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  • Taiwan Pulls Legal Heated Products on Day They are Launched

    Taiwan Pulls Legal Heated Products on Day They are Launched

    Taiwan’s first legally approved heated tobacco products were removed from stores on October 17, the same day they launched, after inspectors found packaging failed to comply with nicotine-content labeling regulations. Vice Minister Chuang Jen-hsiang said health risk assessments were prioritized during product reviews, and manufacturers were aware that all legal requirements, including accurate labeling, must be met.

    Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang confirmed that the recall had been completed, and products can return to stores once packaging issues are corrected. Importers face fines of up to NT$5 million (US$163,400) for violations, while retailers may be fined up to NT$50,000. Heated tobacco products are regulated under the 2023 amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, which bans e-cigarettes while allowing approved heated tobacco following a thorough health risk assessment.

    Since July 29, the Health Promotion Administration has approved 14 products from U.S. and Japanese companies.

  • TPA Brief Criticizes WHO Tobacco Treaty for Ignoring Evidence

    TPA Brief Criticizes WHO Tobacco Treaty for Ignoring Evidence

    The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) released a new policy brief today (October 20), “FCTC: The Wrong Lessons Learned,” by Roger Bate, a fellow at the International Center for Law and Economics, criticizing the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) for drifting from its original mission of evidence-based policy. The paper argues that the treaty’s decision-making process has become obscured, ideological, and resistant to scientific debate—particularly around harm reduction products such as e-cigarettes and oral nicotine.

    “The FCTC has evolved into a closed process—hostile to scientific dissent, opaque in its deliberations, and resistant to consumer-driven innovation in tobacco harm reduction (THR),” the paper begins. “This paper argues that the FCTC has become a cautionary model for global public-health governance. Unless checked, this model risks entrenching an authoritarian and anti-scientific impulse across public health. The THR community must lead the counter-narrative—to reform tobacco control and safeguard the integrity of evidence-based policymaking.”

    Bate contends that the FCTC’s approach “demonizes safer alternatives despite real-world success,” preventing adult smokers from accessing less harmful products that could help them quit. He warns that the treaty’s governance flaws mirror broader problems in global health governance, including pandemic response. “A treaty built to reduce smoking deaths should evaluate tools by outcomes, not ideology,” he said.

    The brief calls for reforms, including open sessions at FCTC Conferences of the Parties (COPs), equal conflict-of-interest scrutiny, independent comparisons of cessation tools, proportionate youth protections, and fiscal accountability. TPA fellow Martin Cullip urged the WHO to “reassess the evidence on reduced-risk nicotine products” and improve transparency, warning that the FCTC’s current direction “has become an obstacle to global public health progress.”

  • Australia Launches National Taskforce to Combat Illicit Tobacco Crisis

    Australia Launches National Taskforce to Combat Illicit Tobacco Crisis

    With Australia’s demand for black-market tobacco surging in recent years, driven by steep tax hikes on legal products, authorities have announced a new multi-agency taskforce set to target the organized criminal networks behind it. The Illicit Tobacco National Disruption Group, led by the Australian Border Force, will unite federal, state and territory police with agencies including AUSTRAC, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the ATO, and Services Australia.

    Backed by almost A$190 million ($124 million) in new funding aimed at dismantling smuggling and distribution operations, the crackdown will examine every stage of the supply chain, from pre-border smuggling to warehouse storage and local street sales. The taskforce will focus on mid-level criminals who import, distribute, or sell illegal tobacco, while also targeting financial flows that sustain the trade. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the coordinated approach was vital as illicit tobacco networks were increasingly tied to broader organized crime.

    “The same criminal groups are involved in organized tobacco, arson and the drug trade,” Burke told the ABC’s Insiders program. “If there’s a cohesion of threats and a convergence of threats, there needs to be a convergence of protection in responding.”

  • Cambodian Cigarette Factory Penalized for Pollution Issues

    Cambodian Cigarette Factory Penalized for Pollution Issues

    An inspection team from Cambodia’s General Department of Environmental Protection has taken action against a cigarette factory in Takeo province for serious environmental violations. The inspection, led by Deputy Director Cho Thol, found the LH-TBC (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. facility in Kang Thom village operating without adequate ventilation or emission control systems, leading to excessive odors and air pollution. Air quality testing confirmed that emissions from the factory exceeded national environmental standards.

    Authorities also determined that the company had been operating without a complete Environmental Impact Assessment and a valid waste discharge permit. In response, the inspection team imposed interim penalties under Cambodia’s Environment and Natural Resources Code and Sub-Decree No. 42 on Air Pollution Control. The company was ordered to install proper odor and smoke filtration systems, compensate for environmental and public health damages, and submit a full EIA report to the Ministry of Environment for review.

  • Singapore Busts Major Vape Smuggling Syndicate Linked to Malaysia

    Singapore Busts Major Vape Smuggling Syndicate Linked to Malaysia

    Singapore authorities announced the dismantling of a large-scale vape smuggling syndicate operating between Malaysia and Singapore, arresting 12 suspects and seizing over 64,000 vaping devices worth nearly RM2 million ($460,000). The suspects—11 men and one woman aged 25 to 35—were detained on October 16 during a joint operation led by the Singapore Police Force with support from the Criminal Investigation Department, Police Intelligence Department, and Special Operations Command.

    Police said the syndicate was responsible for importing and distributing vapes to local buyers. The arrests took place at a car park where the group was allegedly distributing devices. Follow-up raids uncovered two storage facilities containing the illegal goods, alongside cash, multiple mobile devices, and eight vehicles used in the smuggling operation.

