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Category: Global Regulation

  • Saudi Arabia Bans Tobacco Shops Near Schools and Mosques

    Saudi Arabia Bans Tobacco Shops Near Schools and Mosques

    Saudi Arabia has enacted a ban on tobacco shops within 500 meters of schools and mosques, according to the Saudi Gazette.

    The ban applies to all stores selling tobacco products and accessories, including cigarettes, shisha, and e-cigarettes. According to the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, obtaining a retail license for tobacco products requires a valid commercial registration, Civil Defense approval, and full compliance with the Municipal Licensing Procedures Law and its executive regulations.

    Tobacco products and their derivatives must also comply with the standard specifications approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). Prices for these products cannot be reduced, and they cannot be given as gifts, prizes, or free samples. Import, sale, or offer of any product advertising tobacco or its derivatives is banned.

    Requirements to sell tobacco in the kingdom are specific, involving spatial and architectural requirements and advertising requirements.

  • Ireland Increases Cigarette Prices

    Ireland Increases Cigarette Prices

    Cigarette prices in Ireland will increase under Budget 2026, confirmed Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe.

    A packet of cigarettes will increase in price by 50 cents, bringing the price of the most popular category to €18.95 ($21.95), among the most costly in the EU.

    The increase went into effect midnight October 8.

    The duty charged on other tobacco products will also see a pro-rate increase, according to the Irish Mirror. A new tax on vape liquid announced in last year’s budget will go into effect November 1, 2025. The tax will be applied at a flat rate of 50 center per milliliter of e-liquid. This includes refillable liquid and disposable vapes. 

  • Pakistan to Ban Sale of Vapes to Minors

    Pakistan to Ban Sale of Vapes to Minors

    A new bill has been submitted in Pakistan’s Senate aiming to ban the sale of e-cigarettes, vapes, and e-shisha to consumers under the age of 18, reports Bloom Pakistan. The bill also calls for a ban on use of these products in public places and for restrictions on advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.

    Those caught violating the ban will face a fine of PKR50,000 ($176.82) for a first offense and PKR100,000 for a second offense. Those caught selling these products within 50 meters of educational institutions will face fines of PKR200,000, and repeat violations could face up to PKR500,000 in fines.

  • Philip Morris Urges FDA TPSAC to Recommend Continued Modified-Risk Marketing of IQOS

    Philip Morris Urges FDA TPSAC to Recommend Continued Modified-Risk Marketing of IQOS

    Experts from Philip Morris International presented evidence to the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC), according to a PMI press release. The committee, comprised of independent scientific researchers, provides nonbinding recommendations to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).

    The full-day meeting on October 7 was part of the FDA’s customary review of PMI’s request to continue marketing versions of its IQOS heated-tobacco products in the U.S. as modified-risk tobacco products (MRTPs), a necessary step while FDA completes its review of pending applications for IQOS ILUMA (a later version of the IQOS models that are currently authorized by the FDA) to reach and transition even more legal-age adults away from combustible cigarettes.

    “The evidence presented at this meeting, as also noted by the FDA, further supports the agency’s original conclusions that led the FDA to authorize the IQOS system as a modified-risk tobacco product,” said Stacey Kennedy, PMI U.S.’ CEO. “We encourage the FDA to continue efforts to establish a timely scientific review process for smoke-free products—including for IQOS ILUMA, which has been pending FDA review for nearly two years and has globally shown even higher rates of legal-age adults fully switching from combustible cigarettes—that are a better choice for legal-age adults who would otherwise use traditional tobacco products, including combustible cigarettes.”

    Initially granted by the FDA in 2020, the MRTP designation for the IQOS system authorizes PMI to communicate to legal-age consumers that: “AVAILABLE EVIDENCE TO DATE: The IQOS system heats tobacco but does not burn it. This significantly reduces the production of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals. Scientific studies have shown that switching completely from conventional cigarettes to the IQOS system significantly reduces your body’s exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.”

    During the meeting, representatives from PMI and committee members discussed a range of scientific, technical, and consumer-communications topics. The company provided an overview of its responsible marketing practices and presented additional evidence and research demonstrating high levels of complete switching among current legal-age smokers while maintaining low levels of use by unintended populations.

    Addressing committee members, Keagan Lenihan, VP and Chief External Affairs Officer for PMI U.S., said: “CTP’s mission is to make tobacco-related disease and death a part of America’s past. Smoke-free products, like PMI’s IQOS system, play a critical role in helping CTP achieve this mission and provide adults who smoke with a real opportunity to change. The IQOS system, when marketed with the reduced-exposure claim, promotes complete switching from combustible cigarettes.”

  • Malaysian Health Ministry Proposes Vape Liquid Tax Increase

    Malaysian Health Ministry Proposes Vape Liquid Tax Increase

    The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) has proposed an increase in excise duty on vape liquids ahead of the government’s plan to ban electronic cigarettes and vaping products completely. The excise tax would be set at MYR4 ($0.94) per mL, a tenfold increase, according to The Edge Malaysia.

    The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) for consideration, days before the 2026 budget is set to be tabled.

    “This is the ministry’s recommendation to the MOF for review and approval,” said Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni during a question and answer session. The deputy minister explained that a standard pack of 20 cigarettes is equivalent to 200 puffs and taxed at MYR8 per pack, while 1 mL of vape liquid is equivalent to 100 puffs but taxed at 40 sen per milliliter (for nicotine and non-nicotine liquids). This means vapers pay significantly less tax per milligram of nicotine than cigarette smokers, he said.

    “Currently, one pack of cigarettes equals about 2 mL of vape liquid, but the tax on vape nicotine is only around 10% of cigarette tax. This disparity creates a large price gap,” said Datuk Wan Saifulruddin Wan Jan, who argued that the price gap encourages smokers to vape rather than quit altogether.

    The proposal is facing pushback from the industry, however.

    “A single-fold tax hike is already drastic in many ways. A tenfold is just sweeping the real issue under the rug,” said Ridhwan Rosli, Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce (MVCC) secretary-general. “It seems like they are changing their policy every year while the previous policy is just about to take place.”

    Ridhwan stated that the industry is proposing a maximum tax rate of 80 sen per milliliter.

    “As currently we are faced with a lot of new costs when it comes to going through the legal process of registration, etc., it is sad that the legal industry players are being punished for the wrongs of illicit products,” he said. There are worries that the drastic tax increase will increase illicit trade as well.

    Additionally, the government plans a full ban on e-cigarettes and vapor products.

    “The Health Ministry is now moving toward a full ban on e-cigarettes and vape products,” said Lukanisman. “The proposal will be tabled to the Cabinet this year for policy endorsement. The prohibition will be implemented in phases through enforcement, education, and community support.”

  • Guam Introduces Bill to Regulate Vapes

    Guam Introduces Bill to Regulate Vapes

    A new bill has been introduced in Guam to regulate vapor products, reports The Guam Daily Post. The bill, Bill 3-38, is known as the Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Excise Tax of 2025. It would establish a licensing and tax structure for vaping devices and electronic cigarette products.

    The bill is “not about penalizing adults who make personal choices,” according to bill author Joe San Agustin, but it is about “protecting our young people, promoting public health, and ensuring that a profitable enterprise in Guam contributes equitably to the island’s well-being.”

    The bill would create strict age restrictions and random inspections as well as penalties for retailers caught selling electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS) to minors. It would also establish a clear licensing structure for wholesalers and retailers.

    “While it is unclear what is ideal for the government of Guam, Bill 3-38 COR takes that first step toward addressing ENDS products as a separate group,” said Maria Lizama, director of the Department of Revenue and Taxation. “And we hope that better practices will eventually emerge.”

    If the bill passes, the department plans to develop internal systems to classify and report ENDS products distinctly from other products. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy….We will simply have to comply,” said Lizama.

    The department is still discussing how the tax will be classified. “It’s a complex issue,” said Lizama. “Our initial thoughts were to just do an across-the-board, whether it’s the refillable part of it, whether it’s the one-time use, whether it’s the heating element, (or)…other gadgets,” she added. “We believe that’s probably the easiest for now, and then as we continue along, we also believe a better plan to tax will emerge.”

    Governor Lou Leon Guerrero suggested taxation at the wholesale level, but that was met with concerns of monopolization.

    “The biggest problem is wholesalers wanting to control the product.  There’s only one wholesaler on the island that actually sells vape products,” said Senator Telo Taitague.

    Easy youth access prompted the call for specific retailers selling ENDS products. “We’re having a lot of issues with kids getting their hands on it and going into a gas station. (It’s) as easy as that. It’s easy to pickpocket from the counter,” Taitague said. “But when you’re in one of these stores [ENDS retailers], they’ve got cameras everywhere. You can’t even step in there unless you’re 18 years old.”

    “It certainly would make things easier for our team,” Lizama said of specific ENDS retailers. “It will also perhaps provide greater control.”

  • Six Manufacturers Appeal MDOs

    Six Manufacturers Appeal MDOs

    Six small manufacturers—American Vapor Company, Breeze Smoke, Elite Brothers, Lead by Sales (doing business as White Cloud Cigarettes), Vapermate, and Vertigo Vapor (doing business as Baton Vapor)—have filed appeals against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s marketing denial orders (MDOs), according to Vaping360.

    The companies all received MDOs between May 2024 and June 2025 and filed petitions for review in the Fifth Circuit within 30 days.

    While American Vapor Company is the only petitioner located within the Fifth Circuit’s jurisdiction, the other manufacturer’s recruited retail co-petitioners located within the jurisdiction, as allowed by the Supreme Court earlier this year. The Fifth Circuit has consolidated the cases as they are challenging on the same grounds and share the same attorneys.

    Azim Chowdhury and Eric Gotting of Keller and Heckman are representing the companies.

  • EU Commissioner Accuses Tobacco Industry of Misleading Policymakers 

    EU Commissioner Accuses Tobacco Industry of Misleading Policymakers 

    EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra accused the tobacco industry of recycling old tactics, comparing claims that vapes are less harmful than cigarettes to past efforts promoting “light” cigarettes.

    “They mislead policymakers about the risks of these new products, just as they did with light cigarettes in the past,” Hoekstra wrote on LinkedIn, saying that nicotine in alternative products also damages blood vessels, impairs vascular function, and stimulates tumor growth.

    His comments come as the European Commission prepares its first assessment of the health effects of new tobacco and nicotine products, with a focus on preventing youth uptake. Hoekstra has also pushed for higher taxation, backing the proposed Tobacco Excise Duty Own Resource (TEDOR), which could contribute €11.2 billion annually to the EU budget by taking 15% of member states’ tobacco tax revenues.

    However, the plan faces resistance as 14 countries, including Italy, Greece, and Sweden, have already voiced opposition.

  • NSW Tobacco Licensing Enforcement Kicks In

    NSW Tobacco Licensing Enforcement Kicks In

    The three-month grace period for Australian retailers and wholesalers in New South Wales to apply for a license to sell tobacco and smoking products ends today (October 2). Enforcement of the Minns Labor Government’s new Tobacco Licensing Scheme begins tomorrow, meaning all businesses selling tobacco or non-tobacco smoking products must hold and display a valid license. Those trading without one risk heavy penalties, although applicants who lodged a valid application before the deadline can continue operating until their outcome is confirmed.

    The new Center for Regulation and Enforcement within NSW Health will oversee compliance, working with state and federal agencies. Under recently passed reforms, penalties for unlicensed sales will increase dramatically, with fines of up to A$660,000 ($435,600) for individuals and A$880,000 ($580,800) for corporations. New offenses also target illicit tobacco trade, carrying maximum penalties of A$1.54 million ($1 million) and/or seven years’ imprisonment.

  • Trinidad & Tobago Considers Harm Reduction in Tobacco Policy

    Trinidad & Tobago Considers Harm Reduction in Tobacco Policy

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Health said it is laying the groundwork for a new approach to tobacco control, with officials confirming they are collecting data to regulate reduced-risk products such as vaping, nicotine pouches, and heat-not-burn devices. The move signals a shift away from policies focused solely on bans and restrictions, toward strategies that emphasize harm reduction.

    Despite years of regulation, smoking rates remain high in the country, with nearly one in five adults still smoking. The absence of laws specific to vaping has left products in a legal grey area, creating uncertainty for smokers looking to switch to less harmful alternatives. Advocates argue that clear regulation could help reduce smoking-related disease and deaths, pointing to examples from Sweden and the U.K.

    Public health voices in Trinidad and Tobago say the country has an opportunity to chart its own course, using evidence-based regulation to give smokers safer choices. “Now is the moment to act,” one health advocate said, urging policymakers to put harm reduction at the center of the nation’s tobacco strategy.