Tobacco Road to stay open despite sale

Tobacco Road will celebrate its 100th anniversary later this year, but the future of Miami’s oldest bar is only secure for another three years following the sale of its property last month. ... read more >>

As tobacco sales decline, so does tobacco money for Jefferson County

A steady decline in smokers nationwide has meant a slight decline in money for Jefferson County. ... read more >>

Lindsay Lohan Sizzles in ‘Blank’ Magazine Photo Shoot

No matter how much trouble Lindsay Lohan gets into she always seems to squeeze a photoshoot or two into her busy schedule of court appearances, community service and visits to her lawyer. And here are the results of her latest venture into the world of modelling. In this racy new shoot for BLANK magazine the 24-year-old actress puts her troubles to the back of her mind and continues to play up to her bad girl image, posing and pouting with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. ... read more >>

Bat Calls for Review of Cigarette Tax

BRITISH American Tobacco Company has faulted the recently introduced tier based excise tax regime on cigarettes saying it is not sustainable for the industry and should be revised. Speaking during the company’s 59th annual general meeting in Nairobi yesterday, the firms management expressed concern over the impact the current excise tax regime could have on its business in the long term. “We need the government to have a clear sustainable position on excise tax. The idea of changing the structure six months after budget reading in December makes it difficult for businesses to forecast,” noted BAT Managing Director Gary Fagan. ... read more >>

A Smoking Ban Too Far

NEW YORK CITY’S ban on smoking in its parks and on its beaches won’t go into effect until May 23, but notices about the rule are already appearing on benches and lampposts around town. The City Council passed the ban on the principle that a nonsmoker shouldn’t have to inhale even a tiny amount of secondhand smoke, whether in a bar or a Central Park meadow. But while there is a strong public-health case for banning smoking indoors, the case for banning it outdoors is much weaker — particularly when it runs the risk of a backlash that could undermine the basic goals of the antismoking movement. ... read more >>

High alcohol, cigarette taxes in Turkey promote smuggling, fraud

Smuggling and fraud involving alcoholic drinks and cigarettes is growing rapidly in Turkey, recent inspections by the country’s Revenues Administration have revealed. The number of cigarettes without a tax label has doubled in one year, hurting tax revenues, the official data gathered by the Anatolia news agency showed. ... read more >>

HC gives BMC six weeks to act against hookah parlours

Hookah parlours in the city now stand to lose their licenses if they don’t abide by the provisions of Cigarettes and Tobacco Products Prohibition Act and Smoking in Public Places rules. The Bombay High Court (HC) on Thursday directed the civic body to include a condition in licenses issued to eating houses, saying that any eating house not abiding by the provisions of these two acts is likely to face action. ... read more >>

Government clamps down on tobacco smuggling

Tough new plans to tackle the illicit tobacco trade have been unveiled by HM Revenue & Customs. Under the new strategy, supported by the UK Border Agency, the Government has provided additional investment for more officers to target organised criminals who smuggle tobacco. ... read more >>

Is it OK to cheer Osama bin Laden’s death?

Jesus said “love your enemies.” If only he had said how we should react when they die at our own hands. After President Obama announced that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been shot dead in Pakistan, ebullient crowds gathered outside the White House and at Ground Zero to cheer the demise of the world’s most wanted terrorist, smoking cigars and breaking into chest-thumping chants of “USA! USA!” ... read more >>

BAT eyes Sudan as cigarette sales in Kenya stagnate

British American Tobacco Kenya (BAT) is set to venture into Southern Sudan to expand its export business as the local market comes under increasing regulatory pressures. The cigarette manufacturer said it was finalising talks with the Southern Sudan government to begin supplying that market by year-end, a move that is expected to grow its export business that absorbs 62 per cent of its production. ... read more >>

Amid fiscal turmoil, House votes to cut tax on loose-leaf tobacco

As many places across the country raise tobacco taxes in an effort to reduce usage and save on public health costs down the road the Texas House has gone in the other direction. Members of the Texas House on Wednesday approved a bill to lower a tax on Red Man and other brands of loose-leaf chewing tobacco. When Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland , laid out House Bill 2599, one freshman House member from Central Texas couldn’t believe his ears. ... read more >>