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France Smokers Divided on BanA ban on smoking in public spaces came into effect Thursday, a change that may alter the image of a country defined in part by its smoky cafes and cigarette-puffing intellectuals. France's 15 million smokers will be banned from lighting up in workplaces, schools, airports, hospitals and other "closed and covered" public places. More than 175,000 agents are to enforce the ban, handing out fines of $88 for smokers and $174 for employers who look the other way. In a year, the ban will extend to cafes and restaurants sure to be the moment of truth for a certain image of France, where writers like Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre are remembered with cigarettes dangling from their mouths. "A world is collapsing," writer Philippe Delerm wrote in a front-page ode to the cigarettes in Le Monde newspaper, referring to the alluring image of the chain-smoking intellectual. "Those were good times. But nobody thought about the collateral damage." Statistics like 66,000 smoker deaths per year in France and changing norms are snuffing out the romance along with the cigarette. Italy, Spain, Belgium, Britain and Ireland are all ahead of France in enacting broad smoking bans. Despite staggered anti-smoking initiatives over more than a decade, French smokers have, so far, held sway as officials turned a blind eye to rule-bending. Nearly a quarter of French people are smokers. Yet a day before the "no smoking" signs go up, there was no sign of panic in the streets. A scattered check of pharmacies suggested that, so far, smokers are calm, with no pre-ban rush for smokers' aids like nicotine patches. However, two companies that make ventilated smoking rooms for offices say they are gearing up for a rush in orders. Manuel Bussac, 25, who works in real estate and smokes 15 cigarettes a day, is angry because the ban leaves him with no choice. "It's the obligation that bothers me," he said, sitting at a sidewalk cafe with a pack of Marlboros planted squarely on the table. Breathing trouble in babies linked to mothers' cigarettesSource:NZ Herald, A fifth of Pacific Island women continue to smoke during pregnancy, a new study has found. The research - part of the Pacific Islands Families study being carried out by Auckland University of Technology researchers - found that approximately 20 per cent of Pacific Island mothers living in New Zealand reported smoking during the last trimester of their pregnancy. Associate Professor Janis Paterson, co-director of the study, said the results showed the smokers were at least twice as likely to have maternal asthma and to deliver an infant with low birth weight. Infants born to light-to-moderate smokers on average weighed 244 grams less and those born to heavy smokers weighed 278 grams less than babies of non-smokers, who had a mean birth weight of 3.636 kg. The study, the first longitudinal research into the health of Pacific Islanders, has been following 1398 infants and their mothers for the past six years. Other findings from the study included the discovery that 43 per cent of health problems among 6-week-old infants were related to breathing difficulties - a significant factor that was related to maternal cigarette smoking during the last trimester. "Smoking is preventable, yet continues to have negative consequences for mothers and their offspring," the study said. Ministry of Health data found 28.5 per cent of Pacific Island women smoked, compared with 25.5 per cent of all New Zealand women, in 2002. Professor Paterson said the trend appeared to be continuing in spite of Government-driven quit-smoking programmes and public health advertising. "Whether or not there are programmes that are really pertinent to Pacific mothers is something we probably need to think about." State keeps eye out for bootleg cigarettesSource:Aberdeen News RAPID CITY, S.D. - South Dakota smokers who cross the border to escape the $1 per-pack tax increase on cigarettes are breaking state law when they bring the cigarettes back into the state. The bootlegging, if large enough, can result in penalties and loss of the cigarettes. "Our statute says that any cigarettes in South Dakota without tax stamps are contraband, and subject to seizure," said Michael Kenyon, director of property and special taxes for the South Dakota Department of Revenue in Pierre. "We look for unstamped stuff and cigarette not on our directory. Obviously, we seize those, generally from a seller. We haven't gone into anybody's home yet." Voters in November approved higher tobacco taxes, including a boost in the cigarette tax to $1.53 a pack. The increase took effect Jan. 1. Cigarettes brought into the state without a South Dakota tax stamp are illegal, whether by the box, the carton or the pack. People caught with more than 2,000 cigarettes - or 10 cartons - also could