Category: Featured

Activists Dispute Gateway Findings

Photo: Wlodzimierz
Recent claims by Otago University in New Zealand that vaping is a gateway to smoking have been disputed by leading global harm reduction experts Roberto Sussman, Konstantinos Farsalinos and Gerry Stimson. These experts have highlighted the importance of harm reduction strategies in reducing the negative health impacts of smoking.
Published on June 28 in Drug and Alcohol Review, the Otago University study analyzed data related to New Zealanders’ smoking and vaping status from the 2018-2020 New Zealand Attitudes and Values survey.
Unlike other studies, Post-graduate student Andre Mason and associate professor Damian Scarf found no consistent evidence that vaping acted as a cessation pathway from smoking. Mason said vaping appeared to be another smoking-related behavior, rather than a substitute for smoking that primarily helped people quit.
“We found that there was an equal likelihood of vapers transitioning to smoking as smokers were to vapers,” Mason told Radio New Zealand.
Tobacco harm reduction advocates questioned the findings. According to Sussman, there is no evidence that vaping is a gateway to smoking. “In fact, studies have shown that vaping can be an effective tool for smoking cessation,” he said. “The vast majority of vapers are former smokers who have successfully quit smoking thanks to vaping,” added Farsalinos
Gerry Stimson, a public health expert and advocate for harm reduction, emphasizes that harm reduction strategies like vaping are essential in reducing the negative health impacts of smoking. “We need to focus on providing smokers with safer alternatives to cigarettes, rather than demonizing harm reduction strategies like vaping,” he noted.
Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates, who compiled these comments, also disputed the gateway claim by Otago University.
Lous cited recent data, which suggest the smoking incidence rates in New Zealand have fallen significantly over the past five to 10 years. The current smoking rate of New Zealand adults is 8 percent in 2021/2022, which has decreased from 16.5 percent in 2015 and from 27 percent in both men and women in 1993. Loucas insists that vaping has played a significant role in the reduction of smoking rates in New Zealand over the past five to 10 years. According to research published in the NZ Medical Journal, the current vaping rate in New Zealand is 8.3 percent of adults being categorized as daily e-cigarette users, up from 6.2 percent in the previous year.
“We need to focus on harm reduction strategies that work, rather than relying on outdated and inaccurate claims about vaping being a gateway to smoking,” said Loucas. “The evidence is clear: vaping can be an effective tool for smoking cessation and harm reduction.
The government of New Zealand has given NZD1.4 million ($860,411) to a large trial to help New Zealanders quit vaping. Over six months, more than 1,000 participants will test whether cytisine—a medicine that partially blocks the effects of nicotine on the brain—is more effective than a tapered reduction in nicotine, when accompanied with behavioral support.
July 6, 2023
Seoul Mulls Higher Fines for Cigarette Litter

Photo: sayan
The Seoul metropolitan government is considering raising fines for cigarette butt litter from KRW50,000 ($38) to as much as KRW200,000, according to Korea JoonAng Daily.
Currently, the city government fines KRW50,000 regardless of the number of littering violations. The proposed new fine would increase based on number of violations: KRW100,000 for a first violation, KRW150,000 for a second violation and KRW200,000 for a third violation.
Cigarette filters have been noted as one of the major causes of flooding in the area as the litter blocks the road drainage systems. The flood level doubles if two-thirds of the height of the drainage gets flooded, according to the National Disaster Management Research Institute. If the drainage is completely submerged, the flood level rises six-fold and flooding occurs three times more quickly.
“Drainages at high-risk areas, including those that have been flooded during the monsoon season, should be prioritized in being taken care of,” said Lee Young-joo, professor of fire prevention science at the University of Seoul. “Measures to offer incentives to those who voluntarily clean up road drainages should also be drawn up.”
Increased fines are also expected to help prevent fires due to smoking. Last year, 6,289 fires in the city were due to smoking, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters.
The city government will propose the fine increase to the Environment Ministry.
July 6, 2023
Shisha Producer Calls Banks to Pitch for IPO

Image: Дмитрий Скорина | Adobe Stock
Advanced Inhalation Rituals (AIR), a Dubai-based producer of shisha molasses, has invited banks to pitch for roles in its planned initial public offering (IPO), which is expected next year, according to anonymous sources with knowledge of the matter, which is not public, reports Reuters.
AIR has not decided on a listing venue yet, but Abu Dhabi and Dubai are among the options.
Majority owner of AIR, Britain’s Kingsway Capital, is looking to follow a dual-track process where a seller pursues a sale and an IPO simultaneously. Rothschild and Co. is acting as financial advisor to AIR.
Last month, Kingsway Capital started meetings with tobacco firms such as BAT and Japan Tobacco.
July 5, 2023
22nd Announces Reverse Stock Split

