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Big Tobacco Gets Into Retail Storefronts

Dec 2nd, 2016
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British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International have both opened stores to educate consumers on how to vape.

http://www.nacsonline.com/Media/Daily/Pages/ND1202162.aspx

Big tobacco firms are getting into the retail business more directly than in past years. British American Tobacco (BAT) has opened a store in Milan to sell Vype, its e-cig product, while Philip Morris International has stores in England, Italy, Japan and Switzerland to promote its heat-not-burn product iQOS, the Wall Street Journal reports.

For BAT, the strategy to having an actual store extends beyond selling electronic cigarettes. The firm wants to use the location as another way to promote new products, such as Pebble, a Vype-branded vaping device that debuted yesterday. “If we’re going to massify the market—inject life into it—we have to come up with these innovative, groundbreaking products,” said Kingsley Wheaton, who heads BAT’s next-generation products.

This increased emphasis on connecting with customers on the ground comes as sales of cigarettes continue to soften. Philip Morris even said this week that the company could stop selling traditional cigarettes one day and is focusing on developing tobacco alternatives.

BAT CEO Nicandro Durante has a long-term view in mind when it comes to e-cigs and other vaping devices, which have experienced slow growth. Wheaton predicted that next-generation products will reach $18.7 billion within five years, but he doesn’t see cigarettes disappearing altogether.

BAT Bets on Vaping as Tobacco Makers Do Battle With New Devices

Dec 2nd, 2016
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http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/bat-bets-on-vaping-as-tobacco-makers-do-battle-with-new-devices/42723034

Trailing Philip Morris International Inc. in the contest to move smoking alternatives beyond e-cigarettes is just fine with British American Tobacco Plc.

According to Kingsley Wheaton, head of BAT’s next-generation products, longer-established electronic products hold more promise than the heat-not-burn technology pioneered by its main rival. The high acceptance of Philip Morris’s iQOS tobacco device in its debut market of Japan won’t be easy to replicate elsewhere, he said in an interview Thursday.

“Are we behind Philip Morris on the tobacco-heating journey? The answer is yes,” Wheaton said. “But we have a different take. Vapor is going to be a bigger category worldwide.”

More than 1 million smokers have switched to Philip Morris’s iQOS since it first went on sale in 2014. Demand has proven strongest so far in Japan, where Philip Morris has had a two-year headstart on BAT. While analysts at Exane BNP Paribas and Wells Fargo say the Marlboro maker has invented the most promising smoking substitute, BAT contends that heat-not-burn will only become dominant in a few countries, and that Japan alone may represent as much as half of the potential demand.

“Japanese consumers are very tech-savvy and vapor is banned,” Wheaton said. “The consumer is highly socially considerate and really worried about their hygiene impact on others. When you put all that together, you create a real melting pot of reasons why tobacco heating will work in Japan.”

Companies Divided

Tobacco companies are divided on where the future of their $770 billion industry lies. Philip Morris Chief Executive Officer Andre Calantzopoulos has said his company may one day stop making traditional cigarettes as the market for alternative products takes hold. His non-combustible iQOS devices have taken a 5 percent share of the Japanese market.

While BAT plans to compete against its rival with a heat-not-burn product called Glo, Wheaton said the bulk of his company’s efforts will remain in the vapor market.

In the second half of next year, BAT will start selling a new product called Vype Raptor. The device gets nicotine into the bloodstream faster and more closely mimics the sensation of smoking because the vapor particles are larger, according to BAT.

The company is also opening a store in a fashionable neighborhood of Milan as well as pop-up shops in London to sell Vype-branded vapor products. And it will introduce a 17.99-pound ($23) brightly-colored plastic device called Pebble that delivers nicotine infused with flavors such as wild berry and smooth vanilla.

BAT aims to sell vapor products in more than 15 markets by the end of next year, according to next-generation marketing director Frederico Monteiro. It currently has a presence in 10 and plans to be in 30 to 40 markets by 2020.

National Cancer Institute – The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Control

Dec 1st, 2016
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ASH reaction to new Philip Morris IQOS ‘heat not burn’ product

Nov 30th, 2016
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Tobacco company Philip Morris has today launched IQOS, a potentially ‘reduced risk’ tobacco product in the UK. The device uses compressed tobacco in a ‘mini-cigarette’ form in a vapouriser. Unlike electronic cigarettes which vapourise nicotine suspended in a liquid, the IQOS heats and vapourises tobacco.

