Monthly Archives: February 2018

Editor’s Note: Public health officials have an historic opportunity to end tobacco use by embracing non-combustible products such as IQOS.  Will regulators seize the opportunity or will they allow ideological opposition to win?

From: Express

END OF SMOKING? Tobacco giant ready to STOP selling cigarettes in Britain

MARLBORO is set to be consigned to history after a tobacco giant pledged to set an end date for the sale of cigarettes in Britain.

By DAVID MADDOX, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Dr Moira Gilchrist, vice president of science and public communications for Philip Morris International (PMI) told MPs today that the company is ready to stop selling traditional tobacco products and move on to safer options.

From: SBS News

Black market demand for cigarettes will increase every time Australian cigarette prices rise, Liberal MP Craig Kelly says, backing a crackdown on illicit sales.

Prohibitively expensive cigarettes in Australia have created a black market demand for illicit tobacco, Liberal MP Craig Kelly says.

The government has moved closer to introducing penalties of up to 10 years in prison for manufacturing illicit tobacco, with legislation to create new offences passing the lower house on Wednesday night.

Read Complete Article

From: stv.tv

Paul O’Hare

HMRC said more than 6,000 cigarettes and eight kilos of hand-rolling tobacco were recovered.

Raid: Tobacco and cigarettes were found concealed in a fruit machine. HMRC

Illegal cigarettes and illicit tobacco hidden in a fruit machine were seized by customs officers in Edinburgh after a criminal gamble backfired.

A joint operation led by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) targeted several retail premises in the city on Friday.

Read Complete Article

From: Pasadena Star-News

By Brian Day

Federal investigators arrested two San Gabriel Valley men this week in connection with an alleged scheme to procure and resell cigarettes without paying excise taxes through the Port of Los Angeles over the past two years, authorities announced Friday.

Yong “David” Lu, 54, of Arcadia and Wenzhu Guo, 54, of Monterey Park, both Chinese nationals, were arrested by federal agents Thursday morning, according to U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Thom Mrozek.

Read Complete Article

From: The Hamilton Spectator

by Geordon Omand

***

“Plain packaging is perhaps the greatest gift the government can give to the illegal operators,” Gagnon said. “Plain packaging forces the legal industry to make our products look like illegal ones.”

He called out the government for acknowledging the importance of allowing branding for recreational marijuana so buyers can tell the difference between legal and illegal pot products, saying the same logic should apply to tobacco.

Read Complete Article