The National Council of Bhutan and the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority are reviewing the Tobacco Control Act of Bhutan to better regulate emerging products such as e-cigarettes and synthetic nicotine, following a sharp rise in imports and youth use. Trade data show e-cigarette imports surged from 994 units in 2022 to 448,086 units in 2025, valued at Nu 48.5 million ($533,000), while the National Health Survey 2023 reported overall tobacco use prevalence at 31.4%, with nearly one in five users also vaping. Officials say the amendments will clarify enforcement, strengthen inter-agency coordination, introduce product safety and nicotine limits, and enhance protections for minors, in line with Bhutan’s commitments under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed changes would also consolidate penalties, define compliance obligations for importers and retailers, and empower local authorities, marking the fourth revision of the law since its adoption in 2010.
Category: Global Regulation
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Raids on Malaysian Vape Shops Show Overwhelming Compliance
The Malaysia E-Vaporizers and Tobacco Alternative Association (MEVTA) boasted that numerous “operations and raids” conducted by authorities over the last several weeks at vape retailers across the country found no drugs, hazardous substances, or prohibited products. “In most reported cases, actions were primarily focused on administrative and documentation compliance, while licensed and registered premises were found to have fully cooperated with authorities throughout the inspection process,” MEVTA said.
MEVTA President Mohamad Neezam Talib urged vape and tobacco alternative businesses to continue obtaining proper licenses and comply fully with Malaysian regulations, saying this is essential for consumer safety and industry accountability.
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Stores in Stores Finds Loophole in NZ Vape Regs
Many general retailers in New Zealand have found a loophole to flavored vape restrictions by setting up stores within stores, research from Massey University has found. Regulations permit only specialist vape retailers to sell the full range of vape flavors if vaping products make up at least 70% of their sales, while general retailers are limited to mint, menthol, and tobacco flavors. The study found that 44% of 160 specialist vape outlets surveyed operated within larger stores, such as dairies and gas stations.
Casey Costello said specialist retailers are not allowed to display products outside their stores or allow under-18s to enter, adding that enforcement activity has increased and youth vaping rates are reportedly declining. Meanwhile, the Vaping Industry Association of New Zealand (VIANZ) acknowledged the store-within-a-store model as an unintended loophole and expressed support for closing it, stating specialist vape retailers should operate as standalone premises with strict age-verification and compliance standards while preserving adult access to regulated smoke-free alternatives.
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Alabama Advances Bill Extending Smoking Restrictions to Vapes
The Alabama House Health Committee has approved legislation that would expand the state’s indoor smoking restrictions to include vaping products. The bill, SB9, would incorporate electronic nicotine delivery systems under the Alabama Clean Indoor Air Act and rename the law the Vivian Davis Figures Clean Indoor Air Act in honor of the late state senator. Sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) and carried in the House by Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa), the measure would prohibit the use of vape products in areas where traditional tobacco smoking is already banned. The bill previously passed the Senate and now advances to the full House for consideration.
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Manufacturers Tell FDA They Need Benchmarks, Communication
During yesterday’s (Feb. 10) afternoon session of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “Roundtable on Premarket Tobacco Application Submissions for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Products,” Dr. Lynn Hull, acting senior science advisor in the Office of Science at FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), moderated the Pharmacological Panel along with the FDA’s supervisory pharmacologist in CTP’s Division of Individual Health Science, Dr. Carolina Ramôa.
Manufacturers warned that conducting studies has been prohibitively expensive and unpredictable without clear performance benchmarks. They also urged the FDA to allow greater use of modeling and data-bridging approaches, though regulators signaled that such alternatives would face strict validation requirements and may not replace product-specific clinical testing.
“How can we simplify and have more communication and lean more toward product characteristics to model and understand abuse liability?” Dr. Willie McKinney, founder and CEO of Mckinney Regulatory Sciences asked. “How do we have more meetings regardless of where our application is in the process to understand what you are currently thinking?”
The agency maintained that measuring nicotine delivery and addiction potential is essential when determining whether products meet public health standards, highlighting clinical pharmacokinetic (PK) data as the most reliable evidence.
“I absolutely understand where you’re coming from,” said Dr. Ramôa, “where you want to make it as efficient as possible, but understand where I’m coming from, where I have a duty to the American public to make sure I make the correct decision that does not impact them negatively.”
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India ‘Illogical’ in Keeping Alternative Ban
India has ruled out easing its 2019 ban on e-cigarettes, confirming that the prohibition will continue to include heat-not-burn tobacco products. The Health Ministry said the government is not considering amendments to the law and remains committed to evidence-based tobacco control measures, reinforcing restrictions in one of the world’s largest cigarette markets, where more than 100 billion cigarettes are sold annually and tobacco use is blamed for over 1 million deaths each year.
The decision is a setback for Philip Morris International (PMI), which had lobbied Indian officials for years to allow its IQOS heated tobacco device, a move analysts viewed as a significant IQOS driver of future expansion. By maintaining the ban, according to Reuters, India effectively blocks PMI from introducing its flagship smoke-free product into a high-volume market that the company had hoped would support its long-term transition strategy.
In an interview with Reuters, Jacek Olczak, the firm’s chief executive, said he had engaged with various people in India, adding that it was “illogical” for the market to be closed to smoking alternatives such as heated tobacco and vapes, but not cigarettes.
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FDA PMTA Roundtable Being Held
Today (February 10), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is hosting its much-anticipated “Roundtable on Premarket Tobacco Application Submissions for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Products.” Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) director Dr. Matthew Farrelly offered his opening remarks, which led into the “product characterization” panel moderated by deputy director Dr. Todd Cecil.
Dr. Matthew Walters, Dr. Karen Coyne, Dr. Lynn Hull, and Dr. Carolina Ramôa rounded out the early sessions for FDA. Industry representatives said that unclear product characterization standards are limiting the long-term viability for smaller ENDS manufacturers, argued that the absence of objective, measurable benchmarks create uncertainty around PMTA compliance, and raised questions about defining testing ranges for open-system products and the ability to update long-pending PMTAs. FDA said it wants to create a dialogue with manufacturers, but statutory requirements constrain its regulatory flexibility.
The afternoon panels were led by Cecil, Dr. Benjamin Apelberg, Dr. Mollie Miller, Dr. Amy Gross, Dr. Mary Irwin, and Dr. Hans Rosenfeldt, and were still being held at the writing of this article. Tobacco Reporter will update the proceedings as the information becomes available.
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Estonian Groups Want Disposable Vapes Banned by 2027
A coalition of 50 organizations and school leaders, led by the Estonian Green Movement, submitted a public appeal to several Estonian government ministries calling for a nationwide ban on disposable e-cigarettes by 2027. The appeal, sent to the Ministries of Social Affairs, Climate, Economic Affairs and Communications, and Justice and Digital Affairs, argues that single-use vapes pose growing risks to youth health, contribute to nicotine addiction, and create significant environmental waste due to discarded batteries and plastics. The coalition also highlighted public backing for the measure, noting that a related initiative gathered more than 2,000 signatures by the end of 2025, and urged authorities to prohibit disposable devices while allowing stricter regulation of reusable alternatives.
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NSW Increasing Tobacco-Inspector Staff by 62%
New South Wales (Australia) will recruit 30 additional full-time tobacco inspectors to strengthen the state’s Centre for Regulation & Enforcement, expanding the statewide compliance team to 78 staff as authorities intensify efforts against illicit tobacco and vaping products. Since tougher enforcement laws took effect in November 2025, NSW Health and police have closed 66 retailers, including five Sydney Inner West tobacconists last week, while January inspections seized approximately 560,000 cigarettes, 98 kilograms of illicit tobacco, and more than 6,000 illegal vaping products valued at about A$830,000 ($589,000). The government is advancing further legislative measures, including landlord liability provisions and penalties exceeding A$1.5 million ($1.1 million) and seven years’ imprisonment for commercial-scale illicit tobacco offences, as officials warn high federal excise taxes continue to drive demand for illegal products and fuel evolving retail tactics such as QR code and social media-based sales.
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Bangladesh Professionals Pushing Parliament for Tobacco Control
Leaders of several professional and business organizations in Bangladesh are urging the government to pass the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 into law during the first session of the 13th National Parliament, arguing that formal legislative approval is critical for effective enforcement. The call was made during a public health meeting in Dhaka organized by Dhaka Ahsania Mission, where speakers described the ordinance as a major step toward reducing tobacco-related illnesses and deaths. Officials emphasized that continued political support from the next elected government will be key to advancing the measure.
Citing Tobacco Atlas 2025 data, speakers said more than 21.3 million Bangladeshi adults use tobacco, and government representatives said Bangladesh generates about Tk40,000 crore ($3.6 billion) annually in tobacco revenue, but related costs surrounding healthcare, productivity losses, and premature deaths exceed Tk87,000 crore ($7.9 billion) each year.