Five Million Persons Die Annually From Smoking – Commissioner
Lagos — NO fewer than five million people worldwide die from the effects of tobacco annually.
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris who stated this lamented that tobacco companies which spent millions of dollars each year lure new users into nicotine addiction.
Idris who stated this during a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday to commemorate the World No Tobacco Day at Alausa, Ikeja, noted that through advertising and the use of carefully crafted package designs, the industry continues to divert attention from the deadly effects of the products.
The commissioner, who harped on the theme for 2010 No Smoking Day celebration “Gender and Tobacco with emphasis on Marketing to Women” described the WHO statistics as alarming, adding that such disclosure should encourage all smokers to quit “today” to prevent future heartache and premature death.
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It’s often said that when faced with a problem most people will choose the easy way out. Now it seems like celebrities are following this logic by turning to hypnosis companies like HypnoBusters to help them quit smokingCelebrities including Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have all admitted to usinghypnosis to help kick the smoking habit.Ben Affleck spoke about his experience with hypnosis on the Oprah Winfrey Show.”I finally decided to quit smoking when I found out I was going to have a child. That was the thing that sort of put it over the top for me. I decided to go to a hypnotist. You sit in a chair and the hypnotist sips water and just talks to you for an hour, and explains how nicotine is poison.” 
The number of New Zealanders lighting up has dropped in the past year, according to new figures. The results of 2009 Tobacco Use Survey, released by the Ministry of Health today, showed the smoking rate for New Zealanders aged between 15 and 64 years was 21.8 per cent, down from 23.9 per cent in 2008. The 2009 youth smoking rate was also lower, at 18 per cent compared to 2008′s figure of 20.8 per cent. 
Nearly 44 percent and 56 percent of Chinese youth are exposed to second-hand smoke at home and in public places, respectively, according to the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey.There are nearly 700 million children in the world and 180 million in China suffering from second-hand smoking, said Cui Minyan, head of Safe Kids China, a Shanghai-based branch of Safe Kids Worldwide. The Chinese Society of Respiratory Diseases, Safe Kids Worldwide, and many hospitals jointly launched the “Tobacco Control Green Project” on May 24 right before the “World No Tobacco Day” on May 31, which is aimed at creating a healthy smoke-free environment for children. 
LAKEWOOD – A cigarette tossed into a bush may have sparked a fire which has left 11 people sleeping in hotels Wednesday night.According to the West Metro Fire Department, the fire was reported around 4 p.m. at the Victoria Village townhomes in Lakewood. That is located near South Kipling Way and West Dartmouth Avenue. 
City leaders are looking at requiring cigarette sellers to get a local license to ply their wares.Though there’s no definite proposal on the table the City Council will discuss the issue Tuesday.Some 60 California cities have adopted tobacco retailer licensing ordinances, but, if it moves forward, Watsonville would be the first in Santa Cruz County. 
Amazing incidents happen in this amazing world and some people are lucky enough to witness such remarkable moment like British couple Tony and Judie Ellis, who captured two mare crows sharing a packet of 
An Indonesian father claims his two-year-old son is addicted to cigarettes. Mohammad Rizal, from the Southeast Asian country’s Musi Banyuasin province, said his son Rizal is hooked on tobacco after having his first cigarette at just 18 months old.But Rizal said he is unfazed by his son’s smoking habit. This is very dangerous for a child’s health.
Cigarette maker Altria Group Inc. plans to raise prices on its U.S. smokeless tobacco brands like Copenhagen, Skoal and Red Seal.For most brands the increase will be 10 cents a can, which cost on average $4.15 each at retail.Bill Phelps, a spokesman for the Richmond, Va., company, said Friday the company is always evaluating its strategies, when asked the reasons for the price increase.Earlier this month, the company’s Philip Morris USA announced it would raise its price of 8 cents a pack on most cigarette brands, such as Marlboro.Packs of 
The good news for a Northwest Knoxville convenience store operator? He has convinced the FBI he’s not a terrorist.The bad news? He’s going to prison anyway.What started four years ago as a probe into Hazam Ali Ahmed’s boast of ties to al-Qaida and talk of blowing up a mall in an act of holy war ended Thursday with Ahmed’s guilty plea to an unholy pursuit – hawking tens of thousands of untaxed cigarettes to convenience store operators in East Knoxville and Detroit.Ahmed, 38, admitted at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan to a slew of charges, including heading up two separate cigarette smuggling operations that robbed tax coffers in Tennessee and Michigan of nearly $500,000 in tobacco taxes.