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County's smoking ordinance doused  

Allegan County property will remain a "smoking zone" after county commissioners opted Thursday, April 26, not to ban smoking by members of the public.

The commissioners instead requested that county administration draft an ordinance to designate areas within 25 feet of doorways as no-smoking zones but otherwise allow public tobacco use on county property.

Commissioner Steve McNeal led the charge to draft a less restrictive ordinance than the one originally proposed.

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Cohasset to consider ban on electronic cigarettes  

Cohasset to consider ban on electronic cigarettes  

City advances scaled-back restrictions: smoking in parks  

Milpitas City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to introduce an ordinance amending the city's municipal code to enforce a total ban on tobacco smoking in all City of Milpitas parks.

The ban amends prior city laws restricting smoking near city-owned buildings and keeping smokers a distance of 25 feet from city playgrounds.

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City advances scaled-back restrictions: smoking in parks  

Milpitas City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to introduce an ordinance amending the city's municipal code to enforce a total ban on tobacco smoking in all City of Milpitas parks.

The ban amends prior city laws restricting smoking near city-owned buildings and keeping smokers a distance of 25 feet from city playgrounds.

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National Study: Teen “Heavy” Marijuana Use Up 80 Percent Since 2008, One in Ten Teens Reports Using Marijuana at Least 20 Times a Month 

National Study: Teen “Heavy” Marijuana Use Up 80 Percent Since 2008, One in Ten Teens Reports Using Marijuana at Least 20 Times a Month 

• Drug Fans: More Teens Smoke Weed Than Cigarettes; The War On Drugs Has Failed  

The study, the 23rd annual Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, shows that teen marijuana use is up, with 27-percent of teens (about 1.5 million) admitting to smoking weed in the past month. That's up from 19-percent in 2008.

In contrast, according to the Drug Policy Alliance, teens who admitted to smoking cigarettes in the past month is on the decline, with 22-percent of teens copping to smoking in the past month. That's down from 27-percent last year. . . .

The problem, according to the DPA: the prohibitionist approach to marijuana policy isn't working, and the "war on drugs" is a failure.

"The continued decline in teen cigarette smoking is great news - not just because it's the most deadly drug but also because it reveals that legal regulation and honest education are more effective than prohibition and criminalization," DPA publications manager Jag Davies says. "Although the U.S. arrests 750,000 people every year for nothing more than possessing a small amount of marijuana, teens consistently report that marijuana is easier to obtain than alcohol."

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• Drug Fans: More Teens Smoke Weed Than Cigarettes; The War On Drugs Has Failed  

The study, the 23rd annual Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, shows that teen marijuana use is up, with 27-percent of teens (about 1.5 million) admitting to smoking weed in the past month. That's up from 19-percent in 2008.

In contrast, according to the Drug Policy Alliance, teens who admitted to smoking cigarettes in the past month is on the decline, with 22-percent of teens copping to smoking in the past month. That's down from 27-percent last year. . . .

The problem, according to the DPA: the prohibitionist approach to marijuana policy isn't working, and the "war on drugs" is a failure.

"The continued decline in teen cigarette smoking is great news - not just because it's the most deadly drug but also because it reveals that legal regulation and honest education are more effective than prohibition and criminalization," DPA publications manager Jag Davies says. "Although the U.S. arrests 750,000 people every year for nothing more than possessing a small amount of marijuana, teens consistently report that marijuana is easier to obtain than alcohol."

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Varenicline decreases alcohol consumption in heavy-drinking smokers.  

Varenicline decreases alcohol consumption in heavy-drinking smokers.  

Varenicline decreases alcohol consumption in heavy-drinking smokers.  

Varenicline decreases alcohol consumption in heavy-drinking smokers.  

• Anti-Smoking Drug Decreases Alcohol Consumption in Heavy-Drinking Smokers 

The smoking cessation drug varenicline significantly reduced alcohol consumption in a group of heavy-drinking smokers, in a study carried out by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco.

“Alcohol abuse is a huge problem, and this is a big step forward in identifying a potential new treatment,” said senior author Howard L. Fields, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and director of the Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction at UCSF.

The study was published on May 1 in the journal Psychopharmacology.

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• Anti-Smoking Drug Decreases Alcohol Consumption in Heavy-Drinking Smokers 

The smoking cessation drug varenicline significantly reduced alcohol consumption in a group of heavy-drinking smokers, in a study carried out by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco.

“Alcohol abuse is a huge problem, and this is a big step forward in identifying a potential new treatment,” said senior author Howard L. Fields, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and director of the Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction at UCSF.

The study was published on May 1 in the journal Psychopharmacology.

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