Bulgaria's cigarette sales fell 23% in January-May

Bulgaria's legal cigarette market shrank 23 per cent in the first five months of 2011, with sales totalling 3.57 billion pieces, data by local tobacco companies show.

According to preliminary estimates, Bulgaria's shadow cigarette market reached about 40 per cent in the period.

May proved to be the single month so far in 2011 to stage a rise in official sales of cigarettes to 733 million pieces from 669 million pieces reported the previous year. The increase, however, was not attributed to higher sales in the period, but came as a result of the considerable decline registered in May 2010, prompted by the spike in prices of cigarettes following the rise in excise duty.

"In the five months through May there has been stabilisation and an upward trend in sales on the legal market of slightly more than seven per cent," major tobacco producer Bulgartabac said.

Bulgaria's official sales of cigarettes plunged to 10.4 billion pieces in 2010 from 19.1 billion pieces in 2009.

Menthol Cigarettes and Fast Food Commercials Scrutinized

Hearings begin in Washington today to decide if the world's most popular drug should be used to treat breast cancer.

The FDA has already found that avastin does not extend or improve life for breast cancer patients. But the drug's manufacturer is challenging the ruling and is asking the FDA for more time to study its effectiveness. Avastin is approved to treat colon, lung, kidney, and brain cancer.

The FDA is also reviewing research on the public health impact of menthol cigarettes. Mint flavored cigarettes are one of the few growth areas In an otherwise shrinking tobacco industry. An earlier report by an advisory committee said the flavoring led to an increase in smoking among teens, African-Americans, and those with low incomes. It claimed menthols are disproportionately marketed to those segments of the population.

The American Academy of Pediatrics wants the government to ban fast food commercials during children's tv programming. The influential group of physicians says it's time for the fast food industry to clean up its act, and not advertise junk food to kids. Health experts recommend limiting fast food.

Cigarette tax: Not about money?

I grew up Longview, Washington. A small town on the banks of the Columbia River, on the Washington-Oregon border, Longview had a few small stores, mostly catering to the logging industry that inundates all small towns in the Pacific Northwest. For Christmas shopping, or, come to think of it, for any big-ticket purchases, my family would hit the I-5 South to Portland, Oregon.

When I turned sixteen, I got a job and a drivers licence, and it was time to do my own Christmas shopping. By this time, Longview had a mall – complete with a Bon Marché and a Nordstrom – but I still drove to Portland. Probably for the same reason my parents did. Probably for the same reason everyone did. Oregon does not impose a sales tax.

According to the Washington State Revenue Department, local governments lose an estimated $50 million in tax revenue annually to Oregon-Washington cross-border shopping.

Apparently, We Were Breaking the Law

When Washington residents make an in-state retail purchase, the sales tax is usually added on by the retailer, who in turn pays it to the Department of Revenue. (Oregonians shopping in Washington may present their Oregon ID to the seller in order to prove an exemption). When Washington’s sales tax is not paid on purchases – when purchases are made in Oregon, for instance, where Washington’s sales tax is not collected by the seller – a “use tax” is due. The buyer must report this tax to the Department of Revenue by the 15th of the month after the item is first “stored, used, or consumed” in Washington. Use tax also applies on items used in Washington that were purchased in other states that have a sales tax rate lower than Washington’s. Use tax rates are the same as sales tax rates, around 7-9%, depending on where in the State the resident lives.

You can buy cigarettes online from famous tobacco shop.

Coffee and cigarettes take edge off BP's rocky road

Anxious Christchurch residents are boosting sales of cigarettes and coffee in the city's BP shops in an otherwise flat market for retail sales and declining petrol sales.

BP NZ's after tax profit jumped 41.5 per cent last year according to Companies Office filings but the company says this year has been tougher.

Profits had risen from $79.5 million in 2009 to $112.5 million in the 12 months to December 31 due to greater returns from its stake in NZ Refining, trimming costs and improving profitability across the business. It says margins remain tight on fuel.

Aside from a spike in some lines in earthquake-hit Christchurch, petrol sales throughout the country were down between 2 per cent and 4 per cent and shop sales were generally down, due largely to high petrol prices, said BP NZ's managing director Mike McGuinness.

BP shops, where margins are high compared to the lean profits on fuel, were facing increased competition from what was seen as a surprising fight back by dairies and cut-price convenience and snack food from supermarkets.


McGuinness said BP believes the number of dairies had increased by about 200.

The dairy business has been hit over the past decade by growing numbers of petrol stations offering a bigger range of convenience and food around the clock. McGuinness said diesel sales were up this year by about 5 per cent, which was a sign of an improving farming and productive economy.

He said last week's 6.3 magnitude aftershock in Christchurch had set back repairs to BP assets.

The company, which has 14 fuel sites in the city and terminal facilities at Lyttelton, had suffered damage worth about $2.5 million in the February 22 earthquake.

Last Monday's aftershock caused a further $1 million in damage.

This was covered by insurance.

McGuinness said the quakes meant fuel tankers could no longer use the road over the Port Hills but had been granted dispensation to drive through the Lyttelton tunnel.

Three charged at marijuana dispensary

Staffers at a Handy Township medical marijuana dispensary distributed their product to a "patient" not assigned to them under the law, according to an affidavit released Wednesday.

As a result, the Livingston County prosecutor's office has charged Marshall Alternatives owners Alan Marshall, 39, and Christi Marshall, 37, with delivery of marijuana. Alan Marshall, who faces two counts, is charged as a habitual offender, which means he faces up to eight years in prison if convicted as charged. His wife faces up to four years.

Dispensary employee Stephanie Lynn Baxter, 30, also has been charged with two counts of delivery of marijuana.

The three, who are card-carrying caregivers, are expected to turn themselves in for arraignment, which had not occurred Wednesday.

Defense attorney Wilson Tanner, who represents the Marshalls, confirmed his clients have been charged. He said the Marshalls plan to turn themselves in today for arraignment.

"I don't have discovery yet; I don't have the police report," Tanner said. "I'm certainly not going to say anything about the prosecutor's case or defense."

The name of Baxter's attorney was not known.

The charges against Christi Marshall allege she delivered marijuana to an undercover officer May 4; that Baxter did so May 3 and May 4; while Alan Marshall allegedly did so Feb. 28 and May 9.

The Feb. 28 delivery is outlined in the affidavit, which notes the "patient" was actually a Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Team officer who used a fictitious driver's license and Michigan medical marijuana card to allegedly purchase marijuana from Alan Marshall, who co-operates Marshall Alternatives at 165 Fowlerville Road, north of Mason Road and about four miles south of the village of Fowlerville.

The affidavit further notes that a defense for the medical use of marijuana "exists only for a registered caregiver who is connected to the patient through the Department of Community Health's registration process." Yet, the fake marijuana card identifies the "patient" — an undercover officer — as a patient only, with no caregiver designated.

Colorado's medical marijuana law an example for Michigan, lawyers say

Michigan should look to Colorado and get more involved in medical marijuana by allowing commercial growers and regulating the industry, say lawyers who met last weekend on Mackinac Island to discuss one of the state's most contentious issues.

Members of the criminal law section of the State Bar of Michigan plan to take their recommendations to the State Bar's annual meeting in September. The ultimate goal is to get the Legislature to make significant changes without stepping on the medical marijuana law approved by voters in 2008, said attorney Ken Malkin of Bay City, chairman of the criminal law section.

"You've got all these people planting little gardens all over. Who knows what people are getting?" Malkin said this week. "There is no quality control. It creates a black market."

About 50 people, including lawyers, judges and prosecutors, met last weekend and heard from Denver attorney Warren Edson, who specializes in setting up medical marijuana centers in Colorado.

Medical marijuana has been legal for more than 10 years in Colorado. On July 1, dozens of rules take effect there regulating the sale of pot at commercial businesses. They cover a lot of ground, including taxes, video surveillance, labeling, disposal and food that can contain marijuana.

"We were quite impressed," Malkin said.

In Michigan, marijuana can be used to alleviate the symptoms of certain illnesses if someone sees a doctor and gets a state-issued card. People can possess up to 2 1/2 ounces of ready-to-use marijuana and have up to 12 plants kept in a locked area. A registered caregiver also can grow the drug.

The law, however, has caused confusion and uncertainty. Some judges have decided to ignore it because federal law prohibits marijuana possession. Some prosecutors have filed charges against people who run dispensaries, claiming there's nothing in the law that allows them. The Michigan Supreme Court has not weighed in, though some cases have been appealed.

The law has been the "subject of so much interpretation by so many entities, it's creating disparities throughout the state," said Elaine Spiliopoulos, an attorney in Washtenaw County.

It's unlikely that Michigan's chief law enforcer will endorse the consensus from the weekend marijuana meeting.

"The law enforcement community is already struggling to protect public safety as a result of massive loopholes in the law, so opening the floodgates is the last thing that should be talked about right now," Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. "The voters did not count on pot shops up and down Main Street, nor did they approve of a California- or Colorado-style system."

