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.