The law and justice are on the side of Gov. David A. Paterson’s plan to start collecting state taxes on tobacco products sold by the state’s Native American nations. That doesn’t mean the governor won’t have to be very careful in the way he follows through with that pledge. Paterson said last week that he had been warned by his own State Police that “violence and death” could be the result of any effort to go against the Seneca and On ... Jump to full article >>

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Representatives from all six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy emerged from a daylong conference here Wednesday to say they are forming a united front to resist state encroachment on their treaty rights. The participants offered no specifics about the options they might employ to counter state attempts to tax cigarettes sold on reservation land and restrict their commerce in other ways—aside from the lawsuits the nations already have filed on ... Jump to full article >>

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A statewide association of convenience store owners said the recently enacted taxes on cigarettes and tobacco have chased as much as one-third of that business into American Indian reservations, border states or other tax havens. The state cigarette tax rose July 1 to $4.35 a pack from $2.75 a pack. A tax increase on other tobacco products took effect Aug. 1. The increase brings the price of cigarettes in the state to the highest levels in the na ... Jump to full article >>

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You probably don’t put much thought into the energy that makes your computer run, your microwave work, or your lights turn on. In fact, you probably struggle to remember how many times and ways you use energy in a day. Our easy access to energy stands in stark contrast to the daily struggle experienced by billions. These people lack access to any kind of modern energy and are also the poorest on the planet. They rely on archaic fuels, such ... Jump to full article >>

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Trying to stay a step ahead of scheming tobacco companies could leave the Food and Drug Administration as breathless as a three-pack-a-day smoker in aerobics class. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act which came into force on June 22 , and among the provisions is a federal ban on the word “light” or “mild” or “low” or any term that lulls smokers into thinking those cigarettes are safer than others. They’re not. No ... Jump to full article >>

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A year after a new law put tobacco regulation in the hands of the Food and Drug Administration, one thing is clear: It will likely be years before any of the most aggressive steps to reduce deaths from smoking might happen. When President Barack Obama signed the bill into law last June, anti-tobacco advocates suggested it could lead to a reduction in nicotine levels, a ban on menthol cigarettes or other aggressive moves. Such moves are still a lo ... Jump to full article >>

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