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Category: Around the Industry

  • South Korea Moving Toward Regulating Vapes Like Cigarettes

    South Korea Moving Toward Regulating Vapes Like Cigarettes

    South Korea is moving to classify synthetic nicotine as tobacco under the Tobacco Business Act, subjecting e-cigarettes to the same regulations and taxes as traditional cigarettes for the first time. A subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee approved the revision on Monday, expanding the definition of tobacco from “tobacco leaf” to “tobacco or nicotine.”

    If passed in the main session, the measure would generate an estimated 930 billion won ($646 million) annually in new tax revenue, lawmakers said. Synthetic nicotine has until now been treated as an industrial good, free from tobacco levies and restrictions. The bill, which includes a two-year grace period on retail restrictions, marks the first change to the act’s tobacco definition since its enactment in 1988.

  • Philippine Health Group Warns Against Tobacco Industry ‘Greenwashing’

    Philippine Health Group Warns Against Tobacco Industry ‘Greenwashing’

    On International Coastal Cleanup Day (September 20), advocacy group HealthJustice Philippines urged the government to reject “greenwashing” efforts by the tobacco industry and to end all forms of engagement with it, citing its harm to both health and the environment. The group suggested studies show 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded annually globally, making them the world’s most abundant form of plastic waste.

    HealthJustice president Mary Ann Mendoza accused the industry of using corporate social responsibility projects, such as donations, tree-planting, and cleanup drives, to create a “false image” of environmental advocacy despite tobacco’s damaging impact. “These cannot be regarded as genuine acts of social responsibility, as tobacco products are inherently harmful and provide no societal benefit,” she said, also drawing parallels with ultra-processed food companies.

  • Haypp Calls for Boycott on Champagne, France, After Pouch Ban

    Haypp Calls for Boycott on Champagne, France, After Pouch Ban

    Global nicotine pouch retailer Haypp is urging its customers to boycott champagne and avoid traveling to France as a holiday destination in response to the nation’s decision to impose a total ban on nicotine pouches and other oral nicotine products beginning in March 2026. While describing the campaign as “tongue-in-cheek,” Haypp’s head of legal and external affairs Markus Lindblad said France is removing safer alternatives for its roughly 23% smoking population, while allowing cancer-causing chewing tobacco to remain on the market.

    The ban, announced by the French government on September 5, will cover pouches, gums, and liquids unless classified as medicinal products or medical devices. Critics, including Sweden, Italy, and Greece, have warned that the move is disproportionate and undermines smoking reduction efforts. Lindblad is one of those critics, arguing the new law will criminalize possession as well as sale, meaning both residents and tourists could face fines or imprisonment for carrying nicotine pouches in France. U.K. holiday travelers and other visitors, he said, risk prosecution if caught with the products.

    Haypp also warned that prohibition could fuel black markets, driving nicotine pouch demand underground into unregulated channels, raising further health risks.

  • PMI: EU Vape Research Should Be Independent

    PMI: EU Vape Research Should Be Independent

    Philip Morris International (PMI) says it supports new research into the health impact of cigarette alternatives like vapes and heated tobacco, as long as it is carried out by an “independent and science-driven third-party Association.” The statement comes as the European Commission prepares to assess e-cigarettes and other nicotine products for the first time under its review of EU tobacco directives. Commission officials said future studies will be funded exclusively with EU funds in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

    PMI Europe president Massimo Andolina told Euractiv that the company would welcome such studies to validate its claims that next-generation products are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. But both the WHO and the EU stress that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco remain harmful and could act as a gateway to smoking. Several health and cancer organizations have also urged EU governments to tighten rules, warning that alternative products are fueling nicotine initiation among young people.

    The debate comes as Brussels weighs higher taxes on both cigarettes and new products, while proposing that 15% of national tobacco tax revenues be diverted to the EU budget. EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi recently called vaping “enormously popular” among youth and a “significant health risk,” adding: “They do not pay taxes yet—and it is clear to me that they should do so.”

  • India Hosts First Workshop on Tobacco Ingredient Transparency

    India Hosts First Workshop on Tobacco Ingredient Transparency

    In an effort to curb tobacco-related harm in India, two national health groups held a workshop yesterday (September 16) in New Delhi focusing on the regulation of what goes into tobacco products. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), in collaboration with PGI’s Scientific Support Group, hosted the event, titled “Advancing the Implementation of WHO-FCTC Articles 9 and 10.” According to The Times of India, this marks the country’s first dedicated effort to regulate the contents and emissions of tobacco products and to mandate manufacturer disclosures.

