diariouno.com.ar – 29 de Octubre de 2014 – Argentina

Avanza en Mendoza la prohibición de publicitar cigarrillos o tabaco

Avanzó en la Legislatura con un amplio consenso un proyecto que planea prohibir la exhibición y publicidad de cigarrillos o productos con tabaco en los puntos de venta.

El voto fue por unanimidad y se espera que Diputados lo resuelva en este mismo sentido.

Según el escrito, los comercios deberán mantener los productos de tabaco en estantes, cajones, gabinetes o en otros lugares ocultos.

Por su parte, en los comercios donde se expendan estos productos sólo se permitirá la colocación de un cartel por cada fabricante o importador conteniendo exclusivamente el listado con la marca, el logo y el precio de sus productos elaborados con tabaco, los cuales podrán tener una dimensión de hasta treinta centímetros por treinta centímetros (30cm x 30 cm.), debiendo ser estáticos, de 2 dimensiones, no permitiéndose el uso de carteles lumínicos, pantallas u otros dispositivos.

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http://www.diariouno.com.ar/mendoza/Avanza-en-Mendoza-la-prohibicion-de-publicitar-cigarrillos-o-tabaco-20141028-0088.html

opednews.com – 29 de Octubre de 2014 – Nepal

Nepal gearing to protect public health from tobacco industry interference

There is a direct and irreconcilable conflict of interest between tobacco industry and public health policy. This conflict of interest is also enshrined in the preamble of the Article 5.3 of the global tobacco treaty (formally called WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control). The WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan had said at a recent meeting in Moscow: "Giving any tobacco company a place at the negotiation table [of global tobacco treaty] is akin to appointing a committee of foxes to take care of your chickens."

As implementation of domestic tobacco control laws and global tobacco treaty is advancing, tobacco industry is indeed facing the heat. Not surprising, that the industry has sued governments when they have attempted to implement life-saving tobacco control measures. Nepal is no exception. With more than 11 law suits filed by the industry and its allies against the Nepalese government's move to strictly enforce tobacco control laws, the Supreme Court decision favouring the government is a beacon of hope

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http://www.opednews.com/articles/Nepal-gearing-to-protect-p-by-Citizen-News-Servi-Health_Health_Health-Care-Costs_Health-Care-Liability-141028-781.html

india.com – 29 de Octubre de 2014 – Australia

Smoking in Offices Banned by Camel Cigarette Maker

The maker of Camel cigarettes, Reynolds American Inc, has confirmed that it has now banned smoking from its offices and buildings.

All employees at the firm – which is based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina – have been informed that the use of traditional cigarettes, cigars or pipes will no longer be permitted while sitting at their desks or in the conference rooms, hallways and elevators of the building.

Coming into force as of next year, the ban will see smokers required to use the designated smoking rooms if they wish to light up inside. Otherwise, they may go outside to smoke. The ban has already been implemented in the firm’s fitness centre, eating areas and on factory floors.

A spokesman for Reynolds American Inc, which is the second largest tobacco company in the US, said that the new policies “will better accommodate both non-smokers and smokers who work in and visit our facilities”.

David Howard added: “We’re just better aligning our tobacco use policies with the realities of what you’re seeing in society today.”

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http://www.billionairesaustralia.com/smoking-in-offices-banned-by-camel-cigarette-maker/

india.com – 29 de Octubre de 2014 – India

Harsh Vardhan for complete ban on e-cigarettes

Barcelona: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has favored a complete ban on e-cigarettes and all products described as "Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)".

Harsh Vardhan ruled out their acceptability in the light of research findings by experts which have held that they are no less unsafe than the "real thing", a statement said here Wednesday.

An e-cigarette, personal vaporizer (PV) or electronic nicotine delivery system is a battery-powered vaporizer which has the feel of tobacco smoking.

The minister, who was addressing global tobacco control experts at the 45th Union World Conference on Lung Health here Tuesday, said e-cigarettes and similar products push children towards the tobacco habit eventually via nicotine dependence.

"In our national consultation, it has been shown that children and other non-smokers tend to develop nicotine addiction at a rate greater than situations where ENDS did not exist. And after that the slide to tobacco is practically inevitable," he said.

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http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/harsh-vardhan-for-complete-ban-on-e-cigarettes_1491258.html

utsandiego.com – 26 de Octubre de 2014 – Sultanía de Omán

Smokeless tobacco’ has heavy metals: Sultan Qaboos University

Muscat: 'Afzal', an illegally sold smokeless tobacco product (STP) commonly used by Omani youths, including teenagers, contains heavy metals that may cause health problems, a study conducted by researchers from the Department of Biology at Sultan Qaboos University has revealed.

The findings of this study underscore the need for urgent regulations at the national level to control the illegal sale of this tobacco product, along with the need to launch public health education and awareness campaigns on the health risks associated with the use of 'Afzal'.

The study was conducted by Nawal Al Mukhaini, a PhD student being supervised by Prof. Taher Ba-Omar, and Drs. Elsadig Eltayeb and Aisha Al Shehi from the department of Biology at the College of Science.

The authors reported that smokeless tobacco products have gained popularity in Oman, especially among young people, because of its inexpensive price and easy availability, as well as the lack of awareness about its harmful effects. "'Afzal' is considered to be a snuff tobacco or a type of moist STP, and is illegally sold in Oman despite been prohibited by law.

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http://www.timesofoman.com/News/41789/Article-%E2%80%98Smokeless-tobacco%E2%80%99-has-heavy-metals-Sultan-Qaboos-University

utsandiego.com – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

San Marcos tightens e-cig rules

SAN MARCOS — Add San Marcos to the list of local cities that have banned the use of electronic cigarettes wherever traditional smoking is not allowed.

The City Council on Tuesday night unanimously voted to amend two city ordinances to include e-cigarettes. The changes mean store owners must also keep the devices out of the reach of customers the same as conventional cigarettes.

“Absolutely I want to treat it like cigarettes,” Councilwoman Rebecca Jones said, adding that she is the mother of two teenagers and feels “very strongly” about the issue of e-cigarettes.

About 10 people, most from local groups targeting tobacco and other substances, spoke in favor of the changes,

"We need to protect kids from these products,” Debra Kelley, of the American Lung Association of California, said after the meeting.

In narrowing the places where e-cigarettes can be used, San Marcos joins most other North County cities including Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside, Poway, Solana Beach, Del Mar and Vista. The cities of San Diego and El Cajon have also enacted tougher regulations, as has San Diego County.

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http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/oct/28/san-marcos-e-cigarettes-ordinance-change/

deccanherald.com – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – India

Disclaimers go up in smoke, tobacco use still a health hazard

The disclaimer on packets of cigarettes and tobacco products - ‘smoking is injurious to health and tobacco use is injurious to health’ - appears to have had little impact on people in the State.

Following the 2009-10 Global Adult Tobacco survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), wherein Karnataka saw 28.2 per cent of its adults using tobacco, it is said that the State spent Rs 983 crore in a year to treat tobacco-related diseases as per a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Across the country, the WHO survey had recorded that 34.6 per cent of adults use tobacco, with 14 per cent of them using cigarettes. In Karnataka, 12 per cent of the adults have been recorded as smokers, with another 19 per cent using smokeless tobacco. Further, 44 per cent of the adults were exposed to second-hand smoke at home.

These alarming statistics, coupled with the massive financial burden on the State for treating patients with tobacco-related diseases, have forced the State government to start an awareness campaign for dissuading people from using tobacco.

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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/438420/disclaimers-go-up-smoke-tobacco.html

deccanchronicle.com – 29 de Octubre de 2014 – India

CM Siddaramaiah to tobacco users: Stop chewing into our resources

The state government is spending Rs 983 crore annually for treating tobacco related diseases and this has become a huge burden on the exchequer, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Releasing a report on Economic Burden of Tobacco Related Diseases in Karnataka, the CM said the figure pertained to 2011, for those aged 35-69, of which 73% was direct medical costs and 27% indirect morbidity costs.

There is a need to create awareness about use of tobacco. The economic cost of four specific diseases Cardio vascular disease, cancer, tuberculosis and respiratory diseases amounted to Rs 315 crore.

The report pointed that the economic cost for all diseases due to tobacco use is higher in males, except for cancer where the economic cost in females due to smokeless tobacco was higher, he pointed out.

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http://www.deccanchronicle.com/141029/nation-current-affairs/article/cm-siddaramaiah-tobacco-users-stop-chewing-our-resources

wcvb.com – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

Westminster considers banning tobacco sales

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http://www.wcvb.com/health/westminster-considers-banning-tobacco-sales/29398074

sfweekly.com – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

Big Tobacco Makes a Comeback in California: Even Democrats Are Taking Money From Tobacco Companies

The tobacco industry is tightening its grip on California politics in attempt to block anti-tobacco legislation — and its working, according to a new study from UCSF.

Big tobacco has donated some $64 million to various political campaigns over the last six years, including to Gov. Jerry Brown's gubernatorial campaigns. As a result, the anti-tobacco industry is losing steam in California, the study says.

Researchers point to the facts: California has the 33rd lowest cigarette tax in the nation, and none of the seven bills introduced to increase the cigarette excise tax from 2007 to 2014 even got past the legislature. The shifting priorities of political leaders becomes more apparent as California has yet to regulate e-cigarettes, a new product from which the tobacco industry stands to gain billions.

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http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/10/28/big-tobacco-makes-a-comeback-in-california-even-democrats-are-taking-money-from-tobacco-companies

vocativ.com – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

Tobacco nation: where americans smoke, dip and die tryin’

Smoking in the U.S. has been on the decline since 2005, but there are still more than 46 million adults who smoke cigarettes, and tens of millions more who buy cigars, pipes and smokeless tobacco, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The government agency tracks a host of state-by-state data to capture a detailed picture of tobacco use throughout the country. The database covers everything from cigarette prices to excise taxes to lung-cancer rates for each of the 50 states. It pulls the most recent data from each state as it becomes available.

We combed through the latest CDC data for interesting and surprising patterns of tobacco use in the U.S. While some of what we found was not all that shocking (of course New York has the highest taxes!), other findings were more enlightening. Would you have guessed that Maine loves cigars more than anywhere else in the U.S.? Check out our maps for other tobacco trends.

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http://www.vocativ.com/interactive/culture/health-culture/cigarette-use-us/

wsj.com – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

More Cities Raise Tobacco Age to 21

A grass roots movement to raise the legal age for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products to 21 years from 18 is gaining traction, shaping up as the next serious challenge to the $100 billion U.S. tobacco industry.

On Monday, the city council in Evanston, Ill., home to Northwestern University, banned tobacco sales to anyone under the age of 21. Next month, the board of health in Columbia, Mo., home to the University of Missouri, is expected to recommend the same to its city council.

Those initiatives may not sound too threatening to Big Tobacco except they follow a rapidly growing list of communities passing laws over the past year banning sales to anybody under 21, from New York City to Healdsburg in Sonoma County wine country. In Massachusetts alone, 30 communities have passed or enacted such regulations in the past year, inspired by a big drop in teen smoking in the town of Needham.

States are taking notice. New Jersey’s senate in June approved a bill to raise the purchase age to 21; its house is expected to vote next year. Colorado’s legislature defeated a similar proposal in March but is expected to revisit the issue.

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http://online.wsj.com/articles/more-cities-raise-tobacco-age-to-21-1414526579

nacion.com – 21 de Octubre de 2014 – Costa Rica

Aumenta número de menores expuestos a nicotina líquida

A medida que florece la industria del cigarrillo electrónico aumenta el número de menores de edad expuestos a la nicotina líquida que alimentan los vaporizadores manuales, sostienen los expertos en toxicología en Estados Unidos.

En lo que va del año más de 2.700 personas denunciaron en las oficinas del control de tóxicos la exposición a la nicotina líquida, más de la mitad de esos casos en niños menores de seis años. Las cifras muestran un fuerte aumento con respecto a unos pocos centenares de casos hace tres años.

Pese al reciente aumento, las exposiciones a la nicotina líquida son todavía menos de la mitad de las atribuidas a los cigarrillos tradicionales, pero potencialmente es más tóxica, afirmó Robert Bassett, toxicólogo en Filadelfia.

Los vaporizadores electrónicos a batería se parecen a los cigarrillos tradicionales y funcionan calentando nicotina líquida en una sustancia nebulizada inhalable. La droga ofrece sabores de golosinas que la hacen atractiva para los pequeños, lo que aumenta el riesgo a su exposición.

"Con los niños, la exposición que presenciamos se da generalmente cuando los padres o miembros de la familia dejan las ampolletas de repuesto", dijo Ashley Webb, directora del Centro Regional de Control de Tóxicos de Kentucky.

Los expertos ven un aumento en las llamadas de emergencia de productos nuevos, dijo Webb.

El número de usuarios de cigarrillos electrónicos aumentaron en varios millones en el mundo y la industria paso en cuatro años de $82 millones a $2.500 millones en ventas anuales, de los cuales por lo menos $500 millones provienen de la nicotina líquida.

"Podría ser realmente difícil para un niño comerse toda una caja de cigarrillos, pero ahora estamos lidiando con esta forma muy concentrada en la que uno reúne más que una caja de cigarrillos en una pequeña cantidad que se puede ingerir", afirmó Bassett.

Bassett prestó asesoramiento en el caso de un bebé de 10 meses que bebió de una botella de recarga mientras su madre estaba de espaldas. El niño se recuperó en horas, pero vomitó y su corazón latía aceleradamente mientras era llevado a la sala de emergencia.

La nicotina líquida no solamente es perjudicial si se traga, ya que su contacto en la piel también puede resultar tóxico.

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http://www.nacion.com/vivir/Cigarrillo-electronico-reduce-exposicion-nicotina_0_1445055567.html

laopinioncoruna.es – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – España

´El tabaco es uno de los tres principales factores de riesgo para sufrir ceguera´

La ceguera afecta a 3.700 personas en toda Galicia, pero son muchas más las que sufren alguna discapacidad visual que, si no se detecta a tiempo, puede acabar con la pérdida de visión. Con el objetivo de analizar la situación real de estas patologías oculares en Galicia y diseñar estrategias para frenar su incidencia surge el Plan de Prevención de la Ceguera de Galicia, elaborado por la Fundación Retinaplus+, en colaboración con oftalmólogos y la Consellería de Sanidade. Seguir unos hábitos saludables también es clave para prevenir la ceguera ya que "la edad, la diabetes y el tabaco son los principales factores de riesgo", resalta el coordinador de la Fundación y director del Instituto Oftalmológico Gómez Ulla, Francisco Gómez-Ulla.

-¿Cuál es el objetivo de este plan de prevención?

-Hicimos el primer estudio en España sobre prevalencia de ceguera y descubrimos que la mayoría de los casos se deben a patologías de la retina, seguidos de lejos por el glaucoma. Vimos que era muy importante desarrollar un plan de prevención. Con esta iniciativa pretendemos desarrollar un plan de salud que permita reducir un 20% los casos de ceguera evitable para el año 2020. Con esto se lograría además reducir en 18 millones de euros al año los costes sanitarios de tratar a estos pacientes.

-Entonces, ¿es posible evitar llegar a la ceguera?

-Sí, cuando una discapacidad visual se detecta a tiempo es como muchas otras enfermedades. En estadíos tempranos se puede comenzar a tratar y frenar su progreso, por tanto, evitar la pérdida de visión. El problema es que muchas veces se detecta tarde porque la gente no conoce los síntomas.

-¿Cuáles son los signos de alarma?

-Al margen de una disminución aguda de la visión, que puede derivarse de muchas patologías, las enfermedades que afectan a la retina presentan síntomas específicos como que los pacientes ven líneas como las de la carretera torcidas, no ven todas las letras o no leen las pequeñas, no pueden marcar los números de teléfono porque ven una mancha negra en el centro, etc...

-¿Qué factores son los que desencadenan estas enfermedades de la retina?

-Son fundamentalmente tres: la edad, la diabetes y el tabaco. Es importante hacerse controles periódicos de glucemia para ver los niveles de azúcar ya que hay un porcentaje muy alto de diabéticos que sufren problemas de afectación ocular, lo que se llama retinopatía diabética. Solo en Galicia hay 188.000 diabéticos y otros 50.000 que la padecen, pero no lo saben.

-¿Y cómo afecta el tabaco?

-Se sabe que es uno de los principales desencadenantes de la degeneración macular asociada a la edad que deriva en ceguera. Un 19% de los gallegos fuman y la mayoría solo lo asocian con el cáncer de pulmón. Queremos que en las cajetillas se informe de que el tabaco causa ceguera.

-¿Qué medidas se van a llevar a cabo con el plan de prevención?

-Por una parte, el objetivo es optimizar el uso de la telemedicina, formar a los médicos de Atención Primaria para que los pacientes lleguen antes al especialista y mejorar la historia clínica electrónica para crear una base con datos reales de la ceguera y la discapacidad visual en la comunidad gallega. Por otra parte queremos informar, dar a conocer estas patologías para que la gente las conozca. El objetivo es que el problema se detecte de forma precoz para poder tratarlo y frenar su progresión, que no derive en ceguera.}

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http://www.laopinioncoruna.es/sociedad/2014/10/28/tabaco-tres-principales-factores-riesgo/893163.html

mdzol.com – 25 de Octubre de 2014 –Argentina

Roby y la polémica por el cigarrillo

El pasado 15 de octubre el Ministerio de Salud de Mendoza presentó una campaña de "Prevención del consumo de cigarrillos en menores de edad" en conjunto con Nobleza Piccardo y Massalin Particulares. La Fundación Interamericana del Corazón Argentina (FIC Argentina), la Alianza Libre de Humo de Tabaco Argentina (ALIAR), la Unión Antitabáquica Argentina (UATA), la Asociación Argentina de Tabacología (AsAT) y la Asociación Argentina de Medicina Respiratoria (AAMR) repudiaron el convenio ya que, "a pesar de la aparente corrección política de lanzar una campaña para prevenir la venta de cigarrillos a menores, existe evidencia suficiente que indica que este tipo de programas son ineficaces para reducir el tabaquismo en los jóvenes y son parte fundamental de la estrategia de las tabacaleras para evitar legislación efectiva de control del tabaco".

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http://www.mdzol.com/nota/566182-roby-y-la-polemica-por-el-cigarrillo/

businessinsider.com – 30 de Septiembre de 2014 –EEUU

Big Tobacco Is Putting Scarier Warnings On E-Cigarettes Than On Some Cigarettes — And That's Absurd
Tobacco companies are about the last group you might expect to be overly conscientious about consumer health, but in approaching e-cigarettes, it seems they're doing just that. The New York Times points out that tobacco giants Altria and Reynolds American, who make Marlboro and Camel, are branding their vapor products with elaborate warnings about the dangers of nicotine, despite being under no legal obligation to do so.

In some cases, e-cigarettes feature even scarier warnings than cigarettes do. For instance, look at the warning on Altria's MarkTen compared to a pack of Marlboro Lights.

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http://www.businessinsider.com/warning-labels-make-e-cigs-sound-worse-2014-9#ixzz3HRiFpZoY

tennessean.com – 21 de Octubre de 2014 –EEUU

New efforts try to get kids off tobacco farms

WASHINGTON – Two years after the Obama administration backed off a rule that would have banned children from dangerous agriculture jobs, public health advocates and lawmakers are trying anew to get kids off tobacco farms.

The new efforts were jumpstarted by a Human Rights Watch report in May that said nearly three-quarters of the children interviewed by the group reported vomiting, nausea and headaches while working on tobacco farms. Those symptoms are consistent with nicotine poisoning, often called Green Tobacco Sickness, which occurs when workers absorb nicotine through their skin while handling tobacco plants.

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http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2014/10/21/new-efforts-try-get-kids-tobacco-farms/17692841/

yahoo.com – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – UK

Will Collapsing Cigarette Demand Crush British American Tobacco plc’s Dividends?

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https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/collapsing-cigarette-demand-crush-british-114612014.html

asiantribune.com – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – India

Nepal gearing to protect public health from tobacco industry interference

There is a direct and irreconcilable conflict of interest between tobacco industry and public health policy. This conflict of interest is also enshrined in the preamble of the Article 5.3 of the global tobacco treaty (formally called WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control). The WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan had said at a recent meeting in Moscow: "Giving any tobacco company a place at the negotiation table [of global tobacco treaty] is akin to appointing a committee of foxes to take care of your chickens."

As implementation of domestic tobacco control laws and global tobacco treaty is advancing, tobacco industry is indeed facing the heat. Not surprising, that the industry has sued governments when they have attempted to implement life-saving tobacco control measures. Nepal is no exception. With more than 11 law suits filed by the industry and its allies against the Nepalese government’s move to strictly enforce tobacco control laws, the Supreme Court decision favoring the government is a beacon of hope.

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http://www.asiantribune.com/node/85735

dailyorange.com – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

SU moves forward with plans to implement tobacco-free campus policy next summer

Syracuse University is quitting smoking.

After nearly a decade of research, public debate and coordination, SU is planning to go smoke-free, with a campus-wide tobacco ban targeted to start next summer.

The goal of the ban is to create a smoking-free culture on campus. SU officials cited second-hand smoke, health concerns, campus cleanliness and public opinion as reasons for the policy. The university is still in the process of hashing out the specific details of the tobacco ban, and will be releasing all the information once the policy is completed.

The policy is expected to be ready for public review by the first week of November, Patrick Neary, Graduate Student Organization president, said in an email.

“Updates will be provided to the campus community as the initiative continues to move forward,” said Brooke Levandowski, SU’s administrative consultant on this new policy, in an email. “We are happy to grant interviews when we are ready for the announcement.”

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http://www.dailyorange.com/2014/10/su-moves-forward-with-plans-to-implement-tobacco-free-campus-policy-next-summer/ .

kqed.org – 28 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

Tobacco Farmers Lose Longtime Safety Net

Tobacco growers are about to face a completely free market. This month, they'll receive their last checks from a government program meant to ease them out of a Depression-era tobacco-price-fixing system.

That has left Stanley Smith, who grows about 60 acres of tobacco on his farm not far from Winston-Salem, N.C., feeling a little unsettled.

"I've farmed all my life," Smith says. "I think the best way to sum it up is our safety net now is gone."

The safety net is the Transitional Tobacco Payment Program, also known as the buyout. Since the 1930s, the government regulated the tobacco market with a quota system. It limited how much a farmer could grow to control supply and demand, and farmers profited. That ended in 2004 with the $9.6 billion buyout program that paid growers yearly sums to help them adapt to the free market.

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http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2014/10/24/146233/tobacco_farmers_lose_longtime_safety_net?source=npr&category=u.s.

amqueretaro.com – 27 de Octubre de 2014 – México

El cigarrillo electrónico no ayuda

Los cigarrillos electrónicos pueden generar el mismo grado de dependencia de la nicotina que el tabaco

El consumo de los dispositivos electrónicos de liberación de nicotina, conocidos como cigarrillos electrónicos, sigue creciendo y mientras el Ministerio de Sanidad elabora un plan de actuaciones, llegan nuevos estudios que analizan sus efectos. Desterrada ya la idea de que son inocuos, el último trabajo, publicado en la revista Cáncer, saca los colores a los cigarrillos electrónicos al asegurar que pueden generar el mismo grado de dependencia a la nicotina que el tabaco.

Investigadores del Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center de Nueva York han descubierto que los pacientes con cáncer que usaban cigarrillos electrónicos para tratar de dejar el tabaco tenían las mismas probabilidades de dejar de fumar y el grado de dependencia a la nicotina era el mismo que el de quienes no los usaban.

Así se desprende de los resultados de un estudio publicado en la revista de la Sociedad Americana del Cáncer, que arroja nuevas dudas sobre si estos dispositivos tienen algún beneficio real para quienes intentan dejar de fumar.

En la investigación, dirigida por el científico Jamie Ostroff, participaron un total de mil 74 pacientes con cáncer que fumaban y que habían sido inscritos entre 2012 y 2013 en algún tipo de programa de deshabituación tabáquica. En dichos programas se ha triplicado el uso de cigarrillos electrónicos, pasando de usarlos el 10.6 al 38.5 por ciento de los pacientes.

Sin embargo, y pese a este mayor uso, los investigadores observaron que los usuarios de cigarrillos electrónicos o e-cigars eran más dependientes de la nicotina que los no usuarios y solían abandonar antes el programa que quienes no utilizaban estos dispositivos. Asimismo, en ellos se diagnosticaron más casos de cáncer de pulmón, cabeza o cuello.

Esto hizo que, al final del periodo de estudio los investigadores, concluyeran que los usuarios de cigarrillos electrónicos tengan las mismas probabilidades que los no usuarios de los cigarrillos electrónicos de ser fumadores de tabaco.

Con información de Agencias

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http://amqueretaro.com/2014/09/el-cigarrillo-electronico-no-ayuda/.html#sthash.FlpGFMeC.dpuf 

lanueva.com – 26 de Octubre de 2014 – Argentina

Bahía se afirma como ciudad libre de tabaco

Por Pamela Subizar / psubizar@lanueva.com

Salir a fumar fuera de lugares cerrados, como oficinas, locales comerciales y restaurantes es una costumbre cada vez más instalada, gracias a la cual Bahía Blanca está certificada como “ciudad libre de humo”.

El título, además, va camino a renovarse, dado que el control realizado por el Ministerio de Salud provincial esta semana corroboró un alto cumplimiento de la prohibición de fumar.

Así lo indicó la licenciada Gabriela Di Lorenzo, integrante del equipo del Programa Provincial Salud sin Humo, quien recorrió instituciones y comercios de la ciudad el jueves.

El programa provincial, creado en 2007, apunta a proteger a los fumadores pasivos, ofrecer la cesación tabáquica a fumadores y reducir la iniciación tabáquica en jóvenes, que cada vez es a edades más tempranas. Una de las acciones es la certificación de espacios y un monitoreo periódico del cumplimiento de la normativa.

En la provincia de Buenos Aires, en agosto de 2012, y acorde con los lineamientos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), se modificó la ley 13.894, derogando los último permisos especiales para lugares cerrados.

Bahía tiene además desde 2007 una ordenanza completa que declara nocivo el humo ambiental de tabaco para la salud de las personas y prohíbe fumar en ambientes cerrados públicos y privados.

“La gente está muy concientizada y ya es algo habitual no fumar en el espacio de trabajo o el que se visita ocasionalmente”, observó Di Lorenzo, luego de hacer el control en espacios como bares, colegios, secretarías públicas y el shopping.

Además, indicó que se tienen las señales correspondientes, tanto en imagen como en Braille para ciegos.

“Los dueños de algunos lugares donde estuvimos eran personas fumadoras, que por una u otra razón dejaron de hacerlo, y hoy ellos respetan la campaña por el daño que el cigarrillo implica para la salud”, contó.

Así, en muchos lugares no se trata solo de un mero respeto a la ley sino que hay una voluntad con acciones concretas a favor de la prevención de la adicción y de la disminución del consumo de tabaco.

“Los resultados del control son enviados por el Ministerio de Salud de la Provincia a Nación y después ellos resuelven. No creo que haya ningún inconveniente para recertificar”, declaró.

Publicación original: See more at: 

http://www.lanueva.com/la-ciudad-impresa/784196/bahia-se-afirma-como-ciudad-libre-de-tabaco.html 

latarde.com.mx – 27 de Octubre de 2014 – México

Tabaco asesino

Es el tabaco un contumaz y poderoso asesino que entre los adictos, aniquila anualmente a más de 6 millones, eso significa cada 6 segundos una persona, tan solo durante el siglo pasado cobró la vida de 100 millones y de continuar la tendencia al alza para el 2030 serán más de 8 millones los que morirán a consecuencias de esta criminal afección.

Pero quienes son fumadores no solamente resultan afectados, sino también cobra más víctimas como los familiares, así como unas 600 mil personas que anualmente fallecen por respirar el humo, acorde a datos aportados por expertos en el tema.

Como el tabaco es muy adictivo lo más probable es que la tasa se mantenga en constante crecimiento, en virtud de que el tabaco contiene una de las sustancias más adictivas como lo es la nicotina, que actúa como estimulante o depresivo, ya que llega al cerebro rápidamente, se estima que con cada inhalación se absorbe una dosis completa, es decir si la persona se fuma una cajetilla diaria equivale a 200 dosis más que cualquier otra droga, lo que convierte a la nicotina en una sustancia totalmente adictiva sobre todo entre los jóvenes y adultos. (Por Armando González)

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See more at: http://www.latarde.com.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18931:tabaco-asesino&catid=46:rio-bravo&Itemid=107 

kirkintilloch-herald.co.uk – 24 de Octubre de 2014 – UK

Family’s lucky escape after e-cig explodes

A grandmother has told how an e-cigarette exploded in her home just a few feet from where her four-year-old grandson was playing.

Alison Walker (52), of Brechin Road, in Bishopbriggs, had been charging the electronic cigarette in her living room.

She told the Herald: “I heard a bang and saw flames shooting out from the 
e-cigarette.

“The room filled with smoke. It was terrifying and my grandson was hysterical.

“I ran to get a towel and managed to extinguish the flames and put the switch off at the safety socket.”

She added: “My carpet was badly scorched, but it could have been much worse.

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http://www.kirkintilloch-herald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/family-s-lucky-escape-after-e-cig-explodes-1-3583201 

thechronicleherald.ca – 27 de Octubre de 2014 – Canadá

Province moves to snuff e-cigarettes, flavored tobacco

The provincial government is banning flavored tobacco and subjecting e-cigarettes to the same regulations as traditional cigarettes.

The government, through the years, has been very effective at reducing smoking rates and those efforts must continue as “new threats” present themselves, Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine said Friday.

“Flavored tobacco, e-cigarettes and water pipes are emerging products that, if left unchecked, could reverse our good work in tobacco (use) reduction,” Glavine said.

E-cigarettes and their juices, whether containing nicotine or not, will be treated the same as regular cigarettes: they can’t be sold to minors, can’t be advertised or displayed and their use won’t be permitted in indoor public places.

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http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1246399-province-moves-to-snuff-e-cigarettes-flavoured-tobacco 

thejakartapost.com – 27 de Octubre de 2014 – India

Anti-tobacco campaign urges youth to avoid smoking

National Commission on Tobacco Control education and community empowerment division head Fuad Baradja said young people in Indonesia remained vulnerable to cigarette marketing activities, as tobacco companies frequently sponsored youth sporting events to advertise products, and added that the impact of smoking ran in complete opposition to the purpose of sporting activities.

He said Indonesia was one of the countries with the slowest progress in terms of prohibiting the advertisements, promotions, sponsorship and corporate social responsibility activities of cigarette companies that aimed to bolster their public image, with the youth as their main target.

Government Regulation (PP) No.109/2012 on tobacco control, which still allows cigarette advertisements, promotions and sponsorship via all types of media in Indonesia, had made children targets of exploitation of cigarette companies’ marketing activities.

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/10/27/anti-tobacco-campaign-urges-youth-avoid-smoking.html 

bristolpost.co.uk – 27 de Octubre de 2014 – UK

Bristol shopkeeper fined £10,000 for selling counterfeit tobacco in Stokes Croft

A shopkeeper selling illegal tobacco products in Stokes Croft has been fined more than £10,000 after being caught by Bristol’s trading standards officers.

They first visited the Best Supermarket in October last year, after receiving intelligence from Avon and Somerset police.

They found and confiscated counterfeit tobacco, along with snuff and shisha tobacco which was not correctly labelled with health warnings.

The shop’s owner, Ilyas Ahmed pleaded guilty to two charges regarding the labelling of products, and was found guilty on a further four counts relating to the counterfeit tobacco.

He was ordered to pay a £5,000 fine, as well as costs of more than £5,000.

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http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-shopkeeper-fined-selling-counterfeit/story-23613659-detail/story.html#ixzz3HNOEkZgr 

thestar.com.my – 27 de Octubre de 2014 – Malasia

Tobacco, health and trade rules

Malaysia is taking the lead on two fronts to prevent the use of trade and investment agreements from blocking anti-smoking measures, but will these initiatives succeed?

SMOKING cigarettes is the number one preventable cause of death. Six million people die each year from tobacco use and this number will rise to eight million by 2030, most of them in developing countries.

Almost 200 countries signed the World Health Organization’s Tobacco Control Convention and are obliged to take measures to curb tobacco use.

But the industry has hit back. A big tobacco company, Philip Morris, has taken Uruguay and Australia to tribunals under bilateral investment treaties, claiming billions of dollars in compensation for the two countries’ measures to have big warning signs and small or no brand logos on cigarette packets.

Under trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), companies can similarly sue governments, claiming loss of profits resulting from policy measures. At the World Trade Organization, cases are also being taken against countries for their tobacco control measures.

Now for the good news. Many governments are fighting back against the Big Tobacco onslaught, with Malaysia taking a lead role on two important fronts: the Tobacco Control Convention and the TPPA.

Publicación original: 
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http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Columnists/Global-Trends/Profile/Articles/2014/10/27/Tobacco-health-and-trade-rules/ 

forbes.com – 27 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

Jersey tobacco product displays banned

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-29741945

redaccionmedica.com – 21 de Octubre de 2014 – España

Los efectos del tabaco y la contaminación

Los diarios El País y ABC coinciden a la hora de abordar dos temas de vital importancia para la salud, como son el tabaquismo y la contaminación. Así, mientras que en el primer periódico titula Compartir casa con un fumador es “como vivir en Pekín”, en una información firmada por Manuel Ansede, recoge que los no fumadores en hogares con humo sufren una exposición a las partículas en suspensión que triplica los límites recomendados por la OMS. Además, recuerda que la ley antitabaco redujo un 13 por ciento las muertes de fumadores pasivos.

Mientras, en la información de ABC, firmada por S. Gutiérrez, y titulada La exposición a la contaminación en el embarazo perjudica los pulmones del bebé, explica que este hecho es especialmente grave durante el segundo trimestre del embarazo, asegura una investigación española que se publica en British Medical Journal, que subraya los múltiples beneficios para la salud pública que tendrían políticas dirigidas a reducir la exposición a la contaminación del aire. Entre ellos prevenir el daño a los futuros pulmones de los niños, dicen los investigadores del Centro de Investigación en Epidemiología Ambiental.

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http://www.redaccionmedica.com/opinion/los-efectos-del-tabaco-y-la-contaminacion-6548

indiatimes.com – 21 de Octubre de 2014 – India

NE cancer experts hail new tobacco signage rules

Guwahati: Cancer experts and associations in the northeast have hailed the Union health minsitry's move to display more graphic and extensive images of the disease on packs of all smoking and non-smoking products.

Under the new arrangement, signage depicting how cancer erodes human organs will envelope 85% of the principal display area of such products. At present, such pictorial depictions cover 40%.

Tobacco accounts for most cancer cases and the region records the highest prevalence of 16 forms of cancer in both men and women.

Last week's notification issued by the health and family welfare ministry says tobacco companies have to devote 85% of the surface areas of all tobacco products on both sides for graphical and literal representation of statutory warning. The notification also says such products will have to carry the signages in English, Hindi or any Indian language by April 1 next year.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/NE-cancer-experts-hail-new-tobacco-signage-rules/articleshow/44891876.cms 

independent.co.uk – 21 de Octubre de 2014 – Uruguay

Big Tobacco puts countries on trial as concerns over TTIP deals mount

Tiny Uruguay may not seem a likely front line in the war of the quit smoking brigade against Big Tobacco.

But the Latin American country has unwittingly found itself not just in the thick of that battle, but in the middle of an even bigger fight – that of the rising opposition to international free trade deals.

Philip Morris is suing Uruguay for increasing the size of the health warnings on cigarette packs, and for clamping down on tobacco companies’ use of sub-brands like Marlboro “Lights” which could give the impression some cigarettes are safe to smoke.

The tobacco behemoth is taking its legal action under the terms of a bilateral trade agreement between Switzerland – where it relatively recently moved from the US – and Uruguay. The trade deal has at its heart a provision allowing Swiss multinationals the right to sue the Uruguayan people if they bring in legislation that will damage their profits.

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/big-tobacco-puts-countries-on-trial-as-concerns-over-ttip-deals-mount-9807478.html

pressdemocrat.com – 20 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

Healdsburg bans tobacco sales to anyone under 21

Healdsburg on Monday became the first city in the state to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21, in a move hailed as a step to cutting down on youth smoking, but also criticized as putting local retailers at a disadvantage and exposing the city to potential liability.

On a 4-1 vote, the council approved what was described as the first city ordinance in the state to raise the age from 18 to 21 for a person to purchase cigarettes and tobacco products.

“This is about trying to save people’s lives — prevent disease,” Mayor Jim Wood said. “I see more young people than ever before smoking. It’s distressing.”

“Anything we can do to turn the tide on smoking, we have an obligation to do,” Councilman Tom Chambers said.

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http://www.pressdemocrat.com/home/3000429-181/healdsburg-bans-tobacco-sales-to

fox59.com – 20 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

New campaign pushing stores to stop selling tobacco

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Oct. 21, 2014) — A new campaign has launched this week using positive reinforcement to convince retailers to stop selling tobacco products.

The effort, part of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, published an online tool to help consumers find and shop at tobacco-free stores, rather than stores that continue to stock the products.

The effort’s site applauds chains like Target and CVS for halting the sale of tobacco products, while providing links to send messages to retailers that have not made the same choice, including Walmart, Walgreens and Rite Aid.

More than 480,000 Americans are killed each year due to tobacco-related illnesses and more than $289 billion is spent on health care costs and lost productivity, according to the campaign. By making retailers tobacco-free, these advocates hope fewer kids are tempted to join the next generation of smokers.

Central Indiana shoppers who spoke with FOX59 had mixed feelings about the push.

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http://fox59.com/2014/10/21/new-campaign-pushing-stores-to-stop-selling-tobacco/

allafrica.com – 20 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

Africa: Increased Taxes, Regulation Key to Fighting Tobacco 'Epidemic,' Says UN Health Agency

The implementation of higher taxes on tobacco products and greater regulation for electronic cigarettes are among the decisions passed by a United Nations-backed conference amid comprehensive efforts to clamp down on the tobacco "epidemic" and save millions of lives, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced.

In a press release marking the conclusion of the Sixth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the UN health agency underscored the passing of Article 6 - a "landmark" decision taken by delegates in an effort to reduce the global consumption of tobacco, noting that taxation is "a very effective tool" for influencing the prices of tobacco and its demand.

"Higher taxes usually lead to higher prices, which in turn lead to lower consumption," declared the WHO press release which added that the new regulations provided for tax rates to be "monitored, increased and adjusted annually" and be taxed in "a comparable way to prevent substitutions of the use of one product with another."

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http://allafrica.com/stories/201410211054.html

forbes.com – 20 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

CVS Smoke-Free Pharmacy Benefit Excludes Tobacco-Selling Rivals

CVS Health (CVS) confirmed its Caremark pharmacy benefit management subsidiary would sell a smoke-free drugstore network to employers and health plans that would provide subscriber discounts for using “tobacco-free” pharmacies.

The move, which would benefit CVS Health pharmacies given the company’s decision to stop selling tobacco, could at the same time hurt rivals like Walgreen WAG +1.66% (WAG), Wal-Mart (WMT) and others because a health plan subscriber that would use pharmacies outside the Caremark smoke-free network would pay higher co-payments and related cost-sharing.

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2014/10/20/cvs-smoke-free-pharmacy-network-would-exclude-tobacco-selling-rivals/

elperiodico.com.gt – 20 de Octubre de 2014 – Guatemala

Tabaco y medicina, mala combinación

Fumar y consumir medicamentos puede ser una mala decisión ya que algunos fármacos que tratan la hipertensión, la diabetes o el asma no se asimilan bien.

El consumo de tabaco o su exposición al humo afecta las enzimas que ayudan a metabolizar los medicamentos, detalla la investigadora Silvia Cruz Martín del Campo. La experta explica que se ha documentado que la nicotina produce alteraciones en el metabolismo de fármacos, particularmente con medicinas para hipertensión o diabetes.

“En el caso de hipertensión, el efecto propio de la nicotina sobre el sistema nervioso central aumenta la presión arterial y la frecuencia cardiaca. Por otro lado, fumar y tomar un antihipertensivo se puede comparar a un vehículo que frena y acelera al mismo tiempo”, expone.

En esta línea, Cruz Martín del Campo comenta que son seis las enzimas que degradan los medicamentos por medio del metabolismo, pero solo una ayuda a que salgan del organismo los medicamentos. Es justo ésta la que se altera con el consumo del tabaco, detalla la investigadora.

El humo del tabaco acelera la eliminación de la teofilina, medicamento utilizado para el asma. Por eso a los fumadores y a los que dejan de fumar se les debe hacer ajustes a sus dosis en medicinas. Estas interacciones medicamentosas con la nicotina a dosis alta, pueden bloquear la unión neuromuscular.

Por ello se debe alertar a las pacientes sobre el aumento de riesgo de trombosis, pues las mujeres en general metabolizan más rápido el tabaco que a los hombres.

“Las mujeres en edad reproductiva que toman anticonceptivos orales tienen un riesgo de trombosis y si a ello se le agrega que fuman más de 15 cigarrillos al día, el riesgo es mucho más alto”, refiere.

Asimismo, los fumadores tienen una mayor incidencia de lesiones ulcerosas en personas que fuman y beben.

*Con información de Agencia Reforma

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http://www.elperiodico.com.gt/es/20141020/salud/3577/Tabaco-y-medicina-mala-combinaci%C3%B3n.htm

cincodias.com – 20 de Octubre de 2014 – Europa

Controversias en la UE sobre el tabaco

Dentro del impuesto especial sobre las labores del tabaco, el gravamen que recae sobre los cigarrillos viene siendo objeto de debate internacional desde hace mucho tiempo. Cuestiones tales como su finalidad extrafiscal –elemento esencial modulador de su impacto en las políticas sanitarias–, la elasticidad de la demanda de este producto ante variaciones impositivas o de precio o, muy en particular, la idoneidad de su estructura interna son discutidas de manera reiterada en Bruselas.

En relación con este último aspecto, se plantea la conveniencia de establecer una figura impositiva que dé más peso relativo al gravamen proporcional o bien se centre en el específico o por unidad de producto, partiendo de la base de que ambos componentes deben estar presentes.

Tradicionalmente el impuesto se fijaba en España a partir de un criterio preponderantemente proporcional, hecho que incidía en que en muchas ocasiones la recaudación quedara muy expuesta a las políticas de precios de los fabricantes.

No obstante, la evolución de las directivas comunitarias que regulan dicha estructura ha provocado un progresivo incremento relativo del peso del elemento específico, en la idea de que de esa forma se cumple mejor la finalidad extrafiscal de la que hablábamos y, sobre todo, se dota a la recaudación por este tributo de una mayor estabilidad, reduciendo la dependencia de la imposición sobre el producto de los niveles de precio, fijados libremente por los fabricante. Adicionalmente y por la misma razón, el tipo específico de la norma nacional recoge desde 2013 un recargo impositivo aplicable a los cigarrillos que se vendan por debajo de un precio de referencia. Con todo ello, la recaudación por este tributo se ha estabilizado notablemente en lo que llevamos de año (caída de menos de un punto porcentual) frente a una caída de más de siete puntos en 2013.

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http://cincodias.com/cincodias/2014/10/17/economia/1413568313_974714.html

estusanidad.com – 20 de Octubre de 2014 – Rusia

La OMS quiere frenar el tabaco a golpe de impuesto

Se ha celebrado del 13 al 18 de octubre, la sexta reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes (COP6) de la Convención Marco de la OMS para el Control de Tabaco, llevado a cabo en Moscú. Varias decisiones han sido adoptadas durante este curso de 6 días de duración, considerado como uno de los más exitosos en la historia de esta convención. Desde el propio organismo revelan que se han producido avances significativos en esta materia “pese a la creciente presión de la industria tabacalera”.

Durante la reunión, Margaret Chan, directora general de la OMS ha asegurado que la aplicación de la Convención Marco está alcanzando nuevos propósitos y que la producción de tabaco se defiende, de forma más dura y a través de todos los canales posibles. Chan ha reconocido que no importa como sean esos canales y prácticas sino que hay que perseguir la reducción de su consumo.

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http://www.estusanidad.com/secciones/pacientes/oms-quiere-erradicar-el-tabaco-a-golpe-de-impuesto-5557

walesonline.co.uk– 18 de Octubre de 2014 – UK

You will NOT believe the damage an e-cigarette caused to this ex-smoker's houseimage walesonline.co.uk

Former smoker Linda James-Davies’ house was gutted by fire after she quit her 20-a-day habit and believes an e-cig charger was to blame.

The mum-of-two was convinced the device exploded while she ate beans on toast in her two-bedroom house.

“All of a sudden the fire alarm went off,” Linda said.

“I thought it had gone off accidentally but when I opened my bedroom door the room was alight. It was on fire.”

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http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/e-cigarette-charger-burns-ex-smoker-gran-7956731

rt.co – 18 de Octubre de 2014 – Rusia

Russia making great strides in Tobacco control, must do more – expert

As tough anti-smoking laws begin to be felt by tobacco users in Russia, the head secretariat of the UN Treaty on Tobacco Control convening in Moscow, Dr Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, tells RT more must be done to denormalize tobacco consumption in Russia.

RT:As Moscow hosts the 6th session of the Conference of the parties to the UN Treaty on Tobacco Control, we are joined by the new head of the Treaty Secretariat, Dr. Vera da Costa e Silva. First of all, on the international scale, what is being done in terms of tobacco control?

Dr Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva: Almost 180 parties of the Treaty are implementing measures to protect exposure to tobacco smoke, inform populations about health damages and economic damages of tobacco, increasing taxes and prices, promoting pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages, and just addressing the issue of contraband cigarettes, working on measures for alternative livelihoods to tobacco farmers, and addressing issues of liability of the tobacco industry — all of that with a cross-cutting aspect not to allow the interference of the tobacco industry in tobacco control measures and public health.

RT:There is a framework of tax hikes. But it’s only in the form of recommendations. Is there a way for these recommendations to become obligatory?

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http://rt.com/op-edge/197148-tobacco-control-russia-market/

healthcanal.com – 20 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

WHO tobacco treaty makes significant progress despite mounting pressure from tobacco industry

MOSCOW - The sixth session of the Conference of the parties (COP6) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) concluded today in Moscow. Several landmark decisions were adopted in the course of the six-day session, regarded as one of the most successful in the WHO FCTC’s history.

In her opening speech, WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan said that “as implementation of the Framework Convention reaches new heights, the tobacco industry fights back, harder and through every possible channel, no matter how devious those channels and practices are.”

Despite increased efforts by tobacco industry to undermine the WHO FCTC, important decisions were passed.

“Parties have taken courageous steps forward in a number of areas and I am pleased by the guidance to the Secretariat to scale up our collaboration with international organizations to reduce tobacco use, while continuing to assist Parties in accelerating the implementation of the Treaty,” said Dr Vera da Costa e Silva, Head of the Convention Secretariat.

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http://www.healthcanal.com/public-health-safety/56372-who-tobacco-treaty-makes-significant-progress-despite-mounting-pressure-from-tobacco-industry.html

elkintribune.com – 20 de Octubre de 2014 – EEUU

Tobacco out of the woods?

I saw a golden (leaf) opportunity.

A tobacco field lies just 30 feet from the edge of my porch. That has aroused some bemused curiosity among folks in the office down in the city who probably have never seen a tobacco plant.

So on a quiet Saturday last month, while I was outside puttering around, trying to find something to distract me from doing some real work, here came a tobacco priming machine.

I’m two generations removed from tobacco farming, which once was so prevalent here in the hometown area.

Both grandfathers grew tobacco on their respective family farms. Most farmers around here did, some 75 years ago. But Dad left the family farm and farming for a mill job in town and never looked back...

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http://www.elkintribune.com/news/community_news-opinion_columns/150217702/Tobacco-out-of-the-woods