Category: News This Week

VTA Stands up for Lower-Risk Alternatives
The Vapor Technology Association (VTA) today announced the launch of a cable news ad buy in the U.S. targeting Senator Chuck Schumer and his proposed ban on Zyn nicotine pouches. The ad runs this week on FOX News and FOX Business during key programming slots, including “FOX and Friends,” “Kudlow,” and “The Five.”
The ad connects a proposed ban on e-cigarettes with a ban on all less harmful, tobacco-free nicotine products, such as Zyn nicotine pouches. The ad also calls out officials at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) for repeatedly blocking access for millions of Americans to e-cigarettes as harm reduction tools.
“Sen. Schumer and the FDA are simply wrong: wrong on e-cigarettes, wrong on Zyn, and wrong on the science,” said Tony Abboud, executive director of VTA, in a statement. “Rather than give adult smokers broader access to a greater number of lower-risk alternatives, the FDA and CTP have instead imposed a de facto ban on e-cigarettes—and Zyn is next.”
The ad states that Schumer’s proposed Zyn ban mimics his attempts to eliminate e-cigarette use nationwide, amounting to an assault on Americans’ personal freedom to choose lower-risk, tobacco-free nicotine products that overwhelming scientific and medical data demonstrates are effective at helping adults quit smoking.
“Why is the FDA denying access to a wide range of less harmful alternatives to combustible cigarettes that could otherwise be used by millions of adult smokers trying to quit?” asked Abboud.
“Cigarettes kill. Rather than even acknowledging the settled science in support of e-cigarettes and other less harmful, tobacco-free nicotine products in recent years, the CTP has instead authorized nearly 900 new cigarettes for Americans’ use—but Sen. Schumer thinks it’s Zyn you need to be worried about.
“The anti-nicotine FDA and congressional establishment has simply lost its bearings on the strategy of harm reduction, which it applies to every public health crisis, yet refuses to apply to the annual crisis of nearly half a million Americans dying from smoking every single year.”
“VTA is running this ad buy because Americans deserve to know that less harmful nicotine products exist that can help adult smokers trying to quit. VTA supports Americans’ freedom to choose,” said Abboud.
February 6, 2024
BAT Makes Board and Committee Changes

Photo: BAT
Sue Farr and Dimitri Panayotopoulos will step down from BAT’s board at the end of the company’s annual general meeting on April 24, 2024, having served as nonexecutive directors for nine years.
As a result of these departures, BAT is changing the role of senior independent director and the composition of the audit and remuneration committees.
After the conclusion of the company’s annual general meeting, Holly Keller Koeppel will be appointed as senior independent director, succeeding Farr. Koeppel has been a nonexecutive director of the company since July 2017, and she is currently chair of the audit committee and a member of the nominations committee. Darrell Thomas will be appointed as chair of the audit committee, succeeding Koeppel, who will remain a member of the audit committee. Kandy Anand will be appointed as chair of the remuneration committee, succeeding Panayotopoulos.
Luc Jobin said, “I would like to thank both Sue and Dimitri for their extensive contribution to the board over their tenures. I would also like to thank Holly for chairing the Audit Committee since 2019. I look forward to welcoming Holly, Darrell and Kandy to their new roles.”
The above proposals are subject to reelection of each of the directors at the 2024 annual general meeting.
February 6, 2024
Diversification in Africa: FCTC No Help

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
While participants in the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) are keen for tobacco growers to abandon the golden leaf, farmers around the world say they receive little support in switching to alternative livelihoods.
Interviewed by the International Tobacco Growers’ Association, Ryan Swales, president of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (ZTA), said he has not witnessed any attempts from the global health body to assist with diversification.
“I do not see any help from the WHO FCTC helping the diversification of tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe,” he was quoted as saying. “We are on our own, and a big proportion of large-scale growers have diversified on their own, with no help from anyone else, be it the tobacco companies or the WHO FCTC. If you ask many growers if they know who the WHO FCTC are, you will be met with a blank stare!”
This sentiment was echoed by ZTA CEO Rodney Ambrose, who noted that for Zimbabwe’s tens of thousands of small-scale farmers, there simply are no viable diversification options. “Our ministry engaged in a study on behalf of WHO FCTC some years back, which clearly concluded that there are no economically viable crops other than tobacco for our small-scale farmers. Tobacco is their livelihood.
“However, we are always willing to further explore diversification options that the WHO FCTC may propose.”
In Malawi, tobacco growers have received support from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World as the country seeks to broaden its economic base.
February 6, 2024
Ozgo Steps Down as Cigar Group President

Photo: Pcess609
David Ozgo is moving on from his position as president of the Cigar Association of America (CAA).
In a statement, the CAA acknowledged Ozgo’s committed service to the association.
“In his time at CAA he modernized the association’s public relations and social media capability,” the organization wrote on its website. “His op-eds and interviews have been valuable in communicating industry positions. Additionally, his hard work brought in several new members. We wish David all the luck on his next venture.”
CAA’s board of directors will be embarking on a search for new executive leadership.
February 6, 2024
Erik Augustson to Direct FSFW Programs

Image: Monster-Ztudio
The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) has appointed Erik Augustson as vice president of programs, responsible for management and oversight of the foundation’s global grantmaking portfolio.
In this new role, Augustson is poised to elevate the grant program, ensuring the foundation’s strategic priorities are addressed by overseeing the strategy, development and implementation of all programmatic work, including research strategy and grant generation.
Throughout his career, Augustson has made contributions within academic, clinical medicine, federal government and private sector contexts. For the past two decades, he has been a driving force in advancing population-level and public health interventions on both domestic and international fronts.
Notably, Augustson played a pivotal role in the development and leadership of the large-scale U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mobile health and behavior change program, Smokefree.gov.
In addition to those achievements, Augustson is recognized as a mentor and senior leader, known for his human-focused management style. His commitment to research, intervention program development, evaluation and management has earned him accolades and positioned him as a respected figure in the field.
“I am delighted to welcome Erik as the leader of this new team at the foundation,” said FSFW CEO Cliff Douglas in a statement. We have ambitious objectives to elevate the strength of our grantmaking and to diversify our partnerships and sources of funding. Erik’s experience delivering the highest-quality programs for the public and private sectors will be a great help in those endeavors.”
An alumnus of the University of New Mexico, Augustson holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate in psychology. He also completed two postdoctoral fellowships—one in behavioral medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine and the other in epidemiology and cancer prevention at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
February 6, 2024
COP10: Activists Demand Evidence-Based Approach

Nancy Loucas (Photo: CAPHRA)
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has called on the World Health Organization and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to adopt a more transparent, open and evidence-based approach to tobacco harm reduction.
“This demand comes in light of the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP10) in Panama, where governments will discuss global strategies to address the tobacco epidemic”, said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA.
CAPHRA’s critique aligns with the insights of Clive Bates, a renowned tobacco control expert, who has highlighted the WHO’s counterproductive stance on safer nicotine alternatives such as vaping and heated tobacco products. Bates argues that the WHO’s approach, which often leans towards prohibition, inadvertently protects the cigarette trade, fosters black markets, and prolongs the epidemic of smoking-related diseases.
“CAPHRA emphasizes the need for the WHO and FCTC to engage with all stakeholders, including consumer groups, and to consider the full spectrum of scientific evidence when formulating policies,” said Loucas.
“We believe that the focus should be on reducing the harm caused by smoked tobacco, which is the primary contributor to tobacco-related health issues.”
CAPHRA also calls for webcasting and public access to the entire COP10 meeting to ensure transparency and accountability.
“The positions adopted by delegates and observers should be open for all to see, fostering a more inclusive and evidence-driven dialogue”, said Loucas.
In the spirit of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the FCTC treaty, CAPHRA advocates for a re-evaluation of the treaty’s approach to tobacco harm reduction, urging parties to consider the potential benefits of risk-proportionate regulations that protect public health while ensuring the availability of safer nicotine alternatives.
February 6, 2024
Taiwan Warnings to Cover Half of Pack

