Category: Featured

  • Kenya: Push to End Tobacco Farming

    Kenya: Push to End Tobacco Farming

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Kenya’s Ministry of Health along with the World Health Organization and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched an initiative to end tobacco farming in the country, reports Xinhuanet.

    The initiative is called the Tobacco-Free Farms project, and it will support farmers’ shift to alternative crops, such as legumes, that are less harmful to human health and the environment. It was launched in Migori, which is located in western Kenya.

    The goal is a gradual phasing out of tobacco farming at the smallholder level, replacing tobacco with crops that will boost food security and help achieve health-related sustainable development goals.

    According to Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health, tobacco has worsened the burden of respiratory diseases in the country, harmed vital ecosystems like watersheds, escalated gender inequality, rural poverty, deforestation and soil degradation.

    Ministry of Health data shows that more than 6,000 Kenyans die annually from tobacco-related diseases, and 2.7 million adults and 220,000 children use tobacco products daily.

  • Canada Opens Consultation on Tobacco and Vaping Act

    Canada Opens Consultation on Tobacco and Vaping Act

    Photo: JHVEPhoto

    The government of Canada has opened public consultation on the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) ahead of its mandatory parliamentary review. Stakeholders can provide input until April 27, 2022.

    In 2018, the TVPA was amended to protect youth and nonsmokers. The amended act recognized that vaping was significantly less harmful than smoking, and smokers that switched to vaping could reduce their exposure to thousands of chemicals. The act introduced measures to protect youth through various labeling and promotion regulations.

    Darryl Tempest

    Tobacco harm reduction advocates welcomed the consultation. “Vaping has helped millions of smokers quit and has the potential to help millions more if it weren’t for the misrepresentations of the industry by media and misperceptions surrounding the product itself. It is imperative that Parliamentarians have the opportunity to hear from a wide range of experts as part of the TVPA review process,” said Darryl Tempest, government relations advisor to the Canadian Vaping Association (CVA).

    Health Canada’s discussion paper states, “For adults who smoke, there appears to be a lack of awareness that vaping products are a less harmful source of nicotine for those who currently smoke and switch completely to vaping. A 2020 survey found that only 22 percent of current smokers recognized that vaping is less harmful than smoking cigarettes.”

    In its consultation submission, the CVA will urge Health Canada to rectify this through the issue of relative risk statements for approved use by licensed specialty vape shops. In 2018, Health Canada proposed a “List of Statements for Use in the Promotion of Vaping Products.” According to the CVA, this proposal has been put on the back burner and has languished in Health Canada’s bureaucracy to the detriment of potential public health gains from smokers switching to vaping.

    “Instead of issuing reasonable statements for use by specialty vape shops, the TVPA has effectively gagged the vape industry through Section 30.43,” the CVA wrote in a press release. Section 30.43 prohibits “the promotion of a vaping product in a manner that could cause a person to believe that health benefits may be derived from the use of the product or from its emission or by comparing the health effects arising from the use of the product or from its emissions with those arising from the use of a tobacco product or from its emissions. The purpose of this prohibition is to prevent the public from being deceived or misled with respect to the health hazards of using vaping products.”

    “The CVA looks forward to actively participating in the review process and will advocate for enhanced measures to protect youth as well as increased smoker-targeted messaging on the benefits of switching to vaping. We encourage all stakeholders to submit feedback,” said Tempest.

  • Study: Most E-Cigarette Research Flawed

    Study: Most E-Cigarette Research Flawed

    Photo: Roman Samokhin

    Errors are disturbingly common in e-cigarette research, resulting in misinformation and distortion of scientific truth, according to a new study.

    Under the guidance of Cother Hajat of the United Arab Emirates University and Riccardo Polosa, founder of the Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) at the University of Catania, a team of international researchers examined the 24 most frequently cited vaping studies published in medical journals.

    The researchers found almost all of the examined studies to be methodologically flawed. Among other shortcomings, the studies lacked a clear hypothesis, used inadequate methodology, failed to collect data relevant to the study objectives and did not correct for obvious confounding factors.

    “Most of the included studies utilized inappropriate study design and did not address the research question that they set out to answer. In our paper, we offer practical recommendations that can massively improve the quality and rigor [of] future research in the field of tobacco harm reduction,” said Hajat.

    Riccardo Polosa

    “Systematic reiteration of the same errors that result in uninformative science is the new pandemic,” said Polosa. “I’m astounded that such low-quality studies have made it through editorial review in prestigious scientific journals. The credibility of tobacco control scientists and their research is on the line.”

    The findings are concerning, according to the academics, because without methodologically valid scientific research, it is impossible to generate balanced and accurate information for the adoption of more effective tobacco control policies and healthier lifestyles. “The dissemination of inaccurate information about combustion-free alternatives in the news media contributes to public skepticism and uncertainty, particularly among smokers,” the center wrote in a press release. “Many smokers may be discouraged from switching to less harmful nicotine-delivery products as a result of this.”

    This investigator-initiated study was sponsored by ECLAT, a spin-off of the University of Catania, with the help of a grant from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, which in turn is backed by Philip Morris International.

  • Zimbabwe: Contractors Succumb to Competition

    Zimbabwe: Contractors Succumb to Competition

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Nine Zimbabwean tobacco contractors have collapsed in the past year due to cutthroat competition, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB).

    “There is a lot of competition in the contracting space in terms of pricing,” TIMB CEO Meanwell Gudu told The Zimbabwe Independent. “If a contractor does not pay the correct price, that contractor will not get tobacco. Last year, we had 42 companies, and now, we have 33. Some of them have fallen by the wayside because they could not compete.”

    Once characterized by auction sales, Zimbabwe’s tobacco trade is now dominated by contract growing, with up to 96 percent of leaf tobacco being produced under agreements between buyers and farmers.

    More than half of the $748 million earned by Zimbabwe’s golden leaf farmers in 2020 was pocketed by contractors, mainly big foreign corporations that repatriate the hard currency back to their countries, according to critics.

    Last week, Gudu also said the TIMB was set to crack the whip on tobacco “side marketers”—buyers who illegally purchase leaf from farmers contracted with other organizations—with stiff penalties that will see offenders serving up to six month jail terms.

  • E-LiquiTech: Synthetic Nicotine in Stock

    E-LiquiTech: Synthetic Nicotine in Stock

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    E-LiquiTech says it has large quantities of Zanoprima’s SyNic in stock to help companies introduce new products to the U.S. market ahead of the mid-April deadline imposed by a new law.

    On March 15, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law a spending bill that includes a provision to regulate products containing synthetic nicotine the same as products containing tobacco-derived nicotine. This means that companies selling products containing synthetic nicotine will be required to file a premarket tobacco product application in order to keep their product(s) on the market. The deadline for filing such applications is less than 60 days away.

    According to E-LiquiTech, SyNic is the same chemical composition of (S)-nicotine as natural tobacco-derived nicotine but without any of the impurities. Specifically, SyNic achieves a purity profile of 99.9 percent and is devoid of tobacco-specific nitrosamines, heavy metals and other impurities that are present in tobacco-derived nicotine.

    SyNic is manufactured through a patented process in a cGMP facility approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and meets or exceeds the U.S. Pharmacopeia monograph, making SyNic a 1-to-1 replacement for tobacco-derived nicotine and enabling manufacturers to use it as a CAS number substitute, according to E-LiquiTech.

    The company says all of the scientific data that is applicable to tobacco-derived nicotine is equally applicable to SyNic. The manufacturing process is replicable from batch to batch, and every batch of SyNic is fully trackable and traceable.

    Earlier this month, Zanoprima filed a patent lawsuit against Hangsen International in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas to enforce Zanoprima’s patented process for manufacturing (S)-nicotine, demonstrating its long-term commitment to the U.S. market.

  • U.S.: Record Premium Cigars Imports

    U.S.: Record Premium Cigars Imports

    Photo: laboko

    The United States imported a record-setting 456.3 million premium cigars in 2021, according to the Cigar Association of America (CAA).

    The CAA estimates that 364.4 million premium cigars were imported in 2020, showing a 25.2 percent increase in 2021.

    December, however, showed a 23.7 percent drop in imports, marking the only month that did not exceed 2020 figures. The fourth quarter as a whole represented a 6.8 percent decrease compared to 2020.

