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California stop-smoking campaign saved $86 billion
California's large-scale tobacco control campaign has saved $86 billion in health care costs in its first 15 years, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
The $86 billion reduction in health costs, based on 2004 dollars, represents about a 50-fold return on the $1.8 billion California spent on the program, they said.
Unlike many programs which center on teens, the California program focuses its tobacco-control efforts on adults through an aggressive media campaign and changes in public policy, such as promoting smoke-free environments.
According to the study, the program prevented the sale of 3.6 billion packs of cigarettes -- worth $9.2 billion to the tobacco industry -- between 1989 and 2004.
Tobacco accounts for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide and is the leading preventable cause of death in the world, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, smoking kills more than 400,000 people prematurely each year. California's large-scale tobacco control campaign has saved $86 billion in health care costs in its first 15 years, U.S. research... more -
Cigarette taxes are up -- so is smuggling
When Maryland doubled the cigarette tax to $2 a pack, some residents may have found a reason to quit. Smugglers, on the other hand, seem to have found a motive to step up their activities.
Since the tax increase took effect in January, agents with the Maryland Comptroller's Office have seized more than 46,000 packs of contraband cigarettes - smokes brought illegally across state lines. That's a nearly four-fold increase from about 13,000 packs seized over the same period in 2007.
And in the largest bust so far this year, agents confiscated nearly 8,000 cigarette packs after stopping a man driving a Chevrolet Astro van on Interstate 495 this month.
State officials say they would be hard-pressed to blame the sharp rise in smuggled smokes solely on higher taxes, but they suspect that the levy is a factor. Maryland has one of the highest tobacco taxes in the nation; neighboring states have some of the lowest.
Virginia's levy, for instance, is 30 cents a pack. That means a carton in the Old Dominion is $17 cheaper than in the Old Line State, creating an opportunity for smugglers to make a quick buck by selling out-of-state cigarettes here.
"It's just become even more profitable for smugglers now," said Jeffrey A. Kelly, director of the comptroller's field enforcement division, adding that his agents on surveillance duty also have spotted more Maryland residents in Virginia buying cigarettes. When Maryland doubled the cigarette tax to $2 a pack, some residents may have found a reason to quit. Smugglers, on the other hand, se... more -
Cracking down on Big Tobacco
"...the House of Representatives passed the first-ever comprehensive tobacco regulation bill. It gives the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco by, among other things, cracking down on marketing to children, mandating dramatically stronger health warnings on every pack, and requiring that the warnings be larger than they are now. Most significantly, the government would ban use of words such as light and mild that are meant to fool smokers into thinking there is such a thing as a safe, or safer, cigarette. It would prohibit sweet flavorings now used to make smoking seem palatable, though it wouldn’t go far enough in reducing the use of menthol flavors, favored among African-American smokers." "...the House of Representatives passed the first-ever comprehensive tobacco regulation bill. It gives the Food and Drug Administ... more
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New research could prevent nicotine addiction
"Canadian researchers have discovered the way to manipulate how the brain processes the addictive and rewarding properties of cigarettes, which could lead to treatments that prevent nicotine addiction in those most susceptible to it.
Researchers from the University of Western Ontario conducted an experiment in mice to explore why some people are turned off by their first experiences with nicotine while others enjoy it and quickly become addicted.
They identified the subtype of the neurotransmitter dopamine that controls the initial susceptibility to the pleasurable rewards of nicotine.
In fact, they found that they could control dopamine signals to influence if the mice processed their first exposure to nicotine as a positive or negative experience.
Dopamine also influences addiction to substances such as cocaine and alcohol.
The researchers said their findings could lead to a number of new developments.
"Importantly, our findings may explain an individual's vulnerability to nicotine addiction, and may point to new pharmacological treatments for the prevention of it and the treatment of nicotine withdrawal," lead researcher Steven Laviolette, of Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, said in a statement. " "Canadian researchers have discovered the way to manipulate how the brain processes the addictive and rewarding properties of cig... more -
One cigarette is enough to hook some smokers, study says
"For some people, one cigarette is all it takes to become hooked on nicotine, while others are repelled by it.
Researchers in Canada have found a region in the brains of rats that may be the key to these differences.
By manipulating specific molecular doorways into brain cells called receptors, they were able to control which rats in the study enjoyed their first exposure to nicotine and which were repelled by it.
They found specific receptors of the message-carrying chemical dopamine in the core and shell of the nucleus accumbens controlled whether the rats enjoyed or were repelled by nicotine.
When the researchers blocked two types of dopamine receptors -- D-1 and D-2 -- with drugs delivered to these areas of the nucleus accumbens, the rats experienced nicotine as a positive, rewarding experience.
The researchers also were able to reverse this process, making the nicotine unpleasant in rats that had the equivalent of a "pack-a-day" nicotine addiction."
Picture: http://flickr.com/photos/rougerouge/153602149/
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I'm a smoker and I think smoking is one of the most irrational things a human being can do. The first smoke is hardly a pleasant experience and yet some choose to light up a second cigarette, and a third, etc. So, in my opinion this study makes sense. What do you think? "For some people, one cigarette is all it takes to become hooked on nicotine, while others are repelled by it. ... more -
FDA One Step Closer to Tobacco Regulation
"The United States House of Representatives voted 326 to 102 on Wednesday to take the power of regulation out of the hands of the tobacco industry and place all tobacco products under the regulatory powers of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instead. The bill will likely face Senate vote in the fall. The bill currently has strong support in the Senate but there are indications the current administration will veto the bill if it reaches the White House.
Since the 1980s, there have been attempts made to place tobacco products under FDA jurisdiction. The current bill is based on a bill dating back to 1995, when then-FDA commissioner Dr. David A. Kessler declared nicotine to be a drug that leads to addiction and said tobacco companies manipulate nicotine content in their products deliberately. The regulations Kessler advocated were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2000.
Opposition to the current bill came mostly from Republican representatives, many of whom cited recent problems the FDA has had with regulating the food and pharmaceutical industries. Phillip Morris USA, the largest cigarette company in the nation, has endorsed the bill and helped draft it although the tobacco company’s participation has left it out of favor with its competitors.
If the bill does become legislation, some of its provisions include:
* The FDA would not be allowed to force tobacco companies to eliminate nicotine altogether nor would it be allowed to issue a ban of all tobacco products
* The FDA could force tobacco companies to reduce nicotine content to levels that don’t cause addiction if it is determined that doing so benefits public health
* The FDA can require the reduction or elimination of harmful ingredients other than nicotine
* Flavored cigarettes that target young people will be banned. Menthol cigarettes would be exempted from the ban on flavored cigarettes until a scientific advisory committee can determine if menthol cigarettes are more addictive or hazardous in any way. Black smokers of all ages generally prefer menthol cigarettes, leading the bill’s writers to include the exemption for menthol cigarettes at the last minute. Scientific review is expected to be complete within a year of the bill’s passage into legislation
* Warning labels on tobacco products will be revamped entirely. The current small printed messages will be replaced by graphic images that vividly depict the physical ravages of tobacco addiction, including mouth growths and cancerous lung tumors
* Cigarette manufactures will be required to list the type and quantities of all ingredients considered addictive. Ingredients such as acetaldehyde and ammonia are included in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to make them more addictive. Companies using these ingredients will also be required to make their internal studies available when they pertain to the ingredients’ biological effects
* The terms “light” and “ultralight” will be banned, as they falsely convey the idea of being less harmful. In anticipation of the bill’s approval, some cigarette manufacturers have already begun to color code their packaging according to blend
* Cigarette advertisements will change, too. Outdoor advertisements such as billboards, banners, and posters, as well as ads in publications that are likely to be seen by children, will be black and white only, in order to minimize their visual impact.
The cost of regulation will come from new fees the tobacco companies will pay. In addition to the nation’s strong public antismoking sentiment, major players in the public health arena, such as the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association, firmly support the bill." "The United States House of Representatives voted 326 to 102 on Wednesday to take the power of regulation out of the hands of the... more -
Alicia Keys asks cigarette maker to stop branding show
Philip Morris International has pulled down billboards and posters promoting an Alicia Keys concert Thursday in Indonesia's capital after the singer protested the cigarette company's sponsorship.
The logo and slogans of A Mild cigarettes, produced by a Philip Morris affiliate, featured prominently in promotional materials for the concert.
The Washington-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids anti-smoking organization initially drew Keys' attention to the company's association with the show.
In a letter released by her record company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Keys said she had asked the company to stop the branding
"I am an unyielding advocate for the well-being of children around the world and do not condone or endorse smoking," she said.
Philip Morris International did not say whether it was demanding its money back, nor would it reveal how much it had paid to sponsor the event.
"Whether tobacco sponsorship of music events leads to youth smoking is a matter of serious debate," the company said in a statement received Thursday. "Having considered the facts in this specific instance, we have decided to withdraw all branding associated with this concert."
More than 30 percent of Indonesia's 220 million people smoke, making it the fifth-largest tobacco market in the world, according to the World Health Organization.
In the United States, Philip Morris USA and other major tobacco companies are prohibited from sponsorships of concerts, but there are no such regulations in Indonesia. The affiliate, HM Sampoerna, regularly sponsors sports events and pop concerts in Indonesia.
Philip Morris was not the sole sponsor of the concert, but the event is billed as an "A Mild Live Production," suggesting it is a major backer.
With health campaigns taking a toll on cigarette sales in the West, tobacco companies are focusing marketing campaigns on developing countries such as Indonesia, behind China, the United States, Russia Philip Morris International has pulled down billboards and posters promoting an Alicia Keys concert Thursday in Indonesia's capit... more -
House Votes to Regulate Tobacco as a Drug
Decades after the surgeon general first warned that cigarettes were a health hazard, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation on Wednesday that would for the first time give the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products.
Citing the long history of warnings about the dangers of smoking, Representative John D. Dingell, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said that it was hard to believe that the federal government had not yet regulated the tobacco industry.
“With this legislation, we change this,” said Mr. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat.
The White House has signaled its opposition to the bill. And while the legislation has strong support in the Senate, which could take up the measure this fall, it is not clear whether the bill has a veto-proof majority there.
The show of support in the House, which passed the bill by a vote of 326 to 102, illustrated not only the strength of antismoking sentiment in the country but the benefit of enlisting a powerful ally. The legislation was partly the result of negotiations with Philip Morris USA, the nation’s largest cigarette company, which split with other companies by endorsing it.
Most large public health groups supported the measure — and its passage was applauded by groups including the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association — but some antismoking advocates said the bargain struck with Philip Morris gave too many concessions to the industry.
The bill specifically states that the F.D.A.’s new powers would stop short of the ability to order the elimination of nicotine from tobacco products or place an outright ban on all tobacco products.
But the agency could reduce nicotine to nonaddictive levels if it determined that doing so would benefit public health. The F.D.A. could also require changes in tobacco products, like the reduction or elimination of other harmful ingredients.
The bill bans flavored cigarettes that appeal to young people but exempts menthol from that ban. The exemption raised objections from black antismoking advocates because mentholated cigarettes are frequently chosen by black smokers.
To satisfy the Congressional Black Caucus on that issue, last-minute changes were made in the bill to direct a scientific advisory committee to issue recommendations on menthol in cigarettes within one year.
In a statement, Lorillard Tobacco Company, whose Newport cigarettes are the leading menthol brand, said it opposed the bill but “welcomes the provision in this bill that calls for a scientific review of menthol in cigarettes.”
Lorillard said that scientific studies to date do not support a conclusion that menthol cigarettes are more hazardous or addictive than non-menthol cigarettes.
The amendments also require the F.D.A. to publish an action plan on the advertising and promotion of menthol and other cigarettes to young people, giving priority to minority communities.
The bill was opposed by many Republicans. Many said they objected to expansion of the federal bureaucracy, and complained in particular that the F.D.A. was already unable to fulfill its work overseeing pharmaceuticals and food.
In floor discussion, John A. Boehner, the House minority leader, a smoker, called the legislation a “boneheaded idea.”
“How much is enough?” Mr. Boehner said. “How much government do we need? There’s not a smoker in America that doesn’t understand that smoking isn’t good for you.”
But Henry A. Waxman, the California Democrat who sponsored the bill, responded, “The minority leader said ‘When is enough, enough?’ Well cigarettes, one of the most dangerous products on sale today, are not regulated at all.”
The legislation would finance the F.D.A.’s tobacco supervision primarily through new fees paid by tobacco companies that are earmarked for that purpose.
for more story follow link Decades after the surgeon general first warned that cigarettes were a health hazard, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly appro... more -
Navy cites smoking as cause of $70 million in damage to USS George Washington
Navy officials say smoking appears to have sparked a fire that caused $70 million in damage to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
The announcement Wednesday by the Navy came as Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, relieved the carrier's commanding officer and the executive officer of duty.
Willard says he lost confidence in their ability to command after the investigation found unauthorized smoking appeared to have ignited flammable liquids and other combustible material that were improperly stored. Navy officials say smoking appears to have sparked a fire that caused $70 million in damage to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier US... more -
Smoking ban to be overturned in Europe?
Anti-smoking legislation has been dramatically watered down in Berlin after small businesses have suffered losses since smoking was outlawed, the Times reports.
Courts have ruled that any single-room bar or pub smaller than 75 square metres should be allowed to waive the anti-smoking legislation on condition that under-18s are not admitted and no food is prepared.
So far, the ruling applies only to Berlin and the south-western state of Baden Wuerttemberg (you've gotta love German words) but advocates are keen that it'll become the model for Germany as a whole, and many smokers hope it will start a European roll-back.
Ah, if only there were small pubs in the UK where you could still smoke indoors. Yes, it's summer right now, and smoking outside is bloody lovely (sunshine! cool wine! sweaty thighs!) but in the not-too-distant future it's just going to be dark and rainy again, and your poor wee cigarette will get a soaking... Plus, the world smells of wee since smoking was banned in pubs. Would you like the smoking ban to be overturned where you are? Anti-smoking legislation has been dramatically watered down in Berlin after small businesses have suffered losses since smoking was ou... more -
Amsterdam bans tobacco but you can still smoke weed ...
A tobacco ban has sent Amsterdam's cafe culture into a spin. Customers can buy (and smoke) pot, but get busted for lighting up a cigarette. Anywhere else in the world, you can't have weed in any tobacco. Now this is the only country where you're not allowed to put tobacco in your weed. A tobacco ban has sent Amsterdam's cafe culture into a spin. Customers can buy (and smoke) pot, but get busted for lighting up a ... more
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Gates, Bloomberg Pit Riches Against Smoking
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates, have announced a $500 million effort to eradicate smoking on a global level. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates, have announced a $500 million effort to eradicate smoking on a global level... more
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Bill Gates doesn't want you to smoke.
"Bill and Melinda Gates announced yesterday that they were joining Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, in a $500m campaign against smoking in the developing world.
The initiative, which will include campaigns to persuade people of the inadvisability of smoking, and efforts to induce governments to impose bans - is a departure for Gates. His foundation has been primarily committed to finding solutions to health problems, such as vaccines for killer diseases. But he is joining forces with Bloomberg, who made New York smoke-free in 2002 and gone on to found an anti-tobacco initiative working to get worldwide bans.
Bloomberg's initiative supports projects that increase tobacco tax, change the image of tobacco, protect non-smokers from exposure to smoke, and help people quit. Together with the World Health Organisation, he launched the Mpower package of evidence-based interventions this year: monitor tobacco use and the policies to prevent it; protect people from tobacco smoke; offer smokers help to quit; warn of the dangers of tobacco; enforce bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and raise taxes on tobacco."
How are you gonna let me smoke and then ban the whole freaking world from smoking!?
Big tobacco and the Government, get us hooked, make ass loads of money, successfully kill us off before 65, and if we survive, they rip our smokes right from our hands...
Makes me mad enough to want a smoke. "Bill and Melinda Gates announced yesterday that they were joining Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, in a $500m campaign ... more -
New Antismoking Signs Are Almost Visible Through the Haze
In a country where one in four people smoke, and where doctors light up in hospital hallways and health ministers puff away during meetings, it was a telling sign that a decade of halfhearted public campaigns against tobacco may finally be gaining traction.
Last May, the municipal government banned cigarettes in schools, railway stations, office buildings and other public places. Chinese athletes are no longer permitted to accept tobacco company sponsorships. Cigarette advertising on billboards will be restricted during the Olympics. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has declared that the Games will be “smoke free.”
About 350 million of China’s 1.3 billion people are regular smokers, more than the entire population of the United States, and even though 1.2 million people die each year from smoking-related causes, there is a widespread belief that cigarettes hold some health benefits. A cigarette in the morning is energizing, many smokers will declare, and even when confronted with scientific reason, they will cite Deng Xiaoping, an inveterate smoker who lived to 92, and Mao Zedong, who lived to 82.
Health care workers are not exactly the best role models: more than half of all Chinese medical professionals smoke, and a 2004 government survey of 3,600 doctors found that 30 percent did not know that smoking could lead to heart disease and circulation problems. (Unlike cigarettes in much of the world, Chinese brands carry no health warning on labels, although that is scheduled to change in 2011.) In a country where one in four people smoke, and where doctors light up in hospital hallways and health ministers puff away during mee... more -
YouTube - Flintstones Winston Cigarettes Commercial (Rare)
The Flintstones selling cigarettes, clearly from a bygone era!
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Menthol is used to hook young smokers
I smoke so this is important to me. I don't endorse smoking, but I support the freedom to choose.
Tobacco companies manipulate the amount of menthol in cigarettes to make those first few puffs more palatable to young smokers, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that could fuel support for more tobacco regulation.
"Menthol stimulates the cooling receptors in the lung and oral pharynx," said Dr. Gregory Connolly of the Harvard School of Public Health. "It makes smoking easier."
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, comes as the U.S. Congress considers legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration broad authority to regulate tobacco.
It would appear this report is simply an effort to push support for federal regulation of the tobacco industry, not a scientific review of the menthol category," said David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds, a unit of Reynolds American Inc (RAI.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and maker of Camel and Kool cigarettes.
Lorillard Inc (LO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) spokesman Michael Robinson said in a statement: "The American public should view this report for what it is, a politically motivated lobbying tool."
The article is four pages long, but these paragraphs sum it up well. What do you think? Comment below. I smoke so this is important to me. I don't endorse smoking, but I support the freedom to choose. ... more -
Nicotine 'could help Alzheimer's sufferers boost their concentration...
It is the chemical which makes smokers hooked, but scientists believe that nicotine could have its benefits - and that it could hold the key to new treatments for Alzheimer's.
The "boost" in concentration that smokers experience from cigarettes could help sufferers fight the mental decline associated with dementia, studies suggest.
Tests are already underway on nicotine based treatments which researchers believe could delay the onset of the disease, offering sufferers crucial extra time.
Part of the reason that nicotine, which is also found in small quantities in foods like cocoa and tomatoes, as well as tobacco, is so addictive is because it acts as a stimulant, increasing the flow of adrenaline in the body.
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Studies in rodents have shown that treatments based on nicotine can stimulate parts of the brain which improve concentration and quicken the responses.
Professor Ian Stolerman, from King's College in London, who led the studies, said that such treatments could offer "relief" to dementia patients, tens of thousands of whom are diagnosed in Britain every year.
Prof Stolerman said: "The substances we call drugs, in the majority of cases, actually do have a mixture of beneficial and harmful effects and nicotine is no exception in this."
Prof Stolerman started his research more than 10 years ago, initially not expecting to find that nicotine would have much effect on the brain's ability to concentrate.
His studies prove that the nicotine is more effective than other popular stimulants like caffeine at enhancing the brain's attention span.
