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Category: Around the Industry

  • PCA Announces Cigar Business Program in Nicaragua

    PCA Announces Cigar Business Program in Nicaragua

    The Premium Cigar Association, in partnership with Keiser University Latin American Campus and the Cámara Nicaragüense de Tabacaleros, launched a certified executive education program, “The Business of Premium Cigars: Strategy, Operations, Branding, and Experiences That Build Legacy,” aimed at strengthening leadership and strategic knowledge in the global premium cigar industry. Introduced at a luncheon in Estelí, Nicaragua, the program will feature instruction from renowned cigar makers, founders, and industry leaders over four full-day sessions in June 2026, totaling 32 hours of in-person training at Keiser University’s Managua campus.

    Designed for owners, executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and cigar enthusiasts, the curriculum covers strategy, operations, branding, finance, and international trade, providing participants with hands-on insights into building, positioning, and growing premium cigar enterprises while preserving the industry’s heritage and global legacy.

  • S. Carolina Looking to Cut Tax on HTPs, Add for E-liquids

    S. Carolina Looking to Cut Tax on HTPs, Add for E-liquids

    South Carolina lawmakers are considering legislation that would cut the excise tax on heated tobacco products by more than half, arguing the devices pose lower health risks than traditional cigarettes and could help smokers transition away from combustible tobacco. Republican Sen. Tom Davis, chair of the Senate Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee, said the products provide a similar experience to smoking but with fewer harmful chemicals, and argued the tax structure should reflect the relative risk compared with conventional cigarettes.  The bill, introduced last year, imposes a separate excise tax on heated cigarettes of 25 cents per pack of 20, effectively cutting the HTP tax rate by 45 cents from the combustible rate of 70 cents per pack.

    Public health groups oppose the proposal, with the American Heart Association warning that reducing taxes could encourage continued nicotine use or product switching rather than quitting. The bill would also introduce a new excise tax on vaping products of five cents per milliliter of vape liquid, as South Carolina currently has no tax on e-cigarettes. According to the state fiscal office, heated tobacco products are not currently sold in the state, though companies have marketed them there previously and could reenter the market if the legislation passes.

  • Glasgow Vape Shop Fire Draws Attention, Response from UKVIA

    Glasgow Vape Shop Fire Draws Attention, Response from UKVIA

    The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) reached out to fire authorities across the UK following a major fire in Glasgow that originated in a retail outlet selling vapes. UKVIA emphasized that vape retailers are being advised on immediate steps to ensure proper fire safety measures and are encouraged to review risk assessments and liaise with local fire services for guidance. Director General John Dunne described the incident as isolated but underscored the importance of proactive safety compliance, noting that responsible retailers play a crucial role in keeping vaping products accessible for adults seeking to quit smoking.

    UKVIA welcomed the opportunity to work with fire services to learn from the incident and reiterated its long-standing advocacy for a robust licensing scheme to ensure the highest safety and compliance standards, now under consideration as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The association also highlighted that illicit vapes pose heightened fire risks due to high-energy batteries, which burn hotter and faster than conventional fires, potentially explaining the intensity of the Glasgow blaze.

    The fire drew attention to regulatory gaps, as the store involved was not listed on the Scottish Government’s Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers and had not paid business rates. A manual count of the government’s Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers found that 80% of 1,252 registered shops are “registered and compliant,” but listed as lacking current information.

  • PHANZ and CAPHRA Clash Over Oral Products

    PHANZ and CAPHRA Clash Over Oral Products

    The Public Health Association of New Zealand (PHANZ) recently urged the government to reject oral nicotine and tobacco products, citing limited evidence and concerns over youth uptake, addiction, and unintended harms. PHANZ argued that introducing these products could pose risks to public health and recommended a cautious approach.

    In response, the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates called for strict, adult-only regulation rather than outright prohibition, emphasizing that adults who smoke deserve access to lower-risk alternatives. CAPHRA Executive Coordinator Nancy Loucas stressed that safeguards such as R18 sales, ingredient disclosure, marketing restrictions, and strong enforcement should accompany access, noting that blanket bans ignore evidence from Sweden and Norway where low-combustion oral products have coincided with major declines in cigarette use.

    CAPHRA also criticized New Zealand’s current patchwork of import restrictions, advocating for a clear legal category and risk-proportionate regulations that protect youth while giving adults credible alternatives to combustible tobacco.

  • FDA Releases Raw NYTS Data Without Comment

    FDA Releases Raw NYTS Data Without Comment

    Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released the raw data from the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), an annual, school-based survey that collects data on tobacco use among students in grades 6 through 12 across the country. Unlike previous years, the FDA released the data without comment, leaving industry members to interpret it independently.

    The survey tracks students’ tobacco behaviors, attitudes, and exposure to pro- and anti-tobacco messaging, providing nationally representative data. First conducted in 1999, it has guided youth tobacco policy and was jointly run by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since 2012, before moving fully under FDA oversight in 2025. 

    “Youth use of tobacco and nicotine has been the FDA’s sole focus in its policy and decision making for so many years, with adult education programs centered on the risk continuum of these products seemingly still far off,” said Laura Leigh Oyler, VP of Regulatory Affairs at Nicokick.com. “It’s been a big question throughout the industry as to why they’ve chosen to release this data with no fanfare, and with no guidance on how to interpret it. The FDA has essentially left the industry and other stakeholders to analyze and determine the use rates on their own.”

    Altria Client Services released a “high-level” summary of the data, finding overall tobacco usage by middle and high school students declined for the third straight year, dropping to 7.5%, the lowest rate since the study became annual in 2011, and down from the all-time high of 23.3% in 2019.

    Cigarette usage remained steady at 1.4%, while all other categories dropped from 2024, with e-cigarettes going from 5.9% to 5.2%, pouches from 1.8% to 1.7%, smokeless tobacco going from 1.2% to 0.6%, and heated tobacco products going from 0.8% to 0.7%.

    “With the continued low youth use rates, we think this is something worth celebrating,” Oyler said. “The data shows that targeted public‑health interventions, combined with thoughtful regulation like raising the legal age for nicotine purchases, can make a meaningful difference.”

    “The law is clear: tobacco and nicotine products are strictly for adults 21 and older,” said Matthew T. Sheaff, director of U.S. regulatory communications for Philip Morris International. “At PMI U.S., we are committed to guarding against underage access to our products, while continuing to provide adults 21 and older with better alternatives to smoking and traditional tobacco.

    “For example, we direct our marketing to adult nicotine consumers and do not pay social media influencers to endorse our products in the U.S. This is a shared responsibility—regulators, policymakers, retailers, and manufacturers all have an important role to play.”

    With the news generally positive in terms of youth usage, Oyler suggested emphasis be given to adults 55 and older, whose smoking rates have remained mostly steady, dropping from 18.7% in 2016 to 16.7% in 2023.

    “If anything, this data raises questions less about youth access and more about what we can do to educate adults on the differences between nicotine and tobacco products, and how they can reduce their risk,” Oyler said. “This is the population most at risk of smoking-related disease. This is the population with the most to gain from moving away from cigarettes. And this is the population that has been historically underserved by cessation efforts and innovation.

    “To drive the next major improvement in public health, we must accelerate support for adults who smoke and ensure that they have access to better alternatives, and ultimately, better outcomes.”

  • ITC Rules ‘No Violation’ in RJR Complaint

    ITC Rules ‘No Violation’ in RJR Complaint

    The U.S. International Trade Commission issued a final determination in its investigation into certain disposable vaporizer devices, ruling that there was no violation of Section 337 in the case brought by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which targeted brands like Elf Bar and Geek Bar. This followed an earlier denial of a temporary exclusion order due to a lack of evidence regarding the likelihood of success on the merits.

    R.J. Reynolds began pivoting its legal strategy with a new investigation instituted by the USITC on March 3, which shifts focus to alleged violations of the PACT Act, state flavor bans, and tax laws by Chinese manufacturers and U.S. distributors. While the previous patent-based case is closed, the commission has begun its review of these new, broader regulatory and competition-based allegations.

