Elderly Smokers displeased because Smoking Ban

Elderly inhabitants decided to start a fight against smoking ban, in order to protect the smokers’ rights which want to continue to hang American flags from their apartments and to smoke within their friends.

"HUD don’t care, housing don’t care, we’re like slaves to them", an angry Ann Musk said in opening comments to about 50 Warwick Housing Authority tenants gathered at the Meadowbrook Terrace community room.

The group is worried by the authority’s action by prohibiting smoking at all its lodging complexes, both inside individual units and anywhere on authority property, by Jan. 1, 2011. New inhabitants should accept the new conditions with any other objections.

Also the Meadowbrook tenants have been advised because of recently renovated ornaments which they will no longer be permitted to hang them, including flags. Will be accepted only flags which will be placed in a stand.

Inhabitants became angry not only because smoking and flag bans but because of many other causes. Fr example during a 45-minute organizational meeting, tenants complained that their units have not been painted, and the electrical fixtures have not been renovated and that there is mold in their apartments. Also, they complained that the authority keeps establishing new restrictions.

"They keep taking things away from us", said one of displeased inhabitant, Greene Musk. She explained that quit smoking cigarettes after a heart attack, but she knows how much smoking can mean to people.

After the meeting, Michael Lyckland, executive director of the Warwick Housing Authority, said that there is a no smoking trend for the Housing and Urban Development funded housing units across the country.

Lyckland declared that for the policy, safety and health are major reasons. But the safety and health reasons failed to fly with the tenants.

While there is no set indication, Lyckland said that if a unit is occupied for a long period it will be painted. Otherwise, he explained, as a tradition, a unit is repainted when tenants move out and before new ones move in. He declared that about 20 percent of the more than 500 city elderly housing units are repainted every year.

Parents’ Smoking Harms their Kids Health

As it is known, cigarette smoke is harmful for children. That’s why in many countries cigarettes smoking were banned in public places especially where kids are. But a recent study found that almost half of Victoria's cigarette smokers still light up around children, despite a no-smoking policy.

However another new research launched of a new ad campaign by Quit Victoria, titled "Cigarettes are eating you and your kids alive", found an important amelioration in the attempts of parents to keep tobacco smoke away from their kids.

Researchers found that in 1998 just over half of surveyed households had home smoking bans, but in the recent survey just under three quarters of respondents said about their household's regular smokers which smoke always or usually smoked outside.

If there is a child in the house, it is even more likely (82 percent) the smoker will go outside. Parents were much more likely to protect their children from cigarette smoke when they were aged under five, explained researchers. There was a belief that as their child gets older they are better able to tolerate or avoid smoke exposure.

But households in lower socio-economic areas were less likely to urge home smoking bans.

Statistics showed that there has been an increase over the last 11 years in the proportion of smokers who do not smoke at all when they are around children: from 45 percent in 1998 to 56 percent in 2008.

Dr. Rob Roseby of the Royal Children's Hospital Centre for Adolescent Health, said: "Passive smoking leads to a long, sad catalogue of risks in children. Smoking causes trans-generational disease. Children and toddlers are exposed primarily at the home, and then later at places like child care or shopping centers."

Many studies have showed that if a parent smokes their child is twice as likely to go to hospital with pneumonia, twice as likely to get ear disease that must be treated with surgery. They also have increased risks of asthma, coughs and sneezes, SIDS and life-threatening meningococcal infection.

Victorian Health Minister Daniel Andrews, who launched the new anti-smoking campaign, said that Victorians owed it to their children to take a tough stand on this issue.

Taxpayer Subsidies for US Films with Tobacco

Forty‐one US states and several countries compete for big‐budget Hollywood
film projects by offering valuable public subsidies. In 2008, states offered an
estimated total of $1.4 billion to motion picture producers. On average, individual
states now cover 24 percent of production costs for commercial feature films.
Because an estimated 1.3 million current adolescent smokers in the US
were recruited to smoke by tobacco imagery in films, about 400,000 of whom will
ultimately die from tobacco‐induced diseases, this report estimates the size of recent
public subsidies for youth‐rated (G/PG/PG‐13) films with tobacco imagery. It
explores making tobacco imagery a determinant factor in eligibility for public film
subsidies so that these awards no longer work in contradiction to public health.

A survey of the 147 films released to US theaters in 2008, each among the top
ten box office earners in at least one week, finds two‐thirds of US‐developed, youthrated
film projects with tobacco imagery were filmed in the US, a rate typical of all
films released by US studios over the past decade. Filmed in a dozen states now
offering subsidies, these 35 movies contributed 71 percent of the 11.4 billion
tobacco impressions delivered to US theater audiences by youth‐rated films in 2008.

Based on this film sample and on film industry production cost data, states
awarded an estimated $830 million in public subsidies to films with tobacco, including
$500 million to youth‐rated films with tobacco. For comparison, the states budgeted
$719 million for all tobacco control in 2009. More than half of states subsidizing
films (22/41), including New York and California, spend or earmark more money for
commercial film subsidies than for anti‐tobacco programs. An estimated 60 percent
($830 million/$1.4 billion) of state film subsidies go to smoking films.
To qualify for a subsidy, film projects must meet detailed eligibility standards.
Eligibility rules should be modernized to add two criteria congruent with widely
endorsed policies to reduce the film industry’s role in promoting youth smoking:

• Youth‐rated (G/PG/PG‐13) feature films with any tobacco imagery or
reference will not qualify for subsidy unless, in the judgment of the program
administrator, the tobacco depiction accurately reflects the dangers and
consequences of tobacco use or is necessary to show the smoking of an actual
person or real historical figure, as in a documentary or biographical drama.

• Regardless of rating, producers of films with any tobacco imagery or
reference must warrant in a legally binding manner that no one associated
with the production has received any consideration or entered into any
agreement in regard to the tobacco depiction in that production.
For accountability and transparency, subsidy programs should be required to
make public reports on tobacco status, eligibility determinations and subsidy
awards for individual film projects.

Caring for Our Recovery

First, the good news, the risk of relapse declines with the passage of time! While
roughly 95% of uneducated smokers who attempt to stop smoking relapse within a year,
the relapse rate declines to just 2 to 4% per year from years 2 to 10, and then falls to less
than 1% after 10 years.392 Keep in mind that these rates occurred among ex-users who
generally had little understanding of nicotine dependency and no formal respect for the
Law of Addiction. If compliant with the Law our risk of failure remains zero.
But just one powerful hit of nicotine and the addict is back! While ignorance of the Law
is no excuse, most ex-users do not remain ex-users because of understanding or respect
for “one puff” relapse rates seen in recovery studies. They do so because once home they
discover that life without nicotine is better than when using it.
While the relapse rate for years 2 though 10 may seem small, when added together the
risk becomes significant. One recent study suggests that as many as 17% who succeed
for 1 year may eventually relapse.393 These ex-users do not relapse because they dislike
being home. They do so because they lose sight of how they got there, who they are, and
the captivity they left behind.
Among educated ex-users there appear to be three primary factors associated with
relapse:
(1) a natural suppression of memories of recovery’s early challenges,
(2) the exuser
tries to rewrite or amend the Law and
(3) the ex-user thinks he/she has found a
legitimate excuse to break or ignore it. When these factors combine with an offer of a
cigar, alcohol use around those still using394 or occur in an impulsive-type person,395 the
risk of relapse is magnified.

Policy Statement—Tobacco Use: A Pediatric Disease

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and illness in the United States, causing more than 443 000 deaths each year.
The consequences of tobacco use include harms to the health of the fetus, such as low birth weight and sudden infant death; harms to children from tobacco use and secondhand tobacco-smoke (SHS) exposure, including respiratory illness, infection, and decreased lung function; the uptake and establishment of tobacco use and nicotine addiction by the next generation; fires attributable to smoking; the economic costs of purchasing tobacco and tobacco-use maerials; litter and debris from tobacco products; additional cleaning and maintenance of facilities in which tobacco is used; the health care and emotional costs of diseases associated with tobacco use and SHS exposure; and the costs to families and society because of poor health and lost productivity.
Most tobacco users (80%) started using tobacco products before 18 years of age.
Initiation of tobacco use is often instigated by exposure to tobacco use by parents or peers, depiction in movies and other media, advertising targeting children and adolescents, and other environmental and cultural factors.3–12 The connection between children and tobacco use is so strong that the commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration declared tobacco use a “pediatric disease” in 1995.
Tobacco use is a pediatric disease because of the extent of harms to children caused by tobacco use and SHS exposure, the relationship of pediatric tobacco use and exposure to adult tobacco use, the existence of effective interventions to reduce tobacco use,14 and the documented underuse of those interventions.15 This statement provides guidance for providers of pediatric services, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and its members, and summarizes other AAP policies that have addressed tobacco use and control. Because tobacco use has significant effects on children and families, its management has been reviewed in many AAP policies and official documents.16–18 The information and recommendations described in this statement are consistent with recommendations in the other AAP publications cited as well as with tobacco policies from other clinical professional membership organizations, including the Academic Pediatric Association, the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology,20 the American Academy of Family Practice, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry,22 and the American Medical Association.
The policy is accompanied by 2 technical reports: “Secondhand and Prenatal Tobacco Smoke Exposure”and “Tobacco as a Substance of Abuse.”The AAP recognizes the dangers of tobacco use and SHS exposure to children’s health. Tobacco control was named a strategic priority by the AAP in 2005, and the Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence (www.aap.org/ richmondcenter), dedicated to the elimination of children’s exposure to tobacco and SHS, was established in 2007 to foster tobacco-control initiatives at the AAP.

