School kids urge Bebo not to promote tobacco

As a part of HRIDAY's (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth) ongoing campaign against depiction of tobacco use in films, over 150 students from different schools wrote to the 31-year-old actress. They urged her to refrain from showing tobacco use in all her upcoming films including 'Heroine', which releases tomorrow. Sohini Chakrabarty, a class 8 student, requested Kareena to exercise her power as a role model wisely.

Vibhuti, another student, wrote to her that being a role model for the youth, especially girls across the country, Kareena is sending out a misleading message of experimenting with smoking on screen. Studies have proved that depiction of tobacco use in films leaves an adverse impact on the public, especially women and children and many teenagers light their first cigarette or use their first tobacco product after watching their favourite actor use tobacco on-screen.

A first of its kind study conducted by HRIDAY has found that Indian adolescents who are exposed to tobacco use in Bollywood films are twice as likely to be tobacco users. There is also a very high prevalence of tobacco use among Indian women with nearly 20 per cent of them using the substance in one form or the other. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has already issued a notification regulating the depiction of tobacco use in films.

HRIDAY had also written to 'Heroine' director Madhur Bhandarkar urging him to abide by the notification and gave reference of movies who have already complied to it. In India, high prevalence of tobacco consumption is one of the major challenges to health and about 2,700 Indians die every day from tobacco use. HRIDAY research has shown that 5,500 youth in India start using tobacco daily and a survey on tobacco use among young - the Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2009, reveals that nearly 15 per cent of youth currently use tobacco in India.

Imperial Tobacco sales boosted by price rises

Price increases helped lift Imperial Tobacco's annual revenues to offset a dip in volumes as the world's fourth largest cigarette group suffered in recession-hit Spain and tough markets in Ukraine and Poland. The British group, which sells over 340 billion cigarettes annually of brands such as Gauloises, Davidoff, West and JPS, said on Thursday that its revenues would rise around 4 percent for the year to end-September when stripping out currency fluctuations, while overall volumes fell up to 3 percent.

It added that growth was particularly strong in eastern Europe, Africa and Middle East and also in its Asia Pacific region, but volumes were hit by weakness in Ukraine and Poland, and trade sanctions against Syria as well as a weak Spain. The group said its operating performance and financial position were in line with its expectations as it gave a trading update towards the end of its financial year to Sept. 30 and ahead of its annual results due on Oct. 30.

Smokeless tobacco being marketed like candy

Some types of smokeless tobacco are being packaged and marketed more like candy than tobacco products. The Morrison County Public Health department is checking out how the products are being displayed in area businesses. “We are going into stores to see which of these products they are stocking, how they are advertised and where they are being displayed,” said Sheila Funk, community health educator working with Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP). “This is done in a very friendly way; it’s not a compliance check.

The smokeless tobacco is flavored like candy and packaged more like a candy than chewing tobacco. “It’s in too small of a package and consumers can easily mistake it for candy,” Funk said. “The tablets are about the same size as a Tic Tac. One tablet has the nicotine content of an average cigarette. As few as two to three tablets in a three-year-old can be deadly.” The Public Health Department has received funds from a community transformation grant for tobacco-free living. The funds will be provided through 2016.

“It’s nice to see multi-year strategies in these grants,” said County Administrator Deb Gruber. “That gives time to see results.” These products are supposed to be displayed on upper shelves so there is less chance they would be mistaken for candy. “We’re concerned about young adults purchasing these items and having them around the house near children,” Funk said. “We just want people to be aware.” “Those people who are over 18 and want to use tobacco — that’s their choice,” Gruber said. “This is about children getting hurt.”

Silver Springs is latest village to ban tobacco use in its park

A decision to ban smoking in parts of the village park has earned praise from a local health organization. The Village Board has voted that tobacco use would no longer be allowed in the park’s cabins and baseball dugouts, or on the playground. “The park is used mainly for children’s sports activities and family events, so it was a fairly simple decision for the board to make,” said Mayor Denise Coffey. “It was finalized in July or August.”

Signs announcing the new rules were posted last week. Silver Springs is one of the first villages in Wyoming County to make such a decision, said Shellye Dale-Hall of the Smoke-Free NOW coalition. A similar proposal involving the village of Gainesville’s park pavilion is being finalized. “It’s a step in the right direction for reducing tobacco usage in our counties,” she said. “Unfortunately Wyoming and Orleans counties have a higher tobacco usage rate than New York State.”

