Tobacco News

The South Gate City Council unanimously introduced an ordinance that expands restrictions on smoking to South Gate Park and other public landscape areas in its first meeting of 2012. Designated smoking areas will exist within park and will be determined by the Parks and Recreation Department prior to the implementation of the ordinance 30 days from today.

Members of the South Gate Smoke Free Coalition were there to applaud the passing of the ordinance, and asked for careful consideration when establishing the areas for smokers.
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The Central District Health Department recently became the first health district in Idaho to adopt “nicotine-free” hiring practices, announcing it will no longer hire anyone who uses products that contain nicotine, including all forms of tobacco, nicotine patches, gums and electronic cigarettes.

But it’s not the only local government enacting tough new smoking restrictions.

The city of Boise began the new year by expanding the state’s ban on smoking in restaurants and many other public places to bars, sidewalks and parks. Ream more »

A new study suggests cigarette smokers who quit after using over-the-counter medication such as nicotine patches are just as likely to relapse as smokers who go “cold turkey,” casting fresh doubt on the effectiveness of such products.

The finding, from a survey of several hundred smokers, could heighten U.S. smoking-policy debates at a time when the federal health-care overhaul is widening eligibility for cessation medication but states are slashing funding for public-service announcements and telephone quit lines. Ream more »

Perhaps one of the most common new year’s resolutions is “I’m going to quit smoking.”

But as many have probably come to find, actually going through with quitting can be much more difficult that just talking about it. For any who feels like they need a little help in this area, the Mason County Health Department will be offering a free smoking cessation class from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at the Health Department. Ream more »

Store owners around the state are getting better about not selling cigarettes and other tobacco products to kids, according to a new compliance report issued by the state.
More stores are complying with state and federal laws barring the sale of tobacco products to kids, according to the latest Synar Report, a federally mandated compliance check administered by the state Department of Health and Human Services. Ream more »

A Utah lawmaker plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would increase Medicaid co-pays for smokers.

Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, says he sees the measure as an incentive to quit as well as a way to counter the state’s soaring Medicaid costs under President Obama’s health care law. “We’re going to have about a 50 percent increase in our costs to Medicaid over the next 5 years,” Ray said. “That’s absolute best case scenario – up to a doubling of the cost of doing Medicaid. Our Medicaid could actually grow larger than what our current state budget is.” Ream more »

Fresh air is a precious commodity and a right for all New Yorkers, but many multi-unit dwellings are not smoke-free environments.

Tenants and property owners are subjected to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke even when they have chosen not to smoke themselves. According to the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, secondhand smoke cannot be contained. Even cleaning the air and ventilating buildings cannot eliminate the health hazards of secondhand smoke exposure.
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A letter of protest arrived. It was signed by the shaky hands of 16 or so cigarette-smoking residents of Hampton Care Center, a skilled-nursing facility in midtown Stockton.

“This concerns a possible violation of patients’ rights,” it began.

A new director has enforced strict rules, the letter said. Smoking is allowed only at designated times, in one designated place, for a designated duration.
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A Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) program supported by Four Villages Community Health Centre to help smokers quit will take place in January.

Smokers from across the province will have the opportunity to enroll in the STOP (Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients) program and will receive nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) free of charge to help in their attempt to quit smoking.
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Launching a campaign to control the use of tobacco on Wednesday, health minister Adoor Prakash said that the countdown for a ‘Tobacco Free Kerala’ has begun. The minister underlined the fact that of the eight most common causes of death due to a disease, six were tobacco related.

“Regional Cancer Centre’s campaign (RCC) comes in the wake of research studies on the growing incidence of tobacco use in Kerala. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s Global Adult Tobacco Survey’ of 2010 indicates that 21.4% of adults including 35.5% men and 8.5% women use tobacco in any form,” Prakash said. If these figures count, as many as 2.8 million people in the state face premature death due to tobacco use, he said. Ream more »