Tobacco // Current

Fewer Than 1 In 5 U.S. Adults Now Smoke : NPR

Great News! The drop continues a decades-long decline that, despite having slowed in recent years, has brought the smoking rate... more

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Japan scientists say pot plants may one day absorb toxic gas

Researchers have genetically engineered plants that can absorb formaldehyde, a pungent chemical compound used as adhesive in... more

YesWeDid
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Five Simple Strategies to Prevent Heart Disease

You know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, but did you know that it's preventable?

CutestPrincess
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Gas from Tobacco

Instead of using Food products and Trees lets use someting smarter for making fuel. Hey the big tobacco might just find a way... more

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Tobacco and Disease - Taste of Heaven

Smoking is not only hazardous to your health - it can be hazardous to your job prospects as well. Twice as many smokers are out... more

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Subculture Studios - Nicaraguan Street Graffiti and the Tobacco Industry

Subculture Studios in Esteli, Nicaragua, is owned and operated by the Drew Estate Cigar Company. Not only are they the only art... more

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Suit on Tobacco Ads Sparks Feisty Debate - washingtonpost.com

The Supreme Court waded yesterday into a complicated legal debate over whether tobacco companies can be sued in state courts for deceptive advertising of "light" cigarettes, a dispute that has divided government regulators and the business community.

As the justices began their new term, they engaged in a spirited oral argument over a lawsuit filed in Maine by three smokers against Philip Morris USA and its parent company, Altria Group. Using internal company documents and supported in part by the Bush administration, which helped them argue their case, the smokers accused Philip Morris of falsely marketing low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes as less harmful than regular brands.

The tobacco company said it should be shielded from such state law claims by federal law, a position that drew skepticism from several members of the court's liberal wing. Conservative justices seemed generally more receptive to Philip Morris's argument, with Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Antonin Scalia suggesting that if consumers were misled into thinking that light cigarettes are safer, the fault is more the government's.

"The FTC's position seems to me incomprehensible," Alito told a Justice Department lawyer, referring to the Federal Trade Commission's regulation of the industry through a controversial test that measures tar and nicotine yields. Alito added: "You've created this whole problem by, I think, passively approving the placement of these figures . . . in the advertisements. And if they are misleading, then you have misled everybody who's bought those cigarettes for a long time."

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, often the deciding vote when the court divides along ideological lines, told an attorney for the smokers that he is probably "going to have difficulty in accepting your position in this entire case."

The argument in Altria Group v. Good was the latest in a growing national debate over "preemption," a doctrine under which state product liability lawsuits against companies can be thrown out under federal law. Courts are filled with such cases, and the Supreme Court decided several last term in favor of corporations. The justices will hear another major preemption case, involving the pharmaceutical industry, in November. The Supreme Court waded yesterday into a complicated legal debate over whether tobacco companies can be sued in state courts for... more

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1 month ago

Smoke and CO2 - How to Spin Global Warming

ANP: On the Organized Effort to Cast Doubt on Climate Change. Recently, it was reported that the rate of carbon dioxide... more

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6 responses

1 month ago

Graphic images to target smokers

The UK will next week become the first European country to introduce graphic images on cigarette packets to warn about the dangers... more

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1 month ago

Hollywood was 'paid fortune to smoke'

Tobacco firms paid huge amounts for endorsements from the stars of Hollywood's "Golden Age". Industry documents... more

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22 responses

1 month ago

A.L.A.N.Y. Moves To Extinguish College Smoking in NY

Although the America Lung Association of New York has succeeded in stamping out cigarette smoking in college dorms, the clean air... more

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2 months ago

Why Strawberry Jam Is More Regulated Than Cigarettes

While jams and other consumer products are strictly regulated and are required to pass stringent tests before they can be sold, tobacco has no restrictions and manufacturers can, and do, add anything they want into the product.

A new editorial discusses the issues surrounding tobacco regulations and how the industry could be more effectively governed.

“The establishment of regulation is a political process and occurs slowly. However, with the gradual but prolonged and massive epidemic of tobacco-related diseases, regulation of the industry’s products – specifically the constituents of tobacco smoke – has to begin now”, says author Dr. Nigel Gray, member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Tobacco Regulation Study Group.*

Despite the complexities of regulating cigarette manufacturing, the Tobacco Regulation Study Group, or TobReg, has proposed practical means to begin the progressive process of tobacco regulation. As a first step, it has suggested setting mandatory levels for some of the major carcinogens and toxicants in cigarettes. In addition, regular reviews must also be conducted as initial toxin levels are considered generous by industry standards for many countries.

