Tobacco.org

• Just blowing smoke? 

On Thursday, the state tax on cigarettes will increase by a dollar, from $2 to $3 for a pack of 20, or from 10 cents to 15 cents for each cigarette. The increase makes Connecticut second only to Rhode Island, where the state tax is $3.46 per pack. . . .

Across Center Street from the Day Spa, Paul E. Raczynski runs "Fire N Smoke," a shop that specializes in cigars, other tobacco products and, somewhat incongruously, hot sauce. Cigar sales make up about 95 percent of his business, he said.

On Thursday, the state tax on those tobacco products will increase from 20 percent to 27 percent. The price of the only cigarettes Raczynski sells, American Spirit, will rise from $8 to $9 a pack.

Many cigar enthusiasts smoke just one or two a week, but there are others who puff anywhere from six to a dozen a day, said Raczynski . . .

But there are those who feel it's not right to tax cigarettes without spending at least some of the money raised on smoking-cessation initiatives.

The hope was that some of the money would go toward programs like nicotine replacement therapy for Medicaid patients, "and that just hasn't happened," said Margaret R. LaCroix, a spokeswoman for the American Lung Association of New England.

"I go further and call it immoral and unjust," said Dr. Patricia Checko, an epidemiologist who is chairwoman of the coalition MATCH, which stands for Mobilize Against Tobacco for Connecticut Health. . . .

Connecticut continues to use little of the more than $100 million a year it receives from the settlement with tobacco companies, which Blumenthal signed in 1998, on smoking cessation or prevention.

Connecticut's tax increase will put the average state tax on cigarettes at $1.34 a pack, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. South Carolina has the lowest state cigarette tax rate, at seven cents a pack. . . .

South Carolina is also one of just four states not to have raised the tax on cigarettes since 2000. The others are California, Missouri and North Dakota.

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• Connecticut Cigarette Tax Increase Delivers Victory for Kids and Taxpayers; $1 Increase Gives State Second Highest Cigarette Tax in the Nation 

Connecticut's leaders have taken decisive action to protect the state's kids and taxpayers from the devastating toll of tobacco use by increasing the state cigarette tax by $1 to $3.00 per pack, making it the second highest state cigarette tax in the nation (Rhode Island's tax is $3.46 per pack). Connecticut is also increasing its tax rates on most other tobacco products, but they still remain shamefully low compared to the state's exemplary new tax rate on cigarettes. Increased tobacco taxes are a win-win-win solution for Connecticut and every other state - a health win that will reduce tobacco use and save lives, a financial win that will raise revenue to help alleviate budget shortfalls, and a political win that polls show is popular with the voters.

The evidence is clear that increasing the cigarette tax is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking

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• Blumenthal Pledges Fight For A Ban On E-Cigarettes 

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called on consumers and retailers Tuesday to avoid electronic cigarettes, discounting claims that the devices are safer than real cigarettes.

The e-cigarettes, as they are known, are powered by batteries and produce a mist containing nicotine and propylene glycol, an organic compound. Users inhale the mist, satisfying their craving for nicotine.

"I will vigorously fight to ban e-cigarettes, unless approved by FDA, and any attempt to retail the devices in Connecticut, as well as work with federal authorities to regulate Internet sales," Blumenthal said at a press conference in Hartford.

He cited the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's finding last month that two brands of e-cigarettes, Smoking Everywhere and NJoy, contain known carcinogens. An antifreeze ingredient, diethylene glycol, was found in a Smoking Everywhere cartridge.

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• Hookah lounges serve up culture, controversy  

Sky is apparently the first hookah lounge in Fairfield County and one of two in the region that opened this month. Trying to brew a new, culturally diverse pastime, the lounges unintentionally stoked up controversy and confusion among local and state officials who are mulling where they fit in with the state ban on smoking in public places.

The confusion is evident in the reactions of Fairfield and Milford's health departments -- both of which initially told the lounges not to serve food or alcohol on the premises but didn't bar them from opening. Fairfield approved the opening after an inspection.

Milford's department forced The Olive Tree Hookah Lounge to close June 19, about two weeks after it opened in a small shopping plaza on Bridgeport Avenue, citing state law and city ordinance.

However, the department rescinded that order on Friday, following an appeal by Olive Tree owner Sammer Karout and his attorney. . . .

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said his office wasn't consulted regarding the lounges and he'd been unaware of them until contacted by a reporter last week.

They seem "problematic" under state law, but he'd need to know all the details to know whether they're within legal boundaries, he said, adding that the smoking ban is typically enforced by local police.

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• Conn. quitting in helping its smokers? 

Connecticut is ranked dead last in a program to stop smoking, spending less than two-percent of our tobacco revenue on smoking programs. Medicaid does not cover any programs to help stop smoking and the state's quit line was shut down.

Grace Bechard, of Waterbury, smoked at least a pack a day for over 50-years and started pretty early on. . . .

