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Category: News This Week

  • Juul Aims for Comeback with Adult-Focused Vape Device

    Juul Aims for Comeback with Adult-Focused Vape Device

    Juul Labs is attempting a comeback, refocusing on its original mission of helping adult smokers transition away from cigarettes. Investor James Sagan of Architect Capital, who invested in Juul in 2023, told NYNext, “Everybody kind of thought Juul was dead and evil. But the early investors and founders have poured a bunch of capital back into the company to save it.”

    Central to the revival is Juul2, a new vaping device. Users who age-verify as 21+ can access an optional smartphone app. Juul founders James Monsees and Adam Bowen initially developed the technology at Stanford to provide an alternative to cigarettes. The company has undergone a reset to steer the company back toward harm reduction while preventing underage use.

    The device is currently awaiting regulatory approval in the U.S.; it’s already for sale, in the UK.

    “We’re all of the belief that Juul is a mission-driven company tackling the most important public health problem,” Sagan said. “That truth will reveal itself at some point in time.”

  • Former CTP Director Says Tobacco Control Burden Shifts to States

    Former CTP Director Says Tobacco Control Burden Shifts to States

    Former director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products Dr. Brian King, said the Trump administration’s reductions in federal funding, including millions of dollars previously allocated to tobacco control and prevention programs, have shifted the responsibility for such efforts to state and local governments. King, who is now the executive vice president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, highlighted the implications during a keynote address at the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i annual meeting, urging local leaders to document tobacco’s impacts and advocate for continued public health protections.

    King pointed to cuts affecting major agencies, including the CDC, NIH, and FDA, which traditionally provide funds for state-level tobacco control initiatives. Hawai‘i Public Radio said the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health was eliminated, resulting in a loss of $70 million annually for tobacco control programs and $15.1 million for state quitlines. While the full impact of these federal cuts has yet to be felt, King warned that once programs lose funding entirely, many initiatives may face staffing reductions or elimination.

  • Tobacco Stocks Stumble as ‘PMI Results Weigh on Sector’

    Tobacco Stocks Stumble as ‘PMI Results Weigh on Sector’

    Tobacco and nicotine stocks slipped yesterday (October 24) as shares of Philip Morris International fell following the company’s third-quarter results. While the company reported stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue, investors reacted negatively to a modest increase in full-year profit guidance and concerns over slowing growth in its smoke-free division. PMI shares dipped around 3–4% after the announcement, according to MSN’s Seeking Alpha.

    The sentiment rippled across the sector, pulling down other major players, according to Seeking Alpha. British American Tobacco traded about 2% lower, Turning Point Brands dropped nearly 4%, and Greenlane Holdings fell more than 5%. Altria Group also edged down around 1.5% ahead of its own quarterly earnings report, expected next week.

    Analysts at Morgan Stanley and BofA Securities maintained their “buy” ratings on Philip Morris, emphasizing its strong growth potential in reduced-risk products such as Zyn nicotine pouches. However, market watchers noted that investor expectations remain high even as the industry faces regulatory scrutiny and shifting consumer trends. The broader tobacco sector continues to balance solid cash flow and dividend stability against slower growth and rising public health pressures.

  • Don Emmanuel and Duran Cigars Join Creativas Group PR

    Don Emmanuel and Duran Cigars Join Creativas Group PR

    Creativas Group Public Relations announced the addition of two new clients, Don Emmanuel Cigars and Duran Cigars. The company will oversee public relations and communications initiatives for both brands, including media outreach, event coordination, and product news.

    Duran Cigars is a premium cigar company that crafts it products in “authentic Cuban tradition,” while Don Emmanuel Cigars “brings a boutique sensibility to the premium cigar world—blending tradition, artistry, and authenticity in every hand-rolled creation.”

  • SA’s Cigarette Market ‘Captured by Criminals’

    SA’s Cigarette Market ‘Captured by Criminals’

    South Africa’s cigarette trade has been “captured by criminal syndicates,” with three-fourths of all cigarettes now sold coming from illicit sources, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) said this week. Speaking to Parliament’s health committee on October 22, SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said the illegal trade has drained billions in tax revenue and poses a growing threat to the economy. Research from the University of Cape Town, Ipsos, and Tax Justice SA shows the illicit tobacco market has ballooned from 19% in 2014 to 75% in 2025, costing the state roughly R84 billion ($4.9 billion) in excise losses between 2020 and 2022.

    Kieswetter described the trade as “industrial-scale criminality,” involving money laundering through gold refineries, property schemes, and offshore investments. He linked the rise of illicit tobacco to weakened enforcement between 2014 and 2018, during the Zuma era, which saw oversight dismantled and revenue stagnate despite steady consumption.

    The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that the illicit cigarette trade has become a “national priority threat” linked to organized crime, saying the trade now operates through five-tiered syndicates spanning financiers, smugglers, and distributors connected to drug trafficking and human smuggling networks. Most contraband enters through Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Botswana, it said.

  • Taiwan Allows Display of Legal Heated-Tobacco Devices

    Taiwan Allows Display of Legal Heated-Tobacco Devices

    Today (October 24), Taiwan’s Health Minister Shih Chung-liang said that licensed retailers may display legal heated tobacco devices to help consumers distinguish them from illegal products. The clarification follows earlier confusion from last week when the HPA incorrectly announced all displays were banned. Shih noted that the approved devices have passed safety and design reviews to avoid enticing youth, and retailers are allowed to use displays that show the brand and prices, but should not “promote” them. The ministry is also considering requiring warning labels on heating device packaging.

    Taiwan legalized heated tobacco in March 2023, with the first batch of 14 products and four component devices approved for sale in October 2025.

  • Pakistani Court Strikes Down Local Tobacco Excise Duty

    Pakistani Court Strikes Down Local Tobacco Excise Duty

    Pakistan’s Peshawar High Court declared the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s provincial excise duty on unmanufactured tobacco unconstitutional. The bench ruled in favor of multiple petitions filed by leading tobacco companies, including Pakistan Tobacco Company, stating that the relevant provisions of the KP Finance Act, 2024 conflicted with the Constitution.

    The petitioners challenged the Rs50 ($0.18) per kilogram levy on unmanufactured tobacco, arguing that excise duties fall exclusively under federal jurisdiction under the Federal Legislative List, and that the provincial assembly had no authority to impose a parallel duty. Lawyers for the petitioners emphasized that federal excise duty (FED) on tobacco is already administered by the Federal Board of Revenue under the Federal Excise Act, 2005, and the KP law encroached on parliamentary powers.

    The court sided with the petitioners, agreeing that following the Eighteenth Amendment, the omission of the concurrent legislative list gave parliament exclusive power over matters such as excise duties, making the provincial tobacco levy ultra vires.

  • Vape, Nicotine, Tobacco Law Symposium Dates Announced

    Vape, Nicotine, Tobacco Law Symposium Dates Announced

    Keller and Heckman announced that it will be hosting its 10th Annual E-Vapor, Nicotine, and Tobacco Law Symposium, taking place on May 4 – 5, 2026, in Las Vegas, NV, at the Paris Las Vegas hotel. This two-day seminar is designed to provide in-depth knowledge on legal, regulatory, and scientific issues essential for tobacco, nicotine, and CBD/hemp product manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers. 

    Registration for the symposium will begin in December. For questions related to the program, contact Emma Kyle at kyle@khlaw.com.

  • HQD Launches GO Disposable E-Cigarette in the U.S.

    HQD Launches GO Disposable E-Cigarette in the U.S.

    HQD introduced its new disposable e-cigarette, the HQD GO, across its official website and multiple U.S. retail channels. The device is “rated for up to 35,000 puffs, features Soft, Regular, and Boost power settings, and offers adjustable airflow.” The U.S. version contains 30 mg/ml (3%) nicotine and is priced at approximately $29.99. The HQD GO is available in six colors and 14 flavors, including fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and cooling varieties.

    Retailers such as ohmcityvapes list the HQD GO with 18 ml of e-liquid, which equates to roughly 1,944 puffs per ml, “making it higher than comparable devices like the VOZOL NEON PLUG MAX and SKE 30K Pro Max.”

  • BAT Italia Unveils glo Hilo, a ‘New Era in Heated Tobacco’

    BAT Italia Unveils glo Hilo, a ‘New Era in Heated Tobacco’

    BAT Italia introduced glo Hilo, its latest tobacco heating device, “marking a technological leap in the heated tobacco sector.” Italy is among the first countries globally to roll out this new ecosystem, featuring sticks entirely made in Italy.

    Speaking at the event, Fabio de Petris, CEO of BAT Italia, highlighted the company’s growth and investment plans in Italy. He said that Italy represents a key market for new product categories, with one in three consumers using next-generation tobacco products, and outlined BAT’s €500 million five-year investment plan in its Trieste production hub. The facility, which now serves 14 countries, has expanded with 16 additional production lines for heated tobacco, driving new hires and reinforcing Italy’s strategic role in BAT’s global innovation strategy.