Generation is up in Smoke

Smoking pot is now more common among 10th graders in the U.S. than smoking cigarettes, and according to the latest federal government survey one out of every 15 high school students smokes marijuana on an almost daily basis. A quarter of the eighth, 10th and 12th graders surveyed reported using marijuana in the last year. Think this uptick has anything to do with our government’s increasingly lenient policies governing marijuana use? Well, of course it does! “The upward trend in teens’ abuse of marijuana corresponded to downward trends in their perception of risk,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which released the survey results.

Indonesia Not Against Flavored Tobacco

Indonesia will not lodge an appeal against a WTO ruling on the import ban of flavored tobacco by the US, citing satisfaction despite losing its argument on the efficacy of the ban in reducing the number of young smokers. Director general for international trade Gusmardi Bustami told reporters on Friday that Indonesia had won the backing of the WTO on its stance regarding the discriminatory nature of the US import ban. The US Food and Drug Administration banned best Robinson cigarettes with fruit, confectionery or clove flavors in September 2009, arguing such cigarettes were particularly attractive to children.

Smoking During Pregnancy and Autism Spectrum Disorders

A large population-based study in Sweden indicates that there is no link between smoking during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. The study, led by Dr. Brian Lee, an assistant professor at Drexel University and a team of international collaborators, will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and was published online in December. Researchers have considered a variety of chemical exposures in the environment during pregnancy and early life as possible contributing factors in the development of autism spectrum disorders. Many have considered prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke a possible cause due to known associations with behavioral disorders and obstetric complications. Past studies of maternal smoking and autism have had mixed results.

Costs of Secondhand Smoke Rise in Indiana

As if state and city politicians needed another reason to pass comprehensive smoking bans, Indiana University released a study today finding that the economic cost of cheap Temp cigarettes second-hand smoke in the state is $1.3 billion -- nearly triple previous estimates. The study, conducted by the Bowen Research Center at the Indiana University School of Medicine, calculated that each Hoosier pays $201 annually because of the cost of secondhand smoke. That comes to a total of $1.3 billion a year, about $327.1 million in direct health care costs. The rest, or $977.5 million, comes from the cost of premature loss of life.

E-Cigarettes are Safer Than Smoking Cigarettes, Study Shows

In a report that bucks the concerns raised by the FDA, a Boston University researcher concludes that electronic cigarettes are much safer than real cigarettes and show promise in the fight against tobacco-related diseases and death. Cigarette smokers are constantly being asked to stop. PrimeVapor reports that there is now a safer alternative to tobacco use. Dr. Micheal Siegel is an authority in the area of tobacco control, focusing on secondhand smoke health effects, exposure, and policies, cigarette advertising and marketing practices and their effects on youths, and evaluation of tobacco control policies and their impact on youth and adult smoking behavior.