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Tobacco marketing season to open mid-February

2012-01-23T13:10:00.001+02:00

The 2012 tobacco marketing season opens on February 15, Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) chief executive officer Andrew Matibiri announced yesterday.
Matibiri made the remarks during a tour of the four licensed tobacco auction floors to check on their state of preparedness.

He said TIMB and other stakeholders were currently conducting a crop assessment exercise and to date 56 369 hectares, out of the expected 80 000, have been confirmed.

We are prepared for the coming tobacco marketing season. We have licensed four auction floors while 11 A class buyers licenses were renewed and four new companies are licensed as A class buyers for the 2012 season, said Matibiri.

TIMB chairperson Monica Chinamasa concurred that the level of preparedness was high and they did not anticipate any hiccups as happened last year.

We are trying to deal with the issue of decongestion that we encountered last year. This season it is going to be different, said Chinamasa, adding that congestion would be minimal during the 2012 selling season.

She said unlike last year, four tobacco floors Tobacco Sales Floor, Boka Tobacco Floors, Millennium Tobacco and Premier Tobacco would open simultaneously and it was up to each floor to reach out to growers.

Last year, the selling season opened with one floor, Tobacco Sales Floor, running while Boka and Millennium joined during the course of the selling season.

Chinamasa said growers were encouraged to register early to allow them to provide much-needed information to TIMB for planning purposes. At least 49% of growers in the register have not yet registered to sell during the coming market season.

The registration fee remains at $10, but a late registration penalty fee of $40 will be charged to all growers who have not yet registered, said Chinamasa.

She said a total of 34 734 growers have registered and the tobacco register had more than 66 000 growers.

The national crop size is currently under assessment although the target was 150 million kg, she said
She said crop performance in the northern areas had been negatively affected by the long dry spell.

United Tobacco comes to Piedmont Big Sale Warehouse in Danville

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

Another tobacco company will use the Piedmont Big Sale Warehouse on Riverside Drive as part of its business expansion plans.

United Tobacco Company of Wilson, N.C., will use the 142,000-square-foot warehouse as a receiving station this year and will start contracting with growers next week, said CEO Steve Coyte.

“We think Danville’s a great location for a station,” Coyte said. “It’s very accessible to the growers in North Carolina and Virginia.”

Philip Morris USA had been receiving tobacco at Piedmont Big Sale for the past 11 years until the cigarette manufacturer moved its station to Yanceyville, N.C., at the end of last year. United Tobacco, a full-service leaf dealer, saw an opportunity and seized it, Coyte said.

The company plans to contract for about 6 million pounds of Old Belt tobacco this year, and would increase the amount in the future as business grows. Pricing will be competitive.

More than 160 growers have contacted warehouse agent Harry Lea to inquire about the operation.

The privately owned company has been operating mainly in eastern North Carolina for the past 14 years. Back when it was founded, it was the first company to directly contract with growers.

Owners of United Tobacco include tobacco growers who also sell tobacco to the company, and so the company realizes the importance of relationships with growers, Coyte said.

“It’s our intention to be in Danville for a long time and to expand the business in that area,” he added.

As the majority of purchased tobacco is for exports, United Tobacco offers growers another market opportunity, Coyte said. The company receives orders from cigarette manufacturers around the world.

Lea said it was a logical step for United Tobacco to come to Danville, and that having Old Belt tobacco could also help the company spread the risk of severe weather, as Hurricane Irene damaged eastern North Carolina crops last year.

“Overall, I just hated to see the Philip Morris station leave,” Lea said. “ … It was a big loss to lose it, but it’s also a healthy step in the right direction to have somebody else come in and replace it.”

“I know it will work,” said Coyte, who has 35 years experience in the industry. “I’m excited about the opportunity we have.”

Boren presents tobacco policy

2012-01-23T12:57:00.001+02:00

University of Oklahoma President David Boren will recommend features of the new campus tobacco policy to the OU Board of Regents on Tuesday.

The recommendations are based largely on the suggestions of his tobacco policy advisory committee comprised of students, faculty and staff. The committee forms its suggestions from input gleaned from emails committee members have received and on a commitment to the well-being of the university community.

“While the principal need to take action is the health and well-being of society, including members of the OU community, this policy would also have an impact on the cost to the university,” Boren said.

Boren said that the estimated cost of tobacco use for the university is $4 million annually.

While a majority of the committee voted to ban campus smoking altogether, Boren is recommending the implementation of designated on-campus smoking areas, in order to avoid increased smoking in nearby off-campus areas such as the Campus Corner District.

The two recommended smoking locations are in the parking lots near Dale Hall and Lloyd Noble Center, areas which are isolated enough to prevent others’ exposure to secondhand smoke.

The policy will take effect on July 1 and will affect students, faculty, staff and visitors. The policy also will ban smoking at sports venues such as Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and Lloyd Noble Center.

Failure to abide by the smoking policy will result in up to a $50 fine for the offender.

“No policy is perfect, and (the) entire policy — including the impact of these designated smoking areas — will be evaluated after one year of implementation,” Boren said.

Students to help peers make smart smoking decisions

2012-01-23T11:33:00.001+02:00

Is there anybody better to educate children about the dangers of smoking, than the kids themselves?

Healthy Living, Seniors and Consumer Affairs Minister Jim Rondeau revealed a program in which students in Grades 5-12 will have the opportunity to create their own anti-tobacco videos as part of Create and Rate, an anti-tobacco video challenge.

“No one knows how to share important ideas with young people better than another young person. That’s why we’re giving students the opportunity to create their own videos for making educated decisions about smoking,” said Rondeau. “It’s a fun, challenging and thought-provoking way of increasing youth awareness about the risks of tobacco use.”

THEMES

The minister said the videos can be serious, funny or somewhere in between, as long as they highlight one of the following three themes:

* quitting smoking or never starting is one of the best decisions a person can ever make,

* tobacco smoke and second-hand smoke contain disgusting and dangerous ingredients, and

* tobacco is damaging the world and it’s time to speak out about it.

Applications and information packages for Create and Rate, including a step-by-step guide to creating the videos, will be distributed to all Manitoba schools (Grades 5-12only) starting the week of Jan. 30.

Deadline for entries is March 31.

The top 10 videos, as selected by a judging panel, will be posted online at www.mbcreaterate.ca during the third week of April for all young Manitobans to review and rate. Students will have approximately one month to vote once per day per person. Prizes will be awarded to the winning entries.

The new program is an extension of the province’s popular Review and Rate program, now in its ninth year, which engages students to rate the effectiveness of anti-tobacco television advertising from around the world, the minister noted.

Other youth initiatives include the Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) program, which has youth teams established in 22 schools across Manitoba, which are taking a leadership role in preventing youth tobacco use.

“According to the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, smoking rates for youth 15 to 19 have declined to 15 per cent in 2010 from 29 per cent in 1999,” said Rondeau. “Manitoba will continue to build on this success by focusing on preventing young people from starting to smoke, while also assisting smokers with quitting, protecting non-smokers from exposure to second-hand smoke and de-normalizing tobacco products through our Provincial Tobacco Control Strategy.”

UC campuses to ban smoking by 2014

2012-01-13T13:46:00.002+02:00

All University of California facilities will be required to go tobacco-free beginning in 2014, according to a letter UC President Mark Yudof sent to UC chancellors on Monday.

The newly announced ban extends to the sale and advertisement of tobacco on campus. The ban was spurred by health-related interests, but environmental concerns were also a consideration, said UC spokeswoman Lynn Tierney.

Phil Hampton, a UCLA spokesman, said there is no information yet on how this will affect UCLA specifically, since university leaders are in the early stages of forming a committee to enforce the ban.

“Offering a smoke-free environment will contribute positively to the health and well-being of all UC students, faculty, staff and our patients and visitors,” Yudof stated in the letter.

Sabrina Partridge, a first-year economics student, said she supported the idea. “I hate secondhand smoke,” she said.

The ban will go in effect after two years. The university wants to help students wean themselves off of smoking in the period before it takes effect, rather than expecting students and faculty to immediately follow the rule.

Some students who like to smoke on campus were angered by the announcement. Trenton Szewczyk, a fourth-year art student, stood outside Powell Library on Thursday with a cigarette in hand.

“I understand why (the university) would want to have a ban on smoking,” he said. “But I don’t like it. It’s a huge inconvenience.”

Szewczyk said smoking helps him relieve stress, and the UC system should not regulate student lifestyles – regardless of the potential health benefits.

Other students also said they don’t see the ban succeeding in practice, despite the good intentions of the upcoming ban.

“(It’s) like making a law to ban people from talking on their cell phones,” said Justin Wong, a third-year aerospace engineering student. “One benefit might be getting less people to smoke, but I don’t think it will have that much of a positive impact.”

University owned and leased facilities will all fall under the regulations of the ban, according to Yudof’s letter. The UCLA Health System imposed a similar smoking ban on its facilities in November 2011.

Cruise lines tighten tobacco rules

2012-01-13T13:45:00.002+02:00

Several cruise lines have further limited smoking on ships, leaving a few designated areas as the last refuge to light up at sea.

Princess Cruises' guests won't be allowed to smoke in staterooms or on balconies starting with sailings on Monday. Three other lines recently tightened their smoking rules or will join Princess in doing so next week.
"Our consumer studies now show that smokers are a small minority of our passengers, and that the large majority of passengers value having their primary living space onboard smoke-free," Executive Vice President Jan Swartz said in a statement.

In 2010, only 19.3 percent of Americans, or 45.3 million adults, smoked cigarettes, down from 20.9 percent in 2005, according to federal health regulators.

The new smoking policy also reflects a worldwide effort to restrict areas where smoking is allowed, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based cruise operator said.

At Delray Beach's iCruise.com cruise agency, Co-President Don Walker has seen a drop in customer complaints about smoky cabins and balconies in the past three months.

Walker attributed the decline partly to the new push for an almost smoke-free ship environment and to smokers' acceptance of the restrictions placed on them. "It appears to be working," he said.

Here's a look at the most recent changes at four cruise lines:

Princess: With cabins now off-limits, smokers will be able to smoke in designated areas only including Churchill's cigar lounge and sections of the disco, casino and open decks.

Holland America Line: Starting Sunday, the cruise line will also ban smoking in staterooms fleet-wide.

Norwegian Cruise Line: As of Jan. 1, no smoking in cabins, but balcony stateroom guests can light up on balconies. Cigar and pipe smoking isn't permitted in either area.

Guests can smoke in designated areas such as sections of the casino and in some outdoor public spaces and open decks.

Carnival Cruise Lines: Since Dec. 1, smoking is banned in all cabins across its 23-ship fleet, but not on outside balconies, except for Spa staterooms. Guest surveys showed less than 5 percent of guests opted to smoke in their cabins.

Tobacco Free Lee to meet Wednesday

2012-01-13T13:43:00.001+02:00

The Tobacco-Free Lee Coalition welcomes the public to its monthly meeting at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Conference Room of the Lee County Health Department, 83 Pondella Road, in North Fort Myers.

Agenda topics to be discussed include the Tobacco Prevention Interventions Grant and an update from Students Working Against Tobacco.

“The Tobacco-Free Lee Coalition has been instrumental in bringing about policy change through grass roots involvement from leaders within the student, business, health and hospital communities to cut tobacco-use rates,” said Brendan Donohue, tobacco prevention specialist with the Lee County Health Department. Everyone is welcome.

Anti-tobacco funding gone up in smoke

2012-01-05T14:56:00.001+02:00

When it comes to tobacco use, there is a problem of willpower. It's not limited to smokers who can't resist the urge for one more cigarette. It also affects state lawmakers, most of whom can't summon the willpower to spend tobacco settlement and tax money on smoking prevention and cessation.

According to a report by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, states in fiscal year 2012 are collecting a near-record $25.6 billion in tobacco-related revenue. That total is a combination of a 1998 court settlement with tobacco companies and taxes on tobacco products.
The American Medical Association and others have pushed for maximizing spending on smoking prevention and cessation. But, as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids notes, states will spend only 1.8% of tobacco revenues -- or $456.7 million -- on anti-tobacco programs. Worse yet, the spending is on a sharp decline -- down 36% in four years.

No one expects 100% of tobacco settlement and tax money to go toward anti-smoking efforts. But it's shameful that states can only muster up less than 2 cents out of every revenue dollar to fight the No. 1 preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. The campaign's report should wake up state legislators to the idea that anti-tobacco programs must be funded adequately if they want to eliminate tobacco-related health, social and economic consequences.

In areas other than funding, there is some good news to report. States and localities have gone a long way toward restricting where smokers can light up, with laws banning indoor smoking in many public places. And they've made it tougher to buy tobacco by raising taxes on it.

But what state legislators haven't done much is to help those smokers who want to quit. Anti-tobacco funding from the 1998 settlement and tobacco taxes doesn't even come close to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended goals.

The CDC points out that states need only spend $3.7 billion -- 15% of their tobacco revenues -- to meet its recommended funding level (that's about one-quarter of what tobacco companies spend annually on advertising their products). Instead, states are spending barely more than one-tenth of what they should be spending, the CDC reports.

Dental Practices declare smoke-free outdoor areas

2012-01-05T14:54:00.001+02:00

Family Orthodontics and Thomas K. Frawley Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, located on Route 60 in Fredonia, announced the creation of tobacco free outdoor areas on their property.

The dental health center is collaborating with the Tri County Tobacco Free Programs to reduce secondhand smoke, reduce litter, and model healthy behaviors for both children and adults.

Dr. Matthew E. Fortna of Family Orthodontics stated, "We are here to support our patients with achieving their best oral health and encourage our patients to model good behavior, including tobacco free lifestyle. We especially need to encourage children not to start smoking. The children and family members visiting our location deserve tobacco free entrances and tobacco free outdoor areas. Cigarette smoke rolls into open windows and vents compromising the good health of those in and around our building. Our tobacco free outdoor areas border Fredonia School, where no smoking is permitted. This is a nice way to partner with the tobacco-free message, keep our property clean from cigarette butts and protect our environment."

Dr. Thomas Frawley added "Tobacco cessation and routine oral exams are extremely important not only for maintaining proper oral hygiene but also for the early detection of oral cancer.

It is estimated that there will be approximately 40,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed in the United States in 2012. Partnering with the Tri-County Tobacco Free Programs allows us to create an environment that will hopefully lead to fewer oral cancers in the future."

New signs are posted at the property located at 10261 Route 60, in Fredonia.

Laurie Adams, Tri-County Tobacco Free Programs Director explains, "The Surgeon General has classified secondhand smoke as a class A carcinogen a substance known to cause cancer. There's no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. If you can smell it, secondhand smoke is harming you. Butts are a danger to our children and to the environment. We applaud Family Orthodontics and Dr. Frawley for caring about the youth and adults visiting their facility and we ask all adults to please observe the policy."

Public support for outdoor tobacco use restrictions is growing. The new tobacco free dental center joins the list of over 400 locations across NY State who have established tobacco free outdoor areas, including Times Square and Central Park in NY City.

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney under fire over tobacco firm's ticket gift

2012-01-05T14:42:00.001+02:00

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney has come under fire for accepting tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show from the world's third largest tobacco company.

The Tory MP accepted hospitality totalling more than £1,300 from Japan Tobacco International (JTI), which produces Benson and Hedges and Silk Cut, in May.
The details were declared by Mr McCartney in the Register of Members' Interests.

Now, health charities have described his acceptance of the tobacco giant's hospitality as "disappointing" and the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Smoking and Health, Stephen Williams, has renewed calls on the Government to tighten up the regulation of lobbying.

Mr Williams, who is the Liberal Democrat MP for Bristol West, made the demand after it was revealed that Mr McCartney wrote to the APPG on Smoking and Health asking for details of how the public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is funded.

The letter also requested details about the number of people associated with ASH who have placements with the Department of Health and other areas of Government.

Mr Williams said: "I would expect every Member of Parliament to consider carefully what message they send out about the importance of public health if they accept hospitality from tobacco companies."

Martin Dockrell, director of policy and research at Action on Smoking and Health, said: "The Prime Minister says corporate lobbying goes to the heart of why people are fed up with politics and he is right.

"The Government's tobacco plan warns of the dangers of tobacco industry attempts to influence health policy.

"MPs don't always know when they are being lobbied by the big tobacco companies because they often hide behind a smokescreen of lobby firms and front groups."

Eileen Streets, director of tobacco control at the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said "We are very disappointed to hear that Mr McCartney has accepted a hospitality package offered by a tobacco company."

Before winning the general election, Mr Cameron said in February 2010 that lobbying was an issue that "has tainted our politics for too long".

Existing rules on lobbying say MPs must not place themselves under any financial obligation to outside individuals or organisations and must not act as a paid advocate in any parliamentary proceedings.

Mr McCartney was unavailable for comment.

San Jose Medical Marijuana Dispensary MedMar Helping the Needy with Holiday Food Drive

2011-12-20T16:54:00.000+02:00

'Tis the season of giving, and San Jose medical marijuana dispensary MedMar Healing Center is giving back to the community with a food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. From October 1st through January 20th, MedMar is joining together with other San Jose cannabis collectives to collect money and cans of food to help Second Harvest provide nutritious meals to local families in need.

"This holiday season, many families are having a hard time making ends meet. It is MedMar's hope that we can help make this holiday season amazing for every family, even in these hard economic times," says Douglas Chloupek, founder of MedMar.

Second Harvest Food Bank serves over 240,000 people each month-10% of the people in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties-and distributes over 45 million pounds of food per year, mainly to local seniors and families with dependant children. Since the recession hit in 2007, the number of people served by Second Harvest has skyrocketed 48%, but donations have flatlined over the last two years.

The holiday season, when Second Harvest gets the majority of its donations, will be critical to ensuring the food bank can help hungry members of the community get access to nutritious meals. The food bank's goal is to raise $11.3 million and collect 1.6 million pounds of food.

MedMar members who bring in nonperishable food items will get a $1 credit per can donated ($10 daily limit). The most-needed items are meals in a can (stew, chili, soup), tuna and canned meat, peanut butter, canned foods with pop-top lids, low-sugar cereals, 100% fruit juices in single-serving boxes, canned fruit packed in juice, and canned vegetables. MedMar is also accepting cash donations that will be passed along to Second Harvest.

Cigarettes stolen from Smithfield shop

2011-12-20T16:53:00.001+02:00

Someone broke into a smoke shop off Seven Bridges Road in Smithfield Township and made off with 21 cartons of cigarettes.

The shop, called Smokes R Us, was burglarized at 2:42 a.m. Saturday morning.

The thief or thieves, according to police entered the store by shattering a back window with a hammer. About $100 of cigarettes were stolen from the store.

The suspect was described as 5 foot 8 inches, of unknown gender, with a medium build and wearing gloves, a mask, a white-hooded sweatshirt, white hat and black pants.

Cigar Smokers Resist Possible FDA Rules

2011-12-20T16:51:00.001+02:00

Cigar smokers are trying to raise their profile in Washington, D.C., in advance of what they expect will be new regulations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Cigar Rights of America, a group that represents smokers, filed registration papers on Thursday to lobby Congress on legislation that would eliminate any FDA authority over cigars.
It is the first time the group has registered to lobby. The group was founded in 2009, the same year that Congress, after decades of debate, granted the FDA the authority to regulate cigarettes and other items that the agency says fall within the law's definition of "tobacco products."
"The cigar consumers of America have basically never thought a lot of the things that have happened would happen to them," said Glynn Loope, the Cigar Rights of America's executive director.
Those challenges include proposed tax increases and state and local smoking bans. The FDA has not proposed any restrictions on cigars - excluding them from requirements such as new warning labels - but it said in July it is planning to include them in its definition of "tobacco products."
Health advocates say Congress should not roll back the authority of the FDA because it is in the best position to evaluate who is using a product and what the impact is.
"The reason Congress gave FDA authority is so that the decisions would be made based on facts and science, and not political muscle," said Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao declined to comment on when the agency would issue a formal, proposed definition, but industry advocates said they are planning as if they will see something in early 2012.
Central to the argument of the Cigar Rights of America is that traditional cigars are different from cigarettes or the inexpensive, flavored cigars sold in some U.S. shops.
"The very price point of cigars puts them out of the hands of youth," Loope said.
The smokers' group has backing from cigar manufacturers and retailers, which together make up most of its funding so far, Loope said. He declined to give the group's membership but said it has individual members in all 50 states.

Cigarettes go 'under the counter' at a Tesco store

2011-12-12T16:37:00.002+02:00

The store is trialling the scheme to cover up its tobacco products. By law, all stores will have to do this by April next year.

The Government hopes this "under the counter" approach will further hit tobacco promotion and put more people off smoking.

The aim is to cut down the number of smokers in England from 20 per cent of adults to 18.5 per cent by 2015.

Tobacco products must be kept out of sight in large stores and supermarkets by April 2012. Smaller stores will have to make the change by April 2015.

Tesco are testing the new displays in a handful of their 2,865 stores across the UK, including the Market Harborough store, in The Square.

A Tesco spokesman said: "We are beginning to trial a new kiosk display in a small number of stores starting with Market Harborough to ensure it will comply with the law and, at the same time, work for both our staff and our customers."

Public health minister Anne Milton said: "We welcome this move by Tesco in Market Harborough.

"Tobacco displays will come to an end in supermarkets in April next year, and in all shops in 2015.

"This will help discourage young people from taking up smoking and help adult smokers who are trying to quit."

Shoppers praised the store's new initiative.

Dave Allen, of Nelson Street, Market Harborough, said: "I think it is an excellent idea.

"Cigarette manufacturers spend an awful lot of money making their products look sexy and appealing.

"If young kids have to ask specifically for cigarettes I don't think it will be quite so appealing."

The 53-year-old concert promoter said: "I think it is great the Market Harborough store is doing this.

"It's a step forward in the right direction."

Clara Taylor, 26, an engineering project assistant from Braybrooke, said: "It's a really good idea – it puts them out of people's minds.

"I don't smoke but I think people buy cigarettes because they are there – if they are not there it is slightly less tempting.

"If people are giving up smoking it will be good for them."

Nick Shaw, 32, who works at Harborough FM radio, said: "It was strange to see no cigarette products on display to start with. You would think they don't sell them anymore.

"I think it will put people off buying cigarettes. I am a smoker myself, but they won't be there for young people to look at."

