Home Page

About cigarettes, cigars and pipe smokers.

THE TOBACCONIST Alan D Myerthall may be a tobacconist but, oddly enough, he doesn't view the smoking ban as a wholesale disaster. "If I never sold another packet of cigarettes in my life it wouldn?t bother me one iota," he says. Myerthall has run the aficionados-only Pipeshop on Edinburgh's Leith Walk for 34 years, a spell in which he has developed his own brand of smokers? apartheid: pipes and cigars good; cigarettes bad. He says profit on a packet of cigarettes is non-existent, though it's the conflation of categories that bothers him most – cigarette smokers inhale, he points out, while pipe and cigar users puff.
"I hate it when smokers are talked about as if they're all the same thing," he says. "They're completely different. It's unfair for us to be lumped in with cigarette smokers."
The smoking ban will mean Myerthall will be unable to let customers test various kinds of pipe cigarettes in the shop; instead they will be obliged to stand beneath the awning outside. But he doesn't anticipate that the ban will hurt his business particularly. Cigars and pipes are principally domestic preferences, added to which he has a thriving mail-order business, delivering products worldwide.
He complains, though, that his taxes are spent on advertising campaigns promoting the "unproven" claim that passive smoking kills. "I mean, nobody claims smoking is good for your health but have these people never heard of opening a window?" he says. "There is such a thing as freedom of choice."
Myerthall has also installed an ashtray outside his shop after one customer dropped a cigarette butt on the pavement before entering and was fined ?50 for littering.
For his own part, the ban will barely touch Myerthall; he limits himself to one cigar a day, smoked at night when he returns to the privacy of his own home. "Cuban or Nicaraguan," he says. "No Hamlets or any of that rubbish, nothing cheap. Spend around ?10 on a cigar and you should be fine."
THE PIPE LOVER Ever the man of affairs, Donald Findlay – famously a pipe man but also a cigar smoker – will be responding to the ban with typically legalistic logical rigour. "When it comes to restaurants," says the colourful QC, "I just won't bloody go, or I'll go to a restaurant in England. I am not going to stand outside a restaurant smoking; it's unthinkable. As for drinking, if a pub does not make an effort to accommodate me in this respect, with heated sheltered areas, I will not give it my custom. Simple as that."
Findlay is sufficiently aggrieved by the ban to consider launching a campaign against passive drinking. No working days have ever been lost to passive smoking, he says, nor is it implicated in domestic violence or car accidents, three areas in which alcohol is traditionally a significant factor. "If this smoking ban truly is health-driven, as Mr McConnell says, it follows that there can be no case against restricting sales of alcohol."
But of course, he adds, the smoking ban has nothing to do with health. The executive, Findlay believes, is currying favour with the majority by restricting the rights of an unpopular minority. "It was clear from the start," he says. "The consultative process was a farce. From the outset it was obvious that smoking in enclosed spaces was going to be banned, without compromise. It is appallingly restrictive and prejudicial. It is turning people like me into second-class citizens.
"If I were to smoke in a pub, be fined and refused to pay the fine, I would be jailed. But I could smoke in the police car that took me to prison and then in the prison itself. It's soft-headed trendiness at its worst. And if the executive wants to treat me like a second-class citizen that's how I'll react. Whenever I travel I always encourage people to visit Scotland, as Mr. McConnell would like us all to do. After next Sunday, I'm sad to say, I just won't bother my backside."

Cheap cigarettes from little cigarettes companies.

