Tobacco.org

Dry Spell Forces Tobacco Growers to Reap Early 

The dry spell being experienced in many parts of the country has forced some tobacco farmers to reap their crop before it fully matures, accepting the largely poor yields rather than writing off the crop.

Induced maturity in dry land tobacco has become widespread in Manicaland and Mashonaland East. The crop prematurely turns golden because of the hot weather.

In Manicaland, most of the dry land crop is under severe moisture stress. However, the farmers say the crop can be salvaged if it rains soon. Mashonaland East provincial tobacco specialist Mrs Evelyn Matsika said the crop could still be saved, although the moisture stress would compromise leaf quality.

"The province is also facing problems of deforestation as demand for wood for curing is rising.

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Tax agents visit tobacco dealers  

Stores throughout Columbiana and Jefferson counties were visited Wednesday by agents with the Ohio Department of Taxation, checking to make sure they are legally selling tobacco products. As of early afternoon, in this county agents had found one Lisbon store selling cigars that had not been properly taxed

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• Government Of Canada Announces Project That Will Increase Action Across Canada On Tobacco Use Reduction 

Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul, on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced just over $630,000 in funding to the Canadian Public Health Association for a project that will help increase engagement of public health practitioners across Canada in tobacco use reduction initiatives.

"The Government of Canada remains committed to protecting all Canadians from the proven health hazards associated with tobacco use," said Minister Aglukkaq. "Today's funding announcement will give public health professionals the tools they need to help more Canadians quit smoking."

Funding from today's announcement will go towards a project entitled "The Next Stage: Delivering Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Knowledge Through Public Health Networks." This project will help integrate tobacco use reduction information into public health curriculum at post-secondary institutions, establish an online forum for public health practitioners, and establish a national public health approach to tobacco use reduction.

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Uttar Pradesh villagers rely on 'hookah' to keep away the cold 

Hookah is no longer the luxury of the riches but now become the savior for many in Uttar Pradesh's Khushaal Nagar village.

The villagers believe that it helps them overcome certain health related problems and also to beat the intense cold as they lament that the state government has been unable to provide them with adequate facilities to fight against the cold.

"In villages, we do not have any work, so we poor people burn wood and smoke Hookah. The city has a lot of advantage because of the business; we don't get any facilities from the Government. The villagers are dying because of cold. Thus we somehow survive by burning wood and smoking Hookah," said Saraswati Devi, a villager

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Tobacco Toxin Helps a Protein Cause Lung Cancer 

New research offers insight into how a carcinogen in tobacco known as NNK contributes to the formation of lung cancer tumors.

Researchers at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan report that NNK contributes to the accumulation of a protein, called DNMT1, in the nucleus of cells. In turn, DNMT1 turns off genes that keep tumors from forming.

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• Geneva Meet Trains Sight on Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products 

A new protocol to be discussed and signed by governments at a meeting in Geneva in March is expected to boost the war on illicit trade in tobacco products as it will make it possible for countries to disclose bank accounts of suspected smugglers.

Smugglers in east Africa are suspected to use their wide networks stretching across the war ravaged Somalia and DR Congo to peddle illicit tobacco products through the porous borders and escaping tax in the process and accumulating revenues which are deposited in several banks across the region.

If signed by governments attending the Geneva meeting, the protocol is expected to become an international convention to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products across the globe.

The draft protocol, to be debated in Geneva in March, could prohibit manufacturers across the globe from using the internet, telecommunications or any other evolving technology based modes to sell tobacco products or manufacturing equipment used in the production of cigarettes. . . .

Mr Collin Denyer, a senior investigations manager at tobacco giant BAT, told an anti counterfeit meeting in Nairobi late last year that the Kenya government was losing upwards of Sh1 billion in revenue because of sale of fake cigarettes.

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Gov. Paterson's Budget Delivers Health and Financial Wins by Increasing Cigarette Tax, Funding for Tobacco Prevention Programs 

The budget proposed today by Governor David Paterson will improve both New York's physical and financial health by raising the state cigarette tax by $1 per pack and increasing funding by $8.3 million for the state's highly successful tobacco prevention and cessation program. These measures are a win-win-win solution for New York: a health win, a financial win and a political win that is popular with voters. Together, these steps will continue New York's dramatic progress in reducing tobacco use and its devastating toll in health, lives and health care costs. And the cigarette tax will raise much-needed revenue to help balance the budget and fund vital programs.

We urge the Legislature to join Governor Paterson in raising the cigarette tax and increasing funding for tobacco prevention programs. While the Governor's proposal to increase funding for tobacco prevention is a positive step, the Legislature should go further and fully restore the $25.2 million that were cut from the program last year. These budget cuts severely undermined New York's efforts to reduce tobacco use and put continued progress at risk. Even in these difficult budget times, tobacco prevention is a smart investment for New York that saves lives and reduces health care costs. To maximize the health and financial benefits, the Legislature should also increase tax rates on other tobacco products to parallel those on cigarettes.

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Reynolds American Advisory on Earnings Conference Call Webcast  

Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) has announced the following: "RAI to webcast fourth-quarter, full-year 2009 earnings conference call."

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Smoking Cessation Leaders Team Up to Help 'Become an EX' Members Accomplish Their New Year's Resolutions to Quit Smoking 

To better help smokers looking to quit fulfill their New Year's resolutions, Legacy(SM) and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare are partnering to offer free Nicorette® starter packs to more than 125,000 members of the EX® program (www.BecomeAnEX.org), where smokers "re-learn life without cigarettes" with a free, comprehensive three-step quit plan and access to a robust online community.

"New Year's is one of the most popular times for a smoker to consider quitting smoking; however, many smokers need support to do so successfully. Smokers who make the important decision to quit should utilize available resources to help them understand what to expect when quitting," said Dr. Cheryl Healton, president and CEO of Legacy. "EX is a program that provides smokers with the tools to help them 're-learn life without cigarettes.' Having access to a cessation medication can also help address cravings and withdrawal symptoms while quitting."

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SCHEIN: World's Most Energy Efficient Building is a Smoke Screen 

China has been moving forward quickly in regards to sustainability, especially in terms of new building construction. There has been no shortage of reporting about the new office tower in Guangzhou, China, which may be the world's most energy-efficient when completed. The 71-story Pearl River tower, designed by the New York-based architecture firm, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, is intended to be a "zero-energy" skyscraper that generates all the energy it needs to operate on its own.

In terms of green building this is a terrific story. In terms of who owns it...not so great: the tower will house China National Tobacco Corporation, a state-owned company that is the largest tobacco producer in the world . . .

This is a real yin and yang dilemma. As commendable as it is that China is moving in this direction, the tower's short-term environmental gains will be far outpaced by the company's damage to air quality and health. Hopefully China National Tobacco will use some of its huge revenues to build zero-energy hospitals and cancer care centers.

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USDA To Provide $950 Million in Tobacco Transition Program Payments in 2010 

USDA announced today that it will issuing more than $950 million in Tobacco Transition Payment Program (TTPP) payments to quota holders and producers in 2010. Quota holders and producers can enter into successor-in-interest contracts beginning Jan. 19, 2010, which will enable them to receive lump-sum payments by selling their remaining four TTPP payments.

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Smoke Free Carthage now numbers 1,200  

Smoke Free Carthage, a group that's pushing for a smoking ban in all public places within the Maple Leaf City, has reached 1,200 members -- and counting.

T.J. Teed, the group's director as well as Carthage City Council member, spoke briefly during Tuesday's Carthage Caring Communities Coalition monthly meeting.

One of the group's primary goals is to convince as many people as possible that smoking and second-hand smoke are to be avoided at all costs.

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Regents to consider banning tobacco sales at K-State and KU 

TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents is considering whether to ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products on university campuses, including K-State.

If the policy is enacted it would affect only K-State and the University of Kansas.

They are the only two universities in Kansas that allow the sale of tobacco products on campus.

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• Lung cancer mortality trends in 36 European countries: secular trends and birth cohort patterns by sex and region 1970-2007 

This study represents a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the time trends of lung cancer mortality in Europe, taking into consideration the major differentials across 36 countries in 4 regions by sex and the components of time (age, calendar period and birth cohort). The article serves to highlight the varying phases of the lung cancer epidemic in different European countries and the disparities in rates and time trends between the sexes. These observations reflect the smoking habits of generations of men and women born from the late 19th century onwards, but also point to the relative successes or failures of smoking prevention and cessation efforts over the continent in the last few decades.

Men and women are clearly in very different phases of the smoking epidemic, and these may differ considerably between neighboring countries. The trends in lung cancer mortality in men are largely encouraging, in that there are general declines in most European countries, particularly during the last one or 2 decades, and among successive birth cohorts born as early as 1900 (the United Kingdom) or as late as 1955 (France and Italy). While the overall male rates are still increasing in parts of Southern Europe (Portugal and the Republic of Macedonia), and in Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Romania, and the Republic of Moldova), the declines observed in recent birth cohorts indicate an overall decline may emerge in the next years.

Among women, lung cancer mortality rates have reached a plateaux or are beginning to decline in a number of Eastern European countries (notably in the high-risk countries of Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic), and in Northern Europe (in particular Denmark, Iceland and the United Kingdom). This is reflected in the generational trends and successive declines in risk among females born predominantly after 1950 in these regions. While there are increasing trends in the all-ages rates among women in the Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway and Finland, declines may be anticipated in the future assuming that the successive decreases in risk among female cohorts born after the Second World War adequately reflect recent changes in smoking habits. More concerning are the continuing generational increases in risk among Bulgarian and Romanian women.

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NYC Would Be Hit Under Governor's Budget Proposal  

Smokers and students living in New York City would also feel the pinch under Paterson's proposal. A $1 tax increase on tobacco that would give New York the highest cigarette tax in the nation, resulting in $5.25 per pack in combined local and state taxes in the city.

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