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.
Best info and news about tobacco world!
Monday, November 30, 2009
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.
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