Smoke-Free World

Cancer Cases, Deaths Drop

USA Today  |  Nov 25, 08 6:02 PM CST

(Newser) - Cancer researchers reported a good-news milestone today: Both the number of new cases and the number of cancer deaths are declining for the first time, USA Today reports. Scientists gave most of the credit to a drop in the number of smokers. “By preventing smoking, you can give someone 10 or 15 years,” one of the study’s authors said. Overall death rates are down 1.8% and new cases by .08%. More »

Someone Get the President- Elect a Cigarette

Washington Post  |  Nov 20, 08 1:19 PM CST

(Newser) - America has elected a member of a hated minority as president. That’s right, Barack Obama is a smoker. Oh, sure, he claims to have quit, but Michael Kinsley of the Washington Post isn’t convinced. Obama admitted falling off the wagon in June, yet no reporter has asked him about it since. It’s disgusting and it sets a bad example, but Kinsley thinks maybe we should let it slide. More »

Fewer Than 20% of US Adults Smoke, a First

Reuters  |  Nov 13, 08 2:10 PM CST

(Newser) - Smoking in the US is at its lowest since cigarettes became widespread after World War I, Reuters reports, with fewer than 20% of adults in the country lighting up—the lowest figure on record. Observers credit the gradual decline to awareness, bans on smoking in public places, and prohibitive taxation. Still, smoking is estimated to kill 443,000 people a year. More »

India Readies Smoking Ban; Unruly Public Shrugs

Wall Street Journal  |  Sep 30, 08 5:45 PM CDT

(Newser) - India is about to institute a ban on smoking in public places, including bars, restaurants, hotels and hospitals, the Wall Street Journal reports. The ban, which begins Thursday, is being greeted warmly by health officials, with skepticism by smokers on the ground. “Such rules are made and broken every day," one said. “The ban will have no effect on me.” More »

Vintage Stars Got Big Bucks to Smoke

BBC  |  Sep 25, 08 8:47 AM CDT

(Newser) - Almost all of Hollywood's big names from the '30s, '40s, and '50s were on the payroll of tobacco companies, the BBC reports. Documents released as part of anti-smoking lawsuits reveal that stars like Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Joan Crawford got up to $10,000 each from Lucky Strike in 1937—equivalent to $150,000 per head in today's money. More »

E-Cigs Not Safe: WHO

Reuters  |  Sep 20, 08 7:14 AM CDT

(Newser) - Electronic cigarettes are untested and possibly unsafe, the WHO said today. The device—a mock cigarette that releases a fine mist of nicotine, sans fire—has been sold over the internet as a smoking cessation aid, Reuters reports. The problem is that it could release, besides nicotine, “many other toxic compounds which we are not sure of," warns the director of the WHO’s anti-smoking initiative. More »

Casinos Choke on Smoke Bans

Wall Street Journal  |  Sep 19, 08 2:20 PM CDT

(Newser) - Taking deep breaths of clean air won’t stave off panic for casinos confronted with smoking bans in an increasing number of states, the Wall Street Journal reports. In Illinois, casinos have posted double-digit revenue drops since a ban took effect in January. “Gamblers like to smoke and drink while they gamble,” explained one consultant. “You've got three co-dependent bad behaviors that go together.” More »

Boston Bans Drugstore Cigarette Sales

Boston Globe  |  Sep 5, 08 6:26 AM CDT

(Newser) - Boston's health honchos have approved some of the country's toughest anti-tobacco rules by banning sales at some stores, the Boston Globe reports. The new rules forbid pharmacies and campus convenience stores from selling cigarettes. They also ban smoking on bar and restaurant patios. The city's cigar parlors, previously exempt, will also have to stub out after a 5-year grace period expires. More »

Menthol Debate Splits Black Caucus

New York Times  |  Jul 25, 08 2:28 AM CDT

(Newser) - The exemption of menthol from a bill banning flavored cigarettes is causing a rift in the Black Congressional Caucus, the New York Times reports. Some members of the caucus, which has strong financial ties to tobacco companies, argue that menthol cigarettes cause disproportionate harm to blacks and are pushing for a ban. Others say a ban on menthol would sink the bill. More »

Dutch Fight Smoking Ban With God

Radio Free Netherlands  |  Jul 22, 08 12:27 PM CDT

(Newser) - Worshipers are flocking to the One True Universal Smokers' Church of God—whose "masses" are held in bars—since the Netherlands instituted a smoking ban July 1. Adherents claim their right to light up is protected as a religious freedom, Radio Free Netherlands reports. "I genuinely believe in the freedom God has given us. That includes the freedom to smoke," says one bar owner. "So I smoke in the name of God." More »

Menthol Used to 'Hook' Young Smokers: Study

Reuters  |  Jul 17, 08 2:41 AM CDT

(Newser) - Tobacco companies use menthol to make the taste of cigarettes more acceptable to young first-time smokers until they become addicted, a new study charges. Researchers found that 44% of child smokers used menthol cigarettes, reports Reuters. "Menthol stimulates the cooling receptors in the lungs," said an expert from the Harvard School of Public Health who studied the marketing of menthol cigarettes. "Menthol helps the nicotine go down. It makes smoking easier." More »

Dutch Smoking Ban Leaves Pot Users in a Fog

USA Today  |  Jun 30, 08 2:40 PM CDT

(Newser) - Effective tomorrow, the Netherlands bans smoking tobacco in public places, and the new law means big changes for Amsterdam's famously relaxed coffeehouses, reports USA Today. Because the law doesn't cover cannabis or hashish, users can continue to smoke them inside. But those who prefer their pot mixed with tobacco, as many do, will have to step outside. More »

Altria's 'Safer' Smokes Latest in Line of Flops

Wall Street Journal  |  Jun 23, 08 2:47 PM CDT

(Newser) - Altria is dropping its Marlboro Ultra Smooth cigarettes, the Wall Street Journal reports—the latest in a growing list of failures to sell Americans on so-called "safer" tobacco products. The cigarettes, which used special filters to block carcinogens, failed to attract consumer interest in a 3-year test, "presumably because they didn't think the taste and flavor was acceptable," says a spokesman for the Philip Morris parent company. More »

Want to Skirt Smoking Laws in Germany? Join the Club

Associated Press  |  Jun 20, 08 11:44 AM CDT

(Newser) - Smoking in a bar is verboten in much of Germany, so many watering holes have decided they’re not “bars” anymore—they’re private clubs where members are free to light up. The dodge appalls anti-smoking groups, but one club owner says cigarettes are essential to his business. “I wanted to offer three things: smoking, drinks and good music,” he said. “Without one, it doesn't work.” More »

Chicago Fines Aim to Kick Smokers' Butts From Beach

Chicago Tribune  |  Jun 18, 08 11:43 AM CDT

(Newser) - Chicago will fine smokers who toss cigarette butts on the beach—or within 15 feet of one— up to $500. The new law is aimed at cutting the cost of cleaning up after smokers, who have been forced outside by smoking bans, reports the Chicago Tribune. Millions of tons of butts are cleared from beaches every year.  More »

To Court Blue-Collar Vote, Light Up

New York Times  |  Jun 17, 08 10:00 AM CDT

(Newser) - Everyone has ideas about how Barack Obama can attract the working-class white voters that eluded him in the primaries. Author Tony Horwitz goes for the throat: Start smoking again. West Virginia and Kentucky, where Hillary Clinton clobbered Obama, lead the nation in cigarette consumption among whites, and lighting up could help worse-off voters see him as one of their own. More »

Supreme Court to Hear $79M Cigarette Verdict for 3rd Time