http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/business.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/-Edinburgh-University-students-stub.5846149.jp http://tobacco.org/news/293097.html STUDENTS at Edinburgh University have voted to keep cigarettes on sale on campus. A motion was put before the annual general meeting of Edinburgh University Students Association which would have stopped EUSA shops from selling cigarettes and remove all cigarette machines on campus. The motion, put forward by a fourth year medical student, argued that EUSA should not profit from, promote or help facilitate smoking. It would also have required the students association to promote services which provide support and advice to students who wished to give up smoking. More than 700 students turned out for the AGM – the largest number for several years – filling the university's George Square lecture theatre and forcing organisers to set up a video link to another venue. The Scotsman UK-Scotland Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/movie-star-told-her-to-try-e-cigarettes-124601.php http://tobacco.org/news/293087.html more and more health professionals are giving the nod for the use of electronic cigarettes as a less harmful alternative to smoking tobacco. . . . One e cigarette company, SS Choice in Southlake, Texas, was recently contacted by Debbie Depp Rassel, the sister of actor Johnny Depp. She told the company representative how she and her mother just couldn't quit tobacco cigarettes and that their mother's doctors had been telling her to quit for the last two years. Two months ago she told Johnny about their mom's condition and he suggested they try "e cigarettes". Electronic cigarettes are widely used in the United Kingdom where Mr. Depp resides. She immediately contacted eCigarettesChoice.com and ordered two starter kits of their SS Choice No 7 which look just like the real thing. In a recent email to the company owner, Ms. Rassel stated that, "My mom is a different person since quitting; she doesn't have to use breathing treatments anymore, and you have given us back our mom. In a billion years, I can't thank you enough." While the electronic cigarette has not been tested or approved as a smoking cessation product or sold as such, reports such as this are common. 24-7PressRelease.com Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2009/11/16th-asian-games-to-be-tobacco-free/ http://tobacco.org/news/293080.html The 16th Asian Games, part of the worldwide Olympic movement and governed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), will be “going smokeless” with firm prohibitions on the sale of tobacco products and tobacco sponsorship of the Games. The Asian Games are the second largest sports event in the world after the Summer Olympic Games. Governed by the Olympic Council of Asia, the 16th Asian Games follows all mandates of the International Olympic Committee in which Games’ organizers are prohibited from accepting sponsorship of the Games by tobacco manufactures. Organizers are also prohibited from allowing the sale of cigarettes or tobacco products at any athletic venue. Northwest Asian Weekly China Asia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Features/CA_Feature_Basic_Template/0,2344,2977,00.html http://tobacco.org/news/293057.html The fleur-de-lis fight has ended. Altadis U.S.A. Inc. and Tatuaje Cigars jointly announced yesterday that they have reached a mutual agreement ending the trademark battle over Tatuaje's use of the fleur-de-lis on its cigar brands. "It's over," said Pete Johnson, owner of the Tatuaje, La Riqueza, Ambos Mundos and other cigar brands. Johnson said this morning that he would be making "minor changes, nothing that is really noticeable" to his cigars. Tatuaje, a boutique brand rolled in Miami and Nicaragua by Jos� "Pepin" Garcia, was named the hottest cigar brand in America by Cigar Insider this summer. Cigar Aficionado Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.kyivpost.com/news/opinion/op_ed/detail/53248/ http://tobacco.org/news/293046.html Tobacco tax increases are the most effective way to encourage people to stop smoking. Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko, citing concern for the tobacco industry, on Nov. 11 vetoed legislation that would have hiked the excise tax on tobacco products once more. It is worth remembering that - even though tobacco excise taxes were increased in September 2008, and again in February and May of this year - cigarette prices in Ukraine remain among the lowest in Europe. This leads directly to a public health catastrophe for the nation and creates conditions for rampant smuggling of made-in-Ukraine cigarettes to other nations. . . . However, tobacco companies in Ukraine claimed that this tax increase would have been disastrous for their business. . . . Transnational tobacco companies came to Ukraine in 1993. They promised employment, investment and revenue. Now they control 99 percent of the tobacco production in Ukraine. In 1992, Ukraine produced 9,000 tons of tobacco leaves. However, despite huge increases in cigarette production, tobacco growing has almost disappeared in the country. In 1996-2008, the foreign trade balance of tobacco leaves and products was negative for Ukraine and totaled more than $2 billion. It actually means that Ukrainian smokers invested $2 billion in the economies of other nations. What tobacco companies actually produce is death. . . . Many politicians in Ukraine already understand that high tobacco taxes are good both for public health and public revenues. I hope that the current