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Category: Around the Industry

  • 25 Attorneys General Call to Tighten Online Tobacco Sales

    25 Attorneys General Call to Tighten Online Tobacco Sales

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the City of New York co-led a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general in urging Shopify Inc. to take stronger action against merchants selling illegal tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes, through its platform. In a letter sent November 24, the coalition requested a meeting with Shopify to develop a comprehensive solution, noting that despite existing policies, sellers continue to use the service to market unlawful products. Shopify, California’s Department of Justice said, has previously cooperated with enforcement actions, terminating certain e-cigarette sellers flagged by California officials.

    The coalition identified 29 illegal e-cigarette websites currently hosted on Shopify and enclosed an exhibit listing more than 200 additional sites selling unlawful tobacco products. The other attorneys general represent Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

    Bonta has previously taken action against individual sellers, including lawsuits against companies marketing flavored disposable e-cigarettes.

  • JT Announces Board, Leadership Changes

    JT Announces Board, Leadership Changes

    Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) announced several resolutions from its Board of Directors concerning the company’s new and revised executive appointments, including changes among its Representative Directors. The most notable change is that Takehiko Tsutsui is being promoted from executive vice president of JT International to assume the office as president and Chief Executive Officer, replacing Masamichi Terabatake, who will become the deputy chairperson of the Board. The move will be effective January 1, 2026, subject to ratification at the company’s shareholders’ meeting and approval of the Board of Directors. Tsutsui joined JT in 1997 and has been a vice president since 2012.

    The company also announced that Shigeaki Okamoto will become the new chairperson of the Board, appointed Yukiko Uchida to the Board, and announced the resignations of Yukiko Nagashima and current chair Mutsuo Iwai. The Board changes will be effective at the conclusion of the shareholders’ meeting scheduled for March 25, 2026.

    In other moves, Adam Vilalta was named senior vice president of marketing of Tobacco Business in Japan with the resignation of Igor Dzaja, and Hisashi Shimobayashi was promoted to senior vice president, Chief Technology & Information Security Officer.

  • HPW Says ‘Industry Interference’ Stalled COP Decisions

    HPW Says ‘Industry Interference’ Stalled COP Decisions

    In its overview of the Eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP11), Health Policy Watch said that “industry interference remains the main issue preventing concrete steps toward more effective control of new tobacco products.” The article said that despite extensive debate, delegates failed to reach a consensus on issues such as plastic cigarette filters and disclosure requirements, opting instead for informal consultations, blaming outside forces that influenced delegates who pitched “competing drafts.”  

    “We know very well what works and what doesn’t,” Filippos Filippidis, Chair of the Tobacco Control Committee at the European Respiratory Society and Associate Professor at the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, was quoted in the article “The problem is that because of interference and the big money that is involved, some countries remain reluctant to apply some of these policies.”

    According to Health Policy Watch, delegates agreed to increase state funding for domestic tobacco control programs, consider more forward-looking measures such as generational bans on cigarettes, and approved calling on Parties to consider stronger legislative action to deal with criminal and civil liability related to tobacco control.

    However, Health Policy Watch said the “most controversial topic,” which did not get settled, concerned the way new products, such as electronic and heated tobacco and nicotine products, should be addressed, which leads into the “harm-reduction” argument that many anti-tobacco advocates believe is Big Tobacco propaganda. Industry representatives argue that the controversy and contention could be reduced via open discourse with all interested parties, and often criticize the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) for working in secrecy and prohibiting open dialogue.

    Andrew Black, Acting Head of the Secretariat, said the unsolved discussion would be addressed at COP12 in Armenia in 2027, while Gan Quan, senior vice president of Tobacco Control at the New York City-based Vital Strategies, gave little hope that outside input would be welcomed.

    “We saw an unprecedented level of industry interference at this COP,” Quan said. “In terms of the composition of the delegations, it’s a bit out of control. The goal for future progress is to do a better job in keeping the industry out of that discussion.”

  • Malaysia to Study Effects of IQOS

    Malaysia to Study Effects of IQOS

    Malaysia’s Home Ministry recommended that the National Poison Center conduct a study on IQOS, Philip Morris’ heated tobacco product. Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the health effects of the device are not yet known, but an initial study would help prepare the government for future legislation. Speaking at a seminar, he described the product as a “new innovation posing regulatory challenges.” He emphasized that laws on poisons and drug abuse must remain dynamic to address emerging substances.

    Saifuddin added that while the device’s marketing campaign advises non-smokers not to start and encourages smokers to quit or switch, the government must be proactive in assessing potential risks. He suggested that legal amendments could be drafted broadly to prevent loopholes.

  • Labstat Introduces New President

    Labstat Introduces New President

    Labstat Inc., a Certified Group company and the world’s largest independent nicotine testing laboratory, announced that it has appointed Scott LaNeve as its new president. LaNeve brings more than three decades of leadership experience across life sciences, diagnostics, and healthcare technology, having held senior roles at Abbott Laboratories, Roche Diagnostics, and Quest Diagnostics, as well as executive positions in national laboratory networks and technology firms.

