Cigarettes Tax Hike, Quebec Tobacco Control

Taxpayers behaving badly will have to pay up. The cost of smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol is rising, a measure that will bring in $536 million in new revenue over the next three years to help Quebec balance its books. Taxes on alcohol are going up by about 25 per cent, while those on cigarettes are rising by 18 per cent, Finance Minister Nicolas Marceau announced. A pack of cigarettes will cost 50 cents more; a case of 24 beers will cost 82 cents more; a 750-ml bottle of wine will cost 17 cents more; and a 1.14-litre bottle of spirits will cost 26 cents more.

Tobacco Sales in Supermarket Influenced, Sainsbury Store

LEVEN hit the national limelight this week as one of its major stores joined a crusade to improve health in Scotland. The local Sainsbury’s superstore was one of six across the country which stopped selling tobacco products on Monday. The stubbing out of cigarette sales marked the extension of a scheme launched at other premises earlier in 2012, in response to a Scottish Government levy. New supplementary charges will apply on business rates paid by large stores selling cigarettes and alcohol.

Smoking Ban Enforced in North Dakota

North Dakotans appeared Tuesday night to approve Measure 4, an initiative that will ban smoking in indoor workplaces across the state. As of 10:50 p.m., with 340 of 426 precincts reporting, the measure was leading by a margin of 66 percent to 34 percent, or 141,138 votes to 72,911 votes. Measure 4 bans smoking in places where North Dakota state law previously allowed for it, including bars, tobacco shops, taxis, motel rooms and private nursing home rooms.

Cigarette Butts in Paris, Stop Smoking

Since smokers were forced out of cafes and bars five years ago, they increasingly throw their butts on the ground, according to city officials. The situation is so out of hand, Bertrand Delanoë, the eco-friendly mayor has promised to provide thousands of new public ashtrays, and has asked to increase fines for throwing trash on the ground. Separately, a campaign to stop the polluting habit was launched on Wednesday, with the slogan: "Don't throw out your cigarette butt, become a hero." The number of cigarette butts on the streets, "has exploded" since smokers have been pushed outside, said Francois Dagnaud, the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of cleanliness, in an interview with Le Parisien Wednesday. "At the entrance to metros, at the entrances to cafés and restaurants ..., the situation isn't acceptable ... the sidewalks are carpeted with cigarette butts," he said.

Nicotine Patches Should Quit Smoking

Nicotine patches and gum should be prescribed to smokers to try and help them quit, the health watchdog has said. Previously, smokers could be prescribed nicotine replacement products if they were to go "cold turkey". But new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) suggests that smokers should be able to use the products to help them kick the habit gradually. Patches, gum and other licensed products should be used to replace nicotine normally provided by smoking cigarettes, the draft guidance says.

Falls Prohibits Smoking on Parks, Smoke-Free

To keep the peace, Falls officials have decided on a smoking ban within their parks. The supervisors agreed unanimously Tuesday night to ban the use of all tobacco products within 50 feet of any township-owned park. The issue came to the board’s attention at the Aug. 21 meeting after members were made aware of an incident between two unidentified males. “There was an issue over the summer with two adults who got into an altercation that was almost a little violent. The parent didn't want their child exposed to smoke,” said Chairman Robert Harvie.

Tobacco Use Issue, Nicotine Addiction

In previous columns on fractures and osteoporosis, I discussed the negative effects of smoking as it pertains to the musculoskeletal system. Smoking interferes with fracture healing, wound healing and accelerates osteoporosis development. In today’s column, I will take a closer look at tobacco. Ten million cigarettes are sold per minute in the world every day. In the U.S., tobacco is responsible for one in every five deaths. It is calculated that the annual cost of health-related expenses because of tobacco approaches $193 billion in the U.S. alone.