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"States Fail to
Meet No-Smoking Goals for Women"
(New York Times, Sept 30, 2003) --Tobacco-related
diseases are still the leading cause of preventable
death in women, and most states are not meeting the
nation's goals to discourage women from smoking,
according to a report released today by the National
Women's Law Center and Oregon Health and Science
University.
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"Campaign targets Poway Rodeo sponsor"
(North County Times, Sept 25, 2003) -- A
supporter of the local rodeo for at least 15 years, the
tobacco company has reserved a tented booth at the
event, which runs through Sunday. If past years are any
indication, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco will hand out free
samples of its main product, chewing tobacco, and other
promotional material to adults who pass through the
company's tent. ID# 7289
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"New York State
Considers Smoking Ban in Cars With Children"
(New York-WABC, Sept 22, 2003) -- First
smoking was outlawed in the workplace, then bars and
restaurants. Now there's a push to ban smoking in cars.
Lisa Colagrossi has the story. Those much maligned
smokers are about to take another hit. Already shunned
in bars and restaurants in New York City and throughout
the state, here is proposed legislation in Albany to put
the brakes on smoking behind the wheel. It has some
wondering where it will end. ID# 7287
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"N.Y. smoking
prohibition spurs lawbreakers, lawsuit"
(Chicago Tribune, Sept 25, 2003) --
DUNKIRK, N.Y. -- In this lakefront city, once a humming
industrial center now plagued by factory closures, the
unemployed who head to the bars to drown their sorrows
must do so now without a cigarette. Two
cousins--one who smokes, the other who never has--were
drinking one night in a Central Avenue bar called
Tito's. They were the only patrons there. ID#
7286
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"France hikes taxes
on smokers, manufacturers gripe"
(Reuters, Sept 25, 2003) -- PARIS
(Reuters) - France is waging war on the quintessentially
French habit of smoking, slapping on higher taxes
that will inflate the price of a packet of cigarettes by
40 percent over the coming year. Tobacco makers fear
price hikes will simply prompt more smokers to
buy on the black market or cross the border to stock up
on cheaper cigarettes from abroad, foiling the
government's plan to rake in more tax revenues from
smokers. ID# 7283
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"4 States
Rated Highly in Fighting Smoking" (The
New York Times, Sept 18, 2003) -- Cigarette
sales in four states with long-running, well-financed
antitobacco programs fell 43 percent in the 1990's, more
than double the drop for the nation as a whole, a new
study has found. The study, the first to analyze
cigarette sales data from all 50 states, showed that
Arizona, California, Massachusetts and Oregon had far
greater success than others in reducing cigarette
purchases between 1990 and 2000. These states,
particularly California, are credited with being the
first to fund comprehensive education campaigns and
other programs to discourage smoking. ID#
7270
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"EU mulls smoking
ban in cafes, bars, restaurants" (Reuters
Health, Sept 19, 2003) -- BRUSSELS
(Reuters) - The European Commission is considering using
worker safety legislation to ban smoking in
cafes, bars and restaurants throughout the 15-member
European Union, officials said on Thursday. The
Commission has launched a series of measures to crack
down on smoking, including a ban on tobacco advertising
and requiring graphic images of diseased lungs and other
organs on cigarette packets to warn of the dangers of
smoking. ID# 7271
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"Study links teen use of tobacco and pot" (Sacramento
Bee, Sept 16, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(AP) - Youngsters who smoke cigarettes are more likely
to use marijuana than those who don't smoke, according
to a study released Tuesday. The report by the
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at
Columbia University and the American Legacy Foundation
said young cigarette smokers are 14 times more likely to
try pot. Eighty-four percent of the kids who have tried
marijuana have smoked cigarettes within the past 30
days. The study focusing on 12- to 17-year-olds
also found those who smoke cigarettes are six times
likelier to be able to buy marijuana in an hour or less
and 18 times likelier to say most of their friends smoke
pot. ID# 7252
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"Smoking deaths in
developing world estimated nearly equal to rich nations" (The
Sacramento Bee, Sept 12, 2003) --
LONDON (AP) - The global death toll from smoking is
shifting dramatically, with about as many people now
dying from smoking in the developing world as in
industrialized nations, according to the most thorough
estimate to date. The research, published this
week in The Lancet medical journal, concludes that 4.84
million people died from smoking worldwide in 2000 -
2.41 million in developing countries and 2.43 million in
rich nations. Experts say the study will likely
spur governments - especially those in developing
countries - to pursue anti-smoking health
policies. Experts have previously estimated
tobacco death trends in the industrialized world, where
smoking first became prevalent, but evidence from poorer
countries has been thin. ID# 7243
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"Study: Kids get cigarettes online" (The
Herald Sun, Sept 9, 2003) --
CHAPEL HILL -- Four Chapel Hill schoolchildren, ages 11
to 15, managed to buy 33,000 cigarettes from Internet
vendors as part of a UNC research study being published
today in the Journal of the American Medical
Association. The study is billed as the first
scientific documentation of the ease with which
cigarette buyers can use the Internet's anonymity to
skirt minimum age requirements. Retail tobacco sales to
those under age 18 are against the law in all 50 states.
