July 13, 2010 (The Associated Press) — West Texas hospital won't hire tobacco users
Beginning October 1st, El Paso, Texas’s county hospital — University Medical Center — won't hire tobacco users. The policy was put in place to encourage employees to lead healthier lives. There is already a ban on smoking on hospital property.
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July 12, 2010 (Time) — No Cigarettes at Oktoberfest: Bavaria Bans Smoking
"In a referendum held on July 4, 61% of voters in the German state of Bavaria voted in favor of a new smoking ban. Beginning August 1st smoking will be prohibited in all bars, cafés and restaurants. From 2011, those regulations would apply to beer tents at the Oktoberfest beer festival."
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June 13, 2010 (The Wichita Eagle) — Some employers make smokers pay more for insurance
"Already faced with smoking bans and rising cigarette prices, many Kansas smokers are learning that lighting up will cost them more for health insurance. And lying about smoking could cost them their job. A growing number of employers are requiring workers who use tobacco to pay higher premiums in an effort to lower health care costs. Newton Medical Center recently informed employees that beginning July 1, it will impose a 'tobacco-user surcharge' — $35 per two-week pay period — to employees who smoke or have a spouse or dependents who smoke."
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June 7, 2010 (American Academy of Family Physicians) — AAFP Recruiting Practices for Smoking Cessation Pilot 'Office Champions' Program Aims to Ramp Up Anti-Tobacco Activities
"The AAFP is recruiting 50 family medicine practices for a pilot project that will train 'office champions' to implement system changes that encourage the integration of tobacco cessation activities in daily office routines. The program will educate these office champions through an online training module, live teleconferences and a practice manual. The office champions will be required to submit an implementation plan to the AAFP and track and report results."
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May 25, 2010 (United Press International) — Record number of NYers try to quit smoking
"During a 16-day period this year, the New York City health department enrolled more than 40,000 smokers for free nicotine patches and gum, officials said. The smoking cessation program, which began in 2003, exceeded last year's enrollment of 28,000 smokers."
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May 25, 2010 (Gulf News) — Smoking may be banned on beaches in UAE
"Dubai: In another step towards making the UAE a tobacco smoke-free nation, officials are looking at banning smoking in public places such as beaches, a health ministry official said. The government was also considering putting a stop to tobacco being grown. Tobacco farmers would be given time to change their crop and the government would look at compensating them, said Ministry of Health head of the tobacco control committee Dr Wedad Al Maidour."
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May 7, 2010 (The Associated Press) — State won't test workers for smoking
"Thousands of North Carolina state employees admitted they were smokers and signed up for a higher-priced health coverage under the threat of random testing to see if they were sneaking a butt. But so many workers opted to admit their vice and stay in the higher-price plan that administrators doubt they'll find many cheaters. Legislators and plan administrators this week dropped plans to test for smokers trying to beat the system."
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(Michigan Department of Community Health) — Michigan's Smoke Free Air Law
"On May 1, 2010, Michigan residents and visitors will be protected from exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke in all restaurants, bars and businesses (including hotels and motels), thanks to the Dr. Ron Davis Smoke Free Air Law."
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April 14, 2010 (HealthDay News) — Depression and Smoking Go Hand in Hand in U.S.
"The link between depression and smoking, long observed by health-care experts, is real and strong, a new government report shows. People aged 20 and older with depression are twice as likely as others to be cigarette smokers, the researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. And as the severity of depression increased, so did the number of smokers."
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April 13, 2010 (Wall Street Journal) — Cigarette Makers' India Pipe Dreams
India has banned any additional foreign direct investment (FDI) in the cigarette business. Prior to this ban, the government had rejected proposals by foreign players to increase their presence in India. Existing rules issue licenses to cap the number of cigarettes a company can produce in a year, and there are loud calls for higher tax rates to reduce tobacco use.
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April 12, 2010 (Canadian Medical Association Journal) — Association of anti-smoking legislation with rates of hospital admission for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions
According to research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), there is an association between anti-smoking legislation and marked decreases in hospital admission rates for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. Toronto banned smoking in public places in 2001. A 10-year population study found 39 percent fewer admissions for cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack, angina and stroke, and 33 percent fewer admissions for respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema, and pneumonia or bronchitis after the ban went into effect.
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April 7, 2010 (CBS News) — Developing test to warn smokers of cancer danger
"Scientists may have found a way to tell which smokers are at highest risk of developing lung cancer: measuring a telltale genetic change inside their windpipes. A test based on the research is being developed in hopes of detecting this deadly cancer earlier, when it's more treatable."
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April 1, 2010 (CNNMoney.com) — Quest Diagnostics Honored by CEO Roundtable on Cancer
"Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the world's leader in cancer diagnostics, announced today that the company has received CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation™ from The CEO Roundtable on Cancer. This prestigious designation recognizes Quest Diagnostics for taking important actions to reduce the cancer risk of its employees and their families."
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March 30, 2010 (Akron Beacon Journal) — Employers penalizing bad habits: Smoking cessation, biometrics among programs companies stress
"If you smoke or refuse to participate in programs to improve your health, it might cost you in the future. A growing number of U.S. companies want to start penalizing workers for unhealthy behaviors, according to a recent study from Hewitt Associates, a national human resources consulting firm. The study found nearly half of 600 large U.S. companies surveyed already use or plan to use financial penalties during the next three to five years for employees who don't participate in health improvement programs, such as smoking cessation or biometric screenings."
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March 4, 2010 (Reuters) — GE plans new American export—outdoor smoking ban
"General Electric Co is known for exporting American products like washing machines and jet engines, and the biggest U.S. conglomerate is getting ready to ship out another American trend — the outdoor smoking ban. The world's largest maker of jet engines this week told employees that it plans to ban smoking on all GE property — both indoors and out — worldwide starting in March 2011."
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March 3, 2010 (China Daily) — Smoking Ban "Mission Impossible"
"BEIJING: Vice-health minister Huang Jiefu slammed local health authorities on Tuesday for inadequate moves to stub out smoking in healthcare facilities, amid renewed efforts by the country to meet a full smoking ban in public places nationwide by next year."
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March 3, 2010 (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) —Tobacco Control Training Course Now Available in all 6 U.N. Languages
"The Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health now offers training in all six official United Nations languages. The translated learning course, 'Global Tobacco Control: Learning from the Experts' is available in Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic and Chinese, as well as English."
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February 3, 2010 (ScienceDaily) — Smoking Cessation Significantly Increases Cardiac Health Later in Life
"Smoking affects your cardiac health both before and after a major event like a heart attack. But how much? And does cutting back instead of quitting have a positive effect as well? There are definitive answers in a new study from Tel Aviv University, the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. The research found that quitting smoking after a heart attack has about the same positive effect as other major interventions such as lipid-lowering agents like statins or more invasive procedures. Study results were reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology."
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February 2, 2010 (Wall Street Journal) — Tobacco Profits Threatened As Plain Packaging Resurfaces
The government in the United Kingdom is debating whether cigarettes should be sold in plain packaging. This move is in support of government pledges to halve the number of smokers in the country over the next 10 years. Under the proposals, packaging would be decorated only with the brand name in standard type and a pictorial health warning—an image of a diseased lung for example. All other trademarks, logos, color schemes and graphics would be prohibited. Stripping cigarette packets of all branding and logos has never been tried in any market.
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January 13, 2010 (China Daily) — Clinics offer smokers help
According to the Beijing Health Promotion Committee, a new effort is underway to develop better smoking cessation resources in hospitals. It could be instituted in as many as 51 top hospitals and 115 level-two hospitals in Beijing. The program is now in development but is expected to include offering both medical and psychological help to those in need.
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January 12, 2010 (Citizen’s-Times.com) — NC law changes, workplace aid add incentives to end tobacco use
“From smoking bans to higher insurance premiums, governments and employers are implementing all sorts of policies that may encourage people to stop using tobacco this year. While some have opted for the stick, or penalty, approach, others like Smith's employer, the Metropolitan Sewerage District, are using a carrot approach to help workers quit using tobacco. Starting this year, the sewerage district increased the amount of money it spends on tobacco cessation from $150 to $2,000 per year per employee, which covers the cost of stop-smoking aids and on-site one-on-one counseling with a tobacco cessation specialist. More than 20 employees have signed up for the program, which amounts to about 40 percent of tobacco users at the company. Smith, who was instrumental in changing the company's policy, is leading the charge.”
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January 12, 2010 (Wall Street Journal) — Rise of the Part-Time Smoker
“Taxes have pushed the cost of smoking ever higher ($10 per pack in New York City) and the social costs — in disgusted looks and lectures from friends and family members — have escalated too. Such inconveniences are forcing a sea change in smoking habits and upending traditional approaches to smoking cessation. For one thing, there's a growing group of intermittent and secret smokers who seem to smoke as much for psychological and emotional reasons as nicotine addiction. In addition to breaking the physical addiction, smokers who want to quit today need to understand why, when and where they smoke, and challenge some of the thinking that goes along with it, cessation experts say.“
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January 11. 2010 (India Today) — Govt 'quitlines' soon to help you kick the butt
In 2010 the Indian Government is planning to launch, on a pilot basis, a free telephone 'quitline' for smokers. These quit lines are expected to operate in several languages. For example, Delhi’s pilot quitline will operate in Hindi and English. To set up these quitlines, the government first sought help from the American Cancer Society. They’ve now contacted the World Health Organization for support.
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January, 8, 2010 (New York Times) — For the New Year, Cost-Effective Options to Stop Smoking
“Like many ex-smokers, Tonya Guess, 33, of Chesapeake, Va., tried just about everything to quit. There were hundreds of nicotine patches, an online support group, a prescription for an antidepressant and another prescription for Chantix, a drug that helps quell nicotine cravings. Finally, after several false starts, a long period of quitting with a relapse, and a new baby daughter, Ms. Guess quit again. She has not smoked for two years. ‘I’m so relieved,’ Ms. Guess said. ‘It’s so great to be free and not be controlled by cigarettes anymore.’ Another thing Ms. Guess was relieved about: Her insurance paid for most of her quit-smoking aids. ‘It can really add up,’ she said. ‘Fourteen patches used to cost as much as $40.’ “
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