NY Senate debating public ban on e-cigarettes

State lawmakers are considering whether to include electronic cigarettes in the state's indoor public smoking ban. The Senate Health Committee panel heard testimony Monday from health experts who said that the nicotine liquid and the vapor e-cigarettes produce could be hazardous to both consumers and the public.

The state's Clean Indoor Air Act prohibits smoking traditional cigarettes in nearly all workplaces in the state. Proponents of the ban hope that e-cigarettes will also be included, as they are in New York City as of late last month. Research hasn't yet produced a definitive answer on whether secondhand vapor is a threat to the public, but health experts believe that e-cigarette companies are marketing to teenagers and young adults with flavors like cherry, chocolate and gummy bear.

"Federal law recognizes that the purpose of these flavorings is to addict children to nicotine and create a new generation of tobacco users," said Dr. Harlan Juster, director of the health department's bureau of tobacco control.

Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat, said he has seen e-cigarettes with the image of Hello Kitty, a cartoon cat. According to the state health department, only 12 percent of high school-age kids reported having smoked a cigarette within 30 days in a 2012 survey, down from 27 percent in 2000. The health department says 88 percent of adult smokers began before the age of 18.

E-cigarettes are marketed as safer than regular cigarettes and a transitional measure to bypass quitting cold turkey, but still contain nicotine, the addictive ingredient in traditional cigarettes. Medical and public health professionals have seen no evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers quit, according to Lawrence Eisenstein, president of the state Association of County Health Officials.

Lawmakers also heard from opponents who said the ban would infringe on the rights of business owners. "The Association sees this as another attempt by government to dictate how New Yorkers run their business," said Scott Wexler, executive director of the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association.

Opponents suggest waiting for the Food and Drug administration's review of e-cigarettes before any legislation banning indoor smoking of e-cigarettes is enacted.

Source: Poststar

Michael Fine: City's historic tobacco ban helps youth

Rhode Island may be the smallest state but we do big things. We are trendsetters in the Tobacco Control Movement. Rhode Island has the second highest cigarette excise tax, the third lowest youth smoking rate and now, our capital city has put Rhode Island on the map once again.

Providence has made major history in the fight against the tobacco industry. Providence has put Rhode Island on the map. In a landmark decision handed down recently, the federal First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the City of Providence’s anti-tobacco laws prohibiting the sale of fruit-flavored tobacco products and eliminating the use of promotional discounting strategies usually aimed at kids, such as buy-one, get-one.

Thanks to a grassroots network of organizations that includes Tobacco Free Providence, the Providence Mayor’s Substance Abuse Prevention Council and the City of Providence Healthy Communities Office, fewer youth will have access to the deluge of new candy-flavored and inexpensive tobacco products.

Flavored cigars, in particular, have exploded in popularity among our kids. National surveys show high-school students are twice as likely as adults to report smoking cigars in the past month, and young adults (ages 18-24) smoke cigars at even higher rates (15.9 percent).

Despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ban on flavored cigarettes in 2009, the tobacco industry continued to market sweet-flavored products to attract teenagers. Flavored cigarettes were simply modified to fit the legal definition of “cigars” by adding a tobacco leaf wrapper. Dissolvable forms of tobacco make it easier to conceal its use. All of these products, despite their colorful and attractive labels, threaten the public’s health.

Knowing that a high price tag also helps keep tobacco products out of the hands of kids, Providence commendably went a step further. Eliminating price promotions, such as the use of coupons, will keep prices high and Providence teenagers from becoming replacements for the tobacco industry’s dying customers. The 2000 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, “Reducing Tobacco Use,” found that raising tobacco-product prices decreases the prevalence of tobacco use, particularly among kids and young adults with limited financial means.

The court’s decision has national significance. The ruling allows for similar laws to be passed in other cities, towns, and states. It is an important victory in the fight against a Goliath-sized enemy and paves the way for our struggle against binge drinking, gun violence, and diabetes and heart disease caused by poor nutrition and inadequate exercise. We can improve people’s health and strengthen our democracy even in the face of big marketing and expensive lawyers.

