Ten years later, smoking ban pays for state

Today Delaware celebrates the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the Clean Indoor Air Act. In 2002, when Gov. Ruth Ann Minner signed Senate Bill 99, Delaware became the second state, after California, to pass a law against smoking in indoor workplaces and public places. Since then, 27 states and the District of Columbia have enacted clean indoor air laws covering bars and restaurants. SB 99, sponsored by Sen. David McBride and Sen. Patricia Blevins with Rep. Deborah Hudson and several co-sponsors, banned indoor smoking at health care facilities, public and non-public schools, restaurants, bars, libraries, museums, theaters, auditoriums, casinos, 75 percent of hotel rooms and other public places such as restrooms, hallways and lobbies. Ten years later, the law remains untouched, respected by health-conscious Delawareans and visitors. Earlier this year, Gov. Jack Markell said all state agency campuses would be smoke-free.

Turkey plans to avoid inflation jump driven by tobacco tax increase

According to daily newspaper Dunya, the government is mulling over a plan to change the taxation schedule on tobacco products in such a way that it will soften the impact on inflation. Recall that the government raised the proportional special consumption tax on tobacco products back in October 2011, yet part of the tax hike was then delayed to January 2013 in order to avoid a big jump in inflation. Accordingly, if the government does not decide otherwise, the proportional special consumption tax on tobacco will be hiked to 69% from 65%.

FDA unfairly maligns tobacco plant with graphic new cigarette warning labels

The FDA has released nine new graphic warning labels that will be required on U.S. cigarettes, offering grotesque visual images designed to dissuade smokers from purchasing cigarettes. At first glance, this might seem like a clever and effective strategy for reducing deaths from smoking cigarettes. After all, there's a lot of scientific evidence that says smoking cigarettes is bad for you. But there's something missing in this whole debate that neither the FDA nor health authorities dare talk about: there is a huge difference between smoking chemically-laced "processed" cigarettes versus natural tobacco leaves.

Unregulated industry of e-cigs, smoking them is like playing Russian roulette with your health and life

The manufacturing of e-cigs requires no licensing or training at all, only a business license for selling non-toxic goods (although having a chemistry degree, wearing a haz-mat suit, and goggles and gloves is highly recommended).

This means you can go online and get yourself a $45 business license with your credit card, buy some tobacco-free pure nicotine on line from some random vendor, drive to the store and get some vegetable glycerin for the fog effect, use some water to dilute the nicotine, add 10 to 20% food grade heat-resistant flavoring like mint or caramel (toxic), and mix your own batch.

It all sounds real cool, like a do-it-yourself science experiment, and people all over the world are pretending they're MacGyver, mixing it up in their basements and then exporting it to the USA. Instead of lessening the toxins or eliminating a bad habit, could e-cigs actually be the new gateway drug to crystal meth or crack cocaine?

Diluting pure nicotine is not for amateurs, and spilling it on your skin or inhaling it can kill you. Still, manufacturing directions and home-made batches are available all over the internet by simply googling "e-liquid, e-juice, or nic-juice." To make problems worse, many of the "atomizers"for sale have defects.

Female smokers who stop before middle age on average gain ten extra years of life

The largest-ever study of the hazards of smoking cigarettes and benefits of stopping for women in the UK has shown that female smokers lose at least ten years of lifespan, but that stopping before the age of 40, and preferably well before the age of 40, avoids more than 90% of the increased risk of dying caused by continuing to smoke, while stopping before the age of 30 avoids over 97% of it. 
The research, based on results from the Million Women Study, is published Online First in The Lancet to mark the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Sir Richard Doll, one of the first people to identify the link between lung cancer and smoking.

The tobacco lobby strikes back

Those who have watched Hollywood film The Insider would have got a peep into the cloak-and-dagger world of dealing with Big Tobacco, as the industry is infamously referred to in health circles. The film, starring Russell Crowe, is an adaptation of the television news expose by the CBS programme 60 minutes on the dirty secrets of the tobacco industry. It revolves around the testimonial of a scientist in a tobacco company, revealing the addictive nature of nicotine. And to cut a long story short, the events lead up to the unprecedented $246 billion settlement the industry makes with Mississippi and some other states.

The world’s view on smoking cigarettes has changed dramatically over the last century. The habit was once considered to be cool, sexy, good for your health, and widely enjoyed by many people. It was promoted by sportsmen, and advertised all over television. No one could be seen acting in a movie without a lit cigarette in their hand! Today, smoking is considered to be a nasty addictive habit that can kill you and those around you. You wont find them advertised anywhere – nor will you see anyone smoking inside a public building. It seems that these days smokers are considered to be anti-social and are often frowned at if seen smoking outside in crowded places. Below is a list of interesting facts about cigarettes.