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Association Grades Tobacco Control In California, Long Beach  

The American Lung Association releases an annual report grading the levels of tobacco control nationwide as well as the grades for cities and counties in California.

The reports, State of Tobacco Control 2012 and State of Tobacco Control 2012 - California Local Grades, were released last month. The grades are based on local tobacco control policies, including smoke-free outdoor environments, smoke-free housing and the reduction in sales of tobacco products.

Long Beach received a C grade overall. The city was given an A grade for its reduction in the sale of tobacco products, but received a D grade for smoke-free outdoor air and an F grade for smoke-free housing.

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For pets' health, stop smoking 

Valentine's Day is a traditional time to show love for the special people in our lives, but what about our pets?

"Our animals give us their unconditional love, and in return, we can show our love for them by quitting smoking on Feb. 14," said Jayme Bottke of Tehama County Health Services Agency in a press release.

During the month of February, veterinary offices in Tehama County and throughout the North State are asking clients about tobacco use in their homes and informing pet owners that they can protect their pets from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke if family members quit or choose to smoke away from their animals, reported the agency.

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Smoking banned at parks, beaches 

The board of supervisors unanimously banned smoking Tuesday from all county-operated parks, trails and beaches.

"It seems so obvious that you wouldn't be allowed, or shouldn't be allowed, to smoke in our county parks," said Supervisor Jerry Hill, who sponsored the ordinance with Supervisor Rich Gordon. "I remember a number of times sitting in a picnic area, having a nice picnic, and there just happens to be - because it's so nice and open - people feel that they can sit at another table nearby and smoke a nice, big cigar," Hill said. "That just kind of spoiled it all for me."

Smoking will be banned from the county's 17 parks and 12 trails and their parking areas, possibly as soon as March 15.

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Smoky air can harm dogs and cats, too, says vets and pollution experts  

Spare the air. Spare the human health. Now, spare the pets.

You've heard of the no-wood-burning alerts on bad air days this winter to protect people in the Bay Area, but there are others to guard from the smoke as well -- cats, dogs and horses. . . .

"I think wood smoke can be a big issue for pets, much like secondhand smoke," said Dr. Suzanne Lee, a veterinarian at the Alamo Animal Hospital. "You've got to assume that smoke affects them, but pets don't complain as much as people do."

She estimated that as much as 10 percent of her cat patients have asthma -- a condition aggravated by allergens, dust and smoke.

She cautions anyone with asthmatic cats to keep their pets indoors on Spare the Air days, when smoke and other fine particles in the air are predicted to exceed the federal health standard for humans. Spare the Air alerts have been issued on 15 days so far this season in the Bay Area.

Lee is not alone in her concern about smoke and pets.

The Bay Area's air pollution district and Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation held a media briefing Tuesday at the ARF shelter in Walnut Creek to talk about smoke effects on pets.

ARF diagnoses asthma and respiratory problems in some cats during health checkups before the animals are put up for adoption.

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LBSU Student Receives Award for Second-Hand Smoke Research 

For his proposal to study how secondhand smoke exposure may predispose women to heart disease, Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) chemistry/biochemistry senior Tuyen Ngoc Tran has received a $3,000 scholarship as one of this year's recipients of the Howell-CSUPERB Research Scholar Award.

CSUPERB (CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology) has partnered with the Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women's Health Research to fund promising undergraduate student research projects in topics related to women's health. The Howell Foundation and CSUPERB recognize that research experience is critical to engaging, retaining and graduating students interested in careers in women's health.

CSUPERB received 32 applications from students at 15 different CSU campuses for the Howell awards, but only 11 students from seven of the universities were selected for the $3,000 scholarships. The Howell-CSUPERB Scholars show great professional promise academically and in research programs. Each scholar will be conducting faculty mentored research projects during 2012.

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Divided council approves outdoor smoking ban  

There was applause and jubilation Monday night after the Orland City Council finally passed an outdoor smoking ban in public places.

The 3-2 vote ends months of discussion and changes to the ordinance that prohibits smoking within 20 feet of primary business entryways and bans it near playgrounds, picnic areas and outdoor cafes.

Vice Mayor Charles Gee and Councilman Dennis Hoffman voted against the ordinance, reiterating concerns about its enforcement and impacts on individual rights.

But Councilman Jim Paschall went with Mayor Wade Elliott and Councilman Bruce Roundy in voting for it.

He still believes the ban will be difficult to enforce, but said it is an issue cities and counties throughout the state are dealing with everywhere.

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New smoking rules passed in Orland  

One political lesson learned by students in Orland is that perseverance and patience can pay off.

The Orland City Council voted Monday night to pass new rules limiting smoking in public places. The vote was 3-2, after eight discussions and multiple rewrites of suggestions made by students in October.

The ordinance will prohibit smoking within 20 feet of the main entrance of a business, as well as in parks and outdoor eateries. The fine is $25.

Designated areas will be determined and later set aside for smoking at parks.

Members of Students Working Against Tobacco, which has groups in three Glenn County high schools, made the pitch to the council with the help of public health leaders. The students had collected signatures and gathered cigarette butts from around town.

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Advocates rally downtown to support raising tobacco tax  

Downtown demonstrators rallied Wednesday in support of a proposition that would raise taxes on tobacco by $1.

Proposition 29 has the potential to generate $600 million per year for research, prevention, facilities, equipment, law enforcement and administration if passed by voters June 5, according to the Californians for a Cure website.

Maxine Bigler, a 15-year cancer survivor, is a beneficiary of cancer research that attended the rally and may not have lived to do so without previous funding, she said.

"To save lives," Bigler said. "That's what it's really about."

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New Lung Cancer Test Predicts Survival 

In the two largest clinical studies ever conducted on the molecular genetics of lung cancer, an international team led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has demonstrated that an available molecular test can predict the likelihood of death from early-stage lung cancer more accurately than conventional methods. The work may eventually help improve the odds of survival for hundreds of thousands of patients each year.

Reported this week in The Lancet, the two studies demonstrated how the test, which measures the activity of fourteen genes in cancerous tissue, improves the accuracy of prognosis. This in turn could guide treatments for patients with the most common form of the disease, non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

The research exemplifies UCSF’s efforts to advance patient care toward precision medicine, in which an individual's genetic makeup or specific molecular markers of their disease help to drive treatment decisions.

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• State Economy to Get Big Jolt with Proposed New Tax on Cigarettes, Study Finds  

A new UCSF analysis has found that a state ballot initiative to increase the cigarette tax would create about 12,000 jobs and nearly $2 billion in new economic activity in California.

The study found that the new tax would have a significant effect on the state’s overall economy because Californians would smoke less and spend their money in other ways.

The initiative, the California Cancer Research Act (CCRA), is on the statewide June 5 ballot. If the measure is approved, state cigarette taxes would rise by $1 a pack, generating an estimated $855 million a year for anti-smoking education programs, medical research, and tobacco law enforcement.

“The primary impact to the California economy, besides the effect on health care, is that people will smoke less and send less money out of state,’’ said study author Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, a professor of medicine at UCSF and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education based at UCSF.

Currently, approximately 80 percent of money spent on tobacco products is exported to out-of-state tobacco manufacturers and farmers. No tobacco is grown in California and no cigarettes are manufactured here.

Under the legislation, 60 percent of funds generated by the new tax would go to cancer research and to address other tobacco-related diseases, 20 percent toward tobacco cessation and prevention programs, and 15 percent toward facilities and equipment for health services and research. The remainder would go to law enforcement to reduce cigarette smuggling and tobacco tax evasion, and to administer the tax.

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"It's About a Billion Lives" Symposium Celebrates Tobacco Research and Education at UCSF  

Join us on Friday, February 3, 2012, 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM in Cole Hall for our annual symposium. This event is open to the entire campus community and the public. The presentations are designed for a broad audience. There will be a free light breakfast before the presentations, which start at 8:30.

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It’s About a Billion Lives Celebrating Tobacco Research and Education at UCSF - UCSF Calendar 

AUDIO: 2012 "It's About a Billion Lives" symposium available as a podcast 

Our first effort to webcast the symposium garnered a lot of positive feedback. We have turned it into a podcast, which you can watch it by clicking here.

The podcast has in index showing the presentation slides, so you can skip to specific talks if you don't want to watch the whole thing.

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Campaign Promotes a Smoke-Free UC 

UC President Mark G. Yudof announced that the UC system will launch an official campaign to make all 10 UC campuses smoke-free by 2014.

Yudof formally announced the decision to prohibit smoking in a letter addressing all UC chancellors last month. In October, a subcommittee of the UC Occupational Wellness Forum proposed banning cigarettes as well as all other tobacco-related goods such as smokeless e-cigarettes and other nicotine products. In addition, all advertising for tobacco will be prohibited on all university-owned and leased facilities.

Currently, five UC medical centers and 586 other college campuses nationwide are smoke-free.

In the letter announcing his decision, Yudof said smoke-free campuses would prevent nonsmoking students from suffering the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, ultimately benefiting all students.

“As a national leader in health care and environmental practices, the University of California is ready to demonstrate leadership in reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke by creating a smoke-free environment on all of our campuses,” Yudof said in the letter.

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Cigarette may be culprit behind Ventura house fire 

A discarded cigarette was likely to blame for a fire under a building in Ventura.

Officials say a cigarette that wasn't put out entirely got blown underneath the structure located on the 700 block of Jazmin Avenue and likely sparked at about 11 a.m. Saturday.

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