Imperial Tobacco now owns 96.92% of stock in Logista S.A., a Spanish Logistics Company..

May 10, 2008 - Imperial Tobacco now owns 96.92% of stock in Logista S.A., a Spanish Logistics Company.. In February 2008 Altadis was acquired by Imperial Tobacco, the world's 4th largest international tobacco company. At this time Altadis had a shareholding of 59.02% of Logista S.A. (Logista specilaizes in the planning, design and structure of logistics. Company activities include the planning and set up of a logistics chain to warehousing from product flow to informationbal control and analyses, necessary to improve the strategeic position of the company.) Now Imperial has obtained an additional 37.30% of that stock, bringing the company’s holding, through its Altadis subsidiary, to 96.92%. In a note posted on its website, Imperial said settlement of the offer, amounting to €866,512,552.50, was expected to take place on May 13. It said also that it intended to use the squeeze-out mechanism available to it compulsorily to acquire all of the outstanding Logista shares.

Some Imperial Tobacco Group news briefs: March 20, 2008, March 4, 2008; Imperial Tobacco successfully concludes acquisition of Altadis..; November 21, 2007; Britain's Imperial Tobacco Group is selling a number of fine cut and pipe tobacco brands to Philip Morris International (PMI) for EUR 254 million.
(TobacoWatch.org)
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SAN FRANCISCO Ban on tobacco at drug stores sought..

May 10, 2008 - San Francisco would become the first city in the United States to ban the sale of tobacco in pharmacies if legislation introduced by Mayor Gavin Newsom is approved. The proposed law is designed to curb tobacco sales at stores where pharmacists work, but would not apply to big box businesses such as Costco or to grocery stores. The ordinance is just one of a series of measures supported by the mayor intended to promote healthy living among San Francisco residents, said Newsom spokeswoman Giselle Barry. "The spirit of this is that pharmacies (considered public health centers) are places people go to get better," she said. "They shouldn't be selling products that cause cancer." The legislation would take effect on Oct. 1, 2008 if the Board of Supervisors approves it. The Department of Public Health, which already regulates tobacco sales in San Francisco, would enforce the law. Violators would face fines of $100 to $1,000.

Mitch Katz, the Public Health Department Director, said it is a “conflict of interest” for pharmacies to sell tobacco products. In some cases, he said, people go to the stores to buy medication to treat health complications brought on by smoking. Katz said the ban could reduce smoking as it creates another restriction that sends the message “smoking is bad.” Walgreens spokesman Michael Polzin said the “biggest concern” about the proposed ban is how it would impact the sales of other products. Michael Negrete, CEO of the Pharmacy Foundation of California, said a business promoting health should not “sell things that are hazardous to health.” References: SAN FRANCISCO Ban on tobacco at drug stores sought, Marisa Lagos, SFGate, 5/3/3008 and Mayor aims to kick drug stores’ habit, by Joshua Sabatini, The Examiner, 5/2/2008. More reading: New York State Assemblyman has introduced a bill that would ban the sale of tobacco from pharmacies., Tobacco Free Pharmacy Campaign and Wegmans, a Rochester, NY, based Supermarket Chain Will NO Longer Sell Tobacco Products.. Tobacco products are the only consumer product which when used as directed kills its consumers. (Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General, WHO 1998-2003) Click on image to enlarge.. (TobaccoWatch.org) Read more...

Hookahs on college campuses becoming growing public health issue..

May 9, 2008 - Hookahs on college campuses becoming growing public health issue.. Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have found that more and more U.S. college students are smoking tobacco using waterpipes (hookah, sheesha, shisha, narghile). The findings provide important insight into the prevalence and perceptions related to waterpipe tobacco smokers. In a cross-sectional study, approximately 744 students, mostly between the ages of 18 and 21, completed an Internet survey that included questions about demographics, tobacco use, risk perceptions and perceived social acceptability. Researchers found that approximately 43 percent of those surveyed had smoked tobacco using a waterpipe in the past year and 20 percent of them had smoked tobacco using a waterpipe in the past month. They also found that users were more likely to perceive waterpipes as less harmful than cigarettes as compared to those who had never used a waterpipe before. (Eissenberg, et al., Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking on a U.S. College Campus: Prevalence and Correlates, J Adolescent Health 42(5): 526-529, 2008)

