Cambodian moms-to-be chew tobacco for nausea

When pregnant Cambodian women suffer morning sickness, they often reach for an unlikely source of relief: a wad of chewing tobacco.
Many become hooked, and the World Health Organization warned Thursday it is a tradition putting the health of both mothers and babies at risk.
The largest tobacco survey ever conducted in Cambodia found that about half of all women older than 48 regularly chew tobacco, and about one in five rural women first took up the habit during pregnancy, to soothe their prenatal nausea.
The survey conducted by WHO and other researchers found that midwives are the country's biggest users of smokeless tobacco, with 68 percent chewing it. About half of traditional female healers use it as well.
"Chewing tobacco appears to be strongly influenced by beliefs passed on by older relatives," lead author, Dr. Pramil N. Singh from Loma Linda University in California, said in a statement. "The behavior is seen as a rite of passage into womanhood. Further research is needed to find out whether village health workers actively promote its medicinal use."
The tobacco leaves are typically mixed with lime and betel nut, a mild natural stimulant that produces a bright red juice and has been used for centuries across the Asia-Pacific. Cambodian women place the concoction inside their mouths for an extended period, increasing their risk of suffering oral cancer.
As with pregnant women who smoke, those who chew tobacco also put their babies at risk for problems such as low birth weight, decreased lung function and stillbirth.
"Some women believe that when they chew tobacco, they look better," said Dr. Mom Kong, director of the nonprofit Cambodia Movement for Health. "And some start chewing tobacco when they get pregnant to cope with morning sickness in the first trimester of pregnancy. Some crave something sour. But some women get addicted while using it during the pregnancy."
As many as three-quarters of all men in some Southeast Asian countries smoke cigarettes, but fewer than 20 percent of the region's women ever pick up the habit. While about half of older Cambodian women chew tobacco, only about 4 percent of them smoke, compared to nearly half of all men in the country.
The rate of Cambodian women using tobacco increased with age. Similar trends have been observed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Taiwan, India, Palau and China.
Dr. Susan Mercado, WHO's tobacco control adviser for the Western-Pacific region, said it's common for women, men and children across the region to chew tobacco with betel nut, especially in the Pacific islands where cigarettes are sometimes unrolled and chewed. However, she was unaware of pregnant women using tobacco to lessen morning sickness symptoms anywhere but Cambodia.
"It's very, very concerning because the impact is not only on the woman but also on the unborn child, and the risk could be quite severe," she said. "Countries need to have very specific programs that target whatever kind of tobacco use is prevalent. Just because everyone is saying the big problem is second-hand smoke ... the problem may not be second-hand smoke for women, it's actually chewing."
The study, conducted from 2005 to 2006, involved about 14,000 adult Cambodians nationwide. It was published online in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

Flavor Cigarettes Banned

If you enjoy a coconut or vanilla-flavored smoke from time to time -- you're out of luck.
Fruity cigarettes and roll-your-own's are officially off limits in the Golden State.
The state Board of Equalization announced Wednesday that it had notified all wholesalers and distributors that it is illegal to sell flavored cigarettes or roll-your-own's in California.
The ban is reflective of items prohibited by the FDA.

Tobacco Companies Brace for Tax Increase

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- International tobacco companies have inched lower as they brace for a major tax increase on cigarettes in Japan.Philip Morris International(PM Quote) stock has lost 0.4% at $50.10 and British American Tobacco(BTI Quote) has declined 0.7% at $63.40.
Japan is set to announce its biggest ever tax increase on cigarettes -- in a nation in which 40% of the male population smokes and cigarettes sell for 300 yen or $3.39 a pack -- according the Wall Street Journal. A pack of cigarettes in New York City can cost more than $10. 
Smoking rates among the male population in Japan are projected to fall to about 27% if cigarette prices are raised by even 200 yen, according to Japan's Health Ministry -- bad news for cigarette companies with market share in the lucrative, $38 billion Japan tobacco market. 
Yet this could also end up being a false scare for tobacco companies. At the beginning of the month, shares of cigarette companies jumped after a news report detailed a smaller-than-expected tax increase on tobacco products in Japan and a hike that was less than the Health Ministry had been pushing for. 
Japan rakes in about $11 billion in revenue a year from taxes on tobacco products. Altria(ALG Quote), which owns Philip Morris USA, is up 0.4% at $19.70 and US cigarette manufacturer Lorillard(LO Quote) has added 0.8% at $70.30.

Maker of Camels buys cigarette replacement seller

Cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc. has reached a deal to acquire a Swedish company whose nicotine gum, pouches and spray help people stop smoking, the second-largest U.S. tobacco company said Wednesday.
The acquisition will let Reynolds offer products that can "reduce the risks of diseases and death caused by tobacco use," CEO Susan M. Ivey said in a statement.
Niconovum AB's products are sold outside the U.S. under the Zonnic brand. They could help the maker of Camel cigarettes and Grizzly smokeless tobacco keep growing as tax increases, health concerns, smoking bans and social stigma cut into demand for cigarettes.
The deal, which Reynolds expects to conclude by the end of the year, would be worth about $44 million. The Associated Press reported last month that the companies were in talks.
Karl Olov Fagerstrom, an expert on smoking cessation and nicotine dependence, formed Niconovum in 2000, according to its Web site.
Reynolds, which is based in Winston-Salem, N.C., said it will fund product development and testing required for Niconovum to enter markets outside of Sweden and Denmark. It intends to keep Niconovum's headquarters in Sweden and retain its leaders.
Under the Camel brand, Reynolds has introduced moist smokeless tobacco and snus — small pouches like tea bags that users stick between the cheek and gum.
Reynolds also has introduced dissolving tobacco — finely milled tobacco shaped into orbs, sticks and strips — in test markets.

'Electronic' cigarettes spark several concerns

Todd Charron began puffing on a battery-powered electronic cigarette as an alternative to his regular cigarettes and also to save a little money.
"I don't want to put a positive or negative spin on it," he said, referring to the e-cigarette, which delivers a preset dose of nicotine, but none of tobacco's tar, through a vapor mist.
"It's definitely not like smoking a cigarette, but it's not terrible," the Palm Bay resident said, describing his experience with the smokelike product during the past several months. "I'm still on the fence, though my wife, Heather, doesn't touch hers anymore."
The market for electronic cigarettes nationwide has grown rapidly, however, so much so the U.S. Food and Drug Administration joined other public health officials earlier this summer in issuing a warning about potential health risks. The federal agency said e-cigarettes lack federal regulation and have been inadequately studied for safety, so consumers have no way of knowing what, besides nicotine, may be inside them.
"Our biggest concern is the lack of safety data," said Siobhan DeLancey, a spokeswoman for FDA. "But we also have issues with how they are marketed" -- often in shopping malls and online -- and in flavors such as bubblegum, chocolate or peppermint, which might make them appealing to children or adolescents.
DeLancey said the agency's position is that electronic cigarettes, which contain cartridges filled with varying levels of nicotine from light to heavy, should be subject to regulation under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act as a drug-delivery device.
At least one electronic cigarette distributor is legally challenging that regulatory authority, along with the notion its products are smoking-cessation devices, rather than cigarette alternatives for adults, the company's claim.
"The issue is being fought out in federal court right now," DeLancey said, referring to the lawsuit.
Exactly how many manufacturers make e-cigarettes is hard to determine, but by one estimate, there probably are several hundred of them. And, after a preliminary analysis of two leading e-cigarette brands, the federal agency began halting dozens of shipments of the tobacco-free products from entering the country, a trigger behind the current litigation.E-cigarettes look like conventional cigarettes. But, because they don't have tobacco, they can be used wherever smoking is banned from offices and restaurants to bars, accounting, in part, for their popularity.
The average price tag ranges from $70 to $150 for a starter kit, which typically contains two electronic cigarettes, five to 10 replaceable cartridges of varying nicotine strength and extra batteries.
The cartridges contain the nicotine dose as well as propylene glycol, a liquid that vaporizes and produces the smokelike mist. When a user inhales and takes a puff, a sensor heats the cartridge, initiating the smoking process.
"It actually has a heavier sensation than a cigarette," said Charron, who first heard about e-cigarettes on the radio. "Have you ever breathed directly from a humidifier? It feels a bit like that. Vapor is what you're smoking."
Cheaper than regular cigarettes
Starter kits last as long as the battery and the atomizer work, according to Amy Linert, a spokeswoman and marketer for the Electronic Cigarette Association, a small group of about 15 manufacturers seeking to set national standards for the industry.
The cartridges must be replaced regularly, from "every couple of days to every couple of weeks," she said, depending on an individual's smoking habits.
Still, while the average smoker in Florida pays $5 to $6 for a pack of regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes are cheaper, she said, costing less than half that amount, or the equivalent of $2 a pack.
"This is for smokers who can't or don't want to stop smoking," Linert stressed.
Like the other manufacturers, she said, the association views electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to regular cigarettes, not as smoking-cessation products, which often fail. The American Cancer Society estimates 440,000 people in the United States die each year from tobacco use, primarily from cancers of the lung, larynx, oral cavity, pharynx and esophagus.
Candylike flavors appeal to children
Although the association is not part of the lawsuit against the FDA, Linert said, the group recently addressed at least two of the agency's concerns and those of several medical organizations, including the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association.
Revised bylaws, for example, now prohibit members from marketing any candylike flavors in e-cigarettes, to undercut their appeal to children or adolescents.
Also, Linert said, association members do not support the sale of e-cigarettes at kiosks or malls, preferring behind-the-counter sales where the age of customers can be monitored to ensure they are not too young to buy them.
As for the FDA analysis of e-cigarette products, Linert said, it showed only one manufacturer used about a 1 percent solution of diethylene glycol, an antifreeze ingredient toxic to humans, to make the vapor that smokers ultimately expel.
Members of the association use propylene glycol in their e-cigarette products instead, she said. And while propylene glycol also is used in commercial antifreeze, "it's a substance generally considered safe by the government," she said, and also can be found in makeup and food coloring, among other uses.

Ky. universities expand smoking, tobacco bans

Kentucky's flagship public university gave the official heave-ho to tobacco on Thursday, touting the health benefits of a smoke-free policy covering all of its sprawling campus in the heart of burley tobacco country.
The tobacco ban at the University of Kentucky includes outdoor areas and applies to chew, pipes, cigars and snuff as well as cigarettes. Kentucky leads the nation in the production of burley tobacco, and has some of the nation's highest smoking rates.
"Going tobacco-free may not be the easiest thing to do, it may not be the most politically popular thing to do, but in my mind it's the right thing to do for this campus," UK President Lee Todd said in trumpeting the strict anti-tobacco policy.
Not far behind in the tobacco crackdown is the University of Louisville, which started restricting smoking Thursday to limited areas on its Belknap and Shelby campuses.The goal is to make the university totally smoke-free in a year from now.
Pikeville College also announced Thursday it plans for its campus to be tobacco-free by next fall.
In Lexington, some UK students welcomed the tobacco prohibition.
"It'll be nice walking to class and not having to walk in a cloud of smoke," nonsmoker Kelly Stilz, a senior, said while eating a quick breakfast on campus.
Sophomore Matt Danter, also a nonsmoker, harbored no strong feelings about the policy, but said "it seems a little contradictory" given Kentucky's heritage as a tobacco producer.
Danter said he has friends on campus who smoke and don't like the policy. He said he expects to see plenty of scofflaws on campus.
If there's a will, there's a way," he said.The university is stressing treatment, not punishment, for people caught using tobacco on campus. Citations will not be given to violators, and the school will steer them toward treatment. However, UK employees who are flagrant violators could ultimately be fired, and flagrant student violators could face dismissal from school, said Ellen Hahn, a UK nursing professor who played a leading role in implementing the policy.
"We would not expect that," she said, predicting that people will comply.
But the goal is to help them kick their tobacco habits. To help accomplish that, the university will make nicotine replacement products available at no cost for up to 12 weeks for students, faculty and staff enrolled in UK-sponsored tobacco treatment programs, she said.
Those not ready to give up tobacco but wanting to get through the day without a cigarette or a pinch of snuff can get the replacement products at deep discounts on campus, she said.
"We know it's going to take time," said Anthany Beatty, UK's assistant vice president for campus services. "Nicotine is a powerfully addictive substance, and folks just can't drop the habit."
Kent Ratajeski, a lecturer in UK's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said the tobacco-free policy went too far, encroaching on the freedom of students.
"I think the university is telling them how to live their lives," he said.
K has prohibited smoking inside and within 20 feet of buildings since 2006.
Tim Bricker, chairman of pediatrics for the Kentucky Children's Hospital, said he understood the tobacco-free policy will be inconvenient for some on campus. But if the ban improves overall health and entices some people to stop smoking, then it's "really worth it," he said.Kentucky has the nation's highest rate of lung cancer and is third in adult smoking rates, according to the state Department for Public Health.
"Our young people are being targeted by the tobacco companies, and have been for years," said Hahn, who played a key role in implementing the policy. "This policy really is an investment in our young people and in our state."
Even with the ban, UK still has strong ties to tobacco.
Specialists in its College of Agriculture offer production advice to tobacco growers, and UK is home to a research center seeking new commercial uses for tobacco, including pharmaceuticals.
Scott Smith, dean of UK's College of Agriculture, said the university still grows tobacco on its farms as part of research to assist growers and the tobacco industry.
"Tobacco remains an important crop to many Kentucky farms," he said.
Elsewhere, the University of Louisville kicked off its policy Thursday to ban smoking almost everywhere on its campuses. Rather than asking employees and students to quit cold turkey, however, U of L began a phaseout of smoking, with designated smoking areas set up on its Belknap and Shelby campuses. The school will gradually phase out those smoking areas, with the goal of making its campuses totally smoke-free by November 2010.
U of L's Health Sciences campus has been smoke-free since 2004.
"As a university committed to our students, faculty and staff, we are emphasizing the health benefits of not smoking," said U of L Provost Shirley Willihnganz.

Excise duty for cigarettes and gambling go up, alcohol and beer get off safe

MPs failed to adopt the increase of excise duty on spirits and beer while voting the amendments to the Excise Duty and Tax Warehouses Act. The proposal was excise of the ethyl alcohol to be increased from BGN 1100 to BGN 1250 per 1 hectoliter pure alcohol, and the excise duty on the ethyl alcohol (home-made brandy) produced in small distillatory to increase from BGN 550 to BGN 625 per 1 hectoliter pure alcohol.
MPs increased excise of cigarettes on Thursday.The specific excise is increased from BGN 41 to BGN 101 per 1000 pieces and the proportional excise is raised from 23 to 40.50%. Amendments to the Excise Duty and Tax Warehouses Act provide specific excise duty not to be less than BGN 148 per 1000.
Bulgarian parliament passed 15% increase of excise duty on gambling on second reading amendments to the Corporate Income Tax Act. The proposal was passed unanimously with 149 votes “for”.
Rising the excise on gambling from 10% to 15% will pour about BGN 150 million in the budget. This is what co-chair of the Blue Coalition Ivann Kostov said at the parliament during a discussion on the amendments to the Corporate Income Tax Act, cited by FOCUS News Agency reporter.
This year is expected BGN 117 million revenues to the budget in view of the current excise.
Aliosman Imamov from Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) commented that the main problem in this field is not the tax rate but regulation and control. Fiscal effect of this action will not be achieved due to the lack of control.

Secondhand smoke fight not over

Recently, activities were held across the state in honor of the Great American Smoke Out, the annual event that encourages smokers and tobacco users to quit.
In Baton Rouge, a special, smoke-free Great American Smoke Out event was held at Boudreaux and Thibodeaux’s that celebrated the smoke-free bar.
Coincidentally, United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings were released, and Louisiana moved up from 50th to 47th, marking the state’s highest ranking since the annual study began.
What played a key part in this upward trend for our state?
A decrease in smoking rates that moved Louisiana up six spots to 35th in the country. It’s an impressive move that highlights the importance of events such as the Great American Smoke Out, as well as smoke-free air laws.
From the passage of The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act in 2006 to this latest improvement in America’s Health Rankings, we can be proud of what we’ve achieved, but there is much more left to accomplish.
While the Smoke-Free Air Act cleared the air in restaurants and most workplaces in Louisiana, thousands of patrons and employees of bars and casinos are still exposed to harmful secondhand smoke every day.
If Louisiana is to continue to improve, we must continue to support events such as the Great American Smoke Out and to consider policies that protect the health of all Louisiana citizens.
We must work to protect the bartenders, casino employees and our beloved musicians and performers who continue to put their health on the line to earn a paycheck.

Man dies after eating khaini with pesticide laced hands

A farmer in a Bihar village died after he consumed khaini, an addictive tobaccoconcoction, that he mixed with his pesticide laced hands on his farm, family of the victim said.
Mahadev Sah, a resident of Bharra village in Begusarai district, died soon after consuming the powder.
“My husband died soon after he consumed khaini mixed in his pesticide laced hands,” Geeta Devi, wife of Sah, said.
Devi told police that her husband was spraying pesticide on the crop in their field and then mixed tobacco in his hands.
“Soon after he complained of weakness and vomiting,” she said.

Apple "refuses to repair smokers' Macs"

Apple is reportedly refusing to repair the Macs of smokers because the tobacco residue inside the machines poses a health risk.
Two separate US Apple repair centres have allegedly told customers that they couldn't repair their Macs because their machines had been contaminated by cigarette smoke.
"When I asked for an explanation, she said he's a smoker and it's contaminated with cigarette smoke which they consider a bio-hazard!" claims one of the customers, who was attempting to get her son's Mac repaired, according to the Consumerist website.
"I checked my Applecare warranty and it says nothing about not honouring warranties if the owner is a smoker. The Applecare representative said they defer to the technician and my son's computer cannot be fixed at any Apple Service Centre due to being listed a bio-hazard."
When the customer complained to Steve Jobs' office, she was reportedly told that nicotine was listed as a hazardous substance by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration and that the company wouldn't undertake a repair.
Another customer got a similar answer from a repair store in Iowa. 
Apple's safety-first approach to dangerous substances might raise eyebrows at Greenpeace. Although Apple is praised for its work in eliminating dangerous chemicals from its products, substances such as Arsenic can still be found in Apple hardware, according to its latest Guide to Greener Electronics (PDF).
Apple was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

Cigarette smoking up despite new bans and taxes [The Beaumont Enterprise, Texas]

Cindy Yohe recites her smoking cessation strategies like a memorized laundry list.
In the three times she has tried to quit smoking, Yohe has used patches, gum, hypnosis, breathing methods and hand exercises to emulate lighting up a cigarette.
The latter "looked ridiculous" and made people honk at her, the Beaumont marketing director recalled, gesturing with a salon-manicured hand.
And like all of her efforts to quit smoking, she lamented, nothing worked.
Yohe, 50, began smoking in the 1970s as a college student. She now smokes about six Benson and Hedges menthol cigarettes a day. On weekends, she can light up to a pack a day.
"I feel stupid, " Yohe said, seated outside of the Spindletop restaurant in downtown Beaumont Wednesday. "I can't believe something like this has so much control over me."
Like millions of Americans who smoke cigarettes, Yohe knows the risks of lighting up, but because smoking is a nicotine addiction, quitting proves difficult, researchers say.
Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week point to a curious irony: despite heavy tobacco taxes, smoking bans and commercials about the dangers of smoking, rates of smoking have increased for the first time in 15 years. Last year, the adult smoking rate climbed to 20.8 percent, the CDC reported with the most recent figures available. That number is a bit higher than in 2007, when the rate was at 19.7 percent.
"It's really sad," said Amanda McLauchlin, community coordinator at the Substance Abuse Division of the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission. "There is certainly no condemnation for people who smoke, but we encourage healthy lifestyles."
Read more in Thursday's Beaumont Enterprise.

Push to Label Cigarette Filters as Toxic Waste

Researchers at San Diego State University are asking that cigarette filters be labeled as toxic hazardous waste.
  The "San Diego Union-Tribune" quotes Tom Novotny, a public health professor at the university as saying "It's another way of looking at cigarettes as a societal hazard." He said reframing the butts as toxic hazardous waste, quote, "that adds another opportunity to change the social acceptability of smoking." A fellow professor of public health, Rick Gersberg, created an experiment involving soaking used cigarette filters in water for 24 hours.He then put fish in that water. Within five days, half had died.
Smokers rights groups aren't impressed with the effort.
Robert Best, regional director of Citizens Freedom Alliance calls the toxic waste labeling suggestion "just another attack on smokers and an attack on the entire tobacco industry." He said the issue is already covered via littering laws.
Those laws mandate expensive punishment for anyone caught throwing trash on the ground or in the water and that includes cigarette butts.

Tokyo considers raising cigarette tax, in threat to Japan Tobacco

Japan's new administration is considering raising cigarette taxes to European levels to help pay for an ambitious domestic spending plan, in a potential threat to partially state-owned Japan Tobacco Inc.
Shares of Japan Tobacco—the world's third largest cigarette company by sales volume, after Altria Group Inc. of the U.S. and British American Tobacco PLC of the U.K.—fell more than 4% Monday before recovering and ending down 0.9% to 254,300 yen, or $2,824.93.
The sharp moves followed comments Sunday by a top Japanese health official during a television interview that raised the possibility of the tax increase.
"Tobacco poses health problems. It may be necessary to raise [the tobacco tax] to the levels in Europe," said Akira Nagatsuma, minister of health, labor and welfare.
The health ministry already has asked the government's tax panel to increase the tobacco tax as part of tax reforms for fiscal 2010.
An increase of 10 yen per cigarette—10 times the amount of previous increases—is currently being debated.
Cigarettes in Japan are among the cheapest of any developed nation, with a pack of http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifMarlboro Lights costing 320 yen ($3.55). That compares with about 600 yen to 800 yen in the European Union.
For the Japanese government, a cigarette tax increase is a tricky proposition. While Tokyo has an incentive to reduce smoking to reduce national health-care expenses, the government also owns a 50% stake in Japan Tobacco.
The government also could hurt tax revenue if consumption drops too sharply.
"We believe the current excise tax is already at a high level," a Japan Tobacco spokesman said. "This is based on the fact that in the past, excise increases have shown that there hasn't been a corresponding increase in revenue, because sales volumes have declined."
Japan Tobacco, which sells the Mild Seven, Camel and Salem brands, has a 65% market share in Japan.
For decades, Japan has resisted imposing big tax increases on cigarettes, going against the global trend.
As a result, in an era where smoking rates have plunged in the developed world due to health concerns and cost, nearly 40% of all men in Japan still light up, according to Japan Tobacco. 
Smokers still puff away in restaurants and bars in Tokyo, unlike most states in the U.S. and most countries in the EU, which have imposed indoor smoking bans.
The new Japanese government, led by the Democratic Party of Japan, is mulling new spending programs that are estimated to cost as much as 16.8 trillion yen annually when they are fully implemented in the fiscal year beginning 2013.
It is debating where the money will come from, given that Japan's government liabilities—debts and other obligations—could approach 190% of its gross domestic product this year. The DPJ has already axed raising a broader consumption tax for four years.
"Raising cigarette taxes is not politically controversial," said the JT spokesman. "We are an easy target when the government is in short supply of revenue."
After the government raised cigarette taxes by one yen per cigarette in July 2006, sales volume at JT declined by 14.5 billion cigarettes to 174.9 billion in 2007, according to the company.
But the company offset the sales decline by raising prices on some of its top-tier brands, such as Mild Seven, by 10 yen per pack.
Analysts say that the revenue benefit for the government by doubling cigarette taxes would be marginal.
"This type of tax hike is not common—if the government doubled the taxes on cigarettes, it appears that cigarette volumes would decline by about 40%, resulting in 440 billion yen in additional tax revenues per year," said Toby Williams, an analyst at Macquarie in Tokyo. If Japan Tobacco "is able to raise prices, it would be positive for the company."
Government officials are also using a possible tax increase to dissuade people from smoking. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters on Friday that an increase in the tobacco tax is "possible" considering the adverse effects of smoking on public health.
The Japan Tobacco spokesman said "smoking is the choice of an informed adult. We provide the information of the health risks associated with smoking and that is their decision, rather than the state dictating their pattern of consumption."

Tobacco groups ask Obama to challenge Canadian ban

Philip Morris International joined with U.S. tobacco industry groups on Thursday to ask President Barack Obama's administration to challenge Canada's new law banning flavored cigarettes and small cigars.
Their request comes even as the administration takes its own steps to ban candy, clove and other flavored cigarettes.
"Canada's ban on blended cigarettes violates its WTO (World Trade Organization) obligations and could impose serious economic hardship on U.S. growers of burley tobacco," Roger Quarles, president of the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association, said in a statement.
"We are asking USTR (U.S. Trade Representative) to review our arguments and to take a strong stand for U.S. burley growers and American jobs," he said.
Philip Morris, which markets its tobacco products in approximately 160 countries, joined the burley growers and several other tobacco associations in asking USTR to press Canada on the issue at a WTO meeting on "technical" trade barriers next week in Geneva.
Canada's new law banning the manufacture, importation and sale of most flavored cigarettes and small cigars went into effect earlier this month.Anti-smoking groups said the fruit-flavored cigarettes were marketed like candy to lure young smokers, but the industry complained the law was too broad and would unfairly restrict importation of U.S.-grown burley tobacco.
Aiming to pressure the Obama administration to take up the issue, Republican Senator Jim Bunning from the tobacco-growing state of Kentucky has blocked the six-month-old nomination of Miriam Sapiro as deputy U.S. trade representative.
A spokeswoman for USTR was not immediately available on Thursday to comment on the issue.
The U.S. tobacco groups said they support the goal of banning candy-flavored cigarettes. But they said Canada could have done that without discriminating against American blend cigarettes by following the model recently set by the United States, France and Australia.
The Obama administration has given no indication publicly that it would press Canada on the issue.
Obama, who has said he began smoking as a teenager and struggled as an adult to give it up, signed a law in June giving the U.S. government broad regulatory power for the first time over cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration used the new authority to implement a ban on candy, clove and other flavored cigarettes. Neither the U.S. or the Canadian ban includes menthol-flavored cigarettes.
Clove cigarettes come mainly from Indonesia, where they originated in the late 1800s.

Tobacco groups ask Obama to challenge Canadian ban

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Philip Morris International joined with U.S. tobacco industry groups on Thursday to ask President Barack Obama's administration to challenge Canada's new law banning flavored cigarettes and small cigars.
Their request comes even as the administration takes its own steps to ban candy, clove and other flavored cigarettes.
"Canada's ban on blended cigarettes violates its WTO (World Trade Organization) obligations and could impose serious economic hardship on U.S. growers of burley tobacco," Roger Quarles, president of the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association, said in a statement.
"We are asking USTR (U.S. Trade Representative) to review our arguments and to take a strong stand for U.S. burley growers and American jobs," he said.
Philip Morris, which markets its tobacco products in approximately 160 countries, joined the burley growers and several other tobacco associations in asking USTR to press Canada on the issue at a WTO meeting on "technical" trade barriers next week in Geneva.
Canada's new law banning the manufacture, importation and sale of most flavored cigarettes and small cigars went into effect earlier this month.
Anti-smoking groups said the fruit-flavored cigarettes were marketed like candy to lure young smokers, but the industry complained the law was too broad and would unfairly restrict importation of U.S.-grown burley tobacco.
Aiming to pressure the Obama administration to take up the issue, Republican Senator Jim Bunning from the tobacco-growing state of Kentucky has blocked the six-month-old nomination of Miriam Sapiro as deputy U.S. trade representative.
A spokeswoman for USTR was not immediately available on Thursday to comment on the issue.
The U.S. tobacco groups said they support the goal of banning candy-flavored cigarettes. But they said Canada could have done that without discriminating against American blend cigarettes by following the model recently set by the United States, France and Australia.
The Obama administration has given no indication publicly that it would press Canada on the issue.
Obama, who has said he began smoking as a teenager and struggled as an adult to give it up, signed a law in June giving the U.S. government broad regulatory power for the first time over cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration used the new authority to implement a ban on candy, clove and other flavored cigarettes. Neither the U.S. or the Canadian ban includes menthol-flavored cigarettes.
Clove cigarettes come mainly from Indonesia, where they originated in the late 1800s.

Anti-smoking survey helps Walhalla students

WALHALLA — Results from a survey conducted by Clemson University nursing students to 230 Walhalla Middle School eighth-grade students regarding the dangers of tobacco use show that the message was received loud and clear.
Post-test results released by the school show that 225 of the respondents (97.80 percent) agree that cigarettes or cigars are dangerous and 221 concur that dipping and smokeless tobacco are dangerous. Approximately 224 feel oral cancer is a complication of dipping and smokeless tobacco, 226 believe lung cancer is a complication to cigarette smoking and 194 say second hand smoke is bad.
As far as the nurses presentation, 223 said it was well presented, 205 said it was interesting and 220 said they were glad the nurses came to the school.
“The post-test results showed that we went from 81.7 percent that didn’t think tobacco is dangerous to 97.8 percent that thought tobacco is dangerous,” said Walhalla Middle School Principal Chuck Middleton. “This was a very needed subject to work with and they did a great job of putting it together, gathering and disseminating the data.”
The nine-week tobacco study was the latest in a series of surveys and data collected annually at the school by Clemson University nursing groups, led by nursing instructor Betsy Swanson. Previous studies have included energy drinks, alcohol, diabetes awareness, exercise and physical fitness and obesity.
Katy Atkins, Katy Fuller, Sarah Toms, Anne Farish, Heather Leroux, Mallory Musiel and Kaitlin O’Brien collected data and presented it to students in the form of skits that dealt with peer pressure and other factors. The 230 eighth-graders surveyed consisted of
116 females and 114 males.
“I felt the nurses did an awesome job of getting and keeping 230 students attention throughout their presentation,” Middleton said.
Comments by students in the post-survey included praise for the nurses and the information provided, adding that it was “cool,” and “really helpful.”

Toward Tobacco-Free Campuses

The American College Health Association released new guidelines Monday urging colleges and universities to adopt policies barring all tobacco use indoors and outdoors on their campuses.
The recommendations signal a shift for the association, which in its previous position statement, adopted in 2005, urged campus health officials to ban all smoking indoors but still permit it in “designated smoking spaces” outside.
Jim Turner, president of the ACHA and executive director of the University of Virginia’s student health center, said the guidelines reflect policies that are “from a public health standpoint, what we all aspire to have for our campuses.”He acknowledged the position statement “sets a very, very high bar for some campuses to get to,” but said that the members of the ACHA’s board, executive committee and Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Coalition considered it “an important statement to be made” about tobacco use on campuses. “We may not achieve our total goal across the country but at least we can provoke a debate and get some movement on our campuses.”
Cynthia Hallett, executive director of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, called the guidelines “excellent” progress and said she hoped campuses would seriously consider adopting them.
As of October 6, Hallett’s group had identified 365 U.S. colleges and universities with policies requiring that all campus spaces, indoors and outdoors, be smokefree. Another 76 institutions have “100 percent smokefree campuses with minor exemptions for remote outdoor areas.”
All 33 public college and university campuses in the state of Arkansas prohibit smoking inside and outside. Despite complaints and protests coming from employees and students, a law enacted last year in Pennsylvania bars smoking indoors and outdoors at all 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
The ACHA’s recommendations go even further. They ban not just the use of cigarettes, cigars and other smoke-producing products but also the use of snuff, chewing tobacco and other smokeless tobacco products. The eventual goal, as described in the position statement, is “becoming or maintaining tobacco-free living and learning environments that support the achievement of personal and academic goals.”
John Nothdurft, a legislative specialist on tobacco at the Heartland Institute, a nonprofit with libertarian and conservative positions, said he is “not surprised by any means” by the ACHA’s recommendations. “You saw this in Pennsylvania, you’ve seen this in other states,” he said. “This is more of a PR stunt than anything else. It’s more nannying going on by organizations trying to win brownie points from special interest groups.”
Nothdurft expressed concern that institutions would adopt policies “without considering all the unintended consequences and questions it creates.” Students, employees and visitors, he said, “will have to go off campus – maybe to an unsafe area, maybe not – just to use a legal product that they should be able to use outdoors without doing harm to others.”
He also criticized the absence of recommendations on how to enforce tobacco-free policies. “It’s hard to enforce a smoking ban and this document offers no suggestions,” he said. “As I see it, all these activities could keep going on” without penalty on campuses that choose to adopt the ACHA’s recommendations.
Turner said he “heard very little resistance” from within the ACHA on adopting the recommendations. “One concern a member had was that our guidelines not violate state or local law but, from a public health standpoint, we all agreed this was needed.”
Turner said that the University of Virginia, his institution and the flagship university in a state that’s had a dominant tobacco industry for centuries, enacted a ban on smoking outside all its medical facilities and research labs that went into place on October 1, having banned smoking indoors years ago.
“I go over to the medical school for meetings and I no longer see people in their scrub suits smoking outside the back entrance there,” he said. “Anecdotally, in my own little world, it’s really had a profound impact.”

Too worried about tobacco to see alcohol's damage

I thought The Star prided itself on being unbiased, but now I know better. I see the facts, figures and statistics on smoking, but I never see the same things on alcohol. Why is this? Everyone is so worried about the smoking issue but not alcohol abuse. The results of such abuse include higher health-care costs, domestic violence and the devastation to innocent people from drunk driving.
Matthew Tully commented about political issues regarding Mayor Greg Ballard's stand on smoking, but I certainly see more politics concerning alcohol. There is a lot of money involved with alcohol. Advertising is everywhere and the companies sponsor sports, arts and cultural events. What kind of mixed messages are we sending to our youth? Alcohol kills also. Quit blaming so much on tobacco. Let the City-County Council worry about crime for a change.

Nine held over cigarette haul

Gardaí are continuing to question nine men in connection with a seizure of illegal cigarettes last night.
More than 120 million illegal cigarettes, worth an estimated €50 million, were discovered on a ship in Greenore, Co Louth yesterday, the largest seizure in the history of the State.
The men were arrested following a Revenue Customs Service operation which was supported by the Garda.
The nine men include seven Irish nationals aged between 19 and mid-40s, one Lithuanian in his 50s and one Ukrainian in his 40s.
They are being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at Garda stations in Cos Louth and Monaghan.
The cigarettes are thought to have been produced in the Philippines. The vessel was kept under surveillance from when it left the Philippines on September 15th until it docked in Greenore early yesterday morning.
Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan today welcomed the seizure and said smuggling has a serious impact on the State¿s tax revenue. Had these cigarettes not been seized, they could have represented an estimated loss of €40 million of tax revenue to public services,¿ he said. ¿This potential €40 million shortfall equates to the cost of employing over 700 teachers in our education system. Citizens should remember that the purchase of illegal contraband directly affects our public service.A former commander at Scotland Yard today said smugglers may be targeting Ireland because of lenient penalties handed out by courts.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland , John O'Connor said that cigarette smuggling was seen as a less serious crime than smuggling hard drugs, where sentences can be much harsher.
"Ireland has been seen to be a fairly attractive staging post simply because if you look historically at the penalties that have been imposed by Irish courts for people smuggling cigarettes, I think the average is a fine of €500," he said.
"If you look at the profits involved in smuggling drugs, they're probably greater but the consequences of getting caught are much harsher."
He added that there was a certain amount of public apathy towards the issue of tobacco smuggling and called for a coordinated approach to the problem.
"There are a lot of things that can be done in Ireland to tighten up the problem of tobacco smuggling. It's very difficult to get to the source and stop it but It's a global black economy that really needs to be tackled in a coordinated way."

Author of tax study says trend is up and particular groups are most popular targets

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A study shows Tennessee's average 9.4 cent tax on every $1 spent is the highest sales tax rate in America.
Opponents of the sales tax say it's most unfair to those least able to pay but others favor the sales tax over a state income tax.
The author of the tax comparison study, Tax Foundation staff economist Kail (Cale) Padgitt, said an increasing number of states are raising so-called "millionaire taxes" on income of the wealthiest taxpayers and so-called "sin taxes" on cigarettes or beer.
Padgitt told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the foundation is "definitely seeing more movement upward than downward in taxes on the state level, and the most popular seem to be to target particular types of tax groups."

Students tell tobacco companies to back off

The Red Ribbon program focuses on staying healthy and achieving goals.
The schools use games and other activities to show kids how drugs, alcohol, and tobacco can affect those goals.
Wednesday, the kids at Consolidated Elementary in Vigo County wrote letters to tobacco companies to let them know how they feel about their role in getting kids to smoke.
"They're doing a good job of getting kids addicted. And so we want them to stop targeting kids," student Kelsey Farris said.
"These aren't going to be their customers of the future. Not if we can help it, " school counselor Monica Tener-Smith said.
More Red Ribbon activities are planned for the coming weeks.

Anger at tobacco sponsor for festival

A TOBACCO firm is among the sponsors of the Henley International Film Festival.
Imperial Tobacco’s backing of next year’s event brought a strong reaction from town councillors at Tuesday’s meeting of the town and community committee.
Councillor David Nimmo-Smith said: “There’s no way that I am going to subscribe to any tobacco advertising being endorsed by this town council — I want that made clear.”
Councillor Laura Pye agreed, saying that it would be hypocritical to support tobacco sponsorship considering the council’s complaints about cigarette butts littering the town. The committee agreed to write a letter to the event organisers making its concerns clear about tobacco sponsorship on banners during the festival. It said it would insist on removing such banners or posters from council property.
A meeting was held on October 7 to discuss the festival, where it was announced that Stephen Fry would attend the event over two days to give talks on the media. 
The festival will take place from May 25 to 29. The film submissions process has been opened, with 80 films to be shortlisted to 40.

Will smoking be cool again?

When Smoking Was Cool, an art exhibit opening at Black Maria Gallery on Saturday, takes on “the American propensity for legislating social behavior,” in this case, using ever-rising tobacco taxes as a jumping-off point.
While the exhibit will take note of the movement to define certain social behaviors as taboo, whether it’s smoking, drinking alcohol or easygoing attitudes about sex, its aim will be to examine the hidden motives and powerful interests behind the politics of social legislation.
Sam Saghatelian, curator of the exhibition and a participating artist, says in the press release, “The point is that government and corporate interests often single out targets for the legislation of social behavior because it’s politically and financially expedient to do so, and not necessarily for the wellbeing of the public as they claim.”
Featured artists include Paul Chatem, The Pizz, Shark Toof, Anthony Ausgang, Sarah Stephens, Stacy Lande, Christine Karas-Gough, Shannon Keller, Brett Manning and Harry Sudman

FDA Says Delaying Tobacco Authority To Harm Public

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday urged a federal judge in Kentucky not to order the agency to delay enforcing new tobacco laws, saying such a move would have "devastating consequences" on public health.
The FDA is facing a challenge to its new tobacco powers, signed into law in June, from tobacco companies including Camel cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) and Commonwealth Brands Inc. The companies say the law imposes unprecedented restrictions on their First Amendment rights and want a federal court in Bowling Green, Ky., to order a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of certain provisions in the regulations.
A judge for the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky heard from the FDA and the tobacco companies Thursday on the request for an injunction. He could soon decide whether to grant the injunction.
The law restricts tobacco companies from using color in most ads, bars them from saying certain products are less risky than others and stops them from selling tobacco products in combination with other items, such as soda and mouthwash. 
"It is crucial to the public health that tobacco products not be marketed as reduced-risk products unless they will, in fact, reduce risks," the FDA said in a brief filed with the court. 
The injunction request relates only to the restrictions on marketing tobacco products with other consumer items, and restrictions against advertising that a tobacco product is less risky than other tobacco products. Restrictions on color in ads don't go into effect until June 2010.
The companies want to be able to make claims in ads and on boxes that certain tobacco products contain smaller amounts of harmful ingredients, such as being low in tar, and are, therefore, less risky than other tobacco products.
This issue is important to companies that make smokeless tobacco products. Reynolds, for instance, makes Camel Snus, a type of tobacco that comes in a pouch in flavors like "frost" and "mellow." 
In their briefing documents, the companies argue that such information is truthful and should be given to consumers.
The FDA says such information gives consumers the "mistaken belief" that the products are safe to use. The agency will allow companies to make such claims only after they prove the product does reduce a consumers risk for tobacco-related diseases. That appears to be a high hurdle. The agency notes that medical devices and prescription drugs must go through a rigorous review process before they can be sold to treat or reduce the risk of disease.
The companies say they aren't completely against the FDA authority to regulate tobacco, and that they support restrictions in marketing and advertising to children.
While Lorillard Inc. (LO) is a party to the overall lawsuit challenging the advertising restrictions imposed by the law, it isn't a party to the preliminary injunction, according to a company spokesman. The company says it didn't join the request for injunction because it doesn't intend to market tobacco products with claims that they are less risky than other tobacco products.