I commend Providence, the organizations that fought for the passage of these laws and the community that supported it. There is still much work to be done across the state at the retail point of sale and also on an environmental level.

Promoting smoke-free public places, such as beaches, parks, recreational areas and college campuses, reduces secondhand-smoke exposure and makes it more difficult to find places to smoke. I encourage all Rhode Island cities and towns to learn more about the benefits of healthy policy changes at the local level.

Source: http://www.providencejournal.com

Hookah Smoke Less Harmful Than Cigarette Tobacco

Hookahs, or water pipes, and the tobacco used in them may be considered "the first new tobacco trend of the 21st century" and may be less harmful than cigarettes.

In new research presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, hookah tobacco and smoke contain lower levels of four toxic metals than those found in cigarettes.

"Any form of smoking is dangerous, and our studies on toxic metals in hookah smoke are taking the first steps toward the necessary animal and human studies that will establish a clearer picture of the relative dangers of hookah and cigarette smoking," Joseph Caruso, Ph.D., who led the study, said in a statement. "It is very difficult to compare hookah smoking with cigarette smoking because they are done so differently."

A team of scientists collected 12 different varieties of hookah tobacco made in the U.S. and Middle East and broke them down to liquid form. Test results showed that hookah tobacco contained fewer toxic metals, such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and chromium, than those in cigarette tobacco.

While some believe the difference lies in filtering smoke through water, Caruso said his team’s findings point to the composition of shisha itself. The specially prepared tobacco for water pipes contains molasses, honey and flavoring agents and lower levels of toxic metals. Caruso’s team did not detect excess amounts of the toxic metals in the hookah water.

Despite the recent findings, Caruso said there are difficulties comparing the two kinds of tobacco. Previous studies have shown that a typical hourlong hookah smoking session involves 200 puffs – equivalent to five to 10 packs of cigarettes, according to the World Health Organization. An average cigarette smoke takes 20 puffs.

In April, a study conducted by the University of California San Francisco showed that hookah smoke contained different kinds of harmful toxins that expose smokers to heart or respiratory conditions, and to higher levels of benzene, long associated with leukemia risk.

“People want to know if it is a lesser health risk if they switch from cigarettes to smoking a water pipe on a daily basis,” UCSF research chemist Peyton Jacob, said in a statement. “We found that water-pipe smoking is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking, nor is it likely to be an effective harm-reduction strategy.”

A hookah, also known as narghile, shisha and goza, is a water pipe with a smoke chamber, a bowl, a pipe and a hose. Specially made tobacco is heated, and the smoke passes through water and is then drawn through a rubber hose to a mouthpiece.

“Young people are very interested in it,” Ryan Saadawi, the lead graduate student on an American Chemical Society study examining the effects of hookah smoking, told Vice.com. “Cherry apple and bubble gum are more enticing than Marlboro Red.”


Source: http://www.ibtimes.com

ICICI Lombard Smoking Habits 2013

 A survey called  "ICICI Lombard Smoking Habits 2013 " in Mumbai, India, has revealed that half of smokers in India consider that smoking within particuls limits is absolutely safe for their body. Half of smokers continue to smoke cigarettes even if they know about harmful effects of their smoking habit.

Big number of respondents (almost 77%) said that if they would smoke from time to time this would have no negative effects on their body. In the survey participated 914 regular smokers from Delhi, Mumbai. Bangalore,  Kolkata, aged 18-35, who smokes at least one cigarette a day.

The results of this survey were revealed today in connection with World No Tobacco Day.

Besides this, the survey reveals that 67% of respondents began to smoke at the ages 16 - 20.

87% of smokers said that they started to smoke under the influence of friends. Another important factor here is pressure at work and cigarettes help people to relax.  

In Mumbai 32% of respondents said they smoke 7-10 cigarettes a day and namely this city is on top in India. In Kolkata 29% of people smoke less — only 4-6 cigarettes a day.

