Category: News This Week

  • Vape Leaders Honored

    Vape Leaders Honored

    Photo; Feelm

    Leaders in product compliance, innovation, sustainability and the prevention of youth access to vaping were among those honored at this year’s UKVIA Industry Recognition Awards.

    The annual event was hosted at the QEII Centre in London and saw parliamentarians, public health professionals, enforcement officials, vape manufacturers and others celebrated for their contributions to the progress of the industry and to the ambition for a future without smoking.

    There were 16 award categories this year, including Most Responsible Vaping Business, Outstanding Vaper Education Program for Smokers and the Vaping Regulations Enforcement Award.

    Colin Mendelsohn, founding chairman of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association and retired general practitioner of 30 years, received the Most Supportive Public Health Professional/Researcher Award.

    Also winning awards were Adam Afriyie, Member of Parliament and vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping, and Martin Cullip, international fellow of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance’s Consumer Center, who won Most Supportive Parliamentarian and Outstanding Industry Service Award, respectively.

    John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, said, “Our annual industry recognition awards celebrate the individuals and organizations—both within and outside the industry—who have made outstanding contributions to the vaping sector.

    “I hope this year’s winners continue to set a leading example and that the rest of the industry will be inspired to go even further to take our sector to new heights and show the policymakers and regulators that we are committed to the highest standards in helping the government achieve its smoke-free generation.”

    Ahead of the Industry Recognition Awards, Chris Kelly, chief executive of headline sponsor Phoenix 2 Retail, said: “More than ever, our industry needs to make a strong statement to the government and regulators by showcasing what it is doing to raise standards across the board.

    “It’s good to see the awards this year recognizing innovative solutions that address the big issues of youth vaping and the environmental impact of single-use vapes. Equally, it’s good that those who have been at the forefront of compliance have been held up for what they are doing in this crucial area.”

    The full list of winners is available at the UKVIA’s website.

  • KT&G Recognized for Governance

    KT&G Recognized for Governance

    Photo: KT&G

    KT&G has been recognized as The Best in Corporate Governance at the 2023 KCGS Excellent Companies Awards Ceremony hosted by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability (KCGS).

    As a leading domestic ESG evaluation agency, the KCGS annually selects and announces outstanding companies that have strived to improve their environmental, social responsibility and corporate governance. KT&G was awarded the highest prize among generally listed companies, The Best Award, in the corporate governance category, acknowledging its high-level sustainable management system.

    KT&G was praised for leading board-centric management based on the sound operations of its board. The company has enhanced its checks and oversight functions by appointing only external directors to its key committees and has maintained a 75 percent external director ratio over the past three years, thereby securing board independence. Additionally, KT&G has elevated its board’s continuous monitoring function by operating its internal audit organization directly under the board’s audit committee.

    KT&G has also been awarded an A+ in this year’s ESG integrated rating announced by the KCGS, maintaining an A grade (excellent) or higher for 13 consecutive years. KT&G has proactively adopted the Board Skills Matrix (BSM) to strengthen its “responsible, professional management system” centered on the board. The company has continued to enhance its governance structure by establishing board diversity and independence policies and formulating a group ethical charter.

    “Since its privatization, KT&G has established a transparent and independent advanced governance structure centered on external directors,” the company wrote in a statement. “We plan to strengthen further our board’s independence, expertise and diversity to establish a global top-tier level of governance.”

    The recent recognition confirms KT&G’s commitment to ESG. Since February 2021, the company has consecutively received the highest grade in its industry in the MSCI ESG evaluation. In addition, KT&G was awarded the prime minister’s commendation in the comprehensive ESG category at the 2022 Sustainable Management Merit Government Award.

  • 22nd Century Sells Cannabis Operations

    22nd Century Sells Cannabis Operations

    22nd Century Group will sell most of its GVB Biopharma hemp/cannabis operations to Specialty Acquisition Corp., an entity affiliated with GVB employees.

    Terms of the transaction include a cash payment to the company of $1 million at closing of the sale and a 12 percent secured promissory note for $1.25 million issued by the buyer. The company plans to use the proceeds from the sale to further deleverage its balance sheet.

    22nd Century is also entitled to retain any insurance proceeds received in connection with the fire at the company’s Grass Valley manufacturing facility, a portion of which will be used to offset the buyer’s portion of the shared liabilities.

    The sale is expected to close in early December 2023, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by 22nd Century’s board of directors.

    “The sale of our hemp/cannabis franchise will immediately and materially further reduce the cash and operating demands within our business,” said John Miller, interim CEO of 22nd Century, in a statement.

