Tobacco is packed with harmful and addictive substances. S
cientific evidence has shown conclusively that all forms of tobacco cause health problems throughout life, frequently resulting in death or disability. Smokers have markedly increased risks of multiple cancers, particularly lung cancer, and are at far greater risk of heart disease, strokes, emphysema and many other fatal and non-fatal diseases. If they chew tobacco, they risk cancer of the lip, tongue and mouth. Women suffer additional health risks.
Smoking in pregnancy is dangerous to the mother as well as to the foetus, especially in poor countries where health facilities are inadequate. Maternal smoking is not only harmful during pregnancy, but has long-term effects on the baby after birth. This is often compounded by exposure to passive smoking from the mother, father or other adults smoking.
While tobacco kills millions more than it helps, research is underway examining any possible health benefits of nicotine and also trying to find a safe use for tobacco, particularly in the field of genetic modification. The aim is to produce vaccines or human proteins for medical use, or even to clean up soil that has been contaminated with explosives.
Jan 27, 2010
Dec 15, 2009
Philip Morris and Altria in the Curt
Benjamin Francis, an Alaska resident and citizen, died at
age fifty-two from lung cancer. As Francis’ survivor and on
behalf of his estate, Dolores Hunter brought a wrongful death
lawsuit in Alaska state court against Philip Morris USA, a
Virginia corporation that produces, markets, and distributes
cigarettes; Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris
USA; and the Alaska Commercial Company (“ACC”), an
Alaska corporation that sells merchandise, including cigarettes
manufactured by Philip Morris, in stores throughout
Alaska (all three Appellees are collectively referred to as
“Appellees”).
Hunter alleged that Francis’ death resulted from defective
products sold by Appellees. Hunter’s complaint included
claims of: (I) fraud and misrepresentation, (II) products liability,
(III) failure to warn, (IV) deceptive advertising, (V)
breach of warranty, (VI) conspiracy, and (VII) addiction
defectiveness.
Philip Morris and Altria (together, the “Altria defendants”)
removed the case to the United States District Court for the
District of Alaska. They argued that Hunter’s state law claims
against ACC were preempted by congressional policy not to
remove tobacco from the market and that ACC therefore was
fraudulently joined, resulting in complete diversity of citizenship.
The Altria defendants then filed a motion to dismiss
Hunter’s complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure
12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. Hunter filed a
motion to remand, asserting that her complaint adequately
pleaded a strict products liability claim against ACC under
Alaska state law. She argued that ACC was not fraudulently
13914 HUNTER v. PHILIP MORRIS USA
joined and, consequently, that total diversity between plaintiff
and all defendants did not exist.
The district court denied Hunter’s motion to remand. The
court agreed with the Altria defendants that Hunter’s state
product liability claim against ACC was preempted because
it would result in an effective ban on cigarettes, in contravention
of congressional policy. Hunter therefore had stated no
possible claim against ACC. The court accordingly found that
ACC was fraudulently joined, resulting in diversity of citizenship.
The court denied Hunter’s motion for reconsideration.
The district court then granted the 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss,
reasoning that Hunter had failed to identify the specific
products Francis used and the alleged defects in the products,
and that any product liability claims were preempted by the
congressional intent not to ban the sale of cigarettes. The district
court entered final judgment in favor of Appellees.
Hunter timely appealed.
age fifty-two from lung cancer. As Francis’ survivor and on
behalf of his estate, Dolores Hunter brought a wrongful death
lawsuit in Alaska state court against Philip Morris USA, a
Virginia corporation that produces, markets, and distributes
cigarettes; Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris
USA; and the Alaska Commercial Company (“ACC”), an
Alaska corporation that sells merchandise, including cigarettes
manufactured by Philip Morris, in stores throughout
Alaska (all three Appellees are collectively referred to as
“Appellees”).
Hunter alleged that Francis’ death resulted from defective
products sold by Appellees. Hunter’s complaint included
claims of: (I) fraud and misrepresentation, (II) products liability,
(III) failure to warn, (IV) deceptive advertising, (V)
breach of warranty, (VI) conspiracy, and (VII) addiction
defectiveness.
Philip Morris and Altria (together, the “Altria defendants”)
removed the case to the United States District Court for the
District of Alaska. They argued that Hunter’s state law claims
against ACC were preempted by congressional policy not to
remove tobacco from the market and that ACC therefore was
fraudulently joined, resulting in complete diversity of citizenship.
The Altria defendants then filed a motion to dismiss
Hunter’s complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure
12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. Hunter filed a
motion to remand, asserting that her complaint adequately
pleaded a strict products liability claim against ACC under
Alaska state law. She argued that ACC was not fraudulently
13914 HUNTER v. PHILIP MORRIS USA
joined and, consequently, that total diversity between plaintiff
and all defendants did not exist.
The district court denied Hunter’s motion to remand. The
court agreed with the Altria defendants that Hunter’s state
product liability claim against ACC was preempted because
it would result in an effective ban on cigarettes, in contravention
of congressional policy. Hunter therefore had stated no
possible claim against ACC. The court accordingly found that
ACC was fraudulently joined, resulting in diversity of citizenship.
The court denied Hunter’s motion for reconsideration.
The district court then granted the 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss,
reasoning that Hunter had failed to identify the specific
products Francis used and the alleged defects in the products,
and that any product liability claims were preempted by the
congressional intent not to ban the sale of cigarettes. The district
court entered final judgment in favor of Appellees.
Hunter timely appealed.
Nov 27, 2009
EFFECTIVE TOBACCO-CONTROL PROGRAMS
Numerous organizations have summarized how the organizational-capacity issues
mentioned in Chapter 4 are realized through effective tobacco-control programs. Those
organizations include the federal government, through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); various state governments, such as those
of California and Massachusetts; nongovernment organizations, such as the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine (IOM); and international organizations, such
as the World Health Organization (WHO). This appendix provides an overview of some
successful tobacco-control programs and highlights the components that contribute to their
success.
The United States has several decades of experience in implementing comprehensive
tobacco-control programs, particularly at the state level, many funded through tobacco-tax
initiatives. The programs have resulted in declines in tobacco consumption that greatly exceed
the national average decline. In 2000, IOM and the President’s Cancer Panel issued landmark
reports that concluded that there is overwhelming evidence that comprehensive state tobaccocontrol
programs substantially reduce tobacco use; they recommended that every state fund such
programs at certain specified per capita levels (IOM, 2000; US Surgeon General, 2000). CDC
(2007) recommends that each state fund a tobacco-control program with a target expenditure of
$15–20 per capita, depending on the state’s population, demography, and prevalence of tobacco
use (CDC, 2007). The Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs could
assess the applicability of the CDC formulas for tobacco-control expenditures for states to their
own populations and adjust them accordingly to determine a reasonable tobacco-control budget
for each department.
The 2007 Best Practice for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs, published by
CDC, summarizes the status of state programs and supports a multidimensional approach to
further public-health goals along the entire tobacco-use continuum from prevention to cessation.
It includes a combination of educational, clinical, and social strategies that support the broad
goal of denormalization of tobacco use (CDC, 2007). The recommended strategies fall into five
categories: policies; health promotion and education, including communication interventions (for
example, mass-media–based antitobacco advertising campaigns and innovative approaches, such
as text messaging); cessation interventions (for example, cessation counseling based on the
health-care system, FDA-approved tobacco-cessation medications, and population-based
services, such as toll-free quitlines that are able to provide nicotine-replacement therapy);
surveillance and evaluation; and capacity-building, including administration and management
procedures. Direct interventions on an individual level, including health promotion and
cessation, are important, but the other strategies—including implementation of evidence-based
policies, such as price increases, reduced access to tobacco products, tobacco-free environments,
advertising bans, decreases in out-of-pocket costs of treatment, and countermarketing campaigns to change social norms around tobacco use—all encourage cessation. Therefore, cessation policies and programs should be considered as essential for creating the supportive environment necessary for quitting.
mentioned in Chapter 4 are realized through effective tobacco-control programs. Those
organizations include the federal government, through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); various state governments, such as those
of California and Massachusetts; nongovernment organizations, such as the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine (IOM); and international organizations, such
as the World Health Organization (WHO). This appendix provides an overview of some
successful tobacco-control programs and highlights the components that contribute to their
success.
The United States has several decades of experience in implementing comprehensive
tobacco-control programs, particularly at the state level, many funded through tobacco-tax
initiatives. The programs have resulted in declines in tobacco consumption that greatly exceed
the national average decline. In 2000, IOM and the President’s Cancer Panel issued landmark
reports that concluded that there is overwhelming evidence that comprehensive state tobaccocontrol
programs substantially reduce tobacco use; they recommended that every state fund such
programs at certain specified per capita levels (IOM, 2000; US Surgeon General, 2000). CDC
(2007) recommends that each state fund a tobacco-control program with a target expenditure of
$15–20 per capita, depending on the state’s population, demography, and prevalence of tobacco
use (CDC, 2007). The Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs could
assess the applicability of the CDC formulas for tobacco-control expenditures for states to their
own populations and adjust them accordingly to determine a reasonable tobacco-control budget
for each department.
The 2007 Best Practice for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs, published by
CDC, summarizes the status of state programs and supports a multidimensional approach to
further public-health goals along the entire tobacco-use continuum from prevention to cessation.
It includes a combination of educational, clinical, and social strategies that support the broad
goal of denormalization of tobacco use (CDC, 2007). The recommended strategies fall into five
categories: policies; health promotion and education, including communication interventions (for
example, mass-media–based antitobacco advertising campaigns and innovative approaches, such
as text messaging); cessation interventions (for example, cessation counseling based on the
health-care system, FDA-approved tobacco-cessation medications, and population-based
services, such as toll-free quitlines that are able to provide nicotine-replacement therapy);
surveillance and evaluation; and capacity-building, including administration and management
procedures. Direct interventions on an individual level, including health promotion and
cessation, are important, but the other strategies—including implementation of evidence-based
policies, such as price increases, reduced access to tobacco products, tobacco-free environments,
advertising bans, decreases in out-of-pocket costs of treatment, and countermarketing campaigns to change social norms around tobacco use—all encourage cessation. Therefore, cessation policies and programs should be considered as essential for creating the supportive environment necessary for quitting.
