After a bumper summer tobacco harvest - the first in two years - local broadleaf tobacco, used as cigar wrappers, is cured and ready for sale. All that's missing are the buyers.
Alan Sanderson Jr. of Fairview Farm in Whately said that buyers from the three or four cigar companies that purchase tobacco from Massachusetts and Connecticut growers have not arrived at their usual time this year.
Sanderson said that most of the crop sales are completed by the end of November.
Sanderson said he's not sure why there seems to be a delay this year, although experts cite a number of factors, including substandard crops, high taxation, increased prices and lower demand.
There's no problem with this year's crop, Sanderson said, which avoided the disease and hail of past years and which enjoyed a hot summer. "It's a very nice crop."
Bernie Smiarowski of Teddy Smiarowski Farm in Hatfield said that he and his brothers did sell their tobacco crop a few weeks ago, but felt fortunate to do so.
"They're not buying as much" this year as in past years, he said. Smiarowski and his brothers grew 35 acres of tobacco, down from 60 acres in better times. The family is discussing how much to plant next year, or whether they'll plant at all, he said.
"The flavor of the tobacco grown here in the Connecticut River Valley is much better than in Honduras, Venezuela or the Dominican Republic," he said, "because of the growing conditions, the soil and humidity. But the cost is high. It costs more to grow it here than in countries where labor is cheap."
Because local tobacco has been scarce over the past two years, "You'd think demand would be high this year," Smiarowski said. "I don't know if the tax on tobacco products has something to do with it."
Jon Foster, an independent tobacco leaf buyer for Richmond-based General Cigar Co. and other cigar makers, said that the buying season is a little late this year because of buyer pickiness, increased tariffs and a decrease in demand.
понедельник, 20 декабря 2010 г.
Say no to Big Tobacco money
IT WAS an unprecedented reparation when a Suffolk Superior Court jury this week awarded $152 million in total damages to the family of Marie Evans. The jury decided that Lorillard illegally gave away free Newport cigarettes to children in a black Boston housing project in Roxbury a half-century ago. Evans was one of those children, and she died of lung cancer in 2002 at age 54. The suit was the first of its kind to focus on the free samples to underage youth. Documents showed Lorillard blatantly targeted inner cities and said “the base of our business is the high school student.’’
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The award “can’t bring my mother back, but it was good to see the company held responsible for what they did,’’ Evans’s son Willie said to the Globe yesterday.
But we should not kid ourselves. The tobacco companies are still trying to buy a good image with our kids. This singular victory for the Evans family would mean so much more if leaders stood up and held themselves responsible to hold the line against the death peddlers. But while Willie Evans savors a victory against the exploitation of the inner city by a cigarette company, it is shameful that the most elite of African American organizations continue to wallow in the cash thrown at them by Big Tobacco.
Of course African American organizations are not alone. Big tobacco buys off any organization it can. The 2009 list of charitable contributions by Altria, the corporate cover for Philip Morris USA, includes many Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, 4-H, Junior Achievement, and Camp Fire councils, Big Brothers and Big Sisters chapters, and United Way chapters. The R.J. Reynolds Foundation boasts of similar contributions. The national presidents and CEOs of all those organizations need to say no more to tobacco money.
But the Evans suit, which focused on Lorillard specifically targeting low-income black children, is a riveting reminder that African-Americans are disproportionately likely to develop and die from lung cancer. That makes it incumbent on highly influential organizations to tell Big Tobacco that they will not be exploited anymore. But there is little sign of that, when Lorillard is one of the top political action committee contributors to the Congressional Black Caucus.
Prominent on Altria’s list are the national offices of the CBC, the Urban League, the United Negro College Fund, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. There is a parallel list for Latinos. Among local chapters on Altria’s contribution list is the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.
Local Urban League President and CEO Darnell Williams said in an email that Altria is one of the sponsors of its charity golf tournament. “We use the proceeds from the tournament to fund youth activities in Boston,’’ Williams wrote. “Football teams, basketball teams, youth scholarships to college, and youth civic engagement have all benefited.’’ Williams described Altria as “solid and responsible partners’’ that “we have not hesitated in working with to carry out our mission to empower people and change their lives.’’
It is time to hesitate. Big Tobacco is working to disempower people all over the world, fighting efforts from here to Uruguay to limit or prevent graphic warnings on cigarette packs. No matter how wonderful is the work of civic organizations, and our local Urban League is indeed a vital part of Boston, the goal of empowering people and changing their lives is tragically diminished when organizations take money from forces that steal decades from those lives.
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The award “can’t bring my mother back, but it was good to see the company held responsible for what they did,’’ Evans’s son Willie said to the Globe yesterday.
But we should not kid ourselves. The tobacco companies are still trying to buy a good image with our kids. This singular victory for the Evans family would mean so much more if leaders stood up and held themselves responsible to hold the line against the death peddlers. But while Willie Evans savors a victory against the exploitation of the inner city by a cigarette company, it is shameful that the most elite of African American organizations continue to wallow in the cash thrown at them by Big Tobacco.
Of course African American organizations are not alone. Big tobacco buys off any organization it can. The 2009 list of charitable contributions by Altria, the corporate cover for Philip Morris USA, includes many Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, 4-H, Junior Achievement, and Camp Fire councils, Big Brothers and Big Sisters chapters, and United Way chapters. The R.J. Reynolds Foundation boasts of similar contributions. The national presidents and CEOs of all those organizations need to say no more to tobacco money.
But the Evans suit, which focused on Lorillard specifically targeting low-income black children, is a riveting reminder that African-Americans are disproportionately likely to develop and die from lung cancer. That makes it incumbent on highly influential organizations to tell Big Tobacco that they will not be exploited anymore. But there is little sign of that, when Lorillard is one of the top political action committee contributors to the Congressional Black Caucus.
Prominent on Altria’s list are the national offices of the CBC, the Urban League, the United Negro College Fund, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. There is a parallel list for Latinos. Among local chapters on Altria’s contribution list is the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.
Local Urban League President and CEO Darnell Williams said in an email that Altria is one of the sponsors of its charity golf tournament. “We use the proceeds from the tournament to fund youth activities in Boston,’’ Williams wrote. “Football teams, basketball teams, youth scholarships to college, and youth civic engagement have all benefited.’’ Williams described Altria as “solid and responsible partners’’ that “we have not hesitated in working with to carry out our mission to empower people and change their lives.’’
It is time to hesitate. Big Tobacco is working to disempower people all over the world, fighting efforts from here to Uruguay to limit or prevent graphic warnings on cigarette packs. No matter how wonderful is the work of civic organizations, and our local Urban League is indeed a vital part of Boston, the goal of empowering people and changing their lives is tragically diminished when organizations take money from forces that steal decades from those lives.
Tobacco: The ruthless killer next door
Today, as I allow my mind to endure the oppressive thought that tobacco still remains the ruthless killer next door, what then shall we call its producers and distributors? The answer can only be simple and straightforward: They are people who prosper at the expense of other people’s lives. They make their billions by ruining other people’s health, and eventually terminating their lives. They should therefore not complain if anyone refers to them as proud, happy, licensed murderers
Packs of Killer Poison
How these people are able to deaden their conscience to go on prospering and sustaining their own lives by producing and marketing a scientifically confirmed poison whose only benefit is its ability to cruelly terminate the lives of their fellow human beings beats me hollow? Tobacco never adds even the tiniest value to life; it only destroys it completely. Without mercy. This is a fact nobody has even attempted to deny.
The Nigerian president should put the concern for the lives of many Nigerians above his often whispered personal tastes and habits and take another look at the massive freedom granted by his predecessor to tobacco companies to fill Nigeria with their neatly wrapped and attractively packaged killer poison called cigarettes. If he cannot immediately ban the production of cigarettes in Nigeria, he should, at least, put in place stricter regulations that would ensure that tobacco manufacturing would automatically become a very unprofitable venture in Nigeria.
I call on Nigerians with lively conscience and genuine friends of Nigeria, to join this clearly winnable battle, to flush these heartless fellows out of Nigeria. The question I have always asked cigarette producers is: can they boldly come out in the open and assure me that the commodity they manufacture and distribute to hapless individuals cannot be rightly classified as poison? Again, they should tell me one single benefit the human body derives from smoking cigarettes. Has it not been convincingly proved everywhere, and publicly admitted even by tobacco producers, that tobacco is a merciless killer, an unrelenting cannibal that devours a man when his life is sweetest to him? If then tobacco is a proven killer, can’t those who manufacture and circulate it in society be classified as murderers? Hasn’t even our own Federal Ministry of Health been shouting and warning us with passion, sense of urgency and alarm that TOBACCO SMOKERS ARE LIABLE TO DIE YOUNG?
Material by: independentngonline.com
Packs of Killer Poison
How these people are able to deaden their conscience to go on prospering and sustaining their own lives by producing and marketing a scientifically confirmed poison whose only benefit is its ability to cruelly terminate the lives of their fellow human beings beats me hollow? Tobacco never adds even the tiniest value to life; it only destroys it completely. Without mercy. This is a fact nobody has even attempted to deny.
The Nigerian president should put the concern for the lives of many Nigerians above his often whispered personal tastes and habits and take another look at the massive freedom granted by his predecessor to tobacco companies to fill Nigeria with their neatly wrapped and attractively packaged killer poison called cigarettes. If he cannot immediately ban the production of cigarettes in Nigeria, he should, at least, put in place stricter regulations that would ensure that tobacco manufacturing would automatically become a very unprofitable venture in Nigeria.
I call on Nigerians with lively conscience and genuine friends of Nigeria, to join this clearly winnable battle, to flush these heartless fellows out of Nigeria. The question I have always asked cigarette producers is: can they boldly come out in the open and assure me that the commodity they manufacture and distribute to hapless individuals cannot be rightly classified as poison? Again, they should tell me one single benefit the human body derives from smoking cigarettes. Has it not been convincingly proved everywhere, and publicly admitted even by tobacco producers, that tobacco is a merciless killer, an unrelenting cannibal that devours a man when his life is sweetest to him? If then tobacco is a proven killer, can’t those who manufacture and circulate it in society be classified as murderers? Hasn’t even our own Federal Ministry of Health been shouting and warning us with passion, sense of urgency and alarm that TOBACCO SMOKERS ARE LIABLE TO DIE YOUNG?
Material by: independentngonline.com
среда, 8 декабря 2010 г.
Tobacco Display Legislation Introduced in Parliament
Associate Health Minister, Tariana Turia has said that there is a need to get more serious about the risks of smoking and the harms caused by smoking.
Therefore, legislation was today introduced in the parliament in an attempt to discourage smoking by removing displays of tobacco products in dairies and other retail outlets.
She asserted that the Government was quite serious about the reduction of the harms caused by smoking. She said, "It's harder to quit when you walk into a shop and are confronted with the instant temptation of tobacco on display".
She asserted that most of the smokers wish that there was some way which could help them quit smoking. There is a strong link between displays and young people taking up smoking.
Some evidences have shown that tobacco displays prompt impulse purchasing. A time would come when a person would be able to walk into the local corner shop `without being confronted with images of tobacco enticing customers to take up a habit which is unhealthy, addictive, and costly'.
The Health Select Committee will now be asked for a sanction following which the committee will call for public submissions.
Therefore, legislation was today introduced in the parliament in an attempt to discourage smoking by removing displays of tobacco products in dairies and other retail outlets.
She asserted that the Government was quite serious about the reduction of the harms caused by smoking. She said, "It's harder to quit when you walk into a shop and are confronted with the instant temptation of tobacco on display".
She asserted that most of the smokers wish that there was some way which could help them quit smoking. There is a strong link between displays and young people taking up smoking.
Some evidences have shown that tobacco displays prompt impulse purchasing. A time would come when a person would be able to walk into the local corner shop `without being confronted with images of tobacco enticing customers to take up a habit which is unhealthy, addictive, and costly'.
The Health Select Committee will now be asked for a sanction following which the committee will call for public submissions.
The nation's top doc has a lot on her mind this time of year. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin talks about an upcoming tobacco study, childhoo
On November 9, 2010, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to amend tobacco control sections of Santa Barbara’s County Code (Chapter 37A). Changes include restricting new retailers from selling tobacco products within 1,000 feet of schools, strengthening requirements and penalties associated with selling tobacco to youth and increasing tobacco retail licensing fees.
These amendments, which will be effective December 9, 2010, will affect tobacco retailers in the unincorporated area of the county. The goal is to encourage responsible tobacco retailing, and discourage the sale or distribution of tobacco products and paraphernalia to minors.
In the past three years, 31% of illegal sales to minors occurred within 1,000 feet of a school. Supervisor Carbajal who sponsored the ordinance said, “This change is needed to protect the health & safety of children and promote public health.”
A significant change to the law is the fact that retailers located in the unincorporated county area who sell to teens will be subject to a 30-day suspension of their ability to sell and advertise tobacco products. Previously the ordinance required a letter of warning for a first violation. Second violations are subject to a 90 day suspension, and third violations will vary based on an outlet’s proximity to schools. Stores outside of the 1,000 foot school buffer zone face a one year tobacco retail license revocation, while those near schools may have it revoked for five years.
Tobacco retailers in the unincorporated county area will be responsible for paying increased license fees as of January 2011. The increased fees will be phased in over three years, costing $250 in 2011 and 2012 and finally going to $435 in 2013. The annual fee for a tobacco retail license has been $30 since 2002; however, a recent fee study determined that it costs $435 per retailer to administer and enforce this program.
Public Health Department staff will conduct educational site visits with each tobacco retailer during the first few months of the new year to assist them with understanding their responsibilities and the potential consequences of non-compliance.
These amendments, which will be effective December 9, 2010, will affect tobacco retailers in the unincorporated area of the county. The goal is to encourage responsible tobacco retailing, and discourage the sale or distribution of tobacco products and paraphernalia to minors.
In the past three years, 31% of illegal sales to minors occurred within 1,000 feet of a school. Supervisor Carbajal who sponsored the ordinance said, “This change is needed to protect the health & safety of children and promote public health.”
A significant change to the law is the fact that retailers located in the unincorporated county area who sell to teens will be subject to a 30-day suspension of their ability to sell and advertise tobacco products. Previously the ordinance required a letter of warning for a first violation. Second violations are subject to a 90 day suspension, and third violations will vary based on an outlet’s proximity to schools. Stores outside of the 1,000 foot school buffer zone face a one year tobacco retail license revocation, while those near schools may have it revoked for five years.
Tobacco retailers in the unincorporated county area will be responsible for paying increased license fees as of January 2011. The increased fees will be phased in over three years, costing $250 in 2011 and 2012 and finally going to $435 in 2013. The annual fee for a tobacco retail license has been $30 since 2002; however, a recent fee study determined that it costs $435 per retailer to administer and enforce this program.
Public Health Department staff will conduct educational site visits with each tobacco retailer during the first few months of the new year to assist them with understanding their responsibilities and the potential consequences of non-compliance.
Surgeon General Focuses on Flu, Tobacco, Obesity
The nation's top doc has a lot on her mind this time of year.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin talks about an upcoming tobacco study, childhood obesity and National Influenza Vaccination Week that is now underway.
More than a year after becoming the 18th Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Dr. Regina Benjamin is again tackling flu shots and this year there are new guidelines.
"The biggest thing this year; we are asking everyone over the age of 6 months to get their flu shot," Benjamin says. "If we can get the entire population vaccinated we can avoid any outbreak or epidemic like last year."
Unlike last year though Dr. Benjamin says there are no shortages of the vaccine this flu season.
"This particular vaccine this year already has the H1N1 in it. It also has influenza A and influenza B as well so it is all covered in this shot at one time."
Another issue close the Surgeon General's heart: reduce childhood obesity.
"My goal is to have people be healthy and be fit because they enjoy it they have a good time not because it is something negative to do," Benjamin says.
33 states have childhood obesity rates above 25-percent.
One of Benjamin's favorite phrases is "exercise is medicine". She hosts fitness walks in cities across the nation.
She is also releasing the first Surgeon General's tobacco report this Thursday.
"This report kind of goes into the science of how it really affects your DNA and how certain things at cellular level affect you with one cigarette."
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin talks about an upcoming tobacco study, childhood obesity and National Influenza Vaccination Week that is now underway.
More than a year after becoming the 18th Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Dr. Regina Benjamin is again tackling flu shots and this year there are new guidelines.
"The biggest thing this year; we are asking everyone over the age of 6 months to get their flu shot," Benjamin says. "If we can get the entire population vaccinated we can avoid any outbreak or epidemic like last year."
Unlike last year though Dr. Benjamin says there are no shortages of the vaccine this flu season.
"This particular vaccine this year already has the H1N1 in it. It also has influenza A and influenza B as well so it is all covered in this shot at one time."
Another issue close the Surgeon General's heart: reduce childhood obesity.
"My goal is to have people be healthy and be fit because they enjoy it they have a good time not because it is something negative to do," Benjamin says.
33 states have childhood obesity rates above 25-percent.
One of Benjamin's favorite phrases is "exercise is medicine". She hosts fitness walks in cities across the nation.
She is also releasing the first Surgeon General's tobacco report this Thursday.
"This report kind of goes into the science of how it really affects your DNA and how certain things at cellular level affect you with one cigarette."
вторник, 16 ноября 2010 г.
Malawi Tobacco Sells 37% Below Government-Set Price
The average price of tobacco in Malawi, the world’s largest producer of the burley variety, dropped 37 percent below the government-set price of $2 per kilogram (2.2 pounds) at a sale, Auction Holdings Ltd. said.
The leaves sold at an average $1.27 per kilogram in the sale for the week through Nov. 12, from $1.32 recorded a week earlier, the Lilongwe-based manager of Malawi’s auction floors said in a statement published in the Daily Times newspaper today. During the week, 3.7 million kilograms of tobacco worth $4.6 million were sold, it said.
Malawi began setting minimum prices for the various grades of tobacco in 2007, after accusing merchants of putting growers out of business by offering them lower prices. Last year, President Bingu wa Mutharika deported four officials at three tobacco-buying companies, accusing them of sabotaging his economic agenda.
Tobacco is Malawi’s biggest foreign-exchange earner, accounting for 60 percent of all revenue earned from abroad. Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company, a unit of Universal Corp., Alliance One Inc. , Africa Leaf Malawi Ltd., Premium Tama Tobacco Ltd., Malawi Leaf Co., RWJ Wallace Ltd. and Japan Tobacco Inc. are among the biggest buyers of tobacco in Malawi. They export the leaves to countries in Europe, Asia and North America.
Since sales began on March 15, 217.4 million kilograms of tobacco has been sold, generating revenue of $413 million. The leaf has sold at an average of $1.90 per kilogram.
The leaves sold at an average $1.27 per kilogram in the sale for the week through Nov. 12, from $1.32 recorded a week earlier, the Lilongwe-based manager of Malawi’s auction floors said in a statement published in the Daily Times newspaper today. During the week, 3.7 million kilograms of tobacco worth $4.6 million were sold, it said.
Malawi began setting minimum prices for the various grades of tobacco in 2007, after accusing merchants of putting growers out of business by offering them lower prices. Last year, President Bingu wa Mutharika deported four officials at three tobacco-buying companies, accusing them of sabotaging his economic agenda.
Tobacco is Malawi’s biggest foreign-exchange earner, accounting for 60 percent of all revenue earned from abroad. Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company, a unit of Universal Corp., Alliance One Inc. , Africa Leaf Malawi Ltd., Premium Tama Tobacco Ltd., Malawi Leaf Co., RWJ Wallace Ltd. and Japan Tobacco Inc. are among the biggest buyers of tobacco in Malawi. They export the leaves to countries in Europe, Asia and North America.
Since sales began on March 15, 217.4 million kilograms of tobacco has been sold, generating revenue of $413 million. The leaf has sold at an average of $1.90 per kilogram.
Oneida Common Council considers banning minors from possessing tobacco
The Oneida Common Council will weigh the possibility of adopting a local ordinance to prohibit the use and possession of tobacco products by minors, a local law that other New York municipalities have enacted.
While New York state law does not allow minors to purchase tobacco products, it is not illegal for them to use or possess them. The local law would authorize police agencies to seize tobacco products from children under 18 years of age. Minors in violation of the ordinance would not be arrested or charged and could petition the court for the return of the confiscated tobacco if they could prove it was taken unjustly.
The council will hear from Joseph Wicks, from the Tobacco Control Program, and Abigail Simchik, a prevention specialist with BRiDGES, about the proposed local law at its meeting tonight.
Mayor Leo Matzke said the anti-smoking measure is an extenuation of the no smoking policy initiated in the city’s parks by a group of teenagers.
“They would like to see it done in other areas,” he said, namely “Cancer Corner” at the high school. “They’d like to see no smoking there because of its influence on little children as they go by and on school buses. It has an impact on some of the little ones — not all, but some.”
Unsure what action the council will take to enact the proposed local law, Matzke said his main concern is smoking’s impact on children.
“If an adult smokes, that’s fine, that’s their choice, but when they’re younger, I just think that smoking is a very unhealthy habit,” he said. “As a community, we need to be concerned about that.”
Two local laws adopted by other municipalities were used as a template for Oneida. The City of Salamanca in the southwestern part of the state enacted a similar law prohibiting minors from using tobacco.
Salamanca Police Chief Troy Westfall said the law has helped law enforcement “so we can take cigarettes out of the hands of juveniles.”
It’s frustrating for police officers to patrol the streets and “see 13 and 14-year-olds on a street corner huffing and puffing,” he said. “It’s not a good thing. Maybe a parent can make that decision for a child, but I don’t think that’s right.”
While New York state law does not allow minors to purchase tobacco products, it is not illegal for them to use or possess them. The local law would authorize police agencies to seize tobacco products from children under 18 years of age. Minors in violation of the ordinance would not be arrested or charged and could petition the court for the return of the confiscated tobacco if they could prove it was taken unjustly.
The council will hear from Joseph Wicks, from the Tobacco Control Program, and Abigail Simchik, a prevention specialist with BRiDGES, about the proposed local law at its meeting tonight.
Mayor Leo Matzke said the anti-smoking measure is an extenuation of the no smoking policy initiated in the city’s parks by a group of teenagers.
“They would like to see it done in other areas,” he said, namely “Cancer Corner” at the high school. “They’d like to see no smoking there because of its influence on little children as they go by and on school buses. It has an impact on some of the little ones — not all, but some.”
Unsure what action the council will take to enact the proposed local law, Matzke said his main concern is smoking’s impact on children.
“If an adult smokes, that’s fine, that’s their choice, but when they’re younger, I just think that smoking is a very unhealthy habit,” he said. “As a community, we need to be concerned about that.”
Two local laws adopted by other municipalities were used as a template for Oneida. The City of Salamanca in the southwestern part of the state enacted a similar law prohibiting minors from using tobacco.
Salamanca Police Chief Troy Westfall said the law has helped law enforcement “so we can take cigarettes out of the hands of juveniles.”
It’s frustrating for police officers to patrol the streets and “see 13 and 14-year-olds on a street corner huffing and puffing,” he said. “It’s not a good thing. Maybe a parent can make that decision for a child, but I don’t think that’s right.”
Celebrate 35th Great American Smokeout by quitting tobacco
The American Cancer Society marks the 35th Great American Smokeout Nov. 18 by encouraging smokers to make a plan to quit or quit smoking that day. According to an American Cancer Society report, smokers who quit can expect to live as many as ten years longer (that's ten more birthdays) than those who continue to smoke.
Research shows much of the risk of premature death from smoking could be prevented by quitting. Smokers who quit, regardless of age, live longer than people who continue to smoke. Smokers who quit reduce their risk of lung cancer - ten years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate for a quitter is about half that of a continuing smokers'. Quitting also lowers the risk for other major diseases, including heart disease and stroke.
"Quitting smoking is an important step toward staying well and creating a world with more birthdays," said Rebecca Rhodes, Health and Wellness Center flight chief. "The Great American Smokeout is a great first step toward quitting or making a plan to quit, and the HAWC can help smokers through a variety of resources including coaching by certified tobacco specialists."
Important facts about tobacco use:
o Tobacco use remains the world's most preventable cause of death.
o Cigarette smoking accounts for about 443,000 premature deaths - including 49,400 nonsmokers.
o 30 percent of cancer deaths, including 87 percent of lung cancer deaths, can be attributed to smoking.
o Smoking accounts for more than $193 billion in health care expenditures and productivity losses annually.
According to a HAWC staff, "If you use tobacco, there is no time like the present to start a tobacco-free lifestyle. If you know someone who uses tobacco, we want you to support those individuals along the readiness to change continuum and encourage them to attend a class at the HAWC when they are ready to quit."
This year the HAWC will sponsor the following events in recognition of the Great American Smokeout:
· "Trade-in" your cigarette packs/smokeless tobacco at the HAWC on Nov. 18 for a free Quit Kit.
Research shows much of the risk of premature death from smoking could be prevented by quitting. Smokers who quit, regardless of age, live longer than people who continue to smoke. Smokers who quit reduce their risk of lung cancer - ten years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate for a quitter is about half that of a continuing smokers'. Quitting also lowers the risk for other major diseases, including heart disease and stroke.
"Quitting smoking is an important step toward staying well and creating a world with more birthdays," said Rebecca Rhodes, Health and Wellness Center flight chief. "The Great American Smokeout is a great first step toward quitting or making a plan to quit, and the HAWC can help smokers through a variety of resources including coaching by certified tobacco specialists."
Important facts about tobacco use:
o Tobacco use remains the world's most preventable cause of death.
o Cigarette smoking accounts for about 443,000 premature deaths - including 49,400 nonsmokers.
o 30 percent of cancer deaths, including 87 percent of lung cancer deaths, can be attributed to smoking.
o Smoking accounts for more than $193 billion in health care expenditures and productivity losses annually.
According to a HAWC staff, "If you use tobacco, there is no time like the present to start a tobacco-free lifestyle. If you know someone who uses tobacco, we want you to support those individuals along the readiness to change continuum and encourage them to attend a class at the HAWC when they are ready to quit."
This year the HAWC will sponsor the following events in recognition of the Great American Smokeout:
· "Trade-in" your cigarette packs/smokeless tobacco at the HAWC on Nov. 18 for a free Quit Kit.
среда, 27 октября 2010 г.
Tobacco continues to take its toll as cancer rates rise
Hundreds of people died last year of lung, mouth and bladder cancer - all of which are closely linked with smoking.
Each of those cancers took record numbers of lives, and it has been warned that even though fewer people than ever now smoke, that won't make a positive impact on death rates for around ten years.
Figures released by ISD Scotland showed that 602 people died of lung cancer, a 20-year high, while 43 died of mouth cancer and 72 of bladder cancer.
The number of women dying of tobacco-linked diseases is rising particularly sharply, and this is because it became more common for females to smoke in the 1970s.
Chief executive of Edinburgh anti-tobacco group ASH Scotland, Sheila Duffy, said: "We are now nearly 40 years on from the boom in women smokers, which is why lung cancer rates in women are still increasing.
"To reduce these figures it's vital that NHS stop-smoking services continue to attract women and support them, but just as importantly we need to keep cutting the numbers of girls taking up smoking."
Another type of cancer to reach a record high was kidney cancer, which killed 53. This has been put down to rising obesity rates.
Some key cancers did go down, particularly those which have been subject to major awareness campaigns such as breast and prostate cancer.
However, skin cancer hit a record 34 deaths last year.
In total, 2147 people died from cancer in the Lothians, compared with 2064 in 2008. This is in contrast to a downwards trend in Scotland, which can be explained by the Lothians' faster-than-average population rise, and more older people.
Experts said the fact fewer people were dying from strokes and heart attacks meant they had a greater chance of living long enough to develop cancer.
Dr Dermot Gorman, consultant in public health medicine for NHS Lothian, said that although the figures increased this year the long-term trend was downwards.
He said: "The standardised death rate from cancer in Lothian has slowly fallen over the past decade.
"Early detection can lead to a better chance of survival, and we have a wide range of screening programmes to help detect cancer as early as possible.
"We would urge people to protect their health by exercising, eating healthily, stopping smoking and reducing excessive alcohol intake."
Each of those cancers took record numbers of lives, and it has been warned that even though fewer people than ever now smoke, that won't make a positive impact on death rates for around ten years.
Figures released by ISD Scotland showed that 602 people died of lung cancer, a 20-year high, while 43 died of mouth cancer and 72 of bladder cancer.
The number of women dying of tobacco-linked diseases is rising particularly sharply, and this is because it became more common for females to smoke in the 1970s.
Chief executive of Edinburgh anti-tobacco group ASH Scotland, Sheila Duffy, said: "We are now nearly 40 years on from the boom in women smokers, which is why lung cancer rates in women are still increasing.
"To reduce these figures it's vital that NHS stop-smoking services continue to attract women and support them, but just as importantly we need to keep cutting the numbers of girls taking up smoking."
Another type of cancer to reach a record high was kidney cancer, which killed 53. This has been put down to rising obesity rates.
Some key cancers did go down, particularly those which have been subject to major awareness campaigns such as breast and prostate cancer.
However, skin cancer hit a record 34 deaths last year.
In total, 2147 people died from cancer in the Lothians, compared with 2064 in 2008. This is in contrast to a downwards trend in Scotland, which can be explained by the Lothians' faster-than-average population rise, and more older people.
Experts said the fact fewer people were dying from strokes and heart attacks meant they had a greater chance of living long enough to develop cancer.
Dr Dermot Gorman, consultant in public health medicine for NHS Lothian, said that although the figures increased this year the long-term trend was downwards.
He said: "The standardised death rate from cancer in Lothian has slowly fallen over the past decade.
"Early detection can lead to a better chance of survival, and we have a wide range of screening programmes to help detect cancer as early as possible.
"We would urge people to protect their health by exercising, eating healthily, stopping smoking and reducing excessive alcohol intake."
Tobacco tax increase could give Anchorage $5 mil per year
The Anchorage Assembly heard some new information about the proposed tobacco tax increase Tuesday night.
Assembly Chair Dick Traini said he's introducing a different version of the proposal that would split where the money from the tax increase would go.
Under his new plan, half of the money raised by the increase would go toward property tax relief. A quarter of the money would go to the Anchorage Fire Department budget and a quarter of the money would go to the police budget.
Under his old ordinance all money from the tax increase would go to property tax relief.
The mayor's office says the increase in tobacco tax in Anchorage would raise more than $5 million each year.
Traini says while you might find that tobacco companies hire lobbyists in Juneau, it's not every day you find one at the local level.
“RJ Reynolds and Phillip Morris have hired lobbyists. The names are there at the clerk’s office. You can pull it up. We must be getting somebody’s attention,” said Traini.
The Assembly listened to about an hour’s worth of public testimony and then closed the hearing.
The Assembly will make their final decision on the ordinance at its next meeting.
Assembly Chair Dick Traini said he's introducing a different version of the proposal that would split where the money from the tax increase would go.
Under his new plan, half of the money raised by the increase would go toward property tax relief. A quarter of the money would go to the Anchorage Fire Department budget and a quarter of the money would go to the police budget.
Under his old ordinance all money from the tax increase would go to property tax relief.
The mayor's office says the increase in tobacco tax in Anchorage would raise more than $5 million each year.
Traini says while you might find that tobacco companies hire lobbyists in Juneau, it's not every day you find one at the local level.
“RJ Reynolds and Phillip Morris have hired lobbyists. The names are there at the clerk’s office. You can pull it up. We must be getting somebody’s attention,” said Traini.
The Assembly listened to about an hour’s worth of public testimony and then closed the hearing.
The Assembly will make their final decision on the ordinance at its next meeting.
Tobacco farmers register
At least 75 000 farmers are expected to register as growers in the 2011/11 season, up from 52 000 the previous season, Tobacco and Industry Marketing Board chief executive Dr Andrew Matibiri, has said.
So far more than 45 000 farmers countrywide have registered to grow tobacco in 2010/11 agricultural season ahead of the registration deadline at the end of the month. Growers are required to register with the TIMB annually. TIMB has embarked on a mobile registration exercise in tobacco growing regions to ensure that all farmers interested in growing the crop obtained grower registration numbers.
Dr Matibiri said they were projecting that the number of tobacco farmers interested to grow the crop in the next coming season to reach 75 000. "The enthusiasm to grow tobacco is very much there as evidenced by inquiries that we continue to receive. This year we had 52 000 registered growers and in the next season we are projecting that the figure could reach 75 000. To date about 45 387 growers have registered," he said.
Dr Matibiri said they had also sold enough seed to produce seedlings for over 100 000 hectares compared to 67 000 hectares grown in the 2009/10. Meanwhile, he said sales were still continuing to mop up tobacco deliveries that had not been delivered prior to the closure of the marketing season last month. Tobacco has so far earned the country US$355,276,031 from the sale of 123 295 314 kilogrammes at an average price of US$2.88 per kg. Most of the crop delivered came through the contract system resulting in 80 575 384 kg being sold while 42 719 930 kg was obtained through the auction system.
Last year, tobacco raked in US$168 million from 58 million kg. Since liberalisation of the economy in 2009, the sector has registered an increase in the number of farmers interested in growing the golden leaf.
So far more than 45 000 farmers countrywide have registered to grow tobacco in 2010/11 agricultural season ahead of the registration deadline at the end of the month. Growers are required to register with the TIMB annually. TIMB has embarked on a mobile registration exercise in tobacco growing regions to ensure that all farmers interested in growing the crop obtained grower registration numbers.
Dr Matibiri said they were projecting that the number of tobacco farmers interested to grow the crop in the next coming season to reach 75 000. "The enthusiasm to grow tobacco is very much there as evidenced by inquiries that we continue to receive. This year we had 52 000 registered growers and in the next season we are projecting that the figure could reach 75 000. To date about 45 387 growers have registered," he said.
Dr Matibiri said they had also sold enough seed to produce seedlings for over 100 000 hectares compared to 67 000 hectares grown in the 2009/10. Meanwhile, he said sales were still continuing to mop up tobacco deliveries that had not been delivered prior to the closure of the marketing season last month. Tobacco has so far earned the country US$355,276,031 from the sale of 123 295 314 kilogrammes at an average price of US$2.88 per kg. Most of the crop delivered came through the contract system resulting in 80 575 384 kg being sold while 42 719 930 kg was obtained through the auction system.
Last year, tobacco raked in US$168 million from 58 million kg. Since liberalisation of the economy in 2009, the sector has registered an increase in the number of farmers interested in growing the golden leaf.
Whimsy touches tobacco shop
The Milford Tobacco Shop, at 2017 Bridgeport Ave., has all of the right touches, including the wooden cigar-store American Indian guarding the display cases.
But it's details beyond what you'd expect to find that makes Luzanne McCollough's year-old business fascinating, even for non-smokers. There is the Civil War memorabilia, including soldiers' letters home, the lead "minie balls" that were fired from their smooth-bore rifles and a replica of the small pistol that killed President Abraham Lincoln.
These items take up several glass cabinets in what might be called the 19th-century gallery of McCollough's personal museum, which also includes programs from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, photos of its star Annie Oakley and authentic stagecoach tickets for a line that operated in western Montana and Wyoming.
There are Egyptian and pre-Colombian artifacts that McCullough said she collected in her travels or acquired from museums that were selling off the smaller or less-valuable items in their collections. Programs from Worlds Fairs dating to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia form another part of her collection.
A Milford native and a graduate of Lauralton Hall and Endicott College, McCullough said that she wasn't particularly interested in history when she was in school. She said it was only after she began touring Civil War battlefields with a friend that she became fascinated with that era.
Her store carries cigars from around the world, including exotic, brandy-infused rarities that can sell for as much as $15. The humidors are stocked with all kinds of cigars, including those made with Connecticut broadleaf wrappers. There also are vintage cigar boxes from the 19th century.
About half of her business is tobacco-related, McCullough said. She also cuts keys and sends and receives faxes for customers.
Her sense of whimsy can be seen throughout the spacious store. There is a mannequin of Elvis Presley from his Las Vegas period of white jumpsuits with sequins. McCullough found him on eBay, and she buys and sells antiques and collectibles through her site, www.rothchildeantiques.com.
"My friends used to say that my house looked like a museum, and now my store looks like my house," she joked.
But it's details beyond what you'd expect to find that makes Luzanne McCollough's year-old business fascinating, even for non-smokers. There is the Civil War memorabilia, including soldiers' letters home, the lead "minie balls" that were fired from their smooth-bore rifles and a replica of the small pistol that killed President Abraham Lincoln.
These items take up several glass cabinets in what might be called the 19th-century gallery of McCollough's personal museum, which also includes programs from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, photos of its star Annie Oakley and authentic stagecoach tickets for a line that operated in western Montana and Wyoming.
There are Egyptian and pre-Colombian artifacts that McCullough said she collected in her travels or acquired from museums that were selling off the smaller or less-valuable items in their collections. Programs from Worlds Fairs dating to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia form another part of her collection.
A Milford native and a graduate of Lauralton Hall and Endicott College, McCullough said that she wasn't particularly interested in history when she was in school. She said it was only after she began touring Civil War battlefields with a friend that she became fascinated with that era.
Her store carries cigars from around the world, including exotic, brandy-infused rarities that can sell for as much as $15. The humidors are stocked with all kinds of cigars, including those made with Connecticut broadleaf wrappers. There also are vintage cigar boxes from the 19th century.
About half of her business is tobacco-related, McCullough said. She also cuts keys and sends and receives faxes for customers.
Her sense of whimsy can be seen throughout the spacious store. There is a mannequin of Elvis Presley from his Las Vegas period of white jumpsuits with sequins. McCullough found him on eBay, and she buys and sells antiques and collectibles through her site, www.rothchildeantiques.com.
"My friends used to say that my house looked like a museum, and now my store looks like my house," she joked.
B.C. man's lonely cross-country trek against tobacco nears end
An anti-tobacco industry lobbyist expects to make Montreal this weekend, the end of a cross-Canada trek that began in Victoria in May.
Errol Povah, who runs and walks 42 kilometres a day, six days a week, is making the solo trek to spread awareness of the hazards of the tobacco industry and raise funds for the Variety Club (the Children's Charity) of British Columbia, B.C.'s Children's Hospital and Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.
The Surrey, B.C., man hopes to collect $47,000 in donations — a dollar for every death from tobacco in Canada each year.
So far, the 57-year-old retired BC Ferries officer has raised about a tenth of that.
"It's a huge struggle," Povah said from Ottawa Tuesday, adding the lack of support crew or sponsors is a major disappointment.
Because he is doing it solo, he's worked out a complicated daily schedule in which he parks his van on the side of the road and runs or walks back five kilometres or so, then returns to the van and does the same in the other direction.
He then drives it ahead 10 kilometres and does the same thing all over again, for a total of 42 kilometres — essentially a marathon.
After the trek ends in Montreal, Povah hopes to make a dogleg through the U.S. in November to visit the New York City headquarters of the Philip Morris cigarette company.
Povah said 30 per cent of money raised will go to the charities, while the rest will go to the anti-tobacco lobby group he runs, Airspace Action on Smoking and Health.
Errol Povah, who runs and walks 42 kilometres a day, six days a week, is making the solo trek to spread awareness of the hazards of the tobacco industry and raise funds for the Variety Club (the Children's Charity) of British Columbia, B.C.'s Children's Hospital and Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.
The Surrey, B.C., man hopes to collect $47,000 in donations — a dollar for every death from tobacco in Canada each year.
So far, the 57-year-old retired BC Ferries officer has raised about a tenth of that.
"It's a huge struggle," Povah said from Ottawa Tuesday, adding the lack of support crew or sponsors is a major disappointment.
Because he is doing it solo, he's worked out a complicated daily schedule in which he parks his van on the side of the road and runs or walks back five kilometres or so, then returns to the van and does the same in the other direction.
He then drives it ahead 10 kilometres and does the same thing all over again, for a total of 42 kilometres — essentially a marathon.
After the trek ends in Montreal, Povah hopes to make a dogleg through the U.S. in November to visit the New York City headquarters of the Philip Morris cigarette company.
Povah said 30 per cent of money raised will go to the charities, while the rest will go to the anti-tobacco lobby group he runs, Airspace Action on Smoking and Health.
понедельник, 18 октября 2010 г.
Quit Smoking Monday Messages
The Meaning of Freedom when we Quit Smoking
Once we quit smoking, the word freedom takes on a depth of meaning it never had before. The benefits of better health and more money in our pockets only marks the beginning of the positive changes most of us enjoy after quitting.
The quit stories in today's feature illustrate the value freedom from nicotine addiction has had on 10 unique and precious lives.
Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.
Quit Smoking Monday Messages Archive
We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.
You can quit smoking ... and we're here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.
Once we quit smoking, the word freedom takes on a depth of meaning it never had before. The benefits of better health and more money in our pockets only marks the beginning of the positive changes most of us enjoy after quitting.
The quit stories in today's feature illustrate the value freedom from nicotine addiction has had on 10 unique and precious lives.
Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.
Quit Smoking Monday Messages Archive
We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.
You can quit smoking ... and we're here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.
пятница, 9 июля 2010 г.
Opinion: 2012 initiative will take aim at cancer — and tobacco
Cancer is projected to become the leading cause of death worldwide this year. Without global action, the number of people living with — and dying from — the disease will triple by 2030.
As a cancer survivor, I'm overwhelmed by the toll this disease takes on humankind. Despite continuing advancements in medical treatment and prevention, cancer remains a leading cause of death in California, with more than 140,000 Californians diagnosed every year.
In economic terms, cancer's impact on California's fiscal well-being is far greater when viewed through the lens of the leading — and entirely preventable — cause of cancer: tobacco. Over the past decade, the tobacco industry has poured 10 times as many marketing dollars into California as the state has been able to invest in tobacco education. As a result, California loses $9 billion in tobacco-related health care costs per year.
The California Cancer Research Act will help turn that tide. This initiative will dedicate more than $500 million to the creation of new ways to prevent, detect, treat and cure cancer. It will fund anti-tobacco education efforts and save thousands of California residents from deadly smoking habits by creating a $1 tax on packs of cigarettes.
Led by the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and endorsed by LIVESTRONG, supporters of the initiative, including myself, recently turned in more than 634,000 signatures to qualify the measure for the 2012 presidential primary ballot. Volunteers, most of whom are cancer survivors and their families, collected more than 115,000 of those signatures. Their effort has been inspiring.
The Bay Area stands to benefit substantially from the act's passage, as it is home to the UC San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. As a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, the act will ensure that the center is well-positioned to apply for funding — it is estimated that the tax on cigarettes will raise about $855 million per year at first, although that figure will decline as smoking wanes. In addition, the initiative will lead to the creation of new high-paying jobs and establish UC San Francisco as a leader in the global effort to combat cancer.
The act not only makes fiscal sense, but it is also a necessary investment in the future of our children. Funds raised through the proposed cigarette tax will protect them from secondhand smoke and teach millions of children the dangers of tobacco use, preventing more than 200,000 kids from becoming smokers themselves.
In supporting the act — learn more at www.californiansforacure.org — Californians have the opportunity to strike a serious blow to cancer and set an example for the rest of the nation. Your support could help eradicate a disease that kills more than 50,000 California residents each year. Please consider joining us as we take a stand and pick a fight with cancer.
More tobacco articles and infromarion on tobacco news site.
As a cancer survivor, I'm overwhelmed by the toll this disease takes on humankind. Despite continuing advancements in medical treatment and prevention, cancer remains a leading cause of death in California, with more than 140,000 Californians diagnosed every year.
In economic terms, cancer's impact on California's fiscal well-being is far greater when viewed through the lens of the leading — and entirely preventable — cause of cancer: tobacco. Over the past decade, the tobacco industry has poured 10 times as many marketing dollars into California as the state has been able to invest in tobacco education. As a result, California loses $9 billion in tobacco-related health care costs per year.
The California Cancer Research Act will help turn that tide. This initiative will dedicate more than $500 million to the creation of new ways to prevent, detect, treat and cure cancer. It will fund anti-tobacco education efforts and save thousands of California residents from deadly smoking habits by creating a $1 tax on packs of cigarettes.
Led by the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and endorsed by LIVESTRONG, supporters of the initiative, including myself, recently turned in more than 634,000 signatures to qualify the measure for the 2012 presidential primary ballot. Volunteers, most of whom are cancer survivors and their families, collected more than 115,000 of those signatures. Their effort has been inspiring.
The Bay Area stands to benefit substantially from the act's passage, as it is home to the UC San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. As a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, the act will ensure that the center is well-positioned to apply for funding — it is estimated that the tax on cigarettes will raise about $855 million per year at first, although that figure will decline as smoking wanes. In addition, the initiative will lead to the creation of new high-paying jobs and establish UC San Francisco as a leader in the global effort to combat cancer.
The act not only makes fiscal sense, but it is also a necessary investment in the future of our children. Funds raised through the proposed cigarette tax will protect them from secondhand smoke and teach millions of children the dangers of tobacco use, preventing more than 200,000 kids from becoming smokers themselves.
In supporting the act — learn more at www.californiansforacure.org — Californians have the opportunity to strike a serious blow to cancer and set an example for the rest of the nation. Your support could help eradicate a disease that kills more than 50,000 California residents each year. Please consider joining us as we take a stand and pick a fight with cancer.
More tobacco articles and infromarion on tobacco news site.
понедельник, 21 июня 2010 г.
Fisher: A year later, the tobacco war still isn't won
A year ago this week, I was celebrating with health advocates across the country when they won their 20-year battle to get the federal government to regulate dumb and deadly cigarettes. I can't believe it took that long to convince Congress that nicotine, the powerful addictive drug in tobacco, should be treated like any other drug sold to the public.
After years of marketing cancer sticks to kids and denying that they manipulated the amount of nicotine in their products to hook smokers, shameless tobacco companies at last had to answer to the Food and Drug Administration. They were given a year to stop their clever tricks such as making candy-flavored smokes and using labels like "light" and "low-tar" to make cigarettes sound less harmful.
On Tuesday, the new rules will take effect. But those devoted to the anti-smoking cause know the toxic battles are far from over. With a $12.8 billion marketing budget, tobacco companies will find subtle new ways to attract new smokers.
"They are always just one step ahead of us," said Margo Sidener of Breathe California. "The tobacco companies have the best advertising people in the world, unfortunately."
Smoking on the screen
It doesn't help that cigarette makers get lots of free advertising in movies and on TV. When Sigourney Weaver infamously puffed on a cigarette in "Avatar," it wasn't just a ridiculous endorsement of smoking for the most massive worldwide audience of children and adults ever. Worse, it made no sense. This is supposed to be the future. Do we really think that brilliant scientists will be smoking in their labs in outer space?
In the Bay Area, we live in a smoke-free bubble, as I'm darkly reminded whenever I travel to other parts of the country. It's unsettling to walk into a hazy restaurant and be asked if I want a smoking or nonsmoking table. Or to check into a hotel and find out there are only slightly smelly smoking rooms available. Another reason to be happy to get back home.
While 20 percent of American adults smoke, the number in Santa Clara County is only 10 percent.
And because so many local cities ban smoking in business districts and other public places, smokers have been forced underground.
More kids are puffing
Still, the number of county teens who smoke has inched back up to 13 percent, from a low of 9.5 percent in 2004. And smokeless tobacco, which can cause mouth cancer, is catching on with high school boys.
"I think the public has the misconception that because they don't see as many kids out there smoking, that they aren't doing it," Sidener said. "But they are."
The county recently received a $7 million federal grant for tobacco education. Unfortunately, it's still pretty easy for local kids to buy cigarettes. One way our cities could deal with that problem would be to require stores that sell tobacco to be licensed. Then, if they got caught selling to kids, they would lose the right and the revenue.
And there still is a lot more that the FDA could do. I would like to see the agency exercise its new, long-overdue power by limiting the amount of nicotine in tobacco products to make them less addictive, just as it decrees how much codeine there is in prescription cough medicine.
That way if kids start smoking because they think it's cool, at least they'll be able to quit when they realize it's killing them.
After years of marketing cancer sticks to kids and denying that they manipulated the amount of nicotine in their products to hook smokers, shameless tobacco companies at last had to answer to the Food and Drug Administration. They were given a year to stop their clever tricks such as making candy-flavored smokes and using labels like "light" and "low-tar" to make cigarettes sound less harmful.
On Tuesday, the new rules will take effect. But those devoted to the anti-smoking cause know the toxic battles are far from over. With a $12.8 billion marketing budget, tobacco companies will find subtle new ways to attract new smokers.
"They are always just one step ahead of us," said Margo Sidener of Breathe California. "The tobacco companies have the best advertising people in the world, unfortunately."
Smoking on the screen
It doesn't help that cigarette makers get lots of free advertising in movies and on TV. When Sigourney Weaver infamously puffed on a cigarette in "Avatar," it wasn't just a ridiculous endorsement of smoking for the most massive worldwide audience of children and adults ever. Worse, it made no sense. This is supposed to be the future. Do we really think that brilliant scientists will be smoking in their labs in outer space?
In the Bay Area, we live in a smoke-free bubble, as I'm darkly reminded whenever I travel to other parts of the country. It's unsettling to walk into a hazy restaurant and be asked if I want a smoking or nonsmoking table. Or to check into a hotel and find out there are only slightly smelly smoking rooms available. Another reason to be happy to get back home.
While 20 percent of American adults smoke, the number in Santa Clara County is only 10 percent.
And because so many local cities ban smoking in business districts and other public places, smokers have been forced underground.
More kids are puffing
Still, the number of county teens who smoke has inched back up to 13 percent, from a low of 9.5 percent in 2004. And smokeless tobacco, which can cause mouth cancer, is catching on with high school boys.
"I think the public has the misconception that because they don't see as many kids out there smoking, that they aren't doing it," Sidener said. "But they are."
The county recently received a $7 million federal grant for tobacco education. Unfortunately, it's still pretty easy for local kids to buy cigarettes. One way our cities could deal with that problem would be to require stores that sell tobacco to be licensed. Then, if they got caught selling to kids, they would lose the right and the revenue.
And there still is a lot more that the FDA could do. I would like to see the agency exercise its new, long-overdue power by limiting the amount of nicotine in tobacco products to make them less addictive, just as it decrees how much codeine there is in prescription cough medicine.
That way if kids start smoking because they think it's cool, at least they'll be able to quit when they realize it's killing them.
понедельник, 14 июня 2010 г.
Big Tobacco Takes On New York Smoking Regulation
New York City used to be the "murder capital" of the country. These days, it looks more like the nation's health club and spa.
In 2003, the Big Apple outlawed smoking in all bars and restaurants, and in 2006 banished trans fats from local eateries. In 2008, the city began requiring chain restaurants to post the nutritional content of their offerings, meaning New Yorkers would never look at a Big Mac the same way again. And earlier this year, a state assemblyman from Brooklyn introduced legislation that would prohibit restaurants from using salt "in any form" when preparing food.
New York has gotten its share of good-humored ribbing about its "nanny state" tendencies over the past few years. But the city's latest regulation is getting more serious pushback from a determined source: the tobacco industry.
For the past six months, New York has required retailers to display posters with nauseating photos that show the effects of prolonged tobacco use. The placards include the typical warnings that smoking "causes lung cancer" or "causes tooth decay" but also feature photos of, for example, a blackened lung or a rotted tooth, to drive the point home in an extremely visceral fashion.
On Wednesday, three leading tobacco companies -- Philip Morris, R. J. Reynolds, and Lorillard -- filed a lawsuit contending the signs improperly usurp the federal government's role of regulating tobacco packaging. The companies also argue that the law violates the First Amendment, since it forces storeowners to display the signs even if they disagree with their message. The New York State Association of Convenience Stores, a non-profit trade association made up of 250 companies, also joined the suit.
"The mandated signs crowd out other advertisements and otherwise dominate the point of sale in many smaller establishments, to the exclusion of merchandise or other messages chosen by the store owners," the suit says.
Floyd Abrams, a First Amendment lawyer who is representing the retailers, told The New York Times on Friday that the city "doesn't have the right...to force other people to adopt its expression."
Sarah Perl, assistant commissioner for tobacco control at New York's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told the Times in December that the posters are intended to target consumers "at the point-of-sale moment." Perl added that customers have learned to tune out the generic Surgeon General's warnings that appear on all cigarette packs and advertisements, in large part because those warnings haven't changed much since their introduction in 1966.
Regardless of the outcome, the suit will have far-reaching consequences even outside New York. Massachusetts, which was in the process of implementing a law requiring similar signs, has a special interest in the case.
"Any education and cessation material we can get out there, we would like to get out on a state level," Jennifer Manley, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, told Boston.com on Sunday. "We're going to keep watching New York City closely to see what the outcome is."
And even if the tobacco companies win this round, they'll take a hit in 2012, when federal standards will begin mandating more conspicuous warnings on cigarette packages. Unlike the subtle black-and-white boxes currently featured on the sides of cigarette boxes, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act requires that warnings cover at least 50 percent of the package and that the word "warning" appear in capital letters.
The Act was signed into law by President Obama, himself an occasional smoker, last June.
In 2003, the Big Apple outlawed smoking in all bars and restaurants, and in 2006 banished trans fats from local eateries. In 2008, the city began requiring chain restaurants to post the nutritional content of their offerings, meaning New Yorkers would never look at a Big Mac the same way again. And earlier this year, a state assemblyman from Brooklyn introduced legislation that would prohibit restaurants from using salt "in any form" when preparing food.
New York has gotten its share of good-humored ribbing about its "nanny state" tendencies over the past few years. But the city's latest regulation is getting more serious pushback from a determined source: the tobacco industry.
For the past six months, New York has required retailers to display posters with nauseating photos that show the effects of prolonged tobacco use. The placards include the typical warnings that smoking "causes lung cancer" or "causes tooth decay" but also feature photos of, for example, a blackened lung or a rotted tooth, to drive the point home in an extremely visceral fashion.
On Wednesday, three leading tobacco companies -- Philip Morris, R. J. Reynolds, and Lorillard -- filed a lawsuit contending the signs improperly usurp the federal government's role of regulating tobacco packaging. The companies also argue that the law violates the First Amendment, since it forces storeowners to display the signs even if they disagree with their message. The New York State Association of Convenience Stores, a non-profit trade association made up of 250 companies, also joined the suit.
"The mandated signs crowd out other advertisements and otherwise dominate the point of sale in many smaller establishments, to the exclusion of merchandise or other messages chosen by the store owners," the suit says.
Floyd Abrams, a First Amendment lawyer who is representing the retailers, told The New York Times on Friday that the city "doesn't have the right...to force other people to adopt its expression."
Sarah Perl, assistant commissioner for tobacco control at New York's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told the Times in December that the posters are intended to target consumers "at the point-of-sale moment." Perl added that customers have learned to tune out the generic Surgeon General's warnings that appear on all cigarette packs and advertisements, in large part because those warnings haven't changed much since their introduction in 1966.
Regardless of the outcome, the suit will have far-reaching consequences even outside New York. Massachusetts, which was in the process of implementing a law requiring similar signs, has a special interest in the case.
"Any education and cessation material we can get out there, we would like to get out on a state level," Jennifer Manley, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, told Boston.com on Sunday. "We're going to keep watching New York City closely to see what the outcome is."
And even if the tobacco companies win this round, they'll take a hit in 2012, when federal standards will begin mandating more conspicuous warnings on cigarette packages. Unlike the subtle black-and-white boxes currently featured on the sides of cigarette boxes, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act requires that warnings cover at least 50 percent of the package and that the word "warning" appear in capital letters.
The Act was signed into law by President Obama, himself an occasional smoker, last June.
понедельник, 7 июня 2010 г.
U.S. cigarettes triples the risk of cancer
U.S. cigarettes are most harmful of colleagues manufactured in Australia, Britain or Canada. It comprises a variety of nitrosamines (carcinogenic) very high, which increases the risk of cancer, up to threefold. The research supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), conducted by Dr. Jim Pirkl and published in “Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. Scientists worked with 126 smokers, considering the brand of “blondes” like and subjecting them to tests to assess the presence of nitrosamines in the lungs, urine and oral cavity. It should be noted that the researchers chose smoking faithful to a single brand and consumers of popular national brands.
The CDC investigation concluded as U.S. cigarettes were the most capable in promoting cancer, and this for two main reasons. First of all, they are made with dark tobacco, while the varieties British, Australian and Canadian tobacco exploit “blond.” In addition, producers of the U.S. favor a particular system of tanning and flavoring, can further increase the percentage of nitrosamines. Doctors involved hope their work can help company to produce safer cigarettes, even if they admit it big and how far from simple. Nor is it certain, in fact, if a reduction of nitrosamines would lead to a reduction of cancer among smokers, since they are involved in the process other chemicals.
Explains Professor John Spangler, of the Faculty of Medicine of Wake Forest University: “There are at least two dozen other carcinogens in cigarettes, not to mention the other 4000 chemicals that can contribute to heart disease and also cause respiratory” . Source: “Study: U.S. Cigarettes Have More Cancer Agents”, CBS News, 1/06/010
WARNING: The article below is the result of research and development of news published on the Web and / or received. The author, preparation and properties, not necessarily endorse the thinking and the validity of what is published. Without any liability on the above, invite the reader to a review at the accredited sources and / or having the title.
вторник, 1 июня 2010 г.
Women Smokers Targeted on 'World No Tobacco Day'
Although cancer death rates for women are generally on the downswing, statistics indicate that female lung cancer fatalities are rising, the American Lung Association (ALA) says.
Click here to find out more!
More than 170,000 American women die every year from tobacco-related illness, the ALA estimates. And chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, kills more women than men.
To draw attention to the harmful effects of tobacco use and tobacco industry marketing as it pertains to women and girls, the ALA and the World Health Organization are observing World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
The organization hopes awareness of World No Tobacco Daywill encourage female smokers to kick the habit, perhaps with the help of the ALA's "Freedom from Smoking Online" program, which provides both men and women assistance with quitting.
"Quitting smoking is the single most important thing that most individuals can do to improve their health, and World No Tobacco Day is a great day for all to stop using tobacco products," Mary H. Partridge, ALA's national board chair, said in a news release.
In addition to underscoring the importance of quitting, the ALA also seeks to highlight the ways in which the marketing tactics of tobacco manufacturers target women.
"The tobacco industry has a long and shameful history of targeting women and children," said Partridge. "The most recent example is R.J. Reynolds' Camel No. 9 cigarettes, a pink-hued version that one newspaper dubbed 'Barbie Camel' because of marketing that appealed to girls. Advertised as 'available in stiletto' with promotional giveaways of flavored lip glosses and pink purses, it seems clear who R.J. Reynolds was targeting.
Click here to find out more!
More than 170,000 American women die every year from tobacco-related illness, the ALA estimates. And chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, kills more women than men.
To draw attention to the harmful effects of tobacco use and tobacco industry marketing as it pertains to women and girls, the ALA and the World Health Organization are observing World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
The organization hopes awareness of World No Tobacco Daywill encourage female smokers to kick the habit, perhaps with the help of the ALA's "Freedom from Smoking Online" program, which provides both men and women assistance with quitting.
"Quitting smoking is the single most important thing that most individuals can do to improve their health, and World No Tobacco Day is a great day for all to stop using tobacco products," Mary H. Partridge, ALA's national board chair, said in a news release.
In addition to underscoring the importance of quitting, the ALA also seeks to highlight the ways in which the marketing tactics of tobacco manufacturers target women.
"The tobacco industry has a long and shameful history of targeting women and children," said Partridge. "The most recent example is R.J. Reynolds' Camel No. 9 cigarettes, a pink-hued version that one newspaper dubbed 'Barbie Camel' because of marketing that appealed to girls. Advertised as 'available in stiletto' with promotional giveaways of flavored lip glosses and pink purses, it seems clear who R.J. Reynolds was targeting.
понедельник, 10 мая 2010 г.
Philip Morris consolidates cigarette-making operations in Richmond
Tucked between the new high-speed cigarette-makers and pack-loaders in Philip Morris USA's giant South Richmond plant, there now are lots of head-high, Plexiglas-walled boxes.
Inside, robot-arms load rolls of cigarette paper or package and carton blanks, keeping a continuous feed of material flowing. Overhead, a conveyor belt, also walled in with clear plastic, forms an eight-loop-high spiral of cigarettes.
The extra 3 feet between the cigarette-making machines and the beeping driverless cars that bring pallet-loads full of cigarettes to the loading docks are visible signs of a $230 million investment that the nation's No. 1 cigarette-maker has made to consolidate operations in Richmond.
"We're about 98 percent done," Eric Schardt, director of cigarette manufacturing, said about the changes at the plant, during a rarely offered tour of the secure area.
"And we did it while continuing to produce product."
The investment came as Philip Morris USA, a unit of Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc., consolidated all its cigarette-making in Richmond last July, when it closed its relatively new plant in Cabarrus County, N.C.
With the consolidation and the modernization here, the Richmond plant now makes about 149 billion cigarettes a year.
Adding to the challenge of doing everything in one place is that Philip Morris USA has launched dozens of new varieties in the past few years.
It now makes 27 different kinds of Marlboros in 43 different kinds of packaging. In addition to Marlboros, Philip Morris makes 88 other kinds of cigarettes in 114 packages.
It puts a premium on flexibility and on cranking out lots of cigarettes.
"We can handle orders from 360,000 a day of one brand to 500 million of another, at the extreme," Schardt said.
. . .
Each of the new machines in Bay 1 can produce 10,000 cigarettes a minute, using air pressure to shoot the equivalent of about 3/100 of an ounce of tobacco per cigarette into an endless tube of paper that's moving through its rollers at a rate of more than 22 mph.
That's 25 percent more cigarettes per minute than the old machines, which Philip Morris still uses in Bay 3 of the plant, for the smaller runs of its less popular brands.
One worker minds two of the high-speed machines in Bay 1. Each machine has its own operator in Bay 3.
One reason for having one worker overseeing one machine in Bay 3 is that the paper and unfolded packaging materials must be loaded onto the machines by hand, and often enough at the cost of sore backs and pinched fingers.
In Bay 1, ingredients come on larger pallet-loads that are fed into machines automatically by those robot arms in their Plexiglas-walled boxes.
Another key difference: There is one shipping-case machine for each six of Bay 3's cigarettes-makers. In Bay 1, there is one case machine for each pair of cigarette-makers.
In Bay 3, Robert Warren, manager of cigarette manufacturing, and his crew constantly are juggling to run the 10 different varieties the bay's 18 machines can handle.
In Bay 1, that headache's gone.
Altria employed the equivalent of 4,613 full-time workers in the Richmond area as of Jan. 1. The company won't say how many work at the South Richmond plant -- it keeps data about its production closely guarded so competitors don't get clues about its operation.
. . .
Even Bay 3, though, benefits from other investments.
Hand-held scanners, tracking numbers and tiny quarter-inch-square gray-and-white markings on packaging material signal automated loaders in the adjoining warehouse to pull exactly what papers, foils, films and packing flats each machine in the plant needs, when operators are about to run low.
The old Bay 3 machines have the latest computer monitors: Sensors test the cigarettes shooting out of the machine to make sure each is within tight limits for weight and how tightly the tobacco leaf inside is packed.
There are brand-new testing machines in the filter-making room, too.
Instead of the old days when operators grabbed a handful of new filters and used calipers and a scale to see if they met standards, the new shoulder-high metal boxes can pull filters after they're made.
The machines measure weight and circumference and even blow through air to check what cigarette makers call "resistance to draw," which means how hard a smoker must drag to get a puff.
. . .
A big part of Philip Morris USA's investment in the plant is information technology.
The cigarette-making machines, the pneumatic feed-lines from the tobacco-storage silos in the plant's basement, and its warehouse and the other cigarette-making supplies all talk to each other all of the time -- thanks to technology.
Battered, pistol-shaped hand-held scanners are used all over -- most workers are assigned one, and most have specially installed rubber guards at the corners, too.
"They really get a workout," said Schardt, picking up a particularly well-used scanner.
But then, most days feel like a sprint at the plant.
"From the time the tobacco comes up from downstairs, to pallets of cases being loaded on the trucks, you're talking maybe an hour," Schardt said.
Inside, robot-arms load rolls of cigarette paper or package and carton blanks, keeping a continuous feed of material flowing. Overhead, a conveyor belt, also walled in with clear plastic, forms an eight-loop-high spiral of cigarettes.
The extra 3 feet between the cigarette-making machines and the beeping driverless cars that bring pallet-loads full of cigarettes to the loading docks are visible signs of a $230 million investment that the nation's No. 1 cigarette-maker has made to consolidate operations in Richmond.
"We're about 98 percent done," Eric Schardt, director of cigarette manufacturing, said about the changes at the plant, during a rarely offered tour of the secure area.
"And we did it while continuing to produce product."
The investment came as Philip Morris USA, a unit of Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc., consolidated all its cigarette-making in Richmond last July, when it closed its relatively new plant in Cabarrus County, N.C.
With the consolidation and the modernization here, the Richmond plant now makes about 149 billion cigarettes a year.
Adding to the challenge of doing everything in one place is that Philip Morris USA has launched dozens of new varieties in the past few years.
It now makes 27 different kinds of Marlboros in 43 different kinds of packaging. In addition to Marlboros, Philip Morris makes 88 other kinds of cigarettes in 114 packages.
It puts a premium on flexibility and on cranking out lots of cigarettes.
"We can handle orders from 360,000 a day of one brand to 500 million of another, at the extreme," Schardt said.
. . .
Each of the new machines in Bay 1 can produce 10,000 cigarettes a minute, using air pressure to shoot the equivalent of about 3/100 of an ounce of tobacco per cigarette into an endless tube of paper that's moving through its rollers at a rate of more than 22 mph.
That's 25 percent more cigarettes per minute than the old machines, which Philip Morris still uses in Bay 3 of the plant, for the smaller runs of its less popular brands.
One worker minds two of the high-speed machines in Bay 1. Each machine has its own operator in Bay 3.
One reason for having one worker overseeing one machine in Bay 3 is that the paper and unfolded packaging materials must be loaded onto the machines by hand, and often enough at the cost of sore backs and pinched fingers.
In Bay 1, ingredients come on larger pallet-loads that are fed into machines automatically by those robot arms in their Plexiglas-walled boxes.
Another key difference: There is one shipping-case machine for each six of Bay 3's cigarettes-makers. In Bay 1, there is one case machine for each pair of cigarette-makers.
In Bay 3, Robert Warren, manager of cigarette manufacturing, and his crew constantly are juggling to run the 10 different varieties the bay's 18 machines can handle.
In Bay 1, that headache's gone.
Altria employed the equivalent of 4,613 full-time workers in the Richmond area as of Jan. 1. The company won't say how many work at the South Richmond plant -- it keeps data about its production closely guarded so competitors don't get clues about its operation.
. . .
Even Bay 3, though, benefits from other investments.
Hand-held scanners, tracking numbers and tiny quarter-inch-square gray-and-white markings on packaging material signal automated loaders in the adjoining warehouse to pull exactly what papers, foils, films and packing flats each machine in the plant needs, when operators are about to run low.
The old Bay 3 machines have the latest computer monitors: Sensors test the cigarettes shooting out of the machine to make sure each is within tight limits for weight and how tightly the tobacco leaf inside is packed.
There are brand-new testing machines in the filter-making room, too.
Instead of the old days when operators grabbed a handful of new filters and used calipers and a scale to see if they met standards, the new shoulder-high metal boxes can pull filters after they're made.
The machines measure weight and circumference and even blow through air to check what cigarette makers call "resistance to draw," which means how hard a smoker must drag to get a puff.
. . .
A big part of Philip Morris USA's investment in the plant is information technology.
The cigarette-making machines, the pneumatic feed-lines from the tobacco-storage silos in the plant's basement, and its warehouse and the other cigarette-making supplies all talk to each other all of the time -- thanks to technology.
Battered, pistol-shaped hand-held scanners are used all over -- most workers are assigned one, and most have specially installed rubber guards at the corners, too.
"They really get a workout," said Schardt, picking up a particularly well-used scanner.
But then, most days feel like a sprint at the plant.
"From the time the tobacco comes up from downstairs, to pallets of cases being loaded on the trucks, you're talking maybe an hour," Schardt said.
понедельник, 3 мая 2010 г.
Tobacco giant targets tax-free cigarette sales
Area stores unhappy with tax-free sales of cigarettes by the Oneida Indian Nation have found a powerful ally -- one of the world's largest tobacco companies.
“The state loses revenue. Retailers lose sales. Their employees could even lose jobs. And it adds to the burden on hard-working taxpayers,” reads a recent full-page advertisement paid for by Altria Client Services on behalf of Philip Morris USA. The ad was published in various Upstate New York newspapers.
The ad pictures large hands cradling sand, with grains falling between the fingers.
Oneida Nation officials say they feel betrayed by the stance Philip Morris has taken - saying it's a reversal of the company's previous position, which in the past has provided racking and signage to SavOn and other Indian stores.
“They were like a big brother almost, who has turned around and smacked us for some reason,” said Bob Hilburger, director of business development for the Oneida Indian Nation.
Tobacco industry officials say the ads and the website, Enforce The Law - Collect The Tax Coalition, are not questioning the sovereignty of Indian nations such as the Oneidas, who have built a commercial empire in the western portion of Oneida County and in eastern Madison County, complete with a casino, hotels, restaurants and convenience stores.
“It's really about the policy issue of tax collection,” said David Sutton, spokesman for Philip Morris USA. “It's about leveling the playing field.”
'Need for revenue'
There have been several similar coalitions formed throughout the years to peddle the same kind of message, said James Calvin, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores.
Why does Calvin hope this one will have better results?
For one, he said, the effort now has “the leadership and participation of Altria,” which sells close to half of U.S. cigarettes.
Also, the state has a vested interest to collect these taxes now to close its potential $9 billion budget gap, Calvin said.
The sale of untaxed cigarettes from Indians to non-Indians has been a longstanding issue - especially in Upstate New York.
The initial promise to collect those taxes on Indian cigarettes was made by then-Gov. George Pataki, who pulled back from the measure in the 1990s after about 1,000 members of the Seneca Nation blocked the Thruway and other roads -- sometimes with burning tires.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer campaigned for governor on the same promise, but backed away once in office, leaving a gap in the 2007-08 state budget.
Now, Gov. David Paterson is giving collecting the revenue another shot, looking to enforce a law he signed in December 2008 in Utica.
Recently proposed state regulations would limit the quantity of tax-free cigarettes that may legally be supplied to Indian nations or tribes.
'Death notice'
But the longer this tax goes uncollected, the more it is hindering local convenience stores, Calvin said.
“You lose the sale of cigarettes, and you lose the sale of other products,” he said.
Sutton said his company is looking out for the interests of such stores.
“If you have one pool of retailers that we're obviously working with every day, and have another pool of retailers who are not colleting the tax, it's very difficult to compete,” he said.
As for the Nation, it has already made the decision to downplay product placement of Philip Morris' Marlboro cigarettes in SavOn stores, Hilburger said.
“Obviously you're not going to support someone to run expensive ads in the paper,” Hilburger said, adding of the advertisement, “It almost looked like a death notice. It was 85 percent black.”
“The state loses revenue. Retailers lose sales. Their employees could even lose jobs. And it adds to the burden on hard-working taxpayers,” reads a recent full-page advertisement paid for by Altria Client Services on behalf of Philip Morris USA. The ad was published in various Upstate New York newspapers.
The ad pictures large hands cradling sand, with grains falling between the fingers.
Oneida Nation officials say they feel betrayed by the stance Philip Morris has taken - saying it's a reversal of the company's previous position, which in the past has provided racking and signage to SavOn and other Indian stores.
“They were like a big brother almost, who has turned around and smacked us for some reason,” said Bob Hilburger, director of business development for the Oneida Indian Nation.
Tobacco industry officials say the ads and the website, Enforce The Law - Collect The Tax Coalition, are not questioning the sovereignty of Indian nations such as the Oneidas, who have built a commercial empire in the western portion of Oneida County and in eastern Madison County, complete with a casino, hotels, restaurants and convenience stores.
“It's really about the policy issue of tax collection,” said David Sutton, spokesman for Philip Morris USA. “It's about leveling the playing field.”
'Need for revenue'
There have been several similar coalitions formed throughout the years to peddle the same kind of message, said James Calvin, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores.
Why does Calvin hope this one will have better results?
For one, he said, the effort now has “the leadership and participation of Altria,” which sells close to half of U.S. cigarettes.
Also, the state has a vested interest to collect these taxes now to close its potential $9 billion budget gap, Calvin said.
The sale of untaxed cigarettes from Indians to non-Indians has been a longstanding issue - especially in Upstate New York.
The initial promise to collect those taxes on Indian cigarettes was made by then-Gov. George Pataki, who pulled back from the measure in the 1990s after about 1,000 members of the Seneca Nation blocked the Thruway and other roads -- sometimes with burning tires.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer campaigned for governor on the same promise, but backed away once in office, leaving a gap in the 2007-08 state budget.
Now, Gov. David Paterson is giving collecting the revenue another shot, looking to enforce a law he signed in December 2008 in Utica.
Recently proposed state regulations would limit the quantity of tax-free cigarettes that may legally be supplied to Indian nations or tribes.
'Death notice'
But the longer this tax goes uncollected, the more it is hindering local convenience stores, Calvin said.
“You lose the sale of cigarettes, and you lose the sale of other products,” he said.
Sutton said his company is looking out for the interests of such stores.
“If you have one pool of retailers that we're obviously working with every day, and have another pool of retailers who are not colleting the tax, it's very difficult to compete,” he said.
As for the Nation, it has already made the decision to downplay product placement of Philip Morris' Marlboro cigarettes in SavOn stores, Hilburger said.
“Obviously you're not going to support someone to run expensive ads in the paper,” Hilburger said, adding of the advertisement, “It almost looked like a death notice. It was 85 percent black.”
понедельник, 26 апреля 2010 г.
Struggling to quit smoking? Now you can blame your genes
Smokers who find it hard to cut down or quit may be at the mercy of their genes.
Scientists identified three genetic mutations that increase the number of cigarettes people smoke a day.
Several also appear to be associated with taking up smoking, and one with being able to quit.
The findings could lead to more personalised - and ultimately more effective - treatments that help people stub out their cigarettes.
Three studies published online in Nature Genetics compared the DNA of a total of more than 140,000 people and discovered the desire to give up is down to your genes rather than willpower.
Two of them found regions associated to the number of cigarettes smoked per day that include two genes that have been linked with nicotine dependence and two others that regulate nicotine metabolism in the body.
Mutations in these genes are associated with a small increase in smoking quantity - about half a cigarette a day - but around 10 per cent increase in risk of lung cancer compared with non carriers.
Lead author Professor Kari Stefansson, a neurologist at deCODE genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland, said: 'Smoking is bad for anyone's health. It is even worse for some.
'To some degree these variants suggest those for whom nicotine is more addictive are driven to smoke more, increasing their exposure to environmental risk.
'But given the quite substantial corresponding increases in risk of lung cancer it may also be that they make people more susceptible to the noxious effects of tobacco smoke.
'What is clear is that these variants - which are all near genes that encode nicotine metabolizing enzymes and receptors - are giving us a solid starting point for finding answers to advance personal and public health.'
A third study by Dr Clyde Francks, of the University of Oxford, and colleagues found variants of three genes on chromosome 15 that make people more prone to nicotine addiction. Nicotine is the primary chemical responsible for smoking addiction.
He said: 'Smoking behavior and nicotine dependence are multifactorial traits with substantial genetic influences. There is an urgent need to better understand the molecular neurobiology of nicotine dependence in order to design targeted, more effective therapies.
'These findings have provided further new insights into the biology of smoking behaviour.'
Scientists identified three genetic mutations that increase the number of cigarettes people smoke a day.
Several also appear to be associated with taking up smoking, and one with being able to quit.
The findings could lead to more personalised - and ultimately more effective - treatments that help people stub out their cigarettes.
Three studies published online in Nature Genetics compared the DNA of a total of more than 140,000 people and discovered the desire to give up is down to your genes rather than willpower.
Two of them found regions associated to the number of cigarettes smoked per day that include two genes that have been linked with nicotine dependence and two others that regulate nicotine metabolism in the body.
Mutations in these genes are associated with a small increase in smoking quantity - about half a cigarette a day - but around 10 per cent increase in risk of lung cancer compared with non carriers.
Lead author Professor Kari Stefansson, a neurologist at deCODE genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland, said: 'Smoking is bad for anyone's health. It is even worse for some.
'To some degree these variants suggest those for whom nicotine is more addictive are driven to smoke more, increasing their exposure to environmental risk.
'But given the quite substantial corresponding increases in risk of lung cancer it may also be that they make people more susceptible to the noxious effects of tobacco smoke.
'What is clear is that these variants - which are all near genes that encode nicotine metabolizing enzymes and receptors - are giving us a solid starting point for finding answers to advance personal and public health.'
A third study by Dr Clyde Francks, of the University of Oxford, and colleagues found variants of three genes on chromosome 15 that make people more prone to nicotine addiction. Nicotine is the primary chemical responsible for smoking addiction.
He said: 'Smoking behavior and nicotine dependence are multifactorial traits with substantial genetic influences. There is an urgent need to better understand the molecular neurobiology of nicotine dependence in order to design targeted, more effective therapies.
'These findings have provided further new insights into the biology of smoking behaviour.'
понедельник, 19 апреля 2010 г.
E-cigarettes can help kick the butt
Nicotine delivered via an e-cigarette can help curb the urge to smoke, says new research.
E-cigarettes are electronic nicotine delivery devices that resemble cigarettes but do not use tobacco. They release a small dose of nicotine with each puff.
"The e-cigarettes that we tested appeared to be as effective as a standard nicotine replacement therapy inhalator in reducing the desire," says Chris Bullen, associate professor at the University of Auckland, who led the study.
"Our results indicate that e-cigarettes have potential as a method to help people stop smoking, in the same ways as a nicotine inhalator. However, our findings should be seen as preliminary and need to be confirmed for this and other e-cigarette brands."
"E-cigarettes are popular in the United States and Asia where people report buying them to reduce the cost of smoking, cut down on cigarette consumption, use in smokefree places, relieve tobacco withdrawal symptoms, or help quit smoking," says Bullen.
But this is the first reputable clinical study to actually examine their effect on smokers," says Bullen.
The study compared 40 adult smokers who on different days used a Ruyan V8 e-cigarette delivering either nicotine or placebo; a Nicorette nicotine inhalator; or their usual cigarette, says an Auckland release.
"We found that the device delivered nicotine to the bloodstream in a similar way as an inhalator, reduced the desire to smoke, and was acceptable to most users," says Bullen.
"However further studies are required to examine the potential and safety of long-term e-cigarette use, and a large clinical trial would be needed to determine their effectiveness in helping people stop smoking."
E-cigarettes are electronic nicotine delivery devices that resemble cigarettes but do not use tobacco. They release a small dose of nicotine with each puff.
"The e-cigarettes that we tested appeared to be as effective as a standard nicotine replacement therapy inhalator in reducing the desire," says Chris Bullen, associate professor at the University of Auckland, who led the study.
"Our results indicate that e-cigarettes have potential as a method to help people stop smoking, in the same ways as a nicotine inhalator. However, our findings should be seen as preliminary and need to be confirmed for this and other e-cigarette brands."
"E-cigarettes are popular in the United States and Asia where people report buying them to reduce the cost of smoking, cut down on cigarette consumption, use in smokefree places, relieve tobacco withdrawal symptoms, or help quit smoking," says Bullen.
But this is the first reputable clinical study to actually examine their effect on smokers," says Bullen.
The study compared 40 adult smokers who on different days used a Ruyan V8 e-cigarette delivering either nicotine or placebo; a Nicorette nicotine inhalator; or their usual cigarette, says an Auckland release.
"We found that the device delivered nicotine to the bloodstream in a similar way as an inhalator, reduced the desire to smoke, and was acceptable to most users," says Bullen.
"However further studies are required to examine the potential and safety of long-term e-cigarette use, and a large clinical trial would be needed to determine their effectiveness in helping people stop smoking."
четверг, 15 апреля 2010 г.
MLB asked to chew on tobacco ban
Major League Baseball and the players' union should "take action to end the use of smokeless tobacco by big-league players," Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, said Wednesday.
Executives from Major League Baseball and the players' association joined U.S. public-health officials to testify before the panel on the prevalence of smokeless tobacco and whether its use by professional athletes influences children.
"Like many generations of Major League Baseball players, I started using spit tobacco because I saw other players doing it, and I thought it was part of being a major-league player," said Joe Garagiola, a television announcer and former player. "This is a dangerous, deadly habit."
Tobacco of all kinds is banned in minor-league baseball, a policy Garagiola urged major-league players to adopt. While major-league players aren't allowed to smoke cigarettes in uniform in view of spectators, chewing tobacco is different, said David Prouty, chief labor counsel for the Major League Baseball Players Association.
"Cigarettes impact the ability to play the game, are banned from public use under a variety of state and municipal laws, and may endanger the health of those in the immediate area," Prouty said. "Baseball players should not be prohibited from using substances that are perfectly legal and available to the general public."
Tobacco companies led by Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds argue they should be allowed to market smokeless products as a safer alternative to cigarettes.
"Some adults who would otherwise continue smoking may be willing to move to a smokeless-tobacco alternative to cigarettes," said James Dillard, a senior vice president at Altria Group, which owns Philip Morris. "Smokeless-tobacco products are substantially lower on the risk continuum than cigarettes."
Health officials say they worry chewing tobacco will have the opposite effect: that it may act as a gateway to cigarettes, and that children could become addicted to tobacco by emulating its use by baseball players.
"We don't let baseball players go stand out in the field and drink beer," Waxman said during the hearing. "The MLB Association won't let them stand out there and smoke cigarettes," and chewing tobacco also should disappear from games, he said.
Waxman last year supported a bill giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products. The law bans tobacco-brand sponsorships of sports and entertainment events among measures aimed at reducing underage smoking.
Nine of every 10 people who die from mouth and throat cancers used tobacco, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).
Tobacco products also are linked to higher rates of gum disease, one of the leading causes of adult tooth loss, the ADA said in an October letter to the FDA.
Terry Pechacek of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Deborah Winn of the National Cancer Institute testified about the links between smokeless tobacco and cancer, and the addictiveness of smokeless tobacco.
Pechacek said smokeless tobacco can cause oral cancer and pancreatic cancer, and has been linked to fatal heart attacks.
Banning use would require negotiations with the players union, said Robert Manfred, an executive vice president for Major League Baseball.
"Like drug testing, the regulation of player use of tobacco products is a mandatory subject of collective bargaining with the players association," he said. "But unlike performance-enhancing substances, smokeless-tobacco products are legal in all 50 states for sale to, and consumption by, adults."
Executives from Major League Baseball and the players' association joined U.S. public-health officials to testify before the panel on the prevalence of smokeless tobacco and whether its use by professional athletes influences children.
"Like many generations of Major League Baseball players, I started using spit tobacco because I saw other players doing it, and I thought it was part of being a major-league player," said Joe Garagiola, a television announcer and former player. "This is a dangerous, deadly habit."
Tobacco of all kinds is banned in minor-league baseball, a policy Garagiola urged major-league players to adopt. While major-league players aren't allowed to smoke cigarettes in uniform in view of spectators, chewing tobacco is different, said David Prouty, chief labor counsel for the Major League Baseball Players Association.
"Cigarettes impact the ability to play the game, are banned from public use under a variety of state and municipal laws, and may endanger the health of those in the immediate area," Prouty said. "Baseball players should not be prohibited from using substances that are perfectly legal and available to the general public."
Tobacco companies led by Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds argue they should be allowed to market smokeless products as a safer alternative to cigarettes.
"Some adults who would otherwise continue smoking may be willing to move to a smokeless-tobacco alternative to cigarettes," said James Dillard, a senior vice president at Altria Group, which owns Philip Morris. "Smokeless-tobacco products are substantially lower on the risk continuum than cigarettes."
Health officials say they worry chewing tobacco will have the opposite effect: that it may act as a gateway to cigarettes, and that children could become addicted to tobacco by emulating its use by baseball players.
"We don't let baseball players go stand out in the field and drink beer," Waxman said during the hearing. "The MLB Association won't let them stand out there and smoke cigarettes," and chewing tobacco also should disappear from games, he said.
Waxman last year supported a bill giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products. The law bans tobacco-brand sponsorships of sports and entertainment events among measures aimed at reducing underage smoking.
Nine of every 10 people who die from mouth and throat cancers used tobacco, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).
Tobacco products also are linked to higher rates of gum disease, one of the leading causes of adult tooth loss, the ADA said in an October letter to the FDA.
Terry Pechacek of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Deborah Winn of the National Cancer Institute testified about the links between smokeless tobacco and cancer, and the addictiveness of smokeless tobacco.
Pechacek said smokeless tobacco can cause oral cancer and pancreatic cancer, and has been linked to fatal heart attacks.
Banning use would require negotiations with the players union, said Robert Manfred, an executive vice president for Major League Baseball.
"Like drug testing, the regulation of player use of tobacco products is a mandatory subject of collective bargaining with the players association," he said. "But unlike performance-enhancing substances, smokeless-tobacco products are legal in all 50 states for sale to, and consumption by, adults."
понедельник, 29 марта 2010 г.
Cigarettes smuggled in ladies shoe boxes
An attempt to pass off contraband cigarettes as ladies shoes was uncovered at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said they found 3,360 cartons of cigarettes when they took a closer look at the boxes.
The customs duty and GST payable amounted to almost S$258,000.
A Malaysia-registered lorry had pulled into the checkpoint at 1.40 pm last Thursday with three consignments of ladies shoes and pharmaceutical items.
The duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in 56 boxes that were not labelled.
The 31-year-old Malaysian Chinese driver claimed that he had only started work with the Malaysian transport company about three weeks ago.
He was helped by a co-driver when he collected the consignments from Johor in the morning on March 25.
The 54-year-old Malaysian Indian co-driver claimed that he had worked for the same transport company for a few years.
He was to help deliver the pharmaceutical items to a company at Ubi Ave 1.
A consignment of the ladies shoes was to be sent to a warehouse at Kallang Way while the rest of the shoes were to be delivered to the ports for export.
The two drivers, the cigarettes and the lorry were handed over to the Singapore Customs for further investigations.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said they found 3,360 cartons of cigarettes when they took a closer look at the boxes.
The customs duty and GST payable amounted to almost S$258,000.
A Malaysia-registered lorry had pulled into the checkpoint at 1.40 pm last Thursday with three consignments of ladies shoes and pharmaceutical items.
The duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in 56 boxes that were not labelled.
The 31-year-old Malaysian Chinese driver claimed that he had only started work with the Malaysian transport company about three weeks ago.
He was helped by a co-driver when he collected the consignments from Johor in the morning on March 25.
The 54-year-old Malaysian Indian co-driver claimed that he had worked for the same transport company for a few years.
He was to help deliver the pharmaceutical items to a company at Ubi Ave 1.
A consignment of the ladies shoes was to be sent to a warehouse at Kallang Way while the rest of the shoes were to be delivered to the ports for export.
The two drivers, the cigarettes and the lorry were handed over to the Singapore Customs for further investigations.
понедельник, 15 марта 2010 г.
Camel No. 9 cigarette ads appeal to teen girls
A recent marketing campaign for Camel cigarettes appears to have attracted the interest of teen girls, a study shows.
The ads for Camel No. 9 cigarettes — which ran in magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Glamour — were a hit with girls ages 12 to 16, says a study of 1,036 adolescents published online Monday in Pediatrics.
Promotional giveaways for the new brand, which was launched in 2007, included berry-flavored lip balm, cellphone jewelry, purses and wristbands, the study says.
David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds, which makes Camel, says the ads were aimed at adults, noting that 85% of the magazines' readers are over 18. Tobacco companies agreed not to target kids as part of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with state attorneys general. He notes that teen smoking rates have continued to decline since the ads were introduced.
But the ads were clearly noticed by teenagers, says study co-author Cheryl Healton, president of the anti-smoking group the American Legacy Foundation, which interviewed teens about their awareness of cigarette brands.
In 2008, within a year of the ads' debut, 22% of girls listed Camel as their favorite cigarette ad. That's twice the number who listed Camel as their favorite in four earlier interviews taken for the study. That suggests that it was the new campaign — not older Camel products — that captured girls' attention, Healton says.
Being able to remember a tobacco ad shows that kids are taking an interest in cigarettes, says co-author John Pierce of the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California-San Diego. Non-smoking teens who can name a favorite ad are 50% more likely to begin smoking than other kids, the study says.
There was no major change in boys' preferences. Overall, nearly half of girls could name a favorite cigarette ad, suggesting that ads are still reaching children, despite the marketing ban, Pierce says.
Howard says R.J. Reynolds pulled print ads for its cigarettes in 2008.
Ads don't need to include cartoon characters to appeal to young people, says the American Cancer Society's Tom Glynn. In fact, ads that depict smoking as fashionable and grown-up actually make it more attractive to teens, he says. About 80% of smokers take up the habit before age 18.
The ads for Camel No. 9 cigarettes — which ran in magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Glamour — were a hit with girls ages 12 to 16, says a study of 1,036 adolescents published online Monday in Pediatrics.
Promotional giveaways for the new brand, which was launched in 2007, included berry-flavored lip balm, cellphone jewelry, purses and wristbands, the study says.
David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds, which makes Camel, says the ads were aimed at adults, noting that 85% of the magazines' readers are over 18. Tobacco companies agreed not to target kids as part of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with state attorneys general. He notes that teen smoking rates have continued to decline since the ads were introduced.
But the ads were clearly noticed by teenagers, says study co-author Cheryl Healton, president of the anti-smoking group the American Legacy Foundation, which interviewed teens about their awareness of cigarette brands.
In 2008, within a year of the ads' debut, 22% of girls listed Camel as their favorite cigarette ad. That's twice the number who listed Camel as their favorite in four earlier interviews taken for the study. That suggests that it was the new campaign — not older Camel products — that captured girls' attention, Healton says.
Being able to remember a tobacco ad shows that kids are taking an interest in cigarettes, says co-author John Pierce of the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California-San Diego. Non-smoking teens who can name a favorite ad are 50% more likely to begin smoking than other kids, the study says.
There was no major change in boys' preferences. Overall, nearly half of girls could name a favorite cigarette ad, suggesting that ads are still reaching children, despite the marketing ban, Pierce says.
Howard says R.J. Reynolds pulled print ads for its cigarettes in 2008.
Ads don't need to include cartoon characters to appeal to young people, says the American Cancer Society's Tom Glynn. In fact, ads that depict smoking as fashionable and grown-up actually make it more attractive to teens, he says. About 80% of smokers take up the habit before age 18.
вторник, 9 марта 2010 г.
Cigarette tax would save lives and close budget hole
Health care advocates on Monday urged Georgia lawmakers to pass a dollar-a-pack cigarette tax as a way to save lives, reduce teen smoking and partially close an estimated $1 billion hole in the state budget.The state Capitol rally by the Georgia Alliance for Tobacco Prevention kicked off a tug of war between those hoping to increase cigarette taxes and opponents who will hold an anti-tax rally Tuesday.
More than 100 health care professionals and members of the faith community showed up Monday, many of them wearing “Pass the Buck” badges with dollar bills pinned to them.
The proposed tax would raise an estimated $354 million annually and -- proponents say -- decrease the number of smokers.
“Tobacco takes a huge toll in Georgia,” said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society’s national deputy chief medical officer. “Thirty people in our state die every day due to tobacco.”
Lichtenfeld said there are 1.4 million smokers in the state and about 10,500 deaths linked to smoking annually.
State Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) said during the rally that he is a fiscal conservative, but he said the Legislature should pass HB 39 to help close the budget deficit and bring state cigarette taxes in line with the rest of the nation. He said the state tax in Georgia is 37 cents, compared with a national average of $1.34 per pack.
Stephens took a shot at Americans for Prosperity, the sponsor of Tuesday’s anti-tax rally, saying the group has ties to the tobacco industry.
“They ought to be ashamed,” Stephens said. “I though they were smarter than that.”
A spokesman for Americans for Prosperity said that the Altria company paid for an email Altria sent to adult smokers opposing the cigarette tax, but is not sponsoring Tuesday's rally.
Dr. Douglas Morris, an Emory University medical professor, said smoking damages human health, harms the environment and can lead smokers to other addictive behaviors.
Pamela Perkins, coordinator of the Interfaith Children’s Movement, urged lawmakers to act now on the tax.
“This is the right time to do what is right for the children of Georgia,” she said.
More than 100 health care professionals and members of the faith community showed up Monday, many of them wearing “Pass the Buck” badges with dollar bills pinned to them.
The proposed tax would raise an estimated $354 million annually and -- proponents say -- decrease the number of smokers.
“Tobacco takes a huge toll in Georgia,” said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society’s national deputy chief medical officer. “Thirty people in our state die every day due to tobacco.”
Lichtenfeld said there are 1.4 million smokers in the state and about 10,500 deaths linked to smoking annually.
State Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) said during the rally that he is a fiscal conservative, but he said the Legislature should pass HB 39 to help close the budget deficit and bring state cigarette taxes in line with the rest of the nation. He said the state tax in Georgia is 37 cents, compared with a national average of $1.34 per pack.
Stephens took a shot at Americans for Prosperity, the sponsor of Tuesday’s anti-tax rally, saying the group has ties to the tobacco industry.
“They ought to be ashamed,” Stephens said. “I though they were smarter than that.”
A spokesman for Americans for Prosperity said that the Altria company paid for an email Altria sent to adult smokers opposing the cigarette tax, but is not sponsoring Tuesday's rally.
Dr. Douglas Morris, an Emory University medical professor, said smoking damages human health, harms the environment and can lead smokers to other addictive behaviors.
Pamela Perkins, coordinator of the Interfaith Children’s Movement, urged lawmakers to act now on the tax.
“This is the right time to do what is right for the children of Georgia,” she said.
понедельник, 1 марта 2010 г.
Salt Lake County Mayor Corroon repeats call for state cigarette tax hike
Peter Corroon sat at his dining room table holding a pack of Marlboro Light cigarettes, surrounded by his wife, Amy, and their three young children, but he wasn't even thinking about lighting up.
The Salt Lake County mayor, who has his sights set on the Governor's Mansion just around the corner from his home in the Avenues, talked Sunday with his kids about the health risks of smoking while repeating his support for increasing the state cigarette tax.
"Our state has the opportunity to show leadership and common sense," Corroon said. "As governor, I would support Utah families over Big Tobacco."
Under a Senate bill that failed to get out of committee last week, the tax on the pack of cigarettes he was holding would rise from 69.5 cents to $2. An aide said the pack cost $6.08.
Corroon declined to say how much he thinks the tax should be increased, but he said he is more concerned with getting smokers to quit — and encouraging young people not to start — than with finding funds to plug the state's $700 million budget gap.
"This issue is about our health, not about revenue," he said.
The proposed tax hike would raise an estimated $24 million. Gov. Gary Herbert said last week he would consider a veto if it passes.
A recent Deseret News/KSL-TV poll showed that 80 percent of Utahns favor increasing taxes on both tobacco and alcohol, but Corroon said his focus for now is on tobacco.
He showed his children pictures of healthy lungs next to a smoker's lung, prompting reactions of "disgusting," "eww" and "gross."
"This looks like a piece of rotten sidewalk," said his daughter Sophie.
Nationwide, the average state tax on a pack of cigarettes is close to $1.40, and federal tax adds another $1.01.
Sen. Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, who sits on the committee that rejected the tax hike, said it would be more likely to pass if the increase is held to 95 cents. That would bring the rate in line with the tax in surrounding states.
The bill's sponsor is Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden.
The Salt Lake County mayor, who has his sights set on the Governor's Mansion just around the corner from his home in the Avenues, talked Sunday with his kids about the health risks of smoking while repeating his support for increasing the state cigarette tax.
"Our state has the opportunity to show leadership and common sense," Corroon said. "As governor, I would support Utah families over Big Tobacco."
Under a Senate bill that failed to get out of committee last week, the tax on the pack of cigarettes he was holding would rise from 69.5 cents to $2. An aide said the pack cost $6.08.
Corroon declined to say how much he thinks the tax should be increased, but he said he is more concerned with getting smokers to quit — and encouraging young people not to start — than with finding funds to plug the state's $700 million budget gap.
"This issue is about our health, not about revenue," he said.
The proposed tax hike would raise an estimated $24 million. Gov. Gary Herbert said last week he would consider a veto if it passes.
A recent Deseret News/KSL-TV poll showed that 80 percent of Utahns favor increasing taxes on both tobacco and alcohol, but Corroon said his focus for now is on tobacco.
He showed his children pictures of healthy lungs next to a smoker's lung, prompting reactions of "disgusting," "eww" and "gross."
"This looks like a piece of rotten sidewalk," said his daughter Sophie.
Nationwide, the average state tax on a pack of cigarettes is close to $1.40, and federal tax adds another $1.01.
Sen. Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, who sits on the committee that rejected the tax hike, said it would be more likely to pass if the increase is held to 95 cents. That would bring the rate in line with the tax in surrounding states.
The bill's sponsor is Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden.
понедельник, 22 февраля 2010 г.
Cigarettes too cheap in Hong Kong: group
Health groups in Hong Kong on Monday called for a sharp rise in tobacco duty as a study revealed cigarettes in the city are among the cheapest in the developed world.
Buying 1 000 cigarettes of one brand in Hong Kong costs just 217 US dollars (about R1 673) compared to 409 US dollars in New York and 503 US dollars in London.
Those cigarettes would also cost significantly more in Melbourne (277 US dollars), Singapore (361 US dollars), Paris (361 US dollars) and Dublin (577 US dollars), the survey found.
The study by health groups in Hong Kong was released ahead of Wednesday's budget when financial secretary John Tsang is under pressure to push up the price of cigarettes in the city of 7-million.An open letter to the Hong Kong government signed by health advocates including World Health Organization advisor Judith Mackay says a 10 percent price rise could save thousands of lives.
"There are about 750 000 smokers in Hong Kong," the letter said. "One in two smokers is killed by disease caused by tobacco. Each 10 percent rise in price will prevent at least 18 000 deaths.
"Effective taxation must be 75 to 80 percent of the retail price (of cigarettes) whereas currently in Hong Kong, it is only between 61 and 66 percent."
Smoking in bars and restaurants and many public places in Hong Kong was banned from January 2007 although a powerful lobby group won temporary exemptions to the ban for many venues.
Buying 1 000 cigarettes of one brand in Hong Kong costs just 217 US dollars (about R1 673) compared to 409 US dollars in New York and 503 US dollars in London.
Those cigarettes would also cost significantly more in Melbourne (277 US dollars), Singapore (361 US dollars), Paris (361 US dollars) and Dublin (577 US dollars), the survey found.
The study by health groups in Hong Kong was released ahead of Wednesday's budget when financial secretary John Tsang is under pressure to push up the price of cigarettes in the city of 7-million.An open letter to the Hong Kong government signed by health advocates including World Health Organization advisor Judith Mackay says a 10 percent price rise could save thousands of lives.
"There are about 750 000 smokers in Hong Kong," the letter said. "One in two smokers is killed by disease caused by tobacco. Each 10 percent rise in price will prevent at least 18 000 deaths.
"Effective taxation must be 75 to 80 percent of the retail price (of cigarettes) whereas currently in Hong Kong, it is only between 61 and 66 percent."
Smoking in bars and restaurants and many public places in Hong Kong was banned from January 2007 although a powerful lobby group won temporary exemptions to the ban for many venues.
понедельник, 15 февраля 2010 г.
Creek smokeshops still selling disputed cigarettes
After telling a federal court that it would stop supplying its affiliated smokeshops with controversial cigarettes, the Muscogee Creek Nation is allowing the stores to seek and stock the cigarettes on their own, a World investigation shows.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission seized 77 cases of Seneca brand cigarettes Wednesday, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Tulsa County District Court.
The cigarettes were headed to Riverside Smokeshop in Tulsa and had a value of $103,000 once sold to the public, said Paula Ross, a Tax Commission spokeswoman.
Karen Goodson, the manager of Riverside Smokeshop, said the seizure should ot have occurred.
"It is a sovereignty issue that needs to be decided by the court once and for all," Goodson said.
In January, the Creek Nation temporarily suspended distribution of Seneca brand cigarettes through its wholesale company in Okmulgee pending the outcome of an injunction filed in U.S. Eastern District Court in Muskogee, records show. The suspension also includes King Mountain cigarettes manufactured in Washington state by a tribal entity. Seneca is manufactured in Canada, also by a tribal entity.
The cigarette seizure is part of the state's ongoing pressure to force the Creek Nation to sign a tobacco compact or face further confiscation of unapproved cigarettes, records show. The conflict began in 2005 when the Creek Nation opted out of renewing its compact because of alleged unfair negotiation practices by the state.
Meanwhile, the Indian-based company that sold the cigarettes to the Riverside store said the cigarettes were sold with the knowledge of the Creek Nation.
"It is my hunch that the smokeshop was acting under the licensure of the tribe and with full knowledge of the tribe," said Lance Morgan, CEO of HCI Distribution, an economic development corporation of the Winnebago Tribe in Nebraska.
Morgan said that the Muscogee Creek nation had a temporary license with HCI, which expired Friday.
Creek Nation spokesman Thompson Gouge said the tribe could not comment on the cigarette seizure or the tribe's suspension on stockpiling Seneca or similar cigarettes.
Tax commission officials contend that Seneca and King Mountain cigarettes are contraband smokes not listed on the state's approved list of cigarette brands sold in Oklahoma. The cigarettes are competing heavily with other discount brands and allegedly bleeding off millions of dollars of tax revenues intended for health initiatives and smoking-cessation programs. The cigarettes are being sold by Creek-affiliated stores without an Oklahoma tax stamp.
Tribal officials contend that they can provide such cigarettes without paying taxes to Oklahoma because the cigarettes are tribal-to-tribal sales that are exempt from state taxation.
Four weeks after the tribe temporarily suspended stocking the cigarettes for its affiliated stores, the World purchased packs of Seneca at three Creek-affiliated stores in Sapulpa, Glenpool and Tulsa. King Mountain cigarettes were not available.
King Mountain officials said they could not comment on the absence of their cigarettes in the Tulsa area.
Two additional stores visited by the World did not sell the cigarettes. In the past, most of the Creek-affiliated stores within the Tulsa area have refused to sell the cigarettes, saying they are "illegal" when asked why they don't sell them.
Meanwhile, area smokeshops appear to be fully complying with a new state law that requires retailers to sell cigarettes that inhibit accidental fires.
Of the cigarettes recently purchased by the World, all of the packs, including contraband brands, had fire-safe paper. The paper involves tiny bands within the paper that act like speed bumps while the cigarette is burning.
Records by the Tulsa Fire Department reveal that cigarettes were the No. 1 heat source for fatality fires in Tulsa during the past seven years.
Between 2001 and 2008, 59 people lost their lives to fires caused by cigarettes or smoking material.
Capt. Jeff Vandolah of the Tulsa Fire Department said it is too early to determine if fire-safe paper is decreasing the number of accidental fires.
The new state law requires cigarettes to be sold with "fire-safe" cigarette paper, which allows the cigarette to extinguish itself if it is left unattended.
The law took effect Jan. 1, 2009, but to delay the law's effect, several area smoke shops reportedly were selling old inventory bought before the law took effect and were allowed to sell old inventory until Jan. 1, 2010.
In October, 10 months after the law took effect, the World bought several packs of discount-brand cigarettes without fire-safe paper at smoke shops. The tribal stores stated the stock was old stock bought before the law took effect.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission seized 77 cases of Seneca brand cigarettes Wednesday, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Tulsa County District Court.
The cigarettes were headed to Riverside Smokeshop in Tulsa and had a value of $103,000 once sold to the public, said Paula Ross, a Tax Commission spokeswoman.
Karen Goodson, the manager of Riverside Smokeshop, said the seizure should ot have occurred.
"It is a sovereignty issue that needs to be decided by the court once and for all," Goodson said.
In January, the Creek Nation temporarily suspended distribution of Seneca brand cigarettes through its wholesale company in Okmulgee pending the outcome of an injunction filed in U.S. Eastern District Court in Muskogee, records show. The suspension also includes King Mountain cigarettes manufactured in Washington state by a tribal entity. Seneca is manufactured in Canada, also by a tribal entity.
The cigarette seizure is part of the state's ongoing pressure to force the Creek Nation to sign a tobacco compact or face further confiscation of unapproved cigarettes, records show. The conflict began in 2005 when the Creek Nation opted out of renewing its compact because of alleged unfair negotiation practices by the state.
Meanwhile, the Indian-based company that sold the cigarettes to the Riverside store said the cigarettes were sold with the knowledge of the Creek Nation.
"It is my hunch that the smokeshop was acting under the licensure of the tribe and with full knowledge of the tribe," said Lance Morgan, CEO of HCI Distribution, an economic development corporation of the Winnebago Tribe in Nebraska.
Morgan said that the Muscogee Creek nation had a temporary license with HCI, which expired Friday.
Creek Nation spokesman Thompson Gouge said the tribe could not comment on the cigarette seizure or the tribe's suspension on stockpiling Seneca or similar cigarettes.
Tax commission officials contend that Seneca and King Mountain cigarettes are contraband smokes not listed on the state's approved list of cigarette brands sold in Oklahoma. The cigarettes are competing heavily with other discount brands and allegedly bleeding off millions of dollars of tax revenues intended for health initiatives and smoking-cessation programs. The cigarettes are being sold by Creek-affiliated stores without an Oklahoma tax stamp.
Tribal officials contend that they can provide such cigarettes without paying taxes to Oklahoma because the cigarettes are tribal-to-tribal sales that are exempt from state taxation.
Four weeks after the tribe temporarily suspended stocking the cigarettes for its affiliated stores, the World purchased packs of Seneca at three Creek-affiliated stores in Sapulpa, Glenpool and Tulsa. King Mountain cigarettes were not available.
King Mountain officials said they could not comment on the absence of their cigarettes in the Tulsa area.
Two additional stores visited by the World did not sell the cigarettes. In the past, most of the Creek-affiliated stores within the Tulsa area have refused to sell the cigarettes, saying they are "illegal" when asked why they don't sell them.
Meanwhile, area smokeshops appear to be fully complying with a new state law that requires retailers to sell cigarettes that inhibit accidental fires.
Of the cigarettes recently purchased by the World, all of the packs, including contraband brands, had fire-safe paper. The paper involves tiny bands within the paper that act like speed bumps while the cigarette is burning.
Records by the Tulsa Fire Department reveal that cigarettes were the No. 1 heat source for fatality fires in Tulsa during the past seven years.
Between 2001 and 2008, 59 people lost their lives to fires caused by cigarettes or smoking material.
Capt. Jeff Vandolah of the Tulsa Fire Department said it is too early to determine if fire-safe paper is decreasing the number of accidental fires.
The new state law requires cigarettes to be sold with "fire-safe" cigarette paper, which allows the cigarette to extinguish itself if it is left unattended.
The law took effect Jan. 1, 2009, but to delay the law's effect, several area smoke shops reportedly were selling old inventory bought before the law took effect and were allowed to sell old inventory until Jan. 1, 2010.
In October, 10 months after the law took effect, the World bought several packs of discount-brand cigarettes without fire-safe paper at smoke shops. The tribal stores stated the stock was old stock bought before the law took effect.
пятница, 12 февраля 2010 г.
Anti-smoking group says cigarette tax hike would ease state budget woes
A bigger tax on cigarettes could be the answer to South Dakota's budget shortfall, according to a new report.
Released by a coalition of public health organizations, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the report suggests that by raising the cigarette tax by $1 per pack, South Dakota would collect $15.4 million more annually, while at the same time prompting more smokers to quit.
"This report shows that raising tobacco taxes is truly a win-win-win for South Dakota ...," said Matthew L. Meyers, president of Tobacco-Free Kids.
But John Boyd, owner of the Deadwood Tobacco Company in Deadwood, isn't buying the new report.
"Anything times zero is zero," he said.
Boyd said the argument that an increased tax can both raise money for the state and reduce the number of smokers is nonsensical.
"If you reduce the number of smokers, where do you get your money," he said. "If that's your intent to reduce smoking, then you're not getting the taxes."
About 20 percent of South Dakotans smoke, including 24.7 percent of the state's high school students, according to the South Dakota Department of Health. South Dakota's current cigarette tax is $1.53 per pack. The national average is $1.34.
The new report details both the revenue and health benefits of a $1 a pack tax increase, by state.
In South Dakota, the increase would save $145 million in health care costs and save 2,900 residents from premature smoking-related deaths. It would prevent 6,000 kids from becoming smokers and encourage 3,100 adult smokers to give up the habit, according to the report.
A national poll released along with the report found that 67 percent of voters support a $1 tobacco tax over other options, such as an income tax, gasoline or sales tax increase.
Boyd said a national survey doesn't give a fair look at the state.
"If it's a nationwide study; nationwide doesn't have anything to do with South Dakota," he said. "It's a skewed survey."
Boyd believes that another increase in cigarette taxes will only push people to buy their cigarettes in bordering states or online. Either way, it will mean less revenue for the state.
"If they think that it's going to make people quit; then they're going to lose revenue shares," Boyd said. "South Dakota will lose huge revenues."
Released by a coalition of public health organizations, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the report suggests that by raising the cigarette tax by $1 per pack, South Dakota would collect $15.4 million more annually, while at the same time prompting more smokers to quit.
"This report shows that raising tobacco taxes is truly a win-win-win for South Dakota ...," said Matthew L. Meyers, president of Tobacco-Free Kids.
But John Boyd, owner of the Deadwood Tobacco Company in Deadwood, isn't buying the new report.
"Anything times zero is zero," he said.
Boyd said the argument that an increased tax can both raise money for the state and reduce the number of smokers is nonsensical.
"If you reduce the number of smokers, where do you get your money," he said. "If that's your intent to reduce smoking, then you're not getting the taxes."
About 20 percent of South Dakotans smoke, including 24.7 percent of the state's high school students, according to the South Dakota Department of Health. South Dakota's current cigarette tax is $1.53 per pack. The national average is $1.34.
The new report details both the revenue and health benefits of a $1 a pack tax increase, by state.
In South Dakota, the increase would save $145 million in health care costs and save 2,900 residents from premature smoking-related deaths. It would prevent 6,000 kids from becoming smokers and encourage 3,100 adult smokers to give up the habit, according to the report.
A national poll released along with the report found that 67 percent of voters support a $1 tobacco tax over other options, such as an income tax, gasoline or sales tax increase.
Boyd said a national survey doesn't give a fair look at the state.
"If it's a nationwide study; nationwide doesn't have anything to do with South Dakota," he said. "It's a skewed survey."
Boyd believes that another increase in cigarette taxes will only push people to buy their cigarettes in bordering states or online. Either way, it will mean less revenue for the state.
"If they think that it's going to make people quit; then they're going to lose revenue shares," Boyd said. "South Dakota will lose huge revenues."
понедельник, 8 февраля 2010 г.
E Cigarette Exchange Program Offered To London, UK Users
London, UK smokers who have already switched to the highly popular alternative smoking device called an e cigarette now have the opportunity to exchange thier old device for a Green Smoke. "We're excited to offer this unique exchange program to all the traditional smokers out there who have already made the switch from tobacco cigarettes to this smarter alternative." states Jeff Smith, affilate for Greensmoke. "It gives the opportunity for these smokers to try our Greensmoke e cigarette products at a discount price."
The offer gives users of the device an incentive to try Greensmoke brand e cigarettes. Throughout the UK, users from Plymouth, Bournemouth and Bristol all the way up to Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow can simply send in their current brand e cigarette for a £30 coupon that can be used torward a starter kit or any product they sell. "There may be many users out there who are not happy with their current brand for what ever reason. We feel our Greensmoke product is the best on the market today and this program is a great way to prove it. What better way to prove than with current users of the popular device" says Jeff.
Electronic cigarettes are a revolutionary new nicotine delivery device that provides a smarter alternative to traditional cigarette smoking. With traditional cigarettes, the smoker is forced to inhale thousands of unwanted chemicals (over 3900) and carcinogens along with the nicotine. With e cigarettes, this is a thing of the past!
The offer gives users of the device an incentive to try Greensmoke brand e cigarettes. Throughout the UK, users from Plymouth, Bournemouth and Bristol all the way up to Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow can simply send in their current brand e cigarette for a £30 coupon that can be used torward a starter kit or any product they sell. "There may be many users out there who are not happy with their current brand for what ever reason. We feel our Greensmoke product is the best on the market today and this program is a great way to prove it. What better way to prove than with current users of the popular device" says Jeff.
Electronic cigarettes are a revolutionary new nicotine delivery device that provides a smarter alternative to traditional cigarette smoking. With traditional cigarettes, the smoker is forced to inhale thousands of unwanted chemicals (over 3900) and carcinogens along with the nicotine. With e cigarettes, this is a thing of the past!
четверг, 4 февраля 2010 г.
Man loses teeth after cigarette explodes
An Indonesian man has been given compensation after a cigarette he was smoking exploded taking out six of his teeth.
The 31-year-old man says the http://www.cigarettespub.net/marlboro/gold-edge blew up in his mouth while he was riding a motorcycle.
The man received a payment of a little more than $500 and all his medical costs are being covered by the makers of the cigarettes he was smoking.
Police are investigating the incident and the man says he plans on quitting smoking.
The cigarette company says they have no plans to recall and said it was the first time this has happened and called it a "weird case."
The 31-year-old man says the http://www.cigarettespub.net/marlboro/gold-edge blew up in his mouth while he was riding a motorcycle.
The man received a payment of a little more than $500 and all his medical costs are being covered by the makers of the cigarettes he was smoking.
Police are investigating the incident and the man says he plans on quitting smoking.
The cigarette company says they have no plans to recall and said it was the first time this has happened and called it a "weird case."
среда, 3 февраля 2010 г.
Spending a Week With an Electric Cigarette
The great Mark Twain once wrote, “Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.” It’s the perfect summation of the eternal struggle between a smoker and his cigarette, at once a loyal friend and two-faced bastard. But an even greater struggle that smokers face is against themselves. Do they smoke because they can’t not, or because they don’t feel like stopping? Anti-smoking products—nicotine gum, patches, nasal spray—are known as Nicotine Replacement Therapy, and have had varying degrees of success. They’re designed to quench your body’s thirst for nicotine, but what they can’t replicate is the pleasure of heading out for a smoke break with your coworkers, or sparking up after a stressful job interview. The physicality of smoking—the holding of the cigarette, the puffing in and blowing out of smoke—is half of the appeal. This means that the most effective form of NRT would be a device that could satisfy a smoker’s nic-fits, while still allowing him to look as debonair as Humphrey Bogart circa 1946. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the e-cigarette.
Several weeks ago one of our interns was puffing away at what looked like a cigarette right here in the office. When he took a haul, the cherry glowed. When he exhaled, a plume of scentless smoke whisped out. He told us it was an electronic cigarette, and what he was blowing out was “nicotine vapors.” Like a child seeing their first Yo Gabba Gabba! episode, we were transfixed. Did this device—that looked and behaved just like a cigarette—feel like one too? Was this the smoking gun (pun intended) that self-hating smokers were looking for? What if you could quit smoking without really quitting smoking? We had to get our stained-yellow hands on one and find out for ourselves. So that’s exactly what we did
After the e-cigarette’s manufacturer—Green Smoke—agreed to send us a $139 Starter Kit, we did a little research and found out that these cyborg smokes weren’t exactly new to the market. The Times explored their yays (zero carcinogens! You can smoke in bars!) and nays (It’s the stuff they use in smoke machines!) back in June of last year. While The Wall Street Journal wrote on the controversy surrounding them (the FDA has yet to approve). The articles both featured testaments from heavy smokers who, thanks to their e-cigarettes, were able to cut smoking out of their lives significantly, if not totally. Leave it to federal rulers and regulators to leave a dark cloud of smoke (pun intended again) over what should be a very positive thing. Detractors claim the different cartridge flavors—chocolate, strawberry, apple—make them attractive to kids. Also, although you’re mostly inhaling a vaporized version of nicotine and water, the concoction includes something called Propylene glycol, a compound used in deodorant, hand sanitizers, and anti-freeze. The jury is still out on whether this is a viable alternative to quitting, or a less but still sketchy quick fix. For the last two weeks, there was not an hour I spent without my e-cigarette, and the experience kind of freaked me out.
Several weeks ago one of our interns was puffing away at what looked like a cigarette right here in the office. When he took a haul, the cherry glowed. When he exhaled, a plume of scentless smoke whisped out. He told us it was an electronic cigarette, and what he was blowing out was “nicotine vapors.” Like a child seeing their first Yo Gabba Gabba! episode, we were transfixed. Did this device—that looked and behaved just like a cigarette—feel like one too? Was this the smoking gun (pun intended) that self-hating smokers were looking for? What if you could quit smoking without really quitting smoking? We had to get our stained-yellow hands on one and find out for ourselves. So that’s exactly what we did
After the e-cigarette’s manufacturer—Green Smoke—agreed to send us a $139 Starter Kit, we did a little research and found out that these cyborg smokes weren’t exactly new to the market. The Times explored their yays (zero carcinogens! You can smoke in bars!) and nays (It’s the stuff they use in smoke machines!) back in June of last year. While The Wall Street Journal wrote on the controversy surrounding them (the FDA has yet to approve). The articles both featured testaments from heavy smokers who, thanks to their e-cigarettes, were able to cut smoking out of their lives significantly, if not totally. Leave it to federal rulers and regulators to leave a dark cloud of smoke (pun intended again) over what should be a very positive thing. Detractors claim the different cartridge flavors—chocolate, strawberry, apple—make them attractive to kids. Also, although you’re mostly inhaling a vaporized version of nicotine and water, the concoction includes something called Propylene glycol, a compound used in deodorant, hand sanitizers, and anti-freeze. The jury is still out on whether this is a viable alternative to quitting, or a less but still sketchy quick fix. For the last two weeks, there was not an hour I spent without my e-cigarette, and the experience kind of freaked me out.
понедельник, 1 февраля 2010 г.
Smoking ban could be extended to cover office doorways
Andy Burnham, the health secretary, will review the current law to see if it should be strengthened to include areas where smokers have gathered since the 2007 ban.
Plain packaging for cigarettes and a complete ban on cigarette vending machines could also be introduced.Mr Burnham said he wants to halve the number of smokers in England from one fifth (21%) of the population to one in 10 by 2020.
The target requires around four million of England's estimated eight million smokers to quit.
An extension of the ban – which currently covers enclosed spaces – to include open-air but busy areas such as office doorways and pub gardens, would also reduce passive smoking, Department of Health (DH) officials believe.
However, Simon Clark, director of the smokers' lobby group Forest, said further legislation would “further erode our ability to choose how we wish to live our lives".
The number of smokers has fallen by a quarter in the past decade, but an estimated 200,000 young people start smoking every year.
In 2007 more than 80,000 deaths and 1.4 million hospital admissions were attributed to smoking and the Department of Health said the habit costs the NHS £2.7 billion a year.
Mr Burnham said: "Most smokers start before they are 18, so we have to discourage children and young people from ever starting.
"Now that we've banned advertising and will soon see an end to attractive displays in shops, the only remaining method of advertising tobacco is the packaging. So we will carefully consider whether there is evidence for making tobacco companies use plain packets.
"We will always help people to quit, and smokers should never stop trying. That's the beauty of the NHS – it's there to help everyone.
"One day, in the not too distant future, we'll look back and find it hard to remember why anyone ever smoked in the first place."
His review, which will begin in July to coincide with the third anniversary of the ban in England, will consider spaces outside buildings.
In addition to the entrances to office blocks, many of which are now a frequent haunt of smokers, he will look at the effects of smoking areas outside pubs, bars and nightclubs as well as bus shelters.
Mr Clark, of Forest, said the government had already introduced "some of the most draconian antismoking laws in the world", adding: "In an allegedly free society, this is nothing to be proud of."
He said: "The current smoking ban, which has had a devastating impact on community pubs and clubs, is out of all proportion to the harm allegedly caused by second-hand smoke. Further restrictions will only accelerate that trend."
"The Health Secretary says he wants to crack down on cheap illicit cigarettes, but at the same time the government says it will consider increases in tobacco duty.
"Don't they understand that one of the reasons Britain has such a problem with illicit cigarettes is because this government has increased tobacco taxation to record levels and that has encouraged criminal gangs and individuals to smuggle millions of cheap cigarettes into the country?"
More than 80,000 deaths are attributed to smoking ever year, costing the NHS £2.7 billion a year.
Plain packaging for cigarettes and a complete ban on cigarette vending machines could also be introduced.Mr Burnham said he wants to halve the number of smokers in England from one fifth (21%) of the population to one in 10 by 2020.
The target requires around four million of England's estimated eight million smokers to quit.
An extension of the ban – which currently covers enclosed spaces – to include open-air but busy areas such as office doorways and pub gardens, would also reduce passive smoking, Department of Health (DH) officials believe.
However, Simon Clark, director of the smokers' lobby group Forest, said further legislation would “further erode our ability to choose how we wish to live our lives".
The number of smokers has fallen by a quarter in the past decade, but an estimated 200,000 young people start smoking every year.
In 2007 more than 80,000 deaths and 1.4 million hospital admissions were attributed to smoking and the Department of Health said the habit costs the NHS £2.7 billion a year.
Mr Burnham said: "Most smokers start before they are 18, so we have to discourage children and young people from ever starting.
"Now that we've banned advertising and will soon see an end to attractive displays in shops, the only remaining method of advertising tobacco is the packaging. So we will carefully consider whether there is evidence for making tobacco companies use plain packets.
"We will always help people to quit, and smokers should never stop trying. That's the beauty of the NHS – it's there to help everyone.
"One day, in the not too distant future, we'll look back and find it hard to remember why anyone ever smoked in the first place."
His review, which will begin in July to coincide with the third anniversary of the ban in England, will consider spaces outside buildings.
In addition to the entrances to office blocks, many of which are now a frequent haunt of smokers, he will look at the effects of smoking areas outside pubs, bars and nightclubs as well as bus shelters.
Mr Clark, of Forest, said the government had already introduced "some of the most draconian antismoking laws in the world", adding: "In an allegedly free society, this is nothing to be proud of."
He said: "The current smoking ban, which has had a devastating impact on community pubs and clubs, is out of all proportion to the harm allegedly caused by second-hand smoke. Further restrictions will only accelerate that trend."
"The Health Secretary says he wants to crack down on cheap illicit cigarettes, but at the same time the government says it will consider increases in tobacco duty.
"Don't they understand that one of the reasons Britain has such a problem with illicit cigarettes is because this government has increased tobacco taxation to record levels and that has encouraged criminal gangs and individuals to smuggle millions of cheap cigarettes into the country?"
More than 80,000 deaths are attributed to smoking ever year, costing the NHS £2.7 billion a year.
пятница, 29 января 2010 г.
Panel snuffs tobacco tax hike
A bill to raise money for education by boosting state cigarette taxes by $1 a pack went up in smoke Thursday when a legislative committee voted unanimously against the idea.
The House Business and Industry Committee voted to table House Bill 35, sponsored by state Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, effectively killing it for this session.
Egolf said the legislation would have raised $36 million, which would have been earmarked for the public schools. He also said raising the price of cigarettes would be the best way to discourage teenagers from smoking.
Egolf also argued that the tax eventually would save money on Medicare and Medicaid because fewer people would start smoking as teens.
Health advocates, including the American Cancer Society, supported the bill. So did several labor and religious organizations, who saw they bill as a way to prevent further cuts to education and other state programs as the state grapples with a $600 million budget shortfall.
Gov. Bill Richardson in recent weeks has said he could support an increase in tobacco taxes.
Opposing the bill, however, were tobacco lobbyists and representatives of several business groups.
Among the opponents was Mark Smith of the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., the locally-based maker of American Spirit cigarettes. Smith said the company, which manufactures its cigarettes in North Carolina, employs 450 people. “We pay a good wage,” he said. “We’ve been in Santa Fe 27 years.” Smith claimed the cigarette tax increase would cause the loss of hundreds of jobs statewide in the retail industry.
State Rep. Jim Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, praised Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, noting the company is headquartered in his district. He said he’d fight to protect the company even if it meant voting against the bill — which he did.
Some opponents noted that the federal tax on cigarettes went up by 62 cents a pack only last year.
Rep. Eliseo Lee Alcon, D-Milan, who said he chews Skoal, told the committee he’d start buying his chewing tobacco at tax-free stores on Indian land if the tax goes up. His local Allsups convenience store would lose out on the $3.80 he spends there every five days on Skoal, he said.
Some committee members questioned the earmarking of revenue from the bill for education. Some expressed the fear that other funds getting revenue from tobacco excise tax — such as the University of New Mexico Cancer Center and the rural cancer treatment program — would be shortchanged.
Egolf tried to explain that while the percentage of the revenue going to those programs would go down, the actual amount would stay the same. That is because there would be more revenue coming in from the tax increase.
But some members worried that if tobacco consumption went down — as advocates predicted — revenue for these programs would suffer. Both Egolf and an analyst for the state Tax and Revenue Department said projections show the revenue would not fall.
The committee chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-Espanola, said that earmarking the money for education caused confusion among members. Interviewed after the meeting, Egolf said that might have been a factor in the bill’s defeat. He said he included the earmark because polling last year showed wide public support for increasing the tax to pay for education.
There are two Senate bills still alive that would raise cigarette taxes. But even if one or both those passed the Senate, they likely would have to go through the same committee that voted down HB35.
The House Business and Industry Committee voted to table House Bill 35, sponsored by state Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, effectively killing it for this session.
Egolf said the legislation would have raised $36 million, which would have been earmarked for the public schools. He also said raising the price of cigarettes would be the best way to discourage teenagers from smoking.
Egolf also argued that the tax eventually would save money on Medicare and Medicaid because fewer people would start smoking as teens.
Health advocates, including the American Cancer Society, supported the bill. So did several labor and religious organizations, who saw they bill as a way to prevent further cuts to education and other state programs as the state grapples with a $600 million budget shortfall.
Gov. Bill Richardson in recent weeks has said he could support an increase in tobacco taxes.
Opposing the bill, however, were tobacco lobbyists and representatives of several business groups.
Among the opponents was Mark Smith of the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., the locally-based maker of American Spirit cigarettes. Smith said the company, which manufactures its cigarettes in North Carolina, employs 450 people. “We pay a good wage,” he said. “We’ve been in Santa Fe 27 years.” Smith claimed the cigarette tax increase would cause the loss of hundreds of jobs statewide in the retail industry.
State Rep. Jim Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, praised Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, noting the company is headquartered in his district. He said he’d fight to protect the company even if it meant voting against the bill — which he did.
Some opponents noted that the federal tax on cigarettes went up by 62 cents a pack only last year.
Rep. Eliseo Lee Alcon, D-Milan, who said he chews Skoal, told the committee he’d start buying his chewing tobacco at tax-free stores on Indian land if the tax goes up. His local Allsups convenience store would lose out on the $3.80 he spends there every five days on Skoal, he said.
Some committee members questioned the earmarking of revenue from the bill for education. Some expressed the fear that other funds getting revenue from tobacco excise tax — such as the University of New Mexico Cancer Center and the rural cancer treatment program — would be shortchanged.
Egolf tried to explain that while the percentage of the revenue going to those programs would go down, the actual amount would stay the same. That is because there would be more revenue coming in from the tax increase.
But some members worried that if tobacco consumption went down — as advocates predicted — revenue for these programs would suffer. Both Egolf and an analyst for the state Tax and Revenue Department said projections show the revenue would not fall.
The committee chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Rodella, D-Espanola, said that earmarking the money for education caused confusion among members. Interviewed after the meeting, Egolf said that might have been a factor in the bill’s defeat. He said he included the earmark because polling last year showed wide public support for increasing the tax to pay for education.
There are two Senate bills still alive that would raise cigarette taxes. But even if one or both those passed the Senate, they likely would have to go through the same committee that voted down HB35.
среда, 27 января 2010 г.
Teenager robbed of cigarettes and a lighter at knifepoint by 3 men
A TEENAGER was robbed at knifepoint by three men.
The 17-year-old was grabbed from behind and forced around the back of shops near the junction of Ovenden Way and Nursery Lane, Halifax.
The robbers threatened him with a knife before stealing cigarettes and a lighter.
The victim suffered minor injuries in the attack.
The suspects are all white. The first, who spoke with a local accent, is described as 6ft 1ins tall and was wearing a black Adidas scarf covering his face.
The second is around 5ft 6ins tall and of skinny build, and was wearing a black baseball cap with a red logo on the front. He was wearing a black hoody with a collar similar to a scarf, which was pulled up over his mouth.
The third is not very tall, and was wearing white Adidas tracksuit bottoms and a black hoody with the hood up and a scarf over his mouth.
Anyone with information about the incident, which happened around 8.30pm on Sunday, should contact DC Brian Burke at Calderdale CID on 01422 337085.
The 17-year-old was grabbed from behind and forced around the back of shops near the junction of Ovenden Way and Nursery Lane, Halifax.
The robbers threatened him with a knife before stealing cigarettes and a lighter.
The victim suffered minor injuries in the attack.
The suspects are all white. The first, who spoke with a local accent, is described as 6ft 1ins tall and was wearing a black Adidas scarf covering his face.
The second is around 5ft 6ins tall and of skinny build, and was wearing a black baseball cap with a red logo on the front. He was wearing a black hoody with a collar similar to a scarf, which was pulled up over his mouth.
The third is not very tall, and was wearing white Adidas tracksuit bottoms and a black hoody with the hood up and a scarf over his mouth.
Anyone with information about the incident, which happened around 8.30pm on Sunday, should contact DC Brian Burke at Calderdale CID on 01422 337085.
понедельник, 25 января 2010 г.
Cigarette use in county's youth above the average
According to the Indiana Prevention Resource Center's 2008 survey of school students, Montgomery County students in grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 reported above state average use of cigarettes - making it about one in every five students in these grades that smoked on a regular basis. While the state's youth tobacco use rates have been on the decline between 2003-2008, use of cigarettes is still a significant issue for Hoosier teens.
Studies have shown that younger a person is when they become addicted to the drug nicotine, the more difficulty they will have quitting smoking. Among American adults, cigarette use kills over 400,000 people from a variety of cancer and other chronic diseases. Indiana ranks second in the nation for adult cigarette use and Montgomery County has one of the higher rates in the state at approximately 30 percent.
There have been other research findings that show that the younger a person is when they use tobacco, the more likely they are to use alcohol, marijuana and other drugs. Cigarette use takes its toll on the young person's physical and mental health. Experimenting with cigarettes can easily lead to addiction, which will present a life-long burden on the user's health and finances.
Project Toward No Tobacco (TNT) is an evidence-based curriculum that seeks to prevent tobacco use in young people; particularly those aged 10-14. The program is designed to counteract several different causes of tobacco use by young people.
The AHEAD Coalition has adopted Project TNT and will be working with each school corporation over the next few months to deliver the program. Project TNT is a class-room based program that consists of 10 core lessons and two booster sessions. The sessions are no more than 50 minutes long and use a wide range of teaching approaches to engage students.
"Preventing first use of tobacco by young people is most important, because once young people begin smoking they are unlikely to stop," said AHEAD Program Manager Liz Thompson. "All educators can play a positive role in prevention.'
Thompson has worked with each corporation to put implement Project TNT with sixth and eighth grade students; as well as any other students who may be identified as high risk for tobacco use. Thompson will be administering the program as well as training school staff to deliver it in future years. In addition to this curriculum, Thompson is also certified to offer Tobacco Addiction Program (TAP) which helps individuals under the age of 18 quit smoking.
Activities in Project TNT include games, videos, role-plays, large and small group discussion, use of student worksheets, homework assignments, activism letter writing, and a videotaping project. Student participants will be evaluated by pre- and post-test measures to determine what they have learned from the program. The evidence of a reduced youth smoking rate as a result of the program will hopefully be seen in future IPRC student self reports.
The theory underlying project TNT is that youth will best be able to resist using tobacco products if they (1) are aware of misleading social information that facilitates tobacco use (e.g., pro-tobacco advertising, inflated estimates of the prevalence of tobacco use); (2) have skills that counteract the social pressures to achieve approval by using tobacco; and (3) appreciate the physical consequences that tobacco use may have on their own lives. These are all emphasized in Project TNT.
Studies have shown that younger a person is when they become addicted to the drug nicotine, the more difficulty they will have quitting smoking. Among American adults, cigarette use kills over 400,000 people from a variety of cancer and other chronic diseases. Indiana ranks second in the nation for adult cigarette use and Montgomery County has one of the higher rates in the state at approximately 30 percent.
There have been other research findings that show that the younger a person is when they use tobacco, the more likely they are to use alcohol, marijuana and other drugs. Cigarette use takes its toll on the young person's physical and mental health. Experimenting with cigarettes can easily lead to addiction, which will present a life-long burden on the user's health and finances.
Project Toward No Tobacco (TNT) is an evidence-based curriculum that seeks to prevent tobacco use in young people; particularly those aged 10-14. The program is designed to counteract several different causes of tobacco use by young people.
The AHEAD Coalition has adopted Project TNT and will be working with each school corporation over the next few months to deliver the program. Project TNT is a class-room based program that consists of 10 core lessons and two booster sessions. The sessions are no more than 50 minutes long and use a wide range of teaching approaches to engage students.
"Preventing first use of tobacco by young people is most important, because once young people begin smoking they are unlikely to stop," said AHEAD Program Manager Liz Thompson. "All educators can play a positive role in prevention.'
Thompson has worked with each corporation to put implement Project TNT with sixth and eighth grade students; as well as any other students who may be identified as high risk for tobacco use. Thompson will be administering the program as well as training school staff to deliver it in future years. In addition to this curriculum, Thompson is also certified to offer Tobacco Addiction Program (TAP) which helps individuals under the age of 18 quit smoking.
Activities in Project TNT include games, videos, role-plays, large and small group discussion, use of student worksheets, homework assignments, activism letter writing, and a videotaping project. Student participants will be evaluated by pre- and post-test measures to determine what they have learned from the program. The evidence of a reduced youth smoking rate as a result of the program will hopefully be seen in future IPRC student self reports.
The theory underlying project TNT is that youth will best be able to resist using tobacco products if they (1) are aware of misleading social information that facilitates tobacco use (e.g., pro-tobacco advertising, inflated estimates of the prevalence of tobacco use); (2) have skills that counteract the social pressures to achieve approval by using tobacco; and (3) appreciate the physical consequences that tobacco use may have on their own lives. These are all emphasized in Project TNT.
пятница, 22 января 2010 г.
Move to Ban Groceries Near Schools
In an attempt to make cigarettes inaccessible to underage youth, officials are mulling over banning groceries near schools and sports stadiums.
The move follows the recent introduction of the federal anti-tobacco law that specifies sale of tobacco products in designated areas only and also bans sale of cigarettes to youth under the age of 18.
Under the new by-laws that are expected to take shape soon, groceries will also be required to obtain special permits before being allowed to stock and sell cigarettes. “Once implemented, municipalities will carry out intense ‘sting perations’ to ensure rules are being followed,” said a senior official.
“A GCC-wide draft law on licensing of groceries to allow them to sell cigarettes is ready for implementation,” said Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, Head of the National Tobacco Control Committee at the UAE Ministry of Health.
“This law will help us draft regulations at the local level which will curb sale to both the youth and adults,” she explained, while talking to Khaleej Times on Thursday. She said the issue would be further discussed during a GCC-wide meeting to be held in Kuwait next week. “The law has been announced but we are still detailing the by-laws and will announce further health policies in this regard soon,” said Salem Al Darmaki, Acting Director General at the ministry.
Though a UAE-wide law barring groceries from selling cigarettes to underage youth has been there since 2000, it has never been strictly implemented, said Dr Wedad. “Groceries have been flouting rules openly since there has been no strict implementation,” she explained. However, once the licensing procedures are in place, groceries will not be able to stock any such products, and hence will not be able to make these retail sales to youth, she added.
Smoking or tobacco use among schoolchildren in the UAE starts at an early age, according to the Global School Health Survey (GSHS) released in 2005 which is the only such survey to date.According to the survey conducted among 15,790 students from 200 schools from all over the UAE, 9.3 per cent of the students smoked cigarettes and 10.7 per cent used another form of tobacco on one or more days during one month.
Boys were found to be significantly more likely than girl students to smoke or use tobacco in any form, the survey showed. Under the anti-tobacco law, shopkeepers can ask for identification in case they doubt the buyers’ age before selling any tobacco product.
However, grocery owners admitted they were not following any such rules but said the new rule could affect sales.
“People get upset if we ask for identification,” said a grocer in Sharjah, the second emirate following Dubai to ban smoking even before introduction of the federal law.
“Most regular customers ask only for only one cigarette or so. If we ask for identifications, they may stop buying from us,” he added. Another local grocer also admitted that he was aware that in some cases, adults bought cigarettes for oungsters.
“We can’t say no in such cases,” he added. Under the new federal law, sale of tobacco will entail a jail term of up to a year and a fine of up to Dh100,000.
The move follows the recent introduction of the federal anti-tobacco law that specifies sale of tobacco products in designated areas only and also bans sale of cigarettes to youth under the age of 18.
Under the new by-laws that are expected to take shape soon, groceries will also be required to obtain special permits before being allowed to stock and sell cigarettes. “Once implemented, municipalities will carry out intense ‘sting perations’ to ensure rules are being followed,” said a senior official.
“A GCC-wide draft law on licensing of groceries to allow them to sell cigarettes is ready for implementation,” said Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, Head of the National Tobacco Control Committee at the UAE Ministry of Health.
“This law will help us draft regulations at the local level which will curb sale to both the youth and adults,” she explained, while talking to Khaleej Times on Thursday. She said the issue would be further discussed during a GCC-wide meeting to be held in Kuwait next week. “The law has been announced but we are still detailing the by-laws and will announce further health policies in this regard soon,” said Salem Al Darmaki, Acting Director General at the ministry.
Though a UAE-wide law barring groceries from selling cigarettes to underage youth has been there since 2000, it has never been strictly implemented, said Dr Wedad. “Groceries have been flouting rules openly since there has been no strict implementation,” she explained. However, once the licensing procedures are in place, groceries will not be able to stock any such products, and hence will not be able to make these retail sales to youth, she added.
Smoking or tobacco use among schoolchildren in the UAE starts at an early age, according to the Global School Health Survey (GSHS) released in 2005 which is the only such survey to date.According to the survey conducted among 15,790 students from 200 schools from all over the UAE, 9.3 per cent of the students smoked cigarettes and 10.7 per cent used another form of tobacco on one or more days during one month.
Boys were found to be significantly more likely than girl students to smoke or use tobacco in any form, the survey showed. Under the anti-tobacco law, shopkeepers can ask for identification in case they doubt the buyers’ age before selling any tobacco product.
However, grocery owners admitted they were not following any such rules but said the new rule could affect sales.
“People get upset if we ask for identification,” said a grocer in Sharjah, the second emirate following Dubai to ban smoking even before introduction of the federal law.
“Most regular customers ask only for only one cigarette or so. If we ask for identifications, they may stop buying from us,” he added. Another local grocer also admitted that he was aware that in some cases, adults bought cigarettes for oungsters.
“We can’t say no in such cases,” he added. Under the new federal law, sale of tobacco will entail a jail term of up to a year and a fine of up to Dh100,000.
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