November 25, 2009 -

Hope in a land dying for smoke

By Kamran Rehmat/Islamabad

Frightening figures: about a 100,000 people die in Pakistan annually owing to diseases related to smoking
Pakistan has finally decided to stub it out, so to speak. Beginning next February, cigarette packs will have pictorial warnings to wean smokers away from, well, ending up in a smoke.

Until now, any official attempt to check the menace was limited to observing the annual World No-Tobacco Day with sound and the odd fury but little action.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Health has now mandated that cigarette packs will have picture-based health warnings that cover 40% of the principal display area on both the front and back of the packs.

The decision has been hard-fought and hard-earned on the part of those campaigning for control given the clout of the tobacco industry, which still managed to pressurise the ministry into reducing the original recommended size of half the display area to forty per cent.

The decision to make graphic health warnings mandatory was announced at a seminar arranged in connection with World No Tobacco Day on May 31 this year.

At the time, the ministry had announced January 1, 2010 as the deadline for the implementation of the decision. The intervening period was marked by hectic lobbying by the tobacco industry, which tried everything it possibly could to delay the move for pictorial warnings.

While the inevitable has been delayed by only a month, the tobacco industry successfully lobbied to have the size of pictorial warning reduced by a fifth. Its lobbyists argued that even in Britain, a lead time of three years was given to the industry.

However, Pakistan’s ministry of health appears to have weathered the storm from different quarters and has largely lived up to the expectations of those campaigning for control over the grave threat it poses to millions in Pakistan.

The industry also reportedly, argued that it did not have state-of-the-art printing machines required for four-colour printing on cigarette packs. Some bureaucrats working for an Islamabad-based tobacco company worked their butts off (no pun intended) to first buy time till the end of 2020 and then at least till mid next year.

Islamabad has already withdrawn the controversial Statutory Regulatory Order on designated smoking areas and even closed the smoking lounges at the parliament — a symbolic step given the significance of where the first step was taken.

It is heartening for health-conscious Pakistanis to know that President Asif Zardari has taken personal interest to get the whip cracking. To begin with, he has stopped the purchase of special cigarettes for the Presidency.

The Pakistan Tobacco Company was until now manufacturing cigarettes with insignias of the Presidency, Prime Minister House and Governor Houses on cigarette packs - an obvious reflection of their reach and clout.

The government has taken up recommendations for high resolution images that arouse fear and shock along with health warnings on cigarette packs and extend the same to other smokeless tobacco products.

The selected photos would target current smokers in order to encourage them to give up smoking, the youth to save them falling into a potentially killing habit and to drive home the dire message among non-smokers tempted to join the league.

These measures were perhaps necessary given few were willing to walk the talk. In Pakistan, the media is particularly to blame for underplaying messages aimed at highlighting the extremely harmful effects of smoking.

Perhaps, the reason lies in the majority of journalists themselves being smokers — some chain, others occasional and the rest puffing their way just to be seen in the same “macho” league.

Is it any wonder therefore, that according to a study no more than 5% of the Pakistani population is aware that tobacco smoking damages the lining of blood vessels, deposits cholesterol and reduces the blood flow to the heart causing heart diseases?

But this is nothing compared to statistics that should have the smoke coming out of most ears. The situation begs urgent attention — before the current generation of smokers and those following it end up in a smoke themselves.

Early bird catches the worm, they say, and so should be the emphasis on getting a handle on youth in particular, which at 42% of Pakistan’s population, are the most vulnerable to the menace.

Consider these facts:

According to Ministry of Youth Affairs, every day, 1,200 young Pakistanis — aged between six and 15 - including girls begin smoking. Independent experts put the daily figure at 1,600 between the ages of 15 and 19.

There are about 30mn smokers in Pakistan, 28% of these are students. Schools, colleges and universities serve as breeding grounds — away from any prying eye — for these students.

According to a recent research by the National Health Services of Pakistan, 14.4bn cigarettes are sold daily — a million every minute.

Pakistan Medical Society says 42.7% of the country’s population indulge in tobacco smoking on a daily basis.

According to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, 40% of the patients admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of Islamabad’s top medical facility with lung disease are smokers.

Around 75% of the patients visiting the cardiology outpatient department suffer from ischemic heart disease and 70% of these are chronic smokers between the ages of 40 to 55. Not surprisingly, most of them began smoking when they were young.

According to Pakistan Anti-Smoking Society, tobacco sales per year in Pakistan amount to 108,000 tonnes. The government gets an annual revenue of $452mn out of these sales.

About a 100,000 people die in Pakistan every year owing to diseases related to tobacco smoking.

It is not for want of regulations but the spirit and willingness to implement those regulations that has allowed the tobacco industry a free reign.

The World Health Organisation says if Islamabad is really serious, it should ban all forms of tobacco advertising and substantially, raise the taxation system.

The new measure will at least provide hope to those who wondered if Pakistan, which ranks with India, Japan, Thailand and Turkey as one of the world’s largest tobacco growers and where the government benefits enormously from its sale will be able to stop young people from dying for a smoke — perhaps, literally.

n The author can be reached at kaamyabi@gmail.com

Reference: Hope in a land dying for smoke by Kamran Rehmat/Islamabad, Gulf Times, 11/18/2009.
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Japan - prime minister calls for tobacco tax increase..

November 25, 2009 - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama recently told the Diet (the Japanese parliament is called the Diet) that an increase in the tobacco tax should be considered from the viewpoint of improving people's health. He has instructed the government's Tax System Council to study the matter. A tobacco tax increase is long overdue; we hope Mr. Hatoyama's effort will succeed.

Japan's parliament named Yukio Hatoyama prime minister September 16, 2009, as his Democratic party took power for the first time ever with promises to revive the slumping economy and make Tokyo a more equal partner in its alliance with the United States. (Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama Takes Office, Names Cabinet In Japan, Malcolm Foster, huffingtonpost.com, 9/16/2009.)

Directly related news brief: Japan - new government administration considering raising cigarette taxes..

The World Health Organization says, "Tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world today. It causes 80 to 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths, and nearly one-third of all cancer deaths in developing countries." Smoking not only accounts for about one-third of all cancer cases but also increases the incidence of heart diseases and cerebral infarction. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), effective February 2005, calls on its 164 signatories to raise taxes on tobacco products as a way of reducing tobacco consumption.

Cigarettes in Japan are much cheaper than in other parts of the developed world. For example, Japan imposes a tobacco tax of ¥174 (yen - USD 1.99) on a 20-cigarette pack, compared with an equivalent tax of ¥400 (USD 4.56) to ¥500 (USD 5.70) imposed in Europe and North America.

Every year since 2006 the health ministry has proposed raising the tobacco tax. But the Liberal Democratic Party's Research Commission on the Tax System quashed the proposal because it feared that an increase would be unpopular with voters and negatively impact tax revenue. The change in government, however, has breathed new life into the drive to increase the tax. (For example: Japan shelves tobacco tax hike for 2009..)

A health ministry survey shows that 36.8 percent of men and 9.1 percent of women regularly smoked in 2008. The rate for men was the lowest since the survey began in 1981. In five years, the overall rate went down by 5.9 points to 21.8 percent, while the rate for men dipped 10 points. In addition, of those surveyed, 28.5 percent of male smokers and 37.4 percent of female smokers indicated that they want to quit smoking.

A steep cigarette tax hike would induce many to quit smoking. The revenue should be used to promote measures to help smokers kick the habit, improve medical services and assist those among the nation's 12,000 tobacco farmers who would like to switch crops. The government could also discourage use of tobacco by banning smoking in public places nationwide, including restaurants.

Reference:
EDITORIAL Increase the tobacco tax, The Japan Times, 11/23/2009.

Japan - some related news briefs:
Japan Tobacco growing popularity of its British cigarette brands..;
Japan - new government administration considering raising cigarette taxes..;
Japan - plaintiffs have slim chance of winning against big tobacco..;
Japan - convenience store sales fell in June 2009..;
Japan - tobacco control people upset with smoker-only cafes..;
Japan - Tokyo smoking cafes, people with children, those under 20 NOT allowed..;
Japan - Kanagawa - bans smoking in public places starting April 2010..;
Japan shelves tobacco tax hike for 2009..;
Japan - Ruling party plans tobacco tax hike in 2009..;
Japan Tobacco Starts Petition To Fight Tax Increase..;
How to get most smokers to quit?? - Keep On Raising The Price..;
Japanese lawmakers want to triple cigarette prices..;
Japanese tobacco giants focus on point-of-sales cigarette purchases..;
Japan - photos can be used to fool the age-verification cameras on some vending machines..;
Vending Machines - Japanese protecting their children from becoming life-long nicotine addicts...

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Conwood maker of Grizzly to change name to American Snuff Company..

November 25, 2009 - Conwood Company, LLC, is changing its name to American Snuff Company, LLC, effective January 1, 2010. Conwood, the nation's second largest manufacturer of smokeless tobacco products, is an operating company of Reynolds American Inc.

The company name change will not affect any of the company's operations, products or staffing levels.

"Reassuming our historical company name emphasizes our commitment to the core values on which our company was founded," said Bryan K. Stockdale, Conwood's president and chief executive officer. "We are focused on delivering the highest quality smokeless tobacco products to our customers and adult tobacco consumers, and returning to our historical company name drives that home."

American Snuff Company was founded before 1900. In 1912, American Snuff Company's headquarters moved from New York to Memphis, and for 40 years, the company manufactured dry snuff. In the 1950s and 1960s, the company began diversifying, acquiring manufacturers of chewing tobaccos, as well as companies that manufactured shoe polish, popcorn, theater supplies and yogurt. In 1966, to reflect its diversified operations, the company changed its name to Conwood Company.

Since the 1980s, Conwood has divested all its non-tobacco lines of business and focused solely on smokeless tobacco products. Its Grizzly brand is the best-selling brand of moist snuff in the U.S.

Conwood Company, LLC is the nation's second-largest manufacturer of smokeless tobacco products. Its leading brands are Grizzly, Kodiak and Levi Garrett. Conwood also sells and distributes a variety of tobacco products manufactured by Lane, Limited, including Winchester and Captain Black little cigars, and Bugler roll-your-own tobacco.

Reference: Conwood Company to Change Name to American Snuff Company by: PR Newswire, 11/24/2009.
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Bulgartabac Chief - cigarette tax increase as of January 1, 2010..

November 24, 2009 - The price of cigarettes will go up between BGN 1,10 and BGN 1,40 from January 1 2010, the Executive Director of Bulgartabac Holding, Ivan Bilarev, stated Monday, November 23rd.

Bulgartabac’s "Victory" brand will cost between BGN 4,50 (USD 3.45), and BGN 4,80 (USD 3.68) per box - currently the price is BGN 3,40 (USD 2.60). According to Bilarev the overall huge rise of the excise duty on cigarettes will hit his business seriously.

Last week the Budget committee in parliament decided to increase excise duty on cigarettes to BGN 101 for 1000 plus 23% of the sales price. The proposal of the Ministry of Finance for the 2010 Budget was for a duty of BGN 74 plus 36% of the selling price. (Bulgaria - cigarette taxes going up each year except 2011..)

Bilarev concluded that the tobacco market in Bulgaria will shrink because of the increased tax but said that Bulgartabac does not currently plan to cut production. He added that Bulgartabac would also lose some market share and predicted that a large number of people will give up smoking while other people will look for cheaper cigarettes from neighboring countries.

Map of Bulgaria..

Reference: Tobacco Chief: Bulgarians Will Give Up Smoking over Tax Rise, Novinite.com - The Sofia News Agency, 11/23/2009.

European Union (EU) related: European Union - agrees to raise the minimum tax on tobacco products sold in the region..

Bulgaria related news briefs:
Bulgaria Bulgartabac Holding Sells 23% of Shares to Mutual Funds..;
Bulgaria - more than 70% of smokers want to quit..;
Bulgaria - cigarette taxes going up each year except 2011..;
Bulgaria - chair of the economic committee in parliament disapproves of planned raise in excise duties on cigarettes..;
Bulgaria and others - smoking ban, increased cigarette taxes, smuggling..;
Bulgaria - Cigarette excise duties will be increased next year..;
Bulgaria - cigarette contraband, government loses BGN 920M yearly..;
Bulgaria - one third of the tobacco products sold are illicit..;
Bulgaria - new government to speed-up Bulgartabac sale..;
Bulgaria - Fake Victory Light cigarettes..;
Bulgaria's tobacco monopoly may be up for sale..;
Bulgarian lawmakers vote to ban smoking in all publc places from June 2010..; Bulgarian tobacco company Sofia-BT exports increase by 541 percent..;
Does Russia own Bulgaria's tobacco monopoly, Bulgartabac..;
EU percent of adults smokers -highest Greece 1 , Bulgaria 2.. - lowest Slovenia..;
Bulgaria - 1 in 3 youths smoke / half of pregnant women smoke..;
PMI training Bulgarian custom officers to stop cigarette smuggling..;
Philip Morris International (PMI) was truly happy they had been back in the Bulgarian cigarette market for a year and had already had 6.8% of market..;
WHO FCTC Protocol to Prevent Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Won't Be Completed Until End of 2010..;
WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008..;
Bulgaria Enters 2009 with Cigarette Prices Hike...
Bulgaria is marking Tuesday, November 10, 2009, the 20th year since the internal coup at the Bulgarian Communist Party which led to the crumbling of the communist regime.
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Philip Morris USA - will no longer purchase tobacco from Georgia or Florida..

November 24, 2009 - Philip Morris USA officials held a meeting on Oct. 14, in Alma, Ga., with more than 75 growers from Georgia and Florida attending. Growers were informed of the decision by Philip Morris USA to “no longer offer contracts for the purchase of tobacco in Georgia after the 2009 season.”

Growers who are operating on a one year contract will not be offered a new contract for 2010. Growers who hold three or five-year contracts will continue to be able to produce and sell tobacco until the completion of their contracts, if they have met the requirements of their contracts and continue to have contracts in good standing.

The location of a buying point for the remaining production after 2009 was in question with the current receiving station not currently under contract for use. Three other Philip Morris USA buying points located in Lumberton, N.C., Wilson, N.C., and Danville, Va., will continue to buy tobacco from growers in those areas.

Shas heard talk of a possible interest form Japan Tobacco International (JTL) Leaf Services, which is establishing a burley and flue-cured processing plant in Danville, Va.

JTI Leaf Services, which is the international tobacco unit of Japan Tobacco, Inc., produces two of the top three worldwide cigarette brands — Winston and Mild Seven. Its other brands include Camel and Benson & Hedges. JTI recently announced it plans to spend $19.5 million to build the plant, creating 39 full-time jobs and 150 seasonal jobs when fully operational.

Nothing is for certain at this point, says Moore, and it’s too early to tell what Philip Morris USA’s competition might do. The three other buyers of Georgia and Florida tobacco include R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Alliance One International and U.S.

Reference: No PM tobacco contracts for Georgia, Florida by Paul L. Hollis, SoutheastFarmPress.com, 11/23/2009.
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Alberta joins some other provinces in suing tobacco companies..

November 24, 2009 - EDMONTON -- Health groups are celebrating after a bill was passed allowing the province to sue tobacco companies for health-care costs associated with tobacco-related diseases.

Under Bill 48, the Crown's Right of Recovery Act, the government can sue to recover "cost of health services caused or contributed to by a tobacco-related wrong." "We are delighted that the Alberta government has joined with other provinces to hold the tobacco industry accountable for the health-care impact of its deceptive marketing practices," said Tony Hudson of the Lung
Association.

Action on Smoking and Health spokesman Les Hagen also applauded the move, adding: "The Alberta government now has a tremendous opportunity to help offset the rising costs of health care while holding the tobacco industry accountable for its actions."
Hagen also encouraged the government to launch a lawsuit as soon as possible. The health groups estimate 3,000 Albertans die a year from tobacco-related illness.

Alberta joins Ontario, British Columbia (B.C.), Quebec and New Brunswick as provinces that have passed similar legislation.
Map of Canada.


Reference: Alberta's ability to sue tobacco firms praised by health groups by SUN MEDIA, Calgary Sun, 11/20/2009.
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Reynolds American to sell historic former headquarters..

Click to enlarge:
November 24, 2009 - A symbol of North Carolina's tobacco history located in downtown Winston-Salem is on the market.

Cigarette maker Reynolds American is trying to sell its historic former headquarters, the Winston-Salem Journal reports this morning. The Reynolds building is worth about $12.3 million, according to Forsyth County tax records, and could be leased for office space or renovated into a mixed-use project.

The 22-story building was the tallest south of Baltimore when it opened in 1929 and housed employees of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. until recently when the company began cutting jobs and consolidating its Winston-Salem operations into another building.


The architecture firm that designed it, Shreve & Lamb, went on to build a bigger version in Manhattan: the Empire State Building. The building is not on the National Register of Historic Places, company spokeswoman Maura Payne said. The building represented the culmination of a downtown construction spree during the 1920s. The Winston-Salem Journal reported at the time that the architectural firm was asked to produce "an effect of conservatism along with attractiveness, but to avoid flashiness." "Gray-brown marble from Missouri, black marble from Belgium and buff-colored marble from France covered the walls and floor. The ceiling was festooned with gold leaves, and the grillwork, elevator doors and door frames were bright, gleaming brass."

In October 2008, Reynolds said it planned to consolidate its downtown employees, both Reynolds American Inc. and the subsidiary, into the neighboring Plaza Building by early 2010. That goal recently was accomplished. The decision to vacate the building came shortly after Reynolds said it was eliminating 570 jobs, mostly white collar, as part of a continuing effort of trying to balance consumer demand for its products with company size. (Camel brand will increasingly become the face of Reynolds..)

The property broker will be Commercial Realty Advisors of Winston-Salem. The broker will work with Jones Lang LaSalle, an international commercial-realty company based in Chicago, to evaluate and market the building.

References: Reynolds American wants to sell historic headquarters; Submitted by AlanMWolf, 11/23/2009; Home of RJR on the market by Richard Craver, Winston-Salem Journal, 11/23/2009;

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South Dakota - smoking ban one more possible appeal..

November 23, 2009 - Backers of a statewide smoking ban say they expect to be outspent by opponents in what's expected to be a hard-fought campaign after deciding Thursday not to appeal a judge's ruling. The decision makes the prospect of a November vote more likely.

However, Attorney General Marty Jackley says he and Secretary of State Chris Nelson will meet today to discuss a possible appeal. A decision is likely within a week.

Jackley said the American Cancer Society's decision not to appeal "is certainly a consideration" as he and Nelson decide the state's course. The latest development came Thursday when the American Cancer Society decided not to appeal Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Trandahl's ruling that opponents of the smoking ban passed by the Legislature and signed into law in March had secured enough valid petition signatures to allow voters to decide the matter next November, 2010. (South Dakota - American Cancer Society won't appeal judges decision..)

If, as Don Rose (bar owner against the ban) suggests, the state follows the cancer society's lead and decides not to appeal, the 2010 referendum will follow. Opponents of the ban such as Rose say this is what they've wanted all along. Rose owns Shenanigan's Pub, is a district director of the Licensed Beverage Dealers of South Dakota and was a key organizer of the referendum petition drive that ended up before Trandahl after the Cancer Society challenged the validity of thousands of signatures.

"A vote of the people is what they should have done in the first place," Rose said.
"Our deal was we always wanted to be able to let the people vote," added Mark O'Neill, president of the Licensed Beverage Dealers of South Dakota.

The Deadwood Gaming Association is another member of the coalition opposing the smoking ban. Ken Gienger is president of the group and general manager of Deadwood's Celebrity Hotel. "When we talk to customers, they say that's all they wanted, a chance to vote on this issue," Gienger said.

Mike Trucano, a Deadwood business owner who in 1988 helped lead the successful referendum that allowed gaming in Deadwood, also is a smoking ban referendum organizer. He said "win lose or draw, this is America. There is nothing more sacred than the right to vote on an issue. I think it is wise of the Cancer Society to not go forward. I'm a little disappointed in them taking the steps they've taken until now."

Referendums have a volatile history in South Dakota. Bids to ban video lottery and abortion have bitterly divided the state. Bar and casino owners will be energized even more by economic studies from other states with smoking bans that show bar or casino business dropped 30 percent, he says. Rose predicts that fear will ensure the smoking ban coalition has plenty of money to mount a referendum campaign.

Jennifer Stalley, the society's government relations director: The Cancer Society will rely on strong grassroots support from a majority of South Dakotans who want to see smoking banned in public places. She also suggests the issue will become entangled with gubernatorial and legislative races. "I think all the candidates are going to be asked to respond to it from their voters," she said. "The Legislature approved this law, and the people who supported legislators who put this law in place will ask questions of those who didn't."

Stalley and smoking ban opponents agree the referendum campaign will not begin until next year. "I don't think South Dakota wants to hear about this issue for the next 12 straight months," Stalley added.

Rose says it won't get going until after the legislative session. He's watching to see whether the Legislature when it meets early next year imposes new taxes on things such as video lottery. That could affect the strategy of a smoking ban referendum campaign, he says.

Reference: Pricey fight over ban expected, Peter Harriman (pharrima@argusleader.com), ArgusLeader.com, 11/20/2009.

South Dakota State Smoking Ban - Developments - related news briefs:
South Dakota - American Cancer Society won't appeal judges decision..;
South Dakota - smoking ban passed by legislature still must go to a statewide vote..;
South Dakota (SD) - judge smoking ban legally eligible for statewide public vote..;
South Dakota - smoking ban, judge won't let ACS call witnesses - as trial nears..;
South Dakota - statewide smoking ban trial date moved to mid-November.;
South Dakota - trial delayed in fight to enforce smoking ban..;
South Dakota - new judge appointed in the smoking ban dispute..
South Dakota - ACS wants smoking ban passed by legislature to begin ASAP..
South Dakota - opponents of smoking ban gain a delay..;
South Dakota - petition rejected - state smoking ban to take effect..;
South Dakota - Secretary of State's Office still counting disputed signatures on the smoking ban petitions..;
South Dakota - anti-smoking leaders challenge petition..;
South Dakota - smoking ban to start July 1, 2009 may be delayed..;
South Dakota - opponents try to stop extended smoking ban..;
South Dakota - extends smoking ban effective July 1, 2009...

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Turkey - graphic/written warning labels starting January 1, 2010..

November 23, 2009 - On Sunday, July 19, 2009 Turkey became the seventh country in Europe to ban smoking in all enclosed public places.

Now to continue to enhance their leadership role in tobacco control Turkey will start warning smokers with both written and pictorial cautions on cigarette packages starting January 1, 2010.

The chairman of the Turkish Tobacco & Alcohol Market Regulation Board (TAPDK), Mehmet Küçük, said on Sunday that the board would start warning smokers with both written statements and pictures as of Jan. 1, 2010. “In addition to the current written warnings, there will be 14 pictures on cigarette and other tobacco product packages,” Küçük told the Anatolia news agency. Küçük said the board would try to draw attention to the harms of cigarettes with this method.

There are 180 different types of cigarette packages in Turkey. All these packages will be changed to include the new visual warning system.

Tobacco companies will switch over to the new packaging at designated intervals. Cigarette packages produced through Dec. 31, which include only written warnings, can be put on the market through June 30, 2010. Both visual and written warnings must cover 65 percent of the cigarette packages, according to the new regulations. One year after the switch, by Jan. 1, 2011, every cigarette package on shelves in Turkey must have the pictorial warning.

Visual warning on cigarette packages is a system already in place in countries including the UK, Belgium, Romania, Brazil, Thailand and Singapore. The European Union has 42 sample pictures for visual warnings on tobacco products. Turkey will choose 14 of these pictures for domestic use. Research indicates that visual warnings are effective in 20 percent of cases of people who want to quit smoking.
(EU - planning a new study aimed at developing better graphic images...

Turkey banned smoking in workplaces and malls in May 2008. It gave restaurants, bars and cafés extra time to comply with the new smoking ban. The expanded smoking ban went into effect across Turkey on June 19. Under it, it is illegal to smoke in coffeehouses, cafeterias, pubs, clubs, restaurants and taxis, and advertising or promoting tobacco products or the names and brands of tobacco-producing companies is prohibited, as well.

Reference: Cigarette packages to feature graphic images, Today's Zaman, 11/23/2009.

Turkey - related news briefs:
Turkey - with expansion of smoking ban cigarette sales drop..;
Turkey - smoking ban, cafes (teahouses) losing business, owners threaten to strike..;
Turkey - hundreds of cafe owners demonstrate against smoking ban..;
Turkey - small--scale retailers to demonstrate against smoking ban..;
Turkey - anti-smoking advocates happy with early results of smoking ban..; Turkey - smoker wounds manager and kills his friend when asked to stop smoking..
Turkey - cafe owners complain about smoking ban..;
Turkey - dangers of secondhand smoke media campaign..;
Turkish Government - makes major move to improve the health of its citizens..;
Turkey - smoking ban starting July 19th will be enforced - these guys are serious..;
Turkey - poll indicates employers, their employees and customers support smoking ban in cafes, bars and restaurants..;
Turkey - July 19th total smoking ban, will employees lose jobs..;
Turkey - on July 19, 2009 will mark the beginning of “100 percent smoke-free air” in this country..;
Turkey - national smoking ban starts July 19, 2009..;
Turkey - quit smoking photo displayed in İstanbul's Taksim Square..;
Turkey - data on tobacco usage - Turkish Statistics Institution..;
Turkey - smoking ban in all bars, restaurants and coffeehouses starting July 19, 2009..;
Smoking ban in Turkey lowers cigarette consumption..;
Turkey's ban on pubic smoking goes into effect on Monday, May 19, 2008..;
British American Tobacco (BAT) reported group volume sales up for first quarter 2008..;
More on the quick fix for outdoor smokers..;
BAT to Acquire Most of Denmark's ST..;
More on Philip Morris International of the Future..;
WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008...
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Lorillard - president and CEO Orlowsky to be replaced after December 31, 2010.

November 22, 2009 - Cigarette maker Lorillard Inc. has begun seeking a successor to Chief Executive Martin L. Orlowsky, whose contract expires next year, the company said in a regulatory filing Thursday, November 19th. The maker of Newport menthol cigarettes, based in Greensboro, N.C., told the Securities and Exchange Commission that said its board of directors plans to replace Orlowsky after his contract expires Dec. 31, 2010.

This is right around the time that the FDA's Tobacco Product Advisory Committee reports on if menthol cigarettes should be removed from the U.S. cigarette market.

Orlowsky, 67, has served as president and chief executive officer since January 1999 and became chairman of the board in January 2001. Previously, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer and prior to this position he was Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales. He has been with Lorillard since 1990.

Lorillard, the oldest continuously operating U.S. tobacco company, spun off from Loews Corp. in 2008.

A few interesting comments:

MENTHOL CATEGORY:
QUESTION: Have products from Altria and Reynolds like Marlboro Blend 54 and Camel Crush made any real difference to the menthol category as a whole?

RESPONSE: No, and I will say that I don't think Camel Crush is a menthol product to begin with. So I wouldn't attribute any impact or effect from the Camel side. 54, well, obviously is a pure menthol product. As I said earlier, I don't think that it had an appreciable impact in the marketplace.

(On The Call: Lorillard CEO Martin Orlowsky, 10/26/2009)

SNUS:
Lorillard Tobacco Q1 2009 Conference Call - Marty Orlowsky (Chairman, President and CEO of Lorillard) was asked to comment on their smokeless program.

Orlowsky: Well, I think we're experiencing a similar pattern as some of our competition as marketing or test marketing [SNUS] products. It's a relatively low level of interest that's being expressed by the consumers and we're just monitoring the situation as we move forward. I really don't have anything very specific to report. There have been no major changes to the consumer perceptions of that product.

(Lorillard Inc. Q1 2009 Earnings Call Transcript)

Swedish Match makes a SNUS product called Triumph for Lorillard. The Lorillard salesman tells us that Triumph SNUS sales have gone poorly and it doesn't cost Lorillard anything to sell this pouch tobacco. Triumph SNUS..

Image - Martin L. Orlowsky, click to enlarge..

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