research from IVBTA found that 48% of regular smokers or recent ex-smokers have used a vape to help them to stop smoking. It also discovered that 59% of vapers reported that vape flavours helped them quit, citing the variety as a strong draw.
There is already concern that a flavour ban may impact the number of adult smokers transitioning to vaping and it’s possible that standardised packaging may prove a further barrier, especially if it limited the amount of information available to consumers.
According to Tobacco Control, introducing standardised packaging and a MET was associated with a decline in tobacco sales and tobacco industry revenue and a reduction in cheaper smoking brands designed to appeal to younger smokers.
How might standardised vape packaging look in shops?
If vape packaging is standardised via new regulations, we’ll see the change reflected in the way vapes are displayed in shops and specialist stores. At the moment, vape manufacturers are free to use bright colours and designs as a way to distinguish their products. They might use posters and display stands as well as brightly coloured boxes or packets. This could all change, should new laws be brought into play, with much more limited colour palettes and fewer images or logos on display.
It's possible to get an idea of the kind of changes that might be imposed by looking at the responses to the Government’s open consultation “Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping”.
When respondents were asked which option they thought would be the most effective way for the UK Government and devolved administrations to restrict the way vapes can be packaged and presented to reduce youth vaping, 46.1% selected prohibiting the use of all imagery and colouring and branding (standardised packaging) for both the vape packaging and vape device.
35.8% believed that prohibiting the use of cartoons, characters, animals, inanimate objects, and other child friendly imagery would be the most effective method. There will be a further consultation on packaging restrictions, and before imposing these, the Government would first need to give themselves the power to implement change. This means there is much more room for change or variation than with the disposable vape ban.
Changes to vape packaging: the timeline
11 April 2023 – A ‘Youth vaping: call for evidence’ opened, calling for information on a range of themes about children and vaping
12 October 2023 – The Government consultation ‘Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping’ is opened
7 November 2023 – Plans for a ‘Tobacco & Vapes Bill’ are announced in the King’s Speech, which would give the Government new powers to regulate vape packaging
6 December 2023 – The consultation is closed and the responses collated
28 January 2024 – Government announce plans for more powers to introduce measures to tackle youth vaping, and a future consultation
29 January 2024 – Full consultation outcome is published, with responses from the public shared
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Are smoking rates higher among people with mental health conditions?
“Smokers with mental health conditions are observed to be more dependent than those without mental health conditions, consuming more tobacco and smoking earlier in the day,” ASH and the RCP point out.
“Smoking prevalence among people with a mental health condition is more than 50% higher than in the general population and accounts for two-thirds of the difference in life expectancy in people with a serious mental illness.”
Why don’t they quit?
The issue isn’t just that more people smoke, it’s also that they smoke harder and are more addicted to nicotine – meaning that quitting is harder.
The historical issue has been that mental health professionals believed the priority was to treat the presented conditions and that the patients’ smoking wasn’t a priority as it brought them comfort.
ASH and the RCP discovered that although 91% of trusts allowed vaping to take place, access to vape products varied considerably and was also banned for patients with certain conditions.
They called for trusts to “improve the skills and knowledge of professionals to enable them to motivate and support quit attempts”, pointing to a 2020 study by Brose, Brown, Robson, et al., in 2020 which found “smokers with mental health problems were more likely to show harm reduction behaviours including cutting down” by using e-cigarettes.
ASH and the RCP found that half of mental health nurses and most psychiatrists “had no training” to help smokers stop smoking and harboured many misconceptions about quitting and electronic cigarettes.
Was action taken to address the issues?
No. The crisis in funding for the mental health sector continued and little changed over the last 12 months.
The Mental Health and Smoking Partnership has issued a 7-point easy to digest plan to help professional staff improve the service they offer.
Who is The Mental Health and Smoking Partnership?
“The Partnership is a coalition of Royal Colleges, third sector organisations and academia”, including the likes of Cancer Research UK, the College of Mental Health Pharmacy, King’s College London, Mind, and the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT).
Point 1 – Talk to patients
Louise Ross, NCSCT Clinical Consultant and chair of the New Nicotine Alliance, says that staff should talk to all patients about their smoking status, “record the result in the patient’s notes, and provide them with NRT or a vape straight away. This should be done during the first face-to-face contact if possible.”
ASH says that over a third of smokers with a mental health condition think vaping is at least as harmful as smoking – if not more so – and believes talking to them is the only way to overcome the misconceptions.
Point 2 – The benefits of quitting
Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction at King’s College London and co-author of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ vaping evidence update, believes all smokers need to be told about the benefits of switching to vaping regardless of their mental health status.
“Stopping smoking increases your chances of living a longer and healthier life and reduces the risk of heart disease, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease.
smoking may lead to reductions in anxiety and depression at least as great as from taking antidepressants,” she said.
Point 3 – Mental health issues are not a barrier to conversations
Dr Peter Byrne is a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at the Royal London Hospital and a member of the RCP.
He points out: “There are still widespread myths about the negative impact of quitting smoking on mental health and perceptions that people with mental health conditions aren’t interested in quitting smoking. This couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“Smoking increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and depression and evidence shows that quitting smoking quitting smoking can lead to reductions in anxiety and depression at least as great as from taking antidepressants.”
Dr Byrne thinks that it is vital smokers experiencing mental health problems have conversations about their habit and the possibility of switching to vaping as not to do so can be seen as a “green light” to continue with tobacco.
Point 4 – Give the choice to vape
Vaping is now the most popular method of quitting smoking in England. A vape does not produce any carbon monoxide and the vapour doesn’t have any tar or most of the other toxic chemicals found in smoke. Those chemicals that are found in vapour are in substantially lower quantities.
King’s College London’s Dr Debbie Robson says: “Evidence shows that vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking. E- cigarettes that contain nicotine are estimated to be around 60% more effective than NRT in supporting smokers to quit successfully.”
“Many mental health services are using them to help their patients quit smoking or temporarily abstain from smoking during an admission to a smokefree hospital.”
Point 5 – Embed experts
Dr Elena Ratschen thinks trusts should embed a quit smoking expert within every team so all patients can have access to evidence and facts about e-cigarettes.
“Evidence shows that behavioural support from a trained stop smoking practitioner combined with … e-cigarette use is the most effective way to help smokers with mental health problems quit,” she said.
Point 6 – Quitting is part of the care package
“If staff don’t take smoking seriously, then why should patients? We all have a duty to support our patients, improve their health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities,” Drug Alcohol and Smokefree Lead Helen Philips said.
Point 7 – It’s all about creating an environment
“Being supportive is the best thing health professionals can do,” said Consultant Clinical Psychologist Moira Leahy. “Smokers should be provided with … e-cigarettes and given behavioural support.”
Ultimately, the uniformity in the supportive messaging about vaping from so many diverse public health experts is striking. Vapes have been shown to be “at least 95% safer than smoking” and work better than NRT as smoking quit tools – for smokers regardless of their mental health status.
“Each morning, afternoon, evening, day and week without smoking is an achievement to be recognised and celebrated,” concluded Moira Leahy, and vaping can make that happen.
These unregulated vapes not only pose safety risks, they are also related to the sale of vaping products to minors. It is essential that more attention is given to the cracking down on counterfeit vapes.
What are illicit vapes and why do they matter?
Illicit vapes are devices and e-liquids that have been manufactured without adhering to the important health and safety regulations that have been set out to protect consumers. Vapes sold in the UK should strictly follow the requirements set out in the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), an EU directive which was then transposed into UK law by the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR). All nicotine containing products must also be approved through the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and appear on their ‘notified products list’.
The directives set out rules governing the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products. Illicit vapes are those that bypass these directives, which means they are not subject to the same scrutiny and regulation, and have likely not been subject to the correct health and safety checks.
Illicit vapes are already a big problem
Illicit vapes are currently a big problem. The Government reports that 2 million illicit vapes were seized across England by Trading Standards from 2022 to 2023, this represents a significant number out there available to buy from unscrupulous sellers. There has also been evidence (collated by the House of Commons) that underage vapers have been found with illicit vapes.
The UK Government has set out its regulations for consumer e-cigarette products from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This makes the Government, and other regularity bodies, responsible for implementing a number of provisions set out in the TRPR directives, including minimum standards for the safety and quality of all e-cigarettes and e-liquids.
What are the risks associated with unregulated vapes?
These safety regulations are so important because without them, it is possible for products to be created that bypass important considerations. When unregulated devices make their way to market, there is no way of knowing whether they’ve been built to the appropriate safety standards. This could result in anything from malfunctioning batteries to shoddy builds. There’s also a very real danger that un-regulated e-liquids may contain toxic substances or components that are not deemed as safe for consumption in the UK.
Trading Standards Officers told the BBC that illegal vapes have no safety controls on the amount of nicotine, heavy metals, and any other dangerous chemicals they contain. While Derby City Council revealed that an illicit market vape that was seized by the Trading Standards team and tested in an independent lab, contained components such as arsenic, lead and formaldehyde.
How the illicit vape market affects underage buyers
It’s also worth considering the fact that retailers who are willing to sell illicit vapes are likely to also have no qualms about selling to underage buyers. These retailers have proven that they are willing to flout regulations and that they are not prepared to consider the safety risks of counterfeit products – which makes it likely that they will also not consider the impact of selling to minors. By failing to crack down on the shops that sell illegal vapes, there is a missed opportunity to also cut down on the number of vapes available to children. Especially as a flavour ban may drive vapers to seek out illicit options.
To date, only two retailers have been prosecuted for selling illegal vapes. We argue that this does not provide sufficient deterrent and suggests that more robust measures are needed. We are strongly behind the proposition to enforce consequences on retailers who don’t follow important health and safety regulations. In our proposals to prevent youth vaping, we advocate for substantial fines, such as £10,000 on-the-spot penalties for retailers caught selling to under 18s, as a way to significantly deter illegal sales.
We also propose the introduction of a vaping licensing scheme, which would limit the sale of vaping products to specialist retailers, supermarkets, and other responsible retailers. This could substantially limit the availability of illicit products and also the sale of any vaping products to minors.
How vaping bans may cause an illicit market boom
There is a growing concern that bans on certain types of vapes or vape flavours may result in an illegal market boom, as consumers hunt for ways to continue to enjoy products they like. As reported in the Guardian, Scott Butler, executive director at environmental charity Material Focus, said that a ban might result in:
“hard to control illegal sales and an established illegal vape market. If the legitimate industry is banned, then there will be no mechanism to deal with all the operational challenges and costs of illegally sold vapes which have the same challenges.”
We share these concerns and have seen precedent in other countries like Australia, where a ban has led to a rise in illicit sales. In May 2023, Australia became the first country to announce a ban on the sale of recreational vapes. The UK Industry Vaping Association (UKIVA) reports that this move has driven up to 92% of vapers to buy their products through illegal channels. What’s more, as many as 100 million illicit products are smuggled into the country per year.
The Australian Government issued new reforms in January 2024 to tackle the influx of illegal vapes, including banning importation of all disposable vapes and a ban on the importation of all vapes without an import license and permit from the Office of Drug Control (from March 2024).
What is the Government currently doing about illicit vapes?
11 April 2023 – The Government issue their eight week ‘Youth vaping: call for evidence’ with the aim of identifying ways to reduce the appeal and availability of vaping products to minors.
12 October 2023 – The Government opened its consultation ‘Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping’. Responses from the general public were invited.
7 November 2023 - The King’s Speech introduces the intention for a 'Tobacco and Vapes Bill' which would give the Government new powers to regulate vaping products.
6 December 2023 – The Government’s consultation is closed. The responses are collated and an outcome prepared.
28 January 2024 – Prime minister Rishi Sunak announced government plans to introduce a variety of measures to tackle youth vaping, including proposals to ban disposable vapes and flavours. New regulations around illegal vapes will also be considered.
29 January 2024 – The full consultation outcome is published, outlining how the Government plans to move forward, and including additional funds for enforcement authorities to tackle youth vaping and combat illicit vapes .
14 February 2024 - A petition titled ‘Don’t ban flavoured e-liquids for e-cigarettes’ was launched. If it reaches 10,000, the government will be required to respond.
21 February 2024 – The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKIVA) launch a Retailer and Distributor licensing framework that – if adopted - would generate £50 million each year to combat illicit vape sales.
In the ‘Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping consultation: government response’ they recognise concerns that the suggested approaches may lead to increases in the sale of illicit tobacco and vaping product sales. They have committed to increasing their investment in enforcement agencies like Border Force and Trading Standards by £30 million per year, to help them enforce all current and future regulations on the sale of tobacco and vaping products.
While current regulations mean that retailers caught selling to minors can be hit with fines of up to £2,500, this is not an on the spot fine and local Trading Standards must issue warnings and endure court proceedings before a substantial fine can be issued.
The Government reported many respondents to the open consultation called for larger fines and penalties for illegal imports, sales, and trade of vaping products including the introduction of fixed penalty notices (FPN). They now plan to introduce a £100 FPN for the underage sale or proxy purchase of tobacco and vaping products, which will be payable on the spot. This will enable Trading Standards officers to take faster action and will work as a stronger deterrent to those irresponsible retailers who are not taking age verification processes as seriously as needed. This will be in addition to the existing legislation, meaning that these penalties can be escalated if further illegal sales are made, starting with warnings and ending with a maximum fine of £2,500. In the case of serious offenders they may be able to apply for a court order to close down the business for a time.
How a vape licensing scheme could help enforce current laws
As part of our response to the Government’s call for evidence and open consultation, we advocated for the introduction of a vape licensing or registration scheme similar to the alcohol licensing scheme. This would ensure that only businesses holding a valid licence would be allowed to sell vaping products, making it easier for enforcement authorities to identify illegal activity and to better regulate the industry.
A member of UKVIA have recently published their framework for a retail and distributor licensing scheme for vaping products, detailing what such a scheme would and should look like. The framework lays out everything from the application process, to fees and requirements, to enforcement, and demonstrates how this would not only make regulation and enforcement within the industry easier, but also that it could raise an estimated £50 million in funds which can be used to further bolster enforcement agencies like trading standards.
To become a licensed seller would require businesses to agree to uphold all age verification requirements, along with agreeing to be subject to regular checks and test purchases, adhere to advertising standards, and provide the appropriate recycling facilities and information to customers. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in significant fines and even having their license revoked.
How to avoid illicit vaping products
Illicit market vapes can be very convincing, making it difficult for the average consumer to spot a counterfeit. That said, there are a few things you can watch out for, including:
·Misspellings or typos on the products or packaging, Mistakes are often a clear sign that a vape isn’t legitimate.
·Plain and unbranded packaging. Most vape real products come in boxes that include branding and logos.
·Likewise, you should expect to see a leaflet with instructions and an authenticity card inside the box.
·All nicotine-containing vaping products must have a nicotine warning clearly printed on the front of the product, if this is missing it is a sign the product is not compliant
·If the product is advertised as having a nicotine strength higher than 20 mg/ml. This is the highest nicotine strength allowed under UK law, anything above this is illegal and should not be used
·If a vape kit is advertised as having a tank larger than 2ml. All refillable vape kits in the UK are limited to a 2ml maximum capacity
·If a bottle of e-liquid is larger than 10ml but still contains nicotine. All e-liquids sold in a bottle larger than 10ml of e-liquid are required to be nicotine-free by law, and so if a vape juice is in a larger bottle but still contains nicotine it is likely to be unregulated
·Vapes often also come with a warranty or manufacturers guarantee and if one isn’t included, you may have a fake.
·Illicit vapes are often made with substandard materials, so look out for ill-fitting parts or warping.
One of the most crucial steps to avoiding illicit vapes is to only buy your products from trusted sellers.
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Brad Rodu works as a Professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville where he is a member of the James Graham Brown Cancer Centre and holds an endowed chair in tobacco harm reduction research. As one university puts it: “endowed chairs are established to attract, retain, and provide honour and recognition to outstanding faculty members”.
Professor Rodu’s expertise has been gained from working in tobacco harm reduction research and policy development for the past twenty-seven years. The insight gained into how alternatives to tobacco can help improve the lives of smokers has seen him operate as a Congressional hearing expert witness and presenting at various international forums and conferences.
Professor Rodu has been plain speaking and unambiguous when it comes to the American approach to the magnitude of teen vaping. He has called it “exaggerated” and “a fake crisis”.
In the past he stated that, “health officials typically advance the epidemic narrative by selectively releasing NYTS details before complete data sets are made available to external researchers.”
The American narrative he refers to is one that is staunchly anti-vaping. It contrasts strongly with the attitude in the United Kingdom, where “e-cigarettes have been welcomed and endorsed by the public health establishment as effective quit-smoking, life-saving aids, and there has been a noticeable absence of the U.S.-style crisis scaremongering.”
While the rhetoric about teen vaping has been starkly different on either side of the Atlantic, Professor Rodu points to the evidence that demonstrates actual usage rates are pretty similar.
“Prevalence was the same in both countries in 2014, and was higher in the UK over the next three years. Prevalence spiked in the U.S. in 2018 and 2019, but by 2020 both countries had similar rates.”
Rodu continues: “The biggest difference being how American and British authorities, and the media, have responded. British authorities have consistently spoken the truth about vaping since 2011, and today Britain’s Department of Health helps smokers switch from combustibles to vapour. Their American counterparts, however, have been on a crusade to eliminate these vastly safer cigarette substitutes, even falsely suggesting that nicotine in e-cigarettes will cause irreversible brain damage in children. Tobacco prohibitionists appear to be ignorant of the fact that their warnings and advertisements might actually spark the ‘epidemic’.”
In light of the small increase in the actual number of British teens vaping – some refer to the rate as having doubled, but the reality is that it has been an increase from 4.1% to 7% of almost exclusively teen smokers – the UK Government is being pressed to act.
People wanting politicians to crack down and ban disposables and e-liquid flavours point to the potential for brain damage to occur.
Rodu responds to this: “There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the claim that nicotine causes harm to human brain development, so it is astounding that federal officials traffic in this false narrative.”
“This nonsense is an affront to 34 million adult current smokers and 55 million former smokers in the U.S., virtually all of whom started when they were teenagers. There is no evidence that their brain development was harmed, a fact that was specifically acknowledged by a prestigious nicotine researcher Dr Neal Benowitz at an international tobacco meeting.”
What is the UK Government doing?
With one Conservative MP currently trying to push through her Private Members’ Bill, titled the Disposable Electronic Cigarettes (Prohibition of Sale) Bill, and various bodies calling for plain packaging of vaping products and the banning of all flavours of e-liquid other than tobacco, the government has appealed for experts, organisations and individuals to contribute “information on a range of themes about children and vaping (using an e-cigarette) to inform evidence-based policy decisions.”
In particular, the government is looking for the facts about how to ensure shops don’t illegally sell to underage purchasers, how the look of the packaging might encourage teens to buy the products, how marketing influences teen decisions and if it is relevant to them buying disposable vapes, if social media is playing a role to encourage youth trial and purchase decisions, how educational programmes might dissuade teens from taking up vaping, the impact of discarded disposable ecigs on the environment, and how the vape market current operates as a whole.
On one hand, this could be seen as a negative step. For a government that was roundly supportive of vaping, accepting the current fears about teen vaping that Rodu called “exaggerated” and “a fake crisis” indicates a willingness to change approach for political expediency – they will be balancing the action they take against possibly gaining or losing votes at the next general election.
On the other hand, it does continue to demonstrate an understanding of the facts to date, stating: “Vaping is an important tool to help the government achieve its ambition for England to be smokefree by 2030. This is because vaping is one of the most effective ways to help people quit smoking.”
The government even points to the Nicotine vaping in England report and the ongoing Cochrane systematic review, which both highlight the relative safety of vaping when compared to smoking and the “‘high certainty’ that vapes [are] more effective than nicotine replacement therapy.”
Ultimately, what happens next will rely as much on the political environment over the next six months as much as the hard evidence put in front of ministers. Those who are committed to the promotion of vaping as a quit tool for current adult smokers will be keen that the UK doesn’t follow the United States down the road of scaremongering and fear.
We’re taking a look at the best refillable vape kits for 2024, to help you find the right refillable vape pen to best suit you!
What are the benefits of refillable vape kits?
Refillable vape kits are a great option for many vapers, from those who are just getting started on their vaping journey, to advanced vapers who have been vaping for years.
Freedom to pick your favourite flavours and nicotine strength
Unlike disposable vapes and prefilled pod kits, refillable vape kits can be repeatedly topped up with any compatible vape juice. This means that you are not limited to a set range of flavours, but can choose from the massive range of different vape juice flavours available to find the ones you love.
This also means that you have the freedom to choose the nicotine strength that best suits your needs. Most disposable vapes and prefilled pod vapes only come in the highest nicotine strength, which would not necessarily be suitable for all vapers.
Those who were light or infrequent smokers will only usually need a low nicotine strength to keep their nicotine cravings at bay and avoid withdrawal symptoms. Refillable vape kits allow you to use whichever strength you need, or even to use nicotine-free vape juice if preferred.
A more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly option
Because the tank or pod of a refillable vape kit can be repeatedly refilled before the pod or coil will need to be replaced, they offer a much more cost effective alternative to disposable and prefilled vapes.
Both a standard nicotine-containing disposable vape and the average pack of prefilled pods cost around the same amount as a 10ml bottle of e-liquid, if not more. However, the e-liquid amount of vape juice each options offers differs quite drastically.
A standard nicotine-containing disposable vape contains just 2ml of e-liquid, and will need to be thrown away when empty. Prefilled pods usually come in packs of two, meaning they offer 4ml of vape juice per pack, and the pods will also need to be thrown away when empty. . For the same price you can get a 10ml bottle of e-liquid, which can offer five vape refills, offering much more bang for your buck.
Refillable vape kits are also a more environmentally friendly option, as they produce much less vape waste than prefilled pod kits and disposable vapes.
An alternative to disposable vapes
While disposable vapes are a convenient and useful short-term vaping option, they are not designed to be used all the time. Their disposable nature means that the price of constantly replacing your disposable vape can quickly add up, and they also generate a lot of excess plastic and electrical waste which can only be recycled through a specialist recycling facility.
If you are looking for an alternative to disposable vapes, reusable vapes are a great place to start. They can be recharged whenever needed and can be paired with any compatible e-liquid, with only the pod or coil needing to be periodically replaced, rather than the whole device.
By pairing a refillable vape kit with a bar salt e-liquid like ELFLIQ or Double Brew you can even continue to use all of the most popular disposable vape flavours and get a similar vaping experience, making the transition from disposable vapes to reusable vapes feel like a breeze.
We have more tips for making this transition in in our blog post ‘Alternatives to disposable vapes’.
Best refillable vape for new vapers
If you are still quite new to vaping, and looking for small refillable vapes that are simple to use and offer a great alternative to smoking, we recommend the Vaporesso XROS 3 Mini.
This device utilises refillable pods, which can be paired with any 50/50 or high PG vape juice in whichever flavour and nicotine strength best suits you. The pods can be refilled whenever needed, and will only need to be replaced when the coil inside starts to taste burnt.
To make this more approachable for new vapers, the XROS 3 Mini does not use changeable coils, and so when the coil needs to be replaced you can remove and replace the whole pod which is easy and mess-free.
The airflow design and vaping style of this device have been specifically designed with new users in mind, and replicates the feel or smoking a traditional cigarette, so that it feels familiar and satisfying for those making the switch from smoking to vaping.
The XROS 3 Mini is also a refillable vape that hits like a disposable vape, making it a great option if you are moving from disposables to a reusable vape.
