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Category: Around the Industry

  • Minnesota AG Sues Local Company for Selling Flavored Vapes

    Minnesota AG Sues Local Company for Selling Flavored Vapes

    Minnesota AG Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against local e-cigarette manufacturer Maduro Distributors, alleging the company sold banned flavored vape products under its The Loon brand that were marketed in ways appealing to youth. The complaint, filed in Ramsey County District Court, accuses the Fridley-based company of selling products with flavors including cotton candy and blue razz slushy, using “kid-friendly characters” in promotions, and falsely representing some products as FDA-approved.

    The Loon sells disposable and refillable vapes as well as nicotine pouches and previously received an FDA warning letter for marketing unauthorized products, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. Maduro said it had changed flavor names before Minnesota’s 2024 ban took effect and removed the FDA approval claim from a third-party website, arguing it had cooperated with state officials.

  • Customs Joins Case Against Duty-Free Nicotine Sales in India

    Customs Joins Case Against Duty-Free Nicotine Sales in India

    India’s customs authorities joined the health ministry’s legal challenge against Adani Group’s sale of nicotine pouches at airport duty-free shops, arguing that duty-free status provides tax benefits but does not exempt retailers from broader regulatory requirements. In a filing to the Mumbai High Court, customs officials said goods being “outside customs frontiers” for taxation purposes do not grant immunity from other laws, rejecting Adani’s argument that international departure-area shops are beyond the reach of domestic regulations.

    The company has challenged a health ministry inspection that found nicotine pouch sales at Mumbai International Airport’s duty-free stores violated Indian law, arguing the products are legally sold under duty-free rules and sealed for use after passengers leave the country. The case is scheduled for its next hearing on July 28.

  • Cessation Trust Breaks from Health NZ Over Harm-Reduction Stance

    Cessation Trust Breaks from Health NZ Over Harm-Reduction Stance

    Wellington stop-smoking provider Takiri Mai Te Ata Trust ended its partnership with Health New Zealand after refusing to promote vaping as a smoking cessation tool. The trust, which has helped people quit smoking for more than 30 years, said it could not continue delivering services in a way that conflicted with its values. Regional manager Catherine Manning said the organization did not support helping people quit cigarettes by transitioning to another nicotine product.

    Health New Zealand said it worked extensively with the trust to find a solution that would allow the service to continue without directly supplying vapes, but no agreement was reached, and the contract ended by mutual consent. Health New Zealand maintains that vaping is less harmful than smoking and can help smokers quit, while stressing that non-smokers should not vape. Action for Smokefree 2025 director Ben Youdan said evidence shows vaping can be an effective cessation tool, adding that vaping is “not risk-free” but “dramatically” reduces the risk of death compared with smoking.

    Youdan said that while he recognized the trust’s concerns, many organizations have seen real benefits from using vaping as part of smoking cessation efforts.

  • Former CTP Toxicologist Accuses FDA of Approving Zyn Without Full Facts

    Former CTP Toxicologist Accuses FDA of Approving Zyn Without Full Facts

    A report published yesterday (July 14) by The Examination and STAT raised questions about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s review process for Philip Morris International’s Zyn nicotine pouches, alleging that agency scientists had unresolved concerns about the composition and potential health implications of the pouch material before the product was authorized for sale. The report said FDA toxicologist Christy Leppanen questioned whether regulators had adequately assessed possible microplastic exposure after conducting informal tests that found Zyn pouches did not dissolve when exposed to saliva or other conditions. Leppanen alleged that the FDA did not seek additional information from PMI about the pouch material before approving the product, while former FDA officials cited in the report questioned whether the agency fully evaluated all product components as required under federal law.

    The allegations come as nicotine pouches have become one of the fastest-growing segments of the tobacco and nicotine market. The U.S. nicotine pouch market is estimated to grow 37% in 2026 to $6.8 billion, according to TobaccoIntelligence, with companies promoting pouches as lower-risk alternatives to combustible cigarettes because they deliver nicotine without smoke exposure. The FDA has authorized certain nicotine pouches, including Zyn, based on a review of whether the products are appropriate for the protection of public health, weighing potential risks such as youth uptake against potential benefits for adult smokers transitioning away from cigarettes. PMI defended the authorization process, citing the FDA’s scientific review, while the FDA said its evaluation did not identify additional concerns regarding the ingredients or materials used in Zyn products. Concerns raised by Leppanen and other scientists center on whether pouch materials could release microscopic particles during use and what long-term effects those exposures may have. The FDA’s recent decision allowing PMI to communicate that Zyn use instead of cigarettes lowers the risk of certain smoking-related diseases represented a major regulatory milestone for the category, but, according to The Examination, the allegations in the report may fuel additional debate over product standards, disclosure requirements, and the depth of scientific reviews for emerging nicotine products.

