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Category: Around the Industry

  • Nearly Half of State AGs Write CDC Supporting Youth Survey

    Nearly Half of State AGs Write CDC Supporting Youth Survey

    A bipartisan group of 22 attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, has urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS).

    The NYTS is an annual study that tracks smoking and vaping trends among middle and high school students, offering insights that have informed efforts to combat youth tobacco use for over two decades.

    The comment letter submitted by the coalition responds to a CDC invitation for public comment on the continuation of the NYTS. The CDC has indicated intentions to revise the NYTS for the 2026-2028 period but has yet to specify the proposed changes. The attorneys general highlighted concerns that recent actions by the Trump administration, such as the elimination of the Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC and staffing cuts at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, could undermine efforts to protect youth from tobacco.

    The letter also stressed the longstanding bipartisan efforts by attorneys general nationwide to address youth exposure to tobacco and nicotine products, emphasizing the critical role NYTS data plays in these initiatives. These efforts include the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) with the largest tobacco companies, which aimed to recover healthcare costs and curb youth smoking. The MSA, which relies heavily on NYTS data, has generated over $171 billion in payments to the states.

    Bonta was joined in submitting the letter by the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico.

  • Smoking Rises in Brazil as Vaping Ban Fuels Illegal Market

    Smoking Rises in Brazil as Vaping Ban Fuels Illegal Market

    For the first time since 2007, the number of smokers in Brazil increased last year, according to a Health Ministry survey. The trend is alarming in a country once hailed internationally for its successful anti-smoking policies, which had steadily reduced smoking rates for decades.

    The same survey found that 2.6% of Brazilian adults—about 4 million people—now use electronic cigarettes, despite a nationwide ban in place since 2009. With no regulatory oversight, these products circulate exclusively in clandestine markets, exposing users to unknown health risks and strengthening illegal networks.

    Public health experts warn that prohibition alone may be backfiring, citing examples from other countries, like the UK, Sweden, Japan, and Canada, where regulated e-cigarettes have contributed to falling smoking rates. Critics argue that Brazil must reconsider its approach, shifting from prohibition to regulation based on scientific harm reduction.

  • Vaping Industry Battles North Carolina E-Cig Ban

    Vaping Industry Battles North Carolina E-Cig Ban

    A coalition led by the Vapor Technology Association is appealing North Carolina’s new vaping law, which bans the sale of e-cigarettes not approved or pending approval by the FDA. The law, effective May 1, 2025, has already removed popular brands like Elf Bar and Geek Bar from store shelves. The law mandates that only e-cigarette products with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marketing authorization may be sold in the state, enforced through a product registry managed by the state Revenue Department. Products must be certified and listed or removed within a 60-day grace period.

    Industry groups argue that the state is overstepping federal authority and violating constitutional protections and that the law discriminates between tobacco-derived and synthetic nicotine products, raising concerns under the Equal Protection Clause.

    A lower court refused to block the law, and the case now heads to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, with national implications for state regulation of nicotine products. The outcome could determine whether entire product categories, such as flavored disposables, can be restricted, potentially reshaping the balance between state and federal oversight.

  • Panama Begins Strict Vape Regulations Today

    Panama Begins Strict Vape Regulations Today

    Panama’s Ministry of Health (MINSA) announced that new rules governing the sale, promotion, and use of electronic cigarettes—both with and without nicotine—take effect today (August 13). The regulations, aimed at protecting public health and youth, ban vaping in all smoke-free areas, prohibit sales to minors, and outlaw all advertising and promotion. Products must be stored out of public view, with only closed displays allowed for the first two years. Violations can result in confiscation and fines, with health and customs authorities tasked with enforcement.

  • Senegal Plans to Raise Tobacco Taxes

    Senegal Plans to Raise Tobacco Taxes

    Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko announced plans to raise taxes on tobacco products, a move praised by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids as a major victory for public health. The government says the increase will both reduce smoking rates and generate additional domestic revenue, helping cut the budget deficit and fund health investments. The administration reports that tobacco costs the economy more than 40 billion CFA francs (about $70 million) in healthcare and lost productivity annually.

    Sources around the endeavor suggest the tax rate would be between 70% and 100% of the retail cost.

  • 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.”