The new floor price for a 20-pack cigarette at RM6.40 is a positive development for the tobbaco sector as it will narrow the gap between extremely-low priced cigarettes (ELPCs) and value-for-money (VFM) cigarettes produced by the industry’s main players.
The Health Ministry had announced that the minimum retail price of a 20-pack cigarette will be fixed at RM6.40 effective Jan 1.
The new regulations, aimed at discouraging smoking among children, youths and the lower income group, will also see the prohibition of promotional prices of cigarettes, although price discounts of not more than 5% are allowed up to three times a year.
The domestic tobacco industry’s main players include British American Tobacco Malaysia Bhd (BAT), JT International Bhd (JTI) and Philip Morris.
Maybank Investment Bank Bhd said the minimum pricing should be good news for BAT and JTI as their cheapest brands were sold from RM7.80 for a 20s pack.
“The minimum price places a ceiling on the price gap between ELPCs and the brands sold by BAT and JTI,” it said in a report yesterday. “ELPCs currently retail from RM4.50 per pack of 20s and now account for about 8% of total industry sales.”
Maybank Investment said the raft of new restrictions would affect ELPCs significantly.
“The banning of price cuts or discounts of more than 5% will mean the banning of price wars which erode manufacturers’ margins.
“But, given that contraband cigarettes account for nearly 40% of total consumption, such restrictions will not impact the overall consumption in the country,” it said.
Kenanga Research said ELPCs would be wiped out by the ruling, which would be positive for players like BAT.
BAT’s cheapest VFM 20s pack is already being sold at RM7.80 so no adjustment will be necessary in response to the floor price.
“The ruling will reduce competition from ELPCs, particularly in BAT’s value segment,” it said in its report yesterday, adding that Pall Mall, BAT’s leading VFM brand, saw a 0.6% decrease in retail audit market share as at Sept 30.
It said the minimum pricing, however, would not help curb illicit trade.
“The illicit segment accounts for 38.7% of all cigarettes sold in the country and presents the biggest threat to the biggest three tobacco players,” it said.
Another research house believes that an increase in the floor price would not have as great an impact on the big three cigarette players as they had differentiated their VFM packs from the ELPCs.
“This is done by raising the price bar to RM7.80 per pack of 20s, which is RM1.40 (or 22%) above the minimum threshold.
“It may result in some gains in market share, as consumers may switch to the VFM brands instead,” the research house said.
Best info and news about tobacco world!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Five Million Die from Cigarette Smoking Every Year
The World Health Organisation has announced that their numbers show five million people die from smoking around the world every year and warn that the number could rise if more stringent measures aren't taken to minimise smoking's impact.
WHO also stated that 600,000 people die every year from passive smoking, ie inhaling someone else's cigarette smoke. Last year, WHO unveiled six strategies that countries could implement to protect their people from the harm of cigarettes.
However, less than 10% of the world's population is covered by any one of those six strategies, which include smoking bans, higher tobacco taxes and bans on tobacco advertising.
WHO also stated that 600,000 people die every year from passive smoking, ie inhaling someone else's cigarette smoke. Last year, WHO unveiled six strategies that countries could implement to protect their people from the harm of cigarettes.
However, less than 10% of the world's population is covered by any one of those six strategies, which include smoking bans, higher tobacco taxes and bans on tobacco advertising.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Boy left in car for 'chocs and smokes'
Bloemfontein - The mother who allegedly left her two-year-old son in her car in scorching heat in Bloemfontein, while she went to buy "chocolates and cigarettes", is a nurse at a private hospital in the city.
The 28-year-old woman issued a statement to police on Saturday from her house in the city. A complaint of child neglect is being investigated against her, while the incident will also be reported to social services.
The police are urgently looking for a male witness who stated at the scene that she'd been gone for at least half an hour, while the little boy was apparently locked in the car while the temperature was 35 degrees Celsius.
The woman allegedly admitted to being the mother of the child in the car, but insists that she "was only gone for 10 minutes to buy chocolates and cigarettes" while the child was asleep in the car.
Inspector Richard Botha from the family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit of the Parkway police station tracked her down.
He says when he found the woman late on Friday after an intensive search - aggravated because the car was incorrectly registered - she was extremely emotional, traumatised and overwhelmed with remorse.
Botha returned to their house on Saturday to take down her statement. He told her that a three-year-old boy who'd been left in a car in the city earlier that night while the parents were gambling, was taken away from the parents.
"The dad and the little boy were there. The dad was very upset. It's quite a normal, stable family. She's well groomed and the little boy is delightful and well groomed. The house is in a good complex. That's why I find it so ironic if you look at their setup and her behaviour," he said.
She said her behaviour when the boy was left in the car had been "totally irrational" and that she doesn't know why she did something that she normally would never have done. She said she loves her son very much.
Botha also found the two police officials who'd been at the scene. According to them the child was already out of the car and in the mother's hands when they arrived at the scene.
Witnesses had earlier told Volksblad that the boy was hysterical when he was found on the back seat of the car at the Hyperama's parking terrain on Reconcilliation Day. It also looked like his nose was bleeding.
None of the car's windows were open, while the temperature in an adjacent car showed that it was 35 degrees Celsius shortly before 13:00.
The 28-year-old woman issued a statement to police on Saturday from her house in the city. A complaint of child neglect is being investigated against her, while the incident will also be reported to social services.
The police are urgently looking for a male witness who stated at the scene that she'd been gone for at least half an hour, while the little boy was apparently locked in the car while the temperature was 35 degrees Celsius.
The woman allegedly admitted to being the mother of the child in the car, but insists that she "was only gone for 10 minutes to buy chocolates and cigarettes" while the child was asleep in the car.
Inspector Richard Botha from the family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit of the Parkway police station tracked her down.
He says when he found the woman late on Friday after an intensive search - aggravated because the car was incorrectly registered - she was extremely emotional, traumatised and overwhelmed with remorse.
Botha returned to their house on Saturday to take down her statement. He told her that a three-year-old boy who'd been left in a car in the city earlier that night while the parents were gambling, was taken away from the parents.
"The dad and the little boy were there. The dad was very upset. It's quite a normal, stable family. She's well groomed and the little boy is delightful and well groomed. The house is in a good complex. That's why I find it so ironic if you look at their setup and her behaviour," he said.
She said her behaviour when the boy was left in the car had been "totally irrational" and that she doesn't know why she did something that she normally would never have done. She said she loves her son very much.
Botha also found the two police officials who'd been at the scene. According to them the child was already out of the car and in the mother's hands when they arrived at the scene.
Witnesses had earlier told Volksblad that the boy was hysterical when he was found on the back seat of the car at the Hyperama's parking terrain on Reconcilliation Day. It also looked like his nose was bleeding.
None of the car's windows were open, while the temperature in an adjacent car showed that it was 35 degrees Celsius shortly before 13:00.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Former owner of Longview tobacco business sentenced in tax scheme
The former owner of a Longview tobacco wholesaler was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Seattle for his involvement in a scheme to sell millions of dollars in cigarettes without paying taxes on them.
Robert Stuber, 60, of Reno, Nev., received a sentence of nine months in prison, two years of supervised release and nearly $20.7 million in restitution for conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. He pleaded guilty Feb. 18.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Stuber admitted that between January 2005 and May 2007, his business, Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco Co. Inc. of Longview, sold more than 1 million cartons of contraband cigarettes to the Blue Stilly Smoke Shop near Arlington. Neither Stuber's company nor Blue Stilly paid the more than $20 million applicable state taxes on the cigarettes, thereby retaining larger profits for themselves.
The Washington State Liquor Control Board warned Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco Co. in late 2005 that it had been illegally selling untaxed cigarettes to the Blue Stilly Smoke Shop in Arlington. Still, the Longview company continued to do so in the months that followed, court documents said.
Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco, at 924 15th Ave., even tried to conceal the orders by first shipping its cigarettes to an Oregon warehouse, court documents said. Invoices said falsely that the cigarettes were purchased from a New Mexico distributor.
On May 15, 2007, investigators seized more than 2,000 cartons of cigarettes and more than $275,000 during a search of Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco. Evidence during the search revealed that Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco sold Blue Stilly more than 1,052,751 cartons of contraband cigarettes on which no state tax was ever paid, according to court documents.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart noted that Stuber "was an integral part in the conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes. ... His good judgment was overcome by the money."
In March 2009, three Stillaguamish Tribal members, who owned and operated Blue Stilly, were sentenced to prison for selling contraband cigarettes and avoiding $25 million in taxes.
The other conspirators — a cigarette broker in California and cigarette distributors in New Mexico and California — have been indicted and are scheduled for trial in June 2010.
Robert Stuber, 60, of Reno, Nev., received a sentence of nine months in prison, two years of supervised release and nearly $20.7 million in restitution for conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. He pleaded guilty Feb. 18.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Stuber admitted that between January 2005 and May 2007, his business, Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco Co. Inc. of Longview, sold more than 1 million cartons of contraband cigarettes to the Blue Stilly Smoke Shop near Arlington. Neither Stuber's company nor Blue Stilly paid the more than $20 million applicable state taxes on the cigarettes, thereby retaining larger profits for themselves.
The Washington State Liquor Control Board warned Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco Co. in late 2005 that it had been illegally selling untaxed cigarettes to the Blue Stilly Smoke Shop in Arlington. Still, the Longview company continued to do so in the months that followed, court documents said.
Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco, at 924 15th Ave., even tried to conceal the orders by first shipping its cigarettes to an Oregon warehouse, court documents said. Invoices said falsely that the cigarettes were purchased from a New Mexico distributor.
On May 15, 2007, investigators seized more than 2,000 cartons of cigarettes and more than $275,000 during a search of Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco. Evidence during the search revealed that Cowlitz Candy & Tobacco sold Blue Stilly more than 1,052,751 cartons of contraband cigarettes on which no state tax was ever paid, according to court documents.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart noted that Stuber "was an integral part in the conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes. ... His good judgment was overcome by the money."
In March 2009, three Stillaguamish Tribal members, who owned and operated Blue Stilly, were sentenced to prison for selling contraband cigarettes and avoiding $25 million in taxes.
The other conspirators — a cigarette broker in California and cigarette distributors in New Mexico and California — have been indicted and are scheduled for trial in June 2010.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
South Carolina Smokers Could Pay More
The tax on cigarettes in South Carolina isn't just low, it's the lowest anywhere in the nation.
"South Carolina does have the lowest cigarette tax in the nation: 7 cents," said Sen. Thomas Alexander, a Republican who represents Oconee County. "The last time it was increased was in 1977."
But now there's a push to raise that tax by another 50 cents per pack next year. The increase would generate $143 million per year, $5 million of which would be spent on programs to discourage young people from smoking.
"It's going to prompt kids to quit. It's going to prompt adult smokers to quit. And over the lifetime of those individuals, we're going to see a tremendous savings in health care costs for our state," said Kelly Davis of the South Carolina Tobacco Collaborative.
But if South Carolina is on the verge of bringing cigarettes taxes in line with other states, a report out today by a University of South Carolina graduate student gives the state low marks for cigarette prevention.
"Last year, South Carolina ranked last in the nation, spending no state funds and only a $1 million federal grant on tobacco prevention," said graduate student Geri Guy.
While most funds, including the 1998 tobacco settlement, are used to offset health care costs, officials say little is earmarked for tobacco prevention. Plus, the last proposed increase in cigarette taxes was vetoed.
"We have a governor who's made it clear from day one of his service that he's opposed to any tax increases," said Sen. Mike Fair of Greenville County.
But supporters say they hope next year will be different. The House of Representatives has approved the tax hike, and the state senate is expected to vote on the measure when the South Carolina Legislature convenes in January.
"South Carolina does have the lowest cigarette tax in the nation: 7 cents," said Sen. Thomas Alexander, a Republican who represents Oconee County. "The last time it was increased was in 1977."
But now there's a push to raise that tax by another 50 cents per pack next year. The increase would generate $143 million per year, $5 million of which would be spent on programs to discourage young people from smoking.
"It's going to prompt kids to quit. It's going to prompt adult smokers to quit. And over the lifetime of those individuals, we're going to see a tremendous savings in health care costs for our state," said Kelly Davis of the South Carolina Tobacco Collaborative.
But if South Carolina is on the verge of bringing cigarettes taxes in line with other states, a report out today by a University of South Carolina graduate student gives the state low marks for cigarette prevention.
"Last year, South Carolina ranked last in the nation, spending no state funds and only a $1 million federal grant on tobacco prevention," said graduate student Geri Guy.
While most funds, including the 1998 tobacco settlement, are used to offset health care costs, officials say little is earmarked for tobacco prevention. Plus, the last proposed increase in cigarette taxes was vetoed.
"We have a governor who's made it clear from day one of his service that he's opposed to any tax increases," said Sen. Mike Fair of Greenville County.
But supporters say they hope next year will be different. The House of Representatives has approved the tax hike, and the state senate is expected to vote on the measure when the South Carolina Legislature convenes in January.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Armed Robbery at CR Cigarette Outlet
Cedar Rapids police are investigating a second armed robbery in two days.
This time authorities are searching for the two men who robbed the Cigarette Outlet on First Avenue northeast last night. Police say the suspects forced the store's two employees to the ground at gunpoint.
The suspects then fled on foot after taking money, cigarettes and an Iowa Lottery register. No shots were fired and the clerks were unharmed.
This time authorities are searching for the two men who robbed the Cigarette Outlet on First Avenue northeast last night. Police say the suspects forced the store's two employees to the ground at gunpoint.
The suspects then fled on foot after taking money, cigarettes and an Iowa Lottery register. No shots were fired and the clerks were unharmed.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Study links ADHD to smoking moms
New research links exposure to tobacco smoke before birth and lead during childhood to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center reports that eliminating exposure to both could reduce ADHD cases in children ages 8 to 15 by about 35 percent.
Tanya Froehlich, of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, said that could mean 800,000 children nationwide.
"Lead is definitely linked to learning disabilities," said Jennifer Frazier, a lead risk assessor at the Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department. "We do an intense questionnaire with moms who say their children are hyper or have trouble focusing, and we do home visits to see if there is lead exposure."Frazier said she checks for deteriorated paint on the property.
She said a child could acquire ADHD within a month of exposure in extreme circumstances.
"There is no cure of ADHD, but limiting a child's exposure to lead will definitely help," Frazier said. "Eventually the lead will come out of the body with proper nutrition, but once a child has been exposed, they are pretty much damaged as far as learning is concerned."The child may see the effects of this throughout their education."
Frazier said any house built before 1978 should be inspected. "You need to wet-clean as often as possible and wash kids' hands frequently," she said. "A good balanced diet is also important."
Using data from 3,907 children, researchers looked at prenatal tobacco exposure measured by maternal reports of cigarette use during pregnancy. About 8.7 percent of children in the study met diagnostic criteria for ADHD.
Researchers found that children exposed to tobacco smoke before birth were 2.4 times more likely to have ADHD than children who weren't.
Mansfield child psychologist Dennis Marikis said he has seen a significant increase in the number of children struggling with ADHD in the last five years.
Marikis estimated he worked with 30 percent more children with ADHD this year than last, and said the number has nearly doubled since 2004.
"Some of it is identification and people being better able to recognize the signs," Marikis said. "Our primary focus is first to identify an ADHD child and then work in brain retraining."
Although he believes most children acquire ADHD genetically, Marikis said he believes there are links between the disorder and smoking and lead.
"It's very clear with smoking," he said. "Kids are very vulnerable to cigarette smoke."
The Cincinnati Enquirer contributed to this report.
The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center reports that eliminating exposure to both could reduce ADHD cases in children ages 8 to 15 by about 35 percent.
Tanya Froehlich, of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, said that could mean 800,000 children nationwide.
"Lead is definitely linked to learning disabilities," said Jennifer Frazier, a lead risk assessor at the Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department. "We do an intense questionnaire with moms who say their children are hyper or have trouble focusing, and we do home visits to see if there is lead exposure."Frazier said she checks for deteriorated paint on the property.
She said a child could acquire ADHD within a month of exposure in extreme circumstances.
"There is no cure of ADHD, but limiting a child's exposure to lead will definitely help," Frazier said. "Eventually the lead will come out of the body with proper nutrition, but once a child has been exposed, they are pretty much damaged as far as learning is concerned."The child may see the effects of this throughout their education."
Frazier said any house built before 1978 should be inspected. "You need to wet-clean as often as possible and wash kids' hands frequently," she said. "A good balanced diet is also important."
Using data from 3,907 children, researchers looked at prenatal tobacco exposure measured by maternal reports of cigarette use during pregnancy. About 8.7 percent of children in the study met diagnostic criteria for ADHD.
Researchers found that children exposed to tobacco smoke before birth were 2.4 times more likely to have ADHD than children who weren't.
Mansfield child psychologist Dennis Marikis said he has seen a significant increase in the number of children struggling with ADHD in the last five years.
Marikis estimated he worked with 30 percent more children with ADHD this year than last, and said the number has nearly doubled since 2004.
"Some of it is identification and people being better able to recognize the signs," Marikis said. "Our primary focus is first to identify an ADHD child and then work in brain retraining."
Although he believes most children acquire ADHD genetically, Marikis said he believes there are links between the disorder and smoking and lead.
"It's very clear with smoking," he said. "Kids are very vulnerable to cigarette smoke."
The Cincinnati Enquirer contributed to this report.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Restaurants to quit cigarettes cold turkey
If statistics provided by Virginia Department of Health are accurate, it will be business as usual for 73 percent of the commonwealth’s fast food and full-service restaurants that already are smoke-free. For the others, owners and managers must decide how much time and money they’re willing to spend to comply with new regulations while continuing to offer patrons the opportunity to smoke on premises.
Christine Johnson, general manager of Milepost 5 in Midlothian, is in discussions with a state health inspector to determine whether putting up a door between the restaurant’s smoking and non-smoking sections will be enough to keep the facility in compliance. Milepost 5 already has separate rooms and separate ventilation systems for smoking and non-smoking areas, which would appear to satisfy two of the exceptions specified in the smoking ban.
“I think it would help us because we’d be one of the only restaurants that has smoking,” Johnson said.
A statewide survey of 3,725 restaurant patrons conducted by teenage members of Y Street, a volunteer high school action group sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, suggests otherwise in their findings:
• Eighty-two percent of respondents, including a majority of smokers, think that smoking should not be allowed at all in Virginia restaurants.
• Five out of six survey participants said they would visit restaurants more frequently if those restaurants were completely smoke-free.
• Ninety-one percent of survey respondents who said they dine out five to 12 times a month said they would dine out more frequently or about the same amount if restaurants were smoke-free.
Tillary Buffa, co-owner of Riptides Seafood Restaurant in Chesterfield, said similar anecdotal evidence prompted her and her husband to designate all indoor areas of their facility as smoke-free in February 2007.
“We just had a lot more people who wanted to sit in non-smoking than in smoking,” she said. “Our business has grown. We’ve had a few customers who came in and were disappointed, but mostly everyone has been happy about it.”
That’s the way the system is supposed to work, said Chesterfield Del. Sam Nixon, who made what he called “a principled vote” against the bill in the General Assembly because it takes decision-making power out of the hands of local business owners and transfers it to state government.
“The marketplace handled the situation beautifully until we decided to step in. As consumers, we all have free will. We can walk into a restaurant and walk right back out if we choose,” Nixon said. “Unfortunately government is now right in the middle of it, with all these byzantine standards adding expense to small business owners in the middle of a recession.”
The new law, which applies to all public restaurants regardless of size or capacity, permits smoking in outdoor areas, provided the area is not enclosed by any screened wall, roll-up doors or other temporary enclosures. If the outdoor area is enclosed, smoking still may be permissible if the area is structurally separate from the non-smoking area and is vented to prevent recirculation of air.
Private clubs, defined as organizations that are used exclusively for club purposes or events; are operated solely for recreational, fraternal, social, patriotic, political, benevolent, or athletic purposes; have established bylaws, a constitution, or both that govern its activities; and conduct organizational matters and management by a board of directors, executive committee, or similar body chosen by the members at an annual meeting, are exempt from the smoking ban.
That’s not the case for bowling alleys, skating rinks, bingo halls and other facilities that prepare and serve food. Their options are: go smoke-free throughout the entire facility, cease preparation and service of food or comply with the law by modifying the structure so the smoking area is structurally separate from the non-smoking areas and vent the smoking area to prevent recirculation of air into the non-smoking area.
VDH personnel will assist in enforcing the law by ensuring during regular inspections that facilities have conspicuously posted “No Smoking” signs and removed all ashtrays and other smoking paraphernalia from nonsmoking areas. They will also assess whether separate smoking areas comply with the new requirements.
The civil penalty for failing to obey the smoking ban is a $25 fine. While VDH employees are not authorized to issue summons, they will refer evidence of violations to local law enforcement agencies.
Christine Johnson, general manager of Milepost 5 in Midlothian, is in discussions with a state health inspector to determine whether putting up a door between the restaurant’s smoking and non-smoking sections will be enough to keep the facility in compliance. Milepost 5 already has separate rooms and separate ventilation systems for smoking and non-smoking areas, which would appear to satisfy two of the exceptions specified in the smoking ban.
“I think it would help us because we’d be one of the only restaurants that has smoking,” Johnson said.
A statewide survey of 3,725 restaurant patrons conducted by teenage members of Y Street, a volunteer high school action group sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, suggests otherwise in their findings:
• Eighty-two percent of respondents, including a majority of smokers, think that smoking should not be allowed at all in Virginia restaurants.
• Five out of six survey participants said they would visit restaurants more frequently if those restaurants were completely smoke-free.
• Ninety-one percent of survey respondents who said they dine out five to 12 times a month said they would dine out more frequently or about the same amount if restaurants were smoke-free.
Tillary Buffa, co-owner of Riptides Seafood Restaurant in Chesterfield, said similar anecdotal evidence prompted her and her husband to designate all indoor areas of their facility as smoke-free in February 2007.
“We just had a lot more people who wanted to sit in non-smoking than in smoking,” she said. “Our business has grown. We’ve had a few customers who came in and were disappointed, but mostly everyone has been happy about it.”
That’s the way the system is supposed to work, said Chesterfield Del. Sam Nixon, who made what he called “a principled vote” against the bill in the General Assembly because it takes decision-making power out of the hands of local business owners and transfers it to state government.
“The marketplace handled the situation beautifully until we decided to step in. As consumers, we all have free will. We can walk into a restaurant and walk right back out if we choose,” Nixon said. “Unfortunately government is now right in the middle of it, with all these byzantine standards adding expense to small business owners in the middle of a recession.”
The new law, which applies to all public restaurants regardless of size or capacity, permits smoking in outdoor areas, provided the area is not enclosed by any screened wall, roll-up doors or other temporary enclosures. If the outdoor area is enclosed, smoking still may be permissible if the area is structurally separate from the non-smoking area and is vented to prevent recirculation of air.
Private clubs, defined as organizations that are used exclusively for club purposes or events; are operated solely for recreational, fraternal, social, patriotic, political, benevolent, or athletic purposes; have established bylaws, a constitution, or both that govern its activities; and conduct organizational matters and management by a board of directors, executive committee, or similar body chosen by the members at an annual meeting, are exempt from the smoking ban.
That’s not the case for bowling alleys, skating rinks, bingo halls and other facilities that prepare and serve food. Their options are: go smoke-free throughout the entire facility, cease preparation and service of food or comply with the law by modifying the structure so the smoking area is structurally separate from the non-smoking areas and vent the smoking area to prevent recirculation of air into the non-smoking area.
VDH personnel will assist in enforcing the law by ensuring during regular inspections that facilities have conspicuously posted “No Smoking” signs and removed all ashtrays and other smoking paraphernalia from nonsmoking areas. They will also assess whether separate smoking areas comply with the new requirements.
The civil penalty for failing to obey the smoking ban is a $25 fine. While VDH employees are not authorized to issue summons, they will refer evidence of violations to local law enforcement agencies.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Kaua‘i scores 100 percent in tobacco compliance check
In a recent compliance check conducted on Kaua‘i, no cigarettes were sold to minors, a county press release says.
Attempts to purchase tobacco by trained minors were made at 40 local businesses last week, but all of the merchants who were approached refused the sales, earning Kaua‘i County a 100 percent rating.
“We are extremely pleased that many local businesses are complying with the law prohibiting tobacco sales to minors,” said Assistant Chief Roy Asher. “We want to thank everyone and hope that we can continue to have excellent compliance checks and protect our young people from the harm caused by tobacco.”
The compliance check was conducted by the Kaua‘i Police Department Youth Services Section with funding provided by the state Department of Health.
Attempts to purchase tobacco by trained minors were made at 40 local businesses last week, but all of the merchants who were approached refused the sales, earning Kaua‘i County a 100 percent rating.
“We are extremely pleased that many local businesses are complying with the law prohibiting tobacco sales to minors,” said Assistant Chief Roy Asher. “We want to thank everyone and hope that we can continue to have excellent compliance checks and protect our young people from the harm caused by tobacco.”
The compliance check was conducted by the Kaua‘i Police Department Youth Services Section with funding provided by the state Department of Health.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Deal says he would sign cigarette tax increase bill if elected governor
U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal says he'd sign a bill raising the state cigarette tax $1 a pack if he's elected governor next year.
Campaigning this week in Savannah, Deal said the bill deserves consideration, but added he probably wouldn't push for its passage.
The Gainesville lawmaker's comments are the closest any GOP candidate for governor has come to backing the proposal.
The proposal by state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, has been opposed by the GOP majorities in the House and Senate.
But some experts say it may get another look when the legislature reconvenes Jan. 11 and tries to grapple with a worsening budget crisis.
Stephens wants to lift the levy from 37 cents to $1.37 per pack. Budget analysts say that would raise about $400 million during the levy's first year.
Tobacco-related medical costs in Georgia total more than $2 billion a year. State taxpayers pick up part of that tab. Studies show higher taxes reduce smoking, so Stephens' bill could save the state additional money.
At least so far, Deal is not ready to bet much political capital on the measure's prospects."Most tax increases are not going to be favorably received in a downturn economy," he said.
But he said an increase in the cigarette levy "is one of the areas where there is more public acceptance."A 2008 poll sponsored by anti-smoking groups found most Georgians - including most Republicans and smokers - supported raising the tax.
"I would say these are the kinds of things we have to look at," Deal said.University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said Deal's position could be evidence of a thaw in GOP hostility to the idea.
"It may be, but it really depends on whether the legislators are fully aware of how dire the state's finances have become," Bullock said.
In October, state revenue compared with the same month a year earlier dropped for the 11th straight month.
Most state programs already have been cut, and federal bailout programs that eased some of the pain soon will expire.
I really don't think they want to be laying off more teachers," Bullock said.
There may be "some receptivity" for Stephens' proposal, said Robert Eisinger, dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design.
isinger, a former political science professor, said there is tension between pressure to find new revenue and reluctance to raise taxes.
In that environment, "sin taxes" such as the levies on cigarettes may be relatively "low-hanging fruit," he said.
Stephens said it's "encouraging" Deal said he would sign the bill.
But so far, GOP legislative leaders still are opposed to any tax increase, he said.
He said that may change when "they have to start making more major cuts in some of their favorite programs."Despite improved prospects for Stephens' bill, it's "unrealistic" to expect to see the levy rise by $1 a pack, Eisinger said.
"Something like a quarter is more likely," he said.Stephens didn't argue the point.
"A dollar would be great," he said. "I'd like it to be at least 50 cents. But we'll settle for what we can get."
Campaigning this week in Savannah, Deal said the bill deserves consideration, but added he probably wouldn't push for its passage.
The Gainesville lawmaker's comments are the closest any GOP candidate for governor has come to backing the proposal.
The proposal by state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, has been opposed by the GOP majorities in the House and Senate.
But some experts say it may get another look when the legislature reconvenes Jan. 11 and tries to grapple with a worsening budget crisis.
Stephens wants to lift the levy from 37 cents to $1.37 per pack. Budget analysts say that would raise about $400 million during the levy's first year.
Tobacco-related medical costs in Georgia total more than $2 billion a year. State taxpayers pick up part of that tab. Studies show higher taxes reduce smoking, so Stephens' bill could save the state additional money.
At least so far, Deal is not ready to bet much political capital on the measure's prospects."Most tax increases are not going to be favorably received in a downturn economy," he said.
But he said an increase in the cigarette levy "is one of the areas where there is more public acceptance."A 2008 poll sponsored by anti-smoking groups found most Georgians - including most Republicans and smokers - supported raising the tax.
"I would say these are the kinds of things we have to look at," Deal said.University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said Deal's position could be evidence of a thaw in GOP hostility to the idea.
"It may be, but it really depends on whether the legislators are fully aware of how dire the state's finances have become," Bullock said.
In October, state revenue compared with the same month a year earlier dropped for the 11th straight month.
Most state programs already have been cut, and federal bailout programs that eased some of the pain soon will expire.
I really don't think they want to be laying off more teachers," Bullock said.
There may be "some receptivity" for Stephens' proposal, said Robert Eisinger, dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design.
isinger, a former political science professor, said there is tension between pressure to find new revenue and reluctance to raise taxes.
In that environment, "sin taxes" such as the levies on cigarettes may be relatively "low-hanging fruit," he said.
Stephens said it's "encouraging" Deal said he would sign the bill.
But so far, GOP legislative leaders still are opposed to any tax increase, he said.
He said that may change when "they have to start making more major cuts in some of their favorite programs."Despite improved prospects for Stephens' bill, it's "unrealistic" to expect to see the levy rise by $1 a pack, Eisinger said.
"Something like a quarter is more likely," he said.Stephens didn't argue the point.
"A dollar would be great," he said. "I'd like it to be at least 50 cents. But we'll settle for what we can get."
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tobacco grower learns on the job
"One thing about tobacco is that there are a lot of hidden costs you can't always account for. You need a large margin to cover those higher costs."
Since tobacco was deregulated in 2004, the question everyone in the industry has been asking has been how many farmers would drop out of leaf production altogether?Many have.
But Jeremy Rhodes of Four Oaks, N.C., has gone against the trend: He didn’t begin growing tobacco until 2005, the year after the price support program ended.
So while most tobacco farmers today have the experience of several generations of family members to draw on, and often some of their capital assets, Rhodes started out as a first-time tobacco farmer with no family history in the crop.
“I had a little experience myself working for neighbors and relatives who had tobacco, but never as an owner and never from a management position,” says Rhodes, who has run a logging business for a number of years. “My father-in-law is a tobacco grower and I was able to obtain advice from him.
But basically, he was out there learning on the job. It was a scary proposition, but at the time, the price of tobacco was appealing compared to other crops. “So I decided I wanted to give tobacco a try,” Rhodes says.
Now, five seasons later, what advice would he give to a potential new grower?
“I would tell him to do all the planning and research he can,” he says. “One thing about tobacco is that there are a lot of hidden costs you can’t always account for. You need a right large margin to cover those higher costs.”The big ones recently have been energy and fertilizer prices.
But the biggest challenge started immediately after he decided to grow tobacco: Amassing the amount of machinery needed to produce flue-cured leaf.
“Since I was new to tobacco, everything has been a new investment,” he says.
The timing of his entry did provide one advantage: Because of the industry turmoil, there was and has continued to be plenty of used equipment on the market. Just this past July, Rhodes was able to buy eight rack barns at a reasonable price, and like everything else he’s purchased, the barns came from local farmers.
His goal has been to keep capital investments as low as possible in hopes of shortening the payback period, he says. “At the prices that newer barns are selling for now, it would be very hard for me to cash flow them over any reasonable length of time.”One thing he hasn’t had to spend a lot of money on is disease control.
“I had a little land that was new to tobacco,” he says. “Most of it had been in tobacco in the past. But it had all been rotated.”
He has developed a three-year rotation of tobacco for himself. “I like to follow sweet potatoes with tobacco. I put a lot of potash to sweet potatoes, and the tobacco may be able to use any that is left over,” he says.
He rents his land to a soybean grower for the third year of the rotation.Rhodes has been able to avoid any serious disease problems by planting on relatively fresh tobacco land, holding to a three-year rotation, and using disease-resistant varieties — Speight 220 and Speight 168.
He grows all 70 of his tobacco acres under the PRC (Purity Residue Clean) program.
Rhodes used the new organic-certified suckercide OTAC this season and got good results. “It cost a little more, but we got a price incentive from Santa Fe to use it,” he says.
It performed as well as any of the conventional contact chemicals he has used.
He sprayed OTAC five times after topping twice and hand-suckering three times. He skips every ninth row and sprays four rows on each side with a boom-type sprayer.
He is hoping for a yield of 2,500 pounds per acre. “I have had 3,000-plus pound per acre yields using this program,” he says.
He contracted this crop with Santa Fe through United Tobacco Co. of Wilson, N.C.
He doesn’t expect any expansion in his tobacco operation next year except perhaps in plant production. “I might add another greenhouse,” he says. “I can produce all I need now. But I have had requests from other people who would like to get plants from me.”
W.K. “Bill” Collins, a longtime Extension tobacco specialist, says Rhodes has good prospects for success because he has capitalized on the current conditions.
• He has taken active steps to keep his land relatively disease-free. “With his good rotation, he is less likely to be confronted with the soilborne diseases that you get in a short rotation,” says the agronomist. “You don’t want to have to fumigate in this day and age. It can add 10 cents a pound to your costs.”
• He is taking advantage of the premium available for PRC tobacco. “He is trying to meet a demand,” Collins says. “Frequently, when farmers have gotten out of tobacco in recent years, it was because they could not produce something that the market demands.”
• He is also taking advantage of the availability of good used equipment. “That’s an advantage tobacco farmers haven’t often had,” Collins says. “It is like buying cars — there are plenty of used ones around right now.”
Since tobacco was deregulated in 2004, the question everyone in the industry has been asking has been how many farmers would drop out of leaf production altogether?Many have.
But Jeremy Rhodes of Four Oaks, N.C., has gone against the trend: He didn’t begin growing tobacco until 2005, the year after the price support program ended.
So while most tobacco farmers today have the experience of several generations of family members to draw on, and often some of their capital assets, Rhodes started out as a first-time tobacco farmer with no family history in the crop.
“I had a little experience myself working for neighbors and relatives who had tobacco, but never as an owner and never from a management position,” says Rhodes, who has run a logging business for a number of years. “My father-in-law is a tobacco grower and I was able to obtain advice from him.
But basically, he was out there learning on the job. It was a scary proposition, but at the time, the price of tobacco was appealing compared to other crops. “So I decided I wanted to give tobacco a try,” Rhodes says.
Now, five seasons later, what advice would he give to a potential new grower?
“I would tell him to do all the planning and research he can,” he says. “One thing about tobacco is that there are a lot of hidden costs you can’t always account for. You need a right large margin to cover those higher costs.”The big ones recently have been energy and fertilizer prices.
But the biggest challenge started immediately after he decided to grow tobacco: Amassing the amount of machinery needed to produce flue-cured leaf.
“Since I was new to tobacco, everything has been a new investment,” he says.
The timing of his entry did provide one advantage: Because of the industry turmoil, there was and has continued to be plenty of used equipment on the market. Just this past July, Rhodes was able to buy eight rack barns at a reasonable price, and like everything else he’s purchased, the barns came from local farmers.
His goal has been to keep capital investments as low as possible in hopes of shortening the payback period, he says. “At the prices that newer barns are selling for now, it would be very hard for me to cash flow them over any reasonable length of time.”One thing he hasn’t had to spend a lot of money on is disease control.
“I had a little land that was new to tobacco,” he says. “Most of it had been in tobacco in the past. But it had all been rotated.”
He has developed a three-year rotation of tobacco for himself. “I like to follow sweet potatoes with tobacco. I put a lot of potash to sweet potatoes, and the tobacco may be able to use any that is left over,” he says.
He rents his land to a soybean grower for the third year of the rotation.Rhodes has been able to avoid any serious disease problems by planting on relatively fresh tobacco land, holding to a three-year rotation, and using disease-resistant varieties — Speight 220 and Speight 168.
He grows all 70 of his tobacco acres under the PRC (Purity Residue Clean) program.
Rhodes used the new organic-certified suckercide OTAC this season and got good results. “It cost a little more, but we got a price incentive from Santa Fe to use it,” he says.
It performed as well as any of the conventional contact chemicals he has used.
He sprayed OTAC five times after topping twice and hand-suckering three times. He skips every ninth row and sprays four rows on each side with a boom-type sprayer.
He is hoping for a yield of 2,500 pounds per acre. “I have had 3,000-plus pound per acre yields using this program,” he says.
He contracted this crop with Santa Fe through United Tobacco Co. of Wilson, N.C.
He doesn’t expect any expansion in his tobacco operation next year except perhaps in plant production. “I might add another greenhouse,” he says. “I can produce all I need now. But I have had requests from other people who would like to get plants from me.”
W.K. “Bill” Collins, a longtime Extension tobacco specialist, says Rhodes has good prospects for success because he has capitalized on the current conditions.
• He has taken active steps to keep his land relatively disease-free. “With his good rotation, he is less likely to be confronted with the soilborne diseases that you get in a short rotation,” says the agronomist. “You don’t want to have to fumigate in this day and age. It can add 10 cents a pound to your costs.”
• He is taking advantage of the premium available for PRC tobacco. “He is trying to meet a demand,” Collins says. “Frequently, when farmers have gotten out of tobacco in recent years, it was because they could not produce something that the market demands.”
• He is also taking advantage of the availability of good used equipment. “That’s an advantage tobacco farmers haven’t often had,” Collins says. “It is like buying cars — there are plenty of used ones around right now.”
Monday, November 16, 2009
Stolen tobacco products recovered
Police are investigating some “people of interest,” but no arrests have been made following recovery of a large quantity of stolen tobacco products, according to Detective Sgt. Tom Parry, who is probing the matter.
The cigars and cigarettes, with a wholesale value of about $40,000, were stolen from the wholesale Valley Grocers warehouse at 1402 Elm St. on Nov. 3, and police recovered most of them Monday at 216 S. Garland Ave., he said.
A witness to the Elm Street break-in gave police a description of a van seen at the Elm Street location.
Parry said he found a van matching that description outside the Garland address next to a pickup truck loaded with the stolen merchandise, with more of the stolen goods inside the Garland building.
Police impounded and inventoried the stolen cigars and cigarettes, the van and the pickup truck.
Parry said Thursday that he was surprised police were still able to find the stolen goods six days after the theft. “I would have thought that the items probably would have been sold by that time,” he added.
The cigars and cigarettes, with a wholesale value of about $40,000, were stolen from the wholesale Valley Grocers warehouse at 1402 Elm St. on Nov. 3, and police recovered most of them Monday at 216 S. Garland Ave., he said.
A witness to the Elm Street break-in gave police a description of a van seen at the Elm Street location.
Parry said he found a van matching that description outside the Garland address next to a pickup truck loaded with the stolen merchandise, with more of the stolen goods inside the Garland building.
Police impounded and inventoried the stolen cigars and cigarettes, the van and the pickup truck.
Parry said Thursday that he was surprised police were still able to find the stolen goods six days after the theft. “I would have thought that the items probably would have been sold by that time,” he added.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Montebello Requires Tobacco Sellers To Get License
An ordinance passed by the Montebello City Council in September requires retailers to obtain a Tobacco Retailer’s License by Dec. 31 for each retail location where tobacco products are sold. The new license is in addition to the business license required by the city.
The cost for a Tobacco Retailer’s License is $300 per year. Licenses are issued annually. The city is advising retailers to submit their application for the license to the Planning Department by Dec. 1 to meet the deadline.
Each location that sells tobacco, tobacco products, and/or tobacco paraphernalia must have its own license and pay the annual fee.
The City Council enacted the ordinance in order to discourage the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors, according to a Montebello Police Department statement. Any tobacco retailer who violates state or local laws regulating the sale, advertisement or display of tobacco products shall be subject to permit suspension, according to the police department. The Code Enforcement detail will conduct regular compliance inspections of retail locations. Police will also conduct random undercover youth decoy operations to check compliance with laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors.
The cost for a Tobacco Retailer’s License is $300 per year. Licenses are issued annually. The city is advising retailers to submit their application for the license to the Planning Department by Dec. 1 to meet the deadline.
Each location that sells tobacco, tobacco products, and/or tobacco paraphernalia must have its own license and pay the annual fee.
The City Council enacted the ordinance in order to discourage the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors, according to a Montebello Police Department statement. Any tobacco retailer who violates state or local laws regulating the sale, advertisement or display of tobacco products shall be subject to permit suspension, according to the police department. The Code Enforcement detail will conduct regular compliance inspections of retail locations. Police will also conduct random undercover youth decoy operations to check compliance with laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Too many smoke in TT
Representatives of civil society groups, faith-based organisations (FBO’s) and the private sector have signed a petition in support of the national tobacco control efforts outlined in the Tobacco Control Bill 2009.
Dominique Monteil, tobacco control officer of the Trinidad and Tobago (TT) Cancer Society, said the petition was signed by stakeholders and delivered to Minister of Health Jerry Narace in support of the Bill.
Monteil said the Bill highlights measures to control tobacco use, such as smoking in public places, ways to regulate the tobacco industry and how tobacco products are sold.
“We know that tobacco is a major cause of disease and death in TT,” said Monteil.
Monteil was speaking at the TT Cancer Society and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Tobacco Control Stakeholders meeting held yesterday at Kapok Hotel, Maraval.
Some 15 stakeholders signed the petition which was delivered to Narace at the Ministry of Health, Park Street, Port-of-Spain.
According to statistics provided by the PAHO regional office for the World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), “Trinidad and Tobago in 2005 accounted for 21 percent of the region’s smokers, the highest in the Caribbean.” Monteil said measures should be put in place for citizens to enjoy a 100 percent smoke-free environment adding that smoke-free “spaces are the only way to protect the entire society.” The current increasing rate of use and exposure to tobacco among youths, according to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, ranked TT as having the “fourth highest smoking rate in the 13-15 age group in the region.” This was written in the petition sent to Narace.
The petition stated while tobacco companies seize every opportunity to encourage tobacco consumption “to expand and to continue to generate huge profits” more people will suffer the “consequences of ill health from preventable diseases, early death and economic loss, unless (the industry is) strictly regulated.”
Monteil said tobacco control measures which protect the smoker and non-smoker are crucial.
She said the Mori Caribbean survey found that 71 percent of smokers need help to quit.
“It is a very hard drug to quit, nicotine is highly, highly addictive. It is just as addictive as heroin, so we need to provide assistance to those people,” she said.
Professor Paul Teelucksingh, chairman of the Cabinet Appointed Committee on Chronic Non-Communicable Disease, said tobacco is a legal product but may not be “a legitimate drug”. “It’s a toxin,” he said, adding that smokers and non-smokers must be made aware of being exposed to the toxins.
National Parent Teachers Association president (NPTA) Zena Ramatali also supported the Bill and said the NPTA, in 2005, started sensitising parents and students about the risks of smoking through the Coalition for a Tobacco Free TT.
Dominique Monteil, tobacco control officer of the Trinidad and Tobago (TT) Cancer Society, said the petition was signed by stakeholders and delivered to Minister of Health Jerry Narace in support of the Bill.
Monteil said the Bill highlights measures to control tobacco use, such as smoking in public places, ways to regulate the tobacco industry and how tobacco products are sold.
“We know that tobacco is a major cause of disease and death in TT,” said Monteil.
Monteil was speaking at the TT Cancer Society and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Tobacco Control Stakeholders meeting held yesterday at Kapok Hotel, Maraval.
Some 15 stakeholders signed the petition which was delivered to Narace at the Ministry of Health, Park Street, Port-of-Spain.
According to statistics provided by the PAHO regional office for the World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), “Trinidad and Tobago in 2005 accounted for 21 percent of the region’s smokers, the highest in the Caribbean.” Monteil said measures should be put in place for citizens to enjoy a 100 percent smoke-free environment adding that smoke-free “spaces are the only way to protect the entire society.” The current increasing rate of use and exposure to tobacco among youths, according to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, ranked TT as having the “fourth highest smoking rate in the 13-15 age group in the region.” This was written in the petition sent to Narace.
The petition stated while tobacco companies seize every opportunity to encourage tobacco consumption “to expand and to continue to generate huge profits” more people will suffer the “consequences of ill health from preventable diseases, early death and economic loss, unless (the industry is) strictly regulated.”
Monteil said tobacco control measures which protect the smoker and non-smoker are crucial.
She said the Mori Caribbean survey found that 71 percent of smokers need help to quit.
“It is a very hard drug to quit, nicotine is highly, highly addictive. It is just as addictive as heroin, so we need to provide assistance to those people,” she said.
Professor Paul Teelucksingh, chairman of the Cabinet Appointed Committee on Chronic Non-Communicable Disease, said tobacco is a legal product but may not be “a legitimate drug”. “It’s a toxin,” he said, adding that smokers and non-smokers must be made aware of being exposed to the toxins.
National Parent Teachers Association president (NPTA) Zena Ramatali also supported the Bill and said the NPTA, in 2005, started sensitising parents and students about the risks of smoking through the Coalition for a Tobacco Free TT.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Man jailed for giving cigarettes to toddler
A drug addict was on Thursday jailed for 18 months for allowing a three-year-old child to smoke a lit cigarette.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that 31-year-old Graeme Conroy encouraged the infant to inhale the smoke when she asked him for a cigarette.Conway then got a 14-year-old to film the act on a mobile phone.
Conroy pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the child.He was arrested when a neighbour alerted police to the footage which was recorded on February 24.
In the footage Conroy can be heard laughing as the girl inhales the cigarette smoke. The court heard that the toddler had already smoked two cigarettes
"It looked like she had smoked before," said a witness. "She was inhaling it and she knew what to do."
Judge David Wood said Conway actions could have all sorts of effects upon her future health.
"You have completely disregarded her safety and endangered her," he said.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that 31-year-old Graeme Conroy encouraged the infant to inhale the smoke when she asked him for a cigarette.Conway then got a 14-year-old to film the act on a mobile phone.
Conroy pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the child.He was arrested when a neighbour alerted police to the footage which was recorded on February 24.
In the footage Conroy can be heard laughing as the girl inhales the cigarette smoke. The court heard that the toddler had already smoked two cigarettes
"It looked like she had smoked before," said a witness. "She was inhaling it and she knew what to do."
Judge David Wood said Conway actions could have all sorts of effects upon her future health.
"You have completely disregarded her safety and endangered her," he said.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Council imposes ban on flavored tobacco products
The New York City Council has banned the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including little cigars.These little cigars look just like cigarettes, but, due to a tax loophole, cost considerably less. They also come in flavors such as raspberry, grape, cosmopolitan and ample-tini and are usually wrapped in vivid, multi-colored packaging designed to appeal to youth.
“We’ve seen the detrimental side effects of what smoking can do to a person, and dressing it up with fun flavors doesn’t make a habit like smoking any less dangerous,” declared Council Member Joel Rivera, chairman of the council’s Health Committee and the chief sponsor of the new legislation. “It is no secret that for years tobacco companies have been targeting our young people with this kind of product. This legislation is a major step forward in protecting kids and deterring them from starting a lethal habit.”
The bill passed 46 to one with no abstentions. The one dissenting vote was cast by Council Member Lewis Fidler who said that even though he was voting no, “I appreciate the motivations of those who support this bill.” He believes that rather than a ban on flavored tobacco products, the most effective way to stop youth from smoking is by raising taxes even further on all tobacco products.
Studies have shown that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable deaths in New York City. The tobacco industry also knows that almost 90 percent of smokers start before the age of 18. That is why big tobacco is using young women, hip-hop imagery and specialty products — such as flavored tobacco products — to portray smoking as cool in order to entice youth into a lifetime of tobacco addiction.
Council Member Letitia James pointed out that in Central Brooklyn and other communities like it, these brightly packaged flavored cigars are often marketed near the candy, right where they can best capture the attention of the youth. Most councilmembersof her colleagues in the council agreed. The prohibited flavors include chocolate, vanilla, honey, candy, cocoa, dessert, alcoholic beverage, herb and spice flavors. (Menthol, mint and wintergreen flavors are excluded from the ban.)
“A significant number of constituents that I have spoken with also believe that smoking cigars is less toxic and less addictive than cigarettes,” James added. “They are wrong. One cigar has as much tobacco as five cigarettes and contains more nicotine. That is why we, as adults, have to stand up and ban these products.”
The law will be enforced by the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and violators will be subject to fines of up to $2,000. Multiple violations will result in suspension of one’s tobacco license.
According to a 2009 Zogby poll, 77 percent of New Yorkers surveyed said they support a ban on candy, fruit and liquor flavored tobacco products. The legislation is also supported by the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association of New York, and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, which all believe that big tobacco is looking for a new generation of smokers among teens to keep its business going.
“We’ve seen the detrimental side effects of what smoking can do to a person, and dressing it up with fun flavors doesn’t make a habit like smoking any less dangerous,” declared Council Member Joel Rivera, chairman of the council’s Health Committee and the chief sponsor of the new legislation. “It is no secret that for years tobacco companies have been targeting our young people with this kind of product. This legislation is a major step forward in protecting kids and deterring them from starting a lethal habit.”
The bill passed 46 to one with no abstentions. The one dissenting vote was cast by Council Member Lewis Fidler who said that even though he was voting no, “I appreciate the motivations of those who support this bill.” He believes that rather than a ban on flavored tobacco products, the most effective way to stop youth from smoking is by raising taxes even further on all tobacco products.
Studies have shown that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable deaths in New York City. The tobacco industry also knows that almost 90 percent of smokers start before the age of 18. That is why big tobacco is using young women, hip-hop imagery and specialty products — such as flavored tobacco products — to portray smoking as cool in order to entice youth into a lifetime of tobacco addiction.
Council Member Letitia James pointed out that in Central Brooklyn and other communities like it, these brightly packaged flavored cigars are often marketed near the candy, right where they can best capture the attention of the youth. Most councilmembersof her colleagues in the council agreed. The prohibited flavors include chocolate, vanilla, honey, candy, cocoa, dessert, alcoholic beverage, herb and spice flavors. (Menthol, mint and wintergreen flavors are excluded from the ban.)
“A significant number of constituents that I have spoken with also believe that smoking cigars is less toxic and less addictive than cigarettes,” James added. “They are wrong. One cigar has as much tobacco as five cigarettes and contains more nicotine. That is why we, as adults, have to stand up and ban these products.”
The law will be enforced by the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and violators will be subject to fines of up to $2,000. Multiple violations will result in suspension of one’s tobacco license.
According to a 2009 Zogby poll, 77 percent of New Yorkers surveyed said they support a ban on candy, fruit and liquor flavored tobacco products. The legislation is also supported by the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association of New York, and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, which all believe that big tobacco is looking for a new generation of smokers among teens to keep its business going.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tobacco companies are marketing new products to minors
Tobacco companies are creating smokeless products for the market and utilizing social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to reach a younger audience.
They are mainly trying to market their products to children and teenagers so they will start smoking younger. They should not be doing that.
These companies are trying to diversify their products by creating smokeless and spitless tobacco. Camel has designed Camel Orbs, pellets that are shaped like Tic Tacs that fulfill the need for a tobacco buzz. Camel strips and Camel sticks are similar to gum and candy cigarettes. These products are a response to a society constantly pushing to become smokeless. Many places in public no longer allow people to smoke cigarettes, including restaurants and bars.
There’s nothing wrong with Big Tobacco trying to create these new products. But marketing these products to younger audiences is wrong.
The smokeless products are shaped just like candy, making it obvious that tobacco companies are trying to get younger people hooked on their products. If a young child swallows such a product, it could be disastrous.
Companies also are using social networking to advance their products. Since young people are the forerunners of such Web sites, Big Tobacco will bombard them with images of cigarettes and similar products.
Kids are unaware of the dangers of tobacco. They are constantly growing and changing, and the world is a strange and confusing place. They are easy to manipulate, and Big Tobacco is taking advantage of them. Companies should have to face the same penalties that everyone else does when cigarettes are solicited to children.
This is not to say the products are bad and don’t have a place. Many adults aware of the repercussions of tobacco products will probably adapt to these products. Many public places are banning smoking cigarettes.
Even entire cities are outlawing smoking cigarettes anywhere in public. These products will allow adults to get their fix without having to light up, avoiding complaints from surrounding people.
It may be impossible to stop tobacco companies from using social networks, where millions of kids and teenagers will see tobacco products. In the end, it is up to the person to decide whether to use tobacco products.
But these strategies are on the verge of manipulating children and teenagers against the will of their parents. Educating the young on the dangers of tobacco only goes so far.
Tobacco companies should be careful when going young in their marketing. We understand you have businesses to run, but children’s well beings are at stake.
They are mainly trying to market their products to children and teenagers so they will start smoking younger. They should not be doing that.
These companies are trying to diversify their products by creating smokeless and spitless tobacco. Camel has designed Camel Orbs, pellets that are shaped like Tic Tacs that fulfill the need for a tobacco buzz. Camel strips and Camel sticks are similar to gum and candy cigarettes. These products are a response to a society constantly pushing to become smokeless. Many places in public no longer allow people to smoke cigarettes, including restaurants and bars.
There’s nothing wrong with Big Tobacco trying to create these new products. But marketing these products to younger audiences is wrong.
The smokeless products are shaped just like candy, making it obvious that tobacco companies are trying to get younger people hooked on their products. If a young child swallows such a product, it could be disastrous.
Companies also are using social networking to advance their products. Since young people are the forerunners of such Web sites, Big Tobacco will bombard them with images of cigarettes and similar products.
Kids are unaware of the dangers of tobacco. They are constantly growing and changing, and the world is a strange and confusing place. They are easy to manipulate, and Big Tobacco is taking advantage of them. Companies should have to face the same penalties that everyone else does when cigarettes are solicited to children.
This is not to say the products are bad and don’t have a place. Many adults aware of the repercussions of tobacco products will probably adapt to these products. Many public places are banning smoking cigarettes.
Even entire cities are outlawing smoking cigarettes anywhere in public. These products will allow adults to get their fix without having to light up, avoiding complaints from surrounding people.
It may be impossible to stop tobacco companies from using social networks, where millions of kids and teenagers will see tobacco products. In the end, it is up to the person to decide whether to use tobacco products.
But these strategies are on the verge of manipulating children and teenagers against the will of their parents. Educating the young on the dangers of tobacco only goes so far.
Tobacco companies should be careful when going young in their marketing. We understand you have businesses to run, but children’s well beings are at stake.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Circumvent Smoking Bans with Electronic Cigarettes
Smoking bans are getting out of control, but the electronic cigarette is quickly becoming the dominant alternative to those who are suffering from them. At one point, you could justifiably expect to be restricted from smoking on public forms of transportation or in your office but nowadays bans are extending far beyond the confines of public buildings. Some North American cities even prohibit smoking in parks or on city streets. So what does a smoker do if they want to enjoy a cigarette but smoking bans prohibit them? Many of them switch to the Green Smoke e-cigarette and enjoy the freedom of smoking everywhere.
In the 1950s smoking was a carefree activity that nobody spent much time thinking about. But as scientific evidence has mounted showing how smoking is harmful to not only the smoker but the innocents breathing second hand smoke as well, governments have run wild banning smoking everywhere from bars and restaurants to almost everywhere. Luckily, electronic cigarettes represent a smokeless alternative that allows smokers the freedom to enjoy their habit in many of the places that actively ban smoking.
With no second hand smoke, the smoking bans do not apply to e-cigarettes. When no thick smoke and toxic smells are released by electric cigarettes, green smokers can finally have their cake and eat it too. And to add a cherry on top of that cake, use coupon code “disc10-1170” when you make your order, it will give you 10% off your new e-cigarette kit.
In the 1950s smoking was a carefree activity that nobody spent much time thinking about. But as scientific evidence has mounted showing how smoking is harmful to not only the smoker but the innocents breathing second hand smoke as well, governments have run wild banning smoking everywhere from bars and restaurants to almost everywhere. Luckily, electronic cigarettes represent a smokeless alternative that allows smokers the freedom to enjoy their habit in many of the places that actively ban smoking.
With no second hand smoke, the smoking bans do not apply to e-cigarettes. When no thick smoke and toxic smells are released by electric cigarettes, green smokers can finally have their cake and eat it too. And to add a cherry on top of that cake, use coupon code “disc10-1170” when you make your order, it will give you 10% off your new e-cigarette kit.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
FDA Begins Looking into E-Cigarettes
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, says it is looking at electronic cigarettes.
At issue is whether the cigarettes are better for smokers.
Users of the new devices are getting around smoking bans, because the e-cigarettes give off a vapor, not smoke.
But the FDA is now getting involved, saying the e-cigarettes it tested had carcinogens.
Some states have passed measures to restrict the sale of the cigarettes.
At issue is whether the cigarettes are better for smokers.
Users of the new devices are getting around smoking bans, because the e-cigarettes give off a vapor, not smoke.
But the FDA is now getting involved, saying the e-cigarettes it tested had carcinogens.
Some states have passed measures to restrict the sale of the cigarettes.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Clerk cited in underaged tobacco sale
GENEVA – A gas station clerk was charged with selling tobacco to a person under age 18 as part of a compliance check of tobacco venders, police said.
Hina J. Patel, 38, of the 800 block of Bode Road, Elgin, was charged, Wednesday, Oct. 14, with making the sale at Geneva Shell, 1491 E. State St., police said. The compliance check occurred Oct. 7.
Police Cmdr. Julie Nash said the undercover compliance check was done at 12 establishments in the city that sell tobacco. Police rely on an underaged person whose ID shows he or she is underage to purchase tobacco. In Illinois, the legal age to buy tobacco is 18.
All but the clerk at Geneva Shell refused to sell, Nash said.
"We do this for the very obvious reasons of the dangers of smoking," Nash said. "And it's our attempt to help those who don't always make the best decisions for themselves, to keep them safe. And to make sure businesses are only selling tobacco to those old enough to make the appropriate decisions. It's about looking out for the kids."
The undercover compliance checks are similar to those done at liquor establishments to see if an underaged person will be served or sold to. But what is different is, the charge goes to the person who sold, not to the owner of the establishment. In the case of a liquor violation, the seller can be charged as well as the person who holds the liquor license.
"We are only citing the person who sold he cigarettes," Nash said. "We have never actually cited businesses before. I don't know why that is, but it definitely should be looked into."
According to police reports, the teen working with police asked to buy a pack of Newport cigarettes. Patel asked to see identification, examined it and then sold the pack of Newports for $7.02, to the undercover teen, according to the report.
Patel told police she miscalculated the birthday on the identification, according to the police report.
A spokesman for the gas station said Patel no longer works there. A message left for a manager was not returned Wednesday. Patel has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment. She is to appear in court Nov. 17.
Hina J. Patel, 38, of the 800 block of Bode Road, Elgin, was charged, Wednesday, Oct. 14, with making the sale at Geneva Shell, 1491 E. State St., police said. The compliance check occurred Oct. 7.
Police Cmdr. Julie Nash said the undercover compliance check was done at 12 establishments in the city that sell tobacco. Police rely on an underaged person whose ID shows he or she is underage to purchase tobacco. In Illinois, the legal age to buy tobacco is 18.
All but the clerk at Geneva Shell refused to sell, Nash said.
"We do this for the very obvious reasons of the dangers of smoking," Nash said. "And it's our attempt to help those who don't always make the best decisions for themselves, to keep them safe. And to make sure businesses are only selling tobacco to those old enough to make the appropriate decisions. It's about looking out for the kids."
The undercover compliance checks are similar to those done at liquor establishments to see if an underaged person will be served or sold to. But what is different is, the charge goes to the person who sold, not to the owner of the establishment. In the case of a liquor violation, the seller can be charged as well as the person who holds the liquor license.
"We are only citing the person who sold he cigarettes," Nash said. "We have never actually cited businesses before. I don't know why that is, but it definitely should be looked into."
According to police reports, the teen working with police asked to buy a pack of Newport cigarettes. Patel asked to see identification, examined it and then sold the pack of Newports for $7.02, to the undercover teen, according to the report.
Patel told police she miscalculated the birthday on the identification, according to the police report.
A spokesman for the gas station said Patel no longer works there. A message left for a manager was not returned Wednesday. Patel has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment. She is to appear in court Nov. 17.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Kelantan To Give Incentives To Premises Not Selling Cigarettes
KOTA BAHARU, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- The Kelantan Government is willing to consider giving incentives to any business premises which does not offer cigarettes for sale.
State Women, Family and Health Development Comittee chairman Wan Ubaidah Wan Omar said the incentives were in line with the state government's aspiration to ensure the people did not inculcate the smoking habit.
She was replying to Dr Nik Mazian Nik Mohamad (PAS-Gaal) at the State Assembly sitting here Wednesday.
Meanwhile, state local government, tourism and culture committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said the state government was firm in going ahead with the plan to implement hudud law, if given the green light.
"PAS has taken all the necessary moves to uplift the status of Islam by approving the hudud law in 1993," he said in reply to a question from Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman (PAS-Chetok).
On other development, the Kelantan Government denied that the second Sultan Yahya Petra bridge project, implemented by the federal government, was a political issue linked to the next general election.
Replying to Abdullah Yaakub (PAS-Air Lanas), state housing, works, utilities and environment committee chairman Maj (Rtd) Md Anizam Abdul Rahman said construction of the project was ongoing, according to the initial plan and specifications.
State Women, Family and Health Development Comittee chairman Wan Ubaidah Wan Omar said the incentives were in line with the state government's aspiration to ensure the people did not inculcate the smoking habit.
She was replying to Dr Nik Mazian Nik Mohamad (PAS-Gaal) at the State Assembly sitting here Wednesday.
Meanwhile, state local government, tourism and culture committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said the state government was firm in going ahead with the plan to implement hudud law, if given the green light.
"PAS has taken all the necessary moves to uplift the status of Islam by approving the hudud law in 1993," he said in reply to a question from Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman (PAS-Chetok).
On other development, the Kelantan Government denied that the second Sultan Yahya Petra bridge project, implemented by the federal government, was a political issue linked to the next general election.
Replying to Abdullah Yaakub (PAS-Air Lanas), state housing, works, utilities and environment committee chairman Maj (Rtd) Md Anizam Abdul Rahman said construction of the project was ongoing, according to the initial plan and specifications.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Smoking bans reduce heart attacks
Indoor smoking bans have reduced heart attacks in smokers and non-smokers, according to US research.
Earlier this week Britain’s MPs voted to end the display of tobacco in shops and ban its sale from vending machines. This new study is another blow to big tobacco.
The report, from the Institute of Medicine for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides the best evidence to date that banning smoking from workplaces, restaurants and bars can reduce cardiovascular-related health problems.
A panel of experts reviewed 11 studies of smoking bans in the United States, Canada and Europe. All showed reductions in heart attacks of between 6% and 47%.
The difference is partly down to methodology but also, says the report, the context of the ban. Factors such as the information provided on the ban, education and outreach efforts on the dangers of secondhand smoke, and support for smoking cessation programmes are difficult to separate from the impact of the ban itself.
This said, the panel noted the ‘remarkable consistency’ in the link between a ban and a reduction in heart attack. The 205-page report estimates that exposure to secondhand smoke could raise the risk of heart disease by 25-30%.Clear benefits to non-smokers
‘Secondhand smoke kills,’ said CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden. ‘What this report shows is that smoke-free laws reduce heart attacks in nonsmokers. There is a causal relationship. Smoking bans decrease the rate of heart attacks.’
Not all US states have smoking bans. Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said: ‘In the United States, 27 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have enacted smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. The new report should spur the remaining 23 states to enact comprehensive laws that include all workplaces, restaurants and bars.’
Committee chairwoman Dr. Lynn Goldman of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore predicted the report would help inform political debate in US states where new bans are under consideration. ‘This really communicates the benefits for nonsmokers,’ she said. ‘Nonsmokers are at risk. It's always been an important point. Now we know it's not only in terms of cancer risk but cardiovascular disease risk.’
Dr. Elizabeth Ross of the American Heart Association, which strongly advocates smoking bans, said: ‘We obviously want to encourage smokers to quit. But we also want to promote public policies which ban smoking that would expose nonsmokers to the risk of heart-attack from second-hand smoke.’
Earlier this week Britain’s MPs voted to end the display of tobacco in shops and ban its sale from vending machines. This new study is another blow to big tobacco.
The report, from the Institute of Medicine for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides the best evidence to date that banning smoking from workplaces, restaurants and bars can reduce cardiovascular-related health problems.
A panel of experts reviewed 11 studies of smoking bans in the United States, Canada and Europe. All showed reductions in heart attacks of between 6% and 47%.
The difference is partly down to methodology but also, says the report, the context of the ban. Factors such as the information provided on the ban, education and outreach efforts on the dangers of secondhand smoke, and support for smoking cessation programmes are difficult to separate from the impact of the ban itself.
This said, the panel noted the ‘remarkable consistency’ in the link between a ban and a reduction in heart attack. The 205-page report estimates that exposure to secondhand smoke could raise the risk of heart disease by 25-30%.Clear benefits to non-smokers
‘Secondhand smoke kills,’ said CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden. ‘What this report shows is that smoke-free laws reduce heart attacks in nonsmokers. There is a causal relationship. Smoking bans decrease the rate of heart attacks.’
Not all US states have smoking bans. Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said: ‘In the United States, 27 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have enacted smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. The new report should spur the remaining 23 states to enact comprehensive laws that include all workplaces, restaurants and bars.’
Committee chairwoman Dr. Lynn Goldman of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore predicted the report would help inform political debate in US states where new bans are under consideration. ‘This really communicates the benefits for nonsmokers,’ she said. ‘Nonsmokers are at risk. It's always been an important point. Now we know it's not only in terms of cancer risk but cardiovascular disease risk.’
Dr. Elizabeth Ross of the American Heart Association, which strongly advocates smoking bans, said: ‘We obviously want to encourage smokers to quit. But we also want to promote public policies which ban smoking that would expose nonsmokers to the risk of heart-attack from second-hand smoke.’
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Yao Ming enlisted as China anti-smoking ambassador
BEIJING — Basketball star Yao Ming has joined up with the wife of China's vice president to lead an anti-tobacco campaign in the country with the world's largest number of smokers, state media said Tuesday.
The NBA All-Star Houston Rockets centre was named as an ambassador to the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control and is expected to appear in public service announcements urging people not to smoke, Xinhua news agency said.
Also named was pop singer Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, the report said.
About 350 million Chinese, or nearly 27 percent of the country's population, smoke cigarettes, with the nation consuming up to one-third of the tobacco products sold annually worldwide, said the report, citing the association.
Up to one million Chinese die every year from lung cancer or cardiovascular diseases directly linked to tobacco consumption, it said.
In 2006, Yao, the most successful Chinese player in the NBA, joined a Wild Aid campaign against the eating of shark fin's soup, a popular Chinese delicacy that has left the fish at risk of extinction.
Peng has also served as a spokeswoman for a public awareness campaign against the stigmatisation of HIV/AIDS sufferers.
The NBA All-Star Houston Rockets centre was named as an ambassador to the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control and is expected to appear in public service announcements urging people not to smoke, Xinhua news agency said.
Also named was pop singer Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, the report said.
About 350 million Chinese, or nearly 27 percent of the country's population, smoke cigarettes, with the nation consuming up to one-third of the tobacco products sold annually worldwide, said the report, citing the association.
Up to one million Chinese die every year from lung cancer or cardiovascular diseases directly linked to tobacco consumption, it said.
In 2006, Yao, the most successful Chinese player in the NBA, joined a Wild Aid campaign against the eating of shark fin's soup, a popular Chinese delicacy that has left the fish at risk of extinction.
Peng has also served as a spokeswoman for a public awareness campaign against the stigmatisation of HIV/AIDS sufferers.
Friday, October 9, 2009
State receives seven complaints in first week of smoking ban
State health officials have received just seven complaints about businesses violating a statewide smoking ban that took effect a week ago.
The Montana Clean Indoor Air Act outlawed smoking in all public buildings except bars and casinos four years ago. As of Oct. 1, bars and casinos also had to begin observing the ban.
Five of the complaints made to the state Department of Public Health and Human Services were about businesses that should have gone smoke-free in 2005, said Stacy Campbell, director of the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program. Only two were about a bar or casino.
Businesses that violate the ban receive an educational letter after a first offense. A second offense brings a warning and third, fourth and fifth offenses result in $100, $200 and $500 fines.
No complaints were made in Yellowstone County, said Hillary Harris, director of population health at RiverStone Health.
"As far as we know, it's going really, really well," Harris said. "We're really pleased."
In addition to the handful of complaints, the state fielded 25 calls from people with questions about the ban, Campbell said.The most-asked question was about whether the ban mandates how far smokers must stand from the entrance of a building. It does not.
The next-most common question was about electronic cigarettes. Some establishments began selling e-cigarettes, which steam tobacco and emit a vapor instead of smoke, as a way to placate their smoking customers.
But Campbell said the devices are not legal to sell in Montana and are considered cigarettes under the Clean Indoor Air Act.
Montana was the 18th state to enact a comprehensive smoking ban. Another 14 states ban smoking in some public places.
About 16 percent of Montanans are smokers, compared with 20 percent of Americans overall.
Calls to the Montana Tobacco Quit Line did not significantly increase in the last week. The Quit Line offers free counseling and nicotine replacement products.
Campbell said the Quit Line might get busier as the weather turns colder and smokers no longer want to stand outside.
"I think the Montana winter is going to be a cessation aid," she said.
The Montana Clean Indoor Air Act outlawed smoking in all public buildings except bars and casinos four years ago. As of Oct. 1, bars and casinos also had to begin observing the ban.
Five of the complaints made to the state Department of Public Health and Human Services were about businesses that should have gone smoke-free in 2005, said Stacy Campbell, director of the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program. Only two were about a bar or casino.
Businesses that violate the ban receive an educational letter after a first offense. A second offense brings a warning and third, fourth and fifth offenses result in $100, $200 and $500 fines.
No complaints were made in Yellowstone County, said Hillary Harris, director of population health at RiverStone Health.
"As far as we know, it's going really, really well," Harris said. "We're really pleased."
In addition to the handful of complaints, the state fielded 25 calls from people with questions about the ban, Campbell said.The most-asked question was about whether the ban mandates how far smokers must stand from the entrance of a building. It does not.
The next-most common question was about electronic cigarettes. Some establishments began selling e-cigarettes, which steam tobacco and emit a vapor instead of smoke, as a way to placate their smoking customers.
But Campbell said the devices are not legal to sell in Montana and are considered cigarettes under the Clean Indoor Air Act.
Montana was the 18th state to enact a comprehensive smoking ban. Another 14 states ban smoking in some public places.
About 16 percent of Montanans are smokers, compared with 20 percent of Americans overall.
Calls to the Montana Tobacco Quit Line did not significantly increase in the last week. The Quit Line offers free counseling and nicotine replacement products.
Campbell said the Quit Line might get busier as the weather turns colder and smokers no longer want to stand outside.
"I think the Montana winter is going to be a cessation aid," she said.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
House committee investigating flavored cigars
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce is investigating whether two tobacco companies are trying to skirt a federal ban on flavored cigarettes by offering their products as cigars instead, according to letters sent to the companies by the committee's chairman.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sent letters to California-based Kretek International and North Carolina-based Cheyenne International targeting their products on Friday.Both companies had previously sold flavored cigarettes, which were banned last month. They have recently released flavored cigars that are close to the size of a cigarette but are wrapped in tobacco leaves rather than paper and contain cigar tobacco.
Waxman is asking both companies to defend the products, provide sales figures and all communications about the decision to market the flavored cigars.
Kretek International, the largest distributor of clove-flavored tobacco products in the U.S., filed suit last month asking a federal court to decide whether its new Djarum-brand filtered cigars fall under the ban. A Kretek spokesman did not immediately return an e-mail message seeking comment.
A spokesperson for Cheyenne International did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sent letters to California-based Kretek International and North Carolina-based Cheyenne International targeting their products on Friday.Both companies had previously sold flavored cigarettes, which were banned last month. They have recently released flavored cigars that are close to the size of a cigarette but are wrapped in tobacco leaves rather than paper and contain cigar tobacco.
Waxman is asking both companies to defend the products, provide sales figures and all communications about the decision to market the flavored cigars.
Kretek International, the largest distributor of clove-flavored tobacco products in the U.S., filed suit last month asking a federal court to decide whether its new Djarum-brand filtered cigars fall under the ban. A Kretek spokesman did not immediately return an e-mail message seeking comment.
A spokesperson for Cheyenne International did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Working in clean air
Do you remember when the surgeon general’s warning about the dangers of smoking first appeared on a pack of cigarettes? It’s been awhile.
The first surgeon general’s report on smoking’s ability to kill a person was delivered in 1964. The warnings showed up on cigarette packaging about a year later.
It’s been nearly a half-century since those events, and the anti-smoking movement is still inching along. The latest step was taken last week by officials at Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria, when they made all of the group’s campuses tobacco-free.
Bravo!
We understand that some smokers may, instead, be booing Marian’s decision. Smoking is legal, after all, and many people feel their rights are being denied when they find themselves in areas where they could smoke, but are prohibited from doing so by government or executive fiat.
What many smokers don’t fully realize is how pervasive their smoke can be. It is truly amazing how a person lighting up a dozen or more feet away, outdoors, can transform a clean-air space into a gagging purple haze.
We’re fairly sure future historians will characterize smoking for what it really is — one of the cruelest hoaxes ever pulled off by a specific industry.
The first surgeon general’s report on smoking’s ability to kill a person was delivered in 1964. The warnings showed up on cigarette packaging about a year later.
It’s been nearly a half-century since those events, and the anti-smoking movement is still inching along. The latest step was taken last week by officials at Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria, when they made all of the group’s campuses tobacco-free.
Bravo!
We understand that some smokers may, instead, be booing Marian’s decision. Smoking is legal, after all, and many people feel their rights are being denied when they find themselves in areas where they could smoke, but are prohibited from doing so by government or executive fiat.
What many smokers don’t fully realize is how pervasive their smoke can be. It is truly amazing how a person lighting up a dozen or more feet away, outdoors, can transform a clean-air space into a gagging purple haze.
We’re fairly sure future historians will characterize smoking for what it really is — one of the cruelest hoaxes ever pulled off by a specific industry.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Smoke free bars all across MT
Some Missoula bars have just one more day to allow smokers into their establishments. It's part of the Clean Indoor Act which means by Thursday, no smoking is allowed in bars and casinos.
The Rhino in Downtown Missoula is one of the those bars yet to go completely smoke-free. But it is on board with the smoking ban, supporting it from day one as a part of the Montana Tavern Association.
The co-owner says he knows its a controversial issue, but the Rhino waited to go smoke-free until the deadline in order to keep loyal clients happy.
"To me I didn't want to get caught up in the that so I am just waiting until the deadline and that's when we are going to go non smoking," explains Rhino Co-Owner, Brad Martens.
The Rhino will set up a smoking booth outside for its clients.
The Rhino in Downtown Missoula is one of the those bars yet to go completely smoke-free. But it is on board with the smoking ban, supporting it from day one as a part of the Montana Tavern Association.
The co-owner says he knows its a controversial issue, but the Rhino waited to go smoke-free until the deadline in order to keep loyal clients happy.
"To me I didn't want to get caught up in the that so I am just waiting until the deadline and that's when we are going to go non smoking," explains Rhino Co-Owner, Brad Martens.
The Rhino will set up a smoking booth outside for its clients.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Experts concerned menthol cigarettes are still on market
Anti-smoking advocates are concerned that the new law allowing the FDA to ban candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes doesn't include menthol cigarettes, the top-selling flavor and an increasingly popular choice among teenagers. Research shows while teen smoking rates have declined overall, the proportion of teens who smoke menthol cigarettes is increasing.
Slipping out for a cigarette has its benefits
The proportion of American adults who smoke has fallen from 42 per cent to under 20 per cent over the past 50 years, the American Journal of Public Health said in July. This suggested, the journal wrote, that the US was halfway through a 100-year war on cigarettes. Now, Thomas Farley , New York's city health commissioner, has resolved to fight on the beaches.
Mr Farley wants to end smoking on beaches and in parks, to add to the city's ban on cigarettes in bars, restaurants and workplaces.
As someone whose sole teenage cigarette made him feel sick, I welcomed the Financial Times' decision, over 20 years ago, to set up smokers' rooms and ban smoking at desks. The UK's ban on smoking in all enclosed public spaces in 2007 was even better, because it meant no more cigarette fumes wafting over restaurant food.
But it also meant the closure of the smoking rooms, and my colleagues having to hang around outside. The weather has been balmy, but winter will see them puffing desperately, shoulders hunched, so that they can rush in from the cold.
Separating cigarette smoke from the rest of us was justified. The dangers of second-hand smoke are well established. In 2005, before the smoking ban, the British Medical Journal said that inhaling other people's smoke in the workplace was probably responsible for the deaths of at least two people every working day.
But the hazard is greatly dissipated outside, and any remaining danger is surely preferable to hounding law-abiding people off the streets - or beaches and parks.
It is annoying to find cigarette butts buried in the sand or discarded around park benches, but nonsmokers leave more rubbish behind. Most smokers have now internalised society's disapproval of them. It was not long ago that visitors would ask for permission to light up in your home, or request an ashtray. Few would dream of doing so now. Smokers today are more courteous than mobile phone owners, burger munchers, headphone wearers or cyclists.
It is time to consider what, apart from killing two people a day, smokers have contributed to our workplaces. They form a particular subculture. Forced into each other's company they seem a more congenial bunch than most people at work.
Little research has been done on smoking in the workplace. Much of what there is focuses on how smoking bans encourage people to quit, or how non-smokers resent smokers leaving their desks for a puff (surely less of a legitimate gripe when so many people waste time surfing the internet without leaving their desks).
But I have not been able to track down any research on one of the most striking aspects of workplace smoking groups: their heterogeneous make-up. Companies spend money on activities such as Outward Bound adventures and cookery classes, hoping to encourage bonding between different departments. Smokers already cross those boundaries. Look at any group congregating for a cigarette: you will see senior executives and security guards, marketing and IT support.
Does smoking produce business benefits? "There's no doubt in my mind that it inspires cross-departmental collaboration," one FT commercial manager (and smoker) told me. "You get to know people who you otherwise wouldn't, and get a feel for what they do. If you've half a spark of creativity about you you'll doubtless stumble across an idea you hadn't thought of before. It also allows for the 'off the record' conversations between departments that grease the wheels of business. I'd be pretty lost without them."
Some FT smokers felt that spirit was lost when the smokers were forced outside. "There was an enforced intimacy about the smokers' room (and an enforced sense of solidarity in breathing each other's foul fumes) that is only replicated outside when there is a gentle drizzle, and everyone has to huddle close to the walls. But you do still get cross-departmental chatting," a smoker said.
One colleague recalled a previous job where the smokers were always the best source of gossip. "People (and not only former smokers or those trying to give up) used to announce: 'I'm just going off for a passive' - to sit in the smoking room and find out all the good stuff."
I never went into the smoking room. The stained ceiling gave you an idea of what cigarettes did to your lungs. But I probably missed out on the odd work tip as a result.
Mr Farley wants to end smoking on beaches and in parks, to add to the city's ban on cigarettes in bars, restaurants and workplaces.
As someone whose sole teenage cigarette made him feel sick, I welcomed the Financial Times' decision, over 20 years ago, to set up smokers' rooms and ban smoking at desks. The UK's ban on smoking in all enclosed public spaces in 2007 was even better, because it meant no more cigarette fumes wafting over restaurant food.
But it also meant the closure of the smoking rooms, and my colleagues having to hang around outside. The weather has been balmy, but winter will see them puffing desperately, shoulders hunched, so that they can rush in from the cold.
Separating cigarette smoke from the rest of us was justified. The dangers of second-hand smoke are well established. In 2005, before the smoking ban, the British Medical Journal said that inhaling other people's smoke in the workplace was probably responsible for the deaths of at least two people every working day.
But the hazard is greatly dissipated outside, and any remaining danger is surely preferable to hounding law-abiding people off the streets - or beaches and parks.
It is annoying to find cigarette butts buried in the sand or discarded around park benches, but nonsmokers leave more rubbish behind. Most smokers have now internalised society's disapproval of them. It was not long ago that visitors would ask for permission to light up in your home, or request an ashtray. Few would dream of doing so now. Smokers today are more courteous than mobile phone owners, burger munchers, headphone wearers or cyclists.
It is time to consider what, apart from killing two people a day, smokers have contributed to our workplaces. They form a particular subculture. Forced into each other's company they seem a more congenial bunch than most people at work.
Little research has been done on smoking in the workplace. Much of what there is focuses on how smoking bans encourage people to quit, or how non-smokers resent smokers leaving their desks for a puff (surely less of a legitimate gripe when so many people waste time surfing the internet without leaving their desks).
But I have not been able to track down any research on one of the most striking aspects of workplace smoking groups: their heterogeneous make-up. Companies spend money on activities such as Outward Bound adventures and cookery classes, hoping to encourage bonding between different departments. Smokers already cross those boundaries. Look at any group congregating for a cigarette: you will see senior executives and security guards, marketing and IT support.
Does smoking produce business benefits? "There's no doubt in my mind that it inspires cross-departmental collaboration," one FT commercial manager (and smoker) told me. "You get to know people who you otherwise wouldn't, and get a feel for what they do. If you've half a spark of creativity about you you'll doubtless stumble across an idea you hadn't thought of before. It also allows for the 'off the record' conversations between departments that grease the wheels of business. I'd be pretty lost without them."
Some FT smokers felt that spirit was lost when the smokers were forced outside. "There was an enforced intimacy about the smokers' room (and an enforced sense of solidarity in breathing each other's foul fumes) that is only replicated outside when there is a gentle drizzle, and everyone has to huddle close to the walls. But you do still get cross-departmental chatting," a smoker said.
One colleague recalled a previous job where the smokers were always the best source of gossip. "People (and not only former smokers or those trying to give up) used to announce: 'I'm just going off for a passive' - to sit in the smoking room and find out all the good stuff."
I never went into the smoking room. The stained ceiling gave you an idea of what cigarettes did to your lungs. But I probably missed out on the odd work tip as a result.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Alberta man charged for illegal cigarettes
An Alberta resident is facing charges in Nova Scotia on charges stemming from the seizure of illegal tobacco.
The RCMP says a pickup truck loaded with contraband cigarettes was stopped Tuesday on Highway 104 near Debert.Officers found cases in the back holding 290,000 cigarettes.
A 34-year-old man, formerly of Noel N.S., but now living in Alberta, was arrested and is to appear in court in Truro today on five charges.
The RCMP says a pickup truck loaded with contraband cigarettes was stopped Tuesday on Highway 104 near Debert.Officers found cases in the back holding 290,000 cigarettes.
A 34-year-old man, formerly of Noel N.S., but now living in Alberta, was arrested and is to appear in court in Truro today on five charges.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Cigarette Stamp Opens Trail in New Britain Cold Case
Fourteen years after a woman’s body was found behind Brittany West Plaza in New Britain, her identity and many other factors in the case remain and identity, but police are hoping that people in Albany, New York might be able to help them solve the case.
Police think that the New Britain murder of an unidentified woman in September 1995 might be linked to the killing of another unidentified woman a month later, about 30 miles away in Tolland, Massachusetts.
Massachusetts cops have some leads after finding a tax stamp on pack of cigarettes that led them to Albany.
Because New Britain cops believe their Jane Doe is connected to that Mass Jane Doe, they too believe their victim spent time in Albany.
Now, officials are distributing the photos in the Albany area to see if new leads might come up for a very cold case.
Police think that the New Britain murder of an unidentified woman in September 1995 might be linked to the killing of another unidentified woman a month later, about 30 miles away in Tolland, Massachusetts.
Massachusetts cops have some leads after finding a tax stamp on pack of cigarettes that led them to Albany.
Because New Britain cops believe their Jane Doe is connected to that Mass Jane Doe, they too believe their victim spent time in Albany.
Now, officials are distributing the photos in the Albany area to see if new leads might come up for a very cold case.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Chinese Citizens Ordered to Smoke More Cigarettes to Boost Economy
(NaturalNews) The government of Gong'an County, in China's Hubei province, sparked global controversy when it imposed a "cigarette quota" on public employees, in an effort to boost local revenue during the economic downturn.
Chinese law allows county governments to levy taxes on sales of cigarettes only if they are produced within the province. Gong'an County typically raises the least cigarette tax revenue of any county in the region, however, in part because neighboring Hunan province makes some of the highest quality cigarettes in China.
In an effort to raise revenue, the county passed a law ordering public employees to smoke only Gong'an county cigarettes, and threatening to penalize them if they failed to meet a certain quota. County employees were ordered to smoke a total of 230,000 Hubei-brand cigarettes, for total spending of nearly 4 million yuan ($590,000). As part of the new rule, a "special task force" was created and charged with enforcement.
