A bipartisan group of 22 attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, has urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS).
The NYTS is an annual study that tracks smoking and vaping trends among middle and high school students, offering insights that have informed efforts to combat youth tobacco use for over two decades.
The comment letter submitted by the coalition responds to a CDC invitation for public comment on the continuation of the NYTS. The CDC has indicated intentions to revise the NYTS for the 2026-2028 period but has yet to specify the proposed changes. The attorneys general highlighted concerns that recent actions by the Trump administration, such as the elimination of the Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC and staffing cuts at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, could undermine efforts to protect youth from tobacco.
The letter also stressed the longstanding bipartisan efforts by attorneys general nationwide to address youth exposure to tobacco and nicotine products, emphasizing the critical role NYTS data plays in these initiatives. These efforts include the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) with the largest tobacco companies, which aimed to recover healthcare costs and curb youth smoking. The MSA, which relies heavily on NYTS data, has generated over $171 billion in payments to the states.
Bonta was joined in submitting the letter by the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico.
22nd Century Group reported second-quarter 2025 revenues of $4.1 million, down from $6 million in the first quarter, with a net loss holding steady at $3.3 million. Operating loss widened to $3 million, while adjusted EBITDA loss came in at $2.6 million. The company reduced its debt by an additional $1 million, bringing total debt down to $3.8 million.
CEO Larry Firestone highlighted the momentum behind the company’s FDA-authorized VLN reduced-nicotine cigarettes, which now have authorization for sale in 44 states. Partner brands, including Pinnacle VLN, are expanding distribution, with nearly 1,000 stores across 12 states expected to begin selling the product September 1. The company is also advancing new SKUs, including Pinnacle moist snuff, and preparing an FDA submission for a new 100mm VLN cigarette by year-end.
Despite financial challenges, Firestone emphasized that 22nd Century is entering a “profitable growth phase” built on its proprietary low-nicotine tobacco technology. He said VLN® products are positioned to align with the FDA’s proposed nicotine standards, giving the company a first-mover advantage in the harm reduction market.
For the first time since 2007, the number of smokers in Brazil increased last year, according to a Health Ministry survey. The trend is alarming in a country once hailed internationally for its successful anti-smoking policies, which had steadily reduced smoking rates for decades.
The same survey found that 2.6% of Brazilian adults—about 4 million people—now use electronic cigarettes, despite a nationwide ban in place since 2009. With no regulatory oversight, these products circulate exclusively in clandestine markets, exposing users to unknown health risks and strengthening illegal networks.
Public health experts warn that prohibition alone may be backfiring, citing examples from other countries, like the UK, Sweden, Japan, and Canada, where regulated e-cigarettes have contributed to falling smoking rates. Critics argue that Brazil must reconsider its approach, shifting from prohibition to regulation based on scientific harm reduction.
The Netherlands is losing an estimated €2.6 billion in annual tax revenue as more smokers purchase cigarettes and rolling tobacco abroad, according to tobacco industry association VSK. A new study by WSPM found that in 2020 the loss was €1.4 billion, but steep excise duty hikes in 2023 and 2024 have fueled cross-border buying and black-market sales.
VSK director Jan Hein Sträter said smokers are not quitting but shifting to cheaper alternatives in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, or even social media channels. Researchers estimate that about 40% of cigarettes and nearly 50% of rolling tobacco consumed in the Netherlands are now sourced abroad, compared to 25% just a year earlier.
The group urged the government to align tax rates with neighboring countries, warning that without action, billions in potential excise revenue will continue to slip away.
A new study suggests that e-cigarettes marketed as “clear” (i.e. less flavorful and potentially not subject to flavor bans) may pose greater cardiovascular risks than other vapes. In the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers reported that “clear vape” users experienced sharper spikes in blood pressure, heart rate, and mean arterial pressure compared with non-users and users of menthol or other flavored products.
In tests with young adult participants, clear vapers showed nearly 10 mm Hg increases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, along with a 10 beat-per-minute rise in heart rate. Chemical analysis of 19 “clear” products revealed they all contained odorless synthetic cooling agents such as WS-3 or WS-23, and most also included menthol and other flavorings, raising concerns about violations of state flavor bans.
Researchers said the synthetic additives may make vaping smoother, leading to higher puff volumes and nicotine exposure. They called for more studies to assess the health impact of these chemicals and warned that “clear” products, though marketed as neutral, may in fact deliver more harmful cardiovascular effects.
Malaysia’s Health Ministry confirmed it has no plans to reinstate the Generational Endgame (GEG) policy, which would have banned tobacco and vape sales to those born after 2007. Instead, the ministry said its focus is on enforcing strict regulatory measures under the Smoking Products Control for Public Health Act 2024.
