Author: Timothy Donahue

Surgeon General Releases Report on Tobacco Use
Vivek Murthy
The Surgeon General of the United States released a new report on health disparities related to tobacco use. The report finds that despite the nation’s substantial progress in reducing cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure in the overall U.S. population, that progress has not been equal for all population groups.
Disparities in tobacco use persist by race and ethnicity, income, education, sexual orientation and gender identity, occupation, geography, behavioral health status, and other factors. Additionally, cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure continue to cause nearly half a million deaths a year in the United States—nearly one in five of all deaths.
“Tobacco use continues to decline. Americans increasingly understand tobacco products are dangerous and addictive and many are taking advantage of available tools to help them quit. That’s great news,” said Xavier Becerra, HHS Secretary for Health. “Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. That’s unacceptable. We will keep working until tobacco is no longer a menace to individuals and families across the nation. We will continue our efforts to improve health equity and support communities that remain the most vulnerable.”
This report expands upon the 1998 Surgeon General’s report on tobacco use among U.S. racial and ethnic groups to include data and trends by additional demographic factors and their intersection. This report also summarizes research on factors that influence tobacco-related disparities, and outlines actions everyone can take to eliminate these disparities and advance health equity in the United States.
“Tobacco use imposes a heavy toll on families across generations. Now is the time to accelerate our efforts to create a world in which zero lives are harmed by or lost to tobacco,” said Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “This report offers a vision for a tobacco-free future, focused on those who bear the greatest burden, and serves as a call to action for all people to play a role in realizing that vision.”
Tobacco-Related Disparities Today
Smoking has declined more than 70% in the United States since 1965. However, progress achieved through improvements in tobacco-related policies, regulations, programs, research, clinical care, and other areas, has not resulted in the same outcomes across all U.S. population groups.
Cigarette smoking is higher among American Indian and Alaska Native people than other racial and ethnic groups, and smoking among men and women living in poverty is more than twice as common compared to those not living in poverty. Smoking is also higher among adults with lower levels of education; people who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual; adults who work in manual labor and service jobs; people who reside in rural areas; adults who reside in the Midwest or South; and people living with a mental health condition or substance use disorder.
Despite the good news that deaths due to secondhand tobacco smoke exposure have declined by more than 50% since 2006, among people who don’t smoke, secondhand smoke exposure remains disproportionately high among children, Black people, people with lower incomes, and adults with lower levels of education. The magnitude of these disparities has increased since 2000.
“While there is much to celebrate, the progress has not been equal across all populations or communities. Progress, in the form of improvements in tobacco-related policies, regulations, programs, research, clinical care, and other areas, has not resulted in the same outcomes for everyone,” said Adm. Rachel L. Levine, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health. “We have not made progress unless we have all made progress.”
While cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States, disparities exist in smoking-related health outcomes. For example, American Indian and Alaska Native adults have the highest prevalence of COPD, and Black men have the highest incidence and death rate due to lung cancer of any racial and ethnic group of men or women.
Factors that Influence Tobacco-Related Disparities
Multiple factors influence tobacco-related health disparities, including:

Poverty, racism, discrimination, and other social determinants of health—such as where people live, how much money they make, access to health care – and exposure to tobacco product advertising and marketing.
The tobacco industry, whose tactics include concentrated marketing of tobacco products in neighborhoods with greater percentages of Black and Hispanic people, and residents with lower incomes; and marketing flavored products, including menthol, to specific groups. Menthol can make it easier to start smoking and harder to quit.
Financial and other obstacles to accessing treatments proven to help people quit using tobacco.
Social and environmental influences, such as whether family and friends smoke, smokefree air policies at home and work, and stress and exposure to dangers in the workplace.
Gaps in tobacco prevention and control protections, such as smokefree air policies.
Preemptive laws that block communities from protecting their members’ health.
What Can be Done to Eliminate Tobacco-Related Disparities
Everyone has a role to play in eliminating tobacco-related disparities, according to a press release.
“To do this, we must:

Address the factors that influence tobacco-related disparities, such as inequitable access to health care; high-quality education; and safe, smokefree housing and workplaces.
Drive down the appeal, addictiveness, and availability of commercial tobacco products, such as by placing restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products, establishing a maximum nicotine yield to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products, and regulating the number of stores that sell tobacco.
Equitably implement strategies proven to reduce commercial tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. These strategies include tobacco product price increases, comprehensive smokefree air policies, effective counter-marketing and media campaigns, and evidence-based quitting resources.
Encourage friends, family members, and coworkers—including youth—to quit the use of tobacco products and support them in getting help to quit through resources, such as 1-800-QUIT-NOW and smokefree.gov.”
For Surgeon General’s report information and resources, including the full report, a report executive summary, a consumer guide, and fact sheets, visit www.SurgeonGeneral.gov or www.CDC.gov/EndTobaccoDisparities
November 19, 2024
Imperial Brands Sees Double-Digit Growth in Vapes

Tobacco giant Imperial Brands has reported a dip in revenue despite double-digit growth in its electronic cigarettes division and growth in its traditional tobacco division.
The company told markets this morning that net revenue from tobacco and “next-generation” products rose 4.6 percent in the year ended September 30.
Adjusted earnings per share rose 1.09 percent, while reported earnings per share rose 19.1 percent, media reports.
Overall revenue, which includes duties and peripheral products, fell by 0.2 percent to £32,411 million from £32,475 million in 2023.
Imperial said its revenue from these products grew 26 percent. However, Imperial’s next-generation revenue remains much lower than for tobacco, with the former representing only around eight percent of tobacco’s net revenue.
Chief executive Stefan Bomhard said that the tobacco markets remains strong. “In tobacco, investment in our brands and sales force initiatives have delivered aggregate market share gains across our five priority markets, while delivering strong pricing,” he said.
November 19, 2024
Retail Group Launches Guide for Disposables Ban

Credit: Benn Photo
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has launched an extended version of its Selling Vapes Responsibly guide to support retailers in their gradual move away from disposable vapes ahead of a product ban on June 1, 2025.
The new guidance outlines the features that vapes need to have to be legal for sale from 1 June, as well as what to do with any disposable vapes that are unsold when the ban comes into force.
Vapes that are legal to sell from 1 June must be chargeable and refillable, as opposed to disposable vapes, which are intended for a single use and are limited to 2ml of vape liquid.
Anyone selling disposable vapes from 1 June 2025 could get a £200 fixed-penalty notice, followed by further enforcement action if they continue to break the law, media reports.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said introducing a ban on disposable vapes next year will mark a significant change for thousands of retailers that currently stock these products.
“We have produced this guide to help retailers with the transition and ensure that nobody falls on the wrong side of the law on [June 1],” he said. “It is important that any retailer selling vapes not only prepares themselves for the change but also communicates with customers on the implications of the ban to avoid any potential confrontations or flashpoints in store.”
The guide has been produced with Bucks and Surrey Trading Standards as assured advice, which means that ACS members can rely on this advice and the interpretations of how to comply with the new regulations.
“By having this advice assured as part of our award-winning scheme with Bucks and Surrey Trading Standards, retailers can have confidence that following this guidance will see them operating legally and without fear of prosecution,” Lowman said.
Since the start of 2024, retailers who sell vapes have been required to provide a take-back service for customers on a minimum of a “one for one” basis (a customer can return a vape when they buy a new one).
The ACS guide sets out all the requirements for retailers when taking back used vapes, storing them in their business, and arranging for regular collection so they can be recycled.
Selling Vapes Responsibly also includes advice for retailers on spotting an illicit product, with information on all the things to look out for on the packaging, where to check the list of legitimate products, and advice on preventing underage sales and using Challenge 25.
The full guide, as well as posters for retailers to display in their stores to communicate the ban to customers, are available at www.acs.org.uk/advice/selling-vapes
November 19, 2024
IKE Tech, Ispire to File Age Gating Technology PMTA
Credit: Thapana Studio
Ispire Technology and IKE Tech announced a successful pre-premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) for their age verification technology for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).
According to an e-mailed release, the technology aims to prevent youth access while expanding adult market access to flavored PMTA-authorized products. IKE Tech is a joint venture among three leading technology and research companies Ispire and Touch Point Worldwide d/b/a Berify and Chemular Inc.
IKE Tech will submit a component PMTA, which would allow ENDS manufacturers to incorporate their blockchain-based age-gating solution if authorized. The FDA indicated potential priority review consideration and acceptance of a component PMTA. The company plans to complete the required studies in Q1 2025.
This critical regulatory milestone marks an essential step in the journey to provide an innovative, secure universal solution aimed at preventing youth access to ENDS and expanding the market for adults who choose to use flavored PMTA-authorized products, according to the release.
“The IKE Tech identity and age verification technology unlocks opportunities for adults who choose to use flavored vapor products while introducing a pioneering approach to reducing youth access and usage,” the release states.
Due to its innovative design, reliance on blockchain technology, and partnership with leading identity and age verification providers, the IKE Tech system is an advanced component that could be used — in any ENDS device — to ensure only authorized adult users can access vaping products.
FDA alignment on key points:

