Specialist vape store audit reveals poor compliance with new e-cigarette regulations.

AIM: Regulations announced in mid-2023 aimed to reduce youth vaping by curtailing the availability of cheap high-nicotine e-cigarettes (vapes). This study tested compliance with the new regulations for single-use vapes, which came into force on 21 December 2023. METHODS: A 20-year-old "mystery shopper" visited 96% of specialist vape retailers (SVRs) in Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt (N=74) in January 2024, and observed i) R18 signage, ii) age verification practices, and ii) prices and brands of the cheapest available vaping products. Low-price vapes were purchased and inspected for compliance with new nicotine limits and safety regulations. RESULTS: All but three stores (96%) displayed an R18 sign; however, signage in 29 stores (39%) was suboptimal. Only one store (1.4%) requested age identification (ID) on entry to the R18 premises. In 50% of stores, ID was requested when a purchase was made; however, a third of those retailers proceeded with the sale despite the buyer not providing ID. Single-use vapes remained available for NZ$10 or less in most stores, and reusable starter kits were also widely available for NZ$10-20. Discounted high-nicotine products were sold for as little as NZ$2.50 each. Most low-price products did not comply with the updated regulations. CONCLUSION: Cheap, high-nicotine vaping products remained widely available following the introduction of stricter regulations in December 2023; products for sale included discounted and non-compliant vapes. The majority of SVRs had poor age verification practices. There is an urgent need to clarify rules, increase enforcement efforts and disallow discounting and giveaways of vapes.

Selective Reduction of Socioeconomic Disparities in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace: Effects of Cigarette and E-cigarette Flavor Restrictions.

INTRODUCTION: Cigarette smoking accounts for >30% of the socioeconomic gap in life expectancy. Flavored restrictions claim to promote equity; however, no previous studies have compared the effect of cigarette and e-cigarette flavor restrictions among individuals who smoke with lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES). AIMS AND METHODS: In a between-group within-subject design, individuals with lower (n = 155) and higher (n = 125) SES completed hypothetical purchasing trials in the experimental tobacco marketplace (ETM). Conditions were presented in a 2 × 2 factorial design (cigarette flavors restricted or unrestricted and e-cigarette flavors restricted or unrestricted) with increasing cigarette prices across trials. RESULTS: Results show (1) SES differences in cigarette, e-cigarette, and NRT purchases under unrestricted policies, with lower SES showing higher cigarette demand and lower e-cigarette and NRT substitution than higher SES, (2) cigarette restrictions decreased cigarette and increased NRT purchases among lower SES, but no significant changes among higher SES, (3) decreased SES differences in cigarette demand under cigarette restrictions, but persistence under e-cigarette restrictions or their combination, (4) persistence of SES differences in e-cigarette purchases when all restrictions were enforced, and (5) waning of SES differences in NRT purchasing under all restrictions. CONCLUSIONS: Flavor restrictions differentially affected individuals based on SES. Within-group comparisons demonstrated restrictions significantly impacted lower SES, but not higher SES. Between-group comparisons showed SES differences in cigarette purchasing decreased under cigarette restrictions, but persisted under e-cigarette-restrictions or their combination. Additionally, SES differences in NRT substitution decreased under flavor restrictions. These findings highlight the utility of the ETM to investigate SES disparities. IMPLICATIONS: With increasing trends of socioeconomic differences in smoking prevalence and cessation rates, smoking-related health disparities are expected to continue to widen. Restricting menthol flavor in cigarettes while enhancing the availability and affordability of NRT have the potential to alleviate SES disparities in tobacco use, therefore, positively impacting health equity. However, this effect may depend on flavor availability in other tobacco products.

Flavored Tobacco Sales Restrictions and Youth E-cigarette Behavior: Impact by Tobacco Retailer Density in Diverse Communities in California.

