A roundup of tobacco harm reduction news — vaping, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, snus and NRT — covering regulatory, legal, industry and market developments strictly dated between September 7 and September 13, 2026. Compiled from public reporting; each item links to its original source. This week, it was mostly industry news, and some regulatory news from Europe and Asia, that appear to be on the wrong side of history concerning THR.
United States & Canada#
FDA Names Bret Koplow Permanent Director of the Center for Tobacco Products#
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has appointed Bret Koplow as permanent Director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), following his period as Acting Director. Koplow brings over a decade of agency experience, including a stint as Senior Counselor to the FDA Commissioner. In the permanent role he says he will focus on expanding adult access to lower-risk nicotine alternatives while strengthening enforcement to prevent youth exposure and addiction — a framing that continues the agency’s stated push toward a risk-proportionate approach to nicotine regulation.
Source: Tobacco Insider — US FDA: Tobacco News
More non-tobacco flavors in e-cigarettes in the US#
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, BAT’s U.S. subsidiary, has begun a phased rollout of four new non-tobacco Vuse Pro pod flavors — Fresh Mint, Peach, Berry and Watermelon — at 5.0% nicotine strength. The launch follows updated FDA enforcement priorities that concentrate federal resources on unauthorized disposable vapes, giving BAT room to expand its authorized portfolio and compete with illicit products. Public health groups have criticized the flavored, high-nicotine lineup over youth-appeal concerns.
Source: Tobacco Insider — USA: Vapes
Patent wars in the US for e-cigarettes#
A U.S. federal court has rejected a constitutional challenge brought by Altria Group and NJOY against the International Trade Commission’s (ITC) authority to hear JUUL Labs’ patent dispute and import-ban request targeting NJOY Daily products. Altria had argued the administrative forum violated constitutional protections. Despite losing the venue challenge, NJOY still holds a substantive advantage: an ITC administrative law judge had previously found JUUL’s patent invalid, with a final determination now pending before the full Commission.
Source: Tobacco Insider — Patent Wars: USA
Denver Joins ‘Polluter Pays’ Litigation Wave Over Cigarette Filter Pollution#
Denver has joined a growing wave of U.S. municipalities suing major tobacco manufacturers under the “polluter pays” principle to recover the cost of cleaning up non-biodegradable plastic cigarette filters, building on precedents set by Baltimore (2022) and recent filings from Fresno and Sacramento County. The trend mirrors pressure in Europe, where Dutch authorities are pushing tobacco firms to cover 100% of cigarette-butt cleanup costs while weighing potential filter bans — part of an escalating global push to hold the industry liable for the environmental toll of cigarette litter.
Source: Tobacco Insider — Tobacco Lawsuits: USA
Expansion of nicotine pouch products in the US#
Philip Morris International’s U.S. business is increasing core ZYN dry can sizes from 15 to 20 pouches from Q4 2026, and expanding the ZYN dry range to 1.5 mg and 8 mg strengths. PMI is also launching ZYN ULTRA, a higher-moisture, slim pouch line at 9 mg and 11 mg strengths with an expanded flavor selection and new flavor descriptors.
Source: Tobacco Insider — ZYN USA
Canadian Vaping Association Urges Health Canada to Add Harm Reduction Messaging to Cigarette Packs#
The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) is calling on Health Canada to add tobacco harm reduction messaging to cigarette packaging and inserts, arguing that misinformation is leaving millions of Canadian smokers unaware that switching completely to vaping is a less harmful option. The CVA cites Health Canada data suggesting roughly 21% of Canadians who quit smoking in 2024 said an e-cigarette helped them stop, and estimates around 2.75 million Canadian smokers (nearly four in five) remain unaware that complete switching is markedly less harmful. The call follows the CVA’s earlier publicity around an updated Cochrane living systematic review on e-cigarettes and smoking cessation.
