Research uncovers tobacco companies’ tactics to undermine tobacco control in Czech Republic

The University’s Tobacco Control Research Group uncovered ongoing interference from British American Tobacco and Philip Morris to influence tobacco tax policies, which are one of the most effective means of reducing tobacco consumption. They found the corporations collaborated with broader tobacco interests to keep tobacco taxes low and lobbied competitively for tobacco tax structures that would favour their brands. They also found evidence that Philip Morris ignored, overturned and weakened the Czech policymakers’ attempts to restrict tobacco advertising, promoting voluntary restrictions as an alternative to binding legislation.

 The research comes from the first study to examine tobacco industry influence in the Czech Republic, which is published in PLoS Medicine this week. The findings demonstrate that major tobacco companies were quick to enter the Czech tobacco market, following a decision to privatise state-controlled tobacco interests in the early 1990s, and immediately worked to shape policies in their favour. The research, led by Risako Shirane and Professor Anna Gilmore at Bath, is based on an analysis of internal tobacco company documents (released through litigation in the US) and key informant interviews. First author of the paper, Risako Shirane said: “Tobacco excise policy is perhaps one of the most complicated and least understood areas of tobacco control, and this makes policymakers particularly susceptible to tobacco industry influence.

 “Our research builds on a wealth of previous studies demonstrating that tobacco companies are primarily driven by the pursuit of increased profits, which means their ability to influence policy usually has devastating consequences for public health.” According to the World Health Organization, smoking causes approximately 18,000 premature deaths per year – equivalent to 50 deaths per day – in the Czech Republic. Overall, 26 per cent of all male deaths and 10 per cent of all female deaths are attributable to tobacco use. Tobacco control has remained extremely weak in the Czech Republic, with the country’s policies recently being ranked the fourth least effective in Europe The Czech Republic is also the only European Union Member State not yet to have approved a World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control – a widely embraced international treaty that sets out concrete steps for governments to curb tobacco use.

Cigarettes have become increasingly affordable in the Czech Republic since 1991, and cigarette sales remain high without a strong tobacco control policy. Dr Hana Ross, of American Cancer Society, conducted key-informant interviews which confirmed the findings and suggested that policy interference by tobacco companies remains ongoing in the Czech Republic, with tobacco companies continuing to enjoy high-level political support. Principal Investigator, Professor Gilmore, argues the results highlight that officials in the Czech Republic need to work harder to ensure tobacco control policies are informed by independent advice and protected from undue tobacco industry interference.

Innokin Leo Pro Enters Russia E Cigarette Market

Innokin announced the sale of Leo Pro in February, now Innokin Leo Pro has stepped into the electronic cigarette market of Russia. The new Leo Pro atomizers, together with their renowned tanks, are also more compatible with other models and can work with more capacious batteries than the previous models. Innokin Leo pro has a few interesting features which make it more competitive than the popular eGo cigarette.

 Leo Pro owns several interesting features that set it apart from ordinary e-cigarettes. First is the beautiful cap - both on the handle - it protects the atomizer from physical damage during transport of cigarettes. In contrast to conventional Innokin Lea, the cap here is not fixed to the device. This means that it can be used on other models. Components of cigarette Leo PRO The battery of Leo PRO has a capacity of 1000 mAh and it can be charged directly via USB while using cigarettes.

1000 mAh battery will last for a whole day for almost any vapers. The size of the battery continues to be compact enough! It is the same as the eGo 650 mAh in length but a little wider. Once the battery begins to run out, the cigarette will tell the users about it by changing the LED color on the body (green => yellow => red).

When charging, the same will light up the LED lights, but in the opposite direction. If the LED is completely shut down, it means that the charging process is over. If desired, the battery can be turned off completely. Press the power button three times; the unit will completely turn off; repeating the same procedure will enable it.

Police smoke out illegal cigarettes

Order cigarettes only at tobacco discount shop: ordercigarettes.beeplog.de.

Police on Tuesday seized 771 cartons of untaxed or illegal cigarettes — some of which were tucked behind mirrored compartments — at three Glendale tobacco shops. More than 200 untaxed and illegal cigarette cartons were found hidden in a remote-controlled, mirrored compartment at Palmer Gifts on the 1000 block of East Palmer Avenue, Glendale Police Sgt. Manny Fernandez said. Several hundred more cartons were also discovered hidden in a cubbyhole behind a mirror at Cigarette Zone on the 1200 block of South Glendale Avenue, he added.

