Posts Tagged ‘tobacco news’

News Tidbits

September 7th 2010 Posted at Breaking News, FDA News, General News
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Boy, have I fallen behind. I want to catch you up on some FDA  and other news tidbits, so here goes:

First, check out the video at http://www.capitolconnection.net/capcon/fda/fda083010_launch.htm\

It is the latest on the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee meeting last month (Aug. 30).

While at the FDA site, you can peruse the people on the committee roster here

The City Council in Ocean City, Md., is thinking over a smoking ban: OCEAN CITY — A possible smoking ban for Ocean City’s beach won’t appear on the town’s municipal ballot in October, but resort officials say they will hold a public hearing about it following the election.

You can read all about it here

Well, you might expect this in Hollywood. The city of West Hollywood’s council is now going to reconsider its ban on outdoor smoking, after many of the restaurants and other businesses put in patios for their smoking patrons. The city is considering making it illegal to smoke outside.

Give me a break!

Read it here

You can read a whole host of towns that are considering outdoor smoking bans. Go here

This news is nothing but trouble: WOOD DALE, IL – Several U.S. tobacco retailers are selling deeply discounted roll-your-own-cigarettes, taking advantage of a federal tax loophole, the Wall Street Journal reports, a practice that has attracted scrutiny from regulators and tobacco companies.

You can find the story here

Oh, yeah. Check this one out from the UK: Smoke ban ‘is main cause’ of pub losses

I hope you are pulling for the Indians on this one: NY Cigarette Tax Plans Raise Reservation Tensions

The Germans may face what U.S. smokers are going through: German Government May Introduce Higher Tobacco Tax, Bild Newspaper Reports

Connecticut merchants contribute more than expected to state revenue, but sell fewer cigarettes: Cigarette Tax Increase Boosts State’s Revenue

The next time you check out, you best check the bill: Hotel guest fumes over smoking bill

Now, here is a real twist: MOSCOW — Smoke and drink more, Russia’s finance minister Alexei Kudrin urged citizens on Wednesday, explaining that higher consumption would help lift tax revenues for spending on social services. You can find the story here

By the way, that same story says alcohol kills 500,000 Russians a year. Hmmm, I wonder how that stacks up with the CDC’s tobacco statistics?

Tobacco News Roundup

January 18th 2010 Posted at Breaking News, General News, Tips and Tidbits
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RICHMOND, Va. – The Food and Drug Administration is working to lift the smokescreen clouding the ingredients used in cigarettes and other tobacco products.

In June, tobacco companies must tell the FDA their formulas for the first time, just as drug makers have for decades. Manufacturers also will have to turn over any studies they’ve done on the effects of the ingredients.

  •  Bad news for the cigarette industry. Check out a Jan. 16, 2010, story by AP here and here. Big tobacco is in for bad times if this plays out.
  •  A good site to check out is tobacco.org. It is not a pro-tobacco site, but it does carry a great deal of news on current tobacco affairs.
  •  BEIJING – China is tightening smoking regulations to ban lighting up in any indoor public spaces in seven provincial capitals, the latest sign of rising health awareness in the world’s largest tobacco-consuming nation. Full story
  •  Notes from Hoover’s Tobacco Industry Trends

Manufacturers Bypass Tobacco Processors

  • Cigarette, cigar, and smokeless tobacco manufacturers are increasingly buying processed tobacco directly from growers. Some farm cooperatives offer a wide range of products, ranging from basic flue-cured strips to fully processed, blended, and flavored tobacco. As these farm-owned cooperative processing facilities increase in capacity, tobacco processors may face falling demand and revenues.
  • High Taxes Encourage Smuggling, Interstate Trafficking
  • Illegal trafficking of cigarettes is rising as the cost per pack has doubled in the past decade. The wide range of state excise taxes further encourages interstate black market activity. The World Health Organization estimates that some 20 billion cigarettes are smuggled internationally each year. Philip Morris International estimates that 90 percent of smuggled cigarettes are counterfeit products sold outside of the legitimate distribution chain.