There is a revolutionary new option available to the more than 680,000 adult smokers in Colorado – many of whom are trying to cut down or quit. VLN®Brand cigarettes are the first and only combustible tobacco cigarettes to receive a Modified Risk Tobacco Product designation from the federal FDA.
In June 2022, the Biden-Harris administration expressed support for the FDA’s plans to establish a maximum level of nicotine to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes and other combustible tobacco products. While not smoking is safe and VLN® must also include the Surgeon General’s warning language on its packaging and marketing materials, 22nd Century is at the forefront of aligning with the FDA’s goal of promoting public health and reducing the use of nicotine.
The VLN® The cigarettes contain minimal to non-addictive levels of nicotine and are now available at all Smoker Friendly locations in the state through a partnership with Creager Mercantile and will be available in Colorado Circle K stores starting next week. VLN® is also rolling out to retail locations across the state through a partnership with Eagle Rock Distributing Company, a wholesale partner of Anheuser-Busch.
Reproduction of nicotine from tobacco
The VLN® King and VLN® Menthol King cigarettes are substantially lower in nicotine content – 95 percent less – than any other cigarettes currently available to smokers in the United States. These unique nicotine levels were developed using proprietary modern tobacco breeding techniques from 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), an agricultural biotechnology company leading the way in tobacco damage reduction and plant technology/science.
More than 50 independent, government-funded clinical trials under grants from federal organizations, including the FDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted at Johns Hopkins University, the Mayo Clinic and other leading US institutions in The last 12 years have reported that adult smokers who switch to cigarettes with a very low nicotine content:
- Reduce your cigarettes per day (CDP) by 50 percent after 20 weeks
- Have more smoke-free days and quit attempts as a group
- Experience a reduction in cravings and withdrawal symptoms
“According to the CDC, nearly half of Colorado’s adult smoking population tried to quit in 2019; our VLN® King and VLN® Menthol King cigarettes are proven to help adults smoke less,” said John Miller, president of 22nd Century Group’s Tobacco Business. “Reducing cigarette consumption is important, although challenging, and we hope that many smokers switch from smoking cigarettes entirely.”
Colorado is the first state where VLN® cigarettes will be fully launched, following an exceptionally successful pilot in the Chicago area earlier this year. Circle K began selling the cigarettes in April at more than 150 c-stores in Chicago and the surrounding area as part of a six-month pilot program. Its distribution is now expanding to additional stores in Illinois, 22nd Century Group said.
Despite continuing to rank as one of the healthiest states in the country, more than 12% of adult Coloradans still smoke and more than 5,000 people in the state continue to die each year from smoking highly addictive cigarettes. 22nd Century Group chose Colorado for the first state roll because of Colorado’s rapid progress in enabling and facilitating the sale of VLN.® products, as evidenced by being one of the first states in the country to produce an MRTP stamp for VLN® and the second State of the Master Settlement Agreement to approve the VLN list® for sale in their state.
VLN® King and VLN® Menthol King cigarettes with reduced nicotine content can be purchased at all Smoker Friendly locations statewide and will be available at all Colorado Circle K stores starting next week. Cigarettes will also soon be available almost anywhere alcoholic beverages are sold, through the partnership of Eagle Rock Distributing Company. VLN® It will be competitively priced in line with other major brands at $9 to $9.25 a pack, depending on tax.
Learn more about VLN®The revolutionary approach to reduce the harm of tobacco in tryVLN.com and click on the “Store Locator” to find the nearest place that sells VLN.® King and VLN® Menthol King.
VLN® is the first and only combustible cigarette authorized by the FDA MRTP. Using the tobacco plant lines of the 22nd Century Group, VLN® The cigarettes smoke, smell and taste like a conventional cigarette, but contain 95% less nicotine. Numerous independent scientific studies, funded in large part by the US Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and other agencies of the US federal government, have shown that the use of tobacco cigarettes with reduced nicotine content as VLN.® helps smokers reduce their exposure to and dependence on nicotine, smoke fewer cigarettes per day, increase their number of smoke-free days, and double their quit attempts – all with minimal or no nicotine withdrawal symptoms or behavior compensators of smoking. VLN® helps you smoke less. Learn more at tryVLN.com.
22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII) is a leading agricultural biotechnology company focused on reducing tobacco harm, reduced nicotine tobacco and improving health and well-being through plant science. With dozens of patents that allow controlling the biosynthesis of nicotine in the tobacco plant, the Company developed tobacco plants and cigarettes with reduced nicotine content (RNC), which became the basis of the FDA’s Comprehensive Plan to deal with the death and widespread diseases caused by the cause. to smoke The Company received the first and only FDA authorization of modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) of a combustible cigarette in December 2021. In tobacco, hemp/cannabis and hop plants, 22th Century uses modern technologies of plant breeding, including genetic engineering, gene editing, and molecular breeding to provide solutions for the life science and consumer products industries, creating new, proprietary plants with profiles optimized alkaloids and flavonoids as well as improved yields and valuable agronomic traits. Learn more on xxiicentury.com, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information, all statements, expectations and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “consider”, “continue”, “may”, “estimate”, “expect”, “explore”, “anticipate”, “target” , “. “guide”, “intend”, “likely”, “may”, “plan”, “potential”, “prediction”, “preliminary”, “probable”, “project”, “promise”, “seek” , “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are set forth in “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 11, 2021. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and The Company assumes no obligation and has no intention to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Contact Media:
Paul Raab
Linhart Public Relations
303-951-2551
