Global Electronic Cigarette Industry Weekly News
The electronic cigarette industry has been booming in recent years, with more and more people turning to e-cigarettes as an alternative to traditional tobacco products. However, with the rise in popularity, there have also been increasing concerns about the safety and regulation of electronic cigarettes. In this article, we will cover the latest news from the global electronic cigarette industry in the past week.
Qinghai Police Crack Down on Non-Standard Electronic Cigarette Criminal Gangs
Recently, the "2.01" special case team composed of a certain brigade of the Xining Public Security Bureau in Qinghai, the economic investigation, criminal investigation, legal, and a certain brigade jointly cracked a series of illegal sales of electronic cigarette cases.
This case arrested 10 criminal suspects, froze two bank accounts involved, froze more than 13 million yuan of funds involved, destroyed eight warehouses, and seized a total of more than 372,000 non-standard electronic cigarette cartridges and devices, with an involved amount of up to 150 million yuan.
Chongqing Jiangjin Successfully Cracks First Major Illegal Production and Sale of Electronic Cigarettes in Southwest China
Recently, the Jiangjin District Public Security Bureau of Chongqing, in conjunction with the tobacco monopoly bureau, successfully cracked down on an illegal production and sale of new electronic cigarettes, with 75 personnel involved, more than 7,000 electronic cigarette devices, over 20,000 electronic cigarette cartridges, and more than 30 electronic cigarette production equipment seized. The involved amount is preliminarily estimated to be more than 30 million yuan.
It is worth noting that this is the first typical case of cracking down on illegal production, supply, and sales of electronic cigarettes in Southwest China. On March 23, the suspect, Zhu, and others were lawfully arrested by the Jiangjin police.
Zhejiang Seizes More Than 5 Million Yuan Worth of Electronic Cigarettes, Enforces Filter-Tip Enforcement for the First Time
On March 27, reporters learned from the Jinhua Yongkang Tobacco Monopoly Bureau in Zhejiang Province that the local tobacco monopoly bureau, in conjunction with the local public security forces and with the cooperation of the public security and tobacco departments in Shenzhen, conducted a joint operation to crack down on the "2.10" case, which had been filed earlier, and successfully cracked down on a network of illegal operations of electronic cigarettes, with the amount involved exceeding 5 million yuan.
It is worth noting that in addition to 4,572 illegal cartridges produced, 685 disposable electronic cigarettes, and 720 bottles of e-liquid, the operation also included 780 electronic cigarette devices (filter-tip cartridges). This is also the first enforcement of filter-tip cartridges by known regulatory agencies.
Malaysia to Remove Nicotine from Controlled Substances
Recently, the Malaysian Poisons Board held a meeting to discuss removing nicotine from the list of controlled substances in the Poisons Act. The Malaysian Retail Electronic Cigarette Association (MRECA) stated that excluding liquid nicotine from the Poisons Act will enable the government to introduce more appropriate regulatory frameworks, such as those in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.
US Professor Suggests Promoting Electronic Cigarettes as Harm Reduction Tools Recently, the dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan and his team's latest research suggest that there is enough evidence to support electronic cigarettes as the primary auxiliary means for adults to quit smoking. They suggested that the US, Australia, Canada, and professional medical teams should consider the potential of electronic cigarettes in smoking cessation and reduce misconceptions about them.
Latin America's Disposable Electronic Cigarette Market Has a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 5.74%
According to Soundsandcolours predictions, the disposable electronic cigarette market in Latin America is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.74% by 2028. Countries such as Chile, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, and Costa Rica are the center of the disposable electronic cigarette market in Latin America.
Argentina's Ministry of Health Announces Ban on Heated Tobacco Products
On March 27, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Argentina issued Resolution No. 565/2023, stating that it will no longer allow the import, distribution, marketing, and promotion of heated tobacco products (PTC). At the same time, Philip Morris International's Argentine subsidiary, Massalin Particulares, announced that it has decided to suspend its $300 million investment plan to introduce IQOS.
Latvia to Ban Flavored Electronic Cigarettes
On March 23, the Latvian parliament supported an amendment in its second reading, which plans to prohibit the sale of tobacco products, alternative products, herbal vapor products, electronic cigarette devices, and cartridges to people under 20 years of age. At the same time, the amendment restricts the production and entry into the market of tobacco products, tobacco alternatives, or electronic cigarette devices that resemble candies, snacks, or toys. It is reported that Latvia is one of the countries with the highest number of smokers in Europe, with about 24.9% of the population smoking every day.