Ciggyfree Blog & Gov Alert

Sales of cigarillos in candy flavours like raspberry and mint chocolate are up 300% in Canada. Anti-smoking groups fear their popularity could fuel a kid-friendly smoking revival.

Cigarillos are cigarette-sized, filtered cigars that come in a variety of enticing flavours and — perhaps most dangerously — can be bought as singles at any corner store where they’re often right next to the candy display. And, according to an ongoing study by the Quebec health ministry, kids are eating them up.

COOL WITH THE KIDS
Smoking’s been on the decline among young people — down around 50% — for a decade. But cigarillos are bucking that trend. According to a 2004 survey of Quebec teens, 18% said they’d tried cigars or cigarillos, up from 13% in 2000.

Chances are you’ve seen cigarillo packaging — small plastic tubes that look a lot like those old horoscope rolls — littering sidewalks and storm drains. Though it’s illegal to sell single cigarettes, cigarillos — because they’re classed as cigars — are exempt. Cynics say the tobacco industry is taking advantage of this loophole to get kids hooked on smoking. Big Tobacco denies. “Regardless of their intent, they are still attracting underage children to their product,” Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society told the Toronto Sun. “There’s no doubt that the tobacco industry on the whole is a declining market. And all new smokers begin in their teens or pre-teens.”

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Dear family and friends,

Only God and Eric and someone else know what is the truth, but from everything that I have seen and read from both sides I am convinced that he is innocent. Please say a prayer for a positive outcome in his appeal which should come back with a verdict in the next couple of days or just ask God to do what is right. Visit these sites and send a letter to Eric to help keep his spirits up. Also, if this touches you like it did me, then please send this on to all your contacts too.

Thank you,
Jeff Muyskens
Director General of ANAPCAA

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Allan M. Brandt, a medical historian at Harvard, insists that recognizing the dangers of cigarettes resulted from an intellectual process that took the better part of the 20th century. He describes this fascinating story in his new book, “The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall and Deadly Persistence of the Product that Defined America” (Basic Books).

In contrast to the symbol of death and disease it is today, from the early 1900s to the 1960s the cigarette was a cultural icon of sophistication, glamour and sexual allure — a highly prized commodity for one out of two Americans.

Many advertising campaigns from the 1930s through the 1950s extolled the healthy virtues of cigarettes. Full-color magazine ads depicted kindly doctors clad in white coats proudly lighting up or puffing away, with slogans like “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.”

Excerpted from an essay by HOWARD MARKEL, M.D.

Figures released today show that 1.1 million smokers (1 in 10) actually stopped smoking on last month’s No Smoking Day (14 March) and a third of all smokers took a positive step towards stopping smoking.

The charity behind the No Smoking Day ‘Make a fresh start’ campaign has seen a surge in the numbers of people who have requested information to organize events on No Smoking Day and the increased demand is due to the UK’s smoke free legislation coming into force this year. Many employers sought the chance to get ahead of the ban and used No Smoking Day as the day to change their policies and help their staff to quit smoking.

Analysis showed that there was an increase in the number of smokers using help to quit on the Day rather than going it alone. Vishnee Sauntoo, Campaign Manager for the No Smoking Day charity, said: “It is really important that smokers who want to stop seek help in their quit attempt. We know that stopping smoking is difficult on your own. There is a range of help available from a free local NHS Stop Smoking Service to nicotine patches or gum from your local pharmacy. However you choose to stop, there is always someone to help and support you.”

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From:

I just spent three days reading, re-reading, researching and discussing the proposed FDA guidelines for “Complementary and Alternative Medicine” with two FDA attorneys. You can download a copy of this proposal for yourself below.

When I first heard about this FDA attack on complementary and alternative health care, I considered it another “Chicken Little” rumor. On further study, I’m appalled at the speed with which the pharmaceutical companies are implementing Codex Alimentarius in the USA. If you don’t suspect the pharmaceutical companies control the FDA, you may want to research that further by visiting (http://www.healthfreedomusa.org./)

This insidious proposal is designed to redefine every complementary and alternative health care modality and product as “medicine.” This has direct implications on the services and products provided by every alternative health care professional. There is no facet of complementary and alternative health care that is not affected. If the FDA adopts this proposal, all natural health care would be illegal even for medical doctors.

