THE CITY government will soon ratchet up the pressure on tobacco companies as it mulls imposing higher taxes on tobacco products, seven years after passing the anti-smoking ordinance in 2002.
Councilor Peter Laviña, chair of the committee on trade, commerce and industry, said the campaign of the city to educate the public on the hazards of smoking has been successful but that’s not enough if the levy on tobacco products remains low.
Making cigarettes expensive is another way to encourage the public, especially the youth, against taking up what would become a very expensive vice. The proposed rate of increase on tobacco products will be discussed further with the stakeholders in a committee hearing next year.
Data from Department of Health, the country’s tobacco excise tax collection had only a total of P199.61 billion from 2000 to 2008 with an average of government earnings of P23.26 billion annually. The health care and economic cost which were being spent on people who had smoking-related illnesses, however, was higher with a total of P1.62 trillion since 2000 up to 2008.
Laviña said there should be a tight ordinance that could strongly discourage minors on buying tobacco products. “The tobacco-related illnesses will rank number one on the cause of death next year if we would not do anything about this,” he said.
The health agency further estimated around 87,600 Filipinos per year die from smoking-related illnesses like lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer of the lips, nose, or larynx.
Laviña said the proposed amendment on the anti-smoking ordinance also prohibits vendors from selling the cigarettes by retail as well as peddling them in the sidewalk and the streets.
The anti-smoking ordinance states that “it shall be unlawful for any person to smoke or allow smoking in a public utility vehicle, government-owned vehicle or any other means of public transport for passengers, accommodation and entertainment establishment, public building, public place, enclosed public place, or in any enclosed area outside of ones private residence, private place of works, cars owned by the government or duly designated smoking areas, within the jurisdiction of Davao City.”
Laviña said the amendment of the ordinance will not kill the business of the sidewalk vendors as they can still sell candies, biscuits and other food items.
Vendors’ associations will be invited by the committee, which already gathered position papers from the anti-smoking task force and the tobacco companies.
In a position paper of the tobacco industries from Manila, the proposed amendment on the anti-smoking ordinance will severely affect their business. “The tobacco industries opposed on the proposed amendment especially when it comes to their economic concerns. They even questioned the local government on why they are eager to impose higher taxes while the national government did not even propose as such,” he said.
Dr. Domilyn Villareiz, chairperson of the city’s anti-smoking task force, said the proposed amendment on the existing ordinance could make the city “100 percent smoke-free.” This does not, however, the task force is not doing well in implementing the anti-smoking ordinance, she said.
Villareiz said their enforcement is very good. There are now nine establishments with approved smoking areas this year, she said.
Dec 29, 2009
Dec 23, 2009
US legislator calls for mobile phone warning
A legislator in the US state of Maine has now called for mobile phone manufacturers to carry a warning similar to cigarettes, noting the likely effects of overuse including brain cancer.
Andrea Boland noted several studies which linked cancer to mobile phone use, and has said a proposal will be put forward in early 2010.
Under the new bill, manufacturers would be forced to put labels on phones and packaging, warning of the potential risks of radiation. These warnings would recommend certain users, such as children and pregnant women, keep the devices away from certain parts of the body including the head.
The Federal Communications Commission has already set a certain "Absorption" rate of radiation, and says all phones in the US are safe.
Andrea Boland noted several studies which linked cancer to mobile phone use, and has said a proposal will be put forward in early 2010.
Under the new bill, manufacturers would be forced to put labels on phones and packaging, warning of the potential risks of radiation. These warnings would recommend certain users, such as children and pregnant women, keep the devices away from certain parts of the body including the head.
The Federal Communications Commission has already set a certain "Absorption" rate of radiation, and says all phones in the US are safe.
Dec 21, 2009
Health proponents want cigarettes filtered out of movies
What do the feature films A Christmas Carol, Armored and The Blind Side currently circulating have in common?
They’re among an increasing number of movies that feature scenes of smoking, which is making a comeback on silver screens across North America, health officials warn.
“It’s becoming more prevalent,” Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health division manager Shawn Zentner says. Concerned it’s having an undue influence on viewers, he’s worried the more exposed a person is to smoking, “the more likely you are to take up the habit.”
Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada research director Neil Collishaw said he suspects it’s more than coincidence that tobacco companies are seeing their products reaching broad audiences.
“I would like to get to the bottom of what’s really going on,” he said.
Health boards, meanwhile, aren’t waiting to find out why.
On Friday, they concluded a pilot “Don’t be a Target” program that on Nov. 30 began alerting the public through short warning clips aired before movies at area theatres, including Galaxy Cinemas in Guelph and Orangeville.
Zentner said the seven health boards in central-western Ontario involved are now evaluating the effectiveness of the campaign, and may run a version again in the coming year.
“We would like to continue with some sort of presence (in movie houses).”
Collishaw praised Zentner’s board for being proactive in fighting the influence of onscreen smoking.
“It would be perfectly appropriate for the local group to try to counter this,” he said.
Zentner said movie portrayals of smokers are misleading, suggesting glamorous lifestyles without adverse health consequences, as well as implying smoking is much more common among people than is the case in real life.
Taking a broader view, Collishaw said there are several remedies to onscreen depictions of smoking proposed. There’s a California group suggesting movies with gratuitous portrayals should get an ‘R’ or ‘Restricted’ rating so youths can’t see them. India is also exploring an outright ban on these depictions.
Collishaw said he hasn’t yet concluded which is the best way to get cigarettes off screens.
But Zentner is intrigued by a ban.“Certainly, that would be something we’d endorse,” he said.
They’re among an increasing number of movies that feature scenes of smoking, which is making a comeback on silver screens across North America, health officials warn.
“It’s becoming more prevalent,” Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health division manager Shawn Zentner says. Concerned it’s having an undue influence on viewers, he’s worried the more exposed a person is to smoking, “the more likely you are to take up the habit.”
Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada research director Neil Collishaw said he suspects it’s more than coincidence that tobacco companies are seeing their products reaching broad audiences.
“I would like to get to the bottom of what’s really going on,” he said.
Health boards, meanwhile, aren’t waiting to find out why.
On Friday, they concluded a pilot “Don’t be a Target” program that on Nov. 30 began alerting the public through short warning clips aired before movies at area theatres, including Galaxy Cinemas in Guelph and Orangeville.
Zentner said the seven health boards in central-western Ontario involved are now evaluating the effectiveness of the campaign, and may run a version again in the coming year.
“We would like to continue with some sort of presence (in movie houses).”
Collishaw praised Zentner’s board for being proactive in fighting the influence of onscreen smoking.
“It would be perfectly appropriate for the local group to try to counter this,” he said.
Zentner said movie portrayals of smokers are misleading, suggesting glamorous lifestyles without adverse health consequences, as well as implying smoking is much more common among people than is the case in real life.
Taking a broader view, Collishaw said there are several remedies to onscreen depictions of smoking proposed. There’s a California group suggesting movies with gratuitous portrayals should get an ‘R’ or ‘Restricted’ rating so youths can’t see them. India is also exploring an outright ban on these depictions.
Collishaw said he hasn’t yet concluded which is the best way to get cigarettes off screens.
But Zentner is intrigued by a ban.“Certainly, that would be something we’d endorse,” he said.
Dec 18, 2009
Malawi’s Farmers Shun Tobacco Due to Poor Prices, Times Reports
Tobacco farmers in Malawi are planning to grow other crops this year because of the poor prices offered for the leaf last season, the Daily Times reported, citing a survey by the Tobacco Control Commission.
As many as 40 percent of the country’s farmers who grew tobacco last season will not do so again in 2010, the Blantyre- based newspaper said.
