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  • Ireland Increases Cigarette Prices

    Ireland Increases Cigarette Prices

    Cigarette prices in Ireland will increase under Budget 2026, confirmed Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe.

    A packet of cigarettes will increase in price by 50 cents, bringing the price of the most popular category to €18.95 ($21.95), among the most costly in the EU.

    The increase went into effect midnight October 8.

    The duty charged on other tobacco products will also see a pro-rate increase, according to the Irish Mirror. A new tax on vape liquid announced in last year’s budget will go into effect November 1, 2025. The tax will be applied at a flat rate of 50 center per milliliter of e-liquid. This includes refillable liquid and disposable vapes. 

  • Pakistan to Ban Sale of Vapes to Minors

    Pakistan to Ban Sale of Vapes to Minors

    A new bill has been submitted in Pakistan’s Senate aiming to ban the sale of e-cigarettes, vapes, and e-shisha to consumers under the age of 18, reports Bloom Pakistan. The bill also calls for a ban on use of these products in public places and for restrictions on advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.

    Those caught violating the ban will face a fine of PKR50,000 ($176.82) for a first offense and PKR100,000 for a second offense. Those caught selling these products within 50 meters of educational institutions will face fines of PKR200,000, and repeat violations could face up to PKR500,000 in fines.

  • Philippines Government Sets New Floor Price

    Philippines Government Sets New Floor Price

    The Philippines government will set a new tobacco floor price, effective next season, according to PhilStar.

    The National Tobacco Administration’s (NTA) 2025 Tripartite Consultative Conference began this week, where the regulatory body consults with farmers, traders, and cigarette manufacturers to agree on buying rates for the next two tobacco growing seasons.

    According to Belinda Sanchez, NTA administrator and CEO, the process is to ensure safeguarding of tobacco farmer welfare and that there is a well-founded recommendation for a reasonable floor price increase.

    Tobacco is the only cash crop in the Philippines with officially approved floor prices, according to the NTA.

  • Malaysian Health Ministry Proposes Vape Liquid Tax Increase

    Malaysian Health Ministry Proposes Vape Liquid Tax Increase

    The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) has proposed an increase in excise duty on vape liquids ahead of the government’s plan to ban electronic cigarettes and vaping products completely. The excise tax would be set at MYR4 ($0.94) per mL, a tenfold increase, according to The Edge Malaysia.

    The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) for consideration, days before the 2026 budget is set to be tabled.

    “This is the ministry’s recommendation to the MOF for review and approval,” said Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni during a question and answer session. The deputy minister explained that a standard pack of 20 cigarettes is equivalent to 200 puffs and taxed at MYR8 per pack, while 1 mL of vape liquid is equivalent to 100 puffs but taxed at 40 sen per milliliter (for nicotine and non-nicotine liquids). This means vapers pay significantly less tax per milligram of nicotine than cigarette smokers, he said.

    “Currently, one pack of cigarettes equals about 2 mL of vape liquid, but the tax on vape nicotine is only around 10% of cigarette tax. This disparity creates a large price gap,” said Datuk Wan Saifulruddin Wan Jan, who argued that the price gap encourages smokers to vape rather than quit altogether.

    The proposal is facing pushback from the industry, however.

    “A single-fold tax hike is already drastic in many ways. A tenfold is just sweeping the real issue under the rug,” said Ridhwan Rosli, Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce (MVCC) secretary-general. “It seems like they are changing their policy every year while the previous policy is just about to take place.”

    Ridhwan stated that the industry is proposing a maximum tax rate of 80 sen per milliliter.

    “As currently we are faced with a lot of new costs when it comes to going through the legal process of registration, etc., it is sad that the legal industry players are being punished for the wrongs of illicit products,” he said. There are worries that the drastic tax increase will increase illicit trade as well.

    Additionally, the government plans a full ban on e-cigarettes and vapor products.

    “The Health Ministry is now moving toward a full ban on e-cigarettes and vape products,” said Lukanisman. “The proposal will be tabled to the Cabinet this year for policy endorsement. The prohibition will be implemented in phases through enforcement, education, and community support.”

  • Sustainability Key to Building Resilient and Responsible Supply Chain

    Sustainability Key to Building Resilient and Responsible Supply Chain

    Industry leaders at the Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) in Brussels agreed that sustainability, collaboration, and data-driven transparency are critical to strengthening supply chains and meeting global ESG goals. Moderated by Christopher Fleury, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Research at Ipsos, the panel “Supply Chain from a Global ESG Perspective” brought together voices from across the value chain, including Waqas Khan, CEO of Clew Pouches; Miranda Kinney, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Affairs & Impact at Pyxus; Tadas Lisauskas, President and Co-founder of Greenbutts; and Diane Raverdy-Lambert, Chief Scientist and Director of Regulatory Affairs at SWM International.

