Tobacco News

Children and adolescents in the United States exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) are at risk of developing major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and conduct disorder, new research suggests.
In a national survey study of more than 2000 nonsmokers between the ages of 8 and 15 years, investigators found that serum cotinine levels, signifying SHS exposure, were positively associated with symptoms of all these disorders — and were especially correlated for boys. Ream more »

Flowood is about to join the list of about three dozen Mississippi cities that are smoke-free in public places.

Starting May 4, the Jackson suburb will ban smoking in all businesses and work places. Smoking will also be prohibited within 20 feet of business entrances in Flowood.

The Clarion-Ledger reports that Flowood aldermen adopted the no-smoking ordinance April 4, and it takes effect May 4. Ream more »

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But finding a place to enjoy it? Good luck with that, pal. Yet, there are still dens of iniquity where the words “smoking” and “allowed” are linked, when a guy or girl can fire up their choice of legal intoxicant from Honduras or the Dominican Republic. Smoking a cigar is a ritual, a way to slow down. And it keeps both hands busy, so the devil can’t find work for them. Here, we offer a round-up of safehouses where you can light up without censure. Ream more »

Herter 227 lecture hall was filled to the breaking point with occupants, as one student after another voiced their staunch opposition to the “Tobacco-Free UMass Amherst” policy.

Regardless, the Faculty Senate has proven yet again its blatant disregard for the will of the student body, endorsing the policy with a vote of 14-to-7. Not one single student, smoker or non-smoker, spoke in favor of the policy. Ream more »

Inmates in Florida’s prisons will have to wean themselves off of tobacco.

The Department of Corrections plans to make all of Florida’s prisons tobacco-free this year.

The department began initiating a Tobacco Cessation Initiative April 1 to phase out tobacco usage by September 30. Ream more »

After a ban on plastic packaging for tobacco products, the Supreme Court is now considering a total ban on gutka and other smokeless tobacco products.
Srinath Reddy, PHFI said, “Tobacco is the number one killer. It kills more than 1 million Indians every year. If you are considering this as a food product, clearly its a very hazardous food product. So the PAFA act comes into play.” Ream more »

Many smokers in western nations still incorrectly believe that certain types of cigarettes, such as “mild” and “low tar” brands, are less of a health risk than others, a new study shows.

Researchers surveyed more than 8,000 smokers in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, and found that about one-fifth of them wrongly believed that “some cigarettes could be less harmful than others.”
Ream more »

Finally moving to stem the tide of medical marijuana shops in San Jose, a divided City Council on Tuesday tentatively approved sharp limits on where those shops can locate, restricting them largely to certain industrial and commercial zones.
But the council, which has been struggling with the issue for well over a year, didn’t rally behind Mayor Chuck Reed’s effort to shut down more than 90 percent of the city’s marijuana clubs by capping their number at 10. Ream more »

Apr 05, Colombo: Sri Lanka government has planned to bring laws to ban public smoking completely. Accordingly, smoking will be prohibited in public places and working places.

The Chairman of National Tobacco and Alcohol Authority Prof. Carlo Fonseka said that the laws will also make imagery warnings compulsory in packaging of the tobacco products.
Ream more »

Senate budget writers voted Thursday afternoon to liquidate an endowment containing more than $400 million of Texas’ tobacco-settlement money and give the money to 10 academic health science centers, including the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
The centers would take a 15 percent cut in their state funding in the proposed two-year budget, said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan. Ream more »