The US leaf-tobacco industry is still weighing up the likely fallout from Alliance One International’s decision to stop buying US Burley, according to Christopher Bickers.
In the latest edition of his Tobacco Farmer Newsletter, Bickers quoted Tennessee extension specialist Eric Walker as saying the big Burley-producing counties of middle Tennessee, Macon, Trousdale and Smith, would clearly take a major hit.
‘For the state as whole, he thinks we might possibly see an 80 percent crop, and it could certainly be smaller,’ Bickers wrote.
‘The effect on Burley plantings is still unclear, but no one doubts that Tennessee will be the state most affected.’
(The Newsletter’s email address has changed and is now cebickers@aol.com.)
Tag: United States
Contracting Burley
Science losing to ideology
Calling electronic cigarettes toxic and unsafe is absurd, according to Alex Berezow, senior fellow of biomedical science with the American Council on Smoking and Health.
In a piece published on the Council’s website, Berezow made the point that, not that long ago, if a company had invented a far safer way to deliver nicotine to addicted smokers, politicians would have been celebrating.
But today, partisanship had ruined just about everything.
‘I knew something was amiss when I spotted an advertisement in a Seattle light rail car,’ Berezow said. ‘The ad warned potential vapers not to be “fooled” by e-cigarettes, which it said were toxic, addictive, and unsafe. Yes, they are addictive (because they contain nicotine), but calling them toxic and unsafe is absurd. Compared to regular cigarettes, vaping devices are 95 percent safer, according to the UK’s NHS.
‘In other words, if Seattle smokers follow their own public health department’s advice, they are likelier to die. Why on earth would a public health department give such terrible advice? Because the debate over vaping isn’t about science; it’s about ideology.’Universal results webcast
Universal Corporation is due to webcast a conference call on May 23 at www.universalcorp.com following the release of its results for fiscal year 2018 after market close on that date.
The conference call, which will begin at 17.00 Eastern Time and which will be in listen-only mode, will be hosted by Candace C. Formacek, vice president and treasurer.
A replay of the webcast conference call will be available at www.universalcorp.com through August 6.
Additionally, a taped replay of the call will be available from 20.30 on May 23 through June 6 at (855) 859-2056, using the telephone replay identification number 1754119.NCD strategy proposed
Growing evidence from the US and other countries suggests that less-harmful products, such as smokeless tobacco, heat-not-burn devices, and electronic cigarettes, are viable alternatives to combustible cigarettes, according to a comment made by The Heartland Institute to the World Health Organization’s Independent High-level Commission on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The comment, signed by Lindsey Stroud, the Institute’s state government relations manager, said that these products were far more effective smoking-cessation tools than were those provided by the US’ current system of taxation and regulation, which had been remarkably ineffective in helping smokers quit.
‘We believe products such as smokeless tobacco, heat-not-burn, and electronic cigarettes have significant potential in aiding the WHO in its mission to eradicate NCDs,’ Stroud said. ‘As the evidence for their potential as effective cessation tools continues to grow, public health agencies should focus on policies that promote their use. Not only should these products be regulated differently than traditional cigarettes, public health groups should inform the public of their health potential and use these tools to combat smoking.
‘The Heartland Institute recommends the WHO:- ‘Assist nation-states with the creation and oversight of tobacco-control programs that promote the use of less-harmful products for cessation aids. Significant health gains will be lost without the promotion of these products, as there is ample evidence indicating they are some of the most effective cessation tools.
- ‘Governments should promote policies that encourage the use of less-harmful alternatives to cigarettes, rather than creating regulatory hurdles that prevent smokers from using these products.
- ‘WHO should encourage governments to continue working with the private sector to find free-market alternatives to combustible tobacco cigarettes.’
New Altria CEO takes over
Following Altria’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Howard Willard succeeded Marty Barrington as the company’s chairman and CEO.
Barrington, who was chairman, CEO and president, said earlier this year that he would be retiring after 25 years of service.
“Howard is immensely qualified to lead Altria, having served in numerous leadership positions during his 25-year career with us, including as chief operating officer and chief financial officer,” said Barrington.Workshop places limited
The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is due to host a Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Data User Workshop on Biomarker Restricted-Use Files, according to a note issued by the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).
The workshop will be held at the ICPSR in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, on August 13-14.
‘The workshop will introduce participants to the PATH Study, focusing on the study design, data collection procedures, adult instrument, and variables,’ the note said.
‘With this information, participants will be able to formulate research questions appropriate for the PATH Study biomarker data.
‘In addition, participants will gain a thorough understanding of the content and organization of the biomarker data files, interview data files, and weighting files.
‘Participants will also gain knowledge and hands-on experience in linking biomarker data files with interview data files and weighting files, as well as in working with the data and understanding the weighted results.’
The CTP said the workshop was free to attend, but that admission was competitive and that applications were due by Friday, May 18.Altria to webcast meeting
The Altria Group is due to host a live audio webcast of its 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders starting at 09.00 Eastern Time on May 17.
The webcast will be in a listen-only mode and pre-event registration is necessary through www.altria.com/webcasts.
An archived copy of the webcast will be made available on altria.com or through the Altria Investor App. The free app is available for download at www.altria.com/irapp or through the Apple App Store or Google Play.FDA submissions update
The US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco products (CTP) has said that it has updated its electronic document submission system.
According to a note issued by the CTP, the update has been made in response to industry feedback.
The update, which includes that to the eSubmitter, is said to have been made to assist manufacturers of deemed tobacco products with navigating the ingredient listing submission process and other online submissions in a quicker and more efficient way.
‘For example, the updated eSubmitter software now:- Has more memory for better overall performance,
- Permits alphanumeric tobacco product (TP) numbers, and
- Allows manufacturers to choose from several preformatted Microsoft Excel .xlsx spreadsheet files, depending on the tobacco product type and number of products.’
More information is available through the FDA website note: FDA Software Helps Tobacco Product Manufacturers Meet FDA’s Compliance Deadlines.
Ingredient listings are due today for non-small-scale manufacturers.Time to take the initiative
The US-based National Tobacco Reform Initiative (NTRI) believes that misperceptions that nicotine is the harmful part of tobacco comprise one of the biggest barriers to encouraging adult smokers to switch to nicotine products that are not burnt.
In a press note issued yesterday, the NTRI said that nicotine did not cause cancer while, in small doses, might contribute minimally to cardio-vascular disease. In contrast, cigarette smoke contained 7,000+ chemicals, including carbon monoxide and 69 known carcinogens, and caused almost half a million premature deaths among US citizens every year.
‘The steady drum beat of fear and panic about nicotine containing e-cigarettes from public health and medical authorities calling for strong action to stem an imagined epidemic of nicotine addiction plaguing our youth, leaves many adult smokers confused while they continue to smoke,’ the note said. ‘A balance must be found between protecting our young people, and helping smokers end their use of a deadly burning tobacco product by switching to substantially safer alternatives, if they cannot or do not want to quit using nicotine altogether.’
The NTRI (http://www.tobaccoreform.org) is led by a team of independent senior tobacco control experts committed to facilitate open and evidence-based discussions about the most effective ways to reduce the prevalence of adult smokers to 10 percent by the year 2024, an interagency-approved goal, and to five percent or lower by 2030.
According to David Abrams, Ph.D. of the NYU College of Global Health and former director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Science (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, the NTRI believes that its fundamental health goal is to eliminate the number-one, totally-preventable cause of death in the US, cigarette smoking, and that the evidence shows that e-cigarettes can help smokers to quit or switch.
“While nicotine is not harmless, it is urgent and critical the public, especially smokers, be better informed about the substantial reductions in total health risks that arise from smoking compared to vaping e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and other nicotine-containing harm-reduction products such as FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) like patches, gum and lozenges,” Abrams said
Meanwhile, NTRI member, Scott Ballin, health policy consultant, former vice president and legislative counsel to the American Heart Association, who has spent 40 years working on tobacco-related policy issues, said that innovative new products demanded that all stakeholders should work together to provide the public with truthful and accurate information about the substantially different risks of combusted and non-combusted nicotine-containing products.
“Governmental agencies, such as the FDA and CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], national tobacco control organizations and healthcare professionals have ethical responsibilities to do so loudly and often,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that the real losers are the millions of addicted smokers who do not perceive much difference in health risk between smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, nicotine medications and cigarettes.”One appointment today
Alliance One International said yesterday that Bryan Mazur had joined the company as executive vice president, global specialty products.
Prior to joining AOI, Mazur served as vice president and general manager of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, where he built and scaled multiple consumer-facing product brands over the course of 20 years.
In his new role, Mazur will be responsible for global business development and driving innovation and growth.
‘AOI recently announced investments in compelling market opportunities in the e-liquids, industrial hemp and legal Canadian cannabis industries as part of its “One Tomorrow” transformation initiative,’ the company said in a note posted on its website.
‘Announced in February 2018, the objective of the One Tomorrow initiative is to drive future growth opportunities and reshape the AOI brand as the trusted provider of responsibly produced, independently verified, sustainable, and traceable agricultural products and services.
‘The recent investments in the new business lines build upon the strength of AOI’s core operations, institutional knowledge, operational expertise and corporate values.’
Pieter Sikkel (pictured), AOI’s president and CEO, said Mazur came to AOI with an extensive background in consumer-facing products that would be a strong asset for the company as it moved forward with its One Tomorrow transformation initiative.
“His experience in leveraging the history and knowledge of an existing company to launch and scale new brands is an excellent fit for the needs of our evolving business. We are excited that Bryan has decided to join our team.”
