One can Camel SNUS addicted to nicotine for life..

November 22, 2008 - R.J. Reynolds Tobacco lowered the number of pouches per container from 20 to 15 pouches back in April 2008 (Marlboro SNUS - 12 pouches, Lorillard's Triumph SNUS - 24 pouches, Skoal Dry - 20 pouches - now called Skoal SNUS).

Comparison of the two Camel SNUS containers: FRONT BACK - note the simplified directions on how to suck on the tobacco pouch without producing too much saliva with the new container and the removal of the tag "Pleasure For Wherever."

On November 20, 2008 we reported on a West Virginia University (WVA) study that found that Camel SNUS has twice the nicotine content of an earlier version of the same product. When compared with another snus product - Tourney SNUS (similar to Liggett's Grand Prix SNUS) had a much lower levels of nicotine than Camel SNUS. (RJR's Camel SNUS twice nicotine content..

Andrew Seidenberg, a member of Harvard's Tobacco Control Research Program pointed out that the Camel Snus website (snuscamel.com) acknowledged they were increasing the size of each pouch, the amount of tobacco (0.6 grams instead of the 0.4 grams per pouch - R.J. Reynolds spokesman David Howard), and consequently the amount of nicotine with the new pouches. Now according to a
R.J. Reynolds each pouch of Snus contains 8 milligrams of nicotine (about 8 times what a smoker gets from smoking a cigarette), the earlier version contained only 2 milligrams of nicotine per pouch.

But the WVU study found that there was twice as much nicotine and RJR only increased the size of the pouch by 50% - if that. The size of the two Camel SNUS pouches.

Reynolds is now flooding the market with free cans of Camel SNUS. As part of their public awareness and education program they have tried just about everything: from providing coupons, to stationing people at bars and c-stores, to running ads in various publications. Where has this got them - surely they've given away more cans of Camel SNUS than have been paid for. Now based on information from a c-store owner the RJR salesperson for the last 3-weeks has given him at no charge 25-cans of Camel Snus Frost and asked for him to pass them out to those people that may be interested in giving it a try.

We know higher tobacco prices significantly reduce teens’ probability of becoming daily, addicted users. (Dr. Judith Monroe, Indiana Health Commissioner, "As the price goes up, youth use of tobacco products goes down." But here we have Reynolds giving the stuff away and doing everything in its power to get people to try snus.

Just One Cigarette can Cause Nicotine Addiction. (DiFranza JR, Savageau JA, Fletcher K, O'Loughlin J, et al. Symptoms of Tobacco Dependence After Brief Intermittent Use: The Development and Assessment of Nicotine Dependence in Youth-2 Study Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 07;161:704-710. Abstract. Smokeless Tobacco is NOT less addictive than tobacco smoking in fact nicotine blood levels last longer and may even be higher.
Read more...

New Mexico appeals court revives smoking lawsuit..

November 22, 2008 - SANTA FE, N.M. - The New Mexico Court of Appeals has revived a class-action lawsuit against several cigarette makers for allegedly engaging in a price-fixing conspiracy.
The ruling Tuesday, November 18, 2008 overturned a 2006 decision by a Santa Fe County District Court against New Mexico consumers who brought the damage lawsuit against tobacco companies, including Philip Morris Inc. and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.

Before the class-action lawsuit went to trial, District Judge James Hall granted summary judgment in favor of the tobacco companies. However, the appeals court said that was improper for the claims against some of the companies -- Philip Morris, Reynolds and Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.

The lawsuit alleged a conspiracy by the tobacco companies to fix prices to wholesale distributors through a series of increases starting in 1993, when manufacturers of premium cigarettes - such as Philip Morris and its Marlboro brand - were losing market share to generic and other discount cigarettes.

The Court of Appeal ruled that economic testimony from the consumers' expert witness provided an adequate legal foundation for the lawsuit to move ahead against the companies other than Lorillard and Liggett. The witness testified that it was "highly unlikely that independent competitive behavior explained" the cigarette price changes.

