Yes, you may smoke in public parks

With summer in full swing, smokers may wonder whether they can light up during certain outdoor events.
According to the recently passed ordinance, smoking is only banned in enclosed places. Debra Bradley, health director, said there is no provision that prohibits smoking in public parks.

“It’s just enclosed places,” she said.

Those who do choose to smoke in parks, however, still need to stay at least five feet away from doors, windows and air intake systems.

St. Joseph voters in April passed a clean air ordinance that banned smoking in all indoor places of employment, except for the St. Jo Frontier Casino gaming floor. It garnered nearly 53 percent of the votes.

Ms. Bradley said some citizens may be confused that the title of Section 17-327 —”Application of article to City-Owned Facilities and Property” —does not specifically clarify indoor or enclosed property.

“The meat of the paragraph is what is the law,” she said.

It reads: “All enclosed areas, including buildings and vehicles owned, leased or operated by the City of St. Joseph shall be subject to the provisions of this article.”

So events like tonight’s Parties on the Parkway at the Southwest Parkway or this weekend’s Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival at Felix Street Square will still be smoking areas.

However, there is a provision in the ordinance (Sec. 17-334) that allows for any “owner, operator, manager, or other person in control” of an outdoor area to declare it a nonsmoking zone.

“If the people who are running the program want to make it a nonsmoking event, they could,” Ms. Bradley said. “If they chose to be nonsmoking, they don’t have to have a sign.”

Mary Robertson, public information officer for the city, said they will not enforce the smoking ban at Parties on the Parkway.

Tobacco giant defends ultra cheap cigarette brand

The independent Senator Nick Xenophon is pushing for a minimum floor price on tobacco, as British American Tobacco defends its decision to cut the price of its cigarettes.

It says the former federal government's increase to the tobacco excise is simply feeding the demand for cheaper products.

But Senator Xenophon says this is a "deeply cynical and destructive" move by big tobacco, and he wants to prevent companies from flooding the market with more cheap cigarettes.

Thomas Oriti has our report.

THOMAS ORITI: British American Tobacco is claiming to now be offering the cheapest cigarettes on the Australian market at $13 a pack, which is nearly half the cost of premium brands.

They also claim this price discounting is the result of the Government's own attempts to drive the cost up in order to put people off the expensive and unhealthy habit.

BAT spokesman Scott McIntyre has told RN the company had to act to protect its market.

SCOTT MCINTYRE: What's been happening over the last five years in Australia is we've seen a 66 per cent growth in the low-price segment.

Now, the low price segment is cigarettes which are sold for under $15, and that's in direct effect of the excise system and plain packaging certainly murkies the waters a little bit there.

But excise has driven the top line of cigarettes up to around $25, but what smokers have done is they've gone, I'm not going paying that sort of money for it, I'm not going to quit, I'm going to look for cheaper brands.

So they've forced a whole lot of competition at the bottom.

THOMAS ORITI: Last August, the former government announced plans to increase the excise rate on tobacco.

That resulted in a 12.5 per cent hike each year until 2016. The move is expected to raise billions of dollars, but it also pushed up the price of cigarettes.

Scott McIntyre says there's no denying the health impacts of smoking, but he says with millions of smokers in Australia, British American Tobacco still needs to compete in a tough market.

SCOTT MCINTYRE: We're a legal business and we sell a legal product and our competitors are playing very strongly at this part of the market.

Smokers are walking into retail outlets and demanding the cheapest pack. Forty-two per cent of all cigarettes sold in Australia at the moment are under $15.

THOMAS ORITI: The independent Senator Nick Xenophon isn't convinced.

