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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A lobby group of small retailers protesting the Government’s tobacco price hike is receiving public relations support from Imperial Tobacco, the tobacco giant told a select committee last week. Imperial Tobacco is the manufacturer of West cigarettes and Davidoff cigarettes. The Association of Community Retailers (ACR), set up late last month, had earlier rejected suggestions it was backed by tobacco cash and said it was entirely funded from its members. Read more

The People Against Tobacco Foundation announced today that it has concluded negotiations with four tobacco manufacturers to settle healthcare and smuggling claims of the foundation’s international membership. Read more

The government has notified the ban on FDI in cigarette manufacturing, a decision taken by the Union Cabinet on April 8.
“Manufacturing of cigars, cheroots, cigarillos and cigarettes, of tobacco or of tobacco substitutes” have been put under the list of sectors where FDI is prohibited. Read more

Nine tobacco producing regencies in Central Java are lobbying the government to influence proposed anti-smoking regulations, according to Temanggung Regent Hasyim Afandi.
“It’s not a political move. We just want to protect tobacco farmers. I’ve talked to Magelang and Wonosobo Regents. They agreed. The others will follow,” Hasyim said after joining a mass prayer attended by about 10,000 tobacco farmers at Temanggung Square on Saturday. Read more

As many as 12 leading schools from Delhi participated in a mega theatre performance on the subject of ‘Tobacco and Women’ at Navy school, Chanakyapuri on the occasion of ‘No World Tobacco Day’ last week. This noble thought of involving school students was the brainchild of the Indian Cancer Society, World Health Organization (WHO), and ministry of health, government of India. Read more

Cigarettes are still being marketed in Timaru at cut-price rates and tobacco companies are standing by the decision to do so in the wake of excise tax hikes aimed at curbing smoking rates.
Tobacco taxes were increased last week, with 10 per cent rises planned for next year and the year after, while anti-smoking lobby groups have called for a total ban by 2020. Read more

In its continued mission of providing to retailers a “total tobacco” approach, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and American Snuff Co., the largest operating companies of Reynolds American Inc., are focusing on their other tobacco products (OTP) offering with the launch of a new moist smokeless tobacco product, new packaging and more, company executives recently told CSNews Online. Read more

The world’s third largest tobacco company by sales volume, Japan Tobacco Inc, has invested $65 million (Rs 293 crore) in its Indian unit without increasing its shareholding, just days ahead of a government decision to ban foreign direct investment in cigarette manufacturing. Read more

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected a request by cigarette giant Philip Morris USA to remove four members of a key tobacco-products advisory panel that the company said had extensive conflicts of interest. Read more