    According to Halfwheel, the CAA calculates its numbers based on the import numbers provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Customs Services and information from cigar companies. The trade group’s numbers are not exact because of reporting differences; it estimates how many “large cigars” were actually “premium cigars.” There are some machine-made cigars that meet the U.S. definition of a “large cigar,” though those cigars would not be considered premium cigars by most people.

  • Zimbabwe Trade Gears up for Selling Season

    Zimbabwe Trade Gears up for Selling Season

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Zimbabwe’s tobacco auctions are set to open on March 30, with all three auction floors prepared to follow Covid-19 protocols, reports All Africa.

    Majority of sales will take place through contract floors while auction floors will cover 5 percent of sales.

    Prices are expected to be firm. Due to the rainfall, output of the crop is expected to be down 15 percent, according to New Zimbabwe.

    Tobacco leaf has a capacity of earning $15 billion per year for Zimbabwe, according to Bulawayo 24 News, but the country is currently only bringing in $900 million.

    Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board CEO Meanwell Gudu stated that there’s a need to invest in value addition for the industry and country to fully benefit from the crop and that sustainability issues could affect the markets if not adhered to.

  • BAT in Talks to Transfer Russian Business

    BAT in Talks to Transfer Russian Business

    Photo: scaliger

    BAT is in advanced talks to transfer its Russian business to Russia’s SNS Group of Companies after Moscow suggested it could nationalize assets of foreign firms that left the country, reports Reuters.

    BAT controls just under 25 percent of the Russian tobacco market.

    “The process of transferring the management of BAT business in Russia to SNS GC is well underway at remarkable speed,” said an SNS spokesperson.

    BAT declined to comment but said last week that it was looking for parties interested in the transfer of the Russian business. Kingsley Wheaton, BAT’s chief marketing officer, stated that BAT’s distributor could be interested in a transfer, adding that exiting the business or stopping sales or manufacturing would be seen as a criminal bankruptcy by Russia and BAT would face legal consequences.

    The level of production and the supply and distribution chain will be maintained with a transfer, according to the SNS spokesperson. Whether BAT will pull out completely or continue to supply SNS with raw materials or manufacturing support is unclear.

  • Bat Appoints New Digital and Information Director

    Bat Appoints New Digital and Information Director

    Photo: BAT

    Marina Bellini, director of digital and information, will step down from the management board on March 31, 2022, and will leave BAT on July 31, 2022, to pursue new opportunities.

    Javed Iqbal, currently area director of Middle East South Asia, will succeed Bellini as director of digital and information and will be appointed to the management board effective April 1, 2022.

    “I would like to thank Marina for the significant contribution she has made to our digital and information function,” said BAT CEO Jack Bowles in a statement. “She has been key in supporting the group’s transformation by unlocking commercial value across the global organization and connecting information and data to create a digitally agile business.

    “Marina has also successfully established a strong pipeline of digital expertise through talent development and embedding digital as a key enabler for our ‘A Better Tomorrow’ strategy.

    “I am delighted to welcome Javed to the management board. As BAT enters a phase of accelerated delivery, he is very well positioned to lead the digital and information function. He has extensive experience in leading strategic change across multiple geographies, including systems and process transformation.

    “His finance and technology background and extensive commercial knowledge, supported by his appetite for change and capacity to build high-performing teams, will ensure the next chapter of our digital journey is in safe hands. I would like to wish him the very best in his new role.”

     

  • FTC: Jump in U.S. E-Cigarette Sales

    FTC: Jump in U.S. E-Cigarette Sales

    Photo: klepach

    The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) first-ever report on e-cigarette products reveals surging e-cigarette sales and advertising.

    The report, which is based on industry data provided for the years 2015 to 2018, shows that total e-cigarette sales, including both disposable units and those using changeable cartridges, increased more than sixfold from $304.2 million to $2.06 billion in those three years alone. The sales of fruit and other flavored e-cigarette cartridges preferred by youth increased sevenfold over that time, and nicotine concentrations in disposable e-cigarette products also increased.

    “The commission’s inaugural e-cigarette report paints a disturbing picture, especially with e-cigarettes driving an unprecedented increase in youth use of tobacco products,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement. “The data show that this increase coincided with dramatic spikes in the market share of flavored products, higher concentrations of nicotine and an industry attempt to evade a ban on free sampling.”