On September 12, the New Zealand government announced the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2), which includes a complete ban on disposable vapes and significantly increases fines for selling vapes to minors. The bill also strengthens regulations on specialist vape retailers to prevent youth access to vaping products。

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The National Council of the Slovak Republic (NR SR) has definitively approved an amendment to the Excise Tax Act on Tobacco Products, which will extend the excise tax to electronic cigarette refills, nicotine pouches, and other nicotine products starting next year. The amendment also introduces a gradual increase in the excise tax on tobacco products in the coming years. Read more

Australia has ramped up its fight against illicit vapes, seizing more than 5.2 million illegal vapes and vaping products so far this year. Of these, joint actions by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the Australian Border Force (ABF) have successfully intercepted over 2 million vapes since the implementation of the new electronic cigarette law on July 1, 2024. The seized products have an estimated black market value exceeding 155 million Australian dollars (approximately 100 million US dollars). Read more

The Korea E-liquid Safety Association (KELSA) held a seminar on the proposed amendment to the Tobacco Business Act, which aims to include all forms of nicotine, including synthetic nicotine, in the definition of tobacco and impose tobacco taxes. The seminar, titled “Seminar on the Amendment to the Tobacco Business Act to Include Synthetic Nicotine and Other Forms of Nicotine in the Definition of Tobacco and Impose Tobacco Taxes,” took place on the morning of the 10th in the association’s main conference room. Read more

Deputy Commissioner Haripur, Shoaib Abbas, has imposed a 90-day ban on e-cigarettes, vapes, and related nicotine products in Pakistan’s Haripur district, effective from September 6, 2024, under Section 144. The ban prohibits the use of these products in public transport and public spaces, as well as their promotion through media platforms and the display of related pamphlets on walls or vehicles. The sale of these items to individuals under 21 years of age is also prohibited. Read more

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Philippines has intensified its efforts to regulate illegal vape products by filing lawsuits against four e-cigarette brands, including Relx and Flare, and suspending their trading activities. This action follows the DTI’s previous move to halt the sales of five brands, such as LOST MARY and Chillax.

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The Irish Cabinet has given the green light to Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly to draft legislation that will introduce further restrictions on nicotine inhaling products, including a ban on the sale of disposable vapes. The proposed Nicotine Inhaling Products Bill aims to prohibit the sale, manufacture, and import of single-use or disposable vapes in Ireland, citing environmental and public health concerns. Read more

The Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has warned consumers about several vape brands that are subject to trading suspension due to violations of Republic Act No. 11900, also known as the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act. The DTI issued Preliminary Orders and Preventive Measures Pending Formal Investigation Orders against the following brands:

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The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has expressed its support for the government’s active consideration of introducing a vape licensing scheme. During a recent House of Lords debate on youth vaping, Baroness Merron, the parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department of Health and Social Care, revealed that the government is seriously exploring the inclusion of a vape licensing scheme in the proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Read more

A team of scientists, including a University of Massachusetts Amherst public health researcher, has conducted a major review of evidence and identified the three most effective strategies for quitting smoking: varenicline, cytisine, and nicotine e-cigarettes. The review, published in the journal Addiction on September 4, was led by the non-profit Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group (CTAG) and authored by senior author Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, assistant professor of health policy and management at the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, and lead author Jonathan Livingstone-Banks, a University of Oxford researcher in England. Read more