Tobacco.org

DOH wants tobacco plant to butt out 

Amid a row over a British company's plans to build a tobacco plant in a Miaoli township, Taiwan's health chief Yeh Ching-chuan said his agency is opposed to the project.

Yeh, head of the Department of Health (DOH), made the remarks while fielding questions on the issue from lawmakers at a legislative committee meeting.

He said although the DOH is not the agency responsible for the matter, in principle it is opposed to plans to construct the tobacco plant because the plan runs counter to the global anti-smoking trend.

The negative implications, such as public health and pollution, could outweigh the plant's job creation benefits, Yeh said.

The anti-smoking group, the John Tung Foundation, a non-profit agency, voiced its objection to the plan a day earlier. British-based Imperial Tobacco Company Ltd wants to build a tobacco plant in northern Taiwan's Miaoli County Chunan township.

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Taiwan health department not endorsing setup of tobacco plant  

In a legislative session on Thursday morning, Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) said the Department of Health (DOH) would not endorse the setup of giant tobacco manufacturing plant, saying that the act was against the anti-smoking spirit promoted by the Department.

In the question-and-answer session held by the Legislative Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, Yeh faced inquiries of lawmakers on the Imperial Tobacco Group’s plan to install a manufacturing plant in Miaoli County, and on fake doctors employed by local hospitals.

Britain-based Imperial Tobacco Group, one of top four tobacco companies in the world, set up a major tobacco manufacturing factory in Chunan Town, Miaoli County in central Taiwan. The producer of Davidoff cigarette brand started production in Miaoli plant last year, drawing criticism from anti-smoking groups that it harms Taiwan’s image amid the fight against the hazardous tobacco.

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Taiwan health chief Yeh opposes plan to build tobacco plant in Miaoli  

Amid a row over a British company's plans to build a tobacco plant in a Miaoli township, Taiwan's Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan said yesterday that his agency is basically opposed to the project.

Yeh, minister of the Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH), made the remarks while fielding questions on the issue from lawmakers at a legislative committee meeting.

He said although the DOH is not the agency in charge of the matter, in principle it is opposed to the tobacco plant construction plan because it goes counter to global anti-smoking trends.

The negative complications, such as public health and pollution problems, could outweigh the plant's job creation benefits, the minister said.

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Sin tax doubles for smokers 

The health surcharge on cigarettes and other tobacco products doubled yesterday from NT$10 a pack to NT$20.

Chao Kun-yu, director of the Bureau of Health Promotion under the Department of Health (DOH), said retail stores are allowed to sell off existing cigarette stocks without imposing the extra NT$10 tax on customers.

He urged consumers to examine the cigarettes they buy to make sure the pack carries a sticker certifying a NT$20 health and welfare surcharge.

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台烟价上涨烟民选择戒烟 戒烟门诊日增六成 

台海网6月2日讯 据台湾TVBS报道，6月1日起台湾烟品健康捐调高10元，不少烟商也趁机涨价，昂贵的烟价成为压垮瘾君子的最后一根稻草？不少医院的戒烟门诊人数就有增加趋势，像基隆医院最近戒烟人数一天就增加5、6成，大部分的人说，烟太贵买不起干脆戒掉。

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Internet cafes flouting tobacco ban, group says 

The number of reported cases of Internet cafes violating new tobacco regulations has tripled in the past month, an anti-smoking group said yesterday.

The John Tung Foundation said it received reports last month of 129 cases of Internet cafes violating the new Tobacco Hazard Prevention and Control Act (菸害防制法). This number is about equal to all reported cases from January to March, showing a steep climb in the number of Internet cafes that violate the rules, the foundation said.

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Health surcharge on cigarettes in Taiwan to double starting June 1  

The health surcharge on tobacco will be increased from NT$10 to NT$20 per pack of cigarettes starting June 1 to discourage smoking and raise funds for the country's health insurance program, Taiwan's top health official said Friday.

Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川), minister of the Department of Health, said that the price of a pack of cigarettes is expected to increase by between NT$10 and NT$15 following the increase in the health surcharge.

Currently, a pack of cigarettes sells for NT$55 on average. . . .

The John Tung Foundation, an anti-smoking group, recently criticized the DOH for only spending NT$160 million from the surcharge funds to help the public kick the habit of smoking, while shelling out NT$600 million to subsidize tobacco manufacturers to print or affix the new marking.

Yeh replied, however, that the DOH has already received confirmation from four major tobacco manufacturers, including Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp., that they will do the markings themselves at no extra cost to the government.

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• Foundation slams firms that sell ‘cute’ cigarettes 

“Many young ladies, perhaps because they are unable to consume enough servings of fruit, believe that by smoking peach [cigarettes], they are getting the same amount of nutrition as they would from a real peach.” — Lin Ching-li, director of the John Tung Foundation’s Tobacco Control Division

Tobacco companies that sell cigarettes in cute or fashionable packaging in an attempt to attract young ladies may be violating new tobacco rules, a foundation said yesterday.

Under the new Tobacco Hazard Prevention and Control Act (菸害防制法) that took effect on Jan. 11, businesses can be fined if they encourage the purchase of cigarettes by means of advertisement posters, electronic panels, animation, bonus points or any discount program, placing more than one box of cigarettes on the counter and selling candies, snacks or toys in the form of cigarettes.

Despite the tighter regulations, tobacco companies still market fruit-flavored cigarettes to young ladies to give the impression that smoking these cigarettes has the same health benefits as eating fruit, the anti-smoking group John Tung Foundation said.

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Take the fifth: Baseball in Taiwan features a smoke break  

In Taiwan baseball, there is a 15-minute smoke break between the fifth and sixth innings. There is no seventh-inning stretch.

Andrew Lorraine wasn't required to smoke, but that delay was just one of the adjustments the former Angels left-hander had to make in 2007-08 playing for the La New Bears in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

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Thoughts on Taiwan's new 'smoking ban'  

DOH to combat smoking with new ash trays 

The Department of Health (DOH) will work with local authorities to provide more places for smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts in light of the recent indoor smoking ban, a spokesman said yesterday.

DOH Public Relations Office chief Wang Che-chao (王哲超) said it appeared that street cigarette bins were in higher demand now that smoking had been forbidden in restaurants and KTV parlors.

Under the ban, public establishments are not allowed to provide ashtrays for customers.

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Passengers fume over lack of smoking rooms  

Taoyuan International Airport has sent a letter to the Department of Health, requesting permission to open smoking rooms in its terminals following passenger complaints.

Passengers have complained that there are no smoking facilities in any of the terminals. Taoyuan's old smoking rooms were closed after the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act came into effect two months ago. The rooms did not comply with the Act, media reported yesterday.

The dearth of smoking facilities has forced the desperate to secretly smoke in the toilets.

“You get fined NT$3,000 if you get caught,” he said.

“There is simply nowhere else I can smoke, let me just take two puffs!” a cleaning lady who cleans toilets at Taoyuan said.

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More bins to be installed to cope with increased cigarette litter 

The Department of Health (DOH) is working with local authorities to have more cigarette bins installed in public outdoor spaces, in light of the recent increase in cigarette litter following the enforcement of an indoor smoking ban in the country, a DOH spokesman said Thursday.

According to Wang Che-chao, head of the DOH's public relations office, it appears that street cigarette bins are in higher demand now that smoking is forbidden in indoor public areas such as restaurants and KTV parlors.

Under the ban, such public establishments are not allowed to provide ashtrays for customers.

"In the past, smokers could have taken their live cigarette butts into a restaurant and dumped them in an ashtray, but now they have to find a place outside," Wang said.

However, he stressed that the move to install more bins should not be seen as encouraging smoking, as is a transitional step to help smokers adapt to the newly instituted ban.

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Health surcharge on tobacco stalled by enforcement issue  

Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yeh Ching-chuan on Monday attributed a delay in implementing a mandatory increase in the health surcharge on cigarettes to a legal snag over how the measure will be enforced.

Yeh told lawmakers that under existing law, the surcharge could not be imposed until cigarette vendors had sold their current inventories of tobacco products and would only take effect on new inventory.

The DOH would prefer, however, that cigarette vendors pay the tax on their existing inventories in advance, but such a procedure has no legal basis, Yeh said.

He promised to resolve the legal quandary as soon as possible to prevent the smuggling and hoarding of tobacco products due to the delay.

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John Tung Foundation takes aim at e-cigarettes 

The John Tung Foundation yesterday urged the Department of Health (DOH) to place electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the same legal category as regular cigarettes.

“E-cigarettes contain liquid nicotine. In terms of Article 2 of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法), e-cigarettes should be regarded as regular cigarettes,” foundation president Yau Sea-wain (姚思遠) said.

The article stipulates that anything made from tobacco or related products designed for smoking, chewing, swallowing or snuffing should be classified in the same category as cigarettes.

“E-cigarettes are cigarettes, as they fit the profile and definition,”

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