Cigarette making still going strong in South Richmond

When Philip Morris USA opened its cigarette manufacturing plant in South Richmond in 1973, the factory could produce about 200 million cigarettes per day.
Now, 40 years later, the plant just off Interstate 95 on Commerce Road can produce about three times that much — around 600 million cigarettes per day.

Half of all the cigarettes consumed in the U.S. are made at the nearly 2 million-square-foot manufacturing center. It is Philip Morris’ only plant.
The company, a subsidiary of Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc., has made more than $200 million in investments to the local plant since closing its only other factory in Cabarrus County, N.C., in 2009 and consolidating production here.

Pembroke smoke shop Brennan's faces tax increase

With the price of taxes on cigarettes and other smoking products rising tremendously, local smoke shop Brennan’s faces unique problems.
“When dip (chewing tobacco) and snuff went up 200 percent, it doesn’t make sense anymore,” said Bill Nickerson, the manager of Brennan’s Smoke Shop in Pembroke. “We’ll probably stop selling it.”
The recent increase in state taxes has brought the tax on an average pack of 20 cigarettes to $3.51, a pack of 25 to $4.38, increased the tax on cigars and smoking tobacco by 40 percent and raised the tax of smokeless products like chewing tobacco by 210 percent.
Brennan’s is a small chain of smoke shops across the South Shore, going as south as Wareham, west as Raynham and north as Brockton. With the increase in taxes, Nickerson said the Pembroke location would most likely see some changes.

Another blow for Ipswich smokers

HOT on the heels of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's plan to bring in tobacco excise increases comes more bad news for Ipswich smokers.
Interim smoking laws that were brought in from February 1 have now been made permanent, with smokers no longer permitted to light up in pedestrian malls and at public transport waiting points in Ipswich.
Planning and development committee chairperson Cr Paul Tully said the council had taken into account community views when making the decision.

Smoking Ban Postponed at AHFC Facilities

The Alaska Housing Finance Corp. is postponing its ban on smoking in state-subsidized public housing apartments.

The ban against smoking was to have gone into effect in August, but officials now say the policy is being reevaluated.

Residents of senior housing in Juneau and Fairbanks sent in petitions against the proposal.

AHFC Public Housing Division Director Catherine Stone says the public comments on the proposed ban were about even. But they were expecting the comments to reflect a 2010 survey showing most residents in senior and disabled facilities preferred a smoke-free policy.

She says there will be more consideration given before they make a second attempt at a no-smoking policy.

Smoking ban now in effect at ASU's campuses

A smoking ban has gone into effect at Arizona State University's campuses.
But how it will be enforced and how violators will be punished remains unclear.
The Arizona Republic  says the ban prohibits smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco at all ASU's properties including the main campus in Tempe and all other campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The policy also applies to privately owned vehicles in the university's parking lots and garages as well as property leased by the school.
Before the ban took effect Thursday, people could smoke outside of buildings at ASU as long as they were 25 feet from entrances.
ASU campus police say officers won't be fining or arresting people who violate the ban, but they'll let smokers know about the new restrictions.

Black diabetic smokers face major concerns about their health

Another major health concern has arose for diabetic tobacco users, especially for African-Americans. Those who have been diagnosed with diabetes and are smokers should know the health risks they face.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetes is a group of diseases with high blood glucose levels resulting from a defect in the body’s ability to produce and use insulin.

The ADA found that African-Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes compared to the general population. They are 1.8 times more likely than whites to have diabetes. This is caused by the food selection and obesity rates of African-Americans.

Alexander Local Schools says 'No Smoking'

Starting this upcoming school year, Alexander Local School District will be implementing a 100 percent tobacco-free policy, making the district one of only a few in Ohio to adopt the practice.
The policy is based on guidelines created by the Ohio Department of Health’s Tobacco Use and Prevention Program. The coordinator of the program, Kim Knapp-Browne, began meeting with Jeff Cullum, the district’s superintendent, earlier this year.

When celebrities shilled for cigarettes

Remember when President Obama was trying to quit smoking? Updates of his progress were doled out to the White House press corps alongside world-moving news of war, the economy, and health care reform.
These days, more and more smokers, especially public figures, are shamed out of the unhealthy habit. But 60 years ago, celebrities were often the face of cigarettes, shilling for their favorite brands like smokes were just another household item. Here are three such vintage ads featuring three very proud, very famous, smokers.

If parents ever smoked, teens may be more likely to light up

Teens of a parent who smoked -- even if the mother or father quit before the teen was born -- are more likely to smoke than those whose parents are nonsmokers, a new study finds.
Having an older brother or sister who smokes also raises the odds that a teen will pick up the habit, the researchers report.
"These findings imply that any amount of smoking could have important influences on the next generation," said lead researcher Mike Vuolo, an assistant professor of sociology at Purdue University. "Given the influence on the oldest siblings, this is especially the case in heavy-smoking households."
Vuolo and co-author Jeremy Staff, an associate professor of sociology at Pennsylvania State University, analyzed data from a multigenerational study that has followed participants since 1988, when they were freshmen in high school, to 2011. They focused on 214 now-parents and 314 of their children aged 11 and older.