On Sept. 22nd, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a new tobacco law that made the sale but not possession of all “cigarettes with flavors characterizing fruit, candy, or clove” illegal (FDA News Release). The public rationale for this comprehensive ban is that “flavored cigarettes attract and allure kids into lifetime addiction” and that “marketing campaigns for products with sweet candy and fruit flavors can mislead young people into thinking that these products are less addictive and less harmful.” In short, once again the government is becoming more and more Simpsons-esque.

Unfortunately, the cartoonish elements of this most recent FDA episode are still continuing to unfold. First, the FDA is woefully unprepared and uneducated on the sheer amount of tobacco products that are actually banned under the new law (FDA officials have failed to provide a list detailing exactly which products are banned and have been repeatedly silent when met with consumer questions and comments.). Second, several other government agencies including the Center for Disease Control have indicated that 80% of underage smokers use the same non-flavored brands as their adult counterparts. This means that the ban will only potentially prevent 20% of targeted underage smokers from actually smoking. However, in reality, it seems clear that underage students who already possess a fake ID or the wherewithal to try to illegally purchase flavored cigarettes will simply redirect towards buying non-flavored brands. Moreover, the new laws do not currently target cigars or “little cigarettes” and therefore provide yet another avenue for underage smokers to smoke flavored tobacco. In essence, the laws simply shift teenagers from smoking one type of cigarette towards smoking a different but equally “dangerous” type.

Ultimately, the new laws are riddled with inefficiency and are only making it illegal for retailers to sell flavored, fruit or clove cigarettes to legal and well-informed buyers. A card system has already been in place to prevent underage teenagers from purchasing tobacco products. Perhaps the FDA should first focus on strengthening the fines for noncompliance before infringing upon the legal rights of those who do obey the age laws.

An artfully disguised racket to promote smoking among young children with the use of cigarette-shaped candy has been detected in many parts of the country. This candy is now freely available for sale at various outlets in the main towns including Colombo.The candy which wraped with a cigarette shaped cover is meant to be sucked by placing it between the lips – similar to how a cigarette is smoked.

Professor Carlo Fonseka, the chairman of the National Commission to curb the use of Tobacco and Alcohol and Drugs said he was unaware of this latest racket.

“However, if anyone wishes to make a complaint regarding such material they can inform the District Tobacco Control Centres (DTCC) and necessary action will be taken against the sellers,” he assured.

The DTCC are regional units of NATA and comprises officials from the Excise Department and other government bodies.

Professor Fonseka said the public could also inform NATA regarding such matters by dialing the toll-free hotline No: 1948.

The promotion of cigarettes and liquor through advertising and other means is banned.

Cigarettes are just plain bad, as we all know by now. But what about the ones that contain menthol? Are they worse? A panel of experts is mulling menthol and trying to come up with some advice for the Food and Drug Administration on whether menthol should be forbidden as an additive. Young people seem to gravitate to menthol-flavored cigarettes, and there’s evidence menthol may make it harder for smokers trying to quit.

It turns out that tiny amounts of menthol are even added as a subtle flavor-enhancer to many cigarettes that aren’t labeled as menthol types.

Should menthol be banned —- just as Congress has banned other flavorings in cigarettes? Tobacco industry representatives say taste is the only thing that distinguishes menthol cigarettes from regular one — they aren’t more harmful.

The use of menthol started accidentally, after mint crystals got left in a smoker’s tin of rolling tobacco overnight years ago.

The mint in menthol cigarettes may be natural or synthetic or a combination of both. Natural mint is crystalized from steamed distilled oil of the corn mint plant. Some 99 percent of the mint comes through in the smoke.

So how does the stuff get put on cigarettes? A bunch of ways. Sometimes, it’s applied to the foil that is used to wrap the cigarettes. It’s also sprayed on the tobacco, and even injected into the tobacco paper or the filter.

After a few weeks for aging, Michael Ogden of R.J. Reynolds says the effect was found to be the same pretty much regardless of method, according to smokers who volunteered for taste tests.

Ogden says testers describe the menthol smokes using terms like “cooling sensation, minty flavor and medicinal flavor.”

Menthol can be misleading. “Menthol leads to the perception of an increase in nasal airway openness but in fact there is no actual change and (some studies have shown) minor constriction,” Ogden says

R.J. Reynolds is the maker of Kool and Salem, once the leading menthol brands. Now, Newport dominates the market. It’s from Lorillard, whose Scientific Director William True can sound like someone on Top Chef when he describes how the company assesses menthol.

True says the company taste experts sample packs the way some people test fine wine. They are sensitive to such things as a cigarette’s early draw, the tobacco’s papery or woody flavors, whether it’s bitter or sweet, has a later draw or an after taste.

But it isn’t menthol’s taste that is under scrutiny at the hearing.

The scientific advisory panel wanted to know what properties in mentholated cigarettes attract young people, African Americans, and other ethnic groups. Newport is the top menthol cigarette for adolescents, according to the federal Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration. The thinking is that menthol mellows the harshness of tobacco, which makes it easier for initiates to inhale and others to inhale more deeply.

True objected strenuously. “Absolutely not,” he says. “Our product developers do not use menthol in any shape or form to cover, mask or minimize that harsh taste. The most significant items that impact the harsh taste of the cigarette are the tobacco blend, the moisture level of the blend and the filter ventilation.”

The manufacturers of menthol cigarettes also deny that young people and ethnic groups are targeted with promotions. Industry representatives couldn’t explain why menthol smokers tend to smoke fewer cigarettes, or why cancer rates are higher among African American smokers 70 percent of whom smoke menthol but smoke fewer cigarettes per day than non-menthol smokers.

“Internal studies do not indicate that menthol cigarettes are smoked any differently or more intensely than non menthol,” according to Lorillard’s William True. “These studies reinforce the overwhelming weight of epidemiology literature that menthol and non menthol convey similar risk of chronic disease.”

Article from npr.org.

The Danish government has increased taxes on cigarettes, ice-creams, sweets and other products in an effort to make Danes healthier.The tax reform came into effect Thursday and also means taxes have increased on soft drinks and flavored alcoholic beverages, so-called alcopops.

The tax per liter of ice-cream was increased to 4.25 kroner ($0.67) from 3.40 kroner ($0.56) previously, while the tax on cigarettes was raised by 2 kroner ($0.33) per pack.

The World Health Organization has called taxation one of the most effective interventions to fight alcohol-related harm, tobacco consumption and obesity.

The Brussels, Belgium-based European Public Health Alliance urged other EU members to follow Denmark’s example.

With the potential restriction of menthol cigarette maker Lorillard Inc. is now protesting in defense of its Newport Brand, which it holds 35 percent share of the U.S. market. Launching a campaign, in the form of a Web site called Understanding Menthol, the company provides its position on the possible ban, along with the science that is under review by a federal advisory committee, and the consequences of a potential ban on menthol cigarettes. Studies, going against menthol, have cited that its usage only entices people to start smoking, which can result in health issues.

“We believe our customers need to be aware of this review process and the real-world consequences of whatever recommendation the panel makes to the FDA,” William True, senior vice president of research and development for Lorillard, said in a written statement to The Associated Press.
The company has also started issuing letters to smokers of the Newport brand to notify them of claims made by a U.S, Food and Drug Administration that cigarettes containing menthol have public health impacts. Lorillard Inc., also plans to utilize social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to keep in contact with users on the impending problem.
Adding menthol has served as a major factor in the growth of tobacco companies as the market continues to shrink.
According to Lorillard, they are under the belief that scientific evidence isn’t sufficient enough in showing that menthol cigarettes have greater health risks than cigarettes that don’t utilize the substance. They also believe that the ban will force users to find it from other means, such as the black market, which won’t meet basic product standards and create more potential harm for smokers.

From hiphopwired.com, June 30, 2010, By Justin T. Stewart

Hookah parlors are fast catching up the vogue in Bangalore. The once popular pastime of Mughal rulers and rustic folk alike, “hookah” is slowly catching attention of the curious college-goers and the youth around. As more and more gather around the traditional water pipe, people see a renewed interest in ‘smoking’ and it doesn’t stop here as customers continue to pile up in a beeline to enjoy a “long and relaxing” puff at cafes.

This slowly is making a way into moving in to households and parties as well, state some parlour owners.

Ashwin, who runs a hookah parlour stated: “Unlike a lit butt of cigarette that throws up a strong pungent odour, smoke emanating from a flavoured tobacco that has been ignited and cleansed in water settled in crystal bottoms (of the water pipe), is extremely relaxing and pleasant.”

He further added that close to 50-100 persons visit the parlour on weekends.

From cw.topnews.in, by Kavita Sharma, June 23, 2010

Domestic and international tobacco growers are gathering in Jakarta today for a two-day meeting aimed at formulating a strategy to fight against the adoption of a ban on flavored cigarettes under the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The Indonesian Tobacco Alliance (Amti) and the International Tobacco Growers Association, a US-based nonprofit growers association, on Sunday urged the Indonesian government and the governments of neighboring countries not to adopt Articles 9 and 10 of the framework that effectively ban flavored tobacco products.

Sudaryanto, the chairman of Amti, which organized the meeting, said banning flavored cigarettes could cost Indonesian growers up to $450 million per year and threaten millions of jobs.

He said an independent US ban on flavored cigarettes in place since last year had already cost growers here $270 million.

“If other countries across the globe take the same step, then we will bear bigger losses than that,” Sudaryanto said during an interview with the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

“[Today] we will hold a meeting among tobacco growers and buyers in Asia, along with the ITGA, to discuss the plan to ban flavored cigarettes. Our goal is to urge the Indonesian government and other governments to think about the workers involved in the tobacco industry.”

Growers from countries such as Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines are expected to attend the event.

Indonesia produces about 250 billion cigarettes a year, and some 93 percent are clove cigarettes, or kretek . Exports of clove cigarettes to the United States were estimated to be $450 million to $500 million a year prior to the ban.

The US Food and Drug Administration banned flavored cigarettes in September, saying they encouraged younger people to smoke.

The Indonesian government has filed a formal trade dispute with the World Trade Organization in April, claiming the ban was protectionist because it did not include menthol cigarettes, most of which are produced in the United States.

There are 1.5 million clove farmers across the country and 3.5 tobacco farmers, based on Amti’s data.

ITGA president Roger Quarles said banning flavored cigarettes would cause the industry enormous pain.

“This will not only impact Indonesia, but also world’s cigarette industries,” Quarles said.

From thejakartaglobe.com, by Arti Ekawati, June 21, 2010

BEIJING, Jan. 18 — To protect people from exposure to secondhand smoke, seven cities in China will take the first steps in creating legislation on stopping smoking at public venues and workplaces.

Under the project, jointly held by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease(UNION), the cities – Tianjin, Chongqing, Shenyang, Harbin, Nanchang, Lanzhou and Shenzhen will implement a smoking ban in public and in workplaces.

Currently, smoking is allowed in certain areas in public places, and experts said the enforcement of smoking bans is poor.

“This project would create strict legislation to guarantee 100-percent smoke-free public venues and workplaces and figure out a feasible and forceful working mechanism to enforce the smoking ban,” said Wang Yu, director of China CDC at the project launch Friday.

“Only with the support of the pilot cities’ municipal governments and legislatures can the people there finally enjoy smoke-free environments,” he noted.

The largest tobacco consumer worldwide, China has 350 million smokers, official statistics show. Also, 540 million non-smokers are exposed to the hazards of secondhand smoke.

Apart from 1 million smoking-related deaths each year in China, passive smoking causes around 100,000 deaths annually in the country.

“In that regard, the project, if realized, would help save millions of lives through lowering tobacco consumption and reducing secondhand smoking,” said Dr Sinead Jones with UNION.

“The project would be scaled up to cover the whole nation in the future to protect more people from smoking,” said Wang.

Xie Zhiyong, professor with the China University of Political Science and Law, said by weighing the benefits and risks of tobacco, the country should take bolder steps in smoking and tobacco control.

Official statistics show smoking costs the nation more than 252 billion yuan ($37 billion) each year in medical costs, fire and environmental pollution, far beyond the tax revenue generated from the industry.

“For smoking bans in public places, legislation comes first, with implementation the key link,” Xie said.

At present, health administrations are in charge of enforcing smoking bans in public places, which are usually poorly staffed, according to Xie.

Besides, some local governments count heavily on the local tobacco industry as a major source of tax revenue, which as a result makes smoking more difficult to control, he said, adding that tobacco companies are all State owned in China.

Smoking control might be the first step towards tobacco control, which needs support from the decision maker, the legislature and the media, he added.

Source: China Daily

The FDA has recently warned more than ten online cigarette stores that their operation will be halted if they keep selling banned flavored cigarettes, thereby violating particular provisions of federal regulation, according to which, sales of flavored cigarettes are prohibited across the United States.

The Agency gave those online stores fourteen days to prove that they have removed banned smokes from their stock; otherwise they would be subject to penalties.

Sales of all flavored cigarettes, besides the menthol smokes, are banned starting from September 22, 2009.
The corresponding ban is a component part of groundbreaking Tobacco Control Act that was ratified in July and gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the legal powers to control tobacco industry.

The law comprises provisions concerning advertisements restrictions, prohibition of misleading cigarette names like low-tar, mild and light, since they make smokers consider them healthier than full-flavor cigarettes.
The notifications were addressed to a dozen of internet cigarette retailers that have not stopped selling flavored cigs after the ban had been implemented.

The data about the offenders was collected by the agents of Enforcement Department of the Food and Drug Administration, which are involved in ensuring compliance with the regulations and punishing the violators.
Similar notifications had been earlier sent to local tobacco retailers and importers, warning them about the legal liability if they planned to continue sales of flavored cigarettes after the ban implementation.

Among those merchants who received the FDA letters were both domestic sellers and overseas ones, who reach US customer through their online stores. The notifications comprised an article from Tobacco Control Act declaring that any cigarette sold in US should not contain any flavoring agent of either artificial or natural origin, or any herb or spice that adds a peculiar flavor to the cigarettes.

If the cigarettes offered by the retailer’s web-store do contain any flavors besides menthol, they are regarded as illegal or fake and would be penalized. In addition, if the products have no flavor, but are labeled as flavored, they would be as well penalized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Merchants located outside of the country were warned that the Agency would continue to track the products available at their online cigarette stores, and in case of non-compliance with the legislation, their shipments will be confiscated by the Customs Services. In addition, the FDA will contact the authorities in their home countries and notify them that the shipments from their countries are to be halted at the border.