New Zealand Government Offers Free Vaping Starter Kits to Help Smokers Quit

Initiative Aims to Achieve Smokefree 2025 Goal by Providing Support and Tools

The New Zealand government will provide free vaping starter kits to stop-smoking services nationwide starting next week, as part of its efforts to help adult smokers quit and achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal. Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced that eligible clients will receive a vape device and a month’s supply of nicotine pods each month for three months, along with ongoing support from stop-smoking services.

Read more

Vape Importers Submit Memorandum to Chief Adviser, Urging Reconsideration of E-Cigarette Ban

Industry Stakeholders Express Concern Over Potential Negative Impacts on Public Health and Economy

Vape importers, represented by Voice of Vapers, Consumer Rights of Sales Alternatives (CORSA), and Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (BENDSTA), have submitted a memorandum to Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, urging the government to reconsider its decision to ban the import of e-cigarettes and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS).

Read more

Kyrgyzstan Approves Minimum Prices for Tobacco Products and Vapes

Government Sets Minimum Prices and Bans E-Cigarettes to Improve Public Health and State Budget

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has approved minimum prices for tobacco products and vapes, effective January 1, 2025. The government signed the resolution to improve public health and replenish the state budget.

Read more

Putin Signs New Laws Strengthening Tobacco Control

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed two significant laws aimed at strengthening tobacco control and protecting minors from nicotine products. These legislative changes mark a substantial shift in Russia’s approach to tobacco regulation and youth protection.

Read more

BVTE Forecasts Higher Tobacco Sales in 2024 Due to Tax Increase

The German Federal Association of the Tobacco Industry and Novel Products (BVTE) expects cigarette sales to exceed the previous year’s figure of 64 billion units in 2024. However, this increase does not reflect higher consumption or a rise in the number of smokers, according to BVTE.

Read more

South Korea Debates Regulating Synthetic Nicotine Cigarettes

As the year 2024 draws to a close, South Korea finds itself at a crossroads in the battle against the unregulated sale and distribution of synthetic nicotine cigarettes. On December 27, a public hearing on the proposed amendments to the Tobacco Business Act was held at the National Assembly, highlighting the growing concerns over the “regulatory blind spot” that has led to massive tax deficits and an alarming increase in youth smoking.

Read more

Austrian Tobacco Retailers Demand Nicotine Monopoly Law

As the European Union aims to significantly reduce tobacco consumption by 2040, Austrian tobacco retailers, known as Trafikanten, fear losing their primary source of income. In response, they are calling for a new law that would restrict the sale of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches exclusively to their shops.

Read more

Russian Communist Party Lawmakers Propose Total Ban on Vape Sales

On December 26, a group of deputies from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) faction introduced a bill in the State Duma that would prohibit the wholesale and retail sale of vapes and e-liquids. The proposed legislation, authored by Evgeny Bessonov, Nikolay Kolomeytsev, and Alexey Kurinny, seeks to amend Article 19 of the law “On protecting the health of citizens from exposure to ambient tobacco smoke, consequences of tobacco consumption, or consumption of nicotine-containing products.”

Read more

Thailand Proposes Stricter E-Cigarette Regulations

The chairman of the Thai parliamentary committee on e-cigarettes announced that the committee has completed its study on amending the country’s vaping laws. The committee will submit its report to parliament, proposing to elevate the legal controls on e-cigarette imports and possession.

Read more

Spain Introduces New Tax on E-Cigarettes and Related Products

On December 21, 2024, the Spanish government published Law 7/2024, which introduces a new tax on liquids for electronic cigarettes and other products related to tobacco (the “new Tax”). This law is part of a broader package of measures that also includes a Complementary Tax to comply with the EU’s Pillar Two directive on minimum corporate taxation and a Tax on the interest and commission margin of certain financial entities.

Read more