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New website promotes non-smoking campaign 

A website promoting non-smoking campaign was launched on Thursday at www.clickkhongthuocla.vn.

According to Ha Anh Tuan, ambassador of the Vietnam Steering Committee on Smoking and Health (VINACOSH), the website is expected to inform young people, especially students, of the harms of smoking.

Luong Ngoc Khue, the Health Ministry’s Therapy Department chief, said Vietnam had one of the highest smoking rates in the world, with 56.1 percent of men and 1.8 percent of women being active smokers.

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Payout ends tribunal in sacked-for-smoking row 

A MOTORCYCLE dealership has given a settlement payout to a former employee who claimed she was unfairly sacked for smoking at work.

Clothing manager Paulene Hawkings, 54, was dismissed for “gross misconduct” after she was caught by her boss having a cigarette at Dockgate 20 Motorcycles in Millbrook, Southampton.

But the Harley Davidson dealership brought an employment tribunal to an abrupt halt after a mechanic who witnessed the confrontation testified he had been threatened with the sack if he spoke out.

The tribunal, which was scheduled to last three days, was settled before more witnesses could testify on Mrs Hawkings’ behalf.

Mrs Hawkings, pictured, had told how customers and staff had for years used a metal meshframed structure, “open on three sides to the elements”, known as “the cage”, as a smoking area.

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Letter to the editor: Learning smoking's effects the hard way  

A few hours ago, our family finished the funeral of my mother. She passed away of Stage 3 lung cancer caused by over 60 years of nonstop smoking.

Granted, she died on her 83rd birthday, which is a good life span, and we did know ahead of time of her situation. But I would like to take this time, in honor of her memory, to plead with everyone out there who does smoke cigarettes to please stop. . . .

There is an old saying that tells us "youth is wasted on the young." What that means is that every second of life is precious.

Your life is a gift and every breath you take is given to you. Do not waste a moment on ingesting puffs of poison.

Live for yourself and others. Live for tomorrow. Live for your future. Live long enough to get married and have children and grandchildren. Live a healthy life so you can be happy. You may believe you have a "right" to smoke, but do you have a right to abuse your body?

To all the adults out there who are smoking, I beg of you to please quit. . . .

I will miss my mother, Marion Burgess. She was a hard, independent working mom of seven children, and this letter is dedicated to her.

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Ray to Big Tobacco States ‘will prevail’ 

Big Tobacco is using lawsuits and intimidation to get the Utah Legislature to back away from legislation banning flavored smokeless tobacco products, Davis County legislator Paul Ray believes.

Ray, R-Clinton, shared information on HB71 and the pressure the state is receiving to defeat the bill, during a press conference last week.

Ray said that Altria, parent company of Philip Morris U.S.A. has threatened a lawsuit

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THE PACT ACT (PDF) 

The Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009 (the PACT Act) will fight crime and increase government revenues by ensuring the collection of federal, state and local tobacco taxes on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco sold via the Internet or other mail-order sales. By reducing the availability of tax-evading, low-cost cigarettes over the Internet – and stopping Internet sales of cigarettes to kids – the PACT Act will also prevent and reduce smoking and its many harms and costs.

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U.S. Senate Vote to Curb Internet Tobacco Sales Is Victory for Kids and Taxpayers 

The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously approved S. 1147, the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, legislation to curtail the growing sales of tax-evading, low-cost cigarettes and other tobacco products over the Internet and through the mail. The Senate's action is a milestone in the fight to keep kids from smoking and prevent tax evasion that costs state and federal taxpayers billions each year. We applaud Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) for his leadership and persistence in sponsoring this legislation and winning Senate approval.

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The Ten Best Things About Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s ‘Telephone’ Video -- The Cut 

2. In the prison-yard scene, Gaga wears sunglasses made from lit cigarettes. She already made sunglasses from razor blades, so she has to be resourceful.

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Vermont court: 'Reduced risk' cigarette ads are false 

A Vermont court has ruled that tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds engaged in deceptive and misleading advertising in promoting its Eclipse cigarettes as less risky than conventional smokes.

The case was hailed by a national anti-tobacco group as one that would be read carefully and likely followed in other states.

Cheryl Healton, president of Legacy, called the decision "an enormous victory," meaning that for cigarette makers to claim their products are less risky than others, "you can't say it unless you can prove it."

Chittenden Superior Court Judge Dennis Pearson's decision, issued Wednesday, turned on Vermont's law against consumer fraud and provisions of an agreement between the tobacco industry and 46 states reached in 1998.

Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell's office argued the tobacco company's claims that Eclipse might carry less risk of cancer and other diseases than other cigarettes were not backed up by sufficient scientific evidence, thereby violating the state's law against consumer fraud.

In addition, Pearson found that the advertisements violated the 1998 "master settlement agreement" provision barring the affected tobacco companies -- of which Reynolds was one -- from making "any material misrepresentation of fact regarding the health consequences of using any tobacco product."

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Giving Up Smoking Can Reduce a Life Insurance Policy by up to 43% 

Smokers who have been inspired to quit following the national No Smoking Day on Wednesday could see significant financial benefits from kicking the habit in addition to the improvements to their health. Those who have taken out life insurance cover to protect their families could save up to 43% on their monthly premium costs, which could add up to thousands over the life of a policy term, according to consumer finance website SimplyFinance.

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Barons add backing to anti-smoking initiative  

SOLIHULL Barons are putting the big freeze on smoking in support of No Smoking Day with the local NHS Stop Smoking service.

The two joined forces to help smokers break free from cigarettes and promote this years campaign - Break free, we can help.

The Renault Solihull Barons supported the campaign at their game against Flintshire Freeze on March 7, to encourage Solihull smokers to stop.

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Agency waits on action at Statehouse 

State legislators could adjourn today and one state agency is anxiously waiting to see if it will be spared from cuts.

A provision in Senate Bill 298 would have moved operations of the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency under the control of the Indiana State Department of Health.

As of Friday morning, this language was not being considered in any bill. But Tobacco Free Partnership of Tippecanoe County Coordinator Tristan Kirby said she feared it could be added at any time. She said if it goes into effect, it could undermine the agency's efforts to lower smoking rates.

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EDITORIAL: Smoking debate smolders as students choose to butt out 

The fiery debate of smoking on the University of Cincinnati's campus has been stoked by a recent poll on the UC Blackboard Web site. The poll was sponsored by Student Government in conjunction with the student group Colleges Against Cancer.

The results were overwhelming, indicating 64.34 percent of the 6,102 students responding favor a non-smoking UC campus.

While the thought of a smoke-free UC campus is appealing, a tremendous amount of work needs to be done by the student body before attempting to institute a no-smoking policy, including enforcing the current rules UC has in place. . . .

Laziness on the part of the UC community to stand by its current policy is not a reason to create a new one. If the policy is truly put in action and is still found to be troublesome, then discussions concerning a new policy can begin.

There is an old saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Unfortunately, the current UC policy hasn't been used enough to even be broken, let alone fixed.

Student Government should poll students again, asking students in favor of a non-smoking policy if they have actually addressed violators of the current UC rules.

It is easy to answer a poll feigning indignity at smoking on campus and demand a new policy. It's a lot harder to stand up and support what you already have, which is what the UC student body should do before calling for a new policy.

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TUREK: College smoking bans stifle rights to indulge - 

By allowing the college to outlaw smoking, a completely legal activity, they are opening the floodgates of fascism that would allow the administration of the college to impose whatever restrictions or sanctions they wish on the community of the college, all in the name of "the good of the community." . . .

Tobacco products can give you cancer and other health problems, but packaging has displayed this warning since the 60s. People who smoke know it's bad for them, but it is one of their vices, or a guilty pleasure, and I ask you: who among us doesn't have at least one vice?

Smokers smoke for the same reason you indulge in your own guilty pleasure: to take a break and relax, even if it is only for a short time, which they are free to do by law. By not placing a ban on smoking, we allow the principles of freedom that let us live our lives independently here in America.

So the next time you drink that shot, eat that food you love but know you shouldn't have, or light that cigarette, enjoy it; not just for yourself, but for freedom and the American way.

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Legal Electronic Cigarettes Banned In Sam Smiths' Pubs 

"Banning smoking (or, in this case, vaping) in pubs is like a teashop banning cakes. It is illogical."

That's the message from Jean Rasbridge of E Cigarette Direct in an open letter to Humphrey Smith of Sam Smith's Breweries, after Mr Smith decided to ban electronic cigarettes in his pubs.

Mr Smith acknowledged in a circular to his staff that the electronic cigarette was legal to smoke indoors, but felt that it should be banned on the basis of its resemblance to real cigarettes.

A customer of E Cigarette Direct then wrote to Jean complaining that they could no longer smoke the NJOY electronic cigarette in the pub.

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Outbound fliers can buy cigarettes sans picture warning 

Despite a ban on sale of cigarettes without pictorial warnings in the country, the Supreme Court Friday allowed their sale to outgoing passengers by the duty-free outlets at departure lounges of Indian airports.

Approving the sale, a bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice Deepak Verma and Justice T.S. Thakur ordered the release of international brand cigarettes worth Rs.75 lakh, seized by custom authorities from outlets at departure lounges of Mumbai international airport, for not carrying the pictorial warning.

The bench gave its order on a lawsuit by the DFS India Private Ltd, which has been given the license to set up duty-free shops at various international airports in the country.

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