3 shops hit for underage tobacco sales

Three local businesses recently were found in violation of state laws against selling products to minors, according to a press release from the authorities.

the inspections were conducted by the Southington Police Department’s Detective Division and Special Investigators of the Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, Tobacco Prevention and Enforcement Program.

Under the direction and supervision of the Department of Mental Health special investigators youths under 18 employed by the Tobacco Prevention Enforcement Program attempted to purchase tobacco products at 37 establishments.

The three establishments found to be in violation are Sam’s Foods Store, 2201 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike in Marion; Milldale Mobil, 1896 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike in Milldale and Quick Mart located at 802 West St.

The offending clerks at these establishments were each issued an infraction violation with a $200 fine.

The clerk at Sam’s Foods Store was identified as Iftikhar Ahmed, age 49, of Flushing, N.Y.. Ahmed sold two Dutch Master Cigars valued at $1 each.

The clerk at Milldale Mobil was identified as Arthur Riley, age 19, of Meriden. Riley sold one Vanilla cigar valued at $1.35.

The clerk at Quick Mart was identified as Parul Patel, age 43, of Glastonbury. Patel sold one pack of Camel brand cigarettes valued at $6.32.

Tobacco laws to change in October

On June 22, President Barack Obama signed into law the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, or the FSPTCA. This law grants the FDA permission to control and regulate all tobacco products.

According to the FDA’s Web site, the FDA plans to, by October, prohibit cigarettes from having “candy, fruit or spice flavors as their characterizing flavors.” The FDA is expected to set in more regulations as time passes. Such regulations may include:

By January 2010, tobacco manufacturers and importers are expected to have to submit product information to the FDA.

By April 2010, the FDA plans to reissue a 1996 regulation aimed at reducing tobacco use among minors.

By July of 2010, it is expected that tobacco manufacturers will no longer be able to use the terms “light,” “low” or “mild” without a special order from the FDA. The FDA also plans to revise warning labels on smokeless tobacco products

By October 2012, the FDA plans to strengthen the warning labels on cigarette packs.
In St. Cloud, some businesses rely on the sale of flavored tobacco products.
The Smoke Shop, located on Division Street, is one such shop

The manager of the Smoke Shop, Alex Dodin, said that Djarum cigarettes and Dream cigarettes were going to be banned along with flavored cigarillos as of Sept. 22.

He said he was not sure what else would be taken off the market and said these news laws against flavored tobacco would strongly affect his business.

“What else are they going to smoke after this?” Didon added.

Ezekial Butler, SCSU junior and CA for Stearns Hall, had some opinions on the proposed ban.

He said that he occasionally enjoyed the Dream cigarettes and will stock up before the ban takes hold.

“They [The FDA] have a decent reason to ban flavored cigarettes, but it’s unfair to those who are of age that enjoy them,” Butler said. “Even though I plan on quitting, this new ban is not going to stop me from smoking.”

The new laws that are planned to be put into affect are aimed at decreasing smoking among adolescents, but it may also have consequences for those who sell and those who enjoy smoking tobacco legally.

Importer tries to get around clove smoke ban

The nation's top distributor of clove cigarettes is offering fans a new way to get their fix after the spice-flavored cigarettes are banned later this year — cigars.

The new filtered cigars — close to the size of a cigarette and flavored with clove, vanilla and cherry — allow Kretek International Inc., which imports Djarum-brand tobacco products from Indonesia, to avoid new federal laws banning flavored cigarettes other than menthol.

The ban on flavored cigarettes, which critics say appeal to teenagers, goes into effect at the end of September. It doesn't include cigars.

The difference? Cigarettes are wrapped in thin paper, cigars in tobacco leaves. While the cigars also are made with a different kind of tobacco, the taste is similar. The cigars come 12 to a pack, rather than 20 for cigarettes, but cost nearly half as much.

The ban is one of the first visible effects of a new law signed by President Barack Obama in June that gives the Food and Drug Administration wide-ranging authority to regulate tobacco, though it can't ban nicotine or tobacco outright.

The new law gives the FDA the power to ban other products like flavored cigars, but that hasn't happened yet.

Whether the cigars are truly different or just an attempt to circumvent the ban by making superficial changes is in the hands of the FDA, said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

"The key is the legislation gives the FDA the authority to respond to these types of frankly totally irresponsible actions," Myers said.

Myers joined executives from the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and the Amercian Legacy Foundation late last month urging the FDA to take a closer look at the issue.

Often associated with hippies and other bohemians, clove cigarettes may be the most well-known target of the ban. Some major cigarette makers experimented with mint- or chocolate-flavored blends earlier this decade, but many of those products are no longer made after coming under fire, accused of targeting children.

John Geoghegan, director of brand development for Moorpark, Calif.-based Kretek International, said the private company has been "puzzled about (the ban) since the very beginning" because clove cigarettes constitute less than 1 percent of cigarettes sold in the U.S.

"For people to say, 'Well, clove is a starter cigarette or a trainer cigarette' or something was just preposterous," Geoghegan said, citing company research about when and how consumers begin smoking.

Kretek International holds a 97 percent U.S. market share with its line of Djarum clove cigarettes, a staple of Indonesian smoking culture.

The U.S. market for clove cigarettes is about $140 million annually, with about 1.25 million clove smokers. Cloves have been imported to the U.S. since the 1960s and are mostly smoked by people younger than 30.

While Geoghegan said clove cigarettes make up about 65 percent of Kretek International's business, the ban is "damaging but not fatal" because of the company's other products like lighters and pipe tobacco.

Now, clove smokers are being forced to decide whether to switch to the new cigars, or quit. Many will likely stock up or try to buy product over the Internet.

And how the ban will work remains a point of contention for shop owners who sell clove cigarettes. But the FDA says the message is clear: Flavored cigarettes are banned, and the agency has the authority necessary to enforce the prohibition.

"So, what do we do with the stuff that's on the shelves? Who eats that? Is it legal to sell until it's gone or what?" asked Jim Carlson, owner of two CVille Smoke Shop stores in Charlottesville, Va., about 70 miles northwest of Richmond.

Carlson said he sells about 3,000 packs of the flavored cigarettes a year.

"You don't make a lot of money, but still it's income ... and it brings customers into the store," he said.

Lake Isabella, Calif., resident Terry Day, 42, used to drive 240 miles round trip to buy clove cigarettes when he lived in rural Valentine, Neb. He said he might try the cigars but was dubious about whether he would like them.

"I certainly don't like to be forced into that choice," said the clove smoker of 14 years. "I'm probably going to buy me enough to last until Oct. 1, then I'm just going to have to quit."

Tobacco Maker Names Chairman

British American Tobacco PLC on Wednesday tapped former Bank of Ireland PLC Governor Richard Burrows as its new chairman.

Mr. Burrows will take over from Jan du Plessis, who will become chairman of Rio Tinto PLC, on Nov. 1.

Mr. Burrows resigned from the Bank of Ireland in May, following a troubled fiscal year in which the bank's net profit dropped to €69 million ($97.5 million) from €1.7 billion a year earlier and had to seek €3.5 billion in financial assistance from the Irish government. Mr. Burrows apologized to investors at the time for the loss of shareholder value and the cancellation of the company's dividend.

BAT, meanwhile, demonstrated the resilience of the tobacco industry last month when it posted a 16% rise in first-half net profit to £1.45 billion ($2.4 billion).

Sales of cigarettes are continuing to hold up pretty well in the recession because smokers are reluctant to give up tobacco. Also, any dropoff in volume can be offset with price increases. The company's shares have risen 3.4% in the past year.

Analysts weren't concerned by Mr. Burrows's Bank of Ireland record, concentrating instead on his highly successful career in the fast-moving consumer-goods industry.

He was chief executive of Irish Distillers from 1978 until its takeover by Pernod Ricard SA in 1988. He continued to work within the French drinks company and eventually served as co-chief executive of Pernod Ricard from 2000 to 2005.

The BAT chair is a nonexecutive position, but a higher-profile role than at other similarly sized companies. During his five years in the job, Mr. du Plessis took responsibility for commenting on any political issues -- such as antismoking legislation -- leaving Chief Executive Paul Adams to concentrate on operational matters.

Mr. Burrows will be paid an annual salary of £525,000 and will work a two-day week for BAT. The salary is below the £686,000 Mr. du Plessis received to reflect the short working week, the company said.

Tobacco Festival should make big comeback next

The South Carolina Tobacco Festival is returning for its 53rd year in Lake City, although the schedule is leaner this year as a result of the economy. The decision to offer a scaled-down series of events for the 2009 festival, which will run from Sept. 18-20, was a conscious and unanimous one by the Greater Lake City Chamber of Commerce’s board.

In spite of the bleak economic scenery surrounding us, Lake City is fortunate to still have a festival, and an abbreviated schedule is a small sacrifice to make as our local businesses fight to stay alive.

One minor rumor was that the Tobacco Festival wasn’t happening at all this year. While it might not be totally identical to the Tobacco Festival we’re familiar with, several events are still planned, starting with the Street Dance the night of Sept. 18, a Friday. The event will feature the Band of Oz and will run from 8 p.m. to midnight.

The biggest changes to the festival’s schedule are the lack of a parade down Main Street as well as entertainment at the town square stage on Saturday, Sept. 19.

But that doesn’t mean you should just stay home that day; get up early and go support a good cause when the Florence Florence County Disabilities Foundation will hold “Lake City’s Largest Yard Sale” at its thrift shop at 219 N. Church St.

Also on Saturday, the festival beauty pageant will take place at the Blanding Street Auditorium, at 125 S. Blanding St.

Finally, on Sunday, the Lake City Country Club will hold a golf tournament.

The chamber of commerce already is making plans for next year’s festival.

“The hope is that we’ll be able to do it even bigger and better than in the past, and we’re even working on that now,” chamber Director Rita Smith said.

When the economy improves, we hope businesses will be able to resume their sponsorships of the festival. A large number of local businesses have been quite generous to the festival, as shown by the lists of contributors in previous years, so we have a good feeling that things will be looking up.

Smith said most people she’s spoken with have been understanding of the decision to scale back the festival this year. Many vendors have called to show interest in selling their goods at this year’s festival have asked Smith to keep them in mind for next year, she said.

With interest already mounting in the 2010 festival, an economic rebound would bring back a Tobacco Festival like those so many of us have regularly attended with our families.

And, as Smith said, it could be even bigger and better than before.

Festivals are good for the morale in towns and cities. They give residents a chance to have fun and take pride in their community.

The people of Lake City and the surrounding areas still have an opportunity to do that as the Tobacco Festival stays alive, and it’s something to be thankful for.

It’s my choice and I choose to smoke

“Quitters never win and I’m no quitter.” “It’s my choice and I choose to continue using nicotine!” The fact is, we lost “choice” the day nicotine took control. But that doesn’t stop the tobacco industry from spending billions on store marketing to build a mighty facade that screams, “smoking is an adult free-choice activity.” Every time we step up to the counter to purchase tobacco the signs and displays hammer our brains with the message that using it is all about flavor, pleasure and aroma. Apparently few tobacco executives “choose” to buy into the lies.

A former Winston Man, David Goerlitz, asked R.J. Reynolds executives, "Don't any of you smoke?" One executive answered, "Are you kidding? We reserve that right for the poor, the young, the black, and the stupid." Once hooked, our only real alternative is the up to 72 hours needed to purge nicotine from our system. Choice? What users have chosen is to avoid withdrawal.

As Joel puts it, it isn’t that we like using nicotine but that we don’t like what happens when we don’t use it. Then there are those of us who claim to smoke knowing full well that it’s killing us. We say we don’t care what happens, that we don't want to get old, that we have to die of something, so why not smoking. Most of us using these “self-destruction” rationalizations do so to hide the fears born of a history of failed attempts, and of a false belief that we’re somehow different than others, and that we’ll never be able to stop using. Try to find anyone who isn't shocked when cancer, emphysema, heart attack or stroke does occur. As Joel writes, "no one ever called me enthusiastically proclaiming, 'It worked, it's killing me!' On the contrary, they were normally upset, scared and depressed."

Choice? Once out from under our dependency’s control then free choice is restored. But just one puff, dip or chew and our freedom and autonomy will again be lost, as our brain is soon begging for more.

Ohio dealt decisive blow in tobacco funds dispute

The Strickland administration will mount an appeal to a Tuesday court ruling that would prevent the state from using $230 million in smoking prevention funding to help pay for home-care services under Ohio’s latest budget.

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David Fais’ decision bars the state from touching $230 million from the dissolved Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation. The battle over the money began in April 2008, when Gov. Ted Strickland outlined plans to use tobacco foundation money to partly finance a $1.57 billion jobs stimulus plan in the state.

With the money frozen while the legal fight played out, the state shifted the intended use of the cash to optional Medicaid services, a children’s Medicaid expansion and cancer screenings, said Strickland spokeswoman Amanda Wurst.

In the ruling, Fais wrote that two pieces of legislation backing a liquidation of the foundation and transfer of the money are unenforceable because they “clearly violate” tenets of the state Constitution. Assets in the foundation’s endowment fund are now in the state Treasury’s custody, but they’re to be used solely for tobacco prevention programs mounted by public or private agencies.

Wurst said Strickland was disappointed by the ruling and the time it took to reach a decision. The governor has asked state Attorney General Richard Cordray to speed an appeal of Fais’ ruling “to ensure these vital services continue for Ohioans.”

“Today’s ruling will delay or jeopardize the ability of these health-care services to continue to serve the people of Ohio,” Wurst said.

Fais reiterated a position he held when issuing an injunction on use of the money last February: The state had a reasonable alternative to raiding the tobacco fund for the jobs stimulus plan by issuing bonds instead.

Tough Summer for Tobacco Crop

It's a sight you'll find up and down the Connecticut River Valley, field after field abandoned or already harrowed.

"It's like a ghost town," said Allan Zuchowski. "It's like a spaceship came and took all the farmers away."

It's not the farmers that are gone, but instead their tobacco crops, a result of a very cold and wet summer.

Zuchowski, a farmer in Hadley, has lost seven acres worth.

"It pays the bills. It replaces the equipment. It keeps up the buildings," he said.

Wally Czajkowski, another farmer in town, has lost 30 acres.

"It's just a big hole in the middle of our season," he said.

It's leaving a big hole in Czajkowski's wallet. His tobacco crop makes up a third of his income.

Both farmers say it's a combination of factors that have led to the devastating loss. Four diseases attacked the crops early in the season, and the cold and wet weather made it too difficult for the plants to fight them off.

One virus many tobacco farmers are dealing with leaves spots all over each leaf. When cured, the spots become holes, and the leaf becomes useless.

"Tobacco is a job that requires many hands and many hours and those hands are idle now," said Zuchowski.

"There's going to be a lot of unemployed farm workers this fall," said Czajkowski.

Both Zuchowski and Czajkowski are now paying close attention to their other crops. They must now rely on those to make up for the loss of income.

But both say they're not giving up on tobacco.

"We'll just try again next year," said Czajkowski.

Farm Labor Supply Surprising Tobacco Growers

About the time the economy went in the dumper in 2001 folks started saying that the recession would improve the farm labor supply. But a fellow at an agricultural outlook seminar in Gainesville, Fla., said the supply of field laborers was just fine.

"We have a great system," he said. "It's called Greyhound. It crosses the border, picks up workers and when the job's done, it takes them back home."

No self-respecting American who could get a check in the mailbox would go sweat in a field, the speaker said. At the time, he was accurate.

Either times have changed and some of those folks who could get a check prefer to earn an honest's days wages - as my parents and grandparents taught - or, well, I don't think there is an or. You see, those checks still are available to just about everyone who asks for one and Congress keeps extending unemployment eligibility.

But farmers are reporting Americans coming to see about working in their fields. Laborer jobs. Earlier today Ray Tucker couldn't help grinning when he said an American was among the fellows harvesting the tobacco on his Kentucky farm. And Jay sounded a little proud when he said the American was keeping up with the Mexicans who came here through the H2A program.

Reynolds American 2Q Profit Up 3.6%; View Raised

Reynolds American Inc.'s (RAI) second-quarter profit unexpectedly rose 3.6% as the tobacco company reported higher margins, which helped offset a decline in volume at its R.J. Reynolds Tobacco division.

Based on the company's first-half results, and more clarity in shipping patterns and the effects of a federal excise tax increase, the company raised its full-year per-share earnings view to a range of $4.40 to $4.60 a share from $4.15 to $4.45.

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration was given power to regulate tobacco products, giving the government authority to monitor smoking products. Reynolds and Lorillard Inc. (LO) claimed the legislation would give larger rival Altria Group Inc. (MO) advantages, but Fitch Ratings expects well-established brands will maintain their market shares and benefit from potentially greater advertising restrictions.

Fitch, though, warned launching new reduced-risk products could be difficult under the new restrictions. Reynolds, for instance, has been developing new smokeless products to boost sales, but its efforts could be snuffed out by the FDA.

The second-largest U.S. tobacco company behind Altria reported earnings of $377 million, or $1.29 a share, up from $364 million, or $1.23 a share, a year earlier. Revenue declined 3.8% to $2.25 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected per-share earnings of $1.16 on revenue of $2.27 billion.

Gross margin rose to 46.6% from 44.2%.

The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco division's volume dropped 6%, but earnings rose 3.4%, as higher pricing and lower expenses were more than offset by lower cigarette volume and higher pension costs. Market share for growth brands grew 2.6 percentage points to 12.7%, while Camel's market share was flat at 7.5%.

Total R.J. Reynolds U.S. market share was up 0.4%, to 28.7%.

At the Conwood unit, which makes smokeless-tobacco brands Kodiak and Grizzly, earnings decreased 4.1% but volume rose 6.7% while market share for moist snuff shipments improved 2 percentage point to 29.4%.

On Wednesday, rival Altria reported its second-quarter profit grew a larger-than-expected 8.6% on its purchase of smokeless tobacco company UST as cigarette volumes continued to fall.

In premarket trading, Reynolds American's shares recently were up 0.8% to $41.50. The stock is up by about a third from its 52-week low in March.

Shanghai World Expo Says "No" to Tobacco Sponsor

rganizers of the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 have canceled a sponsorship deal for the China pavilion by Chinese cigarette maker Shanghai Tobacco in response to outcry by China’s growing anti-smoking lobby. Organizers of the Shanghai fair turned down a $29.3 million deal previously signed in May, the Shanghai Daily reported. That’s a huge amount considering how the U.S. is still struggling to raise $61 million from U.S. companies [though no tobacco companies]to build its USA National Pavilion. U.S. backers so far include 3M, Pepsi, GE, Yum Brands [KFC], Walmart, Intel and NYSE Euronext.

What’s surprising is that organizers of the Shanghai Expo ever consented to the tobacco deal in the first place. The world’s fair is themed “Better City, Better Life” with a strong focus on green technologies aimed at building a cleaner environment. But then again, the state-owned tobacco industry is hugely profitable and powerful. You can bet it will be lobbying hard against a proposed anti-smoking law to be discussed by the Shanghai Peoples Congress next month. Like the smoke-free Beijing Olympics, the Shanghai Expo has billed the Expo, which is open from May to October next year, as smoke-free. Smoking inside offices, restaurants and most public spaces is still legal in China.

China is one of the biggest growth markets for international tobacco companies such as Philip Morris International, maker of Marlboro cigarettes. For more on what it’s doing in China have a look at the cover story Nanette Byrnes and I wrote for BusinessWeek earlier this year. China has about about 350 million smokers, accounting for one third of the world’s puffers.

Councilwoman Head pushing for tobacco change

Councilwoman Stacy Head is set to introduce an ordinance this week that would create new restrictions on tobacco sales in the city.

It's a fight to steer New Orleans kids away from tobacco use.

"This is an initiative that has been brought together by a large coalition of people, some faith based organizations, some organizations dedicated to trying to reduce the use of tobacco products," Head said.

The measure would ban new businesses from selling tobacco products within a certain distance from city schools, playgrounds, libraries and churches.

Existing businesses would be excluded from the ban.

Up for debate is just how far the boundary lines would extend.

Head said it could be anywhere from 300 to 1,000 feet.

Those details will be worked out during a Housing and Human Needs Committee meeting Monday.

"We don't allow liquor sales often very close to churches and close to schools and close to parks,” Head said. “We should have the same rules for tobacco. It's gonna help, again, set an environment around a school that's going to be more wholesome."

Pastor Patrick Keen with Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Central City said the measure would be an important cog in the city’s rebuilding effort.

"It's a land use ordinance that we're addressing,” he said. “How do we use the land in New Orleans as we develop post-Katrina?”

Keen believes the proposal would help offset what he describes as an ongoing tobacco advertising blitz.

"Our children are being targeted by the tobacco industry,” he said. “There's about $251 million that's used by marketing specialists in the tobacco industry in Louisiana alone."

But some retailers feel a restriction would be unnecessary, pointing out there are already laws on the books addressing underage tobacco sales.

"If they're worried about minors, especially like from schools, they don't have to be worried about it because the state has a law and we do have strict laws regarding our store over here,” said Deya Ottallah, who manages a convenience store not far from Cohen High School. “There is no selling tobacco for minors."

Head said children do get around the laws, however. And she disagrees with the notion that her proposal could signify too much government.

"I'm a firm believer in the market taking care of many, many, many things, but I think government has an obligation to control the market when it's something as harmful as tobacco and kids," Head said.

The proposal is expected to be ready for a full council vote on Thursday

Adult smoking drops in Arkansas

New survey information shows there are nearly 10,000 fewer smokers in Arkansas since the beginning of the Arkansas Department of Health's (ADH) Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program in 2002. When the program started in 2002, 25.1 percent adults smoked in the state; more current data show that those numbers have decreased to approximately 20.7 percent.

Dr. Paul Halverson, director of the ADH and state health officer said, "We are encouraged by these results." Overcoming tobacco addiction is one of the hardest things anyone can do -- especially for adults that have been smoking for a long time. We applaud these Arkansans who have beaten addiction and celebrate with them as they lead healthier lives. However, we still have more work to do as we have many Arkansans that would benefit from a tobacco-free lifestyle."

"This news is also good for Arkansas's economic health," Gov. Mike Beebe said. "When fewer people smoke, we have healthier employees, healthier families and less demand for health-care services. It all adds up to a healthier workforce, which will help us in our efforts to attract new business and industry to Arkansas."

The ADH Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (TPCP) funded through the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, works to reduce tobacco use in Arkansas. Through community and school prevention programs, a media and public relations campaign known as Stamp Out Smoking, and cessation services for tobacco users looking to quit, TPCP continues to see the positive effects of its efforts.

"It's rewarding to see our hard work pay off with the release of these new numbers," said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, ADH Director of the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program. "It takes all of our partners working together to achieve these kinds of results and through youth prevention efforts, quitting services like the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline and policy changes like the tobacco tax, we feel confident tobacco use in Arkansas will continue to decline."

Arkansas has made significant strides over the past year to provide more services for tobacco users who want to quit and Arkansans have overwhelmingly responded. Since 2008 the toll-free Arkansas Tobacco Quitline has received more than 22,000 calls. The Quitline, found at 1-800-QUIT-NOW, now offers free motivational coaching with a QuitCoach by phone or online and free medications while supplies last.

Alberta Faye Powell quit smoking on Oct. 20, 2008, with the help of Quitline. She said that she was successful because of the combination of the nicotine patches, coaching and "having the attitude that you are ready to quit." She said the coaches provided assistance in a professional manner and assured her that it was OK to be honest if she failed and to start again.

While helping tobacco users quit smoking provides maximum benefits for the state and the individual, it is equally as important to ensure that youth never start. Arkansas has been successful in continuing decline in youth smoking despite national statistics remaining stagnant. In Arkansas, youth smoking has decreased from 34.7 percent in 2001 to 20.7 percent in 2007.

A decline in tobacco use in the state benefits all Arkansans. It means lower health care costs, due to smoking-related illness, less exposure to second hand smoke and longer life expectancy resulting in more time with loved ones. Smoking is a major cause of heart disease, stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Since the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program began in 2002 the number of hospital admissions in Arkansas for heart attack, stroke, chronic bronchitis and emphysema has declined progressively each year resulting in substantial savings in healthcare costs.

McKenna claims win in tobacco advertising case

Washington's Division One Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a cartoon image included in the Nov. 2007 ad campaign by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in Rolling Stone magazine was in violation of the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

In doing so, the court overturned a June 2008 verdict in favor of the company, which ruled that the content didn't depict traditional cartoons and that the images were more thought-provoking than humorous. Tuesday's decision awarded the State attorneys fees and costs and remanded the case for damages.

Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna called the ruling a reminder of how committed the states are to enforcing the public health provisions of the MSA and prohibiting the illegal marketing of tobacco products.

"This lawsuit demonstrates, even 10 years later, states have not forgotten legacy of the Master Settlement Agreement," said the Republican AG, who recently served three years as co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General Tobacco Committee.

"This is the kind of advertising that brought about the Master Settlement Agreement in the first place and this is one of the on-going legal commitments tobacco companies made to the states. We are holding them accountable."

Eight states - Maine, Ohio, California, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Washington - sued R.J. Reynolds after the ad ran.

The Maine and Ohio judges sided with the company and California came back with a split decision. A Pennsylvania judge became the first to hold Reynolds liable, ordering the company to pay $302,000 or run a full-page anti-smoking ad in Rolling Stone. The other states' lawsuits are still pending.

"This is a significant decision in that it's the first appellate court interpretation of the use of cartoons in tobacco advertising," said Senior Counsel Rene Tomisser, who argued the case and was recently promoted to section chief of the attorney general's Complex Litigation Section.

As of now, R.J Reynolds has not said if they would plan an appeal.

Tobacco ban is premature

Well-intentioned Pentagon health experts are urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ban the use of tobacco by troops and end its sale on military property. It's an admirable goal, and achievable some day. But the proposal, or at least its announcement, is ill-timed, coming last week just days after the largest one-day death toll in months for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

A plan to ban tobacco is something to announce during peacetime.

The Institute of Medicine study, requested by the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Pentagon, notes that one in three servicemembers use tobacco, compared with one in five adult Americans, USA Today reported. The study also found:

Tobacco use increased after wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, and troops worn out by repeated deployments often rely on cigarettes as a "stress reliever."

The heaviest smokers are soldiers (37 percent) and Marines (36 percent), who have done most of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Combat veterans are 50 percent more likely to use tobacco than troops who haven't seen combat.

The study suggested the Pentagon consider gradually phasing out the subsidized sale of tobacco products on U.S. military bases and that it implement a series of tough anti-smoking measures, starting with new recruits. Well, with new recruits who aren't being sent off to war, anyway.

Focusing on smoking while troops are dying in combat has a missing-the-forest-for-the-trees feel. Studies and proposals don't happen in a vacuum. Or maybe they do, and that's the problem.

The military has a much more troubling health crisis right now -- and that is a record suicide rate among servicemembers. Like the smokers, the majority of military members who commit suicide saw combat, and served repeated deployments. And most were deployed repeatedly because the military has struggled at the same time to attract qualified recruits. Definitely a circular nightmare, and one in which cigarettes are not the villain.

When facing combat, fear, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, traumatic injury, stressful life events -- things military personnel and veterans can struggle with daily -- tobacco use isn't the problem. The military is working on suicide prevention programs, even as the trend continues upward, Military.com reported. More, urgent work is needed.

The study cites rising tobacco use and higher costs for the Pentagon and VA as reasons for the ban. And the rising tobacco use is tied to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Which is maybe why the study's mixed-message recommendation is to phase-in the ban over years, perhaps "up to 20."

FDA's tobacco road

For most of the last 15 years, the Food and Drug Administration's authority to regulate tobacco has been either a thwarted promise or a fitful threat, depending on your point of view.

It has been pressed by anti-smoking crusaders and public health groups, put on hold by the Supreme Court and beaten back repeatedly by the tobacco industry and its political allies. Last year, the latest such proposal was left for dead after President Bush threatened he would veto a measure, passed by the House of Representatives, if it made its way to his desk.

But on June 22, a political resurrection occurred in Washington, D.C.: Flanked by lawmakers, anti-smoking advocates and even a tobacco industry executive, President Obama (himself a smoker who's struggled to quit) signed into law a measure giving the FDA all the authority over tobacco that it has periodically sought, and more. That's a measure not only of the doggedness of some lawmakers, but how the American landscape has changed for the makers of tobacco products.

Roughly one in five American adults still smokes cigarettes -- down from a pinnacle of 40% in 1965. Most of the nation's workplaces, public buildings and restaurants no longer allow smoking. Though an estimated 1,100 kids take up smoking every day, tobacco has neither the Hollywood glamour nor ease of access it once did for those under 18. Even tobacco farmers are a vanishing breed, with many states using funds from a $206-billion legal settlement with the tobacco industry to buy them out of the business.

Tobacco use, estimated to kill 443,000 Americans and cost $193 billion in lost productivity and added healthcare costs every year, is something that fewer and fewer politicians dare defend.

One of the oldest cigar makers shuts down its plan

Florida will fell short of one of its iconic cigar plants in later this summer when Hav-A-Tampa closes its factory, which has been working since 1902 and fires almost 500 employees.
Hav-A-Tampa revenues were hit dramatically by constantly increasing tobacco taxes and strict indoor smoking policies that have obliged smokers to go outside for a puff.
Altadis Inc, the owner of Hav-A-Tampa made public their decision to close the plant on Thursday during a special press-conference.
The major part of employees was involved in manufacture of legendary Jewel cigars, Hav-A-Tampa's top-seller. According to Kevin Barlow, head of plant’s human resources department, many employees have been working there for 15 years or even more, with even one worker who has been employed for 50 years.
Altadis made desperate efforts to keep the factory going, but was unable to overcome dramatic sales decline caused by the economic downturn and landmark tax on cigars.
The manufacture would be transferred to another plant owned by Altadis and situated in Puerto Rico. The owner also decided to keep the Florida distribution center open.
After hearing the news of plant’s closure, Hav-A-Tampa workers were trying to figure out if they would be able to get new work in an state where the unemployment rate reached 10 percent last month.
Debra Barker, a Hav-A-Tampa worker admitted that she has been working at the plant for 15 years and there have been people who have been there even more. She said that she would get another job since she had a higher education, but it would be very difficult to get a decent job for other people who had been working at the plant after graduating from school.
Atladis spokesman said that a combination of several factors affected Hav-A-Tampa revenues, among which were the economic downfall, growth of unemployment rates and implementation of smoking bans in enclosed public places. The strict smoking bans have essentially hit revenues in central and northern states, where it's impossible to go outside in order to smoke a cigar in the winter.

Tribal members plead not guilty to contraband cigarette charges

Four people who operated a smoke shop on the Swinomish Indian Reservation that was raided for untaxed cigarettes two years ago pleaded not guilty to federal charges Monday in Seattle.

Tribal members Marvin Wilbur, 71, and his wife Joan Wilbur, 72, along with their daughters-in-law April Wilbur, 44, and Brenda Wilbur, 49, were indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court last month on one count of conspiracy to traffic in contraband cigarettes and five counts of trafficking in contraband cigarettes.

The four remain free pending a trial set for September. The charges carry prison terms up to five years.

The Wilbur family ran the Trading Post at March Point, near Anacortes, which was raided in May 2007. Agents seized nearly four million unstamped cigarettes and about $120,000 in cash and bank accounts. It all has been forfeited to the government.

Prosecutors allege the Trading Post took in at least $13 million in revenue from contraband cigarettes and should have paid about $11 million in tobacco taxes.

In 2003, Marvin and Joan Wilbur unsuccessfully sued to try to stop a cigarette-tax compact between the state and the tribe that requires the tribe to collect the same tobacco taxes from on-reservation smoke shops that the state would collect.

Prosecutors say the Wilburs didn't get a tribal license to sell cigarettes and didn't pay tribal tax.

