Author: Taco Tuinstra

Study: Smoking Costs U.S. Economy Billions

Image: Elnur
Smoking cost the U.S. economy $891 billion in 2020, almost 10 times the cigarette industry’s revenue of $92 billion, reports Medical Xpress, citing a new American Cancer Society study.
“Economic losses from cigarette smoking far outweigh any economic benefit from the tobacco industry—wages, and salaries of those employed by the industry, tax revenue and industry profit combined,” said Nigar Nargis, senior scientific director of tobacco control research at the cancer society.
“As a society, we can mitigate these economic losses through coordinated and comprehensive evidence-based tobacco control measures, which encourage people to quit smoking and prevent people from starting to smoke in the first place,” Nargis said.
Researchers used economic modeling that measured economic loss from cigarette smoking by state. Kentucky, West Virginia and Arkansas showed the highest losses while Utah, Idaho and Arizona showed the lowest losses.
“The damage this industry causes on individuals’ lives and our nation’s economy is horrifying,” said Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
“It’s particularly alarming, but not surprising, to see some of the states with the highest economic loss have the weakest tobacco control policies in place,” Lacasse said. “We know what works to reduce tobacco use and lessen this burden, and it’s past time we get it done.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a goal of reducing smoking to 5 percent of adults by 2030. “The Healthy People 2030 goal provides an important target that will help reduce smoking and correspondingly the negative economic impact of tobacco use,” Nargis said.
October 3, 2022
Prescription Vaping Has Failed: Mendelsohn

Photo: makistock
Australia’s prescription-only model for nicotine vaping has failed, according to Colin Mendelsohn, founding chairman of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association. Writing in Filter, he urges the country to adopt a more realistic regulatory model for nicotine products.
In October 2021, the Australian government introduced a policy that requires nicotine vapers get a doctor’s prescription and purchase supplies exclusively from pharmacies or international online vendors.
The regulations were intended to prevent youth vaping and to allow access for adults as a smoking-cessation aid. One year on, the policy has achieved neither of those goals, according to a report prepared by Mendelsohn.
Instead, the rules have created a thriving illicit market for unregulated vaping products that do not comply with Australian standards. Meanwhile, vaping by adolescents has reportedly increased in Australia. With no age controls in an unregulated market, vaping products are easily accessible by teens from stores and through social media.

Nicotine liquid should be an adult consumer product, sold from licensed retail outlets such as vape shops, convenience stores, tobacconists and general stores as it is in other countries.
Colin Mendelsohn, founding chairman of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association
While the prescription model has made it harder for adults legally access nicotine vapes, combustible cigarettes remain widely available.
According to two recent surveys, between 88 to 97 percent of vapers do not have a prescription and only 2 percent of purchases are made from a pharmacy. Exposed to frequent negative messaging by Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, general practitioners have been reluctant to prescribe nicotine.
The only way forward, according to Mendelsohn, is to replace the prescription-only model with a legal and regulated retail market. “Nicotine liquid should be an adult consumer product, sold from licensed retail outlets such as vape shops, convenience stores, tobacconists and general stores as it is in other countries,” he writes. “There should be strict age verification and penalties up to loss of license for underage sales.”
October 3, 2022
Report: Vaping Less Harmful Than Smoking

