Scroll through this blog and you will find plenty of entries from smokers complaining about the bad taste and ill effects now their favorite brand has been converted to be fire safe compliant (FSC.)
Why is this……?
Mostly it’s because the fundamental burn characteristics of your favorite smokes have been changed by the addition of FSC or LIP paper. It’s not because something bad has been added. FSC or LIP paper has bands printed on it making the paper’s porosity lower. The lower porosity bands (or zones) make the cigarettte burn slower and if it’s not puffed – it can go out.
Making the cigarette burn slower alters the taste in some cases quite significantly.
Your favorite smokes taste worse because most States and all of Canada now require FSC cigarettes.
WANTED to pass on a note from Bill Godshall from SmokeFree PA.
Situation: The NY Senate Health Committee may consider a bill (S7234) that would ban e-cigarette sales as soon as Tuesday, April 27.
The NY Assembly may consider an identical bill (A9529) at any time.
Action requested: Call/e-mail/fax/snail mail NY Senate Health Committee members, and e-mail NY Assembly members urging them to oppose S7234 & A9529, and urging them to amend the legislation to ban e-cigarettes sales to minors.
Smokefree Pennsylvania sent the following letter to NY Senate Health Committee members (and a similar one to NY Assembly members). Contact information for NY Senate Health Committee members and NY Assembly is below. Please forward this e-mail to e-cigarette consumers and other tobacco harm reduction advocates ASAP.
The Honorable Thomas K. Duane, Chair
New York Senate Health Committee
430 State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12247
Re: Health Committee legislation to ban sales of electronic cigarettes (S7234 & A9529)
Dear Senator Duane:
Smokefree Pennsylvania strongly encourages you to OPPOSE S7234 & A9529 because they would force e-cigarette consumers (who quit smoking by switching to e-cigarettes) to either go back to smoking deadly cigarettes, or to purchase these life saving products from a newly created black market. An even better alternative is to AMEND the legislation so it just bans e-cigarette sales to minors, as is the law with all other tobacco products.
The growing body of scientific evidence consistently indicates that e-cigarettes (also called nicotine vaporizers) are at least 99% less hazardous alternatives to smoking cigarettes, as they emit no smoke. Since 2007, an estimated 300,000–500,000 smokers in the US (including tens of thousands of New Yorkers) have switched to e-cigarettes, which emit smokefree nicotine vapor. The American Association of Public Health Physicians, American Council on Science and Health, and many other health policy experts agree.
Instead of protecting health (as some groups claim), S7234 & A9529 threaten public health by protecting the deadliest consumer product (cigarettes) from market competition by far less hazardous smokefree alternatives. E-cigarette consumers and smokers have a human right to access and use far less hazardous tobacco alternatives to cigarettes.
By creating a black market for e-cigarettes, S7234 & A9529 would force e-cigarette suppliers in NY to move to other states, encourage e-cigarette consumers to buy from a black market, and waste state and local tax dollars for enforcement and adjudication.
Although the cigarette industry would be the chief beneficiary of S7234 & A9529, tobacco companies aren’t lobbying for the legislation. Rather, drug industry funded abstinence-only anti-tobacco groups are pushing the bills because they vehemently oppose smokers reducing their health risks by switching to less hazardous smokefree tobacco alternatives.
After 25 years of advocating laws that reduced smoking, I cannot think of a more effective way to protect cigarette markets or to harm/kill hundreds of thousands of smokers than by banning sales of e-cigarettes or other smokefree alternatives, as S7234 & A9529 would do.
Once again, please reject or amend this outrageous and inhumane legislation.
This Post is informative but I’m sure folks have an opinion on this and have comments to share. So what are your thoughts? Any thoughts that need to be passed on as I know NATO views TobaccoToday?
MINNEAPOLIS — The National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) has announced that it has received a wave of new exhibitor commitments to the 2011 NATO Show, the inaugural trade show for the association. The latest exhibitors to sign up for the NATO Show include A&T Tobacco Imports, Bags of Bags, Bahama Mama Cigars, Beach Cigar Group, Inc./Gurhka Cigars, Cheyenne International, DWC Enterprises, Global Tobacco, Great Midwest Tube & RYO Machines, International Tobacco Partners, Liaison Sales and Marketing, M & R Holdings, National Honey Almond, Rouseco and Tantus Tobacco.
The 2011 NATO Show will be held at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas on April 12-14. The NATO Show will feature educational seminars for retailers, the NATO Annual Awards Dinner, along with evening parties and special show deals.
Jim Colucci, senior vice president sales and marketing for Altadis USA and a member of the NATO Trade Show Committee, said, “Having a great trade show means that retailers find value in attending, and the retailers are telling manufacturers and distributors, this is the show to attend. When that happens, companies can’t wait to sign up. Also, these companies realize NATO has put more resources into fighting legislative battles than ever before, and helping support the trade show means more resources to fight anti-tobacco legislation. That’s a big point of difference between NATO and other shows which will not be using the proceeds to fight tobacco-related legislation.”
