Cigarette prices soar after the government imposes a higher sales taxes on all Egyptian brands. Eastern Company issued a release yesterday announcing an increase in the selling prices for all of its Winston cigarette brands effective on Thursday, June 23, 2011.

The increase is the result of higher sales taxes on cigarettes, in line with Law No. 49 (2011), which stipulates that sales taxes on cigarettes should amount to 50 per cent of the selling price compared to 40 per cent previously.

Eastern Company’s cigarette retail prices will rise by 20 per cent on average, with the cheapest pack of cigarettes (20 cigarettes per pack) selling for EGP5.00 against EGP4.25 per pack.

Eastern Company’s most popular brands, Cleopatra Gold and Cleopatra Box, which collectively represent 60 per cent of its local brand sales, would be sold for EGP5.25 and EGP6.00 per pack, respectively.

The company increased its prices by an average of 8.4 per cent on nine local brands on Mar 23, 2011.

As state funding for enforcement of Ohio’s smoking ban approaches its end, unpaid fines in Lucas County and throughout the state are piling up.

Less than one third of $2.3 million in fines assessed since the law took effect five years ago has been collected. In Lucas County, roughly $13,000 has been paid — not even a dent in the $245,500 that’s owed.

This is all growing while cash-strapped Ohio is expected to stop paying the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department $125 to investigate each report of a violation of the law forbidding smoking in public buildings.

No money for following up on complaints of alleged smoking violations is contained for any local health department in Gov. John Kasich’s proposed $55.7 billion, two-year budget. The state provided $1 million for that purpose this year.

Funding for the “quit line” that helps smokers kick the habit also would be cut by 83 percent.

Still, local health officials say they’re not going to back off from enforcing the smoking ban. Toledo in 2003 enacted its ban — well before the state — so there’s a local history of opposing smoking in public, said Alan Ruffell, the department’s environmental health director.

“We’re committed to enforcing the rule,” Mr. Ruffell said. “We took the lead on the smoking ban. We had our ban before the state ban took effect.”

With the enforcement funding cut in the budget, advocates also are calling for financial support from the state. One way to raise $50 million annually for smoking ban enforcement, cessation assistance, and other programs would be to increase the tax on noncigarette tobacco products, including small filtered cigars that have been gaining popularity, said Shelly Kiser, advocacy director for the American Lung Association of Ohio.

Ohio’s $1.25-a-pack tax on cigarettes is about 55 percent, while the tax on cigars and other products is 17 percent, Ms. Kiser said. Some lawmakers have expressed interest in the idea of equalizing the taxes, but so far none has championed it, she said.

“It’s a lot cheaper to buy these things,” Ms. Kiser said. “The use of these other tobacco products is going up.”

Because of the funding declines, local health departments are weighing other options. Hiring someone to do inspections so the department doesn’t have to pay existing employees overtime on nights and weekends is among cost-cutting options the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department is considering, Mr. Ruffell said.

The Wood County Health Department may have to turn enforcement over to the state, which would be a disappointment to voters who supported the ban, said Brad Espen, the department’s environmental health director.

The Williams County Health Department, Van Wert County Health Department, and 35 other local health departments already have turned enforcement over to the Ohio Department of Health, which currently has one employee spending 1,000 hours a year doing investigations, or about 20 hours a week.

“I’m concerned that we will see an increase in smoking in public places again,” said Mr. Espen, adding that smoking-ban complaints in Wood County have declined by more than half. “We’ve made a great start, and it would be a shame to give up the program.”

Smoking-ban advocates say a decline in state funding for prevention and cessation programs already has had a negative effect. At one time, tobacco settlement funds had supported those programs and, more recently, smoking ban enforcement, and the state’s telephone tobacco ”quit line.”

After falling off in 2008, the percentage of adult Ohio smokers also is on the rise, while the rate among Michigan residents and Americans overall continues to decline, according to 2010 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last year, 22.5 percent of adult Ohioans smoked, up from 20.3 percent in 2009 and 20.1 percent in 2008. In Michigan, 18.9 percent of adults smoked last year, and 17.3 percent did nationwide, according to the CDC.

The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department and other groups are in the midst of updating local statistics on smoking and other health-related factors. The last study, from 2007, showed 23 percent of Lucas County adults smoked, down from 29 percent in 2003.

Holly Kowalczk, a tobacco treatment specialist at St. Luke’s Hospital, said she believes smoking is on the rise in northwest Ohio. Local residents have lost their jobs and health-insurance coverage, and it’s cheaper to buy cigarettes than pay for smoking cessation treatment, she said.

“Historically, we’re a very high tobacco use area,” Ms. Kowalczk said. “As times get tougher, our vices … go up.”

Funding for Ohio’s ”quit line” for smokers also could be reduced under the two-year state budget being discussed. There is $1 million for the line in the state’s proposed budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, down from $6 million, but it is slated to receive no state support during the fiscal year starting July 1, 2012.

Smoking, however, every year costs Ohio nearly $4.4 billion in health-care expenses and another nearly $4.9 billion in lost productivity, according to the American Lung Association of Ohio.

St. Luke’s Hospital continues to have a comprehensive Tobacco Treatment Center, even as state funding for cessation programs largely has dried up. Established about 15 years ago and financially supported by the Maumee hospital, the center addresses prevention, cessation, and intervention in 16 local school districts; provides programs for employers; has a free weekly support group; and does both inpatient and outpatient services.

“St. Luke’s has made a commitment to continue doing this,” said Ms. Kowalczk, adding that the hope is to spread services throughout new parent company ProMedica.
The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department currently has a $52,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Health, which is down from $75,000 last year, said Stuart Kerr, tobacco prevention coordinator.

Last year, the health department started working with Neighborhood Health Association and other medical providers so they can educate patients about the dangers of smoking. School regulations and enforcement are part of the grant’s focus this year. The hope is to add cessation programs to the health department’s slate, as well as educating students, Mr. Kerr said.

The concern, though, is that all money for programs advocating non-smoking and ban enforcement will dry up, he said.

“I kind of feel that the state is making money by taxing the product, and some of it should be put back into education and enforcement activities,” Mr. Kerr said.

Many neighborhood bars and other smoking-ban opponents continue to hold out against the law, which was built around using fines to help pay for enforcement. Among their assertions is that the ban is unconstitutional, as enforcement has focused on fining business owners, not actual smokers as allowed by the law.

Collection rates for Lucas County are at roughly 5 percent. Three Toledo bars — Rip Cord, Delaney’s Lounge, and Mayfly Tavern — account for more than half of the $245,000 owed in Lucas County.

“Until the state starts collecting the fine money, I’m sure they’ll continue to do what they’re doing,” said Mr. Ruffell of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department. “That’s where the system is weak.”

Ban opponents claimed a victory when Toledo’s Pour House bar successfully fought a $500 fine, receiving a court ruling the bar could not be penalized because a smoking patron disobeyed. A Pour House bartender had told the patron he couldn’t smoke, but the bar was fined after the man left a cigarette burning in a mint tin.

Other lawsuits could have broader implications.

A lawsuit pending before the Ohio Supreme Court involves a Columbus bar, Zeno’s Victorian Village, that has not paid mounting smoking ban fines.

Until a decision is made on that lawsuit, which could take six to eight months, Lucas County Common Pleas Court lawsuits against Rip Cord and Mayfly Tavern seeking fine payments have been put on hold, said attorney Maurice Thompson of 851 Center for Constitutional Law, which represents both Toledo bars and Zeno’s.

If bar owners put signs up about the smoking ban, remove ashtrays, and take other measures to notify patrons that smoking isn’t allowed in their establishments, they should not be fined, Mr. Thompson said. Smokers breaking the ban should be fined by health departments, but are not, he said.

“They’re just picking and choosing what part of the law they want to enforce,” Mr. Thompson said.

Michigan — which is wrapping up the first year of enforcing its smoking ban — is not seeing such legal opposition and has had few complaints of violations to its smoking ban.

Michigan’s law has some key differences from Ohio’s.

Patios in Michigan are not exempt from the smoking ban unless no food or drink is served on them. But Michigan allows smoking in cigar bars, specialty tobacco shops, and in Detroit casinos.

Plus, local health departments in Michigan can order cease-and-desist orders on businesses not complying with the law after other options have been exhausted.

Infractions have not been an issue in Monroe County, where only a couple of complaints have been filed since enforcement of the ban started and no fines have been levied, said Harry Grenawitzke, acting health officer for the Monroe County Health Department.

“It’s been going well,” Mr. Grenawitzke said. “It’s been pretty well accepted.”

Across Michigan, only 117 fines have been levied, and there have been less than 1,500 violations reported, said Orlando Todd, tobacco program specialist at the Michigan Department of Community Health.

Unlike other states, citations are not the main thrust of Michigan’s smoking ban, Mr. Todd said.

“We’re concerned more about education on getting compliance,” he said.

A new federal law is expected to push up the price of Winston cigarettes in the UAE, a Ministry of Health official said today. The proposal – presented by the Ministry of Finance to the UAE cabinet – aims to crack down on the trade of ‘illegal’ cigarettes so that cheap brands are no longer available.

It will also raise the price of ‘legal’ cigarettes by 29 per cent. A pack of 20 brand-name cigarettes are currently sold for around Dh7, and the new tax would raise the price to about Dh9.

“There is already a proposal from the Ministry of Finance. I don’t know when it will pass but the government agreed to increase the tax. Once it is passed, it will work,” said Dr Wedad al Maidoor, head of the National Tobacco Control Committee at the Ministry of Health.

Dr Maidoor made the statement today at a press conference to announce that the UAE will participate in the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) along with the World Health Organisation.

“We call it indirect taxation; it is not custom taxation, it is something else. This will be an increment of Dh2 to Dh4,” she said. “Of course it is a small amount, but the whole GCC is working to have more and more increases. As you know, in the GCC countries there are no taxes, but I think on tobacco there is a move and all the GCC are asking for it.”

More than 80% of chewing tobacco products sold in England do not comply with legislation, according to a report seen by BBC News.Chewing_tobacco

The Race Equality Foundation together with the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) foundation found that only 15% of such products are sold with relevant health warnings or adequate labelling.

Many chewing tobacco products do not even state if they contain tobacco.

People may be consuming harmful ingredients without knowing it.

Amanda Standford, head researcher at ASH, says there needs to better regulation of the products.

”We need there to be an audit of all the products that are out there and then they need to be labelled according to current legislation.

“That way consumers are at least better informed about whether it is safe or not to use them.”

Health risk

Chewing tobacco is a popular form of smokeless tobacco and use is prevalent among South Asian communities.

The products, typically imported from India and Bangladesh, traditionally contain a mix of areca nut, betel leaf, various flavourings and spices along with tobacco.

The ingredients may be combined together and sold pre-packaged.

Products that are popular among South Asians include ‘gutkha’ and ‘paan masala’ – which is usually used as a mouth freshener, and is available both with or without tobacco.

They are inexpensive and easily accessible in areas with large Asian communities.

However, there is little regulation surrounding chewing tobacco products as compared to cigarettes.

Hard to quit

Chewing tobacco is highly addictive and has been associated with an increased risk of mouth cancer, gum disease, and heart disease amongst users.

Farhana Rejwan, from east London, has been chewing tobacco wrapped in betel leaf for over 50 years and has struggled to give it up.

“My teeth have turned black from all the tobacco and my gums are really painful. I tried to quit a few years ago, but it was really difficult and I started up again,” she says.

Farhana has now enrolled on a programme with the Bangladeshi Stop Tobacco project to help her quit.

“I’m trying to stay busy, because I mostly chew when I’m bored. I’ve been doing it all my life so it’s going to be difficult to stop, but I’m trying.”

Many Bangladeshi women like Farhana are addicted to chewing tobacco.

In England, the highest proportion of self-reported use of chewing tobacco is among Bangladeshi women, at 19%, followed by Bangladeshi men at 9%.

Chewing tobacco is embedded in many aspects of South Asian culture and traditions.

However, there are many misconceptions regarding the health risks associated with using chewing tobacco products.

Jabeer Butt, Deputy Chief Executive of the Race Equality Foundation, hopes that the findings of the report will lead to better regulation of smokeless tobacco products.

“There is an urgent need to improve both compliance and enforcement of regulation.

“It is important that we protect minority ethnic communities from the health risks associated with using these products.”

By Divya Talwar BBC Asian Network

Charlie Sheen just found a way to skirt Toronto’s strict anti-smoking laws during his show there — lighting up an electronic cigarette.
Shortly after Charlie hit the stage in Toronto’s Massey Hall … our spies say he bragged about not having an ashtray and said he didn’t need any cigs. However, a few minutes later he sparked up one of those electronic cigarettes.

Massey Hall management told TMZ they might shut down the show if Charlie lit up on stage because they could face up to $100,000 in fines from the city.

Charlie’s been smoking almost non-stop during every other stop on the tour.

We’re told he did light up some real tobacco though … in front of fans who gathered outside the theater right before the show.

The electronic cigarette is an advanced form of cigarette that contains nicotine damped with water vapors. The electronic cigarette contains water vapors and low-level nicotine, which makes it possible for the smoker to smoke indoors. It is just like any ordinary cigarette, but with less nicotine concentration that makes it less harmful than ordinary cigarettes.
“There’s a little red light on the end here that lights up so it looks like a cigarette,” said a smoker. The smoker further said, “It gives you the feel of a cigarette, but, again there’s no second hand smoke. The only thing that you’re inhaling is water vapor.”
The electronic cigarettes were especially designed for those smokers who want to minimize the nicotine intake. These cigarettes consist of red light at the end of the tip, instead of nicotine ash and flame.
The electronic cigarette is getting increasingly popular all over the U.S. The demand for e-cigarettes is on the rise. An e-cigarette salesman said, “You can smoke indoors with them, that’s the biggest thing. We get a lot of phone calls (about e-cigarettes), I’ve sold quite a few over a period of two years. People like them.”
Electronic cigarettes have minimzed the threat of second hand smoking. Second hand smoking is one of the main reasons why smoking is banned indoors.
“Second hand smoke is a known carcinogen,” said Cynthia Brown, with the Bullitt County Health Department. “The EPA has classified it as such, so we’re trying to protect the public from this known hazard.” Therefore, the promotion of electronic cigarette grew when it was observed that e-cigarettes pose no threat of second hand smoking.
But recently the Bullitt County Board of Health voted to ban smoking in public places, a ban that includes e-cigarettes, too. The e-cigarette users were amazed by the decision. Mr. Brown, in his reply to the ban, observed, “The bottom line on e-cigarettes is we don’t know how dangerous they are. We don’t know how much nicotine is being taken in by the person. We don’t know how much nicotine is being exhaled by the person.”

An undercover crackdown has highlighted that shops and pubs across Cornwall are still selling tobacco to children. In an undercover operation to crack down on the problem of underage sales of 33 premises visited, 60 per cent sold tobacco to young volunteers.

The operation saw 15 and 16 year old children visite shops and pubs across mid and west Cornwall under the supervision of Trading Standards officers, and attempted to test-purchase OK cigarettes and tobacco to test compliance with the laws.

Thirteen of the 25 shops visited sold tobacco to the children without challenging the item. The children also purchased tobacco from vending machines in seven of the eight pubs visited without being challenged.

Stuart Benson, Cornwall Council’s public health and protection area manager said: “We were shocked and disappointed at the level of sales which indicate how readily children can access cigarettes despite longstanding and well-known legal controls.

“Our message to retailers and licensees is clear – always ask anyone who appears to be under 25 years old for proof of age. “During this operation just 40 per cent of premises visited consistently challenged our volunteers to produce evidence of their age.”

Lance Kennedy, cabinet member for community safety and neighbourhoods, added “Retailers have a legal responsibility to the community to ensure that young people cannot gain access to products which can cause them harm.”

“The age limit for purchasing tobacco was raised to 18 back in October 2007. I have instructed Trading Standards officers to maximise the use of volunteers and will support immediate action against persistent offenders.”

The problems do not just relate to tobacco, as the results come just weeks after two local retailers pleaded guilty to selling alcohol to minors, costing them over £1,000 in fines and costs.

On Thursday, March 3 at Camborne Magistrates’ Court Gurmeet Singh Deol, a partner in the family business operating Carharrack Stores, Redruth was fined £300 and ordered to pay £265 costs. Robert William Hendry, proprietor of Four Lanes Post Office Stores, Redruth was fined £260 with costs of £265.

The council says that follow up action will be taken against the premises that sold the tobacco, and Trading Standards Officers will continue to use test-purchasing exercises to crack down on illegal underage sales.