Tobacco.org

• Smoking rate soars up to one third despite ban  

A THIRD of the Irish population now smokes, a new survey reveals.

A survey of 4,082 people this summer revealed that 33pc of the Irish population had taken up or continued to smoke.

It is the highest smoking rate recorded here in the past 11 years, according to the EU's 'HELP -- For A Life Without Tobacco' campaign.

Despite hikes in tobacco tax, the smoking ban and a new law against the public display of cigarettes for sale, the number of smokers has steadily risen since 2007 when 29pc of the population smoked.

The survey, which was conducted between March and September, revealed the largest group of smokers -- 45pc -- is aged between 16 and 30.

Jump to full article »

• Lily Allen flouts French smoking ban in Paris as she performs in a plunging leotard 

Lily Allen showed her rebellious side last night as she flouted France's smoking ban on stage in Paris.

In between verses, Lily puffed away on a cigarette as she performed in a skimpy leotard at the City of Light's Le Zenith venue.

But the 24-year-old singer provided a distraction from her smoking with her slashed-to-the-navel leotard. . . .

Lily has publicly declared her love of smoking, so it's unlikely she'll be quitting any time soon.

She said: 'I love smoking… I don't really want to say it, but I do.' . . .

While Lily doesn't appear to be too worried about the health affects of smoking, she admitted she suffers from mild arthritis.

Jump to full article »

EDITORIAL: Make it Mike – again: Voters should cast their mayoral ballot for Bloomberg 

New York is far better off for having had Michael Bloomberg as mayor and will be far better off for granting him a third term in City Hall.

By every significant measure - from plummeting crime and rising school achievement to more and better parks and cleaner streets - Bloomberg has led the city decisively in the right direction over the last eight years.

His ban on smoking in public places helped to lengthen the average New Yorker's life expectancy to a record level.

Jump to full article »

• Anti-smoking regulations fail to see the light of day 

New anti-smoking regulations that were approved by the Cabinet in August 2003 have not yet been implemented and there is no date fixed to do so, said Dr. Majid Al-Munif, head of the Anti-Smoking Program at the Ministry of Health.

"The regulations are yet to be studied and no specified time has been fixed to implement them," said Al-Munif. He added that specialists from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Rural Affairs are studying the new rules. "Officials from all government bodies are eager that the system gets implemented as soon as possible," he said, adding that other Middle East countries such as Syria, Iran and Jordan have already implemented similar systems banning smoking in public.

Asked whether the delay was due to objections, he said, "The delay and corrections to the rules do not necessarily mean that there are objections. Correcting the rules is unimportant; implementing is more important."

Sulaiman Al-Sabbi, secretary-general of the Anti-Smoking Society in Riyadh, blamed government departments on the delay of the set of rules, which he described as important since they also ban minors from buying cigarettes.

Jump to full article »

• Man says he was fired for complaining about judge smoking 

A former Bucks County employee said he was fired from his job last year because he complained about a county judge smoking in his courthouse office, a federal lawsuit alleges.

But the defendant in the civil suit, the county's court administrator, said the county employee was fired for poor job performance, according to subsequent court filings.

Douglas Praul, the court administrator, also denied having any knowledge of county Judge Alan Rubenstein smoking in county offices, according to court records.

James Frederick, a former supervisor of domestic relations officers, filed the suit in U.S. district court in Philadelphia in August. The suit alleges that Frederick's right to free speech was violated because he complained about the smoking in a county building, a matter of public concern. . . .

There is a no-smoking ban in all county buildings. Frederick allegedly sent a memo to a supervisor complaining about the smoking. That supervisor allegedly told him in response that everyone in the courthouse knew that Rubenstein smoked in the building.

Jump to full article »

St. Louis Board of Aldermen tentatively passes smoking ban  

St. Louis Aldermen tentatively passed a bill that will ban smoking in public places in the city. A final vote will be held next week.

The decision comes as St. Louis County voters prepare to vote on a county-wide smoking ban on the ballot November 3.

Jump to full article »

• No smoking rule enforced 

The third Asian Indoor Games (AIG), to be held in Viet Nam next Thursday, will be a non-smoking Games.

The events' organising board and World Health Organisation (WHO)'s Viet Nam branch office signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the capital yesterday to make this AIG the third one to be non-smoking.

Organisers and the WHO have agreed that cigarette smoking and sports do not belong together; tobacco in any form is not allowed at the events.

No smoking at the event is in alignment with government regulations banning of smoking in public places. Tobacco advertisements and tobacco company sponsors are also not allowed at the events.

Jump to full article »

• Smoking debate sparks new row 

Smokers are being told to stub it out in their OWN homes before any visit by council staff. The move by Moyle District Council is designed to protect employees from exposure to second-hand smoke.

But it was slammed as "ludicrous" last night by lobby group Forest, who warned other local authorities across Northern Ireland were likely to follow suit.

The smoking ban, introduced in May 2006, covers all enclosed public places as well as the workplace.

But the legislation did not include any reference to extending it to people's homes.

The new policy in Moyle, which covers areas including Ballycastle, Cushendun and Bushmills, stipulates:

"Where council employees are required to work or visit other premises that are not entirely smoke-free, all reasonable arrangements will be made to minimise exposure to second-hand smoke.

Jump to full article »

Editorial: Tobacco tax, decrease deficit 

With Kansas potentially facing another budget deficit in 2010, Gov. Mark Parkinson has suggested a tobacco tax to generate new revenue. This could be an effective way to close the budget shortfall and encourage many Kansans to live healthier lives. . . .

Though it’s true some smokers already cross the border for cheaper cigarettes and more almost certainly will if the tax is raised, it is still a fact that no state has ever seen revenue drop when increasing tobacco taxes, even when accounting for cross border smuggling.

Missouri’s tax may also be partly to blame for the state having the fourth highest percentage of smokers, which isn’t a model Kansas should be trying to follow.

Raising the tobacco tax in Kansas would be a win-win situation: a smaller deficit and healthier citizens. Students and the community should contact the governor’s office to show support for this new proposal.

Jump to full article »

LOPEZ: Over cigars, getting a handle on Trutanich  

Nobody wants a public servant behaving like a thug or a palooka.

So I set up last week's little chat to take Trutanich's temperature. Unfortunately, Homegirls was closing for the day, so Nuch suggested we go to 2nd Street Cigar.

Sure, I told him. Last time I had a cigar with a public official, it was Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Trutanich travels in a police-issue Chevy Tahoe with an armed security guard, sometimes two. At the cigar shop, he picked the stogies, which were big enough to carry astronauts

Jump to full article »

• Circumvent Smoking Bans with Electronic Cigarettes 

Smoking bans are getting out of control, but the electronic cigarette is quickly becoming the dominant alternative to those who are suffering from them. At one point, you could justifiably expect to be restricted from smoking on public forms of transportation or in your office but nowadays bans are extending far beyond the confines of public buildings. Some North American cities even prohibit smoking in parks or on city streets. So what does a smoker do if they want to enjoy a cigarette but smoking bans prohibit them? Many of them switch to the Green Smoke e-cigarette and enjoy the freedom of smoking everywhere.

Jump to full article »

Major study validates reason for smoking bans 

A major report confirms what health officials long have believed: Bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and other gathering spots reduce the risk of heart attacks among nonsmokers.

"If you have heart disease, you really need to stay away from secondhand smoke. It's an immediate threat to your life," declared Dr. Neal Benowitz of the University of California-San Francisco, who co-wrote last week's report from the prestigious Institute of Medicine.

Jump to full article »

Nashville Company Manufactures Chinese Product in Backyard  

McDonald Webb, Inc. (www.mcdonaldwebb.com) today introduced The Steampunk Sparkplug for Smokers, the first domestically produced, mass marketed e-cigarette.

E-cigarettes were invented in China about four years ago. They work by heating a glycol substance with nicotine and tobacco flavoring added. While a popular novelty item, e-cigarettes contain many consumable parts that fail and must be replaced often. They also use a battery that only lasts several minutes with constant use.

Due to quality and reliability issues, e-cigarettes, while viewed by most as a good idea, have largely been disappointing and are considered a market failure.

About a year ago, McDonald Webb founders Jon Webb and James McDonald designed, manufactured and began testing an e-cigarette product designed to be as reliable as a normal cigarette.

Jump to full article »

EDITORIAL: Secondhand smoke: We owe it to one another to lessen smoking's effects - it could be a matter of life or death 

Choosing to smoke in public isn't just a personal choice anymore.

A recent study further highlighted the impact of secondhand smoke on others -- particularly those with heart disease.

By adopting and adhering to smoke-free policies, the risk of heart attack can be decreased by 47 percent, according to the U.S. Institute of Medicine.

The study noted that even a brief exposure to cigarette smoke could be enough to trigger a heart attack. . . .

There are numerous resources out there to help in the process, including www.smokefree.gov, the local hospitals and the American Cancer Society.

Smoking continues to be an activity which no longer impacts only the participant. As a community, we owe it to one another to lessen smoking's effects -- especially secondhand smoke.

It could be a matter of life or death.

Jump to full article »

EDITORIAL: Secondhand smoke: New study, same message 

The dangers of secondhand smoke have been debated for years.

But all those folks who told you that breathing secondhand smoke was bad for you weren't blowing smoke, after all.

A new study by the Institute of Medicine for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that exposure to indoor smoke, even for a short time, can boost the risk of heart problems for non-smokers. . . .

Some people in the court of public opinion decry smoking bans at restaurants, workplaces and bars as being extreme.

But the latest research indicates that program to reduce the impact of smoking is well worth the effort in public health.

Jump to full article »