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Category: Around the Industry

  • Thai Survey Finds Youth Vaping on the Rise

    Thai Survey Finds Youth Vaping on the Rise

    A nationwide survey by Thailand’s Department of Health Service Support that e-cigarette use among young people is growing, with the youngest reported new user just 6 years old. Conducted online earlier this year with more than 40,000 participants, the survey found the average age of initiation was 13.

    A previous survey found a sharp rise in e-cigarette use among Thai youth, increasing from 3.3% in 2022 to 17.6% in 2025. Of those users, 37.6% are aged 19–25, followed by 16–18-year-olds at 29.3%, and 13–15-year-olds at 22.4%. Peer pressure emerged as the leading factor driving uptake, with 45.6% of respondents saying they tried vaping because of friends. Social media was also cited as a major influence, with Facebook (27.9%) and TikTok (27.6%) named as the main platforms exposing youth to e-cigarette advertising.

  • UWELL Launches Gamified Caliburn G4 Pro Koko

    UWELL Launches Gamified Caliburn G4 Pro Koko

    UWELL unveiled the Caliburn G4 Pro Koko, introducing touchscreen controls and a gamified vaping experience with five unlockable user interface themes. The device features a 2000mAh battery, up to 35W output, three vaping modes, and a 2-inch shatterproof HD screen. Compatible with GPP and G3 cartridges, it incorporates leak-proof technology and a customizable interface, aiming to blend performance with interactive design.

  • Levity Delivers Innovative Packaging Design for Cohiba’s 2025 Spectres 

    Levity Delivers Innovative Packaging Design for Cohiba’s 2025 Spectres 

    Levity, branding specialists for consumer packaged goods,partnered with Cohiba to unveil a new packaging design for the company’s 2025 Spectre edition. The six-part packaging system blends high-end craftsmanship with precision engineering, including a sculpted wooden case, precision-crafted metal cigar tubes, a travel humidor, and a bespoke analog coreset mechanism that creates a slow, cinematic reveal.

    Matt Wilson, senior brand manager at Scandinavian Tobacco Group, said the collaboration was about “creating something exceptional, unexpected and truly luxurious.” Levity’s executive creative director, Theo van Blyenburgh, added that every detail, “from the packaging’s aesthetic to the way it moved in the hand, had to deliver on that promise.”

    Limited to just 750 units, this year’s Spectre features 10 hand-rolled cigars crafted with a rare, limited-edition blend, making it one of the most anticipated launches in the premium cigar market.

  • Tourists at Heart of Japan’s Cigarette Butt Problem

    Tourists at Heart of Japan’s Cigarette Butt Problem

    A new survey found cigarette butt litter around Osaka, Japan’s Namba Station to be four times higher than at Tokyo Station, highlighting challenges in enforcing the city’s street smoking ban among tourists. The survey, commissioned by the Osaka Prefecture food service industry sanitation association, revealed Namba as the worst offender among six locations nationwide. While street smoking has been banned citywide since January, limited designated smoking areas and confusion among visitors have contributed to widespread littering.

    Namba, home to popular tourist spots like Dotonbori, attracts many international visitors from countries where outdoor smoking is still permitted. Communicating Japan’s local rules to these travelers remains a hurdle, according to the officials.

  • FDA Urges Child-Resistant Packaging on Nicotine Pouches

    FDA Urges Child-Resistant Packaging on Nicotine Pouches

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is calling on nicotine pouch manufacturers to use child-resistant packaging to prevent accidental exposure among young children, though the agency acknowledges that all 20 FDA-authorized nicotine pouch products currently feature child-resistant packaging, so the news release appears to be aimed at pending or future applications.
     

    “ZYN is the only nicotine pouch authorized by the FDA as appropriate to protect public health,” officials from Philip Morris International said in a response to the FDA announcement. “In making that conclusion, the agency noted that ZYN’s packaging is designed to be child-resistant—and has been since its launch 11 years ago.”


    The concentrated nicotine in pouches can be harmful to children even in small amounts. From April 2022 to March 2025, about 72% of reported nicotine pouch exposure cases involved children under age five.
     
    “The fruity flavors and bright, colorful designs of nicotine pouch products could resemble candy and seem attractive to children,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary. “Manufacturers should consider what steps they can take to prevent accidental exposures and ingestion.”
     
