Title: VCU testing exposes hidden dangers in vapes and cannabis products found in schools

Recent testing by a Virginia Commonwealth University forensic toxicology lab is revealing what students are actually vaping — and it’s more complicated and riskier than labels suggest. The Laboratory for Forensic Toxicology Research at VCU collected and analyzed nearly 1,300 e-cigarettes and cannabis vapes taken from K–12 schools across Virginia during the 2024–25 school year, documenting ingredients, contaminants and evidence of unregulated manufacturing.

The project, led by Michelle Peace, Ph.D., and funded by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and the National Institute of Justice, aims to give consumers — especially youth — better information about what they’re using.

“This work is important because it’s a direct measure of what children have access to — and what their preferences are,” said Peace, a professor in VCU’s Department of Forensic Science. “Vaping is a significant public health and public safety threat to the well-being of our children … and [this information] serves as an educational tool for prevention and cessation.”

Key findings from the 2024–25 school year samples

– About 1,300 vaping products were collected from Virginia schools.
– 83% contained nicotine.
– 14% contained cannabinoids.
– Of the cannabinoid-containing vapes, 73% held a mixture of cannabinoids — both plant-based and synthetic — with overall cannabinoid concentrations ranging from 28% to 90%.
– Products labeled as 5% nicotine were found to contain between 1% and 4% nicotine.
– Ethanol (alcohol) was present in 4% of nicotine-containing vapes.
(Infographic by Abby Giuseppe, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Hidden microbiological and contamination risks

Beyond mislabeling and unexpected chemical mixtures, the researchers found microbiological contamination in some devices and in aerosols — including bacteria, yeast and coliform (an indicator of possible fecal contamination). Many of these microbiological levels exceeded exposure thresholds, meaning they were above levels at which adverse health effects are likely, raising concerns about potential side effects from vaping.

Vaping in schools: mostly unregulated products

Less than 0.1% of submitted products were authorized for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, indicating the vast majority came from unregulated sources.

“I firmly believe that if you aren’t measuring a phenomenon, you cannot manage it properly,” Peace said. “[This research] provides as close to real-time data as to what schools are experiencing so they can develop strategies.”

National survey context and local observations

A 2025 Monitoring the Future report found that 15.3% of secondary students in the U.S. used nicotine vaping products in the past year, and 11.5% used cannabinoid vaping products; those figures are based on surveys of 8th, 10th and 12th graders nationwide. Peace and her team note concerns about how well those national figures reflect conditions in schools, where personnel report rising vaping among students.

Of the 1,287 submissions to the VCU lab in 2024–25, the most common brands were:
– Geek Bar (508)
– Raz (123)
– Lost Mary (100)

Students most often reported how they got the devices as: from a friend or peer (110), by purchasing it themselves (60), or by stealing it (18).
(Infographic by Abby Giuseppe, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Frequently asked questions about vaping and teen health

Why is vaping in schools a major concern?
Nicotine and unregulated chemicals introduce addiction and potential harm during critical stages of brain development. Vaping also normalizes substance use among peers and creates challenges for maintaining a safe, focused learning environment. Many products lacked clear labeling of contents, leaving students, parents and school staff unable to make informed decisions.

What are the side effects of vaping?
Reported short-term effects include coughing, dizziness and shortness of breath; long-term vaping can damage lung function. VCU’s research also highlights risks from bacteria and other contaminants. Another VCU study found that people who vape were, on average, physiologically about 10 years older than their actual age — indicating potential accelerated aging associated with vaping.

Is nicotine vaping safer than cigarettes?
Some view nicotine vaping as less harmful than smoking, but VCU’s findings show that unregulated devices still pose significant risks due to hidden chemicals and addictive nicotine. Comprehensive understanding of vaping’s long-term harms will take years, as happened with tobacco.

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This article was adapted from an original report published on news.vcu.edu. All rights belong to the original publisher.

The Maldives has begun enforcing a generational smoking ban that bars anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 from buying, using or being sold tobacco, the health ministry said — making it, the ministry adds, the only country with such a prohibition.

The policy, launched earlier this year at the direction of President Mohamed Muizzu, took effect on 1 November. The health ministry said the aim is to “protect public health and promote a tobacco-free generation.”

Under the new rule, people born on or after 1 January 2007 are prohibited from purchasing, using, or being sold tobacco products anywhere in the Maldives. The ban covers all forms of tobacco, and retailers must check age before completing a sale. The rule also applies to visitors to the nation of 1,191 tiny coral islets scattered some 800 km (500 miles) across the equator and known for its luxury tourism.

