Author: Staff Writer

  • Bhutan says tobacco ban must end

    Bhutan’s Upper House resolved that the country’s ban on the import of tobacco must end. In a majority resolution on February 3 the house said the ban on import and sale of tobacco products must end to control the black market, reports the Bhutan News Network.

    Bhutan had gained fame for being the first country to completely ban on manufacturing, import and sale of any tobacco products. However, the government also received harsh criticism for sending a monk behind bar for years on charge of carrying tobacco products.

    After public outcry over the harshness of the law, the first elected parliament of the country showed some leniency towards tobacco consumers. Many send to jail for selling tobacco were subsequently released on king’s order.

    The country recently lifted its ban on the import of furniture and alcohol.

    Now, the National Council comes with proposal that the tobacco import ban must end, though the resolution says the ban must continue on production of tobacco products within the country.

    The resolution should pass through the National Assembly before it becomes the law.

  • No. 2 U.S. drugstore to stop selling smokes

    CVS Caremark Corp. said on Feb. 5 that it would stop selling tobacco products at its 7,600 stores by October of this year, becoming the first national drugstore chain in the United States to take cigarettes off the shelf. Public health experts called the decision by the No. 2 U.S. drugstore chain a precedent-setting step that could pressure other retailers to follow suit.

    “Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better health,” said Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO, CVS Caremark. “Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose.”

    The company estimates that it will lose approximately $2 billion in revenues on an annual basis from the tobacco shopper.

    “CVS Caremark is continually looking for ways to promote health and reduce the burden of disease,” said CVS Caremark Chief Medical Officer Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H. “Stopping the sale of cigarettes and tobacco will make a significant difference in reducing the chronic illnesses associated with tobacco use.”

    CVS said it will recover some lost sales by promoting stop-smoking aids, possibly including e-cigarettes.

    “As a leader of the health care community focused on improving health outcomes, we are pledging to help millions of Americans quit smoking,” said Merlo. “In addition to removing cigarettes and tobacco products for sale, we will undertake a robust national smoking cessation program.”

    Walgreen Co., the U.S.’s top-retailer, said Feb. 5 that it was not making the same move at this time. “We will continue to evaluate the choice of products our customers want,” Walgreens said in a statement. In May, a Walgreen executive was quoted as saying the company, which focuses its branding on health, was continuing to sell cigarettes to stay competitive with other drug store chains, convenience stores and grocery stores.

     

  • No fire in smoking impeachment plan

    A proposal that the Philippines’ President, Benigno S. Aquino III, should be impeached because of his tobacco smoking seems unlikely be realized, according to a story in the Manila Bulletin.

    While the president had not quit smoking, he had followed the smoking ban in government offices and other public areas, presidential communications secretary, Herminio Coloma Jr, was quoted as saying.

    Coloma made his remarks after a Civil Service Commission (CSC) official had warned that Aquino’s smoking in government premises could be grounds for impeachment.

    CSC assistant commissioner, Ariel Ronquillo, reportedly claimed that the president had violated the smoking prohibition in government buildings.

    But Coloma countered that the president had always been supportive of the MMDA’s (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) efforts to reduce the hazards of smoking. “The president is following all of the laws of the land regarding this matter,” he said.

    “The president has not violated any of these rules.”

    Aquino has repeatedly rejected calls by concerned groups to lead by example and quit his smoking habit, saying that for him smoking is a way to relieve stress.

  • Ground prepared for standardized packs

    The Northern Ireland Assembly voted on Monday to accept the introduction of standardized packaging for cigarettes, according to a BBC Online story.

    Assembly members voted on a legislative consent motion on the Children and Families Bill, which will allow the UK government in Westminster to legislate to impose standardized packaging in Northern   Ireland.

    Health Minister Edwin Poots said the vote provided for Northern Ireland to participate in what might happen in the rest of the UK.

    In addressing the argument that standardized packaging would make no difference to the number of people starting to smoke, Poots said there was evidence suggesting that “to do nothing was not satisfactory”.

  • Cancer: a consequence of living longer

    Cancer is on the rise in Singapore as the consequences of modern lifestyles – including smoking and over-eating – add to the problems of an aging population, says a story in the Straits Times.

    According to the latest figures available, two years ago, 12,123 people were diagnosed with cancer in Singapore, up 14.6 per cent from 10,576 in 2008.

    One reason for these increasing numbers was the country’s aging population, said Soo Khee Chee, director of the National Cancer Centre Singapore, which is the state’s leading cancer treatment and research center.

    “In developed countries like ours, people are living longer,” he said.

    “Previously, people would die before they got cancer.”

  • Much interest in TFWA Asia Pacific show

    Online visitor registration for the annual TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference is due to open on February 19 at www.tfwa.com.

    The event is to be staged in the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Center in Singapore on May 11-15.

    The TFWA president, Erik Juul-Mortensen, said his association was delighted by the demand for stand space at the exhibition, which was well over the level of demand recorded at the same stage of last year’s event.

    In the end, last year’s event attracted 253 exhibiting companies representing thousands of brands, making it the biggest event yet staged by TFWA in the Asia Pacific region.

    It attracted, too, more than 2,450 trade visitors, 13 per cent more than attended the 2012 event.

  • Altria to host presentation webcast

    The Altria Group is due to host a webcast of its business presentation at the annual Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference in Boca   Raton, Florida, starting about 09.15 hours Eastern Time on February 19.

    The webcast, which will be in listen-only mode, will feature a presentation by Marty Barrington, chairman and CEO, and other members of Altria’s senior management team.

    Pre-event registration can be completed at www.altria.com, where an archived copy of the webcast will be made available.

  • Alliance sales down in third quarter

    Alliance One International’s gross profit during its third quarter to the end of December, at $83.8 million, was up by 0.9 per cent on that of the third quarter to the end of December 2012, despite sales having decreased by 6.4 per cent to $654.6 million.

    “Fiscal year 2014 is on track to experience improved volume and revenue versus last year, with continued focus on core operating income, driven by solid full service volume and strong demand for processing services,” said CEO and president, Pieter Sikkel.

    “This is despite pricing to our customers that has not captured the full impact of increases in prices paid to farmers in certain markets, combined with some customers experiencing cigarette volume challenges.

    “As such, for the quarter ended December 31, 2013, revenue decreased $44.6 million versus last year, to $654.6 million, impacted by an earlier Chinese New Year in 2014. “Even with these headwinds and $1.9 million of additional restructuring and asset impairment expense versus last year’s quarter, operating income improved 1.6 per cent to $50.1 million or an increase from 7.0 per cent to 7.7 per cent as a percentage of sales, mainly due to a more profitable product mix.”

    For the nine months to the end of December, Alliance’s full service volumes, at 324.5 million kg, were increased by 4.8 million kg on those of the nine months to the end of December 2012.

    At the same time average selling prices increased by 5.5 per cent to $5.16 per kg.

  • Armenia raises cigarette output sharply

    Cigarette production in Armenia last year, at 7,729,500,000, was up by 25.6 per cent on that of 2012, 6,155,000,000, according to an Armenian News Agency story quoting figures from the National Statistical Service.

    The story said also that cigarette exports had risen sharply between 2012 and 2013, though no comparative figures were given.

    However, the story did say that cigarette exports ‘during the nine months of the previous year’ had reached about 4,500,000,000.

    Armenia is said to export to more than 20 countries, including Iraq, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Syria, Russia and the UAE.

  • Cigarette prices increased in Jordan

    Cigarette prices in Jordan were increased by 100 fils (JD0.10: there are 1,000 fils to the dinar) a pack as of yesterday, while the price of hookah tobacco went up by JD1.2 per kg, according to a story in the Jordan Times.

    The Times reported that tobacco prices were usually raised through the issue of a special bylaw that was then approved by a Royal Decree.

    Prices could not be lowered without the approval of the government, it added.

    About 75 per cent of the price of a pack of cigarettes is accounted for by tax.