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Category: Global Regulation

  • Nigeria’s Public Health Advocates Want 2,200% Increase for Tobacco Control

    Nigeria’s Public Health Advocates Want 2,200% Increase for Tobacco Control

    Public health groups are urging Nigeria’s federal government to increase annual tobacco-control funding from N13 million ($9,490) to at least N300 million ($219,000), saying current funding is insufficient for enforcement, public education, research, cessation services, and monitoring of the tobacco industry. Allocations increased from N4.7 million ($3,431) in 2023, but advocates say the program remains heavily dependent on international donors.

    The Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids are calling for a dedicated funding mechanism, potentially through earmarking part of tobacco tax revenues for tobacco-control programs. They cited an estimated N526.4 billion ($384 million) in tobacco-related healthcare costs in 2019, and WHO estimates Nigeria has more than 3.5 million tobacco users.

  • Vietnam Advances Ban on New Nicotine Products

    Vietnam Advances Ban on New Nicotine Products

    Vietnam is amending its Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms to strengthen restrictions on new nicotine products. The government has endorsed a ban on the production, trading, storage, transportation, advertising, promotion, sponsorship, and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other novel tobacco products, along with a ban on tobacco-product displays at wholesale and retail outlets.

    The measures aim to curb rising use among young people. Health officials also cited the emergence of nicotine pouches and argued that a sale-only ban would be insufficient. Resolution No. 160/NQ-CP endorses the policy framework, with the amended law expected to define regulated products, restrictions and enforcement responsibilities clearly.

  • Iceland Proposes Plain Packaging, Tighter Controls

    Iceland Proposes Plain Packaging, Tighter Controls

    Iceland proposed plain packaging for all tobacco products and new restrictions on nicotine products under a draft bill from the Health Minister. The measures would standardize packaging, set a maximum nicotine content, allow restrictions on flavored nicotine products, and tighten online, cross-border, and home-delivery sales.

    The bill would align rules for cigarettes and e-cigarettes, strengthen penalties, and expand restrictions on where tobacco and nicotine products can be used, with exemptions for some nursing-home residents and hospital patients. The proposal follows Norway’s 2018 plain-packaging rules, although research cited in the draft material found little or no measurable effect from the policy.

  • EU: Italy, Greece Oppose Irish Bill on Nicotine Products

    EU: Italy, Greece Oppose Irish Bill on Nicotine Products

    According to Generation Sans Tabac, Italy and Greece submitted detailed opinions to the European Commission under the EU’s TRIS notification procedure opposing Ireland’s proposed legislation to tighten regulation of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. The Irish bill would ban non-tobacco flavors, prohibit flavor-related product names, introduce plain packaging, restrict retail and online product displays, and extend these measures to nicotine pouches. Both countries argued that the proposals could create barriers to trade and conflict with the EU’s ongoing revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD).

    Italy questioned the proportionality of measures such as flavor bans, plain packaging, and display restrictions, arguing that less restrictive alternatives — including stronger age verification and market surveillance — should be considered. Greece raised concerns over increased compliance costs and market fragmentation, particularly for manufacturers and exporters of nicotine products. The detailed opinions extend the standstill period for Ireland’s draft law until October 7, delaying its potential implementation while the European Commission reviews the objections.

  • Officials Urge Philippines to Prioritize Smoke- and Vape-Free Spaces

    Officials Urge Philippines to Prioritize Smoke- and Vape-Free Spaces

    Local government officials across the Philippines are calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify as urgent House Bill 9603, the proposed Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Environment Act, ahead of his State of the Nation Address. The bill would establish national standards for smoke- and vape-free public spaces and workplaces, strengthen enforcement, and provide funding for local implementation, while not banning cigarettes or vaping products outright.

    The proposal is backed by governors, mayors, and health officials who argue national legislation is needed to reinforce local smoke-free ordinances. Supporters also want the removal of indoor smoking and vaping areas, expanded smoke-free zones, stronger enforcement mechanisms and increased penalties for violations. The push comes four years after the Philippines’ Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act took effect and amid ongoing debate over youth vaping and secondhand smoke exposure.

  • Kenya Overturns Enforcement of Shisha Ban

    Kenya Overturns Enforcement of Shisha Ban

    Kenya’s High Court ruled that the country’s 2017 shisha regulations are no longer legally enforceable, finding the government failed to correct procedural defects within the nine-month period ordered by the court in 2018. Justice Bahati Mwamuye declared that continued enforcement of the ban, including government directives and press releases issued in 2025, was unlawful and unconstitutional.

    The ruling prevents authorities from enforcing the 2017 shisha regulations against members of the Novel Tobacco Products Association and invalidates recent government crackdowns based on those rules. The court also held that tobacco products cannot be prohibited through subsidiary legislation that fails to comply with statutory requirements, effectively lifting enforcement of Kenya’s longstanding shisha ban until valid regulations are enacted.

  • Tennessee Increases Penalties for Fake IDs for Nicotine

    Tennessee Increases Penalties for Fake IDs for Nicotine

    A new Tennessee law will increase penalties for people under 21 who use fake identification to purchase nicotine or hemp products, imposing fines of $10 to $50. The measure also allows courts to order up to 50 hours of community service or participation in a court-approved program for repeat violations within one year, while parents or guardians of minors may also face financial penalties.

    The law expands Tennessee’s existing restrictions on underage purchases of nicotine and hemp products. Nashville Thrives, a substance use prevention coalition, said it also supports creating a state nicotine retail licensing system, arguing it would strengthen enforcement and help reduce illegal sales to minors.

  • Australia Tightens Import Controls on Nicotine Pouches

    Australia Tightens Import Controls on Nicotine Pouches

    Australia strengthened regulation of nicotine pouches under new rules that took effect over the weekend, placing the products under the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s therapeutic goods framework. The changes restrict the import of unapproved nicotine pouches, extending Australia’s strict regulatory approach beyond nicotine vaping products to another smoke-free nicotine category.

    The new rules do not prohibit all nicotine pouch use but require products to meet regulatory approval requirements before they can be legally imported or supplied. The move aligns nicotine pouches with Australia’s existing controls on nicotine products and reflects the country’s continued focus on regulating emerging nicotine alternatives through therapeutic product oversight.

  • Filipino Leaders Press for Smoke-Free Bill

    Filipino Leaders Press for Smoke-Free Bill

    A coalition of Philippine local government leaders is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify House Bill 9603, the Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Environment Bill, as urgent legislation. The proposed measure would establish a nationwide ban on smoking and vaping in indoor public spaces and workplaces, building on smoke-free ordinances already adopted by several cities and provinces.

    Supporters say the bill would strengthen enforcement, expand smoke-free zones, fund cessation programs, and create incentives for local governments that effectively implement tobacco and vaping control measures.

  • Dutch Seize 1.2M Counterfeit Cigarettes at German Border  

    Dutch Seize 1.2M Counterfeit Cigarettes at German Border  

    Dutch authorities seized 1.2 million counterfeit cigarettes from a van near the German border during a joint Dutch-German police operation on the A7 near Bad Nieuweschans, arresting one suspect and transferring the case to customs for investigation. The seizure brings total illicit cigarette seizures in the Netherlands to 106 million so far this year, as authorities step up enforcement against tobacco smuggling amid high cigarette prices that have fueled demand for black market and cross-border tobacco purchases.