Cigarettes news. Tobacco articles and store.

Statewide Smoking Ban May Face More Exemptions

2012-02-08T13:25:00.002+02:00

Anti-tobacco forces are more confident than ever that this year's General Assembly will enact a statewide smoking ban, but there will likely be more efforts to weaken the legislation.
Lawmakers who have led the anti-smoking fight for years said they're optimistic because Gov. Mitch Daniels has endorsed the idea, it passed the House and Senate leaders have promised a committee hearing and vote on their bill, RTV6's Norman Cox reported.
"I mean, certainly the governor's support helps. The public is overwhelmingly in support" of the bill to ban smoking in most public places," said Rep. Eric Turner, R-Cicero.
But the problem in the Senate has always been the insistence of some members to add additional exemptions.
The bill already exempts gambling facilities, cigar and hookah bars, and private clubs where members vote to keep smoking and agree to keep out minors.
But some senators want more exemptions.
"I think that there'll be those people that will be offering exemptions probably for the bars that will want to be put in," said Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, the chairman of the Public Policy Committee that will hear the bill. "There's some talk about the charity gaming, the Catholic Church and some of those who files a permit that does the charity gaming for the church, bingo or what have you."
But bars have already been given a delay in their deadline for going smoke-free and advocates said they don't want to go any further than that.
"We have given the bars an additional 18 months to get their house in order," said Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary. "They have an 18-month period in which they can advise, warn or inform all of their patrons that this facility will be smoke-free in 18 months."
House sponsors aren't saying whether putting in a permanent exemption for bars would kill the bill.
"Well, I think it's too early to make that call," Turner said. "We'll be discussing it probably the rest of the session."
House sponsors said if the bill comes back from the Senate weaker than they version the House approved, there may be a battle royal in conference committee.
In Indianapolis, Mayor Greg Ballard has until Friday to decide whether to sign or veto a smoking ban proposal approved by the City-County Council. Spokesman Marc Lotter said Ballard expects to issue a decision later in the week.

Smoking Ban Ordinance to Be Intro'd Tonight

2012-02-08T13:22:00.002+02:00

The Township of Maplewood will introduce an ordinance tonight, Feb. 7, proposing a ban on smoking in public parks, playgrounds and recreational areas.

If the ordinance passes on introduction, a second reading and public hearing will be held on Feb. 21 — before a final vote that night. If approved that night, signs announcing the ban and it attached fines could be in place in parks and playgrounds by late April.

On Jan. 17, Township Committee members gave Town Counsel Roger Desiderio their feedback on the draft ordinance. Mayor Vic DeLuca told Desiderio that he had changed his mind and now thought that including perimeter sidewalks in the ban would be "unreasonable." Other committee members including Jerry Ryan, India Larrier and Deputy Mayor Kathy Leventhal supported this decision, noting that smokers exiting the train would be forced to walk in the street on their way home. Marlon K. Brownlee balked at the exclusion of sidewalks, however: "We're concerned about the safety of people smoking?"

Regarding enforcement, the committee members agreed that enforcement would be passive: Police patrols already assigned to the park would cite violators where they came upon them.

"Believe me," said DeLuca, "other people in the park will enforce it. I don't expect the police to patrol the parks for this." DeLuca also felt that, over time, the signs would work to deter smoking. He added later, "People are not shy about telling a smoker they shouldn't smoke."

The Township Committee also discussed whether or not the ban should be extended to all non-park festivals, but this idea was abandoned. Desiderio gave the example of patrons of St. James's Gate leaving the establishment to smoke during a street festival. Only Brownlee dissented on this decision: "I would like to extend the band to the whole festival, even in the street."

DeLuca said the proposed penalties were as follows: $50-$100 for a first offense; $100-$200 for a second offense; and $200-$500 for a third and subsequent offenses.

Board to support legislation banning smoking in parks

2012-02-08T13:21:00.001+02:00

The Warren County Board of Supervisors approved a request Tuesday by the county attorney's office to adopt a resolution supporting legislation aimed at snuffing out smoking in public parks.

Virginia House Bill 142 would allow localities to adopt an ordinance banning smoking in public parks, said Assistant County Attorney Dan Whitten. Localities could prohibit smoking in an entire park or designated sections, he said.

Whitten said he was approached earlier this year by the Parks and Recreation Department to determine who has authority to prohibit smoking in public parks.

"Right now, you can prohibit smoking in indoor facilities, but not outdoor," Whitten said. If the bill passes the General Assembly and the county adopts a consequent ordinance, signs would have to be posted at park entrances, alerting people to the ban.

Parks and Recreation Director Dan Lenz said he's received several complaints from people about smoking in parks, particularly around playgrounds and areas with a high concentration of children and pregnant women.

"There have been incidents where people actually got into arguments about smoking," he said. Lenz said that at places like Bing Crosby Stadium in Front Royal, smokers can be asked to step outside to smoke "but we can't enforce it."

Lenz added that he's a little surprised that a similar bill hasn't been introduced or approved before now, given the prevalence of anti-smoking campaigns. He hopes the bill will "appease as many people as possible."

The county attorney's office will take the board's resolution to Richmond on Thursday for Local Government Day, Whitten said. They plan to seek support for the bill from state Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg; Del. C. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock; Del. Beverly J. Sherwood, R-Winchester; and Del. Michael J. Webert, R-Marshall.

If approved by the General Assembly and Gov. Bob McDonnell, the bill would become law on July 1.

E Cigarette Review: How Smokers Are Quitting Today

2012-02-08T13:19:00.001+02:00

Electronic cigarettes now help millions of people to quit smoking without side effects, a solution which was not possible many years ago. The traditional cigarettes contain more than 500 carcinogens and other poisons which can be traced to smoking. Most people are now educating themselves with the dangers of breathing acetone fumes or carbon monoxide, and are therefore, getting encouraged to embrace electronic cigarettes.

Tobacco smoking is now banned in public places in many parts of the world because the people close to the smoker can also suffer from different kinds of diseases, including lung cancer. Electronic cigarettes help in changing all of that. For one thing, e-cigarettes are smokeless, and the smoker can even inhale a smoke resembling vapor. He will even get the dose of nicotine needed for the day without health risks.

The long part of the e-cigarettes is the battery, which is rechargeable and the butt is an atomizer which contains a liquid that is comprised of vegetable oils, flavoring, and the nicotine. What happens when the oil meets the electric charge of the battery is that it becomes vaporized and the smoker will inhale the vapors which taste just like the smoke from a real cigarette and you don’t have to worry about any smells, smoke stains, or annoying your non-smoking coworkers.

Electronic cigarettes have different shapes. Some look like pipes, cigars or cigarettes, while others are made to look like many items which are socially acceptable, such as pens. One may find e cigs in different levels of nicotine depending on the smoking habit of the person. The most common ones are Zero mg (zero nicotine), 6 mg, 11 mg, 14 mg, 18 mg and 24 mg. The best electronic cigarette will have no lingering smell, no ash, no tar and no foul smoke.

Medical marijuana provider sues Mount Holly

2012-02-08T13:03:00.002+02:00

A nonprofit that wants to market medical marijuana has sued after being denied a site in Burlington County.

Compassionate Care Foundation Inc. wants a judge to overturn a decision last month by Westampton’s Land Development Board. The board’s members voted 4-3 against the nonprofit’s plan to grow and sell marijuana at a vacant warehouse on Hancock Lane.

In rejecting the proposed facility, the township board said “the intended use … was not a contemplated use” when a local zoning ordinance was adopted, according to the lawsuit. But Compassionate Care argues medical marijuana should be allowed at the site as an agricultural crop.

Township officials could not be reached for comment on the suit, which was filed in Superior Court here. A hearing is scheduled for March 23.

Compassionate Care, which is based in Mount Laurel, is one of two state-approved providers of medical marijuana struggling to find a home in South Jersey. The other supplier, Compassionate Sciences ATC, was rebuffed in October when it sought to open a marijuana dispensary at a former furniture store on Route 73.

New Jersey legalized medical marijuana in January 2010, authorizing six nonprofit groups to operate in distinct zones across the state. But Gov. Chris Christie, citing concerns over federal laws against the drug’s sale, did not give his approval until July of last year.

So far, no marijuana has been sold legally in New Jersey and at least four town boards have turned away the businesses.

A Camden property owner, Ilan Zaken, also wants approval to lease two commercial buildings in the Gateway area to a state-approved supplier. The city’s zoning board on Monday night considered Zaken’s request to allow the production and sale of medical marijuana.

Board members took no action after about four hours of testimony, including criticism of the proposal by representatives of two nearby employers, Campbell Soup Co. and Cooper University Hospital, according to Frank Fulbrook, a city activist who is working with Zaken.

Fulbrook said the city board is expected to announce a decision March 5.

Compassionate Care at one point had a tentative lease for a site in Bellmawr, but it broke off that agreement due to the state’s delay in implementing the medical marijuana law.

Aetna’s dentists get iPads to help patients stop smoking

2012-01-31T14:14:00.002+02:00

Aetna is set to begin a trial program that equips New York City-area dentists with iPads to help them better educate their patients about tobacco use in an effort to curb smoking. The trial program includes a clinical decision support system (CDSS) that is built on a medical knowledge base, patient data, and decision support technology that provides dentists with personally targeted advice for each patient.

The trial is still in its earliest stages: Aetna is working with Columbia University to design and implement the program.

Dr. David Albert DDS, Director of the Division of Community Health at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York City, is the principal investigator for the study, which aims to determine how impactful such a CDSS system is on the patient population.

The study is called, “The Dental Tobacco Cessation iPad” and it still has undergo testing and modifications before it rolls out formally at five NYC dental offices.

“The program is designed as an innovative interface between patients and dentists and we anticipate that devices like the iPad can be used to break down barriers between clinicians’ and their patients,” said Dr. Albert. “We will evaluate if we are able to encourage and assist dentists to provide tobacco cessation advice and assistance for their patients who use tobacco products. Tobacco use poorly affects the mouth and teeth and the patient’s overall health. Helping patients to quit tobacco use is a goal that the US Public Health Service encourages all dentists to adopt.”

For more on Aetna’s iPad trial, read the press release below:

PRESS RELEASE: HARTFORD, Conn. — With cigarette smoking causing about 1 of every 5 deaths in the United States each year, Aetna (NYSE: AET) is piloting a new program to support dentists in adopting the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) five A’s tobacco cessation guidelines – Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist and Arrange.

“Our work is designed to support not only dentists and their clinical staff, but also the well-being of their patients and our members”

“Our work is designed to support not only dentists and their clinical staff, but also the well-being of their patients and our members,” said Dr. Mary Lee Conicella, Aetna’s chief dental officer. “Numerous investigations, along with Aetna’s own work in dental offices, provide evidence that many dentists engage in Asking and Advising about tobacco use. However, the remaining A’s do not receive adequate attention in the clinical setting.”

Through the new program, Aetna will promote tobacco counseling by dentists and will study the impact that a smoking cessation clinical decision support system (CDSS) has on a patient’s tobacco use. A CDSS is a system designed to integrate a medical knowledge base, patient data and decision support technology to generate case specific advice. Aetna will be working with Columbia University to design and implement the program; Aetna will carry out the pilot in network dental offices in the New York City area.

“The study will help us gather input from general practice dentists to develop, refine and pilot test an innovative clinical decision support system – the Dental Tobacco Cessation I-Pad,” reported David A. Albert, DDS, MPH the Principal Investigator for the study. Dr. Albert is the Director of the Division of Community Health at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York City.

The 2-phase pilot includes multiple evaluation methods to assess dentist practice preferences and dental office workflow integration. The Dental Tobacco Cessation I-Pad will undergo rigorous testing with relevant program modifications before a formal study is conducted in five general NY dental offices. The study will help evaluate the adoption and maintenance of the CDSS in clinical practice by dentists and their office staff, as well as patients. A manual of operations will be developed and updated throughout the study.

“The program is designed as an innovative interface between patients and dentists and we anticipate that devices like the iPad can be used to break down barriers between clinicians’ and their patients,” said Dr. Albert. “We will evaluate if we are able to encourage and assist dentists to provide tobacco cessation advice and assistance for their patients who use tobacco products. Tobacco use poorly affects the mouth and teeth and the patient’s overall health. Helping patients to quit tobacco use is a goal that the US Public Health Service encourages all dentists to adopt.”

Rambam bans cigarette sales at hospital

2012-01-31T14:10:00.002+02:00

Rambam Medical Center in Haifa has become “the first government hospital” in the country to prohibit voluntarily the sale of tobacco products in shops, kiosks and vending machines on its whole campus.

It has thus altruistically decided to forgo annual income of hundreds of thousands of shekels from commissions and rentals, it said.
Originally, Rambam said on Monday it was the “first hospital in the country” to bar the sale of tobacco on its campus, but when The Jerusalem Post found at least two other medical centers – Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek and Hadassah University Medical Center on Mount Scopus – that have not allowed the sale of tobacco for years, even decades, Rambam changed its statement to “the first state hospital.”

The management decision, which took effect this month, resulted from a matter of principle – of promoting good health, said Rambam Director-General Rafael Beyar, himself an interventional cardiologist. Beyar, who initiated the move, said a medical institution that daily witnesses the damage caused by cigarettes to health had to “make a clear statement” against smoking.

When the Post asked the Health Ministry whether it would now prohibit the sale of tobacco at all other government hospitals – it responded: “The ministry congratulates Rambam Medical Center and its blessed activities in fighting smoking and hopes all hospitals in the country follow in its footsteps.”

After prodding, the ministry expanded its response and said its director-general, Prof. Ronnie Gamzu, will “consider, within his authority, directing all the general hospitals to prevent the sale of cigarettes” on their premises.

Beyar said that in recent weeks his hospital has made great efforts to set up “smoking corners” in specific areas in the hospitals and educational and informational signs, especially forbidding smoking outside the doors leading to the hospital wards, where smoking is especially annoying and harmful.

Rambam is one of the few hospitals where a municipal inspector hands out fines for smoking in places where it is forbidden. The fine is NIS 1,000 per violation, Beyar said, adding that he knows the public will obviously continue to buy tobacco outside the campus and try to use the products inside, “but we are planning future steps” to prevent violations.

National Council for the Prevention of Smoking head Amos Hausner said he congratulated Rambam, as a hospital that does healing “must not sell death.” But Hausner has said many times that hospitals and other public facilities should not allow indoor smoking rooms at all, and all who insist on smoking should go outdoors. Hausner also called on the IDF to ban the sale of tobacco products in canteens and other facilities.

“If they have to, soldiers can bring them from home but they must not smoke indoors,” he said.

He noted his disappointment that many religiously observant people still smoke even though very prominent rabbis, including Rabbi Shlomo Wosner of Bnei Brak, have ruled that it is forbidden to sell tobacco products, let alone use them.

Supermarket and cellular phone service mogul Rami Levy, who said he personally doesn’t smoke or allow close family members to do so, lets his mehadrin (Eda Haredit kashrut-supervised) supermarket in Jerusalem’s Givat Shaul rent out a tobacco shop inside the building that the Eda Haredit rabbis have not prohibited from operating even though it is widely recognized that smoking violates Jewish law.

When asked over a year ago why he doesn’t bar the sale of tobacco in his entire chain, but especially in the mehadrin store, Levy said it would take “a year” for the expiration of the contract with the company that owns all the shops and vending machines in his chain. But on Monday, he told the Post the contracting company took an option to continue supplying tobacco products to his chain, thus lengthening the contract for two years. Levy promised, however, that he will stop all tobacco sales in his stores in another two years when the contract with the supplying company runs out.

On December 21, the ministry made it illegal to install cigarette vending machines within 1,000 meters of schools and other educational institutions. Starting January 1, 2014, the use of tobacco vending machines will be completely barred, giving the vendors time to “make up their investments” in the machines, even though they could easily be retrofitted immediately to sell other products.

'Inaction' On Smoking Violations Questioned

2012-01-31T14:08:00.001+02:00

A senator has scored the Inter-Agency Committee on Tobacco (IAC-T) for its dismal performance in ensuring that the law regulating smoking in the country is strictly enforced.

Sen. Pilar “Pia” Cayetano said the lead agency of the IAC-T, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), together with the Department of Health and the Philippine Tobacco Institute, the organization representing tobacco companies, has so far reported only one violation or case filed for the period of January to September 2011.

For the past two years, the IAC-T has also only conducted four meetings, two for each year discussing the agency’s exclusive jurisdiction over tobacco products; the country’s representation to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) negotiations on Articles 9 and 10; and clarification whether the DTI is the lead agency on the guidelines on Articles 9 and 10 of the FCTC.

Yet the number of people violating Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 is increasing despite campaigns being done by the government.

“I believe there are more provisions of the law that are being violated out there. Is the slow action of the IAC-T because it has not received any reports of violations? Or is it because the IAC-T failed to conduct aggressive information campaigns as to the availability of their hotlines? Or is it simply because they refuse to act on such reports of violations?” said Cayetano, who chairs the Senate committee on health and demography.

“I reiterate my strict directive for the IAC-T to do its job and act on these reports of violations. I task them to convene a meeting immediately and take up reported violations and act upon them,” Cayetano said.

As part of their mandate under the Local Government Code, Cayetano said local government units (LGU) likewise, should see to it that establishments and malls within their jurisdiction are strictly enforcing Section 6 of the law which provides a designated area for smokers.

“May I point out that among the penalties for violations of the law is the cancellation of their business permit,” she said.

She urged the Senate to exercise its oversight function in ensuring that the provisions of the law are strictly being implemented.

“I trust that we will show the Filipinos that the law is equally applied, that none of us is above the law. I trust that the Senate will take the necessary corrective measures to ensure that we strictly complied with the law that we have enacted,” she said.

Not hiring smokers crosses privacy line

2012-01-31T14:05:00.001+02:00

Baylor Health Care System, one of the Dallas area's largest employers, has taken several savvy steps in its fight against smoking. It has offered free smoking-cessation programs to workers, made its campus smoke-free and slapped a health insurance surcharge on employees who smoke.

But on Jan. 1, Baylor went a step too far: It stopped hiring anyone who smokes at work — or anywhere else. Treating smoking, in essence, like illegal drug use takes Baylor and an increasing number of other employers down a dangerous road, one that extends far too deeply into the private lives of prospective workers.

Baylor says that as a health care organization, it wants to practice what it preaches: discouraging one of the nation's deadliest health habits. But such practices are not confined to the health care industry, and they raise a broader issue: If employers routinely reject people who engage in risky, but legal, behavior on their own time, what about such things as overeating or drinking too much alcohol? If smoker bans reduce health care expenses, cost-conscious employers might be tempted to stake out new and even more intrusive territory under the "wellness program" banner. A bit further down the road lies hiring based on genetics. In that world, inheriting a gene that shows a predisposition to a costly disease could cost you a job.

A decade ago, bans on hiring smokers were rare. A few companies — including Alaska Airlines, Turner Broadcasting, Florida's Gulf Power and some law enforcement agencies — were among the early adopters. The trend led 29 states to pass laws protecting smokers from what lawmakers saw as workplace discrimination.

While no one keeps count, the practice appears to be spreading in the other 21 states. At Weyco Inc., a Michigan medical-benefits administrator, four employees quit when they refused to submit to the company's no-smoker policy. Since 2007, the Cleveland Clinic— which has 40,000 employees and hires 5,000 a year — hasn't hired anyone who tests positive for nicotine. Starting this Wednesday, Pennsylvania's Geisinger Health System, which has 15,000 employees, won't hire smokers.
At least health care providers can assert that the bans are related to their medical missions. But what about other companies? Scotts Co., which makes lawn and garden supplies, made headlines in 2006 when it was sued by a new hire who was fired after testing positive for nicotine; Scotts' policy was upheld by a federal court in Boston. Atlanta-based Georgia Power stopped hiring smokers in 2009.

Even the Hollywood Casino in Toledo, Ohio, set to open this year, tells smokers they need not apply for employment. This means House Speaker John Boehner, a smoker who is second in line to the presidency, couldn't get a job at a casino in his home state.
In a nation where 55% of workers get their insurance through their employers, and where employers' insurance costs have more than doubled in just a decade, companies have ample reason to cut costs and keep employees healthy. They also deserve great latitude in hiring, which makes legislation problematic. But intruding this deeply into people's private lives raises questions that bear scrutiny.
Companies can charge smokers more for health coverage or ban smoking on the job. But punishing people for using a legal product on their own time crosses a troubling line.

Program helps smokers butt out

2012-01-23T14:02:00.002+02:00

THE theme for this year's national Non-Smoking Week, Jan 15-21, is breaking up is hard to do, but breaking up with tobacco this new year is easier for British Columbians thanks to B.C.'s Smoking Cessation Program.

According to a written statement, since the program launched in September 2011, more than 63,000 B.C. residents have called 811 for free access to nicotine replacement therapies. Approximately 37,000 of these have been requests for first-time orders, representing almost seven per cent of B.C. smokers, 24,000 have been requests for refill orders and more than 19,000 people have obtained a prescription smoking cessation drug while visiting their physician for another reason.

The Smoking Cessation Program helps people stop smoking or using other tobacco products by assisting with the cost of smoking cessation aids. Once each calendar year, B.C. residents enrolled with the Medical Services Plan can receive PharmaCare coverage of a single continuous course of treatment of a prescription smoking cessation drug or a free 12-week supply of a nicotine replacement gum or patches. After registering for the program, British Columbians can receive further support in quitting smoking from QuitNow Services.

Virginia lawmaker proposes tobacco tax increase, car tax cut

2012-01-23T13:12:00.001+02:00

Health activists who hope to curb smoking in Virginia have a new strategy, and it involves cutting the car tax. A Delegate from northern Virginia has introduced a bill that would raise the state's cigarette tax by more than $1.00 a pack, and devote most of the proceeds to car tax relief.

Richmonder Jerrell Adkins says his cigarettes are already too expensive, and a $1.15 increase in the state cigarette tax would persuade him to quit. "That's too much to be paying," Adkins told News7. "If they're only four dollars now, four dollars is already too much," he said.

That's exactly what members of the Tobacco Free Alliance are hoping to hear.

Jann Balmer is the chairman of the group's Virginia organization. "Smoking and tobacco affect every organ in your body and what we want is for people to be healthy," she said Tuesday morning.

Arlington Delegate Patrick Hope has introduced legislation that would raise the state tobacco tax to the national average, $1.45 a pack. Some of the money would pay for prevention programs, but most, more than $250 million, would go toward cutting the unpopular car tax.
"If you have a $15,000 car, you're probably writing a tax bill of nearly $200," Hope said after a Richmond news conference. "This would cut it in half. And you have multiple cars. This is real relief for real families."

A lawmaker who represents tobacco country and opposes the legislation says the bill would harm another group of Virginians.

"We've got to protect our tobacco farmers and the ones who've remained in the trade in agriculture in our area," said Senator Bill Stanley, "and so I certainly want to do whatever I can to protect the farmer."

Proposals to raise Virginia's tobacco tax have repeatedly failed in the General Assembly, but supporters are hoping a new approach will give the idea some fresh momentum in 2012.

B D College to be declared 'no-smoking zone' from R-Day

2012-01-16T14:16:00.001+02:00

The B D College campus would be declared a "no-smoking zone" from January 26. A decision in this regard has been taken by the college authorities to maintain academic ambience on the campus. College principal B N Ojha said teachers and students would be barred from smoking, chewing betel and consuming any tobacco products once the new regulation is imposed.

The principal said the college has already announced to maintain a dress code for boys and girls from February. Use of cellphones by students has also been banned on the campus. The college will realize fine from students found using cellphones on the campus during the teaching hours, he said.

PG teaching: B D college will start postgraduate teaching in commerce from Tuesday. The PG teaching in commerce used to be held at the college in the past. However, it was withdrawn by the university due to some unavoidable reasons. The PG teaching in commerce would serve the purpose of students, particularly girls of local areas, who go elsewhere to pursue M Com course, Ojha said.

Jubilee Bhawan: A N College is building Jubilee Bhawan on its sprawling campus. The building will be completed soon. It will house the administrative block of the college, college principal Haridwar Singh said. According to him, two more buildings for a girls' hostel and BEd students are also being constructed on the college campus. These buildings would give a new look to the college on their completion, he said.

Pot smokers don't puff away lung health: study

2012-01-16T14:14:00.001+02:00

Researchers found that multiple measures of lung function actually improved slightly as young people reported using more marijuana -- at least up to a couple thousand lifetime joints.

"There's no doubt, if you've watched a Harold & Kumar movie, marijuana triggers a cough," said Dr. Stefan Kertesz, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who worked on the new study. But questions have remained about the drug's longer-term effect on lung functioning.

"Previous studies have had mixed results," Kertesz explained. "Some have hinted at an increase in lung air flow rates and lung volume (with marijuana smoking), and others have not found that. Others have found hints of harm."

While marijuana smoke has a lot of the same toxins as cigarette smoke, he added, people who use pot tend to smoke fewer joints each day than tobacco users smoke cigarettes. That and the method of inhaling may offer some relative lung protection, researchers have proposed.

Still, the findings don't let marijuana off the hook for long-term health consequences.

"I think a lot more work will need to be done to make any blanket statements about safety," said Dr. Jeanette Tetrault, a substance abuse researcher at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, who wasn't tied to the new research.

"These are only two measures of pulmonary function and don't really paint the entire picture" of the potential effects of marijuana on the lungs, she told Reuters Health.

The new data come from a long-term study of more than 5,000 young adults in Oakland, Chicago, Minneapolis and Birmingham. From 1985 until 2006, researchers regularly asked participants about their past and current use of cigarettes and marijuana. They also tested how much air their lungs could hold and the maximum rate of air flow out of their lungs.

Not surprisingly, the researchers found that the more cigarettes their participants smoked or had smoked in the past, the worse their lungs performed on both tests, Kertesz's team reported Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

But at least at moderate levels of pot smoking, that didn't seem to be the case -- in fact, the trend was reversed.

Lung volume and air flow rates both increased with each "joint-year" -- the equivalent of 365 joints or pipe bowls -- participants said they'd ever smoked, up until about seven joint-years, or some 2,555 joints.

It was a small overall improvement, though. Lung airflow -- measured by how much air people could blow out in one second -- was no more than 50 milliliters higher in pot smokers compared with non-smokers. The average value for a healthy male is four liters, according to Kertesz.

"It's a very real increase... but it's so small that I don't think that a person would feel a benefit in terms of their breathing," Kertesz said.

"Is this a real increase in lung health? That's the other question. We don't know exactly what's happening inside all of the airways of the individuals who are measured."

One explanation, he said, could be that deep breaths taken by pot smokers when they're inhaling could train them to do well on a test of lung function that involves breathing in and blowing out air as quickly as possible.

NTA gives P5.4 M to Abra tobacco farmers

2012-01-16T13:52:00.001+02:00

The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) has given a total of P5.4 million to tobacco farmers of Abra this cropping season.

The loan package is part of the production assistance given to farmers under the Tobacco Contract Growing System of the NTA to sustain the tobacco industry.

NTA administrator Edgardo D. Zaragoza, in a recent visit to Bangued, Abra, said he is happy to see local officials, led by Governor Eustaquio P. Bersamin, utilizing their share from the tobacco excise tax under Republic Act 7171 for the benefit of the tobacco-growers.

NTA-Abra branch manager Esmeralda G. Valera, in a report, said a total of 261 tobacco farmers had already availed of the production loan assistance.

A total of 160 hectares of tobacco farmlands are being cultivated this cropping season in the 19 tobacco-growing municipalities in the province.

Aside from the production loan assistance, flue curing barns in the different municipalities had also been installed to facilitate the curing of tobacco leaves to obtain better quality of leaves that would command a better price in the market.

Zaragoza reiterated his advice to the tobacco farmers not to hasten the curing process. He advised the farmers to take time and wait for the leaves to mature before harvesting to ensure better quality.

This way, farmers would get more returns on their investment because better quality leaves command higher selling price in the market, Zaragoza said.

Valera also reported that the provincial government is still distributing fertilizers to the beneficiaries, while the initial tranche of fertilizer subsidies provided under RA 7171 to the Provincial Government has all been distributed.

Zaragoza was accompanied by Deputy Administrator Everin Molina, and NTA Board of Directors Rogelio Elvena and Geoffrey Gacula.

Carlisle borough council bans tobacco products in borough parks

2012-01-16T13:49:00.001+02:00

Thursday night, Carlisle borough council took a step toward making the borough a healthier community.
By a unanimous vote of 6-0 (council president Perry Heath, who is also acting mayor, didn't vote on anything Thursday night), council banned the displaying, distributing, using, chewing, expectorating, discarding, lighting or smoking of tobacco products in borough parks.
New council member Robin Guido read the proposed ordinance and made the motion to approve it, noting as she did that, "As a nurse, I love getting to use the word ‘expectorate' publicly."
Solicitor Ed Schorpp, who drafted the ordinance, laughed and said that "expectorate" was the only appropriate word for the situation.
The ordinance came about through a grass-roots movement, according to council member Tim Scott, with people - mostly parents of small children - asking the borough to ban tobacco products in the parks because it was a bad example for children.

Cigarette rules not properly implemented

2012-01-05T14:40:00.001+02:00

The national government should endeavor to enforce existing rules and regulations before considering new tax measure, like the indexation of excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol, a lawmaker from La Union said.

While the Department of Finance (DoF) wanted the proposed hike in levies on alcohol and tobacco be approved by the middle of next year, La Union Representative Victor Ortega pointed that the government has yet properly implemented the rules and regulations on cigarettes.

“What’s the use of passing new laws if we cannot strictly enforce existing rules and regulations like the ban on selling cigarettes to minors,” Ortega said.

But the finance department explained that there is a need to raise tobacco and alcohol taxes so that the industry is not controlled by just one company and to improve the government’s tax efficiency.

Currently, the company that controls 90 percent of the Philippine market is PMFTC, the merged entity of Philip Morris and Lucio Tan-owned Fortune Tobacco Corporation.

The finance department is also aiming to collect roughly P60 billion in additional revenues through the restructured excise taxes on alcohol and tobacco. Revenue from the measure would be earmarked for the government’s proposed public health care system.

Ortega, however, warned that an increase in taxes and the proposed attachment of graphic health warnings on cigarette packs may trigger tobacco farmers in the Ilocos Region to thinking about going back to marijuana planting.

“It took us a long, long time in the Ilocos Region to fight this marijuana planting. And we’ve gone a long way into minimizing it, except maybe in a few portions of the mountainous areas,” Ortega said.

According to government estimates, the sin tax measure could raise as much as P19 billion to P20 billion in the first year of implementation, P30 billion to P40 billion in the second year, P40 billion to P50 billion in the third year and P60 billion to P70 billion in the fourth year.

The sin tax hike measure is still being deliberated by the House ways and means committee.

Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad earlier said that delays in committee hearings and in the consolidation of the various “sin” tax bills had prompted the removal of committee chairman Batangas Rep. Hermilando I. Mandanas.

Newly instated ways and means committee chairman Davao City Rep. Isidro T. Ungab has said that he would prioritize and fast-track the passage of proposed excise tax reforms.

Shopkeeper hits out at cigarette plain packaging plan

2012-01-05T14:39:00.002+02:00

Plans to put cigarettes and tobacco in plain packaging have been criticised by a Whitstable shopkeeper.

Last month the government announced that the public consultation on tobacco packaging due to take place by the end of last year had been put back to the spring.

This means that it will come at the same time as supermarkets in England must comply with a law banning tobacco displays which comes into force on April 6.

Debbie Corris, who runs Jim Ingram’s in Tankerton Road, said that since it will be illegal to have cigarette packets on show it made no sense to insist they were also put into plain packaging.

"I just do not see why they are consulting on more legislation at the same time as this latest law comes into effect," she said.

"Why not wait to see how the ban on displaying cigarettes and tobacco goes and its effect before consulting on yet more laws."

Although supermarkets must cover up all cigarette displays by April 6 smaller shops such as Mrs Corris’s business do not have to comply until 2015.

Customers in England will still be able to buy cigarettes in the normal way but the ban – which was announced in 2008 – will mean all tobacco products will have to be kept under the counter or hidden behind a cover such as a fold back shutter.

If plans for plain packaging are passed it will mean that all cigarette packets are likely to be a pale beige colour, with the brand name in identical small lettering and in larger type the present health warning.

Mrs Corris said: "Restocking will be a nightmare as will selling. Some packets cost more than others but the names will all look the same so it will be easy to make mistakes.

"It will also be much harder to see which ones are fake.

"The whole thing is ridiculous. It applies to tobacco as well and almost all my pipe smokers are over 50.

"The government is trying to denormalise something which is perfectly legal and age restricted.

"If you are over 18 and decide to smoke you should be entitled to go into a shop and buy cigarettes just like anything else.

"Where will all this end? Why can’t people be allowed to make up their minds? It is just a step too far."

Fake cigarettes being sold in Worcestershire

2012-01-05T14:38:00.002+02:00

WORCESTERSHIRE Regulatory Services are aware that fake cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco are being sold within the county.

Fake tobacco products often contain much higher levels of nicotine and tar than genuine products and contain toxic chemicals including formaldehyde and arsenic. They are also often padded out with leaves and debris. Sellers of these fake products claim they are imported into the UK and are therefore available at a much reduced price as no duty has been paid.

It is illegal to sell fake tobacco products in the UK and it is illegal to sell tobacco products without paying the UK duty due on them.

These products not only harm the health of those people smoking them but also harm local legitimate businesses who sell genuine products.

The Central England Trading Standards Authorities (CEnTSA) has launched a fakes hotline, which retailers and the public can call to report the sale of fake cigarettes.

Police respond to alarm, make marijuana bust

2012-01-05T14:27:00.000+02:00

Police responding to an alarm at a Mount Pleasant-area home ended up finding more than nine pounds of marijuana and about 150 pot plants.

The Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant and The Grand Rapids Press report state police responded Tuesday to the home in Isabella County's Union Township. During a check of the property they found signs of a marijuana growing operation and obtained a search warrant.

Troopers also found weapons on the property. One person was arrested on an earlier warrant. The marijuana case was under investigation.

Cigarettes worth €3.8m seized

2011-12-20T16:38:00.004+02:00

CUSTOMS OFFICERS backed up by gardaí have made a multimillion euro seizure of cigarettes following an intelligence-led search of a premises in Co Monaghan.

The smuggled haul of nine million President-brand cigarettes has an estimated retail value of €3.8 million.

The officers swooped on Saturday on a large shed used as a warehouse at Clontibret, about five miles from Monaghan town and a short distance from the Border at south Armagh.

The officers ordered a number of people in the shed to lie on the ground while the search was conducted. An official said the cigarettes were smuggled into the country in a 40ft container labelled “sports socks” at Dublin Port. The container arrived at the port on a ship from Malaysia via Rotterdam before being moved to Co Monaghan.

The swoop is believed to have followed a tip-off and subsequent surveillance operation in the Monaghan area on Saturday.

The raid team also confiscated a number of mobile phones from people who were engaged in off-loading furniture from a lorry at the shed.

Revenue authorities estimated the seizure represented a potential loss of €3.2 million to the Irish exchequer, and they have said the seizure is part of a strategy to combat a huge wave of tobacco smuggling.

The latest seizure brings to over 100 million the number of cigarettes seized by Customs so far this year.

Collectively these hauls represent a potential loss of up to €45 million to the exchequer.

A Revenue spokesman said smuggled tobacco products “provide an unknown set of health risks and are funding criminal activity”.

A number of men were questioned about the seizure, and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Store Clerk Beaten for Cigarettes, Head Crushed

2011-12-20T16:38:00.001+02:00

A Florida store clerk was viciously beaten over two cartons of cigarettes.

A man walked into Alex's mini-market Sunday afternoon. He brought two gallons of milk to the front counter.

Just as the store's owner began bagging the items, the suspect pulled out a spray can and doused him with an unknown chemical.

But he didn't stop there.

The suspect then grabbed a sledgehammer and started attacking the victim -- bludgeoning him in the head six times.

He eventually grabbed two cartons of cigarettes before fleeing the scene.

"I have two kids, 11 and 7, and he came in, and he sprayed my husband's eyes, and then, he had a hammer and beat him in the head several times," said Phoung Cen, the victim's wife.

The store owner is in extremely critical condition.

Miami police released the surveillance video, hoping it will help lead them to the suspect -- who could face a murder charge if the victim doesn't survive.

Alleged cigarette thief proves to be an escape artist

2011-12-20T16:36:00.001+02:00

A 58-year-old Nimishillen Township man who allegedly stole several cartons of cigarettes Friday from Speedway managed to free himself from his handcuffs at the city jail following his arrest, according to jail records.

Paul Hubbard, of 4314 Gephart Ave., is facing felony charges of tampering with evidence and escape and misdemeanor counts of falsification and petty theft. Hubbard is to be arraigned Tuesday morning in Municipal Court.

Jail records show Massillon police officers were dispatched to Speedway, 906 Lincoln Way E, shortly around 4 p.m. Friday after Hubbard fled the store with five cartons of cigarettes valued at $285. Officers reportedly saw Hubbard run eastbound along Lincoln Way to Advanced Auto, 1232 Lincoln Way E, where he attempted to get into a waiting vehicle. Hubbard then kicked the cigarettes underneath the vehicle, police reported. When officers caught up with Hubbard, he reportedly gave them a false name.

Hubbard was arrested and taken to the city jail where he was placed in handcuffs and secured to a bench, jail records show. While the arresting officer was completing paperwork, Hubbard slipped out of the handcuffs and left the building. Officers later discovered him hiding in the jail’s car port, according to jail records.

Afternoon police update has marijuana arrests

2011-12-20T16:34:00.001+02:00

Two people were arrested Saturday night on drug possession charges after two special police officers investigated a smoke-filled vehicle parked in a city park at West Walnut Road and South Mill Road.
Kenneth E. Staten, 19, of Fowler Road in Millville allegedly threw a 5-inch marijuana cigar under the vehicle. He was charged with possession of marijuana and tampering with evidence.
Crystal Rivera, 22, of West Park Avenue admitted to holding a bag of “weed.” She was charged with possession of marijuana.

Richard A. Fertig Jr., 32, of Atlantic City was arrested Saturday night on a shoplifting charge. A police search also found a hypodermic needle and a glass tube used to smoke cocaine. He was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, too.

A 1999 Honda Civic was reported stolen early Sunday morning from the 500 block of East Almond Street.

A HP computer and a black mailbox were taken in a residential burglary on the 800 block of East Cherry Street Sunday night.

David I. Alvarado, 20, of Axtell Avenue was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance after a motor vehicle stop Sunday night at Lincoln and Grant avenues.

Tobacco agency reduces fees, interest rates

2011-12-12T15:02:00.000+02:00

Processing fees and interest payments of tobacco farmers were slashed by the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) into half.

NTA administrator Edgardo Zaragoza who proposed the cuts said this is in recognition of the role of farmers in achieving food security and to boost their economic standing.

Under the Tobacco Contract Growing System, farmers can avail of processing fees and interest payments of production assistance.

After the NTA board’s approval of the cuts, the usual two percent one-time processing fee shall be reduced to one percent, and the monthly interest rate of one percent, normally with a term of five to six months, shall be reduced to 0.5 percent beginning cropping season 2011-2012.

“The reduction is in line with President Aquino’s commitment to transformational leadership, particularly in treating farmers and rural enterprises as vital to achieving food security and more equitable economic growth, worthy of reinvestment for sustained productivity,” the NTA board said in a statement.

Students present tobacco-free program

2011-12-12T14:50:00.002+02:00

Pryor Junior High students are working against tobacco use.

The first reading of a smoke-free and tobacco-free policy was conducted Monday in the monthly Pryor school board meeting. A junior high student group, Students Working Against Tobacco, submitted the policy.

The policy is part of Pryor Schools’ drive to provide a healthier and safer environment at school facilities. Superintendent Don Raleigh said tobacco use is prohibited in all school buildings, but is not prohibited at the athletic fields and the Burdick Center parking lot.

If accepted, the policy will prohibit employees from using tobacco in public or in view of students while they are participating in a class or school activity. Tobacco advertising will not be allowed, including emblems on gear or clothing. Tobacco use includes smoking, chewing or dipping.

Any action on the policy will be conducted in a later board meeting.

The board hired Sandra Dunning as a grant evaluator for the Carol M. White physical education grant program. She will be the evaluator for the duration of the $1 million grant. The grant will be awarded in segments over the next three years.

P.J. Parsons is resigning effective Dec. 20. Parsons, a learning disabilities teacher at Lincoln Elementary, has been employed with the district since 2007.

The interior of the Burdick Center is being repainted. Raleigh said most of the foyer, bathrooms, concession stand and homeside dressing rooms are complete.

Raleigh said the district is planning open house at the high school on Jan. 16, during staff development day.

The following students were selected to their respective All-State Choirs:

Chelsea Arnold, Jordan Bryant, Truett Bryant (alternate), Bethany Reyes, Rachelle Ritter, Charley Shaffer, Michaela Sims. Jordan Bryant has been selected to the All-State Choir for three consecutive years.

Raleigh recognized Joe Hardin and the alternate education students. They have been working with social worker Paula Kennedy and the high school leadership students to create a clothing bank.

