CigarettesDigest – Your cigarette and tobacco guide

The state has seized a tobacco retailer’s truck from Seneca which contained thousands of cartons of cigarettes, this move many see as a test conducted by the government as Albany seems to begin collecting taxes on Indian cigarette sales in the months ahead.

This truck was confiscated on Monday by at least one state tax and finance agent as it went between the tribe’s Cattaraugus and Allegany reservations.

“The state seized thousands of cartons of cigarettes that didn’t have a New York State tax stamp as requested by the law,” Brad Maione, a tax department spokesman, stated.

He also added that all tobacco products were illegally held by an individual situated outside the reservation property. He refused to answer any questions about the given case.

The truck belonged to Aaron J. Pierce, a Seneca businessman who was among those demanding in court the lawfulness of a new federal law that is related to mail-order tobacco product trade.

Pierce refused to comment the situation and referred calls to his lawyer Lisa Coppola. Recently she released a statement from Pierce’s company, AJ’s Wholesale, naming the confiscation without any warrant “illegal.”
The confiscation was made just one day before Seneca Nation business entities asked a federal judge in Buffalo to postpone the federal government’s ban on mailing tobacco products until their request will be heard by a higher court.

The dueling demands are part of the negative consequences from Arcara’s order last month supporting the main problem of a new federal law as Seneca business owners state will worsen their mail-order cigarette operations.

“At the given moment they are shutting down,” William Parry, the owner of Wolf’s Run in Irving stated after the two-hour hearing. “There ar Read more…

Tobacco adverts are prohibited throughout the European Union, however the number of cigarette ads in social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook is growing. According to health experts tobacco companies also increasingly use summer youth music festivals to promote their products and turn younger adults and teenagers into smoking.

Many music festivals held across the United Kingdom signed sponsorship deals with tobacco companies and agreements to install stands with their tobacco products. Lovebox festival, one of the biggest open-air events in the UK was partially sponsored by Rizla tobacco-rolling paper, a division of Imperial Tobacco which is not covered by the tobacco advertisement ban. According to Imperial Tobacco communications manager, sponsoring festivals is a legal activity, so the company believes they can use such events for promoting their products.

Another major music festival held last summer in Suffolk featured stands with Marlboro cigarettes. The organizers of the event signed partnership deal with Philip Morris International, so only Marlboro cigarettes were sold in the festival, with sales carried out by attractive girls wearing “Marlboro-featured” dresses and skirts. In addition, this year’s edition will feature similar partnership deal, this time with Imperial Tobacco.

The UK division of Japan Tobacco International also used music festivals for promoting its key brands Benson and Hedges, Camel and Silk Cut. These Read more…

Reynolds American Inc., the second-largest tobacco company in the US, reported July 22 that its Q2 earnings dropped 9.5 percent compared to the same period last year due to plant closings expenses and economic challenges.

RAI admitted that price increases in cigarette and smokeless tobacco segments and moist-snuff sale volume growth compensated the drops in cigarette volume.

The company sold 20.3 billion cigarettes during the Q2, which is 9.5% less than in 2009, in comparison to industry-wide decline of 7.1%. Despite the overall drop, major drive brands Pall Mall and Camel gained additional market share.

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R.J. Reynolds, RAI’s cigarette-making division, reported its flagship cigarette brands Camel and Pall Mall showed increases in market share and volume. Pall Mall volumes gained 9.7 percent, and its market share added 1.8% totaling 7.0%/ Camel added 0.3% to its market share which now accounts for 7.8 percent.

RJR showed an overall solid performance, reporting a 6.9% drop in the second quarter in comparison to industry-wide drop of 7.1%. Key brands Camel and Pall Mall both posted gains, and currently comprise more than 50% of the cigarette-maker’s total volume and market share. These two brands posted a combined market share of 14.8 percent, growing by 2.1% during the second quarter.

Camel gained 0.3 percentage points to its market share in comparison to the same period in 2009. Its market share now totals 7.8%. The Read more…

A research carried by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that cigarette brands produced by U.S. tobacco companies in comparison with cigarettes brands produced in other countries, possess higher levels of toxic chemicals that provoke cancer.

As concluded the CDC research team, the USA tobacco mixture comprises more cancer-causing substances than cigarettes manufactured in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

In the course of research scientists examined 126 smokers from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The examined smokers were aged 18-55 years and smoked daily around 15 cigarettes for the last 12 months.

The examined participants were devoted to “American Blend” cigarette brand for more than 3 months. The CDC team hasn’t specified what kind of U.S. brand was used, only stating that it as a popular “American blend”.

Among the brands that appeared in research were Players in Canada produced by Imperial Tobacco, Lorillard’s Newport, Marlboro produced by Philip Morris USA, UK’s Benson & Hedges and Winfield in Australia produced by British American Tobacco.

More than 2000 cigarettes butts were examined by the research team.

After examining cigarettes made in Canada, USA, Australia, and the United Kingdom, the scientists found out that tobacco products from United States identifying as ‘American Blend’ contain high levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamines and cancer-causing chemicals that favor the development of malignant tumors.

Whereas cigarettes made in other countries contained other types of tobacco that have shown lower levels of carcinogens.

In order to calculate the levels of TSNA, the researches measured the quantity of these substances in cigarettes butts, in saliva and urine of those smokers who participate in the research. They came to conclusion that smokers of cigarettes made in USA were exposed to three-time higher levels of carcinogens than smokers who prefer cigarettes brand from other countries.

“It is obvious that cigarette brands that are produced in different countries differ in methods of fags’ production and also in applied ingredients”, said Dr. James Pirkle, vice Read more…

In conformity with the latest research published in the Britain Journal of Medicine, over 1,200 heart infarctions were prevented across the country within 14 months since the implementation of anti-smoking regulation.

In the first research since the implementation of the ban the numbers of heart attacks in adult patients reported by hospitals throughout England from the five years prior to the introduction of the smoke-free legislation in July 2007, were compared with the information collected during 14 months after the ban had entered into effect.

The research carried out by the University of Bath scientists concluded that emergency hospital admissions for myocardial seizures decreased by 2.4% in the 14 months after England banned smoking in enclosed public spaces.

Forced to light up outside, smokers reduce the numbers of cigarettes consumed daily, resulting in the reduction in heart attacks among both smokers and non-smokers.

This reduction in coronary heart diseases helped Nationwide Health System save approximately £8.4million and prevented nearly 200 deceases.

The rate of survivors from heart attacks in England is 85%, so 1,200 cases of prevented infarctions could result in nearly 180 deaths, which have been prevented thanks to would be expected to die.

Scientists consider that myocardial infarctions are only one of numerous diseases caused by tobacco use and passive smoking that were decreased after the implementation of smoke-free policy.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) director Deborah Arnott admitted that reduction in lung cancer rates will also be reported very soon.

Study has already shown that smoke-free legislation has considerably decreased the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke among non-smoking population and minors, which will as well, led to further benefits for public health.

Both smoking and passive smoking is believed to rise the likeability of heart seizure by contributing to the blood becoming more predisposed to clotting, lessening the amount of ‘good’ cholesterol and increasing the jeopardy of higher heart rhythms.

England is home to 23% of smokers among adult male population and 21% of smokers among adult women. Acco Read more…

Tobacco industry is targeting women and girls – World Health Organization declares

The latest report on smoking issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) coming on the threshold of World No-Tobacco Day has showed that women make up 20 percent of 1 billion smokers in the world, and these figures keep growing annually. WHO focused the attention not only to the growing numbers of adult female-smokers, by as well to the growth of smokers among teenage girls.

An international survey on youth tobacco use has demonstrated that tobacco consumption among girls aged 13-16 years, is even higher than that among teenage boys of the same age. According to the survey, 23.6 percent of girls are taking up cigarette compared to 21.5 percent of boys, and these figures are coming despite the fact that sales to minors are prohibited in the majority of countries.

The WHO report as well demonstrates that in Europe adult men constitute 59 percent of all smokers, and women make up 21 percent. While in Western Europe the rates of smokers among men and women are almost equal (33 percent to 28 percent in Germany), Eastern Europe shows the contrary trend with much fewer smokers among women (60 percent to 30 percent in Cyprus and 61 percent to 5 percent in Armenia). And this tendency couldn’t remain unnoticed by tobacco industry that is currently trying to close this gap by luring women into smoking, alleged the survey.

A report in China: Smokers can’t give up without help

According to a report carried out by China Ministry of Public Health and based on a survey of more than 15,000 internet users across the country, the majority of current smokers face many difficulties while trying to quit cold turkey without help of professionals. The r Read more…

In conformity with the latest annual report presented by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) the rate of adolescent and adult smokers who switch to menthol cigarettes is currently on a rise. Many public health groups said they have been highly concerned by the growing figures, because menthol flavoring is the only additive not included in the federal ban on flavored cigarettes, which came into force last year.

According to the report, menthol category constitutes almost 25 percent of the $70 billion-per-year tobacco market in the U.S. The leading position in menthol cigarette market belongs to Lorillard Inc. maker of Newport, number one menthol cig, ahead of Philip Morris USA and Reynolds American.

Scientists say that tobacco companies add menthol flavoring to mask the harsh taste of tobacco and make the smoke to be cooler and long-lasting; however, this flavoring entices smokers to light up more cigarettes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently considering the impact of menthol flavor on smokers and could include menthol in the ban on flavorings.

The SAMHSA report shows that the number of smokers who prefer menthol cigarette in teenage group (12 -18 years) went up from 44% reported in 2004 to 48% in 2008. In addition, among the younger adults group (18-25 years) the rate of menthol smokers grew from 34% in 2004 up to 41% in 2008. Read more…

Scientists from China stated they have discovered a method to use million of cigarette butts discarded by smokers everywhere – on streets, parks, playgrounds and other places – the butts can be used as corrosion protection for steel pipes.

The remainders of the smoked cigarettes, which are considered to be the major form of litter across the world, contain chemicals that could hurt the environment, kill marine debris etc. However, this problem may be solved, if scientists discovered new ways to use cigarette butts.

“If you use public transport and make a lot of walking you can confirm that cigarette butts can be seen everywhere, on the streets, grass and even beaches ,” stated Jun Zhao, a Xi’an Jiaotong University Ph.D. student at the. “So, we though it was very important to carry out a research project about the protection of the environment.”

The research is especially important for China, home to almost 30 percent of the world’s smokers, a number nearly the same as the whole population of the United States. Chine is also the largest cigarette maker and tobacco grower in the world.

The research group led by Zhao declared last week they have discovered that cigarette remnants absorbed in water can assist in protection of steel pipes used by the oil industry for offshore drilling from the corrosion.
The results of the study can be read in the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research Journal published by the American Chemical Society.

Jun Zhao admitted she decided to carry out the research when she saw that the butts change their usual brown color to the antiseptics color after they sunk in the water. This finding inspired the young scientist to try to find out whether the butts and the marine water can enter into reaction.

Zhao began gathering cigarette butts needed for the research almost 1.5 year ago, collecting them from the sidewalks, ground, ashtrays, and even asking her friends who smoked to keep the butts.

“I think I have collected thousands of butts, as I was not sure how many I would need in my research,” she admitted.

The scientists discovered that extracts from water that reacted with cigarette butts could significantly guard N80 sort steel from rusting while being in hydrochloric acid at 194 degrees F. Such steep is gener Read more…

Over the last couple of months many well-known international tobacco companies have launched new brands, introduced new styles of existing top-selling products or changed the pack designs of their brands. We decided to make a review of the major new-comers in our stock.

New styles:

1. Bond Super Slims – one of the key international brands of Philip Morris International, Bond brand was generally perceived as a product oriented for male-smokers, preferring stronger and bolder smoke; but in order to keep up with the latest market tendencies, the company decided to launch a lower-tar and longer cigarette, which will be a nice choice for women-smokers.

2. Pall Mall Nanokings – the new style of the legendary Pall Mall brand, owned by British American Tobacco (outside of U.S.) is referred to the segment of regular-sized (80 mm) slim cigarettes. This a new but already highly-popular segment in the international market, currently led by PMI and BAT with such brands as Marlboro Gold Edge, Kent Nanotek and L&M 83. All varieties of Pall Mall cigarette brand are marked by high-quality and moderate price, so Pall Mall Nanokings are worthy to be tried too.

New brands:

1. Rich (Rich Apple and Rich Rum&Cherry) – this brand is launched by Imperial Tobacco subsidiary, Richmond Tobacco Co., famous among adult smokers for such premium-quality brand as Richmond.

Rich cigarette brand differs from other products by the inimitable flavor of Apple and Cherry, which can be felt after opening a pack of these cigarettes. We re Read more…

Snus is the newest kind of dissolvable smokeless tobacco products recently introduced to U.S. tobacco consumers. Originated in Sweden, this moist tobacco product is looking like small teabags, as the tobacco is contained in dissolvable sachets.

Generally, a portion of snus is put between lip and gum and sucked for up to 20 minutes, and then removed. Snus is marketed as a spit-less product, but this can be achieved only if placing snus in a particular location in the mouth which almost lacks saliva.

In Sweden Snus is a traditional product, consumed by a great part of adult men. Snus is made from air and sun-cured tobacco, which also goes through the pasteurization procedure in order to destroy bacteria. During the storage by the manufacturers or by the sellers Snus is stored in refrigerators under certain temperatures and humidity levels.

In Sweden Snus is covered by the Swedish Food Act, under which the product should correspond with quality standards, named as the Gothiatek system. This system of quality indicators involves manufacturing snus applying a particular system that reduces the levels of tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA), carcinogens contained in tobacco.

Whereas Swedish Snus makers don’t market their products as safe, they are regarded as being less harmful the cigarette smoking because of the lack of tobacco smoke and low levels of nitrosamines. Snus provide high levels of pH, so that the speed of nicotine absorption increases, however the amount of nicotine in snus is similar to that in cigarettes.

Among health risks related to the consumption of Snus there are the following:

• Snus can trigger dental diseases like caries.
• Snus users are more likely to suffer from hypertension compared to non-users.
• The risks of cardiovascular diseases are two-time higher among Long term Snus consumers than among non-users.
• Female Snus consumers may be likely to have the same complications during pregnancy as the cigarette-smokers.
• Snus consumption causes nicotine addiction because these products contain nicotine as well as ordinary tobacco products.

Meanwhile, there is no regulation covering manufacture, sales and marketing of Snus in the United States. And the pro Read more…