LATEST ALERTSIsrael: Today, the Ministry of Health has again issued a warning against the use of e-cigs containing synthetic cannabinoids (ADB-BUTINACA and MDMB-4en-Pinaca) known as “Nice Guy”. They are sold illegally under the brand names RM Premium, Snoop Dogg, Fume Orjoy, Premium Vape, and The Bulldog and cause severe mental and physical effects such as psychosis, anxiety and panic attacks, cerebral edema, kidney damage, heart damage and bleeding in the digestive system.
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
Access our regulatory alerts and get timely notifications sent to your inbox for 7 days
Your display name will appear here.
Please enter a username.
Spain: Yesterday's local and regional elections resulted in a setback for the ruling Socialist Party, and today president Pedro Sánchez announced that parliamentary elections will take place on 23rd July, press reports. This means that the amendment to Decree 579/2017 – which the government started in April 2023 with the launching of a public consultation and which aims to establish neutral packaging requirements for e-cigarettes, among other restrictions – will not be passed in this legislative term.
Iran: Hassan Azaripour, member of the National Tobacco Control Secretariat at the Ministry of Health, has said that electronic cigarettes are not an effective smoking cessation tool but nicotine gum is extremely helpful, press reports.
29th May 2023 - Asia, Saudi Arabia |
Saudi Arabia: The country's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has announced the establishment of a nicotine products company called Badeal. The company will support the country's Tobacco Endgame 2030 strategy, which aims to halve the current smoking rates, by developing and distributing tobacco-free nicotine products.
Portugal: A bill to amend the Tobacco Law was tabled in Parliament. The bill expands vaping public usage restrictions, and bans delivery sales and sales at festivals and cultural events. If adopted, the bill will take effect in October 2023, with the exception of the public usage restrictions which will come into force at a later date.
Vietnam: Deputy minister Tran Hong Ha has signed the National Strategy on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control 2030. Measures include reducing the use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and new tobacco products, and promulgating regulations for these products. Other details on how the measures will be implemented were not presented.
26th May 2023 - Europe, Luxembourg |
Luxembourg: The Ministry of Health has published an official webpage on the harmful effects of tobacco, ahead of World No Tobacco Day, which will take place on 31st May. The ministry raises concerns over the fact that "new types of products have emerged and are particularly targeted at young people", especially because "these products use very fruity flavors and are designed to be as appealing as possible to young people". The webpage also refers to a study that provides figures on the country's vaping population, which has increased from 9% of the population in 2021 to 13% in 2022.
26th May 2023 - North America, United States |
US - General: IMiracle Shenzhen Technology Co. Ltd. – the manufacturer of Elf Bar, Lost Mary and EBDesign – issued a statement about the placement of its products on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s Import Alert # 98-06. The company stated that it was given no notice of the agency's decision and was provided no opportunity to address any FDA concerns before action was taken. “It is the job of the FDA to provide consistent and coherent regulatory clarity to the U.S. marketplace. This red list announcement fails to meet this responsibility and provides yet another example of FDA’s politicized decision-making", an IMiracle spokesperson stated.
26th May 2023 - World |
Global: The World Health Organization (WHO) is holding its 76th World Health Assembly from 21st to 30th May. The World Health Assembly – the decision-making body of the WHO – is tasked with determining the policies of the organisation, and is attended by delegations from all WHO member states. On 27th May, a strategic roundtable will be held to "call for Member States to set up implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control measures and in particular support increased tobacco taxes towards public revenues".
26th May 2023 - Asia, Uzbekistan |
Uzbekistan: A bill to regulate novel tobacco and nicotine products and ban their sale to under-21s has been officially published. It will come into force on 26th August 2023.
Spain: The Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine has issued a warning about a rise in the use of vaping products by teenagers. It says a poll conducted during Smoke-free Week found 90% of participants were in favour of extending the list of places where smoking and vaping are prohibited, while 21% of teenagers between 14 and 18 used e-cigarettes, 14% used hookahs, and 13% smoked.
Latvia: The parliamentary Social and Labour Affairs Committee yesterday partially rejected a proposal to exempt menthol and tobacco flavours from a ban put forward in a bill “amending the law on the circulation of tobacco products, herbal smoking products, electronic smoking devices and their liquids,” press reports. While it was agreed that tobacco flavour should be allowed, the committee decided menthol “could facilitate nicotine consumption”. Another proposal was to ban the sale of tobacco and substitute products, herbal smoking products, e-cigarettes and refill containers to anyone under 20. Those proposals will be discussed in the final debate on the bill, which is expected to take place before July.
25th May 2023 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: Prime minister Rishi Sunak today expressed concern about the prospect of his children taking up vaping after a BBC report that analysis of non-compliant e-cigarettes confiscated from secondary school pupils in Kidderminster, Worcestershire showed high levels of lead, nickel and chromium. The government is currently consulting on vaping rules, and reports of this kind are likely to galvanize policymakers into action – especially with some industry members estimating that the illicit e-cig market exceeds the legal market (a view not shared by ECigIntelligence, which estimates it at 20%).
25th May 2023 - Australasia, Australia |
Australia: The government of Queensland has passed legislation to strengthen the state’s anti-smoking and illicit tobacco laws and their enforcement. The Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Amendment Bill 2023 introduces a licensing scheme for the sale of tobacco, expands the list of non-vaping areas and imposes tougher restrictions on vape sales at licensed venues. A parliamentary inquiry into vaping and e-cigarettes, with a focus on children and teenagers, will also shortly begin, concluding with a Health and Environment Committee report to be made to the Legislative Assembly by 31st August.
Indonesia: Firman Soebagyo, one of 85 Golkar party members in the 575-seat House of Representatives, where they are supportive of president Joko Widodo, has called on the government to immediately enact regulations for e-cigarettes, referring in particular to restrictions on ingredients, press reports.
25th May 2023 - Europe, Switzerland |
Switzerland: Following the adoption of the people’s initiative “Children without Tobacco”, which calls for a ban on tobacco and vaping advertising aimed at children and adolescents, the Federal Office of Public Health has presented a fact sheet revealing that the advertising ban set down in the Tobacco Products Act is to be extended to all print media and points-of-sale. Online advertising will remain legal as long as an age-verification system is in place. The initiative is expected to be implemented in 2026.
25th May 2023 - Czech Republic, Europe |
Czech Republic: The Ministry of Finance has published a bill which would introduce a tax of CZK10 (€0.42) per ml on e-cig refills, regardless of nicotine content, from January 2024.
Lithuania: Bill XIVP-2791, which would ban vaping products containing sugar and/or sweeteners, was registered in the Seimas (parliament) yesterday. If adopted, it will come into force on 1st November. An explanatory letter says that although the Tobacco Control Act already bans the sale of e-cigarettes and e-liquids containing certain additives and non-tobacco flavourings, this has not reduced the popularity of e-cigarettes among young people as expected.
25th May 2023 - Asia, Uzbekistan |
24th May 2023 - Europe, Switzerland |
Switzerland: The National Council Committee for Economic Affairs and Taxation has submitted a motion calling on the Federal Council to draft a report on the taxation of tobacco products and e-cigarettes. It says the report should address issues such as the categorisation of new products, the impact of taxes on the black market, and tax adjustments based on average market prices. Earlier this year, during a debate on amending the Tobacco Tax Act, the Committee for Social Security and Health called for a tax on all e-cigarettes and for e-liquids to be taxed according to their nicotine content. The current bill sets a rate of CHF0.20 (€0.20) rate per ml of nicotine-containing e-liquid for reusable e-cigarettes and CHF1 (€1) per ml for disposable e-cigarettes, regardless of nicotine content.
US - Texas: House Bill 4758 has been passed by the Senate and now heads to the governor’s desk. It would ban e-cigarette containers that depict cartoon-like characters; mimic trademarks or appearance of products primarily marketed to minors; include symbols or celebrity images aimed at minors; or resemble food products, including candy or juice.
Lithuania: The Seimas (parliament) has approved the government’s 12-year agenda on drug, tobacco and alcohol control, which aims to reduce supply and consumption, media reports. The document recommends that controls should be prepared and implemented at municipal level.
23rd May 2023 - North America, United States |
US - federal: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) has hired its first senior advisor for health equality. Charlene Le Fauve has 25 years’ experience of federal work related to health equality, dedicating her career to “advancing health equity and the health of under-served and under-represented populations through research and research workforce development”.
23rd May 2023 - Australasia, Australia |
Australia: The head of the Border Force, Michael Outram, has warned that government plans to prohibit the import of vaping products and make them subject to prescription, regardless of their nicotine content, will not be enough to combat the black market, press reports. “A border ban by itself may be partly effective, but it won’t be fully effective to solve the problem,” he said.
Slovakia: A draft amendment to the Act on the Production, Labelling and Sale of Tobacco Products that would equate the regulation of nicotine-free e-cigarettes with that of those containing nicotine has moved to its second reading in the National Council, media reports. If adopted, it will come into force on 1st September.
India: The Health Ministry has called for stricter enforcement of the statutory e-cigarette ban, which covers manufacturing, import, export, distribution and advertising of e-cigs, including parts and accessories, press reports.
Ukraine: Bill 9315, prohibiting the sale of e-liquids in duty-free shops, has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament). If adopted, it will come into force on the first day of the month following its publication and remain in force as a temporary measure until the end of martial law or the state of emergency.
22nd May 2023 - Asia, Bangladesh |
Bangladesh: Hossain Ali Khondoker, co-ordinator of the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC), told press that the government is currently working on amending Act No. 11/2005 on Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Tobacco Control Act) in order to ban electronic nicotine delivery systems. Khondoker warned against e-cigarettes, and said that the harm-reduction approach is a misleading concept that misguides youths. E-cigarettes are not defined as a tobacco product in the Tobacco Control Act, or in its amendments.
Iran: Behzad Valizadeh, head of the National Tobacco Control Secretariat at the Ministry of Health, spoke against the harm-reduction approach, and said that there is no such thing as a harmless tobacco product, press reports. He argued that no type of tobacco is harmless and that there is much more nicotine in e-cigarettes than in traditional cigarettes, and that it causes addiction. Currently, e-cigarettes are banned in Iran under the Executive Bylaw of the Act on National Control and Campaign Against Tobacco.
Israel: On 30th May, the Special Committee on Drug Abuse will host a special session to mark International No Smoking Day, during which the committee will discuss the dangers of electronic cigarettes. Representatives of tobacco companies will be invited to attend, press reports.
22nd May 2023 - Australasia, New Zealand |
New Zealand: The leader of the National Party – and of the opposition – Christopher Luxon says he is open to looking at banning disposables, press reports. Following the Asthma and Regulatory Foundation call to ban disposable products, he added that “we're very happy to look at this from a blank piece of paper and include anything and everything up to banning vapes”. New Zealand will hold elections in October, and according to the latest polls, the Labour Party is tied with the National Party.
22nd May 2023 - Asia, Philippines |
Philippines: The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has issued a circular with the updated list of manufacturers and importers of vaping products and their corresponding brands. The circular also states that the BIR tax stamps for vaping products are still not available in its system, so there are currently no requirements to affix them.
Malaysia: The minister of health has said that the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill 2022 – which seeks to ban the sale of vaping products to anyone born after 1st January 2007 – will be discussed in the Cabinet this Friday, 26th May, with the hope of tabling it in the parliament this June once it is approved by the Cabinet, press reports. The bill also envisages notification, advertising and packaging requirements for e-cigarettes.
Slovenia: The National Public Health Institute has published information on the risks associated with e-cigarettes, which, according to the Institute, include nicotine addiction and a risk to start smoking and using other drugs. Nonetheless, the Institute considers that “compared to cigarettes, electronic cigarettes are probably less harmful, but this cannot be said with certainty, and it is not yet possible to assess the potential reduction in risk”.
22nd May 2023 - Europe, Netherlands |
Netherlands: The government's business contact centre – Business.gov.nl – has confirmed to ECigIntelligence that from 1st July 2023, domestic and cross-border distance sales of e-cigarettes and refill containers will be banned in the Netherlands.
