Category: People

  • Banning multi-tasking

    Banning multi-tasking

    Smoking tobacco while walking in public places will be banned in South Korea if a proposed bill passes into law, according to a story in The Korea Times.

    The bill, which was proposed early this month by Rep. Hwang Ju-hong of the Liberal Party for Democracy and Peace, is aimed at banning smoking on virtually all public roads and walkways.

    “Non-smokers are often exposed to tobacco smoke because of some inconsiderate smokers,” Hwang was quoted as saying. “Public opinion is in favor of banning smoking while walking.”

    If the National Assembly passes the bill, violators would be liable to a fine of 100,000 won ($90).

    South Korea has already banned smoking in most restaurants, offices and public venues such as parks.

    The Times said that smokers opposed to the bill complained that there were not enough smoking rooms.

    According to a study by the Seoul Institute in 2017, there were 10,000 public smoking rooms in the city, which has a population of 10 million people.

  • Funding needs to be tested

    Funding needs to be tested

    The Malaysia Medical Association (MMA) yesterday warned the federal government against working with groups that were ‘stealthily being funded by tobacco companies,’ according to a story by Danial Dzulkifly for The Malay Mail.

    In a press statement, MMA said it stood with the World Health Organization (WHO) in urging governments around the world to reject working with the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW), which is funded by Phillip Morris International.

    The MMA’s president, Dr. Mohamed Namazie Ibrahim, said his organization was calling on the Malaysian government and researchers to reject funding from entities funded by the tobacco industry, such as the FSFW.

    “We join the WHO in calling on governments and research institutions to shun any prospect of receiving support or research funding from the tobacco industry as well as from those furthering its interests.

    “FSFW is entirely funded by PMI which continues to earn billions at the expense of those who fall prey to tobacco addiction. Our concern is that FSFW effectively operationalizes PMI’s corporate affairs strategy to further PMI’s business interests, which include the promotion of its heated tobacco products, a market which PMI seeks to dominate.”

  • Smokers, drinkers hit hard

    Smokers, drinkers hit hard

    South Africa’s Treasury plans to raise an extra R1 billion from increases in excise taxes on tobacco products and alcohol, according to a story in The Business Daily.

    The Daily said that smokers were expected to provide the Treasury with an additional R400 million [presumably in the first year of higher taxes], while drinkers were expected to provide

    an extra R600 million.

    The excise duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes will rise by R1.14 to R16.66, and that on a typical cigar by about 64c to R7.80.

    The Treasury’s plans fly in the face of an appeal made earlier in the week by the recently-launched Black Tobacco Farmers Association (BTFA), which warned that the entire tobacco value chain in South Africa was under threat from illicit traders; a threat that could increase if a proposal to increase excise taxes again were accepted.

    According to a story in The Business Day, it was estimated that close to 50 percent of South Africa’s tobacco-products market was controlled by illicit players, making it one of the world’s biggest markets for illicit tobacco products.

    The illegal trade in tobacco products was said to be costing the fiscus up to R9 billion a year in uncollected tax.

    The BTFA called on the government to keep tobacco excise taxes at their current level to protect jobs on farms.

  • Questions without answers

    Questions without answers

    A Finnish member of the EU Parliament has asked the Commission what member states intend to do to reduce the use of snus by young people.

    In a preamble to two questions that the Commission is due to answer in writing, Merja Kyllönen said Directive 2014/40/EU required member states to prohibit the placing on the market of tobacco products, such as snus, with characterising flavors.

    ‘The purpose of banning characterising flavours and aromas (Directives 89/622/EEC and 92/41/EEC) is to make products less tempting, particularly to young people,’ she said.

    ‘The use of snus is increasing, especially among young people. Experts are of the opinion that banning the use of flavorings in snus would reduce its use.

    ‘In addition, young people and new users are drawn to snus by its attractive retail packaging.

    ‘Prolonged use of snus results in various types of damage to the mouth area. It particularly affects the biting surfaces of teeth and the gums. The damage caused by snus can be greater for young people than for adults, because young people’s gums are more sensitive. Nicotine in snus has similar effects to nicotine in tobacco, including insomnia, headaches and changes to the nervous system. Using snus brings about a significant increase in the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and pancreas and is also linked to cardiovascular disease.’

    Kyllönen asked:

    1. ‘What do member states intend to do to reduce the use of snus by young people?
    2. ‘Are there any plans for reducing the attractiveness of snus to young people and new users by taking measures with regard to the appearance of retail packaging so as to add appropriate health warnings in the form of a combination of pictures and text?’

    [The EU bans the sale of snus in all member states except Sweden.]

  • Under threat in South Africa

    Under threat in South Africa

    The entire tobacco value chain in South Africa is under threat from illicit traders; a threat that could increase if a proposal to increase excise taxes again is accepted, according to a story in The Business Day quoting the recently-launched Black Tobacco Farmers Association (BTFA).

    The story said it was estimated that close to 50 percent of South Africa’s tobacco-products market was controlled by illicit players, making it one of the world’s biggest markets for illicit tobacco products.

    The illegal trade in tobacco products was said to be costing the fiscus up to R9 billion a year in uncollected tax.

    The BTFA yesterday called on the government to keep tobacco excise taxes at their current level to protect jobs on farms.

    Last year, the Government increased excise duties by between six percent and 10 percent in a move that was expected to bring in an additional R1.33 billion in revenue in the 2018/19 financial year.

    The BTFA chairperson Ntando Sibisi said that his organization was asking the Finance Minister to ensure that the South Africa Revenue Service tackled the illegal trade in cigarettes more seriously before excise taxes were increased further.

