Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Marissa Dean
Morocco Cigarette Prices to Increase
Morocco will see an increase in cigarette prices this year, reports Morocco World News. Some packs will increase by up to MAD2 ($0.20) while premium brands will have minimal or no increase. The increase is aimed at narrowing the gap between low-cost and premium cigarettes to create a more balanced market, according to the Moroccan government. Entry-level brands are the main targets of the increase. Societe Marocaine des Tabacas raised prices of Gauloises and Marquise by MAD1.
Latvia: Tobacco Sellers Look for Loopholes in New Regulations
Tobacco sellers in Latvia are reportedly looking for loopholes in the new regulations that go into effect this month, according to Euro News. Beginning January 2025, tobacco products, including disposable vapes, refillable e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouches, cannot be sold to individuals under 20 years old, and vaping products can no longer have flavors other than tobacco. The amount of nicotine in nicotine pouches will also be reduced.
Milan Bans Outdoor Smoking
Milan has banned smoking in outdoor and public areas, effective Jan. 1, 2025, reports Euro News. The ban includes “all public spaces, including streets” but provides an exception for isolated spaces as long as smokers maintain a distance of at least 10 meters from other people. Those caught violating the ban face fines ranging from €40 to €240. The ban aims to improve the city’s air quality and protect the health of citizens from secondhand smoke.
Study: One Cigarette Decreases Life Expectancy by 20 Minutes
A new study in Addiction shows that smoking a single cigarette decreases life expectancy by an average of 20 minutes, reports CNN Health. The study is based off British smokers and was commissioned by the U.K. Department for Health and Social Care. The research, which came out of University College London, estimated that the loss of life expectancy for men was about 17 minutes and for women was about 22 minutes.
A Platform for Dialogue
With its Omni tool, BAT has released a dynamic, science-based guide to tobacco harm reduction. The concept of tobacco harm reduction (THR) dates back to at least 1976, when Michael Russell made his famous statement that people smoke for the nicotine but die from the tar and suggested that altering the ratio of tar to nicotine could be the way to safer smoking.
At the Turning Point
Belarus’ role in the illicit cigarette trade is under scrutiny. For years, Belarus has been under scrutiny for its alleged distribution of illegal counterfeit cigarettes, a practice that is now under severe pressure in the current political landscape. This pressure casts a shadow of uncertainty over the industry’s future. A cornerstone of the Belarus national budget, the tobacco industry contributed BYR2.5 billion ($76.45 million) in 2023.
From Tradition to Transition
With the launch of its Sixhill heated-tobacco brand, Firstunion is offering smokers in the Middle East a less risky alternative to smoking. The Middle East is one of the last growth markets for combustible cigarettes. Tobacco has been deeply rooted in the culture since the 1600s, and regional smoking rates are among the highest in the world.
Toward Pure Leaf
With its new Pure-F sorter, Koerber Technologies removes undesired materials from tobacco at the earliest possible point. It’s annoying but unavoidable: Nontobacco-related materials (NTRMs) can find their way into tobacco at any production stage, from harvesting to processing through packing, shipping, warehousing and even beyond.
A Breath of Fresh AIR
AIR Global focuses on innovating the shisha and inhalation sphere, catering to growing markets and evolving needs. Much like most of the tobacco industry, the shisha and hookah markets have been around for a long time. Unlike much of the industry, however, these markets have seen comparatively little innovation over the years.
Choppy Waters
New taxes and regulations are reshaping the tobacco markets in the Baltic countries. Following the Europe-wide trend, the Baltic countries are reshaping the tobacco market with new taxes and health regulations. These efforts promise dramatic changes to the industry, which is already experiencing shifts due to changes in consumer demand and demographic factors while dealing with the large-scale counterfeit problem.
Small Packs, Big Problems
Pakistan’s dispute over cigarette exports to Sudan No matter the outcome, the situation is unlikely to yield any winners. In April, local news outlets reported that BAT subsidiary Pakistan Tobacco Co. (PTC) had asked Pakistan’s government for permission to fulfill a $20.5 million order from Sudan for cigarettes packed in boxes of 10 sticks each. The sale would require a change of law.
Thoughtful Progress
At the recent GTNF in Athens, stakeholders debated how to responsibly advance innovation. For a decade and a half now, the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) has nurtured engagement worldwide, fostering lively and constructive discussions among its participants. The GTNF’s most recent gathering, Sept. 24–26 in Athens, was no exception.
Thailand: Vaping at Home Violates Child Protection Laws
Exposure to secondhand vapor from vaping at home could be considered a violation of Thailand’s child protection laws, according to child health and rights experts who are calling for more awareness of the dangers of vaping around children, reports The Pattaya Mail. Under national laws, vaping around children could be considered “domestic violence,” according to Thai authorities. They are calling for stricter enforcement.