43% of respondents from Bangalore smoke 2-3 cigarettes a day and Delhi has only 35% of smokers who smoked only one cigarette a day, the lowest numbers. 
When the talk is about quitting smoking, 22% of smokers from Mumbai and 32% in Kolkata said that their family support played a big role.

A big number of smokers from Bangalore (31%) and Delhi (29%)  said
The report also revealed that 5% of total cancers are tobacco-related. Among them 75% of people duseased with cancer are males.

Marlboro Maker Moves Into E-Cigarettes

Altria Group (MO) makes the Marlboro brand and is the world's largest cigarette manufacturer. But sales of tobacco products have been in decline for years, so Altria and others are looking at electronic cigarettes to make up for some of their lost tobacco sales.

Altria said last week that it plans to roll out an e-cigarette later this year, as it tries to catch up to rivals who already have them on the market.

Lorillard (LO) has a leading brand – blu eCigs. And Reynolds American is looking to expand sales of its Vuse brand. British American Tobacco is working on what it calls a new "tobacco inhalation device" that is not an electronic cigarette.

The market so far is pretty small. According to The Wall Street Journal, sales totaled just $500 million dollars last year – less than one percent of tobacco sales. But the market for e-cigarettes is expected to double this year, and continue to grow.

And with tobacco sales declining, the industry needs a new source of revenue. Altria reported that cigarette sales in the U.S. tumbled 5.2 percent in the first quarter, and the industry-wide drop has been even steeper.

So how do these e-cigarettes work, and are they really any healthier than traditional tobacco-rolled cigarettes?

An advertisement we found on several popular websites lists some of the benefits. It claims e-cigarettes do not have any tar, tobacco or carbon monoxide. It also says there is no second-hand smoke.

The FDA is expected to release its report on e-cigs any day now. It doesn't currently regulate them, but is likely to push for that oversight responsibility. So far, it's said only that "further research" is needed into the potential health benefits and risks.

As we said, Altria is starting from behind, but analysts say it can use its size and strength to quickly catch up. Some say an acquisition is likely.

While e-cigarettes hold the potential to offset some of the sales declines, there's also the possibility that they could accelerate that trend, by cannibalizing existing sales. But some estimates, 20 percent of all smokers in the U.S. have tried e-cigarettes.

For smokers there are other benefits to the alternative. There's no second-hand smoke, you won't small like a cigarette, and you could save money. Each cartridge, which roughly equals a pack of cigarettes, costs about $2 – considerably less than the real thing.

Article source: http://www.dailyfinance.com

Tobacco Display Ban Came Into Force in Scotland

In Scotland on Monday, March 29, came into effect a law which bannes display not only of cigarettes but all tobacco products in markets. This initiative is expected to prevent young people from starting to smoke. The ban moved into law in 2010 and will also refer to machines vending cigarettes which will be prohibited from Monday.

Northern Ireland, Wales and England have already adopted such laws and today cigarettes and other tobacco products are not displayed in large markets. Stores that refuse to obey would receive a penalty from officers responsable for trading standards or convicted of a criminal offence.

Michael Matheson, pubic health minister, says that this is a better way to prevent Scottish youth from starting smoking. It is a well known fact that smoking cigarettes causes a number of diseases. Statistics shows that annually in Scotland are registered 13,000 deaths and 56,000 hospital admissions from smoking.

Thus today is very important to take serious anti-smoking measures at government level in order to reduce number of smokers. Studies show that promotion of tobacco products make young people want to try smoking and they do it then becaming true smokers.

Today the ban would affect big shops with an area of more than 280 square metres, however, on April 6, 2015, the law will come into force for smaller retailers too.
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Vicky Crichton, senior public affairs manager for Cancer Research UK, said that it is great victory to take tobacco products out of sight in the shops and this will help to grow a healthy young generation because according to statistics, most people start smoking before they turn 19.

The same law which prohibits public display of cigarettes in shops was proposed by Michael Bloomberg to be adopted in New York.