Best refillable vape for battery life
The Aspire PockeX has been a best-seller for years, and for good reason. The PockeX has a pen-style design with a traditional tank, and packs a whopping 1500 mAh internal battery. This big battery capacity allows the PockeX to last all day before needing to be recharged, perfect if you spend a lot of time out of the house and need a device which can keep up with you.
There are two different coil options that are compatible with this refillable vape pen, so you can test each coil to see which one feels most comfortable and best suits your preferred vaping style. These coils also offer fantastic flavour payoff and produce a thick and satisfying vapour.
Something I really appreciate about the Aspire PockeX is the coil placement, which unlike most vape kits screws in to the top of the tank rather than the bottom. This means you can easily change your coil with a full tank of e-liquid if you need to, without it all spilling out and going to waste.
Best refillable vape for heavy smokers
If you are making the switch from smoking to vaping, and are looking for the best reusable vapes for heavy smokers, you should definitely check out the Innokin Endura T18 II kit.
This device has a pen-style design with a long, slim body that is easily portable and very robust. The airflow design and coil structure really accurately replicate the feel of smoking, which will make the transition easier by feeling familiar and comfortable. They also lend themselves well to use with high nicotine strengths, which is usually the best place to start for heavy smokers, creating a smooth and satisfying vapour. There are also three different power settings to choose from, so you can turn the setting up if you need a bit more of a punch.
Because heavy smokers are likely going to use their vape kit much more often than lighter smokers, a larger battery capacity is often a good feature to look for. The T18 II has a 1300 mAh built-in battery, which offers plenty of power to get you through the day.
Best refillable vape for MTL vaping
The SMOK Novo Master is a fantastic option if you are looking for a reusable vape kit with a good power output, and the ability to adjust your settings to better suit your preferences.
This fantastic pod vape kit combines the mouth-to-lung vaping style of a starter kit with some additional features, so you can tailor your vaping experience to best suit your needs. Most pod vape kits are either draw activated or button activated, but the Novo Master is both, so you can use the device in whichever way feels most comfortable to you.
The SMOK Novo Master features adjustable airflow, so you can control how much air flows through the coil for a looser or tighter feeling draw. There are also two different operating modes, so you can vape using the standard mode for a satisfying mouth-to-lung vaping experience, or switch to the boost mode to get a MTL inhale with a bit more of a kick.
Best refillable vape for RDL vaping
If you have been using a starter vape kit and are now looking for a more intermediate refillable pod vape, we highly recommend that you check out the Geekvape Sonder Q.
The precise airflow control and pod design on this device allow for not only mouth-to-lung vaping, but also for restricted-direct-to-lung vaping, allowing you to transition to a different vaping style without going straight to direct-to-lung vape kits.
While mouth-to-lung (MTL) vaping replicates the way in which you would smoke a cigarette, by inhaling first into your mouth and then into your lungs, direct-to-lung vaping (DTL) means you draw the vapour straight into your lungs. Restricted-direct-to-lung (RDL) bridges the gap between the two, feeling less similar to smoking a cigarette but offering more vapour production.
The Sonder Q contains a 1000 mAh built-in battery which can last some vapers up to two days between charges, and the 20W maximum wattage output gives you that bit of extra power you’ve been looking for.
Best refillable vape for sub-ohm vaping
So far we have focused mainly on starter vape kits, but don’t worry we have also got some top picks for more advanced refillable vape kits too, like the SMOK Nord 4. The Nord 4 combines the compact size of refillable pod vapes with all the features and versatile capabilities of an advanced vape mod.
There are a number of different compatible pods and coils which can be used with the Nord 4, all offering a different resistance and working best at a different wattage setting. This means you can experiment with multiple coils to see which one best suits your preferences. This also gives you the opportunity to try different wattage settings, and find how much power offers the vaping experience you prefer.
The Nord 4 offers variable wattage with a maximum output of 80W, and the LED screen makes it easy to not only keep track of your wattage settings, but also your remaining battery life and which resistance coil you are using. The 2000 mAh battery also means you have plenty of power to keep you going throughout the day.
Best refillable vape for advanced vapers
The Vaporesso LUXE XR Max is our top refillable vape kit pick for advanced vapers. Unlike most advanced vape kits, the LUXE XR Max is not bulky and heavy, but still gives you all the power and cloud production you could ask for.
There are two different pod options that come with the XR Max, one for RDL vaping and one for DTL vaping, so you can choose which pod best suits your preferences. The coils feature COREX heating technology for a smooth and flavourful vapour, and work in conjunction with the integrated AXION chipset for almost instantaneous heat up.
The LUXE XR Max contains a whopping 2800 mAh battery capacity, which can easily rival that of many external battery vapes, and is easy to charge via USB-C charging cable. With a maximum wattage output of 80W, this vape kicks out plenty of power, and can be adjusted to best suit both you and your chosen coil.
Special mention
We wanted to include the Ohm Brew Refill Bar as a special mention. If you are looking for an alternative to disposable vapes, but are not quite ready to choose your reusable vape kit, this refillable disposable vape is a great option to consider.
The Refill Bar can be refilled with any compatible vape juice up to 15 times, which means that one Ohm Brew Refill Bar is equivalent to around 15 standard disposable vapes. As it can be recharged and refilled, the Refill Bar will last much longer than a standard disposable before needing to be replaced, offering a more wallet-friendly and less wasteful alternative.
]]>Didn’t the Hôpital Pitié–Salpêtrière feature in a previous article about vaping?
Wow, what a great memory. Yes, two doctors at the Hôpital Pitié–Salpêtrière in Paris were the first to note links between nicotine use and hospital admissions during the Covid pandemic. They found that although smokers were more likely to have worse outcomes if they were admitted to hospital for treatment for Covid, nicotine users were less likely to suffer from life-threatening episodes and be admitted in the first place. Their findings sparked a flurry of research looking at whether nicotine could be used in a preventative capacity. But this is not related to the study featured in this article, it simply confirms that they have a open view on nicotine use.
So, what is this latest piece of research about?
An impressive twenty-one doctors worked together to produce “Electronic Nicotine-Delivery Systems for Smoking Cessation”. They were aware that a huge number of smokers have claimed anecdotally that vaping helped them to quit smoking. They also knew that there was now a solid body of research now to support those claims but believed that more “evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of these systems is needed.”
So, they set up their multicentre randomised control trial.
What is a randomised control trial?
A randomised control trial, otherwise known by its initials ‘RCT’, is a piece of research where the subjects are split into groups randomly. One of the groups experience the thing that is being tested – in this case they would be using vapes – while the other group receive the control measure that the outcomes will be judged against. RCTs are accepted as a gold standard in evidence gathering because they reduce the likelihood of bias creeping in and are most likely to rigorously determine if a cause-and-effect relationship exists.
What did the researchers do?
The team obtained the voluntary services of 1246 participants. Each one of these people were smokers which, in practice, meant they had been smoking at least five cigarettes a day over the previous year and agreed that they wanted to quit smoking. In addition, they all agreed that they wanted to set a date to quit smoking within three months of joining the programme.
What did this group receive to help them quit smoking?
The first group were given access to free vape starter kits, free eLiquid, and the facility of smoking-cessation support counselling. The group were also told that they were able to use traditional nicotine replacement products such as sprays, gum, and patches if they wanted to – but they would have to pay for those.
And what about the other group?
The control group also received ac cess to smoking-cessation support counselling, but they were also given a voucher that could be used for anything, including sprays, gum and patches.
What measurements did the research team make?
All 622 adults in the first group and the 624 adults in the control group were tested for the presence of carbon monoxide or by-products in their urine that would indicate they were still smoking, and this biochemical analysis validated any claims they’d given up smoking. This testing works because vaping does not produce any carbon monoxide or anywhere near the same level of by-products in the urine.
The team also recorded self-reported abstinence from any nicotine products including cigarettes, vapes, sprays, gum, and patches.
Finally, they recorded any side effects from switching from smoking to ecig use, including any breathing issues or possible adverse events to eLiquids.
And what were the results from the randomised control trial?
·9% of the electronic cigarette group successfully gave up smoking during the study
·3% of the control group successfully gave up smoking during the study
This rose by the end of the project to 59.6% in the vaping group and 38.5% in the control group
How have the results been greeted?
Three British-based experts in this field have commented on the findings.
Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Director of the Evidence-Based Healthcare at Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, said that the study was “well-conducted, independent and robust”.
She added that it “clearly shows that nicotine e-cigarettes can help people to stop smoking. It adds to a strong and consistent body of evidence supporting the use of nicotine e-cigarettes as a stop smoking aid.”
Dr Sarah Jackson, the Principal Research Fellow at University College London’s (UCL) Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, agreed that the “well-conducted trial” adds to the growing evidence supporting what we know about vaping and how it helps adult smokers to quit tobacco use.
She explained that the results clearly demonstrate: “People who received free e-cigarettes and e-liquids plus usual care were 77% more likely to quit smoking for at least six months than those in the control group (usual care).”
She added that the team’s assessment of the safety of using e-cigarettes “should provide further reassurance to people who smoke and healthcare professionals that e-cigarettes can be used as an effective tool for stopping smoking without substantial risks to health.”
Finally, Professor Lion Shahab, Professor of Health Psychology and Co-Director of the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, University College London (UCL), said that the “high-quality” study is yet another that demonstrates “e-cigarettes are an effective smoking cessation aid, nearly doubling cessation rates compared with existing treatment.”
Professor Shahab noted that as the study took place in Central Europe it confirmed that the impact of vapes as seen in the UK is being replicated in countries with different attitudes to vaping and legal frameworks.
Even though some still try to claim that vaping doesn’t work for smokers, the research findings are becoming overwhelming that it does.
Last October, the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care launched a consultation related to smoking and vaping-related concerns, in a collaborative process will involve the administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This included concerns about the widespread use of disposable vapes, which resulted in a proposal for a UK-wide ban on the products.
Meanwhile, UK Member of Parliament Andrew Lewer recently revealed that approximately 75,000 people die from smoking-related diseases annually in the UK, a notable decrease from half a century ago. The decline in smoking is attributed to successful public health campaigns, regulations, and most of all the promotion of safer alternatives such as vapes, heat-not-burn, and nicotine pouches.
Disposables may have played a major role in reducing the UK’s smoking rates
Infact, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) data have shown that many individuals turn to vaping as a means to quit smoking, contributing to a reduction in the local smoking rate from 21% in 2013 to under 13% today. In fact research from UCL and King’s College London has suggested that a ban on disposables could impact approximately 2.6 million people, hindering the decline in smoking prevalence and disproportionately affecting disadvantaged groups.
MP Lewer highlighted the success of harm reduction strategies, citing examples like New Zealand’s 33% reduction in adult smoking after legalizing vaping and Australia’s 4.5% increase in smoking following a ban on recreational vaping. While the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has warned that banning disposables will fuel the black market, facilitating minors’ access to illicit vapes, a pattern consistently observed in places with bans in place.
The burdensome aspect of single-use vapes
Meanwhile, as part of the UK, the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland may be banned by April 1st next year, according to draft legislation open for consultation until March 8th. Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater highlighted the threat of single-use vapes to both public health and the environment, noting that more than 26 million disposable vapes were consumed and discarded in Scotland in the past year. Improper disposal of vapes can lead to battery-related fires in waste facilities and collection vehicles.
In addition to the disposables’ ban, the Scottish government will support UK-wide plans to set an generational tobacco ban, making it illegal for anyone born after January 1, 2009, to buy the products. Smoking-related deaths in Scotland exceed 8,000 annually, and vapes are considered a valuable tool for adult smoking cessation, hence reusable vapes will continue to be available alongside other smoking cessation tools.
A consistent regulatory approach across the UK
In conjunction with the UK and Scottish governments, the Welsh Government is also set to enforce a ban on disposable vapes, both on nicotine and non-nicotine-containing products. Effectively, efforts will be made to ensure consistency in actions taken across the UK to maintain regulatory alignment. In fact Northern Ireland is believed to be considering similar measures.
