Tobacco News

When Virginia and a number of other states reached a legal settlement with the cigarette industry more than a decade ago, part of the deal was at least to put some of that money into tobacco-prevention programs. Those programs included efforts to expose young people — and adults — to the health hazards of smoking and using other tobacco products.

Virginia, in fact, has a statewide youth tobacco-prevention program managed by a foundation that received a portion of the state’s share of the 1998 national tobacco settlement.
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In recent years, the urge to get fit and healthy has peaked once again among United States citizens. With obesity rates growing and health risks on the rise, government institutions are doing what they can to keep Americans on track. This expanding initiative to ‘get healthy’ is sparking a number of policy changes, but not just regarding diet and exercise. An increasing number of universities in the United States are banning tobacco use on campus in an effort to promote a healthier environment for students.
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Quitting smoking is not an easy thing to do.

Even with moral support and nicotine patches, it usually takes people five or six times before they quit for good, said Timea Taylor is a tobacco reduction counsellor with Alberta Health Services (AHS)

She said that quitting isn’t an easy thing to do, but it can be made easier with some helpful tools. “Technology has allowed us a variety of methods to choose from when trying to quit smoking,” she said. “This allows people to choose the method that best fits with their lifestyle.” Ream more »

9 in 10 young people in the region think less glamorous packaging would put them off smoking. That’s according to research carried out by Smokefree South West.

It’s thought 200,000 teenagers will start smoking this year by the age of 19 and now the organisation is launching a campaign for cigarettes to be sold in plain packets with more health warnings on to help people kick the habit or put them off before they even start.
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There are no magic words that can make tobacco disappear.

But SUNY Cortland’s Tobacco Advisory Committee hopes to come close.

In preparation for 2013, when SUNY Cortland officially becomes a tobacco-free campus, the committee is asking students, faculty, staff and alumni to submit suggestions for an anti-tobacco slogan or logo. The winning entry will be used College-wide to encourage people to forego cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco. Ream more »

Bulgarian police said on January 13 2012 that they had destroyed 7500 boxes of contraband cigarettes seized in previous operations.

The cigarettes were estimated to be worth a total 50 000 leva (about 25 000 euro) and represented a potential loss in excise earnings of 25 000 leva.
One consignment dated from a 2007 raid that netted 1000 boxes of cigarettes without excise labels. These cigarettes had been marked with well-known brands including Karelia, Viceroy, Marlboro and Parliament.
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Recent news reports indicate that OU President David Boren is still considering whether to include a number of designated smoking areas across the Norman campus in lieu of a 100 percent ban on tobacco use. OU has a comprehensive tobacco ban at its Health Science Center and its Tulsa campus.

OU need only look to its neighbor to the north — Oklahoma State University — to learn why such exceptions are unnecessary and subject nonsmokers in the vicinity of these designated smoking areas to potentially dangerous health impacts from secondhand tobacco smoke. OSU enacted a total tobacco ban in 2008, including no cigarettes, cigars, pipes or smokeless tobacco. Ream more »

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 »