The men who police say are responsible for a large number of business burglaries in the area are behind bars. The arrest comes after weeks of detective work, helped by some key surveillance video.
According to St. Matthews Police, the rising cost of cigarettes continues to lead to more business burglaries. Detectives say the thieves they were after were getting good at busting into stores and getting hundreds of cartons out. But thanks to a number of security camera tapes, the clues were provided to make an arrest.
"In each case, they lost six to seven thousand dollars worth of merchandise," said Det. Harvey Hunt of the St. Matthews Police.
Police say the same men hit some 14 stores and they had the same MO. It started in November at the Cox's Smoker's Outlet in St. Matthews. Hunt said Tracy Shanklin and Kenneth Foster, Sr. used a sledge hammer on the front door, pushed their black garbage cans in, loaded up cartons of cigarettes and were out in two minutes time. The store surveillance cameras helped Hunt make out a black truck.
From there, the suspects hit at least six Cox's Smoker's Outlets in the weeks ahead, along with other tobacco dealers from Shepherdsville to Bardstown to Bo's Smoke Shop in Anderson County. It seemed the duo had a fool-proof plan and were driving what first appeared to be a vehicle like hundreds of others on the street - a black truck. Police say what the two didn't count on were security cameras at nearby businesses that got a good shot of the getaway truck.
A local Target camera picked up the truck from several angles. Detectives could see the hood was actually teal and another angle showed a thick white stripe down the side. After St. Matthews Police sent out an e-mail to other police agencies, the truck was spotted on 20th Street in Louisville's Portland neighborhood, but it had been torched. That's when security cameras came in handy once again when the cameras captured the alleged thieves switching to other cars, vehicles which allegedly belonged to family and friends of the suspects.
"That's when the pieces all fell together for us," Hunt said.
Without the video, Police say they would still be looking for the two. Instead, they were able to obtain a search warrant and make arrests.
"The old saying ‘a picture's worth a thousand words," said Hunt, "Well, the video's even better than that."
Shanklin and Foster have been charged with burglary and are being held at Louisville Metro Corrections.
The owners of Cox's Smoker's Outlet did not want to go on camera, but tell us they are very happy about the arrest and consider it a great Christmas present.
вторник, 29 декабря 2009 г.
среда, 23 декабря 2009 г.
Japan to Raise Tobacco Tax by 4 Cents a Cigarette
Starting next October, the Japanese will pay 4 cents (3.5 yen) more per cigarette, Bloomberg reports. That’s in addition to the 1.5 yen per cigarette tobacco companies will add. Japan is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette market.
The tax increase is the first in four years and is part of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s plan to decrease smoking in an effort to lower health insurance costs. Japan also faces a tax revenue deficit. The 3.5 yen per cigarette raises a 20-pack of cigarettes 33 percent.
Japan Tobacco could increase prices by more than the tax gain to counter an anticipated fall in smoking rates, said President Hiroshi Kimura. “The government will probably keep increasing the tax and more people will stop smoking,” said Mitsuo Shimizu, a market analyst at Cosmo Securities Co.
The fifth in more than 20 years, the tax increase is the biggest, since the previous tax hikes stayed below 1 yen per cigarette. Cigarettes are fairly inexpensive in Japan, with the price of about a third of the cost in the United Kingdom.
Currently, the smoking rate for Japanese men is just over 36 percent last year, with the health ministry predicting that number to drop to around 27 percent with the tax increase.
The tax increase is the first in four years and is part of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s plan to decrease smoking in an effort to lower health insurance costs. Japan also faces a tax revenue deficit. The 3.5 yen per cigarette raises a 20-pack of cigarettes 33 percent.
Japan Tobacco could increase prices by more than the tax gain to counter an anticipated fall in smoking rates, said President Hiroshi Kimura. “The government will probably keep increasing the tax and more people will stop smoking,” said Mitsuo Shimizu, a market analyst at Cosmo Securities Co.
The fifth in more than 20 years, the tax increase is the biggest, since the previous tax hikes stayed below 1 yen per cigarette. Cigarettes are fairly inexpensive in Japan, with the price of about a third of the cost in the United Kingdom.
Currently, the smoking rate for Japanese men is just over 36 percent last year, with the health ministry predicting that number to drop to around 27 percent with the tax increase.
понедельник, 21 декабря 2009 г.
NJ Senate passes bill to restrict e-cigarettes
The New Jersey Senate has approved a bill that restricts the sale and use of electronic cigarettes.
The bill expands the definition of "smoking" to include e-cigarettes and extends the ban on smoking by minors to include them.
Electronic cigarettes look like the real thing but don't contain tobacco. Instead, they employ a metal tube with a battery that heats up a liquid nicotine solution. Users inhale and exhale the resulting water vapor.
The Senate bill, approved Thursday by a 38-0 vote, prohibits their use in public places and workplaces. It was approved Monday by the state Assembly and now goes to Gov. Jon Corzine.
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg has called on the federal Food and Drug Administration to remove e-cigarettes from the market.
The bill expands the definition of "smoking" to include e-cigarettes and extends the ban on smoking by minors to include them.
Electronic cigarettes look like the real thing but don't contain tobacco. Instead, they employ a metal tube with a battery that heats up a liquid nicotine solution. Users inhale and exhale the resulting water vapor.
The Senate bill, approved Thursday by a 38-0 vote, prohibits their use in public places and workplaces. It was approved Monday by the state Assembly and now goes to Gov. Jon Corzine.
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg has called on the federal Food and Drug Administration to remove e-cigarettes from the market.
пятница, 18 декабря 2009 г.
Kentucky's Love-Hate Relationship with Tobacco
Much-needed money continues to flow into Kentucky's state treasury from cigarette taxes and the 1998 tobacco settlement, but a new study shows very little of it is being used to keep adults and young people from lighting up. The report, titled, A Broken Promise to Our Children, studies what states do with tobacco settlement money and the taxes on cigarettes. This year, Kentucky collected $383 million combined, while ranking only 40th in funding programs to keep kids away from tobacco.
Tonya Chang, advocacy director with the American Heart Association in Kentucky, says the state is far behind.
"The Center for Disease Control recommends that Kentucky spend almost $60 million a year, and we don't even spend four million dollars a year, so we're falling drastically short of protecting kids from the danger of tobacco."
Keeping children off the tobacco road also starts with getting their parents to kick the habit, says Chang.
"If you grow up in a smoking home, you're much more likely to smoke, and second to that, if you are in a smoking household, if you can get that person to stop smoking, you're protecting their children from secondhand smoke, which is also a big threat in Kentucky."
The state has won some small battles in the war against smoking, she adds.
"In 2005, the cigarette tax was at three cents; we're now up to 60 cents. We've made minimal progress in the adult smoking rate. For years and years and years, we were number-one in smoking, and this year, new data came out and we are down to number three."
The same study estimates that tobacco companies spend well over $400 million a year marketing their products in the commonwealth. It's also estimated that each year, 5,700 Kentucky children become regular tobacco users and the state spends $1.5 billion for health care related to smoking.
Tonya Chang, advocacy director with the American Heart Association in Kentucky, says the state is far behind.
"The Center for Disease Control recommends that Kentucky spend almost $60 million a year, and we don't even spend four million dollars a year, so we're falling drastically short of protecting kids from the danger of tobacco."
Keeping children off the tobacco road also starts with getting their parents to kick the habit, says Chang.
"If you grow up in a smoking home, you're much more likely to smoke, and second to that, if you are in a smoking household, if you can get that person to stop smoking, you're protecting their children from secondhand smoke, which is also a big threat in Kentucky."
The state has won some small battles in the war against smoking, she adds.
"In 2005, the cigarette tax was at three cents; we're now up to 60 cents. We've made minimal progress in the adult smoking rate. For years and years and years, we were number-one in smoking, and this year, new data came out and we are down to number three."
The same study estimates that tobacco companies spend well over $400 million a year marketing their products in the commonwealth. It's also estimated that each year, 5,700 Kentucky children become regular tobacco users and the state spends $1.5 billion for health care related to smoking.
вторник, 15 декабря 2009 г.
Government Prepares Draft Bill on Tobacco Control
The government is drafting a bill on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). “This is to protect Indonesian youth today and in the future from the dangers of smoking,” said the Health Department’s Head of Public Communication Center, Lily S. Sulistyowati in a press release last week.
The FCTC is a legally-binding international convention applicable to countries that ratify it. The FCTC has been adopted by acclamation by the World Health Assembly on May 2003 and will be effective if a minimum of 40 nations ratify it. At the end of February 2004, 95 countries, including the European Union, had signed the convention.
The previous government had regulation No.19/2003 about Regulations on Cigarettes and Health. The law regulates the size and the type of health warning, time limits for cigarettes advertisements in electronic media and tar and nicotine level testing.
Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih admitted she faces a dilemma over this issue. Duties on cigarettes is considered as a major source of revenue for both the central and regional governments. But on the other hand, cigarettes are a threat to health. Tobacco epidemic data in the world shows that tobacco kills more than 5 million people every year. If this continues, in 2020 there will be 10 million deaths and 70 percent of them will take place in developing countries. “This is the challenge we have to face to protect the young generation from the dangers of smoking,” said Endang, in her press release.
Indonesia is one of the countries which consume the most tobacco, the fifth after China, United States of America, Russia and Japan, with an estimated consumption of 220 billion cigarettes in 2005.
Head of Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) Husna Zahir called on the Health Minister to be more objective in facing the Draft Bill on Tobacco. Husna hoped that Endang will be firm on the issue.”Tobacco provides big revenues to the state , but that is not the Health Minister’s area,” said Husna yesterday.
As Health Minister, she continued, Endang should be thinking more about how to avoid cigarette exposure to children and teenagers and improve the health conditions of active or passive smokers. Husna added that state revenue matters or scholarships from tobacco companies should not be an obstacle in issuing policies on cigarettes and tobaccos. “If she (Health Minister) sees it that way, she’s only looking at the problem half-heartedly. Who does she want to protect?”Judging by the Health Minister’s ambivalence, Husna is worried that the Tobacco Draft Bill discussion will be a tough exercise.”Efforts at controlling tobacco will be at risk,“ she said.
The FCTC is a legally-binding international convention applicable to countries that ratify it. The FCTC has been adopted by acclamation by the World Health Assembly on May 2003 and will be effective if a minimum of 40 nations ratify it. At the end of February 2004, 95 countries, including the European Union, had signed the convention.
The previous government had regulation No.19/2003 about Regulations on Cigarettes and Health. The law regulates the size and the type of health warning, time limits for cigarettes advertisements in electronic media and tar and nicotine level testing.
Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih admitted she faces a dilemma over this issue. Duties on cigarettes is considered as a major source of revenue for both the central and regional governments. But on the other hand, cigarettes are a threat to health. Tobacco epidemic data in the world shows that tobacco kills more than 5 million people every year. If this continues, in 2020 there will be 10 million deaths and 70 percent of them will take place in developing countries. “This is the challenge we have to face to protect the young generation from the dangers of smoking,” said Endang, in her press release.
Indonesia is one of the countries which consume the most tobacco, the fifth after China, United States of America, Russia and Japan, with an estimated consumption of 220 billion cigarettes in 2005.
Head of Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) Husna Zahir called on the Health Minister to be more objective in facing the Draft Bill on Tobacco. Husna hoped that Endang will be firm on the issue.”Tobacco provides big revenues to the state , but that is not the Health Minister’s area,” said Husna yesterday.
As Health Minister, she continued, Endang should be thinking more about how to avoid cigarette exposure to children and teenagers and improve the health conditions of active or passive smokers. Husna added that state revenue matters or scholarships from tobacco companies should not be an obstacle in issuing policies on cigarettes and tobaccos. “If she (Health Minister) sees it that way, she’s only looking at the problem half-heartedly. Who does she want to protect?”Judging by the Health Minister’s ambivalence, Husna is worried that the Tobacco Draft Bill discussion will be a tough exercise.”Efforts at controlling tobacco will be at risk,“ she said.
понедельник, 14 декабря 2009 г.
New Mich. cigarette law has some smokers fuming
A new state law intended to reduce the fire hazard posed by smoldering cigarettes has frustrated some Michigan smokers, who complain that the safer cigarettes taste foul.
The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, requires all cigarettes sold in Michigan to be engineered to automatically extinguish when left unattended. To comply, cigarette companies usually add two or three special bands to the cigarettes' paper that, when lit, reduce the flow of oxygen to the tobacco, thereby slowing the stick's rate of burn.
If a smoker does not draw on the lit cigarette, the bands effectively smother it.
Ashley May, a 22-year-old smoker from Roseville, told The Detroit News that the fire-safe smokes taste foul and are hard to keep lit.
"I don't like them," she said after a drag from a Kool. "You have to constantly puff on them every 30 seconds or else they're going out. And then when you try to re-light them, they taste horrible."
Although May and her husband Ed do not like the fire-safe cigarettes, they said they are a good idea if they end up reducing the number of house fires caused by unattended cigarettes.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved the law in June, making Michigan the 49th state to pass fire-safe cigarette legislation.
he new cigarettes won't end all fires started by smoking materials, but they will help lower the numbers of deaths and injuries caused by them, said Ronald Farr, Michigan's Fire Marshal.
"It's a life-safety issue," he said. "That's the single biggest point for them."
Fires caused by smoking-related materials in Michigan killed four people last year and injured 33 others, including seven firefighters, according to the state's Bureau of Fire Services.
Nationwide, fires ignited by cigarettes claimed 780 lives in the United States in 2006, according to the Massachussetts-based National Fire Protection Association.
With Michigan's new law looming, tobacco retailers such as Joe Odisho, the owner of Smokers' Planet in Roseville, have heard plenty of complaints about the new cigarettes.
"I've had people come in (and) ask if I have a brand without (the fire-safe cigarettes) and then turn around and walk out when I tell them 'no,"' he said.
Under the new law, cigarette manufacturers that want to sell their products in the state have to register them with the state's Bureau of Fire Services. They also must certify that their cigarettes were made with the self-extinguishing technology.
The state will charge cigarette makers a $1,250 fee to register each family brand of their products they want sold in Michigan. The companies will also have to re-certify their products every three years.
The packaging for cigarettes must carry a special mark on them -- FSC for Fire Standard Complaint -- as well.
Any manufacturer, distributor or retailer who continues to sell unsafe cigarettes after Jan. 1 faces fines of $100 per pack and seizure of the product, according to the law.
The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, requires all cigarettes sold in Michigan to be engineered to automatically extinguish when left unattended. To comply, cigarette companies usually add two or three special bands to the cigarettes' paper that, when lit, reduce the flow of oxygen to the tobacco, thereby slowing the stick's rate of burn.
If a smoker does not draw on the lit cigarette, the bands effectively smother it.
Ashley May, a 22-year-old smoker from Roseville, told The Detroit News that the fire-safe smokes taste foul and are hard to keep lit.
"I don't like them," she said after a drag from a Kool. "You have to constantly puff on them every 30 seconds or else they're going out. And then when you try to re-light them, they taste horrible."
Although May and her husband Ed do not like the fire-safe cigarettes, they said they are a good idea if they end up reducing the number of house fires caused by unattended cigarettes.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved the law in June, making Michigan the 49th state to pass fire-safe cigarette legislation.
he new cigarettes won't end all fires started by smoking materials, but they will help lower the numbers of deaths and injuries caused by them, said Ronald Farr, Michigan's Fire Marshal.
"It's a life-safety issue," he said. "That's the single biggest point for them."
Fires caused by smoking-related materials in Michigan killed four people last year and injured 33 others, including seven firefighters, according to the state's Bureau of Fire Services.
Nationwide, fires ignited by cigarettes claimed 780 lives in the United States in 2006, according to the Massachussetts-based National Fire Protection Association.
With Michigan's new law looming, tobacco retailers such as Joe Odisho, the owner of Smokers' Planet in Roseville, have heard plenty of complaints about the new cigarettes.
"I've had people come in (and) ask if I have a brand without (the fire-safe cigarettes) and then turn around and walk out when I tell them 'no,"' he said.
Under the new law, cigarette manufacturers that want to sell their products in the state have to register them with the state's Bureau of Fire Services. They also must certify that their cigarettes were made with the self-extinguishing technology.
The state will charge cigarette makers a $1,250 fee to register each family brand of their products they want sold in Michigan. The companies will also have to re-certify their products every three years.
The packaging for cigarettes must carry a special mark on them -- FSC for Fire Standard Complaint -- as well.
Any manufacturer, distributor or retailer who continues to sell unsafe cigarettes after Jan. 1 faces fines of $100 per pack and seizure of the product, according to the law.
вторник, 1 декабря 2009 г.
Money, cigarettes, taken in Des Moines robbery
A man armed with a pocket knife robbed the Star (Citgo Quik Mart), 3761 E. University Ave., in Des Moines, about 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
There were no injuries.
Police said the man walked into the store with the knife in his hand and ordered a clerk to "Give me all the money."
A clerk opened the cash register and handed the man some money. Then the robber leaned over the counter and reached for the rest of the cash. He also took handfuls of cigarettes packages. A second man stood at the door during the hold-up and fled with the robber across a field to the east.
Police called in a K-9 unit to search for the suspects.
No arrests were reported. The police report lists the business as Star Gas Station. The telephone book and online references refer to it as Citgo. No one answered the phone at the business early this morning.
There were no injuries.
Police said the man walked into the store with the knife in his hand and ordered a clerk to "Give me all the money."
A clerk opened the cash register and handed the man some money. Then the robber leaned over the counter and reached for the rest of the cash. He also took handfuls of cigarettes packages. A second man stood at the door during the hold-up and fled with the robber across a field to the east.
Police called in a K-9 unit to search for the suspects.
No arrests were reported. The police report lists the business as Star Gas Station. The telephone book and online references refer to it as Citgo. No one answered the phone at the business early this morning.
понедельник, 30 ноября 2009 г.
Cigarette Workers Denounce Unproportional Tax Rise
Thousands of cigarette factory workers in Malang took to the streets on Monday to protest the unproportional tax rise on cigarette to take effect in January next year which workers feared would kick small factories out of business.
About 3,000 workers rallied outside the Custom and Excise Office in Malang municipality to denounce the 62 percent tax rise planned for cigarettes produced by small companies and the seven percent tax rise to be charged from big cigarette companies.
Coordinator for the the protester Heri Susianto said “the rise for 3rd grade producers is 62 percent, while for higher grade (indicated with smaller number) producers only seven percent.”
Workers predicted there would be many small cigarette factories closing their business if the regulation imposed next year which in turn will create unemployment problems.
Factories, Heri said could could immediately jack up sales price to deal with the tax rise. Spokesman for the workers, Chotib Batubara said, the measure will send a shocking economic impact to the workers.
About 3,000 workers rallied outside the Custom and Excise Office in Malang municipality to denounce the 62 percent tax rise planned for cigarettes produced by small companies and the seven percent tax rise to be charged from big cigarette companies.
Coordinator for the the protester Heri Susianto said “the rise for 3rd grade producers is 62 percent, while for higher grade (indicated with smaller number) producers only seven percent.”
Workers predicted there would be many small cigarette factories closing their business if the regulation imposed next year which in turn will create unemployment problems.
Factories, Heri said could could immediately jack up sales price to deal with the tax rise. Spokesman for the workers, Chotib Batubara said, the measure will send a shocking economic impact to the workers.
четверг, 26 ноября 2009 г.
Tobacco in Austria - new report released
The Tobacco in Austria report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2002-2007), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be the new legislative,
distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2012 illustrate how the market is set to change. Product coverage includes: cigarettes, cigars and smoking tobacco Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares and brand shares. Why buy this report? * Get a detailed picture of the tobacco industry; * Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change; * Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands; * Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.
distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2012 illustrate how the market is set to change. Product coverage includes: cigarettes, cigars and smoking tobacco Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares and brand shares. Why buy this report? * Get a detailed picture of the tobacco industry; * Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change; * Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands; * Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.
понедельник, 23 ноября 2009 г.
Diplomats arrested for cigarette smuggling
Swedish police have arrested two North Korean diplomats on suspicion of smuggling 230,000 cigarettes into the Nordic country, the Swedish Customs Office said Friday.
The pair, a man and a woman who have diplomatic status in Russia, were stopped by Swedish customs officers Wednesday morning as they drove off a ferry from Helsinki, the Finnish capital.
Customs officials discovered Russian cigarettes in the car driven by the couple, Swedish Customs spokeswoman Monica Magnusson told Reuters.The two North Koreans claimed diplomatic immunity.
"They were accredited as diplomats in Russia, but had no accreditation in Sweden," she said. "They were arrested on suspicion of smuggling."
Magnusson added that the pair were still being held by Swedish police and that she was not aware of them having any contact with North Korean officials since their arrest.
Sweden's Foreign Ministry said it had been informed of the arrests but would not comment directly on the matter, saying it was a criminal case and was being handled by the police.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Cecilia Julin said foreign diplomats are only immune from criminal prosecution in countries where they have been accredited with the authorities.
"If you come to Sweden and commit a crime, you're just like any other foreign national," she said.
Sweden is one of only seven countries to have an embassy in North Korea, treated by much of the world as a rogue state due to human rights abuses and its possession of nuclear weapons despite opposition by the international community.The Foreign Ministry said the arrests were primarily a police matter, but that the North Korean embassy in Sweden was in contact with the ministry over the matter.
An official at the North Korean embassy in Stockholm said earlier he had no knowledge of the arrests.
The pair, a man and a woman who have diplomatic status in Russia, were stopped by Swedish customs officers Wednesday morning as they drove off a ferry from Helsinki, the Finnish capital.
Customs officials discovered Russian cigarettes in the car driven by the couple, Swedish Customs spokeswoman Monica Magnusson told Reuters.The two North Koreans claimed diplomatic immunity.
"They were accredited as diplomats in Russia, but had no accreditation in Sweden," she said. "They were arrested on suspicion of smuggling."
Magnusson added that the pair were still being held by Swedish police and that she was not aware of them having any contact with North Korean officials since their arrest.
Sweden's Foreign Ministry said it had been informed of the arrests but would not comment directly on the matter, saying it was a criminal case and was being handled by the police.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Cecilia Julin said foreign diplomats are only immune from criminal prosecution in countries where they have been accredited with the authorities.
"If you come to Sweden and commit a crime, you're just like any other foreign national," she said.
Sweden is one of only seven countries to have an embassy in North Korea, treated by much of the world as a rogue state due to human rights abuses and its possession of nuclear weapons despite opposition by the international community.The Foreign Ministry said the arrests were primarily a police matter, but that the North Korean embassy in Sweden was in contact with the ministry over the matter.
An official at the North Korean embassy in Stockholm said earlier he had no knowledge of the arrests.
Cigarette maker Lorillard to seek next CEO
Cigarette maker Lorillard Inc. has begun seeking a successor to Chief Executive Martin L. Orlowsky, whose contract expires next year, the company said in a regulatory filing Thursday.
The maker of Newport menthol cigarettes, based in Greensboro, N.C., told the Securities and Exchange Commission that said its board of directors plans to replace Orlowsky after his contract expires Dec. 31, 2010.
Orlowsky, 67, has served as president and chief executive officer since January 1999 and became chairman of the board in January 2001. The company said it "will weigh all relevant options" as part of the process.
Lorillard, the oldest continuously operating U.S. tobacco company, spun off from Loews Corp. in 2008.
The maker of Newport menthol cigarettes, based in Greensboro, N.C., told the Securities and Exchange Commission that said its board of directors plans to replace Orlowsky after his contract expires Dec. 31, 2010.
Orlowsky, 67, has served as president and chief executive officer since January 1999 and became chairman of the board in January 2001. The company said it "will weigh all relevant options" as part of the process.
Lorillard, the oldest continuously operating U.S. tobacco company, spun off from Loews Corp. in 2008.
среда, 18 ноября 2009 г.
State needs to cut smoking rate
If Madmen were set in the present day, the television drama that features actors puffing away on cigarettes could easily take place in Indiana instead of New York.
That's because we Hoosiers smoke too much.
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey published last week, more than 26 percent of Hoosiers smoked in 2008. We're No. 2 in the nation, only behind West Virginia. Indiana was ranked sixth in 2007. Nationally, 20.6 percent of Americans light up, so clearly, Indiana has much work to do to catch up with the rest of the nation.
We suppose it could be argued the recession, with its anxiety- and stress-inducing pangs of uncertainty, is driving the numbers upward, but Indiana has always had high smoking rates no matter what phase of the economy.
We need to do a better job with existing tools to snuff smoking.
One of those, a ban on workplace smoking, was enacted in Delaware County in 2006 after nearly a decade of debate.
What's needed now is a comprehensive statewide measure that prohibits smoking at the workplace and in public places such as restaurants. The patchwork quilt of anti-smoking laws that are found across the state needs to give way to a comprehensive and uniform measure. Only 7 percent of Indiana residents live in an area that has a comprehensive ban against workplace smoke.
Second, the legislature needs to take another look at raising the tax on tobacco. Indiana charges 99.5 cents a pack, which ranks 27th in the nation in 2008. If it gets more expensive to light up, smokers put the cigarettes down.
Finally, the state needs to spend more on education efforts, especially those targeted at young people.
Funds spent on a cigarette tax increase could go toward education and prevention efforts because that's where the war against tobacco can be fought and won.
And prevention needs to focus on low-income adults. The CDC study shows that nationally, 31.5 percent who are below the poverty level smoke compared to 19.6 percent above the level. There's no reason to believe the statistics for Indiana are much different.
As buying tobacco products gets more expensive, it's easier to argue that quitting makes sense economically. We've all heard about the health benefits of kicking the habit, and while they cannot be refuted, the most effective weapon to cut smoking rates lies in the wallet.
Madmen is set in the early 1960s when smoking was socially acceptable at work, in public and at home. By today's standards, it looks archaic. It's time Indiana take more action so we don't look like a throwback to another era.
That's because we Hoosiers smoke too much.
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey published last week, more than 26 percent of Hoosiers smoked in 2008. We're No. 2 in the nation, only behind West Virginia. Indiana was ranked sixth in 2007. Nationally, 20.6 percent of Americans light up, so clearly, Indiana has much work to do to catch up with the rest of the nation.
We suppose it could be argued the recession, with its anxiety- and stress-inducing pangs of uncertainty, is driving the numbers upward, but Indiana has always had high smoking rates no matter what phase of the economy.
We need to do a better job with existing tools to snuff smoking.
One of those, a ban on workplace smoking, was enacted in Delaware County in 2006 after nearly a decade of debate.
What's needed now is a comprehensive statewide measure that prohibits smoking at the workplace and in public places such as restaurants. The patchwork quilt of anti-smoking laws that are found across the state needs to give way to a comprehensive and uniform measure. Only 7 percent of Indiana residents live in an area that has a comprehensive ban against workplace smoke.
Second, the legislature needs to take another look at raising the tax on tobacco. Indiana charges 99.5 cents a pack, which ranks 27th in the nation in 2008. If it gets more expensive to light up, smokers put the cigarettes down.
Finally, the state needs to spend more on education efforts, especially those targeted at young people.
Funds spent on a cigarette tax increase could go toward education and prevention efforts because that's where the war against tobacco can be fought and won.
And prevention needs to focus on low-income adults. The CDC study shows that nationally, 31.5 percent who are below the poverty level smoke compared to 19.6 percent above the level. There's no reason to believe the statistics for Indiana are much different.
As buying tobacco products gets more expensive, it's easier to argue that quitting makes sense economically. We've all heard about the health benefits of kicking the habit, and while they cannot be refuted, the most effective weapon to cut smoking rates lies in the wallet.
Madmen is set in the early 1960s when smoking was socially acceptable at work, in public and at home. By today's standards, it looks archaic. It's time Indiana take more action so we don't look like a throwback to another era.
понедельник, 16 ноября 2009 г.
Ice cream man in cigarette scam
A man from Cumbria has admitted selling counterfeit cigarettes to a child from his ice cream van.
Anthony Wharton, 61, of Marsden Street, Barrow was caught by trading standards officers who found him selling cigarettes to a 16-year-old.
He pleaded guilty at Furness and District Magistrates Court to three charges of selling counterfeit cigarettes.
He also admitted one count of selling cigarettes to a minor.
Wharton admitted he would often sell cigarettes to children whom he thought looked old enough, but he failed to ask for proof of age.
After a raid at his home on 14 October 1,360 counterfeit cigarettes were found.
Wharton must pay court costs of £350 and surrender all counterfeit cigarettes.
He was also ordered to complete 60 hours unpaid community work.
Anthony Wharton, 61, of Marsden Street, Barrow was caught by trading standards officers who found him selling cigarettes to a 16-year-old.
He pleaded guilty at Furness and District Magistrates Court to three charges of selling counterfeit cigarettes.
He also admitted one count of selling cigarettes to a minor.
Wharton admitted he would often sell cigarettes to children whom he thought looked old enough, but he failed to ask for proof of age.
After a raid at his home on 14 October 1,360 counterfeit cigarettes were found.
Wharton must pay court costs of £350 and surrender all counterfeit cigarettes.
He was also ordered to complete 60 hours unpaid community work.
Huge haul of cigarettes stolen from lorry driver in Northampton
A lorry driver was robbed of thousands of cigarettes during a delivery to a Northampton supermarket.
The driver was making the delivery at Londis in Park Square, Kings Heath, at around 6.20am yesterday when he was approached by two men wearing black who demanded the cigarettes.
In total they took 89 boxes - about 18,000 cigarettes - before making off in a grey Audi 80 which was later found in the car park of Paget House, Kings Heath.
A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said: "We would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may have any information regarding it.
"Both offenders were men, about 5ft10in and wore black clothing, including masks covering their faces. One was of stocky build and the other slightly thinner."
The driver was making the delivery at Londis in Park Square, Kings Heath, at around 6.20am yesterday when he was approached by two men wearing black who demanded the cigarettes.
In total they took 89 boxes - about 18,000 cigarettes - before making off in a grey Audi 80 which was later found in the car park of Paget House, Kings Heath.
A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said: "We would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may have any information regarding it.
"Both offenders were men, about 5ft10in and wore black clothing, including masks covering their faces. One was of stocky build and the other slightly thinner."
четверг, 12 ноября 2009 г.
It's Legal: Cigar Smokers Light Up In Benson Bar
Cigar smokers can light up legally inside Jake's Cigar Bar in Benson, despite a statewide smoking ban.
The bar is the first Omaha business to get a special cigar permit.
To qualify, a business must earn at least 10 percent of its income form the sale of tobacco products, have a walk-in humidor and not sell food.
Even with the license, cigarettes smoke is banned from the bar.
Owner John Larkin said the permit is good for business.
"We're just going to bring in more overall dollars. Still, we assume that more of the trend is going to be a raise in cigar sales, more than bar sales," he said.
Cigarros has also applied for a special permit. The bar near 132nd Street and Maple Road is closed for renovations.
The bar is the first Omaha business to get a special cigar permit.
To qualify, a business must earn at least 10 percent of its income form the sale of tobacco products, have a walk-in humidor and not sell food.
Even with the license, cigarettes smoke is banned from the bar.
Owner John Larkin said the permit is good for business.
"We're just going to bring in more overall dollars. Still, we assume that more of the trend is going to be a raise in cigar sales, more than bar sales," he said.
Cigarros has also applied for a special permit. The bar near 132nd Street and Maple Road is closed for renovations.
вторник, 10 ноября 2009 г.
Colleges Nationwide Banning Tobacco On-Campus
Across the country, many college smokers' hopes of puffing a cigarette on campus will go up in smoke. Schools are considering campus-wide bans on tobacco. Some think a simple puff can blow their cares away.
"After class, that cigarette's really nice, haha," says one TCC student.
At Florida State, they can only settle down and light up in certain parts of campus.
Throughout FSU's campus, green ash trays designate where smokers can light up. Black ash trays are placed throughout the school to prevent littering. But FSU is phasing in a plan to gradually make the campus more smoke free
FSU Health Educator Kevin Frentz says, "We've decided to take a phased-in approach to it, so it's a phased transition and knowing there's a chance we'll never got to a tobacco-free campus, but then, that's the goal."
Gradually more smoke free zones will be added to the campus.FSU Student Will Bunnell says, "It's not a big deal. Everybody doesn't want to get the second-hand smoke but it would be really difficult out in open ventilated areas like Florida State campus."
At Tallahassee Community College, they're not cloudy over their policies. There are certain areas where smokers cannot puff, but there are currently no plans to totally curb tobacco-use.
FAMU did not return our call.
FSU officials said if they create more smoke-free areas, there will really be no way to punish smokers who break the rules, they will be kindly told to move to another area.
These national efforts to stop tobacco use on campuses is part of Healthy Campus 2020, a nation-wide effort to make college students healthier.
"After class, that cigarette's really nice, haha," says one TCC student.
At Florida State, they can only settle down and light up in certain parts of campus.
Throughout FSU's campus, green ash trays designate where smokers can light up. Black ash trays are placed throughout the school to prevent littering. But FSU is phasing in a plan to gradually make the campus more smoke free
FSU Health Educator Kevin Frentz says, "We've decided to take a phased-in approach to it, so it's a phased transition and knowing there's a chance we'll never got to a tobacco-free campus, but then, that's the goal."
Gradually more smoke free zones will be added to the campus.FSU Student Will Bunnell says, "It's not a big deal. Everybody doesn't want to get the second-hand smoke but it would be really difficult out in open ventilated areas like Florida State campus."
At Tallahassee Community College, they're not cloudy over their policies. There are certain areas where smokers cannot puff, but there are currently no plans to totally curb tobacco-use.
FAMU did not return our call.
FSU officials said if they create more smoke-free areas, there will really be no way to punish smokers who break the rules, they will be kindly told to move to another area.
These national efforts to stop tobacco use on campuses is part of Healthy Campus 2020, a nation-wide effort to make college students healthier.
пятница, 6 ноября 2009 г.
Even One Cigarette Every Once In A While Could Be Harmful
If you think one cigarette now and then won't do any harm -- think again.
A new study out of Canada's McGill University says smoking just one cigarette can stiffen arteries by 25%.
Doctors measured arterial stiffness in smokers and non-smokers between 18 and 30 at rest and after exercise.
After exercise, non-smokers saw artery stiffness decrease.
But when smokers had just one cigarette, stiffness increased nearly 25%.
Researchers say this shows smoking just a few cigarettes a day impacts the health of our arteries.
They say damaged arteries can compromise our bodies ability to cope with physical stress, like climbing stairs or running to catch a bus.
Stiff arteries are also a symptom of atherosclerosis, a build-up of fatty acids and a type of heart disease.
They've also been linked to mental decline.
Researchers presented the study to a meeting of the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
A new study out of Canada's McGill University says smoking just one cigarette can stiffen arteries by 25%.
Doctors measured arterial stiffness in smokers and non-smokers between 18 and 30 at rest and after exercise.
After exercise, non-smokers saw artery stiffness decrease.
But when smokers had just one cigarette, stiffness increased nearly 25%.
Researchers say this shows smoking just a few cigarettes a day impacts the health of our arteries.
They say damaged arteries can compromise our bodies ability to cope with physical stress, like climbing stairs or running to catch a bus.
Stiff arteries are also a symptom of atherosclerosis, a build-up of fatty acids and a type of heart disease.
They've also been linked to mental decline.
Researchers presented the study to a meeting of the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
четверг, 5 ноября 2009 г.
Most firms shell out on new cig tax
A majority of the 20 companies billed for a new cigarette tax have paid.
Responding to a lawsuit, Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Patricia Wise issued a temporary restraining order in the case last month, preventing the state from collecting the tax.
The tax - which is typically 20 cents a pack - was due in mid-October. It's applied to cigarettes warehoused in Mississippi for sale in other states.
The state billed 20 manufacturers $537,499. Sixteen manufacturers paid a total of nearly $282,687, said Kathy Waterbury, spokeswoman for the state Tax Commission.
In a lawsuit, The Corr-Williams Co., a Pearl-based distributor, and Commonwealth Brands, a Bowling Green, Ky.-based cigarette manufacturer, are challenging the constitutionality of the state taxing goods for sale in other states.
This tax only applies to cigarette manufactures not included in the state's 1997 tobacco settlement.
The lawsuit does not involve cigarettes that are sold in the state.
Commonwealth paid the $56,000 tax bill in protest, said Rob Wilkey, the company's attorney. The company has said that about 80 percent of the cigarettes it sends to Mississippi are destined for sale in other states.
The temporary restraining order remains in effect until Tuesday, the day of the next hearing.
For bills due this month, manufacturers have been billed $458,701, Waterbury said.
In granting the order, Wise wrote the harm in this case would be greater for Corr-Williams than the state, "even considering the present economic condition of the State of Mississippi and the potential implications of up to $590,000 a month in reduced revenues," the order might cause to the state's budget.
The judge also said there might be a loss of jobs and tax revenue if distributors such as Corr-Williams leave or move part of their operations out of the state.
The state began assessing the 1.25-cent per cigarette tax in July. The first payments were due last month.
Commonwealth describes itself as the fourth largest cigarette manufacturer in the country. Its brands include Premier, McClintock and Rave, among several others.
In its effort to get state tax nixed, Commonwealth argues that it's being taxed twice if Mississippi is allowed to institute the tax against the non-settling manufacturers. The company voluntarily joined a settlement agreement with 46 other states, With that agreement, Commonwealth pays taxes based - in part - on its cigarette sales, including those in Mississippi.
The Corr-Williams Co. has argued that the additional tax would add to the price of its products, making it less competitive in the marketplace.
Responding to a lawsuit, Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Patricia Wise issued a temporary restraining order in the case last month, preventing the state from collecting the tax.
The tax - which is typically 20 cents a pack - was due in mid-October. It's applied to cigarettes warehoused in Mississippi for sale in other states.
The state billed 20 manufacturers $537,499. Sixteen manufacturers paid a total of nearly $282,687, said Kathy Waterbury, spokeswoman for the state Tax Commission.
In a lawsuit, The Corr-Williams Co., a Pearl-based distributor, and Commonwealth Brands, a Bowling Green, Ky.-based cigarette manufacturer, are challenging the constitutionality of the state taxing goods for sale in other states.
This tax only applies to cigarette manufactures not included in the state's 1997 tobacco settlement.
The lawsuit does not involve cigarettes that are sold in the state.
Commonwealth paid the $56,000 tax bill in protest, said Rob Wilkey, the company's attorney. The company has said that about 80 percent of the cigarettes it sends to Mississippi are destined for sale in other states.
The temporary restraining order remains in effect until Tuesday, the day of the next hearing.
For bills due this month, manufacturers have been billed $458,701, Waterbury said.
In granting the order, Wise wrote the harm in this case would be greater for Corr-Williams than the state, "even considering the present economic condition of the State of Mississippi and the potential implications of up to $590,000 a month in reduced revenues," the order might cause to the state's budget.
The judge also said there might be a loss of jobs and tax revenue if distributors such as Corr-Williams leave or move part of their operations out of the state.
The state began assessing the 1.25-cent per cigarette tax in July. The first payments were due last month.
Commonwealth describes itself as the fourth largest cigarette manufacturer in the country. Its brands include Premier, McClintock and Rave, among several others.
In its effort to get state tax nixed, Commonwealth argues that it's being taxed twice if Mississippi is allowed to institute the tax against the non-settling manufacturers. The company voluntarily joined a settlement agreement with 46 other states, With that agreement, Commonwealth pays taxes based - in part - on its cigarette sales, including those in Mississippi.
The Corr-Williams Co. has argued that the additional tax would add to the price of its products, making it less competitive in the marketplace.
понедельник, 2 ноября 2009 г.
Queensland bans smoking in cars with kids
QUEENSLAND has banned smoking in cars carrying children under the age of 16.
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Paul Lucas said the new laws would start from January next year and apply on all public roads.
"These new laws are about reducing the exposure children have to tobacco smoke," Mr Lucas said yesterday.
The legislation was passed in Queensland parliament yesterday as part of measures contained in the Health and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2009.
The Government described its anti-smoking laws as being the toughest in the country, including smoking bans for indoor and outdoor public places as well as restrictions on retail advertising, display and promotion of tobacco products.
In Queensland alone there are 276,000 smokers with children aged under 16, the Government said.
"The level of tobacco smoke inside a vehicle is very high, and we know young children involuntarily exposed to tobacco smoke in confined environments have significantly increased health risks, including bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, ear infections and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome," Mr Lucas said.Other states are also introducing bans on smoking in cars with children.
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Paul Lucas said the new laws would start from January next year and apply on all public roads.
"These new laws are about reducing the exposure children have to tobacco smoke," Mr Lucas said yesterday.
The legislation was passed in Queensland parliament yesterday as part of measures contained in the Health and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2009.
The Government described its anti-smoking laws as being the toughest in the country, including smoking bans for indoor and outdoor public places as well as restrictions on retail advertising, display and promotion of tobacco products.
In Queensland alone there are 276,000 smokers with children aged under 16, the Government said.
"The level of tobacco smoke inside a vehicle is very high, and we know young children involuntarily exposed to tobacco smoke in confined environments have significantly increased health risks, including bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, ear infections and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome," Mr Lucas said.Other states are also introducing bans on smoking in cars with children.
четверг, 29 октября 2009 г.
Philip Morris USA raises cigarette prices
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Philip Morris USA has raised prices on its top selling Marlboro and other brands, a company spokesman said on Monday.
The unit of Altria Group Inc is raising the price it charges wholesalers for Marlboro, Basic and L&M cigarettes by 6 cents a pack and the rest of its brands by 8 cents, Altria spokesman William Phelps said.
The average price of a pack of Marlboros was $5.29 in the third quarter.
The new prices take effect on Wednesday, he said.
Phelps declined to comment on the reason for the increase, but under a law passed in June that gives the Food and Drug Administration regulatory power over tobacco companies, those companies have to pay new fees to the agency.
Altria shares were up 16 cents, or almost 0.9 percent, at $18.09 in Monday morning trading.
Shares of rival Lorillard Inc fell 5.6 percent after that company posted profit that missed analysts estimates as it spent more on promotional offers to boost cigarette sales.
The unit of Altria Group Inc is raising the price it charges wholesalers for Marlboro, Basic and L&M cigarettes by 6 cents a pack and the rest of its brands by 8 cents, Altria spokesman William Phelps said.
The average price of a pack of Marlboros was $5.29 in the third quarter.
The new prices take effect on Wednesday, he said.
Phelps declined to comment on the reason for the increase, but under a law passed in June that gives the Food and Drug Administration regulatory power over tobacco companies, those companies have to pay new fees to the agency.
Altria shares were up 16 cents, or almost 0.9 percent, at $18.09 in Monday morning trading.
Shares of rival Lorillard Inc fell 5.6 percent after that company posted profit that missed analysts estimates as it spent more on promotional offers to boost cigarette sales.
среда, 28 октября 2009 г.
Hearing focuses on cigarette sales on Indian reservations
As state lawmakers Tuesday bemoaned losses from untaxed cigarette sales on Indian reservations, an attorney for Gov. David A. Paterson raised the prospect of violence if New York enforces laws aimed at recovering the funds.
Citing State Police, Peter J. Kiernan, counsel to the governor, said it was possible the cost to police of guarding collectors on reservations could surpass the taxes collected.
Native Americans testifying at the all-day hearing at Borough of Manhattan Community College Tuesday, most notably the Seneca Nation, strongly resisted the notion of paying state taxes on the sales to nontribal members. Violent confrontations accompanied two attempts at tax collection by the state in the 1990s.
"A police problem could quickly elevate to a military one," Kiernan said, adding Paterson is still considering how to move forward. He said the state favors a policy of negotiating a peaceful settlement.
Paterson's proposed resolution would establish minimum price levels for cigarette and fuel sales, which, if broached, would shift the difference to fund borrowings for infrastructure projects equally benefiting Indian reservations and nearby nontribal lands.
But looming large at Tuesday's hearing was the state's budget deficit. Numerous senators cited the shortfall and expressed frustration that existing laws to tax the cigarettes weren't being enforced. Measures empowering the state to collect the tax, including one signed by Paterson in December, are stalled, either in courts or as a result of negotiations with tribes.
Estimates of state losses from non-native cigarette sales range from $100 million to more than $1 billion annually. Yet costs for law enforcement, should the measures be enforced, could surpass more than $2 million a day, Kiernan said.
Emotions ran high at the hearing of the State Senate committee on investigations and government operations, chaired by state Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington).
When state Sen. Michael Nozzolio (R-Fayette) told Seneca Indian Nation co-counsel JC Seneca that he would "hope that the nation would not condone violence," and that Seneca didn't strike him as someone who would, Seneca said, "You don't know me very well, do you?"
While he said he was kidding, Seneca went on to mention a mural he said he sees in a state office building when he visits the governor's office, which he says depicts the killing of an Indian, and said: "You tell me about violence."
James F. Simermeyer, an attorney for the Poospatuck tribe, based in Mastic, noted it was the "smallest and poorest in New York," yet had drawn five federal lawsuits and various government enforcement actions. He added the tribe has not been invited to talks to resolve the tax collection. He called on the state to "deal with this tribe in all fairness as it does with other tribes."
Citing State Police, Peter J. Kiernan, counsel to the governor, said it was possible the cost to police of guarding collectors on reservations could surpass the taxes collected.
Native Americans testifying at the all-day hearing at Borough of Manhattan Community College Tuesday, most notably the Seneca Nation, strongly resisted the notion of paying state taxes on the sales to nontribal members. Violent confrontations accompanied two attempts at tax collection by the state in the 1990s.
"A police problem could quickly elevate to a military one," Kiernan said, adding Paterson is still considering how to move forward. He said the state favors a policy of negotiating a peaceful settlement.
Paterson's proposed resolution would establish minimum price levels for cigarette and fuel sales, which, if broached, would shift the difference to fund borrowings for infrastructure projects equally benefiting Indian reservations and nearby nontribal lands.
But looming large at Tuesday's hearing was the state's budget deficit. Numerous senators cited the shortfall and expressed frustration that existing laws to tax the cigarettes weren't being enforced. Measures empowering the state to collect the tax, including one signed by Paterson in December, are stalled, either in courts or as a result of negotiations with tribes.
Estimates of state losses from non-native cigarette sales range from $100 million to more than $1 billion annually. Yet costs for law enforcement, should the measures be enforced, could surpass more than $2 million a day, Kiernan said.
Emotions ran high at the hearing of the State Senate committee on investigations and government operations, chaired by state Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington).
When state Sen. Michael Nozzolio (R-Fayette) told Seneca Indian Nation co-counsel JC Seneca that he would "hope that the nation would not condone violence," and that Seneca didn't strike him as someone who would, Seneca said, "You don't know me very well, do you?"
While he said he was kidding, Seneca went on to mention a mural he said he sees in a state office building when he visits the governor's office, which he says depicts the killing of an Indian, and said: "You tell me about violence."
James F. Simermeyer, an attorney for the Poospatuck tribe, based in Mastic, noted it was the "smallest and poorest in New York," yet had drawn five federal lawsuits and various government enforcement actions. He added the tribe has not been invited to talks to resolve the tax collection. He called on the state to "deal with this tribe in all fairness as it does with other tribes."
пятница, 23 октября 2009 г.
Group urges Senate to expedite action on Tobacco bill
Sequel to the July 20 and 21 senate public hearing on the National Tobacco Control Bill 2009 (NTCB 2009) organised by the Senate Committee on Health, a non-governmental organisation, Environmental Rights Action/Friend of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), has urged the National Assembly to fast track the presentation of the bill before the Senate plenary.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, the programme manager of ERA/FoEN, made this call, yesterday, at a press briefing to update the media on the status of the NTCB 2009, in Lagos.
"The bill has passed the first and second reading, and there was a public hearing in July. Now we are expecting that the Senate Committee on Health will present the ‘new bill' with the inputs of the public hearing to the plenary for discussion," said Mr. Oluwafemi.
The National Tobacco Control Bill 2009
The bill, sponsored by Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora, the senator representing Lagos East Constituency, sought to regulate and control the manufacture, sales, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products in the country. While the bill had no provision for forcefully closing down tobacco factories, it attempted to control tobacco consumption so as to reduce the deaths, ill-health, social, economic, and environmental costs associated with tobacco use.
It also sought to domesticate the World Health Organisation - initiated Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which has already been ratified by 167 countries.
The FCTC is an internationally co-ordinated response to combat the tobacco epidemic. It tackles tobacco industry marketing campaigns executed in different countries and cigarette smuggling, often co-ordinated in many countries by the tobacco industries.
Mr. Oluwafemi said tobacco companies and their agents finally debunked their initial tales of massive job losses, up to 500, 000, if the country implements effective tobacco control laws during the public hearing.
"In fact, the British American Tobacco Company of Nigeria, which controls over 82 percent of the Nigerian cigarette market, disclosed that it has only 850 staff. The Association of Tobacco Wholesalers and Association of Tobacco Retailers put their combined strength at about 4, 000," Mr. Oluwafemi said.
Great expectations
According to Mr. Oluwafemi, the NTCB 2009 will not suffer implementation problems that previous public health bills have suffered.
"We'd learnt our lessons from those bills that there wereno clear provisions about who is going to enforce what? And in cases where they overlap, who does what? When you look at this bill clearly, it has everything well defined," he said.
On October 20, the Osun State House of Assembly passed the Osun State Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Bill, 2009, making her the first and only state to pass the bill yet.
Mr. Oluwafemi said though Osun State had made more progress than the national bill, the enthusiasm shown during the public hearing by members of the public and the parliamentarians would enhance the speedy passage of the bill.
"We don't have any doubt that the people in the senate, from their submissions during the preliminary and second hearing of this bill, will give Nigerians a strong public health bill," the environmentalist said.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, the programme manager of ERA/FoEN, made this call, yesterday, at a press briefing to update the media on the status of the NTCB 2009, in Lagos.
"The bill has passed the first and second reading, and there was a public hearing in July. Now we are expecting that the Senate Committee on Health will present the ‘new bill' with the inputs of the public hearing to the plenary for discussion," said Mr. Oluwafemi.
The National Tobacco Control Bill 2009
The bill, sponsored by Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora, the senator representing Lagos East Constituency, sought to regulate and control the manufacture, sales, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products in the country. While the bill had no provision for forcefully closing down tobacco factories, it attempted to control tobacco consumption so as to reduce the deaths, ill-health, social, economic, and environmental costs associated with tobacco use.
It also sought to domesticate the World Health Organisation - initiated Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which has already been ratified by 167 countries.
The FCTC is an internationally co-ordinated response to combat the tobacco epidemic. It tackles tobacco industry marketing campaigns executed in different countries and cigarette smuggling, often co-ordinated in many countries by the tobacco industries.
Mr. Oluwafemi said tobacco companies and their agents finally debunked their initial tales of massive job losses, up to 500, 000, if the country implements effective tobacco control laws during the public hearing.
"In fact, the British American Tobacco Company of Nigeria, which controls over 82 percent of the Nigerian cigarette market, disclosed that it has only 850 staff. The Association of Tobacco Wholesalers and Association of Tobacco Retailers put their combined strength at about 4, 000," Mr. Oluwafemi said.
Great expectations
According to Mr. Oluwafemi, the NTCB 2009 will not suffer implementation problems that previous public health bills have suffered.
"We'd learnt our lessons from those bills that there wereno clear provisions about who is going to enforce what? And in cases where they overlap, who does what? When you look at this bill clearly, it has everything well defined," he said.
On October 20, the Osun State House of Assembly passed the Osun State Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Bill, 2009, making her the first and only state to pass the bill yet.
Mr. Oluwafemi said though Osun State had made more progress than the national bill, the enthusiasm shown during the public hearing by members of the public and the parliamentarians would enhance the speedy passage of the bill.
"We don't have any doubt that the people in the senate, from their submissions during the preliminary and second hearing of this bill, will give Nigerians a strong public health bill," the environmentalist said.
четверг, 22 октября 2009 г.
French parliament committee approves cigarette hike
ARIS (Reuters) - A French parliamentary committee approved on Wednesday a measure that would add 6 percent to the price of a packet of cigarettes from next year.
The social affairs committee of the National Assembly, or lower house, adopted an amendment to the 2010 social security budget specifying a 0.6 percent hike in cigarette taxes that would lift the overall price of cigarettes by 6 percent.
The amendment was adopted ahead of a full debate on the social security budget in parliament next week.
The government has declared its intention of pushing for higher cigarette prices to discourage smokers, despite objections from bars and cafes licensed to sell tobacco, which say they have already been hard hit by indoor smoking bans.
The social affairs committee of the National Assembly, or lower house, adopted an amendment to the 2010 social security budget specifying a 0.6 percent hike in cigarette taxes that would lift the overall price of cigarettes by 6 percent.
The amendment was adopted ahead of a full debate on the social security budget in parliament next week.
The government has declared its intention of pushing for higher cigarette prices to discourage smokers, despite objections from bars and cafes licensed to sell tobacco, which say they have already been hard hit by indoor smoking bans.
пятница, 16 октября 2009 г.
Government rejects further tobacco ad curbs
LONDON - The Government has rejected calls by MPs for a new crackdown on marketing by tobacco companies.
Ministers blocked a proposal to force cigarette-makers to submit detailed figures to the Department of Health every three months on their marketing and research activities - including their spending on online marketing, ads in the trade press and brand development. The Government would then have published the statistics - a move that could have paved the way for intervention to further limit spending on promotion.
The plan, by Labour's former health secretary Frank Dobson, was put forward in an amendment to the Health Bill, which will outlaw point-of-sale ads and vending machines, in an extension of the 2002 law banning press and poster ads.
Dobson told the Commons that the industry had been working out how to promote cigarettes for years and had been getting "more and more creative over the decades".
He cited "massive promotional activity" in music venues attended by young people and said the Government was continually "playing catch-up with the latest scam the tobacco industry has come up with".
Gillian Merron, the health minister, said she appreciated the sentiment behind Dobson's plan but, on balance, could not accept it.
"Before the Government could implement such a measure, we would need to consider carefully the burdens placed on business and Government alike, confidentiality, proportionality and, most importantly, effectiveness," she said.
Ministers blocked a proposal to force cigarette-makers to submit detailed figures to the Department of Health every three months on their marketing and research activities - including their spending on online marketing, ads in the trade press and brand development. The Government would then have published the statistics - a move that could have paved the way for intervention to further limit spending on promotion.
The plan, by Labour's former health secretary Frank Dobson, was put forward in an amendment to the Health Bill, which will outlaw point-of-sale ads and vending machines, in an extension of the 2002 law banning press and poster ads.
Dobson told the Commons that the industry had been working out how to promote cigarettes for years and had been getting "more and more creative over the decades".
He cited "massive promotional activity" in music venues attended by young people and said the Government was continually "playing catch-up with the latest scam the tobacco industry has come up with".
Gillian Merron, the health minister, said she appreciated the sentiment behind Dobson's plan but, on balance, could not accept it.
"Before the Government could implement such a measure, we would need to consider carefully the burdens placed on business and Government alike, confidentiality, proportionality and, most importantly, effectiveness," she said.
вторник, 13 октября 2009 г.
Judge tosses evidence in Kan. tobacco trafficking
WICHITA, Kan. -- A federal judge has tossed out key evidence in the case against a Kansas tobacco wholesaler and his business associates who are accused of trying to avoid paying $25 million in cigarette taxes to Oklahoma and Indian tribes.
U.S. District Judge Monti Belot ruled Thursday that a Kansas Highway Patrol officer had no reason to suspect that the driver of a U-Haul van that was found to be loaded with cigarettes was violating any laws, and the search was therefore illegal."The officer testified that he was curious, and that does not rise to the level required by the Constitution," said Jack Focht, the attorney representing the driver of the van, Danny Davis.
It is unclear what impact the barred evidence will have on the prosecution's case.
The April 2006 traffic stop outside of Coffeyville sparked a federal investigation that led to a 43-count indictment against Gary Hall, the owner of Sunflower Supply Co. in Galena, Kan., along with seven other people at the indicted companies. In addition to Sunflower, two other companies were also indicted: Discount Tobacco Warehouse Inc. of Joplin, Mo., and Rebel Industries Inc. of Galena.
Charges include conspiracy to divert cigarettes, mail and wire fraud, interstate transportation in aid of racketeering, transporting contraband cigarettes and money laundering. The government is also seeking to seize assets from the defendants.Focht had sought to suppress evidence against his client based on the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches. Sgt. Randall Trease had testified that he did not see Davis violate any law, and that he stopped him simply to see if he was hauling a commercial load.
Belot noted in his ruling that after listening to the trooper's testimony even the government conceded that the stop violated Davis' Fourth Amendment rights. The judge suppressed any statements made by Davis, along with all searches of him and the U-Haul under a warrant derived from the stop.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, Jim Cross, downplayed the significance of the ruling by saying there are many motions pending in the case.
"With respect to that one ruling, no, it does not mean the case is going away," Cross said.
Defense attorney Lee Thompson, who represents accountant Keith Dion Noe, noted this was the U-Haul cargo seizure which the government claims started the case."Whether the ruling will affect the other defendants has not been determined," Thompson said.
Prosecutors say that from January 2005 through May 2007, the defendants defrauded Oklahoma and Indian tribes that share in the revenues from cigarette taxes.
Kansas and Oklahoma require a tax stamp on each pack of cigarettes representing the appropriate tax for the location in which the cigarettes are sold, according to the indictment. Prosecutors contend Hall's companies stamped cigarettes for sale at smoke shops in lower tax rate areas when they were actually sold at shops with higher tax rates.
In addition to the three companies, other defendants named in the indictment include Hall, of Galena; Thomas Anthony Grantham, of Joplin; Noe, of Joplin; Justin Boyes, of Galena; Davis, of Galena; Jeremy Hooker, of Salina, Okla.; James Coble, of Galena; and Justice Michael Berry, of Joplin.
All have pleaded not guilty.
U.S. District Judge Monti Belot ruled Thursday that a Kansas Highway Patrol officer had no reason to suspect that the driver of a U-Haul van that was found to be loaded with cigarettes was violating any laws, and the search was therefore illegal."The officer testified that he was curious, and that does not rise to the level required by the Constitution," said Jack Focht, the attorney representing the driver of the van, Danny Davis.
It is unclear what impact the barred evidence will have on the prosecution's case.
The April 2006 traffic stop outside of Coffeyville sparked a federal investigation that led to a 43-count indictment against Gary Hall, the owner of Sunflower Supply Co. in Galena, Kan., along with seven other people at the indicted companies. In addition to Sunflower, two other companies were also indicted: Discount Tobacco Warehouse Inc. of Joplin, Mo., and Rebel Industries Inc. of Galena.
Charges include conspiracy to divert cigarettes, mail and wire fraud, interstate transportation in aid of racketeering, transporting contraband cigarettes and money laundering. The government is also seeking to seize assets from the defendants.Focht had sought to suppress evidence against his client based on the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches. Sgt. Randall Trease had testified that he did not see Davis violate any law, and that he stopped him simply to see if he was hauling a commercial load.
Belot noted in his ruling that after listening to the trooper's testimony even the government conceded that the stop violated Davis' Fourth Amendment rights. The judge suppressed any statements made by Davis, along with all searches of him and the U-Haul under a warrant derived from the stop.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, Jim Cross, downplayed the significance of the ruling by saying there are many motions pending in the case.
"With respect to that one ruling, no, it does not mean the case is going away," Cross said.
Defense attorney Lee Thompson, who represents accountant Keith Dion Noe, noted this was the U-Haul cargo seizure which the government claims started the case."Whether the ruling will affect the other defendants has not been determined," Thompson said.
Prosecutors say that from January 2005 through May 2007, the defendants defrauded Oklahoma and Indian tribes that share in the revenues from cigarette taxes.
Kansas and Oklahoma require a tax stamp on each pack of cigarettes representing the appropriate tax for the location in which the cigarettes are sold, according to the indictment. Prosecutors contend Hall's companies stamped cigarettes for sale at smoke shops in lower tax rate areas when they were actually sold at shops with higher tax rates.
In addition to the three companies, other defendants named in the indictment include Hall, of Galena; Thomas Anthony Grantham, of Joplin; Noe, of Joplin; Justin Boyes, of Galena; Davis, of Galena; Jeremy Hooker, of Salina, Okla.; James Coble, of Galena; and Justice Michael Berry, of Joplin.
All have pleaded not guilty.
пятница, 9 октября 2009 г.
Contraband cigarettes make it easier for teens to smoke: Nolan
Contraband cigarettes, which are cheap and easy to find, are a “key reason” the fight against teenage smoking has become more difficult, says Waterloo Region’s chief public health officer.
Dr. Liana Nolan said the percentage of Canadian teenagers who smoke has been declining for years. But over the last couple of years, with contraband cigarettes more available to teens, that decline has slowed down or been reversed.
Across Canada, 12.6 per cent of boys aged 12 to 19 said they smoked daily or occasionally in 2008, a slight increase from the 12.4 per cent in 2007, according to the Canadian Community Health Survey.
Only 10.1 per cent of Canadian girls in the same age group smoked daily or occasionally in 2008. That’s less than the 11.6 per cent who smoked in 2007. But the rate of decline is lower now than it was three years ago.
“We are quite concerned that contraband tobacco is a key reason for that,” Nolan said.
The contraband cigarettes, purchased on reserves such as Six Nations near Brantford, are very cheap because taxes aren’t paid on them. A bag of 200 cigarettes costs about $20. That’s a dime per cigarette.
And teenagers “are extremely price-sensitive,” Nolan said. “If it’s inexpensive and easily accessed, they will take it up.”
Contraband refers to any tobacco product that doesn’t comply with federal and provincial statues, including such things as importation, stamping, marking and paying the proper duties and taxes.
A study earlier this year of discarded cigarette butts found around high schools in Kitchener and Waterloo indicates that 23 per cent of them were contraband. That’s nearly one in four.
Local teens say they buy or are given the cigarettes by friends who buy them at the reserve.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police say 50 million cartons of cigarettes a year are manufactured in factories at the Akwesasne reserve near Cornwall, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border. Nine out of 10 of those factories are unlicensed by the U.S. federal government.
The cigarettes are taken by boat across the St. Lawrence River, where there are no federal officials to inspect them. Once in Canada, they’re taken to places such as the Six Nations reserve.
Nolan says it’s important to stop the illegal sale and distribution of these cigarettes so teenagers have less access to harmful tobacco. That’s where the energy of federal and provincial governments should be focused.
She doesn’t agree with some other anti-smoking activists, who think it should be illegal to smoke cigarettes if you’re under 19. Currently, it’s illegal to sell or give tobacco to anyone under 19, but not illegal to smoke.
“It wouldn’t be helpful to criminalize smoking,” Nolan said. “It wouldn’t be effective.”
Cigarette smoking caused 15.9 per cent of deaths in Waterloo Region between 2000 and 2004, according to a report presented to regional councillors earlier this year. Tobacco use is the most significant cause of preventable disease and death in Canada.
Dr. Liana Nolan said the percentage of Canadian teenagers who smoke has been declining for years. But over the last couple of years, with contraband cigarettes more available to teens, that decline has slowed down or been reversed.
Across Canada, 12.6 per cent of boys aged 12 to 19 said they smoked daily or occasionally in 2008, a slight increase from the 12.4 per cent in 2007, according to the Canadian Community Health Survey.
Only 10.1 per cent of Canadian girls in the same age group smoked daily or occasionally in 2008. That’s less than the 11.6 per cent who smoked in 2007. But the rate of decline is lower now than it was three years ago.
“We are quite concerned that contraband tobacco is a key reason for that,” Nolan said.
The contraband cigarettes, purchased on reserves such as Six Nations near Brantford, are very cheap because taxes aren’t paid on them. A bag of 200 cigarettes costs about $20. That’s a dime per cigarette.
And teenagers “are extremely price-sensitive,” Nolan said. “If it’s inexpensive and easily accessed, they will take it up.”
Contraband refers to any tobacco product that doesn’t comply with federal and provincial statues, including such things as importation, stamping, marking and paying the proper duties and taxes.
A study earlier this year of discarded cigarette butts found around high schools in Kitchener and Waterloo indicates that 23 per cent of them were contraband. That’s nearly one in four.
Local teens say they buy or are given the cigarettes by friends who buy them at the reserve.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police say 50 million cartons of cigarettes a year are manufactured in factories at the Akwesasne reserve near Cornwall, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border. Nine out of 10 of those factories are unlicensed by the U.S. federal government.
The cigarettes are taken by boat across the St. Lawrence River, where there are no federal officials to inspect them. Once in Canada, they’re taken to places such as the Six Nations reserve.
Nolan says it’s important to stop the illegal sale and distribution of these cigarettes so teenagers have less access to harmful tobacco. That’s where the energy of federal and provincial governments should be focused.
She doesn’t agree with some other anti-smoking activists, who think it should be illegal to smoke cigarettes if you’re under 19. Currently, it’s illegal to sell or give tobacco to anyone under 19, but not illegal to smoke.
“It wouldn’t be helpful to criminalize smoking,” Nolan said. “It wouldn’t be effective.”
Cigarette smoking caused 15.9 per cent of deaths in Waterloo Region between 2000 and 2004, according to a report presented to regional councillors earlier this year. Tobacco use is the most significant cause of preventable disease and death in Canada.
среда, 7 октября 2009 г.
Tower Hamlets clamps down on shisha smoking
TWO venues for smoking water pipes have been shut down in Tower Hamlets and another six are facing prosecution.
The Town Hall said it visited venues for smoking shisha in a joint operation with the police in a bid to stamp out illegal smoking in public places.
The council's lead member for the environment Abdal Ullah said: "Wherever cigarettes can't be smoked, shisha can't be smoked. Some people fail to understand this restriction because they think shisha is a safer alternative to cigarette smoking.
"That's why we are also working with NHS Tower Hamlets to educate people on the dangers of shisha smoking.
The Town Hall said it visited venues for smoking shisha in a joint operation with the police in a bid to stamp out illegal smoking in public places.
The council's lead member for the environment Abdal Ullah said: "Wherever cigarettes can't be smoked, shisha can't be smoked. Some people fail to understand this restriction because they think shisha is a safer alternative to cigarette smoking.
"That's why we are also working with NHS Tower Hamlets to educate people on the dangers of shisha smoking.
понедельник, 5 октября 2009 г.
Stop smoking service celebrates 10 year anniversary
MORE than 12,000 smokers have quit in the past decade, a Buckinghamshire organisation has said, as it celebrates its ten year anniversary.
The NHS Stop Smoking Services said it has helped 12,070 people give up cigarettes.
The service estimates that over 70,000 lives have been saved through its work in the last decade.
During this period smoking prevalence among the general population has dropped from 28 per cent to below 21 per cent.
Joanne Wilson, Public Health Practitioner, said: “In Buckinghamshire, we have achieved a major reduction in the prevalence of smoking, and the Buckinghamshire Smokefree Support Service continues to support around 2,000 smokers a year to successfully give up.
“Stopping smoking is without question the single biggest decision that anyone can make to improve their health.
“The creation of free NHS Stop Smoking Services in 1999 was a hugely significant milestone in helping people achieve this goal. She added: “It is vital that we continue to make smokers aware just how easy and convenient it is to access support in their own neighbourhood.”
The NHS Stop Smoking Services said it has helped 12,070 people give up cigarettes.
The service estimates that over 70,000 lives have been saved through its work in the last decade.
During this period smoking prevalence among the general population has dropped from 28 per cent to below 21 per cent.
Joanne Wilson, Public Health Practitioner, said: “In Buckinghamshire, we have achieved a major reduction in the prevalence of smoking, and the Buckinghamshire Smokefree Support Service continues to support around 2,000 smokers a year to successfully give up.
“Stopping smoking is without question the single biggest decision that anyone can make to improve their health.
“The creation of free NHS Stop Smoking Services in 1999 was a hugely significant milestone in helping people achieve this goal. She added: “It is vital that we continue to make smokers aware just how easy and convenient it is to access support in their own neighbourhood.”
четверг, 1 октября 2009 г.
Aldermanic Committee Postpones Vote on St. Louis Smoking Ban
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen's Health Committee yesterday delayed voting on a bill to ban smoking inside city bars and restaurants.
Tuesday's meeting was adjourned so aldermen could wait until next week to receive an estimated economic impact of the ban. Chief among the aldermen's concerns is a ban proposed in St. Louis County that goes before voters on November 3.
The county ban would still allow smoking in "drinking establishments" that earn three-fourths of their income through the sale of alcohol. The city ban, meanwhile, would ban smoking in all bars and restaurants without exception.
As alderman Stephen Conway told St. Louis Public Radio yesterday, the fear is that the city could lose the tax revenue of smokers if it enforces a stricter ban.
"The original presumption was that we wanted to be level," Conway told the radio station. "And today I think everybody was shocked, and obviously it was so overwhelming that none of my colleagues wanted to jeopardize the city businesses as compared to the county."
Conway says the city could lose 15 percent of its sales tax revenue without a level playing field.
Tuesday's meeting was adjourned so aldermen could wait until next week to receive an estimated economic impact of the ban. Chief among the aldermen's concerns is a ban proposed in St. Louis County that goes before voters on November 3.
The county ban would still allow smoking in "drinking establishments" that earn three-fourths of their income through the sale of alcohol. The city ban, meanwhile, would ban smoking in all bars and restaurants without exception.
As alderman Stephen Conway told St. Louis Public Radio yesterday, the fear is that the city could lose the tax revenue of smokers if it enforces a stricter ban.
"The original presumption was that we wanted to be level," Conway told the radio station. "And today I think everybody was shocked, and obviously it was so overwhelming that none of my colleagues wanted to jeopardize the city businesses as compared to the county."
Conway says the city could lose 15 percent of its sales tax revenue without a level playing field.
вторник, 29 сентября 2009 г.
City postman accused of selling cut-price cigarettes
A retailer in Galway City has lodged a complaint to the Customs division of the Revenue Commissioners about a postman who is allegedly selling cut-price cigarettes while he delivers the post.
The newsagent who made the complaint has experienced a drop of up to 40 per cent in his takings in tobacco sales since the part-time postman started flogging the half-priced packs while on his rounds in the area.
The practice has become a major problem for retailers, who believe they lost nearly half a million in revenue to the black market in 2008. The cigarettes are sourced in Eastern Europe, where a pack costs just 74c, or are counterfeit brands made in the Far East.
Some of Ireland’s leading brands are being copied by counterfeiters, complete with forged Irish tax stamp and dual language health warning.
They are then sold on for €3-€4, half the price of a pack sold over the counter here.
There have been numerous examples of illegal sales on the black market in the last few years. Pizza delivery staff in Dublin, an insurance salesman in Limerick, a real estate agent in the Westmeath and Offaly areas, have all been reported to customs officials for selling tobacco. It has also become increasingly prevalent on market days in large towns.
Retailers against Smuggling (RAS) is a lobby group that has been set up to curb the practice which is funded by tobacco companies and representing retailers and major chains such as SuperValu and Topaz garages. They claim up to 10,000 jobs could be lost through the phenomenon. Overall cigarette sales are down 30 per cent, but they say there is no corresponding fall in the number of smokers. Some 30 per cent of traditional newsagent revenues come from cigarette sales.
Spokesman Paddy Donohoe says smuggling tobacco is extremely lucrative with little or no risk attached. One 40ft container of cigarettes from Ukraine could result in profits of amost €2m.
While penalties for drugs smuggling attract jail terms, there has not been a single custodial sentence for smuggling tobacco in Ireland yet, with just minimal fines for those caught, he said.
The Government has increased the excise on cigarettes by more than €1 in the last three budgets, which is fuelling the illegal trade in Ireland, which has the highest price in the EU for cigarettes.
Research conducted by RAS found that in the first six months of this year, there were 51 seizures of smuggled cigarettes. In all, 29 of those seizures involved foreign nationals.
There have been just seven prosecutions for those caught selling counterfeit cigarettes between January and June – six of them foreign shopkeepers or traders. Overall cigarette sales are down 30 per cent, but they say there is no corresponding fall in the number of smokers.
The newsagent who made the complaint has experienced a drop of up to 40 per cent in his takings in tobacco sales since the part-time postman started flogging the half-priced packs while on his rounds in the area.
The practice has become a major problem for retailers, who believe they lost nearly half a million in revenue to the black market in 2008. The cigarettes are sourced in Eastern Europe, where a pack costs just 74c, or are counterfeit brands made in the Far East.
Some of Ireland’s leading brands are being copied by counterfeiters, complete with forged Irish tax stamp and dual language health warning.
They are then sold on for €3-€4, half the price of a pack sold over the counter here.
There have been numerous examples of illegal sales on the black market in the last few years. Pizza delivery staff in Dublin, an insurance salesman in Limerick, a real estate agent in the Westmeath and Offaly areas, have all been reported to customs officials for selling tobacco. It has also become increasingly prevalent on market days in large towns.
Retailers against Smuggling (RAS) is a lobby group that has been set up to curb the practice which is funded by tobacco companies and representing retailers and major chains such as SuperValu and Topaz garages. They claim up to 10,000 jobs could be lost through the phenomenon. Overall cigarette sales are down 30 per cent, but they say there is no corresponding fall in the number of smokers. Some 30 per cent of traditional newsagent revenues come from cigarette sales.
Spokesman Paddy Donohoe says smuggling tobacco is extremely lucrative with little or no risk attached. One 40ft container of cigarettes from Ukraine could result in profits of amost €2m.
While penalties for drugs smuggling attract jail terms, there has not been a single custodial sentence for smuggling tobacco in Ireland yet, with just minimal fines for those caught, he said.
The Government has increased the excise on cigarettes by more than €1 in the last three budgets, which is fuelling the illegal trade in Ireland, which has the highest price in the EU for cigarettes.
Research conducted by RAS found that in the first six months of this year, there were 51 seizures of smuggled cigarettes. In all, 29 of those seizures involved foreign nationals.
There have been just seven prosecutions for those caught selling counterfeit cigarettes between January and June – six of them foreign shopkeepers or traders. Overall cigarette sales are down 30 per cent, but they say there is no corresponding fall in the number of smokers.
пятница, 25 сентября 2009 г.
Ryanair To Sell Smoke Free Cigarettes Onboard
Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, Ryanair, will allow smokers to get their nicotine fix on board by inhaling ‘smokeless’ cigarettes, the airline has announced.
The new range of ‘clean’ cigarettes, which do not have to be lit but provide a nicotine hit for smokers, are available on all Ryanair flights, the airline said.
Ryanair has said that smokers no longer need to worry about long flights without a cigarette as it launches new range of smokeless cigarettes to ensure passengers get their required nicotine hit without breaking the law by lighting up in the cabin.
Smoking has been illegal since the 1990s on all commercial flights, but keen to cater for passenger demands; Ryanair has introduced Similar Smokeless Cigarettes, which look and feel like a real cigarette and deliver a small amount of nicotine through inhalation.
The smoke-free cigarettes are available to passengers aged over 18, while a pack of ten costs six euros.
The new range of ‘clean’ cigarettes, which do not have to be lit but provide a nicotine hit for smokers, are available on all Ryanair flights, the airline said.
Ryanair has said that smokers no longer need to worry about long flights without a cigarette as it launches new range of smokeless cigarettes to ensure passengers get their required nicotine hit without breaking the law by lighting up in the cabin.
Smoking has been illegal since the 1990s on all commercial flights, but keen to cater for passenger demands; Ryanair has introduced Similar Smokeless Cigarettes, which look and feel like a real cigarette and deliver a small amount of nicotine through inhalation.
The smoke-free cigarettes are available to passengers aged over 18, while a pack of ten costs six euros.
среда, 23 сентября 2009 г.
Trio in bribery case ordered to pay $13m in restitution
The former chairman of a tobacco manufacturer and two people from another company who were earlier jailed for bribery and fraud over cigarette smuggling activities, were today ordered to pay more than $13 million in restitution to the tobacco company.
District Court Judge Joseph Yau earlier sentenced Lu Dayong, 62, the former chairman of Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company Limited, to four and a half years in prison in his absence. Lu had fled the city and failed to turn up for the trial in June last year. The court issued a warrant for his arrest.
In February, the judge had jailed Ko Kit, 40, a director of Hang Chun Trade Development Limited, for three and a half years. Chan Kai-san, 41, a sales manager for the company, was jailed for two years.
Judge Yau today allowed the prosecution's application and ordered Lu and Ko to pay $7.55 million in restitution to Nanyang Brothers. The judge also ordered Lu, Ko and Chan to pay the company a restitution of over $5.73 million.
The judge also allowed the prosecution's application for court costs against Lu.
Lu and Ko were earlier convicted of one count of conspiracy for an agent to accept an advantage from a cigarette trader, Golden Leaf International Development (Hong Kong) Limited. Lu, Ko and Chan were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud Nanyang Brothers.
Cigarettes smuggled into Mainland
Nanyang Brothers, a subsidiary of publicly listed Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited, manufactured the Double Happiness brand of cigarettes in Hong Kong. As then-chairman of the company, Lu approved Hang Chun and Golden Leaf as overseas distributors. Nanyang Brothers subsequently sold $48 million worth of cigarettes to Hang Chun.
Lu and Ko received $7.55 million in illegal commissions from two directors and shareholders of Golden Leaf between January 2003 and February 2004 as rewards for causing Nanyang Brothers to sell Double Happiness cigarettes worth $42 million to Golden Leaf.
The cigarettes sold to Hang Chun and Golden Leaf were prohibited from sales in the Mainland, but had been smuggled to the Mainland through places including the Philippines and Vietnam.
District Court Judge Joseph Yau earlier sentenced Lu Dayong, 62, the former chairman of Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company Limited, to four and a half years in prison in his absence. Lu had fled the city and failed to turn up for the trial in June last year. The court issued a warrant for his arrest.
In February, the judge had jailed Ko Kit, 40, a director of Hang Chun Trade Development Limited, for three and a half years. Chan Kai-san, 41, a sales manager for the company, was jailed for two years.
Judge Yau today allowed the prosecution's application and ordered Lu and Ko to pay $7.55 million in restitution to Nanyang Brothers. The judge also ordered Lu, Ko and Chan to pay the company a restitution of over $5.73 million.
The judge also allowed the prosecution's application for court costs against Lu.
Lu and Ko were earlier convicted of one count of conspiracy for an agent to accept an advantage from a cigarette trader, Golden Leaf International Development (Hong Kong) Limited. Lu, Ko and Chan were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud Nanyang Brothers.
Cigarettes smuggled into Mainland
Nanyang Brothers, a subsidiary of publicly listed Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited, manufactured the Double Happiness brand of cigarettes in Hong Kong. As then-chairman of the company, Lu approved Hang Chun and Golden Leaf as overseas distributors. Nanyang Brothers subsequently sold $48 million worth of cigarettes to Hang Chun.
Lu and Ko received $7.55 million in illegal commissions from two directors and shareholders of Golden Leaf between January 2003 and February 2004 as rewards for causing Nanyang Brothers to sell Double Happiness cigarettes worth $42 million to Golden Leaf.
The cigarettes sold to Hang Chun and Golden Leaf were prohibited from sales in the Mainland, but had been smuggled to the Mainland through places including the Philippines and Vietnam.
понедельник, 21 сентября 2009 г.
One smoker’s habit dies hard
My favorite cigarette of the day is right before I go to bed. Usually around 12:30 a.m. or 1 a.m. I’ll take multiple long and thoughtful drags off my Newport as I think about my day as it comes to an end. I smoke it right down to the filter because at over $5 a pack I cannot afford to be wasteful. I then flick it into the bushes and retire to my bedroom for the night.
I really enjoy smoking. The nasty habit provides me with the opportunity to step away for a few minutes and reflect, talk to a friend or just get outside, but I realize that, with every hit off my menthol cigarette, I am also making myself potentially very ill.
One study released on Aug. 25 by the American Cancer Society and the World Lung Foundation found that tobacco use kills six million people annually, worldwide; some 400,000 here in the U.S. alone. No surprise when one considers that there are 11 known human carcinogens found in cigarette smoke.
These numbers are astonishing, and yet I still continue to pull smoke from cigarettes and fill my lungs. However, change is coming.
A few weeks ago, I decided to pick a quitting date and really try to give up cigarettes. Sept. 25 is the big day for me but before I shelve my lighter and Newports for good, I wanted to discuss some things that have fascinated me as a smoker.
In a typical day, I will easily smoke 15 cigarettes. If I go out for the night with some friends, it’s no problem to burn through an entire pack plus a few extras. I spend roughly $30 a week on cigarettes. That’s $120 a month and almost $1,500 a year on a product that is known to cause cancer, heart failure and emphysema, just to name a few.
According to Americanheart.org, an estimated 26.2 million men and 20.9 million women are smokers in the U.S. This works out to be about one fifth of the adult population.
I have been smoking for nearly three years. That is over $4,000 spent on cigarettes. I could have bought a car with that money or gone on a vacation in Europe. So why do so many people continue to smoke? I believe that most people who start smoking have no idea just how addicting this habit can become.
According to the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 86.8 percent of students who smoke nicotine at least once daily are chemically dependent under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder’s health standards.
Taken from Americanheart.org, “[Nicotine] causes changes in the brain that make people want to use it more and more. In addition, addictive drugs cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. The good feelings that result when an addictive drug is present — and the bad feelings when it’s absent — make breaking any addiction very difficult. Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break.”
After experiencing nicotine addiction first-hand, I wonder why I ever even started. I picked up the habit my junior year of high school, which was about the same time I was heavily into classic rock music, like Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones. As a musician I have always idealized their music and radical life styles.
Thinking back, I probably thought by adopting some of their lifestyle choices, like smoking, I too would become a rock star one day. Unfortunately, smoking cigarettes does not make someone a guitar god or musical genius. So I am left only with an empty pack of smokes and a dusty guitar.
Luckily, for those smokers who wish to quit, there is hope. There are many resources that smokers can turn to “kick the habit.” Websites like BecomeAnex.org, SmokeFree.gov and WhyQuit.com offer advice, forums and extensive information about quitting.
Obviously, I am not a doctor, but there are also patches, inhalers and nicotine gum products that may aid you in your journey to become smoke-free.
Everyone should have their own reasons when they choose to quit. For me, I am simply tired of being out of breath when I ascend a flight of stairs, smelling like smoke all the time, spending a small fortune on cigarettes and blackening my lungs beyond recognition.
I’m going to miss my after meal cigarettes, the morning smokes, my cigarette after a really boring class and of course my nighttime smoke break. However, I am sure that after a few difficult weeks of nicotine withdrawal I’ll find the increased blood flow, lung capacity and thicker wallet all worth the quitting experience.
I really enjoy smoking. The nasty habit provides me with the opportunity to step away for a few minutes and reflect, talk to a friend or just get outside, but I realize that, with every hit off my menthol cigarette, I am also making myself potentially very ill.
One study released on Aug. 25 by the American Cancer Society and the World Lung Foundation found that tobacco use kills six million people annually, worldwide; some 400,000 here in the U.S. alone. No surprise when one considers that there are 11 known human carcinogens found in cigarette smoke.
These numbers are astonishing, and yet I still continue to pull smoke from cigarettes and fill my lungs. However, change is coming.
A few weeks ago, I decided to pick a quitting date and really try to give up cigarettes. Sept. 25 is the big day for me but before I shelve my lighter and Newports for good, I wanted to discuss some things that have fascinated me as a smoker.
In a typical day, I will easily smoke 15 cigarettes. If I go out for the night with some friends, it’s no problem to burn through an entire pack plus a few extras. I spend roughly $30 a week on cigarettes. That’s $120 a month and almost $1,500 a year on a product that is known to cause cancer, heart failure and emphysema, just to name a few.
According to Americanheart.org, an estimated 26.2 million men and 20.9 million women are smokers in the U.S. This works out to be about one fifth of the adult population.
I have been smoking for nearly three years. That is over $4,000 spent on cigarettes. I could have bought a car with that money or gone on a vacation in Europe. So why do so many people continue to smoke? I believe that most people who start smoking have no idea just how addicting this habit can become.
According to the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 86.8 percent of students who smoke nicotine at least once daily are chemically dependent under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder’s health standards.
Taken from Americanheart.org, “[Nicotine] causes changes in the brain that make people want to use it more and more. In addition, addictive drugs cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. The good feelings that result when an addictive drug is present — and the bad feelings when it’s absent — make breaking any addiction very difficult. Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break.”
After experiencing nicotine addiction first-hand, I wonder why I ever even started. I picked up the habit my junior year of high school, which was about the same time I was heavily into classic rock music, like Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones. As a musician I have always idealized their music and radical life styles.
Thinking back, I probably thought by adopting some of their lifestyle choices, like smoking, I too would become a rock star one day. Unfortunately, smoking cigarettes does not make someone a guitar god or musical genius. So I am left only with an empty pack of smokes and a dusty guitar.
Luckily, for those smokers who wish to quit, there is hope. There are many resources that smokers can turn to “kick the habit.” Websites like BecomeAnex.org, SmokeFree.gov and WhyQuit.com offer advice, forums and extensive information about quitting.
Obviously, I am not a doctor, but there are also patches, inhalers and nicotine gum products that may aid you in your journey to become smoke-free.
Everyone should have their own reasons when they choose to quit. For me, I am simply tired of being out of breath when I ascend a flight of stairs, smelling like smoke all the time, spending a small fortune on cigarettes and blackening my lungs beyond recognition.
I’m going to miss my after meal cigarettes, the morning smokes, my cigarette after a really boring class and of course my nighttime smoke break. However, I am sure that after a few difficult weeks of nicotine withdrawal I’ll find the increased blood flow, lung capacity and thicker wallet all worth the quitting experience.
четверг, 17 сентября 2009 г.
STF seize illegally imported cigarettes
STF personnel launched a pre-dawn raid on a secret hideout of underworld gangsters in the Imbulgoda, Pahala Imbulgoda area, and seized a large stock of illegally imported cigarettes valued over eight million rupees.
Police spokesman Senior DIG Nimal Mediwake said following information received the STF raided a secret location of a leading underworld gangster and seized a consignment of foreign cigarettes.
The consignment was worth at least eight million rupees and it was hidden in an underground of a house located in Pahala Imbulgoda.
Police spokesman Senior DIG Nimal Mediwake said following information received the STF raided a secret location of a leading underworld gangster and seized a consignment of foreign cigarettes.
The consignment was worth at least eight million rupees and it was hidden in an underground of a house located in Pahala Imbulgoda.
вторник, 15 сентября 2009 г.
Leicester estate targeted in smoking blitz
A Leicester estate with one of the highest smoking rates in the country is to be targeted in a major drive to help people quit the habit.The plan is to persuade more than 5,500 smokers in New Parks to stub out their cigarettes by Christmas.About 40.5% of adults on the estate smoke – nearly twice the national average of about 22%.
From tomorrow, volunteers will be knocking on doors, visiting community groups and going into offices to try to encourage smokers to quit.They have been trained in "30-second intervention" – a method of trying to persuade people to do something without lecturing them.Volunteers will also be pounding the streets armed with leaflets and details on where smokers can get help to quit. A specially decked-out bus packed with information, help and advisers will also tour the neighbourhood.Called Lose the Smoker in You, the campaign is the first of its kind in the country.New Parks was chosen for the launch after drug company Pfizer, which has developed and paid for the campaign, invited people across the country to say why their neighbourhood deserved to benefit first from the project. New Parks beat two other finalists, in Lincolnshire and Liverpool.Louise Ross, NHS Leicester City's Stop! smoking manager, put forward New Parks.
She said: "It seemed the perfect place.
"It has the one of the highest rates of smoking in the country."A recent survey showed that more than half the smokers on the estate wanted to stop."Research by anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) revealed men and women in deprived social groups were much more likely to smoke than those who were better off.
New Parks is in the west of the city – an area in which one in three children have parents who are unemployed and struggling to make ends meet, according to the charity End Child Poverty.Ms Ross said the campaign would enable stop smoking advisers to be more "creative" in their attempts to get people to give up."I, and my staff, will do all we can to make sure it works," she said."We don't have a particular number of quitters in mind to judge success of the project.
"We want to see what works well."Smokers will also be given freebies, such as pedometers and water bottles, to encourage them to live more healthily.Pfizer would not say how much it was spending on the campaign because the information was said to be "commercially sensitive".The company manufactures the stop-smoking drug Champix, but will not be promoting it during the campaign.Television's Street Doctor Dr Jonty Heaversedge will be helping kick-off the campaign at a roadshow in the Salvation Army car park, in Aikman Avenue, tomorrow.It takes place from 9am until 5pm. Dr Jonty will be there from 10am until 2pm.
From tomorrow, volunteers will be knocking on doors, visiting community groups and going into offices to try to encourage smokers to quit.They have been trained in "30-second intervention" – a method of trying to persuade people to do something without lecturing them.Volunteers will also be pounding the streets armed with leaflets and details on where smokers can get help to quit. A specially decked-out bus packed with information, help and advisers will also tour the neighbourhood.Called Lose the Smoker in You, the campaign is the first of its kind in the country.New Parks was chosen for the launch after drug company Pfizer, which has developed and paid for the campaign, invited people across the country to say why their neighbourhood deserved to benefit first from the project. New Parks beat two other finalists, in Lincolnshire and Liverpool.Louise Ross, NHS Leicester City's Stop! smoking manager, put forward New Parks.
She said: "It seemed the perfect place.
"It has the one of the highest rates of smoking in the country."A recent survey showed that more than half the smokers on the estate wanted to stop."Research by anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) revealed men and women in deprived social groups were much more likely to smoke than those who were better off.
New Parks is in the west of the city – an area in which one in three children have parents who are unemployed and struggling to make ends meet, according to the charity End Child Poverty.Ms Ross said the campaign would enable stop smoking advisers to be more "creative" in their attempts to get people to give up."I, and my staff, will do all we can to make sure it works," she said."We don't have a particular number of quitters in mind to judge success of the project.
"We want to see what works well."Smokers will also be given freebies, such as pedometers and water bottles, to encourage them to live more healthily.Pfizer would not say how much it was spending on the campaign because the information was said to be "commercially sensitive".The company manufactures the stop-smoking drug Champix, but will not be promoting it during the campaign.Television's Street Doctor Dr Jonty Heaversedge will be helping kick-off the campaign at a roadshow in the Salvation Army car park, in Aikman Avenue, tomorrow.It takes place from 9am until 5pm. Dr Jonty will be there from 10am until 2pm.
пятница, 11 сентября 2009 г.
Police ask for help in tracing stolen tobacco
ABOUT £40,000 worth of stolen cigarettes could be circulating in South Wales after they were stolen from a lorry.
Police have asked the public to report anyone who offers them tobacco or cigarettes in suspicious circumstances.
Detectives were alerted to the theft on Monday when a large consignment of cigarettes and tobacco failed to be delivered to shops and outlets across South Wales.
South Wales Police said: “A Palmer and Harvey Transport delivery lorry, registration GN54 EWZ, carrying the consignment, left a depot at Christchurch Road, Baglan Industrial Estate, at approximately 5.45am on Monday.
“It was later found parked up in a nearby lay-by.
“We believe the vehicle travelled from Port Talbot to the Sarn area of Bridgend between 6am and 7am on Monday morning.
“During this time, a large quantity of cigarettes and tobacco of various major brands, valued in excess of £40,000, has been removed from the lorry, which is a cream and red DAF 90 with Palmer and Harvey Transport written on the side.”
A 41-year-old man has been arrested and charged with theft and is due to appear before Neath magistrates.
The incident was reported to police by the Palmer and Harvey Transport company management.
Detective Inspector Jason Davies said: “We are appealing to anyone who knows where the stolen property is to come forward.”
Police have asked the public to report anyone who offers them tobacco or cigarettes in suspicious circumstances.
Detectives were alerted to the theft on Monday when a large consignment of cigarettes and tobacco failed to be delivered to shops and outlets across South Wales.
South Wales Police said: “A Palmer and Harvey Transport delivery lorry, registration GN54 EWZ, carrying the consignment, left a depot at Christchurch Road, Baglan Industrial Estate, at approximately 5.45am on Monday.
“It was later found parked up in a nearby lay-by.
“We believe the vehicle travelled from Port Talbot to the Sarn area of Bridgend between 6am and 7am on Monday morning.
“During this time, a large quantity of cigarettes and tobacco of various major brands, valued in excess of £40,000, has been removed from the lorry, which is a cream and red DAF 90 with Palmer and Harvey Transport written on the side.”
A 41-year-old man has been arrested and charged with theft and is due to appear before Neath magistrates.
The incident was reported to police by the Palmer and Harvey Transport company management.
Detective Inspector Jason Davies said: “We are appealing to anyone who knows where the stolen property is to come forward.”
среда, 9 сентября 2009 г.
15 on trial over bogus cigarette export in S China
GUANGZHOU: Fifteen people went on trial Wednesday in south China for their involvement in the export of a huge amount of bogus cigarettes to foreign countries.
They were accused of providing services of storage, transfers, booking cargo space and customs clearance for people who had been exporting the bogus cigarettes since 2005, the Intermediate People's Court in Dongguan, Guangdong Province heard.
Huang Conglin and Ding Ping, two of the suspects, were involved in the transfer of bogus cigarettes worth 156 million yuan (US$22.8 million) between December 2005 and June 2008. The other 13 people were involved in exports worth between 598,500 yuan and 152 million yuan.
The bogus cigarettes were made in Yunxiao and Zhangpu counties in Fujian Province and sent to storehouses in Dongguan and Shenzhen cities in Guangdong, before they were moved on to Britan, Germany, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.
The suspects face charges of marketing fake commodities, a crime carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The hearing is ongoing.
They were accused of providing services of storage, transfers, booking cargo space and customs clearance for people who had been exporting the bogus cigarettes since 2005, the Intermediate People's Court in Dongguan, Guangdong Province heard.
Huang Conglin and Ding Ping, two of the suspects, were involved in the transfer of bogus cigarettes worth 156 million yuan (US$22.8 million) between December 2005 and June 2008. The other 13 people were involved in exports worth between 598,500 yuan and 152 million yuan.
The bogus cigarettes were made in Yunxiao and Zhangpu counties in Fujian Province and sent to storehouses in Dongguan and Shenzhen cities in Guangdong, before they were moved on to Britan, Germany, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.
The suspects face charges of marketing fake commodities, a crime carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The hearing is ongoing.
понедельник, 7 сентября 2009 г.
Branding on cigarette packs misleads smokers
Researchers at the University of Nottingham surveyed 1,300 people, and found that customers to generally believe that products branded "smooth", "silver" or "gold" were healthier and easier to give up. They said that when people were shown plain packs, the false beliefs disappeared.
Under the European Union rules, it is banned to claim that some cigarettes are safer than others.
During the study, the researchers showed the subjects pairs of cigarette packs, and asked them to compare what they were like, or what they assumed they would be like, in terms of taste, tar levels, health risk, attractiveness.
The participants were also asked which of the cigarettes they thought would be to easy to give up, and how attractive they would be to someone choosing to smoke for the first time.
The results from 800 adult smokers and 500 teenagers, all in the UK, showed that lighter-coloured packaging led people into believing that the cigarettes had lower tar content, or were generally less harmful.
Among the eight brands they were shown, over 50 per cent adults and teenagers reported that those labelled "smooth" were less harmful than the regular variety.
Fifty-three per cent adults rated Marlboro packs with a gold label as having a lower health risk, and 31 per cent said that they were easier to quit, when compared with the Marlboro packs with a red logo.
When shown packs where the branding had been removed, false beliefs about the risk of harm or addiction dropped significantly.
Since 2002 it has been illegal under EU legislation for manufacturers to use trademarks, text or any sign to suggest that one tobacco product is less harmful than another.
Banned phrases include "low tar", "light" and "mild".
In a study paper, published in the European Journal of Public Health, the researchers said that the regulations were failing to remove "potentially misleading" information from cigarettes.
“The truth is that all cigarettes are equally hazardous, regardless of what colour the pack is or what words appear on it,” the BBC quoted Prof. David Hammond, from the Department of Health Studies and Gerontology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, as saying.
“These tactics are giving consumers a false sense of reassurance that simply does not exist,” the professor added.
Christopher Ogden, chief executive of the Tobacco Manufacturers'' Association, said the group did not believe proposals for plain packaging were based on sound public policy or compelling evidence.
"Plain packaging would prevent tobacco manufacturers from providing consumers with information about products that are legally available in retail outlets. Adult smokers use packaging to identify, obtain information about and choose tobacco products, easily and without confusion," he said.
He further said that the evidence in support of mandatory plain packaging was "speculative".
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said that the study’s findings indicate that all tobacco products should be sold in plain packaging.
"That would remove false beliefs about different brands and communicate the message that all cigarettes are dangerous. This matter has been discussed by Parliament and there is now a perfect opportunity to include a requirement for plain packaging of tobacco products in the Health Bill," Arnott added.
Under the European Union rules, it is banned to claim that some cigarettes are safer than others.
During the study, the researchers showed the subjects pairs of cigarette packs, and asked them to compare what they were like, or what they assumed they would be like, in terms of taste, tar levels, health risk, attractiveness.
The participants were also asked which of the cigarettes they thought would be to easy to give up, and how attractive they would be to someone choosing to smoke for the first time.
The results from 800 adult smokers and 500 teenagers, all in the UK, showed that lighter-coloured packaging led people into believing that the cigarettes had lower tar content, or were generally less harmful.
Among the eight brands they were shown, over 50 per cent adults and teenagers reported that those labelled "smooth" were less harmful than the regular variety.
Fifty-three per cent adults rated Marlboro packs with a gold label as having a lower health risk, and 31 per cent said that they were easier to quit, when compared with the Marlboro packs with a red logo.
When shown packs where the branding had been removed, false beliefs about the risk of harm or addiction dropped significantly.
Since 2002 it has been illegal under EU legislation for manufacturers to use trademarks, text or any sign to suggest that one tobacco product is less harmful than another.
Banned phrases include "low tar", "light" and "mild".
In a study paper, published in the European Journal of Public Health, the researchers said that the regulations were failing to remove "potentially misleading" information from cigarettes.
“The truth is that all cigarettes are equally hazardous, regardless of what colour the pack is or what words appear on it,” the BBC quoted Prof. David Hammond, from the Department of Health Studies and Gerontology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, as saying.
“These tactics are giving consumers a false sense of reassurance that simply does not exist,” the professor added.
Christopher Ogden, chief executive of the Tobacco Manufacturers'' Association, said the group did not believe proposals for plain packaging were based on sound public policy or compelling evidence.
"Plain packaging would prevent tobacco manufacturers from providing consumers with information about products that are legally available in retail outlets. Adult smokers use packaging to identify, obtain information about and choose tobacco products, easily and without confusion," he said.
He further said that the evidence in support of mandatory plain packaging was "speculative".
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said that the study’s findings indicate that all tobacco products should be sold in plain packaging.
"That would remove false beliefs about different brands and communicate the message that all cigarettes are dangerous. This matter has been discussed by Parliament and there is now a perfect opportunity to include a requirement for plain packaging of tobacco products in the Health Bill," Arnott added.
четверг, 3 сентября 2009 г.
$2,500 fine for undeclared cigarettes and alcohol
A Malaysian national was fined $2,500 or in default two months behind bars by the Bandar Seri Begawan Magistrate's Court yesterday after he pleaded guilty to having in possession several uncustomed cigarettes and cans and bottles of alcoholic drinks.
Liew Kim Foo, 28, was found keeping 13 cartons of 'Gudang Garam Surya' cigarette, five cartons of LA light cigarettes, 24 cans of Tiger beer, 48 cans of Carlsberg beer, two bottles of Vat 69, a bottle of 'Kao Liang Chew', a bottle of Chivas Regal and five bottles of 'Smirnoff' Vodka at his rented house in Kampong Mata-Mata.
The defendant who works for a workshop admitted to owning the uncustomed goods estimated to be worth $345.
The defendant paid the fine.
Liew Kim Foo, 28, was found keeping 13 cartons of 'Gudang Garam Surya' cigarette, five cartons of LA light cigarettes, 24 cans of Tiger beer, 48 cans of Carlsberg beer, two bottles of Vat 69, a bottle of 'Kao Liang Chew', a bottle of Chivas Regal and five bottles of 'Smirnoff' Vodka at his rented house in Kampong Mata-Mata.
The defendant who works for a workshop admitted to owning the uncustomed goods estimated to be worth $345.
The defendant paid the fine.
вторник, 1 сентября 2009 г.
Wisconsin cigarette tax goes up Tuesday
Wisconsin's cigarette tax will go up 75 cents per pack on Tuesday, making it the fifth-highest tax in the country and the most expensive among neighboring states.
Securing the higher tax was part of a one-two punch secured by anti-smoking advocates this year. The other was convincing the Legislature to pass a statewide anti-smoking ban that takes effect on July 5, 2010.
Those who fought for the ban and the tax increase say it provides those looking to quit, like Maurice "Moe" Bird of Waterloo, with more motivation.
Bird, a 41-year-old auto mechanic, used to spend about $30 a week on cigarettes before he quit about two years ago. But a few months later he started smoking cigars, which now cost him about $15 a week.
Bird said he's going to use the new tax increase as a reason to stop smoking cigars cold turkey."I basically can't afford it," he said of his habit.
The latest increase, taking the state tax to $2.52 per pack, comes less than two years after a $1 per pack increase in 2008. In April, federal cigarette taxes went up 62 cents to $1.01 per pack.
Taxes on other tobacco products are also going up Tuesday in Wisconsin. The chewing tobacco tax goes up to 100 percent of the manufacturer's wholesale price and the tax on other tobacco products, including cigars and pipe tobacco, goes from 50 percent to 71 percent of the wholesale price. The amount of the tax will vary depending on the price of each product: the cheaper the tobacco or cigar, the less the tax. However, the tax on cigars is capped at no more than 50 cents per cigar.
"There's a lot of folks who attempted to quit when the dollar increase went up and they might not have been successful," said Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin. "This gives them another impetus to try. We know the more you attempt to quit, the more successful you will be."
Don Marx, a 65-year-old retired elementary school gym teacher, said he quit smoking in 2006 after developing throat cancer. Once he quit, Marx decided to put the $120 a month he had been spending on cigarettes into a separate savings account. He's tapped the fund four times since to take golf trips to Myrtle Beach.
Marx said he supports the tax increase and hopes it motivates others to follow his example.
"If anything it's going to hurt the kids who are starting to smoke," he said.
Nationwide, the average price for a pack of cigarettes is $5.12, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Wisconsin's cigarette taxes will go from 16th to fifth highest on Tuesday.
While health advocates are heralding the increase, it presents a problem for retailers in businesses along the borders where cigarette taxes are much lower in neighboring states. The per-pack tax is just 98 cents in Illinois, $1.36 in Iowa, $1.50 in Minnesota and $2 in Michigan.
Groups representing Wisconsin grocery and convenience stores, along with gas stations, estimate that the tax increase will cut 25 percent to 40 percent of their non-fuel sales. Ironically, many of the stores are replacing the revenue lost from tobacco sales with healthier alternatives like salads and fresh foods.
"There's not 25 to 40 percent of the people quitting smoking, obviously," said Steve Loehr, vice president of operations for Kwik Trip, a convenience store chain with about 355 stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. "They're finding other places to buy cigarettes."
Stores along Wisconsin's borders are even more vulnerable to a loss in sales, officials with the groups representing roughly 3,000 stores said. The price difference on a carton of cigarettes in Iowa or Minnesota can be as much as $10 or $15, Loehr said.
The only smokers left are the die-hards who will continue buying no matter how high the taxes, said Julie Yahnke, owner of a Quik Stop in Holmen which is near the Minnesota border. She said she only sells about a carton a day; most buyers in her shop get a pack or two at a time.
Grocery stores are swimming upstream in the competition over cheaper cigarettes across state lines, tribal smoke shops and over the Internet, said Brandon Scholz, president of the Wisconsin Grocers Association. His group represents about 1,000 grocery and convenience stores in the state.
Those who pushed for the higher taxes say it's all about saving lives.
Cigarette smoking results in an estimated 443,000 premature deaths each year, and costs the national economy $193 billion in health care expenses and lost time from work, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking is a major contributor to heart disease, cancer and lung disease.
The American Cancer Society estimates Wisconsin's new tax increase will stop 33,000 kids from starting to smoke and motivate 17,000 adults to quit.
After the $1 increase in January 2008, calls to the state's Tobacco Quit Line more than tripled.
Busalacchi said her anti-smoking group was trying to publicize resources that are available to help smokers quit.
"If you're a tobacco user, take advantage of it. Use it as an impetus to quit," she said of the tax increase. "Get a jump on New Year's. You're going to improve your health dramatically."
And while health advocates hope the higher tax motivates more people to quit lighting up, Gov. Jim Doyle and the Democratic Legislature are counting on the extra $335 million over the next two years to help with the state's bottom line.
For the current two-year budget, cigarette and tobacco product taxes are nearly 6 percent of all taxes collected at $1.5 billion. That is fourth highest behind income, sales and corporate taxes.
All money raised from cigarette and tobacco taxes goes into the state's general fund, which is then tapped to pay the majority of expenses related to running state government.
Securing the higher tax was part of a one-two punch secured by anti-smoking advocates this year. The other was convincing the Legislature to pass a statewide anti-smoking ban that takes effect on July 5, 2010.
Those who fought for the ban and the tax increase say it provides those looking to quit, like Maurice "Moe" Bird of Waterloo, with more motivation.
Bird, a 41-year-old auto mechanic, used to spend about $30 a week on cigarettes before he quit about two years ago. But a few months later he started smoking cigars, which now cost him about $15 a week.
Bird said he's going to use the new tax increase as a reason to stop smoking cigars cold turkey."I basically can't afford it," he said of his habit.
The latest increase, taking the state tax to $2.52 per pack, comes less than two years after a $1 per pack increase in 2008. In April, federal cigarette taxes went up 62 cents to $1.01 per pack.
Taxes on other tobacco products are also going up Tuesday in Wisconsin. The chewing tobacco tax goes up to 100 percent of the manufacturer's wholesale price and the tax on other tobacco products, including cigars and pipe tobacco, goes from 50 percent to 71 percent of the wholesale price. The amount of the tax will vary depending on the price of each product: the cheaper the tobacco or cigar, the less the tax. However, the tax on cigars is capped at no more than 50 cents per cigar.
"There's a lot of folks who attempted to quit when the dollar increase went up and they might not have been successful," said Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin. "This gives them another impetus to try. We know the more you attempt to quit, the more successful you will be."
Don Marx, a 65-year-old retired elementary school gym teacher, said he quit smoking in 2006 after developing throat cancer. Once he quit, Marx decided to put the $120 a month he had been spending on cigarettes into a separate savings account. He's tapped the fund four times since to take golf trips to Myrtle Beach.
Marx said he supports the tax increase and hopes it motivates others to follow his example.
"If anything it's going to hurt the kids who are starting to smoke," he said.
Nationwide, the average price for a pack of cigarettes is $5.12, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Wisconsin's cigarette taxes will go from 16th to fifth highest on Tuesday.
While health advocates are heralding the increase, it presents a problem for retailers in businesses along the borders where cigarette taxes are much lower in neighboring states. The per-pack tax is just 98 cents in Illinois, $1.36 in Iowa, $1.50 in Minnesota and $2 in Michigan.
Groups representing Wisconsin grocery and convenience stores, along with gas stations, estimate that the tax increase will cut 25 percent to 40 percent of their non-fuel sales. Ironically, many of the stores are replacing the revenue lost from tobacco sales with healthier alternatives like salads and fresh foods.
"There's not 25 to 40 percent of the people quitting smoking, obviously," said Steve Loehr, vice president of operations for Kwik Trip, a convenience store chain with about 355 stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. "They're finding other places to buy cigarettes."
Stores along Wisconsin's borders are even more vulnerable to a loss in sales, officials with the groups representing roughly 3,000 stores said. The price difference on a carton of cigarettes in Iowa or Minnesota can be as much as $10 or $15, Loehr said.
The only smokers left are the die-hards who will continue buying no matter how high the taxes, said Julie Yahnke, owner of a Quik Stop in Holmen which is near the Minnesota border. She said she only sells about a carton a day; most buyers in her shop get a pack or two at a time.
Grocery stores are swimming upstream in the competition over cheaper cigarettes across state lines, tribal smoke shops and over the Internet, said Brandon Scholz, president of the Wisconsin Grocers Association. His group represents about 1,000 grocery and convenience stores in the state.
Those who pushed for the higher taxes say it's all about saving lives.
Cigarette smoking results in an estimated 443,000 premature deaths each year, and costs the national economy $193 billion in health care expenses and lost time from work, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking is a major contributor to heart disease, cancer and lung disease.
The American Cancer Society estimates Wisconsin's new tax increase will stop 33,000 kids from starting to smoke and motivate 17,000 adults to quit.