Should E-cigarettes Be Banned in Washington?

Two memebers of Washington DC council suggest to ban electronic cigarettes saying they may be dangerous for non-smokers. E-cigarettes became very popular today because they are used to help quit smoking tobacco. Smoker may choose among a number of flavors and here tobacco is not used at all. E-cigarettes are equipped with battery-operated inhalers which heat nicotine into vapor which has same effects as tobacco cigarettes do.

E-cigarettes produce no smoke and namely this characteristics helped them avoid state regulations.

In Washington it is a normal thing to see citizens smoking e-cigarettes in such public places as bars and restaurants. However, city councils  Yvette M. Alexander and David Grosso suggest to prohibit that. They want all kinds of cigarettes to be banned in public places. Nowadays, in Washington functionates a law that prohibits smoking in public places.

Alexander says smoking e-cigarettes is similar to smoking tobacco and the difference is that we do not know negative effects of e-cigarettes and therefore we cannot put on risk non-smokers.

Today in the USA many states want to ban e-cigarettes. In 2011 the FDA said it would regulate e-cigarettes as it does tobacco. Specialists say that studies of e-cigarettes effects are needed in order to know if they are dangerous for people who inhale their vapors.

In turn, manufacturers of electronic cigarettes claim that their products have no negative effects on smokers because they do not contain chemicals that tobacco cigarettes have. Big Cigs, the producer of e-cigarettes in the USA, says that with such statements tobacco industry wants to undervalue e-cigs industry.

Alexander says that e-cigarettes do not help stop smoking as they contain nicotine and besides this atrract more people.

Tobacco prevention programs successful in the Bitterroot

 The Ravalli County Tobacco Prevention office reports that the use of tobacco in Montana has decreased significantly over the past decade.

Ravalli County Tobacco Prevention Specialist Lyndsay Stover said that in Montana tobacco use rates have decreased between the ages of 12 and 18. In 2001, the tobacco use rate was 29 percent; in 2011, it dropped to 17 percent.
Stover said that recently the National Institute of Drug Abuse released a study that explains how tobacco products could act as a gateway drug.

Researchers at Columbia University identified a biological mechanism that could help explain how tobacco products possibly act as a gateway drug, increasing a person’s future likelihood of abusing cocaine and perhaps other drugs as well.
The recent study is the first to show that nicotine could prime the brain to enhance the behavioral effects of cocaine.

The National Institutes of Health conducted a survey that showed more than 90 percent of adult cocaine users between the ages of 18 and 34 had smoked cigarettes before they began using cocaine.

Stover said that tobacco is the first drug for kids and if its use is prevented at a younger age it will in turn help prevent further drug use.
“Smoking actually teaches kids how to use drugs. When they smoke, they are becoming aware of how to use drugs,” she said.

Stover said that kids who begin with tobacco often look for a greater thrill.
The researchers found that nicotine makes the brain more susceptible to cocaine addictions. The discovery suggests that lowering smoking rates in young people might help reduce cocaine abuse.

The Department of Education agrees with the Centers for Disease Control that the younger a child starts smoking the more addicted they become.
Smoking prevention efforts are not only preventing the negative health consequences with smoking, but can also decrease the risk of progression and addiction to cocaine and other drugs.

Source:  http://www.ravallirepublic.com

Bloomberg Seeks End to Cheap Cigarettes

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg opened a new front in his antismoking campaign last week when he proposed new legislation that would require stores to keep tobacco products out of sight, making New York the first city in the nation to do so.
 Its companion bill, however, has the potential to be just as groundbreaking, experts on tobacco control said. Along with strengthening the penalties on retailers that evade tobacco taxes, the second bill establishes a minimum price for cigarettes and cigarillos, or little cigars, of $10.50 a pack, the first time such a strategy has been used to combat smoking. The bill also prohibits retailers from redeeming coupons or offering other discounts, like two-for-one deals.

“This is kind of a landmark set of proposals here,” said Kurt Ribisl, a professor of public health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, whose research on tobacco control influenced Mr. Bloomberg’s proposal. “For someone like me, who’s spent 18 years studying point-of-sale issues, this is kind of big.”

Dr. Ribisl studies what happens at the retail counter, where a customer at a typical convenience store sees a colorful array of signs, packaging and “shelf talkers” — the small tags that flutter from shelves — promoting two-for-one, dollar-off and other types of deals. According to a Federal Trade Commission report issued last year, the tobacco industry spent $6.5 billion on discounts in 2010, and Dr. Ribisl said they are one of the major ways cigarette makers encourage price-conscious customers like teenagers and low-income smokers to buy.

New York’s price-regulation bill would, in effect, close off the remaining means of access to cheap cigarettes and little cigars, which make it easier for teenagers to experiment with smoking, and progress to smoking regularly, said Brett Loomis, a researcher at RTI International, a nonprofit institute that offers research and technical services to governments and businesses.

City and state taxes already add $5.85 to the cost of every pack, the highest cigarette taxes in the country. About half of all states, including New York, also require wholesalers and retailers to mark the price of cigarettes up by a certain percentage. The laws were generally intended to protect business in small stores by preventing large chains from selling cigarettes below cost, as so-called loss leaders, which draw in customers.

Mr. Bloomberg’s proposal, which will be taken up by the City Council, goes beyond those laws by specifying a minimum price. The health department said $10.50 was the median price of the lowest-priced packs in more than 300 city stores. That, and the prohibition on coupons or discounts, will “thwart the tobacco companies’ ability to prey on low-income and minority smokers,” Dr. Ribisl said.

David Sutton, a spokesman for Altria, parent company of Philip Morris USA, said the city should focus on eradicating the illegal cigarette trade, rather than further restricting retailers, who are already required to perform age checks on customers.

“Piling on additional regulations designed to get at youth access when the sales compliance rate at licensed retailers is very, very high already — we just don’t think that’s the right approach,” Mr. Sutton said.

As for the ban on discounts, Mr. Bloomberg, who is accustomed to setting an example for other municipalities in public-health initiatives, from smoking bans to calorie counts, may have looked to Providence, R.I., which passed an ordinance forbidding retailers from honoring coupons and discounts last January.

Tobacco companies sued, but the federal district judge ruled for Providence, which defended its right to regulate sales and prices within the city. Though the tobacco companies have appealed, the ban went into effect on Jan. 3. Mr. Bloomberg’s tobacco-control bills are also almost certain to be challenged in court.

“We felt that these coupons and multipack discounts were a loophole,” said Providence’s mayor, Angel Taveras, “and we felt it was important to close this loophole, especially because it was a matter of life and death. We anticipated getting sued, but it was worth the fight.”

As for Mr. Bloomberg’s announcement, Mr. Taveras said he wished his crusading counterpart all the best.

“I’m not sure that he needs any advice from me,” he said.

Source: The New York Times

Bloomberg's Plan Challenges Tobacco Industry

Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York City came this week with a new plan to ban tobacco products from display in stores. Smoking displays are considered to be a bad example for young people who may acquire this habit. Several countries banned cigarettes from displays in the stores and this prevents youth from buying them.

Studies have shown that keeping cigarettes displays out of children helps to restrain them from smoking and besides this helps individuals who are trying to quit. A study that was published in January in Pediatrics magazine showed that teenagers were less likely to buy cigarettes if they shopped in stores where tobacco products were not displayed. In the USA tobacco products advertising is widely spread in ordinary retail stores and open displays of cigarettes stimulate unplanned purchases.

Kerry M. Schneider, key staff attorney for the Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy at New England Law in Boston, said that such countries as Canada, Ireland and New Zealand have brought into action bans and it has little impact to tobacco sales at stores. It greatly helped to reduce the number of smokers among youth.

The New York city’s ban on smoking in such public places as restaurants and bars resulted in the state’s ban. Thus in 2011, the city became the largest municipality where smoking is prohibited in parks and beaches.