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Tag: Nicotine

  • Lucy Goods Settles S.F. Pouch Case for $1M

    Lucy Goods Settles S.F. Pouch Case for $1M

    San Francisco secured a $1 million settlement with online tobacco retailer Lucy Goods, Inc., requiring the company to stop shipping flavored nicotine products into the city, City Attorney David Chiu announced yesterday (January 8). The settlement stems from a 2024 lawsuit alleging that several online retailers violated San Francisco’s comprehensive flavored tobacco ban by selling flavored nicotine pouches directly to city residents.

    Under the stipulated judgment and injunction entered by San Francisco Superior Court this week, Lucy Goods must pay $1 million in civil penalties and attorneys’ fees, prohibit the use of San Francisco addresses in shipping or billing fields, and post clear notices on its website stating that flavored tobacco products cannot be sold in the city. The agreement follows earlier settlements with Rogue Holdings LLC, Swisher International Inc., and Northerner Scandinavia Inc., bringing total penalties from the case to nearly $4 million.

    San Francisco banned all flavored tobacco products in 2019, including nicotine pouches, citing evidence that flavors increase youth appeal and addiction risk.

  • South Korea to Define All Nicotine Products as ‘Cigarettes’

    South Korea to Define All Nicotine Products as ‘Cigarettes’

    South Korea’s Cabinet moved to close regulatory and taxation gaps surrounding liquid e-cigarettes, including those using synthetic or nicotine-substitute substances, amid what is says are growing safety concerns. At a Cabinet meeting today (December 16) chaired by President Lee Jae-myung, the government approved the promulgation of amendments to the Tobacco Business Act that legally classify liquid e-cigarettes as tobacco products. The revised law expands the definition of cigarettes from products made from tobacco leaves to all products containing tobacco or nicotine, bringing synthetic-nicotine liquid e-cigarettes under formal regulation.

    President Lee highlighted concerns that nicotine substitutes have been distributed without adequate safety verification and called for stronger institutional oversight. Reports of suspected lung damage linked to liquid e-cigarettes were also raised during the meeting.

    Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol said products released four months after the law takes effect will be regulated and taxed as cigarettes. However, he noted regulatory limits regarding so-called “nicotine-free” products manufactured before the law’s implementation, stressing the need for separate management and hazard assessments.

    The revision aims to eliminate regulatory and taxation blind spots while gradually strengthening safety management for nicotine substitutes.

  • Dutch Researchers Alarmed that Teens Wake to Vape

    Dutch Researchers Alarmed that Teens Wake to Vape

    A new Dutch study reports unusually high levels of nicotine dependence among secondary school pupils, with more than one-third of teenage smokers saying they wake up at night because they need nicotine. The research, published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, surveyed 978 students across five schools and found that 396 had smoked or vaped in the past year and 183 used nicotine daily. Most began around age 13 and often progressed to cigarettes, which researchers said highlights the need for stronger limits on youth access.

    Doctors involved in the study said night-time vaping is a clear marker of addiction and warned that many parents remain unaware their children smoke. Addiction expert Reinout Wiers of the University of Amsterdam told de Volkskrant he was surprised by the extent of night-time use, calling it “alarming.”

    The findings coincide with a new government anti-vaping campaign, amid repeated warnings from lung specialists as severe vaping-related medical cases emerge in the Netherlands. Other research has found that some youth-favored vapes contain toxic metals, carcinogenic chemicals, and nicotine levels above legal limits.

  • Korean Lawmakers Advance Bill to Reclassify Synthetic Nicotine

    Korean Lawmakers Advance Bill to Reclassify Synthetic Nicotine

    South Korea’s National Assembly Judiciary Committee on November 26 approved an amendment to the Tobacco Business Act that would classify liquid and synthetic-nicotine e-cigarettes as tobacco, closing long-criticized regulatory gaps. The measure heads to a plenary vote on November 27 after nearly a decade of debate.

    The bill expands the definition of cigarettes to include products “manufactured from nicotine,” while excluding pharmaceutical nicotine products. To protect existing vape retailers from abrupt shutdowns, it grants a two-year suspension of distance rules for newly designated tobacco shops and urges government support for workers transitioning out of the sector.

    Lawmakers also recommended considering temporary tax relief as the new classification takes effect. Revisions made in committee shorten the rollout period to four months, require risk assessments for existing inventory, and set the taxable moment at manufacture or import.

    Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol said the government will begin risk assessments ahead of implementation to minimize disruption.

  • Ex-WHO Director Calls for Global THR Shift

    Ex-WHO Director Calls for Global THR Shift

    Former World Health Organization (WHO) director Professor Tikki Pang urged global health authorities to embrace tobacco harm reduction, saying rigid opposition to alternative nicotine products is undermining progress against smoking-related deaths. Speaking at the Asia Forum on Nicotine, Pang said that while the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control saved millions of lives, its impact has stalled, especially in lower-income countries. He blamed slow policy implementation and rejection of less harmful products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches despite “overwhelming evidence” of the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of these (alternative) products.

    “Global health authorities have adopted a very strong anti-tobacco harm reduction stance,” Pang said. “[They] actually state that these products are as harmful as combustible cigarettes and call on their member states to ban them and actually give awards to countries which have done so.”

    Pang called for independent, evidence-based platforms to unite governments, scientists, and industry to promote transparency, proportional regulation, and harm reduction success stories.

    Pang also quoted renowned physician Alex Wodak, saying, “And I quote Alex – WHO’s position on this issue is now as irrelevant as the position of governments in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union in the 1980s on the future of central command economies. WHO’s position will collapse at some point, but I don’t know when.”

  • 22nd Century Expands VLN to 140 C-Stores in Illinois

    22nd Century Expands VLN to 140 C-Stores in Illinois

    22nd Century Group, Inc. announced the launch of its VLN reduced-nicotine content cigarettes with 140 Circle K locations in Illinois, marking another step in the company’s nationwide rollout. The products, designed to contain 95% less nicotine, are now authorized for sale in 45 states, with approvals in the remaining five expected soon.

    Chief Executive Officer Larry Firestone said the expansion returns the brand to its first launch market. “We know there are VLN smokers who will appreciate the new branding and product rollout in Illinois,” Firestone said. “Once we achieve authorization and distribution in all 50 states, we will demonstrate the large-scale feasibility of our VLN low-nicotine products and alignment with the FDA’s new low-nicotine mandate.”

  • EU Tobacco Tax Would Worsen Cyprus’ €22M Illicit Losses

    EU Tobacco Tax Would Worsen Cyprus’ €22M Illicit Losses

    Cyprus joins 11 other EU member states in opposing the European Commission’s plan to dramatically increase tobacco taxes, as officials warned the move could worsen the country’s growing illicit cigarette trade, which already costs €22 million annually in lost revenue. At 29%, Cyprus has the seventh-highest smoking rate in the EU.

    The proposal, discussed at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council in Luxembourg, would nearly triple minimum excise duties on cigarettes and, for the first time, introduce EU-wide levies on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Under the plan, minimum cigarette taxes would rise from €90 to €215 per 1,000 cigarettes, pushing the price of a pack in Cyprus from €4.50 to as much as €7.50, while hand-rolling tobacco would almost double in cost. Next-generation nicotine products would face a 45% minimum tax from 2028, increasing to €88 per 1,000 units by 2032.

    Cyprus already faces a mounting smuggling crisis, with illicit cigarette consumption rising to 14.3% in 2024, up from 11% the previous year—equal to 130 million illegal cigarettes consumed. Across the EU, illicit consumption reached 38.9 billion cigarettes, causing €14.9 billion in lost revenue.

  • Harm Reduction ‘Should be Wake-Up Call’ for Policymakers

    Harm Reduction ‘Should be Wake-Up Call’ for Policymakers

    At the 2025 Asia Forum on Nicotine, Prof. Dr. Rohan Sequeira, Consultant Cardio Endocrinologist, warned that Asia remains the epicenter of the global tobacco epidemic, home to over half of the world’s 1 billion smokers and responsible for 4 million tobacco-related deaths each year. He said traditional control measures—taxation, warning labels, and public campaigns—have done little to reverse rising smoking rates in South and Southeast Asia. What the region needs, he argued, is not more prohibition but a science-based harm reduction approach that recognizes medical evidence.

    “It’s the combustion of tobacco or the use of unprocessed tobacco which causes 7,000 toxic chemicals,” Dr. Sequeira said, emphasizing that nicotine, though addictive, is not the chief cause of tobacco-related disease. “Most of the policies for tobacco harm reduction have been based on good medical science behind it.”

    Presenting data-driven projections, Dr. Sequeira called for urgent policy reform, stating that if China alone were to adopt a national harm reduction framework, up to 30 million lives could be saved over 30 years. He urged policymakers and the medical community to see harm reduction as a moral and scientific imperative. “This should be a wake-up call to policymakers,” he said. “We are fighting the good fight. We’re looking at harm reduction, and we’re looking for people to have a better quality of life.”

  • Survey: Most Policy Experts Misidentify Nicotine Risks

    Survey: Most Policy Experts Misidentify Nicotine Risks

    A new multi-market survey of policy experts across 15 different territories reveals that erroneous perceptions of nicotine health risks continue to persist, despite both the growing scientific consensus that nicotine is not a primary cause of smoking-related disease and the increased availability of smokeless alternatives to conventional cigarettes, according to BAT.

    The survey, commissioned by British American Tobacco (BAT) and released ahead of the start of this year’s GTNF in Brussels this week, reveals that seven in 10 policy experts continue to incorrectly believe nicotine is the main cause of smoking-related disease.

    In addition, the research—which interviewed three cohorts (Nicotine Users; Policy Experts; and Medical Professionals) in 2024 and 2025—also found that while half of medical professionals discussed smokeless alternatives to cigarettes weekly with their patients, only 21% feel well-informed enough to recommend them.

    Kingsley Wheaton, Chief Corporate Officer at BAT, said: “This survey shows that while change is possible, it’s not a given. We’re seeing green shoots of progress, especially where we’ve launched new product innovations and invested in clear, science-led communication. But the data also tells us we must go further and faster and equip those making decisions with the latest scientific evidence about smokeless products.

    “We remain committed to working with public health authorities, regulators and scientists to ensure accurate information reaches consumers.”

    Conducted by a third party on behalf of BAT, the research did show indications of improved perception of smokeless products, in particular vapor products among nicotine users.

  • Bloomberg Reports on Uncertain Future of FDA Nicotine Rule

    Bloomberg Reports on Uncertain Future of FDA Nicotine Rule

    Bloomberg Law reports that the Biden-era FDA proposal to slash nicotine levels in cigarettes faces uncertainty after being excluded from a key regulatory agenda under the Trump administration. Yesterday’s article, titled “Tobacco Industry Fights Biden’s Proposed Cigarette Nicotine Cut,” highlights nearly 5,000 public comments showing a split between industry opposition, citing economic and legal concerns, and public health advocates supporting the rule as a critical step to reduce smoking.

    The piece details how cigarette makers argued the proposed nicotine standard is technically and legally unachievable, while experts say the FDA has the authority to issue the rule without reducing nicotine to zero. The report includes commentary from former FDA officials, attorneys, and tobacco control researchers.