Marvin R. Shanken, founder, editor, and publisher of Cigar Aficionado, died Oct. 29 at age 83, the magazine reported. Shanken launched the publication in 1992, helping expand the audience for premium handmade cigars. His publishing business covered wine, spirits, and cigars, while his philanthropy supported scholarships, prostate cancer research, and autism services. He acquired Impact in 1972 followed by Wine Spectator in 1979, and later established the Big Smoke cigar events. He is survived by his wife, Hazel; three daughters; two sisters; and four grandchildren. Read Cigar Aficionado’s obituary.
Category: Around the Industry
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Sweden Opposes EU Tobacco Tax Increase Ahead of Meeting
Sweden is expected to oppose a proposed European Union overhaul of tobacco excise taxes at a Nov. 9 meeting of EU finance ministers, according to an EU official cited by Law360. The proposal would substantially increase minimum excise duties on cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products and introduce EU-wide minimum taxes for nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco. EU tax legislation requires unanimous approval by member states, meaning Sweden’s opposition could block the proposal in its current form.
Sweden has objected particularly to proposed minimum taxes on tobacco-free nicotine pouches, arguing that member states should retain the ability to set tax rates according to differences in product risk. The European Commission’s July 2025 proposal would also introduce new tax categories for e-cigarette liquids and heated tobacco, while excluding traditional tobacco snus. EU ambassadors discussed a revised compromise in October, and finance ministers are scheduled to consider the package on Nov. 9.
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Italian Authorities Seize 4.3M Illicit Vape Products
Italy’s Guardia di Finanza in Latina seized more than 4.6 million items and reported 28 people to judicial authorities following operations targeting smuggling and counterfeiting, according to LatinaQuotidiano.it. The largest seizure involved approximately 4.3 million electronic cigarettes and smoking accessories found in a warehouse operating without the required authorizations. Authorities also seized about 300,000 counterfeit products during inspections across the province.
The operations also targeted sellers advertising luxury fashion accessories on social media and included seizures at public events.
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Analysis Shows Increased MEP Engagement with Industry Lobbyists
A POLITICO analysis of European Parliament disclosures found that lawmakers declared more than 400 meetings with tobacco and nicotine industry representatives since the current parliamentary term began in summer 2024, compared with about 100 during the entire 2019-2024 term. About 75% of the meetings involved lawmakers from three right-leaning political groups. Philip Morris International accounted for at least 178 meetings, followed by British American Tobacco with 60, according to data analyzed by POLITICO.
The meetings covered proposed revisions to EU tobacco product and advertising rules, minimum taxes on tobacco and nicotine products, and public health initiatives. Public health advocates criticized the industry’s access to lawmakers, while industry representatives defended the meetings as legitimate engagement in the legislative process. The Smoke Free Partnership said the data showed increased lobbying around key policy initiatives, while noting that meetings alone do not establish direct influence on legislative decisions.
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Vape Critics Accuse RJR of Marketing to Kids
A Semafor Healthcare article by David Lim reports allegations from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids that an R.J. Reynolds subsidiary is using colorful, scented mailers to promote fruit-flavored Vuse Pro vape pods in a manner critics compare to “scratch and sniff” cigarette advertising the company agreed to suspend about 20 years ago. The organization flagged the materials to state and federal authorities, alleging the marketing resembles tactics previously associated with youth appeal. Former FDA tobacco regulator Brian King, now the campaign’s executive vice president for U.S. programs, criticized the materials.
R.J. Reynolds said the mailers were sent only to existing adult nicotine consumers whose ages had been verified and who had opted in to Vuse communications. The company said its products are intended for adults and that preventing youth access is fundamental to its marketing practices.
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Report Compares UAE and Swedish Tobacco Policies
A new report from Smoke Free Sweden, Tale of Two Nations: UAE v Sweden, compares tobacco-control policies and smoking rates in the United Arab Emirates and Sweden. The report states that the UAE’s adult smoking rate fell from 14.7% in 2019 to 11.1% in 2024, while Sweden’s daily adult smoking rate reached 5.3% in 2024.
The report attributes Sweden’s decline to a combination of traditional tobacco controls and access to alternatives, including snus, nicotine pouches, and vapes. It recommends that the UAE establish a national tobacco harm reduction framework, align regulation and taxation with product risk, improve data collection on product use and switching, and expand public information about alternatives while maintaining protections against underage use.
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Hong Kong Illicit Cigarette Busts Already Approaching 2025 Total
Hong Kong Customs seized 600 million illicit cigarette sticks from January through September 2026, nearly matching the total seized in all of 2025, Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat said. Of the total, 200 million sticks destined for other locations were intercepted following intelligence received by customs. Authorities recorded about 18,000 illicit cigarette cases during the first nine months, including approximately 16,000 involving passengers who failed to declare carrying more than 19 cigarettes. Chan also said the department plans to introduce more advanced contraband detection equipment.
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Armenia Seizes Nearly 38,000 Packs of U.S.-Bound Cigarettes
Armenia’s State Revenue Committee uncovered an attempt to smuggle 37,900 packs of cigarettes into the United States concealed inside laminate doors, the agency said. The cigarettes, manufactured in various countries, lacked excise stamps. Customs officers inspected the doors at a cargo terminal after receiving intelligence that an Armenian-registered company planned to export tobacco products while concealing them from customs control. Officers dismantled the doors and discovered the cigarettes inside.
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ASH Report Challenges UK’s Illicit Tobacco Market Numbers
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a U.K. tobacco-control charity, has challenged tobacco industry estimates of the country’s illicit cigarette market, citing a discrepancy between government figures and industry-funded research. In a report published Oct. 19, ASH said HM Revenue & Customs estimated that illicit cigarettes accounted for 12% of U.K. cigarette consumption in 2024-25, or about 1.9 billion cigarettes. A KPMG report commissioned by Philip Morris International estimated that 45% of cigarettes consumed in the U.K. in 2025 were illicit, including counterfeit and contraband products and cigarettes purchased legally abroad.
ASH said illicit cigarette consumption had fallen by nearly 90% since 2000, from 15.1 billion cigarettes annually to 1.9 billion in 2024-25, with cigarette prices more than tripling. Japan Tobacco International said the industry’s estimates use different methodologies from HMRC’s, including analysis of collected cigarette packs, and cautioned against treating any single estimate as definitive. The Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association also cited uncertainty in HMRC’s estimates of the illicit tobacco tax gap.
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Bulgaria Schedules Two More Cigarette Tax Increases by 2028
Bulgaria plans to raise the minimum cigarette excise duty to €126 per 1,000 cigarettes in March 2027 and €132 per 1,000 cigarettes on Jan. 1, 2028, according to Bulgarian media reports. The increases follow an Aug. 1 adjustment that raised the rate from €113.51 to €120 per 1,000 cigarettes. A pack currently priced at €4 could increase by about 14 to 15 euro cents after the March 2027 hike, depending on manufacturers’ and retailers’ pricing decisions.
Under Bulgaria’s budget plan submitted to the European Commission, the accelerated excise schedule is expected to generate an additional €220.2 million in value-added tax and excise revenue in 2027, equivalent to 0.16% of gross domestic product. The increases are part of the tobacco excise schedule adopted under the 2026 State Budget Act.