3 December 2025
UK

Students create sculpture from illicit vapes to teach pupils about mental-health risks
International

EU set for rise in minimum duties on heated tobacco products

Canada: Study links TikTok content to positive portrayals of nicotine pouches for young viewers

San Francisco launches legal action over health impacts of ultra-processed foods
UK

Students create sculpture from illicit vapes to teach pupils about mental-health risks

Design students in Hertfordshire have built a brain-shaped artwork using boxes of illicit vapes to draw attention to the mental-health risks linked to nicotine use in adolescence. Around 28,000 illicit vapes have been seized this year by Hertfordshire trading standards. 

Source: BBC News, 3 December 2025

See also: ASH - Youth vaping: the facts
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International

EU set for rise in minimum duties on heated tobacco products

A revised plan to update the EU’s Tobacco Excise Directive proposes a substantial uplift in the minimum tax applied to heated tobacco, taking the baseline rate from €155 to €360 per kilogram and adding a requirement that at least 55% of the retail price be taxed. The draft would also maintain e-cigarette taxation, and nicotine pouches would be subject to future tax increases. The proposal forms part of a wider effort to standardise excise rules across the EU and would shape taxation on nicotine and tobacco products for the coming decade, pending unanimous approval by national governments.

Source: EU Reporter, 2 December 2025
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Canada: Study links TikTok content to positive portrayals of nicotine pouches for young viewers

Research from the University of British Columbia examined more than 250 TikTok posts and found that nicotine pouches were frequently presented in positive ways to young people. Researcher Laura Struik highlighted that such messaging may downplay the potential effects of early nicotine exposure on development. In Canada nicotine pouches can only be purchased at pharmacies and are subject to flavour restrictions, but Struik raised concerns that young people in Canada are using illicit nicotine pouches.

Source: CBC News, 3 December 2025

See also: ASH – Nicotine pouches 
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San Francisco launches legal action over health impacts of ultra-processed foods

San Francisco has filed a landmark lawsuit against major food manufacturers, arguing that companies producing ultra-processed products have contributed to widespread diet-related illness while local authorities are left to cover the medical and social costs. The case targets ten major corporations whose products make up a significant share of the US food supply, including items marketed as wholesome despite containing additives and minimal whole-food ingredients. The city claims the firms misled consumers and continued selling products despite knowing their health effects. The action follows recent state-level efforts to define and restrict ultra-processed foods, adding to California’s history of public-health litigation against large industries.

Source: The Guardian, 3 December 2025
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