Ban on seductive cigarette packaging a bad day for big tobacco, says Reilly

Moves to ban "seductive" cigarette packaging and replace it with gruesome warnings mark a "bad day for big tobacco", Health Minister James Reilly has insisted.
The Cabinet backed Dr Reilly’s bid to make Ireland the first country in the EU to pioneer such an anti-smoking initiative.
The move bans all branding, including trademarks, logos, colours and graphics from packs. Only the name of the brand and type of produce in uniform type face will be permitted on the packages as part of a drive to end all smoking in Ireland by 2025.
“This is a good day for our children and a bad day for ‘Big Tobacco’.”
The minister said cigarette companies designed packs to “ensnare children, especially young girls”.
With 78% of smokers saying they became addicted before the age of 18, Dr Reilly insisted the change in the law would cut the 5,200-a-year death toll attributed to tobacco-related diseases every year.
Dr Reilly denied he was rushing through the initiative as he fears being given the chop in next month’s Cabinet reshuffle after presiding over a string of controversies.
“My future is in the hands of the Taoiseach.”
However, Dr Reilly admitted it would be a “bit of a while away” before the ban on packaging is enacted as he expects strong legal challenges from tobacco companies against the move.
Dr Reilly said the companies’ claims the change would not cut smoking numbers were at odds with their determination to prevent it happening.
Dr Reilly said the move was mainly aimed at deterring children from taking up smoking.
“Given all we know about the dangers of smoking, it is not acceptable to allow the tobacco industry to use deceptive marketing gimmicks to lure our children into this deadly addiction and to deceive current smokers about the impact of their addiction. The introduction of standardised packaging will remove the final way for tobacco companies to promote their deadly product in Ireland.
“Cigarette packets will no longer be a mobile advertisement for the tobacco industry.”
Australia was the first country to ban attractive packaging and will soon be followed by New Zealand.
Opponents of the move such as Forest Éireann’s John Mallon, said Dr Reilly was using the issue as distraction.
“There is no hard evidence that plain packaging will deter children from smoking. There is, however, evidence from Australia that it will increase illicit trade.
“If plain packaging is introduced, there is a serious risk Ireland could be flooded with fake cigarettes which could be far more harmful to consumers, including children,” Mr Mallon said.
The Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014 will be introduced in the Seanad before the end of the month.

Children Exposed to More Brain-Harming Chemicals Than Ever Before

A new report finds the number of chemicals contributing to brain disorders in children has doubled since 2006

In recent years, the prevalence of developmental disorders such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia have soared. While greater awareness and more sophisticated diagnoses are partly responsible for the rise, researchers say the changing environment in which youngsters grow up may also be playing a role.
In 2006, scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai identified five industrial chemicals responsible for causing harm to the brain — lead, methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (found in electric transformers, motors and capacitors), arsenic (found in soil and water as well as in wood preservatives and pesticides) and toluene (used in processing gasoline as well as in paint thinner, fingernail polish and leather tanning). Exposure to these neurotoxins was associated with changes in neuron development in the fetus as well as among infants, and with lower school performance, delinquent behavior, neurological abnormalities and reduced IQ in school-age children.

Now the same researchers have reviewed the literature and found six additional industrial chemicals that can hamper normal brain development. These are manganese, fluoride, chlorpyrifos, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Manganese, they say, is found in drinking water and can contribute to lower math scores and heightened hyperactivity, while exposure to high levels of fluoride from drinking water can contribute to a seven-point drop in IQ on average. The remaining chemicals, which are found in solvents and pesticides, have been linked to deficits in social development and increased aggressive behaviors.
The research team acknowledges that there isn’t a causal connection between exposure to any single chemical and behavioral or neurological problems — it’s too challenging to isolate the effects of each chemical to come to such conclusions. But they say the growing body of research that is finding links between higher levels of these chemicals in expectant mothers’ blood and urine and brain disorders in their children should raise alarms about how damaging these chemicals can be. The developing brain in particular, they say, is vulnerable to the effects of these chemicals, and in many cases, the changes they trigger are permanent.
“The consequence of such brain damage is impaired [central nervous system] function that lasts a lifetime and might result in reduced intelligence, as expressed in terms of lost IQ points, or disruption in behavior,” they write in their report, which was published in the journal Lancet Neurology.
They point to two barriers to protecting children from such exposures — not enough testing of industrial chemicals and their potential effect on brain development before they are put into widespread use, and the enormous amount of proof that regulatory agencies require in order to put restrictions or limitations on chemicals. Most control of such substances, they note, occurs after negative effects are found among adults; in children, the damage may be more subtle, in the form of lower IQ scores or hyperactivity, that might not be considered pathological or dangerous. “Our very great concern is that children worldwide are being exposed to unrecognized toxic chemicals that are silently eroding intelligence, disrupting behaviors, truncating future achievements and damaging societies, perhaps most seriously in developing countries,” they write. “A new framework of action is needed.

