Push to stop selling cigarettes to Australians born after 2000

A generation of Australians could be on the brink of living a tobacco-free existence if a move to ban the sale of cigarettes to young people is successful. The 'tobacco-free' generation bill is set to be introduced into Tasmanian parliament this year, which would make it illegal for people born after the year 2000 to buy cigarettes and for retailers to sell tobacco-laced products to them.

The law would come into effect in 2018 and would mean people aged 14 this year would not be able to buy cigarettes online once they turn 18. Harsh penalties would also be imposed on anyone caught supplying tobacco to the 'tobacco-free generation' whether they're a retailer or an individual.

Tasmanian Independent Member of the Legislative Council Ivan Dean is the brains behind the idea and will put the motion to the Tasmanian parliament in the next two months. He said the move is not designed to penalise individuals but to better the health of young Australians.

'What we are saying is that anyone who turns 18 in 2018 will not be able to buy cigarettes and eventually when older smokers die out in 20, 30 years time the sale will end,' he said.

'The important thing is that this is not about criminalising the smokers - it's ensuring retailers and suppliers can't sell to anybody born after the year 2000.'

The idea has received backing from the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Medical Association, whose president Tim Greenaway said any effort to reduce levels of smoking in the community is well supported.

Mr Dean will bring the private members bill before parliament in November, at the latest, and then open up the conversation for debate next year. If successful, the legislation would be implemented by 2018 making it illegal for people aged 18 and under to buy tobacco in Tasmania. Although this particular law would only imply to that state, Mr Dean said he hopes other Australian states and territories would follow suit.

New Bill Increasing Cigarette Tax in Philadelphia

On Monday, House of Representatives in Pennsylvania voted 114-84 a bill which gives the Philadelphia authorities the right to impose $2 per pack tax on cigarettes and direct these money to fund city schools. The bill was sent to state Senate for the approval and it will vote for it this week. If it passes

Reynolds hires PepsiCo exec as next president

Reynolds American Inc, the manufacturer of Winston Classic cigarettes. has raised the diversity level on its executive leadership team again with the hiring of Debra Crew as president of subsidiary R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., effective Oct. 1.

Crew currently serves as president and general manager of PepsiCo North America Nutrition, a job she had been appointed to earlier this year. She also has served as president of PepsiCo Americas Beverage and of the Western Europe region of PepsiCo Europe.

The company said Friday that Andrew Gilchrist, president and chief commercial officer of R.J. Reynolds, will become an executive vice president with the parent company, also on Oct.

1. The company said Gilchrist's future role on the 12-member leadership team will be announced at a later date.

Crew will make $620,000 a year, according to a Reynolds regulatory filing Friday. She will get a signing bonus of $525,000 after Jan. 1. She will be eligible for an annual incentive plan payment estimated at $162,750. She has been made eligible for a long-term incentive grant of $1.5 million, vesting March 3, 2017.

Another part of Reynolds' incentive to Crew is agreeing to make her eligible for up to $6.7 million in restricted Reynolds stock units, some of which become fully vested Sept. 30, 2016, and the others Sept. 30, 2018. The restricted stock units are offered "to offset forfeiture of equity incentive grants at your previous employer."

Reynolds has a history of placing female executives into the R.J. Reynolds president role.

Lynn Beasley retired from the post after five years in January 2007 at age 49. Beasley was the highest-ranking officer left from the R.J. Reynolds team thatbought Brown & Williamson Corp. in 2004 to create Reynolds American.

Susan Cameron, Reynolds American's president and chief executive, said in a statement Crew's experience with some of America's best-known consumer brands "is extraordinary."

Fewer Students Smoking Cigarettes in North Carolina

Latest Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in North Carolina found that fewer middle and high school students in the state are smoking cheapest cigarettes. The bad news is that more students use other tobacco products and here the talk is about pipes, snuff, hookah and e-cigarettes. The doctors are worried much about youth interest towards e-cigarettes

Calaveras County to Eliminate Tobacco Smoke from Apartments

In an attempt to protect its residents from secondhand smoke, Calaveras Multiunit Housing Workgroup in the state of California said it wants to make its apartments smoke-free. Last week, on September 10, they presented a 12-minute video called “Share Walls, Not Smoke” which features interviews with an apartment owner and several residents. The Workgroup includes

Philip Morris Products S.A. Celebrates 50 Years of History in Switzerland

Philip Morris International (PMI) today celebrated the 50th anniversary of Philip Morris Products S.A. (PMP SA) at their historic factory site in Serrières, Neuchâtel, Switzerland at an event attended by cantonal and local officials from Neuchâtel and Vaud.
“We are extremely happy to celebrate 50 years in Switzerland, notably here in Neuchâtel, where the PMP SA factory was founded in 1964. I am particularly grateful to our employees, business partners and the communities of Neuchâtel and Lausanne, who have always been an integral part of our success. We are proud of this track record which we look forward to continuing in the future,” stated André Calantzopoulos, CEO of Philip Morris International. “Few companies can take pride in such a history, growing from the family-owned Fabriques de Tabac Reunies founded in 1925, to a manufacturing facility at the forefront of technology, Marlboro production quality, industrial development and innovation, now standing next to our global R&D Center.”

“The 50th anniversary of Philip Morris in Neuchâtel highlights the heritage of one of the largest international companies in our region – proof that Switzerland, and particularly Neuchâtel, offers a positive environment for economic development. I would also like to commend the company for its excellent integration and economic, social and cultural participation in our Canton,” stated Alain Ribaux, President of the State Council of Neuchâtel.

With manufacturing and innovation in Neuchâtel, and at its global Operations Center in Lausanne, PMI in Switzerland employs over 3000 people representing roughly 50 nationalities. Since 2008, the company has invested approximately CHF 700 million in Switzerland, primarily in its global R&D Center. On an annual basis, PMI’s activities in Switzerland represent an economic impact of more than CHF 1.4 billion in terms of human resources expenditures and the purchase of goods and services, in addition to CHF 1 billion in excise tax on tobacco.

The company’s 50th anniversary celebrations will conclude on Saturday with a special event for employees and their families, as well as retired staff, all of whom have helped in making PMP SA a contributor to the Swiss economy.

Smoking Ban in Chicago Extended to Parks

Last week District Board of Commissioners in Chicago with the majority of votes adopted an ordinance which prohibits smoking in city parks and harbors. The ordinance comes into action immediately. Previously smoking ban ordinance was adopted in 2007 and it prohibited smoking on playgounds, beaches and buildings situated on Park District. The change came right

Smoke-Free Campuses Trendy in American Universities

Before adopting a smoke-free policy, the University of Minnesota discussed the subject for years as it raised particular controversies. However, the smoke-free policy was adopted and in July 1, 2014, it came into action. Smoke-free policies in campuses of American universities and colleges gain popularity in the country and more and more educational institutions join

It may be time for a comprehensive indoor smoking ban

Arsenic. Benzene. Formaldehyde. Hydrogen Cyanide. Toluene. One ingredient is found in gasoline. Another is found in paint thinner. A third is used in embalming fluid. And all, along with at least 4,000 other chemicals, are found in tobacco smoke. Needless to say, the health effects of inhaling such toxins are many.

Most Americans also are well aware of the health risks to smokers. What is perhaps less well known are the many risks of secondhand smoke, or “passive smoking.” Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and lung cancer by 25 to 30 percent compared to those not exposed. An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and as many as 45,000 heart attack deaths per year, are attributed to secondhand smoke exposure.

Efforts have long been in place to curb passive smoking exposure. The 1994 Pro-Children Act prohibits smoking in federally-funded facilities providing services to children. And Healthy People 2020, a comprehensive nationwide health promotion program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, includes a goal of reducing tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.

Nationally, many bans on smoking in all indoor public places exist. In Lubbock, an effort is afoot to eliminate the exceptions that exist to a public indoor smoking ban. Establishments like bingo parlors and sports bars are currently exempted from the ban. While opinions vary on the proposed comprehensive ban, here are a few more facts to consider from a medical point of view:

Research confirms only truly comprehensive smoking bans (with no exemptions) are effective. In a broad sampling of communities where such bans went into effect, hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke dropped by 15 percent, while admissions for acute respiratory illnesses like bronchitis and asthma were reduced by 25 percent within one year of the legislation taking effect. In communities in which bans with exemptions were enacted, no significant drop in hospitalizations was seen.

Worries about adverse economic impact on businesses affected by such bans may be unfounded. Studies of the Texas communities of El Paso and Arlington showed no slowing of bar or restaurant business once comprehensive legislation was passed.

Smokers in Texas are against smoking ban because they say it breaks their rights and freedoms. Most popular brand of cigarettes in Texas is L&M.

Pleasant Hill to Expand Smoking Ban

In 2013, Michael Harris, the Council Member of Pleasant Hill proposed to prohibit smoking in the downtown shopping district, but the proposal did not gain any support. So the ban was not adopted. Harris considers it was not a perfect moment to come with such a proposal as City Council had on its agenda the

Chinese Passengers Smoked in Airplane Despite Ban

Recently a group of passengers told that they were on-lookers of a case when a budget airline did not stop passengers from smoking their cheapest cigarettes during a flight. The talk is about passengers from China United Airlines (CUA) flight 5216 who told they saw people smoking cigarettes in the toilet during the flight from

Wilmington could expand smoking ban in public places

Wilmington City Council could vote this week on a bill that would extend a smoking ban for some public spaces to include city parks, playgrounds and sheltered bus stops.

An ordinance amending the city's smoking law cleared the council's Health, Aging and Disabilities Committee last week. The bill could receive a full vote on Thursday.

The legislation expands the reach of an existing law that already allows police to fine smokers who light up cigarettes online in areas like city government offices, classrooms, libraries and museums. Offenders face a $100 penalty.

Councilman Bob Williams (D-District 7) said the bill is aimed at cutting down on the amount of second-hand smoke sometimes present in some Wilmington parks.

Williams, the primary sponsor on the bill, said many smokers are generally courteous toward those around them but also occasionally inconvenience non-smokers.

"You can walk across the street, do what you gotta do and come back," he said. "It's just that in these public gathering places, we're trying to keep it as environmentally friendly as possible for all the participants."

Though he intends to bring the bill to the floor on Thursday, Williams said an administrative issue regarding signage in non-smoking areas may prompt him to hold the bill for a couple of weeks.

Ocean City Wants to Restrict Smoking on Beaches

During their town Council meeting, authorities in Ocean City, Maryland, voted for adopting a new anti-smoking law that would ban smoking on beaches and along the boardwalk. However, smoking will be allowed in designated areas. The law was approved with 4 votes for and 3 against it. The authorities of the city expalin that smoking