History of Cigarette's - 2003 to 2008

2003 - In the U.S., 21.6 percent of the population smoke cigarettes. Among men 24.1 percent smoke and among women 19.2 percent smoke.

2003 January - EU tobacco product directive dictates that large health warnings appear on all cigarette packs.

2003 February - Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act is rolled out, ending tobacco advertising on the internet, direct mail, print media and billboards.

2003 July - The Memorandum of Understanding with Customs and Excise is signed by Imperial Tobacco to reduce illegal cigarette trafficking. This was following alleged smuggling at Reemtsma, a German subsidiary of Imperial.

2003 August - British American Tobacco merges Brown & Williamson, its U.S. subsidiary, with R.J. Reynolds to protect BAT from future U.S. tobacco litigation.

2003 August - E-cigarettes are invented by Hon Lik of Beijing, China. Golden Dragon Holdings developed the device and called it Ruyan.

2003 - Price vs Philip Morris reached a $10.1 billion verdict. This class action suit charged Philip Morris with deceptive advertising.

2003 - Boerner vs Brown & Williamson reached a $15 million verdict.

2003 - New York City begins the Smoke-Free Air Act, banning smoking in any indoor public place. Tobacco-related establishments and casinos were exempt. Many states increase taxes on cigarettes to discourage smoking.

2003 - Dunhill closes all its U.S. retail stores except the New York store.

2003 December - U.K. tobacco industry is investigated by the Office of Fair Trading for price fixing.

2004 - In the U.S, 20.9 percent of the population smoke. Among men 23.4 percent smoke and among women 18.5 percent.

2004 March - Ireland is the first country in the world to ban public and workplace smoking.

2004 May - U.S. becomes the 108th country to join the World Health Organization's Global Treaty on Tobacco Control. The treaty controls the sale, taxation and advertising of cigarettes.

2004 May - The European Union announces it will phase out subsidizing tobacco farmers.

2004 June - Norway becomes the second country to implement a smoking ban.

2004 June - A poll finds that 80 percent of Britons would favor a ban on workplace smoking.

2004 - Frankson vs Brown and Williamson reach $5 million verdict. This was the first New York court case that found the tobacco industry liable for a smoker's death.

2004 September - The U.S. civil racketeering case begins. It was filed under the Clinton administration and seeks $280 billion from the sales of tobacco products to minors.

2004 November - Scotland announces it will ban smoking in all public and workplaces.

2004 December - New Zealand becomes third country to ban smoking in enclosed work and public areas.

2004 December - Point of sale regulations are enforced on tobacco product at registers, allowing only an A5-sized sign. Many consider eliminating tobacco product vending machines and point of sale placement entirely.

2005 - U.S. premium cigar consumption third best year in history, with over 321 million cigars imported.

2005 January - Tobacco smuggling in the U.K. is estimated to be equal to £3 billion a year in lost taxes.

2005 February - A global health treaty, The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, is formed. It implements measures to limit and control tobacco products via taxes, health warnings and advertising.

2005 - Smith vs Brown & Williamson reach $1.5 million verdict

2005 - The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that governments can sue tobacco companies per the Tobacco Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act in Imperial Tobacco vs British Columbia.

2005 - U.S. consumption of imported cigars passes 300 million, the seventh straight year of increases. This is the third best year U.S. cigar history following 1997 and 1998.

2005 - The WHO creates its first international health treaty. It encourages countries to reduce tobacco exposure and tighten restrictions.

2005 - Global advertising at sporting events is banned.

2006 - R.J. Reynold vice-president of sales, Stan Smith, pleads guilty to defrauding the Canadian government by smuggling cigarettes into the country and selling them on the black market.

2006 February - The first FCTC conference is held in Geneva with over 140 countries signed on to back its implementation.

2006 May - The U.K. government proposes the inclusion of picture warnings on tobacco products.

2006 August - Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, gives $125 million to tobacco control organizations.

2006/2007 - E-cigarettes make their debut in Europe and the U.S. 2007 - In the U.S., 20.8 percent of the population smokes. Among men 23.9 percent smoke and among women 18 percent smoke.

2007 January - The U.K. government raises the legal age for purchasing tobacco from 16 to 18.

2007 February - Tobacco companies increases advertising towards women, especially nightclub and bar promotions.

2007 March - Just six weeks after going smoke-free, the European Parliament reintroduces smoking rooms.

2007 April - Wales and Northern Ireland implement smoke-free bans.

2007 April - The U.S. Motion Picture Association of America asks the film industry to reduce or eliminate tobacco use in films to discourage tobacco use among youths.

2007 July - England implements smoke-free bans in the workplace and public buildings.

2007 - Studies show that tobacco companies are targeting lower-income families and minorities in their advertising.

2007 August - WHO releases a report stating that by 2015, 10 percent of worldwide deaths will be tobacco-related. Also, by 2030, 80 percent of tobacco deaths would be in developing countries.

2007 October - U.S. CDC announces that for the third straight year U.S. tobacco consumption has leveled off and failed to decrease as was occurring for the past 40 years.

2008 January - France implements ban on public smoking. Turkey also approves ban on public smoking.

2008 January - Smoking rates fell in the U.K. by about 2 percent, similar to rates of reduction in the U.S.

2008 January - Multi-billion-dollar lawsuit filed by the Nigerian government against three tobacco firms for costs of tobacco-related diseases.

2008 February - The WHO reports that tobacco will cause over a billion deaths by 2030.

2008 February - Following the smoking ban of 2007, England smoking has reduced by 6.7 percent. 2008 February - New Zealand requires all tobacco products to include graphic picture warnings.

2008 March - Sales of e-cigarettes halted in Turkey, claiming they are no safer than regular cigarettes.

2008 September - Australia and the EU announce that all cigarettes will need to be self-extinguishing by 2010/2011.

2008 September - The WHO states that e-cigarettes are not a safer alternative to cigarettes.

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