The clothing bank “has already benefited many famililes,” Raleigh said. “They have done a great job and put in a lot of hard work. They are making a positive impact on our community.”

Awards for helping young smokers quit

2011-11-25T16:32:00.001+02:00

TWO South Tyneside projects have been honoured for helping young smokers kick the habit.

Depaul UK’s Jigsaw Project and the Key Project took part in a national No Smoking Day event, staging a debate with the young people they help, all aged between 16 and 25 and homeless, or at risk of homelessness.

Both based in Tyne Dock, South Shields, the projects were named No Smoking Day Organiser Of The Year and awarded for Best Activity On A Small Budget.

Duncan Bannatyne, business dragon and ambassador for No Smoking Day, said: “With more than nine million UK adults hooked on smoking, the work of local organisers is crucial in helping them get the advice and support they need to kick the habit for good.

“Depaul UK and Key Project impressed us with its energy, creativity and, ultimately, its success in helping smokers quit, and I hope other organisations in South Tyneside will follow their brilliant example next year.”

Jean Burnside, chief officer of the Key Project, said: “I’m delighted that the organisations have received this prestigious national award.”

The South Tyneside projects were pitted against more than 160 others across the UK.

Jo Burlton, for Depaul UK, said: “By winning this award, it is recognition for both projects of how working together can have a positive impact on the young people we work with, helping them in making decisions and improving the quality of their lives.”

No Smoking Day this year included everything from breath tests to reveal smokers’ ‘lung ages,’ to LED screens emblazoned with quit smoking messages.

Indiana Smoking Ban Could Pass In Next Session

2011-11-25T16:31:00.002+02:00

A state smoking ban may have a real chance at passage in the upcoming legislative session. Legislators have introduced a ban on smoking in public places for the last five years. Gary Democratic Representative Charlie Brown, the principle sponsor of the bill, says he understands that compromises will need to be made, particularly with casinos. But while he says he is willing to acquiesce to smoking on casino floors, he thinks other areas need to be part of the bill.

“Because of the fact that youngsters may be in the restaurants and youngsters may be in the hotel rooms so those areas should be considered for smoke-free air,” Brown says.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long says that lobbying groups like the American Cancer Society need to understand that compromise is the only way for the ban to have a shot.

“When you get 90, 95 percent of what you’re seeking, that’s a major victory,” he says. “And if the advocates can accept that, I think it has a fair chance of passing.”

In the last three sessions, the ban has passed the House but never gotten beyond a committee hearing in the Senate.

She was burnt with cigarettes

2011-11-25T16:30:00.001+02:00

Beaten until her heart ruptured, four-year-old Amy Emily Annamunthodo also was burnt with cigarettes about her body, including her genitals. Forensic pathologist Dr Hughvon des Vignes, in his evidence yesterday, listed multiple extensive external and internal injuries sustained by the child, including a fractured rib, a “buss lip”, bruising and bleeding to her head and organs. Des Vignes was testifying in the trial against the child’s stepfather, Marlon King, in the San Fernando First Assizes.

He said the child was under-developed, measuring 100 cm and weighing 33 pounds. He said on the development chart, only ten per cent of children in the world would be so small. King is before Justice Anthony Carmona accused of murdering the child at his Marabella home on May 15, 2006. Witness Andre Anthony Rocke testified seeing King punching Amy 20 to 30 times as she hung from her hair.

Des Vignes, who performed an autopsy on her body at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, said the multiple injuries would have been afflicted on the child within an hour or two before death. However, he said the injuries to her heart, including the bursting of the right atrium, bleeding and bruising over the heart sack and extensive bleeding an bruising of the aorta, would have resulted in her death in a minimum of 15 minutes but it was likely that she died much sooner.

Corbin passes smoking ban ordinance

2011-11-25T16:29:00.002+02:00

A southeastern Kentucky city has barred smoking in all public places and made violating the ban a misdemeanor. Corbin's city commission passed the ban Wednesday night. Violators could face a fine of up to $150, The Times-Tribune reported ( ).

The ordinance prohibits smoking in public enclosed places, including bars, bingo halls, restaurants and retail businesses. Smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of an entrances, exits, wheelchair ramps, windows and ventilation systems for enclosed areas.

Private residences are excluded from the ban unless they are used for childcare, adult daycare or as a health care facility.

The ordinance also restricts to 20 the number of designated smoking rooms hotels and motels could offer to guests.

Shahrukh Khan is sick of carrying cigarettes

2011-11-25T16:26:00.001+02:00

There is no doubt about the fact that Shahrukh Khan looked mighty sexy on screen when he smoked a cigar in Don. However, smoking cigarettes in real life has its own ill effects and SRK is aware of them!

King Khan has said several times in the past that he has been trying hard to get rid of this damaging habit. However, he has been unsuccessful in doing so!

Shahrukh Khan said recently: “I hate carrying cigarettes. I think it is the most sickening habit someone can have.” He even revealed that he has now come down to six-seven cigarettes a day!

Shahrukh also said that his daughter hates his smoking habit: “Today, when I was leaving home she (his daughter) wasn't happy to see me carry a pack. But one needs time to give up a habit you have developed for so many years.”

One can recall that while promoting Ra.One, too, SRK had said that he is trying hard to give up smoking! We all have already seen the scene in Ra.One which shows the ill effects of smoking!

Back then, Shahrukh had said that he requests all the youngsters not to smoke coz it takes a toll on your health, declines you stamina, gives you bad breath, yellows your nails and what not!

Shahrukh, cigarette sung jo mail rachaya, fir kabhi na choote uska saaya! Just kidding! We hope our Baadshah quits smoking soon!

Tobacco control workshop on 15 Nov

2011-11-15T14:43:00.000+02:00

The Network for Consumer Protection will organize a workshop on tobacco control here on Tuesday (15 Nov).

The workshop is being organized in collaboration with World Health Organization, Pakistan Medical Association, and National Tobacco Control Cell.

The purpose of the workshop is to create an effective liaison among different organizations and media to strengthen tobacco control in Pakistan.

Outreach process underway on smoke-free ordinance

2011-11-15T14:42:00.002+02:00

The city doesn't want public opinion to get snuffed out as its staff prepares a draft for a new ordinance that regulates outdoor tobacco use.

An online survey will be available for all residents to provide their input and preferences for the "secondhand smoke ordinance."

Plus, two more public meetings to gather input on the different options proposed for a new policy are coming up. The meetings will take place this Thursday and Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Community and Cultural Center's El Toro meeting room.

"We need to get feedback from people who have some stock in this, including businesses and residents," said parks and recreation committee member Marty Cheek.

In August, the city council approved expenses up to $41,000 for the public outreach process to weigh the pros and cons of a comprehensive outdoor secondhand smoke ordinance that could prohibit tobacco smoke use in the city's parks, on the sidewalks, dining areas, recreation areas and other outdoor public places.

Numerous studies have concluded not only that smoking, but even secondhand smoke is unhealthy, and the city's parks and recreation commission has been on a mission to snuff out tobacco where it might affect others outdoors, according to city staff.

The outreach is funded by a grant from Santa Clara County.

The ordinance would be mostly self-enforced, and is unlikely to require police enforcement, according to Dennis Acha, director of programs for Breathe California, a nonprofit that focuses on education and prevention efforts to reduce the impact of lung disease.

Signs would be posted in restricted outdoor areas, and Acha said passersby generally respond positively to such signage.

Citing examples of other area cities that prohibit outdoor smoking, such as Campbell, Los Gatos, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto, Acha noted that business improves when smoking is outlawed.

But more importantly, it's healthier for kids and others who don't smoke, but are present in areas where smoking is now allowed.

"Numerous studies have shown that exposure to secondhand smoke is just as deadly as firsthand smoke," Acha said at a meeting earlier this month. Secondhand smoke exposure, he continued, is a "suspected contributing factor" in many children's ailments such as ear infections, lower respiratory infections and asthma.

Some areas where smoking could be banned under such an ordinance would be the Community and Cultural Center amphitheater, public sidewalks in downtown and other shopping or dining areas, outdoor patios, service areas such as ATM lines, public events such as farmer's markets and concerts, and all recreation areas such as parks, sports fields and trails.

Morgan Hill Cigar Co. board member Mike Davenport said some downtown business owners he has spoken to are concerned about the possible government interference that could result from a secondhand smoke ordinance. Specifically, restaurants with outdoor patios might already prohibit smoking in those outdoor areas, but would like to have the option of allowing smoking when they conduct private parties.

And the cigar store, which serves as a smoking lounge and serves beer and wine, has some outdoor property in the back of the business that is not currently developed, but could be expanded for use as a patio for customers.

"(The ordinance) could prevent us from expanding our business," Davenport said.

City staff and proponents of an outdoor smoking policy will distribute e-mails containing the link to an online survey the city is conducting as part of the research process.

The 10-question survey asks respondents how they feel about outdoor smoking in each of the following areas: outdoor dining areas, entryways to public buildings, public events and festivals, city-owned parks and recreation centers, service areas such as bus stops, public sidewalks, and public work sites.

Prison guard pleads guilty to smuggling phones, tobacco to inmates

2011-11-15T14:40:00.000+02:00

A California corrections officer confessed Monday in Sacramento federal court to smuggling cell phones and tobacco into a Northern California prison in return for cash payments.

According to a written plea agreement, Bobby Joe Kirby received $15,635 in bribes via MoneyGram and Western Union from persons associated with inmates at the Lassen County facility between June 2010 and June 2011.

He pleaded guilty to depriving California of his honest services through the use of interstate wires.

Kirby, 53, and a resident of Reno, was a corrections officer at the California Correctional Center in Susanville. He was paid $66,849, including overtime, in 2010.

He was allowed to remain free Monday on a $25,000 unsecured bond pending sentencing Feb. 6 by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb.

Doctors' group backs plain packaging for smokes

2011-11-15T14:39:00.002+02:00

The Senate recently passed the Federal Government's plain packaging laws which will ensure cigarettes are packaged in plain, olive-coloured containers by December next year.

Association president Paul Mara says rates of lung cancer are high in regional areas, particularly in remote Indigenous communities.

"In rural and regional areas there is a higher incidence of things such as cancers," he said.

"The morbidity or the illness associated with them is likely to be greater because of the lack of access on many occasions to appropriate health facilities.

"There is a higher incidence of things such as cancers and people are dying in greater numbers in those areas proportionately to the city areas, so the sooner we get rid of smoking the better it will be for everybody"

Detectives Looking for Cigarette Robber

2011-11-15T14:30:00.001+02:00

Tampa Police are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect who broke into a convenience store and stole cartons of cigarettes.

At 4.10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13, the suspect used a crowbar to pry open the front door of the CITGO Quick Mart located at 6101 Interbay Blvd.

Once inside the business, the suspect filled a garbage can with cartons of cigarettes and then fled the area by unknown means, according to a Tampa Police report.

The suspect was described as a black male, 40-50 years, 5 feet and 10 inches to 6 feet tall and approximately 200-225 pounds. He has distinctive teeth and wore a tan pullover collared shirt, blue jeans and a gray baseball hat.

Impact of smoking continues even after quitting

2011-11-01T17:01:00.001+02:00

In the study, researchers from Centre for Pancreatic Disease at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston assessed pancreatic duct cell function in smokers and non-smokers (current and past).

A total of 131 subjects (74 smoked and 57 never smoked) underwent secretin-stimulated endoscopic pancreatic function testing (ePFT), for pancreatic fluid bicarbonate analysis.

Cigarette smoking exposure was found to be associated with an abnormal ePFT result, and there was no statistical difference in peak bicarbonate concentration between current and former smokers, according to the results.

The risk of pancreatic duct cell dysfunction was 56.78 per cent in former or current smokers and 26.32 per cent in non-smokers, according to Vivek Kadiyala, MD, who presented the findings.

"Our data suggests the risk of duct cell dysfunction was doubled in patients who smoked compared to non-smokers," said Dr. Kadiyala.

"These findings indicate that anyone with a history of smoking, either current or past is at greater risk of impaired pancreatic duct cell function," said Dr. Kadiyala.

Program urges smokers switch to smokeless tobacco

2011-11-01T16:59:00.002+02:00

In the smoker-heavy state of Kentucky, a cancer center is suggesting something that most health experts won't and the tobacco industry can't: If you really want to quit, switch to smoke-free tobacco.
The James Graham Brown Cancer Center and the University of Louisville are aiming their "Switch and Quit" campaign at the city of Owensboro. It uses print, radio, billboard and other advertising to urge smokers to swap their cigarettes for smokeless tobacco and other products that do not deliver nicotine by smoke.
Supporters say smokers who switch are more likely to give up cigarettes than those who use other methods such as nicotine patches, and that smokeless tobacco carries less risk of disease than cigarettes do.
"We need something that works better than what we have," said Dr. Donald Miller, an oncologist and director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, which supports the effort along with the University of Louisville. "This is as reasonable a scientific hypothesis as anybody has come up with and it needs to be tried."
The campaign runs counter to the prevailing opinion of the public health community, which holds that there is no safe way to use tobacco. Federal researchers, however, have begun to at least consider the idea that smokers might be better off going smokeless.
The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health says on its website that the use of all tobacco products "should be strongly discouraged," and that there is "no scientific evidence that using smokeless tobacco can help a person quit smoking." But this year it approved funding for a study that might provide some of that very evidence.
"Switch and Quit" is directed by Brad Rodu, a professor of medicine at the University of Louisville. He analyzed the 2000 National Health Interview Survey and found that male smokers who switched to smokeless tobacco were more likely to quit smoking than those who used nicotine patches or gum.
"Americans are largely misinformed about the relative risks. ... They think smokeless tobacco is just as dangerous," Rodu said. "This level of misinformation is an enormous barrier to actually accomplishing tobacco-harm reduction because if people believe that the products have equal risk, there's not a real incentive."
The program is funded through Rodu's research money, which includes grants from the tobacco industry. Grants through the University of Louisville are unrestricted, which the program says "ensures the scientific independence and integrity of research projects and activities."
"There's absolutely no influence whatsoever," Rodu said. "I decide, along with my colleagues, how we use the money, for what projects, and this is entirely the case. I would not have a situation where there was some control over the kind of projects I undertake."

No-smoking policies might help lower cancer rates

2011-10-26T13:02:00.003+03:00

Cooter Brown's Rib Shack is a small restaurant outside of Jacksonville known for its barbeque and extensive beer selection.
Until about four weeks ago, it was also a place where a smoker could light up with abandon.

"Mainly we changed to smoke-free (because) pretty much everybody else was going to it . a lot more places are smoke-free now," said Cooter Brown's owner, Tim Johnson. "And customers would talk about how (the restaurant) got all smoky."

The restaurant is now part of a growing trend to establish anti-smoking policies — policies that might be contributing to decreases in lung cancer rates in the state and country in recent years.

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that lung cancer rates across the country have decreased in the past decade and suggests that non-smoking rules, tobacco excise taxes and funding policies to assist smokers in quitting are what have led to the improvement. However, the study also shows Alabama's decreases in lung cancer pale in comparison to other states — a problem some health experts say arises from fewer smoking bans and less anti-smoking funding in Alabama than in other areas of the country.

"It's frustrating . we have not been able to get elected officials as into it as they need to be," said Ginny Campbell, government relations director in Montgomery for the American Cancer Society.

According to the CDC study, lung cancer incidence among men between 1999 and 2005 decreased nationwide by 1.4 percent and between 2005 and 2008 by 2.9 percent. The study also showed that from 1999 to 2008, lung cancer incidence among men decreased in 35 of the 44 states analyzed and remained stable in the other nine states, which includes Alabama.

Among women, lung cancer incidents among women between 2006 and 2008 decreased 2.2 percent after increasing .5 percent between 1999 and 2006. Between 1999 and 2008, however, smoking rates for women increased slightly in the Southeast, including about 1.9 percent in Alabama.

"Other states are reducing faster," said Diane Beeson, director of the statewide tobacco prevention program for the Alabama Department of Public Health. "Smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death in Alabama."

According to the CDC, lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Also, most deaths from lung cancer are caused by cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. In addition, smoking can cause coronary heart disease and strokes.

A report compiled by the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Alabama for the Alabama Department of Public Health shows that the life lost in Alabama due to smoking is significantly high. The report states that in 2009, 8,685 Alabama deaths were attributed to smoking-related diseases. It adds that 15.3 years of potential life were lost, on average, among Alabama adults who died from a smoking-related illness.

The report also lists the financial costs of smoking, indicating that in 2010, $1.66 billion in excess personal medical care expenditures in Alabama were attributed to smoking. It also estimated that $941 million in productivity losses in Alabama in 2010 were attributable to smoking-related illnesses.

"Our smoking rates have gone down, but not as fast as others in the country," said Dr. Donald Williamson, state health officer of Alabama.

Williamson agreed with the CDC that anti-smoking policies, taxes and funding of anti-smoking programs have led to decreases in smoking rates and therefore, fewer incidences of lung cancer.

"But it's never a single intervention, it's all of them combined," he said.

Williamson said one of the best things Alabama could do is create a strong indoor clean air act.

"That would have two effects: it protects non-smokers from second-hand smoke, which does contribute to some lung cancers, and it does serve to discourage smokers," Williamson said. "It will lead to a decrease in tobacco consumption."

Alabama is currently one of only three states without a statewide smoking ban on smoking in indoor public areas, Beeson said.

"We still allow smoking indoors in a lot of places, to say nothing of smoking outdoors," she said. However, the number of Alabama municipalities with anti-smoking ordinances has increased in recent years.

Alabama Department of Public Health data indicates there are about 129 municipalities in Alabama with some type of smoking ordinance. Anniston, Jacksonville, Oxford and Piedmont all have smoking ordinances that prevent smoking in certain public areas. In addition, Anniston's two hospitals, Regional Medical Center and Stringfellow Memorial Hospital, banned smoking from their campuses earlier this year.

"We've been really pleased with the reaction from the public about it," said Mike Sims, vice president of human resources for RMC. "Most people have been very cooperative."

RMC also enacted a program to help employees kick their smoking habits. Sims said 60 employees enrolled in the program in May and about 35 percent were able to completely kick their smoking habit.

"I think that was pretty good," Sims said.

Sims said the hospital planned to make another push to get more employees into the program in a few months.

Another powerful way to curb smoking in the state would be to increase taxes on cigarettes, Campbell said.

"We've been working for years to get the state . to increase tobacco taxes," she said. "Increasing the cost really prevents kids from starting smoking. We like to focus on prevention because once they get started, it's really hard for them to stop."

According to the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Alabama report, at 42 cents a pack, Alabama has the fifth-lowest excise tax on cigarettes in the nation.

"Even if you added $1, we'd still have a tax that is less than the national average," Williamson said.

However, many local governments in Calhoun County also have various taxes on cigarettes, including Anniston, Hobson City, Calhoun County, Jacksonville, Ohatchee, Oxford, Piedmont and Weaver. The level of taxes varies though. For instance, Oxford has a 3-cent tax for every pack of 20 cigarettes purchased while Jacksonville has a 5-cent tax for every 20-cigarette pack purchased.

Senate president pro tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, who holds the most powerful position in the state Senate, said he would be opposed to a statewide ban on smoking in public areas or businesses.

"I would not openly support that right now," Marsh said. "If individual companies choose to have smoking bans, that's fine. People have the choice to go in there or not."

Marsh said he was also opposed to raising taxes on cigarettes.

"I'm not going to try to increase taxes at this time," Marsh said.

Unlike Marsh, Jennifer Price, spokeswoman for the Alabama Restaurant Association, said her organization supports only a statewide ban on smoking in public places and not the scatter-shot approach of individual municipalities.

"We support a smoking ban if it's a statewide one with no exclusions . if everyone is on the same playing field," Price said. "If there is one area that has a ban and another nearby that doesn't, we've found that can hurt businesses."

Williamson said a complete statewide ban of the sale of tobacco products similar to bans on other drugs would not be possible. Williamson recently pushed for a statewide ban of the synthetic marijuana product known generally as spice, which has been legal in most of the state for the last couple of years.

"The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has jurisdiction on tobacco," Williamson said. "We wouldn't be able to just set tobacco as a controlled substance and criminalize it."

To Williamson, outside of taxes and bans, a good way to curb smoking is to continue funding education to youths on the dangers of tobacco. However, again Alabama falls behind many other states in this regard.

"We are grossly underfunded," Beeson said. "The state is funding less than 4 percent on education of what the CDC says we should fund."

Still, it will take increases in taxes and smoking bans, not just more education funding, to truly help Alabama catch up with the rest of the country.

"It's really the synergy among the different policies," she said.

"Bath Salts" and Synthetic Marijuana Banned in SC

2011-10-26T12:50:00.001+03:00

South Carolina is now the 38th state in the nation to ban "bath salts."Not the kind you buy for your tub, the synthetic drug that mimics cocaine, and the fake marijuana known as "k-2"

The board of Health and Environmental Control, or DHEC, voted to ban the two drugs, commonly found at gas stations.

Over the past six months, hospitals across the states have seen a jump in patients, saying they've used one of the drugs.

And earlier this month, an Anderson University student died after smoking synthetic marijuana.

Beaufort County Sheriff PJ Tanner tells News 3 that sheriff's from across the state gathered last week and discussed this problem--expressing their concerns over the rise in cases where these drugs were involved.

"The discussion among the sheriffs is 'what are you seeing in your county, as far as the bath salts and the spice and those types of things?,' every sheriff said there is an absolute rise and the indicators are there tha this is becoming a severe and serious problem."

But Sheriff Tanner says that last night's vote will help law enforcement across the state especially locally.

"It's consistent throughout South Carolina, it's not ordanances created by municipalities or counties, it's a state law and which consistency will allow law enforcement to go in and enforce and do the things that they need to do."

As for businesses that claim they dont know the chemicals are illegal.....Beaufort County says that's not an excuse.

"You know if they are in the business and that is their business and their responsible for what they have in their business, then ignorance is no excuse, their responsible today as they were responsible yesterday but today is different than yesterday so there are some changes."

News 3 talked to and visited two businesses in Bluffton that reportedly sold the "Spice" drug but neither store had it on shelves today.

Officals say knowing what to look for is key for everyone.

"Not only does law enfocrement need to increase their knowledge of what we're doing as the law dictates us to enforce it, but I think that everyone as a whole including parents and the general public need to do the same thing, because its important that we are all on the same page," said Tanner.

Border Patrol agents seize marijuana, firearms, money

2011-10-26T12:37:00.001+03:00

U.S. Border Patrol agents from Yuma Sector seized nearly 173 pounds of marijuana, as well as some firearms, currency and other paraphernalia, in three separate incidents on Monday.

In the first incident, Wellton Station agents patrolling west of Arizona 85 and Range Four Road discovered footprints traversing the desert. Agents followed the footprints and located four subjects attempting to hide under brush.

All of the subjects admitted to being in the country illegally and all were carrying backpacks of marijuana. The bundles weighed approximately 173 pounds and had an estimated value exceeding $86,500. The subjects and marijuana were turned over to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

In unrelated incidents, Blythe Station agents conducting checkpoint operations on Interstate 10 near mile marker 4 referred a grey Dodge Caliber to secondary inspection.

As agents continued their inspection, they noticed a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Agents ran records checks on both U.S. citizens in the vehicle and learned that one had a warrant for a probation violation out of Wisconsin.

After the driver of the vehicle consented to a vehicle search, agents found marijuana, marijuana brownies, an Interarms revolver, a Glock .40-caliber handgun, ammunition, drug pipes, and multiple other paraphernalia items.

All items and the subjects were turned over to the La Paz County Sheriff's Office.

Blythe agents at the same checkpoint also referred a vehicle to secondary inspection after a canine alerted to it. Once in secondary, agents searched both occupants of the vehicle, who were U.S. citizens, and found the driver was in possession of a stolen, loaded 9 mm Daewoo handgun.

Aided by the canine team, agents also found several grams of marijuana and $6,300 in cash. The contraband and subjects were turned over to the La Paz County Sheriff's Office.

Cook County cracks down on illegal cigarette sales

2011-10-18T13:42:00.002+03:00

Cook County hopes to reclaim millions of dollars in lost revenue in cigarette taxes.

It is part of a crackdown on illegal cigarette sales that began in October.

Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle and Sheriff Tom Dart are behind the new offensive.

In the past three weeks, county revenue investigators teamed with sheriff's police officers to confiscate more than $353,000 in illegal cigarettes, slapping down 120 citations to business owners in nearly $400,000 in fines.

Cook County has a $2-per-pack tobacco tax.

The high cigarette prices has lead to scofflaws and below-board businesses, officials said.

Preckwinkle said the county will operate a tip hotline for residents to notify authorities of illegal cigarette sales: 312-603-6870, Extension 3.

Successful tips will lead to rewards of up to $1,000.

Dart said sheriffs police also will begin making checks at stores as part of their patrols.

Its going to exponentially increase rather quickly, he said.

A classroom of children try smoking every day

2011-10-10T13:06:00.001+03:00

A classroom of children is experimenting with smoking in Wales every day, a charity today warned.

Figures published by ASH Wales, ahead of a major conference on alcohol and tobacco, said 38 children who had never smoked before, are trying cigarettes daily.

The worrying figures come as Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Tony Jewell’s annual report welcomed a drop in the overall number of 15 and 16-year-olds who smoke in Wales.

But he has again highlighted smoking as a major public health issue and has called for the NHS and Welsh Government to ban smoking for staff and visitors on its grounds.

The Health Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey found about 14,000 children and teenagers, aged 11 to 15, who have never smoked before try smoking a year in Wales. This is equivalent to 269 a week or 38 a day.

The survey also shows an estimated 1,000 children aged 10 to 11 tried smoking for the first time, but the number had more than doubled for 12 and 13-year-olds and trebled for 13 and 14-year-olds.

Carole Morgan-Jones, acting chief executive of ASH Wales, said: “These figures are worrying. We know young people progress quite quickly from experimenting with tobacco to regular use and as they get older they develop nicotine addiction.

“This is backed up by research we carried out in the summer of 2011 – we surveyed more than 1,000 young people in Wales and found a fifth of current smokers began smoking at 13.

“This is particularly concerning because early uptake of smoking is associated with heavier smoking patterns and a higher probability of becoming ill from a smoking-related disease in later life.

“It illustrates why prevention programmes aimed at young people are so important. Breaking the cycle of childhood addiction to tobacco products is necessary to reduce the ongoing health, economic and social problems caused by tobacco in Wales.”

Election to determine future of Fort Collins medical marijuana businesses

2011-10-10T13:04:00.001+03:00

The long-simmering debate about medical marijuana in Fort Collins is coming to a boil with the Nov. 1 election.

Voters will consider ballot Question 300, which would ban licensed medical marijuana businesses from the city, including dispensaries, grow operations and makers of marijuana-infused products.

If the measure passes, the city’s 20 medical marijuana businesses would have to shut down within 90 days of the city clerk certifying the election results.

Both sides of the debate say the issue isn’t the legitimacy of using marijuana to provide relief from severe pain and other debilitating conditions but rather how the medicine is delivered to patients.

Proponents of the measure say the presence of medical marijuana, or MMJ, businesses in the city has been harmful to the community by expanding the availability of marijuana for recreational users, including students high-school aged and younger.

“We all want the best thing for our city,” said Bob Powell of Concerned Fort Collins Citizens, which put the measure on the ballot through a petition drive. “But now we have this reputation for having a lot of marijuana.

“How can it be a good thing that we have people coming here to rob dispensaries and grow marijuana illegally because they believe this is a safe place to do that? How can that be good for our community?”

Local dispensary owners and others who oppose a ban on dispensaries say a ban would harm patients’ ability to access medicine.

Without licensed MMJ centers, patients would have to go to the black market for marijuana or seek out caregivers who grow in their homes, said Dave Schwaab, co-owner of Abundant Healing, 351 Linden St.

Centers are heavily regulated under state law and are required to track what happens to the marijuana they grow “from seed to sale.” Patients know what they are getting and don’t have to take chances with their medicine, Schwaab said.

“You can go through a licensed, secure, monitored and regulated dispensary or through unregulated and unsecured homes in neighborhoods,” he said. “I think it’s preferable to go through centers.”

Neb. high court to hear appeal in smoking ban case

2011-10-10T13:02:00.001+03:00

The Nebraska Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in the state's appeal of a court ruling declaring exceptions listed in the statewide smoking ban unconstitutional.

Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson sided earlier this year with an Omaha pool hall that challenged the 2009 state law banning smoking in all public buildings and private businesses, including bars and restaurants. The law includes exceptions for cigar bars, some hotel rooms, tobacco-only retailers and facilities that research the health effects of smoking.

Nelson said only the exception for research facilities is enforceable. The other exceptions, she said, provide special treatment for certain businesses, which is unconstitutional.

The pool hall, Big John's Billiards, also has filed an appeal, saying Nelson made a mistake in not finding the entire smoking ban unconstitutional.

The state claims in its appeal that it is immune from lawsuits like the one brought by Big John's Billiards, and that for that reason, the lower court didn't have authority in the matter.

The Nebraska Attorney General's Office also argues Nelson was wrong in determining the three exceptions were special legislation and, therefore, unconstitutional.

The exception for tobacco retail outlets was based upon the idea that customers of those establishments needed to sample tobacco products before buying them, and the exception for cigar bars was based on evidence that the bars were being forced out of business by smoking bans, the attorney general's office said.

"Application of this analysis by the district court would mean that no exemptions to any legislative act could be created because an exemption by its nature will be in conflict with the purpose or intent of the act as a whole," Assistant Attorney General Lynn Melson wrote in court documents filed with the state's high court.

An attorney for Big John's Billiards defended the lower court's finding that the exceptions were unconstitutional.

"The state cannot adopt a law, which is for the purpose of protecting the health of employees, and then say, `but the health of employees in one type of business is less important than employees in another type of business,'" Omaha attorney Theodore Boecker Jr. wrote in his response.

New Government Smoking Study; An Allergy-Free Peanut?

2011-10-10T12:53:00.001+03:00

The Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health announce they'll study how new government regulations affect smoking and tobacco use.
Researchers will follow more than 40,000 people 12 and older who use cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The study's goals include determining what makes people susceptible to smoking and tobacco use and evaluating use and quitting patterns.
It's the first large–scale collaboration on tobacco regulation research since the Tobacco Control Act was passed in 2009.
Health officials say the findings will help the FDA decide how best to use the new regulatory powers it was given under the act.
Cigarette smoking alone causes more than 400,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year.

Scientists are working hard to create a peanut that's safe for people with nut allergies.
At North Carolina A&T State University they found a way to introduce a food grade enzyme to peanuts which reduces the allergens and one day could make it safe for everyone to consume.
Dr. Yu has been working on the project since 2005 and says an allergy free peanut could be a reality within three years.
"In the United States about 1 percent of population are allergic to peanuts, working on a project that has a potential to reduce peanut allergy is an honor and also it is important."
Accidental exposures account for 75 percent of allergic reactions.

Belgian smoking officials to be docked for time they spend outside

2011-10-05T13:48:00.001+03:00

Over 18,000 officials working for the Walloon, French-speaking regional authorities in federal Belgium, have been told that they will disciplined if they are seen smoking in public and that their salaries will be docked for the time they spend on cigarette breaks.
"The presence of officials smoking outside offices is not likely to give a positive image to our administration," said a letter sent to all staff.
"Officials are invited to smoke in the courtyards of buildings or car parks out of the sight of passers-by. Failure to comply could result in disciplinary proceedings."
One official told Le Soir newspaper that staff had been required to clock out for a smoke since August but were now being punished if they are seen smoking in public.
"Our attendance record then contains the words 'invalid day: schedule not totally respected'," said the civil servant. "This has shocked everyone, even my non-smoker colleagues."

Smoking Higher Among Americans With Fewer Academic Qualifications

2011-10-05T13:46:00.001+03:00

Smoking rates in the USA range from 28.4% for adults with no high school education, 28.6% among individuals with no health insurance, to 9.1% for employees with at least a bachelor's degree, according to a report "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Sept. 30, 2011" issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The overall adult smoking rate in America today - this figure includes both sexes, all age groups over 18 years covering the whole spectrum of society - is 19.6%.

The current smoking rate among adults is far higher than the maximum 12% goal of the Healthy People 2010. The authors added that 27.7% of working adults who earn less than the federal poverty level are regular smokers.

23.8% of Americans aged between 18 and 24 years are smokers.
Higher percentage of manual workers smoke

The authors wrote that a significantly higher percentage of blue collar workers smoke than white collar workers. A blue collar worker usually refers to a worker who does manual work and gets paid by the hour, while a white collar worker's job description is not considered as manual labor. Being paid by the hour for blue collar workers is less common today than it used to be.

Smoking rates vary enormously, from approximately 30% among miners to 9.7% among educated service white collar employees (teachers, librarians, etc.).

Smoking rates have dropped considerably in all socioeconomic levels in America compared to a decade or several decades ago. However, health authorities say much more needs to be done, especially by employers, to encourage their workers not to light up.

Grey sends smoking bylaw back

2011-10-05T13:43:00.000+03:00

A proposal to ban smoking in local playgrounds and parks, on beaches, on patios where food or drink is sold and other outdoor areas is being sent back to the Grey Bruce Health Unit for reconsideration.

The resolution to expand smoking bans throughout Grey-Bruce, adopted by the board of health at a meeting in August, immediately ran into questions and concerns when it was brought before Grey Country council on Tuesday.

"It is going to be controversial for sure," Chatsworth Mayor Bob Pringle said as he presented the board of health minutes to council.

His deputy-mayor, Terry McKay, said the legion in Chatsworth "abided by the local bylaw" when it first outlawed smoking in the branch.

The ban "was going to bring in troves of people. It never did," he said. "If anything, our membership has declined."

The legion and others went to the expense of building a licensed patio and now they face the possibility of such facilities being closed.

Keep in mind the contributions legions make to the community when considering a bylaw to expand no-smoking areas, McKay said.

Georgian Bluffs council has already discussed the board of health proposal, Mayor Alan Barfoot said.

"Our opinion is we'd like to see at the county level if it has full support . . . before we take it to the lower tiers," he said. "Let's get it together and then let's take it forward united on behalf of the county . . . or modify it or do whatever we want to it. But right now it just seems like its frightening and that's why our council did not comment on it yet until the direction we see it going in Grey and Bruce counties."

Warden Arlene Wright said she supported the proposal at the board of health meeting because of the number of complaints that came into the health unit, particularly about people smoking at soccer fields when children were playing.

However, she added, "I don't think this is something you can just have an outright ban at all these public places because you'd never ever be able to enforce it or police it and I know each municipality is going to have a lot of trouble trying to deal with it."

West Grey council also discussed the board of health resolution, Deputy-mayor John Bell said, and they decided "it needs to be a countywide initiative."

The strongest voice of support for the resolution came from Meaford Deputy-mayor Harley Greenfield, who congratulated the board of health for "having the wisdom and maybe the intestinal fortitude" for bringing the measure forward.

The board of health resolution, noting among other things the danger of second-hand smoke and that tobacco use sets an "unhealthy example for the children of our community," called on the counties of Grey and Bruce "to develop a bylaw banning smoking:

City to vet smoking rules near businesses, in Bidwell Park

2011-09-28T13:10:00.002+03:00

Advert: you can smoke al fakher tobacco for hookah. The best price for shisha tobacco.

Smokers might have fewer places to light up if the Chico mayor and the American Lung Association have their way.
The Chico City Council voted unanimously Sept. 20 to pass on the smoking issue to the Internal Affairs Committee for vetting.
A letter from the American Lung Association asked Mayor Ann Schwab that the council consider prohibiting smoking in Bidwell Park, within 25 feet of business entryways and in outdoor dining and bar areas.
Schwab said in order to create consistency with the Chico Area Recreation District prohibiting smoking in neighborhood parks, she thinks the council should consider doing the same for Bidwell.
"I walk in the park most mornings. I always pick up cigarette butts. I walked on Sunday. I picked them all up. And I walked on Monday and I found all of these," Schwab said holding up a baggy full of cigarette butts.
"It's a litter problem. It's a hazard for potential wildfires. To me it's a big problem."
Though government buildings already have restrictions banning smoking within 25 feet of entryways, Schwab said she thinks the council should look at restrictions outside businesses.
The issue could appear on the Oct. 11 agenda for the Internal Affairs Committee, which has yet to be finalized.

Quitting Smoking Improves Memory

2011-09-28T12:59:00.001+03:00

Former smokers have a better-functioning memory than those who still light up, a new study finds.

On a practical test of their recollection ability, people who on average had quit smoking for 2.5 years performed 25 percent better than current smokers did. People who had never smoked scored 37 percent better than the smokers.

"We already know that giving up smoking has huge health benefits for the body, but this study also shows how stopping smoking can have knock-on benefits for cognitive function, too," said study researcher Tom Heffernan, a psychology professor at Northumbria University in England.

Lighting up, or learning?

The researchers aimed to measure "real world" memory abilities by sending 69 study participants on a tour of a university campus. Twenty-seven were smokers, 18 were former smokers, and 24 never smoked.

The participants were given a list of 15 locations around campus and an action to perform at each location. For example, upon reaching the library, participants were supposed to remember to check for messages on their cell phones; upon reaching the sports center, they were supposed to remember to ask about the cost of membership.

On average, the smokers performed 8.9 tasks correctly. The participants who had quit smoking averaged 11 correctly performed tasks, and those who had never smoked averaged 12.1. There were no differences between the groups in terms of their IQs, the study said.

Previous studies showed that quitting smoking improves "retrospective memory," which is the ability to learn information and retrieve it later. The new study instead measured participants' "prospective memory," which is the ability to remember to carry out a particular action at some future point in time.

For example, remembering to take medication at a certain time of day requires prospective memory.

Previous research on the effect of smoking on prospective memory yielded mixed results, with some results showing smokers were worse off, and others showing no effect from smoking, the study noted.

How does it work?

Although it is unclear exactly how smoking may interfere with memory, research has shown that chronic smoking is linked to a breakdown, or atrophy, of parts of the brain.

The researchers hypothesized that smoking could damage brain areas such as the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus or thalamus; all of those regions have been linked in brain imaging studies to prospective memory, they said.

Heffernan also has studied the effects of alcohol and marijuana on memory. He and the other researchers acknowledged that their new study was small and relied on self-reports of smoking, which would be subject to inaccuracy and dishonesty on the part of participants. Future work should follow a cohort of smokers and former smokers over time, they said.

The study will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Local campaign hopes to clamp down on candy-flavored tobacco

2011-09-22T11:20:00.001+03:00

The photographs show brightly colored cans of spearmint-flavored dipping tobacco, packages of grape cigars and pouches of peach-flavored smokeless "snus" tobacco.
Photographed by area high school students in the Students Working Against Tobacco program, these pictures lining the hall of Santa Fe College's Blount Center are part of the "Sweet Deception" art show launched to raise awareness about the marketing of candy-flavored tobacco products to children.

The local campaign against those candy-flavored tobacco products may soon intensify.
On Monday, the Alachua County Health Department's state-funded Tobacco Free Alachua program will begin meetings of a task force formed specifically to target the flavored tobacco products. An email from Tobacco Free Alachua said the task force will "explore potential policy options" in "limiting or restricting the sale of candy-flavored tobacco" locally.

"They are very much targeted at youth," Marilyn Headley, the membership director for Tobacco Free Alachua, said of the products.

The 2010 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey showed that 7.1 percent of middle school students and 21.1 percent of high school students had smoked a flavored cigar.

A 2009 federal law banned candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes, but it did not apply to other tobacco products.

Headley said that, with the task force meetings just starting, it remains to be seen if the end result will be a campaign urging Gainesville and Alachua County commissioners to pass ordinances banning the sale of the flavored tobacco products.

NY Tobacco Tax $ Up in Smoke

2011-09-22T11:19:00.002+03:00

New York state collected $10 billion in tobacco taxes over the last six years -- but spent just 4 percent of that on efforts to stop smoking, the American Cancer Society charged in a report released yesterday.

The ACS also revealed that the state spent even less in the last fiscal year -- when just 2 cents of every tobacco-tax dollar went to programs that encourage youths not to start smoking and adults to quit.

Anti-smoking groups call that a broken promise, noting that Albany raised cigarette taxes and accepted a historic settlement from tobacco manufacturers to end civil actions over the high cost of public health care for smokers.

Bad Food, Tobacco Blamed For 4 Chronic Diseases' Rise

2011-09-22T11:17:00.001+03:00

In the WHO's 2008-2013 action plan for the global strategy for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, we see that the four diseases not only share four risk factors - unhealthy diets, tobacco use, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol - but represent a considerable burden especially on low- and middle-income countries.

These four diseases are reported to represent "a leading threat to human health and development" and WHO indicates that they are the world's biggest killers, causing an estimated 35 million deaths each year which is about 60 per cent global deaths. About 80 per cent of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Tobacco and alcohol

If you take a look again at the four risk factors quoted above, you will have to agree that these diseases are largely preventable - we don't have to use tobacco, eat unhealthy diet, drink too much alcohol or sit around all day. In fact, the WHO stated that as much as 80 per cent of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes and more than a third of cancers are preventable when individual focus on eliminating the four risk factors.

Anti-smoking groups want N.J. to increase funding to help smokers quit

2011-09-22T11:15:00.001+03:00

For every dollar New Jersey collects in tobacco revenue, it spends less than a penny on programs that help people stop smoking or never start.
Anti-tobacco advocacy groups say they want the state to spend 12 cents, phased-in over four years, to fulfill a "moral obligation," and protect the health of thousands of people who will get sick and possibly die from smoking related illnesses.
Over the last decade, state lawmakers have whittled away spending on state-sponsored smoking cessation programs from $30 million to $1.5 million, said Jennifer Sullivan of the American Cancer Society and coauthor of "Up in Smoke, a report released yesterday. But the state collected $750 million in tobacco taxes last fiscal year and spent $240 million in proceeds from a national settlement with tobacco companies, the report says.
With New Jersey imposing the sixth-highest cigarette tax in the nation, at $2.70 a pack, "We believe the money is there,’’ Sullivan said during a Statehouse press conference in Trenton.
"When you talk to these people they have very often tried to stop smoking but don’t have the support to do it," said Howard Levite, medical director of the Heart Institute at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. "This is where the failing of the state is identified."

DetailsFrench government to tackle tobacco smuggling

2011-09-12T14:08:00.001+03:00

Smuggling tobacco across borders is big business and particularly prevalent across the Pyrenees, with easy access to Andorra and Spain. With a twenty five to thirty cents increase on the cost of a packet of cigarettes expected in October as part of the governments plan to cut the country’s debt, the temptation to smuggle becomes ever greater.

Across France, it is estimated that twenty five percent of the cigarettes smoked are bought abroad, but in Toulouse, this rises to forty percent because Pas de la Casa, Andorra is just two hours away.

The government estimates that around €3.4 billion is lost in taxes through the purchase of cigarettes abroad and it is not surprising when you consider that a packet of twenty is around €2 cheaper in Spain. Of course, many of these cigarettes are purchased completely legally, but there are organised gangs of smugglers that the customs officers want to target.

Trafficking in the Pyrenees used to involve large amounts of cigarettes in containers, but as the customs officials have clamped down, the smugglers have switched to smaller, faster and more discrete vehicles. With the price difference so large, it is profitable to smuggle just five hundred packets of cigarettes at a time.

Currently, you are allowed to bring in 300 cigarette or 150 cigarillos or 400 grams of rolling tobacco. Living close to the border, I often see the Douane officers setting up check points and I have been stopped on numerous occasions. Along with cigarettes, the smuggling of counterfeit goods is also targeted, such as fake Gucci handbags etc, particularly at the Andorran borders.

The government is under pressure to do something, with state debt spiralling and the threat of ever higher taxes and austerity plans to combat it, cracking down on tax avoidance has never been more important.

DPH backs Tri-Town's anti-tobacco efforts

2011-09-12T14:00:00.002+03:00

An established countywide effort to eradicate tobacco use has received a seven-year state grant to help adults quit smoking and keep youths from starting the addictive habit.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has awarded $37,900 to the local tobacco awareness program for the current fiscal year, which started July 1 and runs through June 30, 2012. The grant amounts for the remaining six fiscal years are subject to appropriation by the state Legislature, according to Tri-Town Health Department director James J. Wilusz.

The state has financially supported the tobacco awareness program since 1994, but Tri-Town has gradually received reduced funding the past several years. The current $37,900 award is down from the $53,000 for fiscal 2011 that ran out June 30.

Nevertheless, Wilusz vows the local program will boost its effort to ensure tobacco users have access to effective cessation programs.

"Seventy-seven percent of adults who smoke across the state want to quit and 66 percent have tried to quit," he said.

Tri-Town, the primary public health agency for Lee, Lenox and Stockbridge, has administered the anti-tobacco campaign for nearly 20 years. It also serves nine other communities: Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Hancock, Monterey, Sandisfield, Otis, North Adams and Pittsfield.

Indonesia's tobacco excise for 2012 to rise 12.2 pct

2011-09-12T13:59:00.002+03:00

Indonesia's finance ministry said on Monday that it would raise tobacco excise tariffs for 2012 by an average 12.2 percent, while simplifying the tariffs imposed on different cigarette types.

Indonesian cigarette firms, such as Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna and Gudang Garam , are estimated to produce 268.4 billion cigarettes next year, said Bambang PS Brodjonegoro, fiscal office chief at the ministry, contributing the majority of a forecast 72.4 trillion rupiah ($8.45 billion) in total government excise revenues next year. ($1 = 8,570 rupiah) (Reporting by Adriana Nina Kusuma; Editing by Neil Chatterjee)

£25,000 counterfeit tobacco seized in Cornwall

2011-09-12T13:54:00.001+03:00

Trading Standards Officers have seized a large quantity of counterfeit tobacco from premises in mid Cornwall.

More than 125kg of raw tobacco found in black bin liners is believed to a street value in excess of £25,000.

Trading Standards said the money made from sales of illegal tobacco is often used to fund serious organised crime.

Martin Fisher, from Cornwall's Trading Standards, said: "We'd advise smokers not to be tempted by cheap tobacco as they don't know what it contains."

He added: "Whilst this batch of tobacco has not yet been tested, counterfeit tobacco has been known in the past to contain levels of chemicals at over 70 times the strength of legitimate tobacco products."

Trading Standards said counterfeit tobacco is becoming increasingly prevalent, with criminals taking care to ensure their product looks exactly like the genuine brands.

Customers are often fooled into believing they have bought non-UK duty paid tobacco by health warnings which are printed in different languages.

Mr Fisher said: "It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between counterfeit and genuine tobacco. The only way to ensure that the tobacco that you are smoking is legitimate is to purchase it through a trusted retailer."

Fire inspectors believe Kauai brushfire started by cigarette

2011-08-29T14:52:00.001+03:00

Kauai fire inspectors believe last week’s fire in Kōloa, which originated near Ala Kinoiki and spread to the residential area along Kipuka Street, was most likely started by a Kent cigarette.
The fire destroyed at least two homes, damaged several others and caused the evacuation of nearly 100 residents.

“While there is no reason to believe this fire was intentionally set, we continue to urge the public to never throw cigarettes on the ground or out of a car window,” says Fire Prevention Captain Daryl Date. “And be sure that cigarettes are completely extinguished before disposing.”

“Our agricultural landscape here on Kaua'i can become highly susceptible to wildfires, especially during these dry, hot months,” adds Captain Date.

The fire had burned through roughly 50 acres of brush before it was extinguished, roughly three hours after it began.

Fire inspectors estimate the fire caused upwards of $950,000 in damages.

Cigarette smuggling costs government LE160 million

2011-08-29T14:51:00.002+03:00

A recent study showed that the Egyptian government lost about LE160 million during the first half of this year due to cigarette smuggling.

The study, which was conducted by an international Marlboro cigarette company, said that smuggled cigarettes amounted to 2.1 percent of the total cigarette market in Egypt for the first half of 2011, compared to 0.01 percent for the same period the year before.

The study has attributed the increase to new taxes that the government levied on cigarettes after the revolution.

According to the study, 330 million to 660 million cigarettes are smuggled in the world every year. The range constitutes up to 12.6 percent of total consumption, and causes world governments to lose up to US$60 billion annually in unpaid taxes.

A New Type Of Cigarette Venture - RYO Jamaica Pursues Operators For Multi-Store Network

2011-08-22T13:43:00.003+03:00

Jamaicans for decades have bought cigarettes by the stick and by the carton at corners shops, from streetside sellers, and a multiplicity of businesses that make money off a habit that is hard to kick.

What has been absent up to now is a dedicated retail channel focused solely on smokers, and selling cigarettes alone. That changed in July when the first U-Roll'em shop was opened in Kingston by a Jamaican couple resident in Florida.

It gets better. Customers get to hand-roll their own sticks - customise their own products - in an extension of the 'grabba' market, which offers the same options but in a more informal way. It's not unusual for some smokers, for example, to season their grabba packets with marijuana.

The two Jamaicans behind the cigarette retail shop venture, Damian and Susan McKenzie, have a more sophisticated operation than the grabba trade, however. The husband and wife team owns 51 per cent and 49 per cent of the business, respectively.

The McKenzies are principals in the Palm Beach, Florida-based Tobacco Central LLC, which has set a target of 29 Caribbean countries to roll out their network of RYO - roll your own - retail outlets stocked with tobacco filling-station machines under a distributorship arrangement with owners of the RYO technology, Ohio-based RYO Filling Station Machine LLC. The American company also supplies the tobacco through a network of international sources.

The McKenzies, who migrated from Jamaica two decades ago, say that they have been pursuing different ventures for 20 years - putting them in a group dubbed 'serial entrepreneurs' - and are also owners of Total Sign Solutions and CNC Inc in Palm Beach.

They set up their first U-Roll'em Jamaica store on July 2 at The Domes Plaza on Hagley Park Road in Kingston, operated by their local subsidiary RYO Jamaica Limited. The tobacco is supplied by RYO from international sources.

Bulgarian PM Vows to Eradicate Cigarette Smuggling

2011-08-22T13:41:00.001+03:00

PM Borisov vowed to tackle the illegal trade during a visit to the Varna West Port in the Black Sea capital.

The PM's visit, which saw him accompanied by Vanyo Tanov, head of the country's customs agency, coincided with news that nine million contraband cigarettes had been confiscated on the same day at the same port.

The cigarettes, from the Palermo and Ibiza brands, were located by Varna Customs agents on a ship that was travelling under an Antigua and Barbuda flag from Poti in Georgia to Varna via Burgas.

The PM pointed out that his cabinet has achieved much greater results than previous governments in the fight against cigarette contraband, as evidenced by the fact that they have seized large quantities such contraband.

According to Borisov, customs agents are now trying to use scanners and other technical equipment in an attempt to limit the human factor, because in a resort city like Varna smuggled cigarettes are easy to sell for huge profits that could be used to bribe customs agents.

"The issue here is to find out who kept quiet about the smuggling and why; fire them and make them face legal charges," the PM warned, adding that he and Tanov were using "small tricks" to monitor cigarette contraband and were working in partnership with the EU, where the focus is precisely on such contraband.

"Losses from contraband Cosmos cigarettes in Germany and the UK amount to BGN 5 billion. I hope that by the end of the day one of the largest EU anti-smuggling operations will come to conclusion," Borisov stated.

Graphic images on cigarette packs reduce demand

2011-08-22T13:39:00.001+03:00

Cigarette packs depicting grotesque photos of cancer received lower bids than packs featuring current US text warning label, researchers found.

Graphic images and slogans on cigarette packages will significantly reduce smoker demand, a new study suggests.

Current US policy requires tobacco companies to cover 50 percent of one side of a cigarette pack with a text warning, but the US Food and Drug Administration recently unveiled nine new cigarette warning labels. The labels, to be unveiled in September 2012, include images of lung and mouth cancer.

A sample of 404 adult smokers from the US participated in an experimental auction on cigarette packs with four different kinds of warning labels. All packs featured the same message: Smoking causes mouth cancer. However, the displayed message on each pack differed from the text, placement and imagery.

"We found that the label with just the front text warning had little effect on consumers," says study co-author Matthew Rousu, professor of economics at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. "However, demand was significantly lower for packs with grotesque images, with the lowest demand associated with the plain, unbranded pack."

The bids for cigarette packs that had a grotesque photo and no brand imagery received bids that were 17 percent lower than the bids for the package with the current US warning label.

"Results from our study suggest that the new health warnings with graphic pictures will reduce demand for cigarettes," says Rousu. He adds that regulators should consider health warnings with graphic images, but also plain packaging policies for tobacco products.

“Colour and brand imagery can support false beliefs about reduced risks of some brands,” Rousu says. Though the study can’t address how the new labels will affect non-smokers, Rousu said one would assume those considering smoking will not start because they are turned off by the images.

A tobacco patch that gives back

2011-08-22T13:38:00.001+03:00

Times have changed in the Slipup community over the past decades.
The two stores are now closed up and the agricultural base has moved away from tobacco to corn, soybeans or cattle.
Despite the changes, the heart of the community beats on through the works of its residents and churches.
Situated at the junction of U.S. 62 and Kentucky 596, Slipup has two churches working together to meet the needs of the community and the parishes.
Shannon United Methodist Church and Bethel United Methodist Church have roots in the county dating back to 1790 (Shannon) and 1893 (Bethel Cemetery).
Now commonly referred to as Shannon-Bethel United Methodist Church, Rev. Jim Finch serves as minister for both under the same charter.
Since 1987, the Shannon-Bethel Men's Brotherhood has found a way through agriculture to raise money for maintenance of the two churches, support families or individuals in need and to contribute to charitable organizations.
Comprised of approximately 12 men, members Dick Clary, Gerald Poe, Cliff Campbell, Ralph Cooper and Scott Clary explained Thursday the purpose of the men's group and how an acre of burley tobacco has been able to help those in need.
Originally on an acre of land owned by Buddy Cropper and adjacent to the Shannon church, the annual yield has varied in pounds and price. In 2010, the yield was about 2,000 pounds, bringing $1.50 per pound, but the crop suffered due to drought and the group is hoping this year's crop fairs better.
"It looks pretty good now," said Dick Clary.
This year, the tobacco was planted on the farm of Jeff Shields just across the road from Dick's home on Kentucky 596. With a contract with Phillip Morris to process the tobacco, the men are hoping for a better year.
When the idea started all the men in the brotherhood worked in the tobacco patch, setting, cutting, stripping and hanging the tobacco, but the men laughingly admit they've gotten older and no longer do the hard labor, but instead have it contracted out.
Donations are made to the Kentucky Methodist Home in Versailles, Salvation Army, Ida Spence fund in northern Kentucky for children, a monthly contribution to the Mason County Food Pantry, and flowers for Mother's Day at the churches.
Maintenance projects have included new air conditioning, septic systems and right now, a new roof is going on at Shannon.
But as much as the money is used for charities and church projects, it also goes back into the community.
Cliff Campbell noted that for the last 13-14 years, more than $1,000 per year has been given to those in need, for example when their home has burned down or some other trouble has struck. He also said about 10 years ago the brotherhood gave $12,000 to neighbors needing a helping hand in just one year.
"Generally, if there's a need in the community (we help)," said Dick.
Asked about what they would do if and when the time comes the tobacco crop can't sustain the charitable fund, there was no ready answer, but a few ideas were thrown out. One being the success of the annual chili supper that takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving and has "gone over real good" the last few years, raising $4,000. Going back to raising and selling calves was another suggestion.
"I don't know what the future holds," said Dick Clary, going on to say they would find a way to sustain the fund.
And with young families joining both congregations, the future looks promising for their work to continue.
Being modest and matter-of-fact about their commitment to church and community, the men share more than their work at church. They've grown up together in Slipup, raised families together, pulled teenage stunts like drag-racing down a winding country road, farmed together and overall, are great friends. A visit with the men of the brotherhood is filled with funny stories about jam cakes sold at cake auctions, good-natured jokes, comfortable comradery and lots of laughter.
And although the stores in town are no longer open so people can hang out on a Friday and Saturday night, Cliff put it best when he said "this has been a great community."

Tribunal douses tobacco FOI bid

2011-08-22T13:37:00.002+03:00

Tobacco giant Philip Morris has lost a legal bid to see Government policy documents about plain packaging for cigarettes.
The company appealed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal after a Freedom of Information request for the Government's legal advice about the policy was knocked back.

But this week tribunal deputy president Stephanie Forgie ruled that granting the tobacco company access to the documents under Freedom of Information laws was not in the public interest.

Ms Forgie said the documents were subject to legal privilege because the advice was prepared by government lawyers.

Philip Morris has been fighting to access documents the Government has relied on to support its policy since last June.

They include emails and legal advice from the Department of Health and Ageing, the Prime Minister's office and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

They also include images of plain packing prepared by the Cancer Council, potential logos and a brief on tobacco.

But Ms Forgie ruled that these, too, were covered by legal privilege because they were prepared by in-house lawyers acting for the Government.

''In trying to ascertain the public interest, a distinction must be drawn between the public interest and a matter of interest to the public,'' Ms Forgie wrote in her finding.

''As I have found that the DFAT advice and AGS [Australian Government Solicitor] advice are subject to legal professional privilege, I am satisfied that their disclosure under the FOI Act would be contrary to the public interest ... The public interest is that in the administration of justice that comes from the encouragement of full and frank disclosure by clients to their lawyers.''

Philip Morris made a bid for the documents under Freedom of Information laws in June last year.

In November a senior adviser identified 32 documents held by the Prime Minister's office that related to the request. Of those, 10 were released to Philip Morris in full and 22 were released in part. The office refused to allow access to the others, arguing the documents were either irrelevant to the request or were protected by legal privilege.

Dispatches from Cuba: Mountains, valleys, tobacco farms

2011-08-22T13:31:00.000+03:00

Free Press travel writer Ellen Creager is with the first American tourists on a new "people-to-people" cultural tour that started Thursday. Except for a brief window 2000-2003, it is the first time in 50 years the average American can travel to Cuba.

VINALES, Cuba – It is nice to be out of the city, into the rural countryside.

We are staying about 3 hours west of Havana in this district of green mountains and fertile valleys, tobacco farms, orchids and waterfalls.

Previous Dispatches: Little to buy for American tourists in Havana | 81-year-old crooner highlights Castro tribute concert | Cuban culture, politics on the schedule for this tour | Americans get rare glimpse of island nation | Pre-1959 American cars common in Cuba | A paladar in Vinales

But here, politics seems far away. That is somewhat of a relief after the last few intense days.

This area is instead about nature in all its lush forms. Trees grow. Rain falls. People farm. Life passes.

Last night, we had an appointment at 8:30 p.m. to meet with members of the local branch of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution in Vinales.

We thought it would be a lecture.

Massachusetts stamping out anti-tobacco funding

2011-08-15T13:21:00.003+03:00

State leaders have gutted funding for anti-tobacco initiatives more than 90 percent in the last 10 years, leading to fewer spot checks of retail stores for cigarette sales to minors, cuts to programs that help smokers quit and diminished prevention campaigns.
In fiscal 2001, state programs to combat smoking were flush with cigarette tax revenue and funding from a 1998 multi-state settlement with the tobacco industry, with a budget of $50.5 million, according to the Mass. Budget and Policy Center.
Today, funding for anti-tobacco initiatives has plunged to $4.1 million, with the new state budget dealing the programs another cut of $335,000 from fiscal 2011.
Anti-smoking advocates say the cuts make little long-term financial sense given the toll that tobacco takes on state health care costs.
“Every dollar we spend on prevention is a few dollars saved on the treatment side,” said Tom Carbone, president of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association, which represents local health departments.
Some tobacco opponents support legislation sponsored by state Rep. Jonathan Hecht, D-Watertown, and Sen. Harriet Chandler, D-Worcester, that would guarantee a portion of state tobacco revenue be set aside for smoking cessation and prevention programs.
“Less than one half of 1 percent really gets spent on doing something about tobacco,” said Steve Shestakofsky, executive director of Framingham-based Tobacco Free Mass. “That, I think, really needs to be changed.”
State health officials said they have made progress lowering Massachusetts’ smoking rate since beginning anti-smoking programs in the early 1990s and have maintained their core initiatives.
But they acknowledged recent cuts have forced them to eliminate or scale back efforts they believe to be beneficial.
“I think we’re losing an opportunity,” said Lois Keithly, director of the state Department of Public Health’s tobacco control program.
Despite the cuts, Keithly said her staff has worked to preserve “key infrastructure,” including the smokers’ helpline, youth programs and working with health care professionals to ensure they identify tobacco users and refer them for help.
Federal sources have helped fill some gaps, largely helping to maintain the helpline, Keithly said, though some of that was temporary stimulus money.
State data suggests Massachusetts has had success in reducing tobacco use:
Julia Hurley, a DPH spokeswoman, said the statewide smoking rate dropped from 23.5 percent in 1992, the year before state anti-tobacco programs began, to 14.1 percent in 2010.
Cigarette use among high school students also dipped from a high of 35.7 percent in 1994 to 16 percent in 2009, according to a statewide Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
Anti-smoking advocates called the cuts counterproductive. In a report last year, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said Massachusetts ranked 37th in the U.S. in its spending on anti-tobacco programs – just 5 percent of the funding level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.
“Obviously the state is facing serious financial challenges and health care costs are a big part of those,” said Katie King, director of health promotion and public policy for the American Lung Association of New England.
“But tobacco is still the leading cause of death and disability in the state, and 10 percent of health care costs are tied to tobacco use,” she said.
Pending legislation would set aside at least 3 percent of state tobacco revenues for anti-smoking programs but the legislation has not advanced since a committee hearing in May.
Keithly hopes to see some funding restored as the state recovers from the recession.

Should Marijuana Be Regulated Like Alcohol Or Tobacco

2011-08-15T13:19:00.001+03:00

The marijuana legalization debate has gained a whole new momentum ever since the economy took a dip. Cities, counties, and states are cash strapped, and see their budgets dwindled with every revenue report. This has obviously been horrible for the job market, but it has been a big factor in converting citizen’s and politician’s opinions towards marijuana legalization. I remember when it was just consumers and sympathizers that were calling for legalization. Now, even some staunch conservatives are looking into the idea. They don’t consume marijuana at all, but are all about taxing the S out of it. I hope it doesn’t result in marijuana being taxed to death before it gets off the ground, but hopefully we can win that battle after we win legalization.

A question that has been popping up on TWB lately is whether or not marijuana should be regulated like the tobacco industry, or the alcohol industry. I just posted an article this week about regulating marijuana like wine, which is a revolutionary idea, but I am still waiting to see how much traction it gets. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea, but I’m just not sure about the logistics of the campaign strategy. More will obviously be known as 2012 approaches. But for the sake of this article, we will look at the alcohol industry, and the tobacco industry.

When most people think about marijuana legalization, they picture the regulations being like that of the tobacco industry. After all, you smoke both tobacco and marijuana, right? Just as someone goes to the local corner market to get a pack of cigs, they would be able to get a pack of Camel greens or Marlboro danks. I have long pointed out the difficulties of such a business model. For starters, marijuana is not like the tobacco plant. Tobacco can grow from the Carolinas to the Caribbean and for the most part, the quality will only variate slightly. A tobacco farmer would argue that there is distinct differences, but let’s get serious, it’s not nearly on the same level as marijuana cultivation.

Cultivating and selling marijuana on the same scale as tobacco is nearly impossible, unless it was grown entirely indoors by a large company, which is unrealistic. All of the football stadiums in the country couldn’t house the amount of marijuana plants that the market would require if it were legal and sold by a big tobacco company. It would have to be cultivated outside, year round, on a very large scale if it were done by just a handful of large companies. This is also unrealistic. Marijuana can vary from room to room inside of a house, let alone outdoors.

Outdoor marijuana plants that grow in the State of Jefferson (Southern Oregon, Northern California) are going to be starkly different than plants that are grown in Pennsylvania. For that matter, even outdoor grow ops in the State of Jefferson are not all created equal. It would be too hard, if not impossible, to market so many kinds of marijuana the same way as cigarettes. Right now you go into a store and there are just a handful of types of cigarettes. There are different brands, but the type of actual cigarette you can buy is fairly limited. Compare that with a dispensary, that has in some cases hundreds of strains. That’s a big reason why corporate America hasn’t harnessed the cannabis market; it’s just too hard to get a consistency that it would take to launch the industry on a huge scale.

And with all of that being said, would we really want those blood sucking bastards in charge of the marijuana industry? Look at what they have done to society with their research and development already. Can you imagine what they would do to marijuana to make it super addictive? It wouldn’t even be marijuana anymore; the product would be some Frankenstein herb that is meant to take your dollars instead of providing comfort, recreation, and relief. Marijuana is a cottage industry, and I really hope it stays that way forever. I love going to different areas and seeing what their stuff is like. If it was just bland budget weed sold across the nation, it would really make me sad.

I picture some slick talking tobacco executives sitting down with members of Congress. The executives explain that they can grow marijuana on an enormous scale, that it would all be under the close watch of the government, and that they can provide tax dollars out the wazoo. They give the politicians large sums of money in exchange for marijuana becoming legal. On the surface, marijuana consumers are stoked because the marijuana plant is finally free. They don’t care how it happened, they just know that they have been waiting for this for a long time. It will only be after they see what big tobacco has done to the beloved marijuana plant that they realize the whole thing was f’d since jump street.

The alcohol industry is a better representation of what I think marijuana regulations will look like after legalization. There will still be large companies trying to corner the industry, much like Budweiser and Coors do today. However, there will also be a large cottage community producing marijuana, like the micro brew industry. Large companies will produce massive quantities of low grade product, much like Coors and Budweiser do with their beer. But, people that actually like flavor and quality will go for the cottage industry products, much like people go for a micro brew. Instead of making regulations to cater to the top companies, regulations will be more flexible to accommodate the small businesses. There will be more wiggle room for entrepreneurs to enter into the market as a result, and consumers will benefit from the buffet of deliciousness that will result.

Tobacco firm moves raise efficiency to improve efficiency

2011-08-15T13:13:00.002+03:00

Morogoro. Alliance One Tobacco (T) Ltd, is implementing three projects that seek to improve its processing operations that include processing capacity through a new cigarettes processing line to improve the capacity from the current 35,000 tonnes to 60,000.

Other projects include the introduction of computerised system of loading and receiving of tobacco aimed at reducing handling time and green leaf storage at the factory and introduction of stacking racks.

A statement issued over the weekend by the company when announcing the appointment of a new managing director, Mr Mark Mason, who replaces Mr Graham Kayes, who has been appointed regional director for Alliance One Africa.

Expounding, Mr Mason said the value of the new investments this year is $10 million, bringing the total value of the company to approximately $50 million. He said other projects include installation of optical sorters which remove non tobbaco related materials, conversion of boiler from oil usage to natural gas and installation of AC variable speed drives in motors to reduce power consumption.

He noted that the future for the Tanzanian tobacco industry is strong as long as it remains competitive and continue to improve the welfare of the farmers.

“We appreciate the support the government was giving the industry and believe that we have a major role to play in poverty alleviation whilst remaining focused on health, education and environmental issues,” he said.

However, he said that they have been facing various challenges which include global oversupply situation resulting from increased worldwide production, reduced consumption due to global economic recession, smoking restrictions and bans, increased taxation on tobacco products and tobacco products regulation.

He named the other challenge as reduction in production by 20 per cent due to power problems which causes a loss of $4,000 every hour. He said due to power shortage they are forced to work four days a week instead of six.

Marijuana found at Alexandria airport

2011-08-04T16:43:00.000+03:00

The Rapides Parish sheriff says two suitcases of marijuana were seized from a south Florida man after his plane made a fuel stop at Alexandria International Airport.
Sheriff Chuck Wagner said Wednesday that 37-year-old Raimondi Salvatore Rosario, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., was booked with possession with intent to distribute after deputies discovered the drug.
Thursday's Town Talk ( http://bit.ly/qOfNB9) reported that Homeland Security investigators told deputies that Rosario had filed a suspicious flight plan out of Nevada.
Wagner says Rosario refused to let deputies search the plane. But he says their narcotics dog "Sam," found the drugs immediately.
Wagner said Rosario was freed on bond Tuesday, the day he was arrested.

Murdoch's ties to Big Tobacco

2011-08-04T16:40:00.000+03:00

Rupert Murdoch's phone-hacking problems have been all over the news in recent days, but it wasn't too long ago his media properties were providing a supportive environment for Big Tobacco that went largely unreported.
Murdoch's connection to Philip Morris Co. was revealed through secret industry documents made public as a result of the landmark 1998 U.S. tobacco industry settlement.
The 1981 publication of a Japanese study suggesting that non-smoking wives of smoking husbands were more likely than wives of non-smokers to get lung cancer shocked the industry. Big Tobacco realized that second-hand smoke would be the greatest threat it had encountered, more potentially damaging than earlier studies linking smoking with lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses.
When the victim is the smoker, the industry was able to argue-successfully-that harm caused by smoking was regrettable, but is, after all, a result of personal choice. The individual knows the risks when she smokes. If a person gets cancer even though he doesn't smoke, but is simply in the presence of smokers, then that is a different matter. Smoking leaps from individual choice to major public policy issue. The industry "calculated bans in work places, aircraft, restaurants and other venues would result in a dramatic plunge in the number of cigarettes smoked," the South China Morning Post reported after an investigation of industry tactics in Southeast Asia. "People would have less time to puff. And that would lead to billions of dollars in lost revenue."
To stave off this catastrophe, the industry used every available channel of persuasion and propaganda to cast doubt on the link between second-hand smoke and disease. The channels included supportive media like Murdoch's News Corp.
A 1985 draft speech for Philip Morris's CEO for a marketing meeting noted that the media company was already onside. "We plan to build similar relationships to those we now have with Murdoch's News Limited with other newspaper proprietors," the memo said. "Murdoch's papers rarely publish anti-smoking articles these days."
A second document for the same meeting created two days later asked the question: "how can we change the public's view towards smoking?"

Cigarette Smoking Results in an Increased Risk of Developing Atrial Fibrillation

2011-08-04T16:26:00.002+03:00

Results from a large, United States based cohort study show that current smokers double their risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) compared to people who have never smoked, after more than 13 years of follow-up. The study, published in the August edition of HeartRhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, indicates a trend towards significantly lower risk of developing AF for those who quit smoking cigarettes versus those who continue to smoke. View the full study.

According to the Heart Rhythm Society, AF is a very common heart rhythm disorder with more than 2 million people in the United States diagnosed with AF and about 160,000 new cases identified each year. While several risk factors have been identified for AF, including obesity, hypertension and diabetes, the association between smoking and AF is less clear.

Between 1987 and 1989, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study enrolled a population-based cohort of over 15,000 black and white participants aged 45-64 years. All participants were questioned at baseline about the number of cigarettes smoked per day, smoking status (current, former or never) and age at smoking initiation or cessation.

Study analysis conducted by Alanna Chamberlain, PhD, and co-authors, reports 876 incident AF events during an average 13-year follow-up period. The risk of AF was found to be 1.32 times greater among former smokers and twofold higher in current smokers than in never smokers. In addition, compared to never smokers, former heavy smokers had an 89% increased risk of developing AF, while current heavy smokers had a 131% increased risk, indicating that quitting smoking lowers the risk of developing AF. Specifically, there was a 12% lower risk of AF among individuals who quit smoking versus individuals who continued smoking.

"AF is a serious health issue that decreases quality of life and significantly increases the risk of stroke," stated co-author Alanna M. Chamberlain, PhD, MPH, Department of Health Sciences Research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "It is my hope that our study findings will shed more light on the impact that smoking has on cardiovascular diseases, and help individuals realize they can play a role in preventing the development of atrial fibrillation."

These results support previous findings that smoking increases the risk of AF development. The findings also show that associations between smoking and AF do not differ between blacks and whites, despite overall AF incident rates being lower in blacks. Furthermore, this is the first study to document differences in AF development between participants who remained smokers throughout the study follow-up and those who stopped smoking. Future studies may choose to focus on the role of smoking cessation in the prevention of AF development.

Tobacco industry's focus on contraband is a smokescreen

2011-07-26T14:18:00.001+03:00

The article by Michel Gadbois of the Canadian Convenience Stores Association ("Higher cigarette taxes won't help," Opinion, July 22) is part of a tobacco-industry strategy to divert government efforts so that they focus solely on the illegal tobacco market instead of addressing the total tobacco epidemic.

The effectiveness of tobacco taxes in lowering tobacco consumption has long been recognized by all the leading public-health authorities. The tobacco industry itself wrote in 1987 that "rising taxes are the main contributor to volume declines." In fact, the policy is so effective in curbing sales that the tobacco industry, to counter high prices, engaged in contraband in the 1990s, a crime for which it has recently pleaded guilty.

Now the source of the contraband problem has shifted to a few First Nations reserves, and the tobacco industry, which is not benefiting this time from the illegal sales, and its allies, such as the Canadian Convenience Stores Association, are professing that there is a "growing illegal black market" and that governments are failing to appropriately address the issue.

It is important to point out that the tobacco industry has only itself to blame for the current contraband crisis, because it planted the seed of greed and the knowhow among traffickers by supplying them in the past with tobacco products. In addition, it is always a valuable exercise to take a look at what the industry is saying internally to have another perspective on the situation.

Philip Morris International, the parent company of Rothmans, Benson & Hedges in Canada, wrote in its latest annual shareholders report (2010) that:

"In Canada, the total tax-paid cigarette market was up by 9.5 per cent, mainly reflecting stronger government enforcement measures to reduce contraband sales since mid-2009."

In a half-year report published in 2010, British American Tobacco, the parent company of Imperial Tobacco Canada, had this to say on the subject:

"Volume growth was achieved on the back of a significant reduction in illicit product as a result of the authorities' enforcement activities."

BAT also stated in a recent shareholders' presentation that the size of the illicit market in Canada had decreased from 32.7 per cent in 2008 to 18.7 per cent in 2010.

As for retailers, the 2010 November/December issue of Your Convenience Manager magazine reported that:

"Increased awareness, tightened border security and stiffer penalties are making it more difficult for smugglers to distribute tobacco in Canada. As a result, cigarette sales are up 10 per cent . The largest dollar volume growth came from Quebec and Ontario - two of the hardest-hit regions for contraband - where dollar volume sales improved 18 per cent and 13 per cent respectively."

Not surprisingly, these statements reflect what governments are currently reporting on the contraband market. For example, the latest Quebec government budget indicated that:

"The efforts to curb the illicit tobacco trade are producing excellent results. After five consecutive years of declining revenue from the specific tax on tobacco products, revenue has risen for the second year in a row . The Ministère des Finances estimates the tax losses associated with tobacco smuggling at $225 million for 2010, i.e. roughly 20 per cent of the market. The estimated losses for 2008 were $300 million, representing about 30 per cent of the market at that time."

The previously mentioned presentation from BAT provides the motive why the industry continues to cry wolf regarding the contraband problem, despite evidence to the contrary:

"Increased illicit trade awareness leads to less tax increases."

It is a common business practice for the tobacco industry to mislead governments. In this case, it is important to understand that the industry's focus on contraband is intended not only to influence tobacco-tax policy but also to forestall any new tobacco-control policies. We saw this last fall with the tobacco industry's failed attempt to derail the federal government's renewal of graphic warnings on tobacco packages on the pretence that the contraband problem had to be resolved first.

The record-breaking $1.7 billion in fines and settlements paid by the tobacco industry for its role in the 1990s smuggling crisis clearly had no deterrent effect on its misleading behaviour. Whatever the industry's public view on the matter, the facts show that governments are on the right track to curb the illicit market. There is no doubt for the health community that contraband tobacco still remains a significant public-health threat that needs to be resolved. However, the tobacco industry's continuing disregard for the truth is a further justification for governments to press on with controlling the legal market as well.

State seeking $8.1 million in tobacco case

2011-07-26T14:16:00.002+03:00

The state of Mississippi hasn’t received millions of dollars in tobacco settlement money because one of the companies who entered into the 1998 tobacco settlement failed to report profits from the sale of 7.8 billion cigarettes made for Star Tobacco and Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the state argued Monday.

Brown and Williamson Holding, Inc., which later merged with R.J. Reynolds, manufactured and shipped the cigarettes to Star as part of a contract they’d entered into. However, special counsel Gary Wilson argued Monday, the cigarettes were sold for profit in the United States, though Brown and Williamson failed to report those sales as part of the profits that went into calculating the payments in the tobacco settlement.

Attorney General Jim Hood filed suit in 2010 alleging that the miscalculations “resulted in artificially low payments in Mississippi for 2001 and for every year thereafter in which Mississippi was entitled to a net operating profits adjustment.”
Star sold the cigarettes using such brand names as Gunsmoke and Vegas, research showed, between 1999 and 2002. The company that manufactured their cigarettes, Brown and Williamson, were a part of the master tobacco settlement agreement in 1997 that encompassed 46 states.
Mississippi, Wilson said, is due to be repaid the $3.6 million it was denied plus interest for the years it went unpaid, bringing the total amount to an estimated $8.1 million at the end of June.

On the Call: Lorillard CEO Murray Kessler

2011-07-26T14:13:00.001+03:00

The Food and Drug Administration, which is currently reviewing the public health impact of menthol cigarettes, is conducting an independent review of research gathered by its advisory committee.

In June, the federal agency said members of its Center for Tobacco Products planned to submit its review to an external peer review panel in July and expected the process to be completed in the fall of 2011.
The review comes after the FDA in March received a report from the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee that removing menthol cigarettes from the market would benefit public health because the minty flavoring tobacco has led more people to pick up smoking and makes quitting harder. However, the report said menthol smokers are not likely to be at a higher risk of disease or exposed to a greater number of toxins.

The panel also said the FDA should consider other factors, including whether a ban could increase the market for counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes.

Many analysts believe the agency won't ban menthol, which about 19 million Americans smoke. Menthol cigarettes are one of few growth areas in the shrinking cigarette market.A menthol ban or other restrictions on the flavored cigarettes would fall heavily on Greensboro, N.C.-based Lorillard Inc., whose Newport brand is the top-selling menthol cigarette in the U.S.

New marijuana ballot measure starts circulating

2011-07-26T14:10:00.001+03:00

A new marijuana legalization ballot measure was cleared Monday to start seeking petition signatures.
But its proponents aren't affiliated with the Oakland-based backers of last year's Proposition 19, who intend to mount a 2012 initiative of their own.
The state attorney general's official summary says the measure, named by its proponents as "The Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Act of 2012," would decriminalize marijuana sales, distribution, possession, use, cultivation, processing and transportation by people at least 21 years old.
Advertising of marijuana, except for medicinal use, would be banned, but zoning restrictions would not apply to marijuana growing and processing. Existing agricultural taxes and regulations would apply to all except noncommercial production of up to 25 flowering plants or 12 processed pounds per year. Sales of marijuana with at least 1 percent THC -- the herb's most prominent psychoactive ingredient -- would be allowed only to people 21 and up.
The measure also would direct state and local officials not to cooperate with enforcement of the federal ban on marijuana.
Proponents James Gray, William McPike and Steve Kubby have until Dec. 19 to collect valid signatures from at least 504,760 registered voters in order to qualify it for the ballot.
Gray, a former Orange County Superior Court judge and the 2004 Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate, is a longtime drug reform advocate from Newport Beach.

McPike is a Fresno attorney specializing in marijuana law. Kubby, of South Lake Tahoe, is a longtime marijuana advocate and the 1998 Libertarian gubernatorial nominee.
They aren't with the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform, which grew out of last year's Prop. 19 legalization effort. Although 53.5 percent of voters rejected Prop. 19 in November, the measure did have support from 4.6 million voters and so the coalition intends to try again in 2012.

Innovation, pricing key to tobacco growth

2011-07-20T16:57:00.001+03:00

Euromonitor International says innovating, raising prices and introducing smokeless products remain key growth strategies for tobacco companies as smokers worldwide face tax hikes, smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma.
The research firm says it expects nearly 7 percent more cigarettes to be sold annually by 2015, with increases in emerging markets. But it expects declines in places with greater tobacco control measures like the U.S. and Europe.

Prices are projected to rise 25 percent in that period.
Companies are looking to smokeless products and those with possible reduced health risks for growth. Revenue from smokeless products rose 11 percent in 2010 but remains small compared with cigarette revenue.
Euromonitor says rising prices will encourage illicit trade, which grew to about 10 percent of the cigarettes consumed in 2010.

Feds seize illegally imported cigarettes from Vietnam

2011-07-20T16:56:00.002+03:00

Federal agents in Seattle seized 6,500 cartons of cigarettes and more than $200,000 in cash Wednesday as part of a sweeping investigation into the illegal import of Marlboro Reds, 555s and other Philip Morris brands from Vietnam.

Mark Leiser, the assistant special agent in charge of the Seattle field office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), said agents executed 14 search warrants at three businesses and 11 residences, where they seized the cash and cigarettes.

He said agents also seized five vehicles that were either purchased with illegal proceeds or were used to transport the cigarettes, which were shipped to the Seattle area through the U.S. mail.

Those involved in the scheme avoided paying taxes on the cigarettes, defrauding the federal and state governments of an estimated $24 million since 2008, Leiser said. He estimated that the 6,500 cartons seized on Wednesday alone represented $262,000 in lost tax revenue.

Leiser and Brad Kleinknecht, the inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, gave only vague details of their joint operation at a news conference Wednesday at the Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle because the affidavits outlining their investigation have been sealed in U.S. District Court.

No one was taken into custody Wednesday, but arrests are expected once the U.S. Attorney's Office reviews the case and makes charging decisions, Leiser said.

The warrants were served in Seattle, Kenmore, Shoreline, Kent and Tacoma, ATF spokeswoman Cheryl Bishop said.

"It was common knowledge in the areas where they were sold," she said.

In Vietnam, a carton of Marlboros costs $7 to $9 in U.S. dollars. In Washington — which has one of the highest tax rates on cigarettes in the nation at a little over $3 a pack — that same carton costs $79 to $85, according to Postal Inspector Jerry Styers.