INTRODUCTION: Factors that impact flavored tobacco sales restriction (flavor restrictions) effectiveness on youth e-cigarette behavior are unclear. Tobacco retailer density (retailer density) is a health equity issue with greater retailer density in high-minority, low-income areas. We examined the association between flavor restrictions and youth e-cigarette behavior by retailer density across diverse communities in the California Bay Area. AIMS AND METHODS: We analyzed data from the California Healthy Kids Survey using a difference-in-differences (DID) strategy. We compared pre- and post-policy changes in e-cigarette access and use one-year post-implementation among high school students in the Bay Area with a flavor restriction (n = 20 832) versus without (n = 66 126). Separate analyses were conducted for students in cities with low and high retailer density, with a median cutoff of 3.3 tobacco retailers/square mile. RESULTS: Students with high retailer density were more likely to identify as a minority and have parents with lower education. Among students with low retailer density, flavor restrictions were associated with 24% lower odds in the pre- to post-policy increase in ease of access relative to unexposed students (DID = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.99). Among students with high retailer density, flavor restrictions were associated with 26% higher odds in ease of access (DID: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.56) and 57% higher odds of current use (DID = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.31, 1.87). CONCLUSIONS: Flavor restrictions had positive impacts on youth e-cigarette access in low, but not high retailer density cities. From a health equity perspective, our results underscore how flavor restrictions may have uneven effects among vulnerable groups. IMPLICATIONS: In diverse communities in the California Bay Area, our results suggest a protective association between flavored tobacco sales restrictions and youth access to e-cigarettes in low, but not high tobacco retailer density cities one-year post-implementation. These results underscore how flavor restrictions may have uneven effects, and when implemented in high retailer density areas, may disproportionately place already vulnerable groups at heightened exposure to e-cigarette use and access. In high retailer density areas, additional tobacco control efforts may need to be included with flavor restriction implementation, such as increased education, youth prevention and cessation programs, policies to reduce tobacco retailer density, or stronger tobacco retailer enforcement or compliance monitoring.

The Association of Frequency of Worry About Financial Debt With Substance Use Among Adults in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Financial debt and associated stress might increase the risk of substance use problems or exacerbate existing ones. Little evidence is available about the degree of debt stress and its association with substance use. The objective of this study was to examine the associations of the frequency of worry about debt with heavy episodic drinking (HED), daily smoking, e-cigarette use, and cannabis use in the past 30 days. METHODS: Data were utilized from the 2020/2022 Monitor study, a repeated cross-sectional survey of adults 18 years and older in Ontario, Canada. The surveys employed a web-based panel survey of 6038 adults and collected data on debt-related stress, HED, tobacco smoking, e-cigarettes, and cannabis use in the past 30 days. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated from logistic regression models accounting for sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: Overall, 18.4% of respondents reported that they were worried about their debt most or all of the time. Accounting for household income, educational status, employment status, and other factors, the results revealed that there was a dose-response relationship between the frequency of worry about debt and substance use including daily smoking, e-cigarette use, and cannabis use in the past 30 days compared to those who were not worried at all about their debt. Sex differences were also found in the association between worry about debt and e-cigarette use. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of worry about debt might have an important role in substance use, which suggests that financial well-being is vital in substance use prevention and harm reduction.

The association between excise taxes and smoking and vaping transitions-Findings from the 2016-2020 ITC United States surveys.

BACKGROUND: While a growing number of studies examined the effect of e-cigarette (EC) excise taxes on tobacco use behaviors using cross-sectional surveys or sales data, there are currently no studies that evaluate the impact of EC taxes on smoking and vaping transitions. METHODS: Using data from the US arm of the 2016-2020 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey (ITC 4CV), we employed a multinomial logit model with two-way fixed effects to simultaneously estimate the impacts of cigarette/EC taxes on the change in smoking and vaping frequencies. RESULTS: Our benchmark model suggests that a 10 % increase in cigarette taxes led to an 11 % reduction in smoking frequencies (p < 0.01), while EC taxes did not have a significant effect on smoking frequencies. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that increasing cigarette taxes may serve as an effective means of encouraging people who smoke to cut back on smoking or quit smoking. The impact of increasing EC taxes on smoking transitions is less certain at this time.

Identification and Characterization of Illegal Sales of Cannabis and Nicotine Delivery Products on Telegram Messaging Platform.