The General History of the Hookah

The Hookah was first created to elevate peoples' states of mind. Although born in India, this device spread to the countries of the Near East, Far East, the Arab world, Persia, East Africa, and all the way to the Ottoman Empire. With the discovery of Tobacco, the original form of the hookah evolved, and its uses changed so that it became a device synonymous with pleasurable smoking experiences.
The Hooka’s Indian Roots
The hookah is also known today as the water pipe, the Shisha or the hubbly-bubbly. It was originally used in India to extract the medicinal value contained in plant seeds.
The Hooka in Different Forms
The hooka in its original and simplest of forms was made from a coconut shell base, also known as the narci. This coconut shell was hollowed, and a straw was placed inside it for the purposes of inhaling substances placed in the shell�s core. After some years the device reached Egypt, and it was in Egypt that the Egyptians changed its form further by replacing the coconut shell with a gourd.
Upon reaching the Persian peninsula, the Persians developed the hookah even further, bringing it closer to its modern form. They substituted the straw originally used by the Indians, with a soft and more flexible hose, making the hookah more practical and easier to handle.
These changes came in time with the region’s first introduction to Tobacco. Seeing the newly discovered substance in a whole new light due to the more relaxing effects it provides, the Persians experimented with the possibility of inhaling it using the Hookah. With this idea in mind, it was soon discovered that the hookah device needed to evolve from its original form so as to satisfy this purpose. A bronze tray, known at the time as "Ser" was placed above the hookah’s body to hold the tobacco. The type of Tobacco popular amongst the Persians at the time was known as tambeki. In Syria and Yemen, the Hookah was developed even further so that it took on the form of a long wooden head, an iron stand and a hose sewn from thick cloth.
The first Hookah bar in the Ottoman region was opened in 1554 by a gentleman named Hakem from Aleppo and his partner, a nobleman by the name of Hems from Damascus. This first bar laid the foundations for many others to follow. Hookah bars at the time were places where people of high social standing met.
During the 17th century, the Ottomans changed the hookah into a more practical smoking device. Above the "head" they placed a bowl of baked clay and they also added to it a mouthpiece that connected the hose to the smoker�s mouth. The Hooka at the time had a body of glass, crystal, rock-crystal, porcelain and even silver, a head of brass and silver, and a pipe holder decorated with carvings depicting scenes from nature.
Because the ever so popular Hookah had a base made of glass, it was only natural for the glass making industry to also flourish in popularity. It was in the 19th Century and during the reign of Selim III that a man by the name of Mehmet Dede set up a workshop in Beykoz, a place where the famous Beykoz glassware was made. After setting up a series of workshops in that area, a glass factory was soon established in 1899. The local factory however was unable to compete with the glassware imported from Europe at the time and it soon closed down. The first glass factory in the modern sense was established upon the orders of Atatrk in 1934 during the Republic period, and it was then that the prettiest hookahs in history were made.
The Hookah Today
Hookahs are still used today, but are seen as the more pleasurable form of smoking only employed as a pass time in coffee houses across the region.

Tobacco marketing and teen smoking

Every year the tobacco industry spends literally, billions of dollars on promotion, sponsorship and advertising. Tobacco advertising increases tobacco consumption which in turn kills people. Teens are at especially high risk of starting to smoke product advertisements and viewing such ads alone is guaranteed to start more youths on this deadly habit. 

Authors of a new study published online this week in the Pediatrics journal state: 

"Our results support the notion of a content-related effect of cigarette advertisements and underlines the specificity of the relationship between tobacco marketing and teen smoking; exposure to cigarette advertisements, but not other advertisements, is associated with smoking initiation."

Scientists from Institute for Therapy and Health Research in Kiel, Germany, and colleagues examined the results from a longitudinal survey of 2,102 adolescents aged 10 to 17 who had never smoked. After exposure to advertisements for six brands of cigarettes and eight commercial products at different frequencies, it was revealed that 13% of adolescents had started to smoke after nine months time. 

