Nicotine Related Disorders

New alliance forms to snuff out tobacco use [The Janesville Gazette, Wis.]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:35:00 +0000

Mar. 11--BELOIT -- A new multi-jurisdictional coalition will focus on tobacco control efforts in Rock County and four other counties.

The Southwest Alliance for Tobacco Control will be led by the Family Service Association/Rock County Youth2Youth, said Debbie Fischer, director.

It is one of 13 such coalitions in Wisconsin and encompasses tobacco prevention efforts in Rock, Green, Grant, Lafayette and Iowa counties, she said.

The alliance was formed after the Tobacco Control Program lost 55 percent of its 2010 state funding, Fischer said.

Big tobacco companies spend millions of dollars each year in Wisconsin promoting their products to youth and young adults, she said. New tobacco products--such as candy-flavored tobacco products and spitless and absorbable products--are being introduced to target youth, she said.

"The tobacco companies are not going away, and tobacco control efforts can't either. It's imperative that tobacco prevention efforts continue to educate and deter youth from beginning a tobacco addiction,'' Fischer...

Study finds drop in cancer deaths in U.S.

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:29:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, Mar 11, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The war on cancer in the United States has resulted in a decrease in cancer rates since 1990, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by researchers at the American Cancer Society, attributed the decrease to less use of tobacco, increased cancer screening and improvement in treatment.

"Overall cancer death rates (per 100,000) increased from 249.3 in 1970 to 279.8 in 1990 and then decreased to 221.1 in 2006, according to the study appearing in the March issue of PLoS One.

That's a decline of 21 percent from 1990 and a drop of 11 percent since 1970, said the study.

The findings were based on analysis of national data from 1970 to 2006, the study said.

Cancer death rates (per 100,000) among women increased from 163 in 1970 to 175.3 in 1991 and then decreased to 153.7 in 2006 -- a decline of 12 percent from 1991 and 6 percent from 1970.

The researchers also...

New cessation therapy more like smoking

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:03:00 +0000

U.S. researchers suggest delivering nicotine to the lungs may give smokers a good way to kick the habit.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., have been developing a method to deliver nicotine to the lungs that recreates some of the familiar sensations pleasurable to smokers.

"We wanted to replicate the experience of smoking without incurring the dangers associated with cigarettes, and we wanted to do so more effectively than the nicotine replacement therapies currently on the market," Jed Rose, director of the Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research, says in a statement.

So far the new nicotine vapor delivery system has been more effective at delivering nicotine to the blood stream and providing immediate relief of withdrawal symptoms. Users of the system also report less of the throat irritation experienced with other types of inhalers.

Other methods now used -- metered dose sprays, dry powder inhalers or nebulizers...

Legacy(SM) Case for Tobacco Funds to be Heard by Ohio Supreme Court

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:44:00 +0000

Two-Year Long Battle For Tobacco Prevention And Cessation Programs To Be Determined by Highest Court

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Ohio Supreme Court has made the decision to hear the appeal in Legacy's case seeking to preserve tobacco funds and the life-saving tobacco control programs they support in Ohio. Legacy – a national public health foundation devoted to tobacco cessation and prevention – applauds this ruling, made yesterday, which recognizes the great importance of this case to the people of Ohio.

The Court will review the December decision of the Ohio Court of Appeals of Franklin County, Tenth Appellate District reversing a lower court's order permanently enjoining the State from dissolving the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Endowment Fund. The December 2009 Court of Appeals' decision represented a major step backward in the effort spearheaded by Legacy and others to safeguard the state's tobacco prevention money for its intended...

The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville, Terry Dickson column: Georgia cigarette tax hike may ...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:24:00 +0000

Mar. 11--BRUNSWICK, Ga. -- They stand waiting at the Manna House for a free lunch.

They wait outside the Salvation Army for bed.

Some don't know where their next dollar is coming from.

The cigarettes smoking between their fingers suggests how some spent their money.

And now, some Georgia legislators want to get even more. A $1 tax on each pack of cigarettes would raise $354 million a year to help plug a big budget hole, they say. Others say no tax is a good tax.

With the price of popular brands going to nearly $6 a pack, you figure some people would quit or cut back.

People do cut back, said Sameer Jessani, who runs a family-owned RaceWay convenience store at the Interstate 95-U.S. 341 interchange. For a while.

"It would kill us," he said of sales.

(You want to say, "So would smoking," but you bite your tongue.)

"The first time taxes went up, we lost...

Employers Raising the Bar on Financial Incentives to Improve Worker Health, National Business ...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0000

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- While employers remain committed to offering health and productivity programs, they are frustrated by the inability of many workers to change their health habits. In an effort to encourage healthy behaviors, a growing number of employers are tightening their requirements for workers to receive financial incentives, according to a survey conducted by Towers Watson (NYSE, Nasdaq: TW), a global professional services company, and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), a nonprofit association of large U.S. employers.

Currently, more than half (53%) of large employers offer financial incentives to workers who enroll in health engagement activities, such as weight management or smoking cessation programs. But, for many employers, participation alone is no longer enough to earn an incentive. Now, more than one-third of employers (37%) reward only those workers who meet the company's requirements for completion of a health engagement activity, and...

City aims to rid beach and public areas of smoking [The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:04:00 +0000

Mar. 11--PLATTSBURGH -- Plattsburgh city councilors are aiming to make outdoor public areas healthier.

The council will vote tonight on whether to approve a tobacco-free policy for all city parks, recreation trails, multi-use paths and at the City Beach.

"This is something we've been talking about, and we believe this will benefit the general public, especially children, and provide a healthier environment for everyone to enjoy our natural resources," Mayor Donald Kasprzak said.

The policy would mean that smoking would not be allowed at the City Beach or any of the city's public recreation areas.

The city will look to establish designated areas, away from the public portions of the beach and parks, for people to smoke.

"I would hope that the council will approve this and that the public appreciates the city's efforts to promote a healthier lifestyle," the mayor said.

"The challenge will be to make the public accept this and adhere to...

Kansas Legislature tables alcohol levy, but tobacco tax still alive [The Kansas City Star, Mo.]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:52:00 +0000

Mar. 11--TOPEKA Kansas lawmakers trying to close a $467 million budget deficit weighed two tax increases Wednesday -- one on alcohol, another on tobacco.

One fared better than the other.

The proposed alcohol tax hike was tabled indefinitely by the House Tax Committee. But the idea is likely to resurface as lawmakers look for alternatives to further budget cuts.

The added alcohol tax revenue would have been split between mental health programs and services for people with development disabilities.

But several members of the House Tax committee opposed the bill, HB 2593, for different reasons. Some worried it could hurt businesses that sell alcohol. Others questioned if the tax revenue would actually be spent on its intended purpose.

The bill would have doubled a wholesale tax on beer, wine and alcohol that's been unchanged since 1977. The current tax is 18 cents per gallon of beer, 30 cents per gallon of wine and $2.50...

Most restaurants are smoke-free, but exceptions exist [Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:47:00 +0000

Mar. 11--More than three months after Virginia's new restrictions on smoking in restaurants went into effect, about 88 percent of restaurants in the state have gone smoke-free, the state Health Department says.

Yet smokers still can find havens where lighting up is welcomed. Some restaurants have taken steps to permit smoking legally. Stories also abound of places where smoking is accepted even in violation of the law, which has prompted some calls for tougher enforcement and fines.

The law, which went into effect Dec. 1, prohibits smoking in restaurants but allows certain exceptions. Restaurants may allow smoking indoors only if they have separately enclosed and vented smoking and nonsmoking rooms with a public entrance into the nonsmoking area. They also may allow smoking in outdoor areas such as patios.

So far, it appears that few, if any, summonses have been issued for violations.

"To my knowledge, no citations have been issued," said Gary...

'Lights out' urged for school personnel [The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:35:00 +0000

Mar. 11--Keeping their employees from smoking on school grounds isn't enough for local school districts officials -- they want them to ditch the habit altogether.

Several local school districts, including Pittsburgh Public Schools, which last month began enforcing its ban, offer smoking cessation programs for teachers and staff.

"Kids are very quick to see hypocrisy in adults," said Cindy Thomas, executive director of Tobacco-Free Allegheny. "We want to see a culture where they get that (anti-smoking) message and see it played out in real life."

Smoking cessation programs are offered to all Allegheny County public school districts through their health insurance plans. Many have programs in place, said Vic Morrone, wellness coordinator for the Allegheny County Schools Health Insurance Consortium. When districts have a number of teachers who want to quit smoking, they call Morrone, who sets up a program for them.

Even teachers who can't quit with help can't smoke at school....

Smoking ban idea in Upper St. Clair met with mixed reactions [The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:35:00 +0000

Mar. 11--Upper St. Clair is thinking of asking people to butt out of its parks.

Commissioners will discuss whether to ban smoking in township parks at their March 29 meeting. A vote could come April 5. The township has 14 neighborhood parks and one regional park covering more than 500 acres.

"It was an issue of children around smoke, cigarette butts in the park," said Mark Mansfield, assistant township manager.

He said leaders would have to consider posting signs to enforce the ordinance.

The commissioners talked late last year about banning smoking in playgrounds before deciding to widen their scope.

Neighbors expressed mixed feelings about a ban.

Eric Miller favors one. He has a mild case of asthma and is the father of two children in elementary school.

"If they're playing in a playground in a park, I obviously don't want them close to smoke," he said.

Maureen Cerny, 56, said she was more conflicted. She does...

Tobacco warnings go explicit

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

PICTORIAL warnings on tobacco products are set to get scarier.

After almost a year of mild warnings, the government has decided to shift to more powerful messages. Tobacco products will now carry pictures of mouth cancer, showing rotting teeth and lips.

A notification was issued by the health ministry on March 5 and the new warnings will come into force from June 1. These would be implemented under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products ( Packaging and Labelling Amendment) Rules, 2010.

The warnings show a real picture of mouth cancer with a caption " tobacco causes mouth cancer". Cigarette packs will carry the same picture with the caption " smoking kills", while chewing or smokeless products will carry the caption " tobacco kills". The new warnings have been pretested for their effectiveness by the Voluntary Health Association of India ( VHAI) and the Healis- Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health.

" The new warnings...

Case of light cigarettes may return to top court [Bangor Daily News, Maine]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Mar. 10--BANGOR, Maine -- A lawsuit over the marketing of light cigarettes could be headed back to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal judge denied a motion to apply facts found in a previous case to the current one.

U.S. District Judge John Woodcock said in a 16-page decision issued Friday that it would not be fair to the litigants to apply the facts found by a judge in a jury-waived criminal trial in a case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice against tobacco companies to the potential class-action civil suit.

The lawsuit contends smokers of Marlboro Lights, Virginia Slims Lights and other light cigarettes were misled into thinking that the cigarettes contained less tar and nicotine than regular cigarettes.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs, who live all over the country, had asked Woodcock to apply the doctrine of collateral estoppel to the current case and adopt the facts found in...

Financial Incentives to Quit Smoking, "Patient Voices" and Research Into Malaria in ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:00:00 +0000

LONDON, March 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- A campaign of financial incentives to help quit smoking; a project to help change attitudes of doctors to patients; and research into the prevention of death from severe malaria in children scooped three of the top prizes at the second international BMJ Group Awards ceremony held tonight.

The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award went to Professor Marleen Temmerman for her commitment to improving women's reproductive and sexual health and rights, especially in Africa.

The BMJ Group Awards, held in association with MDDUS, recognise and celebrate excellence in healthcare across the globe. The categories reflect the values of the Group and include awards for corporate social responsibility, clinical research, healthcare communication and medical education. This year, for the first time, there were also awards given to the Junior Doctor of the Year, and the Primary and Secondary Team of the Year.

The ceremony, held in London, was presented by broadcaster and comedian Tony...

Kan. gov to sign smoking restrictions bill Friday

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:52:00 +0000

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson plans to sign a bill that will ban smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places.

Parkinson has scheduled a ceremony for 10 a.m. Friday in the south wing of the Statehouse's second floor. He's also planning to re-enact the signing Monday in Kansas City, Kan., and Salina.

Legislators approved the bill two weeks ago, and it will take effect July 1.

The bill bans smoking not only in restaurants and bars, but in retail stores, libraries, theaters and most places of employment.

It has exceptions for tobacco shops, private clubs and designated smoking areas in nursing homes. The most-criticized exception is for the gambling areas of new state-owned casinos.

Smokers Banned From Adopting Children // There Are Many Reasons to Ban Smokers From Adopting

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:15:00 +0000

Midlothian Council in the U.K. is just the latest entity to prohibit smokers from adopting or providing foster care for children, a step Portsmouth, Hants, in England and other jurisdictions took several years ago, says public interest law professor John Banzhaf, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Anyone wanting to care for a child under the age of five will be required not to have smoked for at least six months, even if they only smoke outdoors (see also Pediatrics ).

"This is just the latest step in a growing movement to protect the most vulnerable and most defenseless victims of tobacco smoke pollution," says Banzhaf, noting that there are many reasons supporting the prohibition on adoption by prospective parents who smoke, even if only outdoors.

For similar reasons judges in more than half our states in the USA, and a few in foreign countries, have recognized that...

Reports from Y.C. Lee et al highlight recent research in smoking

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Scientists discuss in 'Active and involuntary tobacco smoking and upper aerodigestive tract cancer risks in a multicenter case-control study' new findings in smoking. According to recent research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & PreventionLyon, France, "Several important issues for the established association between tobacco smoking and upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer risks include the associations with smoking by cancer subsite, by type of tobacco, and among never alcohol drinkers and the associations with involuntary smoking among nonsmokers. Our aim was to examine these specific issues in a large-scale case-control study in Europe."

"Analysis was done on 2,103 UADT squamous cell carcinoma cases and 2,221 controls in the Alcohol-Related Cancers and Genetic Susceptibility in Europe project, a multicenter case-control study in 10 European countries. Unconditional logistic regression was done to obtain odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Compared with never tobacco smoking, current smoking was associated...

Researchers from University of Rochester, Department of Psychiatry report recent findings in ...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Scientists discuss in 'Education and smoking: confounding or effect modification by phenotypic personality traits' new findings in smoking cessation. According to recent research from the United States, "Little is known about whether educational gradients in smoking patterns can be explained by financial measures of socioeconomic status (SES) and/or personality traits. To assess whether the relationship of education to (1) never smoking and (2) having quit smoking would be confounded by financial measures of SES or by personality; whether lower Neuroticism and higher Conscientiousness would be associated with having abstained from or quit smoking; and whether education effects were modified by personality."

"Using data from the Midlife Development in the US National Survey, 2,429 individuals were classified as current (n=695), former (n=999), or never (n=735) smokers. Multinomial logistic regressions examined study questions. Greater education was strongly associated with both never and former smoking, with no confounding by financial status and personality....

Studies from INSERM in the area of smoking published

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:14:00 +0000

New investigation results, 'The intergenerational transmission of tobacco smoking--The role of parents' long-term smoking trajectories,' are detailed in a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. "Youths whose parents smoke tobacco may be at elevated risk of smoking themselves. However, the association between parental long-term smoking history and offspring regular tobacco use is not well known," researchers in Villejuif, France report (see also Smoking ).

"Using data collected on 1121 youths (12-26 years) participating in the GAZEL Youth study, a French community-based cohort, we tested the association between parental long-term smoking trajectory and offspring regular smoking. Parental smoking trajectory over 11 years (1989-1999) was measured by yearly reports obtained from the parent. Statistical analyses controlled for youth's sex, age, alcohol use and disruptive behavioral problems, parent's sex, as well as family socioeconomic position. Overall, 27% of study youths smoked regularly. Compared to offspring of non-smokers, those of persistent smokers had...

China Focus: Ahead of World Expo, China acts to promote smoking controls

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:14:00 +0000

BEIJING, Mar 10, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Thirty-two-year-old Sun Ling is not a heavy smoker. But for 10 years, Sun, a civil servant in Shanghai and a father of a 5-year-old, has become used to indulging himself with one or two cigarettes after lunch at work.

However, within one year he might have to find a new after-meal habit, and maybe a healthier one, too..

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which China signed in 2003 and ratified in 2005, the country will ban all types of tobacco advertising and promotion by 2011 in accordance with the FCTC.

Further, smoking in all indoor work places and public areas, as well as public transportation vehicles, will also be banned.

With just one year to go, and less than three months ahead of what authorities promised would be a smoke-free Shanghai World Expo, the Chinese government is fast tracking smoking control, even at this year's annual...

Plaintiffs lose ruling in light cigarette lawsuit

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:14:00 +0000

BANGOR, Maine -- Smokers suing Philip Morris and its parent company Altria Group over light cigarettes will have to start from scratch with their lawsuit in Maine.

A federal judge in Bangor has denied plaintiffs' request to have facts from a previous lawsuit by the Department of Justice applied to the new litigation over so-called "light" or "low-tar" cigarettes. The order, issued Friday, will likely be appealed.

The lawsuit contends smokers of Marlboro Lights, Virginia Slims Lights and other light cigarettes were misled into thinking that the cigarettes contained less tar and nicotine.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that plaintiffs can use state consumer protection laws to sue cigarette makers. The lawsuit involves more than 20 plaintiffs from across the country.

NOXO Smoking Control Balm and Olfactory Nasal Inhaler NOW Available

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:51:00 +0000

Wynnewood, PA - (WORLD STOCK WIRE) - March 10, 2010 -- Adoodle, Inc, (OTC Pink Sheets: ADDE) announced today that NOXO Smoking Control Balm is now available at a price $ 12.95 for 20 doses, Dr. Ruth Pinney, director and inventor noted that " We finally have an all natural product and really works and controls cravings when applied topically under the nostrils, or is inhaled from our new NOXO Olfactory Nasal Inhaler".

The new NOXO reduces an abstaining tobacco user's urge to smoke by sending scent molecules into one’s system where they entirely bypass the brain-blood barrier and move directly to the brain's olfactory nerves. These tiny hair-like nerves capture the scent of NOXO molecules, transports their "messages" directly to the brain's limbic system. The limbic system is the "central command" or craving controller and reduces a tobacco user’s urge to smoke thereby helping one quit smoking.

NOXO...

Up in Smoke - Smokers urged to 'Put it Out, Right Out' on No Smoking Day 10 March

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:15:00 +0000

Smokers are today (10 March) being urged to quit their habit or realise its danger, as statistics reveal that a third of those who die in accidental house fires, die in fires started by cigarettes.1

Despite this shocking wake-up call, less than half (40%) of smokers are aware that smoking is the biggest cause of deaths in accidental house fires.2

Smokers who are unable to give up should at least cut out dangerous habits such as smoking in bed. The Fire Kills campaign is encouraging people to install smoke alarms on every level of the home and test them weekly.

A smoke alarm that works means you are more than twice as likely to survive an accidental house fire.3

The Government's Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser Sir Ken Knight says:

"Without an early alarm system in place you lose valuable escape time. Just two to three breaths of toxic smoke can render a person...

Quit smoking with the help of your mobile

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:15:00 +0000

A new iPhone app that helps people to stop smoking was launched today by Public Health Minister Gillian Merron.

To coincide with 'No Smoking Day' on the 10 March, the Department of Health has released the first official NHS 'Quit Smoking' app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Available from iTunes, www.smokefree.nhs.uk and NHS Choices, it will:

-- Provide daily hints and tips to manage cravings; -- Keep a running tally on how much money quitters have saved since they stopped smoking; -- Track the number of days, hours and minutes since quitting; -- Include a direct link to the stop smoking helpline so they can speak with an adviser when they need to; -- Help find local NHS Stop Smoking Services.

Public Health Minister Gillian Merron said:

'Quitting smoking takes a lot of effort and willpower. It is the single best thing you can do to improve your health significantly reducing the risk of serious conditions...

Recession Not Standing in the Way of Weight-Loss and Smoking-Cessation Coach

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Mark Patrick Media, a leader in weight-loss and smoking-cessation programs, has submitted an application to “Inc. 500” for inclusion in its annual 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America list. The company’s record-setting growth rate of over 436 percent in the past four years outpaces the U.S.’s GDP growth over the same time period by a 4,600 percent margin.

Barnegat, NJ (PRWEB) March 10, 2010 -- While the U.S. celebrates a meager 2009 fourth-quarter growth rate of 5.7 percent in gross domestic product, Mark Patrick Media is enjoying a four-year success level that exceeds that figure 76 times over. Based on its 2006–2009 growth of 436 percent, the company has applied for inclusion in the Inc. 500/5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America list.

According to a January 29, 2010 Market Watch report, the U.S. GDP grew 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009. While that figure might look promising,...