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Category: Global Regulation

  • California Publishes First Unflavored Tobacco List

    California Publishes First Unflavored Tobacco List

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the release of the state’s first-ever Unflavored Tobacco List (UTL), created under Assembly Bill 3218 (Wood, 2024). The list identifies unflavored tobacco products that may be legally sold under California’s flavored tobacco restrictions. Any covered product not included on the UTL is deemed flavored and prohibited from sale.

    To be considered for the initial list, manufacturers and importers were required to submit applications by October 9, 2025. All timely submissions have now received a determination, while ongoing registrations remain open. State officials warned that products not registered and listed on the UTL are subject to seizure and penalties.

    Enforcement of the flavored tobacco ban is led by the California Department of Public Health, with support from the Department of Tax and Fee Administration and state and local law enforcement. While enforcement will prioritize clearly flavored products, authorities said the UTL is intended to provide clarity for regulators, retailers and manufacturers and strengthen oversight aimed at reducing youth tobacco use.

  • Alabama Bill Would Extend Indoor Smoking Ban to Vaping

    Alabama Bill Would Extend Indoor Smoking Ban to Vaping

    Alabama’s Senate Bill 9 would update the state’s indoor air quality laws by treating e-cigarettes and other vaping devices the same as traditional tobacco smoking in indoor public places. Sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen (R), the bill is set for review by the Healthcare Committee and would rename the Alabama Clean Indoor Air Act in honor of civil rights attorney and public health advocate Vivian Davis Figures.

    The legislation expands the definition of “smoking” to include vaping, banning e-cigarette use in the same indoor locations where smoking is already prohibited, including workplaces, restaurants, government buildings, schools, hospitals, retail spaces, airports, and public transport. SB9 does not add new penalties or enforcement powers, but applies existing rules to vaping, requiring businesses to update signage and policies while leaving sales, flavors, age limits, and outdoor use unchanged.

  • Over a Fifth of Irish Vape Shops Caught Selling to Minors

    Over a Fifth of Irish Vape Shops Caught Selling to Minors

    More than 22% of vape shops inspected in Ireland were found selling vaping products to under-18s despite a legal ban in place since December 2023, according to figures from the Health Service Executive (HSE). Between January and October last year, 51 out of 224 retailers failed test-purchase checks conducted by inspectors, up from 40 violations recorded in 2024.
    The HSE’s National Environmental Health Service, which gained test-purchasing powers in March 2024, carried out hundreds of inspections to enforce the law. Retailers caught selling vapes to minors face fines of up to €4,000 and up to six months in prison. Authorities also issued dozens of prohibition orders against shops selling unregulated products.
    The data emerged in response to a parliamentary question, as Ireland considers further tightening vape laws. A proposed bill would ban disposable vapes, restrict flavors, and limit packaging colors and imagery to reduce youth appeal and environmental harm. Lawmakers are calling for even tougher measures, arguing that flavored and brightly packaged vapes continue to target young people despite existing restrictions.

  • Croatia Raises Tobacco Taxes

    Croatia Raises Tobacco Taxes

    Croatia increased excise duties on cigarettes, tobacco products, and e-liquids from the start of the new year, pushing cigarette prices up by as much as €0.20 per pack, according to public broadcaster HRT. The government expects the tax hikes to generate nearly €130 million in additional revenue and says the measures are intended to curb smoking and nicotine use as part of its public health strategy.

    Business groups cautioned against sharp increases, warning they could drive consumers toward the black market. Smoking remains widespread in Croatia, with about 900,000 smokers and high usage among youth, including e-cigarettes. Tobacco production also remains economically significant, with around 300 domestic producers accounting for roughly 6% of European output and generating about €400 million annually.

  • Retailers Feeling Huge Hit as Denver Flavor Ban Begins

    Retailers Feeling Huge Hit as Denver Flavor Ban Begins

    Denver began enforcing its ban on flavored nicotine and tobacco products as of January 1, following voter approval of Referendum 310 in the November election with nearly 72% support. The measure, originally passed by the Denver City Council in 2024, prohibits the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco, while exempting hookah tobacco sold at licensed hookah retailers. Possession and use of flavored products remain legal.

    About 575 tobacco retailers in Denver are affected. Enforcement is being led by the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment through routine and undercover inspections. Retailers found in violation face escalating penalties, starting with a minimum 30-day suspension after two violations within a year and extending to up to one year for repeated offenses. From 2027, the suspension thresholds will tighten further.

    Vape and smoke shop operators say the ban is already having a major business impact. Some retailers report losing up to half of their revenue tied to flavored products and are exploring alternatives such as expanding non-flavored inventory, shifting operations outside Denver, or increasing online sales.

