FDA continues its war on smokers

The war against smokers continued in full force Tuesday afternoon with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) unveiling nine graphic health warnings that will be required to be on every pack of cigarettes sold in the United States no later than September 2012.

“President Obama is committed to protecting our nation’s children and the American people from the dangers of tobacco use. These labels are frank, honest and powerful depictions of the health risks of smoking and they will help encourage smokers to quit, and prevent children from smoking,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “President Obama wants to make tobacco-related death and disease part of the nation’s past, and not our future.”

Cigarette labels have not seen this large a change in over 25 years. The new requirements will affect all industry packaging and advertising.

The warnings fulfill requirements set forth by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which President Obama signed into law on June 22, 2009, and are meant to deter consumers from smoking and help current smokers to quit. Each warning will be accompanied with a smoking cessation number, 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

“The Tobacco Control Act requires FDA to provide current and potential smokers with clear and truthful information about the risks of smoking – these warnings do that,” said Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.

The FDA selected the nine images from 35 proposals after examining the results of a 18,000 person study and taking comments from adovcacy groups and health professionals.

The new requirements are part of the administration’s larger fight against tobacco announced by HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H. “Ending the Tobacco Epidemic: A Tobacco Control Strategic Action Plan,” which lays out specific actions to eliminate tobacco-related ailments and death.

According to Koh, these warning labels are meant to prevent smoking among all people, especially children, and to counter the tobacco industry’s “$12.5 billion a year to glamorize and normalize this product.”

Twenty percent of adult Americans smoke, but according to Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, the Obama administration hopes to “get everyone to stop smoking.”

Will smokers heed the warning on cigarette packaging?

Area health officials have mixed opinions on what impact graphic new warning labels on cigarette packs will have on smokers.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration released nine new warning labels that include images of rotting and diseased teeth and gums and a man with a tracheotomy smoking.

The warning labels also must appear in advertisements and constitute 20 percent of an ad. Cigarette makers have until the fall of 2012 to comply.

“I’m not sure if they’re going to work or not,” said Vicki Ionno, New Philadelphia’s new health commissioner.

The FDA has done a good job of reducing smoking in the country, with the number of smokers declining from 40 percent in 1970 to less than 20 percent today. But in 2004, that decline stalled, and Ionno said the federal agency is looking for new methods to reduce smoking.

Cigarette warnings can be on every brand starting with Gauloises cigarettes or Golden Gate cigarettes.

She noted that the number of smokers in Tuscarawas County is above the national average — 29.6 percent of county residents smoke, compared to 23.6 percent of Ohioans and 15 percent of Americans. She added that the county also has a higher incidence of obesity and alcohol use.

Ionno said smoking bans in Ohio have helped cut the number of smokers, as has the high cost of cigarettes. But she said it’s still not enough, as long as people are getting cancer or diseases brought on by secondhand smoke.

She said the New Philadelphia Health Department is available to help whenever it can for those who would like to stop smoking.

Dr. James Hubert, Tuscarawas County coroner and health commissioner, is hopeful that the labels might promote smoking cessation.

“They are a semishock type of notice of what can potentially happen with long-term tobacco use,” he said.

Though the images on the labels may be viewed as extremely, he noted that tobacco use is the cause of the greatest number of dollars spent on health care and a major reason for days of work lost by employers. “It affects our economy,” Hubert said.

Dr. Jennifer Ney, a pulmonologist at Trinity Hospital Twin City, said the new labels depict something that is truthful.

“The changes, while graphic, are needed and necessary to bring home the point that cigarette smoking is dangerous,” she said.

In her practice, Ney sees many smokers. In fact, at least 50 percent of her patients are smokers. “They have a false sense of security that it won’t happen to them,” she said, referring to the many health hazards associated with smoking.

She said there are no great screening tests for lung cancer. “By the time you have symptoms, the disease is pretty far advanced.”

Many smokers believe they are healthy because they don’t investigate to see if they are ill. “They’re like an ostrich with its hand in the sand,” she said. “They don’t look for the problem, so they don’t have to deal with it.”

Statistics have shown that the warnings have reduced smoking by 5 percent in other countries where they have been used. “Five percent is better than no percent,” Ney said.

Westwood Pharmacies to Stop Tobacco Sales

The Westwood Board of Health this week approved a measure to prohibit the sale of tobacco products at the two pharmacies in town: CVS on Washington Street and Walgreens on High Street. Most demanded tobacco products are cigarettes like Marlboro Red brand or Red&White cigarettes.

The move is not new; severeal in the immediate area have already enacted such a law, such as in Walpole and Needham, Shea said.

"There's been a big push to prohibit (pharmacies) from selling tobacco, because it's almost a contradiction," said Westwood Health Director Linda Shea. "It is a town-by-town thing. Many of the towns around us have already revised their regulation to include pharmacies as a health care institutions, because many of them have clinics now, and many offer flu shots."

The new law will go into effect once Shea has submitted a legal notice regarding the matter, which she expects to do next week.

Currently, 11 retail venues in Westwood sell tobacco, a number that will decrease to 10 after the new measure takes effect. Walgreens does not currently sell tobacco, but the Board of Health notified the store in case it chose to look at selling the product down the road. Shea said there was no pushback or resistence from either pharmacy in regards to the new regulation.

Some supermarkets also feature an in-house pharmacy; Roche Bros. does not, however.

Years ago, it was typical for even hospitals to sell tobacco in their gift shops. But after research over time revealed the health issues related to first-, second- and third-hand smoke, more and more health agencies have stopped selling tobacco products.

"Pharmacies were the last places where you could still purchase tobacco products," Shea said. "I think it's good, it's a step in the right direction."

Adding to that, the Board of Health also raised its annual fees issued to retailers in town that sell the product. The fee has increased from $200 to $300.

That move, Shea said, came after the board looked at its current fees this past March, when it realized several fees hadn't been raised since 1995.

But the raise in fees could not take effect until the regulation was amended, and as such it was the appropriate time to move forward with the tobacco prohibition at local pharmacies.

Both the regulation and the new fees will take place close to July 1, Shea said.

A Better Health Way E-Cigarettes to Be Regulated as Tobacco Products

A Better Health Way electronic cigarettes give smokers an innovative alternative to harmful traditional cigarettes. Along with other e-cigarette brands, Better Health Way will be regulated by the FDA as tobacco products not a drug. The announcement came after an applet court issued a decision in favor of the electronic cigarette industry. Electronic cigarettes also known as vapor cigarettes or e-cigarettes are free of many of the thousands of chemicals found in regular cigarettes which make them a healthier alternative.

There are still many people who prefer regular cigs as Marlboro Gold cigarettes or Winston cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes work by evaporating a nicotine or non-nicotine cartridge and releasing a water vapor which tastes and feels like real smoke. The courts ruled that nicotine content of e-cigarettes such as Better Health Way, should classify them as a tobacco product rather than a drug. Given the decision, the FDA will be able to regulate e-cigarettes as such and will not be able to block the import of electronic cigarette goods.

According to the electronic cigarette makers such as A Better Health Way, e-cigarettes allow smokers to choose a healthier alternative to smoking while still enjoying the flavor and effects of cigarettes. In addition, A Better Health Way electronic cigarettes do not require and ashtray, never require a lighter, can be used virtually anywhere and do not emit secondhand smoke.

While most consumers use A Better Health Way electronic cigarettes to fulfill the craving for traditional cigarettes, some found this product to be helpful in achieving their personal goals for quitting. By substituting the nicotine cartridges to contain less and less nicotine, smokes can gradually stop using traditional cigarettes forever. Electric cigarettes are only meant for current smokers over 18 years of age.

Youth to Youth teens against lowering tobacco tax rates

A New Hampshire House Bill scheduled to hit the state Senate floor today could lower tobacco tax rates, and area teens are hoping to see it snuffed out.

"I just honestly don't think it's a good idea," said Dover Youth to Youth teen Maddie Retrosi, 15. "This bill would not be a good thing."

The House Bill in question, HB156, has already passed in the House and plans to decrease the tobacco tax from $1.78 per pack of cigarettes to $1.68. It would also decrease the tobacco tax on other tobacco products from 65.03 percent to 48 percent of the product's wholesale price.

Cigarettes like Marlboro Red brand or Virginia cigarettes are very demanded and their prices are raising.

Although the bill states it will reduce state revenue, it also estimates it will encourage more sales. The Department of Revenue Administration claims lowering the tobacco tax rate could increase sales by 2.7 percent for cigarettes and about 23.02 percent for other tobacco products — a number Youth to Youth teens said they are afraid to see.

"The higher tax rate has been shown to reduce the rates of tobacco use," said Dover sophomore Krystina Gibbons, 17.

Gibbons and her peers said there seems to be a correlation between teen smoking and the tobacco tax.

"Youth rates are higher when the tax rate is lower," she said, adding she sees many Dover teens taking up smoking when the price is right.

Gibbons, and other teens with Youth to Youth, said it's because teens have a "less expendable budget than adults do."

According to a 2000 U.S. Surgeon General's Report called Reducing Tobacco Use, raising tobacco-product prices decreases the prevalence of tobacco use, particularly among adolescents and young adults.

Despite the bill anticipating to ease taxes for state businesses, Youth to Youth teens are hoping their voices are heard. Dover sophomore Kaitlyn Hutchins spoke before the state Senate earlier this month to make sure their beliefs wouldn't be lost in the shuffle.

"Our age group is targeted," she said, adding cigarette advertisements are aimed toward teens.

Hutchins said she hopes the state does not give teens any more incentive to take up smoking.

The proposed bill has already passed the House on a 236-93 vote. The Senate is expected to take up the bill today.

FDA Says Star Products Not Part Of Tobacco Law

Tobacco maker Star Scientific Inc. said Wednesday that the Food and Drug Administration has informed the company that two of its dissolvable tobacco lozenges aren't covered by the law regulating tobacco, clearing the way for them to be marketed and sold.

The small Virginia company, which has sold tobacco products that dissolve in the user's mouth since 2001, said the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products say that its Ariva-BDL and Stonewall-BDL products aren't subject to regulation.

The news drove Star's stock up 34 cents, or about 9 percent, to close at $3.96 in trading Wednesday.

Star Scientific had asked the FDA to certify the products as "modified risk" tobacco products under a 2009 law, making itself the test case for a big issue of whether the agency would allow certain products to be marketed as less harmful than cigarettes.

The company says the lozenges contain "below detectable levels" of certain cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco and its smoke. The tablets contain tobacco's addictive component, nicotine. Star Scientific has said its method of tobacco cultivation and preparation creates tobacco leaves with low levels of some carcinogens.

How the FDA handles "modified-risk" products is being closely watched by the public health community and bigger tobacco companies, which are looking for new products to sell as they face declining cigarette demand.

But Star Scientific said the agency's notices from Dr. Lawrence Deyton, the center's director said, "At this time, only cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, smokeless tobacco and roll-your-own tobacco are subject" to the law and that based on the company's submissions, the products are not currently subject to regulation.

In a statement Wednesday, the FDA said it recognizes there are uncertainties whether nicotine-containing products derived from tobacco should be regulated as drugs or tobacco products. The agency added that it is considering its legal and regulatory options regarding these products.

Star Scientific had believed the products fell under the jurisdiction of the Center for Tobacco Products, and the company was somewhat surprised by the agency's determination, spokeswoman Sara Troy Machir said in an interview with The Associated Press.

However, the distinction may come in how the product is made.

"Yes they are absolutely tobacco products under the definition, but when we get into the manufacturing process that's where we are hamstrung because it's absolutely proprietary information," Machir said.

Some public health experts were puzzled by the FDA's move. Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said the agency unnecessarily created a loophole in the law that opens up a "real threat of significant abuse" by other companies claiming a similar exemption.

The FDA still must address the issue of dissolvable tobacco. By next March, its scientific advisory panel must complete a report and recommendations on the products, which are being sold by Star and other tobacco companies. The agency also has expressed concerns that dissolvable products contain a lot of nicotine and could be particularly appealing to kids and young adults.

R.J. Reynolds, maker of Camel Blue cigarettes which is owned by Reynolds American Inc. in Winston-Salem, N.C., is test-marketing dissolvable, finely milled tobacco tablets, strips and a toothpick shape under the names Camel Orbs, Camel Strips and Camel Sticks. Richmond-based Altria Group Inc., owner of the nation's largest tobacco company, Philip Morris USA, is test marketing wooden sticks coated with finely milled tobacco under the top-selling Marlboro brand in Kansas.

Tobacco products may fool some

They look like mints, chewing gum, a green marking pen and bottled water. They have healthy sounding flavors including peach and apple, and they smell like fruits. They are tobacco products.

“The Washington County Health Partners Inc. created the backpack of non-tobacco items and their tobacco product look-alikes to show schools and legislators what the very ingenious tobacco people are doing to market to our youth,” said Clara Hinton, Somerset County tobacco educator. She is also on the executive coalition of the Washington County Health Partners Inc.

There is Camel Snus, a spitless tobacco product, that comes in flavors. The package looks like a cell phone or a container of mints. Skoal cut tobacco’s package also looks like mints or beef jerky. Ariva and Stonewall dissolvable tobacco products look like breath mints. White Owl Blunts in flavors including grape and strawberry look like the marking pen. Revved Up, a caffeinated energy dip, looks like mints. NicLite, a nicotine water sold as a homeopathic product, looks like a small bottle of regular water.

“This is one you won’t guess,” Hinton said. “It looks like a single packaged alcohol wipe. It blew me away. It is Nicogel. A kid could sit in class and the teacher would think he’s using a sanitizing gel and he is getting a fix in class.”

The dissolvable tobacco products contain two milligrams of nicotine, which is slightly higher than a cigarette.

“Little kids can overdose on just 10 milligrams,” she said. “This is serious stuff.”

The “What’s in Your Child’s Backpack” educational tool kit was developed as a regional effort across 10 counties.

“Most of these products are under $3, easy to hide, and look, taste and smell like candy,” Lee Rutledge-Falcione, director of Washington County Health Partners Inc., said in a written statement. “Aggressive marketing and development of these new products is promoting the use of smokeless products and putting our youth at risk. It is very important that tobacco use prevention education continues, even in this tight budget year.”

Tobacco companies spend $534 million to market their products in Pennsylvania, according to the Washington County Health Partners. Each year 18,500 Pennsylvania young people become new daily smokers.

Adults are also using the products, which cost much less than cigarettes, Hinton said. She teaches a smoking cessation class at Somerset Hospital and many of the adults in the class had already seen all the tobacco products.

“Pennsylvania is sadly the only state that does not have a tax or user-fee on other tobacco products,” she said. “Thirty percent of all teens who try nicotine products get addicted. It is a drug. It works on the brain. It has a permanent effect on the structure of the brain. We know kids are buying it — it’s affordable and it’s available and more products are coming out. Parents and teachers need to be aware because they may think something’s harmless and it’s not. Young people already know about it.

Clearing The Air On Tobacco Control

Issues relating to the supply of tobacco and the demand for tobacco products are increasingly being made the subject of controversy in sections of the print media. It is against this background, and in direct response to an open letter from the Jamaican Coalition on Tobacco Control, published in The Gleaner, dated March 2, that Carreras seeks to clarify some of the issues raised and to inform the debate.

Carreras would like to refute any argument which questions the long-standing commitment of the company to nation building.

As a legal commercial enterprise and as a company deeply committed to national development, Carreras continues to fulfil its obligations in contributing to both the social and economic development of Jamaica. In fact, our contributions extend beyond our payment of taxes, which for the 2010-2011 fiscal year amounts to more than $10 billion, to our almost 50-year involvement and support to empowering through education, upliftment of civic and community life, Jamaican arts and culture and environmental preservation. It is also reflected in the company's continued willingness to sit down with the Government to discuss how the company can continue aligning its corporate social investments to areas of national priority.

Demand and supply

It is public knowledge that as a company we no longer cultivate tobacco locally or source locally grown tobacco for our production purposes in Jamaica since 2000. The present expansion of tobacco growing in Jamaica is a response to a demand that Jamaicans are acting entirely on their own initiative to supply. It is the market which regulates both demand and supply.

Recently, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) conducted a study on the level of tobacco cultivation in Jamaica. The results showed the prevalence of tobacco cultivation nationally, where currently there are more than 500 tobacco farmers with approximately 300 acres under tobacco cultivation.

Consequently, our move to partner with the Government, specifically the Ministry of Agriculture, and RADA, reflects our support for the formalisation of the currently unregulated tobacco farming sector. We, therefore, urge all participants in the debate on the expansion of local tobacco farming to make a clear distinction between the responsibilities and functions of the Government of Jamaica and those of Carreras. The Government regulates and controls the use of tobacco products. Carreras is compliant and supports the Government in these efforts.

Treaty not breached

We wish to highlight that the support being placed behind tobacco farming is not a contravention of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). In fact, many countries which are signatories of the FCTC are leading tobacco-growing and leaf-production countries globally. Some of these countries include: Brazil, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Argentina.

