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.

Tobacco Use on Tipton School, Tobacco Free Plicy

The Red River Tobacco Education Consortium (R2TEC) recently presented the Tipton School District with a banner promoting the school’s 24/7 Tobacco Free Policy. R2TEC is very thankful and appreciative to the Tipton School District for passing a policy that prohibits tobacco use on school property 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year.

Cigarettes Ingredients Analyzed, Welfare Ministry

The health ministry has decided to analyze all substances found in popular cigarette brands to better understand the adverse health effects of smoking with the aim of reflecting the data in its future countermeasures, according to officials. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has also decided to launch an expert panel by the end of this year to discuss stricter regulations for tobacco manufacturers and measures to prevent health hazards posed by second-hand smoking, the officials said.

Passive Smoking Can Affect Non-Smokers Memory

Non-smokers who regularly breathe in secondhand smoke are at risk for memory damage, according to researchers from Northumbria University. This is the first study of its kind to investigate the relationship between exposure to other people’s cigarette smoking and everyday problems with memory. Psychologists Drs. Tom Heffernan and Terence O’Neil, both researchers at the Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research Group at Northumbria University, compared a group of current smokers with two groups of non-smokers.

Smoking Pot and Mental Health Problems

A recently published study has tried to emphasize on the consequences faced by those, who have been in the habit of smoking marijuana, since a long time. Such smokers are found to be left with an adverse impact on their IQ levels; there is a noteworthy decline in these levels. The study included real incidents of people, who have been smoking cannabis, since they were adolescents. Stephen was just 12-years-old, when he smoked cannabis for the first time. With time, this 26-year-old from Ballymun, started enjoying and gradually it became his habit. He belonged to a family that was big, he wanted something, which could take him away from this world, his family and cannabis was his way out.

Rural Youngsters Smoke More Cigs

Tobacco addiction and exposure to secondhand smoke in rural America is highlighted in The American Lung Association’s latest health disparity report, “Cutting Tobacco’s Rural Roots: Tobacco Use in Rural Communities.” Tobacco use is higher among rural communities than in suburban and urban areas, and smokeless tobacco use is twice as common. According to the American Lung Association, rural youth are more likely to use tobacco and to start earlier than urban youth, perpetuating the cycle of tobacco addiction, death and disease.

Cigarette Plain Packaging Privilege, British American Tobacco

British American Tobacco Australia was refused leave on Friday to appeal to the court over its long-running bid to access privileged 1995 Commonwealth documents about plain packaging, under Freedom of Information laws. It comes after Wednesday's High Court ruling against tobacco companies' claim that the legislation, which is now cleared to take effect from December, is unconstitutional.

Tobacco Ordinance Needs Protection

Glendale has received statewide recognition and been lauded for its comprehensive policies that protect residents and visitors from breathing secondhand tobacco smoke in outdoor dining and shopping venues. Glendale also has a moratorium on the number of smoking dens also known as hookah lounges operating in the city. On Tuesday, Aug. 21, the Glendale City Council will be reviewing all of the current tobacco control ordinances and opening them up for possible updating.

Decrease in Cigarette Consumption, Adult Smokers

Sharp increases in total adult consumption of pipe tobacco (used for roll-your-own cigarettes) and cigarette-like cigars since 2008 have offset declines in total cigarette consumption, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although total cigarette consumption continued an 11-year downward trend with a 2.5 percent decline from 2010 to 2011, dramatic increases in use of non-cigarette smoked tobacco products have slowed the long decline in overall consumption of smoked tobacco products.

Smoking Ban Affects Small Tobacco Businesses

A law slated to go before the Russian State Duma this fall will be the most stringent anti-tobacco bill ever adopted in the country. If it is approved, starting in 2013, smoking will be banned in all public areas and it will be forbidden to sell cigarettes in kiosks, which line the streets, particularly outside metro stations. Kiosk owners, who make up to 70 percent of their revenue from sales of cigarettes and beer, will be hardest hit. Officials and industry analysts warn that the lack of sales could result in the unemployment of 300,000-500,000 people.

Tobacco Businesses, Youth Smokers

Though some retailers abide by the rules when it comes to selling tobacco products to underage residents, there are unfortunately some who still try to get by not follow state law. While many clerks already have other materials available to them, it was reported many are still unsure about WV State Code 16-9A-2 prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minor youth and still, at times, get confused when checking birth dates on IDs. Due to high personnel turnover, many retailers have to train employees on a regular basis. This was also the reason for the development and distibution of the See Red? Retailer Education materials.

Supermarkets Hide Cigarettes Displays

It's less than a month until tobacco will be hidden in large shops in England in an effort to prevent the targeting of young people and cut smoking numbers. It is hoped that taking away tobacco displays will help people quit and make smoking less of a social norm. Around two-thirds of smokers started the habit before they were 18, which is why the charity Cancer Research says it looks forward to cigarettes being less visible to young people and children. Large shops, such as supermarkets, have until 6 April to remove cigarettes and other products from view, except when serving customers or restocking. According to the Department of Health, Sainsbury's, The Co-operative and Waitrose have already started complying. Other shops need to find out if they are classed as large and cover up products before the deadline.

Smoking During Pregnancy Increased

The percentage of women who smoke while pregnant has gone up in some Northern Kentucky counties even though the rates are falling across the state and nationwide. Between 2005 and 2009, the percentage of women who smoke while pregnant increased from 34 percent to 39 percent in Grant County and from 18 percent to 19 percent in Boone County. Among the counties served by the Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department, only Campbell County showed a decrease during the reporting period, from 32 percent to 24 percent. In Kenton County, the percentage remained the same, at 30 percent. The risks of smoking during pregnancy are well-documented. Premature delivery, low birth weight and higher incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are just some of the dangers linked to smoking while pregnant.

Warning on Cigarettes Packs

Cigarette packets in India are all set to carry new anti-tobacco pictorial warning from Thailand. The new pictorial warning, which is faceless, will be notified by the Ministry of Health as a replacement for the controversial old one that bore the image of English footballer John Terry. The Government of Thailand, which owns the copyright for the said warning, has permitted India to use these on cigarette products being marketed in India.