High nicotine liquid prices, tank size limitations and the longevity of disposable models have driven the market for synthetic nicotine analogues such as 6-methyl nicotine, also known as 'NoNik' and 'Metanine'.
This is the opinion of Linus Gustafsson and Niklas Linder, e-juice producers and vejp entrepreneurs operating in Sweden.
More and more countries are tightening laws on how nicotine liquid can be sold. Although European regulations already restrict tank sizes and marketing, for example, more and more countries are choosing to also prohibit flavours in the e-liquid (except artificial tobacco and menthol), disposable models (soon to be illegal in some countries like France and Belgium) and high taxes on e-juice sending prices soaring to cigarette heights. Overall, this has opened the door to alternatives to nicotine, nicotine analogues, a nicotine-like substance that is not yet regulated.
"Nicotine can be produced in a lab for a long time, as can nicotine analogues. It's 'just' a matter of changing the structure and adding a new molecule to the nicotine, and you've basically created a completely new substance with the same properties. So far, there has not been a market for them. It is only now that various countries are imposing bans and high taxes on vejp products that it has taken off," says Niklas Linder, e-juice manufacturer who runs the company Swedish Mixology and also acts as a consultant on issues related to chemistry, e-liquid and legislation among Swedish vejp entrepreneurs.
Concerned about development
Linus Gustafsson, who runs the Tibro-based company Koyuki Vapor, is one of the few manufacturers authorised to produce nicotine e-liquid in Sweden. He says the trend is worrying. Not least because 6-methynicotine is virtually unexplored in terms of both effectiveness and possible side effects.
"But it's not just that we don't actually know much about the long-term effects of using 6-methyl nicotine. As with the introduction of single-use models, there is an increasing risk that we will end up with unnecessarily harsh legislation on anything to do with vejpning. However, given that the tax was recently raised to over £4000 per litre for highly concentrated nicotine and a measly nicotine shot costs close to £100, it's not surprising that retailers are trying something new." says Linus Gustafsson.
Vejpare wants to find the cheapest
He does not sell nicotine analogues himself, but is seeing more and more shops in Sweden starting to do so. According to Linus Gustafsson 6-methyl nicotine has gone completely under the radar in Sweden, probably because policy makers have not engaged with the issue and do not really know how e-liquid and vejpning work in the real world
"E-cigarettes cannot be regulated like cigarettes. The products differ both in terms of health risks and how they are used. E-cigs are both a technical and a chemical product that can be infinitely varied. Vaping helps many smokers get away from the smoke and the cigarette and becomes a tool to stay smoke-free without necessarily quitting nicotine. But as with everything else, our customers are obviously looking for the cheapest way to do it. Nicotine has become expensive and so there is more competition between companies selling the products and the one with the lowest price wins that tug of war. " he tells Vejpkollen
Could lead to unnecessarily harsh legislation
Therefore, while companies do their best to adapt their product range to various regulations and restrictions, it is inevitable that cheap alternatives such as nicotine analogues will make their way onto store shelves, says Linus Gustafsson.
"Yes, they are already in the shops in various forms. It is simply the case that many customers have reacted to the sharp rise in nicotine prices. Why would someone who has vejpat for a while and is used to paying £20 for a nicotine shot want to pay triple that when there are much cheaper alternatives - like methatine - or whatever comes in the future? We would have avoided this if there had been a proper impact assessment of the nicotine tax, and not just a tax rate that someone at the Ministry of Social Affairs basically made up during a coffee break" says Linus Gustafsson.
Expecting new regulation
Although the Swedish Parliament recently proclaimed that Sweden should have a harm minimisation principle in tobacco and nicotine legislation, taxes on nicotine-containing e-liquid increased sharply in the last 5 years. The cost of a nicotine juice is generally two-thirds tax to be competitive, leaving no direct margin opportunities for companies. 6-methyl nicotine, on the other hand, is currently completely tax-free. So, apart from the possibility of selling it in higher doses and in larger packaging (both disposable and bottled), it is primarily the price that differentiates 'methane' or 'NoNik' from regular nicotine.
"But we should not expect it to continue like this. The Public Health Agency of Sweden is currently looking into the possibility of classifying 6-methyl nicotine as regular nicotine," says Niklas Linder.
Investigation ongoing
The case is for currently classified, according to the provisions of ongoing investigations. However, according to information received by Vejpkollen, 6-methyl nicotine may already be included in the framework authorised by EU legislation in Sweden, with fairly simple rewording. In practice, such an interpretation would mean that 6-methyl nicotine would from the outset fall under the same regulatory framework as ordinary nicotine products. This in turn would mean that the current tax on nicotine liquid (SEK 2 to 4 per millilitre) would also be applied to methine liquid.
"The problem with that is that such a development is that the tax may well apply retroactively. It's happened before and could happen again with this type of tax. It could end badly for those who have not put money aside to cover the withholding tax. I therefore advise anyone selling 'Metatine', 'NoNik' or similar to save the money they earn, at least until we know what happens." says Niklas Linder to Vejpkollen.