Carreras would like to unequivocally state that we support the need for tobacco control legislation in Jamaica, and we support balanced and sensible legislation as one part of the policy mix to reduce the health impact of tobacco use and to address our stakeholders' concerns about tobacco products. In fact, the company has for several years been voluntarily observing codes of conduct related to many of the areas that are to be formally addressed by the enactment of the proposed tobacco-control regulations.

We would also like to highlight that our implementation of a Youth Smoking Prevention Campaign is another reflection of our deep-seated and core belief that underage persons should not consume tobacco products. Carreras makes explicit its policy and principle of no sales to minors and our business partners are aware of the penalties thereof, which include our discontinuing the business relationship.

Christopher Brown is corporate and regulatory affairs manager of Carreras Limited.

Iowa Bill Seeks To Restrict Candy-Like Tobacco Products

Iowa legislators are considering restricting the availability of dissolvable tobacco products that look and taste like candy, The Daily Iowan reports.

Addressing the concern that the products target minors, the proposal seeks to allow only businesses with 90 percent of gross sales coming from tobacco products and that allow customers 18 and older to enter the store to sell the products.

The Iowa Senate could vote on the bill as early as next week. State Sen. Rob Hogg said the increased presence of the products influenced the Senate’s Human Resource Committee to approve a bill February 22 limiting locations of sale.

“They’re highly addictive products and have a lot of nicotine in them, and they’re being sold as something they really aren’t,” he said.


R.J. Reynolds, producer of Camel cigarettes addressed the issue last June in a press release, emphasizing the distinction between its tobacco products and mints or candy, saying the dissolvable products are produced for and marketed to adults.

State Sen. Robert Bacon voted against the bill, which he characterized as unnecessary, saying that the product’s packaging is distinct from candy and mints.


“It looks like a Tic-Tac, but it isn’t packaged like a Tic-Tac,” he said. “It has warnings on it, and it’ll be behind the counter."

Democratic legislator, anti-tobacco advocates propose tobacco-tax increase

A Democratic lawmaker, backed by anti-tobacco forces, said Tuesday she will introduce a bill to raise cigarette taxes by $1.50 a pack, with commensurate increases for other tobacco products.Cigarettes are the most used tobacco products by people. There can be different brands like : Parliament cigarettes, Dunhill cigarettes or Armada cigarettes.
“I like to call it a tobacco-user fee,” said Rep. Trudi Schmidt, D-Great Falls, who said money raised by the higher tax will fund tobacco-cessation programs and other health-related programs.
Schmidt and members of the Alliance for a Healthy Montana and the American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network pointed to a poll they commissioned that said 70 percent of Montanans support the higher tobacco tax. The higher tax will discourage people from smoking as well as fund anti-tobacco and health programs, they said.
“This is an addiction that continues to cost us for generations, and it needs to be stopped,” said Richard Sargent, a family physician in Helena and outspoken critic of tobacco.
When asked whether her bill would be supported by a Republican legislative majority that has stated its opposition to any tax increases, Schmidt said the proposal is a “creative solution” to provide revenue for anti-tobacco programs that have been cut from the state’s proposed budget the next two years.
If the bill fails to pass the Legislature, a voter initiative is “always an option,” she said, in response to a question.
Montana taxes cigarettes at $1.70 per pack, the 17th-highest state tobacco tax in the nation. Most of Montana’s tax on cigarettes and tobacco has been approved by voter initiatives. The highest state tobacco tax in the country is New York, at $4.35 per pack.
Money from the increased tax on tobacco would pay for tobacco-prevention programs, aging services programs, scholarships for primary-care physicians in the state, obesity-prevention programs and maternal and child health programs.
Supporters of the tax said the increased tax would not only fund health and anti-tobacco programs, but also increase the price of cigarettes and other products to the point that some people would quit or not start in the first place because of the cost.
“What this tax is, is it gives tobacco addicts another reason to break that addiction,” Sargent said.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA - BANNED SMOKING IN OVER 500 HOMES FOR THE POOR

Following a national movement to curb secondhand smoke in public housing units, the agency charged with housing Sarasota's poorest families has banned smoking at more than 500 of its homes. The low-income tenants benefiting from assistance from the Sarasota Housing Authority must either quit smoking or smoke only in designated outdoor areas by the time the ban goes into effect July 1, 2011.

But newly arriving residents of some rentals at places like the Janie Poe complex can be evicted now if they are caught smoking under a new Housing Authority lease adopted last month that bans smoking indoors. The ban comes on the heels of directives issued by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, which encourage smoking bans in public housing.

Bill Russell, executive director of the Housing Authority: "The smoke is permeating in the hallways and the air conditioning units. We know this is happening in almost all of our properties. We felt that the second-hand smoke health effects were a significant factor. Russell added that cigarettes are the leading cause of fire fatalities. Plus, the authority must pay more to refurbish units when smoking tenants move and leave odors and smoke residue on the walls.

The authority does not yet have a plan for enforcing the ban, but its attorneys are drafting rules. With help from the county, property managers will also build designated areas for residents to smoke outside, with cigarette disposal systems and signs.

To help with that effort, the Sarasota County Health Department will offer various classes and support such as nicotine patches and gum to tenants who wish to quit.

DENMARK - HOUSING ASSOCIATION HAS PLANS TO BUILD 30 SMOKE-FREE UNITS..

No-smoking signs could soon become a fixture of some flats after a housing association announced it has plans to build 30 smoke-free units.
The flats, a part of the Frederikshavn Housing Association would be the first of their kind in the country, but the trend toward non-smoking council housing seems to be spreading.

Two of the country’s largest housing associations, AAB and KAB, say they also expect to provide smoke-free accommodation in the near future.

Although experts pointed out that an increasing focus on public health made the smoking ban a natural development, at least one housing association head said his organisation had no plans to ask people not to smoke in their own home.

“We need to ask ourselves what homes are for,” Palle Adamsen, director of Lejerbo, told Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper. “Is it a place where we can live our live our own lives? I believe that it is.”

Raising Missouri Taxes a Smoky Issue

Both the Republican controlled Missouri General Assembly and Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon actually agree on something. They don't want to see taxes increase.
But at least two detractors say raising Missouri's cigarette tax can help fund government shortfalls of around $500 million. GOP Senate Appropriations Committee chair Kurt Schaefer agrees smoking is a financial burden to Missourians. Even if he were to vote for raising the cigarette tax, the increase would go to a vote of the people because of Missouri's Hancock Amendment limiting tax increases.
Schaefer's op-ed in the Columbia Tribune said he would support either an initiative petition to put the issue to Missouri voters or a joint resolution of the General Assembly. Schaefer has been a champion of smoking cessation programs.
His Democratic colleague in the House, Rep. Mary Still of Columbia, has filed two bills to be considered this year. One raises the cigarette tax on a single pack by 12 cents and the other by one dollar. Those proposals are likely to fail because of the Republican anti-tax majority.
But even if the cigarette taxes are raisen people still love to smoke their Winston cigarettes or Esse cigarettes.
Even Time magazine commented Missouri's cigarette taxes are the lowest in the country after South Carolina raised taxes. South Carolina went from seven cents to 57 cents to help pay for government programs.
Missouri's tobacco production was 12th in the nation 2002 with just 2,667 acres in the state set aside for tobacco. The same study said as much as 40 percent of America's tobacco for cigarettes is actually imported. South Carolina, 4th in the country as far as tobacco growing acreage, decided to raise taxes in a move which could jeopardize tobacco growers in their own state.
Raising taxes on cigarettes won't hurt Missouri's agricultural sector whatsoever. Rice, corn, soybeans and cotton are Missouri's most prominent cash crops.
Similar tax increases were proposed in 2002 and 2006. Those initiatives failed by 49 percent. Smokers, which number nearly a quarter of the adult population in Missouri, apparently form a huge voting bloc.
Schaefer's op-ed points out reducing the number of smokers would save money on Medicaid, reduce the number of babies born prematurely and lessen health care costs. Raising taxes on cigarettes is one way to do that but he points out the General Assembly may have to get more creative.
A blogger has suggested Jay Nixon should do what Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty did. He was able to declare an increase in cigarette taxes a "health impact fee." If the General Assembly were to call it a "tax" then the populace would have to vote on it.
One bill submitted by Still raises taxes by only 12 cents and wouldn't require voter approval. Why not submit eight bills of 12 cents each? That's 96 cents in extra taxes per pack of cigarettes. Gradually increasing cigarette taxes each year would also be a way to get around the Hancock Amendment.
If the House believes paying $2 million for drug testing for welfare recipients is a good way to save money then the same should be said of cigarettes and tobacco products. Raising taxes on cigarettes won't hurt Missouri's economy at all and those citizens who don't smoke won't have to pay.