Cheap cigarettes from little cigarettes companies have fouled up the $246 billion deal that big cigarettes companies made with taxpayers.
Little companies grabbed eight percent of the market from 1997 to 2003, according to a March 27 report from the Brattle Group in San Francisco.
The report could trigger a reduction of annual payments from cigarettes companies to the 46 states that signed the 25-year agreement.
Illinois is supposed to receive more than $9.1 billion - or approximately $364 million annually - from the Master Cigarettes Settlement Agreement through the year 2025. llinois' payout is the fifth largest from MTSA, after California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, respectively.
Companies have paid $41 billion so far, according to the March 28 Financial Times.
The agreement calls for companies to pay $6.5 billion on April 17, but it also requires adjustment if states have failed to enforce laws that should cripple competition.
Under identical law in 46 states, companies that did not sign the agreement gain no financial advantage by staying out. Outsiders must pay into escrow accounts.
Outsiders get their escrow back in 25 years, if no state successfully sues them.
From an outsider's angle, the agreement looks like a state sponsored cartel.
"The agreement made states directly interested in the profits of the big companies," said Everett Gee, general counsel of S & M Brands Inc. in Keysville, Va.
S & M Brands makes Bailey cigarettes. Gee said the Bailey family has grown cigarettes for five generations. He said they started making cigarettes in 1994.
Gee disputed the Brattle Group's finding that companies lost market share because of the agreement. He said they lost market share because of greed.
He said they increased prices more than enough to pay the states. He said, "These prices shocked the consumer."
He said signers of the agreement would have lost more than eight percent of the market if states had not protected them.
"At those prices you would expect 60 to 70 percent," he said.
In 1998, Gee said, the Baileys received a letter from a law firm giving five days to sign the master settlement agreement.
"We would have had to pay in states where we never sold a cigarette," he said.
The Baileys did not sign. They started making escrow payments.
"We have paid our escrow always," Gee said. "We are under the largest scrutiny."
He estimated the escrow at $4.35 per carton, but won't know until next year.
For companies that signed the agreement, the Brattle Group report gave owners three weeks to decide whether to adjust payments.
R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem, N.C., had not decided as of April 5.
He said states would have to prove to arbitrators that they diligently enforced the laws.
States and companies that signed the agreement jointly hired the Brattle Group. States do not permit taxpayers to read the report.
States and companies that signed the agreement jointly employ Price Waterhouse to calculate market shares.
States do not permit taxpayers to read the report.

Local Restaurant, Bar Owners Have Mixed Feelings About Proposal to Ban Smoking in Restaurants.

Last week, Virginia's Senate Education and Health Committee approved Sen. Brandon Bell's (R-Roanoke County) bill to ban smoking in all restaurants and most other indoor public places.
The full Senate is now scheduled to vote on the bill, and if approved, it will move to the House on Crossover Day, which is scheduled for Tuesday. The House then would send Bell's bill to committee, which would decide whether to refer the bill to the House floor or defeat it. A House subcommittee defeated last week a bill similar to Bell's.
This will be the third year that a smoking ban has been introduced on the Senate floor. Last year, the Senate approved the bill, but it was defeated by the six-member General Laws sub-committee in the House of Delegates. To become law, a bill must pass the Senate and the House and be signed by the governor.
Currently, 20 states and Washington, D.C., have initiated a ban on smoking in restaurants and some public places.
Virginia is the nation's fourth-leading cigarettes-growing state, and cigarettes company Phillip Morris is headquartered in Richmond and employs about 6,000 people in Virginia.
Mark Ekert, owner of the Ashburn Pub, said he does not have a nonsmoking section at his restaurant because of limited space. The restaurant and bar has eight tables along one side and a bar on the other side.
"I don't smoke and if they passed the law, it wouldn't hurt my feelings as long as everyone had to abide by it," Ekert said. "But I can't go nonsmoking because I have too many customers that smoke."
Ekert is also a partner in the South Riding Inn, another local restaurant and bar, and his business partner, Steve Pasquale, two weeks ago initiated a smoking ban from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the inn.
"We are trying to please both sides of the argument," Pasquale said. "We wanted to allow a time for families to have smoke-free dining, and while it was still allowed or legal in Virginia, after 8 p.m. we allow the smokers to enjoy their time as well."
The South Riding Inn is open until 2 a.m. and is twice the size of the Ashburn Pub. Pasquale said they had a nonsmoking section, but because of the lack in space he was still receiving complaints.
He said he knew he had to stay competitive with bigger restaurants in his neighborhood and because the restaurant's ventilation systems did not clear the smoke well enough to satisfy his nonsmoking customers, they decided to ban smoking during certain hours.Pasquale said he was concerned he would lose business, but that has not happened so far.
"I've had to explain to the smokers and my regulars, and they were very understanding for the most part," Pasquale said. "I was very shocked by how understanding the smokers have been."
Since the ban started, he said he has seen an increase in his lunch business and an increase of families coming in for dinner.
"Most of my colleagues are on the other side of this issue, understandably so, because we have people we see on a regular basis come into the bar that we don't want to alienate, but we also have to consider the others, and again I think the majority are nonsmokers," Pasquale said.
However, Pasquale said he would not completely ban smoking at his business, unless it were a state requirement. He said such a ban would make him uncompetitive with his night crowd.
Jimmy Cirrito, owner of Jimmy's Old Town Tavern in Herndon, said he opposes a smoking ban.
"We are situated in the middle of historic Herndon with very limited sidewalk space and the doors are very small because of its historic foundation," Cirrito said. "There will be no where for these people to go. They will be standing in the middle of Elden Street and Spring Street in circles smoking. I don't think that is what historic Herndon is looking for."
Cirrito said he would have an average of 50 people smoking outside at any given time throughout the night and he does not know where they would all fit. He said he is also confident a smoking ban would hurt his business.
"They'll be on the sidewalk smoking, littering, throwing cigarette butts all over the place, and they will not be inside eating and drinking," he said.
Cirrito, a nonsmoker, said he hates smoking, but he loves his freedom more.
"This country was built on freedom for small businesses like me to create their own policies," he said.

