$2K in cigarettes stolen from store

Have you seen a Marlboro man?
Police are investigating a burglary at the Pine Tree General Store on Route 1 this week involving the theft of more than 30 cartons of cigarettes.
Police were called to the store at 9:47 p.m. Monday, on a report that the front door had been smashed in and someone was inside the store.
When police arrived, they did not find anyone inside the store. They asked for a state police K9 unit, which followed a track north on Route 1; the dog subsequently lost the scent.
It was later determined that 34 cartons of cigarettes — most of them Marlboros — were stolen, with a total value of $2,190.
No cash was taken from the register nor did other items appear to have been stolen.

Tobacco Quit line Helps First Half-Million Callers

A free telephone service that helps Californians kick the smoking habit – funded by tobacco taxes approved by California voters and operated by the University of California, San Diego – reached a milestone today as the 500,000th person called for service.
1-800-NO-BUTTS, also known as the California Smokers’ Helpline, has been helping callers since 1992, when it became the nation’s first statewide “quit line.” Today, all 50 states offer similar services as part of efforts to reduce tobacco’s toll on the public health.
“The fact that half a million Californians have called for help shows how badly people want to quit,” said Christopher Anderson, program director for the Helpline. “When you see a person who’s still smoking, despite all the information about negative health effects, you might think they don’t want to quit. But, more often than not, they just don’t know how to go about it or don’t feel confident in their ability to quit. We help them come up with a good plan and stick to it.”
The Helpline provides free, confidential service to more than 30,000 callers annually, including self-help materials, referral to local programs, and one-on-one telephone counseling. Callers who choose counseling receive up to two hours of tailored assistance spread out over five calls. Services are available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Vietnamese.
“Reaching the milestone of half a million callers is remarkable, but we have a long way to go,” said Shu-Hong Zhu, PhD, principal investigator for the Helpline. He added that there are still about four million smokers in California, and tobacco use remains the leading cause of premature death and disease. “Concerted efforts are needed to encourage more quitting among smokers and tobacco chewers.”
According to the 2005 California Tobacco Survey, 62 percent of smokers were advised by a doctor to quit smoking, but only 33 percent of those were referred to a quit smoking program.
The Helpline has experienced a big increase in referrals by health care providers, from six percent of callers in 1992 to nearly 44 percent today. Still, the Helpline wants to see more intervention by medical personnel.
“We are asking health care professionals to get more involved and help spread the word about available cessation services,” said Kristin Harms, communications manager for the Helpline. “We recommend the ‘Ask, Advise, Refer’ approach: ask your patients if they smoke or use chewing tobacco, advise those who do to quit, and refer them to 1-800-NO-BUTTS for effective help.”
Research has shown that patients who are advised to quit are more likely to try, and that those who receive telephone counseling are twice as likely to be successful.

Man charged with stealing computer, cigarettes

An Iowa City man has been arrested on charges for participating in several thefts and burglaries, including stealing 350 packs of cigarettes from a Tiffin store.Eli James Vargason, 18, 1112 Hotz Ave., was charged with third-degree theft, possession of marijuana and drunken driving after he was pulled over for an expired registration about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to the arrest reports, police found a computer case with a mini laptop computer inside that had been reported stolen from a Tiffin man and marijuana.
He was then considered a suspect in other ongoing burglary investigations, including an Oct. 31 break-in at the Casey's General Store in Tiffin in which Vargason allegedly smashed the front glass door and took about 350 packs of cigarettes, police said. He was charged with third-degree burglary for that break-in, police said.
Vargason remained Friday in the Johnson County Jail on a $16,000 cash bond.

Delaying Tobacco Authority Would Harm Public

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday will tell a federal judge in Kentucky that ordering the agency to delay enforcing new tobacco laws will have "devastating consequences" for public health.
The FDA is facing a challenge to its new tobacco powers, signed into law in June, from tobacco companies including Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) and Lorillard Inc. (LO). The companies say the law imposes unprecedented restrictions on their First Amendment rights and want a federal court in Bowling Green, Ky., to order a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of the regulations. 
A judge for the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky is holding a hearing on the preliminary injunction request and could soon decide whether to grant the injunction. 
The law restricts tobacco companies from using color in most ads, bars them from saying certain products are less risky than others and stops them from selling tobacco products in combination with other items, such as soda and mouthwash.
"It is crucial to the public health that tobacco products not be marketed as reduced-risk products unless they will, in fact, reduce risks," the FDA said in a brief filed with the court. 
The companies want to be able to make claims in ads and on boxes that certain cigarettes contain smaller amounts of harmful ingredients, such as being low in tar, and are, therefore, less risky than other tobacco products. In their briefing documents, the companies argue that such information is truthful and should be given to consumers.
The FDA says such information gives consumers the "mistaken belief" that the products are safe to use. The agency will allow companies to make such claims only after they prove the product does reduce a consumers risk for tobacco-related diseases. That appears to be a high hurdle. The agency notes that medical devices and prescription drugs must go through a rigorous review process before they can be sold to treat or reduce the risk of disease. 
The companies say they aren't completely against the FDA authority to regulate tobacco, and that they support restrictions in marketing and advertising to children.

Allegheny County forced to cut no-smoking programs

PITTSBURGH - A lack of state funding is forcing a halt to most of Allegheny County's smoking cessation programs.
Tobacco Free Allegheny says it's facing a 50 percent cut in state funds, so it plans to dismantle nine of its 12 contracted programs after Wednesday.
Executive director Cindy Thomas said that tobacco prevention and cessation programs statewide will again see a reduction in the share of money they get as part of a settlement with the tobacco industry.
She says the programs reduce health care costs, because there are fewer tobacco-related diseases when people quit the habit.

CU-Boulder will lead drug-prevention program

School-violence-prevention experts at the University of Colorado netted a $12.1 million grant to implement a drug-prevention program in middle schools. 
CU's Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence will set up the program and monitor it at participating schools in 10 Southeastern states, expecting it to benefit 200,000 students over a three-year period, Director Delbert Elliott said. 
The Life Skills Training program has a track record of reducing students' use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by 50 to 70 percent, CU said in a news release. 
The program identifies common misconceptions about substance abuse, and trains students how to deal with peer and media pressure. It also offers lessons on anger management and helps students build better relationships. 
The interactive training is delivered in 45-minute sessions that are held 15 times the first year, 10 times the second year and five the third year. Those subsequent "booster" programs help reinforce the messages, and lead to long-term prevention, Elliott said. 
Funding comes from cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA, through a program aimed at reducing young people's use of tobacco. 
"This is a question that we had to think about," Elliott said. "It's controversial. We had to weigh the fact that we are taking money from a tobacco company with the fact that, at the same time, we can have a major effect on the probability of kids smoking in those nine Southern states." 
Smoking rates among youth in those states -- Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland -- are higher than the national average. 
Nationally, 7 percent of eighth-graders reported smoking one or more cigarettes in the previous month and nearly a quarter of teenagers were smokers by the time they graduated from high school, according to 2007 National Institutes of Health statistics.

Snuffing out a smart tax

As the legislature struggles to find enough revenue for the state's overdue budget, a tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco should be a no-brainer. But this is Harrisburg, where common sense usually faces an uphill battle.
Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that doesn't impose an excise tax on smokeless tobacco. It is one of only two states - the other is Florida - that doesn't tax cigars.
Gov. Rendell has proposed taxing the products to bring in $38 million per year. A proposal by Rep. Dan Frankel (D., Allegheny), who is on the House Appropriations Committee, would use the same tax rate as cigarettes, raising $70 million annually.
But Senate Republicans yanked the stogies out of their mouths long enough to voice their opposition to this tax. They said essentially it's too small a number with which to concern themselves. Democratic leaders have resisted the tax, too.
Meanwhile, legislators are picking up sofa cushions in search of loose change to fill the state's budget gap. For example, they found $25 million for general operations hiding in the state liquor-store system. That's how small a number legislators are scrounging for. Yet, they forgo the tobacco tax.
The need for that levy is greater because the legislature is intent on making dumb moves such as granting certain large corporations in Pennsylvania a tax break. A proposed change in the "single sales" tax policy would drain $165 million from state coffers over two years. It should be ditched in favor of a more comprehensive overhaul of corporate taxes.

