Magnolia Town Commissioner Eric Graham has called for a local ordinance to ban vape shops from operating within town limits. This legislative push follows a series of high-profile law enforcement raids across North Carolina targeting illicit drug sales and underage vaping access.
Read moreThe Belarusian Ministry of Health has initiated a new bill to completely ban the advertising of electronic smoking systems and tobacco heating devices, marking a significant escalation in the country’s tobacco control policies. Announced by Olga Bartman of the Republican Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Public Health, the draft legislation expands previous restrictions that only covered e-liquids and traditional tobacco.
Read moreThe North Carolina Senate passed Senate Bill 595 , a sweeping revenue measure that overhauls vapor product enforcement and alters research and development tax deductions. The Republican-backed bill now heads to the House for a final vote amid sharp partisan debate over its corporate tax changes.
Read moreThe President of the Republic has officially promulgated Law 30-26, introducing a heavy 55% Selective Consumption Tax (ISC) on electronic cigarettes and vaping consumables. Aimed at boosting economic growth and fiscal simplification, this measure targets the entire vaping supply chain to ensure strict compliance.
Read moreIn April 2026, nearly a thousand days after it was first announced, the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Act officially became law. Marking the most significant shift in British tobacco legislation in nearly two decades, the act introduces a generational sales ban alongside sweeping powers for secondary legislation.
Read moreChile’s Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health are co-authoring a legislative proposal to drastically increase taxes on vapes and e-cigarettes. Discussed within the Senate Finance Committee as part of a broader tax reform package, the initiative seeks to raise vape taxes to an expected 52.6%.
Read moreCook Islands Police have issued a stern warning to travelers following persistent vaping violations at Rarotonga International Airport and aboard incoming flights. This enforcement push comes as authorities seek to curb an ongoing disregard for airport safety regulations and national tobacco laws.
Read moreEcuador’s Ministry of Public Health (MSP) has officially approved the 15th Round of Health Warnings for tobacco and nicotine packaging under Ministerial Agreement MSP-MSP-2026-0005-A. Published in Official Registry No. 254, this regulatory update aims to curb consumption by visibly exposing the severe health risks of smoking, vaping, and oral nicotine use.
Health warnings on packaging remain one of the most cost-effective measures to educate the public and prevent initiation. This latest round addresses modern consumption habits by expanding warnings beyond traditional cigarettes to include electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and novel oral products.
The new warnings focus on six critical health consequences associated with tobacco and nicotine use:
- Brain Addiction: Alteration of brain reward and reinforcement circuits.
- Mortality: Premature death linked to cancer and chronic illnesses.
- Amputations: Increased risk of vascular disease and limb loss, particularly for diabetic users.
- Oral Health: Periodontal disease, tooth loss, and oral cancer.
- Respiratory Damage: Chronic inflammation, persistent cough, asthma, and COPD.
- Toxicity: Exposure to carcinogens, heavy metals, and toxic secondhand aerosols.
To ensure comprehensive coverage, the MSP has classified regulated products into five distinct groups:
- Group 1: Traditional combustible products (cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, waterpipes).
- Group 2: Heated tobacco products (HTPs).
- Group 3: Electronic nicotine delivery systems (e-cigarettes, vapes).
- Group 4: Smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff, snus).
- Group 5: Novel oral nicotine products (nicotine pouches, gummies, gums).
The Dominican Republic government has proposed a sweeping economic reform bill that will restrict the importation and manufacture of electronic vapes and hookahs strictly to authorized, tax-compliant businesses. This regulatory shift, embedded in the Pro-Economic Growth Bill, aims to align vapor products with the strict fiscal controls currently applied to alcohol and tobacco.
Read moreArgentina has relaxed its rigid rules on smoke-free tobacco products, triggering a fresh wave of regulatory debates across Latin America regarding public health, illicit trade, and youth access. This policy shift, highlighted during Philip Morris International’s (PMI) Technovation event in Stockholm, positions Argentina as a regional regulatory laboratory while putting pressure on Brazil’s long-standing prohibitionist stance.
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