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Category: News This Week

  • Cigarette Seizures in Finland Already Double 2025

    Cigarette Seizures in Finland Already Double 2025

    Finnish Customs seized more than 34 million illegally imported cigarettes during the first six months of 2026, twice the amount seized in all of 2025. Customs said the cases identified through June resulted in more than €13.5 million in estimated lost tax revenue, while shipments involving hundreds of thousands or millions of cigarettes have become more common.

    Authorities said ferry routes between Estonia and southern Finland are the main route for illegal shipments, with cigarettes often concealed among legitimate goods and moved through commercial transport networks before being distributed from storage facilities. Customs also reported a June seizure of 4 million cigarettes hidden in legal cargo and an investigation involving 15 people suspected of smuggling up to 10 million cigarettes and other tobacco products into Finland during 2025 and 2026. Investigators said some of the supply originates from illicit manufacturing operations in the Baltic countries and Poland.

  • JT to Launch Limited-Edition ‘Seven Star’ Packaging in Japan

    JT to Launch Limited-Edition ‘Seven Star’ Packaging in Japan

    Japan Tobacco (JT) said it will launch limited-edition “Black Edition” packaging for four Seven Star cigarette products in Japan, with advance sales beginning Oct. 5 through the CLUB JT online shop. Nationwide sales at convenience stores and tobacco retailers will begin Oct. 19, with the products available in limited quantities.

    The four products — Seven Star, Seven Star Box, Seven Star 10 Box, and Seven Star 7 Box — will retain their existing tobacco specifications and retail for ¥600 ($3.78) per pack, including tax. The limited-edition packages feature an all-black matte design with a silver Seven Star logo. JT said Seven Star ranked first in brand sales volume in Japan’s domestic cigarette market as of the end of June 2026.

  • JTI Invests $33.6M to Upgrade Factory in Philippines

    JTI Invests $33.6M to Upgrade Factory in Philippines

    JT International Asia Manufacturing Corporation (JTI-AMC) said it invested more than PHP2.1 billion ($33.6 million) to upgrade its manufacturing facility in LIMA Estate, Batangas, including PHP1.9 billion ($30.4 million) for a new Dry Ice Expanded Tobacco (DIET) plant and more than PHP177 million ($2.8 million) to expand its controlled atmosphere (CA) treatment facility. The CA facility became operational in July, doubling the site’s treatment capacity.

    The Batangas factory is the first JTI manufacturing site in Southeast Asia to use DIET technology. JTI-AMC Factory Lead Philippines Amir Vajdi said the investments reflect the company’s confidence in the Philippines and will support the facility’s manufacturing capabilities and technical expertise.

  • Germany to Discuss Annual Tobacco Tax Increases

    Germany to Discuss Annual Tobacco Tax Increases

    Germany’s Bundestag is scheduled to hold a first reading Sept. 24 of a government bill that would raise taxes on cigarettes, heated tobacco, e-liquids, fine-cut tobacco, and other tobacco products annually from 2027 through 2030. The proposal would increase the weighted average retail price of a 20-cigarette pack from about €8.05 currently to €8.77 in 2027 and €11.36 by 2030. The bill is expected to move to parliamentary committees after the debate.

    The government estimates the changes would generate €756 million in additional tobacco-tax revenue in 2027, rising to €3.589 billion annually by 2030. The German Association of the Tobacco Industry and Novel Products (BVTE), backed by BAT, JTI, Philip Morris, Reemtsma, and tobacco trade associations, has launched a campaign calling for lower and more predictable increases, citing concerns about legal-market sales and illicit trade.

  • ITGA Elects New President at Annual Meeting

    ITGA Elects New President at Annual Meeting

    The International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA) concluded its 2026 Annual General Meeting at Messe Dortmund, Germany, during InterTabac, bringing together representatives of tobacco growers and grower organizations from major producing regions. The meeting marked a leadership transition, with Marcílio Drescher, president of Afubra in Brazil, elected ITGA president, succeeding José Javier Aranda. Members recognized Aranda’s four-year presidency and his work on advocacy, regional coordination, and engagement with international regulatory processes.

    Discussions at the meeting focused on global leaf production and market developments, grower economic sustainability and living income, regulatory developments, traceability, and environmental stewardship, changing nicotine-consumption trends, and regional advocacy coordination. ITGA said its work during 2026 included stronger member and partner engagement, expanded regional coordination, cooperation with InterTabac and InterSupply, an Americas Regional Meeting, continued regional activity in Africa, and living-income research involving more than 700 growers.

    Drescher said his priorities for the next mandate would include strengthening growers’ representation in international discussions, advancing understanding of growers’ economic realities and supporting the long-term viability of tobacco-growing communities.

  • Juul Buyers Defend Antitrust Classes

    Juul Buyers Defend Antitrust Classes

    Juul purchasers are defending the certification of several antitrust classes before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in litigation stemming from Altria Group’s 2018 investment in Juul Labs. Plaintiffs argue that differences in purchase volumes, transaction terms, and state laws do not prevent the claims from being resolved on a classwide basis. The Ninth Circuit granted review of the class-certification orders in April.

    The litigation involves three named direct purchasers, seven named indirect purchasers, and five named indirect resellers of JUUL products. In February, U.S. District Judge William Orrick of the Northern District of California granted certification to the direct purchaser class and granted portions of the certification motions filed by indirect purchasers and resellers. The plaintiffs allege that an agreement between Altria and Juul restrained competition in the closed-system e-vapor market and resulted in higher prices; Altria and Juul deny the allegations and maintain that the transaction did not violate antitrust laws or produce anticompetitive effects.

    The Ninth Circuit case includes separate appeals concerning the certified classes, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also urging the appeals court to reverse the multistate certification. The Chamber has argued that the district court improperly combined California substantive law with damages laws from 26 other states, while the purchasers maintain that the classes satisfy federal requirements for class actions.

  • VTA Launches Ad Campaign on Vaping Regs

    VTA Launches Ad Campaign on Vaping Regs

    The Vapor Technology Association (VTA) launched a seven-figure cable, broadcast, and digital advertising campaign urging President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to replace the FDA’s current Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) framework with what the trade group describes as clear, science-based guidance for vapor products. The campaign is running on Fox News programming, Truth Social, and X. VTA said the campaign cites a poll showing 71% support for replacing the current PMTA rules with scientific guidelines.

    VTA said the campaign follows an August 2026 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit involving the FDA’s PMTA process. VTA Executive Director Tony Abboud said the proposed framework would provide clearer requirements for manufacturers while strengthening enforcement against noncompliant products.

  • PMI Expands Global Services Hub in Philippines

    PMI Expands Global Services Hub in Philippines

    Philip Morris International’s global business services hub in Makati, Philippines, added more than 80 positions as it moved into higher-value services at its 8 Rockwell location. PMI Business Solutions Philippines began operations in 2021 with a focus on finance and information technology services for 20 markets. The hub now employs more than 500 professionals providing 600 services across finance, human resources, IT, commercial services, data analytics, supply chain, project management, and fleet services for 160 markets.

    PMIBS President Harry Tan said the company plans to use artificial intelligence to support more complex services and is focusing on talent development, operational expansion, and AI transformation. Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation President Zhenya Ivanov reaffirmed PMI’s commitment to the Philippines and PMIBS’ role in the company’s broader transformation and growth. The Makati facility is PMI’s second global business services center and its first in Asia.

  • China’s STMA Gets New Deputy Director

    China’s STMA Gets New Deputy Director

    China’s State Council announced numerous appointments and removals September 20, including naming Zhang Xiaotang as deputy director of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA). The STMA has also listed Zhang as a member of its Party leadership group and deputy director.

    Zhang, who holds an MBA and is a senior accountant, served as Party secretary and general manager of Hebei China Tobacco Industry Co. since November 2022. He previously held positions in the STMA’s financial management and supervision department, serving as deputy director from December 2018 and director from November 2019. Yao Laiying was appointed STMA director in April 2026.

  • VA, DoD Update Cessation Recommendations

    VA, DoD Update Cessation Recommendations

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued updated clinical practice guidelines for treating tobacco and nicotine use among veterans and military service members. Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the guideline includes 32 recommendations covering cessation medications, counseling approaches, and treatment strategies for adults who use a range of tobacco and nicotine products. The guideline recommends varenicline or combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to increase abstinence, motivational interviewing to improve treatment engagement, and immediate retreatment following relapse.

    The guideline, which is based on literature published through 2024, also addresses electronic nicotine delivery systems, including e-cigarettes, but does not recommend them as a cessation treatment, stating that evidence is insufficient to establish their efficacy and that known and unknown harms outweigh potential benefits. Nicotine pouches and other newer nicotine products are included within the guideline’s broader scope of tobacco and nicotine use, but the recommendations do not endorse them as cessation treatments. The guideline also recommends offering treatment to adults who are not yet ready to quit and supports pharmacotherapy for patients with mental health conditions, citing evidence of safety and effectiveness.