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viernes, 29 de agosto de 2014

Smoking in cigar bars, tobacco outlets ruled unconstitutional : Lincoln, NE Journal Star

Smoking in cigar bars, tobacco outlets ruled unconstitutional : Lincoln, NE Journal Star



The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday declared unconstitutional the indoor smoking ban exemptions for cigar bars and tobacco retail outlets.

In its decision, the court upheld the overall ban. 

Judge Kenneth Stephan, writing for the majority, said there is no substantial difference in circumstances between cigar bars and other public places or workplaces that justifies treating them differently.

In 2008, the Nebraska Legislature amended the Nebraska Clean Indoor Act to make it “unlawful for any person to smoke in a place of employment or a public place.”

But they provided exemptions for hotel guestrooms, indoor areas used for research on the health effects of smoking, and tobacco retail outlets defined as businesses that only sell tobacco or related products.

The next year, they added another exemption for cigar bars, which they defined as any business receiving at least 10 percent of its annual revenue from cigar sales, with a walk-in humidor on site and one that doesn't allow cigarette smoking.

Big John's Billiards, an Omaha billiards hall, has fought the state's smoking ban since its inception.

Friday's decision followed a 2011 decision by a Lancaster County judge that all three smoking exemptions involving businesses were unconstitutional.

eltiempo.com – 28 de Agosto de 2014 – Colombia

Tras crítica de OMS al cigarrillo electrónico, Minsalud revisará tema

Ante el pronunciamiento que hizo la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), con respecto al uso y consecuencias del cigarrillo electrónico, el viceministro de Salud, Fernando Ruiz, aseguró que esta cartera ya tomó nota de las recomendaciones.

“Lo que viene ahora es revisar ese tema en el marco de la salud pública y estudiar la puesta en marcha de las medidas correspondientes”, agregó el funcionario.

Aunque estos cigarrillos se comercializan en Colombia desde hace varios años, el Instituto Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos (Invima) señala que en estos momentos no hay registros sanitarios para estos productos.

El Instituto se había pronunciado oficialmente sobre el tema hace cuatro años, a través de una alerta sanitaria en la cual dejó sentado que estos dispositivos, que no pueden considerarse medicamentos, no tienen, a la luz de la evidencia disponible, bondades terapéuticas.

Insiste, además, en que sus productores no han demostrado que éstos ayuden a dejar de fumar o que sean ciento por ciento seguros para la salud humana.

Basado en considerandos de esta clase, y en conceptos de autoridades sanitarias internacionales, el Invima desaconsejó públicamente su uso a la población en general.

Los ajustes normativos para regular estos dispositivos se harán cuando el Ministerio de Salud tome la decisión de hacerlo.

Entre las recomendaciones hechas por la OMS a las autoridades, está la de prohibir la venta de este tipo de cigarrillos a los menores de edad, afirmando que su consumo plantea “graves amenazas” para el cerebro a largo plazo.

“Las pruebas existentes demuestran que el aerosol producido por los inhaladores electrónicos de nicotina –de los cuales los más conocidos son los cigarrillos electrónicos– no es solo vapor de agua como suelen pretender las estrategias de márketing de estos productos”, afirmó la OMS.

Para los expertos, “el uso de estos dispositivos aumenta la exposición de los no fumadores y de las terceras personas a la nicotina y a ciertas sustancias tóxicas”.

Sin medidas

“La mitad de los países miembros de la OMS, en particular los que están en vías de desarrollo, no adoptaron medidas, lo que es muy preocupante”, declaró a los medios de comunicación el director del departamento de Prevención de Enfermedades No Transmisibles de la OMS, Douglas Bettcher.

La organización recomienda “eliminar los distribuidores automáticos”, indica el informe. Los expertos también son partidarios de prohibir el uso de estos inhaladores electrónicos de nicotina en los espacios públicos cerrados “hasta que se demuestre que el vapor exhalado no es peligroso para terceras personas”.

Estas recomendaciones fueron publicadas con motivo de la sexta reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes en el Convenio Marco de la OMS para el Control del Tabaco que se celebrará del 13 al 18 de octubre próximo en Moscú (Rusia).

Según la OMS, hay pruebas suficientes para advertir a los “niños, adolescentes, mujeres embarazadas y mujeres en edad de procrear que la exposición del feto y del adolescente a la nicotina tiene consecuencias a largo plazo sobre el desarrollo del cerebro”.

Cigarrillo tradicional

Por otra parte, en Colombia el consumo, la comercialización y publicidad del cigarrillo tradicional fueron regulados mediante la Ley 1335 del 2009. La norma prohíbe fumar en espacios públicos cerrados y en sitios de trabajo, la venta menudeada en tiendas y puestos callejeros y todo tipo de publicidad, patrocinio y promoción de las tabacaleras y sus fundaciones sociales.

La norma, además, exige que las cajetillas exhiban advertencias sanitarias explícitas sobre los daños que el tabaquismo causa a la salud.

Con información de AFP

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publimetro.cl – 28 de Agosto de 2014 – Chile

Suprema informa favorablemente proyecto que modifica Ley del Tabaco

La Corte Suprema remitió al Senado el informe favorable respecto de proyecto que introduce modificaciones a la denominada Ley del Tabaco, actualmente en discusión en la comisión de Salud de la cámara alta.

En decisión divida, el máximo tribunal envió su opinión sobre los cambios que otorgan competencia a los juzgados de Letras en lo Civil para sancionar las infracciones a la ley Nº 19.419, que actualmente ven los juzgados de Policía Local.

losandes.com.ar – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – Argentina

Meta: que haya menos publicidad sobre tabaco

Para elaborar los cigarrillos, las hojas de la planta de tabaco se ponen a secar y se mezclan con químicos. Por eso fumar es muy dañino para la salud debido a que esos elementos sintéticos entran a los pulmones de las personas y se quedan adosados allí. Los fumadores lo saben, pero mientras se sientan bien, seguirán con la práctica aditiva confiando en su buena condición física y su suerte.

Sin embargo, hay que reiterar, sin invadir los derechos privativos de las personas de elegir, que las estadísticas son preocupantes: 80% del cáncer de pulmón es producido por el cigarrillo y que cada año mueren en el mundo alrededor de 5 millones de seres por el consumo del tabaco. Además, más de 600.000 individuos no fumadores fallecen anualmente por su exposición al humo.

Y apretando más la marca, cada 10 minutos una persona parte de este mundo por cáncer de pulmón. El Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (INC), advirtió que en nuestro país el tabaquismo produce más de 40.000 muertes por año y genera costos sanitarios por 21.000 millones de pesos, lo que representa 14% del monto que Argentina invierte en salud por año.

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bathchronicle.co.uk – 27 de Agosto de 2014 – UK

Trading standards seize 7,000 illegal cigarettes and 6kg of illegal tobacco during raids in Bath

Seven thousand cigarettes and 6kg of tobacco has been seized during raids on six Bath businesses and two houses as part of a crackdown on the illegal tobacco trade.

A specialist sniffer dog was used during the day of action on Tuesday, which involved trading standards officers from Bath and North East Somerset Council, Avon and Somerset Police and HMRC.

A large quantity of illegal alcohol was also taken from one of the shops involved.

So far nobody has been arrested, but investigations are continuing.

The raids were carried out because of intelligence provided by members of the public, who had attended a council roadshow in June and told council officers they wanted to see action taken to stamp out illegal tobacco in their communities.

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independentcollegian.com – 27 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

What you need to know about UT’s tobacco ban

Trevor Stearns, Staff Reporter

The long controversial tobacco ban around campus was instated recently in an attempt to make the school a healthier place.

The tobacco ban, established last spring, also bans chewing tobacco, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, snus and pipes.

Many students agree with the ban, including Alexis Blavos, a fourth-year doctoral graduate assistant in the Department of Health and Recreation Professions. Having smoked for ten years before quitting ten years ago, Blavos said the initiative is fantastic.

“Over 1,000 universities across the country have gone tobacco-free in the last few years,” Blavos said. “I’m glad that UT is finally following this trend.”

Blavos also mentioned that in her Ph.D. program research, she found studies conducted to show that tobacco-free campuses improve the health and satisfaction of students, faculty, and staff.

“It truly is an initiative that promotes the health of all students, faculty, staff and visitors,” Blavos said. “I’m proud to go to a tobacco-free campus.”

Austin Warchol, a first-year majoring in mechanical engineering, agreed with Blavos.

“The smoking and overall tobacco ban is a great thing in my eyes,” Warchol said. “During the summer I was around enough secondhand smoke at work, and it makes me happy to know that I don’t have to worry about any of the health risks that come with smoke-filled air.”

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kten.com – 28 de Agosto de 2014 – Francia

Paris Police Complete Tobacco Sting Operation
The Paris Police Department recently completed a sting operation to combat the sale of tobacco products to minors.

"The investigation began June 30th and was headed up by Officers David Whitaker and Curtis Graham in the department's Community Oriented Policing Unit. The operation was in conjunction with the Tobacco Enforcement Program provided by a grant through the Texas State University.

During the operation, accompanied by plain clothes officers, underage individuals went to businesses and attempted to buy tobacco products with Texas driver's licenses which clearly established that the buyer was under age for that type of purchase. Each time the underage person attempted a buy, the undercover or plain clothes police officer witnessed the transaction and provided security for the buyer.

Officers went with the buyers as they attempted to purchase tobacco products at 51 locations in Paris. If an illegal sale took place, the clerk completing the sale was issued a class ‘C' misdemeanor citation. After an illegal buy or a sale that was refused, officers made contact with the management of the business and explained what had happened, reinforced what the law was and let them know that the officers would be back to see if illegal sales continued. Officers issued 17 citations for illegal sales from the 51 locations visited. There were additional attempts at the stores which made an illegal transaction. One location received a second citation as the same buyer with the same ID dealing with the same clerk allowed a second illegal purchase to take place.

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indiatimes.com – 27 de Agosto de 2014 – India

Vadodara's swanky central bus stand now also tobacco-free

VADODARA: The airport-like central bus depot that is also among the showcase projects in the city is now tobacco-free too.

The bus station was declared a tobacco-free zone on the Independence Day and over three quintals of tobacco products have been collected and destroyed there.

