Smoking Bans in Brazil, Bulgaria

From Bulgaria to Brazil, the push to ban smoking is firing up. As Agence France-Presse reports, the government of heavy-smoking Bulgaria is renewing its effort to prohibit puffing in all enclosed public places, including cafes, bars and restaurants. The government’s proposal, which would take effect June 1, would build on a 2005 ban that outlawed smoking in all government buildings, public transport, cinemas and schools. A previous effort to broaden the nation’s smoking ban failed last year. Bulgaria is second in the European Union only to Greece in the portion of its population that smokes. One survey, Reuters reports, found that 39 percent of the adult population smokes. Government figures put the nation’s smoking rate at 44 percent.

Too Little Known on Smokeless-Tobacco Risk

A key advisory committee warned the Food and Drug Administration Wednesday that little is known about the health effects of so-called modified-risk tobacco products, suggesting makers of smokeless tobacco and other alternatives to conventional cigarettes face high hurdles before they can market them as less harmful. The report by the Institute of Medicine coincided with another government-sponsored study showing cigarette use hitting historic lows among U.S. teenagers, even as more youths have turned in recent years to smokeless products such as moist snuff and pouches called snus. The FDA is studying whether to allow companies to advertise some tobacco products.

Regulate Sales of Electronic Cigarettes, Boston News

Boston city officials are stepping up efforts to regulate electronic cigarettes that deliver nicotine and individual cigars that have become popular with people looking for cheaper alternatives to discount Cigaronne cigarettes. E-cigarettes are battery-powered plastic and metal devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution in a disposable cartridge, creating vapor that users inhale. The Boston Public Health Commission on Thursday approved a proposal to immediately treat e-cigarettes like tobacco products. That includes requiring retailers to obtain permits to sell them, banning their use in the workplace and restricting their use to adults. The board also approved banning the sale of single-sale cigars by requiring that they be sold in their original manufacturer packaging of at least four. The rule becomes effective at the end of January. The board also doubled fines for retailers that violate tobacco control regulations.

More New York Railways Prohibit Platform Smoking

There’s one less place to enjoy a cigar outdoors as the anti-smoking annexation of New York continues. Metro North and Long Island Railroad platforms will join the list of territories lost as the campaign against outdoor smoking presses forward. Current rules already prohibit smoking on trains and in any indoor area associated with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But the new law now extends to include ticketing and boarding areas and platforms with open air, effectively banning outdoor smoking from all railways. In order to smoke, rail patrons will now have to light up in parking lots or other off-premises locations before enter- ing their station, making hearing—and catching—a train much more difficult. Similar restrictions were already in place in New York City and New Jersey stations.

County Plans to Push Smokers Away from Entrances

Chester County employees and visitors to the county’s various buildings will have to haul their ashes away from public entrances if a new smoking policy is adopted Wednesday by county commissioners. The policy would forbid smokers from lighting up within 25 feet of any entrance to a county building, including the privately owned West Market Street building in West Chester where the county has administrative offices. Smoking would be permitted only in designated areas out of the way of the public. The new policy was suggested by the county’s Wellness Committee, made up of employees in the county’s Health Department and its Human Resources Department, said Karen Florentine, county human resources director.

Smoking Costs Much More Than The Price of Cigarettes

Most people only consider the cost of cigarettes when they calculate how much smoking discount Esse cigarettes is costing them. It’s easy to calculate this cost as you know exactly how much you are handing over in cash for each pack of cigarettes you purchase. The truth, however, is that the cost of cigarettes is only a small portion of the overall cost of smoking. Most smokers forget to take into account the higher cost of insurance (auto, life, health) for being a smoker, the way that smoking devalues assets (car, home, furniture, etc) and other costs that one might skip over if they didn’t think too hard about all those little extras that add up when you smoke. The below infographic from Cost of Smoking clearly shows that the cost of smoking is a lot more than just the cost of the cigarettes:

The City’s War on Cheap Cigarettes

There's a magical place in Chinatown — for now — called Island Smokes, where the price of a pack of cigarettes hovers around $5. The trick is that you have to make them yourself — the shop sells "all natural" tobacco and papers, and has machines where customers can assemble the raw supplies. The city is suing the store: "By selling illegally low-priced cigarettes, defendants not only interfere with the collection of city cigarette taxes, they also impair the city’s smoking cessation programs and impair individual efforts at smoking reduction, thereby imposing higher health care costs on the city and injuring public health," says a lawsuit filed last week. The company's lawyer contends, "We are selling the contents that produce the cigarette and it’s up to the user to make them," comparing it to "making your own beer." "Just leave people alone,” one customer told the New York Times. "In this economy, no one can barely afford food, let alone a pack of $15 cigarettes."

Tobacco Companies Challenge Efforts in US, Australia

Tobacco companies are fighting efforts in the United States and Australia to make their products less appealing. In Washington, a federal judge last week blocked the Food and Drug Administration from requiring new warning labels on cigarette packs. Judge Richard Leon ruled in a case brought by five tobacco companies. The judge temporarily stopped a new federal rule to require large new warnings starting next September. These include color images such as a dead body or diseased lungs. Simple text warnings now appear. Congress called for color images showing the dangers of smoking, similar to what Canada does. But the tobacco companies say the new requirements violate their free speech rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Judge Leon said the FDA could not require the new labels before a lawsuit against the government is decided. Some experts say the process could take years. The judge said he believes the Marlboro cigarette makers are highly likely to win their case.

Tobacco-Flavoured Lies

'Safety" might not be the first word to describe a tobacco product that threatens to turn children as young as 11 into nicotine fiends. But as The National reported last week, Chaini Khaini smokeless tobacco pouches are no ordinary product. Logon to chainikhaini.com and the claims begin: "It is a medically proven fact that [Chaini Khaini] is much less harmful than smoking," the makers boast. "Safety, from the harm of smoking and chewing tobacco." Claims such as these are purely deceptive, as the company proceeds to admit that any use of tobacco is "injurious to health". A more truthful depiction is seen in recent requirements forcing tobacco companies' advertising in the UAE and elsewhere to show rotting teeth, diseased lungs and other gruesome photos. Chaini Khaini flavoured tobacco is an example of the underage tobacco use that is an obvious problem in society. Police say children are sucking down the tobacco "like sweets". And it is far too common to see teenagers smoking cigarettes as well.

Want a healthy smile? Quit Smoking

One major thing that has been associated with discolored teeth is cigarette smoking. While many people know that lighting up could lead to their pearly whites turning yellow, they may not realize all of the other serious dental problems that using tobacco may cause. The American Dental Association reports that people who use Glamour cigarettes online are at risk of developing periodontitis, a condition that is characterized by red, swollen gums, constant bad breath and pus between teeth and gums. "Talk with your dentist about products that are available to help wean you off nicotine. Adults can buy over-the-counter nicotine replacement products, including skin patches, lozenges and chewing gum," recommends the ADA. WebMD reports that smokers are twice as likely to lose teeth than people who don't have the habit. The website adds that this population also has an increased risk of developing gum disease and other serious dental health concerns, such as oral cancer. This risk is the same for people who use smokeless tobacco as those who smoke cigarettes.

Smoke-Free Jackson County

Kellie Lamb would like to see smokers in Jackson County put their cigarettes out. She'd also like to see smokeless tobacco users throw away the can or pouch. Lamb, the health promotions coordinator for the Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition for Jackson County, says her mission of educating the public about the health risks of using tobacco is more than a job. "Thirteen Mississippians die a day from smoking," said Lamb. "I went into this field and especially tobacco education because I have a passion for promoting a healthy lifestyle. "I also take pleasure in working with children as well as interacting with the general public, so while I do that I can spread a healthy message." Funded by a grant from the Mississippi Department of Health, Lamb recently met with 28 children at the Mary B. Ruddiman Unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Jackson County. The hands-on presentation is part of Red Ribbon Week, the national drug prevention initiative.

Philip Morris Trial over Light Cigarettes

On Tuesday, a Missouri judge declared a mistrial in a lawsuit against Philip Morris concerning the perceived safety of light cigarettes. The case pitted smokers against tobacco giant Philip Morris. Damages would have amounted to $700 million, and anyone in Missouri who smoked Marlboro Lights cigarettes would have been eligible for thousands of dollars. It took 11 years for the case to get a jury. The trial was held to determine if Philip Morris should pay up for deceiving smokers. The smokers who filed the suit say the company intentionally manipulated the design and content of Marlboro Lights to maximize nicotine delivery while falsely claiming lowered tar and nicotine.

Smoking Damaged Monroe Home

Investigators say careless smoking tobacco is to blame for an early morning house fire Friday that caused extensive damage to a home outside of Monroe. The fire was reported shortly before 2 a.m. in the 18000 block of 117th Street SE, Snohomish. Flames were crawling over the two-story wood home by the time firefighters arrived, Snohomish County Fire District 3 battalion chief Leroy Schwartz said. A father was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but did not need to go to the hospital, said Bruce Pulver, a Snohomish County deputy fire marshal. The family was put in contact with the Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross for help.

Anti-Tobacco Movement

Medical doctors and others opposing the manufacture and sale of discount Dunhill Cigarettes will launch a civic group today to press government officials and lawmakers for the ban on what they believe are ``cancer-causing and highly-addictive’’ products. The organization will stage a public signature-collecting campaign and file a petition with the Constitutional Court to have tobacco products banned from being made and sold here. Park Jae-gahb, professor of College of Medicine at Seoul National University, is leading the anti-cigarette movement. ``We set up the Clean Air & Good Health Society in 2009 to create a world without cigarettes. It is more like a friendly society, not a well-organized civic organization,” Park said. “To more effectively pursue our goals, we have decided to launch a full-scale organization, tentatively named ``Movement Headquarters against Production & Sale of Tobacco in Korea.’’

Health Departments have Right to Ban Smoking

The Bullitt County Board of Health adopted a regulation last March that would limit smoking cheap Classic cigarettes in bars, restaurants, workplaces and public places, to protect the health of Bullitt County's citizens and workers. Similar restrictions are becoming more common, and already exist in 30 communities throughout Kentucky. City and county officials in Bullitt who oppose the regulation have taken the fight to the courthouse and Bullitt Circuit Judge Rodney Burress decided last week that the board of health does not have the authority, under Kentucky law, to restrict smoking. On the surface, this appears to be a local story with a local resolution. Burress' decision has the potential to impact every health department in our state, in ways that reach far beyond the issue of smoke-free workplaces. Departments of public health, in Kentucky and in other states, have been granted wide-ranging authority. Kentucky's health statutes give health departments the authority to abate "nuisances, sources of filth and causes of sickness," and they may use all the reasonably necessary public health tools to carry out their duty.

Al Ain Municipality Implemented Smoke-Free Environments

The civic administration has intensified its efforts to prevent smoking Karelia cigarettes in enclosed public places especially inside the shopping malls and commercial centres around the city. Smoking is prohibited by law at enclosed public places as authorities are committed to provide smoke-free environment to the residents. Al Ain Municipality has been implementing the law for the last several years and new drive has been launched to increase public awareness. Ahmad Nadar Al Neyadi, a senior official at the Public Health Department of Al Ain Municipality, said a campaign was initiated at the tree major malls of the city including, Bawadi Mall, Al Ain Mall, and Jimi Mall, to educate public through the display of posters and information screens.

Policy would Increase Taxes on all Tobacco Products

A group of 14 U.S. senators — all Democrats — are using a familiar strategy as they try to raise the federal excise tax on tobacco products. Senate Bill 1403 would provide annual funding to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by essentially doubling the excise tax on Kiss cigarettes and small cigars. The bill also would create "tax parity" on tobacco products by sharply raising the federal tax on smokeless tobacco so there is little tax difference between smokeless products and cigarettes. The public-health agenda of the bill comes out in the subtitle of "Saving lives by lowering tobacco use act."

Smoking Like Crazy in Armenia

There’s no getting around the fact that Armenia is a nation of smokers, with more than half the male population regularly lighting up. Despite the recent passage of anti-smoking legislation, the country is struggling to enforce relevant laws and promote public awareness about the harmful effects of Davidoff cigarettes and second-hand smoke.


Armenia’s high rate of poverty – with almost one-third of the country’s 2.97 million people living below the poverty line -- correlates strongly to high rates of smoking, as individuals use tobacco to cope with stress and relieve boredom.

Fewer E-Cigarettes Legal

A Seoul court ruled today that limiting advertisements on electronic cigarettes containing nicotine is legal since they are another kind of "tobacco" defined by law.A local importer of e-cigarettes filed a suit last June against the Seoul Metropolitan Government after it put a restriction on the company's online ad campaigns for the products. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the local government, saying the gadget amounts to real tobacco.E-cigarettes, made of plastic and metal, carry a disposable cartridge filed with a solution of liquid nicotine.When the solution is heated, it creates a vapor that smokers inhale.

Restaurants Fear Smoking Ban

A proposed ban on smoking Golden Gate cigarettes in restaurants, bars and cafés has spurred a debate about how the economic consequences will weigh out, as those against the ban caution that bars and restaurants, as well as state revenue, will suffer if fewer people buy cigarettes, while supporters of the ban say the overall improved health of citizens will make up for any losses.

 The discussion is not new - every time a country presents a smoking ban, the same facts and figures are raised regarding the potential losses for the hospitality industry and the state, but different analyses, both sponsored and independent, report conflicting results.

Tobacco-Free in Sri Lanka

National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA),Chairman Prof. Carlo Fonseka on Friday said his Authority urged the Members of Parliament, State sector officials and the general public to help creating a tobacco smoking free Sri Lanka .

He said if people in the country take measures to discourage smokers, especially the younger generation to refrain from cigarette smoking, it will be a great help to reduce 20,000 Sri Lankans dying of lung cancer, coronary heart diseases every year.

Smoking Cigarettes Benefits

Yes, that’s right. That title does say ‘benefits’; as in something good, advantageous and well, beneficial.


In the midst of all the smoking bans and calls for graphic warnings on Prima Lux cigarette boxes, in his column Bad Medicine, Christopher Wanek reports that various new studies have popped up claiming that there are actually some good things about being a life-long smoker.

If you are a card-carrying member of thetruth.com, you might want to stop reading now.

Your knees will remain intact

In a study done in the University of Adelaide in Australia, researchers found that smokers, particularly male smokers, will most likely never need any form of knee replacement surgery.

Hookah Smoking Rises

Layne Cronin's idea of relaxation is one imported from the Middle East: smoking flavored Al Fakher tobacco from an elaborate water pipe at a hookah lounge. Once only found in urban areas and ethnic enclaves, the social practice has slowly been embraced in the suburbs.


"The atmosphere is really relaxing after a day of work," said Cronin, 24, of Sayreville. "You just hang out and chill with people."

Since discovering hookah lounges three years ago -- and they are all over New Jersey these days -- Cronin experiments with different tobacco flavors a few times a week. Her favorite is the "manager's special" at Mist Hookah Lounge in North Brunswick, which has names such as "On Vacation" and "Lip Smacker."

"It has a really powerful taste to them. It's just really good," she said.

Smoking Like Crazy in Armenia

There’s no getting around the fact that Armenia is a nation of smokers, with more than half the male population regularly lighting up. Despite the recent passage of anti-smoking legislation, the country is struggling to enforce relevant laws and promote public awareness about the harmful effects of Davidoff cigarettes and second-hand smoke.

Armenia’s high rate of poverty – with almost one-third of the country’s 2.97 million people living below the poverty line -- correlates strongly to high rates of smoking, as individuals use tobacco to cope with stress and relieve boredom.

Scare Tactics Aim to Discourage Smokers

A leading cause of preventable death in United States has unfortunately become an addicting habit for many people all over the nation.

This extremely harmful habit is smoking tobacco, known as cigarettes. Smoking Vogue causes many health problems, such as emphysema, heart disease, and cancer, as well as emotional and physical consequences such as change in voice, pigmentation change in teeth and bad breath.

Even though throughout the years people have become more aware of the harmful effects that smoking causes, it seems as though it is just not enough and more needs to be done in order to save lives and shape the upcoming generations into a healthier and more knowledgeable society.

Big Tobacco and Cigarette Black Market

City Hall for the first time is directly blaming Big Tobacco for the burgeoning black market of bootleg Prima Lux cigarettes on city streets. Newport maker Lorillard, the country's No. 3 tobacco company, consciously oversupplies the Poospatuck Indian reservation on Long Island -- knowing full well bootleggers buy in bulk and then flood city neighborhoods with unstamped, cheap smokes, a city official told The Post.

Testing on Tobacco Greenhouse Water Quality

The quality of source water for irrigation is crucial for any greenhouse operation.
This is especially true for floatbed greenhouses, where Styrofoam trays filled with tobacco transplants float in bays of water. Well water is typically used to fill the bays, and its pH and mineral levels can vary somewhat from year to year, with the potential to significantly impact plant growth.

Vigilant growers check their well water annually by sending samples to the Agronomic Services Division of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which assesses the suitability of water for plant production through a laboratory test known as solution analysis.

Performance of Tobacco Leaf Exports

British American Tobacco Uganda is pessimistic about the performance of its tobacco leaf exports due to the drought that has hit the West Nile region in Uganda.

Mr Alain Shacher BATU’s managing director told journalists in Kampala, that the company is concerned about the severe shortage of rains in tobacco growing regions.

Make Smoking Illegal in the U.S.

The head of Philip Morris states that Esse cigarettes are addictive and harmful. Many former smokers say that kicking the nicotine habit is more difficult than stopping such illegal drugs as cocaine and heroine. So, why not make tobacco products illegal?

The largest tobacco company in the United States, Philip Morris, an Altria company, admits that its products are harmful and addictive. So, why not make them illegal?

Specifically, the May 15, 2011 iTwire story “Cigarette chief is butt of criticism” discusses comments made by Louis Camilleri, the CEO of Philip Morris.

Obstacles Faced by Chinese Smoking Ban

China is home to nearly 300 million smokers and smoking kills about one million people per year there. A new smoking ban in China may have some obstacles to overcome before it can take root.


The Health Ministry in China produced updated guidelines on places that smoking is not allowed. These places include hotels and restaurants, but smoking Lucky Strike is still allowed in the workplace.


In January there were attempts to ban smoking in all public places, but the deadline for this was missed and rescheduled for May 1.

Possible Ban on Menthol Cigarettes

Businesses are not pleased about the push by Senator Richard Blumenthal LAW ‘73 to ban menthol Kiss cigarettes.

In an Apr. 18 letter, Blumenthal expressed his support for the United States Food and Drug Administration’s call to ban cigarettes with more than 0.3 percent menthol by weight. But six New Haven store proprietors interviewed said they were worried about how this move would negatively affect thier business profits.

Smoking Racket

Larry Penninger, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' tobacco diversion unit, said investigations and prosecutions involving tobacco trafficking have been increasing as smugglers flood high-tax states with cigarettes from low-tax states.


From 2007 to last year, 27 states raised their Lucky Strike cigarette taxes, according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Midland-based think tank that closely tracks tobacco taxes across the country. Mackinac describes tobacco smuggling as an "unintended consequence of high cigarette taxes."

There is so much illicit money to be made, Penninger said, that some drug and weapon traffickers are adding tobacco to their product lines to boost profits.

Tobacco Firm Contract Under Fire

The Newfoundland and Labrador government admitted Monday that Danny Williams was premier when his former law firm was hired to work on a lawsuit aimed at recovering millions of dollars from tobacco manufacturers. Justice Minister Felix Collins said a U.S. law firm picked a St. John's firm that had been founded by former premier Danny Williams.

Roebothan McKay Marshall — a firm Williams helped found, but which he left after he entered politics a decade ago — is at the centre of a political controversy, with the Liberals accusing the governing Progressive Conservatives of awarding a rich contract without tender.

British American Tobacco Dropped

British American Tobacco Plc has won its fight to be dropped from a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit in which cigarette companies were found to have conspired to lie about the dangers of tobacco.

U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued since her 2006 judgment against British American Tobacco and other companies, said she would grant the request by the company to be severed from the case.

Philip Morris Int. Says Japan Profits Intact

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan are not expected to affect Philip Morris International Inc.'s sales and profit in the country, the cigarette maker said Monday. Philip Morris International, which sells Marlboro and other brands overseas, said during a presentation at the Consumer Analyst Group of Europe Conference in London that all of the cigarettes for sale in Japan are produced outside the country and shipments at ports are "being unloaded normally."

The company said four of 28 third-party distribution centers in Japan are closed because of damage. Two are expected to open this week, and other distribution arrangements are being made for the other two centers.

Anti-tobacco Advocates Propose Tobacco-Tax Increase

A Democratic lawmaker, backed by anti-tobacco forces, said Tuesday she will introduce a bill to raise Kent cigarette taxes by $1.50 a pack, with commensurate increases for other tobacco products. “I like to call it a tobacco-user fee,” said Rep. Trudi Schmidt, D-Great Falls, who said money raised by the higher tax will fund tobacco-cessation programs and other health-related programs.

Schmidt and members of the Alliance for a Healthy Montana and the American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network pointed to a poll they commissioned that said 70 percent of Montanans support the higher tobacco tax.

E-Cigarette Consumer Group Promotes

A new ad has appeared on the CBS SuperScreen in Times Square telling smokers they have a choice. National Vapers Club has furnished this ad and accompanying website in order to raise awareness about electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). e-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that vaporize a liquid -- similar to that found in fog machines --that sometimes contains nicotine. They are in danger of being banned in many jurisdictions across the country, including in New York.

Smoking ban Changes Bars And Restaurants Business

A Sioux Falls businessman plans to tap into food sales in hopes of making up for bar patrons he lost to the Kent smoking ban. John Herrmann, president of SRS Inc., which owns Poppadox Pub, will open a restaurant in May in the former Coyote Canyon space.

The move is in response to the statewide smoking ban that went into effect Nov. 10 that officials say has cut into bar revenues.

Ban Sales of Electronic Cigarettes to Minors

A state senator wants to keep electronic cigarettes out of kids’ hands by making it a petty offense for merchants to sell them to minors and for minors to buy them. “If we’re going to say minors can’t buy Virginia regular cigarettes, it doesn’t seem valid to say they can have access to electronic cigarettes,” said Sen. Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler.

“Hopefully a few less young people will suffer nicotine addictions with this ban.”

The so-called e-cigarettes are battery-powered plastic and metal devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution that users inhale as a mist. They’re available in hundreds of flavors, including cherry, chocolate and beer, as well as the flavors of popular cigarette brands.

Fairfield City Council Deny Smoking Ban

The Fairfield City Council voted 4-2 tonight to deny a request from eight private clubs and organizations to be exempted from the city's smoking ban. The council's vote drew applause from anti-smoking proponents, who again turned out in large numbers to urge council members to not allow any exemptions of what is considered Jefferson County's most stringent smoking Marlboro ordinance.

Council members Ronald Strothers, Jerry Yarbrough, Ves Marable and council President Eldridge Turner voted to keep the ban in place. Councilmen F.D. Scott and Primus Mack voted to allow the exemptions.

Under Fairfield's ordinance, which passed in 2006, smoking is banned in restaurants, public places and clubs and businesses.

Smoking Ban Cause Big Problems

An outright smoking ban across NHS Grampian sites would cause “enormous problems”, according to the board’s medical director.

Dr Roelf Dijkhuizen, who is reviewing the effectiveness of the board’s tobacco policy, said patients addicted to smoking could not be expected to “take their drip and go and stand at the bus station” to have a Hilton cigarette.

Berrien County Had a Perfect Smoke-Free Business

Smoking Focus compliance checks are showing that communities locally and across Michigan are responding well to the statewide smoking ban that took effect May 1.

Results of an August observational compliance check released this week show Berrien County had a perfect 100 percent score in regards to businesses being smoke-free and posting “no-smoking” signs.

Reynolds American Sold a Part of Its Company Based in Denmark

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) said that it has reached an agreement to sell Lane Ltd. to Scandinavian Tobacco Group A/S (STG), a global company based in Denmark. Under terms of the transaction, STG has agreed to pay $205 million in cash for Lane.

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2011, pending anti-trust review and approval.

Cigarette Sales Decreased in Bulgaria

Bulgaria's cigarette market decreased by more than 35 per cent to 10.6 billion pieces in 2010, according to domestic tobacco companies' figures.

In 2009, sales were 16 billion pieces, and in 2009, 19 billion.

"The main reason behind the sharp shrinkage of the market is smuggling, followed by restrictions on smoking Classic," representatives of major tobacco producer Bulgartabac said.

Americans Decided to Quit Smoking

Millions of people seemingly have been taking resolutions as the year passes by. Many Americans have claimed that their New Year resolution will be to quit smoking forever. Fifty-eight percent of Americans who fall under the age of 45 will pledge to themselves to better the life standards at in this year, according to a Marist poll.