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Category: News This Week

  • New Zealand Study Says Vape Not Helping End Smoking

    New Zealand Study Says Vape Not Helping End Smoking

    Health researchers in New Zealand examining the long-running Year 10s smoking study say the e-cigarette companies are wrong: vaping is not displacing smoking among young people. Researchers from the University of Auckland, Australia’s Cancer Council New South Wales and the University of Sydney’s Daffodil Center, looked at vaping and smoking trends among New Zealand adolescents.

    Published last Friday (March 21), the study analyzed 25 years of data, from 1999 to 2023, examining the potential impact of vaping on smoking trends among nearly 700,000 students aged 14 to 15 years old.

    Researchers expected to see a decline in smoking after vapes were introduced, but University of Auckland research fellow Dr. Lucy Hardie said that while youth smoking rates in New Zealand were declining steeply before vapes came on the scene in 2010, that progress has slowed.

     “What we found instead was that actually the rates of decline slowed, rather than speed up,” Hardie said. “For us, this means that potentially, young people are experimenting more, rather than less, with the advent of vaping.

     “That might be down to things like vaping being more socially acceptable, in this younger age group, and so it may not be such a leap to then start experimenting with cigarettes as well.”

    In 2023, approximately 12.6 percent of 14 to 15-year-old students in New Zealand had ever smoked, nearly double the 6.6 percent predicted in the pre-vaping era. Similarly, in 2023, around 3 percent of Year 10 students were smoking regularly, but this rate would have been just 1.8 percent had it followed its pre-vaping trend.

    The research contradicts an earlier and oft-quoted study from 2020 that suggested vaping might be displacing smoking among New Zealand youth. The new study uses the same data but drew on a much wider time period, Hardie said.

    The researchers found that vaping may have actually slowed New Zealand’s progress in preventing adolescent smoking. Meanwhile, the new research also shows the prevalence of daily vaping in New Zealand increased from 1.1 percent in 2015 to 10 percent in 2023.

  • PCA Announces Advocacy Awards

    PCA Announces Advocacy Awards

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) announced the recipients of the 2025 Step Up Awards, which recognize outstanding leadership and dedication to premium tobacco advocacy. These awards honor individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond to protect the rights of premium cigar businesses and consumers across the nation.

    The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, April 13, 2025, immediately following the PCA comedy show at the 2025 PCA Annual Convention and Trade Show. “This special recognition celebrates those who have stepped up in a meaningful way to defend the industry in legislative, regulatory, and grassroots arenas over the past year,” the PCA said.

    This year’s Step Up Award winners include: Jimmy Hargrove, of the Colorado Premium Cigar and Pipe Association, Luke Benson of the Colorado Premium Cigar and Pipe Association, Greg Zimmerman of The Tobacco Company, Cigars for Warriors, and Michael Edney fromHunton Andrews Kurth.

  • Fiji Assessing Needs to Implement FCTC’s Illicit Tobacco Protocol  

    Fiji Assessing Needs to Implement FCTC’s Illicit Tobacco Protocol  

    An international team is working with officials in Fiji this week to assess the nation’s needs for effectively implementing the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, the first protocol adopted under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Illicit trade, officials say, threatens public health by increasing access to cheaper tobacco products, fueling the tobacco epidemic, and undermining tobacco control policies. It also leads to significant government revenue losses and contributes to the funding of international criminal activities.

    This international treaty aims to eliminate all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products through a package of measures implemented by countries cooperating. The assessment is being conducted by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, WHO FCTC Secretariat, and WHO.

    Fiji loses FJD 319 million ($140 million) to tobacco-related costs annually, which represents 2.7% of its GDP and significantly exceeds revenues from cigarette taxes. A key finding from “Operation EXIT,” a collaboration between the Oceania Customs Organization and the WHO, revealed that illicit tobacco trade is on the rise in the Pacific region.