Nov 6, 2009
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TOBACCO USE
The decision to use tobacco depends on many factors, from such personal ones as selfimage
to such societal ones as easy access to cigarettes. Using a socioecologic approach to
examine the factors that encourage and sustain tobacco use in military and veteran populations,
the committee concluded that tobacco use is the result of the interplay among individual
attributes (for example, genetic makeup and demographics), interpersonal factors (such as family
and colleagues), community influences (including work and educational settings), and larger
societal influences (such as political factors and commercial advertising). In the case of military
personnel and veterans, those factors are in operation before entry into the military system and
throughout different phases of military life, including recruitment, training, active duty,
deployment, and discharge or retirement. At the individual level, nicotine addiction and physical
and mental comorbidities contribute to the persistent use of tobacco. At the interpersonal level,
peer and family influences and the role of tobacco in facilitating social connections are
important. Leadership attitudes toward tobacco use in DoD and VA, their organizational
structure, and their current practices and policies may contribute to the lack of progress in
tobacco control. Congressional mandates, economic constraints, and military conflicts also affect
the ability of DOD and VA to become tobacco-free.
to such societal ones as easy access to cigarettes. Using a socioecologic approach to
examine the factors that encourage and sustain tobacco use in military and veteran populations,
the committee concluded that tobacco use is the result of the interplay among individual
attributes (for example, genetic makeup and demographics), interpersonal factors (such as family
and colleagues), community influences (including work and educational settings), and larger
societal influences (such as political factors and commercial advertising). In the case of military
personnel and veterans, those factors are in operation before entry into the military system and
throughout different phases of military life, including recruitment, training, active duty,
deployment, and discharge or retirement. At the individual level, nicotine addiction and physical
and mental comorbidities contribute to the persistent use of tobacco. At the interpersonal level,
peer and family influences and the role of tobacco in facilitating social connections are
important. Leadership attitudes toward tobacco use in DoD and VA, their organizational
structure, and their current practices and policies may contribute to the lack of progress in
tobacco control. Congressional mandates, economic constraints, and military conflicts also affect
the ability of DOD and VA to become tobacco-free.
Oct 22, 2009
Stop smoking tips
Withdrawal Symptoms - As strange as it sounds, withdrawal symptoms are good not bad for
they are true signs of healing of the brain, mind, and body. Within reason, it is fairly safe to blame
most of what you'll feel during the first three days on quitting. But after that you need to listen
closely to your body and if at all concerned get seen and evaluated. If you must, blame symptoms
on where you have been, not where you are going.
Possible Hidden Health Conditions - Each puff of smoke contained more than 4,000 chemicals,
while spit tobacco delivered up to 3,000. One or more of these chemicals may have been masking
an underlying hidden health problem such as a thyroid condition (iodine) or breathing problems in
smokers, including asthma (bronchiodialiators). Tobacco chemicals may also have been interacting
with medications you were already taking and an adjustment may be necessary. Stay alert and get
seen if at all concerned.
Emotional Phases – Chemical dependency upon nicotine was probably the most intense, repetitive,
dependable yet destructive relationship you have ever known. It infects every aspect of life. Be
prepared to experience a normal sense of emotional loss. Expect to travel through and experience
six different emotional recovery phases: (1) denial, (2) anger, (3) bargaining, (4) depression, (5)
acceptance, and (6) complacency.
they are true signs of healing of the brain, mind, and body. Within reason, it is fairly safe to blame
most of what you'll feel during the first three days on quitting. But after that you need to listen
closely to your body and if at all concerned get seen and evaluated. If you must, blame symptoms
on where you have been, not where you are going.
Possible Hidden Health Conditions - Each puff of smoke contained more than 4,000 chemicals,
while spit tobacco delivered up to 3,000. One or more of these chemicals may have been masking
an underlying hidden health problem such as a thyroid condition (iodine) or breathing problems in
smokers, including asthma (bronchiodialiators). Tobacco chemicals may also have been interacting
with medications you were already taking and an adjustment may be necessary. Stay alert and get
seen if at all concerned.
Emotional Phases – Chemical dependency upon nicotine was probably the most intense, repetitive,
dependable yet destructive relationship you have ever known. It infects every aspect of life. Be
prepared to experience a normal sense of emotional loss. Expect to travel through and experience
six different emotional recovery phases: (1) denial, (2) anger, (3) bargaining, (4) depression, (5)
acceptance, and (6) complacency.
Sep 29, 2009
State's tobacco industry helped avert new Pa. tax
Pennsylvania is poised to maintain a long-standing tax exemption on the sales of cigars and smokeless tobacco, despite two attempts by Gov. Ed Rendell over the past three years to remove it.
Even though all other states tax the items, such a tax is not expected to appear in a nearly week-old budget agreement that is still being hammered into shape in the Capitol.
Earlier this year, Rendell proposed the tax to help wipe out the state's multibillion-dollar revenue shortfall. His attempt in 2007 would have helped underwrite an extension of state-subsidized health insurance to adults who lack coverage.
Resistance by Pennsylvania's legislators can be attributed to their desire to protect tobacco growers in southeastern Pennsylvania, cigar makers that employ hundreds and heavy use of snuff and chewing tobacco by miners and steelworkers in southwestern Pennsylvania.
"That would be a very unpopular tax in my communities," said Sen. Richard Kasunic, D-Fayette. "And I'd rather not have to vote on that."
In addition, Pennsylvania is home to four of the nation's eight leading cigar retailers. One, Cigars International of Bethlehem, would have to consider moving to Florida if Pennsylvania approved a tax on cigars, company president Keith Meier told the Senate Finance Committee at a February hearing on Rendell's proposal.
Legislative leaders did, however, agree to extend a new tax on games of chance played by clubs and nonprofits with liquor licenses and tickets for cultural institutions and performing arts events.
They also agreed to raise the tax on cigarettes by a quarter to $1.60 per pack while introducing that tax onto the growing sales of little cigars called cigarillos, which are not made in Pennsylvania and compete with cigars.
Public health groups argued that extending the tax to cigars and smokeless tobacco would be good public policy and a substantial source of revenue if the tax were to be commensurate with the one imposed on cigarettes.
But Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman, R-Centre, said many of his colleagues did not think the $50 million that could be raised under Rendell's proposal was worth it.
Even though all other states tax the items, such a tax is not expected to appear in a nearly week-old budget agreement that is still being hammered into shape in the Capitol.
Earlier this year, Rendell proposed the tax to help wipe out the state's multibillion-dollar revenue shortfall. His attempt in 2007 would have helped underwrite an extension of state-subsidized health insurance to adults who lack coverage.
Resistance by Pennsylvania's legislators can be attributed to their desire to protect tobacco growers in southeastern Pennsylvania, cigar makers that employ hundreds and heavy use of snuff and chewing tobacco by miners and steelworkers in southwestern Pennsylvania.
"That would be a very unpopular tax in my communities," said Sen. Richard Kasunic, D-Fayette. "And I'd rather not have to vote on that."
In addition, Pennsylvania is home to four of the nation's eight leading cigar retailers. One, Cigars International of Bethlehem, would have to consider moving to Florida if Pennsylvania approved a tax on cigars, company president Keith Meier told the Senate Finance Committee at a February hearing on Rendell's proposal.
Legislative leaders did, however, agree to extend a new tax on games of chance played by clubs and nonprofits with liquor licenses and tickets for cultural institutions and performing arts events.
They also agreed to raise the tax on cigarettes by a quarter to $1.60 per pack while introducing that tax onto the growing sales of little cigars called cigarillos, which are not made in Pennsylvania and compete with cigars.
Public health groups argued that extending the tax to cigars and smokeless tobacco would be good public policy and a substantial source of revenue if the tax were to be commensurate with the one imposed on cigarettes.
But Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman, R-Centre, said many of his colleagues did not think the $50 million that could be raised under Rendell's proposal was worth it.
Sep 15, 2009
Utah miners can keep chewing tobacco
Workers at two Utah coal operations won't have to give up chewing tobacco.
A union arbitrator has ruled that a ban on smokeless tobacco at Deer Creek mine and a Castle Dale coal preparation plant violates a collective bargaining agreement for 293 workers.
The operations are run by Energy West Mining Co., a unionized subsidiary of Rocky Mountain Power, which was ordered by a succession of parent companies to adopt the policy.
The United Mine Workers of America filed a grievance in December when PacificCorp, owned by MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., announced it planned to adopt the rule July 1. The ban was never enforced pending the ruling that favored the union Friday.
Arbitrator Fred Butler held that tobacco chewing isn't regulated by the workers' contracts. The only way the company can enforce the policy is through collective negotiations.
A union arbitrator has ruled that a ban on smokeless tobacco at Deer Creek mine and a Castle Dale coal preparation plant violates a collective bargaining agreement for 293 workers.
The operations are run by Energy West Mining Co., a unionized subsidiary of Rocky Mountain Power, which was ordered by a succession of parent companies to adopt the policy.
The United Mine Workers of America filed a grievance in December when PacificCorp, owned by MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., announced it planned to adopt the rule July 1. The ban was never enforced pending the ruling that favored the union Friday.
Arbitrator Fred Butler held that tobacco chewing isn't regulated by the workers' contracts. The only way the company can enforce the policy is through collective negotiations.
Sep 8, 2009
Tax causing steep decline in cigarette sales
A new sales tax has put a dent in cigarette sales.
Steve Douglas says smoking is costing him a lot of money. In July, the state raised the cigarette tax by a dollar, making his two pack a day habit very costly.
"Over $100 a week, that's $400 a month, that's a car payment," says Douglas.
So Douglas, like many other smokers is cutting back.
"I went from 2 packs/day down to one pack," says Douglas.
Paul Montz is in the same boat. He goes through a pack a day and he's trying to quit.
"Both for health reasons as well as cost," says Montz. "Its become astronomical."
These local smokers aren't alone. The entire state has seen a 28% drop in cigarette sales from last year. A 17% drop from June to July of this year.
But, the numbers don't necessarily mean that everyone is quitting. Some Northern Floridians are driving across the border to buy their smokes.
"It's the principle," says Jan who wouldn't tell us her last name. "They don't need to single out smokers for tax."
Other smokers are buying cigarettes online to avoid the tax. But, that's illegal and the state has hired auditors to help monitor sales.
Paul Montz' advice to other smokers? Just quit.
"Before it was just a bad habit, now it's a financial burden," says Montz.
Steve Douglas says smoking is costing him a lot of money. In July, the state raised the cigarette tax by a dollar, making his two pack a day habit very costly.
"Over $100 a week, that's $400 a month, that's a car payment," says Douglas.
So Douglas, like many other smokers is cutting back.
"I went from 2 packs/day down to one pack," says Douglas.
Paul Montz is in the same boat. He goes through a pack a day and he's trying to quit.
"Both for health reasons as well as cost," says Montz. "Its become astronomical."
These local smokers aren't alone. The entire state has seen a 28% drop in cigarette sales from last year. A 17% drop from June to July of this year.
But, the numbers don't necessarily mean that everyone is quitting. Some Northern Floridians are driving across the border to buy their smokes.
"It's the principle," says Jan who wouldn't tell us her last name. "They don't need to single out smokers for tax."
Other smokers are buying cigarettes online to avoid the tax. But, that's illegal and the state has hired auditors to help monitor sales.
Paul Montz' advice to other smokers? Just quit.
"Before it was just a bad habit, now it's a financial burden," says Montz.
Aug 31, 2009
Anti tobacco law will be enforced
This week the Health ministry will start inspections to enforce the anti-tobacco law in restaurants, bars and public places. Reina Roa, health services director for the ministry, said: “Words are finished and now we will proceed to sanction and close temporarily or permanently the places that insist on violating the law. ”
Roa said there were places in Via Argentina that keep separate areas for smokers and this is against the law as no smoking is allowed in public places.
The anti-tobacco law prohibits smoking in private and public offices, collective transportation and enclosed places with public access. Tobacco is the second major cause of death throughout the world. It is currently responsible for the death of about 5 million people each year. If current smoking patterns continue, it will cause some 10 million deaths each year by 2020. Half the people who smoke today - that is about 650 million people - will eventually be killed by tobacco. To report smoking violations the public can call 800-5500.
Graphic Images Could Appear on U.S. Tobacco Products
Graphic images may soon appear on U.S tobacco products. Lawmakers say they hopes to make people think twice before lighting up. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama signed a new law allowing the Federal Drug Administration to regulate how companies market tobacco products.
Under the new law, cigarette companies will soon be required to put new, larger warning labels on their products. U.S. lawmakers and anti-smoking advocates say the act aims to curb youth smoking.
"Young people are the population that the tobacco companies would like to have start smoking, it's the population they would like to have get hooked on nicotine," said Jim Phillips, American Lung Association of Salisbury. " A young person has a whole life time ahead of them to buy cigarettes."
Phillips says if the U.S. follows warnings already in place in other countries, the labels could include graphic pictures showing images like , blackened lungs, mouth and throat cancer. Some say while those images may be powerful, the warnings still won't get everyone to quit.
" People already know, smoking is bad for your health, there's a lot of side effects," said long-time smoker, Gilbert Kandler. " I don't think it is really going to do anything except make the fanatics against smoking feel better about themselves."
Others say the graphic images may prevent some people from smoking.
" I don't think cigarettes should be a product that kids should be encouraged to buy and I think that people should know exactly what smoking could do, said Fawn Mete. "I don't think it is a bad idea."
The FDA now has two years to issue specifics about the new warnings. Tobacco companies then have 18 months to comply.
Under the new law, cigarette companies will soon be required to put new, larger warning labels on their products. U.S. lawmakers and anti-smoking advocates say the act aims to curb youth smoking.
"Young people are the population that the tobacco companies would like to have start smoking, it's the population they would like to have get hooked on nicotine," said Jim Phillips, American Lung Association of Salisbury. " A young person has a whole life time ahead of them to buy cigarettes."
Phillips says if the U.S. follows warnings already in place in other countries, the labels could include graphic pictures showing images like , blackened lungs, mouth and throat cancer. Some say while those images may be powerful, the warnings still won't get everyone to quit.
" People already know, smoking is bad for your health, there's a lot of side effects," said long-time smoker, Gilbert Kandler. " I don't think it is really going to do anything except make the fanatics against smoking feel better about themselves."
Others say the graphic images may prevent some people from smoking.
" I don't think cigarettes should be a product that kids should be encouraged to buy and I think that people should know exactly what smoking could do, said Fawn Mete. "I don't think it is a bad idea."
The FDA now has two years to issue specifics about the new warnings. Tobacco companies then have 18 months to comply.
Aug 26, 2009
Tobacco Tax Gaining Legislative Support
The appetite to raise taxes seems to be growing as the Utah Legislature prepares for an anticipated $700 million budget shortfall. This is especially true for the tobacco tax proposed by Davis County Republican Representative Paul Ray.
“I do not support any type of tax increase normally, but again, this is a tax where the tobacco companies are making billions of dollars off of people — they’re killing people. You know, they’re using blood money, basically,” Ray says. “But yet, the state, this is the only way we have to recoup the money that we’re paying for health care for smokers and so to me it’s a legitimate way to do that.”
Ray’s proposal would nearly double the sales tax on a pack of cigarettes from 69.5 cents to $1.31. Then it would automatically re-set the tax at one cent above the national average, which Ray believes is fitting because Utah doesn’t have many smokers.
Ray says there was enough support to pass his tax increase earlier this year, but legislative leadership wanted to save it as an option for next year. There’s also talk of raising other taxes, including the gas tax and the income tax. But Senate President Michael Waddoups says the tobacco tax increase is the most likely to pass.
“I think there’s a number of revenue sources that need to be looked at,” Waddoups says. “The easy one is the tobacco tax that was discussed last year in my body. I wouldn’t say it was unanimous, but I think it is going to be the easiest one to pass.”
State leaders cut a billion dollars from the budget last year, but about 40 percent of that was restored by federal stimulus money. Without that federal assistance coming in next year, lawmakers might tap up to half of the state’s $420 million Rainy Day Fund.
“I do not support any type of tax increase normally, but again, this is a tax where the tobacco companies are making billions of dollars off of people — they’re killing people. You know, they’re using blood money, basically,” Ray says. “But yet, the state, this is the only way we have to recoup the money that we’re paying for health care for smokers and so to me it’s a legitimate way to do that.”
Ray’s proposal would nearly double the sales tax on a pack of cigarettes from 69.5 cents to $1.31. Then it would automatically re-set the tax at one cent above the national average, which Ray believes is fitting because Utah doesn’t have many smokers.
Ray says there was enough support to pass his tax increase earlier this year, but legislative leadership wanted to save it as an option for next year. There’s also talk of raising other taxes, including the gas tax and the income tax. But Senate President Michael Waddoups says the tobacco tax increase is the most likely to pass.
“I think there’s a number of revenue sources that need to be looked at,” Waddoups says. “The easy one is the tobacco tax that was discussed last year in my body. I wouldn’t say it was unanimous, but I think it is going to be the easiest one to pass.”
State leaders cut a billion dollars from the budget last year, but about 40 percent of that was restored by federal stimulus money. Without that federal assistance coming in next year, lawmakers might tap up to half of the state’s $420 million Rainy Day Fund.
Hospital going tobacco free
In a move that follows other area health care providers, Wesley Medical Center will be tobacco free beginning Sept. 1.
Hattiesburg Clinic recently announced it will go tobacco free Nov. 19 and Forrest General Hospital banned tobacco products last year.
The ban includes Wesley's Hardy Street campus and off-site clinics in the community and applies to employees, medical staff, patients and visitors.
"Our hospital is concerned about the health and well-being of everyone who visits and is employed on our campus," said Wesley CEO Ron Seal. "We are committed to providing a healthy environment, and this policy puts us one step closer to realizing our full potential."
Human Resources Director Terry Trigg said the hospital formed a committee to begin the process in January.
"A committee was formed to evaluate our needs, develop our policies and gather resources for program implementation," he said. "Wesley feels this will create a healthy environment for our patients and visitors as well as improve the health of our work force."
David Hollis, Wesley's business development coordinator, said the general public and employees can take advantage of tobacco-cessation programs.
Chief Nursing Officer Andrea Brenn said a number of employees are planning a "quit strategy" by reducing tobacco usage or using nicotine replacement therapy.
"We realize that our employees who use tobacco products will have some difficult days ahead," she said. "However, we are all here for them and will support them during this transition."
Employees willing to kick the habit can participate in the Freshstart program sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The program consists of four one-hour sessions over a two-week period and functions in group-therapy format where participants address the physiologic and psychologic symptoms and issues with nicotine addiction.
"Our first group has proven to be a success," Hollis said. "We will continue to evaluate the needs of our employees and their interests in our offering programs like this on an ongoing basis."
Hollis said the general public can contact the American Cancer Society's toll free quitline - (877) 937-7848 - for personal counseling or visit the Web site www.cancer.org for information and resources.
Trigg said the change has been well received by the leadership, employees and medical staff.
"Additionally, this will help support our goal of promoting a healthy and safe environment for our patients, employees, medical staff and visitors," he said.
Hattiesburg Clinic recently announced it will go tobacco free Nov. 19 and Forrest General Hospital banned tobacco products last year.
The ban includes Wesley's Hardy Street campus and off-site clinics in the community and applies to employees, medical staff, patients and visitors.
"Our hospital is concerned about the health and well-being of everyone who visits and is employed on our campus," said Wesley CEO Ron Seal. "We are committed to providing a healthy environment, and this policy puts us one step closer to realizing our full potential."
Human Resources Director Terry Trigg said the hospital formed a committee to begin the process in January.
