Latest mailing of free coupons for Camel SNUS..

As part of their public awareness and education program to get suckers (i.e., tobacco suckers) to try Camel SNUS R.J. Reynolds (RJR) mailed out two coupons for free cans.
Camel is no longer Swedish - it's made in the RJR plant in Winston Salem, North Carolina and the price is just about the same but now they give you 15 pouches down from 20.

Sales of Camel SNUS have been poor at best. They have tried so many promotions but we bet they have had to give away more cans than they have sold. We just could not believe how RJR could expand their test marketing to more metropolitan markets.

A few related news briefs: RJ Reynolds (RJR) still giving away free cans of Camel SNUS; R.J. Reynolds Tobacco pulling out all the stops with Camel SNUS.. and SNUS Awareness Programs on the Increase... There are many more news briefs, do a random search, e.g., enter: Camel SNUS..

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NY Governor Paterson to negotiate with Native Americans over cigarette taxes..

August 27, 2008 - Gov. David A. Paterson insists the New York State has a legal right to collect taxes on Indian retailer cigarette sales but says he wants to negotiate with the tribes to end the years-long stalemate instead of trying to force an immediate halt to the tax-free sales.

In the interview, Paterson said he wants to treat talks with Indian leaders “almost like international diplomacy.” He said he wants to reach an “accommodation” with the tribes on the tax issue; he did not say precisely what that may entail.

Paterson recalled the confrontations between Indian protesters and former governors Mario M. Cuomo and George E. Pataki. In 1995, the Thruway was shut down during violent clashes between Indians and state troopers when Pataki tried to collect the tax. He immediately backed off the effort. Former Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer also talked tough on the topic but backed down and sought a conciliatory approach.

Reference: Paterson to negotiate with Native Americans over cigarette taxes
Governor pins hopes on diplomatic approach by Tom Precious, The Buffalo News, 08/21/08.

Related news brief:State Legislature passes surprise bill to tax Indian cigarettes; Philip Morris, supports the tax collection.

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Camel Crush now available thoughout the U.S.A..

August 27, 2008 - Camel Crush went national on August 25, 2008. This cigarette contains a menthol capsule within the filter. By squeezing the filter before or while smoking the cigarette, a small blue capsule is crushed and releases chemical into your filter, transforming a regular cigarette into a menthol one in a matter of moments.
The price in North Carolina is about they same as other menthols - approximately $3.70 a pack (tax $.35/pack).

Related news brief: R.J. Reynolds Testing Camel Crush...

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Australian Anti-Smoking Campaign A Success..

August 26, 2008 - The 'Every cigarette is doing you damage' campaign, which started 11 years ago and cost around A$9 million (US$7,721,647.98), is expected to save more than A$740 million (US$634,891,055.94)in health care costs. Among the 190,000 people estimated to have quit smoking during the first six months of the campaign alone, almost 55,000 deaths and 57,000 cases of disease would be prevented, Ms Hurley, the study coauthor, said.

The campaign ran nationally from June 1997 until July 2000, and again in 2004.

The release of the results coincides with a reworked version of the campaign, which will start broadcasting on television tonight and run for five weeks. The graphic advertisements show yellowish fatty deposits being squeezed from the aorta, the main artery from the heart, of a 32-year-old male smoker.

Reference: Anti-smoking ads 'saved 55,000 lives', The Australian, 8/25/2008.

ABSTRACT: Cost-Effectiveness of the Australian National Tobacco Campaign, Susan F Hurley, Jane P Matthews, 8/21/2008.

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State of Victoria Releases 5-Year Tobacco Control Strategy...

August 26, 2008 - The Victorian Government released for comment the Tobacco Control Strategy 2008-2013. Submissions for consultation with health professionals, industry and the wider community must be received by September 18, 2008.

Health Minister Daniel Andrews said the strategy was driven by a set of ambitious targets to reduce the prevalence of smoking in Victoria, mainly concerned with reducing smoking amongst various adult groups (e.g., pregnant women, Aboriginal and other high-prevalence groups.)

NO Mention of Youngsters - the future leaders of Australia.

Premier John Brumby said the strategy contained a number of proposals to further reduce tobacco-related harm, including: a ban of smoking in cars when children are present, a ban or restriction on tobacco point-of-sale displays in retail outlets and providing Ministerial power to ban youth-orientated tobacco products and packages, such as fruit-flavored cigarettes.

Banning smoking when children are in the car is a no-brainer - even Philip Morris agrees. The ban on youth-oriented tobacco products goes hand-in-hand with a total ban on tobacco point-of sales displays in retail outlets. Why the hesitation on the part of the government?? From the government's own document; the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that 70 per cent of respondents supported bans on point-of-sale advertising and the display of tobacco products (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2005). Tobacco companies will just cheat if displays are simply lowered from 4sq meters to 1sq meter. Observations made in 42 milk bars located near schools in Melbourne and Geelong found tobacco displays to have a highly visible presence, often being positioned alongside products attractive to children and adolescents (Germain et al., 2006).

From New Zealand: More evidence - tobacco displays increase the risk of teens smoking... The neighboring State of New South Wales just approved total ban on tobacco displays in stores.

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(TobaccoWatch.org)
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Malaysia - 25% of all cigarettes sales are illegal..

August 26, 2008 - Currently, one in every four cigarettes bought in Malaysia is illegal. Legal cigarette volumes would continue to be depressed based on the latest preliminary results of the Contraband and Unauthorised Cigarettes survey by the Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers (CMTM). The survey revealed that very cheap illegal cigarettes, already the second largest player in the tobacco industry, has continued to gain ground in the country from 23.8% to 24.9% for the period, February to April 2008.

British American Tobacco (BAT) Malaysia and Philip Morris Malaysia have seen sharp decreases in sales which means less tax revenue for the government. Jack Bowles, the BAT managing director: "We hope that with increased enforcement, stricter penalties and a moderate and gradual tax increase, the illegal cigarette menace can be addressed."

Illicit tobacco trade a global problem. In 2006 approximately 5,767 billion cigarettes were sold globally in 2006. It is estimated that the global illicit cigarette trade was 10.7% of total sales, or 600 billion cigarettes, in 2006. Illicit tobacco trade could represent a loss to government revenue of $US 40 to 50 billion annually. (How big was the global illicit tobacco trade problem in 2006?)

Reference: Tobacco firms call for greater enforcement by B.K. SIDHU, the Star Online, 8/23/2008 and Tobacco in MalaysiaEuromonitor, 2/2008.

In 2007 the smoking population in Malaysia (total population 27.5 million - 2008)continued to increase (estimated six million about 8% women) mainly due to the young.

Malaysia has signed and ratified the
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) - the global anti-tobacco treaty.



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Tobacco Marketing Promotes Youth Cigarette Use..

August 24, 2008 - The U.S. National Cancer Institutes Monograph 19 has just been released. The nearly 700 page report, entitled "The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use" took four years to compile and involved the expert analysis from 23 authors who analyzed more than 1,000 scientific studies on the role of media in encouraging and discouraging tobacco use.

Dr. Melanie Wakefield, the senior scientific editor indicated that media plays a key role in shaping knowledge, opinions, attitudes and behaviors in communities. A causal relationship exists between tobacco promotion and ads and increased tobacco use. The tobacco industry lures smokers with three themes: that tobacco provides satisfaction (taste, freshness, mildness, etc.) , that the dangers of tobacco use shouldn't provoke anxiety and that tobacco use is associated with desirable outcomes (independence, social success, sexual attraction, thinness, etc.).

Cigarette advertising and promotion (totaled more than $13.5 billion in 2005 (in 2006 dollars) ) are heavy in volume and high in visibility at the point of sale, particularly in convenience (c) stores. About 60% of all cigarette sold in the U.S are purchased in c-stores. Expenditures for smokeless tobacco advertising and promotion reached $259 million (in 2006 dollars) in 2005. The five largest categories of expenditure were price discounts (40%), coupons (11%), sampling (11%), point of sale (8%), and magazines (8%).

Reference: NCI Monograph 19: The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use and Tobacco Marketing Promotes Youth Cigarette Use (But landmark report also says mass media anti-tobacco campaigns work, too by Kathleen Doheny, U.S. News & World Report, 8/21/2008.
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