22nd Century Group (Nasdaq: XXII) Ignites Major VLN® Retail Expansion in Metro New York and Northern New Jersey Under Pinnacle Brand

VLN Product Launch in Over 150 New High-Visibility Store Locations Positions XXII to Introduce VLN to New Consumers and Potentially Capture a Large Adult-Smoker Market, Accelerate High-Margin Revenue MOCKSVILLE, N. C. , May 15, 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 that shipments are expected to commence of its Pinnacle VLN cigarette brand for sale through one of the nation's largest purveyors of cigarettes in the US, with distribution expanding to almost 150 stores concentrated in the metro New York area and northern New Jersey.