Tobacco exports raise ryots’ hopes

Giving a relief to the tobacco industry, which has been struggling on the international platform, exports from India are slowly picking up and have registered an upward trend during the first two months in the first quarter of the financial year. It is a strong indication that the demand for the Indian produce will grow further in the coming months.

Although the previous financial year ended on a negative trend with nearly 7% decrease in exports, it recovered quickly following the increase in exports in April and May 2012. According to industry sources, Indian merchants exported stocks worth nearly Rs 562.85 crore against Rs 522.94 crore during the corresponding period in 2011. An increase of over Rs 40 crore in just two months is significant, given the poor export trends that have been reported for the past few years. In fact, total exports till March 2012 declined by around 7% in terms of total value as it dropped to Rs 3090.21 crore from Rs 3192.39 crore reported during 2010-11.

Tobacco exporters are struggling to manage the situation as neither they could cut down the procurement nor dispose off all the stocks. The merchants started picking up stocks actively from the local platforms only after getting strong indications from the international market that the global demand for the Indian produce is likely to see northward in the coming days. "We got strong inputs from the global leaders that production in Brazil and Zimbabwe will come down due to the increased prices," tobacco board chairman G Kamalavardhan Rao told TOI. chairman said unfavourable conditions of two countries would turn advantageous to Indian exports during the next year.

DoH launches tobacco control strategy

Ivanhoe C. Escartin, director of the DoH-National Tobacco Control Coordinating Office, said the NTCS is the country’s first-ever comprehensive and coordinated approach with clear and measurable targets by 2016. “The NTCS reflects the government’s political commitment to strengthen national capacities to address the rising incidence, developmental challenges, the social economic impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs),” Mr. Escartin said during the dissemination forum with stakeholders from all over the country.

Mr. Escartin added the strategy is also a move for the complete implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) to protect public health from the devastating effect of tobacco use. In the Philippines, two of the 10 leading causes of morbidity and seven of the 10 leading causes of mortality today are NCDs. Major causes affecting the lives of the people are linked by the common and preventable biological risk factors such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, overweight; and by related major behavioral risk factors such as unhealthy diet and nutrition, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol drinking and tobacco use.

“About 10 Filipinos are killed by the hour due to tobacco-related diseases. And unlike many other dangerous substances, tobacco-related diseases usually do not begin for years or a decade after tobacco use starts,” Mr. Escartin said. Meanwhile, for the Philippines to implement the WHO-FCTC, Mr. Escartin said the DoH has engaged government agencies, civil society and nongovernment organizations to take action within their social, cultural, occupational and political networks of influence and came up with the NCTS 2011-2016. He said the goals of the strategy are the attainment of the lowest possible prevalence of tobacco use and the highest level of protection from secondhand smoke. Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of death in the world today.

ASAM opposes state ballot measures to legalize marijuana

You can smoke legal tobacco. And order tax free cigarettes for cheap price from Europe.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) opposes proposals to legalize marijuana anywhere in the United States, including three state measures on November 2012 ballots. Legalization initiatives in Colorado, Washington and Oregon create unacceptable risks to public health, according to a white paper approved by the ASAM Board of Directors at its July 25 meeting. Physicians and other health professionals must learn more about the real health threats posed by marijuana use, all of which are made worse by legalization.

Physicians should encourage public education about these facts and lead efforts against ballot initiatives to legalize marijuana, the report said. ASAM is the nation's foremost association of physicians dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease of addiction. "ASAM has brought to bear its commitment to science and public health in taking a strong position against marijuana legalization," said Robert DuPont, M.D., the report co-author, who is a former White House Drug Czar and former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

"ASAM can provide leadership to all physicians and all medical associations about the dangerous and seductive mirage of drug legalization, including marijuana legalization, as a so-called solution to serious health problems resulting from drug use."

Peterson lawyer Brodsky talks of trial at cigar store appearance

On the eve of Drew Peterson’s trial for the murder of his third wife, lead defense attorney Joel Brodsky looked confident as he puffed on a six-inch stogie at a Near West Side cigar bar. In a brief press conference Monday evening at Tesa Cigar Lounge—the event was, Brodsky said, a “kick-off” celebration for a friend’s talk radio show-- Brodsky said his client also was feeling at ease as well as he waited for the trial to open Tuesday with opening statements.

 “He thought he would be a lot more nervous … have a lot more trouble sleeping,” said Brodsky as he faced a phalanx of about a half-dozen reporters and a handful of cigar-smoking patrons. As the media-friendly attorney has in countless interviews since taking the case, Brodsky assailed what he called a lack of evidence to show Peterson, or anyone else, had killed Kathleen Savio, whose body was found in a dry bathtub in 2004.

Prosecutors allege Peterson killed Savio, though her death was not investigated as a homicide until the case was reopened in 2007, after Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared.Brodsky said his client, who courted press attention with a series of stunts before he was arrested in 2009, is unlikely to take the stand in the trial, but said if Peterson did testify, the former Bolingbrook police sergeant would be able to moderate his at times smug demeanor. “He’s gonna be the same person. He’s always serious when he’s asked serious questions,” Brodsky said.

“You’re not going to see the wiseguy.” After taking questions from the press, Brodsky lingered with his cigar, a $17 torpedo, and chatted with patrons as Olympics coverage played on big screen TVs overhead. He said he planned to rehearse his opening statement at home later that evening. Earlier, he acknowledged he was breaking tradition by enjoying a cigar before the trial had concluded with an acquittal for his client. “We’ve got victory cigars too, don’t worry,” he said.

Indian anti-smoking lobby hits out at London Olympic organizers

London has failed to do what Beijing carried out so successfully four years ago - make it smoke free. Despite having the largest prevalence of tobacco use in the world, China had set an unprecedented standard by declaring the Beijing Olympics (2008) completely smoke free, including all outdoor venues. The London Olympics Committee, however, has created Designated Smoking Areas (DSAs) within the Olympic Park for smokers.

Indian anti-smoking activists have knocked the door of the London Olympics Organizing Committee urging them to push for a tobacco-free London Olympics, 2012. The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and HRIDAY, recipient of WHO's director general award for tobacco control, have written to the chairman of the organizing committee, Lord Sebastian Coe, saying that with over five lakh people attending the grand event, "we are concerned that such an exception would not only impact the health of the visitors, but would also tarnish the image of the organising committee worldwide."

The activists have cited the example of how even UEFA and EURO Cup, 2012, - held in Poland and Ukraine recently - were entirely tobacco-free, and no DSAs or similar exceptions were allowed within the perimeter of host stadia. The letter sent on Monday strongly urged the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), to roll back its decision of providing DSAs with immediate effect. "We look up to your strong leadership for implementing effective smoke-free laws in the larger interest of the health and well-being of all those attending the London Olympic Games, 2012, and set an example for the world to step up efforts to make all sporting events smoke free," wrote Dr Monika Arora from the PHFI.

 Adding that it is highly disappointing "and a deep matter of concern to learn that the LOCOG has made provisions which allow tobacco use in public and will adversely impact the health of thousands of athletes and spectators congregating for the largest international sporting event, the letter from the Indian anti tobacco lobby said it is imperative that the games inculcate a legacy of upholding the health of humanity. "It is shocking to know that despite England being declared smoke free in 2007 the LOCOG has allowed DSAs within the perimeter of ticketed competition venues and are also present in specified areas of the athletes village, exhibiting specific signage denoted as 'smoking areas'. It is noteworthy to mention here that despite having the largest prevalence of tobacco use in the world; China set a new standard for smoke free environments.

The National Olympic Stadium and other venues displayed smoke free messages on their scoreboards and visitors received text messages thanking them for their support in making the venues smoke free," the letter said. Warning that introducing DSAs would also tarnish the image of the organizing committee worldwide, the activists pointed out that smoking caused almost 8,800 deaths per year among Londoners aged 35 and over between 2007 and 2009.

Tobacco use is responsible for five million, or 12% of all deaths of adults above the age of 30 years globally, each year. The 2002 World Health Report estimated that tobacco was responsible for 1.6 million deaths in the European Region and among the three leading contributors to the disease burden. The estimated average smoking prevalence in the European region is 40% among males, and 18.2% among females.

Tobacco Product Manufacturing In The UK Industry Market Research Report Now Updated By IBISWorld

Tobacco Product Manufacturing industry revenue declined in each of the past five years. There has been a long-term decline in smoking rates over the past few decades, mainly due to health concerns. Now only 21% of the population smokes. Although the price of tobacco products is relatively static, there have been some rises, which have also contributed towards the decline in smoking rates. According to IBISWorld industry analyst Steven Connell, “price rises have also led to a shift away from premium brands towards economy brands”.

For instance, demand for roll-your-own cigarettes has increased at the expense of filter cigarettes. Government measures designed to reduce smoking rates have added to the negative press surrounding health-related smoking risks and contributed to declining smoking rates. Examples of regulations introduced over the past five years include an increase of the minimum age of purchase from 16 to 18 and the inclusion of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packages. Industry revenue is expected to fall 3.3% per annum over the five years through 2012-13 to reach £8.8 billion.

This figure includes excise tax, which accounts for approximately 74% of industry revenue. Industry revenue is expected to decline 5.2% in 2012-13. IBISWorld expects the industry will continue to decline over the next five years, with the number of companies operating in the industry expected to fall to just 10 in 2017-18. Connell adds, “cigarette consumption is expected to continue its downward trend, while regulation and taxes on tobacco increase”.

Employment is expected to decline an annualised 3.9%. Consequently industry revenue is expected to decline over the next five years to 2017-18. The market share concentration in the Tobacco Product Manufacturing industry is very high with the top 4 manufacturers accounting for approximately 97% of the market in 2008. Major companies include Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco and British American Tobacco.

 For more information on the Tobacco Product Manufacturing industry, including latest industry trends, statistics, analysis and market share information, purchase the full report from IBISWorld, the nation’s largest publisher of industry research. IBISWorld industry Report Key Topics This industry includes companies that manufacture cigarettes, fine-cut tobacco, cigars and pipe tobacco. The industry also includes companies that are involved in the stemming and re-drying of tobacco leaf.

Iron Mike Ditka Joins Camacho Cigars

Gridiron great Mike Ditka has just signed a partnership with Camacho Cigars where the Florida cigar company will create a series of new cigars bearing the Ditka name. The smokes will be made at the Tabacos Rancho Jamastran factory in Danlí, Honduras, home to Camacho Cigars, and Ditka will serve as a brand ambassador, promoting the smokes at various events across the United States.

 Ditka’s first appearance as brand ambassador will be in Orlando, Florida, next week at the Davidoff black-tie dinner at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show. Camacho is a unit of Switzerland's Davidoff of Geneva. The first Ditka cigars made by Camacho will be out later this year. “Ditka is an absolute legend, and I cannot express the excitement felt about this new partnership,” said Dylan Austin, head of marketing for Camacho, in a statement released today.

“Coach truly embodies the bold and outspoken spirit of our brand and it’s great to have him as an ambassador and partner moving forward.” “If I am going to put my name on something, it's gotta be the best. The product and the package are outstanding. I am really looking forward to this relationship,” said Ditka. A storied veteran of the NFL, both as a coach and player, Ditka was the first draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1961, fifth overall, and had a Hall of Fame career as a tight end, playing for the Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

He is in the record books as one of only two who can claim Super Bowls rings as a player (when he was with the Cowboys), as a coach (with the Bears, in 1986) and assistant coach (also with the Cowboys). He also won an NFL Championship while playing with the Bears. Ditka began smoking cigars as a pro football player. "I smoked the Tiparillos, the Roi-Tans, Phillies, White Owls," Ditka told Cigar Aficionado in a February 1998 feature story.

"You get better and better and you change, you get more sophisticated. First of all, you smoke what you can afford to buy. In those days I was not making enough to smoke what I do now." This isn’t Ditka’s first foray into the cigar world. In 1997 he invested in a Chicago cigar rolling operation, and in 2001 he worked with the Garzaroli family in the Bahamas to make the Mike Ditka Championship Line.

Banning park smoking goes too far

Having stated the obvious, we question the need to banish smokers to their homes. That would be the effect of banning smoking in public parks, because once that step is taken a total public smoking ban would be an easy next step. Smokers must realize they are mostly unwelcome among their nonsmoking peers. Realizing that should lead them to be cautious about smoking in parks or elsewhere. A bit of respect for nonsmokers would go a long way toward keeping the peace.

 The parks board last week rejected a proposal to ban smoking in public parks, offering instead that individual groups could ask people to not smoke at an event. The request would not have the force of law, but most people are respectful enough to comply with such wishes. Gary Puetz, park board member and Scotus Central Catholic athletic director, said: “I don’t think we need to create our own problems. I just don’t see it as a problem.”

 He said Scotus suggests people light up in parking areas if they want to smoke. We can see in the case of a school event, where the institution might be hosting donors and other program supporters, that raising the ire of smoking patrons could be counterproductive. A degree of angst was expressed by smokers and business owners when the Legislature banned smoking in public buildings, restaurants and taverns, but the ultimate outcome seems to be acceptable, even profitable, for most everyone. Elsewhere in Nebraska, Fremont, Hastings and Central City have smoke-free city parks and Lincoln is considering a similar ordinance.

The Columbus City Council could, on its own initiative ban smoking in parks, but to date nothing indicates they are so inclined. We have enough faith in people governing their own behavior that we see no need to impose another law on the public or the police who would be left to enforce such a ban. Much more important issues should be addressed by our elected officials and the women and men in blue.

Fitch affirms 99 tobacco settlement tranches

Fitch Ratings has affirmed 99 tranches of tobacco settlement ABS at 'BBB+sf', with a Stable Outlook. The affirmations are based on model-indicated grades above the tobacco sector rating cap of 'BBB+sf'. Fitch evaluates tobacco ABS structures by using a proprietary breakeven model. The cash flow model output indicates, for each class of bonds, the level of the annual MSA payment percentage change the transaction would be able to sustain and still pay timely interest and the principal in full by the maturity date. 

 Tobacco Settlement ABS are securitizations of the settlement reached by 46 U.S. states in 1998 to not pursue further legal action against the participating tobacco manufacturers for reimbursement of healthcare costs generated by smoking-related diseases. The settlement payments will be made in perpetuity, and over the last 14 years several U.S. states, counties, cities and territories elected to securitize a portion of these payments by issuing bonds with up to 50 years of maturity. Fitch currently has ratings on 249 tranches of Tobacco ABS issued by 38 legal entities. See the web file for a full list of rating actions.

Govt facing showdown with tobacco giants

New Zealand taxpayers are facing millions in legal bills as the battle with global tobacco giants fires up. The warning comes on the first day of the ban on publicly displaying tobacco products, and as the Government forges ahead with plans to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes. The Government says smoking kills around 5000 New Zealanders each year. It wants the country smokefree by 2025 and is calling for public submissions on plans to introduce plain packaging. But Ministry of Health officials have warned the Government that defending a case at the World Trade Organisation could cost taxpayers between $1.5 million to $2 million.

 And it could be up to $6 million if there is a challenge from one of New Zealand's trade agreement partners. Compensation payments could also be lumped on top of that, but Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia says there are health caveats in our trade agreements. "Well of course it is always a concern, but the arguments that they are using about trade and multilateral agreements in fact don't warrant here in New Zealand," Turia said. However, leaked documents from the secret Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, which New Zealand is a party to, show foreign companies could sue Governments if they introduce policies which affect their profits.

 And one tobacco giant says it is already considering legal action. "We're reviewing all of our options at the moment our preference would be not to go down the legal path but we may be forced to," British American Tobacco spokesman Nick Booth said. "It would have an impact on our business because it would be taking away our valuable intellectual property and that's why we are so concerned about the minister's proposal." Australia will introduce plain packaging in December and is already embroiled in legal action.

 Turia told TV ONE's Breakfast this morning that the consultation document "will enable people from all sectors to have a say on whether they think plain packaging is an option for the Government to consider". Those opposed to smoking say plain packaging for cigarettes makes sense. "We do know that kids are very attracted to the packages and so they see the package as their badge of masculinity or femininity showing their rebelliousness," said Tobacco Addiction Expert Dr Joseph Di Franza. Submissions close in October and Turia hopes plain packaging can be introduced next year. The full document can be viewed here.

Show rakyat come first, remove tobacco from Afta

THE National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) applauds Minister of Health, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai for taking a stand in getting Asean countries to form a consensus to remove tobacco from the Asean Free Trade Agreement (Afta) list which takes effect in 2015. This initiative clearly reflects the government’s concern towards the well-being of its rakyat and the importance of protecting the people with regards to a tobacco-free environment.

 Tobacco is one of the main causes of non-communicable diseases (NCD), mainly cancer, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases that represent a leading threat to human health and development. These diseases are the world’s biggest killers, causing an estimated 35 million deaths each year – 60 per cent of all deaths globally — with 80 per cent in low and middle-income countries.

The fact that WHO chose "Tobacco Industry Interference" as the theme for World No Tobacco Day 2012 clearly shows there is a global call to curb the tobacco industry's aggressive and blatant attempts to undermine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) because of the serious danger they pose to public health. Bearing this in mind, NCSM hopes the same consideration will be taken into secretive Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement that is currently being discussed by the Malaysian government and the US. It is our fervent wish that the tobacco control situation is taken into consideration when the TPPA is signed.

 We feel that the tobacco agenda should be stricken off from the Agreement text. We have come to understand from the leaked TPPA chapters that foreign investors, including transnational tobacco industry, have the right to sue governments of TPPA member countries when these governments regulate their businesses to protect public health. Our concern is that should Malaysia sign the TPPA and if we choose not to regulate to avoid expensive tobacco arbitration, more Malaysians will succumb to tobacco-related diseases. Currently, 46 per cent of our male population are smokers and the government is known to spend about RM20 billion a year towards treatment for tobacco-related diseases.

Letter: Give smokers an incentive

I read with some interest the article regarding lung cancer deaths in Tennessee and the measures to curb smoking such as raising tobacco taxes. I have an idea of a different direction that might work. Forty-eight years ago my employer, Fred Vreeland, a respected local engineer, offered me $50 if I would quit smoking for three months. I guess he could see that maybe I would be more productive if I wasn't smoking, but maybe he was just considerate of my health.

 I was 23 years old at the time and had been smoking since I was 13. I knew this would be a very difficult task, but I had my eye on a special .22-caliber rifle I wanted. Also, at about this time medical information came out that for every minute you smoked, you lost a minute of your life. I thought at the time that this was a terrible price to pay for smoking. I went "cold turkey" and laid down my smokes for three months. So, guess what? I haven't had even a single cigarette for the past 48 years.

During that time I have saved thousands of dollars and have benefited from relatively good heath. But I have had a couple of heart bypasses that I probably wouldn't have survived had I smoked. I have offered several other individuals the same offer I received, but I have had to sweeten the pot to $300 to entice them to quit smoking. I highly recommend others would give a special person the same offer my boss gave me 48 years ago. I can testify this method really works.

Non-smokers can get lung cancer, too

I cannot begin to tell you the void this has left in my family. I have to admit, I didn't give much thought to the disease in the past. I, along with so many others, thought of it as a "smokers' disease" and left it at that. After doing some research, I have learned that this very smoking stigma has done an incredible disservice to many cancer patients. That's why I am trying to change that perception. Please mark your calendar for Aug. 1, the first worldwide Lung Cancer Survivors Day!

Lung cancer, often referred to as the "invisible disease", is generally asymptomatic and often goes undetected or misdiagnosed, while advancing to a late incurable stage. Only 15 percent of patients diagnosed in the late stages will survive five years. By the time my own dad was diagnosed, he was already at Stage 4. He lasted less than a month. Although early detection screening has been a topic of great concern and study, the established guidelines continue to leave a large percent of the population ineligible for screening. Remember, anyone can get lung cancer. Over 60 percent of newly diagnosed patients have never smoked or quit years ago (according to LUNGevity.org).

My dad for instance, had been smoke-free for 26 years before he was diagnosed. Lung cancer claims 160,000 lives annually. This is almost 10 times the amount of lives lost to AIDS (18,000 annually) and this is more than breast, colon, kidney and melanoma cancers ... combined. Yet despite these staggering statistics, lung cancer receives less research funding (per death) than any other type of cancer. It boggles the mind, doesn't it? Lung cancer patients face the same physical, emotional and financial hardships as any other cancer.

They battle the same fears, depression, losses and grueling treatments. Yet due to the smoking stigma, those battling receive minimal recognition and support from our society. Lung cancer is bad ... its victims are not. Like AIDS, alcoholism, obesity, drug abuse and a myriad of diseases that can be "rooted in causes," lung cancer patients deserve support, not shame and blame. For more information, please visit Lung Cancer Survivors Foundation on Facebook, and please, hug a cancer patient today.

Will social change help reduce smoking rates amongst disadvantaged Australians?

Smoking rates in Victoria are at an historic low, according to research released last week by Cancer Council Victoria, which found that 14.4 per cent of Victorians were regular smokers in 2011 compared with 21.2 per cent in 1998. But in the article below, University of Newcastle researchers Associate Professor Billie Bonevski and Professor Amanda Baker argue that smoking rates are still too high among many disadvantaged groups, and that social change and public health measures are needed. For those with an interest in equity and tobacco control, they recommend a special issue of the international addictions journal Drug and Alcohol Review.

  Smoking is a social justice issue

 Billie Bonevski and Amanda Baker write:
 In 1998 the public obtained the right to access internal tobacco industry documents, which blew the lid on the industry’s secrets. We learnt that the industry had evidence that cigarettes caused cancer and other negative health outcomes. Another involuntary disclosure was that the marketing and promotion strategies used by big tobacco targeted vulnerable groups like young people and the poor. They used various techniques. In the US, for example, tobacco companies financially sponsored events hosted by African American community groups and supported civil rights causes. It was not unusual for them to provide free cigarettes to mental health facilities and homeless shelters or to distribute cigarette branded blankets to people living rough on the streets. Similar grants and aid were given to Australian community social services.

“Value” pricing and promoting images and flavours (menthol) that appealed to people living in deprived urban areas were also used. Marketing cigarettes as a way to help you “cope with stress” was common. The entire strategy was labelled “downscaling” and today we are witnessing a globalisation of “downscaling” strategies where low and middle income countries have become the targets for the tobacco industry. Unfortunately even in developed countries like Australia we continue to experience the effects of these strategies. A social gradient in smoking exists whereby smoking prevalence rates rise as one moves down the socioeconomic scale.

 While the latest research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that the adult smoking prevalence rate in the general community is about 15-18%, other data show that it is much higher in groups that may be labelled as socioeconomically disadvantaged and often not captured in health census surveys. Population health surveys such as the recent Victorian Smoking Prevalence survey, using the Australian Bureau of Statistics indexes for socioeconomic status (the SEIFA index), indicate that rates of smoking are declining across socioeconomic groups, but these surveys do not capture people who are homeless, institutionalised, without phone access, or mentally or physically unable to respond to surveys.

 Nonetheless, even in population surveys, like the Victorian survey, the socioeconomic gradient in smoking rates persist – the report shows that those who are in higher socioeconomic status postcodes have smoking rates of 11%, compared to 16% and 18% in those who live in middle and low socioeconomic postcodes. Instead, reports focussing on including highly disadvantaged social groups show much larger differences in smoking rates – up to 50% of Aboriginal Australians smoke, 37% of single parents, 73% of homeless people and people with other drug disorders, 66% of people with a mental illness smoke and 60% of people accessing welfare aid from non-government agencies such as Anglicare and the Salvation Army.

Smoking linked to ectopic pregnancy

Cigarette smoke reduces the production of a Fallopian tube gene, which helps explain the link between smoking and ectopic pregnancy, Scottish researchers say. Drs. Andrew Horne and Colin Duncan of the Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health in Edinburgh, Scotland, said ectopic pregnancy -- when the embryo implants in the Fallopian tube -- is the most common cause of maternal death in early pregnancy.

Ectopic pregnancy occurs in up to 2 percent of all pregnancies.There is no way to prevent the condition, which must be treated by abdominal surgery or, if the ectopic is small and stable, by injection of a drug called methotrexate. Horne and colleagues exposed cells from the Fallopian tube to a breakdown product of nicotine -- cotinine. They then showed that cotinine had a negative effect on genes known to be associated with cell death, or apoptosis, and in particular with a particular gene.

In a further study the researchers showed that the gene's reduced production in the Fallopian tube of women who were smokers. "The research is exciting because it provides new scientific evidence to help understand why women who smoke are more likely to have ectopic pregnancies," Horne said. "It appears that smoking reduces the production of genes, which are involved in the control of cell death and promote an environment in the Fallopian tube which is attractive to the developing embryo." The findings were presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Istanbul, Turkey.

Limbe Leaf Tobacco trophy sponsorship increased to K5m

Most sponsors have a tendency of putting sports administrators and their athletes in suspense after conclusion of tournaments but tobacco leaf buyer and processor Limbe Leaf Malawi have chosen to be different by announcing straight away that the stakes for the country’s oldest sports competition - Limbe Leaf Trophies – have been raised from K3 million to K5 million beginning next season. Limbe Leaf’s Corporate Services Manager Willie Zingani made the announcement Sunday, July 8, 2012 at Nankhaka ground in Area 30, where the tobacco firm splashed out cash prizes to winners of this year’s competition after the final games.


 Stakes high 


 “This year we have sponsored the competition to the tune of K3 million but from next year, we are raising the stakes to K5 million. Our aim, as Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company is to assist the government in its youth development programmes,” said Zingani. Zingani said Limbe Leaf was proud to be associated with the success achieved by the country’s national football and netball teams and would continue providing a nursery for the national teams. He said it is now over 32 years since they started sponsoring the tournament. Zingani said in that period, the competition has produced such great stars as Young Chimodzi, Gilbert Chirwa, John Maduka and Joseph Kamwendo. 


Government thankful 


 Guest of honour at the finals Principal Secretary for Youth Development and Sports Alex Mseka thanked Limbe Leaf for remaining government’s strategic partner in the development of sports from grassroots for close to four decades. “I have been reliably informed that Limbe Leaf has been sponsoring these competitions for over 35 years now and that the competition has produced some reputable sportsmen, some of whom have ventured into coaching and administration,” said Mseka. He said sports plays an important role is the social and economic development of the country beside promoting good health. The PS said the country needs serious sponsors like Limbe Leaf to sustain the development of football and netball.

Atlanta weighs smoking ban for parks, public areas

Workers on lunch break, parents of Little Leaguers and other visitors to Atlanta parks, be warned: You might have to leave the cigarettes at home. Atlanta officials are moving forward with a plan to ban smoking in city parks, wading into an issue that has grabbed attention from the southside to the northern rim of the metro region. Across the country, smoking has gradually ceded ground and disappeared from movie theaters, public buildings, office complexes and many restaurants.

 The proposed ban in Atlanta would follow similar moves by Alpharetta, Roswell, Duluth and Clayton County, among other local jurisdictions. The rules would affect hundreds of thousands of people who come to Atlanta's parks from intown or the suburbs for concerts and shows during the city's packed festival season. Piedmont Park alone attracts 3 million visits per year, according to a March 2007 study. City Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd, who is co-sponsoring the legislation, said it took a while for the Parks Department to convince her that a ban is a good idea.

But a couple of incidents — adults lighting up near children at a splash pad in her district, and widespread smoking during the Jazz Festival in Piedmont Park over Memorial Day — changed her mind. "I'm a park person, and I've seen incident after incident where people were smoking all over the place and not being very respectful," she said. "I'm amazed that people will smoke around children and not think twice about it." "Over the last year, I said, 'You know what? This is getting ridiculous,'" she said. But smoking bans, or the threat of them, can create controversy.

In DeKalb County, a proposed ban on smoking in public places — including parks, bars and strip clubs — was stubbed out last year after owners of nightclubs said the measure would hurt business. And the Gwinnett County city of Norcross just repealed a ban on use of tobacco products in public places after residents and business owners pushed back. The ban had been on the books only a month. "The issue changed completely from tobacco use to one of too much government involvement," said Councilman Ross Kaul, who sponsored the law in May but then pushed to repeal it. In Roswell, City Councilwoman Betty Price said the city's ban is unfair to smokers and unnecessary in the city's wide-open park land. She said city staffers had no record of smoking-related complaints before the ban was enacted.

 "I don't smoke or encourage anyone to," she said. "But 20 percent of the populace does smoke, and 20 percent also pays taxes and in public parks. They have as much right to be there as anyone else." In Atlanta, Mayor Kasim Reed supports the proposed ban. But city officials acknowledge there could be vigorous debate. "I think, generally, there will be support" from the community, said George Dusenbury, commissioner of the city's Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. "People see parks as places where kids should run free." Atlanta's proposed ban would apply to parks, athletic fields, aquatic areas, golf courses, tennis courses, hiking and walking trails, playgrounds, off-leash areas, and spectator and concession areas.

It would prohibit anyone from burning or carrying cigarettes, cigars or pipe tobacco. Alex Wan, whose City Council district includes Morningside and Virginia-Highland, said the goal is to increase green space and encourage active lifestyles. Smoking runs counter to that, especially in kid-centric areas like the skate park in the Historic Fourth Ward Park, he said. Wan predicted that residents and park visitors would help enforce the measure with peer pressure.

SMOKING IS HEALTHIER THAN FASCISM

Barry Obama played an if-you-got-the weed-I-got-the-papers teenager in Hawaii’s real-life Dazed and Confused Choom Gang. Now that the high-school stoner has graduated to the White House, he rolls his eyes at those who roll their own—at least when it comes to cigarettes. The president signed a bill on Friday that redefined stores that offer roll-your-own tobacco devices as tobacco manufacturers. The legislation effectively raises taxes on small-business owners from about $1 per pound of tobacco to $25 per pound.

 The amendment appropriately found its way into a bill concerning transportation, which is precisely what smokers will now need to find the best deal. Like fuel-efficiency standards on auto manufacturers, the tobacco taxes reveal the government unmaking an industry that made America. Friday’s anemic jobs numbers—adding just 80,000 new jobs in a nation of 311 million people for June—are the result of such mush-heading thinking in Washington. We lose our jobs when politicians lose their minds. Obama began his presidency with a massive tax hike. The feds’ take from a carton of cigarettes jumped from $3.90 to $10.07.

But the smoking snobs exempted pipe tobacco. They sought to punish The X Files’ Smoking Man but not Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Cultural tics often masquerade as public health crusades. Wine is good; Four Loko, bad. Football causes brain injuries. Bicycling saves the environment. Marijuana is medicinal; cigarettes, carcinogens. Government favoritism toward cultured pipe puffers over redneck cigarette smokers resulted in cigarette smokers rolling their own with cheaper (read: more lightly taxed) pipe tobacco.

Thousands of merchants invested tens-of-thousands in roll-your-own machines that enabled smokers to put cheaper pipe tobacco into their cigarette papers. Consumers avoided paying both Phillip Morris and Uncle Sam. So Big Business and Big Government ganged up on the little guy—smokers, store owners, and small companies that manufacture the roll-your-own machines. Taxes are bad for business. They are worse for freedom. The animating force behind modern liberalism is the desire to micromanage the lives of others. The state decides where you go to school, what doctor you visit, and the pension fund you will contribute to.

Liberal is another name for control freak. Drinking Big Gulps, eating Happy Meals, and smoking Marlboro Reds isn’t good for you. But neither is fascism. The greatest threat to an individual’s health is an overbearing government. The antidote to this public health crisis is choice. Freedom presumes the right to be “wrong,” to make choices another wouldn’t, to decide. Life is so much more interesting with millions of people making billions of choices rather than a few people making all of the choices. Diversity is poison to conformist control freaks. A government prevented from directing the affairs of its citizens by remote isn’t likely to be emboldened to direct malefactors to the gas chamber or the gulag. Smoking is healthier than fascism.

 The smoker-in-chief who crusades against the evils of tobacco is a symbol of the times. Governments forbid fireworks but this week past staged enormous explosive displays in the skies. They ban bookies but run lotteries. They inveigh against the evils of cigarettes while reaping billions in profits from them. Do as they say not as they do. The Puritans outlawed smoking in public two years after establishing the Massachusetts Bay colony. Two years later, they banned smoking in private homes. Then, amidst bans on garish clothing, toasting healths, and working for outside the legally-controlled wage, they prohibited the sale and purchase of tobacco.

 Barack Obama, Michael Bloomberg, and Max Baucus, who slipped the tobacco tax into this week’s transportation bill, don’t think of themselves as Puritans. They call themselves progressives. But there is a startling overlap between theocrats establishing government by god and secular politicians who play god by imagining an omniscient state. They know best. The control freaks think we must be saved from ourselves. Who will save us from the people who would save us?

Smoke lounge opening in Discontent location

The former location of Discontent will soon be home to a  sampling lounge, Discontent owner Tom Tepley said Friday. Pyromaniacs could possibly be open in the new location at 815 Main Avenue later this week, Tepley said. Pyromaniacs was originally located at 23 4th St. S. before it and Discontent closed indefinitely in January after a new city ordinance banned the sale of items deemed to be drug paraphernalia. Tepley said his brother, who owns the property, rented out a portion of the building to Pyromaniacs for a tobacco and shisha – or hookah – sampling lounge.

Trepley said he had built the portion of that building specifically for a sampling lounge for Discontent, but he didn’t want to open it himself for fear of prompting another lawsuit. “I told them, you know, you’re probably going to get harassed (by the city),” Tepley said. “So I wish those guys a lot of luck.” Discontent still won’t be operating out of the location yet, as Tepley said he is awaiting the outcome of his lawsuit with the city before deciding his next step.

 Tepley filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Moorhead earlier this year after the new ban on pipes and bongs was enacted. The lawsuit argues that the items sold by Discontent actually do not constitute drug paraphernalia under the city’s ordinance. It further argues that under threat of criminal prosecution from the city, the employees were forced to close the store, which it claims caused irreparable injury and economic damages.

 The lawsuit asks that the city ordinance be declared unconstitutional under federal law and requests a court order to bar the city from enforcing it. After the suit, Tepley said he has considered moving Discontent to another location or just retiring. “Maybe I’ll look at a different market, a more business friendly market,” he said.