ADDICTIVE SMOKING

Menthol Cigarettes More Addictive to U.S. Minorities

12/10/2009   

   

THURSDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Menthol cigarettes appear to be more addictive for black and Hispanic smokers than regular cigarettes, a U.S. study has found.
Researchers from the School of Public Health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) analyzed data on 7,815 current and former smokers who'd reported at least one attempt to quit. The information came from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey.
Among adults who smoked menthol cigarettes, just 44 percent of blacks and 48 percent of Hispanics were able to kick the habit. But blacks and Hispanics who smoked regular cigarettes had higher quit rates -- 62 percent and 61 percent, respectively. Those rates were similar to quit rates for white adults.
The data also showed that non-whites tended to smoke fewer cigarettes a day and were about three times more likely than whites to smoke menthol cigarettes, the study authors noted.
"Historically, tobacco companies have targeted minority populations when marketing menthol cigarettes," study co-author Cristine Delnevo, director of the Center for Tobacco Surveillance and Evaluation Research at UMDNJ, said in a university news release.
"Although whites and non-whites have similar smoking prevalence rates, the fact that non-whites are more likely to smoke menthols, and those who smoke menthols are less likely to quit, could explain why minority populations continue to suffer disproportionately from tobacco-caused disease and death," she said.
Study author Daniel Gundersen said in the news release that "with the substantial number of smokers smoking menthol cigarettes, particularly among minorities, this is serious cause for concern."

SMOKING BANS

NEW SOUTH WALES 

Mulls Uniform Ban On Outdoor Smoking

Louise Hall

Brisbane , September 10, 2010

THE state government is considering a statewide ban on smoking in outdoor areas such as alfresco dining areas and children's playgrounds following lobbying by local councils and health groups.

The new five-year NSW Tobacco Strategy, which is yet to be approved by cabinet, is believed to recommend the introduction of uniform anti-smoking laws in crowded outdoor areas such as concerts, markets and shopping malls.
Half of all NSW councils now have some sort of ban on smoking in outdoor areas, up from 38 per last year, and 18 per cent in 2007, a report released today by the Heart Foundation finds.
However, the rules vary between suburbs, with neighbouring councils implementing smoke-free policies in a piecemeal fashion since Manly Council became the first jurisdiction in the country - and only the second in the world behind Los Angeles - to legislate a smoking ban on beaches in May 2004.
The Heart Foundation said the current situation, where smoking is banned on Bondi and Balmoral beaches, but allowed at Coogee and Cronulla, was ''ridiculous''.
Its chief executive, Tony Thirlwell, said the foundation was part of a coalition including the Cancer Council NSW and the Local Government and Shires Associations that had been advocating a statewide approach since 2006.
''While we haven't received any details about proposed legislation, we would welcome a move that bring us into line with other states and protects all NSW residents from harmful second-hand smoke,'' he said.
This week, the Minister assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer), Frank Sartor, said smoking rates had dropped by 5 per cent to 17.2 per cent since 2003, due in part to the landmark Smoke-free Environment Act introduced in 2000.
''We are about to release a tobacco strategy which aims to further reduce smoking to 13.5 per cent by 2016 and 10 per cent by 2020,'' he told Parliament.
A spokeswoman for the minister confirmed that legislation prohibiting smoking in outdoor areas was part of a range of policies being considered by cabinet.
The laws would be similar to those introduced in Queensland, where smoking has been banned in all children's playgrounds and sporting fields since January 2005 and in outdoor eating and drinking venues, except pubs and clubs, since July 2006.
The Heart Foundation's annual survey of smoke-free policies in NSW's 152 councils found that 74 per cent of the 43 metropolitan municipalities have now introduced some sort of ban, compared with only 40 per cent of 109 regional councils.
Of the 76 councils with smoke-free policies, 99 per cent cover playgrounds, making this the most common smoke-free area. Sporting fields (80 per cent), pools (46 per cent), areas within a certain distance of council buildings (42 per cent) and alfresco-dining areas (14 per cent) were included to various degrees.
The president of the Local Government Association, Genia McCaffery, said the lack of state legislation and funding had been a significant barrier for councils implementing or expanding a smoke-free policy.
There is emerging evidence on how smoking affects air quality in outdoor locations. A recent study showed that a person sitting near a smoker in an outdoor area could be exposed to levels of cigarette smoke similar to those experienced by someone sitting in an indoor pub or club.
There is also evidence to suggest that smoke-free areas support smokers who are trying to quit as well as reduce their overall cigarette consumption.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

SMOKING BANS

Smoking Ban on Residential Balconies, Porches

Smokers in Santa Monica are no longer allowed to light up while on balconies or porches near homes.

The Santa Monica City Council strengthened the city's protections against second-hand smoke by adopting an ordinance Aug. 10 that expands the smoke-free outdoor areas at multi-unit residential properties to a 25-foot radius around all doors, windows, and vents.

This includes all private balconies, patios, porches, and decks within the 25-foot radius and also covers areas on neighboring properties that are within 25 feet of a door, window or vent.

The new 25-foot rule takes effect Thursday, Sept. 9.

Existing city law already prohibits smoking in common areas that are usable by more than one unit of the property - such as yards, walkways and play areas.

Under the law, a person who smokes in a restricted area is subject to a court-ordered payment of $100 for the first offense. Subsequent violations carry payments of $200 and $500 respectively, according to the city attorney's office. Any person can bring a case to court.

The law also requires landlords and homeowners' associations to do two things:

Post at least one conspicuous sign in the common area notifying residents of the law and the remedy; and

Give notice by Dec. 1 to all affected units of the new covered locations and the remedies for violations.

For information and for downloadable signs and notices, www.smconsumer.org/.

E-CIGARETTES

E-Cigarettes Illegally Marketed, 

Are Unapproved Drugs, FDA Letters Say

By  Molly Peterson - Sep 9, 2010

Electronic cigarettes sold in the U.S. are being marketed illegally as smoking-cessation aids, the Food and Drug Administration said.

E-cigarettes and related products sold by five closely held companies are unapproved new drugs and devices because they’re promoted as a way to help smokers stop or reduce their use of regular cigarettes, the FDA said in warning letters posted today on the agency’s website. To sell the products, companies must conduct animal and human studies, and submit an application to the FDA, the agency said in a separate letter to the Electronic Cigarette Association, a Washington-based industry group.

E-cigarettes, which mimic the appearance of traditional cigarettes, are metallic tubes filled with a vaporized liquid nicotine mixture. The FDA in February won a temporary delay of a U.S. judge’s ruling that the agency lacks authority to regulate the products as drug devices and must allow them to be imported. The case is scheduled for a Sept. 23 hearing.
“In the interest of protecting the public health, the FDA will take a reasonable and measured approach to the regulation of electronic cigarettes,” Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in yesterday’s letter to the Electronic Cigarette Association.
A representative of the cigarette association could not be reached for comment.
The warning letters were sent to Gamucci America Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida; E-Cig Technology Inc. in Las Vegas; Ruyan America Inc. in Minneapolis; Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin; and E-CigaretteDirect LLC in Parker, Colorado.
To contact the reporter on this story: Molly Peterson in Washington at mpeterson9@bloomberg.net
                        - [ Courtesy Molly Peterson ] 

SMOKING AND SEXUALITY

Giving up smoking ups sex life

Giving up smoking can dramatically improve flagging sex lives, according to a study conducted by a Hong Kong university.

The University of Hong Kong study found 53.8 per cent of smokers being treated for impotence said that their problems eased within six months of stubbing out their nicotine habits.

That figure compared to just 28.1 per cent of men treated for erectile dysfunction who continued smoking, meaning quitters have a 91.5 per cent greater chance of a better sex life.

Sophia Chan, a professor who helped conduct the survey, said erectile dysfunction was 'very prevalent' in China and Asia and added that programmes to help smokers quit should be extended across the region.

Her colleague Lam Tai-hing said: "Smokers should be aware of such adverse effects from their smoking and should quit now to prevent erectile dysfunction and other diseases caused by smoking.

In fact, erectile dysfunction patients who smoke can expect some quick benefits after quitting smoking."

More than 700 men suffering from erectile dysfunction aged 30 to 50 took part in the three-year study by the university's School of Public Health and Nursing.

Read more: Giving up smoking ups sex life - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6419878.cms?prtpage=1#ixzz0z1hXlOhR