Welcome to the first ever edition of Opus Weekly News (OWN for short). In this feature we will attempt to keep you up to date with recent vaping news from around the world. Stay informed!
Seizures from Vaping?
A while back, the FDA released some seemingly worrying information regarding a possible link between vaping and seizures, which sent the media into a frenzy. However, looking at the information they shared, it has become clear that this "link" is tenuous at best. The data they based this on was 35 user submitted reports over a 9-year period; most of these reports had not been investigated.
On closer inspection it turns out that the FDA is investigating a total of 35 reports that span a nine-year period, from 2010 to 2019. That works out at less than four a year. For comparison, around 1% of the US population will suffer a seizure each year - around 3.3 million people.
This is yet another case of negative information being published before it has been properly researched, and the media spreading it as fact. Full details in the following articles:
- Fake seizures scare from FDA, but Hawaii flavour ban stalls for now | Vaping Post
- Bye, Felicia: Gottlieb Leaves FDA After Bizarre Seizure Warning | Vaping360
Travel & Vaping
Due to the wildly varying vaping laws around the world, be very careful when you travel internationally. This is especially true if your destination is Thailand, as a French woman recently discovered. While on holiday, she was arrested, fined, and deported for being in possession of a vaping device. The story is obviously somewhat more complicated than that; read the full article below:
In a recent survey, Thailand was rated as being the worst country in the world for vapers:
In Thailand, a ban on the import, export, sale and possession of vaping products has been in place since November 2014. Anyone caught breaking this law will have their items confiscated and fined or sent to prison for up to 10 years if convicted.
Conversely, the UK was rated as the best country for vapers; with over 3 million vapers and a drastic decline in smokers. Read more here:
For those travelling abroad, consult the following article for a comprehensive list of countries with extreme vaping laws:
