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Category: Global Regulation

  • Eight EU Countries Seek Broad Nicotine Restrictions

    Eight EU Countries Seek Broad Nicotine Restrictions

    Eight EU member states — the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, France, Hungary, Latvia, Slovenia, and Spain — are urging the European Commission to significantly expand the bloc’s tobacco and nicotine rules as part of the review of the Tobacco Products Directive and Tobacco Advertising Directive. In a letter to Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, the countries called for maximum nicotine limits, standardized products and devices, plain packaging, and broad flavor restrictions across authorized nicotine categories. They also want the regulatory framework to allow individual countries to ban nicotine pouches and disposable e-cigarettes.

    The governments are also seeking a ban on advertising for nicotine products, including influencer and creator content, along with restrictions on cross-border online sales. Their proposal would prohibit new nicotine and nicotine-like products, as well as nicotine-free products designed to resemble nicotine products, from entering the EU market. The countries said the revised framework should keep pace with product and marketing developments and support the EU’s goal of becoming smoke-free by 2040.

  • Netherlands Calls for EU ‘Market Freeze’ on New Nicotine Products

    Netherlands Calls for EU ‘Market Freeze’ on New Nicotine Products

    Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans is calling on the European Commission to prevent new products containing nicotine or nicotine-like substances from entering the EU market, as part of a joint proposal with seven other member states. The countries are also seeking mandatory plain packaging for nicotine products, an EU-wide flavor ban, stricter requirements for social media platforms to remove tobacco advertising, and tighter controls on cross-border purchases.

    The initiative comes as the Netherlands prepares to further restrict domestic tobacco sales, with specialty tobacco shops set to become the only legal retail outlets for tobacco from 2032. Hermans also wants tighter rules on advertising in tobacco shops, while the Dutch regulator has raised concerns about tobacco companies providing financial support for specialty-store renovations that could promote nicotine products.

  • Ireland to Raise Tobacco and Vape Duties

    Ireland to Raise Tobacco and Vape Duties

    Ireland will increase excise duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes by €1 and raise the duty on e-liquid products by 20 cents per milliliter from Jan. 1, 2027, Finance Minister Simon Harris announced today (Oct. 6) as part of Budget 2027. The vape-duty increase will add €2 to the cost of a 10ml bottle. The Asthma Society welcomed the measures, while Retailers Against Smuggling warned the higher tobacco tax could push consumers toward the illicit market.

    Responsible Vaping Ireland said the e-liquid tax increase will add pressure to retailers already facing higher operating costs and could make regulated vaping products less competitive with illegal alternatives. The group also argued that tax policy should support smokers seeking alternatives, noting that more than 23,000 adults have quit smoking with the help of vaping products.

  • Portugal Moves to Regulate Nicotine Pouches

    Portugal Moves to Regulate Nicotine Pouches

    Portugal’s Parliament is set to debate tomorrow (Oct. 7) a bill authorizing the government to establish rules governing the manufacture, import, distribution, sale, labeling, advertising, taxation, and enforcement of nicotine pouches. The products are already sold and taxed in Portugal under a category created in the 2026 State Budget, but their regulatory status has prompted debate among health experts and other stakeholders. Pulmonologist Daniel Coutinho of the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology called for tighter restrictions, including on flavors and nicotine concentrations, while other health professionals cited in the consultation process said nicotine pouches could provide a lower-risk alternative to cigarettes and urged regulations that protect adult smokers while preventing youth access.

  • South Korea Sees Surge in Nicotine-Free Vape Imports

    South Korea Sees Surge in Nicotine-Free Vape Imports

    Imports of nicotine-free e-cigarette liquid in South Korea more than doubled to $9.2 million in the first eight months of 2026 from $4.5 million a year earlier, as consumers shifted toward products that remain outside the country’s tobacco regulations. The increase follows an April amendment to the Tobacco Business Act that brought products containing natural or synthetic nicotine under the tobacco regulatory framework, while nicotine analogues and nicotine-free liquids remain largely unregulated.

    Online listings for liquid e-cigarettes also increased 86.3% to 42,437 as of Aug. 8 from 22,774 before the law took effect, according to the Korea Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. Meanwhile, imports of synthetic nicotine liquid plunged 97% to $2.8 million from May through August, compared with $89.3 million in the first four months of the year. Government officials are considering broader regulation after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety completes an assessment of nicotine analogues by the end of 2026.

  • Netherlands Plans National Vape Excise Tax

    Netherlands Plans National Vape Excise Tax

    The Dutch government is preparing legislation to introduce a national excise tax on vapes, with the measure potentially taking effect Jan. 1, 2029. State Secretary for Finance Eelco Eerenberg said the tax rate has not yet been determined, but the government wants vaping to become roughly as expensive as smoking tobacco. The measure is intended in part to discourage young people from vaping or starting to vape.

    The Netherlands is moving ahead while the European Union considers an EU-wide vape tax. Eerenberg acknowledged that online purchases and cross-border sales could make a national tax easier to avoid, s ying the government would withdraw its proposal if an EU-wide measure is adopted. The legislation is expected to be submitted separately to the Tweede Kamer, the Dutch lower house of Parliament, in early 2027 rather than as part of the 2027 Tax Plan.

  • Newsweek Names States with Toughest Vape Laws as CA Plans Ban

    Newsweek Names States with Toughest Vape Laws as CA Plans Ban

    As California moves toward becoming the first state to ban disposable nicotine vapes, Newsweek examined states with some of the toughest restrictions on vaping products. California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Utah have enacted statewide restrictions on flavored vaping products, with Utah removing exemptions for menthol and mint in 2025.

    A separate regulatory approach is gaining ground through state vape directories, which require products to appear on government-approved lists before they can legally be sold. Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin have enacted directory laws, according to Newsweek.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed Assembly Bill 762, which prohibits the import and manufacture for sale of covered disposable nicotine vaping devices beginning Jan. 1, 2027, followed by a ban on their sale, distribution, and retail offering beginning Jan. 1, 2028. The law covers single-use devices that are not designed to be reused, but excludes cannabis vaping products, and violations can carry penalties of $500 for a first offense and up to $2,000 for subsequent violations.

  • UK Vaping Duty Takes Effect

    UK Vaping Duty Takes Effect

    The UK’s new Vaping Products Duty took effect today (Oct. 1), imposing an excise duty of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid, including nicotine-free products, while a new vaping duty-stamp scheme is being phased in to improve supply-chain traceability and help combat illicit trade. Manufacturers, importers, and warehousekeepers are responsible for the duty, with existing unstamped inventory eligible to be sold through March 31, 2027. From April 1, 2027, all vaping products sold in the UK must carry a valid duty stamp. Retailers caught selling unstamped products after the grace period could face significant penalties. HMRC can seize non-compliant stock and issue fines of up to £10,000, with penalties increasing for repeat offences. In the most serious cases, businesses could also face criminal investigation, an unlimited fine or imprisonment.

    The government said the measures are intended to reduce vaping’s affordability and appeal, particularly among young people and nonsmokers, while tobacco duty is also increasing by an additional £2.20 per 100 cigarettes or 50 grams of tobacco on top of the existing duty escalator.

    The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) criticized the new duty, with Director General John Dunne calling it a public-health tax and arguing that higher prices could push some consumers toward smoking or illicit products. UKVIA cited its survey of nearly 3,500 adult vapers, which it said found about half would consider returning to smoking or the black market following the duty. Separately, Haypp’s Head of External Affairs UK and Scientific Affairs, Dr. Marina Murphy, said retailers face additional compliance requirements, including managing unstamped inventory, maintaining records, and ensuring new stock carries the required stamps.

    The government said the duty is expected to raise more than £550 million annually by 2030-31 and is providing £30 million a year through 2028-29 for Trading Standards, Border Force, and HMRC to tackle illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vapes.

  • Alabama Expands Indoor Vaping Ban, Imposes New Vapor Tax

    Alabama Expands Indoor Vaping Ban, Imposes New Vapor Tax

    Two Alabama laws affecting electronic nicotine products take effect today (Oct. 1), expanding the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act to prohibit vaping in covered public indoor spaces and imposing a new 10-cent-per-milliliter excise tax on consumable vapor products. Senate Bill 9 expands the definition of smoking under the Clean Indoor Air Act to include vaping in locations such as restaurants, workplaces, retail stores, health facilities, educational facilities, airports, and government buildings.

    Separately, wholesalers and registered retailers will be responsible for collecting and remitting the new vapor products tax and must obtain a Vapor Products Tax License from the Alabama Department of Revenue. Businesses that fail to comply may face penalties, while a 4.75% discount is available for tax payments filed and paid by the 20th of the following month.

  • FDA Seeks New Scientific, Consumer Voices for Advisory Committees

    FDA Seeks New Scientific, Consumer Voices for Advisory Committees

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched a nationwide recruitment effort for scientific, technical, professional, and consumer representatives to serve on FDA advisory committees. The agency said it is seeking candidates with expertise across multiple scientific fields and will consider nominations for current and anticipated vacancies, with terms of up to four years.

    The recruitment could be relevant to the tobacco sector because FDA advisory committees can provide independent scientific and consumer input on FDA-regulated products, although the announcement does not specifically identify tobacco-related committee vacancies. The FDA said nominations for consumer representatives should be submitted by Nov. 15, while nominations for scientific, technical, professional, and other voting members should be submitted by Nov. 30 for consideration for current and near-term vacancies.

    The news comes after Dr. Bret Koplow, director of the FDA CTP, told attendees at GTNF 2026 in Lisbon that the Center is short-staffed and was looking to hire more scientists.