Indiana vape tax to go into effect July 1

HM Revenue & Customs is urging members of the public to report vape shops, barber shops and other high-street businesses suspected of tax fraud, money laundering or other illegal activity, with informants not required to provide personal details. HMRC plans more than 30,000 interventions in 2026-27 targeting tax fraud, organised crime and illicit activity, including the sale of illegal vapes and tobacco. The push forms part of a broader UK effort to tackle organised crime on high streets, backed by a £30 million government enforcement programme.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Fox News and other reports, the DOJ’s Trade Fraud Task Force (TFTF) has been linked to more than $1 billion in recoveries, penalties, forfeitures and publicly charged losses in less than one year. The task force focuses on trade fraud issues including country-of-origin fraud, illegal transshipment, false declarations and tariff evasion. While vape products are not the main source of the $1 billion figure, the industry’s reliance on global manufacturing and cross-border supply chains places it within broader U.S. trade enforcement scrutiny. The development suggests that U.S. oversight of cross-border vape products may increasingly extend beyond product authorization into import compliance, supply-chain transparency and corporate accountability.

Dragos Constantinescu has officially taken up his role as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director at British American Tobacco (BAT). He previously spent 16 years at BAT across finance and general management roles in Europe before joining Asahi in 2019 and becoming CEO of Asahi Europe & International in 2025. His return comes as BAT continues to advance its “A Better Tomorrow” transformation.

On July 23, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes Section 707 provisions requiring the Department of Defense to evaluate tobacco use and nicotine alternatives among military personnel. The pilot program would examine products including vapes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products, primarily among active-duty service members who continue using combustible tobacco. The provision is a policy evaluation effort, not an authorization for military vaping promotion or a ban on vape products.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has released sample images of the UK’s transitional vaping duty stamps, showing red and yellow versions ahead of the new Vaping Products Duty and Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme starting on October 1, 2026. Transitional stamps contain physical security features but no digital scanning function. Approved businesses may purchase them through November 30 and affix them through December 31. HMRC has not stated that the red and yellow samples represent different product categories or tax statuses.

As e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches expand across global markets, a central question is gaining urgency: can tobacco control rely on a universal policy model? In an interview with 2Firsts, Asian public health and addiction medicine specialist Dr. Rashidi Mohamed bin Pakri Mohamed says Western experience remains relevant, but policies must be adapted to local culture, healthcare systems, enforcement capacity, illicit markets and clinical evidence.