Tobacco.org

• Some bars, eateries still let patrons light up  

Pennsylvania's Clean Indoor Air Act, which took effect in September 2008 after more than a decade of legislative wrangling, was supposed to protect employees and customers from the dangers of secondhand smoke by prohibiting smoking in most workplaces.

From the beginning, certain businesses were automatically exempted from the law, such as private clubs, certain truck stops and up to half of the gaming floor at casinos. The law also lets some businesses apply for an exemption to allow smoking, most notably bars, as long as food accounts for 20 percent or less of overall sales and no one under 18 is permitted to enter.

Hundreds of businesses across the state have been granted exemptions, with some 2,800 drinking establishments, cigar bars and tobacco shops holding an exemption at the end of 2011, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which is charged with approving the waivers. The American Lung Association estimates 60 percent of bars in Allegheny County are exempt from the law.

But the Rosecliff isn't one of them.

That hasn't stopped the bar from describing itself as a "smoking establishment" on its website. "We even have a cigarette machine in case you run out," the site said as of Friday.

Rosecliff owner Josh Parente said two weeks ago that he was "pretty sure" he had the waiver to allow smoking. "I would have to check that," he said.

The health department confirmed The Rosecliff does not have an exemption.

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Palmyra looks to ban smoking at parks and athletic facilities  

Smoking aggravates periodontal disease | pennlive.com 

Lansdale May Ban Smoking in Playgrounds 

EDITORIAL: Tobacco fund: Kitty is being tweaked too many times 

Chewing tobacco poses health risks 

Dear Dr. Reitz: My son plays on a college baseball team. While playing baseball in high school he would chew on sunflower seeds; in college he has switched to chewing tobacco. I am concerned how this may affect his health. He said everyone on the team does it and that it's not as dangerous as smoking. - Joan

Dear Joan: Chewing tobacco, also known as dip, chew, snuff or smokeless tobacco is still tobacco and has many of the same health risks. Like cigarettes, chewing tobacco also contains nicotine - an addictive drug. It is estimated that holding an average-size dip in the mouth for just 30 minutes can deliver as much nicotine as smoking three cigarettes. It's the nicotine addiction that can make quitting difficult.

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Lancaster city parks to be 'tobacco free,' but with no penalties  

Valley View Park to become smoke-free zone  

• Mobile technology helps explore nicotine addiction 

Some people quit smoking on the first try while others have to try to quit repeatedly. Using such mobile technology as hand-held computers and smartphones, a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh is trying to find out why.

"One thing that really stood out among the relapsers is how their urge to smoke just never dropped, in contrast to those who were successful in quitting for a month -- their urge dropped quickly and systematically -- almost immediately upon quitting," said Stephanie Lanza, scientific director of The Methodology Center at Penn State. "That was surprising to see."

With a new statistical model to interpret data and the ability to collect data via mobile devices, the researchers looked at how baseline nicotine dependence and negative emotional states influenced people's urge to smoke while they were trying to quit.

The Centers for Disease Control found in a 2010 National Health Interview Survey of 27,157 adults that about 52 percent of cigarette smokers tried to quit during the year. Six percent of all smokers -- who had been smoking for two years or more -- quit for at least six months. Also in 2010, the CDC reported that even though cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S., nearly one in five Americans smokes.

The team found that those who successfully quit during the four-week study period had a weaker association between their urge to smoke and their ability to quit. However, those who were unable to abstain did not show any association between their urge to smoke and their self-confidence.

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Smoking at Tamaqua's playgrounds may soon be outlawed  

• Mobile technology helps explore nicotine addiction 

Some people quit smoking on the first try while others have to try to quit repeatedly. Using such mobile technology as hand-held computers and smartphones, a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh is trying to find out why.

"One thing that really stood out among the relapsers is how their urge to smoke just never dropped, in contrast to those who were successful in quitting for a month -- their urge dropped quickly and systematically -- almost immediately upon quitting," said Stephanie Lanza, scientific director of The Methodology Center at Penn State. "That was surprising to see."

With a new statistical model to interpret data and the ability to collect data via mobile devices, the researchers looked at how baseline nicotine dependence and negative emotional states influenced people's urge to smoke while they were trying to quit.

Jump to full article »

Some smokers quit smoking on first try while others have to quit repeatedly 

Some people quit smoking on the first try while others have to quit repeatedly. Using such mobile technology as hand-held computers and smartphones, a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh is trying to find out why.

"One thing that really stood out among the relapsers is how their urge to smoke just never dropped, in contrast to those who were successful in quitting for a month -- their urge dropped quickly and systematically -- almost immediately upon quitting," said Stephanie Lanza, scientific director of The Methodology Center at Penn State. "That was surprising to see."

With a new statistical model to interpret data and the ability to collect data via mobile devices, the researchers looked at how baseline nicotine dependence and negative emotional states influenced people's urge to smoke while they were trying to quit.

Jump to full article »

Mobile technology helps explore nicotine addiction 

Some people quit smoking on the first try while others have to quit repeatedly. Using such mobile technology as hand-held computers and smartphones, a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh is trying to find out why.

"One thing that really stood out among the relapsers is how their urge to smoke just never dropped, in contrast to those who were successful in quitting for a month -- their urge dropped quickly and systematically -- almost immediately uponquitting," said Stephanie Lanza, scientific director of The Methodology Center at Penn State. "That was surprising to see."

With a new statistical model to interpret data and the ability to collect data via mobile devices, the researchers looked at how baseline nicotine dependence and negative emotional states influenced people's urge to smoke while they weretrying to quit.

Jump to full article »

Poverty, crime, smoking: You bet Philly's unhealthy 

Blawnox officials look to extend non-smoking areas