New trial available: Click on any alert below and access our regulatory alerts and get timely notifications sent to your inbox for 7 days.
Sign Up
Mexico: The National Association of Small Retailers (Anpec) has warned that the General Tobacco Control Act amendment that came into force on Sunday will hit its members hard, press reports. It says the new measures, which include a display ban, will encourage black market sales and “generate direct socioeconomic effects on small and medium-sized shops, since the sales of these products represent 25% of their monthly income”.
Italy: Health minister Orazio Schillaci told a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies Social Affairs Committee that he intends to update the anti-smoking law by extending the smoking ban to public places frequented by children and pregnant women, eliminating smoking rooms in public places, and equating heated tobacco use and vaping with smoking. A bill to that effect may be introduced in the parliament soon.
UK: Junior health minister Neil O’Brien said yesterday that the government has no current plans to implement further tobacco harm reduction strategies. He also said that because the government encourages users to quit all forms of tobacco, it did not recommend the use of heated tobacco. He added: “Snus is banned in the United Kingdom and we have no plans to introduce additional tobacco products to the market as we have safer nicotine delivery products currently available for smokers to switch to.”
Russia: Parliament’s lower chamber, the State Duma, today fully adopted the government’s proposed tax amendments, media reports. Assuming they also pass the Federation Council, the upper chamber, and are signed by president Vladimir Putin, the excise tax on heated tobacco devices will be scrapped, while that on the tobacco itself will reportedly rise from RUB7,839 (€105) per kg to RUB8,669 (€116) per kg on 1st March, with further increases to follow in 2024 and 2025.
EU: An application to the European Court of Justice by Nicoventures and five others to annul the EU-wide flavour ban for heated tobacco products imposed by Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2022/2100 has now been published. The applicants claim the ban goes beyond the powers delegated to the European Commission (EC) under Directive 2014/40/EU and say the Commission failed to state reasons, as required by Article 296 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Our regulatory report provides a detailed analysis of whether or not the contested measure may be considered to exceed the EC’s powers.
US - Hawaii: Senate Bill 148 has been introduced, which would prohibit the sale or furnishing of a tobacco product or e-cigarette to anyone born on or after 1st January 2003.
UK: In answer to a parliamentary question about when the new tobacco control plan and a response to the Khan review would be published, junior health minister Neil O’Brien said Khan’s recommendations were being considered and that further information would be available “in due course”. In the past few months, no official has denied reports that the new plan may not get published under the current government or said when it would be published. This suggests no changes to the alternative tobacco products regime can be expected within the next few years.
Paraguay: Opposition senator Pedro Santa Cruz has written to president Mario Abdo Benítez urging him to increase the tax on tobacco products, including heated and oral tobacco, from 20% to 22% of the wholesale price, with proceeds to go to the National Cancer Institute (Incan).
Russia: The State Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes has backed the government’s tax amendments, media reports. Under the plan, if adopted, excise tax on heated tobacco devices will reportedly be scrapped, while the tax on heat-not-burn (HnB) consumables will rise from RUB7,839 (€105) to RUB8,669 (€116.50) per kg on 1st March, with further increases in 2024 and 2025.
UK: Junior health minister Neil O’Brien has told Parliament that the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) is still reviewing the evidence on nicotine pouches and assessing their risk to users. A final position statement will be published once the review is complete, which is expected in early 2023.
US - Connecticut: Senate Bill 40 has been introduced, which would ban smoking and vaping at state beaches and parks and allow municipalities to place restrictions on smoking and vaping at municipal parks and other outdoor venues.
US - federal: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Youth Cigarette Prevention Campaign “The Real Cost” launched two new ads this week, focusing for the first time on “the negative mental health effects of cigarette smoking and withdrawal”. One video, titled Auctioneer, highlights the fact that cigarette withdrawal can lead to anxiety; the other, Said Every Smoker Ever, promotes the message that “three out of four teenage smokers stay smokers” into adulthood.
Ukraine: The Verkhovna Rada (parliament) Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy supported Bill 8286 on the introduction of an electronic excise stamp for tobacco products and e-liquids, media reports. If adopted, the bill – considered necessary to ensure the traceability of such products – will apply from 1st January 2024. The committee also backs the related Bill 8287 on corresponding amendments to the Tax Code and other laws.
US - Ohio: Following governor Mike DeWine’s veto of a state bill that would have prohibited local governments from enacting laws to prevent the sale of flavoured tobacco products, a council member in Cincinnati is considering introducing a flavour ban, due to her concern about flavoured products being marketed to youth. “I think that that’s just wrong,” council member Victoria Parks said. “You know, causing addiction and death.” Cincinnati is a city with a population of around 300,000.
Latvia: The excise tax rate on both heated tobacco and nicotine pouches increased on 1st January to €218 per kg.
Armenia: The excise tax on heated tobacco has increased to AMD3,100 ($7.95) per 1,000 consumables from 1st January.
Kazakhstan: The tax rate for heated tobacco consumables has changed from 1st January to KZT9,870 ($21.45) per 1,000.
Kyrgyzstan: The tax rate for heated tobacco consumables has increased from 1st January to KGS2,000 ($23.35) per 1,000.
Russia: Tax on heated tobacco devices has increased from 1st January to RUB64 (€0.86) each, and on heat-not-burn (HnB) consumables to RUB7,839 (€105) per kg of tobacco.
Indonesia: A new excise duty on heated tobacco products now applies, as of 1st January, at IDR2,886 ($0.19) per g of tobacco.
Ukraine: The tax rate for heated tobacco consumables has risen to UAH2,097.12 (€53) per 1,000 as of 1st January.
Montenegro: The tax rate for heated tobacco increased on 1st January to €145 per kg.
Czech Republic: The excise tax rate for heated tobacco products has increased to CZK3,000 (€125) per kg from 1st January.
Belarus: Under a December 2022 amendment to the Tax Law, heated tobacco consumables will be taxed until 31st March at BYN226.68 (€84) per kg; then from 1st April to 30th June at BYN261.92 (€97) per kg; from 1st July to 30th September at BYN297.20 (€110.10) per kg; and from 1st October to 31st December at BYN332.44 (€123.15) per kg. Nicotine pouches are now taxed at BYN92.11 (€34) per kg. The law also introduced a BYN2.72 (€1) tax on heated tobacco devices.
Slovenia: The new excise duty now in force, until 30th April, for heated tobacco products is €110 per kg.
Hungary: From 1st January, the new excise duty on chewing tobacco and nicotine pouches is HUF25,960 (€65.30) per kg.