Israeli farmers find a way of making millions from tobacco plants

The Israeli farmers have found a new way of making money from the tobacco plant. The scientists of The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Rehovot, part of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have found a way of making human collagen in plants. Collagen is one of the main building blocks of our body. Collplant, the company established by Oded Shoseyov, scientist working with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is traded in the Israeli stock exchange. "If a farmer grows 30 tonnes to 40 tonnes of tomatoes in 1000 square meter area in a year, it will earn him $ 50,000 to $60,000.

If he produces just 1 kg or 2 kg of collagen raw material from the same are in the same duration, he can earn $ 5 million to $ 6 million," said Mr Shoseyov. CollPlant has completed clinical trials. These are safety trials and not the efficacy trials. The Israeli agricultural scientists have make the first garlic plant in the world that bears flowers and seeds. Naturally, garlic plants does not bear seeds.

It spreads through vegetative propagation. "About 50% of the potential of the garlic plant is lost due to vegetative propagation. It also spreads diseases from one plant to another," said Prof. Haim Rabinowitch. India too has banned import of garlic from China due to the diseases it contains. The scientist have developed garlic varieties that will bear flowers and seeds.

Comments Back WVU Smoking Ban

An overwhelming majority of the more than 80 public comments submitted to West Virginia University's Board of Governors about the school's proposed campus-wide smoking ban supports the policy, but many question key provisions of the rule. As written, the proposal would ban all smoking on WVU's campus. Current policy prohibits smoking inside campus buildings; the proposal would extend that outdoors. Section 3.2 of the policy says some events can circumvent the smoking ban.

"Events that attract a large number of off-campus visitors to the WVU Campus may be exempted on a case by case basis with the approval of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, provided that all smoking be restricted to designated outdoor smoking areas," the proposal reads. A large number of public comments criticized that loophole. Other concerns included questions about the legality of enforcing a smoking ban on streets and rights-of-way not owned by the university. Some comments also asked about compliance, enforcement, signage and whether the university would also ban e-cigarettes, which emit water vapor as opposed to smoke.

 Despite some reservations, the number of those in support of the plan vastly outweighed those against it. In fact, many people who submitted comments are so eager to see the policy put in place, they've urged university officials to implement it before the target date of July 1, 2013. "I'm glad to see this change, but I wish it could take effect sooner," one comment reads. T Many respondents ask the university to put the plan in place as early as August, in time for next school year. "I can't enjoy weather on a nice day at WVU because there are people smoking all around me," a supporter of the policy submitted.

There were also a handful of comments opposed to the proposal. Of those comments, many were skeptical WVU has the legal authority to regulate smoking outside. "This is an infringement on students' rights," a comment read. Another said, "Legally, I just don't see how WVU can create an outdoor smoking ban." The BOG will consider all comments before voting on the policy change during its regular meeting next month in Charleston.

Aldermen don't act on anti-smoking request

Ocean Springs aldermen took no action this week on a request for an anti-smoking ordinance. The Mississippi Press reports ( ) that Kellie Lamb, the health promotions coordinator for Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition for Jackson County, told aldermen that being smoke-free means smoking would not be allowed in public places. Lamb says 52 cities in Mississippi already have adopted ordinances to go smoke-free.
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Alderman Matt McDonnell says Lamb should visit businesses that still permit smoking and talk to the owners. He says there are likely some businesses who want people to be able to smoke inside. The Mississippi State Health Department is offering grants to cities that want to go 100 percent smoke-free. Lamb says Ocean Springs would be eligible for a $5,000 grant.

One shareholder's lonely pro-smoking battle

This time of year, shareholders bombard corporations with suggestions about executive pay, governance and other arcana. But once in a while, an idea comes along that truly stands out. This year's prize may go to Daniel Morrison, who asked Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, to resurrect TV and radio ads for its cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. His logic? It's the only way that potential customers will find out about new products, or be lured to switch brands. He also asked Altria to examine how it could advertise online, on smartphones, by text message and on satellite radio.

 In a letter to Altria's board, Morrison wrote that "hundreds of millions" of Americans have never heard slogans like "Come to where the flavor is" or "You get a lot to like with a Marlboro: filter, flavor, pack or box." "This proposal is not about selling more cigarettes," he wrote. "This is about freedom." Morrison described himself as a retired city employee who owns about $9,500 worth of stock in Altria, which held its annual meeting Thursday in Richmond, Va. The Securities and Exchange Commission, which catalogued his letter along with other shareholder proposals, isn't allowed to release details about Morrison, including contact information. Altria asked the government for permission to exclude Morrison's proposal from its shareholder ballot.

For one thing, the company points out, Morrison didn't send a written notice that he intends to hold his shares through the meeting, as the SEC requires, or even proof that he is a shareholder. More important, his proposal would require breaking the law: Tobacco companies have been banned from advertising cigarettes on TV for more than four decades. They're also forbidden from any marketing that could be construed as youth-oriented, and the government is considering more restrictions on advertising tobacco products via new media and technology, such as the Internet, email and smartphones.

The SEC almost certainly would have granted Altria's request, but as it turns out, it never had to. The day after Altria sent the SEC and Morrison a letter with its objections, the company's legal department received a brief email. "To whom it may concern," it said. "Please withdraw my proposal dated 11-29-11....Thank you, Daniel Morrison."

Prenatal smoking tied to worse asthma in kids

Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy may have a tougher time controlling their asthma than other kids do, a new study suggests. The findings, from a study of nearly 2,500 U.S. kids, add to evidence that prenatal smoking may affect children's future lung health. There are already plenty of reasons for women to quit smoking during, and ideally before, pregnancy, said lead researcher Sam Oh, of the University of California San Francisco.

 This study offers more motivation for women, and for doctors to ask moms and expectant moms about smoking, Oh said in an interview. "Pregnancy is a great opportunity for smoking cessation," he said. Smoking during pregnancy is linked to increased risks of miscarriage, low birth weight, certain birth defects and other pregnancy complications. As for asthma, many studies have found that secondhand smoke may worsen children's asthma symptoms, or possibly raise their risk of developing the lung disease in the first place. The same risks have been linked to moms' prenatal smoking. But, Oh's team says, it has not been clear how much of an impact prenatal smoking might have on kids' asthma symptoms later in life, independent of any current exposure to secondhand smoke.

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HIGHER RISK AMONG POOR MINORITIES For their study, the researchers focused on 2,481 black and Hispanic kids between the ages of 8 and 17 who all had asthma and were mostly from low-income families. In the U.S., poor, minority children are at particular risk of asthma. About 16 percent of low-income black children have asthma, versus the national prevalence of 9 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this study, almost 19 percent of African-American moms smoked at some point during pregnancy, as did 5.5 percent of Hispanic moms. Overall, their kids were at greater risk of poor asthma control later in life, even when childhood secondhand-smoke exposure was taken into account -- as well as other factors like a child's age and asthma medication use. About 30 percent of Hispanic kids and 38 percent of black kids had poorly controlled asthma symptoms -- and the risk was 50 percent for those exposed to smoking in the womb, versus unexposed kids. 

"There are measurable effects even years down the road," Oh said. The findings do not, however, prove that prenatal smoking, itself, causes more-severe asthma symptoms later in life. They can only point to a correlation. But there is lab research, in animals and human cells, suggesting there could be a direct effect, Oh pointed out. Fetal exposure to tobacco smoke may, for example, impair early lung development, or have lasting effects on the activity of certain genes. The bottom line, according to Oh, is that there is already a host of reasons for pregnant women to quit smoking for good, and this may be one more. "This study provides more impetus for healthcare providers to ask about smoking at each visit," he said. Some pregnant women may be able to quit with behavioral counseling. In some cases, a doctor may prescribe nicotine replacement therapy or other medication.

Tobacco ban: Jaipur to be smoke free city

Among them 8 places allowed indoor smoking while 5 places put a ban to indoor smoking. The results were clear - the 8 locations that permitted indoor smoking were on the wrong side of the health hazard scale - in the red, unlike the 5 places that did ban indoor smoking. One of the highly polluted cities was Jaipur, with special mention of it's Ajmer Gate area. In India, according to national policy, smoking is not permitted in offices and public places.