Photo: Prostock-studio
Using vaping products rather than cigarettes leads to a substantial reduction in exposure to toxicants that promote cancer, lung disease and cardiovascular disease, according to new research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London.
Commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the independent report represents the most comprehensive review of the risks of vaping to date. It found that, while vaping is not risk free—particularly for people who have never smoked—it poses a small fraction of the health risks of smoking in the short to medium term.
The report reviewed many aspects of vaping, including who is vaping and what products, the effects on health (both absolute and compared with smoking) and public perceptions of harm. The authors examined studies of biomarkers of exposure (measures of potentially harmful substance levels in the body) as well as biomarkers of potential harm (measures of biological changes in the body) due to vaping or smoking.
The strongest evidence came from biomarkers of exposure. An exploration of the available studies found that levels of tobacco specific nitrosamines, volatile organic compounds and other toxicants implicated in the main diseases caused by smoking were found at significantly lower levels in vapers. Among vapers, overall levels of nicotine were lower or similar to smokers.
When comparing biomarkers between people who vape and people who don’t smoke or vape, they were often similar, but in some cases there was higher exposure when vaping. The investigators therefore concluded that whilst less harmful than smoking, vaping is likely to sustain some risks particularly for people who have never smoked.
While the investigators are clear on the benefits of vaping vs smoking, they found that public perceptions are lagging behind. In 2021, only 34 percent of adults who smoked accurately perceived that vaping was less harmful than smoking, while only 11 percent of adult smokers knew that nicotine wasn’t the primary cause of the health risks connected to smoking tobacco.
Vaping has gained popularity among British adults. According to the latest data from the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Smokefree GB Adult survey, current vaping prevalence is 8.3 percent in 2022, compared with 7.1 percent in 2021 and 6.3 percent in 2020.
Vaping has also increased among young people. Data from the ASH Smokefree GB Youth survey of 11-to 18-year-olds in England show that current vaping prevalence (including occasional and regular) is 8.6 percent in 2022, compared with 4.0 percent in 2021 and 4.8 percent in 2020. Use of disposable vaping products has increased substantially over the last year. Vaping among young people who have never smoked remains very low at 1.7 percent.
“This important study is the latest in a series which carefully pulls together the science on vaping to help reduce the damage from smoking,” said Jeanelle DeGruchy, deputy chief medical officer for England, in a King’s College press note.
“Vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking so the message is clear, if the choice is between smoking and vaping, choose vaping. If the choice is between vaping and fresh air, choose fresh air.”
October 2, 2022
Transformation Index Finds ‘Differentiated’ THR Progress
Photo: ehabeljean
The world’s 15 largest tobacco companies have made limited progress since 2020 to reduce the harm of their products, with high-risk combustible products still accounting for around 95 percent of retail sales volume, according to the second edition of the Tobacco Transformation Index, an initiative of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.
The Index was created to accelerate the reduction of harm caused by tobacco use by ranking the world’s 15 largest tobacco companies on their relative progress or the lack thereof. The first Index was published in 2020.
Presented during the recent GTNF 2022 conference in Washington DC, The 2022 Index evaluates tobacco companies’ behavior across six categories and 35 underlying indicators that cover measures indicative of harm reduction, from product sales to capital allocation and marketing policies.
Swedish Match ranked first in the 2022 Index, with Philip Morris International, Altria and British American Tobacco in second, third and fourth places, respectively; Djarum of Indonesia ranked last.
The key takeaways from the 2022 Index findings are as follows:
Only Swedish Match sells a greater volume of reduced-risk products (RRPs) than substantially more harmful combustibles, due in most part to the popularity of its snus in Sweden and non-tobacco nicotine pouches in the U.S. A key feature underpinning the Index is its adoption of the Relative Risk Assessment, based on a systematic review of scientific studies of the health risks associated with 15 nicotine products.
Four Index companies directed the majority of capital and R&D investments toward RRPs. In addition, five Index companies, including three state-owned entities, made incremental investments or early indications of movement toward future production of RRPs during the review period.
However, tobacco companies are also failing to invest in harm reduction in low- and middle-income countries, with the vast majority of sales for their RRPs concentrated in markets with the highest disposable income. One obstacle is that several countries ban RRPs.
Transformation of the tobacco industry toward harm reduction remains inconsistent and in its early stages.
David Janazzo, FSFW
“Transformation of the tobacco industry toward harm reduction remains inconsistent and in its early stages,” said David Janazzo, Index program officer and interim co-president, executive vice president of operations and finance, and chief financial officer at the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, in a statement.
“That said, the 2022 Index demonstrates that differentiation is forming across the largest tobacco companies, related to measures of commitment, performance and transparency. While some companies are making progress, others regressed. On the whole, they are all failing to deliver outcomes toward a world in which combustible, other forms of toxic tobacco, and smoking related death and disease are eliminated, in order to accomplish the Foundation’s mission of ending smoking in a generation.
“Based on the current trajectory of smoking rates, it is estimated that by the end of the current century up to 1 billion people will die of smoking. The majority of those will live in developing countries, which is why transformation of the tobacco industry is both essential and urgent.
“It is my hope that industry leaders will take heed of the findings in the 2022 Index to push forward and intensify efforts to strengthen harm reduction strategies and tactics.”