The order drew global media attention when a local newspaper reported that a middle school teacher was to be disciplined for smoking the wrong brand of cigarettes. The teacher reported that county officials entered the school unannounced one afternoon and began sorting through the cigarette butts in the staff room.
When three "non-compliant" cigarette butts were found, the county threatened a fine. After negotiation with the school, a public reprimand was issued instead.
When the story broke, local and global press immediately criticized the rule for wasting public money and encouraging unhealthy practices.
In recent years, the central Chinese government has launched major anti-smoking initiatives. China is home to 350 million smokers, 1 million of whom die from tobacco-related causes each year.
Faced with mounting criticism, Gong'an authorities temporarily suspended the rule, saying that it violated rules about issuing notices.
"The matter is under review," the county said in a statement.
No health concerns were cited as a reason for the reversal, but officials did say that they had no intention of encouraging non-smokers to begin smoking.
Chinese law allows county governments to levy taxes on sales of cigarettes only if they are produced within the province. Gong'an County typically raises the least cigarette tax revenue of any county in the region, however, in part because neighboring Hunan province makes some of the highest quality cigarettes in China.
In an effort to raise revenue, the county passed a law ordering public employees to smoke only Gong'an county cigarettes, and threatening to penalize them if they failed to meet a certain quota. County employees were ordered to smoke a total of 230,000 Hubei-brand cigarettes, for total spending of nearly 4 million yuan ($590,000). As part of the new rule, a "special task force" was created and charged with enforcement.
The order drew global media attention when a local newspaper reported that a middle school teacher was to be disciplined for smoking the wrong brand of cigarettes. The teacher reported that county officials entered the school unannounced one afternoon and began sorting through the cigarette butts in the staff room.
When three "non-compliant" cigarette butts were found, the county threatened a fine. After negotiation with the school, a public reprimand was issued instead.
When the story broke, local and global press immediately criticized the rule for wasting public money and encouraging unhealthy practices.
In recent years, the central Chinese government has launched major anti-smoking initiatives. China is home to 350 million smokers, 1 million of whom die from tobacco-related causes each year.
Faced with mounting criticism, Gong'an authorities temporarily suspended the rule, saying that it violated rules about issuing notices.
"The matter is under review," the county said in a statement.
No health concerns were cited as a reason for the reversal, but officials did say that they had no intention of encouraging non-smokers to begin smoking.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Shops 'flout cigarette sales law'
A fifth of corner shops in England flout the law and sell cigarettes to teenagers and young children, trading standards officers have said.Fines for shopkeepers are so low - less than £100 - that they do not act as an effective deterrent, they added.
Teenage volunteers visited more than 4,000 shops to see if owners would sell them cigarettes without asking for proof of age during a year-long study.
The Association of Convenience Stores said the findings were inaccurate. Magistrates have said their guidelines discourage heavier fines.
Wrists slapped
One in seven 15-year-olds is a regular smoker and the research indicates plenty of shops are willing to sell cigarettes to under-18s. The Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (Lacors), the body which oversees the work of trading standards officers across the UK, said the level of fines imposed on offending shopkeepers is not high enough. Lacors chairman Paul Bettison said: "Councils are doing everything in their power to protect young people from the dangers of smoking but retailers are effectively only being slapped on the wrist with minuscule fines."Less than £100 is hardly enough to make a shopkeeper think twice.
"It is time for magistrates to hit those retailers that have a blatant disregard of the law and children's health with higher fines."
The Magistrates' Association has said some of its members are unhappy that sentencing guidelines discourage them from imposing heavier fines. But retailers say the findings of the study are not accurate. Shane Brennan, from the Association of Convenience Stores, told the BBC: "This report fails to paint an accurate picture of what is actually happening for the responsible majority of shops out there in the country, who are every day preventing young people from getting hold of tobacco". In Scotland, the Parliament's health committee has recommended a law change to make it illegal for under-18s to buy tobacco. The committee has also backed plans by the government in Edinburgh to ban the display of cigarettes and outlaw tobacco vending machines. Scottish ministers have said they want to cut the proportion of young people who smoke to less than 23% by 2012. The findings on under-age cigarette sales in England come as the government launched an anti-smoking advertising campaign.
It features children describing their fears about their parents' nicotine addiction.
Teenage volunteers visited more than 4,000 shops to see if owners would sell them cigarettes without asking for proof of age during a year-long study.
The Association of Convenience Stores said the findings were inaccurate. Magistrates have said their guidelines discourage heavier fines.
Wrists slapped
One in seven 15-year-olds is a regular smoker and the research indicates plenty of shops are willing to sell cigarettes to under-18s. The Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (Lacors), the body which oversees the work of trading standards officers across the UK, said the level of fines imposed on offending shopkeepers is not high enough. Lacors chairman Paul Bettison said: "Councils are doing everything in their power to protect young people from the dangers of smoking but retailers are effectively only being slapped on the wrist with minuscule fines."Less than £100 is hardly enough to make a shopkeeper think twice.
"It is time for magistrates to hit those retailers that have a blatant disregard of the law and children's health with higher fines."
The Magistrates' Association has said some of its members are unhappy that sentencing guidelines discourage them from imposing heavier fines. But retailers say the findings of the study are not accurate. Shane Brennan, from the Association of Convenience Stores, told the BBC: "This report fails to paint an accurate picture of what is actually happening for the responsible majority of shops out there in the country, who are every day preventing young people from getting hold of tobacco". In Scotland, the Parliament's health committee has recommended a law change to make it illegal for under-18s to buy tobacco. The committee has also backed plans by the government in Edinburgh to ban the display of cigarettes and outlaw tobacco vending machines. Scottish ministers have said they want to cut the proportion of young people who smoke to less than 23% by 2012. The findings on under-age cigarette sales in England come as the government launched an anti-smoking advertising campaign.
It features children describing their fears about their parents' nicotine addiction.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Are You Up To Date On The Electronic Cigarette Controversy
The electronic cigarette is something that is either being heavily promoted, or heavily contested among the public due to the fact that there is no certainty here or there about whether or not there are serious health risks from using it and if it is healthier than regular cigarettes or not. Naysayers will say that the electronic cigarette has a higher risk of causing nicotine poisoning, and thus far that has been the primary argument against them. Many who have done their own independent research have found this new product to be a more helpful than harmful device that, if used correctly, it could be used as a means of helping someone quit smoking.
The nicotine in this new version of a cigarette is made up mostly of water, alcohol, nicotine, propylene glycol, and flavorings. However, despite this fact, many researches cling onto the remote possibility of nicotine poisoning as a result of misuse. It has been the most used possible problem by researchers. There have yet to be any other medical issues brought up.
This product has actually been used by many as, despite not being marketed as such, a quit smoking device. This product does not use many of the chemicals that are put in cigarette tobacco. They are also technically smokeless, emitting only a vapor that gives the smoker the sensation of smoking. The electronic cigarettes, while not FDA approved as of yet, are not shown to have any of the other side effects of smoking conventional cigarettes, such as bad breath, stained breath, and the very serious lung cancer. The product acts similarly to the patch, in the sense that it releases only nicotine into the body and not any of the other additives into the body.
Another point of controversy is that many nonsmokers think that this means that any smoker friends they have will use the electronic cigarette as a license to smoke all of the time and stink up the place. But even this argument is void, because the electronic cigarette does not burn anything. Even the smoke which they often complain about is not even smoke by definition. It is actually an odorless vapor. That is right: an odorless vapor. This means that nobody will be stinking up anything. In fact, this is one of the factors that makes this smoking apparatus so popular. And to those who think the electronic cigarette is more expensive, it is actually more cost efficient compared to buying pack after pack of cigarette.
The nicotine in this new version of a cigarette is made up mostly of water, alcohol, nicotine, propylene glycol, and flavorings. However, despite this fact, many researches cling onto the remote possibility of nicotine poisoning as a result of misuse. It has been the most used possible problem by researchers. There have yet to be any other medical issues brought up.
This product has actually been used by many as, despite not being marketed as such, a quit smoking device. This product does not use many of the chemicals that are put in cigarette tobacco. They are also technically smokeless, emitting only a vapor that gives the smoker the sensation of smoking. The electronic cigarettes, while not FDA approved as of yet, are not shown to have any of the other side effects of smoking conventional cigarettes, such as bad breath, stained breath, and the very serious lung cancer. The product acts similarly to the patch, in the sense that it releases only nicotine into the body and not any of the other additives into the body.
Another point of controversy is that many nonsmokers think that this means that any smoker friends they have will use the electronic cigarette as a license to smoke all of the time and stink up the place. But even this argument is void, because the electronic cigarette does not burn anything. Even the smoke which they often complain about is not even smoke by definition. It is actually an odorless vapor. That is right: an odorless vapor. This means that nobody will be stinking up anything. In fact, this is one of the factors that makes this smoking apparatus so popular. And to those who think the electronic cigarette is more expensive, it is actually more cost efficient compared to buying pack after pack of cigarette.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Opinions at Mesa State meeting for, against smoking ban
At least 119 people, mostly college students, attended a meeting Thursday night at Mesa State College to discuss a potential campuswide ban on smoking.
The meeting is the first of four meetings on the subject planned on consecutive Thursdays at the college.
While some student smokers defended the act of lighting up and some nonsmokers defended their right to fresh air, others focused on cigarette-related littering and possibly designating smoking areas rather than banning cigarette use altogether.
Mesa State student Kyle Evans said his fellow classmates, instead of seeking a ban, should speak up when a person litters or stands too close to a building while smoking.
“We just don’t have the means to enforce this legislation,” Evans said.
Ted Rodriguez, a student and a grounds crew worker at the college, said prohibition of alcohol didn’t work and that a smoking ban won’t take well, either. But he would appreciate it if those who choose to use tobacco clean up after themselves, Rodriguez said.
“There’s nothing more disgusting than picking up a cola can and finding out it’s a spit can,” he said.
David Miller, a math major and smoker, said some smokers are considerate.
“To lump me in and alienate me and tell me I can’t smoke because a few people throw their cigarettes down isn’t fair,” he said.
Jen Kimbrou, a Mesa State student-athlete, said it isn’t fair that plumes of smoke effect her health when shuttling between classes.
“I’m allergic to (smoke). As a student-athlete, I can’t afford these allergic reactions,” she said.
Dave Robinson, a Mesa State student, said the ban would not stop people from smoking; it would just push them to the outer edges of campus to do the deed. Robinson said he worries how the college would appear to passersby and prospective students if a ban were enacted.
The Thursday meeting and a forthcoming survey conducted by the college’s business department will provide some insight for Associated Student Government members to discuss at their next meeting, said Nick Lopez, college government vice president.
“I feel this was really helpful,” Lopez said of the meeting.
The meeting is the first of four meetings on the subject planned on consecutive Thursdays at the college.
While some student smokers defended the act of lighting up and some nonsmokers defended their right to fresh air, others focused on cigarette-related littering and possibly designating smoking areas rather than banning cigarette use altogether.
Mesa State student Kyle Evans said his fellow classmates, instead of seeking a ban, should speak up when a person litters or stands too close to a building while smoking.
“We just don’t have the means to enforce this legislation,” Evans said.
Ted Rodriguez, a student and a grounds crew worker at the college, said prohibition of alcohol didn’t work and that a smoking ban won’t take well, either. But he would appreciate it if those who choose to use tobacco clean up after themselves, Rodriguez said.
“There’s nothing more disgusting than picking up a cola can and finding out it’s a spit can,” he said.
David Miller, a math major and smoker, said some smokers are considerate.
“To lump me in and alienate me and tell me I can’t smoke because a few people throw their cigarettes down isn’t fair,” he said.
Jen Kimbrou, a Mesa State student-athlete, said it isn’t fair that plumes of smoke effect her health when shuttling between classes.
“I’m allergic to (smoke). As a student-athlete, I can’t afford these allergic reactions,” she said.
Dave Robinson, a Mesa State student, said the ban would not stop people from smoking; it would just push them to the outer edges of campus to do the deed. Robinson said he worries how the college would appear to passersby and prospective students if a ban were enacted.
The Thursday meeting and a forthcoming survey conducted by the college’s business department will provide some insight for Associated Student Government members to discuss at their next meeting, said Nick Lopez, college government vice president.
“I feel this was really helpful,” Lopez said of the meeting.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Marlboro's black menthol 'One' cigarette in Japan
Whenever I travel internationally, I look at how cigarettes are advertised. On a recent trip to Japan, the Marlboro"One" menthol cigarette was featured on every vending machine that I came across during my brief stay. Cigarettes were about $3.00 a pack and the minimum age to buy was 20. A special card was needed to purchase out of a vending machine to prevent underage purchases.
One of the commercials that I viewed on the television was for "Cafe Tobacco," a smoking haven. The owner said that patrons are only in the cafe for 20 minutes and therefore, could not become addicted to cigarettes.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Tobacco settlement funds misused, Ohio judge rules
An Ohio judge ruled that state funds from a 1998 nationwide settlement with tobacco companies must be used for what they were intended, namely prevention and cessation programs.
The lawsuit, filed by a state-established foundation that oversees the tobacco money, alleged lawmakers in their 2009 budget illegally diverted some of the state's $230 million settlement funds to pay for other projects.
The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas agreed in an Aug. 11 ruling that blocked the state from transferring the money. The court said depleting the funds "would result in a substantial increase in tobacco-related premature death and disease in Ohio, and a substantial increase in medical expense."
Gov. Ted Strickland is appealing the ruling, and maintains he and the Legislature have the authority to appropriate the funds as they see fit.
The lawsuit, filed by a state-established foundation that oversees the tobacco money, alleged lawmakers in their 2009 budget illegally diverted some of the state's $230 million settlement funds to pay for other projects.
The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas agreed in an Aug. 11 ruling that blocked the state from transferring the money. The court said depleting the funds "would result in a substantial increase in tobacco-related premature death and disease in Ohio, and a substantial increase in medical expense."
Gov. Ted Strickland is appealing the ruling, and maintains he and the Legislature have the authority to appropriate the funds as they see fit.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Hundreds of cigarettes stolen from garage
RAIDERS stole hundreds of packs of cigarettes worth £5,000 from a garage in a night time break-in at Stamford.
Burglars got into the Morrisons petrol station in Uffington Road, Stamford some time overnight between Monday and Tuesday stealing about 800 individual packs of cigarettes and about 30 200-packs.
They forced their way inside by wrenching open a metal grate and then prising back metal wall panelling.
Police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone who saw any suspicious vehicles on or around the A16 near Morrisons to get in touch as soon as possible.
A Morrisons spokesperson said: “We can confirm that there was an incident. The matter is now being investigated by the police.”
n Anyone with any information can call Stamford Police Station on 01780 752222, quoting incident number 61 of September 1.
Burglars got into the Morrisons petrol station in Uffington Road, Stamford some time overnight between Monday and Tuesday stealing about 800 individual packs of cigarettes and about 30 200-packs.
They forced their way inside by wrenching open a metal grate and then prising back metal wall panelling.
Police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone who saw any suspicious vehicles on or around the A16 near Morrisons to get in touch as soon as possible.
A Morrisons spokesperson said: “We can confirm that there was an incident. The matter is now being investigated by the police.”
n Anyone with any information can call Stamford Police Station on 01780 752222, quoting incident number 61 of September 1.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Time's up for tax crybabies
For decades, Americans have preferred to run up huge deficits by borrowing from foreigners rather than living within their means by collecting enough taxes to cover their government's expenditures.
Any attempts to raise taxes are greeted with derision by voters who have no idea how low their taxes are compared with the rest of the world.
Like others living outside the United States, I'm very unsympathetic to this whining and deficit-riddled form of governance. It's ruinous for the rest of the world and has been a contributing factor to the economic mess we're all in nowadays.
Americans are tax crybabies, but their spendthrift party will have to end. For the first time, there are hushed whispers in Washington's policy corridors of a possible federal VAT, or GST, across the land to right the listing ship of state.
Some say this is impossible. After all, the President who does this must be the political equivalent of a suicide bomber, willing to die politically in order to get to fiscal heaven.
But no less than the great former governor of the Federal Reserve and Reaganite Paul Volcker has given some, albeit tepid, support to the possibility, according to a recent Washington Post article.
To Canadians, and the rest of the free/developed world, an across-the-board sales tax -- either a value-added tax or a goods and services tax -- is not only a no-brainer but, quite possibly, a world saver now. Europeans pay roughly 15% in VAT and most Canadians pay nearly the same in sales taxes to their provinces and the feds, Alberta excepted.
The Americans need to spend trillions over the next few years and can do this only through taxation, borrowing or printing. But more U.S. debt or currency debasement would be dire for the world's economy and would lead to even greater problems down the road. In a probably vain attempt, I will repeat once again some taxation statistics I published in January 2009. Figures were provided by investment banker and economist DeWolf Shaw of Montreal: - Washington could raise US$600-billion per year or more if Americans paid a 5% federal sales tax on goods and services if it were identical to Canada's 5% GST. - Another US$280-billion could be generated if Americans paid slightly more than double what they pay now, or US$3.75 a gallon, for gasoline, which is roughly what Canadians pay. - Another US$180-billion is available if Americans paid the same taxes on cigarettes as Canadians. - Then there's another US$355-billion for government coffers if Americans had the same liquor taxes as Canadians. - The total that could be raised from all four is US$1.415-trillion. That is, by the way, the size of Canada's or Spain's economies.
That's more than enough money to fix the fiscal mess. For those who think such taxes are job-robbers, consider the economic benefits and jobs that derive from a public sector that provides health care, infrastructure jobs or better education.
Who likes taxes? But the Americans need more of them as much as they need oxygen. They also need to be more responsible in managing their affairs.
Any attempts to raise taxes are greeted with derision by voters who have no idea how low their taxes are compared with the rest of the world.
Like others living outside the United States, I'm very unsympathetic to this whining and deficit-riddled form of governance. It's ruinous for the rest of the world and has been a contributing factor to the economic mess we're all in nowadays.
Americans are tax crybabies, but their spendthrift party will have to end. For the first time, there are hushed whispers in Washington's policy corridors of a possible federal VAT, or GST, across the land to right the listing ship of state.
Some say this is impossible. After all, the President who does this must be the political equivalent of a suicide bomber, willing to die politically in order to get to fiscal heaven.
But no less than the great former governor of the Federal Reserve and Reaganite Paul Volcker has given some, albeit tepid, support to the possibility, according to a recent Washington Post article.
To Canadians, and the rest of the free/developed world, an across-the-board sales tax -- either a value-added tax or a goods and services tax -- is not only a no-brainer but, quite possibly, a world saver now. Europeans pay roughly 15% in VAT and most Canadians pay nearly the same in sales taxes to their provinces and the feds, Alberta excepted.
The Americans need to spend trillions over the next few years and can do this only through taxation, borrowing or printing. But more U.S. debt or currency debasement would be dire for the world's economy and would lead to even greater problems down the road. In a probably vain attempt, I will repeat once again some taxation statistics I published in January 2009. Figures were provided by investment banker and economist DeWolf Shaw of Montreal: - Washington could raise US$600-billion per year or more if Americans paid a 5% federal sales tax on goods and services if it were identical to Canada's 5% GST. - Another US$280-billion could be generated if Americans paid slightly more than double what they pay now, or US$3.75 a gallon, for gasoline, which is roughly what Canadians pay. - Another US$180-billion is available if Americans paid the same taxes on cigarettes as Canadians. - Then there's another US$355-billion for government coffers if Americans had the same liquor taxes as Canadians. - The total that could be raised from all four is US$1.415-trillion. That is, by the way, the size of Canada's or Spain's economies.
That's more than enough money to fix the fiscal mess. For those who think such taxes are job-robbers, consider the economic benefits and jobs that derive from a public sector that provides health care, infrastructure jobs or better education.
Who likes taxes? But the Americans need more of them as much as they need oxygen. They also need to be more responsible in managing their affairs.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Scheme to stub out cigarette litter
A new drive has been launched in Doncaster to stamp out the litter caused by cigarette smokers.
Council officers have been posted in the town centre and at the railway station to hand out £75 fixed penalty notices to people caught discarding leftover cigarettes.
The direct action has been backed up with a poster campaign.
Council officers have been posted in the town centre and at the railway station to hand out £75 fixed penalty notices to people caught discarding leftover cigarettes.
The direct action has been backed up with a poster campaign.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Half Million Ringgit Worth Of Liquor And Cigarettes Seized
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- Police confiscated 5,181 cartons of cigarettes and 527 cartons of liquor of various brands worth over RM500,000 in three separate raids in Ampang Jaya and Selayang, here, on Wednesday.Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department media relations officer ASP Abdul Malek Abdul Ghani said they arrested a local man and a Cambodian woman, aged between 20 and 40, in the first raid in Taman Dagang, Ampang Jaya."The first raid was carried out at 3pm based on a public tip-off regarding the distribution of pirated DVDs and VCDs at a house in Taman Dagang."However, no discs were found, instead the police discovered liquor and cigarettes believed to have been smuggled in from a neighbouring country and hidden in the house," he said when contacted Friday.Following the raid, the police conducted another raid on a shophouse in Taman Kosas, Ampang Jaya and in Selayang which also revealed several cartons of liquor and cigarettes.He added that the smuggled items were believed to be for sale in sundry shops in the Klang Valley area at a cheap price.However, the case has been handed over to the Royal Malaysian Customs for investigation and further action.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Police hunt cigarette thieves
Police are on the hunt for at least two men who stole a cabinet of cigarettes from a service station in Sanson, 24km northwest of Palmerston North, today.
At 4.30am, the men smashed through the front doors of the Caltex station in a stolen ute, Feilding police said.
They stole a large cigarette cabinet from the shop and loaded it on the back of the ute.
The ute, which was stolen from Foxton Beach overnight, and the empty cabinet were found in Foxton, 39km southwest of Palmerston North, later this morning.
Pretty much all the cigarettes were stolen from the cabinet, police spokeswoman Kim Perks said.
The store was doing a stock take to work out the value of the items stolen.
Nothing else was taken from the shop, she said.
Ms Perks said two men had their faces covered and were wearing hoodies, one a green and white check, and the other a black and grey check.
Trucks were believed to have driven past the service station while the crime was being committed.
A search warrant was executed in the Foxton area this afternoon and police were continuing investigations.
At 4.30am, the men smashed through the front doors of the Caltex station in a stolen ute, Feilding police said.
They stole a large cigarette cabinet from the shop and loaded it on the back of the ute.
The ute, which was stolen from Foxton Beach overnight, and the empty cabinet were found in Foxton, 39km southwest of Palmerston North, later this morning.
Pretty much all the cigarettes were stolen from the cabinet, police spokeswoman Kim Perks said.
The store was doing a stock take to work out the value of the items stolen.
Nothing else was taken from the shop, she said.
Ms Perks said two men had their faces covered and were wearing hoodies, one a green and white check, and the other a black and grey check.
Trucks were believed to have driven past the service station while the crime was being committed.
A search warrant was executed in the Foxton area this afternoon and police were continuing investigations.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Industry gimmick to entice youth to smoking
Questions have been raised whether the Tobacco industry has resorted to distributing free cigarettes in order to promote the habit of smoking among youth.
The Chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco & Alcohol (NATA) Prof. Carlo Fonseka in a letter to Daily News refers to an incident which took place in front of a restaurant in Colombo as an example, which was personally witnessed by NATA officials, and describes it as a fragrant violations of the NATA Act.
According to Prof. Fonseka around 8.00 pm on July 28, NATA officials after being alerted had visited and witnessed the free distribution of cigarettes by a group of about 10, including young women in front of a restaurant in Fife road, Colombo 5.
The activity had been carried out to the accompaniment of loud music calculated to draw maximum attention.
However, according to the Professor, two traffic Policemen after hearing the loud noise had visited the scene and had informed the concerned people that it was an offence to play loud music without informing the Police, at which point the group had stopped the activity and disbursed from the scene.
The NATA officials at the scene however had followed one vehicle and after reaching its final destination, had spoken to the three occupants politely, and had informed them that what they did was illegal.
Their reply had been that they were simply doing a job for which they were paid.
The officials then had lodged a formal complaint with the Narahenpita Police as the said restaurant was located in the aforesaid Police division.
Thus Prof. Fonseka points out that this incident was a clear violation of the Act No.27 of 2006 and that relevant officials should take prompt action to bring the violators to book and take steps to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the future.
The Chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco & Alcohol (NATA) Prof. Carlo Fonseka in a letter to Daily News refers to an incident which took place in front of a restaurant in Colombo as an example, which was personally witnessed by NATA officials, and describes it as a fragrant violations of the NATA Act.
According to Prof. Fonseka around 8.00 pm on July 28, NATA officials after being alerted had visited and witnessed the free distribution of cigarettes by a group of about 10, including young women in front of a restaurant in Fife road, Colombo 5.
The activity had been carried out to the accompaniment of loud music calculated to draw maximum attention.
However, according to the Professor, two traffic Policemen after hearing the loud noise had visited the scene and had informed the concerned people that it was an offence to play loud music without informing the Police, at which point the group had stopped the activity and disbursed from the scene.
The NATA officials at the scene however had followed one vehicle and after reaching its final destination, had spoken to the three occupants politely, and had informed them that what they did was illegal.
Their reply had been that they were simply doing a job for which they were paid.
The officials then had lodged a formal complaint with the Narahenpita Police as the said restaurant was located in the aforesaid Police division.
Thus Prof. Fonseka points out that this incident was a clear violation of the Act No.27 of 2006 and that relevant officials should take prompt action to bring the violators to book and take steps to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Philip Morris to Halt Supplies to Illicit Dealers
Philip Morris USA will stop supplying cigarettes to illegal Internet and mail-order dealers as part of an agreement with attorneys general for California and 36 other states and territories.The action is the third prong of the states' efforts to curb the sale of cigarettes to minors over the Internet and by mail order, often to avoid substantial state sales taxes. In March, major credit card companies agreed to stop processing payments from Internet retailers. Months ago, shippers DHL and UPS Inc. agreed to stop shipping packages from the vendors.
"These illegal enterprises cannot remain in business without a steady supply of cigarettes, and thus restricting that supply can be very effective," said Spitzer, who leads the group of attorneys general from 33 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.
A spokeswoman for Philip Morris, part of Altria Group Inc., said the agreement built on the company's policies and programs to "preserve the integrity of our brands and the legitimate trade channels through which they are sold.
"Our voluntary agreement
The company has agreed to change its practices nationwide, including:
* Ending shipments to any customers the attorneys general found engaged in illegal Internet and mail-order sales.
* Reducing the amount of cigarettes sold to customers that state officials find resell the product to Internet retailers.
* Suspending the incentive programs of any retailer engaged in the illegal sales.
The attorneys general consider all Internet cigarette sales to be illegal because they violate one or more state or federal laws aimed at stopping sales to underage smokers and collecting sales taxes. They said many of the sales through foreign websites also violate federal smuggling, cigarette labeling, money laundering and contraband laws.
The nation's biggest tobacco company voluntarily agreed to end shipments of any of its products to customers, Indian tribes and enterprises that the states deem illegal, New York Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer said Thursday.
"These illegal enterprises cannot remain in business without a steady supply of cigarettes, and thus restricting that supply can be very effective," said Spitzer, who leads the group of attorneys general from 33 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.
A spokeswoman for Philip Morris, part of Altria Group Inc., said the agreement built on the company's policies and programs to "preserve the integrity of our brands and the legitimate trade channels through which they are sold.
"Our voluntary agreement
The company has agreed to change its practices nationwide, including:
* Ending shipments to any customers the attorneys general found engaged in illegal Internet and mail-order sales.
* Reducing the amount of cigarettes sold to customers that state officials find resell the product to Internet retailers.
* Suspending the incentive programs of any retailer engaged in the illegal sales.
The attorneys general consider all Internet cigarette sales to be illegal because they violate one or more state or federal laws aimed at stopping sales to underage smokers and collecting sales taxes. They said many of the sales through foreign websites also violate federal smuggling, cigarette labeling, money laundering and contraband laws.
The nation's biggest tobacco company voluntarily agreed to end shipments of any of its products to customers, Indian tribes and enterprises that the states deem illegal, New York Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer said Thursday.
Friday, July 17, 2009
No Worry About Secondhand Smoke With The Electric Cigarette
If you smoke even a little, do you ever think about what the smoke is doing to those around you? Smoking a cigarette is bad enough for you, but if you happen to be in a room full of people this smoke can effect each of them also. This smoke will travel to all corners of the room with the ones closest to you inhaling much of this secondhand smoke. If the room is full of smokers, all of you will be getting the smoke from all of the cigarettes in the room, not just your cigarette. All of you could come out of this room smelling like a walking cigarette.
This secondhand smoke is only one reason for the ban of smoking in public places where there are more non-smokers than smokers. This law also prevents children of non-smokers from being impressed by those that smoke. Most children that have been around someone that smokes cigarettes many times end up being smokers themselves. The best way to keep your young from taking up this habit is to not smoke around them at any time.
If you happen to think really hard about the side affects of cigarettes, then you should also realize that this one cigarette is doing the same to others and then try to quit. It is not easy to quit smoking cigarettes as most of you know, but there is a new smoking device on the market that you can switch to. It is called an e-cigarette. With this electronic cigarette there is no tobacco being burned so there is no secondhand smoke either. You can use them around others that do not mind it and not have to worry about any of them. You can use them like a normal cigarette, but without lighting them and producing secondhand smoke.
After you have the normal number of drags from a cigarette you will simply set this e-cigarette flat in your pocket or the surface of your table. You want to keep it out of the reach of children as they might think it is something to play with or use. This product is meant only to be used by adults over the age of eighteen. You will have no tobacco, but you do receive nicotine so just make sure that you put this where children can not touch it. You might also want to think twice before you even use this product around children even though it is relatively harmless.
This secondhand smoke is only one reason for the ban of smoking in public places where there are more non-smokers than smokers. This law also prevents children of non-smokers from being impressed by those that smoke. Most children that have been around someone that smokes cigarettes many times end up being smokers themselves. The best way to keep your young from taking up this habit is to not smoke around them at any time.
If you happen to think really hard about the side affects of cigarettes, then you should also realize that this one cigarette is doing the same to others and then try to quit. It is not easy to quit smoking cigarettes as most of you know, but there is a new smoking device on the market that you can switch to. It is called an e-cigarette. With this electronic cigarette there is no tobacco being burned so there is no secondhand smoke either. You can use them around others that do not mind it and not have to worry about any of them. You can use them like a normal cigarette, but without lighting them and producing secondhand smoke.
After you have the normal number of drags from a cigarette you will simply set this e-cigarette flat in your pocket or the surface of your table. You want to keep it out of the reach of children as they might think it is something to play with or use. This product is meant only to be used by adults over the age of eighteen. You will have no tobacco, but you do receive nicotine so just make sure that you put this where children can not touch it. You might also want to think twice before you even use this product around children even though it is relatively harmless.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Why You Should Try An Electric Cigarette If You Smoke Tobacco
When you go to get your first e-cigarette make sure that you are getting the right one. There are a couple to choose from and they all do not work the same. If you are about to order one, you might want to order a starter kit. It is less expensive and if you do not like the particular brand you order, you can switch to another less expensively. Most starter kits will come with two batteries, the atomizer or flow censor and two boxes of filters. You might think that it is a little pricey at first, but it will pay for itself rather quickly. With the costs of cigarettes going up all the time, this kit will equal two cartons of the regular cigarettes you buy.
With so many of you trying to quit, cut down, or just trying to find a safer way to smoke, it is important to find something that is going to work for you without costing you a fortune. In your kit you will receive two boxes of filters and one filter will be equal to a pack of regular cigarettes. In these boxes you get five filters so this one box is equal to five packs of cigarettes. The batteries will last for months and to make your filters last longer, you can order nicotine liquid and refill them yourself. When you first start using an e-cigarette you will notice that you really do not want the tobacco cigarette because you are still getting the nicotine. The more you use it, the less cigarettes you need or want to buy.
If you happen to be a heavy smoker, using the electric cigarette even part time can cut your habit in half almost right from the start. You are getting your fix of nicotine and eliminating the thousands of chemicals and tar you get from smoking tobacco. There is no smoke as you are inhaling a water vapor and you are also sending out a vapor that evaporates quickly. You are no longer getting the taste of burned paper or glue and you are not sending out any secondhand smoke.
There is also no residue involved in smoking an electric cigarette along with no noticeable odor. These are also benefits that a smoker will appreciate about an electric cigarette. So if this smoking device is cleaner, safer, more convenient, and cheaper to use, why have you not tried it yet if you smoke?
With so many of you trying to quit, cut down, or just trying to find a safer way to smoke, it is important to find something that is going to work for you without costing you a fortune. In your kit you will receive two boxes of filters and one filter will be equal to a pack of regular cigarettes. In these boxes you get five filters so this one box is equal to five packs of cigarettes. The batteries will last for months and to make your filters last longer, you can order nicotine liquid and refill them yourself. When you first start using an e-cigarette you will notice that you really do not want the tobacco cigarette because you are still getting the nicotine. The more you use it, the less cigarettes you need or want to buy.
If you happen to be a heavy smoker, using the electric cigarette even part time can cut your habit in half almost right from the start. You are getting your fix of nicotine and eliminating the thousands of chemicals and tar you get from smoking tobacco. There is no smoke as you are inhaling a water vapor and you are also sending out a vapor that evaporates quickly. You are no longer getting the taste of burned paper or glue and you are not sending out any secondhand smoke.
There is also no residue involved in smoking an electric cigarette along with no noticeable odor. These are also benefits that a smoker will appreciate about an electric cigarette. So if this smoking device is cleaner, safer, more convenient, and cheaper to use, why have you not tried it yet if you smoke?
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Electronic Cigarettes versus Big Tobacco - You Don't Want to Miss This
Electronic Cigarettes, or e-cigarettes have stormed the U.S. market in the last few months and have generated a tremendous amount of excitement and confusion. Smokers and loved ones of smokers are excited about the prospect of a potentially safer, healthier and even cheaper alternative to tobacco cigarettes while many are also confused as to their legality and status with regards to U.S. customs and the Federal Drug Administration.
Electronic cigarettes have actually been around for about 5 years, having been invented by the Runyan corp. in China in 2004. They were designed to take the place of smoking tobacco cigarettes and cigars because, despite global smoking bans, many smokers are just unable to quit altogether. There are other nicotine replacement products on the market, such as gum and patches, but they don't replicate the smoking experience which has been found to be a part of the addictive ritual of smoking. The e-cigarette is a revolutionary device in that it's aim is to both deliver nicotine to user and simulate the experience of smoking a traditional tobacco cigarette.
The basic idea is simple. E-cigarettes looks like a cigarette, deliver nicotine like a cigarette, and even operates, ie- "puffs", like a cigarette. The genius is in the details however. Electronic cigarettes do NOT have any of the tobacco or other chemical additives of regular cigarettes, there is no flame or smoke, and thus no secondhand smoke. They simply hold battery charged cartridges and emit a water propylene glycol based vapor that is both odorless and harmless. Because these are "smokeless" cigarettes, users are not subject to the widespread smoking bans and are able to smoke e-cigarettes in places like restaurants, bars, airports, workplaces, etc. Add to this the tremendous cost savings over tobacco cigarettes and it looks like we have a real winner here.
So what about those legality issues? Electronic cigarettes fall into a legal grey area as they have not been officially approved or banned by U.S. officials but they are still being commonly sold in the U.S. There is widespread debate as to whether or not the Federal Drug Administration has jurisdiction over e-cigarettes and there is a bill currently in Congress that promises to further complicate the issue. The Family Smoking Prevention And Tobacco Control Act, passed by the House of Representatives on 04/02/09, and now in the Senate would allow U.S. officials "to review and consider the evidence for additional indications for nicotine replacement products." It wouldn't take much to arrive at an interpretation of this that puts e-cigarettes under the government's control.
It will be interesting to watch how this plays out, particularly in light of the special interests involved in the electronic cigarettes' success or failure. Another unique thing about ecigarettes is that, unlike big tobacco, which is ruled by a few large corporations, some smaller companies have been able to successfully produce and market these products. It shouldn't come as a shock to learn that Phillip Morris strongly supports the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which would in effect make producting tobacco products more expensive, thus ridding them of small-time competitors, and potentially getting rid of the whole pesky e-cigarette issue.
One thing is for certain, those who have already discovered electronic cigarettes are watching closely because this is truly a product that has already changed the lives of many smokers who now have no desire to go near a tobacco cigarette or to hand over their hard earned cash to big tobacco. If history is any indication, generally the best products with the most loyal customers are going to win out in the end anyway. Electronic Cigarettes are winning over thousands of smokers on a daily basis because news of a good thing travels fast.
Electronic cigarettes have actually been around for about 5 years, having been invented by the Runyan corp. in China in 2004. They were designed to take the place of smoking tobacco cigarettes and cigars because, despite global smoking bans, many smokers are just unable to quit altogether. There are other nicotine replacement products on the market, such as gum and patches, but they don't replicate the smoking experience which has been found to be a part of the addictive ritual of smoking. The e-cigarette is a revolutionary device in that it's aim is to both deliver nicotine to user and simulate the experience of smoking a traditional tobacco cigarette.
The basic idea is simple. E-cigarettes looks like a cigarette, deliver nicotine like a cigarette, and even operates, ie- "puffs", like a cigarette. The genius is in the details however. Electronic cigarettes do NOT have any of the tobacco or other chemical additives of regular cigarettes, there is no flame or smoke, and thus no secondhand smoke. They simply hold battery charged cartridges and emit a water propylene glycol based vapor that is both odorless and harmless. Because these are "smokeless" cigarettes, users are not subject to the widespread smoking bans and are able to smoke e-cigarettes in places like restaurants, bars, airports, workplaces, etc. Add to this the tremendous cost savings over tobacco cigarettes and it looks like we have a real winner here.
So what about those legality issues? Electronic cigarettes fall into a legal grey area as they have not been officially approved or banned by U.S. officials but they are still being commonly sold in the U.S. There is widespread debate as to whether or not the Federal Drug Administration has jurisdiction over e-cigarettes and there is a bill currently in Congress that promises to further complicate the issue. The Family Smoking Prevention And Tobacco Control Act, passed by the House of Representatives on 04/02/09, and now in the Senate would allow U.S. officials "to review and consider the evidence for additional indications for nicotine replacement products." It wouldn't take much to arrive at an interpretation of this that puts e-cigarettes under the government's control.
It will be interesting to watch how this plays out, particularly in light of the special interests involved in the electronic cigarettes' success or failure. Another unique thing about ecigarettes is that, unlike big tobacco, which is ruled by a few large corporations, some smaller companies have been able to successfully produce and market these products. It shouldn't come as a shock to learn that Phillip Morris strongly supports the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which would in effect make producting tobacco products more expensive, thus ridding them of small-time competitors, and potentially getting rid of the whole pesky e-cigarette issue.
One thing is for certain, those who have already discovered electronic cigarettes are watching closely because this is truly a product that has already changed the lives of many smokers who now have no desire to go near a tobacco cigarette or to hand over their hard earned cash to big tobacco. If history is any indication, generally the best products with the most loyal customers are going to win out in the end anyway. Electronic Cigarettes are winning over thousands of smokers on a daily basis because news of a good thing travels fast.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Radioactive cigarettes
Burning tobacco unleashes hundreds of chemicals, many of which may play a role in lung cancer. Below the radar screen of most environmental scientists and physicians, however, is the radioactive contamination of tobacco with polonium-210. The April issue of the Health Physics Society newsletter crossed my desk today with a four-page feature on this pollutant in cigarettes. I was familiar with the issue generally, having written about it 27 years ago. What I wasn’t aware of until reading this new piece by health physicists Dade Moeller and Casper Sun was that “a filter for removing it [polonium-210] from cigarette smoke has been available for more than 40 years.”
It is not, of course, employed by cigarette manufacturers.
First some disturbing stats from the article:
— recent studies have shown a synergy between polonium and carcinogenic chemicals in cigarette smoke that increase the lifetime risk of lung cancer 8- to 25-fold
— Americans collectively receive annual radiation exposures from cigarette smoke equal to half of the total dose to the entire U.S. population from diagnostic medical X-rays (the article contains calculations to justify this claim).
The source of tobacco’s polonium is all natural. It’s a decay product of radon that escapes from the ground, especially in regions with a lot of bedrock close to the surface or soil containing uranium-238. (On average, the authors say, the top five feet in each square mile of soil contains some 30 tons of uranium-238.)
Radon decays through a chain of up to seven steps — morphing through up to seven radionuclides — eventually becoming polonium-210. This polonium is electrically charged and will adhere to anything with the opposite charge, such as tobacco leaves. Fostering tobacco's accumulation of this isotope is the fact that its leaves are covered with tiny hairs (trichome is the formal name) that exude a sticky substance that essentially glues polonium particles in place. As the tobacco leaves are cured and processed, Moeller and Sun note, the polonium becomes a part of the cigarettes. Lighting up will volatilize this radioactive material, allowing smokers to inhale it deeply into their lungs.
The article goes on to calculate the typical dose of polonium likely to reach the lungs from years of exposure to cigarette smoke — including secondhand smoke.
Conclude the authors: “It is far beyond time that polonium be removed from cigarettes and/or cigarette smoke.”
It is not, of course, employed by cigarette manufacturers.
First some disturbing stats from the article:
— recent studies have shown a synergy between polonium and carcinogenic chemicals in cigarette smoke that increase the lifetime risk of lung cancer 8- to 25-fold
— Americans collectively receive annual radiation exposures from cigarette smoke equal to half of the total dose to the entire U.S. population from diagnostic medical X-rays (the article contains calculations to justify this claim).
The source of tobacco’s polonium is all natural. It’s a decay product of radon that escapes from the ground, especially in regions with a lot of bedrock close to the surface or soil containing uranium-238. (On average, the authors say, the top five feet in each square mile of soil contains some 30 tons of uranium-238.)
Radon decays through a chain of up to seven steps — morphing through up to seven radionuclides — eventually becoming polonium-210. This polonium is electrically charged and will adhere to anything with the opposite charge, such as tobacco leaves. Fostering tobacco's accumulation of this isotope is the fact that its leaves are covered with tiny hairs (trichome is the formal name) that exude a sticky substance that essentially glues polonium particles in place. As the tobacco leaves are cured and processed, Moeller and Sun note, the polonium becomes a part of the cigarettes. Lighting up will volatilize this radioactive material, allowing smokers to inhale it deeply into their lungs.
The article goes on to calculate the typical dose of polonium likely to reach the lungs from years of exposure to cigarette smoke — including secondhand smoke.
Conclude the authors: “It is far beyond time that polonium be removed from cigarettes and/or cigarette smoke.”
Monday, June 29, 2009
Smoking – a killer to be reckoned with
One smoker in every two will die as a result of smoking! The figure isn’t new but it has taken on a certain resonance in the light of the results of a 30-year-long Norwegian study. Half the smokers in this study who regularly consumed a packet of cigarettes a day died from smoking-related causes.
This is a wide-ranging study as it involved over 54,000 Norwegians out of a population of only 4.7 million. And the very least one can say is that smoking really is a killer. Over the 30 years of the study, around 50% of the men who were heavy smokers died, compared with only 18% among non-smokers. The results among women are comparable, with 33% of deaths among the smokers, compared with only 13% among the non-smokers.
According to researchers at the University of Oslo, more than two men in every three of those who smoked died or fell victim to cardiovascular disease. This is still a higher percentage than among women, where these diseases “only” account for 50% of morbimortality. However, with changes in social behaviour, these percentages could draw closer.
This is a wide-ranging study as it involved over 54,000 Norwegians out of a population of only 4.7 million. And the very least one can say is that smoking really is a killer. Over the 30 years of the study, around 50% of the men who were heavy smokers died, compared with only 18% among non-smokers. The results among women are comparable, with 33% of deaths among the smokers, compared with only 13% among the non-smokers.
According to researchers at the University of Oslo, more than two men in every three of those who smoked died or fell victim to cardiovascular disease. This is still a higher percentage than among women, where these diseases “only” account for 50% of morbimortality. However, with changes in social behaviour, these percentages could draw closer.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Getting smokers to quit littering
It's one of those things so mundane and commonplace, most of us probably don't even notice when it happens, let alone get worked up over it.I was driving on the 10 Freeway and watching as the driver ahead of me and his passenger casually flicked cigarette ashes out their windows as they chatted. Then, as they finished their smokes, first one and then the other tossed their butts onto the road.
This town is a lot of things. One thing it's not is an ashtray. But this got me wondering: How many cigarette butts get littered every year, and what does that do to the environment?
And what can we do about it?
"For people who smoke, tossing a butt on the ground is part of the whole ritual," said Thomas Novotny, a professor of epidemiology at UC San Francisco who focuses on cigarette butts. "It's not considered litter."
In fact, cigarette butts are among the most common forms of litter nationwide. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works estimates that local smokers drop 600,000 butts on the ground every month, or more than 7 million a year.
"By a mile, the No. 1 item that we find at beach cleanups is cigarette butts," said Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, a Southern California environmental advocacy group.
According to Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit group that compiles statistics from thousands of community cleanups nationwide, cigarette butts account for about a third of all litter in the United States.
In urban areas, the group says, cigarette butts represent as much as half of all litter on streets and sidewalks.
Put another way, the nearly 370 billion filtered cigarettes smoked in the U.S. each year result in about 135 million pounds of butts littering the landscape. Worldwide, the more than 5 trillion cigarettes consumed annually create more than 2 billion pounds of butts.
"It's a form of blight," said UCSF's Novotny.
Butts are also a long-term and potentially hazardous pollutant. Cigarette filters are made primarily of a plastic-like material called cellulose acetate. Contrary to what some smokers may believe, this material isn't biodegradable. Rather, cigarette filters gradually break down over as much as a dozen years into smaller particles that remain in the environment.
According to Novotny, the typical cigarette butt contains nicotine, arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, acetone and vinyl chloride.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Electronic cigarettes set to light up our lives
In a world where everything is set to become faster, cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and digital or electronic to boot, how can this possibly affect cigarette smoking, I hear you ask? Well actually, it is a far more environmentally-friendly option to consider.
An electronic cigarette is an alternative to the cigarette, providing small amounts of the chemical nicotine with each inhalation. The device takes the form of a tiny rod which is slightly longer than a normal cigarette. The mouthpiece of the device contains a replaceable cartridge filled with liquid. The main substances contained in the liquid are nicotine, propylene glycol, and is enhanced with optional flavours or aromas. When the user inhales through the device, the air flow is detected by a sensor.
A microprocessor then activates an atomizer, which injects tiny droplets of the liquid into the flowing air and vaporises the nicotine. This produces a vapour mist which is inhaled by the user. The addition of propylene glycol to the liquid makes the mist better resemble normal cigarette smoke. The microprocessor also activates an orange light emitting diode, or LED, at the tip to simulate real smoking. Electronic cigarettes generally use a rechargeable battery as a power source. Battery life varies between devices, with some lasting a day between charges, and others lasting a week.
Cartridges for electronic cigarettes are usually offered in a variety of formulations, with different flavours, namely fruit, mint, and coffee, and nicotine concentrations. At the upper range of nicotine concentrations, electronic cigarette smoking is equivalent in nicotine delivery to average tobacco cigarettes. Most companies also offer a range of milder options, including completely nicotine-free cartridges. Depending on the device, the solution cartridges are good for between one hundred to six hundred inhalations. An empty cartridge can be replaced with a new cartridge or it can be refilled with solution. This solution is sometimes called e-liquid and is often sold in bottles of ten millilitres.
Electronic cigarettes are generally considered to be a healthier alternative to tobacco smoking, since most of the harmful materials produced by the combustion of tobacco in traditional cigarettes is not present in the atomised liquid of an electronic cigarette. They can also be used as a way to curtail an addiction to nicotine. Various toxicological studies of the electronic cigarettes have been conducted, with some concluding that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than traditional tobacco cigarettes, because they can deliver nicotine into the lungs without the carcinogens and toxicants. Nevertheless, the device still delivers nicotine.
With all the negative publicity surrounding the act or smoking, including a “Smoking Kills” campaign around the world, the emphasis on providing a healthier option, especially amongst teenagers is becoming a top priority. The electronic cigarette may well lead the way towards this end. The upside of this is that anyone can light up now, among family and friends who are non-smokers, and be socially acceptable at the same time. In the United Kingdom, electronic cigarette use is currently unrestricted, with celebrity nightclub “Chinawhite” allowing use of the devices indoors, where traditional cigarette smoking is prohibited.
An electronic cigarette is an alternative to the cigarette, providing small amounts of the chemical nicotine with each inhalation. The device takes the form of a tiny rod which is slightly longer than a normal cigarette. The mouthpiece of the device contains a replaceable cartridge filled with liquid. The main substances contained in the liquid are nicotine, propylene glycol, and is enhanced with optional flavours or aromas. When the user inhales through the device, the air flow is detected by a sensor.
A microprocessor then activates an atomizer, which injects tiny droplets of the liquid into the flowing air and vaporises the nicotine. This produces a vapour mist which is inhaled by the user. The addition of propylene glycol to the liquid makes the mist better resemble normal cigarette smoke. The microprocessor also activates an orange light emitting diode, or LED, at the tip to simulate real smoking. Electronic cigarettes generally use a rechargeable battery as a power source. Battery life varies between devices, with some lasting a day between charges, and others lasting a week.
Cartridges for electronic cigarettes are usually offered in a variety of formulations, with different flavours, namely fruit, mint, and coffee, and nicotine concentrations. At the upper range of nicotine concentrations, electronic cigarette smoking is equivalent in nicotine delivery to average tobacco cigarettes. Most companies also offer a range of milder options, including completely nicotine-free cartridges. Depending on the device, the solution cartridges are good for between one hundred to six hundred inhalations. An empty cartridge can be replaced with a new cartridge or it can be refilled with solution. This solution is sometimes called e-liquid and is often sold in bottles of ten millilitres.
Electronic cigarettes are generally considered to be a healthier alternative to tobacco smoking, since most of the harmful materials produced by the combustion of tobacco in traditional cigarettes is not present in the atomised liquid of an electronic cigarette. They can also be used as a way to curtail an addiction to nicotine. Various toxicological studies of the electronic cigarettes have been conducted, with some concluding that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than traditional tobacco cigarettes, because they can deliver nicotine into the lungs without the carcinogens and toxicants. Nevertheless, the device still delivers nicotine.
With all the negative publicity surrounding the act or smoking, including a “Smoking Kills” campaign around the world, the emphasis on providing a healthier option, especially amongst teenagers is becoming a top priority. The electronic cigarette may well lead the way towards this end. The upside of this is that anyone can light up now, among family and friends who are non-smokers, and be socially acceptable at the same time. In the United Kingdom, electronic cigarette use is currently unrestricted, with celebrity nightclub “Chinawhite” allowing use of the devices indoors, where traditional cigarette smoking is prohibited.
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