    Fleury opened the discussion by noting that while there is “consensus that government, industry, and consumers themselves have an important role to play,” public trust in government remains “very low.”

    For Khan, sustainability is both a business imperative and a moral one. “We’re defining sustainability not just for present customers but for the future,” he said. “Consumers care about sustainability, investors care about it—this is something you have to care about now.” Khan emphasized collaboration and purpose within the industry: “People share a vision and want to see us succeed because it helps the industry and impacts the future.”

    Kinney grounded the conversation in agriculture. “Every product we have that is tobacco-derived comes from a tiny seed that was planted and cared for by a farmer,” she said. “However you define sustainability, everything is important to building a sustainable business.” She urged companies to consider both environmental and social impacts, asking: “If the crop was taken away today, would the farmer and community be able to survive?”

    Lisauskas cautioned that ESG-driven regulation must come with enforcement. “Regulation without enforcement is just a suggestion,” he warned. “You can solve one problem and create another. We have to ensure regulations actually help the environment and the industry.”

    Raverdy-Lambert stressed the importance of science and measurable standards. “We need evidence-based standards so decision-makers can act on hard data,” she said. “One cannot do without the other—understanding impact across the supply chain, from production to end of life, is essential.”

    Together, the panelists agreed that while challenges persist, aligning sustainability goals with innovation, regulation, and shared accountability is key to building a resilient and responsible global supply chain.

  • PMI Head Calls for Partnership and Action at GTNF 2025

    PMI Head Calls for Partnership and Action at GTNF 2025

    Erin Warren, Head of Regulatory and Public Policy at Philip Morris International (PMI US), delivered a powerful keynote at GTNF Brussels, urging urgent reform to accelerate tobacco harm reduction, opening with stark numbers.

    “Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, taking more than 480,000 lives every year,” she said. “That’s 1,300 people every single day. Globally, the toll exceeds 8 million deaths annually.” She emphasized that behind these statistics are real people: “A mother, a father, a friend, a colleague—each hoping for better options but often finding barriers instead.”

    Central to her message was the “continuum of risk.” Praising the FDA’s pilot program to expedite nicotine pouch applications, she said: “For the first time in a long time, the FDA explicitly acknowledged the continuum of risk. This is the difference between paralysis and progress. While nicotine is addictive, it is not the primary cause of smoking-related disease. Smoke is. Combustion is.

    “Sweden’s long-standing availability of snus has driven smoking rates down to 5.3%, near the smoke-free benchmark. In contrast, Belgium’s ban on nicotine pouches removed regulated, safer alternatives but left the most dangerous products on the market. Smoking rates rose from 19% in 2017 to 21% in 2023.”

    She also addressed widespread misconceptions among healthcare providers: “A recent survey found that 47% of U.S. doctors mistakenly believe nicotine is carcinogenic, and another 19% are unsure. This misinformation traps millions in a cycle of smoking.”

    To move from paralysis to progress, Warren outlined five reforms: elevate public education, increase regulatory transparency, embrace innovation and harm reduction, clear the FDA backlog of nearly half a million stalled applications, and ensure independent oversight. “Regulatory delays create a vacuum filled by illicit products—undermining public health and consumer safety,” she said.

    “Every delay, every unclear decision, every piece of misinformation prolongs the moment when someone might finally step away from cigarettes. When that mother switches, she not only improves her own health—she shows her children that positive change is possible.”

    Closing with a call for partnership and action, Warren urged stakeholders to act decisively.

    “We are not asking regulators to lower standards,” Warren said. “We are asking for standards that are clear, consistent, and anchored in science. The FDA pilot is a promising sign—but it’s just a signpost, not a destination. Let’s build a future where adults have better choices, doctors have better information, and public health has better outcomes.”

  • Unified Approach Needed for Youth Access Prevention

    Unified Approach Needed for Youth Access Prevention

    At a recent panel of the 2025 Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) in Brussels, titled “What Do Global Youth Usage Policies Look Like?” industry leaders and technology experts called for stronger, technology-driven frameworks to prevent underage access to age-restricted products.

    Moderator Flora Okereke, the Group Head of Global Policy at BAT, opened the session by stressing that youth access prevention remains a central focus of global regulation, half-jokingly suggesting that around 80% of new policy proposals mention it in the first paragraph. She urged the industry to demonstrate its commitment through transparent, efficient, and standardized systems that are cost-effective and enforceable. “If we fail to show that we are genuinely addressing this issue, we will never make the progress we need,” she said.

