Published June 17, 2026 at 10:11 AM HST

The president of a Western Pacific island country has asked the United Nations to place nicotine under global drug control.

The World Health Organization says tobacco and nicotine products kill more than seven million people every year.

Palau President Surangel Whipps is calling on governments around the world to “join us in asking the United Nations to finally treat nicotine like the toxic and addictive drug that it is.”

While there have been international controls on various drugs for more than 75 years, no country has ever approached the issue with this course of action.

Nicotine is among the few major addictive substances not controlled under U.N. law.

The Pacific Island Times reports that if the vote goes ahead, it would be the first time the international community has applied the same rules of control to nicotine as to other addictive substances.

E-cigarettes can deliver nicotine as fast as a cigarette, and both e-cigarettes and oral nicotine pouches can deliver higher doses than a cigarette.

Palau has taken some of the strongest measures in the world to keep nicotine products away from children.

In 2023, the country prohibited the possession and use of electronic cigarettes, along with importing or selling them. This followed evidence that nearly half of Palauan teens had used e-cigarettes.