Altria CEO comments on the New York State proposal to ban tobacco sales in pharmacies and grocery stores..

April 25, 2009 - From Question-and-Answer Session: Altria Group, Inc. Q1 2009 Earnings Call Transcript.. Michael E. Szymanczyk, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Altria Group, Inc.

Question from analyst: New York State put out a proposal to ban cigarettes sales in grocery stores and [inaudible] stores which follow similar actions by San Francisco and Boston. Is that at trend that is accelerating across the country? Are you seeing more proposals like this cropping up in cities or states and what’s your take on that?

Michael E. Szymanczyk: Well, I’m not aware of a grocery store situation but yes, you’re right there’s a pharmacy situation in San Francisco. I wouldn’t call it a trend but, certainly you’ve seen some proposals in that regard. I think that I don’t know that from our standpoint they make a lot of sense but nonetheless you’ve seen some of that.

Analyst: But it’s nothing you’re concerned about right now?

Michael E. Szymanczyk: Well, you know look, you have a broadly distributed product and it’s predominate channel is really C stores [c-stores, convenience))and C gas and volumes in some of these other channels have declined over the years so I don’t think there’s a shortage of retail distribution in that category.

Reference: Altria Group, Inc. Q1 2009 Earnings Call Transcript, Seeking Alpha, 4./22/2009.

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Business Week - Philip Morris International's Global Race..

April 24, 2009 - Business Week cover story Philip Morris' Global Race Freed from Altria, Philip Morris International CEO Louis Camilleri is pushing hard to boost global sales before U.S.-style tobacco restrictions spread by Nanette Byrnes and Frederik Balfour, Business Week, 4/23/2009. Louis Camilleri..

Click on title to read article..
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Prince Edward Island (PEI) gets tough on smoking bans including smoking in cars when kids are present..

April 24, 2009 - The P.E.I. government is eliminating designated smoking rooms in public places and work places; eliminating designated smoking areas on hospital grounds, with the exception of Hillsborough Hospital; prohibiting smoking in vehicles with minors under the ages of 19 present; prohibiting smoking on patios/decks of eating establishments and licensed establishments during certain hours of operation (Exempted between the hours of 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.).

There will be exemptions that permit designated smoking rooms for residents in long-term care facilities (public and private) as well as shelters for victims of domestic violence.

Health Minister Doug Currie announced the changes Friday. “We would like to thank the individuals and groups who made presentations to the standing committee,” said Currie. “The proposed amendments reflect many of the recommendations of the Standing Committee, following public consultations. I am confident that these changes will help to protect Islanders from the
harmful effects of second hand smoke.”

The proposed amendments include changes to the existing legislation that will prohibit smoking in motor vehicles when minors are present. Government is also proposing amendments to the Act that will prohibit smoking on hospital grounds, with the exception of Hillsborough Hospital. The amendments proposed to the General Regulations made under the Act will also limit outdoor smoking areas in certain public places, including patios and decks of eating establishments and licensed premises.

Reference: Province gets tough on smoking, Journal Pioneer, 4/24/2009.
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Oregon - House passes bill to increase the tax on smokeless tobacco..

April 24, 2009 - Oregon's tax on smokeless-tobacco products would go up under a bill that cleared the Oregon House on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. House Bill 2672, which moved to the Senate on a 40-18 vote, sets a minimum tax of $2.14 on a 1.2-ounce can. Each additional ounce would be taxed $1.78. The tax would raise $5.5 million in 2009-11.

Rep. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, said she was surprised to find that while cigarettes are taxed at $1.18 per pack, one brand of moist snuff was taxed at 64 cents while another brand of smokeless tobacco was taxed at $1.55. "This state is giving a tax advantage to the most accessible and affordable tobacco product to children," she said.

Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, said he opposed the bill because it increases taxes and because it sides with one tobacco company against another offering a cheaper product.

Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, said neither of those arguments is valid. Noting that his grandfather and his father-in-law both died of lung cancer, he said, "we should not subsidize a behavior that is destructive."

Reference: Tobacco-tax increase passes Oregon House, Peter Wong, StatesmanJournal.com, 4./23/2009.

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Poland to ban smoking in indoor public places, in passenger cars if children present and prohibit display of cigarettes..

April 24, 2009 - Poland will ban smoking in indoor public places and in passenger cars if children are in them, Polish (Polskie) Radio said.

Smoking will be illegal in all enclosed public places nationwide, probably by the end of this year, the report said. The law will ban smoking in all workplaces, hospitals, schools, universities, railway and bus stations, airports and within a 10-meter (33 floot)) radius of non-smoking areas.

Managers of pubs and clubs will be permitted to decide whether to allow smoking in their establishments if they provide separate non-smoking rooms with "doors that close automatically," the Polish Radio said.

Stores will be prohibited from displaying cigarettes.

Tobacco in Poland..

Reference: Poland to ban indoor smoking, UPI.com, 4/24/2009.
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India - will pictorial or graphic health warnings be implemented from May 30, 2009..

April 23, 2009 - NEW DELHI: Politics may shelve India's ambitious plan to introduce pictorial warnings on tobacco packets from May 31, 2009. The deadline for warnings was moved for the fifth time in two years from December 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009. These pictorial warnings were to come into effect from November 30, 2008.

With bidi and tobacco workers forming a 10-lakh (a lakh (Hindi: लाख) (also written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand) strong vote bank in India, the group of ministers (GoM) headed by foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee is expected to put on hold the pictorial warnings, when they meet.

Article 11 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) imposes a time - bound obligation on each of its signatory parties, of which India is also a part, to implement pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packages within 3 years of its coming into force. The deadline for India to implement pictorial health warning was 27 February 2008.

References: Pictorial warning on tobacco packets may get further delayed, The Times of India, 4/8/2009; Pictorial health warnings on tobacco products from 30th May 2009, Thaindian News, 4/17/2009;
India Stalls Graphic Warnings on Tobacco Products, Source-Shobha Shukla (CNS), Medindia.com, 12/02/2008.
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April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month..

April 23, 2009 - People unwilling to quit smoking to improve their own health may consider giving up cigarettes to spare their pets the harmful effects of second-hand smoke or tobacco litter. By using tobacco you are risking the health of your pet. There is no safe level of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke which is a combination of the smoke that is exhaled by the smoker (secondhand smoke) and side stream smoke, the smoke that comes off the tip of the cigarette. Side stream smoke has higher levels of carcinogens than secondhand smoke because the smoke is formed at a lower temperature since the smoker is not pulling oxygen through the cigarette and the smoke is not filtered by either the cigarette's filter nor the smoker's body. Your pets lung are also smaller and are more easily damaged.

Household pets such as dogs and cats, are at increased risk of developing cancers when exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Dogs have a higher rate of lung and nasal cancer when living with a smoker. For cats, secondhand smoke increases the risk of malignant lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes. The risk increased with the length of time the cat was exposed to smoke and the number of smokers in the household. Cats are also at increased risk for mouth cancer because of their daily grooming habits, expose the delicate tissues in the mouth to high levels of carcinogens from their fur.

Pets can also suffer or die, if they eat the tobacco in the cigarette. Cigarettes contain nicotine which when eaten, can cause vomiting, agitation, diarrhea and increasing breathing rate. If too much tobacco is eaten, the pet can develop weakness, muscle twitching, decreased breathing rate and finally collapse, coma and possibly die.

Twenty-eight percent of pet owners who smoke said in a survey they would try to quit based on knowledge that second-hand smoke could harm their dogs, cats and other pets, the researchers wrote in the journal Tobacco Control. Another 11 percent said they would think about quitting.

Scientific evidence suggests that secondhand cigarette smoke can cause cancer in companion animals.

Your pets don't just inhale smoke; the smoke particles are also trapped in their fur and ingested when they groom themselves with their tongues. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that dogs in smoking households had a 60 percent greater risk of lung cancer; a different study published in the same journal showed that long-nosed dogs, such as collies or greyhounds, were twice as likely to develop nasal cancer if they lived with smokers.

Veternarians from Tufts University found that cats whose owners smoked were three times as likely to develop lymphoma, the most common feline cancer.

A 2007 study done at the University of Minnesota shows that cats who live with smokers also have nicotine and other toxins in their urine.

A 2001 Colorado State University study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, showed that secondhand smoke can cause cancer of the sinus of dogs. This cancer is twice as likely in dogs with long noses, ch as Collies, Greyhounds and German Shepherds, probably because there is simply more tissue and cells exposed to cancer-causing particles called "carcinogens" as the smoke travels through their nose. Dogs with a short (Pugs) or medium nose are unfortunately not risk-free: in that study, they had a higher risk of lung cancer. Ironically, this may be because their shorter nose is less effective at filtering carcinogens before they reach their lungs. So ultimately, everybody dog breed is at risk, regardless of the length of their nose. Sounds like a lose-lose proposition for any dog breed. The Colorado researchers found toxins from cigarette smoke in dogs' urine. This is confirmed by a 2008 study at the Tufts vet school in Massachusetts.

Related news briefs: Poison Control Centers - Camel Dissolvables - Nicotine Toxicity..; For your pet's sake, keep your home and car tobacco-free..

Reference: Do it for Fido: smoker may quit to help a pet by Will Dunham- edited by Maggie Fox, Reuters, 2/10/2009; Stop smoking for the health of your dog or cat by
VJ Sleight, LA Smoking Examiner, examiner.com, 4/20/2009.

Click on image to enlarge, Photobucket.com.
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Spain plans gruesome images on cigarette packs sometime in future..

April 23, 2009 - Spain said Tuesday, April 21, 2009 it plans to force tobacco companies to put gruesome images on cigarette packets to warn smokers of the health risks, a measure already introduced in some other European countries.

Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez said on Spanish National Radio. The images will have "strong visual impact," but it is not yet known what they exactly they will be or when the measure will come into force. Tobacco companies are already obliged to put the message "Smoking Kills" in black and white on cigarette packets sold in Spain.

Spain still lighting up despite new tobacco laws. Even with the new tobacco laws taking force in January 1, 2006 banning smoking in workplaces and public buildings the nation appears to remain as addicted to its old habits as it ever was.

The European Commission is planning a new study aimed at developing better graphic images to warn of the damaging effects of tobacco, in a bid to encourage more European Union countries to put the pictures on cigarette packets.

Belgium was the first country in Western Europe to insist on pictorial warnings (October 2006), followed by Romania.

Countries which have picture based cigarette health warnings from
.

More - Euromonitor - Tobacco in Spain..

Reference: Spain to place graphic warnings on cigarette packs, blogsofbainbridge.typepad.com, 4/22/2009.

Click on image to enlarge..
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PMI 1st quarter 2009 results..

April 23, 2009 - Philip Morris International(PMI), which makes cigarettes for overseas smokers, said first-quarter profit fell 12% in the first quarter mainly because of the strong dollar. (The stronger dollar has been hurting many companies that have large overseas businesses. Most U.S. companies that sell goods internationally convert those sales from foreign currencies into dollars when they report their financial results. If the dollar strengthens relative to those currencies, revenue in those currencies translates into fewer dollars.)

