Electronic cigarettes have been declared illegal in the Indian state of Punjab, according to a Daily Bhaskar story quoting the health department’s chief secretary, Vini Mahajan.
The newspaper said that Punjab was the only state to have declared such a ban, though it was not clear what the prohibition encompassed—whether the manufacture, import, sale, possession, use or use in public places.
Although the story said that e-cigarettes had been declared illegal, the health secretary was speaking at a smoke-free workshop organized by the Union of South East Asia, at which he said that 12 districts of Punjab had been declared “no smoking” districts.
Soon, it was said, the whole state would be declared smoke-free.
So it seems that electronic cigarettes, which many observers believe to be hugely less risky than are tobacco cigarettes, are currently being subjected to stricter regulations than are tobacco cigarettes.
Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is putting pressure on the government immediately to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), according to a story in The Jakarta Post.
Speaking at the National Seminar on Tobacco Control on Wednesday, Komnas HAM Commissioner Roichatul Aswidah said that tobacco smoke was a serious threat to human rights because it caused mass deaths across the globe annually.
Komnas HAM believed the government had to provide a healthy environment for its citizens by ratifying the treaty and thereby protecting people from the health threats caused by tobacco smoke, Roichatul said.
Earlier this month, Indonesian Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi was reported in another Post story as saying that her government would strive to ensure that Indonesia ratified the FCTC.
The minister said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had agreed in principle to ratification but wanted firstly to see the government speaking with one voice on the subject. “So I think we will get there, but not yet,” she was quoted as saying.
Data from the Demography Institute of the University of Indonesia shows that cigarette consumption in Indonesia increased from 251 billion cigarettes in 2009 to 302 billion in 2012.
The Spanish Treasury is considering taking measures that would prohibit the export sale of cigarettes that are not justified by the demand in the countries of import, according to a Gibraltar Chronicle story.
The move, revealed by Treasury Secretary of State Miguel Ferre Navarrete at a conference at the Instituto de Estudios Fiscales, aims to stem the flow of export cigarettes that are then smuggled back into Spain.
Spain had low tax zones such as Gibraltar and Andorra adjacent to its borders and to where such tobacco flows had been detected, he said.
Later, the export cigarettes could be found on Spanish streets.
Ferre said Spain would apply the 2012 Seoul Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.
That would require companies involved in the tobacco trade in Spain to account for the volume of their exports to various jurisdictions, and would open the door to fines and sanctions.
More and more, people in the U.S. are openly smoking marijuana using electronic cigarettes and vapor pens with little or no fear of being caught, according to a story by Ann Givens and Pei-Sze Cheng for NBCNewYork.com.
Marijuana laws have relaxed nationwide in recent years, with Colorado and Washington legalizing its use and more than 20 other states either allowing it for medical purposes or decriminalizing possession of small amounts of the drug.
But, according to the NBC story, experts say drugs and drug products made for people using marijuana legally are increasingly finding their way to those who are using them illegally.
That included marijuana in its liquid and wax forms, which were most commonly used in e-cigarettes and vapor pens.
Experts were quoted as saying that marijuana didn’t emit the telltale odor when it was smoked in liquid or wax forms in an e-cigarette or vaporizer.
Also, since there was no flame, it was easy for the user to stash the e-cigarette or vaporizer in a pocket right after taking a puff.
Japan Tobacco Inc.’s domestic cigarette sales volume during September, at 9.5 billion, was unchanged from that of September 2012, according to preliminary figures issued by the company today. The September 2012 figure was down by 2.8 percent on that of September 2011.
Volume during April–September, at 59.6 billion, was up by 0.1 percent on that of April–September 2012, also rounded to 59.6 billion, which was increased by 17.0 percent on that of April–September 2011.
JT’s market share stood at 60.6 percent in September, at 60.6 percent during April–September, and at 59.6 percent for the full year to the end of March.
JT’s domestic cigarette revenue during September, at ¥51.8 billion, was down by 0.8 percent on its September 2012 revenue, ¥52.2 billion.
Revenue during April–September, at ¥327.3 billion, was down by 0.2 percent on that of April–September 2012, ¥328.0 billion.
This autumn Iggesund Paperboard is providing environmental training for all the nearly 900 employees at its Iggesund Mill in Sweden.
According to a company press note, participants “will receive a half-day orientation in current environmental issues.”
