Tag: ban

  • Azerbaijan bans GMO tobacco 

    Azerbaijan has implemented a ban on GMO tobacco, according to a story in the AzerNews. In addition to GMO tobacco, no GMO wine or cotton products can be imported to Azerbaijan or produced in the country, effective immediately.

    A series of amendments to the laws “On tobacco,” “On viticulture and winemaking” and “On the cotton” have already been drafted, the parliament reported.

    Changes to the “On tobacco” law ban the import of tobacco and tobacco products that were produced using genetically modified plants or agricultural plants created with methods of biotechnology and genetic engineering.

    The Azerbaijan government has previously prohibited the import and distribution of GMOs as well as the use of genetically modified plants in food products.

    In April, Azerbaijan decided to enforce criminal liability for the use of GMOs, and in July, the State Committee for Standardization, Metrology, and Patents reported that no GMOs were found during a routine check.

  • Singapore to ban emerging tobacco products from mid-December

    Singapore will ban emerging tobacco products—those that are not currently available in Singapore as well as existing products in the local market—beginning Dec. 15, the ministry of health announced on June 15.

    The ban is a “pre-emptive measure to protect public health against the known and potential harms of such products,” the ministry said in a news release, adding that the ban will be implemented in two phases.

    The first phase, which will take effect Dec. 15, covers products that are currently not available in Singapore. Banned products include smokeless cigars; smokeless cigarillos or smokeless cigarettes; dissolvable tobacco or nicotine; any product containing nicotine or tobacco that may be used topically for application either by implant or injection into any part of the body; and any solution or substance, of which tobacco or nicotine is a constituent, that is intended to be used with an electronic nicotine-delivery system or vaporizer—such as e-cigarettes.

    The second phase, which will take effect Aug. 1, 2016, will cover existing products in the local market. Banned products include nasal snuff and oral snuff as well as gutkha, khaini and zarda.

    According to the ministry of health, the ban on existing products in the local market will take effect at a later date in order to give businesses time to adjust their operating models and deplete their existing stock.

  • E-cigs are medical devices, says Swedish Court

    E-cigarettes and e-liquids that contain nicotine are medical devices rather than consumer products and therefore require licensing, a Swedish appeals court has ruled.

    In a previous case from July 2014, Sweden’s medical products agency convinced the administrative court in Uppsala that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes should be deemed medical devices and that as many as 30 products should be banned from sale to consumers. An e-cigarette supplier in Malmo challenged the ruling shortly after, and the prohibition was lifted until the appeal was heard. Sales of e-cigarettes were allowed to continue during the appeals process.

    Following the appellate court’s most recent ruling, however, it is now illegal to import, distribute or sell e-cigarettes and nicotine-containing e-liquids commercially in Sweden, and violators could face penalties of approximately $80,000 per offense. Further appeals of the court’s most recent decision are planned and could result in another temporary suspension of the ban until a final decision is made by Sweden’s supreme administrative court. E-cigarettes and e-liquids that do not contain nicotine are unaffected by the ruling.

  • Gutka takes gut shot, banned in India’s most populous state

    Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with more than 200 million residents, has started implementing a ban on the sale of gutka. This action follows the Supreme Court’s denial of a tobacco industry petition to stay implementation of the ban.

    Altogether, 23 of India’s 28 states and five of seven union territories have now joined the fast-growing movement to ban gutka.

    Adding to the momentum, the Indian Supreme Court this week directed the remaining states and territories to implement the gutka ban and to explain why they had not yet complied with previous court orders and national regulations requiring implementation. The high court also directed the states and territories that had already passed orders to implement the ban to file reports on implementation efforts.