Free Republic

The authors of the Lancet's centerpiece editorial said a so-called tobacco-free world -- in which fewer than 5% of adults smoke -- is "socially desirable, technically feasible and could become politically practical." .. Making tobacco use "out of sight, out of mind and out of fashion -- yet not prohibited" could be achieved only with a "turbo-charged approach," wrote a team of public health experts from Australia, Hong Kong and India. To achieve it, the United Nations, national leaders, and public- and private-sector institutions all would need to collaborate, they wrote. In addition to governments setting policies such as those...

Egypt said Sunday it will raise the sales tax on both local and imported cigarettes as it confronts a major budget deficit. The decision announced by the presidency increases a flat tax by at least 7 cents for a pack of less expensive cigarettes. More expensive brands will see an increase of at least 20 cents. A similar move last July raised prices 25 to 40 cents per pack. One in four Egyptian adults smoke, according to a 2013 World Health Organization report. …

RICHMOND — A state report linking Virginia cigarette smuggling to terrorist organizations has prompted a Republican state senator to push a bill that would require retailers and wholesalers to obtain a state license to sell cigarettes. The bill, from Sen. Bryce E. Reeves (R-Spottsylvania), has cleared the Senate, but odds are against it in the GOP-dominated House because of conservative objections to increased government regulations and taxes. Even in the more moderate Senate, eight conservative Republicans voted against it. They are a group that Reeves, a fiscal and social conservative, often votes with. “I think they are concerned about regulatory...

Last week’s article, which detailed officialdom’s unrelenting war on e-cigarettes, generated plenty of e-mail and commentary–100 percent of which was favorable. Many commenters were truly dismayed how the public trust could be betrayed by money, egos, fanaticism, or a combination of the three. Others asked how they could fight back; more on that later. As to the California Department of Public Health, this farcical agency seems hell-bent on channeling Joseph Goebbels as it doubles down on the big lies introduced in its Protect Your Family From e-Cigarettes pamphlet discussed last week. A few days ago, it issued State Health Officer’s...

California health officials on Wednesday declared electronic cigarettes a health threat that should be strictly regulated like tobacco products, joining other states and health advocates across the U.S. in pushing back against the fast-growing device. The California Department of Public Health report says e-cigarettes emit cancer-causing chemicals and get users hooked on nicotine, although there is still more research to be done on the immediate and long-term health effects. "Without action, it is likely that California's more than two decades of progress to prevent and reduce traditional tobacco use will erode as e-cigarettes re-normalize smoking behavior," the report says.

Alaska smokers will spend over $2 million.American smokers spend at least $1 million dollars on cigarette-related expenditures over their lifetimes, according to a state-by-state analysis done by the financial consultancy company WalletHub. The most expensive state for smokers is Alaska, where the habit costs over $2 million dollars on average. For a bargain, move to South Carolina, but that still comes in at nearly $1.1 million. “I and most people really just think of the cost of cigarettes and taxes on the packs, but if you think about the healthcare costs, which can totally be avoided, healthcare insurance premiums, and...

**SNIP** At one meeting with an undercover FBI agent, Jackson allegedly told Yee that the agent knew the owner of an NFL team. Yee then told the agent about a pending law that would limit NFL players from filing workers' compensation claims in the state if they played for out of state teams. Yee told the agent that he should "convey this information to the owner of the NFL team" with an offer of help from Yee. Asked about the cost of such a vote, Yee reportedly said, "Oh no...we gotta drag it out, man. We gotta juice this thing."...

It is not a news flash that Congress is corrupt. Their 9% approval rating is symbolic of how this criminal enterprise body is perceived by the American people. Can you actually believe that Representative John Boehner admits that bribery of members of Congress is standard operational procedure. Further, Boehner admits that this is a long-standing practice. “When the House minority leader was questioned about taking bribes from tobacco lobbyists in June of 1995 in exchange for taxpayer subsidies, and then redistributing them to other congressional members on the House floor, Boehner said, “They [the lobbyists] asked me to give out...

Tobacco and Firearms. Gifts that keep on giving to the left. (Vanity/Opinion) Let’s use the historic fight against Big Tobacco as a backdrop for the Eric Garner case. Many of us are familiar with the history of the left’s crusade against Big Tobacco. There were epic Congressional and Judicial battles to prove that Big Tobacco lied about the effects of cigarettes. Then followed lawsuits against Big Tobacco which extorted vast transfers of wealth from Big Tobacco to the Government. The hatred of the left to Big Tobacco compared only to the hatred of Kahn to Captain Kirk.

Fmr. NYPD Officer and Republican Congressional candidate Dan Bongino argued that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) should “resign in disgrace” on Monday’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto” on the Fox News Channel.

The Eric Garner Law. Ban cities from all of these absurd local taxes and creating the incentives that led to the arrest of a guy for selling loosies. Republicans can get behind it because it shows the overreach of tax laws and Democrats won't dare oppose it. All of these major cities are Democrat-run liberal bastions. What say you?

A textbook example of unintended consequences is provided by the heavy cigarette taxes levied in some US states-- each sets its own rate, and they vary wildly: Missouri's state cigarette tax is 17 cents. It's $4.35 in New York... Thus, the ATF says the federal gub'ment loses $5 billion in tax revenue every year from the trafficking of illegal cigarettes. Worldwide, it's a $100 billion problem, and it's the No. 1 economic crime in Europe. Couldn't be any simpler: cigarettes are purchased by organized crime types in a low-tax state, who then truck them in for sale back in a...

A New York City Grand Jury has refused to indict police officer Danial Pantaleo for the choking death of Eric Garner. Garner was taken down by four police officers conducting a raid against illegal cigarette sellers, of which Garner was one. Garner had a history of selling illegal cigarettes, having been arrested for it a number of times in the past. Unlike the death of Michael Brown, this death was caught on video. The video clearly shows several things. It absolutely shows Garner saying he can’t breathe. It also shows a very large man who starts out the confrontation making...

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) reacted to a grand jury's decision to not indict a New York City Police Officer in the death of Eric Garner by saying he was "horrified" by the video and blasting politicians for passing "bad laws" that "put our police in a difficult situation" in an interview broadcast on Wednesday's "Hardball" on MSNBC.

Taking a break from soliciting support for the Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation, "Koko" the poodle pauses for a cigarette.

November 24, 2014 11:27 AMFrenchman Quits ISIS Because He Couldn’t Handle Its Smoking Ban Flavien Moreau said he even tried Nicorette, but it didn't work. By Katherine Timpf A French militant who was recently sent to to prison for his involvement with the Islamic State said he left the terrorist organization because he couldn’t handle its strict ban on smoking cigarrettes. “I really struggled with not smoking,” 27-year-old Flavien Moreau testified before a Paris court, according to France 24. “It was forbidden by the katiba [a group of Islamist militants]. I had brought Nicorette gum with me, but it wasn’t...

There’s a time and place for everything, but that isn’t the case for a small Massachusetts town that could have become the first municipality in the nation to ban tobacco sales. The Westminster Board of Health withdrew its proposal to ban all tobacco sales on Wednesday after receiving criticism and outrage from the audience at a meeting last week. Board of health members Peter Munro and Ed Simoncini voted against the ban while Chairwoman Andrea Crete voted to keep the proposal for consideration, reported the Boston Globe. “It is obvious the town is against it and therefore I am against...

Cigarettes may be falling out of favor in high schools, but electronic cigarettes are taking their place, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A new survey found that although cigarette use in high schools declined from 24.3 percent in 2011 to 22.9 percent in 2013, the number of students who reported using an e-cigarette in the past 30 days tripled from 1.5 percent in 2011 to 4.5 percent in 2013. E-cigarettes use a battery to turn liquid nicotine into vapor, and because they produce no smoke many teens seem to be looking at...

WESTMINSTER — An unruly public hearing on a proposal to prohibit the sale of tobacco products came to a sudden and rowdy halt Wednesday evening after shouting and clapping opponents of the ban repeatedly refused the chairwoman’s request to come to order. The ban, proposed by the Board of Health in this Central Massachusetts town, would be the first of its kind in the state. It has led to angry reactions from residents who worry that it will hurt the local economy and allow government too much discretion in controlling private conduct. “This is about freedom; it’s my body and...

--SNIP-- "It's really bad right now. We're in real bad shape," he said, adding that the decrease in cigarette sales has had a ripple effect on the rest of his business. He has let go of four employees in the past month. "Now it's just me, my wife and my sister." Martinez isn't alone. Other store owners and distributors in the city said they have seen a dramatic drop in revenue since the tax was added, causing them to wonder what the collateral damage will be on their livelihoods. "It's detrimental all over the city. There are probably over 2,000...