Photo: sharafmaksumov
Beginning March 22, 2024, health warnings on cigarette packages in Taiwan must cover at least 50 percent of the packaging, up from 35 percent, according to the Taipei Times.
The Health Promotion Administration cited the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 11, saying the article requires all contracting partier to ensure tobacco product packaging carries health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco use.
According to a 2024 Canadian Cancer Society report, 127 countries and territories require warnings to cover 50 percent or more of the packaging.
Those caught not following the health warning rule face fines of TWD10,000 ($319.23) to TWD50,000.
February 6, 2024
U.K. Authorities Seized Nearly 10 Tons of Illegal Vapes in 2023

Photo: APchanel
The number of illegal vapes seized at the U.K. border quadrupled last year. Authorities confiscated more than 4.5 million vapes weighing nearly 10 tons over the past 12 months.
Figures released to the BBC show that Border Force seized just 4,430 vapes in 2021, rising to 988,064 in 2022 and 4,537,689 from January 2023 to October 2023.
Unlike legal vapes, illegal e-cigarettes are not registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and do not pass through quality control processes. In addition, health activists worry that retailers prepared to flout product rules may not be scrupulous about observing the ban on selling to under-18-year-olds.
A Home Office spokesperson said the government would “not tolerate the sale of illegal products and … harmful goods, such as illegal or counterfeit vapes.”
February 5, 2024
FDA Denies Marketing of Flavored Blu Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued marketing denial orders (MDOs) to Fontem U.S. for four Blu disposable products and one MyBlu e-cigarette product.
The denied products include a closed menthol e-liquid and several flavored disposable e-cigarettes. As a result, the company may not legally market or distribute these products in the United States. However, the company may submit new applications for the products that are subject to these MDOs.
The products that received MDOs are Blu Disposable Menthol 2.4 percent; Blu Disposable Vanilla 2.4 percent; Blu Disposable Polar Mint 2.4 percent; Blu Disposable Cherry 2.4 percent; and MyBlu Menthol 1.2 percent.
After reviewing the company’s premarket tobacco product applications, the FDA determined that the applications lacked sufficient evidence to demonstrate that permitting marketing of the products would be appropriate for the protection of the public health, which is the standard legally required by the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
More specifically, the FDA said the application lacked sufficient evidence regarding harmful and potentially harmful ingredients in the aerosol for one product and battery safety for several products. Additionally, the applicant did not present sufficient data demonstrating that the new products have a potential to benefit adult smokers, in terms of complete switching or significant cigarette use reduction, that would outweigh the risk to youth, according to the agency.
February 5, 2024
North Carolina Launches Juul Depository

Photo: matousekfoto
The attorney general for the U.S. state of North Carolina announced the launch of an online, searchable public depository that will contain nearly 4 million documents from the state’s lawsuit against e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs.
The depository was created and is being housed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC) University Libraries and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The first 50,000 documents are now available online in the UCSF Industry Documents Library, and additional documents will be added monthly, according to Attorney General Josh Stein.
“We insisted on a publicly accessible database of Juul’s documents to ensure transparency,” said Stein in a statement. “We want people to understand what Juul did so this never happens again. I’m grateful for the partnership with UNC and UCSF and appreciate their teams’ hard work to bring this document library to life.”
Stein sued Juul Labs in 2019 for unlawfully designing, marketing and selling its e-cigarettes to teenagers. In 2021, he reached a first-in-the-nation settlement with the pod vaping system manufacturer, winning $47.8 million and requiring the company to make significant business changes and publicize many of the documents it had produced during the lawsuit.
The documents include information about Juul Labs’ business practices, research, advertisement, marketing, and sales data, and, according to Stein, “they shine a light” on how the company marketed its products to youth.
The Juul Labs documents will be cross-searchable with more than 18 million other documents in the UCSF library’s tobacco, opioid, chemical, drug, food and fossil fuel industry archives.
Stein is also investigating Puff Bar and other e-cigarette manufacturers, distributors and retailers due to ongoing concerns about flavors, age verification and marketing.
February 5, 2024