Amid fiscal turmoil, House votes to cut tax on loose-leaf tobacco

As many places across the country raise tobacco taxes — in an effort to reduce usage and save on public health costs down the road — the Texas House has gone in the other direction.

Members of the Texas House on Wednesday approved a bill to lower a tax on Red Man and other brands of loose-leaf chewing tobacco.

When Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland , laid out House Bill 2599, one freshman House member from Central Texas couldn't believe his ears.

"I just had to clarify. It's cutting taxes to chewing tobacco?" a shocked Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, asked from the floor.

'Learn English, get a job and stop smoking cannabis': What judge said to immigrant drug dealer on benefits

A judge gave an immigrant drug dealer a verbal dressing-down by telling him to 'get a job, learn English and stop smoking cannabis'.

Pakistani-born Mohammed Ramzan, 32, had been spending £20 a day on cannabis, paid for by his benefits from the taxpayer.

After admitting three drug possession counts following raids police raids on his home in Derby, he faced a verbal tirade from a Crown Court judge.

Rush Limbaugh should just shutup and send the president a cigar

While Rush Limbaugh used snide sarcasm to praise President Obama for getting Osama bin Laden, conservative talk-radio host Sean Hannity bit his lip yesterday and actually credited the president on the air.

Of course Hannity qualified it by saying that it was George Bush's policy on torture that made it possible. He was referring to intelligence extracted from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Faraj al-Libi while in CIA custody that he claims led to one of bin Laden’s couriers in turn leading to Osama bin Laden. Hannity was only partially right.

Charlie Sheen unveiled as the face of new electronic cigarette

In a remarkably health conscious lifestyle turn, Charlie Sheen has been revealed as the face of a new anti-smoking device, aptly named NicoSheen.

The former Two and a Half Men star has partnered with a line of electronic cigarettes that claim to aid struggling smokers who want to kick the habit for good.

The device is being advertised as the ‘The Winning E-Cigarette Sheen Safe Smoke’ and it is understood Sheen has also become one of several partners in the E-Cigarette company.

SGA to vote on tobacco-free resolution

The Student Government Association will vote this Tuesday about whether it supports WKU as a tobacco-free campus.

A recent survey conducted by Madisonville senior Jack Jackson, a political science major, determined for SGA that 47.82 percent of students are in support of a tobacco-free campus, said Kaylee Egerer, campus improvements chairperson.

Egerer said 23.47 percent were opposed to the ban, and 28.71 percent polled were neutral on the issue.

Because the poll showed a majority of students support a ban, Egerer will write up a resolution for Tuesday’s meeting to support a tobacco-free campus.

FDA to Regulate E-Cigarettes Just Like Tobacco

Agency Will Not Regulate E-Cigarettes Under the Stricter Rules That Apply to Medical Products

The FDA has decided to oversee electronic cigarettes the same way it does tobacco products. The agency will not regulate the vapor-producing devices under the stricter federal rules that apply to medical products.

The FDA says it decided not to appeal a federal appeals court ruling asserting that e-cigarettes could be regulated as tobacco products and “are not drugs or devices” unless specifically marketed for therapeutic purposes, such as purporting to help people quit smoking.

The decision not to appeal was announced in a letter to the public and stakeholders from Lawrence R. Deyton, MD, MSPH, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, and Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the agency’s Drug Evaluation and Research.

Most buildings fail to comply with smoking ban

A majority of buildings in the capital have failed to comply with a gubernatorial decree banning smoking inside buildings, a city agency says.

The Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) found that out of 249 buildings monitored for their implementation of the smoking ban, only 21 buildings, or eight percent, could be categorized as “very good” in complying with the regulation.

Most of the buildings failed to comply with orders to remove smoking sections and mandate that smokers light up outside.

Heart link to chewing tobacco

Indian cardiologists have produced what they say is the first evidence to show that chewing tobacco can constrict the blood vessels of the heart within minutes and possibly raise the risk of heart attacks.

Their study on men who volunteered to chew a single gram of tobacco while having their hearts monitored has revealed significant reductions in the diameters of coronary arteries within 10 minutes after they began chewing.

The cardiologists from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, say their findings highlight the rapidity with which a habit long associated with mouth cancer can also put the heart in danger by constricting coronary arteries.

Minicab cigarette 'adbins' in Westminster unlawful

Westminster Council wants a London minicab firm to remove its sponsored cigarette bins, after a court ruling.

Addison Lee provides 19,000 free 'adbins' bearing its logo outside businesses across the capital.

But a judge decided that 21 of the bins in Westminster were in violation of planning laws, fining Addison Lee and making it pay £20,000 in costs.

The firm accused the council of "hypocrisy", saying other bins in the borough were sponsored by Coca-Cola.

Reynolds American 1Q Profit Soars But Volumes Continue To Fall

Reynolds American Inc.'s (RAI) first-quarter earnings more than quadrupled from a year-ago period weighed by a settlement with the Canadian government, and higher product pricing and operational cost cuts continued to offset cigarette volume declines.

Revenue missed analyst expectations, but earnings came in ahead.

Reynolds, whose brands include Camel cigarettes and Grizzly moist snuff, has shifted its focus in the face of changing demand for cigarettes. The company has diversified into smokeless tobacco, cut production costs by shutting plants and put its energy into a few key brands. Last month, the company sold its Lane Ltd. roll-your-own and pipe tobacco unit to Denmark's Scandinavian Tobacco Group AS for $205 million.

Bismarck Bars Going Smoke Free

Bismarck voters have approved the city ordinance that will prohibit smoking in bars, truck stops and tobacco stores. They also said no to allowing smoking shelters outside of bars and no to using sales tax dollars to pay for the special election.

Election officials locked the doors at 7:00 p.m., and those inside the Civic Center and VFW Sports Arena were allowed to cast their votes. Voters numbers were strong today. More than 8,800 cast their ballots.

Bismarck resident Matthew Kronberger said, "It`s everyone`s right, you know to vote in North Dakota and for the smoking bill. I myself don`t smoke, and I don`t like being around smoke at all."

I know it’s bad but love it anyway, say teenagers

ABU DHABI: Even during extreme hot weather in the country, business at shisha outlets in the capital never runs dry.

Haris Abdul Kader from the Brazilian Trading Establishment, Abu Dhabi, said that the shisha or hookah is very much “in vogue” in the UAE and is a popular cultural practice. “Because of its social aspects, hookah or shisha will continue to gain loyal smokers because it is also traditional.”

Senate panel, Shumlin at odds over cigarette tax hike

MONTPELIER -- The Senate Finance Committee set up a potential showdown with the Shumlin administration Friday when the panel voted to support a $24 million tax package that included a $1 increase in the tax on cigarettes.

Gov. Peter Shumlin objects to any increase in the cigarette tax because he predicts sales and, thus, tax revenues would drop if Vermont's tax rate exceeds that in neighboring states. Lawmakers expect a $1 increase would raise $9 million in new revenue.

The Shumlin administration also argues the cigarette tax is regressive, meaning it has a higher impact on low-income Vermonters.

Health care institutions' lawsuit against big tobacco nears an end

After about three months of trial in St. Louis, a case in which more than two dozen health care providers sued big tobacco companies is wrapping up.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 29 plaintiffs representing 37 health institutions, mostly local and regional operations in Missouri, are seeking more than $455 million from six tobacco companies for losses treating smokers. Closing arguments were expected to conclude Thursday, then jurors will be off until Monday, when they will begin deliberation.

Tobacco Business Owner Pleads Guilty To Structuring Financial Transactions

An owner of a Rockholds, Ky. tobacco business admitted in federal court Wednesday that her company illegally conducted financial transactions to avoid reporting them to the federal government.

Dennise Crawford, 44, pleaded guilty in London, Ky. before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to one count of willfully causing a financial institution to fail to comply with record keeping and reporting regulations.

Cig sale ban closer

WORCESTER — The city is one step away from becoming the ninth municipality in the state to ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products by local health-care providers, including chain pharmacies and other drugstores.

The ban was one of four amendments to the city’s tobacco control ordinance given initial approval by the City Council last night.

The other amendments will also ban the sale of tobacco products at local institutions of higher education and the citywide sale of so-called “blunt wraps” — a cigarette-like rolling paper that is usually made from tobacco leaves.

What does smoking cost?

People who smoke don’t usually want to count the cost of a pack or more of cigarettes a day. And those who suffer cancer, emphysema or other smoking-related diseases surely do not like to think of what their habit costs in terms of doctor and hospital visits.

But really, in individual terms, the worst “cost” is not monetary: It involves health and quality of life.

Costs matter, though, and with Medicaid in Arizona running short of cash, there reportedly is consideration there of levying an annual $50 “tax” on those who smoke, are overweight or suffer diabetes.