19th May 2023 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: During yesterday’s (18th May) debate of the Finance Bill (2), members of Parliament questioned tax treatment of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, and raised the issue of marketing e-cigs to under-18s. The exchequer secretary to the Treasury, Gareth Davies, said that the issue of vaping is being reviewed and will be discussed with the health minister.
19th May 2023 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: Discussing plastic pollution, member of Parliament Richard Foord raised the role of disposables, cartridges and cigarette butts in the pollution of oceans. “On the subject of smoking and vaping, we have to think about producer responsibility, where the producer has to pay,” said Foord.
UK - Scotland: Health minister Jenni Minto said it’s a priority to consider a range of steps to tackle vaping, including use of regulation. “Any action that we take will build on the regulations that are already in place to restrict the marketing, promotion and sale of vaping products to under-18s,” said Minto.
19th May 2023 - North America, United States |
US - Federal: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Import Alert 98-06, allowing the agency to detain new tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes, that do not have marketing authorisation at US ports of entry. “Divisions may detain, without physical examination, the tobacco products identified on the Red List of this Import Alert,” says the FDA alert. “If the division is not sure whether a tobacco product is the same product as one identified on the Red List, the division should consult with the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). CTP concurrence is required to add a product to the Red List.” The alert covers shippers from China, South Korea and the US. In order to remove a product from the Red List, information should be provided which demonstrates that the issue leading to the seizure has been resolved.
Estonia: The bill that aims to increase e-cigarette excise duty to €0.21/ml in 2024, €0.22/ml in 2025 and €0.23/ml in 2026 passed the first reading in the parliament. The Finance Committee will meet on 25th May to further discuss the proposal, while the second reading has not been scheduled yet.
Finland: As noted in our compliance calendar, manufacturers and importers of e-cigarette products, irrespective of nicotine presence, must submit market data to the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) no later than 20th May. The same should be done with the information about suspected adverse reactions to human health.
Lithuania: Health minister Arūnas Dulkys has criticised a recent proposal by opposition MP Aurelijas Veryga for a ban on e-cigarettes, media reports. He said a ban would be ineffective since people could still bring in vaping products from other countries.
18th May 2023 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has backed a call by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) for tougher regulations on the packaging, promotion and display of vaping products at point-of-sale in order to curb youth uptake.
US - Louisiana: House Bill 179 has been passed by the House and now heads to the Senate. The bill would ban the sale or service of any e-liquid or vapour product with any flavour other than tobacco.
17th May 2023 - Europe |
EU: The minutes of a meeting of the Expert Group on Tobacco Policy held on 3rd May 2023 were published yesterday. During the meeting, chaired by DG-Santé and attended by representatives of 26 EU member states plus Iceland and Norway, the ongoing revision of the Council Recommendation on Smoke-free Environments, the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in November (COP10), and the evaluation of the legislative framework for tobacco control were discussed. The majority of member states agreed to include new emerging products within the scope of the Council Recommendation on Smoke-free Environments.
17th May 2023 - Argentina, South America |
Argentina: The government has sent Congress a proposal to adhere to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Argentina signed the convention in September 2003, but is one of the few countries in the world that has not ratified it. Among other things, the FCTC tackles the advertising, labelling and taxation of tobacco products.
16th May 2023 - Europe |
EU: Spanish MEPs Domènec Ruiz and Nicolás González have submitted a parliamentary question asking the European Commission what position it will take on e-cigarettes in the ongoing revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). The two members of the Socialists and Democrats group say the Commission has been “very lax and unclear in its approach to new e-cigarettes” and also ask what is delaying the TPD revision.
Estonia: The government has introduced a bill to increase e-cigarette excise duty to €0.21 per ml in 2024, €0.22 in 2025 and €0.23 in 2026.
16th May 2023 - Czech Republic, Europe |
Czech Republic: The Ministry of Health has updated the publicly available list of notified herbal products for smoking, e-cigarettes and refills.
16th May 2023 - Czech Republic, Europe |
Czech Republic: The e-cigarette retailers group the Chamber of Electronic Vaping has criticised the government’s plan, announced last week, to tax vaping products. The group says it goes against the principle of harm reduction as it might increase the use of traditional cigarettes. Robert Hrdlička, president of the chamber, said that if the tax was really necessary, it should be based on the nicotine content.
