Category: Featured

Hong Kong Solicits Feedback on Anti-Smoking Measures

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Hong Kong health authorities have asked city residents for feedback on several anti-smoking measures, including a generational tobacco ban, reports the South China Morning Post.
The public consultation, which began July 12 and is expected to end Sept. 30, covers four strategies: regulating supply and suppressing demand; banning promotion and reducing attractiveness; expanding nonsmoking areas and mitigating harm; and enhancing education and supporting those quitting smoking, according to Health Minister Lo Chung-mau.
“To protect our next generation from the harms of tobacco and to ensure the sustainability of our healthcare system, we need to draft strategies that keep up with the times,” Lo told a press briefing. “As a doctor, I don’t want our next generation to suffer from the harms of smoking and secondhand smoke.”
There were 17 possible measures included in the questionnaire for the consultation, including whether Hong Kong should “prohibit the sale of tobacco products to persons born after a certain date.”
Other questions include whether increasing the tobacco tax to 75 percent of the package price should be done rapidly or gradually every year and if a further ban on possessing e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products is necessary. A ban on importing, promoting, manufacturing and selling e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products was implemented last year.
In its consultation, the government excluded more aggressive measures, such as requiring shops to get a license to sell tobacco, penalizing third parties who give or sell cigarettes to under-18s, labeling tobacco products imported legally and requiring smokers to use a government app to show their ages when buying goods to verify their eligibility.
July 13, 2023
VLN Selling Briskly in Montana

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22nd Century Group’s VLN reduced-nicotine content cigarettes are selling robustly in more than 80 Town Pump convenience stores across the U.S. state of Montana, the company announced in a press note.
“Launching VLN statewide with Town Pump, the No. 1 c-store in the state, is a big win for adult smokers in Montana seeking an effective solution to break the chains of nicotine addiction,” stated John Miller, president of tobacco products for 22nd Century Group.
“We continue to see a pattern where, once available in stores, strong interest from adult smokers looking for new solutions to cut their smoking habit fuels initial trial and then often adoption and repeat purchase of VLN. We are excited VLN will be available in dedicated partners such as Town Pump stores given their reputation for providing customers with excellence.”
“We continue to expand the availability of VLN to a growing audience of adult smokers proactively seeking this innovative new product,” said James Mish, CEO of 22nd Century Group. “We expect to increase store counts in key markets and new states throughout the rest of 2023 and into 2024 based on the launch timelines being communicated to us by a growing list of retail chains across multiple categories where cigarettes are sold.”
July 13, 2023
Jason Carignan Joins Chemular

Jason Carignan has joined Chemular, an FDA regulatory consultancy group, as its chief commercial officer.
Carignan will lead the company’s revenue generation initiatives, strategic partnerships, and intellectual property monetization strategies across its diverse portfolio of business units, according to a press release.
“Carignan brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Chemular, having held various leadership positions in the tobacco and nicotine industry. He most recently served as president of Phillips & King and the Total Product Expo (TPE), both part of the Kretek International Inc. family of companies,” the release states. “Prior to that, he served as president of DRYFT Sciences, overseeing the successful development of the DRYFT line of nicotine pouches before selling the company to British American Tobacco in late-2020.”
With an impressive track record of driving growth and creating strategic alliances, Carignan is well-positioned to play a pivotal role in expanding Chemular’s market presence and further establishing the company as a leader in FDA regulatory matters.
Kevin Burd, CEO of Chemular. said he is thrilled to welcome Carignan to the Chemular team. “His deep industry knowledge and proven leadership in revenue generation and partnership strategies will be instrumental in driving our growth and expanding our client base,” said Burd. “We believe Jason’s appointment will advance our mission of providing comprehensive regulatory solutions to our clients and partners.”
Carignan will work closely with Chemular’s executive team to develop and execute business development strategies, identify new revenue opportunities, and forge strategic partnerships that enhance the company’s market position, according to the release.
Carignan said he was excited to join the Chemular team.
“Chemular has established itself as a trusted and innovative partner for clients navigating the complex landscape of FDA regulations,” Carignan said. “I look forward to leveraging my experience and expertise to drive revenue growth, establish impactful partnerships, and contribute to Chemular’s continued success.”
July 12, 2023
Korean Ministry Urges Vape Show Canceled

