Electronic Cigarette Makers Must Prove It Safety

A new report details exactly what kind of scientific proof the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should require from the makers of electronic cigarettes and tobacco lozenges to show that what they are selling is not harmful to the overall public health. These “modified risk” products claim to offer individuals nicotine without the health risks, namely lung cancer and heart disease, that are associated with the use of traditional tobacco products such as cheap Lady cigarettes. “These products are ones that might carry a claim that they have less risk to the user than a traditional tobacco product,” said Dr. Jane Henney, a professor of medicine and public health sciences at the University of Cincinnati and chairwoman of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee that wrote the report. “We believe that if those claims are to be approved by the FDA, the sponsor will have to bring to the agency a series of data to support that claim.”

New Albany Smoking Ban is Now in Effect

A new public smoking ban is now in effect in New Albany, and some people are not thrilled with the law that took effect Friday. "We aren't second class citizens," says Union County resident Susan Hayes. "We are taxpayers, and we are the ones who pay the officials who have done this to us." The general manager at the Huddle House in New Albany says the first day of the new ban has brought some frustrations to both customers and employees. "I had some coffee drinkers fussing early this morning in the early hours that come," says Huddle House manager Vivian Norton. "We had two light up in here, and we had to ask them to please put them out." Will the ban affect business in Union County restaurants? Some seem to think it absolutely will. "This is my place where I spend time," says Hayes. "When I get tired and don't feel like doing anything else, I ride up here to smoke a cigarette, drink some coffee and eat a bite. I don't feel like I'll be doing much of that anymore." While some people are upset about the smoking ban, most restaurants already had a non-smoking policy. "We have never had smoking in the restaurant, so it really hasn't affected our business whatsoever," says Vainisi's owner Frank Vainisi. "There has been no change here at all." When asked about the ordinance, most citizens were either strongly for it or strongly against it. Either way, smokers will now have to step outside when lighting up.

Anti-Smoking Efforts go up in Smoke

Even as it charges among the highest cigarette taxes in the U.S. and collects millions from an ongoing tobacco company settlement, New Jersey is stingy when it comes to anti-smoking efforts. A report released Wednesday by the American Cancer Society, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and four other organizations concluded the state ranks 43rd in the nation in funding anti-smoking programs. “A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 13 Years Later” comes just two months after a separate September study on the state’s anti-tobacco efforts. It concluded New Jersey has earned about $5 billion in tobacco revenues over the past five years, with only 0.8 percent of it directed to prevention programs.

Indigenous Smokers get Tools to Kick the Habit

Orange Aboriginal health workers undertook a training session yesterday to provide them with the tools to help slash the smoking rates among indigenous Australians. With twice as many indigenous Australians smoking than the general population, smoking discount Robinson cigarettes continues to be a large health problem within that community. The SmokeCheck program saw 13 health workers obtain the knowledge and skills for them to help their clients quit smoking. SmokeCheck senior trainer Luciana Massi said the program gives health works the tools they need to encourage their clients who smoke to quit. “Smoking is contributing to the high mortality rates and is a major contributor to serious illness such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes,” she said. “There is a lot more people in that community who smoke, so it’s seen as a more ‘normal’ thing.”

Smoking Habit is Still a Health Concern

This information is extrapolated from a recent study by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. According to The Dayton Daily News this new study finds more than one in every four Ohioans smoke cigarettes. Ohio has one of the highest rates in the nation. The report did not give any information relative to smoking as it applies to gender, ethnic groups or age. Additionally, the report states that approximately 26% of all Ohioans smoked cigarettes in 2011, matching the rates of Missouri, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Accordingly, Kentucky is the only state with a higher smoking rate than Ohio It has a smoking rate of 29%. This means the residents of Kentucky are lighting up.

Public Indoor Smoking to be Extinguished

The three parties contesting the general election have pledged to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces. The commitment was made during a debate on the environment on GBC on Thursday. The PDP made a statement also in their press conference yesterday and a GSLP/Lib spokesman made a statement on the issue. “As Gibraltar takes its place amongst the community of modern European nations, we need to make changes and reforms, not just to our political system, we must also make changes to our daily lives. Smoking is regarded as dangerous even by most smokers and we accept that the overwhelming medical evidence points to smoking as a source of cancer and other ill-health. Passive smoking has also been shown to be damaging to health and can affect children as well as adults,” he said. “Most European nations now have in place bans on smoking in enclosed public places that even many smokers welcome. Government offices are already subject to a smoking ban, as are most private sector offices.

Bullard May Prohibit Smoking in City Park

Another East Texas city may soon ban smoking. Tyler was the first East Texas city to establish a partial smoking ban in 1987 for workplace environments and many public locations. Since then, other cities across the area have followed, adapting bans to locations that suit them. Now, Bullard may ban smoking in its public park. Mayor Pam Frederick says families have complained that there are cigarette butts littering the park where their kids play. Families worry smoking and cigarette butts lying around pose a health risk for their kids. Frederick also says the city is spending taxpayer money to clean up those cigarettes. Bullard has no city-wide ban, but over the years, Bullard schools, and many businesses have cut out smoking. Frederick says, "So the employees that are smokers are finding somewhere to go during their lunch break." She just wishes the most popular break spot wasn't such a family environment - the city park.