Tobacco Asia

34 tobaccoasia Issue 3, 2023 May / June Michael Saxon, c.e.o. of TAAT ® Global Alternatives Inc. Credit: TAAT ® Global Alternatives Inc. TAAT ® is available in three flavors: original, smooth, and menthol. Credit: TAAT ® Global Alternatives Inc. "Time and again, the clinical and scientific research has shown that adult smok- ers who switch to our products smoke less," Pritchard said, adding that "the nicotine level in VLN is simply too low to create or sustain addiction." Vancouver firm TAAT triggers media buzz It is not compulsory that a combustible smoking product must contain actual tobacco in order to help a user cut down or quit, of course. For instance, smokes manufactured from processed hemp are a great tobacco cigarette substitute in that respect – and they are becoming legal in more and more countries. A Vancouver outfit, TAAT Global Al- ternatives Inc., has garnered a lot of press in recent months with its TAAT products.* Listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange, OTC Markets, as well as the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the company has been retailing its 100% tobacco and nicotine-free smokes in the UK and a number of US states where hemp smokes are legal since 2020. Venturing "Beyond Tobacco ™ " The TAAT brand is presently available in three flavor profiles as "original", "smooth", and "menthol". The products contain "a proprietary blend of plant-based material", which the company has trademarked as "Beyond Tobacco ™ ". Despite the blend not having a single milligram of tobacco in it, "adult smokers who have tried TAAT remark that the smoking experience is very similar to that of smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. "Our process is a combination of patent-pending IP along with other trade se- crets," the company's c.e.o. Michael Saxon told Tobacco Asia during a recent interview. According to the company website "trytaat.com", one of the main ingredients in the Beyond Tobacco blend is processed hemp. As a result, every TAAT stick contains 25mg cannabidiol (CBD) and less than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabiol (THC). A great alternative to tobacco Being a non-addictive and non-psychoactive substance, CBD supposedly has a range of health benefits, including acting as a mild analgesic. Furthermore, there has been some research that suggests that CBD may also help ease the symptoms of actual nico- tine withdrawal, the principal reason why many tobacco users ultimately cave in and fail at their quitting attempt. On the other hand, the concentration of the psychoactive THC in TAAT is much too low to trigger any noticeable effect in an adult smoker. As a combustible product completely devoid of nicotine, TAAT can be deployed as a viable substitute for tobacco cigarettes and might be much better suited than, say, vapes, oral products, or nicotine patches. "Smokers prefer a solution that is more familiar [to them] and fits in seam- lessly with their smoking moments," affirmed Saxon, indirectly confirming that a huge majority of tobacco users who switched to vaping soon return to combustibles. "Over 80% of smokers have tried e-cigarettes but only 3.2% of the market is in the e-cig category," he claimed. More legislation is on the way Continuously increasing retail prices for conventional tobacco cigarettes, pri- marily driven by exorbitantly high tax incidences, also are a major factor for consumers trying to find alternatives. Smoking tobacco simply is becoming a very expensive pastime. A tobacco-free product such as TAAT is much lower taxed, making it easy on the pocket while the sensory satisfaction gained from "lighting up" is maintained. And as US authorities are gearing up for potential new federal and state legislative bans on menthol flavor as well as a reduction of nicotine in tobacco products to "non- addictive levels", there could be further rocks strewn in the average's US smok- er's way very soon. With all of that in the pipeline, "the TAAT brand [is] a great al- ternative for adult smokers who want to continue to use [combustible] products," pointed out Saxon. *All TAAT products are intended for current smokers aged 21 and above only. Further infor- mation about TAAT products is available from the websites taatglobal.com and trytaat.com.

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