Component PMTA: IKE Tech will submit a PMTA for a component, as opposed to a finished tobacco product to be sold to consumers, and the FDA indicated it will accept such a component PMTA if all statutory requirements are met. Additionally, due to the fact this component employs novel point-of-use technology, the FDA indicated it will consider a request to grant the IKE Tech system priority review. If authorized, the component PMTA would allow ENDS manufacturers to use the IKE Tech system in their finished tobacco product PMTAs, as a plug-and-play age-gating solution, which may allow for the approval of a variety of flavored ENDS products.
Creation of Tobacco Product Master File (TPMF): IKE will create and file a TPMF for the IKE component. Once authorized, the component and TPMF can, subject to agreement, be available to ENDS device manufacturers for incorporation into products.
IKE Tech anticipates completing the required studies for the component PMTA for the IKE Tech system, including the Identity and Age Verification component in Q1 2025.
“Our commitment to harm reduction through innovation and our collaborative efforts with regulators are central to Ispire’s mission,” said Michael Wang, Co-CEO of Ispire. “We are proud to introduce technologies that are designed to responsibly support adult consumer choice while significantly reducing youth access. This technology represents our dedication to aligning with regulatory guidance and setting new standards for safer
November 18, 2024
THR Group Asks Kazakhstan to Reassess Policies
Credit: Zero Photo
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today called on the government of Kazakhstan to reassess its stance on tobacco harm reduction (THR) products, citing compelling evidence from Japan demonstrating the significant health and economic benefits of embracing safer alternatives to smoking.
A recent study published in the journal Healthcare reveals that if 50 percent of smokers in Japan switched from combustible cigarettes to heated tobacco products (HTPs), it could prevent 12 million patient cases and save JPY 454 billion in healthcare costs. This data underscores the immense potential of THR strategies in countries with high smoking rates.
Nancy Loucas, the executive coordinator of CAPHRA, stated that the Japanese example clearly illustrates that HTPs can be an effective harm reduction tool in nations where smoking prevalence remains high, and other safer nicotine products are unavailable.
“Kazakhstan, with its significant gender disparity in smoking rates and tobacco-related health issues, could greatly benefit from adopting a more progressive approach to THR. Kazakhstan’s current policies treat all nicotine products, including less harmful alternatives, the same as traditional cigarettes,” Loucas explains in an e-mailed release. “This approach, coupled with the recent ban on vapes and high taxes on smokeless alternatives, demonstrates a concerning lack of acceptance for harm reduction strategies.
“By ignoring the potential of THR products, Kazakhstan is missing a crucial opportunity to save lives,” Loucas added. “Our analysis suggests that embracing harm reduction policies could prevent 165,000 premature deaths in Kazakhstan over the next four decades.
The government must reconsider its stance for public health, stated Loucas. CAPHRA urges Kazakh policymakers to:

Review and revise current regulations to differentiate between combustible cigarettes and less harmful alternatives.
Following Japan’s successful model, the introduction of HTPs should be considered as a harm reduction tool.
Engage with public health experts and THR advocates to develop evidence-based policies.
Implement a tiered taxation system encouraging smokers to switch to less harmful products.
“The time for Kazakhstan to act is now,” Loucas stated. “By embracing tobacco harm reduction, the country can significantly improve public health outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and potentially narrow the life expectancy gap between men and women. We stand ready to support Kazakhstan in developing and implementing effective THR policies.”
November 18, 2024
Report: Transition to Safer Products Underway

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A new report from Knowledge Action Change (KAC) describes the extent to which safer nicotine products (SNP) are replacing and substituting for combustible and risky oral tobacco products.
Co-authored by experts in harm reduction, data science and economics, The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2024: A Situation Report (GSTHR 2024) considers what is driving these changes, how different regulatory environments have developed, and the complex interplay between products, consumers, and policy and regulation.
The latest market data shows that while sales of combustible tobacco remain significantly higher than sales of SNP, two key shifts are occurring in the tobacco and nicotine market: first, the total market share of SNP is increasing, and second, inflation-adjusted combustible tobacco sales are declining, while SNP sales are experiencing rapid growth.
Although the nominal value of combustible tobacco sales increased from $752 billion in 2015 to over $1 trillion in 2024, when adjusted for inflation (and assuming a constant currency value), combustible tobacco sales actually decreased to $685 billion in 2024—an 8.9 percent decline. Meanwhile, inflation-adjusted SNP sales grew nearly sixfold from 2015, reaching, in non-adjusted terms, $96 billion in 2024.
Further analysis shows, however, that Chinese data skews these figures. China’s tobacco market accounts for an astonishing $344 billion of the $1 trillion global combustible tobacco market. Despite being the global center of production for nicotine vapes, the Chinese market for all SNP is extremely small, at less than 1.2 percent of its market for combustibles. GSTHR analysis removing China from the calculations reveals the true scale of the acceleration in the global SNP market: it has reached 12.3 percent of the total tobacco and nicotine market in 2024, up from virtually zero in 2004.

The evidence from this report shows that when safer products are appropriate, acceptable, accessible and affordable—people will switch.
Gerry Stimson, founder, KAC
According to KAC, legal access to a range of SNP will be essential for the billion people who smoke worldwide to benefit from tobacco harm reduction (THR). Research undertaken for GSTHR 2024 shows that more than two-thirds of the world’s adult population can now legally access at least one form of SNP. Access to combustible tobacco products, by contrast, remains legal for 100 percent of the world’s adult population. The report also reveals that the global number of vapers has increased from 58 million in 2018, to reach an estimated 114 million in 2023. With 30 million people using other safer nicotine products, this means the GSTHR estimates there are now around 144 million users of SNP worldwide.
“Harm reduction is often thought about as policies and strategies, driven by public health. But it isn’t only this. It’s also what people do themselves to reduce risks and improve their own health,” said KAC Founder Gerry Stimson in a statement. “Governments and both international and national health organizations, need to help create an environment in which people can be informed and empowered to make those safer choices. And the evidence from this report shows that—when safer products are appropriate, acceptable, accessible and affordable—people will switch, in fact they are already switching, in their millions.”
November 18, 2024
Tucker Carlson Launches Nicotine Pouch Brand

Tucker Carlson has launched his own nicotine pouch brand, ALP, which the conservative American commentator touts as “the first nicotine pouch brand made by and for adults who unapologetically love nicotine.”
ALP will be sold, marketed and distributed through ALP Supply Co., a newly formed 50/50 joint venture between the Tucker Carlson Network and Turning Point Brands. The product comes in three nicotine strengths—3 mg, 6 mg and 9 mg—and in four distinct styles, including Chilled Mint, Mountain Wintergreen, Refreshing Chill and Tropical Fruit.
“There’s no reason consumers should be forced to buy nicotine pouches from soulless, pronoun loving, politicized conglomerates that despise them and their culture,” said Carlson in a statement. “With ALP, they now have an alternative that is delicious and far better than Zyn, which in case you haven’t noticed is as dry as a teabag.”
A portion of ALP profits will go to charities that align with the values of its consumers, such as forest restoration, protecting former K9 servicemembers and funding trade school scholarships for Americans.
According to an earlier article in The Wall Street Journal, Carlson decided to enter the tobacco business because of the way Zyn manufacturer Philip Morris International responded to an off-color remark he made in 2023 about America’s bestselling nicotine pouch.
Until recently, Carlson styled himself as an unofficial spokesman for Zyn. He talked up the brand on frequent podcast appearances. “The truth is, Zyn is a powerful work enhancer and also a male enhancer, if you know what I mean,” Carlson told comedian Theo Von in an interview last October.
Carlson’s representatives then pitched PMI on forming a partnership with the brand. The multinational declined, citing Carlson’s commentary.
“While we understand that these may be Mr. Carlson’s views or made in jest, these statements lack a scientific foundation,” the tobacco company wrote. “Given Mr. Carlson’s popularity and reach, these statements could promote a misunderstanding and misuse of our products.”
Carlson said the message enraged him.
“Of course I wasn’t making a medical claim about their product. I was just joking,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “So I thought: ‘I’m going to launch my own product that’s not controlled by, you know, humorless, left-wing drones.’”
November 18, 2024
Colorado CBD Company Settles Suit With State

Colorado US state flag with statue of lady justice, constitution and judge hammer on black drapery. Concept of judgement and punishment
Bee’s Knees CBDs, based in Colorado, has reached a $225,000 settlement with the state attorney general after an investigation revealed that the company misrepresented its product offerings, falsely claimed partnerships with nonprofits, and failed to verify the ages of its customers.
The fines could increase to $495,000 if the company fails to comply with the settlement’s terms, which include the initial $225,000 over a series of payments and the company’s pledge to “fully comply with state law” moving forward, Colorado AG Phil Weiser’s office said in a press release.
Bee’s Knees sells industrial hemp-derived cannabinoid products both wholesale and on its website directly to consumers. While many of the company’s offerings include non-intoxicating products like CBD gummies and topicals, some of the products are infused with hemp-derived THC — and, while the website lists the products as being restricted to customers aged 21+, the products could previously be purchased without providing proof-of-age, the release said.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, in a statement, said, “Colorado is committed to maintaining an effective system of overseeing the sale of legal cannabis products — one that keeps it out of the hands of kids, ensures safety standards, requires chain-of-custody tracking, and gives consumers important information about the products they buy, according to reports.
“In this case, the company misrepresented to their customers the source and nature of their products and sold intoxicating products without verifying the age of customers. This settlement will hold them accountable for those violations of the law and will ensure compliance in the future.”
November 17, 2024
North Carolina County to Restrict Tobacco Shops

Credit: Rex Holster
The Columbus County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina is slated to vote on a proposed ordinance restricting locations of retailers selling tobacco, hemp and kratom during its meeting Monday.
At the board’s previous meeting, Commission Chair Ricky Bullard said he wanted to restrict the locations of new shops “the maximum amount we can.”
The current proposal requires a much wider distance between retailers and places used by minors than a version of the ordinance discussed on Nov. 4, according to media reports.
The expanded ordinance would also set a four-year deadline for retailers already in business to move out of the protected zones. If passed, the vape shop regulation would only affect unincorporated areas of the county.
The board tabled discussion Nov. 4 of an earlier vape shop ordinance, saying it didn’t go far enough. That proposal defined the targeted products and prohibited retail shops selling them from opening within 1,000 feet of schools, child care centers, public parks, group homes or rehabilitation facilities.
Commissioner Giles “Buddy” Byrd called the 1,000-foot barrier “not enough” and asked county staff to rewrite the ordinance to expand it to at least half a mile. County Planning and Economic Development Director Gary Lanier’s new recommendation does just that, setting 2,640 feet as the nearest a vape, tobacco or hemp shop may set up from one of the listed areas.
Lanier also based the new recommendation on ordinances in other eastern N.C. counties that “amortize” the right of existing shops to operate. The new wording would require existing tobacco and hemp retailers to move outside the half-mile boundary within four years.
November 17, 2024
Robert Kennedy, Jr. Tapped to Lead Trump’s HHS

Robert Kennedy Jr. (Credit: Cage Skidmore)
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The effects Kennedy will have on the nicotine market remain unclear. Kennedy must still be confirmed by Congress.
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump posted. “The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country.”
As the leader of HHS, Kennedy will oversee the FDA, which regulates vaping, nicotine pouches, and all other nicotine and tobacco products through its Center for Tobacco Products.
Kennedy’s position on vaping, nicotine, and tobacco harm reduction (THR) remains an unknown. During the presidential campaign, Trump promised that, if elected, he would “save vaping” after meeting with Tony Abboud of the Vapor Technology Association.
“I saved Flavored Vaping in 2019, and it greatly helped people get off smoking,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform in September. “I raised the age to 21, keeping it away from the ‘kids.’ Kamala and Joe want everything banned, killing small businesses all over the country. I’ll save Vaping again!”
November 15, 2024