Snus causes premature death..

April 19, 2008 - Snus causes premature death.. Just like cigarettes, the use of SNUS, Swedish moist tobacco, causes premature death, a new 30-year study has shown. Of the 10,000 men studied a third died during the period. Most of them were smokers and common afflictions were heart and cancer-related illnesses. The use of snus has been found to increase the risk of premature death by around 10 percent in comparison with those who do not use any tobacco products, according to Upsala Nya Tidning. "Even if smoking is without question a much greater threat to health than snus our research rejects the view that the use of Swedish snus is in principle without risk," said Dr. Ann Roosaar at the Odontological Institute at Karolinska Institutet in Solna. The study began in the middle of the 1970s with the examination of the mouths of most of the inhabitants in the municipalities of Enköping and Håbo. The subjects also answered questions about their tobacco and alcohol habits. In contrast to previous studies this one shows that mouth and throat cancers were more common among users of snus, according to Roosaar. In a previous study, Dr. Roosaar and colleagues found a strong association between the degree of snus induced lesions and current snus consumption. As pointed out by Marita Broadstock (NZHTA Report, February 2007, volume 10 Number 1), the number of studies on smokeless tobacco is relatively slight compared to the wealth of literature published relating to smoking. More and more studies are surfacing that indicate that users of snus are at an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer and possibly even stomach cancer. Also, the snus user has an increased risk of fatal cardiovascular disease and stroke. In addition, the snus user has to cope with the toxic effects of nicotine, e.g., nicotine may accelerate atherosclerosis. (TobaccoWatch.org) Read more...

FDA Commissioner Eschenbach the FDA "clearly has a role" in addressing the public health problem of tobacco..

April 18, 2008 - FDA Commissioner Eschenbach the FDA "clearly has a role" in addressing the public health problem of tobacco.. Congress is considering having the agency regulate tobacco, but the FDA "does not have the infrastructure in place" or the technical expertise, Eschenbach said. Such authority would require a bigger budget and more resources. (FDA chief lays out plans for healing the agency, Sabine Vollmer, 4/18/2008) October 5, 2007 - FDA Head Eschenbach: 'No' to Tobacco Cigarettes too "inherently dangerous" to regulate; would "undermine mission." Read more...

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco launches web site to help retailers and other opponents fight tobacco taxes..

April 18, 2008 - R.J. Reynolds Tobacco launches web site to help retailers and other opponents fight tobacco taxes.. The website - nocigtax.com enables like minded opponents to contact elected officials to voice objections. The site, run by Kottak, Lester and fellow Reynolds American communications official John Singleton, is a convenient platform for retailers, wholesalers and other interested parties to discuss all bills that propose to raise federal or state taxes across the country. The user-friendly website features states with actual tax-increase proposals while allowing users to track their own states. In addition, it provides key highlights of the bill and lets the user find his or her state representative to contact by email. "There are two important pieces to note on this," Riser said. "The first would be that retailers and wholesalers, just like all of us, are nonstop running their business. They don't have much time, even though they are politically engaged. We want them to have a resource that provides information, heightens awareness very quickly and then [provides] a resource to contact elected officials in less than 3 minutes." "Wouldn't three minutes be worth the time to help protect your livelihood?" Riser added. "That's what we're trying to do here." FROM THE WEBSITE: fight tobacco tax increases in your state Right now, there are proposals to increase state tobacco taxes in the following states: Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina. Tell your state government representative to oppose tobacco tax increases. Email your state representatives.

Read more...

Russian State Duma (Parliament) ratified the framework convention of the World Health Organization (WHO) on tobacco control..

April 17, 2008 - Russian State Duma (Parliament) ratified the framework convention of the World Health Organization (WHO) on tobacco control.. Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been joined by 172 countries, including the European Union (EU), but not all countries implement it with the same zeal. Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and Italy have banned smoking in public places, whereas Australia, Brazil, Canada, Singapore and Thailand have so far limited themselves to frightening pictures about the risks of smoking on cigarette packs. Olga Borzova, who chairs the Duma's committee for health protection, quoted a sad statistic - every year, up to half a million Russians die of smoking-related diseases. Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's consumer rights regulator, estimates that in the last 20 years the number of smokers has risen by 440,000. Some 65% of men and more than 30% of women smoke in Russia. Doctors insist that a quarter of regular smokers will die prematurely. Today, the Ministry of Health and Social Development and law-makers are together drafting a national strategy of tobacco control to meet the convention's main requirements. Borzova said it may be adopted before the end of this year. The U.S. signed the FCTC treaty in 2004, to date it has not ratified it. Signing of the treaty without ratification commits countries to support it, but does not create a legal obligation to abide by its provisions. Click on image to enlarge..
Read more...

Butts Out: Iowa joins 22 states with a workplace smoking ban..

April 16, 2008 - Butts Out: Iowa joins 22 states with a workplace smoking ban.. Governor of Iowa Chet Culver signed a near-total ban on public smoking Tuesday (4/15/2008), a law that takes effect July 1, 2008. “The bottom line is that this bill will save lives, plain and simple,” he said at a jam-packed signing ceremony. The ban will be most noticeable in bars and restaurants, but it covers nearly every workplace. The main exceptions are for the gaming floors of the 17 state-licensed casinos and for the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. News briefs concerned with Iowa: : Iowa - cigarette sales fall by 36% after $1 bump in cigarette tax.. and Iowa's cigarette tax is now $1.36 per pack... Related news briefs:Thailand, France, England and Minnesota. Other: Banning tobacco smoking in public places is a public health issue and not a property rights or business rights issue.., High incidence of passive smoking... States, Commonwealths, and Municipalities with 100% Smokefree Laws in Workplaces, Restaurants, or Bars currently in effect as of April 1, 2008.

Read more...