World-Renowned Smoking Cessation Scientist, Dr. Michael Cummings, to Present Keynote Address at 22nd Century Annual Shareholder Meeting

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 K.
Michael Cummings, PhD, MPH, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina, will present the
keynote address at 22nd Century Group’s annual shareholder meeting. The
annual shareholder meeting will be held on Saturday, April 29, 2017, at
2:00PM at the Buffalo
Club in downtown Buffalo, New York. The annual meeting will be open
to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 10, 2017.

Recognized internationally for his work in tobacco epidemiology and
smoking cessation, Dr. Cummings is often called on to guide global
tobacco control policy initiatives. Dr. Cummings co-leads the Tobacco
Policy and Control research program at the Hollings Cancer Center of the
Medical University of South Carolina. As the principal investigator of a
project funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Cummings works
to evaluate the psychosocial, behavioral, and product-related impacts of
the tobacco control policies which are articulated through the World
Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
This international project involves more than 20 countries and over 100
research scientists.

Over a 30-year period, Dr. Cummings has served as a Cancer Research
Scientist and later the Chairman of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s
Department of Health Behavior where he helped to establish the Smokers’
Quitline service in the State of New York. A prolific scientific
researcher, Dr. Cummings has authored or co-authored over 420 scientific
papers, including the landmark reports for the Office of the Surgeon
General, the National Cancer Institute, and the International Agency for
Research on Cancer. Dr. Cummings is heavily involved in smoking
cessation and nicotine addiction research, co-authoring a report which
demonstrated improved stop smoking results when smokers combined the use
of Very Low Nicotine tobacco cigarettes with the nicotine patch: Tob
Res. 2007. 9(11):1139-1146.

In 2009, Dr. Cummings’ extensive body of work in smoking behavior and
many contributions to the field of public health earned him the
prestigious Luther Terry Award, which is presented by the American
Cancer Society. Shareholders are encouraged to attend 22nd Century’s
annual shareholder meeting on April 29, 2017 and welcome to Dr. Cummings
as he provides insight into the science and policy surrounding tobacco
control.

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 in tobacco
is to reduce the harm caused by smoking. The Company’s primary mission
in cannabis is to develop proprietary cannabis strains for important new
medicines and agricultural crops. Visit www.xxiicentury.com
and www.botanicalgenetics.com
for more information.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This
press release contains forward-looking information, including all
statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the
intent, belief or current expectations of 22nd Century Group, Inc., its
directors or its officers with respect to the contents of this press
release, including but not limited to our future revenue expectations.
The words “may,” “would,” “will,” “expect,” “estimate,” “anticipate,”
“believe,” “intend” and similar expressions and variations thereof are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. We cannot guarantee
future results, levels of activity or performance. You should not place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as
of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should be
considered with any written or oral forward-looking statements that we
may issue in the future. Except as required by applicable law, including
the securities laws of the United States, we do not intend to update any
of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to reflect
actual results, later events or circumstances, or to reflect the
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
reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission which
attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may
affect our business, financial condition, results of operation and cash
flows. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if
the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary
materially from those expected or projected.

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