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  • Greece Launches Digital Registry to Track Nicotine, Alcohol Sales

    Greece Launches Digital Registry to Track Nicotine, Alcohol Sales

    Greece launched a digital registry system to monitor the sale of alcohol, tobacco, and vaping products in real time, introducing mandatory registration and compliance tracking for retailers. The platforms alto.gov.gr and events.gov.gr underpin the system, which has already registered more than 88,600 points of sale and over 79,000 businesses, the government said. Under the framework, retailers must submit operational details and receive QR-coded certification, enabling authorities to verify compliance instantly during inspections, with non-registered businesses barred from selling regulated products.

    The initiative is aimed at strengthening enforcement and limiting underage access, while bringing tobacco, alcohol, and vaping products under a unified regulatory structure. Officials said the system improves market visibility and enables more targeted inspections, replacing fragmented oversight with continuous digital monitoring and stricter control of retail activity.

  • Study: Chinese Going Online to Bypass Flavor Ban 

    Study: Chinese Going Online to Bypass Flavor Ban 

    More than 90% of stores selling e-cigarettes in two major Chinese cities provided WeChat accounts or QR codes for quick delivery services, allowing consumers to bypass a nationwide ban on online sales that took effect in May 2022, a new study has found. Research conducted by the Health Communication Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai, compared e-cigarette stores in Shanghai and Chengdu, Sichuan province, before and after the implementation of the regulations.  

    In the first observation period in 2021, about 25% of stores offered a WeChat account and 17% provided a QR code for delivery services. These figures jumped to 90% and 91%, respectively, in the second observation period (December 2023 to March 2024), indicating a significant shift of customers from in-person to online purchases.

    The regulations explicitly prohibit the sale of flavored e-cigarettes other than tobacco flavor and the sale of e-cigarette products to minors. They also ban the use of vending machines for such products and require warning labels on packaging. However, the study revealed that one-third of the surveyed stores continued to sell flavored e-cigarette cartridges, and only 83% had implemented age restrictions on sales.