  • NZ Health Official Found in Breach for Providing ‘Pro-Tobacco’ Document

    NZ Health Official Found in Breach for Providing ‘Pro-Tobacco’ Document

    New Zealand First Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has been found in breach of the Public Records Act after providing a “pro-tobacco document” to health officials without knowing its origin. According to Radio New Zealand (RNZ), “Costello cut the tax on heated tobacco products (HTPs) despite health officials saying there was no strong evidence either that they worked as a smoking cessation tool or that they were significantly safer than cigarettes.” The Treasury estimated the HTP tax cut would cost up to NZ$293 million ($175.8 million) if continued until 2029, a forecast that included the impact of the Government collecting less in excise if smokers were encouraged to switch to HTPs.

    An inquiry by Chief Archivist Anahera Morehu concluded that neither Costello nor her office maintained accurate records about the “mystery document,” which argued nicotine was no more harmful than caffeine and pushed for tax breaks on heated tobacco products (HTPs). Morehu said the failure undermined government accountability and recommended that the minister’s office improve its record-keeping practices.

    Costello repeatedly insisted the notes were a collation of previous NZ First policy positions, handed to her in hard copy shortly after she assumed responsibility for tobacco and vaping policy in December 2023. The document criticized Labour’s smokefree agenda as “ideological nonsense” and urged that smokeless tobacco products be taxed like vapes rather than cigarettes. Costello said she did not know who wrote or delivered the paper, dismissing claims that her approach favored the industry. “It’s ridiculous, and wrong, to continue to try and link this approach to being pro-tobacco,” she said. According to RNZ, the Treasury said the moves benefited Philip Morris, which has a monopoly in New Zealand’s HTP market.

  • BAT Announces Management Board Changes

    BAT Announces Management Board Changes

    BAT today (September 11) announced upcoming changes to its management board. After 23 years with the group, including 11 as general counsel and board member, Jerome Abelman will step down as Director, Legal and General Counsel on effective December 31. Paul McCrory, currently Director, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, will become Director, Legal and General Counsel Designate on October 1 before assuming the role fully on January 1, 2026. McCrory has been with BAT for over 18 years and joined the board in 2023.

    From October 1, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs will transfer to Kingsley Wheaton, Chief Corporate Officer. CEO Tadeu Marroco thanked Abelman for his leadership and welcomed McCrory to his new role, citing his deep experience and collaborative leadership.

  • Dutch Schools Sound Alarm Over Dangerous Rise in Illegal THC Vapes

    Dutch Schools Sound Alarm Over Dangerous Rise in Illegal THC Vapes

    Dutch schools are reporting a surge in dangerous incidents linked to illegal THC vapes laced with synthetic drugs, raising alarms among health experts and government officials. The devices, often sold through Snapchat and delivered directly to schools, are marketed as cannabis vapes, but lab tests revealed they almost always contain synthetic cannabinoids, known as “spice,” which can trigger severe side effects such as anxiety, heart palpitations, psychosis, and collapse. These substances have been banned in the Netherlands under the Opium Act since July.

    Addiction specialists warn the problem is spreading beyond Amsterdam to Utrecht, Amersfoort, and other regions. Major addiction clinics and the Trimbos Institute confirmed rising reports of students suffering health issues from THC vaping.

  • PCA Extends CEO Habursky Through 2031

    PCA Extends CEO Habursky Through 2031

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) extended the contract of executive director Joshua Habursky for five years, securing his governance through 2031. Habursky, who also serves as CEO, will continue overseeing the trade association’s operations and assets, including its Washington, D.C., office.

    Board president Todd Naifeh praised Habursky’s leadership, citing record membership and revenue growth, while vice president Paul Groh highlighted his forward-looking approach, including early planning for the PCA’s centennial in 2033. Since joining in 2019, Habursky has overseen initiatives such as the PCA Alliance program, an FIU educational partnership, and the launch of the World Cigar Show.

    At its fall meeting in Washington today (September 10), the Board also promoted Antoine Reid to senior director of marketing and communications and announced plans to hire an additional communications manager in early 2026.

  • Türkiye Rolls Out Mobile Clinics in Anti-Tobacco Campaign

    Türkiye Rolls Out Mobile Clinics in Anti-Tobacco Campaign

    Türkiye launched a nationwide campaign against tobacco, sending mobile cessation clinics and roving control teams to all 81 provinces, taking prevention and treatment directly to the public in city centers, villages, campuses, and industrial zones. The Health Ministry said teams will raise awareness about tobacco’s dangers, promote resources such as the 171 Quitline and the “Green Detector” app, and connect smokers ready to quit with doctors in mobile clinics.

    Branded “Smoke-Free Türkiye,” the drive is part of the country’s 2024–2028 action plan to curb tobacco use, which remains at 34.8% of people aged 15 and older.