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  • Poland’s Bill to Ban Sale of Vapes, Pouches to Minors Moves Forward  

    Poland’s Bill to Ban Sale of Vapes, Pouches to Minors Moves Forward  

    Poland’s lower house of parliament backed a comprehensive ban on the sale of vapes and nicotine pouches to minors, including both disposable and reusable e-cigarettes, irrespective of their nicotine content. In yesterday’s (May 21) session, 417 MPs voted in favor of the bill, with one against and 10 abstaining. It will now be presented to the Senate, the upper house, and if passed, to the president to be signed into law. 

    The bill will also restrict the use of non-nicotine e-cigarettes in public spaces, mirroring the regulations applied to traditional tobacco products and e-cigarettes with nicotine.

    While Poland already had laws banning the sale of cigarettes to minors, the legislation had no provision for alternative forms of nicotine intake.   

  • Monaco Tightens Tobacco Regs, Raises Legal Age to 18

    Monaco Tightens Tobacco Regs, Raises Legal Age to 18

    In an effort to “protect young people,” Monaco’s 18 National Council members unanimously adopted a bill that raises the age to buy tobacco products from 16 to 18, extends the number of places where smoking is banned, and bans disposable electronic devices. Bill 1104 amends Law 1346.

    Over the months, the bill, with its 14 articles, has been the subject of numerous amendments in response to several observations “testifying to a convergence of views between the institutions.”

  • Anti-Vape Campaign Kicks Off in Netherlands

    Anti-Vape Campaign Kicks Off in Netherlands

    The Netherlands launched its “Say no to vaping” campaign today (May 12), an action plan that includes discouraging teens from taking up the habit, helping them to stop, and combating the illegal vape trade. New research on behalf of the health ministry said almost one in 10 children have tried vaping by age 12, and almost 40% of 12- to 16-year-olds who use vapes consider themselves addicted.

    According to the research, one in seven teens find it hard to refuse the offer of a vape, while one in six feel they are pressured into using them.

    The campaign will run until June 8.

  • Malaysia Wants Vape Ban at State Level, Not Federal 

    Malaysia Wants Vape Ban at State Level, Not Federal 

    The Health Minister for Malaysia said even though the government is not working toward banning vape products on the federal level, it hopes the trend to ban them will continue at the state level as local officials stop issuing licenses to retailers selling vapes and e-cigarettes. 

    “We hope more will take the position of not issuing licenses to vape premises,” Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said. “Otherwise, any licenses issued must strictly comply with the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024.”

    On April 24, Terengganu announced it would ban vape products beginning August 1, and then three days later Kedah said it was considering doing the same. Previously, both Johor and Kelantan banned vapor products in 2016.

    When asked if a national ban was being considered, Dzulkefly said the federal government adopted a regulatory enforcement model following the passage of the Act.

    “We took a firm position to regulate tobacco-related products. That is the stance and position of the federal government,” he said. “At the same time, we support state governments that have the authority not to issue vape sales licenses. So let us work together.”

  • Cigarette Plain Packaging Among Tobacco Law Changes Macau Considering 

    Cigarette Plain Packaging Among Tobacco Law Changes Macau Considering 

    The Macau government plans to amend its tobacco control law, with Health Bureau director Alvis Lo Iek Long saying that standardized “plain packaging” for cigarettes will be a key measure to reduce tobacco’s appeal to young people.

    In an interview with public broadcaster TDM, Lo confirmed authorities are speeding up preliminary work on such a measure but noted no timeline has been set due to the legislative process.

    The proposed revisions also include expanding outdoor smoking bans to areas near schools and daycare centers, mirroring existing bus stop restrictions. Authorities also plan to trial “designated smoking areas” based on international models, aiming to balance the rights of smokers and non-smokers. Additionally, the amendment seeks to prohibit the import and sale of novel tobacco products, such as Middle Eastern shisha and herbal cigarettes.

    The current law allows different management entities to designate no-smoking zones, however, Lo said officials are working on pilot programs to define “smoking points” and establish clear signage systems, though specific trial locations have yet to be finalized.

  • Cambodia PM: E-Cigarette Investment Not Welcome  

    Cambodia PM: E-Cigarette Investment Not Welcome  

    Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said the country does not welcome investment in e-cigarettes, even if the products are being solely exported. He said that today (May 5), speaking at the official launch of the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) 2025–2030.

     “If investors come for other types of investments, I welcome them,” he said. “But for e-cigarettes, Cambodia can say, ‘No need — please go elsewhere.’”

    He also issued a strong appeal to the public, particularly young people, urging them not to use e-cigarettes.

    “Please don’t think it’s cool to smoke or vape,” he said. “Instead, focus on your studies and strive to become someone recognized for your achievements.”

    Cambodia has banned the import, trade, and use of e-cigarettes, shishas, and heated tobacco products (HTPs) since 2014.

  • Macao Considers Expanded Outdoor Smoking Bans

    Macao Considers Expanded Outdoor Smoking Bans

    The head of Macao China’s Health Bureau, Lo Iek Long, says the government is considering changing the smoking law in Macao to include more outdoor areas where smoking is prohibited, such as the entrances of kindergartens and schools. According to multiple local media reports, the authorities are also looking to establish smoke-free zones in large spaces such as public squares and streets, with smoking only allowed in designated areas.

    The possibility of tightening smoking regulations has been an ongoing discussion this year. In January, the prospect of banning smoking while walking was brought up. Last month, TDM (local television channel) interviewed tourists and locals, who agreed that such behavior was antisocial and expressed concern for health hazards.

    Officials have deferred taking further action however, saying that the issue was complex. While acknowledging that it had also received many complaints and concerns about pedestrians smoking, the Macau United Citizens Association acknowledged that enforcing bans would be difficult.

    The Health Bureau said half of 2024’s smoking violations were committed by tourists, most coming from mainland China.

  • Denver Flavor Ban to be Decided by Voters

    Denver Flavor Ban to be Decided by Voters

    In December 2024, the Denver City Council voted 11-1 to ban flavored tobacco products. Since then, a group of business owners led by Phil Guerin, the owner of Myxed Up Creations smoke shop, has been battling to have the decision on whether the ban should be enforced left to the voters.

    To push the matter to a vote, the business owners needed to collect about 9,500 signatures on a petition. Their coalition, called Citizen Power, collected more than 17,000 signatures. Today (April 10), the city declared that the petition is sufficient, but, according to Ben Warwick with Denver’s Clerk and Recorder’s Office, is waiting until a protest period ends Friday before formally notifying the city council. Warwick said it will then be up to the city council to determine the election date. The next general election is set for this November.

    “We are fighting David versus Goliath, and we are David,” said Guerin, adding that flavored products account for about half of his business. “I’ve been able to go around and talk to a lot of my competitors and bring us all under the same tent.

    “There’s already a ban for children. This is a ban on adults, and honestly, this is a ban on small, family-owned businesses. If we lost that business, it would be almost impossible to sustain after that point.”

  • Opinion: Washington Flavor Laws ‘Kicking the Can Down the Road’

    Opinion: Washington Flavor Laws ‘Kicking the Can Down the Road’

    This week, after previous renditions seemed dead in the water, Washington legislators slipped twin bills into the House and Senate that would impose a statewide flavor ban on tobacco products and add a carbon tax on cigarettes. In an opinion piece for the Tax Foundation, Adam Hoffer and Jacob Macumber-Rosin, both experts in tax policy, compared these schemes to others around the country.

    “A carbon tax on cigarettes is novel, while the idea for a flavor ban is not,” they wrote. “Massachusetts and California have already banned flavored tobacco products in their states, and the experiences have been so negative that the Biden administration backed off its own plan for a nationwide flavor ban.

    “Both Massachusetts and California experienced massive tax revenue declines, incredible growth in illicit market activity, and little to no change in smoking rates. Following its flavor ban in 2020, Massachusetts saw cigarette excise tax revenue decline by more than $100 million and revenue has persisted at the lower level. Unfortunately, fewer legal sales don’t necessarily translate to less consumption. Our previous work identified that about 90% of the reduction in sales in Massachusetts was offset by increases in legal sales in neighboring states. Illicit product seizures and smuggling estimates have skyrocketed.”

    The writers said California fared no better, losing more than $230 million in state cigarette sales and excise taxes since it banned flavors in December 2022. Unlike Massachusetts, however, smokers didn’t turn to neighboring states, they began utilizing illicit and international markets to replace their legal purchases.

    “One study collected details on 15,000 discarded cigarette packs from public trash containers across 10 major California cities in May and June of 2023,” they wrote. “These data showed that 21.1% of the discarded packs were menthol-style cigarettes, a mere 3% drop in menthol market share estimates from before the flavor ban.

    “The same data found foreign and illicit market share spiked. Non-US packs comprised 27.6% of the sample, compared to an estimated foreign market share of only 17% previously.”

    The state’s fiscal analysis predicts a flavor ban would decrease revenues by more than $100 million per year, and the proposed carbon tax would only recoup 1% of that.

    “The justification for applying a carbon tax on top of existing cigarette taxes is weak,” they wrote. “Secondhand smoke certainly harms others nearby who are forced to inhale it, and cigarette smoking releases carbon dioxide, but classifying cigarettes as a broad state-wide pollutant is a stretch.

    “These haphazard policies appear to be part of a ‘try-anything’ effort to close the state’s projected $15 billion budget shortfall. Washington State taxpayers deserve sound fiscal policy reforms that will provide stable, long-run revenue for the government. Narrow-based and patchwork fixes only kick the can down the road to the next set of elected officials.”

  • Washington: State Lawmakers Want to Increase Taxes and Ban Products

    Washington: State Lawmakers Want to Increase Taxes and Ban Products

    Democratic lawmakers in the state of Washington have revamped their approach to banning flavored tobacco products and combined it with an increase in cigarette taxes. The new legislation, House Bill 2068, revives the ambitious and controversial prohibition that made little progress in the state so far this year.

    The initial proposal banned flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine products beginning 90 days after the legislative session ends. The new ban, however, would begin July 1, 2027, allowing the state to continue collecting tax revenue for a budget that is predicted to have a $16 billion deficit over the next four years.

    Critics of such bans argue they lead to increased cigarette use as consumers look for alternatives, and that people who’ve turned to electronic cigarettes to quit smoking traditional cigarettes would no longer have flavored options. 

    Also in the new bill, according to Jake Goldstein-Street writing for the Washington Standard, the age to purchase nicotine pouches would be raised to 21 and “a $2-per-pack tax on cigarettes would be added that would rise with inflation. The first $5 million from the new tax would go toward preventing youth tobacco and vape use, while the rest would go into the state’s general fund.” Washington smokers already face one of the nation’s highest state cigarette taxes, totaling $3.77 between excise and sales taxes, he said. The tax new provisions would take effect Jan. 1, 2026.