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Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co Agreement (PDF) 

B. TERMS

I. Beginning no later than thirty (30) days after the Effective Date of this Agreement, SFNTC will cause any and all Advertisements thereafter placed for display or distribution in any Settling State to conform to the requirements of this Agreement. "Placed for display or distribution," as used in the previous sentence, occurs (a) for electronic Advertisements on any date that such Advertisements are displayed to the public, and (b) for all other Advertisements, on the date that mechanical artwork for the Advertisement is sent by SFNTC or its agent to the printer.

2. In addition to any other statements, disclaimers, warnings required by law, SFNTC shall directly or through any corporation, subsidiary, division or other device and, in connection with the advertising, promotion, offering for sale, sale, or distribution of Natural American Spirit tobacco products, display in Advertisements as specified below, Clearly and Prominently, the following disclosures (including the line breaks, punctuation, bold font and capitalization

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illustrated, but not including quote marks). In Advertisements for cigarettes made with organic tobacco:

"Organic tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette"

In Advertisements for organic roll your own or pouch tobacco:

"Organic tobacco does NOT mean safer tobacco"

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• Brown Secures Agreement with American Spirit Cigarettes Maker over Misleading Marketing of Organic Tobacco Products 

Los Angeles-Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that his office has secured an agreement with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc., the manufacturer of American Spirit tobacco products, that requires the company to clearly disclose that its organic tobacco is "no safer or healthier" than other tobacco products.

Attorneys general from 32 other states and the District of Columbia signed onto today's agreement.

"Stamping an organic label on tobacco products is ultimately a distinction without a difference-organic or not, cigarettes are bad for your health," Brown said. "Today's settlement with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company ensures that all future advertisements make it clear that organic tobacco is no safer or healthier." . . .

Thirty-two other attorneys general signed onto Brown's agreement today from the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Additionally, the attorney general of the District of Columbia signed onto the agreement.

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No-smoking ordinance goes into effect in Conroe 

The ordinance bans smoking indoors in almost all public places in the city, and also prohibits smoking within 20 feet of entrances and windows.

The only businesses exempt from the ban are tobacco stores, private clubs and bingo halls with separate areas for non-smokers.

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• City fires up anti-smoking law 

THE city's first law to ban smoking in public places takes effect today with offenders facing fines from 50 yuan (US$7.32) to 200 yuan.

The ban applies to 12 types of public areas, including schools, hospitals, supermarkets and elevators.

The law also requires karaoke bars, dance balls and restaurants to set up designated smoking and non-smoking areas.

However, the law's critics say the penalties are no more than empty talk, as the feasibility of law enforcement has been questioned not only by the public but even by supervision officials themselves.

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Shanghai smoking ban starts... today!  

The city's first smoking ban, which we followed from the time it was a wee bit of an idea to when it began being enforced against certain (underage) people, has officially taken effect for everyone today. The new law gives those who smoke in public places fines from 50RMB to 200RMB.

Much like the smoking clampdown Beijing experienced just before the Olympics, this Shanghai ban extends to 12 types of public venues, including schools, hospitals, supermarkets and elevators. It also requires karaoke bars, dance halls and restaurants to set up designated smoking and non-smoking areas.

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State lawmakers to consider smoking while driving ban  

If you're a parent who drives and smokes, you may not be legally able to do it for much longer. Monday, state lawmakers are considering a bill which would ban smoking when driving with young children.

House Bill 82 looks to ban smoking for drivers with children in the car, under eight years old, who need to be buckled into car seat or booster seat. If passed, drivers who get caught smoking with kids in the car, could get a ticket with a fine of $45.

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Students puff away at nation’s schools 

Less than half of the nation’s schools have banned smoking for their students, according to a study conducted by the Danish Cancer Society.

During breaks from class-time hours, many students are allowed to smoke outside the school area – a trend that worries the society’s members.

In all, 46 percent of schools across the country have a complete ban on smoking for students during school hours.

But the figures are much worse in the Copenhagen area than, for example, in Jutland. In Region Northern Jutland – which includes Aalborg Council, where smoking has been banned at all private and public schools in the city – only 33 percent of schools still allow students to smoke during their breaks.

In the Capital Region, however, 74 percent have not instituted a ban.

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Conn. stimulus money to help stop smoking programs 

Connecticut is receiving about $1.3 million in federal stimulus money to help residents quit smoking, reduce obesity among children and provide other health initiatives in schools and communities.

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Editorial: Smoking kills 

Carcinogens in cigarette smoke hang around indoors like a bad smell - we know that. What we didn't realise until now is that nicotine residues absorbed on indoor surfaces (carpets, wallpaper etc) react with gases in the air to produce even more cancer-causing carcinogens. . . .

So to the question 'can we implement smoking bans at home?' I'm afraid my answer is no.

Instead we must continue to work at reducing the human impact of smoking through educating people, raising awareness, offering support mechanisms to those who'd like to quit smoking and finding novel ways to discourage those who are thinking of taking it up. Slowly but surely we must succeed in eradicating a problem that continues to plague the developed world and will certainly become a serious concern in the developing world in the coming decades.

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Contraband smokes undermine convenience store sales, 

The Stokans aren't the only convenience store owners facing tough times. According to Dave Bryans, president of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, a third of Ontario's 10,000 convenience stores will be out of business in five years unless the Province curbs illegal tobacco sales.

"Contraband sales affect the traffic and customer count every day in our stores. Fifty per cent of all smokers don't make their daily purchase in our stores anymore nor do they buy impulse items such as lottery tickets, chips, pop and candy bars," explains Mr. Bryans.

The impact on stores is in part what has led the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce to call on the provincial and federal governments to tackle the growing contraband cigarette problem.

The chamber is seeking better enforcement of existing laws; better co-operation at the federal, provincial and municipal level; and develop a closer relationship with First Nation communities to end the sale of illegal tobacco and to improve economic development on reserves.

Those recommendations were put forward by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and endorsed by the local chamber last year.

The chamber notes that along with other concerns -- the health dangers and the decreasing tax revenue governments bring in -- the sale of illegal tobacco is eating into the profits of convenience stores.

In fact, the chamber cites the Canadian Convenience Stores Association's number of a 25-per-cent drop in revenue for convenience stores as a direct result of contraband.

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Ontario Convenience Stores Lose Sales to Contraband Cigarettes 

Ontario convenience stores are having trouble making ends meet these days and the culprit isn’t the economy—it’s contraband tobacco, MyKawartha.com reports.

“It’s a very sad situation and there’s a lot of stress created,” said Laura Stokan, who, along with her husband, has owned Neighbourhood Discount Milk for 22 years. She points to illegal tobacco as the reason behind falling sales.

Dave Bryans, president of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, said more than 3,000 of Ontario’s 10,000 convenience retailers will shutter their stores by 2015 unless the province tackles contraband cigarette sales.

“Contraband sales affect the traffic and customer count every day in our stores. Fifty percent of all smokers don’t make their daily purchase in our stores anymore nor do they buy impulse items such as lottery tickets, chips, pop and candy bars,” said Bryans.

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Salt Lake County Mayor Corroon repeats call for state cigarette tax hike  

Peter Corroon sat at his dining room table holding a pack of Marlboro Light cigarettes, surrounded by his wife, Amy, and their three young children, but he wasn't even thinking about lighting up.

The Salt Lake County mayor, who has his sights set on the Governor's Mansion just around the corner from his home in the Avenues, talked Sunday with his kids about the health risks of smoking while repeating his support for increasing the state cigarette tax.

"Our state has the opportunity to show leadership and common sense," Corroon said. "As governor, I would support Utah families over Big Tobacco."

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Genetically engineered tobacco plant cleans up environmental toxin 

Tobacco might become as well known for keeping us healthy as it is for causing illness thanks to researchers from the U.K. In a new research report appearing in the March 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) scientists explain how they developed a genetically modified strain of tobacco that helps temper the damaging effects of toxic pond scum, scientifically known as microcystin-LR (MC-LR), which makes water unsafe for drinking, swimming, or fishing. This plant could serve as a major tool for helping keep water sources safe to use, especially in developing nations.

"We hope that our study will ultimately lead to a reduction in the exposure of humans, livestock, and wildlife to environmental pollutants," said Pascal M.W. Drake, Ph.D., co-author of the study, from the Centre for Infection at St. George's University of London. . . .

To develop this type of tobacco, Drake and colleagues genetically altered a tobacco plant to produce an antibody to MC-LR, by inserting genes which code for the production of this antibody.

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State seeks to further curb smoking 

The state Health Department and national groups are teaming up on a new smoking-cessation campaign as New York seeks to increase cigarette taxes and enforce tax collections on cigarette sales at Indian reservations.

The National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation, of which New York is a member, is challenging smokers to "re-learn life without cigarettes."

The ads take a sympathetic approach, not a "fingers off, blood and gore" strategy, said Cheryl Healton, president and CEO of Legacy, a nonprofit that has partnered with the Advertising Council on the National Alliance's "EX" initiative.

"This (campaign) grew out of extensive research on smokers themselves, and what we learned is that smokers all know that they ought to quit. Smokers all have tried to quit," Healton said.

"Smokers don't know how they can quit. They feel like absolute failures," she said.

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State launches new smoking cessation ad campaign 

The New York state Department of Health, in conjunction with the American Legacy Foundation and the Ad Council, has launched a new national smoking cessation public service ad campaign.

Sponsored by the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation, the "EX" campaign aims to help 46 million Americans -- including 2.5 million New Yorkers -- quit smoking.

With "re-learn life without cigarettes" as its slogan, the EX campaign has launched three public service announcements, one to be aired on the radio and two to be run on television. The advertisement created and produced by GSD&M Idea City, will be run in donated advertising time and space.

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