Tobacco News

World Health Organization Director Dr. Margaret Chan drew the line firmly in the sand. “I call on heads of state and heads of government to stand rock-hard against the despicable efforts of the tobacco industry to subvert” the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Chan told the United Nations last month. “We must stand firm against their open and extremely aggressive tactics.”

Tobacco industry bids to undermine tobacco prevention and control measures by mounting legal challenges based on international trade treaties appear to have become all the rage, to the dismay of public health advocates. Ream more »

Call it K-2, Spice, Genie or whatever you want. Police now call synthetic marijuana illegal.

As of Monday, Alabama’s new ban on this stuff is now in effect. Greg Dobbins says people have walked out of his store, Carbon Hill Tobacco Outlet, many times disappointed. He’s never carried “Spice” and he says for good reason.
Dobbins said, “I don’t know a whole lot about except for what I see on TV. They say it’s not really good for your health. It’s worse than regular marijuana.” That’s why he’s glad it’s now banned in the state.
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The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has asked the developers of Lobangclub to remove information on tobacco products and prices from its iPhone app that offers information on deals contributed by shoppers.

In an e-mail to users, Lobangclub founder Shen Guyi said he was contacted by a HSA officer who warned him that it is illegal to advertise tobacco in Singapore. As Lobangclub has up to today to remove all tobacco related material from the app, Shen urged users to stop contributing tobacco related deals.
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Salem State University has become one of the first colleges in Massachusetts to implement a ban on smoking to create a tobacco- free campus. The goal of this initiative is to take a stand against the unhealthy environment tobacco products create, while making the campus a safe atmosphere for all students. Salem State has publicly announced the ban of tobacco products, which also includes chewing tobacco, and has put up several signs throughout campus to discourage smoking. Ream more »

Ernakulam was declared the first smoke-free tourism destination in the country on Saturday.

Excise Minister K. Babu inaugurated the function held at Marine Drive to mark the declaration.

He said that the declaration was testimony to the district administration’s ability to replicate its achievement in the field of literacy in the public health sector as well.
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The public health battle against obesity may be taking a cue from the states’ victory against the tobacco industry more than a decade ago.

“The more you look at the modern food industry, the more it looks like the tobacco industry,” Stanton Glantz, PhD, director of the University of California San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, explains in this exclusive video report.
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Recently, federal prosecutors warned large-scale medical marijuana dispensaries in California they would be shut down for falsely claiming to follow California regulations.
It is believed the dispensaries are taking advantage of the sick and forcing users with a legitimate medical need into illegitimate business, while users without serious medical conditions are the main targets.
The goal of federal prosecutors is to ensure compliance with the federal government’s Controlled Substances Act, which categorizes drugs into five schedules based on their medicinal value, Ream more »

Kentucky’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will be addressing the marketing practices of tobacco retailers, and has been awarded a federal contract to do so.

The Food and Drug Administration has given the ABC a $428,278 contract to make sure tobacco retailers in the state are observing the new marketing and sales rules under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. Ream more »

Let’s clear the air about what Delaware County’s smoking ban will and will not accomplish. It will not save lives. It will kill several neighborhood bars unless we obtain relief, in or out of court.

Before I explain, let me tell you how our association, the Delaware County Licensed Beverage Association, has given back to this community. In my years as a bar owner, our group has contributed more than $300,000 to various local service groups and charities. Ream more »

Half of all Americans — as in 50% — now believe that marijuana should be legalized.

Less than half — 46% — are opposed.

This is a record high approval for approving marijuana’s legalization and an amazing quadrupling of support from 12% from the first time Gallup asked the question back in 1969. Back then, 84% opposed legalization of what the federal government calls “the most commonly abused illicit drug.”
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