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  • Taiwan: 25% of Cigarettes Become Litter

    Taiwan: 25% of Cigarettes Become Litter

    About 25% of the cigarettes sold in Taiwan are improperly discarded, according to Environmental Management Administration Director-General Yen Hsu-ming, resulting in about 9 billion butts on the streets that could fall into gutters and flow into the ocean.

    The government is looking to combat the environmental issue in numerous ways, including education, fining litterers, monitoring popular smoking points such as convenience stores, distributing 1,800 cigarette snuffers across the city, and launching a clean-up event named “Team Planet,” where 50,000 volunteers picked up litter from the streets.  

    Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming attended the event in Taipei’s Ximending shopping area, saying that maintaining clean streets, keeping cigarette butts of the ground, and preventing dengue fever are the three goals for this year to echo Earth Day.

  • Thailand to Pay Informants 

    Thailand to Pay Informants 

    The Thai government has introduced a controversial but potentially effective policy targeting e-cigarette users and sellers. Under this scheme, anyone reporting illegal vaping activities via the Thang Rath mobile app is eligible to receive 60% of the fines collected.

    Informants could earn as much as B3,000 ($90) from a single successful report, a compelling incentive to help enforce this law.

  • AMCON Posts 2Q Losses

    AMCON Posts 2Q Losses

    AMCON Distributing Company, an Omaha, Nebraska-based convenience and foodservice distributor, announced fully diluted loss per share of $2.58 on a net loss available to common shareholders of $1.6 million for its second fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2025. The wholesale distribution segment reported revenues of $607.6 million and operating income of $2.8 million.

    AMCON, with its subsidiaries Team Sledd and Henry’s Foods, is a leading distributor of consumer products, including tobacco, nicotine, beverages, candy, and groceries. It serves Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

    “The convenience retailing sector which we serve continues to experience a challenging operating environment with consumer behavior and discretionary spending lagging,” said Christopher H. Atayan, AMCON’s Chairman and CEO. “At the same time, the cost structures for convenience distributors have been impacted by the cumulative impact of inflation over a multi-year period. These inflationary pressures have resulted in higher operating expenses in areas such as product costs, labor and employee benefits, equipment, and insurance, and in additional consolidation across our entire industry.”

  • Federal Judge Allows Zyn Lawsuit to Progress

    Federal Judge Allows Zyn Lawsuit to Progress

    A federal judge in Florida allowed key claims to move forward in two consumer class action lawsuits against Philip Morris and its subsidiary, Swedish Match, over allegations that their Zyn nicotine pouches cause ongoing health issues and are deceptively marketed, especially to young people.

    In March, U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas partially granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss, tossing a single claim of fraudulent concealment for lacking sufficient detail and a clear connection between the alleged misrepresentation and the plaintiffs’ injuries. However, the claims were reportedly dismissed without prejudice, giving the plaintiffs an opportunity to amend their complaints. The court upheld the bulk of the plaintiffs’ claims, including those for design defects, failure to warn, and negligence. The judge also rejected Philip Morris’ efforts to dismiss the lawsuits for lack of jurisdiction, finding that the companies’ business activities in Florida, including marketing and selling Zyn, provided sufficient basis for the federal court to hear the case.

    Plaintiffs in the Zyn lawsuits allege Philip Morris and Swedish Match falsely maintain Zyn is a smokeless nicotine replacement therapy from cigarettes or e-cigarettes, despite the nicotine concentration levels in Zyn exceeding the levels found in nicotine replacement therapies. Philip Morris said it is reviewing the ruling and intends to “vigorously defend” itself against the remaining claims.

  • German Study Finds Smokers Unmotivated to Quit

    German Study Finds Smokers Unmotivated to Quit

    A German Study on Tobacco Use (DEBRA) reported that around 30% of the population smoked cigarettes in 2024. The study focused on the habits and thoughts of nearly 1,200 adults who smoked daily and found that 51.2% of people who smoked were not motivated to stop smoking, 29.1% reported an intention to quit in the following year, and the remainder had some desire to quit but had not decided when to try.

    Lack of motivation was highest among people who 65 and older (64.4%) and lowest among those aged 19 to 34 years (38.9%). People with lower socioeconomic status who smoked had less motivation to quit than those with a higher socioeconomic status. In the sample of people who smoke, the barriers to quitting smoking included enjoyment of smoking (50.1%), difficulty in changing habits (41.4%), and lack of discipline (31.2%), with key differences among age groups. Only 27.3% of people who smoke perceived E-cigs/HTPs to have lower health risks relative to cigarettes, versus 84.7% of smoke-free product (SFP) users.

    “The best way to reduce the health risks of smoking is to quit smoking altogether. However, focusing solely on cessation does not acknowledge the real challenges that people who smoke (barriers to quitting) face when trying to quit,” the study concluded. “The survey results, specifically on the lack of motivation to quit, suggest that current tobacco control measures are not effectively motivating the majority of people who smoke in Germany to quit. This study demonstrated that half of the people who smoke surveyed are not motivated to quit, and only 5% plan to quit in the next month. Older segments of the study population (aged 50+) and those in lower-income brackets are even less motivated to quit, with smoking enjoyment being the biggest barrier to quitting, affecting more than 60% of people who smoke and do not want to quit.

    “Lack of motivation to quit smoking and barriers to quitting manifest in different ways, implying that differentiated approaches are required to help people who smoke successfully move away from smoking cigarettes. They should have access to accurate information on the role of combustion-generated toxicants as the primary cause of smoking-related diseases and the relative risks of SFPs compared with continuing to smoke. Sustainably reducing smoking prevalence in Germany will require an integrated strategy that complements the existing tobacco control and prevention measures with tools based on the principles of tobacco harm reduction.”

  • Bloom Earns Quality Certification

    Bloom Earns Quality Certification

    Bloom, a national cannabis vape brand, announced it has earned Environmental & Consumer Compliance Organization (ECCO) Certification in California — raising the bar for product testing, accountability, and transparency within the cannabis industry. Regulatory enforcement and lab testing standards vary widely across states in the cannabis market, often resulting in inconsistent, conflicting product results.

    “By achieving ECCO Certification, Bloom reaffirms our commitment to delivering high-quality products for our customers,” said Thomas Brinly, VP of Operations and Supply Chain at Bloom. “This certification ensures that consumers have transparent, verified information about what’s in their vapes—tested beyond standard regulatory requirements. We encourage other brands to join us in raising the bar for product integrity and consistency across the cannabis industry.”

    ECCO is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to consumer and environmental safety. Products certified by ECCO are rigorously screened for over 100 potential contaminants beyond what the California DCC requires. This is all done through ongoing third-party lab testing. Certification is only awarded to brands that pass stringent benchmarks for safety, integrity, and transparency. ECCO is currently offered in the state of California.

  • ITGA Announces Annual Meeting

    ITGA Announces Annual Meeting

    Tobacco-producing countries from North, Central, and South America have been invited to participate in the International Tobacco Growers’ Association (ITGA) “Americas Regional Meeting on April 24 in Jujuy, Argentina

    The ITGA is convening stakeholders from the tobacco sector across the Americas to address key issues currently impacting the industry. This year’s discussions will place particular emphasis on the increasing regulatory pressure from the World Health Organization (WHO), driven by its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which will host its Eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP11) this coming November.

    Brazil—currently the world’s largest exporter of tobacco and the second-largest producer after China—has taken one of the strongest opposing stances in the context of these WHO negotiations. The Brazilian Tobacco Growers’ Association (Afubra) will be in attendance to advocate for the socio-economic importance of tobacco in the regions where it is cultivated and to showcase initiatives that promote family farming both within and beyond the tobacco sector.

    “We must support our Brazilian brothers in defending the sector because it affects us all and must be seen as a joint struggle,” said José Aranda, president of the ITGA.

  • Nepal’s Plan to License Tobacco Faces Pushback 

    Nepal’s Plan to License Tobacco Faces Pushback 

    Nepal Industry Minister Damodar Bhandari is preparing to grant licenses to the cigarette, tobacco (gutkha), and alcohol industries, according to Republica. The Consumer Awareness Campaign-Nepal (CAC-N), however, expressed strong objection to the government’s plan. CAC-N Chairperson Krishna Prasad Bhandari urged the government not to permit the production of items harmful to public health.  

    In a case where the Supreme Court issued a directive to control tobacco products, CAC-N raised concerns that granting licenses to such industries would constitute contempt of court. President Bhattarai stated that the campaign has also urged Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to take the issue seriously for the protection of public health and property, and urged Minister Bhandari to immediately halt the license distribution process. 

    CAC-N said allowing such industries to operate is troubling and has called for a reversal of the decision, stating that it benefits only a few industrialists.

  • PCA Announces Next Four Shows

    PCA Announces Next Four Shows

    After the 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show ended last weekend, the Premium Cigar Association announced the show dates and locations for the next four years:

    • PCA 2026 — New Orleans Morial Convention Center (April 17-20)
    • PCA 2027 — Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall (March 5-8)
    • PCA 2028 — Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall (March 3-6)
    • PCA 2029 — New Orleans Morial Convention Center (TBA)

    The PCA says nearly 6,000 people registered to attend this year’s event, making it the largest cigar-focused event in the world. The annual PCA Convention & Trade Show is an industry event where companies that sell cigars, cigar accessories, and other adjacent products exhibit.

  • Opinion: Hopes for Transforming the FDA

    Opinion: Hopes for Transforming the FDA

    Writing for the Tax Foundation, Adam Hoffer published “Opportunities to Reform the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products,” where he discussed the lingering challenges plaguing the CTP and suggested a pathway forward.

    “The CTP has come under heavy criticism in recent years, which we have covered extensively due to the surge in illicit market activity and the resulting challenges of implementing tax policy on alternative tobacco products (ATPs),” Hoffer wrote. “In 2022, the FDA requested the Reagan Udall Foundation conduct an independent investigation of the CTP. The resulting report highlighted several shortcomings, including a lack of a clear regulatory and product approval framework, an inefficient and slow product review process, a lack of transparency and communication, and broad struggles with the vaping market. We have identified four broad categories for CTP reform with direct policy actions to achieve each goal.”

    The suggestions were:

    1. Enhance Transparency and Accountability

    • CTP Should Publish a Rubric that Includes Requirements for Product Approval

    2. Streamline the Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) Process

    • CTP Should Create a Fast-Track PMTA Approval Pathway for Reduced-Risk Products
    • Default Marketing Authorization Approval Should Occur After 180 Days

    3. Fix the US Vaping Market

    • CTP Should Authorize More Legal Vaping Products
    • CTP Should Strengthen Enforcement Against Illegal Products

    4. Address Blind Spots – The Teen Vaping Crisis That Isn’t

    Dr. Adam Hoffer is the director of excise tax policy at the Tax Foundation. He earned his doctorate in economics from West Virginia University and his undergraduate degree from Washington & Jefferson College.