Blog - Tobacco Reporter

Sonoco Announces 3-Piece Can

Sonoco Industrial & Specialty Plastics has launched the Sonoco 3-Piece Can for tobacco and other products.

“The inspiration behind the 3-Piece Can stems from the challenges we’ve learned many manufacturers face, particularly in the chewing tobacco industry,” said Curtis Bares, global director of sales and marketing for Sonoco Industrial & Specialty Plastics.

“The burden of ordering cans from overseas results in extensive lead times, increased inventory levels and excess packaging waste. That’s why we’ve embarked on a journey to develop a locally molded polypropylene can to alleviate these pain points.”

The can is an injection-molded, 3-piece food-grade polypropylene set to be manufactured entirely in Forest City, North Carolina, USA. According to Sonoco, the company’s factory is FDA-registered and ISO-9001 certified, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and a robust quality management system to guarantee adherence to specifications and sustainability standards.

Sonoco lists the following benefits for its new product:

A dual-compartment design offering flexibility with two separate moisture-resistant compartments
Compact dimensions of 2.75” in diameter and 0.940” in depth
Eco-friendly makeup from single-resin material, recyclable in areas with proper collection infrastructure
Made in the USA, supporting local manufacturing and reducing carbon footprint
Just-in-time supply management, ensuring optimal inventory levels and minimizing storage costs
Efficient packaging design with reduced waste and minimal use of corrugate
Stackable design for ease of transportation and storage, ensuring product integrity

For more information, visit sonoco.com/plastics.

July 19, 2024

A Missed Opportunity

E-cigarettes and older smokers

Neil McKeganey, Gabe Barnard and Andrea Patton

Amid the intense media focus and regulatory action directed toward youth vaping in the U.S., there is another population demographic whose e-cigarette use is worthy of attention—though in this case, more as a result of their relative lack of use of these devices. There are an estimated 17 million adults in the U.S. aged over 45 who are smoking every day or some days. With research showing that quitting smoking by age 50 is associated with a gain of around six years in life expectancy, the question of how best to boost smoking cessation efforts among older smokers is of increasing importance.

Although e-cigarettes have become hugely popular as a means of quitting smoking, research undertaken by the Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR) shows that the use of these devices by older smokers in the U.S. is only a fraction of what it is among younger smokers. According to the CSUR’s Tobacco Product Prevalence Study, while 11 percent of adult smokers aged 25 to 44 years report currently using e-cigarettes, that figure drops to 5.2 percent in the case of those aged over 45.

The CSUR research also shows that the likelihood of older female smokers using e-cigarettes is even less than is the case for older male smokers. Even in the face of the overall low levels of e-cigarette use, it was evident that some brands were more successful than others in attracting older smokers, with Vuse, Smok and Voopoo reported as being used more widely than other brands.

But why might there be a disparity in overall levels of current e-cigarette use between older and young smokers? We know from research that smoking quit attempts are influenced by the level of nicotine dependence and smoking duration. It may be that for these combined reasons, older smokers are less drawn to e-cigarettes as a route out of smoking.

Equally, many older smokers might perceive e-cigarettes as devices that are more often associated with young adult lifestyles and for that reason alone may be seen as something that is not for them. Whatever the reasoning behind the lower levels of e-cigarette use among older smokers, there is much to be gained from identifying how that disparity might be tackled. To do this, it will be necessary to find out much more about why e-cigarettes appeal to some groups more than others and for e-cigarette manufacturers to explore ways of developing products that are specifically designed to appeal to the older smoker.

There is a further reason why the vaping industry might be wise to give greater attention to the older smoker, which has to do with the importance of tackling youth vaping. If e-cigarette manufacturers succeed in developing a vaping product that appeals to the older smoker, there is a strong possibility that their success in this regard will result in a product that has low youth appeal.

The likelihood of young people wanting to use a product that is associated with the older smoker is almost certainly less than the likelihood of an older smoker being drawn to a product they see as being associated with youth use. Vaping products developed specifically for the older smoker may have an increased chance of securing a marketing authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under its premarket tobacco product application process, securing access to a large market of potential new consumers. It’s worth remembering too that the market of smokers aged 45 and over within the U.S. may be in excess of 17 million, underlining the potential gain for the companies who succeed in winning that market.

Neil McKeganey is director of the Center for Substance Use Research in Glasgow, Scotland.

Gabriel Barnard is a director of the Center for Substance Use Research in Glasgow, Scotland.

Andrea Patton, is a behavioral epidemiologist and head of prevalence research within the Centre for Substance Use Research, Glasgow, U.K. Patton has over 15 years of experience working in public health for academia, regulatory bodies and industry leaders in Europe and the United States.

July 19, 2024

Good Reads

The importance of literature reviews in support of tobacco harm reduction.

By Dean Hatt

Toxicology plays an important role in bringing next-generation products (NGPs) to market, ensuring they meet global regulatory requirements and contribute to the global body of evidence supporting tobacco harm reduction. Alongside analytical testing of the product’s aerosol, literature reviews are an important step in the toxicology human health assessment to build an understanding of the product’s performance, improve safety and ensure regulatory compliance. Here, Dean Hatt, senior toxicology consultant at scientific testing and consultancy specialist Broughton, shares insight into literature reviews for next-generation nicotine product toxicology.

Toxicological tests help build an informed, scientifically justified understanding of the risk that NGPs present to health. This involves considering the nature of any hazards presented by an ingredient, exposure levels during normal usage, and the physical dose response, to build a risk characterization for the overall product.

Toxicology assessments must be developed using a tailored approach to study design, data gathering, and risk assessment based on the product requirements and the proposed regulatory pathway.

Importance of Literature Reviews

Literature reviews are useful in two key areas of NGP development. Firstly, for hazard assessment, to gather data on specific toxicology endpoints for any chemical in the product and/or its aerosol. Hazard assessment is usually conducted relatively early in the product development process. By doing so, scientists can provide input into the sensitivity of analytical studies to establish if the identified components may be a health risk at the quantities identified.

Literature reviews are also required as part of certain submissions, later in the product development process when completing the regulatory dossier. A thorough literature review is essential for manufacturers seeking approval via the marketing authorization application pathway to get their product approved as a nicotine-replacement therapy in the U.K. It is also necessary for those targeting premarket tobacco product application approval for consumer products in the U.S.

Conducting a Literature Review

A literature search for an NGP is a large body of work that can take several hundred hours to complete, depending on how wide the scope is. It encompasses assessing specific chemicals using authoritative sources or pre-agreed search terms and libraries.

The literature search will typically involve hazard assessments for product-specific chemicals, where the scientist will look up various endpoints, e.g., carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, irritation and sensitization from a number of sources to identify whether there is evidence that the chemical has toxicity associated with those endpoints.

A CAS Registry Number is used as a unique identifier for a chemical, as some chemicals are referred to by different names or have different isomers. Menthol, for example, can take many forms: D menthol, L menthol, levomenthol and more.

The researcher may also look for health-based guidance values, which demonstrate the level at which a chemical is deemed not to be of any concern. This is compared against the exposure concentration, which is derived from analytical data and estimated product consumption to quantify the risk.

Wider Research

When conducting wider research via a literature search as part of the regulatory application, the process will typically begin by agreeing on the search terms, such as “nicotine,” “toxicity” and “inhalation.” The researcher can then search agreed platforms, such as PubMed, PubChem and The British Library, to create a list, which often exceeds 2,000 references. The researcher will then prioritize these according to quality, recency and relevance to narrow the list down to the papers with the most appropriate information.

If, during the literature search, a chemical is flagged for a specific toxicity, the researcher may recommend a more comprehensive assessment of that chemical, particularly if they have identified something the research team was not aware of.

