LATEST ALERTSRussia: State Duma deputy Sultan Khamzaev, who represents the governing United Russia party and is head of the Sober Russia, has told media that a complete ban on the sale of e-cigarettes should be introduced in Russia, to “save the country's citizens from possible health problems and premature death”.
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29th November 2022 - Europe |
EU: EU negotiators hope to reach a compromise on the new Battery Regulation during a final session on 9th December, media reports. The new regulation seeks to regulate the whole life cycle of batteries, from design to disposal, repealing the current EU Batteries Directive. It would cover a wide range of industrial and portable batteries, potentially including those in vaping devices. However, it will provide only a general framework, leaving details to be provided in secondary EU legislation, such as delegated and implementing acts – around 32 of which are expected to complement the Battery Regulation.
Lithuania: Parliament approved Bill XIIIP-3603(3) which, starting 1st January 2025, introduces the so-called tobacco products shops – points-of-sale that sell only tobacco and tobacco-related products (including e-cigarettes). The bill will allow the display and advertising of vapour products inside tobacco products shops, as long as the products and adverts cannot be seen from the outside. Starting 1st January 2025, all types of advertising will be banned in all other retailers.
Germany: The federal government has introduced the Disposable Plastic Fund Bill, in which manufacturers of single-use plastic must pay an annual fee into a central fund administered by the Federal Environment Agency. The fee will depend on the quantity of single-use plastic products made available. E-cigarette devices that use single-use plastic may be affected. If approved, the first fee will be paid in 2025.
US - California: Attorney general Rob Bonta announced $18.6m in state grant funding to 41 local government agencies to tackle the illegal sale of tobacco products, especially to minors, as part of the Department of Justice’s annual Tobacco Grant Program. The grant programme hopes to not only curb retailers disregarding federal tobacco laws, but to ultimately prevent the next generation from being addicted to tobacco.
28th November 2022 - Asia, Saudi Arabia |
Saudi Arabia: The Riyadh Health Cluster, a Ministry of Health-affiliated institution, has tweeted against the use of e-cigarettes, saying that e-liquid may lead to nicotine poisoning, and explained that symptoms resulting from nicotine poisoning include vomiting, sweating, dizziness, breathing difficulty, and palpitations.
28th November 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: 18 environment and health groups – including Green Alliance, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Marine Conservation Society and the RSPCA – have demanded that the government ban the sale of single-use e-cigarettes for environmental and health reasons. The open letter references a study showing that at least 1.3m disposable e-cigarettes are thrown away every week. Libby Peake, head of resource policy at Green Alliance, said: “We need to be moving towards durable and reusable products designed sustainably, not inventing new ways to cause harm to the wildlife and wasting valuable resources. Ministers must act swiftly to ban disposable vapes to protect young people and our environment from this new and entirely avoidable threat.”
28th November 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: Sandwell Council Trading Standards announced that it has seized 574 non-compliant vaping devices. Trading Standards throughout the country have been inspecting vape shops to enhance compliance with e-cigarette product requirements and age restrictions.
Italy: Local media leaked the first draft of the 2023 Budget Bill, which would block the planned increase in e-cigarette excise duty for 2023 and maintain the same level of taxation as in 2022. Nicotine-containing e-liquids would be taxed at 15% of the excise duty on the equivalent quantity of cigarettes (around €0.13/ml), while those without nicotine would be taxed at 10% of the excise duty on the equivalent quantity of cigarettes (around €0.08/ml). The bill has not yet been introduced in Parliament.
25th November 2022 - Chile, South America |
Chile: The Health Committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved Bill 12626-11 on 22nd November. The bill – combined with Bill 12632-11 – seeks to equate all vaping products, regardless of their nicotine content, with tobacco products. The bill, which was approved by the Senate in March 2021, will now need to be approved by the Chamber of Deputies. Currently, nicotine-containing vaping products fall under the pharmaceutical regime.
Portugal: Today, the government approved the State Budget 2023 with amendments, media reports. The Budget included a proposal to increase the e-liquid tax from €0.323 to €0.336 per ml. The final text has not yet been released.
25th November 2022 - Peru, South America |
Peru: Representative Katy Ugarte, from the left-wing party Peru Libre, has introduced a bill regulating e-cigarettes. The bill – which has recently been published on the website of the Congress of the Republic of Peru (Parliament) – is intended to regulate the sale, import, advertising, and use of these products. The bill has the potential to be passed in the future, given that Peru Libre currently holds 17 out of 130 seats in the parliament, making it the second most represented party. It is also the party of prime minister Pedro Castillo.
US - Ohio: Columbus City Council is debating a ban on flavoured tobacco products, which would include e-cigarettes and menthol tobacco products, news reports. The ordinance provides civil penalties and makes it a violation for any tobacco retailer to sell e-cigarettes and flavoured tobacco products. Columbus is the capital of Ohio, with a population of around 900,000.
Vietnam: In a workshop organised yesterday (24th November) by a newspaper, the director of the legal department from the government's office, Dinh Dung Sy, recommended that the Ministry of Industry and Trade should draft a decree as soon as possible to amend Decree 67/13 – which set rules for tobacco products and trade – to address new tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.
25th November 2022 - Australasia, New Zealand |
New Zealand: The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation has criticised the Ministry of Health for not striking the right balance between protecting young people and making vapes available as a smoking cessation tool, press reports. Allegedly, the Ministry of Health said in a public statement that there is no plan to cap the number of specialist vape retailers or to reduce the nicotine levels allowed in vapes.
Russia: Mandatory traceability marking of e-liquids in Russia could start on 15th December, media reports. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has modified a decree, according to which the mandatory (digital) traceability marking is to begin ahead of schedule, if approved by the government. Currently, according to the government decree, the voluntary experiment on the marking of e-cigarettes and e-liquids with traceability markings is ongoing and is supposed to last until 28th February 2023. If a new decree for mandatory marking is approved, it will apply to nicotine-free e-liquids, liquids in cartridges, capsules, and disposable e-cigarettes, but refillable vapes will not be marked.
Lithuania: Parliament has approved Bill XIVP-2036(2), strengthening the Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Department (NTAKD)’s power to shut down illegal advertising and online sales of tobacco and tobacco-related products, including e-cigarette products. From 1st January, the NTAKD will be authorised to order internet and network service providers to remove illegal content.
24th November 2022 - Australasia, Australia |
Australia: The Australian Capital Territory today passed the Health Legislation Amendment Bill, which amends the 2008 Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act and the 1927 Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Act to ban the sale of e-cigarettes from vending machines and implement stronger measures to enforce the ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to under-18s.
24th November 2022 - North America, United States |
US - general: A medical study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) suggests that patients who used e-cigarettes were at a higher risk than non-vapers of developing dental cavities. This is treated as preliminary data, and the researchers say: “evidence on the potential oral health effects of vaping is scarce and there are limited data on possible links to both caries and periodontal disease”.
24th November 2022 - Italy |
Italy: The government has introduced a provision into the 2023 Budget Bill that would block the planned increase in e-cigarette excise duty for 2023, media reports. The bill has not yet been introduced in Parliament.
24th November 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: Asked if and when the long-anticipated Tobacco Control Plan might be published, junior health minister Lord Markham told the Lords (Parliament’s upper house) the government was “taking stock” of whether a fresh tobacco control plan was the best way to respond to the recommendations in the Khan review. The same view was shared a few days earlier in the House of Commons by junior minister Neil O’Brien, bringing into question the future of the plan.
24th November 2022 - Asia, Kazakhstan |
Kazakhstan: Following a recent proposal to ban vapour products, the harm reduction association Densaulyk says not all e-cigarettes should be banned, but only disposables, which it says are “the main threat”, media reports.
US - Louisiana: The Department of Revenue has published a rule amending the Louisiana Administrative Code (LAC 61.III.1533 and 1534) to mandate electronic filing of tobacco tax returns and reports by retailers of vapour products and electronic payment of the tax. The proposed rule was published on 20th August and heard on 27th September.
Vietnam: Tran Thi Trang, deputy director of the Ministry of Health legal department, today told a seminar organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications that the health ministry was opposed to any pilot programs for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, press reports. Instead, she proposed a ban on all such products on the grounds that they are harmful to health and attractive to children and adolescents.
23rd November 2022 - Asia, Philippines |
Philippines: Representative Joey Salceda of the majority bloc Lakas-CMD party has presented a bill to increase e-cigarette taxes from 1st January. The proposed rates are PHP60 ($1.05) per ml for nicotine salt e-liquids, plus an ad valorem tax at 20% of the net retail price and a specific tax of PHP20 ($0.34) per device.
23rd November 2022 - Asia, Tajikistan |
Tajikistan: A draft amendment to the Law on Restricting the Use of Tobacco Products was presented at a meeting of a parliamentary working group, press reports. In addition to banning snus and nicotine pouches, it would introduce a minimum retail price for tobacco products and e-cigarettes.
Ireland: Health minister Stephen Donnelly and public health minister Frank Feighan yesterday received government approval to add additional restrictions to the Public Health (Tobacco Inhaling Products) Bill. The proposed restrictions include a ban on the sale of e-cigarettes and related nicotine-inhaling products in vending machines and in places or events intended for children. A proposal banning the advertising of e-cigarettes on public transport, in cinemas and near schools has also been introduced. The bill is expected to be finalised by the end of the year.
Ukraine: Bill 8215, which would ban the importation and transporting of tobacco products and e-liquids from Belarus during the period of martial law and/or the state of emergency, has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), media reports. The bill would also prohibit the importing of products whose owner or ultimate beneficiary is a legal entity registered in Russia or Belarus, or anyone on whom sanctions have been applied. If adopted, the bill will come into force the day after it is published.
US - Oklahoma: The Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners has voted to join the litigation against the biggest e-cigarette manufacturers, alleging that companies such as Juul Labs knew about the risks involved and their marketing to youth, local media reports. District commissioner Brian Maughan said: “Oklahoma statistically has an exorbitantly high number of young people before they’re even 18, participating in doing e-cigarette forms of tobacco usage.” Oklahoma County, which includes the state capital Oklahoma City, has a population of around 800,000.
22nd November 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: Warwickshire Trading Standards officers have carried out test purchases of e-cigarettes at 13 vape stores, using a 15-year-old volunteer, the county council has reported. All retailers asked for ID, but at one store, which remains under investigation, a sale “was nearly made”.
Slovenia: Concerns over the widespread use of e-cigarettes by minors were raised yesterday during a public conference held by the National Institute of Public Health, press reports. The conference, which brought together academics and public officials, heard that e-cigarettes were as dangerous as traditional cigarettes.
France: The Tobacconists’ Confederation is seeking exclusive rights to the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, claiming tobacconists would be able to comply with the ban on selling to minors better than online marketplaces do at present.
22nd November 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: Oxfordshire County Council announced yesterday that two businesses in the county had been prosecuted for selling disposable e-cigarettes to children, following investigations by Trading Standards officers. One store was fined £666 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £67 and the council’s full costs of £2,124. The other was fined £600 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £60 and a contribution of £1,000 towards the council’s costs. A third retailer is due in court in January over selling an e-cigarette to a minor and for continuing to sell e-cigarettes in non–compliant packaging following a warning.
Spain: Licences to operate a tobacconist’s business are being sold at auction for up to €7m, press reports. If the Tobacco Market Bill, restricting the sale of vaping products to tobacconists, is eventually passed this would represent a big burden for e-cigarette retailers who would have to turn their businesses into tobacconists.
Belgium: The Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment has told ECigIntelligence that the draft 2022-2028 Strategy for a Tobacco-Free Generation will be voted on on 14th December by an interministerial conference on public health made up of federal and regional ministers. The plan, which covers vaping, sets several objectives, including keeping the tobacco industry out of the preparation and implementation of public health policies; improving health promotion policies; a ban on vending machines; tighter restrictions on long-distance sales and advertising; and improving the make-up of vapour products.
Denmark: The Danish Safety Authority has started a campaign against illegal disposable e-cigarettes, especially targetting forbidden fruit flavours that may appeal to children and young people. Most fines issued so far have been aimed at websites, with 295 social media profiles closed down and 65 ads removed from platforms.
Belgium: The Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment is drafting a bill to be submitted to the European Commission TRIS Database that would ban disposable e-cigarettes, media reports. Belgium already notified a bill to ban disposable vapour products in 2021, which received a negative opinion from the European Commission.
US - Montana: Bill LC 1111 – a draft request to classify e-cigarettes as tobacco – has been introduced. The text for the bill has not been produced yet.
France: The Social Affairs Committee of the National Assembly approved an amendment to the 2023 Social Security Funding Bill that removes the introduction of an excise duty of €6 per ml on disposable e-cigarettes previously proposed by the Senate. The same amendment would require the government to produce a report assessing the consumption evolution of tobacco products, with a particular focus on disposable e-cigarettes.
21st November 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: When asked if the government will use the data on adult smoking habits by the Office for National Statistics for the Tobacco Control Plan, a junior health secretary, Neil O'Brien, said: "Should a new Plan be published, it will be informed by the most recent Office for National Statistics information on adult smoking habits in the United Kingdom." The future of the Tobacco Control Plan will also be tackled on 23rd November in the House of Lords where Lord Faulkner of Worcester will ask when the government intends to publish it and if it is still committed to achieving the smoke-free goal by 2030.
Malaysia: None of the three main coalitions in Malaysia got the amount of votes needed to hold a simple majority of seats in Parliament after the 19th November parliamentary election results, leading to extreme uncertainty over the formation of the next government. Khairy Jamaluddin, former minister of health and proposer of the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill 2022 – a bill that proposes to ban the sale of vaping products to anyone born after 2007 – is highly unlikely to continue as minister of health as his party's coalition only won 30 of the 222 total seats in Parliament. Khairy has already accepted his electoral loss.
21st November 2022 - Australasia, Australia |
Australia: Calls are being made to equate e-cigarette packaging regulation to that of traditional tobacco products, press reports. Mal Washer, a former member of the Australian Parliament from the Liberal Party, said in an interview that vaping products should be subject to plain packaging restrictions. He added: “The biggest thing in my opinion is making vaping anti-social and to make people realise this product is dangerous.”
US - Nevada: Assembly Bill 53 has been prefiled in Nevada, which would modify the penalty for selling certain tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to persons under 21. This bill would establish that for a second violation within a 24-month period the civil penalty would be decreased from $1,250 to $1,000. Additionally, the licence would be suspended for up to 180 days.
18th November 2022 - Asia, Philippines |
Philippines: The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has published revenue regulations for e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and novel tobacco products in compliance with the recently enacted Vaporised Nicotine and non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act. Among the measures are inspection fees and minimum retail prices. It also establishes that manufacturers or importers of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and novel tobacco products should register with the Regulatory Division of the BIR national office as an excise tax payer before entering the market.
Russia: At the round-table discussion in the Federation Council, the Ministry of Finance proposed to increase the excise tax on e-liquids by 94% instead of 6% next year, media reports. In addition, the ministry also reportedly proposed to raise the excise tax on heated tobacco by 33% instead of the planned 4% next year. That said, no legislative moves have been made so far.
Lithuania: The Health Affairs Committee of the parliament is currently discussing the draft national agenda on drug, tobacco and alcohol control, prevention of drug use and drug-related harm up to 2035. The plan aims to reduce the supply of tobacco and related products through policies based on scientific studies, improving excise duties, raising awareness of the effects of smuggling on the public budget, regulating emerging products promptly, and strengthening advertising restrictions. However, some members of parliament are criticising the draft, saying it does not tighten the regulation of e-cigarettes enough. The draft should be voted on by the parliament in the coming weeks.
17th November 2022 - North America, United States |
US - Federal: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a statement about warning letters it sent yesterday (16th November) on why exactly they were issued. The reasons given were that (1) each product is packaged to look like toys, food, or cartoon characters and is likely to promote use by youth and (2) no premarket application had been submitted by any of the manufacturers. The e-cigarettes in question were designed to look like toys (such as a Nintendo Game Boy or a walkie-talkie); feature TV or video game characters that appeal to youth (such as The Simpsons or Minions); or imitate food (for example, popsicles). Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) said: "The designs of these products are an utterly flagrant attempt to target kids.”
17th November 2022 - Australasia, New Zealand |
New Zealand: The Ministry of Health has published a health survey with key statistics on smoking and vaping behaviour. While daily conventional smoking rates decreased from 9.4% in 2020/2021 to 8% in 2021/2022, vaping increased from 6.2% to 8.2% over the same period.
Egypt: The Customs Authority has issued Circular No. 76 of 2022, announcing that the committee formed by Decree No. 516/2021 and responsible for registering companies that import and produce e-liquids has granted eight companies the licence to import e-liquids in accordance with Egyptian Standard No. 8205- 1/2018.
17th November 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK - Guernsey: Guernsey's Stop Smoking Service will be offering free rechargeable vape starter kits to smokers aged 18 and over to support them in smoking cessation. E-cigarettes will be offered in conjunction with free advice and/or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
