TobaccoReporter logo

Category: Global Regulation

  • Selangor Drafting Policy to Regulate Vape

    Selangor Drafting Policy to Regulate Vape

    The Malaysian state of Selangor is drafting a policy paper that could lead to a gradual ban on electronic cigarette use, according to state public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin. She said the policy will align with the Tobacco Product Control Act for Public Health 2023 (Act 852) and take into account market realities, public health impacts, and enforcement needs. The announcement was made during the Selangor state assembly sitting in Shah Alam in response to a query about prohibiting vapes.

    Jamaliah said the state government has already begun engagement sessions with stakeholders, including the Selangor State Health Department and local authorities, to discuss implementation. Initial steps include removing vape-related advertisements and promotional signage at retail outlets across the state. She emphasized that enforcement will be strengthened through cooperation between state agencies, local authorities, and federal bodies.

    The state also plans to expand awareness campaigns targeting youths, highlighting the risks and harmful health effects of vaping. Advocacy programs will involve secondary schools and universities through carnivals, talks, and interactive sessions. Health clinics will be equipped with support hotlines and nicotine addiction screening services to assist individuals seeking to quit vaping.

  • Survey Challenges Perceptions on Youth Access to Pouches

    Survey Challenges Perceptions on Youth Access to Pouches

    Despite extensive media reporting about online and social media enabling youth access to nicotine pouches, survey data suggests that brick-and-mortar stores are a much more common source for minors in the UK. A new survey by Haypp found that two-thirds of Brits believe minors find it easier to buy nicotine pouches online than in physical stores. However, the Nicotine Pouch Report shows the opposite: 56% of under-18s who admitted purchasing pouches said they bought them from corner shops, 17% from supermarkets, and 31% via friends. Only 21% reported buying online.

    Currently, UK law does not prohibit the sale of nicotine pouches to under-18s, a loophole set to close under the forthcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill. While reputable online retailers use strict digital age verification, many physical stores fail to enforce checks. Haypp is urging all retailers to adopt robust age verification measures to prevent underage sales, stressing that online systems often provide more consistent safeguards than in-person checks.

  • Philippines Pushing for Vape Ban

    Philippines Pushing for Vape Ban

    The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) called for a nationwide ban on vape products, warning that advertisements portraying vaping as a safer alternative to cigarettes are misleading. In a news release on November 22, the DOH stressed that both vapor and devices contain harmful chemicals linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and lung illnesses. The agency also raised concerns about flavored varieties and colorful packaging that appeal to minors. Citing the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, the DOH reported that seven out of 10 Filipino youths aged 13 to 15 use vape products, and noted the country’s first recorded death from two years of vape use in the past year.

    The DOH said the government is strengthening its engagement with the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to address the issue. It added that the Health Promotion Bureau continues to raise awareness in communities, schools, and workplaces about the dangers of vaping and smoking.

  • Environment, Liability Remain Focus as COP11 Concludes

    Environment, Liability Remain Focus as COP11 Concludes

    The Eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control closed in Geneva after six days with a reported 1,600 participants and 160 Parties, delivering a series of major decisions aimed at strengthening global tobacco control. Delegates focused heavily on environmental protections, sustainable funding for tobacco control programs, and forward-looking regulatory strategies addressing emerging nicotine products.

    Among the more significant conclusions was a decision urging Parties to consider stricter regulation of tobacco and nicotine product components—including cigarette filters, electronic devices, and other materials that contribute to environmental pollution. COP11 also reaffirmed domestic resource mobilization as essential for sustainable tobacco control, and advanced efforts under Article 19 of the treaty, encouraging countries to strengthen civil and criminal liability mechanisms targeting the “harms caused by the tobacco industry.” Delegates further considered novel approaches allowed under Article 2.1, signaling readiness among Parties to adopt measures beyond the treaty’s minimum requirements.

    COP11 also adopted a decision calling for a total ban on the use and sale of all tobacco products and emerging nicotine products—including heated tobacco, e-cigarettes, disposable vapes, and nicotine pouches—across all United Nations premises worldwide. Discussions also emphasized the growing importance of Article 5.3, which shields policymaking from tobacco industry interference amid rising concerns about marketing tactics for new nicotine products. The conference concluded with the announcement that COP12 and the next Meeting of Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products will convene in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2027.

  • QR Tags to Help UK’s Fake Vape Crackdown

    QR Tags to Help UK’s Fake Vape Crackdown

    The UK government is set to introduce tough new penalties for illegal vape sales, including £10,000 fines and potential prison sentences, as part of a major crackdown to be detailed in Wednesday’s (November 26) budget. All apes will soon require digital tax stamps with QR codes, giving His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and Border Force expanded powers to seize unlicensed products.

    The measures follow rapid growth in vape use and mounting concerns over black-market devices, coming alongside the Tobacco and Vapes Bill’s restrictions on advertising, flavors, and packaging. Officials say the plan will disrupt criminal networks and protect consumers from unregulated goods. Health groups, Trading Standards, and industry representatives welcomed the move, saying stricter enforcement will help reduce youth access while supporting legitimate businesses and smokers using vapes to quit.

  • Good Cop 2.0 Concludes with Focus on Prohibitionist Policies

    Good Cop 2.0 Concludes with Focus on Prohibitionist Policies

    The final day of Good COP 2.0 highlighted the global consequences of strict, prohibitionist tobacco control measures. Speakers drew attention to the rise in illicit trade, gang violence, and punitive enforcement, attributing these outcomes to policies like heavy taxation and rigid pre-market approval systems promoted under WHO guidelines, which often overlook scientific evidence and consumer behavior.

    “There is a portion of people that you’ll never reach by only appealing to the evidence,” said author Jacob Grier. “It’s also important to change the framing and shift the culture.”

    Panel discussions explored the real-world harms of fundamentalist approaches and stressed the importance of including consumer perspectives in policymaking. Experts also outlined frameworks for effective, humane nicotine regulation, including suggestions that U.S. reforms might require a partial repeal of the Tobacco Control Act and a more measured FDA approach.

    The event concluded with an open forum, allowing participants to reflect on the week’s discussions and emphasizing the urgent need for reform within the WHO’s FCTC framework to create balanced, evidence-based global tobacco policy.

    “Of the funds that are contributed to the WHO, a significant percentage goes to the FCTC Secretariat,” said professor Tikki Pangestu. “Only a small amount goes toward running the programs. Meanwhile, a growing percentage of WHO funding comes not from member nations, but from outside groups with dubious agendas.”

  • Virginia Defends Ban on Unauthorized Flavored E-Cigarettes in Federal Court

    Virginia Defends Ban on Unauthorized Flavored E-Cigarettes in Federal Court

    Virginia is pushing back against a challenge to its statewide ban on unauthorized flavored e-cigarettes, arguing in federal court that the restriction is both legally sound and critical to protecting youth from nicotine addiction. The law prohibits the sale of any flavored vaping product that has not been specifically authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—effectively barring nearly all flavored e-cigarettes currently on the market.

    In newly filed briefs, the state contends it has broad authority to regulate retail tobacco and nicotine sales to safeguard public health, pointing to rising youth vaping rates and the popularity of flavored disposable products. Virginia argues that the plaintiffs—primarily vape shop owners and industry groups—are seeking to bypass the FDA’s national regulatory framework, which requires companies to obtain marketing authorization for every product. Because the vast majority of flavored e-cigarettes have been denied or have not received FDA authorization, the state says the ban simply enforces existing federal law at the retail level.

    Plaintiffs claim the measure is unconstitutional, asserting it infringes on interstate commerce, unfairly harms small businesses, and effectively imposes a de facto prohibition. But Virginia maintains the law is narrowly tailored, does not conflict with federal authority, and is necessary to prevent youth from accessing high-nicotine flavored products that remain widely available despite federal restrictions. The case is being closely watched as the outcome could set a significant precedent for state-level enforcement of federal tobacco regulations.

  • FDA Schedules TPSAC Review of ZYN Applications

    FDA Schedules TPSAC Review of ZYN Applications

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a January 22, 2026, virtual meeting of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) to review modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) applications submitted by Swedish Match USA for 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products. These products—already authorized for sale through the PMTA pathway in January 2025—include flavors such as Cool Mint, Citrus, Coffee, Peppermint, and Wintergreen, each in 3 mg and 6 mg strengths. The company is seeking permission to market the pouches with the claim: “Using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.”

    Under federal law, MRTP applications must demonstrate that a product, as actually used by consumers, reduces individual health risks and benefits overall population health. TPSAC’s review will focus on scientific evidence regarding ZYN’s relative health risks, consumer comprehension of the proposed claim, and the potential public health impact of granting a modified risk order. The meeting will be held virtually, open to the public, captioned, and recorded.

    Public comments may be submitted to Docket No. FDA-2025-N-0835 through January 21, 2026, with comments received by January 7 provided directly to TPSAC. The FDA is also inviting individuals to request oral presentation slots during the meeting’s public comment period. Redacted MRTP application materials are available on the FDA’s website, and the agency will consider all public input and TPSAC recommendations before issuing a final decision.

  • ‘Forward-Looking Measures’ Spark Tension at COP11

    ‘Forward-Looking Measures’ Spark Tension at COP11

    Each day after the COP11 sessions end, the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) posts a bulletin online that includes various thoughts and information from the day, including “awards” for groups it either agrees or disagrees with. The focus of yesterday’s bulletin (November 19) centered around the 16 “forward-looking measures” related to Article 2.1 of the WHO FCTC.

    Apparently, the forward-looking measures discussion created some provocative conversation as the GATC awarded its “dirty ashtray” distinction “To all the Parties who—incorrectly and, quite astonishingly, in unison—insisted that the Article 2.1 Draft Decision would impose new obligations, when it simply ‘invites’ Parties to ‘consider’ the 16 forward-looking measures.”

    In the section of the bulletin written by Cassandre Bigaignon and Amélie Eschenbrenner, they wrote, “Honestly, after sitting through multiple statements warning of ‘new obligations,’ ‘attacks on sovereignty,’ and declarations of countries being ‘simply not ready’ to implement these forward-looking measures, we have to ask: Were we all reading the same document?

    “So when a delegation raises the concern of ‘imposed new obligations,’ it fundamentally misrepresents the document’s intent, which is to expand the toolbox, encourage innovation, and share best practices, not bind Parties to new requirements.”

    The authors finished that section foreshadowing the next, in which they criticized the European Union, saying, “Amidst this debate on progressive action, the European Union’s silence today sure was deafening.” In the section titled, The EU at a Crossroads: Strong Leadership or a Silence that Serves the Tobacco Industry, they wrote, “Without consensus, the EU could lose its ability to speak and negotiate as a bloc at COP11, with significant global consequences. A divided EU would signal weakened resolve precisely as tobacco and nicotine industries intensify interference, exploit regulatory gaps, and push narratives aimed at stalling public health advances.

    “The stakes extend far beyond EU diplomacy. Division or silence within the region would directly benefit an industry that thrives on regulatory uncertainty. As newer nicotine products rapidly expand across Europe under the guise of ‘harm reduction’ and legislative progress stalls, strong European leadership is urgently needed.

    “The EU must seize the opportunity to speak with one strong voice at COP11. The world is watching, and failure to act would hand the advantage to an industry fundamentally opposed to public health. Europe can still stand together, if it chooses to do so.”

    In its parallel bulletin that covers the information from COP11 that gets released, Copwatch responded by saying, “GATC’s bulletin begins by calling out the dissenting EU member states. This is curious because the deliberations around reaching the EU’s common position on COP are supposed to be private.  Whilst it is true that there have been several leaks relating to the doomed struggles to reach a common position—the so-called ‘forward-looking measures’ having provoked such a backlash—GATC’s privileged position should prevent it from revealing what should be confidential information.  

    “This section ends with the appeal that ‘the world is watching.’ Sorry to break this to you, GATC, but…thanks to the secretive nature of the COP meetings, thanks to there being more compelling events for the world’s media to focus on, and thanks to the fact that people who smoke have been so thoroughly stigmatized—no, the world is not watching. The world doesn’t care much about FCTC COP.  But actually, we suspect that suits you just fine.”  

  • Shisha Sales Included in Offenses of Latest Taliban Floggings

    Shisha Sales Included in Offenses of Latest Taliban Floggings

    The Taliban carried out a new wave of public floggings across six provinces in Afghanistan over the past three days, including punishments tied to the sale of tobacco-related products such as shisha. According to multiple statements from the Taliban Supreme Court, 11 individuals in Kabul were publicly flogged on Monday (November 17) for trafficking and selling narcotic tablets, alcoholic beverages, and shisha. Each received 39 lashes and prison sentences of up to one year. Additional public floggings took place on charges ranging from “illicit relationships” to theft.

    A recent U.N. report documented 242 public floggings between July and September, reflecting a sharp rise in corporal punishment since the Taliban’s 2021 return to power. The enforcement actions highlight the Taliban’s tightening controls over all intoxicant-related products, which remain prohibited under their interpretation of Sharia law.