Globally, smoking killed 100 million people in the 20th century, many more than all deaths in World Wars I and II combined. If current trends continue tobacco-related deaths will number around 1 billion in the 21st century, mainly in low and middleincome countries. [1] In the UK alone, smoking still kills nearly 100,000 people every
year. [2]

ASH believes, therefore, in line with the Royal College of Physicians, that in the interests of public health it is important to promote the use of e-cigarettes, NRT and other non-tobacco nicotine products as widely as possible as a substitute for smoking in the UK. [3] Vapourised tobacco may also be substantially less harmful as the tobacco is not combusted to produce smoke.

However:

Particularly because of the tobacco industry’s long record of deceit over the health risks of smoking, there is an urgent need for independent research into the level of harm these products may cause. Philip Morris accepts that IQOS is likely to be as addictive as smoking, so the risks of youth uptake need to be investigated. Furthermore, because the product is expensive, there also needs to be research on the economic and social cost of dependence, and not just on any physical harm. We understand that the UK Government has asked the independent Committee on Toxicity to look at the data; this is welcome but not sufficient. It should be noted that the tobacco industry, including Philip Morris, was found by the Judge in the recent case on standardised packaging to have submitted evidence which fell “significantly below internationally accepted best practice.” [4]

Although Philip Morris claims to be working towards a world without smoking, the company is still reliant on conventional tobacco and admits that it will continue to be so for many years to come. [5] In countries with relatively weak legislation, PMI is still using marketing and advertising tactics designed to promote smoking to young people, for example through its “Be Marlboro” campaign. [6]

ASH therefore believes that unless and until independent evidence shows that IQOS and similar products are substantially less harmful than smoking then these products should be regulated in the same way as other tobacco products.

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of health charity ASH said:

“Philip Morris states that this is potentially a reduced risk product. If smokers switch to electronic cigarettes or other products that can be shown to cut the risks to their health, this could lead to a big improvement in public health. But we need independent evidence to support any claims made by the tobacco industry.

Philip Morris claims to be moving towards a post smoking future but, like other tobacco companies, it is still actively promoting smoking around the world, using methods that would be illegal in the UK. From past experience nothing the tobacco companies say should be accepted at face value. Fully independent research and assessment will be crucial if IQOS and related products are to be accepted as useful in fighting the smoking epidemic.”

ENDS

Notes and Links:

Action on Smoking and Health is a health charity working to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco use. For more information see: www.ash.org.uk/about-ash ASH receives core funding from Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

e-cigarettes carry several health risks: expert

Nov 24th, 2016
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http://www.gulf-times.com/story/522272/e-cigarettes-carry-several-health-risks-expert

There are several health risks associated with e-cigarettes and portraying them as safe is ‘extremely irresponsible and potentially dangerous,’ a Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) official has warned.

“Studies into the health risks posed by using electronic cigarettes, which are illegal in Qatar, are now beginning to be published,” said Dr Ziyad Mahfoud, associate professor, Healthcare Policy and Research at WCM-Q at the latest instalment of WCM-Q’s ‘Ask the Expert Series.’

“E-cigarettes are quite new and until recently there had not been much research into them, but now there have been few good quality studies and we are gaining some understanding of the health risks they carry,” he pointed out.

“Firstly, the production of the devices and the liquid that is vaporised and inhaled is poorly regulated. A user cannot be sure of what chemicals they are actually inhaling, and it is never recommended to introduce unknown, potentially harmful substances into the body.

“Secondly, e-cigarettes deliver nicotine, which is highly addictive, and research indicates that young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to start smoking normal cigarettes, which we know can have catastrophic negative effects on health, including increased risk of respiratory disease, heart disease and many forms of cancer.

Portraying e-cigarettes as safe is therefore extremely irresponsible and potentially dangerous.”

Dr Mahfoud said that a few studies have shown that smoking e-cigarettes can reduce the normal consumption of regular cigarettes among smokers, but on the other hand marketing them as a safe alternative has led to some ex-smokers picking up the habit again.

“Until there are more regulations on the manufacturing of e-cigarettes and more studies about its health hazards, nicotine gum, nicotine patches, medications and cognitive behavioural therapy provide safer ways to reduce nicotine dependency and give up smoking.”

“A common misperception of shisha is that because the tobacco is fruit-flavoured, it is somehow healthier than normal tobacco. This is wrong: it is just normal tobacco that is mixed with molasses and other additives. It is harmful to health. Smoking shisha has been linked to respiratory, cardiovascular and periodontal diseases and many forms of cancer. It is addictive and also harmful to pregnant women and their foetuses.

“It is also completely untrue that the water in the shisha pipe filters out toxins. Scientific studies have proven that shisha smoke contains similar levels of tar and other hazardous chemicals as cigarette smoke does, and in some cases much higher levels.”

CAN PHILIP MORRIS KICK THE CIGARETTE-SELLING HABIT?

Nov 20th, 2016
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http://www.newsweek.com/can-philip-morris-kick-cigarette-selling-habit-522400

Don’t expect Philip Morris International to quit smoking cold turkey, but the global tobacco giant says it’s moving toward the day when it becomes cigarette-free.

For a company that’s generated more than $26 billion in trailing revenues from cigarette sales around the world, kicking the habit sounds like a pretty tall order, particularly when global governments are throwing roadblocks in its path to do so, but it is launching new products that may help make smoking cessation possible.

It’s no secret that cigarette sales are in decline. Philip Morris said third-quarter cigarette shipment volumes fell 5.4 percent to 207.1 billion units, while they’re down 3.9 percent year to date. Volumes were down sharply in its Asia market, falling 9 percent in the quarter, as well as in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, where they were off 8 percent.

Although British American Tobacco had slightly better results—quarterly volumes were flat while year-to-date volumes were up 0.9 percent—the industry remains in contraction even as legal risks remain an ever-present threat to the financial health of the cigarette companies.

Decade-old agreements with the European Union to fight cigarette smuggling have expired or are poised to, and the smoking regulators on the continent may soon pursue litigation against the tobacco companies. Although Philip Morris, British American, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco have paid out almost $2 billion since the agreements were signed and smuggling has been dramatically reduced, anti-smoking activists contend it was a low-cost way to insulate themselves from lawsuits. As the deals expire over the new few years, litigation costs could rise dramatically.

Kicking the habit

So having a goal to get out of the cigarette business isn’t such a bad idea, as far-fetched as it sounds. But to do so, Philip Morris is investing heavily in smoking alternatives such as electronic cigarettes, specifically its iQOS device that’s being sold as HeatSticks under the Marlboro brand name.

Rather than burning tobacco like regular combustible cigarettes, or even heating up a nicotine-flavored e-liquid as do traditional e-cigs, the iQOS device heats actual tobacco to produce a tobacco-flavored vapor. Since it’s the burning of the tobacco that creates all the toxic chemicals associated with smoking, e-cigs, whether old or new, are thought of as a healthier alternative, though clinical studies have yet to be conducted to prove that, and e-cig companies don’t market their products as such.

The benefit of the iQOS, as well as other similar devices such as the iFuse from British American, which heats up an e-liquid but then draws it through tobacco leaves for flavor, is that they address one of the main complaints users had about e-cigs—their taste. With these next-gen devices, users get real tobacco flavor, which may help more smokers to switch to them.

While that would seemingly be something regulators would promote, considering the societal costs associated with smoking, governments are still erecting barriers.

In the U.S., the FDA’s so-called “deeming regulations” are expected to devastate the nascent electronic cigarette and vaping markets. So onerous and costly are the regulations—Philip Morris’ application to the FDA for a reduced-risk label for the iQOS runs to 2 million pages—that only the biggest, best-financed companies will be able to comply. Smaller manufacturers will probably be wiped out, as third-party estimates put the cost of compliance somewhere between $3 million and $20 million per application.

Elsewhere, e-cig users are being treated just like regular smokers, segregated to special areas where they can use their devices, or being banned altogether from using the devices in public places, just like with cigarettes.

A brave new world

Philip Morris, of course, is big enough that it can afford complying with the new rules, but even it recognizes the changeover to a smoke-free future won’t be easy, or quick. Bloomberg News quotes CEO Andre Calantzopolous as saying the tobacco company can’t stop selling cigarettes immediately, as “decades of history are not going to be changed in one afternoon.”

And though critics might be wary of any pronouncement a tobacco company makes, any increase in the number of people quitting smoking has to be a benefit. Many people will just find it odd that it’s Philip Morris International that may be leading the way forward.

Flavoured cigarettes to be banned under tightened WA tobacco laws

Nov 17th, 2016
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WA tobacco laws are about to become even stricter with a proposed ban on flavoured cigarettes, split-packs, and minors selling tobacco products.

