Author: Marissa Dean

  • FITA Wants More Engagement

    FITA Wants More Engagement

    Image: Aerial Mike

    The Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) chairperson, Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, has expressed that the organization would like to see more government engagement with manufacturers before policy amendments are made. This follows news of the Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill of 2018 being submitted to Parliament by the Cabinet, according to The South African.

    The bill proposes 100 percent smoke-free indoor areas and designated outdoor smoking areas as well as cigarette packaging changes. The FITA represents 80 percent of cigarette manufacturers in South Africa, and Mnguni stated that the proposed changes will lead to fiscal challenges for FITA members and the whole of the tobacco industry.

    “FITA and its members hope and trust that these measures will be introduced after full consultation with all the role players in the industry and not just those big companies that seem to hold much sway over certain government officials,” said Mnguni.

    “We are of the opinion that communication between our industry and government and its institutions continues to be monopolized, dominated and controlled by multinational cigarette manufacturers,” Mnguni said.

    “There is still a lot of noncompliance in the tobacco industry along the value chain, particularly following the five-month-long tobacco ban, and we hope that government will employ greater resources in future to protect the legitimate industry and to ensure that issues such as the rampant smuggling of cigarettes, which robs our fiscus of billions, are eradicated.”

  • UPM Raflatac and Logopak Collaborate

    UPM Raflatac and Logopak Collaborate

    Image: thodonal

    The label manufacturer UPM Raflatac and the industrial labeling and identification solutions provider Logopak have agreed on a collaboration, which provides the first robust linerless solution in print and apply labeling.

    With linerless labeling, omitting the label liner significantly increases the running length and capacity of the label rolls, saves costs and benefits the environment by reducing the carbon dioxide footprint in production and logistics, according to a joint press release. As a first step, the collaboration will improve the automatic labeling of secondary packaging.

    The benefits of the collaboration for customers are realized through the compatibility between Logopak’s linerless labeling technology and UPM Raflatac’s Linerless Opticut label material.

    “We have been determined to develop linerless labeling to new heights to drive both sustainability and efficiency. By joining the forces with Logopak, we can accelerate these advancements and offer first-class solutions also in the field of automated labeling,” said Ville Pollari, business segment director of paper laminates EMEIA for UPM Raflatac.

    “Our vision is to make industrial labeling consistently sustainable in order to improve the eco-balance in an efficient way. By close cooperation with UPM Raflatac, we achieve a perfect interaction in the field of linerless labeling technology, which enables us to offer complete solutions for our customers, from machinery and software until consumables. This underlines our mission to make business ‘Faster. Safer. Greener,’” says Patrick Petersen-Lund, product manager for Logopak.

  • Cuba: Tobacco Fields Destroyed in Hurricane

    Cuba: Tobacco Fields Destroyed in Hurricane

    Image: ronniechua

    Cuba faced power outages across the entire island as well as the destruction of some of the country’s most important tobacco farms when Hurricane Ian hit the island’s western tip on Tuesday, reports AP.

    Energy has been restored to three regions, and the Energy and Mines Ministry is working to get others back online. As of Wednesday morning, Havana, the country’s capital, was still without power.

    Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, devastating Pinar del Rio province, where much of the tobacco used for Cuban cigars is grown.

    Tens of thousands of people were evacuated, and others fled the area ahead of the arrival of Ian. So far, no fatalities have been reported.

    Ian’s winds damaged one of Cuba’s most prestigious tobacco farms, Finca Robaina. “It was apocalyptic, a real disaster,” said Hirochi Robaina, owner of the farm.

    Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited the affected region, telling the population, “Although the first impact is very painful, there’s nothing to do but overcome the adversity.”

  • China: Flavored Vape Ban Takes Effect

    China: Flavored Vape Ban Takes Effect

    Image: Arcady

    China’s ban on flavored vapor products takes effect on Oct. 1 along with other new vaping product standards that were decided on earlier this year, reports Vaping360.

    In November 2021, Chinese law was amended to bring the vapor industry under control of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), which regulates China’s tobacco products.

    Vapers are rushing to buy and hoard flavored vapor products before the ban takes effect on Saturday, according to Vaping360. It is not clear yet if the ban will create a large black market in the country; China is known to punish illicit sellers harshly.

    Products meant for export will not have to meet Chinese standards unless the destination country does not have its own specific standards.

    China’s new rules also require domestic e-cigarette manufacturers and traders to obtain a license before operating their business, according to The Global Times.

    E-cigarettes cannot be sold to customers under 18, and the sale points cannot be near schools or kindergartens. Warning signs must also be placed at the e-cigarette sale points, and self-service sales are banned.

    Manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of e-cigarettes, vaporizers and e-liquid are required to conduct their business on specific platforms that are subject to STMA supervision.

    The rules also forbid the advertising of e-cigarettes in the mass media or in public places.

    The iiMedia Research Institute expects China’s e-cigarette market to be worth RMB25.52 billion ($3.57 billion) by the end of 2022 and RMB45.43 billion by the end of 2023.

  • Los Angeles Bans Sale of Flavored Tobacco

    Los Angeles Bans Sale of Flavored Tobacco

    Photo: imagecatalog | Adobe Stock

    The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to end the sale of nontobacco-flavored tobacco products—including flavored e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

    The council’s action will make Los Angeles the largest city in the country to end the sale of flavored tobacco products, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK). Los Angeles joins over 120 California communities that have taken similar action.

    The legislation will now move to Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is expected to sign it, according to Filter. If passed, the ban would go into effect in January 2023.

    Mitch O’Farrell, the councilmember who introduced the legislation, tweeted after the vote went through, “We just took a huge step forward against Big Tobacco’s deadly agenda in Los Angeles. This morning, I led the City Council’s unanimous approval of a prohibition on the sale of flavored tobacco to everyone 21 and younger in LA, making us the largest city in California and the nation to take this kind of action against these products.”

    The ban applies to people of any age, however, not just those 21 and younger.  

    The ordinance also applies to zero-nicotine vapor products, but it does not, however, apply to hookah. “Normally, proponents and supporters of flavor bans will object heavily to … exemptions for hookah tobacco and lounges,” said Stefan Didak, a California-based vape advocate. “More often than not, an attempt at passing a ban fails because they withdraw their support.”

    “However, several of the major groups—including Annie Tegen, the vice president of state advocacy for CTFK—praised the council ahead of their vote on the amendments and congratulated them on doing the right thing,” Didak said. “Not a single word of dismay about the exemption for hookah lounges. I thought that was very much out of character.”

    Hookah lounge owners and retailers protested the ban, stating that it would eliminate a cultural tradition. It’s also speculated that the CTFK may have overlooked the exception of hookah in order to gain what they see as a big win with the LA ban, especially after years of back and forth trying to pass said ban.

  • Study: Vapes Have Higher Health Costs Than Smokes

    Study: Vapes Have Higher Health Costs Than Smokes

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter Archive

    The use of electronic cigarettes costs the United States $15 billion annually in healthcare expenditures—more than $2,000 per person a year—according to a study by researchers at the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing.

    The study, published on May 23 in Tobacco Control, is the first to look at the healthcare costs of e-cigarette use among adults 18 and older, according to the release.

    “Our finding indicates that healthcare expenditures for a person who uses e-cigarettes are $2,024 more per year than for a person who doesn’t use any tobacco products,” said lead author Yingning Wang of the UCSF Institute for Health and Aging.

    According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, combustible cigarette smoking-related illness in the United States costs more than $300 billion each year, including more than $225 billion for direct medical care for adults.

    The researchers based their estimates of healthcare costs and utilization on data from the 2015–2018 National Health Interview Survey. Healthcare utilization included nights in the hospital, emergency room visits, doctor visits and home visits.

    “Healthcare costs attributable to e-cigarette use are already greater than our estimates of healthcare costs attributable to cigar and smokeless tobacco use,” said Wang. “This is a concerning finding given that e-cigarettes are a relatively new product whose impact is likely to increase over time.”

  • Latest PATH Data Files Released

    Latest PATH Data Files Released

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter Archive

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products and the National Institute of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse announced the availability and location of newly released and updated data files from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, including the following:

    New data sets:

    Updated datasets:

    The Wave 5.5 Special Collection data were collected from youth participants ages 13 to 19 between July and December 2020. Data in the PATH-ATS were collected between September and December 2020 from a subsample of adult participants ages 20 and older, complementing the Wave 5.5 Special Collection. Additionally, Restricted-Use Files have been updated to include Wave 5 Ever/Never Reference Data, and the Restricted-Use and Public-Use Master Linkage Files have been updated.

    Questions about the collection, content, weighting, documentation, or structure of PATH Study data (this excludes questions on statistical analysis or analytic guidance) may be submitted to PATHDataUserQuestions@Westat.com.

  • Malawi Makes $26 Million From Tobacco

    Malawi Makes $26 Million From Tobacco

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter Archive

    Malawi has sold 13 million kg of tobacco generating over $26 million during the ongoing tobacco sales at the country’s four tobacco floors, according to Malawi24.com.

    The Tobacco Commission (TC) has described the current situation in tobacco markets as “promising” despite challenges leading to low volumes of leaf.

    “For illustration purposes, burley tobacco grades of NG (nondescript) that would ordinarily be bought at the government’s set minimum price of $0.95 because of reflecting on its quality had been bought at a price as high as $1.76, which is 85 percent higher than the set minimum price,” said Joseph Chidanti Malunga, the TC’s CEO.

    “As of [May 18], the average price of the leaf was $2.04 per kg. We anticipate that we can get even better prices, but these are positive developments on the market.”

    “Even the rejection rate has tremendously reduced, and, in some cases, we don’t even have rejection. I went to Mzuzu [and] the other time Chinkhoma—there was no rejection at a particular point. So, this is exciting not just to the commission but [to] the growers as well,” he added.

    Chidanti Malunga indicated that this year the commission will only manage to sell at least 100 million kg of the product against the required 161 million kg, which he attributed to a change of rainfall patterns.

  • Bangladesh: MPs Want Tobacco-Free Country

    Bangladesh: MPs Want Tobacco-Free Country

    No Smoking Please sign on stone wall
    Photo: LadyInBlack | Adobe Stock

    About 40 Members of Parliament (MPs) adopted a declaration to achieve tobacco-free status in Bangladesh by 2040, according to The Dhaka Tribune.

    MP Habibe Millat presented the declaration at a media briefing on May 20, 2022, in Cox’s Bazar. The three-day Conference on Achieving a Tobacco-Free Bangladesh by 2040 was organized by the Bangladesh Parliamentary Forum for Health and Well-Being (BPFHW) at the Sea Pearl Resort. The conference was organized in association with the Shastho Shurokkha Foundation and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) Bangladesh. 

    Signed by Habibe, chairman of the BPFHW, the 16-point declaration acknowledged the progress on the commitment so far, recognized the urgent need for action and recommended some key actions to realize the vision.

    Officials noted progress through the Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act 2005, as amended in 2013, and the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Rules 2006 and 2015, which led to a reduction in overall adult smoking rates from 43.3 percent in 2009 to 35.3 percent in 2017.

  • FDA Names New CTP Director

    FDA Names New CTP Director

    Photo courtesy of Robert Califf’s Twitter

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has named Brian A. King as the new Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) director.

    “After a robust executive search, I have selected Dr. Brian A. King as FDA’s new Center for Tobacco Products Director,” Robert Califf wrote on Twitter. “Dr. King brings extensive and impressive expertise in tobacco prevention and control and has broad familiarity with FDA from his more than 10-year tenure at CDC.”

    King is the deputy director for research translation in the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) within the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this capacity, he is responsible for providing scientific leadership and technical expertise to CDC/OSH, the lead federal agency for comprehensive tobacco prevention and control.

    King joined the CDC in 2010 as an epidemic intelligence service officer before which he worked as a research affiliate in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York. During his time at Roswell Park, his primary research focus related to tobacco prevention and control.

    King has worked for over 15 years to provide sound scientific evidence to inform tobacco control policy and to effectively communicate this information to key stakeholders, including decision makers, the media and the general public. He has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles pertaining to tobacco prevention and control, was a contributing author to the “50th Anniversary Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health,” was the lead author of CDC’s 2014 update to the evidence-based state guide, “Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs,” and was the senior associate editor of the 2016 Surgeon General’s report, “E-cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults” and the 2020 Surgeon General’s report, “Smoking Cessation.” He was also the renior official for the CDC’s emergency response to the 2019 outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury.

    King holds a doctorate degree and a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.