Author: Taco Tuinstra

  • PCA and Cigar Academy Partner in Education

    PCA and Cigar Academy Partner in Education

    Photo: PCA/CA

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) and The Cigar Academy announced a strategic partnership to offer comprehensive educational programs and certifications for cigar industry professionals and enthusiasts. This collaboration gives PCA members a new way to learn about the cigar industry and its processes through online modules and in-person workshops.

    The Cigar Academy’s educational program has been designed and endorsed by cigar makers and professionals from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras and Mexico.

    “We firmly believe in the power of education to protect and grow the cigar industry. This partnership with The Cigar Academy will bring immense value to our retail members and our newly formed alliance,” said PCA CEO Joshua Habursky in a statement. “This partnership is part of a slate of new programs and partnerships where the association works with existing stakeholders rather than reinventing the wheel.”

    Founded by Ricardo Carioni and Thomas Gryson, The Cigar Academy is committed to delivering accessible and rigorous cigar education. “For all cigar lovers seeking authentic knowledge about the cultural heritage and artisanal traditions of the cigar world, The Cigar Academy is the ultimate source,” said Carioni. “Shared and accessible knowledge is power. Through this partnership, we aim to provide education for everyone—from cigar and nontobacco businesses to policymakers and aficionados—while ensuring that the true cigar culture is preserved and protected from misguided regulations.”

    “Our mission is to offer everyone direct access to knowledge and expertise through courses crafted together with those who run factories and farms of renowned cigar companies, done with precision and care,” said Gryson. “We are honored to have the endorsement of legendary cigar makers, and our goal is to lead individuals toward formal certification through their knowledge and guidance.”

  • Contractors Required to Supply Tree Seedlings

    Contractors Required to Supply Tree Seedlings

    Photo: Joao Bispo

    Starting this season, tobacco contractors operating in Zimbabwe will be required to supply their growers with tree seedlings to establish woodlots, reports The Herald. The goal is to provide tobacco farmers with a sustainable source of curing fuel.

    The shift from commercial tobacco farming to small-scale production in Zimbabwe has put considerable pressure on the country’s forest cover, given that smallholders tend to use wood rather than coal in their operations.

    As Zimbabwe aims to increase tobacco cultivation under the government’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, it is at pains to minimize the environmental impact of growth.

    The requirement to provide seedlings is part of a number of Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) initiatives to promote sustainability.

    TIMB acting CEO Emmanuel Matsvaire said his organization was promoting best agricultural practices, environmental management and social and human rights to improve socioeconomic conditions for tobacco growers and their communities.

  • N. Ireland: Eight Out of 10 Vapers Never Age-Verified

    N. Ireland: Eight Out of 10 Vapers Never Age-Verified

    Image: CupOfSpring

    Around 80 percent of vapers say they have never been asked for age verification in Northern Ireland, reports The Irish News, citing new research. The share is the highest in the U.K., where on average 45 percent of surveyed vapers said they had never been asked to prove their age.

    Belfast, Norwich and Plymouth are the top cities that fail to ask vapers for ID during purchase while Newcastle, Southampton and Birmingham ask the most. The survey of 1,000 e-cigarette users also showed that females are asked for age verification more frequently than males.

    Supermarkets performed the worst, with 48 percent of respondents in the U.K. stating that they have never been asked to prove their age when purchasing a vape in such venues.

    The U.K. Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to crack down on underage sales. Under the legislation, retailers risk fines of up to £2,500 if found to have sold vapes to minors.

    “As the Tobacco and Vapes Bill rolls out, it is vital that retailers take more responsibility to ensure vaping products do not end up in the hands of children,” said David Phillips from Vape Superstore, which commissioned the survey.

    “Our survey shows that, on the whole, e-cigarette users support stricter age verification, which suggests everyone believes that safeguarding children during this process is a top priority.

    “E-cigarettes are meant to help aid adult smokers quit, not encourage children to start nicotine-replacement therapy.”

  • Armenia Thwarts Cigarette Smuggling

    Armenia Thwarts Cigarette Smuggling

    Image: Gevorg Simonyan

    Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC) has foiled an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of cigarettes into the country, reports Panorama.

    In an Oct. 25 statement, the SRC said its employees were told that a large quantity of tobacco products could be hidden in a truck transporting cargo from Iran.

    After inspecting the truck driven by an Armenian citizen, they discovered 68,500 packs of cigarettes without excise tax stamps hidden beneath bags of cement.

    Preliminary calculations suggest the shipment had evaded AMD22.5 million ($58,128) in excise taxes.

  • University of Louisville to Host THR Course

    University of Louisville to Host THR Course

    Image: 4kclips

    The University of Louisville School of Medicine will host a continuing education course on tobacco harm reduction (THR).

    The program educates healthcare professionals about less-hazardous alternatives to cigarettes that still satisfy a smoker’s desire for nicotine/tobacco satisfaction. Rather than promoting medical intervention, the course equips health professionals to offer lifestyle options, especially to smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit nicotine/tobacco entirely.

    This program covers the following in five one-hour recorded PowerPoint presentations. Dozens of links to primary source materials demonstrating the critical public health value of THR are included.

    • Nicotine: Correcting misperceptions
    • Smoking and vaping in the U.S.
    • Risks of smokeless tobacco use and cigar smoking explained
    • Risks of e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco explained
    • Tobacco harm reduction can work: Evidence from around the world

     For more information, visit: https://louisville.edu/medicine/cme/credits/tobacco-harm-reduction.

  • Record Number of Illegal Factories Raided in Belgium

    Record Number of Illegal Factories Raided in Belgium

    Photo: Europol

    Belgian authorities on Oct. 21 dismantled the 11th illegal cigarette factory since the start of 2024, reports The Brussels Times, citing an announcement by the Ministry of Finance. Nineteen suspects from Ukraine, Romania and Lithuania were taken into custody for questioning.

    Police and customs seized around 11 tons of tobacco and 5.6 million Rothmans and Marlboro Touch cigarettes. If sold legally, the products would have yielded the state €6.2 million in tax receipts.

    While this marks a new record number of illicit manufacturers uncovered within a year, it does not necessarily reflect an increase in criminal activity, according to Ministry of Finance spokesperson Florence Angelici. “We know what we catch,” he was quoted as saying.

    However, Angelici acknowledged that there has been a general increase in demand for cheap illegal cigarettes, due in part to the rising prices of tobacco products.

    Around 13 percent of illicit cigarettes in the EU were consumed in Belgium last year, according to a report commissioned by Philip Morris International. Angelici highlighted that many of the cigarettes produced in the country are not intended for domestic sales, but tend to be smuggled to countries to high-price markets such as the U.K. and France.

    Belgium’s proximity to leading illegal cigarette markets, as well as its ports and large road networks, make it “very interesting” destination for those involved not only in the production but also I  tbe smuggling of illicit products, said Angelici.

    According to him, the illicit cigarette trade is a well-organized criminal activity. “You will have people specialized in installing machines; then those who will bring trucks. It’s a logistic network,” he said.

    Tackling the issue on a European or global scale can be difficult due to the different national legislations.

     Almost 205 million cigarettes were seized in Belgium in 2024. This represents around €96 million in evaded tax, according to the Ministry of Finance.

  • ITC Misses Profit Estimate

    ITC Misses Profit Estimate

    ITC’s profit rose 3 percent to INR50.78 billion ($604.2 million) in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, missing estimates of INR51.14 billion, reports Reuters. The company cited subdued demand conditions, unusually heavy rains in parts of India and a sharp escalation in certain input costs, among other factors.

    Higher prices of raw materials, such as tobacco leaf and crude oil, also weighed on the consumer goods sector’s earnings for the July-September period. The increase in leaf tobacco prices was partly mitigated through improved mix, calibrated pricing and strategic cost management, according to ITC.

    In the cigarette business, net segment revenue was up 7.3 percent. ITC said the business continues to counter illicit trade and make strategic portfolio and market interventions “with focus on competitive belts to reinforce market standing.”

    The company also noted in a statement that recent stability in cigarette taxes, backed by deterrent enforcement, enabled volume recovery for the legal cigarette industry from illicit trade, leading to higher demand for Indian tobaccos and bolstering revenue to the exchequer from the tobacco sector.

  • UKVIA Urges Balance in Vape Legislation

    UKVIA Urges Balance in Vape Legislation

    The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has warned policymakers ahead of the Tobacco & Vapes Bill that it has to strike the right balance between introducing new vaping legislation and ensuring that it does not deter smokers from giving up by switching to considerably less harmful vapes.

