Changing role of tobacco in North Carolina topic of March 18 lecture
BOONE—North Carolina’s changing tobacco economy will be the focus of a March 18 lecture at Appalachian State University.
Dr. Peter B. Benson, an assistant professor of sociocultural anthropology at Washington University, will discuss “Growers, Migrant Farm Workers, and the Changing Face of Big Tobacco in North Carolina.” His talk begins at 7 p.m. in room 114 Belk Library and Information Commons. The public is welcome.
Benson’s talk explores the major changes that have occurred in North Carolina’s tobacco economy, drawing on rich ethnographic field study on tobacco farms around the state. The transformation of tobacco communities in the state speaks to larger themes and broader social patterns in the United States, including Mexican labor migration and changes in work life resulting from economic globalization.
While reflecting on what tobacco farmers say about the health aspects of their livelihoods, Benson’s talk will also address the tobacco industry’s role in shaping regional politics and contributing to major transformations in North Carolina agriculture and social life.
Benson’s research interests include medical anthropology, public health, political economy, tobacco, agriculture, transnational migration and social theory, especially intersections between phenomenology, existentialism, and cultural anthropology.
His new book (Princeton University Press, forthcoming) covers the tobacco industry, seen from the perspective of rural North Carolina, where he has conducted field research with tobacco farmers and farmworkers including Mexican and Central American migrants for the past four years.
The lecture is sponsored by the Department of Anthropology and the Center for Appalachian Studies, with the assistance of an External Scholars Grant awarded by the University Forum Committee. Additional support was provided by Appalachian’s Global Studies Program, Sustainable Development Program, Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis, Department of Economics, Department of Economics and the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science.
Three arrested in cigarette theft
Three people were arrested early Monday, Feb. 8, accused of stealing cigarettes from a gas station, according to a news release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Lindsey R. Adams, 23, of 10431 Chenoweth Road, South Charleston, was arrested on a charge of theft; Christopher A. Dean, 25, of 1715 Tibbetts Ave., was arrested on a charge of complicity to theft; and Shawn Q. Adams, 28, of 10431 Chenoweth Road, South Charleston, was arrested on a charge of complicity to theft, according to the report.
The three went to a gas station and convenience store in the 3800 block of East National Road around 11 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, according to the report.
While the clerk was distracted, Adams went behind the counter and took some cartons of cigarettes, according to the report.
The three fled and were taken into custody when they returned to the same gas station around 4 a.m. Monday, according to the report.
All three were taken to the Clark County Jail.
Governor Signs Tobacco Tax into Law
Governor Felix Camacho officially signed bill 150 or the tobacco tax law into effect this morning. In about 60 days from now cigarettes will be taxed at $15 dollars per 100 sticks. That comes out to about an additional three dollars per pack of cigarettes.
Cigars will be taxed at .40 cents per mini cigar, .44 cents per regular sized cigar, and .50 cents per large cigar. Chewing tobacco will also cost an additional dollar per can.
Vice-Speaker BJ Cruz was the author of this legislation.He says that he knew it would make people upset but it was a piece of legislation that he had to push through when he heard that there is one diagnosis of lung cancer per week on Guam.
“This is a very important piece of legislation because it greatly supports with our attempt to discourage tobacco usage in our community,” said Governor Camacho. “Lt. Governor Cruz and I pledge to continue supporting all efforts that provide for a healthier quality of life for our people.”
“I want to commend Governor Camacho and members of the Legislature for ensuring that this became law,” said Lt. Governor Cruz. “This will help us decrease tobacco usage among our people, but more importantly, it will reduce the number of tobacco-related health issues we would otherwise have to address in the future.”
According to PL 30-80, a significant amount of revenue generated from the tax increase will be deposited into the newly created Guam Cancer Trust Fund to be used by programs that support cancer screenings, treatment, and support services.
Additionally, tax revenues will go to GMH, DPHSS, and DMHSA to support disease prevention programs and address future healthcare demands associated with tobacco use.
E-Cigarettes may not be the answer to Quitting Smoking
They look like real cigarettes from afar, but the electronic cigarettes are not cigarettes at all.
The device debuted in 2008, but is just now gaining momentum with those trying to kick the smoking habit.
These faux smokes vaporize liquid nicotine, turning it into a puff of smoke. Smokers are finding that this is an easier method of quitting because they don’t miss any of their old habits. They get the nic kick, the oral fixation, and even get to blow smoke rings.
The electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, is powered by a small battery. The nicotine cartridges can be replaced and are sold separately. Many companies are giving the device away with a reoccurring monthly purchase of nicotine cartridges.
Because the e-cigarettes emit vapor, makers are claiming that the e-cig can be used anywhere, including places where smoking is banned.
The downside is that most of these electronic cigarettes are made in China and have not gone through any testing by the FDA like other nicotine curbing products sold in the U.S.
And it is because of this that some doctors have a problem with electronic cigarettes. Dr. Matthew Mintz is board certified in internal medicine. Mintz recently appeared on a CBS morning show to warn about the unknown effects. On his online blog, Mintz wrote, “Though the FDA may have limited ability to stop what is being sold on the Internet from other countries, they must do a better job in regulating what is sold here.”
Teenagers arrested for Paignton street robbery
Two teenage boys were arrested by police on Saturday on suspicion of robbing a 13-year old on a Paignton street.
A police spokesman said that at around 7.30pm on January 23, on Foxhole Road in Paignton two 13 year old boys grabbed another 13 year old boy and put him in a headlock, demanding cigarettes.
They took his wallet and removed two £5 notes from it then threw the wallet back at the victim and ran off.
Within an hour officers had arrested the two offenders.
PS Gaynor Bell, neighbourhood team leader at Paignton police station said: “Thankfully street robberies are rare in Torbay but I want to send out a clear message to young people in Torbay to be vigilant, report any incidents to police because the sooner we have this information the sooner we can respond.
“For those teenagers tempted into criminal acts, just give some thought to your future, as getting a criminal record now can mess up future employment chances – we will catch you and it’s just not worth it.”
Governor floats idea of cigarette tax increase
Just days after a senior administration official dismissed as “rumor” talk of another increase in the state’s cigarette tax, Gov. David A. Paterson on Sunday floated the idea of raising the tax in an upstate radio interview.
The prospect of raising the state’s current $2.75-per-pack excise tax would give Indian retailers an even larger price advantage over non-Indian stores.
Paterson has declined to enforce a law requiring the state to collect taxes on cigarette sales by Indian retailers to non- Indian smokers.
Sources last week said Paterson may be looking at hiking the cigarette tax by as much as $1 per pack. New York City imposes an additional $1.50 per pack above the state level, not including state and county sales taxes.
Peter Kauffmann, a Paterson spokesman, last week dismissed as “rumor” a question about talk at the Capitol that Paterson may propose a cigarette tax increase of as much as $1 per pack when he unveils his 2010 budget plan in a week.
The governor Sunday told a Syracuse radio station that, as expected, he would not be proposing an increase in the state’s income tax. But he did not rule out a tobacco tax hike. “If things get rough, we might go back to a cigarette tax that would be devoted to health care. We would think about doing that,” he said in the interview.
The cigarette tax was raised by $1.25 per pack in 2008. The excise tax on a carton of cigarettes is $27.50 — meaning that Indian retailers have that level of pricing advantage built into every carton sale, since they do not charge the tax. A new tax hike without the state collecting the taxes on the Indian sales would provide Indian retailers with an even greater profit margin over non-Indian stores.
Paterson has said he will not enforce the Indian cigarette tax-collection law because he wants to negotiate a settlement with the tribes. His administration, though, has not yet started negotiations to resolve the decades-long dispute.
Nigerien sentenced for cigarette smuggling
A Nigerien trader, Amadu Mamudu, was sentenced to a fine of 2,500 cedis by a Jasikan Magistrate Court for smuggling prohibited cigarettes from Kpalime in Togo into Ghana.
Mamudu pleaded guilty to the charge, paid the fine and would have served five years in jail in default.
The court presided over by Mr Christian Hevi-Affuflu ordered the consignment of cigarettes to be publicly destroyed.
He warned smugglers, be they Ghanaians or foreigners, that the law against smuggling would be rigidly applied without fear or favour.
Prosecuting, Inspector Mr Albert Kwabla said CEPS officials on duty on the main Abotoase/Kwamekrom road found 150 packets of Fine-light cigarettes on a bus.
Mr Kwabla said Mamudu, who claimed ownership of the cigarettes, said they were being taken to Cote d’Ivoire but some were to be sold in Ghana to generate enough funds to facilitate easy passage to that country.
The cigarettes were destroyed at the precincts of the court under the supervision of Environmental Health officers and court officials.
Quit Smoking Cigarettes With Exercise
Free Headline News – Researchers from the University of Western Ontario Canada found that exercise may help people quit smoking. They believe this can help people quit for good.
A combination of nicotine replacement therapy and exercise works best, according to Dr. Harry Prapavssis, director of the Exercise and Health Psychology Laboratory.But why does exercise help? They believe that women who exercise experience less weight gain.
Fight erupts over cigarette money
A 36-year-old Salisbury man was charged with assault after he allegedly attempted to choke a woman during a fight over money for cigarettes, according to police.
Ricardo Abitua, of the 400 block of Patrick Avenue, was charged with second-degree assault and reckless endangerment on Jan. 10 after the victim showed signs of physical injuries, according to the Wicomico County Sheriff’ s Office.
Abitua appeared before a District Court Commissioner and later released on personal recognizance, according to court records.
Legislators won’t support cigarette tax
One of the last options Hamilton County commissioners have to fix a fast-approaching debt in the stadium fund appears to be fading fast.
A proposal for a countywide cigarette tax was met with a lukewarm reception Tuesday by several local legislators, leaving the county with dwindling options. A cigarette tax requires approval by the General Assembly, and several local state legislators Tuesday said they don’t support it.
One of them supports a sales tax increase instead, which doesn’t require legislative approval. It would need only the vote of two of the three commissioners.Six of the 11 Hamilton County legislators met Tuesday morning at the county administration building with Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune for a closed-door briefing on stadium fund, which pays construction debt on Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park. The fund will go into the red later this year.
Portune and Commissioner Greg Hartmann last month proposed bridging the gap with a cigarette tax in lieu of cutting a homeowner property tax rebate. But the idea isn’t faring well.
“I told them today I cannot support (the cigarette tax),” said state Rep. Connie Pillich, D-Montgomery, after the meeting. “I really feel penalizing one small segment of the population for the needs of everyone is not really the best idea.”
State Rep. Dale Mallory, D-West End, said it’d be tough for him to support the tax “because we’ve kind of beaten the smoker down to the ground.”
After the meeting, Portune stopped short of saying the cigarette tax is extinguished, but acknowledged proposing it would be a risk.
“In order for it to work, we need not just tepid support, we need enthusiastic support,” he said.
State Rep. Tyrone Yates, D-Evanston, is so far the only legislator to say he supports the tax. Ohio levies a $1.25 per pack tax on cigarettes. The federal government also levies a cigarette tax.
It’s unclear how many cigarettes are sold annually in Hamilton County. According to estimates from the Ohio Department of Taxation, statewide sales equated to 63 packs a person in the 2009 fiscal year, which ended June 30. At that rate, about 53.6 million packs of cigarettes were sold in Hamilton County during fiscal year 2009, according to Enquirer calculations. A 50 cent-per-pack tax, for example, would bring in about $26.8 million a year.
Commissioners had not disclosed what the potential tax rate would be. Cuyahoga County (which includes Cleveland) levies an additional 34.5 cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes to pay for sports stadiums and an arts center. Sales there were slightly lower at 50 packs per person in the 2009 fiscal year. Summit County is currently pursuing a cigarette tax.
Yates told the media Tuesday that he thinks a sales tax increase is a good option for Hamilton County – and one that doesn’t require legislative approval – to plug the hole in the fund.
“That (deficit’s) not going to disappear without some help from our fellow citizens,” Yates said. “I believe that the citizens of this county would be prepared to help the county commissioners get out of this hole.”
A third option – reducing a property tax rebate to homeowners – was already nixed for this year by two of the three commissioners, Greg Hartmann and Todd Portune, though it could be revisited in future years.
Voters approved a sales tax increase in 1996 to pay for the stadiums. Some of the revenue is also reserved for Cincinnati School District, stadium operations and the property tax rebate. However, sales tax revenue has fallen short of projections. Although it will contain enough money to pay the debt service, it won’t have enough to meet its other obligations.
Legislators acknowledged Tuesday that the county is in a bind.Pillich said a sales tax is probably more fair than a cigarette tax, but doesn’t like either option.
State Rep. Denise Driehaus, D-West Price Hill, said she doesn’t like either tax idea.
They noted there had also been some discussion at the meeting about delaying property tax rebate payments until the county can get the deficit under control.
Although legislative approval isn’t needed for a sales tax increase, it would require a huge marketing campaign to voters where legislative support would be beneficial.
Commissioners can impose up to a half-cent sales tax increase on their own, but it would be subject to referendum.
The last time the commission tried that, in 2007, tax opponents gathered enough signatures to put the tax on the fall ballot – where voters rejected it. That tax would have paid for a jail and public safety programs.
A quarter-cent sales tax hike would generate about $28 million annually, enough to provide a long-term fix for the stadium fund.
Portune said after the meeting that he wasn’t ready to comment on what option commissioners will pursue. More discussion will come at Wednesday’s regular commission meeting, he said.
Pepper told the Enquirer he would not support a sales tax increase. He thinks the county should have done what the administration proposed in November – reduced the property tax rollback. He said that would have helped to bridge the 2010 deficit, buying time to work on longer-term solutions like a riverfront surcharge on things like game tickets or food sales.