Image: Travis | Adobe Stock
22nd Century Group will conduct a reverse stock split of its outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, at a ratio of 1-for-15 effective as of 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time on July 5, 2023. The reverse stock split is intended for the company to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement of $1 per share of common stock for continued listing on Nasdaq.
“As a transformative plant science company, being listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market places 22nd Century among the top innovation-driven companies of the world. The board decided to take action now to resolve our compliance with the Nasdaq listing standards, providing investors with greater assurance around this important asset even as we continue to advance our mission focused on plant biotechnology and health improvement,” said Nora Sullivan, chair of the board, in a statement.
“As [we] move into the second half of 2023, we are advancing the rollout of our VLN products in the three largest state markets as we further expand our commercial footprint,” said James A. Mish, CEO. “We also expect to benefit from our new extraction capabilities and the return of distillate production in our hemp cannabis business, plus expansion in our new multi-year vertically integrated license and distribution agreements with two major consumer brands. Combined, we are tracking to our full-year outlook of a record $105 [million] to $110 million in sales.”
22nd Century common stock will begin trading on a reverse stock split-adjusted basis at the opening of the Nasdaq Capital Market on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. Following the reverse stock split, the common stock will continue to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol “XXII” with the new CUSIP number, 90137F202.
In connection with the reverse split, the company will reduce its authorized number of shares of common stock at that same ratio as the reverse split, resulting in 33,333,334 authorized shares of common stock (from 500,000,000 authorized shares). No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split and all such fractional interests will be rounded up to the nearest whole number of shares of common stock. In addition, the reverse stock split will apply to the common stock issuable upon the exercise of the company’s other outstanding securities, with proportionate adjustments to be made to the exercise prices and number of derivates securities, and under the company’s equity incentive plans.
The reverse stock split will consolidate the number of issued and outstanding shares of the company’s common stock to approximately 15.9 million.
July 5, 2023
JT Launches New Infused Tobacco Device

Photo: JT
Japan Tobacco is launching a new brand named “With” and a new device named “With 2” for infused tobacco capsules in Japan this summer, the company announced on its website.
The company will discontinue its Ploom TECH, Ploom TECH + and Ploom TECH + With infused tobacco capsule devices, which are only in Japan. They will be available until stocks are sold out.
Ploom X, which is a device for heated tobacco sticks, is unaffected by this announcement and will continue to be sold and rolled out in a number of markets including Japan.
JT says it remains committed to investing in reduced-risk products. The company competes in the heated-tobacco segment with its Ploom brand and participates in the e-cigarette market with its Logic brand.

The discontinued devices
July 5, 2023
Brazilian Lawmakers Debate COP10

Photo: SindiTabaco
Brazil’s House of Representatives held a public hearing June 15 to clarify the country’s position in the upcoming conference of the parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which is scheduled to take place in Panama in November (COP10).
The debate had been requested by federal deputy Alceu Moreira, who lamented the degree of “injustice, disinformation and ideologically oriented political correctness” he claimed to have witnessed in the runup to the conference.
“We produce a licit crop; we are not committing a crime,” said Moreira. “We are proud of engaging in constructive debates with the aim to protect a licit crop and we refuse to be reprimanded for growing tobacco.”
As one of the world’s largest exporters of leaf tobacco, Brazil could be heavily impacted by the decisions made at COP10. In the most recent season, the southern region of Brazil alone produced 560 million kg of tobacco, generating BRL9.5 billion ($1.98 billion) for 128,000 farm families.
The public hearing was attended by representatives of the ministry of foreign affairs, the ministry of agriculture and livestock, and the ministry of agrarian development and family farming. The ministry of health declined to take part, saying that the debate was premature, given that the WHO had yet to publish an agenda for COP10.
The tobacco industry was represented by the tobacco growers association Afubra and the interstate tobacco industry union SindiTabaco, among other organizations.
SindiTabaco President Iro Schünke lamented the lack of transparency in the FCTC meetings. “The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the worst dictatorship I know, where the real interested parties are not allowed to take part in the debates,” he said.
The tobacco industry, said Schünke, produces a licit crop that generates income and jobs for millions of Brazilians and is committed to sustainable production. “My intervention is to discover what stance the Brazilian delegation will adopt at the upcoming COP 10 meeting and warn about the consequences from a poorly conducted positioning at the COP,” he said in a statement.
July 4, 2023
FTC Drops Complaint After Altria’s Juul Exit

