IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

A lawmaker from Costa Rica’s ruling party has introduced a bill to completely ban e-cigarettes and related products, covering their import, sale, use, and manufacturing, citing rising youth use and associated health risks. The proposal would repeal the current regulatory law and has raised concerns that a full ban, combined with weak enforcement, could fuel a black market.

British Columbia has filed a civil lawsuit against Juul Labs, alleging the company fuelled youth nicotine addiction through highly addictive products and deceptive marketing practices. The claim was submitted to the B.C. Supreme Court under the newly enacted Vaping Product Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act.

AIR’s shisha brand Al Fakher has launched its rechargeable pod-based vape Crown Switch in Germany, featuring Coldstream technology and claiming low-temperature vaporization without ceramic or metal heating elements. The device is now available on shisha-world, while AIR is simultaneously pushing ahead with its plan to go public on Nasdaq via a SPAC merger.

The Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue has led a nationwide destruction of illicit vape products, citing unpaid excise taxes and penalties amounting to 1.34 billion pesos(approximately US$22 million). Nearly 450,000 units are scheduled for destruction over three days across multiple revenue regions. The seized products violated excise tax laws due to non-payment of taxes, lack of internal revenue stamps, and non-registration of vape brands.

In correspondence with 20isPlenty campaigners, the government agreed nicotine pouches are likely to pose lower health risks than smoking and confirmed they are a harm reduction tool, while warning about their high nicotine content, fast absorption and potential to be flavoured.

Azerbaijan is advancing legislative amendments to prohibit the circulation of electronic cigarettes and their components. The proposed changes, discussed at a joint meeting of several parliamentary committees, aim to ban the import, export, production, storage, wholesale and retail sale, and use of e-cigarettes.