Jorge Alday A small child in a red Ferrari suit advertising Zyn at the Japanese Grand Prix in late March should be a wake-up call for anyone not yet attuned to the dangers of tobacco sponsorship in Formula 1. This follows the December 2025 announcement extending Philip Morris International (PMI)’s sponsorship of the Ferrari Formula […]
Category: Uncategorized
Tobacco Industry Ties Exposed in Swiss Universities
Michela Canevascini, Pascal Diethelm & Sophie Lonchampt A recent investigation by the Swiss Transparency and Truth initiative, led by OxySuisse, reveals widespread collaborations between tobacco companies and Swiss universities. The report documents 29 partnerships involving 16 academic institutions between 2019 and 2024. These findings raise important concerns. The tobacco industry uses scientific collaborations to gain […]
Smyle Labs’ Focus on ‘Discreet’ and ‘Novelty’ Products Requires Regulatory Action
George Pearson, Megan C. Diaz & Jennifer M. Kreslake Based out of California, Smyle Labs is a producer of atomizers, batteries, cartomizers, clearomisers and empty tank systems. While, officially describing itself as a “trendsetter in the aromatherapy accessories industry,” it is clear that Smyle Labs produces products intended for cannabis and nicotine users looking for […]
Unmasking Tobacco Industry’s Corporate Social Responsibility in Oman
Ruth Mabry & Jawad A. Al-Lawati The 2026 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) theme calls for stronger policies to protect youth and targets the marketing of e-cigarettes and similar products as innovative or less harmful aimed at attracting new users, particularly young people. With stricter bans on tobacco advertising, the tobacco industry reverts to corporate social […]
India’s Tobacco Taxation Reform 2025-26: A Paradigm Shift with Persisting Disparities
Rijo M. John, PhD The tobacco taxation regime in India remained largely unchanged following the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017. This situation evolved following deliberations at the 56th meeting of the GST Council in September 2025 and the enactment of subsequent legislation. Together these initiated a comprehensive restructuring of the […]
Do almost 200 billion unique identifiers on tobacco products facilitate investigations on illicit tobacco trade?
Luk Joossens, Senior Advisor, & Erin Roman, Director. Smoke Free Partnership, Brussels, Belgium. Thirty years ago, the main type of illicit trade was large-scale cigarette smuggling: containers of cigarettes were exported, legally and duty unpaid, to countries where they had no market, and where they then disappeared into the contraband market. More traceability was considered as […]
The Return of IQOS – A Visit to Austin, Texas
Victoria Churchill, East Carolina University, USA. Vanessa Mallory, Katherine C. Henderson, Claire A. Spears, Nurul Kodriati, Terry F. Pechacek, Scott R. Weaver, Lucy Popova, Georgia State University, USA. Heated tobacco products have been gaining attention around the world, often marketed as sleek alternatives to cigarettes. In March 2025, Philip Morris International (PMI) relaunched IQOS in the […]
UK: Old habits die hard at the tobacco point-of-sale
Karen Evans-Reeves On June 1st 2025 a ban on the sale of single-use vapes came into force in the UK. The law, introduced by the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) aims to reduce the appeal of vaping to youth and stem the environmental damage of plastic and toxic waste. This law comes ahead […]
Arkansas’s Pathway to Prosperity
Travis Douglass Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, claiming millions of lives each year and placing a heavy burden on healthcare systems across the globe. In the United States, Medicaid acts as a critical safety net, offering free or low-cost healthcare coverage to low-income individuals, including seniors, children, and people with […]
Canada: Polluter pays – tobacco industry required to reimburse annual costs in government’s national tobacco control strategy
Rob Cunningham In Canada, national regulations have been adopted requiring tobacco companies to reimburse to the Canadian government the annual costs of tobacco-related expenses in the national tobacco control strategy. This tobacco manufacturer cost recovery fee, which implements the principle of polluter pays, will require companies to pay proportionately based on their market share. The […]