These measures include mandatory product registration, bans on advertising and sponsorship, tighter sales controls, and expanded smoke-free zones. Officials said the priority is to shield young people from smoking harms through regulation rather than a generational ban. The GEG policy, first proposed in 2022, was dropped before the bill passed Parliament.
Tobacconist University (TU) has unveiled TUECOM, a fully customizable e-commerce platform built exclusively for Certified Retail Tobacconists. The standalone system is designed to give brick-and-mortar retailers full ownership of their online stores, offering a streamlined way to compete in the premium cigar mail-order market without relying on third-party platforms.
The $6,500 package includes a custom-designed website with cigar filtering tools, Certified Cigar Reviews, a rewards program, built-in credit card processing, age verification, and advanced promotional features. Retailers also receive hosting and security for the first year, SSL certification, backups, and access to TU’s product image and description database for six months. Launch time averages four to six weeks, with optional POS integration available.
Annual maintenance runs about $4,000, covering hosting, plugin updates, and card certification. TU emphasizes that while e-commerce requires ongoing effort, it can extend the reach of tobacconists by serving out-of-town and repeat customers. The program is open only to TU Certified Tobacconists, with priority given to CRTs. Interested retailers can contact Tobacconist University directly for enrollment, and Premium Cigar Association members may qualify for discounted TU certifications.
By Professor Praneet Valodia, Director Praneet Valodia Consulting
I am a healthcare professional. I have chaired Drugs and Therapeutics committees, evaluated clinical trials for over two decades and been at the forefront of innovation in therapeutic technologies. With that experience comes a responsibility to speak when evidence is ignored. What I cannot do and will not do is remain silent in the face of flawed thinking, especially when it affects public health.
South Africa is on the verge of adopting a new Tobacco Bill. In its current form, this legislation treats combustible cigarettes and non-combustible nicotine-containing products as the same. That is a serious problem. The science says they are not the same, and pretending otherwise undermines the very goals we are trying to achieve in public health.
I have independently evaluated the vast data I recently presented to the Health Portfolio Committee using standard criteria that are applied in assessing scientific studies. I have used this same approach in evaluating new drugs and health innovations. When applying it to tobacco harm reduction, the evidence is clear: switching from combustible cigarettes to non-combustible alternatives significantly reduces harm.
The combustion of tobacco produces between 6,000 and 7,000 chemicals. Among these, around 100 are harmful or potentially harmful. Non-combustible nicotine-containing products produce no combustion and 60 to 99 percent fewer harmful chemicals1. This is based on an independent evaluation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA), a leading authority in tobacco and medicines regulation. Nicotine levels are the same but nicotine is not the harmful substance. It’s the other chemicals, nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc. which cause disease.
The U.S. FDA evaluation of a heat-not-burn technology showed reductions of 82 percent in carcinogens, 91 percent in respiratory toxicants and 94 percent in reproductive toxicants compared to combustible cigarettes. Heavy metals that are classified as carcinogenic to humans, such as nickel, chromium, cadmium and lead, were either undetectable or drastically reduced in these products1-3.
As an example, an evaluation of an E-cigarette by the U.S. FDA showed a 65 to 100 percent reduction in harmful chemicals compared to combustible cigarettes. Abuse liability is lower, and lab studies show no mutagenic, cytotoxic or genotoxic effects4.
The Cochrane Collaboration’s 2024 report, based on randomised trials in multiple countries, found nicotine e-cigarettes showed significantly greater efficacy than nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation. Safety profiles are similar between nicotine e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy5. Similarly, a study by Hajek et al.6 published in the New England Journal of Medicine a randomized trial that showed 18 percent abstinence at 52 weeks for E-cigarettes versus 9.9 percent for nicotine replacement therapy.
Risks of myocardial infarction, stroke and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are reduced by 52, 35, and 54 percent respectively with vaping versus smoking7.
Sweden’s experience with snus shows dramatically lower lung cancer and cardiovascular death rates, three times lower than the European Union, where snus is banned. This is evidence that tobacco harm reduction saves lives8.
Nicotine is addictive but not toxic at the doses used in these products. Nicotine toxicity depends on dose. It can be toxic if injected or ingested in large amounts but aerosolised nicotine in these devices is considered to be safe. Nicotine is not carcinogenic9 nor does it cause heart or lung disease, according to current evidence7,10.
Claims that vaping acts as a gateway to smoking are also unsupported11. I have looked at numerous studies and could not find evidence that vaping is a gateway to smoking. We must base decisions on scientific evaluation of the gateway theory to smoking.
South African youth smoking prevalence is very low at 2.08 percent12 and that should be celebrated. Smoking prevalences in youth is low in many countries although non-combustible nicotine-containing products are freely available. This may indicate the non-combustible nicotine-containing products are not a gateway to smoking. We need to understand the addictiveness of nicotine relative to other substances, like alcohol and cannabis.
The current tobacco bill fails to differentiate combustible cigarettes from non-combustible products despite this overwhelming evidence. I have a moral obligation to provide smokers with evidence-based options — safer alternatives.
We must adopt a regulatory framework like the FDA’s, which weighs benefits and risks for the population, including youth and vulnerable groups, based on the net benefit to public health.
The way forward is not to abandon regulation. It is to regulate more intelligently. We need to differentiate products based on harm, just as the FDA does.
We need good policies and these policies need to be evidence-based. We need consistency in decision-making relative to other substances such as cannabis. We need an independent scientific committee to evaluate the evidence and the reports should be made publicly available. Given the volume of misinformation, establishing an independent scientific committee is not just important. It’s essential.
The bill needs to be transformative and including tobacco harm reduction is a key part of that. We need penalties that are proportionate. And we must protect the autonomy of people trying to quit smoking by giving them access to safer alternatives.
The focus of tobacco harm reduction should be on the 11.5 million smokers in South Africa. This is where the public health problem is. We need a paradigm shift. We must include tobacco harm reduction in the bill or condemn millions to preventable death and disease.
Ignoring this evidence is unconscionable.
References
U.S. FDA: Scientific Review of Modified Risk Tobacco Product Application (MRTPA) under Section 911(d) of the FD&C Act – Technical Project Lead – 5/12/2016.
U.S. FDA Briefing document, Meeting of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, January 24-25, 2018.
U.S. FDA: Scientific Review of Modified Risk Tobacco Product Application (MRTPA) under Section 911(d) of the FD&C Act – Technical Project Lead – 7/7/2020.
U.S. FDA: Technical Project Lead (TPL) Review of PMTAs. NJOY. 2020.
Lindson N, Butler AR, McRobbie H, Bullen C, Begh R, Theodoulou A, Notley C, Rigotti NA, Turner T, Livingstone-Banks J, Morris T, Hartmann-Boyce J. Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2024.
Hajek P, Phillips-Waller A, Przulj D, Pesola F, Smith KM, Bisal N, Li J, Parrott S, Sasieni P, Dawkins L, Ross L, Goniewicz M. et al. et al. A Randomized Trial of E-Cigarettes versus Nicotine-Replacement Therapy. N Engl J Med. 2019; 380:629 -637.
Lee PN, Farsalinos K. Comparing smoking-related disease rates from e-cigarette use with those from tobacco cigarette use: a reanalysis of a recently-published study. Harm Reduction Journal. 2025; 22: 78.
Smoke Free Sweden. No Smoke Less Harm. 2024.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. WHO. List of classifications by cancer sites with sufficient or limited evidence in humans, IARC monographs Volumes 1-139.
Balfour DJK, Benowitz NL, Colby SM, et al. Balancing consideration of the risks and benefits of e-cigarettes. Am J Public Health. 2021; 111(9):1661–1672.
Polosa R, Casale TB, Tashkin DP. A close look at vaping in adolescents and young adults in the United States. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022; 10(11):2831-2842.
Van Zyl-Smit RN, Filby S, Soin G, Hoare J, Van den Bosch A. Kurten S. Electronic cigarette usage amongst high school students in South Africa: a mixed methods approach. eClinicalMedicine. 2024; 78:102970.
A coalition led by the Vapor Technology Association is appealing North Carolina’s new vaping law, which bans the sale of e-cigarettes not approved or pending approval by the FDA. The law, effective May 1, 2025, has already removed popular brands like Elf Bar and Geek Bar from store shelves. The law mandates that only e-cigarette products with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marketing authorization may be sold in the state, enforced through a product registry managed by the state Revenue Department. Products must be certified and listed or removed within a 60-day grace period.
Industry groups argue that the state is overstepping federal authority and violating constitutional protections and that the law discriminates between tobacco-derived and synthetic nicotine products, raising concerns under the Equal Protection Clause.
A lower court refused to block the law, and the case now heads to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, with national implications for state regulation of nicotine products. The outcome could determine whether entire product categories, such as flavored disposables, can be restricted, potentially reshaping the balance between state and federal oversight.
Arko Corp., one of the largest operators of convenience stores and wholesale fuel in the U.S., reported strong second-quarter results in its Other Tobacco Products (OTP) segment, with sales up 2.6% and margins rising 170 basis points. CEO Arie Kotler credited expanded assortments, better merchandising, and refreshed “back bars” in nearly 1,000 GPM Investments stores.
OTP—including cigars, smokeless tobacco, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco—now accounts for 10% of store assortment, with margins on par with cigarettes, according to Arko’s executive vice president and CFO Robert Giammatteo.
