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Category: News This Week

  • Opinion: WHO Is Wrong on Flavors — It’s Time to Stand Up for Harm Reduction and Common Sense

    Opinion: WHO Is Wrong on Flavors — It’s Time to Stand Up for Harm Reduction and Common Sense

    By Markus Lindblad, Head of External Affairs at Haypp Group, parent company of Nicokick.com and Northerner.com

    At every turn, a new opinion emerges, demonizing brands for developing flavored products, to, as they say: market to those underage—often based on the notion of a “hidden agenda.” Let’s be clear: these products are created exclusively for adult consumers.

    This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) is using World No Tobacco Day 2025 to push the go-to ‘anti flavor’ agenda on nicotine products. Huge surprise to no one. The claim is that they’re part of an industry ploy to attract children. The slogan—Bright Product. Dark Intentions. Unmasking the Appeal—is both misleading and dangerous. And the question we ask ourselves: to what end?

    What those who are committed to this rhetoric seem to forget is that regulatory bodies have implemented strict guidelines to ensure the opposite of this mythical ‘hidden agenda’. As compliant and responsible brands, we walk a tight rope every day. Transparency is built into every layer of the industry—from marketing communications in earned, paid, and owned channels to prominent warning labels and full ingredient disclosure. The real unknown is the unchecked rise of illicit products flooding the market. Much like alcohol, flavors are not a tool for targeting youth. The logical step forward is to adopt consistent age verification measures—at both the federal and state levels—to prevent underage access.

    WHO’s Campaign Ignores Science and Reality

    WHO, like many other one-sided anti-tobacco organizations, paints all flavored nicotine products with the same broad brush, ignoring clear distinctions with those developed as alternatives to help adults move away from smoking. The truth is, flavored alternatives have proven to be a strong contributor to the harm reduction movement, helping millions of smokers transition away from deadly combustible tobacco.

    Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized certain nicotine products to be marketable as a risk-reduced alternative, as part of its harm-reduction strategy, finally listening to and acknowledging the science we’ve known for years. Yet the flavor-ban fight continues, contradicting this approach.

    The Real Problem: Access, Not Flavors

    It begs repeating: Flavors weren’t made for kids—they were made for adults seeking an alternative to smoking. We have seen the news cycle recently, offering reports on the marginal increase in underage usage, a problem we can all agree on. But to be clear, kids don’t get access because of peach or watermelon flavor names—they get access because standardized age-verification policies present with other categories and industries are absent, so the next best thing is to ban.

    How it should be:

    • Stronger and standardized age verification measures for all nicotine sales.
    • Ban proxy sales to minors.
    • Strict penalties for non-compliant retailers.

    Bans Hurt Public Health—and Help Illicit Markets

    Flavor bans don’t stop youth—they just drive demand underground. Meanwhile, they strip adults of their right to choose alternatives and damage legitimate businesses.

    Restricting the appeal of reduced-risk products won’t stop young people from experimenting—it will just make quitting harder for adults and push both into more dangerous behaviors.

    WHO Has It Wrong. States Must Lead.

    WHO’s 2025 campaign is focused on the wrong enemy and the rhetoric continues to erode years of research and drive fear. Instead of condemning flavors, they should be calling for smarter and tighter regulations that keep products out of underage hands—not banning tools that help adults quit smoking.

    Public health isn’t advanced by moral panic. It’s advanced by policy that works.

  • Ispire Announces Huge Malaysian Expansion

    Ispire Announces Huge Malaysian Expansion

    Ispire Technology Inc. announced that it has received the interim license from the Malaysian Government for the manufacturing of nicotine products. The company said, “This is the first and only nicotine manufacturing license issued in Malaysia approved by both the Federal and State authorities and cements Ispire’s position as the only company with full authorization for export, import, and production.” The approval of the interim license also allows the company to begin manufacturing nicotine products in Malaysia immediately, as well as officially begin marketing its nicotine manufacturing capabilities externally.

    “Receiving the interim license for our Malaysian manufacturing operations is a significant milestone for Ispire as we progress towards positioning the company as a leading international provider of vaping hardware,” said Michael Wang, co-Chief Executive Officer of Ispire. “We can now officially begin manufacturing and marketing our nicotine products in Malaysia, with our Malaysian facility soon featuring 80 production lines, growing its capacity from the current six lines. Once the final license is approved in the coming months as we anticipate, our regulatory requirements in Malaysia will be complete and Ispire will have the first federal nicotine manufacturing license in the country. By diversifying our production base, we are strategically de-risking our production strategy and mitigating the concern of geopolitical factors increasing our pricing.”