In a similar measure, the village of Medina has earned praise for its own July 9 decision to ban smoking in all seven of its parks. The policy was enacted after the Students United for Positive Action Group from Medina Central School sent a letter to the village board, requesting the measure. Smoke-Free NOW is a program run through the Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse Inc. The coalition serves Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

Retailers perfect in youth tobacco sales sting

The P.E.I. government's most recent attempt to catch retailers out selling tobacco to minors failed to catch a single store willing to sell cigarettes to a youth. The province recruited a youth during the months of July and August to go into 150 stores across the Island to try to buy tobacco as part of a regular enforcement regime.

The operation usually nets about a dozen violations, but this summer not a single store was caught. "We've made a number of steps, not only the educational material we provide, but we have strengthened our enforcement policy just to ensure that retailers are taking the legislation seriously," said senior environmental health officer Ryan Neale.

"That does seem to have a deterrent-type of effect." For the past six years the Health department has published the names of stores caught selling tobacco to minors. The change came after CBC News won a decision to publish the names under the Freedom of Information Act. Neale said publishing the names of retailers on the Health Department's website is a further deterrent to those who would sell tobacco to kids.

Norway Court Upholds Ban On Tobacco Store Displays

A Norwegian court has upheld a ban on the display of tobacco products in stores, handing a defeat Friday to the Philip Morris company. Norway, which has had a ban on cigarette and alcohol advertising since 1975, in 2010 banned even the display of tobacco products at their point of sale. Shops must keep cigarettes in unmarked cabinets or special vending machines with no visible logos.

Customers wishing to buy tobacco must actively ask merchants for it. Philip Morris sued the Norwegian state, arguing that the display ban interfered with the free flow of goods and broke with international agreements Norway is party to. But the Oslo district court said it concluded that "the display ban is necessary and that there aren't other, less invasive methods which could give similar results." 

Philip Morris has one month to decide whether to challenge the ruling in a higher court. "We are disappointed with the court's decision and are considering our options for appeal," said Nordan Helland, spokesman for Philip Morris Norway. Tobacco companies worldwide have long used legal avenues to challenge government laws on cigarette taxes, smoking bans, marketing restrictions and health warnings.

 Most notably, Australia's highest court last month rejected a challenge by tobacco companies who argued the value of their trademarks will be destroyed if they are no longer able to display their distinctive colors, brand designs and logos on packs of cigarettes. Philip Morris International in recent years also has filed lawsuits challenging marketing restrictions and health warnings in Uruguay and a ban on tobacco products in shops in Ireland.

Those challenges are ongoing. Anti-smoking campaigners welcomed the ruling in Oslo. "This verdict sends a signal that it's possible to win over the mighty tobacco industry," said Karl Erik Lund, research director at the Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, who testified as an expert witness for the state.

Cigarette giant ITC plans to venture into ‘healthy’ consumer products

India's biggest cigarette maker is going on a health kick. ITC Ltd sells 80 percent of the cigarettes in the world's second most populous country where 275 million people use tobacco products. But as India follows the rest of the world in adopting anti-smoking regulations, the company's core tobacco business is getting squeezed and it is venturing into dairy products, drinks and perhaps even healthy breakfast foods to try to expand its money-losing consumer products business.

"Indians are turning health-conscious in their food choices, so health and nutrition will be a very strong focus area for us in the coming years," Chitranjan Dar, Chief Executive of ITC Foods, told Reuters in a phone interview. ITC, India's fifth most valuable company with a market capitalisation of $38 billion, already makes cookies, crackers and potato chips, so expanding into dairy and breakfast foods is not that big of a stretch. But healthy food marks a sharp turn for a company best known for cigarettes. Although ITC got into the food business a decade ago, cigarettes account for half the company's revenue and even its initials are a throwback to its century-old roots when it was known as Imperial Tobacco.

The company is 30.8 percent owned by British American Tobacco. Building market share in food and consumer products may be difficult. With the exception of packaged flour, where ITC holds a leading position, the company has not won more than 15 percent of the market for any product category in which it competes. It has spent 45 billion rupees building up its food and consumer product segments over the past 10 years, according to analysts. "No other consumer company has invested such sums of money without creating a relevant share in any category," said Nikhil Vora, managing director at Mumbai-based IDFC Securities.