Malawi’s Tobacco Control Commission Chief Executive Officer Bruce Munthali was not available when Bloomberg News called his office in Blantyre today seeking comment.
As many as 40 percent of the country’s farmers who grew tobacco last season will not do so again in 2010, the Blantyre- based newspaper said.
Malawi’s Tobacco Control Commission Chief Executive Officer Bruce Munthali was not available when Bloomberg News called his office in Blantyre today seeking comment.
Dec 15, 2009
Robbery suspect arrested 45 days after release from jail
A city man has been arrested early Thursday morning for allegedly breaking into a convenience store and stealing cigarettes and money from the cash register just a month and a half after his release from jail, according to police.
Kenney Javier Menendez, 32, of 532 South Bridge St., was arrested shortly before 6 a.m. on Elm Street after in connection with a break in that occurred at the Dairy Mart located at the intersection of Lyman and Maple streets, according to Police Chief Anthony Scott. Menendez has been arraigned 47 times in since 1998 for various drug and burglary charges, according to Scott, and has served several sentences in jail.
"He rode the Hampden County Merry Go Round of Justice several times and was released from the House of Corrections on October 26, 2009 only forty-five (45) days before he broke into the Dairy Mart," states Scott in a release sent to the media Thursday.
According to police, officers were called to the store around 4:30 a.m. for a burglary alarm and discovered someone had allegedly broken into the store. A review of the store's surveillance video revealed a man matching Menendez's description had allegedly went into the store, filled his pockets with Newport cigarettes and then smash the store's cash register and fled with it's tray full of money after the business's alarm began to sound, according to Scott.
Menendez was arrested after police spotted him at the intersection of Elm and Essex streets, according to police, and he allegedly had $232.59, 12 packages of Newport cigarettes, a knife and a gram of cocaine in his possession. Menedez had allegedly been wearing the same clothing as was seen in the surveillance video, according to Scott.
Menendez is scheduled to be arraigned in Holyoke District Court on several charges for the incident, including possession of cocaine, larceny over $250 and felony breaking and entering during the nighttime.
Kenney Javier Menendez, 32, of 532 South Bridge St., was arrested shortly before 6 a.m. on Elm Street after in connection with a break in that occurred at the Dairy Mart located at the intersection of Lyman and Maple streets, according to Police Chief Anthony Scott. Menendez has been arraigned 47 times in since 1998 for various drug and burglary charges, according to Scott, and has served several sentences in jail.
"He rode the Hampden County Merry Go Round of Justice several times and was released from the House of Corrections on October 26, 2009 only forty-five (45) days before he broke into the Dairy Mart," states Scott in a release sent to the media Thursday.
According to police, officers were called to the store around 4:30 a.m. for a burglary alarm and discovered someone had allegedly broken into the store. A review of the store's surveillance video revealed a man matching Menendez's description had allegedly went into the store, filled his pockets with Newport cigarettes and then smash the store's cash register and fled with it's tray full of money after the business's alarm began to sound, according to Scott.
Menendez was arrested after police spotted him at the intersection of Elm and Essex streets, according to police, and he allegedly had $232.59, 12 packages of Newport cigarettes, a knife and a gram of cocaine in his possession. Menedez had allegedly been wearing the same clothing as was seen in the surveillance video, according to Scott.
Menendez is scheduled to be arraigned in Holyoke District Court on several charges for the incident, including possession of cocaine, larceny over $250 and felony breaking and entering during the nighttime.
Dec 14, 2009
Record illegal cigarette hauls as smuggling rings smashed
ILLEGAL cigarette seizures reached record-breaking levels this year as Customs officers smashed a number of major smuggling operations.
They confiscated 215 million cigarettes worth €90m in the first 11 months of the year -- with one 120 million seizure the biggest in EU history.
This marked a substantial rise in the volume of cigarettes seized this year, compared with 135 million last year.
Tobacco smuggling is the biggest fraud, in terms of revenue, against EU countries, according to the European Commission's anti-fraud office.
