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Category: Around the Industry

  • UKVIA Says Disposable Ban Driving Smokers Back to Tobacco

    UKVIA Says Disposable Ban Driving Smokers Back to Tobacco

    The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) says new research confirms fears that the UK’s ban on single-use vapes is backfiring, with 26% of former disposable vape users now smoking more, returning to tobacco, or buying illicit products. A survey of 6,000 vapers and smokers, commissioned by ELFBAR, also found that over half of adults (51%) wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as smoking, and awareness of illegal vapes has risen to 22%.

    UKVIA Director General John Dunne called the figures “deeply worrying,” warning that a blanket ban on disposables undermines efforts to achieve a smoke-free UK. The trade body is urging the government to launch a nationwide public health campaign on vaping’s relative safety, introduce a licensing scheme for vape retailers, reinvest licensing revenue into enforcement, and impose £10,000 fines on those selling to minors or trading illicit products.

    “It never made any sense to us to ban this entire category, and now we have concrete evidence that more than a quarter of vapers have either resumed smoking, increased tobacco use, or purchased illicit products since the ban,” Dunne said. “Any one of those outcomes would be bad enough, but all three combined should be deeply worrying and urgent action must be taken to reverse this trend. If these are the numbers we are seeing after two months, then I dread to think where we will be in a year’s time.”

  • Former Chinese Tobacco Head Sentenced to 15 Years for Bribery

    Former Chinese Tobacco Head Sentenced to 15 Years for Bribery

    Today (August 12), the former deputy director of China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, Xu Ying, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for accepting bribes, a court in Anyang, Henan Province, announced. He was fined 5 million yuan ($700,000), with over 65 million yuan ($9.1 million) in illicit gains confiscated.

    The court found that between 2010 and 2024, Xu used his positions to help others with administrative approvals, business operations, and staff recruitment in exchange for bribes.

    Earlier this year, former China National Tobacco Corporation general manager Ling Chengxing was sentenced to 16 years in prison for similar charges between 2006 and 2023.

  • Procigar Opens 2026 Registration

    Procigar Opens 2026 Registration

    The Association of the Dominican Cigar Manufacturers announced that registration is open for the 18th Procigar Festival 2026 will be held February 15—20, 2026. Combining educational opportunities, entertainment, and access to numerous exclusive premium cigars, the Festival promotes the Dominican tobacco industry and its position as “exporters of the finest premium cigars in the world.”

    The festival is broken into two parts, with the first portion taking place Feb 15—17 in La Romana and the second portion taking place Feb 17—20 in Santiago. Registration packages begin at $2,500 and include transportation around the island, tours, meals, and a goodie bag, but not airfare or hotel expenses.

    Click here for more information.

  • USPS Blocks National Vape Distributor

    USPS Blocks National Vape Distributor

    Today (August 11), Reuters reported that the U.S. Postal Service has blocked New York-based vape distributor Demand Vape from using its services after evidence showed the company was shipping unregulated e-cigarettes lacking FDA approval and violating local flavor bans. This crackdown, prompted by New York City’s Law Department, targets unregulated vape shipments and further tightens restrictions on the multi-billion-dollar industry. Only 39 vape products currently have FDA authorization, and USPS is reviewing other distributors’ mailing privileges.

    “Unregulated vapes lack the authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that is required for them to be legally sold in the United States, the world’s largest market for smoking alternatives,” Emma Rumney wrote for Reuters. “USPS revoked Demand Vape’s mailing exception last month after it received evidence the company shipped vapes lacking FDA authorization and that violated a local flavor ban, a letter from USPS to the company, dated July 15, showed.”

    Demand Vape said it complied with relevant laws and was contesting the revocation, adding the industry operates in a “regulatory grey zone” with only a small number of FDA-authorised products that do not meet consumer demand.

    “We reject any characterization that paints Demand Vape as anything other than a transparent, lawful, and reputable business,” it said in a statement.

    USPS did not respond to a request for comment.

  • PCA Appoints Ricardo Carioni as Director of International Affairs & Education

    PCA Appoints Ricardo Carioni as Director of International Affairs & Education

    Today (August 11), the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) announced the appointment of Ricardo Carioni as its new director of international affairs and education. “This position signals the PCA’s continued commitment to advancing premium cigar advocacy, education, and global engagement,” the organization said in a press release.

    Carioni’s career spans over 18 years across seven countries, where he has lived and worked in senior roles. He served as head of development at Casa Turrent, chief operating officer of Tor Imports—the leading premium cigar distributor in Great Britain—and CEO of Gesinta, Spain’s foremost distributor of premium cigars. He is also the co-founder of The Cigar Academy, an educational institution that fosters knowledge and appreciation of premium cigars. He is also a former deputy ambassador and official representative of Nicaragua to the United Nations Maritime Organization, and worked for several multilateral institutions in the coffee, sugar, and cocoa sectors.

    “Ricardo is a catalyst who brings a ton of energy and passion to any project,” said says Joshua Habursky, executive director of the PCA. “His expertise will allow the PCA to refine existing projects and help service our growing membership ranks. He will be working in a versatile role to help grow membership outside of the United States, create programs for U.S. retailers in the Caribbean Basin, and develop universal education programs for all membership categories.”

  • Philippines Warns Against Deadly ‘Tuklaw’ Cigarettes

    Philippines Warns Against Deadly ‘Tuklaw’ Cigarettes

    The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Dangerous Drugs Board warned the public to avoid “tuklaw,” or black cigarettes, after reports of teenagers suffering seizure-like symptoms.

    Tests show the product contains nicotine levels up to 9% and synthetic cannabinoids, which can trigger psychosis and hallucinations. PDEA chief Isagani Nerez said tuklaw, believed to originate from Vietnam’s “thuoc lao” tobacco, is being smuggled into the country and sold online.

    Authorities plan to work with health agencies and law enforcement to curb its spread.

  • Hank Mozingo, Retired Tobacco Associates President, Passes Away at 57

    Hank Mozingo, Retired Tobacco Associates President, Passes Away at 57

    Henry “Hank” Mozingo, the esteemed retired president of Tobacco Associates, Inc., and a respected figure in the U.S. flue-cured tobacco industry, passed away. His passing was announced by Corporate Secretary Veronica Martins and the Tobacco Associates Board of Directors, expressing deep sadness at the loss of a leader who left an indelible mark on the organization and the livelihoods of U.S. growers.

    Mozingo’s career with Tobacco Associates spanned over three decades, beginning in 1990 with his first trip to Korea. He dedicated himself to expanding markets for U.S. flue-cured tobacco, fostering relationships with industry leaders, and promoting the quality of American leaf globally. His vision led to the development of new brands in several countries, including “Türkiye”, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Hungary, Jerusalem, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Notably, Mozingo was the first U.S. tobacco official to visit VINATABA after the normalization of U.S.-Vietnam relations in 1995.

    Mozingo is remembered by colleagues as a gentle, honorable, and unwavering individual who treated those he worked with as family.

    A Celebration of Life will be held  August 10, at 3 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church, 134 S Peace Haven Rd, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made via the family’s GoFundMe, which will support the local Humane Society and establish a scholarship in Mozingo’s name at his alma mater, James Madison University.

  • California Drafting Rules for Unflavored Tobacco List

    California Drafting Rules for Unflavored Tobacco List

    Five years after passing a flavored tobacco ban, the California Attorney General’s Office this week released a draft detailing how tobacco manufacturers can request placement of products on the state’s Unflavored Tobacco List (UTL), a key requirement under the state’s flavored tobacco ban. The list is essentially the state’s official registry of tobacco products that are certified as not having a “characterizing flavor” — meaning they don’t taste or smell like menthol, fruit, candy, mint, vanilla, chocolate, or any other non-tobacco flavor.

    According to the draft, companies wanting to sell tobacco and nicotine products must file an online application for each “Brand Style” they want listed, certify that the product has no characterizing flavor, waive sovereign immunity, consent to California court jurisdiction, and submit a sample in its largest retail package. A $300 fee per product must be paid online, and applications must be truthful under penalty of perjury. Products submitted by the initial deadline will be considered for the first official list, set for release by Dec. 31, 2025.

    Products that require federal premarket authorization but haven’t received it are generally ineligible—unless they meet specific conditions, such as being on the U.S. market by certain dates and having timely FDA applications still pending. Exceptions apply if the FDA says no authorization is needed, a court vacates a denial, or the product is a variant of an already-listed brand.

    “The UTL will cause many companies to stop selling products in California because of the registration process,” wrote Charlie Minato for Halfwheel. “Many might choose not to sell limited edition cigars in California because of the added paperwork. Furthermore, because companies will need prior authorization to sell the products, it might mean that California retailers will receive delayed shipments of new items as cigar companies wait for the attorney general’s office to approve a product for the UTL.

    “It’s not just a problem for California-based retailers; this would apply to all shipments going to California, meaning that a retailer in Florida would run the risk of fines if they were to ship a product not on the UTL to a consumer in California.”

    See the full draft here.

  • Kenya’s Health Secretary Pushes to Regulate Miraa and Shisha

    Kenya’s Health Secretary Pushes to Regulate Miraa and Shisha

    Kenyan Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told the Senate that the country currently lacks laws regulating the use of miraa and shisha, and called on Parliament to enact necessary legislation to control their consumption. Appearing before the Senate Delegated Legislation Committee during deliberations on the Graphic Health Warnings for Tobacco Products, Duale said the Tobacco Control Bill, sponsored by Nominated Senator Catherine Mumma, offers a vital opportunity to introduce such controls.

    “The Ministry of Health fully supports the Bill,” Duale said. “We have submitted our proposed amendments and urge senators to pass it.” He also revealed that “powerful individuals” had tried to pressure the ministry into approving harmful tobacco products but insisted the entire government must safeguard public health.

    Mombasa Senator Mohammed Faki raised the alarm over the lack of regulations for miraa, muguka, and shisha, calling them as dangerous as tobacco. He warned that the tobacco industry would likely attempt to influence lawmakers to block the Bill.

  • Seatca Urges UN to Ban Plastic Cigarette Filters

    Seatca Urges UN to Ban Plastic Cigarette Filters

    The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca) is urging the United Nations to impose a global ban on plastic-based cigarette filters, as final negotiations for a global plastic pollution treaty take place in Geneva this week. Seatca warned that 460 billion cigarette butts are discarded annually in ASEAN countries alone, contributing to a global total of 4.5 trillion. “The filters, made of cellulose acetate, degrade slowly, releasing toxic microplastics, nicotine, and heavy metals into ecosystems,” the organization said.

    Calling cigarette filters “a health fraud and an environmental hazard,” Seatca demanded the treaty enforce the polluter-pays principle, reject industry lobbying, and require mandatory cleanup systems for tobacco waste. They also criticized so-called “eco-filters” and “green butts” as greenwashing tactics, insisting that no sustainable alternatives exist for cigarette filters and calling for a complete ban on all types.

    Seatca estimates that ASEAN countries currently spend $10 billion annually to clean up cigarette filter waste.