Category: News This Week

  • Conference to focus on vaping public health potential

    Conference to focus on vaping public health potential

    The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) will hold a one-day business-to-business conference on May 9, 2019, titled “Seizing the vaping public health prize.”

    Vaping is increasingly recognized as the most effective way to stop smoking. A recent review of the evidence by Public Health England confirmed that view. The House of Common’s Science & Technology Committee has called for a review of advertising and product restrictions to encourage smokers to switch.

    Despite such evidence, doubts about vaping persist. Conflicting and often sensationalist media reports have created confusion among the public. The proportion of the population mistakenly thinking that vapor products are as harmful or more harmful than smoking increased from 7 percent in 2013 to 26 percent in 2017, according to Action on Smoking & Health.

    Held 8 am-5 pm at 4 Hamilton Place in London, the UKVIA conference will among other topics explore the roles of the public health sector, the media and employers in promoting vaping over smoking.

    Confirmed speakers include:

    • Mark Pawsey MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group For Vaping
    • Sir Kevin Barron MP, vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group For Vaping and vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health
    • Sarah Jakes, chair of the New Nicotine Alliance
    • Sairah Salim-Sartoni, smoking cessation and harm reduction consultant
    • Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Sunday Times
    • Daniel Pryor, Adam Smith Institute

    The conference will be followed by “A celebration of vaping,” on a heated terrace overlooking Hyde Park. Guest will be treated to a luxury drinks reception and an extensive BBQ menu.

    The conference and evening dinner are sponsored by Diamond Mist; the drinks reception is sponsored by Logic Vapes; lunch is sponsored by British American Tobacco; the delegate bags are sponsored by Myblue; the badges are sponsored by Flavoriq and the lanyards are sponsored by Innokin.

    Tobacco Reporter‘s sister publication Vapor Voice has been confirmed as the official media partner for the forum.

    Click here to order tickets. For more information, please contact Alexandra Taylor at alexandra.taylor@jbp.co.uk.

    For exhibition spaces opportunities, please contact Clare Ambrosino at clare.ambrosino@jbp.co.uk.

     

     

     

  • Billion-dollar award upheld

    Billion-dollar award upheld

    Quebec’s Court of Appeal has upheld a Quebec Superior Court ruling that awarded billions of dollars in damages to 100,000 people as part of two class-action lawsuits against tobacco companies, according to a CBC – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – News story.

    In the 422-page ruling, the court said the Superior Court’s decision was correct, except for some small technicalities. The adjustment in damages amounts to about C$2 million of the approximate C$15 billion the companies were ordered to pay, the prosecution said on Friday.

    “It’s excellent news for the victims that have been waiting for this day for a long time,” said Philippe Trudel, one of the lawyers representing the smokers.

    “We are calling this a total victory on all fronts.”

    The prosecution estimates the damages the companies will eventually pay out to the smokers will amount to more than C$17 billion. Interest on the damages continues to accrue as the case moves through the court system.

    The CBC story said that, in 2015, a Quebec Superior Court justice ruled in favour of two groups representing Quebec smokers, which argued the companies didn’t warn their customers about the dangers of smoking.

    Imperial Tobacco, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco, Rothmans Benson & Hedges, a subsidiary of Philip Morris International, and JTI-Macdonald, were ordered to pay for punitive and moral damages. The companies appealed the decision in 2016.

    In a Saturday, website announcement of the appeal court’s decision, Japan Tobacco Inc. said the court had substantively upheld the decision of the Superior Court, finding JTI-MC liable for C$1.77 billion.

    ‘JTI-MC is currently reviewing the judgement and is considering all options, including asking for permission to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada,’ the announcement said.

    ‘The decision follows an appeal by JTI-MC and other Canadian tobacco manufacturers to a judgment released in June 2015 by the Quebec Superior Court. JTI-MC was ordered to pay about C$2 billion in the judgment.

    ‘JTI-MC is the only JT Group company that is a party to these proceedings.

    ‘JT will issue a statement concerning JTI-MC’s response to the decision once it has had an opportunity to review the judgment in detail.’

    Meanwhile, a spokesperson for BAT said that the company was extremely disappointed that the Quebec Court of Appeal had not overturned the trial court’s judgment against its Canadian subsidiary, Imperial Tobacco Canada.

    “We are still of the view that this decision is wrong – ignoring the reality that both adult consumers and government have known about the risk associated with smoking for decades, the spokesperson was quoted as saying, as part of a note posted on BAT’s website. “As a result, we believe it should be overturned.

    “Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. needs to review the court’s decision in more detail and will decide on next steps over the coming days and weeks. Given the significance of the judgment, they have said that they fully intend to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.”

    BAT said that, following the release of the judgment from the Quebec Court of Appeal, the plaintiffs had requested immediate release of the funds on deposit, which was refused. They had then filed a formal motion to release the funds. Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. filed a motion to prevent the release of the funds in question.

    ‘British American Tobacco was not a party to the proceeding and is not a party to the judgment, only its Canadian subsidiary, Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd,’ BAT said.

    The CBC story said that Rothmans, Benson & Hedges had confirmed in a statement that it would seek leave to appeal the ruling with the Supreme Court of Canada.

  • Age-old problem

    Age-old problem

    A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker in Taiwan said on Sunday that the government should reduce the tax on tobacco because the public was deeply dissatisfied with the current rate, according to a story by Matt Yu, Wang Cheng-chung, Ku Chuan and William Yen for the Focus Taiwan News Channel.

    Hsu Chih-chieh said he had spoken to Premier Su Tseng-chang about this issue because of the public backlash that had erupted after the tax on cigarettes was raised in June 2017 by NT$20 (US$0.65) per pack following the Legislature’s passage of an amendment to the Tobacco and Alcohol Tax Act.

    According to Ministry of Finance data, the amendment allowed the tobacco tax to be raised from NT$590 per 1,000 cigarettes to NT$1,590, which added an extra NT$20 to the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes.

    Hsu said that while he did not encourage smoking, he recognized that it was one of life’s pleasures for some people.

    The tobacco tax went toward the nation’s long-term care of senior citizens, but smokers should not be the ones to fund that, he said.

    In response, the Cabinet said it would seek the opinions of various sectors of the society on the issue.

    The Cabinet spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said Premier Su has received thoughts from DPP lawmakers on the tobacco tax issue but had not yet responded.

    Also commenting on the issue, Kuomintang lawmaker Hsu Chih-jung said the tobacco tax was increased as a deterrent to smoking, and that cutting it now would be counterproductive.

  • New rules of street-cred

    New rules of street-cred

    A Macau lawmaker Ella Lei has urged the Government to ban smoking in the city’s main streets, according to a story in The Macau Daily Times.

    In a written question to the Government, Lei asked the whether it ‘will consider, in the future, to expand the smoking ban to densely populated outdoor spaces’.

    Lei asked if streets near schools, kindergartens and public parks could be made into non-smoking areas.

    She asked also whether the government would establish non-smoking streets in some areas.

    ‘It has become a global trend to expand smoking bans to outdoor public places, especially where children are present,’ Lei wrote.

  • Vaping ‘ordeal’ in Thailand

    Vaping ‘ordeal’ in Thailand

    A French woman who was in Phuket, Thailand, for a family holiday in January found herself in court and later deported, thousands of euro poorer, because of an incident involving a vaping device.

    According to a story by Tanyaluk Sakoot for thephuketnews.com, Cecilia Cornu, 31, was caught by police in the resort area of Karon holding an e-cigarette [the picture that accompanied the story seemed to show a heat-not-burn device] on January 30. She had been on a scooter with her fiancée, as her parents and brother followed behind.

    Cornu alleged she was stopped by four police officers who snatched the e-cigarette and demanded B40,000 [an allegation that was denied by the police], which she refused to pay.

    She was then arrested and taken to Karon Police Station where, she alleged, officers tried to bully her into paying a bribe.

    Cornu was charged, her passport confiscated, and a trial date set for February 11. Her return flight was scheduled for the following day.

    She posted bail of B100,000 and was released the same day pending trial.

    On February 11, Cornu attended Phuket Provincial Court where she was convicted for the offence [presumably of being in possession of a vaping device] and fined B827 (€23).

    She was then sent to the Phuket Immigration facility prior to being transferred to Bangkok for deportation.

    She said that in Bangkok she spent four days and three nights in a prison cell shared with 60 other women in dire conditions, which included sleeping on a hard, dirty floor with no sheets or mattresses.

    Cornu claims the ordeal cost her about €8,000 euros (B286,000) in legal fees and travel expenses.

  • Workers in share-out

    Workers in share-out

    Papastratos said yesterday that it would apportion among its workers €1 million in shares in its parent company Philip Morris International, according to a story by Nick Kampouris for The Greek Reporter.

    In a statement, Papastratos said it was rewarding its workers for their exceptional performance last year, which had resulted in what was reported as ‘large profits’.

    Papastratos noted also that its workers had helped to transform its manufacturing unit into an exclusive production center for IQOS products.

    All workers, regardless of their positions, wages or lengths of service, will receive shares worth more than €1,000. Board members will abstain from the share-out, offering their own entitlements to company workers.

    Papastratos, which was named Greece’s top employer for 2017, was said by Kampouris to be well-known in Greece for its exceptional relationship with its workers, who often received extra bonuses, benefits and other perks.

  • Enforcing tobacco rules

    Enforcing tobacco rules

    The Mysuru City administration in the Indian state of Karnataka is aiming to make the city tobacco- and tobacco-smoking-free by ensuring its compliance with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003, according to a story in the latest issue of the BBM Bommidala Group newsletter.

    The authorities aim to enforce strictly COTPA regulations in respect of public transport, educational institutions and public places in general.

    The story said that the sale of tobacco products was to be banned within 100 years of educational establishments, and that public venues would have to display prominently ‘no smoking’ signage. It wasn’t clear whether these were new requirements or, more likely, COTPA requirements that were going to be enforced.

    In addition, restaurants and bars have been directed to remove designated smoking zones on their premises.

    All the administration’s departments and the police were being urged actively to enforce the tobacco control laws.

    There was no explanation of why the administration had decided to enforce the COTPA regulations at this time, after, presumably, they had previously not bothered to do so.

    It was not stated when the city was scheduled to become tobacco- and tobacco-smoking-free.

  • FDA draft guidance issued

    FDA draft guidance issued

    The US Food and Drug Administration yesterday issued a draft guidance on its enforcement policy for tobacco products that are the subject of a not-substantially-equivalent order.

    The draft guidance, Enforcement Policy for Certain Marketed Tobacco Products, is said to explain the FDA’s enforcement policy for ‘manufacturers, importers, or distributors of certain marketed tobacco products that receive a not-substantially-equivalent (NSE) order.

    It is said also to explain the sell-off time allowed, as well as the enforcement policy for retailers with such products in their inventory.

    ‘These certain marketed tobacco products include “provisional” tobacco products (those that were first introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce after Feb. 15, 2007, and prior to March 22, 2011, and for which a substantial equivalence report was submitted no later than March 22, 2011) and to new tobacco products created by modifying the quantity of a provisional tobacco product in a pending substantial equivalence report,’ the FDA said in a note issued through its Center for Tobacco Products.

    ‘The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act permits a provisional tobacco product to remain on the market pending FDA’s review of the substantial equivalence report for that product. Per the new draft guidance, FDA does not intend to take enforcement action against a manufacturer, importer, or distributor of a product that has received an NSE order for at least 30 calendar days from the date of the NSE order. The agency also does not intend to take enforcement action against a retailer for at least 30 calendar days from the date the NSE order is posted on FDA’s Misbranded and Adulterated NSE Tobacco Products webpage.’

    The FDA is encouraging retailers to contact their supplier or manufacturer ‘to discuss possible options for the misbranded and adulterated product that they may have in their inventory’.

    ‘The new draft guidance also notes that should FDA receive a request for a supervisory review of an NSE order from the applicant within 30 calendar days from the issue date of the NSE order, FDA does not intend to take enforcement action against the manufacturer, importer, or distributor based on the order until the agency makes a decision on the request,’ the note said. ‘If the appeal results in FDA affirming the NSE order, the agency does not intend to take enforcement action for at least 30 calendar days from the date of FDA’s decision on the appeal.

    ‘When finalized, this guidance will supersede the “Enforcement Policy for Certain (Provisional) Tobacco Products that FDA Finds Not Substantially Equivalent” guidance issued in September 2015.’

    Comments on the draft guidance may be submitted on Regulations.gov at “Docket No. FDA-2018-D-3244”.

    The guidance is here.

  • Conference scheduled

    Conference scheduled

    The 2019 Middle East and Africa Duty-Free Association (MEADFA) Conference is scheduled to be held in Muscat, Oman, on November 25 and 26, according to a press note issued by the Tax-Free World Association (TFWA).

    ‘Managed by TFWA and hosted by Muscat Duty Free, the 18th MEADFA Conference will provide an essential learning and networking opportunity for those already operating in or looking to do business in one of duty-free and travel-retail’s most dynamic regions,’ the note said.

    The previous MEADFA Conference, held in Beirut in November last year, attracted 442 delegates from 35 countries.

    “After our very successful event in Beirut last year, we are delighted to bring the MEADFA Conference to Muscat, where delegates will have the opportunity to visit one of the region’s best new airports,” MEADFA president Haitham Al Majali was quoted as saying.

    Meanwhile, Muscat Duty Free general manager Martin Mullen said the Conference presented a great opportunity for all duty-free and travel-retail professionals looking to learn about the latest developments in this burgeoning market.

    The MEADFA 2018 review is available on the TFWA website at: https://www.tfwa.com/the-meadfa-conference.

    Details of this year’s event are due to be announced soon on the TFWA and MEADFA websites.

  • Few youngsters vaping

    Few youngsters vaping

    Regular vaping among young people remains low in Britain and has plateaued among adults, according to a press note posted on the gov.uk website citing an independent report led by researchers at King’s College London and commissioned by Public Health England (PHE).

    The report is said to be the first in a new set of three, commissioned by PHE under the Government’s Tobacco Control Plan for England. ‘It looks specifically at the use of e-cigarettes rather than health impacts, which will be the subject of a future report,’ the note said.

    ‘The findings show that while experimentation with e-cigarettes among young people has increased in recent years, regular use remains low. Only 1.7 percent of under-18s use e-cigarettes weekly or more, and the vast majority of those also smoke. Among young people who have never smoked, only 0.2 percent use e-cigarettes regularly.’

    The note went on to say that regular e-cigarette use among adults had plateaued over recent years, and remained largely confined to smokers and ex-smokers, with ‘quitting smoking’ the main motivation for adult vapers.

    Professor John Newton, Health Improvement Director at Public Health England, was quoted as saying that, in contrast to recent media reports in the US, Britain was not seeing a surge in e-cigarette use among young people.

    “While more young people are experimenting with e-cigarettes, the crucial point is that regular use remains low and is very low indeed among those who have never smoked,” he said.

    “We will keep a close watch on young people’s vaping and smoking habits to ensure we stay on track to achieve our ambition of a smoke-free generation.”

    The note said that, despite e-cigarettes now being the most popular quit aid, just over a third of smokers had never tried one. And only four percent of quit attempts through Stop Smoking Services in England were made using e-cigarettes, despite this being an effective approach.

    The report recommended that Stop Smoking Services should do more to encourage smokers that want to quit with the help of an e-cigarette.