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Category: Around the Industry

  • Bangladesh’s Bidi Prices Remain Unchanged for FY27

    Bangladesh’s Bidi Prices Remain Unchanged for FY27

    Bangladesh’s Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury announced today (June 9), during a parliamentary question-and-answer session in the Jatiya Sangsad, that bidi prices and tax rates will remain unchanged in the FY27 national budget. The decision means there will be no increase in the retail price of bidis or adjustments to the existing tax structure, including the 15% VAT and 1% health development surcharge applied to the product.

    The announcement came in response to a parliamentary question on whether the government would raise taxes or retail prices on bidis through higher supplementary duties or revised pricing structures. The minister confirmed that the current framework will be maintained, keeping bidi taxation and pricing consistent with the previous fiscal year.

  • Health Groups Urge China to Raise Tobacco Taxes

    Health Groups Urge China to Raise Tobacco Taxes

    A recent article in Caixin Global reports that China is facing sustained pressure on public health systems as its population ages and chronic disease rates rise, with smoking reduction remaining a key policy challenge. At a media briefing on tobacco taxation and health co-hosted by the Beijing Tobacco Control Association, the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, and the University of International Business and Economics, experts highlighted tobacco tax increases as one of the most effective tools available to reduce smoking prevalence.

    Speakers at the briefing argued that higher tobacco taxes can both discourage consumption and support broader public health goals tied to China’s long-term disease burden. The discussion comes amid ongoing concerns that smoking rates remain relatively high despite existing control measures, reinforcing calls from health experts for stronger fiscal policies as part of a wider tobacco control strategy that also addresses demographic and healthcare system pressures.

  • 19 AGs Urge F1 to Ban Nicotine Sponsorships

    19 AGs Urge F1 to Ban Nicotine Sponsorships

    A coalition of attorneys general from 19 states and jurisdictions has urged Formula 1 and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) to end all sponsorships involving tobacco and nicotine products, including nicotine pouches. In a letter sent June 8, the coalition argued that nicotine-related sponsorships connected to Formula 1 teams and events could expose younger audiences to marketing for addictive products and undermine longstanding public health efforts aimed at reducing youth nicotine use.

    The letter cites Formula 1’s growing youth audience and increasing reach through social media, streaming platforms, and partnerships with consumer brands as factors heightening concern over nicotine product promotion. The coalition also referenced the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and noted that more than 160 public health organizations made a similar appeal earlier this year, calling on Formula 1 to eliminate tobacco- and nicotine-related sponsorships from the sport.

  • Ohio Court to Weigh Cities’ Tobacco Ban Rules

    Ohio Court to Weigh Cities’ Tobacco Ban Rules

    The Ohio Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments tomorrow (June 9) in a closely watched case that could determine whether municipalities have the authority to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products. The dispute centers on flavored tobacco bans enacted by several Ohio cities, including Columbus, Bexley, Grandview Heights, and Worthington, and on whether those ordinances are preempted by state law.

    While the case focuses on flavored tobacco products, the Columbus Dispatch says its implications could extend well beyond the nicotine category. The court’s decision is expected to clarify the scope of municipal “home rule” powers in Ohio and could influence how local governments regulate a range of industries and products. For tobacco and nicotine companies, the ruling may determine whether cities can continue to impose their own flavored product restrictions or whether such regulation will remain primarily under state control.

  • Philippine Health Groups Call for Science in Nicotine Control

    Philippine Health Groups Call for Science in Nicotine Control

    Health advocates, academics, and industry representatives urged Philippine lawmakers to base proposed amendments to Republic Act 11900 on scientific evidence, while stepping up enforcement against illegal vape products during a recent Senate hearing. Stakeholders argued that regulations should balance youth protection with access to smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers.

    Dr. Lorenzo Mata of Quit for Good said strict safeguards, including age restrictions and product standards, remain essential, while Professor Michael Eric Castillo of CAPS and Partners cautioned that overly restrictive rules could drive consumers toward the illicit market. The growth of unauthorized vape sales emerged as a key issue, with participants calling for stronger enforcement as the Senate reviews potential changes to the country’s vape law.

  • Dutch Report Raises Concerns Over Big Tobacco Getting into Cannabis  

    Dutch Report Raises Concerns Over Big Tobacco Getting into Cannabis  

    A new investigative report by Investico, De Groene Amsterdammer, and NU.nl is intensifying scrutiny of tobacco-linked investment in the Netherlands’ regulated cannabis experiment, highlighting concerns over industry influence in emerging legal cannabis markets. The report cites ownership ties linking Altria Group to CanAdelaar, the largest licensed cannabis grower in the Dutch pilot program, through its stake in Cronos Group, which agreed in December 2025 to acquire CanAdelaar for €57.5 million.

    The investigation draws on interviews with addiction and tobacco policy experts who warn that major tobacco companies are increasingly treating cannabis as part of a broader diversification strategy, alongside nicotine and vapor products. Researchers cited in the report raise concerns about industry-funded studies and communications shaping cannabis narratives, including work linked to subsidiaries associated with Philip Morris International. The article frames the issue as part of a wider debate over how established tobacco firms may influence regulatory frameworks and scientific discourse as governments test legalized cannabis supply models.

  • Pentagon’s Nicotine Policy Called into Question

    Pentagon’s Nicotine Policy Called into Question

    A Stars and Stripes editorial published last week argues that the U.S. Department of Defense is facing a “nicotine policy disconnect” in its ranks, highlighting what it describes as inconsistent messaging across leadership and clinical guidance. The piece’s author, Timothy Vermillion, a clinical social worker, said that roughly 30% of active-duty service members use nicotine, framing it as an entrenched feature of military life rather than a behavior likely to be eliminated through abstinence-based policy alone. The article criticizes January DOD clinical guidelines that emphasize quitting and raise concerns about vaping while largely omitting nicotine pouches, arguing this leaves a gap between policy and on-the-ground behavior.

    The commentary also points to senior military leadership acknowledging nicotine use in operational environments and contrasts that with what it calls outdated or unrealistic cessation-focused guidance. It argues that combustible tobacco remains the primary health risk and that harm reduction approaches—particularly switching to non-combustible products such as nicotine pouches—are underrepresented in official guidance. The article concludes that the DOD must better align clinical policy with operational reality to maintain credibility, support readiness, and address long-term health outcomes for service members.

  • Harm Reduction Advocates Slam WHO’s First Nicotine Pouch Report

    Harm Reduction Advocates Slam WHO’s First Nicotine Pouch Report

    The World Health Organization’s first-ever report dedicated to nicotine pouches, a 152-page document titled “Exposing marketing tactics and strategies driving the global growth of nicotine pouches,” which was released May 15 ahead of World No Tobacco Day, has drawn sharp criticism from scientists and tobacco harm reduction advocates, according to Filter. The report warns of the products’ rapid global expansion and aggressive marketing toward young people, with the WHO’s Dr. Vinayak Prasad noting that regulation is struggling to keep pace. Critics’ central objection is that the report omits the role pouches can play in harm reduction.

    The article emphasizes that nicotine pouches contain no tobacco, are used between gum and lip without combustion, and sit at the lowest end of the risk continuum, described by some research as roughly 100 times safer than smoking. With about 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide and over 7 million associated deaths annually, advocates argue a large population could benefit from switching. Nancy Loucas of CAPHRA contended the report pushes a “prohibitionist narrative” and appears to override the WHO’s own Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, whose Article 1(d) explicitly includes harm reduction within tobacco control. British expert Clive Bates argued the report focuses on nicotine delivery rather than disease risk and called it “fundamentally misleading,” accusing it of spotlighting outlier products like candy branding and super-strength variants to provoke outrage.

    The piece points to Sweden, where easy access to snus and pouches has helped achieve the world’s lowest smoking rate at 3.7 percent, and to South Asia as regions where pouches hold harm-reduction potential. It also cites Canada’s 2024 pouch restrictions, which limited flavors, confined sales to pharmacies, and curbed advertising, as a cautionary case, with pharmacist Todderick Prochnau noting that the clampdown fueled an illicit market with higher-nicotine, non-age-gated products while potentially keeping some adults on cigarettes. Critics objected in particular to the WHO’s recommendations for flavor bans, high taxes, and nicotine-content caps, arguing higher-strength pouches can be key to keeping heavy smokers off cigarettes.

  • Minnesota Communities Push Flavored-Vape Bans as FDA Eases Restrictions

    As the Trump administration signals a softer stance on flavored vapes , anti-tobacco advocates in Minnesota are intensifying efforts to restrict flavored nicotine products at the local level. A coalition called “Love Your Lungs Olmsted” has formed in Olmsted County to push for a ban or restrictions on flavored vape sales. The campaign reflects a decade-long trend: 28 cities and 8 counties across Minnesota have now enacted some form of flavored nicotine restriction, with the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth being the most recent, approving a ban in April 2026.

    The federal backdrop is driving renewed urgency at the local level. On May 5, the FDA released guidance allowing California-based manufacturer Glas to market fruit-flavored e-cigarettes — including blueberry and mango variants — bringing the total number of FDA-authorized vapes to 45. Reporting from the Wall Street Journal and others indicated the FDA was under significant pressure from President Trump to approve the flavors, and the decision is cited as a factor in the departure of former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary.

    Teen nicotine use, while declining, remains a concern animating the local push. According to the FDA’s National Youth Tobacco Survey, fewer than 10 percent of high school students reported nicotine use in the past 30 days in 2025 — down from a record high of 31 percent in 2019. Public health advocates and school officials argue that flavored products are the primary gateway, with the vast majority of underage users consuming flavored vapes. A chemical health specialist at Rochester Public Schools reported approximately 70 student referrals related to nicotine and THC abuse in the past school year, noting that vaping often precedes broader substance use.

    Not all stakeholders support broad flavor bans as the most effective remedy. Brad Erpelding, president of Northland Vapor, which operates multiple locations in Fargo, North Dakota, argues that restricting sales to age-verified specialty shops — rather than gas stations and convenience stores — would be more targeted and effective. He points to the practical limitation of local bans: when Moorhead, Minnesota enacted its ordinance in 2021, he simply closed that location and opened a new store across the state line in Fargo, which was profitable within the week. The newly FDA-approved Glas vapes include technology pairing the device to the purchaser’s phone to verify the buyer is 21 or older, though anti-tobacco advocates expressed skepticism about the industry’s commitment to enforcement.

  • Vapers’ Alliance Faults South Africa’s Nicotine Policy on World Vape Day

    In a press release timed to World Vape Day 2026, the World Vapers’ Alliance argued that South African lawmakers are moving in the wrong direction on nicotine policy by aligning with calls for tighter restrictions on vapes and nicotine pouches. The release noted that the WHO marks World No Tobacco Day on May 31 with such calls and contrasted that stance with this year’s World Vape Day theme, “One Switch—Everyone Wins.”

    The Alliance built much of its case around secondhand effects, contending that when a smoker switches to alternatives, the benefits extend beyond the individual. It cited risks to children from secondhand smoke, including asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis, along with maternal smoking outcomes such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and stillbirth and noted that children of smokers are more likely to become smokers themselves. Liza Katsiashvili, the group’s director of operations, argued that restricting or banning less harmful alternatives leaves families exposed to smoke rather than protecting them.

    The release challenged South African Health Minister Motsoaledi’s characterization of harm reduction as a flawed premise, pointing to Sweden’s near smoke-free status, the UK’s halved smoking rate, and New Zealand’s reduction of smoking among under-25s to around 3 percent as examples of countries that actively promoted alternatives. Katsiashvili also raised South Africa’s illicit trade problem, arguing that pushing consumers away from regulated alternatives hands the market to cigarettes and unregulated black-market products.