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Category: Global Regulation

  • Philippines Eyes Tobacco Tax Changes as Illicits Worsen

    Philippines Eyes Tobacco Tax Changes as Illicits Worsen

    During the Philippines’ Senate Committee on Ways and Means hearing yesterday (May 19), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) assistant commissioner Jethro Sabariaga said cigarettes and heated-tobacco products should be taxed the same, but argued that vape products should be taxed much higher.

    “One vape product is not the same as the consumption of one pack of cigarettes,” Sabariaga said. “The government will be losing a lot as vape is consumed for a longer period of time.” 

    The BIR’s proposal comes as the Senate deliberated proposals to amend the excise tax on tobacco products amid worsening illicit trade. A counterpart measure in the House of Representatives seeks to lower the current tobacco excise tax rate, which increases 5% annually. Others proposed a unitary tax system for vapor products and ad valorem tax on vaping devices.

    During the same hearing, Philip Morris International-Fortune Tobacco Corp. maintained that the government needs to rationalize the tax rates amid ineffectiveness leading to lower government revenues. Instead of the 5% annual increase, PMFTC proposed an odd-even scheme for hiking the tobacco excise taxes: 0% every even-numbered year and 6% every odd-numbered year. PMFTC said such a scheme could boost revenues by up to P120 billion ($2.2 billion) every year.

  • Nepal to Require 100% Warnings on Tobacco Packaging

    Nepal to Require 100% Warnings on Tobacco Packaging

    Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population announced that it will increase the warning messages required on tobacco packaging from 90% to 100% effective August 17. It will be required that warning messages in Nepali and “fatal” color images be printed on the inside as well as outside of boxes, packets, wrappers, cartons, parcels, and packaging materials of cigarettes, bidi, chewing tobacco, loose tobacco, and gutkha.

    Ministry Secretary Gopi Krishna Regmi and Secretariat of Health Tax Fund, Kathmandu, said they are amending the Tobacco Products (Control and Regulatory) Act 2068 BS (2011) to prevent manufacturers from branding the products, and to keep homogeneity in the labeling of packages.

  • Malaysian State Gets Aggressive with Ads as it Eyes Vape Regs

    Malaysian State Gets Aggressive with Ads as it Eyes Vape Regs

    All local authorities in Selangor, Malaysia, have been instructed to immediately seize and confiscate advertisements related to e-cigarette products in the state, The Star reported. State public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin said the decision was made during a coordination meeting on May 16 to discuss the proposal of banning the sale of e-cigarettes.

    “This action is in line with the provisions of the Control of Tobacco Product for Public Health Act 2023 (Act 852), which explicitly prohibits any form of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship related to electronic smoking products,” she said in a statement today (May 20).

    Jamaliah said the meeting also examined various issues related to the use and sale of e-cigarettes, including enforcement challenges, licensing, legal aspects, and monitoring.

    “The issue of online sales was also discussed, as it is difficult to control and is often the main channel for teenagers to obtain these products,” she said. “According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2022 report, it is estimated that nearly 14.9% of male teenagers aged 13 to 17 in Malaysia use electronic cigarettes. This statistic is very worrying and calls for urgent proactive action at the state level.”

    Following this, she said the state government, through the Public Health Standing Committee, will hold a follow-up meeting soon to discuss policy options that should be considered before the final proposal is presented at the state executive council meeting for a decision.

  • Koplow Tabbed New CTP Chief

    Koplow Tabbed New CTP Chief

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary announced that Bret Koplow will be acting director of the Center for Tobacco Products, according to emailed announcements reported by Bloomberg.

    Koplow has worked for the agency in various roles since 2011, serving as senior counselor to the commissioner in the Immediate Office of the Commissioner since early 2020, where he focused principally on regulatory, policy, and operational matters involving CTP, including work on e-cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products. Before joining the Commissioner’s Immediate Office, he served as senior counsel in the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel, and before that served in the FDA’s Office of Legislation as the Senior Advisor for Oversight.

    The agency is facing pressure to crack down on illicit products, improve new product submission procedures, and change how it approaches foreign inspections.

    “Bret Koplow—an attorney and longtime FDA bureaucrat,” Gregory Conley, a harm-reduction advocate posted on X. “This would seem to signal the Biden era status quo will continue for now.”

    Makary also announced Elizabeth Miller will serve as the acting associate commissioner for the Office of Inspections and Investigations, filling two high-profile vacancies. The former top tobacco regulator, Brian King, was pushed out during agency-wide layoffs in April.

  • Maldives Warned Generational Ban Fraught with Problems

    Maldives Warned Generational Ban Fraught with Problems

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) responded to the Maldives’ proposed generational smoking ban, recognizing its public health intent but warning that prohibition without harm-reduction will likely repeat the mistakes of past tobacco control efforts. 

    The bill, submitted to Parliament in April, would prohibit tobacco sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2007, making it the first generational smoking ban in the Asia-Pacific region. CAPHRA acknowledged the ambition behind the move, but cautioned that such prohibition, without offering safer alternatives, risks driving tobacco use underground and failing to reduce smoking rates. 

    “The Maldives’ proposal shows a willingness to try new approaches, but history tells us prohibition alone does not work,” Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA, said. “When safer alternatives like vaping are banned, as in the Maldives since 2024, smokers are left with few options, and illicit markets thrive. We have seen similar outcomes in Australia and Denmark, where bans failed to reduce harm and instead fueled black markets.” 

    CAPHRA pointed to New Zealand’s abandoned generational ban and Malaysia’s stalled proposals as evidence “that such policies often create more problems than they solve.” The Maldives’ data shows a 38% increase in illicit tobacco trade since recent bans and tax hikes, while youth smoking remains high.

    “If the Maldives is serious about reducing smoking, it must look beyond age-based bans,” Loucas said. “Evidence from the UK and New Zealand demonstrates that regulated access to safer nicotine products, combined with education and support, delivers real progress. Prohibition without harm reduction simply pushes people toward unregulated and unsafe options.” 

  • Singapore’s Vape Crackdown Seized $31M in Products

    Singapore’s Vape Crackdown Seized $31M in Products

    Between January 2024 and March 2025, nearly 18,000 people were cited for possession and use of vapes in Singapore after authorities stepped up enforcement efforts, local officials said. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Ministry of Health said that e-vaporizers and related components worth more than S$41 million ($31.6 million) were seized over that span.

    Those guilty of having vape products can be fined up to S$2,000 ($1,540), while those who import or distribute can be fined up to S$10,000 ($7,700) and/or jailed for up to six months for a first offense.

    Those facing more serious charges include two people linked to an e-vaporizer syndicate case that involved more than S$5 million ($3.9 million) worth of the devices.

  • Monaco Tightens Tobacco Regs, Raises Legal Age to 18

    Monaco Tightens Tobacco Regs, Raises Legal Age to 18

    In an effort to “protect young people,” Monaco’s 18 National Council members unanimously adopted a bill that raises the age to buy tobacco products from 16 to 18, extends the number of places where smoking is banned, and bans disposable electronic devices. Bill 1104 amends Law 1346.

    Over the months, the bill, with its 14 articles, has been the subject of numerous amendments in response to several observations “testifying to a convergence of views between the institutions.”

  • Australia’s Latest Tobacco Regs Looming

    Australia’s Latest Tobacco Regs Looming

    Australian officials sent reminders to retailers that the nation’s harsh new tobacco regulations will be in full effect beginning July 1. The new regulations were announced in October 2024 and gave manufacturers five months to comply. Retailers were then given a three-month transition period to phase out old stock that will end in June.

    The new rules include banning certain flavors and ingredients that mask the taste of tobacco; using words like “smooth” or “gold” that make the product seem safer; having 20 sticks per pack and 10 packs per carton; making each cigarette the same size; and updating health warnings that will be printed on the packaging and products.

    According to the Daily Mail, cigarette prices in Australia are among the highest in the world due chiefly to heavy taxation. A standard 20-pack costs more than A$50 ($32.50), depending on the brand, with 70% of the retail price, A$35 ($22.75), going to the government as excise tax. Despite the tax increases, government revenue from tobacco dropped 39% as the tax hikes created a booming black market, with millions of Australians now buying illegal, counterfeit cigarettes sold in convenience stores. The Australian Tax Office estimates that nearly 20% of cigarettes smoked in the country come from criminal syndicates that evade taxes and sell at deep discounts.

  • Papua New Guinea Bans Vapes

    Papua New Guinea Bans Vapes

    Papua New Guinea’s Health Department declared an immediate ban on the importing and use of any form of vape products, effective immediately. Health Minister Elias Kapavore announced the ban May 13, saying he was concerned about the effects tobacco products had on people between the ages of 11 and 17 in the country.

    “As of [May 13], I want to say that we are signing off [on] the ban on e-cigarettes and it will be now formally issued though gazettal notice,” Kapavore said. “And once it’s published on the gazette, it will take seven days to get full effect for its full implementation, and any e-cigarette products coming to our country will be deemed illegal under our law.”

    The proposed ban prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes and their components. Those guilty of breaching the ban would face a K10,000 ($2,400) fine as an individual and K100,000 ($24,000) fine for a company. The company fine could be doubled for a “tobacco company.”

  • SKE Unveils Eight New Products Ahead of UK Disposables Ban

    SKE Unveils Eight New Products Ahead of UK Disposables Ban

    With the UK’s impending ban on disposable vapes looming, SKE recently unveiled a portfolio of eight new devices spanning pod systems, refillables, and advanced reusables to retailers, distributors, buyers, and the media.

    “We firmly believe that the regulatory changes within the UK represent an opportunity for innovation and change,” SKE’s UK Regional Director Chris Dong said. “As we launch our new brand look, SKE will keep leading the way — focusing on quality, ethics, and providing the products our customers really need.

    “This is a defining and significant moment for SKE as we introduce a more diverse product lineup which includes refillable pod systems, open systems with replaceable tanks, and vapor-free products, catering for all retail formats and to a wide range of consumers, from entry-level to premium product lines.”

    Upcoming devices in the new lineup will include the SKE BAR, a pre-filled pod system; the SKE 600 PRO, which contains magnetically-secured pods; a two-pod SKE CL2000 with transparent casing; the compact 8,000-puff SKE Airy 8000; the SKE PULX Air – an entry-level open system; the SKE PULX open system that features a 2.21 inch touchscreen display, smartphone Bluetooth pairing, and puff tracker; the SKE Edge X with triple-layer leak-proof technology; and the SKE Airknows, which features ceramic air heating without vapor production.