The step was taken to ensure stricter implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COPTA), 2003. For the last two weeks city-based NGO Faith Foundation has taken up the cause to ensure that the rule is followed strictly at the bus station. Nearly 25 volunteers of the NGO now work at the bus station from morning to night to make sure that no passenger carries tobacco in any form into the bus station. Everyday, volunteers collect almost 25kg to 30kg of tobacco products that are burnt in the evening.

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easternprogress.com – 28 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

Tobacco ban goes into effect across campus

Construction isn’t the only thing that changed the campus landscape, a new tobacco-free policy enacted June 1 has also changed The Campus Beautiful.

Since the policy was enacted, an online reporting system has filed 50 complaints about tobacco-use on campus and three sanctions have been handed out to students in residence halls, said Jack Rutherford, co-chair of the Tobacco-Free Taskforce.

The entire campus community is responsible for helping to enforce the ban, Rutherford said.

The taskforce wants to set up training classes that will be open to students and university employees to instruct them on how to approach violators of the tobacco ban and tell them there is a tobacco-free policy in a compassionate manner, said Renee Fox, co-chair of the Tobacco-Free Taskforce.

The taskforce is currently interviewing candidates to serve as Tobacco-Free Ambassadors to help police the policy and issue sanctions, Rutherford said. The Ambassadors will be the ones directly responsible for issuing sanctions to students and employees.

The sanctions are as follows: the first offense for students includes one semester of social probation, completion of the tobacco education program, based on quizzes and video through Blackboard, a two-page educational paper and written reprimand.

The second offense for students includes one semester of university probation, two hours of university service assigned through the Student Rights and Responsibility Office, an educational paper, a $100 administrative fee and written reprimand.

The third offense for students includes one semester of university probation, four hours of university service, an educational paper, a $200 administrative fee and written reprimand.

Any subsequent offenses include a year of university probation, eight hours of university service, an educational paper, a $400 administrative assessment and a written reprimand that includes a warning of suspension or expulsion from the university.

Faculty and staff that violate the policy the first time will have their supervisor contacted along with a written reprimand, Rutherford said.

Any visitors that violate the policy will be asked to leave campus, Fox said.

Signs are posted along all of the roads that enter the university, the EKU Center will have the policy posted in brochures, and a message will play at the university’s athletic events, Rutherford said. Football Coach Dean Hood also recorded a message that will play at the home football games.

The only setback the taskforce faced during the summer was not removing all of the smoke shacks. Rutherford said a buyer was lined up to move some the shelters across campus for bus stops and to potentially use them for transit stops throughout Richmond, but the buyer backed out at the last minute.

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malaysiandigest.com – 28 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

E-Cigarette Threatens To Renormalize Tobacco Use : American Heart Association

DALLAS -- The American Heart Association, or AHA, acknowledges that e-cigarettes might play a role in helping people quit smoking, but is reluctant to encourage wider use of the devices without further study. "People need to know that e-cigarettes are unregulated and there are many variables that we don't know about them," said Aruni Bhatnagar, Ph.D., the professor who led the team that wrote the AHA's policy statement.

The AHA has long been opposed to tobacco use because it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, among other unhealthy effects. However, e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco. Instead, users inhale vaporized nicotine as an aerosol. This delivery method is thought to be safer than burning tobacco, but conclusive studies have yet to be published.

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jueves, 28 de agosto de 2014

truth - Unpaid Tobacco Spokesperson

Anti-tobacco ads aim to shame celebrities who smoke



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jamanetwork.com – 27 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

Tobacco’s Continuing Health Threat

Cigarette smoking has plummeted among US adults in the 50 years since the Surgeon General’s report on the habit’s dangers. But health threats from tobacco products continue, with stagnant rates of cigar and smokeless tobacco use and rapidly increasing electronic cigarette use.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration have reported that in 2012 and 2013, 21.3% of US adults used a tobacco product every day or some days and 25.2% used a tobacco product at least on rare occasions. Combustible forms such as cigarettes, cigars, and pipes were the most commonly used tobacco products.

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bostonglobe.com – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

FDA considers smokeless tobacco

RICHMOND — Federal regulators are seeking public comment on smokeless tobacco maker Swedish Match’s request to certify its General-branded tobacco products as less harmful than cigarettes.

It is the first time the Food and Drug Administration has sought input on a modified risk tobacco product application, a move that’s being watched by the public health community and tobacco companies, which are looking for new products as they face declining cigarette demand due to tax hikes, health concerns, bans, and social stigma.

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scientificamerican.com – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

WHO Calls for Electronic Cigarette Regulation

Even in the absence of definitive science on the potential hazards surrounding the use of electronic cigarettes, regulations are needed now to head off health concerns. One such restriction should be a ban on indoor use of the devices. That’s according to the World Health Organization in a new report the international body published on August 26. Electronic cigarettes, the organization states, “represent an evolving frontier, filled with promise and threat for tobacco control.” The popular devices deliver an aerosolized solution to users by a heating a nicotine solution that users inhale.

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mirror.co.uk – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

E-cigarettes 'should be banned indoors' and 'may pose threat to foetuses of pregnant women'

E-cigarettes should be banned indoors, the World Health Organization said.

The health body said there must be no more claims that the devices can help smokers quit - until there is firm evidence to back this - and sales to children should stop.

WHO experts warned the products may pose a threat to youngsters and the foetuses of pregnant women.

It said legal steps need to be taken to end the use of e-cigarettes indoors - both in public spaces and in work - because of fears over second-hand smoke.

The WHO warned exhaled e-cigarette vapor could increase the background air levels of some toxicants and nicotine.

E-cigarettes, officially known as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), carry a risk to those standing around users, a report for the UN organization said.

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wchstv.com – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

National Health Groups Demanding Regulations On Booming E-Cig Industry

The popularity of electronic cigarettes is soaring, with sales expected to top two billion dollars this year in the US, but there is a lot of controversy about the safety of "vaping" as it's commonly called.

Now there are growing calls to regulate the e-cig industry. 

What's possibly most surprising with the boom of e-cig popularity is that right now the industry is not regulated at all, despite an announcement by the federal government earlier this year that regulations would be put in place. Now, following some new studies, several health organizations are demanding rules to finally be put on paper. 

"When we first opened up, we didn't know this was this big, and it was going to hit so fast and now everybody's coming to the vapor side," said Brittany Perry, assistant manager of West Virginia Mountain Vapor.

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nytimes.com – 27 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

World health organization urges stronger regulation of electronic cigarettes

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Publicación original: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/business/international/world-health-organization-urges-stronger-regulation-of-electronic-cigarettes.html?_r=0

kake.com – 27 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU - Kansas

Harvey Co. Health Department talks e-cig regulation in work place

NEWTON, Kan. --- As Overland Park becomes the first in Kansas to ban e-cigarettes in public places. This has other cities in Kansas talking about regulation. Last year in Newton High School banned e-cigs from its campus because students using the products in class. The Harvey County Health Department says they have businesses interested in possibly banning them in the work place.

As E-cigarettes rise in popularity, so does the talk of regulating them. Right now in Kansas it's legal to smoke indoors. That's why Harvey County Health Department is helping businesses as they decide to prohibit them in the work place.

"Any of them that are interested in adding e-cigarettes to their indoor bans we'll be helping them get their policies worked out," said Lorrie Kessler, Harvey County Health Department Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Coordinator.

A few businesses have expressed concern about the movement. "I think part of it is because they are concerned with the health of the people that are inhaling the vapors around them," said Kessler.

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wggb.com – 27 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

Ban on Indoor E-Cig Smoking Requested 

(WGGB) — E-cigarettes have been marketed as the alternative to using tobacco smoke. But now, one agency is requesting that it’s use be banned, even indoors.

The World Health Organization is suggesting that the vapors from e-cigarettes still increase the levels of toxins in the air, including nicotine. The agency is now calling for standardized regulations preventing indoor usage.

It’s also requested that advertisers and the industry not be permitted to make unproved health claims for their e-cigs.

The e-cigarette industry has grown significantly to about $3 billion dollars per year.

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independent.co.uk – 27 de Agosto de 2014 – UK

Ban e-cigarettes in restaurants and workplaces, says World Health Organization

Electronic cigarettes should be banned inside cafes, restaurants and workplaces, and should not be advertised to children and non-smokers, the World Health Organization has said.

In a long-awaited report, the United Nations’ health agency resisted calls from many experts to soften their approach to e-cigarettes, recommending a raft of measures to curb their use, while also warning over the growing influence of the tobacco industry in the "e-cig" market.

The report also said that e-cigarettes which are flavored to taste like fruit, sweets and alcoholic drinks should be banned, amid fears they encourage children to use the products.

Millions of people now use e-cigarettes worldwide, but public health experts remain divided over their potential harms and benefits. Studies have suggested that they help people to quit smoking, but the WHO said that there was currently “insufficient evidence” to prove their benefit.

The recommendations on indoor use in public places go further than existing regulations in most countries. The vapor produced by e-cigarettes is known to be considerably less harmful than tobacco smoke, but the WHO said there were still concerns over the nicotine and other toxicants produced.

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am.com.mx – 27 de Agosto de 2014 – Suiza

Pide regular cigarro electrónico

La Organización Mundial de la Salud recomendó ayer que los países regulen los cigarrillos electrónicos y no permitan su uso en espacios cerrados hasta que se demuestre el vapor exhalado no es dañino para terceros.

En un informe a los 194 países miembros, el organismo de salud de Naciones Unidas también pidió que se prohíba la venta a menores de los productos con vapor de nicotina y que también se prohíba o al menos se reduzca al mínimo la publicidad, promoción o auspicio.

el-nacional.com – 26 de Agosto de 2014 –

OMS: "No se puede probar la eficacia del cigarro electrónico"

La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) recomendó hoy que se prohíba el uso de cigarrillos electrónicos en espacios cerrados para prevenir la contaminación de fumadores pasivos y su venta a menores de edad.

La agencia sanitaria de Naciones Unidas hace esta recomendación en un documento publicado hoy y preparado para ser evaluado por los Estados miembros del Convenio Marco de la OMS para el Control del Tabaco (FTCT), durante su próxima reunión en Moscú del 13 al 18 de octubre.