No Exam Life Insurance - Smokers Can Qualify for Affordable Plans

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Since the application process is simpler, it also means that the underwriting process is shorter. Clients will be able to qualify for coverage in less than 24 hours. Smokers have equal chances of purchasing no exam life insurance.Esse Super Slims Blue
Smoking will increase life insurance costs. Insurance agents recommend searching and comparing life insurance quotes. This can be done online, on insurance brokerage website. Here, clients will have access to multiple plans by completing a single questionnaire.
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Smoking, hypertension named leading stroke risk factors

Hypertension, smoking and other changeable factors may account for about 50% of all strokes, according to researchers.
"Data suggests that half of all strokes in patients 55 years and over might theoretically be prevented by optimal treatment or elimination of hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, coronary disease, and overweight/obesity,” said researchers in a study published by PLOS Medicine.
In order to estimate the proportion of strokes that could theoretically be prevented by eliminating some factors from the population, Michiel J. Bos, MD and colleagues from the Eramus Medical Center assessed the population attributable risks for factors individually and in combination. To examine the potentially modifiable etiological factors occurring in stroke, researchers surveyed 6,844 patients.
During a mean follow-up of 12.9 years, researchers identified 1,020 strokes. The combined PAR was .51 for pre-hypertension/hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, coronary diseases, and obesity, after adjusting for age and gender.
Hypertension and smoking were the most important etiological factors. The total PAR was raised by .06 by the combination of C-reactive protein, fruit and vegetable consumption and carotid intima-media thickness.
The PARs for ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke were .55 and .70, respectively.
"About half of all strokes are attributable to established causal and modifiable factors," wrote the authors. "This finding encourages not only intervention on established etiological factors, but also further study of less well established factors.”

Obama Administration Takes Critical Step to Help Smokers Quit and Save Lives

Today, the Obama Administration issued guidance on quit smoking benefits available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This important announcement from the Departments implementing the ACA (Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury) clarifies what treatments insurance plans should cover for quitting smoking as part of their preventive services benefit. This guidance will help to ensure that employers and insurance plans are doing everything they can to get smokers they help they need to quit.
“The American Lung Association commends the Obama Administration for today’s lifesaving announcement,” said Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association.  “Quitting is hard and the Lung Association knows that making sure everyone has access to all quit smoking medications and counseling is critical to saving lives.”
The guidance issued today defines what an appropriate comprehensive quit smoking benefit is. According to the Obama Administration, a comprehensive benefit includes coverage of:

1. All medications approved by the FDA as safe and effective for smoking cessation
2. Individual, group and phone cessation counseling
3. These quit smoking benefits should be offered at least twice a year to smokers, recognizing not everyone quits on their first try
4. Plans should not require prior authorization for these benefits

The ACA also requires that these benefits be provided at no cost to the patient – so no copays, coinsurance or deductibles should be charged.
It is crucial that each smoker who wants to quit has access to all treatments that will help. Quitting smoking is not a “one-size-fits-all” process. The American Lung Association and its partners have urged the Obama Administration to provide this guidance on quit smoking benefits since 2010.  Most recently, the Lung Association and 29 public health and medical organizations sent this letter in February 2014 calling for the Administration to clarify the benefit.
Prior to this guidance, most insurance plans have not implemented comprehensive cessation benefits. The Lung Association believes this clarification will help rectify the wide variation in how insurance companies have previously implemented this requirement in the private insurance market. One study by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, commissioned by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, found that only four of 39 private plans analyzed covered even close to a comprehensive benefit. Also troubling, some of the plans analyzed included cost sharing for tobacco cessation treatments – something prohibited by the ACA.  Another survey in Colorado found that there has been significant variance in the ways health plans in Colorado have implemented the requirement. Interestingly, these variances were seen in the area of tobacco cessation more so than other areas of preventive services.
The recent Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health concluded that more than 42 million Americans still smoke. Today’s guidance will affect health coverage provided to all populations that smoke including those that smoke at higher rates than the general population; like low-income Americans, Medicaid expansion enrollees and Americans who were previously uninsured According to the same survey, 69 percent of current smokers in America want to quit.

Imperial Tobacco launches JPS Just Additive Free cigarettes

Imperial Tobacco has announced a new edition to the JPS portfolio with the launch of JPS Just Additive Free cigarettes. Available from April 21st 2014 in packs of King Size 19s cigarettes, JPS Just Additive Free will be positioned within the economy price sector with an RRP of £6.55.
Imperial Tobacco senior brand manager Madeleine Allen comments: “JPS Just Additive Free represents the first American blend offering within the growing economy sector and has been designed for adult smokers seeking a distinctive smoking experience and an authentic tobacco taste.”
JPS Just Additive Free cigarettes will be available exclusively, in a distinctive pack, within selected areas of the South East of England where there is a high propensity for additive free tobacco products.
Madeleine concludes: “JPS Just Additive Free cigarettes will enable retailers in this geographic area to capitalise on the economy-price sector growth opportunity with the reassurance that the JPS brand brings.”

Jersey ban on smoking in cars carrying children is proposed

Jersey could be the first place in the British Isles to ban smoking in cars carrying children under proposals put forward by the Health Minister.

A health department survey last year suggested islanders supported extra measures to protect children from second-hand smoke.
Around 20% of people in Jersey smoke, and there is already a ban on smoking in enclosed places.
A pro-smoking group said the proposal was "heavy-handed".
If the proposals become law, people would be banned from lighting up in cars carrying passengers under the age of 18. Lucky Strike Click&Roll
Dr Susan Turnbull, Jersey's chief medical officer, said: "Bringing in a law like this will be a very important signal that it's risky to children and no children should be exposed in this way."
Simon Clark, director of pro-smoking group Forest, said: "People shouldn't do it, and by and large they don't, so why do we need a law that will make very little difference?
"It's heavy-handed and extremely patronising. The overwhelming majority of adult smokers know how to behave towards children and the law should reflect that."
The idea will be discussed in the States in the coming weeks.

Firefighters' warning for smokers

Smokers are being warned to dispose of their cigarette-ends safely.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were called to a fire at a farm building in Dumfries and Galloway. It is thought the fire was caused by smoking materials left in a bin.
The Fire and Rescue service say it is the most common cause of house fires and are urging people to extinguish their cigarettes, matches and other flammable materials correctly.
People are also encouraged to check that their smoke alarms are working to ensure that they can get to safety in time.
Free home fire safety visits are available from Scotland’s firefighters to help fire prevention.

Smokers urged to go outdoors

An NHS Lanarkshire child doctor is urging Cumbernauld and Kilsyth smokers to banish cigarettes from the home and the car when there are children present.
Dr Carol Dryden, an NHS Lanarkshire consultant paediatrician with special interest in respiratory paediatrics, said: “Our experience shows that the vast majority of smokers want to give up and do their best to take their smoking away from their children – for example by opening a window or standing by an open door. Kent cigarettes one of the best brands online.
“However, I think many smokers will be surprised to learn that much of their smoke remains in the room and will welcome this information.”
She added: “The best way to safeguard the health of your child is, of course, to give up altogether.
“But we appreciate that not all smokers are ready to try that quit attempt just yet which is why we’re giving them this information to help them improve the health environment in their home and help protect their child’s health.”
New research cited in the campaign is said to show that harmful chemicals in second hand smoke linger and travel for up to five hours after the visible smoke has disappeared.
It is argued that because 85 per cent of second-hand smoke is invisible and odourless many are unaware that smoking at an open window or standing at the back door, isn’t enough to protect children.

Tobacco advertising

The first advertisement in the USA that waws very known was for the snuff and tobacco products of P. Lollard and Company and was put in the New York newspaper in 1789. Regional and local daily papers were used because of the little production and transportation of these products. The first real brand name that became well known in the USA was "Bull Durham" in 1868, with the advertising saying how easy it was "to roll your own".
The development of color lithography in the 1870s let the companies create attractive, interesting images to present better their tobacco products. This led to the printing of those images onto the cigarette cards. Advertising was important in helping by the distribution of free branded cigarettes to troops during World War I and World War II.

The tobacco companies deny the fact that advertising has a very important role in influencing people to start smoking or just continue the habit. There were made some researches which show the opposite of the affirmation. They do encourage people to smoke.

When the government will realize the fact that tobacco harms people and there needs something to be done. Partial restrictions are good too, but still more effects have the total ones.

Partial effects are sometimes limited or don’t have any effect. Comprehensive bans in different forms on tobacco might have success in stopping the tobacco usage. Cigarette packaging has a big role like advertising restrictions when implemented.

The packet design has a role in showing the brand image and competing for future customers. There are many countries or states that are advocating plain packaging. For example in the tobacco industry there are banned some word like “Light” and “Mild”, because these words makes the impression that the cigarette are less harmful or contain less harmful ingredients.

