What’s the state of smoking in America?

This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark 1964 report by then Surgeon-General Luther Terry warning about the dangers of smoking. That report is widely credited with saving millions of lives. For more about the government's current efforts to reduce smoking, we are joined now from Washington by Rear Admiral Boris Lushniak.he is the Acting United States Surgeon General.
Thanks for being with us. I just wanted to start with, where are we on this war against tobacco, war on smoking, considering the long time we’ve had in fighting it?

BORIS LUSHNIAK: Well it’s interesting. We’ve had fifty years of progress since that landmark Surgeon General’s report back in 1964. Over these fifty years incredible things have taken place. Our society has changed. Changed in terms of tobacco use, in terms of its acceptance of smoking in public establishments; in restaurants, in bars. So things have really changed for the better. In addition, smoking rates have come down in the United States. We went from 43 percent of adult smokers in the United States to 18 percent currently. So that’s really made incredible headway, yet I have to emphasize the battle isn’t over, the war isn’t over.
Eighteen percent of American adults who are still smoking, basically 40 million people in our population. So this is really still concerning to me as acting Surgeon General. Certainly of those 40 million people who are actively smokers, the idea is that their health is really being hurt by this incredible habit, by this incredible addiction to nicotine. That being said we have to realize also that of that whole group, we’re going to have roughly a half million people every year dying from smoking related diseases. So although we’ve made progress in a half century the reality is we still have a lot of work to do.
HARI SREENIVASAN: So, you know, we increasingly see tough advertisements on the air against smoking. Really graphic descriptions whether it’s targeting teens or people that might have emphysema. Are these ads working?
BORIS LUSHNIAK: I think they’re working. In particular, the CDC- the Center for Disease Control and Prevention came up with a series of advertisements from former smokers called TIPS. And that really was quite effective in terms of reducing the number of smokers. In addition. There’s various policies that need to be implemented and further implemented in order to make us a tobacco free society. So we really have to work at the idea of using media, using those advertisements. We have to look at really concentrating on the youth of America to make it more difficult to actually get cigarettes. And in addition we have to look at the idea of pricing cigarettes appropriately so that ultimately it becomes a hardship to use those products.
HARI SREENIVASAN:  So, let’s talk a little bit about packaging those products. Other countries have much more graphic detail of the potential dangers of smoking. I know the US Court struck down one of the plans here but what’s next? Do we change packaging?
BORIS LUSHNIAK: Well, we’re currently working closely, the office of the Surgeon general is working closely with the Food and Drug Administration, specifically the Center for Tobacco Products and are reanalyzing the whole row of the idea of the warning labels and the idea of how graphic they should be and so there will probably be more information coming out on this in the near future.
HARI SREENIVASAN: Ok, does it make sense to increase taxes on cigarettes? Are the as high as they could be?
BORIS LUSHNIAK: Well in terms of one of the effective methods of us decreasing the number of smokers in America is oddly enough the pricing of cigarettes. So whether it’s the form of taxation of cigarette pricing, that is an effective measure. And although this does become, I use the term before, a hardship, in reality my role as acting Surgeon General is to make sure that we’re doing the right public health thing which is to decrease the number of smokers in America. So yes, pricing is an effective way of dealing with this problem.
HARI SREENIVASAN: Ok, one of the things that I wanted to ask and a lot of people were asking about this when we said that we were going to interview you is this to e-cigarettes- what does the Surgeon General think about e-cigarettes? Is there good data on any deleterious effects to the rest of us or even to those people who are still using them?
BORIS LUSHNIAK: Yes, and the e-cigarette movement has certainly become strong, there’s many more people using e-cigarettes and right now we’re still gathering data. I don’t feel comfortable in terms of the e-cigarettes being a substitute for cigarettes at this point. The reality is there’s still an addictive product within those e-cigarettes that are introduced into the body via the repertory tract via breathing. And so the reality of the situation is we’re still waiting on gathering more data, and again we’re working with the Food and Drug Administration, the Center for Tobacco Products that are beginning to look very much more aggressively at the e-cigarette issue. Classic Silver
HARI SREENIVASAN: Now is it possible that we’re going to waiting for data for so long, we don’t get ahead of stopping it in the sense that we might have this actual switch in this transition to e-cigarettes which keeps people unhealthy and then we’re fighting an uphill battle again?
BORIS LUSHNIAK: Well once again my hope is we’ll have data coming out rather soon. What we already know is the e-cigarettes certainly are becoming much more popular. We also know that in many cases the tobacco control policies that are being utilized for regular cigarettes are in fact being utilized for e-cigarettes as well.
HARI SREENIVASAN: Ok, another question we had from a mother in Colorado where marijuana has recently become much more accessible. She’s saying ‘well what about the impact of second hand marijuana smoke on kids? Is there anything that the Federal Government ‘s going to be doing to try and keep her kids safe?
BORIS LUSHNIAK: Well again, from a public health perspective, the marijuana issue has become big. Certainly with the legalization that has taken place in Colorado and in Washington State, it is of concern to me as the acting Surgeon General of the United States. That being said it’s really on several fronts here. One of which is marijuana is addictive. Secondly, once again, it’s something that breathed in and so I really am concerned about the repertory effects of marijuana. And third, it does alter one’s cognition, one’s thought process. And so of those three realms, my concern is not only the secondhand smoking issue but also the issue of the primary issue and the public health effect on that individual.

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.”