82 out of the 84 beds at Rosecrance’s adolescent treatment center are full, with 75% of the teenagers in rehab for marijuana dependency. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports more teens use marijuana each year. Rehab counselors at Rosecrance say they are seeing the same thing here in the Stateline. Among the teens admitted for treatment last year, more than 70% say pot is their preferred drug. Counselors say synthetic marijuana is also a big problem.

“We have no idea what these children are ingesting when they smoking this substance and you know and we are seeing a significant increase in mental health issue based on the use of this k-2 or spice,” Rosecrance’s Andrea Kaiser said.

Councilors say the teens frequently believe smoking pot is safe. However, it’s known to lead to other drug use. They also encourage parents to talk with their kids about drugs and pay attention if your kids are slacking in school because that’s a key sign if they are getting in drugs.

A 5ha industrial plant in Paarl belonging to British American Tobacco was sold last week by Auction Alliance for an undisclosed amount. “Before being sold by Auction Alliance, the property had languished on the market for 4 years. Its sale demonstrates the efficacy of the auction mechanism to identify qualified buyers, and ensure that competitive, market related prices are achieved”, says Elias Tzouvanni of Auction Alliance, who has built a reputation for his ability to match buyer and seller for unique properties.

The property was originally developed by the Rembrandt Tobacco Group in 1952, and at the time was considered to be one of the most modern tobacco manufacturing plants in the world.
The large site offers an ideal redevelopment opportunity and consists of prime river facing land with numerous improvements which is bordered by three roads. The site is located to the east of the Paarl CBD, on the corner of Lady Grey and Berg River Streets.
The property, with an approximate GLA of 17900m², lends itself to retail and mixed use residential redevelopment although it is currently zoned for industry. The property boasts an industrial power supply of 4000 KVA. Current improvements include 3 large warehouse spaces, 15 000m² of land previously dedicated to sport and recreational facilities, a recreational complex, shaded parking areas and three identical residential units.

The tobacco industry is accused today of misleading smokers over the safety of additives in cigarettes.
Based on a new analysis of data used by the US cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris a decade ago, which found the additives were safe, University of California researchers claim the firm’s research “obscured findings of toxicity”. The original study by Philip Morris, called Project Mix, resulted in the publication of four papers in a scientific journal that concluded there was “no evidence of substantial toxicity” associated with the additives studied.

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More than 300 additives are used in the manufacture of cigarettes to enhance their taste and make smoking smoother and more enjoyable.

The new study, by the Centre for Tobacco Control Research at the University of California, was based on the same data extracted from among 60 million documents released after litigation.

The researchers claim the original studies “cannot be taken at face value” and failed to reveal additives’ dangers.

When they conducted their own analysis examining the additives per cigarette – as specified in the original protocol for the Project Mix study but later changed – they found the level of 15 carcinogenic chemicals increased by an average of 20 per cent.

They also discovered that, for what they call “unexplained reasons”, Philip Morris had de-emphasised 19 of the 51 chemicals tested in the presentation of their results, including nine that were substantially increased in the smoke on a per cigarette basis.

Stanton Glantz, who led the new research published in the online journal Public Library of Science Medicine, said tobacco firms had spent decades preparing for the implementation of tougher regulation of their products, including the regulation of additives.

The use of additives had worried the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration and national regulatory bodies in the UK and around the world. Philip Morris had used the four papers published in Food and Chemical Toxicology in 2002 to defend their inclusion in cigarettes.

When millions of internal company documents from the tobacco industry were released it enabled Dr Glantz and colleagues to reanalyse the data.

He said: “Putting additives in cigarettes increases the amount of fine particles and this is a bad thing because it increases the inflammatory response.

“If you take [Philip Morris's] own data and interpret it correctly, you could use this data to ban these additives.”

A Philip Morris spokesman said: “We believe that the points raised in this recent paper by Stanton Glantz and others do not invalidate the findings of the Project Mix studies.

“All the Project Mix studies were reported alongside the actual data in four peer-reviewed scientific publications in 2002 and their way of calculation was discussed in one of the papers.

“The studies were performed according to well-established principles and standard toxicological guidelines.”

In the mix: Added chemicals

Additives are used in cigarettes to mitigate the harshness of tobacco smoke and make the experience of smoking more pleasant.

Sugar is often added in the form of glucose, honey and molasses. Flavourings and spices can be added for the same reason, including benzaldehyde, menthol and vanillin or cinnamon, ginger and mint. Others used are orange oil or licorice extract. The most common are menthol, cocoa and glycerol.

Other unusual substances, not mentioned in this particular study but often added to cigarettes, include vinegar and pimenta leaf oil, which is used in non-alcoholic beverages and ice cream.

The Saginaw county sheriff’s department is taking steps to crack down on K-2, a synthetic marijuana being sold over the counter at some stores. The problem is its illegal and more dangerous than marijuana. Some party stores in Saginaw are giving a whole new meaning to the term party store. NBC 25 crews have confirmed that certain stores are now selling spice, salvia , or K2, a synthetic marijuana. Its basically herb leaves sprayed with chemical. Once smoked the chemicals give a high feeling. Residents were shocked to know its being sold for 20 dollars a bag over the counter.

Saginaw resident Monica Jaccaud says, ” I am surprised that that’s being sold and not monitored.”

Saginaw county sheriff William Federspiel is also aware. He says K2 is illegal. Even worse he says the synthetic drug is worse than marijuana because no one really knows what’s sprayed on the herb.

Sheriff Federspiel says, ” They take the herbal leaves and someone sprays a concoction of chemicals on them where still unsure what chemicals are used.”

K2 had been know to cause hallucinations and even heart attacks that lead to death. The DEA classifies K2 as a schedule one drug, it’s the same category as heroin and cocaine. The sheriff’s department is now preparing to take action now that K2 is being sold in Saginaw, perhaps to unsuspecting teens looking to get high.

Currently, a pair of bills are being considered in the United States Senate and House of Representatives, S. 1461 and H.R. 1639, the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011, that would spare premium handmade cigars from FDA oversight. Cigar Rights of America, the leading cigar consumer advocacy group, has suggested that if premium handmade cigars fall under the FDA’s control, a slew of changes could hit and devastate the industry.

Among the possible scenarios that CRA suggests could become realities are:.
A ban on walk-in humidors, as found in Canada, as well as banning self-service displays and online or mail-order of cigars.

· Limits on advertising and promotions, including banning cigar sampling/tasting events.

· Banning logoed cigar merchandise such as hats, t-shirts and jackets.

· Banning the use of the word cigar or tobacco.

· Manufacturers having to submit blends to the FDA for ‘testing’ before being allowed to be sold at retail.

· Adverse impacts on flavored tobacco products.

· Defacing of cigar boxes and their often intricate artwork with grotesque, graphic images.

· Price increases due to new fees on manufacturers, as well as ‘user fees’ on consumers to finance FDA regulation.

H.R. 1639 currently has 135 co-sponsors from states across the country, while S. 1461 has received support from four senators, including bipartisan support from Florida’s Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson.

Each of Arizona’s eight U.S. Representatives and both of the state’s U.S. Senators were asked to comment on these two bills and asked whether or not they would be supporting the bill being proposed in their chamber of Congress to exempt premium handmade cigars from FDA oversight and protect cigar smokers’ rights.

Only two of the state’s eight representatives provided responses through their spokespeople.

Adam Sarvana, communications director for Rep. Raul Grijalva, said that “Rep. Grijalva voted for the Tobacco Control Act and feels it’s the best way to handle tobacco sales and marketing. Nothing has changed his mind since that vote.”

Grijalva’s 7th Congressional District is the second largest in the state, covering 22,872 square miles, including a large portion of Tucson, while extending west to the California border and south to the Mexican border.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who represents the southeast corner of Arizona, including a portion of Tucson, in the state’s 8th Congressional District, has not returned to work following the Jan 8, 2011 shooting at a public event that left her fighting for her life. She is currently in Houston working full-time on her therapy and recovery, according to Mark Kimble, Rep. Giffords’ senior press advisor.

Both Giffords and Grijalva were co-sponsors of the Tobacco Control Act of 2009, with Giffords voting for the bill while Grijalva did not vote on it.

Among the other six representatives, spokespeople for two of them acknowledged the request for comment but weren’t able to actually provide one.

Rep. Ed Pastor of Arizona’s 4th Congressional District that covers South and Central Phoenix as well as portions of Glendale and Guadalupe, didn’t provide a comment, though his press secretary, Maura Cordova, said she would “keep trying.” Pastor voted for the Tobacco Control Act in 2009.

Genevieve Rozansky, press secretary for Rep. Jeff Flake, said that “the Congressman is looking into this matter,” but left it at that. Flake represents the 6th Congressional District, which covers parts of Mesa and Chandler, as well as all of Gilbert, Queen Creek and Apache Junction, an area home to several cigar stores. Flake opposed the Tobacco Control Act.

Which leaves four U.S. Representatives – Paul Gosar of District 1, Trent Franks of District 2, Ben Quayle of District 3 and David Schweikert of District 5 who failed to supply any comment on the matter – or even an acknowledgment of the request.

Franks was the only representative in office in 2009 when the Tobacco Control Act came up for a vote – he voted no on the proposal. Ann Kirkpatrick and John Shadegg, who represented Districts 1 and 3 respectively, each voted no, while Harry Mitchell, who represented District 5 at the time, voted yes.

Unfortunately for cigar smokers, some of these districts contain a number of cigar stores. District 5 is home to numerous cigars stores in Scottsdale,Tempe and Ahwatukee, while District 3 covers a significant portion of Central Phoenix, Scottsdale and Cave Creek.

As for Arizona’s two U.S. Senators?

Neither Senator John McCain nor Senator Jon Kyl, both Republicans, responded to a request for comment. Neither was a co-sponsor of S. 982, the Senate’s version of the Tobacco Control Act from 2009, though Sen. McCain voted for it while Sen. Kyl voted against it.

Be wary Arizonans – the elected officials who could be representing your cigar rights and freedoms are not only not doing so, several of them can’t be bothered to explain why they don’t care about your freedom to enjoy a perfectly legal product without government interference and regulation.

Concerned cigar smokers who want to protect their freedom to enjoy a cigar are encouraged to contact their elected officials and request that they support S. 1461 and H.R. 1639. While a printed and hand-signed letter sent through the mail is most effective, Cigar Rights of America has made it possible to send an e-mail in a matter of moments, simply by filling out your name and address.

Make no mistake about it – your ability to smoke a cigar in both Arizona and the United States are coming under direct attack, and it will be up to your elected officials to keep the FDA’s hands off your cigars. If you value your freedoms and rights to enjoy a cigar, the time to act is now.

The University of Arizona’s network of hospitals an clinics is going completely smoke-free — outdoors as well as inside — beginning Jan. 1. The UA Health Network’s new tobacco-free policy affects the University of Arizona Medical Center – University Campus (that’s UMC to those not used to the new name), the University of Arizona Medical Center – South Campus and dozens of clinics across Tucson and Southern Arizona. Although smoking has been prohibited inside the hospitals for many years, smoking was permitted in designated outside areas. These outdoor shelters will be removed by Jan. 1, UAMC’s Katie Riley said in a press release.

To ease the transition to a tobacco-free environment, The University of Arizona Health Network is offering free smoking-cessation treatment to its nearly 7,000 employees and to their dependents, Riley said.

Patients will receive counseling and medications to control their nicotine cravings, and visitors to the hospitals who smoke will be offered free nicotine-replacement gum.

“It’s all about creating an environment of wellness” John Marques, chief human resources officer for the Health Network, said in the release. “We are a health-care institution and it’s clear that smoking and smoking-related illnesses are among the leading causes of death in this country. It makes sense for us to promote a healthy, tobacco-free environment for our staff, patients and their families.”

“We recognize that this new policy may be hard on some patients and family members who smoke, especially those who are hospitalized here for long stretches of time,” Marques said. “Our intention is to be as supportive as we can while maintaining a totally tobacco-free environment.”

Employees who smoke may enroll for free in the Quit & Win Tobacco Free Living Program through the University of Arizona Department of Family and Community Medicine.
The program is a seven-session, one-on-one program that starts with a meeting with a physician to review the smoker’s health and tobacco history and to develop a personalized quit plan. The first visit includes a physical exam and lab tests. The Health Network also will provide customized cessation medications at no charge to employees and their dependents who participate in Quit & Win.

Starting today smokers will pay at least MOP 6 more per cigarette pack, as the new tobacco tax duty comes into effect. The tax rise will encourage smokers to quit, the Health Services Bureau (SSM) assured, while vowing to continue increasing the tax in the future. According to the law approved last week, the tobacco tax will increase by MOP 0.5 for each cigarette, in order to be in line with the ban on smoking in public places that comes into effect from January 1. Taxes on tobacco in Macau will be MOP 10, around 38 per cent of the retail price, which is still a far cry from Hong Kong prices, where one pack costs MOP 50, MOP 35 of which are taxes.

For this reason lawmakers and smoking prevention associations said the increase was too low.
The SSM disagrees: “There are several steps to encourage smokers to quit. One of them is to increase the tobacco tax,” they said in a statement.
Other measures include restrictions on the sale of tobacco and a ban on tobacco vending machines. Tobacco brands and producers will also no longer be allowed to advertise, sponsor public events or launch promotional campaigns.
The bureau also pledged to boost its stop-smoking service, as well as to enhance promotional awareness and the enforcement of the anti-smoking law.

Price benefits

The SSM released figures that show that more than 200 persons quit smoking every year after the tobacco tax rise from MOP 1 to MOP 4 was implemented in May 2009. After this increase the number of smokers that ditched tobacco increased from 194 in 2008 to 223 the following year.
In 2010 the number of individuals undergoing the stop-smoking treatment amounted to 421. So far there were 1,272 people who resorted to this service and more than a third (36 per cent) have managed to stay away from tobacco for at least six months in a row.
Most of the people who seek help are men between 50 and 59 years old. Only 12 per cent of the stop-smoking service users are women.
“Most of those who fail to quit do so because they don’t have a strong will to stop smoking. Some smokers are influenced by friends and a small number continue smoking because of stress at work,” the bureau said.
The first stop-smoking service was created in November 2006 at the northern district’s health centre and is currently available in all public health centres.
Media reports showed that vendors increased the tobacco price last week, even before the law was approved. Shopkeepers’ claim sales dropped by one third since the announcement of the increase in tobacco tax.

No rush

“We have received information of some complaints” about tobacco prices, SSM director Lei Chin Ion confirmed to Macau Daily Times. If people notice there are unlawful practices they should report the case to the Economic Services Bureau, he added.
Lawmakers also asked the government to introduce stricter rules for duty-free cigarettes, claiming that people were likely to start buying tobacco in mainland China where it is much cheaper.
Both visitors and locals are allowed to enter Macau with as many as 10 packs of tobacco, while in Hong Kong it’s forbidden to enter with more than 19 cigarettes.
But Lei Chin Ion said so far there was no sign of any rush to buy tobacco in mainland China. “We have kept in touch with Zhuhai authorities and they say no increase in the sale of tobacco products was registered,” he said.
Also starting next month, smoking will be prohibited indoors and in some other public places. Only casinos and bars will enjoy a grace period of one and three years, respectively.

The SSM director was yesterday at the Horta da Mitra market distributing official signs that must be posted in all locations where the ban will be enacted.

A complaint about stolen utility services led police to large marijuana growing operations at homes on Shepard Avenue and Fans Rock Road, police said. Police found more than 700 marijuana plants and $19,000 cash between the two homes, along with drug paraphernalia, police said. Illeana Rivera, 51, and Meelee Rivera, 31, both of 220 Fans Rock Road, were charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of marijuana and operating a drug factory.

They were each held with bail set at $500,000. They are scheduled to appear Jan. 12 at Superior Court in Meriden.

Officers were initially sent to 1680 Shepard Ave. to investigate stolen utility services. They smelled a strong odor of marijuana and obtained a search warrant. They seized hundreds of marijuana plants from the home.

Further investigation led police to 220 Fans Rock Road where they more marijuana plants and drug paraphernalia, police said.

Do you want to quit smoking in 2012? Are you tired of being addicted or of spending your spare cash on cigarettes? Perhaps you are worried about the effects of passive smoking for your relatives. Unfortunately cigarette smoking causes the deaths of 443,000 Americans every year, making it the biggest preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States. About 49,000 of these deaths were people who were breathing in second-hand smoke. Smoking can also reduce your life by 13 to 14 years, on average, but it’s extremely addictive.

So, how do you quit?

1. Tell all your friends and family that you are quitting to get them on board. It will be easier for you if you have support from others. Remind them before you quit that you don’t want them to make jokes about it or smoke around you as you are serious about not smoking anymore.

2. Consider joining a support group to help you quit. If you find it hard to stay off the cigarettes on your own, a trained coach will help you and you can also meet others who are in the same situation as you. There are telephone helplines available if you are struggling out of hours.

3. If you want to have something in your hand, hold a pen or a stress ball. If you want to have something in your mouth, chew on gum or another food.

4. Don’t drink alcohol during the time you are trying to quit as this may make you want a cigarette.

5. Distract yourself. There are many public places where smoking is banned, such as shopping malls or the library. Spend as much time out as you can.

6. If you normally have a smoking routine and smoke at specific times, change your routine. For instance, you could listen to music instead of smoking, or even go and brush your teeth if you crave something in your mouth.

7. Socialize as much as you can with non-smoking friends. This should be easy as the majority of people don’t smoke.

8. If you normally smoke in the car (for example, if you have children at home) and you associate the car with smoking, you could take the bus or walk as a temporary measure until you no longer have any cravings.