face a financial penalty. On 10 cartons, the penalty would be the $1.53-per-pack South Dakota tobacco tax, or $15.30 per carton, plus an additional penalty of 10 percent, or $1.53 per carton. In certain cases, revenue officials also might try to recapture the sales tax that wasn't paid if the cigarettes were bought in another state, unless that state has a tax equal to South Dakota's 4 percent sales tax. State enforcement efforts for now focus on making sure that retail outlets in South Dakota are selling cigarettes and other tobacco products that have been properly taxed and stamped. Kenyon said enforcement agents will continue checking retailers, but it's unclear when or whether that work will extend to individuals. "Obviously, we've heard about it. We point out what the law is," he said. "As far as enforcement goes, we're going to wait and see what the problem is. The tax increase is less than a month old." The per-pack cigarette tax in neighboring states is 60 cents in Wyoming, 44 cents in North Dakota, 64 cents in Nebraska, 36 cents in Iowa, $1.70 in Montana and $1.49 in Minnesota. Customs seize KENT worth of cigarettesSource:The Northern Echo MORE than seven million counterfeit cigarette have been seized in a North-East customs swoop, confirming the region as one the UK's worst hot spots for contraband smuggling. The illegal haul, estimated to be worth in excess of KENT , was intercepted by customs officers while it was being delivered to business premises in the Easington area of County Durham. The seizure happened last Friday night and customs said yesterday that organised criminal gangs were behind the smuggling operation. Advertisement continued... HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) head of detection, John Kinghorn said: "HMRC has highlighted the North-East as one of the worst areas in the UK for smuggled cigarettes and tobaco and this seizure shows that the region is playing host to the organised criminal gangs who are behind the high levels of smuggling crime.'' Some people, he said, assumed that cigarettes smuggling was a fairly low-level crime and the public turned a blind eye to it. "What they don't realise is that this activity means big business to criminals and their gangs," he said. "These gangs will go to great lengths to smuggle in goods and they are making a hefty profit at the expense of the honest taxpayer.'' He added: "Cigarette smuggling often provides the funding for much larger criminal operations such as drug smuggling or people trafficking. For these reasons alone we need to flush out the criminals in this activity.'' Mr Kinghorn also warned against buying cheap or duty- free cigarettes or tobacco . "People may feel they are getting a good deal by saving a couple of pounds on their packet. However, not only are they funding criminal activity, but they will be seriously damaging their health." Customs bosses also encouraged the public to inform them if they had seen large amounts of cigarettes being loaded or unloaded. "If you have information about any of these activities HMRC urge you to come forward and help us crack down on the criminals in your area,'' said Mr Kinghorn. Senator Introduces Smoking Tax, AgainBoston Globe,United States Tennesseans could soon be paying more for a pack of cigarettes. Senator Rosalind Kurita is pushing for a $1 per pack increase on the cigarette tax. She said it could generate close to $400 million in extra money for the state. This isn't the first time Kurita has talked about a cigarette tax increase. It's always failed in the past, but some believe the idea is gaining momentum this time around. "Every year I've gotten closer and closer to passing this," Kurita said. Senator Kurita said an increase would keep kids from smoking, and Tennessee has one of the lowest cigarette taxes in the country. "We have such low taxes on cigarettes. Conversely we have the highest number of high school students who use cigarettes than any state in the United States," Kurita said. New support for the increase could keep the idea afloat on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Jimmy Nafieh seems confident there will be some sort of increase. "I feel there will be an increase in the cigarette tax, don't know how much, don't know where we're going to put it yet," Naifieh said. Her tax increase could get more traction in the legislation this time around because of her position. She's now the speaker pro temp, the number two position in the Senate. Kurita said studies show the more cigarettes cost, the less likely kids are to pick up the habit. Kurita is also pushing a bill that would ban cigarette companies from passing out free samples to teenagers. Lawmakers should start debating the bills over the next few weeks. This legislative session, bills will also be introduced to ban smoking in restaurants. | 
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