Further research may be required if there is a gap in the literature. It may be that the chemical has not been studied before or that it has not been included in any previous products due to its likely toxicity. There is also modeling (in silico) software available, such as Derek Nexus and Leadscope Model Applier, which can help predict the likelihood of a chemical structure being carcinogenic or genotoxic by comparing it against a library of other structures. This is utilized where experimental data of the chemical in question is unavailable.

The toxicologist can also build a toxicity profile in support of product safety. This is tailored to the relevant regulatory pathway based on the existing hazard data, published scientific studies and expert body reviews. Toxicologists can also produce a quantitative risk assessment and create a comprehensive regulatory report evaluating the potential health risks associated with both individual ingredients and the whole product. These reports would be the output from the literature review and subsequent toxicology assessments.

Due to the scale and complexity of the task, many NGP manufacturers choose to outsource their literature searches to a trusted analytical testing and integrated consulting partner. This partner can then provide swift expert toxicological advice to ensure the product is safe and compliant with relevant regulatory requirements while saving the manufacturer time and ensuring quality.

Dean Hatt is senior toxicology consultant at Broughton.

July 19, 2024

Industry Laments Romania’s Vape Tax

Tobacco harm reduction advocates are criticizing Romania’s new excise tax on nicotine-free e-liquids and vapes, saying it will discourage smokers from switching to safer alternatives. Vaping companies, meanwhile, fear the increased financial strain will hurt their business.

“This excise tax increases the cost for consumers who are trying to quit smoking by using nicotine-free alternatives. It also places additional financial burdens on businesses like ours that have invested heavily in the vape market,” said a spokesperson for e-Potion, an e-liquid manufacturer and vape retailer in Sibiu, in a statement.

“While we understand the need for regulation, it should not come at the cost of public health.”

E-Potion said will continue to support its customers and help them adapt to the evolving regulatory environment. The company is exploring various initiatives to mitigate the financial burden on consumers who rely on nicotine-free alternatives to quit smoking.

Additionally, e-Potion is partnering with local health organizations to provide educational resources and support for smoking cessation.

Romania has been cracking down on smoking alternatives in recent months. Earlier this year, its Chamber of Deputies adopted a bill banning advertising of electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches.

In October 2023, the country banned flavored heated tobacco products, in line with the EU requirement.

July 19, 2024

Arab and Orthodox Media Friendlier to IQOS

Arab media and Ultra-Orthodox media in Israel are portraying Philip Morris International’s IQOS tobacco-heating device in a more positive light than do the mainstream media and media aimed at the general public, reports The Jerusalem Post, citing a study by researchers from the Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the Hebrew University-Hadassah and George Washington University.

According to the authors, Arab media articles reflected content from PMI press releases 100 percent of the time while general public media articles used content from PMI press releases 35 percent of the time. Arab media articles also highlighted the accessibility of IQOS retail locations 81 percent of the time compared to 17 percent and 13 percent in the general and haredi media, respectively. Social benefits were highlighted 88 percent of the time in Arab articles compared to 8 percent in the general media and 17 percent in haredi media.

Israel prohibits tobacco product advertising except in print media. The study found, however, that news media can influence consumer perceptions and behaviors, especially through certain types of news articles that are not always subject to the same regulations as paid advertisements.

“The study underscores the critical need for rigorous media surveillance and regulatory measures, especially in media outlets targeting minority populations, to ensure fair and balanced reporting,” said senior author Hagai Levine in a statement.

“The positive framing of IQOS in minority-targeted media highlights the potential influence of targeted marketing on public perceptions and tobacco product usage across diverse demographics.”

July 19, 2024

FOBA Presents Compact UV Laser

FOBA will be exhibiting three laser marking systems at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, Sept. 9-14. The main focus will be on the lightweight and space-saving integration of the new UV laser head into a FOBA M1000.

