Consumers choose price over branding in tobacco

Andrew Lansley may want to rethink his support of putting cigarettes in plain packs after The Grocer's annual Top Products survey revealed that price - far more than bright shiny packaging - determines purchasing decisions.

The overall tobacco category grew by 3.8% in value for the year to 2 October, helped by increases in both duty and VAT, but within that there was staggering growth for some of the lower-priced brands, while the most ­recognisable such as Marlboro, Benson & Hedges and Regal all suffered ­significant losses.

Imperial Tobacco's budget John Player Special Blue variant experienced by far the strongest growth of any grocery product sold this year up a massive 173.1% to £209.4m.

Rival JTI also enjoyed massive success for its low price brand, Sterling, with King Size up 67.1% and Superkings up 37.9%.

In stark contrast, premium cigarette brands all lost sales Marlboro Gold was down 2.4%, Benson & Hedges Gold was down 4.3% and Regal was down 11.3%. Overall, 632 million fewer cigarettes were sold but this was more than made up for by a 19.5% increase in the sale of roll-your-own tobacco, which smashed through the £1bn barrier with total sales of £1.14bn.

The figures suggest that price is the key factor for smokers in the current economic climate and will cast further doubt over the need for government to ­introduce plain packaging.

"Making all tobacco products available in the same, easy-to-copy generic plain packaging would potentially lead to a significant increase in counterfeit product," said Imperial Tobacco head of marketing Steve Brock. "Governments need to ask themselves whether they want tobacco products to be sold by a responsible, legitimate business or by organised crime gangs who have no regard for any regulation."

Milford's SADD gets grant to study tobacco

A high school organization just received a $2,500 grant to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco.

Health Resources in Action, a Boston-based non-profit company, awarded Students Against Destructive Decisions with the grant - one of 15 school chapters selected from across the state.

Milford School District Publicist Jocelyne Fauerbach said club co-president and senior Dylan Shea wrote the grant, and that money will go toward raising awareness about cigars, cigarillos and other tobacco products. Cigarillos, according to the student group, are packaged and marketed to look like candy cigarettes, but are just as dangerous.

Fauerbach said SADD students have surveyed more then 100 people on the issue during “on the street” interviews, and will attend an anti-smoking rally at the State House in March. They will also present the data they collected to the Milford School Committee and the Milford Board of Health.

Store ads attract children to tobacco

As people were encouraged to quit smoking during the 2010 Great American Smoke out on November 18, attention was also paid to tobacco ads targeting kids.

A survey, which was released by Queens Smoke-Free Partnership, Asian Americans for Equality and the American Cancer Society (ACS) Asian Initiative, was conducted at 34 retailers located within 1,000 feet of schools that were licensed to sell tobacco in Queens. Retailers were selected at random and were visited by representatives of one of the three organizations in October and early November.

The survey found that tobacco product displays were behind cash registers in 97 percent of the stores, while there were exterior ads at 56 percent of them. Displays of cigarette packs, cartons and other tobacco products were found in the checkout lanes of 74 percent of the stores.

“It’s disgraceful. We’ve been able to limit tobacco company advertising in mass media, but they’ve adapted and are taking full advantage of one of their final venues to lure kids into smoking,” said ACS Vice President of Asian Initiatives, Ming-der Chang. “By plastering stores with highly-lit displays and bright ads placed at kid level, they continue to focus on our kids as their next generation of customers.”

According to ACS, “research shows that exposure to tobacco marketing in stores is a primary cause of youth smoking.” Of regular smokers, about 90 percent start before they are 18 years old.

“The tobacco industry spends billions of dollars to get tobacco marketing in front of children in stores,” said Queens Smoke-Free Partnership Director Dan Carrigan. “If we reduce youth exposure to in-store tobacco marketing, we can help the next generation avoid a lifetime of addiction to tobacco.”

Tobacco Smoking Should be Banned in Apartments: Researchers

Smokers who have been forced out of bars and restaurants may soon be crowded into little groups outside one more place: their homes.

A new study finds that even when kids live with non-smoking parents, if they live in apartment buildings they are exposed to tobacco smoke from their neighbors. Now, researchers are recommending that owners and landlords make their buildings smoke-free zones.

The deadly smoke seeps through walls or common air ducts from smokers' apartments, according to the study published today in Pediatrics.

"Parents try so hard to protect their children from dangers, such as tobacco smoke." said Dr. Karen Wilson, an author of the study and assistant professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Golisano Children's Hospital, said in a written statement.

"It's surprising to see these results and realize that too many parents have no control over whether their children are exposed to secondhand smoke in their own homes," she said.

Children are in danger of a number of health problems if they are exposed to cigarette smoke. The U.S. Surgeon General says there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. In children, tobacco smoke causes and increases the severity of asthma, influenza and bronchiolitis, a lung infection primarily found in kids.

It can also cause sudden death syndrome and cognitive deficits in infants. And even unborn children are at risk: if pregnant women inhale tobacco smoke, their child may be born with low birth weight or prematurely.

The solution? The true fix to protect residents is to make apartment housing smoke-free, says Dr. Jonathan Winickoff, senior study author who practices at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children.

"A child with asthma has no choice, people who smoke can go outside," he said. "I think that landlords and building owners will now be deciding how soon to go smoke free and not whether to go smoke free. I don't think anyone wants to be the slumlord of the last building to allow smoking inside."

