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Category: Global Regulation

  • France Bans Disposable E-Cigarettes

    France Bans Disposable E-Cigarettes

    With a final vote in the Senate’s upper house, the French parliament today banned single-use electronic cigarettes, accusing them of being gateways to tobacco addiction for teenagers and harmful to the environment. France is the second EU country to enact such a ban, joining Belgium which did it in December.

    “It is a great victory in a two-pronged battle that we were fighting: an environmental battle against the polluting lithium batteries in these ‘puffs’, and a health battle for our schoolchildren,” lawmaker Francesca Pasquini, the author of the bill, said.

    “A fine piece of cross-party work!” lawmaker Michel Lauzzana said on X. “We are now awaiting the promulgation of this law and its application throughout the country.”

    The legislation was earlier approved by the National Assembly lower house.

  • N.Y. Lawmakers Want to Ban Zyn for its Flavors

    N.Y. Lawmakers Want to Ban Zyn for its Flavors

    New York lawmakers have introduced a bill in the legislature that would ban flavored oral nicotine pouches such as Zyn, which recently received FDA approval. The pouches do not contain tobacco and are the fastest-growing product on the U.S. tobacco market, but lawmakers are comparing their flavors to flavored vape cartridges that were banned in the state in 2020 because they are attractive to children.

    “You always have to keep on top of this industry,” said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who is sponsoring the bill. “Because as we extinguish some of the availability to youth in particular, the industry comes up with more ways to entice people to be addicted to nicotine and their products.”

    The legislation — which is sponsored in the Senate by state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal — asserts that minors could turn to nicotine pouches as flavored vapes become harder to find under New York’s ban.

    Zyn is manufactured by Swedish Match, a subsidiary of Philip Morris International, which maintains that Zyn is intended and marketed only for those 21 and older, and that the vast majority of Zyn’s clientele are not new nicotine users, but adults switching to a safer delivery method.

    “Almost everyone has come from another product,” Brian Erkkila, Swedish Match’s director of regulatory science, said. “That’s who the product is designed for. If you think about the flavors our product comes in, they come in flavors that have been in smokeless tobacco products like moist snuff and dip, for decades. These aren’t new flavors. They’ve been around for a long time.”

    Alan Mathios, a professor at Cornell University who studies the economics of tobacco regulation, called the potential ban shortsighted and said it could lead to the proliferation of illicit products, make the market more difficult to regulate, and have the opposite result in terms of keeping them away from underage users.

    “A lot of menthol smokers really like their menthol,” Mathios said. “If they don’t have an alternative menthol product, they’re unlikely to move away from cigarettes. So even if you do see some youth movement into menthol-flavored pouches, you have to weigh that against the role that menthol-flavored products play in helping adults switch.”

  • Maldives Allows Police to Destroy Vapes

    Maldives Allows Police to Destroy Vapes

    Tobacco Control General Regulations published today in Maldives grant police the authority to seize and destroy vaping devices prohibited under the Tobacco Control Act. The import and use of vapes was banned in December, and while the existing law allows for fines on those who possess or sell vapes, it previously did not grant police the power to confiscate already imported devices. Under the new regulations, police can now confiscate vaping devices and related items found in possession or use.

    Individuals caught with a vape device will face a fine of MVR 2,000 ($130), while those who refuse to surrender the items to the police may be fined MVR 50,000 ($3,250). Distributing vapes for free results in a fine of MVR 10,000 ($650) and the sale of vapes incurs a fine of MVR 20,000 ($1,300). Additionally, selling vapes to individuals under 21 results in a fine of MVR 50,000.

  • Northern Ireland Moves Toward Generational Ban

    Northern Ireland Moves Toward Generational Ban

    Yesterday (February 10), Northern Ireland moved a step closer to a generational tobacco ban with Members of the Legislative Assembly voting in favor of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The bill would progressively raise the age to buy tobacco, meaning that people born after December 31, 2008 would never be able to purchase it legally.

    The bill is currently going through the Westminster legislative process, and as health is a devolved matter, each devolved legislature votes on whether they consent to pass the bill in their nation through a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM). The bill was first introduced in May 2024, however, because of the general election, had to be introduced by the new UK Government, and needed a second LCM to take place. 

    “To achieve a smoke-free UK, we also need to start the stop of smoking, ensuring that people who currently smoke have access to the support they need to quit,” Smokefree UK said in a statement. “We’ll continue to fight for this vital legislation to be implemented in Northern Ireland and across the rest of the UK and together, we can help end cancers caused by smoking.”

  • Hong Kong: Bill Would Strengthen Tobacco Control, Hurt Pubs

    Hong Kong: Bill Would Strengthen Tobacco Control, Hurt Pubs

    Hong Kong Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said an amendment bill to strengthen tobacco control will be submitted to the Legislative Council in April that would impact virtually every product, all on different timelines. He said a potential ban on flavored non-menthol-flavored cigarettes could begin as early as next year, with menthol-favored-cigarettes then following, but with no specific timeline given.

    “Menthol cigarettes have a longer history, which is why we hope the policy can be implemented gradually,” Lo said, pointing out that 40% of smokers use flavored cigarettes and of those more than 50% use menthol. “We want to start with non-menthol as a pilot.

    “We’ve seen significant opposition [about the flavor ban], especially from tobacco companies, which shows that this hits their core interests.”

    The bill would extend the flavor ban to water pipes and also include increased penalties for illegal tobacco, updated rules cigarette labeling rules, and new rules for travelers with tobacco. Lo also said that e-cigarettes, which have been banned from import and sale since 2022 but can still be owned, may be facing a complete ban by mid-2026.

    The Long Term Tobacco Policy Concern Group polled 514 customers at popular nightlife districts in Hong Kong recently and found that 80% of bar-goers would have less desire to frequent pubs if a flavor ban was put in place, and that 70% would consider patronizing establishments on the mainland instead. Pub operators predicted a 30% loss of patrons if the government proposal was approved.

    “This is pulling out the last straw in such a terrible situation,” said Ben Leung Lap-yan, charter president of the Licensed Bar and Club Association of Hong Kong, which represents more than half of the city’s 1,300 licensed venues. “Should so many measures be put forward in the current poor economic environment in such a tough and aggressive way?”

  • Korean Bill Stalls in Defining “Tobacco”  

    Korean Bill Stalls in Defining “Tobacco”  

    Today (February 10), a bill in South Korea that includes liquid-type electronic cigarettes in the legal definition of “tobacco” did not pass the Economic and Financial Subcommittee of the National Assembly. Some members raised concerns about the credibility of the government’s findings, noting that synthetic nicotine is harmful, similar to existing tobacco products, and opposed the bill. There were also arguments that decisions should be deferred considering the survival rights of the liquid tobacco industry.

    The main point of the amendment is to expand the definition of “legal tobacco” to include liquid-type electronic cigarettes that use synthetic nicotine as a primary ingredient. Under current law, tobacco is defined as “the leaves of the tobacco plant.” Electronic cigarettes containing synthetic nicotine are not classified as legal tobacco.

    The issue, critics say, is that liquid-type electronic cigarettes have a similar addictive quality to existing tobacco products and are effectively used as tobacco, however, because of the legal definition question, they escape various regulations and taxation.

    Last December, the Economic and Financial Subcommittee held a public hearing related to the amendment of the Tobacco Business Act where both ruling and opposition party members reached a consensus that liquid-type electronic cigarettes should be regulated legally as if they were tobacco. However, in a closed-door meeting later that day, differing concerns were raised regarding the government’s findings.

    “There is a consensus among ruling and opposition party members to define and regulate liquid-type electronic cigarettes as tobacco,” one of the members of the Economic and Financial Subcommittee said. “However, additional discussions are needed on how to flexibly apply the Tobacco Business Act considering the survival rights of sales vendors.”

  • Nepal Goes All-In on Health Packaging

    Nepal Goes All-In on Health Packaging

    The Global Tobacco Treaty (formally called the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or WHO FCTC) called on governments to implement strong pictorial health warnings to “help save lives from deadly tobacco.” Nepal took that to heart, announcing that beginning August 17, all cigarette packs will be required to have 100% pictorial health warnings on both the front and back of the packaging.

    Since 2014, Nepal had 90% graphic health warnings on both sides of its packaging, the most in the world behind only Timor-Leste and Turkiye, which both had 85% coverage on the front and 100% on the back. In August Nepal will move to No. 1.

    “Nepal has set a global benchmark by adopting 100% pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging,” said Dr. Tara Singh Bam, Asia Pacific Director (Tobacco Control) Vital Strategies. “This policy is a powerful tool to prevent smoking among youth and children, encourage tobacco users to quit, and raise public awareness about the dangers of tobacco use. It is a highly cost-effective intervention that not only saves lives and reduces healthcare costs, but also helps to denormalize tobacco in our communities. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the strong political commitment and timely actions of the Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal.”

  • Philippines: Tobacco Orgs Backing Tax Moratorium

    Philippines: Tobacco Orgs Backing Tax Moratorium

    Seeking a “sweet spot,” the Philippines’ government is considering a moratorium on tobacco excise tax hikes in order to curb illicit trade and protect its revenue. Currently, the excise tax is P60 ($1.03) per pack and grows 5% annually. A pack of illicit cigarettes can be purchased for P40 ($0.69) per pack, less than the tax itself.

    According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, smoking in the country increased from 18.5% in 2021 to 23.2% in 2023. Over the same period, illicit cigarettes increased 13.6% to 19.8%. Despite the increase in smoking, the Bureau of Internal Revenue has watched its collected excise taxes steadily decline each year, going from P176.48 billion ($3 billion) in 2021 to P134 billion ($2.3 billion) last year, P51 billion below budget.

    “Illicit trade thrives due to the availability of untaxed cigarettes sold at a fraction of legitimate products,” said Jericho Nograles, president of the Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI). “Legal cigarettes are up to five times more expensive than their illicit counterparts.”

    Both the PTI and the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) supported the tax moratorium for 2026, saying it is a “practical” and “targeted” solution against illicit cigarette trade.

    “By pausing the excise tax increase for 2026, we can temporarily stabilize the market and reduce the price disparity between legitimate and illicit cigarettes,” NTA administrator and CEO Belinda Sanchez said. “This pause will help legitimate manufacturers regain competitiveness, which is crucial to restoring demand for locally produced tobacco leaf for local consumption.

    “The widening gap between the prices of legitimate and illicit cigarettes, aggravated by successive excise tax increases, has incentivized the proliferation of smuggled and counterfeit products.”

    While the moratorium has been discussed for some time, the House of Representatives recently passed on second reading House Bill 11360, which would replace the moratorium and instead impose lower tax rates on tobacco products, proposing a schedule where the excise tax is raised 2% in even-numbered years and 4% in odd.

    Pointing to the billions they are losing in revenue, Department of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said they are open to all proposals and “hopes the government can find a sweet spot.”

  • Thailand: Despite Ban, Vaping Surges with Teens

    Thailand: Despite Ban, Vaping Surges with Teens

    Thailand’s government is being urged not to legalize e-cigarettes, citing the example of the Philippines, where it has led to increased smoking, a rise in the illegal tobacco trade, and reduced tax revenues. Despite being banned in 2014, e-cigarettes are abundantly available in the country, and the government is presumably missing out on significant tax revenues.

    Numerous organizations banded together at a parliament committee meeting hoping to make this a national agenda item, pointing to the drastic rise in youth use as a catalyst, saying there has been a tenfold increase in young vapers in just one year. Citing a 2022 e-cigarette report, Senate committee chair Varapas Phaiphannarat said the number of e-cigarette users aged 15 to 24 increased from 24,050 to 269,533. She also said 43% of primary school students aged nine to 12 had already tried e-cigarettes,

    “These figures indicate a serious public health crisis that threatens the well-being and future of Thai youth,” Varapas said.

  • Osaka Tightens Smoking Regs Around World Expo 2025

    Osaka Tightens Smoking Regs Around World Expo 2025

    Last week the city of Osaka imposed a smoking ban on public streets in an attempt to be more “visitor friendly” ahead of this year’s World Expo 2025 being held in Japan. Held every five years in different locations, more than 160 countries are expected to participate in this year’s six-month-long event, however, ticket sales are currently about half of what was expected.

    “We want to welcome many people from all over the world, so we want to make Osaka a city where people feel safe with smoke-free streets,” mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said.

    Smoking was previously banned in six zones of the city, including the area around Osaka station, the hub of the event, and in restaurants larger than 100 square meters. The ban has now been expanded to the entire city and restaurants larger than 30 square meters, save for designated smoking areas. Violators will face a 1,000 yen ($6.40) fine.

    The bans are similar to those implemented by Tokyo in advance of the 2018 Olympics.

    In addition to Japan owning a one-third stake in Japan Tobacco, the world’s third-largest tobacco company, the country also makes about around two trillion yen ($13 billion) in cigarette tax revenue annually.