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Category: News This Week

  • Advocacy Groups Tell RFK Jr. Federal Tobacco Oversight Already Too Thin

    Advocacy Groups Tell RFK Jr. Federal Tobacco Oversight Already Too Thin

    Bloomberg is reporting that more than 80 public health organizations and advocacy groups sent a letter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week voicing concern that recent cutbacks at the Department of Health and Human Services will hurt, or even reverse, decades of progress in reducing the use of tobacco products. Groups including the American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products, were already stretched thin, and further layoffs would derail efforts to remove unauthorized products and hold tobacco companies accountable. The letter further argues that the FDA’s tobacco regulation is entirely funded by fees levied on the companies selling the products, so personnel cuts do not save any taxpayer money.

    The FDA is also grappling with a booming market for illegal flavored vapes, many of them imported from China. Despite lacking FDA authorization, these products have flooded US shelves, with some estimates suggesting unauthorized vapes now make up as much as 70% of the market.

    RFK Jr., who has supported shrinking the federal workforce and cutting “wasteful” public health spending, has not addressed how the layoffs will affect tobacco regulation. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg.

  • Global Experts Warn WHO’s Anti-Harm Reduction Stance Undermines Goals

    Global Experts Warn WHO’s Anti-Harm Reduction Stance Undermines Goals

    A panel of global tobacco harm reduction experts convened this week to criticize the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Secretariat for undermining the goals of World No Tobacco Day. The group expressed frustration over the WHO’s refusal to support harm-reduction tools, such as vaping and nicotine pouches, despite growing evidence of their effectiveness in helping smokers quit.

    “The WHO dismisses adult smokers and vapers, even though adults bear the vast majority of tobacco-related harm,” said Martin Cullip, International Fellow at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. “It’s odd to see the organization celebrate bans on products that aren’t even made from tobacco.”

    Participants from Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom argued that the WHO’s prohibitionist approach is counterproductive, exacerbating smoking-related deaths and fueling black markets.

    “Australia has a massive black market and 66 people die daily from smoking-related disease,” said Pippa Starr, founder of A.L.I.V.E. (Australia, Let’s Improve Vaping Education). “These outcomes are tied to WHO-endorsed policies. Rather than reward failed approaches, the WHO should be focused on saving lives.”

    Panelists emphasized the contradiction in the WHO’s mission: while claiming to reduce tobacco deaths, it continues to oppose safer alternatives proven to help smokers quit.

    “WHO policies are scripted and disconnected,” said Kurt Yeo, co-founder of South Africa’s Vaping Saved My Life (VSML). “We need a full range of tools to achieve a smoke-free future. Prohibition has failed in countries like Mexico, India, and Singapore. The WHO isn’t facing the real issues.”

    The group urged the WHO and FCTC to embrace innovation, listen to consumers, and support harm reduction as a legitimate path to ending the global smoking epidemic.

    “Harm reduction works,” Reem Ibrahim, communications manager at the UK’s Institute of Economic Affairs, said. “These products help people quit. But the WHO’s strategy blocks access and ultimately harms public health.”

  • JTI Philippines Sees 23% Growth in Nicotine Pouches

    JTI Philippines Sees 23% Growth in Nicotine Pouches

    According to JTI, Nordic Spirit, the first nicotine pouch brand in the Philippines, is enjoying 23% monthly growth across the country. At a recent briefing in JTI’s office in Stockholm, Sweden, that included visiting journalists from the Philippines, Karin Tan, JTI’s director of reduced-risk products, said the product’s growth has been robust since it was introduced in May 2023.

    “There is actually traction in the market,” Tan said, citing data from major convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Uncle John’s. “It is all about giving consumers pleasurable choices.”

    In a recent JTI survey of 7,000 consumers, 80% reported a positive experience using nicotine pouches. Consumers in the Philippines cited convenience, taste, and satisfaction in the product, and noted it was convenient to use in a country that contains so many no-smoking areas.

    Against this backdrop, JTI’s Vårgårda facility, located in Västra Götaland County on Sweden’s western coast, is gearing up for increased demand for nicotine pouches. The facility will soon produce Nordic Spirit for the UK, Canada, France, and the Philippines, according to factory lead Serkan Karasulu. 

  • BAT Sells $1.5B Stake in ITC

    BAT Sells $1.5B Stake in ITC

    Yesterday (May 28), British American Tobacco said it sold a $1.5 billion stake in Indian consumer goods company ITC at 413 Indian rupees per share. The company sold 313 million shares in ITC, representing 2.5% of ITC, according to the term sheet. This final amount exceeded its initial plan to sell up to 290 million shares in the deal, valued at approximately $1.4 billion.

    According to Reuters, the final sale price represented a 4.8% discount to ITC’s closing price of 433.90 rupees ($5.21) on Tuesday. Shares of ITC dropped nearly 3% to 421.70 rupees ($5.06) on Wednesday. BAT will remain ITC’s largest shareholder after the deal, according to LSEG data. Last year, BAT sold 436.9 million shares, or roughly 3.5% of ITC’s outstanding shares, for about $2 billion in what was India’s third-largest block deal.

    BAT said it would increase its 2025 $1.5 billion share buyback program by £200 million as a result of the deal, which is not expected to have any other impact on its annual outlook.

  • Sikary Debuts Cloud Zero in Dubai

    Sikary Debuts Cloud Zero in Dubai

    Sikary unveiled its latest device, the Cloud Zero 20,000 Puffs, at a product launch event in Dubai, marking its official entry into the Middle East market, using the slogan, “Vapor to Vaporless, One Click.”