Separately, the ministry said the Maldives keeps a comprehensive ban on the import, sale, distribution, possession and use of electronic cigarettes and vaping products — a ban that applies to everyone, regardless of age.

Penalties are stiff: selling tobacco to an underage person can draw a fine of 50,000 rufiyaa ($3,200), while using vape devices carries a fine of 5,000 rufiyaa ($320).

Elsewhere, a similar generational ban proposed in the UK is still moving through the legislative process. New Zealand — the first country to introduce such a law — repealed its measure in November 2023, less than a year after it was introduced.

Cigar lovers reach “aficionado” status at their own pace. For some, it’s a slow burn, a drawn-out process of maturing palates and sensibilities. But others have an immediate, natural magnetism to fine smokes, as if they were always meant to be a cigar smoker. Eric Kukucka, of Windsor, Ontario, is one of those destined connoisseurs. For the Canadian native, having his own cigar room was non-negotiable — a necessary requirement to serve his passion. It took building his new home to bring that ultimate smoking escape to life, and it doesn’t disappoint.

Kukucka, 37, has long been fascinated by cigars, but indulging hasn’t always been easy. Canada’s strict smoking laws and varying provincial regulations leave many places with only grandfathered lounges or nothing at all. For cigar lovers in the Great White North, a personal cigar room is more often a necessity than a luxury. Kukucka built his first in 2015, converting an outdoor woodworking shed at his parents’ house into what he calls a “very mediocre” cigar room — but one with hardwood floors, a ventilation system and leather couches.

“When I was building my house I said the one thing I want to have is a cigar room,” Kukucka says. His best friend Paul — whom he met over cigars a decade earlier and who works as a landscaper and contractor — designed and built the home, handling everything except the exterior framing. Paul, a cigar lover himself, recommended a four-season cigar room: fully insulated for frigid winters but able to transform into an open-air layout in summer. The house and its cigar room were finished three years ago, after about a year of construction.

The cigar room is a 300-square-foot indoor-outdoor space that can be fully sealed or opened to the elements via retractable sliding doors. It sits at the back of the house, opening onto a backyard with a swimming pool, a built-in grill area and a bar room/poolhouse that includes a dining table, bar and kitchen. Trees and a high fence surround the area, creating the feel of a private compound. On warm days, the spaces flow together easily; the design suits entertaining but remains intimate enough for quiet weekends alone or with a few friends.

Sleek describes both the cigar room and the house. There’s a slightly beachy, resort-like vibe with modern restraint — not the kitschy look you might find at some waterfront spots. Inside, the uncluttered layout is designed for comfortable smoking: lounge chairs, a large ottoman, standing ashtrays, a fireplace and a big TV. The room also has an HVAC ventilation system, heated floors and separate AC and heat, so it stays comfortable across changing climates. Kukucka says it can hold about ten people comfortably.

“I smoke a lot of cigars and I needed to have something that’s year-round,” he says. “If I’m home, I have a cigar lit and I’m in there.” The challenge is that “home” shifts — Kukucka works full-time in Chicago and stays there during the week, returning to Canada for weekends. He leans on a few favorite spots in the Windy City, like Iwan Ries, Biggs Mansion or a private club called The Penthouse. Still, late work hours often cut into cigar time. “I don’t smoke that much during the week, but I make up for it during the weekend,” he admits.

When he’s home, the cigar room takes center stage. “My fiancée and I watch movies there every night. I’m in there at all times over the weekend,” he says. The couple also hosts gatherings in the space, especially in winter when there are few places to escape with a cigar in frigid Canada. “My friends smoke cigars, everybody knows that when we go to Eric’s we’re sitting in there and the wives join too.”

Windsor, Ontario — Kukucka’s hometown and the location of his house — sits on the Detroit River, just across the border from the United States. That proximity helped fuel his cigar habit, filling a void created by Canada’s regulations. “We’ve been going to cigar bars in all of Detroit forever,” he says. “That was our only escape before we built the cigar room, crossing the border.”

When he was younger, Kukucka started dabbling in cigars to be different from the “cool” cigarette smokers. His father, who kept a small humidor and occasionally smoked, once tried to teach him a lesson by handing him a double corona. “He made me smoke the whole thing and nothing happened, and he was like, ‘well, that just backfired on me,’” Kukucka recalls with a laugh. The story fits: his affinity for cigars was there from the start.

“So, I have a problem,” he says with a chuckle, referring to his collection. Kukucka owns well over 1,000 cigars, and many are high-quality, hard-to-get boxes — some vintage, some several decades old. He keeps them near the cigar room in a large Remington cabinet humidor and four smaller fridge humidors.