Oklahoma measure proposes tax hike on smokeless tobacco to fund health programs

A proposal to increase the state tax on some forms of smokeless tobacco — moist snuff — to fund programs to recruit doctors to rural and underserved parts of the state is working its way through the Legislature.

Senate Bill 233 is expected to raise $8 million to $9 million a year for recruitment programs of the Physician Manpower Training Commission.

It would eliminate the current 20 percent tax on moist snuff and replace it with a $1.20 per ounce tax. A typical can of moist snuff contains a little more than one ounce. The tax hike would not apply to dry snuff, chewing tobacco, smoking tobacco, cigarettes or cigars.

More teens on drugs: After 10 year decline marijuana and ecstasy use rises among U.S. teens and attitudes to alcohol relax

Drug abuse among American teenagers has jumped dramatically over the past three years, according to a startling new study.

While teenage use of drugs and alcohol declined from 1998 to 2008, the use of ecstasy and marijuana has risen.

Australian Tobacco Companies Forced Into Unappealing Cigarette Packaging

Tobacco companies in Australia have some surprises coming, as well as some demands by the Australian government under legislation revealed Thursday that probably won’t make the Tobacco industry very happy.

This move, according to the government, will make Australia the toughest country worldwide on tobacco advertising.

Cigarette tax uneven, says player

Mastermind Tobacco says that the Treasury’s failed attempt to amend tax rules on cigarettes should not be blamed for lower-than expected tax revenues collected by Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

The company on Wednesday said that the Treasury’s hybrid system meant to introduce taxes based on physical size of cigarettes and retail selling price of cigarettes could not work because it created discrimination among cigarettes.

Big Tobacco gets snuffed out

President Richard Nixon didn’t think cigarettes were anything to joke about when he signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law on April 1, 1970.

Warnings on cigarette packages had started appearing in 1965 following the 1964 report, “Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States.”

The report, released on a Saturday to minimize impact on the stock market and to maximize the coverage by the press in Sunday’s edition, offered one of the first official damning pieces of evidence against big tobacco. Findings concluded that smokers had a much higher mortality rate than non-smokers, greater incidences of heart disease, emphysema and lung cancer. It also concluded that pregnant smokers were more likely to give birth to underweight babies and that smoking was the primary cause of chronic bronchitis.

Imperatives for a smoke free Nigeria

On March 15, 2011, the Senate had in a unanimous vote passed the National Tobacco Control bill which was sponsored by Senator Olorunimbe Mamora representing Lagos East Senatorial District. By this act, it is now a punishable offence to engaged in smoking in public places. The current bill is a comprehensive law providing for regulations of supply and demand measures of tobacco products. The bill was presented on the floor of the senate for second reading in February 2009 and a public hearing was conducted in July 2009 before its eventual passage. The National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB) repeals the Tobacco Control smoking Act of 1990, which was promulgated under the military and championed by former Health Minister, late Olikoye Ransome Kuti.

35t of tobacco seized from tyre shop

THE Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has seized a large quantity of tobacco, estimated at 35,000kg, from a tyre sales and repairs shop on Al Diffaa Road, near Al Saadah Bridge in Abu Dhabi.

The quantity seized comprises 700 sacks, each weighing 50kg in addition to 20 large barrels of raw tobacco, and 20 cartons comprising hundreds of bottles used for packing tobacco as well as processing, wrapping and grinding utensils. All the seized tobacco, processing equipment and packing tools from the site were confiscated.

Group urges smokeless-tobacco ban for MLB teams

Televisions on Thursday will broadcast the usual iconic images of baseball's opening day: fans cheering from the stands, umpires making close calls at the plate, and players in the thick of the game, spitting tobacco juice.

With smokeless tobacco use spiking among high school boys - a reported 36% increase since 2003 - public health officials are targeting their role models to set a healthy example, and calling for a ban on tobacco at major league ballparks.

Children at risk from cigarette smoke in cars 'up to an hour' after parents light up

Drivers who smoke could be putting fellow passengers at risk for up to an hour after smoking.

Parents who light up in their cars could be putting their children at prolonged risk.

With the debate on smoking in vehicles garnering considerable attention, researchers have fuelled the concern that smoking in a car can put passengers at risk.

Young children are particularly vulnerable when it comes to smoke in such a confined space and research has suggested that they could be at risk for ‘up to an hour’ after their parent or guardian has lit a cigarette.

BAT aims for new markets as smuggling dents growth

BRITISH American Tobacco (BAT) yesterday said a rise in cigarette smuggling and the wider decline in smoking across the developed world continue to press down on growth.

