Tobacco.org

• No smoking in Chile? No way.  

When a strict anti-tobacco law came into effect three years ago, Maria Eugenia Avila scoffed. She had no intention of quitting the two packs a day she was delightfully smoking. She just stopped going to malls.

"I flee from places where I can't smoke and I cover the horrible warnings on the packs. I love smoking and I suffer with this law and all its prohibitions. But no law is going to make me quit," the 47-year-old kindergarten teacher said, while puffing away on a habit that costs her nearly $150 a month.

Three years into the tobacco-control legislation, Chileans are far from kicking the habit. Smoking among Chileans has remained fairly stable, dropping slightly from 42.6 percent in 2006, to 41.2 percent in 2008, with a perilous upward trend among women (currently 37.4 percent) and teenagers (35.4 percent, particularly females), according to the latest government survey on tobacco consumption.

This makes Chileans the heaviest smokers in the region. Another "smoker" country is Argentina, but it lags behind with smokers making up 30 percent of its population, according to the World Health Organization. Slightly more than 16 percent of Brazilians and about 19 percent of Mexicans smoke, while in the United States, 23 percent of the overall population are smokers.

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The leading players in the Latin American tobacco market include Souza Cruz, Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco Plc 

This databook provides key data and information on the tobacco market covering eight countries in Latin America. This report is a comprehensive resource for market, category and segment level data including value, volume, distribution share and company & brand share.

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Smokefree Innotec, Inc. Entering South American Markets 

Smokefree Innotec, Inc. (Pink Sheets: SFIO) (www.sfio.us or www.smokefree-innotec.com) announced today that it will sign a contract tomorrow in Houston, TX, with Osvaldo Glatt, President of LTI News Industries of Buenos Aires, for the marketing and distribution of Real Smokefree in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile. Other clients of LTI News Industries include Danon Argentina, Brahama beers from Brazil and a Disney Venezuela joint venture with Motorola.

Thomas Schroepfer, C.E.O. of Smokefree Innotec, Inc., stated, "Osvaldo Glatt has expressed interest in the World's first, totally smoke-free, electronic cigarette from the beginning. His firm has a reputation for establishing novel products in South America. Seeing the marketing ideas that Mr. Glatt developed for Grey Goose vodka and other clients, tells us that his brand building experience makes him the right man to establish a leading market position in the territory."

Signing the contracts with LTI News Industries establishes the presence of Real Smokefree on four continents.

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CHAPMAN: International tobacco control should repudiate Jekyll and Hyde health philanthropy  

The founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth, famously said "...take the Devil's money, wash it in the Blood of the Lamb, and use it to save a dying world". Booth thus opened the door for people of goodwill to take money for noble works from assorted devils. . . .

So what should global tobacco control workers make of the world's richest man,1 Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú, pouring rivers of money into health, education and poverty charities in Latin America? Slim announced last year that he will expand the endowment of his foundations, such as the Carso Foundation, to US$10 billion over the next 4 years, up from US$4 billion, and will dedicate himself more to philanthropy. Slim set up the Carso Health Institute initially endowed with US$500 million and nominated Dr Julio Frenk (former Ministry of Health in Mexico and former candidate for WHO's director general position) for the Institute's executive director position.2 . . .

There is now a conga line of health and poverty relief agencies and researchers applauding Slim's philanthropy and hoping to get in on the action. Business philanthropy is to be applauded but when a philanthropist's day job is a major contributor to the death and disease that his generosity in part seeks to redress, it is time for all self-respecting agencies to make a stand and refuse to have anything to do with it.

Although most known for his telecommunications business, Group Carso, which he controls, Slim owns many other businesses including until recently a majority ownership of Cigatam, Mexico's largest tobacco company. Cigarros la Tabacalera Mexicana (Cigatam) was majority owned by the Carso Group (Philip Morris Mexico owns the other half (49.9%)). In July 2007 Philip Morris International (PMI) announced an agreement to buy an additional 30% of shares

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• Latin Tobacco: Negative Outlook 

Countries throughout Latin America have been increasing the number of laws controlling labeling and public smoking. In the midst of growing health concerns and increased global pressures to establish and enforce tobacco legislation, some Latin American countries are strongly pushing new legislation as it relates to bans on tobacco, while others are making moves to expand previous legislation that was rarely enforced.

Much of this legislation stems from the World Health Organization�?(TM)s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This enforcement comes at a time when many Latin American countries are recovering from economic difficulties requiring governments to focus on recovery and less on smoking regulation. . . .

In an effort to increase the population’s awareness of health issues that arise from smoking, many Latin American countries have instated labeling legislations requiring written warnings and images on tobacco packing. Labeling cigarettes as “light”, “ultra light” and “mild” has become a major target for cigarette packaging. Legislators believe that the “light” labeling can mislead consumers into thinking that the product is better for them than the alternative. Brazil has been at the forefront of tobacco control with one of the most extensive tobacco legislations in Latin America.

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EDITORIAL: International tobacco control should repudiate Jekyll and Hyde health philanthropy 

So what should global tobacco control workers make of the world’s richest man,1 Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú, pouring rivers of money into health, education and poverty charities in Latin America? . . .

Slim’s efforts to improve the health of Latin Americans while continuing to profit from tobacco sales is nothing but the latest episode in Jekyll and Hyde duplicity. His continuing "active partnership" with Philip Morris invites consideration of what advice he might be giving them. What will he suggest about compensating the families of tens of thousands of Mexican smokers who died early from smoking Cigatam products? What will he advise that Philip Morris do with their earnings from underage smokers each year? Will he urge that Mexico move all retailed tobacco under the counter as happens in Thailand, significantly raise tobacco tax and be the first nation to introduce plain packaging? Will he fund mass reach, effective graphic campaigns known to reduce sales or support PM’s tepid, feel-good and ineffectual youth smoking prevention campaigns?5

There is now a conga line of health and poverty relief agencies and researchers applauding Slim’s philanthropy and hoping to get in on the action. Business philanthropy is to be applauded but when a philanthropist’s day job is a major contributor to the death and disease that his generosity in part seeks to redress, it is time for all self-respecting agencies to make a stand and refuse to have anything to do with it.

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Tobacco One Inc. (Formerly VTWN) Commences Trading under the Symbol TBCO 

Tobacco One Inc. (OTC: TBCO.PK) plans to acquire companies focused on the manufacturing and direct national distribution of current high volume high margin tobacco products. The national distribution network will serve to properly brand our new cutting-edge product line currently under development. Tobacco One's industry focus is in the area of specialty cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products (OTP), as well as revolutionary new smoking alternative products. The Company looks to finalize its first acquisition in the 1st Qtr of 2008 and has additional acquisitions under review.

The Company is also focusing on international sales opportunities with an emphasis in Latin America. Currently, the Company is negotiating with several, multi-billion dollar Latin American companies. These negotiations have already produced "Letters of Intent," as well as representative agreements, further facilitating the inevitable distribution agreements that the Company expects in place during Qtr. 1 of 2008.

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• Nations from the Region of the Americas Collaborate to Save Lives and Reduce Economic Losses by Cracking Down on Illicit Tobacco Trade 

Representatives from 35 countries are gathering in Montevideo, Uruguay on December 5, 2007 to work on knowledge-gathering and skill-sharing on the illicit trade of tobacco -- a global crime that contributes to higher rates of tobacco-related disease and death, helps finance criminal and terrorist groups, and robs governments of $US billions in revenue.

The December meeting of American Region delegates is a working conference to prepare for the upcoming meeting in Geneva in February 2008 when representatives of 151 countries will begin negotiations on the international protocol aimed at eliminating illicit tobacco trade. Combating illicit trade is a key provision of the world's first international public health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organization.

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Snow white smoking nude sets Latam sculpture record  

A snow white sculpture of a voluptuous nude daintily holding a cigarette fetched $1.6 million at Christie's Latin American art auction on Monday, a record for a sculpture by Colombia's Fernando Botero.

With 86 percent of 76 lots of Latin American art finding buyers, Christie's said the evening auction showed the resurgence of international interest for Latin American art. . . .

The $1.6 million record high for his sculpture was for "Smoking Woman." The woman figure is lying on her stomach, propped up by crossed arms, unabashedly revealing her plump breasts and playfully kicking up a leg

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• Cigar tax proposal threatens US retailers, Latin American countries 

(Thomson Financial) - US specialty tobacco shops are worried that a proposed increase in federal taxes on cigars will drive thousands of small retailers out of business, and could also lead to substantial job losses in Latin American countries that produce and export most cigars sold in the US. . . .

Chris McCalla, legislative director for the Retail Tobacco Dealers of America, said the taxes being considered could force premium cigar prices in the US to double or even triple, since the tax would apply every time a cigar changes hands at the import, distribution and retail levels. As one example, he said a 4 usd cigar could cost as much as 12 usd under the new tax.

McCalla said the tax would likely drive a large percentage of the 3,600 specialty tobacco retailers in the US out of business, since he does not expect consumers to pay this steep price.

'If this happens, expect a great number of these family-owned cigar shops to close,' he said of the legislation. McCalla's group includes about 2,000 small retailers as members.

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• World No-Tobacco Day in LAC: RIACT Launched 

Brazil's Health Minister, José Gomes Temporão, today announced the launch of the Ibero-American Tobacco Control Network (RIACT - Rede Ibero-Americana de Controle do Tabagismo in Portuguese, Red Ibero-Americana de Control del Tabaquismo in Spanish) to bring together the tobacco control authorities of (Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking) Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) with those of Spain and Portugal to cooperate, coordinate and collaborate in the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

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Waiting to inhale? 

SMOKERS wishing to top up their nicotine levels while on holiday needn't bother heading to Chile, where a ban on smoking in public has been introduced. In a bid to cut the number of tobacco-related deaths, lighting up is now banned in parks, beaches, buses, schools, hospitals and stadiums, with restaurants to follow suit by May. The clear Andean air is now even purer, with few smokers willing to risk a £15 fine by puffing in public.

It's a trend seen all across Latin America: Uruguay implemented one of the region's toughest laws in March; Cuba restricted smoking in public last year; and restaurants in some parts of Mexico are now required to have a non-smoking section. Leaving for Las Vegas

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Award Winners named for World No Tobacco Day in the Americas 

The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is recognizing six individuals and organizations today from across the Americas for their contributions to reducing tobacco use.

The PAHO/WHO World No Tobacco Day Awards are presented annually to individuals and institutions in the Americas that have demonstrated a long-term commitment and contribution to research, capacity building, promotion of policy or legislation, and advocacy, among other activities to advance tobacco control. The awards are given on World No-Tobacco Day, May 31, every year. . . .

This year's winners are:

WHO Director General's Award (one of two awards worldwide) Honorable Dr. Tabaré Vázquez, President, Oriental Republic of Uruguay

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• Latin America has high prevelance of lung diseases 

The lung diseases, emphysema and bronchitis, are a greater health problem in Latin America than previously thought, concludes a study published online today (Friday November 4, 2005) by The Lancet. High rates of tobacco smoking, the main risk factor for COPD, could explain the prevalence but altitude may also play a part, state the authors.

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• Clarke's evidence on BAT to be investigated for 'contradictions' 

The chairman of the Commons health committee is to investigate allegations that Kenneth Clarke gave false evidence to parliament about the activities of his company British American Tobacco.

Kevin Barron, Labour chairman of the health committee, said he would consult with David Hinchliffe, who was chairman in February 2000 when the Conservative leadership contender testified, denying claims that BAT was involved in international cigarette smuggling. Mr Barron said: "I shall be asking to study the record of the evidence Mr Clarke gave at the time, to see if there are any contradictions."

The Guardian disclosed yesterday that a letter written by BAT's lawyers admitted that certain allegations of BAT's involvement in smuggling were true. But five days after the letter was written, Mr Clarke, who is deputy chairman of BAT, denied the charges to MPs, describing them as "unfounded" and "nonsense".

Yesterday at Blackpool he sought to brush off the allegations. Addressing a packed lunchtime meeting, Mr Clarke likened himself to the man in the Hamlet cigar commercial. "When I am accused of heinous crimes I just light up a cigar ... It does save me from stress. I do not suffer from stress."

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