Tobacco.org

• CABE: Going up without the smoke 

Need a nicotine hit? Want to beat the smoking ban? A smokeless cigarette could be the answer, for the long - or short - haul. Just be prepared for some funny looks, writes ROSEMARY Mac CABE . . .

Ryanair now sells the other most popular type, in the form of Similar smokeless cigarettes.

Ryanair's head of communications, Stephen McNamara, says the product was introduced due to customer demand. "Some passengers can find it stressful to spend long journeys without a cigarette so we introduced the product based on customer feedback and to cater to passenger demand. It seemed a logical step to introduce a product that could provide smokers with relief from nicotine withdrawal. . . .

I spent a day with Ryanair's Similar branded smokeless cigarettes: a packet of 10, purchased for €6 on board a Ryanair flight, to see how it feels to smoke on the right side of the law.

The first thing I notice is that they smell, to all intents and purposes, like what one's mother might call "sucky sweets" - irrefutably better than mainstream cigarettes, albeit slightly strange. They feel like real cigarettes and, crucially, they look like them. . . .

Smoking a cigarette that looks like a cigarette, acts like a cigarette but neither tastes nor feels like a cigarette (while giving you more nicotine than a cigarette) seems an odd choice.

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• Irish seize 12 million cigarettes, arrest smuggler  

Irish police and customs officials said Tuesday they have uncovered two cigarette-smuggling plots and seized more than 12 million cigarettes shipped from Spain and Vietnam.

The legal street value of the cigarettes was euro4.8 million ($7 million), including euro3.7 million in potential tax revenue to Ireland, said customs spokeswoman Sarah Cox.

The country imposes the highest tobacco taxes in the European Union, making it a smugglers' paradise for thousands involved in shipping and selling illegal imports and counterfeit cigarettes.

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• ICS seeks €1 hike for cigarettes 

The Irish Cancer Society is urging the Government to increase the tax on cigarettes by €1 in the forthcoming budget in order to fund the fight against tobacco smuggling.

The organisation denies that an increase in the price of cigarettes would increase the sale of cheap smuggled tobacco.

“High price is not the problem. The problem is that the courts aren’t imposing high enough penalties, there aren’t enough disincentives and a key piece is that the Revenue does not have the resources it needs,” said Kathleen O’Meara, head of advocacy with the Irish Cancer Society.

Smuggling remains a problem in countries such as Turkey where cigarettes are cheap, she said.

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• 800 million black market cigs smuggled in each year  

THE true number of cigarettes imported illegally into Ireland is more than 800 million a year, it is claimed.

Revenue and gardai seized a haul of 120 million cigarettes in Greenore, Co Louth, worth an estimated €50m this week.

Yet the average penalty for trading in illegal cigarettes -- €423-- is "farcical" and should be increased, a TD said.

"The Government must send a message to the middlemen who trade illegally in tobacco by imposing hefty fines," said Fine Gael justice spokesman, Charlie Flanagan.

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• Operation ‘Samhna’ : Potentially the largest seizure of cigarettes ever 

A multi agency operation, code named ‘Samhna’, headed up by Revenue’s Customs Service, is currently underway in Greenore Port, Co Louth, and surrounding area.

The operation, targeting the suspected criminal activities of an organised crime group operating both north and south of the border, involved the surveillance of a general cargo vessel M/V Anne Scan, which sailed from the Philippines on 15/09/2009 for Greenore Port, arriving at approximately 0600 hours on Monday, 26/10/2009, carrying a cargo declared as ‘animal feed’. Officers kept the vessel under surveillance, as they suspected that a large consignment of contraband cigarettes was concealed within the cargo.

Following the discharge of part of the cargo from the vessel earlier this morning onto awaiting trucks, which were allowed onwards to the importer’s premises, the multi agency task force, involving Officers of Revenues Customs Service and An Garda Siochana, moved in and raided several premises in the Co. Louth area, in addition to mounting an operation on the vessel itself. A large consignment of contraband cigarettes has been confirmed, estimated to be in excess of 120m cigarettes with a retail value of about €50m and a potential revenue at risk of approximately €40m. Several persons have been arrested at various locations by the Gardai for questioning.

The operation in the Republic of Ireland involved Officers of Revenue’s Customs Service, An Garda Siochana, The Criminal Assets Bureau, the Irish Naval Service and Air Corps and in Northern Ireland, Officers of HM Revenue & Customs and the PSNI. In addition the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which was also involved, will co-ordinate the international enquiries which will form part of the follow-up investigations. It is estimated that in excess of 150 Officers from the various Agencies participated in the field in today’s operation.

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• £45m cigarettes haul was first of five planned runs in audacious smuggling scheme  

The cargo ship seized with a record £45m of illegal cigarettes on board was on the first in a series of five planned voyages from the Philippines to Ireland, it can be revealed.

An audacious plan to land a total of £200m of cigarettes in multiple shipments at Greenore, Co Louth, was foiled when Customs officers seized the MV Anne Scan.

Nine men arrested as part of the Customs Service operation have now been released and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, gardai said last night.

Security sources said last night it was their belief the shipment was a maiden run in a planned series of up to five huge shipments from the Philippines of illegal cigarettes hidden in animal feed.

“The intention of this Irish gang, with others contributing funding in return for big profits, was to move a shipment every two months, we think to flood Ireland and the UK with cheap cigarettes and make big, big money,” said one senior officer.

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• Roll-ups burn a hole in cigarette sales  

Roll-ups are making a comeback, as recession-hit smokers switch from expensive cigarettes to cheaper hand-rolled tobacco.

Customs officials cleared 159,605kg of rolling tobacco for distribution in the first nine months of this year, a 38% increase on 2008. They attributed the surge to a rise in the use of roll-your-own tobacco by smokers striving to cut costs.

A survey published last week found that Irish people are smoking more than ever, with one third of the population still lighting up, the highest rate in 11 years.

Despite hikes in tobacco tax, the ban on smoking in the workplace and a law against shops displaying cigarettes for sale, the number of smokers has risen since 2007, when 29% of the population smoked, the EU’s Help campaign found.

A 25g pack of rolling tobacco costs €8.74 but, according to Vincent Jennings, chief executive of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association, a thrifty smoker could roll as many as 150 cigarettes from it. Twenty cigarettes cost €8.45, though a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice last week found that Ireland’s policy of setting a minimum price for tobacco products distorts competition.

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• Smoking rate soars up to one third despite ban  

A THIRD of the Irish population now smokes, a new survey reveals.

A survey of 4,082 people this summer revealed that 33pc of the Irish population had taken up or continued to smoke.

It is the highest smoking rate recorded here in the past 11 years, according to the EU's 'HELP -- For A Life Without Tobacco' campaign.

Despite hikes in tobacco tax, the smoking ban and a new law against the public display of cigarettes for sale, the number of smokers has steadily risen since 2007 when 29pc of the population smoked.

The survey, which was conducted between March and September, revealed the largest group of smokers -- 45pc -- is aged between 16 and 30.

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• EU ruling 'will spark cigarette price war'  

A NEW court ruling could spark a price war on cigarettes in Ireland with disastrous effects for people's health, anti-smoking group Ash Ireland has warned.

The European Court of Justice yesterday declared that Ireland cannot set minimum prices for tobacco because it distorts competition and benefits manufacturers.

Although this is an interim opinion, it could open the way for cigarette sellers to start discounting heavily on price, which could lead to more young people taking up the habit and reducing the incentive to quit, said Dr Angie Brown of Ash.

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• Cigarette pricing rule a 'risk' to free competition 

THE POLICY of setting a minimum price on tobacco products distorts competition, a preliminary opinion to Europe's highest court has said.

The imposition by the Government of binding prices restricts manufacturers' freedom to set prices, thereby posing a risk to free competition, according to Juliane Kokott, advocate general of the European Court of Justice.

The opinion of the advocate general is not a final judgment, although the court, to follow next March, follows it in the vast majority of cases. Costs in the case were awarded against Ireland.

The Department of Health said it was examining the opinion. "This opinion is at an intermediate stage in the process and the judgment of the court is still awaited," a spokeswoman said.

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• Retailer tells small shops to ignore tobacco industry 'scare tactics' 

Responding to the vote to end the display of tobacco in shops and the Government’s draft regulations published yesterday, a prominent independent retailer accused the tobacco industry of misleading retailers, the public and politicians about the real impact of display bans.

Tobacco manufacturers have placed ads in the retail trade press warning shopkeepers that their businesses could close as a result of the proposed law.

But former North of England President of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, John McClery, has described information circulated by the tobacco industry about Government proposals to end the display of tobacco as "scare tactics".

McClery visited Ireland at the invitation of the Smokefree Action Coalition to find out how the Irish have implemented their display ban, which came into effect on 1 July this year.

Although he had long believed that a display ban would have little impact on legitimate adult tobacco sales he was surprised by the level of enthusiasm for the ban expressed by retailers.

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• Phillip Morris Fights Display Ban 

Philip Morris International (PMI) has hit back at groups advocating a total ban on the display of tobacco products in retail stores via a new website.

The cigarette giant supports effective regulation but opposes a total ban on the display of tobacco products in stores.

"A number of countries are investigating a ban on display of tobacco products in retail stores," said PMI's director of regulatory communications, Morgan Rees.

"There is limited information in the public domain that describes experiences from countries that have banned display and so we felt that it would be useful to create a website that provides information on the effectiveness of the ban, as well as to describe its impact on adult smokers, retailers, tobacco manufacturers and enforcement agencies."

To date four countries - Australia, Canada, Iceland and Ireland - have prohibited the display of tobacco products at point of sale. . . .

Meanwhile, Donegal newsagent and National Federation of Retail Newsagents member, Maurice Timony, last week lodged a High Court challenge to contest the Irish Governments ban on tobacco display.

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• Philip Morris Limited and Independent Retailer Announce Joint Lawsuit Challenging Irish Tobacco Display Ban  

Philip Morris Limited (PML), Philip Morris Products S.A. (PMPSA) and Maurice Timony, an independent retailer from Donegal, have announced that they will file a joint lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban on display of tobacco products at retail stores in Ireland.

The lawsuit will be filed before the High Court in Dublin on October 6, 2009. Plaintiffs will be challenging the tobacco display ban on the grounds that it severely restricts their ability to provide trade and services thus violating Irish constitutional law and EU law. The tobacco display ban came into effect in Ireland on July 1, 2009. Outside Ireland, a display ban exists in Iceland as well as some provinces of Canada.

"We know from our experience in Iceland that a total ban on tobacco display does not work, is costly to implement and ineffective at reducing smoking levels," said Anne Edwards, spokesperson for PML. "We support strict tobacco regulation, but this legislation just serves to hand the tobacco business over to smugglers and counterfeiters.

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• Philip Morris sues Irish government on tobacco ban 

Tobacco giant Philip Morris International is to launch a legal action against the Irish government over its ban on the display of cigarettes in shops.

The owner of leading brands including Marlboro and Chesterfield believes the rule is anti-competitive. The group may also sue the UK if the government goes ahead with a plan to introduce a similar clampdown.

The restriction on displaying tobacco products on shelves came into force in Ireland on July 1 and a similar prohibition is being discussed in the UK. If passed, a ban would become law in 2011. The governments of both countries believe forcing shops to stock cigarettes under the counter, where they cannot be seen by consumers, is an effective measure to combat the problem of teenage smoking.

Similar bans have previously been introduced in Canada and Iceland but critics of such schemes claim they do little to discourage young people from the habit.

Philip Morris, which is being advised on the case by Matheson Ormsby Prentice, an Irish law firm, claims that the ban is anti-competitive because it favours those manufacturers who already have a large market share through the sale of cheaper brands. One insider said: "The legislation just serves to hurt genuine retailers and favour smugglers and counterfeiters to sell their illegal products."

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• Fears for tobacco control strategy  

A LEADING physician has sharply criticised the Government over its work in disease prevention and accused it of abandoning key components of tobacco control.

“Their credibility in prevention is low,” said consultant respiratory physician Prof Luke Clancy. “Prevention as a whole gets a very poor show and that’s exemplified by the attitude to vaccination, which we know works, and which would have been a once-off price of €7 million, yet we can pay €54 billion and say it’s necessary to keep the banks happy.”

Recent decisions by Health Minister Mary Harney about tobacco, which is linked with about 6,000 deaths in Ireland each year, also indicate little interest in disease prevention, said Prof Clancy, director general of the Research Institute for a Tobacco Free Society, which was set up to study tobacco use and control but has had its state funding cut.

“The present Minister has abandoned the research institute,” he said, adding that he also considered plans to wrap the Office of Tobacco Control into a larger organisation would “emasculate” the agency.

“So the two pillars of the implementation of the Government’s own policy of creating a tobacco-free society have been taken apart by the present Minister, and this was before Bord Snip. In my opinion, she has not shown any interest in prevention.”

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