Connecticut's Failing Grade In Tobacco Concerns Local Dentists

Connecticut dentists, today, expressed their concern about tobacco use in the state, prompted by a new report from the American Lung Association, which issued the state of Connecticut an "F" in its efforts to help low-income residents quit smoking.

"The fact that the state received a failing grade in helping people to quit using tobacco products is of great concern," said Dr. Jon Davis, President of the Connecticut State Dental Association (CSDA). "As dentists, we've seen how smoking and tobacco products can be harmful to a person's oral health. That's why the CSDA is committed to educating the public about the dangers of tobacco use and the importance of early detection in diagnosing and treating oral cancer."

Connecticut dentists want to remind patients that good oral health is critical to a person's overall physical well-being. According to the American Dental Association, the effects of smoking and smokeless tobacco products can lead to oral cancer. Oral cancer, often first noticed by dentists, starts out as tiny, unnoticed white or red spots or sores anywhere in the mouth and can grow over time. Oral cancer can affect any part of the mouth including the tongue, lips, gum tissue and both the hard and soft pallet.

An estimated 34,360 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer each year. An estimated 7,550 people (5,180 men and 2,370 women) died of these cancers in 2007. The incidence of oral cancer in Connecticut is on par with national levels - those at low income levels are especially vulnerable.


The best way to prevent oral cancer is to avoid tobacco use and see a dentist for regular check-ups which includes a full examination of the entire mouth. This is essential in the early detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions.

"Knowing the facts and seeing your dentist regularly for screenings are important steps in preventing oral cancer," said Carolyn Malon, Vice President of the CSDA and a practicing dentist from Farmington. "When our patients learn the facts about tobacco use, and have access to tools to help them quit, their oral and overall health improves dramatically." She also stressed that smokeless tobacco products such as chew are not a healthier means of using tobacco.

Solana Beach receives ‘B’ grade from American Lung Association

About two-thirds of all cities and counties in the state, including 10 in San Diego County, received failing grades in an annual report released Jan. 20 by the American Lung Association rating policies to restrict smoking and sales of tobacco products.
The city of San Diego earned an overall “D” grade, while San Diego County received an “F.”
Only nine cities in California earned an “A” grade, none in San Diego County. El Cajon and Solana Beach were among 20 cities across the state that earned “B” grades.
According to the report, California cities and counties earned mixed results, even though the state used to be a national leader on tobacco-control policies.
“It’s time to raise the grade,” Jane Warner, president and CEO of the Lung Association in California, said. “Strong state and local tobacco control policies must be a top priority for our elected officials.”
The report rates cities in the areas of providing smoke-free outdoor environments, smoke-free housing and reducing sales of tobacco products. Tobacco products can be different cigarette brands like Winston cigarettes or Esse cigarettes.

Reviews To Be Required For New Tobacco Products

Certain tobacco products introduced into the United States or changed after Feb. 15, 2007, must now be reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In newly-published guidance, the agency outlines a pathway for marketing a product whereby the a company must prove that it is “substantially equivalent” to products commercially available on Feb. 15, 2007.

“Substantially equivalent” means the products must be the same in terms of ingredients, design, composition, heating source and other characteristics to an existing, single predicate product or have different characteristics, but not raise different questions of public health.

FDA evaluation
“This specific part of the law is meant to ensure that new tobacco products are evaluated by the FDA before they are cleared to enter the marketplace. The law requires FDA to carefully examine the impact those products may have on the public health,” said Lawrence R. Deyton, M.S.P.H., M.D., director of the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products. “Products that are equivalent to those which were on the market on February 15, 2007, may be cleared to go to market; those that are not may be prohibited from the market, or withdrawn if they are already available, if the changes raise different questions of public health.”

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which became law June 22, 2009, gave the FDA regulatory authority over tobacco products. Generally, the law allows the agency to deny applications for new products if marketing the product poses harm to public health.

FDA may deny applications for substantial equivalence if the marketing of that modified product would raise different questions of public health. An example would be a product that poses an increased health risk to users of the product or to nonusers by causing more of them to start smoking.Many smokers start by smoking a Camel cigarette or a Marlboro Red cigarette and then the habit continues for many years.