INTRODUCTION: Unregulated and potentially illegal sales of tobacco, nicotine, and cannabis products have been detected on various social media platforms, e-commerce sites, online retailers, and the dark web. New end-to-end encrypted messaging services are popular among online users and present opportunities for marketing, trading, and selling of these products. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize tobacco, nicotine, and cannabis selling activity on the messaging platform Telegram. METHODS: The study was conducted in three phases: (1) identifying keywords related to tobacco, nicotine, and cannabis products for purposes of detecting Telegram groups and channel messages; (2) automated data collection from public Telegram groups; and (3) manual annotation and classification of messages engaged in marketing and selling products to consumers. RESULTS: Four keywords were identified ("Nicotine," "Vape," "Cannabis," and "Smoke") that yielded 20 Telegram groups with 262 506 active subscribers. Total volume of channel messages was 43 963 unique messages that included 3094 (7.04%) marketing/selling messages. The most commonly sold products in these groups were cannabis-derived products (83.25%, n = 2576), followed by tobacco/nicotine-derived products (6.46%, n = 200), and other illicit drugs (0.77%, n = 24). A variety of marketing tactics and a mix of seller accounts were observed, though most appeared to be individual suppliers. CONCLUSIONS: Telegram is an online messaging application that allows for custom group creation and global connectivity, but also includes unregulated activities associated with the sale of cannabis and nicotine delivery products. Greater attention is needed to conduct monitoring and enforcement on these emerging platforms for unregulated and potentially illegal cannabis and nicotine product sales direct-to-consumer. IMPLICATIONS: Based on study results, Telegram represents an emerging platform that enables a robust cannabis and nicotine-selling marketplace. As local, state, and national tobacco control regulations continue to advance sales restrictions and bans at the retail level, easily accessible and unregulated Internet-based channels must be further assessed to ensure that they do not act as conduits for exposure and access to unregulated or illegal cannabis and nicotine products.

Compliance to Online Retail of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) in India before and after the 2018 Ban Order of the Government of India.

Since their launch globally in 2012, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) were positioned as a harm reduction strategy and cessation device but it is yet to be proven to have clinical safety or public health benefits. Instead, recent reports suggest that the tobacco industry targeted youth and sponsored research whose evidence was used to mislead policymaking. On August 28, 2018, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare's advisory banned the sale, purchase, and trade of ENDS. A survey was done in two waves. The first survey was done between August 10 and 25 2018 all websites which sold ENDS product were mapped and documented. The survey was repeated (November 30, 2018) were after the restriction to trade on ENDS was proposed by the Department of Customs. The two waves of survey found that no website, whether comprehensive e-commerce portals or dedicated ENDS marketing platforms fully complied with government orders. National and states government enforcement agencies are currently unaware of internet-based sale of ENDS. Although some states have given specific directions to stop the sale and delivery of ENDS within the state through e-commerce, there is limited monitoring and legal compliance by seller. Public health advocates need to stay vigilant and monitor the online sale and point of sale retail of ENDS to ensure strict compliance of national and state regulations.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Smoking Cessation Interventions in the United Kingdom Accounting for Major Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events.

OBJECTIVES: Smoking is a leading cause of death worldwide. Cessation aids include varenicline, bupropion, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and e-cigarettes at various doses (low, standard and high) and used alone or in combination with each other. Previous cost-effectiveness analyses have not fully accounted for adverse effects nor compared all cessation aids. The objective was to determine the relative cost-effectiveness of cessation aids in the United Kingdom. METHODS: An established Markov cohort model was adapted to incorporate health outcomes and costs due to depression and self-harm associated with cessation aids, alongside other health events. Relative efficacy in terms of abstinence and major adverse neuropsychiatric events was informed by a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Base case results are reported for UK-licensed interventions only. Two sensitivity analyses are reported, one including unlicensed interventions and another comparing all cessation aids but removing the impact of depression and self-harm. The sensitivity of conclusions to model inputs was assessed by calculating the expected value of partial perfect information. RESULTS: When limited to UK-licensed interventions, varenicline standard-dose and NRT standard-dose were most cost-effective. Including unlicensed interventions, e-cigarette low-dose appeared most cost-effective followed by varenicline standard-dose + bupropion standard-dose combined. When the impact of depression and self-harm was excluded, varenicline standard-dose + NRT standard-dose was most cost-effective, followed by varenicline low-dose + NRT standard-dose. CONCLUSION: Although found to be most cost-effective, combined therapy is currently unlicensed in the United Kingdom and the safety of e-cigarettes remains uncertain. The value-of-information analysis suggested researchers should continue to investigate the long-term effectiveness and safety outcomes of e-cigarettes in studies with active comparators.

Assessing Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Use at NCI-Designated Cancer Centers in the Cancer Moonshot-funded Cancer Center Cessation Initiative.

Assessing tobacco product use and delivering tobacco dependence treatment is an essential part of cancer care; however, little is known about electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) or e-cigarette use assessment in cancer treatment settings. Given the importance of tailoring tobacco treatment, it is critical to understand how ENDS use is assessed in the electronic health record (EHR) in cancer care settings. Two questionnaires were completed by tobacco treatment program leads at 42 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers in the Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (January 1 to June 30 and July 1 to December 31, 2019). Items assessed how often smoking status and ENDS use were recorded in the EHR. An open-ended item recorded the text and response categories of each center's ENDS assessment question. All 42 centers assessed smoking status at both time periods. Twenty-five centers (59.5%) assessed ENDS use in the first half of 2019, increasing to 30 (71.4%) in the last half of 2019. By the end of 2019, 17 centers assessed smoking status at every patient visit while six assessed ENDS use at every visit. A checkbox/drop-down menu rather than scripted text was used at 30 centers (73.2%) for assessing smoking status and at 18 centers (42.9%) for assessing ENDS use. Our findings underscore the gap in systematic ENDS use screening in cancer treatment settings. Requiring ENDS use measures in the EHR as part of quality measures and providing scripted text scripts to providers may increase rates of ENDS use assessment at more cancer centers. PREVENTION RELEVANCE: This study identifies a gap in the systematic assessment of ENDS use among patients seen at 42 NCI-Designated cancer centers. Requiring the systematic assessment of both ENDS use and use of other tobacco products can inform evidence-based treatment of tobacco dependence and lead to improved cancer treatment outcomes.

E-Cigarette Demand: Impact of Commodity Definitions and Test-Retest Reliability.

INTRODUCTION: Behavioral economic demand provides a multidimensional understanding of reinforcement. Commodity purchase tasks are an efficient method for measuring demand in human participants. One challenge in translating these procedures to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS or e-cigarettes) is defining commodity units given the lack of standardization in the e-cigarette marketplace. AIMS AND METHODS: The purpose of this study was to directly compare methods of operationalizinge-cigarette purchases, puffs, cartridges, and mLs liquid, using a within-subject design. Participants (N = 132) reporting past week e-cigarette use were recruited using crowdsourcing. Purchase tasks were completed operationalizing e-cigarette units as puffs or cartridges at baseline and puffs or mLs liquid at a 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: Bivariate associations supported convergent and discriminant validity with the largest effect size correlations for intensity and elasticity observed for the puff version. Interaction models suggested that product preferences moderated the relationship between time-to-first use and cartridge demand with larger effect size correlations among persons reporting a preference for JUULs, but weaker relationships among persons reporting other device preferences. Puff intensity (rxx = .61) and elasticity (rxx = .62) showed good test-retest reliability for participants reporting stable consumption, but poor test-retest reliability for individuals with changed consumption levels (intensity rxx = -.08; elasticity rxx = -.10). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the relevance of commodity definitions in the e-cigarette purchase task. Puffs as an experimental commodity may provide flexibility for studying e-cigarette demand in heterogenous or unknown populations, whereas more tailored or personalized approaches like cartridge or mL-based tasks will likely be helpful when studying known subgroups. IMPLICATIONS: The commodity purchase task procedure is widely used for understanding cigarette and e-cigarette demand in nicotine dependence research. This study evaluates the importance of operational definitions of e-cigarette commodities in the purchase task (ie, puffs, cartridges, or mLs liquid). Puffs may provide a more flexible commodity unit when evaluating e-cigarette demand in general or heterogenous populations, whereas device-specific units may prove more valuable when studying populations with consistent and known product use.

Vape Shop Owners/Managers' Opinions About FDA Regulation of E-Cigarettes.

INTRODUCTION: In the United States, prominent sources of vaping products are specialty vape shops, which are subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation. This study interviewed vape shop owners/managers to assess: (1) reasons for entering into or engaging in vape shop retail; (2) personnel training, particularly with regard to FDA and state regulations; and (3) how existing regulations are perceived and the anticipated impact of future regulation. AIMS AND METHODS: The current study involved phone-based semi-structured interviews of 45 vape shop owners/managers in six metropolitan statistical areas (Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, San Diego, and Seattle) during Summer 2018 as FDA regulations regarding minimum age verification, bans on product sampling, and health warnings (among others) were first being implemented. RESULTS: Vape shop owners/managers reported: (1) entering the industry with positive intentions for their customers, (2) training their personnel to adhere to regulations and provide good customer service, and (3) significant concerns about the impact of FDA regulations. With regard to the latter, participants reported mistrust of the intentions of the FDA regulations, financial implications of the regulations (particularly for small businesses), difficulty understanding and interpreting the regulations, insufficient evidence to support the regulations, negative impact on customer service, negative impact on product offerings and product innovation/advancement, and negative implications of flavor bans and/or restrictions on sale of flavors. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate the complexities in implementing tobacco regulations, particularly from the perspective of the vape shop industry. Current findings should inform future regulatory actions and efforts to assess compliance with regulations. IMPLICATIONS: Current and impending FDA regulation of vaping products present a critical period for examining regulatory impact on the vape shop industry. Current results indicated that many vape shop owners/managers reporting positive intentions for engaging in the vaping product industry and in training vape shop personnel to adhere to regulations. However, the majority reported concerns about FDA regulation and other state/local regulations that could have negative implications for their industry. Particular concerns include difficulty understanding the regulations due to complexity, vagueness, and changes in language and/or interpretation over time. These issues have implications for compliance that must be addressed.

Exploring the Point-of-Sale Among Vape Shops Across the United States: Audits Integrating a Mystery Shopper Approach.

INTRODUCTION: Vape shops represent prominent, unique retailers, subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation in the United States. AIMS AND METHODS: This study assessed compliance of US vape shop retail marketing strategies with new regulations (eg, required age verification, prohibited free samples) and pre-implementation conditions for other regulations (eg, health warning labels on all nicotine products, required disclosures of e-liquid contents). RESULTS: 95.0% of shops displayed minimum-age signage; however, mystery shoppers were asked for age verification at 35.6% upon entry and at 23.4% upon purchase. Although 85.5% of shops had some evidence of implementing FDA health warnings, 29.1% had signage indicating prohibited health claims, 16.3% offered free e-liquid samples, 27.4% had signage with cartoon imagery, and 33.3% were within two blocks of schools. All shops sold open-system devices, 64.8% sold closed-system devices, 68.2% sold their own brand of e-liquids, 42.5% sold e-liquids containing cannabidiol, 83.2% offered price promotions of some kind, and 89.9% had signage for product and price promotions. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated that most shops complied with some implementation of FDA health warnings and with free sampling bans and minimum-age signage. Other findings indicated concerns related to underage access, health claims, promotional strategies, and cannabidiol product offerings, which call for further FDA and state regulatory/enforcement efforts.

Estimating the price elasticity of demand for JUUL E-cigarettes among teens.

