On February 4th, the British government issued a press release announcing leads for an independent review into smoking-related health disparities. 

As the UK announces support for medical licensing of e-cigarettes, experts debate the issue in a recent published article in the British Medical Journal.

The independent German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has recently published its third preliminary health risk assessment for nicotine pouches, acknowledging its potential as a risk-reducing product for smokers.

In 2020, the European Parliament approved the creation of a Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA). BECA concluded its work on 9 December 2021, by adopting a report with calls for stronger EU action against cancer, on its last meeting before the end of BECA’s mandate. In the report, BECA introduces for the first time a tobacco harm reduction perspective on EU level, but regrettably also recommends measures counterproductive to this aim.

The nicotine pouch has an uncertain future in Germany. You may already have noticed that tobacco-free nicotine pouches are becoming increasingly rare in the country’s physical stores. The reason: some German courts and federal states incorrectly classify nicotine pouches as food. Since nicotine is practically not permitted in food under current law, this misinterpretation results in local sales bans.

The New Zealand government plans to increase the legal smoking age every year – effectively banning the sale of cigarettes for those born after 2008.

The results of a survey performed by the Ministry of Health in New Zealand show decreasing smoking rates, while the use of less harmful nicotine products increase.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is inviting manufacturers to submit products for approval to be prescribed. This means that the U.K could become the first country in the world to prescribe e-cigarettes licensed as a medical product, to lower the smoking prevalence.

After a number of German courts started taking action against nicotine pouches, an appeal has been initiated on Pouchgenuss. “Für den freien Verkauf von nicotine pouches in Deutschland”, which translates to “For the free sale of nicotine pouches in Germany”, wants to prevent the white, tobacco-free alternative to cigarettes being taken off the German market. Together we can now make a difference!

On the 18th of October, 100 specialists in nicotine science, policy and practice called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to modernize its approach to tobacco policy by adopting the harm reduction perspective.