Market & legal data of the tobacco alternatives sector in Asia

20th November 2024: Thailand: On 15th November, the Tobacco Authority of Thailand hosted an event welcoming Paopoom Rojanasakul, deputy minister of finance, who – along with other government bodies – led a press conference to launch the QR Cigarette System. This system utilises QR codes to track and trace cigarette data from production to consumers, aiming to combat smuggled cigarettes and safeguard public health. It is not expected to impact other tobacco products, such as oral tobacco. Heated tobacco products (HTPs) remain banned in the country.
14th November 2024: Indonesia: Concerns over the draft regulations setting out plain packaging requirements for tobacco and nicotine products continue to grow in Indonesia. Willy Aditya of the NasDem Party and head of Commission XIII of the House of Representatives, has reportedly urged the government to prioritise public interest over special sectoral groups, while Indah Anggoro Putri, an official in the Ministry of Labour, has reportedly warned again over the potential layoffs that could result from the proposed regulations. The head of the Tobacco Farmers Association (APTI) for the Bondowoso Region, Muhammad Yasid, has reportedly said that the drafting process of the proposed regulations have been discriminatory and non-transparent.
12th November 2024: Vietnam: Following yesterday’s question-and-answer session between ministries and the National Assembly, the Ministry of Health proposed a resolution to the National Assembly to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) – adding that most ministries and branches supported the proposal. The health minister also presented a survey taken in 34 provinces and cities that showed the rate of e-cigarette use among adults increased from 0.2% in 2015 to 3.6% in 2020.
11th November 2024: Thailand: In a meeting today, the National Tobacco Products Control Committee agreed to propose that the government promote the “1 province, 1 hospital: helping Thais quit smoking and e-cigarettes comprehensively” policy, which aims to reduce smoking rates, particularly among youth and Gen Z. Health minister Somsak Thepsuthin also emphasised the need for collaboration with the Ministry of Education and other agencies in order to raise awareness and promote prevention. The meeting also awarded the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Smoke-free Award to Saensuk Municipality for its efforts in creating a smoke-free public space.
11th November 2024: Vietnam: Today, during a question-and-answer session between ministries and the National Assembly, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said it had agreed with the Ministry of Health’s proposal to ban heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, press reports. It added that it had not proposed any pilot projects involving these products and that, in fact, it had always refused to issue business licence and registration notices to e-commerce websites trading with these products in the past. The ministry has proposed that the National Assembly and the government swiftly issue a policy to ban the products.
8th November 2024: Bangladesh: The Advisory Council of Interim Government has sent the draft of amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act back to a committee headed by the economic and finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, due to its implications for the country’s fiscal revenue. The decision was taken during a meeting of the Advisory Council chaired by the country’s chief adviser (interim prime minister) Muhammad Yunus. The committee will be tasked with reviewing the draft amendments, press reports.
7th November 2024: South Korea: An official from the Planning and Finance Committee in the parliament said that there is a high possibility that bills amending the Tobacco Business Act to include synthetic nicotine in the definition of tobacco products are referred to the plenary session and approved in the parliament in November or December of this year, press reports. Despite the fact that both main political parties in the country seemingly agree on the need to regulate synthetic nicotine and to extend the definition of tobacco products to products derived from all parts of the tobacco plant, bills to this end have never succeeded.
7th November 2024: Taiwan: Today, Taiwan’s Education and Culture Committee of the Legislative Yuan invited officials from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and other units to report on the “Review on the Prevention of E-cigarettes from Invading Schools and Harming Young People”, press reports. Authorities focused on the rising rate of under-age use of e-cigs and heated tobacco products (HTPs), with Legislator Ko Chih-en citing a MOHW survey that revealed that 16,000 teenagers used HTPs. The discussion also highlighted the need for immediate coordination with social media platforms to remove e-cigarette ads and for the progress of enforcement efforts.
6th November 2024: India: The Madras High Court has urged the Union government to ban oral tobacco products – specifically mentioning the snus-like Cool Lip brand – under the Food Safety Act, highlighting the “sudden spurt of children using tobacco”. Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy claims the court is handling “10 cases per day relating to grant of bail in these type of matters”. The Madras High Court is the highest court of the state of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state with more than 70m inhabitants.
6th November 2024: Pakistan: The Provincial Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco Control – an influential tobacco control non-government organisation (NGO), part of the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) – has urged chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur to swiftly enact the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prohibition of Tobacco and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Bill, pending since 2016. This legislation aims to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke in the northern province, which has a population of over 40m.
5th November 2024: Malaysia: Health minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad has reportedly said that since 1st October 2024, the date of entry into force of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, 190 companies have registered their tobacco and nicotine products with the Ministry of Health, a requirement envisaged in the same act. These 190 companies include 30 cigarette companies, 4 cigar companies, 1 company selling cigarillos, 8 tobacco companies and 147 vape companies.
5th November 2024: Kuwait: The International Conference on Tobacco Control organised by the Ministry of Health has recommended that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries establish national observatories to monitor tobacco industry activities and align with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards on tobacco control. Additionally, the conference advocated for regulating novel emerging products in the region, such as nicotine pouches, and recommended increasing excise taxes on tobacco.

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