LATEST ALERTSMalaysia: The Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of Electronic Cigarette Device) Order 2022 comes into effect today. It requires manufacturers and importers of e-cigarette devices and components to apply for a certificate to the inspection and testing body SIRIM QAS International before placing them on the market. E-cigs that comply with the Malaysian Standard on Electronic Cigarette Devices will be marked as such.
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.
2nd August 2022 - Colombia, South America |
Colombia: The incoming government is planning to impose excise duty on e-liquids. President-elect Gustavo Petro and the National Federation of Departments (FND) have signed a document defining the working agenda for the next months, in which duty on e-liquids is labelled as a priority. No details of the rate or model to be imposed have been disclosed.
Canada - British Columbia: The Ministry of Finance has told ECigIntelligence that the federal excise duty on vapour products, due to come into force on 1st October, will not replace the provincial sales tax (PST) of 20% currently charged on vapour products in British Columbia.
Estonia: The Health Board has updated the list of notified e-cigarette products, which contains 33,042 vapour products.
2nd August 2022 - Asia, Kyrgyzstan |
Kyrgyzstan: The Ministry of Economy and Finance has put forward for public discussion a draft resolution on minimum retail prices for tobacco and nicotine-containing products, media reports. It suggests e-cigarettes should be priced at KGS400 ($4.80) per device in 2023, then rise gradually until 2026.
Romania: The new excise duty on e-cigarettes has entered into force today. It sets duty on e-liquids at RON0.64 (€0.13) per ml from 1st August 2022. In the coming years, the excise duty will be progressively increased to RON0.72 (€0.15) per ml in 2023, RON0.81 (€0.16) per ml in 2024, RON 0.91 (€0.18) per ml in 2025, and RON1.03 (€0.21) per ml in 2026.
1st August 2022 - North America, United States |
US - Federal: Last week, a United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the petitions for review of four e-liquid manufacturers regarding their Marketing Denial Orders (MDOs). They rejected all of the petitioners' arguments, including that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner. The decision seemed to focus heavily on the impact of e-cigarettes on the youth.
1st August 2022 - Africa, South Africa |
South Africa: The National Treasury has proposed a flat excise duty rate of ZAR2.90 ($0.18) per ml for both nicotine and non-nicotine vaping products. The bill will be open for public comment until 29th August. Comments should be sent to the designated email addresses set on the authority's website. After the deadline, the authority will engage with industry members through public workshops to discuss the comments.
Ukraine: Bill 7597 seeking to allow smoking, vaping and consumption of heated tobacco in specially designated places in restaurants and bars and/or in open spaces of such facilities has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. Currently, smoking, vaping and consumption of heated tobacco in such facilities are banned in Ukraine.
US - California: As of 25th July, it’s unlawful to sell flavoured tobacco to anyone in the unincorporated areas of Sacramento County. The sales ban includes flavoured cigarettes, e-cigarettes and cigars along with any flavoured edible tobacco and nicotine products. According to a Sacramento County news release, all cigarette products with smells and flavours except tobacco are prohibited from being sold. Hookah lounges are not exempt from the ban.
Russia: In January 2022, bill 58606-8 seeking to ban the sale of e-liquids and e-cigarettes in Russia was submitted to the parliament, but it has not even come through the first reading. Marine Gambaryan, head of the Centre for Prevention and Control of Tobacco Consumption of the National Medical Research Centre for Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health supports this legislative move. However, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has recently opposed a complete ban on e-cigarettes, supporting the industry's position on the need to accelerate the timing of the introduction of mandatory traceability markings for such products, media reports. Currently, according to the government decree, the voluntary experiment on the labelling of e-liquids, cartridges and closed e-cigarette systems with traceability markings will last until 28th February 2023.
Ukraine: Petition No. 22/147290 aiming to prohibit smoking on balconies and from the windows of apartment buildings has been published. If it collects 25,000 signatures, it may become a starting point for amending the current public place usage restrictions. Given the fact that all current smoking restrictions equally apply to vaping and consumption of heated tobacco, we believe their use on balconies and from the windows of apartment buildings could also potentially be banned if the petition succeeds. However, the petition has so far only collected 271 signatures, with 61 days remaining until the deadline.
Portugal: Tomorrow is the last day to participate in a public consultation on the 2030 National Strategy for the Fight against Cancer. Among measures proposed are an increase in e-cigarette and tobacco prices, regulation of ingredients and packaging, and raising the minimum legal purchase age.
Indonesia: Government officials and stakeholders met yesterday to discuss revising the tobacco framework, Government Regulation 109 of 2012, with a view to regulating e-cigarettes, press reports. Deputy health minister of Health Dante Saksono said several ministries were working on it, although a formal initiative sent by the Ministry of Health to the president was rejected in January.
Malaysia: The Bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on Health, Science and Innovation has recommended that the proposed generational ban on purchase of vape products should be delayed for three years, and that the ban should start with those born after 2008, instead of 2007, press reports. The committee wants a three-year evaluation period to assess the government’s preparedness to implement the ban and to assess the need for separate regulation of vaping products. It said that e-cigarettes have “harm reduction” characteristics compared to combustible tobacco.
28th July 2022 - Australasia, New Zealand |
New Zealand: Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), which represents 78 local, regional and unitary councils, has called on the government to limit retail availability of vaping products and impose proximity restrictions on vape stores. LGNZ president Stuart Crosby said: “We welcome the recent changes that include restrictions around the sale of vapes and advertising and sponsorship but vapes are still available in too many places in our communities.”
28th July 2022 - Australasia, New Zealand |
New Zealand: The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill, which would set a limit on vaping retailers and ban the sale of smokable tobacco products to anyone born after 1st January 2009, is now open for comment until 24th August.
28th July 2022 - Canada, North America |
Canada: Health Canada’s Tobacco Control Directorate has told ECigIntelligence there is no timetable for the adoption and implementation of the Order Amending Schedules 2 and 3 to the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (Flavours), restricting vaping flavours and banning sweeteners, proposed last year. An official said the information may be included in the next update to the department’s Forward Regulatory Plan.
Germany: The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has updated the list of notified e-cigarette products, which now contains 273,422 vapour products. Only products notified at least six months ago are listed.
Iceland: Tomorrow is the last day to submit comments on the Ministry of Health’s planned amendments to the Tobacco Control Act following the incorporation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into the EEA agreement in February. The bill to transpose the TPD into Icelandic law, which has not yet been published, is scheduled to be presented in the autumn, with the proposed changes to be made public after the consultation period.
Denmark: The Danish Safety Agency seized a quantity of illegally flavoured e-cigarettes from five market stalls at the weekend following a tip-off. Since 1st April only tobacco and menthol flavours are allowed in Denmark. The agency announced that it will continue to make unannounced visits to markets and festivals over the summer to check if illegal e-cigs are being sold. It will also monitor social media and use artificial intelligence tools to identify products for sale online.
Morocco: The Haraki Group of members of the centre-right Popular Movement submitted a draft bill on e-cigarettes to the House of Representatives during a public session yesterday. According to press reports, the proposals include stricter rules on public vaping, health warnings on packaging, a ban on e-cig advertising and on their sale to minors. However, as the party holds only 28 of the 395 seats in the House, the bill is unlikely to gather sufficient support.
Vietnam: During a symposium yesterday on new tobacco products, the Ministry of Health objected to a proposal put forward by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for a two-year pilot programme for trade in e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, press reports. Tran Thi Trang, deputy director of the health ministry’s legal department, said the pilot proposal came purely from a business perspective and has not been thoroughly studied from the point of view of public health.
UK - Wales: The Welsh government yesterday published its tobacco control strategy, aimed at reducing the adult (16+) smoking rate to 5% or less over the next eight years. One of the objectives is to work on discouraging the uptake of e-cigarettes and other nicotine products among teenagers and young people by 2030.
27th July 2022 - North America, United States |
US - Federal: Matt Holman, director of the Office of Science at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) is leaving immediately to join Philip Morris International (PMI), media reports. According to a memo from CTP director Brian King: “Holman has been on leave and has recused himself from all CTP and FDA work while exploring career opportunities outside government.” Holman leaves just as the CTP faces a series of major decisions, including a potential ban on menthol cigarettes, lowering nicotine levels, and the ongoing efforts to rein in Juul and other e-cigarettes.
27th July 2022 - Australasia, New Zealand |
New Zealand: The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill was approved at its first reading in Parliament. The bill is aimed primarily at reducing the number of retailers who can sell smoking products, while it also includes a ban on the sale of smoking products to anyone born on or after 1st January 2009. The bill is now with the Health Committee, which will prepare a report on it before submitting it for second reading. Commenting on the bill, associate health minister Ayesha Verall said she was not happy with the current rate of youth vaping, but added that vaping was a helpful “quit tool” and that its harm was “nowhere on the scale of tobacco”.
Malaysia: A much-discussed bill banning the sale of vaping products to people born in or after 2007 was tabled in Parliament today. The bill does not mention nicotine but defines a “smoking device” as “any electronic device or a battery-operated device or other device, which is used to heat, vaporise, or burn a tobacco product, smoking substance, or substitute tobacco product for smoking”. It defines a “smoking substance” as “any substance or combination of substance comprising of propylene glycol, glycerol, or triethylene glycol for the purpose of smoking”, including nicotine-free e-cigarettes. The bill equates vaping with smoking, and proposes penalties for the purchase, possession and use of vaping products by anyone born after 1st January 2007.
US - New York: Senate Bill 4142 has been signed into law by governor Kathy Hochul. The bill makes smoking on all state-owned beaches and boardwalks, in marinas, playgrounds, recreation centres and group camps punishable by a $50 fine. It exempts the Adirondack and Catskill conservation parks from the ban as well as parking lots, sidewalks adjoining parks, and areas not used for park purposes. The ban does not apply to e-cigarettes.
26th July 2022 - Asia, Philippines |
Philippines: The Bureau of Internal Revenue has published an updated list of registered manufacturers and importers of vapour products. According to the authority, any product not included in the list and that does not comply with regulations, such as the health warning requirements, is considered unauthorised.
26th July 2022 - Asia, Philippines |
Philippines: The Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Bill (Vape Bill), which introduces further regulation of vaping and heated tobacco products, has lapsed into law after president Bongbong Marcos took no action on it. Among the new provisions is the lowering of the minimum purchasing and sale age to 18. The Department of Trade and Industry becomes the authority to set technical standards. The President’s Office is yet to release a copy of the law.
25th July 2022 - Europe |
Europe: A period of consultation on amendments to the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation opened on Friday, 22nd July, and will run until 19th August. In summary, CLP “sets rules for classifying, labelling and packaging substances and mixtures. Annex VI lists notes that can be assigned to substances with harmonised classifications. These notes provide further instructions on how to classify and label these substances or mixtures containing them. This initiative assigns new notes (added to the CLP Regulation by a recent amendment) to certain substances.”
25th July 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: Lancaster Magistrates Court has fined a store owner for selling nicotine vaping products to minors after a 14-year-old volunteer made a successful purchase in February, local press reports. In addition to a £184 fine, the retailer was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £34 and council costs of £200. County trading standards manager Angela Lomax said: “Lancashire trading standards will continue to undertake test purchasing operations relating to the whole range of products and services that are subject to age restrictions.”
Italy: The Lazio Administrative Tribunal (TAR) has temporarily suspended a decree introducing retroactive notification fees for vapour products due by 30th July following an appeal by the industry association Anafe. The judges said the Ministry of Health had enacted the decree more than five years after the deadline set by the decree transposing the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into Italian law. The TAR will rule on the legitimacy of the decree on 18th November.
25th July 2022 - North America, United States |
US - federal: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) has issued some more warning letters to manufacturers and distributors of e-liquids classed as “new tobacco products” without the required authorisation to remain on the market.
Thailand: Cannabis-based e-liquids will not be exempt from the ban on the import and sale of vaping products. The National Tobacco Products Control Committee has made clear that both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes with cannabis are banned, press reports.
Malaysia: Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin today tweeted that, after having taken into account all the opinions expressed in stakeholder engagement sessions, sales of vaping products will be banned to those born in or after 2007, rather than 2005 as previously reported. In a separate tweet, Khairy said the “Generational Endgame” bill will be tabled in Parliament next week.
25th July 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: In response to a series of parliamentary questions, junior health minister Maggie Throup said the government was considering the recommendations of the Khan Review, “including measures to protect children and young people from starting vaping”. She added: “We are assessing options such as potential benefits of banning cartoon characters and images which are appealing to children and the merits of prohibiting free samples. We are also looking at flavours and the appeal for young people.”
25th July 2022 - Asia, United Arab Emirates |
United Arab Emirates: The Public Prosecution authority has published a warning on Instagram that the sale, distribution and promotion of tobacco products to under-18s is prohibited. Under the Electronic Nicotine Products standard, e-cigarettes are treated like traditional tobacco, so selling them to minors can lead to at least three months’ jail and a fine of no less than AED15,000 ($4,000) under Federal Law No. 03/2016 on child rights and Federal Law No. 15/2009 on tobacco control.
Egypt: The Ministry of Health and Population has tweeted a warning about e-cigarettes, which it says “do not help you quit smoking”. It adds: “E-cigarettes contain toxic substances that harm your health just like regular cigarettes.”
Italy: Prime minister Mario Draghi has submitted his resignation and dissolved Parliament after the right-wing parties withdrew their support in the Senate. The next elections are due in September 2023 and the far-right Brothers of Italy are currently ahead in the polls, followed by the Democratic Party, League and Five Star parties. In the past, right-wing parties have generally supported a more lenient regulatory approach to new nicotine products. Excise duties on vapour products, currently reduced by a law approved in February 2022, will rise to around €0.25 per ml for nicotine-containing e-liquids and around €0.20 per ml for those without nicotine unless the new government amends the existing legislation.
22nd July 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: In a debate yesterday (21st July) in the House of Commons, conservative member of parliament (MP) Caroline Johnson brought up the recent reports on the increasing number of children using e-cigarettes and asked when the government is going to have a debate about preventing children from picking up vaping.
22nd July 2022 - Europe, United Kingdom |
UK: Yesterday, 21st July, Sandwell Trading Standards announced results of recent inspections resulting in the seizure of more than £64,000 worth of illegal vapour and tobacco products. Over 800 vaping products were seized for being in excess of the 2 ml tank size limit (ranging from 4.5 ml to 9 ml), and for not including usage instructions, health warnings and the name and address of a UK contact for products manufactured outside of the UK. In addition to having their stock confiscated, offenders could face unlimited fines and up to ten years in prison. Councillor Danny Millard, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “Illegal tobacco and vaping products can be even more hazardous than commercially approved items. While you think you might be getting a bargain, you can never be sure what you are smoking and the effect it might have on you.”
22nd July 2022 - Asia, Philippines |
Philippines: In response to a request from the president’s office for comments and recommendations on the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Bill (Vape Bill), several government agencies, including the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), have expressed their support for the bill, press reports. In parallel, the Philippines Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Health (DOH) requested to veto it. The bill will lapse into law on 24th July if the president does not act on it.
22nd July 2022 - Asia, United Arab Emirates |
United Arab Emirates: The UAE Federal Tax Authority has issued a press release stressing its commitment to enforcing the Digital Tax Stamp (DTS) on tobacco products. The authority explained that control efforts resulted in the seizure and confiscation of nearly 5.5m units of tobacco products that did not conform to specifications, and assured that it will increase efforts to control the markets and ensure the correct implementation of the excise tax. It’s worth noting that e-cigarettes should also bear the DTS.
US - Michigan: House Bill (HB) 6108 has been signed into law by the governor. This bill amends 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.
Malaysia: Replying to a parliamentary question put forward by member of parliament (MP) Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen, who asked whether the Ministry of Health intends to recognise e-cigarettes as a harm-reduction tool, the minister of health, Khairy Jamaluddin, replied on 19th July that the Ministry is still studying the use of e-cigarettes as a harm-reduction method. Jamaluddin acknowledged that in other countries e-cigs have been recognised as such, but noted at the same time that “scientific data shows that e-cigarettes affect one’s health”. He added that “the policy decision to recognise electronic cigarettes as a harm-reduction tool needs to be carefully made based on strong scientific evidence”.
21st July 2022 - North America, United States |
US - general: Chinese e-cigarette manufacturer JWEI has announced that it has submitted a premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a device it says focuses on safety and harm reduction and is designed to curb under-age use. The company said it had “embedded the comprehensive PMTA guideline into a set of coherent criteria for product development and study objectives”.
