Hard to argue in favor of smoking in clubs

It's not easy for a politician to defend smoking but Eagle River Assemblyman Bill Starr will be doing just that next week. Starr has proposed a repeal of the smoking ban for private clubs. The Assembly will take comment Tuesday night. The change would affect 20 or so clubs -- mostly veterans and fraternal organizations -- but it is really aimed at just one: the Eagles Aerie 4174 in Peters Creek.

The Eagles Aerie, which has 187 members, is located in Starr's district. The aerie has been resisting the smoking ban since it went into effect in 2007 and has had at least two run-ins with the Alcohol Beverage Control Board. The aerie would like to operate an indoor smoking room, separated from where the bartender works by a wall and a door; the room would have outside ventilation. Starr's proposal would make that legal.

Bishops push smoking ban in church premises

Three Catholic bishops have given their support to the anti-tobacco campaign and considering banning smoking within church premises in their dioceses. Bishops Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon, Jose Oliveros of Malolos, and Honesto Ongtioco of Cubao said they are concerned about the secondhand smoke and its effect on children.

 “I am absolutely in favor to ban smoking even at the church premises, plaza, compound or patio. Smoking inside (the Church) is already banned,” said Bastes. "I would highly recommend or favor the banning of smoking inside and outside church premises for a friendly and healthy atmosphere or surrounding," Ongtioco, for his part, said. Smoking is being linked to illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, as well as chronic respiratory diseases like emphysema and diabetes.

 “It is good policy to ask people not to smoke within church premises. Smokers do not only harm their health but others as well. It is also harmful to the ecology with the cigarette butts being thrown anywhere," Oliveros said. Ongtioco and Oliveros earlier also favored the additional taxes on “sin products” such as cigarettes and alcoholic beverages as a way to discourage consumption.

Lung cancer CT scans: Just for older heavy smokers

New lung cancer screening guidelines from three medical groups recommend annual scans but only for an older group of current or former heavy smokers. The advice applies only to those aged 55 to 74. The risks of screening younger or older smokers or nonsmokers outweigh any benefits, according to the guidelines. About 8 million Americans would be eligible for screening under the new criteria, and if all of them got the scans, about 4,000 lung cancer deaths per year could be prevented, said Dr. Peter Bach of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

He chaired the expert panel that wrote the new guidelines for the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The recommended screening involves low-dose CT scans, which are a special kind of X-ray that can detect lung cancer early, but also can have false-positive results. Regular chest X-rays can also detect lung cancer but they provide less detailed images than CT scans, can also have false-positive results and have not been recommended as a screening tool because they have not been shown to save lives. The guidelines were published online Sunday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. An estimated 226,000 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. It is the leading cause of cancer deaths for U.S. men and women. An estimated 160,000 lung cancer deaths nationwide will occur this year.

That number has declined in recent years, partly because of better detection and fewer people smoking. Widespread screening will likely lead to some deaths because abnormal results are typically followed by biopsies and other invasive tests that sometimes have deadly complications. Still, the three groups say those deaths would be far outnumbered by people saved from lung cancer deaths by screening. The recommendations go slightly further than preliminary guidance issued last year by the American Cancer Society and targeting current or heavy smokers in the same age range. That guidance said eligible adults "may consider" CT screening but should discuss risks and benefits with their physicians.

The new guidelines say screening with low-dose CT scans should be offered, but only in academic medical centers and other sites with specialized radiologists and surgeons on staff. The guidance is based on a review of evidence including a large National Cancer Institute study involving more than 53,000 people with a history of smoking at least one cigarette pack daily for 30 years or two packs for 15 years. The guidelines recommend screening only for people who have smoked that much. The study is considered the strongest evidence favoring CT screening and also was the basis for the cancer society's guidance and recent similar guidelines from the American Lung Association.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-appointed panel that issues public health guidance, is evaluating that study as it prepares to update its 2004 stance on lung cancer screening. The task force said then that there was insufficient evidence to recommend lung cancer screening with CT scans, X-rays or sputum tests. Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, took part in the new review and said his group likely will issue separate permanent guidelines later this year. The cancer society doesn't issue joint guidelines or endorse other group's guidelines, Brawley said.

"Screening is a double-edged sword," Brawley said. CT screening prevented about 80 lung cancer deaths over six years in the National Cancer Institute study, but 16 study participants died after CT screening, including six who did not have lung cancer. Brawley and Bach expressed concern about heavy marketing by some centers that overstate benefits from CT lung cancer screening and that recommend the scans for low-risk patients. Screening nonsmokers and other low-risk patients "will cause more harm, and yield less benefit for the simple reason that ... they're so much less likely to get lung cancer in the first place," Bach said. Brawley noted that some centers charge at least $300 for these scans, which often aren't covered by insurance, particularly for low-risk patients.

Rochester Hills teen hospitalized after smoking K2

A 16-year-old Rochester Hills boy was hospitalized in serious condition after reportedly smoking a synthetic marijuana called K2, Oakland County Sheriff's deputies report. Deputies were called to the teenager's home in the 36000 block of Samuel to assist medical personnel called to the home around midnight with a combative teenager Friday. The teen had to be restrained and was transported to Troy Beaumont Hospital without further incident, deputies reported.

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 The teen's mother said she had discovered her son had smoked K2 a few hours earlier after an event at Avondale High School. Auburn Hills police have also been advised of the incident by detectives. K2, also known by the street name Spice, is a synthetic herbal mixture which is marketed legally and sold as herbal incense.

When smoked, it can provide a marijuana-type high but has also been known to cause agitation, vomiting, increased heart rates and violent reactions in some users. Two people who have been charged in a recent home invasion in which the homeowner was beaten to death with a baseball bat and two other people attacked and seriously injured were reportedly smoking Spice before the incident.

Study ties secondhand smoke to bladder irritation in kids

Young children between the ages of 4 and 10 were at particular risk from exposure to secondhand smoke. Bladder irritation involves the urge to urinate, urinating more frequently and incontinence. The study revealed that exposure to secondhand smoke is linked to more severe symptoms of bladder irritation: The more exposure the children had, the worse their symptoms became. fresh articles on free tobacco blog(link).

Led by Dr. Kelly Johnson, researchers from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Rutgers University analyzed survey information on 45 children ranging in age from 4 to 17. All had symptoms of bladder irritation. The researchers divided the children into four groups based on the severity of their symptoms: very mild, mild, moderate or severe. Twenty-four of the children studied had moderate to severe symptoms of bladder irritation, while 21 had mild or very mild symptoms.

The children with moderate or severe symptoms were more likely to have consistent exposure to secondhand smoke, the researchers noted. Of these kids, 23 percent had a mother who smoked and 50 percent of them were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke while riding in a car. On the other hand, the children whose mother didn't smoke and were not exposed to secondhand smoke in the car had only very mild or mild symptoms of bladder irritation. The study was expected to be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association in Atlanta.

The data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. "Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States," Dr. Anthony Atala, a pediatric urologist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and a spokesman for the AUA, said in an association news release. "Beyond conditions such as lung cancer, heart disease and asthma, we now know that smoking has a negative impact on urinary symptoms, particularly in young children. Data presented today should be added to the indisputable evidence that parents shouldn't smoke around their children."

'Ex-smokers are unstoppable campaign' launched

The 'Ex-smokers are unstoppable' campaign was launched this morning in Zebbug by the EU Health Commissioner John Dalli. The aim of this initiative is to help children understand the harmful causes of smoking. Addressing schoolchildren in a playground in Zebbug, Dalli said "I am particularly pleased that more than 165,000 smokers are already actively using iCoach, our interactive smoking cessation tool. iCoach offers support with practical tips and advice as you move through the stages of smoking cessation. More articles read on this blog.

This represents the first time an EU campaign has offered practical help." The EU Health Commissioner added that health awareness starts with education. He noted that despite all the information available, people still hold on to the habit. "I gave up smoking myself some years ago and I know how difficult it can be. I believe that with this new campaign and supporting tool, we will genuinely be able to make a difference to people's lives and help them become 'unstoppable', " Dalli said. Commissioner Dalli also highlighted the success rate of the campaign in Malta, where over 20,000 people have engaged on the campaign's social media tool, while over 1,500 smokers have registered with iCoach, making Maltese take-up rather high above the EU27 average.

 The iCoach is a core part of the campaign, launched in June 2011 across all EU member states, aiming to motivate smokers to stop. Recently, Malta introduced a smoking ban in local playing fields. This measure is being implemented through Malta's local councils with the aim to to ensure a better quality of life, where it comes to smoke-free public spaces. Dalli explained that tobacco is the single largest cause of avoidable death in the EU, accounting for around 650,000 premature deaths per year. "A further 13 million people in the EU suffer from serious diseases caused by smoking.

Even those individuals who do not smoke are affected by smoking and tobacco; second-hand smoke causes 79,000 deaths a year in the EU." The event was also addressed by the Zebbug mayor Alfred Grixti, President of the Southern Region Claudette Abela Baldacchino and the President of the Local Council Association, Michael Cohen. The Director of the Health Promotion Unit, responsible for the national quit line, Dr. Charmaine Gauci, stressed the importance of quitting smoking and also highlighted the various initiatives taken by the Department to support those who want to quit the habit.

IP law probe MPs hunt for smoking gun, find plenty of smoke

Analysis There’s an elephant in the room as Parliament’s inquiry into intellectual property policy rolls on. In the foreground, there’s the role of the officials who are supposed to support it. In the background, there’s something more troubling. Within the past two years - and without a hint, let alone a fanfare - the UK’s economic strategy has radically changed. It favours fashionable new sectors while downgrading successful UK sectors such as design, music and TV, which are based on "intangible" rights. This is not merely a shift in industrial policy; it would appear to be a clear case of government intervening to "pick winners".  More articles about cigarettes, click here.

However, the "winners" here are mayfly internet startups that even the No 10-appointed ambassador to London's Tech City admits won't really create wealth. "Picking losers" might be a more accurate term. It’s a curious silent shift to make because the long-term economic fortunes of the UK – and advanced Western economies – are increasingly reliant on these intangibles for growth. These intangibles, unlike the products of the tangible industries of textile and hardware, cannot be made more cheaply in the emerging economies. Design, copyright, patents, brands and trademarks need to be protected and exploited to the utmost, and we’ll need a lot more of them. MPs may be confronted with more pressing issues such as the eurozone collapse, but surely none looms larger in the long term than the question of: "What will the British economy do?"

 There are two conventional views on where this new stealth economic strategy has come from, and each is as troubling as the other. In one view, rogue civil servants are operating an independent policy beyond oversight or ministerial control. On the other hand, it is official Coalition policy but one that Number 10 cannot explain or even acknowledge publicly: it’s the policy that dare not speak its name. Either way, the view strongly lobbied for by overseas internet multinationals is that for the internet "to win" British rights must be weakened. This emerged in the second evidence session held by MPs in the cross-party group on intellectual property in its current inquiry. Intellectual property: Who needs it?

The first session called on Google and digital rights campaigners to explain their case for weakening the current intangible rights framework by removing protections. The second session heard many cries of incomprehension in response to these changes, and complaints about the conduct of the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and the process of the Hargreaves Review, which looked into the effects of intellectual property (IP) law on Britain's future. But as for the strategy change, whodunnit? Careful questioning didn’t unearth a smoking pistol.

But there was no shortage of smoke. Publishers Association chief Richard Mollet summed up the philosophical shift that has taken place. Instead of treating copyright as the foundation for market-driven growth, copyright was now viewed through a pirate’s eye patch: as just another burdensome piece of red tape. “I feel there’s a chasm, a conceptual chasm, between the view of IP as a property right, which is recognised as such by UK, European and global law – it’s yours, you own it, you can trade off it – versus the other conception of copyright as a regulation, something that trips consumers up, and therefore the less of it there is the better,” said Mollet.

“That’s a gap I don’t think can be bridged, and that view permeates through some IPO thinking.” Hargreaves explicitly endorsed this view of copyright as a burdensome regulation, and it's implicitly now government policy. En route to Hargreaves' report becoming official government policy, nobody had thought to disagree. This rubber-stamping was raised by several witnesses in contrast to the approach of Richard Hooper, who had been appointed to implement the Hargreaves Report’s "Big Idea" – a digital copyright exchange. While Hargreaves had dutifully carried out his homework, witnesses said, Hooper had questioned his task. This suggested the IPO, which wrote much of Hargreaves' report, was carrying out a political assignment.

But reality wasn’t so simple. It may be, one witness suggested, a case of bureaucrats not understanding the industries. Dids Macdonald, of the Anti-Counterfeiting in Design (ACID) group, had spotted more magical thinking. She told the inquiry that officials still thought “design happens by chance”, and isn’t really a skill worth protecting. Officials' obsession with changing copyright appears to downgrade design, she implied. We also heard evidence of bureaucrats taking an activist role, possibly misleading their ministers. “Some evidence was not fed through to ministers,” said Andrew Yeates of the Educational Recording Agency. And the consultation also heard that IPO bureaucrats had been attempting to change international policy before proposals had been discussed, let alone decided, in the UK. This state-within-a-state had its own very active Foreign Office, it seems. 

“For the exception for data-mining, BiS [the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills] has been trying to ‘build up a head of steam’ without any evidence for the policy,” said one witness. “The policy is being lobbied in Europe but nobody in the UK has asked whether it’s good for the UK economy.” Mollet also said he’d been in meetings where officials had told him “copyright won’t exist in 20 years”. This is a giddy claim since copyright has survived the invention of electricity and moved beyond copies almost 200 years ago. But it is the kind of thing we can imagine penpushers cheering. It would be interesting to hear which public servant had made this assertion. We also heard how the IPO was "helping" write policy, such as the Hargreaves Review, and then reviewing it. One witness described this as the IPO “marking their own homework”.

There’s another term, coined by blogger Frank Fisher, which is even more apt here: "carousel propaganda". Yeates also noted that officials had downgraded the contribution of creative industries from 8 per cent of GDP to 3 per cent overnight, much to everyone’s surprise. So there’s plenty of evidence of a policy shift – and evidence of prejudices and bureaucratic activism. But not, so far, of where all this originates. Witnesses wanted a stronger representation for intangibles in Cabinet, and were understandably frustrated that declining sectors were strongly represented in Whitehall (manufacturing) but growing sectors (intellectual property) were not. MP Jim Dowd warned the witnesses of getting what they wish for. “People name a department after a problem,” he observed wryly, “and think they’ve solved the problem.”

Saugus seeks reduced tobacco sales

Several updates to Saugus’ tobacco regulations have retail groups sending letters of opposition to the Board Health as it looks to restrict tobacco sales for some stores. The new regulation, which is expected to be discussed tonight, bans tobacco sales in Saugus’ six pharmacies, restricts cigar sales unless the cigar is in a pack of four or priced more than $2.50 and bans the use of electronic cigarettes in public places, among other provisions, according to Public Health Director Frank Giacalone. In a letter to Giacalone, Brian Houghton, Vice President of the Massachusetts Food Association, said the proposal to ban tobacco sales in pharmacies “unfairly targets a small percentage of outlets” and “forces customers to take their business elsewhere.”

 Houghton, whose group represents Stop & Shop in Saugus, reiterated this in a phone interview Thursday. “You’re not addressing the issue of smoking cessation or sales to minors, you’re just simply transferring the sale of a legal product to another establishment,” said Houghton. “It not only takes those sales away, but any foot traffic that folks may have if they were going into those establishments to buy their tobacco products.” Giacalone defended the regulation, saying that since pharmacies are health-service providers, they shouldn’t be selling cigarettes.

 “The board is pretty passionate about tobacco and nicotine products being sold out there and getting them out of the pharmacies makes them provide more of a service to prevent cigarette smoking, which leads to a slew of health effects,” said Giacalone. He noted similar regulations are already in effect in Boston, Worcester and Lowell. The New England Service Station and Auto Repair Association has also came out in opposition to the regulation, more specifically the new cigar provision. Matthew LeLacheur, Executive Director of NESSARA, wrote in a letter to the Board of Health that the proposal “would adversely impact our adult customers who legally purchase tobacco products.”

Japan Tobacco : Termination of all the studies of anti-dyslipidemia drug JTT-705(dalcetrapib)

Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) (TSE: 2914) today announced that F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Roche) issued a press release on the termination of the development of JTT-705 (dalcetrapib). JT has concluded a licensing agreement for JTT-705 (dalcetrapib) with Roche in October 2004, granting Roche the rights to develop and commercialize the drug worldwide except for Japan, and currently Roche has been conducting several phase 3 clinical trials.

JTT-705 (dalcetrapib) was discovered by JT with the objective of increasing plasma HDL (High Density Lipoprotein), by modulation of CETP (Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein) which transfers cholesterol from HDL to LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein). This is expected to have only a small impact on JT's consolidated account in this financial year.

 About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world's largest biotech company with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics, tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in diabetes management. Roche's personalized healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2011, Roche had over 80,000 employees worldwide and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D

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New Smoking Tax, Minimum Wage Petitions Turned in to State

Missourians could vote to raise the state's cigarette tax this November. Missouri currently has the lowest tax in the country. Friday, a group called Show-Me Brighter Future handed in a petition to the Secretary of State. They were able to collect 220,000 signatures. The group wants to raise the tax by 17 cents.
 That would put the new tax at 90 cents. That's still below that national average of $1.46. The group now plans to spend millions of dollars in support of raising the tax. Another issue you could see on the ballot this November-- raising Missouri's minimum wage. Another set of petitions on this issue were also turned in before the Sunday deadline at the Missouri Secretary of State's office.

 The Associated Press reports the proposal would boost the minimum wage by a dollar, to $8.25 an hour. The wage would be adjusted with the cost of living. Another petition was turned in to limit payday loans. Under that proposal, annual rates on short term loans would be capped at 36 percent. These latest petitions are among the dozens circulated around Missouri this spring, in an effort to get issues before voters this year.

Don't weaken state ban on smoking

Just when you thought every dumb law ever enacted in Michigan had been reached, now we discover that the clowns in Lansing have found just one more. We already have the new helmet law and, of course, the advanced fireworks law. Now we have some movement on the anti-smoking law, which was overwhelmingly supported by Michiganders ("Debate still lights up over Michigan smoking ban," April 28).

Seems one of the clowns in Lansing wants smoking allowed at charitable events. I suspect that the charitable events being considered would be those of the Asthma Institute, Bronchitis Association, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Institute, Pneumonia Association, Emphysema Institute, Dyspnea Association, Lung Cancer Association and Esophagus Cancer Institute. Each time we hear of some new legislation being introduced in Lansing we conclude that full-time lawmakers have become the bane of our existence. Maybe it is time for a part-time Legislature.
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Post offices,branches of J-K bank declared smoking free in J-K

Srinagar, May 7 (PTI) Post offices, all the branches of Jammu and Kashmir Bank and the campus of Kashmir University have been declared as "smoking free" areas in the state. Chief Post Master General J K John Samuel has declared all the post offices and administrative offices in Jammu and Kashmir Postal Circle as "tobacco-free" today.

Samuel also said that "no-smoking" signages would be displayed at all the post offices, said Aamir Ali, an officer in Divisional Commissioner's officer here today. Ali said chairman Jammu and Kashmir Bank had also issued instructions for prohibiting smoking in all the bank branches as well as at ATM counters. University of Kashmir's Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmad has also declared the university campus a "smoke free" zone, Ali said. Authorities have launched a widespread campaign against smoking at public places and many people have been fined for violating the ban.

St. Lawrence County may start no-smoking policy

The St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators is expected to vote Monday on whether to proceed with a smoking prohibition on its property. "I think we ought to have a policy on no smoking," said Legislator Scott M. Sutherland, R-Pierrepont. "Many see it as a test for personal rights, but it's a huge health concern for our residents. We're not looking for new things to regulate, but smoking is bad for people." The county ranks 58 out of 62 in state health rankings.

It has a tobacco-use rate of 27 percent, compared with the state rate of 19 percent, said Benjamin R. Todd, county tobacco program coordinator. The issue is the county's business because smoking, secondhand smoke and smokeless tobacco, and the diseases associated with them, are a strain on health care and the amount of money the county spends on Medicaid, Mr. Sutherland said. If legislators approve, the county Board of Health would write a law that would prohibit tobacco use on all real property owned or leased by the county. The law then would come back to the Legislature for approval.

 Legislative Chairwoman Sallie A. Brothers, D-Norfolk, said she is not among those supporting the law. "I really have a problem when they say someone can't smoke in their own car. It has to do with my belief in individual rights," she said. "The plan is going to come back to the board. Maybe it'll go through. Maybe it won't." Only five other counties in the state have adopted laws prohibiting smoking on their property, Mrs. Brothers said. Legislator Alex A. MacKinnon, R-Fowler, said he became convinced of the rightness of the prohibition during the debate at a recent committee meeting. "A lot of other places don't allow it on the property," he said.

"Smoking is about the worst thing you can do to yourself. It's something to try to provide discouragement." Inmates at the county jail have not been allowed to smoke since 2001, although the staff has been able to smoke outside on the grounds. How the new policy would be enforced and whether there would be penalties have not been worked out yet. Mrs. Brothers said she did not like the idea of anyone being turned in if they were seen smoking. Mr. MacKinnon said that he did not think enforcement would be a big factor but that a prohibition instead would act more as a way to change attitudes.

End of the road for Camel Marlboro, Benson & Hedges?

The government is mulling curbs on import of cigarettes and a complete ban on foreign participation in wholesale trading in tobacco and cigarettes. The move comes two years after India disallowed foreign direct investment in cigarette manufacturing. The finance ministry has written to the commerce ministry to consider imposing restrictions on cigarette imports in the upcoming foreign trade policy.

 "There is a thinking that FDI should be discontinued in wholesale cash and carry also, and that the government should impose restrictions on imports of cigarettes," a government official privy to the development said. FDI in cigarette manufacturing was banned in 2010, but wholesale cash and carry operations were left open for the investment route. Following the ban, some tobacco companies with FDI set up wholesale cash and carry operations to cater to domestic demand. The proposal to curb imports will benefit domestic cigarette manufacturer ITC, which has a stranglehold on the country's cigarette market. On the other hand, companies that rely on imports for wholesale cash and carry operations, such as Godfrey Phillips, may need to restructure their businesses.

 "The government is introducing a series of policies that are not investor friendly. This is one of them," said KK Modi, chairman of Godfrey Phillips India, which has a joint venture with US tobacco company Philip Morris for wholesale trading of cigarettes including Marlboro. Experts say a complete ban may not be in the offing owing to India's commitments under World Trade Organisation rules. Cigarettes can be imported under the open general licence (OGL) route, the most liberalised form of import licence that does not place any export obligation on the importer. Other forms of licences place restrictions in terms of quantity or exports.

 Ministries including the health, finance and commerce and industry are involved in consultations on the issue in the backdrop of the new foreign trade policy. The Director-General of Foreign Trade had initiated discussions on removing cigarettes from under OGL after the Consortium of Indian farmers Associations demanded a ban on cigarette imports. "Smokers, and those wanting to start smoking, will continue to access cigarettes from different sources," Modi added. The move to ban fresh foreign investment in cigarette manufacturing had come up soon after Japan Tobacco announced its intention to raise stake its Indian arm to 74% from 50%. In the past, British American Tobacco has attempted to raise stake in ITC but failed. BAT is the single-largest shareholder in ITC with about 32% stake.

Cigarette prices to rise again

The price of cigarettes will rise significantly in this month's budget. A series of steep tax excise hikes have been so successful over the past two years in persuading people to give up smoking that the Maori Party is understood to have successfully lobbied the Government for such hikes to continue. Sue Lindsay is one of those enjoying having more dollars in her pocket since she quit smoking. She says she gave up because of the cost and nothing else. “I gave up wholly based on price - the health issue never came into it for me, just the cost increase did it,” says Ms Lindsay.

When the Government slapped a 10 percent excise tax increase on in 2010 - she gave up. “The price of a pack of smokes went up $1.50 and that was it for me,” she says. 3 News can now confirm the Government will bring in new excise tax hikes in the May 24 budget, further pushing up the price of cigarettes. Prime Minister John Key won’t say so publicly yet because it's a budget secret, but isn’t ruling it out. “The Maori Party has lobbied us hard to make further changes and I am not ruling it out,” he says. However 3 News can confirm it's going ahead. Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia says they will stop at nothing to eliminate smoking.

“We will do whatever it takes to get a smoke-free Aotearoa,” says Ms Turia. 5.000 people a year die due to smoking related illnesses. The increase in excise tax has seen an increase in the number of people quitting. Over the last two years there have been three 10 percent increases to the price of cigarettes - a pack of 20 now costs more than $14. It's raised almost $200 million for the Government, which now collects more than $1 billion a year in excise tax. Ms Turia says that ultimately she would like to see cigarettes banned altogether.

“I cannot believe we continue to allow a product that kills to be sold here,” she says. So Bill English will hike the cost of a price of cigarettes again on May 24 - and if you're looking for a guide over how much - look at what's already happened. They've risen about $1.50 a year for the past three years, and it's likely the government will follow a similar path this time round.

Middleboro considers tobacco sales ban for pharmacies

Selectmen on Monday reviewed proposed changes in the town’s tobacco regulations that would ban the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies and increase fines for tobacco violations. The pharmacies affected would be Rite Aid, CVS and Hannaford’s supermarket, which has a pharmacy. Selectmen voted unanimously to take it under advisement and discuss the changes on May 21 after they contact the three establishments for their input on the proposed ban. The Middleboro Youth Advocates updated the regulations along with Health Officer Jeanne Spalding.

The regulations were last updated in April 2000. Middleboro Youth Advocates representatives Elizabethe Bell and Casey Schnetzer, both Middleboro High School students, made a presentation and argued that the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies should be banned because they are viewed as a health care institution. Judy Coykendall, program manager for the Tobacco-Free Community Partnership out of New Bedford, said 28 communities have voted to ban the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies. Coykendall said retailers have not objected to the ban and, on average, tobacco sales represent one percent of their sales.

The number of adult smokers in Middleboro is 18.6 percent, which is higher than the state average of 14.1 percent. Though cigarette sales are declining, the sale of cigars has increased, according to Coykendall, who was particularly concerned with the sale of flavored cigars geared to youth. Selectman Stephen J. McKinnon said he was concerned the regulation would restrict what vendors can sell in their stores. “It borderlines on constitutional issues,” said McKinnon who preferred to see an increase in sting operations to catch violators who sell cigarettes to minors. “I’m all for it,” said selectmen Vice Chairman Allin Frawley of the change in regulation.

“You buy guns, you go to a gun store,” he said noting tobacco products should not be sold in a health store. Schnetzer said her objective is to keep tobacco products away from youth as statistics show 90 percent of smokers start before the age of 18. The regulations would also ban “roll-your-own” machines that enable someone to roll their own cigarettes, which reduces the cost of a cigarette to 20 cents. Stores that violate tobacco regulations could face the following fines: first offense, $100 fine and seven-day suspension; second offense, $200 fine and up to 15-day suspension; third offense, $300 fine and 30-day suspension.

In other action, selectmen: Voted unanimously to deny an application to Barbara and Ralph Holton owners of the Tispaquin Family Campground, 68 Purchase St., for a family type campground permit.

V2 Cigs Releases Pink Electronic Cigarette Kit for Moms

V2 Cigs has gone pink! The team at V2 Cigs is proud to announce the arrival of their new, limited-edition Starter Kit; designed especially for Mom! The introduction of this Starter Kit is the latest launch in a series of products introduced to the V2 vaping community only a few short weeks ago. Intent on providing the most intuitive, customized experience in the electronic cigarette industry, the V2 Mother's Day Starter Kit is personalized just for Mom and comes in beautiful, limited-edition pink at a low $69.95.

 The most difficult task faced by the team at V2 was deciding which tantalizing flavor to include in these special kits. After months of testing and a few good-spirited debates, the entire staff voted and a unanimous decision was reached. V2 is proud to announce the introduction of a brand new limited edition e-cig flavor: Passion Fruit! This delightful flavor is sure to be Mom's favorite and perfectly complements her pretty, new starter kit, available a la carte until supplies run out.

 The V2 Cigs Mother's Day Starter Kit comes with two V2 Automatic Batteries in Special Edition Pink. These chic, stylish batteries are accompanied by 10 V2 Passion Fruit Flavor Cartridges (strength 0.6% nicotine) and a matching lanyard; all pretty in pink! The kit is also comprised of one wall-adapter and a New V2 Smart Charger; everything Mom needs to start vaping in style! These adorable Mother's Day kits are only up for grabs until supplies run out; so place your order before it's too late!

Eye expert leads calls for blindness warnings on cigarettes

Andrew Lotery, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southampton and consultant ophthalmologist at Southampton General Hospital, also said genetic testing for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – the leading cause of blindness in the western world – could help cut the number of smokers. He spoke out after new research, published in journal Eye, which found less than half of patients in Southampton (47%) were aware of the link between smoking and eye disease, but more than two-thirds (67%) would be likely to or would definitely quit smoking if told they had a high genetic risk of developing AMD.

 Smokers, in addition to being four times more likely to develop the condition compared to past or non-smokers, are further exposed if they have a high genetic risk factor and it is estimated smoking contributes to around 20% of blindness in people over 50. “While people are well aware smoking is a leading cause of cancer, respiratory problems and heart disease, there is little knowledge of its association with AMD and blindness,” says Prof Lotery. “Eye health has long been the victim of apathy within health services across the world and, in turn, this has led to the growth of a culture of neglect among individuals unaware of the consequences of their actions.”

 AMD, which can be either ‘wet’ or ‘dry’, occurs when the cells of the macula become damaged and stop working. Although wet macular degeneration can be stabilised using a new class of drugs called anti-VEGF agents, there is no cure or treatment for dry AMD, the most common form. More than three-quarters (75.5%) of participants said they would consider taking a genetic test for AMD, which affects one in three elderly people by the age of 75, but Prof Lotery said the need for more general guidance is the immediate priority among ophthalmologists.

 “Although our primary aim was to discover whether or not knowledge of genetic risk for AMD could influence the motivation to quit smoking and to begin to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of routine genetic testing, it is clear there is a wider need to alert people of the link between smoking and blindness,” he said. “The immediate priority is to ensure all smokers, regardless of genetic factors, are aware of the dangers and I am calling for serious consideration of warnings on cigarette packets akin to those introduced in Australia in 2006 which led to a doubling of the number of requests to the country’s quitters service within a year.”