Moving to New York from a small town is a shock; everything is bigger, the people are meaner, and cigarettes cost upwards of twelve dollars a pack. Coming from a place where five dollar cigarettes seemed expensive, the high prices can be hard to swallow, and many students quit when they get to New York. That’s good and fine until exams roll around and you’ll do anything for the moment of calm relief that nicotine can provide. Inevitably, you get sucked back into smoking regularly, and pretty soon, you’re hemorrhaging money on cigarettes whether you like it or not.

We’ve got good news for you, smokers of NYU; the days of deciding between your wallet and your nicotine are over. A tiny cigarettes shop in Chinatown (on Eldridge between Broome and Grand) called Island Smokes is committed to bringing affordable organic cigarettes to Manhattan smokers. At this hole in the wall, your first pack will only cost you six dollars, and they throw in a convenient tin and a lighter. After that, if you show up with the tin, you can buy a pack for $4.50.
At this point, you’re asking yourself, “how can they possibly afford to sell cigarettes for so little when New York taxes tobacco so heavily?” The answer is that they’ve created a Build-A-Bear workshop for smokers except instead of stuffing cotton into teddy bears, you’re packing tobacco into cigarette tubes. Apparently, New York City’s cigarette tax focuses on the manufacturing, and because they’re not actually manufacturing any cigarettes, they avoid the enormous fees.
On top of the incredible price, Island Smokes boasts that its cigarettes are 100% organic tobacco; on their website, they write “Our smokes are all natural and additive free – Unlike manufactured cigarettes which are 30% tobacco, AND 70% CHEMICALS, FILLER AND OTHER HIGHLY DANGEROUS AND ADDICTIVE INGREDIENTS.” The banner in front of their store goes one step further claiming that their product is “a healthier, less expensive alternative to smoking.” Inside, an employee was straight with us; “I’m not going to tell you that these are good for you, but it’s nice to know what you’re smoking.”
While reading that you’re expected to operate machinery and build your own cigarettes can be intimidating, the process is actually very simple, and the employees were very helpful. After they showed us how to get the empty tubes onto the machine, it was only a matter of pushing a button, packing the tobacco, and then closing the ends with another machine.
In about five minutes, we had successfully rolled two packs, and we probably could have done it faster had we not been sampling the different blends while we worked. That’s right; they let you smoke for free while you complete your order. The cigarettes aren’t bad either; the tobacco is comparable to an American Spirit, but they aren’t packed as tight, so they burn faster.
Apparently New York City isn’t happy about this tax loophole, and they’re working to shut Island Smokes down, but the two employees we spoke with were confident that the city can’t do anything. “We’ll be around forever,” one boasted with a thick Staten Island accent.
To all the non-smokers out there, we apologize for tempting you with this irresistible deal.

Smokers in Western countries continue to falsely believe that some cigarette brands may be less harmful despite bans on the words “light” and “mild” on packaging, a study finds. For the study in Tuesday’s online issue of the journal Addiction, researchers polled 8,243 current and former smokers 18 and over in Canada, the U.S., United Kingdom and Australia about their beliefs on the risks of cigarettes.

One-fifth of smokers believed incorrectly that “some cigarette brands could be less harmful” than others, David Hammond of International Tobacco Control and his co-authors found.

False beliefs were higher in the U.S. and U.K.

In more than 50 countries, cigarette manufacturers are no longer allowed to use labels such as “light” and “mild.” In some cases, they’ve switched to “silver” and “gold” brands.

Research suggests smokers base their perceptions of risk on package colouring.

“These beliefs are associated with descriptive words and elements of package design that have yet to be prohibited, including the names of colours and long, slim cigarettes,” the study’s authors concluded.

The smokers in the study showed they also falsely believed that:

Slim cigarettes are less harmful.
Cigarettes with harsh taste are riskier to smoke than smooth-tasting cigarettes.
Filters reduce risk.
Nicotine is responsible for most of the cancer caused by cigarettes.
“The findings highlight the deceptive potential of ‘slim’ cigarette brands targeted primarily at young women,” Hammond said in a release.

“The findings also support the potential benefits of plain packaging regulations that will soon take effect in Australia, under which all cigarettes will be sold in packages with the same plain colour, without graphics or logos.”

The John Tung Foundation and other civic groups yesterday made an urgent call for revisions to tobacco regulations aimed at smoking, after studies showed a rising number of young people were picking up the habit.
More than 150 civic groups called for tighter tobacco restrictions that would mitigate the harmful effects of exposure to second-hand smoke and the “excessive marketing and advertisement efforts” by tobacco companies.