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Smoking rooms are a must when it comes to hotels with 30 rooms as well as restaurants and bars with more than 30 seats. However, even with this national policy in place and several other deterrants like warning labels on packs, high taxes and ban on tobacco advertising, India still has over 275 million tobacco users. India is not averse to substance abuse bans. Following closely in its neighbour's footsteps (re: Gujarat with its ban on alcohol), the Rajastan state authorities have decided to make Jaipur a smoke free city. A task force is designated to ensure the proper execution of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act-2003. (Via)The task force constitutes deputy chief medical and health officer, food security officer, and psychologist/social worker/ or official of the tobacco cell.

The task force's essential point of control is: The proper implementation of the ban on Hookah places. It will also ensure that tobacco and its products are not sold within a 200 meter radius of educational institutes. Additionally, individuals found smoking in government offices will be fined Rs.200. Interestingly, Jaipur has the only Central Jail that is smoke free - right from top officials to jailers.

Now it's time for the officials and locals to blow out the grey smoke from their Pink City. How successful this ban is in improving pollution and overall city health, remains to be seen. But one thing is clear - as the first state to take lifestyle diseases seriously - Rajastan may well be a harbinger of health-related policies and task forces in India.

Tobacco output to miss target: Govt

The Economic Planning and Investment Promotion ministry has revised downwards tobacco deliveries expected this marketing season to 133 000 tonnes, after escalating production costs, weather patterns, power shortages and lack of support schemes affected output. According to a First Quarter Economic Review, the ministry said tobacco deliveries to the country’s four tobacco auction floors may not meet the projected 150 000 tonnes this selling season.
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 The ministry said delays in planting due to the dry spell experienced late last year, coupled with frequent power outages and coal shortages, affected production and could reduce deliveries of the cash crop. “Tobacco output was initially projected at 150 000 tonnes at an average yield of 1,67 tonnes per hectare (t/ha) for the 2011-2012 season. However, this projection has been revised downwards to 133 000 tonnes with an average yield of 2,1 t/ha,” the ministry said in a quarterly review. “When the rains finally came, they were in excessive amounts in some areas, which generally impacted on operations and also caused crop diseases.

In addition, hailstorms received in the country between January and February also damaged the crop in some areas.” The 2012 tobacco selling season started on February 27 2012 with four auction floors buying the crop from farmers. As at March, a cumulative total of 36 660 476kg of tobacco had been sold at an average price of $3,70 per kg and the total value of the sold as at March 30 2012 was $135,8 million.

Prop. 29 could crush out some smokers with tax Read more: http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/tax-115999-state-measure.html#ixzz1uHwGz810

If a statewide ballot initiative passes next month, smokers may have problems from withdrawals at the bank more than from trying to quit. Proposition 29 would raise the state tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1, more than double the 89 cents smokers in California pay now. As a pack a day smoker, Angela Bennett of Yuba City said she'll be spending $50 to $60 a week if the proposition passes. "I won't be able to smoke anymore," she said, after she had a cigarette Monday outside a Sutter County Superior Court building.

"But people will find a way to get cigarettes no matter what." The ballot measure, which requires a simple majority to pass, would be the first statewide tax hike on cigarettes in more than a decade, since Proposition 10 in 1998 created the First 5 boards in every county. The national average for cigarette taxes is about 60 cents higher than the rate in California. Jim Knox, vice president of government relations for the American Cancer Society, said because the tax is less, the state doesn't have enough money for its anti-smoking programs.

 Most of the revenues from the tax, which the state estimates would be about $735 million a year annually, would be used for research on diseases caused by tobacco use and for programs to prevent and help quit tobacco use. "With any type of special tax, we feel and the voters feel there should be a nexus between the tax and what it pays for," Knox said. Where the money's going is exactly what concerns measure opponents, who said there are far better purposes than what is stipulated in the measure.

