California to Raise Tobacco Buying Age to 21

California State Capitol wants to adopt a number of statewide anti-smoking laws. Four years ago former state Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger folded his cigar smoking tent on grounds of Capitol and now the sate makes a new step towards reduction of tobacco use. At the beginning, there will be adopted a bill increasing a legal smoking

Tax Collected on Tobacco

Last December, Treasury collected $423 million, while during the next seven months the combined take was $390m. The figures include both imported tobacco and excise from Imperial Tobacco's factory in Petone.

In December 2011 the amount of tax collected on tobacco, at $370m, was more than the following six months combined. Customs Minister Maurice Williamson was not concerned by the tactics. "As long as tobacco companies are abiding by the law then it's up to them how they behave," he said. Smokers interviewed on the subject were baffled to learn that increases in January did not necessarily go to the Government.

For Imperial Tobacco, which runs New Zealand's only cigarette factory, excise is triggered when product crosses a "bond line" in its warehouse, timed at the company's discretion. Brendan Walker, Imperial Tobacco's New Zealand manager, said the company's aim was to ensure it had product when customers wanted it, but he did not dispute there was a windfall opportunity each year.

"We, like any other business, will look at maximising any efficiency we can," he said. A spokeswoman for British American Tobacco, which has close to 75 per cent of the New Zealand market, all with imported products, said the company was focused on paying taxes which were due "in as efficient a way as possible".

US tobacco giant Philip Morris, the manufacturer of Marlboro Red cigarettes, has not replied to written questions. A tobacco industry source said some smokers did buy up large in December, as did retailers, with reports of dairy owners borrowing money from family members to maximise the potential windfall.

But the source conceded the companies used a similar tactic. "Everyone in the chain is speculating," the source said.

Wellington taxi driver William Dunn, who after about 40 years of smoking is struggling to kick his 10-cigarette-a-day habit, said he assumed that when the cost of a pack of cigarettes went up each January, the increase immediately flowed to the Government.

"I'll bet 98 per cent of people think that money is going to the government," Dunn said."You would have thought the tobacco companies are making enough money without having to do that."

Is Hookah Less Harmful Than Cigarettes?

Smoking a "hookah" may be less harmful than a cigarette as it contains lower levels of four toxic metals, claims a new international study released here Monday.

A team of scientists, headed by Joseph Caruso of American Chemical Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, conducted the study on 12 different varieties of hookah tobacco manufactured in the US and Middle East and broke it down to liquid form.

"The test results revealed that hookah tobacco contained fewer toxic metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium and chromium as compared to cigarette tobacco," a spokesperson said.

The outcome of the research was presented to the American Chemical Society (ACS) at its recent meeting, the spokesperson added.

Unlike popular belief that the difference could be due to filtering smoke through water, the research team's finding points to the composition of the hookah shisha itself.

The tobacco for hookah contains molasses, honey and flavouring agents which have lower levels of toxic metals.

The researchers did not detect excess amounts of the toxic metals even in the hookah water.

A growing fad among urban youth, hookah parlours have been banned in several Indian states, including Maharashtra.

Hookah comprises a narghile, shisha and goza which is a water pipe with a smoke chamber, a bowl, a pipe and a hose.

Specially made hookah tobacco is heated in the bowl and smoke passes through water and is then drawn through a rubber by the smoker.

"The new study reiterates that hookah smoke is a less harmful option compared to cigarette smoking. But I would emphasise more on herbal hookahs which are free of tobacco or nicotine as the best alternative," said Shireen Parker, vice-president of Arabian Nights, a leading exotic lifestyle store in Mumbai.

She said that Arabian Nights has launched a range of herbal hookahs which have become very popular among the youth and health conscious young professionals.

Oregon Leading the Nation in Selling Tobacco to Kids

"We need to do regular inspections and more volume of inspections," said Karen Wheeler , an Oregon Health Authority addictions administrator, "which will be happening."

But inspections alone might not solve the problem. Federal reports show the high violation rates predate budget cuts. In 2008, Oregon's 18.8 percent violation rate led the nation.

And while the OSP inspections resumed in 2012, they didn't make an immediate dent in the violation rate, which increased to 22.5 percent. At 23 percent, the federal government could withdraw 40 percent of its substance abuse treatment funding, or about $7 million.

The state could do more to improve, say advocates and state and federal officials.

•     No licensing: Oregon is one of only 13 states that does not require tobacco retailers to get a special license, which helps ensure tobacco sellers get special scrutiny.
•     Poor retailer list: Youth tobacco sales may well be higher than reported. Oregon's list of outlets subject to decoy stings last year was only 75 percent accurate, one of the worst marks in the nation, says anti-smoking coordinator Marsiglia Gray. State officials say it's improving.
•     Few inspections: The state doesn't use decoys to test all tobacco retailers the state knows about, only a sampling. In Minnesota, stings are conducted on every retailer at least once a year.
•     Weak penalties: Oregon's penalty for violating the youth tobacco sales law starts at $100, comparable to other states, according to a survey by the American Lung Association. State officials say typically the fine averages $450. However, the sales clerk is fined, not the store as in some other states. Oregon also doesn't mandate stiffer penalties for repeat offenders as many states do. Repeat offenders in Washington state can lose a tobacco sales license permanently.     
•    Federal funds: Oregon is one of only nine states that hasn't tapped federal funds to support youth tobacco enforcement, though the Legislature last year approved applying, and officials say they are discussing it. Since the program began in 2010, more than $91 million has been awarded. Washington state, for example, has received $3.1 million.

Oregon officials downplay the significance of the report, saying most kids don't get their tobacco from cigarette stores. According to a 2011 state survey, 16.1 percent of 11th graders reported using tobacco in the previous 30 days, and one-third of them purchased it from a store. Most obtained it from friends.

Officials also defend the effectiveness of the state's youth tobacco prevention program, and say youth smoking rates in Oregon, like the rest of the country, continue to go down.

Oregon's 11th grader smoking rate, in which 12 percent of students surveyed reported using tobacco in the previous 30 days, is well below the national average of 19 percent, says Dr. Bruce Gutelius of the Oregon Public Health Division. Among 8th graders, Oregon's figure is 6 to 7 percent; the U.S. average is 5 to 6 percent.

Gutelius thinks the biggest thing Oregon can do to discourage youth smoking is increase its tobacco tax, currently 29th in the nation at $1.18 a pack. That's failed in the Legislature and at the ballot in the past.

War on tobacco worthy, but must not be rushed

IT was not so long ago that secondary school children were allowed to smoke in many of the more "advanced" schools around the country. Staff rooms were also often full of teachers puffing on pipes and cigarettes as pupils regularly entered and left.

Today, the idea of a 17-year-old taking a puff between classes seems as strange as quill pens or the regular floggings that were a feature of the Irish educational system for far too long. The world changes, and tobacco smokers have had to endure more change than most as their habit has moved from socially acceptable to pariah status.

The Government's latest plans to outlaw smoking anywhere in secondary school grounds and near creche facilities is another step in a long-term strategy to "de-normalise" smoking and ensure that fewer than one person in 20 smokes by 2025.

That is a noble objective, but like many others it is one to be pursued carefully.

The prohibition of alcohol in the United States during the 1920s did little more than cement the position of criminal gangs, and serves as a salutary warning. There is already plenty of evidence that high taxes in Ireland are a boon for crooks while also turning many otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals.

There is also the question of equity. Many ordinary smokers deeply resent their outlaw status and insist, not without reason, that their behaviour is likely to be less lethal to others than speeding drivers or alcohol.

That is all true, but the truth is that most smokers wish they could kick the habit, and hundreds of thousands of smokers have done just that thanks to the policy of de-normalising smoking. The gradual escalation of this policy will undoubtedly save more people from premature death while also saving them money.

Health Minister James Reilly has had a mixed tenure in office, but he cannot be faulted for his commitment to fighting tobacco and the tobacco industry. He must now set himself measurable targets so he knows whether he really is on track with this grand ambition.

Now Cameron aide Lynton Crosby’s links to fracking industry are explored

David Cameron came under renewed pressure to sack his party’s elections adviser Lynton Crosby on Sunday night as environmental activists expressed concern about his links to the fracking industry.

Mr Crosby’s lobbying firm, Crosby Textor, represents the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, an oil and gas lobby group campaigning aggressively for fracking. The association’s chief operating officer, Stedman Ellis, has made headlines in recent months for his outspoken criticism of anti-fracking campaigners, telling one Australian paper: “The opportunity provided by shale gas is too important to be jeopardised by political scare campaigns run by activist groups.”

The association’s members include Dart, the company behind coal-bed methane extraction in Scotland, which holds a fracking licence. George Osborne announced tax breaks for the oil and gas industry just weeks after Mr Crosby’s appointment as a Conservative adviser was announced.

Labour will attempt tomorrow to exploit the Tories’ discomfort over their links to Lynton Crosby with a series of amendments to Coalition plans to bring in a statutory register of lobbyists.

The moves follow the disclosure that Mr Crosby’s company is employed by the tobacco giant Philip Morris, the manufacturer of Marlboro cigarettes. Questions have been asked about his role in the decision to shelve Government plans to require tobacco products to be sold in plain packaging.

Labour claimed yesterday that Mr Crosby chaired a meeting last year at which tobacco industry executives discussed how to block plans to force cigarettes to be sold in plain packets. The party alleged the session took place before Christmas, shortly before Mr Crosby was recruited to advise the Conservatives on election strategy.  Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said yesterday: “This is beginning to stink as bad as an old ashtray.”

Warnings on Cigarette Packs in Australia

 Australia has been out in front in requiring graphic imagery on tobacco labels. European Union ministers agreed last month on new rules that would require a health warning that would combine pictures and text and cover 65 percent of the front and back of all cigarette packs, up from 40 percent. The rules require approval by the European Parliament.

In the United States, a 2009 law empowered the Food and Drug Administration to require large graphic and text warnings on the top half of the front and back of cigarette packs. But as federal courts have wrestled with the details of that law in challenges by the tobacco industry, the F.D.A. has not yet imposed a final set of labeling requirements.

Tobacco is taxed heavily in Australia, where smokers spend about 16 Australian dollars, or $14.70, for a pack of cigarettes. Partly as a result, smoking rates in Australia have declined. Last year, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 20.4 percent of adult men were smokers and 16.3 percent of adult women smoked.

In the United States, the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the smoking rate was 21.5 percent among adult men and 17.3 percent for adult women.

Smoking is also banned in nearly all enclosed public spaces in Australia, including restaurants, bars, sporting facilities and places of business.

Lorillard Received FDA Approval for New Products

This week Lorillard Inc. declared that is has received from FDA a notification about two of its tobacco products (non-menthol cigarettes) that were found “substantially equivalent” to tobacco products previously permitted to be sold on the USA market. The finding made by FDA allows Lorillard to start marketing of the new products, which do correspond

Supermarkets launch ban to display cigarettes

Supermarkets were banned from displaying cigarettes and other tobacco products after new rule became effective on April, 29. Public Health Minister Michael Matheson states that this step is the “right step” to discourage the younger generation from start smoking. The open display ban was implemented as part of the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland)

Tobacco Review

Tobacco is a large perennial herbaceous blooming plant that belongs to the solanaceae or nightshade family. It is the world’s most commonly grown non-food plant and is selected by growers from more than 120 countries due to its performance under broadly different climatic and soil conditions to fulfill the requirements of many various markets. The

A licence to smoke

Sydney University public health expert Simon Chapman has prompted the Australian government to provide smokers with yearly licences that would identify the quantity of cigarettes they could purchase. Giving up the licence would be compensated with the payment of all the fees paid. If you give up smoking at 40, for example, you might be

Holyrood vow to snuff out tobacco habit in Scotland

Smokers could confront tougher limitations on smoking as the Scottish Government intends to extinguish the habit over the next two decades. On November 26, SNP ministers affirmed plans to release a timetable in 2013 on making Scotland smoke-free. No details of the date or exact suggestions to reach the goal have been revealed. Public health

Farmers find tobacco growing financially more rewarding

In spite of controversies around the tobacco cultivation, growers in Bangladesh consider it to be financially more profitable than other crops, as outlined by a review released lately by the Policy Research Institute (PRI). The mean income of tobacco farmers is close to 30 per cent higher than non-tobacco farmers, the review stated mostly based