Excise hike on cigarettes, motor tax to go up

2011-12-12T16:22:00.000+02:00

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has said that to protect vulnerable people in society, he is proposing to provide a waiver of the household charge of €100 per dwelling for those on mortgage interest supplement and those in certain categories of unfinished housing estates. Provision will also be made to allow payment of the €100 in instalments.
The household charge is set to raise €160m a year and is an interim measure pending the design and implementation of a full property tax from 2014.
The Minister also said he is initiating a consultation period with the motor industry and other interested parties to start early next year to review options for the improvement in VRT and motor tax in future years.
But in the meantime, the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan will make a provision for an increase in motor tax from January 1. Mr Noonan said this will generate about €47m in 2012 to be used for Exchequer deficit reduction proposals.
Figures released with the Budget show that motor tax for cars in CO2 emission band A will rise from €104 to €160 while band B goes up from €156 to €225. These are the two biggest CO2 categories of cars for motor tax. More details were published by the Department of Finance.
He also said the Finance Department will engage in a consultation process with the car industry to put in place an export refund scheme which would allow for a refund of VRT on a vehicle on the permanent export of the vehicle to another member state in the European Union.
The Minister said that excise duty on a package of cigarettes will rise by 25 cent from midnight tonight. He said the 2% VAT increase will apply to alcohol but excise will not be increased.
He also said that the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Roisin Shorthall, will legislate to deal with the issues identified in a report on the causes and consequences of alcohol abuse in 2012, including the low cost of drink sold in off-licences and supermarkets.
Legislation to facilitate the extension of betting duty to remote betting will also be introduced as well as the introduction of betting intermediates duty to cover betting exchanges, the Minister said.
In an effort to combat absenteeism in the workplace, Minister Noonan said he is removing the existing tax exemption for the first 36 days of illness benefit and occupational injury benefit so that this incentive to absenteeism is removed.
He also said that Joan Burton, the Minister for Social Protection, will bring forward proposals to deal with absenteeism in both the public and private sectors next year.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan, in wrapping up his Budget speech, said the core mission of the Government is to get Ireland working again.

New York smokers seek roll-your-own refuge

2011-12-12T15:17:00.001+02:00

A new "roll-your-own" tobacco company in New York sells cigarettes for one-third of the normal price and claims its cigarettes are less harmful than those bought by the pack. Authorities say the stores are breaking the law and want them shut down.

New York is fast becoming a virtually smokeless city.

A citywide ban on smoking in public and heavy taxes at the cash register have discouraged smokers unwilling to pay between $11 and $15 (£7.00-£9.60) for a pack. Only 14% of New Yorkers now smoke, according to official statistics.

Loyal smokers, meanwhile, felt besieged, at least until May, when the first "roll-your-own" cigarette store opened.

Now, two Island Smokes stores in Manhattan and Staten Island sell loose tobacco and paper tubes to customers who use machines on site to roll their own cigarettes.

'Illegal' sales
Continue reading the main story
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No one would claim that Ikea is not selling furniture just because the clients have to assemble that”

Eric Proshansky
New York City lawyer
The finished product looks virtually identical to a pre-packaged cigarette but costs only one-third of the price - $3.80 for a pack. That is in part because taxes on loose tobacco are far lower than on manufactured cigarettes.

Customers say the smokes taste better and are healthier than mass-market cigarettes, despite the discount.

"Here the tobacco is more like the tobacco I remember from the 70s, like real tobacco I smoked when I was younger," says Clarice Petillo, 51.

"The other cheap cigarettes you can find in the city are bootlegged, they are filled with nasty stuff."

Where smokers see a boon, city authorities see violations of numerous tobacco manufacturing, sales and tax regulations. They say the roll-your-own shops hinder the city's efforts to get people to quit smoking, and they have filed a federal lawsuit against Island Smokes in an effort to shut them down and collect the back taxes.

Expanded smoking bans unlikely before summer

2011-12-12T15:12:00.002+02:00

A widening of the county’s ban on smoking in public places likely wouldn’t go into effect until next July, assuming officials can agree on how to word the necessary ordinance, County Manager Mike Ruffin says.

Ruffin’s assessment capped a review of the proposal by County Commissioners earlier this month.

The meeting saw commissioners agree with Durham’s City Council that the law needs to retain designated smoking-allowed areas outside otherwise smoke-free facilities like the downtown bus station.

Commissioners also voiced worry that plans to address smoking on sidewalks outside city or county property, hospitals or Durham Tech could go awry.

One who was dubious, Commissioner Ellen Reckhow, noted that the ordinance in theory would require a smoker to extinguish his or her cigarette while walking past City Hall, even though smoking on the sidewalk would be allowed in much of downtown.

“It’s going to be awkward,” Reckhow said.

Similarly, “if all the smokers in the courthouse decide they need a break and go one block away [to light up], we could wind up getting complaints from a business or a church,” she said. “All we’ve done is move the issue.”

Reckhow added that while she “really [doesn’t] appreciate smoking” because he own mother died of lung cancer, she also likes “logical ordinances” that are easy for the public to understand.

“I don’t like the way this is a patchwork, because it doesn’t seem like it’s going to work,” she said.

Assistant County Attorney Bryan Wardell said officials already were figuring on changing the wording of the ordinance to address a concern of the city’s, namely that the original draft might inadvertently exempt state-owned sidewalks.

The amended wording will cover all sidewalks “maintained by the city or county,” which in practice means all those near the targeted facilities because local governments, not the N.C. Department of Transportation, handles sidewalk maintenance, Wardell said.

Commissioner Pam Karriker cautioned that she doesn’t want to see the ordinance become a tool used to harass those who are mentally ill or homeless.

“I want to make sure we don’t further stigmatize that population,” she said, arguing for the preservation of smoking-allowed areas outside facilities that serve them.

Commissioners Chairman Michael Page agreed, but acknowledged the possibility of sending “dual messages” because of the known harms of smoking.

County Health Director Gayle Harris said her department wants to widen existing no-smoking bans because there is “no safe level of exposure” to tobacco smoke.

Tobacco costs the U.S. about $200 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity each year, she said, adding that about 440,000 people die annually from tobacco-related conditions.

Read more: The Herald-Sun - Expanded smoking bans unlikely before summer

HPD Issues First Smoking Law Citations In Years

2011-12-12T15:10:00.002+02:00

For the first time in more than four years, a Honolulu police officer has issued tickets to bar patrons for breaking the statewide smoking ban.
The owner and employees of Kelley O'Neil's Irish pub and grill on Lewers Street in Waikiki said a police officer ticketed three of its customers for smoking in the bar on a Sunday in October, in response to another customer who called 911 to report them.
The statewide law that's been in effect since November of 2006 prohibits people from smoking in restaurants, bars and other workplaces.
Kelly O'Neil's and a few other bars follow the letter of the law by posting no smoking signs, but still allow their customers to smoke, in violation of the law.
These are the first citations police have issued since a police officer ticketed someone for smoking at a Chinatown bar nearly five years ago, right after the law took effect.
"From what I understand, they didn't know how to issue them, they don't know how to go to court with them and I believe each, the gentleman who was cited has had his case extended more than once, for their purposes, to try to figure out from their end what they're doing," said Bill Comerford, owner of Kelley O'Neil's and three other bars is head of the Hawaii Bar Owners' Association.
He said one of the customers ticketed is from Hawaii and the other two were visiting from Guam.
Comerford said his three customers were issued summons requiring them to go to court, when they should have just been able to pay a fine, sort of like a parking or speeding ticket.
"We're asking our tourists now if they are cited here, if they didn't show up for it, there would be a bench warrant. Would they come back again? I don't think so. There are problems in this law," Comerford said.
Comerford declined to identify the bar customers who were cited, but said the Hawaii man went to court and was ordered to pay a $100 fine.
It's unclear what the outcome is of the cases of the men from Guam.
Comerford said state health department officials have told him bar owners could also be ticketed under the law, but none of them have been cited yet, as far as he knows.
"Do you know anybody in the world who's gonna call the police on themselves, for somebody else's actions? It's ludicrous. But that's what the law is. That's what the rules are," Comerford said.
The state health department said it's still working out an enforcement agreement with the police department, five years after the smoking ban took effect, and more than one year after the rules for the ban were signed by former Gov. Linda Lingle.
"We feel that we can get the strongest possible enforcement through working with the local police and law enforcement issues," said Julian Lipsher, the program manager of tobacco prevention and education for the state Department of Health. "It was really meant to be a self-enforcing, self-policing kind of law."
After the ban took effect five years ago, the Health Department had to develop rules and regulations for the new law, working with lawyers at the state attorney general's office to do so. State health officials said rule making usually takes two years, but this process took nearly four years.
The health department held public hearings across the state and appeared three times before the state's Small Business Regulatory Review Board, which Lipsher said didn't like the new regulations.
Lipsher said health officials had to repeatedly meet with the board, "To provide clarification of what the law was about, and to provide explanation and development of rules and how they would affect small business."
Lingle, a Republican, signed the rules last August and they finally took effect Sept. 6, 2010, nearly four years after the smoking restrictions became law. Lingle was lobbied heavily by business leaders not to sign the law, according to opponents of the restrictions.

Violators of Ohio smoking ban owe state $1.8M

2011-12-12T15:08:00.002+02:00

Five years after Ohio enacted a ban on indoor smoking, businesses still owe the state almost $2 million in fines for violating the law.

The Springfield News-Sun reported businesses statewide have been fined more than $2.74 million since enforcement of the ban began. Ohio Department of health numbers show businesses still owe more than $1.82 million as of Dec. 5.

The ban is being challenged before the Ohio Supreme Court by a Columbus bar that says it's unconstitutional.

Health department official Mandy Burkett said a number of businesses just aren't paying their fines.

Burkett said the health department and the Ohio Attorney General's office are trying to improve compliance. The department is turning over some of the unpaid fines to the attorney general's office for collection.

Medical marijuana shows promise for pain

2011-12-12T15:04:00.001+02:00

After all the usual and proper medical approaches did nothing for her pain, Cheryl Campbell, a nurse and mother, says she finally built up the courage to ask her doctor, "How do you feel about prescribing me marijuana?"

The 30-year-old Ottawa woman suffers from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Her pain is body-wide - a constant, sometimes stabbing ache in her back, hips, knees, shoulders and virtually every joint. Doctors once put her on morphine. It cut the pain, but she couldn't function. She says her mind felt so heavy with fog she couldn't carry on a conversation.

She's been using marijuana for pain for two years; she has a federal licence to possess it. She says it helps her sleep at night. In the morning, it helps ease the stiffness in her hips and back enough that she can make it into the shower.

Campbell says she owes her ability to get through each day to a drug that critics condemn, especially when it's smoked - which is how most of the thou-sands of Canadians who self-medicate with pot prefer to take it. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency was unequivocal earlier this year: Smoked marijuana is not medicine, and it's not safe.

"No matter what medical condition has been studied," the agency ruled, "other drugs already approved by the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] have been proven to be safer than smoked marijuana."

But research into medicinal marijuana is undergoing a surge of interest, with more evidence emerging not only of its ability to ease human suffering, but also of its apparent safety.

Some say cannabis may be less toxic to humans than over-the-counter pain relievers.

Four small but scientifically controlled experiments in recent years have concluded that smoked cannabis can provide moderate relief from chronic, severe non-cancer pain - including HIV-related nerve pain and post-traumatic neuropathy, a dreaded condition that can follow an injury or medical procedure. Both are notoriously resistant to conventional treatments.

Imperial Tobacco Group (ITYBY) Shares Downgraded to a “Sell” Rating by Goldman Sachs

2011-11-16T11:36:00.001+02:00

Imperial Tobacco Group (NASDAQ: ITYBY) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.
Separately, analysts at Societe Generale initiated coverage on shares of Imperial Tobacco Group in a research note to investors on Thursday, October 6th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.
Stay on top of analysts' coverage with our daily email newsletter that provides a concise list of analysts' upgrades, analysts' downgrades and analysts' price target changes for each day.

Police searching for suspect in tobacco store robbery

2011-11-16T11:34:00.002+02:00

Police are searching for the man who robbed a north Knoxville tobacco store around noon on Tuesday. The clerk told authorities the suspect walked into the Tobacco King, 2001 N. Broadway, and tried buying a soda with some change. When he opened the cash register, the suspect reportedly came around the counter and pointed a black semi-automatic gun at him. The suspect grabbed cash from the register and took off on foot.

Witnesses said they saw the suspect get into a cream, mid-90s minivan with maroon stripes and took off heading south on Broadway. The suspect was described as a clean-shaven, white man six feet tall around 200 lbs. in his mid-30s with short dark hair and blue eyes. He was wearing blue jeans, a blue long sleeve shirt with stripes, and a dark color t-shirt underneath.

Delco Tobacco-Free Coalition Supports Great American Smokeout

2011-11-16T11:24:00.001+02:00

The Delaware County Tobacco-Free Coalition invites you to Iron Hill Brewery in Media to support the 36th Great American Smokeout (GASO) on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

GASO is an annual national event encouraging Americans to stop tobacco smoking. The coalition is hosting a fundraising event at Iron Hill; with a GIVE 20 percent coupon, Iron Hill will donate 20 percent of your food bill (excluding alcoholic beverages) to the coalition, to help make the environment tobacco and smoke-free.

Iron Hill Brewery is joined by other local supporters of the Delaware County Tobacco-Free Coalition. Fellini's Cafe and Ariano's in Media have both donated $50 gift cards for their restaurants that the coalition is currently raffling off.

You can also send cash or a check to the Delaware County Tobacco-Free Coalition, located at 126 E. Baltimore Ave., Media, PA 19063. You will receive a receipt/ticket in the mail. The drawing will take place on Thursday, Nov. 17. The winners will be contacted by phone or email.

The Delaware County Tobacco-Free Coalition concentrates on reducing and eliminating exposure to tobacco smoke pollution in Delaware County through awareness campaigns, publications and community events. The coalition is partially funded by Delaware County Office of Behavioral Health, Division of Drug and Alcohol and contributions from the community.

Aurora mom sues tobacco shop over teen’s death

2011-11-02T15:19:00.000+02:00

An Aurora mother whose teenage son died in a high-speed crash after smoking synthetic marijuana filed a wrongful-death lawsuit Tuesday accusing a tobacco shop of selling him an “unreasonably dangerous” product.

“I understand my son is already gone and there’s nothing I can do to save him — but I can still fight for him,” Karen Dobner said tearfully.
Just days after his 19th birthday, Dobner’s son Max called his brother saying he smoked the “legal stuff” and was experiencing symptoms consistent with a panic attack. Later that day, he ran a stop sign in North Aurora, and hit a garden wall. His car became airborne, and crashed into a house, police said.

On Tuesday, Dobner’s mother filed a lawsuit in DuPage County accusing the Cigar Box in Aurora of selling an “unreasonably dangerous” product — iAroma Hypnotic — which she contends ultimately led to her son’s death June 14.

According to the lawsuit, the Cigar Box, formerly at the Westfield Fox Valley mall, was not properly licensed to sell tobacco in Aurora or operate as a business in DuPage County at the time of the crash. The shop since has closed and its owner, identified in the lawsuit as Ruby Mohsin of Glen Ellyn, could not be reached for comment.

Anti-tobacco coalition needs your help

2011-11-02T15:17:00.002+02:00

As secondhand smoke dissipates with each new smoke-free air law and the Food and Drug Administration further restricts the marketing of cigarettes, smoking takes a hit. Just don’t assume Big Tobacco isn’t noticing. In Wisconsin, the tobacco industry is spending $274 million per year promoting a new line of smokeless and spitless tobacco products. Examples of Big Tobacco’s newest products include toothpick-like products that dissolve in your mouth and deliver nicotine in a dose equivalent to three cigarettes, and mini-cigars that appeal to new audiences through fruity flavors such as peach and strawberry.
These products are being packaged to look and smell like popular gums, mints and candy. Many of these tobacco products are strategically placed next to the candy/gum isles in gas stations and convenience stores. The revolting reality: These deceptive marketing techniques are being directed at young people. It’s a fact that 90 percent of adult smokers started using tobacco before they turned 18. The tobacco industry is using candy-flavored smokeless tobacco products to attract new, younger users while keeping all of the addictive and harmful substances in order to continue to line their pockets.
Just as shocking is how other tobacco products cost considerably less than cigarettes. The cigarette tax is $2.52 for a pack of 20 cigarettes compared to the tobacco tax of around 78 cents for 20 little cigars.

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http://tobacco.getenjoyment.net

British American Tobacco Sets Pricing On Euro Benchmark Bond

2011-11-02T15:13:00.001+02:00

British American Tobacco PLC (BATS.LN) has set pricing on it euro-denominated, benchmark-sized bond in the area of 125 basis points over midswaps, one of the banks arranging the deal said Wednesday.
Citigroup Inc. Barclays PLC, ING Groep N.V., and Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC are lead managers of the deal, which is expected to launch later in the day, subject to market conditions.
Ratings are Baa1 from Moody's Investors Service Inc. and BBB+ from Standard & Poor's.

More cigarettes sites:
http://camelcigarettes.mypressonline.com/
http://cigarettesonline.onlinewebshop.net/

Tobacco-free policy proposed for campus

2011-10-26T11:33:00.002+03:00

Ohio State could be the first Big Ten school to become a tobacco-free campus, according to Danielle Grospitch, a graduate student in public health. Tobacco-free means no smoking of any kind and no smokeless tobacco.
Grospitch has been spearheading the campaign, Buckeyes Against Butts.
"Our ultimate goal … is to implement a 100 percent tobacco-free campus, which involves indoors, outdoors and any campus-owned property," Grospitch said.
There are 586 colleges and universities in the United States that have enacted smoke-free campuses, according to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation's website. OSU would be the eighth school in Ohio on this list. With this plan, additionally, OSU would not allow chewing tobacco.
The current smoking policy at OSU mimics the state law, which states there will be no smoking indoors or within a 25-foot area around building entrances, exits or windows. There are no regulations regarding smokeless tobacco.
Chris Swonger, a second-year in engineering, thinks the tobacco-free policy would be a good idea if it were enforced.
"I see the (no smoking) signs where there is that overhang at the (Science and Engineering Library) and everyone is just smoking there anyway," Swonger said. "If there were people to enforce it, I think people would listen. But when it's just those signs sitting up and no one comes by to say anything, then who cares?"
For this policy to be adopted, Grospitch and others involved in the campaign plan to conduct research, meet with all departments at the university and draft a policy with implementation and enforcement plans.
"We still need to do a lot of work for this," Grospitch said. "It's still in the very, very, very early stages. Right now, we're just sketching out, in pencil, a plan."
Grospitch thinks OSU could become a tobacco-free campus as early as Autumn Semester 2012.
"It would take at least a year to get that going," Grospitch said. "Knowing Ohio State and knowing how hard policy creation and implementation is for any agency, but alone the size of Ohio State, a year is very fast."
President E. Gordon Gee told The Lantern in April 2010 that he was in favor of eliminating smoking on campus.
"A smoke-free campus is not at the top of my priority list, but if someone came to me with a proposal and we could make that happen quickly, I would be the first in line," Gee said.
Grospitch has decided to "divide and conquer" the efforts to fast-track this project. She is working with Kunal Parikh, a fourth-year in chemical engineering, to help reach out to the undergraduate community.
"What we decided to do is that I will take the section of working with human resources, faculty and staff," Grospitch said. "And (Parikh) will work with students because he is an undergraduate, he has that better pulse on students' wants and needs."
Parikh's interest sparked when he saw a previous article from The Lantern about smoke-free campuses and has been passionate about this effort ever since.
"We pride ourselves as being the greatest university in the nation," Parikh said. "This is obviously a huge factor that Ohio State students are developing healthy habits that they're going to carry for the rest of their lives."
Implementation cost is not yet known but Parikh said it's insignificant compared to what OSU will save.
"The other way to look at this is productivity in the workplace and healthcare costs, the cost of implementing this program is really negligible compared to that," Parikh said.
Swonger thinks OSU will benefit from the switch to be tobacco-free but smokers will likely suffer.
"I think it's a good idea to help keep campus cleaner but, personally, if I was a smoker, I probably would be irritated," Swonger said. "Especially with how large campus is, there's a good chance you'd have to walk quite a bit to get off campus to smoke."
With the deadly consequences of tobacco use and second-hand smoke widely known, Grospitch stressed the importance of this policy for the environment.
"It takes a major toll on the environment when people litter tobacco products," Grospitch said. "Cigarette butts take several years to disintegrate and they still carry 69 carcinogens that soak into our soil which soaks into our water which then we drink."
OSU could be the leader in the effort to have a tobacco-free campus in the Big Ten, Grospitch said.
"The fact that Ohio State could wear that badge of honor, I think would be awesome," Grospitch said. "We could say, ‘We care about each other. We care about our school. We care about our environment.'"

Group pushes tobacco-free campus

2011-10-19T11:39:00.002+03:00

A University of Minnesota student group is restarting its push to make campus tobacco-free by January 2013.

The Student Health Advisory Committee is vigilantly working to gather support from other student groups on campus, SHAC co-chairwoman Michelle Volz said. They also set up an online petition for students and faculty to sign in support of the policy.

“With a campus as large as ours, there’s so much risk for exposure to second-hand smoke,” Volz said.

SHAC is trying to add the Twin Cities campus to a growing list of colleges across the state that have enacted similar policies.

The University’s Duluth campus went tobacco-free in September 2007. Minnesota State University Moorhead followed suit in 2008, as did the University’s Crookston campus in 2009. Mankato will have a tobacco-free campus beginning 2012.

Across the country, 587 colleges and universities have enacted 100 percent smoke-free campus policies — up from 160 in 2008, according to the American for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation.

According to a 2010 survey by Boynton Health Service, 17.7 percent of University students on the Twin Cities campus said they had used tobacco in the past month.

SHAC is looking for new University President Eric Kaler’s support in making the campus tobacco free.

“We’ve got to get on this,” said David Golden, director of public health and communications at Boynton.

Kaler hasn’t yet made clear his intentions about the proposed policy.

“It’s obviously a very complicated question,” Kaler said. “What I don’t want to do is put in place policies that we cannot enforce.”

SHAC first brought the subject to former President Bob Bruininks in 2008, Golden, SHAC’s adviser, said. He said he thought Bruininks didn’t implement the policy because of concerns about its enforceability.

Those conversations in 2008 got the ball rolling with a survey conducted through the provost’s office assessing the student, staff and faculty reaction to the possibility of a tobacco or smoke-free campus policy.

According to that survey, 90.1 percent of students and 84.9 percent of faculty and staff say they have been exposed to second-hand smoke on campus, with walking across campus listed as the number one place where students are exposed.

The size of the Twin Cities campus compared to other Minnesota campuses is an impediment, said John Finnegan, dean of the School of Public Health. He stressed the importance of a smoke-free campus for the safety of students and staff.

The enormity of the campus just means the University needs to talk realistically about enforcement, Finnegan said.

“We don’t want [University police] going around looking for smokers,” Finnegan said.

Instead, he said the hope is that the policy would create an atmosphere where smoking is discouraged. Students could enforce the policy themselves, Finnegan said.

UMD health educator and smoke-free policy co-chairwoman Dori Decker said she’s seen more students and faculty following the campus policy in her three years at the school.

“We’re seeing a bit of a culture change,” she said.

UMD’s SHAC created the Breathe Free campaign in spring 2010 geared toward increasing peer enforcement of the policy. The volunteer group made up of students, faculty and staff provides “reminders in a non-confrontational and informative way,” said Decker.

Finnegan and Golden both emphasized that a policy on the Twin Cities campus would also give a push to smokers that want to quit.

'Govt must restart tobacco tax hikes'

2011-10-19T11:38:00.002+03:00

A new report says hiking taxes on tobacco in the next and subsequent Budgets could help thousands of people to live longer.

It also claims that flawed analysis by the Government on the impact of tobacco tax on cigarette smuggling has cost the taxpayer up to €200 million over the last two years, which calls into question recent Budget decisions not to increase the price of tobacco.

A study carried out for the Irish Heart Foundation (IIHF) shows that a €1 tax increase on a packet of 20 cigarettes in the next Budget would bring in €68 million in extra receipts and a further €28 million in indirect public finance benefits.

The IHF says this directly contradicts claims that further tobacco tax increases would actually reduce net tax take because of the tobacco smuggling issue.

The Foundation points that this flawed analysis by the Government and Revenue Commissioners led to no increase in tobacco prices in the last two Budgets.

The IHF has called on Finance Minister Michael Noonan to institute a new policy of regular tax increases above inflation starting with a €1 hike in the forthcoming Budget.

These tobacco tax increases would also result in some 30,000 people quitting smoking in Ireland, the IHF claims.

Given that roughly one in two smokers ultimately die from the habit, this single action would help up to 15,000 people countrywide to live longer, it said.

“This report proves that a tobacco tax increase is a Budget no brainer – it will save lives on a huge scale and bring in significant extra income that will help reduce pressure on the public finances,” said IHF Chief Executive, Michael O’Shea.

Big tobacco 'abusing' FOI process

2011-10-19T11:35:00.001+03:00

The federal health department is considering taking action against big tobacco for lodging "vexatious" Freedom of Information (FOI) claims as part of the industry's fight against Labor's plain-packaging push.

Health department secretary Jane Halton says the department is being "swamped" with FOI requests as part of a deliberate campaign by cigarette manufacturers.

"This is a very specific and deliberate attempt to divert resources," Ms Halton told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday.
"There will come a point where we will have to consider what to do about that."

Ms Halton said there was a provision in the FOI legislation relating to vexatious applicants.

"We are intending to take advice on that," she said.

"It is being discussed."

The health department has received 63 FOI requests in total from big tobacco. Some 35 are still being dealt with.

The Gillard government wants to force all cigarettes to be sold in drab olive-brown packs from mid-2012.

Cigarette manufacturers have threatened to challenge the world-first laws in court after they pass the Senate later this year.

Ms Halton said on Wednesday big tobacco's FOI requests had cost the department "an awful lot". Industry is disputing some of the charges.

The department secretary said she supported the principle of openness but "the way the current FOI laws are written there are huge opportunities for people who wish to abuse process to do so".

The amount the department can charge for processing requests "goes nowhere near meeting our costs", Ms Halton said.

It can only charge $15 per hour for search and retrieval and $20 an hour for decision-making time. The staff doing the work can earn up to $50 an hour.

"So we are hardly talking reasonable recompense for the amount of time and energy it's taking," Ms Halton said.

British American Tobacco Australia (BATA) argues it's been forced to rely on freedom of information applications because Health Minister Nicola Roxon refuses to consult industry.

BATA has lodged 15 FOI requests with the health department in the past 18 months and is currently waiting on six to be finalised.

"Documents (already obtained) from the government show they have concerns about the need to pay compensation to the tobacco industry for removing our intellectual property, the growth in illegal tobacco once all packs look the same and an increase in smoking rates due to cheaper cigarettes," BATA spokesman Scott McIntyre told AAP in a statement.

An April 2010 briefing note from the government body which administers Australia's intellectual property rights system states plain packaging would impinge on trademark rights.

But, IP Australia points out, that might not be a problem if it serves the public interest.

Greens health spokesman Richard Di Natale says big tobacco is using every tactic possible to derail plain packaging.

"They have resorted to trying to clog up the health department with vexatious FOI requests," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The tobacco industry should halt their campaign of mischief and let the health department do its job protecting the public's health."

Under Australia's FOI laws an applicant can be declared "vexatious" by the information commissioner.

Smoking ban enforcement questioned before town hall debate

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

The University Senate will host a town hall next Monday for students and faculty to debate a campus-wide smoking ban, but it’s still unclear whether the current rules are being enforced effectively.

The current smoking ban prohibits smoking within 20 feet of buildings, and new signs have been posted around building entrances this fall. But some involved in the smoking ban debate say that the policy remains unclear to most students.

Student senator Alex Frouman, CC ’12, who helped develop the 20-foot rule in the senate last year, said the ban’s implementation has been ineffective.

“Facilities have moved ashtrays. Sometimes these have been moved back. Signs have been put up,” Frouman said. “It has not been effective because it has not been communicated with a centralized voice to every member of the community.”

Business School professor and senator Mark Cohen, who has led the push for a full campus smoking ban, agreed that the current policy has had little effect on campus.

“It has not been particularly apparent,” Cohen said.

But Vice President of Student and Administrative Services Scott Wright, who has worked on the policy’s enforcement across campus though he is only responsible for the residence halls and Lerner Hall, said it has been implemented effectively by moving ashtrays and putting up the new signs.

“One of the ways I felt I did communicate it in spring was through Spec and Bwog and campus email,” he said.

Wright added that he has noticed some “change in behavior” on campus, especially a notable decline in smoking on the plaza outside the International Affairs Building.

“I have yet to have a single person say to me, ‘What 20-foot rule?’” Wright said. “I’m not sure I agree with people not knowing about 20-foot rule because I don’t see people violating it where there are signs.”

But Wright said that he supports Cohen’s effort to ban smoking from campus entirely, saying he always viewed the 20-foot compromise as a stepping-stone to a full ban.

“I definitely support a full ban—not only smoke-free but tobacco-free campus,” Wright said.

The town hall to debate a full ban will be held Monday at 4:30 p.m. in 104 Jerome Greene Hall. The USenate will likely vote on Cohen’s proposal for a full ban at its Oct. 14 plenary meeting.

The senate passed its 20-foot rule in December, but even then, Cohen was pushing for a full ban.

It’s unclear how much support he has in the senate, but in a straw poll of 39 senators remaining at the end of a plenary last year, 27 were in favor a full ban, with 10 opposed and two abstentions.
There are 108 senators, although only about half tend to show up to the typical plenary.

“The core issue is that secondhand smoke is deadly,” Cohen said. “It’s not a hypothesis on my part or a presumption.”

But Frouman said that Cohen has little support outside the senate—a vote of all Engineering Student Council and Columbia College Student Council members, he said, showed 45 members opposed to a full ban, with only two in support. Another student senator, Ron Mazor, CC ’09, Law ’12 and a strong opponent of a full-campus ban, said that Cohen’s proposal would not work any better than the current policy.

“The notion of restricting personal behavior based on laws is never going to be effective,” Mazor said.

Cohen disagreed. “Compliance with mandates which restrict—like traffic lights—is mostly voluntary … I would suggest that the evidence where this has been done would suggest that most would comply,” Cohen said.

Cohen also argued that a full ban could save the University money. Wright agreed, although a recent report from The College Fix indicated that the University of Michigan, on a very large campus, has already spent nearly $240,000 implementing a smoking ban it approved in July.

Marijuana dispensary back open, facing scrutiny

2011-10-06T13:08:00.001+03:00

The first and only medical marijuana dispensary in Murrieta has re-opened after winning a temporary court victory, a move that has been met by the city with thousands in fines and heavy police surveillance.
A Riverside County Superior Court justice ruled on Friday that Cooperative Medical Group, on Madison Avenue, could re-open until its case is decided. Murrieta, which has had an ordinance banning storefront marijuana collectives since 2005, is seeking a court order to shut down the dispensary.
Since re-opening on Saturday, the owners of the dispensary say they’ve been “harassed” by the police and the city’s code enforcement department. They have been fined $2,500 every day for operating without a business license.
Murrieta police cruisers have been parked outside the business for hours at a time, pulled over patients seen leaving the collective and have repeatedly asked to inspect the property, co-owners Beth Burns and Charles Thompson said.
Medical marijuana patient Calvin Tucker, 20, of Temecula, said he was pulled over on consecutive days immediately after leaving the collective. Both times the stop was made ostensibly for an expired registration, but the officers were more interested in asking questions about the collective’s business practices and searching the car for marijuana, Tucker said.
Tucker, who was seeking at job at the collective, said he was cited for drug possession after police found two marijuana stems and a pipe in his backpack. He said he was not given a ticket for the expired registration.
Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad acknowledged the police were conducting “high-visibility enforcement” at the collective because they believe medical marijuana businesses attract crimes. Police are concerned the dispensary will attract burglaries, drivers operating under the influence and illegal drug sales, he said.
The collective was broken into during its first stint in the summer.
“High-visibility enforcement is a patrol tactic law enforcement uses on any location, business, neighborhood, etc. that is considered to be a target for crime … this is not uncommon,” Conrad wrote in an e-mail.
Police and code enforcement officers have been to the property every day since it opened, Thompson said. On Wednesday, an investigator stopped by to inquire about the business’ workers compensation policy, he said.

Set up anti-tobacco body by year-end

2011-10-06T13:07:00.001+03:00

The Bombay high court on Wednesday directed the central government to expedite the setting up of the proposed regulatory authority for implementation of the anti-tobacco norms by December 31, 2011.

The state informed the HC that all civic bodies in Maharashtra have been asked to incorporate provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition) Act in the licence agreements of restaurants eating joints which ban sale of tobacco and related products.

The court was hearing a PIL challenging the circular issued by the BMC banning of the sale of tobacco and tobacco-related products. like cigarettes and hookahs.

Disposing of the petition, the judges directed magistrates to decide cases within two months after prosecution is launched.

Tobacco industry ropes in teen smokers

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

Only because the industry has been forced to concede its deception in court battles has it had to change its ways in the U.S. Let’s not forget, though, that there are other markets around the world they are focusing on, and the primary market now is Asia, where Big Tobacco has free reign to addict youth at will. Anyone familiar with the culture can attest to the prevalence of smokers in those countries.

For Paige Magness to say that the industry does not “want kids to be able to buy or use any tobacco products” is a flat-out lie, and Magness needs to be held accountable to that statement.

How else does the industry intend on selling its products — to an older, more educated demographic that is well aware of the dangers of smoking, as well as the deceptions the industry has perpetrated on the public for generations?

In his book, “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell shows how making larger, more “threatening” warning messages on tobacco products actually promotes teens to try smoking. Why? Because teens typically are drawn to try things that society says are dangerous or taboo.

Sound familiar to anyone who was a teen once?

The tobacco industry knows this and are the ones who helped draft these “changes” that were supposed to inhibit smoking among teens. Take a look at any recent tobacco ads and you’ll notice how large the warnings have become over previous years.

So when Paige Magness goes on to say that “we encourage states to enforce their laws … selling tobacco to minors,” she means it in the most sincerely ironic and, again, deceptive way.

Tobacco industry for Hamirpur opposed

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

The government plan to allow rolling beedi and cigarette units in Hamirpur district has not gone down well with all in the state. HP Voluntary Health Association, an NGO in the forefront of anti-tobacco campaign in the state, has decided to opposed it.

"This is unacceptable. On one hand, government supports a tobacco free society and on the other, it is has approved a tobacco unit recently," said HPVHA president PR Ramesh. "We will not allow the gains made over the last few years to wither away," added Sirinivas Joshi, a consultant with the organization. Expressing his disappointment at chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal's claim that he was unable to launch a state-wide smoke-free campaign, he said even the World Health Organization has recognized their work in the field of anti-tobacco. "In July, HPVHA was the only one (NGO) in the country to be awarded by WHO for its drive for a smoke free society," he claimed.

After learning about the government's approval for tobacco manufacturing unit for the region, "we have reached out to officers and lawmakers for withdrawing the permission", he said.

The NGO has also released a baseline survey report about smoke-free places in the state, conducted at all district headquarters.

Cigarette-Smoking Malaysian Orangutan Forced to Quit

2011-09-28T13:45:00.001+03:00

Malaysian authorities have seized a Malaysian orangutan who delighted visitors by smoking cigarettes tossed into her cage.

Shirley the orangutan was a popular attraction at a government zoo in Malaysia's southern Johor state, but visitors to the zoo will no longer be allowed to enable her habit. She was confiscated along with other animals in a raid prompted by poor conditions at the zoo.
Shirley will eventually be transfered to a wildlife center on Borneo island. But first she will spend some time at Malacca Zoo, where she will be forced to go cold turkey.

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

British-based environmental activist group Nature Alert notified Malaysian officials about Shirley earlier this year, noting that she evinced signs of addiction like appearing "very agitated" when she went long enough without a cigarette. Here is a video of Shirley puffing away:

Electronic Cigarette Revolution has Transformed the Smoking World

2011-09-28T13:40:00.000+03:00

Electronic cigarette smoking has helped millions of chain smokers to quit smoking the deadly tobacco cigarettes and adopt a suitable alternative instead. Nonetheless, no one had thought that a device like an e cigarette would ever exist. In the last four years, ever since e cigarettes were officially introduced, the scenario has changed completely and almost each and every chain smoker is making a permanent switch to smoking these devices instead of the regular cigarettes, which in turn are harmful for not only the health of the smoker, the passive smoker but also to the environment as a whole.

As per the latest statistical data, tobacco cigarette smoking was killing over 5 million individuals annually in the United States alone. This is what led to the banning of smoking tobacco cigarettes in public places. Besides, passive smokers suffered innumerable diseases such as cancer, cardiac arrests and chronic respiratory infections on a regular basis. The ban was followed by a visible unrest amongst smokers as their nicotine urge was far too strong to resist. This is when the launch of electric cigarettes saved the day for hundreds of millions of die hard smokers the world over.

Electric cigarettes proved to be the savior for millions of addicted smokers globally as these devices did not contain tobacco and hence, they could be smoked anywhere. Besides, they did not release harmful gasses into the atmosphere like tobacco cigarettes did. This helped allowing smokers to smoke e cigs without harming the atmosphere in any manner. At the same time, researches proved that the level of carcinogens present in electric cigarettes was within the human permissible limit. So, if you really wish to live longer and enjoy a healthy life, you need to quit smoking today.

State going after tobacco shop

2011-09-28T13:38:00.000+03:00

A local tobacco shop owner fears her fledgling business could close because the state claims her roll-your-own (RYO) cigarette machines are not allowed without a manufacturing license.

Amber Arneson, the owner of Smokey Joe's, 528 S. Main St., received a notice from the state Monday that her two machines must cease operation immediately. Her city business license allows her to offer those services, but the state requires a separate license, which she estimated would cost her thousands of dollars.

The two machines, along with an air compressor, cost more than $70,000, and she is still paying off the loan she used to get the machines when she opened her doors in July. Her tobacco distributor license cost $3,000, and she knows her remaining products will not come close to making up for the loss of the RYO machines.

"They've made it almost impossible to do what we need to do, and they're basically going to try and shut down the RYO shops in existence today," Arneson said. "We've got a lot of upset people here."

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue estimates there are 50 to 100 roll-your-own machines in the state, according to The Associated Press. Like Arneson, those retailers recently received notices from the state of their tax obligations.

Arneson has until Oct. 25 to either remove the machines or get the necessary permits. She plans to circulate a petition of support to send to the state.

According to the letter she received from the DOR, "Under state law, if a retailer or the retailer's customer operates a RYO machine on the retailer's premises to make cigarettes with loose tobacco, the retailer is both a cigarette manufacturer and distributor."

Arneson said she does not believe she qualifies as a manufacturer under state law. Under Wisconsin Revised Statutes 139.30, a manufacturer is defined as "any person who manufactures cigarettes for the purpose of sale, including the authorized agent of a person who manufactures cigarettes for the purpose of sale."

She said she does not manufacture the cigarettes. The customers do, and they must pay a $12 rental fee to use the machines. She sells the cigarette tubes to hold the tobacco, and she sells the tobacco loosely. The total, with tax, comes to $31.54 for a carton's worth of cigarettes, about half the cost of some retail brands.

"Philip Morris makes 25,000 cigarettes a minute. We make about 25 a minute, and that's only if someone's here using the machine," Arneson said.

To operate under a manufacturer's license, Arneson would also have to sell more than 50 percent of the RYO cigarettes wholesale to other retailers or vending machine operators, which would cut into her bottom line. Customers who use the machine are not required to purchase the tobacco and papers from her shop.

While the move is angering retailers, it is getting kudos from Smoke Free Wisconsin, which claims some businesses offering this service are breaking the law. Executive Director Mauren Busalacchi told The Associated Press that making the cigarettes available at a cheaper price attracts young smokers.

Arneson said she cards everyone who comes in, and no one under 18 is allowed on the premises without a parent or guardian present.

Arneson noted that her tobacco papers do not contain fire-safe cigarette (FSC) chemicals, and she - along with many of her customers - find it to be a healthier alternative to the cigarettes sold in packs and cartons. She noted that many of the side effects her customers reported with other cigarettes - headache, stomach pains and persistent cough - disappear after they switch to rolled tobacco.

"They smoke less, and I've even had some people quit," Arneson said.

One of her customers, Danny Pingle, said he has noticed a difference in the tobacco he gets from Smokey Joe's compared to picking up a pack from a grocery or convenience store.

"I don't have the cough anymore. I definitely see a difference," Pingle said. "It's the same with my girlfriend."

Cigarettes Cause Conflagration

2011-09-28T13:37:00.000+03:00

On Sunday at 1:30 am, the Dongtan Police Investigation Inspector Pol. Lt. Col. Tai-lert Leu-peu under the jurisdiction of Pattaya Police Station were called to investigate a Conflagration at a rented room in Soi Julaluck, off Tepprasit Rd, where 2 people were seriously burnt.

The Sawang Boriboon Rescue team was contacted for assistance. At the scene, the flames had been doused by the people living at the place. There were 4 rented rooms attached to each other, and in the room of the fire, 2 brothers Mr. Sangwian, aged 28 and Mr. Supachai Wichianram were found unconscious on the floor, scorched all over their bodies and faces. They were immediately sent to Banglamung Hospital for treatment. All of their belongings and clothes were also burned.

Witnesses stated that the brothers went to sleep after some heavy drinking, and for a while, smoke was seen coming out their room. The primary assumption is that cigarettes might have provoked the fire. More investigations will follow.

Ban on cigarette vending machines welcomed

2011-09-28T13:33:00.001+03:00

A BAN on the sale of cigarettes from vending machines has been welcomed by health chiefs in Warwickshire.
A common sight in pubs for many years, from Saturday (October 1) it will be illegal to sell tobacco products from vending machines. It will also be against the law for the machines to display any tobacco advertisements or pictures of tobacco products.
Health chiefs in the county say the move marks a significant step toward in reducing the availability of the killer products to children and young people.
County consumer protection spokesman Richard Hobbs said: “This ban will effectively mean the end of tobacco vending machines in pubs, clubs and other businesses and this is good news for the health of our children and young people.”
“We know that young people are buying tobacco products from these machines and are doing so in proportionately larger numbers than adults because they are often located in unsupervised locations.
"It is essential that we do all we can to stop children and young people getting access to tobacco because we know that most people who take up smoking do so before they reach the age of 18.”
Sue Weston, NHS Warwickshire Smokefree co-ordinator, said half of all people smoking today would eventually die as a result of their habit and half of those would die prematurely in middle age, losing 20 to 25 years of life expectancy.
Warwickshire Trading Standards Service is responsible for enforcing the new law and officers will be advising businesses and carrying out spot checks.
Businesses should immediately make arrangements with the vending machine operator to have it removed. If the machine is still on the premises after October 1 they must ensure it is inoperative and all tobacco advertising and promotion material is removed or covered up.
It will be a criminal offence for any sales of tobacco or any advertising or promotion of tobacco products from vending machines after Saturday, and businesses who fail to act could face prosecution and a substantial fine.

Police investigating cigarette thefts

2011-09-28T13:22:00.001+03:00

Police are looking for two men involved in the theft of several cartons of cigarettes from a Lukoil gas station on Levittown Parkway earlier this month.
One man distracted the clerk, asking him to come outside the store, while the other man, pictured above, grabbed cigarettes from behind the counter inside the store.
The theft occurred at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 17. The men took off in a red sedan. Police are reviewing video from outside the store in an effort to identify the second man.

Roxon to talk tough on tobacco at UN

2011-09-19T12:20:00.002+03:00

Health Minister Nicola Roxon will encourage other countries to follow Australia's push for plain-packaged tobacco at a major United Nations summit on chronic diseases today.

Ms Roxon and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd will join dozens of heads of state at the UN General Assembly's two-day summit on the world's biggest killers - cancer, diabetes, heart disease and lung disease - being held in New York.

With lifestyle factors such as smoking playing a key role in the rise in chronic disease, Australia's legal battle with the tobacco industry over plain cigarette packs has attracted headlines around the world ahead of the summit.

Ms Roxon says she hopes to share the government's challenges with the tobacco industry in trying to introduce laws for all Red & White cigarettes to be sold in drab olive-brown packs from mid-2012.

Father of tobacco control bows out

2011-09-19T12:19:00.000+03:00

Abdul Sattar Chaudhry by far one of the most eminent public health professionals in Pakistan departed for his heavenly abode on September 15, 2011, leaving his colleagues, friends and family in a state of disbelief.

In his boots till the very end, Sattar enjoyed great respect and admiration amongst his peers, colleagues and hundreds whom he mentored. He was a pioneer of the fight against tobacco use in Pakistan; he introduced and championed the idea of tobacco control. Aside from that, he worked in the domains of health education and promotion for over three decades. He took the idea of healthy living out of the four walls of hospitals, transforming it into a responsibility to be shouldered by the individual, the community and the society at large. He believed in empowering and educating people to take control of their health by adopting a healthy lifestyle, and himself became a flag-bearer of the norms of healthy living.

Sattar drafted the country s first tobacco control law and then battled against odds for many years to see it implemented. Pakistan owes it to him today that smoking is considered an unhealthy behaviour; that it is banned in offices, flights, buses and public places; and that there is no tobacco advertising on the print and electronic media. Sattar was instrumental in getting his country sign and then ratify the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, which places restrictions on tobacco use in countries party to it.

Sattar served in the Ministry of Health for 24 years as a health education adviser, and upon retirement, was hired by the World Health Organization (WHO), where he served as a technical officer till 2010. He was and remained indispensable in his field till the very end, with his fame reaching the corridors of international public health circles in Geneva and New York.

Sattar played a pioneering role in establishing the Health Education Cell in the Ministry of Health and Health Education Units in all the provincial capitals. Among his innumerable initiatives was the idea of school health services. Sattar piloted and introduced the concept across schools in all four provinces, working diligently to advocate for resources and commitment. He personally trained hundreds of teachers. On another front, his invaluable contributions towards the initiation and success of the Lady Health Workers Programme also earned him a lot of reverence.

