A green cigarette? Is that possible? A tobacco company that uses renewable energy and hybrid vehicles has a new magazine ad for an additive-free, organic cigarette that uses the term “eco friendly.” Tobacco foes are fuming. “It’s an egregious ad. It’s trying to greenwash a deadly and addictive product,” says Vince Willmore of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, adding research shows cigarettes also are the No. 1 source of litter. “When you hear a product is eco-friendly, you think it’s better for you.”

The ads for Natural American Spirit cigarettes make the “eco-friendly” claim next to a list of environmental efforts by the manufacturer, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. They began appearing in March in magazines such as Esquire, Field & Stream, Wired, Mother Jones, Elle and Marie Claire.

The company, owned by Reynolds American Inc., says it’s not saying its cigarettes are safer but that its manufacturing is greener. It says its facilities are wind-powered, its farmers use fewer chemicals and 70% of its sales staff drive hybrid vehicles.

“We try to be good stewards of the environment,” says spokesman Seth Moskowitz.

His company has faced similar complaints before. In 2000, after advertising its cigarettes as free of additives, the Federal Trade Commission negotiated a settlement that required it to include this statement: “No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette.” In 2010, after marketing its “organic” tobacco, 33 state attorneys general demanded the company include a statement saying the cigarette was not safer as a result.

The new ads include such disclaimers, but Willmore’s group is again appealing to the attorneys general to take action.

“It is misleading to talk about being eco-friendly in a cigarette ad,” given the problems of littering and secondhand smoke, says Jeanne Finberg, a deputy attorney general in California who focuses on tobacco litigation.

Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com, says the company may be accurate in describing its greening initiatives, which he welcomes, but adds, “Products that harm people should not be marketed as green,” He says they won’t fool many consumers: “The average person is going to look at that ad and ask, ‘What are they smoking?’”

USACIG, Inc. and Hop-on, Inc. today hailed last Thursday’s federal judge’s ruling saying the Food and Drug Administration must stop interfering with importing electronic cigarettes. The judge also indicated the devices should be regulated as tobacco products, rather than drug or medical devices.

Jay Pignatello, President of USACIG, Inc., stated, “The smoking public is one of the largest marketplaces in the world, and smoking is a social activity. USACIG is coming to market at the best time. It is very simple — USACIG is an American company. We produce our nicotine with American by-products. With all due respect to products made in China, you don’t know what you are going to get. Our product lasts longer and tastes better. My dad smoked and I wish he had a product like this that avoided the side effects of tar in traditional tobacco. We are an American company, delivering an American product, through American intellectual property with American product development expertise. When you use our product, it is like driving a Chevy.”

Pignatello continued, “USACIG is committed to being the top supplier of electronic cigarettes in the USA. We believe our product is the safest, best tasting, and least expensive in this marketplace, and will soon be available in a wide array of big box stores. Our relationship with Hop-on, combined with our experienced sales team, has us awaiting signed Letters of Intent, and our sales will increase exponentially. Additionally, we will soon be conducting a unique launch of our cigarettes to some specific retailers, at no cost to the public. Our goal is to deliver a brand name and product that everyone will be comfortable and familiar with.”

Peter Michaels, President of Hop-on, stated, “Judge Leon’s positive opinion helps us in there should be no government roadblocks to slow down our progress launching our products in the US. I have worked through issues with government bureaucracy before, and Judge Leon’s decision should make my life easier. Our products virtually have none of the cancer-causing chemicals of traditional cigarettes, but the FDA says it has not been proven safe. Our goal with USACIG is prove our products are safe, affordable for everyone and profitable for our company. We experienced no issues importing our electronics into the US market. Our product is better, less expensive, and the technology behind our cigarettes is made in America.”

With the passage of landmark tobacco legislation last year, Judge Leon added, the Food and Drug Administration’s new tobacco division will be able to regulate the contents and marketing claims of e-cigarettes in the same way it is about to begin regulating traditional tobacco products. But the agency’s drug division cannot ban the devices, the judge ruled.

About USACIG, Inc.

USACIG is the only US-based manufacturer making the actual nicotine cartridges/products in the US. The Electric Cigarette(TM) is an alternative to traditional tobacco products. It is a battery-powered device providing inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering vaporized water, propylene glycol, nicotine solution and other non-carcinogens. In addition to nicotine delivery, this vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, while no tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved in its operation. USACIG, Inc. is a US-based manufacturer of “The Electric Cigarette” and “The Electric Cigar”(TM). USACIG manufactures its cartridges in the United States and the electronics are manufactured in China. USACIG also has US-based doctors on its board monitoring and supervising medical related issues or opportunities. For more information, visit www.USACIG.com

About Hop-on, Inc.

Hop-on, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HPNN) offers multi-media services and has secured licensing agreements from essential patent holders for GSM, CDMA and WIFI technologies. Since its inception, known for developing the world’s first disposable cell phone, Hop-on currently remains one of the few US-based manufacturers of cellular technology. The Company also distributes The Electric Cigarette and the Electric Cigar.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933, and are subject to Rule 3B-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All Statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and other results and further events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements.

Contact for USACIG, Inc.:
David Worley
Email Contact
Contact for Hop-on, Inc.
Danny Coleman
949-756-9008

Hawaii has received decent grades for cigarette taxes and having smoke-free air, but failing grades for government support of tobacco prevention and control and smoking-cessation programs, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.

The association’s annual State of Tobacco Control report, released Monday, grades the strength of federal and state laws in protecting citizens from illnesses caused by tobacco.

Hawaii received a “B” in the cigarette tax category and an “A” in the smoke-free-air category — two of the four categories measured by the report.

The state earned good marks for raising the cigarette tax on a pack of cigarettes from $2 to $2.60 in June 2009 and for having comprehensive laws that ban smoking in nearly all workplaces, including bars, restaurants, stores, schools and recreational facilities.

Hawaii’s comprehensive smoke-free law took effect in November 2006 but it has gone virtually unenforced with only one woman being cited and fined in more than three years.

Meanwhile, the report gave Hawaii a “D” for tobacco prevention and control spending in 2009 and an “F” for how well Medicaid and state employee health-insurance plans cover smoking-cessation programs.

Hawaii received those low grades because, due to budget cuts, government spending for tobacco control and prevention fell dramatically in 2009 to $8.8 million, compared to the $15.2 million a year recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

OSLO, – Prices of everyday goods such as clothing and food will barely rise if rich nations slash greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a study on Wednesday that concludes green lifestyles are affordable.

The study, in New Scientist magazine based on data for Britain from consultancy Cambridge Econometrics, said prices of only a few consumer goods dependent on fossil fuels would rocket, such as fuel-guzzling air travel.

“These results show that the global project to fight climate change is doable,” the report quoted Alex Bowen, a climate policy expert at the London School of Economics, as saying. “It’s not such a big ask as people are making out.”

The model, assuming cuts in greenhouse gas emissions of 80 percent by 2050 in line with goals by major developing states, projected that prices of food, clothing and cars would rise 1 percent by 2050 and tobacco, alcohol and electronics 2 percent. Phone bills would be unaffected.

But energy prices would jump, with a shift to renewable energies such as solar and wind power. Electricity prices would be up 15 percent and a return flight from London to New York would soar 140 percent.

“We can afford to go green,” New Scientist said of the findings. “Electricity and other forms of energy make up only a fraction of the price of most goods,” it said. “Other factors — raw materials, labour and taxes — are far more important.”

“The energy that goes into producing food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco, for instance, makes up just 2 percent of the consumer price,” it said, noting there were many uncertainties about the projection.

Mumbai, – Not unlike their contemporaries in other Asian cities, woman in metroes of India, including those in Mumbai run a significant risk of developing peripheral arterial disease (PAD) from secondhand smoke (SHS), an NGO Smokefree Mumbai has said in its report.

Presenting the report on Chinese women and SHS, published in the American Heart Association’s Circulation (AHAC), today Smokefree Mumbai said the report found that SHS had a significant, negative impact on the health of Chinese women, who had never smoked, the risk which would, without doubt, equate to Indian women too.

The first of its kind report by the AHAC had revealed a link between exposure to SHS and an increased chance of suffering from coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

The study on the women that covered their exposure to SHS at home and at work, and assessment of their cardiovascular health through blood pressure measurement and hospital records showed 39.5 were exposed to SHS and those exposed were ran a significantly higher risk than non-exposed women for coronary hearth disease, ischemic stroke and PAD.

A similar report by World Health Organization (WHO) also revealed the presence of gender-specific issues in exposure to secondhand smoke. The research also suggested that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of breast cancer in young premenopausal nonsmoking women.

”While 97 per cent Mumbaites have voted in favour of smoke-free environment, the ramification of the ban on smoking in public on the women population, largely non-smokers, may be found as reason for contemplation,” observed the report.

Introduced in the United States two years ago, electronic cigarettes are no longer a novelty item but a popular option for many smokers — especially those who want to quit. Inhaling on the cigarette-shaped device activates a built-in battery, which heats up a mixture of water, nicotine and propylene glycol to give the “smoker” a vapor hit of the addictive substance found in cigarettes — but without the smoke. It even lights up at the other end, mimicking the tip of a cigarette.

E-cigarettes are the latest of a wave of nicotine-packing products — including bottled water and lollipops — to face the wrath of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The agency wants sales of the devices halted until, as with other drug products, animal studies and clinical trials determine whether they are indeed safe. We agree. A check of Internet chat sites shows that the devices are regularly used by smokers trying to quit tobacco. Should the courts rule against the FDA, Congress will have to step in. With the ever-expanding peddling of nicotine in the United States, the public needs federal oversight of attempts to advance an addictive drug.

The Canadian government is being targeted in a new U.S. advertising campaign that alleges Ottawa’s latest anti-smoking law violates international trade agreements by discriminating against U.S. cigarette imports.

In newspaper ads that will run next week in two widely read Capitol Hill newspapers, Kentucky’s burley-tobacco growers say they’ve been side-swiped by legislation that bans candy-flavoured products marketed to youth.

Burley tobacco is air-cured tobacco used primarily for cigarette production. Its growth is centred in Kentucky.

The farmers also are preparing a World Trade Organization complaint that contends provisions in Bill

C-32, which received royal assent Oct. 8, unfairly outlaws the sale in Canada of U.S.-style cigarettes blended with burley.

“We feel like this is ultimately a violation of trade treaties. We want to make sure the folks in the Canadian government are aware of that,” Roger Quarles, president of the Burley Tobacco Growers Co-operative Association, said in an interview yesterday.

“It will eliminate an entire class of products from legally being sold in Canada.”

At issue are amendments to the Tobacco Act that ban the use of certain flavours and additives in cigarettes and cigarillos that Ottawa says are marketed primarily at children and teenagers.

Health Canada says the legislation will prohibit the tobacco industry from adding fruit and candy flavours such as chocolate, grape, banana and peach to make their product more appealing to youth. Menthol cigarettes are exempt from the ban.

But Kentucky tobacco growers contend the legislation has been written so broadly that it also bans U.S.-blend cigarettes – including popular brands such as Camel and Winston – that include burley tobacco. Tobacco growers and manufactures say flavouring is added during normal processing only to mitigate the naturally harsh taste of burley.

Health Canada has responded by saying U.S.-style cigarettes are manufactured with flavourings, including “sugars and sweeteners to enhance their taste.”

Ottawa also has noted that cigarettes made with burley tobacco represent just 0.5 per cent of the total value of the Canadian market.

By SHELDON ALBERTS, October 16, 2009 The Montreal Gazette

The Food and Drug Administration’s recent nationwide ban on flavored cigarettes has many USM students questioning the government’s judgment.

The ban went into effect at midnight on September 21 and applies to all types of flavored cigarettes, with the exception of menthol cigarettes. The FDA hopes to prevent minors from getting hooked on cigarettes by removing products that they believe target the younger crowd in the market.

Many students have mixed feelings about whether the ban will be effective in accomplishing its goal of keeping minors from smoking. Rachel Ross, a junior graphic communications major from Vicksburg, Miss., said, “I figure if someone’s going to smoke, they’re going to do it regardless. But I don’t support smoking, so it doesn’t hurt me at all to see flavored cigarettes banned.”

Anna Beth Rowe, a freshman from Hattiesburg majoring in microbiology, has similar sentiments. “I agree that something should be done about cigarette’s appeal to minors and the availability of cigarettes to minors,” she said, “but I don’t necessarily see how this will help anything.”

Other students feel that the government is overstepping its bounds by banning a specific type of cigarette. “I don’t think the government should have control over what we as citizens smoke,” Rob Miller, a senior speech pathology major from Fairhope, Ala., said.

“A flavored cigarette is no more dangerous than a regular cigarette, so they shouldn’t ban one type and not another.”

Jonathan Nowacki, a junior from Biloxi, Miss., agrees. “As a smoker, I wholeheartedly disagree with the decision to ban flavored cigarettes,” the religion major said.

“Flavored cigarettes present no more threat than other cigarettes.”

“It makes even less sense that they ban them since there’s been so much talk about the legalization of marijuana.”

Some students agree that the ban on specific types of cigarettes is not helpful, but think that other considerations should be taken into account. Zach Mansell, a junior economics major, said, “I don’t think the government should be making that kind of decision for us, but since we’re looking at nationalizing healthcare, I think we should prevent preventable diseases.”

K-J Lockley, a junior entrepreneurship major, considered other factors and formed a considerably different opinion. “I don’t believe that interfering with a major industry is a good idea during a major economic crisis,” the Hattiesburg native said.

Ruth Poe, a junior history and psychology double major from Vicksburg, may have summed up student feelings on the issue best: “It doesn’t really make any sense to me. I don’t really smoke cigarettes at all, but I don’t see the point of banning the flavored ones.”

The holy month of Ramadan has brought out Egypt’s cultural split personality, twisting Egyptians into knots over whether their society is secular, Muslim or a muddled mix.

Two furious debates have been raging through the season in the Arab world’s most populous nation. On one hand, rumors that police arrested Egyptians violating the daily Ramadan fast raised dire warnings from secularists that a Taliban-like rule by Islamic law is taking over.

