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Category: News This Week

  • Hong Kong Proving Clean with New Tobacco Inspections

    Hong Kong Proving Clean with New Tobacco Inspections

    Hong Kong authorities launched a two-week enforcement campaign after new anti-smoking regulations took effect January 1. Inspectors from the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office began checking newly designated non-smoking areas, including bans on smoking while queuing for public transport and at entrances to 18 categories of public places. The office’s head, Manny Lam, said around 120 frontline staff will conduct more frequent inspections, with 10 to 20 inspectors carrying out daily spot checks at high-traffic locations such as bus stops and building entrances.

    Under the new rules, the fixed penalty for smoking offenses has doubled to HK$3,000 ($390), although no violations were recorded on the first round of inspections. The campaign also includes public education efforts, particularly targeting tourists through hotels, tourism operators, and publicity at border control points.  Smoking is now prohibited within three meters of entrances to hospitals, government clinics, schools, residential care homes, and childcare centers, as part of the government’s broader push to strengthen tobacco control and public awareness.

  • Vietnam Ups Penalties for Vape, HTP Use

    Vietnam Ups Penalties for Vape, HTP Use

    Vietnam tightened restrictions on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products under the newly issued Decree 371, introducing higher fines and expanded enforcement powers. Individuals caught using e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products now face fines of VNĐ3 million to VNĐ5 million ($114 to $190), with authorities authorized to confiscate and destroy the products.


    The rules also penalize those who allow such use on premises they own or manage. Individuals providing space for e-cigarette or heated tobacco use can be fined VNĐ5 million to VNĐ10 million ($190 to $380), while organizations face penalties of up to VNĐ20 million ($761). Officials said the measures aim to strengthen oversight as alternative tobacco products spread rapidly, particularly among young people.

  • Kentucky to Issue Provisional Licenses for Tobacco Retailers

    Kentucky to Issue Provisional Licenses for Tobacco Retailers

    Kentucky will issue provisional state licenses to tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product retailers that apply for licensure with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) before Jan. 1, 2026, allowing them to continue operating while their applications are under review. The provisional licenses will expire once ABC takes action on the full license applications. An emergency regulation filed on December 29 ensures applicants are not penalized during the transition period.

    The move follows the passage of Senate Bill 100, signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear on March 24, which created a new licensing requirement for all tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product retailers in the state. ABC expects to issue more than 4,000 licenses by the end of 2025.

    Under S.B. 100, retailers are required to obtain an annual state license and are subject to stricter oversight, including unannounced compliance checks, higher fines, and potential loss of licensure or criminal penalties for violations. ABC has launched a new online licensing system and is urging any retailers that have not yet applied to do so before the January 1 deadline, noting that no provisional licenses will be issued after that date.

  • Hong Kong Customs Seizes $3M in Untaxed Cigs

    Hong Kong Customs Seizes $3M in Untaxed Cigs

    Hong Kong Customs seized about seven million untaxed cigarettes valued at HK$31.5 million ($4.1 million), with an estimated duty potential of HK$23 million ($3 million), during a raid on an industrial building in Fo Tan on December 30. A 45-year-old local man was arrested after officers spotted him moving cartons from a unit late at night, discovering about 600,000 cigarettes on him and another 6.4 million inside the premises.

    Customs said the roughly 1,000-square-foot warehouse, formed by merging two units, contained large quantities of cigarettes and packaging materials, indicating plans to repackage and smuggle the products to overseas markets with higher tobacco taxes. Some illicit brands appeared to be stockpiled for the Christmas and New Year period. Authorities said investigations into the source and distribution network are ongoing, and further arrests are possible.

  • Finland Ups Taxes for Tobacco, Alcohol

    Finland Ups Taxes for Tobacco, Alcohol

    Finland will sharply raise tobacco and nicotine taxes from January 1, 2026, pushing retail prices higher as part of a broader fiscal reform. A pack of cigarettes will rise to about €11.50, with more than 90% of the price made up of tax, while nicotine pouch prices are set to jump by roughly 37%, from around €5 to €7 per container. Tobacco taxes will continue to increase at six-month intervals until mid-2027.

    The government says the measures are intended to curb consumption and boost tax revenues, alongside parallel increases in alcohol taxes. Wine, beer, and cider prices will rise by an average of 9%, reinforcing a broader public-health and revenue strategy. By contrast, modest relief is planned in other areas, including slightly lower fuel excise duties and a small VAT cut on food and medicines.

    The tobacco price hikes are among the most significant consumer impacts of Finland’s 2026 tax package, which also includes income tax cuts for higher earners and reductions in social assistance. Health fees will increase, adding further cost pressures, while officials emphasize that higher tobacco taxation remains a central tool in reducing smoking rates and funding public services.

  • Belgium Releases Numbers for Disposable Vape Crackdown

    Belgium Releases Numbers for Disposable Vape Crackdown

    Belgium’s Federal Public Health Service seized more than 140,000 illegal disposable e-cigarettes in 2025, following a nationwide ban on the sale of disposable vapes that took effect on January 1. Authorities said the seizures reflect a “significant amount” of non-compliant products still circulating on the market.

    Inspectors carried out nearly 2,400 checks across shops, petrol stations, supermarkets, and online retailers, finding illegal vapes in 680 cases. Nearly 600 official reports have been filed, and 18 shops have been temporarily closed. Brussels recorded the highest violation rate, with almost 60% of inspections uncovering illegal sales, while in Flanders, around one in five shops checked was non-compliant. Fines for selling disposable vapes can reach €120,000, though penalties typically range between €800 and €1,000.

  • Azerbaijan Bans E-Cigarettes

    Azerbaijan Bans E-Cigarettes

    Azerbaijan’s parliament approved a comprehensive ban on electronic cigarettes, outlawing their import, export, production, storage, wholesale and retail sale, and use. The legislation, passed in its final reading, amends the country’s “Law On Tobacco and Tobacco Products” and classifies nicotine-containing e-cigarettes as tobacco products, according to local media reports. The law is set to take effect on April 1, 2026.

    The law defines electronic cigarettes broadly as devices that deliver vapor, with or without nicotine, via cartridges or refillable containers, while explicitly excluding heated tobacco products. Lawmakers said the updated definitions are intended to clearly distinguish between e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in legal and regulatory practice.

    Related amendments will be made to the Tax Code and the Law on Advertising, removing disposable e-cigarettes and e-liquids from the list of excisable goods, cancelling existing tax rates, and aligning advertising restrictions with the new product classifications.

  • BAT Malaysia Designates New Chairman

    BAT Malaysia Designates New Chairman

    British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd redesignated Datuk Sri Mohd Nizom Sairi as chairman of the board, effective January 1, 2026. He succeeds Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat, who will step down on December 31, after completing the maximum nine-year tenure as an independent non-executive director under the group’s governance rules.

    Mohd Nizom was appointed as an independent non-executive director of BAT Malaysia on October 1. He previously spent 38 years with the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, serving as CEO and director general from 2021 until his retirement from public service in December 2023. He currently serves as independent non-executive chairman of Varia Bhd and as an independent non-executive director of Jati Tinggi Group Bhd.

  • Nicokick and Northerner Increase Commitment to Responsible Retailing

    Nicokick and Northerner said they are strengthening their commitment to responsible and compliant retailing for adult consumers aged 21 and over, citing clearer regulatory direction from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The companies said their focus is on consumer safety, preventing youth access, and maintaining transparency as regulatory oversight of the category increases. Both retailers enforce a nationwide minimum purchase age of 21 and require age and identity verification through third-party provider Veratad, with orders denied or canceled if verification cannot be completed. Nicokick and Northerner said they also limit sales to states where online nicotine pouch sales are permitted and comply with state-specific requirements, including flavor rules. Products sold on their platforms must show evidence of FDA submissions and undergo third-party quality testing.

    “With enforcement ramping up and scrutiny intensifying, responsible retailing isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the backbone of credibility, consumer protection, and the viability of the category’s future,” said Laura Leigh Oyler, vice president for regulatory affairs with Haypp Group (parent company of Nicokick and Northerner). “Our ambition is for Nicokick and Northerner to continue standing as paragons of responsibility in the online nicotine retail space.”

    Additional safeguards include sourcing products directly from manufacturers, applying order and SKU limits, using fraud-detection systems, and restricting marketing and promotions to adult audiences. The companies said educational resources and product information are provided to support informed use, positioning responsible retailing as central to the long-term viability of the nicotine pouch category.

  • Juul, NJOY, and Altria Battle Over Public Document Case

    Juul, NJOY, and Altria Battle Over Public Document Case

    Juul Labs asked a federal court in Arizona to block rivals NJOY and Altria from using documents hosted in a public University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) database, according to a joint court filing dated December 24. The dispute arises in an ongoing patent lawsuit, with Juul arguing that some documents were inadvertently disclosed during a large-scale production tied to state settlement agreements and remain protected by attorney–client privilege.

    NJOY and Altria oppose the request, saying the documents have been publicly accessible online for months or years and are therefore no longer privileged. They argue the materials may contain evidence relevant to alleged misconduct in Juul’s patent filings. After failed negotiations, the issue has been submitted to U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi, who will decide whether the publicly available documents can be excluded from use in the litigation.