June 5, 2010 - A new report, commissioned by the deputy health minister, shows that 22.8% of Israel’s adult population currently smokes, compared to 24.2% last year. The study also found that 31.3% of men smoke, while 14.8% of women do.
More specific to Jews, the report also found that 27.9% of Jewish men smoke, while 16.6% of Jewish women smoke. Last year, the percentage of Jewish women who smoked was higher, at 18.7%.
"Only constant monitoring of these trends can tell us whether this drop continues," said Professor Tami Shochat, the head of the Health Ministry's Center for Disease Control, the institution that wrote the report. The findings have been derived from a two-year poll conducted by the Center for Disease Control among 4,186 participants.
Regarding the Arab population, 48.8% of men smoke, while only 5.2% of women do. These numbers are similar to figures found in previous years. The percentage of what the report considers heavy smokers is highest among Arab male smokers, where 31.8% consume more than 20 cigarettes per day. Among Jews, 12.8% of male smokers and 10.9% of women smokers smoke at least one pack a day.
The study also cites two polls of 20,000 youths. The report found 5% of Jewish eighth-graders smoke occasionally, and 1.6% smoke every day. Among Arabs, 2.9% of eighth graders reported smoking occasionally, while 1.1% admitted to smoking every day.
Reference; Study: Fewer Israelis smoking, Bev Spritzer, Ynetnews.com, 6/4/2010.
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Israel - slight decline in the number of Israelis who smoke..
Canada - youth survey finds levels of cigarillo use persist, but users don't consider themselves 'smokers'..
June 5, 2010 - The results of the latest national Youth Smoking Survey (YSS) indicate that youth are not seeing cigarillos as harmful as cigarettes, supporting the need for impending Bill C-32. (The Youth Smoking Survey (YSS) is Canada’s only national survey of student smoking. Funded by Health Canada, it was created to study the factors that increase and diminish the likelihood of tobacco use among youth. The results of the survey support the development and evaluation of polices and programs aimed at reducing smoking and, ultimately, saving lives.)
Passed in October 2009, Bill C-32 contained an immediate ban on tobacco advertising in newspapers and magazines. A ban on flavoured cigarettes, little cigars and blunt wraps at the manufacturer/import level followed on April 6, 2010, and by July 5, 2010 these flavoured tobacco products will be banned at the retail level.
2008-09 version of the survey, released in conjunction with World No Tobacco Day, found that 9 percent - 247,504 youth - in Grades 6 to 12 smoked cigarillos or little cigars in the last month. Yet new data indicate that 85 percent of youth who smoked just cigarillos or little cigars considered themselves "non-smokers," versus 33 percent of who smoked just cigarettes.
"Tobacco is tobacco - it's addictive and has health risks that appear no matter what form it comes in," said Steve Manske, senior scientist at the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo, who conducted the survey. Manske admits he's concerned about the large group of youth who are slipping through the cracks because they don't consider themselves at risk.
"If a kid doesn't perceive himself to be a smoker because he is 'only' smoking cigarillos, a prevention program will not be effective. Similarly, efforts to help kids quit smoking won't reach the cigarillo smokers, because they don't consider themselves smokers," Manske said. He also warns about modelling behaviour, where youth who haven't yet tried this form of tobacco may be more inclined to because their friends perceive it as less harmful.
Currently, nearly all cigarillos are flavoured, many of which appeal to youth, such as strawberry, mint, vanilla, chocolate and cherry. Their packaging may seem harmless, mimicking those of candy wrappers and prior to April 6, 2010, they could be sold individually, making them more affordable.
The latest YSS reports that 33 percent of cigarillo or little cigar smokers bought them from retail sources, which will change after the legislation comes into effect on July 5, 2010. Still, 37 percent of youth bought them from social sources and 30 percent did not buy cigarillos or little cigars. This last group may account for sharing among other youth.
Manske also believes that the new legislation will not entirely eliminate the problem, as companies that market cigarillos may redesign their products to get around the "little cigar" definition in Bill C-32.
"We're making inroads by accelerating the generation and use of relevant and timely evidence to inform decision makers to improve the health of Canadian youth, but there is still a long road ahead," said Manske. "As a starting point, our efforts to prevent youth from smoking, and encourage those who are to quit, must be expanded beyond a traditional focus on cigarettes in order to help kids stay tobacco-free."
Reference: Youth survey finds levels of cigarillo use persist, but users don't consider themselves 'smokers'Waterloo Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, Waterloo University, 5/31/2010.
Canada - cigarillo news briefs:
Canada - bill to ban flavored tobacco products gets final approval - Burley Tobacco..;
Canadian bill to ban flavored tobacco products worries Kentucky burley growers..;
Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey - 2008..;
Canadian House of Commons passes bill to prevent production of mini-cigars or cigarillos..;
Canada - Bill C-32 to amend Tobacco Products Control Act..;
Canada - federal government introduces legislation to ban flavored tobacco products..;
Quebec - Teens Switch from Cigarettes to Cigarillos..;
Canada - little cigar/cigarillos smoking declined from 2007 - 2008..;
Canadian Cancer Society calls for federal ban on flavored cigars..;
Ontario to outlaw candy flavored cigars..;
Ontario poised to ban flavored cigarillos..;
Canada: a bill introduced to snuff out drive to recruit young smokers..;
Still sucking our youngsters in...
Read more...
Champix (Chantix) - Health Canada issues stronger warnings..
June 5, 2010 Health Canada and drug maker Pfizer Canada have issued stronger warnings about the smoking cessation medication Champix (sold in the U.S. under the name Chantix) concerned over mounting reports of mood changes, hostility, suicidal behaviour and serious, sometimes fatal, skin reactions.
Champix, the brand name of varenicline tartrate sold by Pfizer Canada Inc., must now carry a boxed warning, which is reserved for drugs that have been linked to serious safety issues or adverse events. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has required a similar safety warning on the product since last July 2009.
Health officials say Champix, sold in the U.S. under the name Chantix, has been linked to serious neuropsychiatric symptoms in numerous patients, including depressed mood, agitation, aggression, hostility, thoughts of self-harm or suicide. In the warning issued Thursday, Health Canada and Pfizer also highlighted reports of dizziness, loss of consciousness, seizures and other serious side effects linked to the drug. Problems were experienced by patients with or without a history of psychiatric disorders. Alcohol intake could increase the risk to patients, Health Canada said.
