Nebraska lawmakers to debate tobacco bill

A bill that would help Nebraska collect its share of money from a legal settlement with four major U.S. tobacco companies is set for legislative debate.
The bill by Grand Island Sen. Mike Gloor is designed to help the state secure its part of the health care money from the 1998 settlement. Lawmakers could vote on the proposal as early as Wednesday.

At issue is $46 million that the companies have not fully deposited into Nebraska's health care cash fund. Tobacco manufacturers have not yet paid the amount because they claim the state has not collected from companies that were not part of the settlement, but still required to put their money in escrow. The bill specifically mentions smaller tobacco companies run by American Indian tribes.

Tobacco, alcohol, fat have huge health impact

The World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report on Wednesday on chronic, or non-communicable diseases -- which include diabetes, cancer and respiratory and heart diseases.

A large percentage of NCDs could be prevented by reductions in their four main behavioral risk factors -- tobacco use, physical inactivity, alcohol and unhealthy diets, the WHO said.

Here are some details about those risk factors and the toll they exact on human health:

Almost 6 million people die from tobacco use each year, both from direct tobacco use and second-hand smoke. By 2020, this number will increase to 7.5 million, accounting for 10 percent of all deaths.

Smoking is estimated to cause about 71 percent of lung cancer, 42 percent of chronic respiratory disease and nearly 10 percent of cardiovascular disease.

EXERCISE

Approximately 3.2 million people die each year due to insufficient physical activity. People who do not take enough exercise have a 20 to 30 percent increased risk of dying prematurely.

Regular exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases including high blood pressure, and of diabetes, breast and colon cancer and depression. Insufficient physical activity is highest in high-income countries, but very high levels are now also seen in some middle-income countries specially among women.

ALCOHOL

Around 2.5 million die each year from the harmful use of alcohol, accounting for about 3.8 percent of all deaths in the world. More than half of these deaths occur from NCDs including cancer, cardiovascular disease and liver cirrhosis. While adult per capita consumption is highest in high-income countries, it is also high in populous upper-middle-income countries.

POOR DIET/OBESITY

At least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Risks of heart disease, strokes and diabetes increase steadily with increasing body mass index (BMI). Raised BMI also increases the risk of certain cancers.

Eating healthy amounts of fruit and vegetables reduces the risk for heart disease, and stomach and colorectal cancer.

Most populations consume much higher levels of salt than recommended by WHO; high salt consumption is a key risk factor for high blood pressure and heart disease.

High consumption of saturated fats and trans-fatty acids is also linked to heart disease. SOURCE: WHO global status report on non-communicable diseases (Compiled by Kate Kelland)

Senate takes up bill to lower NH tobacco tax

A pack of smokes could get cheaper in New Hampshire under a bill being considered by the state Senate.

The Senate votes Wednesday whether to lower the cigarette tax a dime.

The bill has already passed the House to drop the tax from $1.78 per pack to $1.68. Supporters argue it will help businesses gain customers from across the border where cigarettes cost more.

But critics say New Hampshire can't afford to lower taxes at a time when services to the poor are being reduced.

Dems hold cigarette tax hearing

Democrats in the Idaho House vaulted a majority-party stonewall on Monday, holding an informational hearing on their proposed cigarette tax legislation after being denied an official House hearing.
The bill, which was not given a number because it has not been officially introduced, would increase the state tax per pack by $1.25, to $1.82 per pack. According to the bill's fiscal note, it would provide $50 million in additional revenue to the state's general fund.

Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, said the intent is to use the money to offset the cost of smoking-related illnesses to the state Medicaid program. Medicaid has been cut by $39 million for fiscal year 2012, resulting in a total loss of $108 million to the program because of lost federal funding.

Michelle Long, a nurse at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boise, said she supports the tax, which she said would take aim against the "human cost" of smoking.
As a nurse, Long said, she saw many veterans who suffered from smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a category of lung diseases that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
'These patients suffocate to death," she said. "The human cost [of smoking] is a significant factor that needs to be addressed."
However, not all those who testified at Monday's informational hearing spoke in favor. Andrea Jackson, president of the Meridian-based chain of service stations called Jackson Food Stores, said the tax was unfair and would put a dent in the chain's sales.

"About 25 percent of our inside sales come from tobacco," Jackson said, adding that the profit margin was already "very low" on cigarettes.
Jackson also argued that such a tax would discriminate against smokers.

Lawmakers debate tax hike on cigarettes, alcohol to raise revenue

The tax on a $10 cigar would rise from $3 to $5.50 under a bill debated in the Nevada Legislature on Tuesday.

The tax on a bottle of wine would inch up 6 cents, according to Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce, D-Las Vegas, who has introduced a package of bills to raise taxes.

Pierce told the Assembly Taxation Committee that Nevada is in its worst economic situation in 70 years and there are major cuts in education and other social services that she couldn't support.

“The state will be devastated if we do not raise revenue,” Pierce said.

She got support from a variety of health groups, including the American Lung Association, the American Heart Society, March of Dimes, Nevada Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.