More Cigarettes More Health Problems

A recent study found that smokers have more migraine attacks than non-smokers. But a research published in The Journal of Headache and Pain indicated that smoking could ameliorate migraines by reducing anxiety, one of the main factors that spark an attack.
One advantage of this study is that the sample used, 361 medicine students from the University of Salamanca, were fully informed about what a migraine was. Most surveys which studied the migraine in smokers are done in people without knowledge of the illness, but this recent study tried to found about the presence or absence of migraine and whether or not they smoked in people knowing everything about this disease.
At the end of the investigation was found that 16% of students fulfilled migraine criteria, while 20% smoked. But the percentage of smokers was higher (29%) in those who were also migraine sufferers and migraine frequency in those students who were migraine sufferers and smokers was clearly higher than in those who were non-smokers and migraine sufferers.
According to this last study, smoking is a precipitating factor of this type of headache, as the influence of active smokers is one third higher in migraine sufferers and there is a direct relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked and the frequency of migraine attacks.
At the end of the study researchers became more stressed, because they assure that the tobacco dosage play a very important role in migraine sufferers. The study results detected that the migraine sets in after five daily cigarettes.
Moreover, although the percentage of those who smoked was higher in people with migraines, they smoked less than those who did not suffer migraines. This is because they knew that if they will smoke more than five cigarettes a day, they would be more likely to have a migraine attack.
The neurologists argued that in no case should a migraine sufferer be advised to smoke thinking that it is going to improve their migraines.

Tobacco lay

Because an injunction “prohibits conduct under threat of judicial punishment, basic fairness requires that those enjoined receive explicit notice of precisely what conduct is outlawed.” Under this standard, we have held injunctions to be too vague when they enjoin all violations of a statute in the abstract without any further specification, or when they include, as a necessary descriptor of the forbidden conduct, an undefined term that the circumstances of the case do not clarify.
Indeed, we must always apply the fair notice requirement “in the light of the circumstances surrounding entry: the relief sought by the moving party, the evidence produced at the hearing on the injunction, and the mischief that the injunction seeks to prevent.”

Tobacco use

In conformity with 2002 edition of World Tobacco Atlas published by the WHO, in the region of the Caribbean Sea and Central America, every year local smokers consume from 500 to 1,200 cigarettes each. Although the smoking rates among men tend to drop in recent years, this decline is very slow-going.

Moreover, generally, more educated men from the Caribbean countries do not smoke or have quit lighting up, being aware of all the negative health consequences related to smoking. Therefore, smoking is more likely to be widespread among the non-educated lower- income men.

Smoking star

Movie showing smoking - Part II

A spokesperson for 20th Century Fox, where all four series of the X-Men movie were filmed including the latest Wolverine movie, declared that Jackman's character was showed with a cigar only two times during the movie; moreover, the cigar was not ever lit.

She stated that despite the Wolverine character smokes a cigar in nearly each edition of the comic magazine, film director decided to avoid frequent showing of smoking in the movie.

The Medical Association of America, seeking to attract Hollywood tycoons' attention, recruited a truck carrying a billboard around the studios.

"Our designers have invented a poster showing an adolescent thinking, 'Which movie studios will cause me to smoke this summer?'” said the Medical Alliance executive.

Pamela Ramirez, the communications manager for Motion Picture Association declared that they have been rather delicate with the worries of parents regarding the aim of the rating systems.

She stated the Association started giving R rating to the films two years ago, responding to the changes in mentality and health complications related to teen smoking.

"Smoking has been rated similar to the factors like nudity or violence," she added.

Anti-smoking advocates push for R rating to any movie showing smoking

The rate of smoking scenes in the movies permitted to watch by the minors has not dropped although Hollywood executives promised two years ago to avoid showing smoking scenes in the films.

According to the research completed by the American Medical Alliance scientists, showing famous actors smoking encourages adolescents to try cigarettes or other the tobacco products. Therefore the Alliance urged the Motion Picture Association to give an R rating to any film containing smoking scenes.

Dr. Thomas Jefferson from California Public Health Department cited the results of a study that found out that almost a half of all underage smokers throughout the United States might be linked to seeing smoking in movies.

"Overall, 55 percent of the top films containing smoking scenes showed within the last two years were permitted to teen audience since they have been given a G, PG or PG-13 rating," he declared.

Mathew Dow, the vice chairman of the America Motion Picture Association committee that is responsible for film ratings, cited their own numbers, basing on all the 900 movies that have been rated every year, not only the top films from Davenport's statistics.

According to the Association chairman, they have not given G ratings to any film, containing at least one smoking scene after it made a pledge two years ago.

In general, more than a half of all the films rated during the last three years contained smoking scenes, however 70 percent of such movies were rated as R movies, Dow stated. 21 percent of the films with smoking were given PG-13 rating and the rest 9 percent were given PG, he added.

In conformity with the rating system, G-rated filmed is permitted for viewing for all audiences without age restrictions, whereas a PG rating tells parents that such movie can contain some scenes which are unacceptable to see for their children. PG-13, for instance, signals that the movie contains inappropriate scenes for adolescents under 13.

No minor under 17 should be permitted to watch an R-rated film alone without a parent or tutor.

Sandi Frost, chairwoman of American Medical Alliance cited "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," as the most recent and great example of a film with free smoking advertisement. The box-office success blockbuster was given a PG-13 rating since the movie contains numerous scenes of violence.

"Hundreds of thousands of teenagers have seen the principal character in the film with a cigar between his teeth," Frost claimed. "I'm more than confident that no one would have liked that film any less in case he was not dragging."

First licensee prosecuted for flouting the smoking ban

THE NEW head of Scotland's leading anti-smoking charity has called for cigarettes to be taken off shop shelves as part of efforts to dissuade the next generation from taking up the habit.
In her first interview as chief executive of Ash Scotland, Sheila Duffy also warned plans to expand smoking cessation services were at risk because of inadequate government funding levels.
And she cautioned tobacco should not be seen as a "done and dusted" health issue following the implementation of the ban on smoking in public places.
Duffy, who took up her new post this month after the retiral of previous chief executive Maureen Moore, told the Sunday Herald one idea which should be examined is the selling of cigarettes "under the counter".
"Some countries have experimented with the idea of taking tobacco off the open shelves, so you are not just going and buying it like you would buy bread and milk," she said.
"In the longer term, I think it is something we should seriously consider because this product is so dangerous it would never be allowed to be sold openly if it came on to the market today."
The legislation on smoking in public places - which came into force in Scotland in March 2006 - has been followed by further measures aimed at curbing the nation's nicotine habit. In October last year, the legal minimum age for buying tobacco was raised from 16 to 18, bringing it into line with alcohol.
Other plans which may soon come under consideration include a licensing system for shops selling tobacco, proposed by SNP MSP Christine Grahame.
Last month the government pledged £11 million a year for smoking cessation, to allow health boards to continue services and develop new ones in settings such as workplaces and social clubs.
But Ash Scotland has raised concerns that - taking inflation into account - this level of funding will represent a reduction of nearly 6% by 2010. And, while the overall budget for tackling smoking has increased by £2.5m to £13.8m, Duffy argued it was still inadequate.
"Alcohol is receiving three times as much funding as tobacco control," she said. "We are not saying don't tackle alcohol abuse - you need to tackle alcohol - but tobacco is no less dangerous."
Her comments yesterday met with a mixed reaction from politicians and campaigners. The British Medical Association has also called for a ban on displaying cigarettes at the point of sale. A spokeswoman for BMA Scotland said the practice "normalised" cigarettes, especially when they are placed next to every day items.
"Research has found young children become more aware of tobacco brands when cigarettes are on display and they are more likely to express an interest in buying named brands," she said.
Labour's health spokeswoman, Margaret Curran, pointed out tobacco was still a major killer in Scotland and added: "It would be a disaster if the good work of encouraging thousands of Scots to quit tobacco was damaged by a lack of investment."
Mary Scanlon, health spokeswoman for the Conservatives, agreed cessation services and support were vital, but said selling cigarettes "under the counter" was a simplistic approach that would have little impact. "It is not the display of cigarettes that makes you want to buy them, it is because you are addicted to smoking," she said.
Neil Rafferty, of pro-smokers' rights group Forest, argued: "Cigarettes are a perfectly legal product and as long as they are a legal product then adults should be able to make a normal consumer choice."
He added: "It is typical anti-smoking hypocrisy. We are told in Scotland that alcohol is doing our country enormous damage, but no-one is going to suggest alcohol be hidden under the counter."
The Scottish government is due to publish a five-year smoking prevention action plan this year, which will draw on 31 recommendations made by experts in a report published in 2006.
Public health minister Shona Robison said: "Proposals for under-the-counter sales will be considered within this action plan.
"I am confident the £11m a year I announced last month for smoking cessation will allow boards to continue existing services and develop new ones."

