Smokeless Tobacco Called Unsafe Cigarette Substitute...


August 10, 2007 - Smokeless Tobacco Called Unsafe Cigarette Substitute... Study suggests that smokeless tobacco is not a good option for reducing health risks from smoking. Smokeless tobacco exposes users to at least as much of a potent carcinogen as smoking tobacco does, despite claims that it is a safer alternative, reported Stephen S. Hecht, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota, and colleagues, in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Smokeless tobacco users had 73% higher levels of a biomarker for a nitrosamine carcinogen known as NNK than did smokers in pooled analysis of six studies (P<0.0001),>
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Two Camel SNUS ads appeared in the What's Up Section of the Raleigh News & Observer...


August 10, 2007 - Two Camel SNUS ads appeared in the What's Up Section of the Raleigh News & Observer. Raleigh is one of the new market test sites. What do you think?? Does this ad target hard-nosed existing smokers that refused to quit tobacco smoking??? See related Newsbriefs:August 3, 2007, July 27, 2007, July 23, 2007, July 13, 2007, July 12, 2007 and July 2, 2007. There seems to be some confusion regarding the use of SNUS. Some public health professionals seem to think SNUS should be used as a harm reduction product in inveterate (firmly and long established) smokers that have no interest in quitting. But the tobacco companies are targeting a much younger crowd of young adults and any kids they can entice along the way - just take a look at the ads and the tagline: "Pleasure for wherever." . Click on image to enlarge.
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L.A. bans smoking in parks...


August 9, 2007 - L.A. bans smoking in parks.. Los Angeles parks was signed into law today by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa during a ceremony in Griffith Park, which was torched three months ago by a fire believed to have been started by a lit cigarette.Smoking had previously been prohibited within 25 feet of playgrounds and at beaches, but the new ordinance is an outright ban on smoking, lighting, carrying or discarding any tobacco products in city parks and beaches. Violators caught smoking in city parks will be cited for an infraction and required to pay a fine of up to $250. The law will take effect on Sept. 17, 2007. “This law will allow us to take back our environment, reclaim our public space and enjoy the great outdoors,” Villaraigosa said. “Our parks and beaches are national treasures, and we must work to protect these areas and preserve the health and safety of all Angelenos.” (City News Service).Tobacco control measures are working here - Tobacco Control Must Mean Nicotine Control.
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Swedish Match will extend Red Man, the No. 1 loose leaf chewing tobacco, into the arena with competitors like Skoal and Copenhagen by testing Red Man


August 8, 2007 - As reported back on July 30, 2007 Swedish Match will extend Red Man, the No. 1 loose leaf chewing tobacco, into the arena with competitors like Skoal and Copenhagen by testing Red Man Premium Moist Snuff starting in September. The test will run in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, Western Pennsylvania and southwest Texas. Those states generate about 36% of all moist snuff sales. The Red Man snuff entry gives Swedish Match a presence in the premium price snuff segment. The company already competes in other moist snuff price tiers with brands like Timber Wolf and Longhorn. ( Red Man Tries Again With Moist Snuff by Mike Beirne, BRANDWEEK) Red Man has traditionally come as loose leaf in contrast to twist or the ground tobacco used in snuff. Pinkerton Tobacco made Red Man until 1985 when it was acquired by Swedish Match. (TobaccoWatch.org)
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Regarding smokeless tobacco (SNUS): "What on the surface looks promising could turn out to be a public health disaster,"


August 7, 2007 - Regarding smokeless tobacco (SNUS): "What on the surface looks promising could turn out to be a public health disaster," says Dr. Gregory Connolly , director of tobacco-control research at the Harvard School of Public Health.Like us - many health advocates see the new smokeless alternatives as an attempt to create a new generation of tobacco users. According to Connolly, Taboka, Philip Morris' 1st smokeless offering, actually creates a craving for a cigarette. Philip Morris' Bill Phelps says a pouch of Taboka contains slightly more nicotine than a pouch of any of the 4-flavors of Marlboro SNUS. Bonnie Herzog, the tobacco industry analyst at Citigroup, says in a July 2007 survey of tobacco wholesalers and retailer that most respondents do not believe SNUS will prompt smokers to quit. Instead, they say smokers will use SNUS in addition to cigarettes. Nik Modi, a tobacco analyst at UBS,Taboka sales haven't been "lighting the world on fire." A USA Today visit to a dozen convenience, tobacco and Wal-Mart stores in Indianapolis found Taboka widely available, often in dispensers displayed near Marlboro cigarettes and priced at $1.20 to $3.80 per pack. Retailers say consumers have shown little interest. Pat Bowman at The Tobacco Shop says, "I haven't sold any at all." He says even people who had coupons for free samples didn't want Taboka once they knew what it was. "I couldn't give it away." In Wake County, NC (where Raleigh is located) where Camel SNUS was launched last month (July 2007), several smokers gave it a thumbs-down, says Gibbie Harris, the county's health director. Ten smokers in her agency tried it. She says "the women didn't like it at all," partly because they found it wasn't entirely spit-free. See related Newsbrief - July 15, 2007. Connolly says the health community should play no part in helping the industry expand tobacco sales share by acknowledging SNUS as a safer product. "We shouldn't be out there promoting harm," Connolly says, "even reduced harm." - Hey we're getting to like this guy.( As Cigarette Sales Dip, New Products Raise Concerns by Wendy Koch, REDORBIT NEWS)
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August is the month that Philip Morris (PM) USA starts test marketing Marlboro SNUS in the Dallas, TX area...


August 6, 2007 - August is the month that Philip Morris (PM) USA starts test marketing Marlboro SNUS in the Dallas, TX area.The Marlboro Fact Sheet is now available.Marlboro SNUS will sell for less than a pack of Marlboro cigarettes, said PM spokesman Steve Callahan. In July 2006 Philip Morris USA introduced Taboka, a smoke-free, spit-free tobacco pouch product, into test market in the Indianapolis area. According to PM they learned a lot from the Taboka test market and are applying those learnings to the Marlboro Snus test market. In a survey of retailers in the Indianapolis Area by analyst Christopher Growe of A.G. Edwards & Sons, it was found that the test for Taboka was going poorly and that retailers said sales were "soft with little need to restock inventory."(TobaccoWatch.org)
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