The Legislature is considering very important legislation that affects the health of all Alabamians, SB372, a bill that will make all Alabama workplaces smoke-free. My husband was an Air Force pilot who flew the KC-135 throughout his career. He would come home from flights with the stench of tobacco covering him until the U.S. Air Force said enough and made aircraft, and eventually the Air Force, smoke-free. People cannot control the atmosphere of their workplace any more than my husband could control the air in his cockpit. It takes strong leadership to protect non-smokers. Let’s unders ... Jump to full article >>

A trial in which more than two dozen health care providers went after big tobacco companies for losses treating smokers was expected to last at least six months but reached closing arguments Wednesday in less than half that time. It appeared that time was saved when the defense rested its case after presenting just three witnesses and playing parts of video depositions. The nationally watched suit, filed in 1998 as the City of St. Louis v. American Tobacco, overcame legal challenges that kept about 160 similar cases around the country from reaching trial. Twenty-nine plaintiffs representing 3 ... Jump to full article >>

Olive green is the latest weapon in the ongoing battle between the Australian government and Big Tobacco. This week, the Gillard government unveiled aggressive new proposals to eradicate branding on cigarette packaging, and to make it as ugly and plain as possible. Packets of cigarettes here already carry grotesque pictures of cancer tumours and the carcinogenic effects of nicotine. Now they will be even more prominent, and cover virtually the entire packet – 90% on the back and 75% on the front. particularly Research has found that dark olive is the most unattractive colour for consume ... Jump to full article >>

About 200 workers gathered Tuesday in Tallahassee for a rally and march to the Capitol in support of a bill they say would close a tax loophole on Dosal Tobacco. As part of an $11.3 billion settlement in 1997 between the state and large tobacco companies, fees are tacked onto cigarettes from most tobacco producers and passed on to the consumer. Dosal Tobacco, a Miami-based company, was not part of the settlement and, without having to charge the tax, can sell their 305s brand cheaper than other companies. House Bill 1207, sponsored by Rep. John Tobia, R-Melbourne, would place the new fee ̵ ... Jump to full article >>

WEST PALM BEACH — Even when he was coughing up blood and knew he was dying from lung cancer, Dominick Tullo still wanted a cigarette. If that’s not addiction, an attorney for Tullo’s widow asked a jury Thursday, what is? The Palm Beach County jury’s answer to that question will be key to whether four tobacco giants will be forced to pay 87-year-old Mary Tullo millions for the loss of her husband of 51 years. Dominick Tullo, a New York City native who spent the last decade of his life in Lake Worth, succumbed to lung cancer in 1998 at age 74. To win, attorney Steven Hammer m ... Jump to full article >>

TOBACCO giant Philip Morris has launched a website calling on smokers to unite and flex their political muscle over tough federal government regulations. The online campaign comes as the tobacco industry ramps up opposition to a government plan for cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging from next year. Philip Morris’s new website – ideservetobeheard.com.au – claims smokers are under constant attack from a ”nanny state” determined to raise taxes and ban smoking in public spaces, such as beaches and city malls. ”If you’re tired of being singled out as ... Jump to full article >>

We are a group of 10- to 16-year-olds from Greater New Hope Church in Indianapolis. We belong to the VOICE movement, which is Indiana’s youth-led movement against Big Tobacco targeting their products to us. Today is Kick Butts Day, a national day of activism that empowers youth to take action against Big Tobacco. Big Tobacco doesn’t want us to think secondhand smoke is a problem. We’ve been working with our adult allies and we know secondhand smoke is a big problem. We are writing to show our support for a smoke-free air law that protects everyone, such as the first version o ... Jump to full article >>

The presence of LGBT themes in cigarette ads surprised a crowd of people at a workshop during the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference at the University of Michigan last month. Because LGBT people are more likely to smoke cigarettes, the industry has responded accordingly. According to the American Legacy Foundation, sexual minorities are 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely to smoke cigarettes. Bisexual women are up to 3.5 times more likely to be smokers. Cigarette companies strive to associate with LGBT people – but not to come across as a pro-LGBT company, said Jai ... Jump to full article >>

America’s largest cigarette manufacturers have said the Justice Department’s proposed corrective statements about smoking’s dangers are inflammatory and inaccurate and violate guidelines set by the court overseeing the lawsuit. The tobacco companies, including Philip Morris USA, maker of top-selling Marlboro cigarettes, also asked a US district judge to toss out the 12-year-old lawsuit, saying the Food and Drug Administration’s authority over the industry makes the court’s involvement unnecessary. Last week, the Justice Department released 14 “corrective st ... Jump to full article >>

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy tapped a member of the legal team that helped bring Connecticut a multi-billion settlement against the tobacco industry one decade ago to become the new head of the Department of Consumer Protection. Malloy, who announced his selection of Hartford attorney William M. Rubenstein, 59, Monday morning in the Legislative Office Building, charged his new commissioner with keeping a close watch on the “charlatans” that are bilking consumers on ever-growing Internet markets. “The Department of Consumer Protection has a broad mandate – spanning a range of ... Jump to full article >>

OTTAWA – The feds are promising to take on Big Tobacco after accusations they caved to the powerful lobby. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says she’s close to making a decision on new warning labels for cigarette packs after health organizations, provincial health ministers and opposition MPs accused her of shelving a plan for an update. Aglukkaq’s critics say she was influenced by tobacco company lobbying. The minister denies that, saying she agrees bigger labels with more graphic pictures will be more effective. “We’re not in bed with Big Tobacco,” she said. “I have ... Jump to full article >>