Author: Staff Writer

Altadis USA Releases Henry Clay Limited Edition

Photo: Altadis USA
On the heels of the 2019 launch of the Henry Clay War Hawk cigar brand, Altadis USA is releasing the limited-edition.
A collaboration between Rafael Nodal and A.J. Fernandez, the Henry Clay War Hawk Rebellious limited edition is handmade in Nicaragua. With just 1,200 boxes produced, shipping begins July 15 for this cigar available in 20-count boxes.
“We are extremely proud of what we accomplished with our 2019 War Hawk, which was made at La Flor de Copan in Honduras and earned exceptional ratings,” said Nodal, who is Head of Product Capability for Tabacalera USA.
“With the War Hawk Rebellious Limited Edition, we are offering adult consumers a complex, medium-bodied, Nicaraguan blend that complements the original War Hawk and provides smokers with a unique Nicaraguan experience,” Nodal said.
June 25, 2020
RELX Presents Infinity

Image: RELX
RELX Technology has launched two new e-cigarettes: Infinity and Essential.
Using independently developed “super smooth performance” technology, both products offer full flavor and “velvety smooth” puffs, according to RELX.
“The Infinity demonstrates our focus on relentless technological innovation,” said RELX CEO Kate Wang. “I’m proud of the entire RELX global team for creating a beautifully designed device with superior technology, and with a dedication to innovation that RELX is now globally known for.”
To ensure leak resistance and high quality, RELX’s engineers tested more than 12,000 Infinity pods. The company has submitted patent applications for more than 50 innovations used in the device. In March 2020, the Infinity was awarded the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2020.
June 25, 2020
Jordan: Industry Blamed For High Smoking Rates

Photo: ZEBULON72 from Pixabay
Jordan’s exceptionally high smoking rates have been exacerbated by the influence of the tobacco industry, according to a recent article in The Guardian.
With 60 percent of Jordanian men and 17 percent of women smoking, the country’s smoking rate is now the world’s highest, surpassing that of Indonesia, which was long considered to have had the world’s highest tobacco usage.
More than eight out of 10 Jordanian men smoke or regularly use nicotine products including e-cigarettes, according to a government study carried out in 2019 in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Jordanian men who smoke daily consume an average of 23 cigarettes a day, the survey found.
Critics attribute Jordan’s high smoking rates in part to the influence of Big Tobacco, which they say operates with fewer restraints in the kingdom than elsewhere.
Tobacco company lobbyists have been accused of inappropriate involvement in shaping regulations on their products in Jordan.
The Guardian cited minutes showing that lobbyists from British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and Philip Morris International (PMI) attended a series of meetings last year to discuss standards for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
PMI and JTI said that it was normal and lawful for their companies to be consulted as stakeholders when relevant regulatory issues were being debated.
“Our interactions with government officials in Jordan—like elsewhere—comply with all applicable laws,” PMI was quoted as saying.
“In addition, we abide to our own international standards and practices which are stricter than many national laws. In any democratic society, the central objective of regulatory policy—ensuring that regulations are designed and implemented in the public interest—can only be achieved with full participation of those concerned.”
Jordan ranked second in the world for tobacco company interference in government, according to analysis by a civil society group.
June 25, 2020
Former STMA Official Gets Life in Prison

Photo: Andrianocz | Dreamstime.com
Zhao Hongshun, former deputy head of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), was sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated on June 18 for taking bribes worth more than RMB90 million ($12.7 million), according to a news release issued by The Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China.
The Huai’an Intermediate People’s Court in East China’s Jiangsu province issued the verdict, saying the money involved in Zhao’s case will be turned over to the state treasury. Zhao said in court he would not appeal.
According to the complaint, Zhao took advantage of his positions, including that of deputy director and deputy head of the economic operation department of the STMA and deputy director of the Anhui Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Administration, to assist individuals and companies in contracts related to the printing of cigarette labels, tobacco advertising business and personal promotion from 2002 to 2018.
Zhao was placed under investigation by China’s top graft watchdogs in February 2019. He was expelled from the communist party and removed from public positions and arrested in July. In September 2019, Zhao was charged with bribery.
June 24, 2020
Pending Ban Triggers Run on Nicotine Vapes

Photo: Ethan Parsa from Pixabay
Australians have started stockpiling e-cigarettes after their government announced it would ban imports of most vapor products, reports the Daily Mail.
From July 1, it will be illegal to import e-cigarettes and refills containing nicotine liquids or salts.
New Zealand’s leading retailer of vaping supplies, Shosha, recorded a 130 percent spike in sales from Australia since the announcement. Shosha also experienced a 44 percent increase in foot traffic compared to the same time last year.
Under Australia’s new regulations, individuals would need to visit a doctor and be issued a prescription to purchase their nicotine containing e-cigarettes or refills.
Even valid prescription holders would still be prohibited from purchasing the devices from overseas themselves.
The ban on importing nicotine e-cigarettes and refills would be in line with existing bans on their sale in each state and territory.
The prohibition would last 12 months while the government conducts a public consultation on the regulation of nicotine products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The regulation would see nicotine products added to the Poisons Standard making them prohibited permanently with the exception of tobacco cigarettes and smoking-cessation products such as gums and patches.
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has protested Australia’s ban, saying it will deprive millions of vapers and existing smokers of their rights to access better alternatives to combustible cigarettes.
“Smokers in Australia have been denied access to a proven harm reduction tool and vapers in Australia have yet again been dealt a potentially fatal blow which will see many of the 300,000 strong vaping community go back to smoking cigarettes,” CAPHRA Executive Director Nancy Loucas said in a statement.
The group pointed to studies showing that e-cigarettes are 95-percent less harmful than combustible tobacco because they do not involve combustion. “It has been known for decades that tar, and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke, cause the death and disease associated with smoking, and not nicotine,” CAPHRA stated.
June 24, 2020
VAT Reduction to Include Tobacco

Photo: Rene Van Den Berg | Dreamstime.com
Germany will reduce its value-added tax (VAT) by three percentage points to 16 percent from July 1 until the end of 2020 as part of a massive stimulus package designed to offset the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
While the VAT reduction will reportedly also apply to tobacco products, it remains unclear to what extent smokers will benefit from lower prices.
Tobacco companies will be able to pass on the discounted tax to consumers at the earliest in two to three months—assuming they want to do so at all.
This is because new prices require tobacco companies to purchase new tax stamps, the delivery of which takes about eight weeks. The manufacturers will also have to apply for new barcodes and print them on their products, which can take between two and three months, depending on the company’s resources.
According to experts, it is unlikely that dealers will be given new tax stamps for cigarettes that have already been produced and packaged.
June 24, 2020
Vuse Named ‘Pacesetter’

Photo: R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co.
R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co.’s (RJRVC) Vuse Alto and Vuse Ciro e-cigarettes were named two of the Top-10 product pacesetters by Information Resources Inc. (IRI), a data and analytics research group that closely monitors the consumer package goods (CPG) industry.
Each year top CPG brands are recognized as IRI New Product Pacesetters, a list highlighting innovation that are resonating most with consumers.
“Today’s adult nicotine consumers are looking for unique products that fit their modern-day lives, and Vuse has built a portfolio of options that have consumer moments in mind,” said Leila Medeiros, U.S. head of the Vuse brand.
“Our dynamic approach to developing vapor products, paired with our team’s unrivaled industry knowledge, global market scale and commitment to responsible marketing, means we can create brands that adult nicotine consumers prefer, and products that deliver unique, enjoyable and reliable experiences.”
R.J. Reynolds has submitted several Vuse products to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for marketing authorization.
June 24, 2020
PM: Irish Menthol Ad Was A Mistake

Peter Nixon, managing director of Philip Morris for the U.K. and Ireland.
Photo: Dave Parker
Philip Morris has told Irish retailers it made a mistake in labeling its new Marlboro Bright brand as a “menthol blend’ in a trade press advertisement, reports The Irish Times.

The company introduced Marlboro Bright after menthol cigarettes became illegal across the European Union on May 20. The new brand replaces the company’s old Marlboro Green cigarettes.

Writing in Retail News, Peter Nixon, the managing director of Philip Morris for the U.K. and Ireland, said the advertisement should not have run.

The ad for retailers had described Marlboro Bright as “the Marlboro menthol blend—without methylation.”

Nixon said “methylation” was a typo that should have read “without menthol.” He insisted Marlboro Bright is a traditional cigarette without menthol and thus in compliance with the ban.

Public health advocates have been watching the tobacco industry’s actions closely in the wake of the EU ban. Earlier, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) was criticized for continuing to use menthol during the manufacturing process of its Silk Cut Choice Green brand.

JTI insisted this is legal as long as the additive does not result in a characterizing smell or taste in the cigarettes other than tobacco.

The Health Service Executive is investigating if any tobacco companies are in breach of the menthol ban.

The Irish market for menthol cigarettes was worth €250 million ($282.82 million) prior to the ban.
June 23, 2020
Dutch Plan to Ban Flavored Vapor in 2021

The Netherlands plans to ban flavored vapor products beginning sometime next year. The goal is to make vaping less attractive to young people, the government said on Tuesday.
Flavors currently available range from mojito and strawberry ice cream to mango and chocolate, the government said. With its sweet tastes and perceived lower health risks, vaping has rapidly become popular among young non-smokers, who are often seen to use them as a stepping stone to regular tobacco products, according to an article from Reuters.
“It is unacceptable that 20,000 people die every year in our country from the effects of smoking and that every day around 75 kids start smoking”, deputy health minister Paul Blokhuis said. “The smoke-free generation we see coming also needs to be free of electronic cigarettes.”
The government will refine the tobacco law to include the ban on flavored e-cigarettes, which is likely to take effect in the first half of next year, the government said. Tobacco-flavored vaping products will remain available, mainly to help regular smokers kick their habit, it said.
A Dutch government report in 2017 said that over a quarter of people aged 12-16 said they had tried vaping at least once. Electronic cigarettes and water pipes have been banned in the Netherlands for anyone under the age of 18 since 2016.
June 23, 2020
AR Packaging Consolidates Brands

Harald Schulz, CEO of AR Packaging
AR Packaging is incorporating all its brands under the AR Packaging identity.

The seven brands now becoming one are AR Packaging, A&R Carton, Flextrus, CC Pack, SP Containers, Maju Jaya and AR Packaging Digital. The four recently acquired brands Nampak Carton Nigeria, K+D, RLC Packaging and BSC Drukarnia Opakowan will also be incorporated under the new name.

According to AR Packaging, the move is in line with its corporate strategy as the company prepares for further growth organically and through acquisitions.

AR Packaging group of companies is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers in the packaging sector with net sales of more than €900 million ($1.02 billion) and factories in 13 countries.
June 23, 2020