"A committee was formed to evaluate our needs, develop our policies and gather resources for program implementation," he said. "Wesley feels this will create a healthy environment for our patients and visitors as well as improve the health of our work force."
David Hollis, Wesley's business development coordinator, said the general public and employees can take advantage of tobacco-cessation programs.
Chief Nursing Officer Andrea Brenn said a number of employees are planning a "quit strategy" by reducing tobacco usage or using nicotine replacement therapy.
"We realize that our employees who use tobacco products will have some difficult days ahead," she said. "However, we are all here for them and will support them during this transition."
Employees willing to kick the habit can participate in the Freshstart program sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The program consists of four one-hour sessions over a two-week period and functions in group-therapy format where participants address the physiologic and psychologic symptoms and issues with nicotine addiction.
"Our first group has proven to be a success," Hollis said. "We will continue to evaluate the needs of our employees and their interests in our offering programs like this on an ongoing basis."
Hollis said the general public can contact the American Cancer Society's toll free quitline - (877) 937-7848 - for personal counseling or visit the Web site www.cancer.org for information and resources.
Trigg said the change has been well received by the leadership, employees and medical staff.
"Additionally, this will help support our goal of promoting a healthy and safe environment for our patients, employees, medical staff and visitors," he said.
Aug 13, 2009
Tobacco Farmers Offered Grants
Grants are available for assistance in replacing lost tobacco income.
The Moore County Cooper-ative Extension Service has scheduled a "how to apply" workshop on Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. at the Agricultural Center in Carthage, according to Taylor Williams, agriculture agent. Future workshops will be announced later.
Williams says all farmers who make an income from agriculture in the central Piedmont counties are eligible to apply.
Through its Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund, the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA) is offering cost-share grants of up to $10,000 for individual farmers and up to $30,000 for groups to assist with the development of on-farm and community demonstrations of innovative ways to replace lost tobacco income.
The Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund provides cost-share support for farmers to try new production, marketing and processing strategies in order to earn more income on the farm.
The application process is competitive, and high priority will be given to innovative projects that show farmers a new direction or opportunity.
The Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund receives considerable support from a grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
The Moore County Cooper-ative Extension Service has scheduled a "how to apply" workshop on Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. at the Agricultural Center in Carthage, according to Taylor Williams, agriculture agent. Future workshops will be announced later.
Williams says all farmers who make an income from agriculture in the central Piedmont counties are eligible to apply.
Through its Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund, the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA) is offering cost-share grants of up to $10,000 for individual farmers and up to $30,000 for groups to assist with the development of on-farm and community demonstrations of innovative ways to replace lost tobacco income.
The Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund provides cost-share support for farmers to try new production, marketing and processing strategies in order to earn more income on the farm.
The application process is competitive, and high priority will be given to innovative projects that show farmers a new direction or opportunity.
The Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund receives considerable support from a grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
Aug 11, 2009
Electronic Cigarettes are much safer than tobacco cigarettes
Last week the FDA announced that their laboratory tests detected carcinogens (tobacco-specific nitrosamines) in electronic cigarettes and warned electronic cigarette smokers to stop using electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes. This scare tactic certainly made front page news, but it was not the entire story.
Nitrosamines are compounds that are in tobacco cigarettes, but are also found in beer, fish, meat and cheese. The levels of these 2 compounds were found in trace amounts in electronic cigarettes, especially when compared to tobacco cigarettes. Dr. Michael Siegel, a physician who specializes in public health and preventative medicine, states that the nitrosamine levels found in electronic cigarettes are comparable to levels in nicotine replacement products, such as NicoDerm CQ, which are approved by the FDA. "In contrast, the level of tobacco-specific nitrosamines present in tobacco
products are 300 to 1400 times higher."
The FDA seems to be trying to sway public opinion by not providing all the facts to the consumer. Sabina King of www.e-cigarettedirect.com" target="_blank">www.e-CigaretteDirect.com stated that the "FDA scare intimidated some of our customers. After learning all the facts, customers continued to place their electronic cigarette orders. We feel that electronic cigarettes are a healthier option for cigarette smokers. Our sales have increased at astounding rates every month. This demonstrates the need of these potentially life-saving products by consumers."
Electronic cigarettes are touted by some to help them quit smoking. Many e-cigarette smokers claim they feel better and breathe easier using electronic cigarettes versus traditional tobacco cigarettes. Distributors of electronic cigarettes say that their products have helped many people kick the habit.
Electronic cigarettes are intended to replace traditional cigarettes. They produce no second-hand smoke, allowing e-cigarette smokers to 'smoke' inside establishments that normally ban tobacco cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes contain only 20 ingredients, as opposed to tobacco cigarettes that contain over 4,000 chemicals, including known toxins and carcinogens.
Several leading tobacco researchers, including Dr. Siegel and Dr. Joel Nitzkin of the AAPHP Tobacco Control task Force have criticized the FDA and request that the FDA validate their warning with more substantial scientific evidence.
Nitrosamines are compounds that are in tobacco cigarettes, but are also found in beer, fish, meat and cheese. The levels of these 2 compounds were found in trace amounts in electronic cigarettes, especially when compared to tobacco cigarettes. Dr. Michael Siegel, a physician who specializes in public health and preventative medicine, states that the nitrosamine levels found in electronic cigarettes are comparable to levels in nicotine replacement products, such as NicoDerm CQ, which are approved by the FDA. "In contrast, the level of tobacco-specific nitrosamines present in tobacco
products are 300 to 1400 times higher."
The FDA seems to be trying to sway public opinion by not providing all the facts to the consumer. Sabina King of www.e-cigarettedirect.com" target="_blank">www.e-CigaretteDirect.com stated that the "FDA scare intimidated some of our customers. After learning all the facts, customers continued to place their electronic cigarette orders. We feel that electronic cigarettes are a healthier option for cigarette smokers. Our sales have increased at astounding rates every month. This demonstrates the need of these potentially life-saving products by consumers."
Electronic cigarettes are touted by some to help them quit smoking. Many e-cigarette smokers claim they feel better and breathe easier using electronic cigarettes versus traditional tobacco cigarettes. Distributors of electronic cigarettes say that their products have helped many people kick the habit.
Electronic cigarettes are intended to replace traditional cigarettes. They produce no second-hand smoke, allowing e-cigarette smokers to 'smoke' inside establishments that normally ban tobacco cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes contain only 20 ingredients, as opposed to tobacco cigarettes that contain over 4,000 chemicals, including known toxins and carcinogens.
Several leading tobacco researchers, including Dr. Siegel and Dr. Joel Nitzkin of the AAPHP Tobacco Control task Force have criticized the FDA and request that the FDA validate their warning with more substantial scientific evidence.
Philip Morris is test-marketing roll-your-own tobacco
Philip Morris USA has started test-marketing roll-your-own cigarette tobacco, its first venture into that market.
This summer, the nation's No. 1 cigarette-maker started selling pouches and canisters of L&M brand tobacco in Maine and Michigan, spokesman Bill Phelps said.
"It's a very small market, but it's growing fast," he said.
Last year, roll-your-own tobacco sales jumped 17 percent to more than 20 million pounds, U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau statistics show. During the past five years, sales jumped 60 percent.
One reason: It costs significantly less than a pack of cigarettes to make roughly the same number of cigarettes from roll-your-own tobacco.
Henrico County-based Philip Morris, for instance, is selling three-quarter-ounce pouches of L&M brand roll-your-own tobacco, enough to make a bit more than 20 cigarettes, for $4 in Maine and Michigan. The pouches include rolling paper.
Cigarettes sell for about $6 a pack in those relatively high-tax states.
Tobacco-control advocates say high taxes are one of the best ways to cut smoking.
"Our fear is what happens when federal and state taxes rise. . . . Rather than quitting smoking, some smokers just switch to discount brands, and some switch to roll-your-own," said Eric N. Lindblom, director of policy research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a nonprofit public-health advocacy group.
Philip Morris' entry into the market could have a major impact, in part because of the company's marketing muscle, he said.
But selling roll-your-own under a cigarette brand name also could transform the market and attract smokers who never considered the traditional roll-your-own brands such as Drum or Bull Durham, he said.
Philip Morris acquired the L&M brand in 1999 and has positioned the one-time flagship of the old Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co. as a discount brand.
Compared with conventional cigarettes, though, the roll-your-own market still is small.
The number of cigarettes that smokers made with roll-your-own tobacco amounted to the equivalent of about 5 percent of the number of cigarettes sold last year, a Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis of tax data shows.
A major wild card affecting growth could be recent federal tax increases on tobacco.
While federal cigarette taxes just jumped by 61.66 cents a pack to $1.0066, -- a 158 percent increase -- the federal excise tax on roll-your-own rose more than twentyfold, to $24.78 per pound. That translates to $1.16 for a three-quarter-ounce pouch.
The change reflects new estimates of how much tobacco is in a cigarette and is aimed at ending roll-your-own tobacco's long-standing tax advantage, Lindblom said. The estimate assumes there is about 0.65 ounce of tobacco in a pack of cigarettes.
So far, it seems to have had an effect: Roll-your-own sales are down 17 percent this year, bringing them back nearly to 2007 levels, federal tax figures show.
What will happen now to the market as Philip Morris tests the waters could be critical, Lindblom said.
"It appears they want to control the full spectrum of tobacco products," he said.
This summer, the nation's No. 1 cigarette-maker started selling pouches and canisters of L&M brand tobacco in Maine and Michigan, spokesman Bill Phelps said.
"It's a very small market, but it's growing fast," he said.
Last year, roll-your-own tobacco sales jumped 17 percent to more than 20 million pounds, U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau statistics show. During the past five years, sales jumped 60 percent.
One reason: It costs significantly less than a pack of cigarettes to make roughly the same number of cigarettes from roll-your-own tobacco.
Henrico County-based Philip Morris, for instance, is selling three-quarter-ounce pouches of L&M brand roll-your-own tobacco, enough to make a bit more than 20 cigarettes, for $4 in Maine and Michigan. The pouches include rolling paper.
Cigarettes sell for about $6 a pack in those relatively high-tax states.
Tobacco-control advocates say high taxes are one of the best ways to cut smoking.
"Our fear is what happens when federal and state taxes rise. . . . Rather than quitting smoking, some smokers just switch to discount brands, and some switch to roll-your-own," said Eric N. Lindblom, director of policy research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a nonprofit public-health advocacy group.
Philip Morris' entry into the market could have a major impact, in part because of the company's marketing muscle, he said.
But selling roll-your-own under a cigarette brand name also could transform the market and attract smokers who never considered the traditional roll-your-own brands such as Drum or Bull Durham, he said.
Philip Morris acquired the L&M brand in 1999 and has positioned the one-time flagship of the old Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co. as a discount brand.
Compared with conventional cigarettes, though, the roll-your-own market still is small.
The number of cigarettes that smokers made with roll-your-own tobacco amounted to the equivalent of about 5 percent of the number of cigarettes sold last year, a Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis of tax data shows.
A major wild card affecting growth could be recent federal tax increases on tobacco.
While federal cigarette taxes just jumped by 61.66 cents a pack to $1.0066, -- a 158 percent increase -- the federal excise tax on roll-your-own rose more than twentyfold, to $24.78 per pound. That translates to $1.16 for a three-quarter-ounce pouch.
The change reflects new estimates of how much tobacco is in a cigarette and is aimed at ending roll-your-own tobacco's long-standing tax advantage, Lindblom said. The estimate assumes there is about 0.65 ounce of tobacco in a pack of cigarettes.
So far, it seems to have had an effect: Roll-your-own sales are down 17 percent this year, bringing them back nearly to 2007 levels, federal tax figures show.
What will happen now to the market as Philip Morris tests the waters could be critical, Lindblom said.
"It appears they want to control the full spectrum of tobacco products," he said.
Aug 5, 2009
Southwest Florida cigarette sales go up in smoke
It’s been a month since cigarette smokers in Florida have been paying more than $6 a pack — and the state says the new $1 tax is on track to net about $1 billion next year.
Amy Baker, coordinator for the Florida Legislature’s Economic & Demographic Research office, said the total in new tax money for July won’t be known until mid-month, but the $899 million predicted for the year in cigarette taxes would more than triple what the state brought in last year on all tobacco products.
That extra buck has many smokers changing, if not quitting their habits, including buying cartons online. And some retailers in Lee report sales are off as much as 30 percent.
“People are cutting down. They’re trying to make a pack last longer,” said Sue Burbar, owner of Gas & Shop Food Mart on Hancock Bridge Parkway in Cape Coral. “One of my employees goes outside, smokes a half of a cigarette, puts it out and then finishes the rest later.”
Burbar said sales are down 30 to 40 percent.
Jim Smith, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association, which represents 5,300 of the state’s 9,200 convenience stores/gas stations, said from his Tallahassee office that the tax is hurting small businesses.
“All we have right now is anecdotal evidence and what our members along the northern border of the state are telling us is that sales here are down 10 to 15 percent,” Smith said, adding that tobacco products account for 34 percent of a convenience store’s sales outside of gasoline. “That’s a third of their profit — gone.”
The reason for the decline doesn’t have much to do with people quitting, Smith suspects.
“Certainly some people have chosen not to smoke,” he said. Others, however, are driving across the Florida border to Alabama and Georgia and stocking up. Others are finding Internet sites that offer cartons for as low as $16 compared to the $46 price tag of a store-bought carton, he said.
The state collected $279 million in taxes on all tobacco products last year and generated between $18 million to $22 million per month from taxes on cigarettes alone, Baker said.
Amy Baker, coordinator for the Florida Legislature’s Economic & Demographic Research office, said the total in new tax money for July won’t be known until mid-month, but the $899 million predicted for the year in cigarette taxes would more than triple what the state brought in last year on all tobacco products.
That extra buck has many smokers changing, if not quitting their habits, including buying cartons online. And some retailers in Lee report sales are off as much as 30 percent.
“People are cutting down. They’re trying to make a pack last longer,” said Sue Burbar, owner of Gas & Shop Food Mart on Hancock Bridge Parkway in Cape Coral. “One of my employees goes outside, smokes a half of a cigarette, puts it out and then finishes the rest later.”
Burbar said sales are down 30 to 40 percent.
Jim Smith, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association, which represents 5,300 of the state’s 9,200 convenience stores/gas stations, said from his Tallahassee office that the tax is hurting small businesses.
“All we have right now is anecdotal evidence and what our members along the northern border of the state are telling us is that sales here are down 10 to 15 percent,” Smith said, adding that tobacco products account for 34 percent of a convenience store’s sales outside of gasoline. “That’s a third of their profit — gone.”
The reason for the decline doesn’t have much to do with people quitting, Smith suspects.
“Certainly some people have chosen not to smoke,” he said. Others, however, are driving across the Florida border to Alabama and Georgia and stocking up. Others are finding Internet sites that offer cartons for as low as $16 compared to the $46 price tag of a store-bought carton, he said.
The state collected $279 million in taxes on all tobacco products last year and generated between $18 million to $22 million per month from taxes on cigarettes alone, Baker said.
Jul 24, 2009
Blue mold alert issued for east Kentucky tobacco
Growers located in the vicinity and east of the initial find, especially those with young plants, should scout their fields for the disease and apply a preventative fungicide, said Kenny Seebold, Extension plant pathologist in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.
The disease was present on nearly 100 percent of tobacco in two fields totaling about 15 acres, and significant levels of the disease were present in nearby fields. The disease likely arrived over the July 4 weekend. The find is significant because the disease is widespread in the infected areas, and recent weather conditions were favorable for the disease to spread.
"In many years, blue mold shows up in an isolated case or the weather is too dry to promote rapid spread," Seebold said. "However, the cooler-than-normal temperatures we have had were ideal for the disease to spread."
In addition, many growers this year delayed planting because of the wet spring, which means there are still significant amounts of young plants. Blue mold is more likely to damage these plants. In a normal year, much of the state's tobacco is topped by now and not as susceptible to blue mold.
Growers near the infection site and eastward should apply a fungicide to contain and prevent the disease. Quadris or a combination of a mancozeb fungicide with a fungicide containing dimethomorph are the most effective against blue mold.
"When applying fungicides for control of blue mold, good coverage is critical for getting adequate control of disease," he said. "This means using an appropriate application volume and drop nozzles to get fungicide materials down into the lower plant canopy."
Those who have already topped their tobacco or will do so in the next few days may not need a fungicide application, but they need to have good sucker control because blue mold is attracted to suckers.
Growers west of Clark County have a low risk for disease development so spraying is not as critical, but some may want to apply a fungicide to prevent blue mold's onset. These farmers should look for the disease and be prepared to spray if favorable disease movement conditions are predicted or if blue mold is found in your area.
The disease was present on nearly 100 percent of tobacco in two fields totaling about 15 acres, and significant levels of the disease were present in nearby fields. The disease likely arrived over the July 4 weekend. The find is significant because the disease is widespread in the infected areas, and recent weather conditions were favorable for the disease to spread.
"In many years, blue mold shows up in an isolated case or the weather is too dry to promote rapid spread," Seebold said. "However, the cooler-than-normal temperatures we have had were ideal for the disease to spread."
In addition, many growers this year delayed planting because of the wet spring, which means there are still significant amounts of young plants. Blue mold is more likely to damage these plants. In a normal year, much of the state's tobacco is topped by now and not as susceptible to blue mold.
Growers near the infection site and eastward should apply a fungicide to contain and prevent the disease. Quadris or a combination of a mancozeb fungicide with a fungicide containing dimethomorph are the most effective against blue mold.
"When applying fungicides for control of blue mold, good coverage is critical for getting adequate control of disease," he said. "This means using an appropriate application volume and drop nozzles to get fungicide materials down into the lower plant canopy."
Those who have already topped their tobacco or will do so in the next few days may not need a fungicide application, but they need to have good sucker control because blue mold is attracted to suckers.
Growers west of Clark County have a low risk for disease development so spraying is not as critical, but some may want to apply a fungicide to prevent blue mold's onset. These farmers should look for the disease and be prepared to spray if favorable disease movement conditions are predicted or if blue mold is found in your area.
Council passes tobacco ordinance
The New Orleans City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Thursday that would ban new businesses from selling tobacco products within a 1000 feet radius of city schools, churches, playgrounds and libraries.
The final vote was seven to zero.
Now, Mayor Ray Nagin has 10 days to veto the ordinance, otherwise it will become law.
Existing businesses that already sell tobacco products within the boundaries will be excluded from the new law.
The ordinance was proposed by Councilwoman Stacy Head. She said in an interview with Eyewitness News on Monday tobacco should be treated the same way as alcohol.
"We don't allow liquor sales often very close to churches and close to schools and close to parks,” Head said. “We should have the same rules for tobacco. It's gonna help, again, set an environment around a school that's going to be more wholesome."
The final vote was seven to zero.
Now, Mayor Ray Nagin has 10 days to veto the ordinance, otherwise it will become law.
Existing businesses that already sell tobacco products within the boundaries will be excluded from the new law.
The ordinance was proposed by Councilwoman Stacy Head. She said in an interview with Eyewitness News on Monday tobacco should be treated the same way as alcohol.
"We don't allow liquor sales often very close to churches and close to schools and close to parks,” Head said. “We should have the same rules for tobacco. It's gonna help, again, set an environment around a school that's going to be more wholesome."
Jul 22, 2009
Native American Indian Youth “Anti-Tobacco Summit”
Native Americans from across Georgia gathered in Hawkinsville to warn young people about the dangers of tobacco in the Native American Indian Youth Anti-Tobacco Summit.
It’s a three-day event that started Tuesday and runs through Thursday at noon. The goal of the summit is to teach children from an early age how harmful tobacco can be, while preserving its traditional uses, like during religious ceremonies or for medicinal purposes.
Lance Allrunner, with the Native American Cancer Research Corporation says tobacco products people buy in the store is different from tobacco used for traditional reasons. He says commercial tobacco has more toxins. He wants to see more young people working to make positive changes.
“Teach our young people about the traditional values being with the state people around policy-making. That’s a big part of what we want young people here to understand,” said Allrunner.
16 year-old Karissa Bedell of Perry, Florida attended the summit. She says she sees teens smoking and doing other drugs, but she doesn’t understand it. She hope she can take what she learns at the summit, and show others the way.
It’s a three-day event that started Tuesday and runs through Thursday at noon. The goal of the summit is to teach children from an early age how harmful tobacco can be, while preserving its traditional uses, like during religious ceremonies or for medicinal purposes.
Lance Allrunner, with the Native American Cancer Research Corporation says tobacco products people buy in the store is different from tobacco used for traditional reasons. He says commercial tobacco has more toxins. He wants to see more young people working to make positive changes.
“Teach our young people about the traditional values being with the state people around policy-making. That’s a big part of what we want young people here to understand,” said Allrunner.
16 year-old Karissa Bedell of Perry, Florida attended the summit. She says she sees teens smoking and doing other drugs, but she doesn’t understand it. She hope she can take what she learns at the summit, and show others the way.
Jul 20, 2009
Tobacco board to begin asset sale
A different kind of auction sale will be held this week at the tobacco auction exchange in Delhi.
No tobacco will be tendered. Instead, it will be the tools, equipment and furnishings that were used in recent decades to bring the golden leaf to market.
The sale is a visible reminder that the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board, as previously constituted, is no more. The board, as a marketer of tobacco, passed into history this spring. An interim board was installed June 1 whose major responsibility is getting a fair dollar for its assets.
Once the forklifts, pallet carts, roller tables, oak desks and office chairs are sold this Wednesday, the board will set its sights on its real estate.
"We plan to advertise for a request-for-proposals for the possible sale or lease of the Delhi Exchange," president Fred Neukamm of Aylmer said.
The assets of the tobacco board belong to former quota holders. A report tabled at last week's meeting estimates the board's net worth at $2.7 million.
This spring, the federal government bought out 271 million pounds of tobacco quota. At $1.05 a pound, the payout amounted to $285 million. Now that the money has been paid, the board has been dissolved as a marketing agency.
Once the board's assets are sold, former quota holders will be entitled to a share of the proceeds based on the total amount of their poundage. They will also have the option of pooling their share into a collective undertaking in some other area such as green energy.
Neukamm said the tobacco belt has great potential as a producer of biomass for the production of clean electricity. Ontario Power Generation is exploring the feasibility of converting the coal-fired generation station in Nanticoke to biomass.
The new tobacco board consists of five members. They were appointed this spring by the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission. The board has an interim operating budget of $220,000. The funds are derived from a penny-per-pound charge on the 22-million pound crop being grown this year by licencees under contract to manufacturers.
The interim board plans to hold a membership vote this fall on its future direction. It remains to be seen whether the 118 licensees are interested in having a trade group like the tobacco board represent their interests. There were strong indications that former quota holders don't want their interests entangled with those who continue to grow tobacco.
No tobacco will be tendered. Instead, it will be the tools, equipment and furnishings that were used in recent decades to bring the golden leaf to market.
The sale is a visible reminder that the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board, as previously constituted, is no more. The board, as a marketer of tobacco, passed into history this spring. An interim board was installed June 1 whose major responsibility is getting a fair dollar for its assets.
Once the forklifts, pallet carts, roller tables, oak desks and office chairs are sold this Wednesday, the board will set its sights on its real estate.
"We plan to advertise for a request-for-proposals for the possible sale or lease of the Delhi Exchange," president Fred Neukamm of Aylmer said.
The assets of the tobacco board belong to former quota holders. A report tabled at last week's meeting estimates the board's net worth at $2.7 million.
This spring, the federal government bought out 271 million pounds of tobacco quota. At $1.05 a pound, the payout amounted to $285 million. Now that the money has been paid, the board has been dissolved as a marketing agency.
Once the board's assets are sold, former quota holders will be entitled to a share of the proceeds based on the total amount of their poundage. They will also have the option of pooling their share into a collective undertaking in some other area such as green energy.
Neukamm said the tobacco belt has great potential as a producer of biomass for the production of clean electricity. Ontario Power Generation is exploring the feasibility of converting the coal-fired generation station in Nanticoke to biomass.
The new tobacco board consists of five members. They were appointed this spring by the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission. The board has an interim operating budget of $220,000. The funds are derived from a penny-per-pound charge on the 22-million pound crop being grown this year by licencees under contract to manufacturers.
The interim board plans to hold a membership vote this fall on its future direction. It remains to be seen whether the 118 licensees are interested in having a trade group like the tobacco board represent their interests. There were strong indications that former quota holders don't want their interests entangled with those who continue to grow tobacco.
Pentagon Won't Ban Tobacco Use in Military
The Pentagon said today that it will not ban the use of tobacco in the military, the Associated Press reports.
The announcement comes after a study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Department of Veteran Affairs recommended terminating the use and sale of tobacco products on military property. The study also recommended the military ensure enlistees are smoke-free.
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Wednesday that Defense Secretary Robert Gates doesn't want to add to the stress levels of troops fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by taking away tobacco products. He also said that Gates plans on pursuing the goal of a smoke-free military, according to the AP.
When the news broke that the Pentagon was considering a tobacco ban, many voices came out in protest. Jeff Emanuel wrote in a CBSNews.com op-ed that the servicemembers shouldn't be subject to a blanket smoking ban.
"Yes, tobacco has been proven to cause both short and long-term health problems - but are we really going to preach about health benefits of their activities to Americans we pay (albeit poorly) to be shot at for a living?" Emanuel asked.
Retired Navy veteran Bobby McCarter, meanwhile, said that he is "totally against" the smoking ban, MSNBC reports. McCarter, who served 20 years in the Navy, said that the men and women in combat need a "cigarette break for stress relief."
Newsweek's Adam Weinstein, who has spent seven months on Camp Victory in Baghdad, said that the general reaction of the soldiers to the study was this: "Bullets and mortars. Desert heat and polluted Mideast air. And now this? Shut up, do-gooders; go hug a tree someplace, and let me have my menthols."
Some do support an idea of the ban for the greater good, however. While Emanuel says that tobacco use is an "ingrained" part of military culture, Weinstein points out that the study suggests the ban over a period of 20 years and that the stereotype surrounding smoking in the military "can – and should – change."
"If the health risks of smoking among soldiers can be done away with, even incrementally, then it’s time to start," Weinstein said. "It would lead to a fitter force. It would cut down on the staggering health-care costs for veterans. And it would save lives in the long term—an oft-stated priority for the generals and admirals who command America’s serving sons and daughters."
Emanuel, however, says that the physical standards already in place in the military show that a ban on smoking would not lead to a "fitter force."
"If soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines can meet the physical standards their respective chains of command have set for them, what they legally do in their own time should be considered entirely irrelevant, as it has been demonstrably shown to have no effect on their ability to meet those standards," he argues.
The announcement comes after a study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Department of Veteran Affairs recommended terminating the use and sale of tobacco products on military property. The study also recommended the military ensure enlistees are smoke-free.
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Wednesday that Defense Secretary Robert Gates doesn't want to add to the stress levels of troops fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by taking away tobacco products. He also said that Gates plans on pursuing the goal of a smoke-free military, according to the AP.
When the news broke that the Pentagon was considering a tobacco ban, many voices came out in protest. Jeff Emanuel wrote in a CBSNews.com op-ed that the servicemembers shouldn't be subject to a blanket smoking ban.
"Yes, tobacco has been proven to cause both short and long-term health problems - but are we really going to preach about health benefits of their activities to Americans we pay (albeit poorly) to be shot at for a living?" Emanuel asked.
Retired Navy veteran Bobby McCarter, meanwhile, said that he is "totally against" the smoking ban, MSNBC reports. McCarter, who served 20 years in the Navy, said that the men and women in combat need a "cigarette break for stress relief."
Newsweek's Adam Weinstein, who has spent seven months on Camp Victory in Baghdad, said that the general reaction of the soldiers to the study was this: "Bullets and mortars. Desert heat and polluted Mideast air. And now this? Shut up, do-gooders; go hug a tree someplace, and let me have my menthols."
Some do support an idea of the ban for the greater good, however. While Emanuel says that tobacco use is an "ingrained" part of military culture, Weinstein points out that the study suggests the ban over a period of 20 years and that the stereotype surrounding smoking in the military "can – and should – change."
"If the health risks of smoking among soldiers can be done away with, even incrementally, then it’s time to start," Weinstein said. "It would lead to a fitter force. It would cut down on the staggering health-care costs for veterans. And it would save lives in the long term—an oft-stated priority for the generals and admirals who command America’s serving sons and daughters."
Emanuel, however, says that the physical standards already in place in the military show that a ban on smoking would not lead to a "fitter force."
"If soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines can meet the physical standards their respective chains of command have set for them, what they legally do in their own time should be considered entirely irrelevant, as it has been demonstrably shown to have no effect on their ability to meet those standards," he argues.
Jul 17, 2009
Oneida County fares well on Wisconsin Wins tobacco compliance project
The Oneida County Health Department has been conducting tobacco compliance checks throughout the county. Beth VanderWielen, a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is working on the Wisconsin Wins project and visiting about 186 Oneida County tobacco license holders to find out which businesses are complying with the law and which ones may need to provide their employees with more training regarding tobacco sales.
“The experience so far has been uneventful” said Beth VanderWielen, Oneida County Student Intern. “I’m glad to see that the majority of retailers refuse tobacco sales to minors and are appreciative of the program.”
The Oneida County rate of illegal tobacco sales to minors has taken a significant decrease over the last eight years. In 2001, the illegal sale rate was over 38% and at the midpoint of 2009, it is 3%. There have been 113 checks completed with only 3 businesses selling tobacco to a minor. Both retailers as well as their employees who make illegal sales are subject to fines.
“My goal is to help youth attain healthy, happy and productive futures,” said VanderWielen. “Cigarettes alone are responsible for more deaths than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined.” The CDC estimates that adult male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers loose 14.5 years of life as direct result of smoking.
VanderWielen will be attending the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Medical Doctorate program this fall.
“The experience so far has been uneventful” said Beth VanderWielen, Oneida County Student Intern. “I’m glad to see that the majority of retailers refuse tobacco sales to minors and are appreciative of the program.”
The Oneida County rate of illegal tobacco sales to minors has taken a significant decrease over the last eight years. In 2001, the illegal sale rate was over 38% and at the midpoint of 2009, it is 3%. There have been 113 checks completed with only 3 businesses selling tobacco to a minor. Both retailers as well as their employees who make illegal sales are subject to fines.
“My goal is to help youth attain healthy, happy and productive futures,” said VanderWielen. “Cigarettes alone are responsible for more deaths than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined.” The CDC estimates that adult male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers loose 14.5 years of life as direct result of smoking.
VanderWielen will be attending the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Medical Doctorate program this fall.
Jul 15, 2009
Survey finds big drop in Indiana teen smoking
A new survey finds that cigarette smoking among Indiana's high school students has dropped by about 40 percent since 2000.
The Indiana Youth Tobacco Survey says that 18.3 percent of the state's high school students smoked last year, down from 31.6 percent at the start of the decade. The drop was even bigger among middle school students, falling from 9.8 percent in 2000 to 4.1 percent in 2008.
The Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation agency's report also found that fewer than 10 percent of teens are established smokers, meaning they smoked on 20 of the past 30 days.
Agency director Karla Sneegas tells The Indianapolis Star that likely means fewer youths becoming one- to two-pack-a-day smokers.
The Indiana Youth Tobacco Survey says that 18.3 percent of the state's high school students smoked last year, down from 31.6 percent at the start of the decade. The drop was even bigger among middle school students, falling from 9.8 percent in 2000 to 4.1 percent in 2008.
The Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation agency's report also found that fewer than 10 percent of teens are established smokers, meaning they smoked on 20 of the past 30 days.
Agency director Karla Sneegas tells The Indianapolis Star that likely means fewer youths becoming one- to two-pack-a-day smokers.
Jul 13, 2009
Learning to quit smoking
Istarted smoking when I was 16, pilfering cigarettes from my mother's purse or swiping unfiltered Pall Malls whenever my dad left his opened pack untended. Then I got a job that summer and began buying my own -- Newports with menthol and filters, a brand preferred by all the young tobacco initiates I had begun to share my habit with.
The rituals of smoking were many, and we adopted them all, along with the identity they gave us, the new sense of ourselves as grown-ups, even if we were faking it, aping our elders as a means of proclaiming our difference from them -- a neat trick.
We'd all strike poses learned from the movies, or practice smooth moves in the art of lighting up. We studied how to flip away a cigarette butt in a gesture of defiant insouciance, or how to cup a cigarette against the wind. We learned how to light one cigarette from another, or to light one from a gas stove without singeing our hair. We taught ourselves how to blow smoke rings.
Some of us made a fashion statement by enfolding a cigarette pack in the sleeve of a T-shirt, and others thought it a mark of adolescent elegance to cock a cigarette behind one's ear.
We also picked up courting practices that included the touch of a hand as we lighted cigarettes for our girlfriends. We attempted to look sensitive in the way we pulled smoke into our lungs ever so contemplatively, then exhaling slowly, desperately trying to impress.
Those first cigarettes I smoked would lead to a couple hundred thousand more, consumed over more than 30 years, long after any of it seemed cool, and much past the time when smoking was a choice. What began as a desire for acceptance and admission to adulthood became the mark of a pariah, bearing the stamp of loserdom, as smokers huddled near the entrances to our workplaces. We'd take quick drags on our illicit smokes while colleagues exited and entered the buildings with looks of disdain or beleaguered tolerance for our pathetic need.
The arc of American tobacco addiction began during World War I, when doughboys fresh off the farms were given tobacco and rolling papers as part of their ration kits, an explicit government endorsement of a practice that I'm sure killed more of those young soldiers than enemy bullets ever would. My grandfather picked up the habit in uniform and passed it down to me -- as did guys such as Humphrey Bogart and a legion of other actors and writers of my granddad's generation who enshrined the practice as the hallmark of toughness or sophistication.
Women were taught to smoke largely as a means of weight control (perhaps that benefit is why our president is so elegantly slim). Thousands of ads from the 1920s through the '50s promised glamour and trim silhouettes to our grandmothers and mothers. Those ads helped persuade my mom to start smoking before she conceived me when she was 16, by which time she was already a nicotine addict. Even doctors joined in the campaign to get women to smoke, endorsing some brands over others and promising menstrual mood control and suppression of "nerves."
The social pressure to start smoking is less today than it was in Mom's day -- or mine -- but, every day, 3,500 Americans under 18 try their first cigarette, and 1,100 make it a habit, according to the American Cancer Society. Some are enticed by flavorings designed to attract the young. The tobacco bill passed last month bans most flavorings, though a political compromise exempted the one -- menthol -- that helped hook me. But overall, giving the federal government new powers to regulate tobacco is a good thing, likely to save lives.
Mark Twain famously said that quitting smoking was easy, that he'd "done it hundreds of times." I found it equally "easy," swearing off cancer sticks on an almost daily basis until I finally managed to smoke my last cigarette 15 years ago.
My mother quit a few months ago. It was "easy" for her too. She has lung cancer.
Jaime O'Neill is a writer in Northern California.
The rituals of smoking were many, and we adopted them all, along with the identity they gave us, the new sense of ourselves as grown-ups, even if we were faking it, aping our elders as a means of proclaiming our difference from them -- a neat trick.
We'd all strike poses learned from the movies, or practice smooth moves in the art of lighting up. We studied how to flip away a cigarette butt in a gesture of defiant insouciance, or how to cup a cigarette against the wind. We learned how to light one cigarette from another, or to light one from a gas stove without singeing our hair. We taught ourselves how to blow smoke rings.
Some of us made a fashion statement by enfolding a cigarette pack in the sleeve of a T-shirt, and others thought it a mark of adolescent elegance to cock a cigarette behind one's ear.
We also picked up courting practices that included the touch of a hand as we lighted cigarettes for our girlfriends. We attempted to look sensitive in the way we pulled smoke into our lungs ever so contemplatively, then exhaling slowly, desperately trying to impress.
Those first cigarettes I smoked would lead to a couple hundred thousand more, consumed over more than 30 years, long after any of it seemed cool, and much past the time when smoking was a choice. What began as a desire for acceptance and admission to adulthood became the mark of a pariah, bearing the stamp of loserdom, as smokers huddled near the entrances to our workplaces. We'd take quick drags on our illicit smokes while colleagues exited and entered the buildings with looks of disdain or beleaguered tolerance for our pathetic need.
The arc of American tobacco addiction began during World War I, when doughboys fresh off the farms were given tobacco and rolling papers as part of their ration kits, an explicit government endorsement of a practice that I'm sure killed more of those young soldiers than enemy bullets ever would. My grandfather picked up the habit in uniform and passed it down to me -- as did guys such as Humphrey Bogart and a legion of other actors and writers of my granddad's generation who enshrined the practice as the hallmark of toughness or sophistication.
Women were taught to smoke largely as a means of weight control (perhaps that benefit is why our president is so elegantly slim). Thousands of ads from the 1920s through the '50s promised glamour and trim silhouettes to our grandmothers and mothers. Those ads helped persuade my mom to start smoking before she conceived me when she was 16, by which time she was already a nicotine addict. Even doctors joined in the campaign to get women to smoke, endorsing some brands over others and promising menstrual mood control and suppression of "nerves."
The social pressure to start smoking is less today than it was in Mom's day -- or mine -- but, every day, 3,500 Americans under 18 try their first cigarette, and 1,100 make it a habit, according to the American Cancer Society. Some are enticed by flavorings designed to attract the young. The tobacco bill passed last month bans most flavorings, though a political compromise exempted the one -- menthol -- that helped hook me. But overall, giving the federal government new powers to regulate tobacco is a good thing, likely to save lives.
Mark Twain famously said that quitting smoking was easy, that he'd "done it hundreds of times." I found it equally "easy," swearing off cancer sticks on an almost daily basis until I finally managed to smoke my last cigarette 15 years ago.
My mother quit a few months ago. It was "easy" for her too. She has lung cancer.
Jaime O'Neill is a writer in Northern California.
Jul 8, 2009
Asia's one-woman anti-tobacco campaign still going strong
For most of the past 25 years, Hong Kong-based, British-born doctor Judith Mackay has been the tobacco control movement in Asia.
She has pushed for tougher laws and higher tobacco taxes, lobbied for bans on advertising, and advised and cajoled governments in Hong Kong, Laos, China, Vietnam and most other Asian countries.
She drafted Mongolia's first post-Soviet anti-smoking law in her hotel room on the last night of her trip there, after spending most of the visit under suspicion of being an American spy.
Her success is based on her ability to convince the right person with the right power to make changes that will save lives. And she is happy to take advantage of non-democratic regimes.
"That is one of the reasons I was so active in the 1980s. Once you had democracies, you have white papers and green papers, you had public debates and forums and it went on forever," the 65-year-old said from her Hong Kong home.
"I found I could jump over quite a few fences in one go," added Mackay, who has been a senior policy adviser to the World Health Organization for more than 10 years.
Her vigour has inevitably drawn the attention of the tobacco industry - she was once described by a trade organisation as one of the three most dangerous people in the world.
She has been threatened with lawsuits, had secret dossiers prepared on her and even received death threats from one pro-smoking group.
Mackay was born in Yorkshire and went to medical school in Edinburgh, where she was briefly a smoker, before giving up after a few months because her roommate had asthma.
She later moved to Hong Kong and worked in a hospital, but the satisfaction of saving lives dimmed as she realised that so many were coming in with the same, smoking-related problems.
She became a full-time campaigner, representing Asia at conferences ("There was really only one person working in Asia," she said of herself), educating government ministers and pushing for changes, even if they were merely symbolic.
She convinced Cambodia to ban tobacco advertising during children's television programmes, even though there wasn't any. Such decisions put down a marker which can then be extended and expanded incrementally, she said.
"China has just banned vending machines selling cigarettes. I am not sure if anyone has seen a vending machine there," she said.
John Crofton, the British campaigner who found the first cure for tuberculosis and is Mackay's mentor, said she has been a powerful force.
"I have immense admiration for her energy, drive, skill in managing people and her utter devotion to saving the world from its most lethal habit," he said.
Mackay shows no sign of slowing down, despite reaching retirement age, but she remains careful not to hector governments.
"My whole modus operandi is not telling people what to do. I say 'what do you think might be the next step forward for China?' I put decisions and thinking on to the people in the country," she said.
She has pushed for tougher laws and higher tobacco taxes, lobbied for bans on advertising, and advised and cajoled governments in Hong Kong, Laos, China, Vietnam and most other Asian countries.
She drafted Mongolia's first post-Soviet anti-smoking law in her hotel room on the last night of her trip there, after spending most of the visit under suspicion of being an American spy.
Her success is based on her ability to convince the right person with the right power to make changes that will save lives. And she is happy to take advantage of non-democratic regimes.
"That is one of the reasons I was so active in the 1980s. Once you had democracies, you have white papers and green papers, you had public debates and forums and it went on forever," the 65-year-old said from her Hong Kong home.
"I found I could jump over quite a few fences in one go," added Mackay, who has been a senior policy adviser to the World Health Organization for more than 10 years.
Her vigour has inevitably drawn the attention of the tobacco industry - she was once described by a trade organisation as one of the three most dangerous people in the world.
She has been threatened with lawsuits, had secret dossiers prepared on her and even received death threats from one pro-smoking group.
Mackay was born in Yorkshire and went to medical school in Edinburgh, where she was briefly a smoker, before giving up after a few months because her roommate had asthma.
She later moved to Hong Kong and worked in a hospital, but the satisfaction of saving lives dimmed as she realised that so many were coming in with the same, smoking-related problems.
She became a full-time campaigner, representing Asia at conferences ("There was really only one person working in Asia," she said of herself), educating government ministers and pushing for changes, even if they were merely symbolic.
She convinced Cambodia to ban tobacco advertising during children's television programmes, even though there wasn't any. Such decisions put down a marker which can then be extended and expanded incrementally, she said.
"China has just banned vending machines selling cigarettes. I am not sure if anyone has seen a vending machine there," she said.
John Crofton, the British campaigner who found the first cure for tuberculosis and is Mackay's mentor, said she has been a powerful force.
"I have immense admiration for her energy, drive, skill in managing people and her utter devotion to saving the world from its most lethal habit," he said.
Mackay shows no sign of slowing down, despite reaching retirement age, but she remains careful not to hector governments.
"My whole modus operandi is not telling people what to do. I say 'what do you think might be the next step forward for China?' I put decisions and thinking on to the people in the country," she said.
Jul 7, 2009
News roundup: FDA to control cigarettes
Many newspapers, particularly in the mid-Atlantic states, fronted the bill passed by the Senate giving the FDA control over cigarettes. The Virginian-Pilot, right, carries an AP story that explains that the FDA "would ban use of candied and other flavored tobacco used to entice young smokers, stop advertising that targets children, make it harder for underaged youth to buy cigarettes, (and) require stronger warning labels..."
The Charlotte Observer quotes North Carolina tobacco interests as saying "new regulation would cost jobs, hurt farmers, and maintain the market dominance of tobacco giant Philip Morris of Virginia, maker of Marlboros." The Winston-Salem Journal notes that the development is not all gloom and doom for the industry, pointing out that costs linked to compliance will be passed on to customers. The Los Angeles Times writes that most tobacco companies "bitterly opposed the bill but acknowledged that the vote was a measure of how much attitudes toward smoking had changed in recent years." The New York Times quotes industry analysts as saying the likely 6-cent increase per pack should be manageable for tobacco companies because "as long as they have a market of addicted customers, even if that clientele is dwindling, they can raise prices to remain profitable."
The Charlotte Observer quotes North Carolina tobacco interests as saying "new regulation would cost jobs, hurt farmers, and maintain the market dominance of tobacco giant Philip Morris of Virginia, maker of Marlboros." The Winston-Salem Journal notes that the development is not all gloom and doom for the industry, pointing out that costs linked to compliance will be passed on to customers. The Los Angeles Times writes that most tobacco companies "bitterly opposed the bill but acknowledged that the vote was a measure of how much attitudes toward smoking had changed in recent years." The New York Times quotes industry analysts as saying the likely 6-cent increase per pack should be manageable for tobacco companies because "as long as they have a market of addicted customers, even if that clientele is dwindling, they can raise prices to remain profitable."
Jul 1, 2009
Employment in tobacco manufacturing establishments
In 1997, almost 2 percent of all those employed in manufacturing industries employing 10 or more workers were in tobacco manufacturing. The number employed in tobacco manufacturing increased between 1971 and 1980, reaching a peak of nearly 53 000 in 1980, then fell to 22 600 in 1997.
These fluctuations originated from public sector employment policies. The public sector’s share in employment in tobacco manufacturing increased from 80 percent in 1971 to 95 percent in 1980, and then fell to 71 percent in 1997. In 1997, wages paid in the tobacco processing industry represented 2.5 percent of all wages in manufacturing.
Payments by the tobacco industry increased significantly, from US$34 million in the 1970s to US$214 million in 1980, and then fell to US$167 million in 1997. Per capita tobacco industry payments to employees in 1997 were about 25 percent higher than in other manufacturing industries and were about double (after accounting for taxes) Turkey’s prevailing per capita income of around US$4 000 in 20077.
These fluctuations originated from public sector employment policies. The public sector’s share in employment in tobacco manufacturing increased from 80 percent in 1971 to 95 percent in 1980, and then fell to 71 percent in 1997. In 1997, wages paid in the tobacco processing industry represented 2.5 percent of all wages in manufacturing.
Payments by the tobacco industry increased significantly, from US$34 million in the 1970s to US$214 million in 1980, and then fell to US$167 million in 1997. Per capita tobacco industry payments to employees in 1997 were about 25 percent higher than in other manufacturing industries and were about double (after accounting for taxes) Turkey’s prevailing per capita income of around US$4 000 in 20077.
Jun 17, 2009
Philip Morris executives
The government presented decades of evidence that scientists within the Defendant corporations and outside scientists hired by the corporations and their joint entities were continually conducting research and reviewing the research of other scientists regarding cigarettes and health, addiction, nicotine and tar manipulation, and secondhand smoke. The evidence at trial demonstrated that the results of this research—essential to the core of Defendants’ operations, including strategic planning, product development, and advertising—were well known, acknowledged, and accepted throughout the corporations. These results established that cigarette smoking causes disease, that nicotine is addictive, that 33 light cigarettes do not present lower health risks than regular cigarettes due to smoker compensation, and that secondhand smoke is hazardous to health.
Dr. William Farone, a scientist who worked at Philip Morris for eighteen years and whom the district court found to be “impressive and credible as both a fact and expert witness,” id. at 186, testified about the understanding within Philip Morris on the question of whether cigarette smoking is a cause of lung cancer and other diseases: There was widespread acceptance that smoking caused disease. I never talked with a scientist at Philip Morris who said that smoking doesn’t cause disease. [This was based on the] compelling epidemiology such as that recounted in the Surgeon’s [sic] General’s reports, and our knowledge about the chemicals that were created by cigarettes and what was delivered to the smoker, hundreds of times per day on average.
When asked whether, in his discussions with Philip Morris executives, any of them challenged the validity of the scientific evidence that smoking causes disease, Farone answered, No. Their comments generally focused on how the company could or should respond, not to whether the scientific evidence was valid. Remember, a main reason why they hired me in 1976 was to help develop a less hazardous cigarette. It seemed to me at the time I was hired, and certainly was the case during my entire time there, that hiring me for that job was itself implicit recognition that the cigarettes that were out there being sold were causing disease.
Dr. William Farone, a scientist who worked at Philip Morris for eighteen years and whom the district court found to be “impressive and credible as both a fact and expert witness,” id. at 186, testified about the understanding within Philip Morris on the question of whether cigarette smoking is a cause of lung cancer and other diseases: There was widespread acceptance that smoking caused disease. I never talked with a scientist at Philip Morris who said that smoking doesn’t cause disease. [This was based on the] compelling epidemiology such as that recounted in the Surgeon’s [sic] General’s reports, and our knowledge about the chemicals that were created by cigarettes and what was delivered to the smoker, hundreds of times per day on average.
When asked whether, in his discussions with Philip Morris executives, any of them challenged the validity of the scientific evidence that smoking causes disease, Farone answered, No. Their comments generally focused on how the company could or should respond, not to whether the scientific evidence was valid. Remember, a main reason why they hired me in 1976 was to help develop a less hazardous cigarette. It seemed to me at the time I was hired, and certainly was the case during my entire time there, that hiring me for that job was itself implicit recognition that the cigarettes that were out there being sold were causing disease.
Jun 9, 2009
Jun 2, 2009
Bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
For the global tobacco industry to survive and thrive, it must keep existing customers hooked and attract new customers to its addictive, deadly products. To accomplish this, it spends tens of billions of dollars a year on advertising, promotion and sponsorship. One of the most effective ways countries can protect the health of their people is to ban all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship – something few countries have done.
Only 20 of the 179 countries (and 1 territory) that responded to questions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship bans, representing just 5% of the world’s population, have complete bans. Another 106 Member States have minimal or moderate bans on tobacco industry advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and 54 countries have no restrictions of any kind.
Countries have enacted complete, moderate or minimal bans in roughly the same proportions regardless of their relative wealth, clearly showing that bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship are within all countries’ reach. The assessment of a country’s advertising ban is based on its laws on tobacco industry promotional activities and whether legislation applies to direct or indirect marketing. Direct marketing focuses on all forms of advertisements. Indirect marketing includes price discounts, product giveaways and sponsorship of sporting and entertainment events and festivals.
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