Peers back smoking ban for cars with children present

Peers have backed plans to ban smoking in cars when children are present, but supporters admit they do not have government backing for the move. The House of Lords approved Lord Ribeiro's private member's bill to make offenders liable for a £60 fine or attendance at a smoke awareness course. The measure would need the support of MPs to become law and David Cameron has questioned whether it is justified.

He has suggested it would have serious implications for personal freedoms. Mr Cameron told MPs last year that while he backed the ban on smoking in pubs, he felt "more nervous" about proscribing what people should and should not do in private vehicles.

 'Raise the ante'

Parliament needed to have a "serious think" before taking such a step, he added. The Lords voted through Lord Ribeiro's bill - which was backed by many health campaigners and charities - on the nod on Monday. The Conservative peer said there was not strong government support for legislation in the area, with ministers favouring education as a way of persuading parents to change their behaviour. He said most smokers did not do so while driving their children but there was a "hard core" of parents whose behaviour had to be addressed.

 The proposed legislation would "raise the ante" over the issue and remind ministers there were other options should their approach not succeed in protecting children from harm. Labour MP Alex Cunningham introduced legislation urging a ban in the Commons last year but despite clearing its first legislative hurdle, it faced significant opposition from MPs of all parties.

County wide anti-smoking policy on the way

The members of the Cultural, Education, Heritage and Corporate Affairs SPC of Mayo County Council put in motion the first steps to bringing in a new council backed county wide anti-smoking policy. Director of services for Mayo County Council, Joe Loftus, told the members he was looking for them to recommend to Mayo County Council that all buildings over which the council have control, including playgrounds and play areas for children, be declared smoke free zones, to be supported by appropriate signage and notices.

There was full support from the members for the policy, but there were calls for it to go further. Cllr Peter Flynn told the meeting that the council should look into implementing bye-laws so that these regulations could be enforced properly. Cllr Flynn also called for the council to look into implementing bye-laws to outlaw drinking on property owned or controlled by the council also, so that it could clamp down on the outdoor drinking parties that occur in open spaces and parks.”

There was support for Cllr Flynn’s ideas from the other members, but it was decided to concentrate on the smoking issue first as it was what was on the agenda. Cllr Al McDonnell commented that, “people’s attitudes towards smoking has changed dramatically in recent years. You only have to look back to before the 2004 local elections and the abuse that some of us took, when the smoking ban was brought in first. But now, it’s been a huge success.”

 He also asked that the wording of any bye-laws ensured that it did not ban people smoking in their home if they were living in a council house, because it could arise if the wording of any bye-laws covered all council controlled property as it would also cover council houses.

Finance minister raises cigarette taxes in first round of austerity plan

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz raised taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products last evening. Smokers will be adding about NIS 1 billion to state tax revenues after Steinitz signed the new regulations on Wednesday. and a packet of cigarettes will cost NIS 2.50 to NIS 3 more. Steinitz also levied a 10% tax on existing cigarette inventories held by businesses. The cabinet is also expected to approve an increase in taxes at its weekly meeting on Monday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Steinitz will present the cabinet with a proposal to hike taxes already this year, without waiting for the 2013 budget.

In addition, the Israel Tax Authority and Justice Ministry are busy preparing new legislation to crack down on tax cheating, which they hope will increase tax revenues by NIS 2 billion in 2013. Netanyahu said on Wednesday that decisions which would be made at next Monday's cabinet meeting regarding budget cutbacks in 2012 will not affect funding for education and social services. "At Monday's cabinet meeting, we will introduce real measures to show the whole world that we are going to meet the deficit target," Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said.

 Speaking before the Knesset plenum, which passed the second and third readings of the law to increase the 2013 deficit to three percent of GDP, Steinitz asserted that the "economic and budgetary responsibility of the government and of the Knesset is the sole and principal line of defense of Israel's citizens and its economy. As a result of approving these steps, we won't be seeing mass unemployment like they have in Spain and Greece." If the cabinet passes the treasury's planned tax increases, tax revenues are expected to increase by some NIS 3 billion by the end of 2012 and by more than NIS 6 billion in 2013.

 Earlier in the day, a special meeting was held in the Prime Minister's Office on the budget cutbacks and tax hikes for this year. Netanyahu will be making a decision soon regarding how tax revenues will be raised - either by increasing Value Added Tax from 16 percent to 17 percent, or by raising taxes specifically on alcohol, cigarettes and jet fuel. Finance Ministry officials favor a rise in VAT already this year, which would raise an additional NIS 1.8 billion by the end of the year. The other tax increases would bring in an estimated NIS 1.2 billion this year.

These tax hikes do not require legislation, and would most likely take effect on August 1. During the meeting, Netanyahu said "managing the national economy is like running a household. You have to balance expenses and income. You can't spend money on everything. You must choose. In the past year, we chose to invest in stopping the infiltrators, and to a large degree we succeeded in stopping the wave [of migrant workers] that was inundating the country. "We decided to spend money on firefighting, including aerial firefighting," said Netanyahu. "We are also dealing with security challenges, in light of the shifting reality. All of which costs money.

We cannot spend on these things and on everything else, too." The prime minister said the decisions that would be made at next Monday's cabinet meeting will not affect the education and welfare budgets. "First of all, we will balance the budget and not deviate from it," he said. The cabinet will be asked to approve NIS 700 million in budget cuts for 2012 at the Monday meeting. This will be in the form of a five-percent across-the-board cut in all ministries - except for defense, education and social services. This will also bring with it NIS 1.1 billion in cuts for 2013. "The second thing," said Netanyahu, "is to maintain the overall income framework, because in so doing we ensure that the Israeli economy will not be affected by the global crisis.

We will adopt a responsible policy, so that there will not be hundreds of thousands of unemployed." Steinitz said the measures to be discussed Monday will increase the state's revenues by billions of shekels. Some of these measures will be immediate, while others will be implemented in 2013. "We will introduce a basic package that sends the message to the whole world - to the ratings firms, to investors, to the international arena - that we mean what we say. We raised the deficit target from 1.5 percent to three percent and we will take every measure to meet this target," he said. The various tax increases and spending cuts are expected to keep the 2012 budget deficit within the government target of 3.4 percent of gross domestic product, and at three percent of GDP for 2013, said government economists.

The meeting was attended by Harel Locker, director-general of the Prime Minister's Office, Eugene Kandel, head of the National Economic Council in the Prime Minister's Office, and all of the senior treasury officials, including Steinitz, his director-general Doron Cohen, Budgets Division head Gal Hershkowitz and Accountant-General Michal Abadi-Boiangiu. Even though Netanyahu and Steinitz strongly oppose an income tax surtax on the rich, the issue is still being discussed. Such a "tax on the rich" who earn over NIS 1 million a year would include a 2% surtax on income and is forecast to raise an additional NIS 800 million a year.

But this would require passing legislation in the Knesset. The economic steps to be approved at Monday's cabinet meeting are meant to find a solution for this year's budget deficit first of all, and are only a first step in solving the problem of next year's deficit, said sources in the Prime Minister's Office. This means there will be further economic "decrees" in a few weeks aimed at raising more tax revenues in 2013 and cutting government spending further. Even if the cabinet passes all of Netanyahu and Steinitz's proposals on Monday, there will be the need to increase taxes by another NIS 4 billion to NIS 6 billion next year, and for NIS 13 billion in spending cuts, said the sources.

Man jailed for dealing with illegal cigarettes

They were caught at the Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS) building on Sept 10 last year, loading and unloading contraband cigarettes from several vehicles. A total of 2,421 cartons of duty unpaid cigarettes were later found in the building and seized. As it turned out, three shipments of such cigarettes arrived in Singapore in July, August and September last year.

Money would be collected and handed to a person known as "Indra" in Batam, Indonesia, as payment for these cigarettes. Yesterday, a runner in the scheme, Indonesian Atlis Suryanto, was jailed six months on one charge of dealing with the contraband goods for which the excise duty was not paid, and for taking a ferry to Batam to pass $30,000 to Indra.

 Two more similar charges in the $80,000 scheme were taken into consideration. The court heard that Atlis, 41, would arrive in Singapore before the shipment date to collect advance payment and contraband cigarette orders from a person known as "Ali" at the PKMS building. Atlis would then take the money out of Singapore and transfer it to Indra.

  Return to S'pore

 He would again return to Singapore on the date of the shipment to assist in loading, unloading and transporting the contraband cigarettes. For each shipment, he received a $150 commission from Ali and 5 million rupiah (S$670) from Indra. Four others - all Singaporean - involved in the scheme have been dealt with, receiving jail terms from six to 30 months. In a mitigation letter to the judge, Atlis, who was unrepresented, said he was a sole breadwinner with three children and was sorry for his actions.

Woodland Hills anti-smoking activist declared a nuisance

A man who fought against secondhand smoke by spraying smokers with water as they lounged by a pool is being evicted from an apartment complex in Woodland Hills. A Van Nuys Superior Court jury agreed on Tuesday that John Birke, who has lived with his wife and daughter at the Oakwood Apartments for nearly 20 years, caused a nuisance when he wet smokers with water two years ago using a spray bottle. In 2011, Birke also took pictures of teenagers smoking by the pool, in an effort to force Oakwood Worldwide to establish rules for smokers in a common area of the complex. His daughter, 11, and wife both suffer from asthma, he said.

"I was stunned and then as I thought about it, I thought it was an absolute obscenity," Birke said Wednesday of the verdict. "This is is the culmination of Oakwood's efforts for the last 10 years to harass and intimidate us with their lawyers all because we had the audacity to ask repeatedly for them to make some area of their 20 acre property nonsmoking so my asthmatic daughter can use the pool." Birke, an attorney, said he will move from the complex, but he plans to appeal the decision. In a statement, Oakwood Worldwide officials said they are pleased with the outcome. "Our top priority is to provide a comfortable and safe living environment for our guests," said Oakwood spokeswoman Sharron Saunders.

"We have voluntarily taken steps in order to accommodate the vast needs of our guests, allowing everyone to enjoy the amenities offered at the property. Clearly, the jury understood." She said Oakwood facilities would adhere to government policies on where residents can and cannot smoke. "Oakwood will continue to abide by all state and local laws regarding smoking policy and restrictions," she said. While Los Angeles has been at the forefront in banning smoking in restaurants, bars, at farmer's markets, parks and even near food trucks, the laws stop short from prohibiting smokers lighting up in apartment complexes. In 2006, Calabasas was the first to ban lighting up in all public places, apartment common areas, restaurants and bars.

City officials also ruled two years ago that 80 percent of all apartments must be permanently designated nonsmoking units this year. Other cities such as Burbank and Pasadena have followed in an effort to prevent unwanted secondhand smoke across the city, including parks, parking lots, enclosed public areas and common areas in apartment buildings. Birke, an attorney, has said he is not against smokers but says there is much evidence that secondhand smoke is a health threat and a public nuisance. In the 1990s, he collaborated with S.A.F.E, or Smokefree Air For Everyone, one of the groups that convinced the Los Angeles City Council to vote to ban smoking inside restaurants. "To the best of my knowledge, (this) has never happened before," said Esther Schiller, with S.A.F.E.

"This situation sounds to me like retaliatory eviction and that the jury believed the wrong people. It will make it more difficult for people who are breathing a neighbor's tobacco smoke to complain to management." Others said laws in Los Angeles are protective of tenants enough that someone can't be removed just for complaining about smoking, but it was Birke's behavior that led to his eviction. "It sounds like this man got frustrated and took the law into his own hands," said Jim Clarke, executive director for the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles.

"In these situations, when it's one against a number of people, that person becomes a nuisance." Birke has filed several lawsuits against Oakwood, one on behalf of his daughter, and one for his wife, saying their rights were violated because secondhand smoke is a public nuisance that violates their rights. Both cases are pending. "I'll keep going until the last court makes the very last decision," Birke said.

Smoking in pregnancy makes for obese children

Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to have higher BMI and waist circumference in early adulthood than those whose mothers did not smoke during pregnancy, a Queensland study shows.

In a study of more than 2000 young adults in Brisbane, researchers at the School of Population Health, University of Queensland, investigated the prospective association of maternal smoking during pregnancy with young adult cardiovascular risk factors.

Their findings, published in PLOS One, showed that the offspring of mothers who smoked during pregnancy had greater mean BMI, waist circumference and pulse rate and they were at greater risk of being obese at 21 years compared to offspring of those mothers who never smoked.

Smoking ban gets little sympathy

Recently many commercials on TV and radio complain that the law which prohibits smoking in public places doesn't protect waitresses in saloons, bartenders and such from the harm of second hand smoke. Has anyone heard of second hand smoke causing the beating of a wife or child, auto collisions that kill and maim thousands annually, bar fights, people killing in rages, careers being destroyed, or people to pass out in gutters?

In the 1920s the unsympathetic American people proved that all the deaths, beatings and ruined lives caused by alcohol, weren't sufficient cause for them to give up their booze, so the alcohol industry thrives and many profit from it. Those employed in the industry appear to be totally careless of the evils of alcohol; yet they want sympathy and protection from smoke.

 I am for the banning of smoking in public places, but I just can't muster up sympathy for people who complain about suffering from an evil which threatens them while they are in the course of personally profiting from what they must know is an even greater evil.

Clean Up Your Act with E-Cigs

Smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes has long been called a "dirty habit." But aside from staining everything from lungs to teeth to walls and clothes, how dirty is it? Does it really qualify as an environmental issue? A cigarette butt can take a full ten years to decompose, according to a recent National Geographic article. We all see them everywhere. Just glance down the next time you are at a bus stop or outside the entrance to a restaurant or shopping mall that bans smoking inside.

They look ugly, and they are also doing ugly things to the Earth as they release the toxins they contain into the ground. Parents of toddlers and dog owners must be ever vigilant; if one cigarette butt gets into the mouth of their child or dog, it could be a serious health emergency. Clearly, cigarette butts are an environmental hazard. And of course, with e-cigs there is no butt to throw on the ground. Even the packaging cigarettes come in is a problem.

While many smokers are considerate and don't throw their packages on the ground, it is way too common to see someone peel the clear plastic wrapper off of their pack of cigarettes and toss it aside as they walk along. "Electronic cigarettes just don't involve this kind of littering potential," explained Chad Maynard, spokesperson for ElectronicCigarette.net. "Users normally carry the device in a case with no parts or wrappers to worry about. Single-use versions do exist, but for the most part, there is not a lot to wind up in the garbage or the gutter. These devices are a much cleaner option."

Pot-smoking moms tired of being judged by wine drinker

You are adult smoker? Than buy cigarettes online from Europe.

Every night, Margaret’s two boys fly into the house after sports practice and flip on the TV, while she races to the kitchen to get dinner cooking. “It’s that tedious witching hour when I feel incredibly frazzled,” says the Tennessee singer/songwriter mom of a 6- and an 8-year-old. But instead of pouring herself a glass or two of merlot, she heads to the standalone garage next to their house for a few puffs of Humboldt Kush, one of the four strains of pot she smokes seven days a week. The drug helps her keep focus on the giant statue of popsicle sticks she’s building with her kids and relaxes her so she can get through the rest of the night without stressing.

“It can make folding a pile of laundry fun,” says Margaret, 45, who asked that we not use her last name for fear of getting in trouble with the law. “If I didn’t smoke, that’d be three piles later in the week.” Still, she doesn’t flaunt her marijuana use. Her sons aren’t allowed to go into the room where she keeps the drugs locked up, and she hides it from other moms who would keep their kids away if they knew she smoked pot. “Being judged for doing something nontoxic and totally organic, enjoying a god-given plant, by moms who suck back two bottles of Chardonnay like sports drinks feels like s---,” complains Margaret.

“Any hypocrisy is hard to swallow. A drunk mother is pathetic and I often leave parties when I experience other mothers tying one on.” Margaret isn’t the only pot-smoking mom tired of being judged by moms who religiously drink glasses of wine or “mommy juice.” Recently, one mom stirred up some controversy when she admitted to parenting while stoned in an essay on Jezebel.com. Today, the group Moms for Marijuana International has more than 18,000 likes on Facebook.

“No matter what you use, you shouldn’t be judged if it works for you, you’re productive, and you do no harm,” says Diane Fornbacher, co-vice chair of the Women’s Alliance at NORML, the non-profit lobbying organization working to legalize marijuana. “Marijuana parents aren’t perfect, but they’re far less imperfect than parents who use alcohol irresponsibly. Cannabis can influence people to be nicer to one another. You rarely find a story that says two stoners beat each other up outside of a bar.”

Reducing New Hampshire’s cigarette tax was a huge mistake

Nicotine is a powerful addiction. Once the habit is formed, it is extremely difficult to quit even though the benefits of quitting smoking are well-known: a decreased risk of heart attack, stroke, lung disease and smoking-related cancers. These diseases have terrible individual burdens and high societal cost. In addition to the individual and social cost of tobacco-related illness, diseases associated with smoking are an expensive burden on our health care system. Treatment for these diseases costs nearly $600 million a year in New Hampshire.

 Over the past decade, as New Hampshire increased cigarette taxes several times, the state’s population of smokers declined somewhat. It remains relatively high among adults, however; at 19 percent, it is the second-highest rate in New England. We have been more successful among young smokers, where smoking rates declined from 25 percent to 16 percent from 2001 to 2009. Those high school students who do smoke are addicted, as 40 percent say they would like to quit, and 52 percent have actually tried to quit. The public health strategy to fight tobacco use is twofold: prevent new smokers and help current smokers reduce or stop smoking. Both strategies are greatly helped by high cigarette prices.

The evidence supporting cost as a barrier is clear and significant. For every 10 percent increase in tobacco price, 7 percent fewer youths initiate tobacco use, and 4 percent of adults actually quit. While New Hampshire’s smoking rates have been heading in the right direction in recent years, aided by rising cigarette prices, what did our current Legislature do? For first time in history, the Legislature decreased the cigarette tax. Legislative leadership promised the economy would benefit if cigarette prices dropped by 10 cents a pack. Our representatives and senators clearly hoped we would sell more cigarettes, which is bad public health policy. The Legislature’s decision to lower cigarette taxes goes against sound public health policy because they wanted to sell more cigarettes. Selling more cigarettes equals higher disease burdens and costs for New Hampshire citizens.

 In some ways, it is fortunate that the Legislature’s economic policy did not lead to more cigarettes being sold. Cigarette companies did not drop the price for retailers and smokers; they simply kept the additional money as extra profits. Smokers continued to buy cigarettes while New Hampshire lost $20 million in revenue. The citizens of New Hampshire gave a $20 million gift to cigarette companies, money that could have gone to anti-smoking programs, reaping financial benefits for taxpayers many times over.

Instead we gave them $20 million in corporate welfare and did nothing to improve the public’s health. It is ironic that the Legislature has been attempting to pass intrusive bills that would dictate to physicians the clinical practice of medicine when, at the same time, they are making it more difficult for physicians and other health professionals to implement time-honored and proven public health strategies such as decreasing tobacco use. Decreasing the tobacco tax was a mistake. It was a $20 million gift to the cigarette makers and dreadful public health policy. We certainly hope the next Legislature will remedy this expensive mistake.

Smoking to be outlawed in Shen parks

All Shenandoah parks and city-maintained green spaces may soon become tobacco free following the decision by members of the Shenandoah City Council to have an ordinance drawn up on the issue by Shenandoah Attorney Bob Norris. Nikki Rengstorf, Page County Public Health Community Transformation Grant coordinator, who was there on behalf of the Shenandoah Park Board, addressed members of the council. Rengstorf said parks are established to promote a healthy lifestyle and as a way to improve the quality of life for area youth, yet that is diminished by having tobacco users in the park smoking. Second-hand smoke and litter were two other tobacco-related issued Rengstorf addressed.

She said tobacco litter is huge issue in city parks. For example, she, a co-worker and two others took a 15-minute sweep of three city parks and picked up three bags of cigarette butts, cigarette packages and lighters. “Each cigarette contains 10 to 30 milligrams of nicotine and a cigarette butt contains .1 to 1.5 milligrams of nicotine. If a child would ingest just one cigarette, it is lethal, and if you would ingest one cigarette butt, it is toxic,” said Rengstorf. If placed in affect, Rengstorf said the tobacco free policy at parks and green spaces would go hand-in-hand with the city’s tobacco free buildings and vehicles, as well as the tobacco free school campuses.

As for how to enforce such an ordinance, Rengstorf recommended signs, purchased by the CTG, be placed within those areas, as well as educating the community that it is no longer allowed, which PCPH would also help with. “We don’t need people patrolling the parks,” Rengstorf explained. She added if a person is smoking in a park once it is prohibited, the person could be politely asked to leave the park, as it is against the city’s ordinance. City maintained green spaces that would be included in the ordinance include the Bricker Botanical Garden, downtown streetscape nodes, and Flatiron. Council member Bob Burchett made the motion to have Norris draw up an ordinance to be presented before the council for their approval at a future council meeting. Council member Don Gibson seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

A Big Mistake In Obama's War on Medical Marijuana

For over a year now, the Obama Administration has been steadily escalating its assault on medical marijuana. What was already a mess has been getting worse from one week to the next, and each new attack revives the question of whether the feds have finally taken things too far. If we aren't there yet, we may well be getting pretty damn close. As the Huffington Post reported last week: SAN FRANCISCO --

An Oakland medical marijuana dispensary that has been billed as the largest pot shop on the planet has been targeted for closure by federal prosecutors in Northern California, suggesting that a crackdown on the state's medical marijuana industry remains well under way. U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag has threatened to seize the Oakland property where Harborside Health Center has operated since 2006, as well as its sister shop in San Jose, executive director and co-founder Steve DeAngelo said Wednesday. His employees found court papers announcing asset forfeiture proceedings against Harborside's landlords taped to the doors at the two locations on Tuesday.

