online generic Levitra SMOKING - Blog » 2007 » August
Browsing by Archives
SMOKING - Blog

Altria May Spin Off International Cigarette Business

News Summary

Philip Morris parent Altria Group is considering a plan to spin off its Philip Morris International business while retaining control of Philip Morris USA. The New York Times reported Aug. 25 that the company views the move as a way to expand its tobacco business more aggressively worldwide without being fettered by tough U.S. regulations and potential litigation. “This is something that has been in the works for years,” said Bonnie Herzog, a tobacco industry analyst at Citigroup. “To me, it’s a done deal.” “It allows Philip Morris International to become much more free to pursue growth opportunities,” added Herzog.  

Filed under: Smoking | No Comments »

N.C. Passes ‘Fire-Safe’ Cigarette Law

News Summary

Traditional tobacco state North Carolina has passed a law requiring tobacco firms to sell only “fire-safe” versions of their cigarettes by 2010, WITN-TV reported Aug. 24. House Bill 1785, signed into law by Gov. Mike Easley, requires that self-extinguishing cigarettes be sold in the state. “Cigarettes are the leading cause of deaths from fires in North Carolina,” said Easley. “By making the change to self-extinguishing cigarettes, it is estimated that as many as 50 fire-related deaths in our state could be prevented each year.” Companies that violate the law could be fined $100,000, while retailers could pay up to $25,000 in fines.

Filed under: Smoking | No Comments »

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Filed under: Smoking | 1 Comment »

Workaholics More Likely to Be Smokers



Men who work more than 50 hours weekly smoke at twice the rate of those who work normal full-time hours, Science Daily reported Aug. 23. Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia also found that those who characterized their work as demanding and had a low level of control over their jobs also were more likely to smoke. Among female workers, smoking risk was tied primarily to having a physically demanding job. “Workplace health promotion programs that encourage employees to give up smoking without reducing job stress would be missing an important opportunity to promote healthy working conditions as well as healthy behaviors,” noted Todd Harper, CEO of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation. The study was published in the August 2007 issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Reference:
Radi, S., Ostry, A., LaMontagne, A.D. (2007) Job stress and other working conditions: Relationships with smoking behaviors in a representative sample of working Australians. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 50(8): 584-596.   This article summarizes a mainstream media report of research published in a scientific journal. It is not an original analysis of the source material, which is cited in the reference above.

Filed under: Smoking | No Comments »

High Court Again Rejects Illinois Tobacco Liability Case

News Summary

A class-action lawsuit against Philip Morris USA has been rejected by the Illinois Supreme Court for a second time, putting the future of the $10.1-billion case in serious doubt, the Belleville News-Democrat reported Aug. 23. In 2003, a circuit court judge awarded a huge judgment against the tobacco company in a class-action lawsuit centered on claims that Philip Morris misled consumers into believing that “light” cigarettes were less harmful than regular ones. In 2005, the Illinois Supreme Court threw the award out on appeal, saying that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission had allowed the used of the term “light.” The plaintiffs’ appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court failed, but they again appealed to the state Supreme Court when a brief in an unrelated case revealed that the FTC never regulated the use of the term “light.” But this week the Illinois high court ruled against another appeal in the case. The plaintiffs could still file a motion arguing that new evidence has come to light in the form of the FTC brief, but it’s not certain if that will happen.

Filed under: Smoking | No Comments »

10th Anniversary of Tobacco Settlement Marked

News Summary

Florida officials recently marked the 10th anniversary of Florida’s landmark settlement with the tobacco industry, which helped spark similar deals across the U.S., the Fort Myers News-Press reported Aug. 21. “It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since the epic battle my father and [former Attorney] General [Bob] Butterworth fought,” said Bud Chiles, former Gov. Lawton Chiles son. Butterworth said Chiles had three goals in pressing for the settlement: restricting advertising aimed at children, truth in advertising about the addictiveness and health consequences of smoking, and compensation for the state’s health costs resulting from smoking. In Florida, money from the settlement helped fund a lauded smoking prevention campaign credited with sharply curtailing youth smoking.

Filed under: Smoking | No Comments »

Smoking Bans Cut Smoking Rates, Canadian Study Finds



Canadian researchers say that smokers who face smoking bans at home or at work are significantly more likely to quit than those who face no restrictions, UPI reported Aug. 21. Statistics Canada researchers analyzed data from the Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey and the National Population Health Survey and found that 20 percent of smokers living in homes that became “smoke-free” had quit two years later, compared to 13 percent of smokers who lived in homes where smoking was permitted. Also, 27 percent of smokers who were barred from smoking at work had quit, compared to 13 percent of those who did not work in smoke-free workplaces. The study was published in the journal Health Reports.

Filed under: Smoking | No Comments »

County snuffs out proposed smoking ban

County snuffs out proposed smoking ban

Good for this county in Missouri! They are standing up to the Health Facists who are trying to ram “healthy” legislation down our throats.

Ironwood,MI — The Ontonagon County Board of Commissioners rejected an anti-smoking ordinance Tuesday against the wishes of the health department.

Ontonagon became the first county in the Western Upper Peninsula District Health Department to reject the clean indoor air regulation. A health department had urged the commissioners to table any action until a public survey could be conducted.

Houghton, Baraga and Gogebic counties have all approved the regulation, but all the counties in the health department district must consent to it before the ordinance can take effect. The ordinance would prohibit smoking indoors at all worksites and public places, with the exception of bars, restaurants and tribal properties.

Former commissioner Al Slye questioned the cost of enforcing the ban with mandated inspections.

“Who enforces the ordinance?” Slye asked. “In my opinion, the (health department) has an ulterior motive, a hidden agenda, and more of this kind of ordinance will come down the line.”

Health department director Guy St. Germain asked the board to postpone action on the ordinance until a survey of county residents could be conducted by an impartial body.

“I am concerned that we not rush into this because everything we read shows that a majority of citizens support the ordinance,” St. Germain said.

He said a majority of states have already passed such an act.

Commissioner Skip Schulz told St. Germain that the health department didn’t ask for a survey from the Village of Ontonagon before the village council voted on the issue, because he already knew the council supported the ordinance.

“You do not have support here, so you want to put it off,” Schulz said.

Schulz also said that in the three months since the county board held a public hearing on the issue, there has been no outcry from the public to support more laws or such a ban.

The board agreed to vote and then defeated the proposal, saying it would be preferable for businesses to voluntarily take action. The motion also suggested it was the health department’s responsibility to convince businesses to voluntarily support a ban.

Commissioner John Pelkola cast the lone dissenting vote.

Filed under: Smoking | No Comments »

Marlboro-Branded Smokeless Tobacco Coming

News Summary

A new moist-snuff product to be released this fall by Philip Morris will bear the Marlboro name and sell for about $3 per can, the Associated Press reported Aug. 21. The Marlboro-branded smokeless tobacco will come in long- and fine-cut varieties and be rolled out in the Atlanta area. “This new type of moist snuff product offering kind of builds on that premium tobacco experience that Marlboro represents,” said Philip Morris USA spokesman David Sutton. Analysts say that the company will “fully cement” its place in the smokeless-tobacco market by leveraging its most famous brand. “We anticipate that PM USA will be able to attract the majority of smokers that will cross over into the smokeless market, as well as attract existing moist users,” said Citibank tobacco industry analyst Bonnie Herzog.

Filed under: Smoking | No Comments »

Canada’s Aim: Cut Smoking to 12 Percent

News Summary

Nineteen percent of Canadians currently smoke, but the government wants to cut that down to 12 percent by 2011, AFP reported Aug. 21. Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement said that the decrease would be achieved through tougher smoking bans and crackdowns on tobacco smuggling. “Reaching a 12 percent smoking rate is a very ambitious goal, but it is by no means unrealistic,” said Clement. “Seeing the great progress we have made over the past few years, I am confident that by putting our renewed Federal Tobacco Control Strategy into action, we can achieve this goal.” The plan also calls for cutting smoking among 15- to 19-year-olds from 15 percent to 9 percent, and to cut secondhand-smoke exposure from 28 percent of the population to 20 percent.

Filed under: Smoking | No Comments »
Next Page »