Study: A few extra pounds for quitters is ok

People who have quit smoking have a lower chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke than current smokers, even if they put on a few extra pounds in the process, according to an international study.

The long-term cardiovascular benefits of kicking the smoking habit have been well-established, but researchers whose report appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that it’s been unclear how the weight gain that often accompanies quitting fits into the picture.

“Weight gain is a real concern for smokers who want to quit and this might not only be an aesthetic one,” said Carole Clair, from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Parliament cigarettes.

“Overweight and obesity are risk factors for coronary heart disease, and it has been a concern that especially among people already at risk for (cardiovascular disease), weight gain following smoking cessation might cancel or at least decrease the benefits of smoking cessation,” she added.

Smokers’ heart rate and other body functions are revved up by nicotine, which may cause them to burn slightly more calories than nonsmokers — so when they quit, their metabolisms slow down.

Recent quitters tend to compensate for nicotine withdrawal by snacking, according to Clair — hence the weight gain.

She and her colleagues analyzed data from a long-term study of 3,251 people who took health surveys every four years between 1984 and 2011. At the onset, just under one-third of those participants were smokers.

Over an average of 25 years, 631 of all participants suffered a heart attack or stroke, or developed heart failure or another type of cardiovascular disease.

Both people who said they’d quit smoking since their last check-in, and longer-term quitters, were about half as likely to have heart problems as those who were still using cigarettes.

Quitters gained an average of 2.7 to 3.6 kilograms (6 to 8 pounds) after kicking the habit, consistent with past research. But quit-related weight gain had no clear effect on cardiovascular health, the team wrote.

“It’s an understandable concern — might that weight gain offset the benefits that are known for quitting smoking?” said Michael Fiore from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, who co-wrote a commentary published with the study.

“This is a good news story. You can be assured that if you quit smoking, even with a little bit of weight gain, you’re going to achieve important health benefits.”

He and colleague Timothy Baker pointed out in their commentary that the new study couldn’t zero in on the small proportion of people who gain more than 9 kilograms (20 pounds) during a quit attempt. It’s possible those former smokers might still be at risk for health problems tied to weight gain.

Even if adding a few kilos seems to be okay heart-wise, Fiore said there are steps quitters can take to try to keep off extra weight.

“We know that nicotine is an appetite suppressant, and when people quit smoking they often have an urge to eat more food,” he said. “What we need to do is ensure that the foods we’re eating are low-fat, low-calories foods.”

In addition, building a little more exercise into daily routines can also blunt weight gain, while nicotine gums or lozenges might also help keep weight gain under control.

Worcestershire County Council workers can light up in shelters for the time being

WORCESTERSHIRE County Council won’t be following the example of their hospital colleagues in banning smoking among staff – for now.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals’ NHS Trust last week announced a blanket ban on its staff, contractors and volunteers lighting up in the grounds of its three county hospitals.
From 2015, patients and visitors will also be prevented from lighting up on site.
But despite a plea from Councillor Andy Roberts, chairman of the county council’s health overview and scrutiny committee, the council says staff at County Hall can continue to use its smoking shelters for the time being.Classic cigarettes.
“I welcome the news that Worcestershire Acute Hospitals’ NHS Trust aims to be smoke-free by 2015 and Coun Roberts raises a very pertinent point,” said Coun Marcus Hart, the county council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing.
“In my role as cabinet member and as chair of the Worcestershire Tobacco Control Alliance, I am very supportive of any measures that help reduce smoking and which make it no longer the norm.
“The smoking ban in public places in England and Scotland drew attention to the health burden of passive smoking and this has been an important part of improving the health of the UK population.
“Staff at County Hall are currently able to use smoking shelters if they wish and at this time this remains in place. I have raised the issue before and will continue to do it again to see what more the county council can do on its own premises.”
Coun Roberts said it would make sense for the county council to follow suit.
“We – the county council – are now responsible for public health,” he said.
“Now that the hospital has taken this initiative I think the county council should look at itself.”
The NHS Trust said its plan will support its “prevention message” to patients, as they will now be treated by staff not smelling of smoke.
The trust’s decision came at the same time as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) urg-ed the NHS to ban smoking on all hospital grounds across the country.