 Vora's firm downgraded the stock to underperform from outperform after Australia barred the use of logos on cigarette packs on August 15, sparking speculation that India's regulators would follow. Investors initially knocked $1.3 billion from ITC's market value after Australia's move, although the stock has since recovered, in part because most smokers in India buy cigarettes in single sticks, not packs.

 An investor favourite for its defensive characteristics, ITC shares have risen 32 percent this year, outpacing the 13 percent rise in the index .BSESN. ITC makes Sunfeast biscuits, Bingo snacks and the Fiama Di Wills range of soaps and shampoos, competing with the likes of Hindustan UnileverLtd (HLL.NS), Procter & Gamble Co (PG.N), Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GOCP.NS) and Dabur India Ltd (DABU.NS) in a price-sensitive market worth $13 billion and growing at 15-20 percent a year.

 Its consumer goods sales rose 24 percent to 55.3 billion rupees in the year to March, accounting for 22 percent of total ITC revenue, although the business was a drag on overall profit, losing 1.96 billion rupees before interest and tax. It aims to triple revenue from consumer goods over the next 5 to 7 years. "What we have achieved is not bad for a business that is a decade old in this space," ITC's Dar said, adding that parts of its consumer goods business were "profit positive."

Missourians will vote on 73-cent tax hike per cigarette pack

Lighting up may cost more if Missouri voters approve a tobacco tax that calls for a 73-cent hike on every pack of cigarettes. Similar measures in 2002 and in 2006 were defeated after tough campaigns. For some, it's an unpopular proposal again. "We pay enough in taxes, anyway, that it's just another way to get our money," said Chris Becker. Proponents of the tax increase argue it's time for the the Show-Me state to get in line with what other states are paying.

Missouri has the lowest cigarette tax in the nation at 17 cents a pack. Smokers in Arkansas pay $1.15 a pack. New Yorkers shell out the most at $4.35. The national average tax is $1.49 a pack. If Proposition B passes, the tax is estimated to generate between $283 million and $423 million. Eighty percent of the money would fund K-12 schools and higher education. The remainder would be directed to smoking cessation programs. It's a plan that appeals to many voters.

"If it was for, you know, to put down to help with the children and education, I'd probably vote to raise it," said Jane Pottenger. Her husband Don agreed, "If it's for education, yeah, I think I would vote to raise it." But opponents are skeptical; they question where the money will really go. A portion of Missouri's settlement money from big tobacco companies was supposed to go to prevent smoking and help people to quit, but Missouri sends virtually all of the money to its general fund.

"Having them say that this money is going to be earmarked for kids or another issue, call me a little bit jaded, but I just don't see that happening," said Christian Basi, the owner of Just For Him in Springfield. If this measure passes, that 73 cent hike would increase taxes on a pack of cigarettes to a total of 90 cents.

NY bars selling electronic cigarettes to minors

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed new laws to ban sales of electronic cigarettes in New York to anyone under 18 and to prohibit smoking within 100 feet of the entrances to public or private schools.

The smoking restriction takes effect immediately. Residences or residential property within the 100-foot perimeter would be excluded. Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices used to inhale vaporized liquid nicotine instead of tobacco smoke.

The ban on sales to minors takes effect Jan. 1. Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, said e-cigarettes, which are currently unregulated, are made in flavors such as bubble gum and chocolate meant to appeal to youths and contain highly addictive nicotine. She said they would "hook yet another generation" on a deadly habit.

Evidence piles up in favor of plain cigarette packs

A study conducted in Brazil provides further evidence that plain cigarette packaging reduces the appeal of cigarettes. While Australia has recently passed legislation to ban logos from cigarette packages and make plain packaging mandatory, other countries are still considering whether to take this route, say the researchers in BMC Public Health. Study co-author Christine White (University of Waterloo, Canada) commented in a press statement: "Our results suggest that plain packaging and the removal of brand descriptors are likely to reduce the appeal of smoking for youth and young adults.

"Overall, these findings support the recommendations for plain packaging in the [World Health Organization] WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control." An online survey by David Hammond and team, from the University of Waterloo, of 640 Brazilian smoking and nonsmoking women aged 16-26 years showed that the highest appeal ratings were given for branded cigarette packs. Indeed, regular branded cigarette packs were given a mean appeal rating of 6.0 out of 10.0 compared with plain cigarette packs labeled with the name and description of the cigarette brand at 4.3, and plain packs that contained no description, at 3.4.

The branded packs had a significantly higher taste rating at a mean score of 4.9, compared with plain packs at 3.9 and plain no-descriptor packs at 2.3. Branded packs also had a higher smoothness rating, at a mean score of 4.1 compared with plain packs, at 3.1, and plain no-descriptor packs, at 1.6. Linear regression analysis was performed by combining five smoker image traits: female, stylish, popular, sophisticated, and slim; into a single smoker image index where higher scores indicated more positive traits.

Branded packs had a higher positive trait score, at 3.84, than their plain counterparts, at 3.22, and plain no-descriptor packs, at 2.67. At the end of the survey, the participants were asked whether they would prefer being given a branded cigarette pack or a plain pack as a free gift; 39.6% chose a branded pack while only 12.5% chose a plain pack. "The women in this study rated branded packs as more appealing, more stylish, and sophisticated than the plain packs," commented Hammond in a press statement.

"They also thought that cigarettes in branded packs would be better tasting and smoother." "Removal of all description from the packs, leaving only the brand, further reduced their appeal. In the pack offer test, participants were three times more likely to choose the branded pack as a free gift."

Redding seeks smoking ban at city parks

It has been two years since Whiskeytown National Recreation Area went smoke-free at its four beaches, and in that time, public complaints against the ban have been nonexistent. The policy is paving the way for Redding to take up a similar measure at its city parks this week. The Community Services Advisory Commission is expected to take up the issue Wednesday, at the recommendation of Kim Niemer, Redding community services director, and Shasta County Tobacco Education Coalition.

"Trails provide a natural, healthy environment, and smoking seems to be counter to that," Niemer said. The issue might have been a long time coming, considering how Shasta County nearly 20 years ago was a trailblazer when it approved the landmark initiative that banned smoking in restaurants and public offices. Redding has smoke-free zones for the Redding Library and City Hall. It also bars smoking within 50 feet of a playground and on the Sacramento River Trail because of fire concerns.

The proposal takes matters a step further, Niemer said. "We get complaints from people about the smoking, particularly around picnic pavilions," she said. "The other issue for us is the maintenance end of it. … People don't think twice about dropping their cigarette butts and stamping them out on the ground." Support from the commission to ban smoking at city-owned and city-managed neighborhood and community parks and trails will send the issue to the Redding City Council for debate and a vote. More than 130 California communities have smoke-free parks.

Among those is Anderson, whose law went into effect last year not just at parks but also at events and business entrances. Jim Milestone, Whiskeytown park superintendent, recalled concerns raised at the public meetings that preceded the decision to prohibit smoking in the sandy areas were minimal. Only one person expressed dismay at the erosion of personal rights. "I listened to him very carefully. But your lungs are more important, and you shouldn't have to have to inhale anyone's smoke," said Milestone, who estimates 70 percent of visitors are women and children. No longer do families have apprehensions about spreading their blankets on the sand, save for twigs and maybe other beach debris.

 "If you walk down the beach, you only see a few cigarette butts," he said. In preparation to make its recommendation, the coalition in August and earlier this month surveyed park visitors. Of the 344 responses it received, nearly three-quarters said they favored a no-smoking policy at city parks, trails and recreation areas. The respondents were all adults. Niemer said enforcement actions will be by park staff, meaning don't expect police to be patrolling the parks. "The county has tobacco enforcement officers who will help with efforts. The education piece is important," she said. "A regular citizen can remind the person they cannot smoke."

Duluth City Council to debate Lakewalk smoking ban

When the Duluth City Council meets tonight, it will take up a couple of resolutions designed to polish the community’s image. Councilors will consider whether to ban smoking on the Lakewalk, and they may authorize the city to boost its budget in hopes of making Duluth more attractive to both developers and employers.

  Lakewalk smoking

 Councilors Patrick Boyle and Jim Stauber have introduced a resolution that would forbid the smoking of tobacco or other substances, such as synthetic marijuana or “bath salts,” within 6 feet of the Lakewalk or Lake Place Park. Stauber said a couple of considerations prompted his support of the measure. “Last year, when Duluth East opened in its new location, I got a handful of complaints of students smoking on the Lakewalk, forcing people to go around them and leaving their cigarette butts to litter the path,” he said.

 Stauber also said there have been issues with patrons of the Last Place on Earth, a downtown head shop, smoking synthetic marijuana or chemical crystals sold as “bath salts,” another mind-altering product, at nearby Lake Place Park. “That’s not very conducive to tourism or to Duluthians looking to get out and enjoy the Lakewalk,” he said. Stauber said most of the response he has had to the proposed new smoking restrictions has been positive.

But he said he also has heard from others who think government shouldn’t further restrict outdoor smoking. Councilor Sharla Gardner has proposed an amendment to the resolution that would forbid the smoking of synthetic marijuana and “bath salts” on the Lakewalk but would still allow for the use of tobacco.

Parents alarmed over youths' shisha habits

With a vast collection of flavors to choose from, smoking shisha has become a trend among youngsters. Cafes, restaurants and coffee shops are swamped with people who have shisha pipes by their tables and are happily smoking it. For Ahmed Saleh Omer, 27, smoking shisha is the perfect way to unwind in the evening. "After a long day, I go to a shisha lounge. It calms and relaxes me. Just like others need a cigarette to keep going, I enjoy doing shisha. It has now become a daily routine." Noura Nawaf, a graduate student, said: "I have no reason for smoking shisha.

It's something I just like to do." According to research carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO), the volume of smoke inhaled in an hour-long shisha session is estimated to be the equivalent of smoking between 100 and 200 cigarettes and causes several health problems. Some youngsters have also been found with the puffs being laced with drugs. Nasrullah, professor at King Abdulaziz University, commented on this unhealthy trend: "Tobacco consumed in any form is harmful, as it contains chemicals that are carcinogenic and toxic."

 Sara Mohammed Khaleel, a teacher, said: "There is a misunderstanding that shisha as an alternative to cigarette smoking is safer than a cigarette, since nicotine gets filtered through water, but it has been claimed by medical experts that nicotine is not water soluble. Youngsters should be aware of the hard-hitting facts of shisha." However, Farah, a medical student, is not convinced that shisha is as harmful as cigarettes. Quoting tobacco researcher Kamal Chaouchi, she said the harmful TAR (total aerosol residue) in both makes the difference. While the tobacco in the cigarette gets burned, producing the TAR and harming the smoker, it is not so in the shisha. The tobacco in the shisha does not get burned but gets cooked, and no combustion takes place anywhere and so it produces no TAR, she said.

 The shisha is a glass-bottomed water pipe in which fruit-flavored tobacco is covered with foil and roasted with charcoal. It comes in a variety of flavors. Many people have of late been flocking to shisha lounges mushrooming in and around Jeddah. The so-called shisha lounges are hot places, not only among Saudi youth but also among their expatriate counterparts. There has been an endless argument whether smoking shisha is as harmful as cigarette smoking. Several youngsters hold on to the myth that shisha is not as dangerous to health as smoking a cigarette. But recent studies have found that shisha smokers actually inhale more nicotine than cigarette smokers, because of the massive volume of smoke inhaled.

 "I love doing shisha," said student Gadeer Abdullah. "I like the feeling of dizziness when I inhale the smoke, and the fruit-flavored tobacco tastes smooth and smells sweet." Sixteen-year-old Hashim just wanted to experience shisha and smoked once, then again and again, and now he enjoys it a lot. It has become a style statement for some members of the youth brigade to visit cafes that offer shisha. "It's cool and trendy," he said with an aura of pride. Shisha smoking youth love to enjoy their smoke in cafes or lounges, or even call friends at home for a shisha party.

They consider this the "new way of socializing", in which people sit around a shisha and take turns smoking it. Parents say the growing consumption of shisha among their children is of great concern to them. Mohammed Hashim, an elderly office executive, said: "I have discouraged my son from smoking on several occasions, advising him that he is only 17 and it's bad for his health. Now he does not indulge in it in my presence and discuss the smoking subject in front of me, as he is scared. He enjoys doing it on my back." Hashim pleads that shisha joints impose age restrictions and stop entertaining young kids.