About one in five adults in Taiwan smokes cigarettes, a proportion similar to that in Western countries.
However, the foundation said a chilling statistic showed that in the past three years, the proportion of young people who smoked had increased from 6 percent to about 8 percent.
“Taiwan has not increased the cigarette tax in 24 years,” John Tung Foundation president Yau Sea-wain (姚思遠) said. “The lack of action to make cigarettes more expensive is not helping to curb demand for cigarettes.”
The foundation and other groups said amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) were needed to increase the tobacco health surcharge, as well as prohibiting smoking in all indoor public areas and workplaces.
The foundation also called for restrictions on the packaging of cigarettes and displays in stores, such as increasing the proportion of surface area on cigarette packaging for warnings on the harmful effects of tobacco from the current 35 percent to as much as 90 percent.
The goal is to minimize recognition of cigarette brands among young people and their exposure to marketing techniques by cigarette companies, which have sought to create brand loyalty among young people, the foundation said.
The groups said that even though Taiwan signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005, which vows to curb cigarette smoking, the government had made few improvements in its laws and implementation to adhere to the treaty.
The convention was the world’s first global public health treaty. It was also the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO.

Groups calling for a $1 increase in the cigarette tax announced Wednesday that they had gathered more than 1,000 signatures on an online petition in 48 hours. Representatives of the groups delivered printouts of the signatures to the governor’s office, but a spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal said they didn’t change the governor’s opposition to tax increases.

The groups, which include the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the retiree group AARP, remain determined even though the deadline passed a week earlier for the legislation to remain viable.
“This is an ongoing problem. If we don’t get it this year, we’re going to keep advocating for this,” said Eric Bailey, a representative for the American Cancer Society.
Doctors who treat smoking-related illnesses were at the groups’ news conference at the Capitol to express frustration with legislators’ reluctance to boost the tax high enough to discourage teenagers from picking up the smoking habit.
“The real tragedy for me, the real crime, is that there are proven policies that we know will not only reduce smoking in adults but also reduce the likelihood of kids beginning to smoke and then becoming lifelong smokers as adults,” said Dr. Harry Heiman, a professor at Morehouse School of Medicine. “That’s important because we know that half of the children that start smoking before age 18 will die of tobacco-related illnesses.”
To retailers who worry a higher tax will cost them to lose business, he was unsympathetic.
“My response to them, as a physician and someone engaged in public health in Georgia, is, candidly, too bad,” he said. “It’s the same as my response to drug dealers in our neighborhoods and those pushing for payday loans.”
Legislation that would raise the tax is pending in the House but for less than the $1 per pack the groups want. The legislation is part of a sweeping package stemming from recommendations from a council on ways to reform the tax code to lower personal and corporate income taxes while raising various sales taxes. That legislation is stalled until next year, partly because of public reaction to the package’s added taxes on groceries and services.
Heiman said the medical groups weren’t concerned about the procedures of the General Assembly that essentially make it impossible to pass a higher cigarette tax this year.
“Our responsibility isn’t dictated by the legislative calendar,” he said.

Three cartoons of cigarettes and tips from the public led Delaware State Police to three suspects who are charged with a string of thefts, including one suspect’s unauthorized use of a stolen credit card at a Felton convenience store. Sandra Lowden, 25, was photographed on a surveillance camera at Canterbury Shore Stop purchasing three cartoons of cigarettes. The picture of Lowden was published Tuesday by media outlets, and members of the public came forward and identified her, according to the DSP.

A day later, the DSP executed a search and seizure warrant at Lowden’s residence, and collected what police said was evidence of her connection to Dec. 12 thefts from at least six thefts from vehicles on Fieldbrook Drive in the Fields of Magnolia community in Magnolia. Two other suspects also were tied to the crimes.

Arrested with Lowden and charged with the thefts are Robert L. Throwbridge II, 25, and Mark A. Talcott, 26. Each of the suspects lives in Felton, and Throwbridge and Lowden live at the same residence, police said.

Each of them is charged with 18 counts of either theft, theft involving a victim over 61 years old, conspiracy and unlawful use of a credit card under $1,500. The men are at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center and Lowden, the Women’s Correctional Institute, each on $9,500 bond.

Plans to ban cheap alcohol and end tobacco branding will be unveiled by ministers this week. Andrew Lansley said yesterday that supermarkets would no longer be allowed to sell drink at below cost prices. The Health Secretary also confirmed the Coalition may follow Australia in forcing tobacco firms to use plain packets instead of branded ones. In another initiative, children who walk to school could get ‘reward points’ that can be converted into shopping vouchers or cinema tickets.

Ministers are worried by the links between cut-price alcohol and illness, violence and anti-social behaviour.
‘We are going to ban the below cost sales of alcohol because we do have to have a combination here,’ Mr Lansley said.
‘We have to have action by Government to ensure that things that are impacting damagingly on people’s health are prevented.’
He said the Government did not want to ‘over-regulate’ but had ‘occasionally to intervene’.
It is expected that the minimum price for a bottle of wine will be around £2, a litre of spirits £10.50 and a pack of 20 beers £9.20. Lager can be found for as little as 29 pence a pint.
The Government also plans tax rises on super-strength products including alcopops and cider.
Health campaigners warned that if the minimum price was set too low, only the very cheapest products would be banned.
Mr Lansley, who is issuing a White Paper this week, said he would examine whether there was a case for the plain packaging of cigarettes.
‘We have a level of smoking that leads to about 80,000 deaths a year. We have to treat smoking as a major health issue,’ he said.
‘We have to reduce the extent to which young people start smoking, and one of the issues is the extent to which display of cigarettes and brands draws young people into smoking in the first place.
‘Essentially yes, they would be packets that all looked the same. They would have clearly the name of a brand on it, but no other brand identification.’
Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association chief Chris Ogden said such a move would breach intellectual property, international trade and EU laws.
He added: ‘Plain packs are also likely to lead to further increases in smuggling and plain packs would make it much easier for a counterfeiter.’
Ministers want to move away from the nanny state to a ‘nudge’ system, where incentives and peer pressure are used to deter bad habits.
The reward points pilot scheme in Wimbledon, South London, sees teenagers receive a £5 Topshop voucher if – within a short period – they walk to school eight times.
Five journeys would earn an Odeon cinema ticket.