and future president of Ukraine will understand this as well. Kyiv Post news@kyivpost.com (Konstantin Krasovsky ) Ukraine Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/local/article/B-FAKE20_20091119-221406/306841/ http://tobacco.org/news/293036.html The Henrico County-based cigarette-maker has monitored retail markets for years to keep fake versions of its brands off store shelves. This year, Philip Morris has sued 27 stores in New York and New Jersey, which are hotspots for the fakes because of high state taxes, a huge port through which the contraband is easily shipped, and criminal organizations that wholesale the counterfeits. For Philip Morris, the stakes are simple. In addition to the lost sales, the company doesn't want smokers buying a pack of Marlboros and thinking they don't taste the same, said company spokesman David Sutton. . . . "The sale of untaxed cigarettes harms legitimate wholesale and retail businesses and costs New York and New Jersey needed tax revenues that could be used to support essential public services," he said. Richmond Times-Dispatch dress@timesdispatch.com (David Ress) Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/1118/1224259040621.html http://tobacco.org/news/293032.html Need a nicotine hit? Want to beat the smoking ban? A smokeless cigarette could be the answer, for the long - or short - haul. Just be prepared for some funny looks, writes ROSEMARY Mac CABE . . . Ryanair now sells the other most popular type, in the form of Similar smokeless cigarettes. Ryanair's head of communications, Stephen McNamara, says the product was introduced due to customer demand. "Some passengers can find it stressful to spend long journeys without a cigarette so we introduced the product based on customer feedback and to cater to passenger demand. It seemed a logical step to introduce a product that could provide smokers with relief from nicotine withdrawal. . . . I spent a day with Ryanair's Similar branded smokeless cigarettes: a packet of 10, purchased for €6 on board a Ryanair flight, to see how it feels to smoke on the right side of the law. The first thing I notice is that they smell, to all intents and purposes, like what one's mother might call "sucky sweets" - irrefutably better than mainstream cigarettes, albeit slightly strange. They feel like real cigarettes and, crucially, they look like them. . . . Smoking a cigarette that looks like a cigarette, acts like a cigarette but neither tastes nor feels like a cigarette (while giving you more nicotine than a cigarette) seems an odd choice. Irish Times rmaccabe@irishtimes.com (ROSEMARY Mac CABE) Ireland Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/djp420v1 http://tobacco.org/news/293019.html sed on a comparison of two very large cohorts, suggested just the opposite: Far from making the cigarettes safer, the design changes might have made them even more dangerous. A debate over the consequences of the cigarette changes has continued . . . [Full Text of this Article] Journal of the National Cancer Institute Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Tobacco shakedown%3A It's not 'for the children'&articleId=2f1cf37f-4d55-476e-9263-64642ccd2c71 http://tobacco.org/news/293006.html When the state attorney general fabricates an allegation to justify charging a person with criminal activity, everyone in the state ought to take note. Attorney General Michael Delaney is pursuing a case against Tobacco Haven, a roll-your-own tobacco shop in Brookline. According to the Attorney General's Office, Tobacco Haven owes the state a whole bunch of back taxes on cigarette tobacco. Tobacco Haven says it doesn't because the tobacco in question is for pipes, not cigarettes. Cigarette tobacco is taxed; pipe tobacco is not. . . . The "for the children" line is deployed every time government goes after tobacco users. From the industry settlements in the 1990s to the massive increases in cigarette taxes in the last few years, states (New Hampshire included) have tried to justify soaking tobacco dealers and users by claiming that their revenue grabs were "for the children." But it's never for the children. It's always for the revenue. Delaney's attempt to demonize these tobacco shop owners is an abuse of authority. His boss, Gov. John Lynch, should make clear that he won't stand for such abuses in the future. Manchester Union-Leader Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssInsuranceProperty%20&%20Casualty/idUSN1917010620091119 http://tobacco.org/news/293005.html Lorillard Inc (LO.N) had begun reviewing options for succession to CEO Martin Orlowsky, whose contract expires on Dec. 31, 2010, the third-largest U.S. cigarette maker said on Thursday . The board will weigh "all relevant options," the company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokeswoman for Lorillard declined to comment further on the succession options. Orlowsky, 67, has been president and chief executive since 1999 and became chairman in 2001. Lorillard was spun off from Loews Corp (L.N) in June 2008. Reuters Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.thevillager.com/villager_342/gristedeschief.html http://tobacco.org/news/293001.html The freshly remodeled Gristedes supermarket on 25 University Place has expanded its space, adding new sections for beer, hot food, a salad bar, bakery and organic products, all looking like crowd-pleasers beneath Thanksgiving decorations strung above the aisles. But cigarettes are no longer on sale here -- seemingly a sign of the times in this upscale Greenwich Village neighborhood near New York University. "We haven't had them for some time now," said an assistant manager who identified himself only as Thomas. He noted that cigarettes are available at other Gristedes stores in New York (about 20 still carry them), even though he believes the demand is down. The main reason for the decline in tobacco sales, another Gristedes manager said, is that "people know where they can get them elsewhere" for half the price that conventional retailers in New York charge -- upward of $95 per carton, with $4.25 in state and city taxes tacked on. He was alluding to untaxed tobacco sold on Indian reservations, a subject that has bedeviled convenience-store operators and New York governors from Cuomo to Paterson. Led by its Greek-born owner and C.E.O., John Catsimatidis, a longtime New York City mayoral wannabe who smokes an occasional cigar, Gristedes Foods Inc. has claimed in protracted litigation that Indian merchants on two Eastern Long Island reservations are luring away New York customers, and even helping to fund organized crime gangs and terrorist groups like Hezbollah with bulk sales, a charge some politicians dismiss as absurd but others solemnly repeat. . . . Since he cares so much about health, why does he sell any cigarettes at his grocery stores? "There is such a thing as freedom of choice," the mogul replied. "I lecture my wife, who smokes, and tell her, Why don't you just have one or two instead of more? It's like what the Greek philosophers say: Everything in moderation." The Villager lincoln@downtownexpress.com (Mary Reinholz) Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.njbiz.com/article.asp?aID=79857 http://tobacco.org/news/293000.html Reyes Grocery Store and Sunny’s Supermarket , in Newark, were among the defendants named in litigation brought by tobacco company Philip Morris USA. NJBIZ editorial@njbiz.com (João-Pierre Ruth ) Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://pmusa.com/en/cms/Media/Company_Announcements/2009/Philip_Morris_USA_Sues_Retailers_to_Stop_Counterfeit_Cigarette_Sales.aspx http://tobacco.org/news/292998.html Philip Morris USA (PM USA) filed lawsuits against ten retailers selling counterfeit versions of the company's Marlboro� brand cigarettes in New York and New Jersey. "The New York metropolitan area continues to be a lucrative market for counterfeit and contraband cigarette smugglers," said Joe Murillo, vice president and associate general counsel, Altria Client Services, speaking on behalf of PM USA. "High excise taxes, coupled with New York state's lack of effective tax enforcement, only makes the problem worse," added Murillo. "These lawsuits are the latest in a series of filings by Philip Morris USA aimed at combating the sale of counterfeit cigarettes in New York and New Jersey," said Murillo. Since May 2009, Philip Morris has filed lawsuits against 27 retail locations in New York and New Jersey for selling counterfeit Marlboro� brand cigarettes In addition to violating many trademark laws, counterfeit cigarettes are almost always sold without the appropriate federal and state excise tax. The counterfeit cigarettes purchased from the retailers named in today's suits bore no tax stamp or a counterfeit tax stamp. As a result, the applicable excise taxes were not paid. . . . Eastern District of New York Maria’s Deli Grocery 143-20 101 Avenue, Richmond Hills, NY 11419 Loveras Grocery 996 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 Southern District of New York Aloshe Mini Market 1889 Guerlain Street, Bronx, NY 10461 El Barrio Grocery Deli 39 West 183rd Street, Bronx, NY 10453 Fernandez Grocery Corp. 1665 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10029 Philip Morris USA Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.politics.co.uk/opinion-formers/press-releases/business-and-industry/raid-control-expands-to-protect-cigarette-gantries-$1341276$365890.htm http://tobacco.org/news/292996.html Raid-control – the national crime prevention initiative - has expanded its robbery deterrent package to include the protection of tobacco products within cigarette gantries in response to a new crime trend that retailers are experiencing. Criminals are targeting the cigarette gantries within several convenience store chains and demand that the person behind the counter hands over the cigarettes. In some cases the raiders jump the counters and sweep the cigarettes into bin bags before escaping with their haul. Politics.co.uk info@raid-control.org UK Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/analysis/2253553/smokin-hot http://tobacco.org/news/292977.html As the tobacco industry begins to boom once again, CEO Gareth Davis is stepping down at Imperial Tobacco and leaving the role to his former chief operations officer Alison Cooper. With her strong finance background, ICAEW-qualified Cooper has taken a more unusual path to the top, defying the typical FD-to-CEO strategy. But how has she done it? What’s happened? Cooper has been with the group since 1999 and has held a range of senior roles including director of finance and planning before moving out of finance, becoming regional director western Europe and corporate development director. Her background as COO will have broadened her knowledge of the tobacco industry and given her great strategic insight into the workings of the market. And even in her previous role at PwC she was heavily involved with mergers and acquisitions for the tobacco giant a key strategy for Imperial Tobacco going forward. With her widely reported love of cigars, Cooper seems like a logical choice. Accountancy Age Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT