HARTFORD -- Smokers have two more days to hoard cartons of cigarettes before the new $1-per-pack tax on them takes effect in an effort to raise an additional $217 million over the next two years for the beleaguered state budget.
The new tax that raises the current $2-a-pack tax by a dollar and makes Connecticut's tax the second highest on cigarettes in the nation, is among a variety of new laws that kick in at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. They also include a requirement that motorists move over and give more space on the highway for stopped law enforcement and emergency vehicles.
Another law will establish local penalties for drivers who get stuck in traffic and block intersections.
Another new statute will allow pet owners to establish trusts for the care of their animals. Penalties for identity theft will also increase under another new law.
But the law that may have the biggest impact on the daily habits of Connecticut residents is the expansion of the 31-year-old nickel-deposit law to include the half-million water bottles purchased each year.
Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, co-chairman of the legislative Environment Committee who pushed for the new law, said Monday that it's a way to update the 1978 legislation that targeted soda and beer containers and did not plan on the proliferation of water bottles.
"I think that every effort should be taken to keep litter out of our environment," Roy said in a phone interview. "Water bottles have taken over complete aisles in our stores, replacing in part the soda that has historically had the deposits."
And since the state Department of Environmental Protection last year took over the unclaimed deposits from the beverage industry, an estimated $41.1 million a year will flow into the state budget, including more than $17 million from discarded water bottles. Roy said the new law, however, will give people reasons to redeem them.
"Too often people are taking water bottles into a park or down to the beach and because there's no incentive to return them, they leave them there," Roy said. "Some will put them in trash barrels and what could have been recycled will go to an incinerator. Others will leave them lying on the ground." Roy said that the next step in the statewide recycling effort is to further investigate programs that would allow residents to put all their recyclables -- from paper to glass and plastics -- together in one large bin for curbside collection in a method called single stream recycling.
A variant of that is called pay as you go. Families would be charged for the amount of trash removed by weight. First, Roy wants to gauge the effect of the new deposit law on water bottles.
"I would like to see the program take hold and see how well it performs and how many of the bottles are returned," Roy said. "That will be a key. If you want to increase the redemption program, you'd want to have good results with the water. If we still have problems, other solutions will have to be looked at, including the single stream."
Dennis Schain, spokesman for the DEP, said that since the agency took over the unredeemed deposits six months ago, revenue has been coming in at a rate of $24 million a year for beer and soda containers. Adding water bottles is expected to generate $17.1 million more per year.
Under the new motor-vehicle laws, state Superior Court judges will be allowed to determine the fines for drivers who fail to "move over" for police, EMS and state Department of Transportation vehicles as well as tow trucks with lights flashing along state highways.
State Police Sgt. H. Christopher Johnson said Monday that, at the very least, motorists will be required to slow down when they are driving in the lane next to emergency and law-enforcement personnel.
"If you're in the right lane and there's activity on the shoulder, we ask that the motoring public move to the next adjacent lane," Johnson said. "If they are unable because of traffic, they should reduce their speed to a safe amount below the speed limit. We want to make sure they move over when it's safe or reasonable."
The so-called blocking-the-box law allows towns and cities to adopt municipal ordinances fining drivers who get caught in marked intersections after the green light has changed to red. It requires towns and cities to mark the intersections and warn that violators are subject to fines. Under state law, municipal ordinances can create penalties larger than $100.
Another new law allows pet owners who want to support their animals to establish trusts for them that would take effect at the owners' deaths.
New laws effective Oct. 1 n Per-pack tax rises for cigarettes by $1 n Water bottles under three liters will have nickel deposits n Motorists will be required to "move over" for police and emergency personnel on state highways n Nursing home residents now will have a bill of rights n Cystic fibrosis tests are required for newborns n People convicted of identity theft face tougher sentences
Sep 25, 2009
Cash and cigarettes stolen from Kangaroo store
Cash and cigarettes were taken when a convenience store was burglarized, according to sheriff’s deputies.
The manager at Kangaroo at 12475 N.W. Gainesville Road told deputies that when he arrived at 4 a.m. Thursday to open the business, he was unable to open the front door, which had been tampered with.
The manager said he looked through the window and noticed the cigarette cabinet was open, garbage was strewn on the floor and the trash can was missing.
On scene, deputies were told that cash was taken from two registers and nearly $1,100 in cigarettes had been taken. The ATM machine was damaged and telephone and alarm wires were cut.
The manager at Kangaroo at 12475 N.W. Gainesville Road told deputies that when he arrived at 4 a.m. Thursday to open the business, he was unable to open the front door, which had been tampered with.
The manager said he looked through the window and noticed the cigarette cabinet was open, garbage was strewn on the floor and the trash can was missing.
On scene, deputies were told that cash was taken from two registers and nearly $1,100 in cigarettes had been taken. The ATM machine was damaged and telephone and alarm wires were cut.
Sep 22, 2009
FDA bans cigarettes with fruit, candy or clove flavors
The move is meant to reduce the appeal of smoking to young people. The agency is also considering a ban on menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday banned cigarettes with fruit, candy or clove flavors.
Authorized by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act enacted in June, the ban represents an effort to reduce an easy entry point for youth into smoking and tobacco addiction. Some cigarette makers favored and others opposed giving the FDA this new authority.
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., the government says.
The FDA also is considering bans on menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco.
"Almost 90% of adult smokers start smoking as teenagers. These flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular smokers," said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg. "The FDA will utilize regulatory authority to reduce the burden of illness and death caused by tobacco products."
The FDA said studies have shown that 17-year-old smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes as smokers over age 25.
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday banned cigarettes with fruit, candy or clove flavors.
Authorized by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act enacted in June, the ban represents an effort to reduce an easy entry point for youth into smoking and tobacco addiction. Some cigarette makers favored and others opposed giving the FDA this new authority.
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., the government says.
The FDA also is considering bans on menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco.
"Almost 90% of adult smokers start smoking as teenagers. These flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular smokers," said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg. "The FDA will utilize regulatory authority to reduce the burden of illness and death caused by tobacco products."
The FDA said studies have shown that 17-year-old smokers are three times as likely to use flavored cigarettes as smokers over age 25.
Sep 21, 2009
Sting cracks cigarette smuggling ring
A sting operation snuffed out a cigarette smuggling operation and led to the arrests of 21 people who cheated the state out of millions in tax dollars, authorities said Friday.
An informant tipped Westchester County cops that 11 men from New York City and others from as far away as Virginia were looking for a steady supply of untaxed smokes, Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore said.
After stockpiling cigarettes from a legitimate manufacturer, agents opened a warehouse in Yonkers. Deputy state tax Commissioner William Comiskey said the operation took in more than $800,000 a week.
Cops found thousands of packs of untaxed Newport and Marlboro smokes and common household irons, used to attach counterfeit tax stamps, in a series of raids, prosecutors said.
The dealers, if convicted, face up to eight years in prison on charges ranging from forgery to tax evasion, authorities said.
In the raids, cops also swept up Gary Burstell, 52, of Cortlandt Manor, who had eight homemade bombs, 14 rifles, a pump action shotgun and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
An informant tipped Westchester County cops that 11 men from New York City and others from as far away as Virginia were looking for a steady supply of untaxed smokes, Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore said.
After stockpiling cigarettes from a legitimate manufacturer, agents opened a warehouse in Yonkers. Deputy state tax Commissioner William Comiskey said the operation took in more than $800,000 a week.
Cops found thousands of packs of untaxed Newport and Marlboro smokes and common household irons, used to attach counterfeit tax stamps, in a series of raids, prosecutors said.
The dealers, if convicted, face up to eight years in prison on charges ranging from forgery to tax evasion, authorities said.
In the raids, cops also swept up Gary Burstell, 52, of Cortlandt Manor, who had eight homemade bombs, 14 rifles, a pump action shotgun and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Sep 16, 2009
Illegally imported cigarettes found in Moz
Maputo - The Mozambican Revenue Authority (AT) has bust a contraband cigarette importing syndicate and recovered more than $2-million (about R14-million) worth of cigarettes, a report said on Wednesday.
The contraband cigarettes had been confiscated since January, the state controlled Televisao de Mozambique (TvM) reported citing Orlando Jose, director of AT's audit and investigations unit.
Jose said during the same period at least 19 local companies were audited and found to have false importing receipts.
By the end of the year AT expects to recover more than $10-million worth of illegally imported cigarettes coming in from neighbouring countries, he said.
Mozambique is also fighting against contraband foreign beer which is mostly imported from neighbouring South Africa by informal importers.However, Jose told the state broadcaster that inspection for illegal imports at the country's points of entry was not sufficient.
He said since January the revenue authority had only managed to seize 3000 cases of illegally imported alcohol.
Most of the contraband products get into the country through informal crossing points or after informal traders pay bribes to crooked border officials, the report said.
The contraband cigarettes had been confiscated since January, the state controlled Televisao de Mozambique (TvM) reported citing Orlando Jose, director of AT's audit and investigations unit.
Jose said during the same period at least 19 local companies were audited and found to have false importing receipts.
By the end of the year AT expects to recover more than $10-million worth of illegally imported cigarettes coming in from neighbouring countries, he said.
Mozambique is also fighting against contraband foreign beer which is mostly imported from neighbouring South Africa by informal importers.However, Jose told the state broadcaster that inspection for illegal imports at the country's points of entry was not sufficient.
He said since January the revenue authority had only managed to seize 3000 cases of illegally imported alcohol.
Most of the contraband products get into the country through informal crossing points or after informal traders pay bribes to crooked border officials, the report said.
Sep 15, 2009
Let's Trade The The Cigarette Tax For A Soda Tax
There continues to be a lot of low-level chatter about a possible "soda tax," which could, in theory, raise revenue and discourage people from drinking life-threatening sugar water.
If you didn't have any philosophical objection to the government deciding what's healthy and what food/drink should be discouraged, then this is probably a good one. Soda is evil, and drinkers of it should subsidize the cost of an improved healthcare system.
Of course, it'd be tough to pull of politically, for obvious reasons.
But... what if Democrats were willing to do a little horse trading? How about an exchange: We'll get rid of cigarette taxes and replace them with a soda tax.
Republicans might get behind that, since tobacco growers have always been closer to the core of the party. Economically it'd be a win-win-win. More smokers equals earlier death equals lower health costs. Multiple studies have established that. The soda tax would preserve the revenue, and since soda hurts a much wider swath of the economy than smokers, you'd be making people much healthier.
What's not to like?
If you didn't have any philosophical objection to the government deciding what's healthy and what food/drink should be discouraged, then this is probably a good one. Soda is evil, and drinkers of it should subsidize the cost of an improved healthcare system.
Of course, it'd be tough to pull of politically, for obvious reasons.
But... what if Democrats were willing to do a little horse trading? How about an exchange: We'll get rid of cigarette taxes and replace them with a soda tax.
Republicans might get behind that, since tobacco growers have always been closer to the core of the party. Economically it'd be a win-win-win. More smokers equals earlier death equals lower health costs. Multiple studies have established that. The soda tax would preserve the revenue, and since soda hurts a much wider swath of the economy than smokers, you'd be making people much healthier.
What's not to like?
Sep 11, 2009
Teen agents in Berks County enforce ban on tobacco sales to minors
About a dozen students from 6 high schools work undercover; stores that sell to minors receive citations.
A 17-year-old Reading girl waited in line to pay for orange-flavored vitamin water and to buy a pack of cigarettes recently at a West Reading convenience store.
"May I have a pack of Newports?" she asked the clerk.
The clerk gave her the cigarettes and rang up the sale.About 10 minutes later, the clerk and store were cited for selling tobacco to a minor."The clerk apologized and said it was his first time," said Michael Moorman, the Berks County sheriff's deputy who issued the citations. "I hear all kinds of excuses."
The girl was accompanied into the store by an adult during an undercover tobacco operation run by the Berks County Council on Chemical Abuse as the deputy waited in the parking lot.
The girl, who asked not to be identified, said she has been working undercover for three years because she he has strong feelings against smoking.
"I am doing this because I don't think people should be smoking," said the teen, who is paid $10 an hour by the council for going undercover.
The girl said none of her friends or relatives smoke cigarettes.
A Reading High School senior, she is one of a dozen students from about six county high schools who works undercover. The students are members of BUSTED!, a program to educate the community about the dangers of tobacco, and are trained before they go into the stores.
The council and law enforcement officers are planning more than 1,300 unannounced checks at stores - like the one in West Reading - this year in hopes of preventing tobacco sales to those under the age of 18.
The law requires clerks to check identification for anyone who looks under 25 years of age.
Christa L. McCusker, council tobacco program coordinator, said the number of checks has nearly tripled during the last three years because more law enforcement departments are participating."We want to keep tobacco out of the hands of youth," McCusker said. "We have added more law enforcement to help with the checks."In December, Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht's deputies began working with the council to conduct checks.
Having the sheriff's (deputies) working with us is really helping because they are allowed to go countywide," McCusker said.
Weaknecht said his deputies are glad to help.
A 17-year-old Reading girl waited in line to pay for orange-flavored vitamin water and to buy a pack of cigarettes recently at a West Reading convenience store.
"May I have a pack of Newports?" she asked the clerk.
The clerk gave her the cigarettes and rang up the sale.About 10 minutes later, the clerk and store were cited for selling tobacco to a minor."The clerk apologized and said it was his first time," said Michael Moorman, the Berks County sheriff's deputy who issued the citations. "I hear all kinds of excuses."
The girl was accompanied into the store by an adult during an undercover tobacco operation run by the Berks County Council on Chemical Abuse as the deputy waited in the parking lot.
The girl, who asked not to be identified, said she has been working undercover for three years because she he has strong feelings against smoking.
"I am doing this because I don't think people should be smoking," said the teen, who is paid $10 an hour by the council for going undercover.
The girl said none of her friends or relatives smoke cigarettes.
A Reading High School senior, she is one of a dozen students from about six county high schools who works undercover. The students are members of BUSTED!, a program to educate the community about the dangers of tobacco, and are trained before they go into the stores.
The council and law enforcement officers are planning more than 1,300 unannounced checks at stores - like the one in West Reading - this year in hopes of preventing tobacco sales to those under the age of 18.
The law requires clerks to check identification for anyone who looks under 25 years of age.
Christa L. McCusker, council tobacco program coordinator, said the number of checks has nearly tripled during the last three years because more law enforcement departments are participating."We want to keep tobacco out of the hands of youth," McCusker said. "We have added more law enforcement to help with the checks."In December, Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht's deputies began working with the council to conduct checks.
Having the sheriff's (deputies) working with us is really helping because they are allowed to go countywide," McCusker said.
Weaknecht said his deputies are glad to help.
Sep 8, 2009
Cigarette tax not a long-term solution
Juneau voters may have to vote in October on a proposed tax increase on cigarettes, from 30 cents to $1 per pack. This Juneau Assembly proposal is bad for small businesses, bad for taxpayers and a poor source of revenue for the city.
The tax proposal before Juneau citizens would direct revenues from this tax increase to social service programs and a recovery center for people addicted primarily to alcohol. A higher tax on cigarettes is an unrelated source of funds for these programs. Also, it would be inappropriate to tax a segment of the Juneau population to generate more revenue for the entire city.
There are other, more responsible ways to deal with Juneau's budget problems. City leaders should first attempt to keep expenses in line with income. A tax increase on cigarettes is not a viable long-term solution.
The tax proposal before Juneau citizens would direct revenues from this tax increase to social service programs and a recovery center for people addicted primarily to alcohol. A higher tax on cigarettes is an unrelated source of funds for these programs. Also, it would be inappropriate to tax a segment of the Juneau population to generate more revenue for the entire city.
There are other, more responsible ways to deal with Juneau's budget problems. City leaders should first attempt to keep expenses in line with income. A tax increase on cigarettes is not a viable long-term solution.
Sep 6, 2009
Federal, state cigarette taxes driving more New Jersey smokers to quit centers
An increase in federal and New Jersey cigarette taxes may be a major factor in a swell in the use of quit centers in the state, officials say.
The federal tax jumped 62 cents April 1, followed by the state increase in July.
The number of smokers seeking help to quit started to rise early in the year when the economy was especially rough, but seemed to peak around the time of the new taxes, said Jonathan Foulds, director of the tobacco dependence program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.
"It's very hard to draw the right cause and effect with statewide programs ... but I think that seems pretty plausible," Foulds said. "I think it's the affect of more expensive cigarettes."
According to a report released this summer by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as of 2007, 62 percent of New Jersey residents who once smoked had quit, which is the highest percentage in the country.
The trend includes Warren County, where Leeanne Del Prado says more people have been coming to her for help at Community Prevention Resources of Warren County in Washington.
Some come with the express intention of quitting, like a recent woman who was diagnosed with emphysema. Others come for different reasons but end up revealing their desire to quit, she said.
"I have noticed an increase in people who wanted to quit for various reasons," said Del Prado, coordinator of the Warren County Community Partnerships for a Tobacco-free New Jersey, a program funded by the state Department of Health and Senior Services' Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program.
The need for help has led to new programs, such as a helpers program devised by the University of Arizona's College of Medicine and the New Jersey tobacco control program. The program teaches skills to assist others in quitting smoking such as understanding the psychology of a quitter's mind.
"It's based off principles of active listening," Del Prado said. "It's meant to help people make informed decisions about how to quit. Some of it is a no-brainer, but it's outlined in a helpful way."
Cigarette consumption has generally dropped between 2 and 4 percent a year over the last several years, said John Singleton, a spokesman for cigarette manufacturer RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. But this year it is expected to be more dramatic. When the federal tax increase was approved in March, tobacco manufacturers predicted 6 to 8 percent of its customers would quit smoking.
New Jersey's increased cigarette tax -- which at $2.70 is the nation's third highest, behind New York and Rhode Island -- is designed to provide health insurance for low-income children. But Singleton said it may have the opposite effect of reducing the state's cigarette tax revenue by deterring smokers from buying.
At the same time, New Jersey quit programs are also facing financial hardship, according to Foulds. Where the tobacco control program had $50 million in funding a decade ago, it has $7.8 million now.
"We think that New Jersey has done a very good job" helping smokers quit, he said. But "things are tough and lots of things are being cut."
The federal tax jumped 62 cents April 1, followed by the state increase in July.
The number of smokers seeking help to quit started to rise early in the year when the economy was especially rough, but seemed to peak around the time of the new taxes, said Jonathan Foulds, director of the tobacco dependence program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.
"It's very hard to draw the right cause and effect with statewide programs ... but I think that seems pretty plausible," Foulds said. "I think it's the affect of more expensive cigarettes."
According to a report released this summer by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as of 2007, 62 percent of New Jersey residents who once smoked had quit, which is the highest percentage in the country.
The trend includes Warren County, where Leeanne Del Prado says more people have been coming to her for help at Community Prevention Resources of Warren County in Washington.
Some come with the express intention of quitting, like a recent woman who was diagnosed with emphysema. Others come for different reasons but end up revealing their desire to quit, she said.
"I have noticed an increase in people who wanted to quit for various reasons," said Del Prado, coordinator of the Warren County Community Partnerships for a Tobacco-free New Jersey, a program funded by the state Department of Health and Senior Services' Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program.
The need for help has led to new programs, such as a helpers program devised by the University of Arizona's College of Medicine and the New Jersey tobacco control program. The program teaches skills to assist others in quitting smoking such as understanding the psychology of a quitter's mind.
"It's based off principles of active listening," Del Prado said. "It's meant to help people make informed decisions about how to quit. Some of it is a no-brainer, but it's outlined in a helpful way."
Cigarette consumption has generally dropped between 2 and 4 percent a year over the last several years, said John Singleton, a spokesman for cigarette manufacturer RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. But this year it is expected to be more dramatic. When the federal tax increase was approved in March, tobacco manufacturers predicted 6 to 8 percent of its customers would quit smoking.
New Jersey's increased cigarette tax -- which at $2.70 is the nation's third highest, behind New York and Rhode Island -- is designed to provide health insurance for low-income children. But Singleton said it may have the opposite effect of reducing the state's cigarette tax revenue by deterring smokers from buying.
At the same time, New Jersey quit programs are also facing financial hardship, according to Foulds. Where the tobacco control program had $50 million in funding a decade ago, it has $7.8 million now.
"We think that New Jersey has done a very good job" helping smokers quit, he said. But "things are tough and lots of things are being cut."
Sep 3, 2009
Kansas governor says he’ll push for statewide ban on public smoking
TOPEKA | Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson said he will push next year for a statewide ban on smoking indoors in public places and he may work to raise the state’s tax on cigarettes to boost revenue and improve health.
A similar ban passed in the state Senate earlier this year but failed in the House. Parkinson said Tuesday he’ll try to get support from some House members for the proposal when the Legislature convenes in January.
“We are going to put our full effort behind it,” Parkinson said during a meeting of the Governor’s Council on Fitness.
Many cities in Kansas already ban smoking in indoor public places, such as restaurants and businesses.
“All the research shows this will have a very positive impact on the overall health of Kansans and, over the long term, it will reduce health care costs,” said Andrew Allison, acting director of the Kansas Health Policy Authority.
According to state health agency statistics, nearly 4,000 Kansas residents die annually from smoking-related diseases, including 290 from diseases related to secondhand smoke. Residents spend nearly $1 billion on treatment related to smoking, including some $200 million in Medicaid funds.
Parkinson said he may throw his support behind raising cigarette taxes, but that the decision would hinge on whether the state needs more revenue to balance the budget.
Legislative staff have projected a budget shortfall of more than $500 million in the coming fiscal year. Parkinson has said it’s too early to tell how big the gap may be. Legislators have rejected numerous attempts in recent years to increase tobacco taxes.
Kansas imposes a 79-cent tax on a pack of cigarettes — well below the national average of $1.32.
Former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius failed to garner enough support among lawmakers to increase cigarette taxes by as much as 50 cents a pack to fund expanded health care programs.
A similar ban passed in the state Senate earlier this year but failed in the House. Parkinson said Tuesday he’ll try to get support from some House members for the proposal when the Legislature convenes in January.
“We are going to put our full effort behind it,” Parkinson said during a meeting of the Governor’s Council on Fitness.
Many cities in Kansas already ban smoking in indoor public places, such as restaurants and businesses.
“All the research shows this will have a very positive impact on the overall health of Kansans and, over the long term, it will reduce health care costs,” said Andrew Allison, acting director of the Kansas Health Policy Authority.
According to state health agency statistics, nearly 4,000 Kansas residents die annually from smoking-related diseases, including 290 from diseases related to secondhand smoke. Residents spend nearly $1 billion on treatment related to smoking, including some $200 million in Medicaid funds.
Parkinson said he may throw his support behind raising cigarette taxes, but that the decision would hinge on whether the state needs more revenue to balance the budget.
Legislative staff have projected a budget shortfall of more than $500 million in the coming fiscal year. Parkinson has said it’s too early to tell how big the gap may be. Legislators have rejected numerous attempts in recent years to increase tobacco taxes.
Kansas imposes a 79-cent tax on a pack of cigarettes — well below the national average of $1.32.
Former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius failed to garner enough support among lawmakers to increase cigarette taxes by as much as 50 cents a pack to fund expanded health care programs.
Sep 1, 2009
Puffed with pride over cigarette-free month
THE retired top banker who cast himself away for a month on an uninhabited Outer Hebridean island in a last-gasp bid to give-up smoking is still off cigarettes – but admits it is harder to kick the habit now he is back in civilisation.
Geoff Spice, right, left Sgarabhaigh in the Sound of Harris last Wednesday and said the next five days would be his toughest.
Having passed that milestone yesterday – and also a month without nicotine – Mr Spice, 57 now home in Ashstead, Surrey said:
"The cravings are quite bad. I expected they would be worse when I was not on the island. But I am still determined to get through and quit for good."
"If I can help inspire people to give up smoking too – that would be great. But sitting on an uninhabited island may not be the way for them to do it!"
Mr Spice, 57, former managing director, global head of treasury, at NM Rothschild in London came off Sgarabhaigh nearly a week earlier than his original target – beaten by the Hebridean gales, but not by nicotine.
Geoff Spice, right, left Sgarabhaigh in the Sound of Harris last Wednesday and said the next five days would be his toughest.
Having passed that milestone yesterday – and also a month without nicotine – Mr Spice, 57 now home in Ashstead, Surrey said:
"The cravings are quite bad. I expected they would be worse when I was not on the island. But I am still determined to get through and quit for good."
"If I can help inspire people to give up smoking too – that would be great. But sitting on an uninhabited island may not be the way for them to do it!"
Mr Spice, 57, former managing director, global head of treasury, at NM Rothschild in London came off Sgarabhaigh nearly a week earlier than his original target – beaten by the Hebridean gales, but not by nicotine.
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