China Wants to Adopt Tougher Smoking Ban

Lawmakers in a China city decided to adopt a law which will ban smoking in workplaces, restaurants, cafes, bars and other indoor places.

In case this regulation will pass by the legislature, it will be the toughest of its kind in a country with the world’s largest number of smokers.

The majority of public health experts declare that the given legislation is central in tobacco-control struggle and it may give birth to a nationwide campaign that will assure a thorough protection for approximately 740 million people who are exposed to second-handsmoke.

According to statistics more than 300 million of Chinese adults smoke, and there are also a lot of smoking teenagers.  

“We hope to pass the bill in some of these days,” stated Xu Yongli, from the Municipal People's Congress of Nanchang.

The given draft regulation requires a complete ban in 11 categories of public places such as: schools, malls, public transport, medical institutes, offices, sports venues and Internet cafes ones it is adopted.

Also this ban will affect hotels, bars, cafes, restaurants, nightclubs and beauty salons from January 1, 2013.

Those owners who will break the law will be fined up to 5,000 yuan (US$758). Individuals who will smoke in smoke-free areas will be fined 50 yuan.

A lot of people and government officials state that this bill has impossible goals for a second-tier city. “Such kind of ban is new for China. We didn’t have national-level tobacco control law, it partially prohibited smoking in public places and government offices, mostly depending on local legislation.” said Huang Jinrong, a Beijing-based lawyer, who conducted various researches on tobacco control legislation.

Health experts declare that “smoke-free” means no smoking at all in inside places, and outdoor only in specially created places.  Smoke-free areas are not efficient if speaking about protection of non-smokers, because harmful particles emitted from a burning cigarette can be spreading carried throughout all building.

Currently Nanchang's legislation is facing daunting challenges in its enforcement, according to Chen Tianpeng, deputy director of Nanchang Municipal Health Bureau.

The draft law requires a considerable number of government agencies which must be responsible for monitoring the planned law, as the municipal bureau of health which should watch over medical institutes, the food and drug bureau to supervise restaurants and bars, and police to control hotels and beauty salons.

“We are concerned that all these government agencies might not enforce the law appropriately. But at the same time a unique law enforcement team is impossible, because government can’t hire so many specialists in this field” Chen stated.

Approximately 30% of Nanchang's 4.64 million citizens are smokers. It was estimated that a half of the population is exposed to second-hand smoke.

“People are not so good informed about the consequences of smoking and second-hand smoke. This happens everywhere, but most of all in China,” Dr. Sarah England said in an interview.

N.J. moves to ban smoking at beaches, parks

An Assembly committee has advanced legislation that would ban smoking at public parks and beaches in New Jersey.
Even in outdoor areas, second-hand smoke can be harmful, said Cara Murphy of Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy (GASP) during a legislative hearing Thursday.
"Smoke-free air benefits everyone. It not only benefits tourism as people are able to go to smoke-free beaches, but it also benefits children who wants to use parks and recreation areas," she said. "It also benefits anyone who wants to quit using tobacco because you're no longer around the presence of tobacco."
Supporters say the ban would help keep beaches clean and prevent fires in parks.
It also reflects changes in New Jersey where about 85 percent of the population doesn't smoke, said Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle, the bill's sponsor.
"More and more people understand now the hazards of secondhand smoke," said Huttle, D-Bergen. "They also understand the littering issue on beaches and of course the fire hazards in the forests and the parks."
If the bill becomes law, smokers who light up on the beach or in a park would face fines up to a thousand dollars.
A similar bill was introduced in the previous legislative session, but it failed to win approval.
Huttle said she hopes the latest version becomes law by the time people go back to the beaches this summer.

Lighting up debate on e-smoking Print

When it comes to electronic cigarettes, and where people can smoke 'em, the Santa Maria City Council may have stepped one toke over the line.
Pardon our reference to a lyric from a hippie-era rock song, but it just seems to fit with the action taken by the City Council last week banning the use of e-cigarettes in public spaces.
Santa Maria isn't the first city to ban the electronic smokes, and it won't be the last. Los Angeles city officials last week instituted a similar ban in parks, restaurants and workplaces.
Santa Maria's prohibition isn't that all-inclusive, with the ordinance against so-called vaping — for vaporizing — not including parks, some stores, homes or hotel rooms.  Lucky Strike Original Red
Our concern about the council's action is that it happens before useful gathering of evidence, pro or con, about e-cigarettes. In fact, the debate is raging nationwide about their use, and the potential problems they may cause.
One fact seems fairly evident — electronic cigarettes are helping people kick their regular cigarette habit. Of that, there is little debate.
Another fact is that switching from a regular tobacco-filled cigarette to the electric format eliminates one of tobacco products' biggest risks — tars deposited from the mouth down to the lungs of a tobacco-cigarette smoker. Those tars offer a horror house of carcinogens, so eliminating them greatly reduces the risk of smoking-related cancers.
Beyond that, however, little is know about the e-cigarettes. They do contain nicotine, which is why smokers can more easily tolerate the switch. They contain water, which is vaporized by heating from a battery. What else is in there is anyone's guess, because the manufacturers aren't required by law to disclose the ingredients, so they aren't disclosing.
On balance, however, we'd have to say switching from tobacco to water vapor laced with nicotine is a good thing.
There is another "however" — sitting next to a person vaping away on an e-cigarette can be almost as annoying as sitting next to a tobacco smoker. And because there is no evidence, either way, of what effects e-cigarettes have on the human body, perhaps the council's decision to separate smokers from non-smokers makes sense.
Our objection to the council's ban on e-cigarettes is that it was made without evidence to support a pressing need for such a law. But, there are enough unanswered questions on both sides of this debate that it should continue.
One issue that could soon be resolved is the actual risk factors involved with using electronic cigarettes. The devices are not currently regulated by federal law, but the Food and Drug Administration has filed a request for the authority to regulate such products. If that request is granted, it launches a series of scientific investigations that could provide some answers.
Whatever the ingredients in e-cigarettes, they are likely to pose only a fraction of the risk involved in smoking tobacco products. The typical, inhaled puff of a tobacco cigarette, for example, contains more than 4,000 potential and known toxic substances.
And we can't imagine e-cigarettes killing as many people as cigarettes containing tobacco, which each day adversely affect the lives of perhaps more than a billion humans worldwide, plus the untold billions who live and work in proximity to smokers.
In that context, governments should welcome the switch from tobacco to heated vapor containing nicotine.
At the very least, the City Council might have waited for better evidence, pro or con, about e-cigarette use before enacting legislation against using the devices in public.

Guest opinion: America can raise a tobacco-free generation

By KATHLEEN SEBELIUS U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services

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Here’s a sobering statistic about the tobacco epidemic – a battle many Americans think is already won: If we continue at current smoking rates, 5.6 million children alive today will ultimately die prematurely from smoking. That’s one in 13 kids gone too early due to an entirely preventable cause. That is unacceptable.
That’s why we are asking every American to join our efforts to make the next generation tobacco-free.
Today, we are at a crossroads. In the past 50 years, we’ve more than cut the adult smoking rate in half from nearly 43 percent down to 18 percent, and we’ve reduced 12th grade students’ smoking rate to 16 percent in 2013 from a high of 38 percent in 1976. Yet nearly 500,000 Americans die of smoking-related disease each year. What’s more, the tobacco epidemic costs us nearly $300 billion in productivity and direct medical costs annually.
I believe a tobacco-free generation is within our reach, but it will take commitment from across the spectrum – from federal, state and local governments, but also from businesses, educators, the entertainment industry and beyond.
Praise for CVS
Already, we are seeing leadership from the private sector. This month, CVS, the second largest pharmacy chain in the country announced it will no longer sell tobacco products. In doing so, CVS is at once reducing access to these harmful products and helping to make smoking less attractive.
3,200 new smokers daily
We know that consumers, especially children, are influenced by pro-smoking messages when they shop in stores that sell tobacco products. This includes the display of cigarettes behind the register known as the “power wall.” For young people, “power walls” help shape cigarette brand awareness and the sense that smoking is normal and accepted.
In multiple ways, CVS’ decision will have impact. I applaud this private sector health leader for taking an important new step to curtail tobacco use. I hope that other retailers will take up this pro-health mantle.
The stakes are high. Each day, more than 3,200 youth under age 18 in the United States try their first cigarette, and another 700 kids under age 18 who’ve been occasional smokers become daily smokers.
I am thrilled that earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration launched its first national tobacco education campaign, TheRealCost.gov. The campaign is targeting on-the-cusp youth – the 12 to 17 year old kids who are open to smoking or have experimented with cigarettes, but are not regular smokers.
But creating a tobacco-free generation cannot start and end with our youngest citizens: working toward this goal begins in the present, and reaching adult smokers is essential.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has started the third season of their impactful Tips From Former Smokers campaign. The 2012 Tips series alone prompted an estimated 1.6 million smokers to try to quit, resulting in more than 200,000 additional calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW, and helped at least 100,000 smokers quit for good.
Whether it’s other retailers following CVS’ lead, more colleges and universities joining the 2,000 schools that are part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative (tobaccofreecampus.org), or movie studios taking tobacco use and imagery out of youth-rated films, I encourage new partners to help us stop the cycle of sickness, disability and death caused by tobacco. Victory will require bold action. What will you do to help make the next generation tobacco-free?

GCC Joins Initiative to Help Students Quit Smoking

Genesee Community College is encouraging students who want to quit smoking to join a state-wide study that uses an innovative, Internet-based program to help beat the cigarette habit.
Conducted by University of Rochester researcher Dr. Scott McIntosh, the study is testing the effectiveness of a promising new tool in smoking cessation, Web-Assisted Tobacco Intervention (WATI).

McIntosh hopes to recruit 1,440 community college students of all ages from around New York to participate in the study. So far 400 students from SUNY community colleges have signed up.
"Community college students are a growing population, and smoking remains a substantial health concern in their demographic," McIntosh said.
Statistics indicate that while 16 percent of the general population smokes, the number is substantially higher, 28 percent to 30 percent, at community colleges.
Students can register online to participate in the study or they may call (585) 276-6243. Once registered, they'll be asked to complete surveys at one, six, and 12 months into the program. Each completed survey earns them a financial reward; $10 at one month, $15 at six months, and $20 at 12 months for a total of $45, whether or not they quit smoking.
"This is a great opportunity for students who want to quit smoking but haven't figured out what the first step is," said Dr. Virginia Taylor, GCC vice president for Student and Enrollment Services. "We hope many of our students who smoke will give quitting a try. They have nothing to lose and much to gain."
WATI requires no special travel and students are able to go at their own pace. All they need is an Internet connection. All students who are ready to quit and who want help quitting on the internet will be referred to a free treatment website, even if they decide not to join this study. The study is being funded by the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute).

How Will Altria Benefit From Green Smoke Purchase?

Altria Group executives are hopeful their acquisition of an electronic-vapor cigarette manufacturer will bring added insight to its own Nu Mark e-cigarette company as it prepares to roll out its MarkTen brand.
As reported in a 21^st Century Smoke/CSP Daily News Flash, Altria Group Inc. announced that its subsidiary Nu Mark LLC entered into an agreement to acquire the e-vapor business of Green Smoke Inc. and its affiliates for approximately $110 million in cash, subject to closing adjustments, and up to $20 million in incentive payments. Davidoff iD Orange
“Nu Mark’s entry into the e-vapor category with its MarkTen product was an important development in Altria’s innovation strategy,” said Marty Barrington, Altria’s chairman and CEO. “Adding Green Smoke’s significant e-vapor expertise and experience, along with its supply chain, product lines and customer service, will complement Nu Mark’s capabilities and enhance its competitive position. Further, Green Smoke’s culture of innovation and history of producing high-quality products are consistent with Altria’s culture.”
Green Smoke was founded in 2008 and has operations in the United States and Israel. Green Smoke has sold e-vapor products since 2009 and its revenues for 2013 were approximately $40 million. Green Smoke sells premium products, with most of its sales in the United States. Its product lines, which are sold under the Green Smoke e-vapor brand, include both rechargeable and disposable versions. Green Smoke brings a team of talented employees with significant experience in developing, manufacturing and marketing high-quality e-cigarettes.
The agreement contains provisions to retain key management infrastructure and talent. Subject to closing conditions, Nu Mark anticipates that the transaction will be completed in the second quarter of 2014.
“We are very pleased to be joining the Altria family of companies,” said Robert Levitz, Green Smoke’s CEO. “We are dedicated to innovation and believe joining Nu Mark will help us deepen that expertise and create new opportunities for our customers, our employees and our products.”
Tobacco analyst Bonnie Herzog of Wells Fargo Securities, New York, said the acquisition is a positive for Altria.
“We have long believed companies would develop portfolios of e-cig brands that cater to different consumers,” she said in a research note today.
She also reported that the majority of Green Smoke's sales are online in the United States, though the company does have a small presence in convenience stores. According to Nielsen, Green Smoke's retail sales in c-stores for the past 52 weeks through the period ending Dec. 21, 2013, were $3.9MM for 0.8% share.
“Altria took a ‘deep scan’ of the entire e-vapor space and felt Green Smoke was the right fit at the right time,” Herzog said, enumerating several reasons, including:

