Latest cigarettes and tobacco news.

Man Attempts To Steal Cigarettes from Linthicum Exxon

2012-01-23T11:16:00.001+02:00

A man attempted to steal cigarettes from a Linthicum gas station early Monday and "verbally threatened the store clerk with a knife," police said.

According to a police press release, officers responded to the Uppy's Exxon station in the 400 block of Camp Meade Road in Linthicum at about 1:45 a.m. Monday for a reported attempted theft.

Officers spoke with the clerk, who said a man entered the business, walked behind the counter and took several cartons of cigarettes from a cabinet. The man then attempted to run from the store with the cigarettes but the clerk confronted him. The clerk and the suspect struggled before the suspect dropped the cigarettes, according to police.

The man then threatened the clerk, claiming he had a knife, before fleeing the store toward Camp Meade Road. The man "only verbalized [the knife] during confrontation. [He] never displayed it or implied with any hand gestures," police spokesman Justin Mulcahy wrote in an email.

Officers searched the area but did not find the suspect.

Two in prison over counterfeit cigarettes

2012-01-23T11:14:00.001+02:00

Abdullah Karim and Hiwa Ali were stopped during routine police checks on vehicles travelling along the A5 at Wall, Staffordshire.

A search of the van revealed the haul of fake Superking cigarettes hidden in boxes in the back. More than £90,000 duty had been evaded on the load.

Karim, aged 34, of Glentworth Gardens, Wolverhampton, was jailed for 12 months while Ali, 27, of Penkridge Street, Walsall, was given a nine-month jail term at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday.

Adrian Farley, assistant director of criminal investigation for HM Revenue & Customs, said: “This latest investigation highlights our success in bringing to justice those responsible for this illegal trade across the West Midlands. Far from offering the consumer a ‘so called’ bargain the goods are unregulated and it’s anyone’s guess as to what they actually contain. In addition there are no safeguards to underage sales or the conditions in which they are kept.”

The men were convicted after a three-day trial. The jury previously heard that driver Hiwa Ali did not have a valid driving licence and was therefore not insured to take the wheel.

He and Karim, who was a passenger in the Renault van, were both convicted of knowingly being concerned in the dealing of goods with a duty that had not been paid.

Both men claimed to have thought the load was household goods and furniture when they were stopped on November 29. Officers also found a book in the van that listed a number of addresses linked to previous seizures of illicit cigarettes.

Mr Farley added: “We need the help of local people and businesses to help us stamp out this illegal trade, which costs public funds £2 billion a year in lost revenue.”

SC man charged with cigarette trafficking, money laundering

2012-01-23T11:08:00.001+02:00

A Mount Pleasant man fronted cash in a multimillion-dollar cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme that crossed state borders and hid cash within South Carolina businesses, according to federal court documents unsealed last week.
Nasser Alquza, 56, was president of the Central Mosque of Charleston until after his arrest Nov. 30.
Investigators nabbed Alquza and 10 other men in a 26-count indictment filed in North Carolina, accusing them of crimes ranging from conspiracy to receiving stolen property.
Court records say the men bought nearly 7,000 cases of "stolen" cigarettes, each containing 60 cartons, from undercover officers in exchange for about $7.5 million.
Federal agents searched Alquza's home, a three-story yellow house on Oakhurst Drive in the upscale Rivertowne community in Mount Pleasant, shortly after 7 a.m. on Nov. 30. They left with computers, cameras, money, check books, receipts, business records, passports and identification documents.
Officials asked a judge to seal the court records as the investigation continued, but the documents became public last week.
Alquza declined to speak about the case without his lawyer's approval. His Columbia-based attorney, Jack Swerling, said his client would plead not guilty, but declined to comment further.
Imad Musallam, a council member and head of security at the Central Mosque of Charleston, on King Street, said Alquza resigned his position as president.
"That's his personal problem," Musallam said. "We cannot judge someone, and we cannot say anything until he's found guilty."
Musallam said Alquza resigned for personal reasons in December, not because of the investigation.
Tax exempt
Criminal organizations profit off cigarettes by buying them in bulk from states with a low tax, then shipping them to states with a higher tax.
South Carolina charges $5.70 per carton in state tax, for example, while New York City charges $5.75 per pack -- not carton -- in state and city taxes.
Only the Carolinas and North Dakota do not require that wholesalers stamp their cigarettes to indicate that they paid taxes. Criminal rings often buy cigarettes without stamps from wholesalers, then deliver them to states with higher tax rates.
Retailers there slap on counterfeit stamps and sell the cigarettes at a discount. Authorities estimate that state and federal governments lose $5 billion annually to cigarette trafficking.
This is how the federal agents' investigation unfolded, according to unsealed documents:
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer first connected with a man named Khaled Fadel Ibrahim in September 2009 and told Ibrahim he stole cigarettes from trucks in Virginia.
The officer introduced Ibrahim to another undercover officer working for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the two officers later met Kamal Z. Qazah, Alquza's nephew.
The agents told Qazah that they stole cigarettes from Virginia, and Qazah said he could turn a profit of $300 to $600 per case, according to court filings. After developing a relationship with Qazah, the agents asked him about money laundering, court records show.
In April Qazah introduced the officers to his uncle, Alquza, who could launder $100,000 every few months, court records say. Alquza agreed to write the officers checks in exchange for cash, giving himself a 6 percent cut, according to court records.
In the year that followed, Qazah and Alquza laundered $275,000 in money given to them by the undercover officers, and Qazah paid more than $1 million for 810 cases of Marlboros that his uncle helped unload, according to court records.
Alquza wrote checks from a Mount Pleasant Subway store, court records say, and Qazah wrote checks from his 7 Stars Auto Sales in Lugoff. The undercover officers met with the men several times at Alquza's pizza parlor, Milanos, in Columbia.
Investigators wrote in court papers that they believe the two men have spent the past decade involved in illegal activity, including money laundering, interstate transportation of stolen property, marriage fraud, alien smuggling, bank fraud, Social Security fraud, identity theft and operating an unlicensed money service business.

Extra NY tax revenue all smoke and furors

2012-01-13T13:41:00.001+02:00

The Rolling Stones said it best: “You can’t always get what you want.”
But it seems New York state never gets what it wants. That’s especially true when it comes to increasing tax revenue.
Case in point: cigarette taxes.
The state’s tax collectors were recently calling around to convenience-store owners, wondering what was up. The $130 million in extra tax that Albany was expecting from a change in the law about cigarette sales on Indian reservations wasn’t happening.
A memo sent to members of the New York Association of Convenience Stores from the group’s president, Jim Calvin — a copy of which I have on my desk — said, “I got a call from Gov. Cuomo’s budget office yesterday. In examining cigarette tax receipts so far this fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) it looks like they will fall considerably short of their projection in new revenues. . . .”

The state had hoped to get the extra dough by enforcing a new law that made it illegal for licensed cigarette wholesalers in the state to sell untaxed name-brand cigarettes like Newport and Marlboro to Indian reservations.
The reservation store would sell the cigarettes to non-Indian customers who were trying to avoid the hefty taxes imposed by the state. The state and legitimate sellers of cigarettes were both hurt.
The sale of nontaxed smokes by stores on Indian reservations became an issue two years ago when the state cigarette tax was raised significantly and many smokers took more of their business to reservations — or to Internet sellers — whose packs aren’t taxed. Some folks even bought lower-taxed cigs smuggled in from out of state.
Some wholesalers say sales are down between 20 percent and 30 percent among legitimate cigarette sellers.
State enforcement of the tax laws, meanwhile, has been lax, to say the least. New York, I’m told, has reduced the force working on illegal cigarettes by 80 percent since the tax hike went into effect.
But that’s another story.
So how much extra did the state collect in tax with the law change?
The state Department of Taxation did not return a call for comment.
But according to Calvin’s memo, “Cuomo’s budget office” was saying that cigarette tax revenues were flat this past October and November with the year before.
That seems to mean that Albany is $130 million short on its $130 million projection.
But don’t fear.
The Convenience Store Association says its members saw an improvement in taxed-cigarette sales at the end of last year, presumably because the Indians’ stockpiles of brand-name smokes were running low.

Anti-tobacco ban at City Colleges

2012-01-13T13:39:00.001+02:00

Campuses of the City Colleges of Chicago will be tobacco-free zones starting March 1.

The City Colleges' board of trustees approved the new policy Thursday. It prohibits tobacco use on all college property. The ban includes smokeless tobacco products — not just cigarettes — and affects more than 120,000 students and 5,800 faculty and staff. Visitors too will be prevented from using tobacco.
The policy will cover City Colleges' seven colleges, seven satellite locations and the district office. The college system is offering "Courage to Quit" classes and other resources to help students, faculty and staff who want to give up tobacco.

The City Colleges of Chicago is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation.

Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco

2012-01-13T13:38:00.002+02:00

The city of Providence has banned the sale of flavored tobacco and made illegal promotional strategies that cut the cost of cigarettes.

Mayor Angel Taveras (tuh-VEHR'-us) signed ordinances recently passed by the City Council that ban the sale of tobacco in flavors such as strawberry, chocolate and blueberry. The orders also prohibit pricing strategies like "buy one, get one free."

City officials say young people in Providence smoke at a significantly higher rate than youth in Rhode Island as a whole. The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids says some 23,000 children under 18 in the Ocean State could die prematurely from a smoking-related illness.

State Department of Health Director Michael Fine said the new ordinances are important steps in helping reduce smoking among city youth.

Cigarette production and consumption

2012-01-13T13:33:00.001+02:00

So what's so good, or bad, about tobacco, then? We have been hearing about its health damaging capability for what seems forever. It attracts higher prices and more taxes but despite this remains amongst the most substantial and successful of economic enterprises. In the UK a packet of 20 Marlboro Lights will set you back £7 - nearly $11. Statistical reasearch highlights that in the past 90 years there have been 1.1 billion smokers worldwide. Only slight changes have been reported in sales whereas the number of deaths caused by tobacco has increased significantly.

Tampa's 'Cigarette Bandit' hits 15th convenience store

2012-01-05T13:40:00.001+02:00

A man police call the "Cigarette Bandit" struck for the 15th time early Tuesday, stealing 68 cartoons of cigarettes from a South Tampa gas station, according to police.

Police say the unidentified man has stolen more than $30,000 in cigarettes from 15 South Tampa gas stations. The most recent incident happened between 5:15 and 5:45 a.m. at Rainbow Food Mart, 1421 S Howard Ave., which has been hit twice before.

Police believe he is turning around and selling the cigarettes on the street.

He targets South Tampa businesses, smashing or prying his way in during the early morning hours.

He was described as black, between 40 and 50 years old, about 6 feet 2 and between 200 to 240 pounds. He sometimes wears gloves and a baseball cap during the burglaries, according to police.
Here's a list of the other businesses police say have been targeted:

• Dec. 25: Sweetbay Supermarket, 2100 W Swann Ave. Man took 20 packs of Newport cigarettes.

• Dec. 17: BP gas station, 301 N Dale Mabry Highway. Man took six cartons.

• Dec. 12: 6818 N Armenia Ave. Man took 40 cartoons.

• Dec. 4: Rainbow Food Mart, 1421 S Howard Ave. Man took unknown number of cigarettes.

• Nov. 27: Westshore Foodmart, 3446 S West Shore Blvd. Man took 96 cartons of Marlboro cigarettes.

• Nov. 25: Farm Stores, 3815 Manhattan Ave. S. Man took 25 cartons of cigarettes.

• Nov. 23: Farm Stores, 3815 Manhattan Ave. S. Man took 40 cartons of cigarettes.

• Nov. 22: Farm Stores, 3111 Bay to Bay Blvd. Man took 75 cartons of cigarettes.

• Nov. 22: BP gas station, 301 N Dale Mabry Highway. Man took an unknown number of cigarettes.

• Nov. 20: S&S Food Mart, 3318 Henderson Blvd. Man took 15 cartons of Marlboro cigarettes.

• Nov. 13: Citgo Quick Mart, 6101 Interbay Blvd. Man took 20 cartons of assorted cigarettes.

• Nov. 11: Rainbow Food Mart, 1421 S Howard Ave. Man took 71 cartons of Marlboro Lights, Black & Milds, Newports, Camels and Parliments.

• Nov. 4: S&S Food Mart, 3318 Henderson Blvd. Man took 20 cartons of Marlboros, Newport and 305s.

• Oct. 30: Farm Stores, 3111 Bay to Bay Blvd, Man took 40 packs of Marlboro Lights

Pressure on cigarette manufacturers to display additives

2012-01-05T13:30:00.003+02:00

Plans are under way to legally require the display of cigarette additives known to cause addiction by causing smoke to be inhaled more directly into the lungs or improving the cigarette's taste.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that current laws on cigarettes "are lacking in cigarette safety management, with no standards for managing the various cigarette additives with harmful ingredients, or regulations requiring their display."

The ministry said it plans to develop legislation to require the display and management of ingredients.

Choe Jong-hui, the head of the ministry's task force on smoking policy, explained, "There has been a lack of management over the years to protect citizen health from the cigarette manufacturing stage."

Choe added that plans have been established to pursue legislation to require the display of cigarette additives and include illustrations that warn of the dangers of smoking. Noting that US data since 2009 shows a total of 600 additives, Korean Association of Smoking and Health secretary-general Kim Eun-ji said, "These included ingredients that make cigarettes more addictive or expand the bronchial tubes to make more cigarette smoke enter the lungs."

Also known to be among the additives are chemicals like acetaldehyde that produce toxic substances, as well as those that encourage smoking by easing pain in smokers’ bronchial tubes.

Kim Eun-ji said, "South Korea's cigarette maker KT&G showed 15 [additives] when selling cigarettes in the US, but stated during a trial on smoking damages that it places 242 additives in the cigarettes it sells here in Korea."

"If we display the ingredients, this may encourage cigarette makers to put fewer harmful additives in cigarettes," Kim said.

Gov't Pushing for Graphic Photos on Cigarette Packs

2012-01-05T13:30:00.001+02:00

In an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is pushing for a bill that will make it mandatory to reveal all of the substances included in cigarettes.

Currently, tobacco companies are only required to list major toxins such as tar and nicotine on their packets.

But if the bill gets passed, they must disclose over 600 substances, including toxins that are not well-known.

Other measures include having the companies add graphic pictures on cigarette packs to show the risks associated with lung cancer, prohibiting them from promoting advertisements that encourage people to smoke, and increasing cigarette prices by next year.

Lucky escape as discarded cigarettes start bin fire

2012-01-05T13:29:00.002+02:00

A WOMAN in her 80s had a lucky escape when discarded cigarettes sparked a fire at her home near Corfe Castle.

Paramedics treated the elderly woman – who had also suffered from a fall – for smoke inhalation, following the blaze in the bin at her house in Little Woolgarston.

Two crews of firefighters from Swanage, called to the scene off Sandy Hill Lane at around 12.50am yesterday by the ambulance service, used hose reel jets to put out the flames.

Swanage Fire Station manager Phil Burridge said: “She was a very lucky lady because this fire did not spread – it was only smouldering in one area of the room.

“It could have easily spread.”

The bin, surrounding carpet and some books were damaged, and the ground floor suffered heat and smoke damage.

Valpo tobacco store burglarized

2012-01-05T13:27:00.001+02:00

Police are investigating a second possible burglary at a tobacco store known for selling herbal incense.
Valparaiso police were called to the Classic Tobacco Shop, 1202 Formula Drive, at 4:20 a.m. Wednesday for an active security alarm.
When they arrived, officers found the glass pane in the front door shattered and broken glass on the ground outside.
An officer reached through the window, unlocked the door and began checking the building for suspects, but found no one. A canine search of the area also came up empty, police said.
Officers said the interior of the store was clean and organized, and they were unsure if anything was stolen.
It's the second incident at the store in a week.
Late Saturday, a man seen on security footage broke the same window, entered the store and stole an estimated $2,800 worth of herbal incense not intended for human consumption.
Police described that suspect as a white male wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, dark pants with either a yellow or orange stripe running down the leg seams, light shoes and dark gloves.

BEST shuns tobacco but plugs ads

2012-01-05T13:08:00.001+02:00

Do not be surprised if you spot a BEST bus with an anti-tobacco message and another one advertising pan masala or khaini. While buses continue to advertise tobacco products, the BEST has joined hands with Tata Memorial Hospital and launched a campaign wherein anti-tobacco messages will be put up on panels of 200 buses.

The BEST has extended its support to the initiative, which is an extension of the recent campaign by the Food
and Drug Administration ( FDA), Salaam Bombay Foundation and Tata Memorial Hospital to make schools and colleges in the state tobacco-free by January 25.

OP Gupta, general manager of BEST, said the advertising on the buses works on contract basis. "We have the right to reserve a certain number of buses to use for public causes. The 200 buses with anti-tobacco messages will ply on all the major routes from 25 depots, including Navi Mumbai. However, the panels of rest of the buses are not under us," he said.
Explaining the problem, Devika Chadha from Salaam Bombay foundation, which has been working against tobacco, says that the BEST has subletted the contract to an advertising agency and has no hold over what goes on the panels. "The buses have advertisements of pan masala and khaini products, which are actually surrogate ads," she said, adding that the foundation is in talks with the agency to get these ads removed from the buses.

For the past six months, Tata Memorial Hospital has been conducting anti-tobacco workshops with BEST employees in various bus depots across the city.

Municipalities Prep for Synthetic Marijuana Ban

2011-12-20T16:21:00.002+02:00

Synthetic marijuana will be officially banned in Illinois in the new year, and officials in Frankfort and New Lenox are preparing for the local impact on the drug, which the Will County state attorney has called a "public health crisis."

Currently, various forms of the drug are sold legally at local smoke shops, often under the name K2 or Spice, among others. They are sold as incense in packages that often state "Not For Human Consumption." And although some reports say the drug, which is a mix of herbs and chemicals, can mimic the effects of marijuana, many believe it's a lot more dangerous.

"I've had several moms coming to me about different stores selling this stuff, and we've got a problem with kids dying from it across the country," New Lenox village trustee Dave Smith said during a board meeting Monday night.

New Lenox adopted local measures to issue tickets for the sale or possession of synthetic marijuana, and Frankfort is considering something similar.

According to Will County State Attorney James Glasgow, who spoke at a news conference Dec. 14, poison control centers across the country have received more than 5,000 calls related to synthetic marijuana products in the first nine months of 2011.

"Over-the-counter availability of synthetic marijuana has created a public-health crisis in Will County and across the nation," Glagsow said at the news conference. "Young people are being poisoned by these extraordinarily dangerous chemicals. It was our obligation as law enforcement officials and as legislators to pass a law banning the possession and sale of every form of synthetic marijuana in Illinois."

When a new law banning synthetic marijuana goes into effect Jan. 1, 2012, selling the drug will carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $150,000 fine, and possession could lead to three years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine.

But local municipalities are expanding upon that and would issue tickets to offenders. New Lenox approved a $250 fine for selling and $100 for possession. The village also entered the various chemical and brand names into its drug code and now has the authority to seize a vehicle if synthetic marijuana is found in it.

Frankfort officials are considering going down the same path that New Lenox has when it comes to K2. Frankfort Police Chief John Burica said during Monday's village board meeting that he is working with the village's attorney to craft local ordinances that would add additional penalties for retailers and people in possession of synthetic marijuana.

The State Attorney’s Office will work with local police agencies in January to make certain that retailers are complying with Illinois law. Officers in uniform or undercover will visit tobacco retailers for compliance checks. New Lenox police chief Bob Sterba said the department has already notified area merchants.

Sam Amed, an employee at Frankfort Tobacco in the Frankfort Crossing shopping center, said the store still sells K2 but pulled down all the displays for the product Monday. Mostly, he'll be selling the product to customers who have purchased it there before.

"I removed all the signs and display units because if you know it is banned, why display it?" he said.

Amed said K2 sales have been down for the store because the state banned earlier this year the use of certain chemicals mixed with the herb that gave K2 its THC-like effect. He also said many of the problems with K2 come from its misuse, where people smoke it instead of using it as an incense, which is its original intent.

Some customers have asked if the shop will still be selling K2 in the new year, but Amed has been quick to tell them no.

"Once it's banned, it's banned," he said.

Woman robbed, bound at tobacco shop north of South Bend

2011-12-20T16:19:00.001+02:00

St. Joseph County police on Monday were investigating a robbery that occurred over the weekend at the U.S. 31 Tobacco shop in the 50500 block of Indiana 933 in Clay Township.

According to police, a 24-year-old South Bend woman was unlocking the business and turning on the lights and signs about 6 a.m. Sunday when a man wearing a black mask approached her, displayed a handgun and took her to the back of the business.

The assailant allegedly bound the woman’s ankles and wrists with duct tape.

The suspect then reportedly smashed up display cases in the business and stole the store’s safe, money from the woman’s wallet and her car.

The woman said a second male robber was in the store.

Before leaving, the robbers reportedly took the video recover and monitor from the store.

The woman, despite being bound, set off the panic alarm after the robbers left and got to a phone to call police.

U.K. Stocks Drop for Second Day as RBS, Barclays Fall; Ocado Shares Plunge

2011-12-20T16:08:00.000+02:00

U.K. stocks fell for a second day as banks retreated amid plans to separate their investment and consumer businesses and Fitch Ratings’ warned that it may downgrade France, Italy and Spain.
Lloyd Banking Group Plc, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (RBS) and Barclays Plc (BARC) slid more than 3 percent as Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne pledged to pass laws by 2015 to force banks to split their investment and consumer units. Ocado Group Plc (OCDO) slumped 17 percent, the biggest slide on the FTSE 350 Index, as the U.K.’s biggest online-only grocer forecast profit that trailed analysts’ estimates.
The FTSE 100 index retreated 22.35, or 0.4 percent, to 5,364.99 at the close of trading in London, after earlier advancing as much 0.4 percent. The drop extends this year’s decline to 9.1 percent amid concern the euro-area debt crisis is hurting the global economy.
“Once again investors’ nerves have crumbled and the nine- day downtrend for the market has remained intact, with bankers and mining shares leading the way lower,” David Jones, David Jones, chief market strategist at IG Index, said in e-mailed comments. “Investors have the ever-present specter of European political procrastination regarding the debt situation to give them a reason to not hold positions for too long.”

Zimbabwe: Tobacco Growers Stranded At ZFC Depot

2011-12-12T16:06:00.001+02:00

HUNDREDS of tobacco growers have been stranded at the Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company's Coventry Road depot in Harare for over a week waiting to get fertiliser.

The farmers are members of the Zimbabwe Progressive Tobacco Farmers Union.

The growers said they paid US$55 per hectare to the union and an extra US$5 to Agritex to get letters of approval but it had taken long to get the fertiliser.
Rusape farmer Mr Brian Chawasarira said he had spent four days camping at ZFC to collect his fertiliser.

"When we applied for the input scheme, our union promised us that the fertiliser will be distributed to nearer points only to be told last minute that we had to process the documents individually," he said.

The farmers said they were surprised to find out there was a lot of paper work that needed to be done before they collected the fertiliser while others were having difficulties filling the forms.

This resulted in most of them having to spend days processing the application forms.

ZFC acting marketing executive Mr Justice Chamuka confirmed the chaos at the depot but said this was due to misunderstanding on the part of the farmers.

Most farmers, he said, were not aware of the application process when they came to ZFC and had to start registering instead of collecting the commodity.
"The fertiliser is being bought on credit and for one to do so there has to be a guarantor.

"For the farmers to benefit from the inputs scheme, they first have to register with their union, the union will remit funds to an insurance company and we get the list of approved farmers from the insurance company.

"The fertiliser is only given to those approved by the insurance company,' he said.

He, however, said the number of farmers coming to collect fertilisers had increased from around 50 per day to more than 300.

The depot is not only serving ZPTFU members but other farmers as well making it more complicated.

"We are now operating at 24 hours from factories and the Coventry depot is now open up to 8pm.

"We are now working over the weekends to ensure farmers are served on time.

"We have even taken staff from the Human Resources to assist serve farmers," he said.

Imperial Tobacco Wins Appeal of $175 Million Price-Fixing Fine

2011-12-12T16:04:00.002+02:00

Imperial Tobacco Group Plc won a U.K. lawsuit overturning 112.3 million ($175.7 million) pounds in fines over an alleged price-fixing cartel for cigarettes with Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Asda unit and nine other retailers.

The decision today by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London was a set-back for the Office of Fair Trading, Britain’s antitrust regulator that was forced to abandon some key claims in the case after expert witnesses weakened its evidence halfway through a trial last month. The appeal was filed by Imperial, Asda and four other companies that were fined about 163 million pounds.

“The OFT’s case was deeply flawed, as it was based on a misinterpretation of the law and a misunderstanding of the facts,” Imperial’s lawyer, Euan Burrows of Ashurst LLP, said in a statement. The company “had always rejected the allegation that it had acted anti-competitively.”

The seven-year-old case alleges two manufacturers and 10 retailers fixed prices on cigarettes, hand-rolled tobacco, pipe tobacco and cigars from 2001 to 2003, resulting in fines last year totaling 225 million pounds. J Sainsbury Plc, the U.K.’s third-largest supermarket chain, was a whistleblower in the investigation and provided evidence of the agreements to the OFT. Half of the companies didn’t appeal.

After the OFT’s evidence was called into question during the trial, the court was asked to scrap the case or exercise a rarely used power to set aside the watchdog’s findings and conduct a fresh investigation. The tribunal chose not to use that power.

Tobacco company sues Australia over packaging law

2011-12-12T15:57:00.003+02:00

British American Tobacco launched legal action against the Australian government on Thursday, challenging the country's tough new law that ban logos from cigarette packs.

The move comes less than two weeks after Australia's Parliament passed the legislation, which forces tobacco companies to remove their distinctive colors and logos and instead print their brand names in a tiny font on drab, olive-green packs. The packs will also feature graphic images highlighting the negative effects of smoking, such as cancer-riddled mouths.

Australia is the first country in the world to pass such a strict packaging law, which is meant to strip away any lingering glamour associated with smoking.

The legislation, which takes effect on Dec. 1, 2012, sparked immediate outrage from tobacco companies. Hong Kong-based Philip Morris Asia has also filed legal action against the government, and other cigarette makers have threatened to do the same.

British American Tobacco, the Australian market leader, filed its lawsuit in the nation's High Court on Thursday, arguing that the legislation is unconstitutional and violates intellectual property rights.

"As a legal company selling a legal product we have consistently said we will defend our valuable intellectual property on behalf of our shareholders as any other company would," company spokesman Scott McIntyre said in a statement. "If the same type of legislation was introduced for a beer brewing company or a fast food chain, then they'd be taking the government to court and we're no different."

Health Minister Nicola Roxon has vowed to fight the tobacco companies in court.

Excellent result in Oamaru tobacco Controlled Purchase Operation

2011-12-12T15:47:00.001+02:00

Public Health South is pleased to announce that none of the retailers who were tested in a tobacco Controlled Purchase Operation in Oamaru last week sold cigarettes to an underage volunteer. This constitutes the best result for Tobacco Controlled Purchase Operations (CPO) in Otago in recent years.

Southern DHB Medical Officer of Health, Dr Marion Poore, congratulates the retailers, noting that this is a significant improvement on CPOs undertaken last year, in which four Oamaru retailers sold to an underage volunteer.

"By refusing to sell tobacco products to people under 18 years, retailers are not only complying with their legal obligations under the Smoke-free Environments Act, but are also playing an important part in reducing youth smoking rates," says Dr Poore.

"Very few people start smoking over the age of 18, so preventing sales to minors saves lives. If retailers stock tobacco products, it is their responsibility not to sell to underage people".

Retailers are recommended to always ask anyone who looks younger than 25 years for identification when selling tobacco.

Retailers who are caught selling tobacco products to people under the age of 18 will face prosecution. In addition, changes introduced by the 2003 amendments to the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 can result in repeat offenders being ordered not to sell tobacco products for up to three months.

Campaigners cheers tax hike on tobacco

2011-12-12T14:48:00.001+02:00

The decision of the State Government to raise value added tax on cigarettes, bidis and every other form of tobacco products has got the thumbs up from the anti-tobacco campaigners and the medical fraternity.
The move would go a long way in not only saving a large number of lives but also effect reduction in Government spending on treating tobacco-related diseases, they have asserted.
The State Government has increased VAT on cigarettes and smokeless forms of tobacco to 25 per cent from 13.5 per cent and also has gone ahead to impose a 10 per cent tax on bidis and the raw materials that go into its making from an absolute nil.

The State has now joined the ranks of counterparts like Kerala, Gujarat, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal to opt for high taxation as a viable route for countering tobacco menace.
�Higher prices of cigarette, bidi and other smokeless forms of tobacco life zarda, gutkha and khaini have been found to discourage the youth at the initiation level. They also encourage addicts and users to quit the habit. “Studies on price elasticity in India have found that a 10 per cent increase in tobacco prices has led to reduction in bidi consumption by 9.1 per cent and cigarette consumption by 2.6 per cent,” manager of the anti-tobacco campaign organisation Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI- Aparajita) Itishree Kanungo.
�According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) India 2010, about 46.2 per cent of the population in Orissa uses tobacco in one form or the other. About 4.7 per cent smoke cigarettes, 6.5 per cent bidi and an overwhelmingly high 43 per cent chew tobacco in different kinds.
�This has resulted in very high incidence of oral, head and neck cancers. Orissa ranks among the states with highest incidence of oral cancer. “These cancers are being seen mostly among the lower income groups. Besides, the youth are also imbibing the habit further increasing the threat of cancer and other serious disease burdens as a fallout. The increase in tax is a step in the right direction and will help discourage tobacco consumption to a significant extent,” said Dr Sanjay Panda, surgeon, head and neck oncology, at the Panda Curie Centre and Research Institute.
�Taxes on tobacco products in India are well below the World Bank recommended rates of around 65 to 80 per cent of retail rates. With low tax rates, products are becoming increasingly affordable and thus leading to more than a million deaths in the country annually due to tobacco-related diseases.
�“Raising tax is not burdening consumer but saving lakhs of lives by decreasing tobacco consumption, Hemlata Cancer Research Institute Chairman and Managing Director�� Dr AK Rath stated.

Lombok’s Tobacco Road Is A Highway to Hell for Some

2011-12-12T14:47:00.002+02:00

Siti Fatimah sat in front of a burning stove as a kettle hissed. The water was poured into glasses filled with ground coffee and sugar and the scent of coffee filled the house in Lombok’s Surabaya village.

Her guests were quick to compliment her brew. “Lombok coffee is the best with cigarettes,” one of the guests remarked. Fatimah’s wide smile suddenly disappeared and she said softly, “Bitter. It’s bitter.”

She paused as though deciding whether to continue her story.

“Tobacco separated me from my loved ones. My husband left me and I am childless. I’ve lived alone for years mired in debt because of tobacco,” she said, counting the amount she had to repay with her ten fingers.

“My husband is no longer here. To me, he is only a name but his debts never go away. I don’t know where he is now. Maybe he ran away to Malaysia. All because of tobacco,” she said.

Ten years ago, Fatimah and her husband joined the tobacco bandwagon, expecting a windfall from the business. He borrowed money from everyone he knew to grow tobacco on their tiny half-hectare plot of land.

“Fifty million rupiah, collected from loans was a lot of money then,” she recalled.

“He was so convinced that we would make money and be able to pay off the debts once we harvested our tobacco. We never did,” Fatimah said.

Anti-smoking campaigns are increasingly popular these days because of health concerns. But even before the leaves were rolled into cigarettes, tobacco took its toll on Fatimah and many others in the village.

Papuq Aisyah is another villager with a similar story. One of her granddaughters left home to look for her husband who ran away to avoid debt collectors. Papuq was one of the guests at Fatimah’s house.

Papuq said the young couple also chose to plant tobacco. It was OK at first. “They did not make a lot of money [from tobacco] but were also not broke because of it. But later, they never had a proper harvest and they become too indebted to support their every day life.

“They sold everything, even their wedding rings,” Papuq said.

Fatimah and Papuq live surrounded by a sea of tobacco fields. Under the scorching sun, the smell of tobacco leaves is everywhere. In this tiny village alone there are at least 300 tobacco farms.

Japan Tobacco, Nippon Steel, Panasonic: Japan Stocks Preview

2011-12-12T14:34:00.000+02:00

The following companies may have unusual price changes in Japanese trading today. Stock symbols are in parentheses, and share prices are as of the latest close. The information in each item was released after markets shut unless stated otherwise.

Japan Tobacco Inc. (2914 JT): The cigarette maker's domestic sales volume rose 40 percent in November from a year earlier, the company said in a release. The stock fell 0.1 percent to 365,000 yen.

JX Holdings Inc. (5020 JT): JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp., a unit of JX Holdings, secured a $263 million loan for its liquefied natural gas project in Papua New Guinea, according to a statement from Japan Bank for International Cooperation. JX added 0.2 percent to 481 yen.

Kyushu Electric Power Co. (9508 JT): Radioactive water was found at the utility's Genkai plant in Saga prefecture, Kyodo News said. The leak of 1.8 tons of cooling water containing radioactive material remained within a purification system at the plant and didn't escape outside, according to Kyodo. Kyushu Electric failed to report the leak when it announced the pump problem at the plant in southern Japan, Kyodo said. The stock lost 0.3 percent to 1,067 yen.

Nippon Steel Corp. (5401 JT), Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. (5405 JT): Japanese regulators will approve a merger of the two steel producers, the Asahi newspaper said. The companies aim to complete the tie-up by October 2012, according to the report. Nippon Steel dropped 3 percent to 192 yen, while Sumitomo Metal Industries fell 2.8 percent to 138 yen.

Nissan Motor Co. (7201 JT): The automaker expects to double sales of its Leaf electric car to full capacity of 40,000 vehicles next year, the Financial Times reported, citing an interview with Andy Palmer, the automaker's head of business strategy and corporate planning. The stock slipped 0.9 percent to 687 yen.

Olympus Corp. (7733 JT): The camera maker may file its earnings without having an auditor sign off on the statement so it can meet a Dec. 14 deadline, Jiji Press said. Auditing firms are unlikely to finish checking corrections to past and current reports by the filing date, Jiji said, which comes after the company admitted to trying to hide losses. Separately, the Asahi newspaper reported Olympus's office may be searched by Tokyo prosecutors after the company submits securities reports on Dec. 14. Olympus rose 2.4 percent to 1,206 yen.

Singer: Should we ban cigarettes?

2011-11-25T15:58:00.002+02:00

U.S. President Barack Obama’s doctor confirmed last month that the president no longer smokes. At the urging of his wife, Michelle Obama, the president first resolved to stop smoking in 2006, and has used nicotine replacement therapy to help him. If it took Obama, a man strong-willed enough to aspire to and achieve the U.S. presidency, five years to kick the habit, it is not surprising that hundreds of millions of smokers find themselves unable to quit.
Although smoking has fallen sharply in the U.S., from about 40% of the population in 1970 to only 20% today, the proportion of smokers stopped dropping around 2004. There are still 46 million American adult smokers, and smoking kills about 443,000 Americans each year. Worldwide, the number of cigarettes sold – six trillion a year, enough to reach the sun and back – is at an all-time high. Six million people die each year from smoking – more than from AIDS, malaria, and traffic accidents combined. Of the 1.3 billion Chinese, more than one in ten will die from smoking.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it would spend $600 million over five years to educate the public about the dangers of tobacco use. But Robert Proctor, a historian of science at Stanford University and the author of a forthcoming blockbuster entitled Golden Holocaust: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition, argues that to use education as one’s only weapon against a highly addictive and often lethal drug is unpardonably insufficient.
“Tobacco control policy,” Proctor says, “too often centers on educating the public, when it should be focused on fixing or eliminating the product.” He points out that we don’t just educate parents to keep toys painted with lead-based paints away from their children’s mouths; we ban the use of lead-based paint. Similarly, when thalidomide was found to cause major birth defects, we did not just educate women to avoid using the drug when pregnant.
Proctor calls on the FDA to use its new powers to regulate the contents of cigarette smoke to do two things. First, because cigarettes are designed to create and maintain addiction, the FDA should limit the amount of nicotine that they contain to a level at which they would cease to be addictive. Smokers who want to quit would then find it easier to do so.

JTI and BAT rolling outtwo-in-one cigarettes

2011-11-25T15:54:00.002+02:00

Typical - you wait decades for a cigarette that can change flavour at the touch of a button and then two come along at once.

Next month, both Japan Tobacco International and British American Tobacco will launch a new kind of cigarette that changes from regular to menthol at the smoker's whim.

JTI is launching Silk Cut Choice, while BAT is coming out with Lucky Strike Click&Roll. Both are pitched at the premium end of the market, will be available in King Size 20s and include a capsule in the filter that allows the smoker to choose the flavour of the cigarette before lighting up - or even alter its taste during smoking.

JTI head of communications Jeremy Blackburn said the company was continuing to invest in the premium sector - despite the recent trend for down-trading in the category - because premium still accounted for 23% of the tobacco market and offered retailers the best margins.

"Silk Cut Choice offers adult smokers on-demand menthol via the latest innovation in the tobacco market," he said. "Placing a menthol capsule in the filter gives smokers the opportunity to customise their smoking experience."

Although they are a first for the UK market, both manufacturers have previously launched cigarettes with capsule technology in other territories. Click&Roll is already available in France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Chile and Columbia - and JTI sells Camel Shift in several European markets.

"This is going to change everything," said BAT UK premium brand manager Hinesh Patel. "Smokers want the flexibility to try something new even when it comes to their favourite brands."

He added: "Lucky Strike Click&Roll offers smokers the freedom to change the taste as and when they want. It offers smokers their preferred blend with the benefit of an added innovation, all at no extra cost."

Australia passes no-logo cigarette package law

2011-11-25T15:53:00.001+02:00

Tobacco giant Philip Morris launched legal action against Australia’s government on Monday less than an hour after Parliament passed legislation banning all logos from cigarette packages.

Health and aging minister Nicola Roxon called the new law “an example for the world to follow.”
The legislation, which takes effect in December 2012, bans the use of logos and brand imagery on cigarette packages, instead requiring that brand names be printed in a small, uniform font on dull olive green packets — a color the government believes consumers will hate.

Cigarette packs will also include larger health warnings with graphic pictures of the negative health effects of smoking.

Tobacco companies have fought the legislation and threatened legal action since the government first announced its plan last year.

Philip Morris Asia, which is based in Hong Kong, quickly served a legal notice of arbitration under an investment treaty that Hong Kong has with Australia. The company said it also intends to pursue claims under Australian law.

It says that billions of dollars of valuable trademarks and investments in Australia are at stake.

“We are left with no option,” Anne Edwards, a spokeswoman for Philip Morris Asia, said in a statement. “The government has passed this legislation despite being unable to demonstrate that it will be effective at reducing smoking and has ignored the widespread concerns raised in Australia and internationally regarding the serious legal issues associated with plain packaging.”

Health minister Roxon called passage of the law a momentous event in Australian public health history.

“Plain packaging means that the glamour is gone from smoking and cigarettes are now exposed for what they are: killer products that destroy thousands of Australian families,” Roxon said.

She said packaging is one of the last powerful marketing tools available to tobacco companies.

“Let there be no mistake, big tobacco is fighting against the government for one very simple reason — because it knows, as we do, that plain packaging will work,” Roxon said.

Some tobacco farmers still producing

2011-11-25T15:52:00.001+02:00

As tobacco farmers take tobacco bales from barns to warehouses, some wonder if their main cash crop is disappearing in front of them.

The number of farms growing tobacco in Rowan County has dropped nearly 80 percent since the enactment of the Tobacco Transition Payment Program (the “tobacco buyout”).

“There are about 20 to 30 individual growers in Rowan County now,” said Bob Marsh, Rowan County extension agent for agriculture and natural resources. “At one time there were nearly 100.”

In 2005, President George W. Bush approved the Tobacco Transition Payment Program, eliminating regulations on the size and location of tobacco farms, crop quotas and the loan programs.

Instead, the act started the 10-year, $10 billion direct subsidy payments to farmers based on the amount of tobacco they had grown in the years before the buyout as a way to transition farmers away from growing tobacco.

The $10 billion spent on direct payments is being paid by the manufacturers and importers of tobacco products as part of a health-based court settlement.

In 2014, tobacco farmers will receive their last subsidy payment ending all assistance from the government.

Tobacco farming is a year-round, labor-intensive, multi-phase process that has remained relatively unchanged for more than 200 years in Kentucky.

According to the University of Kentucky extension web site, plants are started in greenhouses or cold frames for 6 to 12 weeks.