Cancer Society smoking cessation trainer course

The Cayman Islands Cancer Society is offering a stop smoking “Train the Facilitator” course, in its continued efforts to help tobacco users break the habit.
The seminar will be taught by Dr. Elbert Glover, the developer of the StartSmart™ Stop Smoking programme at the Governors Square boardroom at 9am on Saturday, 24th October.
According to the Cancer Society’s release, the course is suitable for medical practitioners and those in allied professions as well as other individuals who have an interest in helping persons to quit smoking.
The seminar will cost $50 per person and includes all materials. Participants will be asked to make a commitment to assist the Society in offering the StartSmart™ programme to the public on completion of training.
A maximum of 20 people can take part and pre–registration is required. Interested persons can visit or contact the Society at 114 Maple Road between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday, to pay and reserve their space.
The advisory added that research has shown that a combination of behavioural modification and drug therapy intervention results in the most successful quit attempts. The components of the programme include information on developing an individualised assessment plan for each client using a combination of group support sessions and pharmaceutical adjuncts as well as relapse prevention.
While in Cayman, Dr. Glover will also address students in schools and conduct a workshop for medical professionals. The workshop on Friday 23rd October from 6ppm to 9pm at the Hibiscus Conference Room will provide attendees with CME credits. While there is no charge for the workshop, pre–registration is required as refreshments will be served.
In making the announcement of Dr. Glover’s visit, the Society’s Medical Director, Dr. Sook Yin, said: “With the impending introduction of the Tobacco Act, (at the end of October), there has never been a better time for health professionals and others in the community to… help their patients, family, friends and colleagues quit this addictive and often deadly habit.”

The Sacramento Bee, Calif., Marcos Breton Column: Marcos Breton: DA Out to Pry Funding From First 5 for Abused Kids' Medical Exams

She has to find the money to pay for justice. 
The county has no funds to pay for medical exams of children removed from their homes by Child Protective Services. 
In the last fiscal year o in cases involving 829 kids under the age of 6 removed from their homes for reasons other than physical abuse o examinations performed at UC Davis Medical Center found physical abuse 55 percent of the time. 
And in cases where kids were removed due to allegations of physical abuse, 20 percent of their siblings also were found to show signs of physical abuse. 
God bless the children. 
The county's cost for the screenings is about $133,000. 
You would think someone could find the money. But it won't happen without another performance of the elaborate funding dance of Sacramento government. 
It's so old by now. Haven't we all become numb to predictions of the apocalypse if this or that government program is eliminated? 
But Scully, who has been in office since 1994, is nothing if not shrewd. She knows there are millions of dollars sitting around unused in Sacramento while government safety nets dissolve. 
Let's repeat: There are millions of untapped dollars while local governments are melting down. A reserve of roughly $70 million is controlled by the First 5 Sacramento Commission. 
The commission is made up of local bureaucrats headed by county Supervisor Roger Dickinson. They control the local share of statewide tobacco tax money used to fund education, health, child care and other programs for expectant parents and children up to age 5. This tax was approved by California voters in 1998 when they passed Proposition 10, the brainchild of film director Rob Reiner. 
But like other do-gooder taxes, millions in First 5 money accumulates like bills in the bank vaults of celebrities. On Monday, Scully is going to ask First 5 Sacramento to peel off a sliver of its stockpile to fund CPS medical examinations for abused kids. 
"The screenings fit right into their mission statement of commitment," Scully said. 
Why not? In June, First 5 allocated $5,000 for monthly water play-dates and children's dance at Southside Park. They subsidized a block party, an ice cream social, a park play day and a movie night in east Sacramento for $4,000. 
In January, Republican lawmakers took aim at First 5 for funding belly dance classes for pregnant women in San Diego. 
Scully has a point: "We haven't asked First 5 to be accountable." 
It starts Monday, at a First 5 meeting scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors chambers. 
These meetings are often held in obscurity. It's time to shine a bright light on all that First 5 money and how it's being spent o or not o amid so much need.

State cuts Tobacco Quit Line funding despite tax increases

Starting Thursday, smokers with health insurance who call the state Quit Line for help kicking their habit will get less help, the result of a 55 percent cut in state funding to smoking cessation and anti-smoking programs.
In spite of soaring state cigarette taxes, the Quit Line's funding was slashed by two-thirds - from $3.7 million a year to $1.2 million - as part of the broad cuts implemented in the 2009-11 budget signed by Gov. Jim Doyle to help solve the state's massive deficit. Total funding for anti-tobacco programs was cut from $15.3 million a year to $6.9 million.
The cuts follow a 75-cent increase in the cigarette tax on Sept. 1 that brought the state tax to $2.52 per pack, and also follows a $1-per-pack increase in 2008 - moves made to help solve budget deficits.
Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin, said more resources are needed by smokers motivated to quit by both the tax increase and a state smoking ban on bars and restaurants going into effect on July 5, 2010.
"When people need the resources most, we'll be least able to help them," Busalacchi said.
The Quit Line previously offered four sessions of follow-up calls to state smokers who call seeking to kick the habit, along with two weeks of a free nicotine patch or nicotine gum, at a total cost of $323 for callers who use all those services, said Moira Harrington, spokeswoman for the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, which oversees the Quit Line.
The Quit Line, operated by a company in Seattle, still will offer the same level of service to smokers with no health coverage or with state Medicaid coverage for the poor, she said. But smokers with private health insurance now will receive one follow-up call and the nicotine replacement items, said Harrington, who couldn't rule out additional cuts in services.
"It's not a decision we made lightly," she said. "We've just had to make a hard choice."
Dr. Michael Fiore, director of the center, said research showed more follow-up counseling sessions with smokers was more effective in helping them quit.
State Department of Health Services spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis said smokers with private health insurance still will be able to make repeat calls to the Quit Line. But now the responsibility is on the smokers to call, instead of the counselors making follow-up calls to the smoker.
"This means we will make the best use of limited Quit Line resources and maximize access to smoking cessation services through private insurance," Marquis said
Other cuts to state tobacco control programs included:
• Overall programs to help people quit smoking, including the Quit Line and programs aimed at pregnant mothers, fall from $5 million a year to $1.8 million.
• Training and technical assistance for those working to reduce smoking drop from $1.5 million in 2009 to $505,000 in 2010.
• Anti-tobacco programs aimed at minorities drop from $1.3 million to $752,000 and programs aimed at teens will drop from $928,500 to $390,000.
• Anti-smoking advertising falls from $835,000 to $430,000.
Busalacchi said she supports a bill by Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, that would provide more than $2 million in additional money for anti-tobacco efforts. The bill would do so by rolling back a recent increase in how much of the cigarette tax can be kept by wholesale tobacco sellers to cover the costs of collecting the tax for the state and placing tax stamps on cigarette packages.
A representative of the industry, which opposes the bill, could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.

Partners of tobacco trading firm charged with Rs 85 lakh graft

ANAND: Three partners of a tobacco trading firm from Umreth town of the district has been accused of Rs 85 lakh graft. As per a complaint at Umreth police station on Sunday, the traders, all of one family, have left the country after the fraud. 
Police said, that partners of Ashabhai Gopalbhai and Sons, a tobacco trading firm in Umreth, had taken a loan of Rs 85 lakh from Central Bank of India branch of the town against an equally valued stock of tobacco on March 23, 2006. 
However, after paying a few instalments, the firm stopped making repayments. Partners Dinesh Amba Patel, Kashi Patel and Sunil Patel allegedly sold off the stock without telling the bank and fled to a foreign country. 
As notices sent by the bank went unanswered for a long time, present manager Kalpana Vaidya registered a case of cheating against all three partners at Umreth police station.

Unequal Risks, Unmet Needs. Pacific People And Tobacco In Nz

Little government attention has been given to smoking by Pacific peoples in New Zealand, and there is no specific government plan to deal with this smoking.
Pacific people in New Zealand face increased health risks from tobacco, compared to the overall New Zealand population, because of higher smoking levels (30% Pacific compared to 21% of the whole adult population). Using the most reliable data (from the census) smoking by Pacific women increased from 23% in 1996 to 27% in 2006.
However, research from the University of Otago, Wellington has found some improvements; smoking by Pacific year 10 students, and smoking inside the homes of Pacific students, has declined sharply since 2000.
These are some of the findings from the first review of smoking by Pacific peoples, which has just been published online in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
"We found continued disparities in smoking prevalence between Pacific and other peoples in New Zealand. This disparity has continued despite being well known by government for over 15 years." says lead investigator Tolotea Lanumata, from the Department of Public Health at UOW.
"The situation is made more urgent by the rapid growth of the Pacific population in New Zealand. That population has a young median age, of only 21, and is projected to reach at least 480,000 by 2026."
The research concludes that a central government plan for Pacific tobacco control is required. The researchers found little focus by government on smoking by Pacific peoples, although some DHBs have separately developed specific plans aimed at these groups.
The study, based on an analysis of databases and websites, found that the picture appears more positive for smokefree homes and for Pacific youth. The prevalence of smoking by Pacific year 10 students reduced from 29% to 16% during 1999-2007. However, this decline was much less than for European youth (which in 2007 was at only 9%). Smoking inside Pacific students' homes also declined from 35% to 26% during 2001-2007.
The health consequences of higher smoking levels in Pacific peoples are seen in lung cancer mortality rates which are twice as high for males and 1.4 times higher for females, compared to non/Maori/non Pacific.
Ms Lanumata said that "Because of the continued disparities, there is a need for much better funding of Pacific smokefree services. We also found strong calls for more specific interventions for Pacific Peoples."

Burglar left trail of cigarette butts

A BUNGLING drug addicted burglar was caught by police after he left a cigarette butt at the scene of every place he raided during a seven-week spree.
James Murphy, 39, who is of no fixed address, gave a family member's address in Buckland to Torbay magistrates and pleaded guilty to a three burglaries and also agreed to four other burglaries being taken into consideration.
Crown prosecutor Simon Jarvis explained two were at second homes in Thurlestone and East Portlemouth in the South Hams, while the third was at an isolated bungalow near Saltash.
Murphy also admitted breaking into two sheds just 40 yards from the house he robbed in East Portlemouth, breaking into another house in East Portlemouth which was 400 yards away, ransacking the dilapidated Palm Court Hotel on Torquay seafront and going back to the Saltash bungalow.
These offences were committed between July 16 and early September explained, Mr Jarvis.

The clerk of court explained a warrant had been issued for Murphy's arrest on September 4.
Mr Jarvis said: "These offences were committed to fund his drug habit, and it is something like seven offences in seven weeks."
The court heard fishing tackle, binoculars, torches, a £3,000 silver cutlery set, a home theatre system, a wrist watch, keys, a laptop computer, two mechanisms from grandfather clocks, three bottles of whiskey, a GPS system, a compass and four boat flares had been taken.
But mitigating, defence solicitor Andrew Cooper called his client 'extremely naive', adding: "He left DNA evidence behind him. I believe that on every occasion they found a cigarette butt with his DNA on it, and so it only required a computer check to find him."
He added that his client had nowhere to live after a relationship broke up and that essentially he was going from 'fix to fix.'
Chairman of the bench Syan Venton said: "We have decide that for these offences of burglary we are going to commit you to the crown court because these offences are so serious that you should receive greater punishment than we can issue, so you will be committed to Plymouth Crown Court."
Murphy was remanded into custody until October 23. The breach matter will be dealt with on November 20 and outstanding fines will dealt with on November 18.

CSO arrest suspect in S'port gas station robbery

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) -Caddo Parish Sheriff's officials have now identified and arrested a suspect in a Shreveport gas station armed robbery. Caddo deputies have arrested 48-year-old Melvin Johnson in connection to the robbery of the Exxon gas station, located in the 5800 block of North Market St. on Wednesday.
Johnson is currently being held at the Caddo Correctional Center and is facing an armed robbery charge.
Deputies released surveillance video which shows Johnson entering the gas station. 
According to Caddo deputies, Johnson entered the store to purchase a pack of cigarettes, but did not buy, but came back 30 minutes later, pulled out a handgun and demanded money and a carton of cigarettes.
Deputies also say Johnson allegedly threatened to kill the clerk, but was interrupted when a customer came into the store and that's when Johnson allegedly fled the scene on foot.

Commissioners approve smoking ban

Even though it seemed as though the board of commissioners was going to designate specific smoking areas in the township’s larger parks, by the end of the night all Upper Moreland parks had become smoke-free.
The board unanimously approved an ordinance that prohibited smoking from all township parks and immediately following the approval of the ordinance, a 3-3 split decision voted down a resolution that would have designated specific smoking areas in the township. With the failure of the resolution no areas were specified.
The months-long discussion started after the parks and recreation advisory council recommended that the board ban smoking to reduce litter in the parks, promote a healthy lifestyle and send a message to the community’s youth.
Although happy with the outcome Commissioner James McKenna said he was upset it took so long to make the decision.
“I can’t believe we wasted so many hours discussing this asinine topic,” he said. “If we designated areas for smokers we would be facilitating smoking and using tax dollars to do so.”
The township’s contribution to the smoking areas would be approximately $5,000 to $6,000 to provide benches, places to throw out cigarette butts and trash cans.
As a former smoker, Jonathan de Jonge, an advisory planning agency member believed there wasn’t even a choice.
“If you wouldn’t go home and offer your kids a pack of cigarettes tonight your answer should be no to this vote,” he said. “Tobacco is a highly addictive substance and if it was just introduced to society today it would not be allowed.”
For Dennis Hurley, also a former smoker, the decision shouldn’t be about constitutional rights, it should be about protecting the younger generations.
“The only nice thing I have heard anyone mention tonight is the kids,” he said. “By designating certain areas we are telling our kids that it’s not OK to smoke here, but if you go over there you’re OK. That isn’t doing anything for them.”
Like half of the commissioners, Pat Stasio, the township’s director of parks and recreation, believed a total ban was the way to go.
“I think we are still inviting everyone to enjoy our parks but we’re asking them to do it in a safe manner,” he said, adding that a complete ban would make the ordinance more enforceable.
For some of the commissioners though, a total ban was too much too soon.
The discussion between the commissioners included personal choice, a person’s right to smoke and the ability to enforce the ban.
“Most areas of our lives are grey and this is one of them,” Commissioner Sam Valenza said. “I think we need to compromise.”
Commissioner Lisa Romaniello agreed.
“I think we’ve taken a big step tonight,” she said, adding that she believes smokers should have the opportunity to appreciate the parks. “We could always go back and change the resolution at a later date. The big thing tonight is that we took a step forward.”
Although the ordinance says the change will take affect five days after it’s voted on, the township will be spending the next several months informing the public about the change and, through pamphlets, work to educate park-goers on why the decision is was made. Stasio said the parks and recreation department would look at implementing the ordinance in early spring.

Funds Should Help Smokers Quit

The Sept. 1 article by Fergus Cullen and Tamara Tragakisswas only half-right.
Connecticut legislators should be applauded for raising tobacco taxes but ashamed about how they have misdirected that tax revenue.
Connecticut has every reason to raise the prices of tobacco products. Research shows tobacco tax increases are one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco consumption, especially among youths. If the state's leadership is serious about improving public health, it should spend a small portion of the extra revenue on cessation assistance and comprehensive tobacco-use prevention. 
Connecticut has one of the worst track records when it comes to helping people quit smoking and remains one of the last states to provide absolutely no cessation benefits to Medicaid participants.
In recent years, the state was ranked dead last in smoking-cessation coverage. As the Sept. 1 article mentioned, this is despite receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from the master settlement agreement and tobacco taxes.
Raising taxes on cigarettes is a positive step toward reducing deaths due to smoking. But lawmakers need to go the extra mile to help those who want to quit. By doing all of this together, we can raise extra money immediately, dramatically improve public health and save billions of dollars in long-term health costs. That's the kind of prudent fiscal planning that Connecticut desperately needs.

