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August 29, 2007 -
Britain to put picture warnings on ALL tobacco products.. All packets of cigarettes and other tobacco products sold in Britain will have to feature graphic photographs showing the effects of smoking from next year, government ministers said Wednesday (8/28/07) Belgium was the first European Union member state to publish warning photos on cigarette packets, but Britain is going a step further by applying the rule to all tobacco products. The decision brings Britain into line with nations such as Canada, India, Australia and Singapore. The photos which will be used are being selected by members of the public, who voted for the 15 most disturbing from 42 which featured on a website. Ministers will announce later Wednesday which ones were the winners, but the options include pictures of cancerous lungs and diseased gums. A 2002 study from the Canadian Cancer Society showed that 58 percent of smokers said that the pictures made them think more about the effects of smoking. In October 2007, the minimum age for buying tobacco in Britain will rise from 16 to 18, bringing it in line with alcohol. Smoking in enclosed public places is now banned across the country. (Yahoo News)
August 28, 2007 - China to ban all tobacco advertising by 2011.. All advertising of tobacco, including promotions and sponsorship, will be banned across China by January 2011, according to a leading non-governmental organization. The WHO convention requires signatories to ban tobacco advertising and related promotions and sponsorships within five years of its ratification by signatory states. China joined the international fight against tobacco consumption when it signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2003. It ratified the convention in October 2005 and the convention came into effect on Jan. 9. 2006, although implementation of the convention is not obligatory. China is the world's largest tobacco producing and consuming country, accounting for more than a third of the global total on both counts. It has more than 350 million smokers and almost one million die from smoking-related diseases each year, according to the Ministry of Health.
August 28, 2007 - Smoking Cited As Cause of Deutsche Bank Fire FDNY Demotes Three Senior Officials - Yesterday New York City announced that cigarette smoking by construction workers most likely caused the seven-alarm fire at the under-demolition Deutsche Bank building that claimed the lives of two firefighters on August 18, 2007. FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said, "Smoking was engaged in throughout the building, and particularly on the 17th floor, where the fire originated." (gothamist) Click on image to enlarge.. Photograph of Fire Commissioner Scoppetta and Mayor Bloomberg by Edward H.R. Gluck/AP. In June 2004, New York State was the first state to phase in a law requiring tobacco companies to sell the new "fire-safe" cigarettes. Then why didn't the cigarettes smoked by the construction workers extinguish themselves?? (TobaccoWatch.org)
August 27, 2007 - North Carolina - New Law Requires All Cigarettes Be Self-Extinguishing To Save Lives... Governor Mike Easley today signed into law House Bill 1785: "An act to require cigarette fire safety by adopting a cigarette fire-safety standard." The new law requires that cigarettes sold in North Carolina be self-extinguishing in an effort to reduce the number of smoking-related fires and home-fire deaths. "Cigarettes are the leading cause of deaths from fires in North Carolina," said Easley. By making the change to self-extinguishing cigarettes, it is estimated that as many as 50 fire-related deaths in our state could be prevented each year." Between 2001 and 2006 there were 2,916 cigarette-related fires in North Carolina. Advocates say the self-extinguishing cigarettes could save three of every four cigarette-related fire deaths. In New York state, the first to adopt a ''fire-safe'' cigarette law, cigarette-related fire deaths dropped from a high of 44 in 2001 to 28 in 2005, the first year after the law was enacted.Twenty-one other states have adopted ''fire-safe'' cigarette laws, according to Stateline.org, the online news service. The new law requires that all cigarettes sold in North Carolina be self-extinguishing and that it be indicated on the product’s packaging. A manufacture that fails to follow the law could be subject to a $100,000 fine. A retailer could face a fine of up to $25,000 for knowingly selling cigarettes that are not self-extinguishing. The Bill passed the state House 109-5 and the state Senate 47-0. It goes into effect Jan. 1, 2010. See related Newsbriefs: July 20, 2007, June 23, 2007 and April 5, 2007. Fire - Safe Cigarettes for all 50 states - NOW.. More information from the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes.
August 26, 2007 - Marlboro to be Marketed in Bangladesh - One of the Poorest and Densely Populated Countries in the World.. The world's leading tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris (PM) has tied up with a Bangladeshi firm to sell Marlboro cigarettes in the local market, company officials said Sunday. The Marlboros will be manufactured and distributed by the Dhaka Tobacco Company - the city of Dhaka in one of the lowest ranking cities for health and sanitation in the world. "This agreement will benefit both companies," Matteo Pelligrini, president of PM International, Asia, said in a statement. Marlboro's entry into the Bangladesh market is likely to challenge the grip of British American Tobacco on high-priced brands, though Uddin declined to give a specific price per packet. Dhaka Tobacco, the largest tobacco company in Bangladesh, produced 20 billion cigarettes in 2006 for an estimated market share of about 40 percent. But the company, with annual sales of around 300 million dollars, dominates here only in terms of the low- and medium-priced brands. Bangladesh is one of the most profitable tobacco markets in the world, with annual sales of around one billion dollars. More than 40% of Bangladeshi men smoke, according to industry figures. Most likely target audience - 40% of the population is under 15 years old. The illiteracy rate in Bangladesh is extremely high. Easy targets to convince to smoke tobacco. (Marlboros to make Bangladesh debut, Yahoo News - Singapore) Meanwhile back in the States PM is trying to persuade the public its a good corporate citizen.