    The company says the device offers the “industry’s first vaporless mode, which delivers zero visible emissions without compromising flavor or performance—setting a new standard for personal control and responsible use in both public and private environments.” It goes between that and the traditional vapor mode with a one-click switching mechanism.

    The company said Cloud Zero comes with a “750mAh battery, and type-C fast charging, the device delivers up to 20,000 puffs—minimizing recharges for all-day reliability, making it one of the most durable devices in its class.”

  • Spain Plans to Extend Smoking Bans

    Spain Plans to Extend Smoking Bans

    Today (May 29), Spain’s health minister announced plans to extend smoking bans to public spaces, including restaurant terraces and outdoor areas in bars. More than a year after the government passed its anti-smoking plan, Health Minister Monica García said “a concrete draft of the bill” had been completed. García said the prospective ban would also apply to electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco devices.

    School playgrounds, university campuses, company vehicles, as well as outdoor festive events and public transport shelters, are among the other places where the ban would be imposed.

    García said she hoped that the ban—which must still be reviewed by the government’s council of ministers, as well as the Spanish parliament’s lower house—would place Spain “at the forefront of the fight against smoking”.

    Spain joined other European countries that have considered introducing similar laws following a recommendation by the European Commission to extend smoking bans to further public areas and include electronic cigarettes.

  • NZ Reminds Vape Retailers No Grace Period for Impending Regulations

    NZ Reminds Vape Retailers No Grace Period for Impending Regulations

    Three weeks in advance of the second step, Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health sent reminders to nicotine retailers warning them that the next step of significant enforcement changes will begin June 17, with no grace period, and with stronger penalties attached. The June changes include a complete ban on disposable vapes, visibility restrictions on vapes for retailers, and increased restrictions on advertising. They build on those established in December that centered around significant fine increases for sales to under-18s, and proximity restrictions relating to early childhood education centers.

    Director of Public Health Dr. Corina Grey says these changes bring vaping regulations more in line with restrictions on tobacco products. Retailers with stores will no longer be able to promote vaping products, and those online will no longer be able to display images of their products or link to sites with non-compliant pages, including links to sites outside of New Zealand.

  • ESPAD Ireland Sees All-Time Low in Smoking, Vape on Rise 

    ESPAD Ireland Sees All-Time Low in Smoking, Vape on Rise 

    Ireland recorded its lowest levels of teenage smoking and alcohol consumption in three decades, according to the 2024 Irish report of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). However, the findings saw increases in e-cigarette use, alternative nicotine products, and adolescent gambling.

    ESPAD Ireland said 12% of students reported being current smokers, with daily smoking falling to just 2%, both all-time lows in Ireland’s 30 years of participating in the survey. However, 32% of respondents said they had tried e-cigarettes, and 7% reported daily use. Of those who tried vaping, 76% never used a cigarette. Cannabis use also dropped from 19% in 2019 to 12% in 2024.

    “While the downward trend is encouraging, the data also reveals the continuing challenge: young people are still being drawn into tobacco and nicotine use—be it cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or emerging nicotine products,” said Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy. “We must act decisively to break this cycle.”

  • JT Launches Ploom AURA in Japan

    JT Launches Ploom AURA in Japan

    Japan Tobacco Inc. launched its next-generation heated-tobacco device today (May 27) in Japan, the Ploom AURA. The device will initially be available in its Ploom stores and CLUB JT online shop. In parallel, JT Group will roll out EVO, its exclusive and premium heated tobacco sticks, “to complement Ploom AURA and provide adult consumers with the latest and most technologically advanced propositions in the heated tobacco segment,” according to the company. A nationwide launch of Ploom AURA and EVO will start on July 1 in convenience stores and tobacco retail shops, and will roll out globally in the near future.

    “In the reduced-risk products [RRP] category, we are focusing on providing adult consumers with quality products, rooted in technology, consumer insights, and experience, and I truly believe Ploom AURA embraces all these aspects and more,” said Takehiko Tsutsui, executive vice president of RRPs.

    JT Group said it will continue to prioritize investments in the heated tobacco sticks segment through 2027, and will be investing 650 billion yen ($4.5 billion) in RRP, much for the Ploom AURA and its launch.

    “The RRP category is reshaping the global tobacco landscape, and I am confident that Ploom AURA and EVO will play key roles in supporting JT Group’s ambition of reaching mid-teens share in the HTS segment by 2028,” said Tsutsui.

  • BAT Responds to ITC Speculation

    BAT Responds to ITC Speculation

    British American Tobacco responded to the recent speculation relating to a potential disposal of part of its shareholding in ITC Limited. “BAT confirms that it is evaluating a possible disposal of a small part of BAT’s shareholding in ITC by means of an on-market trade,” the company said in a press release. “There can be no certainty that any such transaction will proceed, nor can there be any certainty as to the terms of any potential transaction. A further announcement will be made if and when appropriate.”

    The announcement was made on behalf of British American Tobacco by Caroline Ferland, Company Secretary, who likewise said the announcement contained inside information in relation to British American Tobacco for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation.

    “The securities referred to herein will not be, and have not been, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act,” the company said.

    BAT is currently ITC’s top investor, with a 20.3% stake according to LSEG data. Last year BAT sold 436.9 million shares, or roughly 3.5% of ITC’s outstanding shares, for about $2 billion in what was India’s third-largest block deal ever.