Middle-class women who smoke in early pregnancy do almost no harm to their unborn baby, researchers claimed last night. Only women from poorer backgrounds damage their babies by smoking, because they tend to combine it with alcohol and a poor diet. The study by the London School of Economics also casts doubt on the traditional view that smoking during early pregnancy does the most harm to the baby. If women stop smoking by the fifth month the im ... Jump to full article >>

Indianapolis police said military-style explosives were found and removed from a local home where a woman’s body had been found. Sgt. Paul Thompson of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Saturday’s discovery of the explosives inside the home came as officers searched the home via a search warrant, The Indianapolis Star reported Sunday. In addition to multiple firearms, officers discovered 21 military-style 40mm proje ... Jump to full article >>

Sir Liam Donaldson, Britain’s most senior medical officer who has led public health drives to ban smoking in public places and control swine flu, is to step down after 12 years in the role. The Times understands that Sir Liam wrote to Sir Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, on Monday to announce his intention to hand over the reins next May. Sir Liam, the Chief Medical Officer for England and the UK’s Chief Medical Adviser, has been in p ... Jump to full article >>

In a smoke-filled room in Lahore, Pakistan, a small group of teenagers pass a `shisha’ (water pipe) round a table. Strawberry essence has been added to the tobacco, making a fruity aroma. “We come to this café at least once a week to share a `shisha’,” said Zeeshan Ahmed, aged 16. “Our parents don’t mind us smoking `shisha’ and it is not dangerous,” said Fyza Imad, also 16. Shisha smoking has become fashionable over the last dec ... Jump to full article >>

Move would need change in state law. Revenue to benefit arts, cultural groups Summit County Council wants to seek a special cigarette tax to raise money for local arts and cultural organizations. Council on Monday night passed a resolution asking the Ohio General Assembly to amend state law to allow the county to place the tax before voters. The details, including the amount of the tax, haven’t been worked out and the proposal faces many ... Jump to full article >>

MANILA – The proposal of Swiss firm SICPA Product Security SA to provide security stamps on cigarettes is not a done deal, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said yesterday, assuring lawmakers that there was nothing final yet. “It must be clarified that the SICPA (proposal) is merely an unsolicited proposal under the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) Law. It’s not a done deal yet,” Teves said. He said that even if the Bureau of Internal Re ... Jump to full article >>

Corpus Christi’s bars aren’t selling as much booze as last year, but it’s unclear whether a recent smoking ban, the recession or other factors are the primary cause. Alcohol sales at Corpus Christi’s bars and restaurants were, on average, down by about $3,000 per establishment this August compared with last August. The drop equates to about an 8 percent drop in alcohol sales overall. When only considering alcohol sales at bars and pool h ... Jump to full article >>

Group will be part of smoking ban court case in November PIERRE – The American Cancer Society won another battle Tuesday in its campaign to reduce the number of places where people can legally smoke tobacco in South Dakota. The cancer society and its South Dakota governmental affairs director, Jennifer Stalley, will get to take part in the court fight over whether there is a statewide vote next year on South Dakota’s new law banning ... Jump to full article >>

A new UK study suggests that exposure to tobacco while in the womb is linked to an increased risk of a child developing psychotic symptoms during their teens. The study was the work of researchers from Cardiff, Bristol, Nottingham and Warwick Universities and was published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. For the study the researchers looked at data on 6,356 12-year-olds taking part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Par ... Jump to full article >>

No one makes more money from tobacco sales than governments do — not tobacco farmers or small tobacco retailers or even tobacco companies. Last year in Canada, federal and provincial governments took in over $7-billion from tobacco taxes. The combined net income of tobacco growers and tobacco companies, on the other hand, was just over $1-billion. Yet the federal government, through the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, is also one of ... Jump to full article >>