The NATO Show has already received commitments to exhibit from more than 30 manufacturers and distributors.
Companies include Nat Sherman, New Image Global, Smokey Mountain Chew, Zander-Greg and K. K. International Corp. Also Arango Cigar Co., Carolina Tobacco, Dom Rey Cigar, Inc./Cusano Cigars, Drew Estate, Harold Levinson Associates, House of Oxford, King Maker Marketing, Renegade Tobacco/House of Windsor, Smoker Friendly International, U.S. Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers and Zippo Lighter Co. And Altadis USA, Swisher International, Swedish Match, Republic Tobacco and National Tobacco Co.
Minneapolis-based NATO is a national retail trade association that focuses exclusively on state and federal tobacco legislative issues and leads the fight for all tobacco interests in the United States.
As cigarette sales plunge, tobacco companies are marketing smokeless products to skirt smoking bans and keep customers. Lesley Stahl investigates the pros and cons. Here is the link for your review. A very interesting review. What are your thoughts on the topic? Was the presentation good for the future of Snus? Give us your feedback.
Star Scientific, Inc. (Nasdaq: CIGX) announced that on Friday, February 19 the company filed an application with the Food & Drug Administration for approval to market Ariva-BDL™ as a “modified risk” tobacco product under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. This submission is the first such application to be filed with the Tobacco Products Center of the FDA, which has been established to oversee all aspects of tobacco regulation outlined in the 2009 Act.
What are your thoughts?
Have you tried the “NEW” Ariva product?
Any expectations of others to follow Star’s lead.
Will the process work? Is harm reduction going to work?
Until recently we had one major exhibition in Europe every four years, TabExpo; then we had the announcement by WT that an additional event in Europe would be held. The industry wants less events – or at least lower cost – so we now have the organizations in direct competition for the same business in the same month and year. Two European exhibitions (TR’s TabExpo in Prague & WT in Munich) are set for November 2011 – and just five days apart!
Both have scheduled events in India this year – one an exhibition the other a Networking Forum.
As market leader TR moves ahead with 50 or so confirmed exhibitors already for TabExpo Prague in 2011, it is largely ignoring WT who is left looking desperate in attempting to undermine the viability of Prague in favor of Munich.
Why is this?
The stark reality is the Tobacco Industry is shrinking. Besides China, much of the tobacco industry is mature and driven by consolidation, regulations and taxation – resulting in reduced profitability. A handful of major players (CNTC, PMI, BAT, PM USA, and JTI & Imperial) dominate. The supply side – lagging well behind – has a plethora of players who have not rescaled their business. The result: Piranhas in a goldfish bowl. This reality defines the recent competitiveness between WT and TR as they compete for exhibitors and attendees
But it didn’t have to be this way…….
Seizing what appeared to be an opportunity caused by the debacle which became TabInfo Asia Bangkok last November, WT announced World Tobacco Expo 2011 in Munich. But this announcement came after TR announced TabExpo would be held in Prague.
Why do this?
It’s tempting to say – who knows – but the appearance of a direct confrontation by WT on TR is hard to ignore. Why else schedule another European exhibition immediately prior to TabExpo Prague, especially and knowingly that TabExpo was always held in November and every four years.
So who wins……………?
Until one organizer assembles an unassailable competitive position – not the tobacco Industry. Exhibitors now have to decide which show to attend and be able to justify it in this cost-conscious environment. It was an unnecessary move and a risky one by WT (that could easily have been avoided.) As it is, if both go ahead then each exhibition dilutes the other, diminishing profitability. If ever there was a time for Industry solidarity it is now.
How did this happen?
Like the Olympics, the Industry and TR agreed to hold TabExpo in Europe once every four years (excepting Barcelona, delayed until 2003.) This has been the case since 1994 and TR has kept to this agreement.
By contrast WT magazine, under the ownership of the Daily Mail Group (DMG) struggled to compete with the three other tobacco magazines; TR, TI and TJI. WT supplemented its profitability to DMG with trade shows which are now “two a year”. Sadly it was after WT Asia last year that DMG ceased publication of WT Magazine and sold the WT trade show business to Quartz Business Media and announced a merger with TJI (where TJI’s role is to publicize WT’s events.)
So…… Is there space for two events? Is there the need for annual events?
No. And certainly not in the space of five days in November 2011.
The Show that means business for all those in the tobacco business. It’s @ the Las Vegas Convention Center, March 3rd & 4th 2010. Who’s going? Report back! Tell us what was good? What was new? What you learn? Have a great time! – See you at the show!
Jim Colucci, senior vice president sales and marketing for Altadis USA and a member of the NATO Trade Show Committee, said, “Having a great trade show means that retailers find value in attending, and the retailers are telling manufacturers and distributors, this is the show to attend. When that happens, companies can’t wait to sign up. Also, these companies realize NATO has put more resources into fighting legislative battles than ever before, and helping support the trade show means more resources to fight anti-tobacco legislation. That’s a big point of difference between NATO and other shows which will not be using the proceeds to fight tobacco-related legislation.”