CIGARETTES have shot to the top of the list of smuggled dutiable items in the country following a price hike in tobacco goods in November 2010. This was disclosed during a meeting between Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) officials and grassroots leaders of Mukim Pengkalan Batu. Mouse trails are being used to transport the undeclared goods into the country and RBPF is deploying forest rangers to combat smuggling activities. Chairing the meeting yesterday, Superintendent (Supt) Pengiran Hj Zamani Pengiran Hj Ahmed said that while inspections made at customs checkpoints were clear, smugglers are ... Jump to full article >>

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lost another round in its battle to regulate electronic cigarettes as drug-delivery devices rather than as tobacco products. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat cartridges of liquid containing nicotine to create a mist that users inhale. The FDA classifies them as drug-delivery devices like nicotine patches and gums – products that it must approve before they can be marketed. In December, a three-judge appeals panel in the District of Columbia (D.C.) disagreed with the FDA’s position. The panel ruled that the FDA could only reg ... Jump to full article >>

HOPKINTON — A group seeking to ban possession of tobacco products by town minors is revising its proposal after hearing a few critiques last night from selectmen. Most of the board endorsed the general idea of a new bylaw, with Selectman Todd Cestari saying, “I don’t see how an adult, knowing the dangers, cannot support this.” But others questioned whether an escalating series of fines for violators is necessary and how officers will identify offenders without unduly harassing residents who are 18 but appear younger. “We get into fuzzy areas of someone looking younger ... Jump to full article >>

A ban on tobacco displays in shops has been delayed because of an ongoing legal challenge, the Scottish government has said. The new law, voted in by MSPs at the start of 2010, was due to begin for larger retailers in October this year. But Imperial Tobacco is appealing against a decision dismissing its original challenge in 2010, meaning the legislation cannot be used. Ministers say they will announce an implementation date when possible. The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Act aims to discourage young people from taking up smoking by banning shops from displaying cigarettes and other to ... Jump to full article >>

A North Dakota bill intending to use tobacco settlement funding for a university’s health care expansion will get its first hearing on Jan. 31. If it passes, the bill would funnel $28.9 million of tobacco settlement funding into a new health sciences facility at University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. It would also allot $5.8 million toward boosting the number of primary care physicians in the state and placing more of them in rural areas. House Bill 1353 has caused some dismay among health officials. Jennifer Mauch, Richland County tobacco prevention coordinator, said the biggest reaso ... Jump to full article >>

A federal lawsuit has been filed against King County, Wash., for its decision to reject advertisements about “Israeli war crimes” on downtown Seattle buses. The Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Seattle last week charging that King County violated the campaign’s First Amendment rights. The suit asks the court to order the county to place the ad for four weeks on the sides of 12 buses, as the Metro Transit system and its ad agency originally agreed to do. The Seattle Midwest Awarene ... Jump to full article >>

Is the outgoing Minister of Health still a chain-smoker? If the answer is yes, could that be the reason why he did not show any interest in pushing for the passage of the Anti Tobacco Bill? Are Ghanaian parliamentarians simply unaware of the negative health implications of public smoking or they don’t just fathom why tobacco or cigarette smoking should be banned (in public places) or regulated in the strictest form? Can’t the few medical doctors, nurses and other health professionals who are serving as lawmakers in The House and occupying ministerial positions advice or give good suggestio ... Jump to full article >>

New details emerged Tuesday from a trove of emails obtained by groups suing to stop the handover of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Tobacco Warehouse to an arts group. Among the revelations: Bigtime DUMBO developers lashed out at the idea their carousel might not get a prime spot in the park – and the group tapped to take over the warehouse arranged theater tickets for the park’s president. Developer Jed Walentas lashed out at the suggestion that Jane’s Carousel – donated to the park by his family – might not be placed where they wanted it in Empire Fulton Ferry Park ... Jump to full article >>

KNOXVILLE — Knoxville Police Department officers are trying to unravel Monday morning incident in which a car crashed into a tobacco store on Centerline Drive. An officer responding to a “business burglary” at the Tobacco King store found an Eagle Summitt had been driven through the front door and window of the store. While the officer was waiting for the store owner to arrive, a man drove up in another vehicle and identified the vehicle in the window as his. The man stated that he and his son had noticed the car missing from their front yard “at about the same time” that the store w ... Jump to full article >>

ALBANY – New York State tobacco control advocates descended on Albany to educate New York leaders about the important role tobacco use prevention and cessation have in preventing youth initiation and reducing healthcare costs. Among those hundreds were three colleges students from Chautauqua County and their program coordinator for Colleges for Change. New York State spends $8.17 billion annually in medical costs to treat tobacco caused diseases and 25,400 New Yorkers die each year due to tobacco use. The focal point of this year’s legislative day is the mock “convenience sto ... Jump to full article >>

The chief and council members of a first nation on Hobbema are demanding the province return about 75,000 cartons of cigarettes seized earlier this month. Edmonton lawyer Chady Moustarah said the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) didn’t have the jurisdiction to seize the tobacco products from the Montana First Nation because it falls under federal jurisdiction. “It’s not contraband and it’s not illegal. This is approved by the Canadian government,” said Moustarah. “The mandate of the overwhelming majority of the people is to pursue this vigorously and demand the return of ... Jump to full article >>