However, it is predicted the number of seizures will increase next year as Customs has stepped up the fight with the purchase of a second mobile scanner, at a cost of €2.3m.
The scanner can examine the inside of containers and uses sophisticated software to produce high-quality images.
Revenue believes one in every five cigarettes in the country is not taxed. But cigarette manufacturers claim untaxed cigarettes account for at least a quarter of all smoked in Ireland and may cost the State as much as €500m in lost revenue.
Operations
Revenue's Ursula O'Neill said the high number of seizures was an indication of the number of attempted cigarette smuggling operations coming through Ireland.
"Our excise duties are the highest in Europe, and as long as that is the case we are always going to be a target.
"But some of the seizures we are seeing are intended for the UK market," she said.
Deirdre Healy, a spokeswoman from manufacturer John Player, said there had been an increase in people attempting to sell counterfeit cigarettes on the black market.
The company was made aware of two instances in recent days -- one in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, the other in Drogheda, Co Louth -- where people were leafleting homes offering 200 cigarettes for around €40. This compares with €8.40 for a pack of 20 John Player Blues in a retail outlet.
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan last week let the duties on tobacco stand, as he admitted the high price was giving rise to tobacco smuggling.
There have been 154 convictions to date this year -- 140 for smuggling and 14 for illegal selling in shops -- with prison sentences imposed in 10 cases.
More than 27 million illegal cigarettes, worth more than €11.7m, have been confiscated at Dublin Airport -- down slightly on both 2008 and 2007 levels.
Tax receipts on cigarettes soared by 66pc when Latvia and Lithuania joined the EU in 2004, with people buying cheaper cigarettes to sell in countries with higher excise duties, Revenue said.
They confiscated 215 million cigarettes worth €90m in the first 11 months of the year -- with one 120 million seizure the biggest in EU history.
This marked a substantial rise in the volume of cigarettes seized this year, compared with 135 million last year.
Tobacco smuggling is the biggest fraud, in terms of revenue, against EU countries, according to the European Commission's anti-fraud office.
However, it is predicted the number of seizures will increase next year as Customs has stepped up the fight with the purchase of a second mobile scanner, at a cost of €2.3m.
The scanner can examine the inside of containers and uses sophisticated software to produce high-quality images.
Revenue believes one in every five cigarettes in the country is not taxed. But cigarette manufacturers claim untaxed cigarettes account for at least a quarter of all smoked in Ireland and may cost the State as much as €500m in lost revenue.
Operations
Revenue's Ursula O'Neill said the high number of seizures was an indication of the number of attempted cigarette smuggling operations coming through Ireland.
"Our excise duties are the highest in Europe, and as long as that is the case we are always going to be a target.
"But some of the seizures we are seeing are intended for the UK market," she said.
Deirdre Healy, a spokeswoman from manufacturer John Player, said there had been an increase in people attempting to sell counterfeit cigarettes on the black market.
The company was made aware of two instances in recent days -- one in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, the other in Drogheda, Co Louth -- where people were leafleting homes offering 200 cigarettes for around €40. This compares with €8.40 for a pack of 20 John Player Blues in a retail outlet.
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan last week let the duties on tobacco stand, as he admitted the high price was giving rise to tobacco smuggling.
There have been 154 convictions to date this year -- 140 for smuggling and 14 for illegal selling in shops -- with prison sentences imposed in 10 cases.
More than 27 million illegal cigarettes, worth more than €11.7m, have been confiscated at Dublin Airport -- down slightly on both 2008 and 2007 levels.
Tax receipts on cigarettes soared by 66pc when Latvia and Lithuania joined the EU in 2004, with people buying cheaper cigarettes to sell in countries with higher excise duties, Revenue said.
Dec 1, 2009
Ky. universities expand smoking, tobacco bans
Kentucky's flagship public university gave the official heave-ho to tobacco on Thursday, touting the health benefits of a smoke-free policy covering all of its sprawling campus in the heart of burley tobacco country.
The tobacco ban at the University of Kentucky includes outdoor areas and applies to chew, pipes, cigars and snuff as well as cigarettes. Kentucky leads the nation in the production of burley tobacco, and has some of the nation's highest smoking rates.
"Going tobacco-free may not be the easiest thing to do, it may not be the most politically popular thing to do, but in my mind it's the right thing to do for this campus," UK President Lee Todd said in trumpeting the strict anti-tobacco policy.
Not far behind in the tobacco crackdown is the University of Louisville, which started restricting smoking Thursday to limited areas on its Belknap and Shelby campuses.
The goal is to make the university totally smoke-free in a year from now.
Pikeville College also announced Thursday it plans for its campus to be tobacco-free by next fall.
In Lexington, some UK students welcomed the tobacco prohibition.
"It'll be nice walking to class and not having to walk in a cloud of smoke," nonsmoker Kelly Stilz, a senior, said while eating a quick breakfast on campus.
Sophomore Matt Danter, also a nonsmoker, harbored no strong feelings about the policy, but said "it seems a little contradictory" given Kentucky's heritage as a tobacco producer.
Danter said he has friends on campus who smoke and don't like the policy. He said he expects to see plenty of scofflaws on campus."If there's a will, there's a way," he said.
The university is stressing treatment, not punishment, for people caught using tobacco on campus. Citations will not be given to violators, and the school will steer them toward treatment. However, UK employees who are flagrant violators could ultimately be fired, and flagrant student violators could face dismissal from school, said Ellen Hahn, a UK nursing professor who played a leading role in implementing the policy.
"We would not expect that," she said, predicting that people will comply.
But the goal is to help them kick their tobacco habits. To help accomplish that, the university will make nicotine replacement products available at no cost for up to 12 weeks for students, faculty and staff enrolled in UK-sponsored tobacco treatment programs, she said.
Those not ready to give up tobacco but wanting to get through the day without a cigarette or a pinch of snuff can get the replacement products at deep discounts on campus, she said.
"We know it's going to take time," said Anthany Beatty, UK's assistant vice president for campus services. "Nicotine is a powerfully addictive substance, and folks just can't drop the habit."
Kent Ratajeski, a lecturer in UK's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said the tobacco-free policy went too far, encroaching on the freedom of students.
"I think the university is telling them how to live their lives," he said.
UK has prohibited smoking inside and within 20 feet of buildings since 2006.
Tim Bricker, chairman of pediatrics for the Kentucky Children's Hospital, said he understood the tobacco-free policy will be inconvenient for some on campus. But if the ban improves overall health and entices some people to stop smoking, then it's "really worth it," he said.
Kentucky has the nation's highest rate of lung cancer and is third in adult smoking rates, according to the state Department for Public Health.
"Our young people are being targeted by the tobacco companies, and have been for years," said Hahn, who played a key role in implementing the policy. "This policy really is an investment in our young people and in our state."Even with the ban, UK still has strong ties to tobacco.
Specialists in its College of Agriculture offer production advice to tobacco growers, and UK is home to a research center seeking new commercial uses for tobacco, including pharmaceuticals.
Scott Smith, dean of UK's College of Agriculture, said the university still grows tobacco on its farms as part of research to assist growers and the tobacco industry.
"Tobacco remains an important crop to many Kentucky farms," he said.Elsewhere, the University of Louisville kicked off its policy Thursday to ban smoking almost everywhere on its campuses. Rather than asking employees and students to quit cold turkey, however, U of L began a phaseout of smoking, with designated smoking areas set up on its Belknap and Shelby campuses. The school will gradually phase out those smoking areas, with the goal of making its campuses totally smoke-free by November 2010.
U of L's Health Sciences campus has been smoke-free since 2004.
"As a university committed to our students, faculty and staff, we are emphasizing the health benefits of not smoking," said U of L Provost Shirley Willihnganz.
The tobacco ban at the University of Kentucky includes outdoor areas and applies to chew, pipes, cigars and snuff as well as cigarettes. Kentucky leads the nation in the production of burley tobacco, and has some of the nation's highest smoking rates.
"Going tobacco-free may not be the easiest thing to do, it may not be the most politically popular thing to do, but in my mind it's the right thing to do for this campus," UK President Lee Todd said in trumpeting the strict anti-tobacco policy.
Not far behind in the tobacco crackdown is the University of Louisville, which started restricting smoking Thursday to limited areas on its Belknap and Shelby campuses.
The goal is to make the university totally smoke-free in a year from now.
Pikeville College also announced Thursday it plans for its campus to be tobacco-free by next fall.
In Lexington, some UK students welcomed the tobacco prohibition.
"It'll be nice walking to class and not having to walk in a cloud of smoke," nonsmoker Kelly Stilz, a senior, said while eating a quick breakfast on campus.
Sophomore Matt Danter, also a nonsmoker, harbored no strong feelings about the policy, but said "it seems a little contradictory" given Kentucky's heritage as a tobacco producer.
Danter said he has friends on campus who smoke and don't like the policy. He said he expects to see plenty of scofflaws on campus."If there's a will, there's a way," he said.
The university is stressing treatment, not punishment, for people caught using tobacco on campus. Citations will not be given to violators, and the school will steer them toward treatment. However, UK employees who are flagrant violators could ultimately be fired, and flagrant student violators could face dismissal from school, said Ellen Hahn, a UK nursing professor who played a leading role in implementing the policy.
"We would not expect that," she said, predicting that people will comply.
But the goal is to help them kick their tobacco habits. To help accomplish that, the university will make nicotine replacement products available at no cost for up to 12 weeks for students, faculty and staff enrolled in UK-sponsored tobacco treatment programs, she said.
Those not ready to give up tobacco but wanting to get through the day without a cigarette or a pinch of snuff can get the replacement products at deep discounts on campus, she said.
"We know it's going to take time," said Anthany Beatty, UK's assistant vice president for campus services. "Nicotine is a powerfully addictive substance, and folks just can't drop the habit."
Kent Ratajeski, a lecturer in UK's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said the tobacco-free policy went too far, encroaching on the freedom of students.
"I think the university is telling them how to live their lives," he said.
UK has prohibited smoking inside and within 20 feet of buildings since 2006.
Tim Bricker, chairman of pediatrics for the Kentucky Children's Hospital, said he understood the tobacco-free policy will be inconvenient for some on campus. But if the ban improves overall health and entices some people to stop smoking, then it's "really worth it," he said.
Kentucky has the nation's highest rate of lung cancer and is third in adult smoking rates, according to the state Department for Public Health.
"Our young people are being targeted by the tobacco companies, and have been for years," said Hahn, who played a key role in implementing the policy. "This policy really is an investment in our young people and in our state."Even with the ban, UK still has strong ties to tobacco.
Specialists in its College of Agriculture offer production advice to tobacco growers, and UK is home to a research center seeking new commercial uses for tobacco, including pharmaceuticals.
Scott Smith, dean of UK's College of Agriculture, said the university still grows tobacco on its farms as part of research to assist growers and the tobacco industry.
"Tobacco remains an important crop to many Kentucky farms," he said.Elsewhere, the University of Louisville kicked off its policy Thursday to ban smoking almost everywhere on its campuses. Rather than asking employees and students to quit cold turkey, however, U of L began a phaseout of smoking, with designated smoking areas set up on its Belknap and Shelby campuses. The school will gradually phase out those smoking areas, with the goal of making its campuses totally smoke-free by November 2010.
U of L's Health Sciences campus has been smoke-free since 2004.
"As a university committed to our students, faculty and staff, we are emphasizing the health benefits of not smoking," said U of L Provost Shirley Willihnganz.
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