Tobacco News

A bill that would tax mini cigars at the same rate as cigarettes passed through the House 40-28 Wednesday night despite some concerns about a fiscal note and an analysis that showed a negative economic impact to business.

Rep. Christopher Herrod, R-Provo, said SB262 brings equality to the selling of tobacco products.
“If it smokes like a cigarette … tastes like a cigarette, it should be taxed like a cigarette,” Herrod said as he held up a pack of cigarettes and the pack of mini-cigars.
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A smoking ban for Bullitt County is official. Tuesday night, the county’s health board voted in favor of not lighting up in public buildings. Businesses must go cold turkey by September. But a legal battle is still brewing.

Bullitt County health officials tell us they recommended the smoking ban after they got back poor air quality tests and found out more than 75 percent of residents polled were in favor of a ban. Despite that, Judge-Executive Melanie Roberts and the Fiscal Court still want a judge to decide if it’s legal.
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A smoking debate flared up Tuesday during a Senate subcommittee discussion of a gambling bill.

Also, concerns were raised over the amount of direct state oversight that would be involved if the Legislature decides to authorize the creation of an intrastate online poker network and provide a regulatory structure for its implementation, operation and taxation. Ream more »

Children born to women who smoked during pregnancy have an increased risk of smoking, due to prenatal nicotine exposure, researchers in Finland and Russia say.

Researchers conducting a joint Finnish-Russian project of the University of Helsinki, the Saint Petersburg Pavlov Medical University in Russia and Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bio-organic Chemistry in Moscow, say their findings support the hypothesis that teens with prenatal nicotine exposure are more likely to start smoking earlier than their peers. Ream more »

Trends that showed declining upstate New York adult smoking rates are leveling off, while the percentage of high school smokers statewide is on the rise, according to a report issued last week by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.

“This is a disturbing set of findings because of its implications for the future,” said Robert J. Holzhauer, vice president and chief medical officer for Excellus BCBS. Ream more »

If you’re a cigar lover then this is one desi treat you shouldn’t miss. ITC has launched, what is perhaps the first major Indian brand of hand rolled cigars, titled Armenteros.

The cigars are manufactured especially for the company in the Dominican Republic, by the La Aurora Company, which is one of the oldest cigar companies in the world. Ream more »

The coalition government’s new tobacco control plan is a victory for the nation’s health – and a defeat for the tobacco industry. Displays of tobacco in shops will go and the government will consider whether cigarettes should be sold in plain packs. Taking action against tobacco marketing is always welcome: smoking causes one-in-four deaths from cancer, and half of long-term smokers will die from an addiction formed, in most cases, in their teens. Ream more »

As the Government lays out its plans for tobacco product packaging legislation and cigarette displays in shops, there is finally some good news for the electronic cigarette industry and their customers (“vapers”). This follows the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) public consultation on electronic cigarette licensing.

ECITA, (the Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association), of which Liberro are founding members, received notification from the MHRA of the outcome of their public consultation MLX364 concerning the regulation of nicotine containing products. The details of this consultation have been published on the MHRA website.
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A downtown business on 16th Street is seeking a liquor license. Some neighbors say “No way!” In fact, they want the license stripped from another lounge across the street. On Tuesday afternoon, the Omaha City Council will hear from both sides and make a decision.
Like many urban areas, downtown 16th Street can be busy at all hours. Some neighbors are concerned about Silhouettes nightclub on one side and the hookah lounge across the street.
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Pretty soon you may happen to see a group of students smoking hookah on campus. No, it’s not the latest student service offered by the Titan Student Union. Formed during the stressful finals week last semester, the Hookah Smoking Society is all set to fully launch this semester.
“Everybody has loved the idea. I wanted to smoke hookah first on campus before having a bunch of students doing it,” said Robert Tyler, president of the Hookah Smoking Society. Ream more »