Posts Tagged ‘ tobacco ’

Camel Orbs Inspiration for Alchomints (Why not?)

April 20th, 2010. By AbiK

Haven’t sent in the patent app yet, but thinking the tagline—or at least the initial advertising—will include the line, “Get Mintoxicated.” See, I’m putting together a marketing proposal for these little mints (Alchomints!)—each one will pack a punch that’s equivalent to slinging back a mug of beer; that is, about 4-5% alcohol (by volume, based on an average sized mug—the ramped up “Hofbrauhaus High” would launch later as a line extension).

The target audience for Alchomints is anyone who’s come up against those inconvenient “no drinking in public” laws. The brown bag conspicuously twisted and crinkled around the neck of a tall boy just ain’t cuttin’ it and, let’s face it, you look like a total lush gripping your keychain opener as you bolt out of the packaged goods store. Wouldn’t you rather pop a little mint? All the buzz…none of the belch, breath or belly. It’s a sure hit. 

Go ahead and scoff. Call me a moron. Tell me the name “Alchomints” sounds too similar to “Altoids”. Rip me a new one about what would happen if my mints got into the wrong hands.

And let me then remind you of a product launch that started to roll out recently: Camel Orbs.

And just what are Camel Orbs? Well, much like my Alchomints, they’re little pellets that you can pop in your mouth like mints. But, they’re actually made from finely ground tobacco. And they reportedly carry 1 milligram of nicotine per Orb. That’s apparently the amount of nicotine a smoker gets from one cigarette.

Why would someone want to use Camel Orbs? Well, like my Alchomints, maybe someone’s in need of a little nicotine fix when they’re someplace where smoking is a no-no. (Maybe even someone sitting in third period Biology! Ponder that one for a moment…)

And, gee, doesn’t “Orbs” sound like some other innocuous checkout aisle candy or gum—say, like Orbit gum?

Hmm. I wonder if those Camel Orbs could get into the wrong hands, too?

Now, to be fair, as Camel was launching their Orbs in test markets, there was a lot of flak being written in protest. Rightly so. After all, seems pretty clear that something that looks like candy could be mistaken for, well, candy! Particularly by the younger set.

And now, just this week, we hear about a study done by the Harvard School of Public Health Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Camel Orbs, CDC, Harvard, Nicotine, Smokeless Tobacco, tobacco
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | No Comments »

You can sue Tobacco, but it may cost you

January 13th, 2010. By AbiK

If you’ve been keeping up with the news on smoking lawsuits, you’ll know that Florida is the hotbed for action right now. Ever since the Florida Supreme Court threw out a $145 billion judgement against Philip Morris et al in 2006, the road has been opened up for smokers to file individual lawsuits against the tobacco company.

And so they have. But there’s a twist here.

Just yesterday, we learned that ex-smoker Jerome Cohen dropped his lawsuit against Philip Morris. Any time someone—a former smoker—drops their lawsuit against a tobacco company you begin to wonder why. Well, in this instance, Cohen’s lawyer, Philip Gerson, was quoted in the Associated Press as saying that Cohen’s health was the issue—he has lung cancer.

But other reports bring up another little-known—or little publicized—issue: in Florida, if a plaintiff refuses a settlement offer, continues on with their case and loses—or, according to smokersinfo.net, wins a judgement of at least 25 percent less than the defendant’s original offer, the defendant may seek attorney fees and costs from the plaintiff.

And that can be mucho dinero. Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris, said in a statement earlier in the week that two other Florida smokers recently had to cough up $100,000 and $30,000 respectively—to Philip Morris—upon losing their cases.

Hard to imagine, but true. And that may well give pause to some indivduals who might otherwise file a lawsuit against Philip Morris.

I tend to look at the consequences of smoking as a mixed responsibility thing—that is, if you started smoking prior to Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Florida, Philip Morris, tobacco
Posted in Personal Injury | 24 Comments »

Graphic Images on Cigarettes: What’s Wrong with this Picture?

August 28th, 2009. By AbiK

Here’s the question…

Smokers:

Will this picture make you stop buying and smoking cigarettes?

Some new federal regulations are in the pipeline for cigarette packs—graphic (and disturbing) pictures of what smoking can do to a body. Images of things like of throat cancer tumors…seriously discolored and decayed teeth…blackened lungs…tracheotomies. Apparently our friends north of the border already have similar programs in place and it’s been reported that these tactics actually work to deter folks from continuing the habit (healthfinder.gov 8/27/09).

The regulations would actually be part of the legislation that President Obama signed back in June with the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The legislation gives the FDA authority to regulate how tobacco products are marketed.

Now, I don’t defend tobacco companies—but seriously. When and where do we draw the line on Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: tobacco
Posted in Drugs/Medical | No Comments »