The revision of the European Union’s Tobacco Excise Directive (TED) presents an important moment for policymakers to reconsider how taxation influences tobacco and nicotine use across Member States. While excise policy is often described as a technical fiscal instrument, its impact extends far beyond government revenue. Tax policy directly shapes consumer behaviour, market dynamics, and…
The European Union’s Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) is entering another period of review. These revisions are not frequent. When they occur, they shape the regulatory environment for many years to come, influencing product standards, market access, and public health policy across all Member States. For those who have worked on EU policy files, the significance…
Debates around nicotine policy often focus narrowly on dependence and youth protection. Far less frequently examined, but increasingly discussed in scientific and policy literature, is nicotine’s relationship with cognition and mental health. Emerging research suggests that nicotine may have measurable short-term effects on attention, working memory, and executive function. At the same time, long-standing concerns…
Excise taxation is one of the most powerful tools in tobacco control. Price signals influence initiation, continuation, cessation, and product switching. As nicotine markets diversify beyond combustible cigarettes, the question facing policymakers is no longer simply whether to tax nicotine products, but how to structure taxation in a way that aligns with relative risk and…
Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has become one of the most frequently cited provisions in contemporary nicotine policy debates. The clause is concise: “In setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, Parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests…
From April 2026, Austria will implement its first fully defined national regulatory framework for nicotine pouches. The reform moves the category from a fragmented legal grey zone into a structured regime anchored in tobacco legislation, combining legal availability with strict controls on youth access, sales channels, product standards, and taxation. The shift is not a…
Brazil is widely recognised for achieving one of the most significant declines in smoking prevalence globally over the past three decades. Comprehensive tobacco control measures, including advertising restrictions, smoke-free laws, warning labels, taxation, and cessation support, have contributed to sustained reductions in cigarette consumption and tobacco-related disease. At the same time, Brazil maintains one of…
The latest compromise text under the Cypriot Presidency in the revision of the EU Tobacco Taxation Directive represents a cautious but meaningful shift in the debate over nicotine pouch excise. While the proposal does not fully resolve concerns around proportionality and risk alignment, it acknowledges a central empirical reality: national taxation of nicotine pouches varies…
Public debate around tobacco harm reduction (THR) is increasingly shaped not only by science, but by how that science is communicated. As non-combustible nicotine products expand across global markets, the gap between evidence and public understanding has become a central policy challenge. Miscommunication, oversimplification, and emotive framing risk distorting regulatory discussions at precisely the moment…
As nicotine pouches gain market presence in the United States, regulators must understand not only who is using these products, but where and under what conditions they are being purchased. A recent peer-reviewed study published in Preventive Medicine provides new empirical evidence by examining urban–rural differences in nicotine pouch sales, pricing, and flavour preferences across…