Stories

The B.C. government announced a provincial sales restriction for buccal nicotine pouch products, including those under the brand Zonnic. The new rules require these products to be kept behind pharmacy counters, in an effort to limit youth access. Purchasers will now have to consult with a pharmacist in order to buy these products. The provincial government hopes that these measures will help reduce the number of young people using such products.

A Cork TD has said a ban on the sale of disposable vapes is needed “both on health and environmental grounds”. Fine Gael spokesperson for health Colm Burke said that while vaping was initially introduced as a means to wean smokers off cigarettes, the alarming surge in the use of disposable vapes by under 18s is “hugely concerning”. “Instead of acting as a means of assisting adults with nicotine addiction, they are acting as a pathway to tobacco use,” said Mr Burke.

From January 1, 2024, the Australian Government banned the importation of disposable vapes into Australia. This includes vapes with and without nicotine. Disposable vapes are e-cigarette devices that can’t be recharged, or reused. And from March 1, 2024, other requirements will be introduced including:

• a ban on the importation of all vapes (including rechargeable) without an import licence and permit
• specific product requirements for imported vapes, with flavours limited to mint, menthol or tobacco.

It's estimated that from seed to box, more than 200 pairs of hands touch each cigar that is made in Cuba. A valuable export, and a draw for many visitors to the island nation, the artisanal tobacco product is both a historic national industry, and a point of national pride."It is in my blood to grow tobacco," said Hector Luis Preto, who has a farm in the Pinar del Rio village of San Juan y Martinez. "Tobacco is part of my family, it is part of myself," Preto told Mendes, standing in a freshly tilled field ready for shade grown tobacco, the delicate leaf used to wrap the outside of a cigar.

Victoria’s black market for vapes has been valued at up to $500 million, prompting warnings the proceeds must be kept out of the hands of organised crime as the state grapples with a gangland war for control of the sale of illegally imported cigarettes. The importation and sale of illegal tobacco in Victoria has been linked to dozens of firebombings, and a new analysis from the state’s Parliamentary Budget Office has sparked fears the closely associated e-cigarette industry could become another lucrative black market.

When the dangers of cigarette smoking were recognized in the 1950s and ‘60s, physicians assumed that tobacco would be treated like any other environmental toxin and gradually removed from the marketplace, as was done with substances such as lead or asbestos. It is no longer possible to buy lead pipes, leaded petrol, asbestos brake linings or asbestos insulation. However, cigarettes remain available at the local convenience store in every country.

‘There’s so much to be gained by getting tobacco harm reduction to the highest-risk groups,’ says David MacKintosh, director at Knowledge·Action·Change, which runs the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction project. And one of the highest-risk groups of all is the rough sleeping population. While smoking rates in the UK have been falling for decades now, it’s estimated that up to 85 per cent of homeless people still smoke – more than six times the rate in the general population. Not just that, but they’re smoking in riskier ways. 

The Government's plan to ban disposable vapes has been branded 'a big mistake' by doctors who warn the move could drive up smoking rates and even lead to a rise in gang violence. But experts warn that users may end up smoking cigarettes instead – potentially reversing years of campaigning which have led to the UK's historically low smoking rate. Many point to Australia where, despite some of the strictest anti-vaping laws in the world, the number of teens both vaping and smoking has rocketed as a flourishing black market involving organised crime gangs has made the devices easier to buy.

A recent announcement indicates that the Spanish Ministry of Health has plans to get tough on tobacco. On her arrival at the Ministry of Health, Monica Garcia set forth her plan to resurrect an anti-smoking initiative that was initially introduced during Carolina Darias’ tenure as health minister. The move is seen as a bold step towards a healthier nation. This initiative underscores a commitment to enforce stricter regulations on vaping and to extend smoke-free zones to include terraces and other public areas.

After clashing fiercely for four years over heat-not-burn e-cigarette technology, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris [...] reached a global settlement. This brings one of the biggest global patent battles to an abrupt and surprising end. In the agreement [...] Philip Morris and BAT waive claims from the previous lawsuits. They also waive their right to assert claims against each other over their own patents in the future. The settlement applies globally and, according to a Form K6 filing with the US SEC, the agreement is valid for eight years.