In Sweden, smokers have another option – Snus

I tried to quit smoking this month. I lasted a decidedly unimpressive five days. I have tried all the remedies – patches, gums and going cold turkey – but none of them worked. Meeting friends for a patch and a pint down the pub or joining a colleague for a stick of nicotine gum after work just doesn't have the same social appeal as smoking. In Sweden, ex-smokers have another option: Snus, small bags of moist tobacco that are placed under your top lip. Consumed in Scandinavia since the mid-19th century, the popularity of Snus rose significantly from the 1970s onwards, as people became increasingly aware of the dangers of smoking. The proportion of male smokers fell dramatically from 40% in 1976 to just 15% in 2002. Almost a third of ex-smokers used Snus when quitting, and those who did were about 50% more likely to succeed.

Why Zimbabwe's tobacco industry is unhappy with WHO

There is hustle and bustle on the tobacco trading floors of Zimbabwe these days. After a decade of agricultural turmoil that crashed the economy, this sector is seen as one of the few bright spots. The crop's value has bounced back from £105m in 2008 to more than £330m this year. Moreover, whereas tobacco production was once dominated by a white elite, now tens of thousands of farmers are black. Yet this precious gain is under threat, the industry claims, not from renewed political violence or economic turbulence, but from the global anti-smoking lobby. "In Zimbabwe we are very dependent on tobacco," says Dr Andrew Matibiri, director of the country's Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. "It makes up 26% of our foreign currency exports. Any movement towards reduction of the exports will affect our economy, especially poverty alleviation."

Electronic Cigarettes History, Tobacco Market

The history of the e-cigarette is a fascinating one and one that stemmed from a Chinese pharmacist and inventor, who smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, being determined not to die of cancer the way his father did. He set out to find an alternative. The electronic cigarette, alternatively known as an e-cig or e-cigarette, is an inhaler that looks like a regular cigarette but which uses a vaporizer that produces a pressurized jet of an aerosol mist that looks like real cheap Pall Mall cigarette smoke. This vapor dilutes the nicotine by using propylene glycol, a food additive used in consumer products and drug treatments.
The e-cigarette has many health advantages because it is tobacco free, ash free, tar free, carbon monoxide free and odorless. His education was in Chinese medicine using herbal remedies. He infused the propylene glycol with a flavoring and genuine nicotine to make it feel and taste like a genuine cigarette. He utilized a disposable cartridge in plastic which holds the liquid and provides a mouthpiece. First introduced to the domestic market in China in May 2004, Lik’s company changed its name to Ruyan, which means “resembling smoking”, and began exporting in 2005-2006. In 2007, the company received the first international patent. These electronic cigarettes were introduced in the United States in 2006-2007.

FDA Panel Finds Menthol Cigarettes Don’t Increase Risk of Disease

The Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee’s draft report finds that menthol cigarettes may not boost the chance of disease more than other cigarettes, the Dow Jones News Service reports. Released late Monday, the report found not enough evidence that menthol intensifies smoke inhalation or exposure to nicotine. The report also showed that menthol did not increase the risk of disease. Analysts reported that the study had no surprises, given what panelists had said before during public hearings.

New York Seizes Tribal Cigarettes

New York has seized more than 5 million cigarettes produced by Native American companies since June for failure to pay state excise taxes, the Buffalo News reports. State officials said the seizures represent roughly $1.5 million in taxes that its sellers were intending to avoid. Last summer and pursuant to a court ruling, New York began enforcing a state law prohibiting wholesalers from selling untaxed cigarettes to Indian retailers for sale to non-Indians.

Images of arterial plaque failed to motivate smokers to quit

A new Swiss study suggests that showing images of arterial plaque to the smokers in the smoking cessation programme doesn’t improve quit smoking rates, reports Reuters. Researchers at the University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland randomly assigned around 500 smokers aged between 40 and 70 years to a carotid plaque ultrasonographic screening group and a control group, notes the news agency. After giving individual counselling and nicotine replacement therapy to smokers in each group, study authors evaluated the participants twelve months later, to find whether they had quit smoking or not. The study published in Archives of Internal Medicine found that smoking cessation rates did not differ between the ultrasound and control groups (24.9% in screening group and 22.1% in control group).

Welsh government bans smoking in family cars

As the first phase of Fresh Start Wales campaign begins, the Welsh Government urges parents across the county to keep their cars smoke free for protecting children from the health risks associated with second-hand smoke in an enclosed space, reports BBC. A smoking cessation campaign organised by Fresh Start, which called the ban over smoking in the confined area like in the car where kids are present, was launched by Dr Tony Jewell, chief medical officer for Wales, the public service broadcaster learns. Supporting the campaign, Dr Jewell said chemicals in second-hand smoke can lead to sudden infant death syndrome and asthma in children, adding that research proves that the level of toxic chemicals is very high inside cars.

A Unique Smoking Experience with Smokeless Cigarettes

The best electronic cigarette is able to effectively mimic the effects that are produced by tobacco cigarettes. One of the differences between the best electronic cigarette and tobacco cigarettes is that there is no use of combustion with electric cigarettes. No smoke or tobacco will ever be found inside electronic cigarettes. With smokeless cigarettes that use e-liquid there is never any risk from second hand smoke. The second hand smoke that is caused from tobacco cigarettes is just as dangerous as the smoke that is directly inhaled by the smoker.
The vapor that is produced by electronic cigarettes is a simple water vapor. Smokers have the choice of an e-liquid that contains nicotine, and an e-liquid that is nicotine-free. This vapor looks very much like the smoke that comes from tobacco cigarettes. The truth is the vapor is a simple formulation of ionized air. This e-liquid solution is actually created from a food additive, and comes in the form of refill cartridges that go into the filter section of an electronic cigarette. When a smoker takes a puff from an electric cigarette, it initiates the atomizer to heat the e-liquid which then produces the smoke-like vapor that the smoker inhales.