Tobacco.org

• COOPER: State AG cracks down on illegal cigarette sales  

You may have seen recent news reports about Tennessee’s effort to stop the illegal sale of cigarettes that are removed from the pack and sold individually as “loosies.” . . .

Cigarette manufacturers who choose not to participate in the MSA must comply with state law requiring payment into an escrow fund from which the state can seek payment for certain judgments or settlements it obtains against those manufacturers. This year, my office filed suit and obtained a $1.2 million judgment against a Brazilian cigarette manufacturer for failing to make required payments. There are other pending cases against cigarette manufacturers in Canada and Indonesia, a Native American tribe in Oklahoma, and a South Carolina cigarette wholesaler.

The Internet poses another challenge to stopping illegal cigarette sales. My office sued two Internet cigarette vendors for selling cigarettes to Tennesseans in violation of state law. We also negotiated settlements in a number of cases resulting from illegal internet sales.

The effort to crack down on illegal cigarette sales is a team effort. The General Assembly has strengthened laws to discourage sales to minors and ensure that the state is able to collect money owed from cigarette sales. The Departments of Health, Agriculture, and Commerce and Insurance are working with my office in the effort to stop the sale of single cigarettes. The office of the Attorney General has a separate division dedicated to diligent enforcement of the MSA and related laws which works closely with the Department of Revenue.

My office is participating in a new working group on youth tobacco prevention to improve coordination among different agencies, pursue smoking prevention initiatives, and raise awareness of the health risks associated with youth tobacco use. This group will promote the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout on November 19, 2009 which is aimed at getting smokers to quit.

Hopefully, these efforts will help to discourage young people from using tobacco, help smokers quit, and take some of the profits out of the illicit cigarette trade.

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CHURCHWELL: State smoking ban must go further 

As a cardiologist, I've seen firsthand the damage that smoking does to the body. Most patients I have taken care of who have had a heart attack or developed an acute coronary syndrome have a history of smoking or have been in an environment where secondhand smoke is a major issue in their lives. . . .

A study released by the Institute of Medicine earlier this month revealed that smoking bans in public places are effective at reducing the risk of heart attacks associated with exposure to secondhand smoke. . . .

Tennesseans should take this news as a call to action and demand that exemptions to the Non-smoker Protection Act be removed. The societal and financial costs to all of us are too great to continue to ignore. You can get involved and help make Tennessee a healthier place to live and work. CHART, the Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible Tennessee, is building its coalition of supporters to make all Tennessee workplaces smoke-free.

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Nashville Company Manufactures Chinese Product in Backyard  

McDonald Webb, Inc. (www.mcdonaldwebb.com) today introduced The Steampunk Sparkplug for Smokers, the first domestically produced, mass marketed e-cigarette.

E-cigarettes were invented in China about four years ago. They work by heating a glycol substance with nicotine and tobacco flavoring added. While a popular novelty item, e-cigarettes contain many consumable parts that fail and must be replaced often. They also use a battery that only lasts several minutes with constant use.

Due to quality and reliability issues, e-cigarettes, while viewed by most as a good idea, have largely been disappointing and are considered a market failure.

About a year ago, McDonald Webb founders Jon Webb and James McDonald designed, manufactured and began testing an e-cigarette product designed to be as reliable as a normal cigarette.

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EDITORIAL: Big Tobacco atttempts to evade FDA rules  

Locally, the Kingsport/Bristol region is the second smokiest region in the United States, with approximately 30.5 percent of all adults smoking.

That statistic takes a terrible toll on our health, and strains our hospitals where administrators say the majority of admissions are related to smoking. Reducing smoking reduces the associated health costs for these illnesses.

Yes, tobacco is still a legal product. But as of last week, it is an FDA-regulated one because of its proven harm to human health.

Curtailing some marketing of a proven cancer-causing product should not become a free-speech call to arms. It is a matter of protecting the public's health.

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MTSU market will take hit with tobacco-sale ban  

The Tennessee Board of Regents voted to ban the sale of all tobacco products from all institutions in the TBR system.

MTSU is believed to be the last TBR campus allowing the sale of tobacco products.

"All of our TBR buildings have gone smoke-free," said David Gregory, TBR vice chancellor of administration and facilities development. "It is somewhat inconsistent, then, to sell tobacco."

Ron Ellis, who works at the Chick-fil-A in Keathley University Center, said the ban on tobacco sales at Dwight's is going to be "rough."

"I come in here every day to get cigars," Ellis said, as he bought a couple from student store clerk Rami Abounassif.

The removal of tobacco products from the shelves of the convenience store could take away 40 percent of Johnson's sales.

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VIDEO: Policy Stops Cig. Sales On Regents Campuses  

He has operated Dwight's Mini Mart on the MTSU campus for 15 years. Even though he's blind, he's can stock shelves with the best of them.

"I've done it so long, I've memorized each location so I know where everything goes," he said.

Tennessee Board of Regents members unanimously adopted a general policy Friday preventing the sale of tobacco and alcohol on the college campuses they oversee.

"That's going to be pretty tough," said Johnson.

The Board of Regents' decision is effective immediately, but it is going to allow Johnson to sell his remaining inventory; he just wants be able to order any more.

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Snuffing out tobacco on campus  

The Tennessee Board of Regents voted Friday morning to ban the sale of all tobacco products from all institutions in the TBR system. MTSU is believed to be the last TBR campus allowing the sale of tobacco products.

Specifically, the approved policy states: "The sale of any products containing tobacco is prohibited on all property owned or controlled by the Tennessee Board of Regents and its institutions."

