‘Smell this,” says Luigi Silletta, pulling the lid off a glass jar of loose pipe tobacco. The aroma of raspberries wafts out. The jar is labelled “Chambord.” Silletta’s Goodfellas Cigar Shop here in Victoria has been selling the blend for a dozen years, along with others with names straight out of an ice cream parlour: Colombian mocha, cherry bomb, vanilla, Jamaican rum. Sounds like the kind of kid-oriented product that the federal government is targeting with its ban on flavoured tobacco. Not so, Silletta says. His point is that tobacconists have been flavouring ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco stocks haven’t responded along the lines that imminent passage of legislation governing the industry would have suggested. Stocks seen best-insulated from the impact of the changes the bill would implement have weakened in the session, while the names with the most exposure have strengthened. Shares of Altria (MO) have eased nearly 2% in the session, trading down to the $16.50-a-share price, representing the low since early last month. Meanwhile, Lorillad (LO) advanced 2%, and Reynolds American (RAI) gained 1%. The action in the stocks represented an inverse reaction to the effe ... Jump to full article >>

Customs and Excise officers will investigate the possible involvement of cigarette producers in cases of fake tax stamps that have caused state losses of Rp 1 trillion (about US95 million), an official has said. Director General of Customs and Excise Anwar Supriadi said on Saturday his side would trace cigarette producers who allegedly used the fake stamps. “It is possible there are big, well-known producers that bought and used the fake stamps.” Anwar said cigarette producers found using fake stamps would be punished under the Criminal Code and have their licenses revoked, meaning ... Jump to full article >>

BONITA SPRINGS — Eight-year-old Sophia Evans of Estero is familiar with the tell-tale signs of smoking in the park where her brother and sister play Little League ball. Wearing protective gloves, she often picks up garbage, including cigarette butts, that litters the Bonita Springs Community Park grounds in exchange for candy from the concession stand. Her father, Dale Evans, said he’d support a proposed law that could leave fewer cigarette butts for Sophia to pick up. “Kids, they live by example and (smoking) is an example I don’t want to set for my kids,” the ... Jump to full article >>

IT WILL take more than the global financial crisis to slow down Dermtek Sdn Bhd, the exclusive distributor of Nicogel for Asia, as it is on an aggressive mode this year. By using Malaysia as its production hub, the company plans to sell the cigarette-alternative product to 10 countries in Asia by year-end. “We are looking at Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, India, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam. We will start by repackaging the gels into sachets and sell it directly to these countries. “After that, we will be appointing distributors for eac ... Jump to full article >>

One day after Finance Minister Audley Shaw announced a further increase in the Special Consumption Tax on tobacco products, Executives at the island’s largest cigarette distributor, Carreras Limited, are meeting to discuss the implications. Carreras markets and distributes the popular “Craven A” cigarette. Come Monday cigarette smokers will have to dig deeper in their pockets. The SCT on cigarettes will move from $6,000 per 1,000 sticks to $8,500. The Government is projecting to collect $1.4 billion from the tax measure. Mr. Shaw also a ... Jump to full article >>