impact of display bans on tobacco consumption

My empirical investigation of the impact of display bans on tobacco consumption in Iceland shows that the introduction of this regulatory measure had no statistically significant effect on smoking prevalence in that country.

Switching to Electronic Cigarettes Is Good For Your Brain

I was a pack-a-day smoker for nearly 20 years. As a kid I would watch my dad smoke while doing just about everything. Whether it was a playing cards, doing yard work, or watching TV; the coolest person in my world always had a cigarette dangling from his lips. Before I picked up my first cigarette I knew I would love it. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Boasts

In a statement congratulating Senator-elect Heidi Heitkamp (North Dakota) on her election, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids praised her for "protecting her state's kids and health from the tobacco industry" by being a leader in achieving the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) between 46 states and the four major tobacco companies.

According to the statement: "In electing Heidi Heitkamp as their next U.S. senator, the voters of North Dakota have chosen a true champion in protecting her state's kids and health from the tobacco industry.

Supreme Court OKs $20-Million Smoker Award

The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a $20 million award against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and a second cigarette maker, rebuffing the tobacco industry’s latest effort to derail thousands of Florida lawsuits, according to a Bloomberg report. The justices on Monday refused to hear a joint appeal from R.J. Reynolds and Vector Group Ltd.’s Liggett unit. A jury said the two companies were responsible for the death of Janie Mae Clay, who smoked for 40 years and died in 2003 of lung disease.

Lorillard Appeals Cigarette-Sample Ruling

Lorillard Tobacco Co. is optimistic that the Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court will overturn a $116-million ruling on the basis that the Greensboro, N.C.-based company was denied a fair trial in 2010. Lawyers representing Lorillard tobacco argued that the original judge allowed the jury to hear biased and untrue claims from the plaintiff. Willie Evans sued the company on behalf of his mother Marie Evans, who died of lung cancer in 2002, accusing Lorillard of hooking Marie Evans on Newports by targeting African Americans and children through free cigarette samples handed out in the Boston housing project where she grew up. “This story was obviously racially charged and inflammatory,” the company's lawyers argued in their appeal. “The racial aspects of the story were also entirely irrelevant. There was no evidence that Lorillard conceived Newport as an 'African-American' brand. The evidence was that Lorillard marketed Newport to all races, using the same advertising campaign in magazines directed to African-Americans as it did in general-circulation magazines.”

Susan G. Komen for the Cure sells pink cigarettes for cancer fundraising (satire)

Susan G. Komen for the Cure today announced its alliance with the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company in launching its new brand of pink cigarettes called "Komen Smokes." Emblazoned with the slogan, "A pack a day keeps cancer away," three cents from every pack of cigarettes will be directed to funding the search for the cure for cancer. It's all part of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure's expansion into fundraising for cancer research by selling more products and services that actually cause cancer. "Komen for the Cure has already endorsed fast food fried chicken and toxic cosmetics made with cancer-causing chemicals," said pinkwashing spokesperson Dave Sourface. "So we thought, hey, why not just make money off cigarettes, too?"

Surgeon General remains silent on Vitamin D

Finally, where is the Surgeon General on the vitamin D issue? If this Surgeon General had even one iota of compassion for the health of the American people, she would be touting the disease prevention benefits of vitamin D. There is no nutrient that holds more promise for ending the epidemic of cancer and preventing chronic degenerative disease than vitamin D. It's cheap, it's safe and it's widely available right now without a prescription. So why the silence on vitamin D?