E-cigarettes' smoke screen

MOUNTING public dialogue about the safety of electronic cigarettes appropriately spurs school districts to broaden bans on tobacco products to prohibit them.

The battery-operated devices the size of pens use nicotine-soaked replaceable cartridges to simulate smoking. Nicotine is delivered into the body with water vapor rather than smoke. Young people may find this safer than regular cigarettes. But e-cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive substance.

The product may be a gateway for teens to move onto other tobacco products including cigarettes. That's the last thing needed as the popularity of smokeless nicotine products stalls progress on reducing smoking in high school.

Smoking is a critical battleground. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that one-third of high-school smokers will die prematurely of tobacco-related disease.

The Washington State School Directors Association, which coordinates policy for public districts, revised its tobacco and nicotine substances policy last fall. The absence of tobacco in e-cigarettes put them outside the reach of current anti-tobacco bans.

Proponents laud e-cigarettes as a way to help wean smokers from tobacco cigarettes. But there is scant evidence, leading the federal Food and Drug Administration to warn manufacturers of e-cigarettes that such claims may violate federal drug laws.

Most adults favor restrictions on electronic cigarettes and more testing on their safety, a poll last year found. Bans on e-cigarette sales to minors, limiting ads and restricting indoor smoking of e-cigarettes are policy ideas sparking future efforts.

A smart beginning is a ban on e-cigarettes in public schools.

Around £10,000 worth of cigarettes stolen from Welwyn Garden City store

The raid saw “three possible offenders” break in to the Co-op on Shoplands taking a stash of fags during the early hours of this morning (Thursday).

A worker at the store said: “The alarm went off at about 1am. The burglars must have ripped open the shutter with a claw hammer or something because they’ve broken it.

“They only opened it a bit and then smashed the glass to get in and steel the cigarettes.”

He added: “We haven’t worked out exactly how many were taken yet, but it was loads and loads of cigarettes, probably around £7,000 to £10,000 worth.
“This morning the shutter wouldn’t go up, you could only get in through by crawling in. So we setup a temporary shop to serve customers instead.”

Indiana smoking ban advocates push cause at New Albany event

The event, billed as a town hall meeting, featured five panelists and moderator Karla Sneegas, executive director of the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency. All were ban supporters, and the gathering was hosted at Cancer Care Center by Floyd County Tobacco Prevention and Cessation.

Panelist Lindsay Grace of the American Lung Association said Indiana is “the ashtray of the Midwest.”

“We really are becoming surrounded by smoke-free states and cities,” Grace said, including Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa, along with Louisville and Lexington in Kentucky.

Nationally, depending on whose count you use, she said, 23 to 29 states covering 63 percent of the U.S. population have workplace smoking bans that do not allow for exceptions or designated smoking areas.

There are 12 local smoke-free areas in Indiana such as Bloomington, West Lafayette and Elkhart that cover 8.7 percent of the state’s population, Grace said. Closer to home, Jeffersonville has a public smoking ban while proposed bans have been defeated in New Albany and Clarksville.

The statewide proposal in Indiana, House Bill 1018, contains exceptions for such places as bars, casinos, private clubs and horse racing facilities. Unlike previous bans passed by the House, this one “for the first time ever” received a hearing Wednesday in the Senate Public Policy Committee, Grace said.

She said a committee vote is expected next Wednesday.

The American Lung Association and other ban advocates oppose the exceptions in the bill, Grace said, “so it is our hope that we get it cleaned up and put bars and taverns back in and tighten up some other language.”

The usual ban advocates have been joined by One Southern Indiana, the chamber of commerce for Floyd and Clark counties.

One Southern Indiana Chairman Kevin Hammersmith said the organization supports a statewide smoking ban “in recognition of the message that it sends that Indiana values the health of its citizens.”

He said the organization feels “that there’s a direct correlation between no smoking and companies that look to come to Indiana for their workers.”

Secondhand smoke raises the stakes in America's casinos

Millions of Americans visit casinos to unwind and test their luck against the hands of fate, but lurking in the shadows is a gamble few would contemplate before they stepped inside a casino's doors. The threat is not addiction. It's not the specter of losing a small fortune. The hidden danger is secondhand smoke.

