Quit Smoking is a Complicated Process

Smoking cessation is a difficult process and many people do not want to give the habit up, one expert has stated. Ursula James, said a lot of people enjoy smoking and they are reluctant to stop, despite what friends and family want them to do. She stated that throughout her experience as a smoking cessation specialist, she has never met an individual who wanted to quit cigarettes or tobacco. "It is usually something else outside that encourages them to stop smoking, for example, wanting to get pregnant," she added. Ms James believes that it does not matter if further taxes are added to tobacco or how expensive the habit becomes because people will continue to smoke. The amount of people who smoke cheap Gauloises cigarettes in the UK has fallen since rates peaked at 82 per cent in 1948, states Ash. The latest figures from the charity show 21 per cent of UK adults still have the habit.

Kids Smoking Synthetic Drugs

Police say teenagers have found a new way to get high and it is legal for now. After spice, a marijuana-like drug was outlawed earlier this year in Arizona due to a number of people going to the emergency room for seizures, racing heartbeat and elevated blood pressure, manufacturers have come out with a new product potentially just as dangerous, police say. Payson police are urging parents to watch out for potpourri, synthetic marijuana that can also cause health problems. The substance is being sold in several stores throughout town and is legal for anyone to buy. Just a month ago, thieves broke into the Quick Stop Convenience Store at Bonita Street and Highway 87, and the only thing they took was potpourri, said Payson Police Det. Matt Van Camp. The break-in happened overnight when the store was closed and the thieves were wearing disguises.

Nightlife Changed by Smoking Ban

While at the Oasis bar in downtown Rapid City on Friday night, Jeff Hoffman did something he wouldn't have had to do just over a year ago: Go outside to smoke. In the year since South Dakota voters overwhelmingly approved expanding a ban on smoking cheap tobacco in public places to bars, restaurants and casinos, the nightlife experience for smokers and nonsmokers alike has been transformed. Whether it has been changed for the better or worse depends on whom you ask. "I'm a grown man. I should be able to make my own decisions," said Hoffman, who isn't a fan of the ban. "If they're still selling cigarettes, we should be able to smoke them in establishments that designate smoking."

Smoking Banned in Public Areas

Orland is working on a new smoking ban in its parks and outside business doorways and restaurants, but there are some kinks to be unknotted before it's approved by the City Council. A contingent of Orland High School students belonging to Students Working Against Tobacco pushed for the ban again Monday night, saying it is aimed at protecting children, teens and adults from secondhand smoke. They came armed with posters, chaperones and information to lobby for smoke-free playgrounds, ball fields, picnic areas and store fronts. Most council members agreed such a ban would benefit public health, but they did not like the proposed fines listed in a sample law the students provided when they first sought the ban on Oct. 17. Proposed fines of $250 to $1,000 for so-called civil actions surprised the council and were thought to be too high.

Safety Issues for Hospital Patients

Hospitals across Canada have strict no-smoking policies, but how are patients addicted to nicotine faring in these circumstances? Researchers tried to find some answers by questioning patients, health-care professionals and other staff at two large acute-care hospitals -- the University of Alberta Hospital and Winnipeg's Health Science Centre. Smoke-free policies often prohibit smoking near entrances, in parking lots or anywhere on hospital grounds. The researchers found non-compliance, as well as inadequate treatment for tobacco dependence. "Just because you put this kind of policy into place doesn't mean people are just going to quit smoking," said co-author Annette Schultz, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba's faculty of nursing. She's also an ex-smoker who has worked in primary-care settings. The paper appeared Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.