Canada’s cigarette companies are a bit like the Energizer Bunny — they keep going and going, against all odds.
First, their tobacco ads were pulled from TV screens across the country. No more promoting that fun and sexy lifestyle in your living room.

Then cigarette companies were told they could only advertise in publications with an adult readership of at least 85 per cent.

Next, cigarette companies were banned from sponsoring events. Then, cigarette packages were — literally — forced under cover in stores across the country.

This week, the federal government announced a bill aimed at protecting young people from taking up the habit. The bill, if made into law, will ban tobacco advertisements in all publications, regardless of readership age. And will forbid sugar and fruit flavours from being added to small cigars, called cigarillos.
‘Like a little BlackBerry’

So what to do, if you’re a tobacco giant trying to boost sales?

Well, all that’s left is the package that cigarettes come in — the final frontier for marketers who are tasked with keeping people smoking and encouraging a new crowd.

Check out the latest “Superslims” by Benson & Hedges. Sleek packages that might pass for iPods, containing slender smokes reminiscent of the ’40s. When I showed them on the streets of Vancouver, passersby called them “sleek,” “chic,” “cute” and “feminine.” Women definitely preferred them to other brands I hauled out.

Not to be outdone, Player’s cigarettes now open sideways — resulting in comments like “Cool!” and “Like a little BlackBerry!”

And then there’s du Maurier’s overhaul — the box is no longer boxy, it’s octagonal.

“It’s a way of making the pack talk louder,” says David Hammond, a health researcher at the University of Waterloo. “When you don’t have TV ads, you don’t have billboards, when you don’t have that traditional marketing, this is a way of the pack standing out and doing more than it used to do.”
A call for plain packages

Hammond says cigarette makers are also using colour to convey messages.

Gone are the days when companies could claim their smokes were “light” or “mild,” so now they’ve produced packages in stark white.

“It’s against the law for manufacturers to promote cigarettes in any way that suggests one brand is less harmful than another,” says Hammond. “And colour is an excellent way to do that.”

What’s needed, says Hammond, is plain packaging, pure and simple. That means no colours, no logos, no special shapes.

“Plain packaging does three things,” he says. “It makes it less appealing to kids, reduces false beliefs about health risks, and it makes health information on the pack more important.

“At the end of the day, it reflects the idea that maybe we shouldn’t be marketing a lethal consumer product to kids in pink packaging and the rest of it.”

We contacted Canada’s big three tobacco companies — Imperial Tobacco, JTI Macdonald, and Rothman, Benson & Hedges. All three told us that they’re opposed to plain packaging, because it takes away a consumer’s choice.

The industry has also argued that moving to plain packaging wouldn’t affect sales, a claim that makes Hammond scoff. “I don’t know how they can spend millions on packaging, and then say taking away those things will have no impact.”

Source: Cbc

Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law a statewide ban on smoking in workplaces, including bars and restaurants, at the state Capitol May 18.

Existing cigar bars and tobacco shops will not be affected by the ban, but any that open after the bill’s effective date must be smoke-free. The ban will begin July 5, 2010.

Thirty-seven Wisconsin communities already have local smoking bans in effect, according to a statement from Doyle’s office. Doyle said more than 70 percent of people in Wisconsin support a ban on smoking in all public buildings.

Doyle said the bill would have passed years ago, but until very recently the leadership in the state Assembly would not let it come to a vote.

“Today is a day that we can all take a deep breath and enjoy the accomplishment that will occur here today,” he said at the signing.

Many of the people involved in writing the bill have experienced the loss of a loved one because of a smoking-related illness, Doyle said. He emphasized the health risks for both smokers and nonsmokers associated with firsthand and secondhand smoke.

Doyle said it is estimated that more than 8,000 people in Wisconsin die from tobacco-related illnesses each year.

“A smoke-free Wisconsin will save money in health-care costs, improve public health and save lives,” Doyle said in the statement.

According to Pete Madland, executive director of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, passage of the smoking ban required compromise between bar owners and lawmakers.

“They will have to adjust to it. We hope all of those nonsmokers will start coming in and live up to their word,” Madland said.

The Tavern League negotiated the 2010 effective date into the bill and said its members are satisfied with the bill “for the most part.”

Earlier this year, Doyle increased the cigarette tax by $1, and he previously introduced the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line.

“I wish the ban would be implemented sooner, but I am proud the state is embracing the healthy direction the world is going,” he said.

Have you seen any of those TV commercials touting laser therapy as a solution to those who want to quit smoking but for whatever reason have been unable to do so? I don’t know about you but the first time I saw those commercials I thought to myself, “You’ve got to kidding”.

After a few more exposures to the commercials I thought well I’m sure many of the now known medical treatments for many common illnesses were once looked down upon as outlandish and crazy as well. They were until people discovered how effective they were. In many cases we can’t even imagine anyone ever questioning some of those treatments because they are so recognized and accepted now.

Based on what I’m learning about laser therapy, it too is well on its way of becoming a widely accepted and practiced method not only for helping people stop smoking but also for helping people lose weight as well. While I admit that I have never smoked and that seems to be the most popular application for laser therapy, I am over weight and I would love to discover any method that’s safe that works in helping me lose weight.

So I personally will be giving it an opportunity to help me shed some unwanted pounds hopefully just in time for the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas season which is only about 8 weeks away.

How about you? Are you a smoker or do you know of someone who smokes who have unsuccessfully tried to quit but for whatever reason can’t seem to shake the habit? Or are you like me and you’d like to shed some unwanted pounds?

Regardless of which if these you’d like to conquer, recognize that both of these habits can be deadly. It is well known now that many of our medical issues as we grow older stem from smoking and being overweight.

So the challenge is this, do you homework, kick the tires, quit putting this off because unless you take action and do something different nothing is going to change. As the saying goes, today is the first day of the rest of your life, so do yourself a favor and stop what you’re doing and seriously give laser therapy a serious look. Virtually all the clinics will be able to provide enough real life testimonials that their clinic is responsible for. If they can’t go somewhere else, but again do yourself a favor and at least give laser therapy a serious look, it very well may be the thing you’ve been looking for to give you and your body that new lease on life.

These models dressed in wonderful outfits looked appealing to customers. Especially young people watched these elegant people puff leisurely on a cigarette, and it was hard for them to imagine that this habit could be harmful. After all, these people looked better than the average person on the street.

The facts about smoking did not come out until it was too late for many of these people because the nicotine in the cigarettes they bought was highly addictive. They were hooked to an addictive, destructive habit. Smokers paid the cigarette companies thousands of dollars every year because they bought into the idea that smoking was glamorous. The effects of smoking were not immediately apparent, and they did not want to quit smoking because the facts did not matter. Many of these people did not know the awful facts about smoking cigarettes. Some knew that they should quit smoking because the facts were available to them, but the addiction was too strong for them.

Many Quit smoking When the Facts Emerged

Smokers could feel harmful effects as they smoked, but many tried to quit smoking when the facts became available to the public. Investigators found out that the companies tried to hide the facts and strengthen the nicotine in cigarettes for a tighter grip on customers. Smokers tried to quit smoking when these facts were published in newspapers around the world. Medical researchers conducted studies that showed the harmful effects of smoking on the various organs of the body. Other researchers showed that people in the room with a smoker could be damaged by second hand smoke.

Some smokers quit smoking when learning about the effects on their health, but some quit when they found out about the effects on their loved ones. Mothers who learned about the effects of smoking on their babies were compelled by their maternal instincts to stop. They quit smoking when the facts were published about the birth weight of children born to smokers. Others quit smoking when they learned that second hand smoke could harm all of the people in their household

Antidepressant drug can improve the mood in people. But according to a recent study, this drug can also ameliorate the mood in pregnant women who smoke cigarettes.
Researchers also suggested that the antidepressant Bupropion helps these women to quit smoking. Bupropion is an antidepressant drug used to elevate mood and promote recovery of a normal range of emotions in patients with depressive disorders. In addition, bupropion is used to as an aid in smoking cessation treatment.

Dr. Margaret S. Chisolm, assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, said: “We are encouraged by the findings given that both depression and smoking are highly prevalent in pregnant, substance-dependent patients and are associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.”
Researchers compared daily cigarette use based on self-reports from 11 women who used bupropion and from 17 women assigned to another antidepressant, citalopram or escitalopram. The analysis also included 28 women who did not receive antidepressant drugs. All of the women were enrolled in a complete drug treatment program that combines a 7-day residential stay with follow-up outpatient treatment.
At the end of the investigation they found that up to 90 percent of pregnant women who are dependent on illegal substances continue to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy.
Researchers found that depression also befell in up to 75 percent of pregnant, substance-dependent patients.
The results of the study showed that women who used bupropion and citalopram or escitalopram all reduced their smoking. Nevertheless, there was a trend for greater smoking reduction for women in the bupropion group.
Because bupropion is an effective antidepressant and smoking cessation medication, Chisolm noted. It is also relatively safe for treating depression in pregnant women, making it an ideal candidate for treating both mood disorders and cigarette smoking. Citalopram and escitalopram have no known effect in smoking cessation.

Tobacco companies are facing new criticism, accused of targeting children with new types of tobacco products that allegedly look and taste like candy. Camel is launching three dissolvable tobacco products: Camel Sticks, Strips and Orbs. All three smokeless tobacco products are made of finely-milled tobacco and are designed to completely dissolve in the mouth.

According to R.J. Reynolds spokesman Tommy Payne, the new products solve all kinds of problems for smokers.

“They don’t have second hand smoke. They don’t have a litter problem. The product actually dissolves in your mouth as opposed to having to spit or extract something like a patch from your mouth like other smokeless products,” Payne said.

Orbs are small and pill-like. Sticks are designed like toothpicks and Strips are similar to breath strips that dissolve on the tongue. Both come in “mellow” tobacco and mint flavors.
Critics contend the new products are designed to look and taste like candy, and they claim Camel is marketing to smoker wanna-bes and not adults.

“Really what you’re doing with kids, actually, it’s kind of like a gateway drug: you’re getting them addicted to nicotine, which then leads them to possibly wanting to do other things,” said Dan Smith, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society.

Critics also claim there is a risk of overdose, especially for children who mistake the product for candy. According to the Indiana Poison Control Center, just one Camel dissolvable delivers up to 300 percent of the nicotine found in just one cigarette. That could put people at risk of nicotine poisoning.

Camel’s Web site said the products come in child-resistant containers to prevent accidental overdoses. The products are only available to those over the age of 18.

“They’re not candy; they’re tobacco products,” Payne said.

The Web site also warns about other problems related to smokeless tobacco, including oral cancers.

Camel spokesman Payne said they’re simply another option for nicotine-seeking adults.

“It’s just when compared to smoking and the impact that it has on our society these products at least should be made available for those who can’t or won’t quit,” he said.

The products are scheduled to hit the market this summer. Camel Orbs are currently being test marketed in Columbus, Ohio, Portland, Oregon, and Indianapolis, Ind.

Source: Wjla

Jim Spencer has smoked for 35 years, about three packs a day for the past 20.

He has vaped — the term for using a personal vaporizer also known as an e-cigarette — for about two months. He’s a definite fan of the penshaped device, gladly demonstrates its workings to anyone interested and has been making converts for what some people in the business and health officials think may become the next debate in the use of nicotine.

E-cigarettes use a rechargeable battery to activate a heating coil that quickly heats nicotine suspended in a propylene glycol solution, which in some models is soaked into a soft fabric cartridge, until it vaporizes. The user inhales the vapor just as if he were smoking a cigarette and exhales a white mist that resembles smoke or steam.

Prices range from about $60 to $240 when extra cartridges and flavoring options such as mint or fruit flavors are included.

The device comes in several styles — some, like Spencer’s, resemble an ink pen with a mouthpiece while others look like a pipe or a regular cigarette. Some light up orange or green at the tip when in use.

“It does satisfy my cravings,” said Spencer, of Rockford, Ill. “I use it, and I’ve probably cut down on my regular smoking by about 75 percent.” But he said the devices aren’t marketed as nicotine-replacement therapy.

The National Institutes of Health say a tobacco cigarette delivers about 10 milligrams of nicotine. E-cigarette cartridges can hold up to 36 milligrams of nicotine.

Or an e-cigarette cartridge can hold no nicotine, which is the type Jayne Engelsen, of Belvidere, Ill., uses.

She also smokes regular cigarettes but said, “I don’t necessarily like the taste of cigarettes, so I went with a

mint-flavored cartridge and there is Marlboro zero cartridge which has no nicotine in it, and I get along fine with that.”

ARE THEY SAFE?

Larry Didier, tobacco programs coordinator for the Winnebago County (Ill.) Health Department, said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is looking into regulating the use of ecigarettes.

“Certainly, we know that nicotine is addictive, so the question is whether nicotine consumed in this way is more addictive or less addictive. Who knows? At this point, we don’t,” he said.

Dr. Robert Bales, Winnebago County Health Department’s medical director, said he can find no studies that look into whether e-cigarettes are safe to use.

“From a health-care standpoint, we have no idea what any long-term or short-term effects of inhaling this vapor may be,” Bales said. “What we do know is that it has not been studied as a stop-smoking product and the World Health Organization is saying these things should either be studied more or they should not be used.”

I wasn’t surprised that a high court in the U.S. finally found the Tobacco Companies guilty of fraudulently advertising a very lethal drug which kills about 400,000 people each year and that is just the U.S.

The world total may be as high as 10 million. Who knows and who is counting? Why did it take 150 years?

Tobacco was once touted as a medicine helpful for coughing up guck from one’s lungs. That guck was caused by the nicotine and the cancer causing tars from smoked tobacco.

By the way, nicotine, the drug in tobacco is extremely lethal. Field workers harvesting tobacco leaves can get enough nicotine on their clothing which is easily absorbed thru the skin and can cause death proceeded by some awful sweating, nausea, vomiting, dry heaves and severe diarrhea.

Many children (and adults) have died from eating a few cigarettes or maybe half a cigar. Some tobacco products have delicious flavors and what is the hazard of its slightly bitter taste – only death.

I have said nicotine is a drug. Folk medicine used tobacco spit on cuts and scratches. It would have been better to use even dirty water. It was also used as an intestinal worm killer, as an enema etc, but along with worms it frequently killed the person.

Nicotine is definitely a drug. At first it stimulates the adrenal gland to produce Adrenaline which is a total body stimulant. Simultaneously the Adrenaline causes an increase in blood glucose from the liver. Adrenaline and glucose give smokers the warm fuzzy feeling but every “coffin nail” puts one closer to death by cancer.

Another bad effect of smoked and chewed tobacco is various and sundry cancers on the lips, tongue and vocal cords – bad!

Tobacco is native to North America and was discovered by the Spanish and Portuguese who thought it was a fine exotic substance and brought it home about 1550. It got to the rest of Europe soon after and it was so addicting that various governments found they could tax it and make lots and lots of money. After all there is only about one cents worth of tobacco in a cigarette.

Tobacco smoke has its own warning system. The Germans smoked very strong Turkish tobacco and we could smell them down wind for miles.

One of the real social and medical mysteries in the U.S. is that many consider cannabis cigarettes as dangerous as tobacco cigarettes.

This is really strange because cannabis in any form has never killed anyone and has been used for medicine for about 5000 years. Tobacco has been extensively used for about 500 years and has killed millions.

Source: Salem-news

Children feel freer on the beaches and playgrounds, because there they can explore the world around them. But unfortunately in these places can be found a lot of cigarette butts, and this is a big cause why kids start to smoke in an early year.
Cigarette butts are consistently the most common litter item found in Australia, making up over 50% of all litter items counted. Cigarette butts contain over 4000 chemicals which leach into the environment when they are flicked or tossed.

Butts are a pervasive problem for local governments as butts are found almost everywhere. Planter pots and garden beds, transport hubs and easements, shopping malls and café strips, outside businesses and licensed premises, flicked onto roadsides, pathways and parks are all targets for butt litter.
On the beaches, people smoke cigarettes even in the water. Such beaches can be met in Maine’s state parks too.
An inhabitant said: “Our state park beaches were really the last place where hundreds of people could be and were impacted by secondhand smoke.”
The new law bans smoking within 20 feet of a state park beach, playground or snack bar. But another bill awaiting the governor’s signature will bans smoking in any outdoor restaurant dining area.
The rivals of the new legislation say they understand concerns about the effects of secondhand smoke inside public buildings but they say banning smoking in the great outdoors is taking things too far.
One of the snack bar owners, Steve Casey said that he created this outdoor patio at The Depot for to accommodate his smoking clientage.
Steve said: “Now smokers may not even leave houses what’s next they can’t smoke in their yards?”
The president of the Maine Restaurant Association, representing 3700 restaurants, said that in this economy it’s just one more restriction struggling businesses don’t need.

If I were a smoker, I’d be feeling pretty guilty every time a chunk of ice in the Antartica melts and breaks off. Puffing on a cigarette is not that much different from driving a car–both emit CO2 into the atmosphere.

So how about smoking a battery-operated zero-emission electronic cigarette instead? The cigarette works like a mini-shisha. There are five flavors to choose from, but unlike a shisha which does not provide nicotine (as far as I’m aware), the Green Smoke Electronic Cigarette does give smokers the nicotine that they are used to.

I’m thinking they probably shouldn’t make it look exactly like a normal cigarette, though. You could be puffing away on this e-cigarette, doing your part for the environment, and yet because it looks so similar to a normal cigarette, passersby still give you the evil eye.

Fermentation is the process by which wine is made. Wine is generally 9- to 16-percent alcohol and made from grapes. Brewing is the process by which beer is made. Beer is generally 3- to 9-percent alcohol and made from grain.

Since sake is brewed and made from rice but has 12- to 16-percent alcohol, is it a beer or a wine? The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms had the problem of answering this question, and they decided to create “Category 6 — wine from other agricultural products” to help define sake.

