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
If you’re not a cigarette smoker, chances are you’ve never heard of Dosal Tobacco Co. Lawmakers in Tallahassee apparently want to keep it that way.
Exempted from the state’s Big Tobacco settlement in 1997, the little-known Opa Locka-based cigarette maker has quietly grown to be the third largest seller in Florida. Dosal has thrived as a bargain brand that doesn’t have to pay the settlement costs required of its competitors. Read more
Child Nicotine Poisoning Study Is Setback for Reynolds.
A product that seems like a panacea for the tobacco industry could poison children who mistake it for candy. Read more
As support for medical marijuana grows and states consider proposals to legalize the drug for recreational use, advocates on both sides of the debate over whether to end the war on pot are pooling their collective resources to help push their agenda. Read more
Leading tobacco and retail groups were on Friday preparing to hit back over a record price-fixing fine imposed by the competition watchdog in its growing crackdown on allegedly illegal dealings between manufacturers and suppliers. Read more
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) yesterday issued its biggest fine for a breach of competition law, finding two tobacco groups and nine retailers guilty of colluding on cigarette prices. Read more
TORONTO—While the government is touting the $550 million it will get from tobacco companies for tobacco they smuggled into Canada to avoid taxes, the health association that pushed for the suit is calling it a “sell out.” Read more
Swedish Match AB plans to broaden U.S. availability of snus smokeless tobacco and increase marketing to target Wall Street workers and other smokers forced to leave the office to light up. Read more