GTNF 2026
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FDA’s Koplow Closes ‘Stimulating’ GTNF 2026
Survey data show that the percentage of adults who correctly understand that FDA-authorized e-cigarettes are generally less harmful than cigarettes actually declined from 2012 to 2022.
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Is Science Impacting Policy or Policy Impacting Science? GTNF 2026
Scientists have raised concerns that evidence supporting harm reduction and flexible regulation is being overlooked.
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Don’t Be Afraid to Fail: GTNF 2026
Innovation in the nicotine sector is increasingly being shaped by regulation, consumer needs and the ability of companies to test, fail, and iterate.
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Up-and-Coming Nicotine Innovators
Emerging nicotine companies said regulatory barriers, consumer education and the infrastructure surrounding products are increasingly shaping innovation.
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Innovation Requires Regulatory Viability: GTNF 2026
Innovation in tobacco and nicotine products is advancing rapidly, but companies must account for regulation, product standards and consumer needs alongside science and technology.
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Illicit Market Threatens Harm Reduction Progress
The growing illicit nicotine market is creating risks for brand protection, consumer safety and tobacco harm reduction.
top news
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Trump Administration Looking to Change PMTA Process
The FDA is expected to revisit requirements established in 2021 for PMTAs, following years of industry criticism over lengthy reviews.
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Canada Health Minister Rejects Calls to Loosen Pouch Rules
Unsmoke Canada has campaigned for allowing pouches to be sold through retail stores, arguing that broader legal availability could address the illicit market.
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BAT Urges UK Retailers to Respond to Nicotine-Product Consultation
The government’s impact assessment estimates vape retailers could face more than £420 million in cumulative lost profits through 2036.
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Cigarette Seizures in Finland Already Double 2025
Customs said the cases identified through June resulted in more than €13.5 million in estimated lost tax revenue.
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JT to Launch Limited-Edition ‘Seven Star’ Packaging in Japan
Nationwide sales at convenience stores and tobacco retailers will begin Oct. 19, with the products available in limited quantities.
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JTI Invests $33.6M to Upgrade Factory in Philippines
The Batangas factory is the first JTI manufacturing site in Southeast Asia to use DIET technology.
Upcoming Events
Global Regulation
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Trump Administration Looking to Change PMTA Process
The FDA is expected to revisit requirements established in 2021 for PMTAs, following years of industry criticism over lengthy reviews.
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Germany to Discuss Annual Tobacco Tax Increases
The proposal would increase the weighted average retail price of a 20-cigarette pack from about €8.05 currently to €8.77 in 2027 and €11.36 by 2030.
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Taiwan to Raise Penalties for Bringing in E-cigarettes
In the first eight months of 2026, authorities recorded 726 cases involving 35,000 devices and 40,000 bottles or cartridges of e-liquid.
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Germany Busts Ring that Imported 7.6M Illegal Vapes
Authorities executed 13 arrest warrants and seized more than 100 pallets containing about 600,000 illegal vapes, with estimated tax losses of €4 million.
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Maldives’ Cigarette Imports Likely to Jump
The import duty was increased to $0.52 per cigarette in 2024 to encourage cessation, but the government subsequently reversed the increase to $0.26 from July 2026.
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FDA Names Koplow as Tobacco Center Director
Koplow served at FDA since 2011, including as senior counselor to the commissioner, and most recently serving as CTP’s acting director.
Agriculture & Sustainability
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ITGA Elects New President at Annual Meeting
The meeting marked a leadership transition, with Marcílio Drescher, president of Afubra in Brazil, succeeding José Javier Aranda as ITGA president.
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Reynolds Provides $200K to Support NC Farmers, Food Access
The program’s first year served more than 384,000 people, distributing more than 250,000 pounds of fresh produce sourced from 27 local farms.
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Kutsaga Promotes Drought-Ready Tobacco Ahead of El Niño
The regional outlook forecasts below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures across much of Southern Africa from October 2026 to March 2027.
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Africa’s Tobacco Production Rises Despite Global Decline
Africa accounted for around 11% of global output in 2024, with Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Uganda producing most of the continent’s tobacco.
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Dominican Republic Creates Council to Protect Cigar GI
The council will oversee compliance with production standards from cultivation through manufacturing, packaging, and storage.
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Zimbabwe Eyes Tobacco SEZs to Boost Value Addition
Zimbabwe aims to increase tobacco industry revenue to as much as $7 billion by 2030, raise production to 500 million kg, and increase value addition to 30%.
Science & Innovation
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E-Cigarette Directories Did Not Reduce Flavored Sales: Study
Products not listed on state directories accounted for more than half of vape sales in all three states.
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UK Survey Highlights Vape Waste and Recycling Confusion
Only 12% correctly estimated that more than 10 million vapes are discarded in the UK each week.
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VTA Poll Finds Support for Science-Based Vape Regulation Reform
The survey found 71% support replacing the current FDA PMTA framework with science-based standards.
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Experts Recommend Physicians Use Vape to Help Smokers Quit
Researchers from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Treatment Network published new recommendations in the JAMA encouraging healthcare providers to discuss nicotine e-cigarettes as a potential harm reduction…
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Marijuana Passes Cigarette Addiction in U.S.: Survey
The survey found marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with 61.6 million people aged 12 and older reporting past-year use.
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Nicotine Pouches May Cause Receding Gums: Study
The study also found nicotine pouch users experienced more gum irritation than snus users, which researchers said may be linked to flavoring ingredients.
Business & Finance
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BAT Urges UK Retailers to Respond to Nicotine-Product Consultation
The government’s impact assessment estimates vape retailers could face more than £420 million in cumulative lost profits through 2036.
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JT to Launch Limited-Edition ‘Seven Star’ Packaging in Japan
Nationwide sales at convenience stores and tobacco retailers will begin Oct. 19, with the products available in limited quantities.
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JTI Invests $33.6M to Upgrade Factory in Philippines
The Batangas factory is the first JTI manufacturing site in Southeast Asia to use DIET technology.
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Juul Buyers Defend Antitrust Classes
The plaintiffs allege that an agreement between Altria and Juul restrained competition in the closed-system e-vapor market and resulted in higher prices.
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PMI Expands Global Services Hub in Philippines
Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation reaffirmed PMI’s commitment to the Philippines and its role in the company’s broader transformation and growth.
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China’s STMA Gets New Deputy Director
Zhang Xiaotang was named deputy director of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration.
Around the Industry
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Canada Health Minister Rejects Calls to Loosen Pouch Rules
Unsmoke Canada has campaigned for allowing pouches to be sold through retail stores, arguing that broader legal availability could address the illicit market.
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Cigarette Seizures in Finland Already Double 2025
Customs said the cases identified through June resulted in more than €13.5 million in estimated lost tax revenue.
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VTA Launches Ad Campaign on Vaping Regs
VTA said the campaign cites a poll showing 71% support for replacing the current PMTA rules with scientific guidelines.
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VA, DoD Update Cessation Recommendations
The guideline is based on literature through 2024, mentioning but not endorsing e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches as cessation treatments.
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Surveys Show Strong Support for Tobacco Controls in Türkiye
In the digital survey, 91.4% supported new regulations aimed at protecting young people from tobacco and nicotine addiction.
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Half of Cig Packs Collected in Belgium Were Foreign or Counterfeit
The share reached 50.6%, up from 44.4% at the end of 2025 and 33.1% a year earlier.
Thought Leaders
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Why Naturally Extracted Tobacco Never Scaled
Cured leaf can be macerated directly, extracting its flavor into the base rather than recreating that flavor from aroma compounds.
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FDA Finally Issues Proposed Rule to Require Foreign Tobacco Manufacturers to Register Facilities and List Products
This rule would allow FDA to further protect public health by helping to ensure that tobacco products in the United States comply with Federal law.
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A New Direction for ENDS
Chris Allen explains the significance of FDA’s shift on flavored vapes and why it reflects a growing emphasis on evidence-based harm reduction, behavioral science and product safeguards.
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The Conglomerate Cigar Brands Are Losing Inside ChatGPT — and the Retailer Channel Is the Reason Why
Cigar Aficionado’s 2025 Cigar Insider Retailer Survey told the same story Cigar Insider has told every year for the last decade. Padrón at #1, Arturo Fuente at #2, Drew Estate…
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The FDA’s evolving approach to youth-risk mitigation
Lilian Ortega explains the latest developments from regulators across pouches and ENDS and the latest enforcement of rules in the United States.
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The Arithmetic of Harm
Why the World Cannot Afford America’s Regulatory Model By Dr. J. Preston Campbell, Cancer Researcher, Harm Reduction Scientist Heavy lifetime smoking kills approximately half of long-term users. That is not…