R.J. Reynolds - trying their hardest to recruit new tobacco users..

November 13, 2010 - The Break Free Camel trademark has been around for over a year. It has appeared on just about all ads for Camel SNUS and now Camel cigarettes.

Click to enlarge..
The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
introduced Camel cigarettes in 1913.



A part of an ad in Maxim magazine, the November 2010 issue, linked to a contest to select the most beautiful semi-nude model. Here's the rest..
Click to enlarge..


Camel SNUS ads - Car and Driver Magazine - 2010.. from January 2010. With the Break Free trademark along with ridiculous sayings that could only be understood by young adults and all the kids that want to be young adults.

Now as part of its 10-week "Camel Break Free" campaign, the company redesigned its Camel Blue (Camel Lights) packaging to mirror the skylines of 10 "cool" places across the nation, including Austin, Texas, Seattle, and, naturally, the hipster's mecca Williamsburg (of Brooklyn, NY). (Hipster - someone who rejects the established culture; advocates extreme liberalism in politics and lifestyle..)

The cities targeting..click to enlarge..



Click to enlarge..
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. says it chose Williamsburg (area of Brooklyn, NY) and ten other neighborhoods across the country because it's a community that's in line with ideas smokers associate Camel with—innovation, freedom and individualism. Those traits apparently also exist in smokers hanging out in Austin, Seattle, Las Vegas and New Orleans where the dromedary (Arabian camel - Camelus dromedarius) will also be showing up on packs of smokes soon.

The campaign asks customers to buy the cigarettes and sign up for prizes on the website, which at least one blogger says Williamsburgers are much too cool to do. (Of course, once the potential tobacco users sign up they are not going to let the person go..)

. Several weeks ago, RJR launched this new online and direct mail marketing campaign, called the “Break Free Adventure,” in which the Camel brand “visits” 10 different U.S. locations over a 10-week period. Visitors to the Camel web site can win prizes by reading a clue and guessing where Camel is that week. Each week, a new package design for Camel cigarettes is unveiled that features the name of that week’s location and some of its iconic images. Other locations include Route 66; Bonneville Salt Flats, UT; Sturgis, SD; and Winston-Salem, NC.

The locations involved have several qualities in common, including an association with independent music, fun times, rebellion and freedom of the road. By associating Camel cigarettes with these locations and their trendy reputations, RJR is continuing its longstanding efforts to make the Camel brand appealing to youth. It truly is the Joe Camel campaign all over again. It echoes many of the youth-appealing themes of the Joe Camel campaign, in which the now-banned cartoon camel was often depicted with fast cars and motorcycles or having fun at parties. View images from Campaign provide by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids..

Reference: A Dromedary Lands in Brooklyn: New Cigarette Campaign To Feature Williamsburg's Bedford Ave., By Douglas Q. Smith: WNYC Culture Producer, 11/12/2010, Camel Launches Williamsburg-Brand Cigarettes Marketing campaign says customers will earn "serious street cred", nbcnewyork.com, 11/12/2010; R.J. Reynolds Uses Names and Images of Cool U.S. CitiesTo Market Camel Cigarettes to Kids, Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 11/12/2010; Group Says Camel Packs Lure the Young by DUFF WILSON, The New York Times, 11/12/2010..
Read more...

Japan - with tax increase, after first month three of five quitters still smoke-free..

November 13, 2010 - As of Friday, October 1, 2010 an increase in the tobacco tax pushed cigarette prices up by a record-high 60 yen (0.72 USD) to 140 yen (1.68 USD) per 20-cigarette pack. According to a survey conducted on 316 smokers by pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson K.K. before the hike, about 60 percent said they would quit. Of these, 58 percent cited financial reasons. (Japan - with tax increase in place, fewer smokers buying cigarettes so far..)

Adding roughly a third onto the price of the average bra Macromill Research doesn’t look at what percentage quit, but instead focuses on how the quitters are coping. Over the 1st and 2nd of November 2010 500 members of the Macromill monitor group who had resolved to stop smoking following the tobacco price rise in October completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 68.4% were male, 12.8% in their twenties, 33.2% in their thirties, 31.8% in their forties, and 22.2% aged fifty or older.

I (Macromill Research Group) suppose it’s a good sign that at least some people are quitting, although looking at Q1 (Including this time, how many times have you tried to stop smoking? (Sample size=500)) and from tales from smokers, relapses can happen at unexpected times, so after a month free from smoking one cannot really say one has kicked the habit. Furthermore, with the end of year party season coming up, thus placing the quitters around people smoking and around drink, the second and third greatest temptations according to Q3SQ1, the risk of relapse will be pretty high, I fear.

Research results
Q1: Including this time, how many times have you tried to stop smoking? (Sample size=500) First time 31.6%, Twice 25.6%, Thrice 18.8%, Four times 5.4%, Five times
5.4%, Six times 0.4%, Seven times 0.8%, Eight times 0.2%, Nine times 0.0%, Ten or more times 4.8% Don’t know 7.0%.

More older people had fallen off the wagon, with 24.3% of the over-fifties back to their old habit. However, although almost the same percentage of two packs a day or more people had restarted, 73.1% had managed to quit completely. Those with spouses or other family members who smoked were also more less than average to have managed to resist temptation.

For those who had given in to temptation, 1.1% didn’t manage a day, 4.8% two days, 10.6% three days, and 24.3% four days.

To see the responses to the questions asked of study participants please see Reference below.

Reference: Three in five quitters still smoke-free after a month By What Japan Thinks - global blogger, globalpost.com, 11/10/2010.

Some directly related news briefs:
Japan - ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) committee recommends caution in raising the tax on cigarettes again soon..;
Japan - increased demand for anti-smoking aid Chantix (Champix)..;
Japan - cigarette sales increase by 88% prior to tax increase..:
Japan Tobacco to expand Zerostyle Mint distribution..;
Japan Tobacco - to launch Pianissimo Super Slims menthol in November 2010..;
Japan - with tax increase in place, fewer smokers buying cigarettes so far..;
Japan - October 1, 2010 - tobacco tax increase, govt aims to discourage smoking..;
Japan - lawmakers want to keep on raising the price of cigarettes..;
Japan - smokers stocking up on cigarettes before October 1st tax hike..;
Japan Tobacco - annual survey, smoking incidence continues to fall..;
Japan - people more aware of dangers of smoking cigarettes - dangers to smokers and those around them..;
Japan - Health Ministry set to urge all local governments to go smoke-free..;
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 - new government administration considering raising cigarette taxes..;
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..;
Read more...

Poland - on November 15, 2010 will implement smoking ban in public places..

November 12, 2010 - Poland will become the 11th EU member state to ban indoor smoking in areas of work, following in the footsteps of the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, Holland, France, Italy, Slovenia, Latvia, Sweden, Finland and Bulgaria. The law is the result of an EU initiative that seeks to ban smoking within the EU in workplaces by 2012.

On November 15 Poland will implement a ban on smoking in all public places, including hotels, pubs, clubs, restaurants, sporting venues, workplaces, trains, children's playgrounds and even in company cars.

The national smoking ban in Poland was voted into the law registry on 14 May by the Sejm (Poland’s lower house of parliament) after undergoing a series of revisions. It goes into effect after six months in the law registry, on 15 November 2010. The first version was a complete ban on indoor smoking in workplaces; the fourth version, which passed with 217 votes for, 165 against, and 48 withheld, allows for smoking exceptions in designated, enclosed areas.

The ban will not be total. Owners of venues larger than 100 sqm will be able to set aside a separate room for smokers. However, such a room must have its own ventilation and must be totally separate so that no smoke permeates into the rest of the establishment. Moreover, smoking rooms will be reserved for smoking only, which means food may not be served in them.

Unsurprisingly, most clubs and restaurants have chosen to forgo the expense of setting aside a smoking area.

Reaction from pubs and clubs to the looming ban have been mixed. Kafe Kulturalna, a popular bar in Warsaw, banned smoking on its own volition during the summer. “Nobody complained. Turnover hasn't fallen” the bar's manger Jakub Paluch told Metro. However, Gazeta Wyborcza reports that the Warsaw student club, Indeks, put up a sign that read “Indeks is against the ban on smoking tobacco in bars.”

The penalty for lighting up where it is prohibited is claimed to be a 500 złoty (173.71 USD) instant fine for the smoker. Business owners will be fined 2,000 złoty (694.83 USD) for failing to display information about the smoking ban in their venue or vehicle.

References: No smoking in Poland by Alexander Hayes, Warsaw Business Journal, 11/10/2010; Smoking Ban Economics, Agnes Sekowski, KrakowPost.com, 11/9/2010.

Poland - related news briefs:
Poland - even non-smokers oppose smoking ban in eateries..;
Poland - proposed cigarette tax higher than tobacco companies expected..;
VIDEO - Poland is frontline in EU battle with tobacco smugglers..;
Poland - attempt to introduce smoking ban in public places fails..;
Poland - lower house weakens smoking ban..;
Poland - disappointment , full parliament sends smoking ban bill back to committee to weaken bill..;
Poland - pubs and restaurants fear bankruptcy if smoking ban becomes law..;
Poland - lower house of parliament (Sejm) will vote Friday, February 12th on smoking ban..;
Poland - son suing Philip Morris Polska and Zakłady Przemysłu Tytoniowego over death of his mother..;
Poland to ban smoking in indoor public places, in passenger cars if children present and prohibit display of cigarettes..;
Read more...

New York State - with tax increase in place, smokers finding cheaper cigarettes in other states/Indian reservations..

November 12, 2010 - Sales of taxed cigarettes have plummeted a staggering 27 percent statewide since the highest cigarette tax in the nation took hold in July, a Post analysis has found.

Background: On July 1, Gov. Paterson and the Legislature increased the cigarette excise tax in New York State from $2.75 a pack to $4.35, the highest state tax rate in the country. (a href="http://snus-news.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-york-state-tobacco-taxes-increase.html">New York State - tobacco taxes increase, will be highest in nation once again..)

The first six weeks following a cigarette tax-rate increase in New York showed a plunge in sales at convenience stores statewide, mainly because most smokers are finding ways to dodge the tax altogether, according to a report from the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS).
(New York State - after tax increase cigarette sales plummet in c-stores..)

New York State - as of August 1st OTPs tax goes up such as little cigars will be taxed at same rate as cigarettes..

Law-abiding cigarette dealers have sold an average of 30 million packs of smokes in each of the last four months -- some 11 million fewer than before Gov. Paterson and lawmakers raised the state tax on cigarettes to $4.35 a pack in a scramble to close a massive budget gap.

Such a drop in smoking would exceed even the wildest imaginations of anti-smoking advocates, who estimated the arrival of the $10 cigarette pack would trim sales by 8 to 10 percent as cash-squeezed smokers cut back or quit.

More likely, experts say, sales have simply shifted to nearby tax havens that allow New Yorkers to stockpile cut-rate smokes at the expense of the state treasury. Both Pennsylvania and Vermont, which each have significantly lower cigarette taxes, have seen tobacco sales rise since New York's hike, The Post's analysis found. The hike raises the average price of a pack of Marlboros to $11.60 in New York City, compared to $5.93 in Matamoras, Pa.

The Post reported in August that retailers said sales were off by as much as 45 percent in stores bordering low-tax states like Pennsylvania and Vermont, as well as tax-free Indian reservations in western New York and on Long Island.

Anecdotal reports suggest sales are booming on in-state Indian reservations, where tribes have so far stymied Paterson's efforts to collect taxes on cigarettes sold to non-Native Americans. "That's what we warned would happen, and obviously it has come to fruition," said James Calvin, of the New York Association of Convenience Stores. "Every tax increase drives more smokers to that dark, shadowy, unregulated, unlicensed, untaxed side of the street. The whole policy is self-defeating."

If the trend continues, the state could fall far short of the $260 million windfall Paterson expected from the 58 percent tax hike. The increase has brought in only $13.8 million a month, according state sales figures, which means the plan could be as much as $136 million in the red by March 31.

Budget Division spokesman Erik Kriss said fiscal analysts factored a 22 percent drop in cigarette sales into their estimates. "We feel we're going to be on target for the fiscal year," he said. Budget officials did recently lower by $113 million the sum it expects to collect by taxing reservation sales of cigarettes.

That plan has been stalled in the courts, where tribes argue the move represents a violation of sovereignty. (New York State - federal judge, temporary restraining order extended until November 12, 2010..)

Reference: Cig-tax hike creates total drag on sales by BRENDAN SCOTT (brendan.scott@nypost.com), Post Correspondent, New York Post, 11/11/2010.
Read more...

U.S. may use image on cigarette packs of a dying Canadian lung cancer patient - but tobacco companies would fight it - too realistic..

November 12, 2010 - The U.S. government yesterday proposed to use the image of a dying Canadian anti-smoker activist on cigarette packages in the United States in an effort to curb smoking.

In 2001 Canada became the first country to introduce pictorial warnings warnings on tobacco packages. Now approximately nine years later Health Canada was in the process of revising these health warnings.

September 28, 2010 - Canada - Health Canada shelves update of graphic warning messages to concentrate on the problem of contraband tobacco...

Health Canada was testing 49 new health warnings for possible placement on cigarette packages, including two with photographs of an emaciated Barb Tarbox on her deathbed. Six years after her death from cancer attributed to tobacco smoking, anti-smoking activist Barb Tarbox was closer to realizing her ultimate goal, warning millions of smokers about the chilling and possibly fatal implications of their addictions.

Click on image to enlarge..


Health Canada was considering ordering cigarette companies to put deathbed photos of an emaciated cancer victim on every package. Health Canada first used Tarbox in anti-smoking public service messages that aired in movie theatres.

In February 2008, Decima Research conducted 60 focus groups with adults smokers in Toronto, Calgary and Montreal. Of the seven new warnings that received the highest possible mark for impact and effectiveness from the groups, two had Tarbox on them. One warning showed Tarbox with the title "Dead at 42" and the caption, "Barb Tarbox died of lung cancer from smoking." The warning also quoted Tarbox, saying, "When you die, you leave behind so much pain for the people that continue living. It hurts me so much to think of the pain I'll cause to my daughter."

The Tarbox warnings are part of an attempt to include testimonials or true stories about the health impacts of smoking on cigarette packages.

Graphic Warnings cigarette packs: Canada revising warnings, U.S. pictorial warnings within 4-years..

In an interview Wednesday, November 10th Pat Tarbox, who was married to the former model for 20 years, said he's pleased the U.S. proposal means his late wife's anti-smoking advocacy might continue south of the border. But he lamented the Canadian government's foot dragging.

Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, said Wednesday's development in the U.S. provides a "further impetus" for the Canadian government to move ahead. "The United States is catching up to where Canada was 10 years ago with 50-per-cent picture warnings," he said.

References: Canadian's image may be part of U.S. campaign by Sarah Schmidt, Postmedia News, Montreal Gazette, 11/11/2010;
U.S. ponders using photos of dying Canadian activist Edmonton woman wanted her image to be used in Canada by Sarah Schmidt, Postmedia News, Vancouver Sun, 11/11/2010.

Directly related news briefs:
More - U.S. FDA - unveils proposed warning labels for cigarette packs and smokeless tobacco - First Amendment Challenge possible..;
U.S.. FDA - unveils proposed warning labels for cigarette packs and smokeless tobacco..;
Read more...

2010 Asian Games starts today November 12th - Guangzhou, China - theme of the games this time, the Games smoke-free..

November 12, 2010 -

The 2010 Asian Games, also known as the XVI Asiad, are scheduled to take place in Guangzhou, China from November 12 to November 27, 2010. Guangzhou is the second city in China to host the Games after Beijing in 1990.

Directly related news brief: Guangzhou, China - non-smoking Asian Games - can it happen??

A local smoking-control law came into effect Wednesday (September 1) in Guangzhou, the capital of South China Guangdong Province. The law covers all of Guangzhou City. There, smoking in most public places, like offices, conference rooms, halls and elevators, is strictly prohibited.

Places of business larger than 150 square metres or having more than 75 seats may designate an area for smokers. Those who break the law will be fined 50 yuan (about 7.35 US dollars) and businesses not meeting their obligations will be fined up to 30,000 yuan.

Besides Guangzhou, a half of year earlier on March 1, Shanghai also began implementing a regulation to ban smoking in 12 types of public places in an effort to have a smoke-free World Expo.

Shanghai declined a 200-million-yuan sponsorship deal for the 2010 World Expo from a tobacco company in July 2009.

One of the world's largest tobacco producing and consuming nations, China manufactures about 100 billion packets of cigarettes each year. It has a smoking population of 350 million, about one third of the world's total smoking population.

References: No Smoking' law comes into effect in Guangzhou, Source: Xinhua, 9/2/2010; 16th Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou - China by arszwetta, 11/11/2010 - 46 images. Read more...

More - U.S. FDA - unveils proposed warning labels for cigarette packs and smokeless tobacco - First Amendment Challenge possible..

One of 36 proposed
new warning labels..
November 11, 2010 - Yesterday, November 10th U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) said will help tobacco users quit and prevent minors from starting, the agency has unveiled a new comprehensive tobacco control strategy that includes proposed new "bolder" health warnings on cigarette packages and advertisements.

Previous news brief: U.S.. FDA - unveils proposed warning labels for cigarette packs and smokeless tobacco..

The strategy includes a proposal issued by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) titled "Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages & Advertisements." Specifically, the proposed rule details a requirement of the Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act that nine new larger and more noticeable textual warning statements and color graphic images depicting the negative health consequences of smoking appear on cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements.

Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Proposed rule.

Critical Dates:

June 22, 2009 - President Obama signed into law historic legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products to protect the public health.

January 9, 2011 - The public has an opportunity to comment on 36 proposed images through January 9, 2011.

June 22, 2011 - By June 22, 2011, FDA will select the final nine graphic and textual warning statements after a comprehensive review of the relevant scientific literature, the public comments and results from an 18,000-person study.

September 22, 2012 - Implementation of the final rule on September 22, 2012, will ultimately prohibit companies from manufacturing cigarettes without new graphic health warnings on their packages for sale or distribution in the United States. In addition, manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers will no longer be allowed to advertise cigarettes without the new graphic health warnings in the United States.

October 22, 2012 - By October 22, 2012, manufacturers can no longer distribute cigarettes for sale in the United States that do not display the new graphic health warnings.

"When the rule takes effect, the health consequences of smoking will be obvious every time someone picks up a pack of cigarettes," said FDA commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg. "This is a concrete example of how FDA's new responsibilities for tobacco product regulation can benefit the public's health."

David Howard, spokesperson for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., told CSP Daily News, "We are currently reviewing the 140-page notice (The Proposed Rule) issued today. It is important to note that the legality of requiring larger and graphic warnings is part of our lawsuit that is currently pending in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. A hearing on the matter is expected to occur sometime next year." (Tobacco Firms Sue to Block Marketing Law by
DUFF WILSON, The New York Times, 8/31/2009; More - Judge McKinley's ruling turns down request to immediately halt enforcement of new tobacco federal regulations..)

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds American Inc., parent company of R.J. Reynolds, is part of the suit with Greensboro, N.C.-based Lorillard Inc. and others. According to an Associated Press report, they have argued that the warnings would relegate the companies' brands to the bottom half of the cigarette packaging, making them "difficult, if not impossible, to see."

FDA Proposes Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels by Ricardo Carvajal, 11/10/2010

The graphic artists working on behalf of FDA have been busy, busy, busy! The agency posted 36 proposed graphic health warnings that would accompany the new health warning statements required under section 201 of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. FDA’s proposed rule to implement the new warning requirements is due to publish in an upcoming issue of the Federal Register.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, the pictures proposed by FDA obviate the need for words altogether. The proposed rule provides a rationale for compelling industry to use the proposed graphic health warnings that is clearly intended to head off a First Amendment challenge. Nonetheless, such a challenge is almost certain to be raised as FDA’s rulemaking goes forward.

In addition to the announcements made yesterday, other recent tobacco control and prevention efforts include:
* The Affordable Care Act is giving Americans in private and public health plans access to recommended preventive care, such as tobacco use cessation, at no additional cost.
* The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) invested $225 million to support local, state and national efforts to promote comprehensive tobacco control and expand tobacco quitlines.
* The Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT) aims to stop the illegal sale of tobacco products over the Internet and through mail order, including the illegal sale to youth.
* The Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA) gives FDA the authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing and distribution of tobacco products. It has restricted the use of the terms "light," "low" and "mild"; banned characterizing fruit, candy and spice, flavors from cigarettes; and put in place restrictions on the sale and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to youth.
* The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) raised the federal cigarette tax by 62 cents per pack.

Richmond, Va.-based Philip Morris USA said in a statement that it "supported several of the initiatives cited [by HHS] regarding tobacco issues. The company supported legislation to give the [FDA] regulatory authority over tobacco products, the [PACT] Act and has encouraged states to spend tobacco settlement funds on health-related initiatives and underage tobacco use prevention. Philip Morris USA has actively participated in the FDA's rulemaking and public comment processes and plans to do the same on this proposal."

TOBACCO EPIDEMIC A Tobacco Control Strategic Action Plan for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Proposed Cigarette Product Warning Labels

Reference: A Look at Warning Labels FDA, HHS propose extremely graphic images for cigarette packaging, CSP (Convenience Stores /Petroleum) Daily News, 11/11/2010.
Read more...

Anchorage, Alaska - assembly votes to increase tobacco tax by 75 cents a pack..

Click on top images to enlarge..





November 11, 2010 - The Anchorage Assembly Tuesday night, November 10th approved an increase in city taxes on tobacco, a move expected to raise $5.2 million to $6.2 million more in revenue annually. The measure, approved in an 8-3 vote, boosts the city tax on a pack of cigarettes by 75 cents, for a total of $2.21 a pack, beginning January 1, 2011.

A pack of cigarettes now costs $7.50 to $8.30 in Anchorage, the city estimates. The new tax will be added on to that amount. State and federal governments also tax tobacco; combined taxes per pack will be $5.21. The city's tobacco tax is an excise tax, a tax on the wholesale price of goods, and the increase does not need to be approved by city voters. Alaska cigarette excise tax rate $2.00 per pack of 20.

Assembly chairman Dick Traini proposed the tax hike to allow the city to rely less on property taxes as it tries to deal with a budget shortfall. The rising cost of cigarettes should also prompt some people to quit, Traini said.

The Assembly heard mostly favorable public testimony on the tobacco tax boost at its Oct. 26 meeting, but delayed its discussion and vote until this week. Patti Ginsburg, board member of the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific, told the Assembly the evidence is clear that "increasing cigarette taxes is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking." Other health advocates supported the tax increase for the same reason. "This is a tax so we can all live longer," said Pat Luby of the AARP.

Some people opposed the tax increase, saying it would only drive smokers to the Valley or Kenai Peninsula to buy their cigarettes.

Reference: Assembly votes to increase tobacco tax by 75 cents a pack 75 CENTS: Move cheered as way to cut smoking by young people by ROSEMARY SHINOHARA
(rshinohara@adn.com), Anchorage Daily News, 11/10/2010.

Related Alaska news briefs:
Alaska - youth survey suggests tobacco taxes are working..;
Nunavut Territory - highest rate of smoking in Canada..;
Juneau, Alaska - voters say yes to raising tobacco taxes..;
State Representative concerned tobacco companies targeting our young with SNUS..;
Times are Tough Save Money Quit Smoking..;
Let's have fire-safe cigarettes mandatory for all 50 States - it's a NO - Brainer..;
As of 7/1/2007 Smokers in five states will take a hit to their wallets as the tax increases.
Read more...

MMWR - Great American Smokeout --- November 18, 2010..

November 10, 2010


Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) - November 12, 2010 / 59(44);1434

The Great American Smokeout (GASO), sponsored by the American Cancer Society, is an annual event that encourages smokers to quit for at least 1 day in the hope that this might challenge them to stop permanently (1). This year, GASO will be held on November 18.

CDC MMWR Report: Great American Smokeout --- November 18, 2010

Our news brief: 35th Annual ACS Great American Smokeout on November 18, 2010..
Read more...

South Korea - end of next year teenagers will have to present ID cards..

November 10, 2010 - The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MGEF) announced a new juvenile policy Monday, November 8th to more actively restrict teenage drinking and smoking. From the end of next year teenagers will have to present their identification (ID) cards to prove they are over the age of 19 if they want to buy alcohol and cigarettes.

Venders will face a “three-strike” provision and will lose their licenses if they are caught selling liquor or tobacco to minors three times.

Currently the Youth Protection Act bans the sale of liquor and cigarette to minors, but teenagers did not have to prove they were over 19 when buying those items.

The new plan was devised by nine ministries including the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Amendments will be voted on later this month and will go into effect in 2011 and 2012.

The Korean Association of Smoking and Health said they welcome the new regulations to prohibit teenage smoking though they took a long time to ratify. “There should be more regulations banning young smokers. For instance, we suggest not displaying advertisements for cigarettes at convenience stores,” Kim Eun-ji of the association said.

A recent survey by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) showed that 80.5 percent of 80,000 students questioned had bought or attempted to buy cigarettes. In 2009 nearly 16 percent of male high school students and 5.3 percent of female high school students replied they smoke daily.

Reference: Identification mandatory for teens to buy cigarettes by Kwon Mee-yoo, Korea Times, 11/8/2010.

South Korea - some related news briefs:
South Korea - stop people from smoking go ahead and triple the price of cigarettes..;
South Korea - Smoking Manner Campaign - promoting cigarette butt-free streets..;
South Korea - in 2007, world's 12th largest cigarette exporter..;
South Korea - study finds higher prices most effective method to discourage smoking..;
South Korea - a new Raison line extension..;
next month enforcement of ban on smoking by taxi drivers..;
South Korea - fines collected for dumping cigarette butts are down.. ;
South Korea - BAT launches new cigarette seems similar to Camel Crush..;
South Korea - rate of male smokers probably higher than any other OECD country..;
South Korea - BAT to further invest in Sacheon factory..;
South Korea - a look at KT&G Corporation with 63% of the market..;
South Korea - streets and parks of Seoul City could be designated as non-smoking areas..;
PMI - slide presentation South Korean Cigarette Market..;
South Korea - KT&G forms alliance with Imperial Tobacco Group..;
South Korea - more smokers in 2009 than in 2008..;
South Korea - remote island going smoke-free, car-free and night lights-free..;
South Korea - Stressed-out Koreans smoking more..;
South Korea - to ban smoking in public places from 2011..;
Korea - BAT - winning the hearts and minds of customers based on tactics tailored to local tastes..;
Korea - sets target to reduce smoking 10% in 5-years..;
Korea - stricter regulation of the tobacco industry coming..;
South Korea - tobacco imports surge 396-fold over 10-years..;
Korea - slight increase in men smoking.. ;
South Korea - anti-tobacco campaign - body painting..;
Korea - smoking ban just about everywhere by end of 2009..;
Tobacco marketing in South Korea has been deliberately aimed at girls and young women..;
Korea - smoking rates fall for men and women...
Read more...

U.S.. FDA - unveils proposed warning labels for cigarette packs and smokeless tobacco..

One of 36 proposed
new warning labels..

November 10, 2010 - The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) requires that cigarette packages and advertisements have larger and more visible graphic health warnings. (Tobacco Control Act: Mandates larger, more varied, and more prominent warning labels on tobacco products (Secs. 201, 204).

Title II - Tobacco Product Warnings; Constituent and Smoke Constituent Disclosure
Section 201 -
Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to prohibit any person from manufacturing, packaging, selling, offering to sell, distributing, or importing for sale or distribution within the United States any cigarettes the packages of which fail to bear specified warning labels. Specifies the location, size, type size, and color of such labeling. Prohibits tobacco product manufacturers, importers, distributors, or retailers to advertise cigarettes within the United States without specified labeling. Specifies the location, size, type size, color, and border of warning labels for different types of advertisements. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations that require color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking to accompany cigarette label statements.

Section 204 -
Amends the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986 to apply the same restrictions on labeling and advertising to smokeless tobacco products.

FDA issued a proposed rule, Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements, proposing to modify the required warnings that appear on cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements. These new required warnings would consist of nine new textual warning statements accompanied by color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will gather public comment on 36 proposed images until Jan. 9. The agency will select nine final warning statements and images by June 22 after reviewing the scientific literature, the public comments and a study involving 18,000 people. By Oct. 22, 2012, manufacturers will no longer be able to distribute cigarettes for sale in the United States that do not display the new warnings, which will be updated as needed.

The Tobacco Control Act requires that the nine graphic health warnings appear on the upper portion of the front and rear panels of each cigarette package and comprise at least the top 50 percent of these panels.

Proposed Graphic Health Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements
WARNING: Cigarettes are addictive.
WARNING: Tobacco smoke can harm your children.
WARNING: Cigarettes cause fatal lung disease.
WARNING: Cigarettes cause cancer.
WARNING: Cigarettes cause strokes and heart disease.
WARNING: Smoking during pregnancy can harm your baby.
WARNING: Smoking can kill you.
WARNING: Tobacco smoke causes fatal lung disease in nonsmokers.
WARNING: Quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health.

Title II - Section 204 of the law is concerned with smokeless tobacco products but NOT one warning is concerned with smokeless tobacco.

Matthew Myers of the Center for Tobacco-Free Kids: "In implementing the new warnings, the United States is catching up to scientific best practices and joining more than 30 countries that already require large, graphic cigarette warnings. Studies have repeatedly shown that large, graphic warnings are most effective at informing consumers about the health risks of smoking, discouraging nonsmokers from starting to smoke, motivating smokers to quit and boosting the likelihood of success in quitting." (Picture based Cigarette Health Warnings, Physicians for A Smoke-Free Canada)

In a statement, Philip Morris USA said it supported the legislation that gave the FDA the power to require the new warnings and "has actively participated in the FDA's rulemaking and public comment processes and plans to do the same on this proposal."

Reference: Proposed Cigarette Product Warning Labels, FDA, 11/10/2010; New, more graphic cigarette warnings unveiled by Rob Stein, Washington Post staff writer, Washington Post, 11/10/2010; Obama Administration Announces Bold National Plan to Curb Tobacco Use and Save Lives, Including Large, Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Packs, /PRNewswire-USNewswire, 11/10/2010. Read more...

Viet Nam - foreign tobacco firms feel the squeeze, lose business certificates..

Coat-of_Arms..
November 9, 2010 - Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has approved a Ministry of Industry and Trade’s proposal to end the operation of three international tobacco company branches in Viet Nam after their business certificates expire.

The Government will not renew business certificates for JTI (Japan Tobacco International) Viet Nam Pte Ltd, BAT (British American Tobacco) Viet Nam Ltd, and Philip Morris Viet Nam SA, according to an announcement published by the Government Office’s website last Friday.

BATVJ, a joint venture between the BAT and the Vietnam Tobacco Corporation, has been accused of tax fraud.

International Resource Center - Vietnam: Overview..

Reference: Foreign tobacco firms feel the squeeze, lose business certificates, VietNamBusiness.asia, 11/2/2010.

Some Vietnam related news briefs:
VietNam - number of smokers falls slightly but tobacco still kills 40,000 each year..;
Viet Nam - over million signatures obtained during an anti-smoking campaign..;
Vietnam - cigarette smuggling increases from year-to-year..;
Viet Nam - smokers, vendors think tobacco control measures are a joke..;
Viet Nam - WHO increase cigarette tax to lower smoking rate..;
Vietnam - who will enforce smoking ban to start January 1, 2010??;
Vietnam - national campaign launched calling for smoking ban..;
Third Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam smokefree..;
Viet Nam - to ban smoking and increase tax..;
PMI's Future: From Remarks by Louis C. Camilleri, Chairman and CEO-elect and Andre Calantzopoulos, Chief Operating Officer-elect after the spin-off of..; (VietNam)

Viet Nam is a member of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca).
Read more...

Turkey - tobacco control efforts must move forward..

November 9, 2010 - A survey focusing on attitudes regarding Turkey’s smoking ban has revealed that Turks generally support the rights of smokers to be able to choose to smoke in designated areas. The survey also shows the ban has had a significant impact on cafe and teahouse operators, some of whom have seen a 90 percent drop in trade since the ban came into effect.

On July 19, 2009 the Turkish Government - made a major move to improve the health of its citizens..

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government is keen to reduce smoking rates and the effects of second-hand smoke on people's health. He insists the battle against cigarette usage is as crucial as the "struggle against terrorism." Prime Minister Erdogan is now the driving force behind the next phase of a popular ban taking effect on July 19, which aims to curb the habit in his country where 22 million people, including around half the adult male population, smoke.

Turkey's largest city of Istanbul reported a 20 percent drop in patients checking into emergency rooms for cigarette-related illness thanks to the one-year smoking ban. The results of the study was announced by the Istanbul Health Department and Marmara University Medical School.

The study said that the number of patients checking into emergency rooms for smoking related health complications has decreased in the year after the smoking ban. Istanbul Health Director Ali Ihsan Dokucu said that compared to the same period of last year, the first five months of 2010 had 20 percent less patients checking into emergency rooms for cigarette- related illnesses.

Meanwhile, the reduction in smoking has caused a savings of 2.9 million Turkish Lira (about 1.9 million U.S. dollars) in medicine costs. Dokucu said "this situation is concrete proof of the success of the smoking ban."

President of the Cigarettes and Health National Committee Elif Bagli said that compared to the first five months of 2009, 363 million less packs of cigarettes were sold in 2010, resulting in a saving of 1.8 billion liras. She added that there was also 30 percent reduction in heart attacks, saying "this ban has not only benefited us health-wise, but also generated financial gain."

Turkey - smoking ban a year later, goals are being achieved..; Turkey - even in tea houses smoking ban is working..

The survey was conducted by Ipsos KMG, an independent research company, on Friday and polled the attitudes of some 1,500 people above the age of 18 in 12 cities. The survey pool included both smokers and nonsmokers and is believed to accurately represent the Turkish population.

The results of the survey reveal that seven out of 10 people consider smoking in public spaces a right in any circumstance where the dangers of passive smoking do not exist. Some 79 percent of smokers agree with the idea that smoking should be allowed in public spaces, while 64 percent of non-smokers also support the idea.

Reference: Survey reveals doubts over Turkey's smoking ban, Hürriyet Daily News, 11/5/2010.

Turkey - related news briefs:
Turkey - like other tobacco growing countries worried that WHO will eliminate blended tobacco..;
Turkey - Cigarette consumption drops by 16 percent but increase in youth smoking..;
Turkey - smokers re-packaging cigarettes to avoid looking at graphic warnings..;
Turkey - WHO presents Prime Minister Erdoğan with award..;
Turkey - smoking ban a year later, goals are being achieved..;
Turkey - even in tea houses smoking ban is working..;
Turkey - smoking ban compliance excellent and cigarette sales drop 15 percent..;
Turkey - two television stations successfuly challenge fines..;
Turkey - two TV stations fined for airing shows featuring smokers..;
Turkey - smoking still major problem despite countrywide ban..;
Turkey - state tobacco monopoly sold workers still want jobs..;
Turkey - overall, smoking ban is working..;
Turkey - court overrules TAPDK on tobacco labels..;
Turkey - cigarette producers sue to reduce size of graphic images..;
WHO to unveil new 2009 tobacco epidemic report in Turkey..;
Turkey - graphic/written warning labels starting January 1, 2010..;
Turkey - with expansion of smoking ban cigarette sales drop..;
Turkey - smoking ban, cafes (teahouses) losing business, owners threaten to strike..;
Turkey - hundreds of cafe owners demonstrate against smoking ban..;
Turkey - small--scale retailers to demonstrate against smoking ban..;
Turkey - anti-smoking advocates happy with early results of smoking ban..; Turkey - smoker wounds manager and kills his friend when asked to stop smoking..
Turkey - cafe owners complain about smoking ban..;
Turkey - dangers of secondhand smoke media campaign..;
Turkish Government - makes major move to improve the health of its citizens..;
Turkey - smoking ban starting July 19th will be enforced - these guys are serious..;
Turkey - poll indicates employers, their employees and customers support smoking ban in cafes, bars and restaurants..;
Turkey - July 19th total smoking ban, will employees lose jobs..;
Turkey - on July 19, 2009 will mark the beginning of “100 percent smoke-free air” in this country..;
Turkey - national smoking ban starts July 19, 2009..;
Turkey - quit smoking photo displayed in İstanbul's Taksim Square..;
Turkey - data on tobacco usage - Turkish Statistics Institution..;
Turkey - smoking ban in all bars, restaurants and coffeehouses starting July 19, 2009..;
Smoking ban in Turkey lowers cigarette consumption..;
Turkey's ban on pubic smoking goes into effect on Monday, May 19, 2008..;
British American Tobacco (BAT) reported group volume sales up for first quarter 2008..;
More on the quick fix for outdoor smokers..;
BAT to Acquire Most of Denmark's ST..;
More on Philip Morris International of the Future..;
WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008...

Read more...

Thailand - health authorities want to close smoking areas at airport..

November 9, 2010 - Health authorities are pressing ahead with a plan to close all smoking areas at Suvarnabhumi airport's international terminal. The ban is in keeping with a ministerial regulation which prohibits smoking in public places, including airports.

The Office of the Tobacco Control Committee will work with Airports of Thailand Plc to put the Public Health Ministry regulation into practice.

The airport has 18 smoking rooms for international passengers.

The ministry in June closed all smoking rooms in the domestic passengers' area at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in line with the ban.

The president of the Health Promotion Institute, Hatai Chitanondh, said studies show that airport smoking areas expose non-smokers in adjacent non-smoking areas to significant concentrations of nicotine vapour. Similar smoking room bans have been imposed at some international airports in Europe.

Those who wish to smoke still have the option to do so outside the building, Dr Hatai said.

Narongchai Tanadchangsaeng, deputy general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, is worried that travellers will choose to bypass the airport if they cannot smoke inside the terminal.

Dr Hatai, however, believed the smoke-free policy would improve Suvarnabhumi's competitiveness with other airports. "Most passengers opt for nicotine patches to get their fix," he said.

Reference: Last gasp for airport puffers International terminal could bar smokers, Bangkok Post, 11/8/2010.

Some other Thailand news briefs:
Thailand - EU free-trade agreement (FTA) stuck over alcohol and tobacco..;
Thailand govt - wants to ban the growing of Burley and Oriental tobacco..;
Thailand - more measures put in place to protect non-smokers..;
Thailand - number of no-smoking zones expanded..;
Thailand - PMI likely breached the Foreign Business Act..;
Thai Tobacco Monopoly withdraws products from Tabinfo Asia 2009..;
Thailand - organizer of international tobacco exhibition fined..;
Thailand - hand-rolled cigarettes more popular and other matters..;
WTO - "DS 371" Philippines versus Thailand on cigarette customs valuation..;
Thailand - Tobacco Expo organizers and guests must obey all tobacco control laws..;
Thailand unit of Philip Morris International faces charges that it violated custom tax rules..;
Thailand - hosting major tobacco promotion event in November 2009..;
Thailand Tobacco Monoploly - union concerned about privatization..;
Thailand - monks sickly from tobacco smoking and/or smoke exposure..;
Philippines - Thai cigarette import rules..;
Thailand - cigarette and liquor prices are expected to rise once new measures for calculating excise taxes take effect..;
Congratulations.. Thailand Joins Developed World With Total Ban On Smoking..;
Discouraging Tobacco Use - Horrific Images on the Packaging..

- Thailand is a member of Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA)..
Read more...

Maharashtra, India - many people still exposed to passive smoking..

November 9, 2010 - It’s been two years since cigarette smoking was banned in public places, but a recent survey revealed that 30.2 per cent of adults in Maharashtra have been exposed to passive smoking in public places in the past one year. ( Thursday October 2, 2008 the Indian Health Ministry put in effect a countrywide ban on smoking in public places. Those caught violating the rule may be fined $5 - a sizeable sum in a country where the per capita income is less than $1,000 a year. India - Heavy Fines If You Smoke In Public Places..)

Maharashtra is a state located in West India. The word Maharashtra. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. It is the richest state in India, contributing to 15% of the country's industrial output and 13.2% of its GDP in year 2005-06. (Maharashtra..)

The International Institute of Population (IIPS) that conducted the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) nationwide in 2009-10 was released last month. The survey was conduced in collaboration with the Union ministry of health and family welfare. It has taken into account passive smoking at various kinds of public places like government building, health care facility, restaurant and public transport. (India - govt releases results of GAT Survey..)

With respect to passive smoking in public areas, Maharashtra fares slightly worse than the national mean of 29%. Interestingly, the percentage of adults who saw a designated non-smoking area in a restaurant in Maharashtra is 64.1%. This figure is higher than the national mean of 50.8%. In the workplace, the percentage of non-smoking adults exposed to second-hand smoke in Maharashtra is 22.5%.

The incidence of public smoking is largely due to the non-implementation of the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Production of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. “We have already communicated the same to the government. The report was disseminated by the ministry of health and family welfare,” said Dr Subrata Lahiri, professor at IIPS.

With multiple authorities being designated to fine smokers in public, very few take responsibility to implement the Act. Joint commissioner of Food and Drugs Administration, CB Pawar said, “We have 265 inspectors all over Maharashtra who have been fining people found smoking in public. The central excise and the sales tax department are also designated officers who can fine people.”

NGOs say that public participation is important. Devika Chedda, project director of Salaam Bombay, said, “The public also needs to take a stand on this issue. If public awareness is built up, it will automatically help the government implement the Act.”

Alarmingly, the percentage of non-smokers in Maharashtra who are subject to passive smoking at home is 34.4%. Forty-five per cent of the people who responded to the survey said that smoking was allowed at their homes. The study shows that 52% of adults in India were exposed to second-hand smoke at home.

While the percentage of female smokers is a lot less as compared to male smokers in the country (just 3 per cent as compared to 24 per cent in males), the mean number of cigarettes smoked by women between the age groups of 15-24 and 25-44 is much higher. The survey shows that while women between 15 and 24 smoke about 9 cigarettes a day on an average, a man smokes 5 cigarettes.

Reference: Passive smoking affects 30% in public places, 34% at home by Menaka Rao, DNAIndia.com, 11/9/2010 (DNA - Daily News & Analysis)
(second hand smoke, SHS, environmental tobacco smoke, ETS, involuntary smoking, sidestream smoke)

India - some news briefs:
^*India - govt releases results of GAT Survey..;
^*India - bank doesn't employ tobacco users and tobacco users must pay more for bank loans...;
^*India - govt keen to help tobacco farmers grow alternative crops..;
^*Mumba, India - tobacco companies not following the law when advertizing..;
^*PAPER: India community based study - why youth smoke..;
^*India - high court rules in favor of tobacco companies that violated cigarettes with pictorial warnings rule..;
^*India - study emphasizes the need to integrate tobacco control in medical curriculum..;
^*India - more on govt ban on foreign direct investment..;
^*India - Barakat Food will import and distribute Imperial's Davidoff Cigarettes..;
^*India - more on ban on foreign direct investment - more insight on tobacco market..;
^*India - increasing taxes on cigarettes and bidis to save lives..;
^*India - cabinet decided to bar foreign direct investment in cigarette manufacturing..;
^*India - captions with pictorial warnings should use local languages..;
^*ndia - pictorial warning will appear on every tobacco pack sold from June 1 , 2010..;
^*India - government set to ban foreign direct investment in tobacco..;
^*India - despite tobacco control measure in place - tobacco sales increase..;
^*India - still confusion pictorial warnings on cigarette packs..;
^*Mumbai, India - NGO activists want closure of hookah bars..;
^*India - gutkha and bidi companies NOT pictorial warnings..;
^*India - cigarette packs with pictorial warnings are here..; ^*ndia - NO graphic pictorial warnings yet..;
^*India - Still no pictorial warnings on cigarette packs..;
^*India - pictorial warning on cigarettes and tobacco products effective May 31, 2009..;
^*India - pictorial warning on cigarettes and tobacco products will be implemented from May 31 - no doubts about it..;
^*India - will pictorial or graphic health warnings be implemented from May 30, 2009..;
^*India - placing pictorial warnings on tobacco products delayed again..
Read more...

Lebanon - Omega, the chimpanzee has a new home..

November 9, 2010 - Back in October we reported that Omega the chimpanzee who spends his days in a cage, smoking cigarette ends needed a new home. (October 15, 2010 - Lebanon - smoking chimpanzee needs a permanent home..)

Omega will now reside in the Vargem Grande Paulista Sanctuary, a dedicated chimpanzee reserve in Sao Paulo, Brazil according to the Beirut's Daily Star.

Reference: Omega, Cigarette Smoking Chimpanzee, Rescued In Lebanon Zoo (PHOTOS), HuffingtonPost.com, 11/9/2010.
Read more...

Serbia - smoking ban begins Thursday, November 11, 2010..

Coat-of-Arms..
November 9, 2010 - In two days smokers shall have to change their smoking habits. When the Law on protection of population against cigarette smoke comes in force cigarette smoking shall be not allowed at work, in lifts, corridors, waiting rooms, schools, faculties, hospitals, cinemas… any more. There shall even be no room for smokers. Serbia...

As of Thursday, November 11th smoking shall not be allowed in public traffic, i.e. busses, trolleybuses, trams, taxes, planes and other official vehicles. In two days passionate smokers shall have to choose cafes, restaurants and bars to go to since in many of them there shall be a ‘no smoking’ sign.

A citizen who violates the Law shall have to pay a fine of 5,000 Dinars (65.01 USD). Fines for company owners (30,000 (390.05 USD) to 50,000 (650.08 USD) Dinars) and companies (from a half to one million Dinars) are considerably larger.

Serbian President Boris Tadic Friday, May 7, 2010 signed into law new anti-smoking measures which will ban lighting up in most public places but gives some leeway for restaurants, bars and cafes. The law forbids smoking in state institutions and buildings, schools, social care institutions, buildings used for cultural and sports activities, media buildings and buildings where food is produced.
Fines for defying the ban are 50 euros (64 dollars) for individuals and up to 10,000 euros for companies. Restaurants, bars and cafes larger than 80 square metres will be forced to have a no-smoking zone covering at least half the premises. Smaller businesses can simply declare if they are smoking or non-smoking.

The law will come into effect in coming months but exact dates are not clear as there are processes of registration for eating and drinking establishments. More than one third (33.6 percent) of Serbia's eight million inhabitants are smokers, according to health statistics.

Serbia's New Law Forbids Smoking in Public Places by Sreeraman, MedIndia.ne, 5/8/2010.

References: Smokers free at their own homes only, BLIC online, 11/9/2010; Serbian smokers unhappy about having to curb habit New law entails hefty fines for those lighting up despite ban, AFP, 11/12/2010.

Serbia - related news brief:
Serbia - government abandons plans to introduce a blanket ban on smoking indoors.. Read more...