Tobacco.org

Cigarillo sales spike in Alberta  

Sales of small flavoured cigars are skyrocketing in Alberta.

New figures from Alberta Health Services show 64 million cigarillos were sold in 2007. That's up 1,000 per cent in six years.

The Campaign for a Smoke-free Alberta wants the province to ban the use of flavoured additives in tobacco products.

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• Taking Control of Tobacco  

There is a bit of good news in the economy for convenience store retailers, according to Nik Modi, sector analyst at New York City-based UBS Securities LLC, during CSPNetwork's Tobacco Update CyberConference. . . .

Food prices have come down slightly in the past year, and gasoline prices have nearly been cut in half, loosening the wallets of 60% of cigarette smokers—who make less than $40,000 annually. According to Modi, last year at this time gasoline prices were about $3.74 per gallon, and they are currently around $2.24, with the savings equating to the price of 209 packs of Marlboros or 142 tins of Copenhagen per year.

Modi also addressed the big question on most tobacco retailers' minds, how the federal excise tax (FET) increase will impact the industry. Based on historical price elasticity calculations, he said that he expects the tobacco industry to decline 8% to 10%, which would roughly be 4% to 6% worse than the normal trend rate of decline. After the next 12 months, Modi expects industry decline rates to return more or less to normalized levels, however.

Premium cigarette brands will likely be "less affected,"

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Effects of Web- and Computer-Based Smoking Cessation Programs: Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials 

Conclusion

The meta-analysis of RCTs indicates that there is sufficient clinical evidence to support the use of Web- and computer-based smoking cessation programs for adult smokers.

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• World No Tobacco Day 2009 brochure 

Download individual sections

1. Introduction [pdf 925kb]

2. The importance of packaging [pdf 924kb]

3. Consumers do not know enough about the health risks of tobacco use [pdf 5.06Mb]

4. Health warnings on packages do work [pdf 4.82Mb]

5. How to make warnings most effective [pdf 4.30Mb]

6. Countering tobacco industry arguments against effective health warnings [pdf 2.55Mb]

7. A call to action [pdf 356kb]

8. Picture gallery (by WHO region) [pdf 4.66Mb]

9. References, acknowlegments, credits [pdf 291kb]

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Quitter quits cigarette quitting scheme 

A DUNDEE woman who helped launch a controversial scheme that pays smokers to give up tobacco has quit the scheme.

Eight weeks after NHS Tayside launched quit4u, which pays £12.50 a week to those who can prove they are smoke free, Suzanne Cuthbertson says she has “quit” smoking, but had to abandon the scheme and go it alone.

She said her hectic lifestyle made it impossible for her to attend the weekly classes for those signed up to the programme.

To qualify for the payments, would-be quitters have to take a breath test to prove they have remained smoke free, and attend an hour-long class every week, at which they get support to give up tobacco.

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Analysts positive on JTI’s Winston 

ANALYSTS are positive on the improving fortunes of tobacco player JT International Bhd (JTI) following the stronger-than-expected performance of its value-for-money (VFM) Winston brand during 1QFY09.

“We were pleasantly surprised with Winston’s continued volume expansion against a shrinking industry. The VFM brand chalked up around 9% year-on-year (y-o-y) growth despite a 9% pullback in total industry volumes (TIV),” said CIMB Research.

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• Pressure on smokers to delay ban 

A quarter of all deputies in Parliament are smokers and they are being lobbied by certain businesses to delay the second stage of the smoking ban, a survey has revealed.

Experts from Hacettepe University Public Health Branch conducted a survey among parliamentary deputies on smoking habits and the prevention of smoking in public places. According to the related law, restaurants, teahouses, cafes and pubs will be added to the already smoke-free places after June 19. Lobbyists, including restaurant and cafe owners, are putting pressure on deputies to delay the implementation of the second stage.

One-third quit smoking

The survey was conducted among 246 deputies. Results showed 22 percent of deputies smoked every day and 4.5 percent smoked occasionally. The rate of deputies who had quit smoking stood at 29.8 percent, while those who had never smoked numbered 43.7 percent.

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Up in smoke 

Health experts have raised serious concerns about the growing number of women smoking shisha.

They said they are seeing more and more cases of women with respiratory disorders because of the habit and urged smokers - especially those who are pregnant - to give up 'hubbly bubbly', as shisha is commonly known.

The call comes as the UAE prepares for 'World No Tobacco Day' on May 31, when people are being encouraged to stop smoking for 24 hours.

Many smokers think shisha is healthier than cigarettes, but the UAE Ministry of Health said an hour of shisha was equivalent to smoking 70 cigarettes.

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Inside Politics: Shaw reluctantly votes for smoking ban 

State Sen. Larry Shaw of Fayetteville voted for a ban on cigarette smoking in bars and restaurants even though he thinks it's wrong.

To make his point, Shaw gave smoking ban supporters a scare May 12 by trying to get the Senate to take back its final vote for the bill.

It's not fair to tell a bar or restaurant owner what to do, Shaw, a Democrat, said in an interview. "We're going to put these folks out of business. I think that's not right," he said.

Shaw also said he thought the law is unconstitutional. "It's discriminatory," he said.

So why did he vote for a law he thinks is unfair, wrong and unconstitutional? To support the Senate Democrats and Sen. Bill Purcell, who shepherded the law through the Senate, Shaw said.

Purcell said the restaurant industry supported the version of the bill that banned smoking in restaurants and bars.

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Tamil Nadu tops in punishing smoking ban violators 

To strengthen the mechanism for reporting violations of anti-smoking laws, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has made its round-the-clock toll-free helpline accessible from any part of the country.

Violations can be reported on 1800-110-456. There is a provision to make complaints though the helpline. Information is also given about the provisions of the anti-smoking laws such as the definition of public place, open space and prohibited areas and fine that will be collected from violators. Till March this year, more than 1,600 violations have been reported through the helpline, which was launched in 2008 after the Revised Smoke Free Rules under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (The Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Act, 2003) were notified.

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• Initiative aims to stub out smoking nationwide 

A coalition of 40 health organisations has launched an initiative to ban smoking in all buildings open to the public across Switzerland.

About half of the country's 26 cantons already have rules regulating smoking in bars and restaurants, but proponents of the campaign say the country's laws are too disjointed and do not go far enough.

"We have a very peculiar situation in Switzerland," Otto Piller, president of the Swiss Lung League, told swissinfo.ch on Monday. "The way it is now, you can have a town that sits on the border between canton Solothurn, which forbids smoking, and canton Aargau, which does not, meaning half the town allows smoking and half does not. It's an impossible situation."

The new law, if passed, would make any room open to the public smoke free, including those in restaurants, bars, schools and hospitals.

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About 19,000 fined under anti-smoking law  

As many as 18,925 people were fined for violating the anti-smoking law in the past six months, the health ministry said here Monday.

Of the 18,925 people fined, Tamil Nadu topped the list as the highest number of challans were issued in the state. At least 9,648 people were fined in Tamil Nadu followed by Delhi where the authorities booked 3,671 people, a statement said.

The authorities collected over Rs.2.5 million as fine from the violators after Oct 2 last year when the anti-smoking law was implemented. The law prohibits smoking at public places.

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Consensus hard to find on proposed state smoking ban 

Students might be forced to put their cigarettes out if a proposal approved last week by a state House committee becomes law.

The ban would prohibit smoking in workplaces such as restaurants and bars, with the exception of smoke shops and gaming floors in commercial casinos.

The proposed ban is facing criticism from state officials and business associations, which claim a ban could hurt businesses fighting to survive in a tough economy.

“Studies we have seen in other states (show that) the small bars and restaurants are going to be severely affected for the first two to three years … in Michigan, that will cost jobs for smaller businesses,” said Lance Binoniemi, executive director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association.

Business only might be temporarily hurt, said Eric Skusa, general manager at The Peanut Barrel Restaurant

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Smoking ban will make life harder for smokers  

ISU will be quitting cold turkey when the smoking ban takes effect July 1, and preparations are being made for any problems that result.

Bill Mercier, the director of public safety, said he expects people to comply "voluntarily," where people would follow this regulation without needing police incentive.

"We don't really envision us having to enforce this," he said.

Mercier said if someone did choose to not comply with the smoking ban, the person would first be asked to stop smoking.

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Butt out: Reaction strong as Bonita considers snuffing out smoking in parks  

The Bonita Springs City Council will consider banning smoking in public parks, particularly in places where kids congregate, such as bleachers and near dugouts, as part of several updates to the city's parks ordinance.

The issue is scheduled for a vote June 3. If passed, the changes would take effect a month later.

Keith Larson, parks and recreation manager, said the ordinance was under review when the city received e-mails from the community with a strong message: "We don't want smoking around our children."

The complaints have centered on one park -- Community Park, Larson said.

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