Read articles from Asia

August 04, 2026 by worldvapersalliance.com

India’s tobacco burden remains enormous, yet people who vape continue to face punishment instead of proportionate policy. Criminalising or heavily restricting lower-risk alternatives does not make nicotine demand disappear; it narrows the legal routes away from combustible tobacco. A country with high tobacco use needs more harm reduction, not fewer options for adults trying to reduce risk. Public health should focus on moving people away from the deadliest products, not penalising those who choose a safer path.

July 30, 2026 by planetofthevapes.co.uk

Follow the money, and tobacco policy often starts to look less like public health and more like power management. In the Philippines, questions around funding, influence and regulation raise a deeper concern: who gets to shape the rules, and whose interests are protected when safer nicotine products are restricted. Public health decisions should be transparent, evidence-based and insulated from financial pressure. When cash enters the room, scrutiny should enter with it.

July 30, 2026 by daily-pouch.com

The skin-healing question sits in a wider clinical grey area: what should patients be told when the evidence is still developing? Vaping should not be presented as harmless, but neither should it be discussed as though it carries the same exposure profile as smoking. For wound recovery, surgery and tissue repair, the useful message is precision: identify possible risks, explain uncertainty, and keep combustion in a separate risk category. Clinical advice is strongest when it helps people understand degrees of harm, not just avoid nuance.

July 21, 2026 by worldvapersalliance.com

South Korea's high taxes on nicotine pouches, compared to cigarettes, hinder tobacco harm reduction efforts. In contrast, Sweden's lower taxes on smoke-free alternatives have drastically reduced smoking rates. South Korea's stringent regulations treat all nicotine products like cigarettes, impeding public health goals. Korea's lack of progress highlights the importance of distinguishing between products based on harm. For the EU, decisions on taxation and regulation will impact tobacco control efforts. Following Sweden's approach of targeting harm reduction over consumption could lead to lower smoking rates and healthcare costs. The EU should consider Sweden's model when updating tobacco directives to prioritize public health.

July 21, 2026 by manilastandard.net

Tax hikes can only go so far if they ignore how people and markets respond. The Philippines’ experience shows that making cigarettes more expensive may reduce use for some, but it can also fuel illicit trade when legal products become unaffordable. Tobacco policy needs more than higher taxes; it needs enforcement, consumer insight and lower-risk alternatives that give smokers a realistic way out. A strategy that prices people into the black market is not the same as reducing harm.

July 15, 2026 by tobaccoreporter.com

Lawmakers and prosecutors in the Philippines are urging stronger efforts to combat the rising illicit tobacco trade due to ineffective seizures. They emphasize the need for convictions to deter criminal networks in the lucrative trade. A recent study estimated a significant tax revenue loss of ₱141 billion ($2.3 billion) over two years. Proposed actions include an Anti-Illicit Trade law to enhance prosecutions, better coordination, and the use of track-and-trace technology. Prosecutors highlight the need for additional evidence in ongoing cases.

July 14, 2026 by tribuneindia.com

There is a difference between telling people to stop smoking and giving them a route that works. Safer nicotine alternatives may not fit the traditional idea of quitting, but they can still reduce exposure to the smoke that causes most tobacco-related disease. For adults who continue to smoke, that difference matters. Harm reduction is about progress that people can actually achieve.

July 07, 2026 by planetofthevapes.co.uk

Poor understanding of nicotine and relative risk leads to poor policy. When decision-makers treat vaping, pouches and cigarettes as if they carry the same harms, regulation can end up discouraging smokers from switching while leaving combustible tobacco protected by default. Public health decisions should be based on evidence, not confusion or moral panic. Ignorance does not reduce harm — it creates policy failure.

July 03, 2026 by maldivesindependent.com

The Maldives’ decision to make cigarettes cheaper raises serious questions about the consistency of tobacco policy. If public health advice is shaped by opaque studies and international pressure while lower-risk alternatives remain restricted, smokers may be left with the most harmful option made more affordable. Reducing harm requires transparent evidence, proportionate regulation and policies that distinguish between combustible tobacco and safer nicotine products. Public health should not protect cigarettes by default.

June 30, 2026 by 2firsts.com

China’s vape export data show a market in transition. Device exports rose during January–May 2026, while nicotine-containing product exports declined, suggesting shifting demand, pricing pressures and changing regulatory conditions across global markets. The figures underline how nicotine policy does not only affect consumers — it reshapes supply chains, product categories and legal trade. Stable, proportionate regulation is essential if safer nicotine products are to remain within accountable markets rather than fragmented or illicit ones.