Tobacco News

OAKLAND — It’s official: Oakland is set to become the first city to allow large-scale pot growing for medical use — and the standard-setter for the lucrative and largely uncharted territory of industrial-scale medical marijuana businesses. Support this morning among the City Council, which met to finalize the proposal, was not unanimous. Council members Nancy Nadel and Jane Brunner abstained despite weeks of drawn-out discussion about the plan.
But support among the eight-member council was unanimous for laying the groundwork for labor, environmental and product safety standards. Ream more »

The first thing you need to know about rose gold is that it doesn’t really exist. Not naturally anyway. It’s simply an alloy of gold and copper, the higher the copper content, the redder the tint. Save for period jewelry, this blushed metal had also been out of vogue for 100 years. But like many things in the fickle fashion world, what was once reviled is now revered, and Davidoff of Geneva has brought the trend to the cigar world by elegantly gilding rose gold onto the surfaces of two of its signature cutters and a mini lighter sleeve. Ream more »

Working as a lifeguard at a public park, it is important to enforce a smoke-free environment for an inviting atmosphere and the health of young children and adults. The issue is that too many people come to the beach expecting the right to smoke because they are outside. Not only is it hazardous to the lifeguard staff but it is extremely hazardous to the high amount of young children who are around playing on the beach. Ream more »

A lifelong smoker, Aussie actor Russell Crowe says he finally kicked the habit after his son caught him sneaking a cigarette.
“[I was] smoking 40 on an easy day, but on a day when I would be up at 4am and still up at midnight, then it was 60-plus and it just got to the point where my body was telling me I had to stop,” the Gladiator star says.

He somehow managed to hide his bad habit from his boys Charlie, 7, and Tennyson, 4, for years. But when Charlie caught him with a smoke in hand, Russell says it provided the motivation he needed to quit. Ream more »

Record sales of cheaper cigars in the United States helped tobacco group Swedish Match (SWMA.ST) beat second-quarter earnings expectations on Wednesday, and it forecast strong growth for that product.

The company, which has benefited from demand for smokeless products as cigarette sales have fallen due to health fears, also said sales of its key snus and snuff products improved in key Scandinavian markets Norway and Sweden, but fell in the U.S. Ream more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The tobacco advisory panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will consider next week the health impacts of menthol cigarettes, which could possibly open the doors for limitations, regulations or a ban on the flavoring, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report.
The FDA panel will hear testimony July 15 and 16, on menthol’s health risks, including whether or not the addititive masks the taste of cigarettes or makes them more addictive. Ream more »

Hollywood beauty Katherine Heigl is a self-confessed “slave” to her smoking habit and is now banking on technology to control her addiction.
The Grey’s Anatomy star is using an electronic cigarette to calm her cravings, reported Contactmusic.
The blonde beauty has battled with her addiction to tobacco since she was 24 years old, but vowed to quit last year after admitting she had become “a slave” to her habit. Ream more »

Two lighters are lit. One is held to the end of a cigarette while the other is held to a piece of charcoal on top of a hookah. Both items are being lit to produce tobacco smoke.
We know tobacco causes multiple health problems, but is one method of smoking it safer than the other?
In an anonymous poll of FGCU students, cigarettes were deemed worse. Out of 35 students polled, 63.2 percent said they believed smoking a cigarette is safer than a 45-minute hookah session. Ream more »

The one year anniversary of the Tobacco Regulation Law is being celebrated today across the country. This law gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, the power to regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of tobacco products.
Several new provisions will take effect today that include:
A crackdown on tobacco marketing and sales to children. Ream more »

As Spain triumphed against Holland in Sunday’s game, the England footballers seemed to drown their sorrows with a cocktail of cigarettes, girls and a huge bar bill.
But their spirits were remarkably high considering they’d flopped out of the World Cup a matter of days beforehand.
They were joined by EastEnders star Michael Greco as well as a horde of sexy glamour girls who were all desperate to get a piece of the football action that included a stint at LA hotspot XIV. Ream more »