Principal investigator Thomas Eissenberg, Ph.D. said that current and prospective waterpipe tobacco smokers should be made aware that the method is not as benign as they might think. Waterpipe and cigarette smoke contains some of the same toxins — disease-causing tar and carbon monoxide, as well as dependence-producing nicotine. Besides this, the exposure to these toxins through waterpipe smoking may be greater due to longer periods of use. Also, smokers take more and larger puffs with waterpipes, leading to inhalation of 100 times more smoke from a single waterpipe use episode relative to a single cigarette. Eissenberg concluded that, "prevention messages, especially those that communicate the potential risks of waterpipe tobacco smoking, should focus on college campuses.” Learn about college student Nabeel Sheikh who didn't want to smoke cigarettes but smoked hookah since the age of nine and that was a gateway to cigarettes. Some related news briefs: April 8, 2008, March 6, 2008, March 4, 2008, December 29, 2007, December 28, 2007, December 27, 2007, December 19, 2007, November 7, 2007 and October 25, 2007. Click on image to enlarge.. (TobaccoWatch.org)
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Swedish Match's Onico, a tobacco- and nicotine-free snus like product, may cause cavities..

May 8, 2008 - Swedish Match's Onico, a tobacco- and nicotine-free snus like product, may cause cavities.. In 2006 the firm launched in pouches the tobacco-free snus like product, Onico in Sweden, the world's biggest snuff market per capita. Freddi Lewin, health advisor at Swedish Match (Svenska Tandsticks), said the company had been contacted by two dentists in the past month saying patients using the product had developed cavities, and also by consumers with similar concerns. Swedish Match sells about 500,000 cans of Onico per month at about 18 crowns ($2.99USD) per can, versus about 15 million cans of regular snus monthly in Sweden, a company spokesman said. A Swedish dental journal, Tandlakartidningen, said it had received reports from around the country of cavities in connection with the use of tobacco-free snus. It is possible that the corn fiber in Onico may be transformed into sugar and as a result causes dental cavities. Click on image to enlarge..
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Are adults snoozing while kids are "snusing?"..

April 8, 2008 - Hookah smoking yesterdays news. Sixteen year old - "The preferred method of tobacco in school these days, he said, is smokeless tobacco. The current rage is a less conspicuous product called "Snus" (pronounced "snoos"), a non-chew, no-spit oral tobacco that's stuffed between the lip and gum. One of the more popular brands, Camel Snus with the tagline will be "Pleasure for where ever, whenever", manufactured by tobacco giant RJ Reynolds, is sold in tea-bag like pouches about the size of a lozenge. Teachers can't easily detect the pouches, so kids can fly under the radar when they use it in school. Even so, the habit has become so prevalent that there have been recent announcements on the loudspeaker at my son’s high school reminding students that smokeless tobacco is a code of conduct violation. When I asked my son how common it was, he guessed that about 10 percent of the boys in his class were using it. A Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released in June 2006, revealed that the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use is closer to 14 percent among high school-aged boys and a little over 2 percent among girls. The rate varied widely across states with 4.4% usage among male students in Maryland and 26.5% in West Virginia. Overall, the percentage was highest among white male students (17.6%) and rose each year from 9th to 12th grade among male students. According to the CDC, smokeless tobacco carries four dangerous health effects: It contains 28 cancer-causing agents (carcinogens); It’s a well- known cause of cancer, increasing the risk of cancer of the mouth; Oral health problems strongly associated with smokeless tobacco use are leukoplakia (a lesion of the soft tissue that consists of a white patch or plaque that cannot be scraped off) and recession of the gums; Smokeless tobacco use can lead to nicotine addiction and dependence and adolescents who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to become cigarette smokers. It’s quite possible that kids are unaware of these warnings. the five largest smokeless tobacco manufacturers spent a new record of $250.79 million on smokeless tobacco advertising and promotion during 2005 alone. We are afraid those tobacco control people that favor the use of SNUS in harm reduction are convincing our youngsters that the product is save so give it a try. If this continues it could happen that our youngsters could be the next generation of nicotine addicts never able to reach their full potential... Youth exposed to smokeless tobacco ads despite settlement… A few related news briefs: March 4, 2008, February 21, 2008, January 20, 2008,January 14, 2008, November 27, 2007,November 20, 2007, November 1, 2007, October 23, 2007 and August 31, 2007. Also Philip Morris' Black & Mild is the most popular brand of cigars for smokers 12 and older. (TobaccoWatch.org)

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South Australia enforcing law to protect children from passive smoke in cars..

May 7, 2008 - South Australia enforcing law to protect children from passive smoke in cars.. South Australia on May 31, 2007 was the first state in Australia, and among just a few in the world, to outlaw smoking in vehicles when children aged less than 16 are passengers. Those caught breaking the law face on-the-spot fines of $75 and a maximum penalty of $200. Latest police figures show officers have issued 86 fines and 27 cautions in the financial year to the end of last month. Figures two months after the laws were introduced last year showed police had issued 14 on-the-spot fines and seven cautions. Substance Abuse Minister Gail Gago said it was disappointing--an average of about 12 people a month were disregarding the law and risking childrens' health. survey of smokers have found that 90% would support such a ban to protect children. (Quit Victoria) Some related news briefs: Secondhand (environmental,involuntary, passive) Smoke: Blood Vessel Damage Within Minutes.., Vehicles Most Dangerous Space for Second-Hand Smoke Levels.. and Ban on smoking in cars when children are present... Click on image to enlarge..

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British American Tobacco (BAT) reported group volume sales up for first quarter 2008..

May 7, 2008 - Europe's largest cigarette maker, BAT reported group volume sales of 158 billion for the three months to March 31, a one per cent increase on those of the first quarter of 2007. First-quarter shipments of BAT's four main international brands - Kent, Lucky Strike, Dunhill and Pall Mall - grew 6 percent. The total volume of cigarettes sold rose 1 percent. In February BAT paid $4.1 billion for most of Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni and $1.7 billion for Tekel, giving it 60 percent of the cigarette market in Scandinavia and 36 percent in Turkey, respectively. Read more...

Restaurant smoking bans may play a role in persuading teens not to become smokers..

May 6, 2008 - Restaurant smoking bans may play a role in persuading teens not to become smokers.. The study found youths who lived in towns with strict bans were 40 percent less likely to become regular smokers than those in communities with no bans or weak ones. (Siegel et al.,Local Restaurant Smoking Regulations and Adolescent Smoking Initiation, Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162(5):477-483.)Age was also a factor. Smoking bans had a greater effect on younger teens than on older teens. On April 15, 2008 Iowa became the 23rd state along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that require most public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars, to be smoke free.
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World Asthma Awareness Day..

May 6, 2008 - Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways (bronchial tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants, and this is characterized by difficulty in breathing. Globally, the prevalence of asthma continues to escalate with more than 300 million sufferers around the world. In many countries the annual asthma death toll rises year in, year out. In the United States, an estimated 23.2 million people currently suffer from asthma, almost 9 million of whom are under the age of 18 - that's 12 percent of all children. Asthma is the leading chronic illness of children in the United States and the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness. It causes almost 500,000 hospitalizations and about 5,000 deaths annually. Asthma affects people of all ages, it often starts in childhood and is more common in children than adults. More boys have asthma than girls, but in adulthood, more women have asthma than men. Although asthma is a problem among all races, blacks have more asthma attacks and are more likely than whites to be hospitalized for asthma attacks or to die from asthma.

Tobacco smoke can be a powerful asthma trigger setting off an asthmatic attack with the person unable to breath. Even children who don't have asthma are at risk of problems if their parents smoke. These kids are more likely to get upper respiratory infections and develop lung conditions, including asthma. We can assume that all parents that bring a child into the world want the best for their child. If you have to smoke do not smoke in the presence of your children especially in the house and when driving your car. References: World Asthma Day 2008: You Can Control Your Asthma!, Asthma Insights, Smoking and Asthma, Kids Health for Parents. Some Smoking and Asthma News Briefs: February 16, 2008, February 14, 2008, February 12, 2008, June 11, 2007, June 4, 2007 and March 10, 2007. Read more...