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  • ESPAD Ireland Sees All-Time Low in Smoking, Vape on Rise 

    ESPAD Ireland Sees All-Time Low in Smoking, Vape on Rise 

    Ireland recorded its lowest levels of teenage smoking and alcohol consumption in three decades, according to the 2024 Irish report of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). However, the findings saw increases in e-cigarette use, alternative nicotine products, and adolescent gambling.

    ESPAD Ireland said 12% of students reported being current smokers, with daily smoking falling to just 2%, both all-time lows in Ireland’s 30 years of participating in the survey. However, 32% of respondents said they had tried e-cigarettes, and 7% reported daily use. Of those who tried vaping, 76% never used a cigarette. Cannabis use also dropped from 19% in 2019 to 12% in 2024.

    “While the downward trend is encouraging, the data also reveals the continuing challenge: young people are still being drawn into tobacco and nicotine use—be it cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or emerging nicotine products,” said Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy. “We must act decisively to break this cycle.”

  • JT Launches Ploom AURA in Japan

    JT Launches Ploom AURA in Japan

    Japan Tobacco Inc. launched its next-generation heated-tobacco device today (May 27) in Japan, the Ploom AURA. The device will initially be available in its Ploom stores and CLUB JT online shop. In parallel, JT Group will roll out EVO, its exclusive and premium heated tobacco sticks, “to complement Ploom AURA and provide adult consumers with the latest and most technologically advanced propositions in the heated tobacco segment,” according to the company. A nationwide launch of Ploom AURA and EVO will start on July 1 in convenience stores and tobacco retail shops, and will roll out globally in the near future.

    “In the reduced-risk products [RRP] category, we are focusing on providing adult consumers with quality products, rooted in technology, consumer insights, and experience, and I truly believe Ploom AURA embraces all these aspects and more,” said Takehiko Tsutsui, executive vice president of RRPs.

    JT Group said it will continue to prioritize investments in the heated tobacco sticks segment through 2027, and will be investing 650 billion yen ($4.5 billion) in RRP, much for the Ploom AURA and its launch.

    “The RRP category is reshaping the global tobacco landscape, and I am confident that Ploom AURA and EVO will play key roles in supporting JT Group’s ambition of reaching mid-teens share in the HTS segment by 2028,” said Tsutsui.

  • BAT Responds to ITC Speculation

    BAT Responds to ITC Speculation

    British American Tobacco responded to the recent speculation relating to a potential disposal of part of its shareholding in ITC Limited. “BAT confirms that it is evaluating a possible disposal of a small part of BAT’s shareholding in ITC by means of an on-market trade,” the company said in a press release. “There can be no certainty that any such transaction will proceed, nor can there be any certainty as to the terms of any potential transaction. A further announcement will be made if and when appropriate.”

    The announcement was made on behalf of British American Tobacco by Caroline Ferland, Company Secretary, who likewise said the announcement contained inside information in relation to British American Tobacco for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation.

    “The securities referred to herein will not be, and have not been, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act,” the company said.

    BAT is currently ITC’s top investor, with a 20.3% stake according to LSEG data. Last year BAT sold 436.9 million shares, or roughly 3.5% of ITC’s outstanding shares, for about $2 billion in what was India’s third-largest block deal ever.

  • Online Cigar Sales Back Out in Connecticut

    Online Cigar Sales Back Out in Connecticut

    Vapers and cigar smokers in Connecticut continue to watch with interest as House Bill 7275 is adjusted in committee before potentially being put in front of the state’s House of Representatives. Introduced last month, the bill would outlaw the online sale of e-cigarettes and other vaping products, and could potentially do the same for cigars.

    “As it was originally written, the bill would have outright banned the shipment of all cigars to consumers in Connecticut,” Charlie Minato wrote for Halfwheel. “Two weeks ago, the bill’s text was modified to include an exemption for premium cigar shipments, except few cigars will meet the current definition of ‘premium cigar.’ And yet, last week that exemption was removed.”

    The amended text was predictably straightforward in defining a “premium cigar” through five parts, however, the sixth part added that the cigar must sell for $30 wholesale, meaning typically $60 retail, which would exempt about only 1% of the cigars on the market.

    “None of that seems to matter now,” Minato said. “There’s no longer an exemption for cigar shipments, meaning if the bill were to pass, customers in Connecticut would no longer be able to order cigars from a retailer and have them shipped to addresses in Connecticut. It would apply to all shipments, regardless of where they originated in- or out-of-state.”

  • Fifteen EU Members Pushing for Excise Hikes on Tobacco

    Fifteen EU Members Pushing for Excise Hikes on Tobacco

    A majority of EU member states have called for the European Commission to press ahead with a long-delayed plan to tax vapes and raise minimum excise rates on cigarettes and cigars, according to Financial Times. The letter—signed by Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, The Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain—called on the Commission to take “without delay the necessary steps” to update the directive.

    The Tobacco Excise Tax Directive (TED) was controversially left out of the Commission’s 2025 work program, though some states have been pushing for higher taxes on both tobacco and alternative products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches. Unlike traditional tobacco, alternative products still lack an EU-wide excise framework. Euractiv reported last week that the EU commissioner in charge of taxation, Wopke Hoekstra, was testing the waters for such an initiative.