How to combine smoking and etiquette?

Despite on convicting arguments of Ministry of Health, we don’t give up smoking. Smoking remains widespread habit which often helps us to communicate, calms down and helps to concentrate. That’s why people find pleasure in smoking. Why someone do it fine and elegant and others look like pupils of the 7th grade, smoking for the first time. There is no secret that no one was born with the talent of smoking. The deal is in respecting some simple rules which afford you to communicate with others holding cigarette as self-confidently as James Bond.

Rule #1 Let’s smoke a cigarette.

In conversation before smoking you have to ask his permission, because some people ñan't stand cigarette smoke. And even if he smokes, he will be grateful for your attention. Don’t forget to offer him a cigarette. Smoking is unique communication ceremony which can bring together two absolutely unacquainted people. Take into account that it is prohibited to speak with cigarette in your mouth. It gives your face disdainful look which looks good in American movies but it won’t like your talker.

Rule #2. Scratch my back and I will scratch yours.

Prometheus, the hero of Classical Greek myth, was famous of this bringing fire to the people. Lighting up a cigarette to your friend, you make almost the same. You should make it correctly, there are own peculiarities. For example, if lady and gentleman decided to smoke, man must take lighter out of the pocket. In case if he doesn’t have any, the lady gives him her lighter, but in no case she lights up by herself. If some men and women smoke together, then youngest lights up for eldest. When you light up with lighter or matches try to bring fire exactly to the end of the cigarette, not beneath, don’t make your talker reach the fire. Here is another smoker’s taboo: never light up from a cigarette.

Rule #3. There is a place for everything, and everything in its place.

Let the church stand in the churchyard. You may smoke on official banquettes, on presentation if there is an ashtray, besides saucers, cups, glasses, etc. On a visit ask the host; moreover if there is an malachite ashtray in front of you. Avoid smoking near the children, don’t give them bad example. You can smoke in restaurants if neighbors by the table permit you do this after they finish eating. Come around that cigarette smoke doesn’t fit poultry’s smell.
Most people complain against waiter’s suppleness in the restaurants. They take the ashtrays away too fast, every 30 seconds, so it complicates conversation and even irritates. You should know that most restaurants follow the rule – no more than 4 butts in the ashtray, you may ask the waiter not to worry you till you call him for yourself.

Rule #4 Asking for a cigarette.

And the last thing is such a delicate situation. Important conversation, and you wish to smoke. You want to take out the pack but notice that you don’t have cigarettes anymore while your talker enjoys a cigarette. If it is an old friend, you’ll ask him for a cigarette, but if it is a partner… You should look for a cigarette in your pocket and tell that you was in a hurry and forgot to buy cigarettes. A good partner will understand and regale you with cigarette.

History of tobacco.

Till the end of the15th century this plant probably was not known to other people except autochthonous inhabitants of American continent. Archeological excavations showed that 4000 years ago, probably even earlier, north Americans smoked tobacco. In ancient civilizations was told a lot about magical and medicinal properties of tis plant.
The word “tobacco” probably takes its origin from the Tobago isle. Concerning evidence of Spanish sailors, who arrived the coast of the present-day Central America on October, 15 1492 with Columbus expedition, the word “tobacco” used by local aborigines to call big convolute leaves for ritual smoking. Afterwards Spanish and Portuguese brought leaves and seeds in Europe and notwithstanding the bans of Inquisition, Europeans began to cultivate tobacco.
Ambassador of France by Portuguese court Jean Nico in 1560sent some tobacco to queen Catherine Medici, recommended it as the medicine from sick headache. Soon after it snuff tobacco became very fashionable everywhere in France. In the honor of Nico the plant was named Nicotiana in latin language, and the substance educed from this plant in the beginning of 19 century was called Nicotine.
From the second half of 16th century tobacco became very popular as a medicinal plant, almost panacea. Was used snuff tobacco, piped tobacco, people chewed tobacco, mixed it with other substances for treating the cold disease, headache and toothache, skin and infections diseases.
In 1580 English nobleman, a chain smoker, sailor and poet, Sir Walter Raily created a tobacco plantation in Ireland and lately in other colonial American territories. He called one of them Virginia, and the sort of tobacco was called after this name.
In the beginning of 17th century on the territory of the modern America, mainly in English colonies, appeared and other tobacco plantations. In 1611 such plantation was created in Virginia by Englishman John Rolf .
Tobacco seeds were imported by him from Trinidad and Venezuela, and the technology was borrowed from Walter Raily (and improved it on). In 8 years began exporting of tobacco from Virginia to England, and John Rolf by himself settled in New World and even got married to daughter of an Indian chief who gave him an advice to try tobacco planting.
Among noblemen were and other admirers of tobacco. King of Prussia Frederick I (beginning of 18th century) organized smoking festivals by German court and his son, Frederick-William I even founded “Tobacco board” , where on its meetings were discussed about politics, state by having smoked tobacco. From Russian lovers of tobacco was Peter I.
There were and opponents against tobacco. King of England James I in the beginning of 17th century appeared against smoking and considered this habit harmful for the health, relaxing people and weakening the state’s forth. He introduced tax for importing tobacco in England. Roughly speaking the same did cardinal Richelieu in France.
Of course this did not stop tobacco spreading, but encouraged contraband importing. On the East especially in hot climate smoking often became the reason of fire, smoking was prosecuted roughly. In Turkey smokers were subjected to physical punishments, shameful ceremonies and even was sentenced to death. In Japan person might be imprisoned and in Russia people could be tortured. The truth is that all the bans did not rooted out this habit, they even do not help now when every children knows that smoking damages to the health.
During the times of America discovery tobacco was wide-spread. Indians from Southern and Central America smoked long cigars rolled from leaves of cohiba plant (inhabitants of South America smoke them till now). In Cuban Indians’ language word “cohibo” meant process of smoking. Spanish and Portuguese people borrowed cigars and spread them in Europe in the first half of the17th century. In Mexico and North America Aztecs and Indians smoked pipes. As English people began their colonization of New World from North America so they borrowed pipe smoking and even launched tobacco manufacturing from special heather bush.
History established the exact date and circumstances under which population of Europe perceived the delight of tobacco smoking. In 1597 Roman Panov in his narration about Columbus’s second travel in America tells us details about spread traditions among people of this country to smoke tobacco. In the first Columbus’s travel in 1492 inhabitants of the Antilles appeared before him in tobacco smoke, they rolled tobacco in maize leaf and gave him the cigar-like shape. Further travelers found out that smoking piped tobacco is widespread at the territory of America and only in some parts of east coast of South America smoking was replaced by chewing tobacco.
Firstly, Europeans noticed that tobacco leaves are herbs, also tobacco leaves can suppress starvation and support cheerfulness.
Citizen of Milan city Jirolamo Benzonni who lived in Mexico between 1541 and 1555 informed that smoking tobacco is named in this country as “tobacco”, from here and began European word “tobacco”. In 1556 participant of French expedition to Southern America missioner Andrew Thevet brought tobacco seeds to Paris, these seeds he named as le Petun .
Thevet described the process of smoking on the isles of Maraniene river where dried tobacco leaves were rolled into palm leaves so the long pipe was shape-formed. In 1560 French messenger in Lisbon Jean Nicot brought seeds of this plant to France where he put the start of cultural cultivation of tobacco. Botanist Dalechamp described tobacco for the first time in his book “History of plants” (Historia plantarum, 1586) and called it after the name of Nico Nicotiana.
French people began to cultivate tobacco as a herb and as a ornamental plant. Only in 1585 landed group of soldiers in Spain and Portugal demonstrated to Europeans their unusual people who puffed smoke from their mouth and nose. In Germany expression Geute “well-educated person does not smoke” was disproved in real life.
English king James in 1604 composed his “contropposition of tobacco” where he described smoking as “disgusting tradition for an eye, hateful for nose, harmful for chest, dangerous for lungs; black smoke is alike smoke from hell. James’s abusive treatise is explained by makhorka which reached England before natural tobacco.
Peter I became passionate smoker during his visit to England, before him in Russia people were whipped because of smoking and banished to Siberia. Snuff tobacco powder was widespread also, expensive snuff-boxes appeared. Were used long narrow smoking pipes and most people begun to collect them. In Moslem countries appeared odd appliances such as nargile, hookahs and others, where smoke goes through vessel with water and then through curved offtake in smoker’s lungs. Triumphal procession led him in 16th century to India, Indonesia, Japan, to Oceania islands. For most countries tobacco manufacturing became the main source of state budget (e.g. in Turkey).

