Guyana restricted the importation of vaping products, devices, components, and related substances under an order signed Nov. 10 by Finance Minister Ashni Singh. The Customs (Amendment of Second Schedule) Order 2026 prohibits imports without written approval from the health minister, limited to products intended for scientific research, training, or medical purposes. The restriction covers products regardless of whether they contain or are intended for use with nicotine, tobacco, cannabis, cannabinoids, or other substances. President Irfaan Ali previously announced the planned restrictions, citing concerns about youth vaping and the largely unregulated importation and sale of vaping products.
Category: Global Regulation
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Korean Health Experts Call for 89% Cigarette Price Increase
South Korean health policy experts called for raising the price of a pack of cigarettes from 4,500 won ($3.10) to 8,500 won ($5.90), to reduce smoking rates and increase tobacco tax revenue. The proposal was presented Nov. 10 at a forum hosted by the National Academy of Medicine of Korea and the Korea Medical and Bio Reporters Association in Seoul. Park Eun-chul, the academy’s vice president for health policy, said that cigarette prices have remained unchanged since 2015, and the current price ranks low among OECD countries, even after adjusting for purchasing power.
Park estimated that the increase would reduce cigarette sales volume by 35.6%, lower the adult smoking rate from 17% to 14%, and generate an additional 2.76 trillion won ($1.9 billion) in annual tobacco-related tax revenue.
Experts also called for broader regulation of tobacco and electronic inhalable products. Lee Sung-kyu, head of the Korea Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, said imports of nicotine-free e-liquids during the first eight months of 2026 exceeded twice the total for all of 2025, following a decline in synthetic nicotine liquid imports after amendments to the Tobacco Business Act. He also noted that nicotine pouches from companies including KT&G and Philip Morris Korea are awaiting entry into the domestic market. Park called for replacing the existing law with a broader framework covering tobacco and electronic inhalable products.
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Indonesia’s MUI Declares Vapes Haram
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) declared the use, production, and sale of e-cigarettes and vapes haram (forbidden) under Fatwa No. 131 of 2026, signed Nov. 6 in Jakarta. The MUI cited health risks, environmental damage, nicotine addiction, and concerns that vaping devices could be used to consume narcotics, psychotropic substances, and other addictive drugs. The fatwa also explicitly prohibits using vapes to consume those substances and extends the prohibition to the production and trade of e-cigarettes.
The MUI urged the Indonesian government and House of Representatives to draft legislation banning vaping and establishing penalties. It also called on the government to take immediate steps to control the distribution of e-cigarettes and protect the public from their alleged negative effects. The fatwa was signed by MUI Fatwa Commission Chairman Asrorun Niam Sholeh and Deputy Secretary General Aminuddin Yaqub, and acknowledged by MUI Chairman Anwar Iskandar and Secretary General Amirsyah Tambunan.
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T&T Association Seeks 25% Tobacco Excise Tax Reduction
The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) is urging the government to extend to tobacco manufacturers the 25% excise tax reduction granted to the alcohol industry, citing rising illicit cigarette sales and declining competitiveness among legitimate businesses. TTMA President Emil Ramkissoon made the request at the association’s awards dinner, saying illicit tobacco trade already exceeds 12.5% of the market and could increase following the implementation of a 100% excise tax on tobacco products.
Ramkissoon also cited customs efficiency, port operations, regulatory processes, and the broader ease of doing business as priorities for local manufacturers.
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Kenya Proposes Fine, 10-Year Prison Term for Shisha Violations
Kenya’s Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs Control Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026, introduced by parliamentary majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah, proposes prohibiting the production, sale, and promotion of shisha. The bill has completed its first reading in Parliament and would amend the country’s tobacco control law to classify shisha, with or without flavorings, as a tobacco product. It also proposes prohibiting the promotion, facilitation, or encouragement of shisha smoking and the use of nicotine pouches. Violations could carry fines of up to 5 million Kenyan shillings ($38,500), imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.
The proposed legislation would also increase penalties for smoking in prohibited places to a maximum fine of Sh100,000 ($770) and one year in prison. The same maximum penalties would apply to retailers selling cigarette packs containing fewer than 10 cigarettes. If adopted, Kenya would join Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda in banning shisha.
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PouchSpot Maps Potential Impact of EU Pouch Tax Proposal
PouchSpot published a map estimating how the European Union’s proposed tobacco tax package could affect nicotine pouch prices in all 27 member states ahead of a Nov. 9 meeting of EU finance ministers. Using the proposed compromise rates, the company estimates that 10 countries would have to increase pouch taxes beginning in 2028 and 15 by 2032. Germany, Ireland, Croatia, and Slovenia currently have no excise tax on nicotine pouches; a typical 12-gram can in those markets would cost approximately €0.44 more, including VAT, under the initial proposal and about €1.15 more by 2032. Denmark, Finland, and Latvia already impose taxes exceeding €2 per can before VAT.
PouchSpot calculated the estimates using existing national tax laws and tax authority data, comparing each country’s current excise burden with the proposed EU minimum and adding applicable VAT to the difference. For a typical €5 can, the analysis uses the proposed per-kilogram minimum because it produces the lower tax than the alternative retail-price-based calculation. Denmark’s nicotine-content-based tax and Finland’s additional price-based component required separate assumptions based on a 20-pouch can containing 10 mg of nicotine per pouch.
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Italy Accelerates Tobacco Tax Increases
Italy’s 2027-2029 Budget Bill would accelerate previously scheduled tobacco excise increases by six months, resulting in two cigarette price increases in 2027. The first is scheduled for January under Law 199/2025, with a second taking effect July 1. According to the bill’s technical report, a pack of cigarettes would increase 10 to 13 cents per pack, depending on the price category.
The changes also affect other tobacco and nicotine products. The minimum excise duty on hand-rolling tobacco would increase from €165.50 to €169.50 per kilogram, while the rate would rise from 60.9% to 61.1%. The excise rate on heated tobacco, calculated against the cigarette equivalent, would increase from 41% to 42%. For e-cigarette liquids, the rate would rise from 20% to 22% for nicotine-containing products and from 15% to 17% for nicotine-free products.
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Korea’s Tobacco Plan Draws Criticism Over Gaps, Cuts
South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced the country’s first five-year tobacco harmfulness management plan, covering 2027-2031. The plan calls for expanding the number of harmful substances tested by 2030 to about 50 for conventional cigarettes and heated tobacco products and 30 for liquid e-cigarettes. Smokeless tobacco and water-pipe tobacco would also be added to the testing program. The government also plans to accelerate testing requests for new products by up to 17 months and develop additional testing methods for harmful substances and additives.
The plan has drawn criticism for largely excluding nicotine analogs and nicotine-free products, which are not classified as tobacco under South Korea’s Tobacco Business Act. Imports of nicotine-free products have doubled this year, while online sales of nicotine analog products have increased. Critics also questioned the plan’s limited provisions for flavored tobacco products, whose market share rose from 9.8% in 2013 to 46.5% in 2023. Separately, the proposed 2027 budget for smoking prevention and cessation programs is 79.5 billion won ($58.8 million), down 14.4% from this year’s 92.9 billion won ($68.7 million).
(Nov. 4 update)
Details of South Korea’s Plan to Expand Tobacco Ingredient Testing
South Korea offered more details about its plan to expand testing of harmful ingredients in tobacco products under its first five-year Tobacco Hazard Management Plan for 2027–2031, announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. By 2030, testing requirements for heated tobacco products and cigarettes will increase from 44 to about 50 ingredients, while testing for liquid e-cigarettes will expand from 20 to about 30. Smokeless tobacco and hookah will also become subject to testing.
The plan will require manufacturers and importers to provide more detailed ingredient information, including the intended use of each ingredient, and establish random, unannounced inspections to verify submissions. Companies will also have to request testing for new tobacco products within one month of launch, rather than six months. The government plans to expand public disclosure of ingredient information and use the data to inform tobacco-control policies. It aims to reduce adult tobacco-use rates by 2030 from 36.3% to 29% among men and from 8.6% to 6% among women.
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PA Can Enforce Vape Directory Law During Appeal
A federal judge has rejected a request from vape businesses to temporarily block enforcement of Pennsylvania’s Act 57 while they appeal a ruling upholding the law. U.S. District Judge Julia Munley denied the request, allowing enforcement to continue. The law, which took effect Oct. 19, prohibits the sale of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes not listed in the state’s approved product directory.
The plaintiffs, including MMA Group 1 Inc., which operates Tobacco Hut stores, and several distributors and vape businesses, sued in May, arguing that Act 57 is preempted by federal law and interferes with the FDA’s regulatory authority. Munley granted summary judgment to Pennsylvania on the federal preemption claims Oct. 14, finding that the law regulates retail sales rather than imposing separate federal premarket approval requirements. The plaintiffs appealed to the Third Circuit and sought a temporary stay, which Munley denied Oct. 28.
Act 57 requires nicotine e-cigarettes to have FDA marketing authorization or qualify under specified pending application provisions to be listed in the state directory. Unlisted products are subject to seizure and destruction, with penalties ranging from $500 per product for a first violation to $1,500 per product per day for repeat violations.
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UK Bans Sales of Nicotine Products to Under-18s
The U.K. extended its age-of-sale restrictions to all nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, strips, and pearls, as well as nicotine-free vapes, effective Oct. 29 under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. The changes apply across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The law also prohibits adults from buying vaping or nicotine products on behalf of under-18s and bans promotional giveaways, substantial promotional discounts, and vending-machine sales of vaping and nicotine products. Retailers face fixed penalty notices of £200 for relevant offenses in England, Wales, and Scotland, with Northern Ireland’s penalty subject to approval by its assembly.
Haypp’s Dr. Marina Murphy said the new age restrictions close a legal loophole that had allowed nicotine pouches to be sold to under-18s because they contain no tobacco and are not inhaled.
Scotland is separately requiring retailers selling tobacco, vaping, nicotine, and herbal smoking products to register by April 29, 2027.