In spring 2010, officials with the state Liquor Control Board contacted the ATF with information about street-level sales of cartons and packs of cigarettes from Vietnam that lacked tax stamps, Leiser said. Investigators determined that cigarettes were being sent through the mail to Seattle-area residents, who then sold cartons for $20 to $30 less than what a smoker would pay at legitimate retail businesses, he said.

The state tax on a carton of cigarettes is $30.25, plus $10.07 in federal tax, Leiser said. In Washington, the money is used to subsidize public education and the health-care system and help fund public-works projects, he said.

"For those who say these kinds of investigations are a waste of money or that it's a victimless crime, I would say they're wrong," Leiser said.

Electronic Cigarettes Now Under New Ownership

2011-07-20T16:54:00.000+03:00

We have some very exciting news that will save your life and save you money at the same time. The website that has been providing the best in the E-Cigarette industry has just made a change in ownership. SmokePower.com has come under new ownership and to honor the event we are offering 15% off on any purchase until August 31, 2011.
For those of you who are unaware, the Electronic cigarette or E-Cigarette has gained popularity in the past few years as an alternative to smoking. Rather than inhaling the toxic smoke of a normal cigarette, the “smoker” now inhales a mist of water and nicotine. The process is much the same as smoking a normal cigarette, the Ecigarette is drawn on just the same, but without all the nasty side effects. When exhaling there is no smoke, only water vapor, making this a cleaner and safer alternative to those around the smoker as well.

Buy Sobrabie cigarettes online for cheapest price.

SmokePower.com has always been one of the leaders in the E-Cigarette revolution and that is not going to change. The same outstanding customer service and prices on the internet are still present with the new owners, plus there is now a 15% off promotion until August 31, 2011 that will save you even more.
As many states increase the number of laws governing smoking in public, an obvious change is in the works. The E-Cigarette can be used anywhere, inside or out because no actual smoke is produced. Not to mention the side effects, the medical reasons and the obvious reasons for making a change, SmokePower.com is now making it even cost less to make the change. One E-Cigarette refill lasts for about 300 inhalations; this is just over the equivalent of a single pack of regular cigarettes.
If you have been putting off trying one, or you have just been unaware of the E-Cigarette, this is the perfect time to take the plunge. How long have you thought in the back of your mind about stopping and never done it, or how many times have you tried and failed? This is the time to make a change and the change will save your life and save you money. The great thing about an E-Cigarette is that you are not actually “quitting”, you are just replacing your normal cigarettes with something better. Most people do quit after a point, but this not necessary.

Cigarette dealers evade VAT

2011-07-20T16:48:00.002+03:00

Distributors of cigarettes are digging a deep hole into the state exchequer by way of evasion of taxes. Stung by the recent findings of the vigilance and enforcement (V&E) wing, the state government has asked the commercial taxes department to tighten the noose on the wholesale distributors across the state.

As per preliminary investigations, the wholesale dealers have been evading payment of value addition tax (VAT) to the tune of nearly Rs 300 crore annually. Sources said the V&E department came across this development after carrying out surprise checks on the distributors in several districts last month following complaints about fudging of records.

You smoke cigarettes? Than buy cheap cigarettes online from cigarettesmall.net

While the manufacturers were paying tax at their end after selling the stocks to the distributors, the latter were not paying the taxes despite making huge sums after selling the stocks to the retailers. The distributors have another tier of dealers before the stocks reach the retailer in the guise of salesmen and were not showing these sales figures in the original transaction records.

Japan eyes tobacco tax hike for reconstruction

2011-07-07T11:21:00.001+03:00

Japan is considering a hike in its tobacco tax to help fund reconstruction costs, the Yomiuri newspaper said on Thursday, which could be first in a variety of tax increases as the country rebuilds from natural disaster and tries to repair weak public finances.

The hike, which the government hopes to implement as early as the next fiscal year starting April 2012, could bring in as much as 200 billion yen ($2.5 billion) annually, the newspaper said without citing sources.

The Democratic Party-led government agreed last month to double the 5 percent sales tax by mid-decade to pay for social security costs, which are rising by about one trillion yen a year due to an aging society.

Japan's outstanding debts are about twice the size of its $5 trillion economy, and credit ratings agencies say tax hikes are needed to avoid a sovereign downgrade.

An advisory panel called last month for a temporary hike to either the sales tax, the corporate tax or income taxes to rebuild the northeast coast, which was devastated by a large earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

But embattled Prime Minister Naoto Kan faces a divided parliament where opposition parties can block legislation and it is not clear whether such hikes can be implemented.

The government is leaning toward increasing taxes on cigarettes as that's likely to draw less objection from the public, the Yomiuri said.

A tobacco tax hike would however be a blow to Japan Tobacco (2914.T) which controls close to two-thirds of the domestic cigarette market. ($1 = 80.930 Japanese Yen)

Conspiracy: Smoke and mirrors

2011-07-07T11:20:00.002+03:00

You know cigarettes are uncool and can send you on the path to a slow, lingering death… but did you also know that some cigarettes are linked to plots to eradicate certain ethnic groups? That’s what conspiracy theorists would have you believe – and here are some standout theories that have kept amateur sleuths busy for years.
Not your average joe
Few marketing mascots have been as universally reviled as the now-deceased ‘smooth character’ Joe Camel. Castigated for hawking cigarettes to young people, this cartoonish icon found itself in the firing line after the American medical association reported in 1991 that more children 5 and 6 years old could recognise Joe Camel than could recognise Mickey Mouse or Fred Flintstone, Joe kept puffing along till 1997, when he was finally laid to rest. But there may even be more than meets the eye here — and some people (perhaps with way too much time on their hands) say that Joe’s face is in fact supposed to represent the male genitalia, which will … somehow … um … make people smoke more cigarettes? No seriously, this is not made up.
Camel kay andar kya hay?
But that’s just one of the ‘hidden secrets’ of Camel cigarettes. Another is the mysterious ‘man/woman in the Camel leg.’ According to urban legend, the front leg of the Camel on the packet in fact contains a woman standing with her hands on her hips (highlighted and labeled for your convenience). That’s what some people think. Others see a man, the Belgian ‘peeing boy’ and even Mae West! That’s not all … people who seemingly enjoy staring at a pack of smokes also see a leaping lion, a skull and a little dog. Again with the supposed goal of getting people to light up.
The Klan konnection
The Ku Klux Klan – they wear white hoods, burn crosses, lynch African Americans and are inordinately fond of alliteration. But did you know they also sell cigarettes? That’s what some incorrigible conspiracy theorists would have us believe. Some people say that Marlboro cigarettes are supported by the KKK — or the other way around. They justify these claims by drawing people’s attention to the packaging of Marlboro cigarettes. Apparently if you tip a Marlboro cigarette box onto its side, the logo forms a triple K symbol … see it?
Menthol cigarette conspiracy
It has long been rumoured that menthol cigarettes cause impotence. A lesser known conspiracy theory, however, suggests that menthol cigarettes were marketed specifically to African American men in the 1960s and 1970s, in order to hamper their ability to procreate. While it is true that brands like Kool cigarettes did use African Americans in their advertisements quite frequently, this hypothesis is as shaky as the idea that menthols cause impotence in the first place.

Big Tobacco targets minority youth

2011-07-07T11:17:00.002+03:00

According to a recent Stanford University Medical School study, described in Science Daily, the big tobacco companies are trying to lure minority youth into smoking menthol cigarettes. Even thought these companies know many of the these young people will eventually die from smoking their product, and they claim not to be targeting young people, the evidence uncovered by the Stanford report makes it clear these companies are out to make a profit by selling as much death and disease as they can to minority youth.

The Food and Drug Administration is on the verge of banning menthol in cigarettes. The report's lead researcher, Lisa Henriksen, PhD, says, "The tobacco companies went out of their way to argue to the Food and Drug Administration that they don't use racial targeting. This evidence is not consistent with those claims."

Menthol is used to makes cigarettes less harsh and is said in company ads to bring about a feeling of "freshness." The major users of these kinds of cigarettes are teenagers, minorities and the poor ("low-income populations"). The FDA tasked the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee to study the health hazards of menthol cigarettes, and the committee concluded, "Removal of menthol cigarettes from the marketplace would benefit public health in the United States."

This is not very startling, since removing all cigarettes would benefit public health. Naturally, we didn't need a special committee to know that banning menthol cigarettes would be beneficial. The recommendation is non-binding anyway. The committee is going to meet again in the middle of July to write up a final report. Let's hope it is more specific than the quote in Science Daily.

The FDA should ban menthol cigarettes just to stop the industry's predation against middle and high school students. The committee, which has the Stanford report, should really come down hard on the industry. It was charged. Dr, Henriksen said, "with considering a broad definition of harm to smokers and other populations, particularly youth. We think our study, which shows the predatory marketing in school neighborhoods with higher concentrations of youth and African-American students, fits a broad definition of harm."

The report reveals an increase in cigarette use by youth between 2004 and 2008, and that of people ages 12-17, 71.9 percent of African American youth prefer menthol brands (the figures for whites was 41 percent and Hispanics 47 percent). Comparing the actions of Newport (menthols made by Lorillard) with Marlboro Reds, the report shows that Newport offers special price reductions around schools that have a large African-American enrollment. Other brands were also studied.

The study found that ads for menthol cigarettes increased by almost 6 percent near schools for every increase in the proportion of African-American students of 10 percent, and Newport cut the price of a pack by 12 cents for each of those 10 percent increases.

In the surrounding neighborhoods, Newport seemingly checked out the proportion of youth ages 10-17 (!). For each 10 percent increase in their proportion, they increased ads by 11.6 percent, and the odds were 5.3 percent higher that Newports would sell at discounted prices. Marlboro Reds had no ads or price changes related to the presence of youth or African-American students.

We now know that despite the industry claims African-American teens are being especially targeted. Stephen Fortmann, MD, who also participated the study, said, "When kids are exposed to more cigarette advertising, they are more likely to start smoking, which will undoubtedly lead to dire health consequences. Our study finds that tobacco companies are trying to make smoking more attractive to teens, when we as a society should be doing just the opposite. Adding menthol to cigarettes makes it easier to smoke and harder to quit, so the public health community strongly supports an FDA ban on menthol flavoring."

My prediction: The FDA will vote for the ban, and the Supreme Court will overturn it as a violation of free speech. Libertarians and tea party folks will be against the ban as an infringement of personal liberty.

What 10 year old doesn't want a Newport to suck on while playing a slice 'em and dice 'em video game?

Stricter regulations vs smoking pushed

2011-07-04T11:43:00.001+03:00

A Quezon City councilor said Monday there is a need for concerned authorities to enforce stricter no-smoking regulations in public places with the rising number of lung cancer cases and other ailments attributed to excessive smoking.

Councilor Allan Benedict Reyes of the city’s third district said non-smokers are also affected, especially those staying in enclosed places for long hours due to second-hand smoke inhalation.

The public, especially non-smokers, are advised to be wary of third-hand smoke where the stench of cigarettes are left behind in clothing materials, curtains, pillow cases and the like.

I am particularly concerned with the increasing number of women and teenage smokers. Although I recognize their rights even though how unhealthful it may be to relieve their stress through cigarette smoking these must be done so as not to affect non-smokers especially children and women,’’ Reyes added.

Reyes said there is a need for stronger enforcement of the no-smoking law in public places like air-conditioned rooms as clients are allowed to smoke freely in establishments like nightclubs, restaurants, videoke bars and nightspots.

Smoking targeted in public housing

2011-07-04T11:38:00.001+03:00

Jim Lamb is leading a campaign in his Phoenix apartment complex to get non-smoking residents to identify themselves by posting a sign outside their door.

Lamb wants to show apartment staff and other residents how many people in the building support smoke-free living. There is a designated smoking area at Sunnyslope Manor, a federally funded senior home, but Lamb wants the property to go entirely smoke-free.

"It makes sense for everybody," said Lamb, 73. "We're not saying they can't smoke. It's just where they can smoke."
More residents in public housing have been speaking out in recent months on their concerns about secondhand smoke, according to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recommended its multifamily and public-housing properties implement smoke-free policies. Since then, several of the Valley's federally funded housing complexes have gone completely or partially smoke-free.

Non-smoking residents in HUD properties who have caught wind of the new policies have been contacting the county Department of Public Health to see what could be done about their apartment complexes, said Sue Bergquist, smoke-free multihousing liaison at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

The growing demand from residents has compelled the department to assess how many Valley properties have gone smoke-free so that residents who want to move can at least have a list of properties to choose from. Bergquist also works with properties that are considering a smoking ban and educates residents about secondhand smoking and the impact one resident's smoking could have on another.

"What I try to talk about when I go to properties is, this isn't about taking your right away to smoke. All we're doing is asking you to smoke in a place where it won't harm your neighbor," Bergquist said.

Properties looking to go smoke-free must follow certain HUD guidelines. They can designate smoking areas or go totally smoke-free. They can't deny rentals to anyone just because they smoke and can't require existing tenants who smoke to move out or transfer to another unit.

Robert Howarth, 61, likes living in Pine Towers, a senior home in Phoenix. But he said he is worried about secondhand smoke and the possibility of fire. He wants to see the property ban all smoking.

"You can't even sit on the bench (outside) without someone sitting down next to you and blowing smoke in your face," Howarth said. "I don't see why we can't adopt a (smoke-free) policy here."

Staff at properties that have gone smoke-free said the change has proven to be a smart business decision.

It saves properties several thousand dollars a year in fees to clean units before turning them over to a new resident, they said. It also decreases the fire risk, especially in senior homes where residents might fall asleep or have a medical attack without extinguishing their cigarettes.

The reaction has been mixed, however, among residents at properties that have adopted smoke-free policies. Some moved out. Others finally kicked the habit.

Waymark Gardens, a senior home in Glendale, went partially smoke-free in June. The designated smoking area is in the center of the complex. Residents were given one year's notice that the property will go smoke-free.

Lisa Sunderlin, the property's administrator, said it costs up to $5,000 to renovate an apartment so that there is no trace of smoke left. Sometimes, the walls are yellowed and need to be stripped and repainted.

The outdoor smoking area has become a social gathering place of sorts. But smoking in the heat is not ideal for the elderly, some residents said.

While residents say no ban will stop a longtime smoker from lighting a cigarette, it is a hassle to trek out to the designated smoking area.

"When I was in the house, I'd smoke all the time because all I had to do was get out my cigarettes," said Estella Burks, 73, a Waymark Gardens resident. "We've been doing it all these years, you know? It's kind of hard."

Likewise, Lamb's smoke-free campaign at Sunnyslope Manor has not been popular among smokers.

Recom declares all-out war vs smoking in public

2011-07-04T11:37:00.001+03:00

Caloocan City Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri has ordered members of the Reformed Department of Public Safety and Traffic Management (RDPSTM) and the barangay police to arrest individuals who will violate the “smoking ban” that is now strictly being enforced in the city since Friday.

With this directive, elements of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) can expect to have staunch partners in the RDPSTM and barangay police as they enforce the smoking ban in public places.

Recom at the same time coordinated with Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas president Councilor Ricojudge “RJ” Echiverri to teach members of the barangay police how to properly arrest violators.

Echiverri said that one will be given special treatment when it come to effecting arrests in accordance with the smoking ban since this will be one way to instill discipline among smokers in the city.

He warned the enforcers not to abuse their power or authority in observing the law. The mayor said violators who felt that they were mistreated in any way can report the incident to his office.

Since Friday, smokers caught huffing and puffing in public places were given warnings, with their names jotted down by enforcers from the local government. On their second offense, the smokers will be meted with a fine in accordance with the law.

The MMDA launched last June 1 an extensive information campaign on the smoking ban, saying that its implementation in Metro Manila would begin after a month’s time.

Caloocan City was among the first local government units (LGUs) to implement a smoking ban in public places.

Justice Department shoots down commercial marijuana cultivation

2011-07-04T10:30:00.001+03:00

With marijuana sold openly at retail stores throughout California, some advocates, pot growers and even city officials believed authorized commercial cultivation could be next. But the Obama administration dashed that notion this week, making clear it will not allow such operations.

In a letter sent Wednesday to federal prosecutors, Deputy Atty. Gen. James M. Cole noted that some cities and states have considered plans for "multiple large-scale, privately-operated industrial marijuana cultivation centers" and wrote that the administration's hands-off policy on medical marijuana patients was "never intended to shield such activities from federal enforcement action and prosecution, even where those activities purport to comply with state law."

Mo. measure targets small tobacco firms

2011-06-28T16:09:00.002+03:00

A proposed Missouri ballot measure poses the question: Should a $1 per pack tax be imposed on cigarettes made "by certain tobacco product manufacturers?"

Left unsaid is that the tax would not apply to the biggest tobacco companies, which sell the majority of cigarettes. What's meant by "certain" tobacco makers is primarily the smaller companies, which sell cigarettes at the cheapest prices.

Although it's dubbed the "Healthy Missouri Initiative Petition," the measure appears to come not from health care groups but from large tobacco companies, which have been losing market share to upstart companies that were not part of the 1998 settlement among big tobacco firms and attorneys general in 46 states.

The proposal highlights the extent to which tobacco companies are willing to battle in Missouri, which has the nation's lowest cigarette tax and one of the nation's highest adult smoking rates.

The 1998 settlement calls for participating tobacco companies to pay more than $200 billion over 25 years to states. Laws enacted in those states also require companies that did not participate in the settlement to pay money into escrow funds based on the amount of cigarettes they sell. Those escrow accounts are intended to cover any future lawsuits against the companies and prevent them from enjoying significant price advantages that cut into the market share of big tobacco companies.

Yet the large tobacco companies -- and many state attorneys general -- contend those escrow laws left a loophole that requires states to refund any money that exceeds that state's percentage share of the national settlement with the big companies. The result is that some smaller tobacco companies are refunded almost every dollar they put into the escrow fund -- negating the financial strain that otherwise could have caused them to charge more for their product.

Despite the lobbying efforts of big tobacco companies, Missouri remains the only state in the 1998 settlement that has not subsequently passed legislation cutting those escrow refunds to smaller companies.

The battle between big and little tobacco companies matters to states because it affects their already strained budgets. When large tobacco companies lose market share, they can argue that states have failed to adequately seek payments from the companies that didn't participate in the settlement. In such scenarios, the settlement agreement allows big tobacco companies to reduce their annual payments to states. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that big cigarette companies could recoup up to $2 billion under a proposed deal with state attorneys general related to the growing market share of companies that aren't part of the settlement.

Having failed to change Missouri's tobacco escrow law, the proposed ballot measure appears to be an alternative way for big tobacco companies to cut into the profits of their smaller rivals by imposing a tax that only affects companies who are not parties to the national settlement. An estimate by the state auditor's office says the tax could raise $20 million to $100 million annually, which the initiative earmarks for programs that discourage tobacco use and for the attorney general's enforcement efforts of the settlement agreement.

Tobacco companies that did not participate in the settlement contend it's unfair to make them pay them -- either to an escrow fund or through higher taxes -- for the deceptive marketing campaigns conducted years ago by big tobacco companies.

Keith Burdick, managing partner of Xcaliber International Ltd based in Pryor, Okla., notes that his cigarette company didn't get started until 2001, a few years after the settlement. To make his company pay into an escrow fund is like a city requiring motorists who are merely passing through to pay $50 to City Hall in case they do something wrong the next time they drive through town, Burdick said. The Missouri ballot proposal is equally wrong, he said.

"We don't see it as really fair -- you tax one group and not the other," Burdick said. "It's got Altria's name written all over it."

A spokesman for Altria Group, the nation's leading cigarette maker, declined to comment about whether the company sponsored or supports the Missouri ballot proposal. A spokesman for Reynolds American Inc., another top cigarette maker, did not return repeated phone calls or emails seeking comment.

The ballot initiative was filed by Jefferson City attorney Marc Ellinger, who in 2006 represented a group funded primarily by Reynolds that opposed an 80-cent per pack tax increase for all brands of cigarettes. That measure was narrowly defeated by voters.

Ellinger said his client had forbidden him from revealing its identity or discussing the current initiative.

It remains to be seen whether the initiative's secretive sponsor actually will attempt to collect petition signatures to qualify for the 2012 ballot. The initiative was filed with the secretary of state's office a day before the end of this year's legislative session -- suggesting its main purpose may be to put pressure on legislators to pass a law targeting the tobacco companies that weren't part of the settlement.

Political consultant John Hancock, who worked on behalf of the failed 2006 ballot initiative, now is coordinating a group called Citizens to Stamp Out Cheap Cigarettes. He says the group has no financing and did not initiate the latest ballot proposal, though it does support it.

"Having the cheapest cigarettes in America is not something to be proud of," Hancock said. "This approach is one of a number of mechanisms to address that concern."

Tobacco sales to minors at record low

2011-06-28T16:07:00.001+03:00

Retailers in the USA sold tobacco to minors 9.3% of the time, the report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows. The statistics are gathered as part of the Synar Amendment program, a federal-state partnership to curb tobacco sales to minors. The 2010 rate of 9.3% is the lowest in the program's 14-year history.
"It's really good to see the rate go down, especially after it went up last year," says Danny McGoldrick, vice president of research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
In addition, 34 states had violation rates of less than 10% in 2010, up from 22 states in 2009.
Violations increased in 14 states, despite the national downward trend. Idaho, Maryland and New Hampshire, states with some of the highest rates of violations, saw rates increase from 2009.
The record low follows an uptick in tobacco sales to minors that occurred in 2009, where 10.9% of retailers had violations. The increase was the first in the program's history. It was also the highest rate since 2005.
Susan Marsiglia Gray, Synar coordinator for SAMHSA, says a tough economy led some states to make cuts to underage tobacco enforcement programs, which may have helped lead to the increase in underage sales.
Gray attributed a return to sales decreases in 2010 in part to the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, signed by President Obama in 2009. Under the act, the FDA helps states conduct compliance checks of retailers. Gray also says some smaller outlets, which may have been more likely to sell to minors, have gone out of business.
The statistics are gathered through random, unannounced inspections of retail outlets. Under the Synar program, states must have a violation rate of 20% or less to be in compliance. The year 2010 marked the fifth year all states have been in compliance.
Though states have been in compliance for several years, efforts to decrease actual tobacco consumption by minors has stalled, Gray says. Minors may not be able to buy tobacco from retailers, but older siblings and friends still can. While taking away minors' retail access to tobacco is an important part in lowering consumption, it's not the only thing needed.
"States really need to take a comprehensive approach in reducing youth tobacco use," Gray says.
States with a low rate of violations tend to attack the issue at several levels, including merchant education and community pressure. Parents also play an important role. "We know one of the best ways to affect kids is to affect adults," McGoldrick says.

Tobacco Board chief asks traders to make purchases as promised

2011-06-17T11:43:00.001+03:00

Tobacco Board Chairman S Kamal Vardhan Rao has appealed to the Tobacco traders to meet their promise to buy 180 million kg of Tobacco for at least Rs 120 per kg from growers.
Speaking at a meeting here, he said that they should not cite decline in export orders to go back on their commitment.
"Based on the written undertaking of India Tobacco Association, the farmers planned their production. Do not betray them", he observed.
Responding to the chairman''s exhortation, the leaders of the Indian Tobacco Association assured to honour their commitment on the quantity of tobacco but declined to give assurance on the price. Besides, they also pleaded for re-opening the auction platform.
But the chairman wondered how the farmers could bring produce to the auction platforms in the absence of a firm commitment about price.

Parents warned about new 'tobacco sticks'

2011-06-13T14:10:00.001+03:00

A new tobacco product being sold in Kansas has prompted warnings from state health officials, who say the tiny "smokeless tobacco sticks" could pose a danger to children.
Altria Group Inc., the parent company of Philip Morris USA and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., recently began test-marketing the tobacco-coated sticks at select retailers in Kansas, including Wichita, said company spokesman Ken Garcia.
The sticks, sold in matchbook-like packs under the brand names Marlboro and Skoal, are aimed at adult smokers and snuff users who want a smokeless, spit-free alternative, Garcia said.
The sticks are coated with finely milled tobacco and come in different flavors such as "cool mint." They carry the same potential health risks as other tobacco products and bear similar warnings.
At a Wichita convenience store on Wednesday, a pack of 10 Marlboro smokeless tobacco sticks cost $2.88 before tax.
The product was designed as a way for smokers to get their nicotine fix in the growing number of places where smoking is prohibited, including airplanes, restaurants and movie theaters.
But opponents say the tobacco sticks, which taste sweet and look like chocolate-covered toothpicks, could appeal to children.
"We're concerned about minors using these products because they really do look and taste like candy," said Ginger Park, media and policy coordinator for the Kansas Tobacco Use Prevention Program.
"They're so small, the packages could easily be in a teen's pocket and nobody would know. They could use them and appear to be sucking on a toothpick.... They're not child-safe in any way."
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued an advisory this week warning parents and others about the new product. Officials said the sticks are being sold at Casey's General Stores throughout the state.
Park said the sticks could cause nicotine poisoning in small children who mistake them for candy. Ingesting just 1 milligram of nicotine can cause nausea and vomiting in a small child, she said.
The nicotine content of Marlboro and Skoal tobacco sticks has not been tested, she said. But a study in the journal Pediatrics found that a similar product — Camel Sticks, marketed by tobacco-maker R.J. Reynolds — contained 3.1 milligrams of nicotine per stick, about three times the nicotine of an average cigarette.
"A whole pack of 10 really could be toxic" to a young child, Park said.
Garcia, the manufacturer's spokesman, said multiple warnings on the tobacco sticks' packaging are intended "to make sure adults understand not to buy these for children or leave them around where children could get ahold of them."
In addition to package warnings, the word "Marlboro" or "Skoal" is printed in black letters on each stick.
Like cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, the sticks are kept behind the counter at convenience stores. Customers must be 18 or older to buy them.
"Ultimately, we share the health department's goal of not getting these into kids' hands," Garcia said.
Isaac McKibban, a Wichita convenience store manager and smoker, said he has tried the tobacco sticks in movie theaters and other places where smoking is prohibited.
"I like the idea of not having to step outside," he said. "It's a good alternative, but it's not the same sensation. ... It definitely doesn't replace cigarettes."
In a statement issued earlier this year, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a national tobacco-control group, criticized tobacco sticks as "yet another way to get people, including kids, hooked on nicotine and to keep those already hooked from quitting."
The group has called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use its regulatory authority over tobacco products to closely scrutinize the smokeless tobacco sticks.
Garcia said the Virginia-based Altria Group provided all the product information that the FDA requires for a product launch.
Citing competitive reasons, he would not say why the company chose Kansas for its "limited distribution" test market. He also would not say how long the marketing might last or how long the company has been researching and developing the product.
Susan Arensman, spokeswoman for Wichita schools, said the district's safe and drug-free schools department is aware of the new smokeless tobacco sticks and "will work with schools to educate them about the products."
A policy prohibiting the use of "all tobacco products ... and look-alike products such as electronic cigarettes" means the sticks will be banned from schools, Arensman said. The policy applies to everyone working on, in or visiting district properties as well as district-owned vehicles and personal vehicles on district property.
"As a district, we don't condone any product that glamorizes a physically harmful behavior," she said.

New permits for tobacco sellers?

2011-06-13T14:05:00.001+03:00

Tobacco retailers are fuming after City Council passed a bill yesterday requiring them to obtain permits to sell tobacco and other products containing nicotine.

The bill, which Mayor Nutter is expected to sign, mandates that tobacco retailers get a $50 permit from the Health Department in addition to the city business-privilege license and the cigarette-retailer license that vendors must acquire from the state Revenue Department.

This latest measure will give the city a list of Philadelphia's tobacco retailers to ensure that they are following the law.
"We've had problems with these small stores, neighborhood stores, selling loose cigarettes and selling these cigarettes and tobacco to young people," said Councilwoman Marian Tasco, who introduced the bill.

Tobacco retailers must renew the permit 60 days before the expiration date or face payments, including a renewal fee and a new application fee.

"It's already rough because we already pay lots of taxes on cigarettes . . . what's next?" asked John Ananikyan, owner of Smokin Stogies n' Stuff, on 18th Street near Chestnut. "I just paid $50 to renew my tobacco license."

Last year, Council passed legislation that increased the fine for retailers who sell to minors from $100 to $250 per incident.

The city Health Department conducts investigations of sales to minors and, for the last five years, 20 percent of those investigations turned up illegal sales, said Giridhar Mallya, director of policy and planning for the Health Department.

He said that Philly has among the highest rates of youth smokers, with 11 percent of young people having smoked once in the past 30 days.

Electronic Cigarette Company Offering Free $100 in Gas

2011-06-01T17:08:00.001+03:00

South Beach Smoke, an electronic cigarette company, is extending its policy of offering $100 gas certificates for every new purchase of their electronic cigarette starter kits. There were questions as to whether or not they would continue this policy as gas prices continue to soar around the country, but they announced today on their blog that, “South Beach Smoke will continue this offer throughout the summer to ease the burden of high gas prices with our customers. We already help our customers save on their smoking habit by switching to e-cigarettes from traditional cigarettes, so it’s great to know that we can save them even more”. The company had the same offer in place months ago but decided to extend it through the summer which typically sees higher gas prices.

Gas certificates come with the customer’s initial electronic cigarette starter kit shipment which contains a South Beach Smoke e-cigarette battery, cartridges and a wall charger. Other accessories available include USB charger, car adapter, universal carrying case and extra-long battery. Electronic cigarettes use atomizers to flash vaporize a liquid nicotine solution creating liquid vapor instead of smoke. They have reusable batteries and replaceable cartridges.

Along with a $100 gas certificate, customers have the option of signing up for a South Beach Smoke Membership which provides 30% off regular shipment of cartridges and allows you to purchase the starter kit at an extremely discounted rate. Most starter kits offered by electronic cigarette companies cost around $100 for the advanced model, South Beach Smoke offers their advanced model for as low as $49.99. Their low cost plus 30% off cartridge shipments means South Beach Smoke Members pay the equivalent of $2.33 a pack of traditional cigarettes.

South Beach Smoke has recently been noted for its selection as one of the main products to be given to celebrities in the MTV Movie Awards Gifting Room. Award nominees, A-List celebrities and other high profile figures are expected to be given electronic cigarette starter kits from South Beach Smoke when the MTV Movie Awards air June 5th.

Marijuana Superstore Opening as Franchise in Arizona

2011-06-01T16:54:00.002+03:00

weGrow is a hydroponic superstore – the first of its kind to franchise in the U.S. Their focus is on hydroponic plant growing – mostly of the medical marijuana variety. While the store does not sell marijuana directly, it does provide everything a consumer may need for growing it on their own. They provide live-grow demonstrations, educational programs, expert technicians to teach safe and responsible growing tactics as well as an on-site doctor for evaluations and a laboratory to test home-grown cannabis before consumption.

The opening of this new store (the third in the U.S.) coincides with the first day the Arizona Department of Health Services is accepting dispensary permits for medical marijuana. Is it a coincidence? Of course not. Lawsuits may prevent dispensaries from opening right away in Arizona so patients may need to rely on their own gardening skills to get the medical marijuana that they require.

“Suspending the state’s medical marijuana program will transition Arizona from a state-licensed cannabis distribution model to a patient-cultivator distribution model like California,” said Dhar Mann, founder of weGrow. “Now in order to get their cannabis, patients will have to grow it themselves, and most of them will have no idea how to do that. weGrow was created to assist exactly this type of customer.”

Edgerton man growing tobacco at city gardens

2011-06-01T16:21:00.001+03:00

Head past Edgerton’s community gardens in the coming weeks, and you’ll see more than carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Now, the gardens have tobacco.

In a new twist on community gardening, Edgerton resident Mark Wellnitz has decided to grow a small crop of the leafy green stuff that made his city famous. He’s doing it in a 30-by-60-foot plot along Lyons Street, right next to the city-owned community gardens.

Wellnitz doesn’t plan to sell the tobacco. He’s growing it for the sake of community pride and education.

Wellnitz, a construction worker and an Edgerton alderman, says his tobacco patch will be part of a living history showcase organized by the Edgerton Chamber of Commerce. The showcase is Saturday, July 16, during the 2011 Edgerton Tobacco Heritage Days.

Wellnitz said his idea for the tobacco crop came from a question he hears visitors ask every year at Tobacco Heritage Days: What does a tobacco field look like?

“You try to send these visitors five, 10 miles out in the country so they can see some of the tobacco farms, and they just say forget about it,” Wellnitz said.

Wellnitz’s plan will bring a miniature, working tobacco field to the city—just a few blocks away from the tobacco festival.

The Edgerton History Museum plans to use a horse-drawn wagon to truck visitors from Tobacco Heritage Days downtown to his tobacco plot, where they can take in a living history exhibit showing how tobacco was grown and harvested by local settlers.

The history museum plans other living history exhibits at the festival, including wool spinning, quilting, buck skinning and iron works.

Wellnitz said he also plans to hunt for tobacco worms—big green moth larvae that feed on tobacco and other native plants—and put them in insect carriers to distribute to youths at Tobacco Heritage Days.

“The thing will be finding enough of them. People spray to kill them now, so they’re not that easy to come across,” he said.

Wellnitz said he’s growing his tobacco using Old World methods: no chemical fertilizers, no pesticides, just his own sweat, some vintage tobacco tools and knowledge he’s borrowing from his father, tobacco farmer George Wellnitz.

Age-old methods call for growing tobacco plants from seed in growing frames, and Wellnitz is doing that. He admits he’s cheating a little; he’s also transplanting more mature plants grown in a hothouse. He’s doing that because it’s been a cold spring and he wants to make sure his crop is nice and hearty for the festival.

Meanwhile, there’s another local tobacco grow linked to Tobacco Heritage Days. This summer, local greenhouse Clark Companies is donating potted tobacco plants to Edgerton businesses to ramp up interest in the festival.

All July, the plants will be on display outside businesses in downtown Edgerton, Chamber of Commerce Administrator Kathy Citta said. The city this summer plans to add tobacco plants to the landscaping outside City Hall, she added.

In the past, controversy has surrounded Tobacco Heritage Days, as in 2007 when organizers dropped the word “tobacco” from the festival’s name amid concerns that controversy over tobacco alienated potential visitors.

Organizers have since changed the name back, partly because some locals were insulted by the change and boycotted the festival, causing a nosedive in attendance.

So far, Citta has heard no complaints about Wellnitz’s tobacco crop or the plan to display tobacco plants all over downtown.

“Maybe down the line when the plants start popping up around town, that’d be when we’d hear if there are problems with it,” Citta said.

Wellnitz said he knows people may try to inject controversy into his plan to grow tobacco at the city-owned gardens, but he said there’s too much excitement to turn back.

“I can’t hide from it. People are fired up about it, and I want to see it happen,” he said.

Wellnitz said he believes his tobacco patch merely celebrates the city’s heritage—and its ongoing history.

“Tobacco is what built this city,” Wellnitz said. “The city’s still here, and so is tobacco.”

Edgerton Living History Event

What: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 16, living history event, part of 2011 Edgerton Tobacco Heritage Days. Includes educational events at the Edgerton train depot; a miniature, working tobacco field at the Lyons Street community gardens; folk art demonstrations at Heritage Pond Park, plus folk music, wagon rides and tobacco warehouse tours. Hosted by the Edgerton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Edgerton History Museum.

Where: Downtown Edgerton, various locations.

WHO celebrates 24th World No Tobacco Day

2011-06-01T15:50:00.002+03:00

Today marks the World Health Organisation’s 24th annual World No Tobacco Day; a day to further publicise the negative effects of a habit that prematurely kills some 6 million people a year.
Tobacco use is one of the biggest contributors to the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases - such as heart attack, stroke, cancer and emphysema - which accounts for 63% of all deaths, nearly 80% of which occur in low- and middle-income countries. Up to half of all tobacco users will eventually die of a tobacco-related disease- with upwards of 100,000 fatalities in the UK alone.

Problematic though smoking doubtless is, tobacco is nonetheless big business, with UK consumers spending £13.4 billion on tobacco a year. This generates a staggering £10.5 billion in tax revenues- £8.8bn from excise duty in addition to £1.7 billion in VAT.

A further £3.8 billion would be added to this figure if counterfeit cigarettes or cigarettes imported from cheaper countries where the tax is lower were eliminated.

The average price for a 20 pack in the UK is, according to the Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association, £6.63- of which more than 90% it tax.

Tobacco related jobs, notably those relating to wholesale, retail and distribution of tobacco products employ an estimated 85,000 individuals across the UK.

World No Tobacco Day is celebrated every year on 31 May as a mandate of the World Health Assembly, the supreme decision-making body of WHO, which is comprised of the organization's Member States. World No Tobacco Day informs the public about the dangers of tobacco use, the business practices of tobacco companies, what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic and what people can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.

Cigarette tax just makes sense

2011-05-26T14:48:00.001+03:00

Conservatives can rant and rave all they want, but renewing a 4-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes is a no-brainer. Two-thirds of the members of the House agreed Tuesday when they voted 70-30 to keep the tax on the books.
Rep. Hollis Downs, R-Ruston, told his colleagues eight of 10 Louisianians polled on the issue had no problem with a 70-cent-per-pack increase that couldn’t get out of committee. So you can figure out for yourself how they might feel about renewing an insignificant 4-cent cigarette tax.
No, a 4-cent tax probably won’t discourage anyone from smoking. But failing to renew a cigarette tax sends a horrible message about Louisiana to the rest of the country.
Rep. Harold Ritchie, D-Bogalusa, is sponsor of both cigarette tax increase bills.
He is a smoker who pleaded with health care experts during a committee hearing to give him some advice about how he can quit what he calls a terrible addiction he can’t shake.
Ritchie admitted Tuesday that he is already having to deal with personal health care issues.
The best argument Ritchie made when the House voted for the 4-cent tax was how damaging it would be to the state’s image to lower a cigarette tax when most other states are headed in the opposite direction.

City cracks down on sale of 'loosie' cigarettes

2011-05-26T14:46:00.001+03:00

"Every day I see kids smoking before school and in front of the school. I find it heartbreaking to see the middle school students. It's like they depend on it," said Classical High School student Fabiola Noel during a signing ceremony at the John Brown Settlement House.

Despite state laws, city leaders say children are still getting their hands on cigarettes in Providence.

The ordinance requires all tobacco vendors in Providence to get a city license. It also reiterates a ban on selling single cigarettes, called "loosies."

"It's a gateway for young people to be able to start smoking," City Council member Seth Yurdin said.

Yurdin, who pushed the plan, says loosies are a cheap way for kids to buy smokes and that a lot of stores are all too willing to supply them.

"I think that the data that's been talked about is that 25 percent of the stores in Providence at some time or other are selling loosie cigarettes. So, it's a significant problem," Yurdin said.

The problem was featured in an NBC 10 hidden camera story. A city store was selling loosies, and a uniformed police officer hanging out in the store was sometimes behind the counter while it was going on.

The officer was suspended a day as a result. The mayor said he didn't know about it.

"I have full confidence in my public safety commissioner, and I believe you just said he was suspended. I think it's important that actions have consequences," Mayor Angel Taveras said.

The new measure requires police to check out all 300 tobacco vendors in the city twice a year at a time when the mayor says dozens of cops will be cut from the force.

"We will focus on making sure that this is enforced, and we'll do whatever we need to do to make sure that we can stop children from smoking," Taveras said.

The ordinance calls for fines and loss of license as punishment for breaking the rules. Those who created the plan say the fines are meant to pay for police enforcement.

Cigarette Butt Leads to Rape Arrest

2011-05-26T14:44:00.002+03:00

A cigarette butt discarded by Ahmed Sule after leaving the Anoka County Jail may be what sends him back in. Sule was accused about a year ago of breaking into his 84-year-old neighbor’s home in Fridley and sexually assaulting him.
At the time, Sule agreed to give detectives a DNA sample but a judge later ruled he didn’t understand what he was doing because of a language barrier. The judge then threw out the case.
“He would be an individual we would deem him to be a danger to the public as a whole and (we) did not want to let one setback in court compromise that,” said Cmdr. Paul Sommer, with the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives followed Sule out of jail until they arrested him on a separate burglary charge a few hours later. Along the way, officers collected cigarette butts he threw on the ground outside the jail and out of his car window. Officers even stopped traffic on Highway 10 to pick up some of the butts.
Sommer said results from the BCA crime lab show saliva from Sule’s cigarettes once again match evidence from the violent attack.
Sule has now been re-charged with several counts of burglary and criminal sexual conduct.
“It's come a long ways. I can remember when -- going back 15-20 years -- you basically needed a vile of blood to get a DNA sample. Now, it's much less,” said Sommer.

Lesage man pleads guilty to participating in contraband cigarette conspiracy

2011-05-26T14:43:00.000+03:00

A Lesage man has pleaded guilty to participating in a contraband cigarette conspiracy.

According to court documents, 42-year-old David Allen Carter admitted that he and co-conspirators bought about 273,800 contraband cigarettes. The state's tax loss was $7,529.50.

Carter pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Huntington to one count of conspiracy to receive, possess and purchase contraband cigarettes. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss nine other counts.

Carter faces up to five years in prison. He's scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 6.

The Herald-Dispatch says the investigation was part of a yearlong probe that also targeted illicit drugs and firearms.