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Tag: cigarettes

  • UK Smoking Rate Falls as Vaping Remains More Common

    UK Smoking Rate Falls as Vaping Remains More Common

    The UK’s adult smoking rate fell to a record-low 9.8% in 2025 from 10.6% in 2024, with about 4.9 million people aged 18 and over reporting that they smoked, according to data released Oct. 6 by the Office for National Statistics. In Great Britain, 5.4 million adults, or 9.9% of those aged 16 and over, reported using e-cigarettes daily or occasionally, compared with 4.8 million current smokers, continuing a trend that began in 2024 when vaping overtook smoking. E-cigarette use was highest among 25- to 34-year-olds, at 16.4%.

    John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said the figures demonstrate the role vaping is playing in reducing smoking but criticized government policies, including the Vaping Products Duty that took effect Oct. 1. Dunne cited UKVIA research showing 50% of surveyed vapers feared the duty could push them back to smoking or the black market, while industry-backed analysis estimated 946,000 vapers and dual users could switch exclusively to smoking. He called for a “Fair Deal for Vaping” that protects young people while maintaining access to vaping products for adult smokers seeking to quit.

  • Imperial Expands Paramount Brand in UK

    Imperial Expands Paramount Brand in UK

    Imperial Brands has expanded its Paramount value cigarette range in the UK with the launch of Paramount Red Superkings. The new product features an American Blend of tobaccos and is positioned as a full-strength cigarette offering a stronger tobacco taste and aftertaste. It is available through independent and wholesale outlets at a recommended retail price of £14.80.

    Imperial said the Paramount brand, launched in late 2024, has benefited from growth in the value segment. According to company-cited data, value cigarettes accounted for 38% of UK cigarette sales and grew 2% over the past year, while the broader value-price segment represented 17% of the total market in May 2026.

  • JT Marks Peace Brand’s 80th Anniversary

    JT Marks Peace Brand’s 80th Anniversary

    Japan Tobacco announced that it will release limited-edition packaging for its Peace cigarette brand to mark the brand’s 80th anniversary. The limited-edition The Peace package will launch in early September at select tobacco retailers nationwide and through the CLUB JT online shop, while limited-edition packages for Peace Light Box, Peace Super Light Box, and Peace (20) will launch nationwide in early October.

    The packaging will feature Peace’s pigeon logo while retaining the brand’s traditional design. JT launched Peace in 1946 and is marking the anniversary with initiatives including the Masters Peace campaign and pop-up events.

    The Peace is priced at ¥1,000 ($6.30) with 10 mg tar and 1 mg nicotine. Peace Light Box and Peace Super Light Box are ¥600 ($3.78), with 10 mg/0.9 mg and 6 mg/0.6 mg, respectively, while Peace (20) is ¥600 with 21 mg tar and 1.9 mg nicotine.

  • Marijuana Passes Cigarette Addiction in U.S.: Survey

    Marijuana Passes Cigarette Addiction in U.S.: Survey

    New data from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows marijuana use disorder is now the second-largest substance use disorder in the United States after alcohol use disorder. The survey found marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with 61.6 million people aged 12 and older reporting past-year use. According to the report, for the first time, daily marijuana use (21.4 million daily users) surpassed daily cigarette smoking (19.9 million).

    The survey also reported declines among adolescents and young adults in past-month tobacco, cigarette, nicotine vaping, and marijuana use, along with reductions in substance use disorders and suicide-related measures. Among 18- to 25-year-olds, past-month use of nicotine products, cigarettes, vaping products, alcohol, and marijuana all declined, while youth ages 12 to 17 also reported lower rates of tobacco use, nicotine vaping initiation, and marijuana use.

  • Belarus Raising Tobacco Excise Stamps

    Belarus Raising Tobacco Excise Stamps

    Belarus increased the cost of excise tax stamps on tobacco products in two stages, with standard stamps rising from 2 kopecks to 3 kopecks ($0.007 to $0.011) through the end of 2026 and to 4 kopecks ($0.014) beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Self-adhesive stamps used for certain imported products marked at customs warehouses increased from 2 kopecks to 8 kopecks ($0.028) and will rise to 10 kopecks ($0.035) next year.

    Despite the higher stamp costs, the changes are not expected to affect retail cigarette prices because prices are state-controlled and the stamp cost remains minimal compared with tobacco excise taxes. Current excise duties amount to 133.94 Belarusian rubles ($46.50) per 1,000 cigarettes in the first price category and 175.09 rubles ($60.80) for the second category.

  • Philippines Seizes $4M in Undeclared Cigarettes

    Philippines Seizes $4M in Undeclared Cigarettes

    Philippine authorities have seized 637 cases of undeclared cigarettes valued at about P235 million ($4 million) at the Port of Batangas, according to the Bureau of Customs. The shipment, which arrived aboard a vessel from the United Arab Emirates, reportedly contained MAC-branded cigarettes but was not listed in the bill of lading, inward foreign manifest, or discharge list, prompting a non-intrusive inspection and subsequent physical examination.

    Officials said the cigarettes were not supported by proper import documents and that the listed consignee was not authorized to import tobacco products, suggesting an attempt to smuggle regulated goods into the country. The case is being investigated under the provisions of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

  • Bulgarians Seize 6M Cigarettes in Produce Truck

    Bulgarians Seize 6M Cigarettes in Produce Truck

    Bulgarian customs authorities seized more than 6.1 million smuggled cigarettes hidden in a refrigerated truck carrying citrus and vegetables from Greece to Poland. The shipment, consisting of three popular brands without Bulgarian excise stamps, had a market value of about €1.15 million, with unpaid excise duties totaling €691,560. The Ukrainian driver was arrested, and an investigation is ongoing.

  • Greece Busts Major European Illicit Cigarette Ring

    Greece Busts Major European Illicit Cigarette Ring

    Greek police dismantled a highly organized criminal network that had been producing and exporting illegal cigarettes across Europe since 2018, causing state losses exceeding €7 million. In a large-scale operation on January 6, 300 officers raided multiple locations, arresting 26 suspects, including the alleged leaders, while investigating two additional individuals. Authorities said the group operated illegal factories and warehouses, used counterfeit packaging, relied on coded communications and strawmen to conceal identities, and handled finances largely in cash. Police seized 14.4 million cigarettes, 20 tons of processed tobacco, €1.2 million in cash, vehicles, weapons, and electronic equipment. The network reportedly shipped products to several European countries, including Slovakia, and suspects now face charges linked to organized crime, smuggling, money laundering, and arms violations.

  • India’s ITC Sees Profits Drop 10% with Labor Charge

    India’s ITC Sees Profits Drop 10% with Labor Charge

    ITC, India’s largest cigarette maker, reported a 10% decline in quarterly profit, weighed down by higher raw material costs and a one-time charge linked to the rollout of the country’s new labor codes. Standalone profit fell to 50.9 billion rupees ($560 million) for the quarter ended December 31, while total expenses rose 5%, partly due to rising prices of leaf tobacco, edible oil, and wheat, according to Reuters.

    Despite the profit drop, ITC’s cigarettes business — its biggest segment — posted an 8% rise in revenue, supported by steady volumes, even as leaf tobacco prices climbed amid stronger export demand. The company warned of further pressure on the sector after India imposed additional excise duty on cigarettes on top of a 40% goods and services tax, a move it said could fuel illicit trade among the country’s estimated 100 million smokers.

  • German Tobacco Use Drops, as ‘Substitutes’ Rise 18%

    German Tobacco Use Drops, as ‘Substitutes’ Rise 18%

    Germany’s taxed cigarette volumes edged higher in 2025, even as long-term tobacco consumption continued to decline, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). A total of 66.4 billion cigarettes were taxed during the year, up 0.2% (0.1 billion cigarettes) from 2024, but less than half the 146.5 billion recorded in 1991. Per capita cigarette consumption stood at 795 cigarettes in 2025, compared with 1,831 in 1991. Sales of fine-cut tobacco fell 1.2% year on year to 24,864 tons, while cigars and cigarillos declined 6.6% to 2.1 billion units. Hookah tobacco sales dropped 8.8% to 1,162 tons, despite regulatory changes allowing larger pack sizes again, while pipe tobacco rose 2.9% to 323 tons. In contrast, taxed volumes of tobacco substitute products such as e-cigarette liquids increased sharply, rising 18.2% year on year to 1.5 million liters, reflecting continued growth in non-combustible alternatives under Germany’s evolving tobacco tax regime.