A New Bill against Smoking in Croatia

Smoking was banned in public places in many states except Croatia. But today Croatia is set to implement a public smoking ban, including bars and restaurants.
"A six-month temporary period for bars, restaurants and the tobacco industry is expiring Today and the law restricting the use of tobacco will be fully implemented," Health Minister said.
Statistics showed that in Croatia smoke 68 percent pf the population. That’s why ministry believes that the new anti-smoking legislation will protect non-smokers and will decrease the smokers’ number.
The legislation allows a six month transitory period for bars, restaurants and the tobacco industry to conform to it.
After this period, smoking at bars will only be allowed out on terraces, while restaurants can allocate a separate room for smokers where they can’t serve food or drink in these areas.
Fines of up to 2,100 euros (2,800 dollars) for individuals and up to 21,000 euros for employers will be imposed on those violating the smoking ban.
The health ministry considered that tobacco kills 10,000 people every year while an additional 3,000 die from passive smoking in Croatia.
Croatia already had laws banning smoking in health and education facilities, and marking out separate smoking areas in other public spaces.
But these rules have often been ignored, especially in bars, restaurants and offices. Because bar and restaurant owners, in particular have protested strongly, claiming it will seriously affect their business.

More actual smokers would decide to give up the habit

That fact brings major joy to local health advocates as they state that the higher the cost of cigarettes is the fewer minors would buy them and start smoking and the more actual smokers would decide to give up the habit.

Although the aim of Illinois lawmakers is rather laudable, some opponents like Rep. Frank Mautino stated that taxes should be raised only to collect additional revenue and by no means to force people to do or not to do something.

"May be we would also tax Cheeseburgers, soda or pizza, because we think they are not healthy for Illinois residents? That is simply ridiculous,” declared Mautino.

Another thing that brings fears to the lawmakers is the expected loss of revenue, since smokers would look for options when trying to get a puff. They could either go to neighboring states or order cigarettes online, or even use illegal black market that is blossoming nowadays.

Even if smokers remain in Illinois, they would buy fewer cigarettes, admits Joseph Elfish, manager of Illinois Association of Convenience Stores and Petroleum Marketers.

Although experts predict around 15 percent drop in tobacco products sales, Illinois Association of Convenience Stores’ analysts anticipate almost 25 percent decrease. That would force owners of small shops to get out of business.

It would leave thousands people jobless and without source of livelihood. People would be especially thankful to the government for their relentless efforts to improve people’s health, when they are fired.

Lawmakers want another tax increase?!

Just two weeks after the largest ever cigarette tax increase went into effect, Illinois authorities consider another increase, this time in the state tax that would jump by $1 over two years in case it is approved.

William Sheridan has been the executive manager of 7 gas stations with convenience stores for almost 10 years. He said he remembers the times when sales of cigarettes exceeded 100,000 packs per month in one of his convenience stores. It was two years ago until Cook County administration imposed $2 sales tax kicked in three years ago. After the sales tax went into effect the store sells an average of 20.000 packs of cigarettes each month.

That was before the latest increase in the federal cigarette tax came into force making each pack 62 cents more expensive. Sheridan complained the sales went 15 percent down during last month in comparison to the same period last year.

However, it seems that Illinois lawmakers are still not satisfied. They are debating over another $1 state tax increase, despite the price of a pack of cigarette nears $9 in several Illinois cities.

Lucky Strike means fine tobacco

Tobacco Companies Violate the New Tobacco Rule

Smoking was banned in many countries but Tobacco Companies continue to attract young people by producing cigarettes in cute and fashionable packages. That’s why researchers consider that Tobacco Industry violate the new tobacco rules. Under the new Tobacco Hazard Prevention and Control Act that took effect on January 11th, businesses can be fined if they encourage the purchase of cigarettes by means of advertisement posters, electronic panels, animation, bonus points or any discount program, placing more than one box of cigarettes on the counter and selling candies, snacks or toys in the form of cigarettes.

Despite the vigorous regulations, tobacco companies still market fruit-flavored cigarettes to young ladies to give the impression that smoking these cigarettes has the same health benefits as eating fruit, said scientists.

Lin Ching-li, director of the foundation’s Tobacco Control Division, reported: "Many young ladies, perhaps because they are unable to consume enough servings of fruit, believe that by smoking peach cigarettes, they are getting the same amount of nutrition as they would from a real peach. This is completely wrong, but young ladies pass it on to each other and create this kind of misconception."

History of Montecristo

Distributed widely throughout the world and sold originally by Dunhill New York, the Montecristo brand cigar currently accounts for almost 50% of all Cuban cigars exported each year, making the Montecristo the most popular Havana cigar in the world. The Montecristo was originally branded in 1935 under the name “the H. Upmann Montecarlo Selection”.When appointed the British distribution agent, the John Hunter firm shortened the brand’s name to Montecristo. The John Hunter firm also redesigned the brand’s logo to its distinctive red and yellow box with the triangular crossed swords.These delicious, full-flavored cigars are highly recognizable to the pallate due to their unique tobacco blend, and their highly distinctive flavor. The Montecarlo brand is also highly popular as the result of it’s exeptionally consistent quality.

Highest standard of quality

Relying on the skills and experience of the decades, our Karelia cigarettes insist on the highest standard of quality. The state -of-the-art production services are among the first in Europe, producing for about 15 billion cigarettes per year.These exquisite cigarettes have been created from a superior blend of tobaccos to produce a cigarette of perfection. Grown in tender beams of hot Greek sun, Karelia Cigarette possesses an irresistible bouquet of tobacco flavor. Karelia presently exports its Premium brands to over fifty countries within Greece and Europe mainly, but to North America, Asia Pacific Africa and South America also not without participation of our online shop.Recently the company started the Karelia Tobacco Company (UK) Ltd., that is, the new subsidiary in order to sell its brands on the English market.
Karelia Tobacco Company Inc. is the Greece’s leading cigarette manufacturer and exporter. The Company’s principal activity is the manufacturing of cigarettes and other linked to tobacco products. Karelia Company became now an international Company, which exports cigarettes and tobacco products over the World. Karelia is family-owned company and is very proud of its position and traditions. George Karelia produces a wide range of tobacco products and different brands. Karelia Company produces “Kasetina”, the archetypal Greek brand, as a part of the local heritage in Greece.

Davidoff most luxury things

Davidoff brand is most luxury things. There are excellent cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobacco. Beautiful accessories that are embodiment of elegance of quality are also produced under Davidoff mark.
Everything that is produced under Davidoff brand are worldly recognized as of premium quality. All tobacco products of this company brand are shadowed under same brilliance star.
Mentioning trade name “Davidoff” first that comes into mind is luxury. This is referred to Davidoff cigarettes too. They are beyond doubt from superior tobacco that was created for smoking persons that wish to taste beauty of life.
Blend of Davidoff cigarettes is of time-experienced quality that becomes a prominent international tobacco brand name of this famous firm.
Emotions that offer this cigarette brand are full of outstanding fragrance that is accompanied by delicate flavor. Taste of Davidoff smoking cigs you will never forget or compare.
It is very hard to render luxuriousness and elegance of Davidoff smoking tobacco using words from nowadays vocabulary. This cigarette brand will be undeviating placed on premier rank on tobacco markets from entire world forever.
The prototype of Davidoff tobacco brand is allied in elegant hard packs that are differentiated in colors and smoking taste. This premium tobacco is presented in variety of Davidoff Classic, Davidoff Lights and Davidoff Slim Lights.
These smoking cigarettes are different in color, but not in gorgeousness of quality.

Camel Wides Art Issue - designed by Katja O

Exclusive version of cigarettes Parliament

The company Philip Morris arrives at the Russian market exclusive version of a family of cigarettes Parliament Reserve. New species of cigarettes will be distributed exclusively by reservation. Experts believe that if properly positioning Parliament Reserve will be successful.

Cigarettes will be issued in a new format in the form of packaging portsigara recommended price of 200 rubles. for the stack. Sales of the new series will not be limited in time, but will be limited circulation: one-customer can order from one to three blocks of Parliament Reserve. Book new cigarettes could be only through distributors Mercure and only in Moscow. "The order will be delivered to the house, which also will stress the core brand values: exclusivity, modernity and high quality - the series is designed for affluent consumers who appreciate this.

Recall Philip Morris already ran two series of limited edition in past New Year holidays - one for Marlboro Cigarettes and Parliament Cigarettes. Limited Series Marlboro had a stack of silver, which has opened the side like lighters, and the bonus Parliament Cigarettes changed the color to blue metallic tutu. But unlike Parliament Reserve, the two series can be purchased at retail prices, and restaurants: Marlboro - at the BP gas station and about 200 locations HoReCa, Parliament Cigarettes - in expensive restaurants.

Images of a Camel Joe

The city of Paris court dismissed the claim of opponents of smoking groups to the American tobacco giant RJ Reynolds, which produces cigarettes under the brand Camel.
The National Committee of smoking opponents argued that the use of ourcigarettes.biz/camel-cigarettes.html 15 - ty packaging options with various images of a camel, Joe - a very attractive image of a juvenile - encouraged children and adolescents to gather full "collection" Camel packs.
However, the court dismissed the claim, stating in its decision that "although the law and prohibits advertising, promotion and free distribution of tobacco, it could not determine which images are used in the presentation packs, except for the mandatory placement reminder of the negative impact of smoking on health."
Nevertheless, the court charged the RJ Reynolds Tobacco 8 thousand euro fine and 1.5 thousand euro compensation of losses due to the fact that the company has changed autocratically text warning on the dangers of smoking, millions of reams of Camel, attributing at the beginning "in accordance with the law 91-32. Changing text, in the opinion of the judges, has led many consumers less serious about prevention.

Manufacturers Marlboro

Manufacturers Marlboro cigarettes also followed this principle, but less aggressively than their competitors. R.J. Corp. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings, which occupies 2 - first place in the American tobacco market, in recent years has produced a series of new varieties of its Camel cigarettes, and launching the use of new types of packaging, in particular the original plastic "flask".
Meanwhile, Marlboro, as in 1976, remains the red-and-white packaging, which became a symbol of America and one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Today, the image of many already tired. "Philip Morris lacked innovation - argues Herzog. - Registration packages may not change for a long time, and this created a danger for Marlboro. fact, consumers like to absorb new products. advent of a new product line Marlboro - step in the right direction, but this is likely , will not be enough. " In the arsenal of Altria, it is true, there are other means, such as cigarettes with a reduced toxicity.
In due time, Philip Morris agreed to shift their costs of resolving lawsuits consumers on the shoulders of consumers. But higher prices caused the fall in demand for Marlboro cigarettes and contributed to the success of the many smaller competitors. Philip Morris has gone back on their word, starting to lower prices for its main competitors and followed. But this in turn damaged the image of high-quality cigarettes.

Vogue - one of the most popular cigarettes

British American Tobacco Russia began delivery of cigarettes at retail point of the main line of Vogue Cigarettes in an updated tutu.

Vogue Bleue, Vogue Lilas Vogue Menthe, and the new model will appear at the Russian stores at the end of August 2007, the first time they will be packaged in foil with a picture of the old design. Also in the stack of nested liners information on the changes in the basic line of Vogue Cigarettes. In mid-September launch of the updated Vogue Cigarettes will be supported by an advertising campaign in the press and points of sale.

Russia - the second since Ukraine's market, where three major version change Vogue Cigarettes. Updating stamp design happens in all markets "British American Tobacco."

"Vogue - one of the most popular in Russia, women's cigarette class premium." That's why Mark always strives to match the mood of its customers. becoming more modern and fashionable, Vogue followed its discerning tastes of the audience "- said Mark Herman, head of the department of consumer marketing" BAT Russia. "

Restarting only affect the external appearance of tutus, receipt, gum and nicotine content in Vogue Bleue, Vogue Lilas and Vogue Menthe remain the same. Maximum retail price updated Vogue is 44 rubles.

Mark Vogue first appeared in Germany in 1987 and in 1990, Vogue Cigarettes were represented in Russia, where cigarettes were the first super slims format on the market. During the first semester of 2007, Vogue took 8% premium segment of the Russian tobacco market and 18% of the growing podsegmenta super slims.

Marlboro cigarettes

Big Tobacco’s tactics

The writer citing “the acid rain scare of three decades ago” to support his argument that climate change is a scam probably has a sense of irony equal to his understanding of science.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s acid rain program is a good example of a successful strategy to combat a serious problem. This program has achieved its goals of reducing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides through a cap-and-trade system on primarily coal-burning power plants. Since its implementation in the 1990s, it has successfully reduced acid rain levels by 65 percent at a cost much less than forecast.

As for global cooling, this was the brief darling of the pop press in the 1970s and was never taken seriously by the scientific community. It is in no way comparable to the present widespread scientific consensus that climate change is real and mostly due to human activities.
Regarding the “650 respected scientists” dismissive of global warming: There was also a time that the online tobacco
industry could muster many “respected scientists” to dispute that cigarettes cause cancer.

In fact, the strategies used then are now employed by climate change polemics. That is, recruiting just enough naysayers to confuse and instill doubt, despite the preponderance of evidence and expert opinion to the contrary, so those currently benefiting by the status quo can continue to profit to the detriment of everyone else. taxes

Prisons snuff out tobacco products

Corrections officer Rod Coston spends his afternoons and evenings guarding prison inmates as they walk between buildings at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia.
Most days, he smokes a pack of online cigarettes during his eight hours on the job. But starting next Sunday, Coston won't be able to turn to his favorite stress reliever while he's at work.
The state's 41 prisons go tobacco-free that day. Until then, inmates and prison staff can continue smoking in outdoor prison areas, although they haven't been able to smoke inside since the 1990s.
"I don't even know if I'm capable of going eight hours without a cigarette," said Coston, 46, who smokes around 20 cigarettes a day on the job and another pack away from work. "It's part of me, and I don't know if I can physically do it. I won't know until I do walk in on that day and see if I can get through the day."
Corrections officials began moving toward the total tobacco ban a year ago, when lawmakers put language into the 2008 corrections budget bill requiring prisons to be tobacco free.
The department offered inmates smoking cessation classes as it readied for the ban to take effect. Inmates have been able to buy fewer cigarettes and more nicotine patches and gum at prison stores in recent months, and no cigarettes have been sold since Jan. 1. Visitors have been told they won't be able to bring tobacco products into the prisons.

Cigarettes debut in America

Peuple wonders: Would a Pennsylvania law that took effect Jan. 1 requiring stores to sell only "fire-safe" discount cigarettes have a made a difference?
Raiford's mother and brother died in a July house fire in Homewood that investigators blame on an errant cigarette. Cora Mae Raiford, 83, was overtaken by flames and smoke on the second floor of her house. Kenneth Raiford, 56, who investigators believe was smoking on the porch, died in West Penn Hospital after suffering burns over most of his body.
"I don't believe God makes mistakes," Raiford said last week. "But if had been in place, who knows if things would have turned out differently.
"I am always going to miss my mother and brother. Sometimes you have got to protect people from themselves, and this is an opportunity to do that."
Fire-safe ourcigarettes.biz burn more slowly and self-extinguish if left unattended. Pennsylvania is one of 22 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, that mandate them. Fifteen other states have laws that will take effect this year or next, according to the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes.


The law will save lives, say advocates and fire officials.


"Cigarette-related fires are the leading cause of home fire fatalities, killing an average of 700 to 900 Americans a year," said Lorraine Carli, spokeswoman for the National Fire Protection Association. "We are very optimistic that these types of cigarettes will make a significant improvement."
The paper in fire-safe cigarettes is thicker in two or three spots -- rings of less-porous paper that create "speed bumps" to prevent the smoldering paper from progressing toward the butt if the smoker does not take a drag often enough.
Critics say the fire-safe smokes taste different and the paper forces them to suck harder on the cigarette to keep it burning.
"The feedback has been mixed," said RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. spokesman David Howard. "It's different and it obviously takes some adjustment. We tell customers there has been no change at all in the blend. ... Yes, we've heard some (negative) reactions, but others have said they see no change at all."
RJ Reynolds will sell only fire-safe cigarettes by 2009, even in states that do not mandate them, Howard said.
Bill Phelps, a spokesman for Altria, parent company of Phillip Morris USA, said the cigarette manufacturer will continue to make fire-safe and regular cigarettes. He said Phillip Morris would like to see a national standard put in place rather than a patchwork of state laws. Past attempts to implement federal legislation failed, prompting a shift in strategy to seek state requirements, said U.S. Fire Administrator Gregory Cade.
Howard and Phelps said using fire-safe papers costs more than using standard papers, but the companies and not consumers will absorb the price increase.
Fire-safe cigarettes could save lives of smokers and nonsmokers, said Pittsburgh Deputy Fire Chief Colleen Walz.
Cigarettes that are dropped into wastebaskets or on furniture can smolder and then ignite after the smoker leaves the area, putting others at risk, she said.