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Category: News This Week

  • Georgia Wants Declining Smoking Rate Down Quicker

    Georgia Wants Declining Smoking Rate Down Quicker

    Georgia’s National Center for Disease Control and Public Health presented new findings from studies conducted under the Global Tobacco Surveillance System, finding 25.4% of adults and 14% of young people in the country use tobacco products. Despite the gradual decline in overall consumption, Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze said reducing tobacco use remains a key public health priority and stressed the importance of evidence-based policymaking in shaping effective tobacco control measures. While welcoming the downward trend, the NCDC noted that stronger action is still needed to further reduce tobacco use.

    The nationwide surveys, carried out between 2023 and 2025, have already informed Georgia’s National Tobacco Control Strategy for 2026–2030.

  • Italians Bust Illicit Factory Making 4M Cigarettes Per Day

    Italians Bust Illicit Factory Making 4M Cigarettes Per Day

    Italian and European authorities dismantled a large illegal tobacco factory near Rome capable of producing up to 4 million counterfeit cigarettes a day, according to statements from Italy’s Guardia di Finanza and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). The main site, located in Pomezia, about 30 km south of Rome, manufactured cigarettes bearing well-known international brands.

    During coordinated raids, officers seized 27 tons of finished cigarettes, 19 tons of raw tobacco, large quantities of packaging materials, and four lorries (trailer trucks). A second facility in Ferentino, used for the storage of materials and finished products, was also uncovered. Seven men from Ukraine and Bulgaria were referred to judicial authorities on charges related to tobacco smuggling and trademark counterfeiting.

    Authorities estimate the operation generated products worth about €700,000 per day, or €240 million annually, resulting in roughly €160 million in unpaid taxes and excise duties. Investigators said the suspects used jamming devices and surveillance countermeasures to evade detection, with the sites ultimately identified through drones, video surveillance, and extended monitoring.

  • Romania Fines PM, Two Others, $31M for Competition Violations

    Romania Fines PM, Two Others, $31M for Competition Violations

    Romania’s Competition Council fined Philip Morris Trading and its distributors, Interbrands Orbico and Mediaposte Hit Mail, a total of RON 135.2 million ($31.1 million) for anti-competitive practices in the heated tobacco products market. The authority found that the companies had entered into agreements to fix resale prices for Philip Morris’ IQOS products, restricting competition. The decision is immediately enforceable.

    Philip Morris Trading received the largest fine of RON 79 million ($18.2 million), while Interbrands Orbico was fined RON 52 million ($12 million) and Mediaposte Hit Mail the remainder. Interbrands Orbico admitted breaching Romania’s Competition Law and benefited from a reduced penalty. The investigation concluded that resale prices, promotional discounts, and marketing campaigns were set or approved by the supplier, limiting distributors’ ability to independently determine pricing.

    Philip Morris Trading denied any wrongdoing and said its activities comply with Romanian law, adding that it is reviewing options to challenge the decision. Competition Council president Bogdan Chirițoiu said the agreements harmed consumers by undermining free pricing and competition, stressing that companies must set their commercial policies independently.

  • China Calls for Full-Crackdown on Illicit Tobacco Products

    China Calls for Full-Crackdown on Illicit Tobacco Products

    China’s State Council has issued new policy guidance aimed at cracking down on tobacco-related illegal activities across the entire supply chain, seeking to address persistent problems such as counterfeiting, smuggling, and intellectual property infringement. The document, titled Opinions on Combating Tobacco-related Illegal Activities in the Whole Chain, outlines targeted measures to clean up the tobacco market and protect national interests and consumer rights.

    The Opinions call for intensified action against overseas counterfeiting and the smuggling of tobacco into China, including stronger law enforcement cooperation with other countries, tighter sea and land border controls, and stricter oversight of ports, transit trade, and cross-border logistics. Authorities are also instructed to strengthen risk control over international transport and parcels, and to curb smuggling through cross-border e-commerce and transportation personnel.

    Domestically, the policy mandates a high-pressure crackdown on illegal production, storage, transport, and sale of tobacco products, including counterfeit cigarettes and unapproved nicotine products. It also tightens supervision of e-cigarettes and bans the unauthorized manufacture and sale of tobacco-like products and simple cigarette-making equipment. The State Council stressed the need for stronger inter-agency coordination, professionalized enforcement teams, and strict, standardized law enforcement, urging local governments and departments to fully assume responsibility for implementing the measures.

  • Türkiye Working to Cut Smoking Rate

    Türkiye Working to Cut Smoking Rate

    Türkiye’s Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said that smoking remains one of the country’s most serious public health challenges, with nearly one in three people using tobacco. Speaking in Ankara, he called for urgent action to reduce smoking rates and said Türkiye should no longer rank among Europe’s heaviest-smoking nations.

    Memişoğlu said Türkiye is among the world’s top three countries for lung cancer cases, and stressed that most smokers want to quit and outlined expanded government efforts, including free smoking cessation services, mobile clinics in public spaces, and counseling and medication offered through family health and healthy life centers.