Deadline approaching
In general, in order to continue to market these products, manufacturers of tobacco products that were introduced or changed after Feb. 15, 2007 -- which include cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and all smokeless products -- must apply for equivalency by March 22, 2011.

Manufacturers intending to introduce new products into the market after that date must submit an application for the new product and obtain a marketing order from the FDA before introducing the product to market.

“No known existing tobacco product is safe, and a market order issued by the FDA for these products should never be interpreted as such,” said Deyton. “One of the FDA’s missions required by this new law is to ensure new products do not pose an increased threat to the American public. These products will not be safer, but we are required by this law to not allow even more dangerous products to cause further harm to those Americans who use tobacco products.”

FDA requires list of tobacco ingredients

WASHINGTON — By late March, manufacturers of most tobacco products must begin giving the Food and Drug Administration information on new additives and other alterations in their products — enabling the agency for the first time to weed out chemical or manufacturing tweaks that make cigarettes and other products more addictive or otherwise more harmful.

The FDA was directed to collect ingredient information by the 2009 Tobacco Control Act and on Wednesday the agency offered guidance to the tobacco industry about what details it’s looking for.
Tobacco products “are the only mass-consumed products in which users don’t know what they’re consuming,” said Lawrence Deyton, director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “No longer will changes be made without anyone knowing.”
Tobacco companies have had a history of adjusting levels of additives to make products more appealing. Companies have until March 22 to file their reports.
The deadline comes as FDA considers several other tobacco initiatives, including posting visually graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging and advertising and a ban on menthol flavoring in cigarettes. The head of a leading anti-smoking group said the information collection is crucial because it provides a window on how the tobacco industry manipulates products to make them more addictive or appealing.
“This may be one of the most important actions FDA takes on tobacco regulation,” said Matthew Myers, of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. “They’re going to get the chemistry. They’ve never had that before.”
Under the new requirements, companies must notify the FDA about any tobacco product introduced into the market or changed in the past four years. And the new or altered products must have “substantial equivalence” to products on the market on Feb. 15, 2007 or risk removal from the market.
If manufacturers don’t submit a report, they must yank their products from the market by March 23, according to FDA guidelines.
Companies are being asked to disclose the composition of a product before and after an alteration is made so that evaluators can isolate on the changes and determine potential for harm.
Companies unveiling new products after the March deadline must submit an application and get an FDA market order before selling to the public.
Companies that don’t comply with reporting requirements could face product seizures, injunctions or other penalties.

Marijuana: Miracle Herb or Dangerous Addiction?

Marijuana Legalization is one of the most debated issues of the twenty first century. Use of the plant even dates back "further than 7,000 B.C. and was legal as recently as when Ronald Regan was a boy..."

The drug is the most commonly used illicit substance around the world and there are numerous slang terms for the plant such as cannabis, reefer, mary jane, weed, etc. Most Americans are familiar with the anti-marijuana commercials and the side effects of smoking pot as well as seeing athletes and celebrities reprimanded for the legal use and sale of cannabis. However, according to NORML ("The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws") in 2008 "more than 80 million Americans admit that they have smoked in the past year." This is a very large number considering how much money the United States government spends on advertising for the war against drugs. Many people agree that the drug is no more dangerous than the use of any other legal drugs such as the consumption of alcohol or cigarette smoking. For this reason, marijuana should be decriminalized and available to the public while regulated as cigarettes and alcohol.

The most obvious reason for a number of Americans to avoid marijuana is the belief that it is morally unethical. Jobs, that do drug testing, make it clear that it is not socially acceptable in the work place and that it will not be tolerated. Most Christians especially do not approve of smoking pot. Ironically, the Rastafarian religion has found numerous references to pot in the bible. For example, "...thou shalt eat the herb of the land (exodus 10:12)" ("BBC").Though all religions vary in teachings, in general American parents are concerned that legalizing Marijuana sends the wrong message to children. Which is a good indication that most American parents of teenagers do not realize that "47% of high school students have tried marijuana" (Leachman 2). In 1936, "Reefer Madness", a propaganda film framed as a documentary, warned parents and children of the dangers of the marijuana. The film was a far cry from reality and showed very unrealistic "scenes of high school kids smoking pot and quickly going insane, playing 'evil' jazz music, being committed, and going on a murder spree" (Murphy 1). "Reefer Madness" is now a musical and has been used for entertainment purposes because of its outdated and exaggerated views on marijuana.