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18 Oct 2011 00:33

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U.S.: CDC: America goes big or goes home when it comes to vices

  • $150B the yearly burden to society caused by lazy people who don’t exercise
  • $193B the yearly burden to society caused by smokers; *cough* *cough*
  • $224B the yearly burden to society caused by  “binge drinking,” our nation’s pasttime source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jul 2011 13:39

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Politics: Study: Correlation between secondhand smoke, early hearing loss

  • Further research is needed to demonstrate a causal link, but in the meantime to protect your child’s hearing, and health, it would be advisable to avoid smoking around them.
  • Dr. Ralph Holme, of Action on Hearing Loss • Speaking about recent studies which indicate a strong correlation between the secondhand smoke exposure of teenagers, and hearing loss. The doctor makes a very worthwhile point when he emphasizes further research is needed — the distinction between correlation and causation is something we feel is too often overlooked in media coverage of health-related studies. That said, his conclusion is still the prudent one; put the cigarette out when you’re hanging out with kids and teens. Seeing as this is hardly the only risk associated with smoking on the whole, this probably isn’t a case where a slew of new studies need to come out to warrant some lifestyle adjustments. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2011 14:09

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World: In Iceland, you might need a prescription to smoke

  • Your doctor may have to give you the go-ahead if you want to keep up the habit. Officials are hoping to do this as an effort to get people to quit. Recently, they’ve raised taxes on cigarettes and they’re on the way to banning them in many public places. Under the proposal, smokers would have to go through treatment programs to try to kick their habit. If they couldn’t pull it off, they’d get prescribed cigarettes. This seems like a bit far to reach, if you ask us, and it could create a black market because it’s so restrictive. Regardless, it should help people quit, should this measure pass —because that’s a lot of trouble to go through for a smoke. (photo via Flickr user mamagrrl) source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jun 2011 14:41

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U.S.: FDA issues graphic warnings to help smokers quit

  • Starting next year, cigarettes Will have to put warnings like this on all their packs. The graphic warnings will cover up about half of the pack — both front and back. (For a slideshow of the graphic images, check here.) They should hit around September of next year. While the FDA says that this will help people quit, others say smokers are already aware of the risk they take when they light up. It’s also worth noting that other countries have had much harsher warnings on their cigarettes for years, and studies have shown they’ve helped people quit smoking. Either way, tobacco companies aren’t happy with this, and neither are many smokers. What do you think? source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 17:23

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World: Smokers of the world, quit! Today is “World No Tobacco Day”

  • Never a bad time: The new, concerning report on cell phone use isn’t the only place you’ll hear the word “carcinogenic” being used today; May 31st is World No Tobacco Day, a cause that could probably benefit from a slightly less clunky title. The World Health Organization estimates that some 6 million people die each year from tobacco-related illness. Anti-smoking measures within the U.S. have blossomed over the last decade, with smoking bans in public places, restaurants, and bars becoming more and more prevalent across the states — check here for a list of smoking bans applicable in your area. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2011 20:57

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U.S.: Nanny state: People up in arms about the smoking in “Rango”

  • 100+ number of scenes where characters smoke in the just-released animated flick “Rango”
  • 60 number of smoking scenes in “101 Dalmations,” the only other animated film that comes close source
  • » Won’t someone please think of the CHILD-REN?! Some groups are coming out against the Johnny Depp film as a result, saying that there are so many scenes of characters smoking in “Rango,” they need a DVD to get a firm number. “A lot of kids are going to start smoking because of this movie,” said Stanton Glantz, an anti-tobacco activist and official at the University of California-San Francisco. While they have a point, is it really worth all this hand-wringing?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Feb 2011 23:17

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U.S.: New rules pose problems for cigarette-loving surgeons

  • If you’re an unemployed smoker, don’t bother trying to be a nurse. Around the country, hospitals are implementing no-smoking-allowed policies for their employees, subjecting new applicants to urine tests and treating smoking as a terminable offense. This isn’t entirely without merit: an average smoker costs their employer about $3,391 per year in health costs and lost productivity. On the other hand, it may set a troublesome precedent for other lifestyle choices that result in higher-than-average health costs (skiing, eating meat from Taco Bell). Oddly, though both the SEIU and the tobacco lobby have voiced opposition to the law, neither are aggressively campaigning against it. (thanks for the tip, toutlejour)  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

31 Jan 2011 14:44

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U.S.: Senator Schumer doesn’t want you to snort “bath salts”

  • loophole Seeking legal ways to get loaded, some have turned to “bath salts” that produce meth-like results when snorted, injected, or smoked.
  • closing… Senator Chuck Schumer has proposed a bill to ban them, placing them on par with other federally controlled substances. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Dec 2010 11:10

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U.S.: Federal health officials: Smoking causes immediate negative effects

  • cause Federal health officials say that smoking causes immediate damage in people’s lungs and DNA (even at tiny amounts), and must be prevented.
  • reaction The Obama administration (which includes a president that still smokes) will redouble its efforts to get people to stop smoking. Start with the president, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Nov 2010 22:20

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World: WHO: Second-hand smoke kills hundreds of thousands each year

  • 600,000 the number of people worldwide who die each year as a result of second-hand smoking (cough, cough)
  • 165,000 the number of children killed each year by second-hand smoke; they’re most heavily exposed to it source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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