His stash includes an unopened box of Cohiba Behike BHK 52s from 2010, Montecristo Sublimes Edición Limitada, every cigar in the Partagás Alphabet Series, a box of Vegas Robaina Don Alejandro from 2002 that were autographed by Alejandro Robaina, every vitola of OpusX The Lost City from 2020–21 (and nearly every OpusX that’s been on the market), Padrón 50th Anniversary and the Oliva 135th Anniversary Edición Limitada, among others.

Kukucka’s favorite brands are Vegas Robaina and Trinidad, but his everyday go-to is the Oliva Serie V Melanio: “Consistent every single time, amazing,” he says — and more affordable than his favorite boutique boxes. He keeps the Melanios in every vitola, natural and maduro. When he buys a box, he sets two sticks aside to age. His humidors are organized in tiers, from everyday smokes to “untouchable” cigars; the Cohiba Behikes are in that untouchable section. As for when he might break those out, “Probably my wedding, which is next year,” he says. “I say it’s probably the rarest, or most special, in my collection.”

Apart from a few rare, unopened items, most cigars in his collection are fair game. “What’s the flavor that I want today?” he says. Mood and context play a role, but he tries to have at least one “special cigar” a week. If picking drags on, he’ll grab a reliable Melanio. He sources most of his inventory from a local La Casa del Habano in Windsor and considers himself a “50/50 guy” on Cuban versus non-Cuban cigars. “I respect, value and appreciate the flavor, the construction, the consistency of both worlds,” he says.

When it comes to pairings, Kukucka keeps it simple: “Water,” he says. “I truly enjoy the flavor of the smoke, uninterrupted or unpaired.” For him, it really is all about the cigar.

As the World Health Organization’s COP11 tobacco-control conference nears, the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) is stepping up efforts to make consumers visible — projecting messages onto the conference venue and demanding a role in policy discussions. WVA Director Michael Landl blasted the event as “an echo chamber stuck in outdated, anti-science thinking.”

“Harm reduction isn’t a marketing ploy, it’s a public health necessity supported by hard data,” Landl said. “Consumers’ lives matter more than ideology or the views of wealthy WHO donors like Michael Bloomberg. It’s time consumers got a real seat at the table.”

The group warned that WHO proposals to ban flavored vaping products, cap nicotine levels, and raise taxes disregard scientific evidence that vaping and nicotine pouches can be less harmful alternatives for smokers. WVA spokesperson Liza Katsiashvili cautioned that bans and steep taxes would likely push consumers back to cigarettes or into black markets, urging delegates to “listen to the facts, not ideology.”

Through its “Voices Unheard – Consumers Matter” campaign, the WVA is calling on governments to adopt evidence-based regulations and to give consumers a formal voice in shaping global tobacco policy.

Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies yesterday (October 31) approved Bill No. 8333, tightening rules on both traditional tobacco and newer nicotine products. The law, which implements EU Directive 2022/2100, most notably brings nicotine pouches—previously unregulated—under the same tobacco-style framework. Health authorities praised the move; business groups warned of possible economic fallout.

Under the new law, nicotine pouches face advertising bans, sales restrictions to minors, labelling and notification duties, and a strict nicotine limit of 0.048 mg per pouch or per gram. Additives such as caffeine and CBD are banned. Use of these products will be limited in public spaces, with particular emphasis on locations frequented by young people. The measures are intended to reduce access and to counter the notion that nicotine pouches are harmless alternatives.

The bill also prohibits flavourings for heated tobacco products and requires health warnings on their packaging. It sets out new rules for the labelling, presentation and marketing of heated tobacco, electronic cigarettes and nicotine-free liquids. Vending machines must display health warnings and are no longer allowed to show promotional graphics. Cigarette packs may only be sold in multiples of five—a step aimed at reducing fragmented sales and making tobacco less accessible to younger consumers, according to Delano.

Public health organisations welcomed the legislation as a necessary step to protect youth and curb addiction. The Chamber of Commerce, however, criticised the measures as overly restrictive, arguing that the low nicotine threshold could act as a de facto ban and potentially drive consumers to black market sources or cross-border purchases.

The law will take effect on the first day of the month after it is published in the Journal Officiel. Requirements for vending machine displays will be delayed by three months.

“In Brussels, they talk of ‘regulatory simplification,’ yet in international forums, they negotiate new layers of global bureaucracy, from tobacco to digital health and climate governance,” wrote analyst Javier Villamor in an article for The European Conservative. “But beyond the sanitary or environmental narrative, the plan represents a new attempt by Brussels to concentrate fiscal and regulatory powers at the expense of the Member States.”

Analyst Javier Villamor warns that the European Union’s push at international forums is less about streamlining rules and more about shifting power away from national governments. In an article for The European Conservative, he argues that Brussels is using global meetings—from tobacco conferences to digital health and climate talks—to build fresh layers of international bureaucracy that will then be folded into EU law.

Villamor points specifically to the EU’s approach to the World Health Organization and the upcoming tobacco control conference (COP11). He contends the real aim is to transfer regulatory authority from member states to international agencies without democratic oversight, with Brussels prepared to automatically adopt WHO-aligned measures into EU legislation.

“What appears to be a technical step is, in reality, the transfer of Europe’s regulatory sovereignty to an international agency with no democratic legitimacy,” Villamor wrote. “Brussels not only intends to sign commitments on behalf of the Member States but also to incorporate them automatically into EU law through the forthcoming revision of the Tobacco Products Directive. In practice, this would mean that decisions taken in Geneva offices could become binding bans in Madrid, Rome, or Warsaw—without parliamentary debate or national impact assessment.”

As part of this trend, Villamor says, Brussels is considering a broad suite of restrictions, bans, and taxes on products containing tobacco or nicotine while framing the moves as public health and environmental policy. The plan would include fiscal changes under the Tobacco Excise Directive (TED) and Tobacco Excise Duty on Raw Tobacco (TEDOR), measures that could let the EU directly collect up to 15% of national excise revenues and allow duty increases of up to 900% on certain products.

Observers, Villamor notes, warn these changes would centralize authority, erode the principle of subsidiarity, and could damage the livelihoods of more than 80,000 European tobacco producers and small retailers—even as they may benefit third countries like Morocco and China.

“The so-called ‘anti-tobacco crusade’ becomes a vehicle for recentralizing authority and financing the EU’s bureaucratic machinery under the guise of public health,” Villamor wrote. He describes a feedback loop where Brussels funds international organizations, those organizations press for alignment with the WHO, and the Commission then presents those demands as a “civil society consensus”—a cycle he says leaves citizens paying to lose sovereignty.

Villamor also highlights an irony: countries with strong smoking-reduction results—like Sweden, which he credits with cutting smoking rates to around 5% through regulated alternatives such as snus and nicotine pouches—risk being penalized for following national policies that fall outside WHO orthodoxy.

His critique frames these developments as a broader struggle over who decides public health and fiscal policy in Europe: national parliaments or international bodies whose decisions can be folded into EU law without fresh domestic debate.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin says a recent crackdown on vape shops turned up more than 120 kilograms of marijuana and linked 172 sites to criminal activity, according to WRIC/ABC 8News. The governor released those figures as part of the announcement about the operation; officials reported the sizable drug seizure and the number of locations implicated.

On a Tuesday morning on East Colfax, about a dozen people gathered outside Myxed Up Creations, a shop that sells vapes, pipes and flavored tobacco. They waved signs urging Denver voters to reject Referendum 310 — a ballot question that would repeal a city ban on flavored tobacco products.

The crowd says a no vote will save jobs and keep millions in tax revenue in the city. They frame the fight as one of adult choice, even as many acknowledge flavors like strawberry, pink lemonade and menthol are especially appealing to young people.

“Adults have rights, too. Yep. And this is one of the rights they’re trying to take away. … Adults like cotton candy, adults like flavored vapes,” said Kyle Manibusan, an assistant manager at the store, who said vaping helped him quit menthol cigarettes.

Denver’s City Council approved the flavor sales ban in December and Mayor Mike Johnston signed it into law. Council President Amanda Sandoval has shared how tobacco and nicotine affected generations of her family and is pushing to keep the ban in place.

Opponents collected nearly 11,000 valid signatures to force the issue onto the ballot. If voters choose “no” on Referendum 310, the ban would be repealed; a “yes” vote would keep it in force.

Health debate and store experience

The health effects of vaping are contested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are no safe tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, and that they should not be used by youth, young adults or pregnant women. The CDC also notes more research is needed to understand short- and long-term effects and whether e-cigarettes help adults quit smoking. Other studies point to frequent dual use — people both vaping and smoking.

Inside Myxed Up Creations, manager Rae Drennan says vaping helped her stop smoking and that the shop strictly enforces age checks. “Even if you come in here and you want to buy a water, I still need to see your ID to show that you are at least 18 or older to enter the property,” she said, adding that tobacco and nicotine products require customers to be 21.

Economic worries

About 600 Denver businesses hold tobacco licenses, and roughly a quarter of those are vape shops. Store owners and suppliers say those businesses anchor neighborhood commerce and would be hard to replace.

The repeal campaign, called “Citizen Power!,” estimates keeping the flavor ban could cost Denver nearly $10 million in sales tax revenue, about $2 million from early childhood education funds tied to nicotine sales, and almost $3 million in property taxes and licensing fees if businesses fail. Supporters of the ban say those figures are overstated and argue long-term health costs would outweigh any short-term revenue gains.

Phil Guerin, who owns Myxed Up Creations and four other Colorado locations, led employees at the rally. He said the campaign is grassroots and hopes to persuade libertarian-leaning voters. “We hand out flyers, we educate our customers … without them choosing, we could lose our right. And every vote counts,” he said, while acknowledging he fears for his four employees’ futures if the ban survives.

The repeal effort has received donations from major tobacco companies — $75,000 each so far from Altria and Philip Morris International. The pro-ban campaign, branded “Denver Kids versus Big Tobacco,” has received more than $2.7 million from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, giving it a roughly 6-1 financial advantage entering the vote. Its ads have been running frequently on television.

A supplier’s view

In northwest Denver, wholesaler Rami Sawaged supplies vape products to more than 100 of the city’s roughly 150 shops, and he says many small, neighborhood stores told him they could go under if flavored products are banned. Sawaged, who immigrated from Jordan at 14 and says vaping helped his family quit smoking, has contributed more than $40,000 to the repeal campaign. He estimates he could lose more than a third of his business and hundreds of thousands in annual revenue if the ban stands.

“We just think Denver still needs this money. The businesses that are located in Denver, they’re mom-and-pop shops. They’re trying to make a living,” he said.

Voters have until 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, to return their ballots.

More than 4 million kilograms of tobacco remain unsold at Mzuzu Floors in Malawi, even after the Tobacco Commission (TC) extended the marketing season — a situation farmers warn could push them into financial ruin. The unsold leaf is valued at about K17.2 billion ($9.8 million) and is both a personal disaster for growers and a threat to a national economy that relies on tobacco for more than half of its foreign exchange earnings.

Many farmers say they took loans expecting to repay them from sales, but with buyers pulling back and prices falling, they are now trapped in debt. “We can’t pay workers or send our children to school,” said Chitipa farmer Hazwell Chikakuda, whose buyers canceled contracts mid-season. “Buyers backed out, and I’ve been selling the remaining leaf at throwaway prices. We feel abandoned.”

TC spokesperson Telephorous Chigwenembe confirmed that large volumes of leaf remain unsold both on and off the market, blaming an oversupply for the problem. Tama Farmers Trust CEO Nixon Lita said demand has slowed as stocks accumulate.

Malawi sold 218.9 million kg of tobacco this season, worth $539.4 million — up from $396 million last year — but the current glut now threatens foreign-exchange inflows and broader economic stability. Economists warn that without intervention or diversification, the country risks deepening its dependence on a volatile crop. “Unsold tobacco means unpaid loans, empty pockets, and a weaker economy.”

Three suburban district attorneys launched a joint appeal Thursday, urging state lawmakers to act after a 10-month grand jury probe found widespread sales of unregulated — and sometimes phony — marijuana products at smoke shops around Philadelphia.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele was joined by Bucks County DA Jennifer Schorn and Chester County DA Chris de Berrena-Sarobe to release the investigation’s findings, titled “Unregulated, Unsafe, and Illegal: The Reality of Smoke Shops in Pennsylvania.”

Investigators purchased about 144 products sold as THC items from smoke shops across the three counties and had them tested. “The results of it were astounding,” Steele said. He reported that 93.75% of the items contained “straight out marijuana” even though they were not labeled as such. At least one business owner has been arrested as a result of the probe.

The investigation also found many products in colorful packaging that could appeal to children, and noted that some smoke-shop THC products face no sales restrictions — raising concerns about youth access. Steele said tests showed not only mislabeled products that contained marijuana but also items that claimed to contain THC but had none at all.

The three district attorneys called on legislators in Harrisburg to tighten regulations on smoke shops so consumers know what they are buying and illegal drug sales can be curtailed. Steele warned smoke-shop operators that law enforcement will continue undercover purchases and lab testing: “We are going to keep buying and, if you sell it, we are going to test it. You’re on notice, plan on getting arrested.”

This is a breaking story and will be updated as new information becomes available.