    Rhodri James, Chief Sales Officer at Yoti, highlighted how digital identity technologies are already reducing friction at the point of sale in European and Latin American markets. He noted that younger adults are comfortable using technology for verification, predicting that digital ID checks will soon become mainstream despite regional fragmentation.

    IKE Tech President John Patterson argued that traditional regulatory approaches are outdated, calling them “analog responses to digital problems.” He proposed using blockchain and biometric tools to secure both point-of-sale and post-sale access. Patterson emphasized the need for low-cost, low-friction solutions that protect youth while maintaining access for adults, noting that the industry’s reputation hinges on removing youth access from the equation.

    TruAge CEO Stephanie Sikorski echoed the importance of simplicity and privacy in age verification. She described her company’s efforts to design systems that protect both retailers and consumers while minimizing data collection. “Technology can be intimidating,” she said, “but if it’s fast, accurate, and doesn’t disrupt behavior, it becomes an enabler for responsible retailing.”

    Eve Wang, Executive Director of Smoore International, emphasized that the industry is still in the early stages of aligning technology with policy. She described youth access prevention as part of a larger movement requiring balance between compliance and consumer choice, especially in developing regions.

    From an e-commerce perspective, Jasmin Widholm, Head of Compliance at Haypp Group, argued that online sales can be among the safest channels when properly regulated. Drawing on insights from more than one million customers, she said most online buyers are adults purchasing in bulk, not minors. Widholm outlined three key pillars for effective oversight—governance, verification, and purchase controls—and urged greater collaboration and data sharing across the industry. “It’s not that technology is hard,” she said. “It’s about how we use it.”

    The panel concluded with consensus that while no single solution fits all markets, a harmonized, tech-enabled approach—supported by transparent governance and cooperation—will be essential to ensuring both youth protection and adult access in the years ahead.

  • Australia’s Tobacco Policies Spark Harm and Chaos, Industry Expert Says

    Australia’s Tobacco Policies Spark Harm and Chaos, Industry Expert Says

    In a candid keynote at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF), Theo Foukkare, CEO of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores, delivered a scathing assessment of Australia’s tobacco and nicotine policies, saying the country is saddled with “harm and chaos.” Speaking under the theme “The Australian Experience: From Global Leader to Global Failure,” Foukkare outlined how once-successful public health strategies had collapsed under the weight of excessive taxation, poor enforcement, and the rise of organized crime.

    “Australia has become the model of what not to do. By any measure, it’s an absolute failure,” he said. “And believe it or not, our government still claims to have world-leading standards. We’re dealing with an absolute tsunami of illegal nicotine products entering the country. I call it ‘Tobacco Wars.’ It’s actually playing out in real life every day. The illegal nicotine market is now bigger than the next five organized crime categories combined.

    “Through bad policy, we’re actually creating harm,” he said, noting that smoking rates have remained virtually unchanged in the past decade despite mounting taxes and restrictions.

    “We had the most aggressive excise policy any government in the world had undertaken,” Foukkare said, with a legal pack of cigarettes now costing between $45 and $50. “They killed the golden goose, because the consumers said, “Enough is enough. Why would I pay this when there are cheaper options?”

    According to Foukkare, Australia’s extreme excise policies pushed consumers to the black market, eroding legal sales and fueling criminal activity. Organized crime groups, he added, have even begun taking over farms to grow illicit tobacco, while state governments scramble to form task forces.

    “There’s so much threat and intimidation,” he said. “Some store owners are paying $5,000 a month in protection money. Pay or they’ll burn your shop down. One store owner got a handwritten note saying he needed to meet with the [crime] boss. He took the note to the police, the next day, a car drove through the front of the store, and now it’s closed.”

    Foukkare criticized the government for ignoring early warnings about policy failures and dismissing data because it was industry-funded. Now, with estimates suggesting up to 60% of tobacco consumption is illicit, officials are finally acknowledging the scale of the problem. Foukkare also condemned the government’s anti-vaping stance, arguing that public messaging has convinced most Australians that vaping is more dangerous than smoking.

    Despite the creation of new penalties—million-dollar fines, landlord accountability clauses, and police powers to shut down stores—Foukkare said the measures have done little to fix the underlying issue. “We’ve spent a billion dollars and haven’t done anything to reduce smoking or keep people safe,” he said.

  • Pushing Back Against Illicit Trade

    Pushing Back Against Illicit Trade

    At a GTNF panel in Brussels on illicit tobacco, industry leaders, academics, and regulators warned that well-intentioned policies and slow regulatory systems are helping organized-crime networks flourish — putting legal retailers at risk and undermining public-health goals. Moderator Rohan Pike, director of Rohan Pike Consulting, opened the session by challenging official rhetoric. “The Australian health department cannot issue a press release without using the words ‘world leading,’ when all we’re leading the world in is excise tax and organized crime,” he said, arguing that high taxes and restrictive policies have created perverse incentives for illegal supply. Pike said he now supports accelerated access to reduced-harm products, noting: “If we can switch someone to a reduced-harm product, we’ve reduced smoking.”

    Theo Foukkare, CEO of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores, described a market under siege. Pointing to what he called ideological policymaking, Foukkare said decision-makers are listening to a narrow set of experts and ignoring real retail evidence. He recounted attacks on compliant shopkeepers and warned that, if trends continue, “the legal market will cease to exist.” He added that organized networks can import dozens of containers and still profit even when most shipments are seized.

    Nick Hodsman, head of anti-illicit trade policy at BAT, stressed the scale of production driving the illicit trade. “Margins organized criminals can make are something the legal industry could only dream of,” he said, highlighting mass production in parts of Asia and growing challenges around emerging nicotine categories. Hodsman called for improved visibility on what is leaving origin countries and what actually arrives in destination markets.

    King’s College London’s Dr Alexander Kupatadze warned of the complexity of criminal networks and systemic data weaknesses. He urged closer research and better integration of siloed datasets — across customs, law enforcement, and private firms — to find the “needle” in vast flows of information.

    U.S. regulatory expert Lillian Ortega pointed to slow and fragmented review processes for creating a grey market for new products. Ortega blamed antiquated tracking systems, inconsistent federal enforcement, and misdeclared imports that allow illicit goods to reach consumers while compliant manufacturers wait for approvals. “Criminals thrive off confusion,” she said.

    Panelists converged on several policy responses: beefing up frontline enforcement and retailer protection, modernizing tracking and customs documentation, improving inter-agency data sharing, and creating faster, clearer regulatory pathways for reduced-risk products to reduce demand for illicit supply.

  • Product Stewardship in a Regulatory Regime

    Product Stewardship in a Regulatory Regime

    At the GTNF session “What Does Product Stewardship Look Like in a Global Regulatory Regime?” industry scientists and innovators emphasized the need for consistent standards, open dialogue with regulators, and a science-first approach to product safety and harm reduction.

    Moderator Joe Thompson, Group Science and Regulatory Affairs Director at Imperial Brands, set the tone by framing stewardship as a consumer-first obligation. “It’s about quality, efficacy, and safety,” he said. “We have products that aren’t perfectly safe, but are demonstrably safer than their alternatives.” Thompson noted that navigating global regulatory systems is like crossing “rivers and mountains,” underscoring the complexity of compliance.

    Helena Digard, Head of Analytical Operations and Science Quality at BAT, called for standardization and transparency in testing. “We need testing that tells us the real story—not just results designed to reach a certain outcome,” she said. Digard stressed the importance of knowing both the minimum and maximum levels of stewardship and finding a balance that advances harm reduction through robust data.

    Chris Gemmell, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Greentank Technologies, highlighted the role of technology in improving product safety. “Without technology, we wouldn’t be in the position we are today,” he said. With an estimated 150 million adult vapers globally, Gemmell urged closer collaboration between science and product development teams to ensure that data is well-understood and acted on early in the design process. “Start earlier so you don’t have to move faster,” he advised.

    Dr. Frank Henkler-Stephani of BVTE discussed widening gaps between regulators and manufacturers. “Everyone wanted to get products on the market quickly,” he said, but warned that improved technologies have not always been welcomed by tobacco control bodies within institutions like the WHO and the EU. He called for stronger cooperation to support continued product improvement.

    Dr. Yu Kang, Head of the Research Institute at Hangsen International Group, emphasized engineering innovation and consumer protection. “We’re trying to invent new products that protect consumers,” he said, pointing to research on second-hand vapor and closed-system devices. Kang advocated for transparency with regulators and the public, describing stewardship as a “lifecycle” responsibility that requires ongoing collaboration.

    Sarah Marking, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Sanova, focused on regulatory uncertainty and unintended consequences of well-meaning policies. She cited child-resistant packaging as an example: “It sounds like a fantastic idea, but it can create barriers for adult users—like a 60-year-old mother who can’t open her product.” Marking called for circular stewardship that includes environmental responsibility and real-world monitoring of how consumers use products. “In trying to protect one risk, we’ve created a larger risk,” she said, urging regulators to act efficiently so that safer, well-stewarded products reach the market faster.

    Across the session, panelists agreed that true product stewardship requires transparency, scientific rigor, and continuous improvement throughout a product’s lifecycle—from design to disposal. As Marking concluded, “If we find a problem, we will find a way to solve it. This industry is driven by science—and that’s how stewardship should be defined.”