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Cigarette smoking is always unsafe. Men who smoke 20 cigarette per day take
twice as many days off work each year than nonsmokers. Of men now age 35,
the proportion that will die before reaching retiring age is 40% for heavy
smokers, but only 18% for non-smokers. Smoking causes more than 400, 000
deaths a year in America all alone. Below in this article we will tell you
the parts of the body affected by smoking. Women are at an additional risk,
as their unborn babies can be damaged by smoking.

Smoking also increases the risk of cervical cancer.

Mouth and throat: Tobacco smoke can cause gum disease and tooth decay. The teeth become yellow or black.

Esophagus: The tars in smoke can trigger cancer.

Brain: Headaches are common. Lack of oxygen and narrowing of blood-vessels can lead to strokes.

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By Gayle Dean
Original Publication Date: April 8, 2007
Reproduced at Ciggyfree with the permission of Gayle Dean.

The so-called Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) is at it again. This time, it’s not the American Medical Association or Mothers Against Drunk Driving they’re after. Instead, it’s the Physicians’ Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM). The PCRM is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, proper nutrition, and healthy lifestyles.

So why is something calling itself the Center For Consumer Freedom attacking the Physicians Committee and urging Congress not to promote healthier diets?

It’s because the PCRM is affiliated with the Cancer Project, which recently made a formal request asking Congress to earmark funds for nutrition and healthy lifestyle education.

You might think the Physicians Committee and the Cancer Project have little to do with limiting consumer freedom, and you’d be right. In fact, you might think that promoting nutritional education is just the thing needed to support greater consumer freedom. Odd, that the Center for Consumer Freedom should be against it.

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After thirty years of smoking Hes is currently
8 Weeks 4 Days 2 Hours 36 Minutes 59 Seconds
(60 Total Days) SMOKE FREE!!!!

Hes has not smoked 2402 Cigarettes

Watch his progress at: http://www.sherdconsulting.com/GQT.html

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to a great guy!!!!

Keep up the good work Hes, Ciggyfree is PROUD of YOU

Hugs,
~robbster

Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking
According to the American Cancer Society, “48 million adults (25.7 million men and 22.3 million women) were current smokers in the United States in 1997.” Many of these adult smokers started during their teenage years. Unfortunately, even today people still begin to smoke cigarettes despite published statistics that show its negative impact on health. The adverse effects of smoking include nicotine addiction, an increased risk of lung and other types of cancer, higher rates of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease, as well as decreased life expectancy.

Cigarettes contain dried tobacco leaves and flavorings, which include more than 4,000 chemicals. Some of these substances are harmless until burned and breathed.

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It’s been way too long since I wrote. I feel like I have a mental cold when I don’t get stuff out of my system. The job hunt continues and my ego is still standing. Applying for jobs in a city of 3 million people is a lot different than applying for jobs in small, rural Mid Western towns. I must have more of an ego than I’d realized.

But the other night we were sitting around watching the tube and we saw a commercial for an HBO special called Addiction. Naturally, I had to see what it was. It’s fascinating! All of the episodes are on the OnDemand channel as well, so if I ever get enough time I’m going to watch/dvr them.

One of the most interesting statements I heard, though, was from a judge who was doing what they called “Rehab court”. Apparently the court system has finally realized that people who are addicted are clogging up the judicial system needlessly. They finally realized that if the addict isn’t out burgling or mudering, they probably need more help than prison time.

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Curious smokers of both genders have been buying new cigarettes allegedly marketed toward women, while health advocates continue to bristle at the advertising campaign accompanying the new product.

The name of the cigarette, No. 9, calls to mind the name of famous perfumes No. 5 and No. 19 by the legendary design house Chanel. The smokes come in a black box, said to be “dressed to the nines,” trimmed with fuchsia accents. Then there’s the song “Love Potion No. 9″ and the movie by the same name that gave Sandra Bullock her big break.

When Janine Paczelt, a manager at The Cigarette Outlet in West Bend was asked about a new cigarette brand, she knew immediately it would be the new Camel.

“Because it’s been on the news, and because it’s the new cigarette - and the new cigarette always causes controversy,” Paczelt said. “Yes, I carry them and, yes, people have asked for them.”

Most of Paczelt’s customers seem to buy cigarettes based on price first, then taste. She wasn’t sure how they responded to marketing strategies. She said she had only tried one “No. 9″ and described the heaviness of the smoke as between a regular Camel and a Camel Light.

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