Nicokick.com, owned by Haypp Group, called on policymakers and health professionals to provide clearer, evidence-based information distinguishing the risks of combustible cigarettes from non-combusted nicotine products. The appeal follows a report by the Foundation for American Innovation highlighting high tobacco and nicotine use among U.S. servicemembers and recommending that institutions recognize differences between product types when addressing health and readiness. Nicokick cited the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recognition of a “continuum of risk” across tobacco products and said improved adult-focused communication could help consumers and healthcare professionals better understand these distinctions while reinforcing that smoke-free products are intended only for existing adult users.
Category: Around the Industry
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Geekvape Introduces New Products in Paris
Geekvape introduced several new products at Vapexpo Paris, including the Force device and the Aegis Mini 5, expanding its performance-focused and durability-oriented portfolio. The company also highlighted the Legend 5 10th Anniversary Edition within its Aegis series, alongside Neutra, a refillable system designed with environmental considerations. The launches were presented within a “Future Store Experience” concept booth that reflected Geekvape’s updated retail visual identity and integrated product display with sustainability themes.
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Court Allows Majority of Juul Lawsuits to Proceed
A judge in Delaware Superior Court largely denied a motion by Juul Labs Inc. to dismiss more than 1,000 consolidated lawsuits alleging the company misled consumers about the health risks and addictiveness of its e-cigarettes. The plaintiffs claim Juul’s marketing, product design, and nicotine formulations contributed to addiction and health harms, particularly among young users, and that the company failed to adequately warn consumers. Juul had argued that many of the claims were legally deficient and should be thrown out before trial.
The court trimmed or dismissed certain narrower counts, but allowed most of the core claims to move forward, including allegations tied to consumer protection, fraud, and failure to warn. The ruling means the bulk of the litigation will proceed into further discovery and pretrial phases.
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Spain’s Supreme Court Takes Royal Portraits from Altadis
Spain’s Supreme Court ended a nine-year legal dispute by ruling that two royal portraits painted in 1789 by Francisco Goya belong to the Spanish state rather than tobacco company Altadis, according to Reuters.
The portraits, depicting King Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma, were originally commissioned by the Royal Tobacco Factory of Seville to commemorate the king’s coronation. Over more than two centuries, the factory’s operations passed through various commercial entities, including Tabacalera, which became Altadis in 1999 and is now owned by Imperial Brands. During that time, the paintings were displayed in company offices.
Altadis filed suit in 2017, asking for a declaration of ownership, claiming that uninterrupted custodianship established ownership. However, the court determined that the artworks were part of the Crown’s patrimony from the outset and later transferred to the modern Spanish state. While companies operating the tobacco business were permitted to display the portraits for decorative purposes, ownership was never transferred.
Altadis said it disagrees with the substance of the ruling but will comply. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.
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Davidoff Expands Line with Zino Honduras
Oettinger Davidoff Group is advancing the evolution of its gateway cigar brand with the launch of Zino Honduras, a new blend positioned to offer a more robust and layered flavor profile while maintaining the approachable philosophy established with Zino Nicaragua. The release signals a strategic step in broadening the Zino portfolio within the company’s premium cigar range, the company said.
According to Javier González, SVP Head Global Marketing & Innovation, the new line responds to growing demand for more intense cigars while introducing innovative packaging formats, including tins, packs, and fresh packs with pre-cut cigars — a first for the Zino brand. Zino Honduras will be offered in three vitolas: Half Corona (4 x 44), Robusto (5 x 54), and Toro (6 x 50).
Retailers will get an early preview at the Premium Cigar Association Trade Show in New Orleans from April 17–20, where the company will showcase how the Zino range is expanding from an entry point into a broader, laddered portfolio designed to deepen consumer engagement in the premium cigar category.
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Smoker Friendly Moves Events to Wyoming in 2026
For the first time, the Smoker Friendly Conference and Tobacco Festival (SFCTF) and the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival will be held outside Colorado, relocating to Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 2026. Organizers said the move reflects a long-term strategy tied to Wyoming’s business- and tobacco-friendly regulatory environment. Held July 30-31, SFCTF will celebrate its 30th anniversary while RMCF will mark its 17th year.
