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Category: News This Week

  • Portugal Latest to Reject EU Tobacco Tax Hike Proposal

    Portugal Latest to Reject EU Tobacco Tax Hike Proposal

    This weekend, Portugal formally announced its opposition to the European Union’s tobacco tax proposals, warning the changes could cost the country up to €1.5 billion in lost revenue. The objection targets both the Tobacco Excise Duty Own Resource (TEDOR)—a proposed 15% EU tax to help fund the €2 trillion 2028–2034 EU budget—and the plan to hike cigarette taxes across the bloc. In Portugal, the price of a pack of cigarettes would rise by €1.22 under the proposal.

    Portugal is also challenging the EU’s plan to tax alternative nicotine products, like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, the same as traditional cigarettes, arguing this contradicts public health goals.

    “Less harmful products should face lower taxes to encourage switching,” the government stated, warning that equal taxation could deter smokers from moving to reduced-risk alternatives and boost black market activity.

    The European Commission proposed a 139% increase in excise duties, from €90 to €215 per 1,000 cigarettes. While 15 countries, including France, Ireland, and the Netherlands, already back the plan, others, particularly Bulgaria, Greece, and Italy, have been vocal in opposing the hikes, warning of growing black markets and financial strain on consumers.

    The EU, aligning with WHO guidance, maintains that all tobacco and nicotine products carry health risks and should be taxed uniformly to discourage use and prevent cross-border trade distortions.

    The proposed revision to the Tobacco Excise Duty Directive must receive unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states to move forward.

  • 22nd Century Group Announces Reduced-Nicotine Cigarette Launch

    22nd Century Group Announces Reduced-Nicotine Cigarette Launch

    22nd Century Group, Inc. announced the first shipments of its new Pinnacle VLN Gold and Pinnacle VLN Menthol reduced-nicotine content cigarettes will be available September 1 at nearly 1,000 convenience store locations across 12 states.

    Company CEO Larry Firestone said Pinnacle’s conventional cigarettes have built strong customer loyalty, and the new VLN line offers smokers a choice to significantly reduce nicotine intake—about a 95% reduction compared to traditional cigarettes.

    The company plans to expand the Pinnacle VLN range into more states and stores while continuing to supply other Pinnacle products, including conventional cigarettes, cigarillos, and moist snuff. Firestone emphasized 22nd Century’s commitment to lead the tobacco harm reduction movement by increasing access to these reduced-nicotine products.

  • CAPHRA Slams Global Public Health Failures, Urges Policy Reform

    CAPHRA Slams Global Public Health Failures, Urges Policy Reform

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) released a scathing report this weekend, calling out governments for failing to uphold basic human rights in public health policy, particularly in their handling of tobacco control.

    Titled “The Right to Health and Public Health Policy,” the report criticizes the continued overregulation or banning of safer nicotine alternatives like vaping, while combustible cigarettes remain widely accessible. Authors Nancy Loucas and Clarisse Virgino argue this contradicts international human rights laws guaranteeing the right to health.

    “Governments are demonstrating extraordinary hypocrisy in their approach to tobacco control,” said Loucas. “They simultaneously tax tobacco products, creating reliance on tobacco revenue, whilst claiming to fight tobacco use.”

    The report calls for urgent reform, demanding public health systems prioritize accessibility, scientific integrity, and harm reduction. Without accountability and transparency, CAPHRA warns, global health inequalities will only worsen.

    Read the entire position paper here. 

  • Pakistani Officials Restrained from Interfering in Tobacco Processing Unit

    Pakistani Officials Restrained from Interfering in Tobacco Processing Unit

    This weekend, Pakistan’s Peshawar High Court (PHC) stopped government officials from interfering in the work of a tobacco processing unit in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, following a petition by business owner Mujeebur Rehman.

    Rehman claimed his legally registered unit, which employs hundreds and supplies raw tobacco for cigarette manufacturing, was facing harassment despite tax compliance. His legal team argued that the deployment of Inland Revenue officers and Rangers, as well as the forced installation of surveillance equipment, violated constitutional rights and disrupted business operations during peak tobacco threshing season.

    The PHC asked government respondents, including the Revenue Department and Federal Board of Revenue, to submit their replies while temporarily halting security personnel deployment at the site.

  • Laos to Enforce Tough Penalties on Tobacco Firms Over Graphic Warning Violations

    Laos to Enforce Tough Penalties on Tobacco Firms Over Graphic Warning Violations

    Beginning August 15, Laos will strictly penalize tobacco companies and retailers that fail to comply with graphic warning label regulations on cigarette packaging, the Ministry of Health announced. The rules, in effect since May 2024, require cigarette packs to carry one of 10 approved graphic health warnings. Despite a 180-day compliance window, companies have delayed implementation by over a year.

    Penalties will include fines up to LAK 50 million ($2,300), product seizures, and potential license suspensions. Repeat offenders risk legal action and full business closure.

    Laos is the third ASEAN nation to mandate graphic warnings, aiming to combat high smoking rates. Authorities say stricter enforcement is key to protecting public health, especially among youth.

  • BAT Warns Ireland Could Become Smuggling Hotspot

    BAT Warns Ireland Could Become Smuggling Hotspot

    British American Tobacco urged the Irish government to fast-track enforcement measures alongside the delayed excise tax on vaping products, warning that weak oversight could further fuel the country’s growing illicit vape market. David Melinn, BAT Ireland’s country manager, said the Health Service Executive’s plan for just 40 annual inspections is “not sufficient” given the scale of the market. Citing a KPMG report, BAT claims illicit vapes now make up 34–45% of Ireland’s €550 million vape market.

    The industry is pushing for a tax stamp regime to help curb black market activity. Without it, BAT warns, Ireland risks becoming an even more attractive hub for criminal smuggling—especially as a vape flavor ban also looms. BAT says strong enforcement is critical to protect public health and ensure legal market stability.

  • South African Court Allows Seizures of Tobacco Smuggling Trucks

    South African Court Allows Seizures of Tobacco Smuggling Trucks

    South Africa’s Hawks (a specialized police unit) and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) secured high court orders to seize vehicles used in the smuggling of illicit cigarettes from Zimbabwe, marking a significant step in efforts to curb cross-border tobacco crime.

    The Limpopo High Court granted a forfeiture order for a Freightliner Argosy truck and two trailers, intercepted at Beitbridge border post in March while carrying Zimbabwean-made cigarettes. The vehicles, worth $48,000, were confiscated after the arrest of the driver. In a separate case, authorities also secured a forfeiture order for a VW bus valued at $9,100 in a 2023 case of transporting illicit cigarettes.

    Officials say one-third of the cigarettes in South Africa are smuggled from Zimbabwe. Smugglers reportedly buy cigarette boxes for $120 in Zimbabwe and resell them for up to $840 in South Africa. Authorities have pledged continued action against smugglers, as tobacco tax evasion and black-market sales remain a major challenge to public health and revenue collection.

  • Catalonia Pushes to Ban Smoking on Beaches

    Catalonia Pushes to Ban Smoking on Beaches

    Catalonia’s public health secretary, Esteve Fernández, is advocating for a nationwide ban on smoking at beaches to be included in Spain’s upcoming tobacco control law. Still in its early stages, the proposed legislation includes bans on smoking on bar and restaurant terraces, university campuses, and in work vehicles, but Fernández wants it to go further.

    Fernández argues the ban is crucial to protect public health and reduce secondhand smoke exposure, and that cigarette butts contribute significantly to environmental pollution, as they contain toxic chemicals and decompose very slowly. Although Barcelona has banned smoking on its beaches since 2022, enforcement was initially lax. Across Catalonia, about 20 seaside municipalities already restrict smoking on 80 beaches.

    Fernández stressed the need for decisive action to “denormalize” smoking in public spaces and foster a healthier society.

  • Hong Kong Customs Being Overwhelmed by Smuggled Cigarettes

    Hong Kong Customs Being Overwhelmed by Smuggled Cigarettes

    Hong Kong Customs reported a sharp rise in cigarette smuggling this year, seizing 200 million illicit cigarettes worth HK$1 billion ($130 million) in the first five months, a fourfold increase from the same period in 2024.

    Customs Commissioner Chan Tsz-tat attributed the surge to well-organized smuggling networks exploiting cross-border travel. Last year saw about 19,000 smuggling cases by travelers; this number is expected to surpass 30,000 in 2025.

    To combat the problem, customs plans to intensify efforts to dismantle the entire smuggling supply chain—from transportation to retail—and increase awareness campaigns at key border crossings. Under Hong Kong law, travelers are allowed to bring in only 19 cigarettes duty-free per person.

    In addition, the agency faces a significant backlog in disposing of seized narcotics, with over 100 tons in storage. Current destruction processes could take up to 35 years, prompting authorities to explore faster methods, including streamlined procedures and a dedicated armed escort team.

    Hong Kong Customs is also collaborating with mainland e-commerce platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo to block sales and shipments of banned goods, although differing laws between Hong Kong and mainland China present ongoing challenges.

  • Oregon: Counties Award $350K in Anti-Tobacco Grants

    Oregon: Counties Award $350K in Anti-Tobacco Grants

    In a collaborative effort to combat tobacco use, Clackamas and Washington counties in Oregon have launched a new grant program, distributing a total of $350,000 to seven community-based organizations. The initiative is specifically designed to address health disparities by focusing on communities with higher rates of commercial tobacco use, including youths, people in low-income areas, and communities of color.

    The Commercial Tobacco Prevention Grant is a joint project of the two counties’ public health divisions, which received 29 applications before selecting seven organizations to receive $50,000 each. The funding will support programs from January 2024 to June 2025, with the goal of tackling the root causes of tobacco use, such as lack of access to healthcare and mental health resources.

    Each of the seven funded organizations has created a unique, culturally specific program to reach their target communities.