    Following the ruling, the Vapor Technology Association’s executive director, Tony Abboud, issued a statement, saying, “The ITC’s decision represents a positive path forward for our industry. It proves that, unlike the misguided FDA, some federal agencies are still willing to stand up to corporate interests for the good of our free market and American public health. The ITC’s decision, rejecting all of the claims, is a decisive blow against those seeking to use government agencies to corner a market and a huge step for President Trump’s America First agenda. 

    “We appreciate the ITC referencing our submission in its final decision and take this inclusion as a sign that the ITC seriously listened to the concerns of the massive American independent vaping industry.” 

  • Keller and Heckman Responds to FDA’s ENDS Guidance  

    Keller and Heckman Responds to FDA’s ENDS Guidance  

    Following the FDA’s March 9 draft guidance on flavored electronic nicotine delivery systems, Keller and Heckman LLP highlighted the agency’s continued focus on youth-risk concerns while providing more clarity on the evidentiary expectations for adult-benefit claims. Keller and Heckman encouraged industry stakeholders to submit comments during the 60-day public comment period to ensure FDA considers the latest evidence on youth use and adult-benefit outcomes.

    The firm emphasized that FDA’s risk-proportionate framework formalizes how the evidentiary burden rises with youth appeal, but that the guidance does not yet incorporate the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data showing a substantial decline in youth vaping. Keller and Heckman noted that evolving data could inform public comments, particularly on whether the agency should recalibrate its comparative-efficacy requirement, given that factors beyond flavors—such as peer influence, boredom, and experimentation—also drive youth use. Keller and Heckman said the draft also opens the door to using non-clinical sensory studies to assess relative appeal and clarifies the limited role of device access restrictions in mitigating youth risk.

    The firm will further address the guidance and other regulatory updates at its 2026 E-Vapor, Nicotine, and Tobacco Law Symposium on May 4–5 in Las Vegas, offering attendees practical insights into navigating the PMTA process under FDA’s clarified expectations.

  • Exploding Vape Lawsuit Focuses on Chinese Maker  

    Exploding Vape Lawsuit Focuses on Chinese Maker  

    A lawsuit over an exploding vape battery in the U.S. is now focusing on a Chinese manufacturer after the plaintiff agreed to drop claims against the product’s domestic distributor. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, was brought by a man who says he suffered second- and third-degree burns when a vape battery exploded in his pocket. While the distributor has been dismissed from the case, the plaintiff will continue pursuing claims against LG Chem Ltd., the China-based company that manufactured the e-cigarette device.

  • Cigar Bar Bill Passes Iowa Senate

    Cigar Bar Bill Passes Iowa Senate

    The Iowa Senate approved legislation that would allow premium cigar bars to operate despite the state’s public smoking ban, advancing a measure that could open a new hospitality segment for the cigar industry. Lawmakers voted 27–18 to pass Senate File 2444, which would amend the Iowa Smokefree Air Act to permit licensed establishments where customers can smoke premium cigars while being served alcoholic beverages. To qualify, venues would need to generate at least 35% of revenue from premium cigars and accessories, restrict entry to those 21 and older, maintain a walk-in humidor, and prohibit food service and other tobacco products. The bill now moves to the Iowa House of Representatives for further consideration.

  • Don’t Criminalize Nicotine Over Illicit Vapes: CAPHRA

    Don’t Criminalize Nicotine Over Illicit Vapes: CAPHRA

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates cautioned governments in Asia not to use the rise of etomidate-laced “zombie vapes” as a pretext to restrict regulated nicotine products. While authorities have reported health risks linked to illicit vapes, CAPHRA stresses that adults using safer, legal alternatives to quit smoking should not face penalties.

    CAPHRA calls for stronger enforcement against criminal traffickers, enhanced testing and surveillance, and clear public warnings on adulterated products, while maintaining access to regulated nicotine alternatives as part of credible tobacco harm reduction strategies.