Cigarette companies are helping with the volcano relief effort. Employees from Sampoerna (owned by Philip Morris since 2005) one of Indonesia's largest tobacco companies, are helping out volcano victims while also taking advantage of a great marketing opportunity: wearing logo-emblazoned gear and saving people!, paid The team is one of several emergency response efforts organized by large Indonesian corporations in response to the devastating series of eruptions that have so far killed more than 100 people and displaced more than 150,000 rural residents in the last week.
VIDEO - Indonesia: This volcano brought to you by Philip Morris, By Will Carless, GlobalPost, 11/4/2010.Background: Dating back to the early 19th century, Indonesia’s tobacco industry is one of its oldest and most profitable sectors despite being slapped with increasing taxes and vilified by the anti-tobacco lobby. Today, with more than 65 million smokers — the third most in the world — Indonesia remains fertile ground for the tobacco industry. Benny Wahyudi, director general of the agricultural and chemical sectors at the Ministry of Industry. The government still saw the tobacco industry as having a key role in the national economy, given that it contributed much revenue and employed at least 824,000 workers. From 2005 to 2009, the government’s excise tax revenue increased from Rp 33.3 trillion ($3.73 billion) to Rp 56.7 trillion, thanks to cigarettes, which account for 97.8 percent of all excise tax receipts. (Despite Tobacco Excise Rise Indonesian Tobacco Firms’ Profits Keep Increasing, Faisal Baskoro, Jakarta Globe, 11/1/2010.
Representatives of the companies working on the mountain said their efforts are entirely altruistic, and balked at any suggestion that the aid teams double as a marketing campaign for the companies.
Smoking prevalence among Indonesians aged 9 to 18 increased 14 percent last year, the highest in the world, says YLKI (Indonesian Consumers Foundation) chairman Tulus Abadi.
Indonesia - paradise for smokers and paradise for tobacco companies..
References: Cigarette Companies Sponsor Volcano Rescue Efforts">
by Will Carless, npr.org, 11/5/2010; Indonesian Cigarette Company Heroically Rescues Volcano Victims, Jeff Neumann (jeff@gawker.com), Gawker.com, 11/6/2010.
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Indonesia - tobacco companies provide volcano rescue relief..
Florida - jury returns verdict in favor of Philip Morris USA, 5th consecutive time..
November 5, 2010 - A jury yesterday, October 28th returned a verdict in favor of cigarette maker Philip Morris USA and other tobacco companies in one of thousands of smokers' lawsuits in Florida.
It was the fifth consecutive verdict for the company in a group of lawsuits known as the Engle cases, Henrico County-based, Virginia Philip Morris USA said in a statement.
"The jury found that the smoker was 100 percent responsible for his smoking choices," said Murray Garnick, senior vice president and associate general counsel for Altria Group Inc., Philip Morris USA's parent company. Garnick said the verdict shows that the company "still has powerful defenses in these cases even though the courts are improperly allowing plaintiffs to rely on a prior jury's findings instead of proving their case at trial."Background: The Engle case is named after a Florida pediatrician named Howard Engle who was the lead plaintiff in a statewide class action filed in 1994 on behalf of smokers who were addicted to nicotine and developed cancer or other smoking-related illnesses as a result. In the first part of what was intended to be a three-phase trial, a Miami jury decided a series of common questions relating to the companies’ conduct and to the health effects of smoking. In the second phase, the jury awarded $145 billion in punitive damages to the class.
The Florida lawsuits stem from a class-action smokers' lawsuit named Engle. The Florida Supreme Court decertified the class-action case in 2006, but the court allowed individual lawsuits to proceed and said juries could rely on general findings about the companies' behavior from the first lawsuit.
In 2006, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the $145 billion verdict and ruled that the case couldn’t continue as a class action. At the same time, Florida’s high court upheld most of the Phase I factual findings and said they would apply in all of the individual suits filed by smokers who had been part of the Engle class. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case. The case is Brown v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., No. 08- 16158, 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (Atlanta).
So far, eight of the 17 Engle cases against Philip Morris USA that have reached verdicts have been in favor of the company, a spokesman said. The verdict returned yesterday was in the case of Rohr v. RJ Reynolds, Philip Morris USA, Lorillard Tobacco Company and Liggett, in Broward County, Fla.
Reference: Florida jury rules for Philip Morris, other firms in smoker's lawsuit, By Staff Reports - John Reid Blackwell, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 10/29/2010.
Some related news briefs from Florida court cases:
Florida is tide turning? - 4th time in 2-weeks Philip Morris USA wins court cases..;
Florida - PM USA to challenge verdict in the Piendle v. RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris USA case..;
Florida - tobacco companies ordered to pay $2.2 million to widow of smoker..;
Florida - individual cases against big tobacco can move forward, can rely on Engle jury findings..;
Florida - jury awards smoker $21M from Philp Morris USA.;
Florida - can big tobacco survive all these lawsuits they continue to lose??;
Florida - big tobacco loses another case..;
Florida - jury awards $26.6 million to smoker's widow..;
Florida - 9 year old case, appeals court upholds $24.8 million award..;
Florida - $300 million jury award to former smoker overturned..;
Florida - jury awards $300 million in ex-smoker's suit..;
Florida - tobacco companies ask court to block ruling..;
Florida - plaintiff drops case to avoid paying legal fees for Philip Morris USA..;
R.J. Reynolds to appeal plaintiff's award of $30 million..;
R.J. Reynolds loses Florida court trial - widow gets $30 million..;
Broward County Florida jury awards widow of smoker $1.5 million..
Read more...
Lorillard - to participate in the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference..
November 5, 2010 - Lorillard, Inc., the third largest manufacturer of cigarettes in the United States, today announced that Murray S. Kessler, President and Chief Executive Officer, and David H. Taylor, Chief Financial Officer, will participate in the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference at The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. Lorillard will present on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, at 10:55 A.M. Eastern.
The presentation will be broadcast live over the Internet under the Investor Relations section of Lorillard's website at www.lorillard.com in the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference and will also be available in an archived format for thirty days following the event.
Reference: Lorillard to Participate in the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, SOURCE Lorillard, Inc., 11/4/2010.
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National Association of Tobacco Outlets meets with Director of the FDA CTPs..
With this underlying purpose in mind, NATO had two overall goals for the meeting, it said in its newsletter. First, to establish an ongoing dialogue and open the lines of communication between the association and the CTP staff. Second, encourage the FDA staff to use NATO and its members as a resource for questions about the manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing of tobacco products.
During the meeting, they discussed concerns and asked questions about the requirements for tobacco retailer clerk training programs, including the following:
Previous related news brief: NATO - opposes 2-FDA tobacco retail training program requirements..
* When asked if the FDA will certify an existing retailer training program such as the We Card program, the FDA representatives said they are still reviewing training program comments submitted by various groups and have not yet decided whether to certify an existing program.
* Asked how the FDA will conduct inspections of retail stores, the FDA staff said retailers will not know that an inspection is being conducted in their store by an FDA commissioned official. Inspections will include compliance checks by a minor who will attempt to purchase tobacco products. In addition, the inspector will determine whether clerks request proper customer identification and verify customer ages, and visually examine the store to ensure that flavored cigarettes and individual cigarettes are not being sold, self-service displays are not present in stores that allow access by minors and new health warnings are printed on cigarette and smokeless tobacco advertisements. FDA inspections may not begin until after January 1, 2011.
* A retailer will not be immediately notified of the compliance check results since the FDA staff at the CTP must review inspector reports and verify the inspections were conducted according to a uniform set of guidelines.
* The names and locations of stores that pass the inspections will be listed on a new FDA website so that retailers can determine if they have been inspected and whether their store passed.
* NATO staff discussed concerns about the possibility of retailers being encouraged to pay a bonus or provide paid time off to an employee who successfully passes a compliance check.
* NATO representatives also questioned whether all retailers should conduct internal compliance checks because many retailers may not be financially able to implement such a program.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Deyton said that he and his staff wanted to receive the industry's input on future tobacco regulations. He also agreed to meet with NATO representatives in January to discuss ways that the organization can further communicate with its members about FDA regulations.
Deyton will be one of the keynote speakers at the 2011 NATO Show, April 12-14, 2011, at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.
Reference: NATO Meets With Director of Center for Tobacco Products Association, industry representatives discuss concerns with FDA, CSP Daily News, 11/4/2010.
FDA CTP c-store training:
FDA CTP Retailer Compliance Training Sessions..;
U.S. FDA releases draft guidance document for retailers in advance of training programs...
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Bulgaria - Mayor of Town of Kyustendil - non-smokers should pay less for health insurance..
November 5, 2010 - The mayor of the only Bulgarian town, which enforced a full smoking ban, has called on the center-right government to slash by half health taxes for non-smokers. "This is how the state can provide incentives for the people to take better care of their health and not be a burden to the health system," Petar Paunov, mayor of Kyustendil, South-Western Bulgaria, announced on Tuesday, November 2nd. (Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 58,059 (2005 census.)
In recession-battered Bulgaria, the government spends just 4.2% of its GDP on health. All employed and self-employed Bulgarians are obliged to make monthly health insurance contributions of 8% of their income to the Health Insurance Fund.
The center-right government dropped earlier this year plans for a health tax hike, which was approved amid doctors' walkouts and in a bid to raise additional funds to support the ailing system. The cabinet has been urged to back an alternative solution, which would make state officials, who are currently making no health insurance installments, dip deeper into their pockets.
The town of Kyustendil is the only one in Bulgaria where the smoking ban in all public places was not eased at the beginning of June despite fears that this could hurt the tourism industry during tough economic times. (Bulgaria - to loosen smoking ban to start June 1, 2010..)
All across the country smoking is allowed in separate smoking spaces inside restaurants, bars, coffee shops, railroad stations, airports, ports, and bus stations. The owners of restaurants, clubs and coffee shops with an area less than 50 square meters, are given the option to decide if smoking would be allowed.
Similar measures were imposed as part of a partial smoking ban in 2005 but have been widely ignored.
Bulgaria ranks second after Greece in the EU in terms of number of regular smokers as a percentage of the population, according to a Eurobarometer survey.
Reference: Bulgarian Mayor Urges Lower Health Taxes for Non-Smokers, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), 11/2/2010
Bulgaria - related news briefs:
Bulgaria - smoking ban beginning January 1, 2011 - do they know which smoking ban applies??;
Bulgaria - Director of the Customs Agency announced Bulgaria ranks 1st in Europe in seizure of contraband cigarettes..;
Bulgaria - smoking rate down, knowledge of dangers of tobacco use gaining..;
Bulgaria - another tobacco tax increase in the draft 2011 budget..;
Bulgaria - confusion over which public smoking ban is in force..;
Bulgaria - WHO upset with Bulgaria's weakened smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - weakened smoking ban, just added minors can't be in disco clubs after 10pm..;
Bulgaria - final vote delayed on weakened smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - weakened smoking ban, second reading..;
Bulgaria - commission tightens smoking ban a little..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac buyer may be chosen by end of year..;
Bulgaria - prime minister not happy with giving tobacco growers subsidies..;
Bulgaria - to loosen smoking ban to start June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - finance minister comments may be good news for tobacco farmers..;
Bulgaria - parliament debates proposal to water down smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - majority of all Bulgarians - 78% are against the smoking ban delay..;
Bulgaria - every increase in excise duty on cigarettes consumption goes down..;
Bulgaria - grace period over, increase in tobacco tax starts Thursday, April 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - Italian authorities arrest 2-Bulgarians smuggling cigarettes..;
Bulgaria - tractor trailer loaded with contraband cigarettes seized in Ancona, Italy..;
Bulgaria - cigarette consumption down, cigarette tax collection up, seeking funds for technology to intercept contraband goods..;
Bulgaria - justifying why smoking ban won't go into effect on June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - Citigroup chosen as consultant for sale of Bulgartabac..;
Bulgaria - ruling party may delay smoking ban until 2011..;
Bulgaria - Finance Minister Djankov, "Less Smoking Is Good for Economy..";
Bulgaria - govt to weaken full smoking ban to be effective June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - do producers support contraband cigarettes??;
Bulgaria - sale of Bulgartabac coming - selection of a consultant..;
Greek Farmers Renew Bulgaria Border Blockade..;
Bulgaria - leadership of tobacco fund to be replaced..;
Bulgaria - illegal trade in cigarettes will reach 40% of total trade in 2010..;
Bulgaria - limits on personal imports of tobacco products from outside the EU..;
Bulgaria - European Commission authorizes payment to tobacco producers for 2009 crop..;
Bulgaria -two cigarette smuggling attempts busted on Serbian border..;
Bulgaria - price of cigarettes increases..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac stays in the economy ministry, sold by middle of 2010, starting price 100,000,000 euro..;
Bulgaria - tobacco producers propose Bulgartabac transfer..;
Bulgaria - government, tobacco growers reach subsidy agreement..;
Bulgaria - start of steps leading to the privatization of the state-owned cigarette monopoly Bulgartabac..;
Bulgaria - police hold smoking protest over lack of bonuses..;
Bulgaria - police busts major cigarette contraband ring..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac Holding” will be privatized in 2010..;
Bulgaria - MPs Impose Hefty Fines on Cigarette Sales Violators..;
Bulgartabac Chief - cigarette tax increase as of January 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria Bulgartabac Holding Sells 23% of Shares to Mutual Funds..;
Bulgaria - more than 70% of smokers want to quit..;
Bulgaria - cigarette taxes going up each year except 2011..;
Bulgaria - chair of the economic committee in parliament disapproves of planned raise in excise duties on cigarettes..;
Bulgaria and others - smoking ban, increased cigarette taxes, smuggling..;
Bulgaria - Cigarette excise duties will be increased next year..;
Bulgaria - cigarette contraband, government loses BGN 920M yearly..;
Bulgaria - one third of the tobacco products sold are illicit..;
Bulgaria - new government to speed-up Bulgartabac sale..;
Bulgaria - Fake Victory Light cigarettes..;
Bulgaria's tobacco monopoly may be up for sale..;
Bulgarian lawmakers vote to ban smoking in all publc places from June 2010..; Bulgarian tobacco company Sofia-BT exports increase by 541 percent..;
Does Russia own Bulgaria's tobacco monopoly, Bulgartabac..;
EU percent of adults smokers -highest Greece 1 , Bulgaria 2.. - lowest Slovenia..;
Bulgaria - 1 in 3 youths smoke / half of pregnant women smoke..;
PMI training Bulgarian custom officers to stop cigarette smuggling..;
Philip Morris International (PMI) was truly happy they had been back in the Bulgarian cigarette market for a year and had already had 6.8% of market..;
WHO FCTC Protocol to Prevent Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Won't Be Completed Until End of 2010..;
WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008..;
Bulgaria Enters 2009 with Cigarette Prices Hike...
Bulgaria is marking Tuesday, November 10, 2009, the 20th year since the internal coup at the Bulgaria;
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Ogunquit, Maine - the people have voted no smoking on beaches..
Violators of the new ordinance will be given one verbal warning by a police or code enforcement officer before being issued a $50 fine if they again fail to comply with town code, according to the article. Some voters Tuesday expressed skepticism about whether or not the ordinance will be enforceable, but many also said they were happy to see the change.
"There are little kids running around on the beach," resident Barbara Lavine said after casting her ballot to pass the ban Tuesday. "It gets really messy."
Reference: Voters ban smoking on Ogunquit beaches by Casey Sullivan
(csullivan@seacoastonline.com), Seacoastonline.com, 11/4/2010.
Click on image to enlarge..
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New Zealand - Māori Affairs Committee Report released - November 2010..
The Select Committee's report on its inquiry into the tobacco industry and the consequences of tobacco use for Maori was released today, November 3rd. Its recommendations underscore a strategy to halve smoking rates by 2015, as the first step towards a smokefree New Zealand by 2025.
The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand, they are Polynesian and comprise about 14 percent of the country's population.One of the primary recommendations the Māori Affairs Committee made was for Government aim for tobacco consumption and smoking prevalence to be halved by 2015 across all demographics, followed by a longer-term goal of making New Zealand a smoke-free nation by 2025 (page 10).
Maori women have the highest smoking prevalence (49.3 percent) followed by Maori men (41.5 percent). Young Maori were more likely to smoke and second-hand smoke exposure was higher among Maori than non-Maori.
Maori Party MP Hone Harawira announced back on September 23, 2009 the Maori Affairs parliamentary select committee would hold an inquiry into the impact of tobacco use on Maori. The result of the committees work is the report with recommendations to reduce the burden of tobacco related disease. a href="http://snus-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-zealand.html">New Zealand - Maori committee to investigate smoking..)
The NZ Public Health Association (PHA) considers Māori Affairs Select Committee's final report on tobacco a landmark in smokefree initiatives. (Tobacco Report Praised For Promoting Maori Smokefree Goals, PHA, Voxy.co.nz)Inquiry into the tobacco industry in Aotearoa and the consequences of tobacco use for Māori, Report of the Māori Affairs Committee. Forty-ninth Parliament, Hon Tau Henare, Chairperson, 11.2010.
Aotearoa (pronounced [aoˌteaˈroa] is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand
New Zealand related news briefs:
New Zealand - non-smokers offered incentives to test cigarettes..;
New Zealand - phase out tobacco sales over the next decade..;
New Zealand - Scandinavian Tobacco granted clearance to merge its cigar and pipe tobacco businesses with Swedish Match..;
New Zealand - tobacco industry whistleblower addresses the Maori select committee..;
New Zealand - a third of patients seeking treatment in the ED were smokers..;
New Zealand - the majority of New Zealanders support an end to commercial tobacco sales by 2020 - can it happen??;
New Zealand - study revives interest in keeping tobacco hidden..;
New Zealand - health board says no to psychiatric hospital smoking ban..;
New Zealand - report on illicit trade and options to control growth of illicit trade..;
New Zealand - ASH Year 10 Snapshot Survey - Dramatic youth smoking decline..;
New Zealand - plain cigarette and tobacco packs could turn teenagers off smoking..;
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.. Read more...
Breckland District, Norfolk County, England - eliminates paid smoke breaks..
Now, the Breckland Council in Norfolk, England, has eliminated the paid smoke break, forcing employees to clock out when they leave to enjoy a smoke, then clock back in when they return to work.
Breckland District , Norfolk County, England - smokers to work extra to make up time on smoke breaks..
“Our flexible working system allows smokers to take smoking breaks without affecting the amount of time spent working and this brings fairness for all,” said council head William Nunn in a press release. He added that employees voted on the new system, and it was with their permission that the time system changed to eliminate smoke breaks.
Reference: Employees Now Clocking Out For Smoke Breaks In England, posted by Ron, POPFI.com, 11/3/2010.
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San Francisco - now illegal to smoke in any outdoor seating of any restaurant..
November 4, 2010 - It is now officially illegal to smoke in any outdoor seating of any restaurant in San Francisco. Think back patios, sidewalk tables and the like.
The law, part of anti-smoking legislation sponsored by Supervisor Eric Mar and passed by the Board of Supervisors in March, has just gone into effect within the past few days. Restaurants are now being required to post signs at every entrance stating "Smoking only 1) at the curb or 2) if no curb, at least 15 ft. from exits, entrances, operable windows and vents."
And, the sign must include "the international 'no smoking' symbol, consisting of a pictorial representation of a burning cigarette enclosed in a circle, with a diameter of at least three inches, with a bar across it." Seriously.
Background: Smoking soon will be snuffed out at sidewalk cafes, restaurant patios, movie and ATM lines, bingo halls and the common areas of housing complexes. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, March 10th to extend smoking restrictions to those places, along with lighting up near doorways and windows of offices, shops and restaurants. It already is illegal to smoke in offices and commercial establishments that don't have a legally designated smoking area. (San Francisco - further smoking restrictions..)Failure to comply could cost restaurant owners $500 per citation and, ultimately, a referral to the City Attorney's office.
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association has had its, yes, beefs with City Hall before - but not this time. Kevin Westlye, director of the association, said the group backed the legislation once wording about restaurant owners having to police people - even non-customers - smoking on the sidewalks out front was eliminated. In general, restaurant owners were supportive of restricting second hand smoke for their employees and customers, he said.
Westlye said the biggest adjustment may be for European and Asian tourists, "many of whom still like to smoke." And for groups that rent out entire restaurants for banquets and find they cannot smoke a celebratory cigar outside. "Technically, that has become illegal," Westlye said. "That's a larger adjustment than the single table wanting to smoke on the patio."
Reference: Smoking in SF restaurant patios snuffed out, Posted by: Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/3/2010
Some San Francisco related news briefs:
San Francisco - Board of Supervisors tentatively approved banning stores with pharmacies from selling cigarettes..;
San Francisco - how much further?? restrictions on where you can smoke..;
San Francisco - Walgreens tries to convince court it's a grocery store..;
San Francisco - further smoking restrictions..;
San Francisco (SF) - launches new anti-smoking campaign..;
San Francisco may expand smoking ban..;
San Francisco - mulls proposal to reduce the number of stores that can sell tobacco..;
San Francisco - Philip Morris has dropped its lawsuit challenging San Francisco's prohibition on tobacco sales at pharmacies..;
San Francisco - Michael Jordan caught smoking on public golf course..;
San Francisco - cigarettes cost a little more starting today, October 1, 2009..;
San Francisco can enforce its ban on tobacco sales in drugstores..;
San Francisco - fight about selling tobacco products in drugstores has flared up..
San Francisco - Judge threw out a Walgreens attempt to stop the ban of tobacco sales in pharmacies..;
Philip Morris appeals tobacco ban at San Francisco pharmacies;
Federal Judge Denies Bid To Stop San Francisco Pharmacy Tobacco Ban..;
Philip Morris USA request stop in San Francisco's ban on tobacco sales by pharmacies..;
San Francisco - cigarette sales rise sharply in c-stores..;
San Francisco files brief to oppose bid by PM USA to block the banning of tobacco sales in pharmacies..;
Philip Morris challenges San Francisco pharmacy tobacco ban..;
Walgreen: San Francisco’s Tobacco Ban Is Unfair..;
San Francisco - All Tobacco Products Banned in All Pharmacies..;
San Francisco critical vote - bar tobacco sales pharmacies..;
SAN FRANCISCO Ban on tobacco at drug stores sought...
Read more...
Saudi Arabia - Haj pilgrims flock to the Kingdom, anti-smoking effort intensified this year..
Click to enlarge..
Dr. Sameer Al-Sabban, executive director of the Anti-Smoking Campaign in Makkah, adding that the program has been intensified this year. “We require the cooperation of pilgrims to make the two holy cities among those with the lowest tobacco consumption in the world,” said Dr. Al-Sabban.
September 11, 2010 - Saudi Arabia - smokers give up smoking prior to entering smoke-free holy cities of Mecca and Medina..;It is estimated that in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 35 to 40 percent of people above the age of 15 smoke. Around 24 percent of male students between the ages of 13 to 15 years smoke, while eight percent of female students smoke. The Kingdom joined the anti-tobacco agreement in May 2005. Saudi Arabia ranks fourth among world countries in tobacco imports and consumption. More than 15 billion cigarettes, worth $168 million, are smoked by Saudis each year, according to figures issued by the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Health Ministers Council.
November 5, 2009 - Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina) - possible healthier environment this year..
Reference: Holy cities to be tobacco-free by MD RASOOLDEEN, ARAB NEWS, 11/1/2010.
Saudi Arabia - some related news briefs:
Saudi Arabia - to launch a natioinwide anti-smoking campaign..;
Saudi Arabia - campaign underway to educate the public especially targeting young people..;
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...
Canada - tobacco farmers suing government over the sale of contraband cigarettes..
Background: Ontario and Quebec represent about 95 per cent of illegal tobacco sales in Canada, and about 33 per cent of cigarettes sold in Canada are contraband, according to the manufacturers' council study. Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, "Ontario and Quebec have the lowest tobacco taxes in Canada, but the highest rates of contraband. (Federal tobacco taxes have not increased since 2002 and the main reason is contraband concern.) So contraband is not caused by taxes, it is caused by the proximity to the sources of supply." The major source of that supply is the Akwesasne native reserve that straddles Ontario, Quebec and the State of New York. Ten cigarette manufacturing plants on the U.S. side pump out billions of cigarettes annually.(Canada, Ontario and Quebec - illegal cigarettes greater than 40% of consumption..)
In the proposed class-action lawsuit, Stanley and Linda Koscik and Weninger Farms Ltd. -- both in Aylmer, Ont. -- claim Ottawa "knowingly and deliberately" failed to collect taxes from illegal smoke shacks. "The Crown agents have ignored flagrant violations of the prohibition on the sale of contraband tobacco products and have permitted open trade in contraband tobacco and tobacco products on First Nation reserves through illegal outlets established off the reserve," the statement of claim for the $500-million suit reads.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
There are almost 350 illegal smoke shacks in Ontario and Quebec, which are forcing many retailers -- most of them families -- to close their doors, according to the Canadian Convenience Stores Association. Cartons of black-market cigarettes usually sell for $11 or $12, compared to nearly $50 for a carton of legal smokes, said Michel Gadbois, senior vice-president of the association. "It's a total injustice," he said. "You have two laws that do not apply to the same citizens. If you can't enforce the law, then act." About 35 to 40 per cent of all cigarettes sold in Ontario and Quebec are contraband, Gadbois said.
"That's a $2-billion market going directly to criminal organizations. That's the bottom line," he said. "That's where the money goes. And you can imagine what they do with that money."
The RCMP warned in a progress report last May that illegal tobacco "continues to attract organized crime, undermining Canadians' expectations of safe communities and economic integrity." Last year, the national police force seized about 975,000 cartons of illegal cigarettes across Canada, higher than 2008's record haul of 965,000 cartons and more than double what the RCMP seized in 1994.
"The illicit trade in tobacco products continues to be a serious threat to public safety and the health of Canadians," the report stated.
Despite the dangers associated with black market tobacco, the Ontario government has done little to stop the proliferation of smoke shacks, said NDP justice critic Peter Kormos. "The trafficking in illegal cigarettes in Ontario is widespread, it's notorious, it's well known," he said. "The police have refused to enforce the law as it stands."
Ontario Liberal government -- which is suing tobacco companies over health-care costs associated with smoking -- won't even crack down on two shacks that are operating on government property in Caledonia, said Conservative Toby Barrett. The community near Hamilton is home to a former housing development occupied by First Nations protesters who say the land belongs to them. "I've watched it myself many times... officers astoundingly turning a blind eye to illegal activity," Barrett said. "It's literally right in front of their nose."
There's a theory that police are simply following government orders and condoning the illegal activity to avoid a confrontation with First Nations, he added. But Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley insists the province is tough on contraband cigarettes and is working with its counterparts in Ottawa and the United States to fix the problem. "What you have seen over the past year is a greatly increased action in terms of enforcement of the various rules that exist," he said. "So we'll be speaking more completely to the next steps in our approach in the months to come."
Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Kormos argues there's a "stunning" lack of enforcement that is jeopardizing the health of minors who are getting hooked on contraband cigarettes. "It's not hard to identify vehicles leaving so-called smoke shacks and identifying which ones are most likely to have trunkfuls of illegal tobacco and illegal cigarettes and simply busting them," he said.
The proposed class-action lawsuit, filed Oct. 29 in Federal Court on behalf of all tobacco producers, is similar to another suit filed last year in Ontario Superior Court by the same group. That suit named both the federal and Ontario governments.
John Finley, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said his clients plan to continue action against the provincial government. But it's not yet clear whether that will require pursing the suit that has been filed in Ontario court.
Neither lawsuit has been certified as a class action.
Reference: Tobacco farmers suing feds over illegal cigarettes, The Canadian Press, CTV.ca, 11/1/2010.
Canada - cigarette smuggling (illicit, illegal) related briefs:
Canada - c-store association applauds move by govt to focus on nation's tobacco contraband problem..;
Canada - Health Canada shelves update of graphic warning messages to concentrate on the problem of contraband tobacco..;
Canada - action must be taken to control the illicit cigarette problem..;
The New Big Tobacco: Inside Canada’s underground tobacco industry, a five-part series..;
Canada - federal govt announced new initiatives to combat cigarette smuggling..;
Canada - even federal servants smoke illegal cigarettes..;
Canada - tobacco firms settle cigarette smuggling case..;
Ontario - NO new measures to curb youth smoking..;
Ontario - don't cut provincial tobacco taxes to try to reduce contraband tobacco traffic..;
Canada - nearly one in five packs of cigarettes smoked by Canadian teen smokers are contraband products..;
Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey - 2008..;
Ontario, Canada - illegal cigarettes are everywhere..;
Canada - half of smokers have tried to quit..;
Canada - illegal cigarette trade - Imperial Tobacco President Kemball comments..;
Canada - Imperial Tobacco Head - Illegal Cigarettes..;
Imperial Tobacco - Canada Head - Canada growing crisis of illicit tobacco sales..; Imperial Canada - stop illegal tobacco sales rather than raisng tax on tobacco..; Canada - will higher tobacco prices lead to increase in illicit cigarettes..;
Canada - to launch an advertising campaign on the problem of tobacco smuggling..;
Nova Scotia - buying smuggled tobacco you encourage organized crime..; Ontario Businessmen - want government to crack down on illegal cigarettes..;
Imperial Tobacco Canada - slow illegal cigarettes/sue tobacco companies..;
As tobacco prices rise - increase in illegal cigarette trafficing..; Canada - Obama visit - help STOP cigarette smuggling from U.S..;
Canada economic recession losing billions in unpaid tobacco taxes..;
Canada - Police arrest 46 in tobacco crackdown..;
Imperial Tobacco Survey - Canadian Illegal Tobacco Trade..;
Canada - Introduction of Tobacco Stamp to combat contraband...
Read more...
E-cigarettes - a device for delivery of variable amounts of vaporized nicotine..
A recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, has found that nicotine, on its own, does promote the development of cancer in healthy tissues in addition, to indirectly contributing to the growth of any existing cancer. (PAPER: Nicotine in cigarettes linked to breast cancer..)
November 3, 2010 - Electronic cigarettes are promoted just about everywhere in the U.S. and especially on the Internet. Three judges from U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will soon render an opinion on if the FDA should regulate this medical device. Oral arguments were heard on September 23, 2010.
Non-profit health organizations such as The American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, have called for e-cigarettes to be removed from the market. The groups say e-cigarettes have yet to be proven safe and that kids may be attracted to the products, some of which come in flavors like chocolate and strawberry. (Controversy Swirls Around E-Cigarettes by LAUREN ETTER, The Wall Street Journal, 6/2/2009) American Medical Association (AMA) recommends that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) be classified as drug delivery devices, subject to the same FDA regulations as all other drug delivery devices. (US AMA policy - e-cigarettes FDA should treat as a drug delivery device..) Even Russia has proposed to ban electronic cigarettes - until the manufacturers have carried out clinical studies and toxicity analysis.
(Russia - electronic cigarettes to be banned..)
Recently an opinion paper in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine highlights the potential hazards of e-cigarettes, suggesting they may not be as benign as promoted.
PAPER: E-Cigarettes: A Rapidly Growing Internet Phenomenon, Cyrus K. Yamin, BS; Asaf Bitton, MD, MPH; and David W. Bates, MD, MSc (dbates@partners.org), Arch Int Med: vol. 153 no. 9 607-609, 2010, ABSTRACT...
The authors wrote that the devices pose several health concerns: "First, e-cigarettes may pose a risk as starter products for nonusers of tobacco. Although candy-flavored tobacco products and e-cigarettes were recently banned by the FDA in efforts to hinder marketing toward children, the posturing of e-cigarettes as 'green' and 'healthy' could deceptively lure adolescents. E-cigarettes also may represent a way for adolescents and adults to skirt smoke-free indoor air laws."
More study findings show the risk to children should they get their hands on the things--the concentrated nicotine found in refill bottles could be toxic and even fatal to children. "Health professionals," the authors write, "need to monitor the biological, social, and addictive effects of e-cigarettes and be aware of their rapid dissemination online."
Reference: Electronic cigarettes are increasing in popularity but may carry risks by Jeannine Stein, Los Angeles Times, 11/2/2010.
Some e-cigarette news briefs:
U.S. e-cigarette imports banned indefinitely - ASH..;
THIS MUST STOP - e-cigarette company asking active duty soldiers to buy their product..;
Electronic cigarettes - study finds not an effective nicotine delivery system..;
U.S. - federal appeals court, import of e-cigarettes on hold again..;
U.S. FDA appealing a federal judge's ruling on e-cigarettes..;
U.S. FDA - judges ruling regarding e-cigarettes must be appealed - ASAP..;
California - attorney general thinks e-cigarette distributor is targeting minors..;
E-cigarettes - scientists want more safety studies before use..;
In Process: US. Federal District court judge makes serious error regarding the import of e-cigarettes..;
New Jersey assemblywoman wants to limit electronic (e) cigarettes..;
"Smoking Everywhere", an electronic cigarettes retailer sued..;
Dubai, UAE customs blocks e-cigarette shipment..;
Connecticut AG Blumnethal wants to ban e-cigarettes..;
Orgeon - files lawsuit against e-cigarette company..;
Saudi Arabia - banning sales of electronic (e) cigarettes..;
Smoking Everywhere - e-cigarette distributor..;
Oregon - electronic (e) cigarettes sales prohibited until approved by FDA..;
Israel bans electronic (e) cigarettes..;
New Zealand - 1st trial ever of e-cigarettes..;
FDA: Electronic cigarettes contain toxic chemicals..;
e-cigarettes - Company sues FDA for blocking imports of product..;
e-cigarettes - FDA approval needed prior to marketing..;
E-cigarettes need to establish efficacy and safety - FIRST..;
Read more...
Netherlands - smoking ban lifted in small cafes with no staff..
Back on September 30, 2010 we reported the same information, i.e., owners of small pubs with no staff welcomed the lifting of a smoking ban imposed on the hospitality industry in 2008. (Netherlands - small pubs (bars) - one-man businesses smoking allowed..)
The tobacco laws still have to be amended to exempt bars which are smaller than 70 m2. But in effect, the ban is over and all outstanding fines will be rescinded, the spokesman said.
The ban will continue in all restaurants, cafes with staff, discos and clubs and sports canteens.
Health minister Edith Schippers has outlined the plans, which were included in the coalition agreement, in a letter to parliament on Wednesday.
Reference: Smoking ban lifted in small cafes with no staff, DutchNews.nl, 11/3/2010.
Netherlands - related news briefs:
Netherlands - small pubs (bars) - one-man businesses smoking allowed..;
Netherlands - legislation to abolish smoking ban for small cafes/bars with no staff.. ;
Netherlands - bars defy two-year old smoking ban..;
Netherlands - small bars can continue to ignore smoking ban..;
Dutch government will change law to keep bars smoke free..;
Netherlands - lifted smoking ban for bars with no employees..;
Holland - smoking ban temporarily halted for smaller cafes run by their owners alone..;
Netherlands - spot checks on smoking in small cafes suspended temporarily..;
Dutch bar owners without staff when victory against smoking ban..;
Netherlands - Marijuana /Tobacco Cigarettes - Confusion..;
Netherlands - small bars/cafes with no staff could be exempt from smoking ban..;
Court spares small Dutch cafe over smoking ban..;
Netherlands - 1st court case for flouting smoking ban..;
Netherlands - ban on smoking in bars and restaurants NOT enforced..; Netherlands - ban on smoking in bars and restaurants NOT enforced..; Netherlands the smoking ban must be enforced - Ab Klink, Health Minister...;
Congratulations are in order: Netherlands, Romania & Alberta...
(Holland, Dutch)
Read more...
Bulgaria - smoking ban beginning January 1, 2011 - do they know which smoking ban applies??
The previous, Socialist-led Three-Way Coalition cabinet passed a full smoking ban that was to become effective on July 1, 2010, but it was postponed by the current cabinet of the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party.
Background:
May 22, 2010 - Bulgaria - WHO upset with Bulgaria's weakened smoking ban..;
May 22, 2010 - Bulgaria - weakened smoking ban, just added minors can't be in disco clubs after 10pm..;
May 21, 2010 - Bulgaria - final vote delayed on weakened smoking ban..;
May 15, 2010 - Bulgaria - commission tightens smoking ban a little..;
April 30, 2010 - Bulgaria - to loosen smoking ban to start June 1, 2010...
Smoking spaces inside restaurants, coffee shops and bars, in commercial and administrative buildings and in railroad stations, and airports, must have walls and tight-closing doors and good ventilation equipment. Owners of coffee shops and restaurants with less than 50 square meters have the right to decide themselves if the establishment will be a smoking or entirely non-smoking space. In case smoking is allowed, individuals under the age of 18 would not be admitted as they are banned from smoking in all indoors spaces. In larger establishments, at least 50% of the space must be dedicated to non-smokers. In night clubs, smoking will be allowed at all times regardless of how large they are.
After January 1, 2011, open-space coffee shops and restaurants inside shopping malls would become non-smoking facilities. Owners face fines for inadequate ventilation and lack of sings designating the non-smoking sections and the smoking ban for those under 18. The checks of health inspectors will begin as soon as the new rules become effective. Fines for owners range from BGN 500 (361.28 USD) to BGN 10 000 (7,226.04 USD). Individuals, who violate the ban, would also face fines, but only if they agree to provide their ID card.
Reference: Bulgarian Cabinet Approves Indoors Smoking Restrictions, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), 11/3/2010.
Bulgaria - related news briefs:
Bulgaria - Director of the Customs Agency announced Bulgaria ranks 1st in Europe in seizure of contraband cigarettes..;
Bulgaria - smoking rate down, knowledge of dangers of tobacco use gaining..;
Bulgaria - another tobacco tax increase in the draft 2011 budget..;
Bulgaria - confusion over which public smoking ban is in force..;
Bulgaria - WHO upset with Bulgaria's weakened smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - weakened smoking ban, just added minors can't be in disco clubs after 10pm..;
Bulgaria - final vote delayed on weakened smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - weakened smoking ban, second reading..;
Bulgaria - commission tightens smoking ban a little..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac buyer may be chosen by end of year..;
Bulgaria - prime minister not happy with giving tobacco growers subsidies..;
Bulgaria - to loosen smoking ban to start June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - finance minister comments may be good news for tobacco farmers..;
Bulgaria - parliament debates proposal to water down smoking ban..;
Bulgaria - majority of all Bulgarians - 78% are against the smoking ban delay..;
Bulgaria - every increase in excise duty on cigarettes consumption goes down..;
Bulgaria - grace period over, increase in tobacco tax starts Thursday, April 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - Italian authorities arrest 2-Bulgarians smuggling cigarettes..;
Bulgaria - tractor trailer loaded with contraband cigarettes seized in Ancona, Italy..;
Bulgaria - cigarette consumption down, cigarette tax collection up, seeking funds for technology to intercept contraband goods..;
Bulgaria - justifying why smoking ban won't go into effect on June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - Citigroup chosen as consultant for sale of Bulgartabac..;
Bulgaria - ruling party may delay smoking ban until 2011..;
Bulgaria - Finance Minister Djankov, "Less Smoking Is Good for Economy..";
Bulgaria - govt to weaken full smoking ban to be effective June 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria - do producers support contraband cigarettes??;
Bulgaria - sale of Bulgartabac coming - selection of a consultant..;
Greek Farmers Renew Bulgaria Border Blockade..;
Bulgaria - leadership of tobacco fund to be replaced..;
Bulgaria - illegal trade in cigarettes will reach 40% of total trade in 2010..;
Bulgaria - limits on personal imports of tobacco products from outside the EU..;
Bulgaria - European Commission authorizes payment to tobacco producers for 2009 crop..;
Bulgaria -two cigarette smuggling attempts busted on Serbian border..;
Bulgaria - price of cigarettes increases..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac stays in the economy ministry, sold by middle of 2010, starting price 100,000,000 euro..;
Bulgaria - tobacco producers propose Bulgartabac transfer..;
Bulgaria - government, tobacco growers reach subsidy agreement..;
Bulgaria - start of steps leading to the privatization of the state-owned cigarette monopoly Bulgartabac..;
Bulgaria - police hold smoking protest over lack of bonuses..;
Bulgaria - police busts major cigarette contraband ring..;
Bulgaria - Bulgartabac Holding” will be privatized in 2010..;
Bulgaria - MPs Impose Hefty Fines on Cigarette Sales Violators..;
Bulgartabac Chief - cigarette tax increase as of January 1, 2010..;
Bulgaria Bulgartabac Holding Sells 23% of Shares to Mutual Funds..;
Bulgaria - more than 70% of smokers want to quit..;
Bulgaria - cigarette taxes going up each year except 2011..;
Bulgaria - chair of the economic committee in parliament disapproves of planned raise in excise duties on cigarettes..;
Bulgaria and others - smoking ban, increased cigarette taxes, smuggling..;
Bulgaria - Cigarette excise duties will be increased next year..;
Bulgaria - cigarette contraband, government loses BGN 920M yearly..;
Bulgaria - one third of the tobacco products sold are illicit..;
Bulgaria - new government to speed-up Bulgartabac sale..;
Bulgaria - Fake Victory Light cigarettes..;
Bulgaria's tobacco monopoly may be up for sale..;
Bulgarian lawmakers vote to ban smoking in all publc places from June 2010..; Bulgarian tobacco company Sofia-BT exports increase by 541 percent..;
Does Russia own Bulgaria's tobacco monopoly, Bulgartabac..;
EU percent of adults smokers -highest Greece 1 , Bulgaria 2.. - lowest Slovenia..;
Bulgaria - 1 in 3 youths smoke / half of pregnant women smoke..;
PMI training Bulgarian custom officers to stop cigarette smuggling..;
Philip Morris International (PMI) was truly happy they had been back in the Bulgarian cigarette market for a year and had already had 6.8% of market..;
WHO FCTC Protocol to Prevent Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Won't Be Completed Until End of 2010..;
WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008..;
Bulgaria Enters 2009 with Cigarette Prices Hike...
Bulgaria is marking Tuesday, November 10, 2009, the 20th year since the internal coup at the Bulgaria;
Read more...
Hattiesburg, MS - smoking ban results in 13.4% decrease in heart attacks and a savings of $2.3 million..
Robert McMillen (robert.mcmillen@ssrc.msstate.edu), a researcher at the university's Social Science Research Center and assistant psychology professor; Anna Hill, a former SSRC research associate; Nell Valentine, SSRC special projects coordinator; and Dr. Robert Collins, director of MSU's health services, found results consistent with a similar study earlier this year in Starkville and in other communities throughout the U.S.
"These reductions were greater than those observed in the control populations that did not live in a community with a smoke-free ordinance," the researchers conclude in the report.
The study, which examined the number of heart attack admissions from April 21, 2005 to June 30, 2009. The study analyzed people admitted to the hospitals who lived inside the city limits compared to those from the area, but not in the city limits.
Hattiesburg's smoking policy began Jan. 1, 2007, while Starkville's policy began May 20, 2006. (On March 21, 2006, Starkville became the first city in Mississippi to adopt a smoking ban for indoor public places, including restaurants and bars.) Smoking bans have become a trend across the state as scientific publications such as "The Journal of the American Heart Association" have published research offering consistent evidence that comprehensive smoking policies provide health benefits in communities.
Hattiesburg residents experienced a 13.4 percent decrease in heart attack admissions compared to a 3.8 percent increase in admissions among those not living in the city. The study's design intended to control for larger trends that may occur in Mississippi and that could be responsible for any observed decrease in hospital admissions for heart attacks.
McMillen, other researchers, healthcare providers, elected officials, business owners, and people dramatically affected by exposure to second-hand smoke will discuss this study and other findings related to exposure to second-hand smoke today in Hattiesburg, part of the Smokefree Air Mississippi initiative sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Health. A similar program sponsored by MDH will take place in Starkville Nov. 4, along with a number of other programs promoting the healthy initiative throughout the state.
In addition to studying heart attack rates in Hattiesburg, the researchers conclude that Mississippi could experience a "substantial decrease in heart attacks, as well as substantial cost savings, if more communities and/or the state implemented smoke-free laws."
Reference: MSU research reveals Hub City smoking ban results, Universioty Realtions, Mississippi State University, 10/27/2010.
Read more...
California - election new governor new attorney general..
November 3, 2010 - Democrat Jerry Brown regains the governship of California, a seat he first held in the 1970s.
On May 4, 2010 - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a proposed statewide ban on smoking at state beaches and parks. At this time in was stated the veto will be short-lived. It’s only a matter of time until a new governor is elected and the anti-smoking legislation becomes law. Tobacco addicts know which way the secondhand smoke is blowing. Their days of lighting up in the open air are numbered. (California - governor vetoes propose ban on smoking at state beaches and parks..)
California - Attorney General election with 96.9% of precincts partially or fully reporting as of November 3, 2010, 7:39 a.m. Kamala D. Harris, the San Francisco District Attorney (Dem) had a slight lead (46.1%) over Steve Cooley (Rep), the Los Angeles County district attorney (45.6%). It was learned recently a group that includes Reynolds Tobacco and Altria providing funding to try and defeat Kamala Harris, candidate for attorney general..
References: Jerry Brown, Barbara Boxer claim victories in California By Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times, 11/3/2010; Attorney General - Statewide Results, sos.ca.gov (sos = secretary of state), 11/3/2010.
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