  • Study: Risks and Reasons for Intravaginal Tobacco Use 

    Study: Risks and Reasons for Intravaginal Tobacco Use 

    In  2023, a paper published in BMJ Tobacco Control examined intravaginal tobacco use among women in The Gambia, a growing trend in Sub-Saharan African countries that received little scientific attention. A subsequent study of the topic was launched in 2024, to be completed by the end of 2025.  

    In collaboration with research partners in the United States and The Gambia, the study looks at what motivates women who use tobacco intravaginally. It also documents tobacco use behaviors and assesses the chemical composition (including nicotine content) and level of toxicity of the products. The study examines both the sociocultural motivations behind the practice and the chemical composition of the tobacco used.

    Preliminary findings reveal that women use intravaginal tobacco for various reasons, including treating vaginal yeast infection, enhancing sexual pleasure, improving pregnancy and labor outcomes, and treating various health conditions including hypertension, asthma, and infertility. Findings also show that the product is often marketed by local vendors as traditional medicine, but may contain dangerous additives, including baobab ash, caustic soda, cannabis, and shea butter, raising concerns about its potential toxicological effects.

    The study is funded by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use through the CDC Foundation, with a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

  • Former China Tobacco Head Sentenced to 16 Years 

    Former China Tobacco Head Sentenced to 16 Years 

    Ling Chengxing, former head of China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for accepting bribes and abusing power. The sentence was handed down May 21, by the intermediate people’s court of Changchun in northeast China’s Jilin Province. He was also fined 4 million yuan ($560,000), while all his illegal gains must be recovered and turned over to the state treasury, the court sentence read.

    Ling was found to have accepted bribes worth 43.11 million yuan ($6 million) between 2006 and 2023, taking advantage of his various posts in matters of project contracting and business operations. Moreover, since 2015, during his tenure as Party chief and director of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and general manager of China National Tobacco Corporation, Ling was said to have “engaged in favoritism, corruption, and abuse of power in the process of facilitating and reviewing matters related to investment and equity acquisition, resulting in a loss of state-owned assets amounting to over 208 million yuan ($29 million), per the court verdict.”

  • Zimbabwe Tobacco Production up 21% 

    Zimbabwe Tobacco Production up 21% 

    According to Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), 220.6 million kg of flue-cured tobacco has been sold for $678.3 million since the marketing season opened March 5, marking a 21% increase from the same period last year.

    The TIMB said 190.3 million kg, worth $641.5 million, had been sold by contract growers, while 10.3 million kg, valued at $36.7 million, was sold through auction floors. The highest price recorded at auction was $4.99 per kg, while contract sales peaked at $6.30 per kg.

    Chelesani Tsarwe, the public affairs officer for TIMB, the decentralization of tobacco production beyond traditional growing provinces would have a substantial impact on the nation’s output.

    “The first sale of Naturally Cured Virginia (NCV) tobacco will take place [May 22] at the Atlas Agri contract floor in Marula, Matabeleland South, and the volumes recorded in Matabeleland are expected to contribute to the national total,” she said. “Efforts are ongoing to enhance transparency and efficiency across the tobacco value chain. TIMB remains committed to ensuring the industry remains viable, inclusive, and globally competitive.”

  • Universal Announces Dividend Increase, Sets Annual Meeting

    Universal Announces Dividend Increase, Sets Annual Meeting

    Universal Corporation announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share on the common shares of the company, payable August 4, to common shareholders of record at the close of business on July 14. This increase indicates an annualized rate of $3.28 per common share and a yield of approximately 5.66% based on the $58 per share closing price on May 19.

    “We are pleased to announce our 55th annual dividend increase as we continue to execute our business strategy and deliver on our commitment to returning value to our shareholders,” Preston D. Wigner, chairman, president, and CEO of Universal, said. “Our focus on consistent performance and operational excellence positions us well for continued success.”

    The Board of Directors set the company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders for August 5, at 11 a.m. EST at the company’s headquarters.

  • Poland’s Bill to Ban Sale of Vapes, Pouches to Minors Moves Forward  

    Poland’s Bill to Ban Sale of Vapes, Pouches to Minors Moves Forward  

    Poland’s lower house of parliament backed a comprehensive ban on the sale of vapes and nicotine pouches to minors, including both disposable and reusable e-cigarettes, irrespective of their nicotine content. In yesterday’s (May 21) session, 417 MPs voted in favor of the bill, with one against and 10 abstaining. It will now be presented to the Senate, the upper house, and if passed, to the president to be signed into law. 