BACKGROUND: The widespread popularity of e-cigarettes, particularly JUUL, has led to an alarming increase in teen nicotine use, reversing a 40-year trend. One key question is how sensitive teens' demand for JUUL is to changes in price. METHODS: We estimate the price elasticity of demand using results from an experimental auction where teen nicotine users and nonusers bid on a JUUL kit. RESULTS: We find that a 10 % increase in price leads to as much as a 24 % reduction in JUUL demand among teens using nicotine, and as much as a 45 % reduction among teens not currently using nicotine. The teens in our study were more price sensitive than older adults who took part in a similar earlier study. CONCLUSIONS: From a public health standpoint, these are promising results. High e-cigarette taxes may dissuade relatively few older adult cigarette smokers from switching to e-cigarettes, but at the same time be highly effective at preventing teens from becoming e-cigarette users in the first place.

Online sales compliance with the electronic cigarettes ban in India: a content analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the availability of and to characterise the internet electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) vendors (IEVs) that continued to sell vaping devices in an Indian city despite the promulgation of an Indian Ordinance on 18th September 2019 that prohibits e-cigarettes nation-wide. METHODS: A structured internet search engine queries to identify IEVs. Subsequently, a content analysis to all identified IEVs was performed to check if they delivered vaping products to a New Delhi address (non-compliant with Indian Ordinance). Those non-compliant IEVs were then described according to some characteristics of interest. RESULTS: Sixteen out of 45 identified IEVs (35.6%) were not compliant with the Indian Ordinance. Amongst them, half were general e-commerce, 75.0% did not apply any age verification methods, and 56.3% did not feature health or safety warnings on their websites. Many of these IEVs employed a wide range of promotional strategies, such as price discounts, health benefits claims, and social networks utilisation. CONCLUSIONS: E-cigarettes were still highly available and accessible in an Indian capital city through online sales following a bold step taken by the country to totally ban vaping products.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Electronic Cigarette Purchasing, Use and Related Behaviors.

Background: COVID-19 has caused health impacts and disruptions globally. Electronic cigarette (ECIG) users may face additional impacts. This study examined impacts of COVID-19 on ECIG users. Methods: Concept mapping, a mixed-methods approach, was used to identify COVID-19 impacts on adult ECIG users. ECIG users (n = 93) provided statements completing a prompt: "A specific way Coronavirus/COVID-19 has affected my vaping/e-cigarette use, my vaping/e-cigarette related purchasing, or other vaping/e-cigarette related behaviors or issues is…". Participants generated 85 unique statements, sorted statements into groups of similar content and rated each statement on how true they were. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis identified thematic clusters. Mean cluster ratings were compared between sample subgroups. Results: Ten clusters were identified: Stocking up and Bulk Purchasing, Challenges in Obtaining ECIG Supplies, Alternative Purchasing Procedures, Increased ECIG use, Disruption of Routine and ECIG Use, Efforts to Decrease ECIG Use, Improving ECIG Skills, COVID-19 Health Concerns, Perceptions of ECIG Use and COVID-19, and COVID-19 Protection. More dependent ECIG users and dual users of ECIGs and cigarettes rated clusters higher than less dependent ECIG users and non-dual users. Conclusions: ECIG users may experience or perceive they face additional COVID-19 impacts, such as increased exposure, financial burdens, stress, and health risks.

E-cigarette Unit Sales, by Product and Flavor Type - United States, 2014-2020.