After the $1 increase in January 2008, calls to the state's Tobacco Quit Line more than tripled.
Busalacchi said her anti-smoking group was trying to publicize resources that are available to help smokers quit.
"If you're a tobacco user, take advantage of it. Use it as an impetus to quit," she said of the tax increase. "Get a jump on New Year's. You're going to improve your health dramatically."
And while health advocates hope the higher tax motivates more people to quit lighting up, Gov. Jim Doyle and the Democratic Legislature are counting on the extra $335 million over the next two years to help with the state's bottom line.
For the current two-year budget, cigarette and tobacco product taxes are nearly 6 percent of all taxes collected at $1.5 billion. That is fourth highest behind income, sales and corporate taxes.
All money raised from cigarette and tobacco taxes goes into the state's general fund, which is then tapped to pay the majority of expenses related to running state government.
пятница, 21 августа 2009 г.
Kroger sues e-cigarette company, settles with others
SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline) - Oregon Attorney General John Kroger on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against a Florida-based "electronic cigarette" company over allegations it targeted children with false health claims.
The lawsuit alleges Smoking Everywhere has marketed its e-cigarettes as safe and harmless, although the company has not provided evidence the products are safe, according to Kroger.
E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized liquid nicotine solution.
"It's my duty to protect the public from products that are falsely advertised as safe," Kroger said.
The state's lawsuit also contends Smoking Everywhere has been marketing its e-cigarettes to minors even though the company claims its products are intended for "adults only."
According to the Food and Drug Administration, tobacco products that are used to get a "buzz" or to quit smoking are considered drugs. Therefore the product manufacturer must submit scientific evidence the product is safe and effective for its intended use.
The state alleges the manufacturer used bubblegum, chocolate and cookies and cream flavored e-cigarettes to attract young users, according to Kroger.
"We're fighting to make sure kids are protected from unapproved gimmicks like e-cigarettes that get them hooked on nicotine," he said.
So far, Oregon is the only state to take legal action against makers of e-cigarettes. Recently, the State settled with three retailers prohibiting them from selling e-cigarettes in the state until they meet state and federal standards.
The State also reached an agreement with Sottera, Inc., and the national distributor NJOY. The agreement temporarily suspends the sale of its products in the state until local and national standards are met, according to Kroger.
Smoking Everywhere refused a similar settlement offer.
The FDA has never approved e-cigarettes.
The lawsuit alleges Smoking Everywhere has marketed its e-cigarettes as safe and harmless, although the company has not provided evidence the products are safe, according to Kroger.
E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized liquid nicotine solution.
"It's my duty to protect the public from products that are falsely advertised as safe," Kroger said.
The state's lawsuit also contends Smoking Everywhere has been marketing its e-cigarettes to minors even though the company claims its products are intended for "adults only."
According to the Food and Drug Administration, tobacco products that are used to get a "buzz" or to quit smoking are considered drugs. Therefore the product manufacturer must submit scientific evidence the product is safe and effective for its intended use.
The state alleges the manufacturer used bubblegum, chocolate and cookies and cream flavored e-cigarettes to attract young users, according to Kroger.
"We're fighting to make sure kids are protected from unapproved gimmicks like e-cigarettes that get them hooked on nicotine," he said.
So far, Oregon is the only state to take legal action against makers of e-cigarettes. Recently, the State settled with three retailers prohibiting them from selling e-cigarettes in the state until they meet state and federal standards.
The State also reached an agreement with Sottera, Inc., and the national distributor NJOY. The agreement temporarily suspends the sale of its products in the state until local and national standards are met, according to Kroger.
Smoking Everywhere refused a similar settlement offer.
The FDA has never approved e-cigarettes.
понедельник, 17 августа 2009 г.
Council of Ministers mandates warning labels on cigarettes
The Council of Ministers approved a sub-decree on Friday that will require health warnings to be printed on the outside of cigarette packages.
Under the presidency of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the council released a statement saying that the purpose of these warnings will be "to educate people, especially children and housewives, about the consequences of smoking, and to counter any deceiving advertisements from tobacco companies".
The sub-decree was created by the Ministry of Health in pursuance of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an agreement ratified by 166 countries including Cambodia.
Lim Thai Pheang, director of the National Centre for Health Promotion, said Friday that the Ministry of Health sub-decree had originally called for anti-smoking photos to be printed on packaging in addition to warning messages, but that the Council of Ministers requested that the warnings be text-only.
He added that he was not sure when the messages would begin being printed on packages, and that further discussions are necessary before the decree can be enacted.
"We must inform tobacco companies before we start to put health warning messages on cigarette packages," he said.
According to a 2004 survey by the National Institute of Statistics at the Ministry of Planning, 54 percent of male Cambodians over 20 years of age are smokers, compared with just 6 percent of women over 20, along with about 10 percent of Cambodians aged 10 to 14.
Under the presidency of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the council released a statement saying that the purpose of these warnings will be "to educate people, especially children and housewives, about the consequences of smoking, and to counter any deceiving advertisements from tobacco companies".
The sub-decree was created by the Ministry of Health in pursuance of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an agreement ratified by 166 countries including Cambodia.
Lim Thai Pheang, director of the National Centre for Health Promotion, said Friday that the Ministry of Health sub-decree had originally called for anti-smoking photos to be printed on packaging in addition to warning messages, but that the Council of Ministers requested that the warnings be text-only.
He added that he was not sure when the messages would begin being printed on packages, and that further discussions are necessary before the decree can be enacted.
"We must inform tobacco companies before we start to put health warning messages on cigarette packages," he said.
According to a 2004 survey by the National Institute of Statistics at the Ministry of Planning, 54 percent of male Cambodians over 20 years of age are smokers, compared with just 6 percent of women over 20, along with about 10 percent of Cambodians aged 10 to 14.
вторник, 11 августа 2009 г.
Duty-free cigarettes costing millions
The Government is missing out on millions of dollars in tax because of cigarettes bought overseas, according to a study of litter by Otago University.
The researchers, from the university's Wellington campus, collected 1310 empty cigarette packets from the streets of four cities and six towns for the study.
They identified 3.2 per cent of the packs as being from outside New Zealand, meaning the Government missed out on at least $36 million in tax on tobacco and GST.
Lead investigator Nick Wilson believed the amount of missing tax was actually much higher, as it was not possible to determine which New Zealand-branded cigarettes had been bought duty-free.
The missed revenue could have been used for quitting campaigns.
"The scale of this revenue loss and the health implications are a strong argument for the Government to consider ending the sale of duty-free tobacco on entry to New Zealand, and to remove any duty-free allowance for incoming passengers, as in Singapore," Dr Wilson said.
"A further possibility is to ban the carrying in of any amount of tobacco altogether."
The researchers, from the university's Wellington campus, collected 1310 empty cigarette packets from the streets of four cities and six towns for the study.
They identified 3.2 per cent of the packs as being from outside New Zealand, meaning the Government missed out on at least $36 million in tax on tobacco and GST.
Lead investigator Nick Wilson believed the amount of missing tax was actually much higher, as it was not possible to determine which New Zealand-branded cigarettes had been bought duty-free.
The missed revenue could have been used for quitting campaigns.
"The scale of this revenue loss and the health implications are a strong argument for the Government to consider ending the sale of duty-free tobacco on entry to New Zealand, and to remove any duty-free allowance for incoming passengers, as in Singapore," Dr Wilson said.
"A further possibility is to ban the carrying in of any amount of tobacco altogether."
четверг, 6 августа 2009 г.
Capitol Hill tries to eliminate cigarette butts
Cigarette butts — the most-littered item in America — will soon become more scarce in the Capitol Hill area.
For the first time, the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District linked up with the Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program to help clear out tossed-away cigarettes left behind by smokers.
Three high-traffic areas on Capitol Hill were picked: the southeast corner of Eighth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE; on First Street SE in front of Bullfeathers and Tortilla Coast; and on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue between Third and Fourth streets SE.
In 2008, nearly 200 communities reported an average 46 percent reduction in littered butts as a result of implementing the program.
"Cigarette litter is not only unsightly and costly to clean up, but also harmful to waterways and wildlife. Simple actions like installing ash receptacles and distributing pocket ashtrays will make a big difference in decreasing litter and ultimately keeping Capitol Hill beautiful," said Patty Brosmer, BID president.
The nonprofit Keep America Beautiful has field-tested and expanded the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program for the last six years with support from Philip Morris USA, an Altria company.
For the first time, the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District linked up with the Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program to help clear out tossed-away cigarettes left behind by smokers.
Three high-traffic areas on Capitol Hill were picked: the southeast corner of Eighth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE; on First Street SE in front of Bullfeathers and Tortilla Coast; and on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue between Third and Fourth streets SE.
In 2008, nearly 200 communities reported an average 46 percent reduction in littered butts as a result of implementing the program.
"Cigarette litter is not only unsightly and costly to clean up, but also harmful to waterways and wildlife. Simple actions like installing ash receptacles and distributing pocket ashtrays will make a big difference in decreasing litter and ultimately keeping Capitol Hill beautiful," said Patty Brosmer, BID president.
The nonprofit Keep America Beautiful has field-tested and expanded the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program for the last six years with support from Philip Morris USA, an Altria company.
понедельник, 27 июля 2009 г.
House panel OKs tobacco oversight
WASHINGTON — Landmark legislation that would give the federal government the power to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products passed an early hurdle Wednesday.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill, 38 to 12.
The measure would allow the Food and Drug Administration to review new tobacco products before they go on sale, limit advertising and restrict sales to youths. It also would enable the agency to regulate levels of tar, nicotine and other ingredients.
Fees imposed on tobacco product makers and importers would pay for the FDA's new oversight.
"Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and this legislation will help address this enormous public health problem," said committee Chairman John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat.
The FDA first asserted that it had authority over tobacco products in 1996, but four years later, the Supreme Court rejected the agency's initiative.
Ever since, backers have been pushing Congress to pass legislation expressly granting the authority. More recently, Philip Morris and other tobacco companies have expressed support.
"Despite all the death and disease tobacco products cause, they are exempt from basic health regulations that apply to consumable products, drugs and even dog food," Daniel E. Smith, president of the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network, said in a statement praising Wednesday's committee vote.
The full House is expected to vote on the bill this spring.
The Senate is considering similar legislation, which the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved in August.
All three leading presidential contenders are co-sponsors of the Senate bill, and support for the House measure is said to be strong, but its passage is far from certain.
President Bush opposed an early version of the legislation. The FDA's commissioner, Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, objected to the agency deciding whether a cigarette was safe.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill, 38 to 12.
The measure would allow the Food and Drug Administration to review new tobacco products before they go on sale, limit advertising and restrict sales to youths. It also would enable the agency to regulate levels of tar, nicotine and other ingredients.
Fees imposed on tobacco product makers and importers would pay for the FDA's new oversight.
"Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and this legislation will help address this enormous public health problem," said committee Chairman John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat.
The FDA first asserted that it had authority over tobacco products in 1996, but four years later, the Supreme Court rejected the agency's initiative.
Ever since, backers have been pushing Congress to pass legislation expressly granting the authority. More recently, Philip Morris and other tobacco companies have expressed support.
"Despite all the death and disease tobacco products cause, they are exempt from basic health regulations that apply to consumable products, drugs and even dog food," Daniel E. Smith, president of the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network, said in a statement praising Wednesday's committee vote.
The full House is expected to vote on the bill this spring.
The Senate is considering similar legislation, which the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved in August.
All three leading presidential contenders are co-sponsors of the Senate bill, and support for the House measure is said to be strong, but its passage is far from certain.
President Bush opposed an early version of the legislation. The FDA's commissioner, Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, objected to the agency deciding whether a cigarette was safe.
четверг, 16 июля 2009 г.
Looking For Ways To Quit Smoking
With the right information in hand you can quit smoking and be smoke free forever. Each time I tried to quit cigarettes it took an unbelievable amount of drive on my part. In all the attempts that I had made before it did teach me what I needed to know next time I tried to stop smoking. If you should fail on your first attempts, you can at least slow down on the amounts of cigs you do have. When you do stop smoking it will be one of the best things you can do to promote your well-being. Sometimes health providers provide workshops to help in quitting smoking, so seek them out. Having a plan of attack will help to control your desire to smoke. Don't let yourself believe it's to hard too stop smoking.
I joined one of those stop smoking support groups the last attempt I made in quitting smoking. The rationality of doing this was it was just torture to time and time again quit smoking. That was going to be the last time I quit this habit. Support that is structured and personalized can be long lasting in helping you. The journey from this type of psychological ride can be so overwhelming. If you are in the know with advice from a support group, you can face what's coming. There is nothing here that is ground breaking at all. The stress of starting and stopping smoking is too much. Your mind will even come up with reasons to have a cigarette. Having a few tricks up your shelve can help not to have that cig.
Make sure you have equipped yourself with the knowledge you need on the smoke and how it affects you. Modify your behavior; hanging out with your former smokers will just pull your trigger to start smoking again. Tobacco is a drug of dependence, treat it as such. Confront the situation of wanting to smoke a cigarette and be prepared to stop yourself, easy quit smoking tip.
To quit cold turkey was an illusion out of my reach smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. It may be the most well known method to quit smoking and the oldest. If I would have quit cold turkey, I would have been climbing the walls without a plan to act on doing the cold turkey idea.
As difficult as it would be to try to quit smoking I would also use products to help with my withdraw symptoms to help with the smoking cravings. The use of a nicotine patch or nicotine gum is known to helping people be less likely to start smoking again. If you should mess up by having a few cigarettes do not despair, just start over. Let's not dwell on meshing up and quitting your no smoking efforts.
Start by making a promise to yourself, that you are going to find a way to quit smoking, it starts with a plan. When you start you will be very uncomfortable at first. Family can help with your stress. Smokers fail in there first attempts all the time, just start again.
Some smoking aids do contain nicotine; other products are coming on the market all the time that do not contain nicotine. Doctors may use drugs like bupropion, chantix and fluoxetine. Chantix is pfizer's drug, fluoxetine may be for depression in smokers and there is nicotine free bupropion. Doctors will use what works best.
What happens when you quit smoking is withdraw symptoms from quitting smoking can vary from feeling fatigue or suffering from irritability and feeling like you are coming down with a cold or something. In the first 48 hours is when these will be the strongest. Temporary is what this is, do not forget. Knowledge is what you need to stay in control of your mind when this is happening to your body which will go away.
If you where not buying cigarettes for a year think about how much money that would be, is that enough of an incentive for you? Buy yourself something special after that. You will be one of the non smokers with negative attitude at the smokers outside. No more standing 15 feet away from the entrance to the building. Bring on the anti-smoking laws and more taxes on cigarettes; I don't have to pay anymore.
I joined one of those stop smoking support groups the last attempt I made in quitting smoking. The rationality of doing this was it was just torture to time and time again quit smoking. That was going to be the last time I quit this habit. Support that is structured and personalized can be long lasting in helping you. The journey from this type of psychological ride can be so overwhelming. If you are in the know with advice from a support group, you can face what's coming. There is nothing here that is ground breaking at all. The stress of starting and stopping smoking is too much. Your mind will even come up with reasons to have a cigarette. Having a few tricks up your shelve can help not to have that cig.
Make sure you have equipped yourself with the knowledge you need on the smoke and how it affects you. Modify your behavior; hanging out with your former smokers will just pull your trigger to start smoking again. Tobacco is a drug of dependence, treat it as such. Confront the situation of wanting to smoke a cigarette and be prepared to stop yourself, easy quit smoking tip.
To quit cold turkey was an illusion out of my reach smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. It may be the most well known method to quit smoking and the oldest. If I would have quit cold turkey, I would have been climbing the walls without a plan to act on doing the cold turkey idea.
As difficult as it would be to try to quit smoking I would also use products to help with my withdraw symptoms to help with the smoking cravings. The use of a nicotine patch or nicotine gum is known to helping people be less likely to start smoking again. If you should mess up by having a few cigarettes do not despair, just start over. Let's not dwell on meshing up and quitting your no smoking efforts.
Start by making a promise to yourself, that you are going to find a way to quit smoking, it starts with a plan. When you start you will be very uncomfortable at first. Family can help with your stress. Smokers fail in there first attempts all the time, just start again.
Some smoking aids do contain nicotine; other products are coming on the market all the time that do not contain nicotine. Doctors may use drugs like bupropion, chantix and fluoxetine. Chantix is pfizer's drug, fluoxetine may be for depression in smokers and there is nicotine free bupropion. Doctors will use what works best.
What happens when you quit smoking is withdraw symptoms from quitting smoking can vary from feeling fatigue or suffering from irritability and feeling like you are coming down with a cold or something. In the first 48 hours is when these will be the strongest. Temporary is what this is, do not forget. Knowledge is what you need to stay in control of your mind when this is happening to your body which will go away.
If you where not buying cigarettes for a year think about how much money that would be, is that enough of an incentive for you? Buy yourself something special after that. You will be one of the non smokers with negative attitude at the smokers outside. No more standing 15 feet away from the entrance to the building. Bring on the anti-smoking laws and more taxes on cigarettes; I don't have to pay anymore.
понедельник, 13 июля 2009 г.
The Myths About Smoking
If you are a smoker, then you know that any cigarette or cigar is bad for your health, but did you know that all of the different kinds are all the same in the regards of the damage they cause? When some people try to quit the habit, they will go to smoking the lights or they will even go so far as to try smoking the menthol brands, thinking that if they can't stand to smoke these they will be able to quit. Most of the time, this only leads to this person smoking more as the only difference is in the filter that is on the cigarette.
Our cigarette companies are in a lot of hot water today because of their claims that light cigarettes aren't as bad for us as the full-favored ones. Do you realize that smoking the menthol cigarettes only helps in crystallizing your lungs? I quit smoking a year ago and had smoked for years and never knew about these menthol cigarettes doing this until I quit. These companies really don't want people that smoke to really know all the facts about these because if we did, there would be more people that would quit. Some people quit when the ban for smoking in all buildings started, and most quit because they can't afford the cost of all the cigarettes that they smoke.
We have people that quit just because the habit is so nasty because the more you smoke, the worse your teeth will become. There will be yellowing of the teeth because of the tar and the smoke that settles there. Also, the tar stains will show on your fingers because of all the cigarettes that sets between and on the skin. We have been smoking for centuries and are learning about all of the side effects in the last several years.
