Tobacco Products

WASHINGTON -- Taking on a struggle that is likely to determine the fate of the tobacco industry, the Supreme Court agreed yesterday to rule on the Clinton administration's sweeping plan to control how cigarettes and chewing tobacco are made and sold.Under that plan, aimed mainly at protecting youths, the Food and Drug Administration would restrict minors' access to tobacco items and control the marketing of those products.In the future, the agency could regulate the ingredients of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, probably to reduce or eliminate nicotine.

WASHINGTON -- One of President Clinton's most prized goals -- imposing federal controls on cigarettes and chewing tobacco to keep them away from children and teen-agers -- appeared to be in serious trouble in the Supreme Court yesterday.A one-hour hearing on one of history's most ambitious public health efforts produced strong signs of either open hostility or skepticism from a number of the justices -- especially one of the court's pivotal members, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.The Food and Drug Administration adopted rules in 1996 to regulate nicotine as a drug and cigarettes and chewing tobacco as devices for delivering the drug into the human body.

Lawmakers ignore menace of alcoholWhy are our politicians continuing to press for tougher legislation and higher taxes on tobacco products while ignoring the dangers of alcohol? Nicotine may be an addictive drug, but alcohol can be a mind-altering addictive drug.I have never heard of anyone being maimed or killed by a driver smoking cigarettes before getting behind the wheel. I have not heard of a case where someone was hurt or killed during a smoking rage. Has there been any case of spousal abuse caused by smoking?

THE LYING stops today."-- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., accusing the tobacco industry of years of deception about the effects of its products and marketing strategies.May 23 -- The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. conceded today that its controversial advertisement -- "You just nailed that archery merit badge! Time to unwind. Time for . . . a Salem!" -- may have targeted the youth market."Still, millions of adult archery enthusiasts enjoy tobacco products responsibly," a company spokesman said, adding R.J. Reynolds would most likely drop its entire "Scouting and Salems: A Winning Combination!

WASHINGTON -- Casting aside an array of government rules aimed at keeping children away from tobacco, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday that Congress did not give the Food and Drug Administration power to control how cigarettes or chewing tobacco are made or sold."

WASHINGTON -- Thanks to the incredible arrogance and political stupidity of tobacco industry bigwigs, Americans may be relieved of the necessity of swallowing a needless bribe to get more protection for their kids against Big Tobacco's predatory practices.That, after all, was what the now-scuttled proposal to put an annual cap on the industry's liability in damage suits brought against cigarette makers was all about.In return for accepting greater restrictions on promotion of tobacco products, especially to the young, and much higher federal taxes on cigarettes, the industry was to have received from Congress a degree of protection from such suits.

On last year's Great American Smokeout, 11 million smokers -- 24 percent of them -- tried to kick the habit. Five days later, 2 million smokers reported that they were smoking less or not at all.Today, smokers can try it again. It's the 22nd annual Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society.Out of 47 million smokers, 32 million want to quit, according to a 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, released last ** year.Despite the various lawsuits against tobacco companies and the subsequent negative publicity, smoking among college students is up 28 percent, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported yesterday.

Baltimore will consider imposing a tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco, about a month after the Maryland General Assembly failed to pass a similar bill.City Council members met yesterday with Vincent DeMarco, executive director of the Maryland Children's Initiative, who is urging local governments to enact the tax after it failed in Annapolis.Like other local governments, the city is prohibited by state law from imposing a tax on cigarettes. But the law does not apply to cigars and smokeless tobacco, DeMarco said.

Acting on a mother's complaint, state police yesterday charged the owner of a Taylorsville convenience store with selling cigarettes to a 14-year-old boy.The mother was the first to file such a complaint with state police or the state's attorney's office in Carroll County, said Cpl. Carol Warner, who set up a sting operation May 14.Warner said the mother gave permission for her son to participate in the sting."

Legislation designed to keep teen-agers from using cigarette vending machines by requiring the use of tokens cleared a key Maryland Senate committee yesterday, surprising even anti-smoking proponents.The Judicial Proceedings Committee approved a bill that after Jan. 1 would ban the sale of tobacco products in vending machines unless they are purchased with the tokens.The measure, which has passed in House, goes to the full Senate -- where its prospects are uncertain in the General Assembly's final days.

The Food and Drug Administration banned Tuesday the sale of fruit- and candy-flavored cigarettes in the U.S., hoping to rid the market of products that the agency says make smoking more attractive to children. While flavored cigarettes make up a tiny fraction of tobacco products sold, the move marks the first major step made by the FDA since it was given the power this year to regulate tobacco products. The next step? The agency will look into whether other flavored tobacco products - including popular menthols - will also be barred from U.S. store shelves.

To lift a burden from the police, Baltimore County lawmakers authorized the Health Department last year to take over the task of imposing fines on store clerks who sell cigarettes to underage teenagers. But the county hasn't been doing that job - intentionally - because officials say they are opposed to using minors in sting operations. The county's approach is drawing criticism from some legal and health advocates who say it is not an effective deterrent. "You can shake your finger, but if there's no repercussions, what will make a person think twice about it?"

Congress wants to give the Food and Drug Administration power to regulate cigarettes and even ban most flavored cigarettes. But there's a catch. Menthol cigarettes would be exempted from the ban, leaving in place a large portion of the cigarette market that has particular appeal to young people and to African-Americans. That appears to be the distasteful price for putting cigarettes under the watchful eye of the FDA. But if Congress indeed gives the FDA the oversight authority, the agency should look seriously at the scientific evidence and make its own determination about whether menthol cigarettes deserve a regulatory pass.

WASHINGTON -- Landmark legislation that would give the federal government the power to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products passed an early hurdle yesterday. The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill, 38-12. The measure would allow the Food and Drug Administration to review new tobacco products before they could go on sale, limit advertising and restrict sales to youths. It would also enable the agency to regulate levels of tar, nicotine and other ingredients.

Smokers in Maryland will have to pay an extra buck to light up Tuesday when a $2 cigarette tax goes into effect statewide. The $1-a-pack increase - passed into law last month during a special session of the Maryland General Assembly - means Maryland has, with five other states, the fourth-highest cigarette tax in the nation, according to data from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Maine and Michigan also have $2-a-pack levies. Baltimore smokers interviewed yesterday had mixed emotions about the increase.

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration should be able to limit nicotine levels in cigarettes, as well as require stronger health warnings on packages and in advertising, legislators considering a bill to allow the agency to regulate tobacco products were told by experts yesterday. "FDA regulation will help us to combat the vicious marketing practices of a deceptive industry that has preyed upon our children, minorities and existing smokers who are desperately trying to kick their habit," Dr. Elmer Huerta, the incoming president of the American Cancer Society, told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee.

One sign that Maryland's stop-smoking campaign is paying off is what isn't - the state collected $6.7 million less in tobacco taxes last fiscal year as sales continued to dip. Revenue decreased almost 2.5 percent, which is typical in recent years and slightly less than the state had expected, the comptroller's office said yesterday. While cigarette purchases edged downward, revenue from lesser-used tobacco products such as snuff increased 12 percent, or $800,000. All told, the state took in $272.

A growing number of anti-smoking researchers and public health advocates are adopting a tactic that not long ago would have been considered heresy: saying that hard-core smokers who can't kick the habit would be better off switching to new smokeless tobacco products. With slogans such as "Spit-free" and "For when you can't smoke," these products differ markedly from the messy snuff and chewing tobacco stereotypes associated with your granddad's spittoon or pro baseball players' stuffed cheeks.

BOSTON -- The way I figure it, this is a time when our government might inhale deeply and pause for a bit of multilateral fence-mending. I don't expect Donald Rumsfeld to sing "Kumbaya" in a Parisian cafe with Jacques Chirac. But couldn't we make common cause with the rest of the world in pursuit of an international killer, a globally certified bad guy? Like, say, the Marlboro Man? The World Health Organization has spent three years hammering out an agreement with 171 countries to prevent the spread of smoking-related diseases, especially in the developing world.

Anti-smoking advocates visited 50 Howard County stores that sell tobacco products last week and found all but nine were complying with a new law requiring the products be displayed out of customers' reach. Members of Smoke Free Howard County, who pushed for passage of the law in February, sent volunteers to visit about one-fifth of the county's stores and gas stations that sell tobacco, and said they are pleased with the result despite the "violations." "Clearly, the law is working," said Glenn Schneider, legislative chair of the coalition.