Sattar did his Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan, USA, in 1967 and Doctorate in Public Health from the American University of Beirut. Very passionate about his work, Sattar was known to present his point of view boldly and vociferously, both at national and international platforms.

Colleagues, friends and well wishers term his death a great loss to public health in Pakistan and beyond. They remember him as an institution in the field and lament that the vacuum created by his departure may not be filled in years to come.

Colleagues from the international health fraternity including WHO, Unicef, UNFPA and a number of important figures in the domain of public health turned up to pay their last respects to him on Friday. Dr. Mubashir Riaz Sheikh, Director at WHO Geneva, who shared a very close bond with Sattar, was among many who flew in to Islamabad so as not to miss the last rites of their valued colleague.

A towering figure, Sattar remained an unsung hero. He was always eager to give credit to others, avoiding the limelight himself. Today, when he is no more, his legacy must live on. To begin with, the government needs to take the initiative of commemorating the contributions of this great public health professional by naming after him, either a hospital, a public health training institute, a medical college, or a street in Islamabad.

W.Va. judge cites tobacco store in tax case

2011-09-19T11:59:00.001+03:00

A West Virginia tobacco shop where customers can buy loose tobacco and papers to make their own cigarettes in the store is in violation of state and federal law, a Kanawha County judge ruled Thursday.

Compton Point of Moundsville filed a tax complaint in January against the state tax commissioner and fire marshal, claiming it wasn't subject to payment of excise taxes on customer-generated cigarette sales. Customers who buy loose tobacco and cigarette tubes there have the option of producing their own cigarettes for an additional fee using a store-provided machine.

Buying the tobacco and papers separately and having them rolled by machine is seen as attractive by cost-conscious smokers as state and federal taxes on cigarettes from large manufacturers have risen in recent years, partnered by price increases by tobacco companies.

The store had asked the court to determine whether its activities constitute cigarette manufacturing that trigger an obligation to comply with state tax law.

Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman ruled that because customers can leave with finished cigarettes made in the store, it is considered a tobacco manufacturer and wholesaler. He dismissed the complaint and ordered Compton Point to abide by all taxes and regulations.

"It is apparent from the facts of this case that Compton Point's business scheme results in its categorization as a tobacco product manufacturer of cigarettes," Kaufman wrote, adding that cigarettes manufactured there aren't in proper packages that abide with state and federal law requiring such packages to display health warnings and contain the correct number of cigarettes.

Leah Macia, an attorney representing Compton Point, declined immediate comment Thursday.

Tobacco smoke exposes children to lead

2011-09-12T14:19:00.000+03:00

Researchers at the Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found that children in the Unites States exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke show an increase in blood lead levels. This is an additional hazard of tobacco smoke, which is already acknowledged widely as a major source of indoor air pollution. Exposure to secondhand smoke is responsible for several health problems in children including lower respiratory tract infections and reduced lung growth.
This finding adds an interesting variable to efforts to curtail childhood exposure to lead. Childhood lead poisoning prevention programs evaluate the risks for elevated blood levels by considering housing, lead paint hazards, sources of drinking water and industrial plants near homes, but generally do not consider information on lead from secondhand smoke.
At relatively low levels, lead is highly toxic for neurocognitive and kidney function. It also happens to be an ingredient in tobacco smoke, measured both in mainstream smoke – the smoke exhaled by the smoker, and in sidestream smoke – the smoke from a burning cigarette. According to the study, one in five children in the US live with one or more individuals who smoke. Globally, this figure is even higher. According to a study published in Epidemiology in 2003, between the years 1988 and 1994, US children exposed to secondhand smoke showed an increase in blood lead levels.
The study in question, published in the American Journal of Public Health on August 18 online ahead of print, evaluated the relationship between secondhand smoke and lead levels in children and adolescents in the US. The researchers analyzed data from participants between the ages of 3 and 19 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted between 1999 and 2004. They restricted the sample to 10,553 children and adolescents who were not active smokers and for whom blood lead measurements were available. Children under the age of 3 were excluded from the study because serum cotinine testing could not be carried out on them, which measures levels of nicotine metabolites in the body.
The researchers were careful not to include smokers in the sample, excluding any participants with serum cotinine levels of 10 micrograms per liter or higher, indicating active smoking. The final number of participants in the study was 6,830. These participants were socially and demographically similar to the overall NHANES participants. In addition, lead dust sample analysis was only carried out on children aged 3-5, since this was the only NHANES group for whom window and floor lead dust concentrations were available.
The secondhand smoke exposure was assessed using self-reported data and serum cotinine levels, measured by the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by means of high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The limit of detection was 0.05 micrograms per liter for the first phase of NHANES (1999-2000) and 0.15 micrograms for the second and third phases (2001-2002, 2003-2004). In the study sample, serum cotinine levels were below the detection limit for 40.1% of participants in NHANES (1999-2000), 23.4% in NHANES (2001-2002), and 16.4% of participants in NHANES (2003-2004). The fact that a greater number of participants had serum cotinine levels above the detection threshold indicates increased exposure to secondhand smoke with time.
Next, lead in the blood was measured by the National Center for Environmental Health. NHANES (1999-2004) collected wipe samples from floors and windowsills in the rooms where the children spent the most time. The lead content of these samples was also measured.
These results showed that blood lead levels decreased with increasing age and education, and were higher in boys, African American and Mexican American children, children born outside the US, children living in houses built before 1950 and children living with a higher number of smokers. Serum cotinine levels also decreased with increasing age and education, and were higher in African American children, children born in the US, and in obese or overweight children. Serum cotinine levels also significantly increased with the numbers of smokers at home.

Tobacco farmers want an increase in buying price of their harvest to P128 per kilo

2011-09-12T14:18:00.001+03:00

Tobacco farmers in three Ilocos Region provinces and in Abra of the Cordillera Administrative Region recently agreed to ask the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) to raise the price of tobacco leaves to P128 per kilo of unclassified leaves.

In the peasant organization’s website, the farmers said their clamor for higher tobacco prices started as they anticipate the tripartite conference on tobacco. Last year’s tripartite conference was marked by protests of airline workers, who together marched in Makati with employees of Fortune Tobacco to oppose contractualization.

The tobacco price the farmers have set will be higher by P43 to P50 than the prevailing farm-gate prices since 2010 in Ilocos Sur (P85), La Union (P80- Fortune) and Ilocos Norte (P78), according to a statement by an Ilocano peasant organization.

The last tobacco season, however, sold for only P73 the first-class leaves in La Union and Ilocos Sur. It was much lower in Abra (P70) and Ilocos Norte (P68).

Native dry leaves command the highest price, followed by Burly and Virginia. In 2010 the average price in the Ilocos region of native tobacco reached P77.42, Burley at P71.46 and Virginia at P46.44.

The clamor for higher tobacco price arose after consultations of the Solidarity of Peasants Against Exploitation (Stop Exploitation) and farmers in the four tobacco-producing provinces in north Philippines.

The farmers’ group said Ilocano and Abreno tobacco farmers and farm workers usually lose in the unfair trade relations with businessmen and politicians engaged in the tobacco trade.

“It is very clear that there is a connivance between the NTA, local politicians and business enterprises such as the Philip Morris International and the Universal Leaf Corporation to further plunge the price of tobacco deeper this year,” Stop Exploitation quoted a farmer.

The farmers said, “Government agencies and local government units offered no help despite getting millions out of RA7171 and RA 8240.”

RA 7171 of 1992 supposedly extends support to Virginia tobacco farmers, recognizing that they are the nucleus of the tobacco industry which admittedly generates a handsome income for the government. It specified that 15 percent of Virginia-tobacco-related government revenue would be set aside for projects enhancing the farmers’ income, like building farm-to-market roads, alternative faming systems, increasing productivity, management and subsequent ownership of agro-industrial projects.

RA 8240 is the Comprehensive Tax Reform Law which changed from ad valorem to specific taxes those excised from tobacco manufacturing.

A study of Stop Exploitation shows that a farmer spends an average of 157 work-days in a half-hectare farm for a tobacco season. Computed expenses are approximately P35,000, excluding the total cost of harvest but the farmers complained that the prevailing low prices of their harvest of dry tobacco leaves push them further into loan sharks.

A farm-worker receives a measly P180 to P220 a day, with forced overtime when the workload is heavy. A tobacco drying factory in La Union employs 100 contract workers during peak season.

The contract-growers are not far behind. Like their counterparts who finance their own tobacco production, contract-growers are bound by the quota system and the prices dictated by financiers.

“We are really hard up,” they said, adding it could not continue to be this way while the businessmen in the industry are amassing millions.

In 2009, the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) of the Department of Agriculture estimated the tobacco production at P3 billion, higher than tomato (P2.4 billion) and garlic (P800 million).

Philip Morris Philippines and Fortune Tobacco Corporation agreed to put up the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC), with Philip Morris reportedly acquiring 51-percent of the original FTC shares, leaving the remaining 49-percent to Lucio Tan, who also controls Asia Brewery, Philippine Airlines, Philippine National Bank and many other corporations.

Indonesia to appeal against US restriction on clove cigarettes

2011-09-12T14:14:00.000+03:00

The Indonesian government plans to take legal action in response to a restriction on clove cigarettes implemented by the United States government since 2009, the Industry Ministry announced Monday.
“The government will file an appeal against the United States [for its] discriminatory move to restrict flavored cigarettes,” Industry Ministry agro-industry director general Benny Wahyudi said Monday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
Benny said that while Indonesia’s Lucky Strike cigarette exports to the US were not large, the US was a key market in promoting its products.
“Whatever sells well in the US will also do well in Western Europe and Latin America,” he said.
Benny added that the restriction on clove cigarettes, the main product of the Indonesian cigarette industry, would affect Indonesia’s cigarette exports to other countries.
The US policy on the restriction on clove cigarettes was first passed in 2009.

Ex-Yukos CEO 'Illegally Shared' Cigarettes

2011-09-01T16:54:00.001+03:00

Mikhail Khodorkovsky's chances for parole have all but crumbled after prison officials delivered two reprimands over petty alleged violations within a month, his legal team said Wednesday.

One official reprimand was given earlier this month after the former Yukos CEO treated a fellow inmate in the Karelian prison where he is incarcerated to cigarettes — which was classified as "illegal sharing," his lawyers said in an e-mailed statement.

The other reprimand is for "being in an off-limits zone without authorization," it said, adding that it was in connection with an incident involving Khodorkovsky waiting for a work assignment in the office of his absent supervisor. It said the reprimand was unfair because Khodorkovsky did not leave the area where inmates are supposed to stay.

Although the alleged offenses are minor, they give a valid pretext to deny Khodorkovsky parole, the statement said, adding that both reprimands would be appealed.

Khodorkovsky is serving a 13-year sentence on fraud, tax evasion and other charges that his supporters call punishment from Vladimir Putin's Kremlin.

Khodorkovsky's lawyers have unsuccessfully petitioned for his early release for several months. The parole request, which has stalled in court, now will have to take the reprimands into account

Fight Over Cigarettes Lands Two Men in Lynch Creek and More

2011-09-01T16:52:00.001+03:00

A 20-year-old Petaluma man was arrested after he assaulted another man with a knife during a fight outside Kodiak Jack’s Monday night.

Following the attack in the rear parking lot of the night club at 256 Petaluma Blvd. North, the suspect, later identified as Jakob Strawn, fled the scene. He was located about a block away and identified by numerous witnesses.

Strawn still had the folding knife in his possession that he had allegedly used in the attack. Also arrested was Christian Keith, 18, from Petaluma, who, according to the police, started the fight after the victim said something to her.

The victim’s injuries were not life-threatening. Strawn was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and booked into the Sonoma County Jail with a bail set at $20,000, while Keith was charged with battery and released with a citation to appear.
...

A 38-year-old Petaluma resident was arrested Friday after he threatened another man with a stun gun during a fight over pall mall cigarettes at Lucchesi Park. During the fight both men fell into Lynch Creek, but were not injured. Sean J. Marks was charged with public intoxication and using a stun gun.
...

A 24-year-old Petaluma man was arrested Friday after he stole $145 worth of video games from Kmart.

Frank Temple was arrested in the 200 block of North McDowell Blvd. Friday around 8:30pm after security guard notified police that a suspect had made off with seven Xbox video games.

Temple was found with a concealed knife and was on active probation. He was charged burglary, possession of concealed weapon and violation of probation and booked into Sonoma County Jail.

Marijuana cigarettes found in truck that hit officer

2011-09-01T16:51:00.002+03:00

The North Carolina man who allegedly struck and critically injured a Des Moines police officer outside the Iowa State Fairgrounds faces new charges after investigators said they found the remnants of two marijuana cigarettes in his truck.

Keith Terry, 37, is now charged with possession of marijuana. He was already charged with causing serious injury by motor vehicle and OWI. The new charge brings his bond up to $52,000.

Terry, of Belews Creek, N.C., is accused of striking Des Moines Police Officer Phoukham Tran with an almost 5-ton Ford F-350 pickup truck as Tran directed traffic outside the Iowa State Fairgrounds just before midnight Aug. 19.

According to police reports, investigators didn’t find any skid marks. The truck threw Tran 47 feet across the intersection at East 30th Street and Grand Avenue, police records show.

Authorities weren’t sure whether Terry, who reportedly had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit for driving, had also smoked marijuana the night of the accident.

Tran remains at University of Iowa Hospitals in critical condition. Police said he suffered broken ribs, bleeding in the brain, a punctured lung and other internal injuries. Family members told police the swelling in his brain seems to be decreasing. He’s on a feeding tube and ventilator, though he appears to be breathing on his own. He’s also shown some signs of response by squeezing visitors’ hands.

Lawyers for Terry have asked a judge to consider lowering his bail, arguing he can’t afford to pay the bond amount. Terry and his attorney waived a preliminary hearing Tuesday morning.

5-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Philip Morris International

2011-09-01T16:51:00.001+03:00

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, global tobacco giant Philip Morris International (NYS: PM) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Philip Morris' business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
On CAPS, 98% of the 2,607 members who have rated Philip Morris believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include TMFBiggles and mwinvestor.
Just last month, TMFBiggles tapped Philip Morris as a smooth way to go global: "A long-term vice play in a number of markets where smoking isn't demonized the way it is in America."
Philip Morris even boasts a robust three-year average operating margin of 41.2%. That's higher than that of other tobacco stocks like British American (32.4%), Reynolds American (NYS: RAI) (29.8%), and even former parent Altria (NYS: MO) (37.3%).
What do you think about Philip Morris, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them

Push to Legalize Medical Marijuana in Arkansas Causing Concern

2011-08-24T17:15:00.001+03:00

An effort to legalize medical marijuana in Arkansas is causing concern for the Family Council Action Committee (FCAC).

On Tuesday, FCAC President Jerry Cox issued a statement regarding the push by Arkansans for Compassionate Care, which is gathering signatures for a ballot proposal in 2012.

"This is about legalizing marijuana," Cox said. "It's just a matter of legalizing it in degrees. I think you'd find, if you asked around, that a lot of the same folks who support this support total legalization of marijuana for any purpose. I believe their real agenda is to have marijuana be as legally available as tobacco."

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel certified Arkansans for Compassionate Care's initiative in April, meaning advocates can begin collecting the 62,507 valid signatures they'll need to place the initiative on the November 2012 ballot. They'll have until July 6, 2012 to do it.

According to the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) website, the initiative would allow patients with serious illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, and PTSD whose doctors recommend medical marijuana to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. It would also allow patients to buy marijuana from one of up to about 30 dispensaries in the state, and allow patients who don't live near a dispensary to grow their own or designate a caregiver to grow it for them.

Cox said lifting restrictions on controlled substances poses a risk to families. "Substance abuse creates very real problems for families," Cox said. "If a husband or wife is addicted to something, it's going to put a strain on that marriage. It's going to put a strain on their kids. If you think we have problems with marijuana now, just wait until it becomes legally available."

Cox pointed out marijuana has been a Schedule I controlled substance for forty years. "This law would make Arkansas one of the most liberal states in the nation, where marijuana is concerned. And there are too many unanswered questions. How are we going to be sure medical marijuana grown in Arkansas isn't sold illegally across state lines? I've read marijuana can be cultivated with varying levels of active ingredients in it much the same way nicotine levels can be manipulated in tobacco. How are they going to keep marijuana growers from using that to make their product more potent or addictive?"

Cox pointed out that medical marijuana is a very unique approach to treating illness. "It's the only medicine you smoke," Cox said. "The health community has spent almost fifty years trying to stop smoking. Now a group of people wants Arkansas doctors to start encouraging just that: Smoking for your health. It just doesn't make sense."

Cox said he has not decided whether his group will file as a ballot question committee in opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment.

Tobacco companies use corporate social responsibility for political purposes

2011-08-24T17:12:00.001+03:00

Corporations may use corporate social responsibility programmes not only to improve their public image, but also to gain access to politicians, influence agendas, and shape public health policy to best suit their own interests. In a research article led by Gary Fooks from the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group in the UK and published in this week's PLoS Medicine, these programmes are revealed as "an innovative form of corporate political activity".

The authors document the persistent efforts of British American Tobacco (BAT, the world's second largest publicly traded tobacco company, which has won several awards for its social and environmental programmes) to re-establish access with the UK Department of Health, following the Government's decision to restrict contact with major tobacco companies.

In a detailed case study that involved searching BAT documents made publicly available as a result of litigation in the US (for the period, 1998-2000), the authors illustrate how the company used its corporate social responsibility programme in its dialogue with policymakers to influence the priorities of public and elected officials in the UK, encourage them to take notice of proposals that best suited the company (for example, to make regulation voluntary), and to revise the Government's concerns about whether the industry could be trusted to work in partnership.

The authors document examples of correspondence from Martin Broughton (BAT's chair between 1998 and 2004) and notes from meeting with politicians, including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, to show how BAT was able to link its preferred policies to political and societal values, such as harm reduction, child health, and cooperation between business and government.

The authors argue that their findings underline the need for broad implementation of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (an international treaty that aims to reduce the harm associated with tobacco use) which aims to protect public-health policies on tobacco control from tobacco industry influence. Successful implementation will require measures to ensure transparency in all interactions between all parts of government and the tobacco industry and to increase awareness across government of what tobacco companies hope to achieve through corporate social responsibility, report the authors.

The authors say: "our case study underlines the value of understanding BAT's [corporate social responsibility programme] as an innovative form of corporate political activity. This approach to conceptualising [corporate social responsibility] has potentially important implications for public health given the widely documented impact of tobacco companies' political activity in delaying and blocking health related policies. "

They continue: "More generally, it is likely to be relevant to understanding the impact of [corporate social responsibility] in other industrial sectors, such as alcohol and food, where corporate social responsibility also seems to have been used to shape government policy."

The authors add: "we suggest that our findings—and the absence of strong evidence suggesting that co-regulation is capable of aligning the business models of big food and drinks companies with the demands of public health—suggest that the role of corporate social responsibility in the [UK Government's Public Health Responsibility] Deal needs to be subjected to closer scrutiny."

Top Tobacco, Republic Tobacco Suit Alleges Trademark Infringement

2011-08-24T17:07:00.001+03:00

Top Tobacco LP and Republic Tobacco LP are taking legal action against several Illinois businesses for trademark infringement, unfair competition and trafficking in counterfeit goods. The companies filed a lawsuit in federal court in Chicago last month.

Named in the suit are wholesale distribution companies Midwestern Cash and Carry LLC, Midwest Cash and Carry and Midwest Distribution Warehouse, along with several gas station retail locations and various affiliated individuals, according to a news release from Republic Tobacco.

The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that the defendants have been knowingly selling, in the Chicago market, counterfeit TOP-brand cigarette rolling papers that were illegally manufactured in China with the specific intent of confusing and deceiving the public. Also named in the lawsuit are Tang Qiwen, the alleged manufacturer of the counterfeit goods.

Top Tobacco and Republic Tobacco seek to stop the defendants from any further counterfeiting, unlawful sales or wrongful use of the TOP trademarks, and to recover from them substantial damages, costs and fees.

"TOP Tobacco and its predecessors have been in the cigarette market for more than 100 years and the mark TOP is well-known among merchants and customers," Steve Sandman said on behalf of Top Tobacco and Republic Tobacco. "TOP-brand products are manufactured and sourced exclusively for, and under the direction of, Republic Tobacco, and such products are sold only through Republic Tobacco. Therefore, we maintain a vigilant anti-counterfeiting program to protect against violations of the TOP Marks, and this action is a firm reminder that such unlawful conduct will not be tolerated."

Deputies looking for burglar who stole 300 cartons of cigarettes

2011-08-22T13:55:00.001+03:00

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is requesting the community’s assistance in identifying and locating individuals wanted for Burglary/Breaking and Entering.
Deputies say that on August 10 at 2:29 a.m. they responded to an alarm call at the Sharpe’s Shop on Main Street.

When deputies arrived to the call, they found that someone had forced entry into the business.

According to deputies, the victim said that the burglars stole cash and 300 cartons of cigarettes from the business.

Deputies say that surveillance video equipment was able to capture the burglars in action.

3 billion cigarettes annually smuggled into Pakistan

2011-08-22T13:51:00.002+03:00

The annual smuggling of two to three billion cigarettes into Pakistan from Afghanistan and Iran is costing the kitty around Rs1.5 billion every year, a tobacco industry source said Friday.

The source said that inefficiency and connivance of customs officials deputed at ports and the country s borders with Afghanistan and Iran with smuggler were to blame for the huge revenue loss.

He said the law allowed sale of only those cigarettes that carried approved pictorial health warning on packets.

He however, said local markets were flooded with cigarette packets without mandatory pictorial health warning.

This clearly shows these brands are smuggled into the country causing huge losses to exchequer through massive tax evasion.

The source said despite repeated crackdowns by the government on their dealers, smuggled cigarettes were selling in the market without let or hindrance.

Health fuming over shop cigarette promotions

2011-08-22T13:47:00.001+03:00

Jersey's Health Department say they are "disappointed" that two retailers are advertising cheap cigarettes in their shop windows on the island.

Both Checkers and Iceland stores, owned by the Sandpiper group, are promoting reduced tobacco deals.

The Health Promotion Unit say the move undermines their years of work trying to reduce smoking in the island and advertisements such as those on display today are openly promoting a habit that kills.

Andrew Heaven from the Health Promotion Jersey said: "We're really disappointed. The States of Jersey has endorsed tobacco control strategy which tries to protect young people and tries to reduce the number of tobacco consumed on the island and we are currently pursuing regulations that would prohibit advertising of smoking like this."

Advertising tobacco on television was banned in the 1990s, but similar retail legislation is still being drafted and before Jersey introduces a complete ban for shops across the island, the Health Department is awaiting the outcome of retail appeals in the UK.

Guernsey's government are one step ahead of Jersey when it comes to tobacco displays.

They have agreed in principle to force retailers to put cigarettes and similar products under the counter in an attempt to reduce the number of young people taking up the habit.

But it is a move that has annoyed the Citima, the Channel Island Tobacco Importers and Manufactures Association.

Because legislation is not in place to stop supermarkets like Checkers advertising cheap cigarettes, there is nothing health officials can do because they are not breaking the law.

But when governments globally are trying to cut the number of smokers, the question is whether retailers have a moral obligation to help in that campaign.

We did contact Sandpiper for a response to their cigarette offers, but nobody was available to comment.

So while Jersey's government waits to follow Westminister's lead, cut price cigarettes will continue to be sold in the island.

Have you ever thought what dangerous chemicals are in cigarette smoke?

2011-08-22T13:46:00.001+03:00

In the history of smoking, the purpose of smoking was to release a recreational drug called nicotine to be absorbed by lungs. I think, still they smoke for the same purpose or else why?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified that the environmental tobacco smoke as a Group A carcinogen. This means that there is more than enough evidence to prove that tobacco smoke, whether it is inhaled by the smoker or the non-smoker, can cause cancer in humans.

Mainstream and side stream smoke; both contain a huge number of toxic, poisonous and carcinogenic substances. Smoking is one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK. It can lead to cancer, breathing problems and heart disease.

How many dangerous chemicals are in cigarettes?

I am sure many people are unaware of the fact that there are more than 4250 different chemicals in cigarettes and the smoke contains a cocktail of drugs and poisons which are very harmful even to unborn babies. Apart from other hazards, nicotine is an appetite suppressant. It reaches the brain in a matter of six seconds. Therefore, the more you smoke the less hungry you feel and the less you are likely to eat. It gradually destroys the taste buds and you have no taste of food, feel bland.

Smoking and unborn children

The combined effects of nicotine, (the main drug in tobacco) and other gases which enter the lungs when smoked, greatly increases the chance of disease and ill-health. Tobacco is a stimulant drug giving smokers a ‘lift’. Since these discoveries cigarette advertising in sports events such as in formula one racing, football, golf and rugby, gradually came to a halt and cigarette business also went down. In the past, smoking was allowed in cinemas, theatres and in any other social clubs such as in public houses where they gather to drink beer and other alcohols. Again research found that smoking has been directly linked to lung cancer, heart disease and other major illnesses, as well being dangerous during pregnancy for the mother and unborn child, with all these findings sadly some people still smoke.

According to British heart foundation, smoking is one of the major causes of cardiovascular disease and smokers are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack as people who have never smoked.

Even disable and old people happily smoke, why?
You may be a non-smoker but when other people smoke or due to secondary smoking or passive smoking, can put the health of others at risk. This is one of the reasons why currently smoking has been so widely banned in public places. I have noticed, some bend the rule; they smoke outside their offices, schools or at other working places. If you go pass a large hospital, quite often you would notice a few people happily smoke outside the premises. You would be surprised to see how many old disabled men and women on wheelchairs, crutches are smoking just at the entrance to the hospital.

Chewing betel, tobacco then cigars

I have seen some Sri Lankans chew tobacco along with betel leaves; lime and arricanuts [puwak], chew it for a while then spit out a stream of some what red spit. They spit anywhere, sometimes while travelling in cars and buses as well. If you visit rural tea boutiques, you may still see some old people chewing betel leaves. It has been found that much more nicotine enters the body through chewing tobacco and many nicotine patches, gums than through smoking cigarettes. Sometimes they smoke long black cigars as well.

Second hand smoking

Sometimes the children as young as 10 or 11 years old, get into small gangs and smoke, may be to show off the others. Some pregnant women, all walks of people happily smoke in spite all these warnings. It’s chilling to think about not only how smokers poison themselves, but what others are exposed to by breathing in the second-hand smoke. Next time when you’re missing your old buddy, the cigarette, take a good long look at this list of toxic chemicals and carcinogens in cigarettes then think. If someone smokes around you, just slowly get away but never say anything to them because they don’t like any advice, instead they get annoyed, even a glance at them is enough, so never even eye contact.

More about Nicotine.

In numerous ways nicotine is a very dangerous substance. Certain reports suggest that there may be a link between nicotine and kidney disease, it damages the inside of your arteries and it can increase your risk of heart disease. The cigarette smoke damage the lining of the arteries that leads to build up a fatty material [atheroma] and this narrows the blood vessels making the blood to pass through a narrow space. Further more, nicotine stimulates the body to produce adrenaline which makes the heart beat faster that means raises blood pressure which is another cause for heart diseases. Furthermore, withdrawal from nicotine can lead to irritability, headaches, poor concentration, insomnia, constipation and it can even increase your appetite. Therefore, whilst you may feel less hungry when you have a steady supply of nicotine, you quickly become reliant on this substance to suppress your appetite, all the time doing increased damage to your body. As mothers, they know it but still keep on smoking because of the habit or the addiction.

“Research has shown that nicotine, like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, increase the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which affects the brain pathways that controls the reward, and pleasure. One of them is Nicotine; it is a powerful addiction drug and a very tough one to break.

Some common dangerous chemicals in cigarettes are:

Benzene, this is a colourless cyclic aromatic liquid hydrocarbon from coal and petroleum, used as a solvent in chemical industries and sometimes in Universities. In fact, I had to use it as a solvent when I was doing my MSc in synthetic organic chemistry in the University of North London in Holloway road. I must say it was handled carefully, under fume cupboards so that any escaped vapour extracted immediately. There are alternative solvents for experiments.

Not just Benzene but benzopyrenes and butane are formed during the burning of tobacco. Why, it is bad because it is a carcinogen and associated with blood cancer or leukaemia. These gases are absorbed by the lungs then transported to various organs, mainly to the liver where they are metabolised and converted to various compounds. Now we know these compounds are very reactive and toxic to the body.

An embalming poisonous fluid called formaldehyde also present in cigarette smoke. It is also supposed to cause cancer, breathing or respiratory problems then skin and digestive problems.

A toilet cleaning liquid known as ammonia is also present in cigarettes. It frees nicotine from tobacco as a gas.

Nail varnish has a fragrant volatile liquid called acetone and this is also found in cigarette smoke. Acetone removes paints and graffiti from masonry.

No introduction is required about tar, it is the road surfacing black substance and this is also present in cigarette smoke. The danger is the inhaled smoke when condensed on lungs surface deposits a layer of tar. Imagine who smokes 20 a day for 20 years! Why do the people tar the lung surface then complain, “Doctor, I have breathing difficulties”?

Nicotine is also used as an insecticide and the substance is a powerful addictive drug so if you cannot give up smoking it must be due to addiction.

Carbon monoxide is produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels, such as gas (domestic or bottled), coal, oil, coke and wood fires, gas stoves, heating boilers, gas-powered water heaters, paraffin heaters, and solid fuel-powered water heaters are all potential sources of carbon monoxide. The problem arises when such appliances are poorly maintained, not serviced and housed in poorly ventilated areas. In addition to this cigarette smoking produces carbon monoxide. Even a 12 year old child knows, carbon dioxide and monoxide are produced when something burns but a grown up person who smokes doesn’t know what gases are produced when cigarettes burn.

Carbon monoxide can also bind to haemoglobin [red blood] but does so about 240 times more tightly than oxygen, forming a compound called carboxy-haemoglobin. Again even GCSE science students know this fact. This means that if both carbon monoxide and oxygen are inhaled, carbon monoxide will preferentially bind to haemoglobin. This reduces the amount of haemoglobin available to bind to oxygen, so the body and tissues become starved of oxygen.

What about the unborn babies, in the smoking pregnant women, do the unborn babies starve for oxygen? So it’s possible that some people have smoked even before they were born.

Warning over illegal cigarette sales

2011-08-15T14:27:00.000+03:00

Illegal cigarettes are being sold through undercover fag houses”, Sunday markets and stores, Trading Standards warned today.

Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards is urging people to report all illegal cigarette sales and to steer clear of such products, as they don’t know what they are smoking.

Today, it warned traders that counterfeit cigarettes can be detected by Trading Standards’ scanners. Anyone caught selling them would face major fines and imprisonment.

As part of the county council’s summer blitz on illegal cigarette sales, Trading Standards wants people to report sales of counterfeit or smuggled cigarettes.
Both pose potential health risks, as consumers cannot be sure that they meet the latest British labelling and quality requirements.

People who sell counterfeit cigarettes face a maximum fine of £10,000 and possible imprisonment for a range of labelling and trade mark offences. They may also be fined up to £5,000 and possibly imprisoned for avoiding tobacco duty.

Over the last two years, the county council has received 20 complaints concerning either illicit or counterfeit tobacco and seized 2,130 cigarettes and 1,650grams of hand rolling tobacco from retail premises.

David Bull, the county council’s Head of Trading Standards, said: We want the public to report anyone they think is selling illegal cigarettes – whether it’s the secretive fag houses” that spring up in people’s neighbourhoods, or Sunday markets and shops.

Plain packaging for cigarettes: at best, ineffective; at worst, harmful

2011-08-15T14:26:00.003+03:00

In anticipation of new federal regulations that will increase the space reserved for health warnings on cigarette packages from 50 to 75%, the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) today unveils a second Economic Note on the growing tendency of governments to regulate advertising. In practice, increasing the space reserved for warnings may be seen as a form of plain packaging, and this is all the more true when a sticker is added (on the section left for the brand) to show that duty has been paid.

In Canada, health warnings on packages of cigarettes went from taking up 20% of the front and back of each package in 1989 to 50% in 2001. Over the same period, warnings in the United States took up only around 5% of each package, leaving ample room for advertising the product brand. However, there has been no observable difference in the reductions in smoking rates in the two countries, including for young smokers, despite the fact that packaging and marketing restrictions are harsher in Canada.

It should be noted that this MEI publication does take into account research that supports plain packaging. However, it also points out that according to several studies, that research has important methodological shortcomings and does not follow recognized statistical analysis techniques.

In addition to not providing the hoped-for beneficial results, plain packaging, which consists in removing all distinctive signs (logo, colour, etc.) associated with the product, could even ultimately lead to an increase in the number of smokers. This counter-intuitive result is explained by the fact that consumers are prepared to pay more for a product with a well-known name that is a synonym for quality. As a result, if plain packaging makes it harder to distinguish one cigarette package brand from another, a price war would inevitably follow, since this would be the only means of differentiation left to cigarette manufacturers. Therefore, backed up by studies, the MEI publication shows that this price drop would likely entail an increase in tobacco consumption.

For the purposes of this publication, the MEI estimated the increase in the number of smokers to be expected for the Canadian market using the most conservative hypotheses from the studies consulted. The result is an anticipated rise of nearly 3% in the number of smokers, the equivalent of 135,000 new smokers in Canada.

"If all cigarettes are sold in indistinguishable packages, why pay more for a particular brand? And in a price war, it's usually contraband products that end up having the last word," explains MEI president Michel Kelly-Gagnon.

"For reasons explained in detail in our publication, the measures the federal government is preparing to adopt will be very effective if the goal is to do as much harm as possible to legally established Davidoff cigarette manufacturers, but it will prove to be much less so if we suppose that the goal is rather to reduce the number of smokers. At the very least, the government should make a commitment right now to carry out an objective assessment of these new regulations three years after they come into force in order to see if they were effective and if unintended consequences have materialized," adds Mr. Kelly-Gagnon.

Cigarettes will be part of unusual VMFA exhibit by Chinese artist

2011-08-15T14:25:00.002+03:00

A half-million cigarettes shaped into a 40-by-15 foot carpet depicting the coat of a tiger is being created at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts by a Chinese artist fascinated by Virginia's historical connection to tobacco.

The work, being assembled by hand in VMFA's parking deck, is the third installment of Chinese contemporary artist Xu Bing's "Tobacco Project," which explores the production and culture of tobacco through the artist's eyes.

"He was interested in Richmond because of its rich connection to tobacco," said John Ravenal, the museum's curator of modern and contemporary art. "He was fascinated" with the region's tobacco farms, warehouses and factories, some of which he toured.

"He loves agriculture and industry, and he spent time on a farm himself as a young person as part of (China's) cultural revolution," Ravenal said.

Xu Bing's interest in tobacco extends to the texture of the leaf itself, as well as the "visuals" associated with the product's packaging and advertising, Ravenal said. "A lot of aspects of the exhibition are a celebration of the culture of tobacco," he added.

To gain further inspiration, Xu Bing, who also is vice president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, conducted research at the Library of Virginia and the Valentine Richmond History Center.

Xu Bing, 56, launched his Tobacco Project more than 10 years ago at Duke University, where he was an artist in residence. From there, he traveled to Shanghai to create the second installment of the trilogy.

He is collaborating with six former graduate students from Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Arts to make the tiger skin carpet and other works, which include a 440-pound block of compressed tobacco embossed with the text, "Light as smoke."

Other items include books of poetry printed on cigarette paper and matchbooks, and a 40-foot-long reproduction of an ancient Chinese landscape painting on a scroll that will have a 40-foot-long cigarette burned down the length of it, Ravenal said.

Xu Bing is using tobacco as a subject and art medium to explore its historical and contemporary impact on human culture and trade. The exhibit will include positive and negative aspects, including Xu Bing's personal connection to a country where 50 percent of the men smoke and his father's death of lung cancer at 64.

"He has his own kind of tragic connection," Ravenal said.

The largest piece of the Richmond exhibition will contain 500,000 "1st Class" cigarettes, a discount brand. The museum, through its exhibition budget of privately donated funds, purchased the cigarettes – about 35,000 packs – at roughly wholesale price from a source in North Carolina, Ravenal said.

"One of our former trustees comes from a tobacco family, and she has a connection with someone who was high up in the tobacco industry," Ravenal said.

The former VCU grad students assembling the carpet, which should be completed by late August, are gluing "handfuls" of cigarettes at a time to the carpet base. The orange-and-white tiger image is being created by the placement of the cigarettes: the filter end is positioned upright for the color orange, the ignited end for the color white.

Xu Bing, who spent two weeks here in February planning and making templates, will return to Richmond several days before the exhibition opens Sept. 10 to "kind of fine-tune the installation," Ravenal said.

Menthol cigarettes make quitting smoking more difficult, new study finds

2011-08-15T13:32:00.002+03:00

A new study, coming amid an ongoing controversy over the possible ban of menthol cigarettes, concludes that the mint-flavored cigarettes are harder to quit than regular smokes.
The findings, released today by researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, found menthol smokers had far more trouble kicking the habit – especially among minorities.
While the reasons are still subject to debate, Jonathan Foulds, a professor of public health sciences and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine, believes an anesthetic effect in menthol cigarettes allows smokers to inhale more nicotine. His theory is that groups with less money reach out for their fix in the most economic way possible.
"It’s clear that people smoke their cigarettes differently, based on their socioeconomic situation," he said. "Menthol makes the poison go down smoother."
The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, examined the entire national smoking population, and focused in on specific subgroups, such as those trying to quit.
Menthol smokers showed lower quit rates, and the relationship was noted among whites, blacks and Puerto Ricans, according to the research. But it was more telling among minorities.
"We defined our denominator or study population five different ways, considering things like quit attempts and the use of other tobacco products," said the report’s author Cristine Delnevo, director of the Center for Tobacco Surveillance and Evaluation Research for The Cancer Institute at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. "The association was robust and consistent, as well as more pronounced among blacks and Puerto Ricans."
Menthol was found to be generally more common among younger smokers and females. But the most pronounced effect of the lower quit rate was on minorities. More than 70 percent of black smokers in the U.S. were menthol smokers, and even more in New Jersey, where the rate was about 80 percent.
About 21 percent of white smokers smoked menthols.
One of the newest revelations about menthol smoking by race was the Puerto Rican population, which at more than 60 percent of smokers, was significantly higher than other Latino groups, such as Mexicans at 20 percent.
The study also concluded menthol smoking decreased independently of race with increased education, income and age.
The new study, partly funded by an FDA grant, comes amid a controversy over the minty smokes. Other flavored cigarettes were banned in 2009 by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which focused on the targeting of younger populations by added flavor choices. The FDA is considering a full ban on menthol cigarettes since the group’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee recommended in March that a "removal of menthol cigarettes from the marketplace would benefit public health in the United States."
Lorillard, maker of the Newport brand, declined comment on the study until it could be reviewed. However, the company rebuts the alleged dangers of menthol, and has opposed any menthol ban. It also filed suit in February against the advisory committee, alleging conflicts of interest among some of its members. The company also runs a website that strenuously lays out its position on the topic — and predicts a possible black-market backlash if the roughly 30 percent of cigarettes in the country are outlawed.
"Lorillard believes that the scientific evidence does not show that menthol in cigarettes is harmful, and that Americans have a right to make a personal choice to use any legal product," the website says. "Prohibition of menthol cigarettes would lead to the illegal sale of more dangerous cigarettes through an unprecedented underground market."
Tobacco health experts say marketing of the various menthol brands has been targeted at African-Americans. Researchers at the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program at the University of California found in a 2004 review of tobacco companies’ records shows an "African Americanization" of menthol cigarettes by the tobacco industry. Delnevo agrees.
"It is clear the industry has been marketing menthol to African-Americans for at least 40 years," Delnovo said.

Charlotte a test market for smokeless tobacco lozenges

2011-08-04T16:48:00.003+03:00

Bite-size dissolvable orbs that look like breath mints and melt in your mouth are the tobacco industry’s latest attempt to fight falling U.S. cigarette sales.
Charlotte is one of two test markets for Winston-Salem-based Reynolds American Inc.’s newest products: dissolvable, smokeless tobacco lozenges that come as orbs, sticks or strips.
The products all contain less nicotine than cigarettes, between 0.5 and 3 milligrams instead of 12 to 15. Reynolds spokesman David Howard said they meet a “societal expectation.”

“There’s no secondhand smoke, no spitting and no cigarette butt litter,” Howard said.
Health officials still worry about the risks of smokeless options. Smokeless tobacco users may not get lung cancer, health experts say, but they risk mouth cancer, gum disease and tooth loss. Prenatal dangers for pregnant women also still exist.
“There are no safe tobacco products,” said Dr. Matt Carpenter, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina who’s researching the effect of smokeless products on smoking habits.
Huntersville resident Joey Hodge, who’s smoked for almost five years, sees the appeal of smokeless products that won’t be as tough on his lungs or make him smell like smoke, but the 20-year-old isn’t sold on Reynolds’ newest offering.
“They were definitely not the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted,” Hodge said. Plus, he added, the products “really didn’t do much” to satisfy his nicotine craving.
Hodge’s reaction isn’t the sort tobacco makers are hoping for. As cigarette sales slide because of the health risks and social stigma, tobacco companies are counting on smokers like Hodge to fuel the new smokeless market. The dissolvable products sell for about $2 for a 12-pack - comparable, Reynolds says, to its other smokeless products.
“They can enjoy tobacco pleasure without bothering others and without having to leave the workplace, or the restaurant or the bar,” Howard said.
Analysts say new laws banning cigarettes in public places, like the ban on smoking in restaurants and bars that took effect in North Carolina last January, are among the factors driving a steep decline in cigarette sales.
“In recent years you’ve seen smoking banned in most states in most bars and restaurants. That kind of takes away the fun,” said Phil Gorham, industry analyst for investment firm Morningstar.
In its second quarter earnings report last month, Reynolds reported the number of cigarettes sold in the U.S. fell 4.4 percent. Gorham said companies like Reynolds can combat falling sales by increasing prices in the short term, but they’ll eventually need to diversify revenues.
While American sales of cigarettes drop 3 percent to 4 percent every year, the market for smokeless products grew 3 percent in 2009 and 7 percent in 2010, said Mary Gotaas, tobacco industry analyst for researcher IBISWorld. This year, smokeless sales are expected to jump 8 percent, Gotaas said.
While Reynolds is testing its new dissolvables, Richmond, Va.-based rival Philip Morris has its own product in the works: a dissolvable tobacco stick.
The growth of smokeless products worries some public health advocates who think the new products appeal to children. During the first round of testing, the orbs’ packaging resembled Tic Tacs, creating concern that children might confuse them with candy, said Dr. John Spangler, professor of family health and community medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
For this round of testing, there’s larger packaging and new warnings. Packages now say “This product contains nicotine and is for adult tobacco consumers only” and “There is no safe tobacco product,” in addition to one of four required FDA warnings.
The Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee of the FDA is holding hearings exploring the implications of smokeless products. Right now, all tobacco products must be age-restricted and kept behind the counter, just like cigarettes.
Warning labels on smokeless tobacco products must cover at least 30 percent of the packaging and every product must carry one of four messages: “Smokeless tobacco is addictive,” “This product can cause mouth cancer,” “This product can cause gum disease and tooth loss,” or “This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes.”
Howard said there’s no expectation that smokeless dissolvables will be regulated less strictly than other tobacco products. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, one of 12 senators who called for the hearings, called dissolvables the latest way for tobacco companies to stay “one step ahead of the sheriff.”
One issue on the committee’s agenda: the potential use of smokeless tobacco products as quitting aids. Gotaas said that appeal is one of the factors driving smokeless sales.
Dean Torrance of Charlotte, a smoker for 20 years, has tried, and failed, to quit. She said smokeless products may be just what she needs.
“I would like to be able to do smokeless to get me to stop,” Torrance said.
Doctors say there are safer ways to quit smoking. Both Spangler and Carpenter recommend their patients use tested and proven medications, such as nicotine replacement pills and patches, instead of other tobacco products with unknown consequences that could keep them addicted.
Said Carpenter: “The very best thing that anybody can do for their health, if they’re a smoker, is to quit all tobacco products completely.”

Medical marijuana petitions rejected

2011-08-04T16:45:00.002+03:00

Backers of a push to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio must head out and collect at least 1,000 more valid signatures after an initial batch of petitions didn't pass muster with the state, the Toledo Blade reports.

The Ohio Coalition for Medical Compassion submitted 2,143 signatures in order to get the language for the constitutional amendment before Attorney General Mike DeWine, but little more than 500 were valid. Should the group get 1,000 signatures, it must then have the petition language certified and then collect at least 385,245 more valid signatures to make the November 2012 ballot, the paper reported.
The so-called Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment would decriminalize marijuana possession, delivery and cultivation when used for medical reasons and set standards for patient possession.

British American Tobacco Says World Coming Out Of Recession

2011-07-29T16:22:00.002+03:00

British American Tobacco PLC (BATS.LN) Wednesday said the world is coming out of recession, as the second-biggest tobacco group by revenue recorded a rise in profit and sales driven by robust demand in emerging markets, and the rate of volume decline slowed.

BAT, which competes with U.S.-based global market leader Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) and U.K. peer Imperial Tobacco Group PLC (IMT.LN), is focused on building its position in developing economies such as Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia to offset a weaker performance in developed markets like Western Europe where smokers are struggling with tough economic conditions.

Consumers in mature markets are cutting back on spending in the light of government austerity measures, and switching to low-cost brands. The company has clawed back margin erosion caused by weak volumes and excise tax hikes through raising prices.

