January 29, 2008
What's New on Tobacco Road?
These photos were all taken surreptitiously in the duty free shops of European airports, thus accounting for the poor quality of light and composition. In Europe, not only can one select one's favorite brand, one can choose from various snappy warnings emblazoned in bold type on every carton and pack. Those European copywriters go directly to the point.
But have heart civil libertarians and smokers, just when you thought the social disapproval that has been unleashed against smoking world wide might have discouraged the tobacco industry, you will be delighted to know that it has inspired innovation instead. According to the Wall Street Journal:
.....Called Marlboro Intense, the product has been shrunk down by about a half inch, and offers smokers seven potent puffs apiece, versus the average of eight or so milder draws.(don't miss the video)The idea behind Intense is to appeal to customers who, due to indoor smoking bans, want to dash outside for a quick nicotine hit but don't always finish a full-size cigarette. Pointing to his lit Intense, the CEO says there are "possibly 50 markets that are interested in deploying it."
WSJ's Vanessa O'Connell and David Pybas do a show and tell with new products for smokers that Philip Morris has created ahead of an aggressive international push for new businessMarlboro Intense is likely to be part of an aggressive blitz of new smoking products PMI will roll out around the globe once the company -- now a unit of New York-based Altria Group Inc. -- becomes a standalone entity. That change will be set into motion tomorrow, when the Altria board is expected to approve a long-awaited decision to split PMI from Philip Morris USA. The move would free the tobacco giant's international operations of legal and public-relations headaches in the U.S. that have hindered its growth.
Not only are new tobacco products emerging, but new tobacco accoutremonts abound, some of which seem to have been lifted directly from the shelves of the local head shop. Heatbar , a device that sounds like a vaporizor ( popularlized in Armistead Maupin's latest ), used by the health conscious cannabis consumer, as well a cigarette rolling machine which produces professionally packed coffin nails from untaxed loose tobacco.
Of course, one does not hear the tobacco companies urging us to legalize marijuana or planning a large expansion in that area should the laws change However one has to ask oneself why said corporations are getting their new ideas by hanging around head shops.
As we all know, decriminalizing marijuana would put a large damper on America's fast growing industry, private prisons, that it's simply out of the question.
America's "War on Drugs" has become primarily a war on marijuana smokers. Federal data released this year reveals almost half of all drug arrests are for marijuana, and that approximately one in seven drug prisoners is now behind bars for marijuana offenses. Research reported by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) in June found that 59,300 Americans are sitting behind bars on marijuana charges.This conclusion soundly contradicts allegations by drug war hawks that few, if any, marijuana consumers serve hard time for marijuana-related offenses. In truth, the data show that law enforcement routinely target, arrest, and incarcerate marijuana consumers in alarming numbers.
Here's blowing vaporized smoke rings at ya.
Photo note: As above