Virginia Tobacco Commission Considering Energy Grant Requests
Virginia’s Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission has $12 million to spend on energy projects as part of a legislative mandate to revitalize the economies of two regions that are no longer receiving economic benefits from the tobacco industry, reports Virginia Mercury. The Energy Ingenuity Committee, at the commission’s last meeting, discussed applications it received for two rounds of the funds that opened this year.
Tanzania Tobacco Exports Hit $438 Million
Tanzania’s tobacco export value has hit $438.5 million, more than double the previous year, according to data from the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and Bank of Tanzania (BoT), reports The Guardian. The government’s target was $400 million. Tobacco exports have now surpassed coffee and cashews as the leading traditional export earning commercial crop. Tobacco is currently produced under contract.
Brazilian Tobacco Suitable for Shipments to China
On Aug. 9, the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) hosted a meeting to formalize the closure of the tobacco pre-inspection procedure for the 2023/2024 crop year, one of the requirements of the bilateral trade protocol between Brazil and China.
The Case for Nicotine
Many policymakers see nicotine as part of the problem; THR proponents see it as part of the solution. Understanding why such deeply opposing views are held also provides a view of the way ahead. Advocates of tobacco harm reduction (THR) and the industry making THR products are accustomed to fighting battles on multiple fronts—simultaneously contending with the threat of flavor bans, new taxes and misrepresentations of science, for example.
Hot Commodity
Leaf tobacco remains in short supply. Tobacco remains a scarce commodity. Universal Leaf estimates world leaf production, excluding China, at 4.66 billion green kg in 2023, down from 4.86 billion kg in 2022. This year, the merchant expects global production to rise to 5.2 billion kg, but there are issues that might alter this forecast.
Nicotine 2040
The market for tobacco and nicotine is transforming—how could it look by 2040? “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future,” said the great Danish physicist Niels Bohr. The future is a burial ground for expert reputations, but that should never be a reason to shy away from predictions. Much of what we do today will shape the world in 2040, and our view of how the world should be in 2040 should shape what we do today.
Shock Absorber
With an appropriate tax regime, fine-cut tobacco can provide a useful buffer between high-priced cigarettes and illicit products. Across Europe, three countries offer showcase examples of unintended consequences created by ill-designed tax policies. The fiscal frameworks in France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands prevent fine-cut tobacco (FCT) from fulfilling its buffer function in the nicotine ecosystem, leading to high levels of illicit trade.
The Heart of HTMS
Ronald Woodthorpe passed away on March 26, 2024, at age 86 after a three-year fight with dementia. He is missed by his surviving family and friends, but his legacy remains at the heart of Hampshire Tobacco Machinery Services (HTMS). Born in London in 1938, Woodthorpe was always a hard worker, training as a toolmaker after finishing secondary school. He took a job with Robert Legg in 1964 as a toolmaker—the company manufactured tobacco machinery and domestic appliances at the time.
UKVIA Begins Application for CTSI Approved Code Scheme
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has initiated the application process to become part of the CTSI Approved Code Scheme (ACS). The ACS was created to give greater peace of mind and protection to consumers, and members of the scheme are recognized as trustworthy, reputable and having a proven commitment to “honest business” and “higher standards,” according to the UKVIA.
22nd Century to Relaunch and Expand VLN in South Korea
22nd Century Group announced a new agreement for full-scale commercial rollout of its VLN reduced-nicotine content cigarettes in South Korea. The new agreement with 22nd Century’s local partner, Nico-Tech Korea Inc., follows an initial test launch conducted in 2022 that identified product updates needed to align with local South Korean cigarette characteristics and appeal to the specific preferences of adult smokers in Korea.
CTP Updates Tobacco Compliance Website
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) has announced an enhancement to its website, which will more easily present information about tobacco compliance check outcomes. The agency noted in a statement that the database is designed to be a resource for various audiences, including the general public, public health groups and the tobacco industry.
Imperial Tobacco Canada Certified as Great Place to Work
Imperial Tobacco Canada has been certified as a Great Place to Work. “We are immensely proud of this recognition, especially that it comes directly from feedback received by our employees. We put enormous efforts into creating an environment where we can all shine and achieve our full potential,” said Frank Silva, president of Imperial Tobacco Canada.
New York City Wants Wholesalers to End Vape Sales
The mayor of New York City has requested a Manhattan judge to intervene immediately and halt the sale of illegal flavored vapes by 11 wholesalers in New York. The city filed suit against the wholesalers in April, citing data that kids and teens are getting hooked on flavored e-cigarettes at alarming rates. Now, the city’s lawyers say they need a preliminary injunction to force the illegal flavored vape peddlers to quit their noxious practices immediately, according to the New York Post.
WHO Releases First Clinical Treatment Guideline for Tobacco Cessation
The World Health Organization has released a comprehensive set of tobacco cessation interventions, including behavioral support delivered by healthcare providers, digital cessation interventions and pharmacological treatments, in its first guideline on tobacco cessation. The guideline focuses on helping tobacco users who want to quit all forms of tobacco.
Swedish Match Presents to FDA on General Snus
Experts from Swedish Match USA, an affiliate of Philip Morris International, presented to the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee on June 26, 2024, according to a PMI press release. The committee, comprising independent scientific researchers, provides regulatory guidance to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products.
WHO Wants Cambodia to Raise Tobacco Taxes
Ada Moadsiri, World Health Organization representative in Cambodia, called for an increase in the special tax on cigarettes in the kingdom, reports the . According to Moadsiri, the current tax is not enough to discourage cigarette use or to raise enough revenues to offset the cost in terms of healthcare and economic output caused by tobacco-related illnesses.
PMI Accused of ‘Manipulating Science’
Philip Morris International has been accused of “manipulating science for profit” through funding research and advocacy work with scientists, according to The Guardian. Leaked documents from PMI and its Japanese affiliate revealed plans to target politicians, doctors and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as part of the company’s marketing strategy to attract nonsmokers to its IQOS heated-tobacco product. Japan is a launch market for IQOS.
Reynolds Launches Disposable Non-Nicotine Vape
R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company (RJRVC), an operating company of Reynolds American Inc. (Reynolds American), BAT Group’s U.S. subsidiary, is expanding its innovative vapor portfolio with SENSA, a zero-nicotine vapor product. As the market leader in vapor with its Vuse products, RJRVC is joining the growing marketplace for zero-nicotine vapor products and aims to establish the highest standards in the industry, according to an emailed press release.
The Best of Both
Newly created Your Tobacco Link harnesses the strengths of JEB International and Tobacco Trading and Services. The concept for the merger was sketched on a napkin during a dinner in Antwerp. “It was very old-school tobacco,” recalls Jay Barker, founder of U.S.-headquartered JEB International Tobacco Co. and one of the partners in the new business. Yet the resulting company, Your Tobacco Link (YTL), is anything but old school.
Brand ‘Zambia’
Operating in the shadow of its tobacco powerhouse neighbor, Zimbabwe, Zambia is trying to make a name for itself on the global market. When researching leaf tobacco production in Zambia, it is almost de rigueur to seek an answer to the question of why the country grows a Virginia flue-cured crop only about one-eighth the size of that produced by its neighbor Zimbabwe.
Bearing Fruit
Alliance One’s seed breeders in Brazil are boosting crop quality and yields while improving disease resistance and tolerance for extreme weather conditions. Small may be beautiful, but in some cases, bigger is better. Take tobacco seeds, which range between 0.5 mm and 1 mm in diameter. A single gram of the material can contain a whopping 10,000 seeds. While that may seem efficient, seeds of that size are also difficult to handle.
Gaining Momentum
It would be wrong, however, to give the impression that everything has been going without a hitch. Monkau readily admits that his company was hit by financial and other constraints during the 2022–2023 season and that its crop of 150,000 kg was well below what had been initially targeted. And while the 600,000 kg crop expected this season would represent a major increase, it would have been even bigger, perhaps 1 million kg, but for the El Nino weather effect.
A Clean Sweep
At Cerdia’s much-anticipated 12th filter colloquium, speakers detailed the progress in reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. “On the road toward a sustainable future” was the theme of Cerdia’s 12th filter colloquium, which took place in Freiburg, Germany, June 3–5. The conference has a rich tradition. Except for the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, the acetate tow manufacturer’s event has taken place every three years since the mid-1980s.
Celebrating Diversity
Diversity and equal opportunities are an integral part of JTI’s business success. According to studies, diversity in the workplace can contribute to smarter decision-making, greater productivity and reduced rates of employee turnover, along with improved corporate reputations.
Puffs with Papers
U.S. states are passing vape product registry bills to compensate for meek federal enforcement. Vaping product registry bills are gaining momentum in the U.S. This surge is a direct response to the perceived lack of action from the Food and Drug Administration in curbing the influx of illegal disposable vaping products. Currently, three states have implemented registry rules, with four more set to follow suit in 2025. Several other states are drafting similar bills.
