Korea Must Increase Cigarette Prices

World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan claims the best way to cut down on smoking is to make cigarettes more expensive. Chan, who attended an international seminar in Seoul on ways to curb smoking, pointed out that cigarette prices in Korea, which are around US$2 a pack, are far too cheap compared to $17 in Australia and $10 in Canada. Some 4,000 different substances go into cigarettes, and 1,200 of them are hazardous to health. They include around 20 cancer-causing agents, such as tar and phenol. It is now believed that cigarette smoking accounts for 30 percent of cancer cases around the world.

Smoking Tobacco Increased Among Women

Classical dancer Sheema Kirmani has deplored that the habit of smoking among women of various age groups is on the rise, resulting in growing tobacco-related health complications for them. Following a play against smoking held at the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in collaboration with the All Pakistan Women Association (APWA), she said that a large number of Pakistani women of different age groups were now in the habit of smoking and consuming tobacco in its different forms.

Tobacco Use in Movies Increased, Kids Smokers

Onscreen tobacco use increased by 34% per movie last year in films targeted at children and teens, according to a new study. Researchers say the dramatic rise in smoking scenes in top-grossing U.S. movies with a G, PG, or PG-13 rating ends five years of steady decline in onscreen tobacco use. “The growth in onscreen tobacco use in 2011 reversed years of progress toward tobacco-free youth-rated movies,” write researcher Stanton Glantz, PhD, of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues in Preventing Chronic Disease.

Contraband Cigarettes Grabed at Beit Bridge

Contraband cigarettes worth about R3 million have been confiscated at the Beit Bridge border post, the Tobacco Institute of SA (Tisa) said on Thursday. On Tuesday, SA Revenue Services (Sars) customs officials found the cigarettes in a fuel tanker coming into Limpopo from Zimbabwe, Tisa said in a statement. Around 25 000 cartons were concealed in the fuel tanker and its trailer. The tanks had been fitted with false compartments around the top access hatch, which meant that a dipstick test would have indicated the tanker was empty.

Advertisements Tempts Local Smokers

As the young boy ran from the translucent cloud of toxic cigarette smoke, he sent a powerful message about harm reduction.The No Durri for this Murri campaign aims to reduce indigenous smoking rates by getting the community thinking about harm reduction. North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health yesterday launched its second advertising strategy aimed the local Indigenous community.

Tobacco Products Advertising Banned, Ukraine News

The law banning tobacco products advertising has come into force. The document was signed by President Viktor Yanukovych and published in March, but has come into force as of September 16 according to transition provisions.

Smokers in the Vale Urged to Quit

SMOKERS in the Vale are being urged to stub their cigarettes out and join a 28-day quitting challenge. Stoptober, the first ever mass quit attempt launched by the Department of Health, gets underway on Monday, October 1. The campaign is backed by Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation and is bidding to encourage the nation's eight million smokers to give up.

Big Tobacco Against Cigarettes Ads Ban

Big Tobacco is fighting a multi-pronged battle to defeat a global wave of laws to force them to use graphic warning labels and plain packaging. It has won a major legal battle in the U.S. this month but it has lost in Australia.

Heavy Smokers with Schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia who are heavy cigarette smokers are more likely to use substances such as alcohol than are those with the disease who are non–heavy smokers. Heavy smokers also are more likely to have elevated cholesterol, a retrospective analysis of 745 patient records has found.

Contraband Cigarettes Come in Many Packs

The Ontario Convenience Stores Association are taking more action to get its message about the fines people face, and the harm contraband cigarettes cause to communities and businesses. The OCSA are taking their message to the streets with a new billboard campaign starting in Thunder Bay.

Smoking Ban for Buildings, Kitzhaber Issues

Smoking and other tobacco use will be barred at most state buildings and grounds, including prisons, under an executive order issued Thursday by Gov. John Kitzhaber, who is a physician. “Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Oregon. The human and financial costs are simply too high,” Kitzhaber said in a statement. “By promoting a healthy environment for state employees, clients and visitors, we can create an environment that reduces tobacco use and protects health.”

Larger Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Packages, Tobacco Control

A comprehensive tobacco control strategy in Uruguay has had great results, according to a report released by the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project. Here are some symptoms of lung cancer, from the Canadian Cancer Society: -Persistent cough that does not go away or improve, a hoarse voice, coughing up blood -Shortness of breath, wheezing, chronic chest pain (especially when coughing) -Fatigue, weight loss, frequent chest infections

Smoke-Free Campuses on Rise in US

The war on tobacco is going to college. At a growing number of campuses nationwide, total bans on cigarettes and other tobacco products are showing up, barring students from lighting up anywhere on school grounds - even in the open air. The most recent school system to snuff out campus tobacco was the Ohio public college system when the Board of Regents on Monday recommended an all-out prohibition on tobacco products. In June, the University System of Maryland announced its 12 institutions, inside and out, would go smoke-free by next July.

Cigarette Butts and Secondh-Hand Smoke

One of Forsyth Park’s playgrounds is a miss. A favorite playsite for kids, it’s filled with cigarette butts. They not only look bad, but they're dangerous for pets, wildlife and especially our children. WSAV facebook fan, Danielle writes -- Tina, I saw your story on the cigarette butts in Forsyth Park.

Tobacco Tax Bad for Tobacco Farmers

Progressive lawmakers have put their foot down against six taxes on tobacco. Lawmakers from Anakpawis and Bayan Muna said the sin tax bill Congress approved on third reading last June 6, 2012 will not benefit local tobacco producers. “In the name of providing more funds for the universal health coverage program, the Department of Finance wants to pass a regressive tax measure that will further burden local tobacco farmers and consumers alike,” the lawmakers said.

Top Male Smokers in Filipinos

Despite the existence of laws that limit smoking, male Filipino smokers are among the top smokers in the world occupying the ninth spot following India and China among others, data from the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation revealed on Tuesday. The 2008 data was revealed by the Department of Health (DoH) as it sought to emphasize the urgency of the passage of the sin tax bill.

Smoking Banned in all Recreation Areas, Passaic Council

The City Council on Tuesday night introduced a sweeping ordinance to ban smoking in all municipal buildings, parks and recreation areas. The ordinance, which was introduced by a unanimous vote, would ban smoking inside and outside all municipal buildings, and would impose fines of up to $1,000 on serial violators. If the ordinance is adopted, the city will become the 11th municipality in Passaic County to prohibit smoking on public property. Bloomingdale, Clifton, Hawthorne, Little Falls, Paterson, Prospect Park, Ringwood, Wanaque, West Milford, and Woodland Park have already adopted similar smoking bans.

Youth Smokers Drop, Water Pipe Smoking Up

A national smoking survey released today provides positive news, with smoking of cigarettes and little cigars by high school students decreasing compared to two years earlier. However, the Canadian Cancer Society is concerned about students smoking through water pipes (also known as hookah or shisha) and student smoking of cigarillos remains a significant issue.

Anti-Smoking Campaign Target kids, Chicago News

Chicago health officials say a new public awareness campaign is aimed at stopping the sale of cigarettes to children. The Chicago Department of Public Health says the campaign will include ads on trains and buses encouraging residents to call 311 if they see tobacco being sold to a minor. Officials say 80 percent of adult smokers took up the habit before they turned 18 and that one in four adults and one in eight high school students in Chicago smoke regularly.

Smokers Teeth and Smoking Habit

Smoking is linked to a number of medical conditions, and given that the oral cavity is the first part of the body which is subjected to cigarette smoke, it should come as no surprise that smoking has an adverse effect on teeth and other parts of the oral cavity. Various studies have established the link between smoking and oral health, and this write-up focuses on the same.

Smoke-Free Parks, The Hasting City Council Approved

The Hastings City Council approved a new policy banning smoking in city parks Monday after discussion on whether the policy goes far enough. At an April work session, City Administrator Joe Patterson recommended using a policy rather than an ordinance, which would subject violators to a fine. Patterson said other cities and states that have instituted a policy have had good results and cooperation from residents.

Cigarettes Tax Doubled, EU News

Smokers across the EU may be in for a surprise later this year if the European Commission adopts experts’ proposals to double the tax on cigarettes to curb the addictive habit. Experts, including top economists and health specialists, are recommending that the minimum excise duty on cigarettes and other tobacco products across the EU be “at least doubled” and increased every year. They have established a clear relation between the price of cigarettes and consumption patterns through a three-year Commission-sponsored study on pricing policies and control of tobacco products in Europe.

Cigars Smoker, Glamour of Smoking

Scientific research has proven that chronic consumption of the plant can lead to cancer. Most ways of consuming it are now frowned upon by the general populace. Cigarettes smell terrible and make smokers cough stuff up. Dipping and chewing are seen as gross habits — apparently, spitting brown gunk out of your mouth is disgusting — who knew? The general public perception of tobacco is, at best, pessimistic. There is, however one aspect of smoking that still has a glamorous quality to it: smoking cigars.

Cigarette Butts in America

Many organizations devote themselves to cleaning up after others on Earth Day but some do it every day. And one item in particular is a re-occurring sight for street workers like Jim Yorkey. "Litter would be, of course cigarette butts," said Jim Yorkey, a street worker for the city of Elkins. 287 billion cigarettes were sold in the United States last year. And many of those don't make it in the trash, making it the most littered item in America. "Everyone knows somebody that just throws their cigarette butt just right out the window," Yorkey said.

Smoking Drivers Banned

Ii was music to my ears this week to learn that a number of Senators are working to introduce legislation which will finally make it illegal for adults to smoke with children in cars. It's appalling that this selfish and dangerous act has not already been outlawed. At the time that the smoking ban in pubs and restaurants was introduced it should have been a no-brainer however eight years later, parents are still free to drive and puff regardless of their young passengers.

Cigarettes Machines in Kansas

Kansas authorities have pulled the plug on about 20 automated roll-your-own cigarette retail outlets in Kansas, citing fire hazards from the machines.

The Kansas Department of Revenue licenses the venues, which involve dual machines that allow customers to convert bags of loose tobacco and boxes of unfiltered papers into cigarettes. The Kansas State Fire Marshal has issued cease-and-desist letters noting a fire-safety law stipulating cigarettes rolled at commercial establishments had to use a type of paper that resists quick burn rates, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Friday.

Smoking People Rate in Jefferson County, Smoking Areas

The 'smoking booth" outside the Jefferson County courthouse is a busy place.Smokers huddle beneath it when it rains. On pleasant days, they stand around its edges, surrounded by a cigarette haze. A mix of visitors and courthouse employees converge for smoke breaks. Numbers released last week by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation explain the booth's popularity. In Jefferson County, 30 percent of adults smoke.

Ferguson-Florissant Could Be Smoke-Free Soon

The Ferguson-Florissant School District might follow in St. Louis County’s steps to become smoke-free by this time next year. Last week, the Board of Education heard a presentation by DeBorah Ahmed, a senior vice president of Better Family Life, a community action agency and partner with the County’s Health Department, who recommended a gold standard of a 100 percent tobacco free policy throughout the district.

Chinese Adults Smokers Rise

Three in 10 Chinese said they smoke regularly (25%) or occasionally (5%), according to Gallup surveys conducted shortly after China's ban on smoking tax free Beverly cigarettes in public places took effect last May.

This translates to roughly 320 million adults -- or more than the entire population of the United States -- and underscores the potential health crisis China faces as it tries to reduce an estimated 1 million smoking-related deaths each year in its country.

Smoking Ban and Smokers Secret

The number of people hiding their smoking habit from friends and family members seems to have risen since the introduction of the UK's public smoking ban. A poll of 2,000 people, conducted by One Poll on behalf of the Co-operative Pharmacy, found that one in 12 respondents now have a home smoking ban in place.

Dutch Cigarette Business

How close is too close when it comes to conversations between governments and the tobacco industry? In the Netherlands, politicians are being accused of allowing the powerful tobacco lobby to exercise undue influence over smoking policy.

In recent years while most countries have been tightening anti-smoking legislation, the Netherlands has partially reversed some of its laws - allowing people to smoke high quality Dunhill cigarettes in some bars again and cutting funding for anti-smoking organisations.

Non-Smoking Hamilton Playgrounds

Cigarettes could be stubbed out of Hamilton playgrounds and parks under a new smokefree policy to be considered by the council in August.

A Waikato coalition group working against smoking, known as Chances, and the Waikato Bay of Plenty Cancer Society are also urging the city council to enforce a non-smoking rule across parks, playgrounds and bus shelters after unprecedented public support.

Celebrity Smoking Marijuana

Back when Cameron Diaz was a student at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, the now 39-year-old bought pot and best Beratt cig from another future A-lister: Snoop Dogg! "I'm pretty sure I bought weed from him," Diaz said on Lopez Tonight in January 2011. "I was green even in high school!"

High Heels Worse than Smoking Habit

Are high heels as bad for you as smoking? Biomechanist and foot expert Katy Bowman thinks so. She realizes that is a bold statement, but she stands by the analogy. “The cigarette was once very fashionable. It was very alluring. It was sexy,” says the author of Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief: The New Science of Healthy Feet. “Now we look differently at people who smoke. I think within our lifetime we’re going to start seeing a high heel as a reflection of low self-esteem.”

Cigarettes Smoking Banned at All Chicago City Colleges

Starting March 1, 2012, tobacco use will be prohibited on all property of the campuses of the City Colleges of Chicago. The City Colleges of Chicago is the largest community college system in Illinois consisting of seven colleges and seven satellite locations and a district office.

According to The Chicago Tribune, the Board of Trustees of Chicago City Colleges approved this decision which totally prohibits cheap Rich cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. The decision will impact 120,000 students and 5,800 faculty and staff.

Smokers in Bulgaria Quit as Cigarettes Price Hikes

Three per cent of Bulgaria’s smokers quit the habit in 2011, mainly because of increases in the prices of cigarettes, a survey by the country’s Health Ministry has found. Ten per cent of Bulgarian smokers say that they intend to stop in coming months. They say that they will do so when a planned mid-year full ban on smoking in public places comes into effect.

Altria Gained Bad Reputation this Year

Altria Group, parent company of Philip Morris USA and its best selling Marlboro cigarettes, has more than lived up to its reputation as a defensive investment—providing investors with stable returns and, importantly, a dividend yield of 5.5%. That stands out in an environment in which money-market rates are less than 0.5% and 10-year Treasury bonds are yielding less than 2%.

Exercise Helps Teen Smokers Quit

What's the best way to get teens to quit smoking? A new study suggests exercise can help. WVU researchers found that teens, particularly boys, were more likely to quit smoking if exercise was a part of their daily routine. The Mountain State has the worst teen smoking problem in the country, as statistics show 29 percent of West Virginians under 18 smoke, compared to the national average of 20 percent.

Smoking Ban Looks Like a Good Idea

On the surface, a smoking ban looks like a good idea, that is if the Dunhill smokers want to lose a little bit of their freedom. There are a number of things that we should or shouldn't do, but we don't have the willpower to stop doing them. So it gets down to freedoms.

Government wants the kids to stop texting while driving; maybe adults should be restricted also. You know, for safety reasons. Is the government going to also restrict using the cell phone while in a moving car? And why is it that old people love to have their dog sitting in their lap while they drive their cars? By the way, when will the law be enacted to stop fat people from super-sizing their meals at fast-food restaurants? I bet McDonalds doesn't want to see that legislation.