Relief likely for tobacco farmers

The Tobacco Board, in its special meet at New Delhi on Tuesday, decided to reimburse the penalty collected from farmers who cultivated excess tobacco.
The board also announced Rs 6,000 compensation per hectare and Rs 4,000 compensation per hectare for partially damaged crop due to the recent incessant rains.
The Ongole MP and Tobacco Board member, Mr Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, speaking to this newspaper said that the meet headed by board chairman, Mr G. Kamalvardhan Rao, had decided to waive interest on tobacco crop loans acquired from national banks, rescheduling of loans for the next four years, an additional loan of Rs 50,000 to each tobacco farmer who totally lost his crops and Rs 30,000 loan to farmers whose crop was damaged partially.
Mr Srinivasulu Reddy said that after the meet, Union minister, Mr Jaipal Reddy, MP, Mr Undavalli Arunkumar, Rajya Sabha member, Mr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, and board members met the Union commerce minister, Mr Anand Sharma, and briefed him about the board’s decisions.
He said that Mr Sharma assured them of discussing interest waiver and penalty repayment issues with Union finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee.
Mr Srinivasulu Reddy said that the Union minister, Ms Panabaka Lakshmi, MPs, Mr Mekapati Rajmohan Reddy, Mr Lagadapati Rajgopal, Mr Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, Rajya Sabha member, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, state minister, Mr Kasu Krishna Reddy, and others participated in the meet.

Tobacco group scores Sicpa for false claims

The Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) said that it debunked claims of a Swiss-based company that the government stands to gain P100 billion in revenues should its controversial tax stamp technology be adopted.

Rodolfo Salanga, PTI president issued the statement amidst what he calls a renewed sales pitch by Sicpa Security Solutions SA (Sicpa).

Salanga said the sales talk is a desperate attempt of Sicpa to convince lawmakers that its technology is superior to other systems being offered to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) when in reality, the SICPATRACE system only passed 35 out of the 83 listed criteria for technical requirements and has met only 11 percent of the listed functional/business requirements listed by the BIR.

Sicpa recently submitted its position paper to the oversight subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means tasked to monitor the implementation of the BIR of a tax monitoring system for cigarettes.

In its position paper, Sicpa reiterated that the country stands to gain more than P100 billion in just seven years and plug multi-billion tax leakages if its system is implemented which claims Salanga finds incredulous.

Salanga also challenged Sicpa to appear before the oversight subcommittee to substantiate its claims which said company has failed to do during the extensive public hearings conducted by the Committee on Ways and Means (Committee) in the 14th Congress.

Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor boosted by cooking wine

The Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation is upping its customer benefits with new discounts and gifts on holidays after a successful return on reducing the cost of its cooking wine.
Since September, the company's 0.6-liter Red Label Cooking Wine (Michiu) was reduced from NT$50 per bottle to just NT$25, making the Chinese cooking supplement vastly affordable yet not diminishing in value.

As of November 30, the company sold 2,780,000 dozen bottles, a 100 percent growth rate from the number prior to the discount (1,390,000 dozen), raking in NT$48 million in profits.

The corporation has partnered with many shops, creating consumer promotions involving that will bring all the benefits back to shoppers. On holidays such as Mother's Day, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Ghost Festival, consumers received small samples of wine complete with wine glasses.

The Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation's annual revenue as of Nov. 30 is roughly NT$ 3.1 billion, a 2.53 percent growth from the year before. The percentages of revenue come from three sources: export, the company's duty free store and other duty free shops, which were 29 percent, 54 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

DEA Moves to Control Synthetic Marijuana

Since 2009 the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has received an increasing number of reports from poison centers, hospitals and law enforcement regarding fake marijuana products, which resemble herbs or potpourri but mimic the effects of the drug when smoked.

On Wednesday of this week, the DEA announced that it would ban several chemicals used to make these so-called synthetic marijuana products, which include brands such as Spice, K2, Blaze and Red Dawn.

According to the DEA’s website, smokable herbal blends marketed as being “legal” and provide a marijuana-like high have become increasingly popular, particularly among teens and young adults. These products consist of plant material that has been coated with research chemicals that mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and are sold at a variety of retail outlets, in head shops and over the Internet. These chemicals, however, have not been approved by the FDA for human consumption and there is no oversight of the manufacturing process.

Fifteen states have already taken action to control one or more of these chemicals.

The DEA used its emergency scheduling authority to temporarily control five chemicals (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497 and cannabicyclohexanol) in “fake pot” products. Except as authorized by law, this action will make possessing and selling these chemicals or the products that contain them illegal in the U.S. for at least one year while the DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services further study whether these chemicals and products should be permanently controlled.

A Notice of Intent to Temporarily Control was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday to alert the public to this action. After no fewer than 30 days, DEA will publish in the Federal Register a Final Rule to Temporarily Control these chemicals for at least 12 months with the possibility of a six-month extension. They will be designated as Schedule I substances, the most restrictive category, which is reserved for unsafe, highly abused substances with no medical usage.

“The American public looks to the DEA to protect its children and communities from those who would exploit them for their own gain,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “Makers of these harmful products mislead their customers into thinking that ‘fake pot’ is a harmless alternative to illegal drugs, but that is not the case. Today’s action will call further attention to the risks of ingesting unknown compounds and will hopefully take away any incentive to try these products.”

Dutch cities to start crackdown on marijuana cafes

The Netherlands' justice minister and five southern Dutch cities say they will implement new restrictions on marijuana cafes after a wave of drug-related gangland violence.
They said Friday the measures include shutting down many cafes, using tax and accounting laws to seize criminal assets, and introducing a "members only" pass system for remaining cafes.
The government has previously floated the idea of a nationwide pass system that would make it difficult for tourists to buy marijuana, despite the country's famed tolerance policy, which allows sale and possession of small amounts of weed.
Last week, a home in Eindhoven was hit with machine gun fire and the mayor of Helmond went into hiding because of death threats. Police say both matters are drug-related.

Lisle police hold tobacco compliance check

On Monday, the Lisle Police Department conducted tobacco compliance checks on all 31 of the businesses within the village that are licensed to sell tobacco products.

One business, Lisle Mini Mart, 4730 Main St. was cited for selling a tobacco product to a minor. Assisting Lisle police were two underage volunteers.

The compliance checks are conducted three times a year to confirm that tobacco license holders are complying with the laws that prohibit the sale of tobacco to minors.

The Lisle Police Department has also been educating tobacco retailers on minimum-age tobacco laws and the importance of verifying the age of their customers. Funding for this program has come from a grant from the Illinois Liquor Control Commission’s “Kids Can’t Buy ‘Em Here” Tobacco Enforcement Program.

Tobacco thief wanted by Shreveport Police

A southeast Shreveport Circle K store is robbed early Thursday morning and police say the suspect got away with only a tub of tobacco products.

Now Shreveport Police need the public's help in identifying the suspect.

Police say the robbery happened a little after 3 a.m. at the 100 block of E. Bert Kouns Industrial Loop location.

A witness tells police that the male suspect tried to purchase beer, but was told that it was too late to sell alcoholic beverages.

The suspect reportedly left the store only to come back minutes later, walk behind the counter and scream at the clerk to not turn around and not look at him. Then police say he took a large red bin of tobacco products and fled the scene, possibly in a dark colored Chevrolet Tahoe with silver rims.

The suspect is described by police as a black male, approximately five feet six inches tall weighing about 200 lbs., wearing a black jacket, yellow shirt and tan pants. He was reportedly wearing black shoes with yellow laces.

Peruvian diggers find 2.5 million-year-old tobacco

Paleontologists in Peru have discovered fossilized tobacco in the northern Amazon that dates back to the Pleistocene Era 2.5 million years ago, the scientists said Friday.
The compact block of tobacco, about 30 square centimeters (4.5 square inches), was found by scientists from the Meyer-Honninger Paleontology Museum earlier this week in the Maranon river basin in northeastern Peru.
"This discovery allows us to establish that the plant dates back to the Pleistocene Era, and confirms that it originated in northern Peru," the museum said in a statement.
Tobacco was smoked and chewed by Native Americans long before the arrival of European explorers in the 15th century, the scientists said.
It was also used for therapeutic purposes -- in everything from eye drops to enemas -- and for rituals, such as blowing smoke into the faces of warriors before battle and on women prior to intercourse, they said.

His name says ‘tobacco’; His message: Don’t do it

Patrick Reynolds, grandson of tobacco mogul R.J. Reynolds, watched as his father was “dying from the thing that made our family wealthy,” Reynolds told 230 students at Calistoga Junior-Senior High School Wednesday morning.
His father, R. J. Reynolds II, died of emphysema at the age of 58. That’s why he turned his back on his family’s brands, such as Camel and Winston, Patrick Reynolds said.
With black-and-white slides of his parents, Reynolds shared his troubled past with students to grab their attention as part of a 45-minute lecture sponsored by Queen of the Valley Medical Center about the destructive effects of drugs and tobacco. His first takeaway message: Smoking is addictive.
“Nine out of ten smokers become addicted by age 19,” Reynolds said. “Once they get you hooked, you cannot stop.”
He used photos of actors such as Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis, stylishly puffing, before fast-forwarding to modern celebrities with cigarettes such as singer Katy Perry and “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson.
“Bad vampire,” Reynolds said, eliciting a hearty laugh from the teenage crowd.
“One way of expressing who you are is smoking or drugs,” Reynolds said. “Find more original ways of showing who you are.”
Then, Reynolds played anti-smoking commercials that illustrated city blocks full of empty shoes and body bags heaped in front of tobacco company offices, and revealed a number: 1,200.
That’s the number of people who die in the U.S. every day from smoking-related illnesses.
Reynolds implored students to seek help if they’re feeling stressed or tempted by substance abuse, and to understand that “not everyone is on your side,” such as tobacco companies.
Some students said they were most shaken by the number of people who die every day of smoking-related diseases.
“There was a lot more people than I thought,” 9th grader Nayeli Maldonado, 15, said. “It can affect you in more ways than I thought...it can affect other people.”
Nicolas Ramirez, 12, in 7th grade, said he was touched by the body bag commercial.
“They were finally telling the company that what they’re doing kills lots of people,” Ramirez said.
The sponsors were pleased with students’ reactions. “He’s very passionate about making sure kids don’t start smoking,” said Leah Kuchta Waters, marketing coordinator for Queen of the Valley Medical Center.
Reynolds himself said the students seemed “captivated.”
“They were listening quietly, and that’s a sign there was some learning going on,” he said.

Tobacco price fixed at Rs 104.30 per kilogram

Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) on Monday announced Rs 104.30/per kilogram for tobacco crop of 2011 giving timely choice to farmers between the cultivation of tobacco or go for the sowing of wheat in the province.

The announcement was made by chairman, Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) Major Sahibzada Mohammad Khalid (Retd) in presence of the Crop Commissioner, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) and representatives of growers and tobacco companies here at PTB Headquarters in Hayatabad.

Briefing the participants, Secretary PTB, Noman Bashir said that the purpose of the prior announcement on minimum indicative price for FCV tobacco was aimed to make decision for growers to cultivate crop of their choice. The process, he said starts in last week of September through marketing wing through costing board comprising of the representatives Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC), Lakson Tobacco Company (LTC), agriculture department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

For this fixation of the minimum tobacco price, the cost board visits six FCV tobacco producing districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Mianwali, district of Punjab and representatives of growers associations from six districts of Khyber Punjab. The minimum indicative price, he said fixed after hectic efforts and long series of debate between the growers and tobacco companies.

Speaking on the occasion, chairman, PTB, Major Sahibzada Mohammad Khalid (Retd) called for discouraging non-recommended varieties of tobacco and payment of better price of good quality tobacco. Crop Commissioner, Minfal, Inayatullah Khan said that the timely announcement of tobacco price give signal to the growers to decide about the cultivation or not cultivation of the crop. He said that the NRVs should be discouraged, saying the good quality tobacco would not only be exported, but would be used at the domestic level.

On this occasion, the representatives of growers Tufeeq Ahmad Khan called for fixation of the minimum price of tobacco at Rs 105 per kilogram, saying that the tobacco is high cost and sensitive crop as natural disasters or extra irrigation water also damaged it. The crop besides having high cost of production earned largest amount in head of excise duty for the country than all other crops.

