New Zealand - which has some of the world’s lowest smoking rates and highest cigarette taxes - has been given the “dirty ashtray” award by the Global Alliance on Tobacco Control (GATC) in a move that brings into stark focus just how…
Ireland’s Department of Health is considering new restrictions on nicotine pouches as part of its efforts to curb nicotine use among young people.
The proposal, which could extend existing tobacco control laws, comes as health officials debate how to balance youth protection…
The majority of smokers in the UK now believe vaping is just as harmful - or even more harmful - than smoking tobacco, despite strong evidence that the opposite is true.
New figures from Our World in Data show a dramatic reversal…
The full document can be viewed here.
EU Member States have today agreed not to push for bans on safer nicotine products at the WHO’s bi-annual tobacco control summit, COP 11, after a large group of countries refused to accept the Commission’s…
The World Health Organisation’s upcoming tobacco control summit, COP11, is under fire for framing harm reduction as a “tobacco industry narrative” - a move that critics say sidelines evidence and consumer voices.
WHO sets tone for closed debate
Set to take place…
Sweden has become the first country in Europe to achieve smoke-free status, while smoking rates in Scotland have stalled amid restrictions on vaping and a decline in cessation funding.
Sweden reaches smoke-free milestone
On October 25, 2025, Sweden reached smoke-free status, meaning…
Sweden has stepped up its opposition to proposed nicotine pouch bans in France and Spain, sending formal letters to both governments and calling the measures “absurd.”
The correspondence, signed by Swedish trade minister Benjamin Dousa and dated 24 September, urges Paris and…
A leaked European Union draft position for next month’s WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) meeting reveals a sweeping push to extend tobacco-style restrictions, and even possible bans, to all non-smoked nicotine products, including vaping devices, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches.…
The European Union (EU) is preparing to hike taxes on vapes to the same level as cigarettes, as top commissioners draw direct comparisons between the two products - a move critics say ignores science.
Brussels targets vapes in new tax overhaul
At…