Harper urges Canadians to quit smoking

National Non-Smoking Week began Sunday, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement encouraging smokers to make a resolution "to quit the habit both for themselves and for their loved ones.

"Every year smoking adversely impacts the health of millions of Canadians - including those affected by second-hand smoke - heightening their risk of cancer, heart disease, emphysema and a number of other conditions. It also costs our healthcare system - and therefore taxpayers - a substantial amount of money" Harper said in the statement released Sunday.

The Ontario Pharmacists' Association (OPA) also took the opportunity to remind Ontarians that eligible patients who want to stop smoking can receive free counselling at many of the province's pharmacies.

According to Health Canada, our government invests $15.8 million annually to help people stop smoking, prevent youth from starting to smoke, and protect Canadians from exposure to second-hand smoke. It says Canada has one of the lowest smoking rates in the world, but that tobacco use is still the most significant cause of preventable disease, disability, and premature death in Canada, and is responsible for more than 37,000 deaths every year.

Smoking soon to be banned on all Seminole school property

Smoking will be outlawed on all Seminole school district property, both inside and out, under a tough new anti-smoking policy the School Board plans to adopt.

Seminole school district employees won't be allowed to step outside to smoke, and fans at football games will be prohibited from lighting up, as well.
Better health for smokers and bystanders is the goal of the new policy, which would take effect July 1, officials say.

"It certainly is beneficial to the employees not to smoke," Deputy Superintendent George Kosmac said. "But people complained about second hand smoke, and that is the real motivator."

While smoking inside Seminole school district buildings and vehicles has been prohibited for years, employees and other adults were permitted to smoke outside in designated areas. But the state Legislature changed the law last year to let school districts ban smoking outside, too, School Board Attorney Ned Julian said.

Despite confusion over a school board's legal authority, Lake initiated a full ban in 2000 at the insistence of School Board member Kyleen Fischer.

And the Orange County School Board recently updated its smoking policy to a full ban as well, although spokeswoman Shari Bobinski said it largely had been in effect for years. A main effort of the recent revisions was to prohibit smoking outside the school district office in downtown Orlando, she said.

Although there is no exact count, in Seminole the number of school district employees who smoke has fallen in recent years, Deputy Superintendent Kosmac indicated. He estimated there might be only 10 smokers among the more than 250 employees in the school district headquarters on Lake Mary Boulevard in Sanford. Other smokers are scattered in schools and other school system work locations throughout the county.

David Apfelbaum, director of risk management for Seminole schools, said smokers will be encouraged to sign up for smoking cessation programs available through the district. They will have access to chewing gum, nicotine patches and low-cost prescription drugs to help them overcome the habit.

Tony Gentile, director of the school system's employee unions, said he personally does not favor smoking. But he expects objections to the new policy, which will come up for School Board approval later this winter.

Scientists design a safer cigarette

In a study published in the Journal of Visualized Experiments, scientists from Cornell University designed a filter made with lycopene and grape seed extract. These natural antioxidants reduce the amount of free radicals inhaled during cigarette smoking.

While tobacco tars and other ingredients in cigarettes are the major causes of carcinogens and disease, free radicals produced and inhaled during smoking attack cells, damaging protein structure and increasing the risk of a person developing lung cancer. Reducing the number of free radicals therefore could make cigarettes a bit safer.

Filters that work in similar ways have already been studied, but because they can be expensive to produce they have not been adopted by cigarette manufactures. The advantages of using antioxidants such as lycopene and grape seed extract is that they’re cheaper to produce.

Unfortunately, scientists also noticed the filters made out of the antioxidants lost much of their efficacy after a week in storage at room temperature.

Local man charged in cigarette trafficking operation

A 48-year-old man from Hollywood, SC was charged in federal court for conspiracy to
traffic contraband cigarettes.

Nathaniel Elmore along with 41-year-old William Helton of Commack, NY and 41-year-old Charley Antonio Davis Jr of Bishopville, SC were charged in a 23 count indictment with conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes and money laundering.

Prosecutors claim that the three men were involved in a scheme to purchase millions of dollars in cigarettes in South Carolina and then resell the cigarettes in other states without paying applicable taxes.

United States Attorney Bill Nettles said the maximum penalty the men face for the charges is ten years imprisonment.

The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Internal Revenue Service.

Cigarettes and alcohol stolen from Devon safe

Police said they believed intruders had entered by cutting holes in the office roof of the Kilmington Garage, near Axminster.

One safe was cut open and part of an external wall demolished next to another, police added.

The incident happened between 03:00 and 04:00 GMT on Tuesday morning. Police are appealing for information.

A stolen vehicle, a Ford Focus, was found nearby with a quantity of stolen cigarettes inside, a police spokesperson said.

They added that they were unsure how the intruders cut holes in the roof, broke open the safe or part demolished the wall.

E Cigarettes Get a Thumbs up from the NZ Health Ministry

Electronic cigarettes are steadily gaining acceptance as a healthier smoking alternative to tobacco cigarettes by authorities all across the world; and the latest one to join the league of such authorities is the New Zealand Ministry of Health.

The revelation was made recently when the official announcement from the New Zealand Ministry of Health came that it “recommends electronic cigarettes as a healthier alternative to tobacco.” The electronic smoking community is enthralled at this development since their most favored e cigarettes have now gained acceptance as a health-friendly smoking option by yet another country’s government.

For those living in the New Zealand, this news means a lot as the smokers can now enjoy the privilege to smoke anywhere and anywhere without being frowned upon. At the same time, they can smoke without the guilt of ruining their own as well their loved ones’ health while indulging in their smoking mode. The sentiment is echoed in a local resident, Jenny’s excitement over the news. “I am happy beyond expression. It’s like getting an official stamp to my favorite cigarettes….I never felt so free while smoking as I do now.” Another e cigarette reviews fan joined in to share his views and added how he could now “flaunt e-cigs telling everyone in the face that I am smart enough to care for myself as well as the environment.”

Interestingly, electric cigarettes are not just human-health friendly, but are harmless for the environment too. These do not contain carcinogens or emit offensive smoke. Instead e cigarettes emit pure vapors from combustion of nicotine mixed with vegetable glycerin. The fact that an e-smoker gets to enjoy pure nicotine vapor without falling prey to any hazards at all weighs tremendously in the favor of e cigs.

Comparison of e cigs with traditional cigarettes is obvious since the former are modeled on and developed as a better version of their traditional counterparts. “Smoking an entire cartridge of e cigarettes is over 500 times better for the health than smoking one traditional cigarette” informed Prof. Siegel, an MD from the Chicago University in order to assert the point.

The New Zealand Ministry of Health has been prudent enough to recognize and spread to its people the benefits of smoking the best electronic cigarette over the regular ones in time. It is speculated that many more countries would soon follow this suit set up by some of the well developed and leading nations of the world.

FDA Flap Could Snuff Out Smokeless Growth At Altria

Smokeless tobacco products have come under fire after a report by key advisory to Food and Drug Administration alleged that tobacco companies do not have sufficient scientific evidence to prove they are less harmful to health than cigarettes. [1] This can be detrimental for Altria Group as smokeless tobacco is the only segment that has been growing for the company in the past several quarters. The competes with Reynolds American and Lorillard, two of its biggest competitors in the U.S.

See our complete analysis of Altria stock here

Tobacco Companies Claim Otherwise

Tobacco companies claim the smokeless products are less harmful than cigarettes since they do not release carcinogens through combustion. In fact, Reynolds American attempted to get the warning label for smokeless products to change to “No tobacco product is safe, but this product presents substantially lower risks to health than cigarettes.” Currently, the warning reads “This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes.” [1] The report advises FDA to approve third party bodies which can independently research on the effects of smokeless tobacco products.

So Far So Good

The sales of smokeless products grew by 14% in 2010 and is expected to grow by 9% this year. Since they are smoke-free, their usage is not restricted only to smoking zones. These are also a hit with the retailers as they enjoy margins as high as 30%. [2] Altria operates in the smokeless tobacco segment through Copenhagen, Skoal and Red Seal.

As per our estimates, smokeless tobacco products constitute 15% of Altria’s stock price while cigarettes constitute 73%.

Cigarette consumption is on a decline in the U.S. as tobacco companies are left with no option but to pass on the tax increases to consumers. Smokeless tobacco products is the segment that offers a significant growth potential for Altria. We expect the size of smokeless products to grow at an annual rate of 7% over the next few years.