Cigarettes Tax Increase, Maryland News

A Maryland health advocacy group is pushing for a $1 tax increase in cigarette prices, after several years of successfully lobbying to raise taxes on tobacco products in the state. "It's the kind of thing that the public supports, and it will do a lot of good," said Vincent DeMarco, president of Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative. "If legislators take a good look at it, I think they'll pass it. Tobacco companies are powerful so there will be opposition, but I think there's a good chance it will happen."

Smoking Bans Good for Inhabitants' Health

Clean air has been ubiquitous around the state’s public spaces for more than two years thanks to the smoking ban. And the evidence is in that similar bans do more than banish smoke-filled workplaces – they improve residents’ health. Minnesota's Mayo Clinic found hospitalizations for heart attacks, strokes and respiratory diseases fell dramatically after governments passed workplace smoking bans. Hospital stays were down 15 percent for heart attacks; 16 percent for strokes; and 24 percent for respiratory diseases.

Tobacco Taxes Drop Good for Tobacco Users

Let's consider the size of the proposed tobacco tax increase in Proposition B. It's over five times the current tax. It would go from $1.70 to $9 per carton. Missouri does have a low tobacco tax, but a more than five times increase is obviously pure greed. Everyone would be outraged if the sales tax went up five times, say from 6 percent to 30 percent. And what would you be paying if your property tax was five times higher? Wouldn't it be fairer to all parties involved if the tax wasn't so high?

Chinese Medicine Methods to Quit Smoking

There are an estimated 320 million smokers in China, accounting for one-third of total smokers all over the world, according to a survey conducted last year by Gallup, a research-based consultancy. The report also shows about 3,000 Chinese people die because of smoking-related diseases each day and this figure is expected to rise to 8,000 by 2050. "Medically, smoking will enhance the possibilities of getting various diseases ranging from digestion problems and hypertension to arthrolithiasis and heart disease," Huang Yunyu, a doctor at Dongzhimen Hospital, told Metro Beijing.

New Policy Banned Smoking at Playgrounds, Schools - Moscow News

A recently proposed anti-tobacco bill would introduce a sweeping ban on smoking at playgrounds for young children, schools, universities and administrative buildings, as well as at cafes and restaurants starting from 2015, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. "On the whole, children must not be exposed to tobacco smoke and see people smoke at playgrounds, schools, universities, outpatient hospitals and cafes every day. The new bill envisions a total ban on smoking in these places," Medvedev said in his video blog message.

Saudis are Smokers, Tobacco Control

More than a fifth of Saudi Arabia’s population are smokers, spending around SR11 billion (Dh10.8 billion) on cigarettes a year, newspapers said on Thursday. Most of the estimated six million smokers in the largest Arab economy and world’s top oil exporter are aged between 17 and 40 years, the papers said, quoting well known psychologist Ali Zaeri as saying in a study. The largest number of smokers in the Gulf Kingdom is based in the western Red Sea port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second largest city after the capital Riyadh, he said.

Cigarette Maker in Wismilak, Tobacco Markets

Surabaya cigarette maker Wismilak Inti Makmur plans to sell 30 percent of its stake in an initial public offering later this year, in an effort to capitalize on the increasing appetite among investors in the local equities market. The company, whose brands include Wismilak and Galan, has selected Mandiri Sekuritas and OSK Nusadana Securities to help arrange the IPO. The company did not provide other terms such as total estimated funds to be raised from the IPO. Wismilak will join Gudang Garam — the country’s largest clove cigarette maker — as well as Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna and Bentoel International as tobacco companies on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX). Wismilak, founded in 1962 as Gelora Djaja and adopted its current name in 1994.

Passive Smoking and Memory Lose

We all know cigarettes are bad for our health, but researchers now claim that non-smokers who are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke are at risk of damaging their memory. The researchers compared a group of current smokers with two groups of non-smokers - those regularly exposed to second-hand smoke and those who were not. They found that non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke forgot almost 20 per cent more than the non-smokers who were not exposed.