 “They obviously went to great lengths to conceal it,” Fernandez said. Finally, about 35 illegal cartons were discovered at B & Z Tobacco Shop on the 900 block of East Broadway. Some of the cigarettes seized are not legal for sale in California — including some foreign brands — while others were missing the required tax stamp. Citations were issued to the business owners for the illegal or untaxed cigarettes, he added.

Penalties could include fines up to $50,000, up to a year in jail and suspension or revocation of a tobacco license, according to the California Board of Equalization. Police notified the bureau, which regulates and issues licenses for tobacco sales, after finding several untaxed packs of cigarettes during traffic stops last month, Fernandez said. Officers from Glendale’s Special Enforcement Detail, along with the board, searched 19 local shops.

Allowing such compliance searches are a condition of having a license to tell tobacco. The business owners were likely purchasing the cartons on the black market from licensed distributors or wholesalers, and were failing to report them to the board to avoid paying taxes, Fernandez said. By not paying taxes, the business owners could make a larger profit on the carton sales, he added. “It makes it tough for legitimate businesses to make a living,” Fernandez said.

Proposed smoking law threatens rights

Proposed legislation which would effectively criminalise smoking outside one's home threatens individual rights, the Free Market Foundation (FMF) said on Thursday. “We should not lose perspective on the question of how restrictive a society we want to create,” executive director Leon Louw said in a statement. “How far do we want to allow government to trespass on our constitutional rights and reduce individual autonomy, especially to the extent of controlling what can be perceived as self-destructive behaviour?”

Louw said the department of health’s proposed new laws, in the Tobacco Products Control Act, would “infringe disproportionately” on the rights of individuals and private property owners. The regulations would criminalise smoking in any building, outdoor venue, public or private beach, outdoor drinking or eating area, park, walkway, parking area, or within ten metres of any doorway or window. This would render the provisions businesses had made to accommodate the present smoking laws obsolete.

 “Of concern to the FMF is the impact of the regulations on businesses, especially within the hospitality industry, incorporating restaurants, bars, nightclubs and casinos,” Louw said. Even establishments catering exclusively to smokers would be banned and put out of business. The deadline for comment on the proposed legislation is Friday. Louw said the laws would conflict with the constitutionally enshrined rights to dignity, privacy and freedom of association, which were integral to South Africa's democratic “open society, based on human dignity and freedom”. 


The FMF was also concerned the wording of the act was “too vague” to be enforceable. For example, “the draft regulation that prohibits smoking on public bathing beaches within 50 metres from the closest person ‘near’ the demarcated swimming area, is too uncertain,” Louw said. “How can we allow laws that will undoubtedly harm our country’s economy by putting people out of business and make our unemployment situation even worse?” Anyone convicted of puffing in a no-smoking zone would be liable to a R500 fine, while a person in control of an indoor public place where illicit smoking occurred could get a fine of up to R100 000.

Northeast Tulare tobacco store burglarized

Two burglars broke into a northeast Tulare tobacco store, taking an undetermined amount of cigarettes Wednesday morning. Police said officers responded to Omega Tobacco, 1209 North Cherry St., for a burglary report. The front glass door had been smashed and burglars went in, taking the cigarettes. The burglars left before officers arrived. The break in was reported at 1:06 a.m. Wednesday.

The incident at Omega Tobacco is the second burglary of tobacco products in Tulare in less than a week. On Sunday morning, CVS Pharmacy, located at 2175 East Bardsley Ave., was broken into and cigarettes were stolen. Tulare Police Sgt. Darron Altermatt said detectives will investigate and try to determine if the two instances are related. No arrests have been made in either burglary.

Local convenience store fined for illegal tobacco sales

A local convenience store near Perkins in southeast Memphis was fined by the police department for selling tobacco to minors. An underage customer walked into M & M Express and asked to purchase a pack of cigarettes.

The customer, who was able to buy the tobacco without being asked for identification, took the action to help the police catch employees breaking the laws against selling teenager tobacco and alcohol. After the purchaser left the store, the Memphis Police Department immediately moved in and advised the store clerk that they had been part of an investigation being carried out by the Project Safe Neighborhood unit.

Though no arrests were made in the incident, the store was fined, and is expected to pay the fine. This was not the first time that someone in the neighborhood convenience store has been caught selling tobacco to underage customers. The store was also fined a few years ago, when another employee, who was subsequently terminated, committed the same offense. In the state of Tennessee, a person who is caught selling tobacco to any person under 18 years of age can be fined up to $2,500 for each offense.

After the third offense, the person may be banned for selling tobacco to anyone for up to five years after their conviction date. It is also the responsibility of store owners to educate their employees on the consequences of selling tobacco to minors, and explain the forms of identification that are acceptable when someone wishes to purchase tobacco products.

Dumaguete City observe World No Tobacco Month celebration

This year’s culmination of World No Tobacco Month and Blue Ribbon Awarding ceremony will take place on June 29 with a street parade in Dumaguete City. The activity banners the theme, “Stop Tobacco Industry Interference,” based in World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 5.3 The following concerned agencies Negros Oriental Tobacco Control and Smoke Free Advocates Alliance (NegOrTocSa), Department of Health Center for Health Development-Central Visayas, Negros Oriental Integrated Provincial Health, and city government of Dumaguete are spearheading the said event.

 According to Dumaguete City Administrator William Ablong, the activity will be highlighted with a city street parade at 2 p.m. on Friday, from the Rizal Boulevard as the starting point and it will end up at the Freedom Park at Capitol Ground to be followed by a program and live band concert.

Joining the parade, Ablong said, will be contingents from the cities and municipalities with smoke-free ordinance, health officials, students, city and provincial officials. Assistant Secretary Dr. Enrique Tayag of DOH will be the keynote speaker and Dr. Lashmin Legaspi, DOH Assistant Regional Director, will give the rationale of the World No Tobacco Month Celebration, while Dumaguete Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria and Governor Roel Degamo will also give their messages. According to World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco use is one of the leading preventable causes of death.

The global tobacco epidemic kills nearly six million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are people exposed to second-hand smoke. Unless we act, it will kill up to eight million people by 2030, of which more than 80 percent will come from low- and middle-income countries, he said.

World No Tobacco Month celebrations will educate policy-makers and the general public about the tobacco industry's nefarious and harmful tactics and WHO will urge countries to put the fight against tobacco industry interference at the heart of their efforts to control the global tobacco epidemic. Blue Ribbon Campaign Awarding of Recognition, also be given for those cities and municipalities whose effort continues for the implementation of the smoke free ordinance and to be followed by the live band concert to culminates the program.

Mother says her son was smoking synthetic drugs before he died

It's a mother's worst nightmare – hearing a knock at your door to find troopers standing there, waiting to tell you your only son has died in a car crash. That's exactly what happened to one Grimesland woman last week and now she's opening up for the first time. Serena Holt remembers the final phone call from her only son, Patrick Ham. "He said, ‘Okay, Mama.’ I said, ‘I love you, Pat.’ He said, ‘I love you, too, Mom.’ And that was the last time I talked to him." Investigators say the 20-year-old was speeding when his Jeep hit a tree, flipped and caught fire.

They say he died on impact. "I was upset,” Holt says. “I was mad. I wanted to tear something up. I wanted to cry. But, none of the emotions would come out. I kept telling them to pinch me and wake me up because it wasn't real. Patrick was going to come home but he never did.” The medical examiner's report is not complete yet, but investigators say they've been able to piece together what likely happened. "We were able to determine that the victim had used legal Spice, which is synthetic cannabinoids, during the day and prior to the crash," says Highway Patrolman Steven Ziemba. Spice, also known as K2 or Kush, is a synthetic drug that's often marketed as incense. When smoked, its effects are similar to marijuana such as paranoia, panic attacks and giddiness.

 The drug was outlawed in North Carolina last year, but investigators say Ham used a new, legal version of it the day he died. "The manufacturers tweaked it,” says Holt, “put a couple of different chemical compounds on it and put it back on the shelf. That's what took my baby away from me." Holt says a friend of Ham's confirmed they had been smoking Spice all afternoon. "There was no evidence of him hitting his breaks,” Holt says. So we're thinking maybe that, he blacked out." "I couldn't see him afterwards,” she says. “They wouldn't allow me, so i couldn't say my goodbyes. And it's heartbreaking…it’s heartbreaking." Spice is easy to get.

Tobacco shops sell it and with one quick Google search, I found multiple websites selling the drug for about $20. Alcohol Law Enforcement agents I talked with say the drug is popular because it's undetectable in drug tests. They say the new version doesn’t contain the illegal compounds, so they can’t arrest anyone for buying it. They say right now, the most law enforcement could do is arrest someone for inhaling the drug’s toxic vapors under the state’s inhalant statute. But they would actually have to see someone smoking it.

Now Holt is determined to spread the word about a synthetic drug that she says led to her son's death. And she wants other parents to know the harmful effects it can have. "It's just not right,” she says. “And my son would want me sitting right here, talking to you. If he had known what it was going to do to him, this is what he would want me to do. He would want it off the market. He would want his friends to know not to smoke it."

Area smokers could pay more on health insurance

Marlboro cigarettes for cheap price in packs and cartons: http://marlborocigarettes.bytepub.com
Big changes are being made to the health insurance plans of many area employers. This means some employees will be penalized and others will be rewarded. Smoking costs the U.S. billions of dollars annually, the Centers for Disease Control estimates an employee with the bad habit costs and employer 18-percent more. In an effort to save money and encourage living a health lifestyle more and more area employers are taking action. Smoking is known as a costly bad habit, now it could end up costing you even more.

 "This is a trend you'll be finding going on around the country. It's a way of cutting costs as best you can. So much of the healthcare costs are attributed to tobacco use," says Harvey Hudspeth, Human Resources, West Texas A&M University. Employers we spoke with say there are several benefits. "If you can help employees improve their health then you get the benefit of their increased potential productivity. You also have them more focused on work whenever they're not focused on health issues that they've incurred through tobacco use," says Harvey Hudspeth, Human Resources, West Texas A&M University.

 Within the next few months, tobacco users who work at West Texas A&M will have to pay $30 more monthly. AISD will begin charging smokers $25 more but there are ways to get their premium reduced. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center has just implemented the change. "Thirty dollars for the employee, thirty dollars if their spouse is a tobacco user and thirty dollars if they have one or more children who smoke or use tobacco," says Devona Smith, Human Resources, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. 

Texas Oncology has become a non-smoking campus and requires their employees to be a certain amount of feet away from the building to smoke. They are charged $200 more a month. In addition, area railroad company, Union Pacific is going one step farther... They have decided not to hire smokers at all. Some employers like AISD, the City of Amarillo and area doctors say they also have wellness benefit programs; meaning if you are a non-smoker, have a certain body mass index, or participate in fitness activities you could receive incentives like a lower deductible.

Cigarette smuggling suspects under spotlight

A pair charged three times over the past three months with transporting cigarettes over state lines -- including twice in Somerset County -- is being touted as an example of why Maryland needs harsher penalties for smugglers. Stephon Leroy Wilkins, 49, and Chaniqua R. Rhodes, 40, both of Bronx, N.Y., were arrested twice on Route 13 in Princess Anne and a third time while traveling on Interstate 95 in Harford County. "This is a prime example of why we need stronger penalties for cigarette smuggling," Franchot said in a press release.

"Unfor-tunately, the minor penalties involved in this illegal activity cause some unscrupulous individuals to thumb their noses at state law." Both Interstate 95 and Route 13 are conduits for smugglers bringing cigarettes from Virginia where the state tax is a lot lower, said Caron Brace, a spokeswoman for Franchot's office. Smugglers can make a lot of money by reselling the cigarettes in states where the taxes are a lot higher, she said. Maryland residents are allowed to bring two packs of cigarettes over state lines and nonresidents are allowed one carton, while people in the military are allowed two cartons. But Brace said police and the Comptroller's Office aren't going after residents who may bring in more than the legal limit.

 "The people we're pulling over have thousands of packs in their cars," she said. Wilkins and Rhodes were first stopped on March 5 on Route 13 in Princess Anne by Maryland State Police on a traffic violation. From this stop, both were arrested and 5,800 packs of cigarettes worth $34,684 were seized. They were later released on unsecured bonds. On April 2, they were stopped again on Route 13 in Princess Anne on a traffic violation. Police seized 4,690 packs of cigarettes worth $28,046, and Wilkins and Rhodes were held on $10,000 bond. On June 4, they were stopped for a traffic violation while traveling north on Interstate 95 in Harford County. Police arrested the two and seized 3,950 packs of cigarettes worth $23,621.

This time, Rhodes was released on a $15,000 full bond and Wilkins was released on a $10,000 full bond. Currently, the crime of transporting cigarettes in Maryland is a felony, which carries a $50 per carton fine and/or two years imprisonment. The crime of possession of contraband cigarettes is a misdemeanor, carrying a $1,000 fine and/or imprisonment, not exceeding one year. Both defendants were charged with both of these crimes on all three occasions. Franchot has proposed a mandatory $150 per carton fine for the first offense and a mandatory $300 fine for subsequent offenses, as well as up to two years in prison for both crimes. "Cigarette smuggling is a lucrative operation for criminals due, in part, to the minor consequences they face if caught," Franchot said. "Penalties for this crime must be tougher in order to snuff out this public health and safety risk."

Cigarettes lead to odd shooting

A nonstop nightmare kept Jack tossing and turning. Over and over, he dreamed that he'd been shot. And all the while, he kept scratching his leg. Semiconscious, he didn't understand the connection. But sometimes, dreams are weird and wild. And sometimes, so is life. It was no dream. The night before, the 42-year-old Peorian got shot after a long night of tavern drinking. But instead of seeking medical help, he just walked home and went to bed. He didn't go to the hospital until the next day. The reason for the gunfire?

A stick-up over a cigarette. "It was just crazy," he says. It's even crazier that he escaped more serious injury by double gunfire at point-blank range. And even with the injury, he somehow missed only one day of work. Jack isn't his real name, which we'll leave out here because he is the victim. He lives in the 800 block of South Olive Street with his wife. The night of June 12, he spent several hours knocking back drinks at a couple of bars near his residence.

According to a police report, he described himself as "extremely intoxicated" when he walked home about 9 p.m. But just as he was about to step inside his place, he realized he was down to just one cigarette. That wouldn't do. So, he decided to hoof it to a gas station to get a fresh pack of Pall Malls. At West Antoinette and South Warren streets, he was approached by a male. Jack couldn't describe him much to police, because of his hazy condition that night, But he told me the guy looked to be just 13 or 14 years old. The youth asked for a cigarette.

On Peoria's streets, that's often just a line robbers use to get close to a potential victim. But in this case, the youth seemed legitimately interested in a smoke. Still, Jack said he couldn't help him out: He had just fired up his final cigarette. Even so, the youth told Jack to hand over the slightly used cigarette. But Jack - 5 feet 7 inches and 130 pounds - declined. At that, the youth drew a pistol and fired twice. Shocked by the sudden gunshots, Jack felt a sting in his thigh. "I thought it just grazed me," Jack says. At that, his memory again gets a little foggy, as can happen with a mix of heavy drinking and sudden gunplay. As he best recalls now, the gunman ran off.

Proper cigarette disposal could have prevented $8M fire

Cigarettes cost about 30 cents each, but one of them sparked a huge Gilbert fire that tore through a plumbing warehouse Monday. A campaign called Don't Trash Arizona said it takes little effort to dispose of a cigarette properly, but too often people put them out on the ground and leave them there. And as evidenced this week with the Gilbert fire, the consequences can be devastating.

 "It only takes one to cause significant damage," said Kelly Taft, who is with the campaign Don't Trash Arizona, a partnership between the Maricopa Association of Governments and the Arizona Department of Transportation. She said about 500 bags of trash are picked up on Valley roadways every weekday, and cigarette butts account for about a third of that trash. "The heat plays a factor, and we've got the monsoon winds, so you might think you're throwing a cigarette butt on the pavement, but it can blow into brush," Taft said. She added that when a person is done lighting up, don't just throw the cigarette on the ground and walk away.

 "Make sure that the cigarette butt is out and then toss them, don't leave it on the ground," she said. Taft also told us those cigarettes take years to decompose and pose some serious environmental risks: They can affect our water supply and even make wildlife sick if animals eat them. So how did investigators know a tiny butt was to blame?

 "There were some surveillance videos that were taken actually from the business where the fire originated, as well as from some local businesses in the area," said Capt. Mark Justus with the Gilbert Fire Department. Witnesses helped, too, and although knowing the cause is one step closer to justice, it doesn't repair the millions of dollars in damage this business sustained. "Somebody being careless basically changed the outcome of the next several years of the course of his life and how his business is operating," Justus said.

Rockford Police Bust Businesses for Selling Cigarettes to Minors

On Monday, June 18, 2012, the Rockford Police Department Community Services Unit and M3 Street Teams Unit combined efforts with the Winnebago County Health Department to conduct tobacco compliance checks at tobacco retailers in the City of Rockford. During the checks, revenue from the Winnebago County Health Department and minors employed by the Winnebago County Health Department were utilized to make controlled purchases of cigarettes from these businesses.

Over 140 stores were checked in the City of Rockford. The following stores sold cigarettes to minors and the clerks at the following businesses were issued citations for “Sale of Tobacco Products to Minors”
Read more about cigarettes sold to minors: http://www.cigarettesflavours.com/youth-cigarettes-smoking/somerset-shell-station-penalized-for-selling-cigarettes-to-minors/

Stub out tobacco donations to political parties, health activists say

India's leading cigarette manufacturer, ITC Ltd, made financial contributions of Rs. 6.78 crore in the last two years to all major political parties in the country, causing public health activists here to question the possible interference of tobacco companies “in the Central government's efforts to bring in tougher anti-tobacco laws in the country.” Figures disclosed by ITC Ltd — and released recently by activists as part of their campaign against tobacco — note that the company paid the Indian National Congress (Rs. 3 crore), the Bharatiya Janata Party (Rs. 2.50 crore), the Samajwadi Party (Rs. 0.42 crore), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (Rs. 0.33 crore), the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ( Rs. 0.22 crore), the Shiv Sena (Rs. 0.17 crore) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Rs. 0.14 crore) in the last two years (2010-2011).

 “What does it mean when India's largest cigarette manufacturer donates money to all the major political parties in the country? It means that it is trying to enhance its trade and dilute any policies that the political parties might bring in to curb its sales and profit. We are opposed to this conflict of interest and in this case the main casualty is public health,” said Amit Yadav, lawyer with the Public Health Foundation of India, a non-government organisation working in the area of tobacco control. “Besides this, the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) — a global health treaty that India ratified in February 2004 — requires that signatories in setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control should act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law. This is as per Article 5.3 of the FCTC,” said Bhavna Mukhopadhyay, executive director with non-government organisation Voluntary Health Association of India.

 Responding to the allegations, ITC's corporate communications vice-president Nazeeb Arif says, “Article 5.3 of FCTC does not say anything about donations from ‘tobacco' firms. You may also note that FCTC is not the law of the country.” He adds: “ITC, like other responsible corporate, has made contributions to political parties in a transparent manner.” Mr. Yadav concedes that “there isn't anything illegal about what the company is doing” but says the fact that “the government is taking money from ITC also goes against its talk of trying to bring more stringent tobacco control policies.” Pointing the rampant abuse of tobacco and its rising health ramifications, health activist and Mumbai Tata Memorial Hospital's leading cancer surgeon Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi said: “It is for the government to take a stand here and refuse monetary help from organisations [Indian or foreign] that deal with goods detrimental to public health.

You can't have the goodwill and monetary help of the tobacco industry and form policies against them. The practice is not illegal it is just unethical. Here we aren't targeting only one organisation. The government has to take the side of public health and work for the common man.” “The Central government is now actively looking into the question of government firms investing in tobacco companies,” said a senior health official who, however, refused to comment on political parties getting money from tobacco manufacturers. As on March 31, 2011, five of the top ten shareholders of ITC were government insurance companies including the Life Insurance Corporation of India. Mr. Arif, however, insists criticism of ITC is misplaced. “In India, cigarettes constitute only 15 per cent of tobacco consumed — the rest comprising chewing tobacco, beedis etc — but contribute to more than 75 per cent of taxes from this sector.

There is also evidence of a nexus between international cigarette companies and organised smuggling, especially in developing countries. Such growth in the illegal industry in cigarettes robs the national exchequer of potential taxes apart from offering inferior quality products. India now ranks 6th globally in cigarette illicit trade [domestic illegal and contraband] and has one of the highest growth rates which increased by 58 per cent over the period 2004- 2009 while the world market witnessed a decline of 4.2 per cent over the same period. As per industry estimates, revenue losses on account of this are estimated to be Rs. 3,000 crore per annum. The creation of strong Indian cigarette brands has succeeded in curtailing the huge inflow of smuggled foreign cigarettes into the country,” he argues.

Cigarette tax hike hot issue on Calif. ballot

California voters face a major decision Tuesday: whether the state should raise its cigarette tax by a dollar a pack. That raises serious questions about cigarettes and the way the state government spends its money. Supporters say it would save lives and stop children from getting addicted by discouraging smoking. But the tax hike plan has tobacco companies fuming. California has been a national leader in laws limiting smoking in public places and even inside apartments.

 But the "No on Prop 29" (Proposition 29) campaign has turned the vote into a squeaker by spending more than $40 million, most of it from tobacco companies Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds. "They've run a pretty good campaign," says Mark DiCamillo, director of the California Field Poll. "The question is: Will they push that number below 50 percent? I don't know." Cigarette companies point out the $735 million raised would go to cancer research, not to help fix California's budget problems. Keith Park, who runs Californians Against Wasteful Taxes, notes that, "Not even single dollar goes to reducing our gigantic budget deficit and helping our public education."

 Even with donations from across the country, including from Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, "Yes on 29" has raised just $12 million. Longtime anti-smoking activist Dr. Stanton Glantz, of the University of California - San Francisco, says only 12 percent of Californians now smoke, and the new tax would drive that even lower. "Smoking may simply vanish as a public behavior, and that's why Phillip Morris and (R.J.) Reynolds are so hysterical. ... It could really be a game-changer," he says. With an expected low voter turnout, California's few smokers could make all the difference in the fate of the tax.

Electronic Cigarette Risk Free Trial Kits Helping Chain Smokers

After a prolonged struggle to quit smoking, the star of the famous TV Series Grey’s Anatomy, Katherine Heigl finally ditched her smoking habits. “Now, I use an electronic cigarette. It’s helping me not to actually smoke real cigarettes,” said Heigl in the famous Late Show with David Letterman while showing her glee to have chosen smokeless cigarettes. Due to the various health benefits associated with electric cigarettes, it has also made its way into Bollywood. Recently, famous Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor was found showing her support in favour of ecigarettes. Sonam posted on here Twitter account: “Smoking is seriously not good!

There are electric cigs available now. A lot of my friends are using it.” No wonder why e cigs are gaining popularity and making great number of headlines these days. Ecigs are becoming the newest method to help heavy smokers get a huge makeover and embrace the healthier life and ecigs are serving the best way to do that. It has become more evident in United States after smoking ban in public areas has come into effect. One of the best advantages of electronic cigarettes is that it can be used anywhere whether clubs, bars or restaurants without releasing harmful chemicals and smokes.

In this way, both the smoker and the ones nearby remain safe as the smoke exhaled merely consists of water vapours. Majority of people consume tobacco through cigarette smoking. Consuming tobacco is linked to at least 15 different forms of cancer which is why using e-cigarettes significantly reduces your risks of contracting cancer and many other tobacco related disorders.

10 more indicted in trafficking in contraband cigarettes

More than a dozen people were captured on hidden cameras at a suburban warehouse secretly operated by undercover federal agents paying millions of dollars in cash, firearms and narcotics to buy tens of millions of illegal cigarettes that had not been properly taxed. The investigation first became public in March when Lawrence A. "Larry" Draus, a longtime Cook County sheriff's police official, was charged with accepting a $10,000 cash payoff in return for agreeing to protect the illegal cigarette operation. His son, Lawrence E. "Eric" Draus, was also charged.

 On Thursday, federal authorities announced indictments against 10 others in the scheme. In all, the defendants paid more than a combined $20 million to buy more than 100 million cigarettes without paying Cook County or Illinois taxes, authorities charged. Most of the sales took place in a Hickory Hills warehouse secretly operated by the U.S.Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosivesthat was equipped with cameras that captured audio and video of the meetings, authorities said.

Two cooperating individuals worked undercover with the federal agents, they said. Cigarette distributors must apply for and receive a license from the Illinois Department of Revenue and put tax stamps on each pack of cigarettes that they sell, prosecutors said.

Vote on cigarette tax still too close to call

A California initiative to raise the tax on tobacco products was losing early Wednesday but the vote was still too close to call because hundreds of thousands of ballots potentially remained uncounted. The day after Election Day, Proposition 29 was losing by just over 1 percent, or about 64,000 votes out of more than 3.8 million counted.

 However, even with all precincts reporting, there typically are many late-arriving ballots from early and absentee voting not counted until after election day. These ballots typically comprise up to 20 percent of all votes, meaning potentially hundreds of thousands of votes were still to be counted statewide. It could be days or longer before a winner is declared. Cycling legend Lance Armstrong backed the measure to impose an additional $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes to fund cancer research. A $50 million opposition ad campaign was led by Big Tobacco. In March, a statewide poll suggested the Proposition 29 would pass with two-thirds approval.

 The situation reminded some of a 2006 California cigarette tax measure that was leading by wide margins until tobacco companies spent $66 million to defeat it. The attempt to hike taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products grew into a national fight last month with tobacco companies pouring in millions to quash the effort and celebrities including the New York City Mayor urging voters to support it. As returns came in, both camps said they expected a close race but remained confident they would emerge the winner. "We expected that as voters took a look at the measure, they would recognize the serious flaws, and as well intentioned as the measure is, they would realize it's not right for California," Beth Miller, spokeswoman for the No on 29 campaign said Wednesday. Tobacco taxes have been proven to reduce smoking. But opponents said the initiative would create an unaccountable bureaucracy in charge of doling out the tax revenue, which is expected to start at $735 million a year.

 An extra tax in the nation's most populous state also could mean major losses for tobacco companies, and Proposition 29 supporters said industry heavyweights were inventing arguments to obscure their true motive — safeguarding profits. "I think the public health message has gotten through the smoke screen of the tobacco companies' nearly $50 million misinformation campaign," Jim Knox of the American Cancer Society said Tuesday. Armstrong and a coalition of anti-smoking groups raised about $18 million to bolster the measure. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave $500,000 to the campaign to help offset the industry donations. Majorities in the Democratic-leaning counties along the Northern California coast favored the tax, while majorities in most other regions others opposed it.

Voters on both sides expressed strong convictions as they cast their ballots. "I think that we should aggressively discourage smoking — make it less convenient, make it more expensive," said Susan Hyman of Long Beach. In nearby Glendale, Craig Jerpseth, a 43 year-old nurse, was equally certain about voting the measure down. "I hope we don't get any more taxes. That's pretty much it," he said. A slew of newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, opposed the measure while proclaiming their reluctance to side with tobacco companies. They argued that the revenue should go to the state, which Gov. Jerry Brown announced last month now faces a deficit of $16 billion. With a smoking rate of 12.1 percent, California has not raised these taxes since 2000. If the measure passes, California would still have only the 16th highest tax rate in the nation.

Cheap Cigarettes Are Out There Somewhere

A city sweep of 1,700 stores selling tobacco found that 42 percent of them are moving cigarettes without the $5.85 in taxes that Nanny Bloomberg requires. While local smoking is on the decline, falling 28 percent since 2003, so is the city's tax revenue from tobacco, down 56 percent in the same time.

So if you're still gripped by addiction, it's worth rolling the dice and asking the bodega guy for the "good price" — just practice the note of desperation in the mirror.

More U.S. teens smoke pot than cigarettes

Marijuana use is more common among U.S. high school students than cigarette smoking -- 23 percent to 18 percent, federal officials say. The 2011 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta found U.S. teen cigarette use dropped from 19 percent in 2009 to 18 percent in 2011.

Current marijuana use increased from 21 percent in 2009 to 23 percent in 2011 -- although that is down from 27 percent in 1999. The survey is one of three U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-sponsored surveys that provide data on substance abuse among youth nationally.