The 2022 Index is a reminder of how far tobacco companies have to go. The differing and at times hostile regulatory standards around the world have made implementation of harm reduction more challenging, but many opportunities are not yet fully maximized.
Erik Bloomquist, chair of the Index Technical Committee
“Institutional investors such as banks and pension funds are increasingly looking at harm and harm reduction. The Index is an important tool for those investors to constructively engage and encourage change in the market,” said Erik Bloomquist, chair of the Index Technical Committee.
“The 2022 Index is a reminder of how far tobacco companies have to go. The differing and at times hostile regulatory standards around the world have made implementation of harm reduction more challenging, but many opportunities are not yet fully maximized.”
The 2022 Tobacco Transformation Index can be accessed at www.tobaccotransformationindex.org
October 2, 2022
EU Menthol Ban Helped Smokers Quit: Study

Photo: Valeriy Monseev
The 2020 European ban on menthol cigarettes made it more likely that menthol smokers would quit smoking, according to a new study published in Tobacco Control.
“This Dutch study is our second major national study to provide evidence of the powerful impact of banning menthol cigarettes on quitting, which supports proposed menthol bans in the U.S. and other countries,” said Geoffrey T. Fong, professor of psychology and public health sciences at Waterloo, and the principal investigator of the ITC Project in a statement.
Previous Canadian research also found a positive public health impact of banning menthol cigarettes.
In the most recent study, the research team surveyed a national sample of adult smokers of menthol and non-menthol cigarettes in the Netherlands before and after the EU menthol ban. Of the menthol smokers surveyed before and after the ban, 26.1 percent had quit smoking. This quit rate was higher than the control group of non-menthol smokers, of whom only 14.1 percent had quit.
In fact, the increased quit rate of 12 percent of menthol smokers after the European ban is greater than the increased quit rate of 7.3 percent found in an ITC study of the menthol ban that was in effect across Canada in 2018.
The World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control calls upon countries to prohibit or restrict menthol and other additives that make smoking easier.
To date, 35 countries have banned menthol cigarettes. On April 28, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a proposed rule to ban menthol in cigarettes and cigars. An ITC study published that day on the impact of the Canadian ban projected that a ban on menthol cigarettes in the U.S. would lead more than 1.3 million smokers to quit.
The Dutch study also found that one-third of menthol smokers reported continuing to smoke menthol cigarettes even after the ban. The tobacco industry markets a wide range of accessories to enable people to add menthol flavoring to tobacco products themselves.
“These tobacco industry actions undermine the effectiveness of the menthol ban,” said Marc Willemsen, co-author of the Dutch study and professor in tobacco control research at Maastricht University and scientific director of tobacco control at the Trimbos Institute. “By tightening the regulations to include these menthol add-ons, the impact of the menthol ban on quitting could be even greater.”
October 2, 2022
Altria Ends ‘Non-Compete’ With Juul

Photo: Brian Jackson
Altria Group has decided to compete with Juul Labs, as the e-cigarette maker faces a potential ban of its products in the United States, reports The Wall Street Journal.
According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Altria has exercised its option to permanently terminate its non-competition obligations to Juul Labs, losing the right to the board designation and significantly reducing its voting power.
“We believe the decision to terminate our noncompete maximizes our flexibility to compete in the e-vapor space while maintaining our economic interest in Juul,” an Altria spokesman told The Wall Street Journal.
The move comes almost four years after the tobacco giant paid nearly $13 billion for a 35 percent stake in the e-cigarette manufacturer that at the time was dominating the market.
Juul’s value has declined considerably since then, as the company faced scrutiny and litigation over its marketing practices. In early September, Juul Labs agreed to pay nearly $440 million to settle a two-year investigation by 33 U.S. states into the marketing of its vaping products, which critics have blamed for sparking a surge in underage vaping.
On June 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered Juul Labs to pull its e-cigarettes from U.S. store shelves, saying the e-cigarette manufacturer had submitted insufficient evidence that they were “appropriate for the protection of the public health.” A federal appeals court then granted Juul Labs an emergency stay of the order to give the judges time to evaluate the merits of Juul’s appeal.
In July, Altria valued its Juul stake at $450 million—below a threshold that allowed Altria to exit a noncompete agreement and bring to market its own e-cigarettes. Altria Chief Executive Billy Gifford noted at the time that the tobacco giant now had the freedom to explore acquisitions of other e-cigarette brands.
Ending its noncompete obligations to Juul Labs allows Altria to go it alone or pursue other vapor companies, such as Njoy, which has received FDA marketing authorization for several of its products. In July, The Wall Street Journal reported that Njoy had hired bankers for a possible sale of the company.
October 1, 2022
PMI to Make Heatsticks in the Philippines

Photo: PMI
Philip Morris International plans to invest an additional $150 million in its Philippine affiliate Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. (PMFTC) to add manufacturing lines that will produce specially designed heated-tobacco sticks for its smoke-free products, reports The Manila Times.
PMFTC’s cigarette manufacturing facility in Tanauan City, Batangas, will be expanded, with production beginning in the fourth quarter of 2023. The expansion is expected to generate 220 specialized jobs. PMFTC will use locally grown tobacco.
“We can say that we are proud to invest in the country’s journey to finally rid society of cigarettes by providing better alternatives to those who would otherwise continue to smoke while helping generate revenues for the government and livelihood opportunities for the people,” PMFTC President Denis Gorkun said.
In 2020, PMFTC launched PMI’s IQOS tobacco heating system in the Philippines. The company controls more than 90 percent of the local tobacco market.
September 30, 2022
BAT Urges Collaboration on Harm Reduction

Kingsley Wheaton (Photo: BAT)
BAT’s chief growth officer, Kingsley Wheaton, called for greater collaboration between the industry, governments and intergovernmental organizations to accelerate tobacco harm reduction becoming the tobacco control policy of choice during the recent Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum in Washington D.C.
While BAT is determined to reduce the health impact of its business, Wheaton stressed that to bring about change, a “whole-of-society” approach is needed.
“We must provide adult consumers with a portfolio of products that are a better choice than cigarettes. And so that consumers are able to make informed decisions about those choices, public health needs to accurately communicate risk, while the industry should be able to responsibly communicate the benefits of switching via appropriate marketing freedoms,” Wheaton said.
BAT says its business is on track to achieve its ambition of having 50 million adult consumers of non-combustible products by 2030. The company is also investing heavily in research and development. In September 2021, for example, BAT announced it was constructing a state-of-the-art innovation hub in Trieste, Italy. The company is also conducting industry-leading science, with one recent study showing smokers who switched exclusively to BAT’s Glo product saw significant and sustained improvements in several indicators of potential harm
According to Wheaton, transforming the industry and positively impacting public health requires the continued production of robust and accessible science, the freedom to responsibly inform adult smokers about the potential benefits of reduced-risk products and a transition from the old tobacco control approach of “quit or die” to sustainable change, along with engagement between governments, intergovernmental bodies and industry figures, among other things.
September 30, 2022
Fire Destroys Dominican Cigar Factories

Photo: Artem
A large fire broke out on Sept. 26 in Tamboril, Dominican Republic, destroying the Tabacalera William Ventura and Intercigar factories, reports Halfwheel.
Tabacalera William Ventura produces its own line of cigars under the ADV and McKay and ADVentura names as well as producing cigars for Caldwell Cigar Co., Bellatto Premium Cigars, Freud Cigar Co., Room101, J. London Cigars and others. Intercigar produces the Vallejuelo line as well as other brands and has also produced cigars for RBGN Rauchvergnugen.
The two companies shared the same factory building. The cause has not been identified yet, but there were no reported injuries.
Tabacalera William Ventura will move its production to a smaller factory, El Maestro, while the main facility is unavailable.
The Zona Franca La Palma complex is home to several cigar factories.
September 27, 2022
Malaysia Lawmakers Studying Kiwi Policies

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Malaysia has sent a parliamentary delegation to New Zealand to see what policies are required to achieve its smoke-free ambitions. According to Nancy Loucas, co-founder of the Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy, the visit reflects that Kiwis are getting the mix right when it comes to tobacco control, legalizing and regulating vaping.
Nancy Loucas
As part of their visit, members of a special Malaysian health, science and innovation select committee intend to meet with New Zealand’s Minister of Health as well as tobacco harm reduction experts to learn exactly what New Zealand is doing to achieve its national ambition of Smoke-Free 2025.
“The visiting Malaysian delegation is a timely reminder to New Zealand MPs [Members of Parliament] to keep focused on the prize—that is, crushing combustible tobacco and not try[ing] to relitigate the 2020 vaping legislation, which is still bedding in and is the envy of plenty,” says Loucas.
Now before Parliament’s health select committee, New Zealand’s Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill limits the number of retailers able to sell smoked tobacco products, aims to make tobacco products less appealing and addictive and prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or after.
Similarly, Malaysia’s “generational endgame” bill proposes to ban the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to anyone born during and after 2007. However, Malaysia’s health minister has proposed adding vaping products to the generational ban—a move that has been criticized by advocacy group MOVE (Malaysian Organization of Vape Entities).
“As a percentage, Malaysia has more than twice as many smokers than New Zealand. Hopefully, the visiting delegation will take a clear message back to Malaysia that you can’t achieve smoke-free without providing a safer, viable alternative,” says Loucas.
September 27, 2022