Fahrenheit 752

AG Eric Schneiderman Continues Crusade Against Small Tobacco

2012-03-16T18:08:00.001-04:00

(Village Voice) New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman apparently is on a mission to rid the state of roll-your-own cigarette businesses, and today he's got another victim in his cross hairs.Schneiderman has filed a federal lawsuit against a business near Syracuse that was running an operation similar to those of two New York City businesses the AG took down earlier this week -- basically,

Maryland could have highest tax rates in US on certain tobacco products

2012-03-08T09:08:00.001-05:00

(marylandreporter.com) The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee heard testimony Wednesday on a proposed tax hike on cigars and smokeless tobacco products that could reach as high as 95%, but would exempt premium cigars.... Under the new tax rates, the tax would be 95% of the wholesale price for cigars and not exceed $3 per cigar. The tax on snuff would be of 95% of the wholesale price or $3 per

Anti-Tobacco Groups Demonize Convenience Stores

2012-03-07T11:42:00.001-05:00

(NACS) A supposed “new” report from Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and several affiliated groups claims that convenience stores are complicit in enticing underage tobacco use, among other claims. But, NACS spokesman Jeff Lenard countered, there is more – actually less – than meets the eye in the report.“Calling it a ‘new report’ is a stretch with both words, because the supposed findings aren’t

Kathy Freston Compares Meat to Tobacco

2012-03-07T03:33:00.001-05:00

(ecorazzi.com) Kathy Freston, author of “Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World,” has been educating the masses about the benefits of a vegan diet for years.She has even helped big names like Oprah and Martha Stewart learn more about an animal-free diet.In an article that’s bound to get some interesting conversations started, Freston is now comparing meat to tobacco. And she thinks

Navy and Marines to extinguish the smoking lamp aboard ship?

2012-03-05T19:26:00.000-05:00

(chicagonow.com) The expression, "the smoking lamp is lighted," is older than the United States of America. It is the word that is "passed" when it is all right to light up a cigarette, pipe or stogie.When it's time to stop smoking (e.g. during the loading of ammunition), the word is "the smoking lamp is out.Now the Navy is moving to end the "epidemic" of smoking in the ranks of the Navy and

E-cigarettes draw fire from state legislatures

2012-03-05T05:49:00.000-05:00

(Cspnet) A growing number of states are taking aim at electronic cigarettes in the absence of federal regulations, intensifying a public-health debate over the fast-growing alternative to traditional cigarettes, reported the Wall Street Journal.Lawmakers in more than half a dozen states from Arizona to New York have introduced legislation this year that would prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to

Tobacco health labels unconstitutional: U.S. judge

2012-02-29T16:57:00.001-05:00

(Reuters) A U.S. judge sided with tobacco companies on Wednesday, ruling that regulations requiring large graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertising violate free-speech rights under the U.S. Constitution.... While educating the public about the dangers of smoking "might be compelling, an interest in simply advocating that the public not purchase a legal product is not," Leon

Courts Weigh in Favorably for RYO Cigarette Stores

2012-02-28T05:27:00.001-05:00

(CSP) On February 24, 2012, two state courts ruled in favor of roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco retailers on cases brought to them by retailers offering rental of RYO cigarette machines.In the two cases filed in Connecticut and Wisconsin, the retailers challenged their respective states' legal basis for classifying them as "manufacturers of tobacco products."Such classification potentially carries

Rocklin Considering Banning Residents From Smoking Outside Their Own Homes

2012-02-25T06:17:00.001-05:00

ROCKLIN (CBS13) A Placer County town is considering a ban on smoking that some say goes way too far.The Rocklin City Council is considering making it against the law for smokers to smoke anywhere outside on their property. Continued

Wis. judge issues injunction on tobacco crackdown

2012-02-24T19:08:00.000-05:00

MADISON (AP) A Dane County judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking a state crackdown on roll-your-own cigarette machines.Robert Petersen, owner of Rib Mountain Tobacco and Liquor, filed a lawsuit last year after the state Department of Revenue told machine owners they need manufacturing and distribution permits to operate. Petersen argues machine owners sell loose tobacco and leave the

Appeals court in Ky. upholds 1998 tobacco deal

2012-02-22T13:43:00.001-05:00

LOUISVILLE, KY. (AP) The landmark 1998 national settlement between 46 states and 19 tobacco companies is valid and doesn't amount to a conspiracy or anti-competitive behavior by the government, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati rejected claims from General Tobacco, a now-shuttered Mayodan, N.C., company, that it was misled into taking part

W.Va. lawmakers question proposed tobacco ban

2012-02-22T06:23:00.001-05:00

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WTW) West Virginia has one of the nation's worst teen smoking and spit tobacco use rates, but members of the House health committee aren't sure that targeting flavored tobacco is the answer.The Health and Human Resources Committee delayed action on a proposed ban this week, all but dooming the measure. The bill has until Friday to clear both that committee and House Judiciary

Will Charleston snuff out its only cigar bar?

2012-02-20T17:51:00.000-05:00

(postandcourier.com) Charleston's only legal "cigar bar" is about to lose its lease. Trouble for nicotine fans is, it's in danger of losing its smoking exemption, too.Club Habana on Meeting Street has been the only bar in the city where smoking is permitted, largely because of its unique position above the Tinder Box tobacco store.Customers must pass through the well-stocked cigar shop to get to

RI lawmaker tries again to cut state cigarette tax to compete with rates in Mass., Conn.

2012-02-18T17:08:00.001-05:00

(The Republic) PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A Rhode Island state lawmaker says the state should cut its cigarette tax by a dollar to encourage smokers to shop local instead of taking business to neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut.Rep. Robert Phillips says he has crafted legislation that would reduce the state's $3.46-per-pack tax by $1. The state's tax is the second highest in the nation. Continued

Counter-Protest Group 'Smokes Out' The Remains Of Occupy

2012-02-17T16:48:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON (WMAL) The two Occupy protest sites downtown have been quiet since National Park Police removed dozens of tents two weeks ago, but a conservative think tank is trying to stir things up a bit.Everyday, members of the National Center for Public Policy Research go to Freedom Plaza to call attention to a different issue.Yesterday, members of the group did rounds around the tent encampment

How Health Regulators Are Killing American Smokers

2012-02-16T16:38:00.001-05:00

(Forbes) ... That explains why tobacco harm reduction saves lives. Its goal is to reduce the devastating health risks of tobacco. The success of this policy in Sweden over the past four decades is widely accepted — but not among America’s tunnel-visioned health regulators. Thanks to snus, moist smokeless tobacco in small pouches, Swedish men have the lowest smoking rate and the lowest rate of

European Commissioner John Dalli: Ban on tobacco products production would not be a good idea at the moment

2012-02-16T15:58:00.001-05:00

Sofia (Focus) “I do not think that at the moment it would be a good idea to impose a ban on the production of tobacco products and to regulate it as a crime,” said European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli during his visit at the Bulgarian National Assembly, FOCUS News Agency reporter informs.He added there were some cautionary examples in the history about such cases when a

2 Minnesota legislators call for extra $1.29-per-pack cigarette tax

2012-02-15T01:14:00.000-05:00

(minnpost.com) Two Rochester area legislators, supported by a coalition of health care nonprofits, are calling for an increase in cigarette taxes of $1.29 per pack.If passed, the total tax on a pack would go up to $2.52, they say.State Sen. Carla Nelson and state Rep. Mike Benson, both Rochester Republicans, say the increase would help curb sales of cigarettes to kids and would help thousands of

Ha Ha, You're Next, Stinky!

2012-02-13T06:18:00.003-05:00

(Fox 25) Some New Hampshire state employees may be picking the unscented soap off store shelves if a new bill passes through the House.Under House Bill 1444 , state workers who interact with the public as a part of their job would be prohibited from wearing fragrances or scented products during business hours. Continued

Hawaii Lawmakers Debate Electronic Cigarettes

2012-02-13T05:44:00.001-05:00

HONOLULU (CSP) The state legislature in Hawaii is turning its collective eye toward electronic cigarettes for both regulation and tax.Lawmakers in the 50th state are currently debating a bill that would prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes, as well as impose the state's 70-percent tobacco tax on the products, according to the Hawaii Reporter.Specifically, HB2557 and its companion bill

Tobacco tax cut helped border stores

2012-02-11T02:56:00.001-05:00

(nashuatelegraph.com) After several years of increasing the state’s tobacco tax, the New Hampshire Legislature did the right thing and rolled back 10 cents of the tax last year, which was welcome news to my customers.As the owner of a border store, residents from the surrounding areas, many from Massachusetts, have been coming back to my store, but they don’t just purchase cigarettes. They are

Former Ashland Police officer wants smoking complaint reopened

2012-02-09T04:13:00.001-05:00

ASHLAND, MA (metrowestdailynews.com) As turmoil surrounding the Police Department escalates, both police and selectmen this week have come under a new round of fire.A former Ashland Police officer said yesterday that he has asked the department to re-open a 2009 complaint that accuses union president Greg Fawkes with smoking a cigar, a fireable offense.... The complaint against Fawkes, which was

Alabama Bills Propose Tobacco Tax Hike

2012-02-08T13:04:00.000-05:00

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (CSN) Alabama smokers may soon have to reach deeper into their pockets if state lawmakers have their way. Three separate bills in the House of Representatives propose increasing Alabama's tax on tobacco, according to the Birmingham Business Journal.On Tuesday, the House read bills proposed by Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) and Rep. Joe Hubbard (D-Montgomery) that would raise

Reynolds American cutting more jobs

2012-02-08T03:52:00.000-05:00

(Winston-Salem Journal) Reynolds American Inc. has started cutting jobs at its plant in Tobaccoville, a union representative said Tuesday.John Price, an international representative of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, said he heard from plant workers that some people were laid off Tuesday."They sounded very depressed," he said. "Their exact words

Tobacco shop, wholesaler sue county over new tax

2012-02-07T06:04:00.000-05:00

(suntimes.com) A Chicago tobacco shop as well as a local wholesaler are trying to stamp out a new Cook County tax on cigars, snuff and loose tobacco, saying the tax language on the books is so “unconstitutionally vague” that “you’d have to hire a fortune teller” to determine its meaning.Arangold Corp., a tobacco wholesaler in suburban Northbrook, and Loop-based retailer Iwan Ries Co. recently