Smokers light up for liberties at Queen Street Mall on Saturday

PRO-smoking activists will be handing out free cigarettes in Brisbane's CBD this weekend. But the exercise could be illegal, and anyone who lights up could be slugged with an on-the-spot fine.
Organised by MyChoice Australia, Australian Libertarian Society and Oz and NZ Students For Liberty, National Thank You Smokers Day on Saturday will see free cigarettes handed out at square in Brisbane's George St at noon.

AFTER SIN TAX HIKE | Winston maker says drop in tobacco use way below expectations

Higher excise tax rates may have fueled an increase in government revenues, but tobacco consumption fell at a pace much slower than what Philippine officials were hoping for, according to the Japanese maker of the Winston and Camel brands of cigarettes. In a press briefing last week, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) Philippines general manager Manos Koukourakis said the Aquino administration can exceed its P51.6-billion excise tax collection target for cigarettes this year. "From a government perspective, this is a successful legislative measure, because at the end of the day, it will achieve the target it has. The government in that respect did a good job," Koukourakis said. In the first six months, excise taxes slapped on cigarettes reached P22.4 billion, or 53 percent more than the P14.6 billion raised in the same period last year. The tax take from alcohol products hit P16.2 billion in the first half, or 37 percent more than the P11.8 billion a year ago. Taxes raised from both "sin" products climbed 46 percent from P26.4 billion last year to P38.5 billion this year. But while tax collections improved, cigarette use -- another policy objective of the law hiking sin taxes -- fell in the low double-digits, or way below the government's forecast of halving tobacco consumption. "If we go back one year ago, other companies in the market said that the introduction of excise tax will reduce the consumption of cigarettes by 50 percent. Our company was a little more optimistic, we were thinking about 40 percent," Koukourakis said. At the height of the policy debates over excise taxes, the government cited a University of the Philippines study showing that higher rates would cut tobacco consumption by at least 51 percent. Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp (PMFTC), which accounts for at least eight out of every 10 sticks of cigarette sold in the Philippines, made the same forecast in raising concern about the potential job loss of an increase in taxes.

Lorillard, Inc. Announces Quarterly Dividend on Common Stock

Lorillard, Inc. (NYSE: LO), through its Lorillard Tobacco Company subsidiary, is the third largest manufacturer of cigarettes in the United States. Founded in 1760, Lorillard is the oldest continuously operating tobacco company in the U.S. Newport, Lorillard's flagship premium cigarette brand, is the top selling menthol and second largest selling cigarette in the U.S. In addition to Newport, the Lorillard product line has four additional cigarette brand families marketed under the Kent, True, Maverick and Old Gold brand names. These five brands include 41 different product offerings which vary in price, taste, flavor, length and packaging. Lorillard, through its LOEC, Inc. subsidiary, is also the leading electronic cigarette company in the U.S, marketed under the blu eCigs brand. Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold and blu eCigs are the registered trademarks of Lorillard and its subsidiaries. Lorillard maintains its headquarters and manufactures all of its traditional cigarette products in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Smoke-Free Laws Don’t Harm Restaurants, Bars Economically

Smoke-free laws do not have an adverse economic impact on restaurants and bars, according to a study published online Aug. 1 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
FRIDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Smoke-free laws do not have an adverse economic impact on restaurants and bars, according to a study published online Aug. 1 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
Brett Loomis, from RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and colleagues estimated dynamic panel data models for employment and sale in restaurants and bars using quarterly data from 2000 through 2010. The models controlled for seasonality, cigarette sales, general economic activity, and smoke-free laws. Data were obtained from 216 smoke-free cities and counties, including North Carolina, which was the only state with a statewide law banning smoking in restaurants or bars during the study period.

Kids' exposure to secondhand smoke drops — except among those with asthma

At a time when many Americans have managed to kick the habit, a surprising new government report finds that asthmatic kids are just as likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke as they were a decade ago, especially if they come from poor families. There is some good news, though. During the same time period, secondhand smoke exposure dropped significantly among kids who don't have asthma, according to the report by the National Center for Health Statistics. "What surprised us was that among kids with asthma, secondhand exposure to smoke did not decrease at all," said the report's lead author, Dr. Kenneth B. Quinto, an epidemic intelligence service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "I think we could be doing a better job educating parents with children with asthma about the health effects of secondhand exposure." The new findings are "counterintuitive," said Dr. Sande Okelo, an asthma expert unaffiliated with the new study and an assistant professor of pediatric pulmonology the David Geffen School of Medicine and the Mattel Children's Hospital, both at the University of California, Los Angeles. "I think this would be very unexpected for your average physician, who would assume that the rates of smoking are going down for everyone." Parlimanent cigarettes online .

Across tobacco country, crops wilt from rain

- Jason Elliott had one of his best stands of burley tobacco growing until the rains started. Five days and seven inches of precipitation later, about a quarter of his crop was ruined, trimming thousands of dollars from his payday when he hauls his leaf to market in a few months. 

Reilly expects cigarette pack challenge

Minister for Health James Reilly has said he expects the tobacco industry to challenge his plans to introduce plain packaging of cigarettes in the courts.

Dr Reilly said that “without a shadow of a doubt” the industry would try to stop the measure, but this only proved how much of an impact it would have on its efforts to recruit new smokers.

Anti-smoking groups welcomed the Government’s plans to introduce plain packaging of tobacco products from next year. However, tobacco manufacturers and retailers claimed the move would boost the sale of illegal cigarettes by international criminal gangs because the standardised packaging would be easier to produce.

Ireland is set to become the first country in Europe, and the second in the world after Australia, to introduce plain packaging after the Cabinet yesterday approved proposals presented by Dr Reilly.

Dr Reilly said the legislation to be prepared later this year was justified by the fact that it would save lives. Over 5,200 people die each year in Ireland from tobacco-related diseases.

“The introduction of standardised packaging will remove the final way for tobacco companies to promote their deadly product in Ireland.” he said. “Cigarette packets will no longer be a mobile advertisement for the tobacco industry.”

Standardised packaging will remove all forms of branding, such as trademarks, logos, colours and graphics. The brand name would be presented in a uniform typeface for all brands and the packs would all be in one plain neutral colour.

Strong evidence
Dr Reilly said there was strong evidence the measure would increase the effectiveness of health warnings, reduce false health beliefs about cigarettes and reduce brand appeal, especially among young people.

Plain packaging was one of a number of measures required to “denormalise” smoking in society, he said. Further initiatives in education and awareness, cessation services and an extension of the workplace smoking ban were also being considered.

The international tobacco industry is supporting a number of countries who are challenging the Australian ban at the World Trade Organisation.

Tobacco smuggling
Retail Ireland said the Government was right to do everything it could to reduce the prevalence of smoking, but warned that the measure would make illegally imported cigarettes more attractive.

It said the health initiative should be matched by greater penalties for tobacco smuggling.

The Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Heart Foundation welcomed the proposed legislation, saying it would make children less likely to start smoking.

Attractive packet design was one of the last ways left for the industry to recruit new smokers, the two organisations said, and this meant the legislation was urgently needed.

Research from the UK has found adults and adolescents perceive cigarettes in plain packs to be less appealing .