LATEST ALERTSUK - Scotland: Several organisations – ASH Scotland, the Marine Conservation Society, Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Water, and Keep Scotland Beautiful – have raised the issue of the environmental (polluting) impact of vaping and smoking, press reports. For World No Tobacco Day, which was yesterday (31st May), the organisations urged Scots to properly dispose of cigarettes, vaping paraphernalia and packaging after use. Sheila Duffy from ASH Scotland said: “We are also increasingly concerned about the noticeable escalation of littering and pollution risks caused by discarded single-use disposable vaping products that contain single-use plastics as well as toxic chemicals and battery components.”
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Slovenia: The National Institute of Public Health yesterday (31st May) published an article in the context of the World No Tobacco Day, also celebrated yesterday. In it, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products are addressed as products “designed to attract young people in particular, mainly due to attractive aromas, new technologies, greater social acceptance, intensive promotion in various media and social networks, erroneous beliefs about the safety of use, etc”. The article also alerts on the increasing prevalence of usage of these products, calling this prevalence “worrying data”.
Malaysia: The deputy minister of health said yesterday, 31st May, that the bill banning the sales of vaping products to anyone born after 2005, which we previously reported on, has been brought to state lawyers for approval before it is tabled in the parliament in July, press reports. The deputy minister asked for unanimous support for the bill from all MPs when it is tabled.
Spain: The Council of Ministers has not yet approved the Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Control of Smoking 2021-2025, reducing the chances of the plan being enforced during this legislature, press reports. The government failed to fulfil its promise to make a decision on this plan at the Council of Ministers on International Tobacco Day, which was yesterday, 31st May. The chances of enforcing the plan, which would require amending the tobacco law, are reduced with every passing week, as the 2023 elections approach. The plan, among other measures, intends to equate the price of all tobacco products. Additionally, it proposes to increase the number of smoke-free areas, where the use of heated tobacco products would also be prohibited. A flavour and additives ban is also considered in the plan, together with plain packaging restrictions. Nicotine pouches may be also regulated, provided that the plan mentions both nicotine-containing and nicotine-free tobacco products.
Lithuania: The National Agenda on Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control, Prevention of Drug Use and Drug-Related Harm Until 2035 – drafted by the Ministry of Health and the Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Department (NTAKD) – was presented to the parliament for approval. The plan aims to reduce tobacco and tobacco-related product supply by implementing coherent and consistent policies based on scientific studies, improving excise duty policies, raising awareness of the negative consequence of tax leakage due to smuggling on the public budget, and regulating emerging products promptly and strengthening advertising restrictions. The NTAKD confirmed that the Agenda will be voted by the parliament during the spring session, which ends on 30th June.
Italy: The Higher Institute of Health (ISS) published a report on tobacco consumption for World No Tobacco Day 2022. The report found that the smoking and vaping population has increased since 2019, with traditional cigarette usage increasing to 24.2%, e-cigarettes to 2.4% and heated tobacco to 3.3%. Silvio Brusaferro, president of the ISS, said that the increase in the smoking population detected by the report raises concern. He also added that it is important to activate prevention measures starting with the youth to ensure a longer life, with less disability and better quality.
US - Alaska: Senate Bill 45, which passed both the Senate and the House, is still awaiting transmittal to the governor. This bill would raise the legal age to purchase, sell, exchange, or possess tobacco, a product containing nicotine, or an electronic smoking product from 19 to 21. It would further levy a tax as follows: 35 % of the wholesale price of "(A) a closed-system electronic smoking product; (B) a vapor product sold as part of an open-system electronic smoking product; (C) a vapor product sold separately from a closed- or open system electronic smoking product".
31st May 2022 - Mexico, North America |
Mexico: Hugo López-Gatell, the undersecretary of prevention and health promotion, has announced that the ban on the sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco devices will be maintained, press reports. He said that the government is working on regulation to ensure that no new tobacco products are introduced in the country.
31st May 2022 - Europe |
EU: Today, coinciding with World No Tobacco Day, marks the end of the European Week Against Cancer with a focus on tobacco control. This year, the group MEPs Against Cancer released a message saying "@MAC_MEPs are committed to accelerating the implementation of #EUCancerPlan, ensuring the Plan works well for #cancer patients, survivors, caregivers & EU citizens". On the subject of tobacco, MEP Trillet Lenoir – the European Parliament's BECA Plan rapporteur – issued the following message: "We need to build on the momentum provided by #EUCancerPlan to build a #tobacco-free generation & focus on #cancerprevention".
