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22nd Century Ready to Provide Full Commercial Support to New Zealand’s Plan to Reduce Nicotine Content of All Cigarettes
New Zealand Ministry of Health announced aggressive measures to reduce smoking, including a reduced nicotine mandate by 2025 22nd Century fully engaged and
About this update from 22nd Century Group, Inc
[{"type":"text","content":"New Zealand Ministry of Health announced aggressive measures to reduce smoking, including a reduced nicotine mandate by 2025 22nd Century fully engaged and ready to support New Zealand’s government as it takes bold steps to make country smokefree by 2025 BUFFALO, N.Y., Dec. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), a leading agricultural biotechnology company focused on tobacco harm reduction, reduced nicotine tobacco, and improving health and wellness through plant science, announced today that it is fully engaged and ready to provide commercial support to the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan, including supplying reduced nicotine content combustible cigarettes able to meet New Zealand’s proposed standards. The final version of the Plan introduced on December 9th details comprehensive measures to reduce smoking, including legislation to implement a reduced nicotine mandate. 22nd Century has been an active supporter of New Zealand’s smoke-free efforts throughout the plan’s development process. “We applaud the bold plans in New Zealand, which is now leading the world in introducing novel and highly effective tobacco control strategies to end cigarette addiction. This is an ambitious plan, and reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes such as our VLN® products will be critical to its success. We are fully prepared to support New Zealand and its Smokefree Plan as it blazes a trail for other health agencies around the world to follow, including the United States FDA and the World Health Organization,” said James A. Mish, chief executive officer of 22nd Century Group. New Zealand’s plan details six key focus areas, the fourth of which is: “Making it easier to quit and harder to become addicted by only having low-level nicotine smoked tobacco products for sale and restricting product design features that increase their appeal and addictiveness.” 22nd Century’s VLN® cigarettes would enable New Zealand to authorize a reduced nicotine content cigarette for sale immediately. With just 0.5 mg of nicotine per gram of tobacco, 22nd Century’s VLN® reduced nicotine content cigarettes contain 95% less nicotine than conventional cigarettes, but they taste, smell and smoke the same. An extensive body of independent, clinical science shows that this innovative alternative to addictive,...