Tobacco News

State legislation barring minors from hookah smoking or buying hookah-related products went into effect on Jan. 1, after Gov. Cuomo signed the bill into law last July.
The legislation regulates a product and business trade that until now has gone largely unregulated.
Hookahs are waterpipes traditionally used in Middle Eastern countries for smoking “shisha,” a fruity, herbal substance that can contain tobacco. Hookah bars and shops selling hookah products are prevalent throughout New York and Queens.
Regulating hookah smoking became a hot-button issue in recent years after the practice experienced a surge in popularity, especially among young people. Ream more »

Two Democratic state lawmakers have filed proposals to raise Alabama’s cigarette taxes, one by 32.5 cents per pack and one by $1 per pack, in a bid to fill what could be a $400 million shortfall in the state General Fund next fiscal year, reported the Birmingham News.

State representative Patricia Todd filed a bill that would raise the state cigarette tax from 42.5 cents to 75 cents per pack, which would raise roughly an estimated $75 million a year for the General Fund.
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Randy Ellison has been smoking cigarettes on and off since he was 14. He’s tried to kick the habit multiple times, but had nearly given up on trying to quit.
But after being hospitalized for 19 days due to congested heart failure, the 51-year-old Meriden resident decided that it’s time to quit smoking.
“They said that if I didn’t quit, I’d die,” he said.
Doctors gave Ellison a prescription for the nicotine patch, but he neglected to buy it after he saw the price of one box. Ream more »

Store owners around the state are getting better about not selling cigarettes and other tobacco products to kids, according to a new compliance report issued by the state.
More stores are complying with state and federal laws barring the sale of tobacco products to kids, according to the latest Synar Report, a federally mandated compliance check administered by the state Department of Health and Human Services. Ream more »

Marijuana cultivation sites in 67 national forests in 20 states have caused “severe” damage, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Illinois is not immune, but large-scale marijuana growing has not been discovered in the state, a Forest Service spokeswoman said. Forest service director of law enforcement David Ferrell testified about the nationwide scope of the issue before a U.S. Senate caucus on international narcotics control last month.
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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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