Tobacco.org

• 2.5m-year-old tobacco found  

PALEONTOLOGISTS in Peru have discovered fossilised tobacco in the northern Amazon that dates back to the Pleistocene Era 2.5 million years ago, the scientists said today.

The compact block of tobacco, about 30 square centimetres was found by scientists from the Meyer-Honninger Paleontology Museum earlier this week in the Maranon river basin in northeastern Peru.

"This discovery allows us to establish that the plant dates back to the Pleistocene Era, and confirms that it originated in northern Peru," the museum said.

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"Tobacco - Peru" is now available at Fast Market Research 

Euromonitor International's Tobacco in Peru report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2005-2009, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be the new legislative, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2014 illustrate how the market is set to change.

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• Tobacco smoking in seven Latin American cities: the CARMELA study  

Methods

The Cardiovascular Risk Factor Multiple Evaluation in Latin America (CARMELA) study is a cross-sectional epidemiological study of 11 550 adults between 25 and 64 years old in Barquisimeto, Venezuela; Bogota, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Peru; Mexico City, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Santiago, Chile. Tobacco smoking, including cigarettes, cigars and pipes, was surveyed among other cardiovascular risk factors.

Results

Santiago and Buenos Aires had the highest smoking prevalence (45.4% and 38.6%, respectively); male and female rates were similar. In other cities, men smoked more than women, most markedly in Quito (49.4% of men vs 10.5% of women). Peak male smoking prevalence occurred among the youngest two age groups (25–34 and 35–44 years old). Men and women of Buenos Aires smoked the highest number of cigarettes per day on average (15.7 and 12.4, respectively). Men initiated regular smoking earlier than women in each city (ranges 13.7–20.0 years vs 14.2–21.1 years, respectively). Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke at workplace for more than 5 h per day was higher in Barquisimeto (28.7%), Buenos Aires (26.8%) and Santiago (21.5%). The highest prevalence of former smokers was found among men in Buenos Aires, Santiago and Lima (30.0%, 26.8% and 26.0% respectively).

Conclusions

Smoking prevalence was high in the seven CARMELA cities, although patterns of smoking varied among cities. A major health and economic burden is inevitable in urban Latin America unless effective comprehensive tobacco control measures recommended by the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are implemented.

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• Peru bans smoking in indoor public spaces 

Peru's Congress passed today the bill that bans smoking at workplaces, entertainment areas and other indoor public spaces.

The new law aims to protect citizens against the dangers that cigarette smoke pose on their health.

The law states that these public places must place in visible spots signs with the warning "Smoking at public places is banned because it is dangerous to health," and "Place 100% tobacco smoke free."

The law also obligates companies to include warning phrases and photos

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Peru's Health Ministry proposes a 200% tax on tobacco and cigarettes 

Peru's Health Minister, Óscar Ugarte, presented a bill that aims to rise the selective consumption tax (ISC) on tobacco and cigarettes from 30% to 200%.

“We are proposing this increase in order to discourage the consumers from buying tobacco and cigarettes,” says Ugarte, who also thinks that “this will slowly reduce the demand of tobacco.”

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Research and Markets: Tobacco in Peru  

The Tobacco in Peru report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2002-2007), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be the new legislative, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2012 illustrate how the market is set to change.

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When Cigarettes Attack IN SWARMS 

The Peruvian League Against Cancer wants you smokers to know that secondhand smoking is like unleashing a swarm of killer bees on an innocent little girl.

For their anti-smoking ad campaign, they glued together 15,000 cigarette butts ONE BY ONE. Volunteers donated the butts.

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15,000 cigarette butts gather to stop smoking  

15,000 cigarette butts were glued together by an artist, and to make sure the No-Smoker Day ad hit home, the cigarette butts were positioned as a formidable presence aimed at a sweet little girl.

"The Ogilvy agency did an amazing job fulfilling the request made by the Peruvian League of the Fight Against Cancer to come up with an ad for No-Smoker Day. Although there are no dates listed, I am almost positive this is referring to the annual worldwide No-Smoking Day held in March," said Trendhunter Sandra Winn.

The message - cigarettes are a danger to non-smokers - comes through loud and clear. Even if only a few smokers are encouraged to quit after seeing the ad, that would be a good thing.

The directdaily blog seems to quote one of the Ogilvy creatives: "The Peruvian League of fight against cancer, ask us to create a campaign for the no-smoker day in which they had to emphasis the damage that a person who smokes causes on his family, friends and all the people around him."

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Peru to pub's rescue?  

A Cornish pub is aiming to become a tiny slice of Peru in a bid to beat July's smoking ban.

Customers and staff of the Peruvian Arms public house in Penzance have appealed to the Peruvian ambassador, Ricardo Luna Mendoza, asking him to grant them special status so they can continue to light up after the ban comes into force in England.

I met the Peruvian Ambassador in London when I was invited there for tea. He's a great bloke who will understand our predicament Manageress Debbie Trevithick.

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• Peru snubs pub, stubs out smoking ploy 

A pub in Cornwall has failed in its attempt to become a Peruvian consulate, and thereby escape the smoking ban.

The landlords of the Peruvian Arms in Penzance, an 18th century pub built with the proceeds of the Peruvian silver mines, received a letter from the Peruvian Ambassador to the UK, Ricardo Luna Mendoza, turning down their request this morning.

"They said 'No', of course. Due to the Geneva Convention and things like that," said Debbie Trevithick. "The Ambassador said they were going to have a meeting about it, but it was only a joke I suppose."

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• English pub wants Peru's help to beat smoking ban 

An English pub is trying to beat the imminent ban on smoking in public places by asking for consulate status from the Peruvian embassy in London, the landlady said Friday.

Debbie Trevithick, from the Peruvian Arms in Penzance, Cornwall, south-west England, said the pub has close ties with the South American country and she has written to Peru's ambassador in London to ask for consulate status.

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• Peru Ratifies Global Anti-Tobacco Accord 

A global anti-tobacco accord will take effect next year after being ratified by Peru, the 40th and final country needed to implement the treaty that limits advertising and requires tough new warning labels be put on packs of cigarettes.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is meant to cut the number of deaths from tobacco-related illness -- such as cancer and heart disease -- which the World Health Organization estimates kill one smoker every 6.5 seconds. Some 5 million smokers are thought to die each year.

The World Health Organization said Peru's announcement Tuesday that it had ratified the accord raised total ratifications to 40, meaning the pact will come into force in 90 days -- or on Feb. 28.

A total 128 other countries, including the United States, have signed the treaty but have not yet ratified it.

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FEATURE-Entrepreneur rolls premium Peru cigars for export 

Peruvian cigar-maker Tabacalera del Oriente only started selling its tobacco in 2001 but its fans already include President Bush and King Juan Carlos of Spain.

Hand-rolled premium cigars are one of Peru's newest luxury goods as its tobacco industry has been hit by an influx of contraband cigarettes and high taxes in recent years.

Tabacalera del Oriente hopes dignitaries, royals and tycoons will smoke its products as well as -- or instead of -- Cuba's world-famous cigars, considered the classiest in the industry.

Established in 1997 in Tarapoto, northern Peru, by Italian entrepreneur Nicola Felice, Tabacalera del Oriente produced just 300,000 hand-rolled cigars last year . . .

One of Felice's most visible enthusiasts to date has been President Bush, who was presented with two boxes of cigars by Tabacalera during an official visit to Peru in March 2002.

Bush apparently enjoyed the smoke. Felice has a copy of a White House thank you letter pinned to his office wall.

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British American Tobacco Peru Unit Start Share Offer 

British American Tobacco unit, British American Tobacco Peru Holdings Limited, on Thursday launched a public offer for outstanding common shares of Tabacalera Nacional SAA.

The company said it was aiming to buy 10,399 common shares, which make up 6.24% of the equity.

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British American Tobacco may leave Peru if tax situation does not improve 

BAT (British American Tobacco) will make a decision this week about a planned investment of US$25mil in the modernization of the Tabacalera Nacional plant it bought in May and in its tobacco plantations. The decision will be made after the government releases its proposals in regard to tax changes. BAT was affected by the recent 25% increase in the ISC (Impuesto Selectivo al Consumo) tax, and is threatening to move its US export operations to its subsidiaries in Colombia, Venezuela or Chile if the government proposals are not favorable.

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