Tobacco Consumption in Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, tobacco chewing is on the rise. It has increased by 0.1% as compared to smoking. In the state, around 18.9% of the total population chews tobacco while 18.8% population smokes Hilton cigarettes. The figures were released by the World Health Organization last week.

Asthma and tobacco specialist Dr Virendra Singh said, “The number of people chewing tobacco is rising. Chewing tobacco is more dangerous than smoking as it increases chances of cancer. The risk is three times higher in chewing tobacco than smoking because in chewing tobacco essence and supari is mixed, which make it more risky.” The newly-released figures show that smoking among women in Rajasthan is also higher than the national average. In India, 2.9% of total women population smoke but the figure is much higher in Rajasthan. It is around 5.3%.

But the percentage of women chewing tobacco is much higher than smoking. Around 8.5% of women in the state chew tobacco which is much less than the national average. In India around 18.4% women chew tobacco, which is a national average. Besides, the number of people smoking in Rajasthan is higher than the national average percentage. In India, around 14% of people, including men and women smoke while in Rajasthan around 18.8% of people smoke daily.

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Cigarette brands reviews

Westport FF King: Made in Canada. Length: 3 5/16, 84 mm; filter 13/16 inch, 20 mm. The tobacco is 

mostly medium-brown ribbons, and nothing foreign was found in the mix. About 1/8 inch of tobacco compressed in our tamp-down test. The Old Guy thought this was a pretty okay brand; it went down easily and was strong enough to be rightfully called full flavor. He said he may have detected a bit of vanilla, but it wasn’t overpowering. Also, he was satisfied with the burn rate. Though this isn’t his favorite brand (he has a favorite brand?), he said there would be nothing stopping him from smoking more of them.

Quest Low Nicotine King: Made in the USA. Length: 3 ј inches, 83 mm; filter 1 inch, 25 mm. The filter is divided into three sections separated by what appears to be charcoal granules. We could definitely determine that the last part of the filter is made of something different than the ordinary cellulose found in filters. It can be described as a paper folded many, many times. In our tamp-down test, the tobacco compressed about 1/8 inch. The tobacco is made of mostly brown ribbons, and there was nothing out of the ordinary in it. We were very impressed with this one; it had a good rich flavor, didn’t burn too quickly, and the draw was nice and easy. This is a new breed of smoke in that it is made with genetically altered tobacco (like Omni) with increasingly lower nicotine levels. Although it says “low nicotine” right on the box, and these smokes have a new-fangled filter that may reduce carcinogens, the manufacturer makes no claims that Quest is safer than any other, and it is not being marketed as a smoking-cessation product, either. Nevertheless, we liked this one, and if perhaps it is one day proven to be “safer”, so much the better.

Parker Menthol Light 100s: Made in Cyprus, distributed by Burlington Tobacco Co. in Waynesville, North Carolina. Length: 3 7/8 inches, 98 mm; filter 1 1/16 inches, 27 mm. The tobacco is made of equal amounts of light-to-medium brown ribbons and flakes, and there was nothing unusual found in the mix. About 3/16 inch of tobacco compressed in our tamp-down test. This smoke gets an “A” for average; though the draw is a bit hard, it burned at a normal rate. It can definitely be classed as a light, if not less, but there was no discernable taste of menthol. Though this was very easy to smoke, if a person is looking for a distinct menthol flavor, this is not the one to choose. However, the average price for a carton (about twelve dollars) might make it desirable.

Camel Exotic Warm Winter Toffee King – Yet another offering from RJ Reynolds Tobacco’s “exotic” division, the Warm Winter Toffee King size is 3 1/4 inches (83 mm) long, with a 1 inch (21 mm) white filter. The flavored exotics are packed in a nearly square, metal tin. This packaging is pretty neat; colorful, smooth, and pleasing to the touch. We find it difficult to simply discard the empty tins, figuring they should be good for something. (Paper clips, perhaps? Trout flies?) The tobacco blend consists of light, medium, and dark leaf, cut in fine ribbons and some flakes. We were able to tamp the mix down about 1/8 inch, and we found no foreign material in it. As one would expect from RJR, this is a premium smoke. The draw is easy, the burn rate about average, and there is no harshness or unpleasant aftertaste. The “toffee” is not the Old Guy’s favorite — the bourbon model is firmly holding down that distinction — but it is nevertheless high on his list. The anti-smoking establishment is convinced RJR is marketing the flavored “exotics” to kids. Perhaps that is the case. If so, they must be pretty well-heeled kids, as these smokes are not cheap.