    In a statement, LaNeve said he was honored to join Labstat, which operates laboratories in Canada, the U.S., and Europe specializing in nicotine, tobacco, and cannabis testing. He emphasized his commitment to advancing Labstat’s role in global tobacco harm reduction by delivering trusted testing and actionable, data-driven insights to clients. Certified Group CEO David Morgan welcomed the appointment, citing LaNeve’s strategic vision and operational expertise as key to reinforcing Labstat’s leadership worldwide.

  • PMI CEO to Present at Morgan Stanley Conference

    PMI CEO to Present at Morgan Stanley Conference

    Philip Morris International Inc. announced it will host a live webcast of a fireside chat session with CEO Jacek Olczak at the 2025 Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference on December 2, at approximately 10:15 a.m. ET. An archived copy of the webcast will be available for six months post-event. The webcast can be accessed here, or on mobile devices by downloading PMI’s free Investor Relations Mobile App at www.pmi.com/irapp.

  • Zimbabwe Opens $100M Tobacco Plant, Part of 2030’s $7B Goal

    Zimbabwe Opens $100M Tobacco Plant, Part of 2030’s $7B Goal

    Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa inaugurated a $100 million tobacco processing plant in Harare last week, developed by agribusiness firm Cut Rag Processors (CRP). The facility can process 3,000 tons of tobacco monthly into cut rag and produce up to 60,000 master cases of cigarettes, equivalent to 600 million sticks. The investment is intended to strengthen Zimbabwe’s limited processing capacity, as the country’s 10 cigarette manufacturers currently produce 4.4 billion cigarettes annually but process only 10–15% of local tobacco. The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) aims to raise this rate to 30% through private investment to capture more value in the export-oriented sector.

    The expansion supports the government’s target of generating $7 billion in tobacco sector revenues by 2030 under the Food Systems, Agriculture and Rural Transformation Strategy. Zimbabwe earned $1.4 billion from tobacco exports in 2024, with 94% from unprocessed leaf. Production continues to grow rapidly, with the 2025 harvest rising 53% to a record 354,000 tons, representing 92% growth since 2020. TIMB projects output could reach nearly 500,000 tons by 2030, but limited processing capacity remains a challenge.

  • Tobacco Imagery in Movies Increases 10%: Report

    Tobacco Imagery in Movies Increases 10%: Report

    The new report from the Truth Initiative found that more than half of 2024’s top films featured tobacco imagery, an increase of 10 percentage points from the previous year. The Tobacco in Films: 2024 report found that 51% of the top 152 box office films contained tobacco imagery, up from 41% in 2023, with a 43% surge in total tobacco incidents (2,858 in 2024 versus 1,989 in 2023). Among films rated appropriate for youth (G, PG, and PG-13), 34% included tobacco imagery.

    According to the report, studios outside of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) were responsible for the majority of tobacco depictions, with companies such as Amazon, A24, and other independent distributors driving the surge. In 2024, non-MPA studios released 69 films featuring tobacco use, compared with eight movies from MPA member studios. 

    The report builds on Truth Initiative’s longstanding While You Were Streaming report series, which has led efforts to raise awareness and drive action on the impact of tobacco depictions on screens.

  • Thailand Finding Rise of Narcotic-Laced Vapes

    Thailand Finding Rise of Narcotic-Laced Vapes

    Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences (DMS) warned that e-cigarettes are increasingly being laced with etomidate, a short-acting anesthetic that poses serious risks to the brain, respiratory system, and other vital organs. Tests conducted between October 2024 and June 2025 found etomidate in 56 of 83 e-cigarette and equipment samples. The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classified etomidate as a Special Controlled Drug before elevating it to a Schedule 2 Psychotropic Substance on July 27, to enforce stricter importation and usage rules. Despite this, the anesthetic has been detected in e-cigarettes produced in Asia and in smuggled e-liquids entering Thailand.

    Reports indicate that etomidate is being mixed with or substituted for nicotine in modified e-cigarettes known as “Zombie Cigarettes” or “Pot K.” The DMS has developed a testing method to detect the substance, which will aid police in drug suppression efforts. Authorities have also found e-cigarettes laced with narcotics such as cocaine and fentanyl, raising concerns about increased fatality risks among users.

  • NYC, Vape Companies Settle Flavor Dispute

    NYC, Vape Companies Settle Flavor Dispute

    New York City reached a settlement with two e-cigarette wholesalers accused of distributing flavored vapes in violation of the city’s ban, according to Law 360. Under the agreement, EnviroMD Group and GT Imports will stop pushing these products within the five boroughs, facing $1,000 fines for any future violations. The move comes as part of a broader crackdown by the NYC Law Department, which has filed lawsuits against multiple distributors for illegally supplying disposable flavored e-cigarettes.

    This settlement is one piece of the city’s aggressive enforcement effort against flavored nicotine products. The administration has pursued both civil penalties and court orders to block sales and distribution, emphasizing its commitment to protecting youth from flavored vape devices.