Sweden and Denmark share a border, similar living standards and long-established tobacco-control policies. Both have also set ambitions to create smoke-free societies. Their smoking patterns, however, have diverged. A 2024 report from Smoke Free Sweden, The Great Divide, uses that contrast to make a strong case for Sweden’s approach to tobacco harm reduction. It argues…
As the European Commission’s consultation on the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive and Tobacco Advertising Directive closes today, 14 August 2026, GINN has submitted its response. The review is necessary. But how Europe chooses to modernise its rules will matter as much as the decision to modernise them. The European Commission opened its public…
Smoking rates have fallen across many high-income countries over the past several decades, but the pace of that decline varies considerably. South Korea and Sweden provide a useful comparison. Both countries have strong public-health institutions and long-standing tobacco-control policies. Both have reduced smoking substantially from historical levels. Their current positions, however, are quite different. OECD…
Building Regulatory Systems That Deliver Better Public Health Outcomes The rapid evolution of nicotine products has transformed the regulatory landscape. Traditional combustible tobacco products now exist alongside nicotine pouches, electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, nicotine replacement therapies, and emerging nicotine technologies. This growing diversity presents governments with an increasingly complex challenge: how can regulatory systems…
For many years, debates about nicotine regulation have been framed as a choice between allowing products onto the market or banning them altogether. As new smoke-free nicotine products have emerged, public discussion has often focused on restrictions relating to flavours, nicotine concentrations, advertising, taxation, or outright prohibition. While these policy debates remain important, they can…
Estonia is considering introducing a maximum nicotine limit for nicotine pouches. Supporters argue that lower nicotine levels could reduce dependence and improve public health. Critics, however, warn that setting the cap too low may produce an unintended consequence: making smoke-free alternatives less effective for adults who smoke while leaving combustible cigarettes largely unaffected. The debate…
South Africa’s proposed Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill has become one of the country’s most closely debated public health reforms. Designed to modernise legislation dating back to 1993 and align with international tobacco control commitments, the Bill introduces wide-ranging measures that include expanded smoke-free spaces, plain packaging, retail display restrictions, tighter controls…
GINN Statement | 30 July 2026 The latest half-year results from several of the world’s largest tobacco and nicotine companies reinforce a significant shift in the global nicotine market: growth in smoke-free products is increasingly extending beyond traditional Nordic markets, with Europe emerging as a major centre of demand, investment and innovation. Philip Morris International…
Why Product Standards May Matter More Than Product Bans As governments around the world consider how best to regulate emerging nicotine products, policy discussions often become polarized between those advocating prohibition and those supporting market access. Bangladesh’s latest initiative suggests there may be another path. The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has released a…
Europe Needs a More Consistent Approach to Smoke-Free Nicotine Products Poland’s latest proposed tobacco legislation has placed nicotine pouches at the centre of a wider European regulatory debate. According to recent Polish government reporting, the proposed measures would ban disposable vaping products, tighten controls on nicotine pouches, restrict pouch flavours to tobacco only, and potentially…