Tobacco Companies Should be Banned From Advertising at Labour Party Conferences

After a robacco company bought space at Labour Party conference, Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham said that tobacco companies should be banned from advertising at such events. He became angry when he found out that the party has taken money from Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, which has a stand in the exhibition

Is Hookah Less Harmful Than Cigarettes?

Smoking a "hookah" may be less harmful than a cigarette as it contains lower levels of four toxic metals, claims a new international study released here Monday.

A team of scientists, headed by Joseph Caruso of American Chemical Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, conducted the study on 12 different varieties of hookah tobacco manufactured in the US and Middle East and broke it down to liquid form.

"The test results revealed that hookah tobacco contained fewer toxic metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium and chromium as compared to cigarette tobacco," a spokesperson said.

The outcome of the research was presented to the American Chemical Society (ACS) at its recent meeting, the spokesperson added.

Unlike popular belief that the difference could be due to filtering smoke through water, the research team's finding points to the composition of the hookah shisha itself.

The tobacco for hookah contains molasses, honey and flavouring agents which have lower levels of toxic metals.

The researchers did not detect excess amounts of the toxic metals even in the hookah water.

A growing fad among urban youth, hookah parlours have been banned in several Indian states, including Maharashtra.

Hookah comprises a narghile, shisha and goza which is a water pipe with a smoke chamber, a bowl, a pipe and a hose.

Specially made hookah tobacco is heated in the bowl and smoke passes through water and is then drawn through a rubber by the smoker.

"The new study reiterates that hookah smoke is a less harmful option compared to cigarette smoking. But I would emphasise more on herbal hookahs which are free of tobacco or nicotine as the best alternative," said Shireen Parker, vice-president of Arabian Nights, a leading exotic lifestyle store in Mumbai.

She said that Arabian Nights has launched a range of herbal hookahs which have become very popular among the youth and health conscious young professionals.

Beijing in Top Smoke-Free Cities in China

A survey conducted in China shows that during past 12 months in Beijing there was significantly dropped number of smokers. Chinese Association on Tobacco Control made a poll in 800 colleges and universities. Today Beijing ranks number two in list of smoke-free cities while in 2011 it ranked number 23. Xu Guihua, deputy director of

100,000 People in the USA Quit Smoking Due to Anti-Tobacco Campaign

A study released by the CDC found that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s campaign “Tips From Former Smokers” made almost 1.6 million smokers try to quit smoking. The results of the study were published in the medical journal, The Lancet. During the three-month anti-tobacco campaign of 2012, more than 200,000 smokers in the USA

Cigarette sales to hit record low

Cigarette consumption is expected to reach a record low in the first half of this year due to increased regulations against smoking and heightened health awareness, according to industry data.

The consistently falling consumption of cigarettes is likely to further dent the bottom lines of tobacco giants such as KT&G, Philip Morris and BAT, market analysts said.

Korea’s aggregate sales amounted to 89.3 billion cigarettes in Korea last year, down almost 1 percent from 90 billion a year ago.

KT&G, Korea’s largest cigarette maker, saw its cigarette sales decline 1.5 percent to 26.6 billion, despite a market share increase in the first half of 2013.

This means that the Korean tobacco maker was able to grab a bigger slice of the shrinking market by luring customers away from other competitors, analysts noted.

KT&G’s market share is expected to decrease by about 1 percent to around 62 percent in the third quarter of this year after hovering around 58-59 percent in 2010-2011.

The rest of the market is shared by foreign brands ― BAT, Philip Morris and JTI.

The Korean company’s exports are also not faring well as analysts forecast about a 30 percent decrease in outbound shipments from July to September this year. Its top export destinations include the Middle East and Central Asia.

The four giants will face fiercer competition in the shrinking market as governments ― central, regional and city ― are moving to apply tougher rules against smoking both inside and outside of buildings, facilities and residential areas.

The Seoul government, for example, aims to make the capital a smoke-free city by 2020 in line with the World Health Organization’s policy encouraging its members to reduce smoking.

Also, a growing number of consumers are opting to quit smoking not only because of health reasons and regulations, but also due to an increase in cigarette prices. Therefore the best way to save money is to buy cigaretets online!

Quitting Smoking Leads Workers to Higher Wages

Researchers say that health improvement is not the only benefit of quitting smoking, because recently they found that your wages become higher. The latest study of American researchers showed that non-smokers are not as wealthy as their colleagues who gave up the habit. In the research there was used data about tobacco consumption of the

Oregon Leading the Nation in Selling Tobacco to Kids

"We need to do regular inspections and more volume of inspections," said Karen Wheeler , an Oregon Health Authority addictions administrator, "which will be happening."

But inspections alone might not solve the problem. Federal reports show the high violation rates predate budget cuts. In 2008, Oregon's 18.8 percent violation rate led the nation.

And while the OSP inspections resumed in 2012, they didn't make an immediate dent in the violation rate, which increased to 22.5 percent. At 23 percent, the federal government could withdraw 40 percent of its substance abuse treatment funding, or about $7 million.

The state could do more to improve, say advocates and state and federal officials.

•     No licensing: Oregon is one of only 13 states that does not require tobacco retailers to get a special license, which helps ensure tobacco sellers get special scrutiny.
•     Poor retailer list: Youth tobacco sales may well be higher than reported. Oregon's list of outlets subject to decoy stings last year was only 75 percent accurate, one of the worst marks in the nation, says anti-smoking coordinator Marsiglia Gray. State officials say it's improving.
•     Few inspections: The state doesn't use decoys to test all tobacco retailers the state knows about, only a sampling. In Minnesota, stings are conducted on every retailer at least once a year.
•     Weak penalties: Oregon's penalty for violating the youth tobacco sales law starts at $100, comparable to other states, according to a survey by the American Lung Association. State officials say typically the fine averages $450. However, the sales clerk is fined, not the store as in some other states. Oregon also doesn't mandate stiffer penalties for repeat offenders as many states do. Repeat offenders in Washington state can lose a tobacco sales license permanently.     
•    Federal funds: Oregon is one of only nine states that hasn't tapped federal funds to support youth tobacco enforcement, though the Legislature last year approved applying, and officials say they are discussing it. Since the program began in 2010, more than $91 million has been awarded. Washington state, for example, has received $3.1 million.

Oregon officials downplay the significance of the report, saying most kids don't get their tobacco from cigarette stores. According to a 2011 state survey, 16.1 percent of 11th graders reported using tobacco in the previous 30 days, and one-third of them purchased it from a store. Most obtained it from friends.

Officials also defend the effectiveness of the state's youth tobacco prevention program, and say youth smoking rates in Oregon, like the rest of the country, continue to go down.

Oregon's 11th grader smoking rate, in which 12 percent of students surveyed reported using tobacco in the previous 30 days, is well below the national average of 19 percent, says Dr. Bruce Gutelius of the Oregon Public Health Division. Among 8th graders, Oregon's figure is 6 to 7 percent; the U.S. average is 5 to 6 percent.

Gutelius thinks the biggest thing Oregon can do to discourage youth smoking is increase its tobacco tax, currently 29th in the nation at $1.18 a pack. That's failed in the Legislature and at the ballot in the past.

New Smoking Policy Came into Action in Beaverton

In the city of Beaverton, Oregon, from September 1 a new tobacco-free policy comes into effect. The new policy touches far more than just city’s buildings. Use of tobacco is going to be prohibited not only in city-owned buildings but in leased buildings too. Besides this, in Beaverton smoking will not be permitted on any