Tobacco Articles: state MD

Cigarette taxes are up -- so is smuggling : Md. officials report 46,000 packs seized

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

When Maryland doubled the cigarette tax to $2 a pack, some residents may have found a reason to quit. Smugglers, on the other hand, seem to have found a motive to step up their activities. Since the tax increase took effect in January, agents with the Maryland Comptroller's Office have seized more than 46,000 packs of contraband cigarettes - smokes brought illegally across state lines. That's a nearly four-fold increase from about 13,000 packs seized over the same period in 2007. And in the largest bust so far this year, agents confiscated nearly 8,000 cigarette packs after stopping a man driving a Chevrolet Astro van on Interstate 495 this month. State officials say they would be hard-pressed to blame the sharp rise in smuggled smokes solely on higher taxes, but they suspect that the levy is a factor. Maryland has one of the highest tobacco taxes in the nation; neighboring states have some of the lowest. Virginia's levy, for instance, is 30 cents a pack.

Montgomery College Snuffs Out Smoking

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Starting today, Montgomery College is banning tobacco anywhere on campus -- inside or outside. The community college is one of a growing number of campuses nationwide taking a hard line on tobacco, signaling a broader cultural shift. No more professors lighting up pipes in their offices, no cigarettes sold in stores, no students chewing tobacco while watching football games. Reactions from smokers ranged from stunned to furious -- and often unprintable. . . . About 60,000 students take classes at Montgomery College, which apparently is the first Washington area college to ban tobacco. . . . Michael J. McFadden, a smokers' rights advocate, said . . . the idea of cigarette smoke outside affecting others' health borders on craziness. . . . According to the fall 2007 National College Health Assessment, about 19 percent of college students smoked a cigarette in the previous 30 days. At Georgetown, the percentage of students who said they had smoked one or more days in the past month declined from 16 percent in 2004 to 14 percent in 2008. At the University of Virginia, the figure was about 38 percent a decade ago; this year it was under 19 percent. At the University of Maryland, the rate is dropping, too

Changes go into effect on smoking areas

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The Ravens have changed designated smoking areas at M&T Bank Stadium to comply with the newest city smoking ordinance. The following changes of locations and times when smoking is permitted are in effect immediately and affect the lower concourses at the stadium. Designated areas and times smoking is permitted are noted by signs:

EDITORIAL: Cigarette Tax Burnout

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Maryland is only the latest state to prove the folly of trying to finance government with a tax on a shrinking pool of smokers. In New York City and State, tobacco taxes have been raised so many times that the retail cost can exceed $9 a pack -- about double the national average. Few budget-savvy smokers in the Big Apple pay that tax. Patrick Fleenor, an expert on tobacco taxes at the Tax Foundation, estimates that there is "now a 75% gap between cigarette sales in the city and cigarette consumption." In other words, three out of four cigarettes are bought elsewhere . . . Members of Congress, please take note. Democrats are planning one more pre-election go at a $35 billion children's health program expansion (S-chip) funded by a 61-cent per pack tobacco tax increase. They justify the new levy as a "sin tax." OK, but if Americans don't start sinning a whole lot more, states and Uncle Sam are going to go broke.

Fire Safe Cigarette Hits Store Shelves In Maryland

/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=11602@wmar.dayport.com — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Veronica Wheeler who was just passing by lit up for the cameras. She says the news conference answered a burning question about her smokes. Why her Newport cigarettes went out if you left them in the ashtray for a just a minute. "I was wondering why my cigarette was going out I thought the ashtray was wet or something." Wheeler Said. The initials FSC, which is now stamped on all packs of cigarette sold in Maryland, stands for Fire Safe Cigarette. The cigarettes have a special filters and paper that will go out on their own after about a minute or so without a puff.

Fire-Safe Cigarettes To Decrease Md. House Fires

42296@wjz.dayport.com (Reporting Pat Warren ) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

A change in Maryland law may help stamp out the number one cause of house fires. Political Reporter Pat Warren reports only "fire-safe" cigarettes can be legally sold in the state now. Three children and five adults died in a Cecil Avenue house fire caused by careless smoking. Now there's another safety label on the cigarette pack, and this one is to save the lives of your children, your�neighbors and the people who come to your rescue. Veronica Wheeler helped demonstrate how fire-safe cigarettes, FSC's automatically go out when unattended. The only way to keep them burning is to keep smoking.

EDITORIAL: A price worth paying : Our view: Drop in cigarette tax collections is welcome news

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

ust 3, 2008 One of the latest shortfalls to hit the state budget may also prove the healthiest: People are buying fewer cigarettes in Maryland. Sales are down 25 percent since the tax on cigarettes was doubled to $2 per pack in January; the budget approved last spring anticipated a 17 percent drop. As a result, the state comptroller's office is expected to collect $20 million to $25 million less in tobacco tax revenue in the current fiscal year. . . . The health benefits of curbing tobacco use are so clear that it's a wonder the White House continues to oppose giving the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate it. The House may have approved the measure by an overwhelming majority last Wednesday, but the chances the Senate will pass the bill with a veto-safe margin appear slim at best. It's fine for government to encourage people to stop smoking, but more strictly regulating and taxing the tobacco trade works even better.