One stumbling block to reaching a final budget deal with Rendell is that the governor claims the legislature's revenue projections don't add up. As the week began, the two sides were about $400 million apart in their revenue estimates. A tobacco tax that adds $38 million, or $70 million, to the pot would certainly help.

Even better, the proposed tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars is what's known to policy geeks as "recurring revenue." That means it raises a predictable amount of revenue from year to year.

The tentative budget deal relies on many one-shot revenue sources, such as emptying the state's Rainy Day fund of its entire $750 million. That's an easy call for legislators this year, but it leaves the cupboard bare for next year, which increases the likelihood of having to raise another tax.

Aside from the math, there is an important policy statement to make with this tax: Snuff and cigars are bad for your health. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said 16- to 25-year-olds in Pennsylvania use smokeless tobacco at twice the national average. Some smokeless tobacco brands are flavored to appeal more to youths. Raising the tax on cigarettes, but failing to tax cigars and snuff, could encourage more young people to use these products.

Pennsylvania's tobacco industry, based in Lancaster County, is not large. Imposing this sensible tax would hit a relatively small number of consumers, and would raise needed revenue in a budget year filled with unkind cuts.

Oregon moves to block e-cigarette sales

The Oregon Attorney General's Office is suing an electronic cigarettes importer that sells plastic devices marketed as being safer than regular tobacco cigarettes. 
Attorney General John Kroger filed the lawsuit Tuesday, the same day a county in New York banned sales of what's called e-cigarettes to minors; both moves are the first of their kinds in the nation. 
Typically imported from China, e-cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes, down to their battery-powered glowing red tip. Instead of burning, e-cigarettes vaporize certain mixtures, which can include liquid nicotine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has not approved the sale of e-cigarettes, recently reported that a test of 19 brands found more than half contained a cancer-causing substance. 
Kroger has filed suit against Florida-based Smoking Everywhere Inc., which had refused state requests to restrict its sales, and its chief executive, Elico Taieb. 
Meanwhile, Smoking Everywhere and a major importer, Sottera Inc., are suing the FDA in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., claiming the agency doesn't have the authority to regulate their product. 
Smoking Everywhere has continued to operate in Oregon as the federal case proceeds, Tuesday's lawsuit contends. Kroger already has reached an agreement with Sottera, maker of the Njoy brand, to halt sales here. 
"It's my duty to protect the public from products that are falsely advertised as safe," said Kroger, who has said that e-cigarettes' flavored options are a further concern as they may appeal to young people.

The Emotional Withdrawal From Tobacco Cigarettes

Have you ever been around someone you like really well only to have these feelings change because this person might be trying to quit smoking? When some people try to quit their whole personality seems to change. The longer they succeed in staying away from those cigarettes the worse their personality seems to get. Sometimes it feels like you are the one that this person hates the most as you might receive all of their anger. It can become so bad that you might want to give them that cigarette or a punch in the face.

When a person tries to quit smoking their bodies will go through an emotional withdrawal as well as a personal withdrawal. Their mind is fighting their body by trying to trick themselves into smoking that cigarette. They might beat themselves this time, but maybe not the next. The really bad thing is that you might find yourself in the middle. This person will lash out at whoever is closest sometimes saying the most nasty things they can think of trying to get this person to either go away or give them a cigarette. If this is you or it happened to you, are you still friends with that person.

A lot of you might realize that you have lost some of your friends even if you lost the battle and went back to smoking. This could be one reason why every time you try to quit you fail. You have probably tried all of the items on the market only to find that they will not work for you. Most of you that have tried those patches and even the gum will find that you still get the nicotine, but get no satisfaction for the other part of this habit. This would be the holding of that cigarette itself. This part of smoking is just as important in the habit as all the rest.

