Lawmakers in the City of Oneida are being asked to consider a proposal that would keep kids under the age of 18 from using or possessing tobacco. The effort was inspired by an infamous hangout near the City's High School.
Oneida's Mayor Leo Matzke says the ban would be a first in Central New York. "I think it could have a very positive influence on both our teenage community and our younger children," he said.
Under the proposed law, children wouldn't be arrested if caught with tobacco, but it would allow police to confiscate the products from anyone under the age of 18. One of the first places they Mayor says they might look would be a spot near the high school known as "Cancer Corner," where student smokers gather. "That's how it came about actually. Because of that spot," the Mayor said. "When they approached me a little over a month ago, the main issue was 'Cancer Corner.' And that is easily accomplished with our police doing a drive by."
"Cancer Corner" isn't actually on school property, which is why students can get away with smoking there now.
Matzke was approached by a non-profit called Bridges, which says the primary goal of the proposed law would be deterring children from smoking. "I know that a lot of parents don't want their little children who are coming in and leaving on school buses seeing older kids smoking. They don't want that example," said Bridges' Joseph Wicks. "I know people in the community that live near the school don't want teens on their property smoking."
If it passed, Matzke acknowledges the law would be difficult to enforce city-wide. So, he says, the enforcement would be focused on areas near schools, like "Cancer Corner."
Before the law can be enacted, it must also be passed approved by the State.
среда, 17 ноября 2010 г.
Aishwarya's smoking angers anti-tobacco lobby
Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who will be seen lighting up in her forthcoming release Guzaarish, has set the anti-tobacco lobby aflame with anger.
"The display of the posters showing Aishwarya smoking raises worries in our mind that they could be trand-setters," said a
statement released Tuesday by Dr. Shekhar Salkar, general secretary of the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE).
He said the group has written to the actress as well, and asked her to withdraw posters of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's latest film Guzarish, showing the Bachchan bahu smoking a cigarette.
Salkar said many film stars, who confess about their aversion to smoking in private, routinely smoke on screen, taking refuge in phrases like 'freedom of expression'.
"There are innumerable posters of Guzaarish all over Mumbai. There would be many other scenes which could convey the storyline of the film, yet the producer has chosen this particular one, quite oblivious to its after-effects," Salkar said.
NOTE has in the past dragged Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to court over promoting tobacco.
The group had also complained against Ajay Devgn, who was photographed smoking while shooting in Goa for Golmaal 3. The star was fined Rs.100 for his indiscretion.
"The display of the posters showing Aishwarya smoking raises worries in our mind that they could be trand-setters," said a
statement released Tuesday by Dr. Shekhar Salkar, general secretary of the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE).
He said the group has written to the actress as well, and asked her to withdraw posters of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's latest film Guzarish, showing the Bachchan bahu smoking a cigarette.
Salkar said many film stars, who confess about their aversion to smoking in private, routinely smoke on screen, taking refuge in phrases like 'freedom of expression'.
"There are innumerable posters of Guzaarish all over Mumbai. There would be many other scenes which could convey the storyline of the film, yet the producer has chosen this particular one, quite oblivious to its after-effects," Salkar said.
NOTE has in the past dragged Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to court over promoting tobacco.
The group had also complained against Ajay Devgn, who was photographed smoking while shooting in Goa for Golmaal 3. The star was fined Rs.100 for his indiscretion.
Katherine Heigl: She smokes electronic cigarettes.
Katherine Heigl smokes electronic cigarettes.
The ‘Life As We Know It’ actress has managed to not smoke a real tobacco-filled cigarette in six months thanks to the devices, which help ease nicotine craves, and now believes that smoking “sucks”. She said: “I use an electronic cigarette. I know it’s ridiculous, but it’s helping me not to actually smoke real cigarettes. You feel like you are smoking, and you get to exhale but it’s just water vapour and not nicotine. I’ve been doing it for six months. Smoking sucks!”
The 31-year-old beauty – who has 20-month-old adopted daughter Naleigh with husband Josh Kelley -wants to set a good example to her child by not smoking, as she believes it’s a “stupid thing”.
She said: “The one thing I would say to my kid is, ‘It’s not just that it’s bad for you. Do you want to spend the rest of your life fighting a stupid addiction to a stupid thing that doesn’t even really give you a good buzz?’ ”
Discussing her husband Josh – who she married in 2007 – she admits he finds it difficult to watch her undertake kissing scenes on films and would not come on the set of ‘Life As We Know It’ when she had to get passionate with her co-star Josh Duhamel.
She added to Parade magazine: “Actually, he and Josh Duhamel are good friends, but he would never come to the set when Josh and had to like kiss or make out. It does make him uncomfortable because he’s not an actor, he’s a musician.
“He always says to me, ‘How would you feel if I had to make out with some girl in a video?’ And I’m like, ‘If you have to do it, you have to do it. But I wouldn’t want you to come home and tell me what a great kisser she is and I should try her technique.’ “
вторник, 2 ноября 2010 г.
Time’s up for tobacco retailers
The smoke hasn't quite cleared on the controversy surrounding the tobacco law.
Today is the deadline for businesses that want to sell tobacco products to register with the government. As part of the 2008 Tobacco Law, the government now requires all tobacco dealers on island to register and pay fees ranging from $500 to $5,000.
Tobacco retailers also must adhere to new government guidelines about the size of their displays and warning labels on the tobacco products they sell.
The law is designed to help regulate the industry and to help curb tobacco abuse on island. However, some in the industry say it will only hurt businesses and create demand for a black market in the Cayman Islands.
States Drag on Medicaid Coverage for Quitting Tobacco
Smoking-related health costs account for 11 percent of all Medicaid costs, but states offer only patchy support for tobacco cessation therapies, MedPage Today reported Oct. 22.
Research conducted by the University of California at Berkeley for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia showed that 47, or 92 percent, had at least some coverage for tobacco cessation for those enrolled in Medicaid.
Only five states – Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, and Pennsylvania -- covered counseling and all medications for all enrollees without restriction. All remaining states and the District of Columbia limited types of coverage for quitting tobacco or restricted coverage to certain populations. Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee offered no coverage at all.
The authors of the report said that state coverage had improved since 2007, but noted that by excluding participants, most were missing out on big cost savings. Smoking rates are nearly twice as high among Medicaid enrollees as in the general population (37 percent vs. 21 percent), and tobacco cessation treatments have been shown to improve public health and reduce costs.
"In Massachusetts, for example," the authors wrote, "a mandate for Medicaid coverage of tobacco-dependence cessation treatments was associated with a 26% decline in smoking rates among Medicaid enrollees."
Medicaid programs from state to state paid for different combinations of cessation medications and individual or group counseling. Researchers found various eligibility factors, from pregnancy to whether plan participants were enrolled in a fee-for-service program or in a managed care program.
The variation was considerable. Oregon, for example, covered all medications and group and individual counseling, so long as participants were in its fee-for-service plan. Alabama, however, covered nothing except for individual counseling for pregnant women.
Researchers stated that changes are coming. Under the Affordable Care Act, all pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid must have access to tobacco-dependence treatment as of Oct. 1. Also, states that offer federally recommended tobacco cessation treatments without requiring a co-pay will qualify for higher reimbursements from Medicaid after Jan. 1, 2013. Finally, states will no longer be able to exclude tobacco-cessation drugs from Medicaid benefits after January 2014.
Authors of the study noted that it had methodological limitations. Contracts from managed care organizations and written documentation of state Medicaid policies were not obtained in all cases, allowing some room for error. Also, it is possible the number of tobacco cessation programs may have been underreported because some managed care organizations offered them even when their state Medicaid contract did not require it.
The study, "State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco-Dependence Treatments --- United States, 2009," appeared online in the Oct. 22, 2010 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly.
Research conducted by the University of California at Berkeley for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia showed that 47, or 92 percent, had at least some coverage for tobacco cessation for those enrolled in Medicaid.
Only five states – Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, and Pennsylvania -- covered counseling and all medications for all enrollees without restriction. All remaining states and the District of Columbia limited types of coverage for quitting tobacco or restricted coverage to certain populations. Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee offered no coverage at all.
The authors of the report said that state coverage had improved since 2007, but noted that by excluding participants, most were missing out on big cost savings. Smoking rates are nearly twice as high among Medicaid enrollees as in the general population (37 percent vs. 21 percent), and tobacco cessation treatments have been shown to improve public health and reduce costs.
"In Massachusetts, for example," the authors wrote, "a mandate for Medicaid coverage of tobacco-dependence cessation treatments was associated with a 26% decline in smoking rates among Medicaid enrollees."
Medicaid programs from state to state paid for different combinations of cessation medications and individual or group counseling. Researchers found various eligibility factors, from pregnancy to whether plan participants were enrolled in a fee-for-service program or in a managed care program.
The variation was considerable. Oregon, for example, covered all medications and group and individual counseling, so long as participants were in its fee-for-service plan. Alabama, however, covered nothing except for individual counseling for pregnant women.
Researchers stated that changes are coming. Under the Affordable Care Act, all pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid must have access to tobacco-dependence treatment as of Oct. 1. Also, states that offer federally recommended tobacco cessation treatments without requiring a co-pay will qualify for higher reimbursements from Medicaid after Jan. 1, 2013. Finally, states will no longer be able to exclude tobacco-cessation drugs from Medicaid benefits after January 2014.
Authors of the study noted that it had methodological limitations. Contracts from managed care organizations and written documentation of state Medicaid policies were not obtained in all cases, allowing some room for error. Also, it is possible the number of tobacco cessation programs may have been underreported because some managed care organizations offered them even when their state Medicaid contract did not require it.
The study, "State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco-Dependence Treatments --- United States, 2009," appeared online in the Oct. 22, 2010 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly.
Hailstorm destroys tobacco crop
A Beatrice tobacco farmer has lost his crop which had potential to earn him thousands of dollars after a hailstorm hit some parts of Beatrice.
Mr Mutami Zishiri of Albion Farm registered a loss of between 60 and 70 percent of his 12-hectare tobacco crop to the hailstorm that hit the area last week.
“My crop was destroyed at 10 leaf stage and usually it grows to 18 leaves. So all the 10 leaves are a write-off and I am now banking on the remaining eight leaves, which are yet to develop,” he said.
The farmer said he lost approximately US$48 000.
Mr Zishiri had insured his crop and was definite he was going to be compensated.
“I had insured my crop through Tobacco Hail Insurance and the officials have since visited to assess the damage levels. The company will only compensate after a second assessment at topping stage,” he said.
Mr Zishiri had planted early and had a healthy crop. Now that the crop has been affected by hailstorm, Mr Zishiri said it was more susceptible to diseases and required special attention, which may mean pumping more money.
Last year, he had his 30 hectares of tobacco affected by hailstorm again, but it was not as severe as this time.
The farmer advised fellow farmers to insure their crop in case of natural disasters.
“There is nothing a farmer can do to prevent hailstorms so insuring the crop is the only solution,” he said.
Hailstorms have been one of the many seasonal hazards encountered by tobacco growers.
Last year, scores of tobacco farmers lost millions of dollars to hailstorm and most of them had not insured the crop.
In some cases, farmers may also experience crop failure and if they take up insurance policies against such developments, they will be adequately covered against losses.
Agricultural experts have from time-to-time called on tobacco growers to insure their crop to cushion them from the effects of natural disasters such as floods, hailstorms and droughts.
Mr Mutami Zishiri of Albion Farm registered a loss of between 60 and 70 percent of his 12-hectare tobacco crop to the hailstorm that hit the area last week.
“My crop was destroyed at 10 leaf stage and usually it grows to 18 leaves. So all the 10 leaves are a write-off and I am now banking on the remaining eight leaves, which are yet to develop,” he said.
The farmer said he lost approximately US$48 000.
Mr Zishiri had insured his crop and was definite he was going to be compensated.
“I had insured my crop through Tobacco Hail Insurance and the officials have since visited to assess the damage levels. The company will only compensate after a second assessment at topping stage,” he said.
Mr Zishiri had planted early and had a healthy crop. Now that the crop has been affected by hailstorm, Mr Zishiri said it was more susceptible to diseases and required special attention, which may mean pumping more money.
Last year, he had his 30 hectares of tobacco affected by hailstorm again, but it was not as severe as this time.
The farmer advised fellow farmers to insure their crop in case of natural disasters.
“There is nothing a farmer can do to prevent hailstorms so insuring the crop is the only solution,” he said.
Hailstorms have been one of the many seasonal hazards encountered by tobacco growers.
Last year, scores of tobacco farmers lost millions of dollars to hailstorm and most of them had not insured the crop.
In some cases, farmers may also experience crop failure and if they take up insurance policies against such developments, they will be adequately covered against losses.
Agricultural experts have from time-to-time called on tobacco growers to insure their crop to cushion them from the effects of natural disasters such as floods, hailstorms and droughts.
Possible Stricter Tobacco Rules in Mpls
There are just a few spots in the state you can still smoke in public places indoors. Stores that sell just tobacco are about it. And if city leaders in Minneapolis get their way, you'd have to find those stores outside city limits.
The tobacco industry can't buy a break. Their products are taxed heavily, and those who enjoy puffing away have a hard time doing it publicly indoors without breaking state law.
In Minneapolis, there are only 16 businesses that hold exclusive tobacco licenses. That is all they sell -- no food or drinks. In return for selling tobacco only, people can light up indoors. It's called sampling but less than half dozen in the city allow you to do it. By next year that number could be zero.
The city is considering a change to its tobacco ordinance to make it stronger than state law which still allows people to smoke in some tobacco only stores.
The city's licensing manger Grant Wilson says the change was prompted in part by an increase in people applying for tobacco-only licenses but for different reasons than say a cigar shop.
Grant says the city feels that is violates the spirit of the states clean indoor air act.
Those few tobacco shops that do allow smoking don't have burning desire to see the changes pass and you guessed it. They're fire up ready to fight any changes. The city doesn't believe it will grandfather any shops if these changes pass.
The ordinance the city says will make it tougher for kids to buy tobacco smoking products like pipes, bongs, hookahs and rolling papers. The city has a hearing on the changes later this month and could go before city leaders for a vote in mid-December.
Holy cities to be tobacco-free
“We require the cooperation of pilgrims to make the two holy cities among those with the lowest tobacco consumption in the world,” said Dr. Sameer Al-Sabban, executive director of the Anti-Smoking Campaign in Makkah, adding that the program has been intensified this year.
The sale of tobacco is strictly banned in the five-km radiuses of the Grand Mosque and Holy Mosque in Makkah and Madinah. Billboards and posters with anti-smoking messages, information regarding anti-smoking clinics and fatwas on the subject are on display in the two cities. Buses carrying pilgrims have anti-smoking posters on them, and folders containing pamphlets, flyers, postcards and stickers will also be handed to pilgrims at the Jamrat during Haj.
“A team of scouts and health officials have taken positions at the Grand Mosque in Makkah to raise awareness about the health risks caused by this ugly habit,” said Al-Sabban.
“It’s a pity that smokers gather at the back side of the Grand Mosque to smoke which is hazardous to the entire environment of the holy city. These Saudi youths look for smokers within the holy city and politely give them Miswaks and booklets full of illustrations which can be understood by all people,” he said.
To assist pilgrims, the ministry has set up six anti-smoking clinics in the holy city as part of the campaign. The clinics are open to male and female smokers and services are offered free-of charge.
Makkah is the ideal place to quit smoking, said Al-Sabban, adding that one million of the five million people who die of smoking every year across the world are Muslim. “This is mainly because of their extravagant lifestyles and lack of knowledge of the hazards of smoking,” he said, adding that smokers not only harm themselves but also other people who come near them through passive smoking.
Haj is an ideal opportunity for smokers to quit and those who realize the ill effects of smoking will discontinue for their own sake, he said. A group of Saudi physicians and psychiatrists is helping the anti-smoking campaign, while a host of well-known websites are assisting with the campaign’s promotion.
It is estimated that in the Kingdom 35 to 40 percent of people above the age of 15 smoke. Around 24 percent of male students between the ages of 13 to 15 years smoke, while eight percent of female students smoke. The Kingdom joined the anti-tobacco agreement in May 2005. Saudi Arabia ranks fourth among world countries in tobacco imports and consumption. More than 15 billion cigarettes, worth $168 million, are smoked by Saudis each year, according to figures issued by the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Health Ministers Council.
Pendleton Hospital Tobacco Free
PENDLETON, OR -- St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton will be tobacco-free next year, joining more than two-thirds of Oregon hospitals. Employees and patients will be prohibited from all tobacco use at the hospital and its clinic sites. A hospital spokesman said banning tobacco on all hospital properties will help make the local community healthier.
понедельник, 21 июня 2010 г.
'Insider' to give MPs lowdown on Big Tobacco
The American tobacco company whistle blower who inspired the Russell Crowe movie The Insider is coming to New Zealand next week to give MPs the inside picture on tobacco company tactics.
Dr Jeffrey Wigand was head of research at Brown & Williamson - part of the British American Tobacco group - until he was sacked in 1993.
The 1999 movie starring Crowe and Al Pacino was based on Dr Wigand's fight with the company over his allegations, publicised in explosive CBS television interviews, that the industry had lied over its knowledge that nicotine was addictive and tobacco could cause cancer and other diseases.
He had worked on developing a "safer" cigarette but said the work was halted because it would be seen as implying the company knew its other cigarettes were unsafe.
Dr Wigand, a key witness in US anti-tobacco litigation, said he was subjected to an industry smear campaign, a bullet was found in his letterbox and his family was threatened with harm "if I told the truth about the inner workings of the tobacco company I worked for".
Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) is bringing Dr Wigand to New Zealand to give lectures and to give expert evidence to Parliament's Maori Affairs committee, which is conducting an inquiry into the tobacco industry.
British American Tobacco NZ has given evidence to the committee but Maori Party MP Hone Harawira was frustrated by general manager Graeme Amey's answers on tobacco marketing and his assertion the company had no strategy on marketing tobacco to young Maori. Mr Amey agreed to return with documents to verify this at a hearing now expected to be held on June 30.
Ash spokesman Michael Colhoun said yesterday it was important for the MPs to hear from a global expert on tobacco like Dr Wigand.
"They will be better informed about what tactics the tobacco industry uses that they [tobacco companies] haven't admitted to already."
Smokefree Coalition director Prudence Stone said: "It's important the select committee learns about the deception of the tobacco industry ... just so the Government is made as aware as possible of all those tactics."
понедельник, 14 июня 2010 г.
Fresno County buys building with tobacco funds
Bond money collected through tobacco sales in 2006 allowed Fresno County to purchase the Crocker Building on Fresno and L streets in Fresno, the Board of Supervisors announced last week.
As a result of a settlement with tobacco companies, the Tobacco Securitization Bond Endowment Fund provided California counties with money to be used for capital improvements such as acquisitions, construction, and land and building improvements.
Fresno County used $3.7 million from the funds to purchase the building, which will house the Department of Social Services administration staff. Child Protective Services, which was recently absorbed by the department, will remain in the building on a lease from the County.
Former plans included the possibility of a jail expansion and other judicial services, but both were currently deemed infeasible due to the shortage of funding for justice agencies.
понедельник, 7 июня 2010 г.
$30,000 in Cigarettes Stolen from Area Convenience Stores
Campbell Co., VA - In this week’s Crime Stoppers report, Campbell County investigators are looking for thieves with a serious nicotine fix.
Over the past two weeks, they've stolen nearly $30,000 in cigarettes. Deputies say they knocked out cinderblocks in the back of two area convenience stores, crawled through, and carried out hundreds of cartons.
Investigators are looking for this Chevy HHR seen during one of the break-ins. They say they need a tip to solve this case.
Over the past two weeks, they've stolen nearly $30,000 in cigarettes. Deputies say they knocked out cinderblocks in the back of two area convenience stores, crawled through, and carried out hundreds of cartons.
Investigators are looking for this Chevy HHR seen during one of the break-ins. They say they need a tip to solve this case.
"If anyone has seen any of their friends or buddies with large amounts of cigarettes and they know they don't normally have the money to buy them, you know we'd like them to call Crime Stoppers," Inv. Tracy Emerson with the Campbell County Sheriff's Office said.
вторник, 1 июня 2010 г.
Don’t grow tobacco, Vyas tells farmers
The state government is taking initiatives to find alternative to tobacco which is widely grown in central Gujarat, said state minister of Health and Family Welfare Jay Narayan Vyas on “World No Tobacco Day” on Monday.
Vyas also urged farmers in Gujarat not to grow tobacco as most of the tobacco consumers in the state are youths.
Inaugurating a state-level workshop, he said: “Tobacco consumption is increasing. According to the National Family Health Survey (2005-06), 57 per cent men and 11 per cent women in India consume tobacco. In Gujarat, 60 per cent men and 8.4 per cent women consume tobacco. The Global Youth tobacco survey, 2003, shows that 29.3 per cent boys and 4.3 per cent girls studying in classes VII to X consume tobacco in Gujarat. Around 20 per cent of the total population of the students consume tobacco in Gujarat.”
Vyas also released guidelines for health workers who will participate in the tobacco control programme.
понедельник, 10 мая 2010 г.
Iwi to make marae tobacco-free
East Coast iwi Ngati Kahungunu are advocating not just to make their marae smoke-free places, but also tobacco-free, as part of a movement to disassociate Maori culture from smoking.
The iwi's Tobacco Use Strategy has gained the support of advocacy organisation Te Reo Marama.
Its director, Shane Bradbrook, said the strategy was the first of its kind because it would get smoke-free policy embedded within traditional Maori law.
"The strategy is multiple: it tries to get iwi better access to existing cessation services. But the other side is that it will utilise cultural devices like tikanga," Mr Bradbrook said.
"This may mean, for example, a marae may decide not only to be a smoke-free marae but may also impose a higher, cultural level that will say this will be a tobacco-free marae. In other words, do not bring any tobacco on to the marae at all."
An estimated 20,000 Ngati Kahungunu iwi members smoked and could be directly affected by the new strategy, Mr Bradbrook said.
"But it doesn't just affect those who smoke - tobacco use in some way impacts on the lives of all 50,000 iwi members."
Not only Ngati Kahungunu but also visiting iwi would respect and adhere to such a cultural law, and it may influence them to follow suit, he said.
"We're hoping that other iwi will look at this stance by Ngati Kahungunu and incorporate similar action."
The strategy may eventually extend beyond the marae and make all sacred places tobacco-free, Mr Bradbrook said. "Iwi may choose to impose tikanga (protocol) on sacred places like mountains and say 'do not go into that place or climb that mountain when you have tobacco on you'."
Mr Bradbook said it could take years for the strategy to become fully operational, but it would have more significance to many Maori than other quit smoking programmes.
ASH director Ben Youdan said Ngati Kahungunu's strategy was consistent with a movement by Maori leaders, politicians and iwi to stop tobacco use, which killed disproportionately high numbers of Maori.
Signs were promising; Quitline had been inundated with calls from areas with high Maori populations since the tobacco tax increase at the end of April, he said.
"It's really about people understanding that tobacco is not part of the Maori tradition, it's something that was brought in with colonisation and it's something that has had a phenomenally bad impact on the health, wellbeing and cultural wellbeing of Maori.
"Making it tapu (forbidden) in all these places is a very important strategy in making it relevant to members of the iwi."
The Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporation Board will hold a working group meeting within the next two weeks to discuss how to best implement the strategy.
The iwi's Tobacco Use Strategy has gained the support of advocacy organisation Te Reo Marama.
Its director, Shane Bradbrook, said the strategy was the first of its kind because it would get smoke-free policy embedded within traditional Maori law.
"The strategy is multiple: it tries to get iwi better access to existing cessation services. But the other side is that it will utilise cultural devices like tikanga," Mr Bradbrook said.
"This may mean, for example, a marae may decide not only to be a smoke-free marae but may also impose a higher, cultural level that will say this will be a tobacco-free marae. In other words, do not bring any tobacco on to the marae at all."
An estimated 20,000 Ngati Kahungunu iwi members smoked and could be directly affected by the new strategy, Mr Bradbrook said.
"But it doesn't just affect those who smoke - tobacco use in some way impacts on the lives of all 50,000 iwi members."
Not only Ngati Kahungunu but also visiting iwi would respect and adhere to such a cultural law, and it may influence them to follow suit, he said.
"We're hoping that other iwi will look at this stance by Ngati Kahungunu and incorporate similar action."
The strategy may eventually extend beyond the marae and make all sacred places tobacco-free, Mr Bradbrook said. "Iwi may choose to impose tikanga (protocol) on sacred places like mountains and say 'do not go into that place or climb that mountain when you have tobacco on you'."
Mr Bradbook said it could take years for the strategy to become fully operational, but it would have more significance to many Maori than other quit smoking programmes.
ASH director Ben Youdan said Ngati Kahungunu's strategy was consistent with a movement by Maori leaders, politicians and iwi to stop tobacco use, which killed disproportionately high numbers of Maori.
Signs were promising; Quitline had been inundated with calls from areas with high Maori populations since the tobacco tax increase at the end of April, he said.
"It's really about people understanding that tobacco is not part of the Maori tradition, it's something that was brought in with colonisation and it's something that has had a phenomenally bad impact on the health, wellbeing and cultural wellbeing of Maori.
"Making it tapu (forbidden) in all these places is a very important strategy in making it relevant to members of the iwi."
The Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporation Board will hold a working group meeting within the next two weeks to discuss how to best implement the strategy.
понедельник, 3 мая 2010 г.
Kansas to Launch Smoking Ban Site
Kansas officials are launching a new website to help with the implementation of a new statewide smoking ban.
Lt. Gov. Troy Findley and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will announce the new site on Monday.
The ban was signed in March by Gov. Mark Parkinson and takes effect July 1.
It prohibits smoking in most enclosed public places, businesses, taxis, limousines, restaurants, bars and within 10 feet from entrances and air intakes at such facilities.
Members of the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition are attending a press conference with Findley and KDHE Secretary Rod Bremby.
Lt. Gov. Troy Findley and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will announce the new site on Monday.
The ban was signed in March by Gov. Mark Parkinson and takes effect July 1.
It prohibits smoking in most enclosed public places, businesses, taxis, limousines, restaurants, bars and within 10 feet from entrances and air intakes at such facilities.
Members of the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition are attending a press conference with Findley and KDHE Secretary Rod Bremby.
вторник, 20 апреля 2010 г.
TAXES: Tobacco users being unfairly singled out
I am not a tobacco user but have empathy for those who are addicted to tobacco products. I wonder what our taxing representatives would do if tobacco users decided they had enough of being singled out to pay more than their fair share of so called sin taxes and rebelled by reducing their consumption by say, 50 percent.
My prediction is that the nonsmoking public would be asked to contribute more of their income into the general fund to compensate for the lost revenues.
If those who complain about smoking had to replace the taxes that were lost due to the smokers saying that they had had enough, maybe they would feel some of the pain of the tobacco users being asked to pay ever-increasing taxes.
My prediction is that the nonsmoking public would be asked to contribute more of their income into the general fund to compensate for the lost revenues.
If those who complain about smoking had to replace the taxes that were lost due to the smokers saying that they had had enough, maybe they would feel some of the pain of the tobacco users being asked to pay ever-increasing taxes.
четверг, 15 апреля 2010 г.
Amend cigarette tax bill to one that can survive
THIS AFTERNOON, the Senate could give final approval to a plan to raise our state's cigarette tax from the lowest in the nation, at a cancer-inducing 7 cents per pack, to the ninth lowest, at 57 cents.
If senators don't change the way the revenue is spent, the entire effort will be a colossal waste of time.
Again.
The problem isn't that the House might not agree to use the revenue primarily to plug a gaping hole in the Medicaid program, with a few million dollars diverted to infrastructure projects in the Pee Dee. The House is perfectly capable of amending the bill and sending it to a conference committee.
No, the problem is that the Senate doesn't support its own bill enough for it to become law - and it's not at all clear that any compromise between the current Senate plan and the plan passed last year by the House would fare any better. Gov. Mark Sanford has promised to veto a cigarette tax increase that is not offset by equal tax cuts elsewhere, and it takes 31 votes in the Senate to override a gubernatorial veto - two more than supporters ever were able to muster for the bill.
So before the Senate completes its exercise in futility, let's step back for a moment and remember why it's important to raise the cigarette tax.
You wouldn't know it if you watched all the horse-trading and money grubbing on the Senate floor, but generating money is not the main reason to raise the tax. Saving lives is. That's why three-quarters of S.C. voters support it, and that's why lawmakers should raise it even if it weren't so wildly popular.
It has been clearly documented that raising the tax on cigarettes prices kids out of the market. And if they can't afford to start when they're still adolescents, chances are excellent that by the time they can afford to, they'll have sense enough not to. Raise the cost of cigarettes 10 percent, and you reduce teen smoking by 7 percent; overall smoking drops by 4 percent. So if we raised our cigarette tax by 50 cents, more than 23,000 kids alive today who would have become smokers would not. More than 400 kids saved every year.
The life-saving effect is so dramatic and so certain that our state would be better off with a higher cigarette tax even if we burned the money.
Of course, that doesn't mean we ought to burn the money. Or squander it. Or pass a plan that uses the money in a way that can't become law.
The smartest way to use the money is to plow it into Medicaid. We've always gotten at least $3 back from the federal government for every $1 we put into Medicaid, and that number was increased by the economic stimulus package and will go up even more under the new health law. That money pays doctors and hospitals and nursing homes in our state, which means it not only provides medical care to people who need it but also puts South Carolinians to work.
Though the bill the House passed last year used the money to provide tax credits to small businesses that provide health insurance to their employees, representatives might be willing to go along with a Medicaid-only bill this year: The budget they passed last month included a smaller cigarette tax increase that directs nearly all the money to Medicaid.
But whether the Senate goes along with the House's initial plan or puts all the money into Medicaid or does something else, it must pass a spending plan that will be able to avoid or overcome a gubernatorial veto. The plan senators passed before their spring recess does not do either, and so it must be changed.
If senators don't change the way the revenue is spent, the entire effort will be a colossal waste of time.
Again.
The problem isn't that the House might not agree to use the revenue primarily to plug a gaping hole in the Medicaid program, with a few million dollars diverted to infrastructure projects in the Pee Dee. The House is perfectly capable of amending the bill and sending it to a conference committee.
No, the problem is that the Senate doesn't support its own bill enough for it to become law - and it's not at all clear that any compromise between the current Senate plan and the plan passed last year by the House would fare any better. Gov. Mark Sanford has promised to veto a cigarette tax increase that is not offset by equal tax cuts elsewhere, and it takes 31 votes in the Senate to override a gubernatorial veto - two more than supporters ever were able to muster for the bill.
So before the Senate completes its exercise in futility, let's step back for a moment and remember why it's important to raise the cigarette tax.
You wouldn't know it if you watched all the horse-trading and money grubbing on the Senate floor, but generating money is not the main reason to raise the tax. Saving lives is. That's why three-quarters of S.C. voters support it, and that's why lawmakers should raise it even if it weren't so wildly popular.
It has been clearly documented that raising the tax on cigarettes prices kids out of the market. And if they can't afford to start when they're still adolescents, chances are excellent that by the time they can afford to, they'll have sense enough not to. Raise the cost of cigarettes 10 percent, and you reduce teen smoking by 7 percent; overall smoking drops by 4 percent. So if we raised our cigarette tax by 50 cents, more than 23,000 kids alive today who would have become smokers would not. More than 400 kids saved every year.
The life-saving effect is so dramatic and so certain that our state would be better off with a higher cigarette tax even if we burned the money.
Of course, that doesn't mean we ought to burn the money. Or squander it. Or pass a plan that uses the money in a way that can't become law.
The smartest way to use the money is to plow it into Medicaid. We've always gotten at least $3 back from the federal government for every $1 we put into Medicaid, and that number was increased by the economic stimulus package and will go up even more under the new health law. That money pays doctors and hospitals and nursing homes in our state, which means it not only provides medical care to people who need it but also puts South Carolinians to work.
