Tobacco bonds in MN budget come at hefty price

The budget deal that ended Minnesota's government shutdown comes with a hefty price: It relies heavily on borrowing $640 million against money from the state's 1998 tobacco settlement, but might cost that same amount in interest — plus a substantial annual revenue loss for years to come.
Still, it allowed Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders to avoid $640 million in spending cuts or tax increases.
"From the Republican standpoint it is considered better than a tax increase. I would presume from the governor's standpoint it makes money available to support critical programs," said Tom Hanson, who was the state's finance commissioner under former Gov. Tim Pawlenty. "The downside is it's money that's not going to be available in the next biennium ... but the spending expectations will probably be there."
All 50 states reached settlements with the major tobacco companies in 1998 to recover billions of dollars in costs incurred from treating smoking-related illnesses. Forty-six states signed a master agreement with the industry while Minnesota was one of four states that negotiated separate deals. Minnesota's settlement was expected to bring the state $6.1 billion over 25 years, with payments continuing into perpetuity.
About 20 states have issued bonds backed by future tobacco settlement revenues to meet more immediate needs, according to Arturo Perez, a financial analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures. Some states have done so more than once. This will be Minnesota's first time, although the idea has been floated at the Capitol before, most recently in 2009 when Pawlenty was unable to get support for a tobacco bond issue.
The budget deal calls for $1.4 billion from tobacco bond proceeds and delayed payments to schools. Minnesota currently gets about $160 million a year from the cigarette makers, so it's expected to receive about $320 million in the two-year budget period that began July 1. The loss of an as-yet unknown portion of that revenue in future budgets means lawmakers may have to find a way to plug that gap.
"They're going to have the same debates two years from now," Hanson predicted. "... Hopefully the economy will grow and the revenue will grow faster than the obligations for the programs."
The special session tax bill Dayton signed Wednesday leaves it up to his finance commissioner to work out most details of how to structure the bond sale, including how long it will take to repay bondholders. The bonds won't be guaranteed by the state.
As a general rule, said Bill Marx, a fiscal analyst for the Minnesota House of Representatives, the final cost to the taxpayers could be 150 percent to 200 percent of the bonds issued. By that math, a $640 million tobacco bond issue could cost nearly $1 billion to close to $1.3 billion.
Marx said the full costs won't be known until the bonds are finally put out for bids, so it's difficult to know yet what the interest rates would be. Tobacco bonds typically get slightly lower ratings from Wall Street analysts than the state gets for general obligation bonds, he said.
A week into the shutdown, Fitch Ratings cited the state's expected reliance on one-time money for closing its budget gap when it downgraded Minnesota's credit rating from AAA to AA+.
Perez said tobacco bond issues ground to a halt in 2008, partly due to failure of investment bank Bear Stearns Cos., which had been a leader in the field. He said it's not clear if a sale by Illinois late last year and the Minnesota plan mark the beginning of a trend.
Illinois sold $1.5 billion worth of tobacco bonds last December, which could give Minnesota a guide. James Prichard, manager of capital markets for the Illinois Office of Management and Budget, said the bonds had an average yield of 5.6 percent. He said Illinois was careful to structure its deal more conservatively than many other states have done, to ensure bondholders can be paid if smoking rates decline faster than expected.
The amount of money the state gets under the settlement is tied to tobacco sales.
Danny McGoldrick, vice president for research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said it's a bad deal for Minnesota. The group has been critical of tobacco bond issues by other states, too. It says raising tobacco taxes would have the added benefit of reducing smoking.
"You're giving up a future revenue stream that can and should be used for what was intended from the settlement, which is to help prevent kids from smoking and encouraging smokers to quit," McGoldrick said.

San Jose Medical Marijuana Expert Gives Tips for Safe Consumption

Some medical marijuana medicating methods can be potentially hazardous to patients' health, says San Jose medical marijuana dispensary MedMar Healing Center. The South Bay cannabis club's staff makes it their business to educate their patients and the community about the importance of safe and responsible consumption practices, and offers a wide range of alternatives to the traditional method of smoking marijuana.

Although medical marijuana is nontoxic, smoking it can be hazardous because toxic compounds are created in the combustion process, and certain methods of creating fire contain harmful chemicals.

"If you smoke, what you use to light your medication can be harmful to your lungs," said MedMar representative Doug Chloupek. "It is best to stay away from lighters and instead use items such as bee-line honey wicks. And if you must use a lighter, stay away from butane gas and torch lighters."

A healthier option for those who prefer inhaling their medicinal cannabis is to use a vaporizer instead of a traditional bong or pipe because vaporization heats the plant matter enough to release the medicinal compounds, but not to the point of combustion.

A Cal NORML/MAPS vaporizer study determined that vaporizers that heat medicinal cannabis to temperatures between 266° to 446° Fahrenheit (the point where medically active vapors are produced, but below the threshold of combustion where smoke is formed) generally produce a healthier inhalant than smoking devices. Vaporizers allow the patient to inhale the therapeutic cannabinoids without any of the harmful smoke and carbon monoxide that pipes and bongs produce.

But buyer beware-choosing a poorly designed vaporizer can lead to the emission of toxic fumes, result in combustion and even create a fire hazard. Tim Morrissey, CEO of Head Change Distributors, a national vaporizer manufacturer and distributor based in San Francisco, says to avoid vaporizers made with plastic parts, unnecessary bells and whistles, and poorly designed whips. A faulty whip can result in back-flow and cause the medicine to fall back into the heating element and burn.

"To ensure your vaporizer doesn't become a fire hazard, look for vaporizer models that have a three-prong grounded electrical plug and are UL certified," said Morrissey. "Those are indications the manufacturer took the time to design an electrically safe product with the end consumer in mind-not just dollar signs."

Likewise, butane-fueled vaporizers can impose health risks, as inhalation of butane can cause euphoria, drowsiness, asphyxia or cardiac arrhythmia. Butane is an odorless tasteless gas, so gasses to like methyl mercaptan are added so they can be smelled, but it doesn't affect the taste. People using butane vaporizers may smell the butane but disregard it because they can't taste it, and end up suffering health consequences.

Patients who wish to avoid inhalation altogether may enjoy [medical cannabis edibles, which range from lollipops to brownies, and have the added benefit of being easy to transport and consume discreetly. MedMar recommends that patients follow the same guidelines as they do when purchasing other food products. That means monitoring the ingredients and calories shown on the label. Gluten-free and low-sugar options are available for many different edibles at MedMar.

Another consumption choice is cannabis concentrates. Indica Lullaby Tinctures are fast-acting and allow patients to drink their medication with none of the harmful effects of smoke or calories involved in edibles. Tincture dosages are typically one to two teaspoons dissolved in a cup of water.

For patients who feel most comfortable taking their medication in pill form, God Med Capsules are the answer. God Med is well known for producing its medical marijuana capsules using the highest quality, fully tested, organic cannabis flower.

For more information about the medicinal cannabis consumption options, or to learn more about any of MedMar Healing Center's products and services, call (408) 426-4400 or visit sanjosemarijuanadispensaries.com. MedMar is located at 170 South Autumn Street, San Jose, CA 95110.

About MedMar Healing Center
MedMar Healing Center, a San Jose cannabis club, is a medical marijuana dispensary that provides high quality medical marijuana to San Jose Prop 215 patients. The comfortable San Jose marijuana dispensary features a large selection of strains and edibles, and their friendly staff can help find the right medication option to suit patients' varying preferences.

Acting as an easily accessible resource for Bay Area medical marijuana patients, MedMar is centrally located in downtown San Jose, only blocks from the San Jose Sharks' home, HP Pavilion. They are close to major freeways and thoroughfares, and are located near all the major public transit options, including Diridon Station.

