The U.K. may ban cigarette vending machines and prevent stores from displaying tobacco products.LONDON, ENGLAND – A new proposal that is part of England’s Health Bill would ban cigarette vending machines and prevent stores from displaying tobacco products, Reuters reports.
Former Labor minister Ian McCartney, who proposed the vending machine ban, said that its intent is to make it more difficult for minors to buy cigarettes.
"We don't allow alcohol, fireworks, knives or other age-restricted products to be sold from vending machines," McCartney said on his Web site. "These are only sold where there is a face-to-face transaction over the counter. We need to tackle this anomaly which allows children to get hold of cigarettes."
The House of Commons approved the vending machine amendment earlier this week. It now moves to the House of Lords for consideration. If approved there, it would become law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Opponents of the proposed non-display bill argued that it would harm merchants while doing little to improve the public’s health. They said that there is scant evidence from other countries that banning cigarette displays reduces smoking rates.
However, Health Secretary Andy Burnham said that the government would not try to block its passage in the House of Lords.
Oct 29, 2009
Oct 28, 2009
Contraband-cigarette auction brings $1.9M
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi Auditor Stacey Pickering says the federal government is collecting significantly more than the state from Tuesday's auction of more than 900,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes.
Pickering said in a news release that the auction in Tupelo generated $1.9 million. He said more than $1.6 million of that will go to the federal government, and Mississippi will keep $277,635.
The cigarettes were seized in two Tupelo area warehouse raids last spring.
Of the money staying in Mississippi, 80 percent goes into the general state budget, 10 percent goes to the State Tax Commission, 8 percent goes to the auditor's office and 2 percent is split among local law enforcement agencies such as the Tupelo Police Department and the Marshall County Sheriff's Department.
Pickering said in a news release that the auction in Tupelo generated $1.9 million. He said more than $1.6 million of that will go to the federal government, and Mississippi will keep $277,635.
The cigarettes were seized in two Tupelo area warehouse raids last spring.
Of the money staying in Mississippi, 80 percent goes into the general state budget, 10 percent goes to the State Tax Commission, 8 percent goes to the auditor's office and 2 percent is split among local law enforcement agencies such as the Tupelo Police Department and the Marshall County Sheriff's Department.
Oct 23, 2009
Zim tobacco auction floors open
The sales, which were supposed to start at 7.30am at the country's three auction floors, were only conducted at the Tobacco Sales Floor (TSF) from 3pm after government officials had convinced growers to sell while they looked into the emotive issue of the exchange rate.
Among the officials that addressed the growers, some of whom had become restive due to the delayed start, were Agriculture Minister Rugare Gumbo, Acting Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono.
Chinamasa told the growers that the government was close to concluding the pricing mechanism of this year's crop, and pleaded with the farmers to be patient with them.
"We want you to give us time to work on the pricing mechanism while you continue to sell your crop," Chinamasa told the growers, who were camped at the TSF auction floors.
"Don't worry about how much gets into your account. Just worry about the US dollar price. Try to negotiate with the buyers to get a good bargain of the US dollar price."
He promised to get back to growers with an answer in a few days' time, saying the government was committed to the viability of the tobacco sector.
He said from the discussions they had had so far, indications were that the government would yet again award farmers viable and competitive prices that would ensure continued growth of the cash crop.
Gono told the farmers never to doubt the government's commitment to the growth of the tobacco industry.
"We are almost there," he said about the negotiations they were having. "The reason why we have not reached an agreement is that we want the truth on many things, including correct calculations on the inputs costs incurred by growers."
Gono said the government would once again reward growers handsomely to encourage them to go back to the farms and increase next year's production.
The government offered viable prices to growers last year, resulting in them increasing production from 54 million kg to an expected 80 million kg this year, he said.
He said the government would announce its position in about seven days.
Meanwhile, the RBZ governor announced that the 15 percent foreign currency retention scheme for tobacco growers had not been scrapped as earlier reported.
He blamed the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board for misleading the central bank into believing that growers preferred being paid all their money in local currency.
"It's a lie. We didn't withdraw the facility. In fact, I am inclined to increase it from 15 percent to 20 percent."
He said the central bank would continue to support tobacco growers, including providing them concessionary funds to boost production.
The government, Gono said, would also pay farmers their outstanding bonuses for the crop they sold last year.
"What you must do now is to fight tobacco smuggling. We hear that tobacco is going to Malawi and others are involved in side-marketing. I want to warn those smuggling tobacco outside the country that their days are numbered," he said.
Some of the crop that was sold on Tuesday fetched as much as US$2, 95 per kg with some growers already expressing happiness with the price.
"The prices are reasonably fair," said Tobacco Growers' Trust chairman Wilfanos Mashingaidze.
TIMB acting chief executive Andrew Matibiri said he was happy that the floors had opened.
"I am looking forward to the rest of the selling season and I would like to encourage growers to bring more of their crop to the auction floors," he said.
Earlier, tobacco growers interviewed said they wanted a viable exchange rate or parallel market rates because they acquired most of their inputs based at black market rates. The exchange rate is currently pegged at $250 to the US$.
Tobacco is one of Zimbabwe's top foreign currency earners. ' New Ziana.
Among the officials that addressed the growers, some of whom had become restive due to the delayed start, were Agriculture Minister Rugare Gumbo, Acting Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono.
Chinamasa told the growers that the government was close to concluding the pricing mechanism of this year's crop, and pleaded with the farmers to be patient with them.
"We want you to give us time to work on the pricing mechanism while you continue to sell your crop," Chinamasa told the growers, who were camped at the TSF auction floors.
"Don't worry about how much gets into your account. Just worry about the US dollar price. Try to negotiate with the buyers to get a good bargain of the US dollar price."
He promised to get back to growers with an answer in a few days' time, saying the government was committed to the viability of the tobacco sector.
He said from the discussions they had had so far, indications were that the government would yet again award farmers viable and competitive prices that would ensure continued growth of the cash crop.
Gono told the farmers never to doubt the government's commitment to the growth of the tobacco industry.
"We are almost there," he said about the negotiations they were having. "The reason why we have not reached an agreement is that we want the truth on many things, including correct calculations on the inputs costs incurred by growers."
Gono said the government would once again reward growers handsomely to encourage them to go back to the farms and increase next year's production.
The government offered viable prices to growers last year, resulting in them increasing production from 54 million kg to an expected 80 million kg this year, he said.
He said the government would announce its position in about seven days.
Meanwhile, the RBZ governor announced that the 15 percent foreign currency retention scheme for tobacco growers had not been scrapped as earlier reported.
He blamed the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board for misleading the central bank into believing that growers preferred being paid all their money in local currency.
"It's a lie. We didn't withdraw the facility. In fact, I am inclined to increase it from 15 percent to 20 percent."
He said the central bank would continue to support tobacco growers, including providing them concessionary funds to boost production.
The government, Gono said, would also pay farmers their outstanding bonuses for the crop they sold last year.
"What you must do now is to fight tobacco smuggling. We hear that tobacco is going to Malawi and others are involved in side-marketing. I want to warn those smuggling tobacco outside the country that their days are numbered," he said.
Some of the crop that was sold on Tuesday fetched as much as US$2, 95 per kg with some growers already expressing happiness with the price.
"The prices are reasonably fair," said Tobacco Growers' Trust chairman Wilfanos Mashingaidze.
TIMB acting chief executive Andrew Matibiri said he was happy that the floors had opened.
"I am looking forward to the rest of the selling season and I would like to encourage growers to bring more of their crop to the auction floors," he said.
Earlier, tobacco growers interviewed said they wanted a viable exchange rate or parallel market rates because they acquired most of their inputs based at black market rates. The exchange rate is currently pegged at $250 to the US$.
Tobacco is one of Zimbabwe's top foreign currency earners. ' New Ziana.
Oct 21, 2009
Paterson seeks smoke tax threat assessment
ALBANY, N.Y., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- New York Gov. David Paterson has asked federal prosecutors to assess the chances of violence if the state tries to collect cigarette taxes from Indian tribes.
Paterson sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice last month requesting the "threat assessment" and suggesting New York could require federal assistance in dealing with any unrest.
The letter was sent to the U.S. attorneys in three New York jurisdictions amid heated opposition to the proposed levies on cigarettes sold on tribal lands.
The Buffalo (N.Y.) News said Wednesday that Paterson is coming under increased pressure from lawmakers to force American Indians to collect takes on the high volume of cigarettes sold in smoke shops and by mail and Internet.
Sources told the News the letter might have been an attempt by Paterson to scuttle the tax-collection effort and blame it on the potential for violence.
Paterson sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice last month requesting the "threat assessment" and suggesting New York could require federal assistance in dealing with any unrest.
The letter was sent to the U.S. attorneys in three New York jurisdictions amid heated opposition to the proposed levies on cigarettes sold on tribal lands.
The Buffalo (N.Y.) News said Wednesday that Paterson is coming under increased pressure from lawmakers to force American Indians to collect takes on the high volume of cigarettes sold in smoke shops and by mail and Internet.
Sources told the News the letter might have been an attempt by Paterson to scuttle the tax-collection effort and blame it on the potential for violence.
Oct 16, 2009
Mystery tale "Mindgame" keeps audience in suspense
Carpet. Envelope. Wallpaper. Cigarette. Jelly.
Does that make any sense? Am I the crazy one, or are you?
Friday at 8 p.m. the pieces will fall into place at the Hippodrome during Anthony Horowitz's play, "Mindgame."
"Mindgame" is a psychodrama filled to the brim with serial killers, intrigue, sex, bondage and violence.
The cast of characters includes a true crime journalist named Mark Styler, played by Tod Zimmerman; Easterman, the serial killer whose tale holds the key to Styler's next big story; Dr. Farquhar, an eccentric and contradictory psychiatrist, played by David Sitler; and Nurse Plimpton, played by Sara Morsey.
"It is all about the nature of perception. What we see is not always what we get," director Lauren Caldwell said.
The play is set in an office at the Fairfields Institute for the Criminally Insane. As the story progresses, Styler realizes that no one can be trusted, no one knows who they are, and nothing is as it seems, not even things he witnesses with his own eyes.
"Once you see the twists and the turns and everything else, it's a real roller coaster ride. It's a lot of fun," said Sitler, who also performed as Neil in "The Pursuit of Happiness" on the Hippodrome stage and traveled with Broadway's "Frost/Nixon." "I was sold on my first line."
The script is Quentin Tarantino-inspired. There are songs from "Pulp Fiction," moments that remind you of "Reservoir Dogs" and "Kill Bill"-esque abuse that doesn't cease throughout the play.
Bottles are broken on the backs of heads, scalpels come dangerously close to faces and the heat from lit cigarettes threatens the flesh.
"The script is just a framework. This is our show; we don't know how it's done in New York or anywhere else." Caldwell said. "The music choices, the staging, the actor's intentions, the characters and all that, that comes from our own show."
"I'm in rehearsal making choices and seeing what works and what doesn't - it's the process of coming up with who I am," Zimmerman said.
In true mind game spirit, the story ends, but somehow it doesn't feel like it's finished. The cat is still chasing the mouse once the curtains are closed.
Caldwell's goal is not to tell us what to think, only to get our synapses working.
"If four people walk out and they have four different opinions, they'd have something to talk about over a glass of wine," she said. "If that's what you think, then that's what happened. The conclusions are your decisions."
Tickets are $30 on opening night, and reduced pricing for each night after. There is an advance screening tonight that costs $12 for students and $15 for adults.
"The play's not finished until the audience is here," Sitler said.
Does that make any sense? Am I the crazy one, or are you?
Friday at 8 p.m. the pieces will fall into place at the Hippodrome during Anthony Horowitz's play, "Mindgame."
"Mindgame" is a psychodrama filled to the brim with serial killers, intrigue, sex, bondage and violence.
The cast of characters includes a true crime journalist named Mark Styler, played by Tod Zimmerman; Easterman, the serial killer whose tale holds the key to Styler's next big story; Dr. Farquhar, an eccentric and contradictory psychiatrist, played by David Sitler; and Nurse Plimpton, played by Sara Morsey.
"It is all about the nature of perception. What we see is not always what we get," director Lauren Caldwell said.
The play is set in an office at the Fairfields Institute for the Criminally Insane. As the story progresses, Styler realizes that no one can be trusted, no one knows who they are, and nothing is as it seems, not even things he witnesses with his own eyes.
"Once you see the twists and the turns and everything else, it's a real roller coaster ride. It's a lot of fun," said Sitler, who also performed as Neil in "The Pursuit of Happiness" on the Hippodrome stage and traveled with Broadway's "Frost/Nixon." "I was sold on my first line."
The script is Quentin Tarantino-inspired. There are songs from "Pulp Fiction," moments that remind you of "Reservoir Dogs" and "Kill Bill"-esque abuse that doesn't cease throughout the play.
Bottles are broken on the backs of heads, scalpels come dangerously close to faces and the heat from lit cigarettes threatens the flesh.
"The script is just a framework. This is our show; we don't know how it's done in New York or anywhere else." Caldwell said. "The music choices, the staging, the actor's intentions, the characters and all that, that comes from our own show."
"I'm in rehearsal making choices and seeing what works and what doesn't - it's the process of coming up with who I am," Zimmerman said.
In true mind game spirit, the story ends, but somehow it doesn't feel like it's finished. The cat is still chasing the mouse once the curtains are closed.
Caldwell's goal is not to tell us what to think, only to get our synapses working.
"If four people walk out and they have four different opinions, they'd have something to talk about over a glass of wine," she said. "If that's what you think, then that's what happened. The conclusions are your decisions."
Tickets are $30 on opening night, and reduced pricing for each night after. There is an advance screening tonight that costs $12 for students and $15 for adults.
"The play's not finished until the audience is here," Sitler said.
Oct 12, 2009
Dan River Region hails JTI Leaf
JTI Leaf Services’ decision to process American-grown tobacco in Danville doesn’t just mean 39 new full-time jobs and 150 seasonal jobs.
It’s about more opportunities for the Dan River Region’s tobacco farmers — and a potential shot in the arm for the local agricultural economy.
“They’re here. They never left,” Commissioner Todd Haymore of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said of local tobacco farmers last week. “They have the land and the infrastructure. They have the knowledge and the know-how.”
Over the past decade, though, it seemed like those advantages — developed over generations of growing tobacco in this community — were destined to be ignored, forgotten and eventually lost. Make no mistake about it — flue-cured tobacco is still an important cash crop in the Dan River Region. But the acres grown and the pounds produced are well off the marks set just a decade ago.
It’s no surprise, then that local economic developers have moved on to recruit new manufacturing, retail and technology jobs to the Dan River Region.
But in this economy, any job is a good job and if we can keep local tobacco farmers — and all the people who supply them — working, than we’ve at least stabilized an economic sector long assumed to be a lost cause.
“In these tough economic times, this multimillion dollar investment and the jobs it creates are especially significant in Southside Virginia,” Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said in a news release. “Even as we continue to diversify the region’s economy, we’re pleased by the opportunity to build on traditional industries that have historically been important in the commonwealth.”
The deal was closed with a $100,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund and up to $250,000 from the Virginia Tobacco Commission. JTI Leaf Services is also eligible to receive money from the Virginia Enterprise Zone program.
Some people may see that as an example of new money chasing after old jobs. But we think it’s a smart investment in jobs that can be filled quickly by a company that recognizes the quality product grown here.
The Dan River Region needs every good job it can get, and growth in the tobacco sector through JTI Leaf Services’ commitment to our community is great news.
It’s about more opportunities for the Dan River Region’s tobacco farmers — and a potential shot in the arm for the local agricultural economy.
“They’re here. They never left,” Commissioner Todd Haymore of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said of local tobacco farmers last week. “They have the land and the infrastructure. They have the knowledge and the know-how.”
Over the past decade, though, it seemed like those advantages — developed over generations of growing tobacco in this community — were destined to be ignored, forgotten and eventually lost. Make no mistake about it — flue-cured tobacco is still an important cash crop in the Dan River Region. But the acres grown and the pounds produced are well off the marks set just a decade ago.
It’s no surprise, then that local economic developers have moved on to recruit new manufacturing, retail and technology jobs to the Dan River Region.
But in this economy, any job is a good job and if we can keep local tobacco farmers — and all the people who supply them — working, than we’ve at least stabilized an economic sector long assumed to be a lost cause.
“In these tough economic times, this multimillion dollar investment and the jobs it creates are especially significant in Southside Virginia,” Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said in a news release. “Even as we continue to diversify the region’s economy, we’re pleased by the opportunity to build on traditional industries that have historically been important in the commonwealth.”
The deal was closed with a $100,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund and up to $250,000 from the Virginia Tobacco Commission. JTI Leaf Services is also eligible to receive money from the Virginia Enterprise Zone program.
Some people may see that as an example of new money chasing after old jobs. But we think it’s a smart investment in jobs that can be filled quickly by a company that recognizes the quality product grown here.
The Dan River Region needs every good job it can get, and growth in the tobacco sector through JTI Leaf Services’ commitment to our community is great news.
Oct 8, 2009
Driver smashes through store for cigarettes
A man backed a pickup through the doors of a West Plains convenience store this morning and stole money and more than 100 packs of cigarettes.
Surveillance video shows a newer model silver, four-door Dodge or Nissan truck backing through the front doors of the Conoco Station at 40th and Foseen about 6 a.m., according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The truck had no visible license plates.
The driver, wearing a gray mask or mesh, gloves, a black sweatshirt and black pants, jumped over the counter and grabbed a cash drawer and an empty cash box, then returns for a display drawer containing 107 packs of Camel cigarettes.
The store’s owners estimated damage to the building to be between $5,000 and $20,000, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Surveillance video shows a newer model silver, four-door Dodge or Nissan truck backing through the front doors of the Conoco Station at 40th and Foseen about 6 a.m., according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The truck had no visible license plates.
The driver, wearing a gray mask or mesh, gloves, a black sweatshirt and black pants, jumped over the counter and grabbed a cash drawer and an empty cash box, then returns for a display drawer containing 107 packs of Camel cigarettes.
The store’s owners estimated damage to the building to be between $5,000 and $20,000, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Oct 7, 2009
67 cigarette cartons stolen from convenience store
Lee County authorities say someone broke into an Estero convenience store early Monday morning and stole dozens of cigarette cartons and lottery tickets.
It happened at the Amerifuel at 21481Tamiami Trail, near Corkscrew Road.
Deputies say the burglar threw a concrete block through a large glass window in the front of the business to get inside. The store was closed at the time of the incident.
Authorities say 67 cartons of cigarettes and several lottery tickets were stolen. The store manager says the stolen items have an estimated valued of $7,000.
The manager says it'll cost about $450 to fix the front window.
It happened at the Amerifuel at 21481Tamiami Trail, near Corkscrew Road.
Deputies say the burglar threw a concrete block through a large glass window in the front of the business to get inside. The store was closed at the time of the incident.
Authorities say 67 cartons of cigarettes and several lottery tickets were stolen. The store manager says the stolen items have an estimated valued of $7,000.
The manager says it'll cost about $450 to fix the front window.
Oct 5, 2009
MICHIGAN CITY - A "snus" - rhymes with moose and goose - sounds like a new cartoon character or kids' cereal.
Actually, it's a tiny pouch of spitless tobacco similar to chewing tobacco, packaged 15 per tin.
It's one of the new line of dissolvable tobacco products being marketed as alternatives to cigarettes by R. J. Reynolds tobacco company under the Camel brand.
Although smoking is illegal if you're under 18, these products are intentionally designed to appeal to youth, according to Michigan City education and health advocates. Kelly Foley, site coordinator for the Safe Harbor and Hours for Hours programs at Edgewood Elementary School, has a collection of Camel dissolvable products she uses in the Tobacco Awareness Program for students who want to quit smoking.
Camel Snus come in menthol or mellow flavors and are available in Michigan City, according to Foley.
"You can go to a local gas station and you'll see the logo at eye level," she said. "By packaging it to look like candy, it's very confusing to a child to be confronted with a product like this."
Foley is concerned about the nearly three times higher nicotine levels in dissolvable tobacco products compared to cigarettes. She's particularly upset by Camel Orbs, small lozenges that come in "fresh" (minty) or "mellow" (original) flavor. Orbs were test-marketed in Indianapolis starting in January, as part of nationwide product research. They last about 15 minutes, Foley said, and each one packs three times more nicotine than a regular cigarette.
Her husband, who smokes about a pack of cigarettes a day, tried one of the Orbs.
"He said it was like smoking three cigarettes all at the same time," Foley said. "His experience was like he felt when he first started smoking. He got a head rush."
Camel Sticks, available in the "mellow" flavor, look like toothpicks. They can be broken in half and placed between the upper lip and gum, where they will dissolve in 10 minutes.
Camel Strips look like Listerine breath-freshening strips and last about three minutes. Packaged in tin boxes the size of a shirt pocket, dissolvables are promoted as alternatives to cigarettes when smokers are in a place where they're unable to light up. Given the products' convenience and similarity to candy and mints, users could ingest more than one at a time and possibly get a toxic dose of nicotine. The new products are not regulated by the FDA, so no product testing is required.
Sandy Gleim, executive director of Healthy Communities of La Porte County, said smokeless alternative nicotine products are just as addictive as cigarettes. Adults who use them shouldn't leave them laying around where kids can pick them up and pop them into their mouths, she cautioned.
"This is a concern," she said. "Young children aren't going to know what they are."
Gleim said most of the dissolvable tobacco products haven't yet arrived in this area, but she believes they will be sold on a more widespread basis. Foley was given the package of Snus by a high school student who was using the product.
"He's now a senior and has been chewing (tobacco) since he was a young kid," Foley said. "It was a socially acceptable thing in his household."
As smoke-free environments have become more prevalent, the dissolvables have the advantage of being a sort of stealth form of smoking.
"Nobody can complain about second-hand smoke," Foley said. "You don't have to sneak out of the office or spit."
During the eight-week Tobacco Awareness Program, Foley uses as many tricks as she can find to scare students about the negative health effects of smoking. Her visual aids include a set of diseased lungs, the Jar of Tar and a list of some 4,000 chemicals in each cigarette.
"What our program does is help kids make the decision of whether they want to make the commitment (to quit)," Foley said.
Foley quit smoking 24 years ago, after a bout of pneumonia, and likes to tell her students about how she put aside the money she would have spent on cigarettes. After a year and a half, she was able to take her family on a 10-day trip to Disneyland, she said.
"I ask them to figure the amount of money they'd spend smoking one $5 pack of cigarettes a day for a year," Foley said. "They can't believe how much money ($1,825) they'd spend. It helps the kids see that it's not only costing their health, but costing them money."
Foley said she's encouraged to find fewer young people using tobacco than when she was growing up. She will help mobilize a group of local teens who will lead the Tobacco Free Walk starting from Elston Middle School at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Anyone in the community can participate in the event sponsored by Voice, Foley said. Voice is a student group that speaks out against the negative influence of tobacco companies on kids.
Actually, it's a tiny pouch of spitless tobacco similar to chewing tobacco, packaged 15 per tin.
It's one of the new line of dissolvable tobacco products being marketed as alternatives to cigarettes by R. J. Reynolds tobacco company under the Camel brand.
Although smoking is illegal if you're under 18, these products are intentionally designed to appeal to youth, according to Michigan City education and health advocates. Kelly Foley, site coordinator for the Safe Harbor and Hours for Hours programs at Edgewood Elementary School, has a collection of Camel dissolvable products she uses in the Tobacco Awareness Program for students who want to quit smoking.
Camel Snus come in menthol or mellow flavors and are available in Michigan City, according to Foley.
"You can go to a local gas station and you'll see the logo at eye level," she said. "By packaging it to look like candy, it's very confusing to a child to be confronted with a product like this."
Foley is concerned about the nearly three times higher nicotine levels in dissolvable tobacco products compared to cigarettes. She's particularly upset by Camel Orbs, small lozenges that come in "fresh" (minty) or "mellow" (original) flavor. Orbs were test-marketed in Indianapolis starting in January, as part of nationwide product research. They last about 15 minutes, Foley said, and each one packs three times more nicotine than a regular cigarette.
Her husband, who smokes about a pack of cigarettes a day, tried one of the Orbs.
"He said it was like smoking three cigarettes all at the same time," Foley said. "His experience was like he felt when he first started smoking. He got a head rush."
Camel Sticks, available in the "mellow" flavor, look like toothpicks. They can be broken in half and placed between the upper lip and gum, where they will dissolve in 10 minutes.
Camel Strips look like Listerine breath-freshening strips and last about three minutes. Packaged in tin boxes the size of a shirt pocket, dissolvables are promoted as alternatives to cigarettes when smokers are in a place where they're unable to light up. Given the products' convenience and similarity to candy and mints, users could ingest more than one at a time and possibly get a toxic dose of nicotine. The new products are not regulated by the FDA, so no product testing is required.
Sandy Gleim, executive director of Healthy Communities of La Porte County, said smokeless alternative nicotine products are just as addictive as cigarettes. Adults who use them shouldn't leave them laying around where kids can pick them up and pop them into their mouths, she cautioned.
"This is a concern," she said. "Young children aren't going to know what they are."
Gleim said most of the dissolvable tobacco products haven't yet arrived in this area, but she believes they will be sold on a more widespread basis. Foley was given the package of Snus by a high school student who was using the product.
"He's now a senior and has been chewing (tobacco) since he was a young kid," Foley said. "It was a socially acceptable thing in his household."
As smoke-free environments have become more prevalent, the dissolvables have the advantage of being a sort of stealth form of smoking.
"Nobody can complain about second-hand smoke," Foley said. "You don't have to sneak out of the office or spit."
During the eight-week Tobacco Awareness Program, Foley uses as many tricks as she can find to scare students about the negative health effects of smoking. Her visual aids include a set of diseased lungs, the Jar of Tar and a list of some 4,000 chemicals in each cigarette.
"What our program does is help kids make the decision of whether they want to make the commitment (to quit)," Foley said.
Foley quit smoking 24 years ago, after a bout of pneumonia, and likes to tell her students about how she put aside the money she would have spent on cigarettes. After a year and a half, she was able to take her family on a 10-day trip to Disneyland, she said.
"I ask them to figure the amount of money they'd spend smoking one $5 pack of cigarettes a day for a year," Foley said. "They can't believe how much money ($1,825) they'd spend. It helps the kids see that it's not only costing their health, but costing them money."
Foley said she's encouraged to find fewer young people using tobacco than when she was growing up. She will help mobilize a group of local teens who will lead the Tobacco Free Walk starting from Elston Middle School at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Anyone in the community can participate in the event sponsored by Voice, Foley said. Voice is a student group that speaks out against the negative influence of tobacco companies on kids.
Oct 1, 2009
Smoking not the only concern for Danvers H.S. parents
Despite my total distaste for smoking (I am a personal trainer), I think the Danvers School Committee, and high school principal and vice principal, need to be more concerned about the things going on at their school, on school property.
Spending time issuing fines for students smoking off school grounds is completely inappropriate.
Maybe if they have so much time on their hands, they can figure out how to provide healthier lunches for the children and making sure everyone gets plenty of physical activity. And maybe they could spend a little more time and resources improving the academic offerings at the school.
Spending time issuing fines for students smoking off school grounds is completely inappropriate.
Maybe if they have so much time on their hands, they can figure out how to provide healthier lunches for the children and making sure everyone gets plenty of physical activity. And maybe they could spend a little more time and resources improving the academic offerings at the school.
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