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Japan Tobacco International Hopes That Meeting Of Georgia And Ukraine To Solve Problem ($$) 

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Smuggled cigarettes make Georgia blue in the face 

Smuggling remains a serious obstacle for the sustainability and development of the Georgian economy. The problem can be traced to the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Despite measures taken by the administration since the Rose Revolution, cigarette smuggling is remains a thorn in its side. Though the cigarette smuggling centre is South Ossetia, some cigarettes are still smuggled into Zugdidi across the Enguri River from breakaway Abkhazia.

Analysts calculate that the state should be collecting GEL 292 million in taxes from cigarette purchases-GEL 213 million from imported cigarettes and GEL 79 million from domestic cigarettes.

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OSTLER: A postcard from Germany 

Shopping for souvenirs, I've been trying to find a cuckoo clock where the bird comes out smoking a cigarette and coughing the number of hours.

Germany is a healthy and environmentally conscious country. . . .

This is just about the last major European country that hasn't banned smoking in public places. Not only can you smoke basically anywhere, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a cigarette vending machine. They hang on walls and fences.

One reason the German law hasn't come down on smoking, according to a newspaper story here, is that the tobacco industry spends a ton of money on advertising and political lobbying. . . .

The stadium seating areas are non-smoking, but you still see people lighting up. Unfortunately, most of them sit next to me. One game it was an Italian couple smoking about five cigs at once.

"Non fumare!" a fellow journalist said to them.

They shrugged and kept puffing, because they were more reasonable than the rest of us.

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Control on Smoking hardens 

Control on smoking inside the buildings becomes more strict. National Centre of Control of Smoking intends to carry out raids in Tbilisi. Representatives of the mentioned Centre will check state, medical and educational organizations.

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• Smoking Ban Approved in Georgia 

The Parliament of Georgia ratified the World Health Organisation Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and undertook the obligation of restricting tobacco consumption and realization across the country.

Discussion of those bills, coming from the convention, is also launched by the Parliament. After passing them, it will be banned to trade with open packs of cigarettes.

The bill envisions restriction of tobacco consumption, namely smoking in pre-school playgroups, educational and other institutions/organizations, destined for minors less than 18 years, all across the gasoline stations, in all places, where inflammable materials are kept, as well as in all working places

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• Parliament considers smoking restrictions 

A planned amendment to the Georgian Administrative Procedural Code provides for confiscation of incomes generated from the illegal trade of tobacco products. The bill will be implemented together with a bill amending the Tobacco Control Law. The law would prohibit the selling of cigarettes within 50 meters of any health and education facilities. The bill amending the Tobacco Control Law, which was approved by the parliamentary sectoral economics committee on Wednesday, also provides for serious restrictions on smoking. In particular smoking would be prohibited in places used for public gatherings, in buildings used by public organizations and near fuel stations. The managers of state organizations will have to allocate specially ventilated sections for smoking.

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Armenian Tobacco Tycoon To Open Plant In Georgia 

Armenia's leading tobacco tycoon confirmed on Friday reports about his plans to expand his cigarette production and sales into neighboring Georgia.

Hrant Vartanian told RFE/RL that he will invest $4 million over the next two years in a cigarette factory which is currently built in Tbilisi by his Grand Tobacco firm and his Georgian business partners. Vartanian said Grand Tobacco will have a controlling 51 stake in the joint venture to be called Best. It will start production operations by the beginning of October, he added.

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Outdoor Tobacco Trade Banned 

Selling of tobacco products at outdoor markets has been banned in the capital Tbilisi, starting from March 1. Authorities claim this measure is a part of those attempts aimed at curbing tobacco smuggling.

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Government bans cigarette sales in markets 

Ministries hope to block distribution points for smuggled goods but analysts question whether the government will combat the source of smuggling By M. Alkhazashvili

Excised cigarettes sold in local stores; officials now hope this will be the only selling points for tobacco

In an attempt to clamp down on contraband cigarettes entering the country, which the government says has risen dramatically, the government is to ban the sale of cigarettes in markets from March 1...

"In the markets and bazaars smuggled goods frequently appear alongside excised products. This is impossible to control because the smuggled products are often hidden under the stock shelves," Rezonansi quotes Davit Gelashvili as saying. The solution, he said, was to ban the sale of all cigarettes in such places.

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Cigarette prices go up with new tax code 

Georgia's new tax code, which came into effect on January 1, has increased the excise tax, and thus the consumer prices, on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes.

"Prices on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes have increased because excise is indirect payment that should be paid by the population, not the vendors," stated economic expert Irakli Shavishvili.

Excise on imported tobacco products has increased from 40 tetri to 90 tetri, and vendor Lali Sharabidze confirmed that the price of cigarettes had "gone up by at least 50 tetri." Even so, cigarettes in Georgia remain cheaper than in most foreign countries.

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RESEARCH AND PRACTICE / Prevalence of Smoking in 8 Countries of the Former Soviet Union: Results From the Living Conditions, Lifestyles and Health Study 

Conclusions. Smoking rates among men in these countries have been high for some time and remain among the highest in the world. Smoking rates among women have increased from previous years and appear to reflect transnational tobacco company activity.

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Cigarettes seized near Abkhazia 

Employees of the Financial Police seized contraband cigarettes in the Zugdidi region over the weekend.

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City hears complaint on smoking ordinance 

A local businessman made a last-minute protest against the citywide smoking ban Monday, asking the city council to rescind the ordinance before it goes into effect Friday.

Chris McMillan, owner of Little Six Laundromat, said the ban takes away business owners' right to control what happens on their property.

"I can see where public buildings like the hospital can self-impose a smoking ban on themselves," he said. "However, private individual businesses such as myself or a restaurant or a barber shop are private and should be controlled by the person that runs them."

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Tax on Tobacco Increased 

As a result of an amendment made to the tax code of Georgia in January 2004, the excise rate on tobacco products increased from 0,2 to 0,25 Lari from July 1.

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• Lights Out For Georgia? 

Georgia's anti-smoking lobby scored a victory earlier in September when parliament passed a new law banning people from lighting up in public. But this is not a country where people stick to the rules - and this is one that smokers are unlikely to observe. . . .

The law had a rocky passage through parliament, where some deputies have connections with the tobacco industry.

Another obstacle was that many of the deputies smoke themselves . . .

The Georgians are among the world's heaviest users of tobacco per capita - 40 per cent of the country's 4.5 million people, and about half of all young men, smoke. According to the Georgian Alliance for Tobacco Control, 11,000 people die from tobacco-related diseases every year . . .

The tobacco lobby then did its best to curb the most restrictive aspects of the new law. Teimuraz Mikaberidze, financial manager for the tobacco firm GTM, confirmed that producers had extensive input in the drafting process. "We got some unacceptable points taken out, for example the provision that cigarette outlets must be at least 200 metre away from schools,"

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