{"id":6540,"date":"2025-10-27T08:34:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T12:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/?p=6540"},"modified":"2025-10-27T08:34:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T12:34:37","slug":"thr-weekly-round-up-belgium-crackdown-brazils-smoking-surge-and-eu-distractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/en_gb\/thr-weekly-round-up-belgium-crackdown-brazils-smoking-surge-and-eu-distractions\/","title":{"rendered":"THR Weekly Round-Up: Belgium Crackdown, Brazil\u2019s Smoking Surge, and EU Di &hellip;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This week\u2019s tobacco harm reduction landscape brings a mix of policy concern, global health data, and critical reflections on Europe\u2019s priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WVA\u2019s Policy Manager Alberto G\u00f3mez Hern\u00e1ndez recently shared a strong perspective on Belgium\u2019s approach to vaping laws. In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gfn.tv\/vids\/gfn-news-161\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a new interview<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN), Alberto breaks down how the country\u2019s increasingly restrictive stance might be doing more harm than good. Rather than protecting public health, these measures risk pushing people away from less harmful alternatives and back toward smoking. Even if you are not based in Belgium, the message resonates globally. The issues he raises reflect what many reduced-risk product advocates and business owners are facing in their own regions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turning to Latin America, Brazil offers<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/en_gb\/brasil-registra-aumento-de-25-no-tabagismo-enquanto-alternativas-permanecem-proibidas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a stark example<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of what happens when less harmful nicotine products are banned outright. Vaping remains illegal in the country, and the consequences are now showing up in official data. Between 2023 and 2024, smoking increased by 25% &#8211; the first rise in tobacco use in Brazil in two decades. This data sends a clear warning. Keeping reduced-risk products out of legal markets does not protect people; it puts them at greater risk by eliminating proven tools for smoking cessation. Brazil\u2019s experience underscores why defending access to harm reduction is critical everywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For our German-speaking readers, WVA Director Michael Landl has published <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/en_gb\/eu-gesundheitspolitik-brussel-verliert-sich-im-kleinklein\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a compelling analysis<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of Europe\u2019s current direction. In his latest blog, he questions whether the European Union is losing its focus by choosing to act as a global moral authority rather than pursuing real, much-needed reform. His piece offers a thoughtful look at how political posturing may be weakening the EU\u2019s credibility while failing to address urgent challenges facing European citizens &#8211; particularly younger generations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it is misguided laws in Belgium, bans in Brazil, or misplaced priorities in Brussels, one thing is clear. The global fight for tobacco harm reduction is far from over. But with strong voices, better data, and persistent advocacy, we have the tools to keep moving forward.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay tuned for more updates next week.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week\u2019s tobacco harm reduction landscape brings a mix of policy concern, global health data, and critical reflections on Europe\u2019s priorities. WVA\u2019s Policy Manager Alberto G\u00f3mez Hern\u00e1ndez recently shared a strong perspective on Belgium\u2019s approach to vaping laws. In a new interview with the Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN), Alberto breaks down how the country\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":6541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>THR Weekly Round-Up: Belgium Crackdown, Brazil\u2019s Smoking Surge, and EU Distractions - World Vapers&#039; Alliance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This week\u2019s tobacco harm reduction landscape brings a mix of policy concern, global health data, and critical reflections on Europe\u2019s priorities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/en_gb\/thr-weekly-round-up-belgium-crackdown-brazils-smoking-surge-and-eu-distractions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"THR Weekly Round-Up: Belgium Crackdown, Brazil\u2019s Smoking Surge, and EU Distractions - World Vapers&#039; 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