Tobacco giant drops demand to see research on teenage smokers

The world's largest tobacco company has backed away from its demands to see thousands of confidential interviews with British teenagers gathered as part of a university research project into children's attitudes to smoking.

Philip Morris International, the makers of Marlboro, has quietly dropped its Freedom of Information request to see the interviews held by researchers at Stirling University, after the company was widely condemned following revelations by The Independent in September.

The tobacco company had to respond to the university's refusal to publish the interviews within 40 working days. Because Philip Morris has not responded within the required deadline, its two FoI requests have effectively lapsed – meaning that the company will now have to make a fresh application if it wants to pursue the matter.

"Over 40 days have elapsed since Philip Morris last communicated with the University of Stirling regarding research into smoking. On this basis we now regard that the correspondence on this particular request is now closed," the university said in a statement.

Philip Morris International attempted to make its first FoI request anonymously in September 2009, through the London law firm Clifford Chance. However, the Scottish information commissioner, Kevin Dunion, rejected the request on the grounds that Clifford Chance had to name its client – a legal clause not available under English law.

Under its own name, the tobacco giant then put in two further requests to Stirling's Institute for Social Marketing, led by Professor Gerard Hastings who said that Philip Morris wanted access to "everything we had ever done" on the attitudes and behaviour of children towards smoking and tobacco promotion.

"These are confidential comments about how youngsters feel about tobacco marketing. This is the sort of research that would get a tobacco company into trouble if it did it itself," Professor Hastings told The Independent this year.

The university initially refused the requests on the grounds that the claims were vexatious, which was rejected by Mr Dunion. It then claimed it would be too costly and time consuming, but Philip Morris even offered to pay for the added costs, an offer which the university refused.

Although the interviews are anonymised and the names of the children kept confidential, Professor Hastings said there was an understanding with the interviewees and their parents that the content of the interviews would remain confidential and would be shared only among university researchers.

Initiative launched to curb tobacco consumption in Gujarat

About 60 per cent males and 8.4 per cent females in Gujarat consume tobacco, according to the 2005-06 National Family Health Survey report. All indicators show that the trend of tobacco consumption across Gujarat has only gone up.

As per the Gujarat Cancer Research Institute report of 2008-09, in rural areas 36.04 per cent of the total registered cases of cancer in Ahmedabad were tobacco induced; while the same figure for urban areas was 36.67 per cent.
Considering the 22 per cent contribution of Gujarat to the national tobacco production and the increase in consumption trends, a project called Strengthening of Tobacco Control Efforts Through Innovative Partnerships and Strategies (STEPS) is being implemented by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), a public-private initiative. STEPS aims to reduce the health and economic burden of India, contributing to the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP).

Through STEPS, efforts are being made to control the use of tobacco among different age groups across six districts of Gujarat, namely Banaskantha, Rajkot, Kheda, Anand and Surat. Various activities under different modules would be taken up to keep a check and reduce tobacco consumption.

"Considering the fact that the initiation age for tobacco consumption in Gujarat is much early, one of the modules of STEPS involves intervening with the schools across the state in association with the department of education. This will help prevention of tobacco consumption at the grass-roots level. Additionally, at the rural level, STEPS plans to form a voluntary body - Community Against Tobacco (CAT) that will visit kiosks and monitor the tobacco consumption and sale," said state coordinator STEPS Mayur Trivedi.

8 Maine colleges recognized for tobacco policies

A coalition that promotes tobacco-free policies at Maine’s colleges is giving recognition to eight colleges and universities for their efforts to address tobacco use on campus.

The Maine Tobacco-Free College Network recognized the schools at an awards ceremony in Bangor earlier this month. The schools were graded on criteria such as campus tobacco policies, the availability of tobacco-cessation information, bans on tobacco distribution and divestment of tobacco investments.

The University of Maine at Orono was given the highest rating of ten stars.
Also honored were Kennebec Valley Community College, the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast, Unity College, Northern Maine Community College, University of Maine at Machias, University of Maine at Presque Isle and the University of New England.

COA questions Abra’s use of tobacco excise tax share

The Commission on Audit (COA) has found lapses in the disbursement by Abra province of its share from the tobacco excise tax, noting, among others, that tobacco farmers’ groups were not given priority in the use of the fund.
The COA said P3 million from the tobacco excise tax was intended for financial assistance to Abra farmers in 2010. Of this amount, P2.7 million was distributed to various groups.
Abra has 43 registered tobacco farmers; organizations, but only two beneficiaries of the financial assistance were registered as tobacco farmers’ groups. Under the law, these registered groups should have been the fund’s primary beneficiaries, the COA said.
The province’s share from the excise tax is meant to help farmers in tobacco-producing provinces to become more self-reliant, as provided for under Republic Act No. 7171.
“Since RA 7171 was enacted purposely to advance the self-reliance of the tobacco farmers, these tobacco farmer’s organizations should have been given priority in the utilization of the fund,” the COA said.
It also questioned the legality and propriety of transactions funded by Abra’s share from the tobacco excise tax since the implementation of projects did not conform with the rules.
It said projects were not supported by proper documentation. For instance, P17.2 million worth of projects funded by the tobacco tax had no attached list of beneficiaries signed by the recipients of the projects.
The projects involved the procurement of water pumps, construction materials, fertilizer, hand tractors and sprayers.
“As a result, we were not able to confirm receipt of items reportedly distributed to tobacco farmers and whether the objectives of RA 7171 have been attained,” it said.
The COA further said that the purpose of the P1.98 million worth of cement and construction materials purchased was not even indicated. There was also no program of work and approved budget of the contract.
“The absence of indicated purpose hampered further verification and possible validation of its implementation,” it said.
The province failed to maintain a special account and separate depository account for its share from the tobacco excise tax, as required under the law, according to the COA.
Because of this, access to financial information and effective monitoring of the implementation of the fund’s purpose was difficult, it said.
“The creation of such special account solely for the share from tobacco excise tax will provide easier access to financial information to facilitate faster and more effective monitoring of the status of implementation and utilization of such fund,” it said.
Under RA 7171, tobacco-producing provinces get 15 percent of the excise taxes on locally manufactured Virginia-type cigarettes.

Tough talk for poll to help politicians quit tobacco?

Minister of state for home, Satej Patil, may be taking on home minister R R Patil over tobacco chewing. A week ago, he declared the Congress will not consider candidates who consume tobacco for polls to the Kolhapur municipal corporation.

Ever since he took charge of the food and drug administration, he advocated a complete ban on consumption of tobacco within the premises of educational institutions. Now, he has taken it a step further, but the moot question is will he be able to implement it. He will have to start from none other than R R Patil. It is well-known that Patil consumes quite a huge quantity of tobacco on a daily basis. In fact a peon in his office has been entrusted with a task of preparing a special tobacco mix for the home minister.

After Patil's political mentor Sharad Pawar developed a serious health problem due to his tobacco habit, Patil declared he will quit tobacco. A few months later when he was still found consuming tobacco, he was warned by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. A close aide hoped that while a warning by the Pawars failed, his deputy's new formula will prompt Patil to quit tobacco.

UK research focus on coal, tobacco outdated

If the University of Kentucky ever hopes to become a Top 20 research institution, or even to be taken seriously as a place of higher learning, it should stop wasting millions of dollars on researching what we already know.
For decades, the UK Tobacco and Health Research Institute pretended to be creating a safer cigarette and finding new uses for the golden leaf. In reality, it was nothing more than a well-funded propaganda machine of Big Tobacco.

The Tobacco Research Institute, now named the Tobacco Research and Development Center, still claims to explore new uses for the plant. After 50 years of research, they still haven't figured out that the best use for tobacco is killing people.
Now the university has broken ground for a $5.7-million research facility to turn coal and biomass into transportation fuels. UK's press release says that when fully operational, the facility will produce one barrel of fuel per day.
Scientists who have already studied the issue say that developing a technology that utilizes fuels from coal is cost prohibitive. It can be done, but no one could afford it.
Safe cigarette. Clean coal. I detect a pattern here.
The price of electricity in Kentucky is increasing because we burn coal to generate electricity, and coal damages human health and the environment.
Those damages are finally being factored into coal's cost through regulations. If we want a future of affordable energy, we can do what other states are doing, and that's get more of our energy through renewables.
Because the Luddites are in control of my alma mater, may I suggest a few other 19th century research opportunities for the University of Kentucky?
Polio is a really bad disease, I hear. So is smallpox. How about finding a way to eradicate both?
But you can't use vaccines to do it. Vaccinations actually cause diseases, such as autism. And the human papillomavirus vaccine doesn't cure anything, but it does cause premarital sex. Yeah, like we need a shot for that.
However, we're positive that Dino the dinosaur really was Fred and Wilma Flintstone's pet. They're in a museum right here in Kentucky. So settled is the question of The Great Flood that the building of an amusement park, the centerpiece of which will be a genuine replica of Noah's ark, qualifies for state assistance. I can't wait for the Six Flags Over David and Goliath.
We quarrel over when life begins and ignore the very real possibility that we may be closer to its end than its beginning. Fossil fuels cause global warming, and it's getting harder to ignore.
When a company like Solyndra fails, conservatives scream, "We must stop funding solar research. It's a waste of money." But when a coal slurry impoundment pond breaks or an offshore oil well explodes, the message quickly becomes, "We must subsidize the coal and oil industry even more. It creates jobs."
Renewable energy research, that's the realm of other states. Our motto is, "We're busy developing a safe cigarette and clean coal."
We're the 99 percent, but we elect candidates who serve the one percent. In fact, to even run for office, you have to be one of the one percent or be funded by the one percent.
America is in dire straits, and one side blames big business, the other side blames government.
Maybe both sides are right. Maybe big business is our government, just as government is big business. No need to worry about it. Relax, have a smoke. Clean coal's on the way.

States could see substantial savings with tobacco control programs

States that have shifted funds away from tobacco control programs may be missing out on significant savings, according to a new study co-authored by San Francisco State University economist Sudip Chattopadhyay.

If these programs were funded at the levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), states could save an astonishing 14-20 times more than the cost of implementing the programs. The costs of smoking are felt by the states, mostly through medical costs, Medicaid payments and lost productivity by workers.

The evidence is clear that state tobacco control programs have a "sustained and steadily increasing long-run impact" on the demand for cigarettes, Chattopadhyay and his colleague David R. Pieper at University of California, Berkeley write in a paper published online today in the journal Contemporary Economic Policy. Chattopadhyay is the chair of the Economics Department and professor of economics.

The study uses data from 1991 to 2007, during which time the states paid for the programs with the help of the tobacco tax, public and private initiatives and funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement between the nation's four largest tobacco companies and 46 states.

Unfortunately, says Chattopadhyay, funding for the programs has been declining steadily since about 2002. In 2010, states on average were spending 17 percent of the total investment recommended by the CDC for the programs. And in tough economic times, many states have turned to cigarette taxes to raise revenue.

Chattopadhyay said the shift in spending priorities was part of his motivation for examining the benefits and costs behind the programs. "Almost all states are facing financial crisis, and they are really diverting their funds, possibly moving funds from productive use."

Unless the benefits of fully funding the programs are shown to outweigh the costs, the researchers suggest, states may continue to divert revenue away from the programs.

After accounting for multiple factors, the researchers determined that tobacco control programs do reduce the demand for cigarettes. It's a trend that grows over time, in part because it takes smokers time to quit and because the programs become more efficient at delivering their services.

Unlike earlier studies, Chattopadhyay and Pieper even examined the effects of different state tobacco taxes, and how the differences might affect cigarette demand. Smokers in a state with a high tobacco tax could be more easily tempted to buy cigarettes if they share a border with a low-tax state, for instance. Tobacco taxes can range from less than 20 cents per pack in some states to nearly $5 in others.

In 2007, the CDC revised its recommendations on how much states should spend on tobacco control programs to make them successful. If individual states would follow the new CDC guidelines, they could realize future savings of 14-20 times what the programs cost, the study concluded. Chattopadhyay said he would like to deliver the results of the study to the states, "to convince them that they can use that money for more productive purposes" and to encourage them not to let their past investments in tobacco control programs go to waste.

Warning labels on cigarette packs

Federal health officials hoped graphic images would make the more than 40 million Americans who smoke every day think twice before purchasing their next pack of cigarettes. The warning labels were supposed to be on every pack starting next fall, but a federal judge has put that on hold pending the outcome of a lawsuit big tobacco filed challenging the requirement.
Leading health groups from the American Heart Association to the American Cancer Society are already calling the decision a major blow to public health.

“The warnings on cigarettes have been the same for 25 years now. It is imperative that people understand that smoking cigarettes is addictive and kills you and is blatantly dangerous,” said Alyzza Ozer, Regional Vice President, Manhattan, American Cancer Society.

The new warnings approved by the FDA are designed to take up half the space on a cigarette pack and at least 20 percent of any advertising space. But the judge ruled the labeling goes beyond giving just the facts on the health risks of smoking and violates the Constitution's free speech guarantees. The City's health department has led the way with graphic ads of its own. It calls the ruling a setback. And it's clear how the Mayor, who can boast half a million fewer smokers in the city since his time in office, feels about it.

“Look - smoking kills. And if you go to Europe you'd be shocked at just how graphic they are I think it saves lives but it is up to the courts to decide whether it is an impingement on freedom of speech and I'm sure it will be litigated,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

New Yorkers who light up still have a mixed response on whether new labels would make any difference at all. Even if cigarette makers ultimately lose the suit, it could be a while before warning labels become a reality, with the ruling opening the door for years of litigation.

Illegal cigarettes confiscated

Tuesday's seizure of illegal cigarettes from the Dakota Chundee Smoke Shop finally opens the door for a legal challenge by the Dakota First Nations to be officially recognized by the provincial and federal governments.
"I think the point is that we have to have our recognition as Dakota people in Manitoba," Dakota Plains Chief Orville Smoke said shortly after 89,550 contraband cigarettes were seized by the Manitoba Finance special investigations unit with support from the RCMP.
"We have to have our turn at sitting down and negotiating our existence within the confines of a reserve in Manitoba."
The seizure came as no surprise to anyone as the province could no longer turn a blind eye to the open cigarette sales, which started last week in a makeshift store near Pipestone. Charges are pending.
But despite Tuesday's raid, organizers of the rogue smoke shop will open again today, vowed Craig Blacksmith, a Dakota Plains councillor and Great Buffalo Nation Dakota spokesman.
"It's business as usual. Full-scale operation tomorrow again," he said in an email interview on Tuesday.
While officials seized cigarettes Tuesday, Blacksmith said they have further supplies of Rainbow Tobacco hidden away.
"We're not crazy enough to keep all the inventory on site," he said.
The cigarettes seized are federally stamped under the Excise Act but are not marked or stamped for legal sale in Manitoba, provincial spokesman Mike McDonald said.
"If you go to any retail outlet in Winnipeg and look at cigarettes, you'll see the Manitoba tear-tape on them," McDonald said, adding the seized cigarettes did not have that, meaning the province was not collecting its share of taxes. "The search went without incident."
Dakota Chundee, run by Smoke and Chief Frank Brown of Canupawakpa, was selling tobacco products supplied by Mohawk distributors in Quebec for about $40 a carton.
Cartons of 200 cigarettes normally sell for about $98 in Manitoba.
Only one employee was in the store at the time of the raid.
The chiefs of the Dakota First Nations claim their status in Canada is recognized by a British treaty to protect Canadian borders from American incursions in the War of 1812.
The Canadian government rejected the claim in court and insists the Dakota don't have the same treaty rights as other First Nations in Canada.
Both Canupawakpa and Dakota Plains have lawyers lined up to fight their case to be officially recognized by government.
"I think our lawyers are in place and this should be quite the awakening for some people, including the province and the federal government," Smoke said.
In addition to selling cheap cigarettes, they have said they plan to develop a VLT gaming centre at the location.
Elizabeth Stephenson, director of communications for the Manitoba Gaming Control Commission, said the commission is monitoring the site but is not aware of any VLTs operating.
The Quebec company that supplied the cheap smokes is at the centre of a war over aboriginal sovereignty where the weapon is cigarettes.
Kahnawake First Nation-based Rainbow Tobacco manufactures and distributes six separate brands of cigarettes, including one dubbed Savage, for the American and European markets, according to its website.
In addition to court challenges in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan over the sale of its cigarettes, the company stands out as being one of two major distributors that hold federal licences.
While a federal licence allows the sale of tobacco on First Nations, authorities consider the cigarettes to be contraband if they are sold outside a certain geographical area.
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake tobacco portfolio chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer said the issue over cigarette taxes boils down to who gets the tax revenue.
"The term contraband is used by the outside governments because they are not benefiting from any tax dollars levied on our products," she said in an email.
"We have always deemed our industry as legal because we believe our people have the right to our economy."

Canadian C-Store Groups Warn Manitoba Premier on 'Smoke Shacks'

Following the official opening of what the Canadian and Western Convenience Stores Associations (CCSA & WCSA) are calling the province's first illegal smoke shack by the Dakota First Nations near Pipestone, Manitoba, the groups have called upon Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger to enforce current laws and avoid setting a dangerous precedent in the province with respect to the sale of contraband tobacco.

"If the Manitoba government allows just one illegal smoke shack to open and operate, 50 will follow suit leading to increased crime, higher tobacco consumption among minors, lost revenue for the province and the closure of countless legal convenience stores as has happened in Ontario and Québec. We do not believe that this is a trend that Manitobans support," said Michel Gadbois, the CCSA's senior vice president.According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), close to 300 illegal smoke shacks currently operate in Quebec and Ontario selling goods produced in 50 illegal manufacturing plants, the groups said. All plants have operated illegally for the past decade without any interference from the government, they said. These manufacturers and smoke shacks sell a large majority of their tobacco products to nonnatives who avoid the tobacco taxes and save up to 75% on the legal price sold in convenience stores.

They have also consistently disregarded tobacco control regulations by selling to minors, the groups said.

"We are certainly sympathetic to Natives rights, but not at the mercy of the hard-working and law-abiding convenience store owners who follow strict tobacco regulations and remit taxes but simply cannot compete with the illegal trade of contraband tobacco," said Doug Hartl, vice chair of WCSA.

"The government should step in immediately to either shut down the illegal smoke shack or ensure that the Dakota First Nations charge the taxes and respect all laws and regulations pertaining to tobacco," added Gadbois.

Since 2008, hundreds of c-store owners who have been in business for years have had to either close their stores or continue to struggle to survive simply because governments are not enforcing current laws, the groups said. "It is absurd that we must beg governments to enforce their own laws, but sadly, that's how little attention is given today to the issue of contraband tobacco," said Gadbois.

The CCSA represents the economic interests of more than 25,000 c-stores across Canada (with 800 in Manitoba) who serve Canadians for all their daily needs.

Snuff out the problem: MLB should ban smokeless tobacco

Four senators sent letters to baseball officials asking them to ban smokeless tobacco, and asking Fox not to show anyone chewing away. I just hope the politicians don't plan to show up in St. Louis or Texas, because players and fans might drown them in Skoal juice.

As best as I can surmise, 96.7 percent of the reaction has been negative. It's not so much that people love tobacco. They just think Congress has more important things to do than try to regulate every facet of American life.

There's not a bigger blowhard in Washington than Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, so it pains me say this. But I'm glad he and his esteemed colleagues are sticking their noses in the dugout.

Despite some real effort, baseball has failed to eradicate smokeless tobacco. We can all agree that would be a good thing, right?

If you say no, here's the standard paragraph you'll want to skip. More than 30,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with oral cancer. It's linked to cancers of the esophagus, larynx, bladder, stomach and pancreas. It destroys gums and the senses of taste and smell.

Other than that, smokeless tobacco is harmless.

Baseball banned it in the minor leagues in 1993. The NCAA did it 1994. It hasn't seemed to help.

An estimated one-third of major leaguers load up their gums with smokeless tobacco. Most aren't proud of it. But like cigarette smokers, they can't help themselves.

Durbin & Co. think the World Series is a good place to draw a line in the snuff. They don't like the prospect of America's youth tuning in and being unduly influenced to take up the habit.
I didn't notice Fox doing anything unusual to avoid showing players spitting or dipping in Game 1. And baseball could not have suddenly told chaw-dependent players they couldn't load up in the biggest games of their career.

Any policy change will have to come with a new collective bargaining agreement. The current one expires in December, and you can count on the players' union breaking out the usual arguments. Allow me to shoot them down.

• It's a legal product.

So is Jack Daniels, but you don't see players swilling it in the dugout (except at Fenway Park, perhaps).

• Congress has no right to tell viewers what they can see.

It banned cigarette advertising on TV decades ago. A few players still smoke, but none would dare do it on camera.

• Players aren't role models.

Are we still having that argument? Whether they like it or not, they impact public opinion. If they didn't, why do they break out pink bats, gloves and wristbands every year to promote breast cancer awareness? This is a cancer they can do more than symbolically fight.

• Kids aren't that impressionable.

HSA tells app developer to remove posts on cigarettes

A local developer of smartphone applications has been told by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to remove all postings related to cigarettes in its LobangClub app, which lets users find the cheapest deals based on community feedback.

It is the first case involving a mobile phone application, and HSA said that anybody involved in putting up listings of tobacco products could be breaking the law.

The app was introduced a month ago and is available for iPhones. It allows the user to use the phone's camera as a barcode scanner, and add details such as pricing and location for others to view.

Last Tuesday, its developer, Mr Shen Guyi, 32, received a call from an HSA officer telling him that advertising tobacco products here was illegal, and to remove all such listings.

Seized uncustomed imported cigarettes destroyed

A large quantity of uncustomed imported cigarettes seized by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in the region has been destroyed at the Dompoase Landfill site in Kumasi.

They were picked up from the various business points in the metropolis.

The items were picked up at Adum at the central market during a swoop by officials of the Customs Excise and Preventive Division of the GRA.

The largest chunk was seized at Adum-Pampaso where 92 cartons of cigarettes were found wit a business man.

The items were meant to be sold at markets in countries in the sub-region especially Mali and Burkina Faso.

The destruction was witnessed by the Police, Fire Service and the media.

Speaking in an interview, the Regional CEPS Commander, Mawusi Esi Dadjo said the items were seized in separate swoops in May and June this year.

She explained that under the Customs and Preventive Law, it is illegal for items for any kind to be imported through unapproved entry points.

Man bartered stolen cigarettes for crack

A break-in that did more than $500 worth of damage to a Rutland convenience store was allegedly carried out to obtain packs of cigarettes that were traded for crack cocaine, according to city police.

More than a month after the side window of the Stewart’s convenience store at the corner of Grove and State streets was smashed out by someone who stole $356 worth of cigarettes and snack food, 29-year-old Christopher A. Loseby appeared in court Monday to answer to four charges related to the incident.

Loseby, who described himself as homeless in a police affidavit, pleaded innocent in Rutland criminal court to a felony charge of burglary and misdemeanor counts of unlawful mischief, petty larceny and unlawful trespass.

Loseby, who came to court on a citation, was released on court conditions.

City police said there was no one at the store when police responded to an alarm there just before 1 a.m. on Sept. 8.

But less than 12 hours later, Loseby came to the police department to turn himself in, Detective David LaChance said in an affidavit.

Loseby, who received cuts to his elbow and hands that were bleeding when he arrived at the department, allegedly told police that he decided to break into Stewart’s after a woman he was smoking crack with earlier in the evening told him he could trade packs of cigarettes for crack from a dealer she knew.

Loseby, who police said ran out of crack and money on the night of Sept. 7, told police he left the woman’s home on Church Street and walked downtown where he thought about breaking into a shop on Center Street before going to Stewart’s where he told police he threw two bricks through a side window.

Once inside he said he grabbed two cartons and about six to eight packs of cigarettes before walking back to Center Street where the woman who had suggested a trade for drugs reportedly called a dealer who took the tobacco in exchange for two rocks of crack cocaine, according to court records. A rock of crack cocaine weighing less than a gram typically sells for $30 in the Rutland area, police said.

Stewart’s reported $545 worth of damage from destruction of property and stolen items during the break-in, police said.

Two arrested in marijuana bust sentenced for illegally entering US

Two men arrested in a June marijuana bust were sentenced Monday for illegally entering the country, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii sentenced Jorge Garrido Mendoza, 24, and Francisco Pedraza Garcia, 24, of McFarland, to six months in custody and referred them to immigration authorities, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.

Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Rooney, who is prosecuting the case, said charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana against Mendoza and Garcia were dismissed.

"I would be shocked if they were not deported," Rooney said. The two men are from Mexico, according to court records.

Mendoza and Garcia and six others were arrested June 15 when the Kern County Sheriff's Department raided a marijuana field just off Highway 65, north of Sherwood Avenue, according to Californian archives.

Court documents said officers destroyed about 2,462 marijuana plants.

A U.S. Attorney's office news release said the plants were "ostensibly for medicinal purposes."

Mendoza and Garcia told deputies that they had entered the U.S. illegally, according to court records. They told investigators they were hired to tend the plants by Bernardino Garcia, who said he would pay them with marijuana after the site was harvested, according to court records. He is charged with conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.

Mendoza and Francisco Garcia pleaded guilty to illegally entering the U.S., a misdemeanor, on Oct. 24 as part of a plea agreement.

Rooney said he would not comment on why the agreement was reached.