ID# 7244
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"Cigarette Smoking-Attributable Morbidity ---
United States, 2000" (CDC, Sep
4, 2003) -- Each
year in the United States, approximately 440,000 persons
die of a cigarette smoking-attributable illness,
resulting in 5.6 million years of potential life lost,
$75 billion in direct medical costs, and $82 billion in
lost productivity (1). To assess
smoking-attributable morbidity, the Roswell Park Cancer
Institute, Research Triangle Institute, and CDC analyzed
data from three sources the Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System (BRFSS), the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III), and the
U.S. Census. This report summarizes the results of that
analysis, which indicate that an estimated 8.6 million
persons in the United States have serious illnesses
attributed to smoking; chronic bronchitis and emphysema
account for 59% of all smoking-attributable diseases ID#
7232
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"EU to put off smokers with rotting lung pictures" (The
San Diego Union Tribune, Sep 9, 2003) --
BRUSSELS The European
Commission has started the hunt for images of diseased
lungs and dying cancer patients to be printed on
cigarette packets across the European Union, a spokesman
said Monday. Next month cigarettes sold in the EU must
show even larger health warnings than now, and from
mid-2004 member states will have the option of adding
pictures to the packs showing the hazards of smoking,
the EU's executive body said. The European Commission
announced a tender Monday for organizations to come up
with images and test their impact on different European
audiences. ID# 7231
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"A Tax That's Too Low" (The
Washington Post, Sep 7, 2003) --AT
A CANDIDATES forum in Arlington the other night, one of
the no-more-taxes-no-matter-what candidates was critical
of State Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D) for supporting
certain tax increases. She replied that there is one
large tax-increase proposal she is especially
"proud" to have pushed -- and will push again
if she is returned to Richmond a 60-cent boost in
Virginia's laughable, lowest-in-the country
2.5-cents-a-pack cigarette tax. Her reply drew hearty
applause, as well it should have. If the General
Assembly does nothing else to straighten out Virginia's
tax structure, a dismayingly likely possibility, at
least it ought to do something about the cigarette tax. ID#
7230
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"Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids New CDC Study Finds
8.6 Million People in U.S. Suffer from Smoking-Caused
Diseases" (Yahoo News, Sep
4, 2003) --"A
new study released today by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (news - web sites) (CDC)
estimates that at least 8.6 million people in the United
States currently suffer from serious illnesses
attributable to smoking. For each of the approximately
440,000 persons in the U.S. who die each year of a
smoking-attributable illness, another 20 people suffer
from at least one serious smoking-caused illness,
according to the CDC. We have long known that tobacco
use is the nation's leading preventable cause of death.
Today's study provides the first national estimate of
the number of persons who live with serious chronic
illnesses caused by smoking, and it shows that the toll
of tobacco is even more devastating than previously
thought. ID# 7227
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"Smoking Losing Favor Among Teens" (Health
Scout News, Aug 29, 2003) --
The anti-smoking message
seems to be getting through to youngsters. Surveys taken
two decades apart in a Midwestern county in the United
States found that fewer middle and high school students
in the county smoked in 2001 compared to 1980 and that
more of them now believe smoking is a bad idea. The
Arizona State University study, published in the August
issue of Health and Psychology, found teenagers
in 2001 were more likely to regard smoking as more
addictive and less "nice," "fun" or
"pleasant" than the teens surveyed in 1980. ID#
7225
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"Govt
may stub out Net tobacco ads" (The
Age, Aug 31, 2003) --
AUSTRALIA The federal
government is considering banning cigarette advertising
on new media like the internet. The proposal is part of
a review of the 1992 legislation outlawing tobacco
advertising, in light of new types of advertising and
sponsorship. The review comes on the 10th anniversary of
the legislation and will look at its continuing
effectiveness in light of new and emerging advertising
and sponsorship practices. A nine-member advisory panel
made up of legal, health, media and tobacco control
experts will conduct the review. ID# 7223
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"U.N. Extends Smoking Ban" (Reuters, The
New York Times, Aug 29, 2003) -- UNITED
NATIONS, Aug. 29 (Reuters) The United Nations, a
last bastion of smoking in New York, said today that it
would begin following the tough new antismoking law of
its host city and forbid lighting up anywhere in its
headquarters. But whether the ban, the latest in a
string of attempts by the world body to curb smoking,
will be enforced is another matter. Some chain-smoking
ambassadors have repeatedly violated any smoking ban. ID#
7214
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"Where there's smoke, perhaps an R rating?" (Bob
Condor, The Denver Post, Aug 31, 2003) --
Parents and school
principals alike will be interested in new research
about 4th to 8th graders, smoking and Hollywood movies.
The findings are hard to stub out. "We haven't
heard anybody challenge the notion that movies influence
smoking behaviors," said Madeline Dalton, a
co-author of the study and cancer-prevention researcher
at Dartmouth Medical School. "The tobacco industry
has known for years that celebrities and movies can
persuade kids to start smoking. The images of cinema are
more powerful than any advertising or marketing
campaigns." ID# 7213
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"States Ask Hollywood to Show Less Smoking" (Reuters
News, Aug 26, 2003) --
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -
Nearly half of all U.S. states asked Hollywood on
Tuesday to show less smoking in films as part of an
effort to reduce cigarette use among teens. In a letter
to Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture
Association of America, the attorneys general of
California, New York and 22 other states urged him to
use his leadership to reduce the depiction of smoking on
screen. "We are hopeful you will use your best
efforts again here to rally the industry from being a
source of the problem," the letter said.
"Simply by reducing the depiction of smoking in
movies, the industry can protect our nation's youth from
the known perils of smoking." ID# 7211
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"Council Tentatively Oks Fee on Cigarette Sellers" (The
Los Angeles Times, Aug 22, 2003) --
In an effort to reduce
underage smoking, the City Council wants retailers to
pay $255 for an annual license to sell cigarettes. The
council voted 4 to 1 this week to give preliminary
approval to the ordinance, and a final vote is set for
Sept. 2. If approved, it will become law in 30 days. ID#
7195
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"Anti-Smoking Efforts Cut Lung Cancer Deaths" (Yahoo
News, Aug 20, 2003) --
Lung cancer death rates
among adults age 30-39 are lower and are falling in most
states that have strong anti-tobacco programs, according
to a study published in Cancer Causes and Control
(Vol. 14, No. 6 579-585). Lung cancer rates in this age
group reflect smoking behavior over the preceding 5-25
years, when communities first began to control and
discourage tobacco use. The findings suggest that
efforts to prevent smoking are having a positive effect,
said lead researcher Ahmedin Jemal, DVM, PhD, program
director for cancer occurrence at the American Cancer
Society. ID# 7197
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"Smokeless tobacco sponsorship reluctantly approved" (Virgil
Cochran, The Lamar Daily News, Aug
20, 2003) --
LAMAR - The Prowers County
Commissioners reluctantly approved a contract yesterday
with U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Companies for sponsorship of
this year's Sand and Sage Rodeo. It is, essentially, an
after-the-fact approval, since the rodeo is already over
and the organization already placed its signs at the
fairgrounds arena. The commissioners voted, however, to
return the contract with one item deleted - a provision
which gives U.S. Smokeless a first right of refusal to
also match any deal offered for sponsorship of next
year's event. The contract calls for payment of $400
from U.S. Smokeless to the county, as well as
sponsorship of $3,600 to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys
Association (PRCA) which went to purse money at this
year's fair. ID# 7193
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"REALITY Illinois Slam-Dunks Big Tobacco at NBA
Hoop-It-Up in Chicago" (Yahoo News, Aug
20, 2003) --
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Aug. 20
/PRNewswire/ -- In Illinois, more than 34,800 teens
begin using tobacco each year and, if the trend
continues, one- third will die. To help combat this grim
statistic, REALITY Illinois, the state's teen-led
anti-tobacco movement, is teaming up with NBA
Hoop-It-Up, the premiere 3-on-3 basketball tour in the
world, to teach Illinois teens the truth about big
tobacco. The movement's Dying for a Smoke? mobile tour
will be at the 3-on-3-basketball tournament at Harper
College in Palatine on August 23-24. Dying for a Smoke?