Most smokers take up smoking before the age of 18. Children whose parents or siblings smoke are around three times more likely to smoke than children living in non-smoking households. 

Although around 60% of teenagers report that they have never smoked, among those who do experiment with smoking many become addicted to nicotine and continue to smoke as adults. 

The effectiveness of youth-focused health education is limited and at best appears to delay the age of starting to smoke. It appears that the best way of reducing youth smoking is to have comprehensive tobacco control policies in place that apply to the whole population. 

Exposure to other advertisements, for products, such as sweets, clothes, and mobile telephones, did not predict smoking initiation. High exposure to cigarette advertising remained a significant predictor of smoking initiation even after controlling for other factors. 

The study's authors continue: 

"The study results support the notion of a content-related effect of cigarette advertisements and underline the specificity of the relationship between tobacco marketing and teen smoking initiation."

Tobacco companies such as British American Tobacco and Philip Morris have adopted a public posture of opposition to teenage smoking and even funded anti-smoking initiatives for teenagers. But an investigation by the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) which is based in the United Kingdom, and The Cancer Research Campaign, has revealed that this is no more than a public relations strategy. The purpose is to fend off meaningful restrictions on tobacco advertising and gain PR advantage, while proposing only measures that are unlikely to reduce youth smoking and likely make it more attractive by positioning cigarettes as an adult product and smoking as rebellious. 

Virtually all tobacco advertising is now illegal in the UK and many other countries. The Tobacco Advertising & Promotion Act 2002 came into force in November 2002 in the UK, with most advertising ending on 14th February 2003 and a gradual fade out for the rest by July 2005. 

Since the implementation of the final stage of the tobacco advertising ban in 2005, ASH has carefully monitored the situation to try and stop any direct or indirect breaches of the law. 

Tobacco companies have concentrated sponsorship on successful, high-profile sports in order to ensure maximum coverage for their products. These sports are extremely attractive to sponsors and other companies have gradually replaced sponsorship from tobacco companies without difficulty. Even Formula One, the sport most reliant on tobacco, announced in 1998 that it would replace its tobacco sponsorship within four years. 

Tobacco is a unique consumer product as there is no safe level of use and half of all life-long smokers die prematurely from smoking-related diseases. Despite the harm caused by smoking, tobacco products are largely unregulated while medicinal nicotine used as an aid to stop smoking is very tightly controlled. 

NATO, NYACS and Manufacturers Sue New York City

NATO, the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS), the Bodega Association of the United States, along with Lorillard Tobacco Company, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Inc., American Snuff Company, Philip Morris USA Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Brands Inc., and John Middleton Company have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions against the enforcement of several provisions of a tobacco-related ordinance adopted on October 30, 2013 by the New York City Council and which goes into effect on March 19, 2014.Glamour Super Slims Lilac
The ordinance provisions that are the subject of the litigation are those sections that restrict cigarette and tobacco product coupons and other promotional price discounts (such as buy one, get one free) on tobacco products. As set out in the lawsuit, the ban on cigarette and tobacco product coupons and promotional price discounts raise serious federal and state constitutional questions while also being pre-empted by federal and state laws.
Specifically, the lawsuit seeks a judgment declaring, among other things, that (1) the ban on coupons, multi-package discounts and promotionally priced tobacco products are an unconstitutional restriction of free speech, violating the United States Constitution and the New York State Constitution, and (2) the ordinance provisions are pre-empted by both federal law and New York State law.
The lawsuit claims that these sections of the ordinance are unconstitutional because they restrict a retailer from redeeming cigarette and tobacco product coupons and from communicating to adult consumers that a particular tobacco product price is a promotional discount. The lawsuit also claims that these sections are pre-empted not only by the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, which prohibits states and localities from enacting restrictions on the advertising and promoting of cigarettes, but also by New York State law, which already regulates tobacco product coupons.

CVS' no-cigarette policy long overdue, Northampton market owner says

It wasn’t a marketing study or Health Department sting that made Richard E. Cooper stop selling Marlboros, Winstons, Camels, Viceroys and dozens of other cigarette brands at his two stores.
It was a question posed by Rebecca Cooper, his then-5-year-old daughter.
“Why do you even sell cigarettes? They’re bad for people,” the youngest Cooper asked in May 2000 after one of Cooper’s clerks had been cited for selling cigarettes to a minor.
As CVS prepares to end cigarettes sales nationwide in October and other pharmacy chains face pressure to follow suit, Cooper’s experience shows that retailers can swear off tobacco sales without driving away customers.

