Philippines Seizes Smuggled E-Cigarettes Worth 802 Million Yuan in 11 Months
According to the Philippine Star, from October 2023 to August this year, the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) carried out 36 operations targeting illegal e-cigarettes. Over these 11 months, Customs has confiscated smuggled e-cigarette products worth 6.5 billion pesos (approximately 802 million yuan). Most of these operations took place at the Port of Manila, Manila International Container Port, Clark Port, and Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
UK Disposable E-Cigarette Ban to Take Effect on April 1, 2025
On January 29 this year, the UK Prime Minister announced a ban on disposable e-cigarettes, set to take effect on April 1, 2025, with less than six months remaining until the ban is implemented. The ban includes prohibiting the use of disposable e-cigarettes, restricting flavors for other types of e-cigarettes, ensuring manufacturers use plain, less visually appealing packaging, altering the way e-cigarettes are displayed in stores to keep them out of children's sight, and distancing them from products that attract children, such as candy, to reduce their appeal to minors.
French Disposable E-Cigarette Ban Approved by the European Commission
Recently, the European Commission approved France's bill to ban disposable e-cigarettes. France may officially implement this ban in the coming months. However, this approval only applies to disposable products and does not affect other rechargeable e-cigarettes, which remain legally available for sale.
French E-Cigarette Organization SOVAPE Announces Dissolution
The French e-cigarette consumer organization SOVAPE has announced that it will dissolve this week. Founded in 2016, SOVAPE is known for organizing three e-cigarette summits in France and co-founding the European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (ETHRA). The organization plans to donate its remaining funds evenly to the Pasteur Institute and other e-cigarette organizations, AIDUCE and La Vape du Cœur.
Vietnam Destroys 34,000 Illegal E-Cigarettes
On October 2, representatives from the Market Management Bureau of Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam, along with other local authorities, destroyed a large number of e-cigarette devices that were seized from a warehouse in the Que Vo Industrial Park. Earlier, on September 13, Bac Ninh Province police discovered 34,000 disposable e-cigarettes during a raid on H.V.M Company, valued at 1.827 billion Vietnamese dong. The company failed to present a business registration certificate, invoices, or documentation proving the legal origin of these goods.
UK E-Cigarette Consumption Expected to Surpass Cigarettes in 2025
According to a recent report by the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR), the number of adult e-cigarette users in the UK is expected to surpass the number of cigarette smokers for the first time in 2025. The report forecasts that by 2025, only 10% of adults in the UK will smoke cigarettes, down from nearly 24% in 2005. The number of e-cigarette users is expected to continue rising, surpassing the 11% recorded in 2024, making e-cigarettes the primary form of nicotine consumption. Data from the UK Office for National Statistics shows that 5.1 million people aged 16 and older currently use e-cigarettes in the UK.
