Reducing Tobacco Taxes is Ineffective and Unsound Strategy and Puts Public Health at Risk he rampant contraband tobacco problem in Ontario needs a comprehensive solution, and cutting provincial tobacco taxes should not be part of the plan, according to the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco (OCAT). Members of the group have unanimously rejected Bill 199, a private member’s bill aimed at reducing taxation on tobacco in Ontario, which wi ... Jump to full article >>

A top importer of clove-flavored cigars filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in federal court Wednesday to prevent the agency from banning flavored cigars. The suit comes a day after a ban on flavored cigarettes went into effect and after FDA officials warned companies not to try to circumvent the ban by introducing little cigars or other products similar to cigarettes. The lawsuit is the latest among other suits filed by tob ... Jump to full article >>

NEW YORK — A Credit Suisse analyst downgraded Altria Group Inc. Monday, worried about possibly declining Marlboro prices and the company’s ability to balance profit and market share growth for the cigarette brand. In separate client notes, analyst Thilo Wrede boosted the price targets of peers Lorillard Inc. and Reynolds American ( RAI – news – people ) Inc. Wrede said Altria ( MO – news – people )’s ... Jump to full article >>

A study released Tuesday shows smoking bans have been linked to a drop in heart attacks. A poll shows more than 60 percent of the 400 registered voters who participated are in favor of a smoking ban. Topeka, KS (WIBW) – The odds seem to be stacking up for those in favor of a smoking ban in Topeka. A study was released Tuesday that links smoking bans to a drop in heart attacks. The study found a 26 percent drop after one year and a 36 perce ... Jump to full article >>

With the Tuesday filing of the last brief for contesting the constitutionality of the Iowa Smokefree Air Act, West Burlington bar owner Larry Duncan will finally have his day in court. The owner of Otis Campbell’s and Aunt Bea’s has been arguing since before the statewide smoking ban went into effect that it was unconstitutional. He’s also argued he has been denied his day in court since the ban’s July 1, 2008, enactment. ... Jump to full article >>

Ontario teens are increasingly buying illegal cigarettes from street dealers so it may be time to ban tobacco possession by young people under the age of 19, a spokesman for the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco (NCACT) says. Gary Grant, a retired Toronto Police staff superintendent, said studies of butts found around high schools show that young smokers are going to black market vendors to purchase cigarettes for as little as pennie ... Jump to full article >>

They pioneered the ‘rockney’ genre with their pub singalong tunes, music-hall humour and boogie-woogie piano. But Chas and Dave have revealed they will be rabitting on stage together no more. The pair, Charles Hodges and David Peacock, are going their separate ways after a career spanning almost 40 years. The band’s agent, Barry Collings, said Dave, 64, had been very badly affected by the loss of his wife after 36 years of  ... Jump to full article >>

The onset of slavery in America can be directly linked to the beginning of tobacco production in this country. Though many factors contributed to slavery in the New World, tobacco was the main reason that slavery first flourished as an industry. By the mid-1600s the slave trade flourished with established routes connecting North America, Africa and the West Indies. Manufactured goods were traded for African Natives; the African Natives were tak ... Jump to full article >>

HCM CITY — The mass media has a vital role to play in making the programme for a Smoke-Free Viet Nam effective, experts said at a workshop last Saturday. Around 50 reporters from various publications in the country attended the media awareness workshop organised by the Tobacco Control Programme of the Viet Nam Steering Committee on Smoking and Health and the American Cancer Society. Experts from the US and the Philippines shared experiences on ... Jump to full article >>

Pushing smokers outside drives down hospitalizations for heart attacks by about 17 percent in the first year and 36 percent after three years, according to an analysis of 13 studies looking at heart-attack rates after smoking bans. The analysis strengthens the studies’ individual findings, said coauthor James M. Lightwood. It also provides further support for government-mandated elimination of smoking in bars, restaurants and other public ... Jump to full article >>