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Chicago health officials say a new public awareness campaign is aimed at stopping the sale of cigarettes to children. The Chicago Department of Public Health says the campaign will include ads on trains and buses encouraging residents to call 311 if they see tobacco being sold to a minor. Officials say 80 percent of adult smokers took up the habit before they turned 18 and that one in four adults and one in eight high school students in Chicago smoke regularly.

Smoking and exposure to smoke can cause heart and lung problems, including cancer. Rosemary Krimbel is commissioner of the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. She says the campaign should send a message to retailers that selling tobacco to minors is illegal and could hurt kids' health.

Michael Bloomberg's charitable foundation will commit $220 million over the next four years to fight tobacco use globally, including for the funding of legal challenges against the industry. Calling tobacco "a scourge all over the world" and accusing cigarette makers of "nefarious activities," the New York City mayor said at a news conference that his foundation will focus on low and moderate-income countries where nearly 80 percent of smokers live, like Russia, China, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Bloomberg was set to announce the new funding for Bloomberg Philanthropies on Thursday at the 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Singapore.

The commitment takes the foundation's total pledge to the cause to almost $600 million. Smoking could kill about 1 billion people this century, authors of the fourth edition of the Tobacco Atlas said at the book's launch in Singapore on Wednesday. The book is published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation. Bloomberg's initiative is likely to face opposition in China, the world's largest producer and consumer of tobacco with more than 300 million smokers, from a powerful state monopoly and local officials who fear a fall in tobacco profits. The tobacco industry provides nearly one-tenth of tax revenues in China. According to the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, the tobacco tax take in 2011 rose 22.5 per cent to 753 billion yuan ($119.09 billion). The country's state tobacco monopoly, China National Tobacco Corp, produced profits of 118 billion yuan in 2010. For years, China has conducted half-hearted campaigns to stub out the habit.

Last year, it said it would ban smoking at all indoor public venues, but non-smoking signs are routinely ignored. Although nearly 1.2 million Chinese people die from smoking-related diseases each year, the habit is considered an important part of socializing and Chinese cigarettes are among the cheapest in the world at less than a dollar a pack.

Tobacco use cost China $28.9 billion in direct medical costs in 2008, more than four times the amount in 2000, Tobacco Atlas says. NEW YORK'S EXAMPLE The initiative is a departure from Bloomberg's efforts since 2007, which have focused on "what's worked here" in New York City, said Dr. Kelly Henning, director of the charity's public health programs. That included pressing local and national governments to raise cigarette taxes, persuading the entertainment industry not to film movie stars smoking, making nicotine patches widely available and lobbying for laws that ban tobacco advertising, sponsorship and smoking in public. Some evidence suggests such strategies have worked. In New York City, the adult smoking rate has dropped to an all-time low of 14 percent, the Health Department said in September. By comparison, the national smoking rate is 19.3 percent, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The New York City example is gaining traction overseas. Earlier this month, India increased its cigarette tax. "We've been doing tax advocacy in India for the last year and have now seen 12 states raise their state-level value-added tax on cigarettes," said Henning. "This increase is at the national level. We consider it a small step forward." India banned smoking in public places in 2008, and since last year all smoking scenes in films must be accompanied by an on-screen health warning. According to an Indian government report, tobacco-related illnesses cost India $6.1 billion in 1999. The government earns about $1.4 billion in excise revenue from tobacco. Bloomberg Philanthropies' campaign has also led to laws banning smoking in public places in Brazil, Turkey and Pakistan.

Cigarette and tobacco producer Reynolds American Inc. said Wednesday it will eliminate 10 percent of its U.S. jobs, affecting about 540 workers, by the end of 2014. The move will reduce spending by $70 million a year for the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based maker of Camel, Salem and other brands. Reynolds, the second-biggest U.S. tobacco company, said most departures will be voluntary. The company expects to take about $110 million in severance and other charges in the first quarter, and expects to save about $25 million from the cuts this year.

That total will rise to $70 million annually by 2015. The company had about 5,400 employees at the end of 2011. It plans to continue hiring new employees when necessary. Reynolds said it is making the cuts so it will have the resources to maintain growth for its key brands. The announcement comes after a three-month review of its Reynolds American and RAI Services businesses, and the company said it also reviewed most of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco division.

The company announced the review in February, and confirmed it had laid off workers at a manufacturing plant in Tobaccoville, N.C. Reynolds said the weak economy and high unemployment have created a difficult market and intense promotional activity. It said promotions by competitors hurt its sales in the fourth quarter, as sales of Camel blue cigarettes fell 4.5 percent in the fourth quarter and the Pall Mall brand posted weak growth. Like other tobacco companies, Reynolds has been focusing on snuff and chewing tobacco as alternatives to smoking because of rising taxes, smoking bans, and health issues are making it harder to sell cigarettes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19.3 percent of adults age 18 and older were smokers as of 2010. That rate has fallen from more than 40 percent in 1965, when the health effects of smoking were first widely recognized. Shares of Reynolds American Inc. lost 36 cents to $41.50 in morning trading.

There are close to 550,000 smokers in B.C., and 6,000 British Columbians die from smoking-related illnesses each year. For the past four months, the B.C. government has provided free access to smoking cessation therapies for British Columbians who want to quit. It is a valuable program that would be money well spent if not for the fact that many who are trying to quit must pass through drug stores where cigarettes and other tobacco products are sold to get to the dispensary at the back of the store to pick up their cessation medication.

