Category: Featured

THR Summit to Take Place in Spain

Image: somartin | Adobe Stock
The Tobacco Harm Reduction Summit Spain 2023 is scheduled to take place Feb. 23, 2023, in Madrid at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.
The Tobacco Harm Reduction Summit Spain 2023 aims to provide a space for evaluation and debate on the impact that harm reduction strategies can have in the field of smoking, offering a range of international perspectives ranging from scientific analysis of the issue to its political and regulatory implications, according to the website. It provides a forum to contribute to the generation of new proposals for tackling the problem of smoking, providing new points of reflection for scientists, professionals, technical and political decision-makers.
February 14, 2023
Singapore Tobacco Excise Duty to Increase

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Singapore’s government is raising the excise duty on all tobacco products by 15 percent, effective Feb. 14, 2023, according to Channel News Asia. The move is aimed at discouraging consumption, according to Finance Minister Lawrence Wong’s budget speech.
The increase is expected to generate about $100 million in additional annual revenue, according to Wong.
The tobacco tax was last raised in Singapore in 2018 when it increased by 10 percent.
February 14, 2023
Zimbabwe Marketing Dates Announced

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
The auction tobacco marketing season opens March 8 with contract tobacco sales opening the next day, reports The Herald.
“All stakeholders are advised that the 2023 auction tobacco marketing season opens on Wednesday, 8 March,” said Emmanuel Matsvaire, acting chief executive of the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. “Sales at licensed auction floors will start at 9 a.m. Contract tobacco sales will open on Thursday, 9 March.”
February 14, 2023
Larger Leaf Quality and Volume Expected

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
A significantly higher volume and quality of tobacco leaf is expected in Zimbabwe this year due to good rains during the farming season, reports Xinhua News.
The quality of the crops is good and will likely bring in high prices, according to George Seremwe, president of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association.
“This year, we have got a very good crop,” said Seremwe. “Even the dry land crop, which is rain-fed, is looking like the irrigated crop because the rains were quite good.”
The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board is still assessing crops to determine the expected output.
February 13, 2023
Technology Facilitates Regulation in Zambia

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
The Tobacco Board of Zambia (TBZ) has captured over 40,000 farmers on its electronic registration and monitoring system introduced two years ago, reports Zambia Daily Mail.
In 2020, the TBZ introduced the Bright Leaf System to regulate the production, buying and selling of tobacco in the country.
TBZ information communication technology officer Maximillian Kasonde said the system has brought relief to the board in that it is now aware not only of the exact number of farmers in the country but also of their identities and their locations.
“It has made the marketing and registration system easier,” Kasonde said.
February 13, 2023
Elf Bar Comments on E-Liquid Controversy

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After U.K. retailers announced they would remove Elf Bar 600 products from shelves due to illegal levels of e-liquid, Elf Bar called a meeting with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Elf Bar subsequently released a statement regarding the controversy.
“Recent press reports alleged questions around the compliance of the Elf Bar 600 on the U.K. market,” a company press release stated. “Subsequent to these allegations, we immediately initiated a full investigation of the Elf Bar 600 in the U.K. market and have found that some products exceeded the permitted e-liquid fill level. Although this issue means the products are not compliant in full with U.K. regulations, we did not find any issues with nicotine strength or anything that might mean the products’ safety is compromised in any way.
“MHRA indicated that their recommendation is for the product to be withdrawn from the market.
“We agree with this recommendation and will voluntarily carry out a withdrawal of noncompliant Elf Bar 600s from the U.K. market. We will be assisted in ensuring the withdrawal is carried out effectively, and without causing any unnecessary market disruption, by a Trading Standards Primary Authority. We will update all of our distribution and retail partners when we have agreed how this corrective action will be enacted.
“Although the investigation and definition of corrective actions for the Elf Bar 600 has been undertaking, we have also committed to investigate all other vape products that we export to the U.K. We will take any actions we deem to be required to ensure compliance across our entire product set.”
Elf Bar was joined by the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) and the IBVTA in the meeting.
“Although Elf Bar is not a member of the UKVIA, as the industry’s lead trade association, it was key that we were present at such a critical meeting to represent the interests of all businesses in the sector impacted by this highly regrettable situation,” the UKVIA said in a statement. “The decision by Elf Bar to voluntarily withdraw its noncompliant products, recently highlighted in the media, is absolutely the right one.
“If the industry is going to be accepted as playing a leading role in helping Britain achieve its smoke-free targets, it has to demonstrate the highest levels of compliance, standards and responsibility, which the UKVIA expects.”
February 13, 2023
Vape Battery Air Incidents Skyrocket

Photo: frank peters
The number of e-cigarette battery air incidents has tripled since 2019, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) database.
Vapes and e-cigarettes were the leading cause for lithium battery incidents on aircraft in 2022, ahead of those caused by battery packs and laptops. Of the 55 incidents reported through September of last year, vapes and e-cigarettes accounted for 19, which was 35 percent of all incidents in 2022 and triple the incidents reported in all of 2019, the FAA says.
According to the agency, the batteries in these devices can catch fire if damaged or if the battery terminals are short-circuited.
Vapes aren’t allowed in checked luggage and must be brought in carry-on luggage because of cargo-area fire risks.
The federal government banned smoking on most U.S. flights in 1990. In 2016, the U.S. finalized its ban on e-cigarettes on all domestic commercial flights as well as on international flights to and from the country.
Passengers should refrain from charging e-cigarettes on a plane and store their device carefully to prevent them from accidentally turning on, according to the FAA. They should transport their vapes in a protective case or remove the battery and place each battery in its own case or plastic bag to prevent a short-circuit, the agency says.
Passengers who violate federal vaping laws risk fines up to $1,771.
February 10, 2023
U.K. Supermarkets Stop Selling Elfbar Vape

Photo: Elfbar
U.K. supermarkets are removing Elfbar 600 disposable electronic cigarettes from their shelves after the product was found to contain higher-than-allowed volumes of nicotine e-liquid, reports ITV News.
“We have temporarily removed one Elfbar vape line from sale as a precautionary measure whilst the manufacturer urgently investigates these claims,” a Tesco spokesperson said.
Sainsbury’s followed suit with a spokesperson saying: “We are in close contact with our supplier and have temporarily removed the affected Elfbar product whilst they investigate further.”
Morrisons has gone a step further and has stopped the sale of the whole Elfbar 600 range.
“As part of our ongoing investigation into the legal compliance of Elfbar 600 disposable electronic cigarettes with Trading Standards, we have made the decision to remove all flavored variants from sale,” a spokesperson told ITV News.
“The products will only be returned to sale once stock that fully complies with U.K. legislation becomes available.”
The supermarkets acted after a Daily Mail investigation found Elfbar 600s to have at least 50 percent more than the legal limit for nicotine e-liquid. E-cigarettes bought at branches of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons contained between 3 mL and 3.2 mL of e-liquid, when the legal limit is 2 mL.
Elfbar attributed the breach to accidental overfilling. “It appears that e-liquid tank sizes, which are standard in other markets [such as the U.S.], have been inadvertently fitted to some of our U.K. products,” a company spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
“We wholeheartedly apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.”
February 10, 2023
PMI: New Rules Make Leaving Russia Difficult

Jacek Olczak
(Photo: PMI)
New rules are making leaving Russia more difficult, Philip Morris International CEO Jacek Olczak told Bloomberg.
Following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, PMI and other tobacco companies announced they would scale down their operations and eventually exit the country.
In anticipation of that move, PMI throughout 2022 provided financial figures that excluded its Russian business. Its full-year results, however, included Russia again.
Olczak told Bloomberg the decision does not signal a change in plans. Rather, it reflects the difficulty of exiting Russia. “As long as we are the owner, we will include the [Russian] number,” Olczak said.
According to Olczak, new regulations have made it more difficult for foreign investors to exit Russia. In any transaction, the government now has an important voice on asset valuations, access to cash flow and dividends, he said. This makes it hard for any party interested in taking over the business.
Meanwhile, Olczak said PMI was considering coming back on a more sustainable basis to Ukraine.
In related news, BAT expects to complete the sale of its Russian business to local partners in 2023, according to Reuters.
BAT said it was in advanced discussions with a “joint management distributor consortium” on the sale of its businesses in Russia and Belarus but did not reveal the identity of the party or divulge further details on the talks.
The company said in March 2022 that it was in talks to transfer its Russian business to its Russian distributor, SNS Group of Companies.
February 10, 2023
PMTA Review Target Date Pushed Back
Photo: Brian Jackson
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has submitted a new timeline for its review of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs).
In prior status reports, the FDA indicated that it expected to have taken action on all covered applications by June 30, 2023. Filed with the Maryland Federal District Court on Jan. 24, 2023, the agency’s fourth report states that it now expects to have acted on PMTAs as follows:
52 percent of covered applications by March 31, 2023
53 percent of covered applications by June 30, 2023
55 percent of covered applications by Sept. 30, 2023
100 percent of covered applications by Dec. 31, 2023
In response to litigation by public health groups, a Maryland Federal District Court in April 2022 ordered the FDA to file regular status reports on its progress in reviewing PMTAs for the most popular vapor products on the U.S. market, including Juul, Vuse, Njoy, Logic, Blu, Smok, Suorin or Puff Bar.
The original target completion date for the review process was Sept. 9, 2021; however, the FDA was unable to meet it due to the extremely large number of PMTAs filed by manufacturers.
The most recent delay is due in part to ongoing litigation and to the agency’s acceptance of amendments to some already filed PMTAs, according to the report.
The FDA is expected to give its next status update to the court on April 24.
February 9, 2023