Malaysia’s police leadership called for a nationwide ban on e-cigarettes and vaping products after authorities detected a new synthetic drug known as “Piu Piu” in vape liquids. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said criminal syndicates are increasingly using vape devices to distribute new psychoactive substances, raising concerns about youth uptake and drug abuse. He urged the government and the Health Ministry to consider stronger action, arguing that vaping has become increasingly popular among teenagers and is being exploited as a delivery system for illicit drugs. Police said the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department will continue monitoring vape retailers and conducting inspections to curb the spread of drug-laced products, while maintaining strict enforcement against any officers found colluding with drug trafficking networks.
Category: Around the Industry
-
Bangladesh Criticized for Minor Tobacco Tax Increases
Anti-tobacco groups in Bangladesh criticized the proposed FY2026-27 national budget for failing to impose stronger tobacco tax increases while effectively legalizing nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products by bringing them into the tax framework. In a joint statement, the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance and Bangladesh Network for Tobacco Tax Policy argued that the budget’s modest cigarette price increases — particularly a Tk2 ($0.016) rise for low-tier brands, which account for about 75% of sales — would do little to reduce affordability or consumption.
The groups also expressed concern that prices for bidis, jarda, and gul remain unchanged, warning that the legalization of nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products, combined with limited tax measures on conventional tobacco, could undermine public health objectives and tobacco-control efforts in the country.
-
Illicit Cigarette Market Climbs to 16% in Cyprus
Illegal cigarette consumption in Cyprus continued to rise in 2025, reaching an estimated 16.3% of total cigarette consumption, according to a new report by KPMG conducted for Philip Morris International. The study found that approximately 160 million illicit cigarettes were consumed in Cyprus during the year, resulting in an estimated €27 million in lost tax revenue, up from €22 million in 2024.
Across the European Union, illicit cigarette consumption exceeded 10% of total market volume for the first time since 2014, with 41.8 billion illegal cigarettes consumed and an estimated €16.7 billion in lost public revenue. The report also noted that illicit heated tobacco products remain a relatively small segment, accounting for just 1.2% of total consumption.
-
Report Accuses Trump of Cashing in on FDA Changes
A report by KFF Health News accuses President Donald Trump of expanding his personal investments in major tobacco companies and benefiting from substantial political donations from industry interests as his administration simultaneously pursued policies favorable to the tobacco and nicotine industry. The report alleges that Trump increased his holdings in several tobacco companies, including Philip Morris International and Altria Group, as his administration pushed the FDA for regulatory changes, drawing criticism from public health advocates and former regulators who argue the measures benefit tobacco companies at the expense of tobacco-control efforts.
The report also highlights more than $20 million in contributions from tobacco and vaping interests to Trump-aligned political groups and inauguration activities since late 2023, including multimillion-dollar donations from industry players such as Reynolds American. While the White House rejected suggestions of improper influence and said its nicotine-related policies are based on scientific evidence supporting harm reduction for adult smokers, critics cited in the report contend that the administration’s actions represent one of the most industry-friendly tobacco policy shifts in recent years.
-
Dutch Health Minister Dismisses Generational Ban
The Netherlands’ Minister of Public Health, Welfare, and Sport, Sophie Hermans, said that a generational smoking ban based on a fixed birth year would not be effective in the Dutch context. She pointed to persistently high youth nicotine use and widespread reliance on illegal vaping products as key enforcement challenges that would undermine such a policy.
In a letter to the Dutch parliament’s lower house, Hermans argued that generational bans may work more effectively in countries with lower youth smoking rates, such as the United Kingdom, but warned that fragmented EU nicotine rules could lead to cross-border purchasing and illicit trade. She also cited research suggesting that a large majority of vape products used in the Netherlands are obtained through illegal channels, complicating efforts to control nicotine consumption through stricter age-based restrictions.
-
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.
-
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’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
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.
-
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.