According to a new study by scientists from Stanford and Tufts universities published in the journal Environmental Research, each year 50 million nonsmoking casino patrons and 400,000 nonsmoking casino workers gamble with their lives inside casinos that allow smoking. Less than 2 hours of exposure to secondhand smoke in half of the casinos surveyed is enough to impair the heart's ability to pump blood, placing susceptible casino patrons and workers at acute risk of heart disease.

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability, costing the country an estimated $151.6 billion in 2007. Approximately 8 percent of the population 45 to 64 years of age, and 20 percent of those aged over 65, suffers from coronary heart disease. These older people are at greater risk from exposure to secondhand smoke. Compounding the concern, the two age groups have higher gambling rates than those under 45.

The team of experts from Stanford and Tufts examined pollution levels in 66 smoky casinos in five states, and three casinos that are smoke-free, comparing them with the pollution levels outdoors. The study is a continuation of earlier research conducted at 36 casinos in California. An additional 30 casinos were tested in four other states.

To make their measurements, the researchers operated covertly. Two to three researchers at a time entered casinos carrying small monitoring devices tucked inside purses or jackets. Combining the Stanford/Tufts data with previously published measurements from three other states, the team developed nationwide averages and ranges for pollution levels inside casinos.

The study focused on two types of air pollutants blamed for tobacco-related cancers: fine particulate matter, which deposits deep in the lungs, and a group of chemicals called particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PPAHs, which include at least 10 different carcinogenic compounds. Results show that gamblers and casino workers in casinos that permit smoking are subject to levels of particulate air pollution 10 times higher than those who visit smoke-free casinos.

The researchers also found that ventilation and air cleaning do not control indoor smoke levels. "The only effective control for secondhand smoke was reducing the number of smokers," said Lynn Hildemann, a professor of environmental engineering and science at Stanford and the principal investigator for the study.

"The fewer smokers, the less polluted the air. If you switch to a nonsmoking casino, your exposure to harmful fine particulate matter levels indoors will be reduced by 90 percent, and your exposure to carcinogenic PPAH levels will decrease by 80 percent."

Unfortunately, smoke-free casinos are rare. In the United States, 88 percent of commercial casinos and nearly 100 percent of tribal casinos allow smoking.

Eat to stay smoke-free

If you are one of the thousands who quit smoking on Ash Wednesday you may be in need of some support at this stage.But don't give up -- it gets easier.

Is your after-dinner cigarette your favourite? A new American study has revealed that some foods, including meat, make cigarettes more satisfying.
Others, including cheese, fruit and vegetables, make cigarettes taste terrible. So swap your usual steak or burger for a veggie pizza instead.

The same study looked at drinks. Fizzy drinks, alcohol, cola, tea and coffee all make cigarettes taste better.
So when you're out, drink more water and juice. Some people find that simply changing their drink (for example, switching from wine to a vodka and tomato juice), affects their need to reach for a cigarette.

Identify your problem times.A craving can last five minutes. Before you give up, make a list of five-minute strategies. For example, you could leave the party for a minute, dance or go to the bar. And think about this: the combination of smoking and drinking heavily raises your risk of mouth cancer by 38 times.
If friends or family members have given up too, lean on each other for support.
A review of scientific studies has proven that exercise (even a five-minute walk or stretch) cuts cravings and may help your brain to produce anti-craving chemicals.
Make non-smoking friends.When at work or out socialising stick with the non-smokers. When you look at the smokers, don't envy them.Think of what they're doing as a bit strange -- standing outside in the cold with passers by staring at them while puffing a small white tube and breathing in smoke.
Keep your hands and mouth busy. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can make you twice as likely to succeed. As well as patches, there are tiny tablets, lozenges, gum and a nasal spray. If you like holding a cigarette, use an inhalator. Try putting your drink in the hand that usually holds a cigarette, or drink from a straw to keep your mouth busy.
Keep reminding yourself why you gave up. Make a list of the reasons and read it when you need support.
Remember, 20 minutes after quitting your blood pressure and pulse return to normal.

After 24 hours your lungs start to clear. After two days your body is nicotine-free and your sense of taste and smell improve. After three days you can breathe more easily, and your energy increases.

After two to 12 weeks, your circulation improves.

After three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing improve.

After one year your heart attack risk is half that of a smoker and after 10 years your lung cancer risk is half that of a smoker.