But never, not once, did she get help from the state. In fact, she didn't know that was even a possibility. It was something the Attorney General said we should be ashamed of.

"We have missed a historic opportunity to save lives and save dollars," said Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

Connecticut was one of the first states to go after big tobacco companies. Attorney General Blumenthal was among the Attorney Generals . . .

"It was not a requirement of the settlement or of the lawsuit that any of the money be spent on specific smoking prevention or cessation programs," said Jeffrey Beckham.

Beckham is the undersecretary of the State's Office of Policy & Management. And he's right; we're not required to spend any of that money on programs to stop smoking. . . .

One of the major tobacco companies has been lobbying hard in-state, calling legislators and trying to get them to pull all the money from the stop smoking programs this year.

It is unclear what will be included in this year's final budget.

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• Legislature Fails To Vote On Pot Bill, Casino Smoking Ban 

Two controversial bills -- one proposing the decriminalization of marijuana and another a smoking ban at the state's two casinos -- suffered major blows Tuesday when an influential legislative committee failed to take critical votes on the measures.

The failure of the finance committee to act means the proposals are technically dead, although advocates for both measures said they will keep fighting until the legislative session adjourns June 3. Gov. M. Jodi Rell opposes both measures.

Although Capitol insiders say the decriminalization measure stands a chance to make it back on the agenda, they predicted a tougher fight for the smoking ban. . . .

In another major blow to the smoking ban, Rell signed agreements with the Mashantucket Pequots and the Mohegans to enact voluntary, partial smoking bans at their casinos. . . .

Despite the bill's failure at the committee level, supporters vowed to continue their fight. The United Auto Workers, which represents some workers at the casino, has pushed hard among their allies in the Democratic caucuses.

"We're not going to quit until we get this bill,"

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• Casino smoking ban snuffed out 

The legislature's Finance Committee killed through inaction a pair of controversial bills Tuesday afternoon, including a proposal to ban smoking at the state's two tribally owned casinos.

The committee did not take up the smoking ban bill before adjourning around 1:30 p.m. Under legislative rules, bills referred to committee must be acted upon within seven calendar days or three legislative session days. That rule means the smoking ban was effectively killed by the Finance panel's failure to take action today.

The committee's leaders also allowed Republicans to filibuster a proposal that would have decriminalized the possession of less than 0.5 ounces of marijuana, though lawmakers said they expected that proposal to return later this session in the form of an amendment.

The smoking ban - which is vigorously supported by organized labor but opposed by Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods - is dead for this session, and unlikely to return, said Sen. Eileen Daily, D-Westbrook, the co-chairwoman of the committee and an opponent of the bill.

"Aside from any promise of a legal challenge it would be very costly... in terms of lost revenue because of lost business for the casino," Daily said. "So our businesses, all of them, are in enough trouble without our taking action today that would be more costly."

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• Foxwoods, Rell agree to limit smoking  

Foxwoods and Gov. M. Jodi Rell have reached a deal to limit smoking areas inside the casino.

Rell signed a voluntary arrangement on Thursday and sent it to Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council Chairman Michael Thomas by courier for his signature.

Rell's office says the agreement is similar to one reached with Mohegan Sun, which has since banned smoking in its bars and restaurants and installed equipment to redirect secondhand smoke into a ventilation system.

"We are pleased that the principles of sovereignty, most particularly the value of government-to-government communication and respect, are embodied in this agreement," Thomas said in a written statement.

The agreement comes as state legislators debate a bill that would eventually ban smoking at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.

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• Rell, Mashantucket Pequots reach agreement on smoking at Foxwoods 

Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation have agreed on a plan to address smoking at Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods, the parties said Wednesday.

Rell has signed the agreement, and Michael Thomas, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, is expected to add his signature Thursday, according to Lori Potter, a spokeswoman for the tribe.

Word of the agreement comes as the General Assembly’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee prepares to consider a bill calling for a total ban on smoking at the Foxwoods casinos and Mohegan Sun by Oct. 1, 2011. The Mohegan Tribe, which owns Mohegan Sun, reached a smoking agreement with Rell in January.

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• Mohegan Sun CEO asks legislators to kill casino smoking ban bill 

The chief executive officer of Mohegan Sun urged state lawmakers Tuesday to kill a proposal that would compel the two tribally owned casinos in Connecticut to ban cigarette smoking by 2011, saying the resulting drop-off in business would cost the state millions in slot revenues and lost jobs.

“We are now competing directly with thousands of slot machines in neighboring states,” CEO Mitchell Etess wrote to the leaders and members of the legislature’s Finance Committee, which received the bill Tuesday morning, when it was referred from the House floor. “Patrons who smoke will take their business to other states, if a ban is approved in Connecticut, and revenues could drop up to 20 percent. There will be layoffs, and a cascading loss of business to us and our vendors.”

Etess pointed to the examples of Illinois and Delaware, where the imposition of smoking bans cut casino business by 17 percent and 19 percent respectively, and also backed his conclusions with a new analysis from the Connecticut Economic Resource Center.

The think tank’s study projects that business could fall by as much as 20 percent if a smoking ban is imposed on Mohegan Sun, which is operated by the Mohegan Tribe, and Foxwoods Resort Casino, operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

The group’s study, commissioned by Mohegan Sun, projected a widening ripple effect from business losses at the casino.

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• On Politics - State Weighs Ban on Casino Smoking 

Now, the state legislature is trying to decide if it is willing to risk seeing that cash flow diminish, or even stop, in the name of public health by requiring the two tribal casinos to ban smoking by Oct. 1, 2011.

The tribes say that a smoking ban would drive away gamblers from a business already hurt by the recession. For the first time since the Sun opened in 1997, slot revenue to the state dipped by $19 million last year after a decade of steady growth.

Moreover, the Mohegans and Pequots assert that a legislative mandate on smoking would violate their tribal sovereignty, allowing them to withhold all slot revenue while they contested the issue in federal court.

"This is the first state to try to do something like this," said Bruce Bozsum, chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council. "So it's my job right now to try to protect my tribe and to even reach further to protect all tribes across the country. Everybody is watching."

Jackson King, general counsel to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, said the proposed smoking ban is the biggest threat to tribal sovereignty since the Pequots and Connecticut signed the compact in 1993. The Mohegans became a signatory after their federal recognition in 1994. . . .

Mr. Blumenthal said the smoking measure is defensible under the compact, which requires the tribes to abide by public health laws that the state imposes on itself. He said the tribes would have the right to challenge the law in federal court, but not withhold slot revenue.

"There is no legally justifiable reason to withhold that money, except, of course, to put a gun to the state's head," he said.

The Mohegans said they were not averse to limiting or, perhaps, eventually banning smoking, but only under the terms of their compact with the state -- through negotiation with the governor. . . .

Sovereignty is no small matter to the Mohegans and Pequots, two tribes driven to the brink of extinction, he said. Thirteen tribes in Connecticut went out of existence.

They are memorialized in a section of the Mohegan Sun, the "Hall of Lost Tribes."

It is smoke free.

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• BLUMENTHAL: Ban respects rights of tribe and public 

A legislative ban on casino smoking fully respects and recognizes tribal sovereignty, because both tribes have already agreed -- as a condition in their state gaming compacts -- to adopt Connecticut's public health standards. . . .

I am hopeful that both tribes will rethink their resistance and responsibly protect their patrons and hard-working employees.

My office stands ready to enforce the clear terms of our compacts while respecting tribal sovereignty.

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• SHORT CHANGED: BROKEN PROMISES ON TOBACCO CONTROL PLACE MILLIONS OF KIDS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND AT RISK FOR ADDICTION AND EARLY DEATH (PDF) 

Ten years after the November 1998 state tobacco settlement, we find that most of the New England states have failed to keep their promise to use a significant portion of the settlement funds to reduce tobacco’s terrible toll on America’s children, families and communities.

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• Report: NE states fall short on tobacco prevention 

Health advocates said Monday that New England states have failed to deliver on a pledge to use settlement money from tobacco companies to pay for prevention programs, with most states funding programs at just one fifth of recommended levels.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids released a report detailing how New England states will spend only 2.3 percent of the $1.8 billion in tobacco settlement and tax revenue on tobacco prevention programs this year when these programs save both lives and money by containing health care costs by preventing tobacco-related illness.

"We know for a fact that these programs save lives and reduce health care costs," said Don Gudaitis, CEO of the American Cancer Society's New England Division. "As more and more Americans face a threat of lack of access to health care and lack of access to health insurance, underfunding the most proven way to reduce health care costs is all the more intolerable."

Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island are funding tobacco prevention programs at less than 20 percent of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations, according to the report.

The report also said Maine and Vermont are the only New England states funding tobacco prevention at half the CDC's recommended levels.

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• Milford theft toll: $1M in cigarettes 

The thieves who broke into a “fortress-like” wholesaler’s warehouse over the weekend in a coordinated and well-planned heist made off with cigarettes worth about $1 million, police and the business owner said Monday.

Initially, 1,500 cartons were reported missing after the early Saturday morning burglary, but by Monday, the owner of Montano Cigarettes, Candy & Tobacco Inc. updated that to 15,000 cartons.

In what police spokesman Officer Vaughan Dumas called an “obviously well-planned” heist, burglars disabled lighting and security systems at the 290 Boston Post Road warehouse before using a ladder to scale a massive concrete wall and enter the warehouse through a roof access hatch, police said. Security cameras caught some of the action.

“I’m upset, disappointed and in disbelief,” owner Gary V. Montano said. “I thought we had a complete fortress, impregnable. But given enough time, I guess anything is possible.”

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