Tobacco.org

Tobacco Quit line Helps First Half-Million Callers 

A free telephone service that helps Californians kick the smoking habit - funded by tobacco taxes approved by California voters and operated by the University of California, San Diego - reached a milestone today as the 500,000th person called for service.

1-800-NO-BUTTS, also known as the California Smokers' Helpline, has been helping callers since 1992, when it became the nation's first statewide "quit line." Today, all 50 states offer similar services as part of efforts to reduce tobacco's toll on the public health.

"The fact that half a million Californians have called for help shows how badly people want to quit," said Christopher Anderson, program director for the Helpline. "When you see a person who's still smoking, despite all the information about negative health effects, you might think they don't want to quit. But, more often than not, they just don't know how to go about it or don't feel confident in their ability to quit. We help them come up with a good plan and stick to it."

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'Light' Cigarettes Hurt Quit-Smoking Effort 

Want to quit smoking? Your chances may be better if you don't switch to a "light," "ultra-light," or "low-tar" cigarette before you try.

In a newly published study, smokers who traded in their so-called "full-flavor" cigarettes for cigarettes with these labels made more attempts to kick the habit than other smokers, but were almost half as likely to actually do it.

Health officials have long recognized that brands labeled light, ultra-light, mild, and low-tar are no less likely than other cigarettes to cause smoking-related diseases like lung cancer and heart disease; that's because people tend to smoke more of them and inhale more deeply.

But it has not been clear if making the switch to these '"light" brands had an impact on smoking-cessation rates.

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2008 New Zealand
Tobacco Use Survey: Quitting Results (PDF) 

Key Points

Introduction

This report presents the quitting results of 15–64-year-olds from the 2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey (NZTUS), including, where possible, comparisons with the 2006 NZTUS.

Quitting attempts

In 2008 an estimated19,600 New Zealanders had quit smoking in the previous 6–12 months.

Three out of five current smokers had tried to quit smoking in the past five years, a third of smokers had quit for at least 24 hours in the past 12 months and a fifth had successfully quit for a week before starting to smoke again.

Four out of five current smokers said that they would not smoke if they had their life over again.

Three-quarters of smokers who had tried to quit in the past 12 months said one of the reasons was for their own health, while a third had tried to quit because of the cost of smoking.

Quitting services and programmes

Among current smokers, three-quarters had been asked their smoking status by a health care worker in the past 12 months.

Māori and Pacific people and those from areas of high deprivation were more likely than the total New Zealand population aged 15–64 years and those from the least deprived areas respectively to have been asked their smoking status by a health care worker over the past 12 months.

Over a quarter (27.6%) of 15–64-year-old current smokers had been given advice or information, referred to quitting programmes or given quitting aids by a health care worker in the past 12 months.

Māori current smokers were two-fifths more likely than all current smokers aged
15–64, and current smokers living in the most deprived areas were twice as likely as those in the least deprived areas to have been provided with advice or information, referred to quitting programmes or given quitting aids by a health care worker in the past 12 months.

A third of people who had tried to quit smoking in the past 12 months (‘recent quit attempters’) had used quitting products or advice in their most recent quit attempt. The most common product used was nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (19.5%). Quitline was used by one in eight, and general practitioners were used by 6% of recent quit attempters.

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2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey-Quitting Results 

Summary of publication

New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey 2008: Quitting results, focussing on the quitting behaviour of current smokers, is the second report based on the New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey 2008 (NZTUS 2008) data.

The first report, Tobacco Trends 2008: A brief update of tobacco use in New Zealand was released in June 2009.

This report presents data directly related to smokers’ history of quitting smoking, their reasons for quitting, the products, services and advice they’ve used, and their awareness and knowledge of the different health effects of nicotine and tobacco.

Baseline data for monitoring the implementation of the New Zealand Smoking Cessation Guidelines are presented in this report. The data can also be used to monitor progress towards one of the six Health Targets, Better help for smokers to quit, that came into effect on 1 July 2009.

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• Survey shows most NZ smokers want to quit 

The 2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey: Quitting Results published today shows overwhelmingly most smokers want to quit, Associate Minister of Health Hon Tariana Turia said.

Minister Turia said that helping smokers to quit was a priority for the Government and was one of the six health targets.

This report presents the quitting results of 15 to 64 year olds from the 2008 New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey, including where possible, in comparison with the previous survey (2006).

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• Wear | Hospital smoking shelters U-turn 

Sunderland Royal Hospital is "reluctantly" reinstating shelters for smokers in its grounds.

Health bosses admit they are unable to stop people disobeying the no-smoking rule and lighting up just outside the hospital's main doors.

This had led to complaints by patients and staff about second-hand smoke drifting into the building.

Purpose-built shelters, which were dismantled two years ago, are to be set up again.

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• 29 Businesses In Violation of Selling Tobacco to Minors 

Guam Public Law No. 24-278 (also known as the Tobacco Control Act of 1998) mandates the conduct of random, unannounced tobacco vendor compliance inspections each year.� The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (DMHSA) in partnership with the Department of Revenue and Taxation (DRT) completed its island wide 2009 monitoring activity.

For this current year, 347 businesses were inspected throughout the nineteen villages on the island; twenty-nine (29) were found to be in violation for selling tobacco products to minors and were cited by DRT officers.� P.L. 24-278 prohibits vendors from selling tobacco products to persons under the age of 18 and if found to be in violation, must pay a graduated penalty of anywhere from $500 up to $5,000 per violation.

This vendor monitoring activity is federally mandated by the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention for all states and territories who receive substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant funds.� Guam must provide assurances that the island’s tobacco vendors do not sell tobacco products to individuals below the age of 18.

“Guam has the highest tobacco use rates nationwide among youth and adults. Vendor compliance to not sell tobacco products to minors is an effective strategy for reducing tobacco use among youth and eventual health-related consequences.” said David L. G. Shimizu, Director of the Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse.

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• Push to restrict tobacco sales to drugstores 

Now San Francisco entrepreneur Stuart Skorman, founder of the now defunct holistic-oriented drugstore chain Elephant Pharmacy, wants to make pharmacies the only places that sell tobacco products.

Skorman, who on Thursday launched a nonprofit organization called HealthyPharmacies.org to promote his idea, believes that restricting cigarette sales to pharmacies would not only control the distribution and visibility of the product, but also give pharmacists the opportunity to counsel customers about quitting.

The idea would also prevent kids from going down to the corner store to buy cigarettes from a clerk who may not check identification, he said.

"Keeping tobacco away from 12-year-olds saves lives and billions of dollars from the health care system," he said.

Skorman advocates testing the concept in some cities and then comparing the impact on smoking with those that have banned the sale of tobacco products in drugstores. He said he's in discussions with city officials interested in the idea, but declined to name the cities.

"If limiting distribution and limiting the visibility of this dangerous product reduces smoking in communities, we believe pharmacists would be more than happy to be part of the program," he said.

The problem? Most pharmacists and health experts interviewed for this story found the idea downright unhealthy.

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If limiting distribution and limiting the visibility of this dangerous product reduces smoking in communities, we believe pharmacists would be more than happy to be part of the program
San Francisco entrepreneur Stuart Skorman, who wants to make pharmacies the only places that sell tobacco products.

Now ticket examiners, railway force can act against smokers 

Smokers beware! Ticket examiners and Railway Protection Force (RPF) assistant sub-inspectors have been authorised to take action against those found smoking in trains and on railway platforms.

The health ministry has issued a notification in this regard.

As per the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules 2008, the law imposes strict ban on smoking in public places. Those found smoking in public places can be charged up to Rs.200.

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Programs continue to help community quit 

Under the University's tobacco-free initiative, smoking and tobacco use will be prohibited in University-owned and -managed properties beginning July 1, 2010.

Research shows tobacco use constitutes a significant health hazard.

With this initiative, the University continues its tradition of being a leader on important social and health issues, and of translating knowledge gained through research into practice.

To help the WUSTL community prepare for the change and help those who wish to become tobacco-free, the University is working collaboratively with the community to support tobacco-use cessation efforts.

Myriad programs and events are offered to help students, faculty and staff quit smoking and using tobacco products, continuing this month with the Great American Smokeout Nov. 19. . . .

Throughout the Danforth Campus Nov. 19, WUSTL Dining Services will sell a special "Crudite to Go Cup" -- carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatos, zucchini, squash and ranch dip -- to help tobacco users make it through the day without tobacco.

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• Editorial - Lebanon has yet to tackle killer smoke 

Even though many other countries have already passed Lebanon by on the issue, and even though a conference blooming with well-meaning rhetoric is no guarantee of future action, it certainly was praiseworthy for the Health Ministry and its National Tobacco Control Program to agitate last week for a comprehensive ban on smoking in public places.

Before even addressing the stale arguments over whether a ban would encroach on personal freedom, a prohibition makes sense purely to keep more humans alive and cut health-care expenses from this country's already catastrophic budget . . .

In case any doubt remains over the meaning of universal protection, we only have to note the smoking bans lately adopted in Bahrain, Syria, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE. Put another way, Lebanon has now fallen behind all those countries on a major human-rights issue - yes, Lebanon has fallen behind Syria in liberating its citizens to be free of murderous second-hand smoke in public places.

But we here in our glass house at The Daily Star should not be the first to cast stones. To illustrate the hurdles a welcome and overdue ban would face, we at the newspaper enjoy a smoke-free work environment - until 9 p.m. Even this would-be watchdog of the public interest seems to respect human rights only some of the time.

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Smoking ban may include fines  

But exposing young children to cigarette smoke is another matter, said Mayo, a town Parks Commissioner who inspired the board to ban smoking at the park and Sandy Pond Beach this summer.

Now, the Board of Health is teaming up with the Parks Commission to put more teeth into the regulation, possibly instituting some fines for violators.

The Ayer Board of Health is expected to discuss nuts and bolts of its potential smoking regulation at its biweekly meeting scheduled for Monday, Nov. 9. The purpose of the proposal is to add an enforcement component to the smoking ban that the Parks Commission adopted in August.

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Quitting smoking cuts health costs 

Offering resources to help employees quit smoking can improve wellness, increase corporate moral and reduce health-care costs to employers.

Employees who smoke will cost businesses in direct health-care costs including more visits to health-care facilities, more hospital admissions and higher average insurance premiums. The indirect health-care costs amount to a loss in productivity in increased absenteeism.

Some things to think about during Lung Cancer Awareness and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness month.

Fact: Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death.

Fact: Tobacco-related diseases kill 438,000 Americans annually. . . .

n Louisiana Tobacco Quitline at (800) QUIT NOW.

n Quit With Us, La at www.QuitWithUsLA.org.

The LSU Tobacco Control Initiative also offers programs at Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma, 873-2499; Assumption Community Hospital, 369-3600; and Terrebonne General Medical Center, 876-7577.

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16 Warren businesses cited in tobacco sales to minors  

A crackdown on tobacco sales to minors in Warren resulted in citations for 16 businesses over the past two months, Warren Mayor Jim Fouts said today.

During the first operation, at the start of the school year in September, police cited nine businesses for selling tobacco to minors. Last week, police cited seven businesses.

Most were gas stations near schools.

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Stores cited for selling tobacco to kids  

29 mom-n-pop stores received citations from the Department of Revenue & Taxation after they were caught selling tobacco to minors. Mental Health assisted DRT with the inspections of more than 300 businesses.

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