Florida Supreme Court pushes tobacco case forward

A long-standing battle between cigarette makers and smokers whose lives were cut short took a big step forward as the Florida Supreme Court told tobacco companies to get on with it.

The state’s highest court last week refused to jump into a debate over whether trial judges are using the proper procedure in thousands of smoking cases that have come about since it ruled in 2006 that plaintiffs’ battling tobacco companies could not file en masse but did not have to prove cigarettes were harmful and companies knew it.

In a remarkably short order, the court opened the flood gates for hundreds — if not thousands — of cases waiting in the wings that could cost cigarette makers billions of dollars in cases that may ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“This cause having heretofore been submitted to the Court on jurisdictional briefs and portions of the record deemed necessary to reflect jurisdiction under Article V, Section 3(b), Florida Constitution, and the Court having determined that it should decline to accept jurisdiction, it is ordered that the petition for review is denied,” the court wrote in a two-paragraph ruling. “No motion for rehearing will be entertained by the Court.”

By refusing to take up an appeal by R.J. Reynolds over a $28.3 million award to a Panhandle widow whose husband, Benny Martin, was a lifetime Lucky Strikes smoker, the high court in essence told companies that it meant what is said in 2006. Smokers do not have to prove individually the inherent dangers of smoking. They only need to prove that it was largely responsible for the illness and death that followed years of use.

The Martin case is among hundreds of so-called “Engle progeny” cases brought about when the state Supreme Court in 2006 threw out the $145 billion awarded to a group of smokers who became ill or died in the mid-1990s. The court said smokers could not sue as a group but could rely on central findings in the class-action lawsuit.

Numerous individual cases followed against Phillip Morris (Marlboro), and R.J. Reynolds (Camel, Pall Mall). The ramifications of the decision go far beyond the Martin case.

A day later, the high court without comment accepted lower court rulings in three more cases, with verdicts totaling more than $25 million. Other cases are expected to follow.

The U.S. Supreme Court has already weighed in on one aspect of the cases, ruling that punitive damages cannot be overly excessive. That ruling has some observers saying the nation’s high court has little choice but to let the rulings stand, a non-decision cigarette makers say could bankrupt the industry.

Days after the Florida ruling, officials for RAI, R.J. Reynolds’s parent company, on Friday said performance for the first half of 2011 has been robust and the future remains bright for the company and the industry.

“Over the long-term our strategy is straightforward and bold. RAI and its operating companies are focused on leading transformation of the tobacco industry while continuing to deliver outstanding results for our shareholders,” said Daniel Delen, president and CEO of RAI, R.J. Reynolds parent company.

Spearfish schools shore up nicotine policy by banning e-cigarettes

The Spearfish School District has banned e-cigarettes and other objects that dispense nicotine.

School officials say the policy change was needed as the popularity of such devices has grown among smokers trying to quit.

Superintendent Dave Peters told the Black Hills Pioneer newspaper that officials weren't sure those items were covered in the policy, so they made the change.

Peters says he's unaware of anyone using an e-cigarette on school grounds, but the district is trying to keep its policies current with ever-changing technology.

School Board President Randall Royer says he's seen people use the devices in inappropriate places.

Royer, who is also a Black Hills State University professor, said a university student was seen smoking one during a final exam at the end of the semester.

FDA requires graphic images on cigarette packs

The Food and Drug Administration has required that graphic images—rotting teeth, the corpse of a smoker and a diseased lung, among others—take up the top half of the front and back of all cigarette packs by September 2012.
The nine images, which also include a man with a tracheotomy smoking and a woman with a baby surrounded by smoke, will be accompanied by phrases like "Smoking can kill you" and "Cigarettes cause cancer."

Cigarettes for woman? Buy Kiss cigarettes online for cheap price.

