Regulatory briefing
Here you can find all of our news briefings and updates covering all regulatory matters from around the globe. Topics include new heated tobacco laws, amendments to current policy, tax changes, bans on specific products and country-specific updates to regulation, plus more.
New UK health agency likely to maintain good will towards tobacco alternatives
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 3rd June 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The recent shake-up of the UK’s health sector with the replacement of Public Health England (PHE) is not expected to substantially change the country’s support of novel tobacco products as aids to quit smoking ...
UK physicians suggest raising the legal tobacco age while lowering tax pressure
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 28th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Royal College of Physicians has recommended the UK government reduce the VAT on tobacco-alternative products to 5% to encourage smokers to make the switch, and to increase the minimum legal age for sales ...
Brussels plans to close ‘legal loopholes’ on heated tobacco and modern oral
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Commission is planning strong action to enhance the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and warns that the current legislation “does not fully capture” some new products, such as nicotine pouches ...
German Bundestag remains divided over how tobacco alternatives should be taxed
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 20th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Talks on a proposed amendment to Germany's Tobacco Act have revealed divisions within parliament and beyond on whether taxation of tobacco alternatives should be based on health promotion or tax income ...
Iqos 3 MRTP approval gets closer as US FDA starts substantive review
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 14th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US FDA considers that the Modified Risk Tobacco Product Application (MRTP) for Philip Morris International (PMI)’s Iqos 3 holder and charger is “sufficiently complete” to start a substantive review ...
Swedish MEP calls on EU commissioner to clarify position on snus and cancer
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 12th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A Swedish MEP asked EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides to clarify her position after she said that oral tobacco has adverse effects “including cancers” ...
French MPs to recommend boosting tax revenues from tobacco products
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 7th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A working group created by the French National Assembly to analyse the taxation of tobacco products in France is expected to deliver proposals to the government to increase the tax revenues from tobacco products ...
Jordan rolls out licences for businesses to deal in legalised tobacco alternatives
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 4th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
At least 184 establishments have been licensed to trade in heated tobacco and other tobacco alternatives in Jordan since they were legalised in 2019 ...
A ‘significant step’ – FDA moves to ban menthol cigarettes in the US
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 30th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to ban menthol tobacco in 2022, a “significant step” towards increasing smoking cessation and reducing youth uptake ...
Scottish Conservatives say alternatives should be regulated like combustibles
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 28th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
As elections to the Scottish Parliament approach, the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party has said e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products should be subject to the same restrictions as combustible cigarettes ...
Brussels insiders admit the need for a quick fix to harmonise tobacco taxes
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Tax officials in Brussels are agreed that the harmonising of excise duties on tobacco alternatives is urgent after calls from EU member states and the sector to put an end to the different national tax regimes in Europe...
Brazilian deputies consider HnB ban as doubts remain over alternatives’ future
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 21st April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
While Brazil’s health authorities keep postponing a final decision on future regulation of tobacco alternatives, a new proposal to reinforce a nationwide ban on heated tobacco is being considered in the Chamber of Deputies ...
Spain’s health ministry ready to ban HnB on outdoor terraces in anti-Covid plan
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 16th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Spanish Ministry of Health is looking at imposing a blanket ban on the use of inhalable tobacco products – including heat-not-burn (HnB) – on outdoor bar and cafe terraces ...
WHO approach to HnB is ‘short-sighted’ and ‘out of date’, say British MPs
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 13th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A British All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Vaping has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to look more positively on new alternatives to tobacco to shape future global anti-smoking policies ...
Cambodia ‘combats drugs’ with a blanket ban on heated tobacco products
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 8th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Health authorities in Cambodia have decided to ban heated tobacco amid concerns that it causes serious health problems and promotes drug use ...
Broad industry support for extending UK tobacco regs to include alternatives
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The UK review of the 2016 Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) should cover other tobacco-alternative products and not just e-cigarettes, respondents to an official consulation said ...
Swedish officials urged to tighten snus regulations and ban advertising
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A report commissioned by the Swedish government recommends stricter regulation of tobacco-alternatives, including new age limits for the sale of tobacco-free snus and a blanket ban on advertising ...
Indian state of Jharkhand invokes plague law to restrict tobacco sales and use
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 29th March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The eastern Indian state of Jharkhand has clamped down on tobacco usage, introducing a new set of measures including a ban on the sale and purchase of tobacco products in public places ...
More knowledge of novel products means less fear of them among EU politicians
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 24th March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
How much politicians know about novel tobacco products has a major effect on their perceptions of safety and risk, new research by TobaccoIntelligence suggests ...
Dutch health officials call for warnings and stricter rules on nicotine pouches
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 22nd March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has called for stricter regulation and public warnings about “addictive and harmful” nicotine-containing non-tobacco products ...
EU anti-cancer plan accused of ‘shutting the door’ on smokers trying to quit
Written by Barnaby Page || 16th March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
As European health ministers met to discuss the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan, one influential organisation has pleaded for a rethink of its attitude toward alternative nicotine products ...
Colombia debates tighter rules on nicotine products, including HnB
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 8th March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Colombia’s Parliament is considering a bill that would impose fresh regulations on the sale and use of tobacco-alternative products, including heated tobacco ...
European Ombudsman tells Commission to come clean over tobacco meetings
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Ombudsman has accused the European Commission of failing to “proactively publish” details of all its interactions with the tobacco industry ...
