Anti-smoking drug linked to father's suicide

The suicide of a Tasmanian father of three has prompted a warning from a coroner about the anti-smoking drug Champix.

Champix has been blamed for several suicides interstate and overseas but it is believed to be the first time the drug has been linked to a suicide in Tasmania.

Coroner Glenn Hay found it is impossible to say the drug was a direct causal link of the man's suicide.

But he found there was sufficient connection for him warn the community about the drug's side effects and any contra-indicators when taking it.

The drug's producer Pfizer Australia says some neuropsychiatric symptoms, including suicidal behaviour, have occurred in patients on the drug.

Mr Hay warned it was important those using medications such as Champix disclosed any history of mental illness to their doctor and stop taking the drug if mood or behaviour changes occurred.

QUIT Tasmania's Michael Wilson says that after the man's suicide it surveyed 64 clients known to be using the drug.

"Most of them were OK with it but there was a small percentage that had experienced some sort of nausaea or negative change in their mood, including anxiety or depression, but nothing major," he said.

Bhutan to Remain Smoke-Free

Since the Kingdom of Bhutan’s smooth transition to democracy in 2008, the population has found few issues to get riled up about.
The policy framework of Prime Minister Jigmy Y. Thinley’s government has centered around Gross National Happiness – a concept introduced by the country’s much-revered fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, which gives equal priority to economic development, the preservation of the environment and the promotion of culture among other criteria.

But the country’s tobacco ban – which is often described as draconian – is the biggest exception, sitting somewhat at odds with the GNH philosophy.

Speaking on Tuesday at an informal gathering with Indian writers, publishers and filmmakers in Paro, Bhutan, Mr. Thinley said he would not share his personal feelings on the law. However, he made it pretty clear he was not a huge fan of this piece of legislation, speaking of the “tyranny of the majority” while explaining how it came into being.

The country’s 2010 Tobacco Control Act, which builds on an earlier ban on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products, prohibits smoking in most public places and sets severe penalties for tobacco smuggling. People are allowed to bring small amounts of tobacco products into the country but must declare it at customs and pay hefty duties on it. Tobacco consumption is allowed in homes and in restricted areas of public places like hotels, but only if they apply for licenses.

The debate over the tobacco ban has flared up again in recent months following the first arrests under the law. Sonam Tshering, a 23-year old Buddhist monk, was the very first. In March, he was convicted to three years imprisonment on charges of smuggling, according to a court document posted on the Web site of Bhutan’s leader of the opposition.

Legislature Debates Changes to Voter-Approved Smoking Ban

The battle over smoking in tavern restaurants is highlighting the power state lawmakers have in overturning the voter's ballot initiatives. An Assembly bill currently being heard in Carson City would cancel sections of the voter-approved Nevada Indoor Clean Air Act.

Assembly Bill 571 would allow adults-only taverns that serve food to also allow indoor smoking. Tavern owners say a 2006 ban crippled their profits and cost jobs, but health advocates say overturning that ban will violate the will of the voters and cost lives.

When smoking was banned at Nevada's tavern restaurants in 2006, the American Lung Association declared victory. AB 571 leads health advocates to wonder what they fought for.

"You need over 98,000 signatures to get on it. Everybody works really hard, gets all the education out, and after three years, the legislature can mess with it? They can void parts of it or change it?" said Amy Beaulieu with the American Lung Association. "It's like the legislators are saying that the voters were stupid because they didn't know what they were voting for in the first place."

Despite 310,000 Nevadans voting for the 2006 ban, the legislature can change or repeal the voter's will after a three year waiting period. Nevada is one of 21 states that allows politicians to overturn a popular vote initiative.

"People have bemoaned the fact that lots of bad legislation that's been poorly written by very specific and narrow interest groups have been passed in California," said UNLV political science professor Ken Fernandez.

The Tavern Owner's Association says that while the smoking ban narrowly passed in 2006, a compromise initiative favored by the taverns nearly became law.

"Question Four, on the other hand, is the second hand smoke initiative that the tavern owners and slot operators at the time put forward only lost 48 to 52 percent statewide and actually had won in Clark County. The will of the people is very tight," said Tavern Association President Roger Sachs.

But an American Lung Association poll taken four months ago shows 83 percent of voters support the smoking ban law as it stands, with 65 percent "strongly supporting."

The Assembly Ways and Means Committee has not yet voted on changing the tavern smoking ban. A similar attempt in 2009 was narrowly defeated.

Circle K agrees to guard against selling tobacco to minors

About 4,000 Circle K stores, including two in the Quad Cities area, will enhance efforts to eliminate underage tobacco sales as part of an agreement with nearly 40 attorneys general.

Circle K must adopt specific procedures designed to reduce sales and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products to minors at all of its corporate-owned and franchise stores.
The agreement follows multiple incidents involving Circle K retail workers allegedly selling tobacco products to minors. None of those incidents are cited in the agreement.

There are two Circle K stores in our area – one in Rock Island and one in East Moline, Illinois.

“To its credit, Circle K is joining the roster of companies that have committed to a leadership role, by ramping up safeguards against youth access to tobacco, in Iowa and nationwide," Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said.

The agreement with Circle K includes training for personnel, independent compliance checks and advising franchise operators of serious consequences for selling tobacco to underage customers.

The agreement is called the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance. The agreement includes these terms:

ID must be checked on all persons who appear to be under 30, to protect against mistakes by clerks in evaluating a person’s age by their appearance alone.
In-store advertising of tobacco must be limited in ways intended to reduce the effect on young people, and outdoor advertising is to be eliminated at stores within 500 feet of playgrounds or schools.
Employee training will focus on the mechanics of eliminating underage tobacco sales, and will also emphasize the serious health issues that give rise to the legal efforts to restrict youth access to tobacco.
Circle K will test itself on the effectiveness of its own safeguards against underage sales by conducting “mystery shopper” compliance checks at 500 of its stores every six months.
Circle K voluntarily agreed to pay the attorneys general a total of $225,000 to be used for such purposes as consumer education, public protection, or the implementation of programs protecting against tobacco use by minors.
“We commend Circle K for joining us in this ongoing effort to keep tobacco out of the hands of young people,” Miller said.

Alcohol And Tobacco Compliance Operation Held Locally

The METRICH Enforcement Unit issued a press release denoting an alcohol and tobacco compliance operation conducted Monday by local law enforcement agencies and members of Community Action for Capable Youth.

During the operation, a number of young people under the age of 21 were taken to local liquor permit and retail locations in an attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.

In all, 73 retail locations were checked with employees at 10 of the locations having sold some type of an alcoholic beverage and five employees having sold some type of tobacco product.

Two employees sold both alcohol and tobacco products.

Each employee was cited for their violation and will be required to appear in court at a later date.

Each alcohol-related case will be presented to the Ohio Investigative Unit for potential citations of the liquor permit holder at each location.

MSA Clause Impacts State Tobacco Payments

The 2011 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) payments from participating tobacco companies were made in April, as usual. Altria, the nation's largest cigarette manufacturer and parent of Philip Morris, paid $3.5 billion, roughly half of the total annual payment due to the states. However, unlike past years, $267 million of that total was deposited into the "Disputed Payments Account," established under the MSA, causing a shortfall in the amount the states expected to receive.

The Disputed Payments Account, created as part of the MSA, enables tobacco companies to challenge the amount of their annual assessments. Under the agreement, if the tobacco companies can prove they lost market share due to the existence of the MSA itself, and that the member states have failed to rigorously enforce the MSA, a portion of the payments due each year may be rebated to the cigarette producers.

In arbitration, the tobacco companies made the case that market share diminished as a direct result of the MSA. However, the second test - adequate state enforcement against non-participating manufacturers - remains unresolved for each year going back to 2003. As a result, there are more than $3 billion in tobacco settlement payments now sitting in the Disputed Payments Account awaiting a final arbitration ruling. This has been a slow and tedious process.

Arbitration for 2003 is currently underway. Decisions on the following years, 2004 to the present, are not expected anytime soon and have yet to be scheduled. No resolution of those years is expected until sometime after 2012. To date, we have seen no evidence that state enforcement has been lax.

Cigarette Maker Posts 1Q Profit

Cigarette maker Lorillard, Inc. posted a first-quarter net income profit of seven percent Tuesday, The Associated Press reports. The increase came from higher prices on the cigarette maker’s Newport and Maverick brands. Lorillard sold nearly 10 percent more cigarettes on gains of eight percent from Newport and increases of nearly 23 percent for brands such as Maverick and Old Gold.

Lorillard, the nation’s third-largest tobacco company, reported a net income of $248 million, or roughly $1.71 per share, for the period that ended March 31. Lorillard’s income was up $16 from the $232 million reported last year. The Greensboro, N.C. tobacco giant said its revenue excluded excise taxes, which rose 14 percent. According to Lorillard, non-menthol Newport cigarettes introduced in November attributed to the increase in volume, although the company ending up spending more just promoting the new product. In a conference call with investors, CEO Murray Kessler said the Newport brand is just very strong and continues to organically grow."