"The new warning labels on cigarettes are a huge step forward," said Geoff Zuckerman, Tobacco Free Colleges Coordinator at UNCW. "We hope it will help people think twice before buying another pack and help them to kick the highly addictive habit. We also hope that it will prevent youth from ever buying their first pack."
Tobacco advertisements larger than 12 inches must also contain a warning label that constitutes 20 percent of the ad. Smaller advertisements are not required to have 20 percent coverage but must include a warning.
Tobacco makers in the past have fought government regulation of warning labels on the grounds that the visibility of the brand is compromised. A 2009 federal lawsuit filed by Reynolds-American Inc. called the mandatory use of larger labels "unconstitutional," according to an article in Industry Leaders Magazine.
Canada, Brazil and Australia are among the 30 countries worldwide that have implemented similar rules requiring graphic images or warnings on the sides of cigarette packs. Member countries of the European Union must print warnings such as "Smokers die younger" and "Smoking kills" in large typeface.
"These kind of graphic warning labels strengthen the understanding of people about the health risks of smoking," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in an interview with the Associated Press. "We clearly have to renew a national conversation around these issues and enhance awareness."
According to the Center for Disease Control, more deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. The CDC estimates that cigarette smoking causes 443,000 deaths each year in the United States.

AG's office looking at roll-your-own cigarette machines

The West Virginia Department of Administration has alerted Attorney General Darrell McGraw to what it calls an "apparently new phenomena" of roll-your-own cigarette machines in tobacco stores in the state.

The department, in a letter to McGraw's office dated June 24, said in these stores a customer can purchase bulk tobacco and rolling papers, and place them into a hand-cranked machine that takes the raw materials and turns them into cigarettes.

"Purchasing cigarettes in this manner allows the customer to circumvent state cigarette tax," Administration Secretary Robert Ferguson wrote.

Here you can buy cheap cigarettes online from discount tobacco shop.

"To the extent that this practice impacts your ability to work with the tax department to collect revenue pursuant to the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, it was the hope of the (Tobacco Settlement Finance Authority) that bringing it to your attention would be helpful to your office."

The state's Tobacco Settlement Finance Authority, or TSFA, is a blended component unit of the State and is governed by a five-member board, including the Secretary of Administration, the state Treasurer and three individuals appointed by the governor.

The TSFA was created to issue bonds related to the State's portion of the tobacco settlement revenue from the Master Settlement Agreement between tobacco manufacturers and the covered states.

"In general, our department issues bonds and, in terms of this transaction, we sold the rights to the income of those bonds years ago," Administration spokeswoman Diane Holley-Brown explained in an e-mail.

McGraw's office, in a response to Ferguson dated June 27, said it was already aware of the cigarette machines.

"Please be advised that not only are we are of this issue, but also we have been engaged in active litigation with respect thereto for the past six months," Managing Deputy Attorney General Barbara Allen wrote.

Numerous messages left for the Attorney General's Office were not returned.

The Charleston Gazette reported that one such shop is located in Kanawha City.

The price of the roll-your-own cigarettes, the newspaper says, is about half of what a brand-name pack of cigarettes cost. That's mostly because of the state's 55-cent tax on cigarette packs.

It is illegal to sell cigarettes that don't have the state cigarette tax stamp on them.

Cigarette law rolling down the wrong road

I hate it when I see adults smoking in cars, their children trapped in a rolling cloud of toxic fumes.

When I see adults subjecting kids to that poison, I have to fight the temptation to ram their cars, to bang on their windows, to yell at them to stop. It is both unhealthy and unkind to force children to breathe in second-hand smoke.

The odds may not be terribly high that the children will grow up to develop cancer as a direct result -but even in the short term, the smoke irritates young eyes and throats, aggravates childhood colds and allergies and asthma, causes more ear and lung infections. It stinks. It chokes. And children, especially young children, are helpless to protest or fight back.

So I understand why the City of Leduc has just enacted a municipal bylaw to ban people from smoking in private vehicles in which minor children are passengers. The bylaw, which follows one passed in Okotoks, is well-intentioned. But it is fundamentally wrongheaded.

A private vehicle is just that -private. The state has the right to regulate how fast you drive, whether you drink before you drive, or whether you use a cellphone when you operate your vehicle, because those actions influence the way you operate your private vehicle. They have a direct impact on the safety of the public roadways and the security of the public at large. We allow the state to limit our freedoms, in these cases, because there is a direct connection to traffic safety. Similarly, we allow the state to enforce laws about seatbelts and child seats, because those things have a direct connection to motor vehicle safety.

But a local municipality has no such ethical right or moral responsibility to control what you do within your own car to influence the pulmonary health of your private passengers.

It is not the role or the responsibility of the city to regulate good parenting. A municipality can't compel parents to vaccinate their children for whooping cough. It can't compel parents to feed their children milk and fruit and fresh vegetables instead of Froot Loops, Dunkaroos and Coca-Cola. It can't stop parents from spanking their children, from letting them stay up late, from letting them watch South Park or play Grand Theft Auto.

Parenting is a matter of very personal choices and values, and a city council doesn't have the constitutional prerogative to interfere in the private relationship between parents and children. The province and the federal government do have the right to pass legis-lation with regards to child welfare or physical abuse. But until and unless those higher orders of government decide that smoking in the presence of a child constitutes a physical assault, I just don't see the logic in local municipal bans on smoking in cars full of kids.

Sure, you can hypothetically protect a baby or toddler from second-hand smoke for the 20 minutes it takes to drive from one end of Leduc to the other -when RCMP officers can spy those icky cigarettes through the car window. But the bylaw does nothing to help that vulnerable little one for the other 231/2 hours of the day, when the kid is at home, breathing in noxious fumes.

After all, if it's against the law to smoke in your vehicle with children inside, why isn't it illegal to smoke in your own house or apartment or trailer when children are present? Or to smoke while you're pregnant, or living with a pregnant woman? If we don't want the government to regulate our private habits in our private spaces, we can't make an exception for cars and trucks and motorhomes, just because they're more visible.

Conversely, I have absolutely no problem with Edmonton Coun. Amarjeet Sohi's recent proposal that Edmonton ban smoking in city playgrounds and parks. (I'll defend your legal right to smoke around your children, in the privacy of your home or car -but not your right to smoke around mine, in a public place.)

City parks and playgrounds aren't private spaces. They're owned and operated by the municipality, for the common good, and the city has a right and responsibility to regulate what happens within them. Second-hand smoke may not be a major long-term cancer threat in a wide open space, but it's still a smelly, eye-watering, throat-prickling annoyance. Nor are poisonous, germy cigarette butts something you want toddlers (or dogs) picking up and putting in their mouths.

Banning smoking in public parks wouldn't infringe on anyone's privacy, but it would send a strong social message that smoking is a nuisance, not a right, and that we, as a community, won't encourage or countenance smoking where children and families specifically come to play.

We have come so far in the past 30 years in our cultural battle against tobacco addiction -thanks to the combination of health education and public smoking bans. In our quest to continue that progress, we mustn't let our noble zeal to protect our community's children erode our most basic civil liberties. That doesn't mean we shouldn't expect our civic leaders to show social leadership -but only within the proper limits of their proper powers.

On the Hunt for Cigarettes Missing Waynesboro Stickers

She normally collects taxes, but Waynesboro's treasurer is now collecting something a bit more unusual. Stephanie Beverage is on the hunt for cigarettes missing an important sticker.

Bright and early Thursday morning Waynesboro's treasurer, along with a police escort, went collecting. And what were they collecting? Cigarettes - dozens of cartons of cigarettes.

Beverage said, "I got another anonymous report the same retailers were again selling them without the Waynesboro city stamp."

According to code each pack of cigarettes is required to have both the Virginia stamp and the city stamp.

Beverage stated, "We identify ourselves. We ask if we can look at their cigarettes. And the ones that weren't stamped we put them in a bag. And they know the deal. We've been there before."

That's because last April Stephanie Beverage went to the exact same stores seizing cigarettes. This time two of the previous four were repeat offenders.

Each stamp is nearly twenty cents, so when a pack of cigarettes is sold without the stamp, Beverage says "It's tax revenue for the city we're not getting. Somewhere the services and the stuff that the city has to provide is going to have to be made up somewhere, and the citizens are going to be the ones to suffer."

According to the treasurer the cigarettes that were seized are now city property. Last April they sold seized cigarettes at city hall for $3.00 a pack, which meant thousands of dollars for Waynesboro's general fund.

Kentucky-based tobacco company suing Washington over drug law

A District of Columbia law aimed at making it tougher for kids to get materials used to smoke marijuana is under fire from a tobacco company.

Kentucky-based National Tobacco has sued the city, arguing that a new law that curbed the sale of wrapping papers used to roll cigarettes and cigars was vague and unconstitutional. The company, the fourth largest manufacturer of roll-your-own tobacco products in the nation, plans ask a federal judge on Friday to halt enforcement of the law, which took effect last summer.
Lawyers for the city say officials have the authority to ban the sale of cigar wrappers, which they say have no legitimate purpose but for illegal drug use.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Editorial: Consider new tobacco revenue

Gov. Mark Dayton offered something new Wednesday as part of his latest offer to legislators.

According to a press release issued by ClearWay Minnesota (clearwaymn.org), an independent, nonprofit organization that aims to improve the health of all Minnesotans by reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, Dayton included a $1-per-pack cigarette price increase in his updated budget proposal. Unfortunately, Wednesday didn’t end well in St. Paul, and both Democrats and Republicans acknowledged that an extended government shutdown was a very real possibility.

According to estimates provided by ClearWay, a $1 price hike would generate $283 in new revenue this biennium. And it’s not just about the money: it would prevent 41,000 Minnesota youths “from becoming addicted adult smokers” and “avoid over 18,000 smoking-related deaths in the future.”

A public opinion poll recently conducted by Raise It for Health (raiseitforhealth.org), a coalition of Minnesota health and nonprofit organizations that share a common goal of reducing tobacco use, determined that nearly three of five Minnesotans support a tobacco price increase. Seventy percent of those supporters said they would favor a $1.50-per-pack increase. In turn, the Minnesota Department of Revenue said such an increase would bring nearly $400 million per biennium.

It should be stressed that increased tobacco prices aren’t just supported by a strictly anti-smoking crowd. The Associated Press reported Thursday that “a commission convened by former Vice President Walter Mondale and former Gov. Arne Carlson says Minnesota should raise cigarette, alcohol and income taxes” to end the shutdown.

We’d like nothing more to see the shutdown go up in smoke. Let’s hope our legislators are listening.

Tobacco compliance campaign detailed

The Barron County Sheriff's Department and Barron County Department of Health & Human Services have teamed together under a new federal grant to perform underage tobacco compliance checks, said Public Health Nurse Laura Sauve.

Previously, cigarette compliance checks were performed in the county under a grant to the Stable Families Coalition. Sauve said the goal of the program was compliance, not to trick local retailers into selling cigarettes to those under the age of 18. She helps to recruit and train students who volunteer to work with the Sheriff's department.

"We tell them not to wear excessive make up, to dress age-appropriately. We're not trying to fool anyone," Sauve said, "just check to see if the clerks request the students present an I.D." Students are given a few extra dollars so they can look realistic in purchasing a can of pop or a candy bar, at the same time they request the clerk sell them tobacco products, she added.
If the undercover students are asked to present identification, they are trained to be honest about their age, Sauve said. They respond, "I don't have one" and if refused cigarettes, are told to turn around and leave the store.
Sauve then sends a letter to the business establishment within 2 days, congratulating them for passing the compliance check. The text of the letter goes on to read:

"Hiring, training and supervising responsible staff is essential to keeping your business in compliance with the laws and ordinances regulating the sale of tobacco. The refusal to sell tobacco to our underage buyer reflects your business's commitment to being a responsible member of the tobacco sales industry. Refusing to sell tobacco to underage customers is the right thing to do. Please pass our thanks and congratulations on to the staff working during the time of the check.

The Barron County Health Department, Barron County Safe & Stable Families Coalition and the Barron County Sheriff's Department conducts tobacco sales compliance checks because we care about youth access to tobacco. We will regularly use WI Wins tobacco sales compliance checks as a tool in our efforts to keep Barron County youth safe and healthy. Thanks for doing the right thing and keep up the good work!"

On Tuesday, June 28, all of the area establishments checked refused to sell tobacco to minors.

Stores found to be complying with the law include: Bob & Steve's BP Amoco in Dallas; Pack-ER Inn, Sheri's Shop-n-Save, The Corner Store and Amundson's Service in Prairie Farm; Miller's Sports Bar and Moon Lake Tavern in Clayton; Twin Town Store in Almena; Renegade's in Turtle Lake; Twin Pine Tavern in Cumberland; and Speedy's C-Stop in Barronett.

"Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known and retailers play an important role in preventing our youth from becoming addicted to the nicotine in tobacco," Sauve said. "Everyone can help keep our children tobacco free by encouraging and thanking retailers for checking IDs and not selling tobacco to youth."

On April 4, a letter was sent to area licensed tobacco outlets from Barron County Health Officer Kaye Thompson. She notified them that Wisconsin uses the "WI WINS" tobacco compliance check program, where trained 15 to 17-year-olds attempt to purchase tobacco products under adult supervision.
The letter also stated, "Your establishment may be one of the businesses that are checked during this process. Last year warnings were given to clerks who sold tobacco to the underage person. This year both owners and clerks are subject to citations issued from local law enforcement if they sell tobacco to the underage person.

"We are asking for your cooperation to ensure that your employees are educated about the laws pertaining to the sale of tobacco products in Wisconsin. At www.SmokeCheck.org your employees can learn the facts about Wisconsin's tobacco sales laws - for free! This simple web training tool makes meeting the state's training requirements easy. When they're finished, your employees will be able to print the necessary, state-approved training certificate. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping tobacco out of the hands of our youth."

Call for pictorial warnings on cigarette packs

The National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) called upon cigarette manufacturers to print pictorial warning labels on cigarette packs since they could easily make people aware on the harmful effects of tobacco use.

NATA Chairman Prof. Carlo Fonseka said if warning labels are displayed in picture form on cigarette packs, the consumption of cigarettes in Sri Lanka could be drastically reduced.

He said if the use of cigarettes and other tobacco related products are not controlled now, thousands of our younger generation will die of oral and lung cancers in the future.

Prof. Fonseka made this announcement at a media briefing organised by Jeewaka Foundation President Manjari Peiris.

"Due to the printing of these labels, at least a 60 percent reduction on cigarette sales has been reported from countries such as Canada, Australia, Thailand, Singapore and Nepal," he said.

Prof. Fonseka said even three years ago, the NATA had emphasised the importance of printing pictorial warning labels.

"Unfortunately, the authorities ignored our repeated warnings. Otherwise, we could have stopped a large number of elders and youngsters from getting involved in cigarette smoking".

"It would also help reduce a colossal sum of money that is annually spent by the Health Department on cancer patients," he said.

Prof. Fonseka said the matter is before the Legal Draughtman's Department and will be gazetted under the Tobacco and Alcohol Act before January next year.

Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa of the Maharagama National Cancer Institute (NCI), said over 18,000 new cancer patients seek medical attention from the NCI annually of which 75 percent are due to tobacco smoking.