 "I don't think it's a real good idea to send more money to Sacramento," said Ryan Schohr, a farmer in Gridley who was described by the No on 29 campaign as a coalition member. "Let's keep the money local." Approving the measure, he said, would create a new bureaucracy in state government with little oversight, a situation he said could be compared to the high-speed rail project. Much of the funding for the No on 29 campaign comes from tobacco companies, including a new round of donations late last week totaling $15 million. Backers for the measure, which include the American Cancer Society's California division and a campaign committee created by former state Sen.

Don Perata, D-Oakland, believe the higher rate will convince more people to quit and put more money into researching health issues faced by smokers, who tend to be lower income. Knox said as much as a third of the medical costs in California related to smoking are paid by MediCal, the state's medical coverage for low-income residents. "We believe lowering smoking rates will save the state money," he said. Samantha Renfrow, a Yuba City resident who said she smokes about half a pack every day, said she needed to research the initiative more.

State Parks smoking ban headed for court fight

A policy to ban smoking in public places such as parks, pools and playgrounds — enacted by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation last month — has come under fire from a smoker's rights group, which is threatening to sue the state. On April 9, the state parks agency announced the new policy would create smoke-free areas around all playgrounds, swimming pools, beaches, pavilions and outdoor seating areas that are nearby concession stands. Violators will be informed by state park staff of the smoking prohibition, with those refusing to comply being cited by State Park Police for disorderly conduct.

 With the very first paragraph of the announcement boasting the agency autonomously created the ban, State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said at the time, "it makes sense to ensure all visitors have a place to go in our parks to enjoy fresh air, while also protecting children from the dangers of second-hand smoke and litter from discarded cigarette butts." The fact that the rule was enacted by an agency instead of by the state Legislature is at the heart of the issue though, according to Audrey Silk, founder of NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment.

 Calling the ban unconstitutional, Silk writes in a letter to Harvey, dated May 1, "the smoking ban … likely exceeds your authority and is ripe for legal action." In the letter, Silk quotes the non-delegation doctrine of the state Constitution, article III section 1, which states "the legislative power of this state shall be vested in the Senate and Assembly." Silk notes in the letter that, despite the power of passing legislation being given solely to the Legislature by the constitution, the ban was "unilaterally decreed" by the Parks Department.

 "As an administrative office, [the Parks Department] can only enforce an existing piece of law or act, through rule-making, to fulfill the Legislature's wishes. In this case, no such wishes exist. In fact, the Legislature has repeatedly declined to pass this specific law for over a decade. The Parks Office, therefore, not only exceeded its administrative mission, not only assigned itself legislative powers, but in fact went against the Legislatures will," Silk wrote in the letter. In asking for the department to rescind the "wrongly imposed ban," Silk requests action be taken in 30 days upon receiving the letter, or legal action will be taken.

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Atlanta suburb bans smoking from city parks

A metro Atlanta community has banned smoking in all city parks. The Gwinnett Daily Post reports (http://bit.ly/JaU0Px) that the Norcross City Council voted Monday to ban the use of all tobacco products on city property, including city parks and park sidewalks.

City Councilman Ross Kaul sponsored the move, saying the move was needed due to the dangers of second-hand smoke and the city's responsibility to its residents to provide a safe and healthy environment. Councilman David McLeroy didn't support the Tobacco Free Facilities ordinance. He said he doesn't like to see city money spent on attorney fees to enforce such rules. City Manager Rudolph Smith says enforcement procedures and fines have not yet been established for those cited for smoking in prohibited areas.

Saudi Arabian hospital stubs out smoking

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A hospital in Saudi Arabia has banned people from smoking in and around its buildings, the first such move in the Gulf kingdom, it was reported. According to local paper Arab News, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh has implemented fines of SAR200 (US$53) for violations.

“This ban comes as a part of our international standards to provide a clean environment inside the hospital in Jeddah and Riyadh,” Hassan Al-Ghamdi, manager of the center’s safety and security department in Jeddah, told the newspaper. “At the same time, we have put cameras throughout the hospital to enforce the ban. The hospital depends on this initiative to maintain a healthy environment inside the hospital," he pointed out.