    The minister also highlighted broader investments in preventive healthcare, including the expansion of family health centers and healthy life centers focused on early diagnosis, screenings, and lifestyle guidance.

  • EU to Tighten Cross-Border Tobacco, Alcohol Limits?

    EU to Tighten Cross-Border Tobacco, Alcohol Limits?

    Several EU member states have proposed tightening single-market rules on the personal import of tobacco products, as part of discussions on revising the Tobacco Taxation Directive (TED), according to Euractiv. Denmark, which holds the EU Council presidency, floated the idea in early December, suggesting stricter limits on cross-border tobacco imports under Article 32 of the Excise Duty Directive, alongside more moderate tax increases. The move aims to curb cross-border shopping that undermines high-tax anti-smoking policies in countries such as France.

    Currently, individuals can import up to 800 cigarettes for personal use. A number of countries, including France, Germany, Finland, and Estonia, have expressed openness to lowering this threshold, with some also supporting limits on alternative tobacco products like heated tobacco.

    The European Commission has been cautious, indicating that changes to Article 32 may fall outside the scope of the TED. Some member states have also noted that the rules apply to alcohol as well, prompting calls from countries such as Finland, Estonia, and Germany to extend any revisions to alcoholic beverages.

  • Ireland Moving Toward Single-Use Vape Ban

    Ireland Moving Toward Single-Use Vape Ban

    Ireland’s Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, on behalf of the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, will today (December 17) begin the passage of the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025 through the Oireachtas. The Bill, introduced at Second Stage in Dáil Éireann, proposes a ban on the sale of single-use vapes. The measure aims to reduce smoking and vaping rates and to prevent children and young people from starting to use nicotine.

    The Government has highlighted the rapid growth of single-use vapes in Ireland, rising youth vaping rates, and concerns that their low cost, ease of use, and appealing designs target young people. The legislation also addresses environmental impacts, citing the waste and damage caused by disposable vaping products. O’Connor described the legislation as a preventative step to curb nicotine addiction among young people and prevent long-term dependence.

  • Effected Oral Bacteria Could be Harnessed for Cessation: Study

    Effected Oral Bacteria Could be Harnessed for Cessation: Study

    A study by Dr. Nishant Mehta, associate professor at PGIMER (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research), Chandigarh, India, found that prolonged use of smokeless tobacco alters the oral microbiome, promoting the growth of bacteria capable of breaking down nicotine. The research suggests these “nicotinophilic” microbes adapt to repeated nicotine exposure by using it as an energy source. The findings indicate that these microbial changes could potentially be harnessed to support future tobacco cessation strategies.

    Presented at the 29th IAPHD National Conference (NATCON 2025) in Mangaluru, the study earned the Best Paper Award. Researchers analyzed saliva samples from smokeless tobacco users using advanced molecular techniques and confirmed that certain oral bacteria can actively metabolize nicotine. While further research is needed, experts say the study offers a new biological perspective on nicotine dependence and oral health.

  • Illicit Tobacco Cost S. Africa $2.4B Over Last Five Years

    Illicit Tobacco Cost S. Africa $2.4B Over Last Five Years

    South Africa’s Revenue Service (Sars) estimates it lost R40 billion ($2.4 billion) in excise revenue between 2020 and 2025 due to the illicit tobacco trade, a problem that worsened during the Covid-19 ban on cigarette and tobacco sales, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said. Responding to a parliamentary question, Godongwana said the National Treasury has adopted a differentiated approach to excise duty increases, taking into account market dynamics, illicit trade, and fiscal needs.

    Tobacco producers have suggested that high excise duties have pushed consumers toward cheaper illegal cigarettes, deepening black-market activity; however, Godongwana counters that excise duties on cigarettes have not been raised above inflation since the 2023 budget, helping cigarette and tobacco excise revenue recover 8.7% to R9bn ($540 million) in 2024/25, though still below pre-pandemic levels.

    To curb illicit trade, Sars has stepped up enforcement, recording 576 seizures worth R265 million ($15.9 million) in 2024/25 and 233 seizures worth R135.5 million ($8.1 million) so far in 2025. Measures include audits, license suspensions, and CCTV monitoring at manufacturing sites.

  • Vape Reps Appeal Mississippi Law to 5th Circ.

    Vape Reps Appeal Mississippi Law to 5th Circ.

    A coalition of businesses that sell vape products containing synthetic nicotine appealed a U.S. federal court’s refusal to block a Mississippi law restricting the sale of those products. The groups are taking the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi denied their request for a temporary injunction.

    The contested state law, House Bill 916, which took effect in July 2025, bans the sale of e-cigarette products containing synthetic nicotine in Mississippi. Enforcement, including penalties and product confiscations, began later in the year.

    The plaintiffs, including industry groups such as the Vapor Technology Association and several retailers, argue the law is preempted by federal authority under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, asserting that it effectively conditions sales on FDA marketing authorization—a domain they say belongs exclusively to the federal government.

    Mississippi’s Department of Revenue Commissioner Chris Graham is named as the defendant in the appeal.