May 12th, 2016:
Retailers must be on the tobacco sellers register: Council
http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/londonderry-news/retailers-must-be-on-the-tobacco-sellers-register-council-1-7380119
Tobacco retailers operating in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area are being reminded that they must be registered to sell tobacco products under new legislation which came into effect on April 6.
The Tobacco Retailers Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 requires tobacco retailers across Northern Ireland to join the register by 1 July 2016. After this date it will be illegal to sell tobacco products if not registered to do so.
There are significant consequences for retailers who do not comply with the new legislation. From July 1, 2016, enforcement officers will have power to issue fixed penalty notices for failing to register as a tobacco retailer and retailers may also face prosecution through the court system where it is considered appropriate to do so.
The new registration requirement is just one of a range of measures being introduced by the legislation to reduce smoking among children and young people. Research indicates that almost 1 in 4 adults in Northern Ireland smoked with two thirds of smokers lighting up before the age of 18.
Conor Logue, Tobacco Control officer with Derry City and Strabane District Council, encouraging retailers to register, explained that “While Council has a statutory duty to enforce tobacco control legislation within the council area, during the coming months officers will be working closely with retailers to help them to comply with their new duties.”
Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Environmental Health service has issued letters to tobacco retailers across the district to make them aware of the new register and their new legislative requirements under the Tobacco Retailers Act.
The tobacco retailers’ register is quick, easy and free to join on-line by visiting www.tobaccoregisterni.gov.uk. However, application forms are also available from Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Environmental Health Section.
For further information on the legislative requirements on the sale of tobacco products and to request an application form to join the new tobacco retailers’ register, please contact Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Environmental Health team or visit the Council’s web site http://www.derrystrabane.com/tobacco
Law would ban e-cigarettes from workplaces in Hungary
The Hungarian government is planning legislation to restrict the usage of electronic cigarettes, banning them from workplaces and playgrounds, Hungary’s Cabinet Chief János Lázár said today, according to reports.
http://bbj.hu/economy/law-would-ban-e-cigarettes-from-workplaces-in-hungary_116027
The regulation could come into effect as early as May 20, and further e-cigarette restrictions are being considered, the cabinet chief said.
The government is taking these steps following the European Court of Justiceʼs ruling in early May regarding a European Union directive on tobacco products. The EU directive mandates the standardization of packaging, a future EU-wide prohibition on menthol cigarettes and special rules for e-cigarettes, Hungarian news agency MTI noted.
The Hungarian government is also planning to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes, and flavored cigarettes will be banned, Lázár said. He added that it is possible the distribution and production of menthol, fruit or spice-flavored and capsule cigarettes will be banned as early as this year.
E-Cigarettes Are No Safer, Study Shows
http://www.lawyerherald.com/articles/45071/20160512/e-cigarettes-safer-study-shows.htm
People get addicted on cigarettes and enjoy them up to the cigarette butt because of the nicotine craze. Although the nicotine doesn’t promote lung cancer and diseases, it’s the tar and other chemicals that do most of the damage.
A vigorous debate has been going on among public health officials if electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes can reduce the dangers of smoking tobacco or id they should be dealt as negatively as conventional cigarettes. Countries such as Britain, authorities prefer e-cigarettes more, enticing smokers to transition to electronic from conventional.
The Food and Drug Administration issued last week new rules on e-cigarettes, prohibiting their sale to people less than 18 years of age and required adults under the age of 26 to present a photo identification to buy them, according to The New York Times.
Producers will be required to reveal the ingredients in the liquid nicotine used in “vaping” and permit government review on how the devices are manufactured before they can be sold to adults in the U.S.
Presently, anything could be concealed inside the liquid and isn’t the only fact why children are not allowed to use e-cigarettes. Since it still contain nicotine which is an addictive ingredient associated to heart disease, it doesn’t mean even without the carcinogenic tar and smoke it is already safe to use. Harmful substances are discovered in e-cigarette “juice” like the flavoring Diacetyl linked to lung diseases, as reported by timesunion.
While tobacco products are responsible for the huge majority of the exposures, e-cigarettes are held accountable for 14% of them. But what is most worrying is the increased scale at which most young children are exposed with e-cigarettes and the serious incidents compared to tobacco product exposures, the Medical News Today reported.
Nicotine is an impetus that exists naturally in tobacco plants affecting the heart and nervous system. Even so, being exposed to small amounts can be quickly fatal.
Studies showed that using e-cigarettes is still dangerous even without the tar or even the smoke especially if young children are exposed to it meaning it was ingested, inhaled or absorbed by eyes or skin. The nicotine found in juice and other ingredients can still do harm to everyone’s health.
Woman fined £320 by Hartlepool magistrates for dropping cigarette end
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/woman-fined-320-by-hartlepool-magistrates-for-dropping-cigarette-end-1-7907434
The following defendants were dealt with at Hartlepool Magistrates’ Court on May 4.
Danielle Ahmed, 24, of Heortnesse Road, Hartlepool, was fined £320 for littering a cigarette end on Warren Road.
Ann Jenkins, 54, of Dent Street, Hartlepool, was ordered to pay costs of £105 for dog fouling.
Paul Mckie, 32, of Mapleton Road, Hartlepool, was fined £280 for two counts of failing to keep his dog on a lead in areas specified and one count of allowing his dog to foul in the street.
Tracey Costello, 45, from Cobb Walk, Hartlepool, was fined £320 for littering her cigarette end on Durham Street.