When was the last time someone in Albany had a new idea that didn’t involve raising taxes? Seriously, I’m asking. I would love it if someone showed me some sort of innovative approach to public policy problem solving that’s been undertaken by someone in state government. Because right about now, I’m getting a little sick of the golden oldies. The state is primed to raise the cigarette tax again on Monday, which is about the 40th time they’ve gone to that well when they needed to turn a quick buck. Public health advocates applaud anything that hurts the tobacco companies, so of course ... Jump to full article >>

The justices rule that a legal Texas resident’s two possession arrests do not constitute an ‘aggravated felony’ and that he should not have been sent to Mexico. The Supreme Court on Monday blocked the government from routinely deporting legal immigrants for minor drug possession convictions, a decision that immigrant rights lawyers said would spare tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding residents from being sent out of the U.S. In a 9-0 decision, the justices said a Texas man who had pleaded guilty at different times to having a marijuana cigarette and a single Xanax anti ... Jump to full article >>

If you want to know what’s in your TV dinner or Twinkies—a big if—all you need to do is look on the package. But if you smoke cigarettes and want to know what you’re inhaling, you’re out of luck. For years, tobacco companies have been lacing cigarettes with hundreds of chemicals and additives ranging from ammonia to cocoa, reportedly to heighten the kick of nicotine, improve flavor, and mask the harshness of smoke. Very little is known about the health effects of these ingredients, however, since the tobacco industry isn’t required to disclose them publicly or explain their purpos ... Jump to full article >>

CEO of World Duty Free reveals plans to remove tobacco from stores as airport retail chain endures a £250,000-a-day sales hit from British Airways strike Cigarettes will disappear from Britain’s duty free cigarettes shops after a period of being sold from “behind closed doors” as the Government tightens anti-smoking laws. Mark Riches, chief executive of World Duty Free, Britain’s biggest airport shopping chain, expects to set up closed-off areas for cigarette sales from 2013, in which the brands won’t be on display. The company aims to replace its most profitabl ... Jump to full article >>

Teenage smoking is often thought of as kind of innocent experiment, but a drag on a friend’s cigarette may be the beginning of something that will be hard to shake. A study of adolescent smokers in the journal Pediatrics tracks the course of addiction to nicotine among a group of sixth-graders. After following 1,246 middle-school children for four years, researchers say a pattern emerged of occasional smoking that led to an addiction to tobacco: A cigarette a month will do it. “When people are just wanting a cigarette, every now and then, they think they just enjoy smoking,” ... Jump to full article >>

Does your picture of feminist rebellion feature a leisurely- lit cigarette? If it does, you’ve fallen into a well-laid trap. In the recent past, Big Tobacco (a moniker for the killer industry) has stepped up its advertising campaigns for a new target group — women. Set against a hot pink tag which screams ‘Smoking is Ugly’, the World Health Organisation’s Global Tobacco Epidemic Report 2009 gives the alarming numbers — of the five million who die annually of tobacco abuse, 1.5 million are women. New targets But tobacco use among women, globally, is still comparativel ... Jump to full article >>

City leaders are looking at requiring cigarette sellers to get a local license to ply their wares. Though there’s no definite proposal on the table the City Council will discuss the issue Tuesday. Some 60 California cities have adopted tobacco retailer licensing ordinances, but, if it moves forward, Watsonville would be the first in Santa Cruz County. Deputy Police Chief Bob Knill said a local licensing system would give law enforcement more tools to keep tobacco out of the hands of minors. “This type of ordinance takes all the existing laws, and adds strength and weight,” Kn ... Jump to full article >>

A Kentucky tobacco wholesaler has pleaded guilty in a wide-ranging federal investigation involving contraband cigarettes valued at millions of dollars. Charles H. Wells of Hopkinsville is the first Kentucky resident to plead guilty in the case, in which cigarette makers and sellers in several states are under scrutiny. The manufacturers that have been named in that investigation include Farmers Tobacco in Cynthiana and Tantus Tobacco LLC in Russell Springs. The FBI searched both last year, according to a news release. Wells admitted that between October 2007 and July 2008, he schemed to avoid ... Jump to full article >>

Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have raised the state’s cigarette tax from 7 cents a pack to 57 cents, a move that was met with praise from Grand Strand smokers and tobacco sellers. The governor says he has supported increasing the cigarette tax for seven years, but only if some other tax was cut. He says his approach is especially important as the state tries to recover from the recession. Money from the tax would fund Medicaid programs. The cigarette fight now goes back to the legislature. The House first will decide as early as today whether to override Sanford̵ ... Jump to full article >>

Reynolds American Inc., the second – largest U.S. tobacco company, plans to raise wholesale prices on all of its cigarette brands, according to a report by Bloomberg. Reynolds’ R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. division notified wholesalers yesterday it will charge eight cents a pack more for top-selling Camel, Kool, Winston, Salem and Pall Mall, David Howard, a company spokesperson, told the news agency. Distributors’ list prices for Camel, Capri, Carlton, Eclipse, Lucky Strike, More, Now, Tareyton and Vantage will increase by 33 cents a pack, he added. The increases take effect Ma ... Jump to full article >>

The headlines are as recent as a puffed smoke-ring, wafting intact: Australia proposes regulations mandating plain packaging. Plain, in this instance, bears no relation to the “less is more” school of thought subscribed to by many designers; rather, it means sans logo, branding images, and color. Furthermore, promotional copy will be limited to brand name and product designation, and even then of a standard font, size, position, and color. In dwarfing contrast to that austerity, will be graphic, color photos of cancer, augmenting prominently-placed warnings. The intended end-result ... Jump to full article >>