Tag: Featured

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UKVIA Appoints Dunne as General Director

John Dunne (Photo: UKVIA)
John Dunne has been confirmed as director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) after a vote by the trade body’s full membership.
Dunne was previously responsible for the UKVIA’s member recruitment activity, where he oversaw significant growth in membership levels. He is also the UKVIA’s primary media spokesperson on television, radio and in print.
Dunne has a long and well-respected background in European vaping and has held senior positions at some of the sector’s leading firms. In addition, he has advised industry analysts and financial institutions on the vaping industry, both in the U.K. and globally.
The new role has been established to support future planned growth of the UKVIA, as it extends its role and influence, while building its membership base significantly.
“I am honored that the UKVIA membership has put its faith in me.,” said Dunne. “The association is well placed to go from strength to strength, with membership growing consistently despite the challenges of the pandemic.
“The next 12 months are hugely important to the vaping industry, with the government review of the Tobacco & Related Products Regulations set to shape the future of our sector. It is crucial that we have a unified voice to influence these regulations, for the benefit of the industry and the public health of the nation. We have already started formulating our contribution to the government’s review, working closely with all our members.”
October 19, 2020
Advocates Welcome Cessation Findings

Photo: Sergey Shibut – Dreamstime.com
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has welcomed new research that has found that vaping is 70 percent more effective in helping smokers to quit cigarettes than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as patches and gum.
The study undertaken by Cochrane, which reviewed 50 studies across the world, with more than 12,000 participants, also showed that an additional 60 percent could potentially quit smoking with nicotine containing electronic cigarettes. In addition, the review found that “there was no evidence that people using nicotine containing e-cigarettes reported more serious health problems than people using nicotine-free e-cigarettes, NRT or no therapy at all.”
John Dunne
John Dunne, director general at the UKVIA, said the findings add to a growing catalogue of evidence supporting vaping’s role in smoking cessation.
“Quitting cigarettes can be difficult, which is why adult smokers must have access to the most effective tools available,” he said. “This review underlines the enormous potential vaping holds for public health, particularly as the government aims for a smoke-free U.K. by the end of the decade. We call on all stakeholders, from policymakers to health professionals, to seize the opportunity which vaping represents, and to give smokers the best chance of quitting successfully.”
According to Dunne, the recent review builds on research by the National Institute of Health Research and Cancer Research UK, which shows that vaping was far more effective than nicotine replacement therapy products.
October 16, 2020
Activists Propose Prescription Sales for Cigarettes

Australia already bans the display of tobacco products in stores. (Photo: Taco Tuinstra)
The Center for Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame (CREATE) wants Australia to reduce the number of tobacco retailers, restrict sales to outlets such as pharmacies and consider making cigarettes available on prescription only.
“An effective tobacco endgame strategy should accelerate the decline in smoking prevalence while assisting governments, retailers and people who smoke to transition to a smoke-free society,” Coral Gartner, director of CREATE, was quoted as saying by 9News.
Researchers also suggested ending sales to people born after a specified year and phasing out commercial cigarette sales.
Department of Health figures showed about 2.3 million people smoke tobacco daily in Australia—less than 15 percent of adults. The federal government aims to reduce that figure to 10 percent by 2025.
Smoking prevalence has been declining at an average rate of about 0.4 percent per year since 2010.
Australia is a global tobacco control leader and has been at the cutting edge of many new policies, including plain packaging.
October 16, 2020
Manufacturers Sue Colorado

Photo: jessica45 | Pixabay
The U.S. discount cigarette manufacturers Liggett Group, Vector Tobacco and Xcaliber International have filed a complaint against the State of Colorado and several Colorado officials, including Governor Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, and members of the Colorado General Assembly, alleging violations of federal and state law in connection with Proposition EE, a $294 million tax hike on the ballot this November in Colorado.
The complaint, filed in the federal district court in Denver, Colorado, seeks to invalidate a specific anti-competitive and anti-consumer provision of Proposition EE that would fix the minimum price of cigarettes in Colorado at $7 per pack, beginning Jan. 1, 2021.
The complaint alleges that the state made a back-room deal with Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S. seller of premium cigarettes such as Marlboro, to fix cigarette prices at premium levels, effectively eliminating competition from discount cigarettes which have increasingly taken market share from Philip Morris. In return, Philip Morris agreed not to oppose the proposed cigarette excise tax increase of $1.10 per pack. Proposition EE would nearly double the price of cigarette brands sold by discount manufacturers, creating an unfair burden on value conscious Colorado consumers. Furthermore, only about half of the state-imposed price increase would flow through to the State Treasury.
The complaint asserts that the price-fixing component of Proposition EE is not disclosed in the ballot question, but buried within a proposed tax hike, because the governor and other proponents of the new law knew that it would draw widespread criticism. The plaintiffs are asking that the federal court invalidate the price-fixing component, if approved by the voters, as an unconstitutional and illegal exercise of state power and the result of improper legislative due process.
“We are deeply concerned that Colorado politicians have agreed to price-fixing in what has been reported as a ‘back-room deal’ with Philip Morris to secure its support for a tax increase,” said Nicholas Anson, president and chief operating officer of Liggett Group and Liggett Vector Brands, in a statement. “The price-fixing component of Proposition EE would not only benefit Philip Morris and hurt value conscious consumers; it was intentionally omitted from the ballot question, leaving Colorado voters in the dark about this unconstitutional proposal.”
October 16, 2020
Dutch Authorities Raid Illegal Tobacco Factory

Photo: Europol
The investigation service of the Dutch tax authorities, FIOD, raided an illegal tobacco factory near Utrecht in the Netherlands, according to Europol. It is one of the largest illegal cigarette factories uncovered in the Netherlands. The factory was in full operation when law enforcement entered the premises. Thirteen suspects were arrested comprising mostly of nationals from Eastern Europe. Investigators seized 3.6 million cigarettes and 32,000 kilos of tobacco along with packaging material, cigarette paper, filters and glue. The tax loss prevented to the Dutch state revenue for the illegal production is estimated at €6 million ($7.04 million).
Supported by Europol, this operation is the result of cross-border cooperation between the Dutch authorities and Ukrainian State Border Guard Service.
In general, illegally processing and producing tobacco is dispersed across multiple facilities so criminals can spread the risk, according to Europol. In this case, the entire production cycle took place in one factory. The factory was in a rural warehouse allowing the criminals to go unnoticed with their illegal activities. Dutch authorities estimated that the machinery could potentially produce 1 million cigarettes a day. The production is believed to have been destined for the black market in countries where the retail price of cigarettes is high. The factory is presumed to have produced 18 million illegal cigarettes seized abroad in recent months.
Europol’s Analysis Project Smoke dedicated to investigating the unlawful manufacturing and smuggling of excise goods supported the investigation. The exchange of information between law enforcement authorities and the analysis of operational data contributed to the identification of the potential location of the factory. Links established with recent seizures of tobacco in other countries helped further the investigation.
FIOD is also an active member of the ongoing special operational taskforce set up in 2018 between Europol and Member States to tackle top organized crime groups facilitating the supply of tobacco, machinery, skilled workers and non-tobacco material to illicit factories.
October 16, 2020
Virtual Conference for Snus Enthusiasts
This year’s Snus Con will take place virtually Oct. 19-24.
The event will feature pre-recorded interviews with an option for participants to interact.
Each video will be broadcast at a specific time via YouTube’s Premier feature. When the interviews go live, there will be a chat box available so visitors can watch along and chat with peers.
This year’s interviewees include Nihar Dholakia, director of next-generation products at Dholakia Tobacco; Bengt Wiberg of Wiberg Solutions and snus maker Conny Anderson.
October 16, 2020
Kit Dietz Joins Taat Board of Advisers

Kit Dietz (Photo: Taat Lifestyle & Wellness)
Taat Lifestyle & Wellness has appointed Kit Dietz to its board of advisors.
Dietz has more than three decades of experience in the convenience wholesale industry, including top management roles with well-known convenience channel distributors in the northern United States. Dietz also served on the board of directors of Lorillard, leading up to its $27.4 billion acquisition in June 2015.
More recently, Dietz became President of InfoRhythm, a business data analytics firm for retail and wholesale businesses and their respective supply chains providing prescriptive data-driven insights to CPG companies, convenience distributors, and retailers.
Based out of northern Ohio, Dietz presently advises CPG companies and top management of distribution firms using his extensive knowledge of the convenience channel at a granular level.
“We are excited for Kit Dietz to join Taat as an advisor, just in time for our mid-Q4 2020 launch in Ohio,” said Taat CEO Setti Coscarella in a statement.
“With an advisor such as Mr. Dietz who understands how convenience products such as tobacco are distributed in and near our launch market, I am confident that we will be able to benefit from his market-specific experience to establish the right margins, the right partnerships, and the right analytics models to make calculated and informed business decisions as we contemplate possible expansions into new markets.”
October 16, 2020
JT Approves Domestic Burley for Consumption
Japan Tobacco (JT) has cleared this year’s burley harvest in Japan for use in its cigarettes.
Since the accident at the Tepco Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2011, JT has been conducting pre-purchase radioactive material tests of domestic leaf tobacco and several other tests at each stage of its production process.
Tests for this year’s burley have now been completed. None of the leaf tobacco had traces of radioactive material exceeding the JT standard value (radioactive cesium: 100Bq/kg), the company confirmed in a statement.
JT will continue with its scheme of testing domestic leaf tobacco after purchase, to test and monitor at each stage of the productions process several times.
In related news, JT announced that it will discontinue disclosure of pre-purchase test results for domestic leaf tobacco after this report (2020).
Recently, in radioactive material testing on agricultural products conducted by Fukushima Prefecture and other prefectures, there have been virtually no cases where the traces of radioactive material exceeded the standard values, and the company’s survey is on the decline.
In addition, no cases exceeding JT standard value have been observed in the company’s test results.
JT will continue with its scheme of testing domestic leaf tobacco upon purchase.
October 16, 2020
BAT Appoints New Chairman

Photo: BAT
Luc Jobin will succeed Richard Burrows as chairman of British American Tobacco (BAT). This will take effect from the conclusion of the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) on April 28, 2021. In order to ensure an effective transition of the leadership of the board, Jobin will be appointed chairman designate of BAT effective March 1, 2021.
Jobin is currently an independent director on the boards of Gildan Activewear and Hydro-Quebec. He joined the BAT board in 2017 as an independent nonexecutive director. During his executive career, he was president and CEO of Canadian National Railway Co., prior to which he was executive vice president and chief financial officer. Previously, Jobin was executive vice president of Power Corp. of Canada and held the roles of chief financial officer and, between 2003 and 2005, CEO of Imperial Tobacco Canada.
Richard Burrows
Burrows will step down as chairman and retire from the board at the end of the company’s 2021 AGM.
“I am delighted that the board has appointed Luc as the incoming chairman for BAT,” said Burrows in a statement. “Luc brings with him significant financial, regulatory and M&A experience. He has been an outstanding nonexecutive director over the last three years, providing consistent support, insight and constructive challenge through the development of strategy. I am sure that BAT will go from strength to strength with Luc as chairman and Jack Bowles as chief executive officer.”
October 15, 2020
Misperceptions About Risk Drive Down Vaping

Photo: Vchalup – Dreamstime.com
The number of vapers in the U.K. declined by 400,000 since last year, despite mounting evidence that e-cigarettes are effective smoking-cessation aids, according to a study commissioned by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
The Health Charity blames a “misguided belief vaping is just as harmful as cigarettes.”
“About a third of smokers have never even tried an e-cigarette, and less than 20 percent are currently using one,” said Deborah Arnott, CEO of ASH, in a statement. “If many more smokers could be encouraged to give e-cigarettes a go, the latest evidence indicates that many more might successfully quit.”
Only 39 percent of smokers in the country believe vaping is less harmful than smoking combustible cigarettes.
This year, there were 3.2 million e-cigarette users in the country, down from 3.6 million in 2019.
A review conducted by Cochrane suggests vaping could help more people stop smoking.

“There is now evidence that electronic cigarettes with nicotine are likely to increase the chances of quitting [smoking] successfully compared to nicotine gum or patches,” said Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, an expert at the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group who co-led the review.

The review included evidence from 50 studies around the world.

There was no clear evidence of serious harm resulting from nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, but since the review used a relatively small number of studies, the evidence is still uncertain.

“Scientific consensus holds that electronic cigarettes are considerably less harmful than traditional cigarettes but are not risk-free,” Hartmann-Boyce said.
October 15, 2020