Cigarettes and tobacco news online.

So About That Tobacco-Free Policy

2012-01-31T05:01:00.000-08:00

Last week, you may have read Regina Iannizzotto preach about how “great” the tobacco and smoke- free campus is. This is not one of those editorials.
For the college to make a decision to limit what its students can do that is in compliance with state and federal law is completely absurd. I understand why the school is doing it; to make the school a healthier place to live, but that does not justify limiting the consenting adult who knows all the health risks involved.
With smoking, I understand that some people do not want to smell the second-hand smoke which is fine and I understand that. But there is a solution to that without the complete ban of smoking on campus, and that would be creating designated smoking areas on the campus that people actually know about. Apparently the gazebos were for that, but that is something that I did not find out until the tobacco embargo was placed on the Saint Rose campus. The college assumed that students would know that. If the smokers know where to go other than the sidewalk to smoke their cigarettes, then hypothetically there should not be a problem.
Making students smoking on the sidewalks also raises another problem: the pollution from throwing their butts on the ground. Someone has to clean that up and if the City of Albany does, that is a complete waste of tax payer money, in my opinion. At a designated smoking area, there would be a place to dispose of butts appropriately.
Making people walk to the sidewalks could also be dangerous at night. I know for a fact that a girl was abducted on Morris, and if you know your campus geography, that is where one of our dorms is. There is no reason to have to walk to a sidewalk; policy should not outweigh an individual’s immediate safety.
Now you may think that this is a rule that is strictly for the smokers, but this also effects those that chose to chew or dip.
Coming from someone that does it, it is pretty nasty. But I do not understand why this is something that we cannot do. Using chew or dip only affects the person that is doing it and no one else. There is nothing second hand that comes with. You may feel a little grossed out when you see someone spit, but that really is the only side effect for other people.
Did the school make the right move? I personally do not think so. We are adults now; we should be able to make our own decisions for ourselves without being limited. With this new rule, it feels like I never really left high school.

Tobacco free campus 2012

2012-01-31T04:39:00.000-08:00

Perhaps one of the biggest questions circulating campus right now is: What’s going on with the smoking policy?

Perhaps one of the biggest questions circulating campus right now is: What’s going on with the smoking policy?

Pat Sisneros, vice president of College Services, said the administration is moving forward for a smoke-free campus.

Sisneros said there is a draft of the policy that has to be voted on by the board of trustees, something that is planned to happen sometime in the spring. As far as a set date on when the policy would be implemented if it is approved, Sisneros said “July 1st is still the plan.”

If the policy is approved, EvCC will be the fourth community technical college in the state to become tobacco-free. Clark, Lower Columbia, and the most recent, South Puget Sound, are the three campuses to precede EvCC.

Sisneros said that when it comes to “weighing public health issues against the rights of an individual,” public health triumphs. The main issue is the second hand smoke, especially when it comes to the designated area in front of Shuksan hall, Sisneros said.

If the board of trustees votes against the proposed policy, Sisneros said the administration would take another look at the designated areas, and where the best places to have them would be; namely, moving the area in front of Shuksan hall.

Sisneros said that they have been working with the ASB on what the penalty process would be if the policy is approved. He also said that he’s been “talking to colleagues on other campuses to see what they do.”

According to Emily Harrington, ASB president, this idea was initially proposed around 15 years ago.

“The executive council doesn’t take an official stance. It’s our duty to represent all students.” Because students are divided on the issue, “it wouldn’t be true to pick one side or the other,” Harrington said. She said that her job is to make student voices heard, something she said the administration has been very interested in hearing in regards to the policy proposal. “The administration really sought out student voice, and what the impact would be.”

Harrington said it was very important that students understand that as of right now, “until the board votes on it, it remains a proposal.” Right now, she said, they’re just waiting for the board of trustees to vote.

“Any student that would like their voice heard is encouraged to talk to student government,” Harrington said. She said that based on all the conversation she’s had with students, the opposing sides to the issue seem about even, and a large group are indifferent.

Sisneros said: “Eventually, the state might mandate no smoking on any state property. We’re moving in the right direction.”

Man Sentenced For Cigarette Thefts

2012-01-24T05:41:00.000-08:00

A Twin Falls man who pleaded guilty to stealing $1,300 in cigarettes could spend up to six years in prison.
Joshua Aaron Cossey, 30, was sentenced Monday in Twin Falls County 5th District Court to serve three to six years in prison on a charge of grand theft. He could be released sooner, though, by completing the state’s retained jurisdiction program.
Cossey was also ordered to pay court costs, a $1,000 fine, a $500 public defender fee and $1,772.50 in restitution.
Cossey was arrested in November after stealing a box of 30 cartons of cigarettes from the Oasis Stop ’N Go convenience store at 515 Washington St. N. and then trying to sell the cartons. Police say he was found with several drug-related items in his pockets including a scale, butane torch, clear glass pipe with 8.6 grams of methamphetamine, and a plastic bag with .7 grams of meth. He was also found with one 9-inch knife concealed under his shirt and another 9-inch knife in a pocket.

Legislature considers ban of hookah lounges, e-cigarettes

2012-01-24T05:40:00.000-08:00

Hookah lounges and e-cigarette users could soon be going up in smoke following a proposed bill to the Utah legislature. The proposed bill has already become an early controversy for legislators on the first day of session.

House bill 245 would amend the Utah Indoor Clear Air Act to include tobacco products used in hookah pipes and electronic cigarettes, banning the use of these products in a public environment.

Since the debate over indoor hookah smoking has heated up, business is down for smoke shops and hookah lounges in the state. Opponents to the bill say hookah tobacco and e- cigarettes do not produce harmful second-hand smoke.

"If I burn a cigarette here, you can smell it from there," said Haydar Altalibi. "If I smoke (from a hookah), you behind me can't smell it."

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Bradley Last, said the science about the tobacco products has not determined whether the products are safe to use or not.

"I think the reality of that is that we don't have good data," said Rep. Last. "We don't have good information to show that e-cigarettes are not harmful — there's not good information to show that it is harmful or that they are harmful."
Although data cannot refute the alleged harmful affects, or lack thereof, the Utah Legislature is poised to determine if hookah tobacco and e-cigarettes should be amended into the state's Clean Air Act. The legislation was delayed last September after supporters of hookah lounges protested the product's inclusion.

However, legislators say, where there is smoke, there is probably fire.

"I think this is one of those things where we have to say, someone is inhaling nicotine and they are blowing it out in the air, even though you can't see it," Rep. Last said. "Is that a health risk we want to consider from a policy perspective?"

The ingredients of hookah tobacco are different from traditional cigarettes, with 0 percent tar and less than half of a percent of nicotine. However, the determining factor will not be what is inside the product, but what is coming out of a users' lungs and into public air.

All tobacco is not equally harmful

2012-01-24T05:38:00.000-08:00

Your recent editorial endorsed a tax increase on tobacco products other than cigarettes, but it was based on some sweeping statements that are not scientifically accurate or credible ("The 'other' tobacco tax," Jan 20).

You stated: "Tobacco is linked to an estimated 6,861 deaths in Maryland each year … the American Lung Association reports." The Lung Association actually reported that smoking caused these deaths. The distinction is critical because your case for raising OTP taxes is based on the presumption that all tobacco products are equally risky: "Experts say all forms of tobacco are considered harmful to human health no matter whether they are smoked, puffed, chewed or otherwise ingested. Smokeless tobacco, for instance, is often linked to oral and esophageal cancer."

In fact, smokeless tobacco use is 98 percent safer than smoking. While smokeless may be "linked to oral and esophageal cancer," the specific risks are well established in the scientific literature, and they are minuscule. In 2009, a comprehensive review published calculations showing how smokeless tobacco use might have changed cancer deaths among American men in 2005, when 104,737 in the U.S. died from seven cancers directly attributable to smoking. If all smokers had instead used smokeless tobacco, the number would have been 1,102. The risks from smokeless tobacco are so low that, even if all American men had been users, there would have been 2,298 cancer deaths, only 2.2 percent of the number attributable to smoking.
Smokeless tobacco use is vastly safer than smoking, so it is not "foolish public policy" for smokeless taxes to be lower than those for cigarettes. The emerging awareness of smokeless as a cigarette substitute is not just an industry ploy, it has been endorsed by two prestigious medical organizations, the British Royal College of Physicians and the American Association of Public Health Physicians. The Royal College concluded "...that smokers smoke predominantly for nicotine, that nicotine itself is not especially hazardous, and that if nicotine could be provided in a form that is acceptable and effective as a cigarette substitute, millions of lives could be saved."

Auctions being held at historic tobacco warehouse for first time in nearly 10 years

2012-01-16T04:51:00.000-08:00

A historic tobacco warehouse in central Kentucky is getting new life.

There have been eight auctions at Peoples Tobacco Warehouse in Danville since the facility was renovated, according to The Advocate-Messenger (http://bit.ly/stKKAa). It's the first time the warehouse has been used in almost 10 years.

Jerry Rankin, who is leasing the building, says growers have traveled from Virginia, Ohio and Indiana to participate in the auctions.

Independent auction houses have dwindled in Kentucky since the 2004 federal tobacco buyout and the loss of price supports. The auctions once attracted more than 20 million pounds of leaf to Danville. This year, Rankin says the total could reach about 3.5 million pounds.

The only other independent auctions in the state that he is aware of will happen in Lexington, Mount Sterling and Maysville.

Many tobacco growers got out of the business, opting to grow crops like corn and soybeans. Others now sell directly to tobacco companies.

Rankin said about 2 million pounds of tobacco has been sold at Peoples and another local tobacco warehouse.

Indonesia not to appeal WTO ruling on U.S. tobacco ban

2012-01-16T04:49:00.000-08:00

Indonesia will not lodge an appeal against a WTO ruling on the import ban of flavored tobacco by the United States, citing satisfaction despite losing its argument on the efficacy of the ban in reducing the number of young smokers, the Jakarta Post reported here on Saturday, Xinhua informs.
Director General for International Trade Gusmardi Bustami told reporters on Friday that Indonesia had won the backing of the WTO on its stance regarding the discriminatory nature of the U.S. import ban.
Gusmardi said that his office was preparing a submission on Indonesia's legal position on the WTO ruling and in response to the arguments in the U.S. appeal. He said the submissions were scheduled for Jan. 23.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned cigarettes with fruit, confectionery or clove flavors in September 2009, saying such cigarettes were particularly attractive to children.
Indonesia launched a formal dispute at the WTO against the ban on April 7. The WTO's Dispute Settlement Body issued a ruling on Sept.2, 2011, saying the U.S. violated international trade rules by favoring domestically produced menthol-flavored cigarettes.
The ban affected Indonesia's clove cigarette industry as it immediately blocked nearly 200 million U.S. dollars in exports to the U.S. market.
The Indonesian government deems the ban discriminatory as the U. S. still allows the sales of menthol flavored cigarettes that are produced widely in the U.S. and smoked by about 19 million Americans.

Tobacco products may figure in crime report

2012-01-16T04:35:00.000-08:00

If the Union health ministry has its way soon the violations under cigarettes and other tobacco products will also figure in the monthly crime report of the station house officer (SHO) as other crimes like theft, daicoty, murder, rape etc.
In a bid to discourage consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products, the Union health ministry has written to the states to incorporate violations under the Cigarettes And Other Tobacco Products Act as part of the monthly crime review of the SHO’s at the district level.
The health ministry has asked the state home secretaries, chief secretaries and the DGPs to get the data collated and send it to them on monthly basis. After this, health ministry officials gains significance as it has helped many states in getting the act implemented in a better way.
“Our experience in implementation of the act is that the implementation is best done when the system/mechanism is institutionalised. A few states have been able to do it by putting the violations of the act as one of the agenda points in the monthly crime review of the SHO. This will not only ensure institutionalisation of the implementation of the implementation system but the state information could also be generated and reported back to us,” said the health ministry’s letter.
A person is said to be violating the act if he/she is found to be smoking in a public places. According to the provisions of the Act there is a prohibition in all forms of advertisement and sponsorship of tobacco products, prohibition on sale of tobacco products to minors and within the radius of 100 yards of educational institutions and mandatory depiction of specified health warnings on all tobacco products.
For ensuring implementation of the act any police officer not below the rank of sub-inspector has also been notified to take action against violations of these provisions.

Bringing tobacco to the Tea Party

2012-01-05T05:29:00.000-08:00

Tobacco has been a powerful industry in Virginia since the days of the Jamestown colony. It is no less influential today as Henrico County-based Philip Morris USA and its parent firm, Altria, play shell games about the hazards of their products.

Just before Christmas, and right in time for the 2012 election year, Altria trotted out a new Web site called “Citizens for Tobacco Rights” that seems designed to tap some of the anti-government, anti-regulation fervor of the Tea Party movement to boost its top line.

The company says that it is offering the Web site so smokers know their rights. It has a smorgasbord of information about taxation, local and state laws limiting smoking, and other government efforts to restrict tobacco use, which is one of the largest health issues in the United States and kills a about 400,000 every year.

Yet what makes this Web site peculiar is that it goes against the low profile that Philip Morris has generally been keeping since it was one of four cigarette makers dunned for $206 billion by 46 states in 1998 because of health risks.

In 2008, the firm split itself into two parts. Philip Morris International, based on Lausanne, Switzerland, was free to make cigarettes with much higher levels of the addictive nicotine and tar content as ones made in the United States and market them vigorously in some Third World countries, where smokers are less likely to understand the link between smoking and cancer, lung disease and other ailments.

Philip Morris USA, on the other hand, took a far more benign approach, and from its new headquarters in Richmond, clung to a gradually diminishing base of smokers while telling them they really shouldn’t smoke. As the company states on its Web site: “PM USA agrees with the overwhelming medical and scientific consensus that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and other serious diseases in smokers. Smokers are far more likely to develop serious diseases, like lung cancer, than non-smokers. There is no safe cigarette.”

The statement is on one part of the corporate Web site. For an entirely different view, however, click on the new “Citizens for Tobacco Rights” page on another part. One gets the impression that ordinary cigarette users are having their God-given rights trampled upon by nefarious do-gooders and government regulators. Let’s wave the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag. Invite Sarah Palin to speak!

One can only speculate as to why Altria is trying this gambit at this particular moment. An obvious possibility is that the firm’s propagandists want to tap Tea Party sentiment to boost sales. In 2010, the firm reported net revenue of $24.3 billon, a 3.4 percent increase over the previous year.

The firm complains that it has been under heavy pressure since federal excise taxes were boosted in the late 1990s, and many states and localities have banned cigarette smoking in public places. One is New York City, from which Altria retreated its headquarters to Richmond. Another reason for the Web page could be that it’s been a long time since the 1998 health settlement. People tend to forget.

In Virginia, Altria is considered a sacred cow. It employs about 6,000 people and is one of the leading donors to universities, the arts and research. Its impact is especially strong in Richmond, where it operates its last large cigarette manufacturing plant in the country and funds everything from chairs at Virginia Commonwealth University to the Richmond Symphony.

Colorado effort to legalize marijuana turns in signatures

2012-01-05T05:27:00.000-08:00

If a campaign to legalize limited possession of marijuana in Colorado is to succeed, it will have to make inroads into skepticism by women, according to a recent poll.
Perhaps that's why supporters of the campaign put more than a dozen women front and center at a news conference Wednesday as they turned in about 160,000 signatures to put the legalization initiative on the ballot. Wanda James — owner of the medical-marijuana-infused- food company Simply Pure — said the showing was intended to counter "a misconception that young men are driving the legalization of marijuana and the cannabis movement."
"It's time for this change," James said. ". . . And it's time for women to lead the fight."
The initiative needs about 86,000 signatures from valid Colorado voters to make the ballot. If the secretary of state's office determines the campaign collected enough signatures, the measure would be the first certified for the 2012 ballot.
The measure would amend the Colorado Constitution to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for any purpose by people ages 21 and older. People would also be able to grow up to six plants in their homes.
The amendment would also allow for retail marijuana stores, regulated in a manner similar to medical-marijuana dispensaries. Communities, though, would be able to ban pot shops. Consumption of marijuana in public would not be allowed.
Colorado voters in 2006 rejected a similar legalization measure, 59 percent to 41 percent. But the current campaign's proponents say recent polls give them optimism that the landscape has shifted.
A poll put out in December by the firm Public Policy Polling reported that 49 percent of Coloradans say they favor marijuana legalization, compared with 40 percent who oppose it. Women, however, are less confident about legalization than men, with 47 percent in support and 42 percent opposed.
When California voters decided on a marijuana-legalization initiative in 2010, the last poll before the election showed women more against legalization than men. The initiative ultimately failed, despite having majority support in polls months before the election.
That result, said Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli, shows the Colorado campaign is starting from a weak position, as voters generally become more conservative on issues as the election approaches. But Ciruli said a well-funded campaign from proponents could change the pattern.
So far, the campaign has raised more than $100,000 — including about $75,000 from a national marijuana-legalization group.
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, who opposes legalization, said he expects the initiative's proponents to far outspend its opponents.
"Given the amount of money the marijuana industry is prepared to spend, I think there's a good chance marijuana legalization may be approved," Suthers said.

Resolved to Quit Smoking? Will County Wants to Help

2012-01-05T05:26:00.001-08:00

Thousands of Illinois residents will resolve to quit smoking during 2012, and many will kick the habit for good.

Smokers wishing to quit should consider several options – stopping gradually or cold turkey, nicotine replacement therapies or other medications, attending classes or calling a Quitline. Once you determine how best to quit, commit to a solid plan and stick to it. There will be challenges, but help is available for those who want to quit for good.

Making a Plan: There are many good reasons for quitting: health, money, family, friends and dozens more. Write down all the reasons quitting is right for you and use the list for motivation when you need a helping hand. It works!

Pick your quitting date a few weeks ahead of time and mark it on your calendar. You may want to consider consulting a physician, especially if you plan to use the nicotine patch or other cessation aids.

As your quit date gets close, you may want to consider cutting back on the amount you smoke. It may also be helpful to start collecting and removing extra packs of cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays from your home and car.

Smokers urged to quit

2012-01-05T05:22:00.000-08:00

Smokers across the borough are being urged to quit smoking this new year and make a change for the better.

A staggering 378 people in the Rochdale borough died from smoking related illnesses in 2009.

Research has shown that smokers who quit with NHS support are up to four times more likely to succeed.

Ann Howarth, Service Lead, from the Rochdale borough TASK Stop Smoking Service said: “Quitting is not easy, but it can be made less difficult with the right support and tools.

“We want to help as many people break the cycle of addiction and quit for good.”

Social Worker, Laura Miller from Castleton, Rochdale started smoking at 15 and quit after she became pregnant with her second child, she said: “I have a 14 month old son who follows me around the house and would catch me smoking, which made me feel guilty.

“Going out to the back garden for a cigarette became a struggle because he’d want to come outside and play which wasn’t practical in the rain.

“I smoked 20 a day throughout my first pregnancy which I think has something to do with my son catching coughs and colds all the time.

“When I found out I was pregnant with my second child I knew I had to stop.

“I spoke to my midwife and told her that I needed support because I didn’t think I could do it alone and she put me in touch with TASK stop smoking service.

“They were really helpful and put me on Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), and once a week I visit the local stop smoking service and speak to an advisor about my progress and how I’m feeling.

“It’s been 8 weeks since I last had a cigarette and I’m feeling much healthier these days.

“It hasn’t been easy but with the right support I know I can stay smoke free forever.

“It’s important that I do this not only for myself but so that I can be around to look after my children.”

As thousands of New Year’s resolutions are made new NHS Smokefree research reveals that many smokers are largely underestimating how damaging smoking is to their personal health and finances.

Blunt response to tobacco suit against Worcester

2011-12-21T01:39:00.000-08:00

The blunt wrap tobacco industry has decided to drop its federal court challenge into the legality of the city's ban of the sale of blunt wraps — a thick cigarette-like rolling paper usually made from tobacco leaves.

City Solicitor David M. Moore said the blunt wrap companies that had sued the city decided to dismiss their case in light of the state Supreme Judicial Court's refusal to hear their appeal of a court decision that upheld Boston's blunt wrap sales ban, as well as comments and questions made by the federal judge at the Nov. 9 hearing on their challenge to the Worcester ordinance.

Mr. Moore said he was told yesterday about the companies' decision to withdraw their case against the city.

Earlier this year, the City Council adopted a series of amendments to the city's tobacco control ordinance, including a ban on the sale of blunt wraps on the basis that it was a tobacco product presenting all the negative public health consequences of other tobacco products.

It was also believed that the product was associated with the consumption of controlled substances.

Mr. Moore said the city blunt wrap sales ban was modeled after a similar ban adopted by the Boston Public Health Commission in 2008.

He said the Boston ban was upheld by Suffolk Superior Court and, on appeal, by the state Appeals Court. On Dec. 1, he added, the state Supreme Judicial Court refused to grant a further appeal, leaving the Appeals Court decision in effect.

Because of the legal challenge to that provision of the city's tobacco control ordinance, Mr. Moore said, the city agreed in court to stay enforcement of the blunt wrap sales ban until after the court ruled on the legality of the Worcester ordinance.

He said the blunt wrap sales ban will take effect 30 days after the federal court accepts the companies' request for dismissal.

District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri, chairman of the City Council Public Health Committee, said it was “great news for the city” and an important first step toward fully implementing all provisions of the tobacco control ordinance adopted by the council in April.

Mr. Palmieri, who was a leading advocate for the ban, said the companies' decision to drop their lawsuit is a vindication of the council's action.

“This is a first step in the process,” he said. “Obviously, now we anxiously await to hear from the court of other provisions of the ordinance we adopted. We are very hopeful that the court system will render a decision on those other aspects in the not too distant future.”

The four amendments to the city's tobacco-control ordinance adopted by the City Council impose greater restrictions on the sale and advertising of tobacco products.

British Department of Health Publishes Tobacco Display Ban Guidance

2011-12-21T01:18:00.000-08:00

The British Department of Health has released its guidance on how retailers should go about complying with the tobacco display ban in England. The new rules will apply for all stores larger than 280 square meters beginning April 6, 2012, and expand to all other shops on April 6, 2015.

The guidance was devised in collaboration with the Local Government Regulatory Support Unit, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) and the British Retail Consortium. “ACS has worked closely with government officials to make sure this guidance takes account of the practical difficulties retailers will experience, and ensure it will provide clarity to retailers on the requirements and their responsibilities under the new regulations,” said James Lowman, who heads ACS.

“While we welcome the guidance, it is disappointing this has taken so long to be published. The regulations will come in to force for large retailers next April, yet they are only now being given the detail of the requirements they face,” he said.
The tobacco display ban was announced in March 2011. ACS stated that there still remains a lack of clarity around compliance deadlines in Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland also intends to ban tobacco display, but that would be separate legislation.

Christopher Hitchens’ passions: Words, alcohol and cigarettes

2011-12-21T01:05:00.002-08:00

British-American writer Christopher Hitchens— the combative and caustic critic, intellectual, atheist and self-defined “conservative Marxist” — died Thursday at the age of 62 at a Texas hospital.

The cause of death was pneumonia, a complication of oesophageal cancer. He died Thursday night at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, surrounded by family and friends.

Vanity Fair magazine, which announced his death, said there would “never be another like Christopher.”

The magazine’s editor, Graydon Carter, described Hitchins as someone “of ferocious intellect, who was as vibrant on the page as he was at the bar. Those who read him felt they knew him, and those who knew him were profoundly fortunate souls.”

Hitchens disclosed in June 2010 that he was being treated for cancer and would be “a very lucky person to live another five years.” He continued to write even as he temporarily lost the use of his voice.

In an August essay for Vanity Fair, he wrote, “I sometimes wish I were suffering in a good cause, or risking my life for the good of others, instead of just being a gravely endangered patient.”

His passions included words, alcohol and cigarettes. He once wrote that his daily intake of alcohol was “enough to kill or stun the average mule.”

A 2010 interview with USA TODAY was conducted on a New York sidewalk because Hitchens needed a cigarette. He said then he had given up smoking for two years but resumed as he was finishing his memoir, Hitch-22.

“I figured one cigarette isn’t going to kill me, which is stupid,” he said between puffs — shortly before he discovered he had cancer

Medical marijuana for ADD? State considers it

2011-12-21T01:05:00.001-08:00

State officials will consider a request to allow medical marijuana for people with ADD and OCD, nearly two years after denying the drug to depressed and bipolar patients.
The petition is the latest attempt to add a mental illness to Washington's list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis. Three other petitions, for depression and other mental health disorders, have been denied.
Passed by voters in 1998, Washington's law allows patients with terminal or debilitating conditions to use marijuana. Qualifying conditions include cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and "intractable pain." It also includes anorexia, as a disease that results in nausea, vomiting and wasting away.
The latest request involves an Edmonds man who petitioned authorities in September to include attention deficit disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, conditions he said he has suffered from for years.
The man said he had seen a psychologist regularly with little relief. He said various medications -- stimulants, depressants, anti-psychotics, anti-depressants and anti-convulsants -- have not helped.
"At this point, my psychiatrist ... has recommended that I write a letter asking for an opinion on medical marijuana, as other options have been exhausted," the man wrote.
The Medical Quality Assurance Commission and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery will consider the man's petition at a hearing on Jan. 11.
"What they're looking for is some clinical and scientific basis for adopting it," Blake Maresh, the osteopathic board's executive director, said Tuesday.
'Incredibly complex issue'
In February of 2010, the medical commission denied a request from a man who had suffered from a social anxiety disorder since the fifth grade. He said cannabis had helped him more than any other treatment.
Other patients with bipolar disorder, severe depression and other anxiety disorders also told the commission that pot was the only thing that helped.
But the commission found insufficient scientific evidence that showed pot helped patients with those conditions. It found that no rigorous, controlled, randomized, peer-reviewed and published trial had been done on the issue.
That denial followed the rejection of two other similar requests. In 2001, the commission denied medical marijuana for patients with manic or chronic depression. In 2004, they again denied it for people with depression and severe anxiety.
The issue has raised unanswered questions for mental health advocates and health-care providers. While many patients report feeling better with marijuana, many doctors say the drug's mood-altering qualities can mask and worsen symptoms.
"Marijuana usage among individuals who live with serious and persistent mental illness is an incredibly complex issue," said Christine Lindquist, executive director of the local National Alliance on Mental Illness chapter.
"Many people who self-medicate with marijuana report significant relief from their symptoms, although for others, complete abstinence from drugs or alcohol is necessary for stability in their health."
The last qualifying condition added for medical marijuana in Washington was chronic renal failure in 2010.

Olens defends trip with tobacco lobbyist

2011-12-21T00:56:00.000-08:00

A spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens justified a plane ride the state's top prosecutor took with a tobacco lobbyist.

A lobbyist for Altria, parent company of tobacco giant Philip Morris, disclosed the flight to the state Ethics Commission, valuing it at $1,304.54. The lobbyist is Sean Collins.

Olens' office says Collins accompanied Olens on the round-trip flight. The Attorney General accepted the flights with the tobacco lobbyist in order to attend a meeting of Republican attorneys general in Palm Beach, Florida.

"Accepting an invitation to join this flight was legal and it was reported in a transparent manner," Olens spokeswoman Lauren Kane wrote in response to 11Alive's emailed questions.

Kane said the flight originated in the southeast Georgia city of Brunswick November 14 and "did enable (Olens) to attend the conference and keep his other commitments."

Kane says Olens flew back to Atlanta on the private plane following the conclusion of the conference.

The Attorney General's free flights came under attack from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, an anti-smoking group. It monitors payments by tobacco companies to states involved in a legal settlement reached more than a decade ago. An official with the group said it was a conflict of interest for Olens to accept the free travel from a lobbyist with an industry involved in ongoing legal issues.

"Public officials charged with enforcing this agreement, getting travel money to conferences from the companies that are subject to that agreement, is ridiculous and outlandish," said Danny McGoldrick of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids in Washington.

But Olens' spokeswoman says the face time with the Altria executive was useful.

"Tobacco companies are seeking to reduce payments to the states. We're vigorously fighting them," Kane said. "At that time, the companies had not decided which states to challenge, and Sam hoped to convince them not to challenge Georgia."

Kane said Olens was unavailable to speak on his own behalf due to an illness that has kept him out of the office this week.

E-Cigarettes: An Emergent Threat To Big Tobacco?

2011-12-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

The cigarette sector is well known for its cash generation abilities, moderate valuations, and generous dividends. Having survived years of lawsuits and a somewhat diminished demand, the sector still promises some earnings growth and stability.

Although production, consumption and even exports in the US have been on a clear downward path as shown below (source: CDC, "Cigarette Production, Exports, and Domestic Consumption—United States, 1990–2007"), the companies have been able to adapt through price increases, cost cuts, and conquering new external markets.
The sector presents homogenous valuation in terms of Price/Earnings and Dividends, although with somewhat different growth rates, making for a wide dispersion of Price/Earnings/Growth (PEG), falling between the 1.4 awarded to Philip Morris International (PM) and the 3.0 that Reynolds American (RAI) gets.

The sector’s high ROEs are both a function of its stable, highly profitable, nature, and the fact that these companies have repurchased a lot of shares which greatly impacted their book value (this is particularly evident in Philip Morris International).

The threat

Along the years, big tobacco has survived many threats, the two largest being the endless lawsuits due to the health impact cigarettes have, and the lower overall consumption (some of it also coming from the health hazard being much more widely known now).

However, there’s a new threat emerging presently: e-cigarettes and the associated “vaping”. With these new cigarettes, the smoker doesn’t actually smoke – he inhales a vapor mix that includes both a flavor, and nicotine.

PM USA Set to Hike Cigarette Prices Next Week

2011-12-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

Cigarettes will get slightly more expensive next week, as tobacco industry insiders report that Philip Morris USA (PM USA) is set to hike the price of its cigarettes by 5 cents a pack across all its brands.

According to Bonnie Herzog, managing director, Beverage, Tobacco & Consumer Research, at Wells Fargo Securities, tobacco industry contacts reported that PM USA is also reducing its off-invoice promotion allowances on L&M to 34 cents a pack (down from 55 cents) through Jan. 28, 2012. She noted this price increase should bode well for R.J Reynolds' Pall Mall brand.

In an e-mail this morning, Herzog wrote that PM USA's list price increase "is encouraging in light of its recent modifications to its controversial MLP (Marlboro Leadership Price) program since this increase will appease most retailers as it allows them to increase their margins."

A spokesman for The Altria Group, the parent company of PM USA, could not be reached for confirmation or comment.

"Overall, this price increase is positive and the industry still does have some pricing power. Given that consumption will likely continue to decline in the mid-single-digit range, pricing is necessary to drive top-line growth," Herzog wrote.

R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard Inc. are expected to follow suit with their own price increases in the coming days, she said. Their hikes are expected to be in line with PM USA's nickel increase.

These increases come five months after the big three tobacco companies raised prices this summer. Lorillard began that round of hikes by raising the price of its Newport Menthol brand by 5 cents a pack and Newport Non-Menthol by 11 cents a pack.

Edinburgh shops in under-age cigarettes fine

2011-12-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

Two trained volunteers, aged 16, attempted to buy a packet of cigarettes at various premises across the city.

During these test purchases last month, two convenience stores, in the south west of the city, sold the product illegally to the under-age teenagers.

It is against the law to sell cigarettes to under 18s. The businesses have received a £200 fixed penalty.

If they are caught again they will see an increased fine of £400 and could be stopped from selling cigarettes.

Robert Aldridge, Edinburgh City Council's environment leader, said: "Trading standards officers have been busy visiting shops across the city to remind retailers of their responsibilities when it comes to selling tobacco.

"Retailers generally react well to visits from enforcement officers, and have found their advice useful, but the results of the most recent test purchase exercise are disappointing and highlight the importance of continued action.

"I hope these fines will serve as a stark warning that retailers must abide by the legislation.

"It is important that young people are aware that they will be challenged by responsible shopkeepers if buying cigarettes.

"I would urge the public to contact us with any information about under-age tobacco sales in their neighbourhoods."

Before to the tests, council trading standards officers visit shops and let them know that they will be carrying out checks in the near future and provide information packs on how to comply.

Ex-tobacco employees up for racketeering

2011-11-28T01:51:00.000-08:00

Seven former British American Tobacco employees face racketeering charges if National Director of Public Prosecutions Menzi Simelane grants the go-ahead to amend theft charges against them, the Weekend Argus newspaper reported on Saturday.

The former employees, Pienaar van Heerden and his wife, Anthea, John van der Vent, John van Rooy, Phillip Gorden Heynes, Reginald Fisher and Terrence Keyster, appeared briefly in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Friday where they are currently charged with stealing more than R6.9 million in cigarette shipments.

When they appeared in court, it emerged that the State was applying to amend the charges to more serious counts of racketeering under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.

The syndicate’s operations allegedly included the theft of about 590 boxes of cigarettes, mostly Peter Stuyvesant, intercepted while being shipped from the Gauteng plant to the firm’s laboratory in Stellenbosch to undergo quality testing.

Prosecutor Mzukizi Mazandwa asked on Friday that the case be postponed to allow the State to get necessary authorisation from Simelane.

Mike Loftus, who appeared on behalf of three of the accused – the Van Heerden couple and Van der Vent – said the State had already had more than three months to prepare.

Mazandwa then asked that documents seized at the homes of the accused during their arrests be unsealed to allow investigators to peruse and copy them.

The legal representatives for the accused objected to the State’s request.

Loftus described the State’s move to unseal the seized documents as a “blindside”.

He added that he had no objections to a postponement as long as it was marked final.

Magistrate Jasthree Steyn granted the postponement but denied the requests to unseal documents or to amend the bail conditions, saying that the defence did not have any time to receive instructions from their clients.

Obama scolds tobacco firms for fighting new labels

2011-11-28T01:50:00.000-08:00

President Barack Obama — pronounced tobacco-free in his latest medical checkup — has tough words for cigarette makers.
Some tobacco companies, he says in a new White House web video, are fighting new cigarette warning labels because "they don't want to be honest about the consequences."
The video, provided to The Associated Press in advance of its release, observes Thursday's 36th "Great American Smokeout" by the American Cancer Society.
Obama says the country has made progress in reducing the number of Americans who smoke but notes that 46 million are still addicted.
"The fact is, quitting smoking is hard," he says. "Believe me, I know."
Obama has fought the habit by chewing nicotine gum, and his last medical report, issued Oct. 31, declared him tobacco-free.
"Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable early deaths in this country," Obama says in the video. "We also know that the best way to prevent the health problems that come with smoking is to keep young people from starting in the first place."
In 2009, Obama signed legislation to help keep young people from lighting up. In June, the Food and Drug Administration approved new warning labels that companies would have to place on the top half of cigarette packs. Some of the labels are powerfully graphic and include images of a man exhaling cigarette smoke through a tracheotomy hole in his throat, the corpse of a dead smoker, diseased lungs and a smoker wearing an oxygen mask.
Companies led by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Lorillard Tobacco Co. sued the FDA in August to block the labels, arguing the labels cross the line from fact-based warnings to anti-smoking advocacy. R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard declined to comment on the Obama video. Altria Group Inc., parent company of Marlboro maker Philip Morris USA, is not in the lawsuit.
Earlier this month a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in the suit, blocking the requirement that would have begun forcing tobacco companies next year to put graphic images on their cigarette packages. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said it is likely the cigarette makers will succeed in their suit to block the new standard.
"Today, some big tobacco companies are trying to block these labels because they don't want to be honest about the consequences using their products," Obama says. "Unfortunately, this isn't surprising.
"We've always known that the fight to stop smoking in this country won't be easy."

Brain’s Natural Marijuana-Like Chemical Could Lead to New Meds

2011-11-28T01:48:00.000-08:00

Researchers have discovered a new way to boost the effects of anandamide — a natural chemical in the body that provides pain relief similar to marijuana.

Anandamide has been called the ‘bliss molecule’ for its similarities to the active ingredient in marijuana. As part of the body’s endocannabinoid system, this neurotransmitter has been shown in studies to offer analgesic, antianxiety and antidepressant effects. It also plays a role in regulating food consumption.

In the study, led by Daniele Piomelli, researchers identified an “escort” protein in brain cells that transports anandamide to sites within the cell where it is broken down by enzymes. They discovered that anandamide’s potency is increased when this protein, called FLAT, is blocked.

Previous work by the researchers suggests that compounds boosting anandamide’s natural abilities could form the basis of pain medications without the side effects of sedation, addiction or other central nervous system problems common with existing painkillers, such as opiates.

“These findings raise hope that the analgesic properties of marijuana can be harnessed for new, safe drugs,” said Piomelli, a professor of pharmacology. “Specific drug compounds we are creating that amplify the actions of natural, marijuana-like chemicals are showing great promise.”

For the study, Piomelli and his colleagues used computational methods to study how FLAT binds with anandamide and escorts it to cell sites to be degraded by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) enzymes. Blocking FAAH activity increases several effects of anandamide without triggering the “high” of marijuana.

Researchers hypothesize that inhibiting FLAT (FAAH-like anandamide transporters) might be especially useful in controlling certain types of pain.

Specific types of pain that could be helped by this discovery could include pain caused by damage to the central nervous system. It is also thought that it might help people break addiction to drugs such as nicotine and cocaine.

The study appears in the online version of Nature Neuroscience.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of California, Irvine; Italy’s University of Parma and University of Bologna; and the Italian Institute of Technology.

Sexy pot ads provoke debate over medical marijuana goals

2011-11-28T01:47:00.000-08:00

In 2009, as Los Angeles' booming medical marijuana economy inspired an emerald city of weed, Vanessa Sahagun found a business opportunity as "Chacha Vavoom," maven of the 420 Nurses.

Chacha and her "nurses" became a pot culture phenomenon. They savored bong hits on YouTube, modeled skimpy outfits to promote marijuana dispensaries – and stirred young men at medical pot shows teeming with sexual imagery.

"I was proud I was opening up a market creating 'green jobs' for these ladies," said Sahagun, 25.

But now, the sexual marketing of medical marijuana – with racy promotions that often trump the beer industry's swimsuit models – is at the center of an uncomfortable debate in the medicinal cannabis community.

Fifteen years after California voters legalized use of medical marijuana amid images of ailing AIDS and cancer patients, pot dispensaries featuring "bikini budtenders" suggest a different message: pot as a recreational pleasure.

"I've often said how offensive it is that we have naked girls with cannabis leaves or mini-mini-mini-skirts," said Lanette Davies, a Sacramento dispensary operator who condemns others in the industry for marketing sex. "That has nothing to do with medication."

Davies, whose family runs the Canna Care dispensary, said some in the industry "believe there is more money" marketing to recreational marijuana users. "That's not what people voted in. That's not why we're supposed to be here," she said.

Ryan Landers, a Sacramento AIDS patient who leads a medical marijuana policy group called "the Compassionate Coalition," said trade shows featuring "Hot Kush Girl" contests and spicy ads "make my job a hell of a lot harder to convince people what we're doing is true and real."

Most medical marijuana dispensaries refrain from suggestive advertising – and some even feature multiple sclerosis patients or car accident victims who use cannabis for chronic pain.

But the California Organic Collective dispensary in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley touts bikini-clad counter attendants in ads that depict a buxom nurse holding a red, nipple-shaped stethoscope to her breast.

The Reserve dispensary in Sacramento County employed a model in a metal-studded brassiere and Old West gun belt to promote a super-potent "Green Ribbon" strain packing 25 percent of marijuana's psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

"They claim to be offering medicine, yet they're using marketing techniques reminiscent of some of the lowest standards of the beer industry," said John Lovell, a lobbyist for the California Narcotics Officers Association.

At the "HempCon" medical marijuana trade show this month in San Jose, the event's own marketing director took exception when she passed a booth for a magazine called Cali Chronic X. It featured seminude models posing suggestively with pot and exotic smoking accessories.

"I don't know why we have to mix marijuana with porn," protested Shawna Webb, a communications professional who uses medical cannabis for pain from a ruptured disk.

Webb said sex is the wrong image for the industry, particularly as California's four U.S. attorneys are targeting pot dispensaries for prosecution and threatening their landlords with property seizures under federal drug laws.
But Jeffrey Peterson, publisher of Cali Chronic X and a performer known as "the 420 comic," said he is making a stand against what he sees as prudish advocates who deny pot's popularity as a recreational drug.

"How dare do these people, who think they represent the cannabis culture, single out the edge of this culture – because we are the cannabis culture," he said.

Near Peterson at the San Jose trade show, Leslie Henck, a Bay Area go-go dancer, wore a bikini as the spokesmodel for a company selling joint-rolling machines. "You don't have to look unhealthy to need medical marijuana," said Henck, 19, who says her recommendation for pot helped her deal with anxiety.

"Sativa Grace," a model for Cali Chronic X, came to the show dressed as a tawdry Alice in Wonderland. Sativa's real name is Andrea Frye. The 21-year-old, who works in an adult novelties store, said she is empowering women.

"Hey, I may have sex appeal," she said, "but I can smoke all day like a guy."

Sahagun, a.k.a. Chacha Vavoom, started 420 Nurses as Los Angeles lit up with neon marijuana leaves from hundreds of new dispensaries. She sold outfits with hot pants sporting green medical marijuana crosses for women seeking pot modeling jobs.

"We went out with our cute uniforms, and I noticed a big response," Sahagun said. "I knew there was a fire there."

She said her "nurses" earn $10 to $25 an hour working in dispensaries or passing out business cards for doctors recommending marijuana – or $100 to $1,000 a day for promotional photos and videos.

At the "Kush Expo Medical Marijuana Show" in Anaheim this month, the 420 Nurses were joined by the Ganja Juice girls and a bikini troupe for an Orange County dispensary sponsoring the Expo's "Hot Kush Girl" contest. A whooping, largely male throng cheered as 21 women competed for signature edition bongs and cash prizes.
"The marijuana industry is male-dominated, and dudes love to look at hot chicks," said Ngaio Bealum, Sacramento publisher of a marijuana lifestyle magazine called West Coast Cannabis.

Bealum, who bills his publication as the "Sunset magazine of weed," said he doesn't run sexually suggestive ads.

And Bic Pho, marketing director for the Yerba Buena Medical Cannabis Club's six San Jose dispensaries, junked ads with bikini models after deciding they projected a bad image for medical marijuana.

"I just didn't feel it was appropriate. So we stopped," he said. Now the dispensaries advertise a damsel, fully clothed, in pirate's attire.

"We went with a pirate theme," Pho said, "just something to remember us by."

Big Tobacco launches legal fight with govt

2011-11-28T01:45:00.000-08:00

The Gillard government's plea to Big Tobacco not to launch legal action against Labor's plain-packaging laws has fallen on deaf ears, with Philip Morris announcing it has already served notice of a dispute.

The federal parliament on Monday passed world-first laws that will force all cigarettes to be sold in drab olive-brown packs from December 2012.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon immediately demanded that Big Tobacco respect that mandate.
"We know that just as many smokers are addicted to tobacco and nicotine the tobacco companies are addicted to litigation," Ms Roxon told reporters in Canberra.

"But I call on them today to consider respecting the will of the parliament.

"Both houses, and all parties, have supported this legislation."

But less than an hour later, Philip Morris announced it had already begun legal proceedings using a bilateral investment treaty Australia signed with Hong Kong 20 years ago.

"The notice of arbitration was served on the government immediately following the passage of plain-packaging legislation for tobacco products by the Australian parliament," parent company Philip Morris Asia Limited said in a statement from Hong Kong where it's based.

Philip Morris forewarned the government of its plan in late June, when it entered a three-month mandatory negotiation period through the United Nations commission on international trade law.

The cigarette manufacturer argues the commonwealth is effectively planning to steal the company's brands in contravention of the investment treaty.

Philip Morris said on Monday that damages could run to billions of dollars and the legal process could take "two to three years".

"In passing the laws today, in our view, the government has breached an international treaty," Philip Morris spokesman Chris Argent told AAP.

"Plain packaging will damage the value of our brands and there are international business laws against that."

But legal experts believe things aren't that clear-cut.

A lawyer who's had more experience than most fighting cigarette companies in court, Peter Gordon, told AAP in late June that Philip Morris was actually on shaky ground.

Mr Gordon argued that the commonwealth wasn't taking away the property rights of tobacco companies but rather ensuring they weren't used to improperly promote cigarette use among kids.

At the same time, international law expert Don Anton noted that public regulation for a public purpose was not direct or indirect expropriation "and therefore is not prohibited by the investment treaty".

Philip Morris, like British American Tobacco Australia (BATA), also plans to launch domestic action in the High Court of Australia.

Ms Roxon was asked on Monday if legal action would delay the start of plain packaging.

"We don't believe that it needs to," she replied.

"(But) I'm not going to go through the legal ins and outs and possibilities as we potentially face litigation in lots of different forums."

Tobacco tax windfall should help smokers, Liberal leader says

2011-11-28T01:29:00.000-08:00

In its reply Friday to the Speech from the Throne, the Liberals also called on the government to immediately reverse its decision to delay a hike in the minimum wage, abandon any plans to introduce a two-tiered wage system, and publicly disclose what cuts it is considering in the upcoming budget.

Interim Liberal Leader Victor Boudreau used his speech response in the Legislature to ask the Tories to support proposals the Liberals plan to present in the upcoming session.

That includes spending the extra $25 million in new revenue the Alward government found earlier this year by increasing the tobacco tax by 45 per cent.

"We know that chronic disease is one of the biggest contributors to the growing costs of health care," Boudreau said. "We propose this session that money raised by government through this tax be put towards the cost of a smoking cessation program for New Brunswickers addicted to nicotine.

"That investment would go a long way to helping reduce our costs for chronic health care."

Boudreau also called for full public disclosure of internal departmental reports that identify cuts to be considered for the upcoming budget, so New Brunswickers can have their say in how to balance the province's books.

"If you want New Brunswickers really involved in the budget process, make those reports public," Boudreau said. "Table them in the legislature before we break for Christmas."

The Shediac-Cap-Pelé MLA also reiterated calls for the immediate reversal of the Alward government's decision to delay the minimum wage increases. As well, the Liberals are calling on government to abandon its plans to introduce a two-tiered minimum wage system in New Brunswick.

For the second straight day, the Liberals also called for a special legislative committee tasked with consulting the public on shale gas development in the province.

The committee would host a series of public hearings and allow New Brunswickers to further weigh in on regulations the government brings to the table for shale gas development.

The Tories delivered its second speech from the throne since taking power earlier this week, pledging to continue to search for savings while growing the economy.

Alward's government also promised to begin reforming municipal government over the next two years - without forcing municipalities to merge - develop an action plan to improve access to family doctors and health clinics and make New Brunswick a leader in early childhood development.

Boudreau's speech on Friday also attacked the Tories at length for social service cuts that the Opposition believes have targeted the ordinary New Brunswicker.

"We understand that the recession hurt us. It hurt everybody," Boudreau said. "And while many places are actually far worse off than we are, we understand also that our province's deficit has to be trimmed. That means making some difficult decisions. We get that.

"But there's a smart way to do this. A way that focuses on job creation. A way that considers investments in things like education and training that will pay for themselves in the long run."

Indianapolis to consider stricter smoking ban

2011-11-16T01:53:00.000-08:00

A new, enhanced smoking ban could be in place in time for the Super Bowl next year, one that bans smoking in all bars and bowling alleys, but the political maneuvering behind it has left some feeling snubbed.

City-County Council President Ryan Vaughn announced plans Tuesday to introduce a new ban to the council next month with the ordinance eligible for final passage on December 19, 2011.

The announcement caught several smoke-free advocates by surprise. The American Lung Association, Tobacco Free Kids, SmokeFree Indy and other organizations were planning a kick-off event Thursday to push for a tougher ban. Republican Councilor Ben Hunter and Democrat Angela Mansfield planned to introduce a stricter ordinance in early January, once Democrats took control of the council. They said there would be more support for a ban then and that the revised ordinance could still be in place for the Super Bowl.

But in a news release, Vaughn noted that state requires new regulations with penalties to be posted for 30 days prior to taking effect. He said the council had to act sooner in order for the ban to be effective when the city is hosting tens of thousands of visitors during Super Bowl XLVI.

Vaughn, however, never shared his intentions with the smoke-free advocates even though he was invited to the Thursday news conference. He did however, work with the mayor's office on his proposal. (The mayor was also invited to Thursday's event.)

Republican Mayor Greg Ballard has long opposed a stricter smoking ban, which came up during the 2011 mayoral race. The mayor just won re-election after fending off a challenge from Democrat Melina Kennedy, who supported a stronger ban. During a debate sponsored by WTHR, Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis Recorder, the mayor, a former Marine, indicated he was open to compromise, as long as it didn't involve telling veterans that they couldn't smoke at their local VFW or American Legion post.

The city's current smoking ban has been in effect since 2005. The ordinance proposed by Vaughn would remove the exemption to the current smoking ban for hotel rooms, bars, restaurants serving only customers over the age of 21 and bowling alleys with the following exceptions:

Cigar/Hooka Bars: must annually generate $100,000 or 15% of gross revenue from tobacco products, only tobacco sold on site would be permitted to be consumed. Cigarette smoking would be prohibited in these establishments.

Retail Tobacco Business: whose primary business is the sale of tobacco products.

Not-for-profit private membership clubs: exempt from federal taxation and meets the definition of "private" or "fraternal" club under state statute.

Several Republican councilors have opposed a stricter ban, meaning Vaughn will likely need Democratic support to get his proposal passed.

Mayoral spokesman Marc Lotter said, the mayor would sign off on it if it reaches his desk, saying "it meets the criteria he laid out."

While Lotter insisted neither the Vaughn nor the Mayor's office went around or tried to upstage the smoke-free coalition, he did say Vaughn's was "a proposal we can get done."

Tobacco Free Kids and other smoke-free advocates endorsed Kennedy. Asked if that factored into beating them to the punch, Lotter said no, repeating, "it's a proposal we can get done."

A draft of the proposed ordinance will be available on the City-County Council website on Friday, December 2, 2011. If it passes the Republican-controlled Council and is signed into law by Mayor Ballard, the ordinance would take effect on January 22, 2012, two weeks prior to the Super Bowl.

Tobacco committee meetings should be open to the public

2011-11-16T01:52:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, the Advisory Committee on Tobacco Policy held an open forum to encourage public input on the proposed smoking ban. Later that day, it held a meeting to discuss the results of that forum. This meeting, like all the others, was closed to the public.

We have to wonder why.

The open forum was a good attempt to encourage outside input and give students and faculty a chance to air opinions on both sides.

But because of the nature of the committee and its work, it was impossible to get a real answer to any of the questions. Each answer amounted to, “That’s a good point. We’ll be sure to take it into consideration.”

Which is exactly the purpose of the advisory committee. But how does the public know their opinions are really being taken into account if they are barred from the meetings?

The university has often stressed its commitment to transparency and student input. It has claimed that this committee’s recommendations will be an important part of any decision made about the smoking ban.

If the administration is serious about these claims, it should be willing to prove them. Prove to us that our opinions are actually being taken into account, and that the committee is actually expecting its work to matter. Let us witness these things for ourselves by attending the meetings.

Some members of the OU community have expressed doubt that the committee’s work will matter at all, claiming that the decision was made as soon as Boren announced his support for a campuswide ban.

The tobacco committee and the administration have both been insistent that this is not the case. We call on them to prove it.

There’s no obvious reason the committee should be closed to the public. Yes, technically, these committee meetings don’t fall under the Open Meeting Act, because the committee is not a decision-making body.

But even outside of legal requirements, the administration could still choose to open them to public attendance.

We’re not asking for time at every meeting for the public to speak before the committee. That would slow down the process considerably. And it would be no more effective than the means people have already used to express their opinions.

We simply want the public to be able to attend the meetings and watch the discussions, to ensure those opinions are being taken into account and hold the committee accountable to its promise to consider all sides of the issue.

It’s possible that the committee is worried that the public’s conduct could get out of hand due to the passion evoked by this issue. After all, we can see from the letters and comments we’ve received, as well as the remarks at the public forum, that the smoking ban proposal inspires fervent opinions from both sides.

So students, if the administration decided to open the meetings, you would need to show that this right is important by attending them and refrain from disrupting the proceedings by remaining respectful observers.

We’re not sure why the administration has chosen to keep these meetings closed, but whatever the reason, we urge it to reconsider.

A little transparency in this process could go a long way toward helping both sides better understand each other’s arguments, which could lead to an effective compromise — or at least reduce the inevitable bitterness from the losing side.

More publicity needed on smoke-free living

2011-11-16T01:39:00.000-08:00

How many have taken an early start to quit smoking? November is Lung Cancer and Tobacco Awareness Month! The color for lung cancer is white or pearl. Tobacco awareness is brown. Lavender is the color representing all cancers.

Last month, there was a letter on the Opinion Page, concerning smoking bans. It would have made a great story for Lung Cancer Awareness Month. So little is written about tobacco awareness, and lung cancer.

Stephanie Truly’s article has been the only thing the paper has printed, and we are halfway through the month.

The paper could invest some time in printing at least one tip, or what changes your body makes, when one gives up cigarettes.

The funding for lung cancer is severely lacking, compared to breast. It would be great if all cancers received the same funding.

Funding enables states to provide education, smoking cessation classes, or even a support group. Sixty-five thousand nonsmokers die yearly, from secondhand smoke, than women die of breast cancer.

The only way to have a safe environment for workers and patrons, is to implement a Smoke Free Air Act, which eliminates indoor smoking in all buildings. Smoke has no boundaries; smoke can waft into the nonsmoking areas.

Secondhand smoke contains 60+ carcinogens and 4,000 toxins remaining in the air, for up to two weeks. I was surprised to learn that no ventilation system will completely remove secondhand smoke. The only sure way is to eliminate smoking indoors completely.

New York City, adopted the Smoke Free Air Act in March of 2003. This change increased sales of two million dollars for the better, in the first year bars and restaurants enacted the Smoke Free Air Act. Other cities have had an increase in their business, when there is no-smoking.

Something else to think about; cigarettes are comparable to meth. Both are very addicting. Both include smoking toxic chemicals. Both contain carcinogens, and toxins. The similarities are frightening.

Here are a few insightful quotes from those in government on Smoke Free Air Act:

Eric Turner, Indiana State representative:

“Indiana is behind the curve. In other states, you can take your children and babies (into restaurants) and know they’ll not have to breathe secondhand smoke.”

Quoted In: Higgins, W., “Smoke-free workplace advocates gather at Statehouse,” Indianapolis Star, Sept. 8, 2010.

Hugh Holliman, North Carolina state representative:

“There is overwhelming scientific evidence that proves secondhand smoke causes heart disease, lung cancer, respiratory illnesses and kills tens of thousands of Americans every year. It is time for North Carolina to join the growing momentum across the nation to protect the rights of all our citizens to breathe clean, smoke-free air.”

Quoted In: [n.a.], “No smoking: House bill would bar lighting up in workplaces, bars and restaurants,” Fayetteville Observer, Jan. 30, 2009

Joseph Vitale, New Jersey senator:

“Thousands of workers each and every day are exposed to secondhand smoke. Why should thousands of casino workers be subject to cancer and emphysema?”

Quoted In: McAleer, P., “Full ban on casino smoking approved by Senate,” Press of Atlantic City, June 22, 2007.

There are several more I could post, but the message is clear. The only way for smoke-free air is to eliminate indoor smoking. Certainly the restaurant and bar business benefits.

Google American Lung Association for more facts and tips on how to quit, and see what changes your body goes through, when you stop. I know there are enough changes for a new fact each day for the month of November.

Cain’s campaign ad didn’t deserve flak for cigarette usage

2011-11-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

You can smoke in films and win an Academy Award – just ask Colin Firth, who played a king who was arguably a chain-smoker in “The King’s Speech” – but you sure can’t let your campaign manager smoke in a campaign ad.

My most recent column consisted of me largely bashing on Herman Cain and his silly “9-9-9 plan” and yet now, in a strange turn of events, this one will defend him.

For those of you who are unaware, the Herman Cain presidential campaign put up an ad where his chief of staff, Mark Block, smokes a cigarette. The ad ends with Cain making what I would describe as a creepy, Cheshire Cat-like grin.

I don’t think too many people would argue that it’s a good advertisement because, to put it simply, it’s not. It’s terrible. However, the fact that Block smokes a cigarette in the ad is not that big of a deal.

Critics are arguing that the ad promotes smoking, but there’s simply no basis for that. No one in the ad ever says that smoking is to be encouraged and, if anything, Block looks so awkward smoking in the ad that it’s hardly going to make any teenagers think that smoking is cool.

People smoke in films all the time. Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s character in “The Ides of March” – a character who happens to be a political consultant very much like Block, as a matter of fact – smokes multiple cigarettes in the film. People smoke on TV all the time. Just ask the cast members on “Jersey Shore.”

Yes, that’s right, this is the second column about Herman Cain that’s contained a comparison between his campaign and “Jersey Shore.” I’m not sure who should be more offended, Cain or Snooki.

But whether we admit it or not, Snooki is more of an icon to the youth of America than Mark Block will ever be. Few people knew who he was before this ad went viral, and fewer will probably be able to recognize him a week from now. So is the fact that he smoked a cigarette on camera that big of a deal?

Of course it’s not. It’s his choice to smoke. He’s not encouraging anyone else to smoke, but he’s also not hurting anyone other than himself.

Our society is so set on interfering in everyone else’s lives that you can no longer smoke anywhere … evidently even outside if you’re on camera.

This fits into a bigger picture of smoking being banned pretty much everywhere. New York City recently banned smoking in certain areas outside.

Chicago’s pot dilemma: Should marijuana users just be ticketed?

2011-11-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

Every pot smoker — the kid down the street, your neighbor with the nice house, the co-worker in the next cubicle — has a “guy.”

That guy has a guy, who has a guy, who has a guy.

The top marijuana guys — Mexico’s murderous drug cartels — are responsible for most of the pot sold on Chicago street corners. They’ve even started growing it in Wisconsin’s North Woods.

In recent years, another top “guy” has come to town: weed growers in Colorado and California licensed to supply the medical marijuana dispensaries operating in those states. They sell their surplus in Chicago and other places where the drug is illegal.

For those guys, Chicago is a dangerous place. They might wind up in prison, or even dead.

But their customers — dime-bag dealers and pot smokers — don’t have much to fear from the criminal justice system here. For them, weed has been essentially decriminalized, the Chicago Sun-Times has found.

Last year, Chicago Police officers arrested more than 23,000 people on misdemeanor marijuana charges, and most of those cases were dropped. From 2006 through 2010, cases for possession of less than 2.5 grams of marijuana were dismissed 97 percent of the time. Eighty-four percent of pot possession cases involving 2.5 grams to 10 grams were tossed out of court; and 57 percent involving 10 to 30 grams met the same end, according to the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court.

On Oct. 14, Cook County prosecutors did a spot check of marijuana cases at a branch court at Kedzie and Harrison. There were 15 new petty pot cases that came before the judge. Every case got dropped.

So far, there isn’t a politician proposing weaker penalties for the top marijuana guys. But local leaders and law-enforcement authorities are looking for a more practical punishment for the 100 to 150 people facing petty pot cases every day in Cook County.

Last week, several Chicago aldermen proposed an ordinance that would allow cops to write tickets to people caught with small amounts of pot. Behind the scenes, police and prosecutors have been quietly considering a similar solution.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. — with more than 17 million regular users in 2010, a 20 percent jump over just three years, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

With so many pot smokers out there, proposals to lessen criminal penalties for minor marijuana possession are “a step in the right direction,” said Dan Linn, a regular pot smoker and head of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

In Chicago the question remains: Is Mayor Rahm Emanuel willing to be the guy to take that step?

Poll shows near split on cigarette taxes

2011-10-26T03:17:00.000-07:00

Taxation of cigarette sales on Native American reservations is an issue on which voters appear to be almost evenly split.

That may be a sign that the perennial issue simply isn't that important to them, said pollster Larry Harris, principal of Mason Dixon Polling & Research of Washington, D.C. Issues such as the state of the economy and jobs reveal greater attachment, he suggested.

Among respondents in the Voice of the Voter poll, 46 percent support the state's efforts to collect taxes on reservation sales of cigarettes to non-Native Americans, while 50 percent said they oppose it and 4 percent were undecided.

At first glance, those results suggest there's been a shift in thought. In the 2010 Voice of the Voter poll, 53 percent of voters polled supported the state's efforts, just 40 percent opposed them, and 7 percent were undecided.

But Harris said when the poll's margin for error of 4.5 percent is taken into account, the opinion shift is really minimal.

"You wouldn't say there's been a whipsaw in political opinion. It was never overwhelmingly supported nor is it now overwhelmingly opposed," Harris said. "It's not a top-of-mind issue with folks."

Indeed, among a handful of poll participants queried about the issue, several were unaware of or dismissive of details such as federal treaties with native Nations that would seem to prohibit or at least hinder the state's ability to collect taxes.

"I want to help the Indians but I also think we need their tax money," said Dolores Sibs, a retired teacher and Greece resident who described herself as "over 70."

"This is new times now and you have to go with the situations of the times," Sibs said. "There's a lot of these grandfather clauses that have to be changed."

Court stops MMDA smoking ban

2011-10-26T03:15:00.000-07:00

A Mandaluyong City trial court has issued a writ of preliminary injunction against the Metro Manila Development Authority(MMDA)'s anti-smoking campaign in Metro Manila.

In a six-page order handed down on Tuesday, Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court(RTC) Branch 21 Judge Carlos Valenzuela enjoined MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino and those persons acting within his authority to stop from arresting persons who will be caught smoking in public places along major and secondary roads in the metropolis and places not listed in Republic Act No. 9211(Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003).

The injunctive writ stays until the court lifts it or until the pending case filed by a certain Antony Clemente and several smokers arrested by virtue of the campaign is decided.

"[P]ending the determination of whether or not the respondent MMDA has valid authority to implement RA 9211, there is an obvious and imperative need for preliminary injunction, a provisional measure to prevent or restrain in the meantime the MMDA to implement its Smoking Ban in open areas not covered by the definition of public places in RA 9211 so that its implementation may not render moot and academic the main issue in this case," the order read.

Section 5 of RA No. 9211 "absolutely" prohibits smoking in the following public places:
a. Centers of youth activity such as playschools, preparatory schools, elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities, youth hostels, and recreational facilities for persons under eighteen (18) years old;
b. Elevator and stairwells;
c. Location in which fire hazards are present, including gas stations and storage areas for flammable liquids, gas, explosives or combustible materials;
d. Within the buildings and premises of public and private hospitals. Medical, dental, and optical clinics, health centers, nursing homes, dispensaries and laboratories;
e. Public conveyance and public facilities including airport and ship terminals and train and bus stations, restaurant and conference halls, except for separate smoking areas; and
f. Food preparation areas.

The court stated that the bond in the amount of P100,000 earlier posted by petitioners for the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the court in August shall suffice as the bond for the injunctive writ.

The MMDA has recorded 8,427 violators, 7,878 of whom are male, and 549, female, as of September 21. In spite of the TRO, the MMDA continued the campaign arguing that the restraining order only barred the agency from apprehending violators in places not covered by RA No. 9211.

Violators were fined P500 on first offense while those who cannot afford to pay the fine were obliged to render an eight-hour community service.

Blood test 'could measure smokers' heart risk'

2011-10-26T03:14:00.000-07:00

A blood test could be used to measure a smoker's danger of heart disease, researchers have found.

Levels of a lung protein found in the blood of smokers could indicate their risk of dangerous plaque build-up in blood vessels, according to a study published in journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Researchers were able to determine the amount of circulating pulmonary surfactant B (SP-B), a protein which is found in damaged lung cells, in the study.

It was found that smokers who had higher levels of SP-B also had more build-up of dangerous plaque in the aorta.

"We now are close to having a blood test to help measure the smoking-related effects that contribute to atherosclerotic heart disease," said Dr Anand Rohatgi, co-lead author of the study.

"Smoking is one of the biggest contributors to the development of heart disease."

In other news, a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology has found that increasing the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cuts the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Recurrent Depression Linked to Poor Resiliency, Smoking

2011-10-26T03:06:00.000-07:00

A new Canadian study discovers that previous depression, daily smoking and a lack of control over life circumstances are risk factors for repeat episodes of depression.

Depression is a common disorder and can be associated with weight and dietary control, pain and inattention to other health issues. According to the authors, about 65 percent of people with depression have repeat episodes.

In the study, researchers studied 585 adults from Statistics Canada’s National Population Health Survey who had suffered depression in 2000/01.

Of the patients, 65 percent were women with an average age of 38.5 years. Interestingly, 82 percent of the depressed individuals were in the middle- to high-income bracket.

More than half the patients had one or more episodes of depression in the following six years.

The researchers found that age, sex and income were not associated with future depressive episodes but that daily smoking and difficulty mastering life circumstances were associated with long-term depression.

Mastery is the sense that people have control over their lives and their circumstances. In this study, high levels of mastery appeared to be protective against further depression.

“History of depression is a well-known clinical indicator of future depressive episodes; however, smoking and mastery are more novel prognostic factors that are not well accounted for in current clinical practice,” said lead researcher Ian Colman, Ph.D.

“Future research should evaluate the benefits of including smoking cessation and mastery in existing clinical guidelines for the treatment of depression.”

Norway anti-smoking debate puffs along

2011-10-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

Last week’s proposal, leaked by Dagsavisen before Minister of Health and Care Services Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen had even so much issued a statement, called for abolishing smoking in outside serving areas, educational and medical establishments, and entrances to public buildings.
The ‘smoke-free Norway’ minister’s measures add to an already restrictive practise of a ban on indoor smoking, tightened sales controls, and other proposals to further curb young peoples’ access to tobacco products.
Tobacco giant Philip Morris is suing the Norwegian state under EEA anti-competition laws.

Anti-smoker Dagfinn Høybråten, leader of the Christian Democrats (KrF) who successfully introduced current Norwegian legislation, agrees smoking should be banned to eliminate children being at risk from passive smoking. However, he kicks the threatened anti-smoking extension for going too far.
“The Tobacco Law applies indoors and not outside. I’m sceptical to banning smoking in outdoor serving areas. There is a choice to go inside, after all,” he said.
Accusing the nanny state of going too far, Conservative (H) MP Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, a former and now occasional party smoker, declared, “it must be okay, for example, to smoke in outside serving areas and people should display common good manners, but there are limits to what can be micromanaged.”
Social Democratic Party (SV) politicians announce, this week, they will not be supporting some the government’s proposals.
“We agree to sending these to Hearing, but have made it clear to the Minister of Health and Care Services [Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen that we cannot condone all of these measures, amongst others, banning smoking in homes for the elderly. Vetoing smoking for elderly people makes no sense,” says Geir-Ketil Hansen.

More organisations should ban smoking on their grounds

2011-10-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

I refer to the letters by Ms Coral Ang, "The no-smoking path" (Oct 17), and Mr Muhammad Haziq Jani, "The no-smoking path is Utopia" (Oct 18).

Like Ms Ang, I am in favour of smoking being banned completely at certain public places. Perhaps Mr Muhammad Haziq has not heard of passive smoking. Just to breath in cigarette smoke from someone puffing away in close proximity is detrimental to one's health.

While denying work permits or citizenship to smokers may sound too extreme, it may help if there are more rules as to which places are okay for smoking. For example, should smoking while walking be allowed?

As an ex-student of SIM University, I was happy to read in its newsletter that smoking has been banned entirely in its campus.

Others should follow suit and lead by example, to prevent more people from suffering unwittingly from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, as many go undiagnosed. I would therefore agree that smoking requires more regulation.

Smoking Linked to Earlier Menopause

2011-10-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

Women who smoke may hit menopause about a year earlier than those who don't light up, according to a study that also notes an earlier menopause may influence the risk of getting bone and heart diseases.
The study, which was carried in the journal Menopause, pooled data from several previous studies that included about 6,000 women in the United States, Poland, Turkey and Iran.
Non-smokers hit menopause between age 46 and 51, on average. But in all but two of the studies, smokers were younger when they hit menopause, between 43 and 50 overall.
During menopause, a woman's ovaries stop producing eggs and she can no longer get pregnant.
"Our results give further evidence that smoking is significantly associated with earlier (age at menopause) and provide yet another justification for women to avoid this habit," wrote study author Volodymyr Dvornyk, from the University of Hong Kong.
Dvornyk and his colleagues also analysed five other studies that used a cut-off age of 50 or 51 to group women into "early" and "late" menopause. Out of more than 43,000 women in that analysis, women who smoked were 43 percent more likely than nonsmokers to have early menopause.
Both early and late menopause have been linked to health risks. Women who hit menopause late, for instance, are thought to be at higher risk of breast cancer because one risk factor for the disease is more time exposed to estrogen.
"General consensus is that earlier menopause is likely to be associated with the larger number and higher risk of postmenopausal health problems, such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and others," Dvornyk told Reuters Health in an email.
Overall, he added, early menopause is also thought to slightly raise a woman's risk of death in the years following.
There are two theories for why smoking might mean earlier menopause, said Jennie Kline, an epidemiologist from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York.
Smoking make have an effect on how women's bodies make, or get rid of, estrogen.
lternatively, some researchers believe certain components of cigarette smoke might kill eggs, added Kline, who was not involved in the study.
Dvornyk's team did not have information on how long women had been smoking or how many cigarettes they smoked each day, so his team could not determine how either of those factors may have affected age at menopause.
For that reason, and a lack of data on other health and lifestyle factors linked to menopause, the analysis may not be enough to resolve lingering questions on the link between smoking and menopause, they said.
Alcohol, weight and whether or not women have given birth may each also play a role in when they hit menopause, but the evidence for everything other than smoking has been mixed, Kline said.
It is also possible that the same factors that influence age at menopause may determine whether women have trouble with infertility or not, or how late they can get pregnant.
Still, Kline said, "There are way better reasons to stop smoking than worrying about menopause."

City official looking into smoking ban signs

2011-10-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

Signs may soon be in place warning residents of a smoking ban at City of Bartlesville park facilities, according to interim Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Beeman.

An administrative policy to ban smoking within 50 feet of various city park facilities was approved by the Bartlesville Park Board in May.

Beeman said she has checked into getting signs and is going to be looking at the Parks and Recreation Department budget before ordering the signs.

"It's like 600, 700 dollars to get the signs done," Beeman said Monday. "But yes, there will be signs up and hopefully very soon."

The policy prohibits smoking within 50 feet around city-owned playgrounds, play courts, play fields and all bleachers and stands used by spectators at public events and within the fenced confines of a recreation facility or Doenges Memorial Park Stadium.

At the time of the policy's approval, smoking was already not permitted within the city's pool facilities or at the stadium.

Kids of smoking moms more likely to need mental health treatment

2011-10-19T06:09:00.001-07:00

Need yet another reason to quit smoking? If you are pregnant, or thinking about getting pregnant, you know that cigarettes are incredibly harmful to your health and the health of your growing baby. Prenatal smoking has been linked to a host of physical ailments for babies such as delayed fetal growth, respiratory dysfunction and behavioral problems. But did you also know that smoking while pregnant can harm your child's mental health?

According to a new study, children born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy were more likely than those born to nonsmoking moms to take medications for mental disorders. The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology, compared the mental health diagnoses of 187,000 children born between 1987 and 1989 in Finland and considered their mothers' smoking habits during pregnancy.

Not only did the researchers find a connection between prenatal smoking and the child's mental health treatment, but they also found that the more a mother smoked, the more her children used medications. Kids who were exposed to more than 10 cigarettes per day in the womb required longer continuous use of medications to treat mental disorders. Higher cigarette exposure was also linked to an increased use of multiple drugs by the same individual.

The most common prescriptions were for antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs.

School district to vote on banning smoking on all school properties

2011-10-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

It might soon be easier for people to pack heat at the Palm Beach County School District's headquarters than it will be to break open a pack of Parliament Light 100s.

The Palm Beach County School Board will vote on two proposed policy updates at Wednesday's school board meeting governing where firearms will be allowed on school district property and where people can smoke.

The new tobacco policy, which would take effect Jan. 1, would ban all smoking or use of other tobacco products by anyone, including parents and employees, anywhere on any district-owned property or school-sanctioned event. Currently district policy allows adults to smoke outdoors at school campuses and other district properties if they are at least 50 feet away from a building exit, said Dianne Howard, district director of risk and benefit management.

Legislators earlier this year amended a state law to allow a complete ban of smoking anywhere on school district property. At least one major public school district, Orange County Public Schools, has already enforced the new ban.

"We're hoping some employees will find it more difficult to smoke and really buckle down on quitting," Howard said.

Earlier this year, the district created a tobacco surcharge for employees charging them an extra $50 per month for health insurance if they did not sign an affidavit swearing they did not use tobacco. Howard said 1,500 employees either said they did smoke or never returned any affidavit and were thus considered tobacco users and charged the extra $50.

Howard said banning smoking anywhere on campus also sets a good example for students if they don't see adults smoking at school.

Tony Hernandez, executive director of the Classroom Teachers Association union that represents roughly 12,000 teachers in the district, said he had not received any complaints from employees about the proposed smoking ban. With smoking being banned at restaurants, parks and many public places, Hernandez said he is not surprised to see the district banning it on school property.

"That's the way things are headed," he said.

Audrey Silk, of the New York City-based Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment smoking rights group, said banning smoking even outdoors on college campus has started to become more common . She called the move part of an ongoing effort by anti-smoking groups to try to slowly try to outlaw smoking e.

"They've been working on this, and I give them credit for it, for over 30 years," Silk said. "This is the point in their incrementalism that they are up to. They've reached the outdoors now."