If you go want to try something different that might will give you the satisfaction of nicotine without many of the other side effects, you might want to give the e-cigarette a try. You might find that you like this type of smoking device so well that you will be able to get away from the tobacco cigarettes for good. With one of these you are not really smoking, but you get your nicotine and still have this look-a-like cigarette in your fingers and mouth. You can quit these at your own pace if you wish too as you can lower the amount of nicotine you receive just by changing the filters you use.

Cigar shops fret over higher taxes, smoking laws

NEW ORLEANS — With the world becoming ever less welcoming for tobacco smoke of all kinds, the owners of specialty shops that sell premium cigars have converged on New Orleans with the same concerns as mass-market cigarette manufacturers — higher taxes and anti-smoking laws.
The cigars at the annual trade show of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association are not the packaged stogies found in an isolated corner of a convenience store. These are hand-rolled smokes — sometimes with Cuban seed tobacco grown in a non-embargoed country — that can go from a couple of bucks to $30 each.
"It's tough," said Chris McCalla, legislative director for Columbus, Ga.-based IPCRA, which represents about 1,500 tobacco stores. "People view us in the same category of cigarettes. With a cigar, it's different. It's a pleasurable experience. It's socialization of sorts."
Mark Twain once said he always tried not to smoke two cigars at once. Winston Churchill smoked cigars in peacetime and wartime. A cigar was more than just a prop for Groucho Marx. John F. Kennedy enjoyed puffing — although he barred the import of Cuban cigars during his showdowns with another cigar aficionado, Fidel Castro, who later claimed to have quit smoking. And, in modern times, Rush Limbaugh often associates himself with a premium cigar.
"The cigar continues to have a unique place in the hearts of a lot of men," said Norm Sharp, president of the Cigar Association of America, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group of distributors and manufacturers. "There are a lot of aficionados out there."
And many detractors, including the American Cancer Society, which has said that cigars — as well as pipes — are not a safe substitute for cigarettes and carry much of the same cancer risk.
IPCRA estimates there are 12 to 13 million cigar smokers in the United States, who puff an average of two a week, ranging from several a day to the special-event-only smoker, McCalla said.
When Congress hiked cigarette taxes earlier this year, cigars did not escape the attention of lawmakers, who imposed a tax increase between about 5 cents and 40 cents per cigar. The industry now fears that state legislatures, many of which are trying to close big budget gaps, will follow suit.
"Tobacco is considered low-hanging fruit for taxation," Sharp said.
And cigars are among the active targets for anti-smoking groups.
Although only Delaware, Washington state and Utah ban puffing in tobacco establishments, the city of Galveston, Texas, recently passed a clean air ordinance that forbids smoking in a planned cigar lounge — a store that provides a room for cigar-lovers to visit and enjoy their tobacco.
Owner Charlie Head, who plans to open Sept. 1 after his previous store was wiped out by Hurricane Ike, said it's ridiculous to think people who don't smoke would even come inside his business, which includes lockers for smokers to store their cigars and liquor they bring in.
"We're going ahead with it," Head said. "But a big part of our business is locker rental."
Head said he hoped to win an exemption for his shop before the ban takes effect on Jan. 1.
Even before the spread of cigarette smoking bans, cigars and pipes received a chilly reception in many places. Airliners that used to permit cigarettes wouldn't allow cigars and pipes. And many smoking bars today are actually cigarette-only bars — don't light up that cigar or pipe, a sign often says.
As a result, cigar smoking has become largely a private activity, McCalla said, with the cigar lounge or cigar bar a popular gathering place.
"Most cigar smokers would like to sit down comfortably and smoke with others," he said.
The recession has cut into business, said Doug Winston, manager of the New Orleans Cigar Co., a 700-square-foot store in the downtown district. To start with, go-outside-to-smoke rules are making shorter cigars more popular.
"With the tax and the economy, people also seem to be going to the lesser-expensive cigars," Winston said.
As for the convention itself, which is hosting about 4,000 people through Wednesday, smoking will be allowed in the exhibit hall between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. But members of the public aren't invited to the meeting — and no one under 18 will be let in, McCalla said.