Tobacco News

A joint committee comprising members from both the National Assembly and the National Council sat together yesterday to settle their differences on the tobacco control amendment bill.

The consensus they reach will be up for deliberation at the joint sitting today at the Parliament.

While that’s that, a few within the civil service like those among assembly members said they smelt a rat in the way the council members removed some of the most crucial provisions of the tobacco control law.
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Bulgarian police said on January 13 2012 that they had destroyed 7500 boxes of contraband cigarettes seized in previous operations.

The cigarettes were estimated to be worth a total 50 000 leva (about 25 000 euro) and represented a potential loss in excise earnings of 25 000 leva.
One consignment dated from a 2007 raid that netted 1000 boxes of cigarettes without excise labels. These cigarettes had been marked with well-known brands including Karelia, Viceroy, Marlboro and Parliament.
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The grant that paid for the tobacco control in town will be lost after June 30.

Health Agent Patricia Fowle told Board of Health members Monday night that the grant secured by New Bedford, Dartmouth and Fairhaven will be running out.

She also reported that the latest compliance check found five stores in violation of selling tobacco to someone under the age of 18. Ream more »

Arizona teens have been helping fight underage smoking. For the past few months they’ve been working undercover for the feds, trying to buy tobacco from local stores.

On Wednesday the Food and Drug Administration and the Arizona Department of Health Services detailed their efforts to protect teens from tobacco.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled nine health warnings that will be required to appear on all cigarette packages and advertisements in the U.S. The new graphic warnings integrate text with images and will help prevent and reduce youth smoking and encourage adult smokers to quit. The labels will also help citizens understand the dangers of smoking.

As a bold measure, the new change is the most significant transformation to warning labels in the past 25 years, effecting both packaging and advertisements. Manufacturers are required to implement the change no later September 2012. Ream more »

As part of observing “world no tobacco day’ today, the city government general hospital organised a ‘human chain’, which was formed by doctors, nurses, medical and nursing students and workers in front of Madras Medical College.
From human chains to placards the underlying message was use of tobacco in any form was injurious to health and should be stopped. The theme this year was ‘Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)’. Ream more »

The coalition government’s new tobacco control plan is a victory for the nation’s health – and a defeat for the tobacco industry. Displays of tobacco in shops will go and the government will consider whether cigarettes should be sold in plain packs. Taking action against tobacco marketing is always welcome: smoking causes one-in-four deaths from cancer, and half of long-term smokers will die from an addiction formed, in most cases, in their teens. Ream more »

PEOPLE need to be aware of the harms of second hand smoke and get empowered to stop smokers from polluting the air they breathe, says the Zambia Tobacco Control Campaign.

Zambia Tobacco Control Campaign co-project leader Dr Fastone Goma said tobacco contained more than 4,000 substances that were known to be harmful to health.
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More must be done to meet the obligations of the WHO Framework Convention and reduce secondhand smoking. Sunday marked the fifth anniversary of China’s ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The treaty requires a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and prohibits smoking in the workplace and public places. Ream more »

Bihar government has set up a state tobacco control cell in view of the growing number of deaths due to tobacco-related diseases. National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), which has brought positive impact in other states, will be implemented both in letter and spirit in the state soon.

The government decision to set up a cell follows publication of a report in TOI highlighting virtual non-implementation of the smoking ban in Bihar.
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