is a 13-week statewide tour sponsored by the Illinois
Department of Public Health that features a hearse
driven by mock "funeral directors." At each
stop, participants will receive handouts outlining the
deadly effects of tobacco use and will have an
opportunity to get their photo taken in a mock coffin to
vividly illustrate the impact of tobacco use. ID#
7182
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"US FTC report says smokeless tobacco promotion up" (Reuters
News, August 12, 2003) -- WASHINGTON,
Aug 12 (Reuters) - Advertising and other promotional
expenditures for smokeless tobacco products like snuff
and chewing tobacco increased 39 percent between 1999
and 2001, according to a government report released on
Tuesday. Smokeless tobacco advertising and promotion
spending reached reached $236.7 million in 2001, the
U.S. Federal Trade Commission report said, up from
$170.2 million in 1999.Promotional allowances such as
those to retailers, and "buy one, get one
free" offers and other giveaways, were the top
expenditure categories in 2001, with coupons and
magazine advertising also contributing substantially to
industry spending, the FTC said. ID# 7167
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"Smoking law strikes teens" (Lisa
Black, The Chicago Tribune, August 12, 2003) -- Vince
Jaron doesn't smoke, but the high school freshman said
he's a victim of the tough new public-smoking ban in
Skokie just the same. He's now barred from his favorite
bowling alley. "I'm thinking it's a very bad
idea," said Jaron, 14, who used to bowl at Skokie
Lanes, the only bowling alley in town. "Why does
the fun in my life have to be taken away for the safety
of others? I don't care if I'm sitting next to a smoker.
If I'm bowling, I'm happy. "Owner James
Hammersmith, whose own sons, ages 14 and 13, can't enter
the alley until after hours, could close off the bar and
install a new ventilation system, or make the facility
smoke-free before and during a function attended by
children. ID# 7158
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"Retailers continue to sell tobacco to minors" (Yvette
Urrea, The North County Times, August 8, 2003) -- "It's
disturbing that approximately one in five merchants sold
cigarettes to juveniles," said Mata. "In many
cases, merchants were repeat offenders. "Merchants
who violate the law are fined $200 for the first
violation, $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for each
subsequent violation, he said. Stores also were
inspected for required signs stating that cigarettes
would not be sold to anyone under 18, according to state
law, police spokeswoman Karen McDonough said. Most
businesses were in compliance with this regulation, she
said. The enforcement program was paid for with a
$40,000 grant from the San Diego County Health and Human
Services Department. ID# 7155
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"Celebrities are offered free cigarettes for life" (Andrew
Bridges, The San Diego Union Tribune, August
8, 2003) -- LOS
ANGELES A tobacco company is offering a free
lifetime supply of cigarettes to celebrity smokers as
part of a marketing campaign to raise the public profile
of its recently launched brand. Freedom Tobacco
International Inc. said it was seeking to
"seed" its cigarettes with adult celebrities.
The appeal was made Tuesday to publicists through a
Web-based network subscribed to by hundreds of public
relations agencies. "To be honest, celebrities make
or break your brands. If you look at who drinks what or
that sort of thing, celebrity endorsements have always
meant a lot," said Patrick Carroll, founder and
chief executive of the New York-based company. But the
marketing ploy quickly drew criticism from anti-smoking
activists. ID# 7148
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"Smoking ban a boon for out-of-state bars" (CNN
news, August 3, 2003) -- SUGARGROVE,
Pennsylvania (AP) -- At a bar two miles south of the New
York line, Roxann Lang took a drag from her cigarette,
exhaled and smiled -- she knew no one was going to tell
her to put it out. Like other New York residents who
enjoy a smoke with their drink or meal but can't because
of that state's new law, Lang, 46, and her husband have
decided to trade their Jamestown, New York, bar for one
in northern Pennsylvania. Since the ban went into
effect, bars and restaurants along the New York state
line say they have seen more New Yorkers looking to
light up, creating a boon for establishments in
Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. ID#
7134
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"Smoking - 'shock tactics needed'" (BBC
News, August 3, 2003) -- Researchers
from the Cancer Research UK Centre for Tobacco Control
Research have conducted a study into the effectiveness
of using graphic images and warnings on cigarette packs.
They concluded health warnings had a shelf-life, and
once they lost their impact they were ignored by
smokers. The only way to combat "warning
fatigue" was to ensure messages were altered on a
regular basis, they said. The research, which was led by
experts based at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, was
conducted among smokers in seven countries. ID#
7135
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"Cigarette sales to teens fall" (Lisa
Rapaport, The Sacramento Bee, Augus1, 2003) -- Illegal
cigarette sales to California teens dropped 37 percent
over the past year, according to statistics gathered
during an annual sting operation by state law
enforcement officials. When state officials dispatched
under-18 youths to stores earlier this year, those teens
scammed packs 12.2 percent of the time, according to a
report released Thursday. That's the first decline in
four years. "California has among the most
aggressive efforts to curb smoking in the nation, and
this is the result of several years of work by multiple
state agencies to crack down on people who break the law
by selling cigarettes to kids," said Daniel Zingale,
Cabinet secretary to Gov. Gray Davis. ID# 7124
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"W. Va. Ads Bad Female Habits Harm Babies" (The
Associated Press, The
New York Times, August 4, 2003) -- MORGANTOWN,
W.Va. (AP) -- It's a scene that seldom needs to be
staged Two women in jeans, puffing and sipping the hours
away in a crowded bar. But this time, it's staged. A
makeup artist dabs, fluffs and spritzes the blond,
20-something actresses as dozens of extras trickle past
the camera crew and into Crockett's Lounge. They are
players in a local commercial that will begin airing in
late August or early September with a warning to women
of childbearing age Prepare your body for pregnancy even
if you aren't planning one. That means giving up
cigarettes and alcohol, two habits that present well
known but commonly ignored risks to a fetus, said Penny
Womeldorff, director of the Healthy Start program at
West Virginia University. ID# 7127
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"Unplugging Online Tobacco Sales" (Robert
Macmillan, The Washington Post, August 4, 2003) -- An
effort to restrict online tobacco sales got a boost on
Capitol Hill last week even as senators scrambled to
vote on a number of hot-button topics before leaving for
their summer break. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) was able to get his colleagues on
the committee to approve the Prevent All Cigarette
Trafficking -- or PACT -- Act. The bill, which Hatch and
Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) introduced in June, would try to
cut down on the spread of illegal cigarette sales on the
Internet by requiring tobacco merchants to keep records
of and report their interstate tobacco sales. People who
are caught evading cigarette taxes would face prison
terms of up to two years, along with up to $100,000 in
fines ID# 7129
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"EU Cigarette
Packs to Get Graphic Health Warnings" (Patricia
Reany, Yahoo News, August 3, 2003) --
LONDON (Reuters) -
Cigarette packs in Europe could soon carry graphic
images showing the harmful effects of tobacco to remind
smokers of how they are damaging their health, experts
said Monday. A poll commissioned by the European
Commission (news - web sites) to test the effectiveness
of warnings on cigarette packs revealed that they were
being ignored by many smokers. So regularly updated
images of diseased organs, similar to the graphic
pictures used on cigarette packs in Canada, may now
accompany the health warnings. "The EC is now going
through the process of deciding which pictures will be
available and what form they will take," said
Professor Gerard Hastings, of the Cancer Research UK
Center for Tobacco Control Research at the University of
Strathclyde. He added that they could be on packs in
about 18 months. ID# 7130
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"Smoking ban leads them to drink" (Scott
Wymann, The Chicago Tribune, July 30, 2003) --
Forget the cosmopolitan.
Set aside the mojito. A new drink has emerged on trendy
Las Olas Boulevard since restaurants were forced to ban
smoking -- the nicotini. Call it a liquid cigarette
because this drink comes complete with the nicotine rush
and tobacco aftertaste found in a pack of Camels. These
tobacco-spiked martinis are being served up for die-hard
smokers who don't want to leave their barstools and go
outside to light up.Larry Wald, the owner of the Cathode
Ray Club, came up with the homemade brew as he searched
for ways to help smokers cope with the new smoke-free
atmosphere Florida voters ordered last fall. Soak
tobacco leaves in vodka overnight, deaden the juice's
harshness by adding a couple other liquors, and voilŕ,
the nicotini of Las Olas. ID# 7116
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"Bill to Crack Down on Cigarette Traffic" (The
New York Times, July
31, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Legislation approved by a Senate panel Thursday
would crack down on illegal cigarette trafficking and,
supporters said, cut off a lucrative source of income
for organized crime and terrorist groups. The measure
endorsed by the Senate Judiciary Committee would make it
a felony, with increased criminal penalties, to smuggle
cigarettes out of states with low sales taxes for resale
at lower than market value in states with high cigarette
taxes. Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Herb Kohl, D-Wis.,
the bill's sponsors, said such trafficking costs states
millions of dollars in lost revenue every year. ID#
7117
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"Senate Tobacco Bill Gains Momentum" (Marc
Kauffman, The Washington Post, August 1, 2003) -- The
Republican Senate leadership is coalescing around a plan
that would give the Food and Drug Administration
oversight over the tobacco industry while providing a
buyout for tobacco growers and holders of quotas to grow
tobacco. In a sign that the process is picking up
momentum, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) announced yesterday
that the committee he heads will soon take up a bill
that would give FDA authority over cigarette
advertising, manufacturing and some aspects of content.