Schuette, who was elected in 2010, opposed the 2008 referendum.

Malkin said a strict regulatory structure could bring some clarity to medical marijuana in Michigan.

"You could reduce the cost of a lot of litigation. You don't always need to have a judge decide it," he said.

The lawyers also are recommending that Michigan lawmakers classify marijuana as a Schedule III drug instead of Schedule I, which would recognize its medicinal purpose and clear the way for scientific research without legal liability, said Charles Marr, a Northville attorney. It would still be illegal as a recreational drug.

Armed thief grabs shop cash before paying for cigarettes

A SHOPKEEPER today told how he was held up at knifepoint by an armed robber
who demanded all the cash from his till – then paid him for a pack of
cigarettes.
The 28-year-old Asian man was working at the Max News Xtra store in Clermiston when the robber came in and started to browse in the shop.

But after suddenly pulling out a ten-inch knife, the thief ordered the terrified shopkeeper to empty his till and warned him not to press the store's panic button.

The shopkeeper had surrendered around £300 in cash when the robber asked for a pack of Marlboro cigarettes from the counter display then handed back £10 to pay for them.

It is the second time in five months that the shopkeeper at the Parkgrove Street business has been targeted after he was attacked by a gang of teenage thugs who stole the till when he refused to sell them cigarettes.

The victim needed hospital treatment for a badly bruised eye after being set upon by five youths in January.

The shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, said he had been left "shocked and scared" following the latest robbery at around 11.30am on Saturday.

He added: "This man came into the shop and was looking around for two or three minutes. I asked him if he needed any help finding something. He was very friendly and said he was fine.

"I was doing some paperwork when he came up behind me and pulled out a knife with a wooden handle.

"He started shouting, 'Show me the money, I need the money'. I told him there was CCTV recording him, but he said he didn't care.

"I gave him £250 or £300 and he told me not to push the panic button. I decided just to give him the money because I was thinking of my family.

"My father-in-law also has a shop in Dalkeith and was robbed recently, too.

"Then he asked me for a pack of cigarettes. I asked him 'What kind?' and he said he wanted red Marlboros. I don't know if I gave him a pack of ten or 20, but he gave me £10 back again. Then he ran out."

The suspect is white, in his 20s, around 5ft 7ins tall, with a slim build and wearing a black hooded top, dark tracksuit bottoms and grey trainers, possibly plimsolls. He also wore a red beanie hat and a scarf around his face.

The shopkeeper added: "He was someone I had seen before in the shop. He wasn't a regular customer, more somebody who came in every two or three weeks."

A police spokesman said: "While the shopkeeper wasn't injured, he was understandably shaken and we are appealing for any information that can help us trace the suspect."

In January, the shopkeeper was attacked by five youths, with at least one of the group wearing school uniform.

The previous day, he had turned away the group when they tried to buy cigarettes.

Tobacco commission changes to be studied

A subcommittee will study the recommendations made by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission after it evaluated the performance of the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission (TICR).

Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, said Tobacco Commission Del. Terry G. Kilgore, R-Scott County, is creating a working subcommittee to review the JLARC recommendations.
Marshall, a member of the commission, has agreed to serve on the committee, he said.
Half its members will be legislators and the rest will be residents, Marshall said.
The subcommittee is expected to begin meeting in July to consider recommendations released Monday, he said.
If any of the JLARC recommendations are adopted, it will not be the first time the tobacco commission has sought to make improvements.
Commissioners adopted eight of the 21 recommendations, some with amendments, made in 2008 by a Blue Ribbon Panel chaired by Gov. Gerald Baliles, according to Tim Pfohl, the commission’s director of grant programs.
Among those adopted were the recommendations to conduct a review of commission’s strategic plan at least every two years; reduce the number of standing committees and align them more directly with the strategic plan; implement an “investor” approach to funding and use a request-for-proposal (RFP) method to fulfill strategic plan objectives; and consider regional contributions (including in-kind) in assessing grant applications for all economic development grant awards, according to information from Pfohl.
Other recommendations were tabled or dismissed, according to his information.
The Tobacco Commission was created in 1999 to disburse Virginia’s share of the settlement from a national lawsuit against cigarette makers. It has awarded $756 million in economic development and revitalization grants in 41 Virginia localities since 2000.
JLARC recommended Monday that the commission create a more strategic approach to guide future grants, better match funding to the economic needs across the region and “do a better job of documenting the performance of its grants,” according to the draft presented to legislators.
The study also found that while the tobacco commission had “a significant positive impact on Virginia’s tobacco region,” it also has “funded projects that have not contributed to regional revitalization.”