El documento es una compilación de la insuficiente, inconsistente y poco concluyente información que se tiene de los SEAN (sistemas electrónicos de administración de nicotina), los más comunes son los cigarrillos electrónicos. Además, se señala sus eventuales efectos perjudiciales sobre la salud. Por ello, sugieren que se prohíba el uso de los cigarrillos electrónicos en espacios cerrados y donde esté prohibido fumar.

Esta prohibición debería hacerse "especialmente en los espacios donde está prohibido fumar, hasta tanto se demuestre que el vapor exhalado no es nocivo para las personas del entorno y existan pruebas científicas razonables de que no se menoscaba la aplicación de las políticas orientadas a preservar los entornos sin humo", señala el documento. Asimismo, se sugiere que se prohíba "a los minoristas la venta de productos de SEAN a menores de edad" y que se eliminen las máquinas expendedoras "en casi todos los lugares".

Para los expertos de la OMS, la única conclusión clara es que "falta más información" sobre este tipo de mercancías. "La mayor parte de los productos para SEAN no se ha sometido a ensayos por parte de científicos independientes, pero las pocas pruebas realizadas revelaron amplias variaciones en el carácter de la toxicidad de los contenidos y las emisiones".

Además, se destaca "la potencial toxicidad" del aerosol que se inhala, y que puede causar irritaciones de los ojos y de los pulmones, "dado que no es simple vapor de agua, como se promociona".

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miércoles, 27 de agosto de 2014

abc.es – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – España

Los adolescentes prefieren el «e-cigarette» al tabaco convencional

El consumo rápido y el fácil ocultamiento son dos de las razones por las que los adolescentes masculinos prefieren el «e-cigarette», según el estudio de investigación «Las normas sociales y las creencias de los adolescentes masculinos sobre el uso de los cigarrillos electrónicos» publicado en el «Journal of of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse (Routledge)».

Otras de las razones por las que los adolescentes masculinos prefieren los cigarros electrónicos es por la gran aprobación social entre iguales, por las creencias de que los «e-cigarettes» son más saludables así como estéticamente más agradables en comparación con los cigarros de tabaco y porque dan una alta seguridad.

«La presente investigación es una extensión de nuestro trabajo anterior y comenzó después de conseguir una evidencia anecdótica de los estudiantes con los que trabajamos. Estos afirmaron que estaban comenzando a utilizar los cigarrillos electrónicos, ya que eran nuevos y tenían una gran aprobación social entre sus compañeros», han afirmado el doctor Ronald Peters y la doctora Angela Meshack en un comunicado conjunto.

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teinteresa.es – 25 de Agosto de 2014 – China

China estudia aumentar las prohibiciones a los anuncios de tabaco

Aunque la normativa actual ya prohíbe la publicidad de tabaco en ciertos lugares, esta propuesta pretende aumentar la prohibición a bibliotecas, centros culturales, museos, parques, salas de espera, teatros, centros de encuentro, auditorios y cerca de hospitales y colegios.

"Los anuncios de tabaco directa o indirectamente transmitidos por radio, cine, televisión, periódicos, revistas, libros y productos audiovisuales, publicaciones electrónicas, red de telecomunicaciones e Internet están prohibidos", dice el borrador al que ha tenido acceso la agencia oficial de noticias china Xinhua.

La propuesta refleja la batalla de China contra el tabaco en el país. En junio, académicos, profesionales de la salud y las leyes y expertos en el control del tabaco se reunieron para firmar una carta dirigida al organismo legislativo nacional en la que pedían la prohibición completa de los anuncios de tabaco.

Además, China firmó en 2003 el Convenio Marco de la OMS para el Control del Tabaco, por lo que está obligada a cumplir con "una completa prohibición de los anuncios de tabaco, promoción y esponsorización".

CASTIGOS SEVEROS

La enmienda presentada al Comité Permanente del Congreso Nacional busca "futuras regulaciones en publicidad, impulsar el desarrollo de la industria de la publicidad y proteger a los consumidores", según una documento explicativo.

El borrador incluye castigos severos por dar falsa información como funciones, ingredientes, fechas de caducidad y precios de productos anunciados o servicios.

Los clientes, fabricantes y publicistas de falsos anuncios serán sancionados con tres o cinco veces las tasas del anuncio. Si el precio fijado no es exacto, las autoridades multarán con entre 200.000 yuanes (más de 24.000 euros) y un millón (cerca de 123.000 euros).

Si estas infracciones se cometen más de tres veces en dos años, las multas serán de entre cinco y diez veces superiores a las tasas del anuncio. Las sanciones se elevarán a uno a dos millones de yuanes (entre unos 123.000 euros y 245.000) cuando no haya un precio fijo.

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infobae.com – 25 de Agosto de 2014 – España

La OMS equipara los riegos del cigarrillo electrónico con el tabaco

La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) ha recomendado prohibir la venta de cigarrillos electrónicos a los menores de edad, por estimar que su consumo plantea "graves amenazas" para los adolescentes y también para los fetos.

Los expertos también son partidarios de prohibir su consumo en los espacios públicos cerrados, "por lo menos hasta que se demuestre que el vapor exhalado no es peligroso para las personas", según un documento publicado este martes por la OMS.

"Las pruebas existentes demuestran" que los cigarrillos electrónicos "no son sólo vapor de agua", como afirman con frecuencia los fabricantes, dijo la OMS.

Su uso "plantea graves amenazas para los adolescentes y los fetos", añaden los expertos.

Según la OMS, hay pruebas suficientes para advertir a los "niños, adolescentes, mujeres embarazadas y mujeres en edad de procrear" sobre las consecuencias a largo plazo que puede tener el consumo de cigarrillos electrónicos en "el desarrollo del cerebro".

La organización publicó estas recomendaciones con motivo de la sexta reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes en el Convenio Marco de la OMS para el Control del Tabaco que se celebrará del 13 al 18 de octubre en Moscú.

Estos cigarrillos fueron creados en China en 2004 y se parecen a un cigarrillo de verdad; están hechos de acero inoxidable, tienen una cámara con nicotina líquida en diferentes concentraciones y son alimentados por una batería recargable. Los cigarrillos electrónicos pueden contener cartuchos de hasta 24 miligramos de nicotina.

Se ofrecen como una alternativa al cigarrillo tradicional, destinada tanto al público que desea seguir fumando sin inhalar las más de 7.000 sustancias tóxicas del tabaco, como al público que no quiere dañar la salud de las personas que están a su alrededor. También son promocionados como alternativas "saludables" para dejar de fumar.

Sin embargo, en otras oportunidades, la OMS ya había advertido que no considera que el cigarrillo electrónico sea un tratamiento legítimo para dejar de fumar y que los distribuidores de éstos deben dejar de reivindicar los efectos terapéuticos "no demostrados" por el organismo.

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yahoo.com – 25 de Agosto de 2014 – España

El falso mito de que el tabaco de liar es más saludable

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wallstreetotc.com – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

First timer young e-cigarette smokers nearly twice as likely to try conventional cigarettes: CDC study

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that electronic cigarettes or e-cigs encourage smoking in young people, especially college and school going teens.

A report, released on Monday by a team of researchers at CDC, provides evidence to the long debated point that the modern cigarettes are more tempting to nonsmokers, mainly youths, than the traditional ones. The CDC research also lends evidence to the argument that once the youths give a try to e-cigarettes they are more inclined to adopt them on regular basis.

The findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on e-cigarettes come a day after the American Heart Association issued a new policy statement on the electronic cigarettes in which it backed the product as the ‘last resort for smoker to quit’. However, the group has not recommended the product as a method for cessation of the smoking habit.

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newsok.com – 25 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

Oklahoma health officials worry e-cigarettes may lead youth to cigarette smoking


A growing number of middle and high school students reported in a recent public health study that they used electronic cigarettes, a trend that concerns Oklahoma’s public health leaders.

More than 263,000 youth who had never smoked a cigarette used electronic cigarettes in 2013, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

This number reflects a three-fold increase, from about 79,000 in 2011, to more than 263,000 in 2013, according to the CDC.

Oklahoma Commissioner of Health Terry Cline said the data in the CDC study, released Monday to media, shows an alarming trend among youths.

“We have had concern that the use of e-cigs may actually be changing the social norm that has developed over the last couple of decades, which really tells us that tobacco use is not cool, that it’s dangerous, that it’s harmful to your health,” Cline said. “The concern is that the increase in e-cig use could be changing that norm to make not only e-cig use more acceptable, but also tobacco use.”

Oklahoma recently saw a historic drop in its smoking rate, a celebrated public health success in 2013. Oklahoma’s ranking in number of adults who smoke conventional cigarettes fell, moving the state’s ranking nationwide from No. 47 to 2011 to No. 39 in 2012.

Cline said he is concerned that the rise in e-cigarettes, especially among young people, will begin to undo the progress that has been made to decrease smoking in Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, research is still being conducted to determine the potential harm of e-cigarettes, although a growing debate continues over the product’s safety, he said.

“We had a period of decades where the research body of evidence was collected to highlight the risk of tobacco use, and meanwhile, they addicted literally millions of individuals to nicotine,” Cline said. “For electronic cigarettes, which also contain addictive nicotine, we know that there are some risks, and we are still evaluating those risks versus any potential benefit.”

Data from the 2013 Oklahoma Youth Tobacco Survey showed that almost 8 percent of Oklahoma high school students and about 3 percent of Oklahoma middle school students who responded to the survey had used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days, according to the Oklahoma Health Department.

The recent CDC data show that middle and high school students nationwide who had never smoked conventional cigarettes but who used e-cigarettes were almost twice as likely to intend to smoke conventional cigarettes as those who had never used e-cigarettes.

Among nonsmoking youths who had ever used e-cigarettes, almost 44 percent said they intended to smoke conventional cigarettes within the next year, compared to about 22 percent of those who had never used e-cigarettes, according to the CDC.

Michelle Terronez, the tobacco use prevention supervisor at the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, said she anticipates that once state-specific data is available, it will show an increase in e-cigarette use among Oklahoma’s youth.

Terronez said she and others at the agency are trying to educate youth, but they’re up against a multimillion dollar industry.

“They have gotten the upper hand on us again,” she said. “They work very hard to come up with replacement smokers for adults who either stop smoking or they pass away, and they have a history of trying to get youths engaged in smoking their products, and a lot of the tobacco companies are really on this electronic cigarette bandwagon.”

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itv.com – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

Passive E-cig emissions 'as toxic as normal cigarettes'

A World Health Organisation report has found that the levels of toxins emitted by electronic cigarettes - officially known as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) - is in the range of those produced by ordinary cigarettes, putting non-smokers at risk.

The fact that ENDS exhaled aerosol contains on average lower levels of toxicants than the emissions from combusted tobacco does not mean that these levels are acceptable to involuntarily exposed bystanders.

In fact, exhaled aerosol is likely to increase above background levels the risk of disease to bystanders, especially in the case of some ENDS that produce toxicant levels in the range of that produced by some cigarettes.

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martes, 26 de agosto de 2014

bbc.com – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – Japan

'Ban E-cigarette use indoors,' says WHO
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columbian.com – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – Japan

Tokyo governor takes on big tobacco

TOKYO — Tokyo earned $1 million from an official Olympics-branded cigarette the last time it hosted the competition. Half a century on, Governor Yoichi Masuzoe is looking to restrict smoking before the 2020 Summer Games.

"I want to do this," Masuzoe said on a Fuji TV show last week when asked about the possibility of introducing stricter curbs. "If I get cooperation from the Tokyo Assembly, we can pass an ordinance."

The proportion of smokers in Japan fell to about 20 percent in 2014 according to Japan Tobacco Inc., from 47 percent in 1965, the year after Tokyo first hosted the Olympics. Yet even as secondhand smoke kills nearly 7,000 people in the country a year, there's no penalty for breaking current Tokyo guidelines on preventing passive smoking.

The International Olympic Committee adopted a smoke-free policy before the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, adding pressure on cities to curtail tobacco use. In Britain, the last country to host the Summer Games, smoking in bars and restaurants has been banned since 2007. Russia, host of this year's Winter Games, introduced fines for smoking in locations such as eateries. The United States restricts smoking on a state-by-state basis, with New York having barred people from lighting up in public places since 2003.

Any effort to curb smoking may face resistance from Japan Tobacco Inc. The company was a state monopoly until 1985 and the Finance Ministry remains the largest shareholder. Revenues from tobacco taxes are forecast by the ministry to amount to 922 billion yen ($8.9 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 2015, compared with total tax revenue of 50 trillion yen.

Yoichi Takahashi, a former Finance Ministry official who is now a professor at Kaetsu University in Tokyo, blames the close ties between the tobacco industry and the government for the slow pace of Japan's smoking clampdown.

"Keeping the shares in Japan Tobacco allows bureaucrats to secure post-retirement positions for themselves," he said.

Yasutake Tango, who served as the top bureaucrat at the ministry, was appointed chairman of JT in June this year. The company said in an email it was unable to comment on the reasons for government ownership of its shares.

"While JTI supports regulation of smoking in many public places, we do not believe that laws prohibiting smoking in all workplaces and places open to the public are the solution," JT's international arm said in a statement on its website that is unrelated to the Tokyo smoking debate.

In Tokyo, the smoking curbs that are enforced in parts of city are mainly applied outdoors to prevent brush-by burns and littering, forcing people drinking outside bars such as Stand T near Tokyo Station to go inside to spark up.

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newindianexpress.com – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – India

Ban Fails to Drive out Tobacco from Educational Campus

BHUBANESWAR: Shops selling tobacco products dot the periphery of colleges and universities in the Capital, in violation of the ban on sale of tobacco within 100-metres of educational institutions.

According to Section 6 (B) of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition on Advertising and Regulating Trade, Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA), 2003, sale of tobacco products is prohibited within 100 metres of any educational institution so that students do not have immediate access to the products. The ban, though, hardly seems to have had any impact. Repeated attempts by authorities concerned to get rid of such stalls in the vicinity have gone up in smoke.

As per the guidelines, even faculty members are restricted from using tobacco products in the tobacco-free zone. But, students purchasing cigarettes and 'gutka' from shops located in the vicinity of their colleges has become a common sight and teachers too do not hesitate from using tobacco products during college hours on the institution's premises.

College authorities said they are helpless when it comes to adhering to the anti-tobacco norms.

Principals of BJB Autonomous College and Maharishi College of Natural Law said their responsibility lies in displaying the anti-tobacco rules on the premises and ensuring the ban within 100-metre radius of the college. They said, it is neither possible to keep an eye on each and every student who consumes 'pan masala' or smokes in the campus nor get the shops shifted.

Meanwhile, Department of Higher Education on Saturday directed principals of all colleges to report violation of COTPA in their institutions to the respective police stations so that action can be taken. Besides, they have been asked to circulate IEC (Information, Education and Communication) material among students on the ills of tobacco consumption and include the topic in curriculum.

"At a State-level coordination meeting on tobacco consumption held recently, it was revealed that prevalence of tobacco use was more among students pursuing higher education. So we have asked principals of both Government and private colleges to ensure strict adherence to COTPA," said Secretary of the Department, Gagan Dhal.

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newsday.co.zw – 26 de Agosto de 2014 – Zimbabwe

30 000ha of forests lost through veld fires, tobacco curing

CHIPINGE — Zimbabwe has lost more than 300 000 hectares of forests over the past five years through veld fires and massive deforestation largely for tobacco curing, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has said.

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etonline.com – 25 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

Kristen Stewart, Chris Brown Unwittingly Appear in Anti-Tobacco VMAs Ad

Kristin Stewart, Lady Gaga and Orlando Bloom were just some of the stars who were not in attendance at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, but they still provided one of the night’s more memorable moments.

The trio appeared in a Truth campaign ad masterminded by the American Legacy Foundation, filled with paparazzi photos of celebs smoking cigarettes and suggesting that each of them played a part in marketing tobacco to consumers. Chris Brown, Rihanna, Zayne Malik, Lana Del Rey, Emma Roberts, Lindsay Lohan and Robert Pattinson were among the other stars put on blast in the ad – each of them dubbed an “Unpaid Tobacco Spokesperson.”

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washingtonpost.com – 25 de Agosto de 2014 – EEUU

Adolescents who use e-cigarettes are much more likely to try tobacco, CDC says


The morass of conflicting information about e-cigarettes and tobacco use grew deeper Monday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new study showing that adolescents who vape say they are much more likely to smoke conventional cigarettes.

The results show that 43.9 percent of sixth- through 12th-graders who had used e-cigarettes said they intended to light up conventional cigarettes over the next year, compared with 21.5 percent of youth who had never used the electronic nicotine delivery systems.

Overall, more than 263,000 adolescents who had never smoked before used e-cigarettes in 2013, up from 79,000 in 2011, the CDC reported in a study in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. The data come from the agency's National Youth Tobacco Surveys for 2011-2013.

The study also showed that 21.9 percent of the youth who had never smoked traditional cigarettes intended to give them a try in the next year -- almost exactly the same proportion as the 21.5 percent who had never tried an e-cigarette -- and that, overall, the percentage of youths who reported an intention to smoke declined "significantly" in the 2013 survey.

While there is no doubt that smoking tobacco is one of the worst things you can do for your health, there is debate about whether e-cigarettes promote cigarette use or can help prevent it by offering people access to nicotine-laced vapor without the harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke. Others claim that e-cigaretttes may help wean smokers off tobacco, for the same reason. In April, the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to regulate e-cigarettes for the first time since they came to the United States in 2006.

This November, 2013 study in the Lancet, concluded that "E-cigarettes, with or without nicotine, were modestly effective at helping smokers to quit, with similar achievement of abstinence as with nicotine patches, and few adverse events." Sally Satel, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction even argued here that promoting e-cigarettes should be a "public health priority," free of taxes and with easily accessible starter kits. Perhaps, she says, that will make a dent in the $130 billion we spend every year on medical costs related to smoking.

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abc.es – 25 de Agosto de 2014 – España

El humo del tabaco causa lesiones en las células, irreparables a largo plazo

La cantidad de nonanal en las personas fumadoras y exfumadoras es superior que en las personas no fumadoras, donde es casi nula. El nonanal es un líquido incoloro que actúa sinérgicamente como el dióxido de carbono y que puede dar origen a diferentes patologías respiratorias, inflamatorias o tumorales debido a que es un producto secundario de la destrucción de la membrana celular.

Por estos datos, se ha llegado a la conclusión de que el tabaco es una causa del estrés oxidativo porque provoca la destrucción de las células y la aparición de compuestos orgánicos volátiles dañinos para la salud humana. Esto se puede dar con independencia de la edad, género y la cantidad de tabaco consumido. Lo último hace pensar en la persistencia de la lesión celular producida por el consumo de tabaco, aun cuando se haya abandonado el hábito de fumar mucho tiempo antes.

El hábito de fumar tabaco es un factor de riesgo para desarrollar EPOC (enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica), enfermedades cardiovasculares, cáncer de pulmón, alteraciones en proteínas esenciales e incluso necrosis. En la mayor parte de estas enfermedades se produce un elevado grado de estrés oxidativo provocado, principalmente, por la cantidad de especies reactivas de oxígeno y nitrógeno que contiene el humo del tabaco.

Una reciente investigación en la que ha participado la Universidad CEU San Pablo con otras instituciones científicas como el Hospital Central de la Defensa, el Hospital 12 de Octubre, la Universidad Complutense y la de Alcalá de Henares, ha presentados estos resultados que posteriormente se han publicado en la revista científica «Archivos de Bronconeumología».

De acuerdo con Antonio Aguilar-Ros, profesor de la Facultad de Farmacia de la Universidad CEU San Pablo y miembro del equipo investigador, estos resultados son muy importantes para el ámbito científico y clínico, ya que abren una nueva vía de investigación en los mecanismos a nivel celular por los que el tabaco resulta dañino.

Este proyecto ha sido financiado por el Instituto de Salud Carlos III,Neumomadrid 2008 y SEPAR 2010, para determinar si el tabaquismo influye en el nivel de estrés oxidativo que se produce en las vías aéreas en una población clínicamente sana.

Hasta el presente, se han analizado los compuestos orgánicos volátiles (VOC) en aire exhalado de un total de 89 personas, todos ellos voluntarios. Se establecieron tres grupos en función del consumo de tabaco: 35 no fumadores, 24 exfumadores y 30 fumadores activos.

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