Canada has temporarily halted its proposed ban on flavored vaping products, Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks confirmed in January 2025. The decision follows intense lobbying by tobacco harm reduction advocates and new evidence highlighting flavors’ role in helping adults quit smoking. However, activists warn the reprieve may end after the next federal election.
Read moreA new bill under consideration in Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies aims to criminalize the sale, importation, and advertising of electronic cigarettes. The proposed legislation, introduced by Congresswoman Gisela Simona (União-MT), would impose penalties of two to four years imprisonment and fines for anyone who sells, imports, or advertises e-cigarettes without registration from the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
Read moreThe government of the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt has rejected a proposal to ban the sale of disposable vapes, despite sympathizing with the measure’s intentions. In a statement released on Tuesday, the cantonal executive said that a motion put forward in the Great Council (the canton’s parliament) would violate “higher-ranking law” and is therefore inadmissible.
Read moreThe Bulgarian National Assembly’s Economic Policy Committee unanimously approved amendments to the Tobacco, Tobacco Products, and Related Products Act that would introduce a complete ban on the sale, distribution, and advertising of single-use and reusable electronic cigarettes, also known as vapes, and similar devices, regardless of whether they contain nicotine. The proposed changes were introduced by Dr. Kostadin Angelov, chair of the parliament’s Health Committee, on February 7, 2025.
Read moreIndonesia now imposes fines of up to IDR 750,000 (≈$50) and three months’ jail time for smoking or vaping while operating motorcycles or cars. The regulation, rooted in Traffic Law No. 22/2009, aims to reduce road accidents caused by impaired driver concentration.
Read moreS.B. 1182 Aims to Ban Flavored Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes, and Other Tobacco Items
Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) has once again introduced legislation that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products throughout the state. On Friday, February 5, 2025, Sen. Alvarado filed S.B. 1182, which closely resembles a similar bill she proposed in 2023.
Read moreHong Kong is set to enforce a ban on the possession and use of e-cigarettes in public spaces as early as mid-2026. This move comes as part of the government’s broader strategy to protect youth and further reduce smoking rates across the city.
Read moreA bill seeking to regulate synthetic nicotine products, which make up a significant portion of the e-liquid vaping market, failed to pass the subcommittee stage of the South Korean National Assembly’s Planning and Finance Committee. The proposed amendment to the Tobacco Business Act aimed to expand the definition of tobacco products to include synthetic nicotine.
Read moreePass System Aims to Enhance Enforcement of Age-Restricted Product Regulations
Edinburgh-based software company Zudu has introduced a new nationwide platform called ePass to modernize the registration process for tobacco and vape retailers in Scotland. Developed as part of the Scottish Government’s CivTech innovation and technology accelerator program, the ePass system seeks to provide a more efficient and effective method for managing retailer compliance with tobacco and nicotine product regulations.
Read moreSouth Carolina lawmakers are once again pushing for stricter regulation of vaping products in the state. A new bill, similar to one that passed the Senate unanimously in 2023(H.3681) but stalled in the House, would introduce significant changes to how electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), commonly known as vapes, are sold and marketed.
Read more