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  • QR Tags to Help UK’s Fake Vape Crackdown

    QR Tags to Help UK’s Fake Vape Crackdown

    The UK government is set to introduce tough new penalties for illegal vape sales, including £10,000 fines and potential prison sentences, as part of a major crackdown to be detailed in Wednesday’s (November 26) budget. All apes will soon require digital tax stamps with QR codes, giving His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and Border Force expanded powers to seize unlicensed products.

    The measures follow rapid growth in vape use and mounting concerns over black-market devices, coming alongside the Tobacco and Vapes Bill’s restrictions on advertising, flavors, and packaging. Officials say the plan will disrupt criminal networks and protect consumers from unregulated goods. Health groups, Trading Standards, and industry representatives welcomed the move, saying stricter enforcement will help reduce youth access while supporting legitimate businesses and smokers using vapes to quit.

  • Good Cop 2.0 Concludes with Focus on Prohibitionist Policies

    Good Cop 2.0 Concludes with Focus on Prohibitionist Policies

    The final day of Good COP 2.0 highlighted the global consequences of strict, prohibitionist tobacco control measures. Speakers drew attention to the rise in illicit trade, gang violence, and punitive enforcement, attributing these outcomes to policies like heavy taxation and rigid pre-market approval systems promoted under WHO guidelines, which often overlook scientific evidence and consumer behavior.

    “There is a portion of people that you’ll never reach by only appealing to the evidence,” said author Jacob Grier. “It’s also important to change the framing and shift the culture.”

    Panel discussions explored the real-world harms of fundamentalist approaches and stressed the importance of including consumer perspectives in policymaking. Experts also outlined frameworks for effective, humane nicotine regulation, including suggestions that U.S. reforms might require a partial repeal of the Tobacco Control Act and a more measured FDA approach.

    The event concluded with an open forum, allowing participants to reflect on the week’s discussions and emphasizing the urgent need for reform within the WHO’s FCTC framework to create balanced, evidence-based global tobacco policy.

    “Of the funds that are contributed to the WHO, a significant percentage goes to the FCTC Secretariat,” said professor Tikki Pangestu. “Only a small amount goes toward running the programs. Meanwhile, a growing percentage of WHO funding comes not from member nations, but from outside groups with dubious agendas.”

  • Tabacalera USA Announces Executive Changes

    Tabacalera USA Announces Executive Changes

    Tabacalera USA recently announced several key leadership moves across its retail and distribution businesses, as first reported by Halfwheel. Brad Winstead, former CEO of JR Cigar, has been named CEO of Casa de Montecristo and Santa Clara, Inc., replacing Sherri Sieminski, who, according to Halfwheel, is no longer with the company. Nicolas Maslowski, previously JR Cigar’s e-commerce COO, now serves as CEO of JR Cigar.

    JR Cigar remains the company’s flagship retail brand, while Casa de Montecristo represents its higher-end physical store network, and Santa Clara, Inc. handles wholesale distribution to other retailers.

    Javier Estades, Tabacalera USA’s president and CEO, said the changes reflect the “success and versatility of these leaders” and reaffirm the company’s focus on delivering premium products, innovative programs, and strong service across its retail and trade operations.

  • NPR Article Explores the THR Debate

    NPR Article Explores the THR Debate

    A new article by Gabrielle Emanuel and Arundathi Nair for NPR—titled Can Vaping Help Wean People Off Cigarettes? Anti-Smoking Advocates are Sharply Split—explores the debate over e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches as the WHO Tobacco Control Treaty meeting in Geneva concludes. The story examines the clash between advocates of harm reduction, who see these products as less harmful alternatives for smokers, and WHO and public health experts, who warn of risks to youth and non-smokers and accuse the industry of promoting nicotine addiction.

    The article highlights perspectives from prominent figures like Dr. Derek Yach, founder of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, and Professor Mike Cummings, both supporting harm reduction strategies, alongside WHO officials who stress potential harms and the need for strict regulation. It also explores the historical context of tobacco industry tactics and the ongoing tensions between science, policy, and ideology.

    “We ought to get the evidence and weigh it and debate it — and help guide the policies based on evidence, not on ideology,” Cummings concludes.

  • Boutique Cigar Association to Dissolve

    Boutique Cigar Association to Dissolve

    The Boutique Cigar Association (BCA) filed for dissolution November 19, with its volunteer board stepping back to focus on their own businesses. Founded in 2017, the BCA represented small cigar makers producing under 500,000 cigars annually and advocated on regulatory issues, including FDA regulations.

    BCA founder Dr. Gaby Kafie emphasized the importance of industry unity and encouraged its supporters “to get behind the other industry trade associations: Cigar Association of America (CAA), Cigar Rights of America (CRA), and the Premium Cigar Association (PCA). “This is not an end. This is a new chapter, one built on unity, clarity, and shared purpose,” Kafie said.

  • Virginia Defends Ban on Unauthorized Flavored E-Cigarettes in Federal Court

    Virginia Defends Ban on Unauthorized Flavored E-Cigarettes in Federal Court

    Virginia is pushing back against a challenge to its statewide ban on unauthorized flavored e-cigarettes, arguing in federal court that the restriction is both legally sound and critical to protecting youth from nicotine addiction. The law prohibits the sale of any flavored vaping product that has not been specifically authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—effectively barring nearly all flavored e-cigarettes currently on the market.

    In newly filed briefs, the state contends it has broad authority to regulate retail tobacco and nicotine sales to safeguard public health, pointing to rising youth vaping rates and the popularity of flavored disposable products. Virginia argues that the plaintiffs—primarily vape shop owners and industry groups—are seeking to bypass the FDA’s national regulatory framework, which requires companies to obtain marketing authorization for every product. Because the vast majority of flavored e-cigarettes have been denied or have not received FDA authorization, the state says the ban simply enforces existing federal law at the retail level.

    Plaintiffs claim the measure is unconstitutional, asserting it infringes on interstate commerce, unfairly harms small businesses, and effectively imposes a de facto prohibition. But Virginia maintains the law is narrowly tailored, does not conflict with federal authority, and is necessary to prevent youth from accessing high-nicotine flavored products that remain widely available despite federal restrictions. The case is being closely watched as the outcome could set a significant precedent for state-level enforcement of federal tobacco regulations.

  • FDA Schedules TPSAC Review of ZYN Applications

    FDA Schedules TPSAC Review of ZYN Applications

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a January 22, 2026, virtual meeting of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) to review modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) applications submitted by Swedish Match USA for 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products. These products—already authorized for sale through the PMTA pathway in January 2025—include flavors such as Cool Mint, Citrus, Coffee, Peppermint, and Wintergreen, each in 3 mg and 6 mg strengths. The company is seeking permission to market the pouches with the claim: “Using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.”

    Under federal law, MRTP applications must demonstrate that a product, as actually used by consumers, reduces individual health risks and benefits overall population health. TPSAC’s review will focus on scientific evidence regarding ZYN’s relative health risks, consumer comprehension of the proposed claim, and the potential public health impact of granting a modified risk order. The meeting will be held virtually, open to the public, captioned, and recorded.

    Public comments may be submitted to Docket No. FDA-2025-N-0835 through January 21, 2026, with comments received by January 7 provided directly to TPSAC. The FDA is also inviting individuals to request oral presentation slots during the meeting’s public comment period. Redacted MRTP application materials are available on the FDA’s website, and the agency will consider all public input and TPSAC recommendations before issuing a final decision.

  • ‘Forward-Looking Measures’ Spark Tension at COP11

    ‘Forward-Looking Measures’ Spark Tension at COP11

    Each day after the COP11 sessions end, the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) posts a bulletin online that includes various thoughts and information from the day, including “awards” for groups it either agrees or disagrees with. The focus of yesterday’s bulletin (November 19) centered around the 16 “forward-looking measures” related to Article 2.1 of the WHO FCTC.

    Apparently, the forward-looking measures discussion created some provocative conversation as the GATC awarded its “dirty ashtray” distinction “To all the Parties who—incorrectly and, quite astonishingly, in unison—insisted that the Article 2.1 Draft Decision would impose new obligations, when it simply ‘invites’ Parties to ‘consider’ the 16 forward-looking measures.”

    In the section of the bulletin written by Cassandre Bigaignon and Amélie Eschenbrenner, they wrote, “Honestly, after sitting through multiple statements warning of ‘new obligations,’ ‘attacks on sovereignty,’ and declarations of countries being ‘simply not ready’ to implement these forward-looking measures, we have to ask: Were we all reading the same document?

    “So when a delegation raises the concern of ‘imposed new obligations,’ it fundamentally misrepresents the document’s intent, which is to expand the toolbox, encourage innovation, and share best practices, not bind Parties to new requirements.”

    The authors finished that section foreshadowing the next, in which they criticized the European Union, saying, “Amidst this debate on progressive action, the European Union’s silence today sure was deafening.” In the section titled, The EU at a Crossroads: Strong Leadership or a Silence that Serves the Tobacco Industry, they wrote, “Without consensus, the EU could lose its ability to speak and negotiate as a bloc at COP11, with significant global consequences. A divided EU would signal weakened resolve precisely as tobacco and nicotine industries intensify interference, exploit regulatory gaps, and push narratives aimed at stalling public health advances.

    “The stakes extend far beyond EU diplomacy. Division or silence within the region would directly benefit an industry that thrives on regulatory uncertainty. As newer nicotine products rapidly expand across Europe under the guise of ‘harm reduction’ and legislative progress stalls, strong European leadership is urgently needed.

    “The EU must seize the opportunity to speak with one strong voice at COP11. The world is watching, and failure to act would hand the advantage to an industry fundamentally opposed to public health. Europe can still stand together, if it chooses to do so.”

    In its parallel bulletin that covers the information from COP11 that gets released, Copwatch responded by saying, “GATC’s bulletin begins by calling out the dissenting EU member states. This is curious because the deliberations around reaching the EU’s common position on COP are supposed to be private.  Whilst it is true that there have been several leaks relating to the doomed struggles to reach a common position—the so-called ‘forward-looking measures’ having provoked such a backlash—GATC’s privileged position should prevent it from revealing what should be confidential information.  

    “This section ends with the appeal that ‘the world is watching.’ Sorry to break this to you, GATC, but…thanks to the secretive nature of the COP meetings, thanks to there being more compelling events for the world’s media to focus on, and thanks to the fact that people who smoke have been so thoroughly stigmatized—no, the world is not watching. The world doesn’t care much about FCTC COP.  But actually, we suspect that suits you just fine.”  

  • Philippines Defends Tobacco-Growers at COP11

    Philippines Defends Tobacco-Growers at COP11

    The Philippine delegation at COP11 earned praise from agricultural and civil society groups for emphasizing the country’s sovereign right to evaluate proposed global measures according to national priorities and capacities. Ambassador Carlos Sorreta, head of the delegation, highlighted the need for “socially and economically responsible” transitions that protect communities dependent on tobacco cultivation, noting that the crop continues to support livelihoods across nearly 20 provinces.

    Sorreta underscored that FCTC guidance is non-binding and should complement existing national efforts rather than impose restrictions. Local organizations, including the Northern Luzon Alliance, applauded this stance, warning that measures such as ending government support, imposing quotas, or phasing out tobacco sales would be “unrealistic, overly punitive and incompatible with the country’s agricultural and economic realities,” potentially threatening rural livelihoods and linked industries.

    The Federation of Free Farmers echoed these concerns, noting tobacco’s critical role in sustaining rural communities. It commended the delegation for prioritizing farmers’ welfare, arguing that the approach reflects a clear understanding of on-the-ground realities and protects not only the economic stability of tobacco-growing regions but also the dignity and future of the families who rely on this crop.

  • AIR Launches ‘Crown Switch’ in Germany

    AIR Launches ‘Crown Switch’ in Germany

    AIR Limited announced today (November 20) that its flagship Al Fakher brand has officially moved into the portable vape category with the launch of its Crown Switch device in Germany. Sold online via shisha-world.com, “Crown Switch is Al Fakher’s first rechargeable pod-based vape system using disposable pods and designed without ceramics or heavy metals, differentiating it from traditional coil-and-wick devices.”

    The product is powered by Greentank Technologies’ Quantum Vape platform and Coldstream cooling system, developed through a strategic partnership formed earlier this year. AIR says the technology delivers a colder, smoother, and more flavor-forward vapor experience aligned with Al Fakher’s hookah heritage.

    CEO Stuart Brazier said the launch reflects Al Fakher’s push to modernize its portfolio as hookah use expands in Western markets. The company plans a broader international rollout of Crown Switch in the coming months and anticipates accelerating new product development into 2026.