Actress MARIA BELLO has started smoking again, just months after kicking her longtime nicotine addiction. The health-conscious Coyote Ugly star, 43, thought she had managed to quit for good last November (09) after undergoing a series of hypnotherapy sessions. She said, “I quit for a year, started again for a month, and then… I went to a hypnotist – and now I’m not smoking. It’s my one horrible addiction. You can’t believe it’s working because you think, ‘This is ridiculous, it’s not going to work…’ And then it works.”

But Bello admits she has since slipped back into her old routine and now the bad habit is costing her big – because she agreed to pay her nine-year-old son Jack cash every time she is caught with a cigarette, or whenever she swears.

She says, “I started smoking a little bit again. I quit and now it’s like four or five (cigarettes) a day. And I owe Jack money for that – every time he sees a cigarette in my purse and everytime I curse. I owe him like, $300 (£200)!”

From contactmusic.com, June 23, 2010

Four Starke men and a juvenile were arrested on charges related the the theft of dozens of cartons of cigarettes and other tobacco products and then selling them at reduced rates, Starke police reported Thursday. The burglaries and thefts occurred at S&M Discount Beverages at 401 W. Brownlee St. between April 25 and June 9, Capt. Barry Warren stated in a press release. While investigating the burglaries, officers received information about cigarettes being sold at a discount cost of $3 to $4 a pack on the streets. The information also indicated that the cigarettes were primarily being sold to juveniles.

Officers were able to get the name of a person involved with cigarettes, and the address of 547 W. Madison St. from which the cigarette ring was operating, police said.

A large quantity of cigarette cartons were in plain view when officers knocked on the front door., police said. Police said they then backed off, maintained surveillance and got a search warrant.

During the search, police said they found 62 cartons of cigarettes, 16 individual packs of cigarettes, Black & Mild cigars and Copenhagen smokeless tobacco. Also recovered were items related to the burglaries, Warren said.

The total value of the stolen property and damage cost was estimated at $10,506, Warren said. The value of recovered cash and products is about $4,100, he added.

Arrested were: Riley Leonard Griffis, 18, of 547 W. Madison St.; Alexander Marco Palazzi, 19, of 2963 N.E. 187th St.; Kristopher Edward Cline, 20, of 207 W. Madison St.; and Joseph Michael Bowser, 22, of 830 N. Temple Ave., Apt. 7.

They were charged with burglary, felony criminal mischief, grand theft, dealing in stolen property and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

A 15-year-old was charged with dealing in stolen property.

From gainesville.com, By Cindy Swirko, June 11, 2010

The Non Food Packaging in China report offers insight into key trends and developments driving packaging of all major types of non food products: cosmetics and toiletries, disposable paper products, dog and cat food,
tobacco, household care, OTC healthcare. The report also examines trends and prospect for various pack types and closures: metal, rigid plastic, glass, paper-based containers, flexible packaging, closures.

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report?

- Get a detailed picture of the non food packaging industry;
- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
- Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands;
- Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

Dubai and Cape Town and a network of over 600 analysts worldwide, Euromonitor Intern The Non Food Packaging in Name report offers insight into key trends and developments driving packaging of all major types of non food products: cosmetics and toiletries, disposable paper products, dog and cat food, tobacco, household care, OTC healthcare. The report also examines trends and prospect for various pack types and closures.

metal, rigid plastic, glass, paper-based containers, flexible packaging, closures.

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report?

- Get a detailed picture of the non food packaging industry;
- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
- Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands;
- Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

Key Topics Covered:

- Non Food Packaging – China :
- Euromonitor International : Country Market Insight
- June 2009
- List of Contents and Tables
- Executive Summary
- Larger Pack Sizes Emerging As Prominent Trend
- Major Innovations in Cosmetics and Toiletries
- Premium Packs in High Demand Thanks To Better Living Standards
- Pouches Maintain Consumers’ Interest in Pet Food and Household Care
- Rigid Plastic and Metal Packaging Ideal for Men’s Grooming Products
- Key Trends and Developments
- Environmental Awareness Promotes Use of Greener Packaging
- Financial Recession Drives Low Cost Packaging Strategies
- Advanced Packaging Technology Continues To Lead in China
- A Relatively Resilient GDP Growth Rate Supports Packaging Players
- Demand for Convenience Drives Packaging Innovation
- Cosmetics and Toiletries

Source: Euromonitor International