MAASIN CITY, Philippines—City officials are butting out opposition from a multinational tobacco company to an ordinance that prohibits smoking in all public places and workplaces. Philip Morris has claimed that Ordinance No. 2009-042 was inconsistent with Republic Act No. 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, which, it says, established a “balanced policy” in the use, sale and advertisements of tobacco products. In a press conference on Monday, Mayor Malone Samaco vowed that the city would continue to implement the city’s no-smoking drive, saying it had gained ground and would ma ... Jump to full article >>

The new animated children’s movie Rango has a lot of characters smoking. The main character, a chameleon voiced by Johnny Depp, swallows a cigar at one point and breathes fire in the plot that revolves around a lawless outpost in the Wild West. Should this movie be restricted to those 18 and older in Ontario because it shows tobacco products? The Peterborough County-City Health Unit says yes — and endorses more restrictions on movies that depict any type of tobacco imagery including showing a pack of cigarettes on a table — because of studies showing that youth exposed to these movi ... Jump to full article >>

Brian Gottlob, an economist from Dover, announced recently that findings from PolEcon Research contradict claims that New Hampshire revenues will benefit from a decrease in the state cigarette and other tobacco products tax. Gottlob completed a review of NH specific tobacco sales and tax changes over a 10-year period and the possible impact on other state revenue; gasoline, rooms and meals, and alcohol. The PolEcon report found no correlation between tobacco sales and the sales of these other retail products, which provide tax revenue to support the NH state budget. His findings disprove those ... Jump to full article >>

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is concerned about the duplication of regulatory burden and compliance costs associated with national plain packaging legislation for tobacco products. ARA executive director, Russell Zimmerman, said under current and scheduled state tobacco display laws, the proposed plain packaging is unnecessary and only duplicates the regulatory burden and associated costs for retailers. “Retailers have invested in new store fit outs to ensure they are compliant with state tobacco display bans but they are now left wondering what exactly they are hiding behind ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco products are very hazardous to your health, so the City Council wants to take them off the shelf, but the ironic thing is they decided that they only want to take them out of stores that have pharmacies. I understand that cigarettes and other tobacco products are very unhealthy and dangerous, but taking them off the shelf in just pharmacies isn’t going to really make a difference in the percentages of people using these products every day. Some people may not even buy their cigarettes at a store with a pharmacy in it so they will continue to buy them from wherever they normally get ... Jump to full article >>

A two-day national consultation will be held here April 4-5 by the ministry of health and family welfare in association with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) to highlight the growing use of tobacco products other than cigarettes. A statement released Tuesday said that as per the recent Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) India Report, the current use of smokeless tobacco among adult males in India is as high as 32.9 percent and for females it is 18.4 percent. Overall, 26 percent of the adult population consumes smokeless type of tobacco. Smokeles ... Jump to full article >>

Kids in New York are promising to “kick butts” tomorrow in a special anti-smoking drive. The children taking part in Kick Butts day, sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, want tobacco companies to stop targeting them with marketing for cigarette and other tobacco products. The series of events will include a “they put WHAT in cigarettes?” talk, that will be aimed at educating kids about the dangerous chemicals that cigarettes contain. Research shows that one in two smokers take their first puffs on cigarettes during their teenage years, and smoking cessation campaigners say ... Jump to full article >>

St. Paul, Minn. — The Minnesota Senate is considering legislation that would raise the tax on so-called little cigars to the same rate as cigarettes. The tobacco products are the same size as cigarettes, but are currently taxed at a lower rate. Anti-smoking activists say the little cigars are targeted to children. The bill would bring in additional revenue to the state, but Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, told members of the Senate Taxes Committee Thursday that her main goal is to stop children from smoking. “The number one addiction out there for these kids is tobacco,” Rosen sa ... Jump to full article >>

Tobacco will no longer be displayed in shops under new legislation being implemented by the Government. Only temporary displays in ‘certain limited circumstances’ will be allowed, with the rules phased in to minimise the impact on businesses, according to a statement from the Department of Health. The regulations will come into force for large stores on April 6 2012 and on April 6 2015 for all other shops. The plan was announced by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to coincide with No Smoking Day. However, the Government is keeping an ‘open mind’ on plain packaging for c ... Jump to full article >>

Robinson Oil Co.’s Rotten Robbie convenience store chain based in Santa Clara, Calif., has signed a deal with Smoker Friendly International LLC to be an authorized dealer. Rotten Robbie will co-brand with Smoker Friendly in its tobacco category. Rotten Robbie will be the exclusive retailer for SF/Smoker Friendly private-label tobacco products in its 34-store chain in that region of northern California. “We believe this is a great opportunity for both companies to serve tobacco consumers around northern California with outstanding tobacco products and tobacco accessory offerings, ... 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 >>