HARTFORD,Conn. — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal encouraged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to protect public health by removing menthol cigarettes from the marketplace. The Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee found evidence that tobacco companies often include menthol flavors in their products both to entice certain demographics such as young children and teens to use tobacco, and to make it harder for them to quit. “ ... Jump to full article >>

Worcester is close to becoming the ninth city in the state to ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in pharmacies and drug stores. After weeks of debate, Tuesday city council members voted to give initial approval on some controversial changes. One would ban the sale of so called ‘blunt wrappers’ in the city. Another would prohibit tobacco advertising in any store window that is in public view. The other amendments w ... Jump to full article >>

An informal survey conducted in the Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates county area finds that adults significantly underestimate the extent of tobacco product advertising in stores that sell cigarettes. As part of the annual Kick Butts Day, the survey was conducted by the Tobacco Action Coalition of the Finger Lakes to see if local consumers are aware of the targeted marketing and its impressions on youth. The survey found: Some 90 percent of peop ... Jump to full article >>

A major tobacco-industry funded advertising blitz has backfired, with new research revealing the “It won’t work, so why do it” campaign persuaded more people to support the plain packaging of cigarettes than oppose it. The Cancer Council Victoria survey of 2,101 Victorians who recalled the ad campaign found has found that more than eight out of ten (86.2%) respondents said the ad didn’t affect their view of plain packagin ... Jump to full article >>

BUFFALO, N.Y. — For years the tobacco industry has argued that efforts to ban tobacco advertising near schools would constitute a total ban on tobacco advertising in urban areas. But public health researchers at the University at Buffalo and Roswell Park Cancer Institute have presented research that shows this is not the case in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y. The UB and RPCI researchers presented their study results in a poster session on ... Jump to full article >>

TEGUCIGALPA — A ban on smoking in public places and some private areas went into effect on Monday in Honduras, the latest among half a dozen Latin American countries to pass anti-tobacco laws. “This law will reduce diseases, especially cardiovascular ones,” said Health Minister Arturo Bendana as he celebrate a “historical event.” Smoking is now banned in buildings, offices, supermarkets and malls, bars, discotheques, ho ... Jump to full article >>

When the FDA proposed new rules restricting outdoor tobacco advertising near schools and playgrounds in 2009, the tobacco industry argued that such rules would lead to a near complete ban on tobacco advertising in urban areas. When the FDA proposed new rules restricting outdoor tobacco advertising near schools and playgrounds in 2009, the tobacco industry argued that such rules would lead to a near complete ban on tobacco advertising in urban ar ... Jump to full article >>

Retailers in Scotland are breathing a small sigh of relief after the government announced that it was to delay the implementation of a tobacco display ban. The ban, which was due to be implemented in large stores on October 1, has been postponed while an ongoing legal challenge mounted by Imperial Tobacco is played out. The Lambert & Butler manufacturer is appealing an earlier Court of Session judgement which found in favour of the Scottis ... Jump to full article >>

Cigarette packet branding is the tobacco industry’s “silent salesman” helping hook children and young people, a group of industry experts have warned. Speaking on Wednesday at a discussion of several studies on the impact of introducing plain cigarette packaging, marketing expert Crawford Moodie said there was a definite link between smokers and tobacco branding. He told participants in the Brussels event that cigarette packag ... Jump to full article >>

Every lunchtime, Lisa, 14, eats her packed lunch before heading to the tuck shop of her school in Derbyshire. A gap leads to an enclave five metres behind the building, where she and about 15 others congregate to light up their lunchtime cigarette. “There are two non-teaching members of staff who run the tuck shop and if they turned round properly they would catch us all,” she says. “We used to smoke in an alleyway that joined our two play ... Jump to full article >>