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Category: Global Regulation

  • NZ Retailers Want Crackdown to Avoid Australia’s Illicit Tobacco Crisis

    NZ Retailers Want Crackdown to Avoid Australia’s Illicit Tobacco Crisis

    Retail NZ is calling for the government to establish an urgent multi-agency task force to combat the growing illicit tobacco trade, warning that New Zealand risks facing the kind of organized crime activity seen in Australia if enforcement is not strengthened. In a report released April 13, Chief Executive Carolyn Young said black-market cigarettes are now being sold openly in some Auckland shops at steep discounts, undermining tobacco control measures and exposing retailers to criminal pressure.

    Retail NZ is urging coordination between police, customs, and the Ministry of Health, tougher penalties, and an independent roundtable to address the issue, noting that current enforcement is fragmented and sanctions remain low. Under existing law, selling illicit cigarettes can carry penalties of up to six months’ imprisonment or a NZ$20,000 ($11,800) fine, while importing tobacco without paying excise duty violates customs regulations.

  • Mozambique Advances Comprehensive Tobacco Control Law 

    Mozambique Advances Comprehensive Tobacco Control Law 

    Mozambique’s Assembly of the Republic approved in general terms a new Tobacco Law aligned with the World Health Organization’s WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, aiming to curb consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. Presenting the bill, Justice Minister Mateus Saíze outlined health harms linked to tobacco use and said the country faces an estimated 11.7 billion meticais ($187 million) in annual direct and indirect losses — about 1.3% of GDP — including 900 million meticais ($14.4 million) in healthcare costs.

  • Seoul Expands No-Smoking Enforcement to Vaping

    Seoul Expands No-Smoking Enforcement to Vaping

    The city of Seoul will begin business inspections and public outreach ahead of April 24, when revisions to the Tobacco Business Act take effect, classifying all nicotine-using e-cigarettes and vaping devices as tobacco products. The change means vaping will be subject to the same restrictions as combustible cigarettes, including bans in designated no-smoking zones. Officials said the revision closes a legal gap dating to 1988, which previously allowed some vaping-related fines to be overturned because e-cigarettes were not explicitly covered by the law.

    From April 14 to May 15, Seoul will conduct city-wide inspections of retailers, including unmanned shops, while running public awareness efforts from April 13–23.

  • FDA Sends ENDS Comment Period Reminder

    FDA Sends ENDS Comment Period Reminder

    Today (April 8), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products issued a reminder that the public has until 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 11 to submit comments on its draft guidance for flavored e-cigarette applications, docketed as FDA-2026-D-1817 on Regulations.gov.

    The reminder relates to draft guidance the agency released on March 11, titled “Flavored Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) Premarket Applications – Considerations Related to Youth Risk,” which outlines how the FDA plans to weigh the youth appeal of flavored products against any added benefit they may provide to adults compared with tobacco-flavored options, including expectations for evidence on adult switching, youth initiation risk, and the potential use of device access-restriction technology.

  • FDA Allows Fontem to Continue Selling Pouches Amid Court Battle

    FDA Allows Fontem to Continue Selling Pouches Amid Court Battle

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed it will not block production or sales of Fontem US’s Zone nicotine pouches while a lawsuit over the product’s pending premarket tobacco product application proceeds, Law 360 reported. Fontem argued that the agency unlawfully delayed reviewing its application, leaving the product in regulatory limbo.

    The FDA said it will not take enforcement action during the litigation, allowing the pouches to remain on the market. Fontem recently voluntarily dismissed its suit in Texas and plans to refile in Washington, D.C. The case underscores ongoing tension between regulators and manufacturers over PMTA backlogs and the treatment of newer oral nicotine products, which differ from traditional cigarettes and vapes.

    According to Law 360, industry observers believe the court battle could set a precedent for how the FDA handles delayed applications and exercises enforcement discretion in the growing nicotine pouch sector.

  • Virginia AG Pushing to Enforce New Vape Regulations

    Virginia AG Pushing to Enforce New Vape Regulations

    As of April 1, 2026, Virginia vape shops must sell only liquid nicotine and vapor products listed in the state’s official registry. Attorney General Jay Jones has instructed local prosecutors to begin enforcement, with retailers facing fines of $1,000 per unlisted product per day until compliance. The grace period for compliance, initially set at 60 days from the registry’s January 1 launch, was extended to April 1 following confusion over a federal injunction that had temporarily allowed unregistered products to remain on shelves. Vape shop owners warn that the new rules will impact sales, as many popular products are not yet listed.

    Legislators are also advancing the Vape Enforcement Act, shifting oversight and licensing from the Department of Taxation to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority and mandating inspections every 24 months to prevent sales to minors. The bills, which have passed the General Assembly and await Governor Abigail Spanberger’s signature, aim to close loopholes, strengthen enforcement, and ensure harmful unregulated products are removed from the market.

  • Ireland Called to Consider Australian-Style Vape Ban

    Ireland Called to Consider Australian-Style Vape Ban

    Calls to restrict vape sales to pharmacies have resurfaced in Ireland after a regional health forum asked the Health Service Executive to study whether an Australia-style model could curb youth vaping. At the HSE South-West Regional Health Forum, councilors from multiple parties backed a motion from Cork City South East Councilor Peter Horgan, urging research into the potential benefits and drawbacks of limiting vape sales to pharmacy-only settings. The proposal follows mounting concern over youth use, with estimates suggesting one in five 15–16 year olds now vape, and ongoing criticism of brightly colored devices and sweet flavors seen as appealing to children.

    Supporters of the motion pointed to Australia’s 2024 shift to pharmacy-only sales for all vaping products as a possible template, arguing that higher prices and restricted access there may have reduced affordability for young people despite illicit trade challenges. HSE representatives highlighted existing national campaigns aimed at parents, schools and teenagers, including peer-led education and the “Take a Breath” initiative launched in 2025. The forum agreed to seek national HSE funding for a feasibility study, with the intention of using the findings to inform future policy discussions at the government level.

  • FDA’s Pouch Fast-Track Scheme Stalling Over Youth Worries

    FDA’s Pouch Fast-Track Scheme Stalling Over Youth Worries

    A fast-track review program at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration aimed at accelerating authorizations for nicotine pouch products has stalled, as agency scientists weigh concerns about youth uptake and risks to non-users against potential harm-reduction benefits for smokers, according to sources cited by Reuters. Reuters said applications tied to pouch brands from Philip Morris International (Zyn) and British American Tobacco (Velo) remain under review despite expectations that decisions would be made by the end of 2025 under the pilot scheme. The FDA has already authorized six products under Altria Group’s on! brand, but reviewers are said to be taking a more cautious stance on other applications where evidence of net public-health benefit is viewed as less clear-cut.

    While FDA data shows pouch use among middle- and high-school students remains relatively low, it has been rising, prompting heightened scrutiny. Tobacco companies argue the pilot program is critical for restoring legal market competition amid a surge of unregulated products, while public-health advocates warn that rapid authorizations could fuel new addiction trends. The FDA said decisions continue to be guided by science and statutory standards rather than external pressure.

  • Azerbaijan Bans E-Cigarettes

    Azerbaijan Bans E-Cigarettes

    Azerbaijan banned the import, export, production, storage, sale, and use of electronic cigarettes and their components from April 1, under amendments to the tobacco law approved by President Ilham Aliyev. The changes classify nicotine-containing e-cigarettes as tobacco products and define them as devices for inhaling nicotine or nicotine-free vapor, while explicitly excluding heated tobacco products from this category.

    Amendments to the administrative code set fines for violations at 350–500 manats ($206 to $294) for individuals, 1,650–2,200 manats ($971 to $1.294) for officials, and 4,000–5,000 manats ($2.353 to $2.941) for legal entities. Heated tobacco products are defined separately as items that generate a nicotine-containing aerosol through heating without combustion or smoke.

  • Bangladesh Reversing Vape Ban

    Bangladesh Reversing Vape Ban

    Bangladesh is preparing amendments to its anti-tobacco ordinance that would withdraw the ban on the production, import, sale, and use of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems, and remove restrictions on displaying tobacco products at points of sale. The ordinance, approved in December 2025 by the interim government, expanded the definition of tobacco products and introduced penalties for activities involving e-cigarettes, vapes, heated tobacco products, and similar devices. These included jail terms, fines, seizure of goods, and possible license revocation for companies.

    The proposed changes follow recommendations from a parliamentary special committee reviewing 133 ordinances, with the health ministry drafting amendments to omit the relevant provisions for submission to the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division. Health Secretary Md Quamruzzaman Chowdhury said the ministry would act in accordance with the committee’s recommendations regarding the ordinances under its jurisdiction.