Market & legal data of alternative tobacco products in Europe

Possible EU ban on nicotine pouches may jeopardise smoke-free goal, say critics

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 5th October 2023

The European Commission (EC) reportedly wants to extend the EU-wide ban on snus to tobacco-free nicotine pouches. An EC report revealed on social media by an MEP says the oral tobacco ban has been successful...

Launch of PMI’s first non-tobacco stick raises regulatory questions

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd October 2023

Philip Morris International (PMI) has launched a zero-tobacco stick called Levia for use with its heated tobacco device, Iqos. PMI is the first Big Tobacco to introduce these sticks, though others have marketed similar products...

Dutch officials foresee conservative TPD that’s unlikely to take effect before 2027

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 26th September 2023

Dutch officials believe a revised EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) will not come into force before 2027 at the earliest and, when it does, will reflect a conservative approach to novel tobacco products ...

Sweden’s stance on snus and cigarettes seen in upcoming tax cuts and hikes

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 19th September 2023

The Swedish government has proposed a tax reduction on snus of about 20% while increasing the tax on cigarettes and smoking tobacco by 9% ...

Russia starts implementing changes as part of its tobacco regulatory overhaul

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 15th September 2023

Suppliers of novel nicotine products to the Russian market face new licensing requirements and tax increases over several years as the government overhauls its regulatory system ...

PMI ups its investment in its Romanian plant for smoke-free products to $730m

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 13th September 2023

Global tobacco group Philip Morris International (PMI) is scaling up the investment in its Romanian smoke-free product factory to $730m (€680m) ...

UK smoking rates keep decreasing while vaping on the rise, national survey says

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 12th September 2023

Less than 13% of adults smoke cigarettes in the UK, the lowest figure ever recorded by the country’s Office for National Statistics (ONS). This represents a small decrease from the 13.3% recorded for 2021 ...

No tobacco tax hike in France for 2024, but ‘other measures’ are on the horizon

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 4th September 2023

France will not include a tax increase in its tobacco control plan for 2024, prime minister Élisabeth Borne has promised, though she said “other measures” would be taken ...

Italy implements EU HTP flavour ban, but ambiguity could cause misinterpretation

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 1st September 2023

Italy’s parliament has passed a law implementing the EU ban on flavours in heated tobacco – but ambiguity in its definition of the category may lead to difficulties in interpretation ...

Lithuania works on draft nicotine pouch legislation amid shadow market fears

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 29th August 2023

Nicotine pouch sales are currently banned in Lithuania, but that could soon change, as amendments are in the works to the country’s Law I-1143 on the control of tobacco, tobacco products and related products ...

F1 Velo sponsorship in the Netherlands: is McLaren pulling a fast one?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 23rd August 2023

Health organisations in the Netherlands are protesting against promotion of the nicotine pouch brand Velo by the UK's McLaren Formula 1 team ...

UK government launches consultation on inserts in tobacco products

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 17th August 2023

The UK government has launched a public consultation on adding inserts to cigarette packs to encourage smokers to quit ...

White House opposes bill preventing FDA's proposed menthol ban in the US

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 17th August 2023

The US government is opposing a bill that would prevent the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from enforcing a ban on menthol cigarettes it proposed last year ...

22nd Century adjusts its 2023 revenue outlook after a rocky second quarter

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th August 2023

22nd Century will focus on streamlining operating costs and making the marketing and sales push for its VLN cigarette products more cost efficient to address issues that have forced it to revise full-year profit guidance...

With new law Italy is set to prohibit the direct online sale of nicotine pouches

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 14th August 2023

Italy has stepped back at the last minute from imposing a formal permanent ban on the online sale of nicotine pouches ...

Are herbal heated sticks set to replace heated tobacco products in Europe?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 7th August 2023

Tobacco-free herbal sticks are expected to continue growing in popularity thanks to potential price and flavour range advantages over heated tobacco products ...

Where does political deadlock in Spain leave alternative tobacco product laws?

Written by Laura Garay Gómez | 4th August 2023

Spain’s surprise inconclusive election result has left the future of alternative tobacco product and vaping regulation in the country up in the air, with everything depending on what government eventually emerges ...

Altria reports solid oral tobacco segment performance despite lower revenues

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd August 2023

Altria reported a solid performance in the first half of 2023 despite lower net revenues, partially offset by higher revenue in the oral tobacco segment ...

More improvement needed – WHO report gives the world 7/10 for tobacco control

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 2nd August 2023

Seven out of ten people worldwide – five times as many as in 2007 – are protected against tobacco-related health issues by sound regulatory policies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) ...

‘Must do better’ – BAT boss gives Hyper 2 a less than Glo-ing half-term report

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 27th July 2023

British American Tobacco (BAT) has reported a continued positive performance of its vapour and modern oral segment but said it needs to do more work on its heated tobacco products ...

PMI admits it can’t quit Russia due to international financial regulations

Written by Freddie Dawson | 26th July 2023

More than 15 months after pledging to “scale down” its activities in Russia, Philip Morris International (PMI) has said it can’t pull out of the Russian market ...

Belgian minister urges EU-wide ban on ‘polluting and dangerous’ cigarette filters

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 25th July 2023

Filtered cigarettes are as dangerous as those without filters and should be banned, Belgium’s environment minister told TobaccoIntelligence, supporting a call by the country’s Superior Health Council (CSS) ...

Will Spanish election bring a fresh approach to tobacco alternatives?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 19th July 2023

Lobbyists for tobacco alternatives have urged Spanish voters to back centre and right-leaning parties in the 23rd July elections, fearing further tough regulations if the current government remains in power ...

Pirates refuse to walk the government line on Czechs’ nicotine pouch tax plan

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 18th July 2023

The Czech Pirate Party, a member of the government coalition, has voiced opposition to the cabinet’s proposal to impose a tax of CZK3.45 (€0.14) per g on nicotine pouches and “other nicotine products” ...

Denmark explores stricter laws and enforcement to curb rising nicotine use

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 14th July 2023

The Danish health minister is considering increased age limits, higher prices and more severe sanctions for stores breaking the law to address rising use of nicotine products in the country ...

Finland gets answers on nicotine pouch regulations with new government

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 30th June 2023

Following recent uncertainy, Finland’s newly formed government has confirmed that the legal status of nicotine pouches in the country will not change ...

Big in Japan, unfashionable in France – how attitudes to heated tobacco vary

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 29th June 2023

Attitudes towards heated tobacco vary, even between neighbouring countries, with a range of social factors affecting market conditions – as shown by differences between France and Switzerland, Japan and South Korea ...

Imperial Brands acquires TJP Labs nicotine pouch product range for £65m

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 27th June 2023

UK-based tobacco group Imperial Brands has acquired a range of nicotine pouch products from Canadian manufacturer TJP Labs for £65m, and said the move would facilitate its entry into the US modern oral nicotine market...

High smoking rates expected to keep boosting heated tobacco in Ukraine

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 23rd June 2023

Increased smoking rates could mean a boon for heated tobacco brands in Ukraine, analysts predict, and overall demand for heated tobacco products is expected to increase ...

Finland’s chemicals agency moves to ban ‘dangerously strong’ nicotine pouches

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 22nd June 2023

The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) has banned the sale and marketing of pouches containing 20 mg or more of nicotine ...

Shocked MEPs accuse Swedish medic of promoting snus in speech to committee

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 14th June 2023

A Swedish medical expert’s presentation on the use of snus has been strongly criticised by members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who accused him of promoting a harmful nicotine product ...

BAT petitions Belgium not to ban nicotine pouches, but to follow the Swedish model

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 13th June 2023

British American Tobacco (BAT) will petition Belgium’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, to annul a royal decree set to ban the sale of nicotine pouches from 1st October ...

Finnish health groups ask retailers to hold nicotine pouch sales for revised laws

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 12th June 2023

Finnish public health organisations have sent a joint open letter to retailers, urging them not to sell nicotine pouches while tobacco laws are being revised. Pouch sales boomed after they stopped being classified as medicinal...

Danish authorities fight uphill battle with retailers over tax law compliance

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 9th June 2023

More than half of the tobacco retailers inspected by the Danish Customs and Tax Administration at the beginning of this year were found to be non-compliant with new tax rules ...

Belgium aims to bring herbal products under clarified heated tobacco rules

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 31st May 2023

Herbal products and devices will fall under the Belgian regulatory framework for tobacco if a bill to incorporate Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2022/2100, submitted into the EU TRIS database, goes into effect unchanged ...

Man on a mission to counter ‘nicotine illiteracy’ and aid smokers everywhere

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 19th May 2023

Taking nicotine out of a tobacco context and inspiring confidence in the role it can play in harm reduction is the goal of Sudhanshu Patwardhan, medical director at the UK Centre for Health Research and...

The vanity of the bonfires – has UK plan to scrap EU rules gone up in smoke?

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 16th May 2023

The UK government’s plan to review or revoke thousands of pieces of legislation that originated from EU law by the end of the year is itself now under review ...

Tobacco group calls public consultation on TPD revision a ‘tick-the-box exercise’

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 15th May 2023

The EU has launched a public consultation on how it can update its tobacco control framework by revising the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and the Tobacco Advertising Directive (TAD) ...

22nd Century banks on big plans for its VLN cigarettes in the US and beyond

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 12th May 2023

US company 22nd Century will look to expand its international interests by launching trials in Switzerland and Japan as well as relaunching its low-nicotine conventional cigarette product in South Korea ...

UK court dismisses tit-for-tat claims in long-running PMI/BAT patents feud

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 11th May 2023

A dismissive ruling by the High Court in London is just the latest in a series of ongoing legal battles between PMI and BAT over the patents for their rival heated-tobacco systems Iqos and Glo...

Sweden and alternatives show the way to cut down on smoking, says Italian MEP

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 10th May 2023

The best way to reduce smoking rates is by encouraging smokers to switch to new, reduced-risk categories, according to Italian MEP Aldo Patriciello, who recommends the Swedish approach ...

Big Tobacco ‘moving too slowly’ to fulfil the FSFW’s mission of ending smoking

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th May 2023

Tobacco companies are not doing enough to transition to reduced risk products and are not phasing out conventional cigarettes quickly enough, according to the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) ...

New restrictions to tobacco law as Norway gears up to implement TPD

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 5th May 2023

An increasing age limit to prevent future generations from accessing tobacco products and a ban on flavours are two of the most important elements of new regulations being considered in Norway ...

Minimum pricing ahead as Russia places new restrictions on heated tobacco sales

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 2nd May 2023

Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill tightening regulation of alternative tobacco products, intended particularly to curb under-age demand – even though sales to under-18s were already prohibited ...

EU’s revised tobacco rules ‘should make allowances for safer alternatives’ – MEP

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 1st May 2023

While most European Parliament members (MEPs) are likely to take a conservative approach to the revision of tobacco regulations, some are more open to acknowledging a positive role for alternatives to smoking ...

Decision upheld against PMI accused of underhanded advertising in Lithuania

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 28th April 2023

Philip Morris International has failed to overturn a decision by Lithuanian authorities that advertising for Iqos devices constitutes tobacco advertising ...

PMI reports good numbers, positive momentum of Iqos and Zyn in the US

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th April 2023

Philip Morris International will focus on heated tobacco and nicotine pouches as the alternatives that can help it meet its goal of becoming a majority smoke-free revenue company by 2025 ...

Likely tougher rules on alternatives will hinder anti-smoking efforts, says MEP

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 25th April 2023

Czech MEP Radka Maxová says it is impossible to predict the final outcome of the EU debate on revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), but “the trend in EU legislation is clear: abolitionism” ...

Heated tobacco and modern oral flavours make up for Imperial’s US vaping blow

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 19th April 2023

Expanding sales of next generation products into new markets has more than compensated Imperial Brands for the enforced loss of its Myblu e-cigarette from the US market ...

Belgian ban: nicotine and cannabinoid pouch sales to be illegal this year

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 14th April 2023

The sale of nicotine pouches in Belgium has been banned, effective later this year, on the grounds they pose a danger to public health, particularly due to their potential for addiction ...

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