I recently returned from an eight-day trip to the twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn., where smoking in public places is not allowed. It was a delight to enter a restaurant or bar and not be saturated in secondhand smoke. The fact that every venue we entered was filled to capacity demonstrates that the nonsmoking law didn’t hamper any customers from enjoying these places. We made a side trip to Wisconsin but returned to Minnesot ... Jump to full article >>

Anyone who is both a smoker and a pet owner can do one very important thing to protect the animal’s life and his own: Quit smoking. A growing body of research, including the surgeon general’s report, shows there are no safe levels of exposure to secondhand smoke for humans or animals. Toxins in secondhand smoke can cause lung and nasal cancer in dogs and lymphoma in cats, plus allergy and respiratory problems for other pets. Yet nearly 30 pe ... Jump to full article >>

Louise Lennersten wasn’t going to let pregnancy make her kick a snuff habit. The 26-year-old Swede switched to Onico, a nicotine-free brand that uses flavored vegetable fibers to imitate the taste of tobacco. Following the birth of her son Wilmer last month, she intends to return to real snuff, called snus in Sweden. “I was a smoker but switched to snus when my job didn’t allow smoke breaks,” Lennersten said. “This ... Jump to full article >>