Group sales by volume fell three per cent during 2010, though price rises more than offset the decline to deliver a five per cent revenue rise to £14.9bn, BAT said in its annual report.

Lance Armstrong Tobacco Tax: Cyclist Endorses Measure To Fund Research

LOS ANGELES — Cycling champ and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong said Monday is backing a proposed tax on tobacco in California to fund research on cancer and tobacco-related illnesses.

The seven-time Tour de France winner joined Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to urge support for the California Cancer Research Act that would increase taxes on cigarettes by $1 a pack to raise more than $500 million a year.

Wearing a yellow bracelet made popular through Livestrong, the advocacy group that Armstrong founded after battling testicular cancer in 1997, the Texas resident said he had good reasons for co-chairing the California campaign.

China maps out tobacco control plan

Following China's Health Ministry announcement of a smoking ban in most public places, which will come into effect on May 1, prominent tobacco control expert and reputed health activist Yang Gonghuan has mapped out a detailed plan for the next five years that aims to "fully ban smoking in public locations" yesterday.

She noted that to achieve the aim as a workable national plan, it is essential to legislate at a national level as well as to operate the guarantee mechanism and run the tobacco control programs at a local level, including building up a supervising and evaluating system over the control efficiency.

Budget 2011: Tobacco industry furious at tax rises

The tobacco industry has reacted with fury at tax increases that have heralded the arrival of the £7 packet of cigarettes in the UK.

From 6pm Wednesday night, duty on tobacco rose by 2pc above inflation. On top of this, a wider restructuring of duty added 50p to the price of a packet of "economy" cigarettes and 33p to "premium" cigarettes, meaning that poorer smokers will be disproportionately affected.

Kansas House gives preliminary OK to extending smoking ban to casinos

TOPEKA — The House preliminarily agreed Tuesday to take the smoking ban passed into law last year a step further by prohibiting smoking in casinos.

Substitute House Bill 2340 revokes the section of the Kansas Indoor Clean Air Act that permits smoking in state-owned casinos.

A final vote is set for tdoay.

Many bar owners have protested that the law hurts their businesses.

As amendments were debated, many legislators argued that the effects of secondhand smoke merit government-imposed restrictions. Others contended that the state should not involve itself in peoples' private lives.

Vote expected on tobacco sales measure

Bill would keep pharmacies from selling cigarettes.

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) - Cigarette sales may soon be banned in Fall River pharmacies.

City councilors are scheduled to vote on a measure Tuesday night that would prohibit pharmacies in the city from selling cigarettes and other tobacco products.

The measure won initial approval two weeks ago, but it goes before the council for a second reading and possible ratification.

Supporters of the measure say pharmacies should not be selling harmful tobacco products alongside helpful medicines.

Smoking Rates: Pack-A-Day Smoking Is Down Dramatically

Over the last 40 years, the number of people who smoke a pack a day has dropped significantly, a new study finds. And California -- with its comprehensive anti-smoking efforts -- has led the charge.

The report, published yesterday in JAMA, tracked the prevalence of heavy smokers (defined as people who smoke 20 cigarettes or more, per day) among more than a million-and-a-half respondents between 1965 and 2007.

Researchers from the University of California San Diego found that in 1965 -- the year after the first-ever surgeon general's report on smoking and health -- 56 percent of people who identified as smokers were heavy, or pack-a-day, smokers. By 2007, that percentage dropped dramatically, to only 40 percent.

Tobacco War Brewing

A battle between the nation’s largest cigarette makers and a Florida company is heating up at the state Capitol. Price is the issue. Dosal Tobacco was left out of the states settlement with cigarette makers and is able to sell more cheaply, which has given them market share and upset traditional tobacco companies.

Florida made 305 brand cigarettes are popular. Chris Askey smokes them because the are as much as three dollars a pack cheaper than some of the traditional brands.

“ Five dollars a pack….Six dollars a pack….that is just too high for me,” he said.

Major Tobacco Companies Back Bulgaria's Excise Policies

Leading international companies - Philip Morris, Bulgartabac Holding, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International and Imperial Tobacco - have expressed their support for Bulgarian government's excise policies.

The general managers of Philip Morris Bulgaria, Bulgartabac Holding, British American Tobacco Bulgaria, Japan Tobacco International Bulgaria and Imperial Tobacco Bulgaria met Wednesday with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, and Customs Agency head Vanyo Tanov, and Angel Antonov, head of the Criminal Police Directorate.

Kate Middleton's cannabis-smoking uncle gets an invite to the Royal wedding

Kate Middleton's cannabis-smoking, tattooed uncle is on the provisional guest list for her Royal Wedding to Prince William this year.

Gary Goldsmith, the younger brother of Kate’s mother Carole, has been welcomed back into the family fold ahead of the Royal event of the decade despite bringing shame on the family when he was secretly filmed at his Ibiza villa smoking cannabis, arranging drug deals, organising call girls and bragging about his Royal connections.

Goldsmith has apparently quit his wild life and moved back to London.

Menthol cigarette use on the rise among young people

Teen smokers are increasingly choosing menthol cigarettes over ordinary brands - and 80 per cent of black adolescent smokers buy minty versions.

Brands like Lorillard's Newport account for nearly one-third of America's $83billion annual cigarette sales, and more and more of those come from minority youth smokers.

A draft report by the Food and Drug Administration in Washington found more than half of Hispanic teenage smokers use menthols, and there is a 'significant increase' in white youths smoking them, too.

The draft chapter, released today, is a blow to cigarette manufacturers who are fighting FDA proposals to ban or limit the sale and manufacture of menthol cigarettes.

Anti-smoking campaigners argue they are dangerous because the mint flavouring hides the harsh taste of tobacco, making them more appealing to young smokers.

Joel A. Spivak, radio personality and anti-smoking spokesman, dies at 75

Joel A. Spivak, 75, who was a popular Washington radio personality before becoming press secretary for the nonprofit Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, died March 4 at his home in Alexandria.

Mr. Spivak had metastatic cancer, the result of a decades-long smoking habit.

The son of the 1940s big-band leader Charlie Spivak, the younger Spivak got his start in radio as a disc jockey and talk-show host in some of the country’s biggest markets.

In 1996, after a long radio career — and after he had quit smoking — he joined the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and helped direct media coverage for the nonprofit group.

Bills to loosen smoking restrictions to be considered by Illinois House

Two exemptions to Illinois' indoor smoking ban are going before the Illinois House.

One would allow smoking in the state's casinos. The other would allow local governments to issue smoking licenses to bars and other establishments.

The House Executive Committee approved both bills Wednesday and sent them to the full House.

"Since the ban went into effect, casino revenues are down over 31 percent," said Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association. "It is very clear the majority of the drop was because of the smoking ban."

Tobacco tax hike talk stubbed out

HEALTH Minister Nicola Roxon has moved to extinguish any suggestion Labor could increase the tobacco excise in the May budget.

Ms Roxon was forced to stub out the speculation after the government's indigenous smoking coordinator, Tom Calma, said another tax hike had been "mooted".

Labor increased the excise by 25 per cent in April 2010, adding $2.16 to the price of a pack of 30 smokes.

The government's preventative health taskforce had recommended a 68 per cent increase in the excise.

But in responding to the taskforce's findings in May the government argued that while hiking prices could cause some smokers to quit "it can also induce financial stress among people who continue to smoke".

Oklahoma board OKs use of tobacco tax to abolish smoking rooms

The Oklahoma Board of Health cleared the way Tuesday for tobacco taxes to reimburse restaurants that eliminate smoking by Jan. 1.

The state Health Board cleared the way Tuesday for tobacco taxes to reimburse restaurants that clean up their smoking rooms and eliminate smoking throughout the restaurant by Jan. 1.

About 100 to 150 smoking rooms with special ventilation systems were built to comply with a 2003 state law. Last year, former Gov. Brad Henry signed the reimbursement measure into law.

About $1.2 million in tobacco taxes each year would be available to help pay for the room dismantling, with the rebate calculated at 50 percent of the cost of building smoking rooms, minus depreciation on those capital costs. But how many restaurants will apply for the rebate and eliminate smoking is unknown.

PM to be grilled over tobacco firm role

The Pheu Thai Party plans to grill Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for allegedly meddling in an effort to help an international tobacco company evade Bt68 billion in import tariffs between 2003 and 2007.

"One of the censure and impeachment charges against Abhisit is his inteference in the legal proceedings in a tax evasion case involving Philip Morris (Thailand) Limited," party deputy spokesman Yuthapong Jarassathian said yesterday.

Yuthapong alleged that Abhisit intervened in the prosecution review, resulting in the dropping of charges against the company.

Lawmaker Proposes Tobacco Sales Bans around Schools

A Chinese lawmaker has said tobacco sales bans around the nation's schools should be imposed, noting that cigarettes are currently too easy for youngsters to obtain.

