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– Fully recognize that nicotine use cannot solve any crisis.Accept the fact that there is absolutely no legitimate excuse for relapse, including friction with others,a horrible day, boredom, significant stress, holidays, alcohol use, an auto accident, financial crisis, theend of a relationship, job loss, a terrorist attack, a hurricane, an earthquake, the birth of a baby, or theeventual inevitable death of those we love most. Try and visualize yourself not smoking or using oralnicotine products through each and every step needed to overcome the most difficult challenge yourmind can possibly imagine. Yes you can!

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Endlessly hammered by flavor, aroma, pleasure, friendship, adventure, rebellion andaffordability marketing, our subconscious was the nicotine addiction industry’ssubliminal message board. Twice the traveling hypnotist sold me a couple of days ofunbelievable hypnotic bliss before I tested it and relapsed.
But looking upon our subconscious mind only in terms of being the playground ofothers cheapens and makes it look dumb, while ignoring our conscious ability toretrain it. Even here, if so dumb, why can our subconscious see subliminal messagesinvisible to the conscious mind or feel the influence of tobacco marketing that ourconsciousness thinks has been ignored? Why can it react to triggering cues writtenupon it by hypnotic suggestion, cues meaningless to conscious awareness?Dumb? When typing on a keyboard, what part of the mind and level of awareness isthinking about, locating and striking the correct key? While operating a vehicle, whois really controlling which foot needs to push on which peddle and how hard, or doingthe driving as we read billboards, talk on the phone or daydream?Our conscious mind has unknowingly aided in teaching our subconscious skills andhow to perform activities, including using nicotine.
Now it’s time to knowinglyteach it how to function without it.Whether referred to as our subconscious, unconscious or preconscious, science is stillin the early stages of discovery in understanding the scope of its involvement in dayto-day life. But it’s every bit as real as the never seen portion of an iceberg. Think ofDisney World and awareness of the magic above ground, while an unseen city beneathbrings the magic to life.

There are hundreds of quitting books with millions of words and scores of quick-fix magiccures promising near painless and sure-fire success. There is but one principle that affordsa 100% guarantee of success to all adhering to it ... “No nicotine today.”While the Brandon and Boreland studies afford the junkie-mind an ever so slight amount ofwiggle-room on the violation side of “The Law,” there is zero wiggle-room for those of uswho fully take it to heart. It is impossible to fail so long as no nicotine enters ourbloodstream. If we want to live nicotine-free then why toy with horrible odds?

There are two different views about the impact of cigarette advertising on cigarette consumption. Thetobacco industry argues that tobacco is a mature industry, and thus advertising affects only the marketshare of advertised brands and has no impact on aggregate demand for cigarettes. In comparison, thepublic health community argues that advertising has a positive effect on demand for cigarettes.Advertising is particularly effective in recruiting young smokers.The effect of cigarette advertising on cigarette consumption has been examined in three differentways:
(1) examining the impact directly, using either annual or quarterly national aggregateexpenditure over time or using cross sectional data;
(2) investigating the impact of an advertising banon demand for cigarettes; and
(3) studying the effect of counter advertising on smoking.

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The Government of Turkey approved Law No. 4207, regulating smoking and
the sale and advertising of tobacco products. The law prohibits smoking in institutions providing
health, educational or cultural services, in closed sporting areas, and within mass transportation
systems. Public businesses with five or more employees must provide special non-smoking areas.
Additionally, the law:
1. prohibits the sale of tobacco products to persons under the age of 18 years;
2. requires the words "Legal Warning: Harmful to Health" to be printed on all packaging of
tobacco and tobacco products produced in or imported into Turkey;
3. requires all establishments where smoking is prohibited to place warning signs as well as
advertising the consequences of violating the prohibition;
4. requires State and private radio and television stations to air a minimum of 90 minutes of
public service messages warning of the harmful effects of tobacco.
Furthermore, the Law prohibits advertising and promotion of tobacco and tobacco products by using
any name, trademark, or trade name.
Although the advertising ban applies equally to both the State tobacco enterprise, TEKEL, which
controls 70 percent of the market, and to private companies, the private manufacturers consider
themselves to be unfairly disadvantaged since, having only recently entered the market, advertising is
critical for them.

The order regarding point-of-sale displays and remand for the district court to evaluate and “mak[e] due provision for the rights of innocent persons,” either by abandoning this part of the remedial order or by crafting a new version reflecting the rights of third parties.
Of course, any such remedy the district court imposes on remand can only affect contracts entered after the injunctive order issues.
 In addition, we agree with Defendants that the injunction appears to order each Defendant separately to require the same retail store to display substantively identical, but separate, signs. The government concedes that, despite the language of the order, the district court could not have intended to require the burden of multiple duplicative displays at each retail store. We therefore direct the district court, if it concludes that some form of a point-of-sale display injunction is still appropriate after considering the rights of third parties and existing contracts, to clarify that its order does not require duplicative displays.

Although tobacco deaths rarely makeheadlines, tobacco kills one person everysix seconds. Tobacco kills a third to half ofall people who use it, on average 15 yearsprematurely. Today, tobacco use causes 1in 10 deaths among peuple worldwide – morethan five million people a year.
 By 2030, unlessurgent action is taken, tobacco’s annual deathtoll will rise to more than eight million.If current trends continue unchecked, it isestimated that around 500 million peoplealive today will be killed by tobacco. Duringthis twenty-first century, tobacco could killup to one billion people. Most tobaccousers will want to quit but will be unableto because of their dependence on a highlyaddictive substance.Cigarettes and other smoked tobacco productsrapidly deliver the addictive drug nicotine tothe brain immediately after smokers inhale –about as efficiently as an intravenous injectionwith a syringe. The tobacco industry itself hasreferred to cigarettes as a “nicotine deliverydevice”. But because the effects of smokedtobacco last only a few minutes, smokersexperience withdrawal symptoms unless theycontinue to smoke.Although standard cigarettes are the mostcommonly used type of smoked tobacco, othersmoked tobacco products, such as bidis, kreteksand shisha, are gaining popularity – often inthe mistaken belief that they are less hazardousto health. However, all forms of tobacco arelethal. Smoked tobacco in any form causes upto 90% of all lung cancers and is a significantrisk factor for strokes and fatal heart attacks.

Note that the representation of his masculinity is droopy. You might argue that this is simply a normal position to hold a cigarette. That is true. However ads are more than just a representation of normality. They are intended to convey meaning. And, as established above and elsewhere, the message associated with many cigarette ads is sexual. This ad is no different. Look carefully at the girls hair, just under the B Kool sign. It is rather matted and does not seem to have the characteristics of normal hair, even when that has been permed or curled.
You will undoubtedly see once again that embedded in the hair are shapes that are characteristic of letters. If these are the letters SEX or variations on these the ad carries the usual sex/cigarette association. The question is will Kool help this guy win the girl or will he remain forever Kool and droopy?

1972 Marlboro Country Horse Herding Fall 2-Page Ad
Come to where the flavor is.
1972 Marlboro Country Man Saddle Horse 2-P Ad - Come to where the flavor is. Marlboro Country.     1972 Marlboro Country Man Saddle Horse 2-P Ad
Come to where the flavor is. Marlboro Country.
1972 Marlboro Country Man Wearing Snowshoes Snow Ad - Come to where the flavor is. Marlboro Country.     
1972 Marlboro Country Man Wearing Snowshoes Snow Ad
Come to where the flavor is. Marlboro Country.
1972 Marlboro Country Winter Scene 2-Page Ad - Come to where the flavor is. Marlboro Country.     1972 Marlboro Country Winter Scene 2-Page Ad
Come to where the flavor is. Marlboro Country.
1972 Marlboro Country Winter Scene Dbl-Pg Ad - Come to Marlboro Country.     
1972 Marlboro Country Winter Scene Dbl-Pg Ad
Come to Marlboro Country.
1972 Marlboro Lights Cig Cowboy Roping Bull art Ad - Marlboro Lights The spirit of Marlboro in a low tar cigarette     
1972 Marlboro Lights Cig Cowboy Roping Bull art Ad
Marlboro Lights The spirit of Marlboro in a low tar cigarette 

EXPERIMENT 1.
At the tip of the nose of mice, a small puncture was made with the surgeon in the needle, bedewed with butter
cigarettes. Small animals, with the inclusion of a small amount of poison, fell into violent agitation,
and died after six minutes.
EXPERIENCE 2.
Two drops of the oil had been rubbed in the language of the red squirrel. This animal, as well as athletic to make it
Hard to ensure it long enough to use, at one point engaged in a violent agitation in the
whole body and limbs, and he was absolutely dead and motionless in one minute.
EXPERIMENT 3.
In the language of the dog, and the average size of five drops of oil of cigarettes used. In forty-five
seconds, he fell to the side, got up, retched, and then fell. In one minute, breathing is laborious and
pupils were dilated. Two minutes of breathing was slow and weak, with a puffing of the cheeks. In three
minutes, students were less, but is constantly varying. The left leg of the plan and the right hind legs were affected
while convulsions or reflex corresponding to the breathing motion of the chest. This
lasted five minutes, nine minutes.In alimentary evacuation; symptoms decreased, and animals trying to walk. At ten minutes
two drops of oil were applied to the language. Instantly breathing was laborious, with a puffing of the
cheeks; students significantly increased. In convulsive or jerking movements of two limbs there, as before, from time to time
Regularly in the range of approximately two seconds, and corresponding exactly to the inspiration. In twelve
minutes, students were more natural, slight frothing at the mouth, the animal was still lying on its side. At this
time drop of oil was passed into each nostril. Work breathing suddenly increased,
jaws locked.
In twenty-two minutes no material change, and the jaws were separated and five drops of oil were rubbed on
language. In one minute the disciples were fully expanded, with strong convulsions. In one and half
minutes, trying to walk, the animal fell. After three minutes on the eyes rolled up and the cramps continued. In
six minutes, the plica semilunaris so is also to cover half of the cornea. For seven minutes, easy frothing at the
mouth. In the forty minutes of inspiration was less deep, the cramps were unremitted, the strength of
absence. Since that time he was on more than half an hour almost in the same condition, but the number gradually
flooding, and there are no prospects for recovery, he was killed. In this case, fairly apoplectic puffing of
cheeks attended most of the time.

In order to estimate authority of products created by this enterprise is enough to mention its premium cigarettes brands: Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson & Hedges, Merit, Parliament, Alpine, Basic, Cambridge, Bristol, Bucks, Chesterfield, Collector's Choice, Commander, English Ovals, Lark, Players and Saratoga.

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Agency Jet Set Holding pr-design events in the 11-sound - and again will hold large-scale activities RED WAVE club-sponsored international project MARLBORO MXTRONICA. Shaw on promoting brand Marlboro Cigarettes.
The basic principle of the project - constant transformation and moving forward to the ideal future events, erasing borders and destroying stereotypes. Marlboro MXTRONICA this year promises a nontrivial sound of the most innovative musicians global electronic scene. Video prokachayut: avant-garde dance culture legend John Acquaviva, a permanent resident of all the major European festivals, always conceals a face mask for Dr. Lektroluv and creator of his own style electro rock'n'rave Kissy Sell Out.

Huntsman also wants to finish off Utah sales tax on food by raising the tax on a pack of cheap cigarettes online by $2.30, up to $3. The increase in revenue would offset a total elimination of the food tax, provided that smokers keep buying cigarettes.
  Lawmakers in the House, including Speaker Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, have shown support for the bill. But in the Senate, Waddoups says the GOP caucus doesn't have the appetite for tax increases of any kind.
  That includes an increase in the gas tax, says Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo. The Utah Department of Transportation put all road projects not under contract on hold late last year when funding became a concern because of the mounting recession.
  It has been suggested that the state gas tax -- which hasn't been raised in years -- be increased to help pay for roads. But Bramble, like Waddoups, is loathe to approve any tax increase during tough economic times.
  Instead, funding for roads will likely either be frozen while the economy recovers, or as Huntsman suggests, the state could lean on its AAA bond rating instead of paying cash.

