Translate

jueves, 26 de junio de 2014

univision.com - 24 de Junio 2014 – Holanda

Crean en Holanda el primer cigarrillo electrónico de marihuana

La empresa holandesa E-NJOINT lanzó el primer porro electrónico "100 por ciento legal", según señala el propio fabricante y que se distribuye en Holanda, Bélgica y Francia.

“El diseño se asemeja al de un cigarrillo electrónico regular”

Este cigarrillo electrónico de mariguana anima a la gente a "relajarse" con los "amigos en cafés o bares" y tiene un diseño innovador, según la empresa.

¿Qué opinas sobre la creación de este cigarrillo?

No hay una ley específica para este artículo, pero nosotros sólo vendemos productos que están permitidos", señaló el propietario de Chrijo BVBA, una de las tiendas que desde hace dos semanas distribuye el producto en Bélgica.

El fabricante asegura en su web que el cigarrillo electrónico no contiene nicotina, tabaco ni THC (tetrahidrocannabinol, el componente psicoactivo de la mariguana), sino que está cargado de "elementos inocuos y seguros de distintos sabores florales que se vaporizan al ser utilizado".

El diseño se asemeja al de un cigarrillo electrónico regular en el que imprimieron el dibujo de una hoja de mariguana de color verde que enciende la brasa cuando se aspira.

Publicación original: 

milenio.com - 24 de Junio 2014 – México - Ciudad de México

El cigarrillo electrónico es más adictivo que los convencionales

Ciudad de México

Juan Wolfgang Zinser Sierra, presidente del Consejo Mexicano contra el Tabaquismo, conformado por epidemiólogos, especialistas y miembros de la Secretaría de Salud, detalló que la industria tabacalera, además de tener como sectores cautivos a menores y mujeres, ahora está incursionando con preocupación en el cigarro electrónico.

De acuerdo con el oncólogo del Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (Incan), ese tipo de cigarrillo surgió, sin sustento médico, en China, con el fin de sustituir la adicción a la nicotina, considerando que es de las enfermedades más fáciles de adquirir y difíciles de controlar frente a otras sustancias como alcohol, mariguana y cocaína.

Los estudios científicos ya demostraron que 10 por ciento de los adolescentes que fuman se hacen adictos con el primer cigarro y se vuelven dependientes de la nicotina de por vida.

Publicación original: 

nacion.com - 23 de Junio 2014 – Costa Rica

El cigarrillo electrónico es más adictivo que los convencionales

Por mes, Internet tiene en sus distintos buscadores diez nuevas marcas de cigarrillos electrónicos y 240 nuevos sabores.

Esto representa uno de los negocios en línea con mayor capacidad de renovarse, pero, según especialistas, es un producto que sí puede dañar su salud.

Una investigación de la Universidad de California en San Diego, Estados Unidos reveló que, durante poco más de un año, los buscadores de Internet mostraban 466 marcas (cada una con su propio sitio web) y 7.764 distintos sabores.

La investigación comenzó en agosto de 2012 y terminó en enero de 2014, y durante cada mes los encargados buscaron ofertas de estos productos en la red.

En este periodo desaparecieron también 37 marcas de cigarrillos.

El reporte, publicado en la revista Tobacco Control, señaló que esta versatilidad en la oferta hace que sean más difíciles los controles, por lo que pueden perjudicar aún más la salud de quienes los consumen.

Publicación original: 

losandes.com.ar - 23 de Junio 2014 – Holanda

Polémica por la venta del primer porro electrónico

La empresa holandesa E-Njoint creó el primer cigarrillo de marihuana electrónico y comenzó a venderlo en locales de moda, eventos musicales y fiestas. Si el lanzamiento del e-cigarette, o cigarrillo electrónico, había generado discusiones sobre su verdadera utilidad o salubridad, ya que al parecer no son tan inofensivos como prometían, éste generó una mayor polémica ya que existe un vacío legal.

La primera versión del E-Njoint es un cigarrillo electrónico inofensivo con seis vapores frutados: sandía, maracuyá, frambuesa y frutilla, entre otros. Pero dos nuevas versiones funcionarán con cannabis. La compañía holandesa ha sumado las llamadas E-Njoint Rechargeable y Vaporizador E-Njoint, que pueden ser rellenados con líquido de cannabis y se distinguen del cigarrillo que no contiene tabaco, nicotina ni THC, un ingrediente activo de la marihuana.

El porro electrónico es desechable y puede utilizarse unas 500 pitadas. Cada vez que el fumador aspira, se enciende una verde hoja de cannabis en el extremo del porro. Además, con el E-Njoint Vaporizer se puede usar para fumar otras hierbas secas.

"Holanda es reconocida en el mundo por su actitud tolerante y liberal con respecto a las drogas ligeras, y la presentación de este nuevo producto hace una declaración clara: en tanto no se moleste o dañe a otras personas y se esté dentro de los márgenes legales, todo está bien", explicó el CEO de la empresa, Menno Contant, de acuerdo a lo publicado en medios especializados.

Pero la firma pretende ir más allá y buscar un uso medicinal de la droga. Por eso está en tratativas con Tikun Olam, una empresa de cannabis medicinal, para conseguir información.

Las opiniones varían, como también las normativas de cada país. Resta saber cómo clasificarán este invento las autoridades gubernamentales de cada país cuando su comercialización se extienda.

See more at:
Publicación original: 

breitbart.com - 23 de Junio 2014 – Irlanda

'Tobacco-free ireland by 2015' to ban cigarette vending machines

Cigarette vending machines will be banned in Ireland as part of the government’s attempt to create “a tobacco-free Ireland” by 2015, according to the Irish Times.

The legislation was agreed by cabinet yesterday. It follows news earlier this month that the government’s rush to force tobacco companies to use plain packaging on cigarettes will come to nothing for at least three years, if ever, because it must be referred to the European Commission before it can become law.

Despite this setback, health minister Dr James Reilly plans to outlaw 7,000 cigarette vending machines which, he says, give easy access to minors to tobacco. Legislation will also ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and impose stricter penalties on retailers who get caught selling to underage customers.

Retailers for the first time will also have to pay for a license to sell tobacco.

The government hopes the license will raise €5m (£4m) and also discourage some retailers from stocking cigarettes altogether.

The announcement of the policy came just hours before revenue authorities seized 32m cigarettes worth €14m (£11.2m) in County Louth, north of Dublin, early today.

According to the Irish Independent, the cache represents the largest seizure of cigarettes in Europe so far this year. The seizure was targeted at an international organised crime group thought to be headed by Irish and British nationals.

The smuggling attempt is part of an international epidemic of bootleg tobacco driven by government increases in tax on cigarettes meant to discourage smoking. Instead, smokers who want to avoid the high prices are turning to illegal street vendors and other sources of untaxed illegal tobacco.

According to the Irish Tobacco Manufacturers Advisory Committee, 28.3 per cent of all tobacco in the country is sold without tax being paid.

The seizure this morning of the 32m cigarettes in Ireland represented a potential loss to the exchequer of €13m (£10.4m). The finance minister said the seizure was “a significant blow to the criminals involved in this illicit trade.”

However the activities of organised crime in tobacco smuggling may become easier if the government does finally succeed in forcing tobacco companies to sell cigarettes in plain packs with no branding and no logos. One Irish tobacco industry representative said that plain packaging would pay into the hands of criminal gangs “who profit from counterfeit tobacco.” The criminals’ job will be significantly easier if “all tobacco products are intended to be sold in the same generic packaging.”

See more at:
Publicación original:

health24.com - 25 de Junio 2014 – India

Indonesian tobacco companies ignore deadline

Tobacco companies largely ignored an Indonesian deadline to put graphic health warnings on all cigarette packs sold, another setback for anti-smoking efforts in a country that's home to the world's highest rate of male smokers and a wild, wild west of advertising.

Despite having a year and a half to prepare warning photos that are to cover 40 percent of cigarette packs, most tobacco companies failed to meet Tuesday's deadline, according to the National Commission for Child Protection. It found little sign of change in brands being sold in Jakarta and 11 other cities across the sprawling archipelago.

Warnings and fines

"This clearly indicates that the cigarette industry has defied Indonesian law," said commission chair Arist Merdeka Sirait. "The government has been defeated by the cigarette industry."

See more at:
Publicación original: 

the-star.co.ke - 25 de Junio 2014 – Kenia

Kiambu targets 'monster' tobacco and vows to close cigarette plants


The Kiambu county government has begun its war against use of tobacco with the launch of the Tobacco Act 2007 translated in Kiswahili.

The Act was launched by Tobacco Control Board and Kiambu government in Thika town on Monday.

Participants called for the total ban of cigarette smoking in Kenya, saying the financial benefit from cigarettes is far lower than the damage smoking causes.

Kiambu county TCB secretary Francis Kitema said that in five years, all tobacco manufacturing companies will be closed down due to public demand.

He said Kiambu has begun the campaign and is the first county to translate the Tobacco Act, and may also be the first to shut down tobacco plants and ban the use of tobacco.

Thika, which is in Kiambu, has the largest BAT threshing plant located at Makongeni estate. Kitema said the effects of tobacco are dangerous.

He asked stakeholders to unite to fight "the monster".

TCB director Irene Wanyoike said Kenyans should go to court to challenge the Tobacco Act as tobacco smoking goes against the Bill of Rights that guarantees right for better health.

She said the Act contradicts the constitution. Wanyoike said about six million people in the world have died due to use of tobacco.

She said tobacco makes men impotent and women barren. Wanyoike said tobacco use may lead to babies being born underweight.

See more at:

Publicación original: 

usatoday.com - 25 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

Diamondbacks reliever quits tobacco use after Tony Gwynn's death

Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn attributed the salivary-gland cancer that ultimately cost him his life to the chewing tobacco he habitually used during his playing career. Gwynn, who died at age 54 last Monday, even appears in a forthcoming informational video MLB is producing about the dangerous of tobacco use.

At least one player already got the message. Diamondbacks reliever Addison Reed, who played for Gwynn at San Diego State University, told MLB.com that he quit tobacco when he learned of Gwynn’s untimely death.

Publicación original: 

martes, 24 de junio de 2014

rpp.com.pe - 23 de Junio 2014 – Perú

Tabaco causa 20% de casos de cáncer en fumadores pasivos

El tabaquismo sería responsable del 20% de los casos de cáncer al pulmón en personas no fumadoras, advirtió Fernando Zarzosa, neumólogo del Sisol, al recordar que el hábito de fumar se inicia a los 13 años en promedio.

Indicó que una publicación de la Revista Cancer Research indica que las personas que no fuman tienen 27% más probabilidades de desarrollar cáncer de pulmón cuando se exponen al humo del tabaco en su entorno laboral y un 23% más posibilidades cuando la exposición es en casa, en comparación con los no fumadores que no trabajan o conviven en ambientes con humo de tabaco.

Zarzosa explicó que las sustancias tóxicas que contiene el humo del cigarrillo pueden cambiar el ADN de las células y volverlas cancerígenas; además, debilitan el sistema inmunológico, lo que dificulta la destrucción de las células malignas, contribuyendo a su reproducción y diseminación.

Según el neumólogo del Sisol, el humo de tabaco contiene más de 4 mil sustancias, de las cuales 40 son cancerígenas, como el alquitrán, responsable de casi nueve de diez muertes por cáncer de pulmón.

Además, alertó que el tabaquismo puede ocasionar neoplasias en la boca, nariz, garganta, laringe, tráquea, esófago, estómago, páncreas, hígado, riñones, uréteres, vejiga, colon, recto, cuello uterino, médula ósea y sangre (leucemia).

El tabaco es el responsable del 33% de casos de cáncer en hombres y 10% en mujeres. Está relacionado con el 90% de los cánceres al pulmón y el 50% de los canceres de vejiga. El 80% de las víctimas de infarto de miocardio menores de 45 años son fumadores.

Publicación original: 

thehealthsite.com - 23 de Junio 2014 – India

Will an increase in taxes discourage people from using tobacco?

Dr Harsh Vardhan is a man on a mission. After meeting with anti-tobacco campaigners, the Union Health Minister wrote to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asking him to increase the taxes on cigarette and other tobacco-related products to reduce their consumption. He also asked the FM to remove the tax exemption granted to bidi manufacture. A group of public health experts met Dr Harsh Vardhan last week and explained how higher taxes would help reduce tobacco consumption citing examples from other countries where it has worked. ‘Tobacco taxes are always a good way of raising revenues while accruing health benefits, and we are looking at the possibility of increasing taxes not only on cigarettes, but also on chewing tobacco, bidis etc,’ officials said.

Despite having so many tobacco consumers, the average tax on a pack of cigarettes is just 43% which is lower than the levy of 65-80% suggested by the WHO. In the letter, Dr Harsh Vardhan also pointed out that users tend to shift from longer to shorter cigarettes whenever there is a tax hike and the there should be a blanket hike on all forms of cigarettes including long and short ones.

The government will also look to tax heavily smokeless products and bidis which often escape the heavy taxes inflicted on cigarettes. From now on, makers of pan masala and gutka will feel the heat as taxes are to be linked to the capacity of a gutka factory and not to the size of the packet of tobacco. It’s believed that this will earn the government Rs 4000-5000 crore while saving millions of lives.

An earlier study has shown that an increase in tobacco price by 50% would help to avoid 4 million deaths and get 3 million to quit smoking while 3 million other potential smokers (children) would also be dissuaded.

Publicación original: 

teinteresa.es - 24 de Junio 2014 – UK

Médicos británicos contemplan prohibir el tabaco para los nacidos después del 2000

Publicación original: 

ny1.com - 24 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

Senators Accuse E-Cig Executives of Marketing to Kids

U.S. senators are taking aim at e-cigarette executives for allegedly targeting children. NY1's Erin Billups filed the following report.

"Gummy bear pink spot. Rocket pop. cotton candy," said Sen. Barbara Boxer of California.

"You can see our old friend Joe Camel—and our new friend who is Mr. Cool," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Executives from Blu and NJOY, two leading electronic cigarettes companies were under fire during a senate hearing on Capitol Hill last week.

"How can you sit here and say you're not marketing to children?" Boxer said.

The senators are waging war against what they call a renewed attempt to get children and teens hooked to nicotine products, likening it to the Big Tobacco fight of the 90s.

"It's imperative to restrict youth exposure to e-cigarettes. Simply stated, children and teens should not be guinea pigs as we await more conclusive research," said Sen. John Rockefeller of West Virginia.

E-cigarette executives argued that the fruity, fun flavors used are favorites of their adult clients and that advertisement was geared solely toward adults who are looking to quit smoking traditional cigarettes.

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal displayed an ad featuring the Twilight teen franchise star Robert Pattinson smoking an NJoy and directed his question at NJOY CEO and President Craig Weiss.

Experts pointed to the Center for Disease Control's National Youth Tobacco Survey that showed e-cigarette use among teens more than doubled between 2011 and 2012, and that calls to poison control centers about liquid nicotine have spiked from one per month in 2010 to 215 per month in 2014.

"The adolescent brain appears uniquely susceptible to nicotine addiction, with symptoms of dependence appearing within days to weeks of intermittent nicotine use," said Dr. Susanne Tanski of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Senators and health experts say until more is known about the impact of inhaling nicotine vapors, there should be strict regulations against how the products are advertised—similar to restrictions placed on traditional tobacco products.

Publicación original: 

techtimes.com - 24 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

E-cig update: FDA extends public comment on new proposed e-cigarette rules

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is extending the public comment period on proposed new rulemaking focused on e-cigarettes through August 8.

In April the FDA announced new efforts to review further regulation of e-cigarettes in response to consumer concerns the devices are being increasingly marketed toward children. Currently the FDA regulates cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco. Proposed new products would include electronic cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, certain dissolvables that are not "smokeless tobacco," gels, and waterpipe tobacco.

Once the proposed rule becomes final, FDA states it "will be able to use powerful regulatory tools, such as age restrictions and rigorous scientific review of new tobacco products and claims to reduce tobacco-related disease and death."

The FDA action would make e-cigarettes subject to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

The proposed rules would prohibit the sale of "covered tobacco products" to individuals under the age of 18 and to require the display of health warnings on cigarette tobacco, roll-your own tobacco, and covered tobacco product packages and in advertisements. 

"FDA is taking this action to address the public health concerns associated with the use of tobacco products," states the FDA website

The federal action comes as states are increasing tackling the issue of e-cigarettes. The most recent news came this weekend when it was reported that Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is mulling vetoing an e-cigarette law that would not allow minors to buy the electronic cigarettes.

The states legislature has approved three e-cigarette laws. The proposed rules would prohibit e-cig sales and use of e-cigs by those under the age of 18. The laws also note that the e-cigs re not tobacco products which do fall under the Food and Drug Administration regulations.

"I've had issues with that bill," said Snyder last week, adding that it will get "special attention" and extra review. "Is it a tobacco product or not?"

The Michigan proposed rulemaking is just the latest in a continual series of actions regarding e-cigarettes.

The Michigan news comes on the heels of California Congresswoman Jackie Speier proposing that Congress regulate electronic smoking devices the same way the government regulates traditional tobacco.

"With flavors like gummy bear, cotton candy, and chocolate cake, our kids are literally vaping these things up," saidU.S. Rep. Jackie Speier. "With ads using sex and sex appeal, our teens are lusting after these objects."

The San Francisco lawmaker debuted her new legislative proposal on Friday and claims the e-cig industry is intentionally trying to lure in under-age smokers with marketing strategies.

Her proposed bill would restrict advertisements on TV, according to the lawmaker's spokeswoman, Katrina Rill. Speier intends to formally introduce this week.

She aims to stop marketing of e-cigs to minors and also require the FDA to mandate childproof packaging standards and dosage limitations.

Publicación original: 

peterboroughtoday.co.uk - 24 de Junio 2014 – UK

Trading Standards team finds smuggled cigarettes at Peterborough tobacco store

A Peterborough off-licence could lose its alcohol licence after being caught selling smuggled cigarettes to undercover tradingstandards officers.

The Best Deli store in Lincoln Road, Millfield, Peterborough, was identified as selling illicit tobacco as part of an operation in the autumn last year.

Trading Standards officers on 15 November 2013 carried out a series of raids across Peterborough, during which thousands of cigarettes were seized.

While eight shopkeepers were sentenced at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court last month for selling the dangerous tobacco, licence holder at the Best Deli Mansor Azher was offered a caution, after 10 packets were found in the shop.

However, Mr Azher declined to accept the caution, and now Trading Standards have recommended to Peterborough City Council the store’s premises licence to sell alcohol be revoked.

They have also requested that if the licence is not revoked, a number of strict conditions are placed on the licence holder.

Park Ward councillor John Peach said: “I think we need to make an example of businesses, to show that councillors, the council and residents will not stand for this sort of thing going on.”

A council spokesman said: “Let’s be clear, we will not tolerate the sale of illegally imported cigarettes in Peterborough as it defrauds taxpayers and honest retailers.

“However, when deciding whether to prosecute a business we have to weigh up the scale of the offence and whether it is in the public interest to pursue it through the criminal courts. There are other options available to us, including reviewing the licence of a premises.”

The eight other shop keepers who were raided on 15 November all were told to carry out unpaid work.

No one from The Best Deli was available for comment.

Publicación original:

kansas.com - 23 de Junio 2014 – India

Wichita’s Miss Teen United States contestant spreading info on dangers of tobacco

Alexandra Adkins, a junior at Wichita West High School, will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to participate in the Miss Teen United States pageant.

Adkins, 16, won the Miss Teen Kansas United States pageant in Overland Park in April. Her pageant platform is tobacco danger awareness, which she said has a personal meaning for her.

“Smoking is a really big deal to me, because I have asthma,” Adkins said. “We know so many dangerous things about it, and people don’t know about them. I just want to make a lot of appearances telling people the dangers of tobacco.”

This is not the first time Adkins has won a pageant, but the last time she won, she was 6.

“It was all about being cute back then,” she said. “Now it’s about community service.”

When she is not participating in pageants, Adkins splits her time between varsity cheerleading and singing with the school’s madrigal and jazz choirs. She volunteers with various agencies in Wichita, and earlier this month she was seen on stage in Music Theatre Wichita’s “South Pacific.”

“I feel pretty confident. I have a lot of people that are helping me and totally rooting for me,” Adkins said. “Once I hit that stage, I start having fun.”

Adkins is still accepting donations to help pay for her $3,000 trip to Washington. As of Monday, she said she was a little more than halfway there. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/88y6h0.

“Absolutely everything counts, especially right now,” she said.

Publicación original: 

Médicos británicos contemplan prohibir el tabaco para los nacidos después del 2000

Médicos británicos contemplan prohibir el tabaco para los nacidos después del 2000

CDC: Smokeless tobacco rise in Arkansas youth - KAIT-Jonesboro, AR-News, weather, sports

CDC: Smokeless tobacco rise in Arkansas youth 

<script type='text/javascript' src='http://kait.images.worldnow.com/interface/js/WNVideo.js?rnd=794969;hostDomain=www.kait8.com;playerWidth=500;playerHeight=355;isShowIcon=true;clipId=10296208;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=News;advertisingZone=;enableAds=true;landingPage=;islandingPageoverride=false;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript;controlsType=overlay'></script><a href="http://www.kait8.com" title="KAIT-Jonesboro, AR-News, weather, sports">KAIT-Jonesboro, AR-News, weather, sports</a>

forbes.com - 6/23/2014 - EEUU

If You Snus, You Lose: Study Shows Benefits of Quitting Smokeless Tobacco

English: Skruf løs snus
English: Skruf løs snus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Publicación original:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2014/06/23/if-you-snus-you-lose-study-shows-benefits-of-quitting-smokeless-tobacco/

kansascity.com - 06/24/2014 - Indonesia - Jakarta

Big tobacco snubs health warning law in Indonesia

Tobacco companies have largely snubbed an Indonesian law requiring them to put graphic health warnings on all cigarette packs, another setback for anti-smoking efforts in a country that's home to the world's highest rate of male smokers and a wild, wild west of advertising.

Despite having a year and a half to prepare the warning photos that are to cover 40 percent of cigarette packs, most tobacco companies failed to meet Tuesday's deadline, according to the National Commission for Child Protection. It found little sign of change in brands being sold in Jakarta and 11 other cities across the sprawling archipelago.

"This clearly indicates that the cigarette industry has defied Indonesian law," said commission chair Arist Merdeka Sirait. "The government has been defeated by the cigarette industry."

Read more here: 
http://www.kansascity.com/living/health-fitness/article606120.html#storylink=cpy

espn.go.com - June 24, 2014 - EEUU

Strasburg to give up chewing tobacco

Stephen Strasburg, like his former college teammate Addison Reed, is giving up smokeless tobacco following the death of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

Brad Mangin/Getty ImagesStephen Strasburg said he is giving up smokeless tobacco following the death of his college coach Tony Gwynn.

The Washington Nationals ace, who played for Gwynn at San Diego State,told MLB.com he will quit because of his young daughter.

"I think it's a disgusting habit, looking back on it," Strasburg said. "I was pretty naive when I started. Just doing it here and there, I didn't think it was going to be such an addiction. ... Bottom line is, I want to be around for my family. This is something that can affect people the rest of your life. [Chewing tobacco is] so prevalent in this game. It's something we all kind of grew up doing."

Strasburg said he picked up the habit long before arriving at San Diego State, and also admitted he didn't know Gwynn had used smokeless tobacco during his playing days.

Gwynn, who played for the San Diego Padres during his 20-year career, died last Monday after battling cancer. He was 54.

Gwynn was diagnosed with cancer of a salivary gland in 2010, and publicly stated he believed it was caused by his smokeless tobacco use throughout his career.

Reed, Arizona's closer and another former San Diego State player, said on Saturday he was giving up smokeless tobacco.

Publicacion Original:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11127079/stephen-strasburg-washington-nationals-quit-smokeless-tobacco

Big Tobacco’s Tricks Make Cigarettes More Harmful, Health Report Claims

Big Tobacco’s Tricks Make Cigarettes More Harmful, Health Report Claims: 

Design changes by tobacco companies in recent decades have made cigarettes “more addictive, more attractive to kids and even more deadly,”according to a health report released today by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The report concluded that cigarettes are more harmful today than in 1964 when...

viernes, 20 de junio de 2014

biobiochile.cl - 18 de Junio 2014 – Chile

¿Cómo afecta el consumo de tabaco a nuestra cabellera?

Para nadie es un misterio que el consumo de tabaco conlleva graves riesgos para la salud: más probabilidades de padecer enfermedades al corazón, de desarrollar cáncer y de sufrir enfermedades respiratorias, entre otras cosas.

Sin embargo, muchos desconocen que el hecho de fumar cigarrillos constantemente tiene una incidencia negativa en nuestra salud capilar.

Así lo informó a la revista Cosmopolitan el médico español Germán Delgado, integrante del centro de tratamientos capilares Svenson, quien explicó que el tabaco afecta a la piel y, por ende, al nuestro cuero cabelludo: “Se trata de un hecho científico y no una creencia popular”, aseguró.

A nivel interno el tabaco contiene nicotina, radicales libres y sustancias tóxicas que se crean durante su combustión. Dichos elementos afectan la circulación de la sangre, rebajan el aporte sanguíneo a las raíces del pelo y esto daña indirectamente el crecimiento capilar.

“Estas alteraciones en la microcirculación sanguínea, la disminución de la irrigación a nivel del cuero cabelludo, favorecerán o aumentarán la calvicie en aquellas personas con esta tendencia”, detalló por su parte Carlos Velasco, Director Médico de Svenson.

Conjuntamente, otros compuestos hacen que baje el aporte de oxígeno a los tejidos, al alejarlo de los glóbulos rojos. En palabras de Delgado, esto genera que bajen los niveles de vitamina A, fomentando que la dermis colapse y se altere nuestra cantidad de colágeno y elastina.

Además, externamente las sustancias tóxicas inhaladas pueden acumularse en nuestra melena y modificar ligeramente nuestras características físicas, por ejemplo, poniendo amarilla nuestra hebra capilar.

Ante estos riesgos, la primera recomendación de Svenson es tan obvia como importante: dejar de fumar. Si eso no se logra, aconsejan imponerse una rutina de cuidados diarios de la higiene capilar, tomar productos ricos en vitamina C y consumir alimentos antioxidantes como frutas y verduras, cepillarse el cabello todos los días -con la cabeza hacia abajo para eliminar los restos de polución, como el humo del tabaco- y usar limpiadores según nuestro tipo de cabello, para que no dañen ni alteren su equilibrio natural.

elcomercial.com.ar - 18 de Junio 2014 – Argentina

Se amplían los espacios libres de humo de tabaco en la ciudad

En el marco de las actividades que lleva adelante el Programa Provincial de Control de Tabaco, dependiente del ministerio de la Comunidad declaró como institución libre de humo de tabaco al Instituto de Superior Privado Santa Rita, quienes vienen acompañando al organismo desde hace varios años en la promoción y prevención del consumo de tabaco en la población. Esto se viene a sumar a otros espacios declarados libre de humo de tabaco como ser escuelas en todos sus niveles y lugares bailables. 

Ante este hecho es que el titular de la referida cartera estatal, Telésforo Villalba, descubrió una placa que indica al Instituto Santa Rita como espacio libre de humo de tabaco y agradeció el compromiso del mismo en el trabajo que desde el organismo se viene realizando desde el inicio del programa en sus esferas. Manifestó su satisfacción por el compromiso asumido asegurando que desde un primer momento la conducción del instituto se puso a disposición para realizar trabajos preventivos y concientización en diferentes espacios de la comunidad.

Villalba se comprometió en nombre del gobierno provincial a realizar las acciones necesarias para luchar contra las adicciones, y se mostró abierto a todo tipo de sugerencias para mejorar las acciones con respecto a este tema, esperando que este trabajo se propague al resto de las instituciones, como así también comercios, bares, confiterías, salones de fiestas y discotecas, ya que la prevención del consumo de tabaco es fundamental para prevenir otras adicciones que ocasionan mucho más daño y de peores riesgos.

