Urine Test Predicts Smokers' Lung Cancer Risk

So try to hold off for at least an hour

(NEWSER) - You probably already know that smoking is bad for you, but a new study shows that smoking first thing in the morning is apparently even worse. Among the 7,610 smokers studied—62% of whom had lung cancer—those who lit up within 30 minutes of waking were 79% more likely to have developed lung cancer than smokers who held off for an hour or more after waking, reports the BBC. More»

It's also the No. 1 cause of death in China: Cancer Society

(NEWSER) - Tobacco killed 6 million people worldwide last year and now ranks as the No. 1 cause of death in China, according to a report from the American Cancer Society and World Lung Federation. What's more, the groups say tobacco use may be responsible for 1 billion deaths this century if trends persist, reports Bloomberg . More»

Court decides electronic smokes should be treated like tobacco

(NEWSER) - The Food and Drug Administration's attempt to crack down on "electronic cigarettes" has been defeated in court. A federal appeals court ruled that the products, which create a nicotine vapor instead of smoke, should be treated like tobacco products—not like nicotine-placement gum or patches, which would place them under tighter regulation. The decision means that while the FDA can regulate the marketing of e-cigarettes, it hasn't got the power to restrict sales or block imports, reports the Los Angeles Times . More»

(AP) - President Barack Obama cited his own long struggle to quit the cigarettes he took up as a teenager as he signed the strongest-ever US anti-smoking bill today and praised it for providing needed protections for future generations. "It is a law that will save American lives," Obama said. "The decades-long effort to protect our children from the harmful effects of smoking has finally emerged victorious." More»

Widow scores first blood in potentially groundbreaking trial

(NEWSER) - Addiction to cigarettes caused chain smoker Stuart Hess’ death from lung cancer, a Florida jury ruled yesterday, paving the way for his widow to receive damages from Phillip Morris. The case is the first of 8,000 to spin out of a landmark 1994 class-action suit. That case's $145 billion award was overturned in 2006, and though the Hess verdict won’t directly affect the other 7,999 plaintiffs, it is being closely watched, the Miami Herald reports. More»