A time capsule containing tobacco products, adverts and statistics has been sealed underground, in the state of Indiana. Created by the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation group, which campaigns against smoking, the capsule will be unearthed in 2021. Members of the group say they hope people digging it up will be shocked by some of the tobacco products it contains, which are targeted at the teenage market – among them tobacco strips and tobacco toothpicks. The capsule was buried on Wednesday as part of the groups’ 10th anniversary celebrations. But just one week before, the group were lamenting the rejection of state wide anti-smoking legislation in Indiana. The group has done significant work in reducing smoking across the state. Over the past ten years, there has only been a reduction of a few percentage … Read entire article »

New Delhi,  (IANS) The Supreme Court Wednesday declined to lift a ban on the sale of tobacco products in plastic sachets and asked the central government to file its reply to petitions challenging the curbs. The petitions were filed by manufacturers of chewing tobacco challenging the rules banning the product’s sale in plastic sachets. The ban came into force March 1. An apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice K.S. Panicker Radhakrishnan gave the government four weeks to file its reply. The court also gave four weeks to the manufacturers and NGOs to file their response to the government’s reply. The judges also allowed NGOs and manufacturers of chewing tobacco to join the case as parties. The court directed the government to make available to the parties within two weeks the copies of … Read entire article »

Rick Bender knew smoking was harmful. He says his parents had warned him about cancer and emphysema.But as a kid he’d seen ads featuring prominent athletes selling another kind of tobacco, smokeless, presented as a safe alternative to smoking. “Turns out it was the biggest lie I was ever told, but I fell for it and starting using,” Bender said. He was diagnosed with oral cancer at 26, and he underwent the first of five surgeries to remove part of his tongue and lymph glands just nine days before his 27th birthday. Surgeons would later remove portions of his jaw. Bender shared his story Tuesday with students at Asheville, Reynolds and Enka high schools. He will be at North Buncombe High, Erwin High and Erwin Middle today. “I try to think what would have … Read entire article »

More hospitals are refusing to hire smokers. Not all states allow this, and some anti-tobacco activists are uncomfortable with this trend. “We hope that people will be encouraged to quit smoking and quit using nicotine products and build a healthy life for themselves,” said Julie Uehara, spokeswoman for Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, which implemented a nicotine-free hiring policy in January. No studies show how many hospitals have banned hiring smokers. However, more hospitals have reported instituting such restrictions. For example: ProMedica, which owns several hospitals in Michigan and Ohio. St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Crittenton Hospital Medical Center in Rochester, Mich. These institutions have been smoke-free for years, and the restrictive policies follow the Cleveland Clinic, which in 2007 became one of the first health care institutions to stop hiring smokers. Though … Read entire article »

A bill that would restrict the sale of candy-like nicotine products has died in the legislature. Under Senate File 154, only businesses with 90 percent of gross sales coming from tobacco products, and that only allow customers 18 and over to enter the establishments, could continue selling the “dissolvable” tobacco that looks and tastes like candy. Representatives initially argued the products targeted minors because of their appearance and sweet taste. Sen. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, said the bill has died for this year, but could be brought up again in another legislative session. … Read entire article »

Whitney Point, NY (WBNG Binghamton) Kicking Butts to teach kids the hazards of using tobacco products. The Whitney Point School District’s Athletic Department held Kick Butts day for middle school students. Tioughnioga Riverside Academy students saw educational anti-tobacco stations during their lunch period. They learned the many ways the decision to start smoking can impact them. Lisa Weston-Bialy|Cornell Cooperative “It’s a decision they’re gonna make, it’s an addictive thing,” says Lisa Weston-Bialy of Cornell Cooperative Extension “And recognize that once you start, it’s really hard to quit. It really wreaks havoc on your body and on you pocket.” Kick Butts day is an annual event sponsored by the tobacco free campaign for kids. … Read entire article »

British American Tobacco Plc, Europe’s largest cigarette maker, producer of Dunhill cigarettes was dropped from the U.S. government’s racketeering lawsuit after a judge in Washington ruled the U.S. no longer has the authority to hold the U.K. company liable for hiding the health hazards of smoking. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler today said a 2010 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in a securities case restricts the U.S. from seeking liability from “what is essentially foreign activity.” “There is no evidence that Congress intended to criminalize foreign racketeering activities under RICO,” Kessler wrote. In 2006, Kessler found that the British American Tobacco (Investments) Ltd. unit of British American Tobacco and other cigarette companies violated anti-racketeering laws by conspiring to hide the dangers of cigarettes. Kessler ordered the companies to stop marketing cigarettes as … Read entire article »

With opening day just around the corner, there has been a recent push for the removal of tobacco products from America’s favorite past time; something that I think is way overdue. The entire nation, including our first family, is on this big push for healthy living habits, yet the use of tobacco products still remains at high levels within the world of baseball. These efforts are being led by top health officials in 15 Major League Baseball cities throughout the country and are being brought before Commissioner Bud Selig and the MLB Players Association. I do not think that in this day in age it would be such an unreasonable request to ban tobacco use by MLB players, coaches and ballpark staff when one cannot go to a seedy bar and … Read entire article »

Fewer New Yorkers signed up for a free program to quit smoking this year, city officials conceded Friday.The city Health Department counted 39,000 people who enrolled in their Nicotine Patch and Gum Giveaway this year – 1,000 people less than last year.The program was most popular among Brooklyn and Queens residents – though Staten Island traditionally has the city’s highest smoking rates.The city kicked off its smoking cessation program March 9, a 16-day effort to help New Yorkers quit. They also unveiled hard-to-stomach TV and print ads of emphysema and stroke victims, arguing that seeing the suffering would motivate smokers to quit. Health Commissioner Thomas Farley warned that cigarettes are expected to kill 7,200 New Yorkers this year. … Read entire article »