CHICAGO - Lorillard Inc, the No. 3 U.S. cigarette maker, posted lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday, hurt by higher-than-expected excise taxes and expenses from the national tobacco settlement agreement.

However, Lorillard, which separated from conglomerate Loews Corp (L.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in June, also continued to gain market share. Shares of the company, whose brands include Newport, Kent, True and Maverick, rose nearly 2 percent.

Net income fell 9 percent to $217 million, or $1.25 a share, in the second quarter from $239 million, or $1.37 a share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, Lorillard earned $1.29 a share, below the analysts' average forecast of $1.36, according to Reuters Estimates. Goldman Sachs said the company had earned $1.32 a share before items.

Goldman analyst Judy Hong said the quarter was "not a stellar" one for the Lorillard. In a research note, she blamed the profit shortfall on higher-than-expected excise taxes and settlement expenses, but said the company's U.S. volumes came in better than expected and it continued to gain market share.

Hong said she expected profits to improve in the second half of the year as the company benefits from price increases.

Big U.S. tobacco companies agreed in 1998 to pay $206 billion to 46 states to help pay the costs of treating ailing smokers under a 25-year master settlement. The deal, which ended a long legal battle, included restrictions on the advertising and marketing of tobacco.

Lorillard's sales rose 1.3 percent to $1.07 billion, above the $1.03 billion analysts had expected.

The Greensboro, North Carolina-based company credited the sales increase to higher average unit prices and higher net unit sales volume

North Carolina  - By far, the leading U.S. export to Iran is Cigarettes. Also among the leading exports are Bra's and Bull Semen. Bull Semen? This may explain Iranian women and those facial scarves.

When asked about the export of American Cigarettes to Iran an anonymous source at the Pentagon replied "can you think of an easier way to conquer Iran?" He paused momentarily and then continued "If we can't send in Rambo we'll send in the Marlboro Man. If we can't send in Chuck Norris we'll send in Joe Camel. Who needs Smith and Wesson when you have Benson & Hedges"?

 

BOSTON - The tax on a pack of cigarettes in Massachusetts will jump by a dollar under a bill signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick.
  The tax, one of the highest in the nation, goes into effect immediately. Patrick signed the bill Tuesday, a day after House and Senate lawmakers rushed to approve the bill by the start of the new fiscal year.
  The increase brings Massachusetts' cigarettes tax to $2.51 per pack. New York has the highest cigarette tax in the nation at $2.75 per pack. Supporters say the tax increase would help raise $174 million in revenues. They say the extra money will go to help cover the cost of the state's landmark health care law.
  They also defended taking up the final version of the bill one day before the tax was intended to take effect. Opponents say the measure unfairly targets one group of people and will hurt small Massachusetts businesses that sell cigarettes close to the New Hampshire border.
  The House approved the measure by a 93-52 vote after a brief debate and sent the bill to the Senate, where it was also approved by a 26-9 vote Monday.
  Neighboring states are also eyeing higher cigarettes taxes, though not as dramatic an increase. Vermont's cigarette tax rate climbs by 20 cents to $1.99 per pack effective Tuesday, a jump that follows a 60-cents-per-pack increase in 2006.
  New Hampshire's cigarette tax, now $1.08 per pack, is slated to jump to $1.33 in October if it doesn't generate at least $48 million in revenues between July and October. Some Massachusetts stores had begun collecting the tax earlier in the day on Monday anticipating that Patrick would sign the bill into law.
  Anti-smoking advocated hailed the new tax. "Increasing the tobacco tax is one of the most effective tobacco control strategies with the impact on our youth undeniable," said Marc Hymovitz, spokesman for the American Cancer Society. "The effect of this tax increase will be an estimated 25,000 smokers quitting and 46,000 youth never starting to smoke."

cheap cigarettes Marlboro cigarettes Camel cigarettes Winston cigarettes Virginia cigarettes LM cigarettes Parliament cigarettes Parliament cigarettes Pallmall cigarettes Viceroy cigarettes Kent cigarettes Davidoff cigarettes Bond cigarettes

A senior manager of a wealthy corporate house, who drove up in an Indica car for an important meeting with tobacco farmers in Rajahmundry town last week, arrived a bit late at the venue only to find himself in for a big surprise.

