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Category: News This Week

  • EU Smoking Rate Drops 4% Since 2012

    EU Smoking Rate Drops 4% Since 2012

    The European Commission reported that smoking prevalence across the European Union is currently 24% as it released an evaluation of the bloc’s tobacco control framework on April 2, down slightly from 28% in 2012. The review assessed the performance of the Tobacco Products Directive and the Tobacco Advertising Directive, citing progress in public health protection, reduced tobacco-related deaths, and improved internal market functioning through harmonized rules on labeling, ingredient reporting, packaging, traceability, and cross-border advertising restrictions.

    The evaluation also flagged gaps in current legislation amid the rapid growth of novel nicotine products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches, which the Commission said pose particular risks for youth and may act as a gateway to nicotine addiction. While traditional advertising has been curtailed, digital and covert online promotion remains a challenge. Based on the findings, the Commission will begin an impact assessment and consultations ahead of a planned proposal in 2026 to revise the EU’s tobacco control laws.

  • Russian Businesses Propose State Monopoly Over Vape Ban

    Russian Businesses Propose State Monopoly Over Vape Ban

    Russian small business group Opora Russia and industry associations are urging federal authorities to abandon plans to ban the sale of electronic nicotine delivery systems and e-liquids, warning the move would push the market further into the shadow economy without reducing nicotine use. In an appeal to First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov last week, the group argued that allowing regions to impose their own vape bans — an idea backed by President Vladimir Putin and already pursued in areas such as the Vologda, Penza, and Perm regions — would fragment the national market and drive legitimate retailers out of business. Industry representatives estimate around 20,000 outlets sell ENDS in Russia, serving 10–12 million consumers, while claiming 75–85% of current sales already occur in the gray market.

    As an alternative to prohibition, associations, including the Union of Participants in the Circulation of Nicotine-Containing Products, have proposed creating a state-controlled monopoly on the production of base e-liquid under a concession model, allowing tighter oversight of product flows and taxation. They cite past excise hikes as evidence that restrictive policy has reduced legal sales and tax receipts while expanding illicit trade. The proposal has been referred to the Finance Ministry for review as the government continues work on draft legislation that could allow regions to experiment with retail bans between 2027 and 2032.

  • EU HTP Report Seen as Harm Reduction Obstacle

    EU HTP Report Seen as Harm Reduction Obstacle

    Heated Community Hub has voiced strong concern over the approach taken by the European Commission in its recent evaluation report on the EU tobacco regulatory framework. According to the group, the document is heavily unbalanced in its assessment of next-generation products — particularly heated tobacco — focusing almost exclusively on potential risks while failing to adequately acknowledge reduced-risk considerations or the experiences of adult consumers who have reduced or quit smoking traditional cigarettes by switching to alternatives.

    Francesco Luongo, president of Heated Community Hub, said the EU risks undermining its own “Tobacco-Free Generation” goal of reducing tobacco use to below 5% by 2040 by applying policies that could affect alternative products indiscriminately. Citing Sweden’s decline in daily smoking to 5.3% in 2024 compared with an EU average of 24%, Luongo argued that a more pragmatic approach is needed to avoid pushing former smokers back to combustible products or fueling illicit trade.

  • Hong Kong to Impose Two-Tier Penalty for Carrying Vapes

    Hong Kong to Impose Two-Tier Penalty for Carrying Vapes

    Starting April 30, Hong Kong will introduce a two-tier penalty for the possession of vaping and heated tobacco products in public under amendments to its tobacco control law. Individuals carrying small quantities — no more than five vape pods, 5 ml of e-liquid, 100 heat sticks or 100 herbal sticks — will face a fixed HK$3,000 ($390) penalty, while possession of larger amounts can lead to prosecution, with fines up to HK$50,000 ($6,500) and six months’ imprisonment. Officials said the phased approach begins with public places due to enforcement challenges in private residences, with a broader ban on possession possible later.

    Enforcement officers will operate in plain clothes using a risk-based approach, with powers to check identification, seize devices, and issue electronic penalty notices, including to tourists. Authorities also confirmed standardized cigarette packaging and a duty stamp system will take effect on March 1, 2027.

  • Lithuania Prosecuting Belarusian Cigarette Smugglers

    Lithuania Prosecuting Belarusian Cigarette Smugglers

    Lithuania has opened more than 30 pretrial investigations into cigarette smuggling from Belarus using balloons, with around 90 suspects identified, according to Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė. Speaking to Žinių Radijas, she said 20 related cases have already been concluded in court, resulting in over 30 convictions. Authorities intercepted 635 balloon-borne shipments in 2025, up from 226 in 2024 and virtually none in prior years, with 83 incidents recorded so far in 2026.

