German sales rise in Germany amid moves to impose smoking ban.

April 18, 2007 - German sales rise in Germany amid moves to impose smoking ban. Germans smoked more cigarettes in the past three three months as the country moved closer towards a smoking ban, according to figures released Wednesday, April 18, 2007. The Federal Statistics Office said 24 billion cigarettes were sold in the first quarter of 2006, an increase of 6.8 per cent over the corresponding period of last year. Sales of cigars and cigarillos rose 46.1 per cent during the same period, while demand for pipe tobacco increased 23.1 per cent, the statistics office said. The jump in sales comes amid plans to outlaw smoking in public places and impose a partial ban in bars and restaurants by the end of 2007 or early 2008. (EUX-TV, the European Channel). The use of SNUS - Moist Snuff is banned in Germany - a member of the European Union (EU). The EU adopted a directive as early as in 1992 prohibiting the sale of tobacco for oral use not intended to be smoked or chewed thus eliminating the use of SNUS.