Finns appear willing to favour increases in taxation on alcohol, tobacco, confectionery and capital gains in order to balance public finances, a survey commissioned by YLE indicates. However, there is little enthusiasm for higher income or energy taxes.The pollster asked over 1,000 Finns just before Christmas what taxes could be raised to balance public finances.
Some 61 percent of those asked say they were ready to accept an increase on taxation on alcohol and tobacco products.

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A U.S. trial judge on Monday questioned whether a British American Tobacco PLC (BTI, BATS.LN) subsidiary remained subject to her landmark 2006 racketeering ruling against the tobacco industry.U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler suggested that new legal precedent by the U.S. Supreme Court may upend her previous decision that British American Tobacco (Investments) Ltd. was liable under U.S. racketeering laws.British American Tobacco is the manufacturer of Dunhill cigarettes.

NEW YORK – Indian nations within the boundaries of New York have won a round in the ongoing cigarette tax fight with the state: The nations can continue to sell tax-free cigarettes to non-Indians in sovereign Indian country while the court decides whether the state’s new tax laws are legal.On Dec. 9, a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the state’s request to lift injunctions that stop the state from collecting cigarette taxes from sales on Indian land while several challenges to the tax laws are pending.

Welcome to the future of smoking.  The electronic cigarette has revolutionized the way smokers get their nicotine fix, but it has also been the topic of debate for health care professionals everywhere.  Is it really safer than actual cigarettes everyone asks? A recent report showed that electronic cigarettes are far safer than actual cigarettes, and show promise in the fight against tobacco-related diseases and death.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – A smokeless, odorless alternative to cigarettes will not be as strictly regulated as some had hoped. A federal appeals court ruled electronic cigarettes will follow the same rules as traditional tobacco products.Antonio Massa manages a store that cells electronic cigarettes. He says that they are gaining in popularity. “In the past month, I’d say probably a 500 percent increase in interest,” he said.

THOUSANDS of smokers are switching to potentially dangerous electronic cigarettes, which are being marketed as the ”healthy” way to kick the habit. The Australian Medical Association and anti-smoking groups said that smokeless, battery-powered ”e-cigarettes” packed with nicotine have not been tested for safety and could pose a serious health risk.

Teens and young adults have increasingly found prescription drugs a source for abuse. Prescription drugs ranks second only to marijuana in abuse among this age group.How will medical marijuana rank in the abuse list? Will it be ranked as marijuana abuse or prescription drug abuse?Medical marijuana use in increasing as more states approve it’s use with a prescription. California has taken a step farther by adding medical marijuana to ice cream.

Smokeless tobacco products have a high risk of addictionand returning to smoking and should not be used as an alternative to cigarettes, cigars or pipes, says the America Heart Association in a policy statement. Smokeless tobacco products are not as safe as many people believe, they are linked to an increased risk of certaincancers, fatal stroke and fatal heart attack.