Company: XXII
Filing Date: 2025-05-22
Form Type: PRE 14A
Source: 0001641172-25-012101
Chunk: 15

Company: 22nd Century Group, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-05-22
Form: PRE 14A
Chunk 15
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 in 2024.

We do not have
a formal policy requiring directors to attend Annual Meetings of stockholders. However, all of our continuing directors who were members
of the Board at the time of our 2024 Annual Meeting attended the meeting virtually, and we anticipate that all continuing directors will
attend the 2025 Annual Meeting.

Executive Sessions of Independent Directors

The independent directors hold regularly scheduled executive sessions of the Board and its committees no management directors or employees present. The independent directors met in executive session at most of the regularly scheduled Board and committee meetings held in 2024.

Corporate Governance Guidelines

Our Board has adopted a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines, which describe the Board’s responsibility for oversight of the business and affairs of the Company as well as guidelines for determining director independence and consideration of potential nominees to the Board. The Board, directly and through its Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, regularly reviews developments in corporate governance and best practices and annually reviews its Corporate Governance Guidelines, committee charters, and other key governance documents, policies, and practices. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide:

| ● | Limits                                                                                                                                 
 on Board Service. We do not allow “over-boarding,” or a director serving on an excessive number of public company boards.              
 Excessive board commitments can lead to a director being unable to appropriately fulfill his or her duties to the Company and its      
 stockholders. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines have long limited our directors to no more than two (2) other public company boards. |
| ● | Board                                                                                                                                  
 Self-Assessment and Evaluation. We conduct an annual self-evaluation and assessment of our individual Board performance to help ensure 
 that the Board and its committees function effectively and in the best interest of our stockholders. This process promotes governance  
 in accordance with current best practices and helps set expectations about the relationship and interaction of and between the Board   
 and management.                                                                                                                        |

Standing Committees

Our Board of Directors currently has three (3) standing committees: (i) an Audit Committee, (ii) a Compensation Committee, and (iii) a Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Members of these committees are elected annually by the Board. The charters of each committee are each available on the investor relations section of our website at www.xxiicentury.com.

The Audit Committee oversees the Company’s financial reporting process and system of internal accounting controls, as well as appointment and oversight of the independent public accountants engaged to audit the Company’s financial statements. The Audit Committee also assists the Board in monitoring compliance with