Japan Tobacco to buy UK e-cigarette brand E-Lites

With summer in full swing, smokers may wonder whether they can light up during certain outdoor events.  According to the recently passed ordinance, smoking is only banned in enclosed places. Debra Bradley, health director, said there is no provision that prohibits smoking in public parks.  “It’s just enclosed places,” she said. 

Those who do choose to smoke in parks, however, still need to stay at least five feet away from doors, windows and air intake systems.  St. Joseph voters in April passed a clean air ordinance that banned smoking in all indoor places of employment, except for the St. Jo Frontier Casino gaming floor. It garnered nearly 53 percent of the votes. 

Ms. Bradley said some citizens may be confused that the title of Section 17-327 —”Application of article to City-Owned Facilities and Property” —does not specifically clarify indoor or enclosed property.  “The meat of the paragraph is what is the law,” she said.  It reads: “All enclosed areas, including buildings and vehicles owned, leased or operated by the City of St. Joseph shall be subject to the provisions of this article.”  So events like tonight’s Parties on the Parkway at the Southwest Parkway or this weekend’s Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival at Felix Street Square will still be smoking areas.

 However, there is a provision in the ordinance (Sec. 17-334) that allows for any “owner, operator, manager, or other person in control” of an outdoor area to declare it a nonsmoking zone.  “If the people who are running the program want to make it a nonsmoking event, they could,” Ms. Bradley said. “If they chose to be nonsmoking, they don’t have to have a sign.”

‘Mental illness more potent killer than heavy smoking’

“We found that many mental health diagnoses are associated with a drop in life expectancy as great as that associated with smoking 20 or more cigarettes a day,” said Seena Fazel from Oxford University.
The researchers looked for the best systematic reviews of clinical studies which reported mortality risk for a whole range of diagnoses – mental health problems, substance and alcohol abuse, dementia, autistic spectrum disorders, learning disability and childhood behavioural disorders.
They repeated searches for studies and reviews reporting life expectancy and risk of dying by suicide, and compared the results to the best data for heavy smoking.
The average reduction in life expectancy in people with bipolar disorder was between 9-20 years, it is 10-20 years for schizophrenia, between 9-24 years for drug and alcohol abuse, and around 7-11 years for recurrent depression.
The loss of years among heavy smokers was 8-10 years, they found.
“High-risk behaviours are common in psychiatric patients, especially drug and alcohol abuse, and they are more likely to die by suicide,” Fazel said.
“The stigma surrounding mental health may mean people aren’t treated as well for physical health problems when they do see a doctor,” he added.

American Tobacco Company

American Tobacco Company, American industrial conglomerate that was once the world’s largest cigarette maker.
The history of the American Tobacco Company traces to the post-Civil War period in North Carolina, when a Confederate veteran, Washington Duke, began trading in tobacco. In 1874 he and his sons, Benjamin N. Duke and James Buchanan Duke, built a factory and in 1878 formed the firm of W. Duke, Sons & Co., one of the first tobacco companies to introduce cigarette-manufacturing machines.
Entering the “cigarette war,” the Dukes eventually established the American Tobacco Company in 1890, with James as president. Through mergers and purchases, the Duke brothers eventually acquired corporate control of virtually the entire American tobacco industry—some 150 factories in all. In 1911, however, after five years of litigation, a U.S. Court of Appeals judged this tobacco trust in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and ordered it dissolved. The main manufacturers to emerge, in addition to American, were R.J. Reynolds, Liggett & Myers, and Lorillard.
In 1916 American introduced its most popular cigarette brand, Lucky Strike, and in 1939 it introduced one of the first king-size cigarettes, Pall Mall (an old name reapplied to a new cigarette). The sales of these two brands made American Tobacco the most successful cigarette manufacturer of the 1940s. The company failed to establish equally strong brands of filter cigarettes in the 1950s, however, and by the 1970s it had slipped to a minor position among U.S. tobacco makers. With further diversification and dilution in the later decades of the 20th century, the company—which had been renamed American Brands in 1969—took on a different identity, and by the end of the century it had become known as Fortune Brands, formally departing from the tobacco industry.

15 Facts About The Cigarette Industry That Will Blow Your Mind

Though cigarette consumption is no where near as prevalent as it was in the last century, the tobacco industry is still raking in massive money. It made $614 billion in 2009.
Cigarette consumption in the U.S. may be in decline, but according to Citi this has simply forced tobacco companies like Phillip Morris to find other markets, mostly in emerging countries like Indonesia and the Philippines.
China too is a booming market for cigarette consumption, with its size quadrupling since the 1970s.

Australian court throws out cigarette plain packaging challenge

Tobacco group have experienced important hold up in their effort to block UK Government strategies to initiate plain packaging for cigarettes, after they misplaced an officially allowable confront to avoid analogous events in Australia.

The overwhelm in Australia will make it more difficult for businesses comprising Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and British American Tobacco (BAT) to put off Britain from accepting its own hard anti-smoking events.

Under laws that come into effect this December, Australia will become the first country to require cigarettes to be sold in drab, olive packets with graphic health warnings and no logos.
The laws have been tipped to trigger an “olive revolution”, with similar measures being considered in Britain, Canada, New Zealand, China, France, India, South Africa, Norway and Uruguay.
Australia’s High Court yesterday dismissed a challenge by BAT, Imperial Tobacco, Philip Morris and JTI.
The companies claimed that the laws unlawfully extinguished the value of their trademarks without providing compensation.
The court has not yet released its reasons but published its finding and awarded costs against the tobacco companies.
The ruling saw shares in both BAT and Imperial fall nearly 2pc.
The decision was hailed by the Australian government as a “massive victory” which would save lives and help reduce smoking rates. It clears the way for the government to ban all brand marks and logos on cigarette packets from Dec 1.
The packets will feature large graphic health warnings while the brand name will be written in a small generic font.
“This is good news for every Australian parent who worries about their child picking up an addictive and deadly habit,” said Australia’s Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon.
BAT said there was no evidence that plain packaging prevents people from smoking and called for a review of the laws.
The London-listed group also argued that the Australian decision should not impact its case against plain packaging in the UK.
“There are still significant domestic and European Union-based legal obstacles to the introduction of plain packaging in the UK, notwithstanding the Australian High Court decision, which consequently should have no bearing on the UK Department of Health’s consultation on plain packaging,” it said.

Menthol cigarettes and onscreen smoking…not kool

Cigarette smoking continues to be a major cause of preventable illness and death in the United States.
The rate of cigarette smoking has decreased over the last few years in adults, but not for youth and African Americans. According to the surgeon general’s 2012 report, each day in the U.S., 3,800 young people (ages 17 and under) smoke for the first time, and approximately 1,000 become daily smokers.
Among young adults (18-25), the rate of menthol cigarette use has continued to increase, with the highest rates among African Americans. A majority of new African American smokers reportedly smoke menthol cigarettes.
Menthol is an additive that enhances the flavor of tobacco. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded that the cooling and numbing effects produced by menthol reduces the harshness of smoking, which may make quitting more difficult.
In 2009, the Tobacco Control Act banned cigarettes containing certain flavoing, such as clove, fruit and candy, but menthol was not included in the ban. Since the 1960s, tobacco companies have targeted the African American community with menthol cigarette advertising and promotional materials.
We can see such ads today in many Afrocentric magazines, at ethnic music festivals and events and in convenience stores in communities of color. Examples of menthol cigarette brands include Kool, Salem, Newport and Marlboro menthol.
The preference among African American for menthol-flavored cigarettes crosses all socio?demographic and smoking?related categories, whether stratified by income, age, gender, marital status, region of the country, educational level, age of initiation, and length of time smoking.
Another troublesome trend is the increase in onscreen. The surgeon general has found a causal relationship between depictions of smoking in the movies and smoking initiation in youth. Young people who are heavily exposed to onscreen smoking are 2-3 times more likely to begin smoking than youth who are lightly exposed.
Onscreen tobacco use also was on the decline from 2005-2010, but published data for 2011 showed a rebound in tobacco use in youth-rated movies -- more than one-third higher than in 2010.
What can you do to help?
First, if you smoke or use smokeless tobacco, quit. Most states have programs to assist with smoking/tobacco cessation. In North Carolina, QuitlineNC, www.quitlinenc.com, provides free cessation services. QuitCoaching is a program available in different forms, which can be used separately or together, to help tobaccos user kick the habit.
Second, talk to your children about the dangers of smoking. If you smoke, understand that children of tobacco users have higher rates of smoking, have increased incidence of respiratory illnesses and more severe asthma.
Finally, take action. Speak out against the way tobacco companies target the African American community.

In Children’s Hands, E-Cigarettes Can Be Deadly

Poison centers are experiencing a spike in calls concerning children exposed to liquid nicotine, from one call a month in September 2010, to 215 calls a month in February 2014. The new findings are just the latest in increasing skepticism over e-cigarettes' safety

Update: Thursday April 3, 2014 4:00 p.m.
E-cigarettes have been criticized for targeting children, since many brands come in bright colors, and candy and fruit flavors. While some worry about tempting kids with an addictive habit, e-cigs can also be deadly for them.
On Thursday, the CDC released a report indicating a “dramatic” rise in e-cigarette-related calls to U.S. poison centers, from one call a month in September 2010 to 215 calls a month in February 2014. More than half of the calls involved children age five and under, while 42% involved people ages 20 and older. The nicotine in e-cigarette comes in a liquid form, which when ingested can lead to vomiting, nausea, and eye irritation.
“E-cigarette liquids as currently sold are a threat to small children because they are not required to be childproof,” said CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden in a statement. “Use of these products is skyrocketing and these poisonings will continue.”
The study follows a New York Times report about the dangers that “e-liquids” pose, where small amounts can cause vomiting and larger amounts can lead to seizures and even death. “A teaspoon of even highly diluted e-liquid can kill a small child,” according to the Times.
The new findings are just the latest in increasing skepticism over e-cigarettes’ safety. The support for these cigarette alternatives is manifold: people argue they are are healthier than conventional ones because they don’t contain tar and tobacco, that pushing people towards lower spectrum nicotine carriers is ultimately better, and that they may help people kick their conventional smoking habit.
But evidence against them is mounting. Just last month, a small study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine reported that smoking e-cigs doesn’t help people smoking conventional cigarettes quit. Another study found that young people who smoke e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke regular cigarettes as well. Whether e-cigs are a gateway to the real thing remains unclear.
It’s too early for a definitive conclusion on e-cigarettes’ full spectrum of risks and benefits, but the CDC warns that they may be an emerging public health issue. In response to the study and growing concerns over safety, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg pushed senators at a Congressional budget hearing on Thursday to allow the FDA to establish regulation authority over e-cigarettes, Reuters reports. The FDA’s proposed rule is currently being reviewed by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.