But representatives from convenience stores, cigar businesses, and the cigarette and liquor industry argued such a tax hike would result in lower collections of revenue and hurt the economy.

Michael Frey testified he operates six stores that sell cigars in Las Vegas. If this tax is passed, he testified he would have to close four of the stores and lay off 35 of his 50 employees.

Peter Krueger, representing convenience stores and cigar businesses, argued that when taxes are raised, the tax revenue actually declines. He said such a tax hike would result in an "Internet black market" of cigarettes and liquor.

He acknowledged Nevada might need increased revenue and he said he would back a tax on services as long as it is not filled with exemptions.

Amy Bealieu of the American Lung Association said the proposed 80 cent increase on a pack of cigarettes would bring in an additional $63.4 million a year in taxes, while the proposed hike on other tobacco products would produce an additional $5.8 million.

Committee Chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, said Assembly Bill 333 would generate $235 million over the next two fiscal years.

Tom McCoy of the American Cancer Society said the last time cigarette taxes were raised was in 2003. An increase would mean a reduction in smoking, he said.

Other health representatives argued it would cut down on teen smoking and cut medical costs in Nevada.

Assemblyman John Ellison, R-Elko, suggested an increase in liquor taxes would have a big effect on the casino industry, where resorts sometimes give free drinks.

But Pierce noted that no casino representatives appeared at the Legislature to testify.

AB333 would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes to $1.70 and the tax on hard liquor would increase from $3.60 to $4.50 per gallon. The tax on wine would jump from 70 cents to $1 per gallon; the beer tax would rise from 16 to 25 cents a gallon and cordials would be raised from $1.30 to $1.75 per gallon.

The committee didn't take action on the bill.

Single Cigarette Sales: Hot New Growth Industry?

Cigarettes weren't always sold in packs of twenty. Besides rolling your own, it used to be you could walk into almost any deli across town and buy a single smoke or two ("loosies" if you will). Over the years, thanks in no small part to pressure from cops, the sale of loosies in delis has decreased dramatically.

Though we still see them around in certain neighborhoods, they're few and far between. But with packs at $12 or more in New York, is it any surprise that the loosie street trade is booming? To the point that the Times was able to find one loosie vender, Lonnie "Loosie" Warner, who is selling 2,000 smokes a day, mostly two at a time.

Not that there aren't occupational hazards. Apparently the police refer to Lonnie Loosie as "fish," because he is so easy to catch. In four years of selling cigarettes Warner has been arrested nearly 15 times. “When they need a body to arrest, they come pick me up.”
Luckily people seem to like him. "He’s like the goodwill ambassador of Eighth Avenue. And when he comes into court, he says hello to everybody,” one Legal Aide lawyer reported.

Still, to keep those arrests down, Warner (who previously spent 13 years in jail) and his partners have turned their trade into a tobacco version of the classic drug deal, down to having "six eyes on this block.” One upside to their business? No drugs. “We don’t allow people to sell drugs on this block,” he told the paper of record. “We just don’t allow it.”

And who is buying enough smokes at one for $.75 and two for $1 on the street that Warner will soon be able to buy himself health insurance? A little bit of everyone from people looking to save a penny to people who swear they are quitting (we guess they missed their chance at free patches?).

As smoking becomes more and more regulated (and more and more expensive), the appeal of loosies only seems to grow.
Maybe street hustlers will start selling organic homegrown tobacco like Audrey Silk smokes. Meanwhile, we just want to point out that in this New York Times story the photograph of Lonnie Warner doing his thing features him in a Daily News sandwichboard.

MT medical marijuana overhaul on brink of collapse

Regulation of Montana's booming medical marijuana industry teetered on the brink of collapse amid intense bargaining Wednesday by lawmakers seeking a bipartisan compromise.

Senators scrambled for the two-thirds majority now needed to pass the measure after lengthy last-minute rewrites forced lawmakers to miss procedural deadlines.

This latest hurdle is one of many that could cause the regulation in Senate Bill 423 to go up in smoke. Even if the measure clears the Senate, House Republican leaders have said they don't support the Senate's overhaul attempt and remain ardent supporters of banning the medical marijuana altogether.

Medical marijuana was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2004 and remained a mostly small homegrown operation until two years ago, when an explosion of high-profile businesses and cardholders prompted worries in communities across the state. Lawmakers from both parties entered the session promising to do something about industry, which has been targeted in recent federal raids.

But the House's measure to repeal the medical marijuana law has stalled in the Senate. And the House, where Republicans leaders were focused on repeal from the start, never advanced a regulation bill that was two years in the making and initially had the blessing of both law enforcement and the medical marijuana industry.

Lawmakers are now facing the prospect of deadlock and inaction -- raising the specter that the medical marijuana industry could continue to grow with few regulations even though leaders from both parties have said the status quo is unacceptable.

Adding to the uncertainty is a series of raids on medical marijuana businesses earlier this month as part of an 18-month federal investigation into drug trafficking and tax evasion. No charges have been filed, but federal and state authorities executed 26 search warrants and four civil seizure warrants across the state.