On the other, Ramadan TV talk shows on state-sponsored television featuring racily dressed female hosts discussing intimate sex secrets with celebrities have sparked outrage from conservatives, denouncing what they call the decadence that is sweeping the nation.

So is Egypt being taken over by sinners or saints? Egyptians have always been a boisterous combination – priding themselves on their piety, while determined to have a good time.

Ramadan, the final day of which is Saturday in most of the Islamic world, shows the contradictions. Egyptians widely adhere to the dawn-to-dusk fast, in which the faithful abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn until dusk. After sunset, while some pray into the night, many Egyptians party with large meals and a heavy dose of TV entertainment produced specially for the month.

But the confusion comes from the government as well. It has often promoted strict Islamic principles in an attempt to co-opt conservatives and undercut extremists whom the state has been battling for decades. But it also increasingly dominated by businessmen who this year are more heavily than ever promoting Western-style secular culture.

There is no explicit law in Egypt to punish those not abiding by the fast, nor are there religious police to enforce Islamic rules as in Saudi Arabia. Many restaurants still serve during the day, and coffee shops can be seen with their doors cracked open, patrons hidden inside sipping tea or smoking water pipes.

But independent newspapers reported this month that police arrested more than 150 people for openly violating the fast.

Most of the reports have been unconfirmed. But Ahmed, a 27-year old fruit vendor, told The Associated Press he and 15 other people were arrested in a market in the southern town of Aswan on Sept. 5, for smoking in public.

“I was slapped, kicked around,” Ahmed said, refusing to give his last name fearing further police harassment. “They asked me why I am not fasting … They insulted me and used foul language.”

Ahmed said he was kept in the police station for nearly six hours, then let go. “Now I am fasting, I swear,” he said.

Police officials refused to confirm if Ahmed and others were arrested for not fasting, saying only they were rounded up for investigation.

The reports sparked criticism from Egyptian human rights activists, who called the crackdown unconstitutional. Activists said it appeared some police were acting individually to enforce the fast, a sign of increasing conservatism in the Interior Ministry. Some critics argued that adherence to the fast is traditionally a matter between each individual Muslim and God.

The Interior Ministry didn’t deny or confirm the reports, but a ministry spokesman was quoted in the press last week insisting the security forces have a right to crack down on violators of the fast.

Bilal Fadl, a popular satirical columnist, said the ministry is mimicking “big sister Saudi Arabia,” adding, “can we be so demanding from the sheiks in the Interior Ministry and ask them to postpone their campaign to defend (Islam) … and start with implementing religious laws that fight corruption?”

An Egyptian blogger who goes by the pseudonym “Kalb Baladi” (Stray Dog) warned, “once we start going down the slippery slope of religious fascism, Egypt will become another Afghanistan in no time.”

But the campaign appeared to have backers among the public. One woman who called into a popular talk show, Al-Qahira Al-Yom (Cairo Today), said fast-breakers were “looking for trouble” and should be jailed.

Television talk shows and soap operas produced especially for Ramadan have sparked their own debates.

State television and private channels owned by businessmen close to the government flooded the airwaves with new programs that liberally discussed taboo subjects like extramarital relationships, polygamy, divorce and sex education. Most featured stylish female hosts and often veered into titillation.

Ramadan is supposed to be a time of piety and religious reflection. Open talk of sex on TV is frowned upon throughout the year – but it’s outright shocking during the holy month, when Muslims believe Islam’s holy book the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

Gehad Auda, a political analyst and member of the ruling party, said the government was intentionally trying to challenge religious extremists by opening the doors to more daring topics on TV.

“There is a new television logic, not only with images, but also through dialogue, without fear by breaking taboos surrounding many issues” to raise social awareness, Auda said.

In one espoused of a talk show called “The Daring One,” the host – a famous female film director with a penchant for short skirts – kept pressing her actress guest about what she and her boyfriend liked to do when they’re alone.

On the same show, another actress confessed she once had an abortion – which is illegal in Egypt and strictly forbidden by Islamic law. A male guest admitted to extramarital affairs.

The barrage of provocative shows has unleashed heavy criticism.

“We should boycott all this absurdity and obscenity and read the Quran,” Mahmoud Ashour, an official with al-Azhar, the highest institution of Sunni learning in the Muslim world, told a gathering.

Columnist Ahmed Gamal Badawi wrote in the liberal opposition daily Al-Wafd that the government policy to “besiege” Islamists with “obscenity” would backfire and only add “millions to their ranks.”

Wael Abdel Fattah, a producer of one of the new talk shows but also a government critic, said the conflicting messages of arresting fast-breakers while challenging religious sensitivities just show the state’s determination to impose its power on all sides.

The state “is now dressing up in fashion, wearing a suit and tie, talking elegantly, showing pretty pictures but it is still very much in control … it all fits the traditional tools of oppression,” he said.