In an attempt by the government to tighten restrictions on the sale of tobacco, the proposed amendment bill would stop the sale of cigarettes with added fruit and confectionary flavour, split packs, and tobacco products at public events like music festivals.

It would also make WA the first Australian state to ban minors from selling cigarettes.

Xander Sardo-Infirri, a smoker in Perth, said he doubted the efficiency of the proposed laws.

“I’ve never been to a music festival where cigarettes were sold inside the venue and most venues these days are moving towards being tobacco-free anyway, so I don’t know what they’re hoping to achieve with that,” Mr Sardo-Infirri said.

He said he understood the reluctance to sell flavoured cigarettes that could appeal to young people, but said he strongly disagreed with the regulation of flavoured papers used to hand-roll cigarettes.

Cancer Council WA research coordinator Kelly Kennigton said she supported the government’s attempt to put the interests of children and public health over those of the tobacco industry and their profits.

“Every year, 1400 people in WA die from their tobacco addiction, and thousands more suffer from associated chronic diseases,” Mrs Kennington said.

“Deadly products that kill two out of three of users should not be promoted at music festivals or any events that young people attend, nor should we allow products such as ‘split packs’ that make it easier to recruit young people to this deadly habit.”

Health Minister John Day said the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill 2016 would put emphasis on protecting minors.

“Underage sales assistants are more likely to sell tobacco products to minors, and they should not be put in this position in the first place,” Mr Day said.

Mr Sardo-Infirri said he saw the value in discouraging young people from taking up smoking.

“I wish I’d never started and I wish I didn’t smoke now,” he said.

“A lot of people were against the plain packaging when it came in and that seemed to have results, so if they think these laws will work, go for it.”

WA already has some of Australia’s tightest restrictions on tobacco promotion and public smoking.

The 2006 Tobacco Products Control Regulations prohibits smoking in enclosed public places like shopping centres, theatres and cinemas, airports, cafes and restaurants, pubs, bars, nightclubs, and sporting clubs.

In December 2013, the City of Perth banned smoking in major pedestrian areas like Hay St Mall, Murray St Mall, and Forrest Place.

Margaret River Main Street also became a smoke-free zone after proposal was passed last September.

Fruit and confectionary-flavoured cigarettes are already banned in South Australia, New South Wales, and Tasmania, and in WA retailers are not able to display them.

Split-pack cigarettes, designed to be split into two or more packs and therefore exempting the second and subsequent packs from showing the required health warnings, are likewise forbidden from being displayed but there is no direct ban on them – yet.

Mr Day said strong legislation was the foundation of tobacco control and there was more to be done.

He said most of the proposed provisions would have a six-month lead-in period with an education campaign for tobacco sellers.

Philip Morris predicts e-cigarettes to kill off traditional smokes

Nov 17th, 2016
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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/philip-morris-predicts-ecigarettes-to-kill-off-traditional-smokes/news-story/c99f693af56dfa859cef1adb2d5347b5

A BIG tobacco company says it sees a future without cigarettes as it pushes to overcome legislative hurdles to launch a smokeless cigarette in Australia.

The move by Philip Morris International to introduce its new product has so far been thwarted by the Federal Government, which refuses to follow the US, UK, Japan and parts of Europe in allowing the legal sale of e-cigarettes.

Health experts told the Herald Sun smokeless cigarettes were a good alternative to quitting smoking.

“For smokers who are unable to quit, switching to reduced-risk products is likely to substantially reduce their risk of smoking-related disease and death,” conjoint associate Professor Colin Mendelsohn said.

Australian Paul Riley, president of PMI in Japan, believes smokeless cigarettes such as the company’s iQOS product will one day sound the death knell for traditional cigarettes.

The device uses real tobacco, but instead of burning it to produce hazardous smoke and tar, it heats it to produce tobacco-flavoured vapour.

“Our goal in Japan is to switch every one of our users on to this product as quickly as possible,” Mr Riley said. “In the last 12 months it has moved quickly … it is a realistic vision.”

Prof Mendelsohn said although it was preferable for smokers to quit, he believed e-cigarettes were a first step.

“The first choice is always to give up all tobacco and nicotine completely if possible … iQOS heats tobacco to produce an aerosol without combustion, or smoke, and is a much safer alternative to smoking.”

Department of Health spokeswoman Kay McNiece said: “The Australian Government is taking a precautionary approach and is examining the policy and regulatory framework on e-cigarettes.”

david.hurley@news.com.au

TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN INDIA – AN OVERVIEW

Nov 12th, 2016
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SMOKING FORMS:

Cigarettes: Cigarette smoking is more common in the urban areas of India and cigar use is seen in the big cities. Cigarette smoking is on the rise and is now also seen among teenage girls and young women.

Bidi (or beedi): Bidis are a popular form of smoking tobacco in India. they are known as the poor man’s cigarette. A bidi is hand-rolled and contains sun-cured, tobacco loosely packed and rolled inside a rectangular piece of dried tendu leaf and tied with a cotton thread.

Traditionally, bidis are non-filtered and non-flavoured, but bidis for export are often made with filters and flavour (fruits and chocolate) to make them attractive for teenagers.

Chellum (or chillom): This involves smoking tobacco in a clay pipe.

Chillum smoking increases chances of oral cancer and lung cancer. A chillum is shared by a group of individuals, so in addition to increasing their risk of cancer, people who share a chillum increase their chances of spreading colds, flu, and other lung illnesses. A chillum is also used for smoking narcotics like opium.

Hookah: A hookah is a device that heats the tobacco and passes it through water before the smoke is inhaled. The use of hookah was once on the decline, but it has increased in recent years. Hookah smoking is thought to be a sign of prestige and is available in highpriced coffee shops, in flavours like apple, strawberry and chocolate.

Hookah smoking is also finding increasing use among college students of both sexes. It is marketed as a “safe” recreational activity but it is not safe

Cheroots: A cheroot is a commercially made roll of heavy-bodied tobacco held together with a binder, fermented and clipped at both ends. In India, Cheroot is manufactured in the state of Tamil Nadu and smoked primarily in Kerala, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh states.

Chutta: Chuttas are coarse tobacco cigars that are smoked in the coastal areas of India. Reverse chutta smoking involves keeping the burning end of the chutta in the mouth and inhaling it. This practice increases the chance of oral cancer.

Hooklis: These are clay pipes with a wooden stem used mostly by men and mainly in rural North and West India, including Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. On an average, about 15 grams of tobacco is smoked daily.

Once the pipe is lit, it is smoked frequently.

SMOKELESS FORMS

Smokeless tobacco is very common in India. Methods of consumption include chewing and applying tobacco preparations to the teeth and gums.

Gutka (or Gutkha): Gutka is a preparation of crushed areca nut, tobacco, catechu, paraffin wax, slaked lime and sweet or savoury flavorings.

All states of India have banned the sale, manufacture, distribution and storage of gutka and all its variants as per the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and
Restrictions on Sales) Regulation Act, 2011.

However, in order to circumvent the ban on the sale of gutkha, manufacturers are selling pan masala (without tobacco) with flavoured chewing tobacco in separate
sachets, so that consumers can buy the pan masala and chewing tobacco separately and mix it themselves.

On 23 September 2016, the Supreme Court cracked down on the sale of gutkha ingredients, clarifying that it has banned the sale of all forms of chewable tobacco and
nicotine.

Pan (or paan) Masala: This is a commercial preparation containing areca nut, slaked lime, catechu and condiments, with or without powdered tobacco. It comes in
attractive sachets and tins, which can be stored and carried conveniently. Paan masala is very popular in urban areas and is fast becoming popular in rural areas. The Indian market for paan masala is now worth several hundred million US dollars.

Paan with tobacco: Paan chewing, or betel quid chewing, is often erroneously referred to as betel nut chewing. Paan consists of four main ingredients: betel leaf (Piper  betle), areca nut (Areca catechu), slaked lime [Ca(OH2)] and catechu (Acacia catechu).

Betel leaves contain volatile oils such as eugenol and terpenes, nitrates and small quantities of sugar, starch, tannin and several other substances.

Condiments and sweetening agents may be added as per regional practices and individual preferences. Sometime after its introduction, tobacco became an important constituent of paan, and most habitual paan chewers include tobacco.

Gul: The common name of this product is gudakhu. It is used in central and eastern parts of India. The ingredients include tobacco powder and molasses, and it is often used for cleaning teeth, mainly by women.

Commercially produced since 1986, gul is sold in toothpaste-like tubes.

Mishri: It is popular in Maharashtra, especially among women. It is applied to the teeth.

Khaini: Khali is popular in Bihar and other western and central states of India and is used both by men and women. Ingredients include tobacco, slaked lime paste and sometimes areca nut. It is usually prepared by the user from basic ingredients at the time of use.

Kimam: This is a paste placed in the mouth and chewed. The ingredients are tobacco, spices (cardamom, saffron and/or aniseed) and additives. It is prepared by processing tobacco leaves by removing their stalks and stems, then boiling and soaking them in water, flavoured with spices and additives.

The resulting pulp is mashed, strained, and dried into a paste.

Snuff: Snuff applied on gums and teeth especially by women in Gujarat.

ARTICLE 9 & 10: WHY TOBACCO PRODUCT REGULATION NEEDS A ‘STEP BY STEP’ APPROACH

Nov 8th, 2016
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At the first Conference of the Parties in 2006, Parties agreed to start developing guidelines for the FCTC, starting with Article 8 on protection from exposure to tobacco smoke and Article 9 on tobacco product regulation. Five COP sessions later and there has been adoption of complete guidelines for Article 8 at COP2, followed by Articles 5.3, 11 and 13 at COP3, and Articles 12 and 14 at COP4. Even the guidelines on Article 6, with respect to tobacco taxation, a highly technical area, only took two sessions to complete and were adopted at COP6.

The approach adopted for guidelines on Articles 9 and 10, product regulation and disclosure, has been much more cautious, for good reason.

Regulation of the contents and emissions of tobacco products can be highly technical requiring sophisticated expertise, may be resource intensive and may risk of unintended consequences, depending on the nature of the regulation.

For these reasons by COP3 there were still no guidelines to be adopted and the working group was mandated to work gradually ‘in a step-by-step process’. The first partial 9 and 10 guidelines were adopted at COP4, and included disclosure and regulation of ingredients (such as flavours) and financing of regulation by the tobacco industry. At COP5 partial guidelines were adopted to reduce the fire risk of cigarettes (reduced ignition propensity).

At COP6 no further partial guidelines were adopted, but COP agreed to mandate the working group to “continue its work in elaborating guidelines in a step-by-step process, and to submit draft partial guidelines or a progress report on the disclosure, testing and measuring of contents and emissions to the next session of the COP”.

Work is still underway on the independent validation of analytical methods with help from WHO, and its expert groups TobReg and TobLabNet. At COP7 partial guidelines are being put forward for adoption on disclosure and design features which increase attractiveness.

This cautious approach to tobacco product regulation is justified by past experience, which has caused serious detriment to public health. The notable example of such failure is ‘low tar’ cigarettes, often called ‘light’ or ‘mild’, introduced by the tobacco industry to counter growing concerns about the health risks of smoking, by promoting supposedly less harmful cigarettes. What the tobacco industry knew, but public health experts took many years to realise, was that they were no less harmful.

Smokers were compensating by smoking so called ‘low tar’ cigarettes harder, allowing more carcinogens to go deeper into the lungs.

Yet the myth of ‘low tar’ continues to reverberate with smokers around the world. Although the FCTC requires a ban on misleading packaging and makes specific reference to terms like ‘low tar’, ‘light’ and ‘mild’, alternative ways of promoting low tar cigarettes through lighter pack colours and other names like ‘smooth’ have emerged.

According to Euromonitor sales of light and ultra-low tar cigarettes continued to grow after the FCTC was adopted, from 423 billion in 1998 to 756 billion in 2008.

An idea receiving more discussion in tobacco product regulation is reducing the addictiveness of cigarettes by reducing nicotine to very low levels. In the US, extensive research is ongoing on this issue. However, prior experiences with regulating nicotine emissions have demonstrated the importance of fully understanding the science and the benefit of regulatory experience in developing international guidelines. Any guideline proposal to regulate the content of nicotine needs to be based on sound science, including the potential for industry manipulation and unintended consequences. At present, no government has implemented a specific approach on nicotine reduction that could provide the basis for international guidelines.

Guidelines for nicotine reduction were discussed at the Article 9 & 10 working group meeting earlier this year. However, many Parties were of the view that such international guidelines would be premature until there is country level experience in implementation of such a policy. FCA agrees with this perspective and urges the COP to wait until there is successful country regulatory experience to draw on before proceeding any further with the development and adoption of guidelines on this issue.

Deborah Arnott,
Action on Smoking and Health

Rob Cunningham,
Canadian Cancer Society

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