    “At this stage more excise duties will do nothing but cause the illicit economy to grow even more,” said Sibisi. “Under the current economic conditions, an excise increase will force more consumers to go for cheaper, untaxed cigarettes.”

    Sibisi said the illegal trade was partly caused by high excise taxes and was “killing any progress that we have made over the years to create jobs and maintain jobs that have uplifted our communities”.

    “The illicit cigarette trade places more than 10,000 jobs at risk and deprives SA taxpayers of R25 million in lost taxes daily,” he said. “We call on law enforcement agencies to act and actually clamp down on illicit cigarette trade and hope that this will be reflected in the budget.

    “The future of tobacco farming, which provides a sustainable income for thousands of families, rests upon whether our concerns are taken seriously.”

  • Sin products seized

    Sin products seized

    Irish Revenue officers seized 98,000 cigarettes, more than 4 kg of tobacco and 2,950 litres of alcohol in Dublin Port on Friday, according to an Irish Examiner story.

    The alcohol and cigarettes were discovered when officers stopped and searched a foreign-registered bus and van that had disembarked a ferry from Holyhead, Wales.

    The tobacco products were branded Marlboro, Kent, Winston, Winchester, Vogue and Davidoff. They were said to have been concealed within numerous packages being transported in the bus and van.

    The seized alcohol and tobacco products were said to have a ‘combined retail value of €89,600, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of €62,500’.

  • New take on old problem

    New take on old problem

    Italy is mulling a ban on tobacco smoking in private automobiles, according to a Xinhua News Agency story.

    The country already bans smoking in vehicles for hire, such as taxis, and in private vehicles when a pregnant woman or a person under the age of 12 is present.

    But people are divided on the latest measure to be proposed.

    Advocates of the ban claim it would help avoid health problems related to smoking, while also decreasing traffic risks associated with drivers being distracted while smoking.

    Fabio Galli, a road- and traffic-issues analyst with the consumer organization Codacons, was said to have told Xinhua that the issue presented a new take on a very old problem, which is how to balance the rights of an individual’s freedom to make personal choices and the desire to make changes that benefit the public at large.

    Galli said the proposal was in the “earliest stages” of passage, and that it had several apparent flaws. “The first question I have is how it would be enforced,” Galli said. “There’s also the question of whether this is the kind of issue where the government should be involved.”

    Oliviero Fiorini, a political affairs consultant with ABS Securities, said a law limiting smoking in vehicles would probably be treated as government overreach if questioned by courts. “We see a few examples of the government trying to incentivize a kind of moral code,” he said in an interview.

    Fiorini said that if the goal was to reduce smoking, it would be more efficient to raise taxes on cigarettes or to outlaw them altogether. If the goal was to remove distractions from drivers, then rules should be introduced also in respect of mobile-phone use in vehicles.

  • Currency trade winds

    Currency trade winds

    Failure by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to make a commitment about how tobacco growers will be paid during the forthcoming marketing season is causing uncertainty in the industry, according to a story in The Standard.

    Industry players argue that the recent enthusiasm among farmers for growing tobacco is likely to be reduced if payments for tobacco are made in local currency or with a foreign-currency proportion that would not cover the costs of inputs priced in foreign currency.

    Stakeholders in the tobacco industry are said to have met recently with senior officials at the RBZ to discuss the currency concerns ahead of the presentation of the central bank’s monetary policy statement (MPS), but with no immediate success.

    Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (TAZ) CEO Rodney Ambrose confirmed the meeting had taken place and said the industry was now waiting for RBZ governor John Mangudya to present the MPS before deciding on the way forward.

    Previously, the RBZ was said to have suggested that growers should be paid 80 percent of their proceeds in local currency and the rest in US dollars.

    However, TAZ president Guy Mutasa said such an arrangement would be unsustainable as growers needed to use foreign currency to buy equipment.

    Meanwhile, the Federation for Farmers’ Union president Charles Chabikwa said the Union was waiting for the MPS.

    “What I know is that a meeting was convened by the TIMB, tobacco growers’ associations and the central bank, but nothing conclusive came out of it because the monetary policy statement is yet to be presented,” he said.

    “But my personal view is that tobacco farmers want more than 20 percent and, if possible, 100 percent payments in foreign currency.”

    Last year, tobacco growers were reportedly paid 50 percent in foreign currency.

  • E-cig ban to be lifted

    E-cig ban to be lifted

    A ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes and heat-not-burn (HNB) devices is due to be lifted in the UAE by mid-April, according to a story in The Khaleej Times.

    The lifting of the ban had been expected following an announcement on February 16 that the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) had approved new standards for electronic cigarettes and HNB devices.

    And the intention to lift the ban was confirmed the next day by Abdullah Al Maeeni, director general of the ESMA. “We issued the regulation to legalize it, and it will be enforced by mid of April 2019, as the Authority is working hard through the development of technical standards and regulations,” he said.

    UAE residents readily smoke electronic cigarettes in public though their sale has been illegal.

    The new standards set by ESMA will reportedly regulate a range of matters, including nicotine components, technical specifications, packaging, and labeling.

    They will apply to e-cigarettes and HNB devices, and to their associated products such as e-liquids and tobacco sticks.

    The story said that the new ESMA standards were in line with the Government’s efforts to curb smoking and put a stop to the illegal sale of electronic cigarettes.

  • Call for shisha ban

    Call for shisha ban

    The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has expressed concern about shisha smoking among young people and has called for a ban on the product, according to a story in The Zambia Daily Mail.

    ZACA executive secretary Juba Sakala said in an interview that unlike tobacco, which is regulated, the use of shisha should be banned completely, as was the case with marijuana.