Altria’s Earnings Rely On Growth In Smokeless Products

Contrary to the cigarettes market, smokeless products’ volume in the U.S. has been growing over the last couple of years. A large portion of the consumer base for these products consists of smokers who are switching with the belief that it is a less harmful alternative to cigarette smoking. Smokeless products are also subject to far lower excise duties compared to cigarettes, leading to cheaper prices. The market size for smokeless products in the U.S. was around 1.33 billion packs/cans in 2011.
Altria’s smokeless products segment’s 2012 third-quarter and nine-month net revenues increased 2.6% and 2.8%, respectively, primarily due to higher pricing and higher volume, which partially offset by unfavorable mix due to growth of lower priced products.

How cigarette design can affect youth initiation into smoking: Camel cigarettes

Data extraction: A web based index search of documents targeting "smoothness" or "harshness" and "younger adult smokers" ("YAS") or "first usual brand younger adult smokers" ("FUBYAS") in the 10 year period surrounding the introduction of the "Smooth Character" campaign was used to identify Camel related product design research projects. A snowball methodology was used: initial documents were identified by focusing on key words, codes, researchers, committees, meetings, and gaps in overall chronology; a second set of documents was culled from these initial documents, and so on. 

Data synthesis: Product design research led to the introduction of redesigned Camel cigarettes targeted to younger adult males coinciding with the "Smooth Character" campaign. Further refinements in Camel cigarettes during the following five year period continued to emphasise the smoothness of the cigarette, utilising additives and blends which reduced throat irritation but increased or retained nicotine impact. 

Conclusions: Industry competition for market share among younger adult smokers may have contributed to the reversal of a decline in youth smoking rates during the late 1980s through development of products which were more appealing to youth smokers and which aided in initiation by reducing harshness and irritation.

Reynolds has a ball in NC

This week, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is ringing in the new Republican administration with a series of events including a Gala Presentation and Inaugural Ball -- events that share a common sponsor: tobacco giant Reynolds American.
Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds American Inc. is the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., as well as three other tobacco-related companies, and it is a longtime powerhouse in North Carolina politics.
In 2012, Reynolds continued to flex its political muscle, with the company and its people using a variety of avenues to help McCrory and other Republicans.

No Proof Electronic Cigarettes Combat Addiction

Selvaggia Gurrieri bought her electronic cigarette nearly two months ago and says it has helped her cut down on cigarettes. "I use it in places where I cannot smoke like in restaurants and at the movies and it has helped me cut down on the amount of cigarettes I smoke." However she now "smokes" in bed too, her non-smoking partner, added.
Another Roman, Marco Guerrieri, bought his first electronic cigarette three months ago and says he has already recouped the $100 approximate cost he spent on it as he has gone from smoking about 20 cigarettes to only five a day. "I don't know if it has really become a fashion yet but people know what it is now. I use it at the movies, at restaurants, in the airports and on planes...and nobody has once stopped me mistaking the vapor for smoke."
'I gave my girlfriend's father one for Christmas but he tried it for a day and gave it up. It was too complicated for him and too hard for him to switch now from the traditional cigarette."
Ray Story, CEO of The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, said there was no proof e-cigarettes had ever harmed anyone and that attacks on e-cigarettes were more about protecting revenues than public health, according to ABCNews.com.
"In Italy, tobacco is sold through government stores. That old Mafioso-type environment protects its own," he said.
Story said e-cigarettes don't claim to help people quit smoking.
"Yes, nicotine is addictive, like caffeine and sugar. We're not in the non-addictive business. We cater to someone who is already a smoker. Starbucks sells coffee; Coca-Cola sells cola. Both have caffeine. But e-cigarettes deliver nicotine in the cleanest way," he said.
Regarding the Health Ministry's recommendation that electric cigarettes not be given to young people, Story said: "Not giving them to young people is common sense. … We have age verification on our products."
He scoffed at the concern that the use of this gadget could lead young people to graduate from these devices to smoking real cigarettes. "Yeah, and virgin daiquiris make people alcoholics. It's absolutely inaccurate; there's no proof," Story said.

Homeless people get cigarettes for Christmas

The charity, called Omsorgsjul - Hemlösa (Care Christmas - the Homeless) has organized traditional Christmas smorgasbords in Norrköping for the past 17 years.

At this year's Christmas party, the charity handed out gifts like hats, warm clothes and boxes of chocolate to the homeless and other vulnerable people who attended the festivities. The guests also received a pack of cigarettes each.

"There would be an outcry if they didn't receive their cigarettes," Lennart Cederberg, head of the charity, told the local Folkbladet newspaper.

"It has become a tradition and, moreover, many of them are sick and they must have this," Cederberg said, adding that the 150 packs handed out this year were light cigarettes.

Lena Sjöberg, president of Dentistry Against Tobacco said handing out cigarettes "sends the wrong signal", according to .

"I think it is in the human interest to try to inspire people to take up more healthy habits, and giving cigarettes as Christmas presents is not the right way forward," said Sjöberg.

"Only the tobacco industry needs tobacco. Besides, the government has decided that we should try and reduce tobacco use among those who smoke the most, including the homeless."
The Local.
Asked if he thinks handing out cigarettes sends "the wrong signal", Cederberg replied: "These people are our friends whom we care about and in this context the cigarettes aren't that dangerous. They smoke all the time anyway."

"They have smoked for a long time. We can't take that away from them. The most important thing is that we don't hand out alcohol and money."

He said the recipients keep calm by smoking and that those who complain about the unorthodox Christmas gift should instead focus on the real problem, which is homelessness.

"Come and help them and make sure they receive accommodation instead of whining," Cederberg urged.

"Some of these people have to go into communal garbage rooms to smoke. The cigarettes help them stay awake and keep them from freezing to death."

None of the charity's donors have complained about the cigarette gifts. If they do, said Cederberg, the charity would have to rethink its policy.

"Otherwise we will continue handing out cigarettes at the Christmas party," he stated.

Tobacco vendor goes back to court

An unusual case is unfolding in a small courtroom in rural Nova Scotia that could have serious implications for anti-smoking legislation in the province and possibly across the country.
The drama, which pits the owner of a small family business against government, has been quietly simmering for four years.
It was 2008 when Bob Gee, owner of Mader’s Tobacco Store in Kentville, was first charged with illegal storage and display of tobacco products.
After numerous delays, the 68-year-old Gee successfully argued in court in 2010 that the province’s legislation banning the point-of-sale display of tobacco products is an infringement of his constitutional right to freedom of expression.
Part 2 of his case began Tuesday in Kentville provincial court, where a Justice Department lawyer must prove that the infringement on Gee’s charter rights is reasonable and justified in a free and democratic society.
“I’m feeling positive about it,” Gee said in an interview before the court proceedings. “I think things look good for us.’’
Gee, whose family has owned and managed the small retail business on Aberdeen Street for the past 45 years, would like to retire and leave the store to his son, Jeff. But the court case has delayed his retirement.
He has always argued that tobacco is a legal product in Nova Scotia and that he wants the freedom to conduct business without government interference.
Gee was charged under the province’s Tobacco Access Act, which prohibits the display of tobacco products in a store. After several court appearances, the Crown stayed those charges to allow Gee to comply with amendments to the legislation permitting customers to shop using an in-store catalogue.
Gee refused to comply and was charged again in 2009. He has removed tobacco products from his store window but still prominently displays them behind the counter in what anti-smoking advocates refer to as a marketing power wall.
His charter battle is the only legal challenge in Canada against legislation banning the display of tobacco products, and it could set a precedent.
Curtis Palmer, Gee’s lawyer, is asking Judge Claudine MacDonald to rule that the legislation is invalid.
If he wins, it could throw the province’s anti-smoking strategy into disarray at a time when most provinces and many western countries have moved toward similar legislation banning tobacco displays, according to The Chronicle Herald.
Ed Gorse, a lawyer for the provincial Justice Department, said the case is important to the province.
“It’s important in terms of protecting people from point-of-sale display and advertising of tobacco products.”
In the absence of laws regulating them, retail displays are the most prevalent form of tobacco advertising that young people and former smokers are exposed to, said Rob Cunningham, a lawyer and policy analyst for the Canadian Cancer Society, in an interview outside court Tuesday.
“This legislation reduces smoking, especially among youth, and we strongly support it,” said Cunningham. “We believe it’s essential for the legislation to remain constitutional.”
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer, testified that the ban on point-of-sale displays is one measure in a comprehensive attack on smoking.
“The ultimate goal is to have an ever-decreasing use of tobacco by Nova Scotians,” he said.
The court also heard that Gee is the only one of 1,243 tobacco retailers in the province refusing to comply with the legislation.

U.S. Quit-Smoking Policies Need Improving

U.S. federal and state policies are at a "tipping point" in terms of winning the war against smoking, according to an American Lung Association report.

"Over the next year, key decisions will be made by the federal government and the states about whether or not they will help save lives, prevent disease and reduce health costs," Paul Billings, senior vice president of advocacy and education at the American Lung Association, said in an association news release.

The association believes the federal government has missed important opportunities to improve Americans' access to medications and counseling to help them quit smoking. The record among states is mixed, but too few provide coverage to help people kick the habit, the report said.

"We know that the vast majority of smokers want to quit, but the complex web of state and federal coverage for effective quit-smoking programs and treatments prevents too many from getting the help they need," Billings said. "States and the federal government can reduce the enormous health burden of tobacco use by providing access to these proven interventions."

Here are some key findings from the association's 2012 annual report:
In terms of Medicaid coverage, only two states (Indiana and Massachusetts) provide comprehensive coverage to help people quit smoking, and two states (Alabama and Georgia) provide no coverage. Four states (Colorado, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota) provided new counseling benefits for pregnant women in 2012. Connecticut and Tennessee announced new benefits for everyone in 2012 that are close to comprehensive.

In terms of state-employee health plan coverage, only four states (Illinois, New Mexico, North Dakota and Rhode Island) provide comprehensive coverage. All other states provide some type of coverage. In 2012, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska and New Jersey added new smoking-cessation benefits for state employees, informs Health Day.

Va. official pitches mandatory anti-smoking classes

A Fairfax County supervisor wants to know whether county employees who smoke can be forced to take classes to help them quit, reports HamptonRoads.com.

The Washington Post reports that Gerald Hyland, a Democrat, first made the suggestion at a board meeting last month. A county spokeswoman says the county's attorneys are looking into the question.

Hyland's father smoked and died of lung cancer at age 50. He says it's "time to get serious" about reducing the number of smokers in the county workforce.

About 10 years ago, Hyland proposed cutting smokers from the county's payroll. In recent years, some employers have adopted policies against hiring smokers, who often have to pay higher health-insurance premiums.

Several supervisors say they don't agree with the idea of mandatory smoking-cessation classes.

Dominican Republic Requests WTO Panel Over Australia’s Plain Packaging Law

 Late last week, the Dominican Republic requested the establishment of a panel under the dispute settlement procedures of the World Trade Organization (WTO) challenging Australia’s plain packaging measures for tobacco products.

Starting Dec. 1, Australia will mandate that all tobacco products be sold in plain packaging. Packaging will be a standardized drab brown color, with the brand and variant name in a standardized font and place, banning all logos or other design features. This move will prevent tobacco products from using their well-known trademarks and geographical indications, the republic stated in a press release.

These unprecedented measures will undermine the Dominican Republic's tobacco industry, in particular its premium cigar sector. By prescribing standardized plain packaging, the tobacco market will be driven towards commoditization, with declining prices, and increasing — rather than falling — consumption and illicit trade.

In June, the Ukraine and Honduras diplomats filed trade disputes with the World Trade Organizations protesting the Australian plain packaging law, informs NACS Online.

Washington State Cigarettes Nearly 40% Contraband

A soon-to-be published study by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan reveals 36% of all cigarettes consumed in Washington are contraband, KREM.com reports.

"The bottom line here is that many governments are making tobacco products as valuable as illicit narcotics," said Mackinac's Michael LaFaive.

Contraband cigarettes for Washingtonians are any that do not pay the state’s $3.02 per pack tax. In 2010, Washington State increased its cigarette tax by a dollar a pack to the fourth highest state tax in the nation.
The Washington Department of Revenue’s Mike Gowrylow said his department will soon release its own contraband cigarette data, and he expects the number of contraband cigarettes to be about one in three.
“(That’s) substantial, to go from one in four contraband cigarettes (the figure prior to the 2010 tax hike) to one in three,” Gowrylow said.

By Washington State’s last estimate in 2011, 94 million packs of cigarettes were consumed in the state, a tax loss of $284 million for the state.

Officials have said it’s difficult to quantify how much of the smuggling is from criminal organizations and how much is “casual smuggling” — from people who purchase their cigarettes out of the state, where the tax is cheaper, reports NACS Online.

Hooked on Hookah

A hookah is a water pipe that contains a smoke chamber, bowl, and a hose or hoses.

Sweetened tobacco is mixed with fresh fruit and heated. Its smoke passes through water and is drawn through the rubber hoses to mouthpieces, where it is inhaled.

"I like it. It's a lot smoother than cigarettes, and it tastes a lot better,'' said Chris Sedwick, 20, of Erie, an Edinboro University of Pennsylvania student who recently attended his first hookah session with friends.

Sedwick estimates he has smoked an average of one pack of cigarettes daily for the past year and a half. He wants to quit smoking cigarettes.

For more than an hour, he puffed on white-grape-flavored tobacco.

"It's smoother, and it tastes really good,'' he said. "I like putting my tongue where the smoke comes through and tasting it. It's a lot smoother and less harsh on your lungs.''

A quality hookah water pipe costs about $300, Mustafa said. Most of the 150 hookah pipes -- each about 2 feet to 3 feet in height -- in his stock range in price from $250 to $300, he said.

The sweetened tobacco comes in more than 40 flavors, including apple, blueberry, grape, strawberry kiwi, mint and lemon mint.

The smoking mixture is usually 40 percent tobacco and 60 percent fruit. The tobacco is mixed with fruit and is packaged that way.

MEPs demand ‘secret’ EU cooperation agreements with big tobacco

Members of the European Parliament in the budgetary control committee have written to the European Commission to provide the parliament with all documents and correspondence concerning cooperation agreements the Commission has with the tobacco industry. The request was made on Tuesday, two days before the same MEPs held a "damp squib hearing" with OLAF chief Giovanni Kessler, EUobserver.com reported on Thursday, on the investigation that was conducted on former European commissioner for health John Dalli.

MEPs from the budgetary control committee want access to all documents concerning cooperation agreements between the EC and Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International, British-American Tobacco, and Philip Morris International, all signed between 2004 and 2010. "All documents and correspondence concerning these agreements are of special importance to evaluate and analyse the possibility of conflicts of interest of the Commission emerging from those agreements," MEPs from all parliamentary groups said in the latter, "especially in the light of Article 12.3 of the JTI-Agreement, 12.4 of the BAT-Agreement, and Article 11 of the ITL Agreement."

"We demand comprehensive information on the relationship to the tobacco industry, in full disclosure," the MEPs write. The same MEPs met OLAF chief Giovanni Kessler on Thursday, who on his part said the resignation of former supervisory committee president Christiaan Timmermans was unrelated to the Dalli investigation. In comments to MaltaToday, German MEP Inge Graessle (EPP) said the allegations that had cost John Dalli his job - that he was aware of an attempt by a Maltese businessman to solicit a bribe to influence tobacco laws that Dalli was reviewing - are not yet clear enough.

"I wonder how the work was done and what the conclusions were that led to the resignation - this for me is relevant: what is the criminal act at the heart of the investigation? We still don't know, and I'm interested in the work that the police will do on the investigation." "I'm sure a commissioner from a bigger member state would not have been dealt with that way," Graessle said referring to the instant resignation of Dalli on the strength of the covering letter accompanying OLAF's report. "We should also care about small member states."

Cigarette Tax Hike Would Save Lives

County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Tuesday that she’s not simply trying to raise revenue by seeking a $1-per-pack cigarette tax hike, she’s trying to save lives. WBBM Newsradio’s John Cody reports Preckwinkle proposed the cigarette tax hike as part of her plan to close a $268 million shortfall in the county’s nearly $3 billion budget for next year.

The move would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes in Chicago to $6.67 –second only to the $6.86 tax on cigarettes in New York City. The per-pack Chicago cigarette tax would break down this way: $3 in county taxes, $1.98 in state taxes, $1.01 in federal taxes, and 68 cents in city taxes.

Reynolds' 3Q EPS In Line, Sales Lag

Leading cigarette maker, Reynolds American Inc. ( RAI ) delivered adjusted earnings of 79 cents (excluding a one-time charge of 5 cents) per share in the third quarter of fiscal year 2012, up 6.8% from the prior-year quarter earnings of 74 cents. Benefits from improved pricing and volume gains for moist snuff products offset decline in cigarette volumes and marketing expenses. The results were in-line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenues and Operating Margin Reynolds' net sales in the reported quarter declined 3.8% year over year to $2.12 billion due to declining cigarette volumes.

Quarterly net sales also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.19 billion. Governmental actions that prohibit the use of tobacco products, along with diminishing social acceptance of smoking, are adversely impacting Reynolds' volume. Adjusted operating income increased 1.7% to $764 million while adjusted operating margin increased 2.0 percentage points to 36.1%. Segment Details RJR Tobacco : This is Reynolds' largest operating segment comprising operations of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds American and the second-largest U.S. tobacco company.

It includes popular cigarette brands like Camel, Winston, Kool, Doral, Salem and Pall Mall. Segment revenue declined 6.1% to $1.77 billion in the third quarter. Volumes declined 6.9% in the segment compared to a 2.7% decline for the industry due to losses on shipments and increased promotional activity by competitors. RJR Tobacco's market share declined 1.0% year over year to 26.4% in the third quarter. The premium Camel brand held a market share of 8.5% in the third quarter, almost flat year over year.

However, it is pressurized by a weak economy and promotional activity by competitors. Value brand Pall Mall held a market share of 8.7%, up 0.1 percentage point. Compared with the year-ago quarter, the segment's adjusted operating income declined 3.9% to $606 million, with cigarette volume declines and increased promotional costs more than offsetting pricing gains and productivity benefits. Adjusted operating margin expanded 0.7 percentage points to 34.2%. American Snuff: This segment comprises operations of American Snuff Company, a wholly- owned subsidiary of Reynolds American and the nation's second-largest manufacturer of smokeless tobacco products. It sells some of the largest selling moist snuff brands like Grizzly and Kodiak.

Segment revenue increased 6.7% to $174 million in the third quarter. Volumes increased 6.6% in the segment compared to the 5% volume gain for the moist-snuff industry. The moist snuff market share increased 0.9 percentage points year over year to 32.2% in the quarter. Grizzly brand volumes grew 7.8% while market share expanded 1.2 percentage points to 28.8% benefiting from the company's investment in brand building programs. Grizzly is the best selling moist snuff brand in the U.S. Adjusted operating income increased 11.4% to $100 million, driven by volume and market share gains for the popular Grizzly brand.

Adjusted operating margin increased 2.4 percentage points year over year to 57.4%. Profit margins on moist snuff products are generally higher than on cigarette products. Santa Fe: This segment comprises operations of Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reynolds American and manufactures Natural American Spirit cigarettes and other additive-free tobacco products. Segment revenue increased 14.7% to $125 million in the third quarter. Volumes increased 13.9% in the segment. Natural American Spirit's market share expanded 0.2 percentage points to 1.2%. Read more: http://community.nasdaq.com/News/2012-10/reynolds-3q-eps-in-line-sales-lag-analyst-blog.aspx?storyid=183864#ixzz2AP8an9Hk

Sutton shopkeeper fined £300 after selling cigarettes to teenage boy

A Sutton shopkeeper has been fined £300 for selling cigarettes to a 15-year-old boy under in July. Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards carried out a test purchasing operation at the Ashfield Store on Stoney Street, which involved a young volunteer. Tak Kin Lai (49), of the same address, allowed the volunteer to buy a packet of cigarettes without identification. He pleaded guilty to the offence at Mansfield Magistrates Court on Wednesday (24th October). It is against the law for a shop to sell cigarettes and alcohol to anyone under the age of 18.

Shops are encouraged to refuse to sell to people who they believe to be under 18 and who cannot provide photo identification, such as a driving license, passport or Proof of Age Standards Scheme approved card. Retailers are urged to always ask for identification if there is even the slightest doubt about the age of a customer. Trading Standards promotes the use of Challenge 25 schemes for all retailers which allow them to easily check proof of age and they can help shops to set up systems designed to prevent underage sales.

Members of the public are being encouraged to report any retailers they know are selling cigarettes, alcohol or other age restricted products to under-18s. Coun Mick Murphy, chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council’s community safety committee, said, “There is an 18 years-of-age restriction that applies to the sale of tobacco so the shopkeeper should have flatly refused to serve the 15-year-old boy involved in this exercise. “We need to protect young people from the health risks associated with smoking so it was reckless of the shopkeeper to sell cigarettes to someone under 18.”

Government Urged To Pass Tobacco Control Bill

The Programme Director of Vision for Alternative Development, a non-government organisation has noted that the passage of the Tobacco Control Bill is the effective means of preventing the marketing and usage of the product. Mr Labram Musah Massawudu said to minimise the social cost of tobacco use, government must eliminate the activities of the tobacco industry through the passing of the Bill to reduce lung, oral and neck cancers, heart diseases and poverty among smokers.

Mr Massawudu made the observation in an address at a day’s journalists’ briefing and education on tobacco industry interferences, threats to public health and World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) last Monday in Accra. He commended the Ministry of Health for showing enthusiasm and commitment in the fight against the tobacco industry by taking steps in implementing the FCTC through the directives of the ministry while the Tobacco Control Bill passes through the due processes.

Mr Massawudu said Ghanaians stand to gain in poverty reduction and health improvement if government domesticates the FCTC through the Public Health Bill which was passed by Parliament on July 11, this year and awaiting presidential assent. In November 29, 2004 Ghana became the 39th country to ratify the FCTC to “adopt and implement effective legislative, executive, administrative and/or other measures and cooperate, as appropriate, with other parties in developing appropriate policies for preventing and reducing tobacco consumption, nicotine addiction and exposure to tobacco smoke”.

Mr Massawudu said the tobacco industry has filed lawsuits challenging various public health measures in a number of countries in a clear attempt to undermine the pursuit of effective policies. The Programme Director said the tobacco industry is expanding its war against public health, beyond national courts and into the international arena and therefore governments must understand these new threats, and stand together to defend their sovereignty.

“As tobacco control takes hold, the industry continues to adjust its bullying tactics so that it can advance its ultimate aim, to hook a future generation of smokers. “After attacking public health policies in national courts and via bilateral agreements, they are now enticing governments into doing their dirty work at the World Trade Organisation,” Mr Massawudu said.

He said the effective means of minimising tobacco use is to eliminate the activities of the tobacco industry by imposing tax increment on tobacco products, introduction of pictorial health warnings on packs and comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. According to the WHO, tobacco smoking related deaths worldwide has increased from five million in 2005 to 8.5 million this year while the global cigarette market has also expanded by 23 per cent in 2012 reaching 464.4 billion dollars. Some of the topics discussed were tobacco industry efforts to undermine Public Health and industry combining revenues to infiltrate and undermine treaty’s success and intimidation through lawsuits by tobacco companies. Mr Massawudu asked the media to show interest and create awareness on key provisions of the Public Health Bill especially on the tobacco control measures.

Smoking ups death risk in stroke survivors

Those who quit smoking before their stroke also had less risk of poorer outcomes than current smokers, researchers found. Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, tracked 1,589 patients who experienced a first or recurrent stroke in 1996-99. They followed them for 10 years, using medical records and in-person and telephone interviews, and tracked demographics, deaths, recurrent strokes and heart attacks.

They found that compared to those who never smoked, those who smoked when they had a stroke were 30 per cent more likely to have a poor outcome. Among those who survived the first 28 days after stroke, current smokers had a 42 per cent higher risk of poorer outcomes. Ex-smokers had an 18 per cent higher risk of poorer outcomes.

"This research provides fresh incentive to quit smoking now or never start because it shows smokers fare far worse after strokes than non-smokers," said Amanda Thrift, Ph.D., the study's lead researcher and professor of epidemiology for the Department of Medicine in the Southern Clinical School at Monash University in Clayton, Victoria, Australia. In the study, those living in disadvantaged areas were much more likely to smoke, with 52 per cent of current smokers belonging to the most disadvantaged group, compared to 31 per cent of those who never smoked. The results were published in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.

Voltaggio to Provide 'Small Plates' to Cigar Lounge

Fan's of celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio's cooking soon will have two places to go in Chevy Chase to sample his creations: Range and Civil Lounge—scheduled to open later this fall or this winter at the Chevy Chase Pavilion, which is undergoing a $32-million renovation. Range is slated to open in mid-November in a 14,000-square-foot space in the upscale shopping center, Patch reported earlier this year.

Next to Range will be Civil Lounge, a "105-seat lounge [that] will offer beer, wine and a large selection of spirits," in addition to cigars. And, once Range has been "...open and into its first few months, Civil will be opening its dining options and Range will be included in providing small plates for the menu," a representative for Voltaggio confirmed with Washingtonian.

The menu "could include a Cuban sandwich, salads, soups and charcuterie made at Range," Civil Lounge co-owner John Anderson told Washingtonian. The cigar lounge, which plans to be open by the new year, will have "130 lockers that cigar fans can rent on an annual basis," as well as "a special smoke removal system to keep clean air flowing in and smoke out," Washingtonian added.

Russian govt OKs bills banning public smoking, tobacco ads

Russia’s government has OKed a bill that would ban smoking in public and tobacco ads. The government on Thursday approved a landmark deal that would crack down on smoking in a country where 44 million people, or 40 percent of adults, light up.

The approval of the bill, which has yet to be discussed in parliament and signed by the president, follows a plea by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who on Tuesday called for a crackdown on tobacco companies “making money on children.”

Smoking rates have shot up in the past two decades, fueled by extremely low prices for cigarettes and largely uncontrolled advertising. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

British American Tobacco in anti -deforestation drive

The project was a partnership between BAT and the Tobacco Research Board. A rocket barn is an
affordable, easy-to-build or retrofit tobacco barn that reduces wood consumption while improving the quality and quantity of produce, helping both smallholder farmers and the environment. “Afforestation is a focus area BAT/NT roll-out was on in 2008 and has been very successful. (BAT forecasts) 100% self-sufficiency in wood curing fuel will be attained by 2014,” BAT said.

This, according to the company, would entail the use of timber off-cuts sourced from commercial forests for supply to farmers for tobacco curing and other domestic uses. “In addition to planted woodlots, timber off-cuts are being sourced from commercial timber forests as a contingency measure.Rocket barns, proven to deliver up to 50% curing efficiency against the traditional conventional barns, are being rolled out to our contracted small-scale farmers.”

Meanwhile, BAT shareholders are next week expected to vote for or against a proposed indigenisation and empowerment plan that could result in the firm relinquishing 10% stake to an employee share ownership trust. Under the proposed plan, 26% of the company’s issued share capital would be held by indigenous Zimbabweans by October 28 2012. Shareholders would be expected to approve or disprove proposals carried in the circular at an extraordinary general meeting to be held on October 26.