Tobacco News

Vermont’s first medical marijuana dispensaries might be slightly delayed by Tropical Storm Irene but could begin to pop up as early as this summer.

A law that passed last year authorized up to four privately run dispensaries, putting the job of creating rules for them in the hands of the state Public Safety Department.

Those rules should be ready in the next couple of weeks, Francis Aumand, director of the Division of Criminal Justice Services, told the Senate Government Operations Committee on Wednesday.
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Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, the world’s fourth-largest tobacco company, has appointed Kevin Freudenthal as region director–Americas and president and CEO of Commonwealth–Altadis Inc. He will assume his new position on Jan. 30, 2012, succeeding Graham Bolt who has retired from the company.

Freudenthal brings a wealth of experience in the tobacco industry and a successful track record stretching back to 1986. Prior to joining Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, Freudenthal served as vice president for category management for Altria Group and had a long and distinguished sales and marketing career in executive positions at U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. from 1986 to 2008 when the company was acquired.
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Imperial Tobacco has held firm as the number one business in Insider’s Top 500 – the annual ranking of South West companies based on turnover and profitability. With massive revenues of £28.2bn and a pre-tax profit of more than £2bn, the Bristol-headquartered tobacco giant was comfortably clear of second place: financial services company Nationwide.
Imperial Tobacco recently had its £112.3m fine for allegedly restricting competition quashed in December. It said it had reversed the Office of Fair Trading ruling adding that the company has “always rejected the Office of Fair Trading’s suggestion that (it) acted anti-competitively or in any way contrary to the interests of consumers”. Ream more »

More Kern County retailers sold cigarettes to minors during an annual health department survey in 2011 than in 2010.

Sixty-nine stores, or 13.3 percent of the retailers surveyed, sold tobacco to undercover minors, up from 10 percent of stores surveyed in 2010, according to the 2011 Kern Youth Tobacco Purchase Survey. High school volunteers, ages 16 and 17, tried to buy cigarettes from 520 tobacco retailers across Kern County.
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Linn County Supervisors took a step this week toward regulating the sale of nicotine delivery systems and other products containing nicotine not covered by state law.

Supervisors are expected to approve second and third readings of the ordinance — which would require retailers to have a tobacco permit to sell “nicotine delivery systems and unregulated products containing nicotine,” and ban selling the items to minors — before month’s-end.
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THERE are plenty reasons to give up smoking – from the impact on your health to the sheer cost – and of course that stale smell on your clothes.
But even if that’s not enough, many do so for their kids’ sake.
Doctors recently called for people to be banned from lighting up in cars because of the dangers of passive smoking to their passengers – especially children.
The British Medical Association called for the extension of the ban on smoking in public places after it was found toxins in a car can be 23 times greater than in a smoky bar. Ream more »

They always rap about getting arrested and having the police on their tracks, but every now and then, some rapper really gets to experience it and recall what the real deal is. It’s the case of Snoop Dogg, who got busted for marijuana possession by U.S. Border Patrol agents. Just another day in a rapper’s life, right?
It’s really hardly any surprise that weed and rappers go together so good, particularly when it comes to Snoop Dogg’s lyrics. He hints about that pretty often, but sticking to “Smoke Weed Everyday” track alone will be enough. Well, the famous rapper had to face reality when a drug-sniffing dog uncovered marijuana on his tour bus during a standard inspection. Ream more »

The South Gate City Council unanimously introduced an ordinance that expands restrictions on smoking to South Gate Park and other public landscape areas in its first meeting of 2012. Designated smoking areas will exist within park and will be determined by the Parks and Recreation Department prior to the implementation of the ordinance 30 days from today.

Members of the South Gate Smoke Free Coalition were there to applaud the passing of the ordinance, and asked for careful consideration when establishing the areas for smokers.
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The Central District Health Department recently became the first health district in Idaho to adopt “nicotine-free” hiring practices, announcing it will no longer hire anyone who uses products that contain nicotine, including all forms of tobacco, nicotine patches, gums and electronic cigarettes.

But it’s not the only local government enacting tough new smoking restrictions.

The city of Boise began the new year by expanding the state’s ban on smoking in restaurants and many other public places to bars, sidewalks and parks. Ream more »

The Department of Taxation was authorized Tuesday to hire three investigators to ensure small tobacco companies are paying 2 cents per cigarette to the state.

Taxation Director William Chisel told the state Board of Examiners that the employees must make sure that the funds are being received, or the state could lose a portion of the $40 million a year paid by all tobacco companies as part of a nationwide settlement.
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