"We don't think it is a good idea to sell tobacco products. All of our TBR buildings have gone smoke-free," said David Gregory, TBR vice chancellor of administration and facilities development. "It is somewhat inconsistent, then, to sell tobacco."

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Dwight's Mini Mart forced to get out of the tobacco business  

Dwight Johnson, operator of Dwight's Mini Mart at MTSU dodged a ban on the sale of tobacco products once this year, but not Friday.

The Tennessee Board of Regents Friday morning to ban the sale of all tobacco products from all institutions in the TBR system.

But Ron Ellis, an Aramark employee who works at the Chik-fil-a in Keathley University Center, said the ban on tobacco sales at Dwight's is going to be rough.

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State Agencies Remind Public, Businesses Single Cigarette Sales Are Illegal (PDF) 

Several Tennessee agencies are working together to help alert the public and businesses to stop the illegal sale of cigarettes that are removed from the pack and sold individually as “loosies.” Single cigarette sales pose a health threat to young people because they are usually easier and cheaper for them to purchase than a full package of cigarettes.

An individual can buy a single cigarette for about 25 cents, compared with a pack of cigarettes, which can cost more than $5 per pack. Health officials are concerned that the availability of individual cigarette sales for purchase may attract young people as an easy, affordable way to begin smoking.

The Attorney General’s Office recently sent 23 tobacco retailers alleged to have sold single cigarettes a warning letter, advising them to stop because such action is illegal in Tennessee. The letters were based on complaints received by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Tobacco retailers may be subject to penalties of up to $1,000 per violation under the law for selling single cigarettes.

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Tennessee attorney general warns against selling individual cigarettes  

Lose the "loosies," the Tennessee Attorney General's Office warned today.

Removing cigarettes from the pack and selling them individually must be stopped, several state agencies warned the public and businesses.

Single cigarette sales pose a health threat to young people because they are usually easier and cheaper for them to purchase than a full pack.

Health officials are concerned that the availability of individual cigarettes may attract young people as an easy way to begin smoking.

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State targets single cigarette sales  

State officials are stepping up their enforcement of a law banning the sale of single cigarettes in Tennessee, a practice some say contributes to underage smoking.

Breaking up packs to sell individual cigarettes, or "loosies," is illegal in Tennessee and businesses can be fined up to $1,000 every time they sell loose cigarettes. Penalties are relatively rare, but state officials say that could change if stores don't start following the rules.

"We think it is important that tobacco retailers understand that selling single cigarettes is against the law. ... We will prosecute those who ignore the law by continuing to sell single cigarettes after we've warned them not to do so," state Attorney General Bob Cooper said in a statement.

State officials say the sale of single cigarettes creates an easy outlet for young people to become smokers because they are so cheap. An individual cigarette sells for about 25 cents in some stores.

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Snus pouches take smoke, spit out of tobacco 

What would happen if Big Tobacco met Miss Manners?

The answer may be Camel snus -- a new product being touted by its maker as a more socially acceptable form of tobacco.

Unlike regular chewing tobacco, users can swallow the juice from the tiny pouches, so there's no spitting. And unlike cigarettes, there is no second-hand smoke.

"This allows people to enjoy their tobacco without bothering anyone," said David Howard, spokesman for R.J. Reynolds. "You can enjoy it at work, after a meal at a restaurant, in a car with a non-smoker, in a non-smoker's house, without getting up and having to go outside to smoke."

Tennessee and tobacco have a long history, but even a state where tobacco produced $80 million for farmers in 2007 has clamped down on smoking with bans in restaurants and public buildings. . . .

Dr. Wendell Yarbrough, a Vanderbilt associate professor of otolaryngology and cancer biology, said he's alarmed by the onslaught of new smokeless tobacco products hitting the market.

Some studies have shown snus does have fewer carcinogens compared to other tobacco products. Sweden -- where snus has been popular for more than 150 years -- has lower tobacco-related cancers than the rest of the European Union.

Still, Wendell stresses that there's no such thing as safe tobacco.

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Tobacco sales at MTSU will end soon 

The last Tennessee public university campus where students can buy cigarettes will end the practice soon, the result of a Board of Regents vote aimed at protecting student health.

But that's going to cost Dwight's Mini Mart on the Middle Tennessee State University campus about 40 percent of its revenue, its owner says.

MTSU asked Dwight Johnson about nine months ago to remove tobacco from his store. Students rallied around Johnson, who gets to run the store on public property because of a federal law that gives blind people the first crack at such enterprises. The cigarettes stayed.

The regents' vote, scheduled for Sept. 25, won't be a request. Selling cigarettes on campus gives the appearance that MTSU promotes an unhealthy habit, said Joe Hugh, the university's assistant vice president of procurement and auxiliary services.

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City recreation committee OKs new no-smoking rules 

The Dyersburg Recreation Committee met Tuesday to discuss whether or not it would ban smoking from all city recreational facilities and their grounds.

Chairman Shannon Walker said he would like to see all three of the activity centers become smoke-free facilities, meaning both the buildings and the grounds. By Tennessee state law, all recreational facility buildings have been smoke free since October of 2007. He said he has experienced the secondhand smoke himself and has received several complaints about the smoking.

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IDB approves PILOT for Conwood Co.’s $116M project  

The Memphis and Shelby County Industrial Development Board approved tax abatements for Conwood Company LLC to expand and relocate operations in the city and for Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt LLC to add to its local manufacturing facility.

Conwood, a smokeless tobacco manufacturer, is planning to invest $116.2 million in its expansion and relocation. It will purchase a 787,500-square-foot building on 35.6 acres at 5106 Tradeport Drive for $19.2 million.

It also plans to spend $54 million on FDA requirements and preparing the building for manufacturing and $43 million on production equipment.

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