  • Bangladesh Bans Vapes, Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Bangladesh Bans Vapes, Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Bangladesh’s interim government issued an ordinance banning e-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products, significantly tightening the country’s tobacco control regime. The Smoking and Tobacco Products Use (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, promulgated on December 31, expands the definition of tobacco to include electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches, bringing them under a single legal framework. Smoking and the use of all tobacco products are now prohibited in all public places and on public transport, with fines raised to a maximum of Tk 2,000 ($16.40).

    The ordinance makes the production, import, export, storage, sale, and use of e-cigarettes and similar products criminal offences, punishable by up to six months’ imprisonment, fines of up to Tk 500,000 ($4,100), or both. It also introduces a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship across all media, prohibits tobacco displays at points of sale, and bans sales within 100 meters of schools, hospitals and playgrounds. Packaging rules have been tightened to require health warnings covering at least 75% of packs, while enforcement powers have been strengthened to allow license cancellations, seizures, and criminal prosecutions.

  • Turkiye Limits Tax Hikes on Tobacco, Fuel, Alcohol

    Turkiye Limits Tax Hikes on Tobacco, Fuel, Alcohol

    Türkiye will limit Special Consumption Tax (SCT) increases on tobacco products in the first half of 2026, applying a 7.95% hike instead of the usual adjustment tied to producer inflation, which was close to 10%. Under the presidential decree published in the Official Gazette, the per-pack excise tax on cigarettes will rise by ₺1.28 ($0.03) to ₺56.78 ($1.31). The move departs from Türkiye’s standard practice of revising tobacco taxes twice a year in line with the domestic producer price index and is intended to ease consumer price pressures.

    Tobacco remains a major source of tax revenue in Türkiye, with more than 19 million smokers spending over $16 billion annually on cigarettes. From January to November 2025, tobacco generated ₺396.4 billion ($11.1 billion) in SCT revenue, accounting for a large share of the ₺1.01 trillion ($23.2 billion) collected from fuel, tobacco, and alcohol combined. The Treasury and Finance Ministry said the moderated tax increase supports the government’s 2026 inflation targets while remaining consistent with revenue projections in the central government budget.

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina Raises Cigarette Duty

    Bosnia and Herzegovina Raises Cigarette Duty

    Cigarette prices in Bosnia and Herzegovina increased on January 1 after a higher minimum excise duty came into force under a decision by the Board of Directors of the Indirect Taxation Administration (ITA). The minimum excise duty for 2026 was raised by 0.19 BAM ($0.11) per pack, setting the rate at 188.50 BAM ($113.10) per 1,000 cigarettes, or 3.77 BAM ($2.26) per pack of 20, up from 179 BAM ($107.40), or 3.58 BAM ($2.15), last year.

    The specific excise duty on cigarettes remains unchanged at 1.65 BAM ($0.99) per pack of 20. Meanwhile, excise duty on smoking tobacco has been set at 80% of the minimum cigarette excise, increasing to 150.80 BAM ($90.48) per kilogram in 2026 from 143.20 BAM ($85.92) in 2025.

    The ITA Management Board also confirmed that the compensatory interest rate for the period from January 1 to June 30, 2026, will remain unchanged at 12%.

  • Hong Kong Proving Clean with New Tobacco Inspections

    Hong Kong Proving Clean with New Tobacco Inspections

    Hong Kong authorities launched a two-week enforcement campaign after new anti-smoking regulations took effect January 1. Inspectors from the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office began checking newly designated non-smoking areas, including bans on smoking while queuing for public transport and at entrances to 18 categories of public places. The office’s head, Manny Lam, said around 120 frontline staff will conduct more frequent inspections, with 10 to 20 inspectors carrying out daily spot checks at high-traffic locations such as bus stops and building entrances.

    Under the new rules, the fixed penalty for smoking offenses has doubled to HK$3,000 ($390), although no violations were recorded on the first round of inspections. The campaign also includes public education efforts, particularly targeting tourists through hotels, tourism operators, and publicity at border control points.  Smoking is now prohibited within three meters of entrances to hospitals, government clinics, schools, residential care homes, and childcare centers, as part of the government’s broader push to strengthen tobacco control and public awareness.

  • Vietnam Ups Penalties for Vape, HTP Use

    Vietnam Ups Penalties for Vape, HTP Use

    Vietnam tightened restrictions on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products under the newly issued Decree 371, introducing higher fines and expanded enforcement powers. Individuals caught using e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products now face fines of VNĐ3 million to VNĐ5 million ($114 to $190), with authorities authorized to confiscate and destroy the products.


    The rules also penalize those who allow such use on premises they own or manage. Individuals providing space for e-cigarette or heated tobacco use can be fined VNĐ5 million to VNĐ10 million ($190 to $380), while organizations face penalties of up to VNĐ20 million ($761). Officials said the measures aim to strengthen oversight as alternative tobacco products spread rapidly, particularly among young people.