The plants are then “set” in cultivated fields with a setter, a manned piece of equipment attached to the back of a tractor.

Workers sit on the setter and feed plants into a rotating device with clamps that place the plant in the ground.

The “sets” are maintained over several months of growing (it takes 70 – 130 days for maturity), by “topping” the blooms and fertilizing.

Chemical applications are used as tobacco leaves are very susceptible to many diseases.

The plants are harvested in late August, (approximately 70-130 days later), by manually cutting the stalk very low to the ground with a hatchet-like knife, then stabbing the stalks on a usually handcut tobacco “stick”.

The sticks carrying six or more stalks and weighing about 100-125 pounds each are loaded into wagons and brought to the curing barns.

Each stick is handed upward to a worker balancing on rough-sawn 3x4 inch boards, sometimes 30 feet in the air.

The curing process brings a series of chemical and physical changes while drying. Wilting, yellowing, browning and drying requires about six to eight weeks.

Optimum conditions occur at 60-90 degrees with a relative humidity of 70-75 percent. This is manipulated through ventilation; usually by opening and closing barn doors or vents.

The sticks are taken down in the reverse process, and leaves are stripped from their stalk and sorted into groups by grade. The leaves are then loaded into a tobacco press and compressed into bales.

Most bales in Rowan County are sold through pre-determined contracts to R.J. Reynolds or Phillip Morris, according to Marsh, in the one remaining tobacco warehouse being used on US 60 East.

Tobacco, according to the USDA, is ranked eighth in highest valued field crops in the United States, behind corn, soybeans, hay wheat, cotton, potatoes and rice.

In 2010, Kentucky still ranked second in the amount of tobacco produced in the U.S.; harvesting 85,200 acres and obtaining 181.7 million pounds of tobacco.

As tobacco farms have diminished in Rowan County, the few remaining growers have held onto a crop that supported generations of families, many on farms that no longer exist.

Plain packaging is an infringement of free speech

2011-11-25T15:49:00.001+02:00

WHY do people's critical faculties go up in a puff of smoke when it comes to the debate about cigarettes? In the name of "stamping out smoking", it seems governments can be as bossy and intolerant and censorious as they like, and no one will raise an eyebrow.

This week, it took Philip Morris, the tobacco giant, to do what liberals and libertarians should have done ages ago: challenge the Australian government's plan to bring in plain packaging for cigarettes.

As of December next year, it will be illegal in Australia to sell cigarettes in boxes branded with the evil logos of Marlboro, say, or Benson & Hedges.

Instead, cigarettes will have to come in olive green packets free of branding. The packets will still carry graphic health warnings, however, hectoring dumb smokers about how their filthy habit might kill them and possibly their children, too.

Philip Morris has accused the Australian government of "infringing on its trademark rights". It also says there is no hard evidence that moving to plain packaging will reduce the number of smokers. That's no doubt true; after all, people fork out cash for ciggies not because they like the fancy logo on the box, but because they like the nicotine inside it.
Yet Philip Morris is, if anything, being too polite. This is more than a trademark issue; it's a free-speech issue. What is happening here is that companies are being denied the right to publish perfectly reasonable and inoffensive material - the names of their products - and at the same time they're being forced to publish government propaganda about smoking.

That is, not only will they be denied the liberty to project their logos and designs into the public sphere, they will also be obliged, by law, to continue to publish disgusting images of blackened lungs or dead bodies alongside scary sentences about how smoking destroys lives.

For years, it was considered paramount in a civilised society that people should be free to publish what they like, and that no one should be forced to parrot the government line, much less publish grotesque images handpicked by the authorities.

Imagine if such authoritarian tactics were applied in other areas of life. Imagine if government officials started sticking black tape across the face of Tony the Tiger on packets of Frosties (too much sugar can be bad for us, after all) or banned bottle shops from displaying those oh-so-tempting words "BEER" and "WINE". Imagine if a political magazine were forced to carry on its cover government messages about health and wellbeing. There'd be outrage.

Yet in the name of the "war on smoking", the Australian government, closely watched by other anti-smoking governments across the world, can get away with censoring images, banning brand names, and strong-arming companies into publishing images of half-dead humans.

Some will say it doesn't matter, because the target is only Big Tobacco, and no one cares about them. In truth, the target is as much us, the public, as it is the tobacco companies.

Censoriousness is always underpinned by prejudice. The desire to black out certain words and images is never simply about the words and images themselves. Rather it is about the perceived impact such words and images will have on the public.

Censors are always driven by the fantastically snobbish and paternalistic fear that if a certain section of society claps eyes upon a saucy or tempting image or overhears an offensive word, then they will be driven mad with lust or hate and will do something crazy.

And so it is with the censoring of cigarette brands. This, too, is about officialdom covering our eyes, lest we fall like lemmings for the lure of the Marlboro Man and start puffing on 40 cigs a day. It is because they believe we are easily enslaved by brand names and advertising, that we are weak-willed and easily hooked, that governments feel the need to hide certain products from our view.

Whatever you think of Big Tobacco, you should be concerned about the real precedent that will be set by the plain-packaging law: one in which the state gets to present itself as the moral saviour of the fickle throng, using heavy-handed tactics to save us from our own worst instincts.

St. Charles County Smoking Ban Sees First Light

2011-11-15T14:29:00.002+02:00

There’s a haze hanging around attempts to get a smoking ban on the ballot next year in St. Charles County.

At the first public hearing on the matter, bar owners like James Mayes asked — if Ameristar gets a special vote, why don’t they?

“If you’re going to do an individual exemption on the ballot, I’d like my bar placed on there as well, next to Ameristar, so every voter can vote individually on my location, along with every other bar in St. Charles County,” he said.

“We’re confident that the voters of St. Charles County will endorse a smoke-free environment, just as the voters overwhelmingly did in St. Louis County, O’Fallon and Lake St. Louis,” countered Sharon Lee of BJC HealthCare.

The hearing brought out some big name constituents, including the one whose name is on the tips of everybody’s tounge.

“We’ve invested several hundred million dollars in our facility, and believe that we should be allowed to conduct our business as we see fit,” Ameristar Senior Vice President and General Manager Jim Franke said. Losing smokers, he predicted, would mean a 20-percent cut in business.

“Several hundred jobs are at stake in our facility. Millions in tax revenue is going to be lost. $2.6 million just in the city of St. Charles.”

Councilman Joe Cronin hoped his latest proposal, allowing voters to decide separately on the ban itself and on a casino exemption, would solidify council support and avoid a County Executive veto. But he was thrown a curveball when, while during council discussion, his colleague Nancy Matheny said she’s now only in favor of a statewide smoking ban. She’d previously been a supporter of a county-specific ban.

Without her support, or that of another council member, the measures would be one vote short, in a vote scheduled for two weeks.

Smoke-free workplaces cut cardiac deaths

2011-11-15T14:24:00.001+02:00

Their research shows that the incidence of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths was cut in half among Olmsted County, Minn., residents after a smoke-free ordinance took effect.

Adult smoking dropped 23 per cent during the same time frame, as the rates of other risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity remained stable or increased.

"This study adds to the observation that smoke-free workplace laws help reduce the chances of having a heart attack, but for the first time we report these laws also reduce the chances of sudden cardiac death," said Richard Hurt, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Centre.

"The study shows that everyone, especially people with known coronary artery disease, should avoid contact with second-hand smoke. They should have no - literally no - exposure to second-hand smoke because it is too dangerous to their health," he stated.

The population-based study showed that during the 18 months before Olmsted County's first smoke-free law for restaurants was passed in 2002, the regional incidence of heart attack was 212.3 cases per 100,000 residents.

In the 18 months following a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance in 2007, in which restaurants and workplaces became smoke-free, that rate dropped to 102.9 per 100,000 residents - a decrease of about 45 per cent.

Additionally, during these two time periods, the incidence of sudden cardiac death fell from 152.5 to 76.6 per 100,000 residents - a 50 per cent reduction.

"Our findings provide support to the life-saving effect that smoke-free legislation can have among community members affected by these laws," said co-author Jon Ebbert, M.D., associate director of Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Center.

The study will be presented to the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions on Monday in Orlando.

Marijuana Arrests Skyrocket in California

2011-11-15T14:23:00.001+02:00

A new report from the Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice entitled “Misdemeanor Marijuana Arrests are Skyrocketing” is the latest piece of evidence to show that medical marijuana laws do not go far enough and the time for legalization is now.

In numerical terms, 20,800 Californians were arrested for misdemeanor possession of marijuana in 1990; 54,800 in 2010. Meanwhile, arrests for possession of all other illicit drugs, as well as for felony drug manufacture and sale, declined sharply. In 1990, simple marijuana possession comprised 8% of all drug arrests; in 2010, it comprised 22%.

Keep in mind that up until this year, when the decrim law signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in late 2010 went into effect, possession of up to an ounce was a non-arrestable misdemeanor. So those arrests are possession of more than an ounce or “gift” of less than an ounce. Any sale or cultivation in California remains a felony.

That is, unless you are a medical marijuana patient. As California NORML estimates, there are between 750,000 and 1,125,000 medical marijuana patients in the state protected from arrest for possession, sale, and cultivation. This represents roughly 25% to 37.5% of the estimated 3,026,000 annual cannabis consumers in California aged 18 and older, according to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use & Health(the most recent state numbers available).

Another way to look at it? Even as over one in four California pot smokers became “legal”, more than twice as many were being arrested for it. (I think this brings up an interesting question: when the cost of becoming “legal” is as low as $42 in some places and all you need to qualify is a complaint of sleeplessness to shop at the best weed markets in the world (albeit for $16-$17/gram), why are 3 out of 4 tokers not getting their recommendations?*)

County vendors comply with tobacco law

2011-11-15T14:16:00.001+02:00

Underage cigarette sales are not a problem in Haldimand.

So far this year there have been no fines issued in the county and only two warning letters for the sale of tobacco to a minor.

Amy Jones, tobacco control officer with the Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit, said this area has one of the highest compliance rates in the province. On the other hand, the rate for youth smokers is relatively high at 21%.

"This is really good news," she said on Monday. "By the sounds of talking with other areas, Haldimand is doing quite well."

Norfolk County also had good results with only three warning letters being issued.

Stevens said the real problem is the other avenues underage smokers use to get their cigarettes. They could be getting older friends or family to buy them cigarettes, and there is no way to regulate that. She said the sale of cigarettes on the reserve to minors could also be a problem.

In 2009, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health reported 43% of all cigarettes consumed by Ontario high school students who smoke every day were contraband tobacco.

The health unit hires youth, 15-16 years old, to act as test shoppers to ensure vendors are following the law. They are paid $11 per hour.

Last month, the health unit placed advertisements for youths interested in the position.

Test shoppers work alongside the tobacco control officer to perform checks twice a year in the area. Vendors are required to ask for identification if an individual looks under the age of 25.

"They generally don't get anything sold to them," said Sandy Stevens, program coordinator of the health unit's healthy environment team. "To get a sale is quite rare for us."

Hospitals ban smokers but don't enforce

2011-11-07T14:03:00.002+02:00

When it comes to smoking, local hospitals having been putting up signs telling everyone to light-up off the property. But are they following through?

It was almost three years ago when Sisters Hospital officials announced the campus was going 100 percent smoke-free.

Back in November of 2008, CEO Peter Bergmann announced, "It's our responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment for those who work, visit and receive care at our hospital and outpatient facilities."

But fast-forward to today, are they still standing by their mission? We wanted to find out, but we're not singling out Sisters. In fact, you'll find no-smoking signs at all hospitals across western New York, telling smokers to move off the property.

It's a sweeping policy. Employees, patients, and visitors can't smoke on the grounds, in the parking lots, not even in their own cars. With the exception of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Millard Fillmore Suburban, in a week of undercover surveillance, our News 4 crew found people smoking on each and every hospital campus. At Kenmore Mercy, Sisters, Gates , and Sheehan, smokers boldly puffed away.

Catholic Health Director of Public Relations Joann Cavanaugh said, "People will go to the ends of the Earth, some people, to have a cigarette."

A construction worker at Sisters caught us shooting him while he smoked on hospital grounds. His next smoke a minute later was off property. We had to ask him about it.

The worker said he didn't know about the rule, per se, saying, "I mean, this is my first day being at the, I'm working at the hosital right now."

Most long-term employees do know the rules. Some take walks through neighborhoods for smoke-breaks, but that became problematic at South Buffalo Mercy.

Resident Dave Hutchinson said, "You don't need to come into my neighborhood. There are a lot of people who really have a disdain for it. And they don't like it. And it comes in the windows."

"We put up signage around the neighborhood and in bus shelters letting our associates know they really shouldn't smoke in those areas," said Cavanaugh.

The hospitals' smoking policies were meant to promote health, but for smokers we spoke with they say it just changed their habit.

Buffalo General secretary Kim Reynolds-Parker said, "We've got a nice little group here."

Reynolds-Parker enjoys her smoking time with her gal pals, but says the policy is a drag.

"I had to abide by it in order to keep my job. Yes, so I abide by the rules, but do I like it? No," stated Reynolds-Parker.

It's a unique situation at Children's. People are constantly exposed to second-hand smoke because visitors can puff away on the public sidewalk right in front of the hospital despite the no-smoking signs right behind them.

As for ECMC, the only place that people can smoke is in a designated smoking area right behind the building. But you won't believe what our undercover video found right in front of the main entrance. Smokers were standing along the front wall, in the bus shelters, at the flag pole, on benches, and yes, even in a wheelchair right outside the front door. Smokers were lighting up, all with security not far away.

Tom Quatroche of ECMC Public Affairs said, "This is something constant that we've talked with security about, we've talked with other employees about to please say help us in turning folks in."

Now that we know about the excessive violations of smoking policies, we'll check back to see if there's any improvement in the future.

Also read some cigarettes blogs:
Pall Mall Cigs
Marlboro cigs
Camel cigarettes online
Cigarettes online

Quit smoking: A parent's best Christmas present

2011-11-07T14:01:00.002+02:00

Children are so concerned about the impact of smoking on their parent’s health that more than a third would go without Christmas presents to get them to quit, according to new findings published today.

The research, conducted last month on behalf of the Department of Health, polled 1,000 children in England aged 7-13. Almost all (98%) of children with a smoking parent wished they would quit. 94% of children surveyed thought smoking was either stupid (52%) or dangerous (42%) and 91% said they would never try a cigarette.

However, by the age of 15, more than one in seven children has become regular smokers. Over 40% of children in the UK live in a household where at least one person smokes and if a child’s parents smoke they are three times more likely to smoke themselves.

Nye County officers confiscate 30 pounds of marijuana

2011-11-07T13:59:00.001+02:00

Nye County Sheriff's deputies seized about 30 pounds of marijuana Saturday during a traffic stop involving a driver who admitted being impaired, according to reports.

Authorities said at 1:53 a.m. Saturday, a deputy noticed a red pickup truck turn onto Basin Avenue from Highway 160 without using a turn signal.

The deputy followed the truck, which was not maintaining its lane, and pressed for the vehicle to stop near Windsong Lane and Linda Street. The suspect continued another quarter-mile without stopping.

The 52-year-old driver, Andrea Rickman, eventually stopped the truck on Windsong Lane and approached the deputy, who determined she was impaired, officials said.

Another deputy made contact with the passenger, 52-year-old Richard Mosell, and smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the truck, authorities said.

Deputies located several five-gallon buckets and small jars filled with marijuana after getting consent to search the truck, authorities said. They also found a 12-gauge shotgun.

The police report says Rickman and Mosell admitted to smoking marijuana before driving.

Rickman was arrested in connection with DUI-narcotics, turning without a proper signal, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, conspiracy to commit a crime, prohibited person with a firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance and being under the influence of a controlled substance, authorities said.

Mosell was charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, prohibited person with a firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance and the unlawful use of marijuana, authorities said.

They were booked into the Nye County Detention Center.

Premium-to-Discount Cigarette Price Gap Narrows

2011-10-31T17:04:00.001+02:00

The price between premium cigarettes and deep discount brands got a little narrower as Liggett took an 8-cent -per-pack list price increase on its deep discount brands, according to one analyst.

With the price hike on Liggett's Select, Eve and Grand Prix cigarette brands, the relative price gap between premium and deep discount drew slightly closer to around 32 to 33 percent. It had been approximately 36 percent, according to Bonnie Herzog, managing director, beverage, tobacco and consumer research at Wells Fargo Securities LLC.

The three big tobacco companies could come out winners in the move, she noted. "We believe this is positive for the three big manufacturers since there has been some evidence recently of downtrading pressure, likely due to the challenging economic environment and a slightly wider price gap," Herzog wrote.

The next several weeks could see a price hike by the major tobacco companies, although she predicts a more modest one around 5 cents per pack. "By taking a modest price increase, the major manufacturers would be able to get some pricing, yet still maintain a relative price gap below Q3 levels of 36 percent," Herzog explained.

With consumption expected to continue declining, Herzog added that "pricing is crucial to drive top-line growth."

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Senate Takes Aim at Tobacco in Baseball

2011-10-24T13:40:00.002+03:00

As the Rangers and Cardinals play in the World Series, the U.S. Senate is pushing for something else. As if they have nothing better to do.
Four United States Senators, including Dick Durbin of Illinois, and health officials from St. Louis and Arlington, TX. made pleas in separate letters in hopes of banning chewing tobacco at baseball games and on camera. They want to stress not only the harmful effects on the players, but the image they're sending to children who watch them.
St. Louis public health authority Pamela Walker said in her letter, "Younger people believe smokeless tobacco is a safer alternative to cigarettes, and when they see people they idolize do it that reinforces that belief. Not only that, it makes dipping look cool."
Baseball players dipping is no news, it's been affecting kids for years whether we tend to ignore it or not. Shoot, the term "bullpen" came to existence when Blackwell Tobacco Company released Bull Durham brand tobacco in 1860.
After all, who as a kid growing up playing ball didn't have their share of Big League Chew? That's right, before you hit the field, pull out that stringy wad of "groundball grape" and stick it in your cheek like the guys on TV.
It was an alternative to chewing tobacco that was very well marketed to kids. It was created by Portland Mavericks' pitcher Rob Nelson and New York Yankees' Jim Bouton. The two were sitting in the bullpen and were searching for a fun alternative to chewing tobacco that had taken over ballparks all across America in the 1970s.

Tobacco delivery attempt foiled

2011-10-24T13:39:00.002+03:00

A 27-year-old man was arrested and booked into jail Saturday after trying to deliver tobacco to his friends who already were in jail, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office reported Sunday.

Deputies said they first spotted the man riding a bicycle in front of the jail and confronted him. He held the handlebars with one hand and hid a black plastic bag behind his back with the other hand, deputies said.

Deputies checked the bag and said they found three porcelain Christmas ornaments filled with tobacco, which is considered contraband at the jail.

The man, Joshua Ketcham, told deputies he planned to drop off the tobacco so his friends could have it, deputies said. He was charged with two felony counts, which could land him in state prison.

Ketcham remained in the jail Sunday with bail set at $13,000. He is expected to appear for arraignment Tuesday in the Manteca branch of San Joaquin County Superior Court.

Jindal wins re-election; tobacco tax passes

2011-10-24T13:31:00.002+03:00

With about 66 percent of the vote, Gov. Bobby Jindal celebrated his successful re-election Saturday night at a gala in the grand ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel.
Hundreds attended the event to hear Jindal announce the election results, and when he did, Jindal said he was "humbled and honored" to accept the charge of governor once more.
Jindal carried all 64 parishes in the state, and his 66 percent of the vote is the largest percentage ever won by a candidate in a Louisiana open primary, according to a news release from his campaign committee.
"As long as I'm your governor, I will never coast," Jindal promised. "I will give you my all."
Tara Hollis, D-Haynesville, placed second in the polls Saturday, garnering about 18 percent of the vote. No other candidate rose above 5 percent.
University graduate student Androniki "Niki Bird" Papazoglakis earned 2 percent of the vote.
Jindal began his acceptance speech by thanking LSU football head coach Les Miles for attending.
"Every time I've run for governor, the LSU tigers win a national championship," he joked.
He also provided projections for Louisiana's coming years under his administration.
"Louisiana has made great strides over the past four years," Jindal said. "It wasn't something I did, it was something we did as a state."
But he assured his supporters in attendance that Louisiana is growing and on the move.
"We are relentlessly focused on the future," he said. "And that is the spirit of America, that is the spirit of Louisiana."
Jindal reserved plenty of time to thank his staff and supporters, including the numerous University students in attendance who had worked for his re-election campaign.
"We've got the opportunity to do great things," Jindal said. "We will run out of time before we run out of things to do for the great state of Louisiana."
He closed by referring to LSU football once more as he promised that he and his team would continue to give their all.
"Coach Miles would expect nothing less from us and the people of Louisiana would expect nothing less from us," Jindal said. "We're going to bring the same intensity they brought to Auburn tonight, the same intensity they're going to bring to Alabama in two weeks."
Jindal closed by saying that, like the LSU football team, "you ain't seen nothing yet" when it comes to the people of Louisiana.
Also on the ballot Saturday were lieutenant governor candidates Jay Dardenne, R-Baton Rouge, and Billy Nungesser, R-Port Sulphur. The incumbent, Dardenne, won with 53 percent of the vote.
Three of the five proposed legislative amendments on the ballot Saturday passed, including the appropriation of tobacco settlement funds, which can reach up to $45 million per year, into TOPS funding. This amendment also permanently added a tax of four cents on tobacco products into the state Constitution.
The Louisiana Secretary of State Web site lists a currently unofficial voter turnout of about 36 percent.

Politicians called on to clean-up cigarette butts

2011-10-18T13:40:00.001+03:00

A volunteer group says something needs to be done about cigarette butts in Vancouver's West End.

John Merzetti started the West End Clean Up in May 2007 and has been leading monthly cleanings ever since. "Some of our people go out daily, cleaning up their own block or a particular patch of the West End that needs some TLC."

Today, his group is calling on local politicians to help tidy up the neighbourhood. "We want to prove to politicians that this is an issue and that it has to be dealt with."

Merzetti says current smoking rules aren't keeping cigarettes off our streets. "As it is, the law that requires people to smoke six metres from an entrance to a building is ineffective because that puts people in the middle of traffic, in most cases, and it's not enforced."

He adds the problem has worsened over recent years. "Cigarette butts that used to be put in ashtrays in restaurants or on floors in bars are now just being left on the sidewalks and in the gutter."

But Merzetti believes there is one obvious solution. "Ashtrays. It's really as simple as that. Because if you're not going to force people away from smoking where they shouldn't, then you're going to have to provide a receptacle."

All candidates running in next month's civic election have been invited to today clean-up.

Delco candy company’s product stirs pot

2011-10-18T13:39:00.001+03:00

The Kalan LP company isn’t selling anything illegal.

But the Pothead sour candy being sold by the wholesaler in Lansdowne is causing many to send up smoke signals about what the candy represents.

Kalan specializes in novelty items including the Pothead candy, which includes gummy candy, lollipops and ring pots shaped like marijuana leaves. The candy is sold in about 1,000 stores nationwide and has been on the market since January.

“It’s not intended to be promoted for children,” said Andrew Kalan, president and CEO of the company. “I’m a parent and I don’t believe it will lead down the path of drug use.”

The Kalan company has been in business for 40 years and has been in Lansdowne 25 years. The Pothead candy isn’t its biggest cigarettes seller, but is worth producing.

“It sells reasonably good, but is nothing spectacular,” Andrew Kalan said. “It’s a different type of sale than a whole product line.”

The Kalan company doesn’t produce candy, but did come up with the Pothead design for a candy manufacturer. Just whether this will manufacture the idea of marijuana use being OK for teens or preteens is a concern to some.

“For us, anything like that is not good,” said Angela Linden, the clinical director for the Center for Addictive Diseases in Drexel Hill and Exton. “Anything that leads them to even thinking of that is not good. It causes a mindset. The willingness to try things like that is a mindset that is negative.”

It’s important for parents to have the right mindset, too.

“Maybe if it’s a younger child they may not understand what it is so you can’t get upset, just explain why it’s not appropriate,” said Deborah Pedante, who according to her Facebook page has been an early childhood teacher in Delaware County for six years. “I bought a marijuana leaf necklace when I was in middle school and I just thought it was a cool looking leaf lol. So you never know.”

Increase in taxes reflected by fivefold rise in tobacco prices

2011-10-18T13:36:00.001+03:00

Tobacco companies active in Turkey have taken advantage of a new tax regime to hike prices on their products by more than five times the actual raise in tax per one packet of cigarettes.

Tobacco producer Philip Morris/Sabancı announced yesterday an increase in retail prices of their products, with rises ranging between 28 and 44 percent over previous prices, according to a company statement yesterday. With the changes, the price of a cigarette pack costing seven Turkish Liras is now nine liras, while a pack that previously cost 4.5 liras will now be 6.5 liras. All products sold by the company in the Turkish market increased by at least two liras over previous prices. The company has raised its prices by two liras on the packages that used to cost seven liras, although the new regime is only increasing taxes on the product by just over 40 kuruş.

Other tobacco companies, such as Japan Tobacco International and British American Tobacco, also increased the prices of their products by two liras, according to a report by daily Hürriyet.

“The [firms’ final] price hike is excessive,” Orhan Akyol, the chairman of the Tobacco Producers’ Union, said yesterday. Akyol suggested the normal increase in prices should have been between 0.50 and 0.70 liras. Noting that most tobacco producers refused to become members of the union and thus behave in an organized way to the market, Akyol said, “As tobacco producers are not organized, they play with prices [according to their own interests].”

The tobacco sector’s income has decreased from 1.52 to 1.42 liras based on the new re-distribution of the tax share, a professional close to the issue told the Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview yesterday.

Companies, as well as state authorities, apply arbitrary increases in taxes and the prices of products because Turkish consumers show little reaction toward such trends, Aysel Can Ekşi, the deputy head of the Consumers’ Protection Association, told the Daily News on a phone interview.

The Turkish government increased taxes on alcoholic drinks, tobacco products, mobile phones and cars through a special consumption tax (SCT). The SCT rate on cigarettes rose from 63 percent to 69 percent, according to a ruling published in the Official Gazette on Oct. 12.

A flat tax on beer rose to 0.53 liras per liter from 0.44 liras, and to 19.82 liras per liter for sparkling wines from 16.12 liras. SCT on mobile phones also increased.

The SCT rose for all non-electric passenger cars with engines larger than 1.6 liters at rates of between 15 percent and 130 percent.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Oct. 15 that citizens should drive less gas-consuming vehicles like Fiats or Volkswagens instead of luxurious ones with over 2000CC engines, such as Porsches, to cut spending.

Porsche Turkey General Manager Anıl Gürsoy said they “welcomed the PM’s remarks respectfully,” according to a Hürriyet report yesterday. “[The PM] is suggesting that each consumer should make expenditures in accordance with their income levels,” he said.

Meanwhile, many luxury automobile brands, such as BMW 316i, Citroen C5, Ford Mondeo, Opel Insignia, Peugeot 508 and others said the recent SCT increase would not be reflected in their car prices, the Ajansotomobil.com website said yesterday.

Australia may delay controversial anti-tobacco plan

2011-10-18T13:26:00.001+03:00

Australia's government may have to delay plans for the world's toughest anti-tobacco laws after conservative opposition lawmakers on Wednesday postponed a final vote on the controversial legislation in parliament.

The new laws, which will force cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging from 2012, are being closely watched by New Zealand, Canada, the European Union and Britain, which are considering similar restrictions.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the conservatives, who managed to postpone an upper house Senate vote on the bills during a rancorous day in parliament for the minority Labor government, were playing into the hands of big tobacco firms.

"Given the delays in passing the bill caused by the opposition, the government now has no choice but to reconsider the impact on implementation timeframes," Roxon said.

Australia says the new laws reflect its obligations under the World Health Organization's 2005 framework against tobacco, which urges states to consider plain packaging laws. The WHO estimates more than 1 billion around the world are regular smokers, with 80 percent in low and middle income countries.

The laws have angered tobacco producers who have threatened a High Court challenge, while the governments of Nicaragua and Ukraine said the new measures breached international trade rules and would be challenged in the World Trade Organization.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government is hoping the laws will come into effect on Jan. 1 next year, although the main provisions forcing all cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging only come into operation on July 1, 2012.

India may export tobacco to China

2011-10-10T12:45:00.002+03:00

India is getting ready to export tobacco to China from this year, if everything goes well. Trade relations between India and China would be renewed after a gap of around 12 years.

The Tobacco Board has received communication from the Chinese government seeking tobacco samples. This happened after the successful visit of Indian Tobacco Association (ITA) delegation to China. The ITA delegation headed by Tobacco Board chairman, G Kamalavardhana Rao, had visited China from September 25 to 30.

Speaking to Business Standard, Rao said the delegation had held discussions with the State Trade Monopoly Administration (STMA) of China where the issue of tobacco imports from India were discussed. The STMA delegates have agreed to renew the trade.
The board would now hold consultations with the ITA and decide on the time to send the samples to China. “We are confident of completing the exercise in the next couple of weeks and send samples as requested by China,” he said.

The board had also committed to sell cigarettes at lower price than the price of Zimbabwe, the biggest tobacco exporter to China. Indian tobacco is now being exported to over 60 countries across the world and China being the biggest importer, India wants to renew the ties and restore its market.

“We are confident of getting orders from China for the next season. We are targeting at least 10 million kg tobacco to begin with,” Rao said.

Meanwhile, the Tobacco Board has fixed the crop size to 162 million kg for the 2012-13 crop season in Andhra Pradesh. This is against 170 million kg fixed for the 2011-12 season.

Adviser denies leaving campaign due to tobacco links

2011-10-10T12:44:00.001+03:00

ONE of Michael D Higgins's closest advisers has denied that he left the Labour presidential candidate's campaign team due to concerns about his past as a lobbyist for the tobacco industry.

Brendan Halligan, a former Labour Party General Secretary, represented cigarette manufacturers throughout the 1990s, spearheading their campaign to fight tax increases and limit restrictions on advertising.

Mr Halligan has denied that his departure from the campaign was due to concerns in the Labour Party over his links to the tobacco industry, insisting he left because he had "other things to do".

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Labour Party also denied any such unease had been expressed in the campaign, instead saying Mr Halligan had asked to leave for personal reasons.

Mr Higgins, a non-smoker himself, spoke out against the tobacco industry in a June 2002 Dail debate, criticising "those who are making a fortune out of the child abuse that is advertising connected to alcohol and tobacco".

Prof Luke Clancy of anti-smoking group ASH said that, in light of Mr Higgins stance on tobacco, Mr Halligan's initial inclusion on his campaign committee smacked of "hypocrisy".

However, he welcomed the news that Mr Halligan was no longer working to elect the Labour candidate.

Mr Higgins's spokesman did not respond when asked if the role played by Mr Halligan on the campaign amounted to hypocrisy.

But he pointed out that Mr Halligan had been "involved in the Labour Party in a variety of capacities for four decades".

Mr Higgins and Mr Halligan, also a former Labour senator and MEP, have worked together since the early 1970s.

But it is Mr Halligan's career outside the Labour Party that has led to questions about his inclusion in Mr Higgins's election campaign.

The 75-year-old non-smoker's company Consultants in Public Affairs represented the Irish Tobacco Manufacturer's Advisory Committee and the Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturersduring the 1990s.

His name appears in more than 120 secret files that the big US tobacco companies were forced to disclose after they settled a class action lawsuit taken by 46 states in the late-1990s.

Asked why he left the campaign he said: "I have other things to do. I never was really on it to be perfectly honest with you."

WHO chief slams tobacco industry tactics

2011-10-10T12:40:00.001+03:00

THE World Health Organization's chief has urged governments to unite against "big tobacco", accusing the industry of dirty tricks, bullying and immorality in its quest to keep people smoking.

WHO director-general Margaret Chan accused cashed-up tobacco firms of using lawsuits to try and subvert national laws and international conventions aimed at curbing cigarette sales.

"It is horrific to think that an industry known for its dirty tricks and dirty laundry could be allowed to trump what is clearly in the public's best interests," Chan said at a WHO meeting in the Philippine capital today.

Chan cited legal actions by the tobacco industry against anti-smoking measures in Australia and Uruguay, saying these were "scare tactics" intended to frighten other countries from following suit.

"It is hard for any country to bear the financial burden of this kind of litigation, but most especially so for small countries," she said.

"Big tobacco can afford to hire the best lawyers and PR firms that money can buy. Big money can speak louder than any moral, ethical or public health argument and can trample even the most damning scientific evidence."

Chan called on the countries at the forum of Western Pacific nations to fight back.

"I urge all these countries to stand firm together, do not bow to pressure... we must never allow the tobacco industry to get the upper hand," she said.

The WHO has for many years called for bans on cigarette advertising and promotion, as well as restrictions on smoking in public places and higher taxes.

In Australia, Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government is aiming to introduce world-first legislation that would force all cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging from January 1 next year.

However Philip Morris has launched legal action, claiming Australia's plans violate international trade obligations and warning it expects billions of dollars in compensation if plain packaging goes ahead.

Australian Department of Health Secretary Jane Halton told the WHO forum in Manila that her government was determined to push through with its plan, despite the "subversive tactics" of tobacco companies.

"We stand ready to repel the assault of big tobacco but we acknowledge it will be a big fight," Halton told the WHO delegates.

WHO documents released at the forum said that 3000 people die each day from tobacco use in the Western Pacific region.

This covers an area with a population of 1.6 billion people.

Local Tobacco Sales to Youth Nearly Triple State Rate

2011-10-06T13:00:00.004+03:00

Recent undercover operations revealed high rates cigarette sales to local minors.

Of 275 stores surveyed in Santa Barbara County, 17 percent sold cigarettes to a minor, nearly three times the statewide average of 6 percent.

Lompoc had the highest rate of tobacco sales to minors at 31 percent. Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, Guadalupe and unincorporated parts of the county also exceeded the state rate at 18 percent and 19 percent. Solvang and Buellton had no sales of tobacco to minors, and Santa Maria sales rates were near the state average.

Sales dropped from 40 percent in Buellton and 25 percent in Solvang last year to zero percent this year. Sales rates in Goleta jumped from 6 percent to 19 percent and sales in Lompoc doubled from 14 percent to 31 percent.

The board of supervisors revamped an ordinance last year that regulates retail tobacco sales in unincorporated parts of the county, strengthening penalties for sales to minors.

State Receives $1 Million From Settelment With Tobacco Maker

2011-10-06T13:00:00.003+03:00

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced a settlement on Wednesday with a tobacco maker for allegedly failing to establish an escrow account for the sale of its cigarettes as required by law.

Grand River Enterprises Six Nations LTD deposited $984,185 into a state escrow account, paid penalties and post-judgment interest of $1,052,000 to the state General Revenue Fund and paid attorney fees and costs of $82,000 to DeWine's office as part of the settlement.

"We are glad to have reached this settlement," DeWine said. "It's great news for the state's tobacco enforcement laws and the taxpayers and citizens of Ohio with more than a million dollars going to the General Revenue Fund."

The negotiated settlement ends the state's suit against the company as well as Grand River's appeal.

Grand River allegedly did not establish and fund the escrow account for its product in Ohio between 2002 and 2004. Grand River is not currently certified by DeWine's office to sell cigarettes in Ohio.

Appeals court to hear case of tobacco settlement

2011-10-06T12:59:00.002+03:00

A three-judge federal appeals panel is set to hear arguments over whether tobacco companies may legally challenge the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between the states and 19 tobacco product makers.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati will hear arguments Thursday morning in a case brought by General Tobacco against 52 attorneys general and the tobacco makers, seeking more than $1 billion in damages.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Coffman in Louisville tossed the suit in January 2009, ruling that the company couldn't prove the settlement amounted to either a conspiracy or anti-competitive behavior by the government.

General Tobacco is the sixth-largest tobacco company in the U.S. and maker of GT-One brand cigarettes.

Rib Mountain tobacco store sues state over permit law

2011-10-06T12:57:00.001+03:00

The owner of a Rib Mountain tobacco store is suing the state in an attempt to stop the Department of Revenue from treating him as a cigarette manufacturer.

The Department of Revenue last month informed store owners who operate roll-your-own cigarette machines that they need manufacturing and distribution permits to sell the machines' finished products. The state's intent was to crack down on customers who are dodging cigarette taxes.

The suit filed Tuesday in Dane County Circuit Court requests a temporary injunction that would allow stores to continue operating the machines. The plaintiffs -- including Robert Petersen, owner of Rib Mountain Tobacco and Liquor -- argue that state law doesn't prevent customers from rolling their own cigarettes. That's exactly what customers who buy loose tobacco and use the machines are doing, the suit said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Revenue defended the state's action as an enforcement of existing laws, which require manufacturers and distributors of cigarettes to apply for separate licenses.

"Citizens expect that the businesses operating in Wisconsin are following the laws and regulations," spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis said. "These are not new laws and regulations, and this situation is no different -- the (roll-your-own) retailers are expected to comply with state and federal law. Other tobacco retailers across the state follow the laws and regulations, and we must administer the law fairly and equitably. We have asked the RYO retailers to voluntarily comply with the law."

Roll-your-own customers typically purchase loose tobacco and wrappers from a store, then pay a fee to use roll-your-own machines. The raw
materials are placed into the machine, which then produces cigarettes.

But customers who use the machines aren't charged state or federal taxes that apply to packaged cigarettes -- a loophole that state regulators are trying to close. Retailers would have to pay those taxes under the state's rules.

Petersen said the Department of Revenue's explanation is illogical. Store owners still pay a tax on the loose tobacco and hand the raw materials for cigarettes over to the customer, he said.

No smoking in bars?

2011-09-28T12:48:00.001+03:00

While the Boise City Council is preparing an ordinance to ban smoking in the city’s bars, council members in Nampa and Caldwell say they haven’t considered a similar ban and don’t plan to enact one.
“Local and city governments try to pass ordinances that protect individuals, but in this issue these are adults 21 and older that have a choice,” Nampa City Council member Stephen Kren said. “I have a hard time passing an ordinance on private property for adults. It should be the individual that makes that decision.”
Kren, who was first elected to the council in 1995, said that the issue of stricter smoking regulations hasn’t been addressed during his tenure and was unlikely to become an issue in the near future.
The council hasn’t been approached by concerned citizens or anti-smoking groups asking for a ban, though council members would be willing to discuss the issue if it’s raised, he said.
Nampa City Council member Curtis Homer also said that he would be willing to discuss a potential smoking ban, but it hasn’t been an obvious public concern.
“Until it’s brought up, it’s not something that I’ll consider, and nothing’s been brought up yet,” he said.
Caldwell City Council member Jim Blacker said the council has not discussed a smoking ban in Caldwell bars either. He said it was a complicated issue that citizens in other cities, including Boise, have brought to the forefront, but Caldwell residents haven’t raised a stink.
Blacker said he believes owners of bars and other establishments should make their own business decisions about whether to allow smoking.
“It’s a tough thing to decide upon. Putting a mandate on people is very difficult. I’m not sure it’s our responsibility, not on a city level,” Blacker said.
Caldwell City Council member Jim Dakan said he would also side with private enterprise.
“I don’t think we’ve got any business telling people what they can and can’t do. If a bar has a smoking section and I don’t like that, I don’t have to go there,” he said.
Adrean Casper, a representative for the American Heart Association and the Smoke Free Idaho coalition, said that the proposed smoking ban in Boise aims to protect bar workers from inhaling second-hand smoke, which has been linked to increased cancer and respiratory illnesses. While Smoke Free Idaho’s efforts have focused on Boise, she said the coalition would like to see similar “Free Air Ordinances” proposed in other cities.
“We look forward to working with all city councils to protect all workers from the harms of second hand smoke,” she said. “Every worker deserves the right to breath clean air.”
Nampa bar owner Damonn Barr of Barb’s Tavern said the whole issue boils down to individual choices. He said a bar owner can choose to allow smoking, employees can choose to work there and patrons can choose to smoke.
“It’s pretty straightforward to me. As a worker’s right, they’re just looking for an excuse to ban smoking. It should be my choice as a business owner. This is the land of the free, and I should be able to choose,” he said.

British American Tobacco (BTI) Shares Upgraded by Credit Suisse (CS) to “Outperform”

2011-09-28T12:43:00.002+03:00

British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Separately, analysts at RBS (LON: RBS) upgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note to investors on Monday, June 20th. Also, analysts at Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of British American Tobacco from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note to investors on Wednesday, June 8th.

