Tobacco News

Some Brooklyn residents and politicians have had—forgive us—smoke coming out of their ears the past two months over a promotion involving Camel Blue cigarettes.
The reason? The pack included an illustration of the brand’s iconic camel on what looks to be Kent Avenue, in front of a Williamsburg Bridge backdrop, with Williamsburg itself as a selling point. “Some call it the most famous hipster neighborhood,” the package copy begins. Ream more »

The King County Board of Health recently passed regulations to protect King County youth from electronic smoking devices and unregulated nicotine delivery devices.
The board voted unanimously to:
Restrict the sales of e-cigarettes or any other unapproved nicotine delivery devices only to people 18 and older;
Prohibit free or highly discounted electronic smoking devices or unapproved nicotine delivery products;
Prohibit the use of e-cigarette devices in places where smoking is prohibited by law.
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When freshmen Dan Nixon and Andrew Wu came to Kirksville, they decided something was missing from the college night-life. They decided to start their own hookah bar at 106 S. Elson, which they hope to open by March 18.
Nixon said he and Wu asked many of their friends what they thought Kirksville needed, and they almost unanimously agreed that it needed hookah bars. Nixon said he knows of fraternity members that have hookahs, but don’t have the convenience of a central place to use them. Ream more »

Young children of the age of 12 have been found blowing their pocket money in hookah smoking dens.

The young children are risking their health by using unfiltered shisha tobacco. Shisha cafes serve the customers with flavored tobacco smoke through a water pipe which is known as a hookah.
These cafes must follow the strict health and safety guidelines as well as the smoking legislation, including selling of products to adults only. The illegal counterparts of these venues are spiraling across the country and attracting the youngsters.
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The always creative and sometimes controversial Lady Gaga admitted to smoking pot and drinking whiskey when she needs inspiration during a 60 minutes interview.

“I still smoke a lot of pot when I write music,” she said. “So I’m not gonna, like, sugar coat it for ’60 Minutes’ that I’m some, like, sober human being, ’cause I’m not.”
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Altadis U.S.A. has made some restructuring changes to bring the U.S. cigar operations into line with the overall organizational structure of its parent company, Imperial Tobacco. In a move to strengthen U.S. business opportunities, and to maximize market capabilities and its worldwide brand portfolio, the company has established a new Premium Cigar Division within the United States. Ream more »

Lifelong smokers worldwide appear to be discovering the benefits of the electronic cigarette in masses as stringent laws against smoking tobacco cigarettes rage on. In a recent survey, eight out of ten smokers revealed that they were open to at least trying an electronic cigarette in light of recent crackdowns and smoking bans nationwide. Ream more »

The U.S. Department of Transportation plans to issue an official ban of smokeless electronic cigarettes on airplanes this spring, according to the Associated Press, citing a letter from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

E-cigarettes are plastic and metal devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution in a disposable cartridge, creating vapor that the “smoker” inhales.
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An ongoing dispute between the King Mountain Tobacco Co. and state and federal authorities over jurisdiction and treaty rights flared up this week in the form of a lawsuit Tuesday and a federal raid Wednesday.
Details about the raid were scant.
A lawyer for King Mountain declined comment except to say FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were “swarming” the Yakama cigarette maker’s facilities in White Swan. Neither the FBI nor the ATF returned phone calls seeking comment.
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It’s probably a good thing that Americans—at least most in the middle and upper-middle classes—have given up the habit of tobacco. I say “probably” because I’ve always been convinced by those economists who argue that smokers do a favor to nonsmokers by paying exorbitant taxes on their weeds and then kicking off early, reducing the burden on Social Security and Medicare.
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