    The activity has also disrupted civil aviation, with more than 300 flights affected at Vilnius Airport last year, impacting roughly 47,000 passengers and causing nearly 60 hours of closures. The State Border Guard Service of Lithuania said 35 people linked to the smuggling network have been detained this year. Lithuanian officials describe the operations, alongside the detention of Lithuanian trucks in Belarus, as “hybrid attacks” by the Belarusian government.

  • RICO Case Against Vape Companies Tossed

    RICO Case Against Vape Companies Tossed

    A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia has dismissed a civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act lawsuit brought by a Georgia woman against multiple vape manufacturers and retailers who were accused of conspiring to sell products containing illegal levels of delta-9 THC. The plaintiff alleged the companies worked together through a coordinated scheme to distribute unlawful products, but the court found the complaint did not plausibly describe racketeering activity or an organized conspiracy.

    Instead, the judge ruled that the allegations merely outlined a typical product supply chain — from manufacturer to distributor to retailer — without facts showing an agreement to commit unlawful acts. Because the complaint failed to establish the elements required under RICO, the case was dismissed.

  • Sri Lanka’s Beedi Industry Under Attack

    Sri Lanka’s Beedi Industry Under Attack

    Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary Committee on Ways and Means called for stronger action to curb the illegal import of beedi leaves, warning that smuggling is eroding government tax revenue and undermining the legal beedi industry. During a recent meeting chaired by MP Wijesiri Basnayake, officials said large quantities of leaves are being brought in by sea to avoid import duties, despite existing enforcement efforts. The committee urged measures to stop industry participants from using illicit supplies and directed Finance Ministry officials to develop a mechanism to safeguard tax collection.

    Officials from the government, police, and navy discussed enforcement options. Lawmakers stressed the need to balance revenue protection with safeguarding employment in the beedi sector while tightening controls on illicit imports.

  • New Mexico AG Sues Retailers for Youth Vape Addiction

    New Mexico AG Sues Retailers for Youth Vape Addiction

    New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a lawsuit against Circle K and other major retailers, alleging violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act for marketing vapes and e-cigarettes in ways that appeal to children. The suit claims the products’ colorful packaging and sweet flavors are designed to attract minors, contributing to some of the highest youth nicotine usage rates in the country. Torrez seeks damages, including civil penalties of $5,000 per violation, following his previous $375 million win against Meta for similar violations.

    Health experts and school officials cited in the lawsuit highlight the dangers of adolescent vaping, including addiction, lung damage, increased risk-taking behavior, and mental health impacts. The Attorney General also said the presence of online “straw purchases” that funnel e-cigarettes to minors, comparing the ongoing harm to historic tobacco-related public health crises.

  • Ireland Called to Consider Australian-Style Vape Ban

    Ireland Called to Consider Australian-Style Vape Ban

    Calls to restrict vape sales to pharmacies have resurfaced in Ireland after a regional health forum asked the Health Service Executive to study whether an Australia-style model could curb youth vaping. At the HSE South-West Regional Health Forum, councilors from multiple parties backed a motion from Cork City South East Councilor Peter Horgan, urging research into the potential benefits and drawbacks of limiting vape sales to pharmacy-only settings. The proposal follows mounting concern over youth use, with estimates suggesting one in five 15–16 year olds now vape, and ongoing criticism of brightly colored devices and sweet flavors seen as appealing to children.

    Supporters of the motion pointed to Australia’s 2024 shift to pharmacy-only sales for all vaping products as a possible template, arguing that higher prices and restricted access there may have reduced affordability for young people despite illicit trade challenges. HSE representatives highlighted existing national campaigns aimed at parents, schools and teenagers, including peer-led education and the “Take a Breath” initiative launched in 2025. The forum agreed to seek national HSE funding for a feasibility study, with the intention of using the findings to inform future policy discussions at the government level.

  • Oklahoma Cuts Cigarette Tax for HTPs

    Oklahoma Cuts Cigarette Tax for HTPs

    Oklahoma lawmakers approved legislation amending the state’s cigarette stamp tax law to extend a 50% tax exemption to cigarettes “intended to be heated rather than burned,” effectively lowering the excise burden on heated tobacco products. The measure revises definitions in existing statute to clarify that products designed to be heated still fall within the legal definition of a cigarette, but then carves out a partial exemption for those products from the stamp excise tax. The change applies within Oklahoma’s long-standing cigarette tax framework under the oversight of the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

    The law directs the Tax Commission to create rules to implement the exemption and ensure appropriate tax stamps are available for heated products before the act takes effect on November 1, 2026.