Nicotine Science and Policy

E-cigarettes or vape products can no longer be advertised, promoted or involved in sponsorship once the Control of Smoking Products For Public Health Bill 2023 comes into force. Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the provisions banning the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products, which were already in force under existing laws, are now expanded to all products including e-cigarettes, tobacco products, smoking substances and substitute tobacco products. She said that Articles 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the bill also require all importers and manufacturers of tobacco products to register each product produced for the Malaysian market.

Is it possible to create a regulatory environment and a culture that encourages adults who smoke to switch to vape without non-smoking teens taking up vaping as a hobby? The United Kingdom was a world leader in using vaping as a safer alternative for adults who smoke and had low teen vaping rates until 2022 and 2023 when teen vaping rates doubled. One reason may be the widespread availability of attractive-looking disposable vapes at “pocket-money” prices. Does youth vaping matter matter? If so, what can be done about it?

Laos plans to amend and supplement certain provisions of the law on drug prevention and control, with electronic cigarettes to be included in the list of substances and precursors classified as addictive. Speaking at the 9th Lao National Assembly’s 6th session, General Vilay Lakhamphong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security, stressed that electronic cigarettes, one of the emerging issues of social concerns, are yet to be listed as prohibited substances. Therefore, in the near future, they will be added to the list of products containing banned addictive substances and precursors.

France is to ban smoking on all beaches, as well as in public parks, forests and near schools, after Emmanuel Macron promised to create “the first tobacco-free generation” by 2032. “From now on, no-smoking areas will be the norm,” said the health minister, Aurélien Rousseau. There are already 7,200 tobacco-free areas in France – including in Nice, on the French Riviera, which was the first to establish a cigarette-free beach in 2012 with the approval of France’s League Against Cancer.

Herbal heated sticks are rapidly spreading worldwide not only as a replacement for conventional smoking, but also as an alternative to heated tobacco products, according to new research from TobaccoIntelligence. These products provide an experience similar to using heated tobacco, but unlike heated tobacco products they do not contain any tobacco. Instead, they use a different substance—often tea—to hold flavorings and, sometimes, nicotine. Now, the new TobaccoIntelligence Herbal Heated Sticks Tracker casts light on this fast-growing but poorly understood market.

On November 16, the United Kingdom’s National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT), released: “Vaping: a guide for health and social care professionals.” It combines a summary of best available evidence with recommendations for how practitioners should act on this knowledge. The term “e-cigarettes” has now been abandoned in favor of “vapes,” as the new guide explains. And its substantial evolution includes updated science, the deliberate involvement of people with lived experience in its creation, and responses to increasingly topical vape-related issues and misconceptions.

The French government has unveiled its new anti-smoking plan, which includes banning smoking on beaches and outside schools and hiking the price of cigarettes. France's public image is that of a smoky country and some of its biggest icons - from Serge Gainsbourg to Brigitte Bardot - are hard to picture without a cigarette in hand. In fact, smoking rates have been steadily declining in France for decades, but the government wants to help more people to quit and has launched a four-year 'plan anti-tabac'.