Tobacco Farmers Rewarded High Prizes

Harrison Mukucha (45) has worked his government-allocated A1 farm without tangible rewards since 2002. In desperation last year he decided to give tobacco farming one last chance - only to find his efforts rewarded by unusually high prizes at the tobacco floors. Golden leaf: tobacco fetched unusually high prices ranging between $2-$5 per kg. Golden leaf: tobacco fetched unusually high prices ranging between $2-$5 per kg. He reluctantly put just two acres under tobacco last season, as he had been disappointed with the low prices which the golden leaf fetched in the past. He told The Zimbabwean how he and other tobacco farmers were smiling all the way to the bank this time around:

Coffee Drinkers and Smoking Habit

Coffee lovers are a loyal crowd. Most pour out their morning cup of java for the flavor, the aroma, and the accompanying jolt of energy, rather than the health perks. So they may not mind if doctors debate new research suggesting that coffee lovers live longer. According to an article in today's New England Journal of Medicine, those who drank coffee at the beginning of a 13-year study had a slightly lower risk of death than others, whether they chose decaf or full-strength.

Cigarette High Taxes and Tobacco Profits

Cigarette makers have a certified history of deception, distortion and lying. And let's not forget fraud and racketeering. Those aren't my words. Credit U.S. District Judge Gladys E. Kessler of Washington, D.C. She wrote in a landmark 2006 ruling that for more than 50 years the tobacco industry had "lied, misrepresented, and deceived the American public, including smokers and the young people they avidly sought as 'replacement smokers,' about the devastating health effects of smoking." Be the first to know! Sign up for FOX40 breaking news alerts.

Tobacco Use, State Government Concern

Health Minister, Hon Dr. Fenton Ferguson, said the government is "profoundly concerned" about the devastating impact of smoking and the fact that more teenagers are abusing tobacco. “It is with alarm that I have observed that the 13 to 15 age cohort is the group being seduced into the practice of tobacco use and the products are becoming more and more innovative,” he stated. The Health Minister, who was addressing a recent press briefing at his downtown Kingston offices, said the government deems it a priority to protect and safeguard public health by reducing exposure to the harmful effects of tobacco use through a comprehensive Tobacco Control Act.

Lawsuit Against Tobacco Companies, South Australia News

South Australia is spearheading a push to recoup billions of dollars spent on caring for sick smokers. Health Minister John Hill put the proposal to a Ministerial Council meeting in Canberra on Friday and said he had received a positive response. Mr Hill said Australia was well placed to force tobacco companies to compensate governments for the health costs associated with smoking over many decades.