Tobacco industry studies on cigarette additives safety may be misleading

Scientific research published by the tobacco industry on the safety of cigarette additives cannot be taken at face value, a new study has suggested.

In analysis led by Stanton Glantz from the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California in San Francisco, the authors reanalysed data from “Project MIX” in which chemical analyses of smoke, and the potential toxicity of 333 cigarette additives were conducted by scientists from the tobacco company Philip Morris.

The authors of the independent analysis used documents made public as a result of litigation against the tobacco industry to investigate the origins and design of Project MIX, and to conduct their own analyses of the results.

Internal documents revealed post-hoc changes in analytical protocols after the industry scientists found that the additives increased cigarette toxicity by increasing the number of particles in the cigarette smoke.

Crucially, they also found that in the original Project MIX analysis, the published papers obscured findings of toxicity by adjusting the data by Total Particulate Matter concentration, when the authors conducted their own analysis by studying additives per cigarette, they found that 15 carcinogenic chemicals increased by 20 percent or more.

They also found that the failure to identify many toxic biological effects was because the studies Philip Morris carried out were too small to reliably detect toxic effects.

The authors concluded that their independent analysis provides evidence for the elimination of the use of the studied additives, including menthol, from cigarettes on public health grounds.

“The results demonstrate that toxins in cigarette smoke increase substantially when additives are put in cigarettes, including the level of Total Particulate Matter. In particular, regulatory authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration and similar agencies elsewhere, could use the Project MIX data to eliminate the use of these 333 additives including menthol from cigarettes,” the authors said.

Cigarette Tax Increase

Here at Cig-O-Rama, if you're looking for a deal, all you've got to do is pick out your tobacco and hit that button.

Down below, out come machine-rolled cigarettes that will cost you half the price of what you'd pay for a carton of brand-name smokes. Greg Haskins says business here is booming and it could get even busier.


A new bill would double Florida's cigarette tax, a move Greg predicts would give him more value-conscious customers. Not to mention accomplish the bill's main goal of making it tougher for teens to smoke.

"I think it'll be a better incentive for the young adolescents to try to stop that, because, you know, it's going to be more money for them and it'll be harder to find it," says Greg Haskins, who opposes the tax increase.

Which may already be happening in the wake Florida's move to hike the cigarette tax by a buck a pack in 2009. Statewide, one-fifth fewer high schoolers are lighting up.

When lawmakers hiked the tax 2 1/2 years ago, Florida began raking in a billion dollars a year. Raising a billion more is a big selling point here, but there's no guarantee the money jar will fill up again.

If the tax were to climb to $2.34 a pack, many smokers could find keeping their habit going downright unaffordable, making that billion-dollar mark hard to reach. And then, there are folks like Ann Ladato, who's been puffing away for 30 years.

"If I had to buy regular cigarettes at that price, I'd have to leave town to buy them. Go to Georgia, or buy them when I go home for a visit in Louisiana," says Ann Ladato, a smoker.

But, for people who don't have the time or the money to travel, a higher tax could mean some tough new choices. Like switching to what Greg calls his cheaper, healthier blend of tobacco.

That's a good thing for them, you know, and also for us. And potentially, for countless kids about to fall into the trap of what can be a deadly habit. The bill faces a pretty high hurdle. The capitol's majority republicans, along with Governor Scott, have made it clear.

Untaxed cigarettes found during traffic stop

A Rochester area man faces a misdemeanor charge of possessing untaxed cigarettes following a traffic stop earlier this month on Route 77 in Pembroke, Genesee County sheriff’s officials reported Wednesday.

Marc A. Crispino, 20, of Chili, was stopped just after midnight Dec. 6 for traffic violations when a sheriff’s deputy reported finding more than 800 untaxed cigarettes in Crispino’s vehicle.

Crispino was issued traffic summonses and charged with a state tax law violation. He is expected to appear in Pembroke Town Court on Dec. 29.

Smoking Ban in Vancouver Parks?

On Monday night, the Vancouver city council will consider an update to the parks code. Included in that is a ban on smoking cigarettes in parks. The city has been taking public comment since October. You can read the comments here. Several other Washington cities have smoking bans and Portland bans smoking in two parks: Pioneer Courthouse Square and Director Park.
Tonight is only a first reading of the ordinance. There will be a second reading, followed by a public hearing in December.

