Ukraine Complaints over Aussie’s Tobacco Plain Packaging Law

As it was expected, Ukraine has submitted a complained to the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the Australian government’s legislation banning logos and branding of cigarettes and other tobacco products on the grounds that the measure is an infringement of the international regulations on intellectual property.

Australia became the first country across the world to oblige cigarette makers pack their products in identical generic packs. From December 1st, 2012, cigarettes will be selling in olive-colored packs, lacking any logos or images, besides the graphic health warning labels. The world’s leading tobacco companies , among which are British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International, have pledged to contest the legislation, which Australian lawmakers plan to extend to comprise loose tobacco and cigars.

Ukraine states the peer-reviewed evidence on which the legislation is based is arguable and not sufficient, while plain-packaging regulations will not help to meet the country’s public health goals, but simply contribute to growth of the black market of fake cigarettes.

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Smokers Opt for Going Cold Turkey to Quit

Going cold turkey is the most popular way of getting rid of smoking, according to a study carried out by the University of Sydney Department of Public Health researches. Since nearly 60 percent of smokers managed to quit smoking permanently through this method, the scientists wanted to find out why.

The study is performed by a team of researchers, led by Dr. Sally Dunlop, who is specializing in the determinants of behaviors related to health. The objectives of the study were identified as investigation of causes and ways why cigarette smokers opt for different methods for quitting smoking.

Officially named as ‘unassisted cessation‘ this method of quitting is considered the most effective and successful way to stop smoking. However, Dr. Dunlop believes this method has not been studied and used as together with other methods of smoking cessation applied across the nation.
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British American Tobacco Profits Grow On Higher Pricing

Last week, British American Tobacco reported the company’s results for nine months to September 30th, posting 7 percent growth at constant exchange rates and on organic basis, due to high pricing, even despite volumes went down and economic conditions remained challenging. Nicandro Durante, BAT Chief Executive declared the tobacco giant eyes another year of profits growth.

According to Durante, whereas the challenging market conditions continued to affect smokers in many markets, other markets are demonstrating growth. Price increases driven by excise tax growth will continue to impact on tobacco industry volumes, yet, the company managed to achieve strong performance with Global Drive Brands and reached solid growth in profits.

BAT released an interim management statement for three quarters, saying that it managed to increase overall market share in the main 40 markets thanks to continued growth of market share of its key brands.

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Guest Post – MyDiscountCigarette.net – New Cigarette Brands, New Styles.

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 recommend Rich brand to those smokers that prefer stronger smoke, high-quality and unusual aroma.

2. Beratt (Beratt L, Beratt XL, Beratt XXL) – this brand is the latest creation of TUTUN-CTC, the famous Moldavian tobacconist and owner of such great brands as Doina, Temp and Cosmos. According to the manufacturer, Beratt cigarette is manufactured from high-quality imported Virginia and Burley tobacco and natural ingredients that contribute to a rich and balanced smoke of these cigarettes and their intense and pleasant taste. Beratt is selling in the mid-value segment, and can become a strong competitor in that category.

3. Dunhill – this premium quality fine cut tobacco product is expected to join our stock next week. But we decided to let our customers know about the arrival of this exceptional brand in advance. Dunhill brand needs no advertisement, as it is one of the flagship brands of British American Tobacco in the premium segment.

New Designs:

1. Pall Mall (Pall Mall Blue, Pall Mall Amber Slims, Pall Mall Blue Slims) – besides, launching a new style of Pall Malls, its manufacturer also changed the pack-designs of the current styles. As the terms “lights and ultra lights” will soon be banned, BAT introduced color-names to help adult smokers identify their favorite varieties.

2. Marlboro Gold – Philip Morris International introduced new pack design of its flagship Marlboro Gold brand several weeks ago. The new package is more laconic and stylish than the previous one, so Marlboro-lovers will definitely appreciate the new look of the world’s number one cigarette.

How to check online cigarette store before placing an order

Step 1

First look at prices of cigarettes you want to buy, look at Contact page. Every honest company should have its customer service phone line. See where the company is registered or located.

Step 2

Read TOS(Terms of Use) very carefully. Pay additional attention to money refund section and delivery guarantees. See if they don’t charge any taxes for cigarettes they sell. Price before taxes might be shown on the website only. Read about shipping terms and fees. Some companies charge for shipping per item, while others charge per an order. See how long the delivery takes.

Step 3

Learn about payment options. Online store website must use SSL or any other secure payment processing systems. Be very attentive with payment processing time. While credit card payments are accepted at most in one day, e-check payment processing may take up to 14 days. Usually online stores count delivery time from date of shipping, not date of placing an order. If you have any questions call customer service. After you have cleared up everything, and sure that the company worth to be trusted go ahead and place your order.

Amazon.com stopped selling electronic cigarettes

The major online store Amazon.com reported to cease up sales of electronic cigarettes on its website. The decision came up as a result of massive criticism from multiple public health organizations, which warned the owners of internet retailer about possible legal actions for simplifying the access to a product that was declared toxic and hazardous for health by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA experts as well revealed the results of the laboratory analysis of electronic cigarettes, showing the devices to contain carcinogens and other toxic substances in the liquid from the cartridges inside them.

After the experts had announced the results of the tests, various health organizations, led by Action on Smoking and Health began calling on the FDA to outlaw the electronic cigarettes and warned wholesalers about their legal liability of selling poisonous products on the legal basis.

Recently, after getting a notification of possible lawsuits from the coalition of public health organizations, popular social network Facebook prohibited advertisements of e-cigs and PayPal reportedly took measures to crack down sales of the devices.

In addition, several countries around the globe prohibited distribution and even possession of electronic cigarettes. Among such countries are Australia, Taipei, Mexico, Canada, Singapore, Israel and Brazil. In August, Oregon became the first US state to ban e-cigarettes, with its steps followed by Connecticut, where the Attorney General filled a lawsuit against distributors of these products.

Currently, California lawmakers are also considering implementation of the ban on e-cigarettes, that could create a chain-reaction for other states, as anti-smoking advocates hope. Many shopping centers, where the electronic cigarettes have been selling, began demanding a quality certificates and liability insurance; whereas the Washington Supreme Court is likely to issue a decision that would uphold prohibition of the importations of e-cigs into the United States.

According to the reports, the administration of Amazon.com has started notifying the merchants about the ban by means of the following letters: “We have banned the distributions of the devises known as electronic cigarettes, components for these devises and products of similar kind. A complete list of products banned from our sites can be found in the attachment for this letter. Amazon.com has the right to delete any product we consider to be inappropriate or illicit for Amazon.com. We are sending this message because we have determined that you are distributing a product we consider to be inappropriate for our site. For additional information, please visit the Inappropriate Products section. To avoid the locking of your account, please avoid listing the prohibited products on our site.”

Electronic cigarettes represent probable jeopardy to consumers, to teenagers who could use the devises because of their tasty flavors, and to all other people, including those suffering from different chronic respiratory diseases and allergies, even if they don’t use the e-cigs themselves, since the devises a producing a vapor containing a mixture of nicotine, unknown chemicals and propylene glycol, which can lead to various infections of respiratory tract.

The FDA experts tested the ingredients contained in cartridges of electronic cigarettes made by leading companies in that segment. The analyses showed that liquid from the cartridges contained diethylene glycol, a toxic substance used in antifreeze and hazardous to humans. In addition other samples contained nitrosamines, chemicals known to cause cancer.