The bill, which Gregg said had the general support of
the Republican leadership and had been shown to the
White House and the FDA, would allow the FDA to restrict
advertising targeted to children and to require changes
in tobacco products. It would also set stricter
guidelines for determining whether tobacco companies can
advertise redesigned cigarettes as less harmful. ID#
7118
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"New TV ads slam pushing tobacco to poor" (Jessica
Brice, The San Diego Union Tribune, July
30, 2003) --
SACRAMENTO State
officials unveiled two new television spots yesterday
that slam the tobacco industry's attempts to push
smoking on poor minority communities. The spots come on
the heels of a federal court ruling allowing California
to keep running its tough anti-smoking ads despite
tobacco companies' complaints that they shouldn't be
forced to pay for ads they disagree with. Also
yesterday, five Western states announced a deal with oil
company BP West Coast Products to crack down on
cigarette sales to minors at its ARCO gas stations. ID#
7105
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"Study fuels suspicions that cigarette makers
manipulate nicotine levels" (Andrew Kramer, The
San Diego Union Tribune, July 29, 2003) -- PORTLAND,
Ore. A study found that some brands of cigarettes
deliver a much more powerful nicotine "kick"
than others, adding to suspicions that manufacturers
deliberately blend tobacco to boost the addictive
effect. Smoke from 11 brands of cigarettes was analyzed
for a specific form of nicotine called "free
base" that passes quickly into the bloodstream when
it is inhaled. American Spirit, a brand owned by R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Co., topped the list. It was followed
by the French brand Gauloises Brunes, according to the
study by Oregon Health & Science University chemist
James F. Pankow. Their free-nicotine levels were around
25 to 35 times higher than those of the lowest-level
cigarettes. ID# 7108
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"Congressman Green Cosponsors Internet Tobacco Tax
Bill" (WBAY NEWS, July 25, 2003) -- A
bipartisan proposal offered in part by Wisconsin
Congressman Mark Green would make it easier for states
to prosecute Internet vendors for not collecting taxes
on cigarette sales. Representatives Green and Democrat
Marty Meehan of Massachusetts say it would give states
badly needed revenue and discourage kids from smoking.
The bill requires Internet sellers to comply with all
applicable tax laws and requires they register with
states in which they sell cigarettes. It also gives
state attorneys general the authority to bring lawsuits
in federal court against Internet sellers who do not
collect taxes. ID# 7094
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"City looks to snuff underage smoking" (Ben
Goddar, The Los Angeles Times, July 26, 2003) -- CIVIC
CENTER The City Council is considering an ordinance
to regulate tobacco retailers as a way to curb the sale
of cigarettes to minors. Under the proposed ordinance,
discussed by the council and city staff Tuesday night,
merchants would be required to secure a license in order
to sell tobacco products. Elaine Pease, senior license
and code services inspector, said local legislation
would allow the city to issue fines and possibly revoke
the licenses of retailers who repeatedly sell tobacco
products to underage customers. ID# 7095
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"Report Says Restaurant Jobs Unaffected by Smoking
Ban" (The New York Times, July
26, 2003) -- Employment
in New York City restaurants and bars has increased
slightly since the law restricting smoking went into
effect on March 30, according to city health officials,
defying predictions from critics that the industry would
be harmed. City employment figures for that industry
show that jobs increased to 164,900 from 155,200 between
March 11 and June 11, the Health Department said. That
9,700-job increase, part of a national trend, also
represents an acceleration over the same period last
year in the rate of jobs created by New York City
restaurants and bars, the department added. ID#
7097
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"Judge tosses tobacco firms' suit over ads" (Denny
Walsh, The Sacramento Bee, July 24, 2003) -- California
has a legal right to use taxes it collects from
cigarette companies to bash them in a multi-media
campaign against smoking, a Sacramento federal judge
ruled Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton
denied a request to bar industry-financed advertisements
objectionable to giants R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and
Lorillard Tobacco, and he threw out their lawsuit
against the Davis administration. In a 57-page opinion,
Karlton noted that the companies cast their plight as
different from others targeted by government speech
because "the state is using taxes paid by a
specific industry to finance advertising that condemns
that very industry." ID# 7088
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"Cigarette sales to teens to be curbed" (The Chicago Tribune, July
25, 2003) -- PARIS,
FRANCE -- Advancing a nationwide anti-smoking campaign,
the French Senate passed a law Thursday banning
cigarette sales to minors younger than 16 and raising
the price per pack for the second time this year. The
bill had already cleared the National Assembly,
Parliament's lower house. Under the new law, tobacco
vendors could be fined $170 for selling cigarettes,
tobacco or rolling paper to anyone under 16. Lawmakers
backed down from an earlier proposal to jail violators
for a year, revoke their licenses and fine them more
than $4,000 for selling tobacco to underage kids. ID#
7090
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"Study Indicates New York City Smoke-Free Law Has
Not Harmed Economy, Says Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids" (Yahoo
News, July 25, 2003) -- WASHINGTON,
July 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a statement of
William V. Corr, executive director of the Campaign for
Tobacco-Free Kids, on a study indicating that a New York
City smoke-free law has not harmed the economy "A
new study released this week by New York City's
Department of Health shows that New York City's
restaurants and bars have added more jobs since the
city's new smoke-free workplace law took effect March 30
than in the same period a year ago. This study is the
first evidence of the economic impact of New York City's
smoke-free law that is based on hard economic data
rather than anecdotes, and it indicates strongly that
the new law is not hurting restaurants and bars. These
findings refute claims by opponents of the new law that
it has hurt the restaurant and bar business and are
consistent with studies and economic data in other
communities and states with smoke-free laws, which show
consistently that smoke-free laws have a neutral or
slightly positive impact on business. ID# 7091 (go
to article)
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"Judge Dismisses Anti-Tobacco Ad Lawsuit" (Yahoo
News, July 23, 2003) -- SACRAMENTO,
Calif. - A federal judge has dismissed claims by two
tobacco companies that California's tough anti-smoking
ads unfairly smear their reputation, saying the ads are
"simply the cost of living in a democracy." A
spokeswoman for cigarette makers R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Co. said the North Carolina-based company, along with
Lorillard Tobacco Co., would appeal the Tuesday ruling.
The tobacco giants which together claim 35 percent
of California's tobacco market sued the state
Department of Health Services in April to stop a series
of ads that it said vilify tobacco companies and their
executives. ID# 7080
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"UST Seeks FTC Comments on Tobacco Ad" (Reuters, July
21, 2003) -- U.S.
Smokeless Tobacco Co. said on Monday it is inviting
comments from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on an
advertisement it plans to use to promote its Revel
tobacco packs, a spit-free product the company hopes to
pitch to smokers as an alternative to cigarettes. U.S.
Smokeless, the top U.S. maker of smokeless tobacco
products with brands such as Copenhagen and Skoal, is
the main unit of Greenwich, Connecticut-based UST
Inc. (UST.N). The company said the ad for Revel,
which was already test marketed and may return to test
markets later this year, does not make any claim about
the relative health risk of smokeless tobacco versus
cigarettes. ID# 7065
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"Justices asked to nullify smoking law" (The
Missoulian, July 12, 2003) -- HELENA
(AP) A Supreme Court filing Thursday asked justices
to nullify a new law that overrides some local smoking
ordinances. A coalition of physicians and health and
advocacy groups says the law overturns rights of local
governments and violates Montanas Constitution and
legislative rules. The groups, supporters of a strict
smoking ban in Helena that even banned smoking in pubs,
said communities should have a right to pass such bans.
