http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/state/NM.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_19904481 http://tobacco.org/news/333585.html State senators, concerned about possible illegal tobacco sales at a tribal store in which Arthur Allison has an interest, delayed a vote today on whether to confirm him as secretary of the Department of Indian Affairs. Allison, 64, told the Senate Rules Committee that he no longer makes any day-to-day decisions about operations of the Five Star Oil & Gas store on the Navajo nation near Farmington. He said he is "a passive member" of a partnership, but his son runs the business. At issue for the Senate is whether the store is continuing to sell cigarettes to non-tribal members without charging a state tax. Allison said tobacco products at his store are taxed by the Navajo Nation. He said his lawyer did not believe the law required that an additional tax be collected and paid to the state government if someone outside the tribe makes a purchase. Las Cruces Sun-News msimonich@tnmnp.com (Milan Simonich / msimonich) Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/02/08/opinion/legislators-blow-chance-on-fair-tobacco-taxes.html http://tobacco.org/news/333498.html If you’ve rummaged through your teen or ‘tween’s backpack recently, you might have missed the cigars and smokeless tobacco, hiding in plain sight amid the schoolbooks, pens, iPods and breath mints. It’s not that you’re clueless. Rather, the tobacco companies have cleverly packaged the cigarette-sized “cigars” and smokeless tobacco pellets to masquerade as innocuous lip gloss and breath mints. With cigarillo names like “Happy Hour” and “Prime Time,” and flavorings like chocolate, strawberry and peach, these products are clearly intended for the middle and high school-age crowd. Low prices, teen-friendly packaging, and the myth that cigars and smokeless tobacco are healthier than cigarettes, makes these products a gateway to a lifetime of tobacco use. Although smokeless tobacco products and cigars cannot legally be sold to minors, there are no laws against underage possession of these items, unlike underage alcohol possession. You can’t blame the tobacco companies. They’re in business to sell products, and if their packaging bamboozles parents and teachers, so be it. But to bamboozle New Mexico legislators is another story. Since 1986, a loophole in the tax law has allowed buyers and sellers to avoid the cigarette tax by buying or selling loose tobacco, cigars and spit tobacco in place of higher-priced cigarettes. Simply put, these products are undertaxed compared with cigarettes, due to the influence of the very powerful smokeless-tobacco and cigar lobby. It’s a loophole New Mexico legislators are unwilling to close. . . . Only one legislator, Rep. Gail Chasey, countered that HB 133 was a public health issue rather than a taxation issue. Chasey was the only legislator out of five who voted for the bill. Thank you, representatives Chasey and Stewart, for recognizing that our children’s lives are at stake. Albuquerque Journal Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/02/07/news/indian-affairs-secretary-faces-scrutiny-over-cigarette-sales.html http://tobacco.org/news/333424.html Gov. Susana Martinez’s nominee to lead the Indian Affairs Department is under scrutiny from lawmakers over possible illegal sales of cigarettes at a store operated by the Cabinet secretary’s family. The Senate Rules Committee agreed Monday to postpone a vote on the confirmation of Indian Affairs Secretary Arthur Allison because of questions about the sale of untaxed cigarettes at the Star Ranch Store, near Farmington on the Navajo Nation. At issue are sales to non-Indians of cigarettes without New Mexico’s tax and the sale of certain cigarettes that the Attorney General’s Office contends are prohibited in New Mexico. Associated Press Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/02/04/riorancho/tobacco-ban-okd-at-jail.html http://tobacco.org/news/333289.html Beginning June 4, tobacco will become a contraband item at the Sandoval County Detention Center. Sandoval County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a policy change proposed by Detention Center director Al Casamento to prohibit the possession and consumption of all tobacco products at the jail. The ban covers staff, visitors and contractors as well as inmates. At present, inmates and staff are allowed to smoke in outdoor areas at the jail. Casamento said staff faced with the prospect of having to give up cigarettes or chew during their work shift can take advantage of smoking cessation classes. Inmates, who can spend up to 364 days in the county lock-up, will have to go cold turkey. Albuquerque Journal Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.rrobserver.com/news/local/article_30d9fd30-4c5c-11e1-82a4-001871e3ce6c.html http://tobacco.org/news/332995.html BERNALILLO - Need that nicotine fix? It may no longer be available at the Sandoval County jail. County commissioners are set to vote on whether to ban tobacco products from the grounds of the county jail. The measure is on the agenda for the commission meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday in the county administration building in Bernalillo. If approved, the ban would prevent inmates from using or having tobacco products. Staff members would be allowed to use and have them only in the employee parking lot. As it stands, inmates and staff can smoke in outdoor areas. Detention Center Director Al Casamento said the ban is aimed at creating a healthier environment for employees and inmates. Rio Rancho Observer editor@rrobserver.com (ARGEN DUNCAN Observer staff writer Rio Rancho Observer ) Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.tobaccolawblog.com/2012/01/new-mexico-bill-would-more-than-double-tobacco-products-taxes-and-perhaps-tax-e-cigarettes/ http://tobacco.org/news/332963.html A bill has been introduced in the New Mexico legislature that would more than double the tax rate on OTP -- tobacco products other than cigarettes, such as smokeless and cigars -- from 25% of the product's value to 57% of the product's value. Perhaps more significant is the bill's expanded definition of "tobacco products," which would be redefined to include "any product containing tobacco that is intended or expected to be consumed without being combusted, unless it has been approved by the United States food and drug administration as a tobacco use cessation product and is being marketed and sold for that approved purpose." This could arguably cover electronic cigarettes Tobacco Law blog— Troutman Sanders LLP bryan.haynes@troutmansanders.com ([item undated] Troutman Sanders Tobacco Law Team) Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2419601.shtml?cat=1 http://tobacco.org/news/330975.html Authorities say careless smoking is to blame for a fire that displaced several residents of a Hopkins condominium complex early Monday morning. Hopkins police say one unit was completely in flames when firefighters arrived in the 800 block of Old Settlers Trail around 2:30 a.m. KSTP-TV 5 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.daily-times.com/ci_19329566?source=most_viewed http://tobacco.org/news/329299.html Smokers across the country are kicking the habit. But in Indian country in New Mexico, health officials are not finding any evidence of a decrease in adult smoking rates. And with one in four adults estimated to be current smokers, American Indians have one of the highest smoking rates in the state for the first time in the state's history. "There is some reason for concern," said Wayne Honey, an epidemiologist for the New Mexico Health Department. "Nationally there is a decline in smoking rates among American Indians as there is in all the other groups. But we are clearly not seeing that decline here." Honey authored a report on adult behavioral risk soon to be published on the health department's website. The report will state that American Indian smoking rates should be monitored. Statewide, about 15.8 percent of Anglo adults smoke and 24.1 percent American Indians smoke, according to the report. Farmington Daily Times rboetel@daily-times.com (Ryan Boetel ) Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.daily-times.com/ci_19329566 http://tobacco.org/news/328759.html Smokers across the country are kicking the habit. But in Indian country in New Mexico, health officials are not finding any evidence of a decrease in adult smoking rates. And with one in four adults estimated to be current smokers, American Indians have one of the highest smoking rates in the state for the first time in the state's history. "There is some reason for concern," said Wayne Honey, an epidemiologist for the New Mexico Health Department. "Nationally there is a decline in smoking rates among American Indians as there is in all the other groups. But we are clearly not seeing that decline here." Honey authored a report on adult behavioral risk soon to be published on the health department's website. The report will state that American Indian smoking rates should be monitored. Statewide, about 15.8 percent of Anglo adults smoke and 24.1 percent American Indians smoke, according to the report. What is alarming about the difference in smoking rates between American Indians and Anglos is that current statistics were not always the case. Farmington Daily Times rboetel@daily-times.com (Ryan Boetel) Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://service.meltwaternews.com/mnews/redirect.html?docId=1849520528&userId=425298&agentId=3729178&type=1&s=91637&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lcsun-news.com%2Fnew_mexico-news%2Fci_19235511 http://tobacco.org/news/328320.html Big Tobacco's payments to New Mexico for smoking-related deaths are declining. Even so, at least one legislator said Monday this was no indication that cigarette companies were losing customers or profit margins. The falling numbers may be because of a shifting marketplace. Elisa Walker-Moran, a state economist, said New Mexico expects to receive $38.6 million from tobacco companies this year. That is down from $40.9 million in 2010. Walker-Moran also projected that the amount of revenue from the tobacco settlement will be flat in the next few years. One reason for the decline is that tobacco companies subject to the agreement are losing market share, Walker-Moran told a legislative committee. Las Cruces Sun-News msimonich@tnmnp.com (Milan Simonich Texas-New Mexico Newspapers) Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19232995 http://tobacco.org/news/328162.html Big Tobacco's payments to New Mexico for smoking-related deaths are declining. Even so, at least one legislator said Monday this was no indication that cigarette companies were losing customers or profit margins. The falling numbers may be because of a shifting marketplace. Elisa Walker-Moran, a state economist, said New Mexico expects to receive $38.6 million from tobacco companies this year. That is down from $40.9 million in 2010. Walker-Moran also projected that the amount of revenue from the tobacco settlement will be flat in the next few years. One reason for the decline is that tobacco companies subject to the agreement are losing market share Las Cruces Sun-News msimonich@tnmnp.com (Milan Simonich / Texas-New Mexico Newspapers) Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Cig-taxes-case-lands-Rainbird-jail-time http://tobacco.org/news/327858.html A federal judge sentenced Paul Rainbird, former lieutenant governor of San Ildefonso Pueblo, to 33 months in prison and fined him more than $90,000 for selling contraband cigarettes. Rainbird, 58, who in the mid-1990s directed the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, which sponsors the annual Santa Fe Indian Market, pleaded guilty in July to two felony charges and five misdemeanors related to selling untaxed cigarettes over the Internet from a location in Albuquerque. Rainbird was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Browning and must report to federal marshals this week. Court documents show Rainbird's business sold more than $20 million worth of cigarettes between 2003 and his arrest in 2008. Santa Fe New Mexican ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com ( Steve Terrell * The New Mexican) Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI0G8ySrO1A http://tobacco.org/news/324985.html You Tube Wed, 17 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/36dfb4c05a9c472695d9c77621274e17/NM--Banned-Cigarettes http://tobacco.org/news/323363.html Attorney General Gary King's office said Wednesday it plans to take enforcement action over what it views as the illegal sale of some cigarettes at a store owned by state Indian Affairs Secretary Arthur Allison. Assistant Attorney General Nan Erdman told a legislative committee the office was investigating the sale of certain cigarettes that are prohibited in New Mexico and the sale of untaxed cigarettes to non-Indians by the Star Ranch Store, which is near Farmington on the Navajo Nation. She said the office will try to collect taxes that may be owed to the state and fees from some manufacturers. Associated Press Wed, 13 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s2195170.shtml http://tobacco.org/news/323263.html The attorney general's office says a store owned by one of Gov. Susana Martinez's cabinet secretaries on the Navajo Nation is selling cigarettes prohibited in New Mexico and untaxed by the state for sales to non-Indians. Indian Affairs Secretary Arthur Allison told The Associated Press that he turned over operation of his Star Ranch Store to his son more than a year ago. The store near Farmington sold cigarettes late last month to an AP reporter without a state tax stamp. Associated Press Tue, 12 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT