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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: smoking

smoking stories: 118 news summaries

1 - 20 of 118 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>

 More Americans Smoking 

Rates tick up slightly after holding steady for 5 years

(Newser) - The number of smokers has ticked up a notch after five years of decline or holding steady. The percentage of Americans who light up rose from 19.8% in 2007 to 20.6% in 2008, a CDC report says. The longer-term picture is better: Since 1998, the percentage has dropped... More »

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 AMA Mellows on 
 Medical Marijuana 

Doctors group nudges Feds toward reclassification, research

(Newser) - The American Medical Association has finally softened on marijuana, urging the government to give it a new classification that would open the door to serious research on its medical merits. Now a Schedule I drug, with no accepted medical uses, under the AMA proposal it would become a Schedule II... More »

fired up

 Cigarette Butts Are 
 Toxic Waste: Study 

Cigarette-soaked water kills fish

(Newser) - The chemicals in cigarette butts are lethal to fish, and the finding is bolstering researchers who want coffin nails classified as toxic waste. San Diego State University researchers submerged filters from smoked cigarettes in tanks of water for 24 hours, then added fish. Within 5 days, half the fish died.... More »

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PRESIDENTIAL WAISTLINE DEPT.

 Drudge Alarmed 
 Over Skinny Obama 

Prez not chain-smoking, but does skip some meals

(Newser) - In a post today headlined “Barack ‘N Bones,” the Drudge Report sounds the alarm over President Obama’s gaunt appearance over the weekend. An intense, hoops-heavy exercise regimen is behind what the conservative site calls “dramatic” weight loss. “No, he’s not chain smoking,”... More »

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Clove Cigarettes Banned: Enter Clove 'Small Cigars'

FDA, importer disagree over definition of a cigarette

(Newser) - For one California importer of smokes, an awful lot has come to rest on the precise definition of a cigar. After a ban on clove cigarettes went into effect last month, Kretek International slyly began importing Djarum-brand clove “small cigars." They're quite similar to Djarum’s clove cigarettes,... More »

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FDA smoking tobacco anti-smoking cigars flavored cigarettes

Man Jailed for Encouraging 3-Year-Old
to Smoke

Dumb joke in UK
earns him 18 months

(Newser) - A UK man received 18 months in prison today for handing a 3-year-old girl a lit cigarette and encouraging her to smoke it—and inhale. He then asked a 14-year-old girl to record the event with her camera phone. In the video, the 31-year-old man can be heard laughing, “... More »

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OPINION
(Newser) - It’s a good thing that smokers have been banished to huddle outside or in special smoking rooms at work, writes Michael Skapinker of the Financial Times. Not just because it keeps their second-hand smoke away from the rest of us, but because it brings them closer together. Sure,... More »

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analysis

 Smoking Ban Health Hype 
 Going Up in Smoke 

Studies linking smoke-free laws to heart health appear weak

(Newser) - Reporters are covering stories that link smoking bans to lower heart attack rates—which would be terrific news if it were true, Christopher Snowdon writes on Spiked. Even the anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health stood up to a Sunday Times report of a "10% heart attack drop,... More »

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 US Ban on Flavored 
 Cigarettes Kicks In 

FDA measure aimed at curbing 'gateway' brands that get teens hooked

(AP) - The new federal ban on flavored cigarettes took effect today, marking one of the first visible signs of the Food and Drug Administration's new authority to regulate tobacco. The ban on manufacturing, importing, marketing and distribution includes candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes, which health authorities say are more appealing to... More »

It's Not Too Late to Extend Your Lifespan

Abandon unhealthy habits and you may live 10 years longer: docs

(Newser) - You knew smoking and fatty foods were bad for you, but thanks to a huge 40-year study, we now know exactly how bad. Researchers followed 19,000 men, starting in the late 1960s. Those who were still smoking, had high blood pressure, and had high cholesterol—the three top killers... More »

 NYC Seeks Smoking Ban for Parks, Beaches

Smokers grumble over plan to make outdoors virtually smoke-free

(Newser) - Smokers banished outdoors by New York City's 2003 smoking ban may soon find much of the outdoors off-limits for lighting up as well, the New York Times reports. The city's health commissioner said yesterday that he plans to push for a full smoking ban in all the city's parks and... More »

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Smoking Prince Harry
Turns to Celeb Hypnotist

Paul McKenna has also helped Ronnie Wood, Guy Ritchie

(Newser) - Prince Harry is reading celebrity therapist Paul McKenna’s Quit Smoking Now in a bid to finally swear off cigarettes, the News of the World reports. After quitting for a year, Harry recently smoked at a friend’s wedding, and apparently got hooked again after RAF training and breaking with... More »

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 Job Loss 
 Anxiety Hurts 
 More Than 
 No Job at All 

Smoking, hypertension worse than unemployment fear

(Newser) - Worried about your job? It may be better for your health if you just quit, new research suggests. Looking at studies of nearly 2,000 adults, scientists at the University of Michigan have found job loss anxiety can be more harmful to your health than unemployment, hypertension, or even smoking,... More »

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 Neurotic People 
 Die Earlier 

Increased likelihood of smoking increases mortality risk of nervous nellies

(Newser) - Neurotics are more likely to die prematurely than their mellower peers, LiveScience reports. A new study that followed nearly 1,800 men for 30 years found that those who fit self-descriptive criteria for neuroticism—constantly worried or anxious—were more likely to die early, in large part because they were... More »

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(Newser) - Smoking is rampant across the Middle East, and in Iraq nicotine fuels everything from high-level government meetings to weddings and funerals. That's why a new anti-tobacco law making its way through parliament is causing huge public outcry, reports the Washington Post. "We all have to deal with anger issues... More »

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Gates Refuses to Ban Smoking in War Zones

Defense secretary rejects Pentagon study's recommendation

(Newser) - American troops in war zones won't have to battle the enemy while suffering nicotine withdrawal, CNN reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is willing to consider some of the recommendations in a Pentagon-commissioned report calling for a totally tobacco-free military, but he has no intention of ordering stressed-out troops in combat... More »

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Health Bill Has
a Big Carrot for the Healthy

Senate measure would let employers cut premiums up to 50%

(Newser) - A measure slipped into the Senate’s health care reform bill could cut workers’ insurance costs by up to half if they eat well, lose weight, and quit smoking, the Boston Globe reports. The measure may be key to encouraging Americans to stay healthy without too much government imposition, a... More »

Pentagon Mulls Smoking Ban
for Troops

Military smoking, especially common in combat, costly for VA

(Newser) - Pentagon health experts are pushing for the military to ban tobacco, a move that would upend a traditionally smoky culture, the USA Today reports. Tobacco use is rising among troops, many of whom turn to cigarettes to relieve combat zone stress, and that winds up costing the Pentagon and Veteran's... More »

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(Newser) - Australians may be coughing up $20 for a pack of cigarettes if officials approve a new anti-smoking plan, the Age reports. The proposal, designed to cut Aussie smoking by a third, would ban all tobacco sponsorship and online sales, devote 95% of cigarette packaging to graphic health warnings, and tax... More »

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Australia smoking cigarettes tobacco Philip Morris tobacco companies cigarette tax

(Newser) - He wasn't all that happy to be asked about it—again—but President Obama admitted during his news conference today that, yes, he still lights up the occasional cigarette, reports ABC News. “Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes.” Obama said he’s not a “daily... More »

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1 - 20 of 118 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>