British American Tobacco plc is a holding company that owns, directly or indirectly, investments in the numerous companies constituting the British American Tobacco Group of companies. Its brand portfolio includes Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall. Dunhill sells in approximately 120 countries. 41 billion Dunhill cigarettes were sold during the year ended December 31, 2009. Kent is sold in more than 70 countries. Lucky Strike’s markets incude Germany, Spain, Japan, France, Italy, Argentina and Chile. Pall Mall offers a range of cigarette and make-your-own products. On June 17, 2009, it acquired 85% stake in Indonesia’s cigarette maker PT Bentoel Internasional Investama Tbk.

Shares of British American Tobacco traded up 0.15% during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $87.658. British American Tobacco has a 52 week low of $72.54 and a 52 week high of $95.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $89.50 and its 200-day moving average is $86.64. The company has a market cap of $86.845 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14.

6 U.S. Food, Beverage And Tobacco Stocks: Defensive Plays Amidst Current Turmoil

2011-09-28T12:40:00.000+03:00

Consumer stocks are often seen as a refuge during difficult economic times. Consumer stocks keep on making money as consumers smoke cigarettes from Pall Mall (British American Tobacco (BTI)), soft drinks from Coca Cola (KO), and other common items from a wide variety of companies that investors see as consumer stocks.

Long term investing in consumer stocks is a conservative approach to stock investing. Many of these are dividend stocks that have paid quarterly dividends without fail for decades. These companies will typically not grow in multiples but can commonly provide the investor with a healthy rate of return, a combination of stock price appreciation and dividends. Consumer stocks are commonly part of a balanced stock portfolio. They are often seen as good retirement stocks. However, these stocks do go up and down in price.

When a recession threatens, traders and investors buy these stocks and their price goes up. When a recovery is on the horizon, traders often sell these stocks and get back into growth stocks and consumer stock prices go down. Of course, the basic stock fundamentals also apply.

What's different this time vs. the last recession?

Now as then, investors are worrying about a 2009-styled economic meltdown given the persisting events in terms of sovereign debt problems, governments’ austerity spree, stubbornly high unemployment rates and funding problems in the financial sector.

1. Inventory levels

In 2008/2009, the rapid economic downturn took most companies by surprise. As a result, firms significantly cut inventories in view of the great uncertainty. ’De-stocking’ was then the key reason cited by consumer companies for declining sales. This time around, inventory levels are more balanced, both at a company level as in the retail/wholesale channel. Consequently, sales and earnings should come in more stable than in the last cycle.

2. Exposure to Emerging Markets (EM)

The 2008/2009 crisis has helped to push the structural (consumer) strength in emerging markets to the fore. The most important thing that consumer companies have been doing since then is to reallocate capital and human resources to EM. Three years on, EM now account for about 35% of total sales in the sector, up from roughly 28% in 1H08. Driven by the pursuit of growth, companies are expected to continue to dedicate more resources to emerging countries. In the current cycle characterized by bleak economic prospects in the developed markets (DM) and resilience in EM, business weakness in DM should be offset by growth dynamics in EM.

3. Product/price strategy adjusted

In the pre-recession period, consumer companies relied heavily on product ‘premiumization’ (= trade-up) in Western countries. Currently, however, the barbell-shaped consumer income pattern has resulted in a barbell-shaped consumer spending pattern with high-end and low-end segments growth at the expense of the mid-market segments The after-recession new consumer pattern in DM, in the US in particular, has fundamentally changed the way companies develop and sell their products. Consumer companies have already embarked on adjusting their business models to the new reality of a distinctly different market growth environment.

4. Retail diversification

Compared to the pre-crisis era, a multi-channel retail world has now been taking shape. Online retail channels have gained significant strength. In addition, companies have been changing the way they sell products in order to cope with the increasing popularity of social networks and tablets. In terms of bricks-and-mortar retailing, the trend is clearly favorable to smaller stores and convenience stores, driven by an aging population, a smaller household size, high gasoline prices and increasing pressure on shopping time, while the big-box stores seem to be at a disadvantage.

5. Financial strength

Moreover, companies have de-leveraged over the past three years, and are now in a financially more comfortable situation. The stress on the bond markets should have less impact on Food, Beverage & Tobacco. In the longer term, sales growth for this sub-sector, for food and beverages in particular, is driven by global population growth, by rising living standards in the EM and by product mix improvement. In the current cycle, the first two core drivers remain fully in tact. It is only the ’product mix’, or the trading-up element, that is challenging. The bigger short-term risk for the sector has been input cost inflation. But the industry has proven itself adept at withstanding inflation.

As Q2 results showed, almost every company beat expectations on prices. It looks that the industry has largely got through pricing. On the other hand, raw material costs have been modestly down over the last 3-6 months, taking off some of the input cost pressure. The net effect should be margin improvement.

In the table below you find 6 US-listed stocks in the Food, Beverage & Tobacco sector that can face the headwinds and are a defensive play in the current turmoil.

Tobacco-free for years, he fell ill

2011-09-28T12:00:00.003+03:00

Barbara Phelps could scarcely believe her eyes.

The scan of her brother's brain showed nearly the entire center was filled by a mass of cancer, which had spread from his lungs.

Philip Cullings had gotten good at hiding his ailments from his sister. But now, he didn't have much time.

That was in April, 12 years after his original lung cancer diagnosis - which was made more than two decades after he quit smoking.

The 72-year-old North Fort Myers man died in July at his sister's home, his 2007 Engle lawsuit against big tobacco pending.
"I believe smoking was a choice he made, but would he have started if he knew how it would all end? I truly don't know," Phelps said. "At the time when he started, it was the cool thing to do, and there was no bad stigma to it, no health risks we knew of."

For decades, Cullings smoked heavily. He was a handsome Air Force crew captain with a square jaw, olive skin and bright smile, his sister recalls.

In his teens, he, Barbara and their friends would climb into the rowboat docked at the lake behind their Michigan home and row far enough out of their parents' sight to smoke.

Philip was soon lighting up at every opportunity. He continued until he was married and in his 40s. Then suddenly, in a move that puzzled both his wife and Barbara, who both smoked, Phil announced one day at lunch he was quitting.

"He just got some Nicoret gum and the patch and just quit," Phelps said. "And he turned into the biggest advocate for quitting you've ever seen. He actually drove everyone kind of crazy with it. He would preach to anybody that would listen about how bad it was."

For the next 20 years, he embraced the fresh, smoke-free air of the Florida outdoors, especially traversing the waters on his boat.

Then came lung cancer.

"It was hard to believe so long after his quitting," said his sister.

The next year, it had spread to his brain.

While he appeared to have beaten it, Phelps said he was never quite the same, and his judgment appeared to have been affected. He suddenly divorced his wife. He abruptly moved to Kentucky, only to move right back. Once easy-going and gregarious, he became stubborn and reclusive.

"The last 10 years were very difficult because he never quite regained his strength, and I think his brain was damaged, so emotionally, he just wasn't the same Phil," his sister recalled.

It wasn't until earlier this year, though, after a fall, that Phil was brought to the hospital and given an MRI, revealing both the lung and brain cancer were back - and terminal. Suddenly, her brave older brother was afraid to go to sleep.

Painful as it was to watch him fade, Phelps, who herself suffers from emphysema, never agreed with her brother's lawsuit. She compared it to suing a knife company after being stabbed. But Phil believed tobacco companies should be accountable for what he said were deceitful tactics to hook new smokers.

Barb hopes her brother's death serves as a warning.

"He suffered so bad," she said. "I can honestly say our lives would have been different if he had never smoked."

TEXT-Fitch affirms Japan Tobacco at 'A+'

2011-09-28T11:48:00.003+03:00

Sept 27- Fitch Ratings has affirmed Japan Tobacco Inc.'s (JT) Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) at 'A+', Short-Term Foreign and Local Currency IDRs at 'F1' and senior unsecured rating at 'A+'. The Outlook is Stable.

JT's ratings reflect its solid operating performance, dominant market position in Japan, its improved geographical diversification since its 2007 acquisition of UK's Gallaher Group PLC, and prudent financial policy (focusing on positive free cash flow generation and de-leveraging post Gallaher acquisition). The Stable Outlook reflects Fitch's expectation that JT will continue to generate positive free cash flows despite the challenging operating environment, and maintain a prudent financial profile.

JT posted solid operating performance in the financial year ended March 2011. Despite a large excise tax hike in October 2010, volume sales decline was lower than expected and the company was able to offset the volume shortfall with retail price increase. As a result, JT posted total revenue (adjusted net sales excluding excise tax) of JPY1,956bn (-1.2% Y/Y) and EBITDA of JPY541bn (+2.7% Y/Y). In Q1FY12, JT still posted robust overall performance with revenue of JPY410bn (-13.1% Y/Y) and EBITDA of JPY122bn (-8.4% Y/Y) despite the impact of the earthquake on its domestic operations.

JT's domestic market share dropped sharply in the initial days following the March earthquake, falling to as low as 21% in April due to disruption in production and distribution. However, normalization has been faster than expected with shipments of all brands resuming in July 2011. As a result market share has edged closer to pre-quake levels in recent months, reaching 62% and 58% in July and August, respectively and is expected to do so further in coming months.

With steady positive free cash flow, the company continued to post improvements in its credit metrics. In FY11, adjusted debt to EBITDAR improved to 1.4x from 1.7x and EBITDAR interest coverage ratio improved to 17x from 12x.

As one of various options for funding post-quake reconstruction, it has been reported that the government is discussing an additional increase in excise tax, which could result in further volume decline. However, given JT's strong brand loyalty and below-average international prices, Fitch believes there is still room for further price increase in the event of another tax increase.

There have also been reports that the government is mulling the sale of its stake in JT as another post-quake reconstruction funding option. The government currently holds 50.01% (five million shares). Responding to the reports, JT management has emphasized its position in favour of the government divestment, while noting partial share buyback as a possibility.

While a share buyback is potentially credit negative, whether it would have an impact on the rating would depend on the timing and size of the buyback, which in turn would depend on the timing and size of the government stake sale, details of which remain undecided at the moment.

Other rating risks include the adverse impact of foreign exchange volatility on JT's international operations, as well as the small and unprofitable non-tobacco business segments. Fitch may take negative rating action if there are material debt-funded acquisitions or changes in financial policy, resulting in deterioration in JT's credit profile including adjusted total debt to EBITDAR over 1.75x on a sustained basis. Positive rating actions are not expected in the next 12-18 months given risks of unfavourable financial policy changes, with the rating also constrained by exposure to a single market with potential increasing regulatory pressure and declining demand.

Nicola Roxon Determined to Fight for Plain Packaging of Tobacco

2011-09-28T11:41:00.003+03:00

Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, has returned from a United Nations meeting on non-communicable diseases with even more determination to pass the plain packaging of tobacco legislation through the Senate. Nicola Roxon recently told the ABC, “We are keen for them to be passed. We have commitments and enough votes for it to pass the Senate. It’s now just a matter of programming for it to be on.”

The UN High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases was held in New York last week and addressed global health issues and the need to act on preventing non-communicable diseases. Nicola Roxon’s speech at the UN meeting focused on the issue of tobacco and the need to get tough on tobacco in order to prevent an increase in deaths from tobacco related illnesses. “If we don’t take steps to tackle tobacco, the WHO estimates that the number of people dying each year from tobacco related illness will rise from nearly 6 million per year currently, to more than 8 million by 2030.”

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Margaret Chan, also reinforced the need to reduce tobacco usage by arguing it contributes quite a bit to health costs. Dr Chan stated that a recent World Economic Forum and Harvard University study estimates non-communicable diseases (which includes tobacco related illnesses) are estimated to cost the global economy more than US$ 30 trillion over the next 20 years. Dr Chan urged governments to “stand rock-hard against the despicable efforts of the tobacco industry to subvert this treaty.”

Nicola Roxon supports the need to reduce tobacco usage and wants to cut down smoking rates to help improve overall health and well being as well as to reduce health costs in Australia. But it seems Roxon will have to put up a bit of a fight with tobacco companies if she wants this legislation to pass through the Senate. Not so long ago, Spokesperson for British American Tobacco Australia (BATA), Scott McIntyre, threatened to challenge the Federal Government in court if this legislation passes through the Senate to “protect” the company’s “valuable trade marks, which are worth billions of dollars.”

Nicola Roxon is staying firm in her push to get the legislation passed through the Senate and said in her speech at the UN meeting, “The Australian Government is very confident that we can withstand these threats and challenges. In fact, the more the tobacco companies fight, the more we know we are on the right track.”

The laws for plain packaging of tobacco are scheduled to start on January 1st, 2012.

Man steals cigarettes from behind the counter at Kangaroo Express, employee reports

2011-09-21T13:45:00.001+03:00

A Kangaroo Express employee told police that a man came into the store Monday night and stole cigarettes from behind the counter.

According to an incident report, the man went into the convenience store on Main Street and came behind the counter while the employee had her back to the cash register.

The man grabbed several cartons of cigarettes, looked at the woman and said, “Remain calm. Open up the cash register,” the report said.

The man took about $60 worth of cigarettes and $225 from the cash register and ran out the door, dropping a carton of cigarettes outside.

The man is described as black with dark skin, 35-40 years old, 5 feet, 7inches tall and weighing 140 pounds. He was wearing a blue or black T-shirt, dark-colored ball cap and denim shorts, the report said.

Cigarettes Stolen For A Second Time

2011-09-21T13:44:00.001+03:00

For the second time in three days, thieves have targeted a north Sacramento convenience store for its cigarettes.

Sanjesh Prasad and his wife Kamal Kaur own Sahil’s Indian and Island Goods on Marysville Boulevard.

When Prasad went to open the store at 9 a.m. Monday, he found the front door smashed. He walked straight back to the cigarettes to find they were all stolen, however they were the only items taken from the store.
The reason Prasad went right to the cigarettes is because those same items were stolen three days ago; along with some others.

“(The thieves) took the phone cards, $1,000 worth of phone cards,” said Kaur, “They took the Winston cigarettes and the money.”

For the most recent incident, the thieves got in by smashing the front door, but the first time around, on Friday, they broke one of the store’s front windows.

The couple spent the weekend restocking the supply only to have it stolen again.

According to Prasad, they’ve gone eight years in the neighborhood without any significant crime and because of that don’t have any surveillance cameras.

Prasad speculates the reason for the change is that they opened a smoke shop in the store three weeks ago.

Kaur added the recent opening means there are another set of problems. “We don’t have any insurance on it yet,” she said about the shop or its product, “So we are paying everything out of pocket.”

The couple estimates it will cost another 5-thousand dollars to replace the stolen cigarettes, but Prasad said they’ll do it. “We won’t give up, that’s the main thing,” he said. “We’ll stock it up again tonight. We’ll see what happens.”

Colorado health board to review dissolvable tobacco products

2011-09-21T13:31:00.000+03:00

The Colorado Board of Health will hold a public hearing to discuss health concerns over new dissolvable tobacco products being test-marketed in the state.

Health officials say some of the new dissolvable tobacco products resemble breath mints and strips. Counties throughout Colorado have reported seeing the new products in local stores.

Opponents are hoping the board on Wednesday will adopt a resolution supporting tobacco retail licensing to help prevent youths from getting the new or any tobacco product illegally. Colorado is one of only seven states that doesn't require a tobacco retail license.

No more cigarettes for smoking Malaysian orangutan

2011-09-16T13:35:00.002+03:00

A captive orangutan often spotted smoking cigarettes given to her by zoo visitors is being forced to kick the habit, a Malaysian wildlife official said Monday.

Government authorities seized the adult ape named Shirley from a state-run zoo in Malaysia's southern Johor state last week after she and several other animals there were deemed to be living in poor conditions.

Shirley is now being quarantined at another zoo in a neighboring state and is expected to be sent to a Malaysian wildlife center on Borneo island within weeks.

Melaka Zoo Director Ahmad Azhar Mohammed said Shirley is not being provided with any more cigarettes because "smoking is not normal behavior for orangutans."

"I would say she is not addicted ... but she might have formed a habit after mimicking human beings who were smoking around her," Ahmad told The Associated Press.

Shirley was so far displaying a regular appetite for food and no obvious signs of depression or illness, Ahmad said. Results from her blood tests and other detailed health examinations were not yet available.

Nature Alert, a British-based activist group, wrote to Malaysian officials about Shirley earlier this year, saying conservationists who visited the Johor zoo often saw people throwing lit cigarettes to her in a pit-like enclosure.

The group said Shirley seemed to suffer severe mood swings, sometimes looking drowsy and on other occasions appearing "very agitated" without a cigarette.

Authorities last week also reportedly seized a tiger and a baby elephant that was kept chained at the Johor zoo.

It is not clear when Shirley started smoking. Officials have estimated she is around 20 years old. Orangutans, which are native to rainforests in Borneo and Indonesia's Sumatra island, can live up to about 60 years in captivity.

Other countries such as South Africa and Russia have also reported cases of primates learning to smoke after zoo visitors ignored warnings and tossed cigarettes into the cages of chimpanzees.

Greenville prison guard admits smuggling cigarettes, lying

2011-09-16T13:34:00.000+03:00

A guard at the federal prison in Greenville, caught with contraband cigarettes in his pants, pleaded guilty Thursday to five federal charges, admitting he took thousands of dollars of bribes for smuggling.
Just days after Dreaux Michael Perkins started working at the prison in October 2009, he had a conversation with an inmate about his finances. That chat led to a deal, in which Perkins took cash to smuggle contraband cigarettes to the inmate, Khalat J. Alama, who then resold them for a profit to fellow inmates, Perkins' plea agreement says.
One of Alama's relatives wired $600 to Perkins, who lives in Greenville, at a grocery there on June 4, 2010, as payment, his plea says.
On May 12, 2011, Perkins met a woman identified only as "Liz" at a St. Louis restaurant, accepting $2,000 in cash and multiple packs of cigarettes. He then went straight to the Argosy Casino in Alton and gambled away all his bribe money, his plea says.
Perkins was caught with 60 cigarettes in two plastic bags when federal agents searched him at the prison two days later. One was hidden in his underwear; the other in a pocket.
Officials said Perkins lied twice to an FBI agent investigating the case: once, before he was searched, when he denied having any contraband, and again when he denied accepting the $2,000 bribe money.
Perkins pleaded guilty in federal court in East St. Louis of one count of bribery, two counts of honest services wire fraud and two counts of lying to the FBI.
At sentencing Dec. 22, the Army veteran could face 18 to 37 months in prison under federal guidelines, as well as a fine of $4,000 to $60,000.
A Bureau of Prison official said that while Perkins is still employed, it would not be unusual for someone in this situation to be placed on leave and dealt with administratively after the criminal case is resolved.
Alama, 26, has pleaded not guilty. He is serving a sentence of more than 15 years on a drug conspiracy charge and has been moved from the Greenville prison. His lawyer, Robert Herman, declined to comment on the case Thursday.

E-cigarettes face ban on U.S. airline flights

2011-09-16T13:33:00.000+03:00

The government wants to ban electronic cigarettes on airline flights because of concerns about health risks from the vapors.

The Transportation Department is proposing the ban in a rule being published today in the Federal Register, the first step in government regulation.

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, don't burn tobacco. The battery-operated devices offer users a vapor of liquid ingredients, including nicotine.

But the department points to a lack of research into the devices' ingredients that could irritate passengers' eyes and throats as justification for the proposed ban.

"Airline passengers have rights, and this rule would enhance passenger comfort and reduce any confusion surrounding the use of electronic cigarettes in flight," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says.

But Ray Story, chief executive of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, says the effort is unfair while the possible risks of his products are unproven.

Story claims that competitors that make regular cigarettes and products such as nicotine gum or patches were behind the proposed rule.

"Honestly, it's just insane," Story says. "It clearly shows to me that it's motivated by whoever is pulling the biggest purse strings: big tobacco, big pharmaceutical."

A federal ban on smoking in airplanes became law in April 2000. But smoking continues on charter flights.

San Jose Medical Marijuana Dispensary Partners with Cannabis Testing Lab

2011-09-12T13:47:00.002+03:00

Holistic Herbal Healers, a San Jose medical marijuana dispensary, has recently formed a partnership with Pure Analytics, a Santa Rosa-based cannabis testing lab, to have all of their medicine tested to ensure that it is free of harmful chemicals and contaminants, and to inform patients of the medicine's potency.

"We are excited to offer our patients the extra peace of mind that testing by Pure Analytics brings," says the office manager of the San Jose Wellness Center Holistic Herbal Healers. "We are committed to ensuring that all of our medicine is clean and safe."

Pure Analytics tests medical marijuana flowers and edibles to ensure they are free of dangerous pesticides, mold and fungi. They also use chromatographic analysis to verify concentrations of THC, CBD and CBN, the three cannabinoids most associated with marijuana's healing properties.

For medical marijuana flowers and concentrates, Pure Analytics uses gas chromatography, a method where hydrogen is used as a carrier gas that separates the compounds. For edibles and ingestibles, they use high-performance liquid chromatograph testing, which uses a liquid carrier to separate the various components.

THC is the most well-known compound found in medical cannabis. It is the main cause of marijuana's psychoactive effects, and has been shown to be effective in treating chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and the loss of appetite associated with AIDS and cancer treatment, among other uses.

Increasingly, medical marijuana growers and providers are interested in CBD, another cannabinoid that does not cause a psychoactive reaction, but has been shown to help with glaucoma, chronic pain, anxiety, convulsions, dystonia, Alzheimer's disease, and inhibiting cancer cell growth. For patients who do not enjoy or cannot fully function under the effects of THC, strains with high-CBD content are becoming increasingly popular.

"Knowing the exact cannabinoid content helps us recommend the right medicine for each patient's needs," says the office manager of Holistic Herbal Healers.

About Holistic Herbal Healers
Holistic Herbal Healers is a San Jose alternative medicine facility providing medicinal marijuana products and holistic wellness services to patients suffering from physical and mental ailments. Their San Jose medical cannabis dispensary takes pride in serving medical marijuana patients who appreciate an immaculately clean and highly professional medical environment. In addition to medicinal marijuana, they also provide physical treatments including chiropractic care and massage therapy services. Holistic Herbal Healers is conveniently located adjacent to the Oakridge Mall and is easily assessable via major highway and VTA public transportation.

Roll-your-own cigarette machines draw scrutiny

2011-09-12T13:45:00.001+03:00

Lawrence Davis has purchased his last pack of Camel Lights.

After smoking for 36 years, he has no plans to stop. Instead, the West Nashville man has found an alternative to get the Turkish mellow tobacco taste for nearly half the price. He gets his fix at Roll With It smoke shop, which operates an RYO Filling Station that allows customers to pack tubes and tobacco into the roll-your-own machines that assemble the cigarettes and output as many as 25 cigarettes per minute.

The do-it-yourself approach saves the smokers the 62 cents per 20-pack state cigarette tax and the $1.01 per pack federal cigarette tax. The new wave of cigarette technology has already prompted a federal court case, but smokers are singing the praises of the RYO machines, which have been under the state government’s radar until recently.

Davis pays $24 for 200 cigarettes, about half price. “It’s a better, milder taste,” he said. “I know it’s bad for me, but I love it. I never thought about quitting, but when prices started going up the roof, I was looking for a cheaper way.”

RYO Machine Rental LLC provides that cheaper option in 38 U.S. states. In only its third year, the company has grown from a handful of machines in Girard, Ohio, to about 1,500 across the country. The machines have been in Tennessee for the past year, and 14 of the state’s 30 RYO machines are operated in Middle Tennessee.

The new technology offers an updated version of the old practice of hand-rolling cigarettes, said Phil Accordino, president of the Ohio-based company. The customers spend about 10 minutes of their time making their own special blend of cigarettes. The roll-your-own technology has been heralded by local cost-conscious smokers, but the federal government is pushing for more regulation on the business owners that operate the machines.

For nearly a year, RYO Machine Rental LLC and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have been in a legal fight over whether those who run the smoke shops that feature roll-your-own machines should be considered cigarette manufacturers. The designation would require business owners to obtain a permit with the federal Tax and Trade Bureau, which would require additional taxation and record keeping comparable with commercial cigarette manufacturers. The case is pending in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The idea that RYO machines could be compared to commercially operated manufacturing devices is absurd, Accordino said.

“It’s like comparing a horse and buggy to a Ferrari,” he said. “The commercial devices make 20,000 cigarettes per minutes. Ours make about 20 to 25 per minute. It’s just a small improvement to rolling your own. We’ve only created a Model T.”

Accordino sells his machines for $32,500 to state distributors and tobacco shop owners. He started the business after running a mom-and-pop tobacco shop in Girard for about 10 years. The increasing price of packaged cigarettes prompted Accordino to research the roll-your-own concept, he said. Though there are misconceptions that shop owners are evading federal taxes, those who run the RYOs in Tennessee and across the country are subject to taxes like all business owners, Accordino said.

“It’s about competition,” Accordino said. “People are trying to target our small increases in technology because the perception of the large cigarette manufacturers is that we may be real competition some day. This is no different from brewing your own wine or growing vegetables in your backyard. Naturally, people are seeking cheaper alternatives.”

In Tennessee, those shop owners are required to be licensed to distribute tobacco, purchase from a licensed tobacco wholesaler, and pay the 6.6 percent state tobacco tax in addition to other business permitting and taxing, said Billy Trout, Tennessee Department of Revenue spokesman. The tobacco tax, along with the tobacco, tubes and rental of the RYO machine, is factored into the customer’s purchase price.

The state revenue department currently has no concerns about RYO businesses’ taxation or regulations, Trout said.

Roefaro's request leads Hess to remove cigarette lawn signs

2011-09-12T13:38:00.001+03:00

Signs advertising low-priced cigarettes being sold at Hess Corp. were recently removed by the company after Utica Mayor David Roefaro requested that Hess remove advertisements.

The yard signs state “camel Cigarettes. Lowest Price Allowed By Law” and, according to Roefaro, signs send a confusing message to children walking past them on their way to school.

The mayor complimented Hess for “being one of the most manicured and clean gas station chains in Utica” but said he feels “the signs begging for cigarette sales don’t match the corporate image you have built for your company.”

“Hess did the right thing yesterday,” the mayor wrote in a news release. “They heeded the City’s concerns and proved their company puts people over profits. While smoking remains a personal choice, Hess agrees, doing everything possible to curtail the habit in Utica’s youth is priority number one.”

No more cigarettes for smoking Malaysian orangutan

2011-09-12T13:37:00.001+03:00

A Malaysian wildlife official says a captive orangutan often spotted smoking cigarettes given to her by zoo visitors is being forced to kick the habit.

Government authorities seized the adult ape named Shirley from a state-run zoo in Malaysia's southern Johor state last week after she and several other animals there were deemed to be living in poor conditions.
Shirley is now being quarantined at another zoo in a neighboring state and is expected to be sent to a wildlife center on Borneo island within weeks.

Melaka Zoo Director Ahmad Azhar Mohammed said Monday that Shirley is not being provided with any more cigarettes because "smoking is not normal behavior for orangutans."

Hundreds of E-Cigarette Consumers to Convene in Las Vegas

2011-09-12T13:27:00.001+03:00

Friday and Saturday, September 16th and 17th, hundreds of vapers (e-cigarette users) and dozens of e-cigarette vendors from all over the world will meet at "Vegas Vapefest" at the Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas.

National Vapers Club, a consumer-based, volunteer organization formed to educate the public about e-cigarettes hosts the event.

"Response to the event has been amazing." said Spike Babaian, of National Vapers Club. "Vapers and health experts believe e-cigarettes are saving lives. These proponents are up against anti-smokers who criticize e-cigarettes and suggest, without any evidence, that they may be toxic and are being used to addict children to nicotine. Exponential growth of this population shows the product is widely accepted by smokers as a substitute."

Bill Godshall of Smokefree Pennsylvania said, "You would never see a bunch of people who quit smoking using a nicotine patch getting together to express their enthusiasm and excitement about the patch. People are amazed at how easy this device makes it to transition from smoking to vaping."

Event sponsors will demonstrate and sell products at the event. Prizes will be given away all weekend. Smokers are admitted free when trading their winston cigarettes for an e-cigarette at the door.

Jason Cornfeld of Electronicstix.com, in Utah, said, "I can't wait to attend Vegas Vapefest. At previous Vapefests I've really enjoyed meeting customers who aren't close enough to visit our location in Ogden and hearing how they made the switch."

Carl V Phillips MPP PhD of TobaccoHarmReduction.org, attended Philly Vapefest in March and commented, "I am intrigued by the hobbyist aspect of the whole enterprise. There is an amazing collection of variant devices for vaping and an amazing knowledge base about how to make them and the "juice", however, "I still fear for the current smokers who have never heard of vaping, or have been convinced by disinformation from the FDA and others that it is not a sensible alternative to smoking."

British American Tobacco release a stellar set of Interim results

2011-08-29T14:38:00.002+03:00

For the interim period to 30 June 2011, BAT posted a stellar set of results driven by a 54% growth in cigarettes sales volume. Exports (cut rag sales) grew 54%. All this translated to a 88% sales growth. The volume growth can be attributed to the strong brand and improved economic environment.

Operating margins expanded to 15.4% from 10.8% the prior period, resulting in a 638% growth in operating profits. The margin expansion was on the back of improved production efficiencies, pricing strategy and improved cost management. Attributable earnings jumped 1,074% to $2 million. An interim dividend of 10 US cents a share was declared, implying a cover of 1.1x and a dividend yield of 8.5%.

Cash generation was strong with net operating cash flow of $1.4 million, implying a cash interest cover of 6.4x. Net gearing improved to 52% from 90%. Trade debtors were significantly down to $4.7 million from $12.8 million at year end.

Addmore Chakurira of Imara Stockbrokers said they believe the Company is in a good position and trading conditions for the second half are expected to be favourable. BAT has a strong distribution network and brands.

Ratings are undemanding at a prospective PER of 5.0x. The company has a generous dividend policy.

Altria Fires Up Dividend Hike, Riding Smokeless To $30 Stock Price

2011-08-29T14:37:00.001+03:00

On Friday, Altria increased its dividend by 7.9% to $0.41 per common share, making it 45 times in the last 42 years that the company has hiked the dividend. With a set of new product launches in addition to its strong product mix and pricing power, the Altria Group is well positioned to grow in the smokeless tobacco segment.

Altria, previously named Philip Morris Companies Inc., is the parent company of Philip Morris U.S.A, John Middleton, Inc., United States Smokeless Tobacco, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It owns several leading cigarette and smokeless tobacco brands that include Marlboro, Copenhagen, Skoal and Black and Mild.

Altria competes with Reynolds American and Lorillard, two of its biggest competitors in the U.S.

We have a near $29.60 price estimate for Altria Group, Inc., which is about 15% ahead of the current market price.

Smokeless tobacco: The only growing tobacco segment

Smokeless tobacco is the only segment that has been growing for the company in the past several quarters. Altria’s smokeless segment’s revenues grew by 14% in 2010 and is expected to grow by 9% this year. The cigarettes segment, which currently contributes over 70% of tobacco sales in the U.S., is continuously seeing volume declines due to growing health consciousness among consumers, a ban on public smoking as well as high excise taxation on tobacco products and other legislative controls.

Smokeless products, however have come up as an alternative to cigarettes. Not only can they be consumed in places where smoking is banned but are perceived by users as less harmful than traditional cigarettes. In addition they are taxed less than cigarettes (less than 10% compared to more than 40% for cigarettes) for being perceived as products that help people quit smoking.

Menthol smokers find it harder to kick the habit

2011-08-29T14:33:00.005+03:00

New research shows that people who smoke menthol-flavored cigarettes are 9% less likely to quit successfully than people who smoke regular cigarettes, giving ammunition to the push for the Food and Drug Administration to ban menthol additives.

Black and Puerto Rican smokers of menthol cigarettes had an even harder time quitting, said a study released Aug. 15 by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Blacks who smoked menthols were 19% less likely to quit than blacks who smoked unflavored cigarettes. Puerto Rican menthol smokers had a 43% lower quit rate than their nonmenthol-smoking counterparts. The quit rates of other surveyed ethnic groups were about the same as the overall rate.
The findings are based on monthly U.S. Census Bureau surveys of more than 56,000 households between 2003 and 2007. Researchers examined responses of current and former smokers of regular and menthol cigarettes and looked at how many quit successfully, controlling for differences in education, socioeconomic status and other factors.

Although the overall differences in quit rates between menthol and nonmenthol cigarette smokers were not large, they were statistically significant and "suggest there is a robust menthol effect on cessation at the population level," the study said.

Previous research on the effect of menthol cigarettes on quit rates has been mixed, because studies looked at smaller slices of the population, such as patients at smoking-cessation clinics, said Cristine D. Delnevo, PhD, MPH, lead author of the new study. She said physicians should take note of the findings in helping patients who are trying to quit.

US tobacco crop rises, but down from a decade ago

2011-08-29T14:33:00.001+03:00

It's harvest time in much of the nation's tobacco patches and this year's harvest is expected to be among the smallest in at least a decade.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says farmers are expected to produce 726 million pounds of tobacco.
That's up 1 percent from 2010, but down nearly 28 percent from a decade ago when more than 991 million pounds made its way into cigarettes and other products.
Tax hikes, bans, health concerns and social stigma have driven a decline in cigarette sales, but the drop is less stark outside the U.S. Growing markets like Asia are offsetting worldwide declines and contributing greatly to U.S. exports.
Still, experts say this season could be crucial in determining whether tobacco farmers stay in the dwindling and costly business.

Films subsidized by state promote smoking

2011-08-24T10:54:00.000+03:00

Smoking statistics 2011 in U.S.A and other countries, read online.
California taxpayers subsidize major motion pictures that depict smoking, which promotes the unhealthy habit and undermines efforts to keep young people from lighting up, according to UCSF researchers.

In a report published Tuesday in PLoS Medicine, the researchers say the state and other governments may be violating their own health policies and goals when they subsidize or offer tax credits to makers of movies that directly or indirectly promote smoking.

"We have a situation where governments today are now spending taxpayer money to sell cigarettes to kids," said study co-author Stanton Glantz, a UCSF professor of medicine and director of the Smoke Free Movies Project, which is based at the university.

UCSF released the information at the same time California is considering extending the film subsides that began in 2009. AB1069, which would authorize $500 million in subsidies for another five years, is scheduled to be heard Thursday in the state Senate Appropriations Committee.

"U.S. movies with smoking are toxic to kids. They are a major - if not the leading - factor in kids now being recruited to smoke," said Jonathan Polansky, a UCSF consultant and co-author of the article.

About 70 percent of all PG-13 movies subsidized under California's program depict smoking, the researchers found. UCSF officials also cited previous studies from other researchers that estimate exposure to onscreen smoking accounts for 44 percent of all adolescent smokers.

The California Film Commission, which administers the state's Film and Television Tax Credit Program, said the 2009 law requires the group to base eligibility for the credit on the production type, not the content, said Amy Lemisch, the commission's director.

A report by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. found California's Film and Television Tax Credit generated $3.8 billion in economic activity, more than 20,000 jobs and more than $200 million in additional tax revenue in its first two years.

UCSF researchers said no taxpayer money should be used to subsidize films that feature smoking.

Any changes to AB1069 would have to be proposed by lawmakers. Ben Golombek, spokesman for Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, D-Sylmar (Los Angeles County), who wrote the bill, said his office received a letter last week from the American Heart Association concerned about the issue and no amendments to the bill have been proposed.

3 New London businesses found to sell tobacco to minors

2011-08-22T13:30:00.002+03:00

Three city businesses were cited Wednesday for selling tobacco to minors during an unannounced compliance inspection.
The city’s police department, along with the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Tobacco Prevention and Enforcement Program, conducted the inspections.
Under the direction and supervision of DMHAS investigators, an underage youth, employed by the Tobacco Prevention and Enforcement Program, went into the businesses and tried to buy tobacco products.
Twenty-one businesses were found in compliance, according to a news release issued by the New London Police Department.
The clerks in the three stores were issued $200 infractions for sale of tobacco to minors under 18 and the Cigarette Dealer license holder at each also faces additional administrative sanctions from the state Department of Revenue Services.
The three stores found in violation Wednesday include Diaz Grocery at 34 Truman St.; Honey Bee Farms at 298 Bank St.; and Sam’s Food Store (Ravi) at 290 Broad St.

Town receives a 'D' on tobacco report card.

2011-08-22T13:28:00.001+03:00

A coalition of tobacco-free health advocates has given Los Gatos a "D" for its efforts to keep cigarettes and other tobacco products away from teens and young adults. The grade is down from the "B" the town received a year ago. Grading is based on a 100 point scale, with Los Gatos receiving 66 points.

The report cards were based in part on the results of decoy operations that were conducted in 13 Santa Clara County cities and unincorporated county areas. The illegal tobacco sales rate to minors in Santa Clara County now stands at 17.3 percent.

Chamber looks for new town leaders
Residents who are interested in training for a community leadership role are encouraged to apply for the Leadership Los Gatos program. Applications are being accepted now and are available at www.losgatos chamber.com or at the Chamber of Commerce at 10 Station Way. The deadline to apply is Aug. 31.
The program, that starts this fall and runs through June, is aimed at preparing community members to become more involved in town leadership roles.
Students need proof of vaccination

Students who are entering grades 7-12 must show proof that they've been vaccinated against whooping cough or have received a Tdap booster by the time school starts on Aug. 22.
The documentation must be verified by the school before a student can start class next week.
Local pharmacies are offering the boosters or students can get one from their doctors. The Santa Clara County Public Health Department is also offering low cost booster clinics

Prevent dissolvable tobacco products from entering market

2011-08-22T13:27:00.002+03:00

Gov. Terry Branstad recently released a campaign challenging Iowa to become the healthiest state in the country during the next five years. As physicians, we commend this effort.

That said, 50 percent of the campaign is focused on the adoption of healthy behaviors, including eliminating smoking. According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, 4,400 adults die annually in Iowa from smoking. More than $1.01 billion is spent caring for patients throughout Iowa due to tobacco use. We see the long-term effects of tobacco use in our practices every day.

Unfortunately, tobacco is showing up in other forms throughout the country, even here in Linn County. Recently, dissolvable tobacco has been test marketed in Linn County.

As health care providers, we urge the Linn County Board of Supervisors to support upcoming ordinances banning the sale of dissolvable tobacco products and prohibiting buy-one-get-one-free promotions of tobacco products. These products provide another opportunity for Iowans to become addicted to nicotine, which impacts the overall health of our state and incurs significant costs for our community. Also, according to the Harvard School of Public Health (April 20, 2010), dissolvable nicotine products could lead to accidental poisoning.

If we are to become the healthiest state in the country, we need to prevent products like these from entering our market.

Heart disease risk greater for women smokers

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

Smoking is more likely to give women heart disease than men, a study has found.

Toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke may have a more potent effect on women due to biological differences, scientists believe.

US researchers analysed pooled data on around 4 million individuals from 86 studies. After adjusting for other risk factors, they found the increased risk of heart disease linked to smoking was 25% higher for women.

The longer a woman smoked, the greater her heart disease risk was compared with that of a man who had smoked for the same length of time. A woman's extra risk increased by 2% for every additional year she had been smoking.

The findings are published on Thursday in an online edition of The Lancet medical journal.

Authors Dr Rachel Huxley, from the University of Minnesota, and Dr Mark Woodward, from Johns Hopkins University, of Maryland, wrote: "Women might extract a greater quantity of carcinogens and other toxic agents from the same number of cigarettes than men.

"This occurrence could explain why women who smoke have double the risk of lung cancer compared with their male counterparts.

"Physicians and health professionals should be encouraged to increase their efforts at promotion of smoking cessation in all individuals.

"Present trends in female smoking, and this report, suggest that inclusion of a female perspective in tobacco-control policies is crucial."

In the UK, 21% of women and 22% of men smoke cigarettes.

Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "It's alarming to see such a large study confirm that women are so much more at risk of heart disease from smoking than men.

"Despite women generally smoking fewer cigarettes a day than men, women appear to be substantially more at risk of getting heart disease. Biologically, women seem more susceptible to the dangers of smoking and passive smoking.

"There is free support widely available on the NHS to help both men and women quit but more effort needs to be made to encourage women not to smoke in the first place – particularly the many young women who take up this addictive and harmful habit every day.

"This is very timely research as tobacco companies are increasingly targeting women with slim brands and slick packaging."

