Cigarette Price Hike, Tobacco Consumption

Increasing cigarette prices by 50% would help avoid over 40 lakh tobacco related deaths in India, said a report released by multilateral funding agency Asian Development Bank. "A 50% price increase in cigarettes avoids about 27 million (or 2.70 crore) tobacco-attributable deaths, most of which are in the two most populous countries in the world. China would avoids nearly 20 million tobacco deaths, and India over 4 million tobacco deaths," said the report. For India, it said, the 50% rise in cigarette prices corresponds to increase of 70-122% rise in tax increase. As per the report, China, India, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam in Asia are among the top five of the 15 tobacco using countries that account for two-third of the world tobacco consumption.

Anxiety in Smokers, Cigarettes Addiction

Preclinical data suggests inactivation of a specific sub-class of nicotinic receptors may be an effective strategy to help smokers quit without feeling anxious, according to Virginia Commonwealth University researchers. These findings could one day point researchers to the development of novel therapies to help smokers quit without feeling anxious. Smokers use cigarettes for many reasons, but many report that they smoke to relieve anxiety, despite the health danger of cigarette smoking. Researchers are now working to understand the underlying neurochemical pathways that support smoking behavior.

Illegal Trade Hitting Tobacco Market

Cigarettes giant Imperial Tobacco has reduced the value of its Spanish business by £1.2 billion writedown after austerity-hit smokers turn to black market fakes in a bid to reduce the cost of smoking. The legal tobacco market has shrunk by 10% in Spain over the last year, said Imperial “Economic conditions remain difficult in Spain; high unemployment and increasing government austerity measures are placing further pressures on consumers and the duty paid tobacco market, with illicit trade a growing problem,” the group continued.

Ukrainian Smokers Quit Smoking, Indoor Smoking Ban

More Ukrainians are giving up the highly damaging smoking habit as legislation toughens bans on advertising, smoking in public places and introduces disturbing graphic warnings on cigarette packs. As of Dec. 16, smoking indoors will be illegal as a new law signed by President Viktor Yanukovych in June comes into effect. It prohibits smoking in restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels, governmental buildings, sport arenas and cultural premises. Hookah pipes and electronic cigarettes also fall under the ban.

Price Increase for Cigarettes

The cost of cigarettes will rise to more than $20 a pack over the next four years after Parliament passed the Government's Budget Day promise to the tax on tobacco. The legislation passed last night will raise tobacco excise by 10 per cent increase a year for the next four years. It is expected to lift the price of a typical pack of cigarettes from about $14.30 today to $20 or more by 2016. The Government allocated $20 million over the next four years in this year's Budget for a new innovation fund to develop ways to help more ways to help New Zealanders kick the habit.

Cigarettes Sale Trade Refused, Imperial Tobacco

Sinclair Collis, which is wholly owned by Imperial Tobacco, argued the Scottish Government's legislation to outlaw the machines went against European free trade rules. The law was introduced to bring down the number of smokers, particularly young people, with one in 10 underage smokers said to use the machines. Sinclair Collis operates 1708 cigarette vending machines at 1454 sites throughout Scotland. It argued that most of the machines and their spare parts come from Spain, and said it would no longer have a reason to import them.

Cigarette Packages in Ukraine, Smoking Warning Labels

From October 4 cigarette packs in Ukraine will be produced with warning pictures about diseases caused by smoking, Health Ministry of Ukraine has reported on Thursday. According to government resolution No. 306, 50% of one side of the cigarette package will have the words 'Smoking kills', 50% of the opposite side of the package will contain a picture and warning label. In general 8 different pictures with the corresponding commentaries will be used. In particular, the picture with the X-ray photograph of lung cancer will be accompanied with the words: "Smoking could cause a slow and painful death." Picture of the female face near the death's head will tell: "Smoking causes skin ageing". The picture with the woman, who carries empty pram, contains a title "Smoking reduces woman's reproductive function."

