Why Should I Quit Smoking

Menthol cigarette use is higher among persons who started smoking in the past year (44.6 percent) than among longer-term smokers (31.8 percent) according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In addition, among persons who smoked in the past month, the percentage using menthol cigarettes increased from 31.0 percent in 2004 to 33.9 percent in 2008.  

African American and Hispanic adults who smoke menthol cigarettes may be less likely to quit smoking than those who smoke regular cigarettes, a new study by researchers at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health has found. The report, published in the December issue of Preventive Medicine, is believed to be the first to use national statistics to examine the association between menthol cigarettes and smoking cessation among adults...  

New research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, supports the World Health Initiative's efforts for a home smoking ban, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Specifically, hair nicotine concentrations were higher in children exposed to secondhand smoke at home, and the younger the children, the higher the concentration under the same level of...  

Smoking tobacco through a waterpipe exposes the user to the same toxicants carbon monoxide and nicotine as puffing on a cigarette, which could lead to nicotine addiction and heart disease, according to a study led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. In the past eight to 10 years, smoking tobacco with a waterpipe, also called a hookah or shisha, has...  

Less acculturated Latino men have a more difficult time quitting smoking than those who are more acculturated to U.S. culture, but acculturation has no affect on Latinas odds of quitting smoking. Details of these findings are published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. The December issue has a special focus on tobacco. "Acculturation affects smoking cessation...  

People who smoke their first cigarette within minutes after waking up have much higher levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine when processed by the body, than those who wait to smoke, regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked. "Since cotinine levels appear to reflect the risk of lung cancer, our results suggest that smokers who smoke immediately after waking may be especially at risk for lung cancer," said researcher Joshua E...  

Assurance of a cancer-free status did not prompt people participating in a long-term computerized tomography (CT) lung-cancer screening program to pick up their cigarettes again, researchers wrote in a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. The December issue contains a special focus on tobacco...  

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Dec. 3, 2009) - A groundbreaking new survey into the electronic cigarette, smokers' health and smoking cessation, carried out by NJOY retailers E Cigarette Direct and analysed by tobacco harm reduction scientists, has shown encouraging results. An article by researchers in the Carl Phillips research group, TobaccoHarmReduction.org research group at the University of Alberta School of...  

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Cigarette maker Reynolds American says it is buying a Swedish company whose nicotine gum, pouches and spray help people stop smoking.The maker of Camel cigarettes and Grizzly smokeless tobacco says Niconovum AB's products could meet consumer demand and public health objectives for reducing the harm caused by tobacco use.read more  

The FDA has recently ordered stern warnings to accompany the drug Chantix, a popular choice in prescriptions to help quit smoking. Read this editorial before possibly putting your mental health at risk.Contributor: Keith KoonsPublished: Dec 03, 2009  

Background: Even with effective smoking cessation medications, many smokers are unable to abruptly stop using tobacco. This finding has increased interest in smoking reduction as an interim step towards complete cessation. Methods: This multi-center, double-blind placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and safety of nicotine 4 mg gum or nicotine 10 mg inhaler in helping smokers (N = 314) to reduce or quit smoking. It included smokers...  

Cindy Naugle, a 61 year old garage manager in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, won a $300 million lawsuit against Philip Morris. This was one of the largest tobacco verdicts in the U.S. Ms. Naugle suffers from emphysema and also needs a lung transplant. She had been smoking Benson & Hedges cigarettes since she was 20 years [...]  

GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA (GSK) and Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (Nabi) recently announcedan exclusive worldwide option and licensing agreement for a nicotine conjugate candidate vaccine (NicVAX), an investigational vaccine for the treatment of nicotine addiction and the prevention of smoking relapse, as well as for the development of a second generation nicotine vaccine.  

A recent study determined there is a significant risk of seizure for individuals who currently smoke cigarettes. This is the first prospective study to examine the potential risks associated with cigarette smoking, caffeine intake, and alcohol consumption as they independently relate to epilepsy.  

Fighting crime at Library Square, from drug deals to smokingSalt Lake TribuneFor example, smoking is illegal on Library Square and city parks, and Ross said he encouraged the library to stamp it out. Elder said the library staff ...