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has urged events organizer The Fairs to cancel its Korea Vape Show 2023, reports Korea Biomedical Review.
The exhibition is scheduled to take place July 21-23 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
“We sent a letter asking for the event to be canceled because we had concerns from a health promotion perspective,” a MOHW official was quoted by Yonhap News as saying. “We are also concerned that adolescents may visit the show if access to the convention is not properly controlled.”
The ministry also expressed worries about advertised vaping contests that it said would violate indoor smoking restrictions. South Korea allows indoor smoking only in separate, fully enclosed areas.
The MOHW said it plans to inspect the venue on the day of the event and impose penalties if the organizers fail to create a fully enclosed smoking room inside the venue.
The organizers said they had submitted plans to resolve the issues raised by critics and said it would not cancel the convention.
The official also stressed that previous conventions had been held without problems. “During the past three conventions, officials from the local public health center visited the convention and found no wrongdoings,” she said.
July 12, 2023
Black Market for Tobacco Doubles

Credit: Zero Photo
The illicit cigarette trade in Kenya has more than doubled in three years, according to BAT Kenya, reports Business Daily. The company says illegal sales accounted for 25.5 percent of the market last year compared to 11.3 percent previously.
BAT Kenya says the increase is due to increased taxes, according to a third-party survey.
“This [shrinkage of legitimate market] has been further exacerbated by the resultant differentials in excise rates between Kenya and its neighboring EAC (East African Community) partner states, with the excise payable in Kenya being double that of Uganda and almost triple that of Tanzania,” BAT Kenya wrote in its annual report for the year ended December.
“To address this dire situation, we continue to call upon the government to enhance local deployment of resources and enforcement as well as collaboration with neighboring governments against the illicit trade in tobacco products.
“Effectively, in 2022 alone, excise duty has increased by 21.3 percent and cumulatively by over 50 percent since July 2019. Such an increase, which is ahead of the average inflation rate for the year, presents an unstable and unpredictable business environment,” BAT wrote in the report.
“This has forced consumers to seek cheaper products in the illegal market.”
July 12, 2023
22nd Century Signs New Distribution Agreement

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22nd Century Group has entered into a new distribution agreement with Hub, a key Midwest-based convenience store and multi-channel distributor with warehouses located in Missouri and Kansas.
22nd Century’s VLN products are now available for purchase by eligible Hub customers as a part of 22nd Century Group’s state and regional rollout program.
“Hub is a critical conduit to a growing list of regional, independent and tribal retail outlets in the Midwest and a highly regarded wholesale tobacco products distributor with more than 60 years in its served markets,” stated John Miller, president of tobacco products for 22nd Century Group, in a statement.
“By adding distribution to Hub’s extensive customer list, 22nd Century can expand retail points of sale in both existing and new served markets for its innovative VLN reduced-nicotine content cigarettes, the first and only combustible cigarette to secure a modified-risk tobacco product authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Our VLN brand contains 95 percent less nicotine than contained in U.S. conventional cigarettes. As demonstrated by leading independent scientists, reducing the nicotine level in cigarettes has the potential to substantially reduce the enormous burden of smoking-related death and disease.”
Hub runs warehouse operations in St. Louis, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri; and Galena, Kansas, serving as a multi-channel industry-leading cigarette, tobacco and comprehensive distributor of tobacco-related products. Hub is a leading distributor of cigarettes in the Midwest, providing a comprehensive catalog of tobacco and tobacco-related products to more than 2,500 customer locations in Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Hub customers include regional, independent and tribal accounts across its served market that sell tobacco products.
July 12, 2023
Broughton Adds Extractables and Leachables

Photo courtesy of Broughton
Broughton has launched a new extractables and leachables (E&L) testing service for the reduced-risk nicotine industry. The new service will offer tailored E&L studies for products aimed at the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) and the marketing authorization application (MAA) pathways.
According to Broughton, regulatory bodies increasingly focus on the interactions between manufacturing components, nicotine delivery devices and container-closure systems, and the final product formulation. Producers must identify and assess any toxicological risks that could arise via such interactions via E&L studies.
Aimed at supporting reduced-risk nicotine product categories such as electronic nicotine delivery systems, Modern Oral nicotine pouches and nicotine replacement therapy, the service is available across all stages of the product development lifecycle.
The new testing service includes study design, extractables studies, extractables toxicology assessments, leachables method development and validation, leachables shelf-life studies and leachable toxicology evaluation.
“Extractable and leachable studies are essential to the PMTA and MAA regulatory pathways for reduced-risk nicotine products to ensure their safety and demonstrate evidence of mitigating risk. Even in emerging categories, where regulations may not exist, such as nicotine pouches, they should be adopted as a best practice approach to product understanding and stewardship,” said Chris Allen, CEO of Broughton.
“Our scientific experts and toxicologists have years of combined experience conducting E&L studies across a range of reduced-risk nicotine product and device categories. By offering a one-stop solution for E&L studies, we can ensure a fully integrated approach across study design, extractables study delivery, leachables method development and toxicology assessment with our specialized consultants available to troubleshoot, problem-solve and develop analytical solutions to issues that may arise.”
July 11, 2023
Albert Heijn to Stop Selling Tobacco

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Netherlands’ supermarket chain Albert Heijn will no longer sell cigarettes and other tobacco products beginning Jan. 1, 2024, according to NL Times.
“Albert Heijn supports the movement toward a smoke-free generation,” the company wrote in a press release. “In order to achieve lasting behavioral change and a smoke-free generation, it is important that all selling parties and other players involved, large and small, work together on this. The Dutch government has announced that tobacco sales will stop at supermarkets as of July 1, 2024, and is preparing legislation for this. Albert Heijn will stop selling tobacco and related products in stores as of Jan. 1, 2024. Online sales have stopped since July 1, 2023.”
Last year, supermarkets were ordered to stop publicly displaying tobacco products. Kruidvat stopped selling cigarettes in 2018 followed by Lidl later that year.
July 11, 2023
Industry Concerns Over Romanian Tax Plans

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Romania’s finance ministry plans to increase excise duties on tobacco and nicotine products this year in addition to the excise calendar that has already been approved, causing tobacco firms concern, according to The Romania Insider.
“The moderate five-year timetable for increasing excise duty adopted less than 12 months ago should have provided the fiscal predictability needed to combat illicit trafficking,” said Jorge Araya, director of the southeast Europe area for BAT. “It should not be forgotten that illicit trafficking also means decreasing revenues to the state budget, financing criminal networks and uncontrolled access to products that do not meet quality or hygiene standards.”
Excise duty was previously increased in April of this year. Excise duties and cigarette prices in Romania are the highest in the European Union in relation to purchasing power.
Araya argues that the tax increases make smuggling very profitable because cigarettes can be bought in neighboring countries at around half the price of those in Romania.
July 11, 2023
Tobacco Farmers Urged to Destroy Stalks

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Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) is urging tobacco growers who have not destroyed tobacco plant stalks to immediately destroy them to avoid carrying diseases and pests to the next crop, reports The Chronicle.
The TIMB stated that according to the Plant Pests and Disease Act, tobacco stalks must be destroyed by May 15 every year. Failure to comply with regulations brings penalties, including contract suspension and monetary fines or imprisonment.
“Against this backdrop, tobacco growers are being reminded that all tobacco stalks should have been destroyed by now. Those who have not destroyed stalks are reminded to destroy their stalks immediately to avoid carrying over diseases and pests to the next crop,” the TIMB stated.
“As we destroy tobacco stalks, we are also reminded to observe the set tobacco legislative date of Sept. 1, the earliest date to transplant tobacco. Planting tobacco before this set date will attract penalties and sanctions.
“If 10 percent of the contracted farmers are noncompliant, the responsible contractor will be penalized or suspended from operations until they comply fully. Therefore, no contractor will contract a farmer who has not destroyed their tobacco stalks. Any grower who has not destroyed tobacco stalks and has been contracted shall be de-contracted from that contract scheme. Please note that TIMB and Ministry of Lands officers are inspecting all fields and compiling lists of all noncompliant farmers.”
A farmer’s first offense will incur a fine of $100 or the local currency equivalent for each hectare or part thereof in respect of which the offense is committed, imprisonment of up to a year or both a fine and imprisonment. A second or subsequent offense will incur a fine up to $200 or the local currency equivalent for each hectare or part thereof in respect of which the offense is committed, imprisonment of up to two years or both a fine and imprisonment.
So far, Zimbabwe has sold over 280 million kg of tobacco. “Given that production has increased, let us take all the precautions to sustain the production and ensure we reach the target of 300 million kg by 2025,” the TIMB said.
Production is expected to increase by 8.5 percent year-on-year. Earlier this month, press reports suggested Zimbabwe would achieve its 300 million kg target ahead of schedule.
July 11, 2023