Jin Changrong, councilor for Shanghai municipal government and also a judge, said the current laws banning tobacco sales to youngsters were too general and hard to enforce, during the ongoing parliamentary session.

According to law, tobacco can not be sold to people under 18 years old but they can buy it even so, Jin added.

He said there should be a national regulation of a 500-meter radius ban of tobacco from schools, although some local governments have imposed the 50 or 100-meter radius ban from elementary and middle schools.

Tobacco Fund Diverted for Supporting Other State Issues

Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner discovered how revenues have been diverted from health care savings to fund pensions and other state budget issues.

In regard to this, he urged Governor Tom Corbett and other state lawmakers to stop prowling the state's Tobacco Settlement Fund for balancing the else budget areas.

In a special report, the Democrat exhaustively mentioned how the $300 million-plus payments have been abstracted. According to him, since last 5-6 years, more than $1.3 billion has been taken from this fund.

Therefore while urging legislators to change the trend; he questioned "Are we going to squander it? Are we going to just let it be used for a wide variety of purposes? Is it going to patch potholes? Is it going to fill budgets for various departments, including the Department of Auditor General and others? What is our priority”?

Female 'Empowerment' Is Great — Except When it Comes to Smoking

What does "empowerment" mean for women around the globe? More smoking deaths, for one. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reports that in countries where more women work in government office, have equal voting rights and relative parity to men in terms of income, women also smoke more.

The UNDP measured levels of national female empowerment in 74 countries. In countries with poor female empowerment scores, like China, Pakistan, Uganda and Saudi Arabia, men were five times more likely to smoke than women. By contrast, in countries like Australia, Canada, Sweden and the U.S., where women have made great strides toward gender equality, the unfortunate side effect is a parity of a different kind: women smoke almost as much as men do.

Hampton police seek three men in business robbery

Police are looking for three men who robbed a business in the first block of West Mercury Boulevard Saturday night.

About 11 p.m., the armed men went into Hampton Pipe and Tobacco and demanded money from a clerk, police wrote in a news release. After the robbery, the men fled the store and headed toward Doolittle Road.

One of the men is described as black, 5 feet 10 or 11 inches tall with a thin build. He was wearing dark pants, a dark jacket, light-colored sweatshirt with a hood, gloves and a dark bandana on his face.

Delegate tried to ban smoking in legislators' offices

One member of the House of Delegates tried this year to do for his colleagues what they've done for others: ban smoking.

Despite broadened prohibitions in recent years on lighting up around the commonwealth, smoking is allowed in state lawmakers' offices.

An executive order signed in 2006 by then-Gov. Timothy M. Kaine prohibits lighting up in offices occupied by executive branch agencies, including colleges and universities, and state-owned vehicles.

But the executive branch does not dictate the affairs of the legislative branch, which controls the General Assembly Building.

Libs support Labor internet tobacco ad ban

Labor MPs have urged the coalition to stop accepting political donations from tobacco companies as the lower house debates a ban on cigarette advertising on the internet.

The coalition is supporting a government amendment to tobacco advertising laws to restrict ads on the internet in line with other media.

The move will mean it will be an offence to advertise tobacco products on the internet.

Liberal MP Andrew Southcott said the coalition shared a common desire with Labor to achieve a healthier society.

The current laws lacked clarity, Dr Southcott told parliament.

BAT stubs out crisis fears as buyback plan resumes

Lucky Strike maker British American Tobacco has resumed a share buyback programme worth £750million after full-year profits were boosted by price hikes and the weak pound.

The world’s second biggest cigarette firm restarted the scheme, which was suspended in 2008 in the wake of the financial crisis, after seeing free cash flow increase by 23 per cent to £3.2billion. But investors were disappointed by the scale of the buyback, sending the shares down 56.18p to 2356.82p.

'Charlie's addiction is like a form of cancer,' says his father Martin Sheen

Actor Martin Sheen has compared his son Charlie's battle with addiction to cancer.

The West Wing star has been in the UK to promote his new film The Way, which is set for release on April 15.

His son Charlie, star of Two and a Half Men, is currently undergoing rehab treatment at his home in LA and his actor father spoke out about his son's problems.

Speaking to Sky News, Martin, 70, said: 'He's an extraordinary man, He's doing well.

'We pray for him. If he had cancer how would you treat him? This disease of addiction is a form of cancer.

'You have to have an equal measure of concern and love.'

He remains philosophical about his son's ongoing struggles.

'You realise we're not all on the same journey all the time,' he said.

'We have to love that much more. We have to be that much more present.'