Flavoured smokes snuffed out in Canada

2010/06/30 par centresstop Laisser un commentaire

CBC

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/06/29/canada-flavoured-smokes.html

A new law, set to come into effect in July, aims to snuff out the sale of flavoured smokes while reducing the temptation among kids to take their first puff.

The measure, part of Canada’s anti-tobacco law Bill C-32, forbids the country’s retailers from selling fruit- and candy-flavoured little cigars, cigarettes and rolling papers made of tobacco.

The law takes effect across the country on July 5, however, Ontario pushed up its date to July 1. Retailers, who were given nine months to remove the products from their shelves, could be fined if caught selling the goods.

The bill, introduced in Parliament a year ago, is aimed at reducing the smoking rate of school-aged children. A 2008-09 school year survey suggests that 40 per cent of students in grades 10 to 12 had tried smoking cigarillos.

« There is simply no justification for tobacco products to be flavoured with candy, ice cream and fruit flavours, » Rob Cunningham, a Canadian Cancer Society spokesman, said in a press release.

« The risk is that these flavoured products can be a starter product for kids who would never otherwise start smoking. This bill is going to protect our kids from starting smoking and encourage more adults to quit. »

Some manufacturers are trying to skirt the new law by enlarging the size of cigarillos and altering the labelling on the packages. Canada Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq slammed the big tobacco companies for trying to buck the new rules.

« Not only does this action go against the intent of the legislation; it endangers the health of Canada’s children. We will deal with this issue and will continue working to ensure that Canada’s children are protected from the dangers of tobacco, » the minister said in a release.

Bill C-32, which was passed last year, also banned all tobacco advertising in Canadian newspapers and magazines.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/06/29/canada-flavoured-smokes.html#ixzz0sMvQsYvz

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FDA comes down hard on tobacco: Issues new rules for advertisements

2010/06/23 par centresstop Laisser un commentaire

Tech Jackal

Source: http://www.techjackal.net/other/2010/06/23/fda-comes-down-hard-on-tobacco-issues-new-rules-for-advertisements/

On Tuesday new Food and Drug Administration rules for cigarette advertisements took effect in the U.S. The new regulations effect the health warning labels on cigarettes, the use of misleading terms such as “light, “low,” and “mild” and will also put in place tougher sales restrictions to prevent access for youth.

The battle against tobacco and its health effects has been a long one. The FDA first attempted to assert control over tobacco sales in 1996, but the Supreme Court ruled that Congressional approval was needed. In 2009 both the House and Senate passed legislation that would regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of tobacco products. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on June 22, 2009.

The provisions in the Tobacco Control Act became effective Tuesday and give the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products in the interest of protecting public health. The new mandate also gives the FDA power to reduce tobacco use by children. The new stricter guidelines for the tobacco industry will be initiated over an extended period, but several key rules took effect Tuesday such as:

- Larger and stronger health warning labels must appear on products manufactured after June 22, 2010
- The tobacco industry is prohibited from using the terms “light,” “low,” or “mild” on labels
- No one under 18 may purchase cigarettes. Several states have this law, but it is now a Federal law
- Branded sponsorships of athletic or cultural events are prohibited

The new FDA regulations are not only aimed at preventing misleading advertising from tobacco companies, but are looking to prevent youth from taking up smoking. While youth smoking is on the decline, the number of youth who currently smoke or will begin smoking is still startlingly high.

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Free Screening for Head and Neck Cancer

2010/04/17 par edito514 Laisser un commentaire

From Komu.com

The free cancer screenings were a part of national Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week. The screenings were a part of a walk-in clinic, so appointments were not necessary.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 50,000 Americans have some form of head or neck cancer. Ear, nose and throat doctor at the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center Jeff Jorgensen said 85% of of head and neck cancers are related to tobacco use.

« The bottom line is we are trying to get people to stop smoking. And stop using any tobacco products for that matter, » Jorgensen said.

Norman Larson was one of the 150 people who attended the screening.  He was a smoker during his young adult life, but was not concerned that he had cancer. He came to the screening because he was in Columbia visiting his mother.

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Regina woman accused of giving her baby tobacco and heart medication

2010/04/17 par edito514 Laisser un commentaire

From Calgary Herald

Rebecca Dawn Wyatt, a 20-year-old Regina woman, has been charged with attempting to endanger the life of her baby by giving the child tobacco and Ramipril, a medication used to treat heart failure and hypertension.

Wyatt appeared in custody at Regina Provincial Court on Friday morning to face charges of administering a noxious substance and aggravated assault.

The petite blonde buried her face in her hands as Judge Murray Hinds read the charges aloud in court.

« I understand you’re upset, Rebecca, but do you understand what I said? » Hinds asked.

Wyatt nodded yes.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between March 25 and April 15.

Regina Police Service spokeswoman Lara Guzik-Rostad said police began investigating after receiving a call on April 1 about « a young child with unusual medical conditions. »

Wyatt was arrested on Thursday.

The Crown initially opposed Wyatt’s release from custody on Friday morning, but later consented to her release on a number of conditions, including that she live with her mother, abide by a 10 p.m. curfew, and abstain from using drugs and alcohol or going into bars.

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Tobacco will remain a public health threat!

2010/03/14 par edito514 Laisser un commentaire

By The Jakarta Post

Siti Supari, now a member of the Presidential Advisory Council, said the government should exercise extreme caution because the tobacco business was the livelihood of a great number of farmers and workers.

The former health minister claimed those farmers and workers should be the main consideration.
That is outrageous. Our main concern should without doubt, be public health, surpassing the case of the farmers and tobacco workers.

We are surprised that such a controversial statement came from Siti Fadilah, who only left her health minister post in October 2009.

She also said that restricting the tobacco business and consumption was a foreign idea, which might not be fully appropriate in the local context.

This may be a serious insult to Muhammadiyah and the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) who proclaimed that cigarette smoking should be considered haram.

Indonesian people reject control, especially from foreigners.  Siti Fdilah must have noticed to her
dismay that all tobacco companies are required to state in their own electronic and print media that “smoking causes cancer, heart disease” and other serious conditions.

Treating lung patients with cancer, asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and other debilitating diseases, I know by daily personal experience that almost invariably, the culprit is tobacco.

Smoking, including passive smo-king, causes immense suffering, not only for the patients, but also for the families around them.

Lots of money is spent on smo-king and eventually, for containing the diseases that result from smo-king.

Siti Fadilah, the tobacco industries and the government share a common erroneous mindset that anti-tobacco campaigns are a serious threat to the industry, and that because of that, many people will loose their livelihood.

This is not only deceptive, but also a totally incorrect perception, for the simple reason that there is no authority whatsoever that can stop addicted smokers.

Many millions of them will keep on smoking and maintaining the livelihood of farmers for many years still to come!

Cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive substance, just like opium, heroine or cocaine. This fact is opposed by addicted people, and particularly by those who love tobacco money so dearly.

Siti Fadilah needs to remember, that as long as people are addicted, they will keep on smoking, and will keep the industry alive as well.

The new Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, has an entirely different approach. She is optimistic the government will be able to enforce a regulation completely banning all cigarette advertisements in electronic and print media, despite strong opposition from tobacco industries and farmers. We wish her success!

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Windsor men face tobacco charges

2010/03/14 par edito514 Laisser un commentaire

By The Windsor Star

The suspects were stopped by OPP officers in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 in Lakeshore about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Police say they discovered more than 22 cases of illegal tobacco, a quantity of Canadian currency and a 1999 Ford Windstar minivan, which was turned over to the Windsor RCMP.

Charged are Robert Dali, 28, Al Shadood, 50, and Rivon Dali, 25, all of Windsor.

They have been released from custody with a court appearance set for April 26 in Windsor.

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Senate Passes PACT Act

2010/03/14 par edito514 Laisser un commentaire

BY: CSNews.com

The bill — which passed the House in May — is authored by Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 20 senators. The House version, penned by Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York, passed by a vote of 397-11. But because the House and Senate version are different, the House will need vote to accept the Senate version, which if passed, the bill would go to President Barack Obama’s desk.

The passage out of the Senate is a « major win » for c-store retailers, according to NACS Senior Vice President of Government Relations Lyle Beckwith.

« NACS has been working for over 10 years to pass legislation to regulate Internet and mail-order tobacco sales, » Beckwith said in a statement. « Last night’s vote brings us closer to achieving our goal than we have ever been. We will continue to pressure the House to take the final step necessary for passage and enactment. »
The Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco, a group of individuals, associations, businesses and other organizations supporting the PACT Act, also applauded the effort.

« Passage of the PACT Act is a huge victory for American taxpayers, American small business owners and America’s youth, » coalition spokesperson, Scott Ramminger, who is also AWMA president and CEO, said in a statement. « We applaud the Senate for its action today and thank Sen. Kohl for his leadership in ensuring that contraband tobacco sales are eliminated. »

The PACT Act would help combat online sales of untaxed cigarettes and help prevent youth access to tobacco by banning shipping of cigarettes through the U.S. Postal Service. It also closes gaps in current federal laws regulating « remote » or « delivery » sales of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.

With unanimous support the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the PACT Act in Nov. 2009.

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FDA concerned dissolvable tobacco appeals to kids

2010/02/05 par edito514 Laisser un commentaire

By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM

The Associated Press
Thursday, February 4, 2010; 5:30 PM

RICHMOND, Va. — The Food and Drug Administration is saying in letters to two tobacco companies that flavored, dissolvable tobacco products – that the agency compares with candy and says contain a lot of nicotine – could be particularly appealing to kids and young adults.

The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products wrote to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., maker of Camel cigarettes, and the smaller Star Scientific Inc. on Monday voicing concern over smokeless products that are consumed like breath mints but made from finely milled tobacco.

« CTP is concerned that children and adolescents may find dissolvable tobacco products particularly appealing, given the brightly colored packaging, candy-like appearance and easily concealable size of many of these products, » Dr. Lawrence Deyton, director of the Center for Tobacco Products, told the companies.

Deyton said regulators are worried the products’ nicotine content and rapid dissolution could cause nicotine dependence and addiction and be especially dangerous to children and young adults.

He asked the two best known makers of dissolvable tobacco products to provide their research and marketing information on how people under age 26 perceive and use the products.

Exercising new power to regulate tobacco that the FDA was granted in June, Deyton also requested research on misuse of the products, including potential accidental nicotine poisoning.

Regulators also want a summary of user demographics, including at what age « tobacco-naive consumers » start using the products.

The products are available in few markets and account for a small share of the tobacco industry.

Star Scientific, based in Petersburg, Va., markets its Ariva and Stonewall tablets in wintergreen, coffee and tobacco flavors. The first versions appeared about nine years ago.

R.J. Reynolds, which is owned by Reynolds American Inc. in Winston-Salem, N.C., is test-marketing dissolvable tablets, strips and a toothpick shape under the names Camel Orbs, Camel Strips and Camel Sticks in mint and other flavors.

The Orbs last about 15 minutes, the strips dissolve in five minutes or less and the sticks, which are slightly bigger than toothpicks, last 15 to 20 minutes.

The FDA is seeking the information as its Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee prepares to study the issue later this year.

Reynolds spokesman David Howard said that company is reviewing the FDA’s request and plans to help regulators evaluate the products.

« Our products are made for, and marketed to, adult tobacco consumers, » Howard said. He said dissolvable items are sold on the same shelves as other tobacco products and carry the same warnings and age restrictions.

Star Scientific, which has been involved in a patent dispute over some of the technology behind its dissolvable products, disagrees with the FDA’s characterization of them and looks forward to speaking with regulators, spokeswoman Sara Troy Machir said.

« The challenge that we have faced in attempting to meet the needs of adult smokers … is to develop a product that is palatable to the customer while at the same time not making it attractive to the non-tobacco user, » she said

Machir said flavors are added to the products to make them taste less harsh.

Tobacco companies are focusing on cigarette alternatives – such as cigars, snuff and chewing tobacco, as well as other forms of nicotine replacement – for future sales growth as demand for cigarettes continue to decline.

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