The Tobacco Control Alliance (TCA) said Georgia’s goal of becoming tobacco-free by 2040 is under threat due to the rapid rise in e-cigarette and heated tobacco use, particularly among young people. The 2025 Global Adult Tobacco Survey said smoking prevalence in the country fell from 33% to 24% over the past decade, but the TCA says alternative nicotine products are undermining progress. The TCA is urging stronger “tobacco endgame” measures, including equal taxation of all tobacco and nicotine products, tighter controls on e-cigarettes, flavor bans, higher age limits, and stricter enforcement, noting that tobacco-related economic damage far exceeds tax revenues and that public support for tougher policies is strong.
Category: Global Regulation
-
Hong Kong Cracking Down on Smoking at Construction Sites
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Labor and Welfare Chris Sun said contractors and subcontractors could face legal action if workers are caught smoking at construction or building-maintenance sites, as the government moves toward a blanket smoking ban across all such locations. Sun said legal liability would apply unless employers can demonstrate they have fulfilled their responsibilities to prevent smoking on site.
The proposed ban follows the deadly Tai To fire in November and would be implemented through amendments to subsidiary legislation expected to be submitted to the Legislative Council early next month. If approved, employers could face fines of up to HK$400,000 ($52,000) for violations. Sun said exemptions may apply where employers can show adequate preventive measures, such as clear no-smoking signage, designated cigarette disposal points, and CCTV monitoring, warning that failure to take such steps could form grounds for prosecution.
-
FDA Releases Meeting Materials for Zyn’s MRTP Application
Today (January 20), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released meeting materials ahead of a virtual meeting of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) to review modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) applications submitted by Swedish Match USA, Inc. for 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products. The materials include a draft agenda, background documents from both the applicant and the FDA, and draft questions for committee consideration, and are available on the FDA’s 2026 TPSAC Meeting Materials and Information page.
The virtual TPSAC meeting is scheduled for January 22. FDA opened Docket No. FDA-2025-N-0835-0020 for public comments related to the meeting, with submissions due by 11:59 p.m. ET on January 21. Comments specific to the ZYN MRTP applications may also be submitted under a separate docket, Docket No. FDA-2025-N-0835-0001, which was established on June 18, 2025.
Visit the event webpage to learn more about attending the meeting online
-
Taiwan Allows Travelers HTPs Only if Bought Locally
Taiwan announced revised customs rules that will allow visitors to possess up to 200 heated tobacco product sticks from February 1, but only if the products are purchased in duty-free shops at Taiwan’s airports or outlying islands. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said the change reflects the fact that the only heated tobacco products currently approved for sale in Taiwan are not available overseas, meaning travelers cannot legally import foreign products even within the new allowance.
Lo Su-ying, head of the Tobacco Control Division at the Health Promotion Administration (HPA), said only two companies have approved heated tobacco products and component combinations in Taiwan. Health authorities warned that travelers attempting to bring in unapproved heated tobacco sticks bought abroad will still be in violation of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act and face fines ranging from NT$50,000 to NT$5 million ($1,600 to $ 160,000). The HPA said it will step up public communication to ensure travelers understand the rules and avoid penalties.
-
Mexico Implements Vape Ban
Beginning today (January 16), Mexico has implemented a sweeping ban on the marketing, importation, and sale of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices following a reform to the General Health Law published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. The measure establishes an absolute prohibition covering all electronic smoking devices, including disposable, rechargeable, and nicotine-free products, as well as their accessories and substances, and bars any form of advertising or promotion in all media.
While personal possession and consumption will remain legal as long as there is no commercial intent, violations of the new rules may result in prison sentences of one to eight years and fines of up to 2,000 times the daily value of the Unit of Measurement and Update (UMA). Health authorities are also empowered to seize products and shut down noncompliant establishments.
-
Guam Police Required for School Smoking Incidents
Police in Guam will now respond to incidents involving students vaping or using tobacco products on public school campuses following a policy update by the Guam Department of Education (GDOE). Under revised Student Discipline SOP 1200-018, nicotine violations are now classified as behaviors requiring mandatory contact with the Guam Police Department (GPD).
Under the new procedure, GPD officers will confiscate tobacco or vaping devices, document the incident, issue a notice to appear before the Juvenile Section, and forward cases to the Office of the Attorney General. The policy takes effect immediately after school administrators confirm a violation and notify a student’s parent or guardian, at which point GDOE will initiate a call for police service.
GDOE said the change follows a rise in vaping and nicotine violations on campuses and guidance from GPD leadership, citing the need to enforce the Youth Protection Act of 2017.
-
FDA Extending Info Collection for Smokeless Products
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has submitted a proposed extension of an existing information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act, covering warning plans for certain smokeless tobacco products. The collection, assigned OMB Control Number 0910-0671, relates to statutory requirements that smokeless tobacco packaging and advertising carry one of four mandated health warnings, randomly displayed and rotated quarterly in accordance with FDA-approved warning plans. FDA said manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers must submit these plans for review, either electronically via the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) Portal or in paper form.
Public comments on the proposal must be submitted through reginfo.gov within 30 days of Federal Register publication, and FDA noted that two comments received during an earlier 60-day notice period were not related to paperwork burden issues.
-
Indonesia Hopes Simplifying Excises Will Reduce Illicits
Indonesia is preparing to introduce an additional cigarette excise tax layer in 2026 as part of efforts to curb illegal tobacco and draw illicit producers into the formal market. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the proposal is still under discussion but could be confirmed soon, with regulations potentially issued next week. The move is intended to complement the gradual simplification of the cigarette excise (CHT) structure, which has been reduced from 19 tiers in 2009 to eight under the current framework, while pairing incentives with stricter enforcement for non-compliance.
Authorities underscored the scale of the illicit trade challenge, noting that Customs and Excise has seized around 1.4 billion illegal cigarettes through more than 20,000 enforcement actions since the beginning of 2025, including a recent seizure of 160 million cigarettes from a warehouse in Pekanbaru, Riau. In value terms, illegal cigarette seizures reached Rp9.8 trillion ($564 million) in 2025, up 2.1% year on year, highlighting the government’s intensified crackdown alongside planned excise reforms.
-
COSH Studies Find Approval of Hong Kong Tobacco Control
As policymakers in Hong Kong continue tightening smoking restrictions, a new survey commissioned by the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) says that 89% of residents support expanding smoke-free areas, with 60% supporting a smoking ban in all outdoor areas. The University of Hong Kong-led poll of 5,600 respondents found exposure to secondhand smoke remains a common complaint on pavements and roadsides.
Hong Kong has already doubled fixed penalties for smoking offences to HK$3,000 ($390) and expanded no-smoking zones, with further measures planned, including restrictions on alternative smoking products and potential future steps such as plain packaging, duty stamps, and a ban on flavored tobacco targeted for 2027.
In a separate modelling likewise commissioned by COSH, the Chinese University of Hong Kong estimated that increasing the tobacco tax to 75% of the retail price, followed by annual hikes, could lower smoking rates below 10% by 2037.
-
Vietnam Looking to Tighten Tobacco Control, Include Vape and HTP
A draft revision released today (January 13) to Vietnam’s Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms signals a tougher regulatory stance on cigarettes and next-generation products, with measures aimed at strengthening public-health protections and limiting industry and special-interest influence. The proposal would require health warnings to cover at least 85% of cigarette packaging and expand smoking-cessation and detoxification provisions to include e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, reflecting reported rising nicotine dependence from alternative products. The amended law is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027, providing a transition period for regulators, local governments, and consumers, and marks a shift toward more proactive risk control—particularly for youth—by tightening definitions, advertising rules, retail practices, and cessation requirements across the tobacco and NGP categories.