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Category: Around the Industry

  • VA, DoD Update Cessation Recommendations

    VA, DoD Update Cessation Recommendations

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued updated clinical practice guidelines for treating tobacco and nicotine use among veterans and military service members. Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the guideline includes 32 recommendations covering cessation medications, counseling approaches, and treatment strategies for adults who use a range of tobacco and nicotine products. The guideline recommends varenicline or combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to increase abstinence, motivational interviewing to improve treatment engagement, and immediate retreatment following relapse.

    The guideline, which is based on literature published through 2024, also addresses electronic nicotine delivery systems, including e-cigarettes, but does not recommend them as a cessation treatment, stating that evidence is insufficient to establish their efficacy and that known and unknown harms outweigh potential benefits. Nicotine pouches and other newer nicotine products are included within the guideline’s broader scope of tobacco and nicotine use, but the recommendations do not endorse them as cessation treatments. The guideline also recommends offering treatment to adults who are not yet ready to quit and supports pharmacotherapy for patients with mental health conditions, citing evidence of safety and effectiveness.

  • Surveys Show Strong Support for Tobacco Controls in Türkiye

    Surveys Show Strong Support for Tobacco Controls in Türkiye

    Surveys by Turkish Green Crescent (Yeşilay) found broad support for proposed tobacco-control measures focused on protecting children and young people from tobacco and nicotine use. The digital survey included 1,461 participants, while 5,481 people participated in a face-to-face survey conducted across Türkiye’s seven regions. In the digital survey, 91.4% supported new regulations aimed at protecting young people from tobacco and nicotine addiction.

    Support for a proposed “Tobacco-Free Generation” policy, which would prohibit tobacco sales to people born in 2015 or later, reached 89.3% in the digital survey and 83.2% in the field survey. Meanwhile, 84.5% supported limiting the visibility of tobacco products at points of sale, 89.6% backed stronger restrictions on tobacco products on digital platforms, and 91.6% favored measures to reduce tobacco use and visibility in public spaces. Respondents also widely viewed newer nicotine products as harmful, with 96.3% describing e-cigarettes as harmful, compared with 92.9% for disposable vapes, and 91.5% for heated tobacco products. Yeşilay President Mehmet Dinç said the organization supports the Health Ministry’s proposed tobacco-control measures, emphasizing regulation rather than a ban and calling for legislation to advance through Parliament.

  • Half of Cig Packs Collected in Belgium Were Foreign or Counterfeit

    Half of Cig Packs Collected in Belgium Were Foreign or Counterfeit

    More than half of cigarette packs collected in Belgium in the second quarter of 2026 contained cigarettes that were either intended for foreign markets or counterfeit, according to figures from Cimabel. The share reached 50.6%, up from 44.4% at the end of 2025 and 33.1% a year earlier. Foreign-market cigarettes accounted for 46% of the total, while counterfeit cigarettes represented 4.6%. The survey covered 2,800 empty packs, representing 59,320 cigarettes, collected across 18 cities by WSPM Group.

    The share of foreign and counterfeit cigarettes increased in 14 of the 18 cities compared with the end of 2025 and exceeded 50% in eight cities. Leuven recorded the highest share at 61.7%, followed by Genk at 57.3% and Charleroi at 54.8%. Bulgaria was the largest identified country of origin, accounting for 30% of the cigarettes, compared with 15.7% a year earlier, followed by Luxembourg at 5.3% and Turkey at 2.1%. Cimabel estimated the market represents a theoretical €2.6 billion in Belgian tax revenue, while noting that the survey could not determine whether foreign cigarettes entered Belgium legally within travelers’ allowances or through illicit trade.

  • Nicotine-Like Products Expose Blind Spot in Korean Vape Rules

    Nicotine-Like Products Expose Blind Spot in Korean Vape Rules

    South Korea is facing a regulatory gap involving nicotine-free and nicotine-imitation e-cigarette liquids following an April revision to the Tobacco Business Act that brought natural and synthetic nicotine products under government oversight, according to a report in The Korea Times. The revised law does not cover liquids without nicotine or those containing nicotine substitutes such as 6-methylnicotine, leaving some products outside tobacco advertising, sales, and disclosure rules. A 2024 Korea Consumer Agency survey found actual nicotine in seven of 12 online products labeled nicotine-free, while five of 15 e-cigarette liquids examined lacked required warning labels.

    The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to complete a safety assessment of 6-methylnicotine this year and examine other nicotine-imitation substances, while the National Assembly Research Service has called for stronger coordination among government agencies and new rules covering advertising, vending machines, and product disclosures.

  • Hungary Emerging as Key Link in EU’s Illegal Cigarette Trade 

    Hungary Emerging as Key Link in EU’s Illegal Cigarette Trade 

    Hungary is emerging as an important production hub in Europe’s illegal cigarette trade, according to a recent investigation by French broadcaster TF1, which visited clandestine factories previously dismantled by Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV). The report found that criminal groups are operating sophisticated production facilities capable of manufacturing hundreds of thousands of cigarettes, using industrial equipment, specialized logistics, and extensive networks to move products into Western Europe. NAV has recently seized large quantities of tobacco, counterfeit cigarettes, and manufacturing equipment, including a 2025 operation that confiscated 156 tons of tobacco and more than 1 million packs of counterfeit cigarettes.  

    The investigation comes as Europe’s illicit cigarette market remains substantial. KPMG estimates that 41.8 billion illegal cigarettes were consumed in the EU in 2025, representing 10.3% of total consumption and an estimated €16.7 billion in lost tax revenue. France was the largest illicit market, with about 20.5 billion illegal cigarettes consumed, while TF1 identified Eastern Europe, particularly Hungary, as an important source of supply. KPMG data also indicate that counterfeit production is becoming more prominent, with Hungary among the countries recording large volumes seized in factory raids.  