The Welsh Government supports the UK’s government’s work on a Tobacco and Vapes Bill. This comprehensive bill would adopt a collaborative approach at the UK level, hence establishing set principles for market access, incorporating mutual recognition to facilitate the unhindered movement of goods and services within the UK. By adopting a unified stance across the UK, particularly related to ban on disposables, the risk of conflicting measures is minimized, ensuring the efficacy of the proposed policies and avoiding complications arising from market access matters.
]]>A careful exploration of this topic will uncover methods that safely and efficiently allow vapers to circumvent the need for a battery, while still being able to enjoy their vape pen. As we delve into these alternative methods, it is important to remember that safety and product integrity should never be compromised. Thus, while this discussion promises to be enlightening, it also underscores the need for responsible usage of vaping devices.
Key Takeaways
·Safely hitting a vape cartridge without a battery requires careful handling to avoid damage.
·Prioritize safety by following proper usage guidelines and maintaining the vape pen regularly.
·Utilize alternative methods like USB cables and wires for powering the vape pen without a battery.
·Maintain and clean vape cartridges and oil properly to ensure optimal performance and longevity of the vape pen.
Understanding Vape Cartridges and Their Components
Before delving into the specifics of using a vape pen without a battery, it’s crucial to fully understand the components and functionality of vape cartridges, which are compact containers designed to hold the e-liquid or oil essential for vaping.
Vape cartridges constitute several components including a mouthpiece, a chamber for the e-liquid, wires, and a heating element. These cartridges are designed to be used with a battery-powered vape pen or device, and they come in a variety of brands and THC levels. For customers who prioritize quality, thorough research into the market offerings is essential. CBD and other e-liquids with variable THC levels enhance the consumer’s vaping experience, so it’s important to choose a cartridge that aligns with one’s preferences.
Retail stores and online platforms offer a myriad of options, providing robust consumer services and informational resources to guide purchasing decisions. These resources often include details about the quality, brand reputation, and THC levels of different cartridges.
Customer satisfaction hinges on the quality of the vape cartridges, and the brands that invest in research and development to ensure high-quality products tend to dominate the market. So, for informational purposes, understanding vape cartridges and their components is a key step towards a fulfilling vaping experience.
Exploring Alternative Methods for Vaping Without a Battery
Having gained a comprehensive understanding of vape cartridges and their components, it becomes equally essential to consider the various alternative methods available for vaping when a battery is not at hand. This section of the article aims to provide contextually relevant methods for hitting a vape pen without a battery.
The first alternative to consider is using a USB cable or other power sources. This method is particularly useful in situations where access to a fully charged battery isn’t possible. Another method involves harnessing the power of sunlight, converting it into energy to power your vape pen. While this method may not be as efficient or convenient as using a traditional battery, it provides a sense of freedom for those desiring to vape without restrictions.
By exploring these alternative methods, you become knowledgeable and prepared for any situation that might arise, preventing interruptions to your vaping experience. This practical know-how is vital in ensuring that the lack of a battery does not hinder your ability to use a vape pen.
This article’s section intends to empower you with the ability to continue vaping, even when conventional methods fail, thereby enabling you to enjoy a seamless vaping experience without the constraints of a battery.
Utilizing USB Cables for Vaping Without a Battery
In the realm of unconventional vaping methods, utilizing a USB cable to power your vape pen emerges as a practical and convenient alternative when a traditional battery is unavailable. This article’s section aims to educate you on how to hit your vape pen without a battery, focusing specifically on the use of USB cables.
Using a USB cable allows you to vape even if the battery is drained, provided you have access to a USB port or charger. It’s a contextually relevant solution for those seeking the freedom to vape without being tethered to battery availability. However, it’s crucial to ensure your vape pen is compatible with USB charging before attempting this method.
This method is not merely about substituting a battery with a USB cable; it’s about understanding the dynamics of vaping and how to adapt when faced with obstacles. It’s about the freedom to continue enjoying your vape pen, even in the absence of a traditional power source.
Safely Hitting a Vape Cartridge Without a Battery
Navigating the process of safely hitting a vape cartridge without a battery demands careful attention and adherence to proper usage guidelines to mitigate risks and ensure an enjoyable vaping experience. This contextually relevant article section provides a comprehensive guide on how to hit a vape pen safely, even in the absence of a battery.
Firstly, always prioritize safety. This involves handling the vape cartridge with utmost care to avoid causing damage that could lead to leaks or, worse, explosions. Excessive force or pressure when inhaling should be avoided at all costs, as this could potentially harm the vape cartridge.
Secondly, it is imperative to follow proper usage guidelines. The guidelines are designed with your safety in mind, and following them ensures that you can enjoy your vaping session without putting yourself at risk. This also extends to the care and maintenance of your vape pen, as neglecting these aspects could also pose a risk.
Step-by-Step Guide on Using Alternative Methods
Exploring alternative methods for powering your vape pen, even without a battery, requires a clear understanding of the steps involved and the safety measures necessary to protect both the device and the user. The person willing to venture into this territory should be aware of the confusion that can arise from a lack of knowledge of the operations involved.
The first step is to identify a power source. Like a farmer who must plan his year around the seasons, individuals must seek out and gain access to a suitable alternative power source, such as a USB port. Once this is secured, the vape pen can be connected to the power source using a compatible USB cable. This step requires the same level of careful consideration and approval that a farmer would offer when choosing the right tools for his operations.
Lastly, the individual can enjoy the freedom of using a vape pen without a battery by taking slow and steady draws from the vape cartridge. This rule of taking it slow prevents any potential harm to both the device and the user, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience.
Maintenance and Cleaning of Vape Cartridges
Maintenance and cleaning of vape cartridges are crucial aspects to ensure optimal performance and longevity of your vaping device. Regular maintenance not only prolongs the lifespan of your vape pen but also ensures you get the best out of your vaping experience.
To maintain your vape cartridges, first, ensure your vape pen is off and disconnected from the battery. Using a clean, dry cloth or cotton swab, gently wipe away any residue or buildup on the mouthpiece or the chamber. This process is key in ensuring that you get a clean hit every time you use your vape pen.
However, it’s important to note that while cleaning your vape cartridges, you should avoid using water or any harsh cleaning agents as they may damage the cartridge. Instead, use isopropyl alcohol, which is contextually relevant in this case, due to its evaporating nature and its ability to clean any stubborn residue.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
While ensuring the cleanliness of your vape cartridges is vital, it is equally important to be adept in troubleshooting common issues that may arise during use. For instance, if the vape pen is not producing vapor, the cartridge may not be properly connected to the power source. A clogged cartridge can be another common issue. In such a case, gently blowing into the mouthpiece or using a thin pin to clear any blockages can be effective.
However, amidst these practical tips, it is crucial to remember the legal status of vaping in your respective state. The legal developments surrounding vaping vary across individual states in the United States, and it’s the responsibility of the consumers to stay informed. Residents should regularly check news sources or attend press conferences held by health departments or related bodies at home, to stay updated about any changes.
As a disclaimer, while vaping is legal in certain states, it might not be the healthiest option. Further, some vape pens may encounter issues that cannot be fixed at home, necessitating professional help. Thus, consumers should use these products responsibly and seek expert advice when needed.
Understanding the Risks Involved
Delving into the risks involved, it is crucial to note that resorting to alternative methods for vaping without a battery may not only void warranties but potentially damage your vape pen when not executed properly. It’s important to understand that these methods should only be used for temporary purposes, acting as a provisional solution rather than a long-term alternative.
This chapter serves as a legal disclaimer, emphasizing the potential hazards of using techniques not in line with the manufacturer’s licensing criteria. For commercial purposes, ensuring the safety and longevity of your device must be the top concern at all times. Resorting to alternative methods without proper knowledge could lead to issues that might interfere with the ideal usage of food and beverage products in the vape pen.
Furthermore, the definition of topicals, in this context, refers to the substances applied to the vape pen. Incorrect application or misuse can lead to damage, affecting the performance over time. Hence, it is advised to follow guidelines and always exercise caution. Understanding the risks involved provides a broader perspective, reminding users to prioritize safety above the fleeting freedom of improvisation.
Conclusion
Having explored the potential risks involved in alternative vaping methods, we now turn our attention to concluding thoughts on this subject. The essence of this article lies in its attempt to educate anyone about how to hit a vape pen without a battery. However, it’s essential to understand that the contextually relevant information provided in this section does not endorse or encourage such practices.
The fact remains that vape pens are designed to be used with a battery for a reason – safety and efficiency. Attempting to circumvent these designs may lead to unforeseen risks and potential harm. As we’ve highlighted throughout the article, freedom comes with responsibility. Hence, it’s crucial to use these devices as intended by manufacturers to ensure a safe vaping experience.
It is possible to use a vape pen without a battery, though it requires caution and knowledge of the risks involved. Exploring alternative methods, such as utilizing USB cables, can offer a viable solution.
However, maintaining and cleaning vape cartridges remains crucial. It’s imperative to understand these methods thoroughly to avoid any potential harm. Engaging in these practices responsibly ensures an optimal vaping experience, even in the absence of a traditional power source.
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Reasons to choose vaping over smoking -
A vape is an electronic device that you can use instead of cigarettes. However, unlike cigarettes, it lets you inhale Nicotine in a vapour form. The aerosol is created by heating a solution named e-liquid. This solution has the perfect amount of vegetable glycerine, Nicotine, propylene glycol, etc.
A safe option for your health -
Vaping is less harmful than smoking, which makes it more convenient to use. Lost Mary 3500, users inhale far fewer toxins and lower levels of Nicotine than traditional smokers. Switching to vaping can reduce the chances of many harmful diseases like - lung disease, cancer, heart attack - stroke, etc.
Eco-Friendly -
Vaping produces little waste, as compared to other smoking products. It also releases a lesser amount of toxins into the environment. Vaping can cut out the use of several products like - lighters, cigarette filters, matches (etc.) that lead to landfills. Moreover, vape kit users can switch to reusable coils and reduce the production carbon footprint. Most vaping products are made in an environmentally friendly manner.
Control nicotine level -
As we all know, Nicotine is the crucial element of cigarettes that makes smoking soothing and enjoyable. However, the excessive use of Nicotine can lead to several diseases. Vaping kits contain E-juice, which can reduce or increase the nicotine level depending on your choice.
Easy to use -
Vaping products are user-friendly. Beginners can enjoy their vaping without any experience. There are many vaping kits available in the market that has vaping devices, coils, and e-liquids in a single box. These vaping kits are super easy to deal with. As compared to traditional smoking, vaping is pretty easy. Just press a button and start vaping. Vaping products which have a simple one-button operation are ideal for use.
Huge variety in flavours -
One of the best things about vapour products is you will get huge flavour options. Numerous e-liquid flavours will enhance your enjoyment. Lost Mary BM600 can be a good choice to go with for exploring various flavours. Some of the most popular options are - cool mint, rich creme brulee (a dessert flavour), traditional tobacco, and fruity blends like mango, strawberry, etc.
These wide ranges of vaping flavours will also lessen the harshness of Nicotine. These flavours help users to make vaping more pleasant and relaxing. Vapers can buy customised or pre-made e-liquids with any imaginable flavour.
Fast charging -
Depending on the user's requirements, vape kits have revolutionized. Nowadays, vape kits come with fast charging features, which is a great deal for those users who need their devices ready to go. In these vape kits, users will get a charging cable and adapter. These kinds of devices provide sleek and compact designs. With this vape device, you will enjoy an amazing vape experience without inconvenience.
Wrapping up
A vape kit is an outstanding choice for those who want to quit their smoking habits. These kits are very convenient because they come with compact packaging. Even some advanced vape kits offer built-in safety features that help to prevent overusing the device. These kits also contain several features, including - quick charging, enhanced flavours, etc.