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  • PM India Calls to Disrupt Illicit Tobacco Ecosystem

    PM India Calls to Disrupt Illicit Tobacco Ecosystem

    A new industry update from the EU-ASEAN Business Council highlights the continued scale of illicit tobacco trade in India and across Southeast Asia, underscoring growing concerns over smuggling, counterfeit products, and unregulated nicotine markets. According to the Tobacco Institute of India (TII), illicit cigarettes account for nearly one-quarter of India’s domestic cigarette market, resulting in estimated annual revenue losses of around Rs. 23,000 crore ($2.4 billion). The report coincides with World Anti–Counterfeiting Day remarks from Philip Morris India, which reiterated calls for stronger enforcement and industry collaboration to combat illegal tobacco flows.

    Broader regional data from EU-ABC and Euromonitor International show the illicit tobacco market across ASEAN-6 generated an estimated $12.6 billion over 2024–2025, with illicit cigarette volumes rising 14% and illicit e-vape sales increasing 24% in the past year. Additional intelligence cited in the update points to a rapidly expanding global illicit nicotine ecosystem, including a multi-billion-dollar illegal e-cigarette market, alongside continued enforcement actions in India such as large-scale seizures of prohibited vaping devices and cigarette shipments. PM India said the findings reinforce the need for stronger track-and-trace systems, cross-border enforcement, and coordinated policy responses to curb the growing black market.

  • Pakistan Taps into Industry for Proposals to Stop Illicit Trade

    Pakistan Taps into Industry for Proposals to Stop Illicit Trade

    Pakistan’s commerce ministry reviewed proposals from the tobacco industry focused on taxation and illicit cigarette trade ahead of the country’s federal budget announcement scheduled for June 12. The discussions with Pakistan Tobacco Company representatives took place as the government seeks to expand its tax base, strengthen revenue collection, and reduce undocumented economic activity under its IMF-backed reform program.

    Industry stakeholders emphasized the impact of illicit cigarette sales on tax compliance and market competition, while government officials reiterated priorities around improving enforcement and formalizing the economy. The review comes as Pakistan prepares new fiscal measures aimed at balancing revenue generation with investment and growth objectives in the upcoming budget cycle.

  • Indonesia Health Pushing for Plain Packaging

    Indonesia Health Pushing for Plain Packaging

    Indonesia’s Health Ministry is drafting a new regulation that would require plain packaging for tobacco products and electronic cigarettes in an effort to reduce their appeal to young people and curb smoking rates, The Jakarta Post reported. The proposed rule would standardize pack colors and design while retaining brand names and mandatory pictorial health warnings, and is intended to prevent cigarette packaging from serving as a marketing tool.

    Health officials say the measure is designed to shift consumer attention toward warning labels and align Indonesia with countries such as Australia, Canada, and Singapore, which have implemented similar policies. The proposal has been welcomed by public health advocates as a tobacco control measure, while drawing criticism from business and consumer groups who argue it could affect branding and market competition.

  • Hong Kong Sees Historic Drops in Smoking, Vaping

    Hong Kong Sees Historic Drops in Smoking, Vaping

    Hong Kong’s vaping population dropped 32% to about 7,900 daily users in 2025, down from 11,600 in 2023, amid tighter tobacco controls and a broader decline in smoking rates, Acting Secretary for Health Cecilia Fan Yuen-man told lawmakers. According to the latest Thematic Household Survey by the Census and Statistics Department, overall smoking prevalence in Hong Kong has dropped to a historic low of 8.5%, with 538,100 daily cigarette smokers consuming an average of 10.9 sticks per day.

    Officials attributed the decline partly to the 2022 ban on import, manufacture, and sale of e-cigarettes and related products, followed by expanded enforcement, including more than 4,000 inspections and 51 fixed penalty notices issued after a public possession ban took effect in April. The Department of Health (Hong Kong) reported continued seizures of alternative smoking products, reinforcing the city’s tightening stance on tobacco and vaping as youth smoking rates remain at “extremely low” levels.

  • Thailand Busts Illicit Vape Factory Supplying Buyers Nationwide

    Thailand Busts Illicit Vape Factory Supplying Buyers Nationwide

    Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation, in coordination with multiple agencies including the Royal Thai Police and Customs Department, dismantled a large illegal e-cigarette manufacturing operation in Chonburi’s Nong Pla Lai subdistrict. Authorities said the raid uncovered a warehouse allegedly converted from a licensed cannabis cultivation site into a vape production facility supplying buyers nationwide, following expanded intelligence-sharing and investigation efforts.

    Officers seized about 65,000 finished e-cigarette devices and materials capable of producing roughly 30,000 more, along with machinery, packaging, and raw supplies. One suspect was arrested and admitted to acting as a driver transporting products to distribution networks, while investigators continue probing wider supply chains, financiers, and cross-border links.

  • French-Speaking Countries Gather to Discuss THR Strategies

    French-Speaking Countries Gather to Discuss THR Strategies

    The 3rd Francophone Forum on Nicotine was held yesterday (June 9) in Paris, bringing together doctors, researchers, economists, and public health experts from multiple French-speaking countries to discuss smoking addiction and harm reduction strategies. Organized as an annual public health and academic forum focused on tobacco control, the event centered on improving understanding of nicotine dependence and expanding evidence-based cessation approaches beyond abstinence-only models.

    Speakers emphasized craving-driven addiction, gaps between clinical guidelines and real-world quitting experiences, and the need for broader use of harm-reduction tools such as nicotine alternatives. The forum concluded with the signing of a manifesto calling for stronger science-based tobacco policy, improved smoker support systems, and stricter protections for minors while integrating harm reduction into national and regional public health strategies.

  • UK Could Shut Down Stores Selling Illicit Products for a Year

    The UK government announced plans today (June 10) to extend closure orders for businesses linked to criminal activity, including retailers selling illegal tobacco and vaping products, following a series of BBC investigations into organized crime on British high streets. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that under the proposed changes, authorities in England and Wales would be able to shut offending premises for up to 12 months, double the current maximum closure period of six months. The Home Office said the longer closures would give enforcement agencies more time to gather evidence, pursue prosecutions and prevent rogue operators from quickly reopening.

    The move has been welcomed by Trading Standards officials and industry observers who have argued that existing powers are insufficient to tackle persistent illegal tobacco and vape sales.

    “This is a welcome step from the government,” said Dr Marina Murphy, senior director of scientific affairs at Haypp. “Too often, we hear of corner shops or mini-marts caught by the authorities selling illicit products simply carrying on with their illegal activities immediately afterwards. The penalty for the illegal activity was simply not a deterrent. This has been a source of frustration for both enforcement authorities and responsible retailers. The potential to issue a 12-month closure order on a business is a much more significant penalty and will make those engaged in illegal behavior think twice.”

    The announcement follows reports linking some convenience stores, vape shops and barbers to illicit cigarette sales, drug trafficking, money laundering and illegal working. The government said the extended closure powers will form part of a broader crackdown on organized crime in retail settings, alongside a newly announced £30 million High Street Crime Unit. The legislation is expected to be introduced later this year and come into force in early 2027.

  • BoA Data Shows Shift from Cigarettes to Oral Nicotine Products

    BoA Data Shows Shift from Cigarettes to Oral Nicotine Products

    Bank of America’s latest four-week scanner data through May 30 showed continued volume declines across most U.S. tobacco categories, while oral nicotine products remained the industry’s strongest growth segment, according to Investing.com. It said industry cigarette sales fell 3.3%, with volumes down 7.4%, while vapor sales declined 17.2%. In contrast, oral tobacco sales increased 5.8%, driven by a 0.4% rise in volume and a 5.4% improvement in price mix.

    Among major manufacturers mentioned in the article, British American Tobacco delivered the strongest oral nicotine performance, with sales up 28.3% and share gains of 590 basis points, while vapor sales increased 8.8%. Altria gained 20 basis points of cigarette share despite a 6.9% volume decline, but continued to lose share in vapor and oral products. Philip Morris International reported modest 0.6% growth in oral tobacco sales ahead of the U.S. rollout of Zyn Ultra, while Imperial Brands posted 34.6% growth in smokeless and oral products. Japan Tobacco was the only major manufacturer to record cigarette volume growth, with cigarette sales rising 2.6% and share increasing by 70 basis points.

  • Calif. Town Criticized for Ending Hookah Exemption

    Calif. Town Criticized for Ending Hookah Exemption

    Redwood City, Calif., voted 4-2 to adopt San Mateo County’s tobacco retailer ordinance, eliminating the city’s longstanding exemption for hookah-serving businesses and effectively banning the sale and on-site use of flavored tobacco shisha. The move primarily affects three downtown establishments that built their business models around traditional hookah service. Under the ordinance, retailers must comply with county restrictions on flavored tobacco products and obtain county tobacco retail permits, while future provisions will further restrict tobacco marketing and sales practices.

    Business owners and industry supporters criticized the decision as a disproportionate response to concerns over youth access to flavored tobacco products. “I have never seen a kid walking on the street with a hookah and two charcoals on top,” said David Kassouf, owner of The Sandwich Spot, arguing that regulators were conflating adult-only hookah lounges with vape shops accused of selling youth-oriented products. Opponents described the ordinance as a blunt policy tool that targets established hospitality businesses and cultural gathering spaces in order to address enforcement issues involving a relatively small number of alleged bad actors, while supporters maintained the county framework was the most practical way to strengthen tobacco enforcement and reduce youth access.

  • Mass. ‘Nicotine-Free Generation’ Movement Losing Momentum: Report

    Mass. ‘Nicotine-Free Generation’ Movement Losing Momentum: Report

    A feature report in The Boston Globe highlights slowing momentum behind Massachusetts’ “Nicotine-Free Generation” (NFG) policies, which permanently prohibit the sale of tobacco and nicotine products to individuals born after a specified year. While 24 municipalities have now adopted the regulations since Brookline introduced the first-in-the-nation measure in 2021, The Globe said local health boards are increasingly postponing or rejecting new proposals amid mounting opposition from retailers, convenience store groups and tobacco industry advocates. So far in 2026, only three communities have adopted new NFG rules, while more than a dozen delayed or declined to pursue them.

    The article also pointed to growing legislative pressure on the movement, with two industry-backed bills pending in the Massachusetts legislature that would prohibit municipalities from enacting generational tobacco sales bans and remove local health boards’ authority to adopt them. Public health advocates argue the measures are designed to gradually phase out nicotine use among future generations, while opponents contend they overreach, threaten retailers and could encourage illicit sales. Supporters acknowledge adoption has slowed but maintain the policy remains in its early stages, drawing comparisons to Massachusetts’ eventual statewide Tobacco 21 law, which began as a local initiative before expanding across the state.