"I think the point were trying to get across is
this is about the publics health and the public chose
a standard," said Dave McAlpin of
ProtectMontanaKids.org. "We think it was
inappropriate for the Legislature to overturn the vote
of the Helena community." ID# 7046
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"Skokie bars
smoking in most public places" (Douglas
Holt, The Chicago Tribune, July 8, 2003) --
Rejecting arguments that
local restaurants will lose customers and revenue,
Skokie officials late Monday adopted the state's
toughest anti-smoking law--barring smoking in nearly all
public places--while the mayor exhorted activists to
push for a statewide ban. The ordinance, which passed
6-1, bans smoking in shopping malls, workplaces, sports
stadiums and most restaurants. "I'm really proud of
Skokie today," said Village Trustee Randall
Roberts, who voted for the law. "It's a giant leap
forward for our village." ID# 7007
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"Council OKs head
shop ordinance" (Dana Littlefield, The San Diego Union Tribune, July
7, 2003) --
OCEANSIDE If you're not
old enough to buy cigarettes, you're not old enough to
enter a smoke shop that displays tobacco along with drug
paraphernalia, city officials have decided. The City
Council unanimously amended an ordinance Wednesday night
to make it illegal for anyone younger than 18 to enter
the businesses, commonly known as head shops, in
Oceanside. Council members approved the item without
discussion. The revised ordinance will go into effect
Aug. 1. The new language in the ordinance is expected to
reduce youths' exposure to such items as pipes and
bongs, which can be used for legal and illegal drugs. ID#
6997
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"Less smoking shown
on TV, study reports" (The San Diego Union Tribune, July
6, 2003) --
LOS ANGELES The
depiction of smoking and tobacco use on major network
programs has declined, according to an American Lung
Association study. That contrasts with movies, which a
previously released report shows are caught in a smoky
haze, the association said Wednesday. "When it
comes to tobacco use and young people, the stakes could
not be higher," said Kori Titus of the
Sacramento-area chapter of the American Lung
Association. Studies show if they don't pick up the
habit before age 18, it's unlikely they will as an
adult, she said. ID# 6998
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"Smoking-Ban
Lessons Just Minutes Away" (Darragh
Johnson, The Washington Post, July 7, 2003) --
NEWARK, Del. -- For the
first six months after Delaware passed one of the
nation's most stringent anti-smoking laws, Breakers Bar
and Billiards remained a sanctuary where folks could
light up without fear of being snuffed out. Owner
Desiree Mulford didn't mind the $350 in fines to the
Division of Public Health. She took in much more than
that on, say, a smoky Wednesday night with her regular
open mike band, Kenny Jones and the Jaded Angels. But
after her name surfaced in the local paper a few weeks
ago as one of the state's top smoking scofflaws, she had
no choice but to crack down. Since then, Mulford said
she has lost more than 50 percent of her business. Open
mike Wednesdays, which used to draw 100 to 150 patrons,
now gets about 40, and she's had to drop the band's take
from $300 to $200. ID# 6999
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"City bans smoking
in public buildings" (The Chicago
Tribune, July 2, 2003) -- LEXINGTON,
KENTUCKY -- Leaders of this city in the heart of
Kentucky's tobacco industry voted Tuesday to ban smoking
in most public buildings.The ban, to take effect Sept.
29, is the first of its kind in the state, the nation's
second-largest tobacco producer after North Carolina.
The 11-3 vote by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County
Council is "another sign of the lack of influence
of tobacco, even in tobacco country," said Scotty
Baesler, a former congressman and former Lexington
mayor, as well as a tobacco farmer. ID# 6963
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"A First for
Tobacco Country No Smoking" (The
Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2003) --
Leaders of Lexington, which
is in the heart of the state's tobacco industry, voted
to ban smoking in most public buildings effective Sept.
29. The ban is the first of its kind in the state, the
nation's second-largest tobacco producer after North
Carolina. ID# 6964
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"USDA tobacco
reports raise questions" (The Sacramento
Bee, July 1, 2003) -- WASHINGTON
(AP) - The Agriculture Department, which is prohibited
from marketing U.S. tobacco overseas, has been
conducting studies of foreign tobacco markets that are
available to American tobacco companies, a congressional
report says. Congress has banned the department's
Foreign Agricultural Service from promoting the sale or
export of tobacco or tobacco products overseas since
1994 because of tobacco's effects on health. The study
by the General Accounting Office found that the agency
regularly gathers and distributes, on its Web site and
through published reports, tobacco-related information
that identifies foreign tobacco production and
consumption rates, import trends and changes in foreign
regulations. ID# 6966
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"Ogilvy &
Mather pulls anti-smoking ads" (Claire
Cozens, The
Media Guardian, July 1, 2003) -- A
leading advertising agency has been forced to drop a
hard-hitting poster campaign warning of the dangers of
passive smoking to avoid a damaging run-in with one of
its biggest clients, tobacco giant BAT. The WPP-owned
agency Ogilvy & Mather offered to create a campaign
free of charge for the anti-smoking pressure group
Action on Smoking and Health after two junior creatives
won a competition to devise a campaign for the charity
of their choice. The posters, which showed a cigarette
made to look like the barrel of a gun firing a bullet,
were supposed to go up this week on giant hoardings near
the agency's Canary Wharf offices. ID# 6974
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