Vape News In Brief – September 19, 2017 Edition

> >

Back to the grind – here's our weekly check in on what's going on in the wide world of vaping. Diving right in…

This story is misleadingly worded, but it's bad news nonetheless. Researchers in Stockholm, Sweden say that e-liquids containing nicotine have a temporary effect of hardening blood vessels when vaped. In the short run, this can mean a heightened risk of heart attack or stroke, and over a longer term these risks could be elevated even when one isn't actively engaged in vaping nicotine. While this story and others note that similar risks are not associated with zero-nicotine liquids, none of the versions we found disclosed the fact that the exact same risks are associated with cigarettes and other nicotine-containing products, no matter how they're used.

File under: we thought this went without saying. Don't smoke or vape if you're pregnant.

Apparently state legislators aren't learning from the disastrous wholesale vapor tax that's wreaked havoc upon the industry in Pennsylvania. Connecticut governor Daniel P. Malloy is trying to slip a 75 percent wholesale tax on all vapor products sold at retailers in the state. That's nearly double the 40 percent Pennsylvania tax that's caused stores across the state to close en masse. If enacted, the entire vapor industry in Connecticut, including roughly 100 brick-and-mortar stores, is likely to vanish.

'E-cigarettes are nothing new, but promoting yourself on Instagram sure is.' Actually, it's not. But on a slow news day, there's always room for another article about skilled vapor tricksters. And this guy delivers a fun little minute-and-a-half clip…

Laws that address vaping are constantly in flux around the world, as most of us know. To help you keep track of what's going on around the globe in case you've got international travel coming up, here

A handy chart with the latest news on where you can vape, where you might have some special rules to follow, and where your mod might land you behind bars.

The new generation of cigalike mini-vaporizers like the JUUL, which pack ridiculously high levels of nicotine as compared to the open-refill systems most of us are used to, seem to be taking on a life of their own. This piece from the Virginia Tech student paper argues that they're not even in the same class as traditional vapes, and stresses the importance of considering the implications of stuffing a whole pack of cigarettes' worth of nicotine into a tiny disposable juice pod.

There's long been a certain subset of vapers who vape in an attempt to suppress food cravings and encourage weight loss. Now, there's a device that targets them specifically. It's called 'Slissie' (yes, really), and while manufacturers insist it's not a vapor device, that's exactly what it is – though the e-liquids never contain nicotine and they recommend you don't inhale. According to the one review we've seen, the device is essentially crap.

Is scaremongering among vape opponents negatively impacting the quality of scientific research surrounding vapor products? This scientist thinks that may be the case, though she's also hard-pressed to find people who've never smoked but still vape habitually to participate in her study for the simple reason that non-smokers don't tend to pick up vaping full-time.

That's our trip through the news for this week – see you again soon!