Lucky Strike Click&Roll

More than a decade before CVS, the nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain with 7,600 stores, decided to opt out of the tobacco market, Cooper was selling 121 varieties of cigarettes at Cooper’s Corner in Florence and the State Street Fruit Store, Deli, Wines & Spirits in downtown Northampton.
Business was good – about $36,000 a year between the two stores – but not without hassles. Despite training and warnings, store clerks were caught five times selling cigarettes to customers under 18, leading to fines and license suspensions from the city’s Board of Health.
The fifth time, in May 2000, turned out to be the last time, Cooper recalled Wednesday.
Within hours of learning about the latest violation, an exasperated Cooper was eating dinner at a Chinese restaurant with his wife and daughter, grousing about how mistakes by store clerks were hurting the stores' reputation.
“That’s when my daughter asked why we were selling them (cigarettes) to begin with; when I explained that we sold things that we didn’t use ourselves, she said, 'but they make people sick.' "
A few days later, Cooper showed up at a Board of Health hearing and turned in both licenses. “I don’t want to be part of the problem,” he told board members.

To his surprise, business at Coopers and the State Street Fruit Store improved in the next few weeks, even after the leftover cigarette inventory had been crushed and thrown into dumpsters behind the two stores.

Everyone knows it can be hard to stop smoking.

Everyone knows it can be hard to stop smoking. After all, the nicotine in cigarettes is a powerfully addictive drug. But with the right approach, you can do it. Millions of Americans have kicked the smoking habit by following some key steps, like lining up support from friends and planning ahead how they'll respond to cravings.

This personal planning tool helps you think through your approach. As you work through the planner, you'll see examples of some of the things other people did to stop smoking. When you're finished, you can print a goal sheet to guide and inspire you.
Stopping smoking takes daily awareness. You're replacing your smoking habit with a new, nonsmoking habit — and reprogramming your brain like that takes time. You'll need patience and, yes, willpower. So take it one day at a time. Look at your goal sheet every day and remind yourself of the reasons why you want to stop. Review the things that can trip you up so you can be prepared to take them on them during the day.
Did you forget and light up? Forgive yourself and get back on track. Did you get through a difficult situation without smoking? Congratulate yourself. It's a real achievement to stop smoking. When you reach your goal, you won't just be healthier. You'll also know a bit more about yourself — like the fact that you're strong enough to meet a really tough challenge.

China, world's leading tobacco user, moves to ban indoor public smoking

China, the world's largest tobacco consumer, is aiming to ban indoor smoking in public areas by the end of the year.

About one in three cigarettes smoked in the world is in China, according to the World Health Organization. And more than half of Chinese men smoke, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in 2010.

Although the nation's health ministry issued guidelines in 2011 to ban smoking in places like hotels and restaurants, they haven't been "strictly enforced," according to Xinhua, China's state-run news agency.

The China's National Health and Family Commission is now working on a tobacco control law with clear punishments, according to Xinhua. Classic Blue

China's smoking habit

The country's health authorities estimate over a million deaths from tobacco-related diseases every year. The WHO warns that if tobacco use is not decreased in China, these deaths will increase to 3 million by 2050.

Last month, Chinese government officials were told not to smoke in public places such as hospitals, public transport or schools to set a good example for the public.

The latest moves by the Chinese government on tobacco are "hopeful," said Dr. Judith Mackay, the senior adviser at the World Lung Foundation, who examines tobacco issues in China.

About 32 Chinese cities have passed their own rules to restrict public smoking, she added.

"China stands on its own in the magnitude of the problem," said Mackay. "Unless there is change in China, we won't proceed further in reducing the tobacco epidemic in the world."

Tobacco use in China has far-reaching consequences, she said.

"This isn't a health problem. It's a huge economic problem. There's all these things ranging from medical and health care costs, the costs to the families and there's the cost of secondhand smoke."

