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Tag: tobacco control

  • Hong Kong Expands No-Smoking Areas, Doubles Fines

    Hong Kong Expands No-Smoking Areas, Doubles Fines

    Hong Kong will double fines for smoking offences to HK$3,000 ($385) and expand no-smoking areas from January 1, 2026, under the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, the Department of Health said. The new rules ban smoking within three meters of entrances and exits to childcare centers, schools, hospitals, residential care homes, and specified clinics, and prohibit smoking while queuing, including at public transport boarding areas and outside designated premises.

    Authorities said enforcement and public education efforts have been stepped up at border checkpoints, tourist sites, and transport hubs. The measures are part of a phased rollout of tougher tobacco controls, following earlier steps such as higher penalties for illicit cigarettes and a ban on sales to under-18s, with a further ban on using alternative smoking products like e-cigarettes in public places set to take effect on April 30, 2026.

  • Michigan Senate Advances Bill to License Tobacco Retailers

    Michigan Senate Advances Bill to License Tobacco Retailers

    The Michigan Senate today (December 26) passed bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing youth tobacco use by requiring all tobacco retailers in the state to be licensed. Sponsored by Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh (D–East Lansing) and co-sponsored by Sen. Joseph Bellino (R–Monroe), Senate Bills 462 and 465 would establish a statewide regulatory framework similar to those already in place in most other U.S. states. Michigan is currently one of only nine states without a tobacco retail licensing requirement.

    The legislation would introduce regular inspections of tobacco retailers, increase penalties for selling tobacco products to minors, regulate online and delivery sales, ban flash sales, and create a dedicated state fund to support enforcement. The bills now move to the Michigan House for consideration, where companion legislation was introduced earlier this week.

  • Bangladesh Approves Strict New Tobacco-Control Measures

    Bangladesh Approves Strict New Tobacco-Control Measures

    Bangladesh’s Council of Advisers approved the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 on December 24, paving the way for stricter tobacco control measures. The ordinance proposes a ban on the use, production, and marketing of emerging tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and “similar items,” while expanding the definition of tobacco products to include nicotine pouches.

    The amended law also prohibits the use of all tobacco products in public places and public transport, with designated smoking areas subject to government directives. Advertising, promotion, and display of tobacco products—including online marketing—would be fully banned, and enforcement powers strengthened through expanded definitions of public places and transport.

    In addition, the ordinance increases mandatory health warnings on tobacco packaging from 50% to 75% of the pack surface. The government said the measures are aimed at significantly reducing tobacco use and strengthening public health protection nationwide.

  • Georgia Wants Declining Smoking Rate Down Quicker

    Georgia Wants Declining Smoking Rate Down Quicker

    Georgia’s National Center for Disease Control and Public Health presented new findings from studies conducted under the Global Tobacco Surveillance System, finding 25.4% of adults and 14% of young people in the country use tobacco products. Despite the gradual decline in overall consumption, Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze said reducing tobacco use remains a key public health priority and stressed the importance of evidence-based policymaking in shaping effective tobacco control measures. While welcoming the downward trend, the NCDC noted that stronger action is still needed to further reduce tobacco use.

    The nationwide surveys, carried out between 2023 and 2025, have already informed Georgia’s National Tobacco Control Strategy for 2026–2030.

  • Tobacco Industry Alarmed at Bangladesh’s Policy-Making Exclusion

    Tobacco Industry Alarmed at Bangladesh’s Policy-Making Exclusion

    Bangladesh’s three largest tobacco companies—British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, and JT International—issued a rare joint statement criticizing the government’s move to advance amendments to the Tobacco Control Act without broad stakeholder consultation. The companies said several provisions in the draft ordinance are not evidence-based and would create “far-reaching, negative consequences” for the economy, tax revenue, foreign investment and millions of people connected to the industry.

    The firms argued that proposed ingredient bans would threaten cigarette production entirely, while new retail licensing requirements could disrupt sales for 1.5 million small retailers and impact the livelihoods of 150,000 tobacco farmers. They also warned that prohibiting smokeless nicotine and tobacco products would remove alternatives for adult consumers and likely expand an already growing illicit market, citing experiences in India and Australia.

    Industry leaders urged the government to re-engage manufacturers, farmers, retailers, and other affected groups, noting that previous reforms in 2005 succeeded because of inclusive dialogue. With tobacco tax revenue growth slowing and the sector supporting an estimated 4.4 million livelihoods, the companies called for a “balanced and comprehensive solution” to avoid unintended economic and public-health setbacks.