    All 12 suspects were charged in court for offenses under Singapore’s Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act 1993, which prohibits the import, sale, and distribution of vapes. Four face conspiracy charges, while eight are charged with possession for sale. Offenders can be fined up to S$10,000 ($2,300) or jailed for six months for a first offense, with harsher penalties for repeat violations.

  • Taiwan FDA Developing Tests for 27 Additives for Flavorings

    Taiwan FDA Developing Tests for 27 Additives for Flavorings

    Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) is developing testing methods for 27 additives that will soon be banned from flavored nicotine products, Health Promotion Administration (HPA) Director-General Shen Ching-fen said last week. The move follows amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, announced in March, which aim to strengthen oversight of tobacco ingredients and restrict products that appeal to young people. Shen said the FDA’s detection methods would apply to both traditional and electronic cigarettes once post-market regulatory systems are ready.

    The HPA said 14 flavored cigarette products that previously received conditional approval would soon enter the market, while all others remain illegal.

    To enforce the new rules, authorities have launched nationwide inspection campaigns with local health bureaus to monitor physical stores and online platforms. Inspections will target underage sales and illegal advertising, including social media promotions and “unboxing” videos. Shen said the decision to regulate by listed additives—rather than by flavor—was made to simplify testing procedures, with related regulations expected to be finalized and implemented next year.

  • South Korean Court Rules Partial Tax Exemption for Imported Nicotine

    South Korean Court Rules Partial Tax Exemption for Imported Nicotine

    A Seoul Administrative Court ruled that some imported nicotine liquids for e-cigarettes are not subject to tobacco-related taxes, distinguishing between nicotine derived from tobacco leaves and stems. The October 19 decision partially upheld a lawsuit filed by a local importer, referred to as “Company A,” challenging a 510 million won ($357,000) public health surcharge imposed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

    The importer brought nicotine liquids from Malaysia and China between August 2018 and June 2019, declaring the products tax-exempt on the grounds that Malaysian nicotine was extracted from tobacco stems, not leaves. Under South Korea’s Tobacco Business Act, products derived from leaves are taxed, while those from other plant parts are not. The court canceled 212 million won ($148,000) in taxes on Malaysian imports but upheld 298 million won ($209,000) on Chinese shipments, which evidence showed were derived from tobacco leaves.

    Judge Kang Jae-won highlighted that documentation from the Chinese supplier indicated extraction from “leaf veins,” justifying taxation, while Malaysian documentation lacked proof of leaf usage. The ruling highlights the regulatory complexity of South Korea’s growing e-cigarette market, where small botanical and chemical distinctions can determine tax liability for importers and manufacturers.

  • Spring Mountain Investments Divests Another 1.15% of BAT Shares

    Spring Mountain Investments Divests Another 1.15% of BAT Shares

    On October 16, BAT announced that Spring Mountain Investments Ltd.’s holding of voting rights attached to shares in the company fell below a notifiable threshold on October 14. The new total position of voting rights attached to shares is 2.808906%, representing 61,410,486 voting rights. This is a decrease from the previous notification of 3.950733%. The chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights are held includes Kenneth Bryan Dart, Portfolio Services Ltd, and Spring Mountain Investments.

    Spring Mountain Investments sold 115.2 million shares of BAT earlier this year, reducing its shares in the company by 53% since April.

  • Mexico Poised for Large Tobacco Tax Increase

    Mexico Poised for Large Tobacco Tax Increase

    Mexico’s proposed 2026 federal budget includes a steep hike in tobacco taxes that industry groups warn could expand illicit trade and harm small retailers. The plan would raise the ad valorem IEPS tax from 160% to 200% and gradually increase the per-cigarette quota from MX$0.61 ($0.033) to MX$1.15 ($0.062) by 2030.

    Officials say the measure aims to reduce smoking and fund healthcare, but trade associations argue it will instead push consumers toward cheaper illegal products. Legal cigarette packs could reach MX$100 ($5.40), while contraband versions sell for just MX$20–25 ($1.08–1.35), creating strong incentives for black-market purchases.

    According to the National Association of Small Traders (ANPEC), the price gap threatens 1.2 million small stores that support about 5 million people, as illicit sellers undercut legal retailers. The Confederation of Industrial Chambers (CONCAMIN) estimates tax evasion from illegal cigarettes costs the government MX$13–15 billion annually, with up to half of the tobacco market now illicit.

    Government data shows tobacco tax collections have fallen since 2019, dropping 6.9% year-on-year in 2024 and accounting for just 0.8% of total state income.

    The Senate is expected to debate and vote on the proposal starting October 20.

  • PMI Launches VEEV in South Africa, Expands Smoke-Free Portfolio

    PMI Launches VEEV in South Africa, Expands Smoke-Free Portfolio

    Philip Morris South Africa (PMSA) launched its VEEV e-cigarette this week, completing the company’s trio of smoke-free products in the country alongside IQOS heated tobacco and ZYN nicotine pouches, according to BizCommunity. This makes South Africa one of just 20 countries globally offering all three categories, underscoring PMSA’s commitment to providing adult smokers with scientifically backed alternatives to combustible cigarettes.

    Jonathan Kwak, Director of Smoke-Free Products at PMSA, said the launch gives “adult smokers more options than before when considering scientifically substantiated alternatives to smoking” and is a critical step toward eliminating cigarette use. PMI says it has invested over $14 billion globally since 2008 in research and development of smoke-free products, which are now available in 97 markets and used by more than 41 million adult consumers worldwide.

    While emphasizing that quitting all tobacco and nicotine remains the best choice, Kwak said that switching entirely to smoke-free products can significantly reduce exposure to harmful chemicals produced by burning tobacco. “With our expanding offering, we aim to accelerate South Africa’s transition to a smoke-free future, aligning with harm-reduction principles already embraced in other public-health fields,” he said.