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September, 2011:

Big Tobacco Concealed Harmful Radiation in Cigarettes for Years: Study

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/222944/20110930/tobacco-companies-concealed-harmful-radiation-in-cigarettes.htm

National Classification Scheme Review (DP 77)

http://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/national-classification-scheme-review-dp-77

Download pdf : dp_77_whole_pdf_

Tobacco Plain Packaging: Proposed approach to non-cigarette tobacco products

30 Sept. 2011

INTRODUCTION
The Australian Government is implementing a comprehensive suite of reforms to
reduce smoking and its harmful effects. As part of these reforms and as a world first,
the Government has introduced legislation mandating that all tobacco products sold in
Australia be sold in plain packaging by 1 July 2012. This will remove one of the last
remaining forms of tobacco advertising.
The Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 and Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain
Packaging) Bill 2011 were introduced into Parliament on 6 July 2011, passed the
House of Representatives on 24 August 2011 and are currently before the Senate.
On 7 April 2011 the Government released an Exposure Draft of the Tobacco Plain
Packaging Bill 2011 and an accompanying Consultation Paper for a 60 day
consultation period. The Consultation Paper, available together with submissions
received at www.yourhealth.gov.au, noted that the Government would conduct a
further consultation on the detail of the proposed design features for the plain
packaging of non-cigarette tobacco products in the second half of 2011.
This Consultation Paper, Tobacco Plain Packaging: Proposed approach to noncigarette
tobacco products, outlines for public comment the Government’s proposed
approach to implementing plain packaging for non-cigarette tobacco products.
Following the completion of this consultation process, the regulations for
non-cigarette tobacco products will be finalised before the commencement of the
Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 on 1 January 2012.

INTRODUCTIONThe Australian Government is implementing a comprehensive suite of reforms toreduce smoking and its harmful effects. As part of these reforms and as a world first,the Government has introduced legislation mandating that all tobacco products sold inAustralia be sold in plain packaging by 1 July 2012. This will remove one of the lastremaining forms of tobacco advertising.The Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 and Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco PlainPackaging) Bill 2011 were introduced into Parliament on 6 July 2011, passed theHouse of Representatives on 24 August 2011 and are currently before the Senate.On 7 April 2011 the Government released an Exposure Draft of the Tobacco PlainPackaging Bill 2011 and an accompanying Consultation Paper for a 60 dayconsultation period. The Consultation Paper, available together with submissionsreceived at www.yourhealth.gov.au, noted that the Government would conduct afurther consultation on the detail of the proposed design features for the plainpackaging of non-cigarette tobacco products in the second half of 2011.This Consultation Paper, Tobacco Plain Packaging: Proposed approach to noncigarettetobacco products, outlines for public comment the Government’s proposedapproach to implementing plain packaging for non-cigarette tobacco products.Following the completion of this consultation process, the regulations fornon-cigarette tobacco products will be finalised before the commencement of theTobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 on 1 January 2012.

Download PDF : pp-noncig-consultation-paper

China’s smoking habit

Interview with CNN International

World Report with anchor John Vause in Atlanta, USA

29 September 2011

The World Lung Foundation discusses new claims that some Chinese schools are sponsored by tobacco companies.

http://bit.ly/nEM9CI

http://tinyurl.com/6364wd7

Sask. prepares to take tobacco industry to court

POSTMEDIA NEWSSEPTEMBER 29, 2011

The province is planning on taking legal action against tobacco companies to recover health care costs.

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government is another step closer to launching legal action against the tobacco industry, an avenue that several other provinces are also pursuing in an effort to recover health-care costs.

Justice Minister Don Morgan announced in a news release Thursday that the province has reached an agreement with Bennett Jones, LLP and Siskinds, LLP, a consortium that will bring a health-care cost recovery action on behalf of Saskatchewan.

“Retaining this consortium is an important step in initiating litigation against tobacco manufacturers,” Morgan said in a news release. “We are confident they will be excellent counsel for Saskatchewan as we look to recover health-care costs expended by the government to treat tobacco-related illnesses of Saskatchewan residents.”

Saskatchewan intends to join other provinces that are pursuing legal action including B.C., New Brunswick, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador. Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Quebec have also indicated their intent to pursue this type of tobacco litigation.

“We are concerned about the impact tobacco has on the health of our residents and are committed to reducing tobacco use in the province through the work of the provincial tobacco strategy,” Health Minister Don McMorris said in the statement. “Our actions, including steps to recover health-care costs from tobacco industry, honour our commitment to building a healthier Saskatchewan.”

The Saskatchewan Tobacco Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act enables an action by the province against the tobacco industry for health-care costs resulting from tobacco use.

© Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

http://www.canada.com/5478584.bin?size=620x400

The province is planning on taking legal action against tobacco companies to recover health care costs.

Photograph by: Koichi Kamoshida, Getty Images
http://www.canada.com/health/Sask+prepares+take+tobacco+industry+court/5478893/story.html

Soviet-Era Pill Could Help Kick the Butt | MedIndia

Soviet-Era Pill Could Help Kick the Butt

by Kathy Jones on September 29, 2011 at 7:28 PM Drug News

Text

A pill that has been sold in Eastern Europe since the last four decades may prove to be an effective remedy for helping kick the butt after a new study showed that it could be safely used to get rid of the smoking habit.
Known as Tabex, the pill was developed during the Soviet era and is made up of a drug known as cytisine. The drug is available at a very cheap cost at $5 to $17 a month and can prove to be an effective way of quitting smoking, especially among poor countries.

The drug is manufactured by Bulgarian pharmaceutical company, Sopharma AD, and is cheaper than the currently available remedies for those who want to quit the habit. Researchers from University College London conducted a study involving 740 smokers in Poland.

Half of the participants were given cytisine for 25 days while the other half received dummy pills. Following up on the participants at the end of one year, the researchers found that 8.4 percent of those who took cytisine managed to give up smoking compared to 2.4 percent of those on dummy pills.

“The benefits of Tabex are comparable with those of other smoking-cessation treatments, but at a fraction of the cost. Cytisine is so cheap that even in developing countries, if you can afford to smoke, you can afford to stop”, lead researcher Dr Robert West said.

Read more: Soviet-Era Pill Could Help Kick the Butt | MedIndia http://www.medindia.net/news/Soviet-Era-Pill-Could-Help-Kick-the-Butt-91277-1.htm#ixzz1ZLoG8lwF

Move to ban tobacco firm political donations

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-29/tobacco-firm-donations-move/3036380?section=tas

Tasmania’s Lower House has taken a step towards banning political donations from tobacco companies.

A motion was introduced yesterday by Greens MP Paul O’Halloran.

He told the House that last year the Liberals accepted more than $7,000 from British America and $6,000 Phillip Morris.

“Donations do not come without the expectations of political favours,” he said.

But the Opposition’s health spokesman Jeremy Rockliff rejects the claim the Liberals are influenced by the tobacco giants.

He said the Opposition had previously introduced legislation to curb high smoking rates.

“It’s more than clear that the Liberal Party positions at both a state and national level are not affected by who our party accepts donations from.”

The Liberals voted against the motion, but it passed with the support of the Government.

Stop showing tobacco on screen, Bollywood urged – The Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Stop-showing-tobacco-on-screen-Bollywood-urged/articleshow/10168559.cms?prtpage=1

Stop showing tobacco on screen, Bollywood urged

IANS | Sep 29, 2011, 12.48PM IST

Stating that on screen representation of smoking glamorizes tobacco, civil society members Wednesday urged the film industry and censor board to avoid depicting such scenes in movies.

“There are several empirical studies and global evidence which show that depiction of tobacco usage in movies increases the risk of initiation of tobacco use in an indirect manner,” Salaam Bombay Foundation Programme Director Devika Chadha said at a workshop.

The workshop was attended by members of health and information and broadcasting ministries, along with representatives from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and film industry. Health Ministry Director Rakesh Kumar said more communication was needed between the health and information and broadcasting ministries to tackle the issue.

Supriya Sahu, representative of the information and broadcasting ministry, said the ministry monitors 300 of the over 700 TV channels to check there was no direct or indirect advertising of tobacco or alcohol. Supporting the activists, scriptwriter Rekha Nigam said: “Hands of Bollywood are bloodied…there are thousands ways of showing a character than showing smoking.”

Recent online evidential reports – smoking in the movies merits R18 censor rating

Download PDF : Recent online evidential reports suggest

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