At IMTS, FOBA will be showcasing a full range of laser marking solutions, from the largest laser marking workstation, the M3000, to the compact M1000 manual workstation and the world’s smallest laser marking head, Titus. Each laser system shows different application areas and functions for efficient industrial product marking, from metals to plastics.

The latest product in the FOBA product family is the optimized V series, which, with the 4 watt UV and 10 watt green marking laser, offers higher performance and better precision than its predecessor models, but at a fraction of the size. The laser head is so compact that it can be integrated into the FOBA M1000 manual workstation. The smaller size makes it easier to integrate into existing production environments.

“The new V-Series shows its strength above all in the marking of plastics and composites, and is a sustainable alternative to other marking technologies such as continuous inkjet or pad printing,” says Philipp Febel, director product strategy and customer experience at FOBA. “In contrast to these technologies, the marking lasers require hardly any consumables and therefore minimize waste and operating costs.

July 19, 2024

FDA OKs Vuse Alto Tobacco-Flavored Pods

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the marketing of seven e-cigarette products in the United States through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway. Following an extensive scientific review, FDA issued marketing granted orders to R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. (RJRVC) for the Vuse Alto Power Unit and six Vuse Alto tobacco-flavored pods, which are sealed, pre-filled, and non-refillable:

Vuse Alto Pod Golden Tobacco 5%
Vuse Alto Pod Rich Tobacco 5%
Vuse Alto Pod Golden Tobacco 2.4%
Vuse Alto Pod Rich Tobacco 2.4%
Vuse Alto Pod Golden Tobacco 1.8%
Vuse Alto Pod Rich Tobacco 1.8%

While the FDA says it remains concerned about the risk of youth use of all e-cigarettes, youth are less likely to use tobacco‐flavored e-cigarette products compared to other flavors. According to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey, Vuse was among the most commonly reported brands used by middle and high school students currently using e-cigarettes.

However, only 6.4 percent of students who currently used e-cigarettes reported using tobacco‐flavored products. To further mitigate youth use of these products, FDA has placed stringent marketing restrictions on the new products in an effort to prevent youth access and exposure.

The FDA has received applications for nearly 27 million deemed products and has made determinations on more than 26 million of those applications. To date, the agency has authorized 34 e-cigarette products and devices, including the seven authorized today.

A list of all authorized e-cigarette products is available here.

Tadeu Marroco, CEO of RJRVC’s parent company, British American Tobacco, welcomed the authorizations. “With authorizations for Alto, Vibe, Ciro and Solo, all in tobacco flavors, BAT now has the largest portfolio of vapor market authorizations provided to any U.S. organization for premarket tobacco product applications,” he said in a statement.

However, Tadeu noted that the success of the authorized products would depend on the FDA’s progress in tackling the thriving illicit marketplace of vapor products in the United States.

BAT also vowed it would continue to challenge the FDA’s marketing denial orders for Alto’s Menthol and Mixed Berry flavors, which were issued in October 2023. These orders have been stayed in court, which means they remain available pending resolution of the litigation.

July 18, 2024

New Zealand Halves HTP Taxes

New Zealand has halved taxes on heated-tobacco products (HTPs) to make the products more attractive as cigarette alternatives, reports RNZ.

A spokesman said Customs Minister Casey Costello, who ordered the tax cut, hopes the move will encourage smokers to switch to less risky nicotine products.

In a statement to RNZ, Costello said that vaping had been a successful quit-smoking tool and she wanted to see whether HTPs would also be a useful cessation device.

“Vaping does not work for everyone, and some attempting to quit have tried several times. HTPs have a similar risk profile to vapes, and they are currently legally available, so we are testing what impact halving excise on those products makes.”

Critics said the government had caved to tobacco lobbying.

In 2018, Philip Morris International, which sells the market-leading IQOS HTP brand, told the Tax Working Group that the government should “establish a tax rate for heated-tobacco products significantly below the tax rate” for tobacco.

Earlier this year, New Zealand’s government scrapped the previous administration’s generational tobacco ban, which would have banned sales of tobacco products to anyone born after Jan. 1, 2009, required tobacco companies to lower the nicotine content of their products and reduced the number of tobacco retailers by 90 percent, among other measures.

The current government appears to be more receptive to tobacco harm reduction measures advocated by the industry and others.

Costello is reportedly also considering whether allowing the sale of oral nicotine products, such as snus and nicotine pouches, would help New Zealand achieve is smoking reduction objectives.

Her colleagues at the Ministry of Health have expressed reservations, however, saying there was “weak evidence” that snus helped people quit smoking. “The risk of feeling addicted may be higher for snus than for smoked tobacco. Use of snus may increase the risk of certain cancers.”

“On balance, we do not recommend extending the range of nicotine products available for sale in New Zealand,” the health ministry was quoted as saying. “Additional products will likely compound existing concerns about young peoples’ addiction to nicotine for little benefit.”

BAT, which owns the Velo and Lyft brands of nicotine pouches, has lobbied the government for the products to be legalized here.

“The government’s failure to also include smoke-free oral nicotine products in the same regulatory framework as vaping products presents a significant missed opportunity for advancing Smoke-Free 2025,” it said in a 2021 submission on the government’s smoke-free plans.

July 18, 2024

New South Africa Urged to Tackle Illicit Trade

BAT has called on South Africa to crack down on the country’s rampant illicit tobacco trade. The multinational estimates that the government loses an estimated ZAR24 billion ($1.32 billion) in excise tax revenue to the illegal cigarette business every year.

In a recent Ipsos study cited by BAT, 59 percent of stores sampled sold illicit cigarettes for a little as ZAR5 per pack of 20.

The study also revealed that new manufacturers have entered the business, fueling intense competition at the bottom end of the market.

“The entrance of new players raises some serious concerns about government’s commitment to address illicit trade. Nothing justifies licensing new manufacturers in a sector already ravaged by high levels of noncompliance without conducting proper due diligence,” said Johnny Moloto, area head of corporate and regulatory affairs for BAT Sub-Saharan Africa, in a statement.

The Ipsos study highlights the challenge facing the new government in getting to grips with illicit trade and cross-border illicit financial flows, which are wreaking havoc with our economy and tax revenues.

Johnny Moloto, area head of corporate and regulatory affairs, BAT Sub-Saharan Africa

“The Ipsos study highlights the challenge facing the new government in getting to grips with illicit trade and cross-border illicit financial flows, which are wreaking havoc with our economy and tax revenues. To right the ship, authorities urgently need to prioritize the fight against illicit tobacco and secure convictions against the ring leaders,” Moloto said.

In the past few years, the availability of cigarette packs selling below the minimum collectable tax has fluctuated in retail outlets: from 44 percent in March 2021, it dropped to 27 percent in October 2022, before surging to 59 percent in 2024. The recent Ipsos research showed a high level of cigarette packs available below ZAR25.05 in the wholesale and informal trade, at 83 percent and 72 percent respectively.

BAT urged the Ministry of Finance to introduce a minimum retail price, which would make it illegal to sell cigarettes for less than a stated amount.

July 18, 2024

The View From Down Under

Impressions from Australia, one of the world’s most hostile countries for the nicotine business.

By George Gay

It is my belief that luggage is evolving at a faster rate than the travelers who use it. At least this was the main observation I made while people-watching at the end of May as I waited to complete the formalities necessary before I could board my flights from Britain to Australia via Singapore. Luggage, seemingly to suit every conceivable travel need, was being carried, dragged, rolled and even ridden by travelers, most of whom it was difficult to imagine fulfilling any need. Frankly, these travelers looked devoid of agency as they moved robotically, heads lowered, slavishly submitting to the instructions being delivered by the cell phones they wrongly believed were acting in their service.