The firearms update, which would take effect immediately, simply makes the district's weapons policy match a new state law that took effect Oct. 1. That law says local governments cannot make laws on where firearms can be carried that are more restrictive than state laws.

Current district policy prohibits possessing firearms or having them in a car on any school district property. State law specifically allows banning guns on school buses, at any "schools" defined as elementary, middle, high schools or career centers and bans guns at school board meetings.

Weapons will still be banned from those areas under the new district policy, said Elizabeth McBride, the school district's senior counsel.

But McBride said that under state law, certain facilities such as the Fulton-Holland Education Services Center on Forest Hill Boulevard, where district administrative offices are housed, are not considered "schools" and the district does not have the right to ban firearms there - except for during school board meetings.

The City of West Palm Beach went through a similar debate recently when Mayor Jeri Muoio received criticism from gun rights activists after she tried to ban firearms from city hall. Muoio eventually changed her ruling and allowed people to carry firearms in city hall.

Smoking similar to cystic fibrosis: Research

2011-10-13T03:04:00.000-07:00

Smoking cigarettes is a lot like having cystic fibrosis when it comes to how it affects your lungs.

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening disease caused by the improper movement of salt and water in the cells lining the lungs. It causes a thick mucus to form in the lungs, where bacteria gets trapped. Those bacteria are able to thrive in the mucus, sometimes causing fatal infections.

That's also what happens to your lungs when you smoke cigarettes, according to new research from the Cystic Fibrosis/Pulmonary Research and Treatment Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The researchers tested cigarette smoke on human subjects and lab-grown cells in an attempt to find out how smoke affects a protein called CFTR, which helps keep the lungs hydrated. They found lungs exposed to cigarette smoke experience a 60% decrease in the essential protein.

They also exposed human lung cells to either cigarette smoke or clean air. The smokers' lungs showed significantly lower liquid levels than those exposed to air.

"We hope this study will highlight the importance of airway hydration in terms of lung health and that it will help provide a road map for the development of novel therapies for the treatment of smoking-related lung disease," said researcher Robert Tarran.

"But the bottom line remains: The most effective treatment for smoker's cough, or worse, is to quit smoking, now," noted Dr. Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of The FASEB Journal, where the study appeared.

Numerical error downs Anti-Smoking Act

2011-10-13T03:03:00.000-07:00

A numerical error in the text of the Tobacco Products Control Act of 2010 has effectively terminated the Ministry of Health and Social Services’ short term plans to implement strict anti-smoking legislation to protect society against the health hazards associated with smoking in public. Informanté has it on good authority that Section 2 of the Act makes provision for the appointment of “twelve” members of a Tobacco Products Control Committee, but Section 3 (1) of the Act states the total members to be “thirteen”.
The Chief of Health Programs in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Brendon Maloboka, confirmed last week Friday that the Ministry will now rectify this oversight by means of an amendment to the Tobacco Products Control Act, but when this legal process will be completed remains unknown. Maloboka is also on record that the regulations to determine the practical and administrative application of the Act are also not yet finalised.
“I can’t tell. There are still many things. We are waiting for the regulations and related amendments,” Maloboka reacted when he was contacted by Informanté. When asked to be more specific with regard to amendments, Maloboka explained that the term “twelve” needs to be replaced by the term “thirteen” where references to the number of members of the Tobacco Products Control Committee appear. This was the only specific example he mentioned.
“We are busy through the legal department of the Ministry of Health and Social Services to draw up an amendment Act. Once completed it will be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice,” Maloboka explained. Only then can the Amendment Act be tabled in the National Assembly by Health Minister Richard Kamwi.

HPD identifies car in cigarette burglaries

2011-10-13T03:02:00.000-07:00

The Hartselle Police Department has identified the owner of a Chevrolet Lumina that has been linked to three burglaries of Murphy USA gas station at Walmart this year.
Surveillance video from the gas station showed two unknown suspects driving a Chevrolet Lumina during three of the burglaries.

Police believe this vehicle is owned by Tanika Masha Banks, 31, from the Birmingham area. Banks is the registered owner of a blue 1997 Chevrolet Lumina bearing Alabama tag 1B37T41.

The Murphy USA gas station on U.S. 31 has been burglarized four times since December 2010. In all four incidents, the suspects stole large quantities of cigarettes from the business. The total loss for the business in is excess of $15,000.

Similar incidents have occurred at the Murphy USA in Arab. Cullman Police believes the same suspects may be responsible for a burglary of a tobacco store in its city.

Cigarette vending machines banned in England

2011-10-13T02:55:00.000-07:00

The sale of tobacco from vending machines has been banned in England, with anyone caught selling cigarettes in machines facing a fine of £2,500.

The Department of Health said the ban had been introduced to prevent under-age sales to children and to support adults who were trying to quit.

The rest of the UK is expected to implement a similar ban next year.

Some pub landlords say it is a further threat to a livelihood that has already been damaged by the smoking ban.

But Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation have welcomed the move.

According to the Department of Health, nearly all adult smokers started smoking before they turned 18.

'Unsupervised'
Of the children who regularly smoke, 11% buy their cigarettes from vending machines.

It is also estimated that 35 million cigarettes are sold illegally through vending machines to children every year.

Under the new rules, pub landlords will still be able to sell cigarettes from behind the bar but they must ensure all tobacco advertising on vending machines is removed. Any person found guilty of displaying cigarette adverts on a vending machine could face imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of £5,000, or both.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said smoking was "one of the biggest and most stubborn challenges in public health", with more than eight million people in England still smoking, causing more than 80,000 deaths each year.

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When [smokers have] got to stand in the street and they can't even buy their cigarettes in the pub, then where is it left? There's no point in them going to a pub. ”

Bill Sharp
Pub landlord
He said: "Cigarette vending machines are often unsupervised, making it easy for children to purchase cigarettes from them.

"The ban on cigarette sales from vending machines will protect children by making cigarettes less accessible to them - we want to do everything we can to encourage young people not to start smoking in the first place."

Jo Butcher, the National Children's Bureau's programme director of health and wellbeing, welcomed the ban and said a person's lifetime smoking or non-smoking behaviour was "heavily influenced" by decisions in their adolescence.

"Children and young people tell us that external influences make it even more difficult for them to choose healthier lifestyles.

"It's essential that we create environments that improve health and tobacco legislation is an important part of public health protection and promotion," she said.

Protection
Charities have also welcomed the ban.

Betty McBride, director of policy and communications at the British Heart Foundation, said thousands of children at risk of this "deadly addiction" regularly got tobacco from vending machines, "which conveniently don't ask them to prove their age".

"These children are often blissfully unaware of the damage smoking does to their health and, by the time they realise, they're hooked.

"Scrapping these machines cuts off an easy source of tobacco for existing young smokers and makes it harder for a new generation to start.

"We're encouraging landlords to remove machines completely now so they - and any left-over branding - don't act as dusty old adverts for tobacco," she said.

Eileen Streets, director of tobacco control at the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said she hoped the ban would play a "significant part in stopping many children becoming the next generation of lung cancer victims".

Other measures
Jean King, of Cancer Research UK, added: "Tobacco kills half of all long-term users and is responsible for one in four cancer deaths.

"Cancer Research UK is determined to protect children from tobacco marketing and through our Out of Sight Out of Mind campaign we are continuing to work for legislation to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes."

But the British Beer and Pub Association described the ban as "an unnecessary measure".

A spokesman said the machines were there for the convenience of adult customers, and that the association did not believe they played a role in childhood smoking.

Although cigarettes can be sold by bar staff, the spokesman said many pubs would not opt to introduce that, as it raised issues about having a "high-value" item behind the bar and interfered with serving drinks.

One London pub landlord, Bill Sharp, said the ban was another "nail in the coffin" of his livelihood.

"I can understand them removing it from public places because that's a view, a health issue, call it what you will.

"But when [smokers have] got to stand in the street and they can't even buy their cigarettes in the pub, then where is it left? There's no point in them going to a pub. They going remove real ale from pubs next?"

Other measures to protect young people from the dangers of smoking are also on the way.

In April 2012, large retailers in England and Scotland will have to get rid of all tobacco displays. Small shops will be expected to comply from April 2015.

Wales and Northern Ireland plan to implement similar regulations.

The government is also due to begin a public consultation before the end of the year on whether to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes in order to lessen their marketing appeal to young people, help make health warnings more effective and help reduce the number of smokers.

Chinese resist campaign to stub out cigarettes at weddings

2011-10-06T03:51:00.000-07:00

HEALTH EXPERTS and tobacco control officers in China have started pushing the notion of tobacco-free weddings as part of the country’s anti-smoking drive, but are struggling to convince people not to light up at wedding parties.

About 300 million adults in China smoke and 540 million people of all ages are affected by second-hand smoke, according to industry estimates quoted by the Xinhua news agency.

More than half of Chinese men smoke (including almost half of all male doctors) and 2.4 per cent of women, although that figure is rising.

The smoking ban introduced by the health ministry in March has been fairly successful.

It is remarkable to notice how China has been transformed almost overnight from a place clouded in cigarette smoke into a relatively smoke-free environment.

However, as smoking is so much a part of the cultural norm, it is proving difficult to get people not to light up at weddings.

At a typical wedding, each place setting is completed with a packet of cigarettes alongside a bottle of baijiu (white spirit).

The bride moves through the tables, lighting up the cigarettes of male guests and pouring a shot of baijiu.

“Prohibiting smoking in wedding receptions is an effective way of raising public awareness,” Lu Yajuan, the head of the tobacco control project for Shanghai’s disease control and prevention centre, told Xinhua.

Mr Lu said the centre started to recruit volunteer couples-to-be early this year to hold tobacco-free weddings, but just a few of the 200 couples it reached promised to hold non-smoking ceremonies.

“So there remains a lot to do to make tobacco-free weddings a popular practice in our country.”

A big problem is that while young couples were aware of the dangers of smoking and backed anti-smoking rules, their parents were less enthusiastic, and few couples wanted to have tobacco-free weddings as they were worried about losing face or alienating their parents.

In just two cases were receptions held without cigarettes: one in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, where the couple donated the 2,800 yuan (€330) saved to a charity for children, and the other in Zhaoyuan in Shandong province.

Suspect wanted for stealing cigarettes

2011-10-06T03:45:00.000-07:00

Chesapeake police are asking for the public's assistance in locating a suspect wanted for stealing from convenience stores.

Police said on September 11, a suspect entered a convenience store located in the 3900 block of Portsmouth Boulevard and removed several cartons of cigarettes from the counter without paying for them.

On September 14, police said a similar incident occurred at another convenience store located in the 2900 block of Yadkin Road.

In both incidents, the suspect was seen leaving in a white 4-door Hyundai.

HPV More Dangerous Than Cigarettes in Throat Cancer

2011-10-06T03:42:00.000-07:00

HPV, the same virus known to cause cervical cancer in women, may be more harmful in the development of throat cancer than cigarettes. According to a study published yesterday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers found a sharp increase in HPV related throat tumors over the last 20 years (1984-2004). Researchers examined 271 tissue samples from throat tumors that were collected over 20 years and discovered that 16 percent of older tissues samples tested positive for HPV, while 72 percent of recent samples were HPV positive.

How Does HPV Cause Throat Cancer? Why the Increase?

HPV is spread through sexual, skin-to-skin contact. Contrary to popular belief, no intercourse in necessary for the virus to be transmitted. Researchers believe the increase of HPV-postive throat cancers is related to oral sex, a sexual practice that has increased over the past two decades. The number of people infected with HPV has likely risen, as well. The change in sexual behavior combined with the increasing number of HPV infected people is why we are seeing this increase.

Research focusing on HPV related throat cancer is not a new concept, but these findings, showing such a drastic increase are paramount. In light of the the new findings, HPV surpasses tobacco as the primary cause for throat cancer.

Shops are warned over cigarette sale

2011-09-19T03:09:00.000-07:00

CALDERDALE businesses have been reminded it will be illegal to sell tobacco products from vending machines from October 1.

The change is the first of several being made to the way tobacco products are to be sold in England, including limited circumstances where tobacco products can be legally displayed with effect from 6 April 2012.

The Government wants to drive down the prevalence of smoking, particularly the sale of tobacco products to underage smokers, over the next five years.

As part of the drive, West Yorkshire Trading Standards carried out a week of test purchasing from cigarette vending machines in pubs and hotels.

Out of the 38 premises visited, 63 per cent were non-compliant with underage sales laws and on only three occasions was the test purchaser challenged and a sale prevented.

Current legislation makes it an offence to sell tobacco products to persons under the age of 18, including from a vending machine.

Graham Hebblethwaite, Chief Officer of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, said: “There is a big change in the law in this area and will effectively ban the sale of cigarettes from vending machines. Premises with a cigarette machine will need to take steps in the next three weeks to ensure they comply with the new law. We will be undertaking some test purchase visits, in the forthcoming months to check compliance.”

Calderdale councillor Conrad Winterburn (Lib-Dem, Greetland and Stainland) , deputy chairman of the Trading Standards Committee, said: “This law will remove one of children’s favourite supply lines for cigarettes, and, in turn will help to improve the health of young people.”

Cigarette sale sparks St. John's arrest

2011-09-19T03:07:00.000-07:00

Police in St. John's believe they solved a gas station break-in and theft quickly early Monday thanks to video surveillance footage and a tip from the public saying a man was trying to sell cigarettes by the carton downtown.

They put that anonymous call together with video from shortly after midnight which showed a couple of people breaking into the Esso station on Kenmount Road and taking a large quantity of cigarettes.

The result: a man, 30, and a woman, 36, were arrested.

Police seized their van and recovered Vogue cigarettes, but they're not saying how many cartons were stolen.

The man and woman are facing charges of breaches of court orders and public mischief. Both were scheduled to make a court appearance Monday.

Big tobacco uses The Castle in legal blue

2011-09-19T03:05:00.000-07:00

BIG tobacco says the federal government's plan to ban company branding on cigarette packs is as unjust as the commonwealth's attempt to acquire Darryl Kerrigan's home in the Australian film The Castle.
British American Tobacco Australia has told a Senate inquiry that Labor's plain-packaging legislation is badly drafted and unfair.
Top silk Allan Myers QC said the draft laws would "extinguish the most valuable uses of trademarks" without compensation.
"If the parliament wants to enact plain-packaging legislation, it's pretty simple - they face up to the fact that they're taking people's property away and pay for it," Mr Myers told the committee hearing in Canberra.
"The trademark in a broad sense is being appropriated for the benefit of the commonwealth.
"The acquisition of property simply doesn't refer to marching in and taking someone's house like in The Castle or some film."
But other legal experts, including officials from the attorney-general's and health departments, disagree.
Melbourne University law professor Simon Evans essentially told Mr Myers he was dreaming.
Prof Evans agreed trademarks were considered property under section 51(xxxi) of the constitution and they could not be acquired without just compensation.
But he argued the commonwealth was not acquiring the brands but rather restricting their use.
Prof Evans also drew on Darryl Kerrigan's fictional battle to make his point.
"It's not like The Castle where the commonwealth gets the benefit of the house in order to operate the airport," the academic said.
"On current authority there is very little prospect that the High Court would conclude that the plain-packaging legislation effects an acquisition of those property rights."
Prof Evans said there was "very little risk" big tobacco would win a High Court challenge because there was no transfer of property and the government would not use the trade mark.
Health department general counsel Chris Reid agreed.
"The department is quite confident here that there would not be an acquisition of property," he said.
Australian National University law professor Matthew Rimmer told Tuesday's hearing the same argument applied in relation to international intellectual property rights agreements.
The Gillard government wants all cigarettes to be sold in drab olive-brown packs from mid-2012.
It has two bills before parliament to make that happen: the main legislation and an associated bill to amend the Trade Marks Act.
Both have already passed the lower house and are expected to sail through the Senate with the support of the Greens.
BATA has said it will challenge the laws, once passed, in court.

Philip Morris International: Attractive, Undervalued Growth Stock

2011-09-19T03:03:00.000-07:00

Philip Morris International, Inc. (PM) is a leading cigarette maker that distributes its products outside of the United States. The company was spun off from the Altria Group (MO) in March 2008 in order to avoid the deleterious effects of ongoing legislation against the tobacco industry. For years now, the industry has been a favorite whipping boy for its increasing revenues. I believe the split from Altria Group has already been favorable for PMI and not yet fully appreciated by the market. I further believe that years of aggressive consumer rights lobbying have resulted in the unintended consequence of creating high barriers to entry that deny competition and product improvement.

And yet we still know Philip Morris for its famous brand name cigarettes: Marlboro, Longbeach, L&M, Parliament, and the always sexy Virginia Slims. What we might not be familiar with is that Philip Morris International has carved out a lucrative international market and sells its products entirely outside of the United States. PMI is a $120B market-cap company, while the parent it was spun off from (Philip Morris USA of the Altria Group) is less than half that at $56B.

Since PMI became its own separate company in March 2008, shareholder value has increased by around 39% while the Altria Group has gone up by around 21%. During the same time period, the S&P has been down approximately 12.1%

Several factors are driving value creation for the leading cigarette maker. First, the company sells its products in more than 180 nations with total shipment around $900B for 2010, a 4.1% increase from the preceding year. It sells local brand cigarettes in each country: Sampoerna A, Dji Sam Soe, and Sampoerna Hijau in Indonesia and Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in Russia, to name just a few. Indonesia and Russia make up PMI's largest markets. While local brands help retain a strong marketing appeal, international cigarettes continue to represent a large portion of sales at 70%. The biggest brand-name product, Marlboro, makes up 33% of shipment volume for the company.

In the vast majority of the nations PMI sells to, it is either the number 1 or number 2 producer in terms of market share. Another reason why I am bullish on this stock is because it operates in emerging markets and is gaining a foothold there to lock out competition. While tobacco companies are intensely regulated when it comes to marketing in the United States, they are comparatively lightly regulated abroad. This presents an opportunity for PMI to create loyal customers before the competition does. Philip Morris is in the perfect position now to attract a market that has historically been loyal to first purchase brands.

Moreover, many of the nations the firm markets its products to have emerging economies. Asia, in particular, will drive growth in the future. Philip Morris has a market share of around 16% in the $5.6 trillion international cigarette market. The company is growing in Indonesia, Korea, Colombia, Serbia, the Philippines, among many others.

Salem State students return to a smoke-free campus

2011-09-13T02:08:00.000-07:00

The evening before classes started at Salem State University, a steady stream of students — several of whom were smoking cigarettes — walked down Lafayette Street toward the White Dove Market.

