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 22nd Century Group, Inc.
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</div>New Product Introduction Broadens XXII’s Fast-Scaling Pinnacle Brand Reinforcing Brand Power, Opening New Retail Doors, and Strengthening the Company’s Revenue and Margin Expansion Story  MOCKSVILLE, N.C., May 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), a tobacco products company focused on reducing the harms of smoking through nicotine reduction, today announced the launch of Pinnacle Pure, a new tobacco and water style combustible cigarette, further expanding the Company’s growing family of Pinnacle branded products, expected to be sold through multiple top national retailers in the United States and over 2,000 locations.  <img height="164.0px" name="GNW_RichHtml_IMG" src="https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/675f2edf-5ee3-4305-a810-146874a6673e/image2.png" width="344.0px" data-dpi="96" data-filename="image2.png" /> The expected launch of Pinnacle Pure in the second quarter of 2026 represents another major commercial catalyst for 22nd Century Group and further strengthens the momentum building behind the Company’s expanding Pinnacle platform. Importantly, this rollout is expected to build on the Company’s previously announced Pinnacle VLN® expansion into 150 stores in metro New York and northern New Jersey, where Pinnacle Pure is also expected to be introduced on a similar timeline. Pinnacle Pure joins a rapidly growing portfolio of 22nd Century's Pinnacle products—including six styles of conventional cigarettes, two styles of VLN® cigarettes, two styles of moist snuff, and multiple flavor offerings of cigarillos— 22nd Century is continuing to broaden category reach, deepen retail penetration, and strengthen its position as a scaled supplier across combustible and modern tobacco segments. Larry Firestone, Chief Executive Officer of 22nd Century Group, said, “The launch of Pinnacle Pure is another strong step forward in the rapid buildout of the Pinnacle platform and a clear reflection of our ability to create, manufacture, and scale relevant tobacco products across major retail channels. We continue to build the Pinnacle brand into a broader franchise with greater shelf presence, stronger retail relevance, and more meaningful long-term revenue potential.”  Firestone continued, “From an investor perspective, Pinnacle Pure is especially compelling because of its expected high-margin contribution and the way it further strengthens the economics of the overall Pinnacle portfolio. We also believe the growing strength of the Pinnacle brand is becoming a more important driver in attracting new retail interest. Retailers are looking for brands that offer breadth, consistency, supply reliability, and strong economics. As Pinnacle continues to expand and perform, we believe it can become an even more valuable door-opener for future distribution gains — and that is exactly the kind of commercial traction that can continue to sharpen the 22nd Century growth story in the market.”  About 22nd Century Group, Inc. 22nd Century Group is pioneering the Tobacco Harm Reduction and Nicotine Reduction Movements by enabling smokers to take control of their nicotine consumption. Our Technology is Tobacco Our proprietary non-GMO reduced nicotine tobacco plants were developed using our patented technologies that regulate alkaloid biosynthesis activities resulting in a tobacco plant that contains 95% less nicotine than traditional tobacco plants. Our extensive patent portfolio has been developed to ensure that our-high-quality tobacco can be grown commercially at scale. We continue to develop our intellectual property to ensure our ongoing leadership in the tobacco harm reduction movement. Our Products We created our flagship product, the VLN® cigarette using our low nicotine tobacco, to give traditional cigarette smokers an authentic and familiar alternative in the form of a combustible cigarette that helps them take control of their nicotine consumption. VLN® cigarettes have 95% less nicotine compared to traditional cigarettes and have been proven to allow consumers to greatly reduce their nicotine consumption. VLN® and Helps You Smoke Less® are registered trademarks of 22nd Century Limited LLC. Learn more at <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=Z3QIumofmjVVLhMwCq4lIPdAcX66-V-xXzhG2ACUcJRqNO2e0vHSxll61_MakTDQtOCvjPNX3B2NDM76PCcGkgJedfvSK_fLKGwfNFfVsdw=" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">xxiicentury.com</a>, on <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=aLdpwkwf-BY_l1Y_KS-3lg5CEJH2H_fIw36aXdAA8erKKA0me6aYIq717SlyJZYKZYXZh2PJ8-K-ge5vmVHitNDFAY-u_NohZ5jkH5PAdlqbCXLwt6_F-BDtaG8GBwma" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">X (formerly Twitter)</a>, on <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=q-kHgGnXOTFRQJwqI8sWHIpzlAN7dEPUiSdvPk8Wx5g_d7oJpYIofVDr1ZhIr-ZByty4rHSTFKiJ8DylYDpa9U0oyf-DWD2dpvi0Z-QBy_wQn39LageAEiPs9FIxyKy-" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">LinkedIn</a>, and on <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=7Lo9FlHePGQni5pexTF1yLJO8jw9OfNfgIjGmWkOgosHVXH2pgsu2m1cZvdRdPaqYtUkuDnSTUCIlke7cfaKIVMX7Vkd0c2CusmLofewVgk=" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">YouTube</a>. Learn more about VLN® at <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=Cc8t6NZ-nh4nrCwRjFyLgpEdyTpKNC5AtPQdO7uTC7ebj1qu4KHkZgFR5nnJaW_gtazVrYr5c45hWUZFIxtOsA==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">tryvln.com</a>.  Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to our full year business outlook. Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “foresee,” “goal,” “guidance,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “preliminary,” “probable,” “project,” “promising,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding (i) our expectations regarding regulatory enforcement, including our ability to receive authorization or approval for new products, and (ii) our financial and operating performance. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are set forth in “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 26, 2026. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Investor Relations &amp; Media Contact Matt Kreps Investor Relations 22nd Century Group <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=RJo6VDU8-1ttpXQqBBgReHDsIQGK9bxxtvSVE6xCjQP03htmn_eovmP9XfihREL4eXVFLE33iE73UTYNA9WaIvPj2bMuP3EScZ5fp5CuPDb6KLvO1M3fUcFNTlBd59KBD2biTihgOXufYUV_golBog==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">investorrelations@xxiicentury.com</a> 214-597-8200 
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22nd Century Group (Nasdaq: XXII) Expands High-Margin Pinnacle Platform With Launch of Pinnacle Pure at Major U.S. Retailers

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