Palau: How to Buy a Small Nation State
June 16, 2026 by thefirebreak.org
Palau: How to Buy a Small Nation State
Palau’s push to place nicotine under international drug-control rules raises serious questions about influence, governance and proportionality. Treating all nicotine products like illicit drugs risks ignoring the major difference between combustible cigarettes and lower-risk alternatives such as vapes and pouches. For smokers, prohibition does not remove demand — it removes legal, regulated options. Global nicotine policy should be built on evidence and relative risk, not on campaigns that turn harm reduction into a drug war.
13.70% of the adult population are daily smokers. There are approximately 0 daily smokers in Palau 22.00% of men are daily smokers but only 5.30% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
