June 26, 2010 -
Bulgaria’s Economy Minister Traicho Traikov has assured that a strategic investor is eyeing the privatization of the state-owned cigarette monopoly Bulgartabac. "There is a strategic investor for Bulgartabac and the bidding will be opened by the end of the autumn,” Traikov disclosed in an interview for Standard daily.
Bulgaria’s Privatization Agency hopes to complete the sale of state-owned cigarette monopoly Bulgartabac in 2010. The privatization procedure has reached a phase in which the state is preparing its sale together with the consultant it picked in February, Citigroup Global Markets Ltd. Citigroup was picked winner after bidding EUR 1.018 million and 1.6% of Bulgartabac’s selling price in case of sale.
Bulgartabac Holding currently operates two cigarette factories compared with nine in 2004 and its market share has shrank to some 40% from 60% a year earlier. The holding still owns a number of commercial brands (The most popular domestic brand is Victory.) Two of the less profitable plants of Bulgartabac holding – in the cities of Plovdiv and Stara Zagora – were sold in 2009 on Sofia Stock Exchange.
Bulgartabac sale is part of Bulgaria’s center-right government plans to angle for strategic investors for key majors, such as the tobacco monopoly and a few energy companies, in which the state owns higher than a 50% stake.
The decision was taken earlier this year after the cabinet was urged to sell on the stock exchange shares in companies, which are part of the Bulgarian Energy Holding, in a bid to put the local capital market back on track.
Reference: Strategic Investor Said to Eye Bulgaria’s Tobacco Monopoly, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), 6/25/2010.
Bulgartabac related news briefs:
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac Holding sales jumped by 15-20 percent..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac buyer may be chosen by end of year..;
Bulgaria - Citigroup chosen as consultant for sale of Bulgartabac..;
Bulgaria - sale of Bulgartabac coming - selection of a consultant..;
Bulgaria - sale of Bulgartabac coming - selection of a consultant..;
Bulgaria - tobacco producers propose Bulgartabac transfer..;
Bulgaria - start of steps leading to the privatization of the state-owned cigarette monopoly Bulgartabac..;
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..;
Read more...
Bulgaria - investor shows interest in state-owned cigarette monopoly Bulgartabac..
NICE wants all pregnant women in the UK to be tested for the presence of smoking..
June 25, 2010 - Currently pregnant women are asked if they smoke by midwives and GPs (general practitioners) but the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) of the United Kingdom's (UK) National Health Service (NHS) (an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health) wants this to go further.
The organisation has recommended that all pregnant women should have their breath measured for carbon monoxide levels when they book in with a midwife. This would establish which women smoke and provide an added incentive for them to quit, the guidance said. Also for non-smokers it may highlight that the woman is unknowingly exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide from second hand smoke, a faulty boiler or car fumes. The guidance is likely to prove controversial among pregnant women who may resent so much testing by health authorities and believe that if they say they are a non-smoker, they might not be believed.
NICE has made some mistakes in the past. NICE Gives Thumbs Up To Champix saying that they actively support the smoking cessation drug Champix (Chantix)that is made by the drug company Pfizer.. (Champix (Chantix) - the risks are greater then the benefits.. Also back in February 2010 - The Citizens Council, a group which brings the views of the public to NICE’s decision-making, has voted overwhelmingly in favour of the use of harm reduction as a way to reduce the dangers of smoking.
Smoking during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and sudden unexpected death in infancy, known as cot death. Exposure to smoke in the womb is also associated with psychological problems in childhood such as attention and hyperactivity problems. Meanwhile, children of parents who smoke tend to suffer from more respiratory problems like asthma or bronchitis and have problems of the ear, nose and throat, compared to children in non-smoking households. Nearly half of all children in the UK are exposed to tobacco smoke at home, the guidance said.
The guidance says that women who smoke and are either pregnant or have recently given birth should be offered a range of options to help them quit, including automatic referral to stop-smoking services and sensitive and non-judgemental support by professionals.
The guidance also recommends training for staff and says caution should be used when prescribing pregnancy women with nicotine replacement therapy such as gum or patches.
Jane Brewin, Chief Executive of baby charity Tommy’s, said: "The sooner women who are pregnant can give up smoking, the better. Every baby deserves the best start in life and those born to smokers tend be smaller and weaker than other infants. However, it’s important pregnant women feel supported if they make the decision to quit, and are aware of the stop smoking services available to them."
Rosie Dodds, senior public policy officer for the National Childbirth Trust, said: "We welcome these guidelines as long as they are offered to women in a positive, and non-judgemental way. As long as women are listened too, they could be offered as supportive intervention. Any measure that helps women to give up smoking can only be a good thing for them and their baby."
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "We welcome the publication of these new guidelines. Smoking in pregnancy is a major public health concern posing risks to both mother and baby. We want the NHS to use this guidance to develop the best possible services for pregnant women.
Reference: Test all pregnant women for smoking, says Nice by Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor, Telegraph.co.uk, 6/24/2010.
Some related news brief - United Kingdom (UK) - pregnancy:
Scotland - renewing efforts to stop pregnant women from smoking..;
Wales - One in five women in Wales smoke while pregnant..;
Scotland - self-reporting of smoking by pregnant women underestimates true number of pregnant smokers..;
Smoking during pregnancy and postnatal environment - socioeconomic inequalities..;
England - program to pay pregnant women not to smoke seems hopeful..;
England - pregnant women getting paid to stop smoking..;
Smoking mothers can impair a baby's ability to respond to external stimuli may increase risk of SIDS..;
Read more...
Spain - ban smoking legislation wins unanimous support in parliament..
The Partido Popular however criticised the proposals for lacking ambition in the protection of health. The current draft of the legislation would clear smoke out of all bars, restaurants and leisure facilities, but would allow smoking in stadiums, bullrings and on terraces.
Also excluded from the legislation are some hotel rooms, smokers clubs and spaces where people are held against their will, such as jails and psychiatric institutions.
Reference: Video - in Spanish Tough anti-smoking legislation gets unanimous support in parliament, TypicallySpanish.com, 6/23/2010.
Spain - related news briefs:
Spain - tougher smoking restrictions not until 2011..;
Spain - Indonesia`s clove cigarettes popular in Spain..;
Spain - health minister believes society mature enough to accept total smoking ban..;
Spain - cigarette sales are up - so what else is new!!;
Spain - zero tolerence smoking ban this year or next??:
Spain - in June 2010 government will present a law to congress to ban smoking in closed public places..;
Spain - government postpones debate on tougher smoking legislation..;
Spain - smoking ban to be implemented on January 1, 2010 still being delayed..;
Spain - still some hesitation on total smoking ban for country..;
Spain - hotel and catering industry protests plan to ban smoking next year..;
Spain - hopes next year to expand ban on smoking in enclosed public places..;
Spain - impact of 2006 law banning smoking in public places..;
Spain - ready for expansion and enforcement of Anti-Smoking Act..;
Spain - ready for full smoking ban in public places..;
Spain - ban smoking public places - a lot of talk no action..;
Spain plans gruesome images on cigarette packs sometime in future...
Read more...
Massachusetts - senate votes to license 3-totally no-smoking casinos..
June 24, 2010 - The Massachusetts Senate voted Thursday, June 24th to ban smoking in casinos as part their push to license three of the resort-style gambling venues. The 24-15 vote removes a portion of the bill that would have allowed casinos to set aside up to a quarter of their gambling floor as a smoking section, provided they install "appropriate ventilation so as to minimize the effect of the smoke on the nondesignated areas."
Critics said granting casinos an exemption from the state's six-year-old workplace smoking ban would jeopardize the health of casino employees. Under the 2004 law, smoking is barred in restaurants, bars and other workplaces. There are exceptions for private clubs and cigar bars.
The Senate resumed debate Thursday on its bill to create three casino resorts including one for a region defined as the four counties of Western Massachusetts. The Senate is scheduled for a final vote on the bill on Friday, June 25th.
During Thursday’s debate, the Senate voted to approve an amendment by Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, that would require casinos to abide by the state’s law banning smoking at indoor work places. The amendment eliminates a provision in the Senate bill that would have allowed casinos to designate 25 percent of gaming space for smoking.
Opponents argued that a smoking ban would put the state’s casinos at a competitive disadvantage with casinos in Connecticut and racinos in Rhode Island, which currently allow smoking. “This is the nanny state of all nanny states,” said Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei, R-Wakefield. “We want to make this a politically correct casino,” Tisei added. “It’s not going to work.” Supporters said workers at casinos need to be protected from second-hand smoke. “Second hand smoke will not remain within the arbitrary designation,” said Sen. Susan C. Fargo, D-Lincoln. “You can’t ventilate a designated smoking area.”
A study commissioned by the Senate to look at the potential revenues from casinos in Massachusetts said three slot machine parlors in Delaware lost more than 11 percent in revenue in 2003 after the state banned smoking. The report also noted that in the years following the ban, revenues rebounded to pre-ban levels. Atlantic City banned smoking in the city's 11 casinos in 2008, but repealed the ban a month after it went into effect because of complaints by casinos.
The state House of Representatives also banned smoking in casinos when that chamber approved its casino bill in April. The House bill calls for two casino resorts and 750 slot machines for each of the state’s two horse tracks and two former dog tracks.
A six-member panel from the House and the Senate is expected to be named to settle differences in the two casino bills. A compromise bill would be sent to Gov. Deval L. Patrick, who supports casino resorts but is opposed to slots at the tracks.
On a voice vote, the Senate also approved an amendment by Sen. Stephen J. Buoniconti, D-West Springfield, that would require companies to open a casino within three years after winning a license, with certain exceptions. Violators would face a $100 million fine and license revocation.
References: Massachusetts Senate bans smoking in casinos, rejects study on cost benefits, Dan Ring, The Republican, MassLive.com, 6/24/2010; Mass. Senate votes to ban smoking in casinos by STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press - Bloomberg Business Week, 6/24/2010.
Massachusetts - some related news briefs:
Massachusetts - City of Everett to ban tobacco sales in pharmacies..;
Massachusetts - may force retailers to display graphic warning signs of perils of tobacco..;
Massachusetts - jury rejects condo owner's lawsuit that realtor did not inform that neighbor smoked..;
Massachusetts - YOUTH - cigars and smokeless tobacco use surpasses cigarettes..;
Successful Massachusetts tobacco cessation program gets national attention..;
Massachusettes - lower income smokers giving up their nicotine addiction..;
Massachusettes - smoker loses job and then loses in federal court..;
Massachusetts - smokeless tobacco purchasers settle class action suit..;
Boston's ban on blunt wraps stands..;
Boston - NO Tobacco Products Sold - Pharmacies/College Campuses..;
Massachusetts cigarette tax jumps $1 per pack..;
Massachusetts (MA) Likely to Increase Tobacco tax..;
Massachusettes - Smoking ban drop in fatal heart attacks..;
Read more...
Australia - new Prime Minister Julia Gillard..
June 24, 2010
On Thursday, June 24, 2010 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was replaced by the 27th Prime Minister of Australia and the first first female prime minister in Australia's history Julia Gillard.
We wonder if the latest tobacco control policy that Mr. Rudd announced will remain in place.
On April 29, 2010 Australia became the world-leader in tobacco control when Prime Minister Rudd announced the tax on cigarettes would increase by 25 percent from midnight tonight (adding about $2.16 to a pack of 30 cigarettes) and that tobacco companies would be required to use plain packaging from July 1, 2012.
It has been stated that Mr. Rudd's had a tendency to announce rather than consult on policy irked some. Julia Gillard' has promised to take a more consultative approach to policymaking.
Julia Gillard's full press conference - Video
Tobacco use is currently the single-biggest preventable cause of death and disease in Australia. National Preventative Health Taskforce 2009
Reference: Rudd Steps Down as Prime Minister of Australia by MERAIAH FOLEY, New York Times, 6-23-2010.
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Saudi Arabia - campaign underway to educate the public especially targeting young people..
For that reason, the Healthcare development holding company (HDH), the leading company specialized in healthcare sector, and a subsidiary of the Bin Laden group of companies, launched an intensive campaign against smoking in the Saudi youth demographic, in collaboration with a MBC Media Group, and in conjunction with the World Day to Quit Smoking, which marks the 31 of May each year. (The Saudi Bin Laden Group (SBG) announced earlier the establishment of a Healthcare Development Holding Company (HDH) as a SBG division dedicated to develop the healthcare sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region.)
Commenting on this campaign, Dr. Wael Kaawach, Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare development holding company, and orthopedic surgery consultant at Harvard University, said:"In launching this campaign, the HDH is driven by its believe in its social role and responsibility to educate the local community about the health risks of smoking, especially as the Kingdom is ranked fourth in the world in the number of smokers, who account for about 30% of its population."
Dr. Kaawach also highlighted that HDH seeks through this campaign to reach young Saudi men and women who represent the majority of Saudi society, where more than 60 percent of its citizens are under the age of twenty-five-years of age. And expressed his hope that this campaign will contribute in the education of the community in the dangers of smoking and its negative consequences, which will lead to the cooperation of relevant authorities, of the official and governmental bodies, to enact strict laws prohibiting the sale of cigarettes to those under the age of eighteen, and enforcing a ban on smoking in public areas.
The campaign, which lasts about two months, focuses on finding effective methods to prevent this phenomenon, and to raise awareness in the Saudi society about the dangerous effects of smoking. It also addresses decision makers to enact laws prohibiting the sale of cigarette and tobacco products to those under the age of eighteen, and calls to popularize the Mecca and Medina initiative in the rest of Saudi cities, where it is forbidden in the two holy cities to sell cigarette or smoke in public.
The first phase of the awareness campaign has been launched by Fulstop agency, by broadcasting a series of TV ads on the MBC channels, targeting young people who are, under peer pressure, are tempted to experiment with smoking. It also targets parents and caregivers who could contribute, unintentionally, in enticing their children towards this bad habit.
Dr. Wael Kaawach added: "HDH is planning to launch more initiatives after this campaign, in coordination with the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia, which is doing its best in establishing a series of health centers to quit smoking. We are also looking forward to cooperating with other concerned government agencies, in order to curtail this negative phenomenon, and its dire health and economical consequences."
Reference: Awareness campaign to fight smoking and to prevent the sale of tobacco products in Saudi Arabia to minors, Launched by HDH Company in corporation with MBC Group, 6/23/2010.
Saudi Arabia - some related news briefs:
Saudi Arabia - ban smoking at all airports..;
Saudi Arabia - Shoura Council to provide advice on Anti-Smoking Law..;
Saudi Arabia - number of smokers has increased..;
Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina) - possible healthier environment this year..;
Saudi Arabia - anti-smoking regulations approved in August 2003 not yet implemented..;
Saudi Arabia - rid country of public smoking zones..;
Saudi Arabia - bans use of cessation drugs Champix and Zyban..;
Saudi Arabia - banning sales of electronic (e) cigarettes..;
Saudi Arabia - smokers to pay higher health insurance premium..;
50 lashes for smoker on Saudia Arabian Airlines..;
Saudi court set to hear tobacco compensation case..;
Saudis to sue tobacco firms for more than $2.7 billion Ryadh, Saudi Arabia..
Read more...
New Zealand - plain cigarette and tobacco packs could turn teenagers off smoking..
June 24, 2010 - Australia is the first country to announce a plan to force tobacco into plain packaging with large pictorial health warnings - a move the industry says it will fight. From 2012, the only remnant of branding would be the name of the product, in uniform print. Gone would be the colours and attractive pictures. "I think it would be hugely powerful for young people," Auckland University researcher Judith McCool said last night. "The pack is the last bastion of tobacco industry promotion."Dr McCool co-supervised master's degree research by Lisa Webb in which 80 students aged 14 or 15 from six Auckland schools were interviewed about their attitudes to smoking, smokers, tobacco packaging and plain packets. The Heart Foundation-funded study found the teenagers considered the plain packets they were shown to be dull, but said they enhanced the impact of the graphic health warnings. "These perceptions were transferred to the act of cigarette smoking as an unattractive or uncool behaviour," the researchers said. The teenagers thought plain packaging would remove the "purpose" of smoking. It then became simply a "bad habit" rather than a cool and rebellious behaviour".
Many submitters to the Maori affairs select committee's tobacco inquiry have urged the MPs [members of parliament] to recommend the New Zealand Government impose plain packaging on the industry among a range of new tobacco control policies.
Otago University marketing expert Professor Janet Hoek said plain packaging "would be a very powerful measure to decrease the attractiveness of smoking". "When you ask young smokers, a lot say they thought smoking was cool. A lot also regret it when they become addicted. Ninety per cent of adult smokers regret it."
The Auckland study found that although the present graphic warnings - some of which show body parts diseased from smoking - were designed to prompt adult smokers to quit, they also led teenagers to view smokers as undesirable, prompting descriptions like "addicted", "lacking in common sense" and "social outcasts".
But the teenagers were confused by the health messages appearing on brightly coloured packets alongside brand imagery, and the researchers said this blunted the effect of the warnings.
Reference: Plain packs for cigarettes turn off teens by Martin Johnston, nzhearld.co.nz, 6/24/2010.
New Zealand related news briefs:
New Zealand - Tobacco companies target women..;
New Zealand - lobby group of small retailers formed to protest tobacco price hike..;
New Zealand - more than half of the people want to end tobacco sales by 2020..;
New Zealand - revenue department has begun a review of BAT financial transactions..;
New Zealand - increase in tobacco excise forced through Parliament by the Government..;
New Zealand - Christchurch prepares for meeting with tobacco select committee..;
New Zealand - biggest drop in smoking rates seen in a decade..;
New Zealand - Maori affairs committee continues to gather information..;
New Zealand - study quit-smoking products that are acceptabe and effective..;
New Zealand - smoking ban results in decrease in heart attacks..;
New Zealand - BAT attends Maori Affairs select committee meeting on tobacco..;
New Zealanders want cigarettes banned by 2020..;
New Zealand - Maori women - almost 50% smoke..;
New Zealand - more and more teenagers turned off by smoking..;
New Zealand - loophole in the law banning tobacco sponsorship..;
New Zealand - University of Auckland to go smokefree - 1st university in country..;
New Zealand - smoking ban in bars results in less smoking at home..;
New Zealand - study, tobacco displays leads to increase in youth smoking..;
New Zealand - graphic warnings cigarette maker selects less offensive images..;
New Zealand - Maori committee to investigate smoking..;
New Zealand - Tairawhiti Board wants tobacco sold only on prescription..;
New Zealand - health researchers calling on government to ban importation of tobacco..;
New Zealand - 1st trial ever of e-cigarettes..;
New Zealand - BAT reducing prices discouraging people from quitting..;
New Zealand - stop smoking campaigns NOT working..;
BAT awarded worst corporation in New Zealand..;
New Zealand - government may NOT support tobacco display bans..;
New Zealand More Evidence Needed to Ban Tobacco and Cigarette Displays..;
More evidence - tobacco displays increase the risk of teens smoking..;
Horror photos go on New Zealand cigarette packs..;
Country to Eliminate Smoking - The South Pacific nation of Niue;
Ireland to ban tobacco displays..;
Smokefree NZ within 10 years..;
By law, oral snuff cannot (but nasal snuff is allowed) be sold in New Zealand and can be imported only for personal use..
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Woman exposed to secondhand smoke as a child dying of COPD..
Exposed to secondhand smoke as a child..
June 24, 2010 - Lynda Mitchell, 52, is dying from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) , but has never smokes and has always despised tobacco. Lynda: I'd get up in the morning and the first thing that would hit me when I walked down the stairs was the vile smell of smoke. I would cough and cough until I was nearly sick. Nobody realised the devastating effects of smoking 50 years ago, they just thought it was fashionable.
As I got older the information started to filter down about how smoking is bad for you and I was desperate for her to stop as a teenager. When mum [mother] realised what I had she stopped smoking indoors, but that was the 90s really. The damage was already done. I was finished.'
She added: 'I'm proof that second hand smoking can kill. Your lungs aren't fully formed until you're 25. People are killing their children with second hand smoke (passive, environmental tobacco smoke, SHS, ETS, involuntary). They know absolutely and categorically - the evidence is out there - that they're killing their children. One cigarette in your car, even with the window down, is like forcing a child to spend an evening in a nightclub full of smokers. Lynda is now backing a campaign by the 
A few directly related news briefs..let's get the law passed already.. Senior British Doctors demand banning smoking in vehicles when children are present...
We never understood why ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) UK called for a debate on this subject - This is a NO Brainer - do you want the best for your children??
Britain - 86 percent would support ban on smoking in cars when kids are present..;
More evidence - vehicles most dangerous space for second-hand smoke inhalation..;
Scotland - government no plans to ban smoking in cars and public places used by children..;
New South Wales politician smoking comment totally inaccurate...
Some positives.. England - decline in kids secondhand smoke exposure - we can do better..; United Kingdom - halve the number of smokers by end of decade...
Lynda was officially diagnosed with COPD in 2003, but doctors believe she had been suffering from the condition since the 1980s. The disease is a chronic combination of bronchitis and emphysema caused by noxious particles or gas that trigger an inflammatory response in the lungs. As the air passages become narrower and eventually become fixed lung capacity is diminished making the simple act of breathing impossible. The disease has left Lynda with only 22 per cent function in her lungs and she relies on oxygen 24 hours a day to breathe.
Lynda also takes an astonishing course of 20 to 25 medications everyday, including painkillers and steroids, to protect the little bit of lung capacity she has left.
She cannot dress, wash, or even make a cup of tea by herself as she gets too exhausted, and relies on husband Sean, 52, and daughter Amy, 24, to help her live.
The disease is terminal. Doctors cannot give her a precise prognosis, but she will eventually die from the disease.
I am not trying to make parents give up smoking all together, I just want people to be aware of the affect it can have on other peoples lives. I am dying a very horrid, very slow death, please don't let the same happen to your children.
Lynda's stepfather Ray Evans, who joined the family when she was two, passed away in 1990 from lung cancer at the age of 60. Her mother June, now 72, is currently suffering from emphysema and was diagnosed with aggressive skin cancer two years ago.
Reference: Mother who has never smoked a cigarette has terminal lung disease because of her parents' 60-a-day habit by Daily Mail Reporter, DailyMail.co.uk, 6/23/2010.
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Case report - life-threatening rectal administration of moist snuff..
Moist snuff users..
June 24, 2010 -
PAPER: A case of life-threatening rectal administration of moist snuff, Kai Knudsen (kai.knudsen@aniv.gu.se) and Morten Strinnholm, Clinical Toxicology (Posted online on 19 Jun 2010..
Summary
Case report. We report a case of self-administration of 75 sachets of moist snuff rectally in a previously healthy, 42-year-old man. He presented with symptoms of nausea, discomfort, and dizziness. He had dry and warm skin, a pulse rate of 53 bpm, a mean arterial blood pressure of 135 mmHg and fluctuations in consciousness.
The patient was treated with mechanical ventilation because of respiratory insufficiency. No specific anti-nicotinergic treatment was given. Plasma levels of the nicotine metabolite cotinine were 8,691 ÎĽg/L 7 h after admittance and 9,814 ÎĽg/L after 12 h. Levels of cotinine in the urine were above >50,000 ÎĽg/L. The patient developed a mild pneumonia, but he was uneventfully extubated after 12 h of mechanical ventilation. All physiological parameters were restored and he was discharged from hospital after 36 h.
Conclusion. Excessive rectal administration of moist snuff may be life threatening. Patients may require intensive care. Long-term sequelae were not seen in this case.
Reference: Summary: A case of life-threatening rectal administration of moist snuff, Clinical Toxicology, posted online on 19 Jun 2010.
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Osaka, Japan - smoking ban in taxis from July 2010..
Osaka, which has the second-largest number of taxis after Tokyo, will become the 40th of Japan’s 47 prefectures to prohibit smoking inside taxis, with about 20,000 taxis, belonging to local taxi associations, set to become smoke-free with the decision.
While some resisted the move out of fear it could drive away customers, already more than 5,000 taxis in the prefecture are operating smoke-free. As of this month, taxis in seven other prefectures—Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Wakayama, Tottori, Yamaguchi and Nagasaki—have not banned smoking, according to the Osaka Taxi Association.
Reference: Most Osaka taxis to ban smoking from July, JapanToday.com, 6/20/2010.
Japan - some related news briefs:
Japan - people more aware of dangers of smoking cigarettes - dangers to smokers and those around them..;
Japan - 7 governors consider measures against passive smoking..;
Japan, Kanagawa Prefecture to ban smoking on beaches..;
Japan - Health Ministry set to urge all local governments to go smoke-free..;
Japan - TASPO (tobacco passport) cards to confirm legal age of cigarette purchaser..;
Tokyo, Japan - smokers find haven on smoke-free streets..;
Japan Tobacco - reacts angrily to governments decision to raise cigarette tax..;
Japan - tax increase, a pack of 20 cigarettes will increase by an average of 33%..;
Japan - cigarette taxes increase may be less than expected..;
Japan - prime minister calls for tobacco tax increase..;
Japan Tobacco growing popularity of its British cigarette brands..;
Japan - new government administration considering raising cigarette taxes..;
Japan - plaintiffs have slim chance of winning against big tobacco..;
Japan - convenience store sales fell in June 2009..;
Japan - tobacco control people upset with smoker-only cafes..;
Japan - Tokyo smoking cafes, people with children, those under 20 NOT allowed..;
Japan - Kanagawa - bans smoking in public places starting April 2010..;
Japan shelves tobacco tax hike for 2009..;
Japan - Ruling party plans tobacco tax hike in 2009..;
Japan Tobacco Starts Petition To Fight Tax Increase..;
How to get most smokers to quit?? - Keep On Raising The Price..;
Japanese lawmakers want to triple cigarette prices..;
Japanese tobacco giants focus on point-of-sales cigarette purchases..;
Japan - photos can be used to fool the age-verification cameras on some vending machines..;
Vending Machines - Japanese protecting their children from becoming life-long nicotine addicts...
Read more...
PMI - to buy directly from Brazilian tobacco growers..
This initiative enhances PMI's direct involvement in the supply chain and is expected to provide approximately 10% of PMI's global leaf requirements. The vertically integrated structure was made possible following separate agreements with two current leaf suppliers in Brazil, Alliance One Brasil Exportadora de Tabacos Ltda. (AOB), a subsidiary of Alliance One International, Inc., and Universal Leaf Tabacos Ltda. (ULT), a subsidiary of Universal Corporation, to each assign around 8,500 contracts with tobacco farmers to PMB.
Philip Morris International, which was spun off from Altria Group Inc. in 2008 and makes and sells cigarettes outside the United States, will take over 8,500 grower contracts from each of Richmond-based Universal Corp. and North Carolina-based Alliance One International Inc. Both had been supplying the company.
"With this strategic integration, PMI will further ensure the sustainability of its leaf supply in Brazil, improve cost efficiencies and enable us to better align leaf supply and demand," said Martin King, Senior Vice President, Operations, PMI.
"We are confident that through our direct involvement with the farmers, as well as the wider tobacco growing communities, we can have a greater impact on improving their long term economic sustainability," he added.
Under the new leaf procurement structure, PMB will offer employment to more than 200 employees, most of them agronomy specialists, and will acquire related assets in Southern Brazil. AOB and ULT will continue to process the tobacco grown by PMB contracted farmers and also supply additional PMI leaf purchase requirements.
The transactions, which are subject to approval by the Brazilian competition law authority CADE, are expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter 2010.
"I don't think this tells us whether PMI is buying more or less leaf in Brazil. It may be that they just want a direct relationship with farmers, like they have in the U.S.," said Blake Brown, a North Carolina State University economist who specializes in tobacco. "With the currency situation, I would be surprised if buyers shift towards Brazil."
Currency swings in Brazil in the past have had a big impact on leaf dealers like Universal, which reported $50 million of currency-related losses in the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2009. Lower currency costs boosted its results in the following fiscal year.
Philip Morris International has been cutting back leaf purchases in the U.S., but that's probably because of a drop in demand in Europe, Brown said.
Universal and Alliance, meanwhile, said they would continue to process Brazilian leaf for Philip Morris International. Processing traditionally has been a profitable business -- and also less risky than contracting and financing growers. For Universal, the deal involves about 20 percent of its current volume.
Alliance One Chief Executive Robert E. Harrison said the agreement means a long-term processing agreement while reducing the company's working capital requirement for its Brazilian operation.
Top Ten Tobacco Countries China, India & Brazil Among Top Tobacco Nations, Daniel Workman, 11/17/2006..
References: Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) announces strategic direct leaf purchasing initiative in Brazil, SOURCE: Philip Morris International Inc., BusinessWire, 6/21/2010; Philip Morris International to buy tobacco directly from Brazilian growers by Staff Reports (Contact David Ress at dress@timesdispatch.com) Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/22/2010.
Philip Morris Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda PMB), with business headquarters in Curitiba, has approximately 2,400 employees in its offices and facilities around the country and in its factory in Santa Cruz do Sul. PMB is the second largest cigarette company in Brazil, manufacturing and distributing leading international brands such as Marlboro and L&M, as well as local brands such as Shelton and Dallas.Read more...
Brunei - seems like smokers to avoid fines want designated smoking area..
June 23, 2010 - Bandar Seri Begawan estimated population 140000 (as of 2010), is the capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Brunei) - Designated smoking areas would help to reduce the number of people smoking in public areas, and the number of smokers being fined for breaching the Tobacco Order 2005, according to members of the public.
Brunei - smoking ban looks like it will work - ENFORCEMENT STRONG..
The Borneo Bulletin went out to interview citizens and residents around the country to obtain their views on the recent reinforcement of the Tobacco Order 2005, and there seemed to be a shared opinion that designated smoking areas would help the situation.
Hadi, a student said, "I think it's a good idea, but there should be specified smoking areas, and the fines for first-time offenders are a bit high. I think that people should get a warning, not a fine.
If they don't want people to smoke then why are cigarettes still being sold?"
One smoker who was fined by the Tobacco Control Unit for smoking in public said: "It's unfair because other countries have fines for littering but people can still smoke. Instead of an instant fine on the spot, they should give us warning beforehand. There should be designated areas for smoking."
A sales representative, meanwhile, said, "It's fair but I think they shouldn't make it so harsh because it's basically annoying the smokers.
"There should be smoking areas, because it would help to not alienate smokers from everyone else."
A member of the public who wished to be referred to as Anonymous H said: "I don't think it's fair without providing designated smoking areas for smokers. Instead, put up signs saying `No Smoking' and signs that say 'You will be fined' and so on. They're not giving us fair warning. Signs need to be put up saying where smokers can smoke. When they enforce it, they should warn us first and tell us they're going to start enforcing it, and let us know where we can and can't smoke."
George, a tourist in the country, said: "I think that it's a bit over the top. It's not OK to smoke inside public buildings and entrances, but outside there's plenty of room for everyone.
"At the -moment people don't know where they're allowed to smoke. It's not good to fine people when they don't know when they're doing something wrong," he added. "I think that tourists should obey the law just like locals, though it does make it more difficult.
"I suggest having designated smoking areas with signs that show it, and signs in areas where you cannot, with the information saying that there is a fine of 150 dollars for smoking in a certain location."
Nabilah, a student who does not smoke said, "Honestly I don't think it's useful, because people are still going to buy the cigarettes regardless, and they're going to continue smoking anyway.
"The non-smokers should walk away, they have a choice of going inside or outside the restaurant. Smokers go outside. There might as well be a smoking zone and a non-smoking zone, so they could then make their own decision."
Reference: Call For Designated Areas For Smokers by Danial Norjidi, Boreo Bulletin - BruDirect.com, 6/22/2010.
Related news briefs:
Brunei - smoking ban looks like it will work - ENFORCEMENT STRONG..;
Brunei - An imam blasts tactics to keep people addicted to nicotine..;
Brunei - smoking top cause of cancer death..;
Brunei - national tobacco control panel to create smoke-free society..
Read more...
WTO - US rejected call by Indonesia to rule on dispute on ban of clove cigarettes in the US..
FDA regulations ban on clove cigarettes Indonesia may protest to WTO.., June 19, 2009;A U.S. official said the ban did not discriminate against any country and Indonesia's request for a panel to rule on the dispute was premature as a scientific committee set up under the law to examine tobacco products would report by March next year.
Indonesia - trade minister officials want to meet with US counterparts to discuss ban on clove cigarettes.., November 4, 2009;
Indonesia - launches formal dispute with WTO over U.S, ban on clove cigarettes.., April 13, 2010.
Also,
U.S. - Importer tries to get around clove cigarettes ban.., September 24, /2009;
Clove cigars close but not cigarettes.., October 27, 2009;
Kretek International filed suit to prevent FDA from banning flavored cigars..., 11/24/2009;
Kretek International drops FDA lawsuit on clove cigars.., January 7, 2010.
Indonesia - on June 22nd will ask WTO to rule on US ban on clove cigarettes.., June 14, 2010.
Clove-flavoured cigarettes, known as kretek, dominate cigarette consumption in Indonesia, the world's fifth biggest tobacco market, but only small numbers are exported, and the unflavoured sort, or "white sticks", are gaining in popularity.
U.S. government surveys showed that menthol cigarettes accounted for 44 percent of cigarettes consumed by young people and 28 percent of all consumption, said Indonesian diplomat Nurlaila Nur Muhammad.
Clove cigarettes accounted for less than 0.05 percent of cigarettes smoked by young people, and 0.09 percent of all consumption, before the ban, she said.
The United States imported $15.2 million worth of kretek cigarettes in 2008, of which 99 percent came from Indonesia, according to U.S. data cited by Indonesian officials. Since the ban, sales have fallen to zero.
"In many parts of my country the main source of income and employment is the production of tobacco, clove and cigarettes," Muhammad said.
"Indeed, well over 6 million Indonesians depend directly or indirectly on clove cigarette production to put food on the table, clothes on their children's backs and day's wages in their pocket."
Reference: US rejects WTO panel on clove cigarette ban by Jonathan Lynn ((Editing by Mark Heinrich), Reuters, 6/22/2010.
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Cuba - cigar production, export earnings off sharply..
In westernmost Pinar del Rio, home of Cuba's most famous tobacco, the harvest came in at 22.4 million leaves, down from 26 million in 2009, according to Guerrillero, the province's Communist party weekly.
Cuba's premium cigars dominate the world market with 70 percent of sales. That jealously guarded market share excludes the United States, where Cuba's cigars are banned under the 48-year-old U.S. trade embargo against the communist-led island.
Domestic demand for lower-quality cigars, which cost as little as a few cents and are made from tobacco grown elsewhere in the country, showed no sign of slowing.
About 300 million were produced last year, compared with 278 million in 2008, the government said.
Some 200,000 private farmers and family members depend on growing and curing the precious leaf under contract with the government. Tens of thousands of workers earn their living hand rolling the crop into the famous "Habanos" or "Some 200,000 private farmers and family members depend on growing and curing the precious leaf under contract with the government. Tens of thousands of workers earn their living hand rolling the crop into the famous "Habanos" or "Puros" for export."
Reference: Smoking bans and economics hit famed Cuban cigars by Marc Frank (Editing by Jeff Franks and Will Dunham), Reuters, 6/21/2010.
Related news briefs:
Cuba - premium cigar sales down look to women to increase sales..;
Cuba - slashes tobacco land, demand for cigars down..;
Cuba Seeks World Heritage Designation for Cigar-Factory Readers..;
Tampa, FL - Hav-A-Tampa Cigar plant will close at the end of August..;
Habanos - after hurricanes can survive using tobacco reserves..;
Imperial Tobacco Group to Enhance Joint Venture Altadis Had With Habanos Cigars..;
Cuban cigar sales rose 7 percent to $402 million in 2007..;
Altadis (Alliance Tobacco Distributors) born from the merger of Spain's Tabacalera and France's Seita SA (F.STA) state tobacco monopolies...
Read more...
Asian Tobacco Farmers worried Article 9 & 10 WHO FCTC..
Burley tobacco growers in the United States sounded the alarm today, May 25th on proposed regulations originating out of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) that could lead to a worldwide ban on blended, American-style cigarettes that contain burley tobacco.Sudaryanto, the chairman of Amti, which organized the meeting, said banning flavored cigarettes could cost Indonesian growers up to $450 million per year and threaten millions of jobs.
Burley growers in the U.S. back in October 2009 had concerns about a Canada flavor-free cigarettes law they felt targeted Kentucky growers.
Article 9 of the FCTC deals with the testing, measuring and regulation of the contents and emissions of tobacco products, and Article 10 with disclosure to governments and the public of such contents and emissions. These are important components of tobacco control policy, but the issues raised by each are complex.
U.S. Burley tobacco growers - WHO FCTC articles elimination of American-style cigarettes..
It comes after a recent recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO) to ban ingredients such as clove and other flavours in tobacco products. Asian tobacco growers say if the WHO ruling is enforced it could threaten millions of tobacco farmers' jobs.
Indonesia is the world's largest producer of clove cigarettes and is particularly concerned about the move. Tobacco growers from India, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are taking part in the summit in Jakarta.
It is the first of its kind and members hope that the Asia Tobacco Forum will prove to be an effective lobby group for their goals. Their biggest concern is how to deal with the WHO's recent recommendation to ban flavoured tobacco products.
Job losses
According to the association of Asian tobacco growers, the ruling could put an estimated 50 million jobs in the region at risk.
In Indonesia, most of the tobacco companies out-source the growing of the plant to small farmers, who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.
Abdus Setiawan, head of the Indonesian Tobacco Farmers' Association, said 93% of the cigarettes made in Indonesia are kretek clove cigarettes. "This will mean a loss of jobs, this will mean a problem with the government's poverty alleviation programmes, because a lot of these farmers are depending only on those products," he said.
In September 2009, the United States banned flavoured cigarettes. According to local reports, that move has cost tobacco growers here almost $300m (£202m) in losses.
Indonesia subsequently filed a formal complaint to the World Trade Organization against the US, saying the ban unfairly targeted Indonesian cigarettes.
Reference:
Asia tobacco farmers fight flavoured cigarette ban call by Karishma Vaswani
BBC News, Jakarta , 6/21/2010.
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Saudi Arabia - ban smoking at all airports..
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, approved the recommendations of the 150-member Shoura Council.
Although the Kingdom passed anti-smoking regulations in August 2003, the habit is growing among its population. There are six million smokers in the country who puff away SR8 (2.13 USD) billion every year. According to one report, smoking-related diseases kill at least 33 people in the Kingdom each month.
Saudi Arabia ranks fourth in the world in terms of cigarette consumption and 41st in terms of population. As many as 13 billion cigarettes are imported into the Kingdom every year. About 10 percent of the Kingdom’s total smokers are women and 19.3 percent are teenagers. Studies have shown that 13 to 15 percent of young men and women live with smokers and are subjected to passive smoking.
Saudi Arabia in May 2005 became the 65th country to ratify the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Reference: Smoking banned at airports, Arab News.com, 6/21/2010.
Saudi Arabia - some related news briefs:
Saudi Arabia - Shoura Council to provide advice on Anti-Smoking Law..;
Saudi Arabia - number of smokers has increased..;
Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina) - possible healthier environment this year..;
Saudi Arabia - anti-smoking regulations approved in August 2003 not yet implemented..;
Saudi Arabia - rid country of public smoking zones..;
Saudi Arabia - bans use of cessation drugs Champix and Zyban..;
Saudi Arabia - banning sales of electronic (e) cigarettes..;
Saudi Arabia - smokers to pay higher health insurance premium..;
50 lashes for smoker on Saudia Arabian Airlines..;
Saudi court set to hear tobacco compensation case..;
Saudis to sue tobacco firms for more than $2.7 billion Ryadh, Saudi Arabia..
Read more...
New York State - tobacco taxes increase, will be highest in nation once again..,.
Directly related news brief:The tax increases and collection plan was approved as leaders grapple with passing a spending plan for the 2010-11 fiscal year that was due on April 1 and close a $9.2 billion deficit.
June 20, 2010 - Cigarette taxes in New York would jump by $1.60 [$2.75+1.60=$4.35] a pack under a tentative deal reached between Gov. David A. Paterson and legislative leaders, which would give New York the nation’s highest state cigarette taxes. (New York - tax increase on tobacco must pass or else state faces extreme budget crisis..)
The plan includes a $1.60 per-pack-increase on cigarettes, raising the state tax to $4.35 — the highest in the country — and bringing the retail cost of a pack of cigarettes in most places to well more than $10. The average price in New York City, which imposes its own cigarette taxes, will be even higher, nearly $11 a pack.
Those who prefer other tobacco products will also be forced to pay significantly more. The tax on smokeless tobacco will more than double, to $2 an ounce from 96 cents an ounce, starting on Aug. 1. And the wholesale tax on cigars, dips and other kinds of tobacco will rise to 75 percent from 46 percent. The increases take effect July 1, 2010. Combined, the plan is expected to add $440 million to the state's coffers.
The cigarette-tax plan would also allow the state to begin collecting taxes from the sale of cigarettes on American Indian reservations to non-tribal citizens, a revenue source that is expected to bring about $150 million. Cigarettes sold to tribe members would not be taxed.
Collecting taxes from cigarettes sold on reservations has been a long-sought source of revenue for the state and is opposed by the state's American Indian tribes. Enforcement would begin September 1, 2010. (New York State - state democrats insist governor tax cigarettes sold on Indian reservations..; NY State Governor Patterson - part of budget - collect Indian cigarette taxes..; NYC - wins round in fight against Indian Tobacco Vendors..)
References: State raises cigarette tax, OKs plan to collect from American Indian reservations by Nick Reisman, Albany Bureau LoHud.com, 6/22/2010; A New York smoke pack is pushing $11 now, Posted by Maggie Haberman, Politico.com, 6/21/2010.
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FDA CTR meeting to discuss issues on enforcement of an action plan to enforce restrictions on promotion and advertising of menthol cigarettes..
June 22, 2010 - FDA's Center for Tobacco Products (CTR) has scheduled a Web-based public meeting on Wednesday, June 30, from 9 AM to 5 PM to discuss issues regarding the development of an enforcement action plan to enforce restrictions on promotion and advertising of menthol and other cigarettes to youth, including youth in minority communities.The purpose of this meeting is to gather data, information and views from any interested parties, including, but not limited to, public health organizations, minority community groups and leaders, other stakeholders with demonstrated expertise and experience in serving minority communities, groups serving youth, patient groups, advertising agencies, the regulated industry, and other interested parties.
For more information..
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VIDEO - CSP TV - Tobacco Realities..
June 21, 2010 - Convenience Stores/Petroleum (CSP) TV
Tobacco Realities: A year after SCHIP & regulation, where do tobacco retailers stand? And are there any bright spots? Runtime: 05:49
SCHIP - State Children's Health Insurance Program..
Tobacco Regulation..
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Star Scientific asks FDA to certify Ariva-BDL lozenges as less harmful than traditional forms of tobacco..
June 21, 2010 - Star Scientific, Inc. announced that on Friday, June 18 the company filed an application with the Food & Drug Administration for approval to market Stonewall-BDL™ as a "modified risk tobacco product" under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. This is Star's second such application to the Tobacco Products Center of the FDA, which has been established to oversee all aspects of tobacco regulation outlined in the 2009 Act. The first modified risk tobacco product application, for ARIVA-BDL™, was filed by Star on February 19, 2010. (Star Scientific asks FDA to certify Ariva-BDL lozenges as less harmful than traditional forms of tobacco..)
The company believes that these are the only applications for modified risk products that have been filed with the FDA to date.
Stonewall-BDL™, like ARIVA-BDL™, is a dissolvable tobacco lozenge with wintergreen flavoring. The product is made with flue-cured tobacco that contains levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) that are below detectable limits ("BDL") by most current standards of measure. TSNAs have been identified in scientific literature since the early 1950s as one of the most deadly and abundant groups of carcinogens in tobacco and its smoke. Achieving this reduction, known within Star as "ZNT" (zero-nitrosamine tobacco) was accomplished by new work on the StarCured® tobacco curing technology that originally was developed in the 1990s. This innovation is the subject of a patent application filed in December 2008. A recent article by Rickert et al. (Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 2009;53(2):121-33) reported total TSNA levels in currently marketed popular moist snuff and "pouch" tobacco products that ranged from 8,814 – 14,557 parts per billion. This range is 1000 times greater than the levels measured in Stonewall-BDL™, as outlined in the company's submission.
Ariva®, launched in 2001, was developed for adult smokers who cannot or choose not to smoke. Stonewall Hard Snuff®, launched in mid-2003, is an alternative for adults who use traditional smokeless tobacco products or who identify themselves as "heavy smokers". Over the past nine years the company has learned that Ariva® customers range in age from 30-70, and more than half of them are women. Stonewall Hard Snuff® purchasers range in age from 25-65 and show two major patterns of tobacco use. Customers who are looking for an alternative to moist snuff are largely male, while roughly 30-40% of those who purchase the products as an alternative to "heavy" daily cigarette smoking are female. According to callers to the company's consumer call center, the majority of purchasers are concerned about continued smoking.
Reference: Star Scientific Files Second Application With FDA for Approval of a Modified Risk Tobacco Product, SOURCE Star Scientific, Inc., PR Newswire, 6/21/2010.
Some related Star Scientific news briefs:
Star Scientific - Star Scientific q1 2010 financial report..;
Star Scientific - continue incurring losses on its smokeless-tobacco products..;
Star Scientific asks FDA to certify lozenge less harmful..;
Star Scientific denied new trial in patent infringement - files appeal..;
Star Scientific - NASDAQ trading symbol changed to CIGX..;
Star Scientific - new product (in 2010) to help adult smokers maintain a nicotine-free metabolism..;
Star Scientific - will use its low-nitrosamine tobacco curing process to formulate smokeless tobacco dissolvable smokeless products..
Star Scientific - q2 2009 report..;
Star Scientific - Filing patent for zero-nitrosamine tobacco curing process..;
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..
Read more...
PMI - 2010 Investor Day presentation June 23 and 24, 2010..
The presentations and Q&A sessions will be webcast live both days, in local Swiss time, in a listen-only mode beginning on Wednesday, June 23, 2010, at www.pmi.com approximately 9:00 a.m. and concluding at approximately 5:00 p.m. that day. The webcast will resume on June 24, 2010, at approximately 8:40 a.m. and conclude at approximately 10:45 a.m.
An archive of the webcast will be made available until Friday, July 23, 2010, at http://www.pmi.com/investors at the start of each presentation.
Reference: Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) to Host Webcast of 2010 Investor Day, SOURCE: Philip Morris International Inc., 6/17/2010.
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U.S. PACT Law takes effect June 29, 2010..
With only a few limited exceptions, the Postal Service will no longer be allowed to accept or transport packages containing cigarettes or smokeless tobacco products. The general mailability ban will extend to cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco. The prohibition does not include cigars.
The law, Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, Public Law No. 111-154, was signed into law on March 31, 2010. (President Obama on Wednesday, March 31st signed legislation that bans the U.S. Postal Service from shipping tobacco.) On March 11th the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. 147 PACT bill proving that when it comes to protecting our children total bipartisan support can be expected.
The main goal for passage of the PACT Act: to Protect Our Children - Make it illegal to use the U.S. Postal Service to deliver any form of tobacco product.. FedEx, UPS and DSL — have bowed to state pressure and have refused to ship tobacco products. Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer pressured UPS and DHL Worldwide Express to stop delivering cigarettes to individuals anywhere in the United States in 2005. FedEx agreed to do the same a year later. (Ban tobacco from the mail, Star Bulletin, posted 3/17/2010)
Shipments entirely within Alaska and Hawaii will continue, subject to certain labeling and acceptance requirements.
The law does permit infrequent lightweight shipments by age-verified adults to recipients who are at least the age of majority for purchase of tobacco. Shipments between businesses in the tobacco industry will also be permitted, as well as cigarettes sent to consumers age 21 and above for testing or public health purposes.
Most shipments will require photo identification and age verification consistent with the minimum age requirements in the locality of destination.
With the exception of shipments entirely within Alaska and Hawaii, shipments are permitted only via Express Mail and, with the exception of shipments from the United States to APO/FPO/DPO destinations, will be delivered using “hold for pickup” service at the destination Post Office.
Federal Register Notices:
Pending Publication in the Federal Register. Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco – Prohibited in All Outbound and Inbound International Mail, EFFECTIVE DATE: August 2, 2010, ACTION: Final rule.
Reference: US cigarette law to start this month, Post & Parcel, 6/18/2010.
Some PACT related news briefs:
President Obama Signs PACT Act Into Law..;
U.S. House passed PACT Act again now awaits presidential signature and it's law..;
U.S. Senate - unanimously passes the PACT Act..;
Disappointment - U.S. legislators from New York State are delaying passage of PACT Act..;
NATO - urging retailers to call their U.S.Senators to get the PACT Act passed..;
U.S. let's get the PACT bill passed by congress and then signed into law..;
NY State - Seneca Indians - lobbying against the PACT act.;
U.S. - Senate Judiciary Committee Approves PACT ACT..;
U.S. - Senate Committee scheduled to vote on PACT..;
Web-Based Companies must stop selling flavored cigarettes..;
Internet, Flavors everywhere - snuff being marketed to kids as hip, cool and healthy..;
U.S. customs officials bar imports bearing the Philip Morris USA trademark..;
Let's Get It Passed - Prevent All Tobacco Trafficking Act of 2009..;
U.S - PACT legislation passed by House..;
U.S. - PACT Legislation to be considered by House this month..;
We must get the United States Postal Service (USPS) out of the tobacco delivery business..;
PACT Legislation now in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee..;
U.S. House Passes Bill to Prevent Tobacco Delivery By Mail..;
We must get the United States Postal Service (USPS) out of the tobacco delivery business..
Protect Our Children - Make it illegal to use the U.S. Postal Service to deliver any form of tobacco product...
Read more...
More insight - FDA CTP wants marketing data from Altria by July 30, 2010..
A U.S. ban on promoting cigarettes as "light," "mild" or "low" takes effect on Tuesday, June 22, 2010. The ban is a key provision of a new federal law that gives the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products.
A PM USA onsert that drew FDA attention reads: "Your Marlboro Lights pack is changing. But your cigarette stays the same. In the future, ask for 'Marlboro in the gold pack'."
The FDA said, "By stating that only the packaging is changing, but the cigarettes will stay the same, the onsert suggests that Marlboro in the gold pack will have the same characteristics as Marlboro Lights, including any mistaken attributes associated with the 'light' cigarettes." It added, "Although the onsert includes some disclaimer language, Congress found that disclaimers have been ineffective in eliminating mistaken beliefs regarding 'low tar' and 'light' cigarettes."
(Letter to Philip Morris USA, Inc., Marketing Marlboro Lights Cigarettes with an Onsert..)
Directly related news briefs:
FDA CTR - demanding that PM USA turn over research on how consumers are reacting to changes in the Marlboro Lights package..;
U.S. Senators warn tobacco companies not to engage in misleading cigarette advertising..;
PMUSA store sign Marlboro 'New Look Same Famous Flavor"...
Richmond, Va.-based Altria must submit by July 30 all materials related to the marketing or sale of Marlboro Lights, including themes, creative recommendations and dissemination strategies, the FDA said. Altria spokesperson Bill Phelps said, "We received the letter...and we're reviewing it and we will respond."
Credit Suisse analyst Thilo Wrede said in a research note to investors, "We think that [PM USA] should be allowed to communicate packaging changes to its smokers, but the FDA request serves as a reminder that the regulatory pressure is maybe bigger than initially expected."
The FDA noted in a separate letter to retailers of tobacco that the "new legal restrictions apply only to manufacturers; they do not prohibit retailers from selling tobacco products with the descriptors 'light,' 'low,' 'mild,' or similar descriptors that were manufactured before June 22, 2010." (Letter to Retailers on Tobacco Products Labeled or Advertised with the Descriptors “Light,” “Low,” “Mild,” or Similar Descriptors)
"As the FDA acknowledges in the letter to retailers, there is no time limit for retailers to sell through their existing inventory of these tobacco products labeled with these descriptive terms. Retailers should simply continue to use good retailing practices of rotating stock which will reduce the length of time after June 22 that these tobacco products labeled with descriptive words remain on store shelves," said the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) in its most recent issue of NATO E-News.
Other tobacco regulatory activity: The U.S. Postal Service announced that it will no longer accept packages containing tobacco products starting June 29, 2010 thereby following its obligations under the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act. With only a few limited exceptions, the Postal Service will no longer be allowed to accept or transport packages containing cigarettes or smokeless tobacco products. The general mailability ban will extend to cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco. The prohibition does not include cigars. Other delivery services like FedEx, UPS and DHL are also no longer making cigarette shipments, which significantly limits the legal shipping options for online cigarette sellers. (U.S. PACT Law does effect June 29, 2010..
"Online sales are only a tiny fraction of the total tobacco sales in the U.S., but this event is another example for the increasing pressure on the industry from Washington," said Wrede.
And the FDA advisory panel will have its next meeting on menthol on July 15 and 16. At that meeting, the industry is expected to present its view on menthol and provide the data that was requested at the March meeting.
"We expect a much more intense debate about the industry's intentions for adding menthol to cigarettes, which could lead to a more general discussion of menthol's role in underage smoking initiation. We continue to see the underage initiation argument as the most promising angle of attack for proponents of a menthol ban," Wrede added.
Reference: FDA Takes Issue With 'Onserts'
Agency demands PM USA Morris marketing documents as "light" ban looms, CSP Daily New, 6/21/2010.
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