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  • 22nd Century to File New PMTA for 100mm VLN

    22nd Century to File New PMTA for 100mm VLN

    22nd Century Group, Inc. said it will submit an additional premarket tobacco product application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new 100mm version of its VLN reduced-nicotine cigarette, building on its status as “the only company with FDA authorization for a low-nicotine combustible product.” The company’s existing 84mm king-size VLN cigarettes received PMTA authorization in 2021.

    The new product, developed under its “Operation 100” initiative, is designed to offer adult smokers a familiar format while significantly lowering nicotine intake. 22nd Century said expanding into the 100mm size responds to retailer and consumer feedback and could widen access to reduced-nicotine alternatives without requiring smokers to switch to non-combustible products.

    Beyond the single submission, the company outlined plans to pursue multiple PMTAs across different combustible formats, blends, and sizes, including filtered cigars, creating a broader portfolio that can be licensed to other tobacco companies. Management said this strategy is intended to accelerate retail penetration of VLN products and to position the company as a provider of regulatory pathways for reduced-nicotine tobacco offerings.

  • Polish Officers Seize 223,000 Illegal Vapes

    Polish Officers Seize 223,000 Illegal Vapes

    Officers from the National Tax Administration in Łódź seized 223,688 disposable e-cigarettes without excise stamps during a raid on a property near Zgierz. The devices contained a combined 447 liters of e-liquid, with the market value of the goods estimated at over PLN 473,000 ($128,000).

    Authorities said the scale of the illegal stock exposed the state to potential excise losses exceeding PLN 10.2 million ($2.8 million), given Poland’s current excise rate. The goods were allegedly stored by a 49-year-old man, who has been charged with a serious fiscal crime and potentially faces 10 years in prison.

  • Ukraine Moves to Ban Nicotine Pouch Sales to Minors

    Ukraine Moves to Ban Nicotine Pouch Sales to Minors

    Ukraine is preparing to tighten regulation of nicotine pouches through draft law No. 14110-d, which would ban their sale to minors and limit advertising, according to Mykhailo Radutskyi, head of the parliamentary health committee. He said current anti-tobacco laws, aligned with European directives, do not adequately cover newer nicotine products such as pouches and snus, leaving gaps in rules on sales and promotion.

    The proposal, developed by the health committee of the Verkhovna Rada, also addresses broader issues, including enforcement against e-cigarette components entering the market, and pending requirements for larger health warnings on cigarette packs. Radutskyi cited rising tobacco use, particularly among youth, as a key reason to update the legislation.

  • Man Arrested Smuggling Heat Sticks into Singapore

    Man Arrested Smuggling Heat Sticks into Singapore

    A 27-year-old South Korean man was arrested at Changi Airport in Singapore after authorities intercepted an attempt to smuggle more than 2,000 heat sticks and over 130 vapes into the country. The man told officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority that he had nothing to declare, but baggage scans revealed anomalies that prompted a detailed search. Officers subsequently uncovered the prohibited products and arrested the man.

  • Zimbabwean Tobacco Farmer Charged with Selling Crop Twice

    Zimbabwean Tobacco Farmer Charged with Selling Crop Twice

    A 46-year-old farmer in Zimbabwe appeared before a Harare magistrate on fraud charges after allegedly misrepresenting the status of his tobacco crop to secure inputs worth $51,020 from Horizon Leaf Tobacco. Prosecutors say Oosthuizen Jennie Lourence sought a contract farming agreement in November 2025 after company representatives inspected what appeared to be a healthy crop at his farm in Trelawney, Banket. The contract was signed, with the farmer receiving agricultural inputs instead of cash.

    The State alleges Lourence failed to disclose that the same crop had already been pledged to another financier. When the marketing season opened in February, he did not deliver the tobacco, later claiming through lawyers that his farm and crop had been taken over by a creditor, leaving Horizon with the reported loss. Lourence was granted bail and is set to return to court on May 4.

  • FDA Allows Fontem to Continue Selling Pouches Amid Court Battle

    FDA Allows Fontem to Continue Selling Pouches Amid Court Battle

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed it will not block production or sales of Fontem US’s Zone nicotine pouches while a lawsuit over the product’s pending premarket tobacco product application proceeds, Law 360 reported. Fontem argued that the agency unlawfully delayed reviewing its application, leaving the product in regulatory limbo.

    The FDA said it will not take enforcement action during the litigation, allowing the pouches to remain on the market. Fontem recently voluntarily dismissed its suit in Texas and plans to refile in Washington, D.C. The case underscores ongoing tension between regulators and manufacturers over PMTA backlogs and the treatment of newer oral nicotine products, which differ from traditional cigarettes and vapes.

    According to Law 360, industry observers believe the court battle could set a precedent for how the FDA handles delayed applications and exercises enforcement discretion in the growing nicotine pouch sector.

  • NY Vape Sellers Can’t Escape AG Suit Over Flavored Sales

    NY Vape Sellers Can’t Escape AG Suit Over Flavored Sales

    A federal judge rejected a bid by makers and distributors of flavored vaping products to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Office of the New York Attorney General alleging they helped fuel a youth vaping epidemic. The ruling means companies behind popular brands like Puff Bar and others must continue defending against claims that they misrepresented the safety and legality of their products and violated state public‑health and consumer protection laws.

    New York’s lawsuit targets more than a dozen manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of flavored disposable e‑cigarettes — which have been illegal to sell in New York since 2020 — accusing them of designing, marketing, and distributing candy‑ and fruit‑flavored vapes that appeal to minors, mislead consumers about health risks, and undermine state efforts to curb underage nicotine use.

    The judge found that the state’s complaint sufficiently alleges misrepresentation and other unlawful conduct to survive a motion to dismiss, keeping in place claims that could lead to fines, corrective advertising, and injunctions against future sales.

  • Zimbabwe Sees Tobacco Volumes Rise, While Prices Fall

    Zimbabwe Sees Tobacco Volumes Rise, While Prices Fall

    Zimbabwe’s tobacco deliveries to auction and contract floors have surged 83% year on year, earning farmers nearly $200 million since the marketing season opened on March 4, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. A total of 67.2 million kg of tobacco valued at $197.7 million has been sold so far, up from 38.8 million kg worth $133 million over the same period last year.

    Despite the higher volumes, prices remain subdued, with the average price at $2.79/kg compared to $3.44/kg previously. Most of the crop — about 95% — has been sold through contract floors, with only 3.8 million kilograms sold at auction by self-financed farmers. The highest prices recorded this season were $5.75/kg on contract floors and $4.92/kg at auction, both below last year’s $6.30/kg peak.

    The Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association said farmers are receiving payments on time as required under Statutory Instrument 77 of 2022, though high production costs and multiple levies continue to squeeze earnings.

  • Weak Illicit Cigarette Enforcement Drains $1.1B in Pakistan

    Weak Illicit Cigarette Enforcement Drains $1.1B in Pakistan

    Pakistan is losing more than Rs300 billion ($1.1 billion) each year to the illegal cigarette trade due to weak enforcement against illicit manufacturing and smuggling, according to macroeconomic analyst Osama Siddiqui. He said effective action in the tobacco sector could significantly reduce the country’s widening revenue gap.

    The shortfall comes as fiscal pressures mount. The Federal Board of Revenue missed its March target by Rs185 billion ($666 million), collecting Rs1,182 billion ($4.3 billion) against a goal of Rs1,367 billion ($4.9 billion) — just a 6% year-on-year increase versus the 21% growth required. Meanwhile, the government is trimming development spending to fund fuel relief, while facing pressure from the International Monetary Fund to withdraw tax exemptions.

    Siddiqui argued that instead of raising taxes on already compliant sectors, authorities should prioritize curbing tax evasion in tobacco through stricter action against illegal production and smuggling, full implementation of track-and-trace systems, and tighter retail monitoring. He said plugging these leakages could create fiscal space for public relief and development spending at a time of heightened economic strain.

  • Smart Glass Exposes Smokers in Shenzhen Malls Restrooms

    Smart Glass Exposes Smokers in Shenzhen Malls Restrooms

    Two shopping centers in Shenzhen, China, have fitted men’s restroom cubicles with smart glass doors that turn transparent when smoke is detected, aiming to stop visitors from smoking inside toilets. The system was introduced in August 2025 at the Shuibei International Center and Gold Plaza. Sensors trigger the glass to clear if cigarette smoke is present, exposing the occupant and discouraging the behavior.

    A staff member at Gold Plaza said the measure has drawn positive feedback from shop owners and shoppers, who say it helps maintain cleaner, smoke-free facilities.