FLER at APE

According to KT&G’s official website (Feb 5, 2026), KT&G released its 2025 fourth-quarter and full-year results. Driven by strong growth in its overseas cigarette business and a rebound in its real estate business, the company posted double-digit increases in both revenue and operating profit, reaching record-high performance.

On Jan. 10, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach issued a consumer alert warning Kansans about dangerous vaping products from China marketed as “smart vapes.” The alert says these devices let children use games, social media, Bluetooth, music and more while simultaneously inhaling unregulated materials, and describes them as designed to entice teens and conceal their nature from parents.

According to a statement from the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, House Speaker Carlos Méndez and Rep. Pedro Julio Santiago announced the filing of House Bill 1070 (P.C. 1070), which would prohibit sales to people under 21 of vaping devices, liquids, or cartridges featuring a flavor and/or aroma other than nicotine.

Utah lawmakers are advancing HB337, a bill that would raise the state cigarette tax by $2 per pack and restructure taxes on other nicotine products. The proposal replaces weight-based taxes with percentage-based rates and removes reduced rates for certain modified risk products. Supporters say it will curb youth tobacco use, while opponents warn of cross-border shopping and harm to consumers seeking alternatives.

Japan Tobacco has launched a limited-edition Ploom AURA front panel series in collaboration with musician Ichiro Yamaguchi, featuring five customized designs incorporating brass, Kutani ware, verdigris, kintsugi, and rosewood motifs. Two editions are available through retail channels, while three are distributed via a membership lottery system. The initiative highlights JT’s growing focus on exterior customization and design partnerships as part of its broader heated tobacco brand strategy.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is proposing higher taxes on cigarettes and new taxes on vaping and consumable hemp products, arguing tobacco use is a key driver of lung cancer. The proposal comes as University of Iowa researchers release preliminary findings suggesting Iowa’s late-stage lung cancer burden is higher—and improving more slowly—than in neighboring states.