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Brent Stafford
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Incisive coverage of the issues important to vaping. Plus critical debate over the issues and impacts of regulation in both Canada and the U.S.

  1. 2d ago

    RISK REVERSAL | Why Americans Now Fear Vaping More Than Smoking | RegWatch

    While FDA and its Center for Tobacco Products are beginning to acknowledge Americans badly misunderstand the relative risks of nicotine vaping products compared with cigarettes, recent research out of UT Southwestern Medical Center identifies FDA’s own Real Cost campaign “An Epidemic Is Spreading” as a significant contributor to that collapse in public understanding. The U.S. study found that 30% of adults surveyed now believe nicotine vapes are more harmful than cigarettes, a more than tenfold increase, while the proportion who correctly recognized vaping as less harmful than smoking collapsed from half of U.S. adults to just 17%. In this episode of RegWatch, study author Dr. Alexander Wu and lung cancer specialist Dr. David Gerber examine the dramatic reversal in public perception and the consequences for adult smokers. Researchers found statistically significant shifts associated with FDA’s Real Cost campaign and the 2019 EVALI outbreak. Following these major events, more Americans became afraid of vaping and less afraid of smoking. The same disturbing trend appeared across age, sex, race, ethnicity, and smoking status. And while FDA’s campaign was aimed at youth, the study documented the deterioration in public understanding among American adults. Gerber says it may now be time for health professionals and public health communities to intervene and correct these dangerous misperceptions. Did FDA help create the public health crisis it now says must be fixed? Find out. Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com. https://youtu.be/SXBBEWW2X8k Released: October 17, 2026 Produced by: Brent Stafford CELEBRATE WITH US | RegWatch 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/regwatch-10th-anniversary-fundraiser #RegWatch #VapeNews

  2. Oct 7

    RULE RESET | FDA Signals Major Overhaul of PMTA Process | RegWatch

    The U.S. vaping industry is on the cusp of monumental change. Following detailed reports by the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, FDA has formally announced its intention to evaluate a possible overhaul of the PMTA framework, including new rulemaking to replace the existing system. In this episode of RegWatch, tobacco control policy expert Cliff Douglas examines the developments driving the shift: mounting legal pressure, new CTP Director Bret Koplow’s embrace of harm reduction, and FDA commissioner nominee Dr. Heidi Overton’s defense of flavored vape authorizations. With youth vaping sharply down and an enormous illicit market operating outside FDA oversight, the case for change is hard to ignore. But Douglas warns that faster approvals alone won’t help smokers who still misunderstand the risks of safer nicotine. Is FDA about to rewrite the rules governing nicotine vapes? Find out. Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com. Released: October 7, 2026 Produced by: Brent Stafford https://youtu.be/-49rzlMoz54 This episode is supported by DEMAND VAPE. CELEBRATE WITH US | RegWatch 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/regwatch-10th-anniversary-fundraiser #RegWatch #VapeNews

  3. Sep 26

    DECISIVE MOVE | Haypp Goes All-In on U.S. Nicotine Pouch Market | RegWatch

    America’s nicotine pouch market is booming. With millions of adults already using lower-risk nicotine products and tens of millions more still smoking, Haypp Group is going all-in on the United States. In Part 3 of our RegWatch special series on nicotine pouches in America, Gabriel De Prado, President of Haypp’s U.S. Market, explains why the world’s leading online retailer of nicotine pouches is dramatically expanding its American operations and why the company believes online sales can become the trusted channel for adult consumers. De Prado breaks down explosive market growth, Haypp’s rapidly expanding U.S. team, the shift from brick-and-mortar to online sales, and the importance of product choice, independent testing, and age verification. He also tackles FDA regulation, state restrictions, illicit products, and the anti-nicotine opposition confronting a category he believes is only beginning to realize its potential. Is America’s nicotine market undergoing a fundamental transformation? Find out. Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com. https://youtu.be/MpAX7J1TFgE Released: September 26, 2026 Produced by: Brent Stafford CELEBRATE WITH US | RegWatch 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/regwatch-10th-anniversary-fundraiser #RegWatch #VapeNews

  4. Sep 19

    SCIENCE INSIDE | NicoLeaks Supercharges Nicotine Pouch Testing | RegWatch

    Nicotine pouches are among the fastest-growing nicotine products in the U.S. and UK, yet most people know little about what they contain, how they are tested, or how their risks compare with smoking. That knowledge gap leaves the door wide open to the same misinformation and moral panic that’s plagued nicotine vaping for more than a decade. In this episode of RegWatch, Dr. Lindsay Reese and Dr. Marina Murphy of Haypp Group introduce the expanded NicoLeaks website, a free public resource containing independent laboratory results for more than 1,000 nicotine pouch products. We examine what testing reveals about nicotine content, pH, moisture, and heavy metals, why consistent testing matters, and how easier access to the results could benefit consumers, researchers, and regulators. They also discuss FDA’s modified-risk authorization for Zyn and warn progress against smoking could stall if the public believes low-risk products are more harmful than smoking. Will better evidence lead to better nicotine policy? Find out. Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com. https://youtu.be/_rGREDue424 Released: September 19, 2026 Produced by: Brent Stafford CELEBRATE WITH US | RegWatch 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/regwatch-10th-anniversary-fundraiser #RegWatch #VapeNews

  5. Sep 10

    YES, IT IS A WAR | Health Economist Rebukes FDA’s Campaign Against Vaping | RegWatch

    For nearly a decade, the U.S. vaping community has called the FDA’s campaign against nicotine vapes a war on vaping. Beginning with the deeming rule, the agency’s aggressive action against Juul, the so-called teen-vaping epidemic, the “Real Cost” campaign, the denial of millions of PMTA applications, and FDA’s steadfast refusal to counter misinformation and set the record straight on the relative risks and benefits of vaping versus smoking—it certainly feels like a war. But is it? In this episode of RegWatch, Dr. Raymond March, Director of FDAReview.org and Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, says: “Oh, absolutely. It might be the biggest war the FDA has waged.” March argues FDA regulation has protected Big Tobacco, enabled selective enforcement, and distorted public understanding of relative risk. Rather than protecting public health, he says the agency’s approach has been self-serving, politically malleable, and extraordinarily destructive. Could the FDA be winning its war on vaping, or is the war finally nearing its end? Find out. Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com. Released: September 9, 2026 Produced by: Brent Stafford https://youtu.be/sv4To6UxRcE This episode is supported by DEMAND VAPE. CELEBRATE WITH US | RegWatch 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/regwatch-10th-anniversary-fundraiser #RegWatch #VapeNews

  6. Aug 22

    MAJOR WIN | Court Ruling Could Dismantle FDA’s De Facto Flavor Ban | RegWatch

    After years of bruising court battles, the U.S. vaping industry has finally scored a major win against the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. The Fifth Circuit ruled this week that FDA violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it imposed its comparative-efficacy standard without notice-and-comment rulemaking. FDA used that standard to issue more than one million marketing denial orders, producing what the court calls a “de facto ban” on nicotine-vape flavors other than tobacco. In this breaking-news episode of RegWatch, Keller and Heckman attorney Eric P. Gotting, who represented NicQuid and argued the case, explains why the court vacated the MDOs and sent the applications back to FDA. If the ruling sticks, could it dismantle FDA’s mass-denial system for flavored vapes and finally provide relief to the entire industry? Find out. Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com. https://youtu.be/owItgmtkrDs Released: Aug 22, 2026 Produced by: Brent Stafford This episode is supported by DEMAND VAPE. CELEBRATE WITH US | RegWatch 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/regwatch-10th-anniversary-fundraiser #RegWatch #VapeNews

  7. Aug 12

    PLAYING OFFENSE | U.S. Vape Industry Rejects All-or-Nothing Regulation | RegWatch

    For years, the U.S. vaping industry played defense against fear-driven headlines, political pressure campaigns, flavor bans, and state registry bills designed to eliminate nearly every nicotine vaping product from the legal market. But now, some industry leaders say it’s time to play offense. In this wide-ranging RegWatch interview, Geoff Habicht, President and Co-Founder of Mi-One Brands, explains how the vaping industry helped craft a new regulatory framework in Arizona that strengthens youth-access enforcement, recognizes responsible businesses, and targets genuine bad actors. He challenges the misleading use of the term “illicit,” considering many of the best-known vaping products sold by independent retailers have entered the FDA’s premarket review process and may remain on the market under the agency’s new enforcement guidance. He also breaks down Shopify’s disastrous decision to pull the plug on U.S. vape retailers. Can the vaping industry move beyond playing defense and change the way America sees vaping? Find out. Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com. Released: Aug 11, 2026 Produced by: Brent Stafford https://youtu.be/azUtEf3ogjw This episode is supported by DEMAND VAPE. CELEBRATE WITH US | RegWatch 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/regwatch-10th-anniversary-fundraiser #RegWatch #VapeNews

  8. Aug 8

    LUMPED IN | Nicotine-Free Vapes, Guilt by Association? | RegWatch

    Nicotine-free vapes. At first glance, they sound like the answer to many of public health’s concerns over vaping. No tobacco. No nicotine. One would think that after all the harping, shaming, and demonization of nicotine, tobacco control and public health would embrace nicotine-free vapes. But after nearly eight years in business, the experience of one American company suggests otherwise. In this episode of RegWatch, Cyclone Pods founder Conrad Kurth reveals what it’s like to operate a vape company with no tobacco and no nicotine—yet still be lumped in with nicotine vape flavor bans, advertising restrictions, shipping barriers, and relentless demonization. Is this guilt by association? Find out. Only on RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com.Released: August 7, 2026 Produced by: Brent Stafford https://youtu.be/YJ_7GNH33BA CELEBRATE WITH US | RegWatch 10th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/regwatch-10th-anniversary-fundraiser #RegWatch #VapeNews

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Incisive coverage of the issues important to vaping. Plus critical debate over the issues and impacts of regulation in both Canada and the U.S.

Information

  • Creator
    Brent Stafford
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    463
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 Shaky Egg Communications Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com