    The bill will also restrict the use of non-nicotine e-cigarettes in public spaces, mirroring the regulations applied to traditional tobacco products and e-cigarettes with nicotine.

    While Poland already had laws banning the sale of cigarettes to minors, the legislation had no provision for alternative forms of nicotine intake.   

  • Black Buffalo Appoints New CFO

    Black Buffalo Appoints New CFO

    Black Buffalo Inc. announced the appointment of Loren Eggleton as Chief Financial Officer yesterday (May 21). Eggleton brings over two decades of experience leading high-growth companies through transformative milestones across public and private markets, and will be responsible for overseeing the company’s financial strategy, operations, and capital structure as it scales its retail footprint, strengthens its omnichannel presence, and deepens investments in R&D, compliance, and supply chain infrastructure.

    “Loren brings an exceptional level of financial experience, professionalism, and cultural fit to Black Buffalo,” said Matthew Hanson, Chief Growth Officer of Black Buffalo, “Black Buffalo continues to attract very high-quality talent like Loren, who has proven to be immediately and positively impactful on the company and its continued rapid growth.”

    Prior to joining Black Buffalo, Eggleton served as the inaugural CFO at AppHarvest, where he played a critical role in the company’s journey from a 13-person startup to a publicly traded business on the Nasdaq. During his tenure, he led a successful merger at a $1 billion valuation, raised over $1 billion in financing, scaled the finance organization to support 1,000 employees, and oversaw key areas such as accounting, FP&A, treasury, investor relations, and IT.

  • PMI India Pushing T&T to Curb Illicit Trade

    PMI India Pushing T&T to Curb Illicit Trade

    Philip Morris International Inc.’s India affiliate, IPM India, today hailed India’s decision to roll out pack-level Track and Trace (T&T) as a game-changing move against illicit tobacco trade and a major step toward modernizing regulatory enforcement. Approved under Section 148A of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act, this is a move to protect revenue, tighten enforcement, and bring greater transparency and accountability to India’s tobacco market. Starting with cigarette packs, the government has chosen a high-impact strategy to curb illicit tobacco trade. The proposed mechanism may incorporate Unique Identification Markings on packs, which will enable enforcement agencies to easily distinguish tax-paid products from illegal ones—strengthening oversight across retail shelves, supply chains, and field operations. The proposed T&T mechanism will be a practical, real-world solution designed for immediate impact—and a critical foundation for a more modern, technology-driven regulatory system.

    Similar systems have been successfully deployed in UK, Russia, Jordan, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), where PMI has worked with national authorities to build scalable, locally adapted traceability frameworks. Across all markets, the outcome have been consistent: better visibility, stronger compliance, and measurable reductions in illicit trade.

    “This is a landmark reform and a visionary step towards a cleaner, more modern, and a transparent market,” Navaneel Kar, Managing Director, IPM India said. “With thoughtful execution, India’s T&T system can reshape the fight against illicit tobacco trade—boosting public trust, strengthening government revenues, and accelerating the modernization of enforcement practices. Eliminating illicit tobacco trade has been a longstanding priority for us and remains integral to our broader efforts in driving operational excellence and building a sustainable future. PMI has long invested in technologies that protect supply chain integrity globally, and we are committed to partnering with the Indian government to make this initiative a success.”

  • Hungary Dismantles $67M Illegal Cigarette Network

    Hungary Dismantles $67M Illegal Cigarette Network

    The largest illegal cigarette manufacturing network ever uncovered in Hungary has been dismantled by the country’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV). Coordinated raids at 41 locations in May led to the seizure of over 24 billion forints’ ($67 million) worth of contraband tobacco products and equipment, NAV said in a statement.

    Authorities confiscated 156 tons of tobacco, enough to produce 13 million packs of cigarettes, 1 million packs of counterfeit cigarettes, 48.5 million empty cigarette boxes, three full cigarette production lines, processing machinery, forklifts, packaging equipment, and radio-jamming devices.

    The estimated budget loss in excise and VAT would have reached 81 billion forints ($226.8 million) had the goods entered the market.

    Six suspects, one Hungarian and five dual Moldovan-Romanian citizens, have been detained and formally charged with organized tax fraud. One additional suspect is still at large and the subject of an arrest warrant.