Survey of Ontarians reveals concern over growing problem with illegal cigarettes

 A majority think governments should be doing more to combat tobacco crime

  TORONTO, Aug. 27 /CNW/ - A recent survey of Ontarians shows a growingconcern about the danger posed by illegal cigarettes. A recent Pollara surveyof 802 Ontario residents shows that 64% of respondents believe both thefederal and provincial governments should be doing more to stop this growingcriminal trade.
  "Two things are immediately clear from this survey: many Ontarians don'tthink buying contraband cigarettes is a crime and people who care about thisissue want to see governments doing more," said Dave Bryans, NationalCoalition Against Contraband Tobacco. "Nearly 50% of cigarettes being sold inOntario are illegal and reigning in this problem is no easy task. The tax
losses are now approaching $2 billion each year. Governments need to takedeliberate, coordinated steps to snuff out this crime."

  Other key findings from the survey include:

  - 59% were supportive of more government action based on additionalhealth concerns due to the possible presence of insect eggs, dead flies, mould and human feces in contraband cigarettes
  - 34% of people surveyed think additional law and order approaches to the problem are the best solutions
  - 54% feel dealing with contraband tobacco should be part of a largergovernment strategy on tobacco
  - When asked, 42% believe tobacco taxes should be cut, similar to the federal government decision in 1993, in order to eliminate theillegal market. However 44% oppose such a move.

  The Pollara survey also showed that among smokers, price was asignificant driving force in their purchasing behaviour. 30% of respondentswho were smokers indicated that buying decisions are made primarily based onaffordability. And of those smokers who purchase contraband cigarettes, nearly100% of them do so because of price and would only cease purchasing iflegitimate cigarettes were comparable in price. The study makes it clear that
price is the key driver of contraband cigarette purchasing, and the key reasonwhy smokers could potentially stop purchasing contraband cigarettes.

Juneau to vote on raising cigarette tax

Juneau voters will decide whether to raise cigarette taxes.
The Juneau assembly voted Monday to put a proposition on the Oct. 6 ballot that would raise city taxes on a pack of cigarettes from 30 cents to $1.
The National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence-Juneau asked for the increase so Juneau would be closer in line with the rest of the state.
The Juneau Empire reports the hike would increase city revenue from the tobacco tax to $1.69 million a year from $517,800 in 2008.
The tobacco money will be spent on health and social service needs related to substance abuse and tobacco use, prevention and cessation.

Smokers know the risks, thank you

Smokers take a lot of heat for their habit, as Mr. Marc McAfee demonstrated [in his Aug. 26 column, "Smokers need to escape grasp of addiction"]. 
Anyone who doesn't smoke will inevitably tell a smoker they're interacting with how bad it is for them and how it will kill them one day. With increased "quit-smoking" campaigning, the pursuit to "save" smokers has reached an evangelical fervor.
As a former Camel consumer, I can't count the number of times someone went out on a limb to inform me that cigarettes are harmful. I do, however, vividly recall lighting up immediately to accidently-on-purposely exhale in the direction of their head.
The fact is, if a person is able to buy a pack of cigarettes, then they are aware of the risks: highly poisonous, highly addictive, worse if second-hand, bad for babies, and of course, increased likeliness of lung and other respiratory cancer.
So, any attempt to enlighten a smoker is utterly futile, as the laws of human nature predict an equal and opposite reaction to such impromptu sermons.
Smokers have become ostracized to the point that they can't even walk outside - where they're supposed to be - and take one good drag without offending someone. They are followed from class to class by scoffs and coughs from the non-smokers walking behind them. 
When this happened to me, as it often did, I always thought to myself, "Wait, I'm the one with bad lungs here, shouldn't you be able to walk faster?"
Cigarette smoke may be annoying and inconsiderate, but so are people who talk unnecessarily loud in the MLC, distracting everyone nearby who is studying and adding to their stress, which has been linked as a risk factor to heart disease - the No. 1 killer in America - according to Richard N. Fogoros, M.D. at About.com.
After smoking a pack-and-a-half a day for almost four years, I finally quit cold turkey about a month ago. 
But a month isn't that long. How do I know it's for good? Because this time I was ready and I want to take care of my body. I don't miss the cigarette, but the amount of time I spent outside and the interesting people I met there.
Call me a realist, Mr. McAfee, but don't expect someone to quit smoking for you or anyone else, especially if the tactic utilized is remotely self-righteous or a guilt trip in disguise. 
They'll quit when they're good and ready, and they'll quit for themselves, and it will mean so much more to them that way. 
I've never met a smoker who sees cigarettes as a permanent part of their lives.

E-cigarette manufacturer aspires to change more people’s way of life through online marketplace

Shenzhen First Union Industry Co., Ltd is a leading manufacturer and exporter in Shenzhen. We specialize in the R&D, production and marketing of e-cigarettes, automatic cork openers and head massagers. We are committed to providing consumers with healthy products and guiding people to lead a healthier life. To develop more overseas markets, we became a Gold Supplier member of Alibaba.com in the second half of 2007. 
After that, we paid attention to our products ranking on Alibaba.com, updated our product information on time, and tracked our buyer inquiries actively. With our endless efforts, we successfully marketed our products to the US, Western Europe, and many other markets. More and more buyers became aware of First Union and our products. From sample orders to small-quantity orders, our products then gradually became a world famous brand! As of now, our sales revenue each month reach up to approximately USD2 million. First Union is becoming a major player in the e-cigarette industry. 
While using Alibaba.com, we realized that it was easier for us to gain new buyers’ trust when they knew we were a Gold Supplier on Alibaba.com. The membership has helped us more easily establish business relationships with new customers. 
To further develop our business, we will launch more new products such as automatic cork openers and head massagers in the international market Through Alibaba.com, we would like to bring more surprises and healthy products to people all over the world ,making their lives easier and more convenient!

Confiscation of illegal cigarettes plummets

The number of illegal cigarettes confiscated in Wisconsin plummeted to 763 packs in the fiscal year that ended June 30 after soaring after a $1 per pack cigarette tax increase in January 2008. In the months surrounding the 2008 increase, the state Department of Revenue confiscated 12,040 packs of cigarettes that lacked the required Wisconsin tax stamp. 
Confiscation numbers vary from year to year based on market and enforcement activity, said Department of Revenue spokeswoman Jessica Iverson. Ahead of the tax increase in 2008, revenue agents were working to educate retailers about the increase and check existing inventories for the tax stamp, she said. 
"Because we had such a wide presence out in the field leading up to the cigarette tax increase, our agents do shift focus to other enforcement activities," Iverson said.
The number of cigarettes confiscated this fiscal year could jump again with another tax increase on the horizon. 
The state cigarette tax will increase from $1.77 a pack to $2.52 a pack on Sept. 1. The increase, part of the budget passed this summer, is expected to generate about $300 million for the state over the next two years, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. 
The Revenue Department is mounting a similar field presence ahead of that tax increase, Iverson said. All retailers are required to do an inventory of their cigarettes and pay a floor tax on those packs. 
Pam Christenson, director of public affairs for the Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, said the group’s members typically buy cigarettes from wholesalers that already have tax stamps. 
"(Our members) are very aware of the regulations and are good about following the rules and purchasing the legal stamped cigarettes," Christenson said. 
With the Sept. 1 increase, Wisconsin’s cigarette tax will be fifth highest nationally and tops among surrounding states, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. In Minnesota, it is $1.56 a pack; in Michigan, $2; in Iowa, $1.36; and in Illinois, 98 cents. The federal cigarette tax rose by 62 cents a pack in April.

Business owners worry about recent cigarette thefts

BOCA RATON, Fl -- Police in Boca Raton are still looking for the people involved in 5 recent cigarette thefts.
The most recent robbery happened at a Publix, where 3 thieves made out with $8,000 worth of cigarettes.
Police say it may be a sign of the tough economic times.
"There is a black market for anything out there, what these criminals are doing is, they are probably selling the cigarettes out in the street or to smaller convenience stores,' said Mark Economou, with Boca Raton Police. 
Since the Federal Government's $1.00 tax hike, Police say cigarettes have become a lot more valuable to criminals.
Business owners like Muhammad Khan, who owns a small convenience store on Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, say they are afraid they will be the next target. 
"We are afraid of loosing our money, and we are afraid of loosing our life," said Khan. 
Since May there have been 5 cases of cigarette thefts in Boca Raton, together, the loss totaled more than $10,000.
Police say they are targeting big stores like Publix and CVS, but smaller convenience store owners should also be careful. 
"Stores that sell cigarettes should take extra steps to keep them locked up and behind glass, because these people know what they are doing," said Economou.