California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (L) hugs a US soldier during his visit to Camp Victory Arnold Schwarzenegger flew in to Iraq on a morale-boosting visit for US troops on Monday, drawing cheers from servicemen and women, some of whom were lucky enough to be gifted a cigar. “I was here in 2003 and before I left I said ‘I’ll be back’,” the Hollywood actor turned politician told almost 400 soldiers, mimicking his most famous line from the “Terminator” movies that made him a global star. Schwarzenegger met troops at Camp Victory, a giant U ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco and FMCG major ITC on Wednesday hiked prices of its premium cigarettes — India Kings and Benson & Hedges — in the range of 5-10%. While India Kings, priced at Rs 100, will now cost Rs 110, a pack of Benson & Hedges will come for Rs 105 against Rs 100 earlier. An ITC spokesperson confirmed the hike but declined to give details. Anand Shah, an analyst with Angel Broking, said the hike was partly to compensate for various regulatory issues and also because the company has seen earlier price hikes being absorbed without a dip in sales. “It has strong pricing power and benign ... Jump to full article >>

Newton —This week the Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance disallowing pharmacies from selling tobacco products. We are very disappointed in the vote and in the 18 aldermen who supported the measure, including some who told us privately that they were opposed to such a ban but didn’t want to be seen as pro-smoking. We applaud Aldermen Bill Brandel, Jay Harney and Amy Sangiolo for courageously voting against it. We despise cigarettes just as much as the next person. We have loved ones who have died from lung cancer caused by smoking. We think that establishments that sell cigarettes to min ... Jump to full article >>

Newton —The Board of Aldermen approved a ban forbidding pharmacies from selling tobacco products in the city by a wide margin Monday night. The measure passed without discussion. In an 18-3 vote, members approved the ban, which supporters said was intended to prevent those in the public health business from selling cigarettes and other tobacco items. Aldermen Bill Brandel, Amy Sangiolo and Jay Harney cast the only nay votes against the ban. Supporters of the proposal said at a previous meeting that pharmacies should not sell cigarettes because they also sell medicine — including medication ... Jump to full article >>

Representatives of law enforcement groups, public health organizations and trade associations today gathered on Capitol Hill to urge the Senate to pass S. 1147, the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009 (PACT Act). This legislation will help combat online cigarette sales that have robbed hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues from the states and that undermine state laws that prevent youth access to tobacco products. This bill closes gaps in current federal laws regulating “remote” or “delivery” sales of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. These ... Jump to full article >>

Faced with strong opposition to the draconian measures contained in the Tobacco Control Bill, Government yesterday relaxed some of the prohibitions and rolled back some of the harsher penalties. Health Minister Jerry Narace in winding up in debate in the Senate yesterday said he was backing down with regret and that it bothered him to have to concede on some of the points. He said the domestic worker was being put at risk as the children in the homes, in conceding that home could not be defined as a workplace, except where it is used for the purpose of ’manufacture, distribution and trade’ ... Jump to full article >>

With a recession and record unemployment in full swing, with furloughs of city employees and the negative effect on their family budgets hanging over the heads; with revenue shortfalls threatening even more cuts; with all these and more, it’s no wonder some residents hanker for a good cigar or a toke on a tobacco hookah. The concern is smoking lounges where people can, well, smoke to their heart’s detriment. The City Council today will try to clear the air over smoking lounges, which are legal in the city. They will look at sensible regulations for the 12 smoking and hookah lounges ... Jump to full article >>

November 17, 2009 – ALBANY — State Senator Carl Kruger is working to close the state’s deficit as Senate Finance Committee chairman, and recently held a press conference urging Gov. David Paterson to collect taxes on cigarettes sold on Native American reservations to non-Native Americans. “We have to ask everybody to share both the benefits and the burdens of being a New Yorker,” Kruger was quoted saying at a press conference, by the New York Daily News. “Part of being a New Yorker is paying taxes that are assessed upon you.” He added: “Today is ... Jump to full article >>

Smokers may soon be able to break their habit with an injectable vaccine that prevents nicotine in tobacco entering the brain, where it creates a highly addictive sensation of pleasure. The NicVAX vaccine moved closer to the market yesterday after a deal between GlaxoSmithKline and the US biotech company Nabi Pharmaceuticals, which developed the product. GSK will pay $40m (£24m) up front and as much as $500m in the future to Nabiat a time of growing concern over the heavy burden of tobacco-related diseases as one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide. The product potentially op ... Jump to full article >>

Officials today rejected claims that the removal of point of sale advertising and display of tobacco products in shops has led to an increase in tobacco smuggling. The Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) has said that there is no evidence to back up the claims. “We have to stick with the facts and the facts are that there is no basis for any link between recent tobacco control measures and smuggling,“ said OTC Chief Executive Eamonn Rossi. “Smuggling of tobacco is in itself a serious problem and we congratulate the Revenue Commissioners and the gardaí on their recent successes in tackling ... Jump to full article >>

Shocking figures today on the extent of cyberbullying in our schools. Research for the charity Beatbullying showed that over 60% of 11-18-year-olds said they’d witnessed some form of online bullying. It ranges from unkind words on an instant messaging service to full-blown hate campaigns which in extreme cases have driven some children to suicide. Man using laptopBut, as we shake our heads and ask ourselves how it came to this, shouldn’t we also be asking another question: are adults any better? You don’t have to roam far online to find examples of rudeness, aggression and do ... Jump to full article >>