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  • Tobacco Industry Interference List Released

    Tobacco Industry Interference List Released

    The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index released the results of its bi-annual survey today (November 11), ranking governments based on how they respond “to tobacco industry interference and protect public health policies from commercial and vested interests as required under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.”

    The report was initiated as a regional index by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) in 2014. It ranks countries based on their response to a 20-question survey, covering seven indicators of industry interference, including: the industry’s participation in policy development; tobacco industry-related corporate social responsibility activities; benefits given to the tobacco industry; unnecessary interaction between government and industry; measures for transparency; preventing conflicts of interest; and measures that prevent industry influence.

    The top-10 countries based on the criteria were Brunei Darussalam, Palau, Botswana, Netherlands, Finland, Ethiopia, Iran, Burkina Faso, Maldives, and Uganda and Norway tied for 10th. The bottom 10 were Colombia, Malawi, Indonesia, Zambia, Romania, Japan, Georgia, the United States, Switzerland, and the Dominican Republic.

    One of the biggest fallers on the list was New Zealand, which dropped from No. 2 in 2023 to No. 53 in 2025. Tobacco Reporter will have more analysis and reactions from the list later this week.

    Find the full list here.

  • Thai Association Wants Meta to Crack Down on $16B Illegal Sales Market

    Thai Association Wants Meta to Crack Down on $16B Illegal Sales Market

    Thailand’s Tobacco Trade Association (TTTA) called on the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to pressure Meta to crack down on the widespread sale of illegal cigarettes on Facebook, arguing that the platform has become the primary marketplace for contraband tobacco. TTTA executive director Thanyasarun Saengthong said sellers routinely evade detection by using abbreviations and product images, allowing them to bypass Facebook’s keyword filters. The association urged Meta to use its advanced AI tools to scan Groups, Marketplace listings, page names, and images for tobacco content, and warned that paid ads are being used to promote illegal products without age checks.

    The TTTA cited internal Meta documents reported by Reuters, suggesting that up to 10% of Meta’s 2024 revenue—approximately $16 billion—may have come from deceptive ads and illicit goods, evidence, they say, of a serious enforcement failure. Under Thailand’s Tobacco Product Control Act, all online sale, display, and marketing of tobacco products is strictly prohibited. The TTTA argues Facebook’s inaction undermines Thai law and the government’s ongoing efforts to combat the contraband trade.

  • Study: 81% of Cigarettes in Pakistan Illegal

    Study: 81% of Cigarettes in Pakistan Illegal

    A new survey by Stop Illegal Trade (SIT) revealed that over 81% of cigarette brands sold in Pakistan lack tax stamps, exposing widespread excise duty evasion. Only 12% of brands were fully compliant, while nearly 7% appeared in both taxed and untaxed forms, suggesting the existence of a parallel illegal distribution network. The report, “The Unchecked Rise of Illicit Cigarettes in Pakistan,” also found that 47% of cigarette brands failed to display mandatory health warnings, and many were being sold below the government’s minimum retail price of Rs 162.25 ($0.57), violating national tobacco control laws.

    SIT’s spokesperson said the findings highlight “regulatory weaknesses” enabling tax evasion and black-market sales that harm both government revenue and public health. The illicit cigarette trade is estimated to make up more than half of Pakistan’s total market, causing annual revenue losses exceeding Rs 415 billion ($1.5 billion).

    SIT urged authorities to intensify retail inspections, enforce compliance, and dismantle the networks behind untaxed and non-compliant cigarette sales.

  • CAPHRA Calls on Philippines to Champion Consumers at COP11 

    CAPHRA Calls on Philippines to Champion Consumers at COP11 

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) appealed to the Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) to represent Filipino consumers at the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), scheduled to begin November 17 in Geneva. In a letter to Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa, CAPHRA said consumers have been excluded from FCTC discussions for 20 years. Philippine representative Clarisse Virgino stressed that millions of Filipinos have shifted from smoking to regulated alternatives such as vapes and heated tobacco, demonstrating that harm reduction works.

    CAPHRA pointed to the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, enacted in 2022, as a model for risk-proportionate, science-based regulation. The group urged the DOH to recognize harm reduction as a public health pillar, share Filipino consumers’ success stories with COP11 delegates, and advocate for greater consumer and scientific participation in global tobacco policy.

    Virgino said the Philippines could show regional leadership by promoting inclusive, evidence-based policies as several Asia-Pacific nations, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, tighten vaping regulations.

  • WHO’s Tobacco Targeting Threatens Zimbabwe’s Economy

    WHO’s Tobacco Targeting Threatens Zimbabwe’s Economy

    Zimbabwe’s multi-billion-dollar tobacco industry is confronting a potential crisis as the World Health Organization (WHO) considers pushing for tighter global controls—and potentially a ban on tobacco production—over alleged child labor, environmental harm, and concentration of market power in financing, according to Bulawayo. If enforced, the measures could devastate Zimbabwe’s economy. Tobacco is the country’s fourth-largest foreign currency earner after gold, platinum, and remittances, generating $1.2 billion in 2025 and supporting more than 135,000 growers.

    Agriculture Minister Dr. Anxious Masuka said the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and other anti-tobacco forums were intensifying efforts to discourage production in developing countries. He said such measures would not only devastate economies like Zimbabwe’s but also deepen poverty among farmers who depend on the crop. At a recent T5 Meeting in Harare, attended by regional producers including Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, Masuka warned that anti-tobacco efforts under the FCTC threaten livelihoods and national stability. He argued that tobacco remains a legal crop and an adult-choice product, and that attempts to criminalize its production were unjustified.

    Masuka said the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan—which aims to raise output to 500 million kg by 2030, increase local financing, and promote value addition—will strengthen sustainability while diversifying farmer incomes. Zimbabwe achieved a record 355 million kg harvest last season, its highest ever. However, analysts warn that if the WHO proceeds with restrictions or trade barriers, the country could face severe economic fallout, threatening export revenues and rural livelihoods amid existing inflation and drought pressures.

  • European Patent Office Sides with Nicoventures on Vape Dispute

    European Patent Office Sides with Nicoventures on Vape Dispute

    The European Patent Office’s Board of Appeal upheld British American Tobacco subsidiary Nicoventures Trading Ltd.’s vape patent EP3354144, rejecting a challenge by Philip Morris Products S.A., according to Law360. The board found that the patent’s method—activating a heater based on predetermined parameters independent of puff counts—was “inventive.” It also ruled that the patent’s description of vaporization without combustion and general thermal insulation was sufficiently supported by the original filing.

    Additionally, the board clarified that the term “predetermined period of use” referred to a fixed timeframe, not puff duration, distinguishing it from prior patents. All of Philip Morris’s objections were dismissed.

  • Universal Announces New HR Chief

    Universal Announces New HR Chief

    Universal Corporation today (November 10) announced the appointment of Tatiana Santos Godoi as Chief Human Resources Officer. Godoi brings more than two decades of international human resources leadership experience across North America, Latin America, and global corporate functions. Prior to joining Universal, she served as vice president of human resources North America for Kerry, Inc. where she led HR for 50 sites across the U.S. and Canada, supporting approximately 6,000 employees. She previously held senior leadership roles at Kerry Latin America, Mars Incorporated, Newell Rubbermaid, Villares Metals, and LaticÍnos Bom Gosto.

    “Tatiana’s appointment as Chief Human Resources Officer reflects our commitment to investing in leadership that strengthens our workforce and culture,” said Preston Wigner, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation. “Her leadership will help strengthen our organization by aligning people and culture with our business strategy, engaging and developing our workforce, and supporting our continued growth.”

  • Greece Wants Tobacco Companies to Pay for Butt Cleanup

    Greece Wants Tobacco Companies to Pay for Butt Cleanup

    Greece proposed a new framework that would require tobacco companies to help fund the cleanup of cigarette butts from beaches and public spaces, under the “polluter pays” principle. The plan would create a nationwide collection system to finance municipal cleanup efforts and install public ashtrays and bins. The Hellenic Recycling Organization has set reduction targets of 10% fewer scattered butts within three years and 30% within five, as Greece seeks to curb one of the country’s most visible forms of pollution.

    Environmental group WWF Greece welcomed the move but said it doesn’t go far enough, urging the government to impose a €0.019 per-filter fee to create an independent cleanup and innovation fund. Cigarette filters, classified as single-use plastics since 2020 under EU law, were supposed to be managed under a national system starting in 2023, but implementation has been delayed by negotiations with the tobacco industry.

  • Experts Urge Malaysia to Embrace THR

    Experts Urge Malaysia to Embrace THR

    Malaysia continues to struggle with smoking, according to Dr. Arifin Fii, president of the Advanced Centre for Addiction Treatment Advocacy (ACATA), with roughly 20% of adults (4 million people) still smoking despite strict laws and high taxes. He argues that embracing tobacco harm reduction (THR) through vaping and other non-combusted nicotine products could accelerate progress toward a smoke-free nation.

    Drawing lessons from Sweden, where THR strategies helped reduce smoking rates to between 5.6% and 8%, Fii said countries that restrict vaping, such as Ireland, the Netherlands, and Denmark, have seen little improvement. Evidence shows vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking and can serve as a transition tool for smokers, he said.

    Fii criticized Malaysia’s current approach, which treats all nicotine products as equally harmful, arguing that risk-proportionate regulation could reduce smoking prevalence while protecting youth. He called for clear frameworks, stricter enforcement of underage access, and policies grounded in science rather than prohibition. By adopting evidence-based harm reduction, Fii said Malaysia could follow Sweden and the UK in reducing smoking-related deaths, healthcare costs, and tobacco-related harm while giving smokers safer alternatives.

  • CORESTA Abstracts Available Online

    CORESTA Abstracts Available Online

    Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA) announced that it has made the abstracts and presentations from its 2025 Agro-Phyto Conference available online. Held in Surabaya, Indonesia, from September 20 to October 2, the conference featured 73 presentations from 10 countries.