His research suggests that the relatively small effect that nicotine has on healthy people would be greatly magnified in dementia sufferers.
The effect of the treatments could allow Alzheimer's sufferers to delay the onset of the disease for months, he believes.
Some drugs using nicotine as a base are currently in clinical trials and could potentially be on the market within a few years.
Prof Stolerman admitted that there is potential for addiction with the therapies.
"The cognitive 'boost' that many smokers experience from nicotine probably contributes to the reason that people smoke cigarettes, so it may not be possible to totally prevent addiction," Prof Stolerman said.
"Nevertheless, the potential for abuse of a medicine based on pure nicotine-like substance is likely to be very small."
He also warned against taking up smoking, because of the range of other harmful chemicals in cigarettes.
There are a number of treatments for dementia on the market which can also work to slow the progression of the disease.
However, many of these have harmful side effects, including incontinence, which Prof. Stolerman said would be absent from nicotine based treatments.
"The current therapies which do not involve nicotine are thought to give an advantage of several months (to dementia patients) but the side affects are really quite serious.
"The hope would be we would have a bit more effectiveness with rather less toxins. What we are talking about is some time, some symptomatic relief."
Prof Stolerman will present a review of his findings at the Forum of European Neuroscience conference in Geneva today (MON).
A spokesman for the Alzheimer's Society said: "Although nicotine has therapeutic qualities, when it is absorbed through smoking the health risks outweigh the benefits. Smoking increases risk of vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia and is associated with a number of other health risks.
"More research is now needed to find a safe and effective treatment for dementia, with the potential benefits of nicotine, but without the health risks."
More than 800,000 people in Britain have dementia, around 600,000 of whom have Alzheimer's, the most common form. It is the chemical which makes smokers hooked, but scientists believe that nicotine could have its benefits - and that it could hold t... more -
McCain: Kill Irianian Civilians with Lung Cancer (Joke)
Yesterday, Senator McCain was asked about an AP story in which it was revealed that during the Bush years there has been a significant increase in American exports -- including cigarettes -- to Iran. First, Senator McExperience admitted that he hadn't heard about this news story. That's bad. But not bad enough for the corporate media to wet-nap the barbeque sauce off their fingers so as to successfully pen a news item about it. But it doesn't matter because Senator McShecky followed his ignorance with this reaction to the cigarettes exports:
"Maybe that's a way of killing them."
Then the uncomfortable, jittery, bottled-rage laughter and, "That was a joke!"
I sincerely hope so. I hope the Iranian government gets the correct tone-of-voice in the translation, especially if what Senator Jackie McJokeman and his neocon wack pack are saying about Iran's impending nuclear arsenal is true. I can only imagine how the Cheney-ish warhawks would react if Ahmedinejad cracked a similarly unfunny zinger about killing our citizens -- or the citizens of Israel. Yesterday, Senator McCain was asked about an AP story in which it was revealed that during the Bush years there has been a significant... more -
McCain jokes about killing Iranians with cigarettes
John McCain, who once sang in jest about bombing Iran, on Tuesday reacted to a report of rising U.S. cigarette exports to the country by saying it may be "a way of killing 'em."
McCain, known for acerbic comments and for sometimes firing verbally from the hip, was responding to a report that U.S. exports to Iran rose tenfold during President George W. Bush's term in office despite hostility between the two states.
A rise in cigarette sales was a big part of that, according to an Associated Press analysis of seven years of U.S. trade figures.
"Maybe that's a way of killing 'em," McCain said to reporters during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh. "I meant that as a joke, as a person who hasn't had a cigarette in 28 years, 29 years," he added, laughing.
He declined further comment on the report. John McCain, who once sang in jest about bombing Iran, on Tuesday reacted to a report of rising U.S. cigarette exports to the country ... more -
FTC Ends Endorsement Of Test For Nicotine, Tar In Cigarettes
A government agency did a sharp about face Tuesday, and admitted the test it used to show those cigarettes are low in tar is meaningless. A government agency did a sharp about face Tuesday, and admitted the test it used to show those cigarettes are low in tar is meaningle... more
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