Author: Marissa Dean

Myanmar to Implement Standardized Packaging

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Myanmar is set to implement the Standardized Packaging Notification that was issued by the country’s Ministry of Health Oct. 12, 2021, according to Eco-Business.
The notification will go into effect April 10, 2022, followed by a 90-day phase out period for old tobacco packaging; old packaging must be phased out by July 12, 2022.
New packaging must be a standardized dull dark brown color, be flat, smooth and devoid of any attractive colors, designs or decorative elements. Pictorial health warnings are required to cover 75 percent of the packaging’s front and back surfaces. Tobacco product packages include boxes, cases, cartons, etc.
“With standardized packaging, Myanmar will be implementing a highly effective public health policy that will help denormalize tobacco use,” said Ulysses Dorotheo, executive director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance. “We look forward to the full and strict implementation of this regulation and call on the government to swiftly identify and penalize any tobacco company that does not comply by the April 10 deadline.”
“Standardized packaging is a cost-effective and strategic way to discourage tobacco use; it prevents the tobacco industry from using packaging to attract consumers in a creative but deceptive way. Pictorial health warnings more effectively convey to the public the dangers of tobacco use,” said Dorotheo.
April 8, 2022
Study: Vape Bans Lead to More Smoking

Photo: motortion
A new study in Value in Health shows that local vape bans are leading to higher rates of combustible cigarette smoking, according to Filter.
The study used state-level cigarette sales data, showing that Massachusetts had 7.5 percent higher than expected per capita cigarette sales following a full ban on nicotine vapor products. Rhode Island and Washington, which both enacted nontobacco-flavored nicotine vape bans, showed an average estimate of 4.6 percent higher than expected per capita cigarette sales.
Researchers suggested that an additional 3.4 million cigarette packs were sold through convenience stores in those states during the three-month study period.
The study was funded by Juul Labs.
April 8, 2022
Canada Proposes Federal Vape Tax

Photo: Roman R
The Canadian government has proposed the country’s first federal vape tax, which would take effect Oct. 1 if passed, according to Vaping360.
The tax applies only to nicotine-containing products, including pod-style and cartridge-style refills, disposable vapes and bottled e-liquids as well as nicotine base for DIY liquids. It does not apply to hardware that is sold without e-liquids. The tax also includes an option for Canadian provinces to add on their own, equally large, taxes.
Vaping products would see a tax of CAD1 ($0.97) per 2 mL for the first 10 mL of e-liquid in any sealed container and $1 per 10 mL for additional liquid in the same container. Sealed pods would be taxed separately at a minimum of $1 per pod.
Retailers would have until Jan. 1, 2023, to sell any untaxed stock they still have on Oct. 1 when the law would go into effect.
The tax is awaiting a vote by Parliament’s House of Commons, which is expected to take place either at the end of April or beginning of May.
April 8, 2022
PactAct POS Wants to Help Businesses

Photo: PactAct POS
The Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act has caused issues for some businesses trying to navigate the new regulatory landscape. PactAct POS is offering cloud-based software that includes integration with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce in hope of helping businesses remain in operation legally, according to a company press release.
“Pact Act vape compliance can be an overwhelming process for companies,” explained Terrence Johnathan, vice president of shipping and logistics for PactAct POS. “In some cases, the requirements are causing small businesses to shut down or stop shipping directly to consumers, which is hurting both consumers and manufacturers.”
PactAct POS provides registration, reporting, shipping and logistics, and government relations services.
PactAct POS is also releasing the PACT Act Survival Guide for 2022, a free e-book that focuses on PACT Act planning and strategies for 2022 and beyond.
“There are so many hoops to jump though,” said Johnathan. “We’ve worked with clients dealing with the vape mail ban [and] every kind of scenario, and we’ve been with them every step of the way. These companies don’t have to go at it alone. They just need to ask for help.”
PactAct POS is a cloud-based platform that automates PACT Act compliance for more than 250 businesses.
March 18, 2022
Denmark to Consider Sales Ban for Those Born After 2010

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Denmark is considering a tobacco sales ban for anyone born after 2010, reports The Guardian and Geo News.
“Our hope is that all people born in 2010 and later will never start smoking or using nicotine-based products,” Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said. “If necessary, we are ready to ban the sale (of these products) to this generation by progressively raising the age limit.”
The current age of purchase is 18 years old. The health ministry stated that about 31 percent of 15-year-olds to 29-year-olds smoke.
A Danish Cancer Society poll showed that 64 percent of those surveyed were in favor of the proposed ban, with 67 percent being between the ages of 18 and 34.
Denmark’s proposed ban would be similar to that recently enacted in New Zealand, which will progressively raise the purchase age limit.
March 18, 2022
Indian Growers Hopeful for Better Prices

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
As tobacco auctions began in Prakasam and Nellore, Indian tobacco farmers are hoping to see better than average prices for their leaf during the 2021–2022 season, reports The Hindu.
Farmers had a hard time marketing leaf the past two years due to lower demand caused by the economic crisis and uncertainties due to Covid-19.
“We hope to make a kill[ing] this year, thanks to the lifting of pandemic restrictions. There are no logistic problems that were witnessed in the last two years when Covid cases were at peak,” said a group of farmers waiting for buyers at the Ongole I auction platform. Exporters have not entered the market yet due to the lack of confirmed orders from their counterparts overseas.
“The exporters are expected to enter the market during next week when the bales put for auction will be stepped up from the present 200 to 300 in each auction platform to 500 to 600,” SLS Regional Manager D. Venugopal assured the farmers, who were worried over nonparticipation in the auctions by all the registered traders.
March 18, 2022
Study Shows Vaping Alters Mouth Microbes

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Researchers at New York University led by Deepak Saxena and Xin Li conducted a study to compare oral microbiomes of smokers and vapers, according to the National Institutes of Health.
During the study, 27 smokers, 28 e-cigarette users and 29 nonsmokers were examined over six months. All participants had at least mild gum disease at the beginning of the study, and none had their teeth cleaned during the study period.
Researchers compared the types of bacteria found where the gums meet the teeth at the beginning and end of the six-month study. They also compared markers of inflammation and immune cell activity.
The number of unique bacterial species living in and around the gums increased for all participants during the study. This can be a sign of gum disease getting worse.
The specific types of microbes found in the oral microbiomes differed substantially between the three groups. There was a core set of species common among the groups, but each also had unique features. They were so distinct that a machine-learning program could use the oral microbiome to predict which group people were in with 74 percent accuracy.
However, the program was least accurate at picking out e-cigarette users. The patterns of their oral microbes shared characteristics with both smokers and nonsmokers, with slightly more similarities to smokers. Unique traits among e-cigarette users included enrichment with Fusobacterium and Bacteroidales species, both of which are linked to gum disease.
“We are now beginning to understand how e-cigarettes and the chemicals they contain are changing the oral microbiome and disrupting the balance of bacteria,” Saxena says.
March 18, 2022
Belgium Shuts Down Illegal Cigarette Factory

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Belgian Customs, with the help of Europol’s European Financial Economic Crime Center (EFECC), raided and shut down an illegal cigarette manufacturing factory in a former pet hotel in Arlon, Belgium, according to Europol.
Belgian authorities seized the complete cigarette manufacturing machinery and arrested 14 workers, mainly from Eastern Europe. Also seized were 4 tons of tobacco and 2 million counterfeit cigarettes.
Additionally, 40 million counterfeit cigarettes were seized in trailers in an industrial area in Duffel, Belgium. These cigarettes were presumed to have been manufactured at the illegal factory in Arlon and were most likely destined for the black market in France and the U.K.
French Customs was also involved in the investigation, seizing over 25 tons of cigarettes and 16 tons of tobacco from the same organized crime group in the city of La Longueville.
March 18, 2022
Hangsen Sued Over Synthetic Nicotine

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Zanoprima Lifesciences filed a complaint for patent infringement against Hangsen International Group in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas. In its complaint, Zanoprima Lifesciences alleges that Hangsen has violated its patent titled “Process for Making (S)-Nicotine” through Hangsen’s manufacture and importation into the U.S. market of products containing synthetic nicotine that are manufactured using Zanoprima Lifesciences’ process, according to a press release.
“Over many years, Zanoprima has invested substantial time, resources, intellectual capital and scientific expertise into developing Zanoprima’s groundbreaking enzymatic patented process for synthesizing an (S)-nicotine that is devoid of tobacco-specific nitrosamines and other impurities,” said Ashok Narasimhan, CEO of Zanoprima. “Zanoprima’s legal action reflects our company’s dedication to vigorously protecting our intellectual property in the U.S. and around the world.”
Zanoprima’s complaint alleges that, after publication of Zanoprima’s patent, Hangsen filed a Chinese patent application describing a process that copied the process invented by Zanoprima. But, as alleged in the complaint, Hangsen’s patent application was rejected by the Chinese Patent Office in June 2021, citing Zanoprima’s patent as prior art. The complaint also alleges Hangsen imports into the U.S. from China and sells products containing “alleged high-purity synthetic (S)-nicotine and nicotine products that are marketed and sold under various names, including as MOTiVO Synthetic S-Nicotine,” and that such imported products “are manufactured by a process that practices every step of claim 1” of the Zanoprima patent.
In addition to seeking damages for infringement, Zanoprima’s complaint seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief to prevent Hangsen from continuing its infringing actions.
March 18, 2022
Imperial Launches Vaping Campaign

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Imperial Tobacco Canada has launched a campaign called Let’s Clear the Smoke with the goal of educating Canadian adults on the facts about vapor products and the role these products can play in reducing risks compared to cigarettes, according to BAT.
Let’s Clear the Smoke provides information about the latest in vapor product science and aims to allow Canadian adults to take a more informed view when considering their stance on vaping products and other less risky alternatives to smoking.
This campaign is driven by a combination of mass out of home media placements and digital ads to drive awareness and website traffic. The campaign lasts for 10 weeks and will be the first of a range of initiatives to drive the acceptance of tobacco harm reduction in Canada.
“There is a lack of understanding out there about vapor products, especially when it comes to the positive role they can play in tobacco harm reduction,” said Ralf Wittenberg, president and CEO of Imperial Tobacco Canada. “I think this misunderstanding is due to the fact that the vast majority of people don’t have access to accurate, credible and independent information.
“The purpose of this campaign is to educate Canadian adults on the facts about vapor products by providing access to credible, factual and independent information.”
March 18, 2022