On the heels of Californians voting to enforce a statewide ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine products, including menthol, legislators introduced a bill that aimed to eventually outlaw tobacco sales. Assembly Bill (AB) 935 looked to prohibit anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007, from buying tobacco products in the Golden State. The California Association of…
6,500 Flavored E-Cigarette Products Receive MDOs
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued marketing denial orders (MDOs) for approximately 6,500 flavored e-liquid and e-cigarette products on May 12. The 10 companies affected are: Imperial Vapors LLC Savage Enterprises Big Time Vapes SWT Global Supply Inc. Great Lakes Vapor DNA Enterprise LLC dba Mech Sauce Absolute Vapor Inc. ECBlend LLC FDA is…
When Is a Menthol Not a Menthol?
By now everyone in the c-store business knows that California has banned flavored tobacco products. There was plenty of advance notice because the ban was delayed for two years until voter approval upheld the law. Meanwhile, menthol cigarette makers had time to adjust to the new rules. Newport Non-Menthol, Camel Crush Oasis (non-Menthol) and Non-Menthol…
Car-Themed Lighters
Unveiling the perfect lighter for car enthusiast customers — the BIC Special Edition Supercar Series. Now consumers can show off their passion for cars with lighters featuring vibrant futuristic concept or smoke-cloaked muscle cars. The lighters in this series have a suggested retail price of $2.29 per lighter. BIC Maxi Lighters are long lasting, reliable […]
Reynolds Files Lawsuit in California
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (RJRT) has filed a lawsuit against California state officials, including Attorney General Robert Bonta. The lawsuit is in response to the Attorney General’s issuance of several Notices of Determination that allege certain Camel and Newport cigarettes styles are “presumptively” flavored based on their promotional materials. The lawsuit, filed in California state…
Altria to Resolve Majority of JUUL-Related Cases
Altria Group Inc. has come to an agreement on terms to resolve at least 6,000 JUUL-related state and federal cases for $235 million. “While we continue to believe the claims against us are meritless, we believe this settlement avoids the uncertainty and expense of a protracted legal process and is in the best interest of…
FDA Updates Status of Pending PMTA Timeline
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a status update on its pending Pre-Market Tobacco Applications (PMTAs) due to a Maryland Federal District Court order, reported the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO). The court case established a court-imposed deadline for finalizing the review of the PMTAs that were filed with the agency by…
Proposed Bills to Ban Tobacco Sales in California and Nevada Fail
Proposed bills in Nevada and California that looked to phase out tobacco sales by banning sales to people born after a certain date, both failed in mid-April, with one unable to receive a vote and the other amended to have a different focus. Nevada Assembly Bill 294 would have banned flavored tobacco products and prohibited…
Smokeless Tobacco’s Bright Outlook
Smokeless tobacco sales, buoyed by the spitless segment, are growing at c-stores as customers look for discreet smoking alternatives. The convenience store channel saw the overall smokeless tobacco category record sales of $8.95 billion, up a respectable 4.9% for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 29, 2023, according to Chicago-based research firm IRI. Within that category,…
Tobacco-Free Clove Smokes
Kretek International introduced nicotine-free Djarum Bliss as the next wave of clove enjoyment. The tobacco-free 20-packs offer clove smokers the taste they love without nicotine or hemp. Djarum Bliss distribution to date has been focused on California as c-stores and tobacco shops cope with the removal of flavored tobacco. Initial sales of Djarum’s Bliss clove […]