Chicago teens awarded for anti-tobacco ads

Two Chicago teens have won awards for producing anti-tobacco commercials that will air locally on TV and radio this summer. The announcement comes from the Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project.

The winners are 15-year-old Jennifer Sansone from De La Salle Institute and Miguel Ruiz, an 18-year-old at Kelly High School. They were among more than 150 teens who entered the Share the Truth contest. It offered teens the chance to make a 30-second TV or radio commercial about the dangers of tobacco and smoking.

Ruiz's TV commercial closes with, "Don't let smoking take your life away." Sansone's radio commercial describes how her grandmother died due to tobacco-related illness.

Tobacco deal worth $160m a year to Ferrari

Even though its logos are not permitted at any F1 circuit in the world, Marlboro owner Philip Morris International has extended its 'sponsorship' deal with the front-running Ferrari team for another three years.

Following its switch from McLaren - where it enjoyed arguably the most recognisable livery of all time - in 1996, PMI got just two years of visibility for its brand with the Maranello marque, but has continued to back its efforts to reclaim the F1 world title regardless. The latest deal will see PMI and Ferrari remain together until the end of the 2015 campaign, with the main thrust of its association coming in the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro name that goes onto the official entry list and Ferrari's revised team logo, which bears a striking resemblance to the Marlboro chevron that it is no longer able to display.

According to SportsPro Media, PMI is understood to be stumping up around $160m a season for its association, which began alongside the title sponsorship of McLaren when Marlboro logos first appeared at Ferrari in 1984. Not unsurprisingly, the Prancing Horse was the last F1 team to cease carrying tobacco branding when it was forced to drop the Marlboro logos at the end of 2007, although it attempted to continue subliminally promoting the association via a controversial 'barcode' livery, which is was eventually ordered to abandon last season.

N.H. Budgetwriters Agree to Cut Tobacco Tax

House and Senate budget writers have struck a deal to drop the state’s tobacco tax a dime, down to $1.68 per pack. The agreement was part of a last minute package of deals needed to reach a compromise on the budget.
Earlier this session, the Senate voted 13-11 to kill the bill that would have lowered the tobacco tax.
But for a majority of House members, a tobacco tax cut was one of its top priorities.
It proved important enough that at the last minute House Speaker Bill O’Brien leaned on his team to get the measure included in the budget, after negotiators had already agreed to shelve the plan.
In exchange for putting it back in, the House went along with the Senate position on education funding, additional money for retirement costs and a change to the Shore Land Protection Act.
Budget writers say they believe the tax cut will not cost the state any revenue dollars, and add that it could boost economic activity along the state borders.
Critics counter that the move will result in a loss of anywhere from $8-$16 million dollars a year.
If the cut results in lost income, the tax will be pushed back up to $1.78 in two years.

Taking tobacco trouble to task

In most of the villages in the country, it is a common sight to see menfolk — and even children — chewing tobacco, a habit that becomes addiction and the cause of oral cancer. However, there are some villages in Belgaum district in Karnataka where the villagers have ‘banned’ tobacco. Fine is slapped on shops that are found selling gutkha.

Also, those who were earlier addicted to chewing tobacco are now themselves supporting the campaign against it. The campaign involves everyone in the villages: farmers, women, school children and panchayat leaders.
When Express visited some of these villages, it came to light that although the villagers are against tobacco and liquor, some business interests are trying to make sure that the business survives and thrives there.

Also, even though most of the rural populace is against these addictions, the sale of such products continues in a covert way.
How it started 13 years ago
Kalloli village in Gokak taluk took offence to gutkha 13 years ago. The local leaders of Bajrang Dal started the campaign against gutkha and appealed to all the vendors of pan shops and provision stores to stop selling it.
They started the movement after seeing that even primary school students were addicted to chewing tobacco.

Although many vendors agreed to Bajrang Dal’s request, some approached police as legally the shopowners are allowed to sell tobacco.
Even the then DSP got involved in the debate. Ultimately, a resolution was passed wherein it was decided to rid the village of gutkha. After the resolution was passed, four shops were found selling gutkha and they were asked to pay a fine of `1,000 each. Also, villagers declared `100 reward for those who would help catch such offenders red-handed.

Soon the news of Kalloli’s anti-gutkha campaign reached a neighbouring village Rajapur. These villagers too adopted a resolution to save its youth from the health hazards that come with chewing tobacco.
Hefty penalty, strict warning
Another village that has woken up to the hazards of chewing gutkha, Biranagaddi, has already collected `80,000 as fine from those who were found selling gutkha and/or liquor. The amount has been used to construct a community hall and renovate Basaveshwara temple. Also, the villagers have taken note of the practice wherein menfolk get drunk in a neighbouring village and create nuisance back home. They have been clearly told not to quarrel with anybody in inebriated condition and sleep in their house.

Basavaraj Kadadi, one of the anti-gutkha campaigners, says now just one-two per cent people of Kalloli and Rajapur villages chew tobacco.
A villager Goudappa Kotigi reminisces how his village was nine months ago, when even students of fourth class could be seen consuming alcohol openly. He said it was this sight that got them thinking about starting a campaign against tobacco and liquor.
All is well? No
Some youths of Gokak taluk complain that arrack lobby was stopping them from prohibiting the sale of liquor. A youth, on condition of anonymity, said the arrack lobby was involved with some politicians and thus nobody dared confronting them.
Bailoor and Tigadolli villages of Bailhongal taluk have banned the sale of arrack but the business goes on behind closed doors. The covert trade goes in Balobal too. A 13-year-old boy told Express that there was total ban on sale for three-four months but now someone had resumed it.

Sanganakere Cross in Gokak taluk is the hub of tobacco chewers of nearby villages where gutkha has been banned. Former addict Shivanand, President of Vishnua Sena, said Sanganakere Cross is the centre point and most addicts get their gutkha sachets from here. He said even drivers and cleaners of commercial vehicles were serving the addicts by bringing sachets from Sanganakere Cross to the villages.
Shivanand said they had observed a day’s bandh there but the vendors were not keen to stop the sale.

La. Senate committee approves tobacco tax renewal

A proposal to extend 4 cents of Louisiana's tobacco tax, which is set to expire in 2012, easily passed the Senate's tax committee Tuesday despite continued opposition from Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Rep. Harold Ritchie, D-Bogalusa, sponsor of the tax renewal, said the House-approved extension would help fund health care needs that arise from tobacco use in the state.

"I think it's important to our young people," Ritchie told the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee. "I think it's important to our budget."

Revenue raised through the tax would be used to leverage additional federal health care funds.

The 4-cent tax applies to cigars, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco. It generates $12 million annually for the state. Without the renewal, Louisiana's cigarette tax would drop to 32 cents per pack.

Jindal, a Republican, has called it a tax increase and said if the bill passes the Legislature, he will veto it.

"By reenacting this portion of the tax, we would be increasing the tax burden on Louisiana citizens," said Rina Thomas, a policy adviser for the governor. "In addition, we have been concerned and remain concerned that this bill could become a vehicle for additional tax increases."

Ritchie vowed to oppose any amendments that would increase taxes.

Over Jindal's objections, the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee backed the proposal in a 7-2 vote.

Supporters of the tax renewal are hoping to speed the measure through the Legislature and get it to the governor's desk before the legislative session ends, so they can attempt to override his veto while still in session, without having to call a special veto session.

The House-backed bill heads next to the full Senate for debate. It will need a two-thirds vote to pass -- and it would take a two-thirds vote to override a Jindal veto.

Besides the argument the renewal would be a tax hike, critics also say the tax won't keep smokers away from the deadly habit. Some argue that a total ban on tobacco use would be more effective.

"Why wouldn't you have a smoking bill that said tobacco is illegal?" said Buddy Shaw, a Republican from Shreveport.

Ritchie said a ban would be impossible to pass. He and other supporters say increasing the tax would help keep young people from picking up the habit, but Ritchie earlier this session scrapped a bill that would have raised Louisiana's cigarette tax, in addition to renewing the existing tax.

"Anything we can do to deter smoking is really important, especially for our young people," said Sen. Yvonne Dorsey, D-Baton Rouge.

U.S. judge declines to shut tobacco racketeering case

Judge Gladys Kessler, who had ruled in 2006 that Philip Morris and other tobacco companies were guilty of racketeering because of years of deception about tobacco's safety, insisted on Wednesday that she retain jurisdiction over the case.

The companies had argued that she had lost jurisdiction because of a 2009 law giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco.

The companies also argued that being regulated by the FDA would make it less likely they would commit future racketeering offenses.

Kessler staunchly and tartly disagreed, calling their assertions "simply unconvincing."

"Defendants' contention that no reasonable likelihood of future RICO violations exists due to the FDA's regulation is particularly unconvincing when defendants are simultaneously and vigorously challenging, both in a separate lawsuit and in administrative proceedings, many of the provisions of the Tobacco Control Act," she wrote in Wednesday's ruling.

The racketeering case, filed in 1999 by the Clinton administration, sought to force the industry to fund a smoking cessation program and other remedies. Under the Bush administration, the U.S. Justice Department dropped demands from $280 billion to $14 billion.

Kessler ruled in 2006 that the companies broke the law and could no longer use expressions such as "low tar" or "light" in their cigarette marketing. But she also said she could not force them to fund a smoking cessation program, and an appeals court agreed.

The Obama administration appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled in June that tobacco companies could not be forced to pay billions for stop-smoking programs.

"We continue to believe that the FDA is the appropriate agency to regulate tobacco products and we're considering our appellate options," said Steve Callahan, spokesperson for Altria Group.

Defendants named in the original suit include Reynolds American's R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co, Lorillard Inc and Altria, which owns Philip Morris USA Inc.

A representative of Lorillard declined to comment.

Tanning Beds: The New Tobacco?

There was a time when public health messages surrounding tobacco and the dangers of smoking went largely unheeded, despite decades of scientific and medical data clearly linking cigarettes to fatal diseases such as lung cancer. In that climate, tobacco executives could stand in front of Congress and claim that they didn't believe nicotine was addictive, magazines ran ads targeting youth (featuring Joe Camel) and movie stars (such as James Dean) made smoking seem cool.

Today, things are different -- very different. You no longer see or hear advertisements for cigarettes, unless you're buying them at a convenience store or gas station. Characters smoking cigarettes have all but disappeared from the airwaves -- and there's even a non-profit group, Smoke-Free Movies, pushing to remove smoking scenes from films. And with local, state and federal health officials running anti-tobacco PSAs galore, the American public has never been better educated about the dangers of smoking.

Now, we find ourselves in a similar public health fight against another cancer-causing habit: tanning, and indoor tanning in particular. California and more than 30 other states have laws to help protect young people from the negative effects of indoor tanning, the use of which increases the risk of melanoma -- the deadliest form of skin cancer -- by 75 percent. In fact, the World Health Organization classified indoor tanning devices in the same cancer-causing category as tobacco smoke.

Despite all this, each year, more than two million teens tan indoors. Their access to tanning salons is astounding. A recent survey of 116 U.S. cities found an average of 42 tanning salons per city, which means tanning salons are more prevalent than Starbucks or McDonald's. And just as James Dean and the Marlboro Man once convinced entire generations of young people that smoking was cool and healthy, the prevalence of tanning amongst celebrities -- such as those starring on a popular MTV reality show whose mantra is "gym, tan, laundry" -- is making our fight more difficult.

Compounding the problem is that more than 43 percent of indoor tanners have never been warned about the dangers of tanning beds from tanning salon employees, according to a recent survey of Caucasian teens and young women by the American Academy of Dermatology. In addition, national data on skin cancer shows an increase in the rate of melanoma amongst young, white women. In women 15 to 29-years-old, the torso is the most common location for developing melanoma, which might be due to high-risk tanning behaviors. In my practice, I have had patients -- young women with a history of using tanning beds -- who have died from melanoma. The indoor tanning industry needs to take responsibility for educating its patrons so that they can make informed decisions. However, as we do with alcohol and tobacco laws, we need to protect our nation's young people because research shows they are not heeding health warnings.

So with pop culture's influence on one side, who can help push back? The answer is hinted at in the Academy's survey. One of the findings shows a whopping 94 percent of indoor tanners say their parents are aware that they're using, or have used, a tanning bed. Not only are parents aware, but the survey shows 65 percent of indoor tanners have a family member who uses a tanning bed.

The health risks from tanning are well-documented and we need to talk to our kids about the risks and set a good example by not participating in this behavior ourselves -- the same approach we as parents take with tobacco. (A simple visit to aad.org will arm you with helpful information: there is an entire section on indoor tanning dangers.)

As much data as there is to make the case against indoor tanning, in the end, it's setting a good example in the home, and encouraging conversations between kids and their moms, dads or caregivers that have the greatest impact.

UN urges global action to stem deadly toll from tobacco use

The United Nations has urged governments to step up their efforts to curb the use of tobacco, stressing that policy-makers already have the tools they need to combat consumption of a drug that kills nearly 6 million people worldwide every year.Marking World No Tobacco Day, the UN called on all countries to sign up to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which has accumulated 173 States Parties since it was opened for signature in 2003.The United States, Indonesia, Argentina and Ethiopia are among the few remaining countries not to have become States Parties to the treaty, which spells out a series of measures aimed at reducing use of tobacco control, such as restrictions on sales to minors, the introduction of taxes on cigarettes to reduce demand, and the implementation of comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising.
“We have the treaty. It’s effective. Let’s use it,” Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative, told the UN News Centre.“The measures are not expensive. All we need is political will.”
Dr. Bettcher said too many countries were lagging in their commitments to eliminate all forms of tobacco advertising or to ban smoking in workplaces and public spaces. That means no designated smoking areas,no carve-out areas for people to smoke.
While there are no formal international guidelines in place yet on the appropriate level of taxes on cigarette packets, Dr. Bettcher said WHO has established a yardstick that such taxes should comprise at least 70 per cent of the eventual retail price.
This year’s Day is being celebrated less than four months before world leaders hold a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York in September on non-communicable diseases such as cancer and heart disease many of which are caused by tobacco use. “What we start on 31 May we need to continue for the rest of the year,” Dr. Bettcher said.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his message to mark the Day, noted the myriad health problems and costs associated with smoking and said that “tobacco use makes us poorer in health and economic terms.”
Tobacco is estimated to have killed about 100 million people last century and could kill as many as 1 billion more this century unless action is taken.

'New anti-tobacco warnings inadequate'

"It is certainly better than the previous warnings that had hazy pictures of shrunken lungs. But this alone is not going to help as the notification has to be bolstered by many other actions in the anti-tobacco campaign," said Pankaj Chaturvedi, associate professor of head and neck cancer department at Mumbai's Tata Memorial Hospital.

After two years of campaigning and nudging by the civil society groups, the health and family welfare ministry Saturday approved harsher pictorial warnings for cigarettes and chewing tobacco products to be implemented from December this year.

The warnings will carry gory pictures of mouth and lung cancer on smoke packets and non-smoke pouches. They will be rotated every two years.

According to a 2009 study by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), India accounts for nearly 274.9 million tobacco users -- around 35 per cent of the population.

Chaturvedi, who initiated the nationwide 'Voice-of-Victims' campaign against tobacco, said: "Firstly the pictures issued for smoking are very mild as compared to the pictures for gutka or chewing tobacco, then the rotation should be within a period of six months so that people are able to know multiple adverse effects of smoking."

Experts believe that steps need to be taken to improve low public awareness, deter strong industry lobbies, and for stringent implementation.

"Now that the first important measure has been taken, it should be accompanied by raising taxes on cigarettes and gutka and raising public awareness about the ill-effects of tobacco at different stages under various age groups," said Monika Arora, senior director at Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY), an NGO.

Noting that gutka in plastic sachets had been banned, she added: "There should also be a crackdown on those violating the rules to ensure that the laws are not just made on paper."

Youngsters, however, feel that the pictures shown are the effect of long and constant tobacco use.

"What has been shown is glorified. It is probably something that happens with long and constant smoking or even gutka use, not when you smoke just twice a day," said 24-year-old Rahul Kaul, who works with a multinational company in Gurgaon.

Shubham Tripathi, 22, an engineering student, said: "On seeing these warnings, the thought of harm will strike once, but obviously it will not overpower the strong urge that smokers have."

Chaturvedi feels the reaction from the youth is very justified as the change needs to happen differently on the basis of age groups.

"Over 50 per cent of oral cancer cases we see daily come in late stages, so the warnings cannot be termed generic. What is required is a quick market survey, and then warnings aimed at different target groups... like you can show stained teeth for early users," he said.

Tobacco, already responsible for 40 per cent cancer-related deaths in the country, is expected to be responsible for seven of every 10 tobacco-attributable deaths in developing countries by 2030.

"The only way to bring down mortality rate of oral and neck cancer is by preparing a combination of strategies for target groups such as women, children, men, and teenagers," Chaturvedi explained.

The four new pictorial warnings on smoking tobacco packs are comparatively milder, three of them showing X-ray depiction of human lung with cancer. The fourth shows mouth cancer in an advanced stage.

The pictures on chewing tobacco products are, however, harsher and depict extreme form of oral cancer with gory pictures disfigured lips, cheeks, jaws and teeth due to oral cancer.

The harsher warnings were earlier supposed to be implemented from June 2010, which was delayed to December 2010, and now to December 1.

La. Senate committee approves tobacco tax renewal

A proposal to extend 4 cents of Louisiana's tobacco tax, which is set to expire in 2012, easily passed the Senate's tax committee Tuesday despite continued opposition from Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Rep. Harold Ritchie, D-Bogalusa, sponsor of the tax renewal, said the House-approved extension would help fund health care needs that arise from tobacco use in the state.
"I think it's important to our young people," Ritchie told the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee. "I think it's important to our budget."

Revenue raised through the tax would be used to leverage additional federal health care funds.

The 4-cent tax applies to cigars, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco. It generates $12 million annually for the state. Without the renewal, Louisiana's cigarette tax would drop to 32 cents per pack.

Jindal, a Republican, has called it a tax increase and said if the bill passes the Legislature, he will veto it.
By reenacting this portion of the tax, we would be increasing the tax burden on Louisiana citizens," said Rina Thomas, a policy adviser for the governor. "In addition, we have been concerned and remain concerned that this bill could become a vehicle for additional tax increases."

Ritchie vowed to oppose any amendments that would increase taxes.

Over Jindal's objections, the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee backed the proposal in a 7-2 vote.

Supporters of the tax renewal are hoping to speed the measure through the Legislature and get it to the governor's desk before the legislative session ends, so they can attempt to override his veto while still in session, without having to call a special veto session.

The House-backed bill heads next to the full Senate for debate. It will need a two-thirds vote to pass - and it would take a two-thirds vote to override a Jindal veto.

Besides the argument the renewal would be a tax hike, critics also say the tax won't keep smokers away from the deadly habit. Some argue that a total ban on tobacco use would be more effective.

"Why wouldn't you have a smoking bill that said tobacco is illegal?" said Buddy Shaw, a Republican from Shreveport.

Ritchie said a ban would be impossible to pass. He and other supporters say increasing the tax would help keep young people from picking up the habit, but Ritchie earlier this session scrapped a bill that would have raised Louisiana's cigarette tax, in addition to renewing the existing tax.

"Anything we can do to deter smoking is really important, especially for our young people," said Sen. Yvonne Dorsey, D-Baton Rouge.

Panel pushes tobacco change

In the waning days before Republican lawmakers present a reworked version Gov. Scott Walker's2011-13 budget, the Legislature's finance committee pushed through major changes to the tax structure on some smokeless tobacco products.

The Joint Finance Committee approved a provision put forth by Altria Client Services Inc., parent company of tobacco giant Philip Morris and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, that would tax moist snuff, or chewing tobacco, by weight, not a percentage of what it costs distributors.

The tobacco would be taxed at a rate of $1.76 per ounce, or $2.11 if it weighed less than 1.2 ounces.

David Sutton, spokesman for Altria, said it would put smokeless tobacco products on par with other items like cigarettes, alcohol and gasoline, which Wisconsin taxes by volume. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is the largest producer of moist snuff and includes the brands Copenhagen and Skoal.

"This is just a much more effective system," Sutton said. "And it's why the federal government uses it and two dozen states have gone to the weight-based approach."

Wisconsin switched from a weight-based tax in 2009 under then-Gov. Jim Doyle as part of a broad tax increase on cigarettes and other tobacco products to shore up the state's flailing budget.

Noncigarette tobacco taxes tallied $59.89 million in 2009-10, up from $29.75 million in 2007-08, but that also included tax increases on cigars and other tobacco products.

State Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, a member of the Joint Finance Committee, said tax rates could be adjusted so the fiscal impact would be minimal. However, opponents point out that weight-based taxes rarely keep up with inflation. Beer, for example, is taxed by volume, and tax collections have increased just $120,000 in the last 10 years.

An ounce of moist snuff was taxed $1.31 in 2008. Distributors now pay a tax equal to 100 percent of the manufacturer's list price, so brands that charge more for their product — like Skoal and Copenhagen — are taxed at a higher rate. A weight-based tax would likely make the top brands cheaper at checkout while lower-priced products would become more expensive.

Opponents of the effort said switching to a weight-based tax would steer more minors toward tobacco because the desirable products with flashy advertising would be cheaper.

"We're concerned that changing the taxation on tobacco would make certain products more accessible to kids," said Gail Sumi, government relations director for the American Cancer Society. "Thirteen percent of kids already use smokeless tobacco. We don't need to make it easier."

Writing policy measures into the budget almost guarantees they don't undergo the same scrutiny as other bills that require separate legislative hearings and votes from lawmakers. That's problematic, said Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Allouez.

"They're down to the last week and there's all sorts of crazy stuff coming up," Cowles said. "All this stuff should not be taken up in the state budget."

Nygren said he agreed that the topic would benefit from a full debate but added the law was changed in 2009 in a similar manner.

"One of the things we could do with policies that are egregious and out of line, the quickest way to change them back is to do it in this budget," he said.