  • Public Health Groups Sueing FDA Over New Vape, Pouch Stance

    Public Health Groups Sueing FDA Over New Vape, Pouch Stance

    A coalition of public health organizations, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association, and American Lung Association, filed a federal lawsuit yesterday (July 14) challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s May 2026 enforcement guidance for e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. The plaintiffs argue the policy unlawfully allows unauthorized products to remain on the market without the premarket scientific review required under the Tobacco Control Act, creating an enforcement safe-harbor for products that FDA has previously identified as posing significant youth appeal.

    Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the lawsuit seeks to overturn the guidance, alleging it violates both the Tobacco Control Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, and could have significant implications for manufacturers and retailers by determining whether products with pending marketing applications can continue to be sold while awaiting FDA review.

  • Pakistani Growers Protest ‘Violation’ of Tobacco Purchase Agreement

    Pakistani Growers Protest ‘Violation’ of Tobacco Purchase Agreement

    Tobacco growers in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province accused the local management of a multinational tobacco company of failing to honor procurement agreements by refusing to purchase leaf that farmers say meets agreed quality standards. Protesting outside the Pakistan Tobacco Company’s depot in Charsadda, growers claimed the alleged refusal has left hundreds of farming families facing financial hardship during the marketing season and warned that continued purchasing delays could discourage future tobacco cultivation.

    Farmer representatives are calling on provincial and federal authorities to intervene, investigate the dispute, and ensure procurement contracts are honored, while threatening to escalate demonstrations if the company does not resume purchases.

  • New German Plan Would Raise Cigarette Packs to €12 by 2030

    New German Plan Would Raise Cigarette Packs to €12 by 2030

    DW Media reported that Germany’s coalition government is planning a steeper increase in tobacco excise duties than previously proposed, with draft Finance Ministry plans expected to raise the average price of a pack of cigarettes from about €8 to €12 by 2030, while also increasing taxes on fine-cut tobacco used for roll-your-own cigarettes.

    According to German media reports, the higher-than-expected tax increases are intended to help close a budget shortfall while supporting the government’s public health objective of reducing smoking rates among youth and adults. The proposed measures would further increase the tax burden on the tobacco industry in one of Europe’s largest cigarette markets, where roughly one-quarter of the population aged 15 and older are regular smokers.

  • Former Top Cop Warns of Chinese Exploiting Vape Loophole

    Former Top Cop Warns of Chinese Exploiting Vape Loophole

    Illicit Chinese vape manufacturers are exploiting regulatory gaps by replacing nicotine with synthetic alternatives such as 6-methyl nicotine (6MN) (also known as NIX) to continue selling flavored disposable vapes in the U.S. market, former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Deputy Director Edgar Domenech told Fox News Digital. He warned that the products use similar branding, packaging, and flavors while substituting ingredients to avoid existing oversight, creating challenges for regulators and law enforcement.

    Domenech said the unregulated nicotine analog, which some manufacturers claim falls outside the Food and Drug Administration’s authority, represents an “unknown variable” with limited research on its health effects and potential addictiveness. Domenech called for stronger enforcement, clearer regulatory guidance, and greater awareness among lawmakers, schools, and consumers, arguing that illicit operators are targeting youth through flavored disposable products and exploiting legal loopholes to maintain access to the market.

  • India Seeks to Quash Adani’s Duty-Free Pouch Challenge

    India Seeks to Quash Adani’s Duty-Free Pouch Challenge

    India’s government is seeking to dismiss Adani Group’s legal challenge over the sale of nicotine pouches at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, arguing that the products represent a “substantive violation” of drug laws and a public health risk. Authorities said nicotine pouches, which are classified as drugs under Indian law, remain unapproved and cannot be sold simply because they are imported, stored in customs-bonded warehouses, or marketed to departing international passengers. “The fact that they are stored in a customs-bonded warehouse does not mean they ⁠are not physically present in India,” the government said.

    Adani argued that drug regulations should not apply to duty-free sales and has challenged the regulatory interpretation in court, a case that could set a precedent for how India handles the sale of nicotine pouches at international airports. The government maintained that nicotine is an addictive chemical and warned that allowing unapproved products could expose consumers to products with unverified safety and quality standards.

  • CAPHRA Calls New Bloomberg Program ‘Philanthropic Colonialism’

    CAPHRA Calls New Bloomberg Program ‘Philanthropic Colonialism’

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates criticized a new Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded tobacco cessation grant program administered by Vital Strategies, arguing that it risks undermining national sovereignty over public health policy in nine priority countries across Asia-Pacific and other regions. CAPHRA described the initiative as an example of “philanthropic colonialism,” claiming that donor-funded tobacco control frameworks can shape regulatory policies before meaningful domestic debate occurs, discourage consideration of tobacco harm reduction products, and drive consumers toward illicit markets while prolonging cigarette use.

    CAPHRA executive coordinator Nancy Loucas called on governments to disclose foreign-funded tobacco control partnerships, maintain regulatory independence, and evaluate the full range of evidence — including safer nicotine alternatives — rather than relying solely on donor-backed approaches.