Russia Getting Tougher On Tobacco

2011-08-22T13:20:00.001+03:00

Around 40% of the Russian population smoke cigarettes, and non-smokers in the country have had enough of them. In their corner, the Russian Health Ministry has decided to draft a harsh anti-smoking law that would ban smoking in public transportation, restaurants and night clubs, the organization’s press office said Friday.

The law is not expected to go into affect until 2014, so by 2015 smokers would be kicked out of Russian cafes, hotels and night clubs if they were lighting up in doors. The draft law also says that prices on cigarettes would be drastically increased and hit with new taxes on buyers and the business itself. The initiative lies within the framework of an overall project aimed to curtail consumption of alcohol and cigarettes in the country within the next few years, Ria Novosti reported.

A pack of Marlboro brand cigarettes sells for under $2.50 in Russia, one of the cheapest tobacco retailers around. Last year, Vladimir Putin proposed a ban on cigarette ads in print by 2012.

Under the current legislation, tobacco advertising is only allowed in some publications. Outdoor ads were banned for the industry in 2007, while tobacco ads on TV and radio have been outlawed since 1996.

Russia is the world’s third largest tobacco market by sales volume, according to the American Cancer Society. All four of the major multinational tobacco companies operate in the country, with all of them investing in facilities, brands, marketing and distribution. Since 2001, local ownership market shares have decreased dramatically from 42% of the market in 2001 to 7% in 2009 as the big multis moved in to dominate share.

Sting catches 13 retailers selling tobacco to minors

2011-08-22T13:19:00.004+03:00

On August 10, 2011, and again on August 18, 2011, the Longview Police Department conducted tobacco stings to test the compliance of Longview area tobacco retailers in regards to Texas tobacco laws. The undercover stings utilized 14-16 year old minors, accompanied by Longview Police Officers, who entered stores and attempted to purchase tobacco products. The stings are funded through a grant issued by the Texas Comptroller’s Office.

The Texas Health and Safety Code states that it is unlawful for a person to sell, give or cause to be sold or given a cigarette or tobacco product to someone who is younger than 18 years of age. A violation of this statute is punishable as a class C misdemeanor and the fine is over $500.00.

Undercover tobacco and alcohol stings have proven to be an effective means of protecting Longview youth by encouraging compliance with Texas laws and will continue on a random basis in the future.

Fire guts tobacco warehouse in RAK

2011-08-22T13:19:00.002+03:00

Firefighters of the Civil Defence of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) extinguished a fire that erupted on Saturday evening in a 2-storey warehouse that was being used for storing tobacco products and cigarettes. The warehouse was located in a building that included residential apartments.

According to Lieutenant Seed Bakr, officer of the management centre at the civil defence department in RAK, they received a call from the police operations room at 10pm on Saturday reporting the fire. Immediately, a team of firefighters was rushed to the site of the fire. On reaching the spot, they found that a warehouse located on two floors of a building that had residential flats, was on fire. The warehouse stocked huge amounts of tobacco products and cigarettes.

Firstly, the firefighting team evacuated the residential flats, the occupants of which were unaware of the fire, keeping them at a safe distance. They then started to extinguish the fire and succeeded in preventing it from spreading to the neighbouring shops and flats. Initial investigations showed that the reason for the fire, which had resulted in serious material losses from burning tobacco products, was a short circuit. No casualties were reported and the incident was referred to the concerned departments, Lieutenant Bakr added.

In another fire, two firemen suffered from suffocation and weariness as they were taking part in extinguishing a fire that had flared up on Friday in a landfill containing huge amounts of remains and waste in Al Suhaila area of RAK. While one of them was provided first aid on the spot, the other was sent to a hospital for treatment.

The operations room of the civil defence had received a tip-off at 12.25pm on Friday reporting a fire in a waste landfill located near a labourers’ accommodation. Instantly, a firefighting team was rushed to the spot.

The team found that the neighbouring houses were affected by the spreading smoke from the blaze. With the help of municipality staff, they managed to put the fire out using water and foam.

Ky. attorney's testimony wanted in tobacco case

2011-08-22T13:01:00.001+03:00

A former attorney for the tobacco industry who testified against his employers is at the center of two Canadian lawsuits alleging that tobacco companies hid the dangers of their products.

Attorneys in Montreal want to take the testimony of David A. Schechter, a former Brown & Williamson vice president and general counsel living in Louisville. The attorneys also want testimony from attorney John Meltzer of London, England, a one-time attorney for British American Tobacco, in class-action lawsuits about how tobacco companies kept and destroyed documents. The lawsuits are set for trial in March.

Schechter will be asked about document policies at Brown & Williamson, which was based in Louisville until 2004, said Bruce Johnston, a Montreal-based attorney. Johnston is also seeking testimony about another company, Imperial Tobacco of Canada, which used a similar policy.

"The object of these policies was to destroy documents to prevent their discovery in litigation," Johnston told The Associated Press.

Johnston represents plaintiff Cecilia Letourneau in the cases against Imperial Tobacco, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges and JTI Macdonald Corp. The lawsuits are similar to cases that played out across the United States in recent decades.

The suit is one of two in Montreal against the tobacco companies brought by smokers who claim smoking-related illnesses from tobacco and that the firms conspired to stop smokers from learning about the addictive nature and dangers of tobacco products.

Schechter did not return several messages from AP. Messages left at Imperial Tobacco and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges also were not returned.

Caroline Evans, a spokeswoman for JTI Macdonald, declined to address Schechter's possible testimony.

"We are looking forward to presenting our case in court," Evans said in an email.

Canadian Judge Brian Riordan, at the behest of Johnston and other plaintiffs' attorneys, sent a request Aug. 3 to U.S. District Court in Louisville for a subpoena for Schechter's testimony. A similar request has been made of the British courts for Meltzer's testimony.

The request asks that the American court system help locate and make Schechter available for questioning, with his testimony to be recorded and admitted at trial in Canada.

Schechter surfaced in the Canadian case because he testified in 2006 that tobacco companies created document retention and destruction policies in the 1990s aimed at getting rid of anything that could be used against them in a lawsuit.

"Keeping the documents out of the hands of Canadian litigants is one possibility," Schechter testified. "... Well, the other purpose would have been to keep them out of the hands of the Canadian government, which is more likely."

Johnston said Schechter's testimony about the document destruction is a key to his case.

"That's really what we're after," Johnston said.

Tossed cigarettes lead to lockdown, arrests

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

A pack of cigarettes and a stolen automatic weapon got a Wilson man and a Farmville man arrested Friday.

Stantonsburg Police Chief John Hunt said Christopher Leon Ormond, 38, of 501 Walton St. and Elton Ray Harris, 26, of 71 Dunwoody Lane, Farmville were arrested and charged with felony possession of a stolen firearm. Pending the outcome of further investigation, more charges could be forthcoming. No bond information was available by presstime.

The incident began when Ormond and Harris pulled up outside the chain-link fence at the Maury Correctional Institute in Greene County.

Hunt said one of the men exited the vehicle and threw a pack of cigarettes over the fence.

“When the call came into 911, the person that saw the man jump into the passenger side of the SUV thought the man had jumped the fence and escaped from the prison,” Hunt said.

Information about the make, model and license tag was obtained from the witness and a search was on for the vehicle.

“We were told that the vehicle was headed toward Wilson County,” Hunt said. “At the time, we thought we had a prison escapee.”

Hunt said the vehicle was spotted and after backup from the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and Greene County deputies were called in, a vehicle stop was initiated at the Hasty Mart on N.C. 58.

“We got the two suspects out of the vehicle and put them in handcuffs,” Hunt said. “That’s when we began searching the vehicle and we found an assault rifle.”

Hunt said during the search they were told by N.C. Department of Correction officials all of the inmates at Maury were accounted for.

“They initiated a lockdown of their facility and did a headcount,” Hunt said.

While running the serial number on the weapon, it was determined the firearm was stolen.

“What really happened was that one of these men knew someone that was being housed in that prison,” Hunt said. “So they threw a pack of cigarettes over the fence for them. That’s how this all got started.”

Hunt said quick thinking and great teamwork facilitated the arrest.

“I’m very proud of my staff,” he said. “We try to model our professionalism after the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office. We are not going to tolerate any felony behaviors in our community. I’m very proud of my officers and I couldn’t ask for a better crew.”

Hunt also credited the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina Department of Correction personnel for their participation.

This isn’t the first brush with law enforcement for either Ormond or Harris.

Ormond was convicted in April and placed on probation through an interstate compact for a non-North Carolina offense for felony receiving or possessing a firearm. In 2008, he also received probation for misdemeanor possession of stolen goods.

Harris’ conviction record is a little longer. Between 2003 and 2010, Harris either received prison time or probation for driving while impaired, driving while license revoked, two counts of misdemeanor possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance, two counts of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of felony possession of stolen goods, one count of felony receiving of stolen goods and eight counts of misdemeanor larceny.

He has charges currently pending in Pitt County for misdemeanor resisting a public officer and in Greene County for driving while impaired and driving while license revoked.

Hackett on Politics: State won’t get cigarette taxes from me anymore

2011-08-15T13:01:00.002+03:00

It will be another month before the state Department of Revenue has figures showing how much additional revenue Connecticut gained in July from the increase in the cigarette tax that took effect July 1.
But what I can tell you today is that, since July 1, I’ve contributed $136 in taxes as part of my contribution to the shared sacrifices. It would have been a bit higher except I stocked up the final week of June to avoid the 40-cent per-pack increase.
Unfortunately for the state, my shared sacrifice ends there. As of today, I quit.
It’s a long-proven fact that an increase in the cigarette tax will result in a percentage of smokers giving up the habit. But this newfound health awareness on my part is not motivated by the financial impact — although I will admit the $304 per month I’ll be saving by not buying Beverly cigarettes (yes, that’s per month) will more than offset the slight decline in my paycheck due to the increase in state income-tax withholding.
No, the reason for quitting is due solely to an unplanned visit to the emergency room last week.
On Tuesday morning, I experienced four separate episodes of rather intense chest pain over a 90-minute span — and by intense I mean clutch-your-chest, take-your-breath-away and sit-you-back-in-your-chair pain.
The fact that it took four separate episodes in an hour and a half to come to the realization that maybe I shouldn’t ignore what was going on is a testament to just how stubborn — and stupid — I can be at times.
Denial is a wonderful thing, but only if it works — and clearly that morning it wasn’t, and eventually I had to acknowledge that I’m a 61-year-old, white male who has been smoking for more than 42 years, and maybe it was finally catching up to me.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a heart attack.
But despite getting the all clear in the emergency room, the hospital opted to keep me overnight for observation and a stress test the following morning, which I passed. (And I’ll probably need some of my newfound disposable income to pay the bill for that.)
The actual cause of the my discomfort is yet to be determined, and some follow-up is necessary. What is pretty clear is that all those years of smoking haven’t done me much good. And to be honest, if that discomfort I experienced is not what a heart attack feels like, I have no real desire to find out what one does feel like.
But all of that is still only partially the reason for the decision to finally quit.
The real reason is that despite being difficult at times to be around (see references above to being stubborn and stupid), there are a lot of people I care about very much who wish to have me around for a little longer — some even want me around a lot longer.
So, I’m quitting as of today. It won’t be easy, but going public with it adds that little extra motivation (pressure) to succeed. As noted above, I can be a bit stubborn at times, so I’ll just set my mind to it, dig my heels in and simply refuse to fail. That I can do.
But I’m not completely abandoning my responsibility to participate in the shared sacrifices being asked of all of us to help the state with its decades-long habit of spending. I still plan to contribute.
After all, with all that extra cash now, I can afford to upgrade the quality of the red wine that I’m not giving up.

Smokers avoid cigarette tax

2011-08-15T13:00:00.000+03:00

Kentucky budget officials predict a nearly 20 percent decline in revenue from the cigarette tax this year. That adds up to millions in lost revenue. But that doesn't mean fewer people are smoking.
For every pre-packaged cigarette you buy in Kentucky, 60 cents goes straight to the state.
But if you buy the tobacco itself, along with paper to roll your own, you avoid the so-called sin tax and still get to smoke.
Kane Dycus of "Cigarettes For Less" said more of his customers are passing up pre-packaged cigarettes. They're buying pipe tobacco and rolling their own.
"It's five dollars a pack of cigarettes versus four dollars for this," Monica Whalen said.
To Whalen it just makes sense.
"This lasts him probably a week to where a pack of cigarettes last him probably a day," Whalen said.
But to customer Sue Kadow it doesn't make quite as much sense.
"It's messy and aggravating and it takes time," Kadow said.
"Rolling your own" is too much trouble for her. She'd rather pay the taxes, although taxes tick her off.
"They really have it out for the smokers. We dont pick on the drinkers or drug addicts or obese people," Kadow said.
She said the state is picking on smokers and that it may backfire if more people ditch the cartons and start rolling their own.
"When you're addicted, you dont care what you smoke as long as you smoke," she said.
Kentucky's cigarette tax isn't that expensive when you compare it to some of the other states. The average tobacco tax is $1.46 per pack.
Missouri's tobacco tax is one of the lowest in the nation, at 17 cents per carton.

Cigarette to blame for starting Northwest Austin apartment fire

2011-08-15T12:56:00.001+03:00

As smoke and flames shot through the roof of their neighbors' Northwest Austin apartment, Renee Coats and Tim Schupmann sprang into action.
“I saw flames and smoke and called 911,” said Coats. “Then I ran and kicked on doors, knocked on doors and tried to get everybody out.”
“I got the hose and I started spraying [the fire], said Schupmann. “I didn't realize how much it got into the fireplace chute.”
The fire swept through building 3 of the Woodstone Apartments around 2 PM Saturday.
Fabian Rosado and his dog Rico, escaped unharmed.
“I was napping and Rico started barking and woke me up,” said Rosado.
Rosado grabbed the most important thing to him before he got out.
“My mom’s picture,” he said. “Everything else can be replaced.”
Firefighters arrived within minutes and started battling the flames. Twenty-seven crews quickly had the fire under control. They kept the flames from spreading through the entire complex.
Investigators say a cigarette left on the second story balcony started the fire. They say this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
“Once again as we have seen too many times in the past several weeks, we're looking at a smoking related fire,” said Austin Battalion Chief Thayer Smith.
This month alone cigarettes are to blame for at least four fires.
“It's getting to the point this is a significant problem that we need to talk to the public about,” said Smith.
Three apartments were damaged, forcing three residents to find a new place to live. The total cost of the fire is estimated at $85,000. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. No one else was hurt.
Firefighters recommend people who smoke on balconies, bring a glass bottle filled with water to put out their cigarettes properly.

Smoking protects against Parkinson's disease

2011-08-05T13:30:00.001+03:00

Smoking cigarettes may have at least one upside. French scientists say nicotine appears to protect people from developing Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers with the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epiniere, Hospital de la Salpetriere in Paris are not encouraging people to take up the otherwise deadly habit, but they say the discovery could lead to entirely new treatments for the neurological disease.

They said that nicotine had the potential to rescue dopamine neurons from progressive loss, which is a hallmark of the disease.

The findings suggest that it may be possible to develop novel therapies for Parkinson’s disease that target nicotine receptors in the brain.

But the researchers stress that smoking is extremely hazardous to one’s health and people should do all they can to kick the habit, or not start at all.

“If you are a smoker, don’t get too excited. Even is smoking protects you from Parkinson’s, you might not live long enough to develop the disease because smoking greatly increases the risk for deadly cancers and cardiovascular diseases. But now, we should be able to find non-toxic ways to hit the same target,” Dr. Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’s journal, said in a statement.

Bar owners divided on smoking ban for patios

2011-08-05T13:28:00.002+03:00

The smoke may have cleared over lighting up in workplaces and public spaces, but a new fire has ignited the debate among restaurant and bar owners.

While municipal politicians consider a possible smoking ban on outdoor patios, some local business owners are divided on the issue.

"I'm not in favour of it . . . not because I approve of smoking, but because I approve of choice," said John Lechlitner, owner of Cecil's Eatery and Beer Society.

He said that's why he has a patio at the back of his businesses for customers who smoke, as well as a covered veranda at the front of the establishment for those who don't.

City council agreed Tuesday to direct staff to work with the health unit to examine possible smoking ban on outdoor patios at restaurants and bars.

Lechlitner suggested such a ban would send a message to travellers that North Bay is "closed for business," especially when they will have the option of going to nearby communities such as Callander or Mattawa and to light up on an outdoor patio.

He said business that want to prohibit smoking on patios have that choice.

"If you think it's good for business — do it," he said.

But Lechlitner believes banning people from smoking on outdoor patios will create difficulties for businesses such his by pushing smokers out onto the streets.

He said that will make it even tough to monitor drinks and clean up after patrons.

Jo-Ann Rick, owner of Don Cherry's Sports Grill, said if her customers who smoke aren't permitted to light up on the outdoor patio, they will be likely be in the parking lot a few feet away.

"That's unsafe," she said, sharing Lechliner's concerns about added difficultly in monitoring customers.

The city adopted a city-wide ban prohibiting lighting up in all workplaces and public places in 2004, making its restaurants and bars smoke free two years before the province introduced the Smoke Free Ontario Act.

After seven years, Rick said smokers don't mind going outside to light up. And she said most are courteous when it comes to puffing around non-smokers.

Smoking Withdrawal Shows Up in Brain Mood Centers

2011-08-05T13:25:00.002+03:00

Changes in brain areas that control mood may explain why some heavy smokers become depressed after they quit smoking, which increases their risk of resuming smoking.

That's the finding of Canadian researchers who conducted PET brain scans on 24 nonsmokers, 12 moderate smokers (15 to 24 cigarettes a day) and 12 heavy smokers (25 or more cigarettes a day).

The scans revealed that after quitting smoking, heavy smokers had an elevation of the enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) in regions of the brain that regulate mood, such as the prefrontal cortex (24 percent increase) and the anterior cingulate cortex (33 percent increase).

Previous research has linked elevated MAO-A with depression.

Researchers did not find increased levels of MAO-A, which metabolizes mood-enhancing chemicals, in nonsmokers or moderate smokers after they kicked the habit.

The heavy smokers also reported experiencing a depressed mood after they quit smoking winston.

The study appears in the August issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

"Understanding the neurobiology of heavy cigarette smoking is important because those who smoke heavily are much more likely to have major depressive disorder and to experience medical complications resulting from cigarette smoking," wrote Ingrid Bacher and colleagues at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto in a journal news release.

They recommended clinical trials to test the effects of MAO-A- inhibiting drugs in heavy smokers immediately after they quit smoking.

Bar owner cited for violating smoking ban

2011-08-05T13:17:00.001+03:00

A Sheboygan bar owner was cited Tuesday for violating the state smoking ban, though he contends a smoking room at his Michigan Avenue bar complies with state law.

Curt Hinz received a citation for allowing smoking in a public place by owner, becoming one of the first people in Sheboygan cited for violating the smoking ban, police said. The citation was issued about 11:20 p.m. at Vreeke's Tavern, 935 Michigan Ave.

But Hinz, who owns and operates Vreeke's, said the smoking occurred in a designated smoking room on the south end of the building. He said the roughly 15-by-30 room has two walls with windows covering more than 25 percent of the surface area.

"We have followed the guidelines of the smoking ban and the building codes to build a smoking room," Hinz said.

State law, which went into effect in July 2010, essentially bans indoor smoking in all public places, including bars and restaurants. But the Legislature amended the law to allow for smoking areas with a roof and no more than two substantial walls.

The law defines substantial walls as those having openings that comprise less than 25 percent of the surface area.

"The officer who conducted the inspection indicates that it's not in compliance and it's not an authorized smoking area," said Capt. Steve Cobb of the Sheboygan Police Department.

Cobb said he could not find a record of any prior smoking ban citations in the city but can't say with certainty it's the city's first because of a recent software changeover. The Sheboygan/Kohler Municipal Court did not immediately respond to a request for citation records.

The construction of smoking rooms drew controversy in Sheboygan after the Common Council passed an ordinance that was criticized as restrictive and confusing. The ordinance defined smoking rooms similarly to state law but also stipulated tobacco smoke not travel into areas commonly used by patrons.

The ordinance was replaced in June with one that matches state law.

State statute calls for a $100 fine for each violation, though it says a warning notice must be given for the first violation. Cobb said Hinz had been warned.

Hinz owns Vreeke's with his wife, Penny. The couple also owns two other Sheboygan taverns, Bourbon Street Pub & Grill and What's Up.

Smoking and excess weight shrinks the brain

2011-08-05T13:16:00.000+03:00

The effects may lead to impaired thinking up to a decade later, say US scientists.

Smoking and high blood pressure also led to increases in "white matter hyperintensities", small lesions or areas of brain damage.

"Our findings provide evidence that identifying these risk factors early in people of middle age could be useful in screening people for at-risk dementia and encouraging people to make changes to their lifestyle before it's too late," said study author Charles DeCarli, from the University of California at Davis.

The study involved 1,352 dementia-free individuals with an average age of 54 who were given magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans over a 10-year period.
People with high blood pressure were found to develop white matter hyperintensities faster than those with normal pressure readings.

They also had a more rapid worsening of scores on tests of planning and decision-making.

Those with diabetes in middle age lost brain volume in the hippocampus, a brain region vital to memory, at a faster rate than those without diabetes.

Smokers lost brain volume overall and were also likely to suffer a rapid increase in vascular brain lesions.

Obese participants were more likely to be in the top 25 per cent of people with a faster rate of decline in scores for tests of planning and decision making.

Four Arrested Smoking Drugs With Baby In Apartment

2011-08-05T13:14:00.001+03:00

Officers arrested four people Wednesday in Spokane Valley for smoking oxycodone in an apartment while a one-month-old baby was in the residence.
Wednesday morning officers arrested the baby's father and grandfather along with two others in a case where both a new and unborn baby were present while people in Benjamin Crocker-Beck's apartment were apparently doing drugs.
"The home was so full of smoke dunhill that they actually had to leave the doors open and vent the smoke out the window before they could perform their job and yet in the midst of all the that contamination was a one-month old baby," Spokane County Sheriff's Sergeant Dave Reagan said.

Authorities say they found several people smoking oxycodone while one of the suspects' infant was present.
"The abuse of these drugs are not only impacting these people but they are impacting their children," SGT. Reagan said.
Along with Crocker-Beck officers arrested three others at the apartment for possession including a pregnant woman. Officers say 25-year-old Samantha Cumpton, who is 10-weeks pregnant, admitted to smoking oxycodone right before they arrived.
Cumpton, who admitted in a jailhouse interview that she has used drugs in the past and been in jail, claimed she wasn't smoking.
"Police knocked on the door and arrested everyone for possession even though I had nothing on me," she said.
Cumpton says that there were people smoking and that the baby was in another room in the apartment, adding that she "was hanging out with the wrong people."
Officials say it is tough to deal with situations like this when kids and drugs are mixed together.
"It is incredibly frustrating with everyone involved with children that people would treat them this way but that is the power of addiction," SGT. Reagan said.
All four of the suspects arrested Wednesday were in court Thursday. One was later released with the other three are out on bond. The baby is safe and in the hands of CPS,

Cuts to anti-smoking work shortsighted

2011-08-05T13:05:00.001+03:00

While Lance Armstrong and other anti-cancer advocates were in Carroll promoting tobacco cessation and other wellness initiatives, the Branstad administration was hard at work undercutting their efforts.

I was dismayed to learn that Iowa Department of Public Health Director Mariannette Miller-Meeks quietly fired Bonnie Mapes, administrator of the Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control. Miller-Meeks has told some members of the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Commission that she intends to seek legislation to disband the division entirely and that she has little interest in developing effective tobacco control policy, despite a statutory responsibility to do so.

Iowa’s Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control is a national model for cancer prevention. According to the American Cancer Society, Iowa’s anti-smoking efforts have resulted in a 24 percent drop in coronary heart disease, an 8 percent drop in heart attacks and a 5 percent drop in strokes.

Iowa is now No. 2 in the nation for the lowest adult smoking rate, and youth smoking rates dropped 13 percentage points from 2000-2008. Despite these remarkable successes, smoking remains the No. 1 cause of death in our state, killing 4,400 Iowans each year.

If Iowa is serious about fighting cancer, we can’t afford to undermine prevention efforts. If you’re among the 68 percent of Iowans who believe the state should support tobacco cessation efforts, I encourage you to make your voice heard before it’s too late.

— State Sen. Herman Quirmbach, ex-officio member of the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Commission, Ames

Petra, hookah cafe, to be smoking soon on Worthington Street in Springfield

2011-08-01T16:57:00.000+03:00

Springfield’s entertainment district has drawn many a social trend: jazz clubs, cigar bars, brick oven pizzas, martini bars, ale houses, nouveau American fare.

Enter the hookah cafe.

The Middle Eastern-inspired, ultra-hip vogue that has crept into the social landscape of cities across the nation is coming to this city in the form of “Petra,” a hookah bar set to open at 270 Worthington St. in September.

Owner Yazan Al-asad, 33, a native of Jordan, said he believes Springfield is ripe for the trend since the Arabic population is growing in this area and he has recently met many hookah fans from all ethnic backgrounds – particularly college students.

Hookahs are a centuries-old tradition in Al-asad’s native Jordan and other parts of the Arab world, but have crept more recently into the North American consciousness. Patrons can smoke flavored tobacco from individual or communal hookahs, heated by water and charcoal.

“I saw it in Boston and Worcester and Connecticut, so I thought of doing it here in Springfield ... I’ve met lots of people from here who go all the way to Hartford to smoke a hookah,” Al-asad said during an interview at the site, in the middle of renovations to resemble Petra, a historical city in Jordan carved out of rock.

Petra has been described by a poet as a “rose-red city half as old as time” and was cited by the BBC among “40 places you should see before you die.”

To that end, the proposed Springfield cafe (formerly Distil) now has an exterior marked by rose-red columns after its namesake and the interior is shaping up with a similar theme. Al-asad said the cafe will be filled with tables and offer a menu of flavored tobacco, cigars, soft drinks, coffee and tea. He also plans to add flat-screen televisions and have Arabic and American music piped in through overhead speakers.

Al-asad successfully sought state permits to get around the smoking ban, which required him to prove at least 51 percent of his sales will come from tobacco products. He must get an additional permit from the city’s office of Health and Human Services.

Hookah bars have proliferated in New York, Greater Boston and Connecticut, despite smoking bans.

Director Helen Caulton-Harris said Al-asad filed an application with the city in June and the site will be inspected once renovations are complete.

Victor C. Bruno, owner of the 50,000-square-foot city block from 250 Worthington St. to Dwight Street, said the hookah bar will be a welcome tenant in a club quarter he is trying to diversify. Bruno said it will enhance the dining and cocktails roster he is working to rebuild in the club quarter.

“It’ll be great for the after dinner crowd and there won’t be any liquor served so it satisfies the mayor’s request on that front,” Bruno said, referring to Mayor Domenic J. Sarno’s push to bring more full-service restaurants to the downtown as opposed to nightclubs.

Bruno said he is trying to revive that stretch of Worthington Street with features such as an outdoor patio and live music at his restaurant, Adolfo’s, plus valet parking for all the night spots in that block.

Al-asad said hookah or “shisha” bars are an entrenched social tradition in the Middle East, primarily for older people until tobacco in flavors such as apple, strawberry, grape became popular in the late 1990s.

Tobacco In Connecticut: A Story of Change

2011-08-01T16:31:00.002+03:00

Despite the best efforts of the editors of theOxford English Dictionary, it isn’t often that an exact date can be established for the coining of a new word (or neologism) in the English language. Such is the case, however, with the word "entheogen," which was born in 1979.

Scholars of mythology such as Carl A. P. Ruck – a Boston University professor of classics and native of Connecticut – coined the term "entheogen" to describe psychoactive plants used in a religious context to bring about an altered state of consciousness. The term first appeared in Ruck’s book, The Road To Eleusis: Unveiling The Secret of the Mysteries, and was deliberately chosen to distinguish substances used ritualistically in a religious context from the recreationally used, mind altering plants and substances implied by the terms "hallucinogenic" and "psychedelic," which have strong connections to escapist pop culture of the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Derived from two Greek words – entheos(meaning "full of god") and genesthai (meaning "to bring about") – an entheogen is a substance used in a ritualistic, religious context to bring about a connection to the divine within an individual or group of individuals. Such a substance was tobacco to the aborigines of Connecticut – the Native American Indian tribes who had once lived here in abundance.

But just like other substances such as cannabis and mescaline (which also had their origins rooted in a ritualistic, religious context) tobacco also became more popular for its recreational use than for its spiritual use. In fact, it soon evolved into a cash crop consciously cultivated for recreational use by the European settlers who supplanted the Native Americans.

"Tobacco Valley," a 61-mile stretch of land running from Portland, CT, to the Brattleboro, VT, area (see featured photo) has historically been and still remains an economic force in Connecticut.

Windsor is home to the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum on 135 Lang Road in the Northwest Park section of town. Endowed by money from a trust fund established by Windsor resident John E. Luddy, the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Historical Society was founded in 1988 to preserve the history and artifacts of the tobacco industry in Connecticut. The museum itself consists of two buildings: one, a replica of a tobacco barn filled with implements and machinery used over the years; the other, an exhibition center used to exhibit photographs, advertising, and documents relating to the tobacco industry in Connecticut. By viewing the exhibits and reading the accompanying literature, one can arrive at a very good understanding of the history of the tobacco industry in Connecticut.

According to the museum’s curator, Jay Jackman of Enfield, when we talk about Connecticut tobacco, we are talking about tobacco grown exclusively for cigars. Wild tobacco – the kind used by the Native American Indians of Connecticut – still grows in places near the river. He described that as "harsh" tobacco that is mainly used as a pesticide. Revolutionary War hero Israel Putnam of Connecticut was the first to bring back cultivated tobacco from the Caribbean to the Nutmeg State in 1763. Since then various types of tobacco have been grown in the valley, but two types have historically predominated: broadleaf and shade-grown tobacco. Both types have been used for the outer two layers of a cigar – the binder and the wrapper. Jackman claims that Connecticut-grown tobacco used for binders and wrappers is "the best in the world."

Even Cuban cigars – supposedly the finest in the world – use Connecticut tobacco for their outer two layers; though trading directly with Cuba is prohibited by law, Cuba is able to obtain Connecticut tobacco "indirectly" from other countries.

San Diego votes to repeal medical marijuana rules

2011-07-26T14:08:00.001+03:00

The San Diego City Council has voted to repeal rules that required the city's roughly 160 medical marijuana dispensaries to shut down and apply for operating permits.

The San Diego Union-Tribune says the council on Monday voted 6-2 to rescind the rules adopted four months ago rather than pay as much as an estimated $1 million on a public vote on the issue.

A coalition of medical marijuana advocates forced the issue when they announced they'd collected enough signatures from registered voters to place a repeal on a future ballot.

The decision leaves the city with no comprehensive policies regarding where or how a collective can operate legally.

Summary Box: Reynolds American 2Q profit falls

2011-07-26T13:59:00.002+03:00

Cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc. said its second-quarter profit fell almost 11 percent to $304 million, chiefly on charges related to a legal case. Excluding those charges, its earnings rose 2 percent as higher prices and smokeless tobacco gains offset cigarette volume declines.
FEWER CIGARETTES: The nation's second-biggest tobacco company and maker of Camel, Pall Mall and Natural American Spirit cigarettes said it sold 4.4 percent fewer cigarettes than last year's quarter.
PALL MALL, GRIZZLY GAINS: It sold 15 percent more of its Pall Mall cigarettes. It also sold 4.7 percent more of its Grizzly smokeless tobacco.

Robber Takes Cash, Cigarettes in Convenience Store Hold-Up

2011-07-26T13:49:00.000+03:00

Springfield police are looking for a man who robbed a north Springfield Kum & Go store early Tuesday morning.

It happened at the store at the corner of National and Division about 12:30 Tuesday morning.
Police say a man walked up to the clerk and demanded cigarettes.

The clerk gave him cigarettes after the suspect reached behind his back.
The suspect then demanded money, stuffed the money in his backpack and left the store.

He was last seen heading north on national on a blue mountain bike.

Police say the suspect is a black male with short black hair.

He was wearing a black shirt, blue jean shorts and a black back pack.

WTO approves pro-PHL ruling in tobacco row with Thailand

2011-07-19T15:40:00.002+03:00

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body has adopted a ruling that upholds Philippine claims that Thailand has failed to respect its tobacco-related WTO commitments, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.

This development is the final step in the dispute settlement proceedings, the DFA noted.

The panel ruling is connected to the complaint that the Philippines filed before the WTO in 2008, saying Bangkok violated WTO rules to protect its state-owned tobacco monopoly by designating higher customs values for Philippine cigarette exports and jacking up the maximum retail prices on imported cigarettes.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Philippines welcomes and is satisfied with the adoption of the panel and appellate body reports on the dispute.

“The Philippines prevailed on virtually all the claims it made in this dispute. But this is not about counting victories. This is about providing fair treatment for Philippine exports that directly and indirectly benefit many Filipinos from leaf growing through to manufacturing," del Rosario said.

Del Rosario also said the Philippine’s objective for initiating the dispute was “to end discriminatory treatment, and to put exporting trade back on the secure and predictable ground of the rule of WTO law."

Safeway Loses Tobacco Ban Lawsuit in San Francisco

2011-07-19T15:39:00.000+03:00

Safeway’s lawsuit against a San Francisco tobacco ban was dismissed on Friday after the grocery store chain claimed that the law was unconstitutional. The Board of Supervisors initially enacted the law in 2008 that prohibited the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies. According to CBS News San Francisco, the ban was the first of its kind in the U.S.

Safeway filed the lawsuit in February, claiming that the ban hurts business and is unconstitutional. There are 10 Safeway grocery stores in the San Francisco area that contain pharmacies, says CBS News.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken dismissed the case on Friday, stating that the current law is a reasonable, constitutional measure to protect public health.

“Those who operate pharmacies have chosen to participate in our health care delivery system, and that should not include the delivery of cigarettes,” said San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, as quoted by CBS News.

Judge Wilken’s decision comes at a disappointment for Safeway, and the company is deciding on whether they should appeal the ruling or not. Such a process can start as early as next week.

Hear the tobacco firms squeal

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

A useful indicator of the effectiveness of anti-smoking measures is the volume of tobacco company squealing.

The more noise they make, the more they are feeling the pinch. On that basis, the Australian Government's plan to force them to sell their products in plain, brand-less packaging is a roaring success.

Philip Morris, the manufacturer of Marlboro, Alpine and Long Beach cigarettes, has served notice of its intention to use an obscure clause in a little-known bilateral investment treaty with Hong Kong to sue the Australian Government for loss of business. It estimates the claim could amount to billions of dollars. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has responded by saying she is not going to be intimidated by "big tobacco's tactics".

Good for her. The New Zealand Government should follow suit. As the Maori Affairs select committee reported last year: "Tobacco is an addictive and hazardous product which, if used as recommended by the manufacturer, results in the premature death of half of its long-term users."

Other products such as alcohol and motor vehicles also cause widespread death and misery but only when misused. Tobacco, in contrast, cannot be used safely.

If the removal of tasteful colours and stylised brand names reduces the allure of cigarettes to customers, particularly the young, then they should be removed.

Every person deterred from smoking represents a potential life saved and a saving to the health system.

According to the Maori Affairs committee, which last year recommended sweeping new measures to make New Zealand smokefree by 2025, tobacco kills about 5000 people annually, and is the greatest preventable cause of death and illness in New Zealand.

Even Philip Morris concedes there is no such thing as a safe cigarette.

To quote from the website of its American division: "Philip Morris USA agrees with the overwhelming medical and scientific consensus that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and other serious disease in smokers."

Faced with such an admission, governments have a responsibility to discourage an immoral trade.

Threats of legal action should not deter them. Investment treaties can be renegotiated. Tobacco's victims cannot be restored to good health.

Governments should not allow themselves to be held to ransom by the manufacturers of products that do no good and immense harm.

On another level, Philip Morris' legal threats serve as a warning to those involved in the negotiation of international trade and investment agreements. Keep a close eye on the fine print.
There is much to be gained from removing barriers to trade and investment, but the right to make decisions that are genuinely in the public interest should not be traded away.

In praise of ... freedom of speech

It's easy to defend free speech when you agree with what someone is saying.

It's much harder when you disagree or find their views repugnant or personally offensive. The great shame in the row over Macsyna King's book on her murdered infant twins Chris and Cru Kahui is that nobody demanding it be banned actually knows what it says.

More than 45,000 people have backed a Facebook page calling for a boycott of the book not because of its content, but because of who it is by.

That is disturbing. Paper Plus and The Warehouse will not stock Breaking the Silence: The Kahui Case, citing the outcry. That is their choice, but it is disappointing the chains have given in to what author Ian Wishart has branded a lynch-mob mentality.

Serious questions remain about the deaths of the Kahui infants, and there's no doubt Ms King was a woeful mother. But she has not been charged with any crime, let alone convicted.

That may outrage those who believe mothers bear ultimate responsibility for their children's safety, but it is a fact. As Families Commission member Christine Rankin noted, the book may give valuable insights into the violent, deprived hell into which too many families are sucked, helping combat child abuse.

That is an appropriate standard by which it should be judged.

Philip Morris to sue if Australia puts all cigarettes in plain green wrappers

2011-07-07T11:02:00.000+03:00

Marlboro manufacturer Philip Morris International is threatening to sue the Australian government for billions of dollars over its plan to be the first country to introduce plain, brand-free packaging for cigarettes.

The row is being closely followed by politicians in Britain, Canada and New Zealand, where similar plans to curtail cigarette branding are being considered.

The Australian government has drawn up some of the world's strictest restrictions for cigarette packaging. From January 2012 it plans to stop manufacturers showing logos, branding, colours and promotional text on tobacco packaging.

Cigarette packets will be a drab, olive-green colour that research has shown is unattractive to smokers. The box will also show graphic images depicting the health consequences of smoking on the front and back.

Branding will be restricted to the name of the manufacturer and the name of the product displayed in a standard size and type of lettering.

British American Tobacco (BAT), one of the largest cigarette firms in Australia, has already said it plans a legal challenge to the proposals, which have yet to be formally released. A spokeswoman said BAT would wait for the legislation to be issued before making any move.

Philip Morris Asia is the parent company of the Marlboro firm's Australian outpost. It claims Canberra's proposals will violate its intellectual property rights and is taking legal action using Australia's bilateral investment treaty with Hong Kong. The rules are designed to protect investments made by Asian companies against discriminatory treatment.

"If no mutually agreeable solution is found, then it proceeds to us seeking compensation. We estimate the damage will potentially amount to billions of Australian dollars," a spokeswoman for Philip Morris Asia told Dow Jones Newswires.

"Brands are valuable intellectual property and form the basis of consumer goods businesses like ours. If we are banned from using them, our business in Australia will become commoditised and its value will be significantly impacted.

"The Australian government does not have an unfettered right to confiscate [our] valuable intellectual property. Moreover, the government has failed to demonstrate that plain packaging will reduce smoking prevalence."

The company has nominated Singapore as a venue for the initial talks.

The Australian government pledged to fight any legal action. The prime minister, Julia Gillard, said: "We're not going to be intimidated by Big Tobacco's tactics, whether they're political tactics, whether they're public affairs kind of tactics out in the community, or whether they're legal tactics. We're not taking a backward step. We've made the right decision and we'll see it through."

The Australian health minister, Nicola Roxon, said the government's legal advice was strong. "We won't be frightened off by threats of legal action," she said. "We will fight that action."

The Australian moves come as the UK prepares to tighten its rules on cigarette packets, with plain packaging under consideration.

Last week, the US government unveiled its new packaging rules, which force tobacco firms to print harrowing images of the health consequences of smoking on cigarette boxes.

Martin Dockrell, director of research and policy at anti-smoking group Ash, said he expected the Australian suit to be the first of many as governments around the world tighten up the rules on cigarette packaging.

"Plain packaging would make a tremendous difference and that's why the tobacco industry is fighting so hard to stop it," Dockrell said.

"Legal action is a standard delaying device for them. They are going to throw huge amounts of money into this."

Philip Morris is already pursuing a claim against Uruguay for the latter's tough rules on cigarette packaging. The company is citing impairment of its commercial interests in a case lodged with the World Bank's arbitration body, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. It argues that these violate trade agreements with Switzerland, where Philip Morris International is based. Uruguay is defending its laws, arguing that its government has a right to legislate on such matters in the interest of public health.

• This article was amended on 30 June 2011. The original said that Philip Morris's ICSID action had forced Uruguay to water down its rules on cigarette packaging. This has been corrected.