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ASH Daily News for 29 November 2007

Ireland: 89,000 cigarettes seized in Cork

As a result of ongoing investigations into the sale of contraband cigarettes and tobacco in Cork city, officers from Revenue's Customs service searched a residence on the north side of the city and seized 89,000 cigarettes and approximately 145 Kgs of "roll your own" tobacco. The haul is estimated at €16,000 with a potential loss to Revenue amounting to €80,000.

Source: Irish Tax and Customs, 28 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/3xdgx5

EU "fire safer" cigarettes set to get green light

European Union safety experts are due to back plans to make all cigarettes sold in the bloc self-extinguishing in a bid to combat thousands of fire related deaths and injuries.

Experts from all 27 EU member states are expected to endorse proposals by Consumer Protection Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva to make "fire-safer" cigarettes mandatory across the EU.

Kuneva believes the cigarettes, which stop burning automatically after a few seconds if not puffed due to small gaps in the cigarette paper which cut the circulation of oxygen, can hugely reduce the number of deaths from fires in the EU.

An official said, "Once she gets their approval, which is expected following talks and negotiations over the past number of months, she will be able to start implementing her plan."

Data from 14 of the EU's 27 countries shows that over 2,000 deaths a year are caused by cigarette related fires, with thousands more people injured and tens of millions of euros worth of damage caused.

"These cigarettes will also go some way to helping combat some of the forest fires which have been on the upsurge and we know cigarettes have played a part in some of them," another European Commission official said.

Commission officials have been working on developing an EU wide standard for the cigarettes, similar to one in the United States and Canada.

If approved the Commission can begin the process of making these cigarettes compulsory in the EU within the next few years.

Canada introduced legislation in 2005 and a number of U.S. states have followed suit including New York, New Jersey and California, while Australia said it intends to also bring in laws for fire-safer cigarettes.

"So, it would be more sensible and easier if we draw up a common standard to be used across the globe," the first official said.

Previously tobacco firms said chemical additives required for fire-safer cigarettes would cause more damage to smokers and complained that smokers would not like the new taste. However a spokesman for Philip Morris, maker of Marlboro and other brands, said his company backed the move in principle.

ANEC, an EU-wide consumers' lobby group for standardisation, said it also supported Kuneva's initiative.

Source: Reuters News, 28 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/37tuma

Canada: British Columbia smoking ban widens around workplaces

As of March 31 2008, smokers in British Columbia will have to maintain a buffer zone of three metres from doors and windows at work under new regulations.

The rules follow last spring's amendments to the Tobacco Control Act, prohibiting smoking in public places and workplaces, restricting sites where tobacco is sold and prohibiting or restricting retail tobacco displays.

Coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, casinos, bingo halls, and hotel rooms and designated areas of licensed community-care and assisted-living facilities will be exempt.

Source: The Globe and Mail, 28 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2pcg3b

Dubai: tobacco tax increase


A senior health official announced that the GCC countries are working on a plan to increase the taxes on cigarettes, shisha and other tobacco products.

Taxes could increase by 150 per cent for cigarettes and 100 per cent for shisha.

Dr Wedad Al Maidour, head of the Anti-Smoking Committee of the Ministry of Health said, "We have a right to increase taxes on tobacco products as it's a way of regulating the use of tobacco. Making cigarettes expensive will compel smokers to think twice before buying them."

She added, "Increasing taxes is one of the methods mentioned in the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (WHO- FCTC) to which the UAE is a signatory and the decision to increase taxes was long overdue."

"The Gulf countries last increased taxes on tobacco in the early 1990s."

The plan to increase taxes was decided at a GCC meeting in Kuwait in January this year and each proposal is with the Ministry of Economy of each Gulf state.

"They will consult with the World Trade Organisation [WTO] on the extent to which taxes can be increased," said Dr Wedad.

"Selling cigarettes at duty-free outlets will not be completely banned but we have proposed that there should be some controls," she said.

While broader initiatives to clamp down on the use of tobacco are being formed at the GCC level, the UAE is all set to implement the anti-smoking law next month, Dr Wedad Al Maidour added.  

The clauses in the draft anti-smoking law include no smoking in public places, no selling of cigarettes to minors below the age of 18 and a time frame for tobacco farmers and manufacturers to change their product within the next three years

Source: Xpress, 29 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/yoff59