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

New Data On Smokeless Tobacoo Use Among Youth

 Past years are characterized with lowering of rate of smokeless tobacco use among teenagers and new research shows that it leveled off.

In 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Patrol and Prevention made a survey among students to find out about their smoking habits. It was reported that 5.2% of students said they were using chewing tobacco, snuff and dipping tobacco at least one time in the 30 days before they were interviewed. This is the same percentage as it was in 2000 when there were 5.3% young people who used smokeless tobacco.

The percentage decrease shows that smokeless products lose their popularity among kids. It has dropped 4.6% per year among 9- to 11-year-olds kids. As to teenagers from 12 to 14 years old, the percentage also has dropped by 3.4% per year.

However, among 15- to 17-year-old teenagers the situation is different. The numbers show that use of smokeless tobacco has risen by 1% per year.  Among high students the situation is the same.

Students aged 18 or older showed no changes in usage of smokeless tobacco. .
Specialists from Center for Global Tobacco Control at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston say that such new products as moist snuff helped whole tobacco industry to attract people who give their prefernce to smokeless tobacc products. Besides this, tobacco companies are allowed to use flavored products or free samples to attract new customers. Researchers say that low price on smokeless products also played a significant role.

What helped to reduce sales of smokeless tobacco products among younger students? Here helped restrictions on online sales of smokeless tobacco and obligatory age verification of those who buy it. However, this works only in several states.

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.

Zimbabwe Has Increased Tobacco Exports

Since the beginning of 2013 Zimbabwe got 94 million US dollars from tobacco exports to different countries. There was sold 25 million kg of tobacco at an average price of 3,74 US dollars per kg.

This is double 59 million dollars obtained from 16 million kg which was exported during the same period of time in 2012  at an average price of 3,58 US dollars per kg.

Latest data provided by Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board reveal that South Africa paid 24,5 million dollars for 8,1 million kg of tobacco at 3,04 dollars  per kg

In 2012 during the same period of time got 1,7 million kg of tobacco to the value of 5,8 million dollars at 3,28 dollars per kg. The second highest importer is China that continues to buy it at very competitive prices. China has paid 16,6 million US dollars for 2 million kg at 8,76 dollars per kg.

During the same period of time in 2012 China paid 14,8 million dollars for 2,3 million kg at 6,35 dollars per kg. Third country that has high tobacco imports is The United Arab Emirates which bought tobacco worth 5,6 million dollars at 2,27 dollars per kg In 2012 the United Arab Emirates bought tobacco worth $1,6 million dollars.

Then comes Belgium with 2 million kg of tobacco worth 5,1 million dollars at a price of 2,56 dollars per kg. Last year they bought 1,6 million kg worth 2,3 million dollars at 1,43 dollars per kg.

Sudan greatly increased its imports of tobacco from Zimbabwe and since the beginning of 2013 it bought 1,5 million kg worth 5,36 million dollars at an average price of 3,46 dollars per kg

Agriculture experts say that consolidation in tobacco sales in Zimbabwe is connected to the high prices on the international tobacco markets. Thus Zimbabwe is able to return status of major tobacco producer in the world.

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