Croatia heading for one of the highest heated tobacco tax rates in Europe
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 24th February 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A proposal to nearly double the tax on heated tobacco in Croatia appears to be broadly backed by lawmakers, though some are urging the government to consider scientific and economic evidence ...
Germany aims to increase HnB duty to match tax on combustible cigarettes
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd February 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The German government is proposing an increased levy on heat-not-burn (HnB) consumables from 2022, bringing them under the same tax burden as traditional cigarettes ...
Ukraine’s HnB tax hike blamed for ‘inevitable’ boom in bootleg sales
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 17th February 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Concerns have been raised in Ukraine over a sharp increase in sales of counterfeit heated tobacco products from China following the imposition of a new tax scheme in January ...
UK should take the harm reduction message to WHO conference, MPs told
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 11th February 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Britain will have an “incredible opportunity” later this year to spread the word that appropriate regulation of tobacco alternatives saves lives, members of the UK Parliament have been told ...
European Beating Cancer Plan – now the parliamentary debates begin in earnest
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th February 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Intense debate has begun in the European Parliament on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, presented by the European Commission last week, including suggested measures to tighten regulation of tobacco alternatives ...
Europe places anti-cancer focus on tighter HnB regulation and taxation
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 3rd February 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Commission’s newly outlined Beating Cancer Plan places a focus on tobacco-alternative products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco ...
US attorneys ask the FDA to urgently ban menthol cigarettes
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 29th January 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A coalition of US attorneys called on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban menthol cigarettes “in the best interest of the public” and no longer delay a process that has been on stand-by since 2018...
Hong Kong legislators raise doubts over government plans to ban heated tobacco
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 20th January 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Lawmakers in Hong Kong who met to discuss the government’s long-delayed proposal to ban heated tobacco products remained divided on the issue ...
Change yes, but what change? EU given mixed messages on tobacco tax harmony
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 14th January 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Industry insiders and public health bodies agree the EU should make changes to the tax scheme for tobacco alternatives – but not all share the same view on what those changes should be ...
What new rules lie ahead for tobacco alternatives on the road through 2021?
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 7th January 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The new year looks certain to become another significant one for the tobacco-alternatives industry across the globe, with a bunch of new regulations on the horizon ...
New year brings new heated tobacco taxes after Italian Senate vote
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 4th January 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Italy has gone into 2021 with new excise duties on heated tobacco after the Senate voted in favour of an amendment included in the country’s budget bill ...
Ban public use, advertising and reduced-risk claims for HnB, says WHO group
Written by Barnaby Page || 31st December 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
All advertising and public use of heated tobacco systems should be banned by governments, a World Health Organization (WHO) committee has suggested ...
Filipino government issues packaging restrictions amid FDA cash scandal
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 28th December 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A joint memorandum from several government agencies laying down rules for tobacco-alternative products in the Philippines establishes new restrictions on flavours and changes to labelling requirements ...
Norwegian coalition agrees to cut snus tax to curb cross-border purchases
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd December 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Norway’s majority coalition parties have agreed to drop 25% of the excise duties on snus in a bid to stop people buying it in from neighbouring Sweden ...
Legal eagles’ report calls for reform and enforcement of India’s tobacco controls
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 17th December 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A report by the National Law School of India University calls for wide-ranging reforms of the country’s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, including raising the legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21 ...
Serbia’s five-year plan for a gradual increase in heated tobacco taxes
Written by Marija Obradovic || 10th December 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The Serbian government is proposing to increase tobacco taxes, including those levied on heat-not-burn (HnB) products ...
Biden names California AG to head US federal health department
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 7th December 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
US president-elect Joe Biden has unexpectedly named California attorney general Xavier Becerra as his choice for the vital role of heading the massive Health and Human Services (HHS) Department ...
Danish health minister seeks to postpone labelling rules for nicotine pouches
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 4th December 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The Ministry of Health has proposed that the enforcement of the provisions affecting labelling and health warnings rules should be postponed by six months ...
Swiss Assembly starts debate this month on long-anticipated tobacco bill
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 2nd December 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The Swiss National Council is expected to debate the country’s draft Federal Tobacco Act in a few days but a final vote on the bill, which would ban tobacco sales to minors, is unlikely before summer 2021...
Future of HnB remains unclear as Taiwan debates possible e-cigarette ban
Written by Tao Hong || 26th November 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A proposed amendment to Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act could ban e-cigarettes but leave the way open for a large heated tobacco market to develop ...
Expected increase in HnB tax is dropped from Italy’s proposed budget for 2021
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th November 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Italy’s draft budget for 2021 does not include any provision – for now – on taxing heated tobacco products, despite calls from health authorities and members of the country’s Senate ...
Netherlands bans the sale of tobacco products in supermarkets from 2024
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 23rd November 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Supermarkets in the Netherlands will no longer be allowed to sell tobacco, including heated tobacco products, from 2024, health minister Paul Blokhuis has announced ...
Spain to unveil soon new regulations equating HnB with combustibles
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 18th November 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The Spanish Ministry of Health has prepared an amendment to the Tobacco, Act including provisions on tobacco-alternative products, but implementation will depend on the COVID-19 pandemic situation ...
EU Parliament endorses Commission’s new health programme
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 13th November 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Parliament approved by an overwhelming majority the EU health policy programme for the period 2021-2017 aimed at tackling some of the main health issues in Europe, including tobacco policy ...
Australian Senate committee ready to hear both sides on harm reduction
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 11th November 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
An Australian Senate committee to inquire into tobacco harm reduction strategies will meet for the first time in Canberra on Friday, and again week later in Sydney ...