Punching Above Its Weight
A small family business, LTL holds its own as a supplier of equipment to the global tobacco industry. While I was corresponding in March with the founder of LTL, Paul Lawton-Bryant, he was involved hands-on with others in his company fulfilling an order for one of its CR120P super-slim format cigarette-tobacco reclaim systems (CTRS).
A Broader Approach
To lower the health and economic burden of smoking, lawmakers should incorporate tobacco harm reduction into their policies. The figures are staggering. Smoking cost the world economy an estimated $1.85 trillion, or about 1.8 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP), in 2012, according to a monograph published by the World Health Organization and the U.S. National Cancer Institute in 2016. The authors distinguish between direct and indirect costs.
Major Australian Pharmacies Against Vape Sales
Several major pharmacy chains in Australia have stated that they will not stock vapes once their sale is prohibited outside of pharmacies and a prescription requirement for adults is lifted. In communications with their stakeholders, TerryWhite Chemmart, Priceline Pharmacy, National Pharmacies in South Australia and 777 Group in West Australia all voiced strong disagreement with new laws allowing the sale of vapes without prescriptions.
Zimbabwe Tobacco Sales Reach $721 Million
So far this marketing season, Zimbabwe’s tobacco farmers have brought in $721 million from the tobacco auction and contract floors, down from $832 million in the same period last year, reports . This year, 208 million kilograms have been delivered to the marketing floors so far compared to 275 million kilograms last year. The target this year is 265 million kilograms, which is lower than last year’s target; however, this year’s crop was affected by El Nino induced drought.
Estonia Smoke-Free Spaces Expanding
Estonia’s government has plans to expand smoke-free outdoor spaces, including places like beaches and parks, according to . The government approved Estonia’s positions on tobacco policy, including the expansion of smoke-free outdoor areas to include terraces, parks, beaches and other recreational areas where many people gather.
Australia Softens Stance on Vaping Product Ban
Australia will soften a proposed ban on vaping following opposition from the Greens party, leading the government to agree to revise a bill that would have limited vapes to those with a doctor’s prescription. The agreement between the ruling center-left Labor Party and the Greens will lead to the passage of legislation later this week that restricts the sale of vapes to pharmacies and removes them from retail shelves. This move is aimed at curbing the rise in youth vaping.
Durbin Disappointed in FDA for Menthol Vape Order
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the marketing of four Njoy brand menthol e-cigarette products, Senator Dick Durbin was disappointed. He said the agency should have done better. The move marks the first nontobacco-flavored e-cigarette products to be authorized by the FDA. “Flavors like menthol are used by Big Tobacco companies to mask the harsh taste of their dangerous products.
Zimbabwe Cigar Tobacco Marketing Season Opens
Zimbabwe’s 2024 cigar tobacco marketing season opened in Manicaland with a high price of $7.05 per kilogram recorded on the first sale, according to The Herald. The crop is in its 10th year of production. Growers have sold 5,200 kg of cigar tobacco worth $16,432 at an average price of $3.16 per kilogram, according to Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) statistics. “Growers comprised 11 small-scale growers all doing half a hectare each and one commercial farmer doing four hectares.
Germany Revokes Shisha Packaging Rules
Germany’s finance ministry has revoked its rules for packaging shisha tobacco, which caused major backlash and some retailers to go bankrupt, according to . The packaging regulation was introduced in 2022 to prevent tax evasion, which was a frequent issue in shisha bars. Shisha bars would buy large packages of shisha tobacco and divide them into small portions, which the government said was tax evasion because the bars were paying less in taxes than they should be.
Revenant Rule
Canada’s new health minister is breathing new life into a 2021 proposal to ban vape flavors nationwide. There’s life in the old dog yet: In March 2024, Canada relaunched a three-year-old plan to ban all vape flavors except tobacco, mint and menthol. The regulations were first published in June 2021 in the Canada Gazette, signaling the government’s intention to implement the flavor ban within six months after the obligatory public consultation.
Losing Steam
Heated-tobacco products continue to eat into the sales of combustible cigarettes in Japan, albeit at a slower pace than before. By Stefanie Rossel This year marks the 10th anniversary of IQOS’ debut in Japan. Within a decade, Philip Morris International’s heated-tobacco product (HTP) has changed the country’s tobacco market beyond recognition. HTPs accounted for 37.9 percent of all tobacco sales in Japan last year.
Pulling its Punches
China, the world’s largest supplier of e-cigarettes, has failed to take full advantage of the risk reduction opportunities offered by vapes. An Aug. 27 heading on a story in Singapore’s The Straits Times proclaimed, “300 million and counting: Why China just can’t kick the cigarette habit.” Newspaper headings are normally not written by the writers of stories and are aimed at grabbing the reader’s attention, but they should accurately reflect the story.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Marissa
Contact Marissa, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack