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Category: Global Regulation

  • France Wants EU to Raise Tobacco Taxes in Luxembourg

    France Wants EU to Raise Tobacco Taxes in Luxembourg

    Believing higher cigarette prices directly correlate to lesser use, France has continued to tax nicotine products in hopes of reducing smoking in the country. Though the number of cigarettes purchased in the country declined 26% between 2017 and 2022, the same can’t be said of the smoking rate which remains at 29.2%, a slight improvement from 33% in 2017. The problem is that consumers, predictably, will seek out better deals, and in this case need only to cross the border into Luxembourg.

    A pack of 25 cigarettes in Luxembourg costs €8, whereas the same pack across the way in France costs  €15. A recent study by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies shows that the sales drop for cigarettes at the border is even more dramatic, at 46.2%. As such, French officials are petitioning the EU to level the playing field.

    “Public health policies aimed at reducing tobacco consumption see their effect limited, in particular, because of the development of the parallel market,” French MP Frédéric Valletoux said in a recent motion for a resolution calling for changes to anti-smoking regulations at the European level.

    “Aligning tobacco taxation across the 27 Member States would reduce price disparities and limit cross-border purchases,” according to a report on tobacco published in March 2024 by a European Parliament working group. The report acknowledged the challenges of achieving this goal, as taxation remains outside the EU’s jurisdiction, and price differences between member states continue to widen.

    Another solution being pushed by the French would be to impose tobacco delivery quotas within the EU, as outlined in the World Health Organization protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products. The quotas would limit tobacco deliveries to each country based on domestic consumption. For example, Luxembourg receives three billion cigarettes annually, despite its domestic consumption being only 600 million.

    Luxembourg is raising the prices on the cheapest cigarettes in its market by €0.30 but otherwise isn’t likely to take more aggressive actions as its Customs and Excise Administration says cigarette sales reached 4.9 billion units in 2024, generating €1.4 billion in revenue for the country. This figure is expected to rise to €1.6 billion in 2025 and €1.9 billion by 2028.

  • CAPHRA Accuses “Foreign Billionaires” of Influencing Tobacco Policies

    CAPHRA Accuses “Foreign Billionaires” of Influencing Tobacco Policies

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today (March 10) called for greater transparency in global tobacco control governance, citing evidence of external influence in domestic policymaking across Asia-Pacific. The organization has documented patterns suggesting Bloomberg Philanthropies has exercised inappropriate influence over tobacco harm reduction policies in the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam. 

    Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s Executive Coordinator, expressed concern with what the organization perceives as ideologically driven approaches. “When foreign billionaires shape national health policies through strategic funding while excluding regional experts, we must question whether public health remains the priority,” Loucas said. “Our investigations reveal instances where domestic policies appear directly influenced by external funding priorities rather than evidence-based approaches.” 

    In February 2025, CAPHRA joined with ARDT Iberoamerica, and CASA Africa in requesting clarification from the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Harm Reduction regarding comments in their report on tobacco harm reduction. The coalition received no response. 

    “The continued silence from the Special Rapporteur underscores a pattern of dismissing stakeholder concerns when they don’t align with predetermined positions,” Loucas said. 

    CAPHRA highlighted the upcoming COP11 as a critical moment for reasserting national sovereignty in tobacco control policy, emphasizing countries that have implemented progressive harm reduction frameworks—such as the Philippines, Japan, and New Zealand. 

     “It’s time to hold global public health institutions to their core mission of protecting health based on science rather than ideology,” Loucas said. 

  • Texas: Expanded Medical Marijuana Bill Opens Door for Vape

    Texas: Expanded Medical Marijuana Bill Opens Door for Vape

    Medical cannabis grower Texas Original today announced its support of Texas Senate Bill 1505 which would improve patient access to medical cannabis. In particular, it would allow the use of aerosol and vapor as a means of administering low-level THC cannabis when medically necessary, saying “these medical products offer immediate relief, which is critical for patients with episodic conditions such as PTSD.”

    The bill, which was heard by the Senate Committee on State Affairs on March 3, proposes amendments to the Texas Compassionate Use Program (CUP).

    “Senate Bill 1505 proposes crucial improvements to the Compassionate Use Program that will benefit patients throughout the state,” said Nico Richardson, CEO of Texas Original. “We are grateful to Senator Charles Perry for his meaningful amendments. These changes will make the program more accessible and bring relief to the patients who rely on it for their medical care.”

    The new bill would also allow for satellite locations where medicine can be stored, improving patient access and reducing medicine costs, and aligning dosing with other prescription medications by capping THC by milligrams instead of by weight.

  • Taiwan Close to Deciding on Heated Tobacco Products 

    Taiwan Close to Deciding on Heated Tobacco Products 

    Two years in the making, Taiwan’s Health Promotion Agency (HPA) Director-General Wu Chao-chun said on Friday, that decisions to approve heated tobacco products could begin coming out as soon as next month.

    Eleven tobacco manufacturers submitted applications to the HPA and six completed the documentation assessment phase of the approval evaluation process. Those companies moved into the product testing phase of the evaluation, which takes six months.

    In March 2023, the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act was amended to allow a path to legalization on a case-by-case basis. Manufacturers that gain approval would be authorized to commercialize their products with the appropriate labeling and health warnings. Those that do not are forced to resubmit and begin the process again or move to litigation.

    Wu said announcements of the results would be staggered as the documentation came in at different times and often had to be redone.

  • Israel Mandates Graphic Images on Tobacco and Vape Products

    Israel Mandates Graphic Images on Tobacco and Vape Products

    Israel’s Health Ministry announced today (March 6) that it mandated graphic warning images be printed on cigarette packs in an effort to deter smokers. Materials will include images that depict decayed organs, people on ventilators, and children surrounded by cigarette smoke. The graphic photos will be in addition to the existing written warnings.

    “This is another significant step in reducing the attractiveness of tobacco products and preventing youth addiction to tobacco and nicotine,” said Health Minister Uriel Busso.

    The regulations will apply to various tobacco products, including cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, hookahs, and chewing (snuff) tobacco. Israel will be one of the first countries globally to require a combined health warning on e-cigarettes and their components.

  • Oregon Bill Looks to Ban Flavored Products

    Oregon Bill Looks to Ban Flavored Products

    A bill to ban flavored nicotine products in Oregon got a first hearing Tuesday, with wording broad enough, according to Sen. Lisa Reynolds, to include any flavored product that contains tobacco or nicotine and “things we haven’t thought of yet.” If passed, Senate Bill 702 would ban the sale or distribution of any “flavored inhalant delivery system products or flavored tobacco products” in the state.

    “The bill would also ban promotional giveaways and other free distribution of all tobacco products, whether flavored or not, and it would require all cigarettes, vapes, and smokeless tobacco products to be sold only at licensed retailers,” Anthony Macuk wrote for KGW8.

    Dozens of people testified about the bill at the hearing before the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health. Students, parent advocates, and lawmakers mainly focused on the health risks of tobacco and the appeal of flavored vapes to teens and young people. However, several tobacco shop owners testified that it’s already illegal for people under 21 to purchase vaping and tobacco products, and said an across-the-board ban on flavored products would heavily damage their businesses and create an expanded and empowered black market for flavored products. Others, including Sen. David Brock Smith, argued that vapes and smokeless tobacco products are less harmful to users’ health than traditional cigarettes and that banning the alternatives would push some users back towards the more damaging products.

  • Legislation Introduced to Close Tobacco “Loopholes”

    Legislation Introduced to Close Tobacco “Loopholes”

    U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoothi, and several others today (March 4) introduced the End Tobacco Loopholes Act, legislation that would “lower tobacco use and reduce healthcare spending” by increasing the taxes on tobacco products. The legislation would establish a federal tax on e-cigarettes, update the federal cigarette tax rate, and harmonize the tax rate across tobacco products.

    “Big Tobacco’s deadly profit scheme relies on addicting children,” Durbin said. “Our most effective strategy to reduce smoking and prevent a new generation from becoming addicted is to price these dangerous tobacco products out of the reach of children. But federal law has not been updated in 16 years, creating loopholes that Big Tobacco has used to hook kids. The End Tobacco Loopholes Act would help reduce tobacco and e-cigarette use, save billions in healthcare costs, and improve the health of children for generations to come.”

    According to Durbin’s website, the legislation would “close tax code loopholes for tobacco products by increasing the federal tax rate on cigarettes, pegging it to inflation to ensure it remains an effective public health tool, and setting the federal tax rate for all other tobacco products at this same level.” It would also “follow the lead of 30 states and Washington, D.C., that have set their own state taxes, by setting a federal tax on these vaping products. The legislation also closes numerous tax and regulatory loopholes that the tobacco industry has exploited for large cigars, smokeless tobacco, and pipe tobacco by shifting production and sale schemes to avoid taxes and oversight, resulting in nearly $4 billion in lost federal revenue between 2009 and 2018.”

    Durbin added that “large cigars, smokeless tobacco, and pipe tobacco remain dramatically undertaxed compared to cigarettes, at a time when their use—especially among youth—is trending at a comparable rate to cigarettes.”

  • Dutch Urge EU to Get Tough on Vapes

    Dutch Urge EU to Get Tough on Vapes

    Dutch junior health minister Vincent Karremans told the European Commission that the decision to delay legislation on new nicotine products is “harmful” in a letter sent to EU health chief Olivér Várhelyi after the commission decided to exclude tobacco-related legislation from its 2025 work program. Karremans urged him to take “decisive” action to protect young people’s health.

    The Dutch also want the EU to establish a legal framework for cross-border distance sales of new tobacco products, arguing that these allow consumers to bypass national restrictions. According to European news website Euractiv, the Dutch health ministry is urging Brussels to impose “comprehensive restrictions on flavors, maximum nicotine levels, and plain packaging” on e-cigarettes and other nicotine products

    In 2023, Dutch MPs voted in favor of a motion by the Democrats 66 party to introduce a tax on e-cigarettes and vapes, although officials say this is unlikely to happen before 2029. Flavored vaping liquids have already been banned in the Netherlands, yet the country is still struggling with a surge in vaping among teenagers, who, health ministers say, are attracted to the flavors.

  • N.C. Task Force Wants to Raise Tobacco Age to 21

    N.C. Task Force Wants to Raise Tobacco Age to 21

    North Carolina’s Child Fatality Task Force submitted a report to the governor and the legislature for 2025 suggesting the state raise the legal age for tobacco purchases from 18 to 21 to align with federal laws, and make licenses required for tobacco retailers. The report notes that North Carolina is one of seven states to not have raised the age for purchases to 21 and is one of nine states to not require a license or permit for tobacco retailers. 

    The task force also recommended prohibiting the sale of intoxicating cannabis or hemp products to people younger than 21, requiring child-resistant packaging and package warnings, and requiring retailers to obtain permits.

    “Last year, the legislature was close to passing a law that would have set a minimum age of 21 for buying edibles containing hemp CBD,” Lynn Bonner wrote on NC Newsline. “The bill was derailed when the Senate added legalization of medical marijuana to it.  While the Senate passed the measure, it stalled in the House.”

  • Taiwan Bill to Strengthen E-Cig Regs

    Taiwan Bill to Strengthen E-Cig Regs

    Today, Taiwan’s  Health Promotion Administration (HPA) proposed an amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (THP) to strengthen regulations against e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. The proposal allows the direct confiscation and destruction of these products and enhances online supervision, Tobacco Control Division head Lo Su-ying said.

    The THP was amended in 2023 to prohibit the manufacture, import, sale, display, advertisement, and use of e-cigarettes and unapproved heated tobacco products. Since then, more than 600,000 fines totaling $11.2 million have been issued, however, currently, the contraband items cannot be confiscated but are instead returned to the owner. The proposed amendment would fill in this loophole, facilitating the accelerated confiscation and destruction of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, Lo said.

    The new proposal would also stipulate that internet service providers must remove illegal tobacco advertisements and restrict access to related content.