Tobacco Asia

8 tobaccoasia Issue 4, 2026 July / August From the Editor © 2026 October Multimedia Co Ltd. TOBACCO ASIA (ISSN 2773-8701) is published bi-monthly by October Multimedia Co Ltd in January, March, May, July, September, and November. Printing and distribution of TOBACCO ASIA is overseen by October Inter Co. Ltd., Thamatee Building, 159/19 Soi Ramkhamhaeng 110, Ramkhamhaeng Road, Sapansung, Bangkok 10240 THAILAND. E-mail: info@octobermultimedia.com, web: www.tobaccoasia.com, WeChat/WhatsApp: +19178430000 Representation for Tobacco Asia Asia/Middle East/Australasia Southern Europe/Eastern Europe China/Italy/Spain/France October Inter Co. Ltd. Thamatee Building, 159/19 Soi Ramkhamhaeng 110, Ramkhamhaeng Road, Sapansung, Bangkok 10240 Tel +66 812861103. info@octobermultimedia.com WhatsApp/WeChat: +19178430000 The Americas/Benelux/UK Germany/Scandinavia Switzerland/Austria Cardinal Media LLC 2 Glenfield, Barrington RI 02806 United States Contact: Emerson Leonard Tel +1 917 680 1050 edl@octobermultimedia.com Printing/Distribution overseen by: October Inter Co. Ltd. Published by: October Multimedia Co., Ltd. Printed in Thailand © 2026 October Multimedia Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Bylined or initialed articles represent the opinion of the author. All articles published in Tobacco Asia or www.tobaccoasia.com are copyrighted. No part of this publication may be reproduced or in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without written permission. Subscriptions to TOBACCO ASIA magazine Subscription Rates: 1 Year – US$75.00 2 Years – US$145.00 3 Years – US$210.00 For inquiries, contact: accounts@octmm.com Secure online payment: https://www.tobaccoasia.com/subscribe Nattira Medvedeva Associate Editor The global tobacco industry today looks very different from the one lawmakers and public health activists often describe. Across the supply chain, companies increasingly deploy artificial intelligence, precision agriculture, advanced manufacturing systems, digital traceability tools, and next generation product (NGP) technologies. Yet much of the policy debate remains frozen in a worldview that treats every innovation as if it were still the 1960s. In tobacco cultivation, AI-powered platforms help farmers monitor crop health, predict disease outbreaks, optimize irrigation, and improve yields while reducing inputs (see our story on p.60-66 and the TA Q&A on p.12 for examples of such platforms). Manufac- turers use advanced analytics to improve quality control, streamline supply chains, and accelerate product development. Digital tech- nologies have transformed everything from inventory management to consumer engagement. The industry evolves because markets, technology, and consumer preferences evolve. Many regulators, however, continue to rely on the same familiar toolbox: bans, restrictions, and taxes. WHO's latest report on nicotine pouches illustrates the problem. The report focuses heavily on youth appeal, marketing practices, flavors, and nicotine dependence. Those concerns absolutely deserve consideration. Preventing youth access and ensuring responsible regulation are legitimate objectives. Yet the report largely approaches nicotine pouches through the same lens historically ap- plied to cigarettes. Rather than exploring how regulation might adapt to an evolving marketplace, the emphasis falls overwhelmingly on restrictions, flavor bans, advertising bans, nicotine caps, and higher taxation (see p.32 for more detail). Regardless of one's views on nicotine pouches, the report reflects a broader trend in tobacco control. New products emerge, and policymakers respond with the same policy instruments they have relied upon for decades. There is little discussion of whether regulatory frameworks themselves should evolve alongside the products they govern. The same pattern appears in the growing enthusiasm for generational tobacco bans. Support- ers present these measures as bold and innovative. In reality, they remain largely untested. No country has yet demonstrated that a generational ban can achieve its stated objectives over the long term. Policymakers continue advancing such measures despite unanswered questions about enforcement, compliance, unintended consequences, and illicit trade. What happens when adults are permanently prohibited from purchasing products that slightly older adults can legally buy? How will enforcement work decades into the future? What effects will such policies have on illicit trade? These concerns are hardly theoretical. Australia's experience demonstrates how aggressive re- strictions and ever-higher tobacco taxes can fuel substantial illicit markets that challenge law enforce- ment and undermine legitimate regulation (read more on p.18). Yet policymakers too often dismiss these questions as obstacles rather than legitimate policy considerations. The deeper issue may, in fact, be a failure of imagination. Faced with new technologies, chang- ing consumer preferences, and an evolving marketplace, many policymakers appear unable—or un- willing—to move beyond the familiar framework of prohibition and punishment. The irony is difficult to ignore. An industry frequently criticized for being old-fashioned has em- braced artificial intelligence, digital transformation, precision agriculture, and NGP. Meanwhile, many of its critics continue proposing solutions rooted in the same regulatory philosophy that has dominated the debate for decades. Good regulation should evolve alongside technology, markets, and evidence. It should dis- tinguish between products, balance competing considerations, and remain flexible enough to adapt as new information emerges. Most importantly, it should recognize that innovation is not limited to products and technologies. Policymaking itself can innovate. The question is whether regulators are prepared to do so.

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