Aseguró que en la provincia de Formosa se ha avanzado en aspectos muy importantes que son inclusive pioneros en la región ya que se han declarado varias instituciones educativas libre de humo de tabaco, al igual que ciertos municipios y edificios públicos y privados. “Esto demuestra el compromiso que tienen los responsables de las áreas a sabiendas de que el humo de tabaco es un enemigo silencioso y que causa muchos estragos en la salud sin ser previstos”.

Al tomar la palabra el ministro de la Comunidad manifestó satisfactoriamente el compromiso de toda la comunidad formoseña que de a poco va tomando mayor conciencia de esta adicción y que además de ayudar a erradicarla se compromete con el trabajo que se realiza desde el Programa de Control para difundir a través de todos los medios la importancia de no fumar y dejar de fumar. 

Y remarcó que en los hogares son los niños los transmisores en las casas de la prevención del consumo porque por conversaciones con los padres nos cuentan que les piden a mamá o papá que dejen de fumar porque les hace mal y les hace mal a ellos. Así que de a poco vamos sembrando la semilla de la conciencia que es el trabajo que venimos realizando desde que el programa está en el ministerio de la Comunidad.

180.com.uy - 17 de Junio 2014 – Uruguay

Comisión contra el Cáncer pidió más impuestos al Tabaco

La última vez que se aumentó el impuesto al tabaco fue en 2010. Muñoz fue la ministra de Salud de Tabaré Vázquez en el momento que se declaró la guerra al tabaco y se aumentó el impuesto. Ahora es asesora del candidato.

“Le pediría realmente que se piense el aumento de la carga impositiva con consciencia sanitaria. En realidad la salud de todos y cada uno de nosotros tiene siempre un componente socio-sanitario”, señaló.

Aumentar el precio del tabaco peligra el control de la inflación, ya que el tabaco que tiene un peso de 0.28% en el Índice de Precios al Consumo (IPC).

Ante esta situación Muñoz pidió sacar al tabaco del cálculo de la inflación: “No podemos incluir en el IPC el precio del tabaco, eso es del siglo pasado. En realidad en este siglo, en el que está más que demostrado que el tabaco mata, el tabaco no puede estar en la canasta de consumo de una familia igual que el arroz, los fideos, la carne o los artículos de limpieza”, dijo.

Muñoz habló en una conferencia organizada por Centro de Investigación para la Epidemia del Tabaquismo (CIET) en el Parlamento.

Según el CIET el aumento de impuestos explicó, por sí solo, el 80% de la baja en el consumo per cápita de productos de tabaco (las otras medidas explican el 20%).

La última vez que se aumentaron los impuestos al tabaco fue en 2010. Desde ese año los impuestos disminuyeron por el efecto de la inflación, porque el impuesto se calcula sobre un ficto establecido por decreto. Ese ficto no ha tenido aumento desde entonces.

Dardo Curti, economista del CIET, explicó que a pesar de que el peso de los impuestos en el precio del tabaco disminuyó no hubo un aumento del consumo.

Curti constató que cuando sube el precio de los cigarrillos legales también sube el precio de los cigarrillos ilegales. El economista dijo que el contrabando no aumentó mientras aumentaron los impuestos.

jueves, 19 de junio de 2014

koin.com - 17 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

Hillsboro city council considers e-cig ban in parks


HILLSBORO, Ore. (KOIN 6) — The Parks and Recreation Commission in Hillsboro is looking to ban the use of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, on park property.

The possible ban passed a first reading Tuesday evening before the city council. The recommendation will now go up for a vote in two weeks.

Park leaders warned of the health impact of their usage.

Electronic cigarettes are displayed in a Paris store, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

“While it’s not currently known what the long term impacts are to human health or the secondhand exposure to vapor from e-cigarettes, studies that we have looked at have shown that there is an increased level of toxins,” said Hillsboro Park Program and Support Manager Ken Pipher.

However, not everyone agrees that e-cigarettes are a serious health risk.

“There is no secondhand effect from vapor. There’s no risk to the community for vaping in the park. We have studies upon studies that show that,” said Tomi Deveraux, who is against the ban.

City officials also said allowing e-cigarettes makes enforcement of the current smoking ban more difficult. They say people mistake them for actual cigarettes and assume they can start smoking.


Publicación original: 

newschannel5.com - 17 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

Death Of Baseball Great Renews Focus On Smokeless Tobacco

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The death of San Diego Padre legend Tony Gwynn has brought a lot of attention to the link between smokeless tobacco and cancer. Doctors say there is a clear connection, but not everyone who uses the product gets the disease.

A former Major League Baseball manager who lives in Brentwood said he's never had a problem. John McNamara managed or coached Major League Baseball teams for 25 years.

He led the Boston Red Sox to the American League pennant in 1986.

"Well, in the old days... I chewed Red Man," says McNamara. "I think it's just a relaxing thing to calm your nerves."

He has chewed tobacco or used dip his whole life, and credits it for helping him when he coached, especially at the start of a game.

Publicación original: 

kusi.com - 18 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

Baseball, tobacco and cancer

It was Tony Gwynn himself who blamed his cancer on his use of smokeless tobacco after two decades of parking a dip of Snuff between his cheek and gum. Everybody, including family, tried to get him to quit, but Gwynn also acknowledged addiction. And current Major League players reacting to Tony's premature death speak not only addiction, but oral fixation.

More than any other sport, tobacco and baseball - the old-timers used to have a big chaw in their cheek - go hand in hand. Fans may not be aware of it, but smokeless tobacco is prohibited at the high school and college levels, as well as the Minor Leagues. But young players are still using.

You don't have to talk to the American Cancer Society, it's right here on the can: "WARNING: can cause gum disease, tooth loss", "WARNING: this is not a safe substitute for cigarettes." Major League Baseball tried to ban it in 2011, but the players successfully fought it. There are restrictions, however; you can be fined for a tin in your uniform pockets or using it during a televised interview. But it's still relatively easy to spot the pro players who are using it, and that's who the young players are looking up to. Speaking of role models, Paola Flores is a 6th grade teacher and a mother of a 12-year-old athlete, Giovanni Flores, who is working on his basketball game as point guard in training.

"We're always consistently preaching and educating him on the consequences of any form of tobacco," said Paola. "It's unfortunate that we have to have a death or cancer in order for us to have an eye-opener about the dangers of any drug. So yeah, we use that as a reinforcement, and we build on that to educate our children about those poisonous products"

Problem is, you can talk to the youngsters until you're blue in the face about the tenfold increase in the risk of oral cancer from smokeless and chewing tobacco. But when they see the guys in the Majors using, it still doesn't resonate how addictive the products are, according to medical experts. The concern among the health professionals is that the issue won't stay in the public's consciousness after all the tributes to Mr. Padre are over. Can baseball find a way to respectfully honor Tony Gwynn and still emphasize why we no longer have his presence?

Publicación original: 

reviewjournal.com - 17 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

Tobacco companies trying to keep up with e-cigarette market

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Tobacco companies are moving quickly to keep pace with the evolution of their industry by embracing the increasingly popular e-cigarettes and making them more available to consumers.

Reynolds American Inc., the second-largest tobacco company in the U.S., moved forward on its ambitious goal for sales, announcing Tuesday that next week it would begin distributing its Vuse brand electronic cigarette nationwide.

Altria Group Inc., which owns the nation’s biggest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, is seeking to expand its MarkTen electronic cigarette brand nationally during the first half of the year.

Lorillard, the nation’s third-largest tobacco company, acquired e-cigarette maker Blu eCigs in April 2012. Blu now accounts for almost half of all e-cigarettes sold and can already be found nationwide.

Reynolds said Tuesday that retail outlets in all 50 states will be carrying Vuse starting on June 23. More stores will be added throughout the remainder of the year.

Reynolds launched Vuse in Colorado last summer and expanded into Utah earlier this year. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina company said that Vuse quickly became the top-selling brand in both states with high levels of repeat purchase.

Like other tobacco companies, Reynolds American is looking to capitalize on the fast-growing e-cigarette sales and to diversify its business more. To that end, the company announced last month that it was expanding its Tobaccoville, North Carolina manufacturing complex ahead of Vuse’s national rollout in order to meet anticipated market demand.

The market for e-cigarettes has grown from thousands of users in 2006 to several million worldwide and reached nearly $2 billion in sales last year. The battery-powered devices heat a liquid nicotine solution, creating vapor that users inhale. E-cigarette users say the devices address both the addictive and behavioral aspects of smoking without the thousands of chemicals found in regular cigarettes.

The Vuse can monitor and adjust heat and power to deliver the “perfect puff,” according to Reynolds American. It also has a smart light on the tip of to let users know when it’s getting low, needs to be replaced or recharged.

The country’s biggest tobacco companies have all entered the e-cigarette realm as they look to become less dependent on the traditional cigarette business, which is increasingly tougher to be a part of due to tax hikes, smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma.

But the growing popularity of e-cigarettes has left it open to closer examination by the government and health advocates. The Food and Drug Administration has proposed restrictions on the buying, packaging and advertising of e-cigarettes. This includes a ban on selling to minors and warning labels. The Senate will hold a hearing Wednesday to examine the marketing of e-cigarettes and potential consequences for minors.

Shares of Reynolds American shed 46 cents to $59.88 in midday trading, while Altria’s stock fell 12 cents to $41.69. Shares of Lorillard declined 59 cents to $61.39.

Publicación original: 
http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/tobacco-companies-trying-keep-e-cigarette-market

marketplace.org - 17 de Junio 2014 – India

The market for smokeless tobacco keeps on growing

Smokeless tobacco is about a $6 billion industry, says Bloomberg Industries analyst Kenneth Shea.

“Growing sales [are] at about a 6 percent annual rate, which is pretty good, particularly compared to cigarettes which grow at about 1 percent a year,” he says.

Shea says cigarette sales still command 85 percent of total tobacco sales, but products like chew and snuff are growing. Part of the draw, says Shea is that it’s getting harder and harder to find a place where you can smoke.

Harvard Public Health Professor Gregory Connolly says R.J. Reynolds and Altria parent company of Phillip Morris – have also done a great job luring consumers in.

“You can get twice the amount of nicotine out of a tin of Copenhagen than you do out of a pack of Marlboros,” he says.

Connolly says part of the problem is that regulations aren’t as tight for smokeless tobacco as they are for cigarettes.

“We banned all candy-like flavors, so you can’t get cherry cigarettes,” he says. “But [we] totally exempted smokeless tobacco. So you can buy lemon smokeless tobacco, minty smokeless tobacco, you name it.”

newyork.cbslocal.com - 18 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

Palladino: It’s Time For MLB To Ban Chewing Tobacco

Sometimes it’s good to change the culture of a sport, if only to save a life or two.

There’s nothing complicated about it. We’ve seen football alter its collective behavior throughout the generations, and it’s still changing. The shape and material used in the helmets have evolved since the days when a thin piece of leather served as head protection.

Training camp — once the ultimate test of manhood — has gone from a nearly two-month torture chamber of two-a-days where coaches all but doled out water with an eye-dropper to a well-hydrated, single-practice month of tuneup before the regular season. Concussions are no longer thought of as goofy little mishaps that are forgotten once the cobwebs clear — or don’t — to serious occurrences that can shelve a player for a game, two games or more.

Hockey has seen the mandatory use of helmets, and baseball has ordered even its first- and third-base coaches to wear head protection.

Publicación original: 

businessweek.com - 18 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

Big Tobacco Keeps Pushing Into E-Cigarettes

R.J. Reynolds (RAI) announced (PDF) today that it plans to expand its Vuse electronic cigarette brand, tested in four states, to retailers nationally next week, making it the second of the three big tobacco companies to make a serious foray into e-cigs. Lorillard (LO), which acquired Blu eCigs in 2012 for $135 million, now enjoys about 40 percent of the current market; Altria Group (MO) owns two e-cig brands and has plans to expand nationally as well.

At this point, the tobacco companies see e-cigs as more of an opportunity than a threat. While e-cigs are still only a tiny share of the market, sales have grown rapidly—up 72 percent in the last 52 weeks, according to Bloomberg Industries—while tobacco sales are declining.

The tobacco companies have a lot of catching up to do. Consumers are increasingly trading disposable or rechargeable electronic cigarettes for more durable vaporizers that can be refilled with nicotine liquid of many flavors. None of the big three tobacco companies yet offer these devices, says Kenneth Shea, a senior analyst with Bloomberg Industries. Keeping pace may be a challenge for an industry that’s had little new competition for decades. “There’s virtually no barriers to entry in this business,” Shea says. “That’s the exact opposite of traditional tobacco.”

Publicación original: 

timesofindia.indiatimes.com - 18 de Junio 2014 – India

Experts welcome age limit bar for purchasing tobacco 

GUWAHATI: In view of the rising number of young tobacco users in Assam, cancer experts and anti-tobacco government bodies feel that the Union health ministry's proposal to raise the minimum age of purchasing tobacco to 25 years will act as a powerful deterrent in curbing tobacco addiction amongst youngsters.

As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2010) that is carried out every four years, 39 per cent of adolescents in Assam above the age of 15 are regular tobacco users, a staggering figure as compared to the national average of 34.6 per cent. According to the 2000-01 data as per Global Youth Tobacco Survey, the rate was 36.1 per cent. The comparison shows an increasing trend in tobacco consumption among youngsters.

Cancer experts said if the containing the habit among youngsters in the early stage contributes immensely in preventing full-fledged tobacco addiction. They added that peer pressure and attitudinal shift acts a catalyst in starting tobacco consumption.

"If the Union Health Ministry is truly examining a proposal to raise the age then it is quite appreciative. The number of young people, especially minors, resorting to tobacco consumption is worrisome. If they are prevented early, then they will refrain in the future as well," said Ashok Kumar Das, associate professor of head and neck oncology, Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute.

Though Assam is the first state in the country to ban smokeless tobacco of all forms, smuggling of tobacco from neighbouring states where such laws doesn't exist is posing a big challenge to enforcement bodies. Last year's statistics showed 3.2 lakh cigarette packs and 6.5 sachets of guthkas were being sold in the state.

theglobeandmail.com - 17 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

The double standards of Canada’s tobacco control

By now, Canadians are used to seeing the gruesome pictures on cigarette packages of diseased lungs, rotting gums and emaciated patients dying from smoking-related diseases.

Except for a period in 2010 when the federal government briefly considered abandoning plans to strengthen cigarette warning labels (an idea that was scuttled when media reports emerged of federal lobbying by cigarette manufacturers), Canada has been a world leader when it comes to requiring large, graphic warnings on cigarette labels.

Publicación original: 

miércoles, 18 de junio de 2014

lsureveille.com - 17 de Junio 2014 – EEUU

University facing tobacco-free future

In August, the University will officially be a tobacco-free campus, pending LSU President F. King Alexander’s signature.

“Every SEC school except [University of] Alabama has a smoke-free or tobacco-free policy in place,” said Judith Sylvester, Smoke Free Committee co-chair and associate professor of mass communication.

Sylvester said the initiative was originally intended to create a cigarette-free campus, but Gov. Bobby Jindal’s “Well-Ahead” initiative influenced the decision to move forward with a tobacco free policy.

The policy creates designated “Wellspots” across the state. According to the Well-Ahead website, colleges and universities may qualify for three different Wellspot levels. To qualify as a Level Three Wellspot, the University must have a tobacco free policy and fit two other facets of the program’s criteria. These facets may include creating a breast-feeding-friendly workplace and maintaining vending machines with low-calorie snack options.

According to the website, tobacco-free constitutes prohibiting the use of cigarettes, cigars, any combustible tobacco product, smokeless tobacco, snus, dip, chew, orbs, any form of smoking object or device including electronic cigarettes and other forms.

Sylvester said there are health risks associated with electronic cigarettes which are not always highlighted to the public.

“There’s no standard for what has to be in those,” Sylvester said. “It’s a tobacco industry solution on how to keep people smoking.”

Cameron Kelly, general manager of Smokecignals on Perkins Road, said this is a “silly accusation.”

“If that were the case, they’d be mass produced already by the cigarette companies,” Kelly said.

Kelly said Smokecignals uses specific recipes and ratios of nicotine in their products based on customers’ smoking habits.

There are four chemicals in Smokecignals’ “e-juice”, Kelly said – nicotine, two forms of propylene glycol for flavoring and vegetable glycerine.

Kelly said propylene glycol is used in food preservatives, skin care products such as lotion and asthma inhalers, and vegetable glycerine is used in fog machines.

“Come in and talk to us,” Kelly said. “We’ll help direct you to the right information.”

Despite some dissenting student opinion, Sylvester said she believes being tobacco-free will eventually be accepted as the “social norm.”

“I like to compare it to our indoor policy,” Sylvester said. “It’s just accepted that you can’t smoke indoors and people don’t.”

Sylvester said she understands the process is not that simple, but steps will be taken to create an immediate change. For example, the Business Education Complex has already removed their tobacco-related waste receptacles, and there are plans to continue removing receptacles around campus.

The “social norm” idea will help members of the campus community police one another, Sylvester said.

Publicación original: