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Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- Pacific Island United States Territories, 2007 

Results: Across the five Pacific Island territories, the leading causes of mortality among all ages include unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes; cancer; cardiovascular diseases; stroke; and diabetes. Results from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) indicated that high school students in the Pacific Island territories engaged in behaviors that increased their risk for mortality or morbidity from these causes. . . .

Tobacco Use

Lifetime Cigarette Use

Across surveys, the overall percentage of students who had ever tried cigarette smoking (even one or two puffs) (i.e., lifetime cigarette use) ranged from 56.8% to 78.1% (median: 69.7%). Prevalence among female students ranged from 53.1% to 78.7% (median: 67.6%), and prevalence among male students ranged from 57.1% to 77.6% (median: 71.6%) (Table 13).

Lifetime Daily Cigarette Use

Across surveys, the overall percentage of students who had ever smoked at least one cigarette every day for 30 days (i.e., lifetime daily cigarette use) ranged from 13.6% to 17.6% (median: 16.6%). Prevalence among female students ranged from 12.6% to 16.2% (median: 13.1%), and prevalence among male students ranged from 14.2% to 22.3% (median: 17.8%) (Table 13).

Current Cigarette Use

Across surveys, the overall percentage of students who had smoked cigarettes on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey (i.e., current cigarette use) ranged from 23.1% to 37.6% (median: 31.1%). Prevalence among female students ranged from 20.4% to 31.1% (median: 25.4%), and prevalence among male students ranged from 22.9% to 44.4% (median: 31.2%) (Table 14).

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Tobacco Violations High in Marshalls' Stores 

Nearly all stores in the Marshall Islands sell tobacco products illegally to minors, the results of a survey in the two urban centers show.

Officials conducting the unannounced inspections said they were amazed to find that 93 percent of 129 stores illegally sold cigarettes and chewing tobacco to youth under 18 years of age.

"Before the survey, we guessed about 75-80 percent of the stores were illegally selling to minors," said Ben Graham, the coordinator of the surveys who was recently named the Marshall Islands ambassador to the United States. "The results blew us away."

The survey was part of a United States-funded substance abuse prevention and treatment program under the "Synar" Act

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• Nearly all Marshall Islands stores selling tobacco to minors: survey 

A new survery has revealed that nearly all retail stores in the Marshall Islands are selling tobacco illegally to minors.

Officials who carried out unannounced inspections as part of the survey say they were amazed to find that 93 per cent of 129 stores, were breaking the law bey selling cigarettes and chewing tobacco to people under the age of 18.

The survey was part of a United States-funded substance abuse prevention and treatment program.

Ben Graham, the survey coordinator and the Marshall Islands ambassador to the United States says he was staggered by the results.

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IN BRIEF / TOBACCO Court Dismisses Suit Against Philip Morris 

Philip Morris Cos. said an appeals court dismissed a lawsuit the Marshall Islands government brought in an attempt to recoup expenses resulting from smoking-related diseases.

The republic's Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that there was insufficient proof the country suffered economic losses from cigarette makers' actions, Philip Morris said.

The suit, filed in the nation after a court in Hawaii dismissed it, was modeled on lawsuits by U.S. states that led to a $246-billion settlement. The Marshall Islands sought $4.6billion in damages, which a court would have been able to triple.

Philip Morris shares rose 21 cents to $55.27 on the NYSE.

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• Marshall Islands Court Upholds Dismissal Of Tobacco Case; Countries Have No Special Claim To Courts, In U.S. Or Abroad 

A case brought by the Republic of the Marshall Islands against the United States cigarette industry ended today with a ruling from the country's Supreme Court upholding the dismissal of the case for lack of evidence.

In a unanimous 18-page decision, the judges agreed with the lower court's ruling that the government's lawyers did not present adequate evidence to support their claim that the country suffered an economic loss as a result of alleged wrongful conduct by the tobacco industry. "A court cannot hold Tobacco liable for engaging in lawful activities (i.e. selling and distributing cigarettes in the Marshall Islands), " said the Court.

"Today's decision is an important one for the industry because it underscores the fact that, whether filed in the U.S. or abroad, suits by foreign countries against tobacco companies are unlikely to succeed. These governments must follow the same rules of law that apply to all other litigants, " said William S. Ohlemeyer, Philip Morris Cos. vice president and associate general counsel.

A federal district court in Washington D.C. has dismissed similar cases brought against the tobacco industry by the governments of Guatemala, Ukraine, Nicaragua and the Province of Ontario, Canada. Cases brought in state court in Florida by Venezuela, Ecuador and the Brazilian State of Espirito Santo have also been dismissed.

"Every federal appellate court in the United States to address the issue has upheld the dismissal of suits by third party payors of health care expenses, such as foreign governments, " Ohlemeyer said.

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Smoking Out an Expert / a Well-Prepared Deposition Turns a Billion-Dollar Claim Into 'Balderdash' 

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Marshall Islands: Lawyers appeal court decision in case against US tobacco firms  

Lawyers in the Marshall Islands have filed a legal brief in their country's long-running tobacco compensation case. In a 60-page brief, lawyers for the government are seeking a Supreme Court reversal of a High Court decision which not only dismissed the case but also strongly criticized the attorneys and expert witnesses and ordered the removal from the trial of Judge H.D. Johnson.

The High Court ruled that the judge had made comments prejudicial to the case during interviews with Radio New Zealand International and other media.

Attornies for the tobacco companies have also filed a brief in the Supreme Court arguing that the High Court's decision was correct and mirrors numerous dismissals of similar cases against tobacco companies in American courts.

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Marshall Islands unlikely to appeal loss of final case against US tobacco firms 

It has 30 days to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, but our correspondent in Majuro, Giff Johnson, suggests it is likely they will not take the issue any further.

[Johnson] The reason for this is that it was thrown out on the grounds, basically, that the government attorneys did not do their homework, basically did not do their research properly and had no evidence to present to make a case...

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• Islanders free to sue tobacco giants 

A US court has cleared the way for the Marshall Islands to launch an multi-billion dollar suit against US tobacco companies over health care costs related to smoking.

The tobacco companies had argued that courts in the Marshall Islands should be disqualified from hearing the case because of alleged political interference from the judiciary.

US Chief Justice Allen Fields said that claims put forward by the tobacco companies were hypocritical and without merit.

The tobacco companies had argued to the US Supreme Court that they could not get a fair trial because of the Marshall Islands' tribal system of chiefs or iroij, who they claimed influenced the courts. . .

Originally, the Marshall Islands had filed 11 charges claiming compensation of over $4bn against Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds and the American Tobacco Co. but the US High Court dismissed all but one action, which will now go to trial in the Marshall Islands in September.

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US judge slams tobacco companies' criticism of Marshall Islands courts 

American tobacco companies have failed in a bid to get courts in the Marshall Islands disqualified from hearing a potential multi-billion dollar lawsuit over the health impacts of smoking.

US Chief Justice Allen Fields says claims advanced by the companies to disqualify courts in Majuro from the case because of alleged political interfere with the judiciary were without merit. . .

Late last year, American tobacco companies challenged the credibility of US High Court Judge H. Dee Johnson, appealing to the Supreme Court that the lower court could not fairly and impartially hear the case.

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• Tobacco Cos. Cleared of Most Marshall Islands Claims (Update1) 

A Marshall Islands judge has dismissed ten of 11 claims brought by the republic's government against Philip Morris Cos. and other U.S. tobacco companies in an effort to recoup expenses resulting from smoking-related diseases.

In the ruling last week, High Court Judge H. Dee Johnson said there was only enough evidence for one of the claims brought against the companies, a claim under the republic's consumer protection laws. . .

The suit had been seeking $4.6 billion in damages, which had the potential to be trebled. That dollar figure was the lawsuit's downfall, wrote Johnson in the decision.

``When applied to a small country of some 50,000 souls, it is breath-taking,'' wrote Johnson. ``These astronomical numbers badly damaged the credibility of the (Marshall Islands) in the public eye, in both the legal and political arenas.''

Seeking such a large sum made it look like the Marshall Islands was ``trying to use its own court system to extort these huge sums of money from the defendants,'' Johnson said.

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• American tobacco companies win Marshall Islands case 

American tobacco companies have won a major victory in the Marshall Islands with the High Court throwing out a multi-billion dollar suit brought by the government.

Judge H-Dee Johnson dismissed for lack of evidence 10 of the eleven charges the Marshall Islands had filed against four US tobacco companies. . .

In his 20-page opinion, Judge Johnson strongly criticised the Government's US-based legal team, whom he described as "salesmen peddling a lawsuit" who had not done their homework for their clients.

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