tobacco news stories on Newser

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...

Fort Worth May Refuse to Hire Smokers

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:46:52 CDT

It's one thing for a hospital to refuse to hire smokers —but an entire city? Fort Worth is considering the idea, and there has been—of course—some backlash. "I think it's an infringement on the public's rights to live their life the way they choose to," says the president...

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...

It's Time to Regulate Sugar

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:45:05 CST

Tobacco, alcohol, and ... sugar? Yes, according to professors at UC San Francisco, sugar should be regulated like tobacco and alcohol in order to cut down on ailments like heart disease, high blood pressure, and fatty liver disease, the Los Angeles Times reports. “For both alcohol and tobacco, there is robust...

Moderate Pot Use May Boost Lung Capacity

Matt Cantor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:05:00 CST

A new study sure to warm the hearts of pot smokers: Puffing marijuana apparently doesn't hurt your lungs the way tobacco does, a quirk that probably has more to do with the way people smoke it than the pot itself, reports the Washington Post . In fact, pot smoking might even...

Hospital Bans Employees With Smoky Clothes

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:36:04 CDT

A Louisiana hospital is really serious about its no-smoking policy: Starting next July, employees will no longer be allowed to work if their clothing even smells like smoke. Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital is expanding a policy originally put in place only in the women's and children's areas two years...

Waking Up to a Cigarette Raises Cancer Risk

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:43:05 CDT

You probably already know that smoking is bad for you, but a new study shows that smoking first thing in the morning is apparently even worse. Among the 7,610 smokers studied—62% of whom had lung cancer—those who lit up within 30 minutes of waking were 79% more...

Minnesota Shutdown Cutting Off Beer, Cigarettes

Kevin Spak — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:14:19 CDT

If anything will turn the Minnesota public against the state’s government shutdown, this will: The booze is running out. The state requires bars and liquor shops to purchase their alcohol with a state-issued card—and hundreds weren’t able to renew theirs before the shutdown. “It’s going to cripple our industry,...