    NAV has also reported a 2026 operation targeting a Hungarian illegal factory linked to a cross-border criminal organization, underscoring the continuing challenge of dismantling networks that combine manufacturing, storage, transport, and sales across multiple European markets. 

  • Investigative Article Focuses on Chen Zhi and Cuba’s Struggling Cigar Market  

    Investigative Article Focuses on Chen Zhi and Cuba’s Struggling Cigar Market  

    Today (Sept. 3), Financial Times published investigative journalist Jack Adamović Davies’ article “The mystery tycoon, his fall from grace, and the Cuban cigar market”, detailing how a combination of aggressive price hikes and illicit corporate financing transformed the global Cuban cigar industry.  

    Davies centers the investigation on Chen Zhi, a Cambodian-Chinese tycoon who secretly acquired a massive stake in Cuba’s cigar marketing giant, Habanos, after Imperial Tobacco sold its share in 2020. Chen used his influence and Habanos’s prestige to build credibility among global elites, while Habanos drastically increased prices to target wealthy Asian buyers and boost revenues. However, Chen’s empire unraveled when U.S. and UK authorities sanctioned him for running vast transnational fraud operations, leading to his extradition to China in early 2026 and the liquidation of his business assets, including his Habanos holdings. 

    Beyond Chen’s downfall, Davies highlights how Cuba’s tobacco monopoly is now facing severe long-term fallout. Decades of underinvestment in production, coupled with skyrocketing prices and recent geopolitical blockades, have alienated traditional cigar enthusiasts. As a result, retailers and consumers are increasingly turning to modernized “New World” competitors in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras, threatening Cuba’s historic dominance in the cigar trade. 

  • Australia’s Coalition Looking to Stop Illicit Tobacco, Gangs 

    Australia’s Coalition Looking to Stop Illicit Tobacco, Gangs 

    Australia’s opposition Coalition has unveiled a plan to tackle the country’s illicit tobacco and vape trade by cutting tobacco excise by 80% and committing A$200 million ($140 million) to a nationwide law-enforcement crackdown. The Coalition estimates organized crime groups make A$4.1 billion to A$6.9 billion ($2.9 billion to $4.8 billion) annually from illicit tobacco, with proceeds funding drug trafficking, scams, money laundering, and violence. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said the plan would attack criminal gangs by narrowing the price gap between legal and illegal cigarettes while strengthening efforts to shut illegal retailers, intercept shipments, and trace criminal finances. 

    The proposal would cut excise on a standard 20-pack from about A$30 to just over A$6 ($21 to $4.20) and legalize, regulate, and tax vapes and nicotine pouches for adults. The Coalition says illicit tobacco now accounts for about 80% of consumption and 95.7% of e-cigarettes sold are illegal, arguing current restrictions have pushed consumers toward criminal suppliers. It also proposes A$60 million ($42 million) for public education and says Parliamentary Budget Office modelling indicates the package could improve the budget balance by about A$8 billion ($5.6 billion) over four years and more than A$20 billion ($14 billion) over a decade. 

  • Altria Sues FDA Over Product Review System 

    Altria Sues FDA Over Product Review System 

    Altria announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. FDA in federal court, seeking to force the agency to overhaul its tobacco product review system, which the company says has become a major barrier to growth in the U.S. market. Altria argues that lengthy review delays, including applications remaining pending for years, disadvantage compliant manufacturers while unauthorized products continue to gain market share. 

    The lawsuit is the latest industry challenge to the FDA’s premarket review regime, which requires new tobacco products to demonstrate a net public health benefit before sale. Altria says the agency has failed to meet the statutory 180-day review deadline and argues that recent FDA changes—including a fast-track pathway for nicotine pouches—still have not resolved the backlog. 

  • Indonesia Looking to Bring Illegal Cigarettes Into Fold 

    Indonesia Looking to Bring Illegal Cigarettes Into Fold 

    Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said he had met with several illegal cigarette business owners to understand their concerns and discuss bringing them into the legal tobacco-excise system. The government is preparing an additional cigarette excise tier that Purbaya hopes will give illegal producers a pathway to legalize their operations. He said businesses that take the opportunity would be brought into the formal system, while those that continue operating illegally would face enforcement. 

    Civil-society groups argue that creating another excise tier will not necessarily persuade illegal producers to comply and could further complicate Indonesia’s already complex cigarette tax structure, which currently has eight bands. Critics also warn that a new, potentially cheaper cigarette category could expand the availability of low-priced cigarettes, increase consumption, and ultimately raise health-care costs. 

  • Malaysian MPs Want Vape Liquid Declared Controlled Poisons 

    Malaysian MPs Want Vape Liquid Declared Controlled Poisons 

    Two Malaysian MPs are calling on the government to ban nicotine vape liquids as “controlled poisons” following the government’s decision to withdraw its appeal against a High Court ruling that restored liquid nicotine to the Poisons List. Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung and Kuala Langat MP Ahmad Yunus Hairi urged the Health Ministry to announce a ban on recreational nicotine vape sales and the Finance Ministry to stop collecting excise duties on the products. 

    The MPs also called for refunds of more than RM354 million ($88.5 million) in excise duties collected since April 2023, arguing that continued taxation conflicts with the products’ legal status. The government’s decision leaves nicotine-containing vape liquids classified as Group C poisons under Malaysia’s Poisons Act, meaning recreational sale is prohibited unless prescribed by a doctor or pharmacist, creating significant regulatory and commercial uncertainty for the vaping industry.