The New Zealand government is revoking a regulation that would have required all vaping devices and heated tobacco products to have removable batteries. The decision, announced by Associate Health Minister Casey Costello, is a direct response to a court challenge from Mason Corporation, the owner of the Shosha vape retail chain. The change will take effect from September 1st.
Read moreRussian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law introducing criminal liability for the creation, sale, or use of counterfeit excise and special stamps for tobacco and alcohol products. The amendments to the Criminal Code also expand existing laws against the illegal trafficking of unstamped goods to explicitly include nicotine-containing products, such as vapes, in addition to traditional tobacco.
Read moreThe Melaka state health department is preparing a proposal to ban the manufacturing and sale of e-cigarettes (vapes) within the state. According to State Health, Human Resources, and Unity Committee Chairman Ngwe Hee Sem, the proposal will be presented to the state executive council for a final decision later this year.
Read moreA special commission of the Israeli Tax Authority has presented recommendations to the Minister of Finance for a complete overhaul of how e-cigarettes are taxed and regulated, concluding that the current system has inadvertently created a massive black market. The report states that an exceptionally high tax rate, combined with ease of smuggling and a lack of effective oversight, has led to widespread tax evasion and significant loss of state revenue without successfully reducing consumption.
Read morePanama’s Ministry of Health (Minsa) is set to enforce new regulations on the sale, use, and advertising of electronic cigarettes (vapes), heated tobacco products, and oral nicotine, effective Wednesday, August 13, 2025. This move follows a Supreme Court ruling that struck down a previous, more restrictive law.
Read moreThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent decision to grant marketing authorization to several Juul Labs e-cigarette products has ignited sharp condemnation from leading Democratic lawmakers, who are calling the move a dangerous step backward in the fight against the youth vaping epidemic. U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) both released scathing statements, accusing the FDA under the Trump administration of prioritizing “Big Tobacco” over children’s health and vowing to investigate the circumstances of the decision.
Read moreIn 2025, the electronic cigarette is no longer a marginal phenomenon in Italy but a consolidated reality. The numbers are clear: at least three million people in Italy now vape regularly, and this figure continues to grow. The market has become a significant part of the urban landscape, with the discreet puffs of vapor now a common sight in parks, outside venues, and at traffic lights.
Read moreA coalition of e-cigarette distributors, Wisconsinites for Alternatives to Smoking and Tobacco (WiscoFAST), has filed a federal lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, challenging a new state law that bans the sale of most vaping products. The law, which took effect on July 1st, prohibits the sale of any vape devices not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Read moreThe Department of State Revenue in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan is informing citizens and entrepreneurs of a significant change in legislation: a complete ban on the import, production, and sale of vapes (e-cigarettes). The new law introduces substantial amendments to the country’s code “On the Health of the People and the Healthcare System.”
Read moreThe Philippines’ Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has announced a significant increase in the floor prices for cigarettes, heated tobacco, and various vaporized nicotine products. The new minimum retail prices, released on July 18th, are set to take effect 15 days after publication. This move is designed to ensure that excise and value-added taxes are properly accounted for, based on updated estimates of reasonable production costs.
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