Latest news with #smoking
ABC News
2 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Court orders owner of alleged illegal tobacconists to close businesses for six months
A Queensland judge has ordered a business owner to close five of his Wide Bay stores which health officials allege have been selling unlawful smoking products. In June, a significant quantity of illicit cigarettes, loose tobacco and vapes were allegedly seized during raids on multiple retail premises in Hervey Bay. Earlier this month, Queensland Health launched court action against the owner of some of the stores, Mohammed Alfalahi, seeking a permanent injunction under strengthened tobacco laws. While that matter is pending, on Wednesday, Queensland Health sought an interim injunction of the same effect. Lawyer Peter O'Connor told the court the order would restrict Mr Alfalahi from engaging in the alleged illegal conduct and receiving income from it unlawfully. "Until such time that the substantive proceedings can be finalised," he said. Mr O'Connor told the court the "fundamental question" was whether any of Mr Alfalahi's businesses held a licence to supply smoking products. "There's no assertion by [Mr Alfalahi] that in fact he has or did in fact at any stage," he said. "The evidence, in fact, establishes that he has not ever held such a license." Mr O'Connor told the court, Mr Alfalahi is the tenant of the business premise, and the permitted use according to his lease is a tobacconist or tobacco shop. "He can't claim ignorance of the nature of business operating out of the premises that he is leasing," he said "He similarly cannot claim ignorance of the regulatory scheme given the number of interactions that he has had with the authorities over a substantial period of time." The court heard he had previously paid infringement notices for past contraventions under the legislation. Mr Alfalahi's lawyer James Wallace told the court it had been difficult to get in contact with his client as he lived overseas, and had not been adequately instructed on any possible defence to the allegations. However, Mr Wallace said his client "can't possibly be criticised" for not responding in detail, in what he asserts were inadequate time frames for submitting material, and that this was "not a full hearing on the merits" of the allegations. "I'm not conceding the prima facie case," he said. "I have no evidence to rely on to submit sensibly." It was argued that several employees would lose their jobs if the order was granted and Mr Alfalahi could be at risk of breaching the order due to his limited communication and the impracticality of shutting the stores effective immediately. Mr Wallace argued the balance of convenience should be in favour of his client, as there were separate yet related proceedings due to be heard in the magistrates court later this month. "In theory, in 10 days' time a magistrate will determine whether those five stores should be shut down for six months," he said. "Leaving the status quo would allow the matters to proceed as they are in the magistrates court without pre-emptively finalising the matter." The court heard the magistrate court action and the district court action "complement each other" but they served independent purposes. In the lower court proceedings, Queensland Health is seeking not only closure of the stores for six months, but also enforcement against the landlord to ensure no-one else takes over the lease. Judge Ken Barlow KC granted the interim injunction, accepting there was "no real evidence of substance of any defence". "It seems to me there is no doubt a prima facie case," he said. Judge Barlow KC also rejected the submission Mr Alfalahi could not properly instruct his lawyers. "The communication abilities of the modern world, particularly between Australia and Dubai where [Mr Alfalahi] currently lives, are such that I do not accept that the respondent would not have had the opportunity to be sent the material read and discuss it at length with his solicitors," he said. "While I do not go so far as to infer that there is no possible defence... the absence of any skeleton of any defence does not assist [Mr Alfalahi]." Mr Alfalahi will have until Friday to cease operating the five business. He will also be prohibited from running any other companies which involve the sale of tobacco.
Mail & Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
If a cigarette box isn't disgusting, it's not doing its job
A throat ulcer. Bloody urine. A sick baby. That's what smokers in other countries see. In South Africa? For now, it's a tiny black box. Photo: Canva In Bangladesh, cigarette packs show a photograph of an ulcer on a throat or someone on a ventilator. Mexico's show bloody urine in a toilet or a woman with breast cancer. In South Africa, a small black box reads: 'Warning: Smoking kills'. When warning signs are big, graphic and swopped out regularly, they stop people from smoking, according to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) latest Yet, despite the WHO finding South Africa — along with Lesotho — has the highest proportion of adults who smoke daily in Africa, Local cigarette packs have eight different warning texts such as 'Danger: Smoking causes cancer' and 'Warning: Don't smoke around children', but none show images. There are also 'We don't have graphic warnings [which is a problem because] many people can't read the text that's only in English, and we don't enforce laws around advertisement, particularly for e-cigarettes.' That will change if parliament passes the 'Weak' text only warnings The WHO recommends cigarette pack warnings as Picture warnings showing the harms of smoking, like blackened lungs or children in hospital beds, are According to the WHO report, about 110 countries use cigarette graphic warnings, but 40 — including South Africa — still have 'weak' text-only labels or none at all. Canada was the 'The colour of the pack makes a difference' Under South Africa's proposed anti-smoking legislation, all cigarette packs sold in the country will carry plain packaging and graphic warnings. Tobacco products will be wrapped in a uniform plain colour chosen by the health minister and must have warnings that cover at least 65% of the front and back. Cigarette packs must show messages about the harms of smoking or benefits of quitting, information on what the product contains and emits, and include pictures or graphics that show the health risks. 'Our Local 'The colour of the pack makes a difference,' says Ayo-Yusuf. 'South Africans look at their pack in making a brand choice, and that choice is linked to what we call the expected sensory experience [how satisfying smoking is], which leads to smoking more cigarettes a day,' The rules on packaging and warnings won't stop at cigarettes. They will also apply to nicotine products like e-cigarettes (or vapes) — devices that heat a liquid containing flavourings such as gummy bear or cherry peach lemon in colourful packaging Plain packaging makes e-cigarettes less appealing to young people. In a 2023 Nevertheless, plain packaging has become one of the main targets of the tobacco industry's pushback against the Bill. Big Tobacco strikes back The Tobacco Bill has been in the making since Because South Africa's rules on advertising tobacco are strict, Big Tobacco relies on packaging as a When cigarettes are produced illegally with fake trademarks or sold to customers before taxes are paid on the goods, it is seen as illicit trade. While companies have long 'Currently, they're already producing these cigarettes and The industry also For example, current rules list eight warning texts that must alternate on cigarette packs, while smokeless tobacco products only carry one about oral cancer. 'They are jumping ahead by claiming you can't regulate vapes the same way as cigarettes. The regulation could say that cigarette packs must have a graphic of a sick baby, while vapes show an image of someone chained to addiction.' In a parliamentary hearing last month, Once the hearings end, it will be up to the National Assembly to pass, amend or reject the Bill before it finally goes to the National Council of Provinces and then the president to be signed into law. And if it is signed, not only cigarette packs — but the tobacco industry in South Africa — could look very different. This story was produced by the . Sign up for the .
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
How I undid 42 years of smoking damage to my face: After kicking her 20-a-day habit, EMMA PARSONS-REID turned the clock back with a £15-a-month beauty routine
As a hardened smoker for 42 years, starting when I was at school aged 13, I'd never thought of giving up - until the day I could no longer ignore the havoc it had wreaped on both my health and my looks. At an emergency doctor's appointment on Christmas Eve 2022, my GP gave it to me with both barrels.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
Can You Stop People From Smoking Outside Your Building?
Q: I live in a condo building in New York City that is next to an elementary school. I understand that city and state smoking laws require a 100-foot smoke-free perimeter around school entrances. This would include the sidewalk in front of my building for at least 25 feet in both directions from our entrance. A board member and their spouse, in spite of complaints from multiple residents and the no-smoking signs posted by the city health department, regularly smoke directly in front of our entry. The smoke drifts into the lobby when the doors are open. What can we do? A: It's true that state law prohibits smoking and vaping within 100 feet of entrances, exits and outdoor areas at elementary and secondary schools. However, the law makes an exemption for residential buildings, said Vonetta Dudley, director of NYC Smoke-Free at Public Health Solutions, a nonprofit organization. So the question of where the smoking is taking place could be important: Is it on the public sidewalk, or on private property? It sounds like you or another resident have called in complaints to 311, as you have a 'no smoking' sign from the city Health Department. It's worth calling again and enlisting neighbors to do so when they