Most of the cars parked outside the venue premises were Ford ikons and Honda Citys. And virtually every single vehicle at the lot outranked his Indica.

Tobacco farmers of Andhra Pradesh have apparently had good income following record prices at auctions and most of them seem to have upgraded from the entry level Maruti 800s to bigger, swankier cars.

Talking to some of the farmers at the recent Tobacco Institute of India awards function in Rajahmundry, Business Line found out that they were not only investment-savvy, but also possessed a sound head on their shoulders.

A TOWERING office block sprouting tobacco plants, private gardens transformed by sculptures and random video screens installed around the city centre will be just some of the stranger sights of this year's Edinburgh Art Festival.

The programme was launched today, with the diverse selection of exhibits and events including a chance to listen to a modern version of a record sent into outer space or read quotes from the Bible on giant rotating lightbulbs.

pective of Tracey Emin's work, being held at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, is this year's major exhibition, and the controversial artist is expected to draw huge crowds. Among the more striking highlights on show around the city will be East Lothian-based artist Ettie Spencer's Tobacco House, which will see large tobacco crops growing out of the windows of St Margaret's House on London Road, as well as an outdoor crop grown behind the Craigmillar Arts Centre.
The artist hopes that the installation in the former pensions building will raise questions about the issues of slavery, poverty and taxation surrounding the tobacco industry, as well as brightening up the "grim" building.
She has not yet decided what will be done with the crop but will be taking suggestions from the public during the festival.
Another event sure to catch the eye will be Boris Eldagsen's Spam: the musical, a series of video installations based on two years' worth of spam e-mails collected by the artist. As it is a work of "guerrilla" art, organisers were in the dark over exactly where, or what, the installations would be, but said they would include videos around the city centre.
The videos will also be uploaded to internet sites in dozens of countries across the globe, in a bid to create the world's biggest piece of spam art.
Big Things on the Beach is again working with the festival after last year's successful sandbag pyramids, and this year have organised Garden Gallery, which will see artists placing works in the gardens of private houses around Portobello beach.
The homeowners have all given their permission, and the works will all be visible from the street, with tours being arranged to take people around the event.
The festival includes more than 50 exhibitions, and features more than 120 events, including artists' talks, screenings, debates, tours and family projects.
Director Joanne Brown said she was "overawed" by the quantity and quality of the work.
She said: "I feel really proud of the way the city has taken on the Art Festival, and we now have so many galleries commissioning work and organising events, most of which are free to the public and which will really raise the profile of visual arts."
The Edinburgh Art Festival runs from July 31 to August 31.

NEW YORK - Altria Group Inc's Philip Morris USA has cancelled its Marlboro Ultra Smooth cigarettes, highlighting challenges it faces in trying to grow its tobacco business despite a decline in U.S. cigarette sales, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Altria gets nearly all its revenue from Philip Morris USA after spinning off its Philip Morris International operations, the Journal reported.
Philip Morris's sales volume fell 4.6 percent last year, worse than the 4 percent decline in the overall U.S. cigarette market, the Journal reported. Underlying sales volume fell 3.6 percent, the Journal added.
The company expects overall cigarette sales to fall at an annual rate of 2.5 percent to 3 percent in coming years, the Journal reported.
Philip Morris has turned to developing tobacco products that are not as risky to their user's health, the Journal said. Ultra Smooth cigarettes include an activated carbon filter that delivers nicotine but with potentially less exposure to the carcinogens of conventional cigarettes, the Journal reported.
A Philip Morris spokesman was unavailable for comment.

Imperial Tobacco Group Plc, Europe's second-largest publicly traded cigarette maker, plans to cut 2,440 European jobs after buying Altadis SA for 12.6 billion euros ($20 billion) earlier this year.

Six of 58 factories will shut as staff numbers fall by about 6 percent, Imperial said today. The plants slated for closure are located in its hometown of Bristol, England, as well as Spain, France, Germany and Slovakia. The maker of Davidoff cigarettes fell 3.3 percent in London trading as the plan failed to persuade some analysts to lift their savings estimates.

Western European tobacco companies have eliminated jobs as governments restrict smoking and advertisements. Gareth Davis, Imperial's chief executive officer since the company was spun off from Hanson Plc in 1996, has beat cost-savings goals consistently since the cigarette maker bought German rival Reemtsma in 2002 and then cut 4.4 percent of its jobs.

Expectations for today's announcement ``got carried away,'' wrote Jonathan Leinster, an analyst at UBS in London, who repeated his ``sell'' rating on the stock today. He left his savings estimates unchanged and said he's ``not satisfied'' with expense reduction related to the Altadis merger.

Almost half of the job cuts, or 1,060 positions, will take place in France, equating to almost a quarter of Imperial's local payroll. The company stuck to forecasts for expenses of 600 million euros for the reductions and plant closings and annual cost savings of 400 million euros by the year through September 2012.

Shares Retreat

Imperial fell 64 pence to 1,879 pence in London trading. The stock has declined 20 percent in 2008 after rising more than sixfold in the prior eight years.

The cigarette maker will need to negotiate with unions over the job cuts and gain approval from the French and Spanish governments. Plans to reduce payrolls have sparked strikes this year by French workers from hospital staff to employees of newspaper Le Monde.

``They're brutally tearing the company apart,'' Jorge Tome, a representative of Spain's Comisiones Obreras union, said in an e-mailed statement. ``Once again they're showing that the only thing that counts is profit and not a social commitment.''

The takeover of Madrid-based Altadis added about 27,000 employees to Imperial's work force. The Iberian company, which was formed when Spain and France merged their tobacco monopolies in 1999, makes cigarettes under brands including Gauloises and Gitanes and also is the world's largest cigar manufacturer.

Cigarettes in Indonesia, the world's fifth largest cigarette market, are among the cheapest in the world with a pack costing around $1.

 

Four Indonesian NGOs filed a lawsuit against the president and parliament on Thursday for not signing a global tobacco treaty, saying the high level of tobacco use was forcing millions into poverty.

The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) along with three other NGOs slammed the government for not taking stronger measures to increase cigarette prices while prices of basic needs such as food have risen after fuel prices were hiked nearly 30 percent in May.

Cigarettes in Indonesia, the world's fifth largest cigarette market, are among the cheapest in the world with a pack costing around $1.

Although smoking has taken a toll on the health of Indonesians and pushed millions further into poverty, Indonesia is reluctant to sign the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) aimed at cutting cigarette consumption because of concerns about the developing country's economy.

The World Health Organization's FCTC aims to reduce tobacco consumption, including through a ban on advertising and promotion.

China, which is the world's largest cigarette producer, is among the 168 signatories to the treaty.

Indonesia's $8-billion tobacco industry is big business which provides jobs for 7 million people and contributes about 10 percent to the government's coffers.

"We demand the Indonesian president ratify FCTC because it can protect people from the bad impact of tobacco," Tulus Abadi, an anti-tobacco activist at YLKI, told reporters after the case was filed against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a Jakarta court.

"The majority of smokers are poor people who allocate more money for cigarettes than for education and food."

Most Indonesians smoke traditional clove cigarettes which were invented in the late 19th century to ward off illnesses.

Called "kretek" for the crackling sound they make when they burn, the cigarettes usually contain added flavours such as chocolate and dried fruits. Some taste sweet, others spicy, but they are all distinctly Indonesian.

Some big cities in Indonesia, including Jakarta, have banned smoking in public areas, but these local regulations are still not implemented, Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto, an activist of the Jakarta citizens forum, told reporters.

 

Numbers compiled by the state show cigarette sales in decline at Oneida Indian Nation stores and other Native American shops.

However, these numbers may not tell the whole picture about these locations that do not collect state taxs on tobacco products. Indian tribes do not collect state levies on the grounds that they are sovereign nations.

The Oneidas bought nearly 2.6 million cartons of cigarettes last year from state licensed agents, down from nearly 2.8 million in 2006, according to figures supplied by the state Department of Taxation and Financ. The drop amounts to approximately 7 percent.

The 2005 level was 2.1 million cartons.

Under the new state tax of $2.75 for each pack, the Oneidas’ reported cigarette purchases for last year would represent about $71.3 million in state revenue losses.

Department spokesman Tom Bergin cautions that actual cigarette sales could be higher because his department’s numbers do not include any sales to Indians by vendors not required to report such transactions to the state.

Statewide, the number of cigarette cartons sold to tribes dropped from 36 million in 2006 to 30.4 million last year, a decrease of approximately 18 percent, according to the state data.

The Seneca Indian Nation in Western New York fell from 17.8 million cartons in 2006 to 12.2 million last year. The Senecas sell the most cigarettes of the eight nations.

STEPHENS CITY — A pack of smokes will cost 25 cents more in town when a new tax adopted Tuesday takes effect.

The Town Council voted 6-1 at its regular meeting to approved an ordinance creating a 25-cent excise tax on a pack of 20 cigarettes. Mayor Ray Ewing, Vice Mayor Joy Shull and councilmen Ronald Bowers, John Hollis, Lindel Fravel Jr. and Micheal Grim voted to approve the ordinance on the final reading. Councilman John Harter gave the dissenting vote.

"There were enough people in this town that didn't like the idea, and somebody had to vote against it," Harter said, explaining his vote.

Bowers disagreed.

"I think it's a fair because you're putting it on an elected product," Bowers said.

Currently, four businesses within town limits sell cigarettes and would have to charge the tax. Sellers must display a cigarette stamp provided by the town. Taxes will be collected by the town treasurer. The tax per individual cigarette will be 1.25 cents, but the total revenue should be around $25,000, according to Town Manager Mike Kehoe.

In other business, the council:

* Adopted a resolution to address "Virginia's transportation funding crisis," by which the town supports the efforts of the governor and the General Assembly "to act swiftly and decisively to approve legislation that will address the transportation funding crisis at the statewide, regional and local levels."

The resolution also states that such legislation should include new tax and fee revenue, including tolls on new highways, to ensure safe roads, ease congetion, promote economic development and provide consumer choices.

* Held a public hearing on the proposed 2008-2009 budget. No one spoke during the hearing. The total budget is proposed at $1.45 million, compared to $1.66 million for the current year. The council scheduled a June 12 special meeting at which they plan to vote on the budget.

Also, the council approved a motion extending the deadline to pay real estate and personal to June 30. Bills were to be due Thursday.

* Voted unanimously to award a contract to American Disposal Inc. for refuse collection. The contract is for one year at $101,192. Evergreen Waste Inc. currently provides the service for nearly $90,000 but submitted a bid of $125,881 for the next year, the second-highest of three bids.

* Voted unanimously to adopt a resolution requesting that the Virginia Department of Transportation reduce the speed limit on U.S. 11 (Valley Pike), 0.95 miles south of the previous town limits, from 55 mph to 45 mph.

 

Vietnam launches the inaugural National Non-Smoking Week today in an effort to raise awareness of the consequences of smoking and protect young people from such dangers.
  During National Non-Smoking Week, all forms of advertisement, trade promotion and sponsorship by tobacco companies will be prohibited.
  In addition, cigarettes retail prices and import taxes will see a hike and aban on selling cigarettes to people under 18 years of age will also go into effect.
  The week will end on Saturday.
  The Ministry of Health as well as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will work with the Health  Organization to implement the week to mark World Non-Smoking Day, May 31.
  The survey also showed that 56 percent of men and close to 1.8 percent of women in Vietnam smoke regular cigarettes, 31 percent of whom are young people.
  The number of tobacco-related deaths in Vietnam hits 40,000 on average annually.

PRAGUE  - Czech tobacco group Philip Morris CR sees no reason for further tax hikes on cigarettes in the next several years after the last rise at the start of the year, weekly Euro reported, citing the group's new CEO.
    'After a rise in the consumer in January 2008, the Czech Republic fulfilled and passed the minimum tax, and therefore we do not see a reason for raising the rate for several years,' Euro quoted Alvise Giustiniani as saying in an interview.
    The tobacco group's Czech has eroded in recent years amid fiercer competition and tax hikes on cigarettes, and analysts expect the company to face challenges in 2008 due to strong stockpiling from competitors.

How popular are menthol cigarettes? Popular enough to reverse logic. The government is set to pass a bill that will ban "flavored" cigarettes, but menthols will be excluded. Because menthol, of course, is not a flavor. What menthol is is close to $20 billion in sales for the tobacco industry. As well as an important part of African-American culture! Tobacco companies advertise menthol brands disproportionately to minority communities, and it obviously works, although nobody really knows why. What we do know is that this bill is perfect—it protects my precious Kools, while saving America from the strawberry menace:
  "My recollection is that we were able to eliminate the use of flavored cigarettes, strawberry, mocha, and all this stuff that is clearly targeted at young kids and to start them smoking tobacco," Mike DeWine, the former Ohio senator [said].
  It's about time we got rid of those mocha cigarettes that all the kids are smoking these days. Of course, we'll still have this problem:
  Scientists who study smoking have identified various disparities in the health of black and white smokers. National Cancer Institute data shows that African-American men is at a rate 50 percent higher than white men — a gap that most scientists say cannot be fully explained by historically higher rates of smoking by black men. One theory suggests that menthol in cigarettes, by providing an additional pleasurable sensory cue.
  But let's be fair, those crying racial discrimination in advertising: how do you explain THIS?

MADRID - Imperial Tobacco Group Plc. unit Altadis SA. has obtained an additional 37.30 percent of Cia de Distribucion Integral Logista SA., raising its stake in the unit to 96.92 percent, bourse regulator CNMV said.
    In January, Imperial Tobacco presented a full cash bid for the outstanding in Logista at 52.5 euros per share, following its acquisition of Altadis.
    The acceptance period for the takeover bid ended May 6.
    The UK tobacco cigarettes manufacturer has said it plans to keep Logista listed on the Spanish.  

Consumers can squeeze this blue capsule inside the filter of the new Camel Crush to release a menthol flavor. The brand is being test-marketed at local Quality Mart stores.
A tiny blue capsule is the key element in R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.'s latest attempt to woo smokers. The capsule is embedded into the filter of a regular Camel Lights cigarette.
When smokers squeeze and snap the capsule, it releases menthol to change the flavor. The cigarettes — packaged in a sleek black and blue box and called Camel Crush — is being test-marketed at local Quality Mart convenience stores, and beginning this month in Pennsylvania. "We're giving the adult smoker the ability to savor two distinct flavors with Camel Crush and customize the experience," said Brian Stebbins, the senior business-unit director for Camel. "They can crush it a little and get a slight flavor over the length of the smoke. They can crush it completely and get a fresh menthol blast."
Reynolds views product innovation as a positive and differentiating way to compete for adult smokers and market share. However, the capsule also has become the latest target of anti-smoking groups, which claim that product innovations such as Camel Crush and the marketing of cigarettes  are geared toward attracting young consumers.
"Tobacco companies have carefully designed their products to attract new users, almost all of whom are children," said The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a February report titled "Big Tobacco's Guinea Pigs."   "Tobacco products are far from simple tobacco leaf rolled in paper or other packaging. They are highly engineered nicotine-delivery devices, finely tuned to appeal to the taste, feel, smell, and other sensations of new and addicted smokers," the report says. Stebbins declined to say how much Reynolds has spent to develop Camel Crush, but it has been in the works for several years.
"We had to find the proper type of capsule," Stebbins said. "We also had to invent manufacturing machinery to put the capsule in the same place in the filter consistently without breaking it." Reynolds said it has obtained a patent on the machinery.