Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/550331
76 tobaccoasia CLOSING PAGES 卷尾新闻 WHO SAID WHAT? "Future studies should explore methods to include industry and occupation, smoking behaviors, gender, and health outcomes for designing targeted intervention programs specific to a given population. Targeting occupations with high smoking prevalence while consid- ering gender differences may further reduce smoking and improve overall well-being." - Dr. Girija Syamlal MBBS, MPH , Epidemiologist The tougher regulations are expected to combat smoking among French youth by making the packaging less attractive. Already companies selling tobacco products in the EU are required to cover 65% of the front and back of cigarette packs with text and graphic health warnings, as part of an EU directive passed in February. France's planned new regulations will go much further than the EU directive, bringing French laws to the same level as Australia's, where tobacco products must be in plain, olive-green packaging with no brand logos, use the same typeface, and be covered in health warnings. French health minister Marisol Touraine has said the planned regulations may also include bans on the use of e-cigarettes in public places such as schools and in the workplace, as well as bans on smoking in vehicles in the presence of children aged 12 or under. USA US IPO for Kimree Chinese e-cigarette maker Kimree filed in September its IPO in the US, planning to raise US$125 million. In its filing, Guangdong-based Kimree said retail revenue for the global e-cigarette market is expected to grow from US$4.8 billion in 2013 to US$39.2 billion in 2018, based on a report by Frost & Sullivan. Kimree's own net revenue in the first half of 2014 grew by 57% to US$51.3, compared to figures from a year earlier. Its net income more than doubled to US$10.2 million. American Accessories International, Kimree's largest customer, sources e-cigarettes for an Altria subsidiary. Kimree will be listing its American depository shares on the Nasdaq under KREE. Top 5 priciest states Cigarette smoking has decreased among adults in the United States from about 42% of the population in 1965 to about 18% in 2012. While fewer Americans are smoking, those who do are paying more. Varying state excise tax rates and, in some cases, additional local taxes, have pushed the price of a cigarette pack higher than ever before. For example, as of 2013, New York has the highest state cigarette excise tax rate at US$4.35 per pack. Additional local taxes on cigarettes, such as those in New York City (U$5.85 in taxes per pack) and Chicago (U$6.16 in taxes per pack), have led to smokers there paying more than people living elsewhere. And of course, there's still federal govern- ment tax, which is US$1.01 per pack. The states with the priciest cigarettes are: New York (US$12.85), Illinois (US$11.50), Massachusetts (US$9.95), Alasaka (US$9.79), and Vermont (US$9.62). This is a far cry from what smokers in Virginia or Missouri pay, which is just US$5.25 per pack. While higher taxes, in addition to changing governmental regulations and restrictions, have contributed to a decline in consumer consumption, those who still smoke have shown a willing- ness to do so no matter the cost. A Gallup poll in 2013 to determine smoking rates by state revealed that 17.7% of New Yorkers and 18.1% of the population of Illinois still smoked, placing the states below the national average of 19.7%, but not on the list of states with the top ten lowest rates. Nepal Larger graphic warnings Nepal has passed a law that mandates that at least 90% on cigarette pack covers are given to graphic warnings depicting the hazards of tobacco consumption, instead of the 75% required under current regulations. Of the 90% space, 70% should show pictures depicting cancer in human organs. The remaining 20% space will contain statutory warnings in Nepali. The new regulations also state that other tobacco products, including gutkha (a sweetened mixture of chewing tobacco, betel nut, and palm nut), khaini (chewing tobacco), and surti (tobacco leaves) contain warning messages on 90% of their wrapper space. This new decision shoots Nepal to the top of the list of countries with the biggest health warning requisites, beating out Thailand and India whose laws state that graphic warnings cover 85% of the pack cover. All tobacco companies in Nepal are required to comply with this new law by May 15, 2015.