Category: Featured

New Zealand Pulls More Than 300 Vape Products

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More than 300 vaping products have been pulled off of New Zealand shelves, reports 1news.
New Zealand’s Vaping Regulatory Authority (VRA) has looked at over 8,000 products on store shelves that had been notified to its register.
“For the majority of the products reviewed, no issues have been found, but in some cases, information provided by the manufacturer or importer indicated that they could include prohibited ingredients or they could have nicotine salt levels that exceed the legal limit,” says VRA manager Matthew Burgess.
“Following the review, companies have withdrawn notifications for 340 vaping products, meaning they can no longer be legally sold in New Zealand. We will be publishing a list of products that are no longer notified on the Ministry of Health website shortly.”
Up to 1,800 other vaping products could still be taken off shelves. The authority is working with companies that make or sell them and has given them until next week to provide more information.
December 2, 2022
Coalition Calls on Congress

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The United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade (USA-IT) coalition called on Congress to embrace new policies to combat illegal trade, including counterfeiting, smuggling, organized retail theft, drug trafficking and human trafficking, according to a press release following the coalition’s second annual national summit.
Opening the summit, Representative Bennie Thompson said, “Illicit trade not only damages our businesses and economy but can also pose health and safety risks for consumers and even undermines our security. When the government and private sector work together, hand in hand, we’re more efficient and effective at combating this threat. This is about protecting all of America.”
“Fighting these organizations for more than a decade, I’ve seen firsthand how the seemingly innocuous trafficking of illicit tobacco and nicotine products, like cigarettes and e-vapor products, has very serious consequences,” said Kristin Reif, director of government relations for Philip Morris International, at the summit. “But criminals don’t just traffic in one commodity; they will traffic in anything that earns them a dollar, whether that’s luxury purses or drugs or even human beings. That’s why USA-IT is so crucial—by bringing together such a diverse group of stakeholders, we can bring this pervasive problem into lawmakers’ focus and can more effectively counter the threat of illegal trade.”
The summit included five panel discussions from experts from companies, law enforcement, academia and policy.
USA-IT was launched in June 2021 and now works across 15 states facing illegal trade issues. USA-IT offers information and training programs for local officials and law enforcement and raises public awareness of the issues surrounding illegal trade.
December 2, 2022
Kenya Urged to Reverse Tobacco Export Deal

Photo: prehistorik
Anti-smoking activists are urging the government of Kenya to reverse a deal to export more tobacco to South Korea, reports The Star.
During a recent visit to South Korea, Kenyan President William Ruto signed a bilateral trade agreement that will see Kenya increase its exports of tea, coffee and tobacco.
The Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance (KETCA) has asked the president to reconsider his decision, citing fears that the agreement will persuade farmers to grow tobacco even as health advocates are encouraging them to replace the golden leaf with other cash crops.
Concerned about the environmental and health effects of tobacco production and consumption, the World Health Organization, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization in collaboration with the Kenyan government launched a project to discourage tobacco production in western Kenya in March.
The project enables the farmers to stop tobacco growing contractual agreements and switch to food crops that will help feed communities.
According to KETCA national coordinator Thomas Lindi, Kenya’s Tobacco Control Act also commits the government to continually phase out tobacco farming in Kenya.
“Any treaty or agreement that binds Kenya to promote tobacco farming is against the Tobacco Control Act and is therefore illegal,” he said. “We ask the government to immediately cancel aspects of the Kenya-South Korea agreement that touch on tobacco.”
Tobacco is a key cash crop for at least 55,000 farmers in Kenya, mostly from the western and southeastern parts of the country. Though the overall contribution to the national economy is relatively small (about 0.03 percent of GDP), tobacco is an important economic activity in the regions where it is farmed.
December 1, 2022
Macau Bans Vaping

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Macau’s ban on vaping, passed in August 2022, is effective Dec. 5, according to Macau Business. The new law prohibits all activities associated with production, selling, distribution, import and export of e-cigarettes.
Private entities caught violating the law, which criminalizes users and carriers of electronic cigarettes, could face a fine between MOP20,000 ($2,505) and MOP200,000, according to health authorities.
The ban is intended to prevent youth vaping.
December 1, 2022
Netherlands Flavor Ban Effective Next Year

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The Netherlands will ban all e-cigarette flavors except tobacco effective Oct. 1, 2023, reports NL Times, citing a government amendment to the Staatscourant. The ban extends to pre-filled e-cigarettes and disposable vapes as well.
The ban was announced in 2020, and will also include banning packaging that depicts anything other than tobacco and restricting rules for naming products.
The RIVM, a public health institute, created a list of 16 ingredients that manufacturers can use to make tobacco flavors.
December 1, 2022
FDA Updates Reynolds MRTP

Courtesy: US FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has added the redacted “September 14, 2020 Amendment: Timing to Respond to September 1, 2020, FDA Deficiency Letter” to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company’s modified-risk tobacco product (MRTP) applications.
On Dec. 18, 2017, the FDA filed for substantive scientific review of six MRTP applications from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for the following smokeless tobacco products: Camel Snus Frost, Camel Snus Frost Large, Camel Snus Mellow, Camel Snus Mint, Camel Snus Robust and Camel Snus Winterchill.
On Oct. 25, 2022, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company requested to withdraw these applications from FDA review.
December 1, 2022
Excise Duties, Tobacco Purchasing Age Raised

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Turkmenistan has raised the excise duty rates for production and import of alcohol and the import of tobacco products, reports Interfax. The legal purchasing age for tobacco products was also raised from 18 years old to 21 years old.
Excise on imported tobacco products will rise from 93 percent to 116 percent effective Jan. 1, 2023. Excise on strong alcoholic beverages produced in the country will increase from 53 percent to 61 percent; beer produced in the country will see an increase from 26 percent to 30 percent; and imported beer will increase from 80 percent to 92 percent.
The purchase age increase is effective immediately.
December 1, 2022
Flavor Ban Didn’t Stop Vapers

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ban on flavored tobacco products, except for menthol and tobacco flavors, did not stop consumers from vaping, reports EurekAlert!, citing a study published in Tobacco Control.
The study showed that less than 5 percent of the 3,500 adult e-cigarette users surveyed quit using e-cigarettes in response to the ban. The remaining respondents switched to other forms of tobacco products or flavors of e-cigarettes that are not covered by the ban.
“An increasing body of literature shows that e-cig flavors themselves cause damage when inhaled, so it makes sense to ban flavors,” said Deborah J. Ossip, a tobacco research expert and professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and Center for Community Health and Prevention at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) who co-authored the study. “But the ban doesn’t appear to be working. People—including youth—can still get flavored products and are still using them.”
Lead study author Dongmei Li, associate professor of clinical and translational research, obstetrics and gynecology and public health sciences at URMC, stated that a big issue is that the ban did not cover products such as disposable e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes that use tanks rather than cartridges or pods.
“Other forms of flavored e-cigs, especially disposable e-cigs, have become very popular after the FDA policy,” Li said. “The FDA policy also did not ban menthol[-flavored] or tobacco-flavored products—and our study shows many people switched to menthol-flavored e-cigs after the ban. It seems many people find menthol to be a nice flavor.”
Of the survey respondents, nearly 30 percent switched to tank or disposable flavored e-cigarettes and another 30 percent switched to menthol-flavored or tobacco-flavored pods; 14 percent switched to combustible products, like cigarettes, and 5 percent switched to smokeless tobacco. Less than 5 percent quit using e-cigarettes following the ban.
December 1, 2022
BAT Donates Cigarette Destruction Machine

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
BAT has donated a Hammermill cigarette destruction machine to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to support the national fight against illicit cigarette trade, reports the PML Daily.
Receiving the machine at the URA head offices in Nakawa, acting Commissioner of Customs Okaka Godfrey said that the Hammermill will provide a more convenient and cost-efficient way to destroy illicit cigarettes compared with manual methods.
The acquisition of the machine follows a report by Kantar suggesting that nearly one-third of the cigarettes sold in Uganda are illicit. More than half of these illicit cigarettes are manufactured in Uganda for export, with the rest being manufactured in other countries before being smuggled into the country.
The government misses out on an estimated USH30 billion ($8.01 million) in tobacco tax revenues each year due to the illicit cigarette trade. BAT attributes a recent 41 percent drop in tax remittances to the URA to competition from the illicit market.
According to BAT Managing Director Mathu Kiunjuri, the illicit trade problem has become worse recently. This year, the share of the illicit market has increased to 27.5 percent from 23.8 percent in 2021 and 15.4 percent in 2020.
Between 2019 and 2022, URA enforcement teams seized more than 293,099 cartons of illicit cigarettes valued at $340,000. The major brand intercepted was Super Match made in Uganda for export, followed by high end brands such as Dunhill, Business Royal and Sportsman.
December 1, 2022
Brazil Anticipates Larger Crop in 2023

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Farmers in southern Brazil have planted enough tobacco to harvest 604.73 million kg in 2023—7.95 percent more than in 2022, reports Kohltrade, citing the country’s tobacco growers’ association, Afubra.
In Rio Grande do Sul, the production estimate points to 256.73 million kg of tobacco, cultivated in an area of 117,675 hectares with a productivity of 2,182 kg per ha. Compared with the past crop, tobacco growers in the Rio Grande do Sul increased their area by 3.17 percent and production should be 3.8 percent higher, Afubra estimates. Average productivity during the 2021–2022 harvest was 2,168 kg per ha.
In Santa Catarina, the projection is 191.55 million kg, produced in an area of 77,489 hectares with a productivity of 2,472 kg per ha. The planted area increased 10.22 percent from last year, and production is estimated to be 11.49 percent higher. Santa Catarina’s farmers average productivity was 2,444 kg per ha in the past season.
In Parana, production should reach 156.46 million kg in an area of 66,576 hectares with an estimated productivity of 2,350 kg per ha. The producers of Parana increased their area under tobacco by 6.99 percent. Afubra estimated increased production will be up by 10.93 percent. Productivity in the past season was 2,267 kg per ha.
Afubra President Benicio Albano Werner said the increase in the production area was expected. “The past crop was for a large part of tobacco growers very profitable,” he said. “This encouraged some producers to increase their planted area.”
December 1, 2022