22nd Century’s “Non- or Minimally-Addictive” Cigarettes Gaining Support of Leading Tobacco Scientists around the World

CLARENCE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– 22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE MKT:XXII),
a plant biotechnology company that is focused on tobacco harm reduction
and cannabis research, announced today that leading scientists published
more than 12 new studies involving 22nd Century’s Very Low Nicotine
(VLN) cigarettes at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society for
Research on Nicotine & Tobacco (SRNT) held earlier this month in
Florence, Italy. The event was attended by leading tobacco scientists
and public health officials from around the world, including acclaimed
university scientists, representatives from the FDA and other regulatory
agencies, and tobacco industry executives.

Increasingly, scientists are seeking to guide public policy makers in
the formation of laws that would mandate the adoption of non-addictive
levels of nicotine in cigarettes. In analyzing the available science
surrounding 22nd Century’s VLN tobacco, the World Health Organization
(WHO) Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation recommends limiting the
nicotine in cigarettes to just 0.4mg/g “…a nicotine content that is
not sufficient to lead to the development and/or maintenance of
addiction.” 22nd Century is the only company in the world capable of
producing combustible tobacco cigarettes at this very low level of
nicotine – without any artificial extraction or chemical processes.

Scientists contributing at the SRNT conference substantially expanded
the understanding of 22nd Century’s VLN tobacco and its importance to
smokers. This link
from the SRNT.org website is to the summaries of the initial results of
all the scientific studies that were presented at the SRNT Annual
Meeting, including the studies on the Company’s reduced nicotine tobacco
(see abstract numbers: SYM9, SYM10A, SYM10B, SYM10C, SYM10D, SYM32,
SYM32A, SYM32B, SYM32C, SYN32D, SYM28B, POS2-70, POS2-160, POS2-168).

Many of the presentations provided evidence in support of a nicotine
reduction policy in the United States and elsewhere. Echoing the
thinking of many of the scientists and regulators at the conference, a
U.S. team led by Dr. Neal Benowitz at The University of California San
Francisco (SYM10B) boldly concluded that “Our data support the
feasibility and safety of a nation-wide policy to reduce the nicotine
content of cigarettes to non- or minimally-addictive levels.”

In researching the attitudes of current smokers, a team led by Dr.
Rachel Denlinger-Apte at Brown University (SYM32D) presented data that
“provide further evidence that smokers, especially those interested in
quitting, would support a NIC reduction policy.”

A multi-university team led by Dr. Tracey Smith at The University of
Pittsburgh (POS2-70) expanded on this nicotine reduction policy theme
and concluded that: “smokers who score higher on measures of nicotine
dependence are likely to experience the greatest reductions in nicotine
dependence as a result of a reduction in the nicotine content of
cigarettes.”

Several other studies using Very Low Nicotine cigarettes also provided
data in favor of a nicotine reduction policy, including a study headed
by Dr. Joseph Koopmeiners at The University of Minnesota (SYM10C) that
concluded that if smokers were compelled to smoke very low nicotine
cigarettes, after just six weeks the average smoker “would smoke 5.13
fewer cigarettes per day.”

“As evidenced by this newest slate of impressive scientific studies that
were presented at the SRNT Annual Meeting in Florence, 22nd Century’s
proprietary VLN cigarettes are a highly effective tool in reducing
smokers’ exposure to nicotine,” explained Henry Sicignano III, President
and Chief Executive Officer of 22nd Century Group. “Called the ‘ultimate
harm reduction strategy’ by former FDA Commissioner Dr. David
Kessler, cigarettes with non- or minimally-addictive levels of nicotine
are a tremendously important product… whose time has come.”

About 22nd Century Group, Inc.

22nd Century is a plant biotechnology company focused on technology
which allows it to increase or decrease the level of nicotine in tobacco
plants and the level of cannabinoids in cannabis plants through genetic
engineering and plant breeding. The Company’s primary mission is to
reduce the harm caused by smoking. 22nd Century currently owns or
exclusively controls more than 200 issued patents and more than 50
pending patent applications around the world. Visit www.xxiicentury.com
for more information.

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press release contains forward-looking information, including all
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of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should be
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occurrence of unanticipated events. You should carefully review and
consider the various disclosures made by us in our annual report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, filed on March 8,
2017, including the section entitled “Risk Factors,” and our other
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materially from those expected or projected.

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