The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has banned Altria and Philip Morris from selling IQOS tobacco heating devices in the country. Writes about this The Wall Street Journal.
In January, RJ Reynolds Tobacco – the main competitor of Altria and Philip Morris – filed a lawsuit against them, accusing them of using tobacco heating technology, previously patented by ReynoldsAmerican (a subsidiary of British American Tobacco) and intended for Glo and Vype and Vuse vapes.
Further fate of the claim
Now the claim has to go through an administrative review. It is expected to last two months. If the ITC decision remains in effect, Philip Morris will not be able to sell IQOS devices from November. The decree will come into force after it is approved by US President Joe Biden.
In addition, British American Tobacco has filed a similar lawsuit against Philip Morris in several international markets. However, the courts of Great Britain and Greece sided with Philip Morris.
Altria and Philip Morris have already announced that they intend to appeal, as they consider Reynolds American's patents invalid.
Juul problems
Another US manufacturer of nicotine delivery systems, Juul, has previously faced problems. The state of North Carolina accused him of promoting smoking among teenagers. The lawsuit alleged that Juul e-cigarettes contribute to the development of nicotine addiction in young people, attracting them with modern design of devices and sweet tastes that could be easily purchased on the Internet.
The company agreed to settle the claim. Juul can no longer include minors in the state in its target audience for advertising and invite people under the age of 35 to film in it. The deal also includes a limit on electronic devices and cartridges that can be purchased in North Carolina on a monthly or yearly basis. In addition, the company will pay $ 40 million (2.8 billion rubles) to North Carolina over six years.
It is noteworthy that this is not the first time lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturer of electronic cigarettes. Similar accusations against Juul come from government officials, educational districts, and even US youth themselves.
Fight in the USA
In the United States, there is an increase in the number of deaths among vapers due to lung damage. They are thought to be associated with toxic chemical fumes or toxic gases.
The administration of US President Joe Biden wanted to require tobacco companies to reduce the level of nicotine in all cigarettes sold in the country to a level at which they are not addictive. In addition, menthol cigarettes may be completely banned. Experts warned that it would take years to implement the new measures and legal problems could arise.
Fight in Russia
The active fight against smoking in Russia began more than ten years ago. In 2008, the country joined the WHO “anti-tobacco” convention. After that, smoking in public places, advertising and sponsorship of tobacco, and so on were banned.
In January 2021, new amendments to the anti-tobacco law entered into force in Russia. Online sales of sticks for heating devices for tobacco and e-liquids are now prohibited. Also, Russians can no longer buy hookahs and nicotine-containing products on the Internet.
Against this backdrop, Juul closed its division in Russia. The products began to be supplied to the country through the dealer Babilon LLC. The reason for this decision was the amendments to the legislation, which actually equate electronic cigarettes, vapes and hookahs with ordinary cigarettes.
21.6
percent
residents of Russian cities aged 15 and over smoke daily, according to Rospotrebnadzor for 2020
results
The results of the authorities' policy were not long in coming: by 2015, smoking among adolescents aged 13-15 had halved compared to 2004, and the share of the adult population who smoked decreased from 39.4 percent in 2009 to 29 percent by 2018.
In August, it was reported that in 2020 the number of Russian smokers decreased by 1.33 million compared to 2019. From Rosstat data, it follows that the number of smokers in Russia has been systematically decreasing since 2009.
WHO called Russia an example to follow in the fight against smoking and alcohol. The organization noted that there is a positive trend in this area both in Russia and in other countries of Eastern Europe.
New plan
In July, the deputy head of the Ministry of Health, Oleg Salagay, announced that the department was preparing to introduce new measures to combat smoking. According to him, it is planned to work out three packages of measures to combat smoking. Among them: the production of standard-sized impersonal packages, on which 75 percent of the area will be occupied by a picture or photo warning about the dangers of using nicotine products.
A ban will also be introduced on the classification of tobacco products by the level of toxic substances, so as not to mislead the consumer. The use of dyes, flavors, and additives that increase addiction will be prohibited in products.
At the same time, Sergey Slipchenko, vice president for corporate affairs of affiliated companies Philip Morris International in Russia, criticized the plan of the Ministry of Health in a conversation with Lenta.ru. In his opinion, the department ignores such an important area as reducing the harm of nicotine consumption, the use of heating systems for tobacco and electronic cigarettes. It is this, and not the new bans, that will help millions of Russian smokers give up their bad habit, Slipchenko believes.
