A new study has found that teenagers who are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke are more likely to have changes to their blood vessels that could lead to heart disease later in life. Researcher Katariina Kallio of the University of Turku in Finland says her study on teenagers extends previous research, which found cardiovascular damage in grown-ups who breathed in other peoples’ smoke. “We know previously that in adults there is tha ... Jump to full article >>

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Secondhand smoke harms the cardiovascular health of children, especially toddlers and obese youngsters, U.S. researchers say. Their study of 52 toddlers (aged 2 to 5) and 107 adolescents (aged 9 to 18) found an association between the amount of secondhand smoke exposure and a marker of vascular injury in toddlers. This link was two times greater in obese toddlers, the study authors noted. Toddlers exposed to secondhand smoke showed a 30 percent r ... Jump to full article >>

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A group of bar owners is asking for an exemption from the state’s three-year-old workplace smoking ban. They want state lawmakers to allow bars to pay an annual fee starting at $1,000 to allow smoking in their establishments. Only stand-alone bars — not restaurants — would be able to apply for the exemption. Proposals to create exemptions from the state’s workplace smoking ban have been introduced in each of the past three ... Jump to full article >>

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So this is what a decade of international conspiracy with European underworld kingpins gets you? An empty bank account, a blue-collar ranch house in Cutler Bay with two unpaid mortgages, and a date with a federal judge. For Roman Vidal, a 58-year-old with a thick mane of gray hair and a white mustache, that about sums it up. To that meager list, Vidal also can add 24 months in federal prison, three years’ probation, and a $1.5 million fine ... Jump to full article >>

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Given the sad economy, increasing South Carolina’s cigarette tax offers lawmakers the best opportunity to get their hands on a pot of new money next fiscal year. The Legislature should hike the measly 7-cent tax — the nation’s lowest — and use it to support health care for needy South Carolinians. Already, new cigarette tax proposals are emerging. State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex, a Democratic gubernatorial candid ... Jump to full article >>

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A new study offers yet more proof that smoking is a major risk factor for death from heart disease and cancer. Researchers followed 12,152 American and European male and female smokers, formers smokers and nonsmokers for three years. During that time, current smokers were 4.16 times more likely to die of cancer, 2.26 times more likely to die of heart disease and 2.58 times more likely to die from any cause than were former or nonsmokers. Current ... Jump to full article >>

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