Since electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) entered the U.S. marketplace in 2007, the landscape has evolved to include different product types (e.g., prefilled cartridge-based and disposable products) and flavored e-liquids (e.g., fruit, candy, mint, menthol, and tobacco flavors), which have contributed to increases in youth use (1,2). E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youths since 2014; in 2019, 27.5% of high school students reported current e-cigarette use (3). To assess trends in unit sales of e-cigarettes in the United States by product and flavor type, CDC, CDC Foundation, and Truth Initiative analyzed retail scanner data during September 14, 2014-May 17, 2020, from Information Resources, Inc. (IRI). During this period, total e-cigarette sales increased by 122.2%, from 7.7 million to 17.1 million units per 4-week interval. By product type, the proportion of total sales that was prefilled cartridge products increased during September 2014-August 2019 (47.5% to 89.4%). During August 2019-May 2020, the proportion of total sales that was disposable products increased from 10.3% to 19.8%, while the proportion that was prefilled cartridge products decreased (89.4% to 80.2%). Among prefilled cartridge sales, the proportion of mint sales increased during September 2014-August 2019 (<0.1% to 47.6%); during August 2019-May 2020, mint sales decreased (47.6% to 0.3%), as menthol sales increased (10.7% to 61.8%). Among disposable e-cigarette sales during September 2014-May 2020, the proportion of mint sales increased (<0.1% to 10.5%), although tobacco-flavored (52.2% to 17.2%) and menthol-flavored (30.3% to 10.2%) sales decreased; during the same period, sales of all other flavors combined increased (17.2% to 62.1%). E-cigarette sales increased during 2014-2020, but fluctuations occurred overall and by product and flavor type, which could be attributed to consumer preferences and accessibility. Continued monitoring of e-cigarette sales and use is critical to inform strategies at the national, state, and community levels to minimize the risks of e-cigarettes on individual- and population-level health. As part of a comprehensive approach to prevent and reduce youth e-cigarettes use, such strategies could include those that address youth-appealing product innovations and flavors.

Objective Facts or Misleading Hype? Associations between Features of E-Cigarette Marketing and Sales on a Chinese E-Commerce Platform.

Background: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been increasingly advertised and marketed in China in recent years. This study examined the practice and impact of e-cigarette online marketing on a major retail website-Tmall.com. Methods: Data were obtained by crawling 449 online pages of e-cigarette marketing. Content analysis was conducted to summarize the marketing practices for four types of e-cigarettes, and multilevel modeling (MLM) was implemented to explore factors predictive of the online sales of the products. Results: The sales volume of e-cigarettes ranged from 0 to 28,169, with the price per item varying from RMB 218.1 ($31.84) to RMB 385.5 ($56.29). Fruit (44.3%, n = 199), mint (33%, n = 148) and cream/sugar/ice (29.4%, n = 132) were the three flavors most often listed for sale online. Moreover, 63.4% (n = 285) of e-cigarette ads emphasized the role of the products as an aid to quit smoking. Nice taste (75.1%), big vapor (65.7%), high capacity batteries (67.9%), fashionable models (61.3%), discounted price (49.7%), and suitability for gifting (45.9%) were the most frequently touted product features in online ads. Type of e-cigarettes, diversity of products, number of online comments, and location of manufacturers were significantly associated with sales volume. Conclusions: Online marketing of e-cigarettes was common on one of China's leading e-commerce websites. Sellers employed advertising strategies targeting a wide range of potential consumers-from youth to the elderly. Stricter regulations of online marketing for e-cigarettes should be enforced in China.

Availability of substances for use in personal vaporisers on three online cryptomarkets.

BACKGROUND: Personal vaporisers are gaining popularity as an alternative route of administration for a range of substances. Online cryptomarkets are becoming increasingly popular among people who use substances due to their perceived anonymity, ease of use, and reduced risk of violence compared to traditional face-to-face dealers. We examined the diversity of substances marketed for use in a personal vaporiser on these marketplaces. METHODS: Vaping related listings were extracted from three online cryptomarkets ('Agartha', 'Cryptonia', and 'Tochka') using The Onion Router browser. Data collection occurred between October and November 2019. RESULTS: We identified 1929 listings from 201 unique sellers. The top product on Agartha, Cryptonia, and Tochka were vape cartridges prefilled with the e-liquid (70.4 %, 39.4 %, 52.3 % respectively). The most common substance in these products was cannabis oil (96.1 %, 82.1 %, 87.8 %), followed by synthetic cannabinoids (3.7 %, 9.7 %, 9.8 %) and psychedelic substances (0.2 %, 6.4 %, 1.2 %). Vendors were primarily from the USA. Many products offered worldwide shipping (96.3 %, 42.4 %, 51.2 %). CONCLUSION: Vaping products listed on online cryptomarkets in 2019 primarily contained cannabis oils. Future studies should continue to examine cryptomarkets to identify emerging trends of substances that can be used in personal vaporisers.