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Category: News This Week

  • Cambodia PM: E-Cigarette Investment Not Welcome  

    Cambodia PM: E-Cigarette Investment Not Welcome  

    Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said the country does not welcome investment in e-cigarettes, even if the products are being solely exported. He said that today (May 5), speaking at the official launch of the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) 2025–2030.

     “If investors come for other types of investments, I welcome them,” he said. “But for e-cigarettes, Cambodia can say, ‘No need — please go elsewhere.’”

    He also issued a strong appeal to the public, particularly young people, urging them not to use e-cigarettes.

    “Please don’t think it’s cool to smoke or vape,” he said. “Instead, focus on your studies and strive to become someone recognized for your achievements.”

    Cambodia has banned the import, trade, and use of e-cigarettes, shishas, and heated tobacco products (HTPs) since 2014.

  • Brian King Joins Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

    Brian King Joins Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

    Yesterday (May 1), the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids today named Brian King as Executive Vice President for U.S. Programs to lead the organization’s work at the federal, state and local levels. Last month King was forced out of his role as the director of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).

    “Brian King is extraordinarily qualified to lead our U.S. programs at this critical time.,” said Yolonda C. Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “Brian has dedicated his career to advancing science-based policies and programs that reduce tobacco use and its devastating consequences. His leadership, passion and breadth of knowledge and experience will guide us in the next phase of our work to protect children and end the death and disease caused by tobacco.”

    Under King’s leadership, the CTP was besieged by criticism from all sides, including politicians, anti-smoking advocates, and tobacco and vaping companies, as the FDA rejected applications for millions of flavored e-cigarettes, citing insufficient data that the products would help adult smokers while not becoming popular with underage kids. Those rejections resulted in multiple lawsuits against the FDA from vape makers.

    Prior to joining FDA, King served as the Deputy Director for Research Translation in CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and as Executive Editor of CDC’s Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. He holds a doctorate and M.P.H. in Epidemiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

  • Radloff Tabbed to Head USTC

    Radloff Tabbed to Head USTC

    The U.S. Tobacco Cooperative’s (USTC) board of directors appointed Ron Radloff as president and Chief Executive Officer. Most recently serving as senior vice president of operations, Radloff joined USTC in July 2016 as the director of finance at USTC’s manufacturing operations, U.S. Flue Cured Tobacco Growers, and has held a variety of positions at USFC, including director of manufacturing and operations. Before joining USTC, Radloff served as a controller for Mohawk Industries, assistant controller of Daltile, and held engineering and finance positions with Norfolk Southern and IBM.

    “Ron brings fresh experience and leadership to guide us forward,” Danny Watkins, USTC chairman, said. “At U.S. Tobacco Cooperative, we take great pride in our longstanding commitment to excellence. Ron is poised to uphold and build upon that standard.”

  • Dominoes Falling in Cigar Tariff Increases

    Dominoes Falling in Cigar Tariff Increases

    When President Donald Trump announced the United States’ new tariff policy on April 2, many tobacco enthusiasts wondered how the premium cigar industry would react. A casual poll by Halfwheel said half the cigar manufacturers were going to raise prices due to the tariffs, but for more than a month, they took a wait-and-see approach to see what their competitors did. It seems the first domino fell April 29, when Perdomo became the first cigar company to up its prices, 25 cents per cigar, because of the tariffs.

    On April 30, both CLE Cigar Co. and RoMa Craft Tobac announced price increases effective May 5 due to tariffs, according to Halfwheel.

    CLE Cigar Co. said cigars up to 52 ring gauge will increase 20 cents on the wholesale price, while cigars 54 ring gauge and larger will increase 30 cents.

    “We have to increase prices starting Monday, May 5th,” said Christian Eiroa, the company’s founder, in a letter to retailers. “We have waited as long as we could, optimistic that the tariffs would be reversed, but no such luck.”

    Skip Martin, co-founder of RoMa Craft Tobac, said the increases will typically be less than 5%, but there are some SKUs that are increasing by more than 10%.