Bigger Prices for Cigarettes from Altria |

Bigger Prices for Cigarettes from Altria |

UMass Faculty Senate passes campus tobacco ban

Members of the University of Massachusetts Faculty Senate yesterday passed a proposition that aims to ban the use of all tobacco products on campus beginning in 2013.
The Senate approved of the proposal in a 14-7 vote, after several students spoke against it and some faculty members spoke in favor of it.
The policy – which won’t go into effect until July 1, 2013 – was brought forward to the Senate by the University Health Council. It calls for the prohibition of all tobacco products on University property. In addition, it bars tobacco use in any vehicles on school property, and also prohibits the use of electronic cigarettes.
Sen. Tobias Baskin, a professor of biology who serves as the chairman of the Health Council, said at the onset of discussions on the matter at yesterday’s meeting that statistics show tobacco use is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans each year, and that similar propositions have worked at many colleges across the country.
“It is reliably estimated that in America last year tobacco use killed more than 400,000 people,” Baskin said, adding that use of such products can make people susceptible to diseases and can lead to economic hardships.
Baskin also said studies show that students enrolled at tobacco-free universities are less likely to become smokers.
“There’s enough history with tobacco-free campuses that there [is] actually data,” he said. The proposal cites the Universities of Florida, Oregon and Michigan, as well as the UMass Medical School in Worcester as campuses with similar tobacco-free policies.
Additionally, Baskin noted that “the purpose of the policy is educational, not punitive.”
Baskin added later on during the discussions that the new policy will mostly be enforced on a voluntary basis. He likened it to when signs went up at the UMass Recreation Center instructing students not to dispose of gum in drinking fountains – which, he said, significantly decreased the practice.
“Mostly, people will comply voluntarily,” Baskin said, adding that it’s his understanding that 95 percent of people on campuses already with a tobacco-free policy voluntarily comply with regulations.
In addition to Baskin, Sen. Richard Bogartz, a professor of psychology, also spoke in favor of the ban. He said that he often feels “attacked” by cigarette smoke on campus, and that he thinks a state law that requires smokers to be at least 20 feet away from a building is often violated.
And Wilmore Webley, a professor of biology who has been spearheading many of the efforts behind the proposal, noted during the meeting that it’s hard to enforce rules that require smokers to be a certain distance from a structure. He also said that second-hand smoke affects many in the country.
“Second-hand smoke kills more Americans in any year than guns,” Webley said.
He added that the he feels a tobacco-free policy is “preserving everyone’s right,” noting that it doesn’t necessarily force smokers to quit because they can continue to smoke off-campus.
However, many students expressed their opposition to the proposal during the meeting, noting that it would be unrealistic to have all smokers go off-campus to smoke, and that they feel the policy infringes upon their rights.
Nathan Lamb, a political science major who also serves as a senator in the Student Government Association, said he feels parts of the policy entrench on individuals’ rights. He said that people should be allowed to smoke in their own cars when on campus – because it’s not affecting anyone else. He added that rather than issuing an ultimatum of sorts, the University should plan to work with students on such an initiative.
Ben Taylor, who is also a political science major, said that he doesn’t feel that instituting a prohibition policy will be very effective.
“We have found as a country that prohibition doesn’t work,” Taylor said, noting that it didn’t work with alcohol and that he doesn’t think it works with marijuana.
Taylor added that he doesn’t think the resolution will be enforceable. He also said that the policy would be unfair for UMass employees – who, like all students and guests on campus, would not be permitted to smoke on University property.
George Williams – a freshman English major who said he grew up under tough circumstances and smoked in middle school, but no longer smokes – told Senate members that sometimes when he was younger cigarettes were the only thing that got him through the day.
“The only thing that really kept me from killing myself was cigarettes,” said Williams, who noted that he is not in that condition anymore. “I know I really should have done something else, but I didn’t have the option.”
“You’re [going to] have deaths” with the policy, Williams added.
Other students – some of whom brought protest signs to the meeting – noted that such a policy could affect the University’s enrollment, that it oversteps regulatory lines and that it will force more people to smoke in hiding. Some students also vocally expressed their disapproval of some statements that were made during the meeting.
Sen. Norman Sims, a professor of journalism, brought forward a motion to have the Senate’s Program and Budget Council look at the proposal before going forward. That motion ultimately failed.
Besides gaining the approval of the Health Council, the proposition also got the go-ahead from the UMass Campus Leadership Council – which is composed of members of the administration – before being approved yesterday.
Additionally, the approved smoking ban proposal calls for the creation of a Tobacco-Free Campus Committee, which will be made up of members from the student and faculty body and will be charged with carrying out most of the implementation of the policy.
Secretary of the Senate Ernie May, who also served on the Health Council, said that members will be willing to meet with representatives from the Student Government Association to go over any concerns.
Faculty Senate Presiding Officer W. Brian O’Connor also noted that there are still two years until the policy goes into effect – which, he said, will allow for most people to have their say in the matter.
“We’ve got two years to work on this,” he said. “I’m convinced everyone will have their say.”

Young Children Recognize Cigarette Brands

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, examined the reach of tobacco and cigarette marketing among some of the world’s most vulnerable populations, sampling five and six year-old children from Brazil, China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Russia.  These countries were selected because they have the highest number of adult smokers among low- and middle-income countries.
“Previous studies show that children and adolescents who are highly exposed to pro-smoking messages are more likely to smoke,” said Dr. Dina Borzekowski, lead author of the Pediatrics study and research professor in the UMD SPH Department of Behavioral and Community Health. “It should be of great concern that the majority of very young children in our study were familiar with at least one cigarette brand.  Even in households without smokers, children could identify tobacco logos.”
The United States created stronger regulations for tobacco advertising in the 1990s after similar research found that six year olds were as familiar with Camel tobacco’s “Joe Camel” mascot as with the Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse.
“Regulations created by the World Health Organization to restrict tobacco advertising exist outside of the United States, but beyond our country’s borders these regulations may not be as effective,” Borzekowski explains, referring to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. “Multi-national tobacco companies appear to have moved their promotional efforts from high-income, industrialized countries to low- and middle-income countries where there are often weak tobacco control policies and poor enforcement.” While smoking is stabilizing or decreasing in wealthy countries, people in low and middle-income countries are taking up the habit at alarming rates. In China, for example, nearly one third of adults are cigarette smokers ( about 53 percent of men) , according to WHO data.
With five and six year-old children aware of domestic and international tobacco brands, there is a need to enforce stronger regulations in countries where tobacco companies have increased efforts to attract new users. When children are aware of logos, they are more likely to like and want those products. This is concerning when the products – such as tobacco – should not be used by children. Borzekowski and colleagues suggest changes including requiring larger graphic warning labels on cigarette packages. Additionally, they urge changes to limit children’s exposure to the point of sale of tobacco products, including establishing minimum distances between these retailers and places frequented by young children.
“This study reiterates that more needs to be done to reduce the ability of tobacco companies to market their products to children,” said co-author Dr. Joanna Cohen, director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Global Tobacco Control. “Countries can implement and enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including putting large picture warnings on the front and back of cigarette packs. Plain and standardized packaging, now required in Australia, also helps to reduce the attractiveness of cigarette packs among young children.”

Under Obamacare, large companies will punish employees who don’t quit smoking, lose weight

Employers tried the carrot, then a small stick. Now they are turning to bigger cudgels.
For years they encouraged workers to improve their health and productivity with free screenings, discounted gym memberships and gift cards to lose weight. More recently, a small number charged smokers slightly higher premiums to get them to quit.
Results for these plans were lackluster, and healthcare costs continued to soar. So companies are taking advantage of new rules under President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul in 2014 to punish smokers and overweight workers.
Some will even force employees to meet weight goals, quit smoking and provide very personal information or pay up to thousands more annually for healthcare. That could disproportionately affect the poor, who are more likely to smoke and can’t afford the higher fees.
Nearly 40 percent of large U.S. companies will use surcharges in 2014, such as higher insurance premiums or deductibles for individuals who do not complete company-set health goals, according to a survey of 892 employers released in September by human resources consultancy Towers Watson and National Business Group on Health, which represents large employers.
That is almost twice as many as the last time they did the survey in 2011, when only 19 percent of companies had such penalties. The number is expected to climb to two-thirds of employers by 2015.
Employers are getting much more aggressive about punishing workers who are overweight or have high cholesterol. A study released on Wednesday by the Obesity Action Coalition, an advocacy group, covered workers at more than 5,000 companies who must participate in their employer wellness programs to receive full health benefits. Sixty-seven percent also had to meet a weight-related health goal such as a certain body mass index.
Almost 60 percent of these workers received no coverage that paid for fitness training, dietitian counseling, obesity drugs or bariatric surgery to help achieve a body mass index under 25, which is considered healthy.
“Weight requirements are an effective way to make it harder for people with obesity to qualify for full health coverage,” said Ted Kyle, the study’s lead author and founder of Conscienhealth, a Pittsburgh-based company that advises other companies on obesity programs.
“Some programs can verge on discrimination,” he said.

Smoke-Free Homes Discouraged Smoking Overall

Adopt a smoke-free home.”
Maya Vijayaraghavan, MD, and John P. Pierce, PhD, from the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center, led this investigation into ways to reduce smoking in the US.
According to these researchers, laws that have made smoking illegal indoors have been one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking in the US.
For this study, the researchers looked at data from the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS), which is a monthly survey conducted by the US Census Bureau on people 15 and older not living in jail or a mental institution.
From 2006 to 2007, and over three separate surveys, 150,967 people aged 18 and older responded to the survey.
The researchers found that persons living below the federal poverty line were 38 percent more likely to have smoked more than 100 cigarettes over the course of their lifetimes than individuals living in moderate- to high-income households.
Persons living below the federal poverty line were 21 percent less likely to have quit smoking and twice as likely to be current smokers than individuals in moderate- to high-income households.
Smokers living in a home where smoking was not allowed smoked 35 percent fewer cigarettes per day than smokers living in a home where smoking was permitted.
Individuals living in a smoke-free home were more successful at quitting smoking compared with persons trying to quit in homes where smoking was permitted (7.9 percent versus 1.5 percent, respectively).
The authors of this study concluded that adopting a smoke-free home helped people either smoke fewer cigarettes per day or quit smoking altogether.
“We are telling people that if they really want to quit, then introducing a smoke-free home will help them be successful,” Dr. Pierce said in a press statement.
This study was published in October in the American Journal of Public Health.
The UC Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program provided funding for this project. No conflicts of interest were declared.

Outdoor smoking restrictions in Toronto parks approved by committee

Toronto’s parks and environment committee unanimously endorsed a plan to restrict outdoor smoking in city parks.

The report, which had already been endorsed by Toronto’s Board of Health, is part of a comprehensive plan to restrict smoking in outdoor locations in the same way legislation currently restricts smoking in bars and restaurants.

The more controversial elements of the policy are going forward either slowly or through requests to other levels of government.

The proposed smoking ban in city parks – which would prevent smokers from lighting up within nine metres of an amenity – went through the parks committee easily.

“I don’t want to kiss an ashtray and I don’t want to play in one either,” said committee chair Giorgio Mammoliti, who supported the matter.

In the past, Mammoliti has been more skeptical about smoking bans. In the 1990s prior to amalgamation, Mammoliti led the charge to overturn a smoking ban in bars and restaurants in the former municipality of North York.

But at the committee, he said the argument for going slow on anti-smoking measures is out of date.

“There was a time when some of us who’ve been around a long time recognized there was an argument economically,” said Mammoliti. “But that was when the other municipalities weren’t banning smoking and Toronto wanted to set an example.”

Deputations to the committee all agreed smoking in parks was bad for the health of parks users and also, at sports fields, set a bad example for young people.

“Smoking on the sidelines does not mix with a quality sports experience,” said Jeff Carmichael of the Toronto Sports Council.

He said his organization supported the ban, noting most sporting events ban smoking in city parks already. A ban, he said, would make the behaviour easier to enforce.

Beaches-East York Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon called the decision “a no-brainer health-wise.”

The ban would also make it unlawful to smoke at public beaches, as well as within nine metres of sporting field, shelters and picnic areas.

The matter will go to Toronto Council in November.