There was a time when it was said that people came weighed down with baggage of one sort or another, but now, it seems, luggage comes lumbered with human baggage. But for how much longer I wonder? Surely it would be more humane to cut out the middleman and woman and let the luggage, suitably AI enchanced, go traveling on its own, relaying its tourist or business experiences back to its owners safely ensconced at home. Given an AI uplift, luggage could certainly negotiate better than humans the automated bag-drop formalities at London airport and the immigration computers in Sydney. After all, it would be interacting with its own kind in a way that humans no longer do.

Why do people travel to other countries? Is it, as I have sometimes heard, “to broaden the mind?” Perhaps this was once true, but it is looking increasingly threadbare as a reason or excuse. Nowadays, with high-speed travel the norm, flying is more likely to cause jetlag, damaging the brain and draining the mind of memory, and, in any case, all the information you need to know about far-away places is available to you while sitting at the kitchen table with a computer and a cup of coffee.

But perhaps, as I have also heard, people travel “to get away from it all?” Well, I’ve got news for the people who think that way. Globalization and modern communications have conspired to make it impossible to get away from it all, except for the weather, if that is what you mean by “it all.” These days, people are incapable of getting away and enjoying new vistas because they are trapped within the horizons set by their phones or limited by their mental baggage.

Once in Australia, I did try to get away from it all by reading various newspapers, but, after a while, I found myself buying each day the same paper, the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), whose world view seemed to be aligned with the newspaper I read in the U.K., The Guardian. It was comforting, too, that the letter writers to the SMH seemed to share the same, generally caring attitudes exhibited daily in the pages of The Guardian.

And soon I realized that not only was I reading a paper with similar views but also that the news itself was little different to what I had thought I had left behind. There were reports of housing shortages, debates about immigration and concerns about energy provision and the climate crisis and about a cost-of-living crisis that meant less money was being donated to charities. Violence against women was in the news as was a lack of care facilities for the elderly, waiting times for medical treatment, a lack of some prescription drugs, increasing cases of whooping cough, a rising need for food banks, infrastructure cost overruns and bird flu. I had left a relatively rich country where child poverty levels were scandalously high and arrived in another relatively rich country to be greeted by an advertisement for The Smith Family’s Winter Appeal in which it was stated that one in six Australian children lived with poverty.

But it wasn’t all the same. I couldn’t help noticing, for instance, that whereas magpies in the U.K. mostly issue harsh, scolding cries, in Australia, they are more melodious. Perhaps the incidence of passive smoking among magpies is higher in the U.K., a more crowded country than Australia.

At Singapore airport (left) there are comfortable smoking areas in the terminal, but, at Sydney, smokers and vapers are out in the cold and dark.

Confused and Conflicted

Australia and the U.K. have different approaches to tobacco smoking and trying to ensure the safety and health of their citizens more generally, but both approaches, in my opinion, are often confused and conflicted. Australia seems to be trying to take a comprehensive view when warning of the dangers of certain activities, so, for instance, televised public health announcements call on Australians to beat cravings, one at a time. But such announcements, like the adverts they mimic, work only if they create a craving—In this case, a craving to live a healthier lifestyle. Not all cravings are bad—some are essential for life.

And even if the people responsible for public health announcements don’t feel they are conflicted, some of those hearing the messages might well feel that way. Announcements about the use of cameras to make sure that drivers are wearing their seat belts are no doubt well-meaning but might run into opposition from those on the libertarian wing of society. And I would imagine there will be a long debate over the calls being heard for social media health warnings.

In Australia, with long stretches of little-used country roads, it was common while I was there to see on television public health announcements warning drivers to be careful when approaching train level crossings. But, at the same time, you can see roadside hoardings advertising beer, and it cannot but cross one’s mind that perhaps if the hoardings were taken down, there would be less need for the railway crossing safety warnings.

Beer advertisements appear on television during the breaks in broadcasts of football games, where presenters sometimes seem blokeish to the point of caricature. But on the other hand, alcohol in Australia is not sold alongside food in supermarkets as it is in the U.K., and I guess you could argue until the cows came home what it is that normalizes drinking in the minds of the young—its connection with sport and blokeishness or its connection with supermarkets and the everyday.

Gambling advertisements on television seem to come with their own warnings. At least one advertisement I saw ended with a written suggestion that those watching should imagine what other things money destined for gambling could be spent on. But are such warnings effective? An SMH piece by Charles Livingstone, a gambling researcher and associate professor at Monash University, seemed to suggest not and to show up the conflict of interests that abound when habits are risky to those who partake of them but profitable to those who make them available.

“But whatever happens, the cozy relationship between gambling, sport, government and broadcasting is as solid and entrenched as it could be,” he wrote. “The damage to the community, especially young people, and to the integrity of sport appears to matter little when everyone’s pockets are full.” Everybody’s pockets but those of most of the gamblers, I presume.

Relative Risks

One of the visits I made in Australia was to a long-standing friend who many years ago concluded that people were evolving in the direction of becoming more stupid and who seems not to have changed his mind. Is he right, I wonder? In Queensland one day, sitting at a delightful pavement cafe just across from a beautiful beach, the driver of a large utility vehicle parked in front of the cafe, started the vehicle’s engine and then got out of the cab and proceeded to perform a few tasks, including tying down his load. Predictably, the wind off the sea wafted the diesel fumes over the diners, but nobody seemed to mind, and I wondered what level of fuss those people would have made if somebody had started to smoke or vape. Are people stupid? Some certainly don’t seem to understand risk.

Well, certainly relative risk. But then, can you blame them? A public health broadcast on television showed a youngish man from the 1970s smoking and coughing up blood, followed by a contemporary image of a youngish man vaping and coughing up blood. The message was clear. There was no difference between smoking and vaping. The risks were the same. Are people stupid? Perhaps the question should be: Are they being encouraged to be stupid?

Australia seems to have had and to have a strange relationship with tobacco and nicotine. The country can claim to be the birthplace of graphic warnings on tobacco products, and I saw very few people smoking or vaping while there, but tobacconists, sometimes sophisticated-looking businesses selling “smokes and vapes,” were highly visible on high streets and in malls, so I guess there is a reasonable demand for their products. These tobacconists seemed not to be overrun with customers when I looked in, however, partly, I take it, because of the significant illegal trade in tobacco and nicotine products, which was the subject of at least one television news report while I was in the country.

One tobacconist I came across was called a Tobacco Station, and, as I understand it, after I left Australia—and with a nod to the Australian poet and journalist Banjo Paterson, perhaps—there has been movement at the station. From July 1, all nicotine vapes in Australia have been regulated as therapeutic goods, so smokers wanting to buy vapes have had to do so from pharmacies. But, from Oct. 1, those over 18 will no longer have to comply with the government’s much-criticized requirement and find a doctor willing to give them a prescription for vapes—at least those up to a maximum nicotine content of 20 mg per mL. I am sure there will be much debate about how wise such moves are—how smokers and vapers will react.

Is there a lesson here? Has the nicotine industry helped to bring about this move? Given that it always emphasizes the uniquely therapeutic roll of vaping as providing a safer substitute for smoking, the sale of vapes in pharmacies only has a certain logic. As I have said before, it is long overdue that the industry jettisons this baggage and accepts publicly that vaping is a habit separate from, but similar to, smoking (and drinking)—one that will attract some people who have never smoked. It is a consumer product not a medicine.

George Gay is Tobacco Reporter’s European editor, but his territory spans the globe. Based in London, George has covered the tobacco industry since 1982, initially for a U.K.-based publication and since 2004 for Tobacco Reporter. George’s understanding of industry issues, combined with his keen sense of observation and dry wit, have earned him a loyal following among Tobacco Reporter’s readers.

July 17, 2024