smoking news stories on Newser

Someday, Men Won't Die First

Kevin Spak — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 19:00:05 CDT

For generations, men have been the unquestioned leaders in the race to die first, but now it looks like they're losing their edge. The life expectancy gap between men and women is closing, and by 2030, men could very well live as long as women, an advisor for Britain's Office...

Coming to New Zealand: $100 Packs of Cigarettes?

Evann Gastaldo — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:12:05 CDT

While the US has been trying to disgust smokers into giving up tobacco , New Zealand has been considering a more direct idea: raising the price of cigarettes to $100 a pack. The Ministry of Health wants a smoke-free NZ by 2025, and the $100 price tag—which would be implemented...

Smoking While Pregnant May Raise Autism Risk

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:21:15 CDT

If any expectant mom needed yet more evidence that smoking is a bad idea, here it is: Doing so during pregnancy raises the risk of having a child with Asperger's or another kind of autism, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from about 630,000 kids born in the...

Smoking Law Like Nazis' Jewish Star: GOP Candidate

Rob Quinn — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:51:34 CDT

Smokers are getting treated like Jews did in Nazi Germany, according to West Virginia Republican John Raese. "I have to put a huge sticker on my buildings to say this is a smoke-free environment. This is brought to you by the government of Monongalia County, " complained Raese at an event...

Menthol Cigarettes Double Stroke Risk

Matt Cantor — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:32:35 CDT

While researchers stress that there's "no 'good' cigarette type," they warn that menthols may be even worse than the rest. Menthol smokers face more than double the risk of stroke faced by non-menthol smokers; among women and non-blacks, it's more than triple the risk, a study suggests. Why? It's possible...

6M Dead From Tobacco Last Year

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:23:29 CDT

Tobacco killed 6 million people worldwide last year and now ranks as the No. 1 cause of death in China, according to a report from the American Cancer Society and World Lung Federation. What's more, the groups say tobacco use may be responsible for 1 billion deaths this century if...

CDC Launches Gross Anti-Smoking Ad Campaign

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:07:02 CDT

Starting Monday, expect to be bombarded with disturbing images showing you, quite graphically, what can happen to you if you smoke. The US government is starting its first paid anti-smoking campaign, running ads for 12 weeks in newspapers, billboards, TV and radio, and social networking sites as well as public...

E-Cigarette Explodes in Man's Mouth

Rob Quinn — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:00:00 CST

Scary news for electronic smokers: A 57-year-old man in Florida suffered serious injuries when an e-cigarette exploded in his mouth, ABC reports. The explosion knocked out all the man's teeth and part of his tongue, and severely burned his face. "The best analogy is that it was like trying to...

Pot Smoking Doubles Risk of Car Accident

Matt Cantor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:40:05 CST

Smoking marijuana three hours or less before getting behind the wheel nearly doubles your chance of a major car crash, a study suggests. It's the first study to look at the link between cannabis and crash risk, the Canadian researchers believe. They examined study data for more than 49,000...