Cole Hatton, who was Juul Lab’s principal engineer, left the company on Apr. 6.
Hatton, who was one of the company’s first employees, was named on the patent for the Juul device as a co-inventor, along with the company’s co-founders, Adam Bowen and James Monsees.
The personnel changes come amid structural changes at the company that began in December 2018 when tobacco giant Altria Group paid $12.8 billion for a third of the company.
The nicotine gum market is set to grow by $522 million between 2019 and 2023 with a CAGR of more than 5 percent during that period, according to a new report published by Technavio.
Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable and pessimistic) considering the impact of Covid-19.
British American Tobacco, GlaxoSmithKline, ITC Limited, Johnson & Johnson Services and Novartis are some of the major market participants.
Turning Point Brands (TPB) and Standard Diversified Inc. (SDI) have entered into a definitive agreement under which SDI will be merged into a wholly owned subsidiary of TPB in a tax-free downstream merger in a transaction first announced by the companies in November 2019.
Under the terms of the agreement, the holders of SDI’s Class A common stock and SDI’s Class B common stock will receive in the aggregate, in return for their SDI common stock, TPB voting common stock at a ratio of 0.97 of a share of TPB common stock for each share of TPB common stock held by SDI.
SDI has divested, or will prior to the merger divest, its assets of SDI other than its TPB common stock and has agreed that its net liabilities at closing will not exceed $25,000.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by holders of a majority of the aggregate voting power of the SDI common stock and the receipt of any applicable regulatory approvals. The board of directors of SDI has recommended that its stockholders vote in favor of the transaction. The companies expect the transaction to close in the summer of 2020.
Avail Vapor has donated more than 5,000 masks to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to help medical professionals on the front lines of the coronavirus battle protect themselves.
The idea came to light a few months ago when Avail employees heard about the shortage of masks in China when Covid-19 initially struck. Avail works closely with many Chinese suppliers, and Avail employees wanted to support these suppliers in their time of need.
Employees from around the U.S. gathered masks to donate; as a result, Avail shipped thousands of masks to its overseas partners. Now that the United States is experiencing a shortage in masks, those same Chinese colleagues have returned the generosity and shipped thousands of masks to Avail headquarters for employees and health care workers.
“To be successful, our business has always been highly collaborative with global partners,” said James Xu, CEO and chairman of Avail, and a Chinese American. “To see our employees proactively answer a need for their Chinese counterparts was special. Now we are so grateful to our Chinese friends for helping us defend our citizens in this pandemic.”
In addition, Avail has implemented new programs to help its customers during this unprecedented time. Since March 18, 2020, Avail customers who are burdened with a financial impact from Covid-19, as well as those in the medical community or who are first responders, have been eligible for a one-time purchase of select e-liquids for a penny ($0.01 transactional fee plus applicable taxes). Avail is also offering call-ahead and curbside pickup at all retail locations, as the health, safety and well-being of its staff and customers is paramount.
Avail employs more than 350 people across the U.S. The company has committed to compensate staff for work time lost due to Covid-19 or influenza. In addition, if employees need further financial assistance, they can apply through the Xu Fund, a special employee assistance fund dedicated to supporting Avail staff in the event of personal and family hardships. CEO and Chairman Xu donates 100 percent of his salary to support the fund. Since 2018, the Xu Fund has helped 90 Avail employees.
Licensed tobacco markets will open this month, following strict guidelines to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The Malawi government earlier decided that tobacco markets should open to protect growers. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has listed April 20 as the opening date for the markets.
Sales will begin at the Lilongwe selling floor on April 20; at the Chinkhoma selling floor on April 22; at the Limbe selling floor on April 27; and at the Mzuzu selling floor on May 4.
To help prevent the spread of Covid-19, entry will be restricted to those who have “critical tasks to perform”; those entering will have to wash their hands at the gate with 0.05 percent chlorinated water and wipe their feet on a chlorinated mat; everyone will have their temperature taken upon entry; entrants must have an ID, wear a uniform and wear a face mask; social distancing will be adhered to; and no more than 100 people will be allowed on the floor at a time.
Once individuals have finished their business, they will be asked to leave immediately. Tobacco bales will not be re-laid, but Saturday contract sales will continue with willing tobacco-buying companies. Growers will not be allowed to witness sales.
Swedish Match has reopened its factory in the Dominican Republic.
On March 20, Swedish Match announced that the cigar operations of its subsidiary, Swedish Match Dominicana, would be suspended from March 23 with a targeted date of April 6 to resume operations.
Manufacturing operations have resumed with one shift, and the resumption of any additional shifts is dependent on the national curfew being lifted or altered.
Swedish Match does not anticipate any material impact from Covid-19 on its ability to meet anticipated demand.
Pyxus International’s wholly owned indirect subsidiary Figr Brands has introduced its legal recreational cannabis products into British Columbia, Canada, marking Figr’s first western provincial entry in its planned expansion across the country.
Figr’s cannabis products, including the brand’s two newest strains, are now available for purchase through BC Cannabis.
“Figr’s entrance into British Columbia is an exciting step for Figr as the company continues to expand across Canada,” said Pieter Sikkel, Pyxus president and CEO. “We are proud of Figr’s dedication and commitment to providing Canadians new and continued access to high-quality, fully traceable cannabis products, particularly as Canada navigates the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 crisis. Cannabis is considered an essential business in British Columbia, and Figr is committed to meeting the demand of consumers while protecting the health and well-being of its employees.”
Within the last nine months, Figr has expanded into three new markets across Canada as well as introduced its initial suite of Figr 2.0 products. Figr’s products are now available in five Canadian provinces through retail locations and online stores, including Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and British Columbia.
All of Figr’s cannabis products are tracked from seed-to-sale by SENTRI, Pyxus’ proprietary track-and-trace platform.
States with laws legalizing recreational marijuana had fewer cases of e-cigarette/vaping-related lung injury (EVALI) than states without such policies in 2019, researchers reported.
In states that had legalized recreational marijuana, the EVALI case rate averaged 1.7 per million population (95% CI 0.3-3.1), far lower than states where it’s legal only for medical purposes (8.8 per million, 95% CI 5.1-12.5) or completely illegal (8.1 per million, 95% CI 4.1-12.0), reported Alex Hollingsworth, PhD, of Indiana University in Bloomington, and colleagues, according to an article on medpagetoday.com.
Moreover, the number of cases was significantly lower in states with legal recreational marijuana compared to those where it was not after adjusting for vaping rates (difference 7.2 cases per million, 95% CI -11.8 to -2.6, P=0.003), they wrote in a JAMA Network Open research letter, according to the story.
“It appears states that have legal access to marijuana have lower rates of EVALI cases, which is consistent with the hypothesis that people have demand for marijuana products, and in states where they don’t have access to them in this regulatory fashion, they end up purchasing them elsewhere,” Hollingsworth told MedPage Today.
Tabacalera USA and its business units Altadis USA, JR Cigar and Casa de Montecristo are donating $50,000 to support those impacted by the Coronavirus in Broward County, Florida, USA.
The contribution comes in response to the United Way of Broward County’s request for members of the community to assist its humanitarian efforts in the face of this unprecedented crisis affecting the entire community.
“We share United Way of Broward County’s concerns—and, indeed, a concern shared around the world—regarding Covid-19,” said Javier Estades, CEO of Fort Lauderdale-based Tabacalera USA. “Our contribution to the United Way of Broward County’s virus relief fund is one small way we can help our community as we focus on the safety of our employees, customers and the broader community.
“We urge everyone who can to join in this effort,” he said. “We also remind our fellow citizens to follow the guidance of local, state and federal officials concerning best practices to prevent the spread of this virus.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with our neighbors here in our own community and everywhere around the world who have been impacted by this pandemic,” Estades said.
British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) is urging the South African government to lift a cigarette ban that went into effect with a stay-at-home order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The government imposed a 21-day lockdown, closing all nonessential services and banning essential businesses from selling tobacco and alcohol. The ban on tobacco sales is meant to help prevent smokers from suffering from severe complications of the virus—studies have shown that smokers and vapers may face more severe complications from the respiratory illness.
BATSA, however, argues that the ban may thwart the efforts to contain the virus. “It will unintentionally force 11 million smokers to go outside of their neighborhood in search of outlets willing to defy the ban, as we’ve seen in some media reports,” the company said. “This would lead to greater movement of people and more interactions than if smokers were able to buy cigarettes at their nearest legal outlet at the same time as buying all their other essential goods.”
The company also fears the ban would lead to more illegal trade, forcing smokers to search for cigarettes and other tobacco products on the black market.
The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) supports lifting the ban. “Uplifting the ban would, amongst other things, save jobs, bring more money into the state coffers, stimulate the economy and decrease the psychological impact on South Africans of the lockdown period,” said Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, FITA chairperson.
BATSA holds a 78 percent market share of the legal cigarette market in South Africa.