Although we commonly associate sake with Japan, its roots lie in China, and it dates back to 4800 BC. Rice was not cultivated in Japan until 4,600 years later.

The confusion about sake for most of us is about how to serve it. Should it be hot, warm or cold? The answer to this is simple — drink it the way you like it.

It is not uncommon to serve chilled sake during the hot months and hot sake during the cold months. Just like any other beverage, sake’s traits are covered with heat or cold.

To experience the true aromas and flavors of the beverage, drink it at room temperature. The reason for serving hot sake in the first place was to cover up undesirable traits of poorly made offerings. If you see sake labeled as Namazake, it is non-pasteurized and meant to be served chilled.

Just like fine wine, the more you know about the terms used on a label, the better choices you can make. Sake can be sweet or dry, clear or cloudy, traditionally aged or shipped green, and it is broken down into different quality categories. All this information is available to those that know how to read the label.

Some of the more common sake terms let us know about the preparation of the rice prior to creating the libation.

The word “honjozo” tells us that the rice has been polished down more than 30 percent. “Ginjo” is polished down between 40 to 50 percent. “Daijinjo” is polished 50 to 65 percent.

A fourth classification is “junmai.” Until 2004, junmai designated 40 percent polishing, but its meaning has been changed by a Japanese mandate. The term now refers to any sake that has been polished to any degree and has no added alcohol or other additives.

Adding a small amount of alcohol to sake is not intended to increase the strength of the libation but rather to enhance the flavor. A bottle marked ginjo would imply that alcohol has been added to the brew. A bottle marked “junmai ginjo” would tell us that alcohol has not been added.

Sake is best if it is consumed young when it is fresh and flavorful. Older sake’ will exhibit tired and flat qualities. Once a bottle is opened, it is best to consume it within a few hours. Sake starts to oxidize the second the bottle is opened.

If you are not going to consume the full bottle, it will last in the refrigerator for a few days. To make sure that the sake will maintain its best structure, be sure to seal the bottle with a vacuum pump as quickly as possible.

There are some very nice sake offerings that can be found on the shelves of better wine shops that come in 330-milliliter bottles. They are the perfect size for two to four servings.

The Kanbara Junmai Ginjo Bride of the Fox is a nice example of a sake that has a nice acidity and floral traits. The rice kernels have been polished down 40 percent to take off the outer layers of rice that contain fats, proteins and amino acids. You will notice that sake of this level does not have the harsh undesirable traits that cheap, low-level sake has.

For a sake that is richer with less citrus and floral in its character, try the Mantensei Junmai Ginjo Star Filled Sky Sake. Just like there are different grape varietals used in creating wine, there are different rice varietals used in creating sake. The Star Filled Sky uses yamada nishiki and tamasakae rice in its blend.

One of the best sake that I have ever had the pleasure of tasting is the Fukucho Junmai Ginjo Moon on the Water Sake. It is lighter than most sake and exhibits a variety of floral traits that is rarely found in any sake.

We have just touched on the complexities that are sake. There is much more that needs to be explained and experienced to get the true joy from this great category of libation. Look for better sake and begin to experience the differences from the mass-produced common offerings to the much better artisan-produced offerings.

RJ Reynolds has been making lemonade. After years of lawsuits and regulations, they’ve been finding new ways to circumvent the new smoking laws. Camel Orbs, Camel Sticks and Camel Strips are all smokeless tobacco products.

The orb is a dissovable lozenge. The Stick is like a toothpick. Ironically, the Strip is like a breath-saver strip. The orbs come in mellow and mint flavors making them like a candy. They’re made from finely ground tobacco, melt in the mouth and deliver .6 to 3.1 mg of nicotine.

Some say that with these new candies, Camel is looking for new ways to target kids. The cartoon smoking camel, Joe Camel, was blamed some years ago for luring kids into the world of smokes. He no longer hangs out on billboards.

Regardless, it should sell well to smokers who often get stuck on a plane, in an office meeting, or in a doctor’s waiting room.

Alabama Beer Bill
Last week, Alabama Governor Bob Riley signed a bill into law, raising the permissible alcohol limit from 6 to 13.9% by volume. This could open a whole new aisle at the grocery store. Bud drinkers that usually looked to Mickey’s for the added kick can now buy good beer.

Pale ales, double bocks, some stouts and barley wines will now be available for purchase where they were once banned. Microbrews should see more revenue in the state, too. However, the governor may have forgotten that triple bocks can reach over 17%. It’s the Total Cereal of beer.
Source: Digitalcity