North Andover Raises Cigarette Age to 21

North Andover has joined a growing number of communities that prohibit people under the age of 21 from buying Davidoff cigarettes online and other tobacco products.

The Board of Health voted unanimously Thursday night to increase the minimum age for tobacco purchases from 18 to 21. Voting in favor of the change were Dr. Thomas Trowbridge, the chairman, Dr. Frank MacMillan, Larry Fixler and Joseph McCarthy.

Edwin Pease was absent.

The new minimum will take effect Sept. 1, Trowbridge said. Other cities and towns that have raised the tobacco purchase age to 21 include Lawrence, Methuen and Andover. Cambridge, Salem, Mass., Newton and Needham have also raised the minimum to 21.

New York City has raised the tobacco age to 21 and Hawaii became the first state to do so a couple of weeks ago.

Trowbridge said he and other board members did not want North Andover to become an "island" where young people under 21 could still buy cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products.

"We felt this was a way to help to reduce youth smoking," Trowbridge said. Sixty-five percent of adult smokers began the nicotine habit when they were between the ages of 18 and 21, Trowbridge said.

State and federal laws prohibit tobacco from being sold to minors under 18. Massachusetts boards of health have the authority to increase the minimum age.

The North Andover Board of Health voted last year to prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes to people under 18. Electronic cigarettes are not made from tobacco – but they contain nicotine.

Smoking Ban in Parks Passed in Salem

On June 8, there was organized public meeting in Salem City Council to discuss subjects regarding smoking in parks. It was decided that there is a need to create a special comission on trees. Most Salem residents on the meeting showed their support for the creation of an urban tree commission.  Resident Brian Hines was

WHO: Anti-Tobacco Campaigns Responsible for Dropping Prices

 ANTI-TOBACCO campaigns being conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) are among factors to blame for the depreciating prices of the cash crop in both the local and world markets, the National Assembly heard.

Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives, Mr Godfrey Zambi, noted on the other hand that prices of tobacco in the world market have been fluctuating due to a number of other factors including competition among major producers of the crop and quality of produced tobacco. People looking for cheapest cigarettes, just enter the web and order them online from http://www.cigarettesplace.net/

Mr Zambi made the explanation while responding to a basic question by Mpanda Rural MP, Mr Moshi Kakoso (CCM), who had tasked the government to explain whether it had measures in place to compensate local tobacco farmers owing to declining prices of the cash crop in the world market.

In response, the deputy minister said there were a number of factors which were responsible for pushing down prices of the commodity.

He cited the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) by the WHO as among causes that have led to reduced use of tobacco products and eventually declining prices of the commodity.

“In the wake of these developments, the government will continue to look for markets in various countries to ensure our farmers are paid handsomely for their products,” Mr Zambi said in response to the question.

According to the deputy minister, owing to fluctuating prices of cash crop in the world market, including tobacco, the government will work with responsible stakeholders to establish a special fund to compensate farmers when prices fall in the world market.

Singapore Bans Alternative Tobacco Products

Singapore Ministry of Health announced last week that starting from December 15, 2015, in the country there will be prohibited use and sale of emerging tobacco products. The talk is not only about the existing tobacco products on the market but also about all new products that are not available in Singapore yet. As Ministry

Big Butt Cleanup in Titusville

On June 3, young people in Titusville, Pennsylvania, participated in Big Butt Cleanup organized for the second time since 2014. Cleanup was organized on the occasion of celebration of the World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day. The major aim of the No Tobacco Day is to remind people about the tobacco use risks and

Singapore to Ban Existing and Emerging Tobacco Products as Pre-emptive Measure

  Singapore's Ministry of Health has announced plans to ban existing and emerging tobacco products in two phases as a "pre-emptive measure to protect public health against the known and potential harms of such products".

Besides protecting the public from the health risks associated with the consumption of emerging tobacco products, the ban is aimed at ensuring that the targeted emerging tobacco products do not gain a foothold or become entrenched in the Singapore market," the statement said.

In addition to preventing these products from "stimulating demand for and thereby increasing the prevalence of tobacco consumption", it will also prevent such products from becoming "gateway" or "starter" products for non-smokers, it added.

In a statement released on 15 June, the ministry said under the first phase, tobacco products that are currently not available in Singapore will be banned with effect from 15 December 2015.

The second phase will cover a ban on products already available in the market and will take effect from 1 August 2016. The delay in the ban is to allow for businesses to "adjust their operating models and deplete their existing stocks of such products."

The products to be banned under the second phase include:

On 9 June, the Welsh government announced plans to put in place legislation to ban e-cigarettes in public places.

Davidoff B&W Black are extremely popular in Singapore,

UK: Fewer Kids Exposured to Secondhand Smoke at Homes

New study reveals that in the UK kids exposure to secondhand smoke was significantly reduced since 1998. The results of the study may be found in the scientific journal Addiction. In the new study the researchers found that in England, kid’s exposure to secondhand smoke has declined by around 80 percent since 1998. These are

New York Shows Decline in Smoking Rates

On Monday, state officials said that in New York there was reported lowering of smoking rates. In past four years smoking rates among high school students has reduced by 42% to 7.3%, while the adult smoking rate has reduced to 14.5%, below the national average of 17.8%. State authorities say that smoking rates reduction occured

Reynolds-Lorillard deal to close Friday

The historic purchase by Reynolds American Inc. of Lorillard Inc. has a closing date — Friday — after a federal judge signed off Monday on the manufacturers selling five brands to Imperial Tobacco Group Plc.

Judge Gladys Kessler’s decision was the final legal hurdle to a megadeal announced in July 2014 and valued at $29.1 billion Monday. Reynolds is essentially buying Newport, the top-selling U.S. menthol brand.

Under the terms of the federal District Court’s remedial order in 2006, the court had to enter an order finding that ITG Brands, Imperial’s U.S. subsidiary, intends to and is capable of complying with the order before Reynolds can transfer the four cigarette brands.

The Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 on May 26 to give the deal preliminary approval.

Reynolds spokesman David Howard said Monday that the FTC’s 30-day public comment period “does not preclude the companies from proceeding with closing.” Howard expressed confidence Reynolds will be “ready to hit the ground running” with integration starting Friday.

The deal’s final value will be set at the close of market trading Thursday. Reynolds is projected to have more than $11 billion in annual revenues.

“We are very pleased to be able to proceed with this transformative acquisition,” Susan Cameron, Reynolds’ president and chief executive, said in a statement.

“With the addition of Lorillard’s strong Newport brand, Reynolds’ operating companies will have brand portfolios that reflect diversification and strength across product categories and across geographies.”

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. will have the No. 2-4 U.S. traditional cigarette brands in Newport, Camel and Pall Mall, respectively.

Livingston County Housing Authority Free of Smoke

Starting from June 1, Housing Authority Properties in Livingston County, Michigan, became totally smoke-free and it includes its both indoor and outdoor facilities. According to Dale Schrock, housing authority board chairman, they took the decision to make their housing free of tobacco smoke in order to protect residents, visitors and workers from harmful effects of

Australian National University in Canberra to go 'smoke-free' from July

The Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra has used World No Tobacco Day to announce the campus will go smoke-free from the middle of July. The university announced that the smoking ban would cover the entire ANU campus in Canberra as well as remote ANU campuses such as the Mt Stromlo Observatory and Kioloa coastal campus near Batemans Bay. Students from this university prefer slim cigarettes like Vogue http://www.buycigarettes.eu/vogue

Vice-chancellor Professor Ian Young said ANU would go smoke-free from the start of the second semester on July 20.

"The university is announcing our decision to go smoke-free on World No Tobacco Day because we believe it sends a strong message to staff and students about being healthy," he said.

"The university is committed to providing a safe and healthy campus environment for staff, students, contractors and visitors. We feel this will help to address that."

Professor Young said the university would also provide support to staff and students who wished to quit smoking. He said ANU would pay for QUIT courses for staff and PhD students.

Smoking is already prohibited inside ANU buildings and within 10 metres of building entrances. The new policy prohibits all smoking, including electronic cigarettes, in or around any of the university's campuses. But smoking will be allowed in special designated smoking areas around licensed venues and residential colleges. ANU chief operating officer Chris Grange said the university had been thinking about going smoke-free for two years.

"Buildings on campus have been smoke-free for 20 years now and it's time for us to update our treatment of cigarettes," he said.

"Tobacco is just not something that we should have consumed on university campuses.

"I don't necessarily expect 100 per cent support from every staff member and student, but certainly there's an enormous groundswell of support for this measure."

France Approved Smoking Ban on Playgrounds

France began a serious fight with tobacco use in the country. This summer comes into effect new anti-smoking measure which bans use of cigarettes and tobacco products in playgrounds. France is in top of countires in the EU with high smoking rates and the government introduces measures to reduce those rates in the entire country.