E-cig companies face toughest clampdowns in South America and the Middle East

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A new tool from ECigIntelligence clarifies global regulatory requirements for the e-cig industry

 

If you’re looking for the strictest ecig regulations across a region worldwide, look no further than the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon, Brunei, Egypt, Iran and Qatar all showing a no-nonsense approach.

South America is not far behind, with Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela operating tough regulatory regimes; slightly to the north, Mexico and Panama follow suit, with each country scoring 90-100% for their tough stance on e-cigs in the new ECigIntelligence regulatory burden index (ERBI).

Finland, the US (both 41-50%), and Hungary (61-70%) are the middle of the road; if it’s a light touch you want, Barbados (0-10%) is one of many countries with a friendly approach to the industry.

But these regulatory parameters are subject to change – and this makes it hard to run a business with new restrictions frequently arising in relevant areas like packaging, flavours and advertising.

That’s why legal analysts at ECigIntelligence have developed a tool to make it easier for ecig industry players to keep up to date with legal developments that directly impact their livelihoods.

ECigIntelligence regulatory burden index (ERBI)

The ERBI provides a clear and concise overview of the varying levels of regulatory burden imposed on e-cigarettes by governments around the world. The data has been compiled by ECigIntelligence’s in-house team of analysts, dedicated to researching the e-cigarette and combustible-alternatives sector. The team’s expert findings are based on 23 key variables, such as product registration, or whether flavours are banned.

A colour-coded world map shows the varying levels of regulatory restrictions at a glance, while further detail can be found using an Excel index to drill down into the data that could have the greatest impact on business on a country-by-country basis. Here, users can be forewarned about possible future restrictions such as the impending bill to regulate ecig advertising in Canada.

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    The strictness of legislation in each country is rated as a percentage (%) from zero to 100, where 0% indicates an absence of restrictions, and 100% represents a complete e-cigarette ban. Variations among countries are presented in 10 different categories 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, etc.

    Business strategy

    ERBI gives industry stakeholders quick and easy access to ECigIntelligence’s knowledge of markets in 80 countries spanning six continents around the world.

    This tool can be used to evaluate the level of risk firms could be exposing their businesses to in various markets, and how this may change in the first semester of 2019. The ERBI estimates how likely it is that regulatory change may occur in 80 relevant countries. Moreover, in countries where the analyst team anticipate changes to the legal framework, the ERBI allows ECigIntelligence to communicate precisely what that change entails – in terms of sales restriction, advertising barriers, tax hike, etc.

    Data is updated twice a year.

    ECigIntelligence’s Regulatory Burden Index is for everyone who is exploring new markets for their business, or searching for the best investment opportunities in the vaping industry.

    ENDS

    About ECigIntelligence:

    ECigIntelligence (www.ECigIntelligence.com) is the leading provider of detailed global market and regulatory news, analysis, legal tracking, and quantitative data for the e-cigarette, heated tobacco and combustible-alternatives sector worldwide. We also offer customised research and consultancy support, and we publish CBD-Intel (www.CBD-Intel.comfor the CBD sector.

    For further information or comment, please contact us.

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    Judit