Both gatherings will take place back-to-back at the Little America Hotel & Resort, creating a multi-day hub for retailers and consumers. SFCTF will focus on Smoker Friendly’s network of roughly 700 authorized retail stores with seminars, networking, and a trade show, followed by RMCF, which is expected to draw around 2,500 cigar enthusiasts and more than 100 vendors for a consumer-facing festival. Organizers say the relocation underscores how the regulatory climate increasingly influences where large-scale premium tobacco events are held.
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German Engineered Cigars Debuts Pill-Style Packaging
German Engineered Cigars is bringing pharmaceutical-style precision to the cigar world with its new German Engineered Cigars AKUT release. Launching next month, the 4 x 50 petite robusto will debut blister packaging—commonly used for pills—which individually seals each cigar in a humidified cell, protecting it without a humidor.
Co-founder Oliver Nickels explained that the packaging provides portability, protection, and an effective way to deliver product information through an included insert. The first two blends using AKUT packaging will be Kraftwerk, the company’s fullest blend featuring Mexican San Andrés wrapper and binder with Dominican filler tobaccos, and RVGN Extrem, a 10th-anniversary blend with a Mexican wrapper and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.
The AKUT line will be showcased at the PCA Convention & Trade Show 2026 in New Orleans from April 18–20. German Engineered Cigars has not yet disclosed pricing or shipping dates.
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Japanese Consumers Facing Double Hit
The first phase of Japan’s tax increases on tobacco products and corporate income will take effect April 1, marking the first phase of a broader revenue plan to finance expanded defense spending, with additional increases planned for October and January 2027. Both conventional cigarettes and heated tobacco products will be affected, with the long-standing tax gap between the two categories set to narrow. The government aims to raise ¥1.3 trillion ($8.2 billion) in fiscal 2027 through staged hikes on tobacco, corporate, and personal income taxes to help fund a ¥43 trillion ($271 billion), five-year defense buildup that began in 2023.
In response to the new corporate taxes, Philip Morris Japan said it will raise prices by ¥40–¥50 (25 to 32 cents) per pack on 50 heated tobacco products from April 1, while Japan Tobacco plans ¥20–¥30 (13 to 19 cent) increases on 37 products. Manufacturers have not yet outlined pricing responses for October’s tax hike.
The Finance Ministry estimates tobacco tax revenue will increase by ¥44 billion ($277 million) in fiscal 2026, ¥116 billion in 2027 ($731 million), and ¥212 billion ($1.3 billion) annually thereafter as additional levies take effect. The measures come as Japan seeks to secure more than ¥9 trillion ($56.7 billion) in defense spending for fiscal 2026, reaching its 2% of GDP target ahead of schedule.
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Baltimore Argues 1998 MSA Doesn’t Cover Cigarette Litter
The City of Baltimore told a Maryland state court that the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement does not shield tobacco companies from liability in its lawsuit over environmental harm caused by nonbiodegradable cigarette filters. The city is seeking to proceed with claims against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Philip Morris USA, and Liggett Group LLC, arguing that the decades-old settlement addressed healthcare costs related to smoking, not municipal expenses tied to cigarette butt litter and environmental cleanup. Baltimore contends that its suit targets a separate issue involving plastic filter waste and the burden placed on city services, and therefore should not be dismissed on preemption grounds.
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Appeals Court Vacates 93A Defense Verdict in Philip Morris Case
The Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that a jury does not need to find liability on underlying tort claims to hold a tobacco company accountable under Chapter 93A, the state’s consumer protection statute. The decision comes in the case of Peter Agnitti, who sued Philip Morris USA over the death of his wife, alleging negligence, fraud, misrepresentation, breach of warranty, and Chapter 93A violations.
At trial, the Superior Court instructed jurors that a 93A violation could only be found if they also found Philip Morris liable for fraud or misrepresentation. The jury returned a defense verdict on all counts. On appeal, the court found that the instruction improperly conflated 93A liability with fraud, noting that a 93A claim based on deceptive acts does not require proof of reliance or intent to deceive. The panel also clarified that the plaintiff’s pre-charge objections preserved the issue for appeal under Rule 51(b).
The court emphasized that Chapter 93A is a standalone statutory cause of action, intended to protect consumers independently of other tort claims. Citing evidence that Philip Morris misrepresented the risks of smoking and marketed “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes as safer alternatives despite knowing otherwise, the Appeals Court vacated the 93A judgment and allowed the claim to proceed.
Legal experts say the ruling reinforces that 93A claims are sui generis and provides guidance on preserving jury instruction objections at trial.