Fazal Elahi, another representative of growers from district Swabi said that the new price has been fixed after increasing the price by Rs 10 per kilogram in keeping in view the current inflation rate and three percent profit for the growers would have proved better.

Summary Box: Higher cigarette prices help Reynolds

Reynolds American, the nation's second-largest tobacco company, said higher prices on cigarettes helped lift its third-quarter net income, even though it sold fewer smokes than a year earlier. It said it earned $381 million, compared with $362 million a year ago.

CIGARETTE VOLUMES: The maker of Camel, Pall Mall and other brands said the number of cigarettes shipped fell 2.6 percent to 20.1 billion sticks. Camel volumes grew 1.5 percent, and Pall Mall grew 45.1 percent in the quarter.

PALL MALL: Market share increased 2.8 points to 7.8 percent of the U.S. market during the quarter. The company's overall cigarette market share rose slightly to 28.2 percent.

One third of cigarettes in Bulgaria are 'illegal'

Every third cigarette smoked in Bulgaria is illegal, according to the tobacco industry, because no excise tax has been paid.

Officials from four international tobacco companies and the Bulgarian monopoly have handed interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov a report explaining that illegal cigarettes – normally smuggled into the country or manufactured in clandestine facilities – account for 34 percent of local tobacco consumption.


No tax has been paid on one third of cigarettes smoked in Bulgaria. (Photo: lanier67)

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The market research was presented by the local offices of Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International, Imperial Tobacco and the Bulgarian company Bulgartabac.

The treasury is expected to lose the equivalent of €350 million this year just to illegal cigarettes, according to the finance ministry.

The industry carried out its research in 21 Bulgarian cities. Illegal cigarettes amounted to 50 percent of total consumption in the western towns of Pernik and Kyustendil, the survey showed.

Bulgaria is the second heaviest smoking country in the EU after Greece and consumes 350 million illegal packs of cigarettes every year, according to the study.

Assembly's cigarette tax punishes use of legal item

The Anchorage Assembly lost its collective mind when it abandoned the notion of everybody paying equally their fair share of city taxes to provide services we all receive. It now believes it can single out select, small groups using legal products and tax them mercilessly because it is, after all, best for the children.

It is cynical, predatory government at its worst.

Eight Assembly members last week voted to increase the city cigarette tax by 75 cents a pack to bring in perhaps $6.2 million. That would make the city levy on flavor cigarettes $2.21 a pack. That is in addition to the $3-a-pack state and federal taxes already in place.

Of course, the hypocrites who want you to believe the increase is aimed at stopping people -- particularly children -- from smoking are hard at work trying to justify the tax. If they were telling the truth about wanting to protect people, tax proponents would be pushing for something more draconian. The tax increase, no matter what backers say, is about easy money.

Not surprisingly, the measure was introduced by Assembly Chairman Dick Traini, who told the Anchorage Daily News the Assembly "could figure out later whether to use the new tobacco tax revenue to offset property taxes, or to restore some services." Figure out later? No kidding. Tax first, ask questions later.

Traini is wrong. Instead of whittling away at property taxes and the city bureaucracy at a time of economic stagnation, budget deficits and government bloat, he is busy trying to boost taxes on individuals whose only sin is using a legal but politically incorrect product.
Why target smokers? They represent a small group, and it is tough to defend their smoking. It is a dirty, self-destructive addiction and smokers are easy targets. But all that is a distraction that blurs the truth. What we should be howling about is government targeting specific groups for onerous taxes. If the Assembly is free to hammer tobacco users, why not people who eat fast food, drink water from plastic bottles or who voted for Joe Miller, although it may soon be tough to find any of them?

The biggest surprise in the vote was that the only Assembly members to line up against the increase -- and it truly boggles the mind -- were Elvi Gray-Jackson, Harriet Drummond and Patrick Flynn. The Anchorage Daily News even had Gray-Jackson saying, "It's simply not the role of government to tax people out of a bad habit. ... It's simply not fair."

It was the "Twilight Zone," or maybe somebody spiked the Assembly's champagne, or maybe the three represent areas of working class folks of lower economic status who, most studies show, are the nation's prime smokers. These three Assembly members usually are dead wrong when it comes to taxes and fiscal matters, but they nailed it this time. Well, kinda. Gray-Jackson also blamed the push for the tobacco tax increase on Mayor Dan Sullivan's steadfast refusal to tax to the tax cap -- that mean guy -- and Flynn thought the increase was just too much. What could the rest of the Assembly members -- some who claim conservative credentials -- have been thinking?

Worse, the tax increase could lead to even more taxes. When city number crunchers huddle to figure next year's tax cap, revenue collected by the levy will be added to the calculations and eventually help raise the cap and your taxes.

Sullivan should veto this tax even if it did win eight votes, the magic number for an override. If the Assembly wants the tax, Sullivan should make it overcome his veto so voters may remember. If a tax veto actually is overridden, the revenue should be used only to offset property taxes -- and nothing else.

A targeted, specific tax such as the Assembly's tobacco levy is just another sign that our government is out of control. The increase speaks volumes about what Assembly members think of their constituents, and it mostly is this: We can do anything we want if you do not have the votes to hurt us at the next election. What a lousy way to run a government.

If the do-gooders were serious, if all this were about saving us from ourselves, they would push for an outright ban -- but they are not. They will never kill the tobacco cash cow, no matter the health implications.

Contraband cigarettes main source of supply for Ontario youth

For Immediate Release – October 25, 2010 – (Toronto) –A new study from The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) found that contraband tobacco accounts for 43% of all cigarettes consumed by Ontario high school daily smokers in grades 9 to 12.

The study, published in the current edition of Tobacco Control, looked at the smoking habits of Ontario students and found that of high school daily smokers, 50% smoked at least one contraband cigarette per day over the last year. Contraband cigarettes are manufactured on and smuggled from US and Canadian native reserves and sold in high quantities at lower prices outside of the regulated environment which prohibits the sale to minors.

"This form of tobacco consumption is particularly worrisome," said Dr. Russell Callaghan, CAMH scientist and lead investigator on the study. "Because of lower prices and lack of restrictions on purchase, youth are able to afford and access them more readily than regulated tobacco products."

While the percentage of adult Ontarians who consume tobacco has declined since 2003 to 18.7%, youth smoking rates have remained relatively high at 11%. The province has made progress with tobacco control strategies such as taxation and preventing the sale of tobacco products to minors, but widespread access to contraband tobacco may undermine these gains.

"It is important to implement strict policies to regulate the cigarette manufacturing supplies going into native reserves, as well as prevent smuggling of contraband tobacco from the US," he added. This new research complements the recommendations cited in the Tobacco Control Strategy released last week by Ontario government, acknowledging that the growing pervasiveness of contraband tobacco products in Ontario needs to be addressed and combated though increased public awareness and enforcement.

Data for this study came from the 2009 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS), a provincially representative, school-based survey of youth attending public elementary and secondary schools in the province of Ontario.

Smoking Ban Raises Questions For Landlords

The state laws on medical marijuana have landlords in mid-Michigan confused. That's because many of them don't know how it applies to their no smoking rules.

For many smoking tenants in Michigan the days of lighting a cigaratte inside their place could soon be over. That's as more landlords consider making their property smoke free.

"It will better both our buildings, and also provide a better environment and more healthy homes for our residents," said Forrest Babcock, Lansing Housing Commission.

Thursday the Property Management Association of Mid-Michigan and the Ingham County Health Department told landlords they have the right to set these rules even if those include legalized medical marijuana.

"As a number of people said to me, we don't want to be showing our apartment to a prospective resident, and have them smell marijuana in the hallways. That is not a selling point for us," said Jim Bergman, Smoke-Free Environments Law Project.

Selling point or not, advocates for medical marijuana say these measures are not fair. Some argue that it's people's medicine. And if the law allows it then it's their right.

"If people are paying to stay at a place, that's their home. I feel that if it's your home, then you should be able to do what you vote to do. And one of them is medical marijuana," said Danny Trevino, Hydroworld.

It's a battle that could have legal consequences and one which Bergman says landlords would win.

"State law says you can be certified to use marijuana for medicinal reasons. However, federal law still says marijuana is a controlled substance which is illegal. And no question about it, federal law trumps state law," said Bergman.

Ban smoking at Memorial University

A Memorial University of Newfoundland professor is calling on the school to ban smoking on all its property - indoors and out.
Oncologist David Saltman said it wouldn't be too hard for MUN President Gary Kachanoski to enforce a ban.

"In Canada we're very lucky because if we have smoking bans in private and public places, the general population are very supportive of these and compliance is very high, so there's no need for strict enforcement," said Saltman.

Smoking is currently allowed outdoors at Memorial. Saltman said that means students and faculty are exposed to a lot of second-hand smoke near some building entrances.

He's scheduled to meet with MUN's health and safety officer about his concern in the next few weeks.

Four hundred universities and colleges in North America have banned smoking on their campuses.

General Tobacco Shutting Down

General Tobacco, a maker of low-priced cigarettes that became the sixth-largest U.S. tobacco company during the last decade, plans to shut down after failing to make payments it owed to states under an industry settlement, reported The Wall Street Journal.

General Tobacco news, Mayodan, N.C., stopped producing cigarettes and other tobacco products at its North Carolina plant several months ago and is winding down operations, J. Ronald Denman, executive vice president and general counsel, told the newspaper. He said the closely held company, which is formally called Vibo Corp., recently has been selling off inventory in foreign markets.

The maker of brands such as Bronco, Silver and GT One took market share from larger rivals after it began selling cigarettes in 200, the report said, and it posted annual sales of $335 million by 2004. But its U.S. market share fell to less than 1% from almost 2% in recent years, amid intense competition from other discounters.

Denman said General Tobacco struggled to keep its prices competitive with those of rivals such as Vector Group Ltd.'s Liggett Vector Brands Inc. while meeting the demands of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), the landmark pact between 46 state attorneys general and cigarette makers. Under the $206 billion agreement, companies agree to marketing restrictions and make payments to reimburse states for the costs of caring for sick smokers.

General Tobacco joined the accord in 2004, six years after it was signed by major tobacco companies, and agreed to make payments to the states for both ongoing sales and those it recorded prior to joining the agreement.

Abandoning tobacco farming for aquaculture

Sam Robi sprinkles feed on a pond and after a while, a school of fish scramble for it. He repeats the same procedure in four out of eight fishponds at his farm in Kuria West District. Besides the fingerlings, there are the bigger fish especially Tilapia, which he sells in the local market.

The cost of a piece of Tilapia in Kehancha market is Sh80. One pond, he said contains 200 tilapia and before December, he is optimistic of earning over Sh100,000 from the sale.
As the leading supplier of fingerlings within the district, he also sells each at Sh5 and in numerous occasions, he has sold up to 3,000 fingerlings. In a single pond, he grows over 1,000 fingerlings.
“This is a constant source of income, which I could not realise from tobacco growing, which I abandoned in 2003 and embraced fish farming,” he said.

Losses from tobacco

This came after he realised that the losses incurred from tobacco growing were a curse rather than a blessing.“The cost of fertiliser, herbicide and the felling of trees to dry tobacco leaves was slowly depleting the trees on my farm,” he said.

Besides this, he had to be on the farm all the time, which often required additional labour— he had to withdraw his children from school to work on the farm.

labour intensive

“Unlike tobacco farming, fish farming is not labour intensive. I need to feed them and maintain the pond,” said Robi.

The fish mature fast and ensure a steady supply to the market. One has to wait for ten months to realise the profits from tobacco.

Tobacco growing areas are also linked to the higher incidences of tobacco related diseases like cancer.