NY State’s Stop Smoking-Cessation Efforts Gets Low Marks

A national coalition of anti-smoking advocates has ranked New York 21st among states in funding for smoking cessation programs. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids this month also included New York among states it said broke promises to use all or most of the money from the historic tobacco company settlement 15 years ago to combat smoking. The group, funded by cancer and anti-smoking charities, reported this month that New York is spending about $40 million a year on tobacco prevention programs after annual declines during much of the last decade. That spending is about 16 percent of the $254 million in yearly funding recommended for New York by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Horner said the program has seen deeper annual cuts than most areas of spending in recent years. He said the fund has declined from a high of $85 million under Gov. Eliot Spitzer in 2007 to just more than $39 million now.Donskoy tabak bright
Advocates for the program and others were encouraged earlier this month during Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s first broad comments about his 2014-15 executive budget proposal due in January. “There will not be cuts,” Cuomo said. He didn’t want to go into detail about things like anti-smoking money because the budget proposal is still being crafted. And avoiding cuts, even in an election year like 2014, will be difficult. Cuomo has kept state spending growth under 2 percent since he took office three years ago. But he has a built-in increase for education — as much as 5 percent for the 2014-15 fiscal year. In addition, the roughly $135 billion budget must address a projected $1.7 billion deficit and fund the governor’s plans for a $2 billion surplus, which he wants to use to subsidize cuts in local property taxes. Budget office spokesman Morris Peters said the growth of revenue in the state’s economic recovery compared with what was projected a year ago will build that surplus if fiscal discipline continues in spending and staffing. He said he couldn’t discuss a specific budget line such as one for smoking cessation programs. The Coalition for Tobacco-Free Kids report concludes that states are “penny-wise and pound-foolish” in underfunding prevention and cessation programs despite evidence that the TV ads, telephone quit lines, counseling and more all work to help smokers quit or to encourage youths not to start. The report says tobacco is blamed on 400,000 deaths a year nationwide and consumes $96 billion in health care spending annually. The report found that over 15 years, states have used just 2.3 percent of $390 billion in tobacco settlement money and tobacco taxes on programs to prevent smoking and other tobacco use. Much of the money went to states’ general funds and elsewhere. - See more at: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/207765/ny-states-stop-smoking-cessation-efforts-gets-low-marks.html#sthash.Jt6s8Cj3.dpuf

Workplace rules on medical marijuana in federal agencies not consistent, survey finds

A survey of federal agencies and departments with a connection to public safety has found no consistent policies regarding employees who use medical marijuana.Gauloises Blondes Blue
The issue made national headlines last month when a Mountie in New Brunswick publicly complained about not being able to smoke medical marijuana while in uniform. The force subsequently stripped Cpl. Ron Francis, who says he uses medical marijuana to help him with post-traumatic stress disorder, of his red serge.
Postmedia News queried several federal agencies about their awareness of employees who use medical marijuana and any restrictions that may be placed on employees who make such disclosures. Here’s what they said:
RCMP
Spokeswoman Sgt. Julie Gagnon said the force is aware of “less than five” Mounties who use medical marijuana. She was unable to be more precise.
Current policy requires RCMP members to report any medical condition that may be hazardous to their health and safety or to the public, she said.
While RCMP doctors do not authorize medical marijuana use, members can get authorization from their family doctors.
Members who use a “mind-altering drug” — Gagnon cited marijuana, OxyContin and Dilaudid as examples — are not permitted to perform operational duties and barred from carrying a firearm or driving a police vehicle.
Appearing before the House of Commons public safety committee in early December, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson described the episode in New Brunswick as “awkward and disappointing,” but also acknowledged that “it did raise some issues with respect to managing members or employees of organizations … who are prescribed medical marijuana.”
Paulson said Francis was “fully off duty” and that the force was “working with him to try to help him get better.”
A few days later, police arrested Francis and charged him with assaulting another police officer.
Transport Canada
Pilots and air traffic controllers are obligated to report the use of any medication as part of obtaining their medical certificates and failure to do so could result in licences being suspended, said spokeswoman Karine Martel.
Once they obtain their medical certificates, pilots and air traffic controllers are assessed by civil aviation medical examiners on a regular basis, added spokeswoman Roxane Marchand. For example, commercial pilots over 40 must undergo a medical every six months.
Neither pilots nor air traffic controllers would be allowed to perform their jobs if using medical marijuana, officials said.
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
CATSA is the Crown corporation responsible for screening airline passengers and their baggage. Officials are not aware of any screeners who use medical marijuana, spokesman Mathieu Larocque said.
However, CATSA and the contractors who directly employ screening officers do not require employees to disclose use of medical marijuana.
“We do not ask for this information,” Larocque said.
That said, “our training programs and oversight mechanisms ensure that screening officers have the capacities and abilities to perform their duties,” he said.
Canada Border Services Agency
Citing privacy reasons, spokesman Graham Maja said the agency “cannot provide specific information on the potential use of medical marijuana by officers.”
Border officers are required to report anything that may negatively impact their health and safety, or that of the public, Maja said. “Any border services officer taking medication that can negatively affect judgment, including marijuana, is not permitted to perform operational duties, including carrying a firearm.”

‘I now tell my brothers to quit smoking’

Former smoker Jim Kelly admits he used to enjoy 20 roll-up cigarettes a day, but he was forced to quit after developing a serious lung condition.
Jim, 72, suffered a fall 15 years ago which broke his ribs. He came down with pneumonia which was quickly followed by a diagnoses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
He said: “Even after 15 years of not smoking I could still kill for a cigarette, but unfortunately if I do then that could kill me my doctors have said.”
One of the biggest causes of COPD is smoking, and across the Fylde coast, 1,332 people have stopped smoking within four weeks of seeking help from stop smoking services.
Because of his COPD Jim, of Bispham, is a regular inpatient at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
He said: “Thank goodness none of my children smoke. I am forever telling my brothers who smoke that it is no good for you and to quit. Lucky Strike Click&Roll
“I wouldn’t wish COPD on anyone. It has a massive impact on your quality of life so I would urge anyone thinking about quitting to do so, and better still not to start in the first place.”
Blackpool Stop Smoking Service co-ordinator, Carol Bramhall, said: “You are much more likely to quit with help and support from the stop smoking services.
“The services in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre offer a range of different options to help you quit.
“One to one appointments, walk in clinics and group sessions are just some of the options available to you, along with telephone and text support, so we would urge you to come along and access our services.”

Smokers urged to quit in the new year

Smokers in Lancashire are being encouraged to make quitting their new year’s resolution for 2014.
There are more than 207,000 smokers in the county and research has shown that two thirds of them want to stop. Lancashire County Council is supporting the national Smokefree Health Harms campaign, run by Public Health England.
County Councillor Azhar Ali, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “Giving up smoking isn’t easy and people can get support through this campaign, their local pharmacy, or by phoning their stop smoking service.

Abu Dhabi Police urges motorists to gear up for ban on smoking

Abu Dhabi: Motorists and passengers have been urged to uphold the new law that prohibits smoking in private vehicles in the presence of children under the age of 12, the Higher Commission of Child Protection in the Ministry of Interior said today.

Although the ban will come into effect within six months from its date of issuance, that is January 21 2014, authorities are pushing parents and caretakers to gear up for the change or face a fine of Dh100,000 to Dh1 million.

Maj Gen Nasser Likhraibani Al Nuaimi, Secretary-General of the Office of Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, said that different sectors of society must come together to ensure the safety of the country’s children.

“The habit of smoking is a personal decision as long as it does not affect the health of those surrounding you. Protecting children is a responsibility that lies on the shoulders of all members of society, especially since the Ministry of Health is supporting this cause,” he added. Camel cigarettes.

The official also warned drivers that the habit of smoking occupies their mind and may divert their attention from focusing on the road, leading to traffic accidents.

Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Mohammad Al Shammari, Director of the Child Protection Centre at the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, said that when adults smoke they are presenting a negative role model to their children as many teenagers who currently smoke learn this habit from their parents.

Earlier, Gulf News reported that a study carried out in Abu Dhabi showed that 28 per cent of children aged 15 years and younger are smokers, while 30 per cent of people aged 18 and above and are smokers.

The law also mandates that large warning labels be placed on cigarette products in order not to mislead their users. The labels can currently be seen on some packets in the capital. The fine will also be doubled in case violators repeat the offence.

Tobacco products cannot be displayed near items marketed for children, or sportswear, health, food and electronic products in stores. Tobacco products are also forbidden from being sold in locations that are 100 metres away from places of worship, and 15 metres away from kindergartens, schools, universities and colleges.