“Here we are like almost in the middle of campus, there’s always young customers and they are outside,” said the market’s owner Rabih Chaghouri, who estimated that 35 percent of the students who frequent his store buy cigarettes at about $.8.25 a pack. “They are not allowed to smoke in the dorm rooms so they just hang out and smoke out there.”

The number of students smoking in front of his store is likely to increase now that the school’s three campuses officially went tobacco free as of Sept. 1, joining more than 500 other colleges nationwide in instituting smoke-free policies on campus.

“It sucks,” freshman Stephen Cribben, 18, said between drags as he walked down Lafayette Street with a group of friends. “We’re not going to be able to smoke cigarettes while we’re walking between each class. We’ll have to take a break and go off campus to smoke. Everyone going to college is 18 so we should have the right to smoke.

“They said it’s disturbing to people but they are the ones who are disturbing smokers. They disrespect people who smoke.”

Salem State spokeswoman Karen Cady said the first day of classes went smoothly with regard to the smoking ban because the school spent a year preparing students and faculty for the change, offering free smoking cessation programs and easy access to pharmaceutical aids.

“I personally didn’t see anyone smoking [yesterday] because there was a year-long heads up,” she said. “The fact that it’s now in place is almost a non event.”

University officials sent surveys two years ago to all 11,000 students and faculty asking them about their attitudes towards smoking and received 1,200 responses. Three-quarters of the respondents said they were exposed to smoking on campus at least once a month, and one-quarter said they had respiratory conditions, such as asthma, which can be exacerbated from second-hand smoke exposure.

Nearly 40 percent of the respondents objected to the stronger smoking rules, while nearly 60 percent reported that their experience on campus was negatively affected by smokers. Clearly, those who took the time to fill out the survey had strong opinions on smoking, Cady pointed out, which may or may not be representative of the student body as a whole.

Student Government Association President Richard Moylan said it will take a few weeks for the student body to fully feel the weight of the new policy. He said they didn’t take a stand on the policy one way or the other before now because the student surveys indicated that the student body was split on the issue.

“We won’t get the full flavor until next week,” he said on Tuesday. “If we get a lot of complaints that’s when we’ll take a stand. This is a commuter school and the students don’t realize what’s happening till it affects them. Then we’ll hear complains, definitely strong complaints."

Moylan said if enough students complain they will lobby the administration for smoking zones on campus. He said the SGA also worries that it is unsafe for students to cross the street to smoke and that the neighborhood’s residents will complain about students smoking in front of their homes.

Cady said the administration would be open to smoking zones if the SGA lobbies for them. She said everything about the policy “is subject to review and evaluation” but added that the school thought going cold turkey would make a greater statement.

“The decision was made that we would be a completely tobacco-free campus,” she said. “A lot of it was about education. The fact is we all know smoking is hazardous not only to the smoker but anyone near them. A lot of the point is to send the message that smoking is bad for you. As an educational institution that’s our job.”

When asked how the university planned to enforce the new rules, Cady said, “Initially very gently. No fines will be instituted. We’ll use a reminder approach.”

While smoking outside Bowditch Hall on Tuesday afternoon, freshman Josh Wright said he “respects” the policy but wishes the school would designate areas for smokers.

“I have to throw the butt on the ground because there’s nowhere to throw it,” he said. “That could cause more trash problems and neighbors [to complain.] If were’ going off campus we’re going to be in front of people’s houses and stuff.”

Plenty of students will also be in front of the White Dove Market smoking this fall. But maybe not this winter, Chaghouri said.

"Eventually it will make more people quit and it will definitely affect [my business] a little bit,” he said. “But if the kids don’t quit they will smoke here or there. They are already saying they are going to come here and hang out.”

Plenty of Chaghouri’s customers also come to his store for the pizza, hummus and shwarma sandwiches.

“We have [cigarettes] because people want it and if they don’t buy it here they are going to go someplace else,” said the Lebanon native who quit smoking two years ago. “So basically it might make a small dent in cigarette sales but when they don’t smoke they get hungry and I’m hoping they are going to come and eat.

Hundreds of E-Cigarette Consumers to Convene in Las Vegas

2011-09-13T01:34:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beware of impostors stealing cigarettes, cash

2011-09-13T01:23:00.000-07:00

The California State Board of Equalization warns businesses to beware of impostors pretending to be with the BOE. Several retailers have reported impostors entering businesses, claiming to be with the BOE, asking for information that can be found in another part of the store. Then the impostors steal cash, cigarettes or other tobacco products, the BOE said.
The BOE says there are legitimate reasons for BOE representatives to visit businesses – to verify proper permits and licenses. The agency also reviews records or the business to make sure it is reporting information accurately. The BOE may also collect payments for fees that are due to the agency.
Here’s how to identify a legitimate visit from the BOE. Real employees will:
Identify themselves with BOE identification, and present a BOE business card or other document with legitimate BOE contact information.
Explain the reason for the visit
Verify permits and licenses
Update account information for changes
Educate business owners and answer questions about laws, regulations and reporting requirements
Quickly review business operations compared to reported amounts
Give information on legal rights
Give a receipt if fees are collected for outstanding liabilities or fees owed to the BOE
Give a receipt and detailed inventory for any seized goods, such as cigarettes, which are found to not have taxes paid

Australia first to ban tobacco logos

2011-08-29T05:13:00.000-07:00

Australia is poised to become the first nation to require tobacco products to be sold in plain packages, and other countries will follow suit and crimp earnings of companies like British American Tobacco.

Laws passed by the lower house on Thursday and due in the Senate next month will ban logos and colour variations on cigarette packets.

Packets will have to be olive green and carry health warnings within six months from January 1 next year.

“Other countries will follow,” said Anne Jackson, the chief executive of Ash Australia, a non-profit lobby group funded by Cancer Council Australia and the Heart Foundation. “This is a light shining the way for others to do the same and many countries are already considering it.”

Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced the move last April, along with a 25 percent tobacco tax increase and a A$85 million (R643m) advertising campaign to combat smoking, which the government says kills 15 000 Australians each year. Companies have since introduced their own advertising campaigns and legal actions against the move.

This week British American Tobacco lost an appeal for the release of Australian government documents the company said would help it fight the law. The company plans to ask the Australian High Court to review the ruling.

The company would next take its case to the Parliamentary Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, with a hearing scheduled for September 13, Scott McIntyre, a spokesman for the tobacco company, said.

So far the focus had been on the health aspect of the legislation, he said.

“There are a lot of issues outside of health that have to be looked at,” McIntyre said. “There are serious repercussions here. The tobacco company will pursue the case in courts, seeking billions of dollars in damages, if the law is enacted.”

Smoking costs Australia about A$31 billion a year in health and workplace costs, according to the government.

With 15.1 percent of the population aged 14 or over smoking daily, it was the country’s top drug and preventable health issue, the government said.

“There isn’t any safe amount of tobacco you can smoke,” Roxon told Channel Ten television. “It will kill you eventually and we obviously want to make sure the message is loud and clear.”

The tobacco companies say the bill is a breach of the Australian constitution, since plain packaging exceeds the Commonwealth’s acquisition powers. They said they would seek damages for losing the right to use their trademarks, which they claim the government was seizing illegally.

“This would clearly undermine the value of manufacturers’ trademarks and destroy the goodwill built up over many years in consumer brands,” British American Tobacco said in a June 6 submission to the government. “Plain packaging will frustrate brand identification and consumer choice, making smuggled branded products more acceptable to consumers.”

Tobacco retailers convicted

2011-08-29T05:12:00.000-07:00

AN investigation by western Sydney health officers recently led to the conviction of four retailers for selling tobacco to people under the age 18.
The offenders were fined various amounts up to $700 and now have criminal convictions.

Under the NSW Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2008, it is a criminal offence to sell cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 and the maximum penalty is $11,000.

Population health manager Vicky Sheppeard said three tobacco retailers in the Wentworthville area were convicted and fined along with an Erskine Park business.

"Stopping young people's access to cigarettes is important as most adult smokers start smoking before they are 18," Dr Sheppeard said.

"Research shows if the onset of smoking is delayed beyond the age of 18, people are less likely to become regular smokers. It also shows that nearly half of 11 to 15-year-olds who smoke buy their own cigarettes."

Dr Sheppeard said it was a concern that young people could still easily buy cigarettes.

"We want tobacco retail outlets to know that those who break the law can expect to be prosecuted,"' she said.

Merck, Reynolds, Wells Fargo, BofA, Morgan Stanley, Cordish in Court News

2011-08-29T05:10:00.001-07:00

Merck & Co. doesn’t have to pay a $32 million jury award to the family of former user of the company’s Vioxx painkiller who died of a heart attack, the Texas Supreme Court ruled.
The court said on Aug. 26 that the family of Leonel Garza didn’t produce adequate evidence showing Vioxx caused the heart attack. Merck, the second biggest U.S. drugmaker, agreed in 2007 to pay $4.85 billion to settle thousands of injury claims over the drug.
Lawyers for the Garzas “did not present reliable evidence of general causation and therefore are not entitled to recover against Merck,” the state’s highest court concluded in an 18- page decision.
Kathy Snapka, one of the Garza family’s lawyers, didn’t immediately return a phone call or e-mail seeking comment on the Supreme Court ruling.
Officials of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based Merck pulled Vioxx off the market in 2004 after researchers linked it to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Former users also criticized the company for downplaying the drug’s health risks and manipulating studies to help promote the drug.
Merck officials countered that Vioxx wasn’t the cause of users’ heart attacks and that the company had properly warned doctors and consumers about the painkiller’s risks.
Merck won 11 of the 16 cases over Vioxx that went to trial starting in 2005. Under the November 2007 settlement, Merck excluded some of the cases it lost, including Garza’s, from being included under the accord.
A jury in Rio Grande City, Texas, ruled in April 2006 that Merck failed to warn doctors of Vioxx’s risks and that the drug caused the fatal heart attack of Garza, 71, in 2001. The jury awarded $32 million to Garza’s widow, which Judge Alex Gabert cut to $8.73 million because of a state cap on punitive damages.
“Today’s decision reaffirms that there is simply no reliable scientific evidence that Vioxx caused” Garza’s heart attack, Ted Mayer, a lawyer for Merck, said in an e-mailed statement.

Merck, Reynolds, Wells Fargo, BofA, Morgan Stanley, Cordish in Court News

2011-08-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

Three in court over dropped cigarettes

2011-08-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

SMOKERS who drop used cigarette butts in the city centre have been warned to expect big fines after four litter louts were prosecuted in court.

Four people were fined at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court yesterday for discarding their cigarette butts on the floor in the city centre.

The Peterborough City Council prosecutions came on the same day The Evening Telegraph started the Bin It campaign to keep the city streets clean after highlighting how the £12.8 million new look city centre has been blighted by yobs spitting chewing gum on to the paving stones.

Of the four summoned to appear at court yesterday, only Alessandro Vacca attended.

Vacca (42) of Four Chimneys Crescent, Hampton Vale, pleaded guilty to throwing down a cigarette butt outside Yorkshire Bank near St John’s Square on April 27.

Vacca was fined £100, and ordered to pay £50 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. The three other litter bugs were all found guilty in their absence.

Marian Marko (51) of Cromwell Road, Peterborough was fined for dropping a cigarette in Long Causeway near Cathedral Square, while Aida Raio (22) of Gladstone Street, Peterborough, was also found guilty of dropping a cigarette in Long Causeway,

Tracey Beckett (43) of Padholme Road, Eastfield, was found guilty of dropping a cigarette butt outside Eastfield News in Eastfield Road,

The trio were fined £125, and ordered to pay £50 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

The fines were handed out by magistrates after all four were given a fixed penalty notice of £75 at the scene - but failed to pay within 21 days.

The sentence was welcomed by council cabinet member for environment capital Cllr Sam Dalton.

She said: “When the economy is suffering people should think of the additional cost to the council. If we didn’t have to clean up litter unnecessarily we would save money that could be spent elsewhere.

“It takes no time at all to put out a cigarette butt and put it in a bin. We have recently put new bins in the city centre so there is really no excuse.

“If people drop litter deliberately they should be prepared to take the consequences and be accountable for their actions. You wouldn’t drop litter at home so why do it in public?”

n Anne Canham, of Flore Close, Westwood, was also prosecuted yesterday for dropping an envelope in Flore Close, and fined £125, ordered to pay costs of £50 and a £15 victim surcharge after being found guilty in her absence of littering.

Donatas Mazonas (24) of Midland Road, West Town, Peterborough, was fined £125, ordered to pay £75 costs and a £15 victim surcharge after being found guilty of leaving three bags of household waste in grassland at Benland, Bretton.

Poor Indonesian families spend more on cigarettes

2011-08-22T04:37:00.000-07:00

DESPITE their financial hardships, many low-income families in Indonesia prioritise spending on cigarettes rather than on other needs.

According to the 2009 National Socioeconomic survey, poor households spent 19 per cent of their income on staple foods and 11 per cent on tobacco, 2 per cent for education and 3 per cent on health care. Six out of 10 low-income households report spending on cigarettes.

Ekowati Rahajeng, the Health Ministry's director of non-communicable diseases, said the spending habits could be related to the economic conditions that made low-income people resort to smoking cigarettes, without realizing that spending on cigarettes would only pull them deeper into poverty.

Abdillah Hasan from the Demography Institute at the University of Indonesia calculated the potential loss of consuming cigarettes.

'Let's say they consume a pack of cigarettes a day that cost them Rp 10,000 (S$1.42). In a month, they will spend Rp 300,000 and Rp 3.65 million in a year," Mr Abdillah said. He went on, saying that in 10 years they could save Rp 36.5 million, which could be spent on a down-payment for a house, or pay admission fees to a university for their children.

Therefore, the institution urged the government to issue cigarette control regulations through, among other methods, increasing the cigarette tax, a total ban on cigarette advertisement, health warnings through pictures printed on the cigarette packs and imposing smoke-free areas.

Four nabbed for allegedly smuggling cigarettes

2011-08-22T04:34:00.000-07:00

Four individuals were arrested last week for smuggling cigarettes in Cecil County in two separate incidents, according to the state comptroller's office.
On July 30, Maryland State Police pulled over Hammam Sharhan, 19, of Inwood, N.Y., and Jean William, 25, of Far Rockaway, N.Y., on Interstate 95 in a routine traffic stop.
Trooper Joseph Twardowski observed a significant amount of Marengo cigarettes in their 1996 Jeep Cherokee during the traffic stop and contacted the comptroller's Field Enforcement Division, the office reported.
Comptroller agents seized 2,000 packs of illegal cigarettes, valued at nearly $12,000, as well as confiscating the Jeep registered in Georgia.
On Aug.3, comptroller agents arrested Ashraf Bakar, 25, and Jennifer Whisenhunt, 27, both of Germantown, N.C., after receiving a tip from Sgt. Michael Connor of Maryland State Police, the office reported.
Bakar and Whisenhunt were found to be transporting 5,810 packs of contraband cigarettes in Cecil County, worth about $35,000. Agents seized the cigarettes and their 2011 Chevrolet Suburban used to transport them.
All four individuals were charged with transporting contraband cigarettes and possession of contraband cigarettes in the state of Maryland. The transporting charge is a felony, which carries a $50 per carton fine and/or two years imprisonment; and the possession offense is a misdemeanor, carrying a $1,000 fine and/or imprisonment, not exceeding one year.
Statewide last week, comptroller agents confiscated nearly 15,000 packs of the contraband cigarettes and arrested nine people in five separate cases. So far in fiscal year 2012, Comptroller agents have arrested 31 individuals for tobacco violations, seizing nearly 40,000 packs of contraband cigarettes and more than 3,200 packages of Other Tobacco Product (OTP) valued at more than $240,000.
"I am very proud of my agents for their tenacity in ridding our streets of contraband," Comptroller Peter Franchot said Friday. "My office remains committed to aggressively pursuing cigarette smugglers and tax scofflaws to protect the public and law abiding small businesses."
Caron Brace, a spokeswoman for the comptroller's office, said residents are legally allowed to bring two packs of cigarettes across state lines. Maryland tobacco taxes are currently set at $2 per pack, she added.
"Tobacco smuggling disrupts the level playing field that our state's businesses are supposed to operate under," Brace said.

Drunk man took girlfriend's car to buy cigarettes

2011-08-22T04:31:00.002-07:00

A Mount Olive resident was arrested at the community pool on a variety of charges, including drunken driving, after the man took his girlfriend’s car without permission because he wanted cigarettes, police said.

Police were called to the pool at 3:01 p.m. Monday about a vehicle that was taken without the owner’s consent.

The subsequent investigation determined that Steven Brennan, 51, of the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive, had asked his girlfriend for cigarettes, but she said that she didn’t have any and wasn’t going to buy any, police said.

Brennan then took his girlfriend’s car without her consent to go buy cigarettes. Police were called to the pool and while the officers were on the scene, Brennan returned to the pool parking lot, police said.

While talking to Brennan, an officer detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage so they gave him a field sobriety test, which he failed. Brennan then was taken to police headquarters where he refused to take the Alcotest, police said.

Charges filed
Brennan was charged with taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent, disorderly conduct, driving while intoxicated, refusal to submit to the Alcotest, careless driving, driving with a suspended license and driving while intoxicated in a school zone.

Brennan also was wanted on a $1,293 Mount Olive Municipal Court criminal warrant and a $1,040 Irvington Municipal Court criminal warrant.

Brennan was unable to post bail on the warrants and was turned over to Mount Olive police. He was then held in the Morris County Jail on the Mount Olive warrant

'Fake' cigarettes seized in Gloucestershire raids

2011-08-22T04:31:00.001-07:00

fMore than 30,000 cigarettes have been seized in an anti-counterfeiting operation in Gloucestershire.

During the raid two shops were visited and a vehicle, found to contain 26,400 cigarettes, was confiscated.

All the tobacco recovered is being held on suspicion of breaches of labelling and trademark offences and some is believed to be counterfeit.

A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said a 26-year-old man from Gloucester had been arrested on suspicion of fraud.

He has been released on police bail until 15 September.

A trading standards spokesman said the operation also involved members of Gloucestershire Police and HM Revenue and Customs.

He added the raids were a result of months of intelligence gathering and surveillance.

Man stabbed by girlfriend over cigarette

2011-08-22T04:28:00.000-07:00

As if we needed any more proof that nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs on the planet and turns people bats**t crazy when they are forced to go without it, there's this story from the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader about a woman who stabbed her boyfriend in the arm when he refused to get out of bed to get her a cigarette.
From the Times Leader story:
(Kenneth Joseph) Pahler told police he was awakened by (Denise Marie) Cusate yelling at him and asking for a cigarette at about 11:50 p.m. Pahler claimed Cusate became more enraged when he refused to get out of bed to get her a cigarette. Police said in the criminal complaints that Pahler reported Cusate got a kitchen knife and attacked him. Pahler ran out of their apartment after he was allegedly stabbed. Cusate told police Pahler was hitting her and she stabbed him in self defense, the criminal complaint says. Police said Cusate had injuries to her arm, neck and hand.
Seems to me cigarettes might be just one of many issues plaguing this couple, no?

Plain silly: why changing cigarette packets won't alter smoking rates

2011-08-22T04:19:00.002-07:00

The public health establishment disseminates many "truths" about health, disease and lifestyle, but sadly, junk science is often the driving force behind these regulatory assaults on drinkers, smokers, gamblers and the overweight.

Exhibit A is the belief that tobacco advertising and promotion are the major reasons young people begin to smoke, and calls for the plain packaging of cigarettes in Australia and New Zealand.

Packaging, it is claimed, is merely an extension of advertising, and because advertising increases tobacco consumption, it is necessary to require all tobacco products to be sold in plain packaging.

Unfortunately, neither this belief nor this policy meets the standards of evidence-based policymaking, which requires decisions based on rigorous, systematic reviews of best practice - that is, interventions that work the best in reducing harm. Evidence alone, not theory or tradition, must drive policy.

The empirical record about tobacco advertising's effect on young people is decidedly mixed.

Large, independent studies have failed to find a statistically significant connection between tobacco advertising, consumption and youth smoking.

This lack of evidence is confirmed by the fact that countries that have had advertising bans for a quarter of a century or more have not experienced statistically large declines in youth smoking.

Consumption and prevalence data from 145 countries finds little evidence that the entire range of tobacco control measures, including advertising restrictions and bans, has a statistically significant effect on smoking prevalence in any nation.

Yet, Australia pushes ahead with draconian restrictions on tobacco brand promotion through legislation to require cigarettes be sold in plain packaging, and New Zealand's associate minister of health wants to follow its lead.

The evidence in support of plain packaging, just as for tobacco display bans, is embarrassingly thin. Most studies show that plain packaging will have no statistically significant effect on youth smoking. None of the so-called evidence about plain packaging provides compelling behavioural evidence that any young person started smoking after seeing conventional displays of cigarette products.

Other nations have rejected plain packaging. For example, Canada briefly considered plain packaging in 1994, but eventually took no action.

More recently, Britain seriously examined the concept in 2008 and 2009, but the then-Labour government concluded that there was insufficient evidence to justify legislation.

Man charged in beer, cigarette thefts from two stores

2011-08-22T04:19:00.001-07:00

A Richburg man has been charged in two store break-ins that happened minutes apart.
Chester County Sheriff Richard Smith said a man stole beer and cigarettes from the IGA in Richburg and Campbell's Truck Stop in Chester Wednesday morning.
After an investigation, deputies arrested 19-year-old Travis Lee Lowe. He has been charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of petty larceny, a release from Smith states.

Deputies were first called at 6:56 a.m. to the IGA store on Commerce Drive. An employee reported the glass door had been broken. Surveillance video captured a man identified as Lowe making several trips into the store and leaving with beer and cigarettes.
About 10 minutes later, deputies were called to the Saluda Road truck stop. An employee told officers both doors had been busted out, Smith said. Beer and cigarettes were also taken from this store.
Lowe was in jail Monday on $34,000 bond.

Crackdown on illegal cigarettes in Blackpool

2011-08-22T04:12:00.000-07:00

A new operation targeting people who sell counterfeit cigarettes to young people, is under way in Blackpool.

Officers are stopping young people around the town and asking them where they bought their Prefect cigarettes as part of Operation Smokescreen.

About 15,000 counterfeit cigarettes were seized during raids in Blackpool earlier this month.

Officials say they pose a massive health risk sometimes containing 30 times the lead levels of real tobacco.

Lancashire police say counterfeit cigarettes may seem cheap but they can pose a serious danger to health and the proceeds from them are often used to fund other crime.

The crackdown is a joint operation with the local council and the primary care trust.

'Potentially lethal'
The police say test purchases will be carried out at local retailers to identify shopkeepers guilty of supplying counterfeit goods.

Councillor Gary Coleman, said: "From a health point of view all cigarettes are dangerous, but the counterfeit ones are potentially lethal.

"We want members of the public to know if they suspect illegal activity they can report it and we will investigate.

Jane Roberts, Head of Tobacco Control, NHS Blackpool said: "Over-exposure to cadmium can cause irreversible damage to the liver, kidneys and brain.

"Children are attracted to the low price of counterfeit tobacco and the earlier they become regular smokers the greater the risk of developing lung cancer or heart disease."

Danger Of Cigarettes Greater In Women Than Men

2011-08-15T05:52:00.000-07:00

When compared with men, women have a significant 25% increase in risk for coronary heart disease caused by cigarettes, according to a large meta-analysis published in the Lancet.

Rachel Huxley and Mark Woodward analyzed data from 2.4 million participants in studies that adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors and found that the female-to-male relative risk ratio (RRR) of smoking compared to not smoking was 1.25 (CI 1.12-1.39, p<0.0001).For every additional year of followup the researchers found an additional 2% increase in the RRR for women (p=0.03).
The authors speculate that their analysis might have underestimated the true difference in relative risk between the sexes, since in many regions women have only started to smoke in large numbers in recent years. “It will be some years before the full effect of smoking on coronary heart disease risk is known in women,” they write. In addition, women smokers tend to consume fewer cigarettes than men and may be more likely to underreport their smoking habit.

Flavored Cigarettes Harder to Quit

2011-08-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

Could a mint-flavored additive to cigarettes have a negative impact on smoking cessation efforts? New research from investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and UMDNJ-School of Public Health shines a light on this topic. It finds that menthol cigarettes are associated with decreased quitting in the United States, and that this effect is more pronounced for blacks and Puerto Ricans.

The findings, which appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, are ideally timed as the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products is currently considering banning menthol cigarettes after its own Tobacco Product Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) concluded that “removal of menthol cigarettes from the marketplace would benefit public health in the United States.” CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Previous studies regarding the impact of smoking menthol cigarettes and smoking cessation efforts have produced mixed results. For instance, some research did not take into account the overall population of smokers, while other studies lacked focus on periods of successful smoking cessation and instead targeted attempts to quit. This current study, Smoking Cessation Prevalence among Menthol and Non-Menthol Smokers in the United States, looks at whether those who smoke menthol cigarettes are less likely to quit than smokers of non-menthol cigarettes and whether these findings differ by race/ethnicity as well as among various subgroups of smokers, such as those trying to quit.

Utilizing data from the 2003 and 2006-2007 National Cancer Institute Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, investigators focused on white, black and Hispanic “ever-smokers,” who were defined as current smokers and former smokers who quit in the past five years. Current smokers were further defined as having smoked 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and smoking every day or some days at the time of the survey. Former smokers were noted as those who smoked 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and were not smoking at all during the time of the survey. Blacks included multi-racial blacks, and the Hispanic data set was further broken down by Hispanic origin (ie: Mexico vs. Puerto Rico). Socioeconomic factors including education and household income were examined for all groups.

Overall, menthol smoking was more common among females and young adults, ages 18 to 24. Menthol smoking varied considerably by race/ethnicity; among blacks, 71.8 percent smoked menthols, which is significantly greater than whites (21 percent) and Hispanics (28.1 percent). However, among Hispanics there were wide variations. Menthol smoking was more common among those of Puerto Rican descent (62 percent) than among those of Mexican (19.9 percent) and other Hispanic origins (26.5 percent).

The study further found that menthol cigarette smoking was associated with lower levels of smoking cessation compared to non-menthol smokers, and this relationship was more pronounced among blacks and those of Puerto Rican descent. A key strength of the study was that the research team examined the relationship between menthol smoking and cessation for five different sample restrictions (e.g., all smokers vs. smokers with quit attempt history). The main finding held true even after analyzing the data using several different samples. “Because our evidence suggests that the presence of menthol may partially explain the observed differences in cessation outcomes, the recent calls to ban this flavoring would be prudent and evidence-based,” the authors state.

CINJ Member Cristine Delnevo, director of the Center for Tobacco Surveillance and Evaluation Research Program, is the lead author of the study. She notes one thing that sets this study apart from others on this subject is further recognizing the diversity of the Hispanic population.

'Illegal cigarette' awareness campaign may get more people smoking

2011-08-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

When South Africa took the step to ban cigarette advertising, it was with the hope that the adoption of smoking would end. So, our televisions and movie screens were stripped of beautiful, young, successful and sporty people lighting up a cigarette and enjoying a 'healthy' life.

Slowly the images of the glorious smoking lifestyle faded away; the cigarette was no longer in the upper echelon of our awareness. Relegated to point of sale, pack innovation, permission-based marketing and other dark marketing practices they have, however, persevered. And now they're back.
Consider cigarettes again

Then, this year, cigarette communication has once again taken centre stage, forcing people to consider cigarettes again - perhaps not to the same degree as when B&H commercials promoting skiing and smoking filled the airwaves or when the Marlboro Man made us want to ride off into the sunset on our horse - but they have made it back onto the billboards and interrupted our daily journeys once again, even if its message is somewhat more sinister.

Instead of the lifestyle positioning, the message is all ominous: "Buying Illegal Cigarettes Funds Organised Crime!"

Pamphlets, print ads and billboards all raise the profile of the tobacco product once more, in what is probably a loophole in the legislation overseeing advertising-restricted products.

While there is no recognisable brand to be seen, the Tobacco Institute of South Africa has taken centre stage in communicating that consumers who buy a pack of cigarettes for under R14.50 are probably buying illegal cigarettes, and so are more than likely supporting organised crime syndicates who use the profits of illegal cigarettes to fund their dastardly deeds.

E-cigarettes also contain nicotine

2011-08-05T03:02:00.000-07:00

The Department of Health warns the public on the use of e-cigarette or the electronic cigarette. It does not help people quit smoking and it is not safe for human consumption.
Marketers of the e-cigarette claim that it is nicotine-free and contains E-liquid or E-juice which are organic. However, tobacco control advocates said that smokers use it since they get their nicotine fix or kick from it.
DOH regional director Rio Magpantay explained that although the e-cigarette does not emit the same odor and smoke produced by the real cigar, the vapors the e-cigarette emits have carcinogens and toxic chemicals.
The e-cigarette heats a liquid nicotine solution in a disposable cartridge, creating vapor that the smoker inhales. A tiny light on the tip glows like a real cigarette.
This product misleads smokers into believing that this is a way of smoking cessation. Tobacco control advocates wants a ban on the sale of this product since it would only promote the concept of smoking and lure teenagers to the habit.

How (Not) to Quit Smoking: What Will Occupy Your Lesbian Hands?

2011-08-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that smoking is bad for you? Whoa, neither did I! ‘Cause you know, my parents, teachers, and that lady I bummed a light from on the street told me it was, but I thought they were lying until I sat down and starting doing research for this post right here, and damn! That shit is scary. I’m stressed out. Does anyone have a cigarette?
Ugh, sorry if I’m a little bit grumpy, you guys — I’m trying to quit smoking.
I had my first cigarette when I was 16. I started smoking regularly at 18. I came out as a smoker at 19, because sometimes the truth takes a long time to come to terms with. It was finals week of my freshman year in college. My best friend and I had been up all night ingesting study drugs and shots of espresso, and while standing outside the campus McDonald’s waiting for it to open at 6am rolling cigarette after cigarette, I turned to him and said, “You know, I don’t think this is a social thing anymore.”
At some point you have to stop blaming the big things. You have to stop getting mad at capitalism, booze, Big Tobacco (whatever that means), the abrasiveness of those fucking Truth ads and the deliciousness of cigarettes (mm, cigarettes) and say “I AM A SMOKER (and maybe I’m addicted).”

How to design for NO-Fun – a cigarette packaging case

2011-08-05T02:59:00.000-07:00

Usually, companies are trying to evoke positive emotions with their product and packaging design. However, when it concerns health issues and government could have a (opposed) hand in the design, sometimes designing for negative emotions is required. This British design student case for cigarette packaging shows just how to do that.

This new packaging concept for cigarettes from recent UK design graduates Jennifer Noon and Sarah Shaw is in response to the British government’s controversial proposal for plain packaging, which purports that bland and generic cigarette packages devoid of company logos or art would make health warnings more prominent. (Which is not to say that labels wouldn’t work.) (Source: Core 77)

Buy cheap Lucky Strike cigarettes online for discount price.

BRIEF Australia has attracted a lot of press attention in recent months on cigarette packaging. The British government are considering introducing plain packaging to the UK. Here is the response.

RESPONSE The main aim was to change the structure of the pack making it less ergonomic. The pack was developed to be difficult to use and carry. For the warning imagery focusing on aspects which would appeal to the users vanity

Don’t Be Misled By 'Eco Friendly' Cigarette Claims

2011-08-05T02:57:00.001-07:00

Most of my patients including the few remaining diehard smokers will tell you I consider smoking an unhealthy and filthy habit. So it was no surprise recently when a patient handed me an advertisement touting a so-called ‘green’ cigarette in an effort to prove otherwise. New magazine ads touting cigarettes with “additive-free” “organic” tobacco use the term “eco-friendly” is prompting smoking foes to cry foul.

Ads for Natural American Spirit cigarettes have appeared in magazines such as Elle, Mother Jones, Field & Stream and Esquire.

The cigarettes manufactured by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company is owned by Reynolds American Inc.

The company says it’s not saying its cigarettes are safer but that its manufacturing is greener.

Reynolds says its facilities are wind-powered, its farmers use fewer chemicals and 70% of its sales staff, drive hybrid vehicles.

“We try to be good stewards of the environment,” says spokesman Seth Moskowitz. He adds a sister company helps fund Keep America Beautiful.

“The ads are egregious. They are attempting to ‘greenwash’ a deadly and addictive product,” says, Vince Willmore of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids adding research shows cigarettes are not only unhealthy but are also the No. 1 source of litter.

Like my patient, the average person believes “eco-friendly” is better for you. That’s why the new ads are dangerously misleading.

Reynolds has made similar advertising claims. In 2000 the tobacco company ran afoul of the Federal Trade Commission, after advertising its cigarettes are free of additives.

The FTC negotiated a settlement that required the company to include this statement: “No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette.”

In 2010 the company returned with ads marketing its “organic” tobacco. 33 state attorneys general demanded a disclaimer saying the cigarette was not safer as a result. For the record, tobacco smoke is a complex mixture of more than 4000 chemicals in the form of gases, particles or both. When you inhale cigarette smoke, dozens of harmful substances enter your lungs and spread through your body.

Cigarette bandit nabbed on Coast

2011-08-05T01:49:00.000-07:00

A Gulfport man with local ties has been charged by the Laurel Police Department in connection with a commercial burglary involving the theft of cigarettes.

Sammie Lee Fairley, 48, whose last known address was Dacetown Area in Ellisville, has been taken into custody in Gulfport in connection with the July 21st burglary of a local convenience store.

Investigator Kim Stewart with the LPD said the Rapid Shell Station located at 205 South 16th Avenue was burglarized and several cartons of cigarettes were taken.

According to police, at approximately 11:38 p.m. Thursday, July 21st, the LPD Patrol Division was dispatched to the Rapid Shell Station in reference to an alarm. Stewart said Sgt. Jim Thornhill arrived on the scene and discovered that the front glass door of the store had been broken and the store had been burglarized.

Last year, the City of Laurel along with several jurisdictions in the Pine Belt Region reported commercial burglaries involving the theft of large quantities of cigarettes.

Locally, the Spaceway then located at the intersection of 16th Avenue and Highway 84 West; Dandy Dan’s Dandy Dan’s, located at 615 North 16th Avenue; and George’s Discount Tobacco.

According to law enforcement officials in the surrounding area, during the month of July 2010 they received reports of at least eight commercial burglaries of convenience stores where tobacco products were taken.

Entry was gained by breaking the glass on the front door and Newport cigarettes and Black & Mild Cigars along with an undisclosed amount of money were taken from the stores by two individuals.

Approximately 30 of these types of burglaries were reported in the Pine Belt area, with the majority of the incidents being along the I-59 Corridor from as far north as Jasper County and as far south as Pearl River County.

Stewart said the recent July 21st incident was similar. When the police officer arrived on the scene, “he observed the front door shattered.”

According to police, someone threw a concrete rock through the glass door and the burglar gained entry to the closed business through the broken glass door.

Stewart said with the use of the store’s surveillance tapes, he began working to identify the latest suspect, described as a black male six-foot to six-foot-two-inch in height, weighing about 175-180 pounds wearing a white tank top and faded blue jeans with Timberland boots.

“The video shows that once he entered the store, he had his own plastic garbage bag,” Stewart said. “He took 10-15 cartons of Newports Cigarettes and some cartons of Salem and then exited the store.”

Stewart said a public tip through Jones County Crimestoppers led him to investigate Fairley as the suspect in the case.

“We are grateful for the assistance we received from other agencies and for the public’s help in getting this suspect off the street,” Stewart said. “He was just going from one place to another committing these crimes. They all had the same MO.”

As a result of the investigation, Stewart said, Fairley has been identified as the suspect in similar burglaries in Gulfport, Wiggins and possibly Collins.

“I entered his information on NCIC (National Crime Information Center) and his last known addresses were Ellisville and Gulfport. So, I then contacted Gulfport and asked them to check an address in Gulfport where he had lived before,” Stewart said. “Gulfport authorities went to the address in their jurisdiction and located him.”

Stewart said law enforcement agencies in Laurel, Gulfport and Wiggins currently have holds on Fairley for several charges of commercial burglary and Collins Police Department is considering him as a person of interest in a similar incident in Covington County.

The Collins’ incident occurred on July 19th; the Laurel incident occurred on July 21st; the Gulfport burglary on July 24th; and the Wiggins’ burglary occurred on July 25th.

Stewart said Monday that Gulfport currently has a $100,000 bond on Fairley and he is being held in the Harrison County Jail.

According to the investigator, once Harrison County has completed it’s process, Fairley will be transported to Laurel to face the local charge here.

Tobacco bonds in MN budget come at hefty price

2011-07-25T03:16:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-25T03:15:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-25T03:13:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-20T06:40:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-20T06:39:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-08T00:34:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-08T00:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-08T00:29:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-08T00:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-04T03:08:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-04T03:05:00.001-07:00

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

2011-07-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

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.

MPs campaign to relax smoking ban in pubs

2011-06-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

Conservative Greg Knight, Lib Dem John Hemming and Labour's Roger Godsiff argue that the ban has had a devastating impact on the industry.

They want the law to be changed to allow pubs to create a separate room for smokers if they choose.

Thousands of UK pubs have closed in recent years and many have blamed the ban for the loss of business.

The smoking ban was introduced in England in July 2007. Scotland's ban was introduced in March 2006, followed by Wales and Northern Ireland in April 2007.

Ventilation
The Save Our Pubs and Clubs campaign says that after three years, Scotland had lost 467 pubs (7.1% of the total estate), Wales 274 (7.3%) and England 4,148 (7.6%).

Campaigners also say working-men's clubs have been hit hard and many have closed or are struggling to survive.

They are arguing that the existing law is excessive and should be reviewed and relaxed to allow proprietors more choice about how they manage smoking at their premises.

Mick McGlasham, general secretary of the Clubs and Institute Union, which represents more than 2,000 working-men's clubs, said: "The ban was passed because politicians wanted to protect staff and non-smokers, but there is no reason why we cannot have a separate smoking room in what are private premises, especially with modern ventilation."

An event promoting the campaign will be held at the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday with the aim of winning support from more MPs and peers.

Mr Knight, MP for East Yorkshire, said: "This is a unique opportunity for people to show how strongly they feel on this important issue.

"A modest change in the law, not a repeal of the smoking ban, is all we seek."

MPs are banned from smoking anywhere inside the House of Commons apart from on the terrace.

Obese, non-smoking women likely to die early

2011-06-29T05:44:00.000-07:00

While established research has shown clearly that smoking is linked to premature death and health inequalities, it was not known which causes of death are related to the social position of women who have never smoked, said the paper.

To investigate this area further, the authors, led by Dr Laurence Gruer from NHS Health Scotland, reviewed the cases of 3,613 women who had never smoked.

The results showed that the women in the lower occupational groups were more likely to die of diseases of the heart and circulation, but not cancer. They were also more likely to be severely obese and those who were severely obese had the highest death rates.

The authors also found that, compared with the smokers in the overall study, the women who never smoked were much more likely to be overweight or obese.

This suggested that high smoking rates 35 years ago probably concealed the true extent of obesity in non-smoking women and that the decline in smoking rates in recent decades may have contributed to the increase in overweight and obesity, said the authors.

If you smoke, you can buy marlboro cigarettes online for cheapest price.

Winning anti-smoking designs put on display

2011-06-29T05:42:00.000-07:00

McHenry County College student Jim Anderson’s winning media design can be seen at local gas stations, drive-ins and restrooms.

Chosen as one of the winners of the McHenry County Department of Health’s annual billboard design contest, Anderson’s design was titled “Smoking in your car is hazardous to your friends and family.” It depicts the damaging effects of second-hand smoke, Community Information Coordinator Debra Quackenbush said in a news release.

Other contest winners were seniors Megan Teresi, Woodstock High School, and Nate Prosser, Johnsburg High School.

The contest sought to highlight local talent while educating the community of the unhealthy effects of smoking. Open to all McHenry County teens, designs were received under the following categories: tobacco prevention, secondhand smoke and quit smoking.

Entries were judged on originality, peer appeal, and simple, colorful design. Making the final selection were teens from Reality Illinois Anti-Tobacco Advocacy groups, members of the McHenry County “Tobacco Free” Coalition, and the McHenry County Department of Health’s Health Promotion staff.

Is smoking the new gay marriage? The new intolerance

2011-06-29T05:28:00.000-07:00

I was always taught that when you saw one of those people in the street, you were to cough pointedly and cross to the other side. Get them away from our children!

I’d vote for one for president, but only if he promised to stop it. I don’t think they should be allowed in public places. Sure, freedom of choice, and all that jazz, but really, this is a bit much. What if they get it on me?

When I learned that Oscar Wilde was one, I solemnly burned all his books.

They’re smokers, of course. Sometimes I see them in restaurants and pass them pamphlets with a disapproving stare. It is my duty. They are corrupting the youth.

“I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty,” George Burns once quipped.

A mere 40 years ago, you could smoke anywhere and marry your same-sex partner nowhere at all.

Now the tide is turning. Last week, New York state legalized gay marriage. And smoking? In May, Mayor Bloomberg banned it outdoors in New York City’s parks, beaches and public plazas.

These days, if you want to smoke in New York City, you can only do it in a 6-inch-square enclosure somewhere underground. It is dank and malarial and can only be found by people who already know where it is, or if you pay $8 in unmarked bills to a man in Times Square who asks to be addressed as Pumpkin the Rat.

And nationwide, the noose is tightening. The FDA has just emerged with new labels for cigarette packages that are harrowing to behold, with depictions of smoke-damaged children and smoking through tracheotomy holes.

Could it be any more official?

Gay marriage is the new smoking. You can do it anywhere in New York City you would like, and people won’t cough and indignantly cross the road.

And this is emblematic of a larger trend. We don’t care what you do in the bedroom so long as you don’t do it in the street and frighten the horses, as Mrs. Patrick Campbell once quipped — or on Twitter, where the photographic evidence can be saved and used to frighten horses later. We understand that you have little choice in the matter.

Sex is decreasingly immoral. There are entire magazines devoted to it, and to the proposition that “whatever you are doing, trying adding ice cubes.”

Smoking — that’s another story. Cigar enthusiasts get slurs like “cancer-monger” and “death eater” yelled at them as they walk through the street. Smoking, somehow, is too vile to be advertised on television or depicted in films. Since the MPAA adjusted its ratings system in 2007, smoking is more wrong, more perverse and more likely to garner an R-rating than murdering someone very sexily while you curse at him. I recently rewatched for the sixth time a movie set in the ’60s. And nobody smoked. Nobody!

Public morality has taken a turn. We are living in the bizarro ’60s, where you can get married to your same-sex partner while wearing mod-inspired suits but cannot celebrate with cigars.

I am not saying that smoking does not kill people. It does.

I understand that all this harassment of smokers is for our own good. Smoking is wrong and bad and et cetera, and if you steadily blow smoke at your child, it will damage him or her or “Storm.” But so many things are wrong. Driving, for instance. Talking on a cell phone while driving. Eating food. Drinking. Bear-hunting. Hunting bears while drunk. Climbing mountains. Rappelling. Being Grover Cleveland.

But it’s amazing how much vitriol we level against those who indulge in smoking.

Maybe we are delighted to be able to judge someone, for once. In general, we are tolerant of everything all the time. It’s something of a national hobby.

But that doesn’t diminish our fundamental, burning desire to leap to judgment. And we can no longer judge people for who they are. We can only judge them for what they do. Are you overweight? That’s okay. Eat unhealthily? Shame!

The category of Things We All Agree To Be Wrong is so small these days. Smoking has always been a vice. Before, it was a social vice. Now it’s limited to barely 20 percent of the population. They are a hard-bitten crew, sneaking around furtively and paying exorbitant taxes “It will kill you!” we shout. “You pervert! You need help!”

“Ah, but is not all of life a long and lovely suicide?” the smokers say wistfully.

“No!” we shout, delighted to be right. Health is the new standard. You are supposed to jog and abstain and inhale thick lungfuls of pure oxygen. Say what you will about people’s sexual habits, some of them might have health benefits. But smoking? Forget it.

By and large, it’s a good shift. Tolerance! Enlightenment! Onward! But sometimes we need to let our judgment leak out. And increasingly, it’s against those smokers. From here, one can almost glimpse a future where society encourages you to do anything you want in the bedroom or at the courthouse.

Virginia tobacco commission sending director, two state lawmakers to France

2011-06-23T03:29:00.000-07:00

Days after an audit criticized Virginia’s tobacco commission for its spending priorities, the state is paying more than $20,000 to send its executive director and two state lawmakers to France to recruit businesses to Virginia.

Del. Daniel W. Marshall III (R-Danville) and Sen. Frank M. Ruff Jr. (R-Mecklenburg) arrived in Paris on Monday and will leave Friday. Executive director Neal Noyes arrived Sunday and will depart June 28 for Cologne, Germany, where he will meet with company executives in town for an automotive convention until July 1.
The estimated cost for airfare, hotel and food is expected to be $21,123, according to the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission.

It is at least the second overseas trip by members of the commission since 2001, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks money in politics. Last year, two members and Noyes spent more than $8,000 on a trip to England.

Marshall, reached by phone before he left for France, first questioned how The Washington Post heard about the trip. He then explained that the goal was to recruit companies to Virginia’s most economically depressed areas in Southside and southwest — regions the tobacco commission tries to boost with $1 billion from a legal settlement with the nation’s largest tobacco companies.

“It’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs,” Marshall said.

The three men will join Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) on Wednesday; he will be in France for the Paris Air Show, an international trade fair for the aerospace business held every other year.

They will spend much of Wednesday in meetings with executives of companies they hope to lure to Virginia, visit the state’s booth at the show and attend a reception and dinner McDonnell is hosting at the Cercle de l’Union social club. On Thursday, they will fly to Toulouse in southwest France to meet with company executives.

Noyes will then travel to Germany to attend the Automotive News Europe Congress.

Noyes’s trip is estimated to cost $10,489, including $1,800 for registration to attend the convention in Germany. Marshall’s expenses are $5,364, and Ruff’s are $5,270.

House Minority Leader Ward L. Armstrong (D-Henry), whose district benefits from the tobacco settlement but has been critical of the commission’s past spending, said he will not know if the money for the trip is being well spent until he sees whether it results in any jobs, but he said it may look inappropriate.

“At this time, when you have double digit unemployment . . . it certainly has the appearance of being extravagant,” Armstrong said. “On the heels of this scathing report, it sends a bad message.”

Last week, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission said the commission spent too much money on projects that did not generate jobs or boost salaries. In the past decade, 1,368 grants worth $756 million have been awarded for a variety of projects, including high-speed Internet access in rural areas, walking trails and improvements to the Martinsville Speedway. About $606 million is available for future grants.

Last weekend, after The Post reported that more than a dozen legislators were flying to France on unrelated trips paid by a company lobbying them to lift a ban on uranium mining in Virginia, Marshall criticized the lawmakers for taking “vacations” in his hometown newspaper, neglecting to say that he was going to the same country the same week.

Ruff did not return a phone call. Noyes defended the trip, saying he was flying coach and going to France because “that’s where the meetings are held.”

Last year, the chairman of the tobacco commission, Del. Terry G. Kilgore (R-Scott), Ruff and Noyes went to England in July at the same time McDonnell went on a trade mission to Europe. The trip cost $8,291.

Both trips were built around luring suppliers for aircraft-engine maker Rolls-Royce, which opened a manufacturing and research facility in Prince George County in May, and companies to the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, a research center set to open nearby next year.

McDonnell announced one deal after the Europe trip, according to his office. The Hornschuch Group, a producer and marketer of highly technical films, said it would invest $28.3 million to expand its O’Sullivan Films operation, creating 174 jobs, in Winchester, which is not in the tobacco commission’s region.

The cost of the trip for McDonnell; Jim Cheng, Virginia secretary of commerce and trade; and Vince Barnett, director of communications and promotions for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, is $42,454, said McDonnell spokesman Jeff Caldwell.

Mandatory Graphic Cigarette Labels Visualize Dangers of Tobacco Use

2011-06-23T03:28:00.001-07:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has rolled out a new campaign to stop people from smoking. Instead of buying ad space and putting up billboards, the FDA is changing the packaging of cigarettes.

The standard pack of cigarettes has the Surgeon General warning on one side stating, "cigarettes cause cancer." Beginning on October 22, 2012 every pack will have graphic pictures covering a significant portion.

25 percent of those living in the Ozarks smoke. Smokers and non-smokers alike have opinions about the makeover.

"I know the pictures are a little grotesque, but it's not going to affect me in any way," shrugged Michael Winters, a smoker.
"I think it is a little too dramatic for people," said Abigail Bookout, a non-smoker. "We don't need a picture that's going to gross us out everytime we look at it."

If a picture is worth a thousand words, than the FDA is hoping the graphic warnings may influence people to kick the habit.

"There's been some strong market research that shows that this type of packaging can make a difference," said Carrie Reynolds, regional director of communications with the American Cancer Society. "So we are excited to see that start happening in the United States."

Although the United States was the first to detail the dangers of smoking on the package, America is now behind more than 30 countries who already display graphic warnings.

The American Cancer Society spent the last 10 years working on the legislation behind the new labels. Yet some experts say the fear tactic is not effective.

"Smoking cessation is very difficult, it's a very hard thing to do," said Ann Rost, health psychologist with Missouri State University. "The fear message in of itself tends to not really be that successful by itself to create change, but it does help in prevention."

Although it may not deter smokers, the grotesque pictures may scare kids.

"It definitely has an effect in deterring people who are considering taking up the habit," explained Reynolds. "And the largest age demographic that considers that habit is in the teenage years."

However some feel the campaign is a targeted attack for a legal substance.

"I think they are trying to discriminate against us," explained Antonetta Stoops, a smoker. "it's just, the rules are ridiculous."

Stoops referenced rules like the recently passed indoor smoking ban in Springfield requiring those who light up to go outside.

"The cigar bar, gone. Most bars, especially those owned by smaller businesses, gone," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, this is the perfect way to destroy the economy."

Yet representatives with the American Cancer Society say a third of all cancers are caused by tobacco use. For them, the campaign is another way to get people to say no.

"When you talk to smokers, about 70 percent of them want to quit, they want to stop the habit, " said Reynolds. "If it's being eliminated from happening inside their workplace and the packaging is coming along at the same time, it's...wonderful for this community."

For Winters, the graphics don't do much now, but they may have influenced him to avoid the smokes.

"It probably would have helped a lot, probably would have never started," he said.

Still, many feel smoking cessation education and a written warning are enough.

"You learn about all the hazards about smoking, how it causes cancer," said Bookout. "I don't think you need a picture to remind you of that."

Pre-emptive tobacco prevention

2011-06-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

New smokeless tobacco products are flashy, somewhat disguised, and may appeal to young people, but tobacco prevention specialists in Montana are hoping to bring awareness before the products are readily available here.
Some tobacco products are becoming available in forms that mimic tea bags, breath mints and toothpicks, but they are not yet regulated the same as cigarettes. The products are dissolvable and, according to a “new products” document from the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program, “are made from finely milled tobacco and are held together by food-grade binders. They do not produce smoke, and they do not require spitting.”
The nicotine level in these dissolvable products is “unregulated and unpredictable,” the document states.
Katie Martin, tobacco prevention specialist with the City-County Health Department, made a presentation at the Youth Connections Coalition meeting Tuesday morning, sharing information about these new products that could soon hit the shelves in local stores.
Martin just returned from a national conference armed with information to share.
“The conference made it apparent to me how big of a problem this could be for our youth,” she said.
The new products are packaged to appeal to young people, Martin said.
“These products provide an opportunity for tobacco companies to get around policies,” she said. “They may seem less harmful, but they aren’t.”
Drenda Niemann, director of Youth Connections, says the health department has been a great partner in preventing substance abuse and this is another example.
Last year, 23.6 percent of eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders surveyed in the Montana Prevention Needs Assessment reported using smokeless tobacco.
Niemann says the presentation was the first step in building awareness around these products.
“Smokeless tobacco is increasing and we want to be ahead of the game as much as possible,” she said.
More often than not, tobacco companies have already launched extensive marketing campaigns before the awareness is out there, but Niemann is hoping this time it’s a little different.
“We are hoping we are ahead of the game this time around,” she said.
Martin said it’s unclear when Montanans should expect to see these products.

Guard allegedly smuggled tobacco into Grafton prison

2011-06-17T03:25:00.001-07:00

A North Coast Correctional Treatment Facility guard has been arrested for allegedly conspiring to smuggle tobacco into the prison.

Douglas Roberts, 26, is charged with bribery and dereliction of duty, according to Elyria Municipal Court records. He agreed during a court appearance Monday to have the case sent to a Lorain County grand jury.

The Ohio Highway Patrol, which investigates crimes in state prisons, said in a news release that Roberts was arrested after he accepted $200 and 1 pound of tobacco to bring into the prison. Tobacco is a prohibited item in all state prisons.

“We have a zero tolerance policy for tobacco,” said Carlo LoParo, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

He referred additional questions to a spokeswoman for the privately operated prison. She did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday.

According to the initial report prepared by troopers investigating the case, an inmate at the prison reported that Roberts solicited him to help bring the tobacco into the prison and that Roberts wanted to be paid.

The release said that the plan called for the tobacco to be covertly sold to inmates.

Patrol Lt. Anne Ralston said the case remains under investigation and she couldn’t comment on whether others might be charged.

North Coast Correctional is owned by the state but operated by a private company. It is one of the facilities that Gov. John Kasich has suggested selling to generate revenue to help close the state’s budget gap.
Roberts, who lives in Sullivan, is free on bond.

He could get more than five years behind bars if convicted of the charges leveled against him.

CCAGW Supports Gov. Jindal in Tobacco Tax Fight

2011-06-17T03:23:00.000-07:00

Today, Tom Schatz, President of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), issued a letter to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in support of his pledge to veto HB 591. A successful veto would allow the Pelican State’s temporary tobacco tax to expire as scheduled in July 2012. The letter reads as follows:

“On behalf of the 13,342 members and supporters of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) in the state of Louisiana, I urge you to uphold your promise to veto HB 591, a bill that would extend the four-cent state tobacco tax increase that is set to expire in July 2012. Your position is especially courageous in light of House lawmakers’ veto override threats.

“Since fiscal year 2000, federal and state governments have increased cigarette excise taxes 110 times. Supporters of HB 591 argue that the revenue from the four-cent tax is needed to pay for rising health care obligations. However, history has shown that raising excises taxes does not produce projected revenue, as such tax increases drive purchases to untaxed or lower-tax venues, like Native American territories and the Internet. Of the 57 excise tax increases that states implemented between 2003 and 2007, only 16 met or exceeded revenue targets.

“Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office has reported that cigarette excise taxes are the most regressive type of excise tax and disproportionately impact the poor and those living on fixed incomes. Any lawmaker who votes to override your veto will be asking Louisianans to hand over more of their hard-earned income, which is even more difficult given these rough economic times. The four-cent tobacco tax increase was meant to be temporary, and its expiration date has arrived.

“Governor Jindal, we applaud you for taking a hard line on this issue and upholding your promise not to increase taxes. CCAGW urges you to swiftly veto HB 591 and remind lawmakers that cutting taxes and wasteful spending, not raising state excise taxes, is the road to fiscal sanity.”

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.