Mr Robi said he started fishfarming with Sh1,500 capital.“I dug a pond and sought the help of a government officer to supply me with the fingerlings. But after waiting for over one year, the fingerlings were yet to arrive at my farm,” he said.

It is then ActionAid, a non-government organisation working to alleviate poverty realised the need to supply him with 600 fingerlings for his three ponds so as to win him over from tobacco growing.
Fish is a key nutrient for the growth and development of children and with his family he is able to net one at any given moment.

During drought he, however, experiences shortage of the commodity as fish survives in water.

Tobacco compliance checks to run yearlong

Chippewa County retailers that sell tobacco products will be tested throughout the year for compliance with the state law that prohibits sales to people under age 18.
The Chippewa County Department of Public Health, in cooperation with local law enforcement, will be conducting the checks using a program called WI WINS. Trained 15-17 year olds will attempt to purchase tobacco products under adult supervision. Citations may be given to those who sell tobacco to the teens.
In 2009, six out of 69 Chippewa County retailers sold tobacco to minors during the WI WINS checks.

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Summary Box: British American Tobacco

THE RESULTS: The acquisition of Indonesia's Bentoel helped lift British American Tobacco PLC's first-half profit by 5 percent to 1.53 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) from 1.45 billion pounds. Revenue rose 8 percent to 7.3 billion pounds ($11.39 billion) as higher prices offset flat volume.

THE BRANDS: BAT makes Dunhill, Pall Mall, Lucky Strike, Kent and other brands. In the first six months of the year, Dunhill volume rose 21 percent, Pall Mall gained 7 percent, Lucky Strike rose 1 percent and Kent volume fell 4 percent.

THE OUTLOOK: The cigarette maker forecast solid growth in earnings and dividends.

Tobacco company earnings boosted by higher prices

Philip Morris International Inc (PM.N), which sells Marlboro cigarettes outside the United States and Reynolds American Inc (RAI.N), which sells Camel and other brands in the United States, posted higher-than-expected quarterly profits on Thursday and raised their 2010 earnings forecasts.

The results came a day after Philip Morris USA parent Altria Group Inc (MO.N) raised its forecast for the year after the 2010 first half was better than expected.

The tobacco companies' figures helped mitigate concerns that a large increase in the U.S. tax on tobacco last year and high global unemployment would force a switch by consumers to lower-priced smokes.

"This industry is all about pricing," Morningstar analyst Phil Gorham said. "They've still got very strong pricing power."

The one exception is in Western Europe, where Philip Morris saw a 6.2 percent drop in cigarette shipments due to a weak economy in Spain, a declining market in Germany and tax increases in Greece.

"Weakness in Western Europe was not very surprising," Gorham said. Places like Spain have very high unemployment and that killed demand, he said.

Still, Philip Morris is in many emerging markets where cigarette sales continue to grow and, unlike Altria and Reynolds, it is not exposed to the U.S. market, where smoking has declined steadily for years.

Philip Morris International, the world's largest non-state-controlled tobacco company, said profit was $1.98 billion, or $1.07 a share, in the second quarter, up from $1.55 billion, or 79 cents a share, a year earlier.

Analysts on average forecast 97 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue rose 14.3 percent to $17.4 billion.

The company shipped 240.96 billion cigarettes in the quarter, up 8 percent from a year earlier. Part of the increase was fueled by customers stocking up in Japan ahead of a tax increase that takes effect October 1.

Higher prices helped lift the company's operating income by 15 percent, excluding the impact of currency fluctuations.

The company said it expects earnings of $3.75 to $3.85 a share for the year, compared with its forecast a month ago of $3.70 to $3.80.

Philip Morris shares were up $1.05 at $50.94 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Reynolds American said profit was $341 million, or $1.17 a share, in the second quarter, weighed down by plant-closing costs, compared with $377 million, or $1.29 a share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, earnings were $1.32 a share, 2 cents above the average analyst estimate.

Sales were little changed at $2.25 billion. In the 2009 second quarter, shipments were skewed higher by the timing of the U.S. tax increase.

The company shipped 20.3 billion cigarettes in the quarter, down 9.5 percent from a year earlier, but key brands Camel and Pall Mall both increased market share.

Reynolds also shipped 97.1 million cans of smokeless tobacco under brands like Grizzly and Kodiak.

Reynolds expects full-year earnings, excluding one-time items, of $4.90 to $5.05 a share, up from a previous forecast of $4.80 to $5. Analysts on average expect $4.92.

Reynolds shares were up 51 cents at $56.33. Altria was up 18 cents at $21.59.

Pharmacies shouldn't sell tobacco products

Tobacco use has a devastating effect on public health and well-being. It is our nation's number one cause of preventable death, claiming the lives of more than 440,000 people each year and costing the health care system close to $100 billion annually. In New York state alone, 25,000 adults will die from tobacco-related illness each year. Almost 389,000 kids currently living in New York will ultimately die from tobacco use if the current trend continues.

There is no question that tobacco use is detrimental to one's health. The fact has been common knowledge for years. Why, then, are tobacco products sold in pharmacies? The pharmacy is a place where people get the medications they need to improve their health, yet pharmacies also choose to promote the sale of debilitating tobacco products as well. One can often find nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine patches, nicotine gum and nicotine lozenges sold alongside the very cigarettes responsible for the grim statistics cited above. Why not offer nicotine replacement therapy along with consultation with a pharmacist, without also promoting the use of tobacco products?

The next time you go to your pharmacy, take a look at the size of the cigarette display. It might surprise you given the presumed purpose of a pharmacy. Take a minute to really think about the contradictory message they are sending to our youth.

Retail locations with pharmacies should make the effort to move beyond these counterproductive retail practices and take tobacco products off their shelves.

Smoking "Quit Line" offers free nicotine replacement therapy

Donna Smith had sworn to friends if she ever quit smoking, it would be on her death bed. That was before she had grandchildren. "When I found out I had emphysema, that's when I realized it was time to quit," said Smith, 53. "They were a lot more important to me than any cigarette." But as much as she wanted to quit, doing so felt almost impossible. For nearly three years, Smith tried quitting cold turkey or using nicotine patches, but neither method worked.

A new program through the Georgia Quit Line offered the right combination to finally reach success.

Starting last Sunday, the state Tobacco Use Prevention Program relaunched its Nicotine Replacement Therapy program.

The program offers uninsured coastal Georgia residents who call the Quit Line a free, four-week supply of nicotine replacement products in addition to one-one-counseling from a smoking cessation expert.

Smokers who are ready to quit can call the toll-free number where they will be asked several questions about their tobacco use.

"They'll be asked, 'Are you ready to quit within 30 days?'" said Cristina Gibson, director of health promotion and disease prevention at the Coastal Health District. "We know that, really, what it comes down to is whether the person is ready to quit."

If callers say "yes," they can receive in the mail supplies of either SunMark nicotine gum or the Habitrol patch.

But the program doesn't stop there.

Participants also must agree to participate in the Quit Line's "call program." At the convenience of the smoker, a counselor will call them two to five times during the four-week period to check on their progress.

Educational materials about quitting smoking are included with the nicotine replacement product. Participants are encouraged to participate in upcoming smoking cessation workshops offered through area health departments.

Under-used tool

This is the second time that the state's Tobacco Use Prevention Program has offered the nicotine-replacement products through the Quit Line in five of the 18 health districts.

Calls to the Quit Line jumped 600 percent the first time nicotine products were given away in 2008, according to the program's website.

Officials from the state Department of Community Health, which oversees tobacco use prevention efforts, said they could not immediately supply the number of people who participated or how many ultimately quit smoking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Tobacco Control State Highlights 2010 report, the Georgia Quit Line has been under utilized.

Only about 1.2 percent of the state's smokers have called the toll-free number, placing it 43rd in terms of usage compared to similar services in other states.

The federal agency ranks Georgia 46th in the nation for funding of tobacco control programs.

Currently, 19.5 percent of Georgia residents over the age of 18 are cigarette smokers.

Retail cost for over-the-counter medications such as nicotine gum, inhalers, lozenges or patches can range from $30 to $90 for a two-week supply.

CDC funds currently cover the distribution of 700 doses of nicotine replacement products through the Quit Line.

Still, Gibson said the project should serve as a timely resource for the growing number of local workers whose companies are prohibiting smoking.

In recent months, Gibson has led smoking cessation classes at Georgia Pacific, Georgia Regional Hospital and Arizona Chemical, shortly before each instituted smoking bans.

"Not only are companies concerned about the health of employees and absenteeism, they're also looking at insurance costs, because it's much more expensive to insure a smoker than a nonsmoker," Gibson said.

Multi-faceted approach

Smith turned to the Georgia Quit Line in 2008, after learning about the free nicotine-replacement product offer through her job as a clerk at the Chatham County Health Department.

Smith called the number and received the nicotine patches, in addition to one-on-one counseling over the phone.

Through the combination counseling, patches and the support of her doctor, friends and family, Smith finally put down her last cigarette in August 2009.

"Without all that, I don't think I would have been able to get through it," she said.

Big NY cigarette dealer gets 10 years in prison

One of New York’s biggest cigarette dealers was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison in a case involving the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of untaxed tobacco from the state’s Indian reservations.

Rodney Morrison, 43, was originally accused in 2004 of running a violent criminal enterprise that was one of the leading sources for New York’s huge trade in black market cigarettes.

But after being acquitted of murder, robbery and arson, and having a racketeering conviction stemming from the tax case tossed out because of legal flaws, Morrison faced sentencing only on a single gun possession count. In addition to the 10-year term, Morrison was fined $75,000 and will be placed on three years supervised release when he leaves prison.

He could have been released on time served, but U.S. District Judge Denis Hurley gave him the maximum, saying “he has failed to lead any kind of law abiding life.”

Despite Morrison’s acquittal, the judge said he still believes Morrison orchestrated the crimes that were committed by others, including the 2003 shooting death of a rival cigarette dealer on a Brooklyn rooftop.

“I think he is fully capable of doing those types of things again,” the judge said. He also noted Morrison’s prior convictions for robbery, drug possession and criminally negligent homicide in the 1980s shooting of a 6-year-old.

Before being sentenced, Morrison told the judge the child’s killing was unintentional; he said he and a friend were firing a shotgun for target practice. “We were young and being foolish, it was totally a freak accident.”

He also appealed to the judge that he is a changed man. “I have learned from the experience,” he said. “I have respect for the law.”

Morrison’s lawyers said they will consider appealing the sentence. “Although we all disagree with the sentence, we have enormous respect for Judge Hurley,” lead attorney William Murphy said.

Because Morrison has been held without bail since his arrest in August 2004, that time will be applied to the 10-year sentence, officials said. Hurley also granted a defense request that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons place Morrison at a facility close to the New York metropolitan area so he can be close to his family.

Hurley, who previously described Morrison as “a cunning individual with dangerous proclivities,” vacated his racketeering conviction for trafficking contraband cigarettes on April 16. Hurley said too many elements of state laws regarding reservation tobacco sales were unsettled to prosecute someone.

Federal prosecutors appealed that ruling. Neither assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case commented after the sentencing.

Reservation stores sold more than 24 million cartons of cigarettes smoking in 2009, about 1 out of every 3 packs sold in the state. That booming business exists entirely because of the tribes refusal to collect taxes on the sales, allowing them to sell at a huge discount.

Morrison is a non-Indian from Brooklyn who gained control of a reservation smoke shop on the Poospatuck Indian Reservation in Mastic after marrying into the tribe. The reservation is about 60 miles east of New York City.

State law requires taxes to be paid on any packs not sold to tribe members, but New York suspended attempts to enforce that rule after it prompted unrest on the reservations in the 1990s. The tribes have fiercely resisted attempts to tax cigarettes as an attack on their sovereignty.

