Tweet Smokeless tobacco does not increase the user’s risk of cancers other than oropharyngeal and prostate cancer, according to an industry-sponsored review of data from 89 studies. The meta-analysis of North American and Scandinavian research did find a 36% increased risk of oropharyngeal cancer and a 29% increased risk of prostate cancer. However, the risk of oropharyngeal cancer disappeared in studies published after 1990 and in the Scan ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet (Editor’s Note: We caught up with St. Paul Council Member Dave Thune, who spearheaded the St. Paul smoking ban, which kicked in about six months ago. We quizzed him about starting to smoke again—at least he was honest …) by SID PRANKE Pulse: Where are you at with your smoking? Thune: I am about to quit again (laughs). Pulse: Uh-huh … Thune: And—I’m going to the Commit Lozenges and Zyban again, although now I’ve read a ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Last week’s rejection of the petitions to overturn the smoking ban has generated some discussion of what the petitioning process and situations that would lead to a petition being rejected. The smoking ban petitions had nearly 10,000 signatures, 8,845 of which were found to be invalid, according to Secretary of State Chris Nelson. Yankton County Auditor Paula Jones said the secretary of state’s office has a list of guidelines that each ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Even though a county legislator says residents should decide whether they want to ban indoor smoking, some voters want no part of it. A number of shoppers at South County Center last week said that while they understand the health benefits of a ban, they don’t like any part of it because it interferes with personal freedoms. Carrie Niethe, of South County, says she agrees everyone should be able to voice their opinion about the smokin ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Arkansas Tobacco Control agents have periodically checked retail stores across the Missouri state line from Bella Vista since March 1, when Arkansas raised its cigarette tax by $5.60 per carton, but so far they’ve seen no smuggling of cigarettes. “I’ve not seen anything that looked anywhere close to a misdemeanor or felony,” Bill Holohan told Glenn Redding on Tuesday as the two Arkansas enforcement agents talked in t ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet With most of the world in recession, expensive habits are fading fast. But international tobacco companies are still making smokers pay up for a hit. While many consumer-products companies have capped prices, the likes of Philip Morris International and London-listed British American Tobacco are raising them. With cigarette sales likely in permanent decline in some markets, producers have focused on price. That has helped some tobacco compa ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet The Chinese Association on Tobacco Control (CATC) Wednesday called for tobacco-free TV and film screens in China, in an attempt to take the glamour out of smoking, especially for impressionable young people. Currently, due to a lack of legislation and low awareness, many scenes in TV series and films – including those produced in China and those imported – contain smoking scenes, which has a negative impact on viewers, particula ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet George Weissman, who helped transform Philip Morris from a midlevel tobacco company to a diversified conglomerate known for contributions to the arts, and who then led Lincoln Center for nearly a decade, died on July 24 in Greenwich, Conn. He was 90. The cause was complications of a recent fall at his home in Rye, N.Y., his son Paul said. Mr. Weissman began his corporate ascent in the movie and public relations businesses, and one of his ea ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Twenty-nine notaries public listed incorrect information on their notary seal expiration dates on petitions to refer a law expanding the state smoking ban to a public vote, South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson said. Nelson said a review of disallowed petition signatures by his office found problems with the way those notaries signed petitions containing more than 2,000 signatures to refer the expanded ban to the November 2010 genera ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet One of Great Britain’s great institutions is under threat: the pub. The British Beer and Pub Association says an average of 52 pubs are closing each week. Changing consumer tastes, a two-year-old smoking ban and the deepening economic recession have hit pubs hard. But for thousands, the death blow has been dealt by rising government taxes on beer — up to 20 percent in the past two years. The traditional pint glass of beer now runs ... Jump to full article >>