Hermann Waldemer, PMI's chief financial officer said the company has "not seen any broad-based trends toward consumer downtrading on a global basis."

Sales volume of 203.4 billion cigarettes was unchanged in the quarter. The company recorded increases in Asia, Latin America and Canada but posted declines of 3.7 per cent in Poland and Italy. Volumes for other tobacco products rose 39.4 per cent, with strong growth in France and Poland, the company said.

By brand, shipments of Marlboro, Virginia Slims and L&M cigarettes slipped worldwide, while shipments of Chesterfield and Parliament cigarettes rose. Waldemer said: "We are not particularly perturbed by Marlboro's performance this quarter. As we continue to roll out our new brand architecture for Marlboro across many markets, we indeed remain very optimistic about the future of the brand."

Philip Morris International said it continues to increase prices across a broad range of markets in order to improve profitability. e.g., in Germany will increase prices by 20 euro cents in June 2009.

Philip Morris International is pursuing sales of smokeless tobacco products to replace the revenue the company expects to lose as cigarette demand continues falling. In 2008, the company held an estimated 15.6% share of the total international cigarette market outside of the U.S. and seven of the world’s top 15 brands.

Reference: Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) Reports 2009 First-Quarter Results, Yahoo Finance, 4/23/2009;
Philip Morris Int'l first-quarter profit drops 12 per cent, Michael Felberbaum, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 4/23/2009; Strong Dollar Crimps Philip Morris Earnings, The Street.com, 4/23/2009; Philip Morris International, Inc., Q1 2009 Earnings Call Transcript, Seeking Alpha, April 23, 2009.

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Altria 1st quarter 2009 results..

April 23, 2009 - Altria's first-quarter net income fell 77% because of the year-earlier spinoff of its international operations. Cigarette sales slipped 8 percent to $3.9 billion on lower shipment volumes (cigarette volume declined 14%) as tobacco wholesalers and retailers tried to limit inventories temporarily in preparation for 62-cents per pack federal excise tax increase on April 1. The company said customers have started to replenish inventories. Its major brands had volume declines during the quarter, but top-selling brand Marlboro gained 0.5 market share points to 42.4 percent while its total market share fell 0.3 percentage points to 50.9 percent.

Altria said its first-quarter results were impacted by higher interest expense versus the prior-year period, charges related to the acquisition of UST Inc. and lower SABMiller plc equity earnings.

Altria also saw market-share growth for its smokeless-tobacco products in the Southeast after UST Inc., which it acquired in January, offered promotions on its Copenhagen and Skoal brands in that region. The price promotions imply fresh competition for Reynolds American Inc., which sells the discount brand Grizzly through its Conwood unit. At its smokeless-tobacco unit, volume fell 5.3%, and the segment posted an operating loss amid $128 million in acquisition-related charges and discounts to promote UST brands.

Altria Net Income 2007-2009..

References: Altria Net Falls 77%; Revenue Increases by By TESS STYNES and ANJALI CORDEIRO, The Wall Street Journal, 4/23/2009; Altria Group, Inc. Q1 2009 Earnings Call Transcript, Seeking Alpha, 4/22/2009.

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Philip Morris Concord NC plants to close one year early..

April 23, 2009 - Philip Morris USA (PM) Concord NC cigarette plant (Cabarrus county cigarette manufacturing facility) will be permanently closed by the end of July 2009, more than a year ahead of schedule, the company has announced.

Plans to close the giant cigarette plant and consolidate its operations to a facility in Richmond, Va., were first announced in 2007. The shutdown was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010. About 500 workers have already relocated to Richmond. A group of 141 workers were laid off in February and 1,300 people are still employed.

The accelerated closing was announced Wednesday in Philip Morris parent company Altria Group Inc.’s quarterly earnings statement. The company says closing the plant ahead of schedule will help “address manufacturing overcapacity resulting from ongoing declines in U.S. cigarette volume,” including the projected impact of a recent federal tax increase.

The plan to close the 2.4 million-square-foot Concord plant is part of a larger cost-saving plan by Altria to consolidate its facilities. The decision leaves the 1.6 million-square-foot plant in Richmond as Philip Morris’ only U.S. cigarette factory.

Philip Morris is Concord’s top taxpayer. In 2006, the company paid nearly $5 million in municipal taxes. Real estate consultant Jones Lang LaSalle has been selected to market the 2,100-acre property.

Reference: Philip Morris shuttering Concord plant a year early. The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area, 4/22/2009.
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New York State may ban tobacco sales in all drugstores, supermarkets and stores like Walmart..

April 22, 2009 - New York could become the first state to ban cigarettes in drugstores as well as in supermarkets and big-box stores like Wal-Mart that have pharmacies.

Measures similar to the bill gaining ground in New York have already been enacted in cities such as San Francisco and Boston.

The bill in Albany would be the first comprehensive statewide ban, according to Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, a Buffalo Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill. New York would follow the example set by San Francisco, which in September became the first city in the United States to ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in some pharmacies.

In January, Boston adopted one of the toughest tobacco bans in the country, banning cigarette sales in drugstores and on college campuses. The measure in New York, if approved, would ban sales of cigarettes in pharmacies and retail stores with pharmacies within them. A store could sell tobacco products if a wall and separate entrance were provided for the pharmacy.

In New York Wegmans Food Markets and DeCicco Markets have discontinued the sale of tobacco products at their stores. Target Stores do not sell tobacco products.

