Million Adult Smokers in LA County

Less than a million adults are smokers in Los Angeles County, a figure reached for the first time since such data were collected in 1997, according to a new health report. The report, released by Los Angeles County Department of Public Health late Wednesday, found 13.1 percent of all adults were smokers in 2011, the last year for which data were available. That is down from 14.3 percent in 2002 and 2007.

Illegal Cigarettes, Czech Smokers

Czech customs officers uncovered and closed down two plants for the illegal production of cigarettes in the vicinity of Zlin which may have deprived the state of up to 29 million crowns in excise tax, General Customs Authority spokesman Jiri Bartak told CTK Wednesday. A large modern cigarette plant was in Luzkovice village and another smaller facility was situated in the complex of former farm in Vsemina, both South Moravia. "Four cigarette production and packaging lines, over 1.3 million forged cigarettes of Marlboro and Classic brands, six tonnes of cut tobacco, 400,000 pieces of forged Moldovan tobacco labels and millions of components for cigarette production were seized at the illegal plants," Bartak said.

Smoking Advertisements on Smartphones

Tobacco companies have recently found a new way to target individuals for their tobacco products, specifically cigarettes. Plenty of pro-smoking advertisements, many of which feature different cigarette brand names and images, are being promoted on smartphones to a broad range of individuals, including children and teens. A lead author for the study, Nasser Dhim, has said, “The regulation of these apps is lagging behind the legislation in Australia and many other countries which ban tobacco advertising including through the internet and virtual stores.” Dhim also said, “This is despite the fact that the Apple and Android app stores have the technological infrastructure to block the sale of apps in accordance with local laws. As we show in our study Apple has already used this technology to ban access to certain content on its app store, in both China and Saudi Arabia.”

Smokers and Smoking Habit, Leicestershire County Council

Smokers are being urged to stub out their cigarettes as part of national Heart Day tomorrow. Ernie White, Leicestershire County Council cabinet lead member for health, said: "Giving up smoking is the single biggest positive step you can take to reduce your risk of a heart attack. "As your circulation improves, you are more able to be active, which increases the positive impact on your health. "Within three months, walking becomes easier. "Within a year, your risk of a heart attack is half that of a smoker." It is estimated that about 3,000 Leicestershire people have heart disease caused by smoking. Nearly 100,000 adults – 19 per cent – of the county's population are thought to be smokers.

Smoking is Still Banned in Public Areas, Cayman News

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kiran Kumar is reminding residents that smoking in public places is prohibited by the Tobacco Law 2008 and Regulations 2010. Indoor bars and restaurants, office buildings, businesses and other enclosed areas are smoke-free inside as well as up to 10 feet from any entry, exit or other opening. In addition, for the outdoor bars and restaurants, a no smoking area must be designated.

Smoke-Free Legislation on Campus is Revolting

With a new school year underway, we have a new policy on campus affecting many students. The Oregon State University Smoke-Free Policy bans smoking on campus. I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life, and don’t plan to, but this new policy is outrageous. First, OSU is a public university, and therefore should never enact a policy, rule, etc., restricting anyone’s freedom. By saying students can’t smoke on campus, our freedom to do as we wish has been taken away.

Haverhill Prohibits Smoking Cigar in Clubs

Local variety and convenience store representatives left City Hall smiling last night after the Board of Health decided not to ban the sale of inexpensive single cigars under the new smoking and tobacco sales rules it adopted. Representatives of local private clubs and veterans’ clubs left wondering what the new rules will mean for them. Under the new regulations, smoking will no longer be allowed in private clubs in Haverhill, and pharmacies in the city will no longer be allowed to sell tobacco products. But the clubs will have the option of creating what Board Chairman Dr. Carl Rosenbloom called “negative air pressure rooms,” where only club members will be allowed to smoke. Rosenbloom proposed the option after representatives of local veterans’ organizations voiced opposition to banning smoking in their clubs.

E-cigarettes Popular among Teenagers

Parents and experts are expressing concerns about the rising popularity of electronic cigarettes with teenagers since the product's health effects are still unknown. The electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, have been increasingly present in Quebec corner stores over the past year and are being seen as a possible gateway to smoking. The product makes steam similar to tobacco smoke. Health Canada forbids the sale of e-cigarettes that contain nicotine, but authorizes the sale of the nicotine-free version of the product.

Smoking Tobacco Restricts on Campus, Rice University News

Beginning Sept. 1, tobacco users at Rice University will have to limit their consumption to one of 13 locations on campus. There will be a zone within a five-minute walk from any building on campus, and each location will have a covered canopy, waste receptacles and seating areas, Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby said. “We reached out and talked to the Student Association and Graduate Student Association about the policy, seeking input on the designated locations, which are flexible and may be adjusted after a few months as we receive feedback from people,” Kirby said. Violators will be held accountable by regular supervisory programs, with students reporting to Student Judicial Programs, Kirby said. “Generally, we’re going to rely on the goodwill and nature of people to want to create a good environment for us to live and work in and for community members to remind people to not smoke by doors,” Kirby said. “But if there are exceptions to that behavior, we will go through the normal enforcement processes.”

New Yorkers Accused for Illegal Tobacco Sales

Five men from New York City face charges in Shenandoah County linking them to an alleged scheme to sell thousands of packs of untaxed cigarettes, according to authorities. Maj. Scott Proctor of the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office identified the five men arrested Aug. 5 as Jose Daniel Utate-Hidalgo, 38; Jose Edwin Guzman, 38; John Taveras, 40; Vidal Rodriquez, 39; and Jose Peralta, 44. Proctor said Shenandoah County sheriff's deputies seized at least three vehicles and more than 15,000 packs of cigarettes as evidence at the arrest scene.

Cigarette Makers Lose Challenge

General Nicola Roxon has urged tobacco companies to "accept the decision of the umpire" after the High Court rejected a challenge to the Federal Government's world-first plain packaging legislation. From December 1, cigarettes will be sold in drab, olive green packaging with graphic health warnings after the High Court ruled the legislation did not infringe on the property rights of tobacco companies. It means tobacco companies will be required to begin producing plain packaging from October 1, which Ms Roxon said would give businesses an adequate phase-in period before the laws kick in.

Quitting Smoking Does not Help Rheumatoid Arthritis

A new study suggests that quitting tobacco use (smoking) may not make any difference in the disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Tobacco use is a known environmental risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis, but it is unknown whether quitting tobacco use affects the Clinical Disease Activity Index in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The study involved rheumatoid arthritis patients. During the follow-up, ceased smokers did not have a better Clinical Disease Activity Index, compared to those who continued to use tobacco.

Cigarette Prices Hike, Quit Smoking

The recent increase in the Illinois cigarette tax is an example of how making smoking more expensive can convince some people it's time to quit. For example, being a smoker in Chicago can easily cost $300 a month, which is more than twice as expensive as a monthly prescription of medications to help a person quit smoking. But even when the cost of smoking convinces a person to quit, it can be hard to kick the habit, said Dr. Phillip McAndrew, an internal medicine physician and occupational health expert at Loyola University Health System. "Nicotine really is that addictive. It's a hard battle, but every one that we win, including increasing the cost of cigarettes through taxes, brings individual smokers to the tipping point where the pain of smoking overcomes the joys of nicotine and they quit," McAndrew noted. "The tipping point could be a life-altering health experience, but often it's the impact on the pocketbook that makes people really consider quitting," he explained in a Loyola news release.

Massachusetts Prohibits Tobacco Sales at Drug Stores

This tourist-dependent Massachusetts town has banned the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in drug stores. The prohibition was voted unanimously by the board of health, effective Sept. 1, or two months before Halloween, when visitors flock here for the annual celebration tied to the 17th century Salem witch trials. Dr. Barbara Poremba, head of the board, said the ban applies to chain pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens and Walmart as well as locally-owned drug stores. She said banning tobacco sales at pharmacies makes sense when you consider they are key to a community's health care delivery system. "We weren't looking to be punitive," she said.

Chinese Smokers Face High Fines

The WHO blames the Chinese authorities for the failure of the global anti-smoking campaign. According to the report of the Chinese Healthcare ministry, one million people die in China of diseases caused by smoking annually. The total number of smokers in China is 350 million people which is almost twice the number of the population of Russia, and three times as many as the population of Mexico. China is also the global leader in terms of the number of passive smokers, whose number exceeds 700 million people. The anti-tobacco campaign has been on for more than a year in China. Smoking is restricted in public places and those who break the rules face high fines. But the campaign is very inefficient. By the way, in the 17th century China also fought smokers – in those times they were simply beheaded. The WHO forecasts that by 2025 annually 3 million people will die in China of diseases caused by smoking. The explanation is simple – despite the economic boom China is still a developing country, first of all in terms of level of living and people’s attitude towards their health, the general director of the Tabakprom association of tobacco producers Vadim Zhelnin says.

Indifference to Smoking Warnings

Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) announced tobacco industry interference as the theme for World No Tobacco Day this year to focus on the industry’s increasingly aggressive efforts to undermine public health efforts across the world. This global discourse warrants an assessment of the industry’s role in India’s tobacco control and larger public health movement. Every year, tobacco use causes one million deaths in India and the industry spends millions of rupees on clandestine marketing and advertising tactics to recruit new users, particularly the youth.

Tobacco Control Efforts Among Smoking Women

A new study comparing lung cancer death rates among women by year of birth shows dramatic differences in trends between states, likely reflecting the success or failure of tobacco control efforts. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, finds that while lung cancer death rates declined continuously by birth year for women born after the 1950s in California, rates in other states declined less quickly or even increased. In some southern states, lung cancer death rates among women born in the 1960s were approximately double those of women born in the 1930s.

Tobacco Use Not Permited in Sparta

Smokers may have to find another place to light up because Sparta is considering a tobacco ban on township property. Ordinance 12-08 to prohibit smoking, tobacco use or tobacco-related products on township property was unanimously introduced in May. The ordinance was scheduled for a public hearing and final vote Tuesday night, but the Township Council's meeting was rescheduled to Thursday at 7:30 p.m. "Tobacco has no place at our parks and ball fields,"

Tobacco Companies Love French Movies

A public health advocacy group called the French League Against Cancer is taking advantage of World No Tobacco Day - today - to sound the alarm about “hidden advertising” for cigarettes. Tobacco advertising was outlawed in France in 1991. And yet cigarette manufacturers are still finding a way to get their products into mass media: French movies. According to the League, a recent survey found that "about 80% of the 180 movies included in the sample have scenes in which cigarettes brands and smokers are represented,” Le Parisien reports. More than 70% of these silver screen smokers are “honorable characters,” who could thus encourage young people to start smoking. Tobacco addiction is the leading cause of death in France. On average, French smokers take their first puff at 14.

Tobacco Products Sales Banned

A clause in Section 6 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) prohibits sale of tobacco products within 100-metre radius of educational institutes, but there are several areas in the city where the rule is being defied. Even after complaints by some colleges, many stalls within this radius are openly selling items like cigarettes and gutkhas. However, most of the colleges are taking all necessary steps to ensure that students do not smoke on the campuses. Places like Fergusson College (FC) Road and Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC) Road have several shops and stalls selling tobacco products. The police department and Pune Municipal Corporation have not taken any action in spite of colleges sending letters to them to remove such stalls. So now the colleges are trying their best to control the menace at least on the campuses. FC principal Ravindra Pardeshi said, "We had written to the police department and PMC about a year ago, but did not get a reply and the stalls are still functioning. However, we have kept our campus completely smoke free.