Who exactly is being protected with outdoors smoking bans?12:33 pm Nov 28, 2011
Dear Vancouver council members, As a representative of a Canadian not for profit grassroots organization, we hereby offer our view on outdoor smoking bans. Since there don’t exist any serious studies that outdoor smoking harms by-standers, it is with total astonishment that we read that Vancouver is considering banning smoking in parks. Who would the Vancouver city council be protecting with outdoor smoking bans? Clearly not the children whose parents might no longer take them to the park as often if such a by-law was adopted. Those times that they will take them, they will undoubtedly shorten the visit or even be tempted to leave their children unattended to have a smoke outside the forbidden limits, thus exposing their children to true dangers of a different magnitude. As well, those same children will be subjected to even more smoke at home since their parents would inevitably be spending more time in their home, one of the few places left where they can still smoke

Police allegedly find marijuana in vehicle

Police Saturday arrested a 27-year-old Sheboygan man after they allegedly found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle.

According to the Manitowoc Police Department report:

Officers were dispatched to the 1100 block of Washington Street to question the man, who had a temporary misdemeanor family trouble warrant out for his arrest.

The man was taken into custody for obstructing an officer and lying about his identity. Officers found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle.

He was arrested for a second-offense possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police arrest Manitowoc man for bail jumping
MANITOWOC — Police on Sunday arrested a 32-year-old Manitowoc man who allegedly violated terms his of bail.

According to the Manitowoc Police Department report:

Officers were dispatched to a residence in the 1400 block of North Seventh Street for a report of two men using illegal drugs.

The 32-year-old was out on felony bail for charges including a fourth-offense operating while intoxicated with the condition that he maintain absolute sobriety.

When officers arrived, they did not find any drugs but found the 32-year-old holding a can of beer, and officers could smell intoxicants on his breath. A field sobriety test indicated he had been drinking.

Obesity, smoking, kids in poverty — all on rise in Ohio

Americans are no healthier now than they were last year, according to a report released today, and Ohioans specifically are a bit worse.

The state dropped three spots this year to 36th overall in the United Health Foundation’s annual state-by-state health rankings. Ohio echoed the nation’s trend toward more obesity, but it also had increases in smoking, childhood poverty and diabetes.

Health advocates in the state cite too little funding for both public health and educational programs as the culprit for the declining health ranking.

Ohio’s level of public-health funding — $45 a year per person — ranked among the lowest in the country, but state officials say more money isn’t the answer.

“Throwing money at this isn’t necessarily the solution,” said Dr. Ted Wymyslo, director of the Ohio Department of Health.

Rather than tackle individual health issues, the health department is working with the state Office of Health Transformation, which aims to consolidate the efforts of health-related government agencies, starting with Medicaid, he said.

The goal, Wymyslo said, should be to provide better care at lower cost to the taxpayer. He cited Minnesota as a model. Ranked as the nation’s sixth-healthiest state, Minnesota spent the same amount of money per person on public health as Ohio this year.

“They’re spending almost as little as we are but are doing well,” Wymyslo said, adding that Ohio is about seven years away from having a health-care system comparable to Minnesota’s.

But some health advocates say funding cuts are, in fact, the reason for Ohio’s declining health ranking — especially with regard to smoking.

Nationally, fewer and fewer Americans are lighting up — 17.3 percent of adults, according to today’s study. That’s the lowest level of adult smokers since the annual rankings began in 1990.

But not in Ohio, where, after years of decline, the percentage of adult Ohioans smoking increased to 22.5 percent this year from 20.3 percent last year.

“We’ve stopped investing in tobacco prevention in Ohio,” said Shelly Kiser, spokeswoman for the American Lung Association of Ohio.

A report released last week by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids ranked Ohio next to last in state spending on tobacco prevention. Although Ohio will take in

$1.2 billion in tobacco-generated revenue this year, the report said the state will not spend any money on tobacco prevention.

But Wymyslo said it’s inaccurate to say the state isn’t spending anything on tobacco prevention. He said that roughly $2.5 million in federal grant money and state cash carried over from last year was spent this year on anti-tobacco programming. An additional $785,000 was spent on a statewide hot line to help people quit smoking.

Ohio’s health figures also were weighed down by increasing levels of obesity, like the rest of the country.

Nationally, the prevalence of obesity has jumped 137 percent since 1990, with 27.5 percent of the population now obese. Ohio is even fatter, with 29.7 percent of the population obese, up from 21.5 percent in 2001.

“Obesity is a major challenge,” said Dr. Teresa Long, Columbus’ health commissioner. “Having a high percentage of both children and adults that are obese is a driver of the high rate of diabetes.”

The study found that Ohio’s rate of diabetes now sits at 10.1 percent, up from 7.7 percent in 2006 and ranked 39th in the country.

“We absolutely need to increase the public-health funding,” Long said.

The recession also is at fault for the state’s declining health, said Cathy Levine, executive director of the Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio.

The report found that the number of children in Ohio living below the poverty line rose more than 4 percentage points in the past year, from 18.7 percent last year to 22.9 percent this year.

“As long as people are poor, you’re going to see declining health status,” Levine said. She added, however, that the impact of public-health funding cuts cannot be overstated.

“It’s a reflection of the problems people are having that aren’t medical, and it is a reflection of our failure to invest in evidence-based public-health strategies.”

Medical marijuana bill divides observers

Opponents of a bill that would allow marijuana use for medical purposes in Wisconsin say there's not enough evidence the change is needed in the state.

Introduced by state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, the proposed Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act would give patients with various chronic conditions the option to get a prescription for the drug from their doctors.

However, the issue, which previously failed to gain traction when Democratic lawmakers introduced the bill a few years ago, is not a topic of discussion at the Capitol, said state Rep. Scott Krug, R-Wisconsin Rapids, who does not support the legislation.

"I don't think the science is there yet," Krug said, calling the bill's introduction a publicity stunt for Pocan, who is running for the 2nd Congressional District seat. "It's not that time in Wisconsin right now."

The bill would create a medical necessity defense for marijuana-related prosecutions if a person has a valid prescription from a physician and an ID card from the state Department of Health Services for such conditions as cancer, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS, according to a news release from Pocan and Erpenbach. Currently, 16 states and the District of Columbia allow such use of the otherwise illegal drug.

"Patients with a debilitating medical condition should not live in fear of being prosecuted for using marijuana to ease their pain or aid their healing," Erpenbach said in the release. "People deserve compassionate, legal treatment prescribed by their doctor."

Officials at the Wisconsin Medical Society have said they think researchers first need to further study the effects of marijuana on patients.

Dr. James Cleary, a palliative care physician at the UW Carbone Cancer Center in Madison, agreed with the Medical Society's position, saying prescription medications that mirror the effects of marijuana already exist and officials should consider those medications first.

"If this is to be used as a medical product, let's do the appropriate studies," Cleary said, noting the Food and Drug Administration's classification as a Schedule 1 medication limits such research. "Let's change the schedule of this medication. Let's have appropriate controls if we're going to do it."

The Medical Society recognizes the therapeutic effects of marijuana, but many medical professionals are leery about letting people smoke it, which might encourage smoking in general, Cleary said, noting a company in England currently is studying the feasibility of creating an inhaled version of the drug, known as Sativex.

"If, in fact, we are doing so much on tobacco (prevention), why would we approve a product that you're smoking?" Cleary said.

Meanwhile, Jacki Rickert of Mondovi, founder of the Madison-based advocacy group Is My Medicine Legal YET?, said there should be urgency with the bill that bears her name.

"They need it now, not next time," Rickert said in a statement. "How many people are going to have a next time? Maybe next time I won't be around. ... Things really need to be done to make it a reality."

Wood County Sheriff's Department Investigator-Sgt. Scott Saeger, the county's drug enforcement officer, said making medical marijuana legal likely would not affect the way law enforcement agencies handle drug cases. He compared the bill to the recently enacted concealed carry law.

"If they had their identification on them -- if they've got their proper credentials -- they're OK," Saeger said, noting patients using their prescriptions to supply others with the drug could lead to misuse. "It could definitely become a sticky situation -- just like any other law in the state."

Oxford College going tobacco free

Oxford College will become a tobacco-free campus on Jan. 1.

The college, one of Emory's nine academic divisions, is joining a university-wide adoption of a ban on the use of all tobacco products.