    “We expect this transaction will substantially lower 22nd Century’s operating expenses beyond the previously announced $15 million in cost savings initiatives on an annual basis. Additionally, we will retain rights to the insurance proceeds, subject to certain offsets, effectively recouping cash that was invested into the continuity of the hemp/cannabis business.

  • Economist Conference Explores Illicit Trade

    Economist Conference Explores Illicit Trade

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Economist Impact will host the eighth Global Anti-Illicit Trade Summit, supported by Japan Tobacco International, on Nov. 30 the Westin Ottawa.

    When it comes to cross-border movement of illegal goods, North America’s expansiveness exacerbates the problem. The United States shares the world’s longest (8,890 km) land border with Canada and the busiest land-border crossing with Mexico. This makes preventing smuggling and illegal migration especially challenging for border security and customs agencies. With just over 12,000 km in land borders and approximately 230,000 km of coastline, North America offers plenty of opportunities for criminal networks to traffic people and illegal goods and improve their position in the illicit market.

    The International Chamber of Commerce estimates the financial cost of illicit trade to be $4.2 trillion annually.

    Speakers at the Economist Impact forum include General John Kelly, former commander, United States Southern Command; David Luna, executive director, International Coalition Against Illicit Economies; Christopher Taylor, Canada country attaché, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives; Laura Dawson, executive director, Future Borders Coalition; Anne Kothawala, chief executive, Convenience Industry Council of Canada; Marissa Molé Bostick, deputy director, Counterfeit Crimes Unit, Amazon; Sergio Miranda, sergent spécialiste en économie souterraine, Sûreté du Québec; Gaston Schulmeister, director of the Department against Transnational Organized Crime (DTOC), Organization of American States; José Antonio Abugaber Andonie, President, Concamin; and Abram Benedict, Grand Chief, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne

    For further details about the summit, please visit anti-illicit-trade.economist.com.

  • CoEHAR Scientists Among the Most Cited

    CoEHAR Scientists Among the Most Cited

    Image: COEHAR

    The 2023 update of the ranking compiled by Plos Biology and Elsevier, conducted by researchers from Stanford University, honors 20 scientists of the Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) at the University of Catania among the most cited scientists globally.

    The latest update of the database “Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators” was released in October 2023.

    The annually updated database recognizes excellence in the field of scientific research, selected from a sample of 100,000 researchers and divided into 22 different scientific areas and 176 additional sub-fields.

    CoEHAR founder Riccardo Polosa remains one of the most cited scientists in his field, recognized for the quality of contributions in the field of research applied to smoking harm reduction.

    However, this year, in addition to Polosa, 19 additional CoEHAR researchers are honored for their work and included in the database, the organization announced on its website.

    They are: Sebastiano Battiato, Antonino Belfiore, Aldo Calogero, Filippo Caraci, Rosita A. Condorelli, Filippo Drago, Margherita Ferrante, Antonio Gagliano, Fabio Galvano, Giuseppe Grasso, Antonino Gulino, Gaetano Isola, Rosalia Maria Leonardi, Sandro La Vignera, Giovanni Li Volti, Venerando Rapisarda, Martino Ruggieri.

    Among the recognized CoEHAR scientists, there are also Council members from different universities: Emmanuele Jannini from the University of Rome Tor Vergata and Maria Luisa Brandi from the University of Florence

    The Plos Biology database uses six citation parameters, including the total number of publications and the number of times an article related to a scientific study in which the scientist in question is a single or first author is cited.

  • U.K. Still Committed to Generational Ban

    U.K. Still Committed to Generational Ban

    Photo: William Richardson

    England remains committed to its generational tobacco ban despite New Zealand decision to ax a similar plan, reports the Central Fife Times.

    Britain’s government has proposed legislation that would make it illegal for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, to ever legally buy cigarettes, effectively raising the legal age of purchase by one year, every year.

    The legislation was inspired by a generational tobacco ban passed by New Zealand’s former government.

    Following New Zealand’s recent general elections, however, the new coalition announced it would repeal the legislation, arguing that there are better ways to improve public health.  

    Smokers’ rights activists urged England to follow suit by ditching its version of the generational tobacco ban.

    “Having stolen the idea from the previous New Zealand government, the prime minister should follow the example of the next New Zealand government and scrap this crazy plan,” said Forest director Simon Clark.

    Asked whether Rishi Sunak would consider following Wellington’s lead, a spokeswoman for the British prime minister said: “No, our position remains unchanged. This is an important long-term decision and step to deliver a smoke-free generation which remains critically important.”

    A government-commissioned report published in June 2022 put the annual cost to society of smoking at about £17 billion ($21.51 billion).

  • New COP and MOP Dates Announced

    New COP and MOP Dates Announced

    Photo: JeromeMaurice

    The World Health Organization has announced the dates for the resumed in-person sessions of the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the third session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

    Following communication received from Panama, the host country of COP10 and MOP3, and in consultation with the Bureaus of the Conference of the Parties to the FCTC and of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol, the dates for the resumed in-person sessions of COP10 and MOP3 have now been set as follows:

    • Resumed COP10: Feb. 5-10, 2024
    • Resumed MOP3: Feb 12-15, 2024
  • Australia to Ban Imports of Disposables in 2024

    Australia to Ban Imports of Disposables in 2024

    Photo: Alexandr Tyeryechov

    Australia will ban imports of single-use e-cigarettes in January and all non-therapeutic vapes, including refillable devices, in March, reports Reuters. Importers of vapes for medical purposes will need a permit from the Office of Drug Control, according to Health Minister Mark Butler.

    Additional legislation next year will apply the same restrictions to domestic manufacturers.

    “These are the vapes that have pink unicorns on them, bubblegum flavoring, disguised in order for them to hide them in their pencil cases,” Butler was quoted as saying.

    “This is not a therapeutic good to help hardened smokers kick the habit. This is a good that is deliberately targeted at kids to recruit them to nicotine addiction.”

    Around one if five Australians aged 18 to 24 vape, according to government data.

    To ensure continued access to vapes for smokers looking to quit, Doctors will be given expanded powers in January to prescribe therapeutic vapes when clinically appropriate.

  • Foundation Cuts Tobacco Ties

    Foundation Cuts Tobacco Ties

    Clifford Douglas | Photo: FSFW

    The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) will stop accepted funding from the nicotine industry, reports Reuters.

    Set up in 2017 with support from Philip Morris International, which pledged to provide tens of millions of dollars every year for 12 years to keep it running, the organization has struggled to gain credibility with tobacco control advocates.

    The foundation will now rebrand and find new funders from outside of the industry, said Clifford Douglas, who took the foundation’s helm in October.

    A tobacco control advocate veteran, Douglas said he wants to see the foundation reestablished as a credible actor in ending smoking.

    “Any skepticism around our independence can be laid to rest,” he said.

    Tobacco control groups expressed reservations, however.

    “Whether it’s true or not, [Douglas] will be seen as pursuing PMI’s agenda, not that of public health,” said Deborah Arnott, CEO of Action on Smoking and Health in the U.K. The foundation’s role, she said, was “irredeemably tainted” by its PMI funding.

    Yolonda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, said it was “ludicrous” for the foundation to claim independence after accepting a hefty payment from PMI.

    PMI said the split was mutual, and wished the foundation success.

  •  ‘Systemic Failures’ Blamed for COP Delay

     ‘Systemic Failures’ Blamed for COP Delay

    Photo: Unitas Photography

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) blames “systemic failures” at the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) for the postponement of the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) that was due to take place last week in Panama.

    “While the ‘official’ reason for the postponement of the conference was said to be security issues on the ground in Panama, it has come to light that the unfulfilled COP10 organization contract for which $5 million was allocated by the Panamanian Ministry of Health was terminated by the government at the end of October, finding itself without any service provider to ensure the event took place,” CAPHRA wrote in an e-mailed statement.

    “The fact that the WHO FCTC knew in October that they did not have a venue or conference planning underway and waited until the week before the conference was due to begin before cancelling it shows contempt for member states and a blatant disregard and dismissal of the months spent creating and submitting position papers, requesting budget allocations from their governments and planning their attendance—including airfares, visas and hotel reservations,” the tobacco harm reduction group wrote.

    “But then again, it seems a nonissue that $5 million disappeared, said the CAPHRA. Money that doctors in Panama said would be better spent on actual healthcare in the country—incubators, medicines and facilities.”

    According to CAPHRA, the WHO FCTC’s actions not only threaten public health but also cause economic strain and foster next-generation addiction.

    “The WHO FCTC is tone deaf to anything or anyone that questions the work they are mandated to do,” said CAPHRA Executive Coordinator Nancy Loucas. “This includes sabotaging health policies, negatively impacting the environment and using funds from Big Pharma and the Bloomberg Foundation, among others, to promote misleading narratives and undermine tobacco harm reduction efforts.”