Author: Marissa Dean

  • 22nd Century Submits CBD Drug Master File

    22nd Century Submits CBD Drug Master File

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    22nd Century Group filed a U.S. drug master file (DMF) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for cannabidiol (CBD) API from GVB Biopharma, a 22nd Century Group company, according to a company press release.

    “GVB Biopharma is widely recognized for the quality and consistency of its Cannabinoid extracts and ingredients,” said James A. Mish, CEO of 22nd Century. “We are now leveraging these capabilities with our DMF filing to meet the increasing regulatory demands of the supplements markets.”

    Additionally, 22nd Century and GVB Biopharma have entered into an agreement with Cannabinoid API Solutions (CAS) and Transo-Pharm for global sales, marketing and distribution of GVB’s Cannabinoid APIs. Transo-Pharm is a well-established supplier and distributor of pharmaceutical APIs to a broad portfolio of branded and generic finished drug product manufacturers, including more than 75 current active, ongoing development programs.

    “The partnership with Transo-Pharm will accelerate opportunities to supply our APIs to the largest and most innovative pharmaceutical and consumer goods manufacturers in the world,” said Mish.

  • Italy to Ban Indoor Vaping

    Italy to Ban Indoor Vaping

    Image: metamorworks | Adobe Stock

    Italy’s health minister, Orazio Schillaci, announced new measures against tobacco to prevent smoking and achieve a “tobacco-free generation,” reports Euractiv.

    “Measures will have to be taken to guarantee all citizens maximum protection of their health, a fundamental right of the individual and an interest of the community,” said Schillaci.

    Smoking rooms indoors will be banned, and the ban on smoking in open-air places in the presence of minors and pregnant women will be extended.

    E-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products will also be included in the ban, taking into account “the constantly increasing diffusion of new products on the market and the growing evidence on their possible harmful effects on health.” Plans to extend the cigarette advertising ban to new nicotine-containing products are also in place.

    “This process aims to allow the different multiple interests related to tobacco products, involving economic ministries, not to override health protection,” Schillaci said.

  • Calls for Scotland to Ban Disposables

    Calls for Scotland to Ban Disposables

    Image: ArieStudio | Adobe Stock

    A lawmaker in Scotland is calling for a ban on disposable vapes “after Scotland’s streets became a plastic dumping ground,” reports the Daily Record.

    Gillian Mackay of the Scottish Green Party said city parks have become clogged up by disposable plastic vaping products, which experts say are a threat to children’s health and a menace to wildlife, and she will urge the government to introduce a ban on disposable plastic vapes.

    Mackay warned that the single-use devices were turning up more and more on streets and in beach clean-ups—and claimed they could become “the cotton bud of their time.”

    The call comes after the Scottish government last year banned most types of single-use plastics as part of efforts to shift to a “circular economy” with fewer items wasted. However, last year’s measure excluded disposable e-cigarettes, which have seen a 14-fold increase in use compared with more eco-friendly rechargeable products.

    Mackay recently also called for a ban on flavored vaping products and all advertising for vaping products.

    Research last year found that 1.3 million single-use vapes are being discarded every week in the U.K., enough to cover 22 football pitches—an average of two thrown away every second.

    Recycling the products is tricky as inside the plastic are valuable lithium batteries. Campaigners say the number of batteries chucked away would be enough to power 1,200 electric cars.

  • Vape Group Calls for Stakeholder Input

    Vape Group Calls for Stakeholder Input

    Image: Vlad | Adobe Stock

    The Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine-Delivery System Traders Association (BENDSTA) called on authorities to consult with all stakeholders before making any policy decisions on vaping, reports The Business Standard.

    During a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday, the organization also called for excluding vaping and other electronic nicotine-delivery system products from the proposed amendment of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Control Act 2005, according to a press release.

    The BENDSTA fears that a ban on vaping will jeopardize the prime minister’s vision of making the country tobacco-free by 2040.

    Many former smokers who successfully quit smoking cigarettes using vaping devices might resort back to smoking traditional cigarettes again if vaping gets banned in the country, the organization warned.

    Not only will this increase the number of smokers in the country, but the government will also lose the opportunity to balance its health and revenue agenda from an emerging sector, BENDSTA speakers said.

    BENDSTA President Masud Uz Zaman criticized the country’s health authorities for not including the association as relevant stakeholders in the process of developing such a crucial policy framework.

    “If any amendment is proposed regarding vaping, we are definitely an important stakeholder. It is unreasonable to not take our opinion and completely exclude us from the lawmaking process. Despite sending letters to the Ministry of Health repeatedly, they have refrained to sit with us to discuss the issue,” Zaman said.

    Zaman stressed that these tobacco harm reduction products should be made legal and regulated sensibly to achieve the prime minister’s vision of a tobacco-free nation.

    The proposed amendments called for a total ban on vaping products.

  • FDA Launches Online Vaping Resource Center

    FDA Launches Online Vaping Resource Center

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched the Vaping Prevention and Education Resource Center, which provides free science-based, standards-mapped materials that teachers can use to help their students understand the risks associated with vaping and nicotine addiction. The Center for Tobacco Products also developed free materials for parents and teens.