Tobacco Use in Mizoram, Tobacco Control

Tobacco consumption in Mizoram is way above the national average, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2009-10. The report shows the following statistics of consumption of tobacco and smoking in Mizoram–Male (tobacco) – 72.5 %, Female – 61.6 %; Male (Smoking) – 59.4 %, Female – 19 %. The statistics of overall in India reads- Male (tobacco) – 47.9 %, Female – 20.3 % ; Male (Smoking)– 24.3 %, Female – 2.9 %. The ‘Fact Sheet’ showing Mizoram status was opened yesterday at a programme organised by Mizoram State Tobacco Control Society (MSTCS) at I & PR Conference Hall in the presence of Esther Lalruatkimi, Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department as well as Chairman of MSTCS . “It is shameful to see the status of Mizoram as shown by the Survey. It testifies the high rate of smoking and tobacco consumption in Mizoram. The statistics shown by the Survey is true and reliable, therefore we can make useful of it to find a better ways and strategies in fighting against tobacco and smoking,” Lalruatkimi said.

Smokefree Policy in Wayne

Smoking will be banned at municipal parks, swimming pools and lakes under an ordinance that the Township Council adopted unanimously on Wednesday night. The smoking prohibition under the ordinance extends to all 1,859 acres of township parks and swimming centers, including parking areas, and bans electronic cigarettes, which some smokers use while trying to quit. The law is expected to go into effect on Sept. 27. “Some day I hope to see no one smoking,” said Councilman Alan Purcell, a former smoker with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Before the ordinance was adopted, smoking had been banned at Dave Waks Memorial Park, which is also known as Barbour Pond Park, as well as at James W. Roe Memorial Pool and Tom’s Lake, but it was allowed in the parking lots at those locations. Smoking was allowed at all other township parks. “For health reasons, this is really in the best interest for all our residents,” Mayor Christopher Vergano said. “Our parks, pools and lakes are used mostly by younger people, and we have an obligation to protect them and others from second-hand smoke.”

Smoke-Free Campus at Cleveland State University

Officials at Cleveland State University are considering a ban on tobacco use on campus. The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reports that the board of trustees' financial affairs committee recommended Thursday that the university develop a policy to ban all tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco. The full board is expected take up the policy at its November meeting. School officials estimate about 4,400 students and about 300 faculty and staff smoke.

Less Tobacco Use in Turkey

The use of tobacco products is going down in Turkey. While 31.3 percent of people aged 15 and above were using tobacco products in 2008, this number has fallen to 27 percent in 2012, according to data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). According to TÜİK’s 2012 Global Adult Tobacco Study, tobacco usage among the male population has fallen the most drastically. Male usage has dropped 6.5 points among men and only 2.1 points, among women, according to the study. Still, more men smoke than women. In 2008, 47.8 percent of men smoked and 15.2 percent of women. The 2012 figures show that 41.4 percent of men were smokers, while 13.1 percent of women were.

Tobacco Companies and Excise Taxes

The tobacco industry would shoulder the bulk of the additional revenues generated from “sin” products should the current version of the excise-tax reform bill be implemented, data from the Department of Finance (DOF) showed. House Bill 5727, or “An Act Restructuring the Excise Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco Products,” is expected to generate an additional P31.35 billion in new revenues for the first year of implementation or in 2013, the data showed. Some 85 percent of this, or about P26.87 billion, would come from the tobacco companies; only a small portion would be shouldered by alcohol firms.

Cigarette Packaging with Warnings, Australia

British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International, Philip Morris and Imperial Tobacco took their fight against the drab green boxes - designed to deter smokers - to the full bench of the High Court in April. But in a win for the Federal Government, a majority ruling by the High Court today dismissed their case. Responding to the judgment, British American Tobacco Australia (BATA) said tobacco plain packaging would lead to a spike in illegal cigarette sales. BATA spokesman Scott McIntyre said the company still believed the Government had no right to remove their intellectual property and was extremely disappointed by the court's ruling.

Hospital Campus Will Become Smoke-Free

A ban on the use of tobacco products anywhere on the Methodist Hospital campus takes effect Jan. 1. This includes parking lots, hospital vehicles and employees’ personal vehicles parked on the premises. Employees are prohibited from using tobacco products during working hours. Hospital leaders say the new policy reflects the hospital’s mission. “We are eliminating tobacco use on our properties to provide a healthy and safe environment for employees, patients and visitors and to promote positive health behaviors,” said Methodist Hospital CEO and President Dan Ausman..

People Smoke Less Cigarettes and More Cigars

Higher taxes drove a significant number of Americans away from cigarettes last year, according to a new study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But instead of quitting, many of those smokers shifted to other sources of tobacco that are not taxed as heavily. Cigarette use declined by 2.5% between 2010 and 2011, the new study reveals, while consumption of other forms of smoked tobacco such as cigars and homemade cigarettes rose more than 17%. Since 2000, cigarette use has dropped by 33% while use of non-cigarette products rose 123%, with the biggest increase coming since a 2009 hike in federal cigarette taxes – which exempts cigars and loose tobacco. The lobbying arm of the American Cancer Society responded to the numbers by calling yesterday for the government to close that tax loophole, which the society said undermines cessation efforts and deprives the government of money. “The CDC’s data clearly demonstrate that the disparity in tax treatment of tobacco products is undercutting our ability to effectively reduce tobacco use and save lives,” Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said in a statement.

Less Smoking and Cigarettes in Campuses

Faculty and students are holding their breath for the campus-wide smoking ban that will take place on UCF’s main campus in the upcoming fall semester. Although the school is offering resources to educate nonsmokers and cessation workshops for smokers, not all students are onboard with the health initiative, and many are questioning how it will be enforced. Troy Taylor, a senior studying digital media and a frequent smoker, doesn’t understand how the university will prevent students from lighting up cigarettes. “Is it going to be fines, verbal warnings, something else?” Taylor said. “Really, I don’t know what they can do.” Megan Pabian, a coordinator for university relations and public affairs at the UCF Health Center, said strict enforcement is not completely necessary. She emphasized the anti-smoking policy is not to hassle students but to instill a cultural norm on campus that will lessen cigarettes and smoking.

Nicotine Patches for Pregnant Smokers, No Effects

Nicotine patches do not help women given up smoking during pregnancy, according to landmark research by the University of Nottingham. Scientists from the university's UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies have just completed the largest clinical study into whether standard-sized patches help pregnant women to quit. A total of 1,050 woman, between the ages of 16 and 50 and between 12 to 24 weeks pregnant, were randomly chosen from seven antenatal clinics to take part in the study.

RYO Cigarette Stores Business End Soon

The “roll-your-own” machines at Holy Smokes in La Crosse will continue to crank out cigarettes for now, but their days likely are numbered. The $105 billion federal transportation bill that passed Friday included an amendment reclassifying businesses with the machines as tobacco manufacturers, which would require that they obtain permits, put health warnings on packs and pay taxes on the cigarettes made. “When it slipped in, no one even knew about it,” said Craig Squires, co-owner of La Crosse’s two Holy Smokes shops. “Shutting us down is one little paragraph.”

Tobacco Use in Norcross City Banned

The Norcross city council has voted to rescind the citywide tobacco ban. CBS Atlanta reports that the ban was supposed to go into effect Monday. But the council voted unanimously to scrap the entire ordinance, which would have banned all tobacco use in the city. The council members in February passed a new ordinance banning smoking in Norcross, meaning no smoking on sidewalks downtown, at city hall and in public parks. Residents spoke out against the ban during the public comment part of Monday's council meeting. Council member Ross Kaul says he might consider a more focused ban at some point in the future.

Smoking Ban in Parks Not Enough

An alderman proposing a ban on tobacco use in Spring Hill parks will now target smoking only. Alderman Keith Hudson’s proposal last month also made it a minor municipal offense to use smokeless tobacco in a park within the city. But he made clear at Monday night’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen work session that he wants to focus only on smoking and he’ll bring forward an amendment at the June 18 regular meeting.

Smoking During Pregnancy Very Bad

A new study lead by the University of Zaragoza evaluates the differences in body composition and proportional distribution of body mass between babies born to mothers who have or have not smoked during pregnancy. Published in the Early Human Development journal, the study reveals that children of woman who did not smoke during pregnancy weigh and measure more. Their corporal dimensions are also significantly higher compared to the children of mothers who did smoke during pregnancy. But, this is not the same as body weight index (the relationship between height and cubic weight).

Sleeping Pills More Harmful than Cigarettes

A recent study claims sleeping pills are as risky as cigarettes. NBC4 decided to look deeper into the issue and find out whether it's worse to take a pill or not sleep. The average adult should get at least seven hours of sleep a night. That's a lot tougher than it sounds, though. Dr. Michael Saribalas is a certified sleep specialist here in Columbus. He treats people for all kinds of sleep and psychiatric disorders. He said all sleeping pills, or hypnotics, come with a risk but this study should be taken with a grain of salt. He said the study was all about association, meaning the people taking sleeping pill might have had other underlying problems that led to death, not the pills themselves. Saribalas points out that a lot of important things happen during sleep so the benefit of taking a sleeping pill, for some, may outweigh the risk. Jennifer Mayle, a local hair stylist, is one of Saribalas' patients. She said she once suffered through 12 days of insomnia. She has been taking a sleep aid for many years and said she'd rather do that than walk around like a zombie. She said her life has improved drastically since finding help.

Smoking Ban Supported by Justices

Ohio's voter-initiated ban on indoor public smoking, the first enacted in the Midwest and among the strictest in the nation, is constitutional and enforceable, the Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Wednesday. The decision struck a blow against stubborn bars and their customers who smoked and then doused their cigarettes in plastic cups after ashtrays were removed. Opponents of the law argued that it amounted to an unconstitutional taking of their private property and unfairly targeted business owners while ignoring the smokers themselves. The high court called the Ohio Smoke-Free Workplace Act "a valid exercise of the state's police power" as it rejected a challenge from Zeno's Victorian Village, a Columbus tavern that has been cited 10 times and fined $33,000.

Stop Teens from Smoking, Ontario News

In its recent article, The Windsor Essex Community Health Centre provided some excellent information about keeping our teens smoke-free. But there was an important component missing - calling for a ban on youth possession of tobacco. Convenience stores play a vital role in keeping tobacco from teens. In fact, Ontario Convenience Stores Association (OCSA) members perform well over 100,000 age-checks every day. Our We Expect ID program technology allows stores to accurately verify the age of customers by reading data off the magnetic strip on driver's licences.

Smuggling Tobacco, Bulgaria News

Bulgaria's organized crime will see their old favorite - illegal cigarette sales - boom after smoking is banned in all enclosed public spaces as of June 1, an expert has warned. The smoking ban will come into force in Bulgaria as of June 1 2012 and will be applied also in cafes, bars and restaurants, regardless of size. "The ban on smoking in all enclosed public places will lead to an even greater increase in cigarette smuggling and will weaken the flow of revenues to the budget," argues Tihomir Bezlov, an expert from the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD). He pointed out that taxes from tobacco products account for 10% of budget revenues (compared with about 1.4% in many other EU countries), which makes the country's finances highly dependent on that market.

British American Tobacco, Cigarettes New Packs

British American Tobacco, maker of Lucky Strike cigarettes, is making a comeback in the Philippines. The company pulled out of the local market nearly 4 years ago after a failed taxation case at the Supreme Court, which it says would have leveled the playing field in the local tobacco industry. Now, British American Tobacco is back because it expects the Aquino government will institute the reforms it fought for in 2008. "With the change in administration, very strong signals from the Aquino government that excise tax reform is on top of the agenda, the company made a decision to suspend that withdrawal and come back in full force," said James Lafferty, general manager of British American Tobacco Phils. British American Tobacco was fighting a law that imposes higher taxes on cigarette brands that entered the market after 1996. That meant higher taxes for brands like Lucky Strike, which was introduced in 2001; and lower taxes for its competitors. Lafferty said the proposed increase in excise taxes on tobacco, which is pending in Congress, will make it easier for them to compete.

Graphic Cigarettes Warnings Required

A bid by tobacco companies to overrule a court judgment that they must do corrective advertising about the dangers of smoking is getting a chilly response from a federal appeals court. The companies want District Judge Gladys Kessler's order overturned because a 2009 law gave the Food and Drug Administration authority over the industry, including power to require graphic cigarette warnings. In a Justice Department lawsuit, Kessler ruled in 2006 that America's largest cigarette makers concealed the dangers of smoking for decades.

Higher Taxes on Cigarettes and Fuel, Manitoba News

Manitobans will pay higher cigarette and fuel taxes and see the provincial sales tax applied to several new services in a budget that reduces overall spending or increases it, depending on your point of view. Smokers will pay 2.5 cents more per cigarette effective at midnight Wednesday while drivers will pay an extra 2.5 cents per litre to fill their vehicles' fuel tanks as of May 1. Meanwhile, the government will apply the PST to services such as manicures, pedicures, facials and haircuts that cost more than $50. Finance Minister Stan Struthers also announced the province would "modernize" Sunday shopping laws, although he provided few details. Currently, most major stores can only open their doors between noon and 6 p.m. on Sundays. Businesses have long called for the ability to set their own Sunday hours.

Altria Smokeless Tobacco Market

There are only three major players in the U.S. cigarettes and smokeless tobacco market due to regulatory barriers to entry and high legal costs related to this business. Altria Group (MO) controls about 50% of the market with the rest split between Reynolds American (RAI), Lorillard (LO), and a few minor cigarette manufacturers. I like Altria's dividend king status. It pays a $0.41 quarterly dividend for an yield of 5.3% which I think the company's cash flow and earnings can support and it is able to grow earnings despite declining cigarette sales. Altria, in addition to owning the best selling brand (Marlboro), is the leader in smokeless tobacco sales in the U.S. which has become more popular in recent years.

More Anti-tobacco Ads, New Smoking Fight

On Major League Baseball’s opening day, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) announced details of an historic rule restricting the use of smokeless tobacco by players, managers, and coaches on and off the field. He also called for more funding of new anti-tobacco ads, which began showing on March 19th as part of a national media campaign, which have doubled the numbers of people seeking help to quit smoking. He also urged parents to make sure their children see the ads. “This opening day is truly historic because children will no longer see their heroes – baseball’s stars, managers or coaches – with chewing tobacco products on or off the field,” Blumenthal said. “Major League Baseball heeded our request to do the right thing and voluntarily stepped up to the plate, leading by example and assuring that fewer kids will succumb to lifetimes of addiction and disease.

Cigarette Tax Hike and Tobacco Use

Every year, it seems, the Idaho Legislature is faced with a smoldering question: should the state cigarette tax be raised? There has been a push again this year by health organizations and other groups to raise the tax on smokes sold in Idaho by another $1.25. And, if you believe Idaho Medical Association CEO Susie Pouliot, almost three-quarters of Idaho voters support that. The current Idaho cigarette tax is 57 cents a pack, the lowest in the region. In addition to the survey showing broad public support, advocates are armed with other statistical claims, among them: n A recent study indicates tobacco use costs Idaho more than $300 million a year in health care-related costs. n Increasing the cost of cigarettes will prevent 12,500 Idaho youth from taking up smoking.

Tobacco Sales to Minors Doubled in Seattle

It is a lot easier for underage teens to buy cigarettes in Seattle than it was last year, according to the King County Health Department. The department said Thursday that tobacco sales to minors doubled from 2010 to 2011. "Which is troubling because 90 percent of smokers become addicted before they're 19 years of age," said Scott Neal, tobacco prevention program manager. He said their inspections revealed that underage teens can buy discount Camel cigarettes 15 percent of the time in Seattle, compared to seven percent of the time last year. They conducted 468 retailer inspections in 2011. Teens were sent into 63 different establishments with their valid, underage ID's. "And they simply ask for the product like they would be purchasing it normally, and it's a valid test for a retailer to find out if they're carding the kids and turning them away," Neal said. The teens were sold tobacco a total of 70 times.

Louth Hospital to be a Tobacco-Free

NIPPING 'OUTSIDE for a smoke' will be stamped out at Louth County Hospital at the end of the month when the HSE launch their ' Tobacco Free Campus' campaign. From 22nd February, National No Smoking Day, the hospitals within the Louth Meath Hospital Group, which include Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, and Louth County Hospital in Dundalk will become smoke free campuses . The HSE last week published full details on the campaign, which will lead to 'no smoking' signs applying across the hospital grounds and campus.

Should We Prohibit Cigarettes

US President Barack Obama’s doctor confirmed last month that the president no longer smokes. At the urging of his wife, Michelle Obama, the president first resolved to stop smoking cheapest Gauloises cigarettes in 2006, and has used nicotine replacement therapy to help him. If it took Obama, a man strong-willed enough to aspire to and achieve the US presidency, five years to kick the habit, it is not surprising that hundreds of millions of smokers find themselves unable to quit. Although smoking has fallen sharply in the US, from about 40% of the population in 1970 to only 20% today, the proportion of smokers stopped dropping around 2004. There are still 46 million American adult smokers, and smoking kills about 443,000 Americans each year. Worldwide, the number of cigarettes sold – six trillion a year, enough to reach the sun and back – is at an all-time high.

Unpleasant Smoking Outside Ban for Delawareans

As unpleasant as a ban on smoking outside state office buildings will be for some Delawareans, the twofold benefit is irresistible. The rise in residents' quitting a dangerous health habit directly linked to their tobacco addiction will continue. And the residual benefits of slowing the growth of a $1 billion health care tab -- almost 40 percent of the state's budget -- created by smoking workers, retirees and Medicaid recipients can be aggressively attacked. Making government campuses smoke-free removes the state's dubious role as an enabler of a habit that is both unhealthy and "will heavily burden future generations of taxpayers." As is the case with the pace of government innovation, this change precedes private industry moves to discourage smoking on or near the job, after Gov. Ruth Ann Minner pushed for Delaware's Clean Indoor Air Act of 2002. Since then the state's largest employers have slowly made their outdoor campuses smoke-free.

Cigarette Tax Hike in Massachusetts

Massachusetts smokers would pay more than $3 per pack in state taxes under a 50-cent hike in the state cigarette tax Gov. Deval Patrick plans to include in his budget next week, one of a series of revenue proposals that Patrick hopes will generate $260 million in new revenue for his spending plan. The increase in the cigarette tax would mark the second time in his tenure that Patrick has proposed raising the cigarette tax. In 2008, the Legislature approved a $1 increase. The tax on a pack of best quality Bond cigarettes would rise to $3.01 and the administration will also propose applying the new, higher tax rate to all other tobacco products sold in the state, according to Patrick’s budget chief. Under the governor’s plan, Massachusetts would have the fifth highest tobacco tax in the country, but still lower than New York and Rhode Island, said Administration and Finance Secretary Jay Gonzalez.

Hungary Tobacco Company Expands

Hungary’s tobacco industry grew almost 10% to HUF 500bn last year, industry insiders said at a press conference organised by the Hungarian Association of Tobacco Industry Investors (DBMSZ) on Thursday. Hungarian tobacco companies BAT Pecsi Dohanygyar, Continental Dohanyipari, Imperial Tobacco Magyarorszag and Universal Leaf Tobacco Magyarorszag established DBMSZ at the beginning of last December. This year tobacco sales are expected to fall because of the economy, the higher excise tax, expected stricter rule on tobacco sales and the expansion of the no-smoking policy in public places, they said. Making more public establishments smoke-free has resulted in as much as a 5% reduction in sales, judging from experience abroad, they added. An increase in the excise tax on tobacco products from the middle of this year is expected to raise retail prices by 20%, the association estimates. The association is pressing for a loosening of planned additional regulation of retail tobacco sales.

Albertans favour higher tobacco tax

Premier Alison Redford would have the support of most Albertans if she raises tobacco taxes in the upcoming provincial budget, according to a new poll. An online survey by Ipsos Reid, which polled 809 Albertans between Dec. 20 and 26, indicated that 70 per cent of the respondents support a $2-per-pack tax increase on best Ritm cigarettes if the proceeds are used to reduce tobacco use and promote healthy living. An increase in the cigarette tax could bring down smoking rates in Alberta, particularly among youths, said Candace Nykiforuk of the Alberta Policy Coalition of Chronic Disease Prevention and an assistant professor of public health at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

Tobacco Free Laws in Montague, Public Smoking Ban

It's taken three years, but the shaky marriage between coffee and cigarettes was snuffed out here when town council Monday night approved a tobacco free policy for town owned places. The vote was unanimous and means that smoking is prohibited on all town owned properties from the hockey rink to the marina and waterfront. No more lighting up at the waterfront and watching the ducks or even standing outside the doors of the local rink. "People knew it was coming and it's about time,'' offered Scott Bell, the president of the committee operating the Wellness Centre. "We've had nothing but trouble with butts all over the place and people having trouble recognizing the need not to smoke at the entrances." Frank Morrison, with the Council for a Smoke Free P.E.I., said Montague has taken a long time to initiate a tobacco free policy, but the end result is welcomed. "We have about 25 per cent of Island communities still working on such policies," he said from the town hall gallery after the vote was taken. "So it is slowly becoming the norm. Smoking tobacco is a killer."

Revolution in Smoking Cigarettes

We are on the brink of a revolution in smoking which aims to eradicate the tax free Viceroy cigarette. Companies, including some of the biggest names in tobacco, are poised to launch a generation of devices that mimic the experience of smoking without the lethal effects. One, being developed by a 29-year-old Oxford graduate, has attracted the attention of BAT, one of the world's largest tobacco companies, which has bought the rights to market it. A profusion of electronic and other devices has appeared in the past year, thanks to a legal loophole which allows them to be sold freely so long as they do not make any health claim . An estimated 10 million "e-cigarettes", which are shaped to look like the real thing and simulate smoking by heating nicotine to produce an inhaled mist, have been sold worldwide.

60% of Underage Girls Smoke Cigs

About 60% of the 359 underage people caught smoking over the past 11 months in Penang were girls. Penang Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environmental Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the figure was alarming. “We have to ensure that juveniles are not exposed to smoking,” he said. Phee warned that those who offer or sell cigarettes to underage children are liable to a minimum RM10,000 compound. “The local councils also have the right to withdraw their operating licence,” he added in an interview. As for those smoking in prohibited areas, Phee said they would be asked to give their particulars which would go into a database.

Adult Smoking Rates Could Fall

Smoking rates could fall below 20 per cent this year as thousands of Kiwis are expected to kick the habit. Quitline's Bruce Bassett said adult smoking rates could fall to the lowest levels since records began. He said 21 per cent of adult New Zealanders smoked and about 9000 people were expected to use Quitline services in January. "It's going to be really busy." He said more than a fifth of those who used quitting services stayed smoke-free. Leone Landells chose to stop smoking cheap Davidoff cigarettes just before the New Year brought a wave of resolutions and a price rise reaching more than $15 for popular packs of 20. "I feel so much better," she said. "I didn't realise how unwell I felt as a smoker." Landells, 53, said seeing her close friend's mother suffer from emphysema was the tipping point.