22nd Century Group, Inc. announced that its VLN reduced nicotine content cigarettes will be sold in the #1 convenience store (C-Store) chain in the U.S. at more than 1,450 corporate locations in Texas, California and Florida. An additional 3,100 franchise owned stores in these state markets are incentivized to add VLN products with full support from corporate and the national franchise owners organization. Franchise owned stores are already submitting product orders.

The launch will utilize 22nd Century Group's new national and regional distribution agreements, including agreements with both the #1 and #2 C-store distributors in the United States. Stocking orders to distributors will commence in late-June, with corporate stores and the first wave of franchise stores expected to begin selling VLN products in early July. 22nd Century Group's VLN brand cigarettes are the first and only combustible cigarettes that the FDA has authorized as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTP).

The Company's VLN King and VLN Menthol King contain 95% less nicotine than traditional addictive cigarettes, a level considered to be minimally or non-addictive. Reduced nicotine content cigarettes, such as VLN, have been studied extensively by federal health agencies, documenting their ability to help smokers smoke less. To inform adult smokers of the product's distinctive purpose, the FDA requires 22nd Century to include the statement "Helps You Smoke Less" on every package of VLN sold.

As demonstrated by leading independent scientists, reducing the nicotine level in cigarettes has the potential to substantially reduce the enormous burden of smoking-related death and disease. It is estimated that a nicotine product standard to a level that is 95% less than the level of nicotine contained in U.S. conventional cigarettes could save millions of lives and tens of millions of life-years over the next several decades.