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.”

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.

Chinese to Smoke Cigarettes from Prilep

Production of two cigarette brands for the Chinese market will start in two weeks, announced the head of tobacco company Tutunski kombinat Prilep, Aleksandar Dermendziev. The Macedonian company signed an agreement with Chinese company Konge-Konge in July. This is very good news for the Macedonian tobacco industry. "We expect to increase the production by three times. We have already received orders for 20,000 bags, which is some 200 tons. In this way,the use of capacities, which is at 20 percent now, will increase," Dermendziev said. He also revealed that a container with cigarettes has already been sent to the UAE. Export of cigarettes to this country is expected to grow.

The Marlboro Man and the Tobacco Industry

The Winston Man Dave Goerlitz spoke to about 50 people on the Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) Taylorsville Redwood Campus on October 26, 2011.

Goerlitz talked about the dangers of tobacco and how the industry affects children through advertising.

“The Marlboro Man can’t be here today because he’s…” Goerlitz points the microphone at the audience whose members responded with “Dead.”

Making about $100,000 a year, Goerlitz says that it was his job to make smoking look good for guys.

Goerlitz says that children are confused. They know that smoking is bad because it smells bad and teachers tell them it is bad, but when they see their parents smoking and ads that depict beautiful people doing adventurous things while smoking, they aren’t sure how to sort out the incongruities.

Ninety-three percent of tobacco users start using before they are 14 years old.