Côte d’Ivoire has become the second African country, joining Mauritius, to implement plain packaging requirements for tobacco products, with all cigarettes sold from Aug. 3 required to comply with the new rules. The measure completes implementation of the country’s 2019 Tobacco Control Act and aligns with recommendations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by requiring standardized packaging and prohibiting logos, branding and other promotional elements.
Category: Global Regulation
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PA Defends Flavored Vape Law in Constitutional Challenge
Pennsylvania is urging a federal court to allow enforcement of its statewide restrictions on most flavored electronic cigarettes, arguing that similar laws have repeatedly been upheld by federal appeals courts and are consistent with states’ authority to regulate tobacco and nicotine products. In a recent court filing, the commonwealth said the plaintiffs are unlikely to succeed on their constitutional claims, citing multiple appellate decisions that have upheld comparable restrictions against challenges based on equal protection, due process, and the Commerce Clause.
Pennsylvania maintains that the law serves legitimate public health objectives and that courts have consistently recognized broad state authority to regulate e-cigarettes, positioning the litigation as another test of the expanding patchwork of state-level vaping regulations.
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Philippines Requires Nicotine Companies to Register Brands
The Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) gave manufacturers, importers, and exporters of tobacco and vapor products six months to register their brands and product variants under Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 86-2026, published July 31. The requirement covers cigarettes, heated tobacco products, vapor products, novel tobacco products, cigars, smoking tobacco products, and chewing tobacco products, with companies that fail to comply subject to penalties.
The updated BIR registry includes 192 entries across 14 manufacturer, importer, and exporter classifications, including 84 vapor product entries, 43 cigarette-related entries, and listings for heated tobacco, novel tobacco products, cigars, chewing tobacco, and smoking tobacco. The BIR said registered products must also comply with graphic health warning requirements and, where applicable, the affixing of BIR tax stamps, although IRSIS stamps are not yet available for novel tobacco products, cigars, smoking tobacco, and chewing tobacco products.
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Bulgaria Raises Tobacco Excise Taxes
Bulgaria increased excise duties on cigarettes and other tobacco products as its 2026 State Budget took effect Aug. 1. The cigarette excise rate rose from €113.51 to €120 per 1,000 cigarettes, increasing the pre-VAT price of a pack by about €0.13. The government has also scheduled further increases to €126 per 1,000 cigarettes on March 1, 2027, and €132 per 1,000 cigarettes on Jan. 1, 2028. Excise duties on smoking tobacco increased from €121.69 to €130 per kg, while the rate on heated tobacco products rose from €214 to €225 per kg.
According to Bulgaria’s Ministry of Finance, the accelerated excise increases are intended to boost government revenue and align with ongoing European Union discussions on higher minimum tobacco tax rates. The ministry estimates the higher excise duties and related VAT collections will generate an additional €155.9 million in revenue during 2026.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.