Cheap cigarettes hindering health agenda

Cheaper illegal cigarettes are hindering the government's health agenda of encouraging people to stop smoking.
The Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers (CMTM) chief executive Shahrul Abdullah said many of these illegal brands are sold at relatively low prices, far below the limits set by the government.
He said these cigarettes are easily available and is appealing to schoolchildren who can afford them.
"Schoolchildren are able to buy these illegal cigarettes for about RM3 per pack which is far below the tax threshold of RM4.80 set by the government," he added. Pall Mall cigarettes.
Shahrul said the Illegal Cigarettes Study (ICS) commissioned by CMTM and conducted this year between March to May, showed that even though the number of smuggled illegal cigarettes has declined from 2009 to this year, sales of local illegal brands have increased since the beginning of 2011.
"The top five illegal brands are Gudang Garam, John, Canyon, Era and League. The survey revealed that local illegal brands have increased to a total of 6.2% within a period of three years," said Shahrul
He believed that the illegal brands sold could even be more hazardous due to the lack of regulations that were being followed.
On clamping down on sales of illegal cigarettes, Shahrul said a holistic approach was needed.
"We need to look at better enforcement and making penalties more severe for starters," he said, adding smugglers will continue to be involved in the illegal trade as it was lucrative for them.
The ICS was carried out for a period of three months between March and May this year with a sample size of 44,000 consumed cigarette packets.

British American Tobacco stumbles into new e-cigarette row as advert appears on children's computer game

A tobacco giant has apologised after an advert for an electronic cigarette appeared in an online computer game aimed at children.

British American Tobacco, which owns Lucky Strike and Dunhill brands as well as Vype e-cigarettes, said the advert had been placed by mistake by a third party and was removed as soon as it knew of the problem.
BAT said: ‘We pulled all our online advertising while we investigated. We found that a third party used by one of our suppliers had not adhered to the full protocol required when placing Vype adverts.’ Glamour cigarettes.

Many employers have taken initiative to ban smoking in their workplaces in order to reduce second-hand smoke and to encourage their employees to stop smoking. A new study suggests that let alone prohibiting smoking habits at work will not ensure the reduction or quitting of smoking because smokers may be influenced by another smoker at home.
"De-normalizing smoking in any environment is likely to make it easier to be successful at quitting," Laurent Huber, MS, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health in Washington, DC, said in a news release. "This study demonstrates how important it is to ban smoking in all workplaces and public spaces."
Huber added, "People have a right to their health, and should not have to choose between a job and being able to breathe clean air."
For the study, researchers surveyed 627 current or former smokers. Researchers asked the participants if they worked with fellow smokers or lived with a smoker.
Researchers found that those who worked with smokers and lived with one increased the odds that the participant was a current smoker.
"Working with a smoker was linked to almost three times greater odds of smoking, whereas living with a smoker was linked to more than six-fold greater odds of smoking," reported the Health Behavior News Service. "For those people living with a smoker, their smoking was unrelated to whether or not their work colleagues smoked."
Lead author Carole K. Holahan, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas, Austin said, "Our findings suggest that worksite smoking interventions could be made more effective if they included a focus on educating workers' families about the health effects of smoking and the benefits of home smoking bans."

No Smoking In Vehicles With Kids.

A lawmaker wants to limit the use of tobacco products in motor vehicles in Michigan when children are present.

Legislation announced Wednesday by Democratic state Rep. Sam Singh of East Lansing would make it illegal for any tobacco product to be lit in a vehicle when a person under the age of 18 is inside.

As proposed, a violation could result in a $500 fine. Singh says he wants a yearlong grace period so people can get used to the change.

Singh told MLive.com that the bill would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code to make smoking in the presence of a minor a primary offense, meaning an officer could pull over a motorist if they spot a violation. A number of other states have similar laws.

Tobacco company Reynolds American 3Q profit up 9 percent on higher prices, lower legal costs

Reynolds American's third-quarter profit rose about 9 percent as higher prices and lower expenses from a legal settlement offset a decline in cigarette sales.
The nation's second-biggest tobacco company owns the Camel  cigarettes and Pall Mall brands. Reynolds American Inc. and other tobacco companies are also focusing on cigarette alternatives such as snuff, chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes as tax hikes, smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma make the cigarette business tougher.
CEO Dan Delen said the company made progress in a highly competitive marketplace and a tough economic environment.
Its financial results matched Wall Street estimates. But its shares slipped 91 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $49.90 in midday trading.
Reynolds earned $457 million, or 84 cents per share, for the quarter ended September 30, up from $420 million, or 74 cents per share, a year ago. Adjusted earnings were 86 cents per share, matching Wall Street expectations, according to FactSet. That excludes a benefit from credits for disputed payments under the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement in which some cigarette makers are paying states for smoking-related health care costs.
Its revenue, excluding excise taxes, increased about 1 percent to $2.14 billion, also matching expectations.
The number of cigarettes sold by its R.J. Reynolds Tobacco subsidiary fell about 4 percent during the quarter to 16.7 billion. When adjusting for trade inventory changes, the company estimates that industry cigarette volumes fell 3.5 percent.
Volumes for Camel rose 4 percent and volumes for Pall Mall fell more than 2 percent. The brands now account for almost 70 percent of the company's total cigarette volume. Shipments of its other brands, which include Winston, Kool, Doral and Salem, fell about 13 percent.
Camel's market share increased 0.4 percentage points to 8.9 percent of the U.S. market, while Pall Mall's market share grew 0.3 percentage points to 8.9 percent. The company has promoted Pall Mall as a longer-lasting and more affordable cigarette as smokers weather the weak economy and high unemployment.
The number of Natural American Spirit cigarettes it sold grew nearly 22 percent to about 1 billion cigarettes.
Volume for its smokeless tobacco brands that include Grizzly and Kodiak rose 7 percent compared with a year ago. The brands had a 33.4 percent share of the U.S. retail market, which is tiny compared with cigarettes.
The company launched a revamped version of its Vuse-brand electronic cigarette in Colorado in July, with its sights set on expanding nationally. In a conference call with investors, Delen said early results of the test market are "significantly exceeding expectations," with the brand taking market-leading position in the state and seeing high levels of repeat purchase.
It's also moving ahead with its nicotine gum under the Zonnic brand, which is meant to help people stop smoking. In 2009, Reynolds bought the Swedish company Niconovum AB, which makes nicotine gum, pouches and spray products.

Youth say plain cigarette boxes will discourage smoking

A new survey claims that children are attracted to branded cigarette packaging

Young people say glamorous cigarette branding would encourage them to start smoking while plain packaging has the opposite effect.
A new survey of 15 and 16-year-olds also found that children believe that cigarettes communicate "fun" and "style" and make the smoker "look and feel better" about themselves.
The findings show that although the price of cigarettes, currently at €9.40 for a pack of 20, prevent teenagers from purchasing premium brands, appealing packaging has the power to generate buzz, provide the incentive to purchase and can communicate perceived benefits of smoking one brand over another.
Teenagers were shown cigarettes that are currently being sold on the Irish market and categorised them into rejected, acceptable and aspirational brands. Speaking about the super-slim cigarettes which come in lipstick-shaped boxes, one girl said: "They look really cool, I think they would look classy if you had them on the table".
The research was backed by the Irish Heart Foundation and Irish Cancer Society who support legislation that will make it illegal for cigarette companies to use colour, text and packet size to market cigarettes. The legislation could be enacted by early next year.
The HSE's National Office of Tobacco Control claims the tobacco industry needs to recruit 50 new smokers a day to replace those their products kill, or those who manage to quit.
Launching the research, Minister James Reilly said we must stop marketing "gimmicks" being used to "lure our children into a deadly addiction that will ultimately kill half of those who become addicted.
"It is not acceptable that a product that kills 5,200 Irish people every year is packaged in a slim, pink container that strongly resembles perfume or lipstick."
Chris Macey from the Irish Heart Foundation explained why some cigarette packaging is appealing to young people:

What’s an E-Cigarette?

The electronic cigarette, introduced to the U.S. market in 2007, is an increasingly popular alternative to smoking tobacco for nicotine intake.
From the outside, most e-cigarettes look like regular cigarettes, but the inside is very different: E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco. Also, they do not need to be lit by fire. They are battery operated, and a mechanism vaporizes a liquid formula, which includes nicotine, when the smoker inhales.
Manufacturers report many advantages of e-cigarettes, but regulatory agencies and some health experts are unsure. The hundreds of companies in the United States that make and sell e-cigarettes often do not make specific health or safety claims. The FDA and other health experts are concerned that the side effects of inhaling pure nicotine have not yet been sufficiently studied.

Anti-smoking battle moves outdoors; bans increase

First it was bars, restaurants and office buildings. Now the front lines of the "No Smoking" battle have moved outdoors.
City parks, public beaches, college campuses and other outdoor venues across the country are putting up signs telling smokers they can't light up. Outdoor smoking bans have nearly doubled in the last five years, with the tally now at nearly 2,600 and more are in the works.
But some experts question the main rationale for the bans, saying there's not good medical evidence that cigarette smoke outdoors can harm the health of children and other passers-by.
Whether it is a long-term health issue for a lot of people "is still up in the air," said Neil Klepeis, a Stanford University researcher whose work is cited by advocates of outdoor bans. Bomond cigarettes.