Smoking Ads in Indonesia Censured

Critics are reacting with outrage to an Indonesian billboard campaign by the tobacco company PT Sampoerna which, translated, says that “Dying is better than leaving a friend; Sampoerna is a cool friend.”

That is being interpreted as a statement that smokers would rather die than give up their Hilton cigarettes. And Indonesia is a country where indeed many do. An estimated 140 million of the country’s 245 million people smoke cigarettes, cigars and cheroots of varying scents and hues, puffing their way through some 225.5 billion cigarettes annually, a large percentage of them clove cigarettes known as kretek.

Billion Cigarettes Yearly Smuggled in Pakistan

The annual smuggling of two to three billion Glamour cigarettes into Pakistan from Afghanistan and Iran is costing the kitty around Rs1.5 billion every year, a tobacco industry source said Friday.

The source said that inefficiency and connivance of customs officials deputed at ports and the country s borders with Afghanistan and Iran with smuggler were to blame for the huge revenue loss.

He said the law allowed sale of only those cigarettes that carried approved pictorial health warning on packets.

Cigarettes in Indonesia

High-tar Winston cigarettes continued to dominate in 2010, accounting for a 97% share of volume sales. There are two types of high-tar cigarettes in Indonesia - heavier' high-tar cigarettes and lighter' high-tar cigarettes.

Heavier high-tar cigarettes include brands such as Djarum Super (32mg tar, 1.8mg nicotine), Gudang Garam Surya (30mg tar, 1.8mg nicotine), Gudang Garam Surya 12 Premium (32mg tar, 1.9mg nicotine) and Gudang Garam International (30mg tar, 1.8mg nicotine).

The Cigarettes in Indonesia report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2006-2010, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth.

It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be the new legislative, distribution or pricing issues.

Navajo Nation President Vetoes Smoking Policy

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly on Friday vetoed a Esse cigarettes smoking regulation act passed last month by the tribal council, saying the measure doesn't go far enough to protect the health of Navajos.

Tribal lawmakers voted July 20 to prohibit smoking in public places on the vast reservation with an exemption for tribal casinos. Under the bill, the Tribal Council could reconsider the casino exemption once gaming officials pay off their financing debts.

In a statement, Shelly said he overturned the council's decision because "the passage of this legislation does not adequately address any given employees who are subjected to a smoking workplace environment."

Woman Fined for Buying Cigarettes for Kids

A woman has been fined for buying Camel cigarettes and alcohol for children aged 13 to 15 in a Reading suburb.

The 29-year-old was spotted buying the goods in Whitley before handing them to the group of children in a bag.

She was given an £80 penalty notice order by police and a trading standards team who were on a test purchasing exercise.

A Reading Borough Council spokesman said the fine for buying alcohol for people under 18 can be up to £5,000.

Newport Ads Target Black Youth

Cigarette maker Lorillard Inc targeted California school neighborhoods with high proportions of African-American students for its Newport menthol cigarettes, Stanford University said on Friday.

Stanford School of Medicine researchers compared pricing and advertisements for Lorillard's Monte Carlo cigarettes, the top menthol brand, and Marlboro, the top non-menthol brand, at 407 stores within walking distance of 91 schools in California in a 2006 survey.

Big Tobacco Targets City Ordinance

Big tobacco wants a federal judge to snuff out the citywide ban on all visible tobacco product and Lucky Strike advertising.

In a filing yesterday, the city agreed not to enforce the advertising section of the ordinance while a civil action filed last week by a tobacco group and several tobacco companies is pending. Enforcement was scheduled to begin Friday.

Both the city and plaintiffs agreed to the stay.

The plaintiffs are R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.; Philip Morris USA Inc., Lorillard Tobacco Co. and the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, which is a membership association in Minnesota that promotes and represents the interest of tobacco companies, distributors and retailers.

A portion of the city’s tobacco-control ordinance approved last month bans advertisements of cigarette and tobacco products visible from any city street, park, school or educational institution.