Though the bill the House passed last year used the money to provide tax credits to small businesses that provide health insurance to their employees, representatives might be willing to go along with a Medicaid-only bill this year: The budget they passed last month included a smaller cigarette tax increase that directs nearly all the money to Medicaid.
But whether the Senate goes along with the House's initial plan or puts all the money into Medicaid or does something else, it must pass a spending plan that will be able to avoid or overcome a gubernatorial veto. The plan senators passed before their spring recess does not do either, and so it must be changed.
понедельник, 29 марта 2010 г.
Bay City business gives cigarette smokers a break
With Michigan’s workplace smoking ban set to take effect May 1, Bay City business owner Brian Ross hopes he can give cigarette smokers reason to celebrate.Ross has opened Let’s Roll Tobacco, a tobacco smoking lounge and shop in Bangor Township that he’s equipped with two $31,000 automated machines to roll low-cost smokes.
While name-brand cigarettes cost $55 or more a carton, Ross offers use of the machines, tobacco (either ultra light, light or full flavor) and filters for $25 plus sales tax.
“It’s really cool. I mean, especially for people with the economy and people wanting to save money,” said Ross, 29, a smoker himself.
The machines weigh out the tobacco selected by the customer, then compress and inject it into empty paper tubes to create each cigarette.
“We guarantee them 190 cigarettes and it takes eight minutes to roll them,” Ross said. “Everybody that rolls their own does it and hates the fact that it takes so long to do it and that they’re paying the extra money for the time they’re sitting there — an hour for a carton.”
The machines, called RYO Filling Stations, are a new phase in rolling cigarettes, according to Phil Accordino, president of the Ohio-based RYO Machine Rental Inc.
“The only difference between this and a hand table top model is that it’s much more precise and a little bit faster,” said Accordino, who has patents pending on the filling stations. “The table top models have been around for so long the patents have actually expired ... They have been constantly working on improving the apparatus.”
Ross is one of about six stores in Michigan to have the filling stations, according to Accordino.
Ross said smokers who buy manufactured cigarettes can save about 50 percent by “renting,” or using, his rolling stations in the store at 3968 Wilder.
Ross, offers customers a sample cigarette to make sure they like the specific tobacco blend before they buy. He hopes the idea catches on and he can expand into other locations.
While name-brand cigarettes cost $55 or more a carton, Ross offers use of the machines, tobacco (either ultra light, light or full flavor) and filters for $25 plus sales tax.
“It’s really cool. I mean, especially for people with the economy and people wanting to save money,” said Ross, 29, a smoker himself.
The machines weigh out the tobacco selected by the customer, then compress and inject it into empty paper tubes to create each cigarette.
“We guarantee them 190 cigarettes and it takes eight minutes to roll them,” Ross said. “Everybody that rolls their own does it and hates the fact that it takes so long to do it and that they’re paying the extra money for the time they’re sitting there — an hour for a carton.”
The machines, called RYO Filling Stations, are a new phase in rolling cigarettes, according to Phil Accordino, president of the Ohio-based RYO Machine Rental Inc.
“The only difference between this and a hand table top model is that it’s much more precise and a little bit faster,” said Accordino, who has patents pending on the filling stations. “The table top models have been around for so long the patents have actually expired ... They have been constantly working on improving the apparatus.”
Ross is one of about six stores in Michigan to have the filling stations, according to Accordino.
Ross said smokers who buy manufactured cigarettes can save about 50 percent by “renting,” or using, his rolling stations in the store at 3968 Wilder.
Ross, offers customers a sample cigarette to make sure they like the specific tobacco blend before they buy. He hopes the idea catches on and he can expand into other locations.
понедельник, 15 марта 2010 г.
Georgia cigarette tax hike may help some kick habit
They stand waiting at the Manna House for a free lunch.
They wait outside the Salvation Army for bed.
Some don't know where their next dollar is coming from.
The cigarettes smoking between their fingers suggests how some spent their money.
And now, some Georgia legislators want to get even more. A $1 tax on each pack of cigarettes would raise $354 million a year to help plug a big budget hole, they say. Others say no tax is a good tax.
With the price of popular brands going to nearly $6 a pack, you figure some people would quit or cut back.
People do cut back, said Sameer Jessani, who runs a family-owned RaceWay convenience store at the Interstate 95-U.S. 341 interchange. For a while.
"It would kill us," he said of sales.
(You want to say, "So would smoking," but you bite your tongue.)
"The first time taxes went up, we lost 25 percent ... but they came back," he said.
Sales are about what they were before because, to smokers, Georgia is like a last chance gas station in the desert.
"People going to Florida stop and stock up,'' on cheaper cigarettes, Jessani said.
But they get used to the pain, especially the three-pack-a-day chain smokers and go back to their old puff rates.
Al Lecounte of Brunswick quit years ago. Told the prices may go up a buck, Lecounte said, "I'm glad I quit. That was a good move, for my health and the price."
Everyone remembers where they were when they learned of the Challenger explosion and JFK's assassination. Lecounte remembers his last cigarette. It was in December 1999.
"I was over in Darien," he said. "I smoked half of it, put it out and put it back in the pack." He threw the pack away months later, that half still unsmoked.
Another customer, who overheard the mention of cigarettes, said, "Smoking will kill you. Ask my father. He has stage 4 ..."
Her voice trailed off as she left. It doesn't matter what illness she was talking about. Stage 4 of anything is bad.
Taking an afternoon cigarette break at her Brunswick restaurant, Nancy Melcher said a $1 jump would make her buy fewer cigarettes. She smokes about half a pack a day.
Asked if she felt picked on, she said, no because state revenue has to come from somewhere.
When she learned there was no proposal to put a $1 tax on a six-pack of beer or bottle of wine, she changed her mind.
"Tax alcohol at the same rate," she said. "Besides, smoking a cigarette driving down the road doesn't kill somebody."
Good point.
It seems the state always gets into people's pockets through their addictions, be it taxes on smoking or selling lottery tickets to gamblers.
The lottery may be the safest bet. You can blow a lot of money on lottery tickets. Few lottery players - even the two-ticket-a-day players - ever break even. But even the smallest payoff beats the heck out of stage 4.
They wait outside the Salvation Army for bed.
Some don't know where their next dollar is coming from.
The cigarettes smoking between their fingers suggests how some spent their money.
And now, some Georgia legislators want to get even more. A $1 tax on each pack of cigarettes would raise $354 million a year to help plug a big budget hole, they say. Others say no tax is a good tax.
With the price of popular brands going to nearly $6 a pack, you figure some people would quit or cut back.
People do cut back, said Sameer Jessani, who runs a family-owned RaceWay convenience store at the Interstate 95-U.S. 341 interchange. For a while.
"It would kill us," he said of sales.
(You want to say, "So would smoking," but you bite your tongue.)
"The first time taxes went up, we lost 25 percent ... but they came back," he said.
Sales are about what they were before because, to smokers, Georgia is like a last chance gas station in the desert.
"People going to Florida stop and stock up,'' on cheaper cigarettes, Jessani said.
But they get used to the pain, especially the three-pack-a-day chain smokers and go back to their old puff rates.
Al Lecounte of Brunswick quit years ago. Told the prices may go up a buck, Lecounte said, "I'm glad I quit. That was a good move, for my health and the price."
Everyone remembers where they were when they learned of the Challenger explosion and JFK's assassination. Lecounte remembers his last cigarette. It was in December 1999.
"I was over in Darien," he said. "I smoked half of it, put it out and put it back in the pack." He threw the pack away months later, that half still unsmoked.
Another customer, who overheard the mention of cigarettes, said, "Smoking will kill you. Ask my father. He has stage 4 ..."
Her voice trailed off as she left. It doesn't matter what illness she was talking about. Stage 4 of anything is bad.
Taking an afternoon cigarette break at her Brunswick restaurant, Nancy Melcher said a $1 jump would make her buy fewer cigarettes. She smokes about half a pack a day.
Asked if she felt picked on, she said, no because state revenue has to come from somewhere.
When she learned there was no proposal to put a $1 tax on a six-pack of beer or bottle of wine, she changed her mind.
"Tax alcohol at the same rate," she said. "Besides, smoking a cigarette driving down the road doesn't kill somebody."
Good point.
It seems the state always gets into people's pockets through their addictions, be it taxes on smoking or selling lottery tickets to gamblers.
The lottery may be the safest bet. You can blow a lot of money on lottery tickets. Few lottery players - even the two-ticket-a-day players - ever break even. But even the smallest payoff beats the heck out of stage 4.
среда, 10 марта 2010 г.
Man admits to scheme in Stafford smuggling case
One of the 14 people charged in a major contraband cigarette probe started by the Stafford Sheriff's Office was convicted yesterday for his role in a murder-for-hire scheme.
Xing "Andy" Xiao, 32, of Fairfax pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and other charges yesterday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
Xiao and 13 others were arrested in November following a 14-month investigation that began after a Stafford detective got information about an illegal cigarette-trafficking business in the area.
The investigation, which included federal agencies, revealed the purchase of 388,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes that were sold or destined for sale in New York. The cigarettes were valued at $77 million.
More than $8 million in cash, nearly 40 firearms and drugs--including 32,000 hits of ecstasy--were used to purchase the cigarettes.
Most of those arrested have already pleaded guilty to various charges.
According to court records, Xiao purchased or traded for 15,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes in May 2009. The cigarettes were kept at a storage facility in Stafford.
Xiao told undercover officers that the cigarettes were stolen from the facility and he had hired a hitman to kill the man he suspected of the theft. The man's wife was also to be killed.
Xiao was in jail from June to September, but an associate of his provided information regarding the couple's New York residence and paid an undercover agent posing as a hitman $7,000.
The hitman was to receive another $8,000 when the job was done.
Chen X. "Jay" Jiang, 21, of Brooklyn pleaded guilty recently to his role in the murder plot. Xiao will be sentenced on May 21.
Stafford Sheriff Charles Jett said his officers and others put their lives in danger to stop the criminal organization.
"This was a very dangerous criminal enterprise," Jett said. "The citizens of this region can be proud of [the officers'] efforts."
Stafford authorities said the 32,000 ecstasy pills are a record amount for the area. Each pill has a street value of between $15 and $25, court records state.
The conspirators also sold or traded more than 275,000 fraudulent Virginia and New York State cigarette tax stamps between July 2008 and October of last year.
In New York, the stamps are worth $4.25 a pack.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Fairfax County Police Department were among those involved in the probe.
Xing "Andy" Xiao, 32, of Fairfax pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and other charges yesterday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
Xiao and 13 others were arrested in November following a 14-month investigation that began after a Stafford detective got information about an illegal cigarette-trafficking business in the area.
The investigation, which included federal agencies, revealed the purchase of 388,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes that were sold or destined for sale in New York. The cigarettes were valued at $77 million.
More than $8 million in cash, nearly 40 firearms and drugs--including 32,000 hits of ecstasy--were used to purchase the cigarettes.
Most of those arrested have already pleaded guilty to various charges.
According to court records, Xiao purchased or traded for 15,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes in May 2009. The cigarettes were kept at a storage facility in Stafford.
Xiao told undercover officers that the cigarettes were stolen from the facility and he had hired a hitman to kill the man he suspected of the theft. The man's wife was also to be killed.
Xiao was in jail from June to September, but an associate of his provided information regarding the couple's New York residence and paid an undercover agent posing as a hitman $7,000.
The hitman was to receive another $8,000 when the job was done.
Chen X. "Jay" Jiang, 21, of Brooklyn pleaded guilty recently to his role in the murder plot. Xiao will be sentenced on May 21.
Stafford Sheriff Charles Jett said his officers and others put their lives in danger to stop the criminal organization.
"This was a very dangerous criminal enterprise," Jett said. "The citizens of this region can be proud of [the officers'] efforts."
Stafford authorities said the 32,000 ecstasy pills are a record amount for the area. Each pill has a street value of between $15 and $25, court records state.
The conspirators also sold or traded more than 275,000 fraudulent Virginia and New York State cigarette tax stamps between July 2008 and October of last year.
In New York, the stamps are worth $4.25 a pack.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Fairfax County Police Department were among those involved in the probe.
понедельник, 1 марта 2010 г.
Indiana program curbing teen tobacco use
A new report finds the number of teens who were able to illegally buy tobacco in Indiana last year dropped to an all-time low.
Law enforcement officers statewide have been trying to catch retailers in the act of illegally selling tobacco to minors.
They'll monitor teens as they try to buy it to see if clerks will knowingly sell to a minor or fail to ask for an ID.
"In my opinion that's one of the worst things," said Charles Butler of the Indiana State Excise Police. "If he doesn't make an effort to do his job to make sure the kid is old enough."
The Tobacco Retailer Inspection Program (TRIP) started in 2000. At that time, 40% of teens were able to buy tobacco from retailers. In 2009, that number dropped to an all-time low of 5.6%.
"It shows that the TRIP program does work," Butler told 14 News on Friday. "These businesses and these cashiers know that they are not alone in this."
Butler says the ultimate goal is to keep teens from ever starting to chew tobacco or lighting up a cigarette.
"A lot of people believe that tobacco really isn't all that bad, but when you're basically developing an addiction people may become bored with that addiction and try to move on to bigger and stronger things."
According to Butler, if the habit doesn't start before the age of 18, it's unlikely it ever will.
Law enforcement officers statewide have been trying to catch retailers in the act of illegally selling tobacco to minors.
They'll monitor teens as they try to buy it to see if clerks will knowingly sell to a minor or fail to ask for an ID.
"In my opinion that's one of the worst things," said Charles Butler of the Indiana State Excise Police. "If he doesn't make an effort to do his job to make sure the kid is old enough."
The Tobacco Retailer Inspection Program (TRIP) started in 2000. At that time, 40% of teens were able to buy tobacco from retailers. In 2009, that number dropped to an all-time low of 5.6%.
"It shows that the TRIP program does work," Butler told 14 News on Friday. "These businesses and these cashiers know that they are not alone in this."
Butler says the ultimate goal is to keep teens from ever starting to chew tobacco or lighting up a cigarette.
"A lot of people believe that tobacco really isn't all that bad, but when you're basically developing an addiction people may become bored with that addiction and try to move on to bigger and stronger things."
According to Butler, if the habit doesn't start before the age of 18, it's unlikely it ever will.
понедельник, 22 февраля 2010 г.
After outcry, parks smoking ban is relaxed
Seattle's parks superintendent has relaxed a ban on smoking in city parks just a day after he announced it would take effect April 1.
The revised rule that Superintendent Timothy Gallagher announced late Thursday prohibits "smoking, chewing or other tobacco use" within 25 feet of other park patrons.
On Wednesday, Gallagher announced a ban on tobacco use anywhere in city parks as a health measure to protect people from secondhand smoke.
He backtracked in a statement Thursday, saying he's decided that a gradual approach to a smoking ban is reasonable, "based on the input from the public" that followed his initial decision.
A 25-foot rule is what the Board of Park Commissioners had recommended.
The revised rule that Superintendent Timothy Gallagher announced late Thursday prohibits "smoking, chewing or other tobacco use" within 25 feet of other park patrons.
On Wednesday, Gallagher announced a ban on tobacco use anywhere in city parks as a health measure to protect people from secondhand smoke.
He backtracked in a statement Thursday, saying he's decided that a gradual approach to a smoking ban is reasonable, "based on the input from the public" that followed his initial decision.
A 25-foot rule is what the Board of Park Commissioners had recommended.
вторник, 16 февраля 2010 г.
4m cigarettes siezed in Cork
Customs officers have seized 4.2 million cigarettes in the largest haul of counterfeit tobacco ever landed in the Port of Cork. It is estimated the haul would have cost Revenue over €1 million in lost taxes.
The cigarettes, which were in John Player Blue boxes, were found among a cargo of swimwear manufactured in China which arrived at Tivoli docks in a container last Friday evening. The counterfeit cigarettes were uncovered in a routine operation by customs officers at the docks.
It is understood the cigarettes would have been sold on the market in this country for in the region of €5 a packet even though they would have cost just cents to produce.
This is the second major seizure of counterfeit cigarettes in Cork in recent weeks. On January 28th gardai seized 755,000 counterfeit cigarettes and more than 500kg of tobacco, worth an estimated €500,000.
The intelligence-led operation, involving gardaí and Customs officers, on a private residence at Carrignavar, Co Cork, and searches of a garage and a van by revenue officers.
Follow-up searches of premises on the north side of Cork city and in east Cork led to further seizures.
The cigarettes, which were in John Player Blue boxes, were found among a cargo of swimwear manufactured in China which arrived at Tivoli docks in a container last Friday evening. The counterfeit cigarettes were uncovered in a routine operation by customs officers at the docks.
It is understood the cigarettes would have been sold on the market in this country for in the region of €5 a packet even though they would have cost just cents to produce.
This is the second major seizure of counterfeit cigarettes in Cork in recent weeks. On January 28th gardai seized 755,000 counterfeit cigarettes and more than 500kg of tobacco, worth an estimated €500,000.
The intelligence-led operation, involving gardaí and Customs officers, on a private residence at Carrignavar, Co Cork, and searches of a garage and a van by revenue officers.
Follow-up searches of premises on the north side of Cork city and in east Cork led to further seizures.
понедельник, 8 февраля 2010 г.
State high court denies tobacco company appeals
The state Supreme Court on Wednesday denied tobacco companies' appeals of a San Francisco jury's award of $2.85 million in damages to the family of a woman who died of lung cancer after smoking cigarettes for 26 years.Leslie Whiteley of Ojai (Ventura County) sued Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds before her death in 2000 at age 40.
She testified that she started smoking at 13, using her lunch money to buy cigarettes, and paid little attention to the warning labels because tobacco companies promoted the benefits of smoking and the government allowed the sales. She smoked two packs a day until she was diagnosed with cancer in 1998.
jury awarded Whiteley and her husband $1.7 million in compensation and $20 million in punitive damages four months before she died. It was the nation's first verdict in favor of a smoker who took up the habit after 1965, when the government first required warnings on cigarette packages.
A state appeals court granted the companies a new trial in 2004, citing a law that immunized them from damages for harm caused by their products between 1988 and 1998. A second jury awarded Whiteley's family $2.85 million in 2007.
The companies appealed, arguing that they weren't responsible for statements by industry groups like the Tobacco Institute in the 1970s and 1980s that scientific research was still inconclusive about the health risks of smoking.
A state appeals court upheld the verdict in October, saying Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds were among a small group of companies that funded and bankrolled the industry groups and influenced their research. The companies never contradicted the trade groups' "false or misleading statements" and engaged in their own "campaign of deception" during the same period to keep smokers addicted, the court said.
The state's high court unanimously denied review of the companies' appeal Wednesday.
четверг, 4 февраля 2010 г.
Cigarette heist spans from New Jersey to Miami
The search for millions of dollars of cigarettes stolen from an East Peoria warehouse on Sunday has reached as far as the New York and Miami areas, authorities said Wednesday.
Detective Kevin Beckman of the East Peoria Police Department said stolen semi trucks and trailers that have been recovered include one trailer found abandoned Tuesday on the New Jersey Turnpike near Newark, N.J.
About 12:30 a.m. Sunday, East Peoria police responded to a break-in at Federal Warehouse Co., 200 National Road along Illinois Route 116.
There, they found four forklifts still running with their lights on, large boxes of cigarettes knocked to the floor and a bay door left open. On the roof were cutting tools, a drill, two pairs of gloves and a ladder.
Police believe five to 10 burglars gained entry by cutting a hole in the roof. Because snow and ice were on the roof, water damage was sustained in corporate offices, the operations center and an information technology area, said Jeff Bogdan, company co-owner and vice president of sales and marketing.
Beckman estimated the break-in took place between 2 and 9 a.m. Sunday. The alarm system had been shut off.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI are involved in the investigation, along with Illinois State Police.
Without specifically classifying the suspects as members of organized crime, Beckman said federal agencies are aware of "organized groups" that specialize in stealing cigarettes, often by circumventing security systems and using locally stolen semis. Beckman said those involved in the Federal heist are believed to be from Miami.
"These are organized crews that law enforcement, especially in Florida and on the eastern seaboard, are familiar with," Beckman said. "There are several crews that cargo-theft task forces are investigating."
The cigarettes had not yet been tagged with tax stamps, which typically occurs after they have reached the states in which they will be sold. The cigarettes probably will be sold on the black market, Beckman said.
The trailer found in New Jersey was stolen from G&D Transportation in Morton. Three other stolen G&D trailers were found on the Federal property. One Federal trailer and three additional G&D trailers remain missing, Beckman said.
Two semis stolen from Unisource in Morton were recovered at the scene, and one truck from Mathis-Kelly in Morton was found on a dirt road that runs underneath Interstate 74.
Two trucks stolen from DeHater in East Peoria and one Unisource truck remain missing, Beckman said.
Citing confidentiality agreements with customers who store goods with Federal, Bogdan declined to specify the brand of cigarettes stolen, the quantity or the resale value.
Because one trailer was found in New Jersey and four others remain unaccounted for, police deduced that five loads of cigarettes were taken. That amount of cigarettes is believed to be worth several million dollars.
"Items of evidentiary nature, which will be helpful in the investigation, were recovered," Beckman said of the recovered trucks and trailers.
Bogdan said the company is thankful no employees were present during the break-in. He said the cigarettes were insured and there was enough supply to fill all delivery orders.
Detective Kevin Beckman of the East Peoria Police Department said stolen semi trucks and trailers that have been recovered include one trailer found abandoned Tuesday on the New Jersey Turnpike near Newark, N.J.
