Tobacco News

Once an economic engine whose marketing dollars blazed a trail for much of the sport’s expansion, the era of tobacco sponsorship in NASCAR will be extinguished quietly this month.
New rules enforced by the Food and Drug Administration will prevent cigarette and smokeless tobacco sponsorships in sporting events as of June 22. R.J. Reynolds pumped hundreds of millions into NASCAR’s premier series during a 31-year run as title sponsor with its Winston brand, but tobacco sponsorship shrunk after RJR’s 2003 departure.

Two teams backed by smokeless tobacco will be affected: the Longhorn-sponsored truck of Kevin Harvick Inc. and the Nationwide Series car of Baker-Curb Racing backed by Red Man. Harvick says his truck will run the rest of the season (and has found second-half sponsorship).

The future is less certain for Baker-Curb’s No. 27 Ford, which is eighth in points (with Greg Biffle starting 10 of its 12 races) and has two more races with Red Man. Team co-owner Gary Baker says the company considered staying with the team by using the same paint scheme without its logos but worried it would bring government scrutiny.
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(NBC) – American cigarette brands may contain the highest amounts of cancer-causing chemicals, according to new research from the centers for disease control and prevention.

Researchers studied over 100 smokers from the US, UK, Australia and Canada.

They measured the amount of chemicals, called TSNAS, in their cigarette butts, and collected urine samples.

They found American cigarettes, which included mostly popular brands, had the highest amounts of carcinogens when compared to foreign brands.
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Stressing the need to save young Filipinos from the dangers of cigarette smoking, a group of lawyers has asked the incoming administration to regulate further the packaging and labeling of tobacco products. The lawyers belonging to the non-government anti-tobacco coalition Health Justice, in a statement, also expressed full support for a Department of Health plan that would require tobacco manufacturers to print graphic picture health warnings on cigarette packs. Read more

ESCANABA – After years of failing, Scott Krieg figured he would always be a smoker. “I was a smoker for 25 years,” said Krieg.  ”I tried Chantix, I tried the gum, many things, but could not quit smoking.”  Then everything changed when he tried an electronic cigarette. “My wife came home with one and we both tried it and knew right away that hey, we can quit smoking using these,” Krieg said. Read more

Wine and tobacco products company Altria Group Inc. (MO: News ), Thursday reaffirmed its full-year earnings guidance and said it expects the first half of the year to be challenging, as compared to the latter half.The Richmond, Virginia-based company said it expects earnings of $1.78 – $1.82 per share for the full year, which includes estimated charges of $0.07 per share related to exit, integration and implementation costs, UST acquisition-related costs, and SABMiller plc special items. Read more

Federal officials are planning new regulations on tobacco products, including those marketed as alternatives to smoking — such as dissolvable tobacco tablets sold by Camel. But some of the men and women on the government’s official advisory panel have financial ties to the drug companies selling competing products, such as Nicorette. One government adviser even holds a patent for a new nicotine gum. Read more

National governments in Europe and overseas are clamping down on smoking, both as a public health policy and to raise tax revenues. Bans on smoking in public places, restrictions on tobacco marketing in Europe, and rising excise taxes are causing headaches for tobacco manufacturers around the globe….. Read more

Opposition leader Tony Abbott and executives from Big Tobacco appear to be alone in their opposition to the Federal Government’s draconian measures to cut smoking.
Last week Prime Minister Kevin Rudd imposed an immediate 25 per cent tax increase on tobacco products and signalled his intention to require plain paper packaging by 2012. Read more

Imperial Tobacco Group Plc, Europe’s biggest tobacco company, posted a first-half profit after the maker of West, Davidoff and JPS brands increased prices. Read more

Altria’s MO robust first-quarter results confirm our thesis that its strong brand portfolio positions the firm at the top of the domestic tobacco industry. Our outlook remains unchanged, and we are maintaining our fair value estimate. Read more