Cigarette News: U.S. Supreme Court Won't Question West Virginia Tobacco Suits

Washington DC - The tobacco industry lost a U.S. Supreme Court bid aimed at limiting damage awards in more than 700 West Virginia lawsuits filed by smokers who say cigarettes gave them cancer and other diseases.
The justices, without comment, today left intact a trial plan that Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA unit and other cigarette makers said will lead to unconstitutional awards of punitive damages. The approach calls for a jury to consider common issues, including the availability of punitive damages, before separate trials are held on individual cases. Full Story

Cigarette News: Court rubs out Maine law regulating Internet tobacco sales

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday tossed out Maine's law taxing the Internet sales of tobacco products, a statute intended to keep cigarettes out of minors' hands by regulating transportation companies.
In a unanimous ruling, the justices concluded the federal government's overall interstate commerce authority trumped the state's public health policing powers. A federal appeals court earlier had found the law unconstitutional. Full Story

Cigarette News: Georgians want cigarette taxes to curb smoking

Georgia - A new poll suggests most Georgians support a major increase in cigarette taxes in an effort to reduce smoking and help pay for health care.
A coalition of health groups, including the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids released the poll results today in an effort to promote legislation calling for a $1 per pack increase in cigarette taxes. Full Story

Cigarette News: Hearings set in Kansas for bill to increase cigarette tax

TOPEKA, Kansas- The House Tax Committee will hold two days of hearings Thursday and Friday on the governor’s proposal to increase the state cigarette tax 50 cents a pack.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius wants to use the additional $60 million in revenue to fund her health-care initiatives.
If approved by lawmakers, the tax would increase from the current 79 cents a pack to $1.29. The last cigarette tax increase was in 2002 when lawmakers approved a 50-cent increase. Full Story

Cigarette News: Anti-Smoking Groups Want Tax on Cigars

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Anti-smoking forces upset over little cigars and candy-flavored tobacco marketed to kids said Tuesday they will push for a 55-percent tax on all non-cigarette tobacco products.
The Investing in Tobacco-Free Youth Coalition said when legislators raised the state cigarette tax in 2003 and 2005, they did not include smokeless products. Full Story

Cigarette News: A Tobacco State Weighs a Smoking Ban

In a southern city that owes its bloom to tobacco fields, mounting evidence of the health risks of secondhand smoke is proving an unwelcome carpetbagger.
For the second year running, Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine has proposed banning smoking in all eating establishments in Virginia. Here, where even the taverns are required to serve food, a ban would be widely felt. It would also be a blow to one of the state's top employers and corporate citizens, Philip Morris USA, the maker of Marlboro and the nation's leading cigarette manufacturer. Reflective of changing times—even Paris has gone smoke free—polls show that Virginians back such a ban. Full Story