About 12:30 a.m. Sunday, East Peoria police responded to a break-in at Federal Warehouse Co., 200 National Road along Illinois Route 116.
There, they found four forklifts still running with their lights on, large boxes of cigarettes knocked to the floor and a bay door left open. On the roof were cutting tools, a drill, two pairs of gloves and a ladder.
Police believe five to 10 burglars gained entry by cutting a hole in the roof. Because snow and ice were on the roof, water damage was sustained in corporate offices, the operations center and an information technology area, said Jeff Bogdan, company co-owner and vice president of sales and marketing.
Beckman estimated the break-in took place between 2 and 9 a.m. Sunday. The alarm system had been shut off.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI are involved in the investigation, along with Illinois State Police.
Without specifically classifying the suspects as members of organized crime, Beckman said federal agencies are aware of "organized groups" that specialize in stealing cigarettes, often by circumventing security systems and using locally stolen semis. Beckman said those involved in the Federal heist are believed to be from Miami.
"These are organized crews that law enforcement, especially in Florida and on the eastern seaboard, are familiar with," Beckman said. "There are several crews that cargo-theft task forces are investigating."
The cigarettes had not yet been tagged with tax stamps, which typically occurs after they have reached the states in which they will be sold. The cigarettes probably will be sold on the black market, Beckman said.
The trailer found in New Jersey was stolen from G&D Transportation in Morton. Three other stolen G&D trailers were found on the Federal property. One Federal trailer and three additional G&D trailers remain missing, Beckman said.
Two semis stolen from Unisource in Morton were recovered at the scene, and one truck from Mathis-Kelly in Morton was found on a dirt road that runs underneath Interstate 74.
Two trucks stolen from DeHater in East Peoria and one Unisource truck remain missing, Beckman said.
Citing confidentiality agreements with customers who store goods with Federal, Bogdan declined to specify the brand of cigarettes stolen, the quantity or the resale value.
Because one trailer was found in New Jersey and four others remain unaccounted for, police deduced that five loads of cigarettes were taken. That amount of cigarettes is believed to be worth several million dollars.
"Items of evidentiary nature, which will be helpful in the investigation, were recovered," Beckman said of the recovered trucks and trailers.
Bogdan said the company is thankful no employees were present during the break-in. He said the cigarettes were insured and there was enough supply to fill all delivery orders.
понедельник, 1 февраля 2010 г.
New Cigarette, Soda Tax Proposed in NY Budget
Gov. David Paterson’s budget plan includes an extra $1 billion in tax and fee increases, some of which would have you paying more at your local convenience store.
Paterson plans to use most of the billion dollars in tax hikes to offset health care costs. His budget proposal raises the cigarette tax by $1 to $3.75 a pack. He says it would generate nearly $220 million for the state.
The president of the New York State Association of Convenience Stores, Jim Calvin, says increasing the cigarette tax only drives consumers to places where they don't have to pay it.
“We've reached the point now where half the cigarettes consumed by New Yorkers are purchased without the collection on New York State tax and increasing the tax rate another buck is only going to fuel that cigarette tax evasion epidemic,” said Calvin.
Calvin says cigarette tax evasion has cost New York State about $1 billion a year.
Paterson plans to enforce cigarette tax collection on Indian sales to non-Indians in order to recoup that money.
The governor also wants to tackle the obesity epidemic by putting an excise tax of about one cent per ounce on sugary drinks.
Calvin says tax hikes like these are causing a steep decline in sales for convenience stores.
“We don’t understand why our customers who drink those beverages in moderation should have to be penalized, because some of their neighbors drink them to excess,” said Calvin.
If the legislature approves the governor’s plan, the new taxes would go into effect at the beginning of June.
Paterson plans to use most of the billion dollars in tax hikes to offset health care costs. His budget proposal raises the cigarette tax by $1 to $3.75 a pack. He says it would generate nearly $220 million for the state.
The president of the New York State Association of Convenience Stores, Jim Calvin, says increasing the cigarette tax only drives consumers to places where they don't have to pay it.
“We've reached the point now where half the cigarettes consumed by New Yorkers are purchased without the collection on New York State tax and increasing the tax rate another buck is only going to fuel that cigarette tax evasion epidemic,” said Calvin.
Calvin says cigarette tax evasion has cost New York State about $1 billion a year.
Paterson plans to enforce cigarette tax collection on Indian sales to non-Indians in order to recoup that money.
The governor also wants to tackle the obesity epidemic by putting an excise tax of about one cent per ounce on sugary drinks.
Calvin says tax hikes like these are causing a steep decline in sales for convenience stores.
“We don’t understand why our customers who drink those beverages in moderation should have to be penalized, because some of their neighbors drink them to excess,” said Calvin.
If the legislature approves the governor’s plan, the new taxes would go into effect at the beginning of June.
пятница, 29 января 2010 г.
Burglars steal $15,000 worth of cigarettes in Slidell
Thieves made off with about $15,000 worth of cigarettes in a pair of Saturday morning buglaries in Slidell, authorities said Tuesday.
Police believe the same men are responsible for smashing through the glass doors of both Jack's Beverage, at 1126 Old Spanish Trail, and the Winn-Dixie at 851 Brown's Switch Road to snatch the smokes, Slidell police spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said.
Surveillance footage shows the burglars breaking into Jack's Beverage about 4:55 a.m. by shattering the front door with a large rock before loading up garbage bags with between 150 and 200 cartons of cigarettes, Foltz said. They then fled in what appears to be a Ford pickup, he said.
The break-in set off the store's burglar alarm, which called police to the scene.
About an hour later, a manager at the Winn-Dixie arrived at his store to open the business for the day and found the front door had been smashed, Foltz said. The manager and patrol officers determined about 150 cartons of cigarettes and several bottles of liquor were taken, he said.
Surveillance footage shows two of the suspects but a third hid his face in the hood of a sweatshirt, Foltz said. The third suspect was wearing a dark blue hoodie with a gold emblem and white writing, he said.
Police believe the same men are responsible for smashing through the glass doors of both Jack's Beverage, at 1126 Old Spanish Trail, and the Winn-Dixie at 851 Brown's Switch Road to snatch the smokes, Slidell police spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said.
Surveillance footage shows the burglars breaking into Jack's Beverage about 4:55 a.m. by shattering the front door with a large rock before loading up garbage bags with between 150 and 200 cartons of cigarettes, Foltz said. They then fled in what appears to be a Ford pickup, he said.
The break-in set off the store's burglar alarm, which called police to the scene.
About an hour later, a manager at the Winn-Dixie arrived at his store to open the business for the day and found the front door had been smashed, Foltz said. The manager and patrol officers determined about 150 cartons of cigarettes and several bottles of liquor were taken, he said.
Surveillance footage shows two of the suspects but a third hid his face in the hood of a sweatshirt, Foltz said. The third suspect was wearing a dark blue hoodie with a gold emblem and white writing, he said.
среда, 27 января 2010 г.
General Tobacco Cigarettes Pulled From Stores in 18 States
General Tobacco products can no longer be sold in Washington or 17 other states. The company has not made the required payments under the Master Settlement Agreement, according to The Washington Attorney General's Office.
Vibo Corp. Inc., which does business as General Tobacco, was founded in 1996 and is based in Mayodan, N.C. Its cigarette brands include Bronco, Champion, GT, Silver and 32 Degrees. The company owes the states approximately $284.5 million -- $7 million to the state of Washington, the government agency stated.
Retailers and wholesalers with existing, stamped cigarettes manufactured by General Tobacco may continue to sell them through Feb. 19, but then must remove any remaining inventory from their shelves, according to the Attorney General. The stamps signify taxes have already been collected.
Additionally, the Attorney General's Office has sent written notice to 10 wholesalers who distribute General Tobacco products in Washington, informing them about the change.
Vibo Corp. Inc., which does business as General Tobacco, was founded in 1996 and is based in Mayodan, N.C. Its cigarette brands include Bronco, Champion, GT, Silver and 32 Degrees. The company owes the states approximately $284.5 million -- $7 million to the state of Washington, the government agency stated.
Retailers and wholesalers with existing, stamped cigarettes manufactured by General Tobacco may continue to sell them through Feb. 19, but then must remove any remaining inventory from their shelves, according to the Attorney General. The stamps signify taxes have already been collected.
Additionally, the Attorney General's Office has sent written notice to 10 wholesalers who distribute General Tobacco products in Washington, informing them about the change.
понедельник, 25 января 2010 г.
Couple Files Suit Over Smoking: Neighbor's Cigarettes Affect Health, They Say
Jesus and Pat Martinez have lived in the North Valley home they built since 1962, and they recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary there.
But they say their enjoyment of it has been considerably diminished over the past two-plus years because of a neighbor whose heavy smoking at all hours has ended up coming through the vents of their home and causing adverse health effects.
The Martinezes tried putting an oscillating fan outside and installing air purifiers inside before Jesus Martinez finally went over to speak with the neighbors, he said in a phone interview. But the problem eventually led them to hire legal counsel and file a one-page civil complaint in Metropolitan Court against Linda Garcia for nuisance damages.
Jesus Martinez said when he approached Paul Marquez, the resident of the apartment the smoke was coming from, Marquez said, "It's my wife."
The Martinezes said they proposed the neighbors smoke in front of the house, instead of in the backyard, which adjoins the Martinez property.
"In my opinion it creates an inversion," Jesus Martinez said. "Back before we sought counsel, it was really, really bad."
Pat Martinez said even smoking in front of the house is bad, but better than in back.
In an answer to the complaint filed in Metro Court, Garcia wrote that the couple worked during the day and smoked four cigarettes at night.
Garcia claims stress and harassment from the Martinezes and lost rest because of the backyard fan.
"Our goal is to get this resolved through mediation," attorney Charles Lakins, who represents the Martinezes, said Wednesday. He said the dispute is analogous to a barking dog case, which Metro Court routinely sends to mediation.
"Everybody recognizes that a barking dog can keep you awake and become a nuisance," he said.
"To keep a case like this simple requires going to Metro Court and asking a neutral third party to decide the dispute that's been ongoing over a year."
But they say their enjoyment of it has been considerably diminished over the past two-plus years because of a neighbor whose heavy smoking at all hours has ended up coming through the vents of their home and causing adverse health effects.
The Martinezes tried putting an oscillating fan outside and installing air purifiers inside before Jesus Martinez finally went over to speak with the neighbors, he said in a phone interview. But the problem eventually led them to hire legal counsel and file a one-page civil complaint in Metropolitan Court against Linda Garcia for nuisance damages.
Jesus Martinez said when he approached Paul Marquez, the resident of the apartment the smoke was coming from, Marquez said, "It's my wife."
The Martinezes said they proposed the neighbors smoke in front of the house, instead of in the backyard, which adjoins the Martinez property.
"In my opinion it creates an inversion," Jesus Martinez said. "Back before we sought counsel, it was really, really bad."
Pat Martinez said even smoking in front of the house is bad, but better than in back.
In an answer to the complaint filed in Metro Court, Garcia wrote that the couple worked during the day and smoked four cigarettes at night.
Garcia claims stress and harassment from the Martinezes and lost rest because of the backyard fan.
"Our goal is to get this resolved through mediation," attorney Charles Lakins, who represents the Martinezes, said Wednesday. He said the dispute is analogous to a barking dog case, which Metro Court routinely sends to mediation.
"Everybody recognizes that a barking dog can keep you awake and become a nuisance," he said.
"To keep a case like this simple requires going to Metro Court and asking a neutral third party to decide the dispute that's been ongoing over a year."
четверг, 21 января 2010 г.
Anti-smoking programs get push from advocates
Jeremiah Smith is bucking the trend. After 32 years of smoking, he went to classes to get help and crushed out his last cigarette Nov. 15."I went ahead and made up my mind I have got to do this," said Mr. Smith, 53, of Augusta, who was motivated in part by higher insurance costs for smokers through the State Health Benefit Plan.
Unfortunately, not many long-term smokers seem to be following. After years of steady decline, the percentage of adults who smoke has remained about the same since 2004 at about 20 percent, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite getting about $400 million in excise taxes and funds from the settlement agreement with the tobacco companies, Georgia will spend about $3.2 million this fiscal year on tobacco control.
The state does not cover nicotine replacement therapy or medications to help state employees or those on Medicaid quit, although it does pay for counseling and operates the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Community Health confirmed.
The city of Augusta, however, has stepped forward to provide lunchtime classes and coverage for the smoking cessation drug Chantix, Human Resources Director Rod Powell said.
After a flurry of tobacco control initiatives in the late '90s and early part of this century, tobacco control activity has largely stalled as states have cut back on their spending, said Terry F. Pechacek, the associate director for science in the Office on Smoking and Health at CDC.
Meanwhile, the tobacco industry continues to promote its products through advertising in stores and entertainment venues, counteracting cigarette tax increases through direct-mail coupons to smokers, and developing new brands that are more attractive to young people, he said. In fact, for every dollar public health spends on tobacco control, the industry counters with $20, about $12.5 billion each year, said Paul Billings, the vice president of national policy and advocacy for the American Lung Association.
"That's what I call stacking the deck against public health," he said.
Georgia is one of only six states that does not cover nicotine replacement therapy or medication for Medicaid recipients or its state employees, the lung association noted.
"Certainly in Georgia there are barriers," said June Deen, the director of advocacy for the lung association in Georgia and South Carolina. "We know a higher percentage of the Medicaid population smoked than the population at large. And we're one of a very few states that offer no service or treatment to those Medicaid recipients who wish to quit smoking. We also offer very little in the way of treatment to state employees who wish to quit smoking and they're a rather large employer in our state."
Getting help to those on Medicaid gets results, advocates said, pointing to Massachusetts. Two and a half years after offering comprehensive smoking cessation treatments to its Medicaid population, the rate of smoking dropped 26 percent among MassHealth recipients, according to a study by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
The benefits of tobacco control have been calculated as high $40 in savings for every dollar spent, Pechacek said.
"Failure to invest in effective tobacco prevention and control strategies is leaving potential savings on the table in times of budget crisis," he said.
"It's kind of pennywise and pound-foolish not to treat this addiction when we know there are ways to effectively do that," Deen said.
The Georgia Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Advisory Council has proposed adding smoking cessation counseling with over-the-counter medication, but it would cost more than $8.5 million a year, according to an e-mail from Joye Burton, the media relations manager for the Georgia Department of Community Health. The agency is investigating what it would cost to add smoking cessation drugs and aids to the State Health Benefit Plan. The Legislature has also consistently refused to raise the state's tobacco tax of 37 cents, among the lowest in the nation, Burton said.
But in fact, that $400 million that comes to Georgia from the tobacco companies is really money from smokers themselves, many of whom want help to quit, Pechacek said. About 45 percent of smokers try to quit each year but only 1 in 10 succeeds, he said.
"In this issue of health equity, we recognize that the people who are paying the tax deserve service back," Pechacek said. "That $400 million, we need to recognize, is like a user fee."
In partnership with its provider Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia, Augusta city employees can now attend lunchtime classes to help with their weight and to quit smoking, Powell said. Pfizer is providing its "Beat the Pack" class for free and having it at lunchtime makes it convenient for employees, 15 of whom have signed up so far but more are expected, he said. The payoff would be less illness and absence, which might result in lower premiums in coming years, Powell said.
"The premium that everybody pays is tied to the medical costs. So if the costs go up, we all pay more," he said.
But there is a larger benefit to getting employees to quit.
"The other part of that is we want healthy employees," Powell said. "They're going to be more productive, they are going to take less sick leave, they're going to be at work more. And then long term, when they retire, we want them to have a healthy retirement."
Still, cost is an issue for many who want to quit, not only the cost of cigarettes but increasingly from health insurance that charges smokers more, said Cheryl Wheeler, the coordinator of the cancer registry at University Hospital, facilitator for the American Cancer Society's Fresh Start smoking cessation program.
"Health always plays a role in it but I'm really seeing the cost and the restrictions at the workplace really being equally as important to people that I'm seeing now," she said.
Smith works for the Georgia Department of Transportation and the State Health Benefit Plan adds a $60 surcharge per month if someone in the household uses tobacco. That higher cost finally got to him last year and led him to Wheeler's Fresh Start class.
"It was worth it," he said. He is getting used to coffee and meals without a cigarette after but still misses them when picking up dead animals off the road, he joked.
"I've gotten used to the smell now," Smith said.
Unfortunately, not many long-term smokers seem to be following. After years of steady decline, the percentage of adults who smoke has remained about the same since 2004 at about 20 percent, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite getting about $400 million in excise taxes and funds from the settlement agreement with the tobacco companies, Georgia will spend about $3.2 million this fiscal year on tobacco control.
The state does not cover nicotine replacement therapy or medications to help state employees or those on Medicaid quit, although it does pay for counseling and operates the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Community Health confirmed.
The city of Augusta, however, has stepped forward to provide lunchtime classes and coverage for the smoking cessation drug Chantix, Human Resources Director Rod Powell said.
After a flurry of tobacco control initiatives in the late '90s and early part of this century, tobacco control activity has largely stalled as states have cut back on their spending, said Terry F. Pechacek, the associate director for science in the Office on Smoking and Health at CDC.
Meanwhile, the tobacco industry continues to promote its products through advertising in stores and entertainment venues, counteracting cigarette tax increases through direct-mail coupons to smokers, and developing new brands that are more attractive to young people, he said. In fact, for every dollar public health spends on tobacco control, the industry counters with $20, about $12.5 billion each year, said Paul Billings, the vice president of national policy and advocacy for the American Lung Association.
"That's what I call stacking the deck against public health," he said.
Georgia is one of only six states that does not cover nicotine replacement therapy or medication for Medicaid recipients or its state employees, the lung association noted.
"Certainly in Georgia there are barriers," said June Deen, the director of advocacy for the lung association in Georgia and South Carolina. "We know a higher percentage of the Medicaid population smoked than the population at large. And we're one of a very few states that offer no service or treatment to those Medicaid recipients who wish to quit smoking. We also offer very little in the way of treatment to state employees who wish to quit smoking and they're a rather large employer in our state."
Getting help to those on Medicaid gets results, advocates said, pointing to Massachusetts. Two and a half years after offering comprehensive smoking cessation treatments to its Medicaid population, the rate of smoking dropped 26 percent among MassHealth recipients, according to a study by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
The benefits of tobacco control have been calculated as high $40 in savings for every dollar spent, Pechacek said.
"Failure to invest in effective tobacco prevention and control strategies is leaving potential savings on the table in times of budget crisis," he said.
"It's kind of pennywise and pound-foolish not to treat this addiction when we know there are ways to effectively do that," Deen said.
The Georgia Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Advisory Council has proposed adding smoking cessation counseling with over-the-counter medication, but it would cost more than $8.5 million a year, according to an e-mail from Joye Burton, the media relations manager for the Georgia Department of Community Health. The agency is investigating what it would cost to add smoking cessation drugs and aids to the State Health Benefit Plan. The Legislature has also consistently refused to raise the state's tobacco tax of 37 cents, among the lowest in the nation, Burton said.
But in fact, that $400 million that comes to Georgia from the tobacco companies is really money from smokers themselves, many of whom want help to quit, Pechacek said. About 45 percent of smokers try to quit each year but only 1 in 10 succeeds, he said.
"In this issue of health equity, we recognize that the people who are paying the tax deserve service back," Pechacek said. "That $400 million, we need to recognize, is like a user fee."
In partnership with its provider Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia, Augusta city employees can now attend lunchtime classes to help with their weight and to quit smoking, Powell said. Pfizer is providing its "Beat the Pack" class for free and having it at lunchtime makes it convenient for employees, 15 of whom have signed up so far but more are expected, he said. The payoff would be less illness and absence, which might result in lower premiums in coming years, Powell said.
"The premium that everybody pays is tied to the medical costs. So if the costs go up, we all pay more," he said.
But there is a larger benefit to getting employees to quit.
"The other part of that is we want healthy employees," Powell said. "They're going to be more productive, they are going to take less sick leave, they're going to be at work more. And then long term, when they retire, we want them to have a healthy retirement."
Still, cost is an issue for many who want to quit, not only the cost of cigarettes but increasingly from health insurance that charges smokers more, said Cheryl Wheeler, the coordinator of the cancer registry at University Hospital, facilitator for the American Cancer Society's Fresh Start smoking cessation program.
"Health always plays a role in it but I'm really seeing the cost and the restrictions at the workplace really being equally as important to people that I'm seeing now," she said.
Smith works for the Georgia Department of Transportation and the State Health Benefit Plan adds a $60 surcharge per month if someone in the household uses tobacco. That higher cost finally got to him last year and led him to Wheeler's Fresh Start class.
"It was worth it," he said. He is getting used to coffee and meals without a cigarette after but still misses them when picking up dead animals off the road, he joked.
"I've gotten used to the smell now," Smith said.
понедельник, 18 января 2010 г.
Illegal tobacco sales to be stubbed out
A new crackdown is set to be launched on the tobacco black market in Hull.
Officials admit they don't know the full extent of illegal tobacco sales in the city.
But they believe Hull far outstrips national estimates that 13 per cent of all cigarettes smoked in the UK are illicit.
The new crackdown follows a decision by the Department of Health to award Hull £200,000 to develop initiatives to reduce smoking.
The city was one of 24 areas across the country to receive funding after being identified as having one of the highest smoking rates per head of population.
The initiative is set to include:
* Increased activity by Revenue and Customers investigators involving raids and seizures.
* More prosecutions for retailers caught selling tobacco to under-age youngsters.
* New educational campaigns aimed at reducing the appeal of smoking among young people.
Trevor Parkin, health policy co-ordinator at Hull City Council, said: "There is a degree of intelligence which has been given to Revenue and Customs and over the next few months there will be more visits and seizures.
"However, there is a lot more going on out there than we actually know about. The intelligence is not as good as it could be."
Mr Parkin said recent evidence-gathering included just over 100 test purchases carried out by trading standards officials investigating the underage sale of tobacco in Hull.
They found that one in three retails sold tobacco without asking for proof of age.
"This is the highest percentage failure rate in Yorkshire and the Humber and almost twice the national average," he added.
Mr Parkin also revealed officials had carried out a survey of discarded cigarette packets at Hull Fair in an attempt to find out the extent counterfeit and smuggled tobacco in the city.
"It was one method of trying to establish a picture of what is going on and more surveys will be carried out," he said.
The crackdown will also see the appointment of the city's first full-time tobacco control officer who will be based in the council's trading standards section.
The new post is expected to be advertised in the next few weeks.
Councillors on the city's health scrutiny commission heard eastern European-owned shops would also be targeted in the new crackdown because some were believed to be a source of cheap , illegally-sourced imported cigarettes
They were also told that educational programmes in schools appeared to be paying off with a recent survey suggesting a significant reduction in the number of young smokers in all age groups since similar research was carried out in 2002.
Councillor Mark Collinson said he believed enforcement would be difficult without greater checks at entry points such as ports.
"I seriously wonder how we are going to stop people bringing back cheap cigarettes from their holidays to sell to their mates."
Officials admit they don't know the full extent of illegal tobacco sales in the city.
But they believe Hull far outstrips national estimates that 13 per cent of all cigarettes smoked in the UK are illicit.
The new crackdown follows a decision by the Department of Health to award Hull £200,000 to develop initiatives to reduce smoking.
The city was one of 24 areas across the country to receive funding after being identified as having one of the highest smoking rates per head of population.
The initiative is set to include:
* Increased activity by Revenue and Customers investigators involving raids and seizures.
* More prosecutions for retailers caught selling tobacco to under-age youngsters.
* New educational campaigns aimed at reducing the appeal of smoking among young people.
Trevor Parkin, health policy co-ordinator at Hull City Council, said: "There is a degree of intelligence which has been given to Revenue and Customs and over the next few months there will be more visits and seizures.
"However, there is a lot more going on out there than we actually know about. The intelligence is not as good as it could be."
Mr Parkin said recent evidence-gathering included just over 100 test purchases carried out by trading standards officials investigating the underage sale of tobacco in Hull.
They found that one in three retails sold tobacco without asking for proof of age.
"This is the highest percentage failure rate in Yorkshire and the Humber and almost twice the national average," he added.
Mr Parkin also revealed officials had carried out a survey of discarded cigarette packets at Hull Fair in an attempt to find out the extent counterfeit and smuggled tobacco in the city.
"It was one method of trying to establish a picture of what is going on and more surveys will be carried out," he said.
The crackdown will also see the appointment of the city's first full-time tobacco control officer who will be based in the council's trading standards section.
The new post is expected to be advertised in the next few weeks.
Councillors on the city's health scrutiny commission heard eastern European-owned shops would also be targeted in the new crackdown because some were believed to be a source of cheap , illegally-sourced imported cigarettes
They were also told that educational programmes in schools appeared to be paying off with a recent survey suggesting a significant reduction in the number of young smokers in all age groups since similar research was carried out in 2002.
Councillor Mark Collinson said he believed enforcement would be difficult without greater checks at entry points such as ports.
"I seriously wonder how we are going to stop people bringing back cheap cigarettes from their holidays to sell to their mates."
понедельник, 11 января 2010 г.
Judges get together to discuss light sentences
COMMUNITY perceptions of light sentences for criminals will be discussed by judges from around Australia when they meet in Canberra next month.
The conference will also feature a presentation from two Territory Justice Department workers about the impact of mandatory jail sentences.
Judges from across Australia will also discuss "community perceptions of light sentencing for arson offenders" when the National Judicial College of Australia meets in Canberra on February 7.
The NJCA's NT convenor is Supreme Court judge Trevor Riley.
Only a third of 276 people who were sentenced for arson in Victoria between 2001 and 2006 were sent to jail.
Institute of Criminology researcher Damon Muller said 68 per cent of arsonists received wholly suspended sentences, community-based orders or other penalties including fines.
Jail sentences ranged from three months to eight years. The most common term was one year.
Meanwhile, Canberra has fast-tracked new laws forcing tobacco companies to make cigarettes that snuff themselves out.
The high-tech cigarettes designed so they extinguish automatically will now be introduced in March this year.
The conference will also feature a presentation from two Territory Justice Department workers about the impact of mandatory jail sentences.
Judges from across Australia will also discuss "community perceptions of light sentencing for arson offenders" when the National Judicial College of Australia meets in Canberra on February 7.
The NJCA's NT convenor is Supreme Court judge Trevor Riley.
Only a third of 276 people who were sentenced for arson in Victoria between 2001 and 2006 were sent to jail.
Institute of Criminology researcher Damon Muller said 68 per cent of arsonists received wholly suspended sentences, community-based orders or other penalties including fines.
Jail sentences ranged from three months to eight years. The most common term was one year.
Meanwhile, Canberra has fast-tracked new laws forcing tobacco companies to make cigarettes that snuff themselves out.
The high-tech cigarettes designed so they extinguish automatically will now be introduced in March this year.
вторник, 5 января 2010 г.
Iowa doubles its offer to help smokers quit
The Iowa Department of Public Health hopes to capitalize on the surprising number of smokers who vow to drop the habit on New Year's Day.
Those who commit to their resolution -- and anyone else who calls the department's "Quitline" -- get a free four-week supply of nicotine patches, gum or lozenges until Jan. 31 as part of the department's outreach to smokers. That's double the amount the department offers the rest of the year.
"We always get more calls in January, even without the extra patch benefit," said Bonnie Mapes, who leads the state's tobacco use prevention effort. "We know if we provide these services in January, we're more likely to get more people."
It's a tactic the Department of Public Health's Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control used last year from New Year's Day until Feb. 28. Due to a tighter budget this year, the division is only offering it for a month.
Iowa ranks 29th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in its rate of adult smoking, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Iowa's adult smoking rate was 18.8 percent in 2008. That's down from 19.8 percent in 2007.
The CDC counts smokers as those who have reported ever smoking at least 100 cigarettes and who currently smoke every day or on some days. In 2008, the lowest was Utah with 9.2 percent, and the highest was in West Virginia, at 26.6 percent.
Quitline Iowa, established in January 2008, received its highest volume of calls in its first month of service -- more than 6,000 in all. Its second-highest total was in January 2009, when more than 3,700 people called.
Callers get free nicotine medication, and are also offered counseling services.
Through the University of Northern Iowa, the Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control tracks the success rate of those who quit after six months and a year. Mapes said that those who try to quit "cold turkey" succeed about 5 percent of the time, while those who use medication and counseling have a 20 percent success rate.
In its pitch to get Iowans off cigarettes, the division is highlighting the financial benefits of dropping the habit. A release from the Department of Public Health estimates that after a month of not buying cigarettes at $5.18 per pack, "most smokers will have saved enough to buy a Blu-ray disc player or 60 gallons of gas."
"People's finances are on the tips of their tongues right now, and their long-term health may not be," said Quitline Iowa coordinator Jeremy Whitaker. "When about 5 percent of your take home pay is spent on cigarettes, it's a big piece and it adds up pretty quickly."
Whitaker said it may be fashionable to appeal to people's wallets now, but most people still quit for health reasons.
Smoking in Iowa is costlier and less convenient, thanks to several factors: a federal tax increase of 62 cents a pack this year that led manufacturers to raise their prices; a $1-per-pack increase in the state cigarette tax in 2007; and a statewide smoking ban in 2008.
The Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control is also working on its outreach. Whitaker said internal estimates show about 52 percent of smokers in Iowa have heard of the Quitline.
Ultimately, Whitaker said the goal is to get people aware, but not necessarily to get more callers.
"Our audience is shrinking, so that's a good thing," Whitaker said. "As adult smoking decreases, we're going to have fewer calls and that's OK."
Those who commit to their resolution -- and anyone else who calls the department's "Quitline" -- get a free four-week supply of nicotine patches, gum or lozenges until Jan. 31 as part of the department's outreach to smokers. That's double the amount the department offers the rest of the year.
"We always get more calls in January, even without the extra patch benefit," said Bonnie Mapes, who leads the state's tobacco use prevention effort. "We know if we provide these services in January, we're more likely to get more people."
It's a tactic the Department of Public Health's Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control used last year from New Year's Day until Feb. 28. Due to a tighter budget this year, the division is only offering it for a month.
Iowa ranks 29th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in its rate of adult smoking, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Iowa's adult smoking rate was 18.8 percent in 2008. That's down from 19.8 percent in 2007.
The CDC counts smokers as those who have reported ever smoking at least 100 cigarettes and who currently smoke every day or on some days. In 2008, the lowest was Utah with 9.2 percent, and the highest was in West Virginia, at 26.6 percent.
Quitline Iowa, established in January 2008, received its highest volume of calls in its first month of service -- more than 6,000 in all. Its second-highest total was in January 2009, when more than 3,700 people called.
Callers get free nicotine medication, and are also offered counseling services.
Through the University of Northern Iowa, the Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control tracks the success rate of those who quit after six months and a year. Mapes said that those who try to quit "cold turkey" succeed about 5 percent of the time, while those who use medication and counseling have a 20 percent success rate.
In its pitch to get Iowans off cigarettes, the division is highlighting the financial benefits of dropping the habit. A release from the Department of Public Health estimates that after a month of not buying cigarettes at $5.18 per pack, "most smokers will have saved enough to buy a Blu-ray disc player or 60 gallons of gas."
"People's finances are on the tips of their tongues right now, and their long-term health may not be," said Quitline Iowa coordinator Jeremy Whitaker. "When about 5 percent of your take home pay is spent on cigarettes, it's a big piece and it adds up pretty quickly."
Whitaker said it may be fashionable to appeal to people's wallets now, but most people still quit for health reasons.
Smoking in Iowa is costlier and less convenient, thanks to several factors: a federal tax increase of 62 cents a pack this year that led manufacturers to raise their prices; a $1-per-pack increase in the state cigarette tax in 2007; and a statewide smoking ban in 2008.
The Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control is also working on its outreach. Whitaker said internal estimates show about 52 percent of smokers in Iowa have heard of the Quitline.
Ultimately, Whitaker said the goal is to get people aware, but not necessarily to get more callers.
"Our audience is shrinking, so that's a good thing," Whitaker said. "As adult smoking decreases, we're going to have fewer calls and that's OK."
Подписаться на:
Сообщения (Atom)