Film smoking warning doesn't go far enough, critics say
The decision by the Motion Picture Association of America last month to begin using its rating system to warn parents when movies "glamourise" smoking was Hollywood's first - and to some critics of the industry, long overdue - acknowledgement of the powerful role movies play in creating thousands of new smokers every year. But the MPAA stopped well short of applying a restrictive R rating to a...
Store owners fear cigarette tax increase
CONCORD - Owners of grocery, convenience and retail distributor stores lobbied state senators Monday to cut - if not eliminate - a proposed increase in the cigarette tax. The House-approved $10.4 billion, two-year state budget plan relies heavily upon this tax, increasing it from 80 cents to $1.25 per pack. Gov. John Lynch had proposed the tax only be raised to $1.08 to finance his budget pl...
'Safer' cigarette marketed in US
Some manufacturers are researching safer cigarettes
A cigarette claimed to be less harmful to health is being marketed to American smokers.
The Eclipse cigarette is being sold to a small number of customers in Texas, and over the internet.
A UK anti-smoking group has welcomed the launch - but warned smokers not to believe that the cigarette is 100% safe.
It is l...
New cigarette warnings 'working'
Graphic new warnings on cigarette packs have triggered a big increase in calls to the NHS Smoking Helpline. Over 10,000 people said they were driven to call by the new labels during the first four months of 2003 - an increase of 12% in helpline call levels. The new warnings were introduced in January following a European Union directive which stipulated health warning messages should cover 3...
Tobacco sales to children banned
Youngsters in Alderney will no longer be able to buy cigarettes. Under-18s have been banned from purchasing tobacco products after a vote in the States. It has been against the law in Jersey and Guernsey for decades, but the island's States only voted on Wednesday to stop tobacco sales to children. The General Services Committee believes although Alderney does not have a major underage sm...
Tobacco's young addicts
Many young smokers cannot get through the day without a cigarette New research shows British children as young as 11 are becoming addicted to cigarettes. More than one in four - around 26% - of 15-year-olds are now regular smokers. Half of all those questioned said they would find it difficult to get through the day without smoking. About 37% of 11-15 year olds said their favourite bra...
Low tar cigs just as bad for you
New research has shown that low tar 'lite' cigarettes can damage the heart as much as regular cigarettes. A study in the journal Heart has indicated that low tar cigarettes impair blood flow through the heart as severely as regular higher tar cigarettes. The study looked at 62 people in their mid-20s, with no evidence of coronary artery disease. Twenty had smoked low tar, low nicotine cig...
Ring around the hookah
Why would anyone suck air through a bowl of water for the sole purpose of filling his or her lungs with tobacco smoke? For Anwar Aljabaly, 18, of Dearborn the answer is as simple as lighting the charcoal in a hookah, or water pipe: enjoyment wrapped up in his Middle Eastern culture and heritage. Dr. Raja Rabah of Children's Hospital in Detroit says there is another answer: addiction. People ...
Silly Parents, Meth is For Kids: Drug Dealers Try Their Hand at Marketing
Candy drugs. Drugs that taste like candy. Anyone else see a problem? Recently, producers of methamphetamines released a brand new version of their already popular product. They are going after a decidedly younger audience with new and improved flavors such as peanut butter, strawberry and chocolate. And why shouldn't they? It's no different than marketing to adults, except that now the drugs...
Cigarettes linked to arthritis
A team at the Menzies Research Institute are the first to demonstrate the harmful effects of cigarette smoking on knee osteoarthritis (OA), primarily with a person with a family history of knee OA. It is common knowledge that cigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of common diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, stroke, and rheumatoid arthritis,...