Tobacco.org

Cohasset to consider ban on electronic cigarettes  

Belmont Board of Health raises tobacco age from 18 to 19  

Middleboro considers tobacco sales ban for pharmacies  

Tri-Town Health Board Bans Tobacco Sales In Pharmacies  

Belmont to Up Tobacco Legal Age to 19  

Smoking Cause of Deadly Fire On Chestnut Street in North Attleboro  

Board of Health to ask drugstores to stop selling cigarettes  

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Smoking blamed in fatal blaze 

Calls To Quitline Increase After Graphic Anti-Smoking Campaign  

• State fire officials say more smoking-related fires are beginning outside the home  

A growing number of the fires in homes that are caused by smoking are beginning on the outside of the buildings, where people have been exiled to light up because of changing attitudes on their habits, state fire officials said.

In 2010, half of all home fires caused by smoking in Massachusetts started on the exterior of the buildings, State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said.

“People are smoking outdoors more than indoors,” Coan said in an interview. “We’re seeing a fairly high number of fires originate on balconies; many of those relate to improper disposal of smoking materials and come from people not using proper types of containers for disposing of cigarettes.”

Coan said the state was seeing a “steady decline” in the number of smoking-related fires occurring inside buildings. Smoking-related fires in homes in the past have typically started in bedrooms and living rooms.

In one recent example, a fire broke out at about 5:30 p.m. Easter Sunday in a Dartmouth apartment complex. The fire tore through the 16-unit building and displaced 35 people, though no one was injured. The fire began with the improper disposal of smoking materials on a second-floor balcony, Coan said. The building was a total loss and damage was estimated at $2 million.

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Worcester City Council OKs hookah bar 

WORCESTER -- The owner of a restaurant/bar in Union Station has received a green light to operate a hookah bar there.

Without debate, the City Council last night approved an amendment to the city's tobacco control ordinance to allow a hookah bar in Union Station.

But the approval came by just a one-vote margin (6-5), two weeks after the council had unanimously voted to advertise the amendment.

The tobacco control ordinance prohibits any form of smoking at city-owned public buildings, including Union Station.

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• STOCKMAN: Philip Morris focuses on the global market 

The first time I ever smoked a cigarette, I was in fifth grade, at a sleepover. My friend stole a Marlboro from her mother’s purse and eight of us girls put it up to our lips in her back yard in the middle of the night. By the time I reached high school, some of my friends had already gotten hooked. They showed off by puffing smoke rings and pointing out subliminal pictures hidden on a pack of Camel Lights.

But in recent years, the coolness of smoking has faded away, in one of the most profound cultural changes of our generation. Today, only 19 percent of Americans smoke, compared to 42 percent in 1965, when the surgeon general declared the habit deadly. . . .

Luckily for Uruguay, a number of allies have stepped in to help. The World Health Organization, which promoted a global anti-tobacco treaty that 173 countries have ratified, has issued strong statements in support. And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic foundation is helping Uruguay pay legal bills to fight PMI. “There is a commitment to see Uruguay win,” said Dr. Kelly Henning, director of public health programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “We don’t want countries to think they can’t put in place measures to protect their citizens against the harms of tobacco.”

It is fitting that America, birthplace of the Marlboro Man, is helping other countries kick the habit.

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LETTER: Health up in smoke 

Your editorial "Taxes up in smoke" (April 20) could have had the more accurate headline "Health care dollars up in smoke." While tobacco use has been declining, we still spend more than $4 billion a year treating tobacco-related illness in the state. Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable death and disease. We've got to reduce tobacco use and the evidence is undeniable that one of the most effective ways to do so is to increase the price.

The industry has exploited a state tax loophole with new, cheap, flavored non-cigarette products targeting teens. The Legislature can fix this by equalizing the excise tax, bringing the price in line with that of cigarettes.

Instead of one-size-fits-all declarations opposing any tax, let's have an honest discussion about controlling health costs and keeping our residents healthy.

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• New Findings Support Theory that Smoking Causes Depression 

Current heavy smokers are at three times greater risk for major depression compared to former heavy smokers, according to a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Although the link between smoking and depression is well-documented, the results support the causal hypothesis regarding smoking and depression rather than simply the "shared-vulnerability" hypothesis.

"Under the shared-vulnerability hypothesis, ever-heavy smokers may be expected to have similar elevated risk for major depressive episode irrespective of their smoking status during followup," said Salma Khaled, Ph.D. "Our results point to the contrary."

Khaled, who was employed by the Mental Health Center for Research and Teaching while the research was conducted, and a team evaluated information from 3,824 adults in the Canadian National Population Health Survey.

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• City eyes tougher public smoking rules  

Those scenarios would end if the city's Health Board adopts new public rules proposed for Haverhill. The board is considering regulations aimed at protecting the public from second-hand cigarette smoke by limiting where people can light up.

Health Board member Peter Carbone said the new regulations are a work in progress and he expects changes once the board begins to gather public input and holds public hearings. He said the board announced its plans to stiffen smoking rules at its March meeting and will discuss a draft of the proposed new regulations May 8.

"Health costs are rising. Smoking is a proven health hazard, as is second-hand smoking, so to protect the general health of the public we want to stiffen these regulations," Carbone said. "We used (the town of) Athol's bylaws as our model. That town's laws were challenged but were upheld by the court."

Proposal targets young people, public areas

Under Haverhill's proposed regulations, pharmacies would no longer be able to sell tobacco products. This would impact eight businesses in the city: Two Rite Aids, two Walgreens and four CVS stores.

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