HEADLINE

Kiripost reports that authorities seized more than 2,000 electronic smoking devices and arrested two alleged distributors in Phnom Penh’s Toul Kork district, prompting health advocates to warn that inconsistent enforcement is undermining Cambodia’s crackdown on illegal e-cigarettes and shisha.

The Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires issued a health alert to the public and health teams over increased circulation, promotion and consumption of nicotine pouches. It said the disposable oral products dissolve in the mouth without combustion or vapor and are marketed as tobacco-free, but contain nicotine and have a high addictive potential.

A Thai report says Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office Santi Piyatat is advancing efforts toward a vape-free society. On Jan. 12, a seminar at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation’s learning center presented a study covering six regions of Thailand on spending related to cigarettes and e-cigarettes and the behavior of different smoker groups.

Virginia has asked the Fourth Circuit to overturn a district court order that partially blocked enforcement of the commonwealth’s flavored vape ban. In a notice, the state told U.S. District Judge David J. Novak it seeks to upend his December ruling that Virginia’s Chapter 23.2 statute is preempted by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

On Jan. 10, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach issued a consumer alert warning Kansans about dangerous vaping products from China marketed as “smart vapes.” The alert says these devices let children use games, social media, Bluetooth, music and more while simultaneously inhaling unregulated materials, and describes them as designed to entice teens and conceal their nature from parents.

New Zealand vape retailer Shosha is accused of using hidden, white-on-white text on its website to promote refillable and disposable vapes. A Health Ministry spokesperson said it could not comment on individual businesses’ compliance status while matters are being assessed, and said the ministry continues to monitor digital advertising and promotional activity and will act where it considers there may be a breach.

Rosstandart head Anton Shalaev told TASS that Russia will tighten requirements for the packaging and design of vapes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems in early 2026.