PLEASANTON — Five Pleasanton businesses were cited over the weekend for selling cigarettes to underage police decoys. On Saturday Pleasanton police cited the Vista Bottle Shop on West Las Positas Boulevard, Beverages and More on Johnson Drive, Chevron on Hopyard Road, Union 76 on First Street and Shell on Hopyard Road for selling cigarettes to someone under 18. According to a press statements, plainclothes officers and decoys visited a total of 38 businesses. The other 33 establishments visited did not sell cigarettes to minors. Violators are subjected to either a misdemeanor or a civil ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco Retailers Alliance says increase could drive smokers to use the black market Smokers have been hit by the budget, with tobacco prices up 2% above inflation from . Duty on hand-rolling tobacco was raised by 10%. A packet of economy cigarettes now costs 50p more, while premium brands are up 33p as the government pursues both cash and health objectives. Small shops rely on tobacco sales – they make up a third of a newsagent’s trade – and warned the rise in taxes would endanger small businesses by boosting the black market. Ken Patel, a newsagent from Leicester and spokesman for ... Jump to full article >>

Carreras Limited said its sales volumes slipped in the third quarter as smokers continue to retreat from its licit higher-priced cigarettes while embracing black market offerings. Company revenue fell seven per cent to J$3.47 billion in the quarter ending December 2010, while net profit dropped 16 per cent, from J$849 million or J$1.75 per share to J$714 million or J$1.47 per share, reflecting both declining sales and a 38 per cent erasure of investment income as yields fell on paper securities. The cigarette distributor has blamed the contraction in its business on both Finance Minister Audl ... Jump to full article >>

Over the course of seven months, a small group of protesters stood in front of various CVS stores in Washington, D.C., holding up signs with a simple yet powerful statement: “CVS sells poison.” The “poison” is something most of us are accustomed to seeing at check-out: cigarettes, chew, cigars. CVS, like other major pharmacies, promotes and sells tobacco products, while simultaneously dispensing medication designed to treat tobacco-related diseases. This conflict of interest is one that activists are hoping to point out to the stores, customers and lawmakers. The ̶ ... Jump to full article >>

Provincial tobacco enforcement officials have made a large seizure of contraband cigarettes imported illegally from Quebec. Officials from the Ministry of Finance seized 100 cartons of cigarettes from a courier depot in Saskatoon earlier this week. The cigarettes came from the Kahnawake reserve in Quebec. According to a government of Saskatchewan news release, the cigarettes are part of an attempt by the reserve-based company to market tobacco to western Canadian provinces. Cigarettes from Rainbow Tobacco of Kahnawake were also seized in Alberta and British Columbia recently. Finance enforcem ... Jump to full article >>

The small group that gathered at lunchtime inside a strip-mall storefront in Skokie had not come to eat. They had come to Smokes & Such to admire the new $30,000 machine that spits out a carton of custom-made cigarettes in eight minutes flat — at $27 a carton. That’s $2.70 a pack, or about a third of what smokers would pay at the CVS pharmacy across the street. The cigarettes are so cheap because the machine uses pipe tobacco instead of cigarette tobacco. There’s not much difference between the two. The pipe tobacco is a coarser cut, but more important, it’s taxed at roughly $2.8 ... Jump to full article >>

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 >>

Cigarette maker Altria Group, Inc. on Thursday reported a 27 percent increase in profit for the fourth quarter as lower costs and higher prices offset a decline in revenues. In addition, the company’s board approved a new $1 billion one-year share repurchase program, replacing the previous program that was suspended in September 2009. Net earnings attributable to Altria Group for the fourth quarter increased to $919 million or $0.44 per share from $725 million or $0.35 per share in the year-ago period. According to the company, the latest quarter’s results benefited from higher op ... 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 >>

If you’ve been thinking about trying to quit smoking here’s another reason to kick the habit.. A pack of cigarette may soon cost you more. The state is talking about hiking the cigarette tax. It’s coming from Grand Island Senator Mike Gloor. He plans to introduce the bill in the upcoming Nebraska legislative session. The bill will more than double the current tax on cigarettes. From Camels to Marlboros – a planned to be proposed bill will hike up the tax on your favorite pack of smokes from 64 cents to $1.99. “I think they’re trying to make it as inconvenient a ... Jump to full article >>

Teenagers regularly smoke cannabis joints more often than cigarettes as marijuana use makes a ‘disturbing’ comeback amongst the young, a nationwide study has found. Some 21% of high school students admitted they had smoked the drug in the last month, compared to just 19% who lit up a regular cigarette. The figures are the first time since 1981 that cannabis has become more popular than tobacco, with rises across the board including amongst eighth-graders. They came amid a surprise reduction in binge-drinking suggesting that growing numbers of teenagers are swapping the bottle for a joi ... Jump to full article >>