What exactly are cigarillos? They’re not as large as cigars or even petite cigars, but not as small as cigarettes. They burn drier than cigars, but taste closer to cigars than cigarettes. Indeed, this other tobacco product (OTP) segment definitely commands its own identity and is a product family that fares well with convenience store…
New Bill Would Establish Federal E-Cigarette Tax, Increase Tobacco Tax Rate
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-D-08) and seven other Senate Democrats have introduced the bicameral Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, which would establish a federal e-cigarette tax and increase the tobacco tax rate for the first time in a decade. “Tobacco-related disease accounts…
What Is the Difference Between RYO and Pipe Tobacco?
Way before there were mass-produced cigarettes, there were pipes. Indeed, since the early days of tobacco harvesting and curing, people packed pipes with tobacco, as captured in iconic images of farmers with corncob pipes, sea captains clenching pipes, and aristocrats enjoying a pipe with an after-dinner drink. Over the years, the mystique of pipe smoking…
Swisher Startup at UNF Provides Funding to Three North Florida Entrepreneurs
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Swisher awarded three entrepreneurs funding to support the development and growth of their businesses. In partnership with the University of North Florida’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI), the Swisher Startup for Underrepresented Entrepreneurs heard from ten startups that were part of the program’s first cohort. The top three winners received $2500, $1500…
What Is the Cigarette Corrective Statements Litigation?
A newly proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) would require corrective statements about cigarettes to be posted by manufacturers at the point of sale (POS) in stores where cigarettes are sold. Background In 1999, the U.S. government sued the major cigarette manufacturers, asserting claims under several federal statutes for conduct by the…
Cannabigerol Cigarette
Several months after a successful soft launch, Essence Smokes is introducing the first cannabigerol (CBG) cigarette brand into the international market, offering consumers a 100% natural, tobacco-free and additive-free smokable product. Essence Smoke cigarettes are crafted from hemp rolling paper. Their natural filters biodegrade in less than a week upon reaching the ocean and within…
What Is RYO?
For non-smokers, the mention of roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco very well could conjure up images of cowboys rolling old-fashioned cigarettes beside a campfire. But that’s Hollywood. In real life, RYO tobacco sales still roll in for convenience stores because it continues to appeal to young and old, male and female. Technically, RYO is loose cigarette tobacco…
Tobacco Accessories Tick Up
For years, the most innovative development to hit the subcategory of tobacco accessories was lighter covers highlighting sports teams or colorful designs. There were even the occasional movie- or TV-based themes to attract mega fans. So when BIC introduced the EZ Reach lighter with an extended wand last summer, surely convenience store operators and managers…
Tight Market for RYO
2020 proved a tough year for the roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco segment at convenience stores. “Looking at same-store sales of 2020 versus 2019, we continued to see a downward trend on the RYO category, down 6%; however, that trend slowed some in Q4,” noted Tim Greene, category director of tobacco and general manager for Smoker Friendly.…
What Are ENDS?
ENDS stands for electronic nicotine delivery systems. According to the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association (CASAA), the first e-cigarette-like product was submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 for consideration as a drug delivery device. Despite the agency denying the application, it wasn’t long before e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery…