Tobacco.org

$100 Billion Spent Fighting Cancer 

Death rates and new diagnoses of cancer are dropping, but cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., despite nearly $100 billion in research to fight the diseases since 1971.

Susan Gapstur of the American Cancer Society said the investment since the 1971 National Cancer Act has been matched by other companies.

All this has resulted in some progress, she said. From 1991 to 2006, the death rate from cancer dropped nearly 16 percent. Over the last decade, the rate of new diagnoses has dropped almost 1 percent.

Gapstur and other authors of a commentary said the biggest factor in the drop is a reduction in smoking.

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• Big Tobacco Prostitutes and the Distortion of American Justice 

Paying expert witnesses huge sums of money to testify in one's behalf makes a mockery of the idea of justice. It entices them to shade the truth or outright lie in favor of their masters, thereby distorting our system of justice. . . .

But by the late 1990s it gradually became no longer possible for the tobacco industry to maintain that stance - perhaps largely due to the efforts of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner David Kessler to bring cigarettes under FDA purview.

So the tobacco industry switched to a different argument - an argument that was virtually the opposite of their previous claim of no proof that cigarettes are harmful. They began claiming that everyone always knew that cigarettes were harmful. Thus, they had their expert historians:

re-narrate the past, creating an account for judges and juries that makes it appear that "everyone has always known" that cigarettes are harmful, meaning that smokers have only themselves to blame for their illnesses. . . .

In other words, they now claim that during all those decades that they were aggressively arguing that there is no proof that cigarettes cause illness, nevertheless "everyone knew" that they do.

Harassment of hostile witnesses

Therefore, the tobacco industry must distort history in order to support their claims. A recent article in The Nation by Jon Wiener, titled "Big Tobacco & the Historians - A Tale of Seduction and Intimidation", notes that there are only three historians that have testified against the tobacco industry in the past fifteen years, whereas forty have testified in their favor during that time. How were they able to limit those testifying against them to three?

Stanford Professor Robert Proctor is currently one of the two historians who testifies against tobacco companies. . . .

But when one party in a legal case has so much wealth and power that it is able to intimidate witnesses from testifying for the other side, and pay huge sums of money to encourage its own witnesses to prostitute themselves, justice cannot be served. That is not "equal protection of the laws".

Furthermore, the idea of paying expert witnesses huge sums of money to testify in one's behalf makes a mockery of the idea of justice. If that doesn't constitute a conflict of interest then the phrase "conflict of interest" has no meaning. Paying people a reasonable sum of money for their time and effort is one thing. Paying them so much that are sorely tempted to perjure and prostitute themselves is entirely something else. Unfortunately, wherever and whenever that kind of thing is legal, witnesses will tend to shade the truth or outright lie in favor of their masters, and justice will not be served. There are few better examples of this than the way that the tobacco industry has manipulated our legal system in pursuit of its own selfish interests for the past several decades.

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Obama nominates McConnell to federal district court - Projo 7 to 7 News Blog | Rhode Island news | The Providence Journal 

John J. "Jack" McConnell Jr., a successful Providence lawyer who worked on the landmark lawsuit that yielded a $264-billion settlement with the tobacco industry, has been nominated to the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island.

President Obama announced the nomination 11 months after Rhode Island's Democratic senators, Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, recommended McConnell for what they depicted as his intellect, legal ability, temperament, and integrity, as well as a solid middle-class background.

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HOPKINS: Uninformed Friends of Big Tobacco  

A Palm Beach Post reporter wrote in yesterday's paper something about which he clearly knows little or nothing. The title was: "What part of 'hazardous' don't smokers get?"

This is a story criticizing smokers and casting judgment on those smokers who have sued Big Tobacco; the "Engle" plaintiffs. It seems evident to me this reporter clearly spent no time researching and brought an entire collection of "baggage" into his article.

The only tangible piece of information the reporter provides is that his parents smoked and "…they were lifelong slaves to -- and, ultimately, victims of -- the habit." This statement certainly demonstrates facts, but completely misses the mark on any shred of insight.

The reporter apologizes for knocking "a possibly dying woman as she struggles for her next breath", but he clearly knows nothing about the case, trial, or facts of the lawsuit filed by Cindy Naugle. This reporter also must have no respect for the intelligence of jurors who after hearing weeks of evidence, must have been outraged by the conduct of Big Tobacco, causing them to render a $300 million verdict.

All of this demonstrates at least one central issue. Before "dashing off" this article, want of any facts, the reporter could not have done even a modicum of research. Before criticizing an entire class of people, perhaps he should try researching and reading, just a little. . . .

For those who who want to know facts about Big Tobacco and not hyperbole, I recommend the following sites:

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Nicotine replacement products backed in study 

Smokers have given the thumbs up to two nicotine replacement products which may become more commonly available, following research from the University of Otago.

The products come in small sachets which smokers keep in their mouth, allowing nicotine - the addictive ingredient in tobacco - to be rapidly released.

The researchers are also launching a second more ambitious study which will aim to test an innovative new mouth spray to be used every time a smoker has the desire to light up.

"The new Zonnic nicotine mouth spray study is a great chance to not only stop smoking altogether, but also to help other smokers who are desperate to kick the habit and haven't succeeded by going cold turkey or using nicotine patches on their own," Otago University's Wellington researcher Brent Caldwell said today.

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Carcinogens Detected from "Thirdhand Smoke" 

Anyone walking into a smoker's abode can tell you that the traces of tobacco use don't vanish when a cigarette is extinguished. Does this so-called thirdhand smoke pose a health hazard? Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that remnants of cigarette smoke don't just inertly settle onto surfaces. Instead the leftover nicotine can react with nitrous acid vapor, an environmentally common chemical emitted from gas appliances and vehicles, among other sources. The reaction produces carcinogenic compounds known as tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs).

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Capital police seize smuggled tobacco 

Capital police on Tuesday seized more than 18,000 smuggled packets of cigarettes that had been stored and sold by an individual in Nguyen Sieu Street in Ha Noi.

Nguyen Thi Thoa, 45, was found to have sold 5,800 smuggled packets of cigarettes at her shop

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Elkhart: Youths invited to skate out tobacco  

Knowledge Empowering Youth are joining thousands of kids across the country taking part in Kick Butts Day, a youth-led anti-tobacco initiative.

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Order will impact asbestos verdicts  

An order filed Wednesday will ensure asbestos plaintiffs don't get paid twice for the same alleged injuries.

Circuit Judge Ronald Wilson's order essentially ensures that defendants in asbestos cases receive proper credit when plaintiffs are paid by trusts of bankrupt defendants. In asbestos cases that go to verdict, money paid by such trusts would reduce the amount of the money paid out.

The order is meant to make the process of dealing with trusts of bankrupt asbestos defendants more open and to make it easier for all parties involved to see what plaintiffs in such cases told the trusts. . . .

Cohn also referenced the infamous Kananian vs. Lorillard Tobacco Company case in Ohio.

He has called the case "the poster-child for abuses flowing from the opaque nature of the trust claiming process."

In that case, Harry Kananian claimed in he developed mesothelioma solely from smoking Lorillard's asbestos-filtered cigarettes. But he and his attorneys simultaneously filed claims with numerous asbestos trusts alleging that their products caused the disease. Despite Kananian's attorneys' attempts to hide this information, Lorillard eventually learned that these lawyers had obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars by submitting contradictory -- even bogus -- trust claims, leading the judge to revoke counsel's pro hac vice privileges.

"Judge Wilson's order is good, but it still potentially allows for the gaming of the system by deferring the submissions," Cohn said of Wednesday's West Virginia order. "The problem, especially in joint and several jurisdiction, there are fewer and fewer solvent defendants. The share they might end up paying is bigger and bigger. These defendants are looking down the barrel of a gun in joint and several jurisdictions."

. . .

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Tobacco farmers association against Muhammadiyah's no-smoking edict  

The Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association (APTI) opposes Muhammadiyah`s non-smoking edict issued last Tuesday (March 9), a source said.

"I regret the declaration since it will have a negative impact on the social and economy sectors," APTI chairman Abdus Setyawan, said here on Tuesday.

He argued the decision would affect around 700,000 tobacco farmers nationwide who were planting the total of 200,000 hectares of land with the total production of 160,000-200,000 tons of tobacco per year.

"The edict is opposed not only by tobacco farmers but also those who work in the cigarette industry," said the Jember district`s Secretary for Tobacco Affair.

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ROBINSON: Should South Carolina raise its cigarette tax 

So for this week’s online Progress Poll, we ask if you feel South Carolina should raise its cigarette tax. But we ask voters to go one step further, and tell us where the money from the new tax should go. . . .

So what do you think? Go to www.theeasleyprogress.com and vote. You will be given four options. One would be not to raise the cigarette tax in South Carolina. The other three would be to raise the tax and direct it to healthcare, schools or the state’s general fund.

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JT to Launch New Style of Smokeless Tobacco Product “Zerostyle Mint”  

Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) (TSE: 2914) announced today the launch of a new smokeless tobacco product "Zerostyle Mint," with sales beginning exclusively in Tokyo in mid-May 2010.

Tobacco has rich history and is available in a large number of varieties. In different parts of the world, smokeless tobacco including snuff(*1) and chewing tobacco are consumed in addition to cigarettes. While the majority of consumers in Japan are smoking cigarettes, demand is increasing for tobacco products designed to be used in places where consideration needs to be given for those nearby. . . .

"Zerostyle Mint" is a new style snuff tobacco product. The new product does not require a flame, and thus is smokeless, allowing consumers to use it in a variety of locations, being considerate to neighbors at the same time. Through the introduction of the new menthol product, the company believes that it is offering a wider variety of tobacco categories for consumers to choose from.

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Green Smoke E Cigarette Unveil Their New Patented Green Smoking Product E-Hookah 

Our new, patented e-hookah is the perfect way to share the satisfaction of Green Smoking with others. Use it at parties and social events or just a quiet evening with the one you love.

Share the Green Smoke™ Satisfaction- Smoke Together.

The Green Smoke™ e-hookah has a powerful,laptop quality battery that will ensure hours of enjoyment with each charge.

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Belarus’ SSC, Imperial Tobacco Ltd to sign memorandum of understanding 

The State Customs Committee (SCC) of Belarus and the Imperial Tobacco Ltd company are set to sign a memorandum of understanding in Minsk on 17 March, BelTA learnt from the SCC press service.

The document creates framework for cooperation between the SCC and the Imperial Tobacco Ltd in order to strengthen the control over smuggling and illegal trade in tobacco products, including the prevention of trans-border trade in counterfeit tobacco products in Belarus.

The SCC keeps signing memorandums of understanding with major producers. A reminder, the SCC signed the similar memorandum with the JT International S.A. company on 18 December 2008.

The intensification of smuggling and bootlegging is a matter of serious concern both for the customs agencies and tobacco producers. . . .

The illegal transit of tobacco products from Russia and Ukraine to the EU via Belarus has increased in recent years.

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JT to release smokeless tobacco product in May 

Japan Tobacco (OOTC:JAPAY) Inc. said Wednesday it will release a smokeless tobacco product in mid May, expecting demand for its use in a variety of places including nonsmoking areas.

The product, called Zerostyle Mint, does not need to be lit and thus is smokeless, JT said. It uses a replaceable cartridge, which contains tobacco leaves and is fitted with a tapered mouthpiece and a removable cap.

While it looks like a regular cigarette, it is the first of its kind among smokeless tobacco products in the world, JT officials said.

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