That lack of enforcement has left the courts conflicted about whether merchants are still obligated to collect the tax, and whether they can be prosecuted if they don’t.

Zimbabwe: Zim rakes in US$200m from tobacco exports

Harare, Zimbabwe - Tobacco merchants in Zimbabwe said Thursday the country had earned US$199.3 million from exports of the crop so far this year, and earnings were expected to rise further as the marketing season is still in progress.

The Tobacco Industry Marketing Board said a total of 65.3 million kilogrammes of tobacco had so far been exported, mainly to Asia, Middle East and Europe.

It said prices, averaging US$3.09 per kilogramme, were firmer this year than last year because of shortages on the world market after storms destroyed much of Brazil's crop.

The Latin American country is a large tobacco producer, but the storms drastically reduced its crop output this year.

The board said this improved average prices and export earnings.

Zimbabwe expects to export more than 80 million kilogrammes of tobacco this year.

Chew Tobacco: Just Spittin’ Stupid

You don’t smoke it … you don’t inhale it … there’s no secondhand smoke to offend others; it can’t be as bad as cigarettes, right? Wrong! Smokeless tobacco, also known as chewing tobacco or snus, is every bit as dangerous to your health as cigarettes - and, some might argue, equally offensive. Some of its negative effects include:

– Bad breath and stained teeth

– Mouth sores (about 70% of users get them)

– Cracked and bleeding lips and gums

– Receding gums, leading to tooth loss

– Heart problems (increased heart rate, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat)

– Cancer of the mouth, tongue, throat, and esophagus

Young male athletes are frequent users of smokeless tobacco, and are more susceptible to addiction than female users (who reportedly use it for weight control). Baseball players who use smokeless tobacco have been unfortunate role models for young athletes, and many have suffered the consequences of its use. Baseball great Babe Ruth, for example, who used chewing tobacco, died at 52 of a cancerous tumor in his throat.

Rodeos and associated community events have long been venues for smokeless tobacco promotion and use; however, Buck Tobacco, a national program working against rodeo/tobacco linkages, has had some success. It was recently announced that the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company will cease sponsoring Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) events in 2010.

Smokeless tobacco use is also much more prevalent in rural areas. In 2008, compared with a statewide average of 4.2 teens per 100, the Shasta County region had 6.8 users per 100, an increase from 3.0 statewide and 5.4 Shasta County teens since 2002, respectively. As cigarette use declines in the United States, smokeless products are the only growing segment of the tobacco industry. Manufacturers are facing the challenge of attracting (and addicting) new customers through the introduction of new smokeless and spitless products, higher levels of nicotine in their products, and enhanced marketing techniques.

Marketing of flavored snus (snuff contained in a teabag-like pouch) has been particularly effective with young tobacco users. Other enticements include flavored nicotine orbs, strips, and sticks. Although the FDA has banned flavored cigarettes, it has not yet taken action on other flavored smokeless tobacco products, which are more likely to appeal to these young users. Another concern with these new products is potential appeal to very young children as “candy” - in fact, there have been several reported instances of toddlers suffering mild poisonings from their ingestion. According to a Pediatrics Journal study, one orb, which contains approximately 1 milligram of nicotine, would be enough to sicken a small child, and several could be lethal.

Smokeless tobacco has also been promoted as a possible aid for quitting smoking, but a recent University of Florida study indicated that its use not only has little to no effect on smoking cessation, it can serve as a gateway drug that leads to smoking. Young U.S. male subjects who regularly used smokeless tobacco were three times more likely to become smokers at the end of the four-year study. The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that smokeless tobacco use can lead to nicotine addiction, and the National Institutes of Health continues to assert that snuff is not safe due to its carcinogenic substances.

Bottom line: Do not believe the tobacco companies’ assertions about the safety of their smoke-free tobacco products. There is no safe tobacco in any form.

Musical production educates on Tobacco Wars

Community Spirit Inc. (CSI) is bringing a taste of Robertson County history to the stage in its upcoming production entitled Smoke: Ballad of the Night Riders written by Adams native, David Alford.
Alford was commissioned to write a musical play about the tobacco wars of Tennessee and Kentucky. During the early 1900’s, Red River area tobacco farmers created an association designed to force companies to pay higher prices for their crops. Actions by the association eventually had international repercussions, caused a struggle that touched every family in the "Black Patch" region, and gave birth to the infamous "Night Riders."

These masked vigilantes used intimidation, vandalism, destruction of property, and eventually violence to terrorize friends and neighbors who refused to join the movement.

At the height of the struggle, the Night Riders organized night-time demolitions of numerous tobacco warehouses across the region. This conflict was the largest episode of civil unrest between the years of the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement.

SMOKE is a historically accurate, family-friendly music production that reminds community members of their heritage, while providing the audience an opportunity to grasp and experience both the history and emotion of a serious struggle engaged in by the citizens of the Red River area.

The musical score consists of original compositions and new arrangements of traditional folk music and will be performed with live period instruments in acoustic bluegrass-style, further enhancing historical accuracy.

There will be six performances of the play in an outdoor venue on the grounds of the old Bell School in Adams. The performances will be 7 p.m. on June 3-5 and then again June 10-12. David Alford will serve as director.

CSI is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the unique history, stories, traditions, and culture of the Sulphur Fork and Red River area. Since 2002, the primary activity has been the annual production of the original play SPIRIT: The Authentic Story of the Bell Witch of Tennessee, also by Alford. This play, based on the historic, local legend, is produced outdoors each October on the grounds of the old Bell School in Adams.
Spirit has attracted growing audiences every year and last year's attendees numbered over 1,400 and included visitors from all over the United States. The productions are truly a community effort, and involve a unique mix of professional actors, community volunteers, and area college, high school and elementary age students, who are involved in every aspect of the play.

Community Spirit, Inc. (CSI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization headquartered in the rural community of Adams in northern Robertson County, Tennessee.