Sick of attacks on smokers

PEOPLE asked whether they favour any move to protect children from danger will surely agree, naturally assuming the problem to exist. Your report (News, September 29) of 75 per cent public support for a smoking ban in children’s play areas is a typical example of such manipulation employed by Ash Scotland, who commissioned the poll.
Predictably, they offer no evidence. From personal ­observation of a number of playgrounds near me, I’d say that’s because none exists, but I invite Ash to prove me wrong.
The stipulation of a ban “in” play areas suggests enclosure, but this is not always the case, apart from which there would be nothing to stop smokers standing outside any fence.
I consider paying a great deal of money to draw in air and blow out smoke ridiculous behaviour, but it’s legal – and it gives many people pleasure – and I for one am sick and tired of groups like Ash campaigning for ever more restriction on freedom of choice.

PCC administration submits new smoking restriction proposal

Pima Community College may implement a policy to restrict smoking, e-cigarette and tobacco products to designated areas on campus.
PCC administration submitted the proposal to the PCC Governing Board Wednesday night.
Board Policy 2304 limits smoking, e-cigarette and tobacco product use to designated outside areas on PCC property, in order to compliance with the Smoke-Free Arizona Act and related Pima County code provisions and city of Tucson ordinances, officials said.
The administration suggested that the proposed policy replace the current smoking policy, which prohibits smoking in all buildings owned or leased by PCC. Smoking is also not permitted within 25 feet of entrances and exits, fresh-air grills and in other seating areas, such as baseball fields.
According to a campus-wide survey of about 4,700 people, 81 percent indicated they do not smoke; 78 percent supported either the creation of designated smoking areas or prohibiting the use of tobacco products on college property; 70 percent agreed that smokeless tobacco should be banned from inside all buildings; and 21.8 percent supported the current policy.
If the board approves the proposed policy, faculty and staff will help determine designated smoking areas.
The policy will be submitted to the board with a final reading projected for early 2014.

David Preece: Jack Wilshere smoking outrage clouded the real issues

I’m not a big fan of international fortnight.
With no football to keep you going except for the Northern section of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and a repetitively boring loop of an interview on Sky Sports News with a young lad still apologising for smoking a cigarette over a week after the incident.
Then having to make do with an England performance so tepid it should be prescribed to lower blood pressure, there are plenty of reasons to dislike international football.
I’m actually half-hoping we don’t qualify, if only to push forward the revolution needed to overhaul our national game. Also I’d enjoy having a bit of a moan.
For the record, can I say what a load of old nonsense that was about Jack Wilshere smoking a cigarette?
Imagine that, someone doing something perfectly legal in the privacy of their life outside of football. It’s a strange perspective we British have on smoking and drinking.
We’re up in arms about someone smoking but has anybody questioned the wisdom of his presence in a nightclub during the week where a few drinks would have a more detrimental effect on his performance than a cigarette?
I’m not a smoker despite both my parents and all four of my grandparents being constantly shrouded in a nicotine-laden fog when I was a kid.
But it did make me wonder how many of the people making a fuss of Wilshere’s “reckless abandon” actually drink and smoke in front of their kids on a regular basis? Some people forget they are their kids first role models, not Wilshere, or Harry Styles for that matter.
I’ve digressed but the fact it’s still being mentioned on TV is down to the news blackhole that’s international week.
As a player it was always something you looked forward to. If you were involved in your national team, great.
If you weren’t, the manager might give you anything up to five days off to recharge your batteries and spend some time with your family.
Not that I ever had to worry about any call-ups after I’d passed youth level. I was always jealous of team-mates jetting off to join international squads.
When you’re playing for a club with a few internationals you feel like you’ve been left at home to babysit while all your friends have gone to a party.
You wait for them to return to hear their stories about who got off with who and who was drunk by nine o’clock and threw up everywhere.
Putting on my coach’s hat for a minute, I can see how much of a pain it is for Derek McInnes but it really is a double-edged sword. If your charges are scattered around the world, it means you have good players. On the other hand, if you have a full squad at home for a whole fortnight, it gives you the chance to get down to some hard graft.
Perhaps that’s the secret of making sure your team actually benefits from the boredom of international fortnight.
Assemble yourself a squad of quality players but just make sure they’re not quite good enough to be picked or that they have already retired from international football.

Smoking rules

It's surprising and disappointing that Gov. Mary Fallin has delayed action on an initiative petition to tighten state smoking regulations.
In February, a Senate committee effectively killed a Fallin-backed bill until 2015 that would have allowed local governments to pass smoking ordinances that are stricter than state law.

The governor jumped out front, held a press conference with a big crowd of health officials and said she would lead a campaign to take the issue to the people.

The vast majority of Okla- homans want local government control on smoking regulation, Fallin said. She was right.

While the governor didn't say the initiative she would push would be for local control, everyone assumed that would be the idea.

Since then, not much has happened. Fallin now says that such a proposal would stand a better chance after the 2014 general election.

We're not sure we see the political logic of that choice.

We are sure that delays will mean some nonsmok- ers will continue to work in second-hand smoke environments longer.

Second-hand smoke is deadly, and only a handful of states don't allow local governments to restrict it.

Anytime smoking regulation is the topic, suspicions quickly arise about the influence of Big Tobacco money, but we don't doubt Fallin's personal commitment on this issue —both of her parents were smokers and the habit affected their decline and death.

Putting off the initiative campaign could give the Legislature another shot at the issue. Our hope is that this important issue can be dealt with as soon as possible. The health of Oklahoma citizens is at stake.

Why Do Young Adults Start Smoking? Researchers Identify 3 Risk Factors

Considering all we know about cigarettes and their scary health effects, why would anyone start smoking them? While it's impossible to pinpoint a single reason for why any one person begins, a new study identifies three risk factors for taking up the habit.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Montreal School of Public Health, suggests that for people between the ages of 18 and 24, the three biggest risk factors for starting smoking are being impulsive, using alcohol regularly, and getting poor grades in school.
The research, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, is based on data from 1,293 teens from the greater Montreal area who were part of the Nicotine Dependence in Teens study that started in 1999. The teens were followed up in 22 "cycles," from when they were at an average age of 12.7 to when they were at an average age of 24.
By cycle 22, 75 percent of the teens had tried smoking. Forty-four percent of the teens started smoking before entering high school, 43 percent started during high school, and 14 percent started sometime in the six years post-high school.
Not all those who tried cigarettes continued to smoke, but researchers found that impulsivity, poor grades and regular alcohol use were the three risk factors associated with those who began smoking after high school -- or when they were between ages 18 and 24.
Study researcher Jennifer O'Loughlin, a professor at the university, speculated in a statement that one potential reason impulsivity may play a role in smoking in young adulthood is because "parents of impulsive children exercise tighter control when they are living with them at home to protect their children from adopting behaviors that can lead to smoking, and this protection may diminish over time."
Alcohol consumption could also be linked with starting smoking because alcohol "reduces inhibitions and self-control," she added in the statement.

Age Limits on Tobacco Products: Debating Issue

Recently there has been taken a decision by New York City Council to raise the minimum age for tobacco buying. Thus it presupposes that to purchase any tobacco product you must be at least 21 and not 18 as it was before.
Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, explained the stated decision by the personal notice that most teen-agers start smoking before age 21 as it is not forbidden. If the discussed decision comes into force teen-agers simply will not have any other alternative than to wait till 21, and there is a possibility that many of them will give up the idea.
In fact the situation is not so simple as it may seem at the first sight. The raise of minimum age to purchase cigarettes can not stop those who intend to smoke. And Britain is an example of a similar situation when the minimum age to purchase cigarettes was raised from 16 to 18. Though some positive changes were noticed the new legislation could not control the volume of smoked cigarettes.
Moreover the raise of minimum age does not exclude any other sources to get cigarettes. It is not obligatory for those under 21 to buy cigarettes themselves, they can just ask someone who has already a right to buy them. Thus the situation is quite double. From the one hand the raise of minimum age should exclude the possibility to buy cigarettes by teen-agers, but from the other hand it is difficult to predict any other possibilities to get cigarettes.

3 Great Reasons Why British American Tobacco plc Is Set To Take Off

Today I am looking at why I believe British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS) (NYSE: BTI.US) is an excellent stock selection for savvy investors.
The tobacco giant boasts a tremendous stable of brand names, particularly the likes of Dunhill, Lucky Strike and Kent, which fall under its premier Global Drive Brands portfolio. So even in times of steady pressure on consumers' wallets, the excellent pricing power that these labels provide allows revenues to keep ticking higher.

Should Volusia, Flagler beaches be smoke free? Ask Tallahassee

When Skip Beeler strolled the smoke-free beaches of California, he noticed the difference right away.

The beaches seemed more pristine than the stretch of sand he was accustomed to on Florida's Atlantic Coast.

“They just looked so much better and so much cleaner,” said Beeler, who served as mayor of Cocoa Beach and led an unsuccessful fight to ban smoking on the beach there. “We had some areas where it looked like you were walking through sea shells, but it wasn't seashells. It was cigarette butts.”

Here in Volusia and Flagler, smoking bans are gaining momentum. Daytona International Speedway prohibited smoking in the grandstands, a milestone for a sport that once was closely tied to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona State College and Stetson University have snuffed out tobacco on campus. Smoke cigarettes.

Public health officials would like to extend those bans even further by prohibiting smoking on beaches and in parks. They point to mounds of cigarette butts littering the beaches — and the dangers of secondhand smoke — as reasons why lighting up shouldn't be allowed on Volusia and Flagler's shoreline.

But even if the political will existed locally to enact such a ban, cities and counties are prohibited from restricting smoking outdoors. Only the state can make those changes. Counties and cities can post signs asking the public not to smoke, but state law leaves local officials powerless to enforce the rules.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs law banning smoking on hospital grounds

Legislation that would prohibit smoking outdoors on the grounds of hospitals and residential healthcare facilities has been signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo

The legislation, sponsored by Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern), prohibits smoking outdoors including within 15 feet of a building entrance or exit or within 15 feet of the entrance to or exit from the grounds.

At residential health care facilities, patients or guests of patients, will be allowed to smoke outdoors in a designated smoking area.

“We know that secondhand smoke is a killer,” Jaffee said.

Secondhand Smoke in Bars and Restaurants Means Higher Risk of Asthma and Cancer

In the first study to evaluate the health risks of exposure to secondhand smoke for patrons of restaurants and bars, researchers have found that the risks are well above the acceptable level. The study assessed the risk for lung cancer and heart disease deaths among both patrons and servers and also for asthma initiation—the first study to do so—among servers.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists Lara Gundel and Michael Apte contributed to the study, which was led by Ruiling Liu and Katharine Hammond from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. The results were published in the journal Tobacco Control in a paper titled, “Assessment of risk for asthma initiation and cancer and heart disease deaths among patrons and servers due to secondhand smoke exposure in restaurants and bars.”

Petition for smoking ban circulating

An official petition to get a smoking ban on the ballot is now circulating among registered voters in St. Joseph.
The organizing group, Smoke-Free St. Joseph, must obtain 2,190 signatures of registered voters to be successful. If all signatures are certified, the issue will appear on an upcoming ballot.

Smoke-Free St. Joseph began drafting the proposed ordinance in May when the City Council voted 6-3 to drop all considerations of a smoking ban.

Its proposal would ban smoking in all indoor public places, with the exemption of 10 percent of hotel rooms or in membership clubs when no employees are present.

It also would allow smoking on the casino gaming floor, until casinos in Jackson, Platte or Clay counties go smoke-free.

Danish man arrested over airport tobacco seizure

Customs officers have arrested a man after they seized illegal tobacco products worth €30,000 at Dublin airport.
They arrested a Danish man (40), who had arrived off a flight from Baghdad, Iraq.
He is being held on charges relating to smuggling in almost 21,000 cigarettes (20,400) and nearly 58 kilos (57.50kgs) of tobacco, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of €23,000.
Four different brands of cigarettes were found in his bags. The Marlboro, Gauloises, Aspen and Kent brand cigarettes were packed alongside an amount of perfumed tobacco.
The man was remanded in custody after a brief court appearance before Judge Michael Walsh yesterday - he's due before a judge at the Criminal Courts of Justice again tomorrow.
This is the thirteenth arrest at Dublin Airport this year in relation to cigarette and tobacco smuggling offences.

Celebs castigated for smoking in cover photos

Two popular celebrities drew flak last year for magazine covers showing them smoking.

 

Multi-awarded actress Nora Aunor was criticized last September by various sectors for posing on the cover of Yes! Magazine with a lit cigarette in her hand. 

 

The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Jo-Ann Maglipon, defended the cover photo, saying it "best captures the iconic star as she is today."

 

Maglipon also said that it is within the magazine staff’s right to freedom of expression to choose which cover photo it wants to release.

 

Days later, television host and actress Anne Curtis also received criticisms for depicting the act of smoking on the cover of the October issue of Rogue Magazine.

Selena Gomesz Gets Smoking Lesson, SolarCigarette Suggests Use of Ecig

Electronic cigarettes have several good things to offer. One of its particular benefits is the reduction of health risks for both smokers and non-smokers. Solarcigarette.com would like to be an agent of those benefits via its own ecig and flavored cartridges.
Hence, when reports came out that Selena Gomez was taught how to smoke for a movie, SolarCigarette.com said that they should've used ecig for both the lesson and the film itself. With the device, nobody's health is put at risk, the site said.

Smokers welcomed back inside the work place

Chris Putnam lights up at his desk several times a day. And, surprisingly enough, nobody seems to care.
“We can pretty much do it anywhere we want,” said Putnam, who is allowed to smoke electronic cigarettes while he handles phone and front-counter sales for XL Parts in Fort Worth.
By being allowed to use the e-cigarettes inside the workplace, Putnam and his co-workers at the auto parts distribution company who also use the devices say they get more work done. They are commonly known as “vapers.” 
A pro-vaping policy “helps the company and me,” said Putnam. “To smoke here you have to go completely outside the building, a good 15-minute round trip that you’re not working.”
XL Parts may be part of a growing number of employers who still don’t want to see tobacco smoke in the workplace, but who turn a blind eye to e-cigarette vapors, changing policies that often banish employees to the far corners of the property, advocates of smoking alternatives said.
Some companies, unlike XL Parts, are reluctant to publicize that they allow vaping, the Star-Telegram found. Many of the 1,200 or so members of North Texas Vapers — an organization that has more than doubled its membership in the last year — have a don’t-ask-don’t-tell-like arrangements with their employers, said Mike Wright, founder of the group.
They can use their e-cigarettes in their cubicles or offices “as long as it doesn’t draw negative attention,” he said. “That improves efficiency about 30 percent because they’re not stopping work to get up and go somewhere to vape. But if there are one or two yoyos that want to make smoke signals, it ruins it for everybody.”
It’s difficult to tell how many employers are pro-vaping, said Carl V. Phillips, a spokesman for Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association.
Unfortunately, there’s “an enormous amount of political pressure to shut down the freedom of e-cigarattes that has nothing to do with anything legitimate,” he said.
Stop-smoking aid
An e-cigarette simulates smoking by vaporizing a liquid inserted into the device into an aerosol mist. The vapor produced by e-cigarettes isn’t completely odorless, but the aromas aren’t unpleasant and don’t hang in the air or cling to the users like tobacco smoke.
For the vapers, the devices give them the nicotine hit they crave, and they are often used by individuals who are trying to stop smoking. Putnam, for example, is a former cigarette smoker who kicked tobacco by switching to an e-cigarette.
Linc Williamsthe director of We Are Vapers , a documentary on the vaping movement, said e-cigarettes help people quit smoking, but don’t encourage anyone to smoke, or vape.
“The ASH UK, which is an anti-smoking group in the United Kingdom, did a survey of people and found no evidence to support this gateway argument,” he said.
Awareness of the tobacco alternative is growing. According to studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 percent of adult cigarette smokers had tried e-cigarettes in 2010. In 2011, that number grew to 21 percent. A CDC spokesperson said that about 6 percent of all adults surveyed in 2011 had tried e-cigarettes, roughly double the number in 2010.
Despite claims that e-cigarrettes are a better alternative, anti-smoking organizations are also anti-vaping.
The American Cancer Society’s advocacy arm, the Cancer Action Network, has called on the Food and Drug Administration to regulate e-cigarettes, said spokeswoman Joy Donovan Brandon.
“There has been a dramatic increase in use, so there’s a push for the FDA to regulate these products,” Donovan said. “We think people have the right to know what they’re inhaling.”
The American Lung Association also is concerned about e-cigarettes “because no one knows what’s in them and what the ultimate impact on our health will be,” said spokeswoman Mary Havel McGinty.
“We don’t know what the long-term consequences of the use of electronic cigarettes are, and whether or not it will start kids on a lifelong addiction to nicotine,” McGinty said.
Vapers who mix their own or buy liquids from specialized dealers and online sources know what they’re inhaling, Wright said. It is a vaporized solution of water, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerin, food-grade flavoring and nicotine in strengths that typically vary from about 18 milligrams to zero, he said.
But many vapers are just as interested in FDA regulation of e-cigarettes, said Spike Babaian, president of the National Vapers Club. The group has concerns about the health of its members who have consumed an unregulated product “and we hope that the FDA will expedite the process of proposing safety regulations for e-cigarettes in the interest of public health,” she said.
Secondhand vapor
The perception that the e-cigarettes are at least safer to those who sit around someone who is using them was enough for the new owners of XL Parts, who banned smoking in the warehouse but did allow e-cigarettes to be used by employees at their desks.
“We have several people who use them, probably six or eight,” said Cecil Traister, a shop supervisor who has never smoked. “They’re basically odorless.”
Junior Del Angel, a vaper who’s on the management team of a Fuzzy’s Taco in Arlington, said he and other vaping employees don’t do it around the food or in the dining area. But his occasional vaping behind the cash register hasn’t upset anyone.
“Sometimes people see me do it and they’re curious about the e-cigarette,” he said. “But I explain it to them and they’re OK with it.”
So far, the city of Arlington’s OK with it, too, despite the fact that tobacco use is forbidden almost everywhere. The use of e-cigarettes is not prohibited under the city’s smoking ordinance, said spokeswoman Sana Syed.
“Since vaping is not prohibited under our current smoking ordinance, it would be left to each property or business owner to set their own policies regarding the use of the product,” she said.
Area cities that don’t treat vaping and smoking differently include Fort Worth and Colleyville.
The issue of whether to allow or prohibit vaping hasn’t come up in Southlake, said spokeswoman Pilar Schank.
Euless also doesn’t have an official policy on vaping. But it imposes a monthly surcharge on health insurance for employees and their spouses who use tobacco products, said spokeswoman Betsy Deck. Tobacco cessation products prescribed by a physician are 100 percent covered by the city, but not e-cigarettes.
“With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, electronic cigarettes are no longer considered a viable option for quitting smoking,” she said. “I’m not sure the reason.”
But policies and opinions aside, Wright said that clever vapers can do it virtually anywhere with impunity. Because the vapor dissipates so quickly, stealth vaping can be done practically under people’s noses without them being aware.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/07/13/4999807/smokers-welcomed-back-inside-the.html#storylink=cpy

Quitting smoking good for woman, her marriage

  from
www.dearabby.com.
Dear Abby: My husband and I have been married for eight years. When we wed, we both drank and smoked. My husband quit smoking five years ago, and I have continued to smoke off and on. If he catches me with a cigarette, it becomes an argument, and it’s either I quit or we’re done.
I don’t see the big deal if I smoke a cigarette. Any advice?
— Closet Smoker in Wisconsin
Dear Smoker: Surely you know that smoking isn’t good for you, and it upsets your husband because he loves you. This is less about a contest of wills than the fact that you are addicted to nicotine.
A cigarette isn’t your friend; your husband is. When you’re finally ready to see it that way and overcome the habit, your physician can help.
Dear Abby: My mom has no respect for my privacy. When something happens in my life, she shares it with all my relatives, despite my repeatedly having asked her not to. She has a website on which she rehashes almost every moment of my life spent with my family and posts all of my pictures.
When I mention to her that I would like my privacy respected, she gets upset and calls me ridiculous. How can I get her to stop?
— Wants My Privacy
Dear Wants Your Privacy: Your mother might be posting your pictures and details of your life because she has been doing it for years. If you’re a teenager, please realize that your mom might do this because she is proud of you. If you are an adult, however, a way to get her to pull back, if not stop completely, would be to share less information with her. 
Dear Abby: Since I was a teenager, I have always loved anything vintage. When my mother wasn’t able to sell her white milk-glass items in a rummage sale, I asked whether I could have them to display in an antique china cabinet.
My brother, who has never had any interest in vintage items and has a home that looks as if a hoarder lives there, wants one of the pieces because of an old picture of him near the piece. Mother thinks I should give it to him.
What should I do?
— Appreciates Vintage
Dear Appreciates Vintage: Listen to your mother. Family harmony is surely as important to you as your glass collection.

The succes of Marlboro , the help of Marlboro Man

Rumor has it that marks the success was due not only to the way a cowboy. Some experts argue that the case - in particular the composition of cigarettes (which contain urea), conveniently packaged at the time became a sensation (flip-top for the first time appeared on the shelves and was designed to advertise the brand - was required to get a pack from his pocket to open it ) and design (white, like an arrow pierced in red). However, the image of the conqueror of the prairies by chance took first place in the aforementioned book "101 most influential non-existent person" - he trusted in him wanted to be like. The famous Marlboro Man confidently asserted on television that cigarette filters are not able to have any influence on the taste of tobacco (which is actually not in any way is not true): "The filter is not getting between you and the taste." At the same time the creators of advertising forgot to mention that its presence leads to the formation of fairly unpleasant and unhealthy smoke. And it was natural, because the production of cigarettes with filter produces more profits, because the filter material is much cheaper tobacco use (especially if you imagine the volume of products produced). In addition, the filter is able to clear the smoke, changing its flavor, and therefore can be used for the manufacture of cigarette tobacco, low-grade.

Why cowboy believed took his word for truth? It plays a major role psychology of thinking people. In the United States, this image embodied a local spirit, the symbol of the conquest of the world. He was able to hit home, recalling the very same guys who once conquered the wild prairie. Brutality and heroism - that was the basis of an advertising campaign, which was able to reach the hearts as representatives of the beautiful, and the stronger sex, as blacks, and South Americans. And it is no coincidence, since most of the conquerors of the prairies were black or Hispanic. So even the fact that all the "Marlboro men" - whites could not play a significant role here.

Cowboy turned to us, full of confidence: "Welcome to Marlboro Country." The legendary hero of the famous advertising shone in all its glory: it is distilled through the wild herds of horses, the prairie full of dangers, its stunning turbulence flow of the river and rocks, through which move beyond the power even to each mountain goats. But all that he was overweening. Why? According to one very simple reason: in the pocket of a cowboy always lay red and white tutu «Marlboro». Several generations followed him, having learned lights a cigarette and feeling in this little enclosed to his power and glory. These poor guys would like at least a minute to enter the country of rabid Mustangs to feel absolutely free.

Because the images of "sea dog", the builder and others like them put on the backburner. It was decided to concentrate on the conqueror of the prairie. First, the shooting as cowboys were invited well-known male Centerfolds. However, this idea was defeated - they could not even imagine how and what the parties come to a horse to climb on it. Their successors were no less fun: almost perfect vivid image of a brutal man in sun-bleached jeans, heavy boots complemented sad ... Spurs, who were put on upside down. As a result, before the advertising agency was assigned the task is quite clear, is not ready to compromise: should find a real cowboy in Texas or Montana. Which was filled with "a bang".

In 1955, Burnett has decided to "mark" of Marlborough: the hand of the conqueror of the prairie began to show off a tattoo visible in the form of a brand. It has also become the subject of many jokes, but by the sitters. Thus, the known story of one of the actors that make up ahead of filming was applied for three minutes, and a tattoo - not less than three hours!

In 1962, the image of Marlboro has been added another significant stroke. Burnett purchased the rights to the script of the film "The Magnificent Seven" with a single purpose - to advertise the product. This has been added capacious frazochka: "Come to where the real flavor of America, come into the country," Marlborough "!".

Since then, the image of Marlborough rose to such unimaginable heights, that the dangers of smoking and was uncomfortable hint. These cigarettes are now praises in a variety of contemporary songs, for example, "Fort Minor" ("Cigarettes"), earrings ("Invasion"), "Fletlayn" ("In Your House"), "block party" ("Song for Clay" .) A surprise was found hidden advertising "Marlborough" in the film by Leonid Gaidai "Sportloto-82" and "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession," in the movie by Eldar Ryazanov, "Office Romance".

Donskoy Tabak is the biggest Russian independent cigarette company.

The largest Russian independent tobacco factory, Donskoy Tabak, is being prepared for sale. But the prospects of the company may not be as bright as the sound sales and export figures of the past three years suggest. The company’s performance may well be at its peak and uncertainties, stemming from fines for improper advertising to children as well as dubious export schemes, lie ahead. Donskoy Tabak cigarettes is a well known cigarette in Russia.

Several major players, including China National Tobacco Corporation, compete for the purchase of the company based in Rostov-on-Don. The complete list of contenders are known only to the shareholders in Donskoy Tabak, of whom there are just two: the Savvidi family (87.36%) and Open Joint Stock Company Primary Don (12.64%). Ivan Savvidi has been director general of the factory since the privatisation of the former state-owned facility in 1993. Elected to the parliament in 2003, he registered his stake (which was then 75%) to his wife, Kyriaki Savvidi.

 

All shares have been consolidated by now because Primary Don is also controlled by Ivan Savvidi. KPMG auditors have worked at the company for two years; as an open joint-stock company Donskoy Tabak has long since kept its financial records by international standards. In other words, the facility is formally ready for sale, the decisions are made by one person only, and documents are in order. However, selling requires that both sides wish to make the deal and that agreement be reached on the price. 
 

Looking back, although both potential buyers and the seller had a wish for such a deal in the past, no compromise was reached on the price. But the above described formal aspects were in a much worse state then. The situation has changed in many respects by now. There are  reasons for a buyer to offer a higher price, while the present owner may be more flexible about the value of the factory.

Why has Donskoy Tabak become more attractive to investors in recent years? The answer lies in its sales dynamics and financial performance. From 2007 to 2010, production grew by 50% for Donskoy Tabak to nearly 27 billion cigarettes. In 2011, almost as many (25 billion) were made during the first nine months.

Today, the company comes in second place in Russia in terms of export which in absolute terms will presumably exceed 4 billion pieces in 2011. The cigarette range has altered significantly over the same period. Instead of cheap filter brands, which are largely intended for the local market, and non-filter products, Donskoy Tabak today makes over 40 cigarette varieties covering all price ranges.

Though sales in the upper price ranges are not too remarkable against a background of competing brands, the brands are available in many cities and towns across the country and, most importantly, have a good presence in Moscow. Also, the factory has been able to develop one of its brands into a real best-seller. The cigarette brand in question is Kiss Superslims. It is a value brand which does not generate large margins, but demand for it amounts to 5 billion pieces or even more.

Finally, at the end of 2010 Donskoy Tabak took over the second-largest independent Russian factory, Nevo Tabak, based in St Petersburg. In other words, the company is developing, it makes increasing quantities of products that enjoy high demand and generate profits, its exports grow rapidly, its debt is easily payable, and it buys up competitors. It is in every respect a perfect target for acquisition by some multinational giant or even just an investor.