Tobacco Asia

76 tobaccoasia CLOSING NEWS 卷尾新闻 Dinca cited United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime data showing that Indonesia declared more than 38,000 metric tons of tobacco exports bound for the Philippines in 2024, equivalent to roughly 38 billion cigarette sticks. Philippine import records showed only about 366 metric tons, a gap of roughly 99% that Dinca said points to possible export diversion. Tobacco Firms Face ASEAN Scrutiny Public health advocates are warning that multinational tobacco companies are intensifying efforts to influence tobacco and nicotine policy across Southeast Asia, as governments take different approaches to newer products. Speaking at the World Cancer Congress 2026 in Hong Kong, Irene Patricia Reyes, a program manager at the South- east Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), said Southeast Asia, with more than 680 million people, has become a key target market for global tobacco companies as consumption declines in Western countries. Reyes said SEATCA's case study on tobacco industry interference found that companies use coordinated strategies to delay or block regulation. These include promoting research that advocates consider misleading, corporate social responsi- bility programs that build political influence and marketing campaigns aimed at young people. She said fragmented monitoring systems and limited cross-border cooperation allow companies to exploit regula- tory differences between ASEAN countries. Limited data sharing also leaves governments relying on reactive rather than preventive responses, she said. Reyes linked these gaps to the expansion of electronic smoking devices, heated tobacco products, and newer nicotine products such as oral pouches. She said companies market these products through social media and point-of-sale promo- tions while using "harm reduction" narratives to influence policymakers. The regulatory landscape remains divided. Reyes said eight ASEAN member states have introduced proactive bans on newer tobacco products, while Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines remain more exposed to industry pressure and have not fully prohibited them. Recent regional developments illustrate the differences in national approaches. At the 17th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting, member states included tobacco reduction in the ASEAN Strategic Health Agenda 2026–2030. Singapore's health minister Ong Ye Kung also called for greater regional cooperation on vaping, citing differences in national policies and the cross-border movement of products. Reyes said governments need a coordinated regional strategy based on monitoring industry lobbying and marketing, documenting interference, building public awareness and translating evidence into policy measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. She highlighted Cambodia, where civil society groups and the Ministry of Health documented alleged advertising and sponsorship violations and used the material as legal evidence. In Vietnam, she said youth vaping among 13–15-year-olds increased from 3.5% in 2021 to 8% in 2024, while civil society campaigns contributed to the country's comprehensive e-cigarette and heated tobacco product ban. "Without coordinated safeguards, the tobacco industry will continue to exploit regulatory gaps and undermine public health across ASEAN," Reyes warned. New Zealand Targets Tobacco Smuggling New Zealand plans to significantly increase penalties for tobacco smuggling and introduce new offenses targeting tobacco sold without compliant packaging. An amendment bill now before parliament would increase the maximum prison term for tobacco smuggling and excise evasion from six months to seven years. The govern- ment also plans to amend the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 to create new packaging-related offenses. The proposed changes include a NZ$2,000 (US$1,120) infringement fine for breaches of tobacco packaging rules. Manufacturers, importers, and distributors could face fines of up to NZ$200,000 (US$112,000) under a new strict-liability offense. The maximum penalty for an existing knowledge- based packaging offense would rise from NZ$50,000 (US$28,000) to NZ$100,000 (US$56,000). The government also plans to align the offense structure and maximum penalties for selling small quantities of tobacco with those for packaging violations. It would also strengthen consequences for specialist vape retailers that breach regulatory requirements. Associate health minister Casey Costello said non-com- pliant packaging provides an indication that tobacco entered the country illegally. "Cheap illegal cigarettes are connected to organized crime; they hit legitimate businesses and tax revenue – and they undermine our efforts to stop people smoking," Costello added. The measures follow a sharp rise in tobacco seizures. New Zealand Customs seized just under 12 million cigarettes and more than 1.7 tons of loose tobacco between January 1 and September 1, 2026. Ten people were arrested in connec- tion with those seizures. Customs also recently secured prison sentences against a couple involved in importing and selling about 2.5 million cigarettes while evading an estimated NZ$3.7 million (US$2.1 million) in Customs duties. A court sentenced the man to three years in prison and the woman to one year and 10 months. Costello said the current regulatory framework does not give enforcement agencies sufficient tools to address illicit tobacco. "Taken together, these changes will strengthen the Government's cross-agency response by making it easier to identify, disrupt and penalize illicit activity," she said.

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