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.