Reference: New York considering pharmacy/supermarket tobacco ban by: Alaina Scott, Senior Editor, Drug Topics E-News, 4/21/2009; Cigarette Sale Socialism?
N.Y. state bill would ban cigarette sales in drug stores, retailers with pharmacies, CSP Daily News, 4/22/2009.
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North Carolina Bill : No smokeless tobacco displays..

April 22, 2009 - A bill in the North Carolina legislature would require smokeless tobacco be kept behind the counter. The bill has made it through one committee so far this session.

Rep. Ty Harrell, a Raleigh Democrat and a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, said he was surprised to find out that chewing tobacco and similar products are often sold at self-service displays next to the cash register. "One of the problems is that you get the kids who come in who may not smoke cigarettes, but they'll swipe a Skoal or the little snuff pouches because they're right there," he said.

In North Carolina, cigarettes are sold behind the counter, but Harrell said he had not realized there was no rule on smokeless tobacco products. Harrell stated, "It's something a lot of people aren't even aware of."



Enticing minorities to give chewing tobacco a try. Large standalone chewing tobacco displays in a grocery store (Food Lion, Raleigh, NC) frequented mainly by Hispanics and African Americans. The display of specially priced Red Man and Beech Nut chewing tobacco located where every customer can readily see them and the bargain that is offered.

Another example Convenience Store, Durant Road, Raleigh.. C-store Update - Availability of Little Cigars or Are They Cigarettes..

Reference: Bill: No chewing tobacco displays,
Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith, The News & Observer, 4/22/2009.
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All EU states sign up against illicit tobacco trade..

April 22, 2009 - All EU states sign up against illicit tobacco trade. The United Kingdom has joined the 26 other EU member states and the European Community as a signatory to the 2004 anti-contraband and anti-counterfeit agreement with Philip Morris International (PMI) and the 2007 co-operation agreement with Japan Tobacco International (JTI), the European Commission said on April 21 2009.

This means that now all EU states are parties to these agreements.

See news brief: UK anti-smuggling agreement signed with international tobacco companies...

Reference: All EU states sign up against illicit tobacco trade, Daily Clove Cigarettes News Update, 4/21/2009.
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C-store+ update..Camel SNUS, Camel ORBS and other news..

April 22, 2009 -

Camel SNUS -In the past, I have written that a c-store owner needing to reorder Camel SNUS would wait for R.J. Reynolds to send a supply free. Sure enough several cans of Camel SNUS arrived totally free. Again - the owner was telling us on a rare occasions at patron would purchase a can of Camel SNUS - the owner would ask this person if he could use more cans (the snus expires) at no charge. If the customer says YES - the owner would bring out several cans and give them to the consumer. In last c-store update another c-store owner commented - this store is close to a community college. At one time a few cans of Camel SNUS did sell - just about all to students. Now the fellow tells us it hardly sells and the owner just waits to get free cans from the Reynolds' salesperson.

Meanwhile Reynolds spokesperson David Howard tells people that the company is confident in the performance of Camel SNUS. Howard: "Based on our learnings since test marketing, clearly we believe that it is viable product. We were pleased with results in terms of sales, and in terms of feedback from...smokers as well as our retail customers." It is a product that "we think is going to perform very well down the road." Camel SNUS is pasteurized while the new moist snuff product Camel Dip is a traditional moist smokeless product that is fermented.

Click - Mailing The SNUS Guide to Airports..

Camel Orbs ad from an Entertainment Magazine in Columbus, Ohio one of the three tests sites for Camel Dissolvables. Notice coupon: By any tobacco product and get a free pack of Camel Dissolvables.

As we know tobacco companies take great pride in their mailing lists of tobacco users. Mike Szymanczyk now the CEO of Altria, Inc. stated that Philip Morris owes their success to the ability to connect with adult tobacco consumers through the in-store experience and the development of one-to-one relationships using their database of 25 million adult cigarette smokers (Remarks, Investor Presentation, 3/11/2008). Keeping in touch with tobacco consumers is especially important now with the rise in prices and some consumers switching to a cheaper brand.

Heartland USA Magazine (March - April, 2009 issue)- lots of Skoal 75th anniversary ads - they're given a free gift for every dipper and even a Copenhagen ad. The Heartland USA magazine from now on will be brought to readers by Skoal at the skoal brotherhood web site.

Here's a Copenhagen ad from this Heartland issue:





Here's a Marlboro promotion:




Previous c-store news brief..

Cam Camel (like Joe Camel), click on image..



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Earth Day 2009 promoting environmental citizenship - Tobacco A Major Culprit..

April 22, 2009 - Litter:
The Ocean Conservancy, which coordinates cleanups worldwide, says cigarette butts are the No. 1 littered item in the world. Cigarette Butt Litter..

How the butts stack up?? Experts say cigarette butts rank at the very top of litter problems—not just for their ubiquity, but for their toxicity and non-biodegradable nature. The things stick around in sewers and soil for years, even decades. Sanitation workers can't clean them up fast enough, and volunteer cleanup crews can only pick up so many, every so often. Butts still containing traces of lit tobacco pose a serious fire hazard; extinguished ones are a threat to marine life and a temptation to toddlers on playgrounds, who tend to put most anything in their mouths. Surgeon General's warning, it contains a host of potent chemicals. Among them: carcinogens such as benzopyrene and formaldehyde; poisons such as arsenic, lead, acetone, toluene, cadmium, nicotine and benzene; and hazardous chemicals such as butane and ammonia.

Getting Tobacco Manufacturers Involved with Litter Prevention - "Earlier this year, we began carrying an anti-litter logo on several brands. We believe we have a role to play in the reduction of litter." —Jennifer Golisch, media affairs manager for Philip Morris. 2003. (Cigarette Butt Litter—Articles About Preventing Litter, Cigarette Butt Litter.)

Birmingham, England 200 drivers hit by cigarette butt fines, BirminghamMail.net, 8/11/2008. In a preliminary campaign, a total of 171 city motorists have been hit by £75 (143.2 USD) fines for throwing cigarette ends out of car windows in the month-long blitz.

Chicago - Casting Refuse and Liquids Ordinance. Under that law, a smoker caught tossing a butt from a moving car or on a public sidewalk could get fined anywhere from $50 to $200. To crack down on buttheads, the city has passed a law carrying fines of $500 if an offender is caught tossing one within 15 feet of a beach (Earlier laws mandate fines up to $200 in other city areas). Cigarettes: 1.7 billion pounds of trash by Louis R. Carlozo, Chicago Tribune Chicago, 6/17/2008.

New South Wales (NSW), Australia - Enforcement is a key issue..

Fines for cigarette litter in NSW: (in other states similar, often higher penalties apply)

• cigarette packet - $60

• unlit or extinguished cigarettes - $60

• lit cigarettes in dangerous circumstances (e.g. in dry bush) - $375 (individuals) or $750 (corporations)

• any cigarette item (unlit, lit, packet etc.) deposited from a motor vehicle - $200 (individuals) or $400 (corporations)

• lit cigarette not covered by points above - $200 (Source EPA 2001).

Peoria, IL Peoria cigarette litter campaign steps it up, by Nishi Gupta, The CW4 News, 4/17/2008. Police officers warn throwing out a cigarette butt is littering and you'll get a ticket if caught. "If you throw it from your vehicle on a public roadway, its $150. If you throw it just walking down the street, its $150," said Officer Beth Hermancinski.

If you thought Cigarette Butts Everywhere Were Bad Wait Until Disgarded SNUS Bags.. Litter is such a major problem that the can for Lorillard's snus entry -
Triumph - has been specially equipped (combi-lid) to store used bags (pouches, sachets). Triumph snus is the result of a partnership between Swedish Match and Lorillard.

Air Pollution:

global smokefree partnership..

American Lung Association: Check Out How 'Smoke Free' Your State Is..

US Water Contaminated By Pharmaceutical Companies, Hospitals, Consumers..

Earth Day 2008..

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Lorillard to Release First Quarter 2009 Results on Monday, April 27, 2009..

April 21, 2009 - GREENSBORO, N.C., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A conference call for analysts and investors will begin at 10:00 am Eastern Time on April 27, 2009 which will be hosted by Martin L. Orlowsky, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and David H. Taylor, Executive Vice President, Finance and Planning and Chief Financial Officer. Investors can participate in the conference call by dialing (888) 713-4209 (domestic) or (617) 213-4863 (international). The passcode for this event is: 51377878.

The news release and a live webcast of the conference call will also be available under the Investor Relations part of Lorillard's website at www.lorillard.com.

The conference will be available for replay in its entirety through May 4, 2009. If you wish to listen to the replay of this conference call, please visit Lorillard's website at www.lorillard.com or dial (888) 286-8010 (domestic) or (617) 801-6888 (international) and enter passcode: 73430727.

About Lorillard, Inc.: Lorillard, Inc. (NYSE: LO) is the third largest manufacturer of cigarettes in the United States. Founded in 1760, Lorillard is the oldest continuously operating tobacco company in the U.S. Newport(R), Lorillard's flagship menthol-flavored premium cigarette brand, is the top selling menthol and second largest selling cigarette in the U.S. In addition to Newport, the Lorillard product line has five additional brand families marketed under the Kent(R), True(R), Maverick(R), Old Gold(R) and Max(R) brand names. These six brands include 44 different product offerings which vary in price, taste, flavor, length and packaging. Lorillard maintains its headquarters and manufactures all of its products in Greensboro, North Carolina. For more information, visit the Company's web site at www.lorillard.com.

Reference: Lorillard to Release First Quarter 2009 Results on Monday, April 27, 2009, Lorillard Tobacco Company, 4/15/2009.

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Reynolds American Inc. To Webcast First-Quarter 2009 Earnings Conference Call on Wednesday April 29, 2009..

April 21, 2009 - WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI - News) will webcast its conference call following the release of first-quarter 2009 financial results on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. The call will begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

During the call, members of the Reynolds American management team will discuss RAI's results for the first quarter of 2009.

The RAI conference call will be available online on a listen-only basis at www.ReynoldsAmerican.com. Registration for the call will be available as of April 15. Please visit the Investors section at www.ReynoldsAmerican.com to register. A replay of the call will be available on the Web site for 30 days. Investors, analysts and members of the news media can also listen to the live call by phone, by dialing (877) 795-3638 (toll free) or (719) 325-4835 (international).

All remarks made during the conference call will be current at the time of the call and will not be updated to reflect subsequent material developments.

While news media representatives will not be permitted to ask questions during the call, they are welcome to monitor the remarks on a listen-only basis. Following the call, media representatives may direct inquiries to Seth Moskowitz at (336) 741-7698.

ABOUT US

Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI - News) is the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Conwood Company, LLC and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc.

* R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is the second-largest U.S. tobacco company. The company's brands include five of the 10 best-selling cigarettes in the United States: Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Winston and Doral.
* Conwood Company, LLC is the nation's second-largest manufacturer of smokeless tobacco products. Its leading brands are Kodiak, Grizzly and Levi Garrett. Conwood also sells and distributes a variety of tobacco products manufactured by Lane, Limited, including Winchester and Captain Black little cigars, and Bugler roll-your-own tobacco.
* Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc. manufactures Natural American Spirit cigarettes and other additive-free tobacco products, and manages and markets other super-premium brands.

Copies of RAI's news releases, annual reports, SEC filings and other financial materials are available at www.ReynoldsAmerican.com.

Reference: RAI To Webcast First-Quarter 2009 Earnings Conference Call, Yahoo Finance, 4/15/2009.

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Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) To Host Webcast of 2009 First-Quarter on Thurdsay, 4/23/2009..

April 21, 2009 - Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE / Euronext Paris: PM) will host a live audio webcast at www.pmintl.com on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss 2009 first-quarter results, which will be issued at approximately 7:00 a.m. ET the same day.

During the webcast, Hermann Waldemer, Chief Financial Officer, will discuss the company’s 2009 first-quarter results and answer questions from the investment community and news media. The webcast will be in a listen-only mode.

An archived copy of the webcast will be available until 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, May 22, 2009 at www.pmintl.com.

About Philip Morris International Inc. Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) [NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM] is the leading international tobacco company, with seven of the world’s top 15 brands including Marlboro, the number one cigarette brand worldwide. PMI has more than 75,000 employees and its products are sold in approximately 160 countries. In 2008, the company held an estimated 15.6% share of the total international cigarette market outside of the U.S. For more information, see www.pmintl.com.

Reference: Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) To Host Webcast of 2009 First-Quarter, Earth Times, 4/16/2009.

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Exposure to smoke changed cardiovascular function, particularly in men..

April 21, 2009 - As we know cardiovascular function can be affected by as little as 10 minutes exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke and other air pollutants such as wood smoke and smoke from cooking oil, say U.S. researchers.

There’s increasing evidence that higher levels of air pollution are associated with an increase in heart attacks and deaths, according to background information in an American Physiological Society news release. Smoke pollutants contain fine particles that trigger responses in heart and blood vessels.

A University of Kentucky study included 40 healthy male and female nonsmokers, average age 35, who were exposed to the three types of smoke while they sat in a 10-by-10-foot chamber. While the volunteers were exposed to the smoke, their respiratory and cardiovascular function was measured by the researchers. The results showed that exposure to smoke changed affected cardiovascular function, particularly in men. The findings were expected to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS), April 18-22, 2009 in New Orleans.

The study confirmed previous research that has shown that smoke harms cardiovascular function and extended those findings by showing that this harm can occur with lower levels of smoke and shorter exposure times. “I was surprised we got statistically significant results with this low level of exposure. If we can detect these effects with smaller exposures, then the public health hazard from cigarettes and other particulate exposures may have been underestimated,” study author Joyce McClendon Evans said in an APS news release.

No amount of second hand smoke is safe..

Reference: Secondhand (environmental,involuntary, passive) Smoke: Blood Vessel Damage Within Minutes...
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UK anti-smuggling agreement signed with international tobacco companies..

April 21, 2009 - The British (United Kingdom, Britain) Government has taken another step in the fight against tobacco smuggling as the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Angela Eagle has signed anti-smuggling agreements with two international tobacco manufacturers.

Under the new agreements, Philip Morris International (PMI) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) are committed to working with the European Commission, the UK Government and customs authorities across the EU to tackle the smuggling and counterfeiting of their products. They will do this through measures which include Know Your Customer rules and track-and-trace technology. The agreements also require PMI and JTI to make payments to the UK authorities if their genuine products are seized by HMRC.

Angela Eagle, the Exchequer Secretary, said: "These agreements are an important new element in the fight against tobacco smuggling. In the last decade we have halved the size of the illicit cigarette market in the UK and by signing these agreements, we are demonstrating that we are determined to continue working with tobacco manufacturers to tackle smuggling."

Since the UK's first Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy was published in 2000, HM Revenue & Customs and the Border Agency have:
* Reduced the proportion of illicit cigarettes from 21% in 2000 to 13%
* Seized more than 14 billion cigarettes and more than 1,000 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco in the UK and abroad
* Broken up 370 criminal gangs involved in large-scale smuggling
* Prosecuted more than 2,000 people and issued more than £35 million worth of confiscation orders

The evidence strongly suggests that the key to controlling smuggling is controlling the supply chain, and that the supply chain is controlled to a great extent by the tobacco industry.

Reference: Government signs agreements to tackle tobacco smuggling, HM Treasury, 4/20/2009; Progress In The Fight To Tackle Tobacco Smuggling, 4NI.co.uk, 4/21/2009.

Click on image to enlarge.. For more information on tobacco smuggling (contraband, illicit, illegal) do a random search of archive.

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Asthmatic kids breathe easier with smoke-free air..

April 20, 2009 - For children with asthma, reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS, passive smoking, secondhand smoke, sidestream smoke, involuntary smoking) greatly decreases their chances of an asthma flare-up, hospital admission or emergency room visit, a study shows.

PAPER: Changes in Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Asthma Morbidity Among Urban School Children, Lynn B. Gerald, PhD, MSPH, Joe K. Gerald, MD, PhD, Linda Gibson, RN, CRNP, Karna Patel, MD, Sijian Zhang, MS and Leslie A. McClure, PhD, Chest April 2009, ABSTRACT...

Children who had any decrease in exposure to second-hand smoke over the course of 1 year had fewer episodes of poor asthma control, made fewer respiratory-related trips to the emergency room and were less apt to be hospitalized than children who had the same or increased exposure to second-hand smoke.

The authors conclude given that the majority of second-hand smoke exposure in the home is due to parents smoking, "the most effective environmental tobacco smoke reduction strategy may be to provide smoking cessation interventions to parents and possibly other household members.

We wonder how a parent who wants the best for their child can smoke in their presence when they know it affects their ability to breath. It's a NO brainer - stop smoking in the presence of your children. Here's a comment from Philip Morris.... 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." - TobaccoWatch.org.


Reference: Asthmatic kids breathe easier with smoke-free air by Megan Rauscher, Reuters, 4/17/2009.

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Star Scientific - Filing patent for zero-nitrosamine tobaco curing process..

April 20, 2009 - Star Scientific and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals ("Rock Creek"), today reported on their continuing efforts to lessen the harm linked with tobacco use. Star Scientific, through its CEO Jonnie R. Williams, recently filed a new US Patent Application for a novel modification of its patented curing technology that results in the production of tobacco leaf that consistently contains levels of carcinogenic TSNAs (known as NNNs and NNKs) that are below detection even by the most sensitive measures. That patent application for zero-nitrosamine tobacco currently is pending before the US Patent and Trademark Office.

With just $500,000 of the nearly $5 billion smokeless-tobacco market, Star is too tiny to have attracted much attention from independent financial analysts.

Reference: Star Scientific Reports on Filing Patent Application for Zero-Nitrosamine Tobacco Curing Process, Product Development by Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, PRNewswire-FirstCall - Star Scientific. Inc., 4/16/2009.

Some related Star Scientific news briefs: Star Scientific - 2008 annual report/Stonewall vs other OTC NRTs..; Star Scientific Corporate Study Stonewall Lozenge in NRT..; Star Scientific Files Third Quarter Financial Report..; Star Scientific wants to augment sales of their tobacco lozenges..; Star Scientific , second quarter 2008, sales down 23.6%..;Star Scientific Applauds Recent State Legislation - Banning Smoking in Cars with Children..

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Reynolds American to launch Camel Dip in June 2009..

April 20, 2009 - Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) will launch Camel Dip (moist snuff), a premium moist smokeless product, in test markets in Colorado and Florida beginning in mid-June, 2009. Camel Dip will be distributed through Reynolds' Conwood Co. subsidiary, making it the first time that the manufacturer (produced and packaged at Conwood's plant in Memphis, Tenn., as well as distributed by the Memphis-based company) has marketed a Camel product outside R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.(RJR). (Camel SNUS is marketed by RJR.)

Camel Dip, which is expected to sell at retail for $4.50 to $5 a tin, will compete with Conwood's Kodiak and Philip Morris USA's Copenhagen and Skoal brands (Altria is the parent of both Philip Morris USA and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. the latter markets Copenhagen and Skoal - tobaccowatch.org). It will make its debut in two styles -- Dark Milled, a traditional, fine-cut product, and Wintergreen Wide Cut. (Camel Dip has even a lesser chance of survival at the retail price specified. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco has recently cut wholesale prices of its premium products about 20 percent - TobaccoWatch.org.)

Copenhagen and Skoal brands have a rich history and a loyal customer base. Copenhagen, the world's best-selling brand of moist smokeless tobacco, is one of the oldest-packaged consumer brands in the United States. Skoal, a wintergreen-flavored moist smokeless tobacco and UST's other flagship brand, was launched in 1934. Conwood's Grizzly, a price-value/discount brand, was launched in 1991 and has been extremely successful. Grizzly continues to represent almost half of all category growth. Grizzly's 3rd quarter 2008 share of shipments was 23.4 percent, up 2.1 percentage points from the prior-year period.

Does Camel Dip have a chance to succeed?? Philip Morris USA's (PM USA) Marlboro MST that was recently discontinued after Altria's acquisition of UST, Inc. was introduced into test market in the the Atlanta area in October 2007.

When Marlboro MST was introduced then Citigroup's Tobacco Analyst Bonnie Herzog told investors that PM USA will fully cement its place in the smokeless segment using the power of the Marlboro brand (8/21/2007). Well this did not HAPPEN.. Nik Modi, a UBS tobacco analyst has stated, "The Marlboro brand name is not as transferable as many originally believed." The guys that know the smokeless tobacco category tell us history clearly shows that it is difficult to extend brands from one category to another. (Marlboro MST / Marlboro SNUS - Philip Morris USA (PM) Trying to Paint a Rosie Picture..)

We wonder if RAI has the best interest of their stockholders in mind. Reynolds To Roll Out Camel SNUS Nationally Early in 2009.. RJR has tried every possibility to develop an interest in this product. Surely, they've given away many more cans of Camel SNUS that have been purchased.

The Camel Circle of products diagram has to be updated with the dissolvables and now with Camel Dip. Watch with dissolvables we'll have children becoming life-time nicotine addicts at a much younger age than with cigarette smoking. How about this comparison of Camel Orbs and Tic Tacs? Can you imagine what kids will do with Camel edible film strips like Listerine breath strips??

Fitch ratings anticipates 2009 volume declines in the high single digits to low double digits. David Howard, an R.J. Reynolds spokesman has said the tobacco industry expects a 6 to 8 percent drop in nationwide sales.

Reference: Camel Dip to be test marketed Smokeless tobacco product to be available in Colorado, Florida by Richard Craver, Winston-Salem Journal, 4/20/2009; Camel Dip to Hit Lips in June
New Reynolds smokeless tobacco product to be available through Conwood in Colo., Fla. by Greg Lindenberg, CSP Daily News, 4/21/2009.

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Gambia - Enforcing public smoking ban is long overdue..

April 20, 2009 - The Gambian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has banned smoking in all public places in accordance with a nation-wide regional consultation on the Prohibition of Smoking Act of 1998. The Act defines public places to include all government premises, all work places, hospitals or health facilities, private premises, vehicles and shops to which the public have access.

A statement from the ministry urged all heads of institutions, organisations, and other public places to comply with the provisions of the act, which takes effect Friday, as smoking would be allowed only in clearly labelled designated smoking areas. A person guilty of violating the Act is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $US20 and not less that $US10 or a term of imprisonment not more than three months or both fine and imprisonment.

The release quoted the World Health Organization indicating that over 5 million people die around the world each year due both active and passive smoking, adding that it is common knowledge that many people innocently or unknowingly become victims of tobacco use by being exposed to second hand smoke at their places of work, homes or public places.

The ministry of Health and Social Welfare said it has already concluded nationwide regional consultations on the Act and has expressed its readiness to educate the general public on the Act as well as the overall hazards of tobacco.

EXTRA - Gambia, the smallest on the continent, averages only 20 mi (32 km) in width. Gambia is one of the smallest and poorest countries in Africa, it has a population of about 1.5 million.

Reference: Enforcing smoking Act is Long Overdue The Point Newspaper, 4/20/2009; Gambia News : Gambia bans smoking in public places, Gambia News, 4/17/2009.

Related news brief: British American Tobacco (BAT) - 100 years in Africa...

Gambia has ratified the
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Treaty. Gambia was one of the few countries that endorsed FCTC treaty after the World Health Assembly in 2003.



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UST to layoff 74 works, mainly sales representatives..

April 19, 2009 - UST Inc. will permanently lay off 74 workers reporting to its facility in Mooresville, NC. Many of the affected employees work remotely from other states, and most are sales representatives, according to a company filing with the N.C. Department of Commerce.

The layoffs are slated to begin June 5, 2009.

UST is a Connecticut-based manufacturer and marketer of smokeless tobacco products. On January 6, 2009 the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Virginia-based Altria Group Inc., which also owns Philip Morris USA.

Altria Group Inc., parent company to the nation's largest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA (PM USA), eliminated most of the sales force when it purchased John Middleton Inc.

Related news brief: Further layoffs for U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. Brands, Inc...; Altria more layoffs in February 2009..

Reference: UST to lay off 74 employees, Charlotte Business Journal, 4/14/2009.

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Florida senate votes 39-0 to raise tobacco tax..

April 19, 2009 - The Florida Senate unanimously voted Thursday, 4/16/2009 to raise the state cigarette tax (levy, user fee, surcharge) $1 per pack (from 34-cent per-pack to $1.34 and impose a $1 per ounce tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars) in an historic vote on a bill that two years ago couldn't even get a hearing. The 39-0 vote came despite intense lobbying from Big Tobacco, a stinging letter of disapproval from Republican anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, and obvious opposition from both the governor and House Republicans.

It raises $1 billion and is now an indispensable piece of the Senate's $65.6 billion budget package. The Senate's tobacco tax bill, entitled ''Protecting Florida's Health,'' was initially conceived to offset steeper cuts to healthcare programs and reimburse the state for expenses on tobacco-related illnesses in Florida. But the Senate has instead used it to balance its budget.

The cigarette tax is one of two key funding pieces to the Senate's budget package, which senators also passed unanimously. The other piece is a gambling expansion plan that gives roulette wheels and craps tables to the Seminole Tribe.

The Senate made three significant changes to its tobacco bill: (1) Voted to shield Tampa Bay's cigar manufacturers and Miami's cigarette maker, Dosal Tobacco, from most of the tax by applying the $1 per ounce surcharge only to tobacco sold in Florida. The change effectively exempts about 85 to 95 percent of the tobacco products manufactured in Florida because they are shipped out of state. (2) Softened the restrictions on the sale of tax-free cigarettes by the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes. The bill had required that all tax-free cigarettes sold by the tribes be labeled ''Indian cigarettes'' and anyone caught possessing them who was not a tribal member would pay a $1,000 fine. Instead, they agreed to a measure to give tribal members tax-exempt coupons to obtain tax-free cigarettes. (3) Imposed new restrictions on cigarettes sold over the Internet to keep them out of the hands of anyone under age 18. The proposal requires that anyone who buys cigarettes online provide a signature from the purchaser or another adult and accept a follow-up phone call to verify that the buyer is over 18.

House and Senate leaders have until May 1 to resolve their differences over the budget and, on Thursday 4/16/2009, gave themselves until April 26 to finish negotiations.

Related news brief: Florida cigar makers fuming over possible tax increase..; Florida - besides tobacco tax increase Senate wants to restrict tax-free sales..; Florida Senate panel backs tobacco tax hike..; Florida tobacco tax hike gets 1st critical vote today.., Tobacco Free Florida Week - 2/27/2009 - 3/7/2009.., Florida's $2.3 billion deficit - increase tax on cigarettes???; States Need Quick Influx of Revenue – Think Tobacco Tax..; Times are Tough Save Money Quit Smoking...

Reference: State Senate OK's $1 cigarette-tax increase With a 39-0 vote, the state Senate overcomes the anti-tax mantra and passes a historic increase in the state's cigarette taxBY MARY ELLEN KLAS Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau (Herald/Times staff writers Marc Caputo and Steve Bousquet contributed to this report), Miami Herald, 4/17/2009.
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