We have made it look so relaxing and enjoying to our young children that now we have to not only see health problems with our seniors and ourselves but also now our children as well. We have so many of our young dying each year because of the cancers that come from this habit. We really need to find out better ways to keep these things out of the hands of our children. In most cases, it might be too late for us, but when you do quit you have a better chance of stopping the problems from showing up later on as it might give your body time to heal itself.
Our cigarette companies are in a lot of hot water today because of their claims that light cigarettes aren't as bad for us as the full-favored ones. Do you realize that smoking the menthol cigarettes only helps in crystallizing your lungs? I quit smoking a year ago and had smoked for years and never knew about these menthol cigarettes doing this until I quit. These companies really don't want people that smoke to really know all the facts about these because if we did, there would be more people that would quit. Some people quit when the ban for smoking in all buildings started, and most quit because they can't afford the cost of all the cigarettes that they smoke.
We have people that quit just because the habit is so nasty because the more you smoke, the worse your teeth will become. There will be yellowing of the teeth because of the tar and the smoke that settles there. Also, the tar stains will show on your fingers because of all the cigarettes that sets between and on the skin. We have been smoking for centuries and are learning about all of the side effects in the last several years.
We have made it look so relaxing and enjoying to our young children that now we have to not only see health problems with our seniors and ourselves but also now our children as well. We have so many of our young dying each year because of the cancers that come from this habit. We really need to find out better ways to keep these things out of the hands of our children. In most cases, it might be too late for us, but when you do quit you have a better chance of stopping the problems from showing up later on as it might give your body time to heal itself.
понедельник, 6 июля 2009 г.
Tennessee Goes for Safe Cigarettes
A bill has passed through both chambers of the state legislature requiring that only fire-safe cigarettes be sold in Tennessee.
After passing the House by an overwhelming margin on April 10 and receiving final approval from the Senate on Thursday, the "Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act" is now headed to the desk of Gov. Phil Bredesen to be signed into law.
"Unattended cigarettes are the leading cause of home fire fatalities each year in this country. That's a preventable cause that we simply cannot continue to ignore," said Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Rosalind Kurita. "Fire-safe cigarettes cut off the burning time before most cigarettes are able to ignite furniture, bedding material, and other similar items."
Fire-safe cigarettes are produced to have a reduced propensity to burn when left unattended. They are made from a special paper that contains "speed bumps." These areas of increased thickness extinguish the cigarettes when air is not pulled through them. Unattended cigarettes burn out when the flame hits the speed bumps.
The new law only allows the sale of cigarettes in Tennessee that have been manufactured by companies that use fire-safe cigarette paper.
Manufacturers will be required to maintain records of testing, and the Tennessee Fire Marshall will review the program to determine its effectiveness.
Statistics from the state Fire Marshall's office show that from 2000-04, 36 Tennesseans died and 53 were injured in fires caused by smoking materials. During this period, 800 smoking-related residential fires caused over $13 million in property damage.
"Fire-safe cigarettes have the potential to save lives and save money," Speaker Kurita said. "This is a common-sense step in fire prevention."
Thursday's action completes over a year's worth of work on the "Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act."
Speaker Kurita introduced the bill in February 2007 and it initially passed the Senate in May of that year.
The bill is supported by the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association, the Tennessee Fire Safety Inspectors Association, the Tennessee Fire and Codes Academy, and the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes. The House companion bill was carried by Rep. Gary Moore, D-Joelton.
New York, Vermont, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire have all mandated the sale of fire-safe cigarettes. Over 20 other states are currently considering such legislation.
After passing the House by an overwhelming margin on April 10 and receiving final approval from the Senate on Thursday, the "Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act" is now headed to the desk of Gov. Phil Bredesen to be signed into law.
"Unattended cigarettes are the leading cause of home fire fatalities each year in this country. That's a preventable cause that we simply cannot continue to ignore," said Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Rosalind Kurita. "Fire-safe cigarettes cut off the burning time before most cigarettes are able to ignite furniture, bedding material, and other similar items."
Fire-safe cigarettes are produced to have a reduced propensity to burn when left unattended. They are made from a special paper that contains "speed bumps." These areas of increased thickness extinguish the cigarettes when air is not pulled through them. Unattended cigarettes burn out when the flame hits the speed bumps.
The new law only allows the sale of cigarettes in Tennessee that have been manufactured by companies that use fire-safe cigarette paper.
Manufacturers will be required to maintain records of testing, and the Tennessee Fire Marshall will review the program to determine its effectiveness.
Statistics from the state Fire Marshall's office show that from 2000-04, 36 Tennesseans died and 53 were injured in fires caused by smoking materials. During this period, 800 smoking-related residential fires caused over $13 million in property damage.
"Fire-safe cigarettes have the potential to save lives and save money," Speaker Kurita said. "This is a common-sense step in fire prevention."
Thursday's action completes over a year's worth of work on the "Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act."
Speaker Kurita introduced the bill in February 2007 and it initially passed the Senate in May of that year.
The bill is supported by the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association, the Tennessee Fire Safety Inspectors Association, the Tennessee Fire and Codes Academy, and the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes. The House companion bill was carried by Rep. Gary Moore, D-Joelton.
New York, Vermont, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire have all mandated the sale of fire-safe cigarettes. Over 20 other states are currently considering such legislation.
пятница, 3 июля 2009 г.
Facts About Smoking Cigarettes
Breathing trouble and lung cancer are usually associated with smoking of cigarettes. Moreover, several other chronic disorders can also develop in smokers. Smoking is one of the major independent risk factors for coronary heart disease and kidney failure along with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Since smoking decreases oxygen flow to the heart, it causes huge damage. Both blood pressure and heart rate gets increased and that is fatal for the heart. Among the poisonous substances present in a cigarette are carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, tar and above all, nicotine. In fact, many other poisonous ingredients of different levels of toxicity are also present.
Nicotine is addictive and affects the arteries in a negative manner. Heartbeat increases, hypertension occurs and arteries get constricted due to nicotine. Oxygen supply to the heart is stopped due to carbon monoxide. Blood clotting and clogging gets increased. In the case of coronary artery, the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart gets decreased due to narrowing of the arteries. This strain leads to a chest pain or angina pectoris.
Apart from the long-term bad effects, cigarette smoking affects the body right at the moment of smoking due to the presence of so many poisonous substances. Arsenic is a rat poison, methane is a rocket fuel, ammonia is used in floor cleaning, cadmium is used in batteries, carbon monoxide is part of car exhaust and hydrogen cyanide is a poison used in gas chambers. Every time one inhales smoke from a cigarette, all these poisonous chemicals enter into the blood through the lungs in small amounts. Even small amounts of such deadly poisons can harm the body.
Smoking makes one smell bad, stains the teeth, causes the skin to wrinkle and gives bad breath. Cavities are found three times more in smokers than non-smokers. Hormone levels get lower due to smoking. Smokers cough for a long time. They are more prone to bronchitis and pneumonia. Smokers fall sick more often. Every time one inhales smoke from a cigarette, some of the air sacks in the lungs get killed. This way, parts of the lungs gradually get destroyed. This hampers activities like sports or singing where proper breathing is necessary.
Smoking paralyzes the hair-like structures called cilia lining the lungs. They become incapable of sweeping out dust particles, smoke and pollens from the lungs. As a result these particles stay permanently in the lungs and form tar. Cigarettes are as bad as cocaine or heroin. The poisonous addictive in nicotine makes people feel good while smoking. This increases the chances of lung cancer or emphysema. One ends up being sick for a long, long time.
Smoke from a cigarette increases fatty deposits in the blood and strains the heart. The risk of a heart disease and atherosclerosis gets aggravated due to this. Atherosclerosis is a disease in which fatty substances like cholesterol, cellular waste, calcium etc are deposited along the lining of arteries in a human body. LDL cholesterol increases and HDL cholesterol decreases due to smoking. Triglycerides increases and affects the cholesterol levels negatively.
Nicotine is addictive and affects the arteries in a negative manner. Heartbeat increases, hypertension occurs and arteries get constricted due to nicotine. Oxygen supply to the heart is stopped due to carbon monoxide. Blood clotting and clogging gets increased. In the case of coronary artery, the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart gets decreased due to narrowing of the arteries. This strain leads to a chest pain or angina pectoris.
Apart from the long-term bad effects, cigarette smoking affects the body right at the moment of smoking due to the presence of so many poisonous substances. Arsenic is a rat poison, methane is a rocket fuel, ammonia is used in floor cleaning, cadmium is used in batteries, carbon monoxide is part of car exhaust and hydrogen cyanide is a poison used in gas chambers. Every time one inhales smoke from a cigarette, all these poisonous chemicals enter into the blood through the lungs in small amounts. Even small amounts of such deadly poisons can harm the body.
Smoking makes one smell bad, stains the teeth, causes the skin to wrinkle and gives bad breath. Cavities are found three times more in smokers than non-smokers. Hormone levels get lower due to smoking. Smokers cough for a long time. They are more prone to bronchitis and pneumonia. Smokers fall sick more often. Every time one inhales smoke from a cigarette, some of the air sacks in the lungs get killed. This way, parts of the lungs gradually get destroyed. This hampers activities like sports or singing where proper breathing is necessary.
Smoking paralyzes the hair-like structures called cilia lining the lungs. They become incapable of sweeping out dust particles, smoke and pollens from the lungs. As a result these particles stay permanently in the lungs and form tar. Cigarettes are as bad as cocaine or heroin. The poisonous addictive in nicotine makes people feel good while smoking. This increases the chances of lung cancer or emphysema. One ends up being sick for a long, long time.
Smoke from a cigarette increases fatty deposits in the blood and strains the heart. The risk of a heart disease and atherosclerosis gets aggravated due to this. Atherosclerosis is a disease in which fatty substances like cholesterol, cellular waste, calcium etc are deposited along the lining of arteries in a human body. LDL cholesterol increases and HDL cholesterol decreases due to smoking. Triglycerides increases and affects the cholesterol levels negatively.
понедельник, 29 июня 2009 г.
The Facts About Cigarette Smoking
Nearly 50 million Americans smoke, resulting in nearly 450,000 deaths each year. The smoke from cigarettes alone contains over 4,000 different chemicals
The Facts About Cigarette Smoking
Nearly 50 million Americans smoke, resulting in nearly 450,000 deaths each year. The smoke from cigarettes alone contains over 4,000 different chemicals, including 200 known poisons. Cigarettes are also highly addictive; one-third of the young people who "experiment" end up addicted by the time they turn 20.
Even though many people smoke because they believe cigarettes calm their nerves, smoking releases epinephrine, a hormone that creates physiological stress in the smoker, rather than relaxation. Not only are smokers affected by their habit, but second-hand smoke is also responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually of non-smokers in the United States.
There are numerous negative side effects associated with smoking cigarettes; they include the loss of the sense of smell and taste, emphysema, premature and overabundant face wrinkles, gastric ulcers, smoker's cough, stroke, heart disease, and cancer of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, lungs, pancreas, cervix, uterus, and bladder.
Smokers become physically and psychologically dependent, suffering numerous withdrawal symptoms when they attempt to quit. These symptoms include: changes in body temperature, heart rate, digestion, muscle tone, and appetite, irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances, nervousness, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and cravings for tobacco that can last days, weeks, months, years, or even an entire lifetime.
Cigarette smoking is perhaps the most devastating preventable cause of disease and premature death. Adolescent cigarette smokers are more likely to smoke marijuana and are more likely to use other illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin in the future.
The Facts About Cigarette Smoking
Nearly 50 million Americans smoke, resulting in nearly 450,000 deaths each year. The smoke from cigarettes alone contains over 4,000 different chemicals, including 200 known poisons. Cigarettes are also highly addictive; one-third of the young people who "experiment" end up addicted by the time they turn 20.
Even though many people smoke because they believe cigarettes calm their nerves, smoking releases epinephrine, a hormone that creates physiological stress in the smoker, rather than relaxation. Not only are smokers affected by their habit, but second-hand smoke is also responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually of non-smokers in the United States.
There are numerous negative side effects associated with smoking cigarettes; they include the loss of the sense of smell and taste, emphysema, premature and overabundant face wrinkles, gastric ulcers, smoker's cough, stroke, heart disease, and cancer of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, lungs, pancreas, cervix, uterus, and bladder.
Smokers become physically and psychologically dependent, suffering numerous withdrawal symptoms when they attempt to quit. These symptoms include: changes in body temperature, heart rate, digestion, muscle tone, and appetite, irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances, nervousness, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and cravings for tobacco that can last days, weeks, months, years, or even an entire lifetime.
Cigarette smoking is perhaps the most devastating preventable cause of disease and premature death. Adolescent cigarette smokers are more likely to smoke marijuana and are more likely to use other illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin in the future.
четверг, 25 июня 2009 г.
Smoking Cigarettes – Pros and Cons.
Cigarettes are smallish white cylinders, filled with the dried leaves of the tobacco plant. Predominantly sold in batches of 20, the boxes they come in demonstrate a wide variety of colours and designs, from the ubiquitous red chevron of Marlboro to the arched dancer holding her tambourine, featured on the classic blue design of the French brand, Gitanes. Tobacco can also be bought loose in pouches and rolled into cigarette papers to approximate the aforementioned cylindrical shape.
Cigarettes are smallish white cylinders, filled with the dried leaves of the tobacco plant. Predominantly sold in batches of 20, the boxes they come in demonstrate a wide variety of colours and designs, from the ubiquitous red chevron of Marlboro to the arched dancer holding her tambourine, featured on the classic blue design of the French brand, Gitanes. Tobacco can also be bought loose in pouches and rolled into cigarette papers to approximate the aforementioned cylindrical shape.
For some, smoking is a pleasure. For others, it's abhorrent. Indeed, smoking cigarettes has become a contentious activity, with health issues of paramount concern. For instance, the issue of smokers passing on their toxic smoke to the non-smokers in their community is, as they say, a hot potato.
Smoking is undoubtedly bad for the health and passive smoking isn't much good either. But on the other hand, in a world full of pollution and man-made health hazards, created by smokers and non-smokers alike, should non-smokers dictate to smokers just how to live their lives?
And what exactly is the right way to live a life, anyway?
Why Smoke?
It is difficult to know the reasons why people smoke. Non-smokers could rightly point to the deleterious physiological effects that prolonged and consistent smoking undoubtedly have and wonder...'Why?' Why on earth would we choose to physically do harm to our own bodies? Non-smokers don't smoke because they might not like the smell, or have tried it and just didn't like it. But generally they won't smoke because fundamentally, smoking cigarettes is bad for the health. Is smoking a cigarette, then, a wilful act of self-mutilation, that at best merits derision?
It is often the case that we are not responsible for the environments we inherit, both socially and emotionally. Smoking cigarettes may be just one of the many 'imperfect' responses humans have to living in an increasingly 'imperfect', difficult world.
The question 'Why Smoke' is not an easy one to answer, indeed, it borders on the downright philosophical. If non-smokers wonder 'why?' (as in 'Why the hell would you want to smoke?'), so too smokers may wonder, 'why not?'. Or perhaps smokers may be tempted to examine their habit objectively and then ask themselves the question, 'Just why am I smoking?
An Act of Volition?
But the fact remains that many people do smoke. Certain groups from most cultures in most parts of the world today have found occasion to light up. As we've seen, there could be many possible reasons for this:
- smoking as a kind of 'rite of passage' displacement for the modern-day youth;
- smoking as part of social bonding;
- smoking as an aid to contemplation; ceremonial and ritualised smoking;
- smoking as a self-destructive reaction to depression or unhappiness;
- or smoking just for personal pleasure.
Smokers may smoke because they choose to. It's an act of volition, an expression of an individual freedom to make choices. Or is it? One could argue the opposite, that smokers smoke because they are duped in to doing so.
Cigarettes are smallish white cylinders, filled with the dried leaves of the tobacco plant. Predominantly sold in batches of 20, the boxes they come in demonstrate a wide variety of colours and designs, from the ubiquitous red chevron of Marlboro to the arched dancer holding her tambourine, featured on the classic blue design of the French brand, Gitanes. Tobacco can also be bought loose in pouches and rolled into cigarette papers to approximate the aforementioned cylindrical shape.
For some, smoking is a pleasure. For others, it's abhorrent. Indeed, smoking cigarettes has become a contentious activity, with health issues of paramount concern. For instance, the issue of smokers passing on their toxic smoke to the non-smokers in their community is, as they say, a hot potato.
Smoking is undoubtedly bad for the health and passive smoking isn't much good either. But on the other hand, in a world full of pollution and man-made health hazards, created by smokers and non-smokers alike, should non-smokers dictate to smokers just how to live their lives?
And what exactly is the right way to live a life, anyway?
Why Smoke?
It is difficult to know the reasons why people smoke. Non-smokers could rightly point to the deleterious physiological effects that prolonged and consistent smoking undoubtedly have and wonder...'Why?' Why on earth would we choose to physically do harm to our own bodies? Non-smokers don't smoke because they might not like the smell, or have tried it and just didn't like it. But generally they won't smoke because fundamentally, smoking cigarettes is bad for the health. Is smoking a cigarette, then, a wilful act of self-mutilation, that at best merits derision?
It is often the case that we are not responsible for the environments we inherit, both socially and emotionally. Smoking cigarettes may be just one of the many 'imperfect' responses humans have to living in an increasingly 'imperfect', difficult world.
The question 'Why Smoke' is not an easy one to answer, indeed, it borders on the downright philosophical. If non-smokers wonder 'why?' (as in 'Why the hell would you want to smoke?'), so too smokers may wonder, 'why not?'. Or perhaps smokers may be tempted to examine their habit objectively and then ask themselves the question, 'Just why am I smoking?
An Act of Volition?
But the fact remains that many people do smoke. Certain groups from most cultures in most parts of the world today have found occasion to light up. As we've seen, there could be many possible reasons for this:
- smoking as a kind of 'rite of passage' displacement for the modern-day youth;
- smoking as part of social bonding;
- smoking as an aid to contemplation; ceremonial and ritualised smoking;
- smoking as a self-destructive reaction to depression or unhappiness;
- or smoking just for personal pleasure.
Smokers may smoke because they choose to. It's an act of volition, an expression of an individual freedom to make choices. Or is it? One could argue the opposite, that smokers smoke because they are duped in to doing so.
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