On tobacco, warnings that seem to be working

The federal government hopes that forcing tobacco companies to sell their deadly product in packages with ever-larger and more horrifying warning labels will continue to push Canadians to stop smoking or, better still, never take it up. By Wednesday, all retailers were supposed to be carrying cigarette and small-cigar packs featuring warning labels that cover 75 per cent of the package.

Since Canada began requiring tobacco companies to put warning labels on cigarette packages in 2000, there has been a significant decline in the number of Canadians who smoke cigarettes. In 2011, one in five Canadians aged 12 and older smoked. That had dropped from more than one in four in 2001. By 2010-11, nearly three-quarters of Canadians in Grades 6 to 12 said they had never tried smoking a cigarette – an increase from the previous such survey, in 2008-09, when 67 per cent said they had never tried.

 Graphic package warnings are almost certainly not the only reason behind these declines in smoking, but surveys have found that smokers say they pay attention to the warnings – especially large, graphic ones – in a way that they didn’t to written warnings. Tobacco kills about 45,000 Canadians a year. According to the Canadian Lung Association, that’s more than the total number of deaths from AIDS, car accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisonings combined.

More Teens Smoking Pot Than Cigarettes

Seems like teens have gotten the memo that cigarettes are bad for you; however, the same isn’t true for marijuana, according to a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Released late last week, the government study revealed that in a nationwide study of 15,000 high school students, pot is now more popular among teens than cigarettes, CBS reports. Eighteen percent of surveyed students in 2011 reported smoking a cigarette in the past month, while 23% reported smoking marijuana in the last 30 days.

 Perhaps thanks to the anti-smoking campaigns in ads and in schools, or to the personal experiences teens may have with family members or relatives with lung cancer, cigarette use has been on the decline over the past few years. But apparently, the association of marijuana with cancer and other health risks is not as prevalent among teens. “I just hear a lot of dangers of cancer and cigarettes and I think that’s why a lot of teens look to marijuana,” Tianda, a Philadelphia high school junior who wasn’t identified by her full name, told CBS Philly.

While plenty of research has been done on the health effects of the marijuana use, results are mixed. A study published in the journal Addiction last year found that marijuana had little long-term effect on learning and memory, and that any cognitive damage was reversible. However, while there may not be lasting cognitive effects, there could be other health effects. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana smoke contains 50-70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke, and that pot smokers usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath, which can lead to an even larger increase in exposure to the smoke.

Cigarettes help lure man off of tower

The promise of cigarettes persuaded a man to come down from an electrical transmission tower, which he had climbed after stealing a golf cart and a car and leading a high-speed chase from Aberdeen to Westport on Sunday, authorities say. The 26-year-old man, who lives in Aberdeen, has been charged with aggravated assault, grand theft, burglary, obstructing law enforcement, eluding and a parole violation, said Capt. Neil Bittner of the Aberdeen Police Department. Law enforcement would not release his name.

Brown County Deputy Kyle Crawford knew the man before Sunday's events, said Brown County Chief Deputy Sheriff Tom Schmitt. Crawford, from the ground, was talking to the suspect while he was on the tower, and the man offered to climb down and turn himself in if he could have a pack of cheap cigarettes, Schmitt said. Law enforcement agreed because it was a reasonable way to resolve the situation, Schmitt said. Sunday's events started when police received a report of domestic violence at 11:13 a.m. at the Ramkota Hotel, Bittner said. The man fled on foot to the Rolling Hills Golf Course, where he stole a golf cart and drove back to the Ramkota to hop in his car, which was parked there, Bittner said.

Howard Dahme, owner of the golf cart, said he parked his cart on the ninth hole and was putting when a young man wearing blue jeans and no shirt jumped into the golf cart and drove off. "By the time I had started to putt, the guy was already gone," Dahme said. The police arrived soon after, so Dahme pointed them to where the man fled. Dahme said he found his cart parked by the Ramkota Hotel with about 25 people gathered around. Dahme said he waited until officers told him he could take his cart home. He said the cart was undamaged. Dennis Cranford, an employee at the Ramkota Hotel, said he saw the man drive away in a white car. Cranford said the police arrived moments later and he pointed out the direction the man drove.

Then, about 1 p.m., the suspect left his car, entered a home in the northwestern part of town, then stole a car parked in the driveway, Bittner said. Aberdeen police officers, the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the Brown County Sheriff's Department all became involved in the pursuit when the suspect started heading toward Westport at speeds exceeding 100 mph, Bittner said. The man abandoned the vehicle in Westport and climbed up the transmission tower at about 2 p.m., as several residents from Westport watched. Schmitt said a negotiator was called in, but the man surrendered before the negotiator's arrival.

The suspect surrendered at about 2:30 p.m., Bittner said. Bittner said he didn't have a chance to call and verify if the man was in custody, but he believes the man is still being held, because he was arrested while on parole. The power line is owned by Basin Electric Power Cooperative, based in Bismarck, N.D., and operated by the Western Area Power Administration. The transmission line carries 345,000 volts, which is 3,000 times higher than a household current.

Tobacco growers in Singida expect big harvest

Tobacco Growers Cooperative Union 1995 Limited (CETCU)in the central zone expects to increase crop production to 1,800 kg per ha after more areas for cultivation have been added to the producers. Speaking at the launch of a tobacco market at Mitundu village, CETCU chairperson Yasin Dagaki said the union plans to increase production along with reducing the use of firewood when drying tobacco.

“We expect to increase production from the current 1,500kg to 1,800kg per ha, and this would go along with our plan of using advanced technology in drying tobacco thus reducing the use of firewood from 222 cubic meters per 1,000kg to 90 cubic meters,” he said. Dagaki explained that between the 2008/2009 and 2010/2011 seasons; CETCU operations saw 8,700 tons worth 20bn/- produced.

For her part, Manyoni District Commissioner Fatma Toufiq surprised by the drop in the number of farmers called on the cooperative union to study the situation and come up with remedies. “According to Tanzania Tobacco Board statistics, the 2010/2011 season has seen the decreasing number of farmers engaged in the tobacco production. It therefore recommended CETCU to carefully study the situation and come up with solution,” he said.

HAWC helps quitters fortify defenses against tobacco

Quitters never win, but Staff Sgt. Justin Bernal is actually winning by giving up. The 50th Force Support Squadron customer support NCO in charge began his war against tobacco in March. What began as a curiosity in the middle of 2007 turned into an on-and-off-again relationship. While at a survival, evasion, resistance and escape training on Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., Bernal witnessed an NCO using dipping tobacco, a finely ground, moistened smokeless tobacco product. He used to smoke cigarettes, but had already quit.

He asked if he could try dipping, and thus began his tobacco dilemma again. He would use the product every day after a meal or while driving to work in the morning. "I tried it and I liked the buzz," Bernal said. "It's the same feeling as smoking. It's just a little more powerful than a cigarette; the feeling is a lot stronger. It's very addictive." Nicotine is the psychoactive drug in tobacco products that produces dependence. It is the most common form of chemical dependence in the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, quitting smoking is difficult and may require multiple attempts. Users often relapse because of stress, weight gain or withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and increased appetite. To fortify his defenses against tobacco, Bernal enlisted the Schriever Health and Wellness Center in his campaign. Since then, hasn't touched any tobacco products.

 "The tobacco cessation program provides support and information for tobacco users, regardless of their quitting methods," said Staff Sgt. Vanessa Arthur, HAWC NCO in charge. "Tobacco users attend the one-hour class once a week for four weeks." Participants receive information on how tobacco use can lead to nicotine dependence and serious health problems. It may cause various types of cancer, such as oral, stomach and pancreas; heart diseases including aortic aneurysm, atherosclerosis; pneumonia, influenza, bronchitis, emphysema and more. Though tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, the adverse health effects from cigarette smoking still account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one out of every five deaths each year. With the HAWC's tobacco cessation class, the quitters are empowered to take action on their way to live tobacco-free lifestyle.

The staff will sit down and talk to participants about various plans of quitting. They may refer people to one of the providers involved with the cessation program who are able to provide medications. "It provides the help and encouragement quitters need," Arthur said. "It also gives quitters many techniques to deal with stress, withdrawal, weight gain, slips, relapses, setting goals and ambivalence." The class also gives information about addiction, behavior and stress management, fitness, nutrition and other prevention. "They give all the tools you need to quit," Bernal said. "It's just on you if you really want to give up.

These tools will not mean anything unless you use them." Bernal did want to quit. While other people have various reasons to quit, he gave up dipping because it is unappealing, it costs money and he wanted to live a healthier lifestyle. "The tobacco cessation program has all the tools to assist you for quitting," Bernal said. "The staff gives you a lot of recommendation. They are very helpful and provide you with useful information." Being nicotine-free for two months, Bernal still feels the urge to use tobacco. It is a constant battle he has to combat every day. However, HAWC is always there to provide help.

State may nudge public colleges to ban tobacco

A possible campuswide ban on tobacco products at the state’s public colleges and universities could have a significant impact on students because more than a quarter of adults ages 18-to-24 are smokers. James Tuschman, the chairman of the Ohio Board of Regents, told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer that he plans to introduce a resolution later this month asking the state’s public schools to ban tobacco, an effort driven in part by the chief executive of the Cleveland Clinic. The decision to ban tobacco would fall to each school’s Board of Trustees. Of the region’s schools, Cedarville and Miami universities already have campuswide bans.

Smoking is not allowed anywhere on Miami’s campus, while Cedarville doesn’t allow even possession of tobacco products. A Springfield News-Sun survey of regional colleges showed a variety of policies in place, although all ban smoking inside universities buildings. There are differences in the distance smokers must be from building entrances (usually 15 to 25 feet) and availability of specific smoking areas. Clark State Community College is considering a policy that also would ban smokeless tobacco in nonsmoking areas, which most schools do not have in place. “(Smoking) comes up occasionally, but it often has to do with an area looking badly because people are throwing cigarette butts,” said Mark DeVilbiss, Wittenberg University’s associate dean for residence life.

 “We don’t see a lot of violations, we mostly hear about it in terms of litter.” Studying health The Ohio Department of Health last year produced a packet of information and suggestions for schools considering stronger policies against tobacco use. The ODH cited statistics showing that tobacco companies spend $724 million per year to market tobacco products in Ohio. Officials said they hope stronger tobacco policies will curb smoking among students. Nationally, 27 percent of people ages 18-24 are smokers, and 40 percent of college-age smokers began or increased smoking after starting college, according to the ODH. Similar research helped influence Tuschman’s stance on tobacco, he told The Plain Dealer.

A Board of Regents recommendation on tobacco use would be unique because it would enter into the student experience realm of campuses, said Dan Abrahamowicz, vice president for student affairs at Wright State University. “Mostly, they act in areas like switching to semesters or other administrative issues,” he said. “But this is the health dimension, safety dimension, social dimension. They have a concern about the welfare of our campuses, and I think it’s fine to have those suggestions.” Regional schools said they would consider such a recommendation before taking any action. Student smokers said they would adjust if necessary. “It’s not always necessary to smoke,” said Hulays Alzuraya, a 24-year-old Wright State senior from Saudi Arabia. “It’s just that sometimes people are on campus for 12 or 14 hours at a time, so it can help to smoke once or twice.”

California tobacco tax backers hope uncounted ballots turn tide

Backers of a tobacco tax initiative said Wednesday they were prepared to wait days, if not weeks, to see if uncounted ballots turn the tide in their favor. Proposition 29, which would hike the state's cigarette tax by $1 per pack, trailed by 63,176 votes after election officials counted 3.8 million ballots from Tuesday's election – a 50.8 percent to 49.2 percent margin. County officials are left to count hundreds of thousands of votes, most cast by last-minute voters who permanently use mail ballots. It was not immediately certain how many ballots remained, but nine of the state's most populous counties reported nearly 800,000 combined to count.

 Neither side was ready to declare the race over Wednesday, though initiative opponents felt confident that last-minute voters landed in their corner. They relied on a nearly $47 million war chest, mostly from the tobacco industry, to knock down support from a 67 percent high in March. After a night of little sleep, both sides called county election offices throughout California to assess how many mail ballots were left to count – and where. The locations may be most relevant to whether the sides consider the race over or wait for more ballots to be counted, since some big counties overwhelmingly swung one way or the other Tuesday. "We're very encouraged with a 63,000-vote lead, but there are obviously ballots still outstanding to be counted," said No on 29 spokeswoman Beth Miller. "We are waiting to get a better assessment of how many ballots are still outstanding and evaluate whether that will have an impact."

 Chris Lehman, campaign manager for the Yes on 29 side, acknowledged that proponents have an uphill battle if they are to still win the contest. "This campaign has been about a coalition of cancer survivors and their family members, and they're no stranger to long odds. They're going to vigilantly watch these returns come in and hope for the best." A Public Policy Institute of California poll showed that 67 percent of voters backed Proposition 29 in March when they were read the ballot language. But that number steadily declined through election day. The sides combined to spend nearly $60 million in the race, with the tobacco industry-fueled opposition raising nearly $47 million of that. Lehman said, "$47 million of distortions of the truth tend to have an impact on people."

 But opponents said the initiative was flawed, striking a chord with voters and some editorial boards who were concerned with how the tax dollars would be spent. Proposition 29 would raise $735 million annually to pay mostly for cancer research, as well as smoking cessation programs. Backers also highlighted the fact that higher cigarette taxes result in lower smoking rates. Opponents compared the spending plan to two previous voter-approved programs for stem-cell research and high-speed rail and questioned why the measure would not raise money for the state budget.