Lack of Knowledge Kill a Lot of Smokers

Ignorance is a harsh word. But imagine reaching for that next cigarette until it kills you, without ever really understanding why. Imagine wanting to stop yet not knowing the only rule needed to succeed. And imagine never once investigating the truth as to how most ex-smokers quit. Half of adult smokers smoke themselves to death. More than five million smoking deaths annually, with one billion expected by century's end, why don't smokers take their self-destruction and slow suicide more seriously?

Korean Tobacco Maker Urged to Cut Illegal Cigs

Billions of pine brand cigarette sticks have long been smuggled into Pakistan, most likely from the neighboring Afghanistan, revealed industry sources latest data here on Tuesday. They told Business Recorder that the amount of smuggled pine cigarettes was so substantial that it prompted Pakistani authorities to formally complain to the Korean government and KT&G last year. The KT&G, the nation's leading tobacco maker, exports to 45 countries, including four countries in the Middle East - Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq and Iran - through the firm's regional offices and UAE-based importer Alokozay International. The company does not have any official dealer or representative office in Pakistan. A pack of 20 cigarettes is said to be sold at around Rs 30 (400 won). Sources said tobacco maker was made aware of the smuggling when Pakistan Embassy in Seoul raised the issue with Korean Ministry of Strategy and Finance in April 2011.

Smokers Responsability, Councils Decision

Regarding the non-smoking OAP who was fined for dropping a cigarette (Post, April 28), I am not a big fan of Swansea or Neath Port Talbot councils but in their defense I have to point out the council did not throw that butt on the ground an irresponsible smoker did. Councils are spending thousands of our taxes to clean up the disgusting mess made outside all buildings where employees and customers step outside to smoke. A few places have bins for stubs but many smokers don't use them.

Japaness Tobacco Companies Tax

British American Tobacco, the world’s second-largest cigarette maker, has asked the government to remove the preferential treatment the products of PMFTC Inc. and other old cigarette brands to level the playing field in the Philippines. James Lafferty, general manager of British American Tobacco Philippines, said the company was open to any increase in the excise tax rates and a change in the structure of the so-called sin taxes if it would allow new entrants like BAT to do business in the country.

Indian Smokers and Tobacco Addiction

Smoking kills, but most smokers still don’t know how. One in two Indian smokers isn’t aware that tobacco addiction can lead to stroke and 38% that it can cause heart disease. These are some of the startling findings of a World Heart Federation report that will be released at the World Congress of Cardiology (WCC) in Dubai on Saturday. India is high on tobacco addiction. It has 138 million smokers and 28% of its people in the 15-49 age group use tobacco in some form or the other. Bidis are the most popular (48%) followed by tobacco-chewing (38%) and cigarettes (14%).

Cost of Tobacco Smoking

An employee's money-saving idea is one hot topic in Fort Worth. He wants the city to hire only non-smokers, and that proposal is getting a reaction from co-workers and City Council members.

City Manager Tom Higgins presented the idea informally as one of several possibilities to the Council at Tuesday's meeting. Council member Frank Moss raised serious issues with the idea. "We may lose a lot of good people by excluding smokers," he said.

Tobacco Smoking and Teens

You may have recently noticed a surge on the anti-tobacco war front. This increase in the anti-tobacco campaign comes at the heels of national cancer statistics, which report that there has been a decrease in national cancer rates. The fact is that adolescents are hard to reach when it comes to preventive health care. From 1997-2003, cigarette use declined sharply, but more recent statistics show that current rates are declining at a much slower rate. Nearly all first time tobacco use occurs before high school graduation.

Smoking Promotion Effective

Many of us know that long term smoking can lead to harmful effects, but now a recent ad campaign is showing positive signs of helping people kick the habit. You may have noticed the graphic commercials recently that show the effects of smoking.According to some recent numbers, those stop smoking ads are doing their job. The often gruesome ads are turning heads and turning over some new life choices for smokers.

The number of calls to tobacco quit lines has increased considerably in Ohio and across the nation ever since the government launched the graphic ad campaign.

Cigarettes A New Safety Standard

Fire chiefs hope a new safety standard on discount OK cigarettes will help save lives across the county.

A recent EU safety standard means cigarettes sold in the UK should have special chemical bands in their structure so that cigarettes go out if not actively smoked.

Councillor Christine Bampton-Smith (Lib Dem, Luddenden Foot), vice-chairwoman of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority’s Community Safety Committee welcomed the move.

Ottawa Public Smoke-Free Zones

Smokers should butt out on restaurant patios as well as city-owned parks, beaches, buildings and markets, Ottawa Public Health is recommending.

A decade after the city banned smoking indoors, the next phase of the bylaw expansion would make all city properties -including beaches, more than 1,000 parks and 300 city facilities, including the ByWard and Parkdale market stalls - smoke-free zones. Smoking on city streets and sidewalks would still be allowed.

More controversial will be the push to keep smoking off of outdoor restaurant and pub patios.

Manhattan Tobacco Cessation Program

The Manhattan Tobacco Cessation Program at the New York University School of Medicine announces release of Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: A Toolkit for Dental Providers.

The toolkit, already at use in NYU College of Dentistry’s teaching clinics, will be distributed to dental professionals New York State and the greater dental community nationwide.

During the past three years, NYUCD clinics’ use of the Toolkit for Dental Providers has resulted in favorable smoking cessation outcomes. In one clinic alone, the cheapest Kiss cigarettes smoking rate went down from 21% to 12% from 2008 to 2011, respectively. In addition, the assist rate, which was the percentage of smoking patients that received a prescription to quit from their clinician, began at 5% in 2008 and reached its peak at 58% in 2011.

Dentists Help People Quit Smoking

Smoking is something that can seriously damage oral health. According to WebMD, cigarette use can lead to increased buildup of plaque and tartar on the teeth, a higher risk of gum disease and oral cancer and other major and minor problems such as bad breath and loss of bone in the jaw.

As a result, dentists are often encouraging their patients to give up the habit. Recently, Mobi Health News reported that the company Aetna is giving dentists tablet computers that are equipped with smoking cessation programs designed to help them encourage patients to quit.

"The program is designed as an innovative interface between patients and dentists and we anticipate that devices like tablet computers can be used to break down barriers between clinicians’ and their patients," said David Albert, D.D.S., quoted by the news source.

Indiana Inhabitants Support Smoking Ban

A poll commissioned by the American Heart Association indicates 70 percent of Indiana voters support a ban on smoking workplaces, restaurants and bars. The Indiana House is expected to take up legislation regarding a statewide ban later this week.

The poll of 500 registered voters from across the state found that only 27 percent of voters don't support a ban.

Poll findings were released Wednesday morning released by the Indiana Campaign for Smokefree Air, a coalition of health groups including the American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

The survey also found among Indiana voters:

85 percent believe that secondhand smoke is a health hazard, including 58 percent who say it is a serious health hazard.

71 percent believe the right of employees and customers to breathe clean air in restaurants and bars is more important than the right of smokers to smoke cheapest Temp cigarettes and businesses owners to allow smoking.

Should the Cigarette Industry be Destroyed

Without doubt, Canada's smoking and tobacco laws have become stricter in the past decade. We've seen numerous provinces enact public smoking bans and the use of larger and more graphic health warning labels on the packaging.

But Stanford history of science professor Robert Proctor doesn't think our laws go far enough. In fact, he doesn't think any laws that don't completely abolish the manufacture and sale of cigarettes go far enough.

"We ban all kinds of things," Proctor said to Q host Jian Ghomeshi recently. "We ban lead paint, we ban children's toys that can be swallowed, we ban asbestos insulation, and in Canada, I guess, we even ban electronic cigarettes. But the really big killer...the biggest killer in the history of human civilization, we actually tolerate."

In his new book Golden Holocaust: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition, Proctor argues that people should have the right to smoke, but that the multi-billion-dollar tobacco industry should go up in smoke for selling a "product that has all kinds of the world of filth in it."

No Smoking Ban for Parks

The Township of Maplewood will introduce an ordinance on Feb. 7 proposing to ban smoking tax free Hilton cigarettes in public parks, playgrounds and recreational areas.

If the ordinance passes on introduction, a second reading and public hearing will be held on Feb. 21 — before a final vote that night. If approved that night, signs announcing the ban and it attached fines could be in place in parks and playgrounds by late April.

On Jan. 17, Township Committee members gave Town Counsel Roger Desiderio their feedback on the draft ordinance. Mayor Vic DeLuca told Desiderio that he had changed his mind and now thought that including perimeter sidewalks in the ban would be "unreasonable."

E Cigarettes Will Be Benefited from Tax Hike on Cigarettes

Cigarette tax is increasing and though cynics suggest that this is not a government move to improve the public’s health, it seems to be driving smokers away from traditional cigarettes.

US state governments and the national government may inadvertently be increasing the popularity of the E-cigarette because of tax increase which are severely affecting the price of regular cigarettes. Smokers in some states are now being forced to pay upwards of $10 a pack. Those who smoke one pack a day will spend an annual total of over $3,500 to feed their habit.

Deltascan.org, a website which provides E cigarette reviews as well as being a direct link between consumers and E cigarette companies, say that every tax increase is leading to a spike in the sales of the organizations they are affiliated with. According to the site, these tax increases could be the best thing that has ever happened to E cigarettes.

Cheaper Smokers Across Western Canada

An aboriginal tobacco company that has thrived in Quebec and Ontario set out last year to begin selling and distributing its best Dunhill cigarettes in first nations communities across Western Canada.

But from British Columbia to Manitoba, shipment after shipment of Rainbow Tobacco's cigarettes wound up in the hands of authorities because provincial taxes hadn't been paid on them.

The company, located on the Kahn-awake reserve near Montreal, insists that as long as its products are distributed within or between aboriginal reserves only federal tax laws should apply. The company and its supporters add that provincial interference is hampering economic development in communities that need it most.

Marlboro – the Most Famous Smoking Brand

Marlboro is the most preferred cigarette brand in the world, initially when someone reads this affirmation the question appears in his/her mind exactly why it is so?

Other than the grade of the product and promoting strategies of the company, Marlboro is the leading smoke manufacturing company on this planet due to its following functions. In 1924, Marlboro smoking cigarettes were mainly forecasted as women’s smokes but it had to alter its image as soon as the disaster during the World war 2. When it reappeared, Marlboro seemed to be presented in a new package with an eye-catching cowboy image mounted on it.

Smoking Law Raises Questions for Clubs, Florence News

It been more than two months since Florence’s smoking ordinance went into effect, and while the city manager says the enforcement has gone smoothly, some questions linger regarding who is exempt from the new ban.

“The general reaction, from the view of the public, and back to us, has been generally positive with very limited complaints,” Griffin said, “mainly just questions.”

Perhaps the most pressing question has come from businesses that seek exemption from the smoking ordinance altogether.

Tobacco Business Builded a School

William C. Macdonald's upbringing didn't include much in the way of formal schooling, which might explain his later devotion to education. And his ambivalence about the way he'd made his fortune contributed at least in part to his generosity. "I am not proud of my business," he once said, "and that feeling, perhaps, has been the reason for my donations."

Macdonald's business was tobacco, and he did very well at it even though he considered smoking or chewing the stuff a "filthy habit." In the 19th century, Montreal was a major manufacturer of tobacco products and Macdonald was one of the industry's leading lights, and a very wealthy man.