On July 18, 2007, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee postponed a vote on the bill - which would for the first time allow


July 21, 2007 - on July 18, 2007, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee postponed a vote on the bill - which would for the first time allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products - until next week. A version of the FDA legislation released in February 2007 included cloves in a list of artificial or natural flavors such as strawberry, chocolate and cocoa that would be banned from cigarettes, largely because they had been used to appeal to children. In the latest version of the bill, released last week, cloves joined menthol as the only additives specifically allowed in tobacco. The main beneficiary of the change seems to be Philip Morris which recently introduced a Marlboro kretek (a Marlboro cigarette made of a mixture of tobacco and clove)in Indonesia.( Philip Morris International (PMI) back in March of 2005 purchased an Indonesian company PT HM Sampoerna.) Indonesia is the main consumer of clove and uses nearly 50% of the world's production. The clove is not used for cooking but for smoking. Cigarettes flavored with clove (kretek) are etremely popular and nearly every male in Indonesia enjoys them. (Also, in Brazil there is a demand for kreteks.) The main ingredient in oil of clove is eugenol. It acts as a local anesthetic and produces a tingling sensation. Some claim eugenol also produces a mildly euphoric "high", though hard evidence on this effect is inconclusive. The main ingredient in peppermint oil is menthol. Menthol provides a cooling sensation when inhaled as a result of its ability trigger cold-receptors without altering the temperature. For More Information on Mentholated Cigarettes. PM just might want to see how sales of Marlboro kretek would sell in the U.S. after looking at sales of menthol that have continued to climb (See Newsbrief from June 10, 2007.) while sales of other cigarettes continue to fall. (TobaccoWatch.org)
Read more...

Let's have fire-safe cigarettes mandatory for all 50 States - it's a NO - Brainer...


July 20, 2007 - Alaska adopts standard for fire-safe cigarettes.. Governor Sarah Palin signed safer-cigarette legislation into law on Wednesday, July 18, 2007. Alaska thus joins 13 other states to adopt laws this year requiring retailers to sell so-called fire-safe cigarettes, which are manufactured with a special reduced-ignition paper. The law aims to prevent accidental fires. (Tobacco Journal International Newsletter) Let's have fire-safe cigarettes mandatory for all 50 States - it's a NO - Brainer.Click on Images to Enlarge.. See related Newsbrief - June 23, 2007. Cigarettes and lighted tobacco are the leading causes of fire deaths and the third leading cause of fire-related injuries in the United States. (TobaccoWatch.org)
Read more...

A girl's guide to naturally beautiful skin..


July 19, 2007 - A girl's guide to naturally beautiful skin.. Information provided by Dr. Joshua Fox - a leading dermatologist. Research over the past decade has uncovered at least five key ways in which tobacco products, which all contain nicotine, can harm the skin, from aging it prematurely to increasing the risk of dangerous skin cancer. Click here read more about the five known dangers tobacco products pose to skin health. (HealthNewsDigest.com, July 2007
Read more...

Lawmakers in Washington are working to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) before it expires on September 30, 2007...


July 18, 2007 - Lawmakers in Washington are working to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) before it expires on September 30, 2007 see related Newsbrief - July 9, 2007. The health coverage plan currently covers 6.6 million children and some lawmakers want to reach 3 million more low-income, uninsured children over the next five years. President Bush has reiterated his threat to veto Senate legislation that would substantially increase funds for children's health insurance by levying a 61-cent-a-pack increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes The renewal of SCHIP, is considered by many to be the most important health legislation that Congress will take up this year. Bush threatens to veto health bill
Read more...

April 2007 issue of Glamour had a 2-page Camel No. 9 ad on a thicker single page (front and back) in the center of the magazine...


July 18, 2007 - April 2007 issue of Glamour had a 2-page Camel No. 9 ad on a thicker single page (front and back) in the center of the magazine. So a reader even when skimming the magazine would stop at this cigarette ad. 41 members of congress led by Congresswomen Lois Capps, Jan Schakowsky and Hilda Solis wrote (on June 5, 2007) to publishers of 11 leading women's magazine - Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, InStyle, Interview Magazine, Lucky, Marie Claire, Soap Opera Digest, Us Weekly, Vogue and W - calling on the magazines to voluntarily stop accepting misleading advertising for deadly cigarettes. Looking at the latest issues available (mainly August 2007) just about all the magazines did not have any cigarette ads. The exceptions were Lucky (8/2007) a Newport ad and Us Weekly (7/23/2007) with a Pall Mall ad; Interview Magazine was not found. We wonder if the refual to accept tobacco ads will continue?? As pointed out by Drs. Garfield and Chung ( Youth targeting by tobacco manufacturers since the Master Settlement Agreement. Health Aff (Millwood). 2002 Mar-Apr;21(2):254-63)an absolute ban in magazines comparable to what exists for television, radio, transit space and billboards would be the best and most effective approach to reducing youth exposure to tobacco ads. See related Newsbriefs - May 5, 2007 and May 4, 2007.
Read more...

Cigarette Sales Fall BUT Revenues from Higher Cigarette Taxes Increase...

July 17, 2007 - Cigarette Sales Fall BUT Revenues from Higher Cigarette Taxes Increase - a Win-Win Situation. North Carolina's tax on cigarettes went up from 5 cents to 30 cents on September 1, 2005 and then an additional 5 cents to 35 cents on July 1, 2006. Cigarette sales dropped by 18.5% and revenue from the higher tax on cigarettes grew by $157 million in the first full year since the tax went into effect. (Cigarette Sales Falling - 5B, The Associated Press, The News & Observer) North Carolina is the largest tobacco producer in the U.S.A. See related Newsbrief below July 10, 2007. Read more...

SNUS pouches are promoted as being spitless...


July 15, 2007 - SNUS pouches are promoted as being spitless. Compared with other moist snuff products SNUS has less salt and less water but what is crtical is the placement of the pouch. The only place the pouch can be placed in the mouth without the release of large amounts of saliva is behind the upper lip. If for any reason the pouch is moved around in the mouth copious amounts of saliva are released increasing the desire to spit. There are several minor salivary glands in the lips, cheeks and tongue that release saliva to moisten the contents of the mouth. So the tobacco juices produced slowly flow down into the gastrointestinal tract with some of the toxic chemicals settling in your pancreas. (from SNUS.biz - SNUS increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.) Most everyone that gets pancreatic cancer dies.) 85% of oral lesions are at the location where the smokless tobacco product was placed. Another problem is the litter created from the discarding of the pouches. From SNUS.biz - in Sweden where snus originated grimy/scuzzy used snus packets litter the otherwise clean streets and subway stations of Stockholm. (TobaccoWatch.org) You can't go to a bar without seeing people pulling some snus out, the used packets are found everywhere. They stick to just about anything right after they've been used and despite the Swedes proclamation of being environmentally friendly they love to throw their snus packets against anything and everything. They can be found on the ceilings and walls in just about every subway station in Stockholm, It is foul. (A Swedish American in Sweden, Friday, October 5.
Read more...