“There is no need for an expensive bureaucracy to oversee this regulation. Countries can simply mandate TobReg’s recommendations and publicize them as advice from the world’s central public health board. Countries without cigarette manufacturing facilities can simply refuse to import cigarette that do not meet these standards”, says Dr. Gray.

He adds, “International standards are highly desirable as large amounts of cigarettes are traded between countries with differing national standards. It is timely for WHO to set standards and offer world leadership – particularly as their Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is now in its implementation process, albeit much slower than most public health advocates would desire. Singapore, Australia and New Zealand are ideally placed to pioneer the introduction of these measures.”While jams and other consumer products are strictly regulated and are required to pass stringent tests before they can be sold,... more

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3 months ago

Marlboro Sponsors Children’s School Uniforms

Students in Asia are required to wear school uniforms and it was obviously an opportunity companies like Vodafone, Shell, Ferrari,... more

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3 months ago

California stop-smoking campaign saved $86 billion

California's large-scale tobacco control campaign has saved $86 billion in health care costs in its first 15 years, U.S.... more

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3 months ago

Research reveals why some smokers hooked at first puff

New research from The University of Western Ontario provides a better understanding of why some people seem to become hooked with... more

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3 responses

3 months ago

FDA One Step Closer to Tobacco Regulation

"The United States House of Representatives voted 326 to 102 on Wednesday to take the power of regulation out of the hands of the tobacco industry and place all tobacco products under the regulatory powers of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instead. The bill will likely face Senate vote in the fall. The bill currently has strong support in the Senate but there are indications the current administration will veto the bill if it reaches the White House.

Since the 1980s, there have been attempts made to place tobacco products under FDA jurisdiction. The current bill is based on a bill dating back to 1995, when then-FDA commissioner Dr. David A. Kessler declared nicotine to be a drug that leads to addiction and said tobacco companies manipulate nicotine content in their products deliberately. The regulations Kessler advocated were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2000.

Opposition to the current bill came mostly from Republican representatives, many of whom cited recent problems the FDA has had with regulating the food and pharmaceutical industries. Phillip Morris USA, the largest cigarette company in the nation, has endorsed the bill and helped draft it although the tobacco company’s participation has left it out of favor with its competitors.

If the bill does become legislation, some of its provisions include:

* The FDA would not be allowed to force tobacco companies to eliminate nicotine altogether nor would it be allowed to issue a ban of all tobacco products
* The FDA could force tobacco companies to reduce nicotine content to levels that don’t cause addiction if it is determined that doing so benefits public health
* The FDA can require the reduction or elimination of harmful ingredients other than nicotine
* Flavored cigarettes that target young people will be banned. Menthol cigarettes would be exempted from the ban on flavored cigarettes until a scientific advisory committee can determine if menthol cigarettes are more addictive or hazardous in any way. Black smokers of all ages generally prefer menthol cigarettes, leading the bill’s writers to include the exemption for menthol cigarettes at the last minute. Scientific review is expected to be complete within a year of the bill’s passage into legislation
* Warning labels on tobacco products will be revamped entirely. The current small printed messages will be replaced by graphic images that vividly depict the physical ravages of tobacco addiction, including mouth growths and cancerous lung tumors
* Cigarette manufactures will be required to list the type and quantities of all ingredients considered addictive. Ingredients such as acetaldehyde and ammonia are included in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to make them more addictive. Companies using these ingredients will also be required to make their internal studies available when they pertain to the ingredients’ biological effects
* The terms “light” and “ultralight” will be banned, as they falsely convey the idea of being less harmful. In anticipation of the bill’s approval, some cigarette manufacturers have already begun to color code their packaging according to blend
* Cigarette advertisements will change, too. Outdoor advertisements such as billboards, banners, and posters, as well as ads in publications that are likely to be seen by children, will be black and white only, in order to minimize their visual impact.

The cost of regulation will come from new fees the tobacco companies will pay. In addition to the nation’s strong public antismoking sentiment, major players in the public health arena, such as the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association, firmly support the bill.""The United States House of Representatives voted 326 to 102 on Wednesday to take the power of regulation out of the hands of... more