Public Health
We actively contribute to public health initiatives through responsible practices.
Oversight
Transparency has always been a core tenant guiding our mission in the tobacco industry since inception. Our processes and public communications undergo rigorous scrutiny from external regulatory bodies and policy makers. In collaboration with legal and regulatory departments, we ensure our marketing efforts are informed by the best available science and comply with external regulations. Rigorous review processes, including external counsel verification, ensure all advertising, including social media communications and print publications, adhere to FDA regulations and guidelines. Our commitment to staying informed about the evolving regulatory landscape ensures our commercial communications remain at the forefront of industry practices.
VLN Product Overview
VLN®, the first and only FDA-authorized combustible reduced nicotine tobacco, offers more than just 95% less nicotine content. Our VLN® cigarettes are made with lighter, flax-based paper and reduced-plastic content filters, which, although more costly than their mainstream alternatives, are environmentally preferable choices and provide existing adults smokers with a high-quality and responsible smoking alternative. With such low levels of nicotine, VLN® cigarettes are incapable of creating or sustaining addiction. Our ultimate aspiration is to see a world where the sale of cigarettes becomes obsolete.
Collaboration & Marketing
Reduced nicotine tobacco is an essential component of the FDA’s Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco and Nicotine Regulation. 22nd Century Group Inc.’s VLN® brand offers existing adult a familiar form factor, the cigarette, to help them to smoke less.
We are committed to responsible marketing practices, ensuring our products are marketed exclusively to existing adult smokers with truthful and accurate information. We take great care to avoid any marketing that could appeal to minors and clearly communicate the health risks of smoking. Our marketing efforts are carefully tailored to our target demographic – existing smokers age 21 or above. We are committed to avoiding the promotion of combustible cigarettes to individuals without prior smoking history or those who are underage. To achieve this, we deliberately avoid targeting new smokers, nicotine patch users, oral nicotine users, or e-cigarette users. We further employ highly selective advertising channels that incorporate age-gate and age- verification functionalities, ensuring that our marketing messages reach only the intended audience. Additionally, we utilize user logins where necessary and possible to further enhance age verification measures.
In this heavily regulated commercial space, effective advertising requires specificity. To this end, we collaborate with various stakeholders, including third-party law firms and independent industry organizations, to continuously assess our marketing efforts. This collaborative approach allows us to conduct comprehensive analysis and marketing of products while also adhering to all regulatory requirements.
As part of our mission, our marketing team takes pride in distributing informative educational materials that encourage existing smokers over the age of 21 to explore alternative methods of reducing nicotine consumption. Our ongoing conversations with the public are dynamic, impactful, and mutually rewarding for all stakeholders involved.