Tobacco News

Teens and middle school children are “smoking” and snorting crushed up Smarties candy. Many teens are uploading their Smartie snorting and smoking adventures on You Tube and surprisingly, many of the uploaded videos are filmed while students are in class.

When “smoking Smarties,” the kids aren’t actually lighting a match to the candy. Instead, they crush it into a fine powder in its wrapper, draw it into their mouths and then blow it out in a cloud of dust. Some more advanced Smarties “smokers” are even learning to blow “smoke rings” with the candy.
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Six Middletown Middle School students will appear in court next month after officials said they smoked marijuana at school.
Police said the students, all 13 years old, were reportedly skipping class Oct. 14 and found in the auditorium.
Officers said the teens had been smoking pot there, and also in a boy’s restroom and the auditorium lobby, where graffiti was found and a fire extinguisher had been discharged. Ream more »

High school tobacco use and drinking declined between 2009 and 2011, but it’s still easy for Vermont teens to get booze when they want it. Those are among the results of the 2011 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which was released Wednesday during a news conference at the Statehouse.

Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen and Vermont Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca said they were heartened by the decline in drinking and by a drop in cigarette smoking, which they attributed to broad community prevention work and teens making the right choices.
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The Gulfport City Council voted 5-0 to ban smoking at the city beach and other outdoor public areas. But there were questions, concerns and ideas expressed before the final vote.

For nearly an hour, people of all ages addressed the council about the proposed smoking ban.

Gulfport Teen Council President Nolan Sloan was first to speak during public session. Sloan spoke on behalf of the Teen Council.
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Teens: Cigarette smoking may be declining among the general population, but news from the American Cancer Society says that teenage girls aren’t so quick to kick the habit. In fact, young women today are out-puffing their male classmates. Although the number of teen smokers has dropped in recent years, the decrease has not been equal among boys and girls. Four years ago, smoking by high school seniors of both sexes was about even. Twenty-eight percent of the seniors smoked. Now 16 percent of senior boys smoke while 20 percent of senior girls light up. Ream more »

Illegal tobacco sales to minors have fallen to their lowest level on record in California.

Sixteen years ago, teens were able to buy tobacco products 37 percent of the time. State health officials say that’s dropped to 5.6 percent this year.

The prevalence of adult smoking, meantime, is just under 12 percent, the second-lowest in the nation.
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A new study shows teen smokers who start exercising have a better chance of quitting the habit.

Those with the West Virginia Prevention Center started their research back in October of 2009. More than 200 students from 19 schools participated. Their average age was 16 and a half.

“The kids in the study were regular smokers. They smoked about a half a pack a day during the week and up to a pack on a weekend day, so these were addicted teen smokers.”
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The Gazette has shown leadership over the years on tobacco control, from its investigative reporting to its editorials. For this, Quebec, and indeed all of Canada, should be proud.

But I must disagree with your editorial. Many governments have focused on goals for reducing smoking by young people and have been disappointed. And scientific articles underline what many in tobacco control know: young people aspire to reach the next-older age group. and teens aspire to be adults.
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Al Ain Hospital recently launched its “Smoking is Poison” campaign to highlight the dangers of smoking. A series of events were conducted at schools, malls, hospital’s family medicine centres and outpatient departments.

“It is imperative that we continue to combat tobacco use by sustaining our drive to educate the community,” said George Jepson, CEO of Al Ain Hospital. According to Environment Agency statistics, 31 per cent of Abu Dhabi residents smoke some form of tobacco.
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It’s hard to believe with all the information and education that has been provided about the dangers of smoking there are still teenagers who decide to adopt the habit. Smoking kills more people every year than all other drugs combined, nearly 400,000 people. Yet teens still continue to smoke. Most adult smokers began as teens, and most people who don’t begin in their teens will never start.
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