Tobacco News

If you think the economy is tough in Europe and the United States, consider Cuba, where the average monthly salary is a piddling $20. True, $20 goes further in Cuba than it does in a lot of other countries, but it’s still a meager sum and not remotely enough to survive on.
With so little income from legitimate business, many businessmen are forced to turn to the black market just to keep a roof over their heads and feed their families. The worst part is that there is no solution in sight to the extreme impoverishment which fuels this underground economy. Ream more »

The OFT is in hangover mode after a year blighted by the Competition ­Appeal Tribunal (CAT). Any hope it had of restoring its reputation faded in December after its price-­fixing case against tobacco manufacturers and retailers fell apart.
In March 2011 the Government ­unveiled plans to merge the Competition Commission and OFT to create the Competition and Markets ­Authority (CMA) (The Lawyer, 16 March 2011). The consultation closed in June and a working group is currently considering the way forward.
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A new study has shown that middle-aged adults do not develop memory impairment from occasional use of marijuana. But the study warned that heavy prolonged use of marijuana could harm mental functions.
Reuters reports that the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, involved 8,992 middle-aged persons participating in the U.K. national health study. They were asked if they had used any of 12 illegal drugs. The study found no evidence that past or present use of illicit drugs was associated with poorer mental performance. On the contrary, present and past users of illicit drugs performed better. Ream more »

A Utah lawmaker plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would increase Medicaid co-pays for smokers.

Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, says he sees the measure as an incentive to quit as well as a way to counter the state’s soaring Medicaid costs under President Obama’s health care law. “We’re going to have about a 50 percent increase in our costs to Medicaid over the next 5 years,” Ray said. “That’s absolute best case scenario – up to a doubling of the cost of doing Medicaid. Our Medicaid could actually grow larger than what our current state budget is.” Ream more »

A measure that outlaws marijuana-cultivation farms in Plumsted in order to give the township time to plan where such a facility would be more appropriately located was adopted 3-2 by the Township Committee on Dec. 28.

Although the ordinance does not specifically mention medical marijuana, it prohibits any business whose activities violate federal law. Federal law classifies marijuana as an illegal drug with no exemptions for medical use.
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