New Delhi: After a ban on plastic packaging for tobacco products, the Supreme Court is now considering a total ban on gutka and other smokeless tobacco products. Srinath Reddy, PHFI said, “Tobacco is the number one killer. It kills more than 1 million Indians every year. If you are considering this as a food product, clearly its a very hazardous food product. So the PAFA act comes into play.” Meera Aghi, activist said, “We wan ... Jump to full article >>

SINGAPORE – A Singaporean man peddling illegal cigarettes out of a flower pot in Lorong 6, Geylang, was arrested in an operation last week, which also saw nine Vietnamese men nabbed for selling illegal cigarettes. On April 6, a total of 130 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized, with duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) exceeding S$1,000. Customs officers saw the Singaporean man approach a flower pot along a walkway in Geylang. He ... Jump to full article >>

SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — Australia’s push to become the first country to mandate cigarette packaging with almost no branding and huge, graphic health-warning labels has inflamed the tempers of tobacco companies, which are vowing to protect shareholder interests by taking their fight to the courts. The proposed laws would mark the latest blow to tobacco firms, already battling volume contraction, swelling illegal trade and global anti-smoking c ... Jump to full article >>

The battles over the fiscal 2011 and 2012 budgets are the center of attention this week on the Hill, but the House is also poised to consider a measure that would repeal another portion of the national health-care law. The bill, HR 1217, was sponsored by House Health subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) and will be voted on by the House this Wednesday. The measure would repeal the health-care law’s Prevention and Public Health Fund, which p ... Jump to full article >>

A 77-year-old Daytona Beach woman has won $300,000 in what likely is the first verdict against a tobacco company in Central Florida out of thousands of suits filed statewide by ailing, longtime smokers. A Volusia jury has decided that R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is partly liable for the lung cancer suffered by Stella Koballa. A circuit judge will review the verdict at a future court hearing. “We’re happy with the result and we feel ... Jump to full article >>

Montville, Conn. — The Montville Town Council late Monday night banned the use of tobacco products at all recreational facilities, making it the third community in the state to adopt such a provision. Officials hailed the move as a major public health initiative. It takes effect May 11 and caps more than a year of work by the Parks and Recreation Commission to outlaw the practice. “Kudos to the Parks and Recreation Commission. It’s long o ... Jump to full article >>

Ever-rising state and federal taxes on cigarettes, designed to discourage use but also generate government revenue, have made a pack of smokes very, very expensive. A pack of cigarettes can cost anywhere from over $6 to over $11, depending on the state. That leaves smokers three alternatives; pay the price, quit, or find a cheaper way to feed their habit. Increasingly, smokers are buying machines to roll their own cigarettes, much to the conste ... Jump to full article >>

A special agent of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives pleaded guilty Monday to possessing stolen firearms. Clifford Dean Posey, 43, of Chesapeake, also pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, embezzlement, making false statements and money laundering that occurred in the course of his official duties. His right foot bandaged and using crutches, Posey made the pleas to U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck. He will be s ... Jump to full article >>

THE tobacco industry will take its fight over plain packaging to the Federal Court, after a tribunal affirmed the government’s right to withhold the secret legal advice authorising the plan. British American Tobacco has confirmed to The Australian it will appeal against an Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruling refusing the company access to the Keating-era document on the grounds of legal professional and parliamentary privilege. Under th ... Jump to full article >>

MINNEAPOLIS — Much to Commissioner Bud Selig’s chagrin, chewing tobacco has been almost as much a part of Major League Baseball over the years as “Play Ball!” and the seventh-inning stretch. It’s ingrained in the culture of the game and is evident anytime a player steps on the sticky floor of a big-league dugout. As owners and the players’ union begin negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement, Selig hopes the time has fi ... Jump to full article >>