French attempt to ban nicotine vape starter packs fails procedural test
A Senate amendment targeting bundles of vaping equipment and nicotine liquid was ruled inadmissible under social security financing rules.
Nicotine policy, in perspective.
Independent reporting and analysis on nicotine policy and harm-reduction in Europe.
The latest developments
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Three years after flavour ban, 77 per cent of Quebec vapers still use banned flavours
New provincial figures show fruit, mint and dessert flavours remain popular despite Quebec’s restrictions on flavoured vaping products.
Position vapes as quit-smoking aids, young people urge in UK study
A small Sheffield study explored how young people think vaping should be controlled and presented as an aid to quitting smoking.
Investigations
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INVESTIGATION: Who’s behind the anti-nicotine propaganda?
Pharmaceutical companies selling costly treatments for smoking-related diseases also fund organisations campaigning for tighter restrictions on safer nicotine products. Peter examines whether those relationships deserve closer scrutiny.
Analysis & opinion
View allEU Countries reject minimum taxes on nicotine pouches. What actually happened?
EU finance ministers failed to reach a unanimous deal on tobacco and nicotine taxes. Peter Beckett examines the compromise and what could happen next.
Gutka: Tobacco Control’s Indifference to Improving Public Health
David Zaruk argues that global tobacco control’s approach to gutka exposes a contradiction in its public health priorities.
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Belgium’s deputy PM pushes to legalise nicotine pouch sales
David Clarinval raised the proposal during federal budget talks, prompting renewed debate over how Belgium regulates nicotine pouches.
Science
View allHeart harm claims from study of just 17 vapers challenged by experts
Experts question whether a small study of 17 vapers can support claims about vaping’s effects on the heart.
Smokers still getting the wrong message on vaping risks, English data shows
New English survey data highlights a persistent gap between smokers’ understanding of vaping risks and the evidence on harm and quitting.
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Data
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Nicotine pouch bans leave multimillion-pound illegal markets thriving, report finds
A TobaccoIntelligence report examines illicit nicotine pouch markets in countries with bans and other restrictions.
Smoking among young Swiss people falls by almost a quarter in two years
The proportion of young people smoking in Switzerland fell by almost a quarter between 2023 and 2025, while monthly vaping remained broadly stable.
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Follow policy as it changes across Europe.