    Teachers will find lesson plans, interactive tools, infographics and videos with tobacco facts and tips about how to teach teens about the dangers of vaping.

    Parents will find fact sheets, videos and resources to help them understand and recognize vapes, talk with their children and keep the conversation going over time.

    According to the FDA, students will find real-life stories and relatable content to help them understand vaping, nicotine addiction, common myths about vapes and how to say no to vaping.

    The resource center will be continuously updated, according to the FDA.

  • Mexico Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Mexico Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Image: sezerozger | Adobe Stock

    Mexico has banned smoking in public places, reports Mexico News Daily.

    The country has also prohibited the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products, which means that cigarettes cannot be displayed inside shops. E-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products are also facing tighter new restrictions, particularly indoors, as per BBC. Last year, Mexico banned the import, sale and distribution of vaping and heated-tobacco products.

    Several other Latin American countries have also passed legislation to create smoke-free public spaces. Last year, for example, Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo also signed legislation banning the sale of vapor products in his country.

    However, Mexico’s legislation is considered to be the most wide-ranging in the Americas.

    Critics have cautioned against unintended consequences. Given the prevalence of corruption in Mexico, they fear that some police officers will use the smoking ban as a pretext for demanding bribes.

  • BAT Named Global Top Employer

    BAT Named Global Top Employer

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    BAT has been certified as a Global Top Employer for the sixth consecutive year, according to the company.

    Certification is granted by the Top Employers Institute, an independent organization that studies the employee offerings of major employers around the world.

    “We are delighted to have been recognized once again as a Global Top Employer,” said Hae In Kim, director of talent, culture and inclusion at BAT. “Our people are our most important asset as we strive to build ‘A Better Tomorrow.’ The BAT ethos sets a clear direction for us to enable a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, and we are committed to attracting, developing and retaining a talented workforce by putting our people first.”

    In 2023, BAT has been named as a Top Employer in a total of 37 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Certification this year marks the first time BAT’s U.S. subsidiary, Reynolds American Inc., has been named as a Top Employer in the United States.

  • Altria to Conduct Civil Rights Assessment

    Altria to Conduct Civil Rights Assessment

    Image: nanzeeba | Adobe Stock

    Altria Group will conduct an equity and civil rights assessment, according to a company press release. The assessment follows last year’s passage of a shareholder proposal recommending Altria commission a civil rights equity audit and seeks to address feedback received from recent robust shareholder engagement.

    The assessment will review Altria’s policies, practices, programs and services intended to address the harm associated with tobacco use and the effectiveness of the company’s harm reduction efforts, including underage tobacco use prevention programs, tobacco cessation support, responsible marketing practices and regulatory engagement and public policy. The assessment will include an evaluation of these policies, practices, programs and services on communities of color and youth as well as the company’s inclusion, diversity and equity (ID&E) progress.

    The assessment will be led by Altria and overseen by an external advisory review board consisting of third-party, independent members who possess relevant expertise in fields such as civil rights, ID&E, legal/law enforcement, public policy, public health and youth development. The external advisory review board will advise on and oversee the assessment, including the scope, stakeholder engagement and, ultimately, the presentation of the findings in a published report, which will be subject to assurance by a third-party firm.

    Altria plans to post on its website a report discussing the results of the assessment within 12 months from when the assessment begins.

  • Zimbabwe Keen to Move up the Value Chain

    Zimbabwe Keen to Move up the Value Chain

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The Zimbabwe government has put in place modalities to ensure value addition for tobacco before export, reports the Zimbabwe Independent.

    The government plans to reach its USD5 billion tobacco industry goal by 2025 through beneficiation of the crop, according to Anxious Masuka, minister of lands, agriculture, water and rural resettlement.

    “What we want to do is to ensure that there is more value addition and beneficiation of tobacco. We export 98 percent of our tobacco in raw form, thereby exporting jobs and value. It is estimated that we produce more than 200 million kilograms of tobacco, and as it crosses the border, the same tobacco fetches USD15 billion, and we only get USD1 billion,” Masuka said.

    “Our tobacco is worth billions on the international market, but as Zimbabwe, we only get USD1 billion. So the government has now put in place the transformation plan to ensure that we increase the volume and also value add so that by 2025 we can have a USD5 billion industry.”

    In 2022, Zimbabwe earned USD650 million, up from USD589 million in 2021.

  • Vape Merchants Must Register with BIR

    Vape Merchants Must Register with BIR

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has requested that vape merchants register their businesses to avoid serious consequences in the future, reports the Manila Bulletin.

    Criminal tax evasion charges will be filed against merchants that do not comply with revenue regulations, according to BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. Tax evasion charges were previously brought against five major importers and distributors of vapor products, totaling over PHP1 billion ($18.2 million).

    Under the law, first-time offenders face a fine of PHP2 million and up to two years in jail. Second-time offenders face a fine of PHP4 million and up to four years in jail. Third-time offenders face a fine of PHP5 million and up to six years in jail. Foreign nationals caught breaking the law would face immediate deportation after serving the appropriate jail term.