Ireland - tobacco vendors must register by October 1, 2009..

September 14, 2009 - The Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) has urged all tobacco vendors to register with it before October 1st.

Anti-smoker legislation implemented (went into effect) on, July 1, 2009 when a ban was introduced on the advertising and display of tobacco products in retail shops. At the same time, under new provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and 2004, tobacco retailers will have to sign up to a retail register and tighter controls will be imposed on the location and operation of tobacco vending machines. (Ireland - Office of Tobacco Control 2008 annual report - Positive..)

Retailers who do not register by then will not be legally entitled to continue selling tobacco products.

CEO of the OTC, Eamonn Rossi said any registered retailer who was convicted of an offence under the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts would be removed from the register for up to three months, as well as having to pay any fine imposed in court. “Removal from the register means that tobacco products cannot be sold from the premises during the period specified by the court,” he said.

Retailers can register with the Office of Tobacco Control online at www.tobaccoregister.com or request an application form by calling 1890-333-100.

Reference: Tobacco vendors urged to register, Irish Medical Times, 9/10/2009.

Some Ireland related news briefs:
Ireland - tobacco companies not helping small retailers - display ban..;
Tobacco control initiatives starting Wednesday, July 1, 2009..;
Ireland - Office of Tobacco Control 2008 annual report - Positive..;
Ireland - modest penalty for cigarette smuggling..;
Ireland - to amend tobacco legislation to to include pictoral warnings..;
Ireland - as of July 1, 2009 no advertising or display of tobacco products will be permitted in retail outlets..;
Ireland - cigarette tax abandoned over smuggling fears..;
Ireland - may raise tax on cigarettes as part of emergency budget..;
Ireland - ban smoking in cars when kids are present..;
Ireland - further provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and 2004 are to be commenced on 1 July 2009.;
Ireland - 80% of smokers want a ban on tobacco advertising in shops to stop youngsters starting the habit..;
Ireland to ban tobacco displays..;
Ireland - reduction in admissions for acute coronary syndrome...
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Altria - Copenhagen long-cut wintergreen, more sites for Marlboro snus, L&M Bold Menthol..

Background: Altria Group Inc said on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 it completed its $10.4 billion acquisition of UST, Inc. greatly expanding Altria's presence in the faster-growing smokeless tobacco segment. Michael E. Szymanczyk - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Altria has indicated a little tweaking is necessary for the UST's premium brands - Copenhagen and Skoal to return these brands to some modest share growth. (Altria Group, Inc. Agrees to Acquire UST Inc. - Altria Group and UST Conference Call, Seeking Alpha, 9/10/2008.)

Ten years ago, UST owned more than 80% of the smokeless tobacco market. By late 2004, the company's market share had slipped to 68%. Today, it's less than 60% and trending down.


Grizzly, the nations number one moist snuff brand, in the second quarter 2009 expanded its market share to 25.5 percent, up 2.2 percentage points, according to data from Management Science Associates Inc., a research group. Conwood's overall market share was up 1.9 percent to 29.4 percent. By far the best selling type of Grizzly is the long cut wintergreen. Skoal already has this type of moist snuff but Copenhagen does not. The new product could drive Copenhagen's share of the segment from 23% to 32%, according to an Altria spokesperson.

Philip Morris USA plans to make a bigger push into the still-uncertain market for snus, a Swedish-style oral tobacco, expanding an experiment it is now running in three cities. The nation's No. 1 cigarette-maker will market snus, using its flagship Marlboro brand name, more broadly this fall, said Michael E. Szymanczyk, chairman and chief executive of Philip Morris' parent, Henrico County, VA-based Altria Group.

Snus is a moist powdered tobacco, cured by steam instead of heat, that some analysts and public health advocates experts believe will be the focus of tobacco industry attention, especially now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is regulating tobacco.

Chesterfield County-based Swedish Match North America hopes to convince the FDA that snus can reduce harm to tobacco users and is an effective way to get smokers to quit.

Szymanczyk gave no details about the size of Philip Morris' push on snus.

Szymanczyk said Philip Morris wants to boost its share of the market for menthol cigarettes, where it now has a 28 percent share, as opposed to more than 50 percent for the overall cigarette market. He said the company will launch an L&M (Love the Moment) Bold Menthol this year to boost its offerings in the "full-flavor" menthol sector, the one area where he said the company does not think it has a strong position. Blend No. 54 is also described as a "bold" flavor, which smokers describe as offering a particularly strong tobacco taste.

References: Altria plans expansion of Marlboro snus by David Ress, Richmond Timdes_Dispatch, 9/10/2009; Altria Blazes On by Colleen Paulson, The Motley Fool, 9/11/2009.



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Dan Butler, president of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co, to leave Altria..

September 13, 2009 - Separately, Altria confirmed Wednesday, September 9th that Daniel W. Butler, president of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., the smokeless unit Altria acquired when it bought UST, is leaving the company. A spokesperson told the Journal that Butler decided to leave "with the integration of UST virtually completed." Veteran Altria executive Peter Paoli took over as president and CEO of the unit September 1, the report said.



Daniel W. Butler was the formerly the President of U S Smokeless Tobacco Company, a subsidiary of UST Inc. (image - Alexa Welch Edlund/Richmond Times-Dispatch)



Murray S. Kessler, former vice-chair at Altria and formerly the chairman and CEO of smokeless tobacco company UST Inc., left the company at the end of June 2009 after overseeing key elements of UST’s integration into Altria. (Murray Kessler leaving Altria at the end of June 2009..)

Some news briefs Kessler and Butler:
UST, Inc. Executives Very Disappointed in Sales of the Entire SNUS Segment..;
Uphill Battle in Teaching Smokers to Use SNUS..;
UST, Inc. Don't view SNUS as something that has a major impact on our core business..

Reference: Altria Growing Smokeless Will debut new Copenhagen, expand testing of Marlboro Snus, Convenience Store / Petroleum (CSP) Daily News, 9/11/2009.
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England - ban on public smoking results in a fall in heart attack by 10%..

September 13, 2009 - Researchers commissioned by the Department of Health have found a far sharper fall than they had expected in the number of heart attacks in England in the year after the ban was imposed in July 2007.

In Scotland, where the ban was introduced a year earlier (Scotland became the first part of the UK to ban smoking in enclosed public places when legislation came into force at 6am on Sunday, March 26, 2006.), heart attack rates have fallen by about 14% because of the ban, separate research has shown. (Scotland - Definite Health Benefits of Smoking Bans... Similar results are expected in Wales where a third study is still under way.

The success of the smoking ban is emerging as one of the most significant improvements in public health that Britain has seen, even measured by heart attack rates alone. The early results of the study of England will increase calls for an extension of the ban. Ministers have already commissioned research into the possibility of banning smoking in cars, where children are at their most exposed. (ASH calls for a debate in England on banning smoking in all cars with kids present..) There have also been suggestions that parents could be banned from smoking at home in front of children.

In time, the ban should bring more benefits through reductions in cancers caused by smoking and chronic pulmonary disease. “We always knew a public smoking ban would bring rapid health benefits, but we have been amazed by just how big and how rapid they are,” said John Britton, director of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies at Nottingham University.

About 9.4m British adults smoke; each year 114,000 die of smoking-related diseases.

The ability of cigarette smoke to trigger heart attacks, even in non-smokers after just brief exposures, is less well known than its role in lung disease. About 275,000 people suffer heart attacks in Britain each year, of whom about 146,000 die.

Ellen Mason, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Exposure to cigarette smoke induces rapid changes in blood chemistry, making it much more prone to clotting. In someone who has narrowed or damaged coronary arteries, smoke exposure can tip the balance and cause a heart attack.” (Exposure to smoke changed cardiovascular function, particularly in men..; Secondhand (environmental,involuntary, passive) Smoke: Blood Vessel Damage Within Minutes..)

The research into heart attack rates in England is being led by Anna Gilmore of Bath University. “There is already overwhelming evidence that reducing people’s exposure to cigarette smoke reduces hospital admissions due to heart attacks,” she said. Gilmore’s research is incomplete and she emphasises the final results for England will not be published for several months. However, the results for Scotland, where public smoking was banned earlier, have shown the benefits.

Last week the EuroHeart conference in Brussels heard of similar results in western Europe after smoking bans. France had a 15% drop in emergency admissions for heart attacks after a year, while both Italy and Ireland had an 11% reduction.

Related news briefs - Scotland: Scotland - Bar workers who smoke also benefit from smoking ban..; Smoking bans lower heart attacks..; Ireland - reduction in admissions for acute coronary syndrome...

Reference: Heart attacks plummet after smoking ban, Jonathan Leake (Additional reporting:Andrew Sniderman) , The Sunday Times - Times Online, 9/13/2009.
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Maine - new law bans smoking in outside dining areas..

September 13, 2009 - As of yesterday Saturday, September 12th, smokers will not be able to light up when they are eating or drinking outside at restaurants.

The new state law bans smoking in outdoor dining areas. That includes restaurants, bars and snack bars. The law is modeled after Portland's smoke-free outdoor dining ordinance. The Seadog restaurant and the Whig and Courier in Bangor already ban smoking in their outdoor dining areas. The Seadog plans to post more signs and better enforce that rule. Whig and Courier owner Chris Geaghan says his restaurant has already gone smoke-free because his customers demanded it.

"You do hear from the non-smokers and it's hard to argue their point, especially if you care about their patronage," Geaghan said. "They should be able to sit in a smoke-free environment and enjoy their food products."

Smoking was banned in indoor dining areas ten years ago. Smoking Ban in Maine Deborah Anderson, Associated Content, 2/21/2007.

Reference: New Law Bans Smoking In Outdoor Dining Areas, Sarah Delage, Multimedia Journalist, Wcsh6.com, 9/12/2009.

Maine - related news briefs: Maine - smoking prohibited at states parks, beaches and historic sites..;
Maine - law banning flavored tobacco products - July 1, 2009..
Maine - illegal to smoke in cars while children present..
Star Scientific gets Maine lawmakers to repeal a ban enacted last September 20, 2007 on the sale of a tobacco lozenge product known as hard snuff..;
Maine - ban on flavored tobacco products..;
Maine Tobacco Tax Hike.
Read more...