Tobacco.org

Recession ushers in more tobacco taxes 

Clipping away at a $590 million deficit, Rhode Island this April raised its taxes on cigarettes by $1 to $3.46 a pack - the highest rate in the country. With the backing of its governor, a former tobacco lobbyist, Mississippi in May imposed its first tax hike on smokers in more than two decades - up 50 cents to 68 cents a pack - and is already considering another increase. . . .

"You have to go back decades to see states with such budget shortfalls," said Sujit CanagaRetna, a state budget and tax expert at the Council of State Governments. "A sin tax is a low-hanging fruit. Politicians are more prone to go down that path because doing so is just not as onerous."

Other experts, however, regard these short-term budget patches as part of a larger problem. One leading anti-tax activist, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, said a better solution to burgeoning budget gaps is to cut state spending.

"Any problem of overspending that could be passed on to cigarettes could be fixed by just spending more wisely," Norquist said. "The problem with the tax increase isn't just that it's a tax increase, … it is that the tax is what you did instead of reforming state government."

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Research and Markets: The Latest Report on Tobacco Product Manufacturing Industry in the U.S. and its International Trade is Available Today  

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4762ee/other_tobacco_prod) has announced the addition of Supplier Relations US, LLC's new report "Other Tobacco Product Manufacturing Industry in the U.S. and its International Trade [Q2 2009 Edition]" to their offering.

The newly published Other Tobacco Product Manufacturing Industry report provides the latest market research on the industry. Its comprehensive scope contains analysis on the industry's key financial data, competitive landscape, upstream and downstream industries, and trends and opportunities within the context of the current economic environment.

The downstream analysis section of this industry reveals a large dependency on personal consumption. Understanding the recessionary effects on consumer consumption for products within this industry is essential. This industry has a high concentration of players, with the market consisting of fewer companies with relative similarity in size. This aspect exposes the industry to further possibility of merger and acquisition opportunities, as well as anti-trust scrutiny. The competitive landscape section provides a closer examination of this situation.

The report's 153 pages and over 150 charts and tables cover the most recent information on the domestic market, global market and overseas growth opportunities.

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• Smoking--Medicines To Help You 

You are a woman. You are a smoker.

You are not alone. Approximately 18% of adult women smoke. More than half of all smokers want to quit. There is help.

Read this guide … even if you are not ready to quit now. Learn more about products and medicines to help you quit smoking. Read tips to help you make a quit smoking plan that may work for you. Use this guide to help you talk to your pharmacist or doctor.

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• Combating Tobacco Use in Military and Veteran Populations 

Select a link below to start reading online free!

TABLE OF CONTENTS . . .

13-20 (skim) 2 SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM 21-52 (skim)

3 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TOBACCO USE 53-78 (skim)

4 TOBACCO-CONTROL PROGRAMS: EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES 79-132 (skim)

5 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TOBACCO-CONTROL ACTIVITIES 133-174 (skim)

6 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TOBACCO-CONTROL ACTIVITIES

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CHART: Pocket World in Figures: Cigarette consumption 

This ranking is taken from the 2009 edition of The Economist's "Pocket World in Figures". This hardback book contains rankings on over 200 topics that take into account over 180 countries. It also has statistical profiles of more than 65 of the world's major economies, together with profiles of the world and the euro area. The "Pocket World in Figures" is available from our online shop. Buy it today

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CHART: Tobacco taxes: Up in smoke  

ON APRIL 1st America's government announced a big increase in taxes on cigarettes. Federal taxes leapt from 39 cents to $1.01 a packet. American smokers also pay state taxes ranging from 17 cents in Missouri to a whopping $2.75 in New York. Anti-smoking campaigners argue that higher taxes encourage smokers to quit and deter others from taking up the habit. But high taxes do not always mean expensive cigarettes. In Estonia and Slovakia, where more than 90% of the price of cigarettes goes in taxes, a packet of 20 Marlboros costs $2.22 and $2.72 respectively. In some countries tobacco companies decide to cut profits to ensure that people keep puffing. It may work. In Estonia half the population smoke; in Slovakia 42% like a crafty puff.

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CHART: Cigarette consumption: Lighting up  

Who likes a smoke?

GREECE has the highest smoking rate in the world, with each person puffing over eight cigarettes every day according to ERC, a market-research company. Of the 123 countries surveyed, 17 European countries feature in the top 20. Smoking rates tend to decline when countries get wealthier, thanks to higher taxes, bans and health education; Spain, Japan and South Korea, however, remain resolutely addicted. The hard-smoking French may look as if they are kicking the habit, but around 20% of cigarettes are sold illegally, to avoid hefty tobacco duty, and are not included in the figures. The tiny cigarette consumption of Indians compared with the Chinese might in part be explained by Indian fondness for chewing tobacco.

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• 1 in 25 deaths worldwide linked to alcohol consumption, study finds 

One in every 25 deaths worldwide can be linked to diseases or injuries related to alcohol consumption, concludes a Canadian-led study, which equates the libation's burden of harm to that of smoking almost a decade ago.

In 2004, the most recent year for which global statistics are available, 3.8 per cent of all deaths were attributable to alcohol (6.3 per cent for men and 1.8 per cent for women), the study found.

Most of the deaths blamed on booze result from injuries, cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disorders like cirrhosis and violence, say the authors, whose study is one in a series of papers on the global impact of alcohol published in The Lancet this week. . . .

"Worldwide, more people abstain than drink," principal researcher Jurgen Rehm, a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said Thursday. . . .

Rehm said the global burden of disease from drinking is about the same size as that of smoking in 2000 (tobacco use rates have been steadily dropping in some countries due to public health measures), but is sure to get worse as more people add wine, beer and spirits to their list of libations. "The big message is treat alcohol like tobacco," not as a substance that is relatively benign except for "those bad alcoholics," he said. "That is not true, neither for Canada nor globally."

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Stealing a March in the 21st Century: Accelerating Progress in the 100-Year War Against Tobacco Addiction in the United States  

Tobacco use in the United States has declined dramatically over the past 50 years, with the prevalence of cigarette smoking falling from about 42% of all adults to less than 20%by 2007. If this rate of decline continues, smoking could be eliminated in the United States by 2047.

Framed in military parlance, we may be halfway through a 100-year war against the leading public health killer of our time. We describe factors that have contributed to progress over the last 50 years and identify policy and other initiatives that can contribute to the elimination of tobacco use in the United States during the second half of this 100-year war.

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Editorial: Tobacco-free is worthy goal 

So with nearly 20 percent of adults in Lee County who smoke, and young people lighting up at a higher rate than the state average, there's good reason for public health providers' new campaign, Tobacco-Free Lee. . . .

According to a recent survey, 18.4 percent of Lee high-schoolers and 5.7 percent of Lee middle-schoolers reported smoking within 30 days,; the statewide numbers were 14.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Equally alarming, 22.6 percent of Lee women reported smoking and 14 percent reported smoking during pregnancy.

Bringing together students, adults and leaders from the business and faith communities is a good start in Tobacco-Free Lee's efforts to decrease the number of smokers and would-be smokers.

The former will be directed to resources to help them quit. The latter will be shown through marketing campaigns that a minority of students engage in such risky behavior, contrary to what students believe.

To get involved or register to participate in a daylong organizational and training workshop, contact Brendan Donohue at 332-9651. For free help in kicking the habit, call the Florida Quitline at 877-822-6669.

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Nicotine dependence remains prevalent despite recent declines in cigarette use 

Despite recent declines in cigarette use in the U.S., nicotine dependence has remained steady among adults and has actually increased among some groups. The finding by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health suggests that public health initiatives have been far more successful in preventing Americans from taking up smoking than in persuading hard-core smokers to stop. The study is available online in the American Journal of Public Health and will be published in the August 2009 issue.

Previous studies have found that since the 1964 U.S. Surgeon General report, the number of people who smoke cigarettes has declined. The Mailman School of Public Health study takes this research a step further by distinguishing occasional smokers from heavy smokers. "Regular, heavy cigarette use frequently characterizes nicotine dependence and is the pattern of use thought to be the most detrimental to health and longevity, but it has not been addressed in previous estimates of the decline in smoking prevalence," says Renee Goodwin, PhD, associate professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health and principal investigator of the study. "Rather, earlier research mainly addressed tobacco use or cigarette smoking per se rather than examining the frequency and duration of cigarette use in detail."

The new study finds not only that the number of nicotine-addicted Americans has held steady over the past several decades, but also that the proportion of cigarette smokers who are addicted to nicotine nowadays is greater than in previous generations. Dr. Goodwin cites a possible explanation for this latter finding. She suggests that fewer people are taking up smoking, perhaps because of anti-cigarette campaigns, leaving the ranks of current smokers filled with the nicotine dependent.

Another factor that has changed dramatically in the epidemiology of tobacco consumption and dependence over the past several decades is gender. Smoking has been far more common among men than among women for most of the past forty years, though recent evidence suggests that the gender gap has narrowed, and the current study finds increases in smoking among women in several recent generations.

It is also thought that socioeconomic status is a factor in cigarette use. The current study finds that younger women living in poverty had the highest rates

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• Office Of Tobacco Control annual report shows compliance with smoke- free workplace legislation at highest ever level  

The Office of Tobacco Control's (OTC) 2008 Annual Report shows the compliance level with the smoke-free workplace legislation is 97%. This is the highest level of annual compliance since the introduction of the measure in 2004.

Published today (Monday, June 22nd), the report shows that in relation to smoke-free workplace legislation:

- 97% of workplaces were compliant in 2008, based on the results of the National Tobacco Control Inspection Programme in co-operation with the HSE;

- 25,350 inspections were carried out by Environmental Health Officers (EHOs); . . .

- There were 23 cases taken for sales to minors offences, resulting in 19 convictions.

Speaking on the report, Éamonn Rossi, OTC Chief Executive said the 97% compliance level demonstrated the huge success of smoke-free workplaces and showed the strong public support for measures to protect the public from the serious ill effects of smoking.

"Five years after its introduction, we are delighted with how workplaces and the public continue to support this public health measure. The introduction of the legislation can without doubt be called a success and we must now carry that success forward and continue to be a world leader in tobacco control."

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• Fact sheet and expected attendees for today's Rose Garden bill signing 

Today, President Obama will sign historic legislation granting authority over tobacco products to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Some of the key elements of this legislation include:

* New Center for Tobacco Products: FDA will create a new Center for Tobacco Products to oversee the science-based regulation of tobacco products in the United States.

* Banning Candy-Flavored Cigarettes: By October 2009, cigarettes will be prohibited from having candy, fruit, and spice flavors as their characterizing flavors. . . .

Stage Participants:

A look at FDA-tobacco legislation  

A look at legislation President Barack Obama signed into law Monday that gives the Food and Drug Administration regulatory controls over tobacco products.

Q. What is the main objective of the legislation?

A. The bill for the first time gives the federal government, through a new office in the FDA, authority to regulate the content, marketing and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products. The focus is on reducing health risks from tobacco and making cigarettes both less accessible and less inviting to young people.

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Aussies spend $7.4b on smoking 

AUSSIE smokers burn a collective $7.4 billion hole in their pockets every year to sustain their habit.

The nation's average smoker lights up 14 cigarettes a day, research shows, and this cost over the year totals more than $2,500.

The poll by Galaxy Research also shows smokers lose a significant amount of productive time - as nipping out for ciggie adds up to 17 days over the year.

"Time expenditure is a great example of how smoking affects the quality of life of more than just the smoker," says Newcastle-based psychiatrist and addiction expert Dr Allan White.

"Seventeen days or 408 hours per person smoking every year is time that could be spent with family and friends - something that can be hard to come by given many peoples' fast paced lifestyles."

The poll of 1,100 randomly selected people was conducted in late February, when it found nearly one in five (18 per cent) Australians rated themselves as smokers.

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