GlobeNewswire Inc | Aug 16, 2021 09:20AM EDT

August 16, 2021

BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII) (formerly NYSE American: XXII), a leading plant-based, biotechnology company focused on tobacco harm reduction, reduced nicotine tobacco, and hemp/cannabis research, announced today that it will ring the Nasdaq Closing Bell today, August 16, 2021, in celebration of the transfer of its stock listing to the Nasdaq Capital Market from theNYSE American. The companys common stock begins trading today at the market open under the same ticker symbol XXII.

The 22nd Century closing bell ceremony will be broadcast live starting at 3:50 p.m. Eastern Time from Nasdaq MarketSite in New York Citys Times Square. The broadcast may be viewed on Livestream and Facebook.

We are thrilled to join the Nasdaq family, and its an honor to celebrate our listing with todays closing bell ceremony, said James A. Mish, chief executive officer of 22nd Century Group. The visibility and exposure we will gain through our uplisting to Nasdaq is an important part of our efforts to build toward the future. Along with our primary mission to reduce the harm caused by smoking, we are actively focused on positioning 22nd Century for long-term revenue growth and driving value creation across multiple plant franchises and global market opportunities.

About 22nd Century Group,Inc.22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII) is a leading plant biotechnology company focused on technologies that alter the level of nicotine in tobacco plants and the level of cannabinoids in hemp/cannabis plants through genetic engineering, gene editing, and modern plant breeding. 22nd Centurys primary mission in tobacco is to reduce the harm caused by smoking through the Companys reduced nicotine content tobacco cigarettes containing 95% less nicotine than conventional cigarettes. The Companys primary mission in hemp/cannabis is to develop and commercialize proprietary hemp/cannabis plants with valuable cannabinoid profiles and desirable agronomic traits.

Learn more atxxiicentury.com, on Twitter@_xxiicentury, and onLinkedIn.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsExcept for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. 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. 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 Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 11, 2021. 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 & Media Contact:Mei KuoDirector, Communications & Investor Relations22nd Century Group, Inc.(716) 300-1221mkuo@xxiicentury.com