Tobacco Sales in Malawi Kwacha

Malawi Kwacha is still struggling on the market though tobacco sales which are a major source of the country’s forex have just been closed. According to the National Bank of Malawi’s Economic Newsletter released in September, the country is still struggling to match with other foreign currencies. An Economist working at the National Bank of Malawi, Shadreck Malenga, has revealed that the Malawi Kwacha will continue to suffer on the world market for some time before it becomes stable. He said this is so because of other external factors which are affecting the country. Marlboro cigarettes.

Menthol Flavour in Cigarettes Banned, Australia News

South Australia is moving to ban displays for a new type of menthol cigarette, fearing they appeal to young smokers. The new cigarettes have a small capsule in the filter which bursts when squeezed, releasing a menthol flavour. Three brands using the idea have recently been released in South Australia. 'This new product has a futuristic, modern design and packaging and is being targeted at the youth market,' Health Minister John Hill said.

Graphic Smoking Warnings Approved in Russia

The Healthcare Ministry of the Russian Federation approved 12 graphic images about the dangers of smoking to be placed on tobacco packaging. It was said that cigarette packs would display appalling pictures with the words "Emphysema", "Cancer", "Periodontal Disease", "Misery," "Self-destruction", "Amputation", "Aging", "Stillbirth", "Prematurity", "Dependence," "Danger," "Impotence," RBC reports.

Smoking Banned Outside, Bay Village Tobacco-Free

Bay Village has joined the long list of communities and businesses that have gone tobacco-free. The city adopted a policy of hiring only tobacco-free employees last week. The mayor has decided to go further, banning the use of tobacco altogether from all city-owned property outside of municipal buildings. "It's a little bit of a gutsy step," said Mayor Deborah Sutherland. "When you see people struggle just to get a breath and it's unnecessary, self-inflicted."

Cigarettes and Alcohol Taxes Increased

The cabinet on Tuesday approved the Finance Ministry's proposal to raise the excise tax on liquor and tobacco, meaning an immediate increase in the retail price of liquor and cigarettes, but not beer or wine. The alcohol excise tax on rice whiskey was increased from 120 baht a litre to 150 baht a litre based on alcohol content, and for blended liquor from 300 baht to 350 baht per litre. The tax on brandy increased to a maximum of 50 per cent from the existing rate of 48 per cent.

Smoking Prohibited in Parks, Secondhand Smoke

One town has declared 13 parks and open spaces ‘smoke-free sites’. Signs have been placed at the entrance to the parks and playing fields, explaining the measure is ‘to protect children’. But the Blackpool NHS initiative, backed by the town’s council, which cannot be legally enforced without a specific by-law, has angered pro-smoking groups. Simon Clark, director of Forest, said the signs had nothing to do with children’s health but were about stopping adults smoking around them. Mr Clark added: ‘If you want adults to be better role models does that mean you stop them drinking and arguing in front of children?’

Checking Tobacco Use in China

In China, 350 million people smoke. Each year, 1 million die from smoking. Many more become disabled. Approximately 20 million Chinese farmers produce the world's largest share of tobacco, nearly 40 percent of the global supply. What is the key to cutting the number of deaths and smoking-related health problems? Convince Chinese farmers to grow some other crop. Virginia Li, a professor of community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, set out to do just that. She contacted local Chinese agriculture officials in Yunnan Province, where Asia's largest cigarette manufacturer is located. Li and her local partners designed a tobacco crop–substitution project, the core of which is a farmer-led, for-profit enterprise.

Smoking Ban in Parks, Kaua County News

A bill proposing to ban all tobacco products in county parks almost turned into a resolution weeks ago, which would take away its enforcement component. Rather, the bill was sent back to committee and now has morphed into an anti-smoking bill. “It would have been a lot easier if it was a total ban, but we are looking for a win-win situation here,” Kaua‘i County Councilman Dickie Chang said at the council meeting Wednesday. The council’s Parks and Recreation Committee, on its second round of dealing with the bill, on Wednesday recommended by a 3-2 vote that the full council approve the bill next week. Bill 2437 has been bouncing around the council since Chang first introduced it on May 23, when it passed first reading. The Parks and Recreation Committee deferred the bill June 20, and on July 5 the bill squeezed out of the committee by a 3-2 vote. On July 11, at the full council for final and second reading, both sides of the issue — the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawai‘i and those who opposed the ban — were not satisfied with the bill’s final version. Instead of working on further amendments, the council sent the bill back to committee for additional work.

Female Smoking Hookah

Hookah smoking, which most American children first became acquainted with after watching the animated Alice in Wonderland, is becoming increasingly popular among first-year college women, many of who (incorrectly) believe that hookah smoke is a relatively innocuous alternative to cigarettes. The study, funded by those concerned souls over at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, suggests a link between hookah smoking and alcohol and marijuana use, as well as an increased propensity for pretension.

University Of Maryland Smoke-Free Campus

Smokers studying at the University of Maryland have one year to either kick their habit or find new, off-campus hangouts. UMD has announced that by June 30, 2013, all campuses in its system will be 100 percent smoke-free. "Drivers also pose a health risk with their behavior. Should we ban them too?" asked one commentator on a recent article in the Diamondback, the university's student newspaper. "Let's also ban bikers, who can crash into you. And runners who are not paying attention. Oh and lets add side walks, branches, squirrels, rats, cockroachs, fleas (bubonic plague?), the list goes on..." Another sneered, "[M]aryland = nanny state. get out while you can." Still others invoked George Orwell's totalitarian "Big Brother" figure.

Smokers Nicotine Vaccine

American research says that one day smokers could be immunized against nicotine so they gain no pleasure from it - possibly killing off smoking forever. Scientists in the US have devised a vaccine that floods the body with an antibody which stops nicotine having any effect. Nicotine levels in the brains of mice injected with the antibody reduced by 85%, the study published in Science Translational Medicine found.

Pregnant Smokers Rate High in Wales

Wales has the highest number of women smoking during pregnancy in the UK with one-in-six lighting up while expecting, a new report has revealed. The Tobacco and Health in Wales report, published today by the Public Health Wales Observatory and the Welsh Government, revealed that 16% of mothers in Wales smoked throughout their pregnancy in 2010, compared to a UK average of 12%. The figure is highest among women under 20 with nearly one in three in this age range smoking while pregnant. In the same period, 12% of mothers in England smoked during their pregnancy, while Northern Ireland and Scotland saw 15% and 13% respectively. The figure of one-in-six pregnant women smoking in Wales is comparable to last year’s figure but experts say the number is coming down slowly.

Smokers Refuse to Believe that Smoking Bad

Many Indonesian smokers still refuse to believe that smoking is bad for their health despite thousands of medical studies that support the claim. “There are still people out there who doubt the scientific evidence regarding the negative impacts of smoking for health, saying, ‘a chain smoker in my village is still alive at 97 years of age,’ ” the Health Ministry’s director general for environmental health and disease control Tjandra Yoga Aditama said on Sunday. Tjandra said smoking had nothing to do with smokers’ economic and working conditions. “For some of our people, smoking has become a culture,” he lamented. He said that to overcome the problem, anti-smoking programs should be conducted based on strong scientific evidence of cigarettes’ impact on health, economic and social conditions.

Smoking Prohibited at Brookhaven Town Beaches

Smoking laws just got more stringent in Brookhaven Town, as the Town Board voted recently to add town beaches to the list of places where smoking is banned. In the original January 2011 law, the town banned smoking in its parks, playgrounds, pools, golf courses, cemeteries and athletic fields. The law would prohibit anyone from smoking or carrying lighted cigarettes or other smoking devices at those locations. The amendment adding beaches is effective immediately. Councilwoman Kathy Walsh (R-Centereach) sponsored the original legislation and said beaches were not included to ensure the original resolution would pass easily. "When I drafted the original law we were concerned about getting opposition to it," she said in a phone interview Tuesday. "So what we tried to do originally was try and make it an enforceable law and something we wouldn't get a lot of resistance to."

Tobacco Farmers Rewarded High Prizes

Harrison Mukucha (45) has worked his government-allocated A1 farm without tangible rewards since 2002. In desperation last year he decided to give tobacco farming one last chance - only to find his efforts rewarded by unusually high prizes at the tobacco floors. Golden leaf: tobacco fetched unusually high prices ranging between $2-$5 per kg. Golden leaf: tobacco fetched unusually high prices ranging between $2-$5 per kg. He reluctantly put just two acres under tobacco last season, as he had been disappointed with the low prices which the golden leaf fetched in the past. He told The Zimbabwean how he and other tobacco farmers were smiling all the way to the bank this time around:

Coffee Drinkers and Smoking Habit

Coffee lovers are a loyal crowd. Most pour out their morning cup of java for the flavor, the aroma, and the accompanying jolt of energy, rather than the health perks. So they may not mind if doctors debate new research suggesting that coffee lovers live longer. According to an article in today's New England Journal of Medicine, those who drank coffee at the beginning of a 13-year study had a slightly lower risk of death than others, whether they chose decaf or full-strength.

Cigarette High Taxes and Tobacco Profits

Cigarette makers have a certified history of deception, distortion and lying. And let's not forget fraud and racketeering. Those aren't my words. Credit U.S. District Judge Gladys E. Kessler of Washington, D.C. She wrote in a landmark 2006 ruling that for more than 50 years the tobacco industry had "lied, misrepresented, and deceived the American public, including smokers and the young people they avidly sought as 'replacement smokers,' about the devastating health effects of smoking." Be the first to know! Sign up for FOX40 breaking news alerts.

Tobacco Use, State Government Concern

Health Minister, Hon Dr. Fenton Ferguson, said the government is "profoundly concerned" about the devastating impact of smoking and the fact that more teenagers are abusing tobacco. “It is with alarm that I have observed that the 13 to 15 age cohort is the group being seduced into the practice of tobacco use and the products are becoming more and more innovative,” he stated. The Health Minister, who was addressing a recent press briefing at his downtown Kingston offices, said the government deems it a priority to protect and safeguard public health by reducing exposure to the harmful effects of tobacco use through a comprehensive Tobacco Control Act.

Lawsuit Against Tobacco Companies, South Australia News

South Australia is spearheading a push to recoup billions of dollars spent on caring for sick smokers. Health Minister John Hill put the proposal to a Ministerial Council meeting in Canberra on Friday and said he had received a positive response. Mr Hill said Australia was well placed to force tobacco companies to compensate governments for the health costs associated with smoking over many decades.

Laws Would Stop Flavored Tobacco Gap

Thunder Bay-based health groups that have long fought against flavored-tobacco products aimed at teenagers are applauding a private members bill expected to put the kibosh on those sales. “When you see these (flavored) products for the first time, you find it hard to believe that they’re even on the market at all,” Dan DePeuter, a youth development specialist with Thunder Bay District Health Unit, said Thursday. DePeuter was reacting to a bill introduced this week by Sudbury NDP MPP France Gelinas which intends to outlaw the sale of products like candy-flavored cigarillos that have managed to avoid current laws through size changes. Gelinas’ bill would also ban candy-flavored chewing tobacco.

Regulate Dogs and Not Smokers, Smoke-Free Parks

Two different proposals are before the Sammamish City Council that deal with parks rules, and each calls for a different response. There are already regulations that mandate dogs be on a leash. Finding a way to enforce this policy is worth the city’s time. Pet owners love their dogs, but that doesn’t mean others do. Sure, you know Fido wouldn’t hurt a fly, but people may have had bad experiences, and pet owners should be sensitive to them. Small children are especially vulnerable to unleashed dogs. There are also environmental reasons to stop dogs from crashing through bushes and accessing streams and lakes. The city spends money on maintaining an off-leash area, and most people in Sammamish have yards. There are ample opportunities for dogs to roam free without letting them off leash in city parks.

Smoking in Zoo Banned, Mysore Zoo News

Smokers, beware. The authorities at Mysore zoo will slap a visitor up to Rs 200 fine if (S)he is caught smoking tobacco inside the premises. There is general notification to ban smoking in public offices and facilities, but the zoo, of late, has taken it seriously. Executive director of the zoo is strict on this, and recently, the staff attached to the facility were fined for violating the regulation. They were caught red-handed by the head, a staff said. Mysore zoo authorities have decided to strictly say 'no' to smoking inside the premises. Irritating smoke and carelessly thrown cigarette butts will no longer bother either the visitors or the animals.

Stores Prohibited Tobacco Displays

Tobacco has been banned from displays in shops as the latest anti-smoking law comes into effect in England. The new rules mean all cigarettes and tobacco products will be kept hidden behind screens or under the counter in large shops and supermarkets. Small shops will follow suit in 2015, allowing them more time to refit shelves and cabinets. Smoking causes 80,000 preventable deaths each year and costs the NHS £5bn annually. Anti-smoking campaigners argue displays had become increasingly colourful and appealing as other forms of tobacco advertising were closed down. The changes are the latest in a long line of legislative measures aimed at reducing smoking rates. The Government hopes the move will discourage young people from taking up the habit and encourage established smokers to quit. Health Minister Anne Milton said: "We cannot ignore the fact that young people are recruited into smoking by colourful, eye-catching, cigarette displays.

Smoking Habit Hurts Relationships

Think smoking's popularity is in the past? For smokers, lighting up is still seen as stress relief, a part of a social life and less helpfully, an addiction to nicotine. Years of peer pressure, picking up old habits or just trying to fit in with the crowd, can leave people struggling to kick the butt when starting a new relationship. Canada's highest rate of smokers are adults aged 19 to 29, the largest age range in the dating pool. So it's no coincidence that the Canadian Cancer Society opted to launch a campaign entitled "Break It Off" this year, which focuses on the same problems people have in their relationships.

Smoking Dads bad for Kids

Research from Western Australia’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research finds that heavy smoking by fathers around the time of conception greatly increases the risk of the child developing Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer. Published in the prestigious American Journal of Epidemiology, the study investigated the association between parental smoking and the occurrence of ALL in offspring. “The first step towards the development of leukemia is thought to occur in utero in a lot of cases,” lead author Dr Elizabeth Milne says.

New Plan To Ban Smoking in Public Places

In 2005, smokers received some bad news — Rhode Island had joined a number of other states in banning smoking cheapest LM cigarettes inside bars and enclosed workspaces. Now, state Rep. Richard Morrison, D-Bristol, wants to take that law a step further and make it illegal to smoke in any outdoor public establishment. The proposed legislation would keep smokers from lighting up in public parks, beaches and playgrounds. The regulation would only extend to property under the jurisdiction of the state government, preserving students' rights to smoke on the Main Green and other outdoor areas on campus. "If you have your kid on a blanket on the beach and someone comes up next to you and starts smoking — that's not a good thing," Morrison said.

Countywide Smoking Ban New Proposal

St. Charles County Councilman Joe Cronin (R-1st District) will introduce two bills on a countywide smoking ban. One would place a countywide smoking ban on the ballot. If passed by voters, it would ban smoking in all public places with a few exemptions. The ordinances will be introduced at the county council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the St. Charles County Executive Building. “It’s a simple issue really,” said Cronin. “All it does is let the voters decide whether or not people have to step outside to smoke in a bar or restaurant.” The second bill would allow voters to choose if they want to exempt casinos from the smoking ban. Ameristar Casino is the only casino in St. Charles County, thus the only one affected.

New Smoking Cessation Propose

Quitlines have played an essential role in helping people quit smoking discount Vogue cigarettes in the U.S. These services, however, had never been tested with Asian immigrants who may have limited proficiency in English. Dr. Shu-Hong Zhu, a Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), and his colleagues designed an intervention to test the effectiveness of quitline counseling for Asian immigrant smokers.

Tobacco Smoke in the Bay Area Bad for Health

Non-smokers get a healthy lungful of tobacco smoke in the Bay Area, one of the parts of the country that fared the worst on an annual report compiled by the American Lung Association. The report grades each city based on whether restrictions on smoking in public outdoor areas are in place, smoking in residential housing is limited, and whether there are restrictions intended to reduce sales of tobacco products, according to the San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco and Oakland both received B grades, despite an aggressive ramp-up of bans on public tobacco use in that city. San Jose received a C -- but most of the rest of the Bay Area received Ds or Fs, like Monterey, Napa, and Solano counties.

Nicotine Consumption Is Not Enough

Over-the-counter medications containing nicotine can certainly help smokers kick the habit, but they do not provide the complete solution, the German pharmacists' chamber warned ahead of the pending wave of New Year resolutions never to buy another pack of tax free Leana cigarettes. 'Everyone knows that smoking is unhealthy, and virtually all smokers have at some stage tried to stop,' says Andreas Kiefer from the chamber's headquarters in Berlin.

Tobacco Leaves Saves Lives, Philip Morris

Governments across the world consider forcing tobacco companies to feature the dangerous effects of their products on cigarette packages, Philip Morris International is attempting to change public opinion on tobacco. According to Zacks Equity Research, the tobacco giant just bought a 40 percent stake in Canadian biotech company Medicago to help develop influenza vaccines that use tobacco leaves. The company began its vaccination efforts in 1999, trying to develop flu vaccines from Alfalfa. When the time commitment began to become too great, Medicago switched its focus to tobacco. Now, it expects a tobacco-oriented vaccine to be licensed and available to the public by 2014.

Winfield Cigarettes Sale in France, Kangaroo Logo

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has hit out at British American Tobacco (BAT) for using iconic Australian images to promote cheap Doina cigarettes in Europe. The Winfield cigarette packets on sale in France have a picture of a kangaroo on the front, with a map of Australia on the back, along with the words "An Australian Favourite". Ms Roxon says it is shameful behavior. "I think many Australians are going to be outraged that a big tobacco company all the way round the world is using Australia's healthy lifestyle to market their deadly products," she said.

Benefits of Smoking Electric Cigarettes, South Beach News

South Beach Smoke, a leading brand of electric cigarettes, has finally revealed the immense benefits of smoking electric cigarettes on a regular basis. While smoking regular cigarettes is considered a taboo of sorts and most sections of the society shun those individuals who fall in the category of chain smokers, those that smoke electric cigarettes are undoubtedly considered a healthy lot. So, how does South beach Smoke electric cigarettes stand apart from the rest of the crowd and allow smokers to smoke daily without inflicting the usual health hazards attached to cigarette smoking? This best electric cigarette brand is preferred over regular cigarettes for the very simple reason that it offers the end user a better way to smoke.

Cigarette Additives And Tobacco Toxicity

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you; but consider that a cigarette is more than just tobacco leaves. By conservative estimates, according to research commercial tax free Monte Carlo cigarettes contain about 600 chemicals and additives— ammonia, DDT, chloroform, benzene, arsenic, and lead, just to name a few. While some components are undoubtedly toxic, the health risks associated with smoke inhalation from other additives (such as menthol, sugars, and various herbs) are not as clear. These ingredients contribute to the unique character of a particular cigarette, and allow manufacturers to modify the sensory and pharmacological properties of their products. In 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took a closer look at these additives with an eye toward safety and possible regulation. But the jury, it seemed, was already in.

Smokers underestimate health and financial impact of smoking

A Campaign has been launched to help smokers quit this New Year. As millions of New Year’s resolutions are made today, new NHS Smokefree research reveals that many smokers are largely underestimating how damaging smoking is to their personal health and finances. The research shows: More than half (53%) of smokers underestimate the number of people who die annually from smoking related diseases by at least 70,000 (the actual figure is over 80,000 deaths a year in England as a result of smoking). More than half (58%) of smokers underestimate how many long term smokers die early from smoking related disease (the actual figure is that 1 in 2 of all long-term smokers will die early from smoking related disease).