Tobacco Asia

Volume 19, Number 1

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60 tobaccoasia CLOSING NEWS 卷尾新闻 appoints Hamlet Espinal as new general manager of its subsidiary Tabadom Holding, Inc. in Santiago de los Caballeros. He succeeds Henke Kelner, who remains Vice-Chairman of Tabadom's Board and continues in his key global roles. Hamlet Espinal originally started his career at Tabadom Holding in the blending room at PTP and has expanded his scope of responsibilities step by step over the past 15 years, in addition to studying at the university to prepare for his leadership role. In March 2014, Hamlet was promoted to Vice-President. US Missouri Worst in Nation The latest report on how well states are funding tobacco prevention and cessation efforts shows that Missouri is ranking worst in the nation. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Missouri will take in $231 million in tobacco revenue this year, while spending just US$70,000 to prevent kids from starting and to help smokers quit - just 0.1% of the CDC's recommendation. John Schachter, director of commu- nications with the Campaign, says the state clearly has a long way to go: "When you don't have a broad array of ways of tackling tobacco use, you aren't going to have a complete program, you're not going to have great success." Schachter notes that nationwide states are collecting more than $25 billion this year from tobacco taxes and lawsuit settlement money, but will spend less than 2% of it on prevention and ces- sation programs. "Those numbers are indicative that the states are literally sacrificing the lives and health of kids and it's something which doesn't have to be the case," he says. UK 'Vape' World of the Year "Vape", the word that means inhaling and exhaling the vapor of an electronic or e-cigarette has been chosen as Oxford Dictionaries' Word of the Year. The Oxford experts sat that the world doubled in usage from 2013 and distinguished itself from the smoking of combustible cigarettes. "As vaping has gone mainstream," said Oxford Dictionaries' editorial director Judy Pearsall, "with celebrities from Lindsay Lohan to Barry Manilow giving it a go, and with growing public debate on the public dangers and the need for regulation, so the language usage of the word 'vape' and related terms in 2014 has shown a marked increase." Oxford experts mark 2009 as the year "vape" really took off linguistically. One of its first noted usages dates back to 1983, when a New Society article titled "Why Do People Smoke" referred to "an inhaler or 'non-combustible' cigarette... deliver[s] a metered dose of nicotine vapor. (The new habit, if it catches on, would be known as vaping.)" Oxford Dictionaries' 2013 Word of the Year was "selfie". India FICCI Fights Warnings The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) wants the government to reconsider its order to place graphic warnings on both sides covering 85% of the cigarette pack. In a letter to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FICCI said more prominent pictorial warnings will impact the domestic cigarette industry as a large percentage of non-cigarette tobacco products sold in unpackaged and unbrand- ed packs will escape this regulation. It wants the warnings limited to the current 20% (or 40% of the front panel). In October 2014, the Ministry issued a notification making it mandatory for cigarette manufacturers to carry health warnings with graphic depictions of throat cancer and a message in English, Hindi, or any Indian language on both sides of the cigarette pack covering at least 85% of the packaging, entering into force on April 1. The FICCI asked the Ministry to revisit the proposed amendments to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003 or COTPA 2003 as they would enable growth of the illicit tobacco industry. It has argued that in the absence of pictorial warnings on illegal and loosely sold cigarettes, there is an impression that they are not as harmful as the packaged ones, misleading consumers. It also cautioned that there could be a rise in the consumption of other tobacco products and illegal cigarettes as they do not carry any warnings and are cheaper on account of tax evasion. Sri Lanka Warnings on Packs In accordance with a July 11, 2014 Supreme Court order that came into effect on January 1, 2015, the leading tobacco manufacturer in Sri Lanka must now print health warnings on cigarette packs. The Ceylon Tobacco Company will be required to include pictures illustrat- ing the dangers of tobacco on 60% of the area of the front and back panels of its cigarette packages. There are seven graphic warnings, to be used for six months at a time, which have been approved so far. Packages may not be produced without the warnings as of January 1, 2015; traders and distribu- tors of cigarettes have until January 31 to sell any remaining packs without the warnings. As of February 1, legal action can be taken against anyone selling the product without the warning messages. The Supreme Court ruling came after many years of pressure from anti-smoking activists and several court cases, which were initiated in 2012. However, that these messages on packs of cigarettes will not be seen by everyone in Sri Lanka, because many smokers do not purchase whole packs, buying their cigarettes individually. Worldwide Vaping Fights Back In a recent study, e-cigarettes were

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