Category: Featured

Half-Day Tobacco Harm Reduction Conference
The GTNF Trust will present a special half-day virtual conference on April 27, titled In Focus: Tobacco Harm Reduction, to help participants evaluate the science on tobacco harm reduction products and address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
The conference comes at a critical time. This year, the World Health Organization will host its Conference of the Parties for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Meanwhile, the EU is pressing ahead with its newly launched Beating Cancer Plan and drafting the next Tobacco Products Directive.
Panelist in the In Focus: Tobacco Harm Reduction conference include:
David Abrams, professor in the department of social and behavioral sciences at New York University;
Mark Kehaya, chairman of AMV Holdings;
Maria Gogova, vice president and chief scientific officer at Altria Client Services;
Karl Fagerstrom, president of Fagerstrom Consulting;
Delon Human, president of Health Diplomats;
Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, professor of behavioral and social sciences and professor of medicine at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University School of Public Health and Alpert School of Medicine;
Riccardo Polosa, full professor of internal medicine at the University of Catania and founder of the Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction;
James Murphy, executive vice president of R&D and scientific and regulatory affairs at Reynolds American; and
Roxana Weil, senior director of product integrity and toxicology at Juul Labs.
For more information and registration, please visit infocusthr.org.
April 19, 2021
Estonia Suspends E-Liquid Taxation

Photo: Makalu from Pixabay
Estonia’s parliament recently voted to suspend the nation’s excise tax on e-liquid between April 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2022, to reduce cross-border and illicit trade. The Estonian excise duty on e-liquid has been €0.2 ($0.24) per mL since 2018.
“Suspending the collection of excise duty will make it possible to lower the price of e-liquids and thus offer consumers controlled and safe products at a lower price,” said Tarmo Kruusimae, parliament member and chairman of the parliament’s Smoke Free Estonia Support Group.
“It has the potential to become a success story if we manage to reduce both the illicit trade and cross-border trade and at the same time offer less harmful alternatives to cigarettes at a more competitive price.”
The group estimates that about 62 percent to 80 percent of the Estonian e-liquid market comprises self-mixed, cross-border and smuggled e-liquids primarily from Latvia and Russia. The e-liquid black market strengthened in 2019 when Estonia implemented a tobacco and vapor product flavor ban.
Tobacco harm reduction advocates welcomed Estonia’s decision. “Estonia’s example with over-taxation of e-liquids should definitely be an educational experience for other countries,” said Ingmar Kurg, CEO of NNA Smoke Free Estonia and a member of the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organizations, in a statement.
“If laboratory-tested and legal products are made too expensive for consumers, they will look for solutions in the black market, self-mixing and cross-border trade. Some people give up e-cigarettes and return to smoking, which happened in Estonia.”
April 16, 2021
Radical Plan to Achieve Smoke-Free Society

Photo: Muhammadsainudin Sa-i | Dreamstime.com
The government of New Zealand wants to ban cigarette filters, reduce product nicotine levels, minimize the number of tobacco outlets and outlaw tobacco sales to new smokers, reports Stuff.
Released to the public in a discussion document on April 16, the proposals are intended to help New Zealand achieve its ambition of being smoke-free by 2025.
“About 4,500 New Zealanders die every year from tobacco, and we need to make accelerated progress to be able to reach that goal,” said Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. “Business as usual without [a] tobacco control program won’t get us there,” she said.
One of the proposed measures entails a ban on the sale of tobacco to people younger than 18 from 2022, meaning anyone born after 2004 would be unable to buy tobacco.
Another proposal calls for limiting tobacco sales to pharmacies and designated stores. Currently, there are no restrictions on where tobacco can be sold in New Zealand. At least 80 percent of it is sold through convenience stores, service stations, on-licensed premises and supermarkets.
I’m sick and tired of this government trying to socially engineer us into changing our behavior.
Karen Chhour, ACT Party
Other proposed measures include setting a minimum price for tobacco, licensing all tobacco and vaping retailers and reducing nicotine in tobacco products to “low levels.”
The prospect of limiting the amount of nicotine in tobacco would require input from tobacco companies and “whether that’s a sort of product that they think could be offered commercially.”
“Some tobacco companies have said that they support a smoke-free goal and are putting their efforts on vapes, and I hope that they will see this as a positive development,” said Verrall.
Health advocates applauded the proposals. Boyd Swinburn, chairman of advocacy group Health Coalition Aotearoa, said the recommendations were likely “game-ending” for tobacco.
“There is clear evidence that restricting retail availability is a central strategy for reducing the damage from all harmful products,” he said.
“Several options to achieve this are outlined in the government’s proposals, and we need to ensure that there is a just transition for small business owners, like dairies, to exit tobacco retail.”
Others were less enthusiastic, saying the measure would boost illicit trade. ACT Party social development spokeswoman Karen Chhour said the proposed measures would mean smokers who are less able to afford their habits would end up spending more.
“As a former smoker, I have to say I’m sick and tired of this government trying to socially engineer us into changing our behavior,” she said.
“There’s a strong argument, too, that this will drive up the trade of black market tobacco with high nicotine, driving those addicted to cigarettes to turn to crime to feed their habit.”
22nd Century Group, a U.S. company specializing in very low nicotine content tobacco, welcomed New Zealand’s proposals, saying it is fully prepared to support the country in its efforts to become a smoke-free nation by 2025.
“New Zealand has made great progress since announcing their goal of becoming smoke-free by 2025, but in order for the country to finally achieve success, it is imperative that the amount of nicotine in cigarettes is reduced 95 percent to ‘minimal levels,’” said James A. Mish, chief executive officer of 22nd Century Group, in a statement.
22nd Century said it initially engaged with public health researchers in New Zealand in 2016 when the country announced its goal of becoming smoke-free, leading the New Zealand Medical Journal to publish a letter recommending 22nd Century’s reduced nicotine content cigarettes as an “important smoking reduction tool.”
New Zealand has played a key role in past smoking reduction initiatives that have eventually been adopted globally. Other countries, including Australia and Canada, as well as the World Health Organization are expected to call for lower nicotine levels too.
April 16, 2021
Duty-Free Fights Illicit Trade Allegations

Photo: Tea | Dreamstime.com
The Duty Free World Council (DFWC) is fighting suggestions that the duty-free industry is involved in the illicit trade of tobacco, reports The Moodie Davitt Report.
Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are due to discuss the global health body’s Illicit Trade Protocol (ITP) when they convene in The Hague in November. Article 13.2 of the ITP calls for an evidence-based study “to assess the extent to which duty free contributes to the illicit trade.”
DFWC President Sarah Branquinho said that the duty-free industry has a long history of working closely with customs and enforcement bodies to eradicate problems such as illicit trade, smuggling and counterfeiting and must be given the opportunity to cooperate and contribute further.
“There can be no justification for penalizing legitimate, law-abiding businesses under a pretext of controlling illicit trade,” said Branquinho during a briefing to the travel retail trade. “We are one of the most regulated sectors in the world.”
There can be no justification for penalizing legitimate, law-abiding businesses under a pretext of controlling illicit trade.
Sarah Branquinho, president, DFWC
Branquinho noted that duty-free retailers face substantial penalties from customs authorities “even if there’s the slightest discrepancy in stock reconciliation procedures … we have every incentive ourselves as retailers to ensure that there are no discrepancies,” she said.
Branquinho further emphasized that the duty-free industry fully supports the implementation of the provisions of the ITP. These include the establishment of licensing, due diligence, establishment of a tracking and tracing system, requirement of record keeping and security and preventive measures.
The duty-free category was worth more than $7.4 billion in 2019.
April 15, 2021
STG Approves Dividend, Elects Directors

Photo: STG
Scandinavian Tobacco Group held its annual general meeting this week.
Participants adopted the audited annual report and approved the board of directors’ proposal to pay a dividend of DKK6.50 ($1.05) per share of DKK1 for fiscal year 2020.
The remuneration report and the board of directors’ proposal for compensation of the board for financial year 2021 were both approved as well.
Share capital of the company will be reduced by canceling some of the company’s treasury shares of a nominal value of DKK2,500,000. After the reduction, the nominal value of the company’s share capital will be DKK97,500,000.
Company announcements will be released only in English going forward; the company’s release regarding the annual meeting results will be the last release in both Danish and English.
Nigel Northridge (chairman of the board), Henrik Brandt (vice chairman of the board), Dianne Blixt, Marlene Forsell, Claus Gregersen, Luc Missorten and Anders Obel were re-elected to the board of directors. Henrik Amsinck was newly elected to the board.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerskab was re-elected as auditor of the company.
April 15, 2021
U.K. Bans Nordic Spirit Video Game Ad

Photo: JTI
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a Nordic Spirit nicotine pouch ad for implying that the product has a mood-altering and stimulant effect, reports The Evening Standard.
The ad appeared on Crunchyroll, an anime streaming service, and depicted people using Gallaher’s Nordic Spirit pouches as they got ready to play an online video game. The players reacted enthusiastically to the game while online text read, “A new nicotine experience,” “great flavors,” “pocket-sized convenience” and “never miss a moment.”
There was small text on the screen throughout the advertisement stating that the product was for those 18-plus, that it contained nicotine and that nicotine is addictive.
Gallaher said the ad did not intend to target minors; according to the company, 85 percent of Crunchyroll’s audience was 18 years or older. The streaming service requires users to confirm that they are at least 16 years old.
The ASA found that the ad did not breach rules in respect of the ad being appropriately targeted to its audience. However, it did find that the product was not advertised responsibly.
The video ad was designed purely to emphasize the hands-free convenience of Nordic Spirit for existing adult nicotine users as an alternative to smoking cigarettes.
JTI
“We considered that the combination of the depiction of players using the product as they were about to start the game, the sense of anticipation created by music building to a drop and their reactions of excitement associated the use of the product with the game,” the ASA said. “These all implied that it had a mood-altering and stimulant effect, which would enhance enjoyment and gameplay. In the context of an ad for a product that contained nicotine, we considered that was irresponsible and breached the code.”
“We are disappointed with the finding that our advert for Nordic Spirit suggested that using the product made video gaming more fun and enjoyable and that the advert implied a mood-altering or stimulant effect,” said a spokesperson for Gallaher’s parent company, JTI. “The video ad was designed purely to emphasize the hands-free convenience of Nordic Spirit for existing adult nicotine users as an alternative to smoking cigarettes or using other nicotine-containing products.”
“While we maintain that at no point did our advert convey any mood-altering or stimulant effect, the ASA’s decision does provide some useful and clearer guidance to help ensure that ads for nicotine-containing products meet the ASA’s requirements.”
April 15, 2021
WHO Touts Benefits of Tobacco Taxation

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new technical manual on tobacco tax policy and administration that shows countries ways to cut down on more than $1.4 trillion in health expenditures and lost productivity due to tobacco use worldwide.
According to the global health body, improved tobacco taxation policies can also be a key component of “building back better” after Covid-19, where countries need additional resources to respond and to finance health system recovery.
“We launched this new manual to provide updated, clear and practical guidance for policymakers, finance officials, tax authorities, customs officials and others involved in tobacco tax policy to create and implement the strongest tobacco taxation policies for their specific countries,” said Jeremias N. Paul Jr., unit head for the fiscal policies for health team in the health promotion department at the WHO.
“We hope this document sheds light on the significant advantages to raising tobacco taxation. The data and insights provided here should be an eye opener for policymakers worldwide,” he said.

Only 14 percent of the world has enough tax on tobacco, according to the WHO.
“In 2018, only 38 countries covering 14 percent of the global population had sufficiently high tobacco taxes—which means taxing at least 75 percent of the price of these health-harming products,” the organization wrote in a press note. “By implementing proven policies like tobacco taxes, the costs created by the tobacco industry to local communities and nations can be avoidable. It is a win for population health, revenue and for development and equity.”
April 15, 2021
Concern Over Tobacco Takeover of Cannabis

Photo: Terre Di Cannabis from Pixabay
Big Tobacco must be prevented from utilizing “its profit-driven product engineering of addictive and deadly products, predatory marketing practices and anti-regulatory expertise” to dominate the legal cannabis industry, according to Andy Tan and Shaleen Title.
Writing in Tobacco Control, the academics say the tobacco industry has a demonstrated history of resisting government regulation, co-opting scientific experts, engineering tobacco products to be more addictive and using substantial marketing budgets to maximize sales and profits of its products. “If tobacco companies are permitted to dominate the legal cannabis industry, this will risk exacerbating public health harms on groups that are disproportionately harmed by tobacco use,” they write.
Driven by declining sales of tobacco products and spreading legalization of cannabis, the tobacco industry has been diversifying into cannabis in recent years.
In January 2016, Philip Morris International invested $20 million in Syqe Medical, which developed a medical cannabis inhaler. In June 2018, Imperial Brands invested in Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies.
In December 2018, Altria Group invested $1.8 billion in Cronos, a Canada-based multinational cannabis company. Imperial Brands in July 2019 acquired a stake in Auxly Cannabis.
If tobacco companies are permitted to dominate the legal cannabis industry, this will risk exacerbating public health harms.
Andy Tan and Shaleen Title
And just last month, British American Tobacco signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Organigram, a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly traded Organigram Holdings.
In their piece, Tan and Title urge authorities to restrict Big Tobacco’s participation in the cannabis industry, for example, by placing limits on the seizes of cannabis businesses by enforcing regulations on how many stores or plants one individual can own.
Tan is an associate professor of communication at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
Title is a distinguished cannabis policy practitioner in residence at the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center of the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
April 14, 2021
Jujuy Province Eyes Cannabis as Cash Crop

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Governor Gerardo Morales has suggested that tobacco farmers in Argentina’s Jujuy Province begin growing cannabis to offset declining tobacco sales, reports The Buenos Aires Times.
“Cannabis is one of the most important projects that we have, and it’s going to generate more profits than lithium and solar energy,” said Morales, whose provincial government has worked to foster marijuana production in the region’s dry, sunny terrain for export.
“I hope that with this [growing cannabis market] we will begin a change in diversification and that 10 years from now we will stop planting tobacco and plant cannabis,” he said.
Tobacco producers, however, were not undividedly enthusiastic. Pedro Pascuttini, president of the Jujuy Tobacco Chamber, said his group would fight to continue producing tobacco.
He added, however, that the group was not completely closed to the idea. “We hope that it will be treated in a way in which they explain to us what it is about, and we are listened to,” he said.
Ten years from now, we will stop planting tobacco and plant cannabis.
Gerardo Morales, governor, Jujuy Province
Last month, Argentinean lawmakers sent a bill to legalize the production of medicinal cannabis to Congress after a decree authorized personal cultivation for the same purposes last year.
“The global industry for medical cannabis will treble its turnover in the next five years,” Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez predicted in March.
April 14, 2021
Cigarette-Level Nicotine May Reduce Exposure

Photo: Auremar | Dreamstime.com
E-cigarettes that deliver a cigarette-like amount of nicotine are associated with reduced smoking and reduced exposure to a major cancer-causing chemical in tobacco, even with concurrent smoking, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
“We found that e-cigarettes that delivered a similar amount of nicotine as traditional combustible cigarettes helped reduce smoking and exposure to a harmful carcinogen,” said Jonathan Foulds, a researcher at Penn State Cancer Institute and professor of public health sciences and psychiatry and behavioral health. “This study shows that when smokers interested in reduction are provided with an e-cigarette with cigarette-like nicotine delivery, they are more likely to achieve significant decreases in tobacco-related toxicants, such as lower exhaled carbon monoxide levels.”
The researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial of 520 participants who smoked more than nine cigarettes a day, were not currently using an e-cigarette device and were interested in reducing smoking but not quitting.

We found that e-cigarettes that delivered a similar amount of nicotine as traditional combustible cigarettes helped reduce smoking and exposure to a harmful carcinogen.
Jonathan Foulds, professor of public health sciences and psychiatry and behavioral health
According to Foulds, the findings represent an important addition to the scientific literature because they suggest that when e-cigarettes deliver nicotine effectively, smokers have greater success in reducing their smoking and tobacco-related toxicant exposure. Caroline Cobb, associate professor of psychology at VCU and lead author, said the study is important for two reasons.
“First, many e-cigarettes have poor nicotine-delivery profiles, and our results suggest that those products may be less effective in helping smokers change their behavior and associated toxicant exposure,” Cobb said.
“Second, previous randomized controlled trials examining if e-cigarettes help smokers change their smoking behavior and toxicant exposure have used e-cigarettes with low or unknown nicotine delivery profiles,” Cobb said. “Our study highlights the importance of characterizing the e-cigarette nicotine delivery profile before conducting a randomized controlled trial. This work also has other important strengths over previous studies, including the sample size, length of intervention, multiple toxicant exposure measures and control conditions.”
The study contributes to the ongoing question of what role e-cigarettes play in changing smoking behavior, and the findings support limited safety concerns for the use of the specific e-cigarette and liquid combinations over the short term, even in the context of concurrent cigarette smoking. However, Cobb added, very little is known about the effects of e-cigarettes over the course of years as opposed to the study’s 24-week period.
April 14, 2021