In March 2025, WHO and its partners held a virtual stakeholder consultation to review progress and share strategies for the Tobacco-Free Farms Initiative (TFF), implemented in Kenya and Zambia. This initiative aims to support smallholder farmers in transitioning from tobacco cultivation to sustainable alternative livelihoods that are healthier, more profitable, and environmentally friendly. Key achievements...
Dubbed “the tobacco wars”, the illegal trade in untaxed tobacco products is reportedly booming in Australia. Some people see buying these cheap cigarettes as a way to save money. But as this week’s ABC Four Corners reported, it comes at great cost to the community, with fire-bombings, murder, serious crimes funded by illegal sales and a loss of crucial government funding for community...
BY: Sam Filby, Richard van Zyl Smit It’s become common to see kids, some in their school uniforms, puffing on a vape. The World Health Organization points to the enticing flavours and targeted marketing to young people as the key reasons behind this trend. In the US, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school...
This report published in 2025, was written by Dr. Sharon Nyatsanza and Ms. Lungile Mavundla, in collaboration with the South Africa Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Response (TIMR SA) and the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM). The report was funded by the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA). This document analyzes the...
BY: Tobacco Tactics Tobacco Control Research Group members contributed to a recent paper exploring the illicit trade of cigarettes in Ghana, published in Tobacco Prevention & Cessation. The study looks at the size, nature, and drivers of Ghana’s illicit cigarette market, as well as at the government’s response to the problem. It also captures stakeholder’s perceptions of tobacco industry...
BY: University of BATH New research indicates inconsistencies between the amount of cigarettes produced and the tax paid by one of the world’s largest tobacco companies Analysis by the Investigative Desk with support from the Tobacco Control Research Group and Tax Justice Network Africa, has identified significant discrepancies in the revenue statements of British American Tobacco’s...
About the Event Hosted by the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC), the monthly Innovations in Tobacco Control lecture series welcomes key researchers and experts to share ideas, present their work, and spark discussion. Presented via Zoom, this month’s event welcomes Attila Pohlmann, PhD, for a lecture entitled “Availability of Flavor Capsule Cigarettes at Points...
BY: JT Fetch SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (WRGB) — A concerned grandmother is speaking out after she says her granddaughter, an eighth grader at Oneida Middle School, returned home with a vaping device she told her she purchased from "the drug dealer" at school. The woman, identified only as Stacy, expressed her worries not only about the potential dangers of...
BY: Lara Bryn NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a groundbreaking plan to reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to a minimally or nonaddictive level. Experts are comparing the potential impact of this change to the lifesaving introduction of seatbelts in cars. Dr. Andrew Hyland, director of the New York...
BY: Francis Allan L. Angelo Oral nicotine pouches (ONPs), sleek, discreet, and often flavored, are rapidly gaining traction in the US market, especially among young adults. Marketed as “tobacco-free,” these pouches deliver nicotine via the oral mucosa, bypassing the combustion associated with traditional tobacco products like cigarettes. While preliminary research suggests that ONPs may present fewer health...
