Tobacco News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The tobacco advisory panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will consider next week the health impacts of menthol cigarettes, which could possibly open the doors for limitations, regulations or a ban on the flavoring, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report.
The FDA panel will hear testimony July 15 and 16, on menthol’s health risks, including whether or not the addititive masks the taste of cigarettes or makes them more addictive. Ream more »

The one year anniversary of the Tobacco Regulation Law is being celebrated today across the country. This law gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, the power to regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of tobacco products.
Several new provisions will take effect today that include:
A crackdown on tobacco marketing and sales to children. Ream more »

Indonesia will ask the World Trade Organization on June 22 to rule on its complaint that a US ban on clove cigarettes aimed at preventing teenagers from starting to smoke is discriminatory.

“We will ask the panel of judges and experts to rule in favor of our complaint and also ask the organization to issue a directive demanding that the United States withdraw its discriminatory regulation on clove cigarettes,” Deputy Trade Minister Mahendra Siregar told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.
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The FDA is slowly changing the tobacco industry. A little too slowly for some health experts who have been pushing the agency to take drastic measures against cancer causing tobacco companies. Advocates for tighter regulations on ingredients and marketing strategies are asking the FDA to step up the pace.
A new law was signed by President Barack Obama one year ago, putting the fate of the tobacco industry into the hands of the FDA. Thus far, the FDA has only made minor changes, citing the need for scientific evidence on what would be the best move for the American people. Ream more »

Asian tobacco growers are meeting in Indonesia for a two-day summit on the challenges facing the industry.

It comes after a recent recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO) to ban ingredients such as clove and other flavours in tobacco products.

Asian tobacco growers say if the WHO ruling is enforced it could threaten millions of tobacco farmers’ jobs.

Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of clove cigarettes and is particularly concerned about the move.

Tobacco growers from India, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are taking part in the summit in Jakarta.
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In case you were wondering, tobacco is terrible for you. And in case you were wondering, hookah is tobacco.

If you’d chosen to forget that until now, don’t worry: I’d sublimated it for some time too. Hookah used to be, for me, a way of looking exotic, feeling Israeli and trying out low-risk smoking, and I went to a hookah bar about once a week for much of my sophomore year. I cooled down the coals, as it were, after that–only hitting the nargilah a few times a year–and haven’t smoked it at all since 2009.
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Hookah bars that serve flavored tobacco and are popular with the high school and college set may soon have a tougher time setting up shop in Chicago.

North Side Aldermen Pat O’Connor (40th) and Marge Laurino (39th) have had their fill of licensed smoking lounges that turn into “private little clubhouses for underage smoking and drinking.”
They want to require hookah bars to obtain so-called “special use permits” that need community approval and permits from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
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In mid-July, the FDA Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee will meet to discuss dissolvable tobacco products and menthol cigarettes ahead of required reports to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding the public health impact of these products. Tobacco industry presentations on menthol in cigarettes will include the following: the characterization of menthol, the clinical effects of menthol, the bio-markers of disease risk, industry marketing data, and the population effects of menthol cigarettes.There are menthol brands like Doina Menthol, Glamour Superslims Menthol and Esse Menthol. Read more