GUESS how many packets of 20 cigarettes are made from 1kg of flue-cured Virginia tobacco? One answer is 64, but it really depends on whom you ask, and on how much lower-grade filler tobacco is used, but these variables are negligible. When times are good and farm-gate prices high, farmers can expect about R18,50/kg from British American Tobacco SA (BAT SA), which buys 85% of South African tobacco. It means the street value of tobacco is 64 times that paid to farmers for the raw material in...

Bonnie Herzog, who follows tobacco companies for Citigroup, wrote in a note to investors Monday that the case cut off one defense tobacco companies were using to defend themselves against class-action cases over light cigarettes. The Supreme Court ruled against tobacco giant Philip Morris, which had argued that lawsuits against the company over light cigarettes belonged in the federal courts, not in front of state judges. Plaintiffs in those cases, which affect Philip Morris and other big...

While many farmers retired from tobacco with their buyout checks, others saw a new freedom to grow leaf where they wanted instead of commuting by tractor to small, scattered plots they rented. Price supports stopped after a federal buyout of the quotas that had supported the tobacco farming industry for decades. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. North Carolina still is the largest domestic producer, growing about 70 percent of the U. Johnston County...

The Supreme Court of Canada, the country's highest court, today unanimously rejected the tobacco companies' bid to have the legislation struck because it violates freedom of speech. In 1997, the Canadian government prohibited tobacco companies from advertising aimed at young people, lifestyle promotion and false or misleading advertising. Cigarette makers were allowed to provide information to smokers and promote specific brands. The tobacco companies have been fighting the advertising ban...

Upon completion of their school year, each school's activities were reviewed by a panel of youth and adults from agencies across Hamilton, including the Hamilton Crew For Action Against Tobacco (HCAAT), Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board and Public Health Services. Upon completion of their school year, each school's activities were reviewed by a panel of youth and adults from agencies across Hamilton, including the Hamilton Crew For...