    The news release was paired with consumer information that advises parents to store all nicotine products securely and to contact Poison Control if ingestion occurs.

  • Court Orders the Reopening of 26 Cigarette Factories in Pakistan

    Court Orders the Reopening of 26 Cigarette Factories in Pakistan

    Pakistan’s Peshawar High Court has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to de-seal 26 cigarette factories in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that were shut for failing to install CCTV cameras under a directive that was issued August 18 and enforced August 25. Petitioners, including Universal Tobacco Company, argued the order was discriminatory as multinationals were exempted, despite already complying with tracking-and-tracing regulations. Their lawyer contended the new CCTV requirement was excessive, with factories already under electronic monitoring and tax office supervision.

    A bench led by Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Mohammad Ijaz Khan ruled that no further action be taken against the petitioners until the next hearing on September 11.

  • Asia Forum on Nicotine Pushes for Harm Reduction Ahead of COP11

    Asia Forum on Nicotine Pushes for Harm Reduction Ahead of COP11

    The inaugural Asia Forum on Nicotine (AFN25) was hailed as a success by its host, the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), which gathered experts and advocates urging the adoption of tobacco harm reduction across the Asia-Pacific, home to 781 million smokers.

    Speakers criticized the WHO FCTC for rejecting safer alternatives like vaping and heated tobacco, despite evidence that they are 95% less harmful than cigarettes. They warned that bans drive black markets and stall progress, citing successes in Sweden, Japan, and New Zealand.

    With COP11 approaching in November, CAPHRA cautioned that excluding THR voices risks condemning millions to preventable deaths.

  • U.S. Judge Grants Recognition to $23B Canadian Tobacco Settlement

    U.S. Judge Grants Recognition to $23B Canadian Tobacco Settlement

    A New York bankruptcy judge yesterday (August 26) approved U.S. recognition of Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd.’s restructuring plan, a key step in a landmark C$32.5 billion (US$23.6 billion) settlement resolving decades of Canadian tobacco litigation. Judge John P. Mastando III granted Chapter 15 approval without objection, clearing the way for the settlement, one of the largest restructurings in Canadian history, to take effect across both jurisdictions.

    The deal, approved by an Ontario court in March, involves Imperial, JTI-Macdonald Corp., and Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc. It will be funded over 20 years, beginning with a C$12 billion (US$8.7 billion) upfront payment, followed by profit-sharing contributions.

    The agreement resolves more than a trillion Canadian dollars in claims from class actions and provincial governments over smoking-related health costs.

  • Dutch Doctors Say Snapchat a Gateway for Illegal Vape Sales to Teens

    Dutch Doctors Say Snapchat a Gateway for Illegal Vape Sales to Teens

    Dutch doctors say teenagers can still buy banned nicotine products via Snapchat, despite the platform’s pledge to crack down on vape dealers. Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd, an anti-tobacco foundation, tested Snapchat after the company announced new detection tools earlier this month, but found illegal sales thriving under slang terms. “Snapchat is extremely popular among teenagers and is being misused by dealers to promote vapes,” said lung doctor Wanda de Kanter.

    The group asked the consumer watchdog ACM to intervene, warning the platform is breaching the EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires stricter protections for minors and carries fines of up to 6% of global turnover.

    Doctors warn Snapchat is fueling a worsening teen addiction crisis. Flavored disposable vapes have been banned in the Netherlands since 2024, yet surveys show rising youth use, with 14.3% of 12–16-year-olds vaping monthly.

  • Nicotine Pouch Use Surges as Cannabis, Vaping Hit Record Highs in U.S.

    Nicotine Pouch Use Surges as Cannabis, Vaping Hit Record Highs in U.S.

    Use of nicotine pouches among U.S. adults has doubled in the past year, while cannabis consumption, vaping, and psychedelic drug use remain at or near record highs, according to the University of Michigan’s latest Monitoring the Future Panel survey.

    The 2024 survey, based on data from over 20,000 adults, found 9.5% of 19–30-year-olds used nicotine pouches in the past year, up sharply since the measure was first tracked in 2023. Cannabis use and daily vaping of both cannabis and nicotine reached historic highs across all adult age groups, with midlife users (35–50) reporting the steepest growth over the past decade.

    Researchers warned that the findings reflect shifting substance-use patterns and urged continued monitoring to inform public health priorities.