Smoking Like Crazy in Armenia

There’s no getting around the fact that Armenia is a nation of smokers, with more than half the male population regularly lighting up. Despite the recent passage of anti-smoking legislation, the country is struggling to enforce relevant laws and promote public awareness about the harmful effects of Davidoff cigarettes and second-hand smoke.


Armenia’s high rate of poverty – with almost one-third of the country’s 2.97 million people living below the poverty line -- correlates strongly to high rates of smoking, as individuals use tobacco to cope with stress and relieve boredom.

Fewer E-Cigarettes Legal

A Seoul court ruled today that limiting advertisements on electronic cigarettes containing nicotine is legal since they are another kind of "tobacco" defined by law.A local importer of e-cigarettes filed a suit last June against the Seoul Metropolitan Government after it put a restriction on the company's online ad campaigns for the products. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the local government, saying the gadget amounts to real tobacco.E-cigarettes, made of plastic and metal, carry a disposable cartridge filed with a solution of liquid nicotine.When the solution is heated, it creates a vapor that smokers inhale.

Restaurants Fear Smoking Ban

A proposed ban on smoking Golden Gate cigarettes in restaurants, bars and cafés has spurred a debate about how the economic consequences will weigh out, as those against the ban caution that bars and restaurants, as well as state revenue, will suffer if fewer people buy cigarettes, while supporters of the ban say the overall improved health of citizens will make up for any losses.

 The discussion is not new - every time a country presents a smoking ban, the same facts and figures are raised regarding the potential losses for the hospitality industry and the state, but different analyses, both sponsored and independent, report conflicting results.

Tobacco-Free in Sri Lanka

National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA),Chairman Prof. Carlo Fonseka on Friday said his Authority urged the Members of Parliament, State sector officials and the general public to help creating a tobacco smoking free Sri Lanka .

He said if people in the country take measures to discourage smokers, especially the younger generation to refrain from cigarette smoking, it will be a great help to reduce 20,000 Sri Lankans dying of lung cancer, coronary heart diseases every year.

Smoking Cigarettes Benefits

Yes, that’s right. That title does say ‘benefits’; as in something good, advantageous and well, beneficial.


In the midst of all the smoking bans and calls for graphic warnings on Prima Lux cigarette boxes, in his column Bad Medicine, Christopher Wanek reports that various new studies have popped up claiming that there are actually some good things about being a life-long smoker.

If you are a card-carrying member of thetruth.com, you might want to stop reading now.

Your knees will remain intact

In a study done in the University of Adelaide in Australia, researchers found that smokers, particularly male smokers, will most likely never need any form of knee replacement surgery.

Hookah Smoking Rises

Layne Cronin's idea of relaxation is one imported from the Middle East: smoking flavored Al Fakher tobacco from an elaborate water pipe at a hookah lounge. Once only found in urban areas and ethnic enclaves, the social practice has slowly been embraced in the suburbs.


"The atmosphere is really relaxing after a day of work," said Cronin, 24, of Sayreville. "You just hang out and chill with people."

Since discovering hookah lounges three years ago -- and they are all over New Jersey these days -- Cronin experiments with different tobacco flavors a few times a week. Her favorite is the "manager's special" at Mist Hookah Lounge in North Brunswick, which has names such as "On Vacation" and "Lip Smacker."

"It has a really powerful taste to them. It's just really good," she said.

Smoking Like Crazy in Armenia

There’s no getting around the fact that Armenia is a nation of smokers, with more than half the male population regularly lighting up. Despite the recent passage of anti-smoking legislation, the country is struggling to enforce relevant laws and promote public awareness about the harmful effects of Davidoff cigarettes and second-hand smoke.

Armenia’s high rate of poverty – with almost one-third of the country’s 2.97 million people living below the poverty line -- correlates strongly to high rates of smoking, as individuals use tobacco to cope with stress and relieve boredom.