Jeewaka Foundation President Manjari Peiris said the media must play a major role to take the anti-tobacco message effectively to the public.

Appeals court gives go-ahead to cigarette tax

A New York state appeals court on Tuesday lifted a temporary restraining order that prohibited the state from collecting taxes on cigarettes sold to non-tribal members on Indian reservations.

The ruling, by the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, gives the state permission to start collecting $4.35 on each pack of cigarettes, while the Seneca Nation of Indians continues to challenge state regulations in court.

The tribe contends the state Department of Taxation and Finance failed to comply with the State Administrative Procedure Act before amending New York's tax law. The law requires tribal retailers to pay the tax to wholesalers when purchasing inventory and recoup the money by adding it to the retail price. Tribal members would have access to a set number of tax-free cartons.

In a one-page order, the appellate justices denied the nation's request for a preliminary injunction and vacated a temporary restraining order that has been in place since June 9. The appeal is still pending.

Seneca Nation President Robert Odawi Porter said the Nation will seek leave to appeal the latest decision to the Court of Appeals, New York's highest court. In the interim, he said, the tribe will focus on selling native brands manufactured in their territories, instead of national brands such as Marlboro and Camel.

"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."

Burglars steal cash and cigarettes from Surrey store

Surrey Police said two thieves forced their way into the Co-Op store in High Street, Bookham, near Leatherhead, in the early hours of Friday.

They stole about £2,000 worth of cigarettes and a large quantity of cash.

The force said officers were looking at CCTV footage showing the inside of the store and the nearby Royal Oak pub.

Det Sgt Jules Knowles said: "This is not a victimless crime, the store has been burgled three times in the past and it is vital we catch those responsible so we can restore peace of mind for employees and the community.

"If you know of someone selling cheap cigarettes or tobacco products or you are offered them for sale over the weekend please think twice and report it to an officer as they may have originated from this offence."

The suspects were both male and were said to be wearing dark coloured hooded tops, tracksuit bottoms and trainers.

Philip Morris International: Illicit Cigarettes In EU Reach Record Levels In 2010

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) PM -0.03% FR:PM +2.38% today announced results of a recent study showing that the illicit trade in contraband and counterfeit cigarettes in the European Union (EU) in 2010 reached its highest level since studies began in 2006.

The study, conducted by KPMG LLP (KPMG), estimates that annual consumption of illicit cigarettes increased by 3.1 billion units in 2010 versus 2009 to an annualized total of 64.2 billion units, equating to approximately 10% of total cigarette consumption in the EU. The loss to national and EU revenues due to cigarette smuggling is estimated by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to be approximately 10 billion Euros per year.

KPMG has conducted this study every year as part of the landmark cooperation agreement between PMI, the European Commission and the EU member states. The results of these studies have been shared with the member states and OLAF.

Commenting on today's announcement, Timothy Lindon, PMI's Chief Compliance Officer & Vice President Brand Integrity, said: "While it is clear that law enforcement agencies in the EU are working hard to combat the problem, the study demonstrates that counterfeit and other illicit cigarettes continue to grow and are an increasing challenge to countries in the EU."

"The illegal cigarette market in the EU is now larger than the legal cigarette markets of France, Ireland and Finland combined, and brings increased criminality to EU member states, as profits from illicit trade are often used to fund other illegal activities, including drug smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism. In many EU countries, there are now two distinct cigarette markets, one legal regulated market which is declining, and an illegal unregulated market that is growing."

PMI is firmly opposed to the illicit trade in cigarettes and has undertaken a broad series of measures to combat this growing problem, including implementation of a global tracking and tracing system, comprehensive know-your-customer policies, consumer education and collaboration with governments. The key to success in this effort is local and international cooperation among numerous stakeholders, including governments, enforcement agencies, manufacturers and retailers, as well as a strong and globally-enforced protocol on illicit trade that addresses all forms of contraband and counterfeit tobacco products.