ICT to launch month-long anti-smoking campaign

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The district administration has decided to launch a month-long public awareness campaign against smoking at public places, and to mobilise all stakeholders about the hazards of tobacco use, besides implementing the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance, 2002, in the capital. The decision was made at a meeting chaired by Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Amer Ali Ahmed and attended by officials of the Tobacco Control Cell, Cabinet Division, traffic police and District Health Department.

 The meeting also decided to constitute a district implementation and monitoring committee to monitor the progress of implementation of the anti-smoking law, and to review the progress of the campaign on a monthly basis. The committee would consist of officials of the Tobacco Control Cell, Islamabad Transport Authority, Islamabad Traffic Police, Capital Development Authority, Custom Services, District Health Department and Federal Directorate of Education. It was also decided that all stakeholders, including traders, hotels and restaurants owners, representatives of bar associations and chambers of commerce and industries, and heads of educational institutions, would also be taken onboard and meetings would be held, seeking their cooperation to this effect.

 Speaking on the occasion, Amer Ali Ahmed said that the main emphasis of the campaign would be to create awareness in public and to protect the health of non-smokers, and mobilising public opinion against smoking at public places. The meeting also devised a plan of action for the campaign and decided to hold meetings with transporters, representatives of Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industries and heads of schools and colleges during this month.

Big Tobacco wins fire marshals as allies in flame retardant push

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The problem facing cigarette manufacturers decades ago involved tragic deaths and bad publicity, but it had nothing to do with cancer. It had to do with house fires. Smoldering cigarettes were sparking fires and killing people. And tobacco executives didn't care for one obvious solution: create a "fire-safe" cigarette, one less likely to start a blaze. The industry insisted it couldn't make a fire-safe cigarette that would still appeal to smokers and instead promoted flame retardant furniture — shifting attention to the couches and chairs that were going up in flames.

But executives realized they lacked credibility, especially when burn victims and firefighters were pushing for changes to cigarettes. So Big Tobacco launched an aggressive and cunning campaign to "neutralize" firefighting organizations and persuade these far more trusted groups to adopt tobacco's cause as their own. The industry poured millions of dollars into the effort, doling out grants to fire groups and hiring consultants to court them. These strategic investments endeared cigarette executives to groups they called their "fire service friends."

 "To give us clout, to give us power, to give us credibility, to give us leverage, to give us access where we don't ordinarily have access ourselves — those are the kinds of things that we're looking for," a Philip Morris executive told his peers in a 1984 training session on this strategy. The tobacco industry's biggest prize? The National Association of State Fire Marshals, which represented the No. 1 fire officials in each state. A former tobacco executive, Peter Sparber, helped organize the group, then steered its national agenda.

He shaped its requests for federal rules requiring flame retardant furniture and fed the marshals tobacco's arguments for why altering furniture was a more effective way to prevent fires than altering cigarettes. For years, the tobacco industry paid Sparber for what the marshals mistakenly thought was volunteer work. The Tribune discovered details about Big Tobacco's secretive campaign buried among the 13 million documents cigarette executives made public after settling lawsuits that recouped the cost of treating sick smokers. These internal memos, speeches and strategic plans reveal the surprising and influential role of Big Tobacco in the buildup of toxic chemicals in American furniture.

 This clever manipulation set the stage for a similar campaign of distortion and misdirection by the chemical industry that continues to this day. Andrew McGuire, a burn survivor and MacArthur "genius grant" winner, said Sparber and the National Association of State Fire Marshals for years were his nemeses as he has pushed for fire-safe cigarettes, which would stop burning when not being smoked. McGuire came up against them again when he battled for reductions in the amount of flame retardant chemicals in Americans' homes. "He played them like a Stradivarius," McGuire said of Sparber's relationship with the fire marshals.

 A founding member of the fire marshals group disputes that they were unduly influenced, but he said he regrets that the organization accepted tobacco's money. "There is no way you can explain to the public that taking money from the tobacco industry is a good thing," said Tom Brace, who served as a marshal in Minnesota and Washington state. "And had I to do that over again, I would not do that."