Friday, January 18, 2013

Tobacco Tid Bits (World Edition)




The federal government Wednesday entered a dispute between Native American tribes by raiding a Seneca Falls service station operated by the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma.


Activists protest ‘hidden cigarette ads’ on TV show

The petitioners said that the presentation of the residents smoking in the Big Brother house is evidently deliberate. and may constitute hidden and indirect advertising of cigarettes. The Second Channel Authority was asked to request from Keshet all the contracts it signed with the producers and the promoters of the international “Big Brother” concept. so it could be determined whether smoking was listed as one of the components of the show. The authority was also required to obtain and publish the criteria according to which participants are selected.

Duma Sets Maximum Fine for Smoking in Public

"Understandably, smoking a cigarette outside of the smoking area in a restaurant is one thing, while, say, smoking in the hallway of a kindergarten, clinic or at a gas station is entirely different," said Sergei Zheleznyak, a United Russia deputy and head of the Duma's Committee on Health Protection.

Smoking ban called for in Italy when smog levels high


 "We call on mayors across the country to prohibit smoking when smog limits are surpassed," said Codacons in a statement. The group was responding to a report on smog levels in Italy, which it says are dangerously high in many cities. "Citizens can ask for 2,000 euros in damages," said the group, which offered instructions on its website. 

Pro-Tobacco Groups to File Judicial Review Against New Regulation

Putu Oka, the chairman of the Bali chapter of the APTI, said that farmers usually prepare seeds for planting in March, but this year they can’t because they don’t know how many seeds to prepare. 

“There are more than 800 hectares of land in Bali already projected for use as productive tobacco land,” Oka said. 

The tobacco industry, he added, was still observing what the impact of the government regulation would be on the market and whether it would reduce demand or not. 


Academy Keeps Tobacco Scientist Aboard

Xie was elected as a member of the prestigious academy in 2011, but his membership has been questioned by anti-smoking activists and health experts. 

Anti-smoking campaigners say Xie was famous for his studies in refining low-tar cigarettes, which are as harmful as regular cigarettes.


Smoking laws will cost State millions

The lobby group estimates the legislation would result in an additional tax loss to the State of €250m per year, on top of the €570m that is being lost to the illegal tobacco trade, bringing the total loss to €820m per year. 

Smoking in movies: Beware, beware, no one cares


The non-logic behind this move is presumably the hope that a 20-second bhashan will undo the evil effects of watching movie stars looking uber-cool while they blow sexy smoke circles in the air. So the next time we see Kareena smoking on screen, we won’t just be subjected to the running statutory warning each time she lights up — which was 30 percent of Heroine — but also her husky voiceover telling us to do as she says, not as she does.
Doesn’t that make you want to quit? Like right now?
“I didn’t know about the new bans,” self-employed 35-year-old Loh Puay Meng said at a Woodlands void deck. The new areas have been included as part of an extension of the existing smoking ban, which already covered places such as playgrounds. Smokers are now also banned from lighting up on overhead pedestrian bridges, in outdoor compounds at hospitals or within 5m of bus stops.
Eileen Yap, an assistant manager at the NEA’s central regional office, acknowledged that many members of the public were not yet aware of the new rules.
“The beautiful main entrance has become a particular problem area with a large number of smokers congregating and at times it has been difficult to keep the area clean.
“We accept this has caused problems for neighbouring residential areas and are working with unions to see what actions can be taken to alleviate this.
“We enforce a blanket ban on staff smoking on our property and staff will not be allowed to use the shelters.”
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is expected to rule on the planning application in the middle of February.
Greenlick wants adults to require doctor’s permission to obtain tobacco by making it a controlled substance (HB 2077). Imagine how long the lines at the local pharmacy will be and how long seniors will have to wait in these lines to get their life preserving medicine because Greenlick’s law will explode prescription requirements and turn our pharmacies into something like an old-style Russian bread line. Then of course he wants to tax tobacco with additional higher taxes (HB 2275) so as to punish any doctor who dares write a permission slip.