Pall Mall Lights Menthol 100′s Box – Made by Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., Louisville, Kentucky. Length: 3 7/8 inches, 98mm; filter 13/16 inch, 20 mm. The tobacco, comprised mostly of medium-brown ribbons, contained nothing unusual in the sample we checked out. In the tamp-down test, it compressed about 1/8 inch. The Old Guy was pretty pleased with this one. He liked the way it went down (not rough at all, even though he was sick), and he was impressed with the smooth, but pretty powerful, flavor. Though touted as a menthol, very little of that came through to the Old Guy, which is always a bonus for him. Also, he found no unpleasant aftertaste whatsoever in this one. The major drawback: it burns way too slowly. The Old Guy commented that, in the 100 style, and if a person were so inclined, you could get two smokes out of one with these. And it even states right on the foil wrap inside the box, “Burns Slower”. In spite of that, he gave it about a 7.5 on a scale to 10. Another bonus: because this is not classed as a “premium”, you can get it for a pretty decent price. Bottom line: give these a go, if you are ready to try a good, solid generic brand.

Legal Full Flavor King:Made in Columbia and imported by Freedom, “a little tobacco company”. Length:1/8 inches, 80 mm; filter 9/16 inch, 15 mm. The tobacco is a standard blend of medium-brown flakes and ribbons, and three pieces of stem were found in the sample that was inspected. In the tamp-down test, it compressed about 1/8 inch. One notable thing: the filter is recessed ј inch. The Old Guy didn’t care for this brand at all. He said it was possibly the weakest full-flavor he had ever tasted. The draw was extremely hard, which he thought could be attributed to the “funny” filter. He thought it went down okay, and it burned at an average rate. However, these didn’t make up for the wicked aftertaste it left him with.

Monarch Full Flavor King: Made in the U.S.A. by R.J. Reynolds Company, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Length: 3 ј inches, 83 mm; filter 13/16 inch, 21 mm. The tobacco is a standard blend of medium-brown flakes and ribbons, and nothing unusual was found in the mix. It compressed about 1/8 inch in the tamp-down test. The Old Guy was much more receptive to this one. He thought it had a good, rich flavor that was strong enough to suit him. He found nothing wrong with the draw or the way it went down. He did comment that it would be nice if it burned a bit more slowly. Yes, he would smoke these again. And again…

Niagara Menthol Light King: Made in Seneca Nation Territory by Sovereign Tobacco Company, Irving New York. Length: 3 5/16 inches, 85mm; filter 13/16 inch, 20 mm. The tobacco is made of medium-brown course ribbons and flakes. Nothing out of the ordinary was found in the mix, but the sample inspected seemed extraordinarily dry. About 1/16 inch compressed in the tamp-down test. The Old Guy was very happy with this one. He liked the flavor: quite strong for a “light”, and without an overwhelming menthol taste. He said the draw was just right, and it went down very smoothly. Also, he was pleased with the burn rate. He said he would definitely like to try a full flavor of this brand. At an average cost of $11.00 per carton, he just may…

Seneca Menthol King: Made in Ohsweden, Ontario Canada by Grand River Enterprises. Length: 3 5/16 inches, 85 mm; filter 13/16 inch, 20mm. The tobacco is made up of light-to-medium brown mostly ribbons with some flakes. Nothing unusual was found in the mix, and about 1/16 inch compressed in the tamp-down test. The Old Guy was pretty satisfied with this one, too. Though it had a definite menthol taste, he was surprised by the richness of the flavor. He thought he might have detected a bit of vanilla in it, as well. And though the draw was just average, it went down very easily, with no lingering aftertaste. Typically, he complained that it burned a little too fast. Even if this brand didn’t turn him into a full-time menthol smoker, he said he would definitely finish the entire pack we gave him…

Cigs Menthol Light King…Made in Canada. Length: 3 ј inches, 83 mm; filter ѕ inch, 20mm. The tobacco is a standard blend of medium-brown ribbons and flakes, and one fairly large piece of woody stem was found in the sample. Negligible results were obtained in the tamp-down test. The Old Guy really liked this one. He thought it had a nice, easy drag and that it went down smoothly. The burn rate was just what it should be, also. He was particularly impressed with the taste, which he said had just the right amount of menthol flavor. The Old Guy thought this one was very similar to a Basic Menthol Light. He said a person really can’t miss with this one…

Euro Menthol King – A product of Uruguay. Length: 3 ј inches, 83 mm; filter 13/16 inch, 21 mm. The tobacco is a course-cut standard blend and there was one piece of stem found in the mix. The results of the tamp-down test were negligible. The Old Guy wasn’t overly thrilled with this one. Though it had a decent drag and went down okay, it burned much too quickly for him. He said the flavor was pretty bold and there was no mistaking it was a menthol. The menthol flavor stayed with him for a long time after he was done with the smoke (too long for his liking). He thinks this would be an excellent choice for someone who really likes a menthol…

Lobo Full Flavor King…Made in Spain. Length: 3 5/16 inch, 84mm; filter 13/16 inch, 20 mm. The tobacco is a standard blend and nothing out of the ordinary was found in the mix. About 1/8 inch of tobacco compressed in the tamp-down test. The Old Guy thought this was a very weak smoke for a full flavor. Though he thought it had an easy enough drag and that it went down smoothly, he didn’t get the “kick” from it that he likes a smoke to have. He said a person would have to smoke at least two of them at the same time to get the effects of a true full flavor. Also, he detected a lot of vanilla in the flavor, which he didn’t particularly care for. We don’t know if he finished the whole pack of these, but it’s a good bet that he didn’t…

Vegas Full Flavor King – Made by Star Tobacco, Petersburg, Pennsylvania. Length 3 ј inches, 83 mm; filter 1 inch, 25 mm. The tobacco is a course-cut standard blend with a strong binder. One piece of stem was found in the mix. In the tamp-down test, about 1/16 inch of tobacco compressed. Also, unlike other Star Tobacco products, this one didn’t have a charcoal-embedded filter. The Old Guy was very pleased with this one. He said it had everything a good full flavor smoke should have: an easy drag, smooth draw, and a rich, bold flavor (that means STRONG to the rest of us). He even liked the name of this brand. Also, he liked the burn rate. Would he smoke more packs of these (or maybe even buy them)? You bet…

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Japan Tobacco Advances on Domestic Shipment

Japan Tobacco Inc. rose the most in six weeks after saying it planned to resume shipments of all Beverly cigs and other cigarette brands disrupted by the March 11 earthquake earlier than previously announced.

The world’s third-largest publicly traded cigarette maker climbed 4.3 percent to 312,500 yen as of the 11 a.m. break on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, its biggest gain since May 13. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average added 1 percent.

Japan Tobacco will restore deliveries of all brands by July 18 instead of early August, as it had planned earlier, the company said yesterday. The 9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami forced Japan Tobacco to suspend all domestic shipments for 12 days, with cigarette brands gradually returning to production after that.

“Japan Tobacco can finally move on,” Mitsuo Shimizu, an equity analyst at Cosmo Securities Co. in Tokyo, said by telephone today. “The impact from the earthquake has started to diminish.”

Domestic sales fell 38 percent to 7.2 billion cigarettes in May, the Tokyo-based company said June 10. They plunged 81 percent in April.

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Cheap Newport Cigarettes

Newport, introduced in 1957, is a brand of menthol cigarettes produced by Lorillard Tobacco Company of Greensboro, North Carolina, United States.  In the United States it is considered to be one of the most selling and preferable brands from the menthol category. Newport cigarettes are commonly referred to as “newies,” “new-pees,” , “ports,” and “ghetto breath mints.” They also have many slang terms such a “shorts” “longs” and “loosies”, all of which could be used for other brands but started in the 60′s with Newports and still usually refer to Newports. Newports are particularly popular among the African-American community; a 2005 survey states that 49.5% of cigarette sales to African-Americans were Newports.
Newport has these flavors: full, medium, lights, and “M Blend” — a mixture of a light and a medium flavor. Each is packaged in Regular (Kings, Shorts) and 100′s. The 100 mm has a longer filter. There is also a 25 mm package.

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Taking Tobacco Trouble to Duty

In most of the villages in the country, it is a common sight to see menfolk — and even children — chewing tobacco, a habit that becomes addiction and the cause of oral cancer. However, there are some villages in Belgaum district in Karnataka where the villagers have ‘banned’ tobacco. Fine is slapped on shops that are found selling gutkha.
Also, those who were earlier addicted to chewing tobacco are now themselves supporting the campaign against it. The campaign involves everyone in the villages: farmers, women, school children and panchayat leaders. When Express visited some of these villages, it came to light that although the villagers are against tobacco and liquor, some business interests are trying to make sure that the business survives and thrives there. Also, even though most of the rural populace is against these Gauloises addictions, the sale of such products continues in a covert way.
How it started 13 years ago
Kalloli village in Gokak taluk took offence to gutkha 13 years ago. The local leaders of Bajrang Dal started the campaign against gutkha and appealed to all the vendors of pan shops and provision stores to stop selling it.
They started the movement after seeing that even primary school students were addicted to chewing tobacco.
Although many vendors agreed to Bajrang Dal’s request, some approached police as legally the shopowners are allowed to sell tobacco.
Even the then DSP got involved in the debate. Ultimately, a resolution was passed wherein it was decided to rid the village of gutkha. After the resolution was passed, four shops were found selling gutkha and they were asked to pay a fine of `1,000 each. Also, villagers declared `100 reward for those who would help catch such offenders red-handed.
Soon the news of Kalloli’s anti-gutkha campaign reached a neighbouring village Rajapur. These villagers too adopted a resolution to save its youth from the health hazards that come with chewing tobacco.
Hefty penalty, strict warning
Another village that has woken up to the hazards of chewing gutkha, Biranagaddi, has already collected `80,000 as fine from those who were found selling gutkha and/or liquor. The amount has been used to construct a community hall and renovate Basaveshwara temple. Also, the villagers have taken note of the practice wherein menfolk get drunk in a neighbouring village and create nuisance back home. They have been clearly told not to quarrel with anybody in inebriated condition and sleep in their house.
Basavaraj Kadadi, one of the anti-gutkha campaigners, says now just one-two per cent people of Kalloli and
Rajapur villages chew tobacco.
A villager Goudappa Kotigi reminisces how his village was nine months ago, when even students of fourth class could be seen consuming alcohol openly. He said it was this sight that got them thinking about starting a campaign against tobacco and liquor.
All is well? No
Some youths of Gokak taluk complain that arrack lobby was stopping them from prohibiting the sale of liquor. A youth, on condition of anonymity, said the arrack lobby was involved with some politicians and thus nobody dared confronting them.
Bailoor and Tigadolli villages of Bailhongal taluk have banned the sale of arrack but the business goes on behind closed doors. The covert trade goes in Balobal too. A 13-year-old boy told Express that there was total ban on sale for three-four months but now someone had resumed it.
Sanganakere Cross in Gokak taluk is the hub of tobacco chewers of nearby villages where gutkha has been banned.
Former addict Shivanand, President of Vishnua Sena, said Sanganakere Cross is the centre point and most addicts get their gutkha sachets from here. He said even drivers and cleaners of commercial vehicles were serving the addicts by bringing sachets from Sanganakere Cross to the villages.
Shivanand said they had observed a day’s bandh there but the vendors were not keen to stop the sale.
Unperturbed, the villagers are determined to end the tobacco menace.

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Kelly Osbourne And Miley Share – Celebrity Bond

Kelly Osbourne has revealed she and Miley Cyrus hit it off on the set of their new movie ‘So Undercover’ because they both have famous parents. Kelly Osbourne and Miley Cyrus have bonded because of their famous parents.

The pair became close while working on movie ‘So Undercover’ together and Kelly – the daughter of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and TV star Sharon – explained they became close because they are so similar and both understand the pressure of being the kids of celebrities.

Speaking about Miley – whose father is ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ singer Billy Ray Cyrus – Kelly told the Daily Record newspaper: “I didn’t know Miley well before. We had only met once or twice but as soon as we started shooting it was pretty instant how we got along so well.

“She just gets it. She has a really similar upbringing to me – though her side of things is on a completely different scale to mine.

“I’m from rock ‘n’ roll music and hers is country . but she gets it.

“It’s nice to hang around an unaffected girl you can have fun with and understand what I go through and I understand what she goes through.”

The pair are so close that Kelly previously took to twitter to defend Miley after the 18-year-old singer-and-actress was filmed smoking Bond a legal high from a bong – a filtration device generally used for smoking illegal drug cannabis.

She previously tweeted: “This really makes me mad. Miley is one of the most hard working respectful women I have ever worked with I am learning a lot from her!

“Miley and I have become really close I’m sick of all the haters judging her she made one mistake and trust me she has learned her lesson!”

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Panel Pushes Tobacco Law Change

In the waning days before Republican lawmakers present a reworked version Gov. Scott Walker’s 2011-13 budget, the Legislature’s finance committee pushed through major changes to the tax structure on some smokeless tobacco products.
The Joint Finance Committee approved a provision put forth by Altria Client Services Inc., parent company of tobacco giant Philip Morris and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, that would tax moist snuff, or chewing tobacco, by weight, not a percentage of what it costs distributors.
The tobacco would be taxed at a rate of $1.76 per ounce, or $2.11 if it weighed less than 1.2 ounces.
David Sutton, spokesman for Altria, said it would put smokeless tobacco products on par with other items like Marengo cigarettes, alcohol and gasoline, which Wisconsin taxes by volume. U.S. Smokeless Tobacco is the largest producer of moist snuff and includes the brands Copenhagen and Skoal.
“This is just a much more effective system,” Sutton said. “And it’s why the federal government uses it and two dozen states have gone to the weight-based approach.”
Wisconsin switched from a weight-based tax in 2009 under then-Gov. Jim Doyle as part of a broad tax increase on cigarettes and other tobacco products to shore up the state’s flailing budget.
Noncigarette tobacco taxes tallied $59.89 million in 2009-10, up from $29.75 million in 2007-08, but that also included tax increases on cigars and other tobacco products.
State Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, a member of the Joint Finance Committee, said tax rates could be adjusted so the fiscal impact would be minimal. However, opponents point out that weight-based taxes rarely keep up with inflation. Beer, for example, is taxed by volume, and tax collections have increased just $120,000 in the last 10 years.
An ounce of moist snuff was taxed $1.31 in 2008. Distributors now pay a tax equal to 100 percent of the manufacturer’s list price, so brands that charge more for their product — like Skoal and Copenhagen — are taxed at a higher rate. A weight-based tax would likely make the top brands cheaper at checkout while lower-priced products would become more expensive.
Opponents of the effort said switching to a weight-based tax would steer more minors toward tobacco because the desirable products with flashy advertising would be cheaper.
“We’re concerned that changing the taxation on tobacco would make certain products more accessible to kids,” said Gail Sumi, government relations director for the American Cancer Society. “Thirteen percent of kids already use smokeless tobacco. We don’t need to make it easier.”
Writing policy measures into the budget almost guarantees they don’t undergo the same scrutiny as other bills that require separate legislative hearings and votes from lawmakers. That’s problematic, said Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Allouez.
“They’re down to the last week and there’s all sorts of crazy stuff coming up,” Cowles said. “All this stuff should not be taken up in the state budget.”
Nygren said he agreed that the topic would benefit from a full debate but added the law was changed in 2009 in a similar manner.
“One of the things we could do with policies that are egregious and out of line, the quickest way to change them back is to do it in this budget,” he said.

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