“The program is in response to requests from the relevant authorities and certification bodies but is also prompted by a desire to make employees even more aware of today’s environmental issues as yet another way to reduce the company’s environmental impact,” the note said.
“We believe it’s important that our employees know where the company stands, what historical environmental impact we have had, and, not least, where we are today,” said Anna Mårtensson, environment manager at Iggesund Mill, which manufactures Invercote paperboard. “I want our employees to be aware of how they can actually influence our environment through their own behavior at the workplace.
“A lot can be done—and has been done—in the form of large investments. But we also need the watchful eyes of each individual employee noticing, for example, that something’s wrong with a flow or that a source of noise could be enclosed. We can only have this if our people know what demands are being made on us and why. That’s why this training is important.”
Iggesund Mill’s emissions to air and water, energy issues and the treatment of waste products are to be important aspects of the training being given to all employees. And another focus will be on the mill’s extensive monitoring and control systems, which are said to be “considerably more comprehensive than the authorities’ requirements.” The training will be provided not only in the classroom but also in the industrial setting, where participants will be able to see for themselves what is being done and what the effects are. For the first time, there will be a presentation of the environmental effects that the mill’s €260 million boiler has had. The boiler was commissioned in June 2012.
“Until now we have talked mostly about the energy effects of the new boiler,” Mårtensson said. “Now it’s time to talk about what it means for the local environment. After completing the fine-tuning process, we can now see that the emissions of sulphur and particulates from the boiler have more than halved compared with those from its predecessor.”
The company said that environmental issues had formed part of every investment decision at Iggesund Mill for decades. This meant that a reduced environmental impact was built into the entire production process.
“A multiyear, long-term sustainability effort has laid the foundation for today’s situation, where we have a very low environmental impact,” said Mårtensson. “Creating an increased awareness among all our employees is a logical additional step, which will certainly produce additional results.”
Swedish Match has revised downward its third-quarter and full-year forecasts for its Other Tobacco Products segment following increased competition on the U.S. cigar market.
In a press note dated Oct. 11 and posted on its website, the company said that, as part of its January–June half-year 2013 report, it had stated: “For the full year of 2013, we anticipate higher sales and operating profit for U.S. cigars, driven by strong volume growth. However, due to pricing and promotional activities now planned in light of increased competition, operating profit growth is more uncertain and is expected to be modest.”
But in its Oct. 11 note it said that during recent months, “competitive activities for U.S. cigars” had intensified further, which had resulted in lower than expected volumes and operating profit for its U.S. mass-market cigar business in the third quarter.
“Given this development, we now anticipate operating profit for the Other Tobacco Products segment in the third quarter to be in the range of 50–60 MSEK [SEK50–60 million] below the third quarter of the prior year,” the note said. “As a result 2013 full-year operating profit for Other Tobacco Products will also be below the level of 2012, driven by a decline in our mass-market cigar business.”
Philip Morris International is due to host a live audio webcast at www.pmi.com/webcasts from 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 17 to discuss 2013 third-quarter results, which will be issued about 7 a.m. on the same day.
During the webcast, which will be in listen-only mode, CFO Jacek Olczak will discuss the company’s results and answer questions from the investment community and news media.
An archived copy of the webcast will be available until 5 p.m. on Nov. 15 at www.pmi.com/webcasts.
Lorillard said yesterday that it would release its third-quarter 2013 results on Oct. 23.
A results conference call for analysts and investors, which is due to begin at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on the same day, will be hosted by Chairman, President and CEO Murray S. Kessler and Executive Vice President, finance and planning, and CFO David H. Taylor.
Access to the conference call will be available on 888-239-6824 (domestic) or 706-902-3787 (international). The pass code for the event is: 80062601.
A news release and a live webcast of the conference call will be available under the Investor Relations section of Lorillard’s website at www.lorillard.com.
The conference call will be available for replay in its entirety through Oct. 30 at the same website or on 855-859-2056 (domestic) or 404-537-3406 (international), pass code 80062601.
The Altria Group is due to host a live audio webcast at altria.com from 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 24 to discuss its 2013 third-quarter business results. The results will be issued by means of a press release about 7 a.m. the same day.
During the webcast, which will be in listen-only mode, Chairman and CEO Marty Barrington and Executive Vice President and CFO Howard Willard will discuss the results and answer questions from the investment community and news media.
