Tim Hong - Clearing the Air

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Shopify bans all vape sales worldwide after US crackdown

Shopify has ordered merchants worldwide to remove all vape products from their online stores, extending a US crackdown on illegal vapes into a blanket global ban. The Canadian e-commerce company told sellers to remove the products by July 8 or risk having…

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French vape retailer trials selfie age checks as industry fights online sales ban

One of France’s largest online vape retailers has introduced compulsory selfie-based age checks for new customers, as the industry seeks to show internet sales can be kept out of minors’ hands without a blanket ban. Le Petit Vapoteur has required every new…

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Revealed: who is smoking, vaping or using snus in the Love Island 2026 villa

Most of the Love Island 2026 villa has been smoking or vaping off camera, according to dumped contestant Namibia, who has named the Islanders using nicotine behind the scenes. The ITV2 series no longer shows smoking or vaping on screen, but Namibia…

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

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

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Ireland moves closer to banning fruit and sweet vape flavours

Ireland has moved closer to banning most flavoured vapes after new nicotine laws cleared the Dáil. The Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2026 passed its final stage in the Dáil on Wednesday and will now go to…

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Scotland to strip vape shops of business rates relief from 2027

Vape shops in Scotland are set to lose business rates relief from 1 April 2027, under a Scottish Government move that puts specialist vape retailers at the centre of a wider row over high streets, public health and smoking harm reduction. Deputy…

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Sweden health minister attacks France pouch ban as ‘idiotic’

Sweden’s health minister has attacked France’s ban on nicotine pouches as “idiotic”, escalating a row over Europe’s treatment of smoke-free nicotine products. Elisabeth Lann, Sweden’s minister of health, criticised the French ban during an interview on the Swedish health and lifestyle podcast…

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Italian beach resorts extend smoking bans to vapes as tourists face €50 fines

Tourists visiting parts of Italy’s Veneto coast this summer face fines for smoking on the beach, as resorts expand smoke-free rules across some of the country’s busiest seaside destinations. Beach bans spread across Veneto The restrictions are spreading across beaches including Jesolo,…

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New UK vape tax expected to raise £565m as border rules tighten

The UK’s new vape tax is expected to raise £565 million a year by 2030/31, as ministers prepare to bring vaping liquids into the excise duty system for the first time. From 1 October 2026, Vaping Products Duty will apply to all…

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