Source: GlobeNewswire via Manila Times
European Union#
EU Puts Tobacco Tax Overhaul on Hold Until After Swedish Election#
The EU’s long-running overhaul of its Tobacco Excise Directive (TED) has hit a further procedural delay, with diplomatic talks on the major political sticking points paused until after Sweden’s national election on September 13, 2026. A Council meeting scheduled for September 14 — the day after the vote — is expected to make little progress on the core disputes, since Stockholm’s negotiators will likely lack the authority to make concessions while Sweden may be entering weeks of coalition talks. At issue is Sweden’s opposition to EU-wide minimum tax rates on nicotine pouches (“white snus”), which it says are essential to preserving the price gap that helps smokers switch and has driven Swedish smoking prevalence to roughly 5%, the lowest in the EU. Ireland, holding the rotating Council presidency, is trying to keep momentum on non-controversial technical elements and still hopes to bring the file to a vote at the October 9 ECOFIN meeting, though a prolonged Swedish coalition negotiation could push a deal further into the future. The directive, alongside modernizing cigarette taxation, would for the first time bring e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches into a harmonized EU excise framework, and is projected to generate roughly €11.2 billion a year for the EU budget.
Source: Tobacco Insider — Tobacco Regulation: European Union
EU Nicotine Pouch Tax Debate Remains Deadlocked Between Rival Blocks#
The EU’s Tobacco Taxation Directive revision remains in stalemate as member states split into two camps over how to tax novel nicotine products. A hard-line public-health bloc led by Ireland, France and the Netherlands wants high, harmonized minimum excise rates across all nicotine delivery systems to deter youth uptake. A harm-reduction coalition led by Sweden — where nicotine pouches and snus are widely used by adults — argues that non-combustible products carry markedly lower health risks and should be taxed far more lightly to keep incentivizing switching, pointing to Sweden’s record-low smoking rate. Because EU tax decisions require unanimous approval from all 27 member states, Sweden’s refusal to accept heavy pouch excise effectively blocks the directive, and a near-term compromise looks unlikely.
Source: Tobacco Insider — Tobacco Regulation: European Union
Asia-Pacific#
Taiwan Launches Nationwide Vape Surrender Program Ahead of New Penalties#
Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration is launching a first-of-its-kind vape surrender program in September 2026, setting up 431 anonymous collection sites nationwide where citizens can turn in e-cigarettes without penalty. The scheme precedes pending amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act that will introduce fines of up to NT$100,000 (about US$3,000) for simple possession of vapes. After a one-month grace period, authorities plan to move to strict confiscation and penalties, which officials say is also intended to curb the spread of synthetic drugs sometimes distributed via vape products.
Source: Tobacco Insider — Tobacco Regulation: Asia
India’s Tobacco Control Programme Recommends Rejecting All Nicotine Pouch Licenses#
India’s National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) has recommended rejecting all manufacturing and import license applications for oral nicotine pouches, reinforcing the country’s strict stance against recreational nicotine products. Because non-therapeutic pouches sit outside existing tobacco law, health authorities have instead classified them as unapproved drug products after detecting illegal sales through online and duty-free channels. The recommendation is designed to close a regulatory loophole that had allowed manufacturers to use smoking-cessation frameworks to commercialize consumer nicotine pouches. India ranks first globally in deaths from oral cancer, has an abundance of highly toxic oral products that cause these cancers, but is doing everything it can to ban alternative products that are proven not to increase the risk of oral cancer.
Source: Tobacco Insider — India: Smokeless Tobacco Market
Australia’s Tobacco-Tax Debate Intensifies Amid Illicit Market Growth#
Australian commentary this week examined whether the country’s high tobacco excise has gone too far, as more than half of tobacco consumed in Australia last year was bought illegally — a figure that rises to roughly 80% once illicit vapes and nicotine pouches are included (up from about 10% illicit a decade ago). The debate follows the federal Opposition Coalition’s proposal (announced September 3) to cut the tobacco excise by 80% while legalizing, regulating and taxing vapes and nicotine pouches for adults, a plan that public health researchers argue has not been shown to actually shrink the black market even if it addresses affordability. Currently, Australian adults can only access legal vapes via pharmacy, and nicotine pouches remain banned outright — leaving combustible cigarettes more freely available than either alternative.
Source: ABC News Australia