 What makes this event stand out is Harborside's unparalleled reputation for safety, security and compliance with local laws. The decision to target them contradicts an April interview in which President Obama told Rolling Stone that enforcement efforts focused only on dispensaries that illegally sold marijuana for non-medical use. Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated that position last month, saying, "We limit our enforcement efforts to those individuals, organizations that are acting out of conformity with state law."

He added that dispensaries may also be targeted if they are too close to a school, and indeed, numerous dispensaries have been shut down for operating within 1,000 feet of a school, even in the absence of any actual problems or complaints. Yet Harborside is not located within 1,000 feet of a school, nor has the organization ever been accused of violating state or local laws. To the contrary, the group is nationally-recognized as the leading example of a well-run, well-regulated medical marijuana provider. National news outlets routinely feature stock footage from inside the facility, where cameras have always been welcome. The group has operated like an open book from the beginning, believing that a transparent and responsible approach would lend legitimacy to the industry.

KT&G, BAT Korea release new cigarettes

KT&G and British American Tobacco Korea have released new products on Monday. KT&G said it has produced an apple-scented menthol cigarette named “Esse Sense Apple Mint,” which will be on sale starting Wednesday. It consists of 1.0 mg of tar and 0.1mg of nicotine per pack. The price is 2,800 won ($2.43).

 “Due to consumer demands for a different type of menthol cigarettes, we have come up with an apple-scented product that is high in menthol but low in tar,” a company official said. Meanwhile, BAT Korea released “Dunhilll Fine Cut Slims” in which tobacco leaves are half the size of previous products, increasing the mildness of cigar.

 The tobacco will be presented in two versions depending on the amount of tar concentration. The white version contains 1.0mg of tar whereas the wine version contains 5.0mg, according to the company report. The price is 2,700 won ($2.35).

Secondhand smoke linked to Type 2 diabetes

Adults who are exposed to secondhand smoke have higher rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes than do nonsmokers without environmental exposure to tobacco smoke, a new study shows. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. “More effort needs to be made to reduce exposure of individuals to secondhand smoke,” said study co-author Theodore C. Friedman, MD, PhD, chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Charles R. Drew University, Los Angeles.

Studies have shown an association between cigarette smoking and an increased rate of Type 2 diabetes despite the fact that most smokers are leaner than nonsmokers and obesity is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. Although some studies have suggested a relationship between Type 2 diabetes and passive, or secondhand, smoking, Friedman said these studies have not verified exposure to secondhand smoke through serum (blood) levels of cotinine. Cotinine is a metabolite of nicotine, and serum cotinine measures a person’s exposure to tobacco smoke.

In their current study, Friedman and his fellow researchers used serum cotinine levels to verify passive smoking. They examined data from more than 6,300 adults who participated from 2001 to 2006 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population. The investigators defined current smokers, which made up 25 percent of the sample, as survey participants who reported that they smoke cigarettes and who had a measured serum cotinine level greater than 3 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).

Nonsmokers (41 percent of the sample) were those who answered “no” to the question “Do you smoke cigarettes?” and who had a cotinine level below 0.05 ng/mL. Participants who answered “no” to this question but whose cotinine level was above 0.05 ng/mL were defined as secondhand “smokers” (34 percent). In analyzing these groups, the researchers controlled for age, sex, race, alcohol consumption and physical activity.

They found that, compared with nonsmokers, secondhand smokers had a higher measure of insulin resistance, a condition that can lead to Type 2 diabetes; higher levels of fasting blood glucose, or blood sugar; and a higher hemoglobin A1c, a measure of blood sugar control over the past three months. Secondhand smokers also had a higher rate of Type 2 diabetes, as defined by a hemoglobin A1c greater than 6.5 percent. Secondhand smokers had a similar rate of diabetes to that of current smokers, according to Friedman.

Man busted for smoking marijuana in bowling alley bathroom

A 19-year-old man found to be smoking marijuana in a bowling alley bathroom has been arrested and charged with possession. The incident occurred June 20 at Fort Walton Beach Bowling Center. Employees saw the man smoking marijuana in the bathroom and called the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

A deputy arrived and asked the man if he had any illegal narcotics in his possession. He said he didn't, and gave the deputy permission to search him. The deputy found a rolled marijuana cigarette in his rear pants pocket. It tested positive for marijuana. The man was charged with marijuana possession - not more than 20 grams. His court date is July 10.

If you smoke tobacco, than try to buy cigarettes from this shop.

Quit Smoking in 60 Seconds with Quit Smoking Resource QuitFullStop

Quit smoking website QuitFullStop is throwing down the gauntlet to ex-smokers with its latest online competition, Quit Smoking in 60 Seconds, in which people are invited to share a short personal account of their quit story on camera. The competition, in association with Virgin Experience Days, launches this week for the remainder of June until late July; it expresses the core motives of the website, which are to encourage smokers to explore available routes away from nicotine dependency and to a healthier lifestyle for the foreseeable future.

The premise of the competition is thus: an ex-smoker will create a 60-second video diary detailing when, and how they kicked the habit in exchange for entry to a prize draw for a Virgin Experience Day gift card to the value of £200. The catalogue of video responses is to be represented as informative show reels and interactive data to website subscribers, to add a new dimension to written and visual quit smoking documentation present onsite.

Park visitors react to 'no smoking' sign

The new 'no smoking' sign has only been up a few day at Parishville's Town Park and so far, park officials say they've only received positive reaction. "I think it's great. I mean, we have young children. We're a family trying to use this space and it's nice to not have to polluted with smoke in the air that we're in," said Christina Bailey, a visitor to Parishville's Town Park. Town officials say it's been a long time coming and after a unanimous decision, the signs were put up on Monday, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday week.

They say smokers will not be confronted, but are asked to not use any tobacco products on the beach, in the arena or in the picnic area. And one smoker we spoke with says those requests are within reason. Adam Gonyea said, "They let us come here and party before the beach opens and when it opens, we've got to step off the sand to have a cigarette. No big deal." But not everyone feels that way. In fact, they believe these signs are a huge deal. Members of C.L.A.S.H., a group which advocates smoker's rights, say these signs are not backed by any piece of legislation.

Instead, they say it's government officials' ideology being forced on everyone else. Audrey Silk is the founder of C.L.A.S.H. Silk said, "You can't just put up signs willy nilly because you feel like it. That's not how democracy works and that's not what we expect out of our government." The group has filed a lawsuit against New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to get their point across. They want the signs taken down. "It's not even about smoking anymore per say. It's about respect for the citizenry. The minority deserved equal protection," said Silk. But Bailey said, "I think it’s their rights, but I don't think they should take their rights and put it on other people, which is what I think smoking is." And while some may disagree, the general consensus from smokers and non-smokers at the park is obeying the signs is a matter of respect.

How a smoking fake cigarette brought the M6 to a grinding halt

An electronic cigarette was to blame for a terror alert that closed the M6 toll road for more than four hours yesterday. Bomb disposal experts and counter-terrorism officers were scrambled to the motorway near Lichfield after a passenger on the Megabus service from Preston to London reported seeing vapour coming from a man's bag at around 8am. The 48 passengers, including at least one young boy, were led from the coach and walked about 300 yards to a cordoned-off area on a closed carriageway.

Witnesses described how they came off the coach "one by one holding their arms up" to prove they were not armed. They were then surrounded by officers and searched. Initial reports suggested that a passenger had been spotted pouring liquid into a bag, which was giving off fumes. Officers trained for chemical, biological and nuclear attacks were sent to the site and decontamination units were set up as part of the pre-prepared response to a major incident. The closure caused long tailbacks and delays, with both carriageways closed for more than four hours.

Nick Jones, who was stopped on the motorway for more than an hour and a half, said that police warned him to stay in his car, keep his windows closed and not to use air conditioning. "I was beginning to feel a little uneasy," he told the BBC. "I was beginning to look around for an escape route." Police later confirmed there was no terror threat. "The information received concerned a report of vapour escaping from a bag which on investigation turned out to be a health improvement aid for smokers," said a Staffordshire Police spokeswoman. "We can now confirm that, whilst this was a genuine security alert, the significant concerns reported to us were unfounded."

 The operation was mounted amid heightened concerns of a terrorist attack in the run-up to the Olympics and Paralympics. Armed Response Unit: Marksmen arrive in an Audi A6. Inside, a locker holds firearms – from Heckler & Koch pistols to Tasers. Propped against a marked vehicle is a bullet-proof shield. Decontamination tent: Part of the Incident Response Unit, this shower tent is used to clear contaminants. Each one can process 150 people an hour and each unit carries two facilities.

 Incident Response Units: Designed for chemical, biological or nuclear attacks, these trucks carry yellow crates, unloaded with a forklift, containing decontamination equipment. Passenger pen: Standard protocol meant that passengers had to walk slowly and individually from the bus while surrounded by armed officers, then sit in rows in a taped-off square. Royal Logistic Corps Bomb Disposal truck: These carry remote-controlled robots used to probe suspicious packages. The "Bomb Disposal" signs can be taken off so as not to cause alarm. Major incident response: The phone call from the coach driver led to at least two police forces, two fire brigades and a military unit being involved – an estimated 200 personnel.

Feed Your Head with Knowledge Not Hookah

Merlyn Griffiths is dazzled by the beauty of hookah pipes. But, she has learned, even beautiful things can be dangerous. Griffiths, a marketing professor in the Bryan School of Business and Economics at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has spent years researching the allure of hookah for young people. And how to counter misleading messages and misinformation about the growing phenomenon. “Hookah pipes are gorgeous, elemental works of art, but we’re sitting at the threshold, the beginning, if you will, of what could be an epidemic,” she says.

“Let’s put the truth about what the consequences are in front of the public more clearly, more visibly. There’s a perpetuation of myths around smoking tobacco this way and I hope to demystify the whole process.” And part of the myth of hookah is that it is safer than cigarettes. Not so, says Griffiths, who published an article about the need for awareness and regulation of hookah in The Journal of Public Policy and Marketing. Another article by Griffiths and Eric Ford, a UNCG colleague, will appear in the Journal of Social Work and Public Health in 2013. Hookah smokers take in the equivalent of 100 cigarettes during just one hookah smoking session, which might last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, says Griffiths.

Not to mention the added risk from the charcoal used to burn the tobacco, and the risk of contracting diseases like herpes, hepatitis and tuberculosis through shared mouthpieces. Perhaps the biggest myth about hookah is the belief held by most smokers that the water used in the hookah filters out the dangerous compounds found in tobacco. But studies have found hookah smoke to contain high levels of aerosols and other heavy metals, she says. Tar compounds are not water soluble, and the same dangerous compounds in cigarette smoke are found in the hookah smoke. Add in the carbon monoxide and other byproducts of burning charcoal and you have what Griffiths calls a real health crisis.

 Griffiths collects hookah charcoals, which she plans to send to a lab for analysis. Hookah charcoals tend to have exotic names like Sultan and Cleopatra; ingredients are almost never disclosed on the packaging or are listed in Arabic. The hookah, an ornately crafted smoking apparatus, originated more than 500 years ago in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa, and is becoming increasingly trendy in the U.S., especially around college campuses. If you are unfamiliar with the hookah, just picture the smoking caterpillar in “Alice in Wonderland.”

 The hookah is traditionally a “male-driven, male-practiced kind of ritual typical in Mediterranean cultures,” she says. This has made it particularly popular in frat houses and among servicemen who encounter it overseas. Griffiths has identified more than 1,100 hookah businesses across the country. In Greensboro alone, just follow the signs to Smoke Rings Hookah Headquarters, Hookah Hook-up, Petra Hooka, 2 Arabian Nights Hookah Lounge, Al-Basah Hookah Lounge, and Sky High Hookah Lounge and Smoke Shop. Griffiths first encountered the hookah phenomenon in 2005. She was completing her PhD at the University of California at Irvine, when a young man participating in her dissertation study told her he was hanging out at hookah bars.

Curious, she asked him to take her along one evening. “I was there for four hours, but I never smoked,” she says. “I left him and his friends there still smoking. It was sort of like a happy hour for hipsters and college students. “How do you frame messages to fit the behavior?” she asks, looking to counteract advertising messages designed to draw college students. “We can’t create the right messages until we understand what the behavior is.”

 And so, without taking a puff on the hookah, Griffiths was hooked. She was fascinated by its history, its beauty, and its skyrocketing popularity in the U.S. Most importantly, she wanted to fully understand its attraction for young people, how they use it, and the health risks it poses. “My mom says I’m on a mission to tear hookah apart,” she says. “Tearing it apart is one thing, but educating consumers about the consequences of this consumption choice is actually what I intend to do.”