Tobacco.org

• FDA warns Web companies not to sell flavored cigs 

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it has warned several companies to stop selling banned flavored cigarettes to U.S. consumers online.

The agency sent letters this week to more than a dozen Web-based companies saying they are violating a new ban and asking the companies to describe in writing what action they have taken to comply.

The FDA banned candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes in September. Federal health authorities and regulators say those products appeal especially to young people and are thought to attract new smokers.

"FDA takes the enforcement of this flavored cigarette ban seriously," Dr. Lawrence R. Deyton, director of FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said in a statement. "These actions should send a clear message to those who continue to break the law that FDA will take necessary actions to protect our children from initiating tobacco use."

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• Quitting smoking isn't child's play. Or is it? 

In a few years if you see a person nervously blowing on his cellphone for five minutes, do not call the cops. He might not be a crazy person who forgot to take his meds; he might just be a smoker trying to quit smoking.

Columbia University's Teachers College announced today that it received a $150,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, through the foundation's Health Games Research national program to develop a smart phone app that emulates the physiological responses smokers get from smoking.

The first apps are likely to be for Apple Inc.'s iPhone or iPod Touch. The user would control the game by blowing into the device's microphone in response to different color and sound stimuli coming from the handset. Researchers hope that it will be able to elicit the same brain patterns, heart rate levels and relaxation responses that smokers get from smoking. The game, Lit: A Game Intervention for Nicotine Smokers, is expected to be released in about two years.

Breath therapy has been used to help smokers quit smoking for a while . . .

Technology is being used in another way to help smokers quit smoking. Researchers at the GRAP Occupational Psychology Clinic and the University of Quebec in Gatineau recently found that smokers who crushed virtual cigarettes experienced a significant reduction in nicotine

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Electronic Cigarette Site Locates Best Deals for the Popular Product 

With all of the brands of e cigarettes on the market, deciding which one to buy can be confusing.

E Cigarettes Junction, an online shopping site, has made the process of finding what they call the "right deal" on e cigarettes online. The company is based in California and does not sell or produce e cigarettes, but is a site that finds the best deals for potential e cigarette buyers from the United States.

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Smoking ban petition drive offers Web site 

Supporters of a petition drive to overturn a smoking ban adopted by the Topeka City Council have begun offering a Web site at topekansagainsttheban.com, said Topekan Gail Trembley, one of the drive's organizers.

Petitions can't be signed on the site, though it can be used to download petitions or donate money to the effort.

The Web site indicated Sunday that 1,609 people had signed the petition as part of an effort to repeal the council's decision in a 6-3 vote on Sept. 30 to ban public smoking indoors and at places of employment.

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Smoking ban backers now have web site 

You can follow the smoking petition online now, the opponents have a web site dedicated to their cause at http://topekansagainsttheban.com.

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Reynolds American to webcast Investor Day presentations Nov. 16 (PDF) 

Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) will webcast presentations the company will make to the investment community on Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

During the webcast, members of the company’s management team will discuss Reynolds American’s performance and plans. . . .

Web Disclosure

Starting Jan. 1, 2010, RAI’s Web site, www.ReynoldsAmerican.com, will be the primary source of publicly disclosed news about RAI and its operating companies. We will use the Web site as our primary means of distributing quarterly earnings and other company news. We encourage investors and others to register at www.ReynoldsAmerican.com to receive alerts when news about the company has been posted.

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VIDEO: Perdue announces launch of new website, smokefree.nc.gov 

North Carolina Governor Bev Perduce announced the launch of a new website devoted to help implement North Carolina's new law that requires restaurants, bars and lodging establishments that serve food and drink to go smoke-free as of January 2, 2010.

The website, http://www.SmokeFree.NC.gov, offers business owners and customers information on the new law, hazards of secondhand smoke, and resources to help those smokers who may want to quit smoking. It has downloadable fact sheets, no-smoking signs and other tools dedicated to make the transition to smoke-free air an easy one.

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SmokeFree.NC.gov 

House Bill 2 Goes Into Effect Jan. 2, 2010

Welcome

The Law

Proposed Rules

Frequently Asked Questions

Tools for Businesses

Educational Materials

Secondhand Smoke

Quitting Tobacco Use

Contact Us: Local Health Departments

Complaint Form: Reporting Violation(s)

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• New Web Site Provides Info On Upcoming Smoking Ban  

A new government Web site has been launched to ease the transition with a new law that requires restaurants, bars and lodging establishments that serve food and drink to go smoke-free as of January 2, 2010.

The Web site, www.SmokeFree.NC.gov, provides business owners and customers information on the new law, on the health hazards of secondhand smoke and on resources to help those smokers who may want to quit smoking. There are downloadable fact sheets, no-smoking signs and other tools to help make the transition to smoke-free air an easy one.

"This change is historic for North Carolina and will have a significant positive impact on public health," said Gov. Bev Perdue. "By banning smoking in our restaurants and bars, we will greatly reduce the dangers of secondhand smoke and lower health care costs for families. Our goal is to make sure North Carolina's families and businesses have the information they need about the hazards of second-hand smoke and how to implement the new law."

The new law (G.S. 130A-497) was passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Bev Perdue in May, and will make virtually all indoor areas of restaurants and bars in the state smoke-free, with very few exceptions.

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Electronic Cigarette Users Now Have Forum to Review E-Cigarette Brands  

Electronic cigarettes are becoming so popular that some analysts predict that over the next ten years, approximately 40% of all smokers will buy electronic cigarettes online over the more conventional and harmful tobacco cigarettes. The industry has tripled in size in just a short 6 months and is likely to double again in the next 30 days. Thus, confusion has been expressed by consumers, "Which is the best brand? What's the difference between Type A and Type B... and what is Type C?" Recently a website was launched that gave a solution to the problem. ElectronicCigarettesReviews.net was created to provide e-cigarette smokers a chance to share their opinions about the e-cig brands they've tried out, and also a chance to offer feedback about company policy, pricing, value etc.

ElectroniccigarettesReviews.net was quick to get involved as this new development

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City aldermen approve smoking ban, conditional on county action 

After more than three hours of debate, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted 20-7 today to approve a ban on smoking in most public places.

The ban goes into effect only if St. Louis County voters approve their proposed smoking ban, which is on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The bill will get a final pro-forma reading next week and then go to Mayor Francis Slay, who has made clear he'll sign it.

Aldermanic opponents had sought to stall today's final vote by offering a series of amendments aimed at either watering down the ban, or making the final version less palatable to some supporters.

The power of the internet was also on display, with Twitter filled with Tweets posted rapidly by both sides and their allies during the height of the debate.

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Hookah lounge hopes to open in Newark by Oct. 30  

Two local men hoping to build a hookah lounge in Newark received approval from the Newark Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday to continue the project.

The board ruled the lounge, which will be at 143 S. 30th St., could be considered a place of assembly in a medium intensity business district and is permitted under the city's zoning code.

The lounge, which will be called Braison's Hookah Lounge, will have the atmosphere of a coffee shop, but instead of coming for food and drinks, patrons will come to smoke hookah, co-owner Adam Gregg said. . . .

The owners have been passing out fliers on campuses and using Facebook and MySpace to advertise.

"I'm scared for the opening. I've got a feeling we are going to be slammed with customers," Gregg said.

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Best Deals Today: FREE Marlboro Customizable T-Shirt  

Create your own free T-Shirt with the tools available on the Marlboro website.

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• E-CigaretteDirect.com Sales Increase, Amazon Removes Electronic Cigarettes 

E-CigaretteDirect.com Sees Increase in Sales As Amazon.com Removes Electronic Cigarettes Many top internet retailer are going to stop selling and supporting the sale of electronic cigarettes on their website. Amazon.com reportedly has sent a notice to all its resellers with the following message:

We are writing because it has come to our attention that you have listed a product that we have determined is inappropriate for Amazon.com. We have prohibited the sale of electronic cigarettes, electronic cigars, electronic pipes, nicotine nebulizers, refill material for any of these, and similar products on our site.

Paypal has already canceled electronic cigarette accounts after receiving a notice of potential legal liability from ASH.

These larger websites closing sales of the electronic cigarette have really allowed individual websites that sell e-cigarettes to thrive. Gina King of E-CigaretteDirect.com states that "sales have never been better. Amazon was selling off-brands of electronic cigarettes. We only sell top name brands. This means that our customers can come back and purchase refill cartridges and accessories and be assured the products will work with their electronic cigarette". Several small internet retailers have sprung up on the web selling these electronic cigarettes directly from China. "Again, the problem you have is that each brand is different and you cannot mix and match accessories and refills," states Ms. King. "We are a trusted one-shop stop that consistently has repeat business."

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• Cigarettes On Sale On The Internet: ESC Press Statement 

The European Society of Cardiology wishes to comment on media reports this week that France is preparing to authorise the sale of cigarettes on the internet, to conform to European rights. Although Budget Minister Eric Woerth denies that this is the intention, the news is disappointing given the drop in heart attack rates following last year's smoking ban.

ESC spokesperson Professeur Ph.Gabriel STEG (Universit� Paris VII, Centre Hospitalier Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris) said :

"While I understand that the alleged motive is that the French government needs to align itself with the European directive and the need to tackle the monopoly of cigarette retail in France, this move contradicts years of health policy to reduce tobacco consumption.

There is clear evidence that an increase in tobacco retail price and restricted access to cigarettes have led to less people smoking, with important health benefits. The government needs to take action to continue its previous policy which tackled smoking as an effective way to improve public health."

Daily financial newpaper Les Echos broke the news on 14 October, stating that the French government would propose the idea to Parliament in mid-November.

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