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READER POLL: Should revenue from the tax on cigarettes be used for smoking cessation programs?  

Yes 57.3%

No 42.7%

votes: 124

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• Electronic Cigarettes Find Fans, but Most Want Regulation  

A strong majority of Americans want to see electronic cigarettes regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (59%), but nearly half (47%) say the smokeless devices should be an option available to people trying to quit smoking, similar to patches, gum and lozenges currently on the market, and that number increases to 57% among those who have heard about ecigarettes prior to taking the poll.

The Zogby Interactive poll of 4,611adults was conducted August 28-31 and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub groups.

In the hunt for a safer cigarette, electronic cigarettes, often referred to as ecigarettes, are becoming a popular option among those either trying to quit or who are looking to replace standard tobacco smokes with an alternative that manufacturers claim to be safer. Ecigarettes vaporize a solution often containing nicotine, but there is no smoke, just odorless water vapor, and produce almost no dangerous carcinogens.

Almost half of all respondents (48%) say they have heard of electronic cigarettes. About a third of those polled (35%) say that because electronic cigarettes produce no smoke, they should be allowed in places where smoking is currently prohibited, while about half (46%) say they should not.

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Americans give electronic cigarettes mixed reviews 

Should electronic cigarettes be a new option for smokers trying to kick the habit? Reactions from Americans are mixed.

More than half of people questioned in a poll think electronic cigarettes should be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but 47 percent believe the devices should be available to smokers who want to quit.

"In the hunt for a safer cigarette, electronic cigarettes, often referred to as ecigarettes, are becoming a popular option among those either trying to quit or who are looking to replace standard tobacco smoke with an alternative that manufacturers claim to be safer," Zogby International, which conducted the poll, said in a statement.

About half of the 4,611 adults who took part in the poll had heard about ecigarettes . . .

Nearly a third of people questioned in the poll think that e-cigarettes, because they don't produce smoke, should be allowed in places where smoking is forbidden, but 46 percent disagreed.

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VIDEO: Statistics Stack Up for Smoking Ban  

The odds seem to be stacking up for those in favor of a smoking ban in Topeka. A study was released Tuesday that links smoking bans to a drop in heart attacks. The study found a 26 percent drop after one year and a 36 percent drop in heart attacks after three years in areas with a smoking ban.

"Almost all of the effects or benefits occur in non-smokers, but there is some effect for smokers because smoking bans get some of them to stop smoking," said David Meyers, MD, MPH at the University of Kansas Medical Center who is the lead author of one of the studies.

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Dearer smokes means less smokers: survey 

Increasing the price of cigarettes will help smokers kick the habit, according to a poll conducted by lobby group Quit.

The findings support a key recommendation of the Rudd government's preventative health taskforce, which earlier this month called for the average price of a packet of cigarettes to be increased from $13.50 to $20.

The Quit poll, released on Wednesday, reveals 53 per cent of recent quitters believe price is a "helpful" factor in giving up.

Cigarette cost was the biggest factor in making the decision to quit, while public smoking bans were most effective in helping people stay off cigarettes.

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New Smokefree Generation want parents to quit  

A new ‘Smokefree Generation’ of children say that they will never try a cigarette, think that smoking is really uncool and are increasingly worried about the health of smoking parents according to new research conducted on behalf of NHS Stop Smoking Services.

The research, which polled 1,000 children in England aged 8-13, coincides with the launch of a powerful new Department of Health advertising campaign aimed at getting loved ones to stop smoking. It features real children, not actors, talking about how concerned they are about their parents’ smoking.

Gillian Merron, Public Health Minister said:

'We understand how difficult it is to stop smoking. I hope this new campaign will give mums and dads the encouragement they need to realise they can do it with help from the NHS, and support from their children.

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• Happy to Let the Feds Harass Big Tobacco 

NEW YORK With the feds taking fresh aim at tobacco marketing, the industry may hope for a public backlash against such governmental intrusion. But an AdweekMedia/Harris Poll, fielded in July, indicates such hope would be in vain.

Asked what the federal government should do about tobacco advertising, a plurality of respondents (31 percent) said it should ban such ads altogether. Another 14 percent said tobacco advertising should be regulated more strictly. Twenty-seven percent said they were satisfied with the current level of regulation, and 11 percent said tobacco advertising shouldn't be regulated at all. (The rest were unsure.)

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TODAY'S QUESTION: Was Pennsylvania wise in adopting a statewide ban on smoking in eateries and other public places one year ago?  

• Big Drop since Last Year in Reputation of Car Manufacturers, Investment and Brokerage Firms, and Banks (PDF) 

The most unpopular industries, using this measure, are tobacco, oil, managed care, and health insurance. These are the only industries on the list used in the survey where more than half of all adults believe they are doing a bad job: tobacco companies (63% doing a bad job), oil companies (60%), health insurance (58%) and managed care (54%). . . .

Tobacco (while still at the bottom of the list), life insurance, and computer hardware companies have also improved. . . .

tobacco companies are up 11 points, from minus 43 to minus 32. . . .

Why tobacco companies should have gained is more difficult to explain. Maybe they just haven’t been in the news much – and for them no news is almost always good news.

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Obesity Remains No. 1 Health Problem for Kids in 2009 

Public concern about childhood obesity is on the rise and it continues to outrank all other health problems as the No. 1 concern for children in the United States.

According to a report released today by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, the proportion of adults who believe childhood obesity is a big problem has increased from 35 percent of adults in 2008 to 42 percent in 2009.

While obesity has ranked as the top overall health concern for kids in the U.S. for the last two years, it has not always been the case for Hispanics or blacks.

"This is the first year the three major racial/ethnic groups all agree," says Matthew Davis, M.D., director of the poll. "In 2008, among whites, the chief concern was obesity, while among blacks the chief concern was teen pregnancy, and among Hispanics the chief concern was smoking." . . .

Top 10 overall health concerns rated as a big problem for U.S. children in 2009: . . .

3. Smoking. Ranked No. 1 in 2007, smoking continues to hold the No. 3 position since 2008, with 32 percent of U.S. adults rating it as a big problem for kids.

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Smoking ban in cars supported by all types of smokers 

A clear majority of New Zealand smokers across all socio-economic and ethnic groups support a ban on smoking in cars carrying pre-school children, according to latest research from the University of Otago, Wellington.

The study covered a national sample of 1376 adult smokers surveyed in 2007-2008. It backs up earlier NZ results in this area which showed very strong support for a smoking ban in cars carrying children under the age of 14.

The latest analysis investigated support for a smoking ban amongst smokers of different age groups, genders, ethnic groups, and socio-economic deprivation levels, with the results just published in the NZ Medical Journal.

A minimum 92% of all the groups of smokers disagreed with allowing smoking in cars which are carrying pre-school children.

The lead author, public health researcher Dr George Thomson, says the latest analysis adds further weight to calls for a legal ban on smoking in cars, at a time when parliament is developing laws against the use of cell phones whilst driving.

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Smokers support car bans  

Even smokers don't think smoking should be allowed in cars carrying pre-school children. Image: iStockphoto

A clear majority of New Zealand smokers across all socio-economic and ethnic groups support a ban on smoking in cars carrying pre-school children, according to latest research from the University of Otago, Wellington.

The study covered a national sample of 1376 adult smokers surveyed in 2007-2008. It backs up earlier NZ results in this area which showed very strong support for a smoking ban in cars carrying children under the age of 14.

The latest analysis investigated support for a smoking ban amongst smokers of different age groups, genders, ethnic groups, and socio-economic deprivation levels, with the results just published in the NZ Medical Journal.

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Smoking Ban In Cars Supported By All Types Of Smokers 

A clear majority of New Zealand smokers across all socio-economic and ethnic groups support a ban on smoking in cars carrying pre-school children, according to latest research from the University of Otago, Wellington.

The study covered a national sample of 1376 adult smokers surveyed in 2007-2008. It backs up earlier NZ results in this area which showed very strong support for a smoking ban in cars carrying children under the age of 14.

The latest analysis investigated support for a smoking ban amongst smokers of different age groups, genders, ethnic groups, and socio-economic deprivation levels, with the results just published in the NZ Medical Journal.

A minimum 92% of all the groups of smokers disagreed with allowing smoking in cars which are carrying pre-school children.

The lead author, public health researcher Dr George Thomson, says the latest analysis adds further weight to calls for a legal ban on smoking in cars, at a time when parliament is developing laws against the use of cell phones whilst driving.

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Tobacco and Alcohol Survey 

It's a growing trend among cities across the country- the trend of more business establishments going smoke free.

But changes like these don't just happen, they require a lot of work and a lot of feedback from the public.

The STAMP Community Tobacco Prevention Coalition and Safe Communities of North Central North Dakota are hoping to gain more feedback by conducting an online community survey.

The survey covers topics like tobacco use and policy, underage drinking, and seat belt use.

It takes about ten minutes to fill-out and is completely anonymous.

The survey is also in conjunction with Measure 3, which involves tobacco prevention and education. STAMP organizers believe it will provide good insight as to what people want, and what changes need to be made.

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Put down that cigarette! FAU is going tobacco-free 

BOCA RATON -- Multi-colored cigarette butts nestle among the decorative rock planting beds in front of Florida Atlantic University's main library.

Despite two concrete ashtrays mere feet away from the building's entrance, the evidence of study-suspending smoke breaks and post-lunch puffs litters the ground.

The trash is just one reason why universities throughout the country are going smoke-free - even tobacco-free - as the University of Florida announced Tuesday it would be by July 2010.

While FAU officials would like to clear the campus air of smoke completely, they're not there yet. But they are expecting to begin a new rule this fall that will bar smoking within 100-feet of all school buildings.

A spring vote taken by FAU students found 76 percent support segregating smokers to specific areas of campus.

Banning smoking altogether on FAU's campus earned 65 percent positive votes.

"There are going to be some changes,"

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