Oral health: Vaping inflicts damage and can lead to ‘irreversible’ problems

German prosecutors and customs authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into an alleged cross-border organised vape network. Authorities say that between January 2024 and March 2025, four employees of an unnamed Chinese e-cigarette manufacturer allegedly built a network of sales agents and wholesalers that brought more than 7.6 million nicotine disposable vapes into Germany, causing an estimated €33.3 million in excise-tax losses. The manufacturer has not been named. Some products visible in enforcement images have packaging resembling products from FUMOT’s portfolio. European regulatory records from 2024, FUMOT’s public overseas-sales materials and records involving German vape importer and distribution company Zamu-Pro GmbH also show FUMOT/RandM products and German distribution activity during the period covered by the investigation.

The UK's Vaping Products Duty will take effect on October 1, 2026, at a flat rate of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid. Ahead of implementation, DOJO, PIXL and Hayati have introduced or been reported to be adding lower-capacity tiers alongside larger products. DOJO has added a 6ml BLAST7K Fresh below its 10ml BLAST10K Fresh, PIXL offers both a 12ml 8000 and a 6ml 5K, while retailer Ninja Vapes says Hayati is preparing a 7ml 4K alongside its existing 12ml 6K. The pattern points to a growing lower-capacity tier in the UK market, although the brands have not all explicitly linked the changes to the new duty.

Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) announced on November 12, 2026, that it had acquired the U.S. assets of nicotine pouch brand CLEW from Nevcore Innovations Inc., including trademarks, intellectual property, product formulations and a Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA). CLEW, currently distributed through selected outlets in 13 U.S. states, will immediately join the JTI LIGGETT portfolio. The transaction follows JT's approximately $2.4 billion acquisition of U.S. cigarette maker Vector Group in 2024. JTI LIGGETT says its existing cigarette brands reach more than 160,000 U.S. retail stores. During the 2026 NACS Show in October, JTI LIGGETT booth staff told 2Firsts that the company had not yet launched nicotine pouches in the United States. Although Nevcore previously announced FDA acceptance of CLEW's PMTA, the brand is absent from the agency's current list of authorized nicotine pouch products. JT has not disclosed a retail expansion plan for CLEW.

At the 2026 NACS Show in Las Vegas, Juul Labs displayed its JUUL2 e-cigarette system alongside existing products, age-verification messaging and mobile coupons, 2Firsts observed. The JUUL2 device and Virginia Tobacco and Polar Menthol pods received FDA marketing authorization in August 2026. Booth materials highlighted longer battery life, greater e-liquid capacity and connected-device features. A TruAge sign and a mobile coupon presentation also featured at the booth, with weekly offers available to age-verified adult nicotine consumers at participating retailers.

Azerbaijan's sweeping e-cigarette ban has raised concerns over enforcement errors and the emergence of illicit sales, while neighboring Armenia is tightening technical rules and preparing higher excise taxes. Georgia, meanwhile, has resisted calls for broader vape restrictions and introduced preferential taxes for some domestically produced cigarettes. The divergent approaches across the South Caucasus highlight a regional policy dilemma: how to curb nicotine use and protect public health without encouraging black markets or creating unintended economic consequences for businesses and consumers.

The U.S. FDA has consolidated two tobacco establishment registration and product listing forms into a redesigned Form FDA 3741 covering all regulated product categories, including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches. The current requirements remain limited to domestic establishments. Separately, the FDA has proposed extending registration and product listing requirements to foreign manufacturers, signaling greater regulatory attention to manufacturing entities and product-level information across the tobacco and nicotine supply chain.