Reference: NM court revives case against cigarette makers Appeals court rules for NM consumers in price-fixing lawsuit against several cigarette makers, Associated Press - CNNMoney.com, 11/19/2008 and New Mexico appeals court revives smoking lawsuit, JOURNAL STAFF AND WIRE REPORT, Winston-Salem Journal, 11/21/2008.
Read more...

RJR's Camel SNUS twice nicotine content..

November 20, 2008 - West Virginia has the highest prevalence of adult smokeless tobacco use in the United States. (Young Users of Smokeless Tobacco Lack Awareness of Its Dangers) To date R.J. Reynolds Tobacco has not identified West Virginia as one of the test markets for Camel SNUS but Camel SNUS will be rolled out nationally early in 2009.

Researchers at West Virgina University (WVU) found that the Camel SNUS presently available in convenience stores has twice the nicotine content of an earlier version of the same product sold elsewhere in the U.S. When compared with another snus product - Tourney SNUS had a much lower levels of nicotine than Camel SNUS.

Co-author of the study Robert Anderson, deputy director of WVU's Prevention Resource Center concluded that the research showed that nicotine levels in Camel SNUS are stronger than in several snuff products. (This work will be published in an upcoming issue of the West Virginia Medical Journal.)

Reference: WVU: Tobacco product high in nicotine, TraderMarkets.com, 11/18/2008.

It is interesting to note Dr. Jonathan Foulds (fouldsja@umdnj.edu)has insisted that the version Philip Morris' (PM) Marlboro SNUS currently being marketed in the United States differs from Swedish snus in many ways; it has lower moisture content and pH, but most puzzling is its very low nicotine delivery. It is suggested that PM may have designed the product so that it does not satisfy nicotine cravings and fails to enable smokers to switch. (Is low-nicotine Marlboro snus really snus?, Jonathan Foulds and Helena Furberg, Harm Reduct J. 5:9, (Feb 27)2008)
Read more...

ACS Great American Smokeout - 2008..

SEPTEMBER 20, 2008 - American Cancer Society's 33rd Great American Smokeout - 1st started in 1976..

All tobacco products with no exceptions are highly addictive and dangerous to health; as the World Health Organization tells us "Tobacco is Deadly in Any Form or Disguise."

Do you want to improve the quality of your life and live longer then STOP smoking cigarettes and using other tobacco products. Do it for yourself.. do it for your love ones, your wife, your children that count on you and look up to you.

By calling the American Cancer Society Quitline® at 1-800-227-2345, people who plan to quit will be able to speak with a trained counselor and receive free, confidential counseling.

Reference: American Cancer Society Marks 33rd Great American Smokeout - The Best Time to Quit Smoking is Now.
Read more...

Fitch 2009 U.S. Tobacco Outlook..

November 19, 2008 - Higher Taxes to Further Pressure Cigarette Volumes

Fitch U.S. Tobacco Outlook Higher Taxes to Further Pressure Cigarette Volumes, Business Wire, 11/16/2008.

Read more...

South Carolina to spend NO money on tobacco prevention..

November 19, 2008 - As pointed out in a July 5, 2008 news brief South Carolina (SC) will NOT devote any resources to anti-smoking programs.. South Carolina (SC) will collect $114 million this year from the tobacco settlement and taxes, but it is the only state that doesn't plan to spend any state money to help people quit smoking and prevent others from taking up the habit.

In South Carolina, a $1 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will pay for a scaled-back 800-number quit line and some education in the schools, state officials said.


Matthew Myers, president of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a release, "South Carolina is the most disappointing state in the nation when it comes to funding programs to protect kids from tobacco."

But there is good news. Since 1999, the youth smoking rate in South Carolina, an historically tobacco-friendly state, has dropped by half, from 36 percent to 18 percent. For the 22 percent of South Carolina's adults who already smoke, the state has continued its tobacco quit line with the federal money, though it has scaled back its follow-up counseling sessions.

More information: A Decade of Broken Promises The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement Ten Years Later.

Reference: SC ranks last in tobacco prevention spending, Portfolio.com - Associated Press, 11/18/2008.

Additional related news briefs: In 2008 will the politicians do what's right for the State of South Carolina??; South Carolina - Tobacco Tax Increase Killed - State House Fails to Override Governor's Veto.. and Tobacco Tax Increase – What’s Wrong with South Carolina??.

Read more...

General Tobacco lays off nearly 25% of work force..

November 18, 2008 - Mayodan, NC - A need to cut costs has led General Tobacco Co. to reverse its growth strategy, at least temporarily, and lay off nearly 25 percent of its work force in Mayodan, the company said today, 11/17/2008. The discount cigarette manufacturer moved to Mayodan from Miami earlier this year to be closer to the U.S. tobacco industry. It began production in March with a work force compromised of many former employees from manufacturers such as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Lorillard Tobacco Co.

The company laid off 31 employees — 28 in its production and warehouse units and three in its administrative offices, said Ronald Denman, an executive vice president and general counsel. Melisa Chantres, a spokeswoman for General Tobacco, said that the company had 126 full-time employees before the layoff. "Our shipments have slowed down, so we don't need to make as much product right now," Denman said. He said that the job cuts have affected its second and third shifts.

"As is the case with most U.S. industries, General Tobacco has been affected by the sweeping downturn in consumer spending," Denman said.

"It is our sincerest hope that this economic hardship, being felt by all, will pass quickly so that we may bring these employees back, who we consider family."
The company has pledged to create at least 200 jobs by 2010 as part of becoming eligible for up to $3 million in performance-based local incentives.

The layoff is not a good sign for the tobacco industry given that many smokers tend to switch to discount brands during rough economic times, said Stephen Pope, the chief global-market strategist with Cantor Fitzgerald Europe.

Reference: Discount cigarette manufacturer cuts jobs by
Richard Craver, Winston-Salem Journal, 11/17/2008.

Related news briefs: General Tobacco Sues 52 U.S Attorneys General and 19 Tobacco Companies..; N.C.'s General Tobacco Appoints New Sales Head..; General Tobacco completes move to Mayodan, N.C.. and General Tobacco (GT) could “potentially” come out with a snus product in the future..
Read more...

Netherlands the smoking ban must be enforced - Ab Klink, Health Minister...

November 18, 2008 - On July 1, 2008 the Netherlands (Holland, Dutch) followed other European countries in banning tobacco. Ireland was the first country in the region to forbid smoking in public places in 2004. Sweden, Italy, Malta, France, Belgium, Finland, Lithuania, Portugal and England and others have followed, with full or partial restrictions.

Now that the weather is turning colder in the Netherlands the smoking ban is really beginning to bite – smokers don't find it quite so much fun sitting on a cafe terrace in the pouring rain and wind. So bar owners all over the country are bringing back the ashtrays. If everyone flocks to the one bar that does allow smoking, the others are going to do everything they can to get their customers back.

Ab Klink, the health minister, has to show defiant cafe and bar owners who is in charge. He's not going to win any friends among smokers by clamping down on those who are deliberately flouting the law. But at the moment the law, and Klink himself, are being made to look foolish.

In a typically Dutch fashion, a situation would be created in which smoking would be officially banned but still tolerated.

Reference: To smoke or not to smoke.., DutchNews.nl, 11/17/2008.


Monday 17 November 2008 Read more...

Reynolds America moving ahead with dissolvable tobacco products..

November 18, 2008 - Reynolds American (RA) gave details to investors Monday, 11/17/2008 about its latest smokeless tobacco products, saying that it would begin selling Camel brand dissolvable tobacco products in mid- to late January in three trial markets. R.J. Reynolds Dissolvables - it looks like candy..

Anti-tobacco groups objected last month when Reynolds first said it would begin selling dissolvable tobacco.

"These new products pose serious threats to the nation's health," a statement from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "They are likely to appeal to children because they are flavored and packaged like candy, are easy to conceal even in a classroom and carry the Camel brand that is already so popular with underage smokers."

Reynolds defended the new dissolvable tobacco in part by saying the products come in child-resistant packs. IS THIS ENOUGH - WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT TWO YEAR OLD KIDS..

Brice O'Brien, a senior vice president of growth and innovation at RA, told investors, "We're very excited about the potential of these modern smoke-free products." O'Brien said it was too early to tell if dissolvable tobacco would prove to be a breakthrough innovation, like menthol or filtered cigarettes. But he said focus group testing on adult smokers showed greater interest for dissolvable tobacco than for snus.

Camel Snus, RA to take it national early next year, is also spitless, but some smokers said they didn’t care for loose tobacco or pouched smokeless products, particularly ones they had to remove from their mouth after use.

Advertising is still being developed, but a company rep said print ads, direct marketing, sampling (at bars and nightclubs) and POP will support. The Reynolds American unit currently has a company policy that restricts advertising cigarettes in consumer publications. That self-imposed ban does not apply to other tobacco products and trade publications. Gyro, Philadelphia, and Agent 16, New York, are the lead agencies.

A 2007 study by the American Cancer Society found that male smokers who switched to smokeless had higher death rates than men who quit or never smoked.

Reference: Reynolds American to sell dissolvable tobacco by Vinee Tong, AP Business Writer, 11/17/2008 and R.J. Reynolds Preps Dissolvable Tobacco by Mike Beirne, Brandweek, 10/8/2008.
Read more...

PMI Webcast Tuesday, November 18, 2008..

November 17, 2008 - Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) To Webcast Presentation at Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference, 18 November 2008 12:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. CET
Read more...

Pennsylvania Smoking Ban - Lots of Exceptions..

November 17, 2008 - The Pennsylvania health department said 1,727 taverns qualified for an "exception" from the state Clean Indoor Air Act, which banned smoking in public places and retail establishments including restaurants, effective September 11, 2008.

Pennsylvania's law is not as strict as the other surrounding states and it comes after a bitter battle that left a bad taste in some people's mouths.


Ninety percent of all applications for an exception were approved, said Stacy Kriedeman, health department spokeswoman. Taverns can allow smoking only if their food sales are less than 20 percent of total revenues. Ms. Kriedeman said the state next will evaluate applications from "type 2" establishments -- restaurants that also operate bars. Smoking is banned in restaurants. But under type-2 rules, smoking can be permitted in the bar if it has a separate entrance and ventilation system with a full wall dividing it from the restaurant. On-site inspections are necessary before type 2 exceptions can be granted, she said.

To date, the health department has received 771 complaints of smoking violations statewide and has issued 170 violation notices. The state strategy in the early months of the ban is to notify business owners that they face fines of up to $1,000 if they fail to eliminate smoking inside establishments not exempt from the law.

Related news briefs: Pennsylvania - Cigarette Vending Machines NO Longer Wanted..; Finally Pennsylvania's Smoking Ban Takes Effect Today..; Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania wants to pay for providing health insurance; Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is proposing an excise tax on tobacco..

Reference: 361 taverns in county avoid smoking ban 1,727 exemptions are granted statewide by David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/08/2008.

Read more...

Further evidence - STOP smoking in the presence of your children..

November 17, 2008 - Exposure to environmental tobacco (ETS, secondhand, sidestream, involuntary, passive) smoke is a major risk to human health and the home and car are the greatest single source of ETS for children.

Kids exposed to smoke are at higher risk since they breath in more air by weight than adults. Both the respiratory rate and heart rate are higher in children below the age of 13 than adults. Children breathe in a greater amount of air per body weight compared to adults. The younger the child, the greater the potential for exposure.

The study by Branden E. Yee, M.D. and his group presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting that concludes Oct. 22, 2008, measured levels of carboxyhemoglobin, which is formed when carbon monoxide binds to the blood, in 200 children between the ages of 1 and 12. Carbon monoxide binds to blood 200 times more easily than oxygen, but the resultant carboxyhemoglobin is unable to deliver oxygen to body tissue, including that of the brain, heart and muscle. The study provides evidence that the carbon monoxide levels of children exposed to second-hand smoke are often similar to that of active adult smokers and frequently higher than levels in adults exposed to second-hand smoke. (Children May Be More Affected By Second-Hand Smoke Than AdultsNewswise Medical New, 10/22/2008.)

In another study it was found that paternal smoking inside the home leads to significant fetal and maternal exposure to ETS and may subsequently affect fetal health. In the indoor-smoker group, neonatal nicotine concentrations were higher than in the outdoor and nonsmoker groups. (Moon-Woo Seong et al., Neonatal Hair Nicotine Levels and Fetal Exposure to Paternal Smoking at Home, Am. J. Epidemiology 168(10): 1140-1144, 2008)

Banning smoking when children are in the home or car is a no-brainer - even Philip Morris agrees. David Sutton, a spokesman for Philip Morris USA said the company believes the public "should be guided by the conclusions of public health officials regarding the health effects of secondhand smoke" and "particular care should be exercised where children are concerned." Bill Phelps, a spokesman for the nation's largest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, said the company's website points out that public health officials have shown that secondhand smoke causes heart disease in nonsmokers. Phelps: "We agree that people should be able to avoid being around secondhand smoke, particularly in places where they must go."

Some related news brief: Maine - illegal to smoke in cars while children present.. and Vehicles Most Dangerous Space for Second-Hand Smoke Levels... For others - do a random search.
Read more...

Smoking a contributor to many dermatologic conditions and complications..

November 16, 2008 - Smoking is a contributor to many dermatologic conditions and complications, such as poor wound healing, collagen degradation, skin discoloration, the formation of abnormal skin growths, deep wrinkling and premature skin aging.

Dermatologist Jennifer Linder says, the connection between skin aging and cigarette smoking is now so apparent that warning labels such as "smoking makes your skin age" can be seen on cigarette packages in Europe and in other parts of the world.

The role of nicotine on skin. Nicotinic receptors are expressed in the skin, on keratinocytes, fibroblasts and blood vessels. Nicotine induces vasoconstriction associated with local hyperaemia. It inhibits inflammation through effects on central and peripheral nervous system and through direct effect on immune cells. It delays wound healing and accelerates skin aging. (Laurent Misery (laurent.misery@chu-brest.fr), Nicotine effects on skin: Are they positive or negative?, Experimental Dermatology 13:665-670, 2004)

Smoking for only five years causes enough damage to the skin to cause "smoker's skin" - see image, which may appear many years later.

Related news briefs: A girl's guide to naturally beautiful skin.. and Tobacco Smoking - Shortens Life Expectancy, Reduces Quality of Life..

Reference: The adverse effects of smoking on your beauty, ABC15.com staff, 11/12/2008.

Read more...

Tobacco smoking increases the risk of moderate to severe PMS..

November 16, 2008 - Women 27 to 44 years old who smoke are twice as likely to develop premenstrual syndrome over the next two to four years, especially hormonally-related symptoms like backaches, bloating, breast tenderness and acne, Dr. Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and her colleagues found.

The risk increased with the amount they smoked, and women who had picked up the habit in adolescence or young adulthood were at even greater risk; those who had begun smoking before their 15th birthday, for example, were 2.53 times as likely to develop PMS.


The researchers analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study II, which has been following 116,678 US registered nurses since 1989. The researchers looked at a subset of women who were PMS-free during the first two years of the study, comparing 1,057 who did go on to develop PMS to 1,968 who did not.

Bertone-Johnson said in an e-mail message, "Our findings lend further support to the idea that smoking increases the risk of moderate to severe PMS, and provides another reason for women, especially adolescents and young women, not to smoke."

Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson, Susan E. Hankinson, Susan R. Johnson and JoAnn E. Manson, Cigarette Smoking and the Development of Premenstrual Syndrome, American Journal of Epidemiology 168(8):928-945, (10/15)2008, ABSTRACT..

Cigarette smoking can shorten menstrual cycles (2). Cigarettes seem to shorten the follicular phase but heavier smoking also may shorten the luteal phase. Both heavy smoking and even smoking just 10 cigarettes or more a day may cause menstrual cycles to be shorter in length, as well as more variable in their lengths than nonsmokers. Types of Irregular Menstrual Patterns, Frederick R. Jelovsek MD.

Background reading: PMS Explained with Francine Cosner, M.D., Obstetrician/Gynecologist, MedicalMoment.org, 10/1/2005.

Reference: Cigarette smoking may worsen PMS woes Women who puff are twice as likely to suffer bad symptoms, study says, Reuters, 11/16/2008.
Read more...