EU urged to press ahead with tobacco crackdown amid lobbying scandal

Leading doctors are calling on the government to lean on the European commission to press ahead with the promised tough new tobacco products directive, in spite of the resignation of the EU health commissioner and a growing scandal in Brussels around alleged tobacco industry influence. The commissioner John Dalli has revealed that he was forced to resign by the European commission president, José Manuel Barroso, following an investigation by the EU anti-fraud office Olaf into a complaint by a Swedish tobacco company. Swedish Match, which makes the smokeless tobacco product "snus", which is banned in the EU, alleged that a compatriot of Dalli's had offered to arrange meetings with the commissioner for money. Dalli denied meeting any lobbyist and said that the Maltese entrepreneur Silvio Zammit had been approached by the company. No money had changed hands. Dalli has consistently denied any knowledge of the payment requests and has threatened legal action over how the case was handled. Olaf said it had no proof that he was behind the requests. Zammit has also denied any wrongdoing. In a letter to the Guardian on Friday, Sir Richard Thompson, president of the Royal College of Physicians, Dr Lindsey Davies, the president of the Faculty of Public Health, and Dr Clare Gerada, chair of council of the Royal College of General Practitioners, call on the government to use its influence with Brussels amid concern that delays in appointing a new health commissioner could in effect kill the tobacco products directive, which may not get approval before new elections in 2014. "The directive seeks to tackle head-on the industry's attempts to enlist young people as smokers by introducing graphic warnings and banning flavouring and other enhancements," says the letter. "It would also extend the ban on smokeless tobacco 'snus' to e-cigarettes and includes the possibility of requiring plain packaging. "We call on the UK government to encourage the European commission to support the directive's continued progress rather than blocking it in the wake of recent developments." In an article in the Lancet published on Thursday, experts say that delaying the directive would be a victory for the tobacco industry at the expense of public health and would raise serious questions about EU decision-making that would need to be investigated.

Women who quit smoking before 30 cut risk of tobacco-related death by 97%

Women who smoke into middle-age have three times the death rate of non-smokers and risk dying at least 10 years early, according to a definitive study of the effects of tobacco in more than a million women in the UK. The good news, according to the study by a team of Oxford University researchers led by Sir Richard Peto, is that giving up cigarettes before the age of 40 reduces a woman's risk of smoking-related death by 90%. Quitting by 30 reduces it by 97%. The study, published by the Lancet a day before the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir Richard Doll, who first established the link between smoking and lung cancer, shows conclusively for the first time that the disastrous effects of smoking for men are no different for women.

Smoking Bans and Less Alcohol Drinkers

A research conducted by the Yale School of Medicine has found that states with smoking bans in bars may also have higher recovery rates from alcohol use disorder, or AUD. Past data have shown that smokers are four times as likely as non-smokers to have AUD, and almost 35 per cent of individuals with AUD are nicotine-dependent. However, the Yale study was the first in the country to observe the relationship between smoking bans in bars and AUD remission rates. The study’s findings were published in the journal “Drug and Alcohol Dependence” in late September. Using information collected by the National Epidemiological Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions, scientists analyzed data that investigated 19,763 inhabitants in 49 states from 2001-’02 and 2004-’05. Almost 85 per cent of the study’s participants came from states that do not have smoke-free bar policies. The other 15 percent came from the eight states in the country that do — Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Ontario Convenience Stores Lose Sales to Contraband Cigarettes

Ontario convenience stores are having trouble making ends meet these days and the culprit isn’t the economy—it’s contraband tobacco, MyKawartha.com reports. “It’s a very sad situation and there’s a lot of stress created,” said Laura Stokan, who, along with her husband, has owned Neighbourhood Discount Milk for 22 years. She points to illegal tobacco as the reason behind falling sales. Dave Bryans, president of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, said more than 3,000 of Ontario’s 10,000 convenience retailers will shutter their stores by 2015 unless the province tackles contraband cigarette sales.

FDA Warns Stores for Selling Cigarettes to Minors

Exercising their new federal powers regulating tobacco products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week warned 25 Mississippi convenience stores to stop selling cigarettes to minors, Reuters reports. The FDA said it sent the stores warning letters for failing to check IDs and for selling cigarettes to minors during inspections in November. It said unless the stores take corrective measures, they could face fines or a ban on selling tobacco products. The move is a clear sign that regulators are actively using new powers given to them in 2009. It also puts tobacco retailers on notice that they can expect tougher scrutiny.

Smoking epidemic in Ireland a worry for cancer authorities

Figures demonstrate that females in today’s society are well on course to long-term illness via a smoky avenue, the Irish Examiner says, noting that smoking is damaging the lives of young Irish women.
The broadsheet newspaper learns that the incidence of smoking-related diseases, especially lung cancer, is higher than ever in females, accounting for more lives than breast cancer. Referring to data from the National Cancer Registry, the newspaper says lung cancer is set to become a female-prevalent disease by 2025.

Ex-Olympian pledges to public to quit smoking

Let this year's No Smoking Day be the last day you light up, former Olympiad Chris Cook urges all aspiring quitters from the metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear.

With thousands of people getting prepared to celebrate No Smoking Day on Wednesday, March 14, the borough of Tyne and Wear is gearing up to observe the day in a befitting manner and what better than having an ex-Olympian pledging to the smokers to give up the bad habit!

Camel cigarettes

Camel is one of those few brands that are well-known worldwide and are considered to be a universal quality standard. Richard Joshua Reynolds is the founder of the Camel trademark and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR); he went down in history not only as a successful businessman, but also as a talented marketer. The son of the Virginian planter he was the first to label every package of his chewing tobacco with colorful and catchy logos. In the beginning of 1913 RJR marketed 4 cigarette brands at once and Camel was one of them. The producers planned the Camel’s look and taste to evoke the romantic spirit of the Middle East among the Americans.
The very blend of the dark tart Turkish tobaccos and the light Virginian ones suited smokers’ tastes. And this revolutionary receipt went down in history as “American Blend” and became the world standard for the whole tobacco industry. Reynolds staked on Camel having spent the lion's share of his advertising money on its campaign to introduce a new hero – ‘Old Joe’, an Arabian camel from the famous “Barnum and Bailey Circus”. Eventually Old Joe became the most popular animal ever. Reynolds is also the producer of Winston cigarettes.

The Best Cigarette Brands in The United States

In spite of their harmful nature and rising prices, the best cigarettes remain to be the most traded commodity in the world to date. It is considered one of the largest industries on the planet, with a global take of more than $400 billion. And combining all the sales in each country, it is said that approximately 1 trillion pieces are traded every year. The minimum acceptable age for smoking is 18 years old. But it is said that, under the guidance and approval of parents or legal guardians, minors may not be sanctioned when found guilty of this act. With this loophole in place and the weak implementation of rules, it is not surprising at all that kids as young as 10 are not afraid to engage in the habit. The Unites States so far has the highest rate of smokers, with the Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee having the biggest slice of the pie. Here are the best cigarette brands that have been found to be most commonly smoked in the country, in particular order: