No tobacco tax hike in California. Proposition 29, a ballot question that would have increased the California cigarette tax by $1 per pack and raised other tobacco products’ excise tax on an equivalent basis, was not passed by voters in a June 5 California election, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) reported. The failure…
Decoding Haverstraw’s Questionable Tobacco Display Ban
With various federal laws banning or limiting certain cigarette product advertising, cigarette packaging itself has become a commercially accepted form of advertising. By John Lofstock, Editor. In early April, the Village of Haverstraw, N.Y., adopted a first-of-its-kind ordinance in the U.S. that requires retailers to keep tobacco out of public view. To learn more about…
FDA Announces Intent to Regulate OTP
FDA expects to issue a deeming regulation in summer 2012 to cover other tobacco products. Cigars, e-cigs and cigarillos are among tobacco products about to meet with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scrutiny. The agency has announced its intent to issue a “deeming regulation” sometime during the summer of 2012 to cover other tobacco…
GAO Suggests Equalizing Tobacco Tax Rates
A new report finds shift in using pipe versus roll-your-own tobacco and large cigars versus small cigars to avoid hefty taxes. This week, the federal Government Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report titled “Large Disparities in Rates for Smoking Products Trigger Significant Market Shifts to Avoid Higher Taxes.” The document shows the impact of the…
Cigarette Warning Labels Upheld By Appeals Court
Following a federal court decision that graphic warning labels were unconstitutional, an appellate court has ruled that requiring cigarette warning labels are not a violation of free speech, rather they fall under commercial speech disclosures, are disclosing the health risks of cigarettes and are reasonably related to the government’s interest of preventing the deception of…
Navigating OTP’s Legal Battleground
The prospects for OTP throughout 2012 are good, as growth remains strong. But a swelling number of revenue-strapped state legislatures continue to hungrily eye the category. “I think the category will continue to expand,” predicted Matt Hieb, category manager for Gate Petroleum, which operates 225 convenience stores in six Southeastern states.“The growth of the brands…
FDA Appeals Federal Court Tobacco Ruling
Administration continues to push for graphic warning labels on cigarette packages. Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration appealed the February 29, 2012 decision issued by Federal District Court Judge Richard Leon which held that the FDA’s new graphic images and text warnings for cigarette packaging and cigarette advertisements violate free speech protections under the First…
NATO Announces Initiative To Combat Local Ordinances
Free sign up date for the April 2012 NATO Show extended. The National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) launched a new initiative in response to the wave of local ordinances being proposed in cities in Massachusetts, California, Rhode Island, Illinois, Pennsylvania and other states. “These local ordinance are the latest in the attempt by the anti-tobacco…
Lawsuit Aims To Protect Promotion and Sale of Legal Tobacco Products
Trade associations and seven tobacco manufacturers team to fight tobacco ordinances. On Tuesday, Feb. 14, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets Inc. (NATO), the Cigar Association of America Inc. (CAA), along with Lorillard Tobacco Co., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., American Snuff Company, Philip Morris USA Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Manufacturing Co. LLC, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco…
FDA To Reveal Time of Inspection In Letters
Warning letters to note the time of day an inspection took place following NATO request. Going forward, the FDA plans to include the time a retail compliance inspection occurred in warning letters sent to retailers, National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) reported. The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) sent a letter, dated Feb. 1,…