The London, England-based maker of Dunhill, Kent, Pall Mall and Lucky Strike said first-half cigarette volumes fell 1% to 344 billion, compared with a 3% drop in the same period a year ago and a 2.4% fall in the first quarter.

Explaining the deceleration, Michael Prideaux, director of corporate and regulatory affairs, said, "On an industry basis, the world is gradually coming out of recession. On a company basis, it is the ability to grow market share."

Prideaux added the share gains are well-spread, including Germany, Russia and Argentina. "We are doing pretty well all round. We look at our top 40 markets and we grew share in 26 of them."

The company improved its position in Spain, where falling demand due to economic woes led to a price war, even though it only has a small market share in the country.

Effects of chewing wild tobacco during pregnancy

2011-07-29T16:16:00.002+03:00

A University of Queensland PhD scholar is examining the health effects of chewing wild tobacco plants by Central Australian Aboriginal women during pregnancy.

According to Angela Ratsch, over 30 percent of Aboriginal women who give birth at Alice Springs Hospital regularly chew wild tobacco or 'pituri', which is found growing across regional and rural areas of Australia.

The chewing of Australian wild tobacco plants by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations is common in the central regions of Australia, where it is chewed in order to extract the nicotine content.

It is also a common practice amongst developing nations and indigenous populations throughout the world, with more women chewing tobacco than smoking it.

In Canada, approximately 58 percent of Inuit women chew during pregnancy, while in Cambodia, midwives recommend the use of chewing tobacco for pregnant women to reduce symptoms of morning sickness.

Ms Ratsch said little research had been done on the effects of chewing wild tobacco during pregnancy.

“Cigarette smoking has been clearly linked as an independent factor to low birth weight and premature birth, but it is unknown whether the outcome of chewing ‘pituri' is also a contributing factor,” she said.

“Babies born to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers who smoke are more than 250 grams lighter than those born to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers who do not smoke.”

Statistics show that the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal mortality ratio is almost three times higher than for Australian non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Similarly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infant mortality rates are two to three times higher than for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants, with the highest rate in the Northern Territory (15.6 per 1000 live births).

Ms Ratsch's research looks at the chemical properties of chewing tobacco in pregnant women and their unborn babies.

It builds on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge of native plants and practices to determine whether a relationship exists between the chewing of pituri during pregnancy and poor maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

The research is being undertaken by UQ pharmacy and midwifery researchers, and midwives in collaboration with Aboriginal health workers and Aboriginal liaison officers in Central Australia and key Aboriginal Women's Organisations; Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council and Alukura Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Provides 3,000 Pieces of Art to Arts Council

2011-07-29T16:13:00.000+03:00

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County will be the beneficiary of about 3,000 pieces of artwork from the corporate collection of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The artwork is valued at approximately $700,000.

"After more than 100 years of purchasing art to enhance the work environment of our employees, we have far more art than we can display," said Mark Peters, chief financial officer of R.J. Reynolds. "We were faced with the decision of whether to continue to store pieces indefinitely, or get them back into the community where they can be enjoyed by others. The arts transform our community, and we're delighted to play a role in that transformation."

The Reynolds American Foundation, Reynolds American Inc., its operating companies and employees have a long history of support for the arts in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Year after year, the corporation and its employees have made substantial contributions to annual Arts Council campaigns, donating millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours. The Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, which opened last September in downtown Winston-Salem, has a large community events space named "Reynolds Place" in recognition of that support.

Many of the works being provided to the council by R.J. Reynolds are by local and North Carolina artists. They include oils, watercolors, sculpture, pottery, ceramics and textiles.

The Arts Council plans to sell most of the pieces of art to community members, individual collectors, museums or other organizations. The proceeds of the sales will be used to fund Arts Council programs and funded groups.

"This is significant and very meaningful for several reasons," said Milton Rhodes, president and CEO of the Arts Council. "Fundraising is extremely difficult in this economic environment, so the generosity of R.J. Reynolds will benefit ultimately a host of local arts organizations and individual artists who receive grants from The Arts Council.

"Also, many of the works are by local artists who are of interest to people in the community," Rhodes said. "Rather than being in storage, they will be in hands of those who appreciate and enjoy them."

The Arts Council is looking toward an event at the Rhodes Center in February 2012, when art will be displayed and sold. "Because of the large number of pieces, the logistics of all this are daunting," said Rhodes. "We want to be as fair and transparent as possible, and we'd like to offer pieces at affordable prices for the community, while maximizing the value of this opportunity and its benefit to the arts community we serve."

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County was established in 1949 and was the first locally established arts council in the United States. The Arts Council enriches the quality of life for people in Winston-Salem and neighboring communities by raising funds for the arts, advocating for the arts, sponsoring events in conjunction with other arts organizations, providing educational opportunities, strengthening cultural resources, developing social capital, and aiding economic development. In 2010, The Arts Council awarded more than $1.825 million in grants to 42 arts and cultural organizations and 19 individual artists.

50-acre marijuana farm near Sanger raided

2011-07-29T16:09:00.002+03:00

Fresno County sheriff's deputies and federal agents raided a giant marijuana plantation near Sanger early Thursday morning, seizing thousands of plants and taking about 50 people into custody.
The pot-growing operation on California Avenue east of McCall Avenue was elaborate, with observation towers and living quarters for workers, plants in various states of growth lined in neatly cultivated rows, and a six-foot cyclone fence topped with barbed wire and covered in plastic sheeting to prevent passers-by from looking inside.
But the pot farm had not escaped the notice of residents or law officers. During the early-morning raid, a passing driver stopped to tell Sanger Police Chief Tom Klose that the farm had been there a long time; the chief reassured him that it was not a secret to police, either.
Sheriff's deputies assisted in November 2010 when agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided the field, Lt. Rick Ko said. "It had to do with smuggling out of state," Ko said. But he said he could provide no further details because the federal investigation is still ongoing.
All the marijuana plants were pulled off the property last year, but sheriff's officials were not surprised to see a new crop this year, Ko said. "It's a huge problem in Fresno County and in the whole state of California," he said.
Deputies worked 12 hours in 90-plus degree heat Thursday to rip out marijuana plants. Five were treated for heat-related illness and one was hospitalized but is recovering, Ko said. "We'll finish Friday," he said.
Besides sheriff's deputies, DEA agents and U.S. marshals took part in the raid, which began at sunrise as officers surrounded the field and ordered the workers to surrender. Mims said there was no resistance from those who were taken into custody. They were being interviewed to determine what charges they might face.
Just who was in charge of the operation is unclear. Fresno County tax assessor's records list Goon Pattanumotana of Fresno as the owner of the 54-acre parcel, but Pattanumotana said he has leased out the property to several farmers and has no direct oversight of what is grown there.
"I've kind of lost track of what's going on," he said.
Ko said property owners should be responsible for knowing if something illegal is happening on their property. But Sonia De La Rosa, spokeswoman for the Fresno County District Attorney's Office, said responsibility can depend on whether a property owner knew about and took part in illegal activities.
Records show Pattanumotana bought the parcel in 2005 for $1,900,000. It was assessed in 2010 at a value of $2,011,516.
Pattanumotana, a real estate broker and adjunct instructor of economics at Willow International Center, said he bought the land as an investment and rents out parcels to Asian farmers who grow vegetables. He said he made a profit on property that he sold before the real estate crash and invested in the Sanger land for tax purposes. Pattanumotana said he wants to hold onto the parcel until the market comes back. In the meantime, he leases out the land in order to pay about $22,000 a year in property tax. The problem, he said, is that some of his lessees have turned around and leased land to others.

Smoke and taxes revisted in N.Y.

2011-07-25T13:57:00.001+03:00

Add this promising news to the list of what’s different in New York. The days of Indian-owned companies selling tax-free cigarettes on non-Indian land are over.

For that, thank the eagerness of the Cuomo administration to finally collect the tax dollars that a state still on precarious fiscal footing sorely needs.

Over the past month, state and federal agents raided off-reservation tobacco shops and stopped vehicles carrying cigarettes that would be sold at them without collecting state sales taxes. The cigarettes and cigars that were seized are worth some $1.2 million in tax revenue. The Cuomo administration now expects to collect some $27 million in such taxes over the next six months.

That partly settles, then, what’s been a frustrating standoff for years. Yes, people can still go on to Indian reservations and buy tax-free smokes. Yes, that costs the state money. Yet the Cuomo administration can make the very compelling argument that its vigorous tax-collection efforts don’t violate Indian sovereignty.

What is a reassurance to New Yorkers exasperated by years of seeing the state’s finances suffer because of a thriving, illegal cigarette sales operation also serves as an warning to those who make money that way.

“This is the first time we’ve seen enforcement of this nature,” says Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, who sends clear signals about further enforcement of the tax laws.

How far New York has come. Fourteen years ago, attempts to collect sales taxes erupted in such violent protests that the Pataki administration abandoned them. All the while, negotiations between the state and Indian tribes were futile.

Now, though, the Supreme Court has ruled that states can imposes taxes on tobacco sales to non-Indians. The only caveat is that such taxes can’t fall directly on tribal governments.

Indian tribes are mounting what might well be yet another losing legal argument. They’re making a distinction between cigarettes manufactured by the tribes themselves and those made by the big multinational tobacco companies.

The Oneida Nation, for example, is wise enough not to try to stop tax collections from non-Indian cigarette manufacturers and sellers. Yet it says federal law bans taxation of cigarettes made and sold on a reservation.

The state, meanwhile, is willing to negotiate further on the first point. As for the second, Mr. Duffy reiterates that there are no plans to try to collect taxes on sovereign land.

The state is on secure middle ground here. It’s time to reap all that overdue money.

Porsche Design Shisha shows German influence on hookah smoking

2011-07-25T13:50:00.001+03:00

Are you an auto-enthusiast that loves some hookah aka Shisha? Well, Porsche has something special for you. Porsche Design is well know for their iconic style inspired by the supercar brand and this time around they are introducing a brand new Shisha.
The Porsche Design Shisha is a part of the company’s Porsche Design World Collection and will be available at Porsche Design stores from the end of July. It will also go on sale at the world famous Harrods department store in London, Knightsbridge.
“The extraordinary Porsche Design Shisha combines high-quality materials such as aluminium, stainless steel and glass with the timeless and unique design approach of the luxury brand,” Porsche said in a statement. “Puristic and stylish at the same time. The Porsche Design Shisha is made in Germany and stands at a height of 55 centimetres. It only shows a discreet branding on the aluminium top of the Shisha and comes with a long flexible tube made out of TecFlex material, which is also used for the classic Porsche Design TecFlex writing tools.”
Porsche Design World Collection also offers a number of other exclusively designed products including chopsticks, a tea and soup set as well as a few fashion items such as a jacket, polo shirt and a silk scarf.

Marijuana Conviction Means No Gun Ownership?

2011-07-25T13:27:00.000+03:00

Ohio Rev. Code § 2923.13 bans gun possession by (among others) anyone who “has been convicted of any offense involving the illegal possession ... in any drug of abuse.” (Ohio Rev. Code § 2923.14 allows the person to petition for relief from this disability after the person’s prison, probation, and parole is up, but any such relief is discretionary with the court, and turns on the judge’s opinion about whether the person “appears likely to continue to” lead “a law-abiding life.”) Paul Stone had been convicted in 2006 of possession of marijuana, “a minor misdemeanor” under § 2925.11. How minor, in the state’s view? It can’t lead to any jail time; the only possible penalty is a fine of up to $150, plus possibly community service of no more than 30 hours. It isn’t even treated as “a criminal record” for purposes of employment or licensing questions about the person’s criminal record. But then in 2010, he was indicted for felony gun possession under &sec; 2923.13, based on the minor misdemeanor.

The trial court dismissed the indictment, holding that § 2923.13 didn’t cover gun possession following minor misdemeanor convictions. But State v. Stone (Ohio Ct. App., decided yesterday) just reversed the dismissal of the indictment, and held that Stone could indeed be prosecuted. The court concluded that the text of &sec; 2923.13 indeed covered even minor misdemeanor convictions. And then it held that Stone lost his Second Amendment rights, because of this minor misdemeanor conviction. Here is the entirety of its Second Amendment analysis:

Appellee [i.e., Stone] also urges this court to affirm the trial court’s dismissal based upon the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which, pursuant to District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), 554 U.S. 570, protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm. In advancing this argument, appellee acknowledges that this right is not unconditional and points out that Heller identified various forms of reasonable restrictions a state may place upon a citizen’s ability to have a firearm. Appellee submits, however, the limited list of such restrictions does not include, nor is there obvious historical precedent for, legislation that has the effect of completely abrogating a citizen’s right to bear arms as it pertains to a misdemeanant with no criminal record.

Although appellee sets forth strong policy considerations, which might militate in favor of a legislative shift in this area of criminal law, a careful review of the statutory provisions at play in this case demonstrates that the trial court erred in dismissing the underlying indictment. Our analysis and resolution of the issue is controlled by this court’s recent holding in Gex, supra.

In Gex, this court determined that a defendant’s conviction for having a weapon while under disability was supported by sufficient evidence even though the disability was occasioned by minor misdemeanor marijuana possession.... Applying Gex to the case at bar, it is undisputed that appellee was previously convicted of minor misdemeanor marijuana possession in violation of R.C. 2925.11, a drug abuse offense. Appellee’s previous conviction, therefore, constitutes a disability prohibiting him from acquiring, having, carrying, or using a firearm or dangerous ordnance. Because there is nothing in the record indicating appellee was relieved from the disability via the mechanism set forth under R.C. 2923.14, he could be charged, as a matter of law, with having a weapon under a disability. We therefore hold the state’s position is well-taken ....

As a postscript, we again emphasize that appellee’s arguments would be better directed at the General Assembly than the judiciary. Although he claims otherwise, accepting appellee’s position would essentially eliminate the plain language of R.C. 2925.01(G)(1) as it relates to the disability statute — an outcome we must obviously avoid in construing statutes. Read plainly, even though R.C. 2925.11(D) does not create a criminal record, minor misdemeanor possession is still a conviction which is premised upon a statutorily-designated drug abuse offense; to wit, marijuana possession. Both appellee and the trial court are correct that the legislature has demonstrated an intent to lessen the impact of such convictions. Still, until the General Assembly specifically excludes an R.C. 2925.11 minor misdemeanor marijuana possession conviction from the purview of R.C. 2923.13(A)(3) or R.C. 2925.01(G)(1), it will remain a “drug abuse offense” and consequently a “disability” for purposes of R.C. 2923.13(A)(3).

But nothing in the Stone court’s analysis actually dealt with Stone’s argument that § 2923.13 violates the Second Amendment in this sort of case, and Gex, the precedent that the court relied on, didn’t even discuss the Second Amendment. So while Stone specifically made a constitutional argument to the court, the court seems to have rejected the argument simply on the grounds that Stone’s conduct is covered by the statute — without at all considering the possibility that the statute in this case violates the Constitution. (The court doesn’t say that Stone’s argument is somehow unpreserved because he didn’t raise the Second Amendment question below, so I take it that either Stone did make the argument, or that in Ohio courts the prevailing party below may defend the judgment below on any ground reasonably raised by the record.)

So it seems that the court is concluding that the Second Amendment doesn’t protect people who have even a minor misdemeanor marijuana possession conviction — not a felony, not a violent misdemeanor, not even a misdemeanor that could yield any time at all in jail, and not anything that involves a finding that the defendant is an illegal drug user right now — without at all explaining why this should indeed be so. Strikes me as pretty hard to defend; or am I missing something here?

Teen admits to one, denies second theft of synthetic marijuana

2011-07-19T16:28:00.001+03:00

A 17-year-old boy who has denied stealing synthetic marijuana by slipping down the chimney of Chops Leather Shop admitted to a separate breaking and entering offense Monday.

The teenager, of Newark, pleaded admit to one count of breaking and entering, the equivalent of a fifth-degree felony, for stealing 167 packets of synthetic marijuana -- called K2, posh or spice -- and alcohol from the Stop Mart, 413 Mount Vernon Road, on June 19.

The teen threw a rock at a window of the Stop Mart then kicked it until he and a 13-year-old friend could enter, he told Licking County Juvenile Court Judge Robert Hoover.

Newark police responded to an alarm at Stop Mart and found the boys near the creek along Buckingham Street. The younger boy ran away, but the 17-year-old stayed to speak with the officer, according to police reports.

On June 14 or June 15, the 17-year-old is suspected of breaking into Chops Leather Shop, 201 W. Main St., to steal synthetic marijuana and other items. He entered the building through the chimney then let two others in, Hoover said.

He was charged with one count of breaking and entering, the equivalent of a fifth-degree felony. He pleaded deny to that offense Friday.

The other two children have not been charged, Licking County Assistant Prosecutor Lia Meehan said.

Synthetic marijuana can cause seizures, hallucinations, nausea and elevated blood pressure, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which temporarily banned several chemicals used to produce the substance.

On Friday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a bill that will ban the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana. It goes into effect 90 days after Friday.

The 17-year-old boy was living in an abandoned building on Mound Court without the permission of the owner when the offenses occurred. He did not want to live with his mother in Newark and was kicked out of his grandparents' house in Coshocton County.

He has a warrant from Muskingum County, where he was found delinquent of gross sexual imposition in a separate case.

The teenager was sent to juvenile detention to await disposition for the Stop Mart break-in, Hoover said.

Three await trial in Green Bay in marijuana-growing case

2011-07-19T16:26:00.002+03:00

All but three defendants have pleaded guilty in a federal case against 12 men accused of clear-cutting public forestland to grow marijuana.

Two more defendants pleaded guilty late last week, which means only three defendants are awaiting scheduled jury trials in U.S. District Court in Green Bay.

Raul Juvenal Avila-Rodriguez and Jesus DelaTorre-Avila entered pleas last week. They are scheduled for sentencing Oct. 19. DelaTorre-Avila had been scheduled for trial that was to begin Monday.

Also scheduled for sentencing Oct. 19 are Gustavo Barragon-Mendoza, Armando Adame-Alvarado and Jose Luis Sandoval-Mendoza.

Javier Navarro-Zaragoza is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 7, Jorge Omar Perez-Hipolito for Sept. 12, Salvador Montez-Canchola for Sept. 20 and Uriel Perez-Alijandres for Sept. 26.

Genaro Avila-Rodriguez and Adalbarto Valencia are scheduled for jury trial Sept. 12.

Bernabe Nunez-Guzman, the only suspect from Green Bay and the man regarded by authorities as the organizer of the pot-growing operation, is scheduled for trial Nov. 7.

The criminal complaints do not spell out the roles of the other defendants in the operation.

Only Nunez-Guzman and Valencia were legally in the United States, lawyers in the case have said.

Authorities say the suspects lived in the forest while growing the marijuana, although nine of them were arrested at a home that Nunez-Guzman owned on the western edge of the Oneida Indian Reservation, just east of Seymour, where they dried and prepared the harvested marijuana plants, authorities say.

At all of the sites, the pot growers had hacked down mature trees about 3 feet from the ground.

Marijuana that was planted amid the stumps has been harvested or hauled away by law enforcement agents.

Authorities learned of the grow operations when a hiker came upon one of them in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

Authorities put the site under surveillance and learned of the other sites as well as the house the suspects were using near Seymour and a storage garage near Bonduel. Investigators seized weapons, thousands of dollars and hundreds of pounds of dried or drying marijuana.

Confidential informants identified Nunez-Guzman, the former owner of a Green Bay flooring company, as the boss of the operation, according to the criminal complaint. Informants also identified defendant Raul Avila-Rodriguez as the supervisor for the marijuana-drying operations within the Seymour home, which was owned by Nunez-Guzman, the complaint says.

Smoking taking a huge toll on the Irish economy, says Minister

2011-07-19T16:24:00.002+03:00

Smoking is costing the Irish economy €365m a year, says Minister of State for Health Róisín Shortall, according to the Irish Times.

Currently, 29 percent of the Irish population smokes, and if that number does not go down, it will cost health services more than €23 billion over the next decade.

“That would pay the entire cost of running our health services for almost two years,” the Minister told the Dáil.

Ms Shortall was introducing the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill, legislation to allow graphic pictorial and text warnings on cigarette packets to illustrate the health consequences of smoking.
Smoking was the “greatest single cause of preventable illness and premature death in Ireland”, killing more than 5,700 people a year, she said.

The bill would make it obligatory for cigarette and tobacco packets to carry one of 14 images illustrating the health consequences of smoking.

The Minister stressed full color-picture based health warnings on tobacco products.

“Pictorial health warnings on tobacco products make them less attractive and target smokers by providing them with information on tobacco-related health risks," she said.

International research indicates that “smokers are more likely to remember a health consequence of smoking, when smoking, if they have seen a picture."

Marijuana plants discovered during NY house fire

2011-07-11T13:16:00.001+03:00

Firefighters discovered dozens of marijuana plants while battling a blaze at a Yonkers house.

Firefighters responding to the fire at 2:40 a.m. Sunday found four bedrooms filled with the plants.

Yonkers Assistant Fire Chief George Kielb told the Journal News "it was basically a pot-growing house."

Kielb said the house looked like a normal home from the outside but all the windows were covered with plywood.

No one was at home when firefighters responded to the fire, which burned through part of the roof.

Kielb said the marijuana was found under heating lamps in a hydroponic system connected to electrical lines that had been diverted around the home's meter box.

The investigation into the fire and marijuana is continuing.

Union Township may act on marijuana laws this week

2011-07-11T13:13:00.001+03:00

Union Township could give final approval this week to a pair of laws to regulate and license businesses related to Michigan's medical marijuana law.

The township board already has given a preliminary OK to a proposed amendment to the township's zoning law and a new law that would require medical marijuana dispensaries and growing operations to get licenses from the township.

But at least one township resident is worried that by establishing a licensing regime, the township is giving approval to activities that violate federal law.

"Federal law puts marijuana as a Schedule 1 medication," said pharmacist Jim Horton, himself a former township planning commissioner. "In a nutshell, Schedule 1 medications are classified as having no legitimate medical purpose."

He said pharmacists cannot have it in their pharmacies without breaking the law.

"By passing this ordinance, you're allowing businesses to violate federal law," Horton told board members. Currently, federal drug enforcement authorities are not enforcing the law as it applies to the medical use of marijuana.

"If the current federal administration undergoes any changes," Horton said, "you're left with a nightmare of businesses being raided, businesses being shut down."

He also warned that it's conceivable that federal sanctions could be brought against municipalities that appear to encourage production or use of marijuana.

In 2009, the Justice Department told prosecutors they should not focus investigative resources on patients and caregivers complying with state medical marijuana laws. A recent memo to federal prosecutors from U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole says that view has not changed.

"There has, however, been an increase in the scope of commercial cultivation, sale, distribution and use of marijuana for purported medical purposes," says the new memo by Cole.

Bristol Tobacco Factory offers subsidised places for summer school

2011-07-11T11:37:00.000+03:00

The Tobacco Factory has recently announced that an increased number of subsidised places for this year’s summer school will be available due to the generosity of the Denman Charitable Trust.

The theme of this year’s summer school is Swan Lake Unplugged, an opportunity for young people to explore the incredible story of Swan Lake without the fear of tutus or tights.

The school will be led by Tid from Fairground, the experts in theatrical storytelling, and Kwesi Johnson from Kompany Malakhi, the masters of physical theatre and dance. During the course of the week the participants will delve deeply into the story of good versus evil and love versus violence; finding out about the story of Odette - following a curse cast by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart she is a swan swimming on a lake of tears by day and a beautiful princess by night; she meets Prince Siegfried, who falls in love with her, and for a while it looks as if the curse may be lifted.

During the week skills will be developed in physical theatre and dance, with the best work captured on film to show family and friends. Participants will be encouraged to be creative, take risks and work together to explore new ways of telling the classic story. The summer school provides a unique opportunity for young people to be creative in a safe and supportive environment with the support and guidance of real pros.

The summer school will run at the Tobacco Factory’s Brewery Theatre from 15 until 19 August, from 10AM until 5PM each day; it is suitable for young people over the age of 13 years. The cost of the summer school is £150, with a number of subsidised places available.

Electronic Cigarette Injector

2011-07-04T13:11:00.001+03:00

Forget skyrocketing gas prices, as an estimated 45.9 million U.S. smokers are dealing with other cost inflation issues. With the cost of cigarettes on the rise, many smokers have turned to a one time investment in a cigarette rolling machine, as well as discounted bulk buying of filtered cigarette tubes and tobacco. In fact, All Fun Gifts lists its Powermatic 2 as one of the hot items among its 5,000 plus SKUs. According to Jayson Magura, owner of All Fun Gifts, “The Powermatic 2 is an electric cigarette injector device. It is better than a rolling machine, providing your customers with an improved cigarette buying alternative, peace of mind, and choice.”
Roll Cigarettes Without the Hassle

For a suggested retail price of $100, smokers can purchase the ability to inject their cigarette tubes without the hassle of rolling. Once the smoker has chosen the preferred filters and tobacco, a perfect cigarette is made in seconds, with all the ingredients known and no added chemicals. This electric cigarette injector has controlled tobacco intake, and comes with a removable tobacco tray. For those independent retailers servicing smokers looking for such an alternative, you can purchase the Powermatic 2 for $69 wholesale, or $65 wholesale per unit with an order of a dozen.

Established in 1999 and originally named Appalachian Creations, All Fun Gifts has transformed from a smoking line focused wholesaler, to a one stop shop alternative wholesaler. Through both its website and catalog, offering 264 pages of products, smoke shops and gift shops looking for alternative gifts will find a wide range of products, from the extensive smoking line to clothing, games, jewelry, hacky sacks, and much more. Magura adds, “Much like the Powermatic 2’s quantity discount, the company offers quantity pricing for many of its products, as well as monthly specials such as free shipping and sometimes 10 percent off the entire minimum order of $100.”

Court lifts order against NY Indian cigarette tax

2011-07-04T13:09:00.001+03:00

New York's decades-old quest to tax the millions of cartons of cigarettes sold by Indian tribes to non-Native customers was revived on Tuesday after an appeals court lifted an order blocking collection of the $4.35-per-pack tax.

The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court in Rochester vacated a temporary restraining order that's been in place since June 10 and denied a request by the Seneca Indian Nation, New York's largest tribal tobacco retailer, for a preliminary injunction while it challenges Tax Department regulations.

State officials did not indicate when collections might begin.

“The administration will move aggressively to collect the taxes,” a statement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office said.

The state anticipated collecting $500,000 a day in new tax revenue beginning Sept. 1, 2010, but has been stalled by legal challenges from at least five Indian nations. The Seneca case before the court was the latest stumbling block.

Seneca Nation President Robert Odawi Porter said Tuesday the nation would ask the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, to review the decision.

“In our treaties with the United States, we gave up most of our land to retain the `free use and enjoyment' to conduct business in our remaining territories free from the state's taxes,” Porter said in a statement. “New York will never collect a cent of revenue from tobacco sales occurring in our territories, and revenue projections so indicating are foolishness.”

Owners of non-Native American convenience stores, who've watched the reservation cigarette business flourish as New York has increased its cigarette tax to the highest in the country, urged the state to act immediately. Free of taxes, Native smoke shops charge about half the $10 off-reservation price for name-brand cigarettes and even less for brands manufactured on reservations.

The state has talked about taxing cigarette sales to the general public since 1988 but instead has largely followed a policy known as forbearance. Attempts to collect the tax in the 1990s resulted in sometimes violent protests and fires on Seneca territories and a reluctance by state officials since then to push the issue. Then last June, lawmakers, faced with a $9.2 billion budget deficit, voted to move forward with collections.

“Today's appellate court ruling adds yet another judicial decision affirming that the state can collect these taxes, close this loophole and finally provide our retailers with the fairness they have been seeking for decades,” said Jim Calvin, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores.

Cigarette wholesalers would be required to pay the sales taxes up front and then pass along the levy to the tribal retailers they supply. Some wholesalers have already indicated they would stop supplying reservation stores if the tax is enforced.

Porter said the nation, which has about 172 retail operations, would rely on tribally manufactured cigarettes to sustain its tobacco economy, a sentiment echoed by the Oneida Nation of central New York.

“Today marks the beginning of a new era in the nation's tobacco trade and exercise of our sovereignty,” Porter said.

“While the state may be able to embargo through taxation premium brands from entering our territory, it cannot tax the brands made in our territory or any of the Six Nations,” Porter said. “We will never stop fighting the state's predatory actions.”

Following Faith Peggy Fletcher Stack and Kristen Moulton

2011-06-02T14:29:00.001+03:00

The nation's faith leaders are making a pitch to Major League Baseball: Toss out smokeless tobacco.

"Baseball players are role models for adoring youth whose lives are threatened by chewing tobacco,” said Galen Carey, National Evangelical Association vice president for government, in a news release. “The players’ union should agree now to a tobacco-free ballpark, for their own sake and for the health of their fans.”

Smokeless tobacco use causes oral cancer, gum disease, tooth decay and mouth lesions, the release notes. Its use may also serve as a gateway to cigarette smoking, the nation’s No. 1 cause of preventable death.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig has proposed prohibition of tobacco use at major-league games, a move supported by a growing coalition of medical groups, public health officials and fans. Smokeless tobacco already is banned in the minor leagues.

The religious leaders, representing 25 faith groups, are particularly concerned about the rising use of smokeless tobacco use among high school boys, which has climbed 36 percent since 2000.

Several young baseball stars have acknowledged publicly their addiction to smokeless tobacco and the difficulty in quitting, but so far the players' union has not responded to Selig's proposal.

"Big-league ballplayers have a responsibility,” the release said, “to be better role models for young fans.”

Baseball fans can send letters to their favorite MLB team asking them to support the tobacco ban.

Anti-Tobacco Campaign Heats Up in China Despite Conflict of Interest Among Administrators

2011-06-02T14:28:00.000+03:00

China is on a severe tobacco crackdown to show that they are taking World No Tobacco Day seriously. Industry figures show that China produced 2.38 trillion cigarettes in 2010, rising a staggering 40% over the past decade. The tobacco industry currently generates about 7% of the government’s annual revenue. However last year, the cost incurred by people smoking outweighed the tobacco profits and jobs created by $9.5 billion.

Tobacco kills 1.2 million Chinese every year according to official figures. China has more than 300 million smokers with second-hand smoke affecting about 740 million people, according to the 2011 China Tobacco Control Report released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) Thursday in Beijing.

China has ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). But the treaty’s implementation is in the hands of a multi-agency work group that includes the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, the regulatory body that shares the same management staff with China National Tobacco Corporation. Calls to kick tobacco industry representatives out of the multi-agency work group in charge of implementing the WHO treaty have been mounting in the health sector for some time. A survey conducted by the China CDC shows less than 25% of the population have a thorough knowledge of the harm posed by smoking and second-hand smoke. Voluntary smoking controls have proved ineffective, with laws and regulations being the only effective way of curbing the habit. Without a reduction in consumption of tobacco in China, global tobacco control cannot make big strides.

The government for its part is making strides in curbing tobacco use. In February, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) ordered film and TV studios to restrict smoking scenes and to ban shots showing tobacco brands or minors in scenes while others are smoking. In March, a revised regulation on health management in public places issued by the Ministry of Health said smoking would be banned in enclosed public locations, which took effect in May this year.

Tobacco awareness therefore, provides an interesting forum for CSR initiatives. This is exactly what RAK Ceramics has cached in on when it included tobacco awareness as part of its CSR. RAK Ceramics is the world’s largest manufacturer of bathware and ceramic tiles. For World Tobacco Awareness Day, they held a seminar to highlight the dangers of smoking.

They have been the recipient of the Middle East Business Leaders Summit & Awards (MEBLSA) 2011 ‘CSR Company of the Year’ award. According to their head of Marketing and Corporate Communications, ”As a responsible corporate citizen RAK Ceramics is keen to create maximum awareness about the dangers of tobacco use. We understand that tackling an issue of this magnitude requires sustained efforts, which is why we are committed to undertaking several awareness campaigns.”

Perhaps with a combination of more companies taking on tobacco awareness as their CSR as well as government initiatives, there will be a gradual decline in consumption.

Giving Up Cigarette Smoking ‘Cold Turkey’ Was Lifesaver

2011-05-26T15:22:00.004+03:00

It has been a half century since a cigarette found its way between my lips.

Quitting my addiction to cigarettes was a spur of the moment decision and a dozen or more people around me at the time were doubting Thomases because they knew how dependent I was on cigarettes. Even I had some doubts - but I was determined.

It didn't take an Einstein-type decision on my part since I knew my daily habit of smoking two, and sometimes even three packs a day - depending on how much partying there was after leaving work - was an invitation to a short lifetime.

It was probably the most momentous decision I ever made because at today's prices of $5 or more a pack I'd be sacrificing grocery money to calm the craving for a smoke. But at the rate I was consuming (that's a better word than smoking because I was almost eating them) cigarettes I would not be here today to tell about it.

My friends and co-workers at the time and many, many times since then have asked the obvious question: "How'd you do it?" My stock answer was always "cold turkey." That made it sound like it was easy to do, but believe me it was not. It was agonizing for quite a while.

While pounding out a story on the old Underwood typewriter in the News-Register office, it was not uncommon to have two or three lighted cigarettes lined up on the edge of my desk. Fortunately the desks way back then had been in use for years and were scarred from cigarette burns. That doesn't happen anymore because all the desks are sparkling new and it is a smoke-free workplace.

My decision to quit came like a lightning bolt early one morning. Being deep in thought about what awaited me at the office, I did not realize until I sat down to type a story that my shirt pocket was not filled with the usual pack of butts.

Back then there was a handy cigarette machine in the office but when I searched my pockets, no change was found for the machine. Cost of cigarettes in a store ranged between 22 to 25 cents a pack. The machine required 30 cents but the buyer received two pennies change in each pack.

So I went searching for change for $1. After about a half dozen tries I finally succeeded and made a mad dash to the cigarette machine. Horrors! It was empty. I never did find out whether the mechanical monster was damaged when I kicked it.

So then I made like a beggar. First I asked Al Wyman, who was seated across from me in the newsroom. He dealt me another setback. "This is my last one," he said holding a lighted cigarette between his fingers. "I have to go out and buy some," was his reply. More contacts likewise failed. Finally I invaded Editor Harry Hamm's office. He smoked Raleigh cigarettes and I was so desperate I'd settle for one of them. I smoked Pall Mall.

That didn't work either. He, too, was smoking his last cigarette and showed me the empty pack. Even though I was having a nicotine fit with one setback after another in my efforts to satisfy my habit, it seemed I was getting a message from a greater power. When I stepped out of Hamm's office, I shouted loud enough for all to hear: "That 's it! I quit!!"

There was quick response. As I sat down to continue writing my story, Wyman took a last drag on his cigarette and said, "Al, if you quit, so will I." I considered that encouraging.

There were no patches, pills or any of the many quit smoking programs back then as there are today. If there were, they weren't as well publicized as they are today. It was a case of sheer will power and determination to quit the habit.

There were some big obstacles to overcome. At the end of every work day, it was beer time for me and a few others on the staff. But that day the beer was shoved aside. I couldn't drink a beer without craving a cigarette. So I made another big decision - I quit drinking beer.

My usual routine the next day likewise was abruptly altered starting first thing in the morning. On getting out of bed, I usually lit up a cigarette even before my feet touched the floor. Not that day or ever after.

On arriving early at the office, my day always started with a cup of coffee and a cigarette. That didn't work either. I could not drink the coffee without craving a cigarette. So there was only one thing to do: I quit drinking coffee.

So in the span of less than 24 hours I quit smoking, quit drinking beer and quit drinking coffee. Some friends felt I was headed for the looney bin.

The automatic reflex of the right hand reaching up into the pocket on the left side of my shirt was difficult to stop. So I put a pack or two of lifesavers there. I consumed them faster than I had inhaled cigarettes. For the first few weeks I consumed as many as four or five packs of lifesavers a day. For me they were no longer candy. They were - lifesavers.

While I was nervous and shaky during those early days and also suffering from stomach aches which I assumed were withdrawal pains, I fought the craving. Al Wyman's effort lasted one day. On the second day he came to work with cigarette in hand. "I can't do it," he uttered apologetically. But he, Duke Horstemeyer and others continued a daily dose of words of encouragement for me.

In the days afterwards my nervousness and shakiness calmed some but reaching for the lifesavers continued. After about a month of no cigarettes, no beer and no coffee, I felt a bit under the weather one day and decided to visit my family physician and friend, the late Dr. Charles V. Lee

After examining me, we chatted. He asked me if something usual had happened at home. My reply was no. Then he modified it a bit and asked if something different had occurred in my life. I told him nothing, except that I quit smoking, and quit drinking coffee and beer.

He couldn't hide his shock. He quickly suggested that for my continued good health and sanity it would be wise if I resumed one of the three. He said quitting all three at once was too much of a shock to my system. He made no recommendation.

Masked men raid Sydney cigarette van

2011-05-26T15:22:00.001+03:00

Police have set up road blocks in Sydney's west after the robbery of a cigarette delivery van this morning.

Four men wearing balaclavas threatened the driver at Guildford just before 9:00am (AEST).

They loaded the cigarettes into a white van before driving off.

Police say no weapons were drawn during the robbery and the driver was not harmed.

They say the registration plates on the van used in the robbery, ASJ01Y, had been stolen from another vehicle.

The road blocks have been set up around the robbery scene while police canvass the area.

Newsagent sold cigarettes to underage volunteer

2011-05-26T15:20:00.000+03:00

A NEWSAGENT in Lutterworth was caught selling cigarettes to a 15-year-old boy in an undercover operation by trading standards officers.

Nicholas Smith (43), from Leicester, admitted selling tobacco to a person under 18 at Millennium News, in High Street, last October.

He appeared at Harborough Magistrates’ Court last Thursday.

Prosecutor Sarah Varley said a 15-year-old volunteer was able to buy cigarettes. She said: “The man behind the counter was the defendant, he did not ask for identification.”

Smith failed to respond to a questionnaire which meant a summons was issued.

In mitigation, Mike Garvey said Smith had been depressed and this was why there was a delay in responding to the questionnaire.

He added that the shop followed the Challenge 21 procedure. Smith was given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £759 costs.

FDA cracks down on online tobacco sales

2011-05-26T15:14:00.001+03:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have a problem with consumers buying cigarettes online, they have a problem with manufacturers claiming their products offer “reduced risk of tobacco-related diseases” online.

The FDA cited the online retailers for a variety of illegal marketing claims that violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, including use of terms such as: “Light”; “Low”; “Mild”; “Less toxic”; or “Safer.” This is a fairly new law that just went into effect about a year ago.

“There is no known safe tobacco product. It is illegal for tobacco companies or retailers, including internet sellers, to make unsubstantiated claims or statements that imply tobacco products reduce health risks,” said Lawrence R. Deyton, M.S.P.H., M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “FDA will pursue enforcement actions to protect the public health.”

The FDA sent out 11 warning letters to companies telling them not to advertise with these false claims. To make such a claim the FDA would have to approve it, and not one of these companies has any such permission from the FDA.

The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products conducts routine monitoring and surveillance of tobacco product marketing, advertising and promotion to assess compliance with the law. If companies fail to comply with the government agencies request fines, seizure, and criminal prosecution could become a reality.

Top 10: Keys to quitting smoking

2011-05-16T15:26:00.001+03:00

If you are not a smoker or have never smoked, this list is not for you unless you can find some sympathy for those that do struggle with addictions.

1. Smoking is a physical and psychological addiction that produces a "chain reaction" in the body. Nicotine is as addictive as heroin and cocaine according to LiveStrong.com . Withdrawal symptoms can include any of the following: dizziness (which may only last 1 to 2 days after quitting) depression, feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger, anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and having bad dreams or even nightmares, trouble concentrating, restlessness or boredom, headaches, tiredness, increased appetite, weight gain, constipation and gas, cough, dry mouth, sore throat, and nasal drip, chest tightness, slower heart rate. It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun or offer the comfort a cigarette does.

2. Quit Smoking Aids : There are many but it comes down to one key ingredient and that is "you". Whatever aid or help you enlist, you must be able and willing to follow through. The odds are stacked against you. Mark Twain said “Quitting smoking is easy; I have done it a thousand times”. According to The American Cancer Society, success rates in general, only about 4% to 7% of people are able to quit smoking on any given attempt without medicines or other help. Studies in medical journals have reported that between about 25% and 33% of smokers who use medicines can stay smoke-free for over 6 months. There is also early evidence that combining some medicines, may work better than using them alone. (See the section, " Help with the physical part of addiction: Prescription drugs. ") Behavioral and supportive therapies may increase success rates even further, and help the person stay smoke-free. Check the package insert of any product you are using to see if the manufacturer provides free telephone-based counseling. I have read that the patches and gum can create a different addiction of their own. The American Heart Association, American Cancer Society want to help read their website for suggestion and in some cases free assistance such as smoking cessation classes and other support.

3. Positive reinforcement : Place the exact amount of money you will save from NOT purchasing cigarettes in a glass jar so you can view your progress. The price in Pennsylvania is approximately $7 a pack and the rates vary from state to state. There's more than the monetary reward to consider. Smoking cessation has immediate health benefits. It lowers your blood pressure and reduces your pulse after only 20 minutes. Within a day, the carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal. Within two weeks to three months, your risk of a heart attack decreases and your lungs begin to function better. Long-term benefits include a reduced risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other cancers. Smoking tobacco really isn’t friendly to any medical condition.

4. Weight Gain : Many worry about gaining weight if they stop smoking and it can happen especially if you replace cigarettes with food, average weight gain of 5 to 10 pounds in the first few months. The seminar I attended said 10-50lbs. That is a nightmare to me, so is getting cancer. I weigh the odds. I have witnessed a family member suffer. Cigarettes can be an appetite suppressant. It is recommended to up your calcium intake the first week, avoid carbs and drink 6-8 glasses of water you should also up your exercise routine and by all means do not become a slacker. Exercise can boost you mental and physical health. Cigarettes also mess with you blood sugar, metabolism, serotonin levels and dopamine.

5. Helpful diversions: Take a deep breath hold it for 5 seconds and release, do this 3 times. Don’t just sit there get up and do something. Drink a glass of water, lemon adds a little flavor; avoid triggers like alcohol and sweets and stressful, painful situations and they should avoid you too. ; - )

6. A link to Helpful Hints for Friends and Family Do’s and Don’ts to Helping a Smoker Quit.

7. Behavior Modification: Change the way you deal with certain situations. Boredom, have a cigarette (old behavior), boredom, do something constructive, create and carry a list with you to fill in that idle time. Eat a meal, have a cigarette (old behavior), immediately brush your teeth after a meal or use mouth wash. Head in the opposite direction of where you used to go to smoke. Reward yourself for not being a smoker. Do not punish yourself by being a smoker. You will need to stock up on a whole new set of coping skills for stress. Look out stress knows you quit and comes looking for you. You will be vulnerable at first. You will absolutely sweat the small stuff until you learn to cope. Find that inner strength.

8. Smoking is known as a feel good . Who doesn’t want that instant gratification feel good? It is a challenge and a struggle to quit and most likely you will not get that much support from friends and family. Especially, if they were never a smoker, that do not realize how difficult this addiction is to break. If they are a born again non-smoker they know how difficult it is and rarely have any sympathy for you because they hate the addiction that once trapped them. Yet they can understand your struggle.

9. “They” say day 5 and 7 are the tough ones . I waited with baited breath for day 5 to arrive and it was pretty uneventful so I knew day 7 would be bad. I was constantly looking over my shoulder that day wondering, when it was going to come, yet I survived. Day 10 was the kicker. I woke up normally went into the kitchen a few dirty dishes in the sink so I went to load them up in the dish washer only to discover HE had loaded it incorrectly, the plates were not lining up and immediately I realized after almost 25 years, I had married the wrong man, my children never have and never will listen to me, they have minds of their own and maintaining the small home that I live in is just too overwhelming for me. I emailed my good friend who also quit smoking many years ago by the same method, hypnosis. I went on the postal, nicotine deprived rant and told her just about everything in my life was wrong. Luckily she had lived through the experience and was able to talk me down. Life was back to normal in about 15 minutes.

10. I quit smoking many years ago for over 20 years and I got smacked with a few of life’s unpleasant events, the culmination ranked pretty high on the stress scale and I made a huge mistake. You can find those stress level tests on line. I picked up a cigarette again, but I have learned the hard way, I can never do that again. It was something I knew was not comforting me at all. Yet I was hooked. I recently attended a "Quit Smoking" seminar using hypnosis and I have been a non-smoker for exactly three months today. I know it doesn’t sound that impressive but I have tried for 4 years to break the habit again and I hope I continue to believe that it makes no sense to go back to it

Court date set on tribe cigarette tax injunction

2011-05-16T15:25:00.000+03:00

Lawyers for the state and the Seneca Nation of Indians are scheduled to present arguments June 1 over continuing an injunction prohibiting the state from collecting sales and excise taxes on cigarettes sold by tribes to non-Indians.
The 2 p.m. arguments will be in State Supreme Court in Buffalo before State Supreme Court Justice Donna M. Siwek.

Smigiel: I'll float a bill to legalize cigar shipments

2011-05-16T15:14:00.002+03:00

Now that consumer shipments of premium cigars have apparently been outlawed by the 2010 General Assembly, Del. Mike Smigiel says he'll introduce a bill in this fall's special session to make them legit again.