• Green Smoke presents an opportunity for Philip Morris to develop a portfolio of e-vapor brands, complementing its existing MarkTen e-vapor product, as Green Smoke can reach a different consumer since it doesn't look like a traditional cig and it is bigger than MarkTen with a stronger battery.
• Altria can leverage its sales, distribution and infrastructure (Green Smoke has 140 employees, or 40 in the U.S., compared to Altria's 2,000 person sales force).
• Green Smoke's proprietary technology.
• Altria will likely include Green Smoke's technology in its technology and distribution sharing agreement with PMI as Green Smoke has minimal international distribution.

Altria Group directly or indirectly owns 100% of each of Philip Morris USA Inc, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. LLC, John Middleton Co., Nu Mark, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Ltd. and Philip Morris Capital Corp. Altria holds a continuing economic and voting interest in SABMiller plc. The brand portfolios of Altria’s tobacco operating companies include Marlboro, Black & Mild, Copenhagen, Skoal and MarkTen.

Problems with Tobacco Products? Tell FDA

Are you using a tobacco product that you believe is defective or is causing an unexpected health problem?
Are you using a tobacco product that has a strange taste or smell?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to hear from you and has a new online tool you can use to report your problem. Classic Blue cigarettes.
The Department of Health and Human Services' Safety Reporting Portal (SRP) has been revised to add a new category for tobacco products. This update provides a standardized way for consumers and health care professionals to let FDA know when they suspect that there is an unexpected health or safety issue with a specific tobacco product.
Until now, consumers reported problems with tobacco products to FDA through MedWatch, the FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program, a system that does not ask questions specific to tobacco products.
"There is no known safe tobacco product, but FDA can play a role in helping prevent certain unexpected health consequences from tobacco products, such as those that occur from defective tobacco products, or health or safety problems beyond those normally associated with tobacco product use," says Ii-Lun Chen, M.D., medical branch chief in the Office of Science at FDA's Center for Tobacco Products.

Bill would set age limit for buying e-cigarettes in Nebraska

A prominent sign at Husker E-Cigs says buyers must be at least 18 to purchase a device used to vaporize nicotine and liquid flavorings.
Still, the sign doesn't discourage all younger teens from trying to bluff their way into a purchase, said Sean George, owner of the northwest Omaha retailer of electronic cigarettes. George said he requires his employees to card anyone who looks younger than 30  Gauloises Blondes Blue

“You get the daring 17-year-old who tries it anyway,” he said.
Under current law, George could legally sell e-cigarettes to customers regardless of age. But as a parent, he said, he doesn't want his own minor children using the devices, so he won't sell them to other kids.
Proponents call e-cigarettes a safer alternative to using tobacco. Retailers say most of their customers are adults who want to quit traditional smoking.
The battery-powered devices vaporize liquid nicotine and flavoring additives so they can be inhaled. The devices produce no tobacco smoke, ash, tar or smell, so proponents call the practice “vaping” to differentiate it from smoking.
A bill expected to be introduced this week in the Nebraska Legislature would prohibit sales of e-cigarettes to minors. The bill probably will mirror existing misdemeanor violations for selling tobacco to minors and for possession of tobacco by minors.
“My main concern is I don't think a 10-year-old kid ought to have them,” said Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber, who will introduce the bill.
Karpisek, chairman of the General Affairs Committee, said the bill won't include language on taxing e-cigarettes like tobacco. Nor will his legislation include the devices under the statewide indoor smoking ban.
While it's unknown how many Nebraska minors use e-cigarettes, a recent survey found that 8.6 percent of high school students admitted to trying the devices. Public health experts have reported that, among middle and high school students nationally, e-cigarette use doubled to 10 percent — or about 1.8 million teens — between 2011 and 2012.
During a committee hearing last fall, several e-cigarette retailers, along with lobbyists for grocery and convenience stores, told senators that they would not oppose banning sales to minors. But they urged lawmakers not to slap additional taxes on e-cigarettes.
At least 27 states have prohibited their sale to minors, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The surrounding states of Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming have minor bans in place.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has called for both a minor ban and taxing e-cigarettes like tobacco in his state. Gov. Terry Branstad last week said the question of taxing the devices “needs to be approached in a careful and thoughtful manner.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration signaled in 2011 that it was moving toward regulating e-cigarettes, but it has yet to issue any such rules or regulations.
Although e-cigarettes have been on the market for more than a decade, they have gained popularity in recent years as their prices have dropped. Disposable e-cigs can now be purchased for less than $15, down sharply from the roughly $400 price tag for an e-cigarette set when they first came on the scene, George said. With 800 puffs from a single e-cig, retailers say they equate to about four packs of tobacco cigarettes.
Global sales of e-cigarettes were expected to approach $2 billion in 2013, as big tobacco companies have entered the market. The largely unregulated devices also are sold widely on the Internet.
While it seems plausible that an e-cig would be safer than a Salem, scientific studies on the devices are scarce, public health experts say. Creighton University, for example, is currently engaged in a two-year study to determine whether e-cigarettes actually live up to the claim of helping people quit tobacco use.
But in Nebraska, at least, few seem willing to argue that a ban on sales to minors ought to wait for more data.
Shavonne Washington-Krauth, smoking cessation coordinator for Alegent Creighton Health in Omaha, said the devices still deliver nicotine, which is a highly addictive stimulant. Research shows that nicotine alters brain function, she added.
“Nicotine overwhelms the brain, and teen brains are still developing,” she said. “So you're talking about a developing brain being altered.”
Washington-Krauth mentioned that one of her 18-year-old relatives recently bought an e-cigarette. He told her that “everyone” at his Omaha-area high school is using them.
School administrators in Nebraska are wrestling with e-cigarettes. Because they aren't defined as tobacco, which is banned in schools, some administrators have taken to classifying them as “paraphernalia” so they can be prohibited.
Public health officials also are concerned that e-cigarettes could start to unravel years of efforts to decrease youth cigarette smoking, said Cindy Jeffrey, director of Health Education Inc., a Lincoln-based nonprofit that works to reduce tobacco use. She and others worry that e-cigs could emerge as a gateway to cigarettes, cigars or chewing tobacco.
An Internet search produced a number of postings about vaporizing THC, the main chemical in marijuana that produces a high.
“We're starting to hear reports of other products being inserted in them for contraband purposes,” Jeffrey said.

Chinese officials banned from smoking in public

The officials were asked to “take the lead” in adhering to the smoking ban in public spaces, reported Xinhua citing a circular from the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.
Government functionaries are prohibited from using public funds to buy cigarettes, nor are they permitted to smoke or offer cigarettes when performing official duties, the circular said.
“Smoking remains a relatively universal phenomenon in public venues. Some officials smoke in public places, which does not only jeopardised the environment and public health, but tarnished the image of party and government offices and leaders and has a negative influence,” reads the circular.
The sale of tobacco products and advertisements will no longer be allowed in party and government offices. Prominent notices of smoking bans must be displayed in meeting rooms, reception offices, passage ways, cafeterias and rest rooms.

Marengo Piano cigarettes

China is the world’s largest cigarette producer and consumer. The number of smokers exceeds 300 million, with at least 740 million nonsmokers regularly exposed to second-hand smoke.
In 2003, China signed the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and it became effective in January 2006.