31st May 2022 - World |
World: Today, 31st May, is World No Tobacco Day, as decided by the member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) 35 years ago. This year's campaign is focused on warning against the environmental costs of using tobacco and vaping products ('Tobacco: Threat to our environment'). A full report investigating the issue has been released, and according to the WHO it shows how "every year the tobacco industry costs the world more than 8 million human lives, 600 million trees, 200 000 hectares of land, 22 billion tonnes of water and 84 million tonnes of CO2", and that “tobacco products are the most littered item on the planet". It also says that "products like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes also add to the build-up of plastic pollution". The WHO is calling for the "Polluter Pays Principle" to be extended to the tobacco industry and make it responsible for clearing up the pollution it creates. Thus, the "WHO calls on policy-makers to treat cigarette filters, as what they are, single use plastics, and consider banning cigarette filters to protect public health and the environment".
Austria: Health minister Johannes Rauch told the press that a National Tobacco and Nicotine Strategy will be presented in the autumn. The strategy will be very broad, including all new products (such as nicotine pouches) in addition to conventional tobacco. Further details about the strategy weren't presented.
Spain: The Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR) has warned that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are not safe and are not effective as a harm reduction method, press reports. SEPAR has referred to the risks associated with those products in a paper, and in the conclusions it affirms that harm reduction strategies are not useful tobacco control methods. It also concluded that despite having less harmful ingredients than conventional tobacco, heated tobacco and e-cigarettes do not necessarily cause less harm.
Portugal: Parliament voted positively last Friday (27th May) on the new State Budget 2022, which increased the heated tobacco tax from €0.0837/g to €0.0845/g. Additionally, the Budget states that the tax on heated tobacco cannot be less than €0.182/g.
Russia: On 27th May, during a meeting on the illegal circulation of tobacco products, senator Sergey Ryabukhin – the first deputy head of the Budget Committee of the Federation Council (upper chamber of the parliament) – announced the need to create a single centre for monitoring the tobacco market in Russia, media reports. The senator proposes to assign such functions to the Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation.
27th May 2022 - Europe |
EU: New rules that "increase protection for EU consumers in several areas such as purchases through online marketplaces, transparency of price personalisation and ranking of online offers and consumer rights when using ‘free’ online services" will apply from tomorrow, 28th May 2022.
India: On 23rd May, Tamil Nadu – a state in the south of India with a population of more than 70m – renewed the ban on the manufacture, storage, transport, distribution or sale of any food or chewable product that contains tobacco or nicotine.
Italy: The Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) issued a circular on how to display and sell tobacco products in tobacco shops. Tobacconists must not provide more visibility to certain brands than others and must guarantee neutrality when selling tobacco products. Additionally, tobacconists must supervise new advertising and new prices of tobacco products before displaying them in the shop.
26th May 2022 - World |
World: The World Health Organization (WHO) published on 24th May a fact sheet on tobacco equating heated tobacco products to other tobacco products. In its fact sheet, the WHO calls for the introduction of large pictorial or graphic health warnings, plain packaging, and a ban on all forms of advertising of heated tobacco products.
Georgia: Solomon Pavliashvili, the deputy minister of environment and agriculture, has held a large-scale meeting with manufacturers and importers of batteries and electronic equipment, discussing the deadline for the implementation of technical government regulations adopted on 25th May 2020, on waste management of electrical and electronic equipment and waste management of batteries and accumulators, which is to be 1st June this year, media reports. We believe these regulations may potentially influence the heated tobacco and e-cigarette devices sectors.
26th May 2022 - Asia, Philippines |
Philippines: Yesterday (25th May), measures from the Republic Act 11467/20 and Executive Order 106/20 regarding heated tobacco activities entered into force. A licence will be required for related manufacturing, distribution, import, export, retail and sale, including online sales.
26th May 2022 - Asia, Kazakhstan |
Kazakhstan: Yesterday (25th May), during the plenary session of the Mazhilis (lower chamber) of the Parliament, the minister of national economy, Alibek Kuantirov, presented a bill to introduce changes to the tax code, media reports. The bill aims to increase the tax rate for heated tobacco to KZT12,925 ($30) per kg as of 1st January 2023 with a gradual increase over the next ten years. Reportedly, the bill has passed the first reading in parliament.
US - Michigan: House Bill 6108 has been recently introduced and referred to the Committee on Judiciary. The bill would amend state law to raise the legal age to purchase a tobacco product, vapour product or an alternative nicotine product from 18 to 21, in accordance with federal law.
26th May 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: Javed Khan, who has been tasked by the government to to head an independent review into tobacco control, has tweeted that the presentation of the review to the government, originally scheduled for yesterday, 25th May, has been postponed until June.
Spain: More than 85% of Spaniards would be in favour of a more restrictive regulation on tobacco products and 72% would ban smoking on restaurant and bar terraces, press reports. The survey was conducted by the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC). Susana Morena, coordinator of the Smoke-free week (a campaign organised by semFYC) said the restrictions on smoking should be extended to e-cigarettes and tobacco-heating devices. She said there was a false perception among young people that such products were less dangerous.
Russia: Members of the parliamentary cross-party working group on protecting the health of citizens from alcohol, drug and tobacco are planning to submit a bill to prohibit the sale of nicotine-containing products to people born after 2010, media reports. The current legal framework includes heated tobacco products and nicotine-containing liquids under the definition of nicotine-containing products.
24th May 2022 - Asia, Bangladesh |
Bangladesh: Around 40 members of Parliament have signed a declaration vowing to achieve a “tobacco-free Bangladesh” by 2040, fulfilling a “visionary statement” made by prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2016, press reports.
24th May 2022 - Australasia, Australia |
Australia: A change of government, following the weekend’s federal election, could have a direct impact on nicotine and innovative tobacco products in the country. The Australian Labor Party, which has promised to crack down on “unhealthy products”, now has 75 seats in the House of Representatives (out of 151) and 26 in the Senate (out of 76). This approach, together with the existing 2030 National Tobacco Strategy, which will be focused on reducing tobacco lobbying and holding public campaigns warning of the dangers of tobacco products, is sure to play a big role in future regulation.
24th May 2022 - North America, United States |
US - Federal: In an appointment that has been met with dismay by many in the tobacco alternatives industry, Brian King is to be the new head of the US FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). He will take over the position on 3rd July after spending more than a decade at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In announcing his choice, FDA commissioner Robert Califf emphasised that King has detailed knowledge of premarket review pathways and tobacco product applications.
New Jersey: Senate Bill S 2667 has been introduced. It would prohibit the sale of menthol cigarettes and the sale or distribution of e-cigarettes and related products in all flavours but for tobacco.
23rd May 2022 - Colombia, South America |
Colombia: The Ministry of Health reports that between 2016 and 2021, smoking prevalence fell from 8.3% to 5.6%, a drop of 1m in the number of smokers in Colombia. The ministry has not revealed figures for the number of users of e-cigarettes or heated tobacco.
23rd May 2022 - Paraguay, South America |
Paraguay: The Senate last week approved the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, an international treaty adopted in 2012 by parties to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The matter now moves on to the Chamber of Deputies, whose approval is required before Paraguay ratifies the treaty.
23rd May 2022 - Russia |
Russia: State Duma member Sultan Khamzaev, head of the federal Sober Russia project, has proposed banning QR codes, web addresses and corporate social media accounts from the packaging of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, media reports. Advertising of tobacco and nicotine-containing products is prohibited in Russia.Russia:
23rd May 2022 - Europe |
EU: The European Commission published on Friday, 20th May, an initiative to evaluate the EU’s legislative framework for tobacco, covering product regulation, advertising, promotion and sponsorship. It aims to assess how far the framework has fulfilled its goals and whether it can support a “tobacco-free generation” by 2040, as intended by the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA). The initiative, which will help the Commission decide whether the EU approach should continue or be amended, is now open for feedback until 17th June.
US - California: The Scotts Valley City Council passed an ordinance on Wednesday 18th May with a favourable vote of 5-0, local media reports. The ordinance would ban the sale of flavoured tobacco products in the city, and also prohibit smoking or vaping in any designated seating areas of restaurants or outdoor eating establishments. We see yet another locality enact a flavour ban, while the referendum at state level to enact the state-wide flavour ban is still pending. Scotts Valley City is within the Santa Cruz county and has a population of around 12,000.
20th May 2022 - Australasia, New Zealand |
New Zealand: The government announced through an official newsletter that a Smoke-free Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill is expected to be presented in Parliament in late June 2022. This bill aims to reduce retail availability, change the age limits for sale of smoked tobacco products (cigarettes) and reduce their appeal. Despite not affecting heated tobacco and e-cigarettes so far, it shows the government commitment to banning conventional cigarettes and its support for vaping and heated tobacco products.
19th May 2022 - Europe |
EU: On behalf of the European Commission (EC), Stella Kyriakides, commissioner for health and food safety, answered a parliamentary question – submitted by Sara Skyttedal – on the role of new nicotine products in reducing cigarette consumption and on snus’ legal status. The commissioner said that the EC is determined to follow up on the most robust scientific evidence in establishing a regulatory approach fully reflecting the objectives of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. She said that the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER)’s scientific opinion on e-cigarettes found supporting evidence for the harmful consequences of e-cig consumption and weak evidence for their effectiveness in helping smokers to quit. She also added that smokeless and emerging tobacco and related products containing nicotine prolong nicotine addiction and that the Commission does not envisage any change to snus status.
19th May 2022 - North America, United States |
US - Federal: The Center for Tobacco Products has updated its website to reflect the postponed Cigarette Health Warnings Effective Date: "On May 10, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an order in the case of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. et al. v. United States Food and Drug Administration et al., No. 6:20-cv-00176, to postpone the effective date of the 'Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements' final rule. The new effective date of the final rule is July 8, 2023."
Malaysia: The minister of health is reviewing the possibility of imposing plain packaging on tobacco products and a ban on their display in shops where they can be bought, press reports. The measure would be part of a set of rules intended to be enacted after the tabling of the bill banning the sales of tobacco products to anyone born after 2005, which we previously reported on. However, the minister has acknowledged the need to conduct thorough studies and engagement sessions with stakeholders first.
19th May 2022 - Europe |
EU: The EU Commission regularly reviews the list of hazardous substances restricted in electrical and electronic equipment. Following a technical assessment, an EU initiative "proposes adding tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBP-A) and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs)" – which are used as flame retardants in electronic devices – "to the list of restricted substances", following feedback on the draft act recently published. The Commission expects to publish a final proposal in Q4 2022.
Russia: A bill prepared by the the Ministry of Finance proposes that from 1st January 2023, the illegal import of tobacco and alcohol products from Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia) should be punished by criminal sanctions (up to five years imprisonment), media reports. The ministry notes that the customs authorities record the facts of the import of tobacco and alcohol from the EAEU under the guise of transportation through Russian territory to other countries. The draft bill is supposed to be sent to the Russian government by July 2022. However, it is still unclear if it would be applicable to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.
18th May 2022 - Europe |
EU: This morning, the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) of the European Commission held a stakeholder event on tobacco taxation to receive feedback on the upcoming impact assessment for the review of the Tobacco Excise Directive (TED). Officers stated that the Commission will adopt a proposal in “the first part of Q4 2022” and the impact assessment will be presented “soon”. In addition, they reiterated that the revision is triggered by the “the emergence of new products, such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and new addictive products that reveal the limits of the current legal framework”, as well as the EU’s market fragmentation, illicit trade and low cigarette taxes. Officers also stated that the review intends to be guided by the need to preserve the integrity of the internal market and citizens' health.
Italy: Nine new flavours of heated tobacco consumables have been notified to the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM).
US - California: The San Diego Council passed an ordinance (the SAAFE Act) yesterday, which will ban the sale of all flavoured tobacco products (including menthol) in the city starting 1st January 2023, local media reports. The ordinance does not apply to the sale of shisha, premium cigars or loose-leaf tobacco and unflavoured or tobacco-flavoured e-cigarettes. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cessation devices will also be exempt from the ban.
US - California: Assembly Bill (AB) 1690 has been ordered to the inactive file, meaning that the bill is ready to be heard on the floor but for some reason is dormant; an author of the bill may move it off the inactive file at a later date. AB 1690 would prohibit a person or entity from selling, giving, or furnishing to another person of any age in this state a cigarette utilising a single-use filter made of any material, a single-use plastic device meant to facilitate manual manipulation or filtration of a cigar, a single-use e-cigarette, or a single-use integrated cannabis vaporiser.
Spain: The government of Catalonia is considering imposing a cigarette tax of €0.20 per cigarette, press reports. The director of the Catalan Waste Agency (ARC) told the media that ARC is considering this tax to compensate for the costs of collecting stubs in the streets. Another option the agency is considering is to give citizens money back for returning cigarette butts, similar to schemes some countries have with containers such as glass bottles. So far, it is uncertain whether the measures would also include used heated tobacco sticks.
Hungary: An amendment to tobacco legislation to address a legal loophole that causes herbal nicotine-free sticks compatible with heating devices intended for heated tobacco consumption being sold outside national tobacco shops is currently being considered, local press reports. The loophole arises from the fact that these products do not fall within the scope of tobacco legislation because they do not contain either nicotine or tobacco. The amendment will presumably only seek to include these herbal nicotine-free products within the retail restrictions set out in the tobacco legislation.
16th May 2022 - Europe |
EU: The Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) has scheduled a meeting, “Stakeholder event on tobacco taxation”, for 18th May to “give interested parties the opportunity to present their views on the latest developments in the area”. In addition, on 13th May the EU’s transparency portal updated its list of documents related to the Indirect Tax Expert Group (E00956), releasing the agenda of the meeting held on 4th May. TobaccoIntelligence is in the process of obtaining more information about what was discussed during the meeting.
13th May 2022 - World |
World: A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) states that new problems have emerged as more and more tobacco companies have started producing nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco. The report states that the electronic waste is set to exacerbate the industry’s huge ecological impact. “These products will not only keep consumers addicted to nicotine, they also will create a whole new ecological crisis, from mining for battery components, to the manufacturing of plastics, to the disposal of 'vaping pods,' and electronic devices, some of which of course also need electricity to function,” the WHO said.
13th May 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
US - reminder: 14th May is the deadline for submitting premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for all synthetic nicotine products that were placed on the market on or before 14th April. Companies not planning to use the online portal and wanting to physically submit the PMTA should do so by today, 13th May, at 4pm.
