As part of a tobacco free initiative agreed last week by countries in the Western Pacific region, the Korean government has set a target of reducing the nation’s smoking rate by 10 percent over the coming five years, health officials said yesterday. The World Health Organization has helped its member states fighting against the smoking issue by offering five-year plans since 1990. The pact signed last Wednesday is the latest, updated version of a package of six policies to reduce the demand for and consumption of tobacco products. The package includes: monitor tobacco use and prevention ... Jump to full article >>

Carlo Ancelotti would have been thankful for the ban on smoking in Premier League grounds as Chelsea surrendered their eight-game winning run against Wigan yesterday. The sight of Petr Cech heading for an early bath, coupled with worrying whether notoriously capricious Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would be granting him another month in the job would have tested the Italian’s resolve as he tries to kick the habit. He was famous for dragging on a cigarette in Serie A as the nerves got too much for him during AC Milan’s matches. The coach has spurned the use of an anti-smoking patc ... Jump to full article >>

Complaints from tenants about second-hand smoke have prompted Waterloo Region to consider banning smoking in their multi-unit dwellings. “In general, I would support some kind of restrictions with respect to second-hand smoke” said Coun. Sean Strickland, chair of regional council’s community services committee, which oversees regional housing. A report on the issue is slated to be before regional council next month. Strickland said the issue is riddled with concerns such as a municipality’s right to prohibit a person from smoking in their own home to enforcement of such a ban. The regi ... Jump to full article >>

WASHINGTON — The top distributor of clove-flavored tobacco products in the U.S. is asking a federal court to decide whether its new filtered cigars fall under a new federal ban on flavored cigarettes. Kretek International Inc., which imports Djarum brand tobacco products from Indonesia, sued the Food and Drug Administration Sept. 22. The company claims the FDA, which was granted authority to regulate tobacco in June, has threatened to ban its products and the regulator is causing the company to lose money. The FDA’s ban on manufacturing, importing, marketing and distributing candy-, fr ... Jump to full article >>

The Ontario provincial government has filed a $50-billion lawsuit against a group of tobacco companies to seek compensation for what it says are past and future costs associated with tobacco uses. “This represents the health care costs borne by Ontario taxpayers since 1955,” the ministry of the attorney general said Tuesday in a news release that explained where the $50 billion figure came from. The government set the stage for this lawsuit with legislation introduced in March. According to a government news release, the legislation allows Ontario to: directly sue tobacco compani ... Jump to full article >>

The D.C. Council is eyeing an extension of the city’s anti-tobacco prohibitions into public space, allowing all private property owners to ban smoking outside their buildings — including the public sidewalk. The proposed legislation, a major expansion of the District’s smoke-free law, sets 18 as the legal age to purchase or possess tobacco products, requires retailers to post signs warning of the dangers of smoking, ramps up enforcement of sales to minors and authorizes smoking bans up to 25 feet from the wall of any private property — residential or commercial. The goa ... Jump to full article >>

Despite a legislative snag last week, sidewalks around the Hospital of St. Raphael, located on Chapel Street near Orchard Street, will in all likelihood become smoke-free in the coming weeks. At the Board of Aldermen meeting last Monday night, the board shelved a proposal to ban smoking on the sidewalks surrounding the hospital. Ward 23 Alderman Yusuf Shah, whose ward includes St. Raphael’s, attempted to fast-track the ban through a process known as unanimous consent, but Ward 1 Alderwoman Rachel Plattus ’09 and Ward 9 Alderman Roland Lemar voiced objections, arguing that the ban should no ... Jump to full article >>

A group representing 18,000 independent UK retailers has pleaded with Labour MPs to oppose new legislation that would ban tobacco products being displayed in shops. The National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) said the proposals failed to protect small retailers and were a concession to the “onslaught of misinformation from the anti smoking lobby”. The tobacco display ban is in clause 21 of the Health Bill which gets its Report Stage hearing before the House of Commons on October 12. Mike Penning, Conservative MP for Hemel Hempstead, has tabled an amendment to remove the cl ... Jump to full article >>

There have been nearly 50 violations of the newly implemented smoking ban in residence halls as of Monday – a surprisingly high number, university officials said. “It was higher than I thought it would be,” said Tom Ellett, assistant vice president for residential education. Beginning this fall semester, a smoking policy prohibits students from smoking in NYU residence halls, mainly out of concern for students’ health, university spokesman John Beckman said. Previously, students who identified themselves as smokers could be put into smoking rooms and live only with othe ... Jump to full article >>

Sarah Harding has been spotted puffing away on one and Kate Moss is said to be on the waiting list for the most unlikely must-have accessory of London Fashion Week: an electronic cigarette. Perhaps even more surprising is the woman who is touting these little white sticks around town: Lady Victoria Hervey. The 32-year-old former It girl has just returned from Los Angeles, where she had been pursuing an acting career, as the face of SmokeStik Royale, a luxury electronic cigarette, which she has helped to design. Billed as a healthy alternative to cigarettes, these battery-powered devices conta ... Jump to full article >>

Cigar Legend Rolls Up Google Earth, Mash-Ups and Tweets to Announce the Arrival of His Much Anticipated Brand. Acclaimed Cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Launches Innovative Website to Help Introduce Eponymous Brand NEW YORK, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ — Famed cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is still a few months away from debuting the inaugural cigar from his newly formed company, but the legendary cigarmaker is providing a taste of his unique approach with the launch of an innovative “Coming Soon” website that mashes up Google Maps with real-time short messaging service Twitt ... Jump to full article >>