Smoking is not only harmful but useful!

It is known from of old that people are exposed to hypnosis. Some people to a greater or lesser extent.
There is a terminology in medicine – the medicine is called “placebo”. This is a neutral substance that does not have any treatment results but it leads to getting over. People consider that this “medicine” is the most appropriate for recovering from this or that disease and use it.
Placebo, hypnosis in other words, has an marvelous effect. If person is inspired by its doctor or by awaiting from this or that medicine placebo, then the effect could be a couple of times higher than of a real medicine.
There was a “doctor” in former USSR, present Russian Federation. He was Chumak, he charged bottles with water by positive energy. Russian people still remember those times. All people fondly trusted him. He spoke from TV and people sat in front of their TVs and trust that he charged their bottles with water by positive energy. Even when he was translated by the radio, he was silent for 2 minutes – waiting for people to fill in their bottles with water and putting them near the receiver. After the process of “improving” they heartily drank this water.
I’m sure that Chumak during these 2 minutes of silence went on his balcony smoked a cigarette and drunk a cup of coffee. Is it funny? The most interesting thing is that people recovered from their illnesses indeed! What is it? That’s right! Placebo.
Credulous people even hung portraits of Chumak in the hospitals as a talisman. As a matter of fact on Chumak’s place could be George Bush, George Washington or Tina Turner or someone another. The main thing is that people must trust in this symbol and considered this sign as the source of getting over.
Let’s speak about harm of smoking.
Ministry of Health tell us “Smoking is dangerous for your health!” “Smoking leads to cancer”, “A drop of nicotine kills a horse!”. Mass communication media everyday inform us the results of scientists’ investigations where is stated that cigarette takes away 10 minutes of the life. It is written in magazines and newspapers that John Doe went off in his 25 because of chain smoking of 10 packs a day. Parents tell us from young years: “Don’t smoke or you’ll be punished severely!”
Now imagine another situation. All mass media tell us everywhere that “Strawberry jam is death!” “Strawberry jam kills you!” “Every bottle of strawberry jam leads you to death!” “A bottle of strawberry jam kills Karlson!”. Newspapers publish the results of researches that strawberry jam damages the brain. From little up we are told that healthy life is life without jam. In the city there are posters with president: “I achieved success without cigarettes!”
Don’t doubt that strawberry jam will harm your heath indeed! This is hypnosis.
As a matter of fact is smoking so terrible? Not so long time ago one scientist proved that smoking of 10 cigarettes a day don’t harm your health. More than 10 cigarettes – harm, but less – don’t. It’s very interesting…