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gum and other licensed products should be used to replace nicotine normally provided by smoking cigarettes, the draft guidance says.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.