January 2013

&quot;Several tobacco companies are appealing a federal judge’s order that they place corrective statements in their marketing materials&quot;.<br />
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Why wouldn’t they?&nbsp; Unless the health nannies plan to put pictures of fat asses on potato chips, soda and everything else that people enjoy, including nasty car accidents on all liquor why should they be singled out? Think how much fun it will be to go grocery shopping with aisles full of disgusting photo’s everywhere you look. Barely anything one eats these days is healthy, including breathing the air and drinking water from plastic bottles.<br />

A misinformed op-Ed piece is complaining that there is very little money for smoking cessation programs.&nbsp; <br />
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The MSA was supposed to reimburse Medicare and Medicaid programs for &quot;sick&quot; smokers, not funding anti-smoking programs.<br />

THOUSANDS of tobacconists from across Europe have marched on the European Union headquarters to protest against a planned EU crackdown on smoking that includes gruesome health warnings placarded on packets.<br />
<p>&quot;Smoking is part of the culture of Europe,’ said the head of Austria’s VCPO tobacconists, Klaus W Fischer. &quot;&quot;This will end up like prohibition in the US in the 1920s.&quot;<br />
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Well that is the plan unless smoker’s take action!<br />
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Six months after the people voted down an increase on tobacco an initiative called &quot;The California Residents College Accessibility and Affordability Act of 2014&quot; is calling for an additional $1.00 per pack.<br />
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They just never give up even after the people have spoken.<br />
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<p>According to the Tax Foundation study, public policies often have unintended consequences that outweigh their benefits. One consequence of high state cigarette tax rates has been increased smuggling, as criminals procure discounted packs from low-tax states to sell in high-tax states. Growing cigarette tax differentials have made cigarette bootlegging both a national problem and a lucrative criminal enterprise.</p>

New York, the state with the highest <b>tobacco tax</b> at $4.35 per pack, also faces the biggest bootlegging problem with 61 percent of cigarettes smuggled into the state. <br />
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We couldn’t be happier that Bloomberg’s tobacco tax is a complete failure.<br />
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In December, Fairfax County, Va., announced that it was exploring whether it could legally force its employees to quit smoking in an effort to reduce health-care costs. The county also wondered if it could consider tobacco use when making hiring decisions. Ultimately, the county attorney concluded that both ideas are illegal in Virginia. <br />
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Now it is official, as we previously reported.&nbsp; In Virginia, and many other states practice the Dillion Rule, which means no county, city or town can have a law that is different from state law.<br type="_moz" />

The City Council of Austin is tossing out an idea to ban smoking outdoors.&nbsp; Not everyone support this &quot;idea&quot;. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S
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It appears health advocates have little chance of seeing Indiana’s smoking ban extended to include bars.&nbsp; However, that doesn’t mean they won’t keep trying.<br />

Myrtle Beach – Crocodile Rocks, a well know night club, has banned smoking.&nbsp; If you live there and smoke, boycott it, let you money talk.<br />