  • SA Considering Tobacco Bans in Private Spaces

    SA Considering Tobacco Bans in Private Spaces

    South Africa’s proposed Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill, 2018, includes “radical changes,” according to Caxton Network News, that would overhaul the country’s tobacco laws by introducing 100% smoke-free indoor public spaces, banning point-of-sale displays and vending machines, and bringing e-cigarettes under strict regulation. One of the most contentious provisions, according to the report, appears to extend restrictions to private spaces, including homes and vehicles, through a clause linked to the Sectional Titles Act. Despite enforcement concerns raised by the South African Police Service and National Prosecuting Authority, the clause was retained on the grounds of protecting workers’ constitutional rights.

    The bill would also mandate plain packaging for all tobacco products, while e-cigarettes and vapes would face rules identical to those for combustible cigarettes. Requests from industry to exempt vaping products from display bans, plain packaging, and smoke-free rules were rejected.

    Additional measures in the bill include bans on single-stick sales, vending-machine sales, and the public display of all tobacco and vaping products. After extensive public hearings earlier this year, the Department of Health was expected to present responses to submissions in November, but the parliamentary committee rejected its document and delayed the meeting to early next year. The bill remains under consideration in the Portfolio Committee on Health.

  • Central America’s No. 1 Tobacco Importer, Belize Pushing for Tobacco Control

    Central America’s No. 1 Tobacco Importer, Belize Pushing for Tobacco Control

    Belize is advancing its Tobacco Control Bill 2025, with first readings complete and second and third readings scheduled next week. Dr. Melissa Diaz Musa, Director of Public Health & Wellness, described the legislation as “strong” and aimed at regulating tobacco like other legal substances to protect public health.

    The bill seeks to curb tobacco use and related non-communicable diseases, drawing public support for stricter regulations similar to seatbelt or driver licensing laws.

    While reporting on the bill, 7 News Belize wrote, “while the bill is progressive, in a jarring contradiction we must note that due to the tobacco trade coming out of the northern and western free zones, Belize is the number one tobacco importer in all of Central America and it feeds cheap Chinese cigarettes into Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala through legal and illegal crossings.”

  • India Raises Cigarette Tax to Curb Consumption

    India Raises Cigarette Tax to Curb Consumption

    India’s parliament approved the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill 2025, a tax reform expected to raise cigarette prices for the country’s estimated 100 million smokers. The bill was introduced on December 1 and passed on December 3.

    The new law replaces a temporary levy and imposes a value-based tax of 2,700–11,000 rupees ($29–$122) per thousand sticks, depending on size, in addition to a 40% goods and services tax. Experts estimate this could raise excise duties by 25–40% on average, potentially prompting higher retail prices. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized that cigarettes should not become affordable, noting that current taxes account for about 53% of retail prices.

  • Russian Deputies Call for Complete National Vape Ban

    Russian Deputies Call for Complete National Vape Ban

    A group of State Duma deputies proposed amendments to completely ban the sale of vapes and e-liquids in Russia, while also introducing stricter penalties for illegal trafficking and involving minors in nicotine use. The amendments, prepared by deputies led by Yaroslav Nilov, Yana Lantratova, and Nina Ostanina, have been submitted for consideration to relevant working groups and reviewed by RBC.

    The proposal is linked to the second reading of a bill on licensing the retail trade in tobacco and nicotine products. Deputies highlighted that the ban aligns with President Vladimir Putin’s call for radical measures to protect children and young people from vaping risks. The amendments were sent to multiple inter-factional working groups focusing on public health, moral education, and the protection of traditional Russian values.

    The initiative has been framed as a long-overdue measure to safeguard public health, according to Lantratova, who emphasized that partial restrictions are insufficient. The current bill, submitted by the government in September 2025, sets a licensing framework for retail sales of tobacco and nicotine products, with unlicensed sales prohibited from September 1, 2026, and a transition period until September 1, 2027. The Ministry of Finance has also proposed giving regional authorities the power to impose local bans on vape sales, notifying the Federal Service for Alcohol Tobacco Control accordingly.

  • Geneva Meeting Boosts Action Against Illicit Tobacco

    Geneva Meeting Boosts Action Against Illicit Tobacco

    The fourth session of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products wrapped up in Geneva on November 26, with 60 Parties agreeing to strengthen international cooperation and enforcement. Decisions include compiling and analyzing tobacco seizure data, forming working groups on research and best practices, and improving licensing fee monitoring. Illicit trade is estimated to account for 11% of the global tobacco market, costing governments billions.

    The meeting also welcomed Vanuatu as the Protocol’s 71st Party, reinforcing global efforts under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.