    “They want her to unblock the proposal, which is yet to be adopted by the commission and would, for the first time, set minimum taxation rates for vapes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco,” Paola Tamma and Andy Bounds wrote for Financial Times. “It would also substantially raise minimum excise rates for cigarettes and cigars to harmonize taxation across the bloc and reduce tobacco fraud.”

    “The current scope and provisions of the directive are insufficient to enable member states to deal with the significant challenges posed by ongoing developments and trends in the European tobacco market, including the emergence of novel products,” the 15 EU finance and economy ministers wrote in the letter.

    Initially scheduled for 2022, the commission delayed the bill because of concerns about the impact that rising excise taxes could have at a time when inflation hit double digits across the bloc. Olaf, the European Anti-Fraud Office, estimates lost revenue from illicit tobacco to be more than €10 billion a year.

    The bill, however, requires unanimous approval. Twelve countries did not sign the letter, with Romania, Italy, and Greece among the most vocal opponents of revising the directive. A letter from the dissenting countries last month said they did not deem it necessary ‘‘to proceed…to a comprehensive revision of the overall EU legislation”. They also added that smoking rates are already falling. In a leaked version of the 2022 proposal, excise rates would have increased by 100% for cigarettes, 200% for rolling tobacco, and 900% for cigars and cigarillos.

    Paul Varakas, director of the European Cigar Manufacturers Association, said it was ‘‘out of touch and completely irresponsible in the context of an uncertain trade war.”

    An EU diplomat representing a southern state told Euractiv that high tobacco taxation in France and the Netherlands had resulted in black markets and increased cross-border shopping, with the diplomat accusing Paris and The Hague of pushing others to “repeat the same mistake”.

  • CAPHRA Condemns WHO’s Anti-Science Agenda on World Vape Day 

    CAPHRA Condemns WHO’s Anti-Science Agenda on World Vape Day 

    Yesterday (May 26), the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) challenged the World Health Organization’s anti-vaping stance as “scientifically bankrupt,” accusing it of endangering public health by ignoring evidence that safer nicotine products save lives. 

    The rebuke coincided with the upcoming WHO’s World No Tobacco Day on May 30, which CAPHRA claims weaponizes misinformation to justify prohibitionist policies.

    “The WHO’s ‘Health For All’ mantra rings hollow when it dismisses vaping’s life-saving potential,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s Executive Coordinator. “Their 2025 theme masks a dangerous agenda: protecting cigarette markets by vilifying harm reduction.” 

    Loucas condemned WHO’s exclusion of consumer advocates from COP10 talks. “Silencing experts while citing debunked ‘gateway’ theories exposes their fear of facts,” she said. She highlighted stark contrasts as UK youth smoking halved to 3.6% since 2012 under regulated vaping, while Maldives’ vaping ban saw youth smoking rise 12%. 

    “Vaping is 95% safer than smoking, a fact repeatedly proven, and has contributed to a fast declining smoking rate in countries where it is regulated, that WHO ignores to appease anti-nicotine ideologues,” Loucas said. “This isn’t public health. It’s prohibitionist theatre that sacrifices smokers’ lives.

    “The WHO equates vaping with smoking, yet 82 million ex-smokers globally prove otherwise. Their 1980s-style fearmongering helps nobody but cigarette traders. This World Vape Day, we demand the WHO stop lying. Regulate vaping strictly, educate honestly, and watch smoking collapse. The UK model works. Ideological bans kill.” 

  • Manolios Added to Universal’s Board

    Manolios Added to Universal’s Board

    Last week, Universal Corporation announced the appointment of Fay Manolios to its board of directors effective June 1. In addition, Michael T. Lawton, who has served as an independent director since 2016, has decided to retire and will not stand for re-election to the board at Universal’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held August 5.

    Manolios brings over 25 years of experience in strategy development and human resources to Universal. She held increasing roles of responsibility at Capital One Financial Corporation from 2012 to 2022, most recently as managing vice president.

    “We are pleased to welcome Fay to our board,” said Preston D. Wigner, chairman, president, and CEO of Universal. “Fay is an accomplished executive with deep insight into human resources and a track record for helping to develop and reward high-performing organizations. Her expertise aligns with our commitment to setting high standards that benefit all Universal stakeholders, and we look forward to leveraging her insights as we continue to execute on our strategic initiatives across our tobacco and ingredients businesses.”

  • Opinion: WHO Is Wrong on Flavors — It’s Time to Stand Up for Harm Reduction and Common Sense

    Opinion: WHO Is Wrong on Flavors — It’s Time to Stand Up for Harm Reduction and Common Sense

    By Markus Lindblad, Head of External Affairs at Haypp Group, parent company of Nicokick.com and Northerner.com

    At every turn, a new opinion emerges, demonizing brands for developing flavored products, to, as they say: market to those underage—often based on the notion of a “hidden agenda.” Let’s be clear: these products are created exclusively for adult consumers.

    This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) is using World No Tobacco Day 2025 to push the go-to ‘anti flavor’ agenda on nicotine products. Huge surprise to no one. The claim is that they’re part of an industry ploy to attract children. The slogan—Bright Product. Dark Intentions. Unmasking the Appeal—is both misleading and dangerous. And the question we ask ourselves: to what end?

    What those who are committed to this rhetoric seem to forget is that regulatory bodies have implemented strict guidelines to ensure the opposite of this mythical ‘hidden agenda’. As compliant and responsible brands, we walk a tight rope every day. Transparency is built into every layer of the industry—from marketing communications in earned, paid, and owned channels to prominent warning labels and full ingredient disclosure. The real unknown is the unchecked rise of illicit products flooding the market. Much like alcohol, flavors are not a tool for targeting youth. The logical step forward is to adopt consistent age verification measures—at both the federal and state levels—to prevent underage access.

    WHO’s Campaign Ignores Science and Reality

    WHO, like many other one-sided anti-tobacco organizations, paints all flavored nicotine products with the same broad brush, ignoring clear distinctions with those developed as alternatives to help adults move away from smoking. The truth is, flavored alternatives have proven to be a strong contributor to the harm reduction movement, helping millions of smokers transition away from deadly combustible tobacco.

    Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized certain nicotine products to be marketable as a risk-reduced alternative, as part of its harm-reduction strategy, finally listening to and acknowledging the science we’ve known for years. Yet the flavor-ban fight continues, contradicting this approach.

    The Real Problem: Access, Not Flavors

    It begs repeating: Flavors weren’t made for kids—they were made for adults seeking an alternative to smoking. We have seen the news cycle recently, offering reports on the marginal increase in underage usage, a problem we can all agree on. But to be clear, kids don’t get access because of peach or watermelon flavor names—they get access because standardized age-verification policies present with other categories and industries are absent, so the next best thing is to ban.

    How it should be:

    • Stronger and standardized age verification measures for all nicotine sales.
    • Ban proxy sales to minors.
    • Strict penalties for non-compliant retailers.

    Bans Hurt Public Health—and Help Illicit Markets

    Flavor bans don’t stop youth—they just drive demand underground. Meanwhile, they strip adults of their right to choose alternatives and damage legitimate businesses.

    Restricting the appeal of reduced-risk products won’t stop young people from experimenting—it will just make quitting harder for adults and push both into more dangerous behaviors.

    WHO Has It Wrong. States Must Lead.

    WHO’s 2025 campaign is focused on the wrong enemy and the rhetoric continues to erode years of research and drive fear. Instead of condemning flavors, they should be calling for smarter and tighter regulations that keep products out of underage hands—not banning tools that help adults quit smoking.

    Public health isn’t advanced by moral panic. It’s advanced by policy that works.

  • Ispire Announces Huge Malaysian Expansion

    Ispire Announces Huge Malaysian Expansion

    Ispire Technology Inc. announced that it has received the interim license from the Malaysian Government for the manufacturing of nicotine products. The company said, “This is the first and only nicotine manufacturing license issued in Malaysia approved by both the Federal and State authorities and cements Ispire’s position as the only company with full authorization for export, import, and production.” The approval of the interim license also allows the company to begin manufacturing nicotine products in Malaysia immediately, as well as officially begin marketing its nicotine manufacturing capabilities externally.

    “Receiving the interim license for our Malaysian manufacturing operations is a significant milestone for Ispire as we progress towards positioning the company as a leading international provider of vaping hardware,” said Michael Wang, co-Chief Executive Officer of Ispire. “We can now officially begin manufacturing and marketing our nicotine products in Malaysia, with our Malaysian facility soon featuring 80 production lines, growing its capacity from the current six lines. Once the final license is approved in the coming months as we anticipate, our regulatory requirements in Malaysia will be complete and Ispire will have the first federal nicotine manufacturing license in the country. By diversifying our production base, we are strategically de-risking our production strategy and mitigating the concern of geopolitical factors increasing our pricing.”

  • Study: Risks and Reasons for Intravaginal Tobacco Use 

    Study: Risks and Reasons for Intravaginal Tobacco Use 

    In  2023, a paper published in BMJ Tobacco Control examined intravaginal tobacco use among women in The Gambia, a growing trend in Sub-Saharan African countries that received little scientific attention. A subsequent study of the topic was launched in 2024, to be completed by the end of 2025.  

    In collaboration with research partners in the United States and The Gambia, the study looks at what motivates women who use tobacco intravaginally. It also documents tobacco use behaviors and assesses the chemical composition (including nicotine content) and level of toxicity of the products. The study examines both the sociocultural motivations behind the practice and the chemical composition of the tobacco used.

    Preliminary findings reveal that women use intravaginal tobacco for various reasons, including treating vaginal yeast infection, enhancing sexual pleasure, improving pregnancy and labor outcomes, and treating various health conditions including hypertension, asthma, and infertility. Findings also show that the product is often marketed by local vendors as traditional medicine, but may contain dangerous additives, including baobab ash, caustic soda, cannabis, and shea butter, raising concerns about its potential toxicological effects.

    The study is funded by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use through the CDC Foundation, with a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.