Smoking laws to be decided next month

By-laws which could regulate the sale of cigarettes in shops near schools, ban smoking in some indoor areas and decide which shisha cafes are licensed, are to be voted on by the Health Council early next month.

The laws, which should have come into effect by the end of last year, will clarify the enforcement of federal anti-tobacco law No 15, issued in early 2009 by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE.

Dr Wedad al Maidoor, the head of the National Tobacco Control Committee, said the by-laws were pending official approval because further steps had to be taken before smoking bans take effect in coming months.

Smoke If Ya Got Em: 60 More Marijuana Dispensaries To Close

Everything is going to pot. An additional 60 medical marijuana dispensaries have been ordered to shut down immediately as Los Angeles city officials expand their campaign against dispensaries that did not register in the Top 100 lottery to determine which establishments can keep operating, reports LA Now.

The new letters went out earlier this week about two weeks after the city attorney's office notified the operators and landlords of another 141 pot shops that they must close. The letters warn that the city could sue violators, seek financial penalties and “padlock the property.”

The assistant city attorney overseeing enforcement efforts said it's unclear if all the business are selling marijuana and that city employees are checking on the operational status of each of the additional businesses.
The letter asks for a return response and so far the city attorney has received intel on nearly 25 locations. 11 claim to have closed the dispensary portion of their business, six are reportedly taking steps to close and one denies it's green reputation.

£20k illegal cigarettes seized in Belfast

A man has been arrested after £20,000 worth of illegal cigarettes and tobacco were seized during a series of raids on properties in north Belfast.
Home and vehicles in the Ardoyne area were raided as part of planned searches by officers from both HMRC and the PSNI on Tuesday evening.

Almost 100 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco, 20,000 duty free cigarettes and £10,000 in cash were recovered.

Brian Dixon of HMRC's Specialist Investigations said: "Tobacco smuggling is organised criminality on a global scale and robs the taxpayer of millions each year in unpaid duty and VAT."

A man was arrested and questioned in relation to the incident.

New Brunswick Raises Gas and Cigarette Taxes

In an effort to raise much-needed provincial revenue, the New Brunswick government earlier this week trimmed spending and eliminated a tax rate cut for high-income earners, and increased taxes on cigarettes and gas, The Canadian Press reports.

Finance Minister Blaine Higgs introduced an $8-billion budget that includes a nearly $449-million deficit, though the figure is less than half the $1 billion deficit that the government projected last November.

Last year, New Brunswick officials ordered departments to reduce spending by one percent in the current fiscal year and two percent in each of the next three years, cuts that have resulted in more than $200 million in savings for 2011-12.

“I want to make it clear that we are very serious about spending restraint,” Higgs said.

As of yesterday, New Brunswick’s cigarette tax increased $1.31 a pack, a spike that is expected to generate an extra $25 million in annual revenue.

Additionally, motorists have begun paying 2.9 cents per liter ($0.11 per gallon) more in gasoline tax and 2.3 cents per liter more ($0.089 per gallon) on diesel, increases that are expected to raise $44 million more in annual revenue and cost the average New Brunswicker an extra $85 a year per vehicle.

Higgs said those changes will help the government balance the budget by 2014-15.

“This budget is only the beginning,” he said. “Together we are partners for change in the way New Brunswick, both as a government and as a province, will operate in the future.”

Andrea Bourgeois, spokesperson for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, worries about the increases.

“Other tax increases — such as the gas tax — will take some of the competitive advantage away,” she said.

Robert Krekeler, cigarette distributor and founder of food bank, dies

Robert L. Krekeler sold cigarettes by the truckful but stopped smoking and didn't want his family members to start.
He also sold tons of candy but consumed little of that product either.
But "he liked selling it," his wife, Joyce Krekeler, recalled Tuesday.
Mr. Krekeler owned Mound City Industries Inc., at one time one of the oldest cigarette distributors in the country and described as the largest in St. Louis.
He died Friday (March 18, 2011) at his home in Warson Woods. He was 68 and had battled bile duct and liver cancer since December, his family said.
In 1975, Mr. Krekeler helped start the first major food bank in the metropolitan area after the broadcasting of a documentary series by Channel 4's Al Wiman titled "Hunger: A St. Louis Emergency."
Mr. Krekeler later got a call from Monsignor John Schocklee of the St. Louis Archdiocesan Human Rights Commission. He wanted to know what happened to unused supermarket food.
Mr. Krekeler had spent most of his life in the distribution business and he knew just what to do.
He arranged a meeting with representatives of groceries and local food suppliers. Some of them were sending leftover food to landfills.
Mr. Krekeler and others said a better use would be feeding the needy.
That was the start of the Food Crisis Network.
Today, it operates as the St. Louis Area Food Bank. It distributed more than 23 million pounds of food last year in 26 counties.
Mr. Krekeler grew up in south St. Louis, the youngest of six children. His grandfather and father started a wholesale food distribution company.
When the family moved to a farm in Chesterfield, he switched from Chaminade to Parkway High School, where he graduated in 1961.
He met his future wife on a blind date on a toboggan ride at his family's farm. They married in 1964. He later studied business at Washington University and St. Louis University.
Mr. Krekeler started in the family business and in 1977 left to became president and then owner of Mound City. The company sold cigarettes and candy to nearly 2,000 grocers, convenience stores, theaters and hospitals.
Aware of the dangers of smoking, he quit during the 1980s. He sometimes avoided the subject of tobacco by telling people that he was in the candy business.
But he also fought for the right to smoke and against those who would tax cigarettes out of existence.
Mr. Krekeler retired and dissolved his company in 2006. He served during the 1970s as a Warson Woods alderman.
A memorial Mass will held at 5 p.m. today at Ste. Genevieve du Bois Catholic Church, 1575 North Woodlawn Avenue, Warson Woods. Burial will be private at St. Peter's Cemetery in Kirkwood.
Survivors, in addition to his wife, include two daughters, Margaret Cox of University City and Amy Krekeler of Brentwood; a brother, Gregory Krekeler of Chesterfield; three sisters, Joann Reardon of Frontenac, Delores Chivetta of Ladue and Sally Knoll of Chesterfield; and three grandchildren.

Cutting cigarette tax makes matters worse

With the state facing a large budget deficit that threatens to undermine state services and shift millions in costs to local government, cutting the state tax on cigarettes is simply a bad idea.
As we reported last week, the House endorsed cutting the tax, 236-93, and the chief budget writer in the state Senate predicted they would likely go along with the idea.
Cutting the tobacco tax by 10 cents per pack is likely to cause a significant drop in state revenue, despite claims to the contrary. New Hampshire’s tax, even at its current level, is well below neighboring states and still gives New Hampshire a competitive advantage.

Supporters of cutting the cigarette tax argue that the current levy is decreasing sales, but experience shows that every time the state has increased the tax, revenue has gone up.
In this case, past experience is a good indicator of future outcomes. As Rep. Christine Hamm, D-Hopkinton, pointed out during the floor debate, every time the state has raised the tax, it has brought in more revenue, sometimes much more than forecast.

Cutting the tax could cost the state as much as $9 million in lost revenue next year, compounding an already difficult situation.
Frank Chaloupka, an economics professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, to the Associated Press that it is unusual for states to lower the tax because experience has shown that the sales increase is not enough to offset the drop in tax revenue.

When states raise the tax, revenue goes up even though sales decline, Chaloupka told the AP.
Gov. John Lynch has opposed raising business taxes, but he’s consistently championed increasing a cigarette tax that was 80 cents per pack when he took office. At $1.78 per pack, the New Hampshire levy is still well below the $2.51 in Massachusetts, $2 in Maine and $2.24 in Vermont. All three states also have sales taxes that are added to the cost of cigarettes bought there.
It’s hard to imagine that current pricing is driving cigarette smokers away from New Hampshire.

Still, experts hired by the New Hampshire Grocers Association argue cutting the tax would raise up to $13 million in additional tax revenue for the state. Considering the source of the study, those numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt.
Grocers along the New Hampshire border make a lot of money selling cigarettes to out-of-state residents, and a lower price would increase their sales, which is good for them. The grocers make more money when they sell more cigarettes, even if the state makes less money on the taxes, so it’s no surprise the grocers association is lobbying hard on this one.
Rep. Stephen Stepanek, R-Amherst, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, calls the tax cut proposal “a pro-business, pro-growth, pro-jobs bill,” when in fact it is a revenue drain that will only force more budget cuts at a time when $500 million in state services are already on the chopping block.
New Hampshire already has some of the highest health care costs in the nation, and making cigarettes cheaper is certainly not going to help on that front.
The current cigarette tax in New Hampshire has provided a reliable revenue source, while ensuring that the state retains its competitive position in New England. With draconian budget cuts on the table, now is not the time to make a bad situation even worse.

Cullerton’s Puzzling Focus On Cigarette Tax Hike

A big question on a lot of Statehouse minds right now is: Why would Senate President John Cullerton all of a sudden decide to string out his members yet again on a dollar a pack cigarette tax hike when he surely knows that the House will kill it for the umpteenth time?

Cullerton wants to raise money from the cigarette tax so he can kill off the controversial law legalizing video gaming in taverns, clubs and truck stops. Video gaming proceeds are supposed to subsidize part of the state's massive capital construction plan, but the video gaming program hasn't got off the ground after two years of preparations because the Illinois Gaming Board is taking its time to develop strict standards.

Part of the answer is that Cullerton loves the cigarette tax hike idea in and of itself. The man just downright loathes cigarettes and believes that raising the tax would cause people to stop smoking and prevent kids from starting.

But when the four legislative leaders sit down to cut a deal, they're supposed to stick to that deal unless the other leaders go along. The capital plan was just such an agreement. Breaking a pact like that is just not done. Ever.

You rarely see stories about the tax and fee hikes that fund the state's construction program, and you don't see many articles about some of the more questionable projects in the package. That's because all the leaders vowed to each other that they wouldn't stir up any trouble. Those vows are usually as solemn as any priest's, so they're never violated, but Cullerton is now doing it. Why?

Cullerton is said to be tired of Democrats being blamed for the video poker law, which has been blasted by most editorial pages in the state. "Maybe now they'll understand that it was the Republicans who wanted this, not us," explained a Cullerton aide last week.

The Republicans actually came up with the idea of legalizing video gaming in taverns, clubs and truck stops. But the Democrats have worn the jacket for the much-maligned program because they're in the majority and the hugely controversial Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Berrios was one of the top lobbyists for the video gaming industry.

It didn't help matters much when former mobster turned government informant Frank Calabrese, Jr. told Fox Chicago the other day that he believed infiltrating the video poker industry would be a piece of cake.

"I mean, I laughed when I seen that," Calabrese told Fox's Dane Placko about the video poker legalization measure. "I mean, really. Why? I could go back there and show you how fast I could get in the middle of it," he said from his Arizona house.

"It's math 101, okay? I'm not gonna go in there and put my name on a license and buy a bar and ask for three machines. I'm coming to you who's totally legit and say you're gonna buy the machines from this guy, and this is what you're gonna pay him and that guy's gonna help me in some way," Calabrese said.

In the same story, former FBI organized crime director Tom Bourgeois told the channel that the General Assembly had opened the doors to the Outfit. "You're just providing an avenue for organized crime to re-root itself and find ways to become more powerful. It's just too easy to do that and of course, the legislation provides opportunity for very little oversight," Bourgeois claimed.

In reality, neither Calabrese nor Bourgeois are likely correct. For one thing, the current "amusement purposes only" video poker machines (most of which actually pay out in the real world) are already connected to the mob in one way or another. Legalization is seen by proponents as a way to get the mob out, not let them in.

Anti-smoking group: Cigarette tax hike must be larger

The Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont applauds a proposal to raise the tax on cigarettes, but argued Monday the 27-cent increase isn’t enough.

The cigarette tax increase was included in a tax bill recommended by the House Ways and Means Committee. It would raise $24 million from a package of tax changes, including the proposed 27-cent increase in the cigarette tax.

The coalition — American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids — suggests a one-dollar increase would have an impact on public health by reducing smoking rates and preventing some young people from starting to smoke.

“Given that the average pack price in Vermont is currently $6.50, the proposed 27-cent increase would not be expected to produce any benefit for public health. While Vermont used to be a leader in protecting kids from tobacco initiation, we now have fallen behind most of our neighbors and have not passed a significant increase in the cigarette excise tax since 2006,” Tina Zuk, coalition coordinator, wrote in a statement.

The bigger increase would provide more money to deal with the state’s current financial problems and help the state saving health care dollars in the future by reducing the number of smokers, anti-smoking advocates argued.

The 27-cent increase would raise $3.66 million in new taxes, while a dollar increase would raise about $10 million.