Photo: Paul Brady
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on July 3 dismissed a complaint against Altria Group and Juul Labs relating to the cigarette maker’s 2018 investment in Juul, reports Reuters.
In late 2018, Altria paid $12.8 billion for a 35 percent state in Juul. The FTC said in 2020 that Altria’s investment violated antitrust law because the company acquired the position rather than continuing to compete against Juul in the market for closed-system e-cigarettes.
After Altria exchanged its entire investment in Juul for a global license to Juul heated tobacco intellectual property, the tobacco giant asked the FTC to drop its challenge.
Altria terminated its Juul stake after the investment lost much of its value in the wake of regulatory scrutiny and litigation relating to Juul’s marketing practices. On June 23, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered Juul Labs to pull its e-cigarettes from U.S. store shelves, saying the e-cigarette manufacturer had submitted insufficient evidence that they were “appropriate for the protection of the public health.” After Juul challenged the marketing denial order (MDO), the FDA agreed to take another look at the company’s pre-market tobacco product application.
The agency said it had determined that there are scientific issues unique to the Juul application that warrant additional review.
In early September 2022, Juul Labs agreed to pay nearly $440 million to settle a two-year investigation by 33 U.S. states into the marketing of its vaping products, which critics have blamed for sparking a surge in underage vaping.
On Sept. 30, 2022, Altria announced it was ending its noncompete agreement with Juul.
July 4, 2023
NGOs Challenge Nicotine Delisting

Photo: Purilum
Three groups have sued the government of Malaysia for removing liquid nicotine from the list of controlled substances, reports Bloomberg, citing local media reports.
Malaysia is preparing legislation that seeks to ban the sale of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to those born after 2007. The NGOs contended that removing nicotine from the list of controlled substances before the tobacco-control rules are in place would allow vape products to be sold openly and legally to anyone, including children.
Malaysia’s health ministry removed the restrictions on nicotine liquids and gels on March 31, which allowed the government to tax vape products containing them starting April 1.
The NGOs argue that the move is unconstitutional, arguing that it went against the recommendation of the Poisons Board.
The plaintiffs in the suit are the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control, Malaysian Green Lung Association and Voice of the Children.
July 4, 2023
Tobacco Used for Cancer Antibodies

Photo: Baiya Phytopharm
Baiya Phytopharm claims to have produced antibodies against cancer from tobacco and undertaken successful trials using lab animals.
Instead of targeting cancer cells the way chemotherapy does, plant-based immunotherapy focuses on boosting immune cells to block the growth of cancerous cells.
While immunotherapy has gained popularity in recent years, the antibodies for such treatment remain expensive. In Thailand, immunotherapy medicine production still relies heavily on imported technologies and equipment.
According to co-founder and Chief Technical Officer Waranyoo Phoolcharoen, Baiya Phytopharm aims to reduce the cost of producing cancer-treating drugs in Thailand and make such treatments more accessible and affordable.
“Our team is developing technology to produce a plant-based protein, an alternative and cost-effective ingredient for anti-bodies to treat cancer,” Waranyoo told the Bangkok Post.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Thai pharmaceutical company made headlines with its efforts to develop a tobacco-plant based vaccine against the coronavirus. (See “Joining the Race,” Tobacco Reporter, November 2020).
Tobacco plants lend themselves well to developing pharmaceutical compounds (also see “The Virtuous Weed,” Tobacco Reporter, April 2022). In many ways, they are better suited to the task than the man-made bioreactors used in traditional vaccine development, according to experts.
July 4, 2023
Juul Accuses NJOY of Patent Infringement

Photo: TheaDesign
Juul Labs has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to block sales and imports of the NJOY Ace vapor device, claiming that the product infringes several Juul patents. It has also filed a complaint against NJOY with the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
“Our technology, designed internally and in the U.S. and protected by our robust patent portfolio, has been the most effective product development to transition adult smokers from combustible cigarettes—switching over 2 million adult smokers in this country. Innovation is critical in this space to advance tobacco harm reduction,” said Juul Labs Chief Legal Officer Tyler Mace in a statement.
“When others infringe on our technology, we have no choice but to protect our intellectual-property rights.”
This ITC complaint follows three prior successful actions from Juul Labs at the Commission, which all resulted in barring the importation and sale of infringing products, according to Juul Labs.
“Just like we have in three prior successful ITC actions that vindicated our company’s IP rights, we intend to reach the same result here,” said Mace.
Juul Labs complain also targets Altria Group, which agreed to acquire the NJOY in March after exchanging its minority investment in Juul for a heated tobacco product intellectual property license.
The NJOY Ace device received marketing authorization from the Food and Drug Administration in April 2022.

July 3, 2023