Opposition and administration congressmen on Thursday slammed proposals to impose a 400 percent increase on taxes imposed on cigarettes in a bid to encourage Filipinos to kick the smoking habit. Congressmen cited a number of reasons in rejecting the proposal of the Department of Health and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP). Rep. Simeon Datumanong (Lakas- Kampi, Maguindanao) warned that the proposed hike in t ... Jump to full article >>

Amid growing evidence that secondhand smoke is causing cancers and possibly a range of other health problems in pets, many groups are intensifying efforts to encourage people to stop smoking — if not for their own sake, then for their animals’. Veterinarians are redoubling efforts to warn smokers of the dangers to their pets, and smoking-cessation programs, including Utah Tobacco Prevention and Control, Breathe New Hampshire and smokefre ... Jump to full article >>

Tuesday 7 a.m.: This begins my e-cigarette diary. The starter kit came in the mail last week, but I lacked the fortitude to switch from real cigarettes until today. I’ve been smoking on and off since fifth grade, when a group of us would meet in scruffy patches of New Britain woods and puff Pall Malls stolen from someone’s mother. I’m 48 now and I must find an alternative to tobacco. I can’t bear to think of my blackening ... Jump to full article >>

Looks like Chelsea hot spot Marquee is following New York City’s no-smoking laws, even if all its West Side neighbors aren’t. And the rules (which competing hot spots The Delancey and Southside recently were fined for not adhering to) apply even to the likes of Mary-Kate Olsen. At Harley Viera-Newton and Cassie Coane’s Fashion Week kickoff and birthday bash Friday night, the pint-size actress was asked not once but twice by sec ... Jump to full article >>

Introduction It’s not easy to quit smoking. The nicotine in cigarettes is addicting. Your body craves it because it makes you feel good. So when you try to stop smoking, you go through nicotine withdrawal. You feel awful, and you may worry about gaining weight. You get cranky and anxious. It can be hard to sleep. You’re not the only one. Most people feel bad when they try to quit. The hardest part is not reaching for a smoke to feel ... Jump to full article >>

One experiment Albany Firefighters conducted tested new fire safe cigarettes now mandated in Georgia. Those cigarettes are designed to go out if you stop smoking them. Cigarettes cause fires that kill 700 people and injure 3,000 every year in the United States. 74 year old Audrey Baty died in an Albany house fire January 7th, and Investigators determined the fire was caused by a cigarette. That tragedy influenced firefighters to check out how sa ... Jump to full article >>

A new research study being published in the October 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry suggests that maternal smoking may increase the level of distress of newborns. Studies have consistently found that prenatal cigarette smoke exposure is associated with increased rates of behavior problems, irritability, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the risk of violent offenses, conduct disorder, adolescent onset of drug dependence, and the risk ... Jump to full article >>

Though many smokers believe electronic cigarettes are designed to help them quit, such an assumption may be untrue, federal officials said. Art senior Adam Pezen said he learned about e-cigarettes from online blogs and first tried them out of curiosity. “My mom bought them because she had been a hardcore smoker for about 30 years,” Pezen said. “She passed [the habit] on to me.” Pezen said he and his mother both still smoke tobacco cigare ... Jump to full article >>

THE DISCOVERY that women who stop smoking in the first 15 weeks of pregnancy can reduce the risk of having premature or underweight babies is crucially important information for expectant mothers. Protecting her baby is probably the strongest motivation a woman experiences. And if it serves to improve her own health as a result of giving up cigarettes during pregnancy, so much the better. An international study conducted at University College Co ... Jump to full article >>