suspect that a smoker is in violation of the law. The Health Department can conduct an inspection and send warning letters to businesses and residences. Multiple reports of violations at the same location can result in fines or other penalties. Your building can also adopt a policy to prohibit smoking in its outdoor spaces, if it hasn't done so already. If the building has three or more units, it must have a smoking policy that governs indoor and outdoor spaces. Are these smokers violating it? If so, you should alert your board, which could impose fines. If not, you and your neighbors can urge the board to change the policy. City law prohibits smoking in indoor common areas of buildings, though it's not clear if a secondhand smoke case can be made in your situation. But there are other avenues. The smoking could create a violation of the housing maintenance code if the smoke interferes with the peaceful living of residents, or it could create a nuisance case, both of which could be brought in State Supreme Court, said Adam Leitman Bailey, a real estate attorney. Start by checking the board's policies and writing a letter to the board about the drifting smoke. 'Court will work, but it's expensive,' Mr. Bailey said. 'Even when buildings can afford it, why waste your money when there are other methods that are less expensive?'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Here's how to do it, Dua Lipa – I gave up smoking 40 cigarettes a day in 15 minutes
Darling of the music industry, Dua Lipa, posted a sultry photo of herself in Deia, Mallorca this week, sitting on the pavement in a sheer black lace dress – with a cigarette. She shared it to her 87.9m Instagram followers. 'My lucky 22 that follows me everywhere,' she captioned the post, referring to the building behind her, with the number 22 on its door. However, her fans – including me – have been far more focused on the cigarette between her fingers. One wrote: 'Holiday ciggies don't count.' Another said: 'Don't quit. Enjoy yourself. A cheeky cig every now and again is good for the soul. Nothing better than smoking a dart on the medieval streets of an old European city in summertime.' But others showed concern, with a simple 'don't smoke' and: 'Please consider the health risks as I'm sure you know them. I lost my mother to cancer due to heavy smoking for years.' The pop star has tried to give up smoking in the past, but has always relapsed. She formally announced last year during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, that she'd kicked the habit for her Future Nostalgia Tour in 2022 – and had stuck to it. But by August the same year, it seemed she'd taken it up again, when she shared a photograph of her clutching a box of Malboro Gold. And in January this year, paparazzi photos emerged of her newly engaged with her fiancé Callum Turner in Paris, smoking and cuddling by the Eiffel Tower. Dua Lipa's latest post could raise alarm bells that she's a 'cigfluencer' like Beyonce, who lit up a fag on stage in Paris during her Cowboy Carter Tour in June; or Sabrina Carpenter, who used a fork as a cigarette in the music video for her latest single Manchild. Timothée Chalamet was caught having a cheeky fag on camera at the Beyoncé concert in Los Angeles in 2023 – and Charli XCX, whose 2024 album Brat inspired the 'brat summer' trend, described being 'brat' as a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra'. It comes as worrying statistics show that after years of decline, smoking is on the rise again for the first time since 2006, according to academics at University College London. Their study, published in the journal 'Addiction' earlier this year, found that smoking increased 10 per cent in southern England between 2020 and 2024 – and there are now an estimated 7.5m adults in the UK who smoke. So, does Dua Lipa really want to give up – or is she hopelessly addicted to the idea that smoking makes her look 'cool'? I think I know where she's at. It's called denial. But here's how to do it: I gave up smoking 40 cigarettes a day in 15 minutes. I read The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Alan Carr while I continued to smoke heavily, as instructed in the book, until you have finished it. It was drilled into me that there is no rational reason why I smoke. There was nothing to give up, as smoking gave me nothing. It was an illusion that smoking was a stress reliever, or a prop. It was a trap. I mustn't use nicotine substitutes – it will only prolong the pang. Every time you smoke, it's just feeding the 'nicotine monster'. It percolated through my mind. The main takeaway was that to quit smoking wasn't hard. I carried on smoking two packets a day, but my mind had reset. Then I walked into a hypnotherapist's office in Harley Street and 15 mins later, I never smoked again. That was more than 15 years ago. I didn't even believe I'd been hypnotised, as the therapist counted me down from 10 into a relaxed state. It was only as I got up to leave, disappointed with the session, that I clocked something unusual had happened – the water in my glass spilled all over the floor because I was holding it at a tilt. When I got home, I still had cravings to smoke – but they were mild. I'd think, 'Oh, I fancy a cigarette.' But I couldn't be bothered to go and buy them. I had to be vigilant, though the cravings got less and less every day. I got through my first week as a non-smoker and I felt jubilant. It was the best £200 (for 15 minutes) I'd ever spent. But then I felt murderous – as if all the years of smoking had pushed down my emotions. I was consumed by seething resentment about different people and situations that I thought I'd let go of. Luckily, I got over that phase – and was liberated. As I learnt in Carr's book, whenever I think about smoking, I have to think 'Yippee! I'm a non-smoker!' And it still makes me happy to this day.