LETTERS: Taking a bite out of tobacco use

letters@baltsun.com — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

In his column "Up in smoke" (Commentary, July 28), Patrick Basham grossly mischaracterized the National Cancer Institute's American Stop Smoking Intervention Study for Cancer Prevention (ASSIST). I was the senior scientific editor for the National Cancer Institute's monograph that evaluated the study, and I know that, contrary to Mr. Basham's assertions, ASSIST was found to be effective. . . . And Mr. Basham absolutely mischaracterized ASSIST as a "traditional smoking prevention" project. It was, in fact, a groundbreaking project that put into effect evidence-based anti-smoking strategies involving increased tobacco taxes, changes in state policies to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and promotion of nonsmoking as a behavioral norm. ASSIST was aggressively attacked by the tobacco industry, and some of its secret documents show that the industry viewed the program as a threat to its interests because of the program's focus on tobacco control policy change.

Mr. Basham's argument falls off the tracks when he objects to tobacco control policies that are supported by a mountain of evidence - including restrictions on marketing tobacco to kids, expanded access to smoking cessation therapies, clean indoor air laws and higher taxes on tobacco products. It would be a grave mistake to abandon approaches that have been successful in Baltimore, in Maryland and across the country.

Maryland has not spent its money from the legal settlement with big tobacco on unrelated items such as broadband cable networks, as Patrick Basham says some states have. Instead, by targeting a significant portion of that money for tobacco prevention, treatment and research, we have made measurable strides in reducing the harm caused by cigarettes.

FATAL MILLERS ISLAND FIRE CAUSED BY CIGARETTE : Blaze caused over $300K in damage

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The Millers Island house fire that took the life of 11-year-old Jacob Grey was accidental, according to a Baltimore County Fire Department press release. The July 7 blaze at the home of community activist Bernice Myer in the 8900 block of Hinton Avenue reportedly was caused by a cigarette. A lit cigarette was left on a porch railing, fell to the ground and ignited, the release said. "We know for sure that it was a cigarette,"

The Higher Price of Smoking

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The tobacco tax in Maryland 1958: Bill passed over governor's veto imposing rate of 3 cents per pack 1961: Rate increased to 6 cents 1975: Rate increased to 10 cents

Rise in Tax, Drop in Cigarette Sales May Squeeze Md.'s Expected Revenue

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Cigarette sales have dropped by nearly 25 percent in Maryland since the state's tobacco tax doubled in January, as sticker shock apparently has curtailed some residents' smoking and sent others across the border for better deals. . . . But the decline during the first six months of the year significantly exceeded their projections, exacerbating Maryland's budget problems and prompting speculation about what other factors might be at play. The tight economy, for example, has almost certainly added incentive for some to kick the habit.

Unattended cigarette started fire that killed boy, 11

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Fires that took the life of an 11-year-old boy on Millers Island and heavily damaged a large industrial building in Woodlawn this month were both ruled accidental, Baltimore County fire investigators said today. A lighted cigarette left on a porch railing caused the fire July 7 that killed Jacob "Jake" Grey in a waterfront house in the 8900 block of Hinton Ave., the fire department said. The cigarette fell to the ground and ignited, officials said. Two adult relatives who were home at the time of the midmorning fire said they thought the boy had left the house and was playing outside.

Unattended Cigarette Started Fatal Md. Fire

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

EDGEMERE, Md. (WJZ) ― A cigarette cost a young boy his life. Fire investigators in Baltimore County say that's what started a deadly house fire on Miller's Island that killed an 11-year-old boy. . . . The flames like up the sky over Miller's Island. News of the tragic death of 11-year-old Jacob Grey inside his grandparents' burning home made neighbors almost as sad as the finding of fire investigators. They say a smoldering cigarette left on a porch railing fell to the ground igniting a blaze that all but consumed Bernice Myers' home. "It's hard for the family but I imagine the person that had the cigarette is probably really feeling bad at this point.

Md. Bars Find Ways Around Smoking Ban

41401@wjz.dayport.com (Area) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Maryland bars and restaurants are trying to find their way around the smoking ban, six months after it was put in place. Kelly McPherson reports bar and restaurant owners have different opinions on how no-smoking has impacted business, but it's clear some are finding ways around the ban. "Nothing. The bar would be empty, just me and the bartender," business owner Tim Brandenburg said. In Keymar, a 15-minute drive from a state with smoking allowed in bars, customers are back.

Disease Prevention Called a Better Bet

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

An ounce of prevention in community health programs could save states hundreds of millions in health-care costs, a new study has found. The report from the Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit health advocacy group, found that programs encouraging physical activity, healthy eating and no smoking were a better investment than those concentrating primarily on treatment. The results are laid out in a state-by-state breakdown.The District, the researchers found, would save $9.90 for every dollar invested, or $57 million over five years. Maryland would save $6 for every dollar, for $332 million over five years, and Virginia would save $385 million -- $5.20 for every dollar spent. . . . Researchers endorsed such initiatives as increased tobacco taxes, smoke-free laws, nutrition labeling on restaurant menus and maintaining sidewalks as low-cost ways to encourage healthy living. "What's been interesting is that if you make it easier for people to make better choices, they actually do," said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health.