UN Opening Week: Facing the Non-Communicable Disease Epidemic

UN Opening Week: Facing the Non-Communicable Disease Epidemic:

“I call on heads of state and heads of government to stand rock-hard against the despicable efforts of the tobacco industry to subvert this treaty,” said Chan. “Increases in tobacco taxes and prices are the most effective measure. They not only protect health. They bring in considerable revenue. The same is true for taxes on alcohol.”

Sick of reading this stuff.Sick to death of it.

Stand rock-hard and destroy people's freedom of choice and the jobs market.

Sounds like a distinctively Nazi style approach to dealing with people to me.

A Global Push for a Smoke-Free Workplace

A Global Push for a Smoke-Free Workplace - Health Blog - WSJ:


But much more can be done, coalition members said. The goal is to protect 100% of employees rather than just 11%, said Koh, whose agency this year banned not only smoking, but the use of all tobacco products — including snus and e-cigarettes – in its buildings.

To quote a better writer than I will ever be,it was never about health.

Newsbriefs | Inquirer News

Newsbriefs | Inquirer News:

"This tobacco-growing city has banned smoking, foregoing the city government’s P30 million share from tobacco excise taxes."

Another great idea.

Imagine all the funds they will make enforcing a ban on a legal substance.

Boise officials consider smoking restrictions - Houston Chronicle

Boise officials consider smoking restrictions - Houston Chronicle:

"The new ordinance to be considered by the city council at a work session on Tuesday would prohibit smoking in bars, homes-based businesses, tobacco shops and other places where people gather."

When the economy is as bad as it is,does it really seem wise to do things to curb economic growth?

Unreal

U.N. Meeting Attendees Say New York City is Health-Policy Model - Health Blog - WSJ

U.N. Meeting Attendees Say New York City is Health-Policy Model - Health Blog - WSJ:

"The measures could be a tall order for cities in some countries where smoking is more accepted. While New York’s restaurants, parks and beaches are smoke-free, we at the Health Blog found ourselves exposed to some serious secondhand smoke on the sidewalks around the U.N. this week, as visiting delegates, their staffs, and journalists squeezed in plenty of puffs between meetings. Smoking is allowed on city streets, though “we discourage it,” Farley says of the haze. Still, he notes, New York’s experience shows “we can reduce smoking rates.”"

Hypocrites.

Doubts raised for UN progress at disease summit

Doubts raised for UN progress at disease summit:

Many countries are also unwilling to turn into nanny states that closely monitor their citizens' eating, drinking and exercise. "Addressing (chronic diseases) requires behavior change and most countries are very bad at this because it's so complicated," said Sophie Harman, a global health expert at City University in London.

She said most countries would probably voice support for WHO's chronic diseases solutions, but she wasn't convinced much more would be done. "All countries say they need to tackle these issues," she said. "But the implementation is difficult, and then all you're left with is the rhetoric."

I hope she's right.And really that's all I have to say when thinking about this

 

Cafes, restaurants exempt from city-centre smokes ban in Frankston

Cafes, restaurants exempt from city-centre smokes ban in Frankston:

Cr Bolam acknowledged there was a risk some diners would not go to eateries where smoking outdoors was permitted, but said the council was obliged to listen to its traders.

"In Frankston we're fairly fragile right now with businesses inside the Frankston town centre, so we need to respond to their concerns," he said.

"Whether Quit likes it or not, we're responsible to ensure the economic well-being of businesses in Frankston."

An interesting read.It's all pretty good until you get to the end for every 2 steps forward we take ten steps back.

When men were men and smoked like chimneys

When men were men and smoked like chimneys | The Japan Times Online:

In shelters from Saitama to upper Miyagi, thousands of men professed to miss their cigarettes and complained that it was hard to feel a sense of normalcy unless they had a cigarette between their lips.

Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki was one of the first public figures to start a cigarette fund, and sent over nearly 1000 boxes to smokers in Tohoku. A case-hardened smoker himself, Miyazaki said in a TV interview that in times like these, nicotine is a source of nourishment, and that it was folly to apply normal health standards to those under severe strain. 

One of the best things I have read in a long time.
No rushing to admonish on the evils of the devil weed,no lectures really,just stories.
Makes me smile just reading it.

Tobacco worries - Jamaica in treaty contravention

Tobacco worries - Jamaica in treaty contravention - Lead Stories - Jamaica Gleaner - Sunday | September 18, 2011:

 Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner, chairman of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control, Dr Knox Hagley, predicted that Jamaica faces embarrassment for its nonchalant attitude to tobacco cultivation when it attends the upcoming upcoming United Nations High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases scheduled for this month.

Hagley lamented that there is no clear-cut sanction for breaching the treaty, except embarrassment and public outcry.

Hmm,so if someone breeches the treaty all that can happen is they will become the people the UN point at and whisper about behind their backs?
Doesn't sound so bad to me.
If there is a treaty that could hurt your nation's economy and produce fewer and fewer jobs and put more people on government assistance then why in the hell would you sign it?

How Far Is Too Far?

Nicotine may be classified as performance-enhancing drug - More Sports - SI.com:

"WADA and sport federations should evaluate the inclusion of nicotine to the Prohibited List or/and Monitoring Program," the Lausanne lab reported after a year-long study published by the Forensic Science International journal.

The performance-enhancing effects of nicotine included increased "vigilance and cognitive function," and reduced stress and body weight.

"Interestingly, nicotine also triggers a significant increase of pulse rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and epinephrine release owing to simultaneous stimulant and relaxant properties," the report said.

"Smokeless tobacco is a very attractive drug from a doping perspective," researchers suggested, because it did not damage an athlete's breathing and respiratory system.

As much as this sickens me and believe me it does sicken me,there are far worse stories I read every single day.
For some reason this beings to mind something I read last week,it's relevant enough that I feel justified in linking it  here.
The second article I linked is all about The World Anti Doping Agency and the steps they can and do take to ensure that professional athletes aren't using anything to enhance their performance.
This all seems like it's going too far.
Once the WADA gets around to adding nicotine to their list professional athletes are going to have a harder time than they already do.

Resistance brewing to Ontario schools' caffeine cutbacks

Resistance brewing to Ontario schools' caffeine cutbacks - The Globe and Mail:

 With its new policy, Ontario has joined several other provinces that have taken a hard line against caffeine, either by banning it or putting strict limits on what can be sold on school property, in the cafeteria or at fundraisers. In British Columbia, a 15-mg-per-serving limit on caffeine means that chocolate milk barely avoids being culinary contraband, and students in Nova Scotia can buy only milk, 100-per-cent juice and water at school.

Honestly I have nothing to say.Just seems like another way society is going overboard protecting the children.
Not really on the same subject but it somehow seemed related in my brain.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xb5gpv_george-carlin-child-worship_fun
Besides after reading that story I could use a laugh.

My Story

For the people who don't know by the posts on this blog I do vape.
Some people make the decision for whatever reason to try vaping and love it,some replace partial cigarette use with it and some do make a switch.
For some it isn't a real enough experience and they go back to smoking.
For now I am going to talk about myself,it is sometimes easier to explain myself than it is to explain others.


As a child I could remember smoking in places like the shopping center or the local restaurants.
My mom and dad had always smoked,so did my brothers and later on I did as well.
I am not a quit type of person,never have been.
I had no desire to quit and no real financial intensive to pay prohibitively high sin taxes to my government for indulging in what is a perfectly legal behavior.
Until this time around two years ago I had never questioned why no one could smoke indoors in a public place anymore or why people didn't like us when we smoked outdoors.
That part had bothered me most  the nasty behavior by other people when I would go outside to smoke,you know what I mean,the coughing,the handwaving the "helpful" advise "Those things will kill you.".
I had never experienced mean beyond that though,I live in a pretty small town and most of us know each other,it does make some difference I guess.

Being that I am curious and the fact that I read alot I before I even attempted to begin to use e cigs started reading,looking for a reason why our freedoms were being trampled,why no smoking zones outdoors were being moved further and further away.
No one really had any useful information until I somehow found myself here.

From there it was a short journey to other places with more useful information.
Back in those days Christopher Snowdon hadn't begun blogging and I had no idea exactly who half the people on my blog sidebar were.
But I was pretty sure of one thing this man told a story so amazing,so sickening that I had to check and be sure what he was saying was true and it was.
There is a point that most people reach and it changes them,reading this stuff changed me.
If nothing else it made me more aware,made me take a harder look at the places I spent my money and the companies I gave my money to.
Worse than what I found there was the sad and slowly sinking feeling I started to get in the pit of my stomach that some of the money I paid out in state and federal cigarette taxes was going to persecute me and other smoker's like me.
My parents,my brothers,friends and people I had never even met were being hurt by the money I was putting into these coffers.

I had never ever thought of growing my own tobacco or buying roll your own tobacco but I knew I had to do something.
The idea for electronic cigarettes was something I thought about for months,it wasn't the easiest decision I ever made.
Do I use electronic cigarettes?
Yes
Do I still consider myself a smoker?
Absolutely

The reason for this post which I knew was coming yesterday when I read this was the absolute anger I felt when I read it.
I assume other people who vape read this and were overjoyed,I wasn't.
I knew people would feel a whole lot like this.
The way they feel isn't without reason,they I would say we but apparently the government had decided that I am o.k. for whatever reason and people who don't do what I do aren't.

I didn't do this for my health,I did this because I had high hopes that starving them (the government,the charities) would change their minds.
I see we still aren't where we need to be yet.
It makes me sad.

Smoking: Orlando urges people not to smoke in public parks.

Smoking: Orlando urges people not to smoke in public parks. - OrlandoSentinel.com:

The measure stops short of banning outdoor smoking because that's something the city doesn't have the authority to do. But it does ask the Florida Legislature to grant cities that power so Orlando officials can pursue an outright ban in the future.

"We want the public to realize our children need healthy areas to play in, and we can help with that," said Commissioner Sam Ings, who introduced the resolution.

FFS
Is there any place left besides home a smoker can smoke?
Oh wait sometimes you can't do that in your home either.
It's a depressing state of affairs when the city is begging the state legislature to give them the power to ban smoking in parks.
This is just getting sickening.
History tells us this stops,because it becomes an issue no one can afford to persue not because people suddenly change their minds.
I guess we aren't at that point yet.

Smoking in Russia: will old habits die hard?

Smoking in Russia: will old habits die hard? : The Lancet:

Persuading Russian society of the need for what many will label draconian anti-smoking legislation will be absolutely crucial if new legislation is to stand any chance of being enforced. Currently, only flights are smoke free, and according to Toropova this is explained “only by such will of the airlines”—it is not a legal obligation. There is nowhere else that is 100% smoke free, including hospitals. “The only penalty existing today for smoking in the forbidden places is RUB100 (about US$3)”, says Toropova—“that is for smoking on a train, in a non-smoking compartment”

Persuade?
Hell they will just do what they want I imagine.
I do think this will wind up being a Greece type of situation or at least I hope it will be.

Smoking Shelters Get Council Approval - Creve Coeur, MO Patch

Smoking Shelters Get Council Approval - Creve Coeur, MO Patch:

Almost nine months after the city of Creve Coeur's new smoking ordinance went into effect, City Council members passed an amendment to the law Monday which allows employers to build smoking shelters.

The debate has been ongoing for much of the summer, with arguments ranging from whether the idea of allowing the shelters inherently weakened the original ordinance, or if the city was infringing on individual freedoms if the shelters were not allowed.

Nice,I like seeing smokers given reasonable accommodation.
BTW that bill passed the city council vote 7-1.

New Data Suggests Cigarette Taxes a Risky Revenue Source

» New Data Suggests Cigarette Taxes a Risky Revenue Source - Big Government:

Back in 2009, the Reason Foundation identified that since 2003, cigarette taxes had been increased 57 times around the U.S., but that 68 percent of those hikes failed to result in projected revenue increases.

With more people giving up, however, experts say enhancing revenues via raising cigarette taxes could get tougher.

In addition, states that do hike taxes could see an increase in cigarette smuggling, which deprives the state in question of revenue it had anticipated.  This is a problem experienced by New Jersey, which a 2009 report obtained this week by Newark’s Star-Ledger shows is experiencing significant challenges in collecting in the revenue it needs to bank in order to get the full benefit of its $2.70 per pack cigarette tax.

But the health fascists must be jumping for joy,after all this is sort of what they were hoping would happen.
Of course the increase in smuggling is an unintended consequence but the government often acts without thinking about what it will do to them,which is no real surprise.

Queensland universities look to ban smoking amid complaints of secondhand smoke

Queensland universities look to ban smoking amid complaints of secondhand smoke | Courier Mail:

"We've been contacted by a couple of universities across Queensland - certainly they're looking at how they can protect their students, staff and visitors," Ms Hull said

"We've just had some feedback from students - Griffith University being one of those with concerns about having to walk through groups of people smoking."

"They might consider phasing a complete ban over time so people can get the help they need to quit, most research shows smokers do want to quit but for many it's very tough to do so we want to encourage and support them."

Right.
The comments are the best part of this article so far.

Closing time for Perth’s pub culture?

Closing time for Perth’s pub culture? - Perthshire Advertiser:

Closure of the 1807 established Scone Arms is the latest Fair City casualty succumbing to tougher trading conditions created by the credit crunch, higher taxes, smoking ban and discounted off-trade alcohol sales.

They can point to anything they'd like but I am pretty sure the smoking ban is what started the massive decline.
I can even see this where I live,the only people who went out for an evening of fun were the smokers and now that those days are over, restaurants and bars are folding all over the place.
Some might say it's the recession and it might be that too,but banning smoking and smokers from going out and being accepted hasn't lead to too many good things for the hospitality industry.

Smoking segregation?: Yerevan enforces tobacco control norms at public catering facilities

Smoking segregation?: Yerevan enforces tobacco control norms at public catering facilities - Health | ArmeniaNow.com:

(As in the case with other legal provisions, smoking-related norms have been only laxly enforced or not enforced at all in Armenia. The latest rigor reflects the attitude of Yerevan’s new administration formed after Karen Karapetyan was elected mayor last December).

The 2004 legislation on the sale, consumption and use of tobacco suggests that facilities like restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, and others designate some of their premises for smoking customers, while the rest should remain smoke-free. 

Wow,just wow.
I can honestly say I have never read an article quite like this before.
I do think this is pretty much all many smokers in The U.K.,USA and many other countries are asking for.Not to be thrown out entirely into the cold.
(Yes I know the news isn't entirely good because once you give them an inch they take a mile,but this wasn't the worst anti-smoking piece I have ever read.)

$500 for tobacco in prison - National - NZ

$500 for tobacco in prison - National - NZ Herald News:

 Corrections spent nearly $236,000 on staff training, books and smoke-free signage, documents released under the Official Information Act show. Nearly $5000 was spent on quit smoking books.

 The amount spent annually on nicotine replacement therapy for prisoners increased from $100,000 to nearly $1 million in the year leading up to the ban.

If you ever wanted to know what not to do with a legal substance this is like the blueprint for it. The pharma companies seem to be the only ones doing well under this scheme.The end figures for NRT's seem like they took an amazing leap in a single year's time.

Gallagher wants to 'light up' in public

Gallagher wants to 'light up' in public - NewsChannel 9 WSYR:

Rocker Noel Gallagher has called on British authorities to axe the country's ban on smoking in public places.
Politicians in the former Oasis star's native England outlawed smoking in public places in 2007, and bars and gig venues now have outdoor zones where customers can puff cigarettes.
But Gallagher is urging the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to overturn the ban.

Nice,at least the man is famous.
Famous people's words usually carry at least some weight,
Too bad no one has been paying attention to other similar efforts.

FDA says judge shouldn't stop cigarette warnings

The Associated Press: FDA says judge shouldn't stop cigarette warnings:

In response, the FDA said Friday that the public interest in conveying the dangers of smoking outweighs the companies' free speech rights. And it said the financial costs to the companies of switching to incorporate the new graphics equals about one-tenth of their annual net sales, which the FDA said is not sufficient to justify the injunction.

Well if it's about health then it's o.k. to expose people to some of the most disgusting warning labels ever.
Can't wait to see pictures of clogged arteries on stuff I buy at the grocery store next.

Supplements: A battle over regulating vitamins and energy drinks

Supplements: A battle over regulating vitamins and energy drinks - chicagotribune.com:

"People want to have some modicum of autonomy when it comes to the question of what they can put into their body and what they can do for their own health," said attorney Marc Ullman, chairman of the legal advisory council for the Natural Products Foundation. "They really resent intervention by the nanny state and want to be allowed to make judgments for themselves."

I knew this was coming too.
Oh it's not all done yet,but I never assume the best anymore.Life has taught me better than that.
I wonder why this always seems to happen when we have so many liberal's in positions of political power.
When you go from one form of government to another do you suddenly lose the ability to think and decide for yourself?
Right now I'm only talking about America,but this issue is much,much bigger than  that.

Are you shy? Then you have a mental disorder | Tim Black | spiked

Are you shy? Then you have a mental disorder | Tim Black | spiked:

While it is easy to make fun of the silliness of the psychiatric industry for giving our most banal behaviours a jargonised sheen, there is a serious point here, too. When everyday subjective states, such as shyness or distractedness, are turned into clinical objects, they become ripe for external, clinical intervention. We cease to be capable of overcoming a bout of anxiety, perhaps brought about by job worries; instead we are encouraged to see ourselves as in need of professional, expert help. And any practical problems at the root of, say, ‘depression’ or ‘anxiety’ - like unemployment or marital problems, for instance - are transformed into mental problems in need of psychiatric solutions. 

Brave New World eh?

Sydney council considers total smoking ban

Sydney council considers total smoking ban - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation):

Sydney's third largest central business district is to consider a blanket ban on smoking within its city limits.

Liverpool City Council will vote on the proposal in November.

Deputy Mayor Ned Mannoun says the law will continue the push to encourage healthy behaviour.

Sad,this just makes me feel sad.
Why not just make it illegal?Seems like it would be much more in accordance with what they really want to do.
(I tend to post in a reactionary manner,not really thinking before I write.I am bad that way and things I say in a questioning manner come across as asking for something worse.That isn't the case.)

ICTSD • WTO Disputes Roundup: Rulings Issued on Spirits, Tobacco

ICTSD • WTO Disputes Roundup: Rulings Issued on Spirits, Tobacco:

“These reasons which the United States has presented as constituting a legitimate objective by themselves, appear to us as relating in one way or another to the costs that might be incurred by the United States were it to ban menthol cigarettes”.

“Indeed, the United States [continues to allow the sale of] menthol cigarettes not because it is not a type of cigarette with a characterizing flavour that appeals to youth, but rather because of the costs that might be incurred as a result of such a ban,” the panel concluded.

If the US stands true to its 2009 Family Smoking Prevention Act, it will have to widen the ban to also include menthol flavoured cigarettes. The ruling could thus turn out to be a welcome argument in favour of the stricter legislation proposed by FDA.

Unreal.
Nothing like the WTO giving the government more reasons to butt into our lives eh?

Brighton hospital boss gives up smoking again

Brighton hospital boss gives up smoking again | Brighton and Hove News:

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said: “We have attempted to go smoke-free before but it is fair to say it didn’t work and not least because we were inconsistent in applying the policy.

“As a compromise we tried introducing smoking shelters but I think most would agree these have not worked either as our grounds look like an ashtray.

“All or nothing has to be the way forward, so all it is, and this time we mean it.

“This absolutely applies to staff, and to the relatives and visitors of those in our care, under any and all circumstances.

“It also applies, other than in exceptional circumstances, to patients though of course discretion will be needed.”

Sadly I mostly put this story here for the comments.
Some of them are great reading,some are of course the usual anti propaganda.

Smoking snuffed by county NewsSun.com

Smoking snuffed by county NewsSun.com

Commissioners Don Elwell and Jack Richie made it clear that they would not approve the policy as it stood, Elwell going to individual rights and Richie supporting individual rights and questioning enforcement.

"For me, this issue touches on individual rights," Elwell said. "We are legislating morality, if you will. We are looking at saying something is bad for you, and you can't take care of yourself, so we will do that for you.

"We are telling people that they are not able to take care of themselves, so we will do it for them.

"I know that one of the arguments is that smoking cuts into productivity. Now employees are going to walk outside past the area that is currently designated for smoking, walk another 50 yards past the area we could have designated for smoking, get into their car, but since they cannot even smoke there they will drive across the road to smoke. And that is going to help productivity how?" Elwell asked.

I love common sense.
Sad how I see so little of it these days.

Be happy, no butts, Bhutan's smokers told

AFP: Be happy, no butts, Bhutan's smokers told:

But sending small-time users to jail, particularly those in apparent ignorance of the law, has caused an outcry and proved a test for Bhutan's fledgling democracy.

"We don't question the good intention. Tobacco kills people, but smoking has been there for centuries. Overnight people cannot stop," says 39-year-old Tashi Gyeltshen, who has spearheaded protests on Facebook.

"Everyone agrees that the prison term is a mistake," he told AFP.

Parliamentary opposition leader Tshering Tobgay has also been a vociferous critic.

Faced with hostile media coverage and public dissent -- unheard of in Bhutan during the days of absolute monarchy which came to an end in 2008 -- new guidelines have been brought in recommending fines for small-time users.

Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley admitted to AFP in an interview that the law imposed "excessive punishment" on those caught in possession of small quantities of tobacco and this would be reviewed later this year.

I am still sort of suspicious about this.
Maybe I'm just jaded but from the way this article is written I have my doubts on there being any sort of real amendment on the whole issue.
But than again if this story is accurate then this democracy has done some real trampling of people's personal freedoms.
This just depresses me.

Tobacco ban tramples on student rights | University Star

Tobacco ban tramples on student rights | University Star:

The blatant violation of civil liberties is not the only issue with this ban. Texas carbon dioxide emissions are the highest in the nation, said Professor Decker, and if the true motive for this policy is to improve the health of the university community, there are bigger fish to fry than an individual smoking a cigarette. This ban represents the desires of university officials, not the students, even with the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

Too many of us are unwilling to get our feet wet for fear of a backlash, but until we stand together, this pattern of control will not end with tobacco. This ban is unacceptable and impractical. Smokers will continue to use tobacco on campus. To those standing in the way of my civil liberties, catch me if you can, but don’t bat an eye when I scream and kick for the rights of my fellow tobacco users. 

Well written.
Makes me proud to see that somewhere there are people who think that society doesn't need to be divided up into smoker/non-smoker to have an arrangement that works for everyone.
Bravo.....

Government to amend Tobacco Control Act (Bhutan)

Government to amend Tobacco Control Act:

Further, Lyonchhen added that questions were raised in the Parliament and the National Assemble by members questioning the use of having a law, which is not implemented with people still smoking and selling cigarettes.

The PM said that the administration was forced into rigid implementation and so that directive was issued that the law must be enforced and the actual enforcement, reluctant as the government was, began only this January 2011.

There are ambiguities, including the subject of defining what is smuggling. This is under study by the Office of the Attorney General. “We are discussing it to remove those ambiguities and perhaps make certain formulations to ensure that there is no direct relation between certain section, and the penal code.”

The parliament had no intention to punish those who smoke. “In fact, the law is very clear in that it doesn’t ban smoking, it simply bans selling tobacco and also suggests where tobacco may or may not be consumed.”

 I am pretty unclear as to what this means for people rotting in prison for buying tobacco.
One of the first victims of the Tobacco Control Act is a Buddhist monk named Sonam Tshering .
I wonder what amending the act will mean for him and the other tobacco control act victims.

Bullitt County Waits For Smoking Ban Response

Bullitt County Waits For Smoking Ban Response

The Bullitt County Health Department passed a smoking ban that puts restrictions on where people may smoke, citing health reasons for the ban. But the county government says it can’t do that.

“They said the board of health is not a legislative body so therefore they cannot adopt new regulation unless there’s a law in the books,” said Swannie Jett, executive director of the Bullitt County Health Department.

Bullitt County officials and several city governments say it’s not in the health department’s jurisdiction to pass the regulation without writing it into law, and the county government says that’s something it can’t do.

I have always felt that the various health departments in America had the power to go too far.For some reason this article makes me happy as hell.

Nice seeing someone call them on it for once.

Drugged Out America » Counterpunch:

Drugged Out America » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names:

In the nearly half century since the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report linking smoking to cancer in 1964, there has had a dramatic decline is smoking.  Since 1998, tobacco sales in the U.S. have declined by 2 percent a year; since 2000, there has been an 18 percent decline in the number of cigarette packs sold: 17.4 billion packs were sold in 2007 compared to 21.1 billion packs in 2000.

However, this has taken place with a significant uptick in the number of “cigarette pack equivalents” (CPE’s), non-cigarette nicotine product, totaling 1.10 billion CPEs.  These include: 714 million moist snuff, 256 million roll-your-own tobacco and 130 million small cigars.

Mostly just put here because it's true.
Morality isn't really helpful as far as drug use goes,it's damaging economicly and to the fabric of society as a whole.
Just because something is frowned upon or even illegal doesn't mean that someone somewhere won't do it.

Smokers up in flames over graphic anti-smoking commercials paid with tax dollars

Smokers up in flames over graphic anti-smoking commercials paid with tax dollars:

"They are using our money for speech against us," said Audrey Silk, founder of the Brooklyn-based group Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment.

The city Health Department spends nearly $8 million a year on anti-tobacco campaigns, and its ads have been used in dozens of other states and countries, including Albania, China, India, Poland, Russia and Australia.

 Audrey Silk never really says anything about smoking and freedom that I disagree with.

Indonesia Lost Bulk of WTO Discrimination Case on U.S. Clove-Cigarette Ban

Indonesia Lost Bulk of WTO Discrimination Case on U.S. Clove-Cigarette Ban - Bloomberg:

A U.S. ban on clove cigarettes that’s designed to prevent teenagers from starting to smoke is discriminatory, though Indonesia failed to prove that it is unnecessary, World Trade Organization judges said.

Indonesia argued that U.S. tobacco legislation, signed by PresidentBarack Obama in June 2009, breaks global trade rules because it outlaws cloves and not the mint used to make menthol cigarettes. Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of clove cigarettes, or kreteks, made by companies such as PT Gudang Garam, has exports valued at $500 million a year, a fifth of which go to the U.S.

Interesting reading.
Not sure what if anything happens next,because it isn't clear to me what such a half victory really means.

Alberta enacts toughest distracted driving law in North America

Alberta enacts toughest distracted driving law in North America | Daily Brew - Yahoo! News:

The law also bans eating, teeth brushing, shaving, hair combing, writing, sketching or applying makeup - all activities one would consider a distraction. But reading email in parking lots or calling home while parked in a drive-through would still constitute distracted driving in Alberta, and would even apply to bike couriers.

National Post blogger Jesse Kline doesn't agree with Alberta's late ride to the distracted driver saloon, arguing science deflates the theory bans on cellphone use decrease crashes.

"It doesn't matter that the law won't actually make the roads safer. Governments don't need a problem to exist, in order to try and fix it."

I love it when someoene writes something so smart I don't feel like doing anything but linking the story.
This is one of those happy times.

Restaurants fear smoking ban

Restaurants fear smoking ban - Business - The Prague Post:

 In Hungary, which is poised to implement a smoking ban in 2012, the Tax and Excise Office released a report saying the ban would reduce state budget revenues 118.6 million euros the first year of implementation, as well as cause a loss in excise taxes revenues from cigarettes and alcohol of 2.2 million euros. The loss of VAT from cigarette sales was expected to be between 18 million and 31 million euros.

Cold,hard facts. Sometimes they're the best kind.
They sure do put things into perspective.

Godfrey Bloom: Hull no smoking scheme 'waste of money'

BBC News - Godfrey Bloom: Hull no smoking scheme 'waste of money':

An MEP has called for Hull's anti-smoking campaign to be dropped, claiming it is a "waste of money".

Godfrey Bloom, the UKIP member for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, said the initiative was not working and the money could be better spent.

A recent report showed levels of smoking in the city had risen over the last few years.

Once again a story too good not to share.

I have doubts that this will make much difference,but it is sort of heartwarming to know somewhere there is a politican exhibiting some common sense.

:) Reading it made me happy,that's rare enough.