Some patients using Champix have also experienced serious skin reactions, including angioedema, characterized by swelling under the skin that can be fatal, and other severe skin reactions, the warning said.
Champix won Health Canada approval in April 2007. In June 2008, the Health Canada issued a public advisory warning consumers about the fact a number of patients on Champix experienced behaviour changes, hostility and thoughts of self-harm. A reminder of that warning was sent to the public in January 2009 and the department also announced plans to place a stricter warning on Champix.
Champix was approved for sale in Europe in 2006. Several studies conducted in Europe on about 2,000 smokers showed that a year after initial treatment with Champix, a little more than one in five people stayed off cigarettes. Zyban's success rate is estimated at about 16 per cent. Only eight per cent of those who were given a placebo in the study had stopped smoking after a year. (Stop-smoking drug wins Health Canada approval Champix boasts 22 percent success rate, has no nicotine base)
Some Chantix (Champix) related news briefs:
Champix (Chantix) - Canada class-action lawsuit started..;
Champix (Chantix) - more serious psychiatric reactions and death..;
Smoking Cessation - Chantix (Champix) vs. Cold Turkey..;
Chantix - Pfizer faces three lawsuits surely many more to come..;
Champix (Chantix) - the risks are greater then the benefits..;
Chantix - another wrongful death lawsuit filed..;
Anti-smoking drugs (non-nicotine) - Chantix and Zyban to carry mental health warnings..;
Another Chantix Warning in Canada..;
Operators of any form of transportation warned on the use of Pfizer's smoking-cessation drug Chantix..;
Pfizer Changes Chantix Label..;
Chantix Reports of Suicidal Thoughts and Aggressive and Erratic Behavior..;
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FDA CTR Draft Guidance for Industry: ..
June 5, 2010 - Draft Guidance for Industry: Compliance with Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco To Protect Children and Adolescents..
Draft Guidance for Industry...
Read more...
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac Holding sales jumped by 15-20 percent..
June 4, 2010 - The sales jump during the past two weeks was because of a special police operation aimed at fighting contraband (illegal, illicit, smuggled). Bulgaria - recent article fighting contraband cigarettes: Bulgarian Police 'Cigarettes' Special Ops Hits Contraband Jackpot, June 4, 2010.
Vanio Tanov..
The company was defending its position at an emergency press conference following statements made by the Director of the country’s Customs Agency, Vanio Tanov, who, in an interview for the daily newspaper, Standart, said Bulgartabac was trying to privatize for “next to nothing”.
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac buyer may be chosen by end of year..
said the worst thing a high-ranking state employee could do was to insinuate that the company was near bankruptcy at a time when consultants were trying to seal a privatization deal. And he suggested that similar negative comments in the past had resulted in Bulgartabac’s failure to find a buyer during 15 years of trying.
Ivan Bilarev..
Meanwhile, CEO, Ivan Bilarev, said Bulgartabac Holding was not threatened by insolvency, and, to the contrary, its position was constantly improving. Bilarev said Bulgartabac planned to invest BGN33 million (22.2 USD) this year in new production lines, and was currently working three shifts at its cigarette factories and still failing to satisfy demand.
In April, the legal cigarette market is estimated at 860 tons, while one year earlier it has been 1 400 tons. “Bulgartabac” holds 36% of the market now compared to over 50% around the same time last year, according to company's data. Nevertheless, the company’s own data indicate that it now accounts for about 36 percent of the Bulgarian market, down from around 50 percent a year ago.
“If the cabinet cuts contraband at least half, we can sell up to an additional 150 000 tons of cigarettes a month,” the [Bulgartabac] Holding's management says.
Reference: Bulgarian Customs, Tobacco Monopoly Tangled in War of Words, Novinite.com, 6/3/2010.
Bulgartabac related news briefs:
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac buyer may be chosen by end of year..;
Bulgaria - Citigroup chosen as consultant for sale of Bulgartabac..;
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Bulgaria - sale of Bulgartabac coming - selection of a consultant..;
Bulgaria - tobacco producers propose Bulgartabac transfer..;
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Bulgaria - Bulgartabac Holding” will be privatized in 2010..;
Bulgartabac Chief - cigarette tax increase as of January 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria Bulgartabac Holding Sells 23% of Shares to Mutual Funds..;
Bulgaria - new government to speed-up Bulgartabac sale..;
Does Russia own Bulgaria's tobacco monopoly, Bulgartabac..;
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Philippines - tobacco firms claim graphic warnings on cigarette packs are illegal..
June 4, 2010 - On Thursday, June 3rd the Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) said an order requiring tobacco companies to print graphic health warnings on cigarette packs is contrary to law. Complying with the health department’s administrative order 2010-13 will be a violation of Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act (TRA) of 2003, the group said in a statement. The law prohibits the printing of any other health warning on cigarette packs other than those specified by law, the group said.
Annex to Administrative Order..
The Department of Health (DoH) on Monday, May 24th has stepped up the pressure on tobacco companies, ordering them to start printing in 90 days, explicit warnings on cigarette packs that would illustrate the ill effects of smoking. (Philippines - Department of Health wants health warnings on cigarette packs within 90 days..
The PTI is a group of local cigarette manufacturers which include the Philippines’ biggest tobacco firm, Lucio Tan’s Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corporation, and other corporations like the Anglo-American Tobacco Corporation, La Suerte Cigar and Cigarette Manufacturing Inc., and Mighty Tobacco Corporation. (Philippines - PMI - FTC merger may lead smokers continuing to smoke and lure children into a life of nicotine addiction..)
“If AO 2010-13 is implemented, cigarette manufacturers, exporters, and importers will be violating the TRA, which has penal provisions that could land them in jail and be meted heavy fines," said the group, which includes Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp., the Philippines’ largest cigarette firm. As a result, the PTI called on Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral to withdraw the said order, saying it is “defective" and “deplorable."
However, Cabral remained firm about implementing the administrative order this month, saying tobacco companies can easily alter product packaging since they provide similar packages to other countries. “These tobacco manufacturers are the ones who print and export packages with graphic warnings to other Asian countries. They can very well comply with the order," she said in a phone interview with GMANews.TV.
The health department has given tobacco companies enough time to change their current packages and even invited them to a dialogue before the order was released, she said. “We invited them, but nobody came except for one person," she said. The health secretary also said her administrative order does not violate any law, since RA 9211 only covers textual warnings.
The Philippines is one of the 168 signatories of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which requires parties to the convention to “implement large, rotating health warnings on all tobacco product packaging and labelling.”
IMAGE: Philippines is the first country known to require a breast cancer message on cigarette packages.
Reference: Graphic warnings on cigarette packs contrary to law, tobacco firms say, ANDREO C. CALONZO, GMANews.TV, 6/3/2010.
Philippines - some related news briefs:
Philippines - new president smokes but this should not slow tobacco prevention activities..:
Philippines - Department of Health wants health warnings on cigarette packs within 90 days..;
Philippines - health groups want more protection from the dangers of tobacco..;
Philippines - DOH warns government agencies to avoid partnerships or accepting donations from tobacco manufacturers..;
Philip Morris Philippines..;
Philippines - DoH pushes for picture warnings on cigarette packs..;
Philippines - PMI - FTC merger may lead smokers continuing to smoke and lure children into a life of nicotine addiction..;
Philippines - PMI and Fortune Tobacco Corp. form new company called PMFTC..;
Philippines - Tanauan City names street Philip Morris..;
Philippines - DOH campaign for 100% smoke-free workplaces..;
Philippines - total tobacco industry could be down 10% to 15% this year..;
Philippines - 2003 ban on advertising and skirting the ban..;
Philippines - June is annually observed as 'No Smoking' Month..;
Philippines may be losing the war against smoking..;
http://snus-news.blogspot.com/2008/11/philippines-thai-cigarette-import-rules.html;
Philip Morris won't postpone Philippines Eraserheads Concert..;
Philip Morris could be criminally liable for its sponsorship of the event .in the Philippines..;
STOP PMI Sponsoring Concert in Philippines..;
Philippines - Smoker to be deported...
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Bulgaria - full smoking ban in force for 3-days officially abolished..
June 4, 2010 - After being in force just for three days, the full smoking ban, adopted by the previous parliament, is officially abolished as of June 4. (Bulgaria - confusion over which public smoking ban is in force..)
The amendments to the Health Act, which introduce more liberal rules for smoking in public spaces, have been promulgated [to put (a law) into action or force] in the Friday's edition of the State Gazette.
The actual introduction of the eased smoking regime however will be only after three months, during which the Council of Ministers must issue their own order specifying the rules for smoking in public spaces.
Under amendments that Bulgaria's parliament adopted last month smoking will be allowed in separate smoking spaces inside restaurants, bars, coffee shops, railroad stations, airports, ports, and bus stations. The owners of restaurants, clubs and coffee shops with an area less than 50 square meters, should decide if smoking would be allowed. Other notable changes include permitting employees to smoke during working hours, provided it is in a place set up for that purpose. In effect, the provisions extend the existing status quo, which was due to change with the introduction of the ban on smoking in public places.
The draft legislation surprisingly managed to fuse the ruling center-right GERB with the main opposition Socialist Party. The ad hoc coalition claimed that the proposed relaxation of a ban on smoking in all public places would avoid hurting the tourist industry during tough economic times. The reason for the ban's qualification, according to reports, was that many proprietors, hoteliers, restaurant and bar owners had claimed that the full ban would have hit business, worsening the impact of the economic crisis.
Similar measures were imposed as part of a partial smoking ban in 2005 but have been widely ignored.
On May 31, Bulgaria's ruling party GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) said it would push for further measures against smoking, measures which would target advertising of cigarettes and other tobacco products. According to the head of the parliamentary health care committee, Luchezar Ivanov, a list of locations would be prepared where cigarettes may be advertised in the future. Currently in Bulgaria, it is forbidden to advertise cigarettes, but it is permitted to advertise the brand of the product, according to Doctor Masha Gavrailova, head of the public health care department within the Health Ministry. Cigarette advertising is also banned on television and radio. But these new restrictions still marked a serious step down from the full smoking ban some expected to see in place from the beginning of June.
References: Eased Smoking Ban Comes into Force in Bulgaria, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), 6/4/2010; Eased regulations on smoking introduced in Bulgaria by Nick Iliev, the Sofia Echo, 6/4/2010.
Bulgaria - related news briefs:
Bulgaria - confusion over which public smoking ban is in force..;
Bulgaria - WHO upset with Bulgaria's weakened smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - weakened smoking ban, just added minors can't be in disco clubs after 10pm..;
Bulgaria - final vote delayed on weakened smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - weakened smoking ban, second reading..;
Bulgaria - commission tightens smoking ban a little..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac buyer may be chosen by end of year..;
Bulgaria - prime minister not happy with giving tobacco growers subsidies..;
Bulgaria - to loosen smoking ban to start June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - finance minister comments may be good news for tobacco farmers..;
Bulgaria - parliament debates proposal to water down smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - majority of all Bulgarians - 78% are against the smoking ban delay..;
Bulgaria - every increase in excise duty on cigarettes consumption goes down..;
Bulgaria - grace period over, increase in tobacco tax starts Thursday, April 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - Italian authorities arrest 2-Bulgarians smuggling cigarettes..;
Bulgaria - tractor trailer loaded with contraband cigarettes seized in Ancona, Italy..;
Bulgaria - cigarette consumption down, cigarette tax collection up, seeking funds for technology to intercept contraband goods..;
Bulgaria - justifying why smoking ban won't go into effect on June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - Citigroup chosen as consultant for sale of Bulgartabac..;
Bulgaria - ruling party may delay smoking ban until 2011..;
Bulgaria - Finance Minister Djankov, "Less Smoking Is Good for Economy..";
Bulgaria - govt to weaken full smoking ban to be effective June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - do producers support contraband cigarettes??;
Bulgaria - sale of Bulgartabac coming - selection of a consultant..;
Greek Farmers Renew Bulgaria Border Blockade..;
Bulgaria - leadership of tobacco fund to be replaced..;
Bulgaria - illegal trade in cigarettes will reach 40% of total trade in 2010..;
Bulgaria - limits on personal imports of tobacco products from outside the EU..;
Bulgaria - European Commission authorizes payment to tobacco producers for 2009 crop..;
Bulgaria -two cigarette smuggling attempts busted on Serbian border..;
Bulgaria - price of cigarettes increases..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac stays in the economy ministry, sold by middle of 2010, starting price 100,000,000 euro..;
Bulgaria - tobacco producers propose Bulgartabac transfer..;
Bulgaria - government, tobacco growers reach subsidy agreement..;
Bulgaria - start of steps leading to the privatization of the state-owned cigarette monopoly Bulgartabac..;
Bulgaria - police hold smoking protest over lack of bonuses..;
Bulgaria - police busts major cigarette contraband ring..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac Holding” will be privatized in 2010..;
Bulgaria - MPs Impose Hefty Fines on Cigarette Sales Violators..;
Bulgartabac Chief - cigarette tax increase as of January 1, 2010..;
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..
Read more...
Philippines - new president smokes but this should not slow tobacco prevention activities..
Click to enlarge images..
June 4, 2010 - Philippines - Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will officially be the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines by June 30, 2010.
President Aquino is a smoker. World Health Organization-affiliated Tobacco-Free Initiative (T-FI), which stressed that every smoker's "right to privacy in dealing with quitting [the habit] needs to be respected." "This is as true of Noynoy Aquino as it is of everyone else," T-FI said in a statement. T-FI noted that the senator was "a smoker like 17 million other Filipinos." "Like others who were born in the 1960s, he grew up in an environment where smoking was the norm – even among role models like priests, doctors, businessmen, scientists, scholars, actors, and athletes," the organization said.
Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral has urged Aquino to quit smoking, saying it will be an "excellent demonstration of leadership by example." Cabral also urged Aquino to make good on his pre-election promise to kick his nicotine habit.
Whether he quits or not the new president should move to raise taxes on cigarettes, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said. Raising taxes on tobacco would discourage children from taking up the habit, said Dr. Soe Nyunt-u, the Philippine representative of the World Health Organization (WHO). The important thing is not for adult smokers but for the children not to pick up cigarette smoking," he said in an interview.
He added that the Philippines is one of the countries with very low excise tax rates on tobacco. "If the government can increase tobacco taxation, the resources they will generate will be sufficient to invest in achieving the Medium-term Development Goal targets," Soe said. The WHO is studying a proposal that, if approved, would impose a "simplified tax system" for the Philippines.
The plan would charge a P5 (0.11 USD) tax on every package of cigarettes sold in the country. Moreover, the tax would increase by P5 every year, he said. Taxes charged on low-end cigarette brands reach P2.47 (0.05 USD) per pack while some P27.16 (0.59 USD) are imposed on high-end brands.
The WHO is also pushing for the graphic or picture-based warning signs on cigarette packs. (Philippines - Department of Health wants health warnings on cigarette packs within 90 days..) It also plans to disallow the sale of cigarettes per stick to further encourage smokers to quit.
References: Ease up on Aquino, anti-smoking group asks, by Jerry E. Esplanada, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 5/28/2010; WHO: It's up to Noynoy to quit smoking but he should raise tobacco taxes, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV, 6/3/2010.
Philippines - some related news briefs:
Philippines - Department of Health wants health warnings on cigarette packs within 90 days..;
Philippines - health groups want more protection from the dangers of tobacco..;
Philippines - DOH warns government agencies to avoid partnerships or accepting donations from tobacco manufacturers..;
Philip Morris Philippines..;
Philippines - DoH pushes for picture warnings on cigarette packs..;
Philippines - PMI - FTC merger may lead smokers continuing to smoke and lure children into a life of nicotine addiction..;
Philippines - PMI and Fortune Tobacco Corp. form new company called PMFTC..;
Philippines - Tanauan City names street Philip Morris..;
Philippines - DOH campaign for 100% smoke-free workplaces..;
Philippines - total tobacco industry could be down 10% to 15% this year..;
Philippines - 2003 ban on advertising and skirting the ban..;
Philippines - June is annually observed as 'No Smoking' Month..;
Philippines may be losing the war against smoking..;
http://snus-news.blogspot.com/2008/11/philippines-thai-cigarette-import-rules.html;
Philip Morris won't postpone Philippines Eraserheads Concert..;
Philip Morris could be criminally liable for its sponsorship of the event .in the Philippines..;
STOP PMI Sponsoring Concert in Philippines..;
Philippines - Smoker to be deported...
Read more...
Big tobacco companies file lawsuit contesting NY City's anti-smoking signs..
June 4, 2010 - New York City anti-smoking signs depicting a decaying tooth, diseased lungs and a damaged brain violate cigarette vendors' free speech and should be removed, tobacco companies and retailers said in a lawsuit. Philip Morris USA, Lorillard Tobacco Company, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., plus two major retail trade groups and two convenience stores, alleged in the Manhattan federal court lawsuit that the signs violate the sellers' rights by imposing the signs on them.
"The government may not force private parties to carry messages beyond purely uncontroversial factual statements that are designed to prevent consumer deception," said the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, June 2nd and made available to reporters on Thursday, June 3rd. The three different signs, developed by the city's Health Department and required as of last December, graphically depict the harmful effects smoking can have on the body. They bear messages such as "smoking causes tooth decay" and list the number of a city helpline for assistance on how to quit.
Background:
June 24, 2009 - The New York City (NYC) Health Department is proposing city tobacco retailers post signs with graphic images such as cancer-ravaged throats and black lungs in an effort to discourage smoking, health officials. (New York City - proposed pictorial warning signs to show the sickness and suffering caused by tobacco use..)
June 25, 2009 - New Yorkers are being called upon to give their opinion in a public hearing on July 30 on a new Health Code amendment that would put graphic anti-smoking warnings wherever tobacco products are sold. The warnings would include images depicting the adverse health effects of smoking and information on how to quit. (New York City - to ask public opinion - smoking graphic warning signs..)
September 22, 2009 - The New York City (NYC) Department of Health unanimously approved a measure Tuesday, September 22nd that will require all retailers selling tobacco to post health warning signs in stores. (New York City - all retailers selling tobacco will be required to post warning signs..)
March 1, 2010 - NY City health officials are requiring stores that sell tobacco products to display graphic anti-smoking signs by March 1, 2010 but some experts and other New Yorkers question the effectiveness of the ad campaigns. Starting March 1, any city shops that sell cigarettes and other tobacco products that do not display these arresting anti-smoking signs risk fines of up to $2,000. (New York City - VIDEO: starting March 1, 2010 stores, anti-smoking signs..)
"The signs ... do not describe the risks of smoking in purely factual terms. Instead, the signs force tobacco manufacturers and retailers to communicate vivid images at the point of sale," the suit said.
"We are confident that the health code provisions being challenged will withstand legal scrutiny," said New York City Law Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Thomas. By trying to suppress this educational campaign, the tobacco industry is signaling its desire to keep kids in the dark," a statement by the city's Health Department said.
The lawsuit also alleged federal anti-smoking rules prevent local governments from interfering with cigarette advertising.
Reference: Tobacco companies contest NY anti-smoking signs, reporting by Basil Katz; editing by Anthony Boadle, Reuters, 6/3/2010.
NYC directly related:
New York City - federal judge rejects plaintiffs attempt to stop the law that blocks the sale of flavored tobacco products..;
New York City - moving closer to closing a nighclub that flouted smoking ban..;
New York City - VIDEO: starting March 1, 2010 stores, anti-smoking signs..;
NYC Lawsuit against Online Cigarette Vendor Dismissed..;
NY City - smokers kicking the addiction and living longer than ever..;
NY City Council not backing down as US Smokeless Tobacco files lawsuit against city..;
New York City - ban on flavored tobacco products becomes law..;
New York City bans the sale of flavored tobacco products..;
New York City - Mayor Bloomberg pushing ahead to ban smoking in city parks and beaches..;
New York City - all retailers selling tobacco will be required to post warning signs..;
New York City - to ask public opinion - smoking graphic warning signs; New York City - proposed pictorial warning signs to show the sickness and suffering caused by tobacco use.;
New York City - may ban smoking in parks and beaches..;
New York City - can't sue Internet cigarette retailers for lost taxes..;
New CDC Chief Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH..;
New York City Council ban candy-flavored tobacco, smoking outside of hospitals..;
New York - city and state officials back off plans to crack down on cigarette black market..;
New York City - nonsmokers exposed to cigarette smoke..;
New York City - cigarettes more than $10- a- pack..;
NYC can move forward with reservation cigarette lawsuit..;
Michael Rubens Bloomberg - ELF Award winner 2008;
NYC sues reservation smoke shops over bootlegging..;
NYC Fights Smoking With Reality Images in Matchbooks..;
NY City Can Proceed With Lawsuits Against 10 Online Cigarette Vendors..;
NYC Warns Parents of Smoking Lawsuits...
Read more...
Starbucks - no outdoor smoking on patios and dining areas in California.
June 3, 2010 - Starting Monday, June 7th Starbucks customers are welcome to sit outside and sip a while — as long as they don't light up. The international coffee giant is extending its ban on indoor smoking to outdoor patios and dining areas in California.
The change was prompted by an increasing number of communities that have enacted smoking prohibitions in outdoor dining areas. Mid-Valley smokers say they are disappointed by the rule but understand its purpose.
Brian Roberts, 33, was enjoying a cigarette with his venti coffee Wednesday, June 2nd while reading a paperback at the Marysville Starbucks. He's not thrilled with the new rule, but said it was to be expected. "It's nothing new in California," the Marysville resident said. "You go down to the East Bay and Pleasanton and you can't smoke anywhere outside." But the rule might spur a slight decline in business, he said.
Live Oak resident Courtney Williams works at the Togo's next door to the Starbucks on Colusa Avenue. She spends all her breaks at one of the tables outside the coffeeshop, stealing a quick smoke or two before she goes back to work. Even though it means she'll need to find a new smoking spot, she doesn't mind the new rule, she said. "I think businesses or any place anyone owns has the right to say no smoking," she said. "I don't believe I have the right to smoke anywhere."
With Mother Nature hinting this week at the summer weather to come, Yuba City residents Bill and Roberta Fox are looking forward to afternoons on Starbucks patios with good books and icy drinks. They were relieved to learn the cigarette smoke that had marred previous experiences should no longer be a problem. "A lot of times we have to get up and go home because she has asthma," Bill Fox said of his wife. "And I know people have their rights, but my mother died of second-hand smoke."
Reference: Starbucks snuffing out smoking outdoors, appeal-democrat.com, 6/3/2010.
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Altria, Reynolds American and Swedish Match raise prices on moist snuff tobacco (MST)..
June 3, 2010 - Altria Group Inc., the largest U.S. tobacco company, has announced to its trade customers a list price increase of 10 cents per tin on each of its smokeless brands including the recently launched Copenhagen Long-Cut Wintergreen, according to a note to investors by UBS Investment Research analyst Nik Modi. 
Altria raised prices on all 18 of its cigarette brands.
R.J. Reynolds - plans to raise wholesale prices on all its cigarette brands..;
Lorillard - raised prices on Newport and its other premium brands but not Maverick...
The list price on Copenhagen Long-Cut Wintergreen goes from $1.45 to $1.55 (a 6% increase), and the base Copenhagen and Skoal list prices go from $2.39 to $2.49 (4% increases). Husky list prices remained the same at $1.55, he said.
"We believe that share gains in MST [moist smokeless tobacco] remain Altria's priority, as the company has stated on numerous occasions that they are targeting MST growth in-line with the overall category (6% to 7%). Altria's decision to take price—even on their primary share vehicle in Cope WG—could be a sign that overall MST trends have been better than expected," wrote Modi.
Modi added, "We expect Reynolds to follow Altria's pricing actions in smokeless shortly, with Kodiak and Grizzly."
Reynolds American Inc. (RAI), on the very next day Altria announced increases (5/24) is raising prices on moist smokeless tobacco (MST) brands including Kodiak and Grizzly, according to a Dow Jones report. A spokesperson for Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds American said the company's smokeless tobacco business is increasing prices to wholesalers by 10 cents a can for most of its brands.
The average retail price for a can of Kodiak is $4.43, and $2.77 for Grizzly, the report added. The company does not predict how retail prices will be affected as it sets only the list prices to wholesalers.
"With Reynolds' increase following Altria's, we see the MST pricing environment improving," said Nik Modi of New York City-based UBS Investment Research in a separate note to investors. An earlier note anticipated Reynolds American's increase.
Swedish Match has announced to its trade customers a list price increase of 10 cents per tin on its Red Man and Timber Wolf brands of moist smokeless tobacco (MST), according to a note to investors by Nik Modi, an analyst with UBS Investment Research, New York. "The company did not move on Long Horn, its subprice value offering," Modi wrote.
The price hike follows similar moves by Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds American Inc. and Richmond, Va.-based Altgria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA on some of their MST (as well as cigarette) brands.
Swedish Match has a broad assortment brands in smokefree tobacco, cigars and pipe tobacco, matches and lighters. Some of its brands include General, Red Man, Timber Wolf and Longhorn. Swedish Match U.S. Sales is headquartered in Richmond, Va.
Reference: Altria Adds a Dime Increases wholesale prices on smokeless brands 10 cents, Convenience Store/Petroleum (CSP) Daily News, 5/24/2010; Reynolds Raises MST Prices 10-cent wholesale hike on Kodiak, Grizzly follows Altria's smokeless increase, CSP Daily News, 5/25/2010; Swedish Match Matches Industry Price Hike Announces 10-cent increase on smokeless brands, CSP Daily, 5/28/2010.
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India - pictorial warnings.. June 1, 2010
India - pictorial warning will appear on every tobacco pack sold from June 1 , 2010...
The pictorial warnings were proposed in July 2006 under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003. The new warnings have been pretested for their effectiveness by the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI) and the Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health. (Tobacco warnings go explicit, Savita Verma, New Delhi, India Today, 3/11/2010.)
India - New pictorial warnings on tobacco products
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Pakistan - pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs will be enforced from June 1, 2010..
June 3, 2010 - The announcement on World No-Tobacco Day, May 31st that pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs will be enforced from June 1, 2010 is a milestone in the campaign against the hazardous smoking habit. The measure had been in the pipeline since Pakistan signed the UN Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004 which binds states to ban tobacco promotion and advertising. But for pictorial warnings to be effective, there should be an accompanying ban on the sale of individual cigarettes. However, statistics indicate that we have a long way to go before we can kick the habit and become a tobacco-free state.
Background: The country’s healthcare authorities have once again failed to implement the decision regarding enforcing pictorial warnings on cigarette packs from February 1, 2010. Initially, January 1, 2010 had been set as the deadline to implement the decision, which was later extended to February 1, 2010.We have an estimated 25 million smokers, with at least one smoker in 55 per cent of our households. Despite a 2002 Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance, the sale and distribution of cigarettes near educational institutions continue unabated. Posters advertising cigarette-smoking continue to be put up on walls, shops and stores, and smoking scenes are still seen in our television dramas, movies and videos. On the other hand, the mandatory no-smoking signs are nowhere to be seen in many hotels, restaurants and other public places.
The decision to print a pictorial health warning was announced by the Health Ministry on May 31, 2009.
The Network, a leading anti-smoking civil society organisation, criticised the government’s failure to enforce the ministry’s decision, which has again extended the implementation until the end of May, 2010. It said the government had been constantly violating its own decisions to implement the pictorial warnings, suspecting the government was secretly safeguarding the interests of the tobacco industry. The Network Executive Director Dr Arif Azad said almost 273 people die of tobacco-related diseases in Pakistan every day.
Pakistan - govt misses deadline to implement pictorial tobacco warnings..
There is an immediate need to curb the tobacco habit as evident in the following grim statistics cited at a recent seminar: every year 100,000 people die of tobacco-related causes in Pakistan. Each day over 5,000 smokers are hospitalised. Out of 100 teenage smokers in Pakistan today, 50 will eventually die of tobacco-related diseases. While more effort is needed to enforce existing rules to eliminate smoking, other deterrent measures must also be considered. These include increasing the price of cigarettes and that of other tobacco products such as sheesha (hookah argileh nargile, hubble-bubble, water pipe, hooka, shisha, goza, meassel) and gutka. Measures deterring the use of the latter products are needed to prevent people from turning to cheap, readily available, alternative tobacco products.
Reference: Pakistan - Pictorial warnings Dawn Editorial, 6/2/2010.
Pakistan - related news brief:
Pakistan - govt misses deadline to implement pictorial tobacco warnings..
Pakistan - over 273 people die daily of smoking related disease..;
Pakistan - implementation of tobacco control laws difficult..;
Pakistan - February, 2010 - graphic warnings on cigarette packs..;
Pakistan National Conference Tobacco Control, October 28th..;
Pakistan - pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs and cartons soon..;
Pakistan - More, on rollback of the Statutory Regulatory Order on Designated Smoking Areas..;
Smuggled Cigarettes Give Boost To Pakistani Militants..;
Pakistan - strong tobacco control measures..;
Pakistan - Government must withdraw Statutory Regulatory Order..;
Bloomberg Grant: Tobacco Reforms in Pakistan... Read more...
Paper: Increased cigarette taxes may reduce smoking by over 18% in people with alcohol, drug or mental disorders..
June 3, 2010 - Over 40% of all US smokers have comorbid alcohol, drug, or mental disorders. A new study suggests that increasing cigarette taxes could be an effective way to reduce smoking among individuals with alcohol, drug or mental disorders.
PAPER: Sensitivity to Cigarette Prices Among Individuals With Alcohol, Drug, or Mental Disorders, Michael K. Ong, Qiong Zhou, Hai-Yen Sung, American Journal of Public Health, 10.2105/AJPH.2009.159962, ABSTRACT..
The study found that a 10 percent increase in cigarette pricing resulted in an 18.2 percent decline in smoking among people in these groups. The findings demonstrate that increasing cigarette taxes could be a way to curb smoking, which is still the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, according to the study's lead author, Dr. Michael Ong, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the Geffen School of Medicine.
Though the researchers found that people with alcohol dependence did not cut down on cigarettes when prices rose, people with binge-drinking problems, substance-use disorders and mental disorders were significantly more likely to quit smoking if prices rose, as would occur with a cigarette tax increase.National data show that every 10% increase in cigarette excise tax reduces cigarette consumption among the general population by 4% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guide to Community Preventive Services - Tobacco). Evidence suggests that youth are up to three times more sensitive to price than adults and that because 90% of smokers start as teens, higher taxes can sharply reduce smoking rates in the long run (Chaloupka, F. J. (2001, November). Tobacco Taxation. Presentation conducted at the National Conference of State Legislatures 5th National Health Policy Conference, Seattle, WA.).
Prior research on the effect of cigarette pricing on smoking, which had been conducted using information from 1991, suggested that individuals with mental illness were less likely than other individuals to quit due to price increases. Unlike that research, however, the current study expanded the research to include people with alcohol and drug disorders.
A joint study from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research matched price hikes with teen smoking rates over six years. They found that a 10% price increase would decrease the number of children who started to smoke between 3% and 10%, depending on their stage of smoking, such as experimentation, beginning daily smoking, or relatively heavy daily smoking. (How to Fight Teen Smoking, American Cancer Society (ACS))
The researchers based their work on data from 7,530 individuals from the 2000–01 Healthcare for Communities Household Survey. Of those, 2,106 people, or 23 percent, had alcohol, drug or mental disorders during the previous year. Of that group, 43.8 percent were smokers — a much higher proportion than among rest of the population.
While the study does suggest that increasing cigarette prices through taxation could reduce smoking among individuals with alcohol, drug or mental disorders, the authors note that further study is needed to determine if recent cigarette price increases have reduced smoking among individuals with such disorders, and whether the identified association is causal.
Reference: Tobacco tax hike could curb smoking among those with alcohol, drug or mental disorders by Enrique Rivero, UCLA Newsroom, 6/2/2010.
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Ireland - smoking on the increase with young women in lower-income groups..
June 2, 2010 - Ireland is in danger of slipping back to pre-smoking ban levels because of the Government’s failure to implement a comprehensive anti-smoking strategy, warns the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF).
The Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to institute an outright ban on smoking in workplaces on 29 March 2004. (Ireland, Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights)
"The number of smokers in Ireland is frightening at 29% and each one faces a double risk of stroke and a triple risk of heart attack," said IHF chief executive Michael O’Shea. "Where once we led the way on this serious health issue, we are now in danger of reverting to pre-smoking ban levels in our population because of the Government’s failure to implement an anti-smoking strategy," he declared yesterday – World No Tobacco Day.
Ireland has a major problem with cigarette smuggling (illicit, illegal, contraband). Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said he did not increase excise on cigarettes in the December 2009 budget fearing the already high price - around 8.45 euro for a pack of 20 - could contribute further to the smuggling problem. (Ireland - no increase in excise duty on tobacco products worry about smuggling..) Ireland - modest penalty for cigarette smuggling..
We all await the World Health Organization's (WHO) solution to the problem of tobacco product smuggling faced by countries throughout the world..
The IHF is particularly worried about the 56% of young women smokers aged between 18 and 29 in the lower-income groups.
While there was a decline in smoking prevalence after the Smoke Free at Work legislation in March 2004, the decline has reversed, especially among young people. TheSurvey of lifestyle, attitudes and nutrition (SLAN) in Ireland survey 2007 published last October 2009, showed the rate of smoking here decreased from 33% in 1998 to 27% in 2002 and then began to rise in 2007 to 29%.
Mr O’Shea said the good news was that seven out of 10 smokers wanted to stop.
The IHF wants the Government to help smokers to quit using significant increases in tobacco tax,anti-smuggling measures and smoking cessation programmes.
On 1 July 2009, Ireland banned in-store tobacco advertising and displays of tobacco products at retail outlets and new controls on tobacco vending machines (limiting them to being token-operated in registered bars and clubs only) were also introduced. At the same time a ban on the sale of packets of 10 cigarettes was introduced. Tobacco advertising had already been banned from radio, television and on billboards beforehand. (Ireland - people responding well to the ban on cigarette displays..)
The incidence of smokers among the unemployed, at 49%, is nearly double that of the general population. In the workforce, craft and trade workers showed the highest incidence of smoking, with 45% of female and 39% of male workers smoking.
It also revealed that the lowest levels of smoking were reported by professional workers, with 20% of men and 18% of women smoking. (Almost half of unemployed people smoke, 4/15/2009.)
On 18 July 2008, Irish Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle proposed in a committee in the European Parliament, that she would like to see an EU-wide (European Union) ban on cigarettes and cigars by 2025.
Reference: Ireland risks slipping back to pre-smoking ban levels by Evelyn Ring, Irish Examiner, 6/1/2010.
Some Ireland related news briefs:
Ireland - Illicit tobacco trade booms..;
Ireland - no increase in excise duty on tobacco products worry about smuggling..;
reland - ASH will never give up - get smoking out of cars (and homes) when kids are present..;
Ireland - harder to quit when switching to low tar cigarettes..;
Ireland - after 2004 smoking ban decline in maternal smoking rates as well as lower risk for preterm births..;
Ireland - cancer society urges government to increase cigarette tax..;
Ireland - increase fine for cigarettes imported illegally..;
Ireland - roll your own cigarettes making a comeback..;
Ireland - lots of smokers - lots of sickness - resulting in premature death - THIS HAS TO STOP..;
Ireland - people responding well to the ban on cigarette displays..;
Ireland - Prof Clancy not enough spent on prevention..;
Ireland - tobacco vendors must register by October 1, 2009..;
Children - exposed to cigarette smoke in cars have greater chance of respiratory distress..;
Ireland - tobacco companies not helping small retailers - display ban..;
Tobacco control initiatives starting Wednesday, July 1, 2009..;
Ireland - Office of Tobacco Control 2008 annual report - Positive..;
Ireland - modest penalty for cigarette smuggling..;
Ireland - to amend tobacco legislation to to include pictoral warnings..;
Ireland - as of July 1, 2009 no advertising or display of tobacco products will be permitted in retail outlets..;
Ireland - cigarette tax abandoned over smuggling fears..;
Ireland - may raise tax on cigarettes as part of emergency budget..;
Ireland - ban smoking in cars when kids are present..;
Ireland - further provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and 2004 are to be commenced on 1 July 2009.;
Ireland - 80% of smokers want a ban on tobacco advertising in shops to stop youngsters starting the habit..;
Ireland to ban tobacco displays..;
Ireland - reduction in admissions for acute coronary syndrome...
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Smokers' kisses can be fatal, a leading child health expert has warned..
June 2, 2010 - People who smoke are also prime candidates for carrying the potentially deadly meningococcus bacteria in the back of their throats, says 
Professor Robert Booy (who is director of research at the National Centre for Immunisation and Research at Sydney's The Children's Hospital at Westmead).
The bug can be passed to children through "normal family cuddles and kisses", he says, and one in 10 children who go on to develop the rare meningococcal disease will die from it.
Prof Booy: "Passive smoking isn't the only smoking risk to children."
"Smokers carry more germs like meningococcus, so normal family cuddles and kisses can pass on dangerous germs, even if smokers only smoke outside."
Prof Booy pointed to recent University of Sydney research, which showed almost 92 percent of New South Wales (NSW) residents aged over 16 report they live in a house that is smoke-free. He said this showed how many parents who smoked went outside to indulge their habit and this would reduce a child's risk of passive smoking-related middle ear infection and asthma, or even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
But smoking outside did not reduce the increased threat posed by meningococcus, Prof Booy said, adding that cases of its resulting disease usually spiked during winter.
"This is another good reason for smokers to quit, not just smoke outside," he said.
"Although its rare, meningococcal disease can be serious and up to 10 percent of patients can die.
"With the beginning of winter now here, we are now entering the peak season for meningococcal disease."
The symptoms of meningococcal disease may include a sudden onset of fever, severe headache, weakness, drowsiness, confusion or coma, sore legs or sore joints, nausea and vomiting, a dislike of bright lights, a stiff neck and a rash of red-purple spots.
Prof Booy said with early detection and treatment, the majority of children with meningococcal disease would make a full recovery.
Related information: Meningitis cited as a risk of passive smoking to children in Royal College of Physicians report, Meningitis Research Foundation, 3/25/2010;
Correspondence Prevention of Meningococcal Disease, The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 356:524-526, February 1, 2007, Number 5:
Reference: Smokers' kisses can be fatal by Danny Rose, Medical Writer, AAP, 7News, 6/2/2010.
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Indonesia - CNN Video on 2-year old nicotine addict..
June 2, 2010 -
Mom of toddler smoker in Indonesia seeks help for him
By Arwa Damon, CNN, 5/31/2010.
Related news briefs:
Indonesia - more on the 2-year old addicted to nicotine..;
Indonesia - addicted to nicotine at the age of two..;
Indonesia - parents encourage 4-year old boy to continue smoking habit..
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Bulgaria - confusion over which public smoking ban is in force..
Photo by blogspot.com..
June 2, 2010 - June 1, 2010 was slated as the only day in Bulgaria when the full smoking ban, passed by the previous Parliament, would come into effect. (Bulgarian lawmakers voted to ban smoking in all public places from June 2010..)
10 days ago, the current General Assembly revoked the full smoking ban and adopted a more liberal regime to enter into force on June 2, thus leaving the ban effective for just one day. (Bulgaria - WHO upset with Bulgaria's weakened smoking ban..)
The change, however, would not be introduced on June 2 either since it has not yet been published in the State Gazette as required.
It remains unclear when the liberal smoking regime would be in place because there isn’t yet a Presidential decree to publish the changes. The only way to adhere to the June 2 deadline is for President Georgi Parvanov to sign the bill Tuesday, June 2nd and its publication in a separate, emergency edition of the State Gazette Wednesday.
But, after the publishing, there is a 3-moth period during which the Council of Ministers must issue there own order specifying the rules for smoking in public spaces.
According to the full smoking ban, which is now in effect, smoking is prohibited Tuesday, June 1st in all indoor public spaces, including restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. The fines range between BGN 50 (31.26 USD) and 100 (62.52 USD) for those lighting a cigarette inside, and increase to BGN 100 to 300 (187.56 USD) for repeat offenders. Restaurant owners face fines of BGN 300 to 500 (312.68 USD) while business will be charged BGN 500 to 1 5000.
Bulgaria ranks second after Greece in the European Union (EU) in terms of number of regular smokers as a percentage of the population, according to a Eurobarometer survey published in March 2009. The proportion of smokers is the highest in Greece (42%), followed by Bulgaria (39%), Latvia (37%), Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (all 36%) - Survey on Tobacco Analytical report Fieldwork: December 2008
Publication: March, 2009) More girls are using tobacco than boys in Bulgaria, Mexico, New Zealand and Nigeria, shows a new survey of the World Health Organization (WHO) on youth smoking in 151 countries.
Reference: Full Smoking Ban Effective in Bulgaria on Children's Day, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), 6/1/2010.
Bulgaria - related news briefs:
Bulgaria - WHO upset with Bulgaria's weakened smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - weakened smoking ban, just added minors can't be in disco clubs after 10pm..;
Bulgaria - final vote delayed on weakened smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - weakened smoking ban, second reading..;
Bulgaria - commission tightens smoking ban a little..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac buyer may be chosen by end of year..;
Bulgaria - prime minister not happy with giving tobacco growers subsidies..;
Bulgaria - to loosen smoking ban to start June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - finance minister comments may be good news for tobacco farmers..;
Bulgaria - parliament debates proposal to water down smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - majority of all Bulgarians - 78% are against the smoking ban delay..;
Bulgaria - every increase in excise duty on cigarettes consumption goes down..;
Bulgaria - grace period over, increase in tobacco tax starts Thursday, April 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - Italian authorities arrest 2-Bulgarians smuggling cigarettes..;
Bulgaria - tractor trailer loaded with contraband cigarettes seized in Ancona, Italy..;
Bulgaria - cigarette consumption down, cigarette tax collection up, seeking funds for technology to intercept contraband goods..;
Bulgaria - justifying why smoking ban won't go into effect on June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - Citigroup chosen as consultant for sale of Bulgartabac..;
Bulgaria - ruling party may delay smoking ban until 2011..;
Bulgaria - Finance Minister Djankov, "Less Smoking Is Good for Economy..";
Bulgaria - govt to weaken full smoking ban to be effective June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - do producers support contraband cigarettes??;
Bulgaria - sale of Bulgartabac coming - selection of a consultant..;
Greek Farmers Renew Bulgaria Border Blockade..;
Bulgaria - leadership of tobacco fund to be replaced..;
Bulgaria - illegal trade in cigarettes will reach 40% of total trade in 2010..;
Bulgaria - limits on personal imports of tobacco products from outside the EU..;
Bulgaria - European Commission authorizes payment to tobacco producers for 2009 crop..;
Bulgaria -two cigarette smuggling attempts busted on Serbian border..;
Bulgaria - price of cigarettes increases..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac stays in the economy ministry, sold by middle of 2010, starting price 100,000,000 euro..;
Bulgaria - tobacco producers propose Bulgartabac transfer..;
Bulgaria - government, tobacco growers reach subsidy agreement..;
Bulgaria - start of steps leading to the privatization of the state-owned cigarette monopoly Bulgartabac..;
Bulgaria - police hold smoking protest over lack of bonuses..;
Bulgaria - police busts major cigarette contraband ring..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac Holding” will be privatized in 2010..;
Bulgaria - MPs Impose Hefty Fines on Cigarette Sales Violators..;
Bulgartabac Chief - cigarette tax increase as of January 1, 2010..;
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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