South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford on Wednesday again called for a 30-cent per pack increase on cigarettes and said he wants to use the money to cut income taxes for most of the state’s wage earners. (more…)

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A new cigarette tax agreement with the Yakama Indian Nation will drive up smokeshop prices and send all the revenue to the tribe, but allows the state access to reservation smokeshops to monitor pricing and compliance with the tax stamp. (more…)

(TIGARD, Ore.) - State fire officials say a Tigard nursing home avoided potential tragedy recently when a fire-safer cigarette self extinguished after a resident fell asleep while smoking. (more…)

NEW YORK (AP) — Loews Corp., a conglomerate with interests in financial services, hotels and watches, said Monday it plans to spin off Lorillard Inc., one of the nation’s largest cigarette makers, into a separate publicly-traded company.Loews (LTR, Fortune 500) shares rose 3.6 percent in morning trading. (more…)

Attorneys general from 8 states have filed a motion against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. (RJR) alleging that RJR is illegally marketing cigarettes to youth through a current advertising campaign. (more…)

RICHMOND, Va. - Lorillard Tobacco Co. is denying that its use of the letter “M” to promote its Newport cigarettes cashes in on Philip Morris USA’s iconic Marlboro brand.The nation’s No. 1 tobacco company filed suit in October in U.S. District Court seeking to block Lorillard from using an “M” in its packaging for Newport, contending it unfairly infringes on its top-selling brand. (more…)

Cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. said Wednesday that it agreed to temporarily halt a controversial advertising campaign featuring cartoons in hopes of negotiating a settlement to lawsuits filed by California and seven other states. (more…)