Vape Market Weekly News (21st to 27th, December, 2024)

Vape Policies & Industry News (21st to 27th, Dec.)

• In Nov. 2024, China's e-cigarette exports totaled about US$930 million, an increase of 4.7% month-on-month and a year-on-year decrease of 1.2%. The export volume was about 22,000 tons, an increase of 6.37% month-on-month and 0.37% year-on-year. https://www.2firsts.cn/news/detail?menu=international&id=12924
• On Dec. 21, the first white paper conference on "China's Internet Tobacco-related Regulation" was held at Xiamen University. The analysis of the white paper points out that the cigarette smoking rate and vape use rate of middle school students in China have declined for the first time in ten years, and the Internet tobacco-related supervision work has achieved phased results in the protection of minors. https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1819228626388927181&wfr=spider&for=pc
• On Dec. 23, the number of tobacco shops in the Netherlands surged by more than 200 to nearly 1,675 in 2024, a growth linked to new regulations banning the sale of tobacco products in supermarkets. https://nltimes.nl/2024/12/23/200-tobacco-shops-opened-since-ban-tobacco-sales-supermarkets
• On Dec. 23, Philip Morris International stressed that providing new tobacco products to adult smokers is key to reducing cigarette consumption, especially in Central Asia, while ensuring that products are sold only to proven adult smokers. https://kaktus.media/doc/515035_kak_mir_otkazyvaetsia_ot_kyreniia._intervu_s_regionalnym_prezidentom_filipp_morris.html
• On Dec. 23, Altria subsidiary NJOY won the lawsuit and four retailers were ordered to ban the sale of ELFBAR. NJOY attempted to impose a nationwide ban on a number of popular flavored vape brands, while the current lawsuit only imposed a ban on ELFBAR's sales in California. https://www.law360.com/productliability/articles/2277347
• On Dec. 23, a U.S. civil rights group filed an amicus curiae opinion with the U.S. Supreme Court, supporting retailers in Renault's draft cigarette bill and opposing the FDA's right to restrict judicial review of vape sales bans. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/23/3001468/0/en/NCLA-Amicus-Brief-Asks-Supreme-Court-to-Read-Judicial-Review-Statute-Broadly-as-Congress-Wrote-It.html
• On Dec. 23, the U.S. state of Illinois imposes more restrictions on the use of e-cigarettes, with the new law prohibiting the promotion, marketing, or promotion of e-cigarettes, such as highlighters, erasers, and sharpeners, in a way that could cause others to mistake other items, effective January 1, 2025. https://www.newsbug.info/news/national/illinois/new-illinois-laws-affecting-electronic-cigarettes-go-into-effect-jan-1/article_e870dbf3-4d3c-51f6-91d5-61bd650a05e9.html
• On Dec. 23, the South Australian government has implemented new regulations, taking tough measures to crack down on the illegal tobacco and e-cigarette markets, and closed five illegal tobacco and e-cigarette stores for the first time. https://www.miragenews.com/sa-shuts-first-illegal-tobacco-shops-under-new-1383727
• On Dec. 26, the Australian Border Force reported that Brisbane had seized 130,000 illegal e-cigarettes this year, the highest number in the country. https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/brisbane-dubbed-illicit-vape-capital-of-australia/video/c0a8a666c48cdf35bf9473db0aa63a56
  
• On Dec. 23, Mexico's e-cigarette ban has caused a 15% to 20% surge in social media sales, and the sale of e-cigarettes at Christmas booths has caused controversy. https://netnoticias.mx/estatal/detectan-incremento-del-20-en-venta-de-vapeadores
• On Dec. 24, Thailand's Special Investigation Institute (DSI) and customs seized nearly 50,000 illegal vapes worth more than $300,000 at a single port. Images provided by the Bureau of Special Investigations show that the packaging is suspected to involve products under brands such as Esko Bar, Spaceman, and Salthub. https://www.dsi.go.th/th/Detail/1b96b11b282bbb0f7ca770f717814b5e
• On Dec. 26, Thai MPs have suggested that e-cigarettes should be treated as illegal products, the import, sale and advertising of e-cigarettes should be strictly prohibited, and heated tobacco products should be regulated by law, and the relevant report will be submitted to Parliament to promote the implementation of the law. https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/politics/1159602
• On Dec. 24, Poland has expressed support but no concrete action on the European Parliament's expansion of the no-smoking zone, and the Polish government has been slow to implement stricter regulations on the sale of vapes. https://politykazdrowotna.com/artykul/nowe-miejsca-objete-n1397268
• On Dec. 24, the hearing on South Korea's Tobacco Business Act may be held as planned, focusing on the regulation and taxation of synthetic nicotine products, which may have a significant impact on the e-cigarette market. https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/421/0007984956
• On Dec. 25, South Korea's 2024 Health Survey shows that the use of vapes has increased to 8.7% from 5.1% in 2019, with both men and women increasing their use, with 14.8% of men using it. https://www.dt.co.kr/contents.html?article_no=2024122202109902050006
• On Dec. 26, seventeen youth protection groups in South Korea submitted 34,000 signatures, calling on Congress to legislate on synthetic nicotine, and the South Korean Congress plans to hold a hearing on the 27th to discuss relevant legislation. https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/029/0002925271
• On Dec. 26, Korea Tobacco and Philip Morris International Korea announced that they would increase the profit margin of vapes sold in convenience stores from 6% to 7%, while the purchase price for consumers would remain unchanged. The attitudes of British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International are unclear. https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20241226_0003010734
• On Dec. 27, the public hearing on the amendment to the "Tobacco Business Law" held discussed the inclusion of synthetic nicotine products in the scope of supervision, and the Federation of Electronic Cigarette Associations supported the regulation, while the Electronic Cigarette Liquid Safety Association questioned the results of the Ministry of Health's research and said that it lacked credibility. https://v.daum.net/v/20241227114213976
• On Dec. 25, the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry said that about 10 vape companies which include DON BARS, KLIQ, ONE BAR, PHANTOM VAPE, RELX, TOMORO, TRUEZ, VAGEND and X-VAPE have completed registration in accordance with the new standard, and products that have not been certified will be banned from the market from January 2025. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1240556
• On Dec. 25, Vietnam's Ministry of Health's Ministry of Justice plans to develop new administrative penalties to ban the use of e-cigarettes across the board, including strengthening border checks, increasing fines, and raising public awareness of the health risks involved. https://tuoitre.vn/bo-y-te-de-xuat-xu-phat-nguoi-hut-thuoc-la-dien-tu-20241225110515613.htm
• On Dec. 25, nine people have been fined for violating the Tobacco Control Act since the ban on vapes in the Maldives on December 15, including one offender who was additionally fined for vaping while driving a motorcycle. https://edition.mv/features/38330
• On Dec. 25, the New Zealand government has made changes to the e-cigarette regulations, some of which will take effect from December 17, 2024, including increasing fines for violations and restricting the location of vape stores; Other changes, such as restrictions on the retail display of vapes and a ban on disposable , will take effect on June 17, 2025. https://www.health.govt.nz/news/recent-changes-to-smokefree-laws
• On Dec. 26, according to an OECD report, Ireland has the fourth-highest rate of e-cigarette use among young people in the EU, with more than 10% of 15-24-year-olds regularly using e-cigarettes, compared to the EU average of 2.7%. https://www.itv.com/news/2024-12-25/irish-young-people-smoke-less-and-vape-more-than-eu-average-report
• On Dec. 26, the number of smokers in Austria has decreased, but the use of new tobacco products has increased. The Tobacco Merchants Association has called for a reform of tobacco law to bring these products under the exclusive sale of tobacco shops in order to protect minors and the livelihoods of tobacco shop owners. https://noe.orf.at/stories/3285626
• On Dec. 26, the number of illegal vapes seized in Liverpool, England, surged by 98% year-on-year, resulting in dozens of stores being closed for more than seven years in 2024. Liverpool City Council seized more than £600,000 worth of illegal vapes and e-liquids and closed 35 shops in 14 months. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/35-liverpool-shops-shut-down-30463021
• On Dec. 26, the city of Milan, Italy, will have an almost total ban on outdoor smoking from January 1, 2025, , except for keeping a distance of 10 meters from others, and this ban only applies to tobacco products, and the use of vapes is still allowed. https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cronaca/2024/12/26/milano-mette-al-bando-il-fumo-allaperto-dal-primo-gennaio_bc16563f-54f4-4be8-80b6-21b114fe69ea.html
• On Dec. 26, Russian parliamentarians submitted a bill to the State Duma proposing to ban the sale and wholesale of vapes and their related e-liquid products in response to the prevalence of vapes among young people and poor regulation. https://www.pnp.ru/social/v-gosdumu-vnesli-zakonoproekt-o-polnom-zaprete-prodazhi-veypov.html
• On Dec. 27, the German Association for New Tobacco Products said the vape oil tax will increase to 0.26 euros per milliliter in January 2025. However, the number of tax identification applications is still growing, and there are disposable e-cigarettes in the market with substandard nicotine content, and strict restrictions may lead to an increase in illegal inflows. https://www.presseportal.de/pm/141532/5938244