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Clean air advocates press for stronger Wichita smoking ban 

The American Lung Association today ramped up its opposition to the partial smoking ban Wichita City Council members will consider next week.

In a statement, the association said Wichita's "flawed" proposal "creates an uneven playing field for businesses, makes enforcement difficult and does not protect the health of all people in Wichita."

Meanwhile, Clean Air Wichita, which has pressed for a "comprehensive" smoking ban, also criticized the proposed ban, saying the group "does not want to settle for this watered-down ordinance."

Under Wichita's proposed ordinance, indoor smoking would be banned at any food service business that allows people under the age of 18 to enter.

But it won't affect non-food businesses. And it allows people to smoke in bars that post signs indicating they allow smoking, bar anyone under 18 from entering and pay a $250 annual license fee.

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Wichita is poised to restrict smoking  

After months of discussion, the Wichita City Council is ready to vote Tuesday on an ordinance that would ban indoor smoking at any food-service business that allows people under the age of 18.

That would end smoking in most cafes and restaurants, and it would let bars allow smoking if they keep out kids under 18, post a sign on the front door and pay a $250 annual licensing fee. . . .

Carol Thompson, a Galette regular, said she looks forward to the day when she can go into any restaurant and not have to worry about her sinuses.

She and her friends seek out smoke-free restaurants.

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• MURRELL v. Texas Prisons 

As set forth above, Murrell has presented evidence that creates a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the defendants violated his Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The defendants, therefore, are not entitled to qualified immunity. See Rochon, 122 F.3d at 320.

The judgment for defendant Watts is AFFIRMED; judgment for the remainder of the defendant-appellees is REVERSED and REMANDED.

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Factors in Cancer Death Rates Stay Stagnant  

The factors behind cancer death rates seem to have leveled off, a new report shows. The effectiveness of smoking prevention and mammography screening that fueled recent declines in cancer deaths appears to have reached its limit.

"We've run into plateaus in terms of people smoking and getting necessary screening. The next big barrier is the obesity epidemic," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La.

Nevertheless, Brooks stressed, the progress already made is substantial. "When you step back and think about where we've come in this country, it's phenomenal," he said. "The report is a tremendous example of the work that's been done over the past 20 years in showing that the efforts to reduce smoking and increase screening have been tremendous in terms of decreasing death rates from cancer."

But the trends, detailed in the American Cancer Society's annual report, Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts and Figures 2008, do point to a need for more effort. . . .

* Twenty-nine states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have bans on smoking in workplaces and/or restaurants and/or bars, while almost 3,000 municipalities have passed some of smoke-free legislation. "Comprehensive tobacco control programs are really key," Cokkinides said. "They have been demonstrated to be effective. We just need to keep up the pace."

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Cosentino: Beware of the unintended results 

In the budget passed by the state Legislature, New York hiked its excise tax on tobacco products from $1.25 a pack to $2.75, making it the highest in the nation. Public health officials were quick to tout the increase, claiming that it would make some current users (some 140,000) quit and deters nearly a quarter of a million children from even starting.

Great numbers, if they are both true and realistic projections. Such declines will likely only happen if such taxation, used for the purpose of deterrence is uniformly enforced. Anyone who has paid attention to the failure of the state to collect taxes from Native American tribal stores or stop "tax free" sales by Internet vendors knows that while there may be the best of intentions here, the numbers may not just play out. . . .

There is a natural tendency, human nature, if you will, to go to the lower priced product, if it can be easily had. The only way to increase revenue and deter usage is if there are no ways around the penalties. Until New York rightfully enforces the collection rules, as approved by the Legislature, such deterrence numbers will likely not be able to be attained.

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• Few fines for smoking 

After Ohio began enforcing a voter-approved ban on smoking May 3, 2007, Casey complied.

But after seeing business drop, he relented, telling his staff to let smoking happen inside if customers were adamant about it.

"All my competitors were letting customers smoke. So we did, too," he says.

A few complaints and a couple of fines later, Casey changed his mind again. Now smokers retreat to a patio when they need a cigarette.

"My customers - probably 60 percent are smokers," Casey says.

Casey's see-sawing shows the struggle that bar owners are having complying with the law. . . .

Shelly Kiser, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association of Ohio, is dubious about reports of falling bar revenues and said she thinks that supporters have been told in an orchestrated campaign to say their receipts are off 30 percent.

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Air in restaurants cleaner since ban 

It's too soon for researchers to start tabulating potential health effects from Ohio's smoking ban, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation said.

But the air inside Ohio's restaurants, bars and offices is significantly cleaner since the law took effect a year ago, said Pam Knox.

A study released last December - a year after the ban was approved by voters - found a 94 percent reduction in fine particle pollutants in venues that went smoke-free.

The study, conducted by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, found the average pollution level at 29 public establishments around the state was 21 micrograms of particulate pollutants per cubic meter after the smoking ban, compared to 336 a year before the ban went into effect.

Ohio's Quit Line, a hotline aimed at helping smokers kick the nicotine habit, saw a slight increase in call volume

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Doctors Applaud New Anti-Smoking Bill 

Ontario's doctors today congratulate the McGuinty Government for introducing legislation to ban smoking in cars carrying children. The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) has been calling for such a ban since the release of its 2004 report "Exposure to second-hand smoke: are we protecting our kids?" which detailed the risks to children's health as a result of exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS.) "Ontario's doctors applaud the government's decision to ban smoking in cars with kids," said Dr. Janice Willett, President of the OMA. "The health effects of second-hand smoke - in adults and children alike - are undeniable.

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Albuquerque Tobacconists Condemn Secretive Attempt to Pass Smoking Ban Amendment 

The only thing worse than bad legislation is bad sneaky legislation," said tobacconists Larry Montes and Al Baca when they learned that the Albuquerque City Council was expected to secretly move this Monday on an amendment to the local smoking ban that would eliminate the current exclusion of cigar stores and private clubs. Montes and Baca are members of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

For more than 30 years, Montes has owned Albuquerque's Montes Pueblo Pipe Shop, the largest tobacco shop in New Mexico. His customers include internationally known politicians and local dignitaries. Eight months ago he opened a private club fully in accord with the current law. Both businesses use state-of-the-art filtration and ventilation systems and neither business has received complaints from neighbors.

Now Montes fears both businesses would face extinction if the amendment passes.

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Correlates of Smoking Before, During, and After Pregnancy (PDF) 

Results: Although socio-demographic characteristics including education, income, race/ethnicity, and marital status were associated with smoking at all time points, contextual factors including alcohol consumption, breast-feeding, and living with other smokers were also strongly associated with smoking, quitting, and relapsing.

Conclusions: Results of this study may facilitate the creation of more targeted interventions focusing on women at highest risk for smoking during this critical period.

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Physical Self-perception, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and Smoking Behavior (PDF) 

Objective: To examine the relationship of physical self-perceptions, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and smoking status among college-age women. . . .

Results: BDD items, including fear of weight gain, social avoidance and comparison, along with perceptions of physical health and medical use, predicted smoking behavior.

Conclusions: Negative perceptions of physical health and 3 diagnostic components associated with BDD may moderate smoking cessation attempts and maintain smoking behavior among collegeage women.

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Associations Between Tobacco Marketing and Use Among Urban Youth in India (PDF) 

Results: Exposure to tobacco advertisements and receptivity to tobacco marketing were significantly related to increased tobacco use among students.

Conclusion: This association suggests the need to strengthen policy and programbased interventions in India to reduce the influence of such exposures.

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• Advertising Linked To Increased Tobacco Use Among India's Youth 

As the westernization of India accelerates, tobacco advertising and marketing have been linked to increased tobacco use by urban Indian children as young as 11, according to a study released today by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health.

The study, "Associations Between Tobacco Marketing and Use Among Urban Youth In India," is published in the May/June issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior.

Findings from an earlier published study by the researchers revealed that in 2004, Indian sixth graders were using three times the amount of tobacco as eighth graders, which the authors found might indicate a new wave of increased tobacco use. The second study sought to discover the reason for the jump.

"As India becomes more westernized, more teens will use tobacco," said the study's principal investigator Cheryl Perry, Ph.D., professor and regional dean of The University of Texas School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus. "The sixth graders as a group are already thinking that smoking is cool while the eighth graders haven't been as exposed to the Western message." . . .

"The current study is the first in India to demonstrate a strong, dose-response relationship between exposure and receptivity to tobacco advertising and promotions and tobacco use among Indian youth.

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Immune-Boosting Lung Cancer Therapy Shows Promise 

An immune-boosting treatment for lung cancer patients reduces the risk of cancer relapse after surgery to the same extent as chemotherapy but without the risk of unpleasant side effects, says a Phase II study by Belgian researchers.

The study included 182 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease. All the patients had surgery to remove their cancer and were then randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or MAGE-A3 ASCI (antigen-specific cancer immunotherapeutic) injections over 27 months -- five given at three-week intervals, followed by eight given once every three months.

MAGE-A3 is a tumor-specific antigen produced in 35 percent to 50 percent of non-small-cell lung cancer.

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Possible Viral Links to Lung Cancer Risk Uncovered  

two new studies suggest that two different viral infections might boost a smoker's already substantial risk for developing the disease.

While the specific viruses at issue -- human papillomavirus (HPV) and measles -- may not directly cause lung cancer, they seem to aggravate the negative impact of tobacco, American and Israeli researchers say.

Both findings were presented Friday by separate research teams attending the European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva.

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