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Category: News This Week

  • Philippines Seizes $10.9M Cigarettes in Bulacan

    Philippines Seizes $10.9M Cigarettes in Bulacan

    The Philippines’ Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized ₱605.3 million ($10.9 million) worth of smuggled cigarettes imported from China and Vietnam during a raid on a warehouse in Plaridel, Bulacan. Authorities confiscated 8,647 master cases of cigarettes that had bypassed customs inspection. Three people—the warehouse owner, a driver, and a helper—were arrested.

    Assistant Commissioner Vincent Maronilla said such products are usually distributed in provincial areas, and that the investigation continues to see how the illegal products made it into the country. The cigarettes will be destroyed under standard procedures, while criminal complaints will be filed against the warehouse proprietor.

  • Dutch Doctors Say Snapchat a Gateway for Illegal Vape Sales to Teens

    Dutch Doctors Say Snapchat a Gateway for Illegal Vape Sales to Teens

    Dutch doctors say teenagers can still buy banned nicotine products via Snapchat, despite the platform’s pledge to crack down on vape dealers. Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd, an anti-tobacco foundation, tested Snapchat after the company announced new detection tools earlier this month, but found illegal sales thriving under slang terms. “Snapchat is extremely popular among teenagers and is being misused by dealers to promote vapes,” said lung doctor Wanda de Kanter.

    The group asked the consumer watchdog ACM to intervene, warning the platform is breaching the EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires stricter protections for minors and carries fines of up to 6% of global turnover.

    Doctors warn Snapchat is fueling a worsening teen addiction crisis. Flavored disposable vapes have been banned in the Netherlands since 2024, yet surveys show rising youth use, with 14.3% of 12–16-year-olds vaping monthly.

  • Stoker’s Rolls Out Fine Cut Wintergreen in New Can Format

    Stoker’s Rolls Out Fine Cut Wintergreen in New Can Format

    Stoker’s introduced its Fine Cut Wintergreen in a 1.2-ounce can, now available in 15 states. The product, previously sold only in 12-ounce tubs, “brings the same smooth flavor and consistent quality in a portable, on-the-go format,” the company said. “Consumers have been asking for a Fine Cut Wintergreen can, and we listened,” said Thomas Helms III, senior brand director.

    The launch expands Stoker’s moist smokeless tobacco portfolio and gives retailers new growth opportunities, with internal data showing stores that carry both cans and tubs see up to fivefold higher sales. A nationwide rollout is planned through 2025.

  • China Tobacco International Posts Strong H1 2025 Results

    China Tobacco International Posts Strong H1 2025 Results

    China Tobacco International reported its unaudited consolidated interim results for the first half of 2025 this week, showing a revenue increase of 18.5% Y-Y to HK$10.32 billion ($1.3 billion). Profit for the period rose 6.3%, with profit attributable to shareholders up 9.8%. The board declared a 26.7% hike in interim dividends per share, underscoring its focus on shareholder returns.

  • Nicotine Pouch Use Surges as Cannabis, Vaping Hit Record Highs in U.S.

    Nicotine Pouch Use Surges as Cannabis, Vaping Hit Record Highs in U.S.

    Use of nicotine pouches among U.S. adults has doubled in the past year, while cannabis consumption, vaping, and psychedelic drug use remain at or near record highs, according to the University of Michigan’s latest Monitoring the Future Panel survey.

    The 2024 survey, based on data from over 20,000 adults, found 9.5% of 19–30-year-olds used nicotine pouches in the past year, up sharply since the measure was first tracked in 2023. Cannabis use and daily vaping of both cannabis and nicotine reached historic highs across all adult age groups, with midlife users (35–50) reporting the steepest growth over the past decade.

    Researchers warned that the findings reflect shifting substance-use patterns and urged continued monitoring to inform public health priorities.

  • Malaysian Vapers Alliance Warns Ban Risks Fueling Illegal Market

    Malaysian Vapers Alliance Warns Ban Risks Fueling Illegal Market

    The Malaysian Vapers Alliance (MVA) cautioned that uncertainty over state and potential nationwide vape bans undermines the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) and drives consumers toward illegal channels. MVA president Khairil Azizi Khairuddin said a recent survey of 641 consumers found 74% fear bans will expand the illicit market, while 80% worry unregulated products could be unsafe. “Prohibition, in any form, is not the answer,” he said, urging consistent enforcement of Act 852 instead of new restrictions.

    The survey showed 83% of respondents were aware of the law’s implementation in October 2024, and 68% preferred buying regulated products. Yet MoH data indicates legal options are shrinking, with registered vape brands plunging from 3,200 before the law to 390 today. Khairil warned that crackdowns on illegal sales, including drug-laced liquids, prove non-compliant products stem from illicit trade, not regulated businesses.

  • PMI to Broadcast CEO’s Fireside Chat Live at Barclays

    PMI to Broadcast CEO’s Fireside Chat Live at Barclays

    Philip Morris International Inc. announced it will host a live webcast of a fireside chat session with Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer, at the 2025 Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference on September 2, at approximately 11:15 a.m. ET. An archived copy of the webcast will be available for six months post-event.

    The webcast may also be accessed on mobile devices by downloading PMI’s free Investor Relations Mobile App.

  • BAT CFO Steps Down

    BAT CFO Steps Down

    British American Tobacco said Chief Financial Officer Soraya Benchikh will step down from the board and her role as CFO effective today (August 26). She will remain with the company through the calendar year to support the transition.

    Javed Iqbal, currently Director of Digital and Information, will serve as interim CFO as the company begins its search for a permanent successor. Iqbal previously acted as BAT’s Interim Finance Director from May 2023 to April 2024.

    CEO Tadeu Marroco thanked Benchikh for her “significant contribution,” noting that BAT’s first-half results were ahead of expectations and that the group remains on track to meet full-year guidance. Benchikh, who rejoined BAT in May 2024, said she was proud of embedding financial discipline and helping position BAT’s New Categories business for sustainable profitability.

  • Putin Backs Regional Vape Bans in Russia

    Putin Backs Regional Vape Bans in Russia

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed a proposal to give regions the authority to ban the sale of vapes, following concerns over rising youth use. At a meeting in Sarov, Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin suggested his region could serve as a pilot area for the ban. Putin called it a “good proposal” and signaled immediate support.

    The move comes a day after the government expanded its mandatory labeling experiment to cover e-cigarettes and heated tobacco devices, tightening controls on the sector.

  • Japanese Scientists Find Why Smoking Protects Against Ulcerative Colitis

    Japanese Scientists Find Why Smoking Protects Against Ulcerative Colitis

    A team from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Japan’s largest comprehensive research institution, uncovered why smoking appears to protect people with ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic bowel disease. The study, published today (August 25) in Gut, found that smoking produces metabolites such as hydroquinone, which allow oral bacteria like Streptococcus mitis to colonize the gut. In UC patients, these bacteria trigger an immune response that reduces inflammation.

    The effect does not extend to Crohn’s disease, where the same immune reaction makes symptoms worse.

    Lead researcher Hiroshi Ohno said the discovery could pave the way for new probiotic or prebiotic therapies that replicate smoking’s benefits without its health risks.