    On Oct. 24, the U.K. government announced that disposable vapes will be banned from June next year,

    In a statement, the UKVIA reminded policymakers that vaping and disposable vapes have made a huge contribution to bringing down smoking rates amongst adults to the lowest levels on record in recent years.

    “We recognize that disposable vapes have divided opinion, but their accessibility and convenience, particularly amongst low income groups who are the most prevalent smokers, should not be forgotten and highlights the careful balancing act required in future legislation so that it does not penalize those adult smokers that want to give up by using vapes, which have been evidenced to be the most effective method in quitting cigarettes,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA.

    “We have not shied away from the fact that the environmental impact and youth vaping challenges associated with disposables need to be addressed head on. Also, this announcement does nothing to stop the import of disposable vapes, which means there is a ready supply entering the country which will make their way onto the black market.

    “Bans are not the answer as we’ve seen in other parts of the world, such as Australia, as they will only boost the black market which will pose significant risks to young people and the environment.

    This announcement does nothing to stop the import of disposable vapes, which means there is a ready supply entering the country which will make their way onto the black market.

    John Dunne, director general, UKVIA

    “What’s needed is greater enforcement of current laws in place which make it a legal requirement for vape traders not to sell to children under the age of 18 and to comply with environmental legislation such as the WEEE regulations. However, recent Freedom of Information requests sent to Trading Standards nationally, the Environmental Agency and Office for Product Safety and Standards shows extremely low levels of enforcement in terms of the penalties and prosecutions that would make rogue traders think twice about breaking the law.”

    “It’s why we have campaigned for a vape retailer and distributor licensing scheme. To qualify for a license, retailers will need to show they have put measures in place to prevent the sale of vapes to minors. Distributors will also need to ensure they are meeting environmental obligations, as well as ensuring they only stock and sell compliant goods. As part of this scheme we are also calling for up to £10,000 [$12,976)] and £100,000 fines for retailers and distributors respectively who break the law, and together with the money that the licensing scheme will raise—estimated to be £50 million—this will be used to fund the level of enforcement that is required.”

  • Oregon Court Strikes Down Vape Packaging Law

    Oregon Court Strikes Down Vape Packaging Law

    Image: Alexander Berdyugin

    The Oregon Court of Appeals on Oct. 16 struck down a law restricting the packaging of vape and cannabis products on the grounds that the legislation unconstitutionally restricts free speech, reports Keller & Heckman.

    The contested law prohibited an “inhalant delivery system” from being packaged “in a manner that is attractive to minors.” Subsequently, the Oregon Health Authority banned the use of cartoons, celebrities and other representations that are likely to appeal to minors.

    It also restricted descriptive words for flavors that are likely to appeal to minors, such as tart, tangy or sweet. In addition to a comprehensive list of items explicitly prohibited from packaging, the rule includes a general catch-all restriction to include any presentation, shape, graphic, coloring or writing that is likely to appeal to minors.

    Plaintiffs Paul Bates and No Moke Daddy argued that the packaging restrictions were overly broad and unconstitutionally vague and infringed on their right to free speech by prohibiting truthful, non-misleading communication.

    the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s dismissal of the challenge, noting that the law violates free speech as outlined in the Oregon Constitution.

    The Court of Appeals explained that selling products is a form of communicative behavior that may involve protected speech. The court stated that the law restricting “attractive” packaging is reasonably interpreted to refer to the communicative aspects of the packaging and not its functionality. Thus, the packaging restrictions are a direct restriction on expressive speech.

  • President Wants Higher Tobacco Sales Age

    President Wants Higher Tobacco Sales Age

    Photo courtesy of Syed Rashid Alli

    The president of Maldives wants to raise the legal age for the sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21, reports The Edition.

    In a post on the social media platform X, Mohamed Muizzu announced that he will propose amendments to the Tobacco Control Act as part of efforts to discourage young people from adopting tobacco use.

    The revisions will also include stricter enforcement measures to address violations of the law.

    Earlier this month, Muizzu announced a ban on the sale and use of vapes starting Dec. 15, with instructions to relevant authorities to take action on November 14.

    The amendment includes a 50 percent tax on electronic tobacco products and a charge of MVR8 ($0.51) per sticker. It also calls for an MVR8 fee for flavors and chemicals added to tobacco products.