"The comptroller's office told me they had 300 complaints already," says Smigiel, a Republican representing Cecil, Caroline, Kent and Queen Anne's counties. "I have every indication from the comptroller's office" that they'll support a change making shipments of premium cigars (often defined as more than $2 apiece) OK for Web and catalog vendors. "We're working on this. We're going to fix it. It was an unintended consequence" of a bill requiring licensing of wholesalers of cigars and pipe tobacco. "It certainly was not meant to interfere with the individual" buyer of nice cigars by mail.

"We welcome the comptroller to do that. We opposed this legislation when it was introduced," said Craig Williamson of the Cigar Association of America. " We were disappointed to see the provision which prohibits Maryland consumers to purchase legal products from an Internet retailer."

What Williamson really wanted to know, however, about Comptroller Peter Franchot, was: “Do you know if he’s going to be enforcing it?" in the meantime before the ban gets fixed. "Everybody wants to know.”

I do not know the answer. Stay tuned.

Hookah bars, popular with teens, put on notice

2011-05-16T14:55:00.001+03:00

Teenagers across North Jersey are flocking to lounges and nightclubs to smoke water pipes, called hookahs, stuffed with fruit-laced tobacco — a fad that has spawned new businesses and set off clashes over health-code violations, underage smoking and rowdy late-night parties.

"We're finding a lot of 14-year-olds from Paramus and Ramsey coming down here to smoke," said Ralph Gambatese, Paterson's chief license inspector. "We call the parents and they're shocked to hear it. We'd rather they come to shop."

Local officials in North Jersey, who are just waking up to the trend, have revived the enforcement of a statewide indoor smoking ban to stem a surge in code violations and 3 a.m. brawls at some hookah clubs.

A lounge on lower Main Street in Hackensack closed six months ago after the city Health Department found several code violations, including indoor smoking and the sale of tobacco to underage customers. In Lyndhurst, health officials last week ordered the new Sultan Hookah to stop serving the pipes indoors, forcing the owner to close until an outdoor patio is arranged. Nine months ago, the Lyndhurst Health Department issued the hookah lounge a certificate of satisfaction.
Lyndhurst Commissioner Brian Haggerty, who oversees the Health Department, said he was unaware of how the indoor smoking ban applied to hookah lounges. "I was very upset for the owner that this had to happen — that he had to lose his business."

Once a sort of happy-hour release for Muslim men who smoke harsh tobacco for hours over sweet coffee and hands of cards, hookah smoking in public establishments has acutely changed in recent years. Its fans are far younger, diverse and multiplying as quickly as tobacco flavors — such as mango and double apple — evolve.

Grocery stores became hookah nightclubs. College campuses from New York to Denver adopted the trend. In North Jersey, lounges stretch from the Arabic and Turkish hubs in Paterson and Clifton to the suburban streets of Hackensack, Rutherford, Englewood and Lyndhurst.

You want to smoke the best tobacco for hookah? Than you need to buy for cheap price Al Fakher tobacco for shisha and hookahs.

Paramus native Kali Trahanas never smoked cigarettes but during high school she fell in the love with the hookah at Rutherford's Eros Cafe. She connected with the fruity flavors, the "cozy" atmosphere and the unique venue for under-21 socializing.

"It was kind of our little niche," said Trahanas, now 22. "When we were younger, we couldn't drink, so I guess it started out as something else to do."

A 2008 state Health Department survey found that 10 percent of high school students smoke tobacco from a hookah. GASP, a statewide anti-smoking group, estimates that rate has since increased to almost 12 percent. Health experts say hookah tobacco is no less hazardous than cigarettes.

Cotinine from Tobacco Prevents Memory Loss in Mice With Alzheimers Disease Read more: Cotinine from Tobacco Prevents Memory Loss in Mice With Alzhei

2011-05-03T13:24:00.000+03:00

A study conducted by researchers at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and the University of South Florida found that Cotinine, a compound derived from tobacco, helped reduce plaques associated with dementia in genetically altered mice with Alzheimers disease.

Valentina Echeverria, a scientist at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, said, We found a compound that protects neurons, prevents the progression of Alzheimers disease pathology, enhances memory and has been shown to be safe. It looks like cotinine acts on several aspects of Alzheimers pathology in the mouse model. That, combined with the drugs good safety profile in humans, makes it a very attractive potential therapy for Alzheimers disease.

As part of the study, young mice were genetically altered to suffer memory problems akin to Alzheimers disease. Cotinine was administered regularly for five months.

During the end of the study period, findings revealed that mice which received cotinine performed better at tasks involving their working memory and thinking skills as compared to mice which did not receive cotinine.

Long-term cotinine treatment caused a 26% reduction in deposits of amyloid plaques, which is an indicator of Alzheimers disease. Cotinine also activated the signaling factor Akt, which helps neurons survive, thus improving memory.

Tobacco Products Display Comes Under Microscope

2011-05-03T13:22:00.001+03:00

Some tobacco-related products are coming under fire by one North Carolina lawmaker, and his proposal would have a direct effect on convenience stores.

Rep. Charles D. Graham (D-Lumberton) contends that, in particular, tobacco and pipe wrapping paper are conducive to drug use. To help combat this, he wants to introduce legislation that would prohibit stores from displaying these items, according to the SCNow.com.

"My concern here is our young children, our adolescents," Graham said. "We need to start reshaping their mindsets and send a message out there to the convenience store owner it's not OK to promote this with young children."

Some convenience store owners the news outlet spoke with were in favor of the ban. Pembroke store operator Harold Dean Allen said approximately 25 to 30 people buy tobacco wrapping paper from him every day; however, he did not think the change would affect his business.

"That will be fine with me," he said. "I don't hardly display it anyway. I have it on the shelf but I don't have it reachable."

Graham explained that it is too late to introduce the legislation this session but he hopes to propose it next May.

Farmers in favour of coal for tobacco curing

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

After the success of the Hwange Colliery Company pilot scheme, where coal was used in curing the golden leaf, tobacco farmers have proposed that the initiative be rolled out to all parts of the country.

They argue that with the programme initiated by the coal mining giant two years ago, farmers benefited from coal availed by rural district councils at subsidised prices to ensure viability and has assisted in the conservation of indigenous trees in their areas.

In the Beatrice area, prominent tobacco farmer, Mr Edson Makina says the programme is a good initiative but needs to be adopted on a national scale to save the indigenous forests which are under threat from massive deforestation.

He noted that apart from conserving the forests, coal cured tobacco has a good quality compared to the crop cured using firewood.

Hwange Colliery Marketing Manager, Mr Charles Zhou said the mining firm has supplied coal at lower prices to the rural district councils to ensure that the low costs are passed on to the farmers.

With the county grappling with the adverse effects of climate change, alternative sources of energy should be adopted on a larger scale as deforestation has been cited as a major cause of the phenomenon in developing countries.

Experts say it is then critical to educate most small scale farmers of the dangers of destroying forests which are usually harvested during the tobacco curing season.

British America Tobacco's first-quarter sales rise

2011-05-03T13:15:00.002+03:00

British American Tobacco PLC (BATS.LN) Thursday posted a rise in first-quarter sales, but the world's second-biggest tobacco group by revenue said volumes continued to soften and warned of challenging trading as smokers struggle with tough global economic conditions.

Consumers in more mature markets are switching to low-cost brands as spending power is hit by tax hikes and other austerity measures to help governments rein in borrowing.

BAT volumes were hit by declines in Spain, Mexico, Australia and Vietnam. Still, Chief Executive Nicandro Durante said the company grew market share in all these markets and noted that the rate of volume decline overall is slowing. To compensate for volume falls, tobacco companies are paring costs and raising prices in mature markets like Western Europe and the U.S.

London-based BAT, which competes with U.S.-based global market leader Philip Morris International Inc. PM -0.19% and U.K.-based peer Imperial Tobacco Group PLC (IMT.LN), said organic sales rose 5% in the three months to March 31 on a constant currency basis, boosted by pricing gains.

Volumes fell 2.4% to 164 billion cigarettes in the quarter from 168 billion in the same period last year. Stripping out these acquisitions, volumes fell 1.8%. Most regions showed a drop in volumes from last year although Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa posted a flat performance.

"This good performance was achieved in trading conditions which remain challenging, with industry volumes markedly lower in a number of market," the company said.

Global brand volumes rose 9%, with Kent up 16%, Dunhill up 6% and Pall Mall 10% higher. Lucky Strike volumes fell 4%, hit by declines in Spain.

BAT also said there were higher-than-expected shipments to Japan, where the environment remains "highly uncertain" following the earthquake last month.

At the end of February, BAT said it was on track to reach an operating margin target of 35% by 2012 after it rose to 33.5% from 31.4% last year, supported by production, supply chain and logistical savings. It also resumed its share buy-back program after suspending the scheme in 2009 during the economic downturn.

Students, Keller Hospital main beneficiaries of tobacco taxes

2011-05-03T13:13:00.001+03:00

While Shoals cities send all their tobacco tax revenue to their respective general funds, county governments have specific purposes for the money raised by the sale of cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and other products.

Tobacco taxes are commonly referred to as “sin taxes,” because they’re derived from the sale of products or activities that are frowned upon by some members of a community.

Taxes on alcohol also fall into this category, and in some cases, taxes on soft drinks are considered sin taxes.

Regardless of its origin, the money can provide a revenue boost to cash-strapped cities and counties.

Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia place their tobacco tax revenue into their general funds where it is used for help pay for various city functions.

Sin taxes have been used to pay for stadiums in the U.S., while in Sweden taxes on gambling are used to help people with gambling problems.

“It’s not huge,” Sheffield City Clerk Clayton Kelly said. “But $70,000, $80,000 hits you pretty hard if you didn’t have it.”

Unlike the cities, Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale counties have specific purposes for their tobacco tax revenue.

Of the three, Franklin County is the most creative, using tobacco taxes to fund a college scholarship program and to provide additional money to the Franklin County Fire and Rescue Squad and the Franklin County Water Authority.

“None of it goes into our general fund,” Franklin County Administrator Crista Martin said.

Martin said the Franklin County Scholarship Fund is open to any Franklin County resident who is attending college in Alabama. The applicant must be a full-time student and maintain a 2.0 grade point average, she said.

The amounts of the scholarships vary depending on how much money is in the fund and the number of scholarship applicants, Martin said.

Martin said the scholarships are awarded annually for spring and fall semesters. Approved applicants will receive their money after they complete the semesters they applied for. The deadline to apply is June 30, and students can reapply each year.

“When it first started, there was a good bit more money in it than there is now,” Martin said. “When you have 100-150 people who apply and meet the criteria, it depletes the fund.”

Helen Keller Hospital is the sole beneficiary of tobacco taxes in Colbert County after the cost of purchasing tax stamps and paying someone to administer the program is deducted.

The tax was created in 1957 and was known as the “Colbert County Public Hospital Tax.” The proceeds of the tax were to be used for “acquiring, constructing, equipping, enlarging, improving, operating and maintaining” a hospital in Colbert County.

The act was amended in 1994 to add a 5-cent tax on “little cigars.”

In addition to the tobacco tax revenue, a 1982 legislative act provides that two-fifths of the county’s local beer tax revenue is earmarked for the county’s hospital fund.

The hospital received about $230,000 in 2010 from the county in the form of tobacco and beer taxes.

The act regarding beer was sponsored by the late Rep. Joe Goodwin, D-Muscle Shoals, when Colbert County voters approved the legal sale of alcohol in 1982.

Colbert County, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia school systems each receive one-tenth of the beer taxes and one-fifth goes to the county’s general fund.

James Brumley, the county’s general fund accountant, said total tobacco taxes have fallen slightly during the past couple of years while the cost of collecting the taxes has increased.

The amount of tobacco tax revenue going to the hospital has decreased from $109,856 in 2004 to $35,531 in 2010.

“The cost of collecting the tax has gone up a good bit with the increasing cost of printing the actual stamps that are placed on the tobacco products.” Brumley said. “This explains the reduction in monies that the hospital actually receives and the fluctuations.”

Colbert County Commissioner Jimmy Gardiner said he knew the hospital received a portion of the county’s beer tax revenue, but not the tobacco taxes.

“I was not aware it was that much of the tobacco taxes,” he said. “With the deficits at Keller Hospital, they need that more than ever right now.”

A Keller Hospital spokeswoman said the sin tax revenue is placed in the hospital’s general fund.

Lauderdale County Administrator Jenoice Bevis said tobacco taxes are split between the county and Florence city school systems after expenses are deducted.

“There was an act that set ours up,” Bevis said. “It doesn’t generate a lot of money.”

Cigarette sales drop 10.1% in FY 2010, largest fall on record

2011-04-27T13:33:00.002+03:00

Sales of cigarettes in Japan in fiscal 2010 plunged 10.1 percent from a year earlier to 210.2 billion cigarettes, marking the largest fall on record, due to a sharp rise in prices, the Tobacco Institute of Japan said Friday.

The decline in sales, the sharpest since comparable date became available in 1990, stemmed from weakening demand as cigarette prices spiked following the imposition of the largest-ever tobacco tax hike on Oct. 1.

The sales value in the business year ended March increased 2.0 percent from the year before to 3,616.3 billion yen, the institute said.

By cigarette brand, Seven Stars topped the ranking for the third straight year, accounting for 4.8 percent of the sales volume.

DRS reminds retailers against cigarette making machines

2011-04-27T13:23:00.001+03:00

Hartford, CT - The Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS) today reminded cigarette and tobacco retailers that the use of commercial cigarette-making machines by unlicensed manufacturers is illegal. Commercial cigarette making machines require a Connecticut cigarette manufacturer’s license and compliance with fire-safety, packaging, and other requirements. Retailers that continue to offer the use of such commercial “roll-your-own” cigarette machines may be charged with a misdemeanor and subject to arrest.

DRS Commissioner Kevin Sullivan said, “Connecticut is one of a number of states that have concluded that the use of commercial cigarette-making machines at retail establishments constitutes the illegal manufacture and sale of cigarettes. Issues that range from the proper licensing of the retailer and compliance with the Connecticut Tobacco Directory, to the ingredients in the tobacco and fire safety of the cigarettes, make this a practice that cannot be allowed in Connecticut.”

Commissioner Sullivan said DRS issued Policy Statement 2011(1), “The Use of Commercial Cigarette-Making Machine in a Retail Establishment,” to explain the agency’s position on the matter and outline the penalties for non-compliance. In addition to facing thousands of dollars in fines and potential arrest, retailers that defy the law may also lose their cigarette or tobacco products license and could face federal penalties.

“This is a no win situation for merchants who think they can get around state tax law to sell cheaper cigarettes,” Commissioner Sullivan said. “By manufacturing cigarettes on their premises, these businesses are actually exposing themselves to a host of rules and regulations they never anticipated. It just isn’t worth it.”

Vermont governor, lawmakers at odds over taxing cigarettes, dentists

2011-04-27T13:11:00.001+03:00

Still haggling over how to close a $176 million budget gap, Vermont lawmakers and Gov. Peter Shumlin are at odds over whether to boost taxes on cigarettes and a separate plan to extend a provider "assessment" already in place for other health care providers to dentists.

The Senate Finance Committee has passed legislation that would add a $1-per-pack tax to Vermont's cigarette tax, but Shumlin opposes it.

The Democratic governor said Wednesday the state's tax revenues would take a hit because people would go to New York and Massachusetts to buy their cigarettes. Vermont would lose out on tax revenue from both the purchases of cigarettes and anything else smokers might buy in the same transaction, he said.

Currently, Vermont's per-pack cigarette tax is among the region's lowest, at $2.24. If the $1 boost is approved, it would go to $3.24.

New York's tax is $4.35 per pack, and Massachusetts' is $2.51.

"We know that right now, we're getting more sales, more people doing business in Vermont stores, because we're lower than our two big neighbors — New York and Massachusetts," Shumlin said Wednesday. "When we're higher than them, we lose those sales."

Tina Zuk, coordinator of the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont, told lawmakers earlier this month that higher taxes on tobacco discourage its use. She says the annual price tag for smoking-related problems and loss of productivity from it is $425 million in Vermont.

Instead of the cigarette tax boost, Shumlin wants lawmakers to sign off on a 3 percent provider tax on dentists, which would help the state draw down about $4 million in federal funds that would help improve Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates.

State Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell says he'd rather not tax those services because they provide a benefit to Vermonters' health.

He says taxing cigarettes makes more sense because it would tax a habit that contributes to rising government health care expenditures.

"Dental health is a key component to our physical health," said state Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell. "I would rather not tax something that is providing a benefit to our physical health and at the same time tax something that we know is harmful and that will end up causing more medical costs, whether it be emphysema or cancers or what have you. To me, it's a no-brainer," said Campbell, D-Windsor.

Judge refuses to certify class in Marlboro medical-monitoring suit

2011-04-27T13:01:00.002+03:00

A California federal judge has denied class certification to a pair of smokers who argued that Philip Morris USA should establish a medical-monitoring program for long-term consumers of the company's Marlboro-brand cigarettes.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California said it is impossible to ascertain whether class members had 20-pack-year histories of smoking Marlboros.

"There is no good way to identify such individuals," the judge said.

"A smoker's rate of cigarette consumption and cigarette brand of choice are liable to change over time, and we cannot expect smokers to recall the cumulative total of Marlboro packs they have smoked," he explained.

A pack-year is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes a person has smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked.

The lawsuit is nearly identical to others being litigated in different states by the same group of attorneys.

It was brought by named plaintiffs Burt Xavier and James Franklin on behalf of asymptomatic individuals with 20-pack year histories of smoking Marlboro cigarettes, as well as recent quitters.

They sought medical monitoring through low-dose CT chest scans that would be provided by Philip Morris through a court-supervised screening program. CT scans can detect lung cancer earlier than X-rays.

They said the tobacco giant should fund such a program because its cigarettes deliver excessive levels of carcinogens and it had the ability to design and manufacture a safer cigarette.

Judge Alsup refused to grant class certification where the class definition fails "to describe a group of people whose membership can be ascertained in a reliable manner." He said the requirement that class members must have smoked Marlboro cigarettes for a minimum of 20-pack-years "nullifies" their bid for class certification.

Such a determination would require each class member to subjectively estimate his or her smoking history, the judge said.

"The question thus would come down to the state of mind of the putative class member, and it would be easy to fade in or out of the class depending on the outcome," he added.

Judge Alsup rejected the plaintiffs' argument that class membership could be determined by other methods such as through records for Philip Morris' customer loyalty program or class member affidavits.

He said Xavier and Burt can proceed with their claims for strict liability design defect and negligent design and testing on an individual basis.

The plaintiffs’ counsel is David Bricker of Waters Kraus Paul in El Segundo, Calif.

Defense attorneys are Tammy Beth Webb, Ina Doung-May Chang and Michael Kevin Underhill of Shook Hardy & Bacon in San Francisco.

Hookah bar lighting up downtown Kirksville

2011-04-05T17:12:00.001+03:00

The Jinn Lounge is now open in downtown Kirksville and it's causing a bit of stir around the Heartland, but what is the big question on everyone's mind?

Will it last?

It all started as a facebook question.

What does Kirksville lack?

On March 25, Andrew Wu and Daniel Nixon brought to Kirksville what the youth were asking for, a hookah bar.

"I went around the dorm halls asking what Kirksville needed and they said a hookah bar, so we opened a hookah bar," said co-owner Andrew Wu.

The empty building at 106 South Elson has been transformed into a state of the art hookah lounge. It will feature hookah, coffee, drinks, and free wi-fi.

Co-owner Daniel Nixon said business is picking up.

"With the cash we have been getting so far, I think there is not alot to question that we will have a problem staying afloat whether or not we hire or expand could still be up for debate. We will just see what traffic we get during the week," said Nixon.

So what exactly is hookah? What separates it from smoking?

"I guess one of the essential differences is the social nature of hookah. You have a group of people sitting around a pipe and smoking together. It's relaxing and a cigarette is more of an individual type thing," Nixon said.

"We don't have marijuana here. It's illegal! We have flavored tobacco dipped in molasses and the flavor is added to it," Wu said.

However, the speculation continues.

What separates hookah from the city smoking ban?

"Actually there's a lot of misconceptions about the Kirksville smoking ban. It's not an all out smoking ban. It deals with restaurants, bars, banquet halls and a couple of other specific stores and coffee shops. It doesn't really cover what we are which is a tobacco retailer," Nixon said.

The question remains, will it last in Kirksville?

"Alot of kids can go there and it's not illegal for kids under 21. I just feel like people will go there because it gives them something to do," said a local student.

"It will probably die. There was one hookah bar. People don't usually didn't go there," said a Truman State student.

Now that their bar is open, the journey continues. It will depend on the citizens of Kirksville as to how far the journey actually takes them.

"It's a great place. If you like smoking, we got music and drinks. It's the same appeal to everyone. It is just a nice place to relax and have some fun," Nixon said.

Anti-tobacco group’s poll says Iowa voters support funding for quit-smoking programs

2011-04-05T17:10:00.004+03:00

The poll commissioned by the Iowa Tobacco Prevention Alliance found:
• 85% of Iowa voters feel that it is a proper role of state government to encourage children and teenagers not to start smoking.
• 68% of those surveyed indicate they also view it as an appropriate function of state government to help Iowans stop smoking.
• 68% of those surveyed indicated they believe the state should continue all funding for addiction related services.
• After hearing throughout the survey the benefits of youth prevention services offered by the state, 65% of Iowans say they oppose abolishing funding for youth prevention services.
• After hearing throughout the survey the benefits of tobacco cessation services offered by the state, 63% of Iowans say they oppose eliminating funding for services that help Iowans quit smoking.
• 54% of Republicans in the survey oppose cutting funding for cessation services.
• 52% of Republicans surveyed oppose cutting funding for youth prevention services.

Cathy Callaway with the Iowa Tobacco Prevention Alliance stated, “Iowa voters understand the critical role prevention and cessation services play in reducing the death and disease caused by tobacco use as well as the health care costs associated with it.” She added, “Iowans view these services as a proper undertaking for State government, they are pleased with the success of the services that have been funded, and strong support exists for continued funding.”

Callaway added, “The perception among Iowa voters is clear: these services work, and we want them continued. Iowans have seen youth smoking drop from 33% in 2000 to 20% in 2008. Iowans have seen adult smoking decrease from 23% in 2000 to 14% in 2008. These services have worked, their success is undisputable.”

Peggy Huppert, Iowa Director of Government Relations for the American Cancer Society added, “Iowans want funding continued for both prevention and cessation services. The health effects of smoking and tobacco use cut across party lines and so does the support to continue funding. Over three in four current smokers indicate a desire to see prevention services for Iowa’s youth funded. We will be working closely with legislators from both parties during the final weeks of the State budgeting process. Our funding request of $7.8 million is well below the $12 million the program received just four years ago, and the $36.7 million recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But as the last ten years have shown, we have made every penny count, and we’re proud of our successes.”

The poll was conducted by Selzer & Co. in February. It surveyed 500 Iowa registered voters on their attitudes toward the Smoke-Free Air Act and proposals pending in the Iowa Legislature that address smoking issues. The full sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.