    “Every year, tobacco use claims more than 1,200 Fijian lives, with 71% of these deaths occurring in individuals under the age of 70,” Permanent Secretary for Fiji Health and Medical Services Dr. Jemesa Tudravu said. “The prevalence of smoking in Fiji remains notably high, particularly among adults and young people, posing a severe threat to our public health. The impact of tobacco-related diseases results in increased morbidity and mortality, affecting families, communities, and our entire nation.” 

  • CAPHRA Backs Evidence That Vaping Could Save Thousands of Thai Lives 

    CAPHRA Backs Evidence That Vaping Could Save Thousands of Thai Lives 

     The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today (March 19) endorsed compelling evidence presented by Asa Saligupta, Director of ENDs Cigarette Smoke Thailand, highlighting the life-saving potential of vaping as an alternative to deadly combustible cigarettes. 

    The Bangkok Post has revealed a stark public health contradiction: while smoking cigarettes is blamed for 71,000 Thai deaths annually, there has not been a single recorded death from e-cigarette use in Thailand. Yet conventional cigarettes remain widely available while vaping products remain prohibited. 

    “The evidence from Thailand mirrors what we’ve seen across the Asia-Pacific region—policies driven by misinformation rather than science are costing lives,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA Executive Coordinator. “When Public Health England concluded that vaping is approximately 95% safer than smoking cigarettes, they provided a scientific foundation that many countries have used to develop sensible harm reduction policies.” 

    CAPHRA acknowledges concerns regarding youth access but emphasizes that proper regulation—not prohibition—is the appropriate solution. “We support restrictions on marketing to young people, but banning products that could save millions of adult smokers from premature death is neither,” Loucas said. “Thailand stands at a crossroads. It can continue its failed prohibition approach, or it can join the growing number of countries following scientific evidence to implement sensible regulations that will save countless lives.”

  • Rebellion Cigars Going to Germany

    Rebellion Cigars Going to Germany

    U.K.-based Rebellion Cigars announced today (March 19) that it has signed an agreement with Royal Cigar Distribution (RCD) of Münster to bring its cigars to Germany.

    “I met [RCD CEO Alex Wehlage] and his team at Intertabac in 2023. Great people with a great understanding of where the cigar market is going in Europe,” said Shaun Wilkinson, co-founder of Rebellion Cigars. “Rebellion smashes the target market and the feedback from the retailers we approached, has been nothing less than superb.”

    The company said that its Rockstar Range will be available in Germany this month and the Country Range will be offered later this year. Rebellion divides its portfolio into two “ranges,” each containing various blends and typically three vitolas per blend.

    “I’ve smoked my first Rebellion cigar at Intertabac in Dortmund,” said Wehlage. “I enjoyed every minute of the Ace of Spade Robusto. A truly great cigar. I’m impressed. The aroma was wonderfully complex and balanced. The story behind the company is amazing and for me, as a rock and metal music fan I love the idea of the cigar names, and I’m thrilled to share the experience with others in Germany.”

  • $3.9M of Illegal Vapes Seized in Thailand 

    $3.9M of Illegal Vapes Seized in Thailand 

    The Metropolitan Police Bureau’s investigation team raided warehouses in Thailand’s Nonthaburi province yesterday (March 18) and seized more than 260,000 e-cigarettes with a street value of over 130 million baht. ($3.9 million). Investigators believe the vaping products had been smuggled in from China through the Laem Chabang port in Chonburi and distributed to more than 100 retail outlets nationwide.

    Dubbed “Operation Smoke Out,” police said they targeted six warehouses in the province that were linked to five individuals who were responsible for shipping and distributing the products. Two men were arrested, the police said, adding that the suspects were allegedly paid 20,000 baht ($600) each to look after one of the warehouses.

    “This is considered a major raid with high value,” Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said while visiting the scene. “The officers will expand the investigation to the masterminds and bring them to justice.”

  • Bangladesh Officials Meet to Stop Tobacco Use, Tax Evasion 

    Bangladesh Officials Meet to Stop Tobacco Use, Tax Evasion 

    Yesterday (March 18), National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman Md Abdur Rahman Khan said Bangladesh was considering the introduction of a QR code system band-roll for the tobacco sector to prevent tax evasion. Speaking at a pre-budget meeting with the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA), he said that high taxes on tobacco products have created a huge amount of illicit cigarettes entering the country, thus depriving the NBR of due revenue.

    The chairman said some bidi companies use counterfeit band-rolls to avoid paying taxes in the national exchequer.

    “Even they bring those band-rolls from abroad after printing in there,” he said. The NBR chairman put emphasis on establishing a cashless society to stop tax evasion.

    The ATMA argued cigarette prices in the country were too low, and that having a four-tier price system (low, medium, high, and premium) has rendered the tobacco price and tax measures less effective. It proposed merging the low and medium categories.

  • EAS Adds Gabriel Muñiz as Consultant

    EAS Adds Gabriel Muñiz as Consultant

    EAS Consulting Group announced the addition of Gabriel Muñiz to its team of independent consultants, saying he is a “distinguished expert in FDA regulatory compliance, quality systems, and risk management, with nearly two decades of experience in tobacco and other FDA regulated product industries.” Muñiz served as a director at the FDA and a senior regulatory leader at Juul Labs, and brings firsthand knowledge of FDA enforcement strategies, compliance expectations, and regulatory submission requirements. He has experience in quality management systems, regulatory risk assessments, data integrity, supplier control, and FDA inspection readiness.

    “With his unique blend of FDA regulatory experience and industry leadership, Gabriel Muñiz is a trusted resource for companies requiring expert guidance in FDA compliance, regulatory risk management, and litigation support,” EAS said in a statement. “Before transitioning to private industry, Gabriel spent over a decade at the FDA, where he served as an FDA Director and Level II Investigator. He was the first-ever director of the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs Tobacco Operations Staff, where he played a pivotal role in shaping FDA compliance and enforcement activities for the tobacco industry.”

    EAS Consulting Group is a global leader in regulatory solutions and testing for the FDA and USDA-regulated industries, working with more than 200 independent consultants.

  • Casa 1910 Tabs New Sales Director

    Casa 1910 Tabs New Sales Director

    Casa 1910 announced yesterday (March 18) that it hired Jeremy Fondi as its new national sales director. Fondi has more than 10 years of experience working within the premium cigar industry and is a certified retail tobacconist and co-founder of the Facebook cigar community Cigar Cartel (C2), which has over 34,000 members worldwide.

    In this position, Fondi will help shape and execute the company’s national sales strategy, build relationships with key distributors and retailers, and expand the brand’s reach across the U.S. 

    “I am thrilled to join Casa 1910 and work alongside such a passionate and dedicated team,” said Fondi. “Casa 1910’s commitment to quality and innovation aligns perfectly with my own values as a cigar aficionado and industry professional. I look forward to leveraging my experience to expand the brand’s presence and continue to build a community of cigar lovers across the country.”

    Fondi has held numerous positions within the cigar industry, serving as general manager and regional manager at several companies, and most recently served as the innovation manager for handmade cigars at Scandinavian Tobacco Group, where he helped develop and implement innovative strategies that enhanced product offerings and market presence.

  • Meerapfel Cigar Raises $75K for Charity

    Meerapfel Cigar Raises $75K for Charity

    The Meerapfel family—owners of Meerapfel Cigar—raised a total of $75,000 at three private charity events last week, donating proceeds to Latet, an Israeli nonprofit organization that provides aid to those living in poverty and starvation.

    Hosted at a New York restaurant and two private residences in Miami, a single box of 25 Meerapfel Création de Coeur cigars, which were created especially for charitable functions, was auctioned at each event. The high-end belicoso-shaped cigars measurd 5 1/4 inches by 52 ring gauge and were covered in the rare Cameroon wrapper the Meerapfel family is famous for.  

    “It brings joy to our hearts knowing that these cigars will significantly improve the life of thousands of children who are fighting starvation and extreme poverty,” company vice president Reinhard Pohorec said. “We not only believe but are reassured that by sharing our passion, opening our hearts and our resources, we can make a real difference in the lives of others. We are moved by the generosity and warmth of the noble donors.”