    “As the tariffs are assessed on our import price, and not on our wholesale price, the impact varies based on how much margin we have built into our wholesale prices,” said Martin. “In most cases, we are absorbing some of the tariffs and not passing them on to the retailer, knowing that the retailer will keystone any increase we pass onto them, doubling the impact on our consumers. Given our more generous margins on LEs, these are generally affected the least. Given our very tight margins on Maestranza, this brand is affected the most severely.”

    Martin also said that if the tariffs were removed, RoMa Craft would not lower prices. This, according to Halfwheel, is likely to be the strategy that most cigar companies take.

    “Should the unlikely reversal of the tariffs occur, we will not reduce our prices as this would only devalue our retailer’s inventory. It would delay any future price increase and could possibly allow us to do more in terms of discounts and free goods to support our retailers’ ability to drive sales of our brands.”

  • Top Tobacco’s $1.1M Verdict Likely to Stand

    Top Tobacco’s $1.1M Verdict Likely to Stand

    A company that sold counterfeit Top Tobacco LP cigarette rolling papers likely won’t escape a $1.1 million jury verdict, an Eleventh Circuit panel indicated during oral argument. A jury found Star Importers and Wholesalers Inc. sold counterfeit papers, though not willfully. Although Star proved it profited just $7,000 from accidental infringement, Top Tobacco elected statutory damages, which for non-willful infringement range from $1,000 to $200,000 per mark, and the jury awarded $123,000 for each of nine infringed trademarks.

    The panel suggested that overruling the properly instructed jury’s verdict, which fits within statutory damages boundaries in trademark law, would undercut Top Tobacco’s right to a jury trial.

    Circuit Chief Judge William H. Pryor said the jury was free to consider factors including the value of the brand and deterrence. He noted that statutory damages can be punitive, so no actual losses or profits are required, nor is willfulness.

    “It seems to me hard to accept an argument that there has to be this relation to actual damages, because the entire point of statutory damages is as an alternative to actual damages,” Pryor said. “We’re trying to deter negligence in the distribution of counterfeit products that pose a risk to public safety and that harm the reputation of a brand that a seller has spent millions of dollars every year in marketing.”

    Star was one of several entities sued by Top Tobacco in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia over counterfeit papers in 2019. Another, Gabsons Novelties, filed a failed petition to the Supreme Court arguing its principal couldn’t be personally liable as he didn’t know of the ongoing infringement that had started before his tenure.

  • Altria to Host Annual Meeting May 15

    Altria to Host Annual Meeting May 15

    Altria Group, Inc. will host a live audio webcast of its 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders May 15, 2025, at 9 a.m. EST. During the meeting, shareholders as of the 2025 Annual Meeting record date (March 25, 2025) will be able to vote their shares electronically and will be able to submit questions during the meeting as time permits. Although shareholders will be able to vote their shares during the meeting, they are encouraged to do so before the meeting using one of the methods described in the 2025 Proxy Statement.

    If you are not a shareholder, you may listen as a guest but cannot participate.

    Directions on how to participate in the meeting are posted at www.altria.com/proxy.

    Instead of a business update presentation at the 2025 Annual Meeting, the company encourages shareholders and guests to review resources before the meeting, available at www.altria.com/investors.

  • No Saint Latest Vape Offered in UK

    No Saint Latest Vape Offered in UK

    No Saint is a new vaping brand and technology platform launching in the UK today (May 1), offering what the company says is “a sophisticated, safer alternative that prioritizes quality, innovation, and responsibility.” Mladen Barbaric created the product and said he raised $50 million in funding from companies like Coca-Cola, Vitamin Water, and Patron, as well as health and wellness activist investors, such as HumanCo and Jason Karp.

    “Built with cutting-edge technology and premium ingredients, No Saint’s vaporizer can last up to two years and eliminates hazardous flavors and harmful chemicals found in many existing brands,” the company said in a press release. “This offers adults a safer, more refined vaping experience, with zero heavy metals and relentlessly tested formulations and emissions. The brand is also committed to transparency, publishing all its chemical analysis and emissions data that ensures the safest way to vape.”

    “We saw a big gap in the market for a responsible and premium vaping experience, so we set out to create a product that prioritizes quality, refinement, and safety,” said Barbaric. “No Saint offers a grown-up approach to vaping, delivering superior taste, cleaner emissions, and an overall more responsible alternative to traditional smoking, bringing some much-needed taste to the game.”

    The No Saint will be available to purchase at nosaint.co, two company stores in London, and at 500 independent retailers across London and the South East.

  • Brazil Projected to Crack $3B in Tobacco Exports

    Brazil Projected to Crack $3B in Tobacco Exports

    According to yesterday’s projection by consulting firm Deloitte, Brazil’s tobacco exports are expected to surpass the $3 billion mark in 2025. The forecast anticipates an increase of 10% to 15% in volume and value. In February, the projection was $2.977 billion.

    According to data from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Brazil shipped 104,000 tons of tobacco in the first quarter of 2025. The volume was 1.78% lower compared to the same period in 2024, however, the value of sales rose by 12.85%, reaching $744 million. The main buyers of Brazilian tobacco in the first quarter were China, Belgium, Indonesia, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

    In 2024, Brazil exported 455,000 tons of tobacco to 113 countries, generating around $2.9 billion in revenue. This figure exceeded the historical average of the past decade, which stood at $2 billion. Brazil has been the world’s largest tobacco exporter for over 30 years. About 90% of its production is destined for international markets. In terms of overall production, Brazil ranks second only to China.

    “The preference of international customers for Brazilian tobacco is a direct result of the product’s quality and integrity, guaranteed by the Integrated Tobacco Production System,” said Valmor Thesing, president of the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union.

  • Perdomo First Cigar Company to Add Tariff Increase

    Perdomo First Cigar Company to Add Tariff Increase

    Perdomo Cigars announced it will increase its prices 25 cents per cigar beginning May 1, the second time the company has raised prices 25 cents in 2025. The first was to adjust rising costs with wholesale pricing, the second is because of new U.S. tariffs.

    “As you may know, a new 10% tariff has been imposed on premium handmade cigars imported from Nicaragua, where every Perdomo cigar is proudly crafted,” said Nick Perdomo Jr., the company’s president and CEO. “This government-mandated cost affects every manufacturer in our industry, and once again, we are called to protect our customers, the end consumers, and our employees while navigating the challenging business environment we all face today.”

    Nicaragua was to have a 19% tariff, but the rate was dropped to 10%, through “a 90-day suspension.”

    “The tariff is applied to the ‘direct import price,’ which is neither the wholesale price that retailers buy the cigars for nor the price that consumers pay for cigars,” Charlie Minato wrote for Halfwheel. “Unlike state tobacco taxes, which are calculated based on the wholesale price, the tariffs are baked into the wholesale price. Because of this, the tariffs won’t simply be passed onto consumers, consumers will likely end up paying double whatever the increase is. In this case, that means the 25-cent increase is effectively 50 cents for consumers, though it will end up being more once state tobacco and sales taxes are applied.”

    Earlier this year, cigar manufacturers were taking a “wait-and-see” approach to see how competitors would handle the tariff situation, so this is likely the first of many price increases the industry will see due to tariffs.

  • IQOS System Commercially Available in Texas

    IQOS System Commercially Available in Texas

    Today, PMI U.S. announced its FDA-authorized IQOS system is now commercially available to residents in the Greater Austin, Texas, area online at www.IQOS.com/us, at select pop-up stores, and other 21+ venues. IQOS is available in more than 70 markets globally since launching in Japan 10 years ago. The launch in Texas marks the first in a series of introductions in markets across the U.S.

    “We’ve seen the impact that a diverse range of smoke-free alternatives—like IQOS and ZYN—can have in helping adults 21+ move away from cigarettes,” said Stacey Kennedy, PMI U.S. CEO. ”We are committed to raising awareness and educating both consumers and public health leaders about the progress being made in harm reduction with our smoke-free products.”

    The news that Austinite’s can now purchase IQOS onlinefollows the March announcement that a permanent IQOS store opened downtown. Since October 2024, more than 5,000 Austin residents signed up to “Be the First” to experience IQOS.