"A tobacco-free environment is in keeping with our goal of creating a healthful academic community that is conducive to learning and supportive of the whole person," said Dean Stephen H. Bowen. "We believe this is a positive step toward a healthier environment for all.

Tobacco in all forms will be prohibited at Oxford and all Emory University facilities beginning in the new year. Spokeswoman Cathy Wooten said the new policy was discussed and studied for almost two years and all academic units had input before the policy was adopted earlier this year.

Currently there are designated outdoor zones for smokers and tobacco users, but those will no longer be in place beginning Jan. 1. Visitors to the campus will be asked to observe tobacco restrictions.

"We have a small percentage of our students, faculty and staff that use tobacco products. Thus far, we haven't received any feedback but I expect we will when we implement the policy," Wooten said, but added that students and staff received notice far in advance of the tobacco ban.

Education and cessation programs that are always offered by the health services department are being promoted during this time, Wooten said.

"We felt like (the policy) was in keeping with the university's goals of educating the whole person and creating an atmosphere of health and learning for everyone, and we decided it would be better to not tolerate that use when it is clearly a harmful substance," she said.

Boston Board of Health Issues New Tobacco Product Rules

The Boston Public Health Commission's Board of Health last week approved several new regulations affecting tobacco retailers. Electronic cigarettes now will be treated like tobacco products, it said, including requirements for retail establishments to obtain a permit to sell them, to place them behind the store counter and to not sell them to minors.

A handful of convenience stores in Boston sell e-cigarettes and additional stores are interested in selling them, according to a survey conducted by the Northeastern University School of Law Public Health Legal Clinic. E-cigarettes also will not be allowed in the workplace, which includes restaurant patios and decks, and loading docks.

The board also approved prohibiting the sale of low-cost, single-sale cigars, which it says have become "an attractive option for price-conscious youth looking for less-expensive alternatives to cigarettes." Cigars will now be required to be sold in their original manufacturer packaging of at least four.

It also is doubling fines for retailers that sell tobacco products to anyone under age 18 and violate other tobacco control regulations--from $100 to $200 for the first offense and from $400 for the fourth offense in 12 months to $800 for the fourth offense in 24 months.

Under the new regulations, retailers must apply for a permit through the Boston Public Health Commission's Tobacco Control office to sell any nicotine product that is not approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as a nicotine replacement therapy.

"The steps the board has taken today will help reduce young people's exposure to tobacco and unregulated nicotine products and eliminate exposure to e-cigarette vapors containing nicotine and other known toxins in the workplace,'" said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission.

During the course of a 60-day public comment period and a public hearing, the board received 296 comments supporting the e-cigarettes restrictions and 596 favoring the cigar packaging change, compared to 34 comments opposing the e-cigarette restrictions and 18 opposing the cigar packaging change.

E-cigarette opponents argued that the product should not be restricted because e-cigarette vapors are not harmful. Proponents argued that e-cigarette solution is known to contain nicotine and a number of toxic chemicals and carcinogens, and that the safety of e-cigarette vapors has not been established by the FDA.

Opposition to the cigar packaging regulation mostly came from cigar industry representatives who cited the economic impact; proponents, however, argued that the measure was a reasonable step that could discourage youths from using tobacco products.

The e-cigarette restrictions took effect immediately, while the new cigar packaging regulation goes into effect on January 31, 2012.

Imperial Tobacco becomes 2nd company to challenge packaging laws in Australia’s High Court

A second major tobacco company went to Australia’s High Court on Tuesday to argue that new laws banning logos from cigarette packs are unconstitutional.

Imperial Tobacco Australia Ltd., the third-largest company in the Australian tobacco market, filed pleadings in the country’s highest court. British American Tobacco Australia Ltd., the Australian market leader, initiated similar action last week against laws banning distinctive colors and designs from packs and rendering them uniformly olive-brown starting in December 2012.
Imperial Tobacco says the laws breach Australia’s constitution because they acquire intellectual property on unjust terms.

Last month, Australia became the first country to pass such strict packaging laws, which are aimed at stripping away any lingering glamour associated with smoking.

Tobacco companies say the law will slash billions of dollars from the values of their brands.

The government has said it anticipates court challenges and expects them to be defeated.

While the two tobacco companies’ cases are separate, the High Court could decide to hear them together.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.