Health officials: Despite any intentions, cigarette fee would have saved lives

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) —

Health officials in Oklahoma said they are disappointed the price of cigarettes will not go up in the state.

A law, the state Supreme Court struck down Thursday, would have added $1.50 in fees to every pack sold in Oklahoma.

"So now 7,000 people are doomed unless we change that," Terry Cline said. "Unless we increase that price point."

Cline is the Oklahoma Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Commissioner of Health.

He said cigarettes are the number one cause of preventable death in Oklahoma, saying smoking kills more than 7,000 Oklahomans a year.

Clines said no matter the true intentions behind the law, increasing the price of cigarettes is the single-most effective way to stop smoking.

"The price point at a $1.50 increase is enough for people to quit or they won't pick up the habit," Cline said.

John Woods, with the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, or TSET, agreed. TSET works to get Oklahomans to live health lives.

"There's a lot that we can do. There's a lot we do here at TSET, but certainly raising the prices of cigarettes is one of the most effective tools to reduce the burden of smoking," Woods said.
Related: Ruling on 'cigarette fee' a blow to mental health providers

He said the fee was projected to keep 28,200 children from becoming adult smokers. It was supposed to cause 30,400 adults smokers to quit, he said. The measure would have also saved millions of dollars in health care costs.

Woods and Cline said this is a police they hope lawmakers will continue to consider.

"It's an epidemic and it's something we're cognizant of and we need to do to reduce that preventable death for our state and for our citizens," Woods said.

"If you have the power as a legislator, of as the people to actually prevent an entire generation of people from smoking, what a gift it is for this generation and the next one," Cline said,

Resource : http://okcfox.com/news/local/health-officials-despite-any-intentions-cigarette-fee-would-have-saved-lives

Man dies after altercation over cigarette

He should have butt out.

Michael Page-Vincelli, 22, died after an altercation with a woman who tossed her cigarette out of a car in Burnaby, British Columbia, according to CBC News.

Page-Vincelli watched the woman throw the cigarette butt and then he picked it up and threw it back at her, witnesses told the outlet.

The cigarette thrower, along with another man then followed Page-Vincelli into a nearby Starbucks, exiting “two minutes later,” a witness said.

When the person went inside the coffee joint to see what happened, he saw Page-Vincelli lying on the floor bleeding.

Witnesses inside the coffee shop told the outlet Page-Vincelli was punched and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the counter on the way down.

He was brought to an area hospital, where he died three days later.

The death is being investigated as a homicide, and no charges have been filed yet, the outlet reported.

Resource : http://nypost.com/2017/08/10/man-dies-after-altercation-over-cigarette/

5 Things You Got Absolutely Wrong About E-Cigarettes And E-Shishas

We have all had (or at least known) that one friend who brought an electronic cigarette (or e-cigarette) so that they could quit smoking. The assumption at play? That while cigarettes are harmful and while tobacco causes diseases like cancer and heart diseases, e-cigarettes are harmless, benign, and pose zero health risks. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

That e-cigarettes and e-shishas help in quitting smoking is only one of the many popular myths that surround their sale and usage. The truth is that researchers (unless they are funded by tobacco companies) argue that transnational tobacco companies make use of deceptive health claims to market e-cigarettes to target young consumers and encourage them to smoke.

In a country where 8-9 lakh people die of tobacco related diseases every year, this trend is obviously problematic. Add to this the fact that sale of e-cigarettes isn’t regulated in India (except in Karnataka, Kerala and Punjab where they are banned under food and drug laws and regulations) and the problem becomes bigger.

Considering the rise in their sale and consumption in recent years (the Union health minister told the parliament in December 2015 that the import of e-cigarettes had risen by almost 100% between 2012-13 and 2015-16), it becomes essential to question the myths surrounding this smoking device.

Here we debunk the most popular myths associated with e-cigarettes/e-shishas:
1. E-Cigarette Smoke Doesn’t Have As Many Toxicants As Cigarettes

A study conducted by the Dutch health ministry found that although e-cigarettes have lower concentration of some cigarette-specific toxic chemical compounds (like tobacco-specific nitrosamines), e-cigarettes have their own toxicants (like polyols and aldehydes), that sometimes exist in higher concentrations than in cigarette smoke.
2. E-Cigarettes/E-Shishas Won’t Give Me  Cancer

If you are smoking a nicotine containing e-cigarettes or e-shisha, there is little respite for you. Nicotine by itself isn’t a carcinogen – but it does promote tumours and malignant diseases. After all, cigarettes have been around for a while and there is plenty of research that shows that nicotine, the chemical that drives people to smoking, is harmful for you.

Even non-nicotine e-cigarettes contain heavy metals. And prolonged use of even these e-cigarettes can lead to cancer. More research, however, needs to be conducted before we can directly correlate the amount of heavy metals consumed through e-cigarettes to cancer.

3. E-Cigarettes/E-Shishas Help In Quitting Smoking

This is another big myth. Nicotine in itself is considered highly addictive and can even lead you on to try other drugs. It’s not surprising to know then that the US’ National Institute On Drug Abuse has stated that ‘there is no conclusive scientific evidence on the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for long-term smoking cessation’.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that although there isn’t a clear association (chemically/biologically) between vaping and smoking, it also found that ‘use by minors who have never smoked at least doubles their chance of starting to smoke’.

Why is this myth out there then? Two Danish researchers reviewed 76 studies conducted on the content of the fluid/vapour of e-cigarettes and found ‘serious methodological problems’. “In 26 studies (34%), the authors had a conflict of interest. Most studies were funded or otherwise supported/influenced by manufacturers of ECs, but several authors had also been consultants for manufacturers of medicinal smoking cessation therapy,” the review says.
4. So You Mean To Say Go With E-Cigarettes With No Nicotine And Low Metal Content?

Maybe, but you will be doing that at your own risk. Metal content can vary across products and brands and you can try and choose ones which have low toxic substances. But how do you figure out if a company’s claims are true?

Take, for example, these three results from a laboratory analysis done by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

    The electronic cigarette cartridges that were labelled as containing no nicotine had low levels of nicotine present in all cartridges tested, except one.

    Three different electronic cigarette cartridges with the same label were tested and each cartridge emitted a markedly different amount of nicotine with each puff. The nicotine levels per puff ranged from 26.8 to 43.2 mcg nicotine/100 mL puff.

    One high-nicotine cartridge delivered twice as much nicotine to users when the vapour from that electronic cigarette brand was inhaled than was delivered by a sample of the nicotine inhalation product (used as a control) approved by FDA for use as a smoking cessation aid.

These results are from the US, which has some country-wide regulations for e-cigarettes at least. In India, where there are no guidelines or rules around them, the market remains almost completely unregulated. So, it is totally up to the consumer to test the veracity  of a company’s claims and make a decision!

5. How About Fruit Flavoured E-Cigarettes? Fruits Aren’t Harmful!

Until January 2014, there were close to 8,000 flavours of e-cigarettes available – but research on them remains scarce. Popcorn flavourants are, however, known to cause ‘excess rates of lung disease and lung-function abnormalities’. A study done specifically on cinnamon-flavoured e-cigarettes found that the flavourants are toxic for living cells.

Moreover, when it comes to perceptions, a study based on a 2014 survey done in the UK with 11-16-year-olds found that the perception of harmfulness of e-cigarettes was moderated by what flavour they came in. “Fruit and sweet flavours were perceived as more likely to be tried by young never smokers than adult smokers trying to quit,” the study says.

All things said, when tobacco companies are getting involved with vaping, one should always be a little cautious and do one’s own research – than take their claims at face value. These multinationals are known for their intense lobbying and secretive marketing that you as a consumer might not always be aware of.

When you hear ‘facts’ about e-cigarettes or e-shishas, beware of where they are coming from and how they were found.  Ultimately, it is your health that’s at risk. So practice exercising that extra caution before buying that e-cigarette and trusting your health with it!

Resource : https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2017/08/5-popular-myths-about-e-cigarettes-and-e-shishas-busted/

Advertisement Young e-cigarette users more likely to become tobacco users says new study

 While results of a recent report published in the British Medical Journal showed that U.S. adult e-cigarette users were more likely than non-users to try to quit smoking (and succeed at quitting for at least three months), the devices remain a source of concern when it comes to young users, as a U.K. study published last week suggests that teenagers who have tried an e-cigarette are more likely to go on to smoke tobacco cigarettes.

Led by the University of Stirling along with researchers from the Unversities of St Andrews and Edinburgh, and ScotCen, the results mirror those found in eight previous US studies.

The team looked at pupils at four Scottish secondary schools aged between 11 and 18 years old, surveying the participants in 2015 and then again 12 months later.

 They found in the initial 2015 survey that among the 2,125 pupils who had never smoked a cigarette, 183 (8.6 per cent) said that they had tried an e-cigarette and 1,942 had not.

In the 2016 survey, 74 (40.4 per cent) of those who had tried an e-cigarette in the initial 2015 survey went on to smoke a cigarette in the following 12 months -- compared to only 249 (12.8 per cent) of young people who had not tried an e-cigarette.

The results remained statistically significant even after the team had taken into account other factors that influence smoking including smoking susceptibility, having friends or family members who smoke, age, sex, family affluence, ethnic group and school.

"Uniquely, we also found that e-cigarette use had a greater impact on the odds of cigarette experimentation in young never smokers who had a firm intention not to smoke and/or whose friends didn't smoke. Traditionally, this is the group of young people least likely to take up smoking," commented Dr Catherine Best, Research Fellow at the University of Stirling.

Sally Haw, Professor of Public and Population Health at Stirling, also added that, "The greater impact of e-cigarette use on young people thought to be at lower risk of starting smoking is of particular concern" and now recommends further research to understand better how experimenting with e-cigarettes may influence smoking attitudes.

The findings can be found published online in the British Medical Journal's Tobacco Control journal.

Resource : http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/young-e-cigarette-users-more-likely-to-become-tobacco-users-says-new-study-1.3526056

British American Tobacco investigated by Serious Fraud Office

UK tobacco firm British American Tobacco (BAT) says it is under official investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over allegations it paid bribes in East Africa.

The allegations were first made in a BBC Panorama programme in 2015.

BAT said that it had been investigating the claims through external legal advisers and it had been co-operating with the SFO.

The firm said it also intended to co-operate with this formal investigation.

The SFO confirmed it was "investigating suspicions of corruption in the conduct of business by BAT plc, its subsidiaries and associated persons".

It asked those with "information relevant to this investigation, please contact the SFO through its secure and confidential reporting channel".

The Panorama programme alleged that BAT, whose brands include Dunhill and Pall Mall cigarettes, had made illegal payments to politicians and civil servants in East Africa.

The BBC spent five months investigating and was shown hundreds of secret documents purporting to show backhanders to various officials, including MPs and even people working for a rival company in East Africa.

BAT told Panorama at the time: "The truth is that we do not and will not tolerate corruption, no matter where it takes place."

Following the news of the official SFO investigation, BAT said in a statement: "As previously announced, we are investigating, through external legal advisers, allegations of misconduct.

"We have been co-operating with the Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") and British American Tobacco ("BAT") has been informed that the SFO has now opened a formal investigation. BAT intends to co-operate with that investigation."

Resource : http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40787784

Efforts to reduce smoking undermined by availability of cheap tobacco

The effectiveness of price increases as a deterrent to cut smoking is being undermined by the availability of cheap tobacco, including roll-your-own and cartons of factory-made cigarettes, according to new research published in the Journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

In the study, researchers at King's College London and the University of Bath analyzed data from over 6,000 smokers to look at the price UK adults paid for tobacco between 2002 and 2014. Their study compared buying tobacco from conventional outlets, such as supermarkets, off-licenses and convenience stores, with buying from informal sellers, including friends or duty-free sources.

The researchers showed that, by switching brands, smokers could easily and legally obtain tobacco in conventional stores at the same prices they would have paid in 2002. The price range comparing the cheapest and most expensive tobacco almost doubled over the 12 years.

In 2002 there was a 12 pence range between the cheapest and most expensive factory made cigarettes ; by 2014 this had increased to 23 pence. In 2014, the most expensive available pack of 20 factory-made cigarettes cost around £10.00, whereas the cheapest cost only around £5.33.

They argue that the widening gap between the cheapest and most expensive products is evidence of the tobacco industry introducing a wider variety of brands to cater to some smokers' declining budgets. Thus despite regular tax increases over this period, factory-made cigarettes only increased by an average of 10 pence per cigarette.

The study was also interested in differences between roll-your-own tobacco and factory-made cigarettes. Currently in the UK roll-your-own tobacco is taxed at a lower rate than factory-made cigarettes and considerably cheaper.

From 2002 - 2014, smokers using roll-your-own almost doubled, with its use particularly prevalent in younger smokers. The price increase in roll-your-own was even lower than that of factory-made cigarettes. By 2014, the cheapest roll-your-own tobacco could be purchased at around £1.63 for 10 grams, roughly equivalent to 20 cigarettes.


This study provides evidence that marked tax increases have not resulted in price increases large enough to necessarily motivate smokers of cheap products to quit.

Lead author, Dr Timea Partos of the Addictions Department at King's College London, explained: "Increasing tobacco prices is known to be one of the best deterrents to reduce smoking, but an increase in availability of cheaper products in conventional stores in response to this appears to be thwarting public health campaigns.

"Policy-makers need to focus on regulating tobacco prices so that the tobacco industry is not able to undermine tax increases by offering such a wide range of cigarette prices."

Co-author from the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group, Dr Rosemary Hiscock added: "Our previous research suggests that tobacco companies are able to meet tax requirements and keep cheap products available by markedly increasing prices on premium brands (over-shifting) and thus under-shifting taxes to cheap brands. This pattern has now been observed in various countries."

The authors now suggest that the price of all types of tobacco should be equally high so that smokers are discouraged from simply switching tobacco products to reduce costs.

With disadvantaged smokers more likely to use cheap tobacco, and smoking rates significantly higher among poorer communities, its availability could also be contributing to the widening socio-economic disparities associated with smoking.

Given interest from other countries in raising tobacco levies it is hoped findings from this research can help inform tobacco control policies both in the UK and internationally.

Resource : http://www.news-medical.net/news/20170731/Efforts-to-reduce-smoking-undermined-by-availability-of-cheap-tobacco.aspx