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Category: News This Week

  • 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.

  • Indonesia Looking to Crack Down on Illegal Cigarette Trade

    Indonesia Looking to Crack Down on Illegal Cigarette Trade

    Indonesia’s Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa pledged a crackdown on the country’s illegal cigarette trade, warning that anyone involved—including officials inside Customs or the Finance Ministry—will face consequences. Speaking at a budget briefing in Jakarta today (September 22), he vowed to conduct random checks on distribution channels and ordered e-commerce platforms to block illicit product listings, adding: “Spread the word: wherever illegal cigarettes are being sold, I will come.”

    The announcement comes as Indonesia enforces new 2025 tobacco excise rules. While excise tax rates remain unchanged, the government raised minimum retail prices across categories to deter smuggling and under-the-counter sales. Excise duties range from Rp 1,231 ($0.08) per stick for premium machine-made kretek to Rp 223 ($0.013) per stick for lower-tier hand-rolled kretek, with e-cigarettes taxed up to Rp 6,776 ($4.07) per milliliter. Despite these measures, around 22 billion sticks of illicit cigarettes were sold in 2023, costing the state Rp 15 trillion ($940 million) in lost revenue.

  • 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.”

  • Crash Spills Smuggled Cigarettes Across Polish Highway

    Crash Spills Smuggled Cigarettes Across Polish Highway

    Polish police responding to a highway traffic accident found thousands of cigarettes strewn across S61, a key route linking Poland and Lithuania. Investigators found more than 1 million cigarettes in a van that had just crossed the border and stopped in the emergency lane before getting hit and spilling its cargo. The cigarettes were seized for not having Polish tax stamps, and the 36-year-old Lithuanian driver was arrested.

    According to preliminary estimates, the smuggling attempt could have deprived the Polish state budget of over 1.5 million złoty ( $416,000) in unpaid excise duty.

  • VooPoo Launches Ultra-Light VMATE i3 Pod

    VooPoo Launches Ultra-Light VMATE i3 Pod

    VooPoo unveiled the VMATE i3, a compact pod system “designed to combine portability with powerful performance.” Weighing just 49.8g, the device features a 1500mAh battery with fast Type-C charging, delivering up to 30W output for both MTL and RDL vaping.

    The VMATE i3 includes a 3mL top-fill, leak-proof cartridge, compatibility with VMATE V2 pods, and a Neon Light Strip to indicate battery levels. With seven color options and enhanced safety protections through GENE AI 2.0, the device emphasizes convenience, reliability, and style.

    VOOPOO said the VMATE i3 is aimed at users seeking a lighter, everyday device without sacrificing endurance.

  • AOI Kenya Loses $183M Tax Case

    AOI Kenya Loses $183M Tax Case

    Alliance One Tobacco Kenya Limited (AOTKL) was ordered to pay the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Sh23.7 billion ($182.8 million) after the High Court dismissed its appeal following a protracted tax dispute, ruling the company’s leaf processing amounted to “manufacturing,” and therefore was subject to excise duties, according to Daily Nation Africa. The ruling comes after years of wrangling over corporate income tax, excise duty, and value-added tax liabilities, with KRA alleging under-declarations and misclassification of tobacco products. According to filings, the revenue body argued that AOTKL reported discrepancies between sales declared for corporate tax versus VAT returns, while also disputing how the company classified stemmed tobacco and semi-processed products.

    “Our operations in Kenya ceased nearly 10 years ago; however, an excise tax matter with the Kenya Revenue Authority remains ongoing in the courts,” said Miranda Kinney, a spokesperson from AOI. “While we respect the judicial process, we strongly disagree with the position taken by the High Court and are pursuing all appropriate avenues of appeal. We remain committed to meeting our regulatory and tax obligations while maintaining transparent, responsible business practices. Given this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot provide further comment at this time.” 

    According to Kenya Law Reporting, the case was brought before the Tax Appeals Tribunal, which in September 2024 issued a mixed ruling, partly upholding KRA’s claims. AOTKL’s transfer pricing practices also came under scrutiny, with KRA challenging documentation around full-cost mark-up adjustments with related parties. Ultimately, despite some partial relief from the Tribunal, the company has been ordered to settle the liability, making it one of the largest tax recoveries in Kenya’s tobacco sector.

  • 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.

  • Zambian Chief Summons Officials for Concerns Over Tobacco Farmers

    Zambian Chief Summons Officials for Concerns Over Tobacco Farmers

    Paramount Chief Mpezeni called the Tobacco Board of Zambia and the Eastern Provincial Administration to his palace on September 19, seeking explanations for issues affecting local tobacco farmers. According to the Zambian Observer, many farmers who sold tobacco under contracts with companies such as Haven Tobacco Company and Tobacco Trading Company have either not been paid or had their tobacco uncollected.

    Mpezeni expressed deep concern over the plight of farmers, some of whom are reportedly sleeping in the cold or even in toilets while trying to sell their tobacco in Chipata City. He has urged government representatives and farmers to hold a meeting at Ephendeni Palace to resolve these payment and procurement issues.