Smoking is a strong addiction, and the temptation of knowing that cigarettes are being sold in the store is often too strong to pass up. And the sale of tobacco in pharmacies is contrary to the health professional role pharmacists play in society. B.C. is in the small minority of only three provinces and territories (Manitoba and Yukon being the other two) that still allow cigarettes to be sold in pharmacies.

Approximately half of the more than 1,000 B.C. drug stores or other retail establishments that contain a pharmacy still sell cigarettes. It's time for the B.C. government to legislate the removal of cigarettes and other tobacco products from B.C. pharmacies and stores that contain a pharmacy. Diego Marchese, BC & Yukon Heart and Stroke Foundation Suzanne Solven, College of Pharmacists of B.C.

A 62-year-old Maltese Londoner who stole 80 packs of cigarettes at the airport’s arrivals lounge was spared jail when he pleaded guilty to the crime yesterday. Emanuel Attard, who was born in Cospicua but who has lived for a long time in London, flew to Malta last Tuesday and got into trouble within minutes of his arrival. At an outlet operated by the Nuance Group at the arrivals lounge Mr Attard stuffed two bulk packets, each made up of 40 20-cigarette packs, into a bag and left. Unsurprisingly, however, the incident was caught on camera, and Mr Attard was arraigned over theft.

The charge was aggravated by the value of the cigarettes, €366, and Mr Attard faced a possible jail term of up to three years as a result, prompting Magistrate Anthony Vella to wonder whether it was worth it for “a little tobacco”. Mr Attard’s lawyer said that the impulsive theft was prompted by the accused’s chain smoking habits and a lack of cash. The company’s lawyer, acting as parte civile, pushed for a stiff sentence to act as a deterrent. The defence counsel, on the other hand, noted that an effective jail term would not be ideal in this situation, given Mr Attard’s relatively clean criminal record and his early guilty plea, and suggested probation or, at most, a suspended jail term.

Prosecuting inspector Edel Mary Camilleri noted that Mr Attard cooperated fully with the police, and agreed that he should not be detained. But she believed a suspended jail term was more appropriate. Magistrate Anthony Vella, who noted that one would not expect a man of Mr Attard’s age to shoplift, lamented that people were unaware of the waste of time such petty acts caused. But he ultimately followed the prosecution’s recommendation, sentencing Mr Attard to a six-month jail term suspended for three years.

A Danish man who encountered health problems after 50 years of smoking has lost his legal fight against the tobacco company he favoured. Allan Lykke Jensen told the Copenhagen High Court that although he knew it was unhealthy to smoke, House of Prince cigarettes contained more nicotine than stated and additives that had a greater effect on him.

He also said that the brand’s ventilation system, developed to reduce the intake or tar, was designed so it was unconsciously blocked by the smoker. Due to its status as a test case, the matter was brought before the High Court in its first instance. Mr Jensen told TV2 after the verdict that although he was unhappy with the decision, he hopes it might still lead to stricter rules being brought on the tobacco industry. “My lawyer received a letter from the health minister this morning in which she said that she intended to regulate the tobacco industry, so perhaps there is some victory there,” Jensen said.

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Customs in Cork seized over 23,000 cigarettes last weekend, which they said would have resulted in a €15,000 loss to the exchequer. On Saturday 10 December, officers from Revenue’s Customs Service detected a male and female selling unstamped cigarettes in the Cork city area from their vehicle. The saloon car and 4,600 cigarettes were seized and agricultural diesel in the fuel tank of the vehicle was also detected.

Also on Saturday, a total of 16,500 cigarettes were seized at Cork Airport from a number of individuals arriving on holiday flights from abroad. On Sunday last, an Eastern European registered vessel was boarded and searched and 12,000 undeclared cigarettes were discovered on board. The vessel was detained. The brands that were seized included Bon, L&M, Marlboro, CK, Superkings and Gold Classic, while the estimated loss to the exchequer from the total value of the cigarettes seized stood at €15,000. Files are being prepared in all cases for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A South Carolina man has pleaded guilty to a three county indictment involving a counterfeit cigarette investigation with ties to Tupelo. Fred Brackett entered the plea in U.S. District Court on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to defrauding the government, lying to investigators, and profiting from illegal activity.

Bracket is accused of buying nearly 188,000 packs of cigarettes, then under reporting the amount of cigarettes he purchased in South Carolina to avoid paying tobacco taxes. Federal authorities says Jerry Burke and Randy Benham, who operated the Globe Warehouse in Tupelo and Globe Enterprises, would lie about the camel cigarettes being sold in Mississippi.

After a recent visit to Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital, I was disappointed to see that the non-smoking campus has gone by the wayside. I was under the impression ECM was still a non-smoking campus and the policy was still in effect. There are still the blue cards at different areas stating the ECM property is a non-smoking campus. What happened? I believe it is a shameful and a black mark against a health facility that is supposed to be about making people well, not the opposite by making them walk through a smoking area from the parking garage.

Even standing at the front entrance the smoke odor is prevalent. I smoked for 35 years and understood when the nonsmoking bans started being enforced so nonsmokers would not have to be subject to my smoke to go into and out of their work places and public buildings. There seems a better smoking area could be designated away from the main entrance and not in the paths of where most patrons come into the facility. I asked a couple of staff members about this issue. They stated the nonsmoking campus is still in effect and that they, too, were disappointed it was not being enforced. Maybe (if) when the new hospital is built, we will not have to deal with this issue.