Tobacco.org

• Education Ministry Bans Sale And Consumption Of Alcohol And Tobacco In Educational Institutions 

The Ministry of Education, Science, Youth and Sports has prohibited sale and consumption of alcohol and tobacco in the premises and on territory of educational institutions, reads the Ministry order No.136 dated February 8.

The document also foresees educational institutions' termination ahead of term of lease contracts with business entities that sell alcohol and tobacco in the premises and on territory of educational institutions.

The Education Ministry instructed leadership of educational institutions to conduct explanatory work among pupils, students and cadets as to the legislation norms concerning responsibility for drinking booze and low-alcohol beverages.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Education Ministry in September 2011 expressed its worries over the tobacco smoking contagion among schoolchildren.

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• Poll: Most Ukrainians back law on smoke-free environments 

Most Ukrainian citizens support the adoption of a law prohibiting smoking in a number of public places such as in catering, cultural and sports establishments, according to a study conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) at the request of Quirk Global Strategies.

The poll shows that 84% of respondents support the adoption of this law.

Regionally, this figure is the following - 88% in the country's eastern and northern regions and 78% in the western regions.

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Cuba fumes over tobacco packaging laws ($$) 

COMMUNIST Cuba and democratic Ukraine, once part of the Soviet Union, have challenged the free-trade credentials of the Labor government, becoming the first countries to foreshadow action in global trade forums against its tobacco plain-packaging laws.

The Cuban government and state-owned cigar company Habanos have warned the federal government that forcing it to comply with the new laws, which would apply to its famous cigars, could violate Australia's obligations under the World Trade Organisation.

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• Cuba, Ukraine warn on plain packaging 

Cuba and Ukraine have warned the Australian government over its move to introduce plain packaging for tobacco products.

The Cuban government and a state-owned cigar company Habanos warned the government that forcing it to comply with the new laws could violate Australia's obligations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO), News Limited reported on Monday.

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• HOPKO: No political will for health and money 

Is it difficult to answer why the Polish government does everything possible to make cheese, milk and vegetables cheaper than cigarettes? Ukrainians can take home from Poland healthy Polish products, while in return Ukraine sells cheap Ukrainian cigarettes to Poland.

Poles are lucky because the "father of Polish economic reforms, Leszek Balcerowicz, was well aware that life expectancy could be increased by policies which make healthy products like fruit cheaper and unhealthy products like tobacco more expensive. The way to do that is by increasing tobacco taxes.

High tobacco taxes not only improve a nation's health, they also increase budget revenues. According to the State Tax Administration, the budget got Hr 11.5 billion in the first nine months of 2011, which is Hr 2 billion more comparing to similar period last year.

Tobacco tax increase in 2008-2010 showed that tax increase is profitable for state budget. The revenues from tobacco tax increased from Hr 2.5 billion in 2007 to Hr 13 billion in 2010!

Konstantin Krasosvky, the longtime tobacco control expert, says there is still a huge potential to increase tobacco taxes, because of the existing low prices of cigarettes.

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Smokies And The Bandit  

This hapless smuggler was sunk when police caught him swimming over a river into Romania floating on 60,000 packets of cigarettes.

The duty dodging trafficker - wearing a full wet suit - was picked up as he crossed over on the Tisa river at Maramures on the border with the Ukraine.

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• Kyiv Council deputies call for ban on sale of alcohol and tobacco in Kyiv at night 

Kyiv City Council may impose ban on the sale of alcohol and tobacco products in Kyiv at night, the press service of the Kyiv Republic faction in the Kyiv City Council has reported.

A corresponding draft bill is being worked on in committee.

"The draft bill stipulates a ban on the sale of alcohol, low-alcohol drinks, beer and tobacco products from all the stationary trade objects and kiosks in Kyiv from 2200 until 0800 in the morning, including weekends and holidays. Only restaurants and cafes would be exempt from the innovation," deputy of the Kyiv Republic faction in the Kyiv City Council Oleksiy Davydenko said.

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• Excise tax increase would not reduce the number of smokers in Ukraine!  

The increase of excise tax is not an effective measure in the fight against tobacco - this conclusion was made by sociologists of the “Bureau of statistical analysis”, after having conducted a large-scale study in the largest cities of Ukraine.

Almost 40% of Ukrainian smokers say that will keep on buying cigarettes of their favourite brands, even if tobacco products become more expensive after an increase in rates of excise duty. Moreover, 75% of Ukrainian smokers believe that the increase in excise duty on tobacco products will increase sales of illegal cigarettes. And 20% of smokers say openly that they will look for cheaper cigarettes, UNIAN reports.

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• Parliament bans tobacco ads, sponsorship 

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has banned tobacco advertising and sponsorship.

Amendments to related laws were supported by 332 out of 370 MPs registered in the session hall on Thursday.

In keeping with the passed amendments, the advertising of tobacco articles and trademarks for goods and services and other objects of intellectual property right under which tobacco goods are produced shall be banned for broadcasting on radio and television, including cable and satellite TV, IP television, online television, mobile television, digital and terrestrial television and other means of signal transmission.

Tobacco ads may not appear in scientific, popular science, socio-political, reference, books and the press, including printed periodicals, on means of transportation.

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• The Ministry of Health of Ukraine proposes all forms of tobacco advertising be prohibited 

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine proposes all forms of tobacco advertising be prohibited, the ministry's press service has said.

"On 4 Sept., 2011 five years had passed since the coming into force for Ukraine of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the world's first international treaty on public health, which was unanimously approved on May 21, 2003 at the World Health Assembly.

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• Tax service inspects for presence of notices about smoking at businesses 

The State Tax Administration of Ukraine is planning to continue inspections of establishments, including public catering facilities and alcohol and tobacco retail outlets, to ensure they have notices reading, "Place for Smoking. Smoking Damages Your Health!" and also to educate business entities on this matter, the press service of the tax service has reported on Monday.

"The tax service must check for the [boards'] presence," the text reads.

As the administration reports, this concerns the allocation of visual information in the places where smoking is permitted or prohibited by the leadership of the various establishments (public catering facilities, alcohol and tobacco retailers, etc.), as stipulated by the law on "State Regulation of Production and Circulation of Ethyl, Cognac and Fruit Alcohol, Alcohol Drinks and Tobacco Goods."

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Smoking possible cause of methane blast in Krasnokutska mine, says mining watchdog 

Cigarette smoking by a miner could have caused the ignition of a methane-air mixture at Krasnokutska mine, Luhansk region, First Deputy Head of the State Service of Mining Supervision and Safety of Ukraine Viktor Shaitan has said.

"The expert commission is still preparing its findings, but the only thing I can say is that several packs of cigarettes were found in the mine, and the methane-air mixture ignition could have been caused by smoking," he said at a press conference in Kyiv.

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Ukrainian court refuses to let Tymoshenko free  

KIEV, Ukraine -- A Ukrainian court on Monday rejected lawyers' request to free former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko during her abuse of office trial. . . .

The judge on Monday turned down two defense appeals for Tymoshenko's release as hundreds of her supporters protested outside. Her husband told reporters that Tymoshenko, a nonsmoker, was feeling OK but suffering badly because one of her cellmates smokes.

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Romanian homes raided in cigarette smuggling case  

Organized crime prosecutors have raided 140 homes as part of an investigation into an alleged cigarette smuggling ring involving Romanian and Ukrainian citizens.

The office of the prosecutor's office for organized crime and terrorism said the homes were raided early Thursday.

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Economic and public health impact of 2007–2010 tobacco tax increases in Ukraine  

Objective To evaluate the impact of the dynamic 2007–2010 tobacco tax policy in Ukraine on cigarette prices, cigarette consumption, tobacco tax revenue and the tobacco industry's price strategy.

Methods Using data on cigarette sales, cigarette prices, income and tobacco control policies, price elasticities of cigarette demand in Ukraine were estimated using two methods. Annual data were used to generate point price elasticity estimates, while monthly data were used in a two-step Engle–Granger procedure.

Results The point price elasticity estimate is data sensitive and ranges from −0.11 to −0.62, centring around −0.32. The regression model estimates a long-run price elasticity of −0.28. Cigarette consumption fell by 13% in 2009 and 15% in 2010 while the tax revenue increased by US$700 million and by US$500 million in 2009 and 2010, respectively, compared to the previous year. Tax increases have changed the tobacco industry's price strategy from one of shielding consumers from the impact of smaller tax hikes in 2007–2008, to one of increasing industry net-of-tax prices, after recent, larger tax increases.

Conclusions The higher real tobacco excise taxes of 2009 and 2010 have significantly reduced tobacco consumption in Ukraine, resulting in encouraging public health and fiscal gains. It will be important for cigarette prices/taxes to keep pace with inflation and income growth for this impact to be sustained.

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