Massachusetts (MA) Likely to Increase Tobacco tax..

April 12, 2008 - Massachusetts (MA) Likely to Increase Tobacco tax.. On Thursday, April 10th The MA House voted 131 - 23 to impose an additional one dollar per pack on cigarettes. The House stipulated in the new tax bill that the cigarette tax, supported by Gov. Deval L. Patrick and Senate President Therese Murray, would go into effect starting July 1, 2008. Under the House bill, an estimated $175 million in new revenues from smokers would go to the Commonwealth Care insurance program. State Rep. Harold P. Naughton Jr., D-Clinton, said he voted for the cigarette tax hike because his mother who smoked, died a painful death at age 76 from lung cancer. Tax hike proponent Frank M. Hynes, D-Marshfield, said the higher prices would prevent 46,000 children from taking up smoking and pressure 26,000 adults to quit. MA tax on a pack of cigarettes would be raised from $1.51 to $2.51. Click on image to enlarge..

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Further evidence SNUS is NOT a component of smoking cessation..

April 12, 2008 - A retrospective random telephone survey of Swedish smokers (985) and ex-smokers (1000) to assess to what extent SNUS has been used as an aid to stop smoking among Swedish smokers. To assess to what extent SNUS has been used as an aid to stop smoking among Swedish smokers. The study suggested that by using snus, Swedish male smokers may increase their overall chances of abstinence. However, 71% of the men in this sample who quit smoking did so without using SNUS and the duration of abstinence was not affected by SNUS use. This suggests that SNUS is NOT necessary component of smoking cessation at the population level. SNUS use was very rare among women. Role of SNUS (oral moist snuff) in smoking cessation and smoking reduction in Sweden, Gilljam et al., Addiction 98(9): 1182-9, 2003) Dr. Lars E. Rutqvist, the Vice President for Scientific Affairs at Swedish Match (the world's second largest maker of snuff and chewing tobacco and market leader in Sweden - volume share of 90% at the end of 2006) has stated the drive in SNUS sales in Sweden has been in response to the smoking ban rather than the perceived advantage to user’s health. The trend for Swedish women's smoking habits also refutes the myth that SNUS use is a necessary component to reduce smoking. Between 1977 and 2000, the proportion of daily smokers among young Swedish women - among whom SNUS is uncommon - declined 47 to 19 percent. There are no controlled studies which demonstrate the effectiveness of SNUS as a smoking cessation aid. (Who benefits from increased use of snus?) Overall smoking prevalence in Norway, as well as in young Norwegians, has decreased at the same rates in men and women during the last decade, whereas a marked increase in SNUS use during this time period has only occurred in young men. EU Scientific Committee Concludes: Insufficient Evidence to Lift Ban on SNUS. Read more...

Philip Morris International (PMI) to Introduce Marlboro Cigarettes In China...

April 11, 2008 - Philip Morris International (PMI) to Introduce Marlboro Cigarettes In China Around Time of Summer Olympics.. THIS HAS TO BE STOPPED. According to a report in the Chinese Medical Journal the number of smokers in China, currently estimated to be about 350 million, is growing by about three million a year. Two out of every three young men in China smoke, as a result tobacco will eventually kill about a third of all young men in China. The report said that China had, also, about 50 million teenage smokers. In addition, about 540 million people were subjected to passive tobacco smoking, and about two-thirds of them were under 18 years of age. This meant that about two-thirds of the population either smoked or was affected by tobacco smoke. ( Three million more Chinese smokers each year, Tobacco Reporter, 4/9/2008) By 2050 there will be three million tobacco deaths a year in China - PMI is anxious to be a big contributor.

At present, PMI has a small or no presence in four major markets -- China, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam which account for 40% of total international cigarette consumption. China is the largest producer and consumer of tobacco products in the world. PMI and Chinese National Tobacco Company have a strategic relationship with one aspect the launch of licensed Marlboro on the Chinese market this summer 2008. (Remarks - PMI,Inc., Investor Presentation, New York, March 11.2008 The Chinese government 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 January 9. 2006.

This treaty is to regulate tobacco companies' actions, using proven strategies: raising taxes on tobacco products, limiting smoking in public, requiring new health warnings on cigarette packages, and regulating the firms' manufacturing and marketing efforts. China is planning on a smoking-free Olympic Games - with 173 cigarette brands already why does China need Marlboro. One million people die from smoking-related diseases each year in China, according to the Ministry of Health and each year, more than 100,000 people are killed by second-hand smoke. Related news brief: China to ban all tobacco advertising by 2011. Click on image to enlarge.. (TobaccoWatch.org) Read more...

Maine - bill to ban smoking in cars with children enacted in the State of Maine..

April 10, 2008 - Bill to ban smoking in cars with children enacted in the State of Maine.. Maine's law, modeled after an ordinance adopted by the City of Bangor, which will take effect 90 days after this spring's legislative session ends, will outlaw smoking in cars in which youths under 16 are present. The bill authorizes $50 fines for violations, but only after the first year. In the meantime, warnings will be issued. The bill was weakened from the original version, which would have outlawed smoking if someone 18 or younger was in the vehicle and imposed fines right away. While the changes disappointed some of the bill's most ardent backers, legislative support remained strong and the bill encountered no serious setbacks. California, and Louisiana have passed similar laws, as have Puerto Rico and the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Other states now considering bans include Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana and Utah, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. and South Carolina. Dr. Suzanne Strasberg, board chair of the Ontario Medical Association, said the concentration of smoke in cars can be up to 60 times greater than the concentration of smoke in a room inside a house. The risks to children from exposure to second-hand smoke include respiratory illnesses, middle ear disease, lower respiratory tract infections, sudden infant death syndrome and increased risk cancer and heart disease in adulthood. Surveys of smokers have found that 90% would support a ban on smoking in cars when children are present. Some related news briefs: Vehicles Most Dangerous Space for Second-Hand Smoke Levels.. and Australia ban on smoking in cars when children are present.. Click on image to enlarge.. Read more...

Star Scientific Applauds Recent State Legislation - Banning Smoking in Cars with Children..

April 10, 2008 - Star Scientific Applauds Recent State Legislation - Banning Smoking in Cars with Children.. Star is recommending that smokers in cars with children use their tobacco filled lozenges as a substitute. Star Scientific got Maine lawmakers to repeal a ban enacted last September 20, 2007 on the sale of a tobacco lozenge product known as hard snuff. Star got The lawmakers to pass an emergency bill lifting the ban by telling these people their lozenges are widely used by smokers to wean them from tobacco dependence. Read more..
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