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ASH Daily news for 08 November 2011

HEADLINES

  • Nottingham City Council to make playgrounds 'smoke free'

    A local authority has become the first in the East Midlands to introduce a no smoking policy at playgrounds and around its school gates.

    Nottingham City Council said it wanted to protect children from the effects of smoking and reduce its uptake.

    It added the policy was not enforceable by law, but wanted people to comply.

    No-smoking signs designed by children will be displayed in playgrounds maintained by Nottingham City Council from Tuesday.

    The signs will also be available for primary schools in the Nottingham city area to display at their school gates.

    Halton Borough Council in Cheshire, and Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire, were two of the first local authorities in the UK to adopt the smoke-free initiative at their playgrounds

    Source: BBC News - 08 November 2011
    Link: http://bbc.in/rYQYP3

  • Kidderminster: Attacked over a cigarette

    A youth snatched a cigarette from the mouth of a man then attacked him on a canal towpath when he asked for it back.

    The cigarette was snatched from the mouth of the 18-year-old victim by the youth who passed him walking the other way.

    When he asked for it back he was punched and held in a headlock. The offender ran across a nearby car park, followed for a time by the victim, still asking for his cigarette back.

    The victim suffered injuries including bruising, cuts and grazes to his face.

    Source: Worcester News - 08 November 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/vgoBeU

  • Letter: This value cigar
 is a cynical ploy

    Sir, In the current economic climate, it is perhaps not surprising to see the arrival of the "value cigar" despite the traditional association of cigars with affluence ('Henri Wintermans maker unveils credit crunch-friendly cigar', The Grocer, 29 October).

    Downtrading to economy brands has been a feature of the tobacco market for a number of years. But what lies behind this is a cynical marketing ploy by cigarette companies who seek to attract poorer smokers to cheaper brands and thus reduce the chances of them quitting. By contrast, smokers would get real value for money by breaking free from their nicotine addiction, resulting in improved health and more money in their pockets.

    Amanda Sandford, research manager, ASH 

    Source: The Grocer - 05 November 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/uk6gkp

  • U.S. judge blocks graphic cigarette warnings

    A federal judge blocked a U.S. rule requiring tobacco companies to display graphic images on cigarette packs, such as a man exhaling cigarette smoke through a hole in his throat.

    U.S. District Judge Richard Leon sided with tobacco companies and granted a temporary injunction, saying they would likely prevail in their lawsuit challenging the requirement as unconstitutional because it compels speech in violation of the First Amendment.

    Judge Leon said the images provoked an emotional response rather than just providing factual and noncontroversial information, crossing the line into using company advertising for government advocacy.

    Reynolds American Inc's R.J. Reynolds unit, Lorillard Inc, Liggett Group LLC and Commonwealth Brands Inc, owned by Britain's Imperial Tobacco Group Plc, sued the FDA in August.

    They argued the new graphic warnings force them to "engage in anti-smoking advocacy" on the government's behalf, breaching their right to free speech.

    The Obama administration's options include appealing Leon's ruling or the FDA could try to rewrite the rules. The White House expressed disappointment in the ruling.

    "Tobacco companies shouldn't be standing in the way of common sense measures that will help prevent children from smoking. We are confident big tobacco's attempt to stop these warnings from going forward will ultimately fail," White House spokesman Nick Papas said.

    See also: 
    - Ruling against new cigarette warnings is wrong on the law and the science - Global Investor

    Source: Reuters - 08 November 2011
    Link: http://reut.rs/sGY6tm

  • Australia: Liberals should return tobacco money

    The NSW Liberal Party pocketed a $40,000 donation from the tobacco industry after parliament passed laws outlawing the practice.

    Concerns about the influence of the alcohol, gaming and tobacco industries on lawmakers resulted in the legislation being passed last November.

    But the laws didn't take effect for three months, and data from the Election Funding Authority (EFA) shows the Liberal Party received a $40,000 gift from British American Tobacco during this time.

    Opposition health spokesman Andrew McDonald said the donations should be handed back immediately.

    Source: Nine News - 08 November 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/vGOAEg

  • USA: Twelve states won’t have to refund tobacco settlement money

    Twelve U.S. states and four territories won’t have to refund money from a 1998 settlement with tobacco companies after the cigarette makers released them from litigation over the enforcement of the deal, said Richard Larkin, director of credit analysis at Herbert J. Sims & Co.

    More than 30 states and localities that issued bonds backed by settlement payments are at risk of losing $1.1 billion if arbitrators decide they didn’t diligently enforce the agreement, said Larkin, who follows tobacco bonds for Sims & Co., which is based in Iselin, New Jersey.

    New Jersey, South Dakota, the Virgin Islands, Guam and Wisconsin are among states and territories that diligently enforced the agreement and won’t have to refund money, according to Larkin.

    Philip Morris International Inc. (PM), Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) and Lorillard Inc. (LO) are seeking refunds from states and localities that participated in the agreement on the grounds that they didn’t diligently enforce statues related to other companies that weren’t part of the settlement, causing the participating companies to lose market share.

    The